Friday 31 December 2010

Haulin'

1. John Freda Thickening Blow Dry Lotion - These were two for £7 so I stocked up, they really add volume to the roots as you dry your hair and it's one of the rare products that work on my long hair.

2. Garnier Skin Naturals Face Wipes - By far one of the best, they smell lovely and remove every trace of make up. Rimmel Black Nail Varnish - Staple. Collection 2000 Big Fake Lashes Mascara - After hearing the PixiWoo sisters rave about this I had to pick up one to try out!

3. Coconut and Shea Butter Gift Set - I already recieved one of these but decided to pick up another, the lip balm is really light and moisturising and the hand cream comes in handy to pop in my bag for work.

4. Body Shop Body Butters - Papaya 200ml half price at £6.50, 50ml spiced vanilla which smells lovely and I picked up the new 400ml body butters they are currently just £12.50 - it's huge!

5. Little visit to Mac - Yipppeee!

6. As an early birthday gift my mum let me loose in Mac, I was impressed with my self control and picked up a blushcreme in LadyBlush, eyeshadow in Espresso and a Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark. I also had my eye on Myth lipstick, the 109 brush, lashes and primer but I resisted!

Current Make-Up Faves



Mac Fix + Spray - I hated this when I first purchased and thought it was a complete waste of money but I love this now. It can be sprayed on shadows to intensify them or use as a liner or my personal favourite is spritzing it on a stippling brush when my make-up looks too powdery or when I'm getting ready for a night out, it softens everything up and makes your face look dewy and polished - plus my make-up doesn't budge!

Chanel Mat Lumiere - I hated Pro Lumiere, love this. It smells amazing! I love the luxurious bottle and the foundation is beautiful, it glides on easily, blends well and leaves a luminous but semi matte finish.

Superdrug Coconut & Shea Lip Butter - I recieved this in a gift set, it's a really light moisturising lip balm and it's the only one I've found I can wear over a nude lip without it looking odd.

Bourjois Highlighting Powder - I've gone through several of these already and was devestated when my local Superdrug stopped stocking this. I searched online and picked one up on ebay and it's just as good as I remembered! I've very fussy with highlighters an this adds a gorgeous pearlescent sheen to your skin without the horrible shimmery glitter partciles most highlighters have.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer - Everyone needs a good flat brown matte bronzer!

Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation - This has unbelievable coverage. So much so that I would never wear it alone purely because it would be far too much and could end up looking mask like. It's incredibly pigmented so I pop a TINY squirt in with my mat lumiere on nights out or days when I want full coverage. I have no doubt this will last me forever.

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush - I've been using this pretty much everyday lately, it leaves a lovely pink flush to the cheek and blends seamlessly into the skin. Alone it leaves you fresh faced and pretty, teamed up with a powder blush it wont budge all day!

Wednesday 29 December 2010

Fake Tan Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Before you apply your tanning products you need to get rid of the old dead skin and leftover tanner to create a clear, smooth base.
I find that if you shave first, then exfoliate after you're not left with any areas where the tanner has sunk into your pores so that's always my first step.

Next up is the exfoliating, I alternate between using scrubs and exfoliating gloves and sometimes both so here are my recommendations..

(Left) Natural Collection Body Scrub in Vanilla - £3.99 for 200ml. These come in a variety of scents, have lots of tiny little beads in and get the job done really quickly.
(Right) The Body Shop Body Polish - £5 for 75ml. This is a really lovely one because they smell gorgeous, lather up, have tiny little beads in but exfoliate very gently so if you have sensitive skin these this would be perfect.



The Imperial Leather Foam Burst Shower Gels are without a doubt a firm favourite of mine. They come out as a gel and once they make contact with water they lather up like crazy and leave skin feeling silky smooth. You really want something that foams up well otherwise you'll end up using half a bottle of shower gel in one exfoliating session or end up scrubbing your skin red raw!

For stubborn tans that wont budge the best product I've found is Johnson's Baby Oil. A decent splash of this in a warm bath paired with a good 20 minute soak really helps soften up your skin making it easier to remove old self tan.


The next step is to moisturise.

