Watermelon anyone!??

Clinique Chubby Stick - Woppin Watermelon

I love this product for the following reasons:

• Great name
• Sleek packaging (the bottom twists so more product is released so no need for a sharpener)
• Lovely texture
• Fantastic shades to choose from 

I got this as a little treat from my Fiance which I thought was very lovely of him!

The Chubby Stick is a cross between a balm and a gloss and is subtle in the finished look which makes it not an OTT lip colour but a pure handbag and make-up bag staple!

I love this colour as although it looks bright from the packaging and the stick itself, it is a very wearable pink colour, aka not bright neon or baby pink but a nice fresh bright pink with a subtle sheen and buildable colour, in that you can put one layer on for a subtle pink or build it up to be brighter which is great for a day to evening look. The texture of it is very soft as well so perfect for moisturising my lips in the winter as they get terribly chapped (which is not a good look at all!).

May have to be some further purchases for different colours :-)

Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise

Liz Earle - Cleanse and Polish, Instant Skin Boost Tonic and Superkin Moisturiser

I can't praise Liz Earle enough for her skin care products especially the Cleanse and Polish which has solved all my skin care problems!

I got introduced to Liz Earle a couple of years ago now and have dabbled on and off with it, however I suffered I bad reaction to a cheap cleanser a while ago and have since made a vow not to step away from Liz Earle again as it completely sorted my skin out after the bad reaction and I have not looked back since!

The Cleanse and Polish is one of the best cleansers you could ever get for your face, it's so gentle and refreshing and is odour free! You basically apply the cream to your face and then use the hot cloth to cleanse it away, it also amazingly removes even the thickest make-up, once cleansed a dash of cold water to the face leaves you feeling completely refreshed!

To follow the cleanser is the Instant Skin Boost tonic, this toner is completely refreshing, it is cooling (even though it's not been in the fridge) and is gentle to the face which is lovely after cleansing. To follow that I use Superskin Moisturiser (for my night face cream), which has a thick consistency but has no odour (which is nice as some face creams can be potent!) and massages lovely into the skin leaving it feeling soft and importantly not sticky! I find when I wake up in the morning my skin still has a lovely soft feel to it which I think speaks highly of the product.

You can buy Liz Earle from John Lewis, QVC and the Liz Earle website and I think the products are reasonably priced considering they are a high end product and compared to say Elemis are cheaper, if you buy directly from the Liz Earle website you tend to get a free gift with your order as well, which is generally a little sample, which is great if you are thinking of trying some of the different products!

It's all about being waterproof!

Collection 2000 - XXL Volume Sensation Waterproof Mascara - Black

I don't really buy waterproof mascara's and I didn't actually realise this was waterproof until I got home and got it out of the bag! Obviously Collection 2000 is at the lower end of the price ladder for make-up, but they do have the odd thing that is great to bulk out your make-up bag, such as the cream eyeshadows I have recently got. I have used their mascara's before and I have found them ok for the price and they tend to be highly concentrated in colour so do give the nice jet black eyelashes that I crave, however I have to say I am disappointed by this product.

The brush is great as it's nice and thick and does coat the lashes well, the black is ok but not as intense as other mascara's that they do which is a shame. I also found as I wore this throughout the day it had flaked off under my eyes and onto the top of my cheekbone which was very disappointing. I think unfotunately with this mascara I got what I paid for which was a cheap mascara which didn't last long at all!



Christmas Presents :-)

Hi everyone,

Hope you had a fantastic Christmas and santa came with lots of presents :-)!!

I had a lovely Christmas and I am looking forward to the New Year (our wedding is 6 months
away :-)!!)

I thought I's show you the fab make-up that I got for some of my Christmas presents:

The Benefit make-up is from my Sister, and will be reviewed for you in upcoming posts! I have wanted to try a different blusher (other than pink) for a while now so Georgia is fantastic for that as it's a very pale peach colour which is great for my skin tone. Although I have quite a lot of Benefit make-up I haven't tried any of their eyeshadows so was quite excited to get one to try :-), and of course I've got the fab Bad Gal kohl pencil to concoct a smokey eye with!

The Collection 2000 cream eyeshadow was a stocking filler from my lovely Fiance and is a pewter colour so I can have fun with the Gold one I bought as well as this one!

