Old And New

This weekend I've been 'shopping my stash' as the blogger phrase goes! Since being back and organising my make up I've been loving playing around with some forgotten gems and the make up I ended up wearing yesterday was all about combining some old loves with some new favourites

Lioeli Waterdrop BB Cream
I'd actualy forgotten I still had this! After checking it was still in date, I instantly threw it on as I remember adoring this one summer and I think I wore it every single day for almost two months. Wearing it again I don't love it as much as I once did, but I still adore the dewy finish it delivers

Mac Creme Colour Base in Shell
After buying this I spent weeks trying to figure out a way I could wear it, as my original intention of using it as an eyeshadow base went down the drain since it creases after 5 minutes. I wore it as a cheek highlight today as I wanted a cream product to keep the dewy finish of the BB Cream and Cream blush. and it just looked beautiful and wore surprisingly well!

No7 Nude Lip Liner with ELF Runway Pink
I'm not really a lipstick person, and I can probably count on my fingers the number of times I've actually bothered with a lip liner. But these two trusty old products found their way onto my lips today and I was pleasantly surprised at the result! Both are creamy and the matte lipliner paired with a semi-matte lipstick created a great finish that I think was pretty modern despite being such a classic shade

Bare Minerals Hiking Trail
Everytime I've cleaned out my products this one has been in the 'maybe' pile, and yet has somehow ended up staying. The reason being it's a stunning colour. But I detest loose shadows, or any loose powders actually - they're just a faff. Today I used a tiny amount to lighten up my khaki shadow and it was such a pretty look I'm thinking about whipping Hiking Trail out more often.

Revlon Color Stay Eyeshadow Link in Kahki
A Beautiful colour that I loved playing with. But a corner smashed as soon as I took it out of the bag, and after it sitting in my make up drawer for 2 days it's somehow completely shattered!

LOreal Super Liner Perfect Slim
Loving it - it's just so easy to work with. I'm just waiting to see exactly how long it'll last since pen liners are notorious for drying out and the lid isn't as tight as I'd like.

I finished it all off with Mac Lady Blush, a dab of collection lasting perfection concealer and lots of Benefit They're Real Mascara!

Fairy FOTD

I’m not normally the sort to get that excited about Halloween, don’t get me wrong I’ve always liked it but never been that into it. This year though I’m really in the mood to do some fun Halloween looks and this is the first of them!

I suppose this could be lots of different things, I had a fairy in mind when I did it but a nymph or an elf or some other mythical creature would probably work just as well :)  it took a little longer than I originally expected as I had to go over the lines of the ‘mask’ more than once but it wasn’t difficult (if you’re going to do something similar I’d definitely sketching out a plan before hand!)

I used three eyeshadows, a bright green, a deeper forest green and then a bright baby pink for the cheeks as I didn’t have a blush bright enough. A gel eyeliner and lots of mascara – it’s definitely something you can do on a budget without having to buy lots of colours you’ll never use again.

I also tried pairing this with a nude lip and although I think it’s really pretty, I just can’t pull off nude lips so I’d stick with some sort of definition :)

I’ve already done two other Halloween looks which I’ll post in the next few days as we get closer to Halloween but so far this looks like the favourite for what I’ll actually be doing on Halloween as I seriously love how all the green shadow makes my eyes stand out!

Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

ELF Blush and Bronzer

I don’t think this product really need much introduction as it’s one of the most talked about ELF products I see on blogs and when I finally managed to get my hands on it (it always seems to be sold out!) I was really excited to see how it lived up to expectations.
E.L.F’s contouring blush and bronzer is part of the studio line at £3 which is cheap enough but E.L.F are always having deals and promotions so it’s best to wait a little while as I got mine for a measly £1.75!
Both the blush and the bronzer are much more pigmented than I was expecting and they have quite a nice texture too, not too powdery so it blends effortlessly. The blush is really quite beautiful as it’s a mix of a dusky pink and a little bit of coral with subtle golden shimmer which really is one of the most flattering shades.

I’ll be honest, I bought this mainly for the blush as nothing can compare, for me, to Benefit hoola for contouring however this is again surprisingly nice. It’s a little warmer than I’d like for a contour but not overly so and I have used this a few times to contour and I can see already this is going to be a favourite. In the pan the bronzer has a little bit of golden shimmer although this doesn’t transpire when you actually apply it.

Overall I have a feeling this will last quite a long time because it is really nicely pigmented and it’s definitely worth every penny and I imagine I’ll be repurchasing when it runs out!
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Hope this has been helpful!! x

Pink Passion

I love my blushes. I’ve never had a problem with needing to inject colour into my cheeks but for some reason blushes always call to me and I have quite a few now. With my most recent addition being Pink Passion from E.L.F’s Studio line blushes

As you can see it’s an incredibly vibrant almost neon pink in the pan. And it’s a colour I have absolutely nothing like in my collection. I wouldn’t normally go for something like this however because it’s quite cool toned I love how this looks with a tan just on the very apples of my cheeks to add a pretty contrast.
Once swatched it isn’t as scary although its still quite bright it looks a little bit more like a baby doll pink.

I’ve only worn it a handful of times as it’s obviously not one that you can just throw on with anything. As far as the formula goes it’s a little chalky in comparisons to the other two blushes I own from this collection (peachy keen and twinkled pink both of which are gorgeous) But with a colour like this your obviously going to do a fair amount of blending and it does blend seamlessly without leaving a powdery look.