I love, love, love the Body Shop Body Butters. They're thick and creamy and I'm never left with horrible dark bits when I use this, it is a tad expensive though. £5.00 will get you a 50ml pot or£12.50 will get you a 200ml tub.

Slather the moisturiser on elbows, knees, armpits, feet, hands, toes, wrists and any other parts you find to be dry.

Application.

Tanning mits will remove any chances of streaking or a patchy tan. These really help to buff the tanner into the skin evenly and overall results are far better.
I always pop on a pair of gloves underneath just to be safe, no orange palms for me!

Hands
These are always a hassle for most people, the best way I've found to do the hands is to exfoliate really well, apply copious amounts of moisturiser and once dry, pop a squirt of tanner onto the mit and use that to spread around the hand, blending up the arm ensuring you get in between the fingers. Then pop a bit more moisturiser the mit and use this to blend out and tell tale tan lines on the wrists, knuckles and finger joints.

Maintaining your tan
Moisturising on a daily basis really helps keep your skin soft and help your tan fade more evenly. People have suggested to me in the past using a gradual tanner to maintain the colour but I hate the smell of those so I just use Palmers Cocoa Butter all over, reapply a bit more tan on the third/fourth day and allow to fade naturally. I always use a bit of vaseline around my hairline aswell and on my eyebrows because they tend to pick up colour really easily and the slight ginger tinge resulting from bad self tanning is not attractive!

Feel free to leave your favourite tanning products and tips below to share with others!

Monday 27 December 2010

Accessorize 'With Love' Gift Set



One of the gifts I recieved over Christmas was the Accessorize 'With Love' Gift Set from my little brother. These retail for £9.99 but you can currently pick them up in the sale for £4.99 if you wish, each set includes a sleek-like eyeshadow palette, eyelashes and a lipgloss.

The lipgloss I personally wouldn't of chosen it's a dark pink with tons of glitter and shimmer, feels sticky and just isn't to my taste! I prefer my subtle, simplistic nudes or full on red lips and never usually go for anything in between.

The lashes, once again I wouldn't of chosen they're pretty dramatic, the glue is quite watery and the band is quite stiff which makes it difficult to attach to your eyelid as they just stay in a straight line instead of bending.

Then we have the eyeshadow palette.

Finally, something that put a smile on my face. It has a variety of colours ranging from off white, grey, purple to blue, they're all really pigmented, shimmery and perfect for nights out.



The eyeshadow palette is definately the savour of the kit, they colour are easy to work with and merge together really nicely making it easy for blending failures like myself!
The 'With Love' gift box is worth a go now it's only £4.99, otherwise a sleek palette will only cost you a fiver aswell and deliver the same results.

Thursday 23 December 2010

St. Moriz goes Dark!

For those of you that have tried out the well known St. Moriz Tanning Mousse you'll be excited to hear that they've just brought out a new St. Moriz Dark Tanning Mousse along with bronzers and a shimmering body souffle lotion.
It's available online from Fragrence Direct for £2.99 like the original, plus postage and packaging.


The label on the new bottle seems to of changed slightly and now offers tips on how to achieve the best tan, but apart from that they're pretty much identical!


First impressions on the dark mousse is the slight colour difference, it's a bit darker - obviously - and seems less runny than the original version. I'm just about to slather it on so expect a full review on this in the next few days along with before and after pictures and my top tips for tanning! :)

Product Fail: Nivea Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream


A little browse around my local Supermarket while my mum did her Christmas shop left me clutching armfuls of unneccasary products from the skincare isle. Amongst my purchases was the Nivea Visage Daily Essentials Oil Free Moisturising Day Cream for Oily & Combition Skin.

This claims to:
  • Regulate your skin's oil balance to leave your skin shine free.
  • Hydrate your skin without clogging pores.
  • Provide an spf of 8 and extra UVA filters to help protect skin from environmental influences and premature skin ageing
It all sounded promising, the packaging is nice and simple and the scent is really refreshing. It's quite a light moisturiser so I didn't think there was any chance of making me oily whatsoever.

I was wrong.

I popped this all over my face at night, woke up in the morning and my skin was like an oil slick. Without a doubt the worst moisturiser I have ever used.

