Box Swap #5 : Elf Cosmetics

Ah jaysus lads will this weather make up it's mind already? Apart from the absolute lashings of rain that have been pouring down upon us I hope everyone is getting into the festive spirit! 

Now as most of you are aware, I recently completed a boxswap with Lynell @ thesunglasseseffect.wordpress.com. My stuff was being sent from Ireland and her stuff ( Can you believe it) Was being sent from Florida, and seeming as she works in the happiest place on earth, yes darlings you've guessed it.DISNEY WORLD.. I got a few beautiful pieces in there. If you haven't seen the rest of my boxswappages then you must run your bum off to read them as this is the last instalment.

E.L.F Is one of the leading budget cosmetic brands in the U.S and it is VERY clear to see why! From their limited edition Disney stuff to their handy every day make-up for just $1, makes this brand is one of Americas favourites...And I NEEDED some!

And the 7th day some god or whatever said ''LET THERE BE E.L.F''

Behold the absolute bomb of beauty!

The creme de la creme of bargains

AND IT'S ALLLLLLLL MINE :-)

So first up we have the E.L.F black & Glitter eyeliners

So what did I think?!

First things first, if you don't know how to properly apply liquid eyeliner, you're going to hate this.

But if you (Like myself) are an eyeliner queen, then you'll think this is amazing. Yes you get what your pay for, but for the price the quality of this product is undeniable. I found the black to be VERY black to be honest and it really made my blue eyes pop. The brush is amazing and once I'm done with this product I will most definitely be using the brush for my other liquid eyeliners. The glitter one, isn't very glittery at all to be honest, you get t layer this one on.Although the iridescent glitter (Once applied properly and layered) is VERY pretty indeed!

Next up is the E.L.F All over colour sticks! 

These wonder sticks can be used on eyes as shadow,cheeks as blush and lips as lipstick! What a handy little product to have in your handbag! 

The top swatch is 'Pink Lemonade'

And the second is 'Persimmon' 

Now, we have the infamous Jumbo lip gloss sticks!

From L to R we have :

Movie Star

Summer Nights

Pink Umbrellas 

These are super handy and very pretty!! 

My favourite is summer nights! Although i thought my favourite would be Movie star because i LOVE red lips, it was a TAD bit of a let down as it clumps a little bit.

Next up we have the Eyeshadow beauty book!

This little saviour has 48 eye shadows! And is super handy to carry around in your handbag is its quite small! Equipped with mirror and sponge applicator this is one handy little book! This beauty book is mainly consisted of nudes,greens and plum colours, perfect for the winter months!

And finally we have the gorgeous contouring palette from ELF studio. The contouring powder is the perfect tone for my skin and I just adore it! The highlighter is slightly pinky, like a blush and is very nice but I think I'm a little too pale to use it!But I still do from time to time!I love this product and I would definitely but this again if I could!

If you have any questions about box swapping, don't hesitate to get in touch and say hi!

The Parma Violet

Want a free M.A.C contour kit? Of course you do!

So, lets get straight to this M.A.C HACK!

 M.A.C is a girls best friend. The sleek packaging, the foundation, the pigmentation, and the all important lipsticks! *DROOL* But because it's INSANELY expensive, especially for us unemployed girlies, maybe its time for a few ruthless life hacks!

So without further adieu, here is how to get your very own FREE M.A.C contouring kit

1. Go into your local M.A.C store, it would make it more handy if there is 2 separate stores.
2. Tell floor staff you are an aspiring makeup artist and that you want to build your kit but are unsure of what foundation to use.
3. Ask if they can show you their FULL COVERAGE foundation.
4. Directly after mention that you have a few customers with darker and lighter skin, so is it possible to get 3 tester pots as you need to see which shades would be worth purchasing ( Light,Medium & Dark)
5. Finally, after you've done that, head around to another store and repeat.

YES! IT IS THAT SIMPLE!

Now, I have only done this once, so I ended up getting a few different foundations, to see which ones would work better with contouring! These are the ones I have ended up with...

From left to right (top row) - N5 Face and Body

                                          - NC40 Studio fix

                                          -C2 Face and Body

From left to right (bot row) - NC25 Studio Fix

                                          -NC15 Studio fix

                                          -W10 Full Coverage

Again, being the first time doing this I didn't know what to expect but personally I think the W10 Full Coverage is the PERFECT consistency for a contouring kit! This foundation is thick, gives unbeatable coverage and stays put all night! Im going to run out and get some more in different shades as soon as I can!

These pots may be teeny tiny, but lob a load of Full Coverage in these bad boys and they last a life time!

I decided to swatch a few shades to show you what im talking about!

The darkest shade seems to be runny and watery, I wont be opting for this again anytime soon. 

The rest aren't too bad, fabulous colours that work well for me as a foundation, but not as a contour kit unfortunately!

The last one..bingo..this is the moneymaker! as you can see its quite thick!This foundation is amazing for blending, although I thought otherwise! I will be getting this from now on as part as my contouring kit

So if anyone is going to try this one out make sure you go for a few tester pots of Full Coverage foundation! W10 seems to be perfect for highlighting

You could even superglue/glue gun the pots to a plastic palette to make it more organised! But as you will probably be going in for new pots all the time I wouldn't recommend it as it would be a waste of time and effort! But I am currently on the lookout for a box to accommodate the kit, if I find anything I will let you all know

Thank you all for reading, and I hope this post has been somewhat helpful to you all! If you have any more Makeup hacks please dont hesitate to let me know in the comment section below or simply email me at nadinestephens1990@gmail.com

The Parma Violet