Hope you got some lovely things!??

x

A bit of Christmas sparkle!!!

Collection 2000 - Glam Crystals Eyeliner - Hustle
Collection 2000 - Cream Eyeshadow - Gold

So this is my Christmas make-up sorted, classic gold and silver/blue sparkle. I am obviously not going to use these together, the gold I will use as a base to make a gold/brown smokey eye, and the sparkly eye liner I will use just to add a bit of sparkle to a classic eye or may go the whole hog and go for mega Christmas sparkle using a silver eyeshadow and the eyeliner...........the possibilities are endless :-)!!!

I just think they are fab and can't wait to try these out tomorrow on Christmas day (very excited about Christmas this year!!)! I will do some posts on the looks I create as well!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

xxx

Pretty and sleek!

Sleek Make-up - Storm eyeshadow palette

I had seen Sleek Make-up in Superdrug before but hadn't really took any notice of it, however on a couple of blogs, namingly pixiwoo (fantastic make-up artists who do tutorials on youtube, I am slightly obsessed with them!), they really rate these palettes in their make-up tutorials, so I thought I would give it a go!

Sleek Make-up is very reasonably priced being at the lower end of the make-up market and is available at Superdrug, this palette was £6.75 which is extremely good value for money considering you get 12 eyeshadows in it, and they are both matte and shimmer which is an added bonus for multiple looks! They do lots of different palettes such as a brights palette which is great for embracing the colour block trend in your make-up, and a natural palette which I have bought and will do a review on as well.

I have to say I am really impressed with this product, the eyeshadows are highly pigmented and very buildable for layering up and creating lots of different looks such as a smokey eye, or a shimmery eye for evening night out looks! Considering the price of it I would definitely recommend this as something to easily bulk out your make-up bag and also have a bit of fun with :-)!

Here are a couple of my looks using the palette:

It's Christmas......................

Lush - Christmas Eve Bubble Bar

Now I don't often buy for myself from Lush and don't often go in, I think because the smell is so strong sometimes but they have some gorgeous stuff! The last think  I bought for myself from there was a gorgeous bubblegum lip scrup which was fab on the lips to scrub dead skin away and scrummy to lick off as it was made with real sugar (bonus!!!).

Anyway I was in Harrogate with my Mam doing some Christmas shopping and I popped into Lush, I picked up something for my future Mother in Law as well as this lovely bubble bar for myself. It's called Christmas Eve (I am feeling very much in the Christmas Spirit this year), and it caught my eye as it reminded me of Van Gogh's Starry Night painting which I love, and even better it smells utterly divine!!

It has scents of Jasmine and Ylang Ylang and isn't too overpowering which is good. I have only used a little bit so far (as didn't want to use it all at once), it crumbled quite nicely into the bath and did bubble up quite well, however it didn't all disolve so I was left with a few lumps of blue which blogged the plug hole and the bubbles did die quite quick, however i think this may have been because I only used a small ammount whereas if you used say half or even it all I think it would be mega bubbly and hopefully last longer. It did leave my skin feeling nice and soft so all in all quite pleased with this and would buy it again.

x

So So So Scandalous

Rimmel - Scandaleyes Mascara

I don't often buy Rimmel products, but when I do buy them it tends to be for their mascaras as they are quite cheap and have nice brushes and give maximum lash effect which is what I love!

I am a sucker for packaging of any kind, and especially bright packaging when it comes to mascara (not particularly sure why, I just love looking in my makeup box/bag and seeing bright things looking back at me), so this jumped out right at me when I was in Boots, it literally screamed you know you want to buy me and your not leaving the store without me....................so I didn't!

I love the brush as it's nice and thick and claims to give volume packed lashes, which it does after a couple of coats. You have to layer it up to give nice thick and full lashes, however it can clump a little quite quickly so it's good to have an eyebrow/lash comb to hand just in case it becomes too lumpy. Overall I like the effect it gives and as it's towards the lower end of the price bracket I think it's worth the money for a day to day mascara if you wanting maximum impact!

Love and Toast.................