I might pass this on to my mum if she wants it or use it as a hand cream but this will definate
ly never go on my face again!
If you did fancy trying this out for yourself pop into your local Superdrug, Boots or Supermarket and you can pick this up for £3.99. I've just ordered myself a tub of the Mattifying Day Cream from the Body Shop, £9.00 for 50ml which has recieved rave reviews from the majority of people that have used it.

Plus the Body Shop is offering a 30% discount with the code 'SHAREJOY' at the moment :)

Wednesday 22 December 2010

Yippee! I won!

The other day I won my first ever giveaway prize, yay!

It's so exciting to open a page and see your name, especially when you haven't expected it!
The giveaway in question was hosted by Milly over at Pearls and Poodles for a Disney C
outure 'A dream is a wish your heart makes' necklace, she contacted me straight away and I recieved the parcel this morning. It was all beautifully packaged up and I absolutely adore it already.

If you're not a follower of Millys already you must live under a rock or be new to blogging as she is easily one of the best beauty bloggers I've come across! Her blog posts are always beautifully written with clear, pretty pictures and I have no doubt she will become a firm favourite if she isn't already - link below! :)

Pearls and Poodles

Here are some lovely little pictures of the beauty itself!



Tuesday 21 December 2010

John Freda Precision Foam Colour


After reading other bloggers reviews and listening to the hype over the new John Freda hairdyes I decided to convince my mum she needed to try one out for herself. A few fancy words later and my mum was sold and rushed out to pick one up, these are currently on offer for £5.99, originally £9.99 and as she reguarly dyes her hair at home I asked her to let me know what she thought.

PRO'S:
  • Comes in a nice range of colours
  • Easy to mix up
  • Covered all of her 'stubborn grey hair'
  • Left her hair feeling shiny
  • Even colour
  • No dripping or mess
  • Easy application
  • Comes with a decent sized tube of conditioner, clear instructions and thick gloves
CON'S
  • Price - It's originally £10 for a box which is slightly more expensive than most box dyes
  • The colour turned out more brown with a red tinge in the light rather than the red indicated on the box
Overall she was very happy with the result, foam hairdye is a great idea as it eliminates the majority of issues associated with messy home dyes. Application was incredibly easy and even if you just slap it on and rub it in, the foam expands ensuring every bit of hair is covered and the conditioner provided acts as a weekly revitalising treatment to nourish your locks.
I've already seem an advertisement on t.v for another well known brand advertising their own version of a foam hairdye so I have no doubt there will be cheaper alternatives and a wider range of colours becoming available from other brands in the near future.

Sunday 12 December 2010

Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation Review


Price: £22.50
Available: Here
Product Quality: 5/5

Packaging /5

I purchased the Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC30 ages ago and instantly fell in love. This has undoubtably become a firm favourite for me so I thought I would share th
is beauty with you all.

Although like most Mac foundations it is a little pricey at £22.50 you do recieve 40ml in
a large squeezy tube and only need a small amount to cover your whole face. I've had this for months and have only just reached the half way point!

One thing I really liked about this was the gel like consistency the foundation comes out as, it's easy to dot over the face and blends beautifully leaving a dewy/semi-matte finish. I always pair this with my Mac Min
eralize Skinfinish Natural and together it creates the most beautiful finish!

The coverage is medium but could easily be built up to full or sheered out/mixed in with a moisturiser, plus the foundation itself has an SPF 15 which is always a plus. I know some people are a bit wary of the SPF in foundation but I've not had any issues with white casts in photos.

The only downsides I can think of are the price, who doesn't want their favourite products to be ch
eaper ey?
And that it doesn't last a FULL day on my oily skin, but does manage a good 6 hours.

(Sorry about the untanned hand haha)

Sunday 28 November 2010

Battle of the Liquid Liners


Here I have my four current favourite liquid eyeliners:

  • Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner in Brown, £5.29
  • Bourjois 16 Hour Liner in Black, around £6/7
  • Loreal Super Liner in Carbon Black, £6.19
  • Prestige Liquid Liner in Black, £5.99

Both the Rimmel and Prestige liner have the classic short tip felt brush which I find pretty easy to use apart from controlling the thickness of the line which takes a bit of practice, they also offer a matte finish unlike Loreal Super Liner which dries to a more glossy finish. Click Here for my full review on the Loreal Super Liner which includes a picture of the applicator and what you can achieve with it.

