Ellis Faas: eyeshadows and mascara review

apologies for the bag of tissues and stuff...

Hi ladies (and gents, if any of them are following me),
finally another post from me. Busy life! However, let me say THANK YOU for keeping on following my blog! It is much appreciated!
So do you remember my rave about Ellis Faas' lip products? If not, you can check out the post here.
Following in the Ellis Faas fascination that has taken over me, are eye products.
I was lucky enough to be sent three eyeshadows and their fabulous mascara to try.
Now let me tell you that they are definitely worth the price ( they range from € 23,00 to € 32,00). All of them!
The quality is once again excellent ingredients, pigmentation, and durability-wise. I can't say amazing anymore, because I now know that this brand is a sure hit, and I would only be surprised if anything lets me down.

Now for a more in-depth review:
ELLIS FAAS MASCARA € 23,00
This mascara has a rather creamy consistency and it is exceptional for lenghtening, separating and also volumizing lashes in just few coats.
It comes in the usual missile-shaped Ellis Faas pens, and has a very long wand (which makes it a practical tools for make-up artists or anyone doing make-up on others) and a thin brush made of bristles.
I think it is because of the perfect combination between the number of bristles and the size of the hole in the mascara container (which should enable the brush to be loaded with the right amount of mascara) that this product has so many pros and also grabs every lash.
Clumps and flakes-free this mascara is a definite recommend that comes in black and brown, and can be purchased here

The mascara wand. As you can see there is a load of product there, but still, this is not clumpy at all!

ELLIS FAAS CREAMY EYES EYESHADOW - € 26,00
Creamy Eyes have the perfect texture ever, in my opinion.
But I think anyone would agree on that. The formula is light weighted, quick-drying (which does not mean instantly, so you have enough time to blend), and velvety. Who doesn't love a velvet-like eyeshadow?
The best part: they start creasing after 12 hours. And I really mean 12 hours. Considering I have an oily lid, and I normally have to wear a primer with any eyeshadow if I want it to last, this is just great!
The shade I was sent is E105, which I find extremely peculiar: it dries to a matte finish, it looks brown, but it has a slight pink/lilac iridescense that makes it gorgeous. It also makes it the perfect base for MAC Shale!
I always use it when I teach my university course, as it is one of those colors that look natural, yet sophisticated.
The product contains a special extract of flowers and coffee. Will it be the secret to its covering yet soft texture? (answers on a postcard...)

ELLIS FAAS MILKY EYES EYESHADOW - € 26,00
Also from their original eyeshadows range, Milky Eyes is the more translucent version. The applicator in this eyeshadow is not a brush one, rather a sponge one. This makes the application a little bit more tricky, eventhough the site suggests using the sponge applicator and then blend on with fingers.
I like to apply different layers with this type of eyeshadow, first with my fingertips and then blending brush, and then with the sponge applicator of the pen, close to the lashes for a more intense look.
The shade I was sent is E203 - a lovely indigo blue that dries to a matte finish but still contains tiny little sparkles here and there (very softly).
This shade works great for a look for glasses wearers! You can take a look at that and other shades (and buy the product) here.

ELLIS FAAS LIGHTS EYESHADOW - € 32,00
These are the Ellis Faas metallic eyeshadows. Once again, they are liquid, come with a brush, and dry to smooth consistency. Although metallic, they are more than highlighters. They are actual eyeshadows that will last up to 12 hours on your lids.
They come in five shades for now, and some of them are so peculiar (hello, holographic bordeaux!)
I was sent E303 which is a powerful bronze you saw me wearing here.
I have no idea why there is so much difference in terms of price, do shimmers cost more to the companies, or is it just because the product is new?
Anyway, it's a lovely product! Really lovely.


Now my only gripe with these is, as usual, the pens' mechanism. You really have to be careful with it, especially on first usage. Sometimes the product takes a while to get to the surface, so the more you screw the more likely you can have an "explosion". I really think they should fix this problem, as the eyeshadows are quite expensive.

*I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE ELLIS FAAS' NEWSLETTER THROUGH THEIR SITE, IN ORDER TO GET UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTS. Afterall, it's holiday season now, who knows, maybe they will come up with great news?! (hint, hint)*

Milky Eyes E203 in action, with the E.F. mascara. Although you can't really see how long my lashes were. Try to zoom in the following photo for that.

Bad photo of a fotd created using the Ellis Faas Milky Eyes E203 and Mascara.

Layla Base Allungaciglia and Lash Art mascara review

Bare lashes

Layla Base Allungaciglia on the lashes

Layla Lash Art Mascara over Base Allungaciglia.

