REVIEW: Elf Brushes.

I own the minimum number of brushes needed for makeup and wasnt willing to spend large amounts of money for a whole collection...although I do have a £32 MAC one -_- So when I saw how cheap the ELF ones were and how numerous beauty gurus raved about their powder brush, I had to get some. I own 6 of their brushes so far as most ones I wanted were sold out. Excuse the makeup left on the brushes btw lol =/

These are:

Elf Studio Powder Brush- I use this when I want a natural finsh for my liquid foundation by buffing it in. Gives a lovely finsh.

Elf Studio Angled Contour Brush- I use this for applying Elf HD powder under my eyes to set my concealer. Shapes well and nice to use.

Elf Eyeliner Brush- Use flat top to apply concealer around my brows. Applys nicely and fits in arch.

Haven't used these brushes much yet:
Elf Studio Contour Brush
Elf Defining Eye Brush
Elf Blending Eye Brush

Overall, i actually love these brushes, especially as prices start from £1.50! I have experienced no shedding from them which is shocking as my MAC 187 sheds all the time and was 20x the price! The brushes have good application and are nice to hold. I fully recommend and will be collecting the rest.


E x

Beauty Tip (1): Face Wipes.

Can you believe we're in March already?! =O Time is just flying by! Meaning my exams are just around the corner O_O But anyway, here's a little tip I've found recently...

Image from Google.

If you notice your face wipes dry out quickly, try storing them upside down! This will distribute the moisture evenly in the pack so when you take out the top one, it will still be moist!

Also, instead if face wipes try buying baby wipes to save you that extra few £'s. They do the same job but for a fraction of the price!

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Budget buy: MAC Fix+ vs. Elf Mist & Set

The products?
MAC FIX+
£7/30ml £12.50/100ml
Pearl-like finsh on a cylindic bottle with a matte black twist and lock lid, making it travel friendly.
Buy Here:
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/177/388/Skincare/Fixers/Fix/index.tmpl


ELF MAKEUP MIST AND SET
£3.50/ 60ml
Translucent cuboid shaped bottle with rounded off edges.
Buy Here: http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~207.htm


What do they claim to do?
MAC: "An aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up!"

ELF: "Keep your makeup in place all day with a radiance boosting invisible hold. The invigorating mist moisturizes and soothes the skin with key ingredients Aloe, Green Tea, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E. The lightweight, comfortable and alcohol free formula improves makeup wearability and prevents color from running or fading."

Do they work?
I have used Fix + for a while now and I am pretty impressed. I've used it before applying makeup and primer, on my brushes before eyeshadow and to set my makeup after application. I do feel like it helps secure my makeup to my face and get rid of a powdery finsh to produce a dewy glow. However, as I have combination skin, the dewy finsh is not always best for me and I do press powder into my T-zone after using Fix+ if needed. All the vitamins help my skin feel nourished and refreshed without a harsh smell.


As I waited for my ELF delivery to arrive, I was becoming sceptical about this spray as I watched a guru's review on it and she said it had an horrible smell.=S This doesn't seem to be the case with mine, so either they've improved the formula, or mine is water (lool doubt it, well shaken it does produce a foamy substance =D) So anyway, to compare I decided to use Mist and Set the exact way i use Fix+. I have early starts at work in the weekend so half my makeup is done on the train there. The first time I used this, I applied it before my foundation at home... when i looked at my skin on the train, it looked flaky and dry! And I have combination skin! Instead of throwing it away, I decided to be the scapegoat and thought maybe I needed more moisturiser. I tried it again another day after applying my moisturiser and while it gave me a lovely glow, my skin felt really tight and dry. This product is definately drying. When i decided to use it again after makeup application to set my makeup....my liquid eyeliner and mascara smudged and ran like a bitch -_-. It had not fully dried but I am always fully confident to use my Fix+ with wet makeup without the fear of smudging. =/


Pros
MAC: 

• Travel friendly lock
• Multi-use 
• Gets rid of powdery finsh
• Doesn't run eye makeup

ELF:

• Cheap 
• No smell,
• Nice glowy finsh when no makeup applied

Cons
MAC: 

• Cost
• Sometimes needs to be powdered down to get rid of oily look

ELF:

• Lid falls off
• Dries out face/ appears flaky
• Smudges eye makeup

What do I recommend?
Stick with Fix+ if you have those extra funds, you wear alot of eye makeup and do not want to dry out your skin. Use Elf as a cheaper alternative that can be used on the everyday occasion.