The newest find in my hunt for liquid liner perfection was the Borjois Liquid Liner, the applicator is very thin and small but it's made up of little hairs instead of a felt style brush which makes it more difficult to control the shape of your flick. As you can see below after vigorous rubbing the Loreal Super Liner didn't fare very well, this is pretty standard for this eyeliner as it will usually need a touch up throughout the day. Both the Rimmel and Prestige liner held up quite well, with slight smugding but the best by far was the Borjois Liquid Liner which would be perfect if it wasn't for the brush!

Overall I'd say if you're a liner newbie then Loreal Super Liner is the one for you due to the applicator and lovely glossy finish.
If you're looking for something small to chuck in your bag that works well check out Rimmel or Prestige.
And if you're looking for the liner that will last all day Bourjois 16hour Liner is for you.. if you don't mind the slightly annoying brush!

Saturday 27 November 2010

Phil Smith Hair Products


At the start of the the week I recieved a lovely package from the people over at Phil Smith with some hair goodies inside. I've had a good play about with these and had my mum try them out on her super frizzy locks and here is what we thought..

Super Straight Glossy Locks Shampoo & Super Straight Oh So Smooth Conditioner:

I love the packaging, it would definately catch my eye in a shop display and it's all completely secure (no nasty dirty caps!). Both the shampoo and conditioner have a really lovely light fruity scent and retail for £3.99 each.
The shampoo comes out transparent, lathers really well and left my hair feeling squeaky clean. The conditioner felt light but nourishing at the same time and left my hair incredibly soft, I have very long fine hair but lots of it so when products are really rich they tend to drag my hair down and these didn't. I wasn't left with plastic feeling hair and it kept my hair feeling fresh and clean for a good few days.


S.O.S Daily Defence Straightenin
g Mist:
This doubles up as a product to help straighten the hair and as a heat defence which is always a plus! This also has a light fruity scent and comes out in a controllable light mist that allows you to distribute the product easily. It can also be used on wet or dry hair but doesn't feel as if you have any product in your locks. My mum straightens her hair most days and she said this sped up the process and made her feel as if she was doing her hair some good.

Super Straight Leave Me Sleek Serum:
This comes in a cute little bottle with a pump to control how much product you dispense. You only need a pea sized amount to cover the majority of your hair and this really helped control the flyaways at the ends and by my fringe. When you rub the product into your hands it feels almost like an oil but it didn't leave my hair feeling greasy or oily which other serums have before.

Xtravagant Hairspray:
This comes in a huge can and was probably the one I was most apprehensive about.
I hate hairspray.
No matter which kind I've brought in the past even if it claimed to leave your hair 'flexible and light' has left my hair feeling hard, crispy and dry looking. I'm also allergic to most perfumes and hairsprays, in particular the classic 'hairspray scent' within minutes gives me a migrane and leaves me feeling sick.. But, suprisingly I ended up liking this, alot. It has a fruity light melon/tropical/coconut scent which is gorgeous! It comes out in a very fine mist and a light spritz of this holds up my b
ackcombing and allows me to be comb free all day!

Overall, I'm very impressed and I've just ordered some other products which I'll pop a review up of once I get them!
The majority of the Phil Smith products retail for just £3.99 and are available from Superdrug (where they're currently on discount) or KmiClub. They offer so many other products such as dry shampoos, volumising products, curl enhancers etc. So feel free to check them out!

Sainsbury Phil Smith

KmiClub Phil Smith

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Simple 'Going Out' Eye


I can never pull off the dark shadow all over the lid as it makes my eyes look tiny but this is my version of a 'going out' sultry eye.

Urban Decay half baked accross the lid.
Bourjois 16 hour liquid liner on the outer 3/4 of the eye to create a flick.
Benefit Bad Gal eyeliner smudged on the inner corner of the eye, joining up to the liquid liner and the bottom lash line.
Smudge with a cotton bud.
Gently smudge a dark grey shadow on the lower lash line.
Lashing of Maybelline Falsies Mascara

Thursday 18 November 2010

Contour, Blush, Highlight HG

I've always been incredibly picky about my bronzer, blush and highlight combo..

