Make-up Box - Product of the Week - No 7

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow

Ok well I'm still absolutely loving this eyeshadow even though I haven't worn it every day this week It's just the best eyeshadow I have ever used! Even though it is at the high end of price bracket for eyeshadow I do totally recommend it and guarantee that you won't be disappointed with it.

Have you had an exciting week??

Do you have a make-up box product of the week to share??

Review: Lush Wobbly Jelly for Shower of Bath

Fragrance: Sweetie Pie

I think I have said before I don't often buy anything from Lush but for my Birthday when we were in Harrogate we popped into the Lush shop and I got a couple of things, one was this jelly and the other was a soap which I will do a review on as well.

This is one of their wobbly jellies which can be used either in the shower or the bath and it's called Sweetie Pie which I think is such a cute name and fits very well with the fragrance which smells divine! The jellies do have tiny sparkles in them from glitter and they are a solid jelly consistency rather than sloppy and is a nice texture, however it does make it very difficult to use in the shower.

You have to really pull a lump off to use and because it's jelly it does slip all over the place and I dropped it constantly, so it may work better in the bath, however it does lather quite nice although takes a while to dissolve. The smell of Sweetie Pie is gorgeous and is a cross between sweets and blackcurrants and is just a fun product to use and I would recommend giving it a go.

What Lush products do you like to buy??

Review: Collection 2000 Cream Eyeshadows

Shades: Gold Rush and Platinum Bling

Platinum Bling

Gold Rush

Left: Gold Rush

Right: Platinum Bling

I have been a bit lax on my blogging last week and this week but I have a lots to review so I will be making up for it this week!

These cream eyeshadows I got at Christmas, I bought the gold one myself for my Christmas make-up and did do a little post on it at the time and promised a review :-). The platinum one was a stocking filler again at Christmas, so I thought I would review them both together.

Collection 2000 is one of the cheaper drug store brands, not all of the products are brilliant however they do have some excellent finds and these are one of them. The cream eyeshadow applies really well and blends reasonably ok on the lid, however because it is a wet to dry texture it does dry quite quick so you have to blend them out quickly. The colours are not too dark or mega vibrant so are great for a subtle metallic look or equally can be used a base for a powder eyeshadow for an ultimate wow factor metallic eye. The staying power is great but they do crease a little by the end of the day, but considering they are a cheap product they are one of the better cream eyeshadows for staying power in my opinion.

Out of the two I think I prefer the platinum colour as it's not a bright silver and more burnished and grey which is lovely for a smokey eye. The gold is nice and extremely wearable which I was surprised at as gold can be hard to wear especially for pale skin.

I think that they are well worth checking out and they are under £5 so won't break the bank which is great if you are fancying something new to try but don't want to spend too much money!



Review: Mac Brushes

No's: 316, 266, 194, 275, 239, 150, 190, 168

I have always wanted some decent make-up brushes so I was spectacularly chuffed when my Sister said she would get me some Mac ones for my Birthday, the result was this lovely set which I absolutely love!

It's an 8 piece set which is fantastic for general use as well as for travelling as it comes in a case, and basically has every brush you would need for applying make-up on a daily basis. You have a foundation brush, a big blusher/powder brush and a blusher/contour brush for the face, and then 4 eye brushes one of which could be used on brows and a lip brush. All the brushes are very soft, extremely easy to clean and give a great finish, I haven't used them all yet but the ones I have used so far have been fantastic and a lot better than a couple of my old brushes which I am gradually replacing!!

I think my next brushes will be some Real Techniques ones which I am desperate to get hold of and I'm so pleased Boots are going to be stocking them, so watch this space for expectant purchases :-).

Make-up Box - Product of the Week - No 6

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow

I have been loving this ever since I got it and have worn it most days as it is just such a fantastic finish and beautiful colour which gives a lovely fresh look to my make-up! I am gradually moving away from the brown  and grey shades that I normally wear (and have done so for years) to more adventurous neutrals such as peach and gold tones as well as pinks (although the pinks have to be the right shade otherwise i look a bit scary eyed!!!). This eyeshadow I think will be a staple in my make-up bag/box from now on and as I have said in my review of it a little earlier on my blog, once you have bought this eyeshadow you won't want to be without it and therefore may become one of your products of the week!



