Do Tell

Since this is my last few weeks of winter for a while (yay) I've fully embraced the darker palette winter offers - including this beauty of lipstick from Benefit

What I've been loving is that if I liberally apply it (as above) I get a great darker colour that's still very wearable but adds a little extra something! It's been great for days I can't be bothered to do anything fancy with my eyes, simple eye+beautiful lipstick is always a winter in my book.

But I can just pat some on the centre and blend it out to get a much more 'natural' look for days I'm just not feeling up to braving it. 

And I couldn't resist this oh-so-cringey photo showing off the lipstick and my current favourite nail polish - OPI Navy. It's so gorgeous on, it's very nearly black but it's got just enough blue for it not to look too gothic when I'm pale skinned. Also, I thought this photo showed my eye make up quire well too. So just ignore the cringey-ness of the photo and focus on the good bits!

3 Mini Revelations

Today was a day of trying some new things - powder foundation, side buns and pale pink lips being three things I disregarded as not being very 'me' but I may, dare i say it, be a bit of a convert!

Sometimes I just can't be bothered to wash my hair, I know you have those days too so don't judge! And my usual coping mechanism is to throw it up in a top knot, and although I think they're pretty I don't think they necessarily suit my face - they always just look a little too harsh. 

So today, having been inspired by a random video from Meghan, I attempted a messy side bun thing - and I really like it! It keeps everything off my face without looking too sloppy, and I feel like its channelling the whole 'effortlessly stylish' look (I wish)

All the stuff I popped on my face: Vie One-Step-Face-Base in ivory, Maybelline master precise liquid liner, Maybelline fit concealer, Benefit they're real mascara, L'Oreal super liner brow artist, Mac viva glam gaga, Mac tempting, Mac brule, Urban Decay twice baked, Lancome tropiques minerale orche doree.

I've been interesting in giving powder foundations a whirl for a while now, and recently there's been a bit of a rise in my favourite bloggers recommending them, namely laura mercier's. But I just couldn't take the plunge since part of me was always convinced they'd just feel and look horrible not he skin, I had this image of dry flaky skin, probably because I've only ever used powder sparingly

 But while I was home I rummaged through some make up I left and rediscovered a powder by Vie which used to be my favourite for dusting over my foundation for nights out. Since I needed a powder for New Zealand I threw it in my suitcase, and yesterday I tried it all over with just a touch of concealer for some extra coverage under my eyes. And oh my gosh - it looks so natural! I don't think the vie powder itself is amazing, although I'll definitely use it up, but my interest in trying another powder foundation is well and truly renewed. It didn't sink into any pores, accentuate dry spots of make my face feel dry, was truly a doddle to apply with my ecotools kabuki, so I simply can't wait to branch into powder foundations

I picked up Mac's GaGa along with the powder while I was home hoping I'd manage to find a use for it. I pick it up when it first came up after hearing endless hype without considering the fact I rarely, if ever wear pink lipsticks. Spurred on by the successful powder foundation venture I gave it a whirl and I can't say I love it but I am definitely more of a fan now my skin is a little darker as it just suits my complexion a lot more.

Ignore the goosebumps, it's getting chilly down here. Tempting and Lancome's Tropiques Minerale.

Throwing in an honorary mention to Mac's tempting eyeshadow, this all over the lid with a little brule to blend it out and a touch of urban decays twice baked in the very outer corner is one of my favourite looks right now, which is surprising as prior to this week I think I'd actually used Tempting twice, possibly three times. I think it's been so neglected as it swatches quite poorly and it's a glittery mess in the crease. Tempting needs to be the centre piece of the look to work for me, the coppery tones and gold reflexes create a beautifully balanced look.

Do you ever have that, where you disregard a product only to use is again months down the line and have no idea why you weren't head over heels in love with it from the start? 

Mac Stereo Rose

I was lucky enough to get hold of this as its very much a cult mac product and its rather difficult to get hold off, which in turn only seems to increase its popularity. And now I’ve got my hands on it I finally understand why its so talked about! It isn’t however going to be for everyone
It’s a beautiful shimmery deep coral with pretty golden highlights and a slightly rosy undertone. And although I love wearing it it’s not something I’ll reach for every day, and I know a lot of people will be put off by how shimmery it is as I know a fair few of you prefer to add your own highlight.
Aside from the shimmeriness, which is kind of expected with a mac msf, they are pricey, particularly this one as its only repromoted every so often and consequently prices in CCOs rocket, and its also not the easiest to work with as it is very pigmented so you have to be careful to not apply too much. And it's not going to be a universally flattering shade as it is quite coral/red which can something look too much on some skin tones (this looks terrible on my tanned skin however when I'm pale it's beautiful).

