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