Hey there lovers of makeup! Today I’m going to review the 11-piece Elf brush kit I ordered from Eyes.Lips.Face cosmetics online.

ELF Studio brushes are sold on www.eyeslipsface.com and they cost £3.50 each. Yes, every single one of these brushes is £3.50 if bought individually! All brushes have synthetic hair (Taklon) and are cruelty free and vegan friendly. Affordable yet leave an immaculate finish. The 11-piece brush kit is $30 and in GBP it’s £38.40 A great buy I’d say.

Now lets get to the kit itself…

All the Brushes inside the kit.

The left side of the kit includes the following (left to right) Complexion Brush, Fan Brush, Concealer Brush, Small Smudge Brush and Angled Foundation Brush.

The right side of the kit includes the following (left to right) Powder Brush, Small Precision Brush, Small Angled Brush, Eyeshadow “C” Brush, Blush Brush and Contour Brush. 

Read more …

I’ve heard so much about the Cesar Santos ..well firstly I didn’t know how to spell his name till I met him. But last Thursday, me and my friend Rene (also my camera lady.. footage to come soon) were lucky enough to have an interview with Cesar Santos, Armani’s foremost makeup artist. He also treated me to a fabulous makeover using only the finest makeup in the beauty Industry  ..Giorgio Armani cosmetics. If you don’t already know who Cesar is, he has done Penelope Cruz’s makeup, he works on the beautiful models that walk the Couture shows at both Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks oh and he’s mixed race not Italian which I thought he was.

Me at Selfridges Manchester, Arndale at the Giorgio Armani counter..

Renegena Bissohong a talented camera lady and a good friend.

It was a great phenomenal experience meeting Cesar at Selfridges whilst me and many others enjoyed compliments of Champagne and Lindors ( well water for me since I don’t drink alcohol) but not to forget what I was there for the Armani master class with one of the world’s leading makeup artist. I was at Selfridges pretty early, yet many who know me wouldn’t believe that as I’m always fashionably late! I was nervously sat there, but also I couldn’t contain my excitement to sit in the chair and be treated to a makeover.

Sat in the chair whilst Cesar gives me a glamorous makeover

Cesar himself was of a non-judgemental character that honestly spoke the truth as well as complimenting and advising on what would be best for my age, outfit as well as what products are good for my skin type. He said I had great skin ..something I was always conscious about and that I needed less makeup. Being from an Asian background and having a yellow toned skin many makeup artists and brands the likes of Bobbi Brown, Mac, Illamasqua, Dior, Chanel, Makeup Forever HD, the list could go on. Something I haven’t come across before after going to many MUAs, well then again none of them are Giorgio Armani’s international face designers, right?

Cesar Santos and myself

When doing my makeup Cesar decided to go for the theme “Young and Bright” a natural, minimal look to make me look my age as well as match my outfit I wore that day. He started off with removing my previous makeup (Luminous Silk Foundation in 5.0 – pinky tone, my bobbi brown mascara that Cesar said flaked – I laughed as I hated that Mascara! and my Illamasqua blusher) he put on the light master Primer and then used the Luminous Silk foundation in a yellow colour 6.5 ..not orange like my previous foundations but it matched exactly and felt so light and natural almost like nothing was there. The fluid sheer in 10 gave me the extra youthful glow brightening my face. For my eyes Cesar used the waterproof smooth silk eye pencil #1 and smudged it across my eyelid, you’d think smokey but the way Cesar did it was truly a light and not dramatic smokey eye but just simple yet made it look like “eyes to kill” like the Mascara he used in #1.  As for the blush it was a sheer blush in 10, pinks are something I rarely use and I feel like a Barbie but this wasn’t too much but just natural and made it look like it was my rosey cheeks giving me slight colour, that matched my lips in Rouge d’Armani lipstick in 103 and gloss d’Armani is 102.

Young and Bright ..makeup done by the amazing Cesar. What do you think?

Me and Rene then had a chat with Cesar ..the footage shall be on my blog soon and do check out Cesar’s work on http://www.cesarsantos.co.uk

The Giorgio Armani cosmetics, Sheer Blush; blusher #10, Eyes to Kill Mascara #1 and samples. The two I fell in love with.

A big thanks to Rene Bissohong for accompanying me filming the event, thank-you to Zoe Williams for informing me about the Event (Selfridges, Armani Counter Senior Face Designer), her manager Laura for sorting the interview at such short notice and Cesar Santos for agreeing to being interviewed and filmed whilst doing my makeover.

One of the must haves this Spring/Summer were in fact white shoes, any style of shoes from barely there sandals, white pointed court heels or white with a shiny toe cap! I quite liked the barely there stiletto sandals in white from River Island (in my previous post).

What questions me the most is whether this trend of white shoes are a worthwhile investment? Hmmm.. I’m not too sure whether it’ll match with anything or whether it’s a daring trend that will fade but personally I’d style them with boyfriend jeans a simple tee and a blazer. Simple yet your feeding your style and it’s not too much for a casual summer look,

This image is not my own. But the above picture shows the trend of how to wear white shoes! Shoes from Aldo $70 and I have no idea where the jeans are from but you can find many similar ripped jeans from ASOS and H&M.

Many brands are following the line and seasonal trend of white shoes! The first to start this was in fact Alexander Wang last year where many where many shoes of this kind were sold out globally!

It’s actually quite an easy way of pairing shoes in this colour the picture above shows a more of a casual day look. I’d going to challenge myself and pair the white stiletto sandals I invested in recently for a more of a night time glam. Stay tuned…

Collage of perfumes. This picture is not my own.

So it was the annual Fragrance Day yesterday! How many of you put up with a stink? It was a great smelling day. The nerves in your nose, must have enjoyed this special day. Mine sure did! I’d personally say us ladies in particular, would be more interested in this day with the love for perfumes. And guys, you’ve gotta admit that your gal’s perfume attracts you to her or maybe your a man who has collection of your own personal colognes?

Perfumes have been in use for hundreds of years. In ancient times, they were used to hide body odors. At the time, baths were infrequent. After a few days, things began to smell less than ideal. Perfumes played an important role in making the atmosphere more palatable. Today, the daily shower eliminates the bad odors. But, we still like the smell and attraction of perfume. I sure do! When a man walks past you with a strong scent it could be his latest fragrance from Tom Ford or an old favourite Jean-Paul Gaultier ..surely the whiff makes you wonder who is that hot smelling man. 

If you celebrated the day by treating yourself to some new perfume or cologne. Word of advice overpowering perfume ruins the value of the fragrance to the “sniffer”.

My personal favourite fragrances: I have many favourites ranging from old time faves Armani Code, Gucci Flora, Jimmy Choo, Jimmy Choo flash, Boss Orange, Chanel No5, No6, Chanel Cocomadmoiselle. My list is ongoing…

What is your favourite cologne or perfume?