My Top 10 Favorite Blushes

Hey Loves

Lately I've been obsessed with blushes. Sometimes the only makeup I would wear is blush, mascara and lip balm. But in the past year I've been on a blush kick and have been buying a lot of blushes more than usual.

One of my favorite brands of blushes are La Femme blushes. Which can be purchased at makeupmania.com. An amazing website that carries a bunch of professional/stage/theatrical products from different brands. From makeup to hair products to skin care products, just a bunch of good quality stuff. Great quality products for incredible low prices. I know in my video review I mention that the La Femme blushes cost $1.50 a pan. Well they did, but just recently they up'd the price to $2.50 which I still think is still pretty good since the pigmentation and wear on these blushes are amazing. They carry over 40+ shades. So there's a wide range of colors and finishes. If your a freelance makeup artist or want to build up your blush collection or looking for good quality blushes at a affordable price, definitely check out La Femme blushes. I absolutely love them.

I love MAC blushes but if I wanna build up my blush collection paying $18.50 or $15.50 for a blush that would be crazy. I could get 7 La Femme blushes for the price of one MAC blush. I love them but can't afford them sometimes. When there's a collection with special packaging is probably the only time I'd purchase a MAC blush. I hardly ever buy something that's permanent.

So here are my "Top 10 Favorite Blushes (mainly blushes that I've been wearing during the summer time).

*Blushes mentioned can be found:
La Femme Cosmetics- www.makeupmania.com
Jordana Cosmetics- www.cherryculture.comMAC- www.maccosmetics.com
e.l.f.- www.eyeslipsface.com

La Femme Cosmetics- Peach [This is a coral peach shade. Satin finish with a slight sheen. Absolutely love this blush. Perfect summer blush for all skin tones.]

La Femme- Cinnabar [Bronzey reddish coral with peach undertone. A frost finish with slight coppery sheen. Gives a beautiful sun-kissed glow to the face.]

La Femme- Misty Plum [Mauvey Pink with Lilac undertones. Satin finish with a slight sheen. Love wearing this in the spring and fall.]

Jordana Cosmetics- Sienna [Caramel brown. Satin finish. Great bronzer and contour shade.]

e.l.f.- Peachy Keen [A very light muted peach with gold shimmer (subtle shimmer). For light to medium skin tones a great subtle blush. For tanned to dark skin tones a great highlighter. I also love using this blush on top of other (matte/satin) blushes, just to add a little something to the cheek.]

MAC- Ablaze [Plumy brown. A frost finish. Quite pigmented, can give that bruised look. So I recommend applying with a light hand and build the color slowly when using it as a blush. For tanned to dark skin tones it adds definition to the face when applied into hollows of cheeks. I like mixing this with my contour for more dramatic looks, were the main focus is on the face rather than the eyes.]

MAC- Eversun [Bronzey peach with slight sheen. Very versatile blush. Depending on your skin tone and how you apply it, it can be used as a blush, bronzer or highlighter. A lovely summer blush. ]

MAC- Sunbasque [Warm bronzey peach with shimmer. Beautiful summer blush. Gives off a sun-kissed/glowly look to the face.]

MAC- Margin [Bronzey coral peach with shimmer. Very subtle blush. Absolutely my all time favorite blush. Gives such a wonderful glow to my cheeks. LOVES!!]

MAC- Enough Said [A light peachy beige with golden shimmer. The shimmer may look OVERLY shimmery in the pan but when I apply this as a highlight it's actually quite subtle and very pretty. Lovely highlighther for warmed to dark skin tones.]

If you have any questions feel free to let me know by commenting or leaving me an email at xfashionablesyd@gmail.com

xoxo,
Syd

Review: e.l.f. Brightening Eye Color Quad

Hey Loves

Finally getting the chance to do a review on these little darlings, the e.l.f. brightening eye color quads. These quads can be purchased on the e.l.f. website or you can find them at K-Mart and Target. With each quad being only $1 I can see why people may be skeptical. I've read and watched quite a few reviews on these quads, some hate them some love them. Mixed reviews. But the only way to tell if its a hit or a miss is to try it out for your self. And that is exactly what I did.

I was very lucky to get a bunch during a BIG SALE. ELF always has a sale/coupon code going on every single day. But a couple months ago they celebrated there 6th Birthday/Anniversary, so they had a 60%off on the entire site. And me I'm always on a look for bargains. I picked out 11 quads out of 18 that they offer for only 40cents each (usually they are $1 each). Score!!
If you want to try out new products, build up your makeup collection or your new to makeup that you try out these quads/ELF products. It doesn't hurt to at least try two or three. I mean it's only $1, but you can get lucky and get them cheaper when you use a coupon code (coupon codes can be found at retailmenot.com).

ELF says: Luxuriously smooth, corn silk formula provides eyes with a neutral base and an awakened brightness. The formula blends into skin for a long lasting, beautiful effect. The 4 color quad allows for both natural and dramatic looks.

My opinion: Majority of the shadows are creamy, silky and highly pigmented. They do remind me a lot like the MAC veluxe pearl finishes in the sense that they are silky, velvety and almost buttery feeling. There easy to apply and really don't take that much application/effort. They blend like a dream. On the other hand there are a couple for example the matte shadows, I find them to be bit chalky or washed out. I don't recommend using the mattes wet, it just makes them look more chalky. I tend to just use them as base colors and apply a different shadow or looses shadow on top.
I do recommend using some kind of primer or base before applying these shadows just so that they stay on longer and don't crease throughout the day.

As for packaging, it's made out of plastic which I've found it to be quite durable after having dropped the quads many times and surprisingly having none of the eye shadows break. It may look cheap, but its just simple. Nothing fancy or complicating. And because the quad is small and light weight that you can throw a couple inside your makeup bag and it doesn't take much space when you travel.

PROS:

• I really like that each eye shadows in the quad go so well together, making it easy to do a look.
• Small and light weight compact, quite durable.
• Darker shades have great pigmentation.
• Great selection of colors.
• Inexpensive.

CONS:

• Matte shades are a bit chalky.

Overall rating: 4/5
Hit or Miss?: Hit! I do recommend these lovely quads. Affordable and great quality.

*Keep in mind these photos were taken at 2am with flash and swatches are without a base/primer.

Brownstone: Dark gray brown, Medium brown, Taupe, Beige

Butternut: Copper Bronze, Deep bronze, Golden beige, Yellow gold

Ivy: Taupey bronze, Khaki green, Forest green, Frosty gold green

Nymph Dreams: Brown green, Blue green, Khaki olive, Rich yellow gold

Luxe: Light bronze, Khaki brown, Maroon copper, Pale yellow gold

Matte Mauve: Light pink beige, Taupey beige, Maroon brown, Peachy pink

Hazy Hazel: Taupe brown, Purple, Creamy beige, Dark brown

Rocker: Charcoal black, Purple, Golden tan, Shimmery white

Silver Lining: Lilac, Black purple, Deep purple, Shimmery beige

Glam: Shimmery light pink, Hot pink, Black silver, Light baby pink

Drama: Silver, Black silver, Charcoal black, White

Hope this review has helped you in any way. If you have any questions feel free to let me know in the comments.

xoxo,
Syd