Love and Toast Lip Glaze - Prep School no 74

I had spied Love and Toast in Space NK last year and thought oooh I love that name and thought it would be interesting to try. I didn't buy at the time and then I was in Durham and went into Wild and Funk who sell some gorgeous things (hand cream, soaps, candles, decorations and home items) and there was Love and Toast but the range was expanded with mini perfumes and moisturiser as well as shampoo and conditioners. I decided to purchase a couple of items for presents (the smells of the products are fantastic using lots of fruit undertones) and also this lip glaze called Prep School.

It's a lovely pink colour and has a lovely sheen to it, almost sparkly but not quite! The product itself has a nice smell to it, not overly strong but pleasant, and the texture is quite thick but actually quite runny which normally when glosses or glazes are thick they tend to be quite sticky! Because it is runny I don't think it does stay on as well as it could so reapplication is needed quite a bit, however it does feel quite conditioning on your lips so it makes them feel quite soft which is good in these winter months as I suffer from chapped lips quite badly!

I am pleased I bought it to try but it is quite expensive (around £10) for what it is, however they do have quite a few colours in the range so it may be nice to try a different one, possibly one in a darker colour.

In the picture I am wearing my Bare Escentuals foundation, Benefit Dandelion as a blusher and a Rimmel Mascara which I will do a review on.

Waxing vs Threading

I started having my eyebrows waxed a few years ago (prior to waxing I just plucked them), and I have to say I was a convert straight away. It's quick, easy, cheap and minimal pain and you end up with a good shape that lasts well. The only issue is leaving them to get bushy enough to get them waxed, you feel all dishevelled and a bit like you are growing a hairy caterpillar on your forehead. I also feel that although no-one probably notices but me that there are a few more extra hairs out of place that everyone is looking at my brows going wow they are messy (brow paranoia), this does however make them feel fab once they are all waxed into shape and looking tip top again!

Recently over the past year and a half have been converted across to threading, you feel a bit on show getting them done in the middle of Debenhams beauty floor but so much easier than waxing as they can pick up the tiniest of hairs using this technique and unlike waxing doesn't leave your folicles feeling a bit bumpy afterwards. Even though threading is slightly more expensive than waxing I would say it's well worth a try and is less painful, although is a wierd feeling when you first get it done!

Which one do you prefer, wax or thread???

As dainty as a doll :-)

Dainty Doll - Blusher Money Talks 003

I have wanted to try another product of the dainty doll range after trying the concealer and unfortunately not being impressed by it. I bought this blusher by using my boots points on my points card which means technically it didn't cost me anything (women's logic :-)!!). Dainty Doll for anyone who isn't aware is a make-up range made by Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud fame and is predominately for pale skin (which is me so another reason to try it). Although predominately for pale skin I think some of the eyeshadows and blushers could be used if you have a more mid skin tone as well.

The blusher is number 003 and is called Money Talks it is the darkest shade that you can get and is more like a blusher/bronzer due to the colour of it which is like a purple/brown. I liked it because it was different and I wanted to try a blusher that wasn't a pink colour. It has a slight shimmer to it which is nice and it applies well using a blusher brush or a powder brush. Because the colour is not a pink tone it can be used for contouring or alternatively on the apple of the cheeks as an actual blusher so it's multi purpose, and the results are quite a nice glow to the skin.

I will definitely be looking to try one of the eyeshadows in this range and possibly a lipstick as well! Even though the range is great for pale skintones I would have ordinarily been interested in trying a foundation (as I constantly on the hunt for a suitable foundation), however as I have heard mixed reviews on the foundations I may stay clear of them.

All in all very happy with this product and I have used it quite a bit since I bought it a few weeks ago!

Begone dark circles!!!!!

Mac - Select Cover Up Concealer - Shade - NW15

I have been looking for a new concealer to try, basically to try and cover my dark circles and the little redness around my nose! I was in the Metro Centre and decided to visit the beauty counters in House of Fraser and landed at Mac. I was quite proud of myself as I stuck with my goal for a concealer and didn't really look at anything else (ohhhhh the shock horror of it!!), and so spied this in the perfect shade for me - shade NW15, which I think isthe lightest shades they do. The concealer cost £13.50 which I didn't think was too bad, even though the tube is not massive you don't need a lot which means it will last well, so good value for money!