The bronzer has to be matte with no orange or red undertones, pigmented and the perfect shade - dark enough to create the desired effect but not too intense otherwise it'll be unflattering.
The blush has to be a light flushed pink which doesn't resemble that of a clowns cheeks when applied, no shimmer, pigmented and not powdery..
And finally the highlight has to be finely milled with shimmer not glitter.

So after my long term hunt I think I have finally found my HG's.


Benefit Hoola Bronzer.
Illamasqua Blush in 'Katie'.
Accessorize Baked Blush in 'Pretty Pink'.

Some may be a bit sceptic but when layered these look beautiful. Hoola contours pefectly and adds dimension to the blusher which gives you a pretty girly flushed look and 'pretty pink' enhances the colour while adding a gorgeous sheen to the skin.

My all time favourite highlight was without a doubt Bourjois Highlighting Powder in 53, in the chocolate style packaging but like all good things it was discontinued and it's pretty hard to track down!

What's your favourite bronzer, blush and highlight?

xx

Illamasqua Concealer Review

Price: £12.50
Available: Here
Product Quality: 3/5

Packaging 5/5

PRO's:
  • Medium to full coverage
  • Simple chic packaging, secure and even has it's own little mirror
  • Creamy and easy to blend once warmed
  • Covers what you need it to
  • Works well under the eyes
CON's:
  • Expensive for the amount you're given
  • You really have to warm up the product before it comes creamy and easy to work with, at first touch in the pan it's hard and quite difficult to pick up product especially with a brush
  • Cakes up around the nose and on blemishes if you apply too much and doesn't last very long in these areas.
Overall, it does make a difference as you can see from the photos and I'm going to continue using it purely as an undereye concealer but I'll definately be moving on to try out Bobbi Brown and Mac next time!


P.s! Sorry about the au natural brows and naked eyelashes haha

Monday 15 November 2010

NOTD


Today I went for Nails Inc Polish in 'Elizabeth Street', these are usually £10.50 each but you can find them online for £7-9. It's a lovely light pink nude which I love that looks really elegant, compliments a tan (yes, even a fake one!) and elongates your fingers. This beauty combined with my new found favourite Andrea Fulteron polish resulted in..

They look 100x times better in person than in pictures, plus they make me feel all festive with the glittery bits haha xx

Accessorize Baked Blush in Pretty Pink


My local Superdrug finally got around to stocking up on Accessorize cosmetics so I had a little browse around today...a few pieces caught my eye such as the liquid highlighter, the lightest shade of their bronzer, a few nail polishes and their mascara but I resisted and just ended up with the one baked blusher in shade 3 'pretty pink'.

The blush itself is shimmery with purple veins running through it and looks lovelyyy! It acts as both a blush and highlight in one and retail for only £5, far cheaper than the easily compareable Mac Mineralize blushes which will set you back £17.00 for just 3.5 grams.


Have any of you girls tried and tested the Accessorize make up range yet.. ?












Friday 12 November 2010

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Packaging: 4/5
Product Quality: 5/5
Price: £9.99 for 30ml
What they claim: '7
0% more radiance! Bourjois 1st radiance-boosting fruit therapy foundation: a flawless complexion for up to 16hrs! Its exquisite and glide-on formula blends onto the skin for a flawless, yet natural finish. 8 hours moisture. Let skin breathe. High tolerance dermatologically tested.'

What I think:
I've used Bourjois foundations in the past and remember liking them b
ut not repurchasing for whatever reason so a few months back I decided to try them out again and picked up their healthy mix foundation. The first thing I noticed about this product is it smells amazing. I usually hate perfumed products but this isn't overpowering, just refreshing!

The finish to th
is foundation is glowy and dewy yet it doesn't contain hideous glitter particles to achieve this, instead of ending up like a disco ball you'll look fresh faced and glowing yet natural. It offers a medium coverage which is buildable and comes with a handy pump which annoyingly can get slightly messy! It lasts a good 5 hours on my oily skin before a touch up is needed and overall is a really beautiful forumlation, highly recommend!