This post is long overdue. I was sent these two products this summer, and I hadn't still manage to make a proper review.

 I have actually been loving them a lot. In particular, the Base Allungaciglia (Lash Lenghtening Base) is THE base. Long before MUFE made their Lash Fibers, Layla Cosmetics (a very well-known Italian brand based in Milan) had this product, which consists of white fibers that come in a gel/mascara form that will add to your natural lashes, creating more lenght. Way more lenght.

When you put your mascra on, your lashes will look almost fake. 

Standing: Base Allungaciglia Layla Cosmetics

You can see the difference between my bare lashes and the lashes with base + mascara. You can put as many layers as you want to achieve the desired effect. Once my boyfriend asked me if I was wearing false eyelashes :) Fibers do not count as fake lashes, do they? ;)

One thing you need to bear in mind is, you have to let this product dry out before you apply your mascara. Otherwise you risk taking the fibers away with the mascara spooly. 

Layla Cosmetics Base Allungaciglia costs € 8,50 (a fair price for such a product).

 The Lash Art Mascara, also by Layla Cosmetics has also been my companion for quite a while now. 

It has one of those rubbery brushes, and the shape is quite peculiar. 

It is a very nice mascara to get some lenght and volume!

This mascara comes in a wide variety of colors (blue, purple, yellow, red...) and can be used as a topcoat mascara for dramatic effect.

I also own the blue and purple ones, which you have probably seen in these two posts:

http://aliceinwonderland348.blogspot.com/2010/10/fotd-with-blue-twist-and-quick-review.html
http://aliceinwonderland348.blogspot.com/2010/08/fotd-and-first-notd.html
I love wearing the colored ones at the bottom lashes for a different twist.

Layla Cosmetics Lash Art Mascara retails for € 10,64 and will lash for a very long time. 

Consistency-wise it is one of those mascaras that may seem liquid-y at first application, but then become creamy and last long.

Lovely!

Have you tried them? Do you prefer rubbery brushes or bristle brushes for your mascara? 

*disclaimer: products provided by PR for consideration*

Diego Dalla Palma - Facebook giveaway

Buongiorno a tutte,
un piccolo post solo in Italiano per far sapere a tutte le mie iscritte Italiane che Diego Dalla Palma ha organizzato un giveaway su facebook!
Per partecipare, cliccate qui e seguite le regole! Mi raccomando, iscrivetevi alla loro newsletter, perché di recente stanno facendo tante offerte da non lasciar scappare.

Un bacione e a più tardi ;)

It's Illamsqua's birthday, when's yours?

To celebrate its birthday, Illamasqua is offering a really cute promotion:
all you need to do is creating an account on their site, and putting your birth date in the details.
In exchange for that, you will have a 15% discount on YOUR birthday.

Call it a personal present from the lovely Illamasqua team ;)

Go on www.illamasqua.com/birthday and start celebrating!

Estée Lauder winter 2010 collection: Pure Color Extravagant

New Eye and Lip Palettes in Precious Golds and Deep, Winter Reds for an Extravagant Indulgence

“Fantasy, luxury and of course femininity were my inspirations for this Holiday collection.  There are many lip and eye colors to play with and they all have a wonderful texture for an easy application.”

Tom Pecheux, Creative Makeup Director, Estée Lauder

This holiday season, Estée Lauder invites you to experience the intensely lavish, new luxury in cosmetics with Pure Color Extravagant by Tom Pecheux.  Taking cue from the sophistication and contemporary glamour of the upcoming holiday season, Tom Pecheux created new looks for eyes, lips and nails that are layered with dramatic style and color.  Luscious reds and opulent golds set the stage for a bold range of textures that wrap your features in alluring holiday elegance.  Introducing Estée Lauder Pure Color Extravagant.

Eyes Glisten in Opulent, Shimmering Shades

This season, the limited edition Pure Color Five Color EyeShadow Palette is gilded in luxe metal shades to celebrate the extravagance and modern grace of the holiday season.  The Pure Color Five Color EyeShadow Palette in Extravagant Gold is a delightfully festive sequence of illuminating shades that capture the smoldering allure of crisp, winter days and warm, snowy nights by the fire.  Five shades of copper, gold and silver drape the eyes to highlight and define with three textures of matte, shimmer and metallic to create endless opportunities for playful and seductive eye looks. Housed in the new, iconic Pure Color golden mirrored compact with oversized Estée Lauder cartouche, this enticing palette is the perfect beauty accessory.  Layer and combine the different shades and textures for the ideal intensity.

