The colour makeup consists of shades "that by nature exist in every human body," which seems to entail a great deal of warmth and brownish tones; I very much appreciate the aesthetic but personally find many of these shades tricky to wear. Hopefully these swatches will help save those of you without access to a counter some of the costly mistakes I made. (Of course, three years after blind-buying all of my Ellis Faas online, I now have about five counters within strolling distance...)
All pictures are taken in natural light without flash, click to enlarge.
Creamy Lips (£22 each) are incredibly pigmented lipstick-stain hybrids. They are unfortunately too drying and unforgivingly matte for my gnarly lips, but they are deeply fabulous flagship-type products, so I'll just envy those of you who can wear them. (And can work the 'showerhead' applicator of doom.)
(Sorry these are all kinds of uneven -- I find the amount dispensed by the sponges hard to control.)
L101 Ellis Red: neutral blood red
L102: cool vampy violet-red
L103: warm coral-red
L104: cool fuchsia
L105: warm chestnut with a hint of peach
L106: warm browned rose
L107: warm yellow-brown
L108: warm peachy beige
L109: warm yellow-beige
Milky Lips (£22 each) are the most like a traditional lipstick, albeit in liquid form -- and thankfully with a more conventional brush applicator (Lipstick Queen 15 minutes, Stila Lip Glazes, etc.) which works perfectly. This formula performs exactly like a very good lipstick on me: pigmented, setting to a satin finish, long-lasting and fading evenly to a soft stain. Don't be scared off by the 'liquid' aspect -- the Milky lips have far less slip and shine than Chanel Laques or Beaute Weightless Lip Cremes.
L201 Ellis Red: bright neutral-warm red (warmer than Chanel Dragon)
L202 slightly muted brick red
L203 warm burgundy with a browned base
L204 bright tangerine
L205 light soft peach
L206 medium warm rosy brown
L207 warm muted coral rose
L208 browned coral
L209 medium yellow-beige
Glazed Lips (£22 each) are my favourite gloss formula: again, pigmented (I very rarely layer lip products, and need things that can work on their own) but with a flattering jelly finish that disguises lip lines, absolutely unsticky light balm texture, a moderate and controllable amount of sheeniness. They last well on my lips (requiring a touch up after a meal) and keep my lips comfortably plumped and moisturised even in winter. And the most wearable shade-range for me paired with easy brush applicators. :D
L301 Ellis Red: bright orange-red
L302: deep cool taupe with the slight hint of plum
L303: clear neutral raspberry rose
L304: bright apricot
L305: rich saffron
L306: bright watermelon
L307: clear coral
L308: warm rose gold
L309 (not swatched) is clear.
Ellis Faas also make four shades of liquid Blush (£21 each), with a return to the showerhead sponge applicators. All four come in light gel/cream-to-powder finishes and are warmed by copious amounts of gold microshimmer (far beyond my personal tolerance level).
angled, in direct sunlight
S302: warm coral pink
S303: rich bronze
S304: muted russet
All of these products are scent/taste-free.
*Empty bullets can be recycled by returning to an Ellis Faas counter or posting to the addresses on their website -- proceeds will ultimately go to benefit the War Child charity.
Nice swatches! I definitely want to give the Creamy Lips a try. :)
ReplyDeleteI have the Glazed Lips L306 and L307 and the Blush in S304 - I love Ellis Faas!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for these swatches. Have been thinking of picking some of these products up!
ReplyDeleteExcellent swatches. What a nice collection you have, and all in numerical order! :^) I have only L101, 102, L201, 203, 207, L301, L303, L309, all four blushes, and about 8 eyeshadows.
ReplyDeleteWithout question, L101, L102, L201, and L303 are my absolute favorite lip colors. I don't care for any of the blushes, only because they are too warm. I'd die for a nice clear rose blush.
Yikes, I had no idea the blushes were that glittery. Thanks for the swatches - I am so glad I didn't order any of these.
ReplyDeleteI do love my Glazed lips and Ellis Red milky lips though. L201 is one of my all-time favourite reds.
I have one eyeshadow E305 that I hate and can never use, it is a total crap and four lipsticks : L101, L104, L105 and L203. I love L104, like L101 and don't care for the other two as they are too brownish on me. I consider buying L102. Do you think L102 is similar to YSL glossy stain in 01 violet edition ? Thank you
ReplyDeleteGlamourGirl: thanks for stopping by, lovely :) This brand is so sleek, you would like it.
ReplyDeleteJamilla: we have the glazed lips in common! So summery both of those!
TPE: I hope they're helpful :) It's a brand that offers something different for a change, worth tracking down imo.
Zuzu: oh gosh I made these at my counter! I 'only' have L303, 306 and 307 and the concealer left (although I finished a 201 once!)
Bastet: Based on reivews, the blushes seem to be subtle on everyone else, but on my skin (which I suppose must be like paper) they are DISCOBALL.
Anon: I've had problems with all the e/s I've tried as well -- either the colours were really unflatteringly warm, or the mechanism failed...
I think YSL 01 would be somewhere between 102 and 104.