Review: Batiste Dry Shampoo

Fragrance: Sassy and Daring Wild

Since I have been growing my hair for our wedding this June I could not be without dry shampoo as it makes my life so much more easier! I used to be a wash the hair everyday kind of girl as my hair was short (at one point a pixie crop) and I had the time to blow dry and straighten it all the time, however now it is longer I just don't have the time to do this everyday as well as that it isn't good on your hair to be washing and blow drying it everyday as it can strip the goodness out of it (which I was aware of but just didn't pay attention to before). I also now at the weekend like to let my hair dry naturally to give it a rest from heat styling which I think is important to keep the hair in good condition.

This little gem of dry shampoo I use probably every other day just on my roots and brush it out to freshen the hair and then I either tie it up in a top knot bun or just let it be au natural and be crazily wavy, and I mean massively wavy!! Batiste is also really good if you like to do a bit of backcombing which is always better on day old hair and this helps to add a bit of texture to the hair for creating styles.

I have used the original Batiste and a couple of the fragrance ones which come in these funky design cans which look good on the dressing table. I have to say a couple of the fragrances are too much on the coconut edge for me but this one I do like as it has a slight vanilla fragrance to it but isn't overpowering! I am going to invest in a travel size can for handbag for during the day in case the roots look a little greasy as the day progresses!

Review: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre - Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow

Shade: 82 Emerveille

This was one of my treats for my Birthday from my gorgeous Fiance! I have wanted to try some Chanel make-up for ages and especially this eyeshadow as I have read fantastic things about it! It's what you would call a cream eyeshadow but it's so much more than that and it's very luxurious and everything you would expect from Chanel. The eyeshadow also comes with a cute little shadow/liner brush which is great for if you are using it on the go. I went for the shade 82 Emerveille as it is a gorgeous pink/peach/gold shade and is lovely for a neutral eye but has a very expensive feel to it which is great for either day or evening wear.

To quote from the Chanel website:

"This intensely shimmering long-wear eyeshadow offers true versatility. An innovative gel texture that is both soft and cushiony allows it to be worn as eyeshadow or eyeliner."

The texture is nothing like I have ever tried before, and it is like a gel but almost souffle like which is very strange when you touch it as it looks like a loose sparkly powder when you first open the pot. I think because it contains silicone this gives it a gorgeous feel and is easily blends onto the eyelid as it is so smooth and doesn't drag at all. As it says it is a long wear eyeshadow and it is the only cream eyeshadow or even eyeshadow in general that does last all day and doesn't crease, so mega bonus!!

This is definitely a get what you pay for eyeshadow as it is expensive at £22.50 (from Hoopers in Harrogate) but I think once you try it you won't want to be without it as it is just so good!

Happy Birthday Candle :-)

Elderflower Champagne Candle

This is the second Elderflower Champagne candle I have received as a present, the first one I got at Christmas but I haven't started to burn that yet so a post will follow later on that :-). This one I got for my Birthday as can be seen on the tin, and it's absolutely lovely! The smell is subtle and fresh and isn't at all sickly, and is very good at freshening up the living room, so loving it greatly!!

Review: Topshop Lipstick

Shade: Coy

I got very excited when I spied this Lipstick in Topshop, however that was not to last and unfortunately turned into disappointment.

This product is a lipstick pencil with a matte finish in a pale coral orange colour which on paper sounds fantastic and very on trend, however the lipstick just is not that great and for me personally does not deliver a good finish. If you are using a matte lipstick it really needs to give a good coverage as well as be moisturising so it doesn't break up and make the lips look dry, of which none of these this product does. The colour didn't translate across onto the lips and it made them look all cracked and chapped as the colour broke up on them which is not a good luck, especially as I'm obsessed with lip balm to try and combat chapped lips so I really don't want a product that enhances them!

I think Topshop do have a few good products in their make-up range so it is worth checking out their counter in the shop, however this product for me isn't one of the better ones.

Review: Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow

Shade: Fawn Over Me

This eyeshadow I got for Christmas from my Sister and it's fair to say that I love it! Having never tried a Benefit eyeshadow before I was very excited to get this and try it out and it didn't disappoint.

It has a lovely soft texture (which is why I suppose it's called velvet eyeshadow), and is very easy to blend either with your finger or brush. The colour is a very pale mink brown and has a slight sheen to it which is lovely for day wear either on it's own or can easily be smoked up with some black eyeliner for a more dramatic effect!

If you love powder eyeshadows and especially brown/neutral colours this is definitely one to check out!

 

Lengthened lashes or flaky clumps.......

