ELF Studio Matte Lip Colour Review! NEW for July 2011

The unique selling points of Elf’s Studio Matte Lip Colour  (£3.50 each) are:

The format

It’s a jumbo size stick – similar to Clinique’s chubby sticks,  but at a fraction of the price.

The Finish
It offers this season’s coveted matte finish – and actually delivers.

The Hype

All of the UK ELF fan base have been waiting for these beauties ever since they appeared on the US site.  Out of everything that the Americans get first, these are what I wanted to get my hands on the most. So, when ELF got their new delivery in, I ordered 2 of these beauties; Natural and Tea Rose. Both are gorgeous pinks, the Natural very suitable for day wear in the office, the Tea Rose suitable for the same, as well as being a very versatile colour that would cross over easily into evening wear/going out colours.

What the product delivers

I am insanely happy with this product.  I wish I had ordered all 4 colours and I hope that ELF release more!  First, you won't need a separate lip liner -trust me, and save your pennies.  This product does not feather, bleed or smudge. Use the pointed tip to draw your line and then fill in with the edge of the pencil.  You don't need a lot and it glides on smoothly, evenly and bursting with beautiful pigmented colour.  And then is stays put - all day long.  I really wasn't expecting the staying power that this product delivers, and I would even say once it's on, you will need something more than just a tissue to get it off!

It doesn't dry your lips, it's so smooth and natural you will easily forget you're wearing it (but if you do happen to lick your lips it tastes good!), it contains vitamins A, C & E so actually cares for your lips whilst on.  Yet again, ELF get it spot on with their value for money products. For £3.50 it's hard to go wrong.  Please note, the product turned out to be a lot bigger than I expected too - bonus! If I was scoring this product it would definitely be a 10.

ELF Matte Finisher nail polish.....update

Well, after a great result on the coral shade, I have to say that the Matte topcoat works even better on darker shades.  The nail polish I have used its Karen Millen Wine (can't link to it as I can't find it anymore!).  Just 2 coats of the colour, 5 minutes drying time and then the top coat. The result was gorgeous and perfect and just what I was looking for.  So pleased with how well it works.

BEFORE - Nails with 2 coats of the Karen Millen wine polish

AFTER - Beautiful Matte finish!

I absolutely cannot recommend this product enough. I think the Matte look is so chic, stylish and wearable. Lovely, bright shiny nail varnish is great but for office wear,  and formal occasions, I don't think this look can be beaten. At £1.50 a bottle, you have nothing to lose by giving this fantastic innovation a try.  Great result, ELF!

Questions?  Comments - go ahead and ask them or leave them!  Also, have you browsed this blog? There are brand new pages, including; About Me, Links to great site & other fab blogs, a great new Tutorials feature and coming soon - my giveaway competition page! 


Want to be on my links page? Then just contact me; I'll add a banner to my page & follow you! :)

ELF - Matte Finisher clear nail polish

Elf promise that their Matte Finisher clear nail polish will: "Instantly transform your shiny polish to matte with this translucent top coat."

The actual product is milky looking in the bottle, not exactly clear

So I ordered a bottle and decided to test it to see if ELF were onto another £1.50 winner.

My base nail polish is Avon's Arabian Glow in Coral Sands.  I used 2 coats on this and applied them the day before so they were good and dry for when my Elf delivery arrived! I'm loving all the nail innovations at the moment, which make it possible to have edgy, beautiful nails without paying through the roof, so I was very eager to try this.

2 coats of regular nail polish

 I used one coat and the effect was instant - and gorgeous. I am so eager to try this on some dark colours.  I would say that the effect works better if your original nail paint work is neat & tidy and without polish on your skin, otherwise it can look a bit crappy!

1 coat of the Matte Finisher

It's a very pretty look, but I do think it will work better with dark colours, as bright summer colours look prettier with the shine.  I'm going to try the top coat on a gorgeous Karen Millen wine nail varnish that I have and see how that comes out. 

Overall though, I would happily recommend this product - especially for £1.50!

Transform your nails for £1.50!

As ever, your questions and comments are always welcome.  Sorry for the poor picture quality....these are taken on my camera phone.  But you get the general idea!

Another fantastic Summer Giveaway!

