Elf Haul!!!

Elf Haul

ELF (www.eyeslipsface.co.uk) was first created in New York by a key creator of the hard candy make up range and promised to offer quality beauty products at low prices...and that it truly does! I was introduced to this brand back in 2006 whilst at university when I was in need of a beauty fix that fit in with my student budget.

I have continued to repurcashe Elf's products ever since and a couple of weeks ago when I was looking to stock up on one of their fantastic all over colour sticks I came across an offer that was too good to turn down...40% off all of their products and free delivery...COUNT ME IN!

After trawling their site and picking up some necessary and not so necessary products, I had an impressive haul on my hands and just had to share it with you all. As you will see from the photos I went a bit OTT but to save this post becoming a bit of an essay I will let you know about some of the products that have really stood out to me and have integrated themselves into my daily beauty routine.

 

Elf Studio Stipple Brush - £3.75

 For the price that I paid for this brush I am really impressed with the results. I have been using this on a daily basis to apply my foundation and love the flawless finish that it gives me. The brush isn't as good as my Real Technques Stippling brush but for a cheap alternative this ticks all the boxes.





Flawless Finish Foundation (Porcelain) - £6.75

Buying a foundation online can always be a bit of a risk but the risk paid off with this foundation. I have been using it nearly everyday along with the stippling brush and my skin has been looking fantastic. The colour Porcelain is a fantastic match for my skin and offers medium to full coverage (especially good as I have been suffering from a horrible break out on my chin this week).



Beauty Book (Neutral) - £3

This beauty book was a bit of an impulse purchase from their sale section but I am so glad that I ordered it now. The book comes with 6 nuetral shades as well as an eyelid primer and a small double ended eyeshadow applicator. This was a abosulute bargain for £3 and I have been using these shadows to create a soft smokey eye to wear to work. The shadows are slightly loose so they can be a bit messy when applying but for the price I really can not complain about this product.

Have you ever heard of ELF before? Leave a comment and let me know what products you are loving from their site!

XX MillieMagpie XX

 

Yankee Candle - My Candle Obssession

 

 

So this is one of my recent MillieMagpie purchases that has somehow manged to wriggle its way into my "beauty blog". Although this is more of a home or lifestyle product I couldn't not post about my recent Yankee Candle Wax Burner purchase that I have become seriously obssessed with.

 

Yankee Candle Wax Tartlet Burner...Heaven!

I was bought one of the classic jar candles at christmas in the scent christmas cupcake (a gorgeous subtle sweet smelling scent that reminds me of the likes of hummingbird bakery) I burnt through it in record time and I had to repurchase this  as my boyfriend and I were loving buning this candle during the recent cold and snowy evenings. I decided to take a trip to my local Yankee Candle Supplier (a local department store in my town although you can always find these in card shops and garden centres as well).

 

When I was there I noticed the Yankee Candle Wax Tarts; a product that I hadn't taken much time to look into before. These wax tarts have a burning time of 8 hours and retail for a very reasonable £1.25 each...most definitely a cheaper option for all the Yankee candle lovers out there. The wax tarts are available in all of the Yankee candle scents however my beady magpie eyes immediately spied the christmas scents reduced to a bargain 63p!!!

 

 

From Back Left Honey & Spice, Red Velvet & Chrismas Cupcake
 

 

By this point I literally could not contain my excitement and picked up a couple of each of the christmas scents available; Red Velvet Cupcake, Christmas Cupcake and Honey & Spice. Now in order to burn these tarts you will need to invest in the Yankee Candle Wax Tartlet Burner which allows you to safely burn the tart above a tea light style candle. The ones in store were a bit on the pricey side ranging from £15 to £25 (although still a bit cheaper than the largest candles Yankee do have in their range). I decided to take the tarts and have a look on the internet to try and find a cheaper model. There was a huge range on offer but eventually settled on this I plain white ceramic burner for £7.99 that I thought looked simple and pretty but would fit easily in any room in the house.

 

  

Melted Wax Tart warmed by a maxi Tea Light

 

A couple of weeks later and the love for this Yankee Candle Wax Tart Burner continues to grow. I am now on my second wax tart (and this is with me burning this most evenings...not too bad at all). The scent that comes off this is amazing and fills the room easily without being over powering. They are definitely the best way for me to enjoy Yankee candles without breaking the bank and I already have my eye on the newest scents being released for Spring and Summer.

 

Have any of you tried this burner? What's your favourite Yankee Candle scent?

 

XX MillieMagpie XX



The Tangle Teezer....

 The Tangle Teezer has taken the hair care world by storm in recent years and with its promises to banish troublesome knots and tangles forever there is no wonder this products popularity continues to grow. I have coloured my hair for nearly 10 years and often battle with the hair brush to remove pesky knots after washing so when i heard talk of this product I was desperate to try it out for myself.