No 17 - Peep Show Mascara with lengthening fibres

Ok so I've been having a mascara dilema, my Bad Gal Lash ran out ages ago so I've been buying less expensive drugstore ones, however none of them have come up to the mark and therefore the conclusion is I think I'll have to go and get a Bad Gal Lash pretty soon!! Don't get me wrong as I have nothing against less expensive mascaras as some of them are really good, particularly Bourjois and a couple of collection 2000 ones, however lately I seemed to have just picked the wrong mascaras, the downfall of crazy impulse buys from Boots I think!

This mascara I thought was ok to begin with, however I have decided that I am disappointed with it especially as it has now dried out and I haven't had it that long!!! The brush is ok and does give defined lashes but does tend to clump the lashes a bit and then flaked off during the day which I didn't think was good for a lasting look. I haven't noticed my lashes get any longer from the lengthening fibres either!!

Although less expensive mascara's can be ok, when they are not it becomes less cost effective as you then need to go out and buy more and therefore may as well have just bought a slightly more expensive one which you know will be ok!

Happy mascara hunting!

Winter skin saviour!

Soap and Glory - Hand Food

I'm having my usual winter dry skin issues on my hands, which means the skin around my nails is awful as well as dry knuckles and odd dry patches on my palms, which again means it's time to crank up the use of hand cream to try and combat this issue! Currently I feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle but I have a couple of hand creams on the go which are being my saviours for this problem, Soap and Glory's Hand Food is one of them.

As I've mentioned before I always have a few hand creams on the go, especially one in my hand bag! This is the one I am using for when I'm pottering around in the house and as a lover of Soap and Glory it doesn't disappoint.

It's quite a thick cream so you don't need a lot if you are just needing a quick moisture boost to the skin, but it can also be used quite thick and with cotton gloves for a deep conditioning treatment as well which is a big plus point. It's full of lovely ingredients as well such as shea butter, sweet almond oil and also has marshmallow in there, which is probably where it gets it's delicious smell from. Another big plus point for this cream is it isn't too greasy (although it states non greasy it is a little bit greasy when first applied), and soaks into the skin quickly which is good when you are busy and on the go!

As the weather has taken a turn for the worse at the weekend with snow and a big freeze forecast I think I will be boosting the use of this cream from now on to try and ease off dry and chapped skin!!

Do you have a winter skin saviour??

Make-up Box - Product of the Week - No 5

Shu Uemura Brush Cleaner

I've been using baby shampoo to clean my brushes but I have wanted a brush cleaner for a while now. I got this Shu Uemura cleaner from Space NK in Harrogate for £11 and it's made cleaning my brushes so much more quicker and easier so that's why it's reached my product of the week.

I think it's definitely worth investing in a brush cleaner for cleaning make-up brushes rather than a baby shampoo as the cleaner gets the brushes completely clean therefore making it them more hygienic!

A full review on this will be following on the blog!



Birthday Presents!!!!

30th Birthday Presents

So this week I turned 30!!! I had a fantastic weekend last weekend celebrating and then on my actual birthday I got took to Harrogate (love that place and lots of fantastic shops) and was spoilt with lots of treats (tea at Betty's being one yummy)!!

I thought I'd post a couple of pics of things that I got for presents, consisting of a lot of beauty products as well as accessories such as the fantastic Mac brush set my big sis got me :-). I will be doing reviews on all the beauty products as I use them, as well as doing some posts on all the accessories!

Anyone else had a birthday recently or had a milestone birthday that they have passed??

Tiger crackle nails grrrrrrr

Models Own - Smash Up in Black

I haven't done a nail varnish post in ages!!! I basically haven't pained my nails for ages and I think that's why my nails have just gone absolutely rubbish, I find that when I paint them it makes them stronger and they grow much nicer!

I decided to do something different for my birthday night out and decided to use this Models Own Smash Up varnish which I bought ages ago and had never used!

I painted my nails in a base colour using Nails Inc Brook Street (a coral/pink colour), let that dry and then painted one coat of the Smash Up on. It basically does what it says on the bottle, it smashes up straight away to create this nail effect which I likened to Tiger stripes :-)! I absolutely loved the effect it gave and the colours totally matched the skirt I was wearing from Topshop which was black with a coral band around the bottom so they just finished my outfit off! Both Nails Inc and Models Own are hard wearing so they last really well and don't tend to chip for a few days, I painted these on a Saturday afternoon and took them off on the Tuesday and they hadn't chipped at all which I thought was really good.

I will definitely be using the Smash Up again with different colours and it totally funks up ordinary nails making them look ultra fab!

Anyone else dabbling with nail effects??