Lips Are Veiled in Rich Reds and Berries

Expertly create a look from a neutral nude to a bold berry to a classic crimson with the debut of the limited edition Pure Color Five Color Lip Palette in Extravagant.  This multi-faceted palette holds shades of Pure Color Lipstick and Pure Color Gloss in a range of hues and finishes that are designed to work together for any celebration.  This dynamic new, golden mirrored palette contains five mesmerizing lip shades: two shimmering glosses in glistening gold and iridescent nude, two sparkling lipsticks in a crimson coral and a ruby bronze and one perfect satin red lipstick for infinite options in mixing and combining shades and textures.

Adorn the lips in graceful majesty with glistening, limited edition shades of Pure Color Lipstick in Extravagant Berry and Extravagant Red.  Pamper lips in a rich, medium-to-full coverage lipstick that contains Vitamin C and E for the ultimate high-impact look with comfortable application and wear.  Special for the holiday season, the lipstick bullets are wrapped in a vivacious gold overlay that adds a unique signature style.

Pure Color Gloss in Star Ruby and Extravagant Plum embellish lips with the exclusive True Vision^TM Technology that wraps pigments in a crystal-like coating to provide intense, brilliant color and shine.  From a soft, sparkling nude to a deep, red wine these limited edition shades will be the enviable finishing touch to your holiday pout.

Nails are Superbly Chic in Metallic Splendor

Finish off the look with pure luxury on the fingers and toes.  Pure Color Nail Lacquer in Extravagant Pearl and Extravagant Night are drenched in metallic glamour to perfectly compliment a festively sparkling outfit.  These limited edition holiday shades are infused with a soft glitter that imparts a radiant shimmer on the nails. 

For a holiday look of modern drama and brilliant color, the Pure Color Extravagant Collection will be available for a limited time at Estée Lauder counters nationwide.

What do you think of this collection? Will you be buying something? Personally I'd love to have all products, especially the palettes and the lipsticks :) Great collection, and great promo image ;)

Estée Lauder collezione inverno 2010: Pure Color Extravagant

Fantasia, ricchezza e femminilità sono state le mie fonti d’ispirazione per questa collezione invernale adatta alle feste. Ci sono molte tinte per le labbra e gli occhi con cui giocare, e tutte hanno una texture tale da rendere meravigliosa e facile l’applicazione
(Tom Pecheux – Direttore Creativo Makeup Estée Lauder) Nuove palette per labbra e per occhi in colori ricchi d’oro, profondamente rossi, un po’ stravaganti.


La collezione Estée Lauder di trucco invernale 2010 è firmata da Tom Pecheux, direttore creativo makeup del marchio, e offre palette per labbra e occhi, rossetti e lucidalabbra, e smalti per unghie che s’intonano.
Leit-motiv dei colori è il luccichio aureo che riveste ogni tonalita; le labbra sono decise, rosse, rubino e prugna, gli occhi riverberano i bagliori di rame, argento e oro. La collezione Pure Color EXTRAVAGANT veste il viso di stile e moderna grazia.

Tutti i pezzi della collezione

Hillary Ronda, nell'immagine pubblicitaria della collezione. (Stupenda!)

LABBRA

Pure Color Palette Labbra 5 colori

Euro 48,00*

E’ facile inventarsi labbra voluttuose con queste tonalità che variano dal nudo neutro ai toni bacca, fino al più classico cremisi. Le texture sono rossetto Pure Color o lucidalabbra Pure Color e consentono di dosare a piacere copertura, trasparenza e brillantezza. I toni nudo e oro sono iridescenti, il cremisi corallo e il bronzo rubino sono metallici, il rosso perfetto è satinato, per infinite opzioni di tonalità e texture.

OCCHI

Pure Color Palette Ombretti 5 colori
Euro 48,00
Sequenza festosa di tonalità brillanti che catturano la luce dei giorni d’inverno e i riflessi delle notti nevose. I riflessi sono rame, argento e oro, declinati in texture matte, satin e metal, per combinare ogni genere di look, dal più discreto al più audace. La palette compatta è elegantissima nella confezione dorata con sigla Estée Lauder e contiene un grande specchio.

Pure Color Lucidalabbra
Tonalità Star Ruby, Extravagant Plum
Euro 24,00*
Lucidalabbra per chi ama il colore che brilla in trasparenza. I pigmenti usati hanno un rivestimento dalle proprietà riflettenti simili al cristallo, per questo il colore è saturo e puro e i riflessi sono così brillanti.

