ELLIS FAAS

Ellis Faas Holder H101

When I first saw Ellis Faas product images on the web, I knew that I had to get my hands on these beauties as soon as I could. I confess that I'm a huge sucker for packagings (there was a point where I wanted to become a graphic designer solely for that purpose). Faas' presentation of her beauty line in bullet-inspired pens was simply stunning. I'm all about simplicity & chic, and Ellis Faas is all that.

Also note that Ellis Faas' range is inspired by Human Colours, which translates to colours that are naturally found in our body. I want to mention this because this means that all the colours in her collection will suit everyone no matter their skin colour.

After several blogs and youtube videos of her product reviews + swatches, I put my order through ellisfaas.com because there was no other way for me to get hold of her products in Montreal. My first order was in full of excitements and expectations that I was dying for the delivery, and it didn't disappoint when it finally arrived to my room. My very first Ellis Faas products are Creamy Eye E105, Blush S302, and Milky Lip L205. If you've read/heard anything about Ellis Faas' sleek pens, you know that it takes patience to see the actual product to dispense for the first time. I mean a huge patience. Not only did I lose count of how many clicks it required to dispense, but I also waited 5-10 minutes in between every 5-10 clicks so that I didn't waste any products (if you don't wait, then the product suddenly gushes out of the pen).

(from left to right): S201, S302, E501, S101

Almost a year after the first order, my Ellis Faas collection has grown with the additions of Creamy Eye E107 (not shown), Light E301, Milky Lip L201 (the famous Ellis Red), Foundation S101, and Concealer S201.

A bit of foundation + concealer story: Last summer when I went to Korea to visit my fam, I realized that one of spa shops near my apartment carried Ellis Faas' range. It turned out that this particular shop carries a lot of European cosmetics that are not very known in Korea. Score. I grabbed my friend and immediately tested Ellis Faas foundation and concealer because it's really important to get the correct shade. When I was watching Lisa Eldridge's video review of Ellis Faas' range, I thought I would be S102 like Lisa, but I was wrong. S102 was actually too dark for my skin, so I opted for S101, and it was a perfect match. The thing with online shopping is that even though it's very convenient, it can never beat the sensation of testing products hands-on.

I would say that S101 is in between MAC NC15 and NC20, while S102 is slightly darker than NC20.

Foundation comes with much larger, thicker built-in brush compared to the one in concealer, Creamy Eyes, Milky Lips, and Glazed Lips. E501 (eyeliner) has obviously much thinner brush. Blush, Milky Eyes, and Creamy Lips come in with a sponge applicator that looks like a shower-head.

I do not own any Milky Eyes, Creamy Lips, Glazed Lips and powder, but I do intend to get Glazed Lips in L301 and L307 and the powder in S401 in the future (I don't know when). However, I don't think I'll ever buy Milky Eyes or Creamy Lips simply because I don't like the sponge applicator. I much prefer the brush. The texture of blush is quite thin enough that it doesn't clog the sponge applicator, but I've read some reviews of Milky Eyes that their texture is thicker (which is prone to clogging).

Note that Creamy products have the strongest pigment and decrease in Milky and then Glazed products.

Creamy Eye E105 is deep - but not too dark - brown, and E107 is taupe-brown colour that's appropriate for everyday wear. Light E301 is greenish with a hint of beige silver sparkles that can be built to appear in a metallic finish. Eyeliner, E501, is opaque black; it goes on liquid/cream but dries to matte powder finish. L201 is very true, blood red (not too blue nor too orange) while L205 is coral  that leans more on the pink side. L205 is actually my nude lipstick because it matches exactly to my actual lip colour. I apologize for an odd swatch of S302 (blush that's perfect pinky coral), but there are plenty of good swatches around the web due to its popularity.

I highly recommend Ellis Faas for those who are willing to pay the price. Even if it becomes a splurge, it will be well worth it. Just beware of sponge applicators (exception of blush, which is fantastic both in colour and texture). Beautiful design and lovely textures.