 

The Tangle Teezer retails at £10.99 for the original style I picked up from my local Boots however there are now 5 other product designs to choose from ranging up to around £15.

 

 

The Original Tangle Teezer - £10.99 from Boots
 
 I have to admit I was a convert after my first try with this hairbrush and was amazed how well the Tangle Teezer performed. The brush fit snug in the palm of my hand and with the help of the specially designed teeth the hair brush glided through my hair with ease with none of the horrible tugging and hair breakage I was used to. The only problem I did come across with the Tangle Teezer was using it when my hair was wet. With the lack of handle I found the brush become slippy when brushing wet or damp hair and I was often loosing my grip.
 
 
 

 Specially designed Teeth
 
 
I have now been using this brush on a daily basis for nearly 3 months and now have no fear of brushing my knotty hair. I definitely have less breakage from when I was using my wide toothed comb and my hair is always really smooth after use. Although £10.99 is in my opinion is quite pricey for a hair brush I have to say for me it has been worth every penny. I will now not be without my Tangle Teezer and may even have to purchase the compact design to keep in my handbag.
 
Have any of you tried the Tangle Teezer? It would be great to hear what your thoughts are so please do leave me a comment
 
xx MillieMagpie xx

The latest from Rimmel London...Apocalips!

 

 

The beauty world has been a buzz over recent weeks with the latest offering from Rimmel..The Apocalips! These hit the shops at the end of January and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for my first review post.

 

Having read the hype I was excited to pop to my local Boots last weekend to have a look at these for myself. Making a bee line for the Rimmel stand my prayers were answered as I found these little beauties on a brilliant 3 for 2 offer....it would have been rude not to add these to my collecion of course!

 



Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer
 

For those of you who have not heard too much about the Apocalips, these are a hybrid lipgloss and lipstick or quite simply as Rimmel describes them;a Lip Lacquer. The Apocalips glide on with the ease of a lip-gloss but have the appearance of a creamy and rich coloured lipstick.

 

The Apocalips retail for £5.99 each and I was really impressed with the 8 beautiful shades on offer (see swatches below). The colour range had something for everyone from the classic nude to the pretty pink as well as a couple of brighter shades for the bravest of beauty fanatics. I treated myself to the beautiful nude (perfect for a day in the office or a casual lunch with the girls) as well as the brighter fuchsia colour Apocalypse which offers a pop of colour to brighten up any outfit. For my free product I chose the bright red of the collection Big Bang which I thought would be perfect for my friend who I was visiting that afternoon.

 

From left to right colour shades are: Galaxy, Celestial, Nova, Apocalyptic, Big Bang, Luna, Stellar and Nude Eclipse

 

As soon as I got home I rushed to try the lip lacquers out and I have to say I was not dissapointed. The colours are beautifully pigmented and with the help of the heart shaped wand they had fantastic coverage on application. I found the colour stayed on my lips well and I only had to reapply the brighter colour once or twice throughout the day. The only niggle I had with this product was at times the applicator distributed too much product due to the small well in the centre of the heart. This was easily rectified with a quick wipe of the wand before application and this certainly wouldn't discourage me from repurchasing this product.

 

The real highlight for me is the pacakging and I was instantly attracted to the cosmic and dramatic look of these lip lacquers. As most of my friends and family know I have an eye for pretty and striking packaging and this certainly didn't dissapoint with the fantastic angular top and bold black and silver graphics.

 

 



The dramatic pacakging is unlike any other product I have seen and I love it!
 

 All in all I am really impressed with this latest release from Rimmel and will most definately be making these lip lacquers a regular in my make up routine.

Have any of you tried the Apocalips? or have any other lip lacquers that you would recommend? It would be great to hear your thoughts and comments!!!!

 

xx MillieMagpie xx

The start of something...

After whiling away many an hour perusing all my favourite beauty blogs and getting my fix on the latest and greatest beauty products, I have finally decided to delve into the blogging world and give it a go.

I am, to be honest, a novice beauty fantatic and although my love for all things beauty has been with me for a while I am by no means a skilled make up artist, hairdresser to the stars or skincare guru...what I am is a normal 24 year old girl with a love for trying new tips, tricks and products whenever I can.

I have a passion for all ranges of make-up, skincare and haircare however my heart does lie with the highstreet brands I have been brought up with. Although I love nothing more than visiting the likes of Chanel to gaze at their new palettes or taking a trip to Selfridges to wonder around the endless concessions and having a payday treat, you will without a doubt find me trawling the aisles of my beloved Boots or taking a trip to the lovely Lush.

As well as a passion  for all things beauty, I do also have border line obsession with buying, as my boyfriend would say "stuff"... this can range from my ridiculous collection of stationary, photoframes, and candles to more recently my love of duvet sets. My blog will no doubt get infiltrated with my love of all things "pretty", "cute" and "sparkly" and you will see why many people call me MillieMagpie...