Hello loves!
Two Saturdays ago, I went to an event by Ellana Mineral Cosmetics. We were invited to join their affiliate program.
At first I was surprised. I haven't blogged about them... I haven't even used any of their products.... I know some people who adores Ellana but I have been hesitant to try mineral makeup. It's nothing personal against the brand... I'm actually impressed that it's the first Filipino brand to bring mineral makeup to the country. I just didn't think that mineral can deliver what I want, which is heavy coverage and long-staying power.
Still, I didn't want to close any doors. My close blogger friends told me how great Ellana products are and I love the new packaging. It's so artsy and posh!
So I attended the event because I'm curious to finally try Ellana and to know more about the proposed program.
When I arrived, there were only a few of us in so I had time to take pictures of the beautiful set up containing the various makeup from Ellana. I didn't bother to test them all yet because I was... well, shy. I figured that there'll be time for that during the event.
I was so curious about their blushes because they look so pigmented! Helen of the Lucky Citrine Blog recommended them to me. I swiped one or two of them and they really were!
To be honest, I didn't bother trying out the foundations just because I don't think I'll be using them. Like I said earlier, I didn't think mineral makeup can give me the high coverage I want. My sister used to have the Bare Escentuals ones and even their concealer powder didn't cover my dark acne scars. So I was just looking forward to the makeup that gives your face color—blushes, eyeshadows and lip colors.
I was able to have a chitchat with Liz of Project Vanity. She was the one who invited me to the event. She was surprised when I told her that I didn't like using mineral makeup and told me that I should give Ellana a try. I trust Liz when it comes to makeup recommendations so I was actually excited to finally try it after our talk.
Also in the event was this gorgeous food set-up!
Cupcakes, macaroons, marshmallows and chocolates! Yum!
I fell in-love with the Vanilla cupcakes from Gigi's Coffee and Cupcakes! I think I found another favorite cupcake place!
And the macaroons were a bite of heavenly goodness! Too bad they don't have a branch near us or I might have raided them everyday! Lol
The event started with an introduction about what Ellana Mineral Cosmetics is all about. It's founded by the very pretty Theresa Carbonel and it is the first local brand to bring us Mineral makeup! What's so special with mineral makeup? Not only does it give you that light, natural beauty everyday, it also is light and natural in itself! It contains all natural minerals and it is cruelty-free, paraben-free and fragrance-free. It also doesn't expire so just make sure you keep them in a clean and dry place and the products will remain as good as new.
After that, they explained the affiliate program which is basically me having a unique link for my blog so that my readers can avail discounts on Ellana products and I get a little share of the payment. I see how this is beneficial in both my part and Ellana's but rest assured that my product reviews on their products (or on any brand for that matter) will be honest to goodness everytime. We've maintained this blog for almost four years now without having much monetary compensation. We do our reviews out of passion for makeup and spreading what's good and what's not to my fellow beauty enthusiasts. :)
And after the presentation, we get to play with the products! Finally! I started swiping the blushes first and then the eyeshadows. They were all so pigmented and soft. I love their brush cleaner. It works great and smells so good! And the primer felt so silky and light!
Then I got to talk to Theresa. I shared with her my thoughts regarding my preference to heavy coverage makeup and why I hesitated to use mineral. She had the perfect solution to that! I was surprised and curious when she said that they have this "super, mega" heavy coverage product that fits my requirement. It wasn't displayed on the set-up so she went to get some first. I was embarrassed by that because she had to go to all that trouble but she was so nice to do it for me and insisted that I should try it out. She even put it on me and I was AMAZED on how it easily covered my acne scars. I had to be careful in applying my cream concealer on those scars just so it wouldn't look patchy but here is this amazing Ellana product that just covered it up in a matter of seconds! But I'll get more on that beautiful little thing in my review on that soon. ;)
So after the event, I got to take home these lovely pieces. The packaging illustrations are just lovely, don't you agree?
But I think my loot was a little more special compared to my fellow guests for I got to take home that impressive product that made me want to give mineral makeup a shot. Wanna see why I just loved this new discovery?
Well, you might probably know that my problem when it comes to makeup is the acne scars and not really the acne itself because they are easy to cover (yes, yes, the acne is the main problem but I have my skincare to solve that. I do my best to treat them. :P). So here are some pictures I took before of my bare skin...
The ones on the jaw line are my mortal enemies! It's like they won't leave me alone. When some of them heals, more will come! And I don't prick them or anything... they just get darker. Ugh. So yeah, it's pretty bothersome and well, ugly. And that is why I want high coverage. My problem doesn't concentrate to one area. It's all over my place. You may think that I am overly dramatic on this but my skin condition was way worse a year ago. Way, way worse. That's why I gotten used to heavy coverage. It's easy to hide the dark spots and less time using the concealer and concealing them one scar after the other.
Anyway, here's my face after using the Ellana Minerals Cover It Up Mineral Powder Concealer!
I used it all over my face. I applied small amounts on the areas where I have little dark scars and concentrated on those with many, like on the jaw line.
My shade is hazelnut and I think it looks so natural on my skin. And btw, all the makeup I used on that picture are from Ellana, except for the mascara.
A closer look on my jaw area
See? Covered them pretty nicely, eh? I'm so impressed, no, AMAZED! Also, even if the mineral makeup is in powder form, I don't look so... chalky? I dunno the word to describe it but I see some people who look that way when applying too much powder... I remember my friends describing it looking like an "espasol."
My only problem now is how I can deal with my oiliness when using this.
My face after 11 hours.
I intentionally didn't blot so I can see how oily I will get without my usual primers and foundies. As you can see, my face is so greasy you can use it to fry stuff. So I should better find a way to work on that but for now, frequent blotting will suffice. :)
That's all I guess. Hope you can stay tuned on my reviews on my Ellana products!! :D
You can learn more about Ellana by visiting/following:
Cheers,
DAWN
Love this look Dawn! Flawless!
ReplyDeleteThanks, eula! :D
ReplyDelete