It claims to "brighten and lighten dark areas, erase spots and even out the skin tone", which is great for the under eye area and any problem red areas (i.e. my nose).

The consistency is quite thick, and you have to blend it quickly once applied, but it suits my skin perfectly and blends well and hides the dark circles and blemishes. The only thing is that it doesn't last as long as I would like, therefore you would need to reapply throughout the day but other than that I am quite impressed and would recommend it.

The perfect arch......................

Soap and Glory - Arch De Triump Brow shaper and Highlighter

This is the other Soap and Glory product that I bought the other week with the eyeshadow palette (I have also bought something else today which I will do a review on later). I never do too much with my brows but having bought a Benefit brow palette about 18 months ago I dipped my toe into the art of brows! I think because I never do much with them and then when I started using the Benefit brow palette it did feel weird, too heavy and unnatural, however now I'm used to it and wanting to try new products for them for different looks.

I decided to get this product to try as it's a two in one product, a pencil eyebrow shaper as well as the highlighter for under the brow bone. I thought it would be a good alternative to the brow palette as that can tend to give you a more heavy look where as I thought this pencil would be more natural looking, and it was, and worked well. The pencil is sort of a mid brown and was a good shade for my brows, it is quite a hard pencil but does apply quite well. The highlighter is like a pinky/white colour and is a more chunky pencil, more soft in texture and is great to apply. It blends well under the brow on the brow bone, and gives great shape to the brows. I have also used it on my top lip to highlight as well as on blemishes so it is quite multi tasking which is good. It's about around the £10 so I think really good value for money and worth trying out!

Hair shine.............

Orofluido Hair Oil Elixir - 100ml Bottle

I absolutely love this product! I first tried it as a sample my friend gave me, I had a couple of these samples before I decided to pluge and buy a big bottle (which is around £20 and can be bought from Amazon, you can also buy samples on there as well which are around £3). The packaging is lovely as it comes in a lovely black box (which I still keep it in) and the bottle is a glass bottle so has a very luxe feel to it.

It's made up of natural oils: argan, cyperus and linseed and it's basically a hair serum which leaves your hair feeling really soft and gorgeous, it's great at smoothing down the hair as well and also has an absolutely gorgeous smell! I have used this a couple of ways, on a night just as I am going to bed a smooth it over the ends of my hair to sink in while I sleep to help with dryness, I have also used it pre and post hairdrying to help smooth my hair before straightening.

I have had this a few months now and haven't used a lot as you only really need a small blob of it to go a long way which is good as it means it's means it's value for money. As I said it's worth purchasing a sample size to try at first if you don't want to plunge into a full size bottle!

Pretty in pink..........

Stila - Convertable Colour in Lillium

This product is a dual lip and cheek cream which is by Stila, a brand which I have never tried before but love this product! I love the packaging as well as it has a lovely raised flower pattern on the lid, it also has a decent mirror inside so it's great for popping in your bag for throughout the day if you need to top up! It's a really smooth and soft product and the pink is really pretty, it is obviously for both cheeks and lips but I would use it more on my lips than cheeks mainly as I don't tend to use cream blushers but purely because I love it more as a lip colour .

As can be seen from the swatch it seems quite sheer and it is on the cheeks and does blend smoothly and looks very natural which is good, on the lips however it's more matifying which I don't normally tend to go for as I like more glossy finishes, however I absolutely love it! It goes on as a really pretty lightish (but not too light) pink, and is quite good at minimising my lips as they are quite big!! I think I love it as it's differnt to what I would normally wear finish wise and is like a lipstick but like a balm at the same time so very veristile. Overall Iwould say a good product and would definitely look at trying some further Stila products in the future!

The Queen of Mineral Make-up

Bare Escentuals - Try Me kit

I am a watcher of QVC but only for make-up or skincare products, basically because you can get some really good brands such as Bobbi Brown, Liz Earle, Smashbox and Bare Escentuals on some very good deals, obviously you have to keep an eye out for the deals as sometimes with the postage they can be just the same price as in the shop, however I got an absolute bargain with this Bare Escentuals Try Me Kit - 5 products plus the brush for £20.50 (I think) and on easy pay which means you spread the cost interest free. The other great thing about QVC as you can try the products at home and if you don't like them you can send them back and get a refund.

