Makeup Look: The Soft Underline

A couple of days ago I was skimming through Elle (on the look out for beauty bits) when I saw, for the very first time, that a name that had given to a makeup look that I quite like to wear - Elle called it "The Soft Underline". 

The soft underline is a look where instead of wearing bold eyeshadow on your eyelids, you opt for a wash of colour across your lower lash line instead. Kate from Ghostparties often opts for a version of this look in her make-up tutorials, and it gives her eyes incredible definition. The soft underline is great for adding definition but it's also an easy way for those with hooded eyelids to more noticeably inject some colour into their makeup. Eyeshadow often gets lost on me. Because of my hooded lids the colour can't really be noticed until I close my eyes. However, when I choose to apply a sweep of eyeshadow just beneath my lower lash-line the colour can really stand out. 

I've been applying my makeup like this for a long time but I really liked seeing it in Elle as an emerging makeup trend. It made something that's been so familiar for so long seem new and exciting again. 

The image I've included in this blog post is of all the products that I tend to reach for when I wear this type of look. You can instantly see a trend - I like to wear browns. I find brown the easiest colour to wear as its very neutral but still makes my blue eyes stand out. My most worn product is definitely Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze but I've also recently discovered Wild About Beauty's Eyeshadow in the shade Eva which I love using. Both of these products are warm toned and really help brighten up my complexion. An eyeliner that works well with them is Mac's Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Lord It Up (which was my first ever Mac purchase). However, although it's a gorgeous shade it doesn't have the staying power that I would like.

When I want to opt for something slightly cooler toned I reach for E.L.F.'s Eyeshadow in the shade What's Your Name*. It's a very pretty purple toned grey-taupe and it looks lovely over the top of Rimmel's ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in the shade Taupe or BeYu's Colour Biggie Crayon in shade 330.

Do you ever wear your makeup like this?

My First Experience of E.L.F. Cosmetics: E.L.F. Cover Everything Concealer & Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow

A while ago the lovely people at E.L.F. contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing some of their products, I hadn't tried anything from the brand before so I replied with the affirmative! I was very kindly sent me two things from the brand to try, the Cover Everything Concealer in Light* and a Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow in the shade What's Your Name*. 

The Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow was the standout product of the pair. What's Your Name* is a gorgeous dusky purple shade that is absolutely perfect to wear in the crease or lightly swept across the entire lid. I'm not usually one to wear any sort of coloured eyeshadow but I would describe What's Your Name* as a very cool-toned grey-purple and I love how wearable it is. The quality of E.L.F.'s Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows really has impressed me. I found What's Your Name* to apply very evenly and the colour is easily built up. The longeveity of the eyeshadow isn't great when I wear it without a primer (but this is very likely to do with my eyelids, I have this same problem with all eyeshadows) but on top of a primer it lasts all day on me. I have to admit that I reach for this almost every time I wear eyeshadow, I really love how it looks in my crease and I find that it gives a very subtle definition to my eyes. For jut £3.50* I really would recommend these eyeshadows, for me they were a perfect introduction to the brand.

The second product I received was E.L.F.'s Cover Everything Concealer in Light*. From my swatches you can see that this concealer isn't really quite light enough for my skin so it hasn't become a daily staple for me. However, I did wear test this a good few times (whenever I wore darker foundation) and I thought it performed admirably. It is quite a cakey concealer which can be good or bad depending on what you want from it. I found it a tad too heavy to use to conceal dark circles unless you were willing to blend, blend, blend. It was also a touch too dry for any blemishes that were 'on the way out' (a.k.a. had left dry skin behind). The real use I found for this concealer was when blemishes were first appearing, and it really did a good job of concealing them. Adding a little powder on top of my make-up helped prolong the lasting power of the concealer considerably but it did last pretty well throughout the day (which is when thick concealers come in handy). I wasn't unimpressed by E.L.F.'s Cover Everything Concealer but I didn't fall in love with it like I did the Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow. You can find it online here for £2.50*.

All in all, my first experience with E.L.F.'s make-up has been really positive and I'm keen to try more from the brand. Please do leave me any recommendations for products you think I should try in the comments below!

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