Pure Color Lipstick
Tonalità Extravagant Berry, Extravagant Red
Euro 23,00
Rossetto deciso, pasta cremosa e carezzevole, comfort e cura con vitamine C ed E. Questi rossetti hanno la pasta rivestita con un lieve strato d’oro, giocoso preludio ai look per le serate di festa.

MANI

Pure Color Nail Lacquer
Tonalità Extravagant Pearl, Extravagant Night

Euro19,00
Mani perfette nell’intonarsi ai look con questi colori iridescenti e miscelati a particelle glitter. Nella provata qualità degli smalti Estée Lauder, brillanti, fluidi, ideali multistrato, resistenti e veloci nell’asciugare.

La Collezione Pure Color EXTRAVAGANT sarà disponibile in profumeria da novembre 2010 


Cosa ne pensate? Vorreste anche voi tutto quanto? :) 

*i prezzi riportati sono quelli consigliati al pubblico*

Illamasqua Art of Darkness - reviews of Ether Powdered Metal, Scarab Nail Varnish, Precision Ink in Alchemy

Weeks ago, I was sent some pieces from the Art of Darkness collection by Illamasqua.
Now while I had time to try everything properly before I wrote a review, I haven't got the time to do proper swatches apart from the Precision Ink Liner ones.

The pieces came into a gorgeous blue satin pouch, with all the astonishing imagery from the collection and a lovely note from the also lovely Alex (who has a wonderful handwriting, by the way. Yes, I'm a handwriting maniac, in case you didn't know).
I received the Powdered Metal in Ether, the Nail Varnish in Scarab, and the well-known Precision Ink in Alchemy.
Apart from the Precision Ink liner, all the pieces from the collection come in a double box: the regular box and another "wrapping" box with a cute little yellow and green scarab in the middle, which is peculiar to the collection.
1. POWDERED METAL IN ETHER - £ 22,00
I have already talked about this kind of product, because I have Thalia version. A finely milled powder that you can apply both on your face and body. I personally use this as a highlighter on the cheekbones, eyebrow, inner corner of the eyes, and sometimes on the cupid bow.
Ether is a pale yellowish gold shade that will complement that can also be used as a subtle hint of color on your eye lids.
What I love about it is its versatility: apart from the uses that I have described, you can also use it on a red or purplish lipstick (preferably at the center of your lips) or on your nail varnish. Yes, you read that. on Friday, when I'm off of work, I'm going to show you a swatch of Scarab + Ether :) stay tuned!
The product is a bit on the pricey side (but all Illamasqua's products are, so that's no news) but definitely worth it, especially when the jar contains 15 grams of powder, which will literally last you for ages.


2. NAIL VARNISH IN SCARAB - £ 13,00
This is my first Illamasqua nail varnish, a much awaited one. Everybody talks about their nail varnishes!
This shade in particular, I found really nice. It is a deep ruby red with a metallic finish, but it also has as slight iridescence when you don't wear a topcoat on it...If you click on the photo above, you may be able to see it. Where the sun hits the varnish, it has some greenish-yellow iridescence. Nice!
Also, one thing that has hit me about it is that even when it dries (and it dries out quickly!) it looks as if it were some sort of liquid pigment you could dip yourself into. Wow!
A bit of disappointment comes when your tips starts wearing off in just 1 or 2 days without a topcoat. But that's my only gripe. Other than that, I really love Scarab and I have been sporting it a lot at work!


3. PRECISION INK LINER - £ 16.50
I do not usually wear liquid liners, let alone a golden one. It is something I would only wear on special occasions or nights out, or costume parties.
However, I can state that this liner is absolutely amazing. A pure gold color and it is REALLY water resistant. You will need a make-up remover with this, because it won't smudge at all!
The applicator is also nice. It is not flimpsy, yet it is very delicate and allows you to create both fine and thick lines.
I'm sorry I don't sound head over heels in love with it, but KIKO brought the same product way before Illamasqua, therefore it is not innovative to me. However, if you don't live in Italy and you had no access to the KIKO Sun Essential Limited Edition collection, then you'll fall in love with the Precision Ink Liner, definitely.
I really look forward to trying the black version, which seems to be as glossy as this golden one. I am sure I can fall in love with it, considering the quality of the product :)

So stay tuned for my swatches gallery coming on Friday ok? :) 

If you want to see more products from the collection, or want to purchase them, follow this link:http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/catalogue/collections/art-of-darkness/




*disclaimer: products sent by PR for reviewing consideration*