Having wanted to try some mineral make-up for ages and have wandered past the bare escentuals counter in Fenwick's, I tuned into their hour on QVC birthday weekend and decided to purchase the starter kit, and could not have been more excited when it arrived!

Left to right: Primetime, Fairly Light Foundation, Intrigue Blush, Original Mineral Veil and Secret Radiance

Back: Flawless Face Brush

What's great about this starter kit is you get a full size foundation (which I got in fairly light and it's great for my pale skin tone), and four samples sizes plus the brush as well, and because you don't need a lot of each on your skin they will last for ages so very good value for money!

I have always been wary of powder foundations (massive liquid foundation girl) as they don't seem to give you much coverage or last the day, and I must admit that I was sceptical watching them on the TV saying that this gives you excellent coverage................but hey were they right and I am a convert to Bare Escentuals.

Above is the foundation open and it has a great twist and lock mechanism in it (which is only in the full size products) to stop the powder from falling out all over the lid. Basically you then use the lid as your palette and do the "swirl, tap and buff" technique to apply the foundation onto your skin. Swirl, tap and buff is swirl your brush in the powder in the lid, tap off the excess and then buff into the skin, buff more into the areas you need more coverage and hey presto your covered!

For a powder it is lovely and light on your face and because it's mineral powder it's good for your skin so even better, plus even though I then added the blush, secret radiance (gives a nice glow to your skin) and the mineral veil to set it didn't feel heavy at all which was great and it lasted really well throughout the day which is more than I can say for some liquid foundations. I also used the primetime underneath which was silky on the skin and you only need a tiny bit which added to te lightness on my skin!

All in all I would say to anyone to give these products a go as they are really good, and I am definitely putting a few of their items on my wish list!



It's all about the matt effect..................

Soap and Glory - Lid Stuff Eyeshadow Palette

I haven't posted anything for a while even though have taken lots of photos of things that I have tried I just haven't had chance, so I am now back on track and bringing you a couple of posts on things I have bought recently that I have been excited to try!

The first of which is this Soap and Glory eyeshadow palette. I absolutely adore Soap and Glory products especially the moisturisers which smell absolutely gorgeous!!! Imagine then my excitement at spotting a whole new section in the makeup department in Boots full of Soap and Glory maek-up (!!!!), of which I had to sample some immediately!! I bought two products the other will come in a later post but this is my first one....................

I am not normally a palette girl but I am actually coming around to them more and more and wanting to branch further into them as they are a great way of trying lots of colours or looks without buying loads of products! This palette is a lovely size and the shadows are decent in size as well and I absolutely love the embossed soap and glory text in the pink shadow it just looks fab and makes you not want to use that colour and spoil it.

This palette has the following colours:

Top left - Vanilla

Top right - Pink T

Bottom left - Mudhoney

Bottom right - Aubersheen

They are all matt shadows except for the Aubersheen which as per it's name has a subtle sheen to it and is a lovely colour. The Vanilla is great for taking across the socket and right up to the brow, and the others are great for creating definitions. They can be either put on subtly or built up for more depth.

I would say that this is a great one for doing your daily make-up look because of the colours being more subtle, however I did spy a couple of different palettes such as a grey and black one so that may be another purchase to make!

x

Concrete you say...............interesting

Models Own - Concrete Mixer Nail Varnish

Another trip to boots resulted in another Model's Own nail varnish and I love love love this colour!!! It's called concrete mixer and the name says it all it's a lovely shade of pale grey which is perfect for a day look but also looks a little bit edgy.



As stated in my previous post about Models Own nail varnish the coverage is great and only takes two coats and gives a nice thick glossy finish which is good. I did these on a Sunday and had it on all week, this start to chip on the Tuesday but only tiny bits again, and I do need to invest in a top coat which I think will be my next purchase nail varnish wise!

I am definitely impressed with this brand for its varnishes and really looking forward to try the crackle effect one which I got when I got the Purple Ash varnish, so watch out for a post coming soon.

x

Are you 'that gal'???

Benefit - "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer

I obviously have a little bit of a thing for Benefit, my make-up bag is not full of Benefit but I have a few bits of it, I probably would have more if there foundations and concealers were the right colour for my skin tone. Having been dipping into the world of primers for a couple of years now I decided to try "That Gal". It's a bit pricey at £21.50 which initially put me off, however I'm finding now that you need to pay a little bit more to get a decent product!