Another fantastic Blog Comptetion giving away fab beauty freebies.  You only have to click a few buttons and do a few simple things to enter this fantatsic contest - so go fill out forms & good luck! What are you waiting for? Click the photo above or click HERE to enter.

Free Mascara worth £13 - just pay £2.50 P&P

Vie at home are giving away one of their gorgeous Dream lashes Mascara worth £13/€16.25 for FREE, you just pay P&P (£2.50).  Totally legitimate offer (for a magazine, Woman's own I think?!), I just ordered mine, although had to get Brown/Black as Black is sold out.

Click THIS LINK to go to the offer page and make sure DREAM is in the promotional code section, although once you click the link it does tell you you've qualified for the offer. Go, quick! Before they sell out completely :)  Enjoy!

ELF Giveaway

Fantastic ELF goodies up for grabs at Nina's Bargain Beauty! Click HERE to see more!

Nina offers great reviews, knows about all there is to know about ELF products and her blog is my favourite place for great quality photos showing true colour swatches. Well worth a visit!

Sparkling Summer Scents

Summer's here (apparently!) and we're all hoping for some lovely, warm weather.  But we want to stay fresh, smell good and keep it light, crisp and refreshing.  There are some gorgeous perfumes out there right now that are just perfect for summer, with sparkling citrus notes, fresh florals and blooms and light woods with hints of vanilla.

So here is another one of my top 5's! This time, I'm sharing with you the 5 perfumes I'm wearing and loving right now.  All gorgeous, all affordable and all Summery!

1. Nina - By Nina Ricci

I love this perfume so much, it's totally my number one favourite at the minute.  I wore this on Honeymoon all last year and I'm on my second bottle already.  This scent is quite sweet, but it's also really lovely and feminine when the initial sweetness settles down. Nina describes this scent as Fresh, Floral & Fruity, with sparkling blossoms.  It's the 'Fragrance of Temptation'....and can be yours for £36.50 f0r 50ml or £49.00 for 80ml. That's a lot of perfume for a really decent price.

2. Benefit - Something About Sofia

This is one sharp scent. Oriental floral tones, with blossoms, mango and vanilla.  It's a really gorgeous scent. While Nina is a fun, light, fruity scent this one is more 'womanly' and a little sophisticated, whilst still remaining beautifully fresh and perfect for Summer.  £29.50 for 30ml, Benefit market this with their usual kitsch style:

A poem about Sofia:She lives in a dream
more dazzling than fiction
Imaginary yet real
she defies all prediction
An incredible girl
she draws you right in
To where the everyday ends
"and magic begins".




3. Sarah Jessica Parker - Covet Pure Bloom

£14.15 for a hefty 50ml bottle on the link to the left.  Seems that this scent is available on all the discount perfumes webstores but according to SJP's site the fragrance is no longer offered or supported, so expect to pick it up at bargain prices.  This doesn't stop it being a really gorgeous, wearable scent. As the name suggests, the fragrance is mainly blooms and florals, feminine, pretty and very summery.  Just a shame SJP has moved onto other fragrances instead of supporting the earlier ones....

4. JLO - Glow

Currently £15.33 on Boots.com for 30ml. This is a really great deal for a really lovely scent.  JLO says :
 

"I wanted Glow to be fresh and clean but still sexy and sensual and feels like you just came out of the shower..."

The ingredients are Orange Flower, grapefruit, Neroli, Rose, Sandalwoood, Amber, Jasmine. vanilla & musk. It sounds like a heady cocktail and it is - but you'll feel like your head is in the cloud! Just gorgeous.

5. Daisy by Marc Jacobs

This was my wedding day scent. The saleswoman in Debenhams said that she had sold the fragrance to so many brides that month and it was so popular it was flying off the shelves. £45 gets you 50ml. This scent comes with a gorgeous range of complimentary products; shimmer body gel, shower lotion, roll on parfum....all perfect for your big day! Layer your scent so that it lasts all day.
It's simply beautiful.  It's utterly unique and instead of trying to describe it, I would say go to a perfume counter and smell it for yourself.  You won't be sorry!


After writing this article based upon the bottles sitting on top of my chest of drawers, I happened to look at the Boots site when getting links for this blog to find that they also list Daisy and JLo Glow in their top 10 Summer Fragrances.  Click HERE to read more.