I do love it though, not sure I’ll repurchase but I don’t think that’s something I need to worry about as MSFs last years!
Have any of you managed to get your hand on this?
What did you think?

Hope this has been helpful!! 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

Good Things

I was sent these two products a few weeks ago from a relatively new company which you don’t hear that much about – Good Things. The basic idea is their products supply the same quality of skincare as other brands but without all the nasty ingredients. So it’s free from parabens, sulfates, mineral oils and animal ingredients which is great, it’s also meant to be full of natural ingredients to ‘boost’ your skin.

Face the Day moisturiser 100 ml -£7.99
This is my lleast favourite of the two purely because the scent is too much for me. It is lovely and hydrating though and works quite nicely under foundations and tinted moisturisers. It’s the sort of cream I’ll reach for during transitional months (so autumn and spring when my skin can’t make up its mind what to do!) and it does have UV filters which is a great added bonus

Bright Eyes Eyecream 15ml - £5.99
It’s a good standard eye cream which would work really well for someone who doesn’t really have any issues with their under eyes and is just looking for light soothing moisture, for me though I feel like I need more nourishment from my eye cream as my under eyes are my main hold up and need a fair bit of TLC
Both of these smell delicious and fruity however for me that’s a double edged sword. I don’t mind the strong scent in my eye cream as my eyes aren’t sensitive but I feel like that strong a scent is better suited to a body lotion over a face cream and I generally feel uncomfortable applying as surely something that strongly scented is the result of perfumes and added fragrance which doesn’t really appeal

Overall I doubt I’ll purchase these two again but not because I don’t like them, I do, I just don’t love them as they’re not quite right for me. I do think they’re worth the money though as they’d be perfect for someone who is just getting into skincare, who doesn’t want to spend too much and just wants something that isn’t too drying or too moisturising to introduce them into skin care

Have any of you given Good Things a go? I'm tempted to give their face masks a go!

Hope this has been helpful!! x

Cherry Pie Utopia

Now this may surprise you, but I’ve never actually tried any Model’s Own normal nail polishes. I’ve tried Buff Pink from their manicure range and some of their glitters but never quite got around to trying their standard ones. So when I was sent these two I painted my nails pretty much straight away!
Utopia
This is one polish I’ve been meaning to get since I first saw it, it’s a beautiful blend of lilacs, nudes and gray meaning it is the prettiest, girly-yet-chic muted shade and I already know this is going to be one of those colours I’ll end up having to repurchase as I’ve already found myself reaching for it time and time again
The formula is also really surprising as it’s incredibly opaque yet it’s not too thick or difficult to work with.

Cherry Pie
This definitely stands out in my nail polish collection as I just don’t reach for dark shades very often as I think they can be a little too harsh but because of the red and burgandery shimmer running through this I actually really like it.
The formula is lovely, two coats and you get a very rich deep red

Definitely going to try and get my hands on more Models Own polishes as the formula of these two is gorgeous!
They actually have a 50% off sale online if you ‘like’ their facebook page so you can get a polish for a tiny £2.50!
Hope this has been helpful!! x

P.S Sorry about the lack of recent posts, there’s just been crazy amounts going on in my personal life and blogging has had to take a bit of a back seat!

Collection 2000 Cream Puff

I first heard about these through Lisa Eldridge, and for those of you who haven’t heard of her she’s amazing at what she does. And quite simply if she recommends something you know its going to be good!
Now aside the slightly strange name, that I just cant help but smile at, these are quite a new release and have a distinctive finish and texture.

They’re described as being velvety soft matt finish lip creams and although that’s a mouthful it’s pretty accurate. The texture is light and soft with an almost whipped texture while it dries to a lovely matt finish.
These supply all the bonuses of a stain, longevity and a natural matt finish but with one huge advantage. They’re incredibly creamy making them lovely and non drying (I wouldn’t say they were moisturising themselves but they don’t need to be)

The colour range is a little limited as there are only four shades. There’s Fair Cakes a pretty coral, Cotton Candy, a mid toned pink, Powder Puff a light nude and Angel Delight a mid toned brown. So despite the lack of colours I can’t help but think there’s something for everyone whatever you like!
All the shades are quite muted so don’t expect anything too bright but again I like this feature as it makes them all really wearable.

The only downside is it doesn’t wear amazingly, after a few hours it will become a little patchy but I haven’t found it to be anything major – quickly reapply and your sorted for another hour!

