Day/Work Make Up including paraben free e.l.f Cosmetics

My recent quest has been to find cosmetics which don't contain parabens or any other harsh chemicals. I'm one of many working class mums and I like to wear a little make up when I go to work, therefore I want products free from harmful 'stuff' if I'm going to be wearing it everyday.

I emailed some of my favourite cosmetic brands to find out whether they added parabens or any other harsh chemicals to their products, some replied some did not, but one company I have had success from is e.l.f Cosmetics. I have bought a few things from them in the past and been very happy with them. I decided to purchase some everyday make up from their mineral range which is completely paraben free with no chemical additives and no chemical dyes, perfect for everyday use. An even bigger bonus is that e.l.f products are much cheaper than other products I have used in the past but still great quality.

So, I decided I would do an everyday make up look for you all to see (including some products which DO contain 'harshies' as I haven't got round to getting a whole collection together yet, but I'm still on the lookout!), describing what I used and a picture of the end result. To follow is a list of all the products I used along with the brushes I used:

PARABEN FREE PRODUCTS:

• e.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow in Earthy - A lovely moss green colour £3.00
• e.l.f Pressed Mineral Eyeshadow in Heartbreaker - A beautiful natural brown £3.50
• e.l.f Mineral Eye Brightener in Buff - £3.95
• e.l.f Mineral Foundation in Fair - £5.95
• e.l.f Mineral Lip Gloss in Au Naturale - £5.00

NON PARABEN FREE PRODUCTS:

• e.l.f Baked Bronzer in St. Lucia - £3.95
• MAC Select MoistureCover Concealer in NW20 - £15.50
• e.l.f Waterproof Lengthening & Volumising Mascara in black/brown - £3.95
• Soap & Glory Cheekmate - £8.00
• Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector in Light - sample from a magazine (yet to find a good paraben free BB cream, I don't like foundation)
• MAC Paint Pot in Painterly - an excellent primer £15.50

BRUSHES USED:

•  e.l.f Stipple Brush for base - £3.95
• Real Techniques Blush Brush for powder - £9.99
• Real Techniques Contour Brush for bronzer - from a set costing £21.99
• Real Techniques Shading Brush for eyeshadow - £7.99
• e.l.f Professional Eyelash & Brow Wand just to tidy up my brows - £1.95

I like a nice natural look for work and I was very happy with these colours from e.l.f. I love the texture of the mineral range, it's amazing quality for the price which is always a winner! It's also really blendible and you don't need much of it. The lip gloss is perfect for work and stays on for ages too, it also looks great over the top of other lipsticks for the evening to add a bit of shimmer and shine to your favourite colour.

The e.l.f bronzer is fab too and gives a really nice coverage (as I like to apply that lightly all over my face as well as contour). Cheekmate is something I always use and have done for a while now, it's a great stain for cheeks, and lips, and lasts all day too however I'm now on the lookout for one with no harsh chemicals of course.

I have just placed another order from the mineral range at e.l.f Cosmetics so WATCH THIS SPACE!

Thanks for reading & please leave a comment!