Would I recommend? I would if you’re after a bright colour but don’t want to spend a lot as you won’t be wearing it every day!
Hope this has been helpful!! x

P.SI just want to briefly mention E.L.F have a 3 different collections.
+ The Normal Line where everything is £1.50 ($1)
+ The Studio Line where everything is £3.50 ($3)
+ The Mineral line where things vary from £3 (US prices seem to vary)

Nude Rose FOTD

Another little FOTD :)
I went to the cinema with some friends to see Hangover 2 (Loved it) and I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures!
Face:
Skin 79 BB cream (I finally get why BB creams are raved about!)
Diorskin Sculpt concealer in 01
Lancôme Tropiques Minerale in Ochre Doree & E.L.F Tickled pink
Eyes:
Urban decay Foxy cream shadow (this is the same colour as my skin with a bit of sparkle)
Bobbi Brown Gel liner in Black ink (love it)
Avon supershock mascara
Lips:
E.L.F first date lip stain (review here)
Hair:
I just threw it up in a messy bun as I’m still on my 40 heatless days challenge and I couldn’t really be bothered messing with it :)
But my favourite thing was this gorgeous scarf from Urban Outfitters, designed by Pins and Needles. I completely love it :)
I wore it with the rosy cardigan (which you can see) also from Pins and Needles at urban Outfitters and then a simple black dress from H&M
(I attempted an ootd but getting a decent picture is a nightmare–noidea how you fashion bloggers do it!)
Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

First Date

I recently made an E.L.F purchase when they were offering 50% off(good deal right?) and I picked up one of their lip stains as recently I am really loving stains and I wanted to give a cheaper version a go.
This is normally £3.50 from the studio line available online here E.L.F(eyes, lips face) is predominantly an online brand however it has recently become available in Sephoras in the U.S
I got mine in First date as the hot coral/pink with golden reflexes shown online looked gorgeous and it’s pretty true to colour in real life only the golden shimmer is much more muted and is only noticeable in certain lights.
(L-R Bare lips, just the stain and the stain with the clear gloss on top)
(I think I’ll get the most wear out of the stain and just use the gloss every so often)
You get two products for the price of one with this, a stain and a gloss. The stain looks beautiful on its own if you want a matte finish, and I much more day-time friendly look. And the gloss is actually surprisingly nice! It’s not remotely sticky and lasts really nicely.
The stain wore pretty well, there was some patchiness however it wasn’t horrendous and I did test this out quite thoroughly (going out for a meal and then drinks with friends)The formula isn’t drying either which is a problem I find in most stains like this.

Overall I don’t think I’ll get any other shades as this one suits my needs perfectly however I would recommend this if you’re looking for a long lasting colour on a budget – I do genuinely like this product and would probably pay a lot more than £3.50!

Have any of you tried E.L.F’s lip stains? What were your thoughts?
Hope this has been helpful!! x

Runway Pink

I don’t usually do reviews on just one lipstick but I think this one deserves a special mention as at only £3.50 it’s already one of my favourites and I’ve not even had it a full week yet!
Runway Pink is from the mineral line at E.LF meaning it’s a bit more expensive than their normal £1.50 price tag but you get a sleek matte black case and a gorgeous product!

This isn’t a colour I would usually go for (I tend to stick to mauves and colours resembling my natural lip colour – in other words I play it very safe) but Sara from SWalkerMakeUp recently mentioned it on her 11 most used tag and I’m always swayed to try products whenthey have been highly recomended!

I was making an elf order anyway (they had free shipping) and I popped this little beauty into my basket (still not expecting anything amazing) but when it arrived I understand why it’s so popular!
It’s a creamy, almost matte finish which instantly makes it more wearable as it’s not an in-your-face pink with lots of gloss. I wasn’t sure it’d work with my pale skin (although I have been fake tanning a bit this past month) but it looks gorgeous and I’ve already found myself reaching for it most mornings!

This is definitely going to be one of those products I repeatedly repurchase and I’d recommend trying this out or if a creamy neutral pink isn’t for you (I think this would suit everyone though) check out their other mineral lipsticks as I’ve heard good things about all of them!

Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

P.S I've finally finished my exams!!

2010 Favourites

This is just a quick run down of my favourite products of 2010 :) Cleanser - simple refreshing cleanser
Toner – BodyShop seaweed toner
Moisturiser – Lancôme hydrazen neurocalm extreme soothing moisturising cream-gel (a bit of mouthful I know)
Eye cream – Clinique all about eyes rich
Lip treatment – Carmex Cherry
Exfoliator – St Ives blemish fighting scrub
Extra – L’Oreal Renewal lash Serum

Foundation – Mac studio sculpt
Concealer – Dior lift and sculpt
Blush – Clinique iced lotus
Eyeshadows – sleek storm palette
Mascara – Maybelline colossal mascara
Eyeliner – Bobbi brown gel liner
Lipstick – Natural collection Sunset
Brows – ELF eyebrow kit
Lipgloss – smash box (all their colours are lovely)

Polish – eyeko rain
Perfume – Chloe
Body exfoliator – BodyShop mango body scrub
Soap – Lush godmother
Top coat – seche vite
Make up remover – Lancôme Bi Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover
Eye Primer - mac's paintpots (Inidanwood is my current favourite)

(Just so you know it's taken me nearly a year to learn how to centralise text on here...lol)