This has a gorgeous smell..........almost like strawberries..........and the texture is lovely on your skin and it does feel quite cooling. It has a distinct pink colour too it, however this doesn't translate to your skin and does blend in lovely and leaves skin with a nice dewy glow (which if you were brave to go without foundation this would be perfect on it's own). This then gives you a lovely base for either a liquid foundation or just a powder finish on top, all in all I would definitely recommend this as a primer to try!

x

Defined lashes???????

Models Own - Hi-Definer Lashed-Up Volumiser

As I have said I am a mascara addict, it is one of my make-up weaknesses!! I have however been quite good for few months now and I have only been using my Benefit Bad Gal instead of going out and buying loads of them till I find I have about 5 on the go!!

However I have relented on my goodness and have purchased two mascara's, one being the above Models Own one. I picked this one as it had a nice thick brush (again something I go for in a mascara). Now it's name should say it all as it's called Lashed-Up Volumiser, however I was disappointed by it, it is not as good as Bag Gal at all (!!!) however is ok for a day look but doesn't leave your lashes feeling any thick or full of volume than a normal mascara. I think it's something I'll use for work and then probably won't re-purchase as it was a disappointment and it seems to be drying out quick which means it won't last long.

It's difficult being pale............

No 7 Stay Perfect Foundation - Alabaster

I cannot stress how hard it is finding a foundation for pale skin it's like searching for the Holy Grail...................

It's amazing the differnt tones you get for the palest shades in many make-up ranges, I've noticed they rcan look yellow, orange and some sort of peach colour, none of which is my skin tone (frustration usually sets in at this point!!). The other thing is that I've noticed some ranges only go as light as ivory which is often not pale enough and very limiting when you are on the search for a colour match! I have also found not to rely on the lighting within shops to give a true colour match to your skin tone, alway always always go out and look at where you have tested the colour in the actual day light as they can look so so soooo different!!

Anyway moving on from that mini rant I have found a good matching colour for my skin in the form of this No 7 Stay Perfect Foundation in the shade of Alabaster. After the disappointment that was the Maxfactor Ageless Elixir foundation (which I am in two minds to get rid of even though I've only used it twice, but convinced it brought out loads of spots from the grease!!), I went in search for another one and chose this one. I bought this on Sunday at Boots (with a £5 off No 7 voucher), and have worn it for three days now and so it's working well, the colour is a good, the consistency is thick but not too thick that it feels like it doesn't go on well, and it lasts ok for the day (although could do much better). I also like the packaging as it is in a glass bottle so it looks more expensive than it was even though it's a mid price range (£15.00).

All in all I am quite happy with this and if you have pale skin like myself I would suggest trying a swatch on this against your skin tone as it's one of the paler ones I have found!

Happy foundation shopping!

x

The battle against redness!!

Eau Thermale Avene - Anti-redness Light Moisturising Cream

I have problem areas of redness on my face, such as round my nose and cheeks, so trying to find a primer to even out my skintone or anti-redness moisturising creams that work is one of my many challenges. I read in a magazine an artcle about anti-redness creams and this one by Avene came out with 5/5 stars so I thought I would try it. In my haste I purchased it off Amazon, however I was in Boots and found it in there so I could have saved on the postage (I am too impatient sometimes!).

This is quite expensive (£13.50) for say the size (40ml), but cheaper than say Elemis anti redness cream (which I have tried and was a bit of a disapointment). This has a very pale green tinge to it (green is good for balancing out red skintones), and feels very nice on the skin and has a nice light moisturiser smell to it. It is "formulated with a high content of Avene thermal spring water, known for it's soothing and anti-irritant properties" so I was expecting big things.

I have been using this for just over a week underneath my make-up for work and think the results are ok. It seems to blot out a good percentage of redness and makes a very good base for primer and foundation, and is a good moisturiser in general even if not using it for anti-redness. I am going to continue to use this as when my make-up is off I can see a tiny difference to the redness so I am hoping it may continue to help with this!

After spying the Avene range in boots I think I may look into some of their other products to use as well.

x