Playing With Colour: ELES Review

Monday 30 December 2013



A while ago, ELES cosmetics released their spring seasonal look and it was inspired by the 60s. It was called "Sixties Vibe" and was a modern spin on the Bridget Bardot look. The look is all about a flawless base with a bright pop of colour on the eye.



I'm all about neutral and natural make up, so colour can be intimidating. Luckily even though this look is colourful, it's done in a more natural way. 



For a vibrant, colourful and creative eye they used shades of purple. What I love about this look is the fact that purple compliments my green eyes (and brown eyes too).

While it's a colourful look it can also be used as a soft wash of colour. 



I like to start my look with the Retexturing Face Pimer* underneath my foundation. I don't have any ELES foundations so I've been using my Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation. Even though the foundation already has a primer in it, to make sure it last all day I like to apply the ELES primer as it gives my skin a smooth surface so my foundation looks flawless.


I then like to apply a setting powder. I use either the ELES Mineral Powder Foundation in "Shell"* or the Rimmel Stay Matte Translucent Powder. I like the Rimmel powder for just setting my foundation, but I find that the ELES powder gives me long lasting staying power as well as 
extra coverage for those bad skin days because it's a coloured pressed powder.



The hero product from the Sixties range has to be new Quad Shadow in "Debutante."* It's a round eye shadow palette that contains 4 complimentary colours. I've used the 4 colours together and also have mixed it with another ELES  mineral shadow that I have called "Bronzite."*


It's a mid to dark brown that works great as an eye contour colour or I also use it to define my eye lids.


It's not quite matte, but it's not quite shimmer. It's a gorgeous colour that works amazingly to make a gorgeous smokey eye. It's a buildable colour that can look both natural and dramatic. 


In the promo picture, they've lined the lower lid with the 2nd lightest colour (top right in the palette). Since my eyes are smaller, I skip this as I find that while it makes my eyes pop, it also can make them slightly smaller. 

For daytime, I like to apply the 3rd shade onto my lid and apply the 2nd shade onto my crease to contour. I then like to use a small brush to apply the lightest shade onto the middle of my eyelid to help open them up. I find that the lightest shade can be slightly chalky if I try to layer it, but if I just apply a small amount onto the middle of my lid then it's not chalky. 

For night time, I love to apply the 2nd shade onto my lid, the 4th shade into my crease and then lightest shade in the middle to open up my eyes. 


I normally use 2-3 brushes to create my eye look. The more impact my look is the more brushes that I use (4 eye brushes).

I love that the palette has a range of shades that work as a complete look but are still wareable and beautiful to be used alone. I adore the 2 middle colours as they're not too dark but still make my eye colour pop. 

The palette costs $99.00. 


For more colour, I like to apply the Dimensional Cake Liner in "Plum Crazy"* onto my water line or upper lash line. This is a beautiful 2 in 1 liner. It contains 2 colours that can be used both wet and dry. It contains a dark plum and a glittery bright purple. I like to apply the dark plum as an alternative to black liner. Black liner looks much too harsh against my pale skin, so a plum or dark brown can define my eyes without making them look smaller. Another great thing about the cake liner is that it helps to bring out my green eyes. 


I love that the purple glittery colour isn't too glittery. While I wouldn't use it for the daytime, it can bring a sparkle to your eyes at night. When used dry I notice the glitter so much more because the purple is lighter. When applied wet I notice the colour first (it's a dark purple) and then the glitter second.

I don't use this all the time, as liner isn't something I reach for everytime I apply my make up. But since receiving this, I've noticed that I've been wearing liner more often. 


The cake liners cost $39.00 and they have 3 other colours available. 



One product that shocked me (in a good way) was the Brow Blender Pencil.* I have a love hate relationship with brow pencils. I love how easy they are to use, but find a lot of pencils are quite rough and hard.


When I first opened the lid I saw the pencil and thought that it was going to be hard. But once I started to use it, it felt like butter. The consistency is so soft. It's honestly such an amazing product to use. 

It doesn't feel rough or uncomfortable like other pencils that I've used. Just beware that it's incredibly creamy and you need a VERY gentle hand when using it.

I find that it takes me next to no time when I use this as it's really quite easy to create hair like strokes to conceal any barer patches you might have. 




While this is an amazing pencil, I find that when I use this by itself, the colour doesn't look right against my skintone. My natural brows are a mixture of very light blonde (some are quite fair that they look almost white) mixed in with a darker ashy colour. So I've been using this along with another darker pencil that is less light brown.

I have "Blonde" but there is also a "Soft Taupe" and "Dark Taupe" available. I think a mixture of blonde and soft taupe would be my perfect eyebrow match.

They also have a powder and wax duo available called Brow Sculpt. What interests me about this is the fact that the colour is without that red look. I find a lot of paler eyebrow colours do tend to give me ginger brows, so this is right up my ally! 



I love that it's dual ended and has the inbuilt brow groomer. It makes mornings so much easier as I'm not having to search for a brow groomer.

This retails for $42.00 and is worth every cent. It's in my top 3 brow products... EVER.



To create a soft flush of the cheeks, they used the Mineral Blush Compact in "Coral Sun."* I've received this previously and it's been mentioned many many times on the blog since.

I've previously reviewed it here.



It's a really versatile blush that looks good against all skintones. I love that it can be worn both soft and vibrant.  Because the Sixties look is all about the eyes, the blush is best worn with a light hand.

The blush costs $39.50 and is so amazing that I would pay double for it!!



For the look, they used the Micro Bubble Lipstick in Micro Nude. It looks gorgeous on the model, but I struggle to pull of a slightly brown nude lip. My lips naturally have more of a pink tone to them, so I ended up swapping the lipstick for a lipgloss that would compliment my complexion.  


Enter the Lip Tox Sheer Lipgloss in "Princess."* While it looks brown in the tube, it actually comes out mostly clear with a tint of colour. 


Because it has the slight hint of colour, it can be used alone or over a lipstick.


I used it over a clear lip balm in the above picture.


This is more than just a lipgloss. It's also a lip plumper, fills in lines (which is great if you have dry lips), contains collagen and boosts hydration. It also contains small particles of diamond dust for that glossy, shimmery look.

Unlike the lip plumpers of yesterday, this one doesn't irritate or sting your lips.

There are 3 other colours available in the formula and cost $67.25. While it's pricey, it's not the kind of lipgloss you would wear everyday so it makes it much more affordable in the long run.

And that's how I interpret the Sixties look to suit my skintone and fear of colour. 


ELES cosmetics are available online here. Every month ELES has an amazing GWP, so don't forget to check them out. 
Are you afraid of colour too?
Amy, XO 


*I was kindly sent these for consideration. All thoughts and views are completely my own, and are always 100% honest. See my disclosure policy here.

Any links within a post are NOT affiliate links. They're just included to make life easier :)


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3 comments:

  1. Even though I am also mostly using neutral/nude colours, I am also loving this eyeshadow quad, great colours and great quality!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the quad palette, it's beautiful. Eles has some amazing things, but I rarely stray from my beloved Benefit or Bobbi Brown. Maybe I should next time xx

    ReplyDelete