Have you tried these yet? If not are you tempted?
Hope this has been helpful!! x

147 Peachy Pink

I want to start off this review by saying this lipstick was one of the hardest colours I’ve had to photograph! In some photos it looked very orange, in others very peach or pink or coral, and I think that’s because this is perfect mix of all of them!
I only got this a few days ago after Vivianna mentioned it reminded her of Topshop Head over heels blush (which I have fallen head over heels in love with) so naturally I went on the hunt for it and I luckily got the last one in my boots.
(they aren’t identical but they are definitely in the same colour family)
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This definitely stands out in my lipstick collection, and I think it’d stand out in most as it’s quite a unique colour, think of the prettiest peach, mix it with a little bit of pink, some coral and a little bit of orange and you’d end up with something like this – love it!
It’s a matte formula which I think is perfect for such a bright colour as it allows it to be easily wearable for during the day, I know that for me, with a gloss this would be a bit too bright to comfortably wear.

The other bonus of it being matte is it lasts a good 3 hours on me, although the wear time obviously depends on how lipstick wears for you. But matte finishes in general do last much longer as they’re less likely to just slip off!
The only negative to matte lips for me, is they can be a little drying so make sure you apply lots of lip balm before you put this on.

I’ve recently been loving wearing slightly brighter and bolder lip colours, I think it’s because you can get away with anything if the sun’s shining!
Have any of you got any favourite bright shades?

Hope this has been helpful!! x
P.S hopefully you can see how different this colour looks in all these shots, in real life it's a bit of a mixture of all these

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)

Semi - Precious

I’ll confess to being something of a MSF(Mineralize Skin Finish) addict. I love how the natural colours instantly warm your complexion and give you a healthy glow all year round – I just can’t resist the finish these give my cheeks!
So the Mac’s recent Semi Precious mineralize collection got my attention straight away as it had 4 MSFs. I had originally intended to get them all, as I really do love them but after reading one or two reviews I plucked for Pearl and Goldmine. I ordered them both online as although I didn’t expect this collection to sell out I didn’t want to take the risk.

The only problem with ordering online is can’t pick your own, and with mineralize products each one is slightly different. Some will have a bigger centre, others will have more gold than pink etc. but both are exactly what I would have picked (very lucky!)
Anyway onto Pearl… The outside is a warm champagne highlight with some golden reflexes while the centre is full of golden bronzes, plums and some white sections. Together the outside and the inside create a beautiful coral which doubles as a highlight.
(if you don’t like shimmery blush this may be one to avoid)
And Goldmine... This was maybe the one I was more excited about, although I think I love them both equally now, as it’s a warm golden highlight surrounded by a bronze tan shade which I know I’m going to get a ton of wear out of in summer to deepen my colour and to just give me that healthy radiant look.

Do I recommend? If you love your MSFs then definitely! I am completely in love. The size reduction is annoying, these are only 0.22g instead of the usual 0.35g, but even with that in mind baked products like this never seem to go down and last forever.

Have you picked up anything from the Semi-Precious collection?
Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

P.S I know 3 reviews in a row is a little much but I was just so excited to talk about these I couldn’t wait. NOTD coming up next though!

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

Strawberry Libertine NOTD

This is another little nail art post, I’ve got some reviews and some other different types of posts already written but I’m trying to save them for exam season!
I picked up Rimmel’s Strawberry Libertine on Saturday as I’m in a bit of a pink mood at the moment, anyway I tried it out straight away and I really love it. Rimmel polishes, although not the best in colour range, have an amazing consistency and a really thick brush so it’s incredibly easy to apply – definitely going to be picking up more Rimmel polishes in the future!

I just did a simple, thin black strip on each nail and dotted white polish along the line to create an amazingly simple and quick nail art which I really like as it’s quite subtle and pretty :)

Let me know what you think of Rimmel Polishes and this nail art!

Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

Night Out Essential!

I got this a few weeks ago in the AVON sale
(I’m pretty sure it’s still available on their website though).
I tried it last night and I just had to blog about it – it’s the perfect night out necessity!!
This product has three beautiful quality lip products in this one little tube so you can just pop it in your clutch and you’re sorted for all your touch ups.
(left-Right: LipLiner on it's own, Lipstick on top and all three together!)
This would also be great if you want to take your daytime make up into the night quickly as the lip liner is great for during the day and then you can just apply the lipstick and gloss to instantly make your lips into a statement!

The three products you get are:
All are surprisingly good quality and are designed to be long lasting both together and on their own!

I picked this up in the shade ‘berry’ because I thought this would be the perfect substitute for a red lip which I always think is impossible to really maintain but there are enough shades that you’re bound to find something to suit you!
(This is what the colour looks like in slightly harsher light)
Aside from how perfect this is to throw into your back and have everything you need all three products love lovely on there own!

Have any of you tried this product yet?
Hope you’ve found this useful!! x

Bella by Calvin Klein

I mentioned this lipgloss back in my February favourites and I’m still loving it just as much!
I had never heard much about calvin klein’s make up range so when I picked this up I wasn’t expecting anything amazing – it was purely the colour which drew me in – a pretty rosy pink with some mauve undertones which makes it wearable for just about everyone. It also has some slight shimmer in it which just adds a little bit of dimension.
(straight after application)
But, after using this for months it’s not the colour which makes this one of my ultimate favourite lip glosses it’s the texture and longevity.
(This after an hour and half after applying)
This is completely none sticky, in fact it feels really creamy and incredibly hydrating!
(after 2 and a half -3 hours)
Hopefully you can see, that although the lipgloss and worn off and faded it hasn’t clung to any dry skin and it’s faded really evenly with my lips still having a glossy finish and a wash of colour :)
The packaging of their lipglosses are also really pretty with the Calvin Klein logo on the top and a brush applicator which I always think makes applying the gloss alot easier!

Calvin Klein cosmetics are a little bit difficult to get hold off however you can order them Amazon as well as their official store

Have any of you tried any Calvin Klein Cosmetics?
Hope you've enjoyed!! x

Baked-Eye-Colour

I picked these two BodyShop Baked-Eye-Colour Eyeshadows up in the summer when the first came out and there was a lot of talk about the BodyShop’s new ‘baked to last range’ and at first I wasn’t overly impressed with them but after using them on and off for the past 6-7 months I actually really like them!
These aren’t ‘cheap’ eyeshadows and when I first swatched them in store I didn’t understand why people were recommending them but I had a BodyShop voucher burning a hole in my pocket so I picked up Sage and Amethyst. They were £9.50 but they’ve gone up to £10 because of VAT (I used my ‘love your body card’ so I got 10% off!)
(R-L Amethyst & Sage)
I wasn’t sure if these would be too bright but they actually just give a pretty subtle colour with the darker shade being almost grungy so together they are very wearable!
(R-L Amethyst & Sage)
As you can see swatched you get a much more accurate picture of what the colours are actually like. They’re surprisingly pigmented and they are actually very long lasting which is unusual – I find a lot of baked products tend to crease really easily.
Sage is probably the most worn of the two purely because I love how greens look on brown eyes so when I’m stuck for what eyeshadows you use this is a really easy option.
I stayed away from Amethyst at first as plum colours often lose their vibrancy as, for some reason, plum tones look very natural however recently I’ve been reaching for this one a lot as it gives just enough colour to be wearable :)

Overall I really do love these and for travelling these are great as they take up no room at all and you know you can create a natural or smokey night time look. They are quite pricey for eyeshadows, particularly for HighStreet/drugstore, but I’ve used these quite a lot and I’ve barely made a dint in the amount of product so I’d say these are actually quite good value as it will take ages to use it all!

Hope this has been helpful!
The BodyShop has 8 different shades and I’m definitely going to be looking into some of the other shades as they look so pretty!! x

Mayfair

I’m not really a big fan of lip glosses as they often just feel heavy and sticky – even if they do look lovely. But eyeko tends to run quite a few promotions and a few weeks ago they offered a free lipgloss when you spent over £15 - they're normally £6.50. Well I picked up a few bits that I’d been meaning to try for a while and I got Mayfair for free(Mayfair was actually my favourite colour out of their range!)
You get 13.5g and it comes in a clear squeezy tube with the classic eyeko art printed around it. The packaging isn’t anything fancy but I’d much prefer to have simple packaging like this with a little bit of a twist instead of paying extra for sleek packaging.
As far as the product it self goes it’s quite a thick, creamy gloss which actually has quite a bit of pigmentation. Mayfair is a really wearable colour as it’s in between a rosy nude and a mauve- I’ve tried this over a few lipsticks and it always looks lovely as it can provide a pretty wash of colour over nudes and alternatively it can add some depth to darker colours.
This is what it looks like on its own and personally I love it :) it’s not in your face and it’s just so wearable - it smells fruity too which is an added bonus! (It’s also just the right size to pop in your purse to reapply throughout the day)

P.S Mayfair is apparently limited edition so you want to try this colour out you might have to rush and order on their website xx