Tuesday 17 May 2011

ELF; pink passion. lip primer

After my recent elf haul I decided I needed to try more products from the Studio Line. At just £3.50 for most items I was amazed at the pigmentation and quality and the wide range of products! If you haven't heard of ELF yet, have a browse of their website eyeslipsface.co.uk/
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E.L.F Studio Blush in 'Pink Passion' - £3.50
After falling in love with 'Candid Coral' this was the next blusher from E.L.F I had my eye on. The colour is a gorgeous, vibrant Barbie pink, completely matte and incredibly pigmented. I can see this lasting me months as you only need a teeny tiny amount on your brush, the swatch below is from just one swipe of the product.
The blusher itself feels really silky and finely milled and blends really well into the skin. The packaging is sleek, yet simplistic and even has a little mirror as well as keeping the product securely in place.

E.L.F Studio Lip Primer & Plumper - £3.50

This really interested me as I love lip balms and always blank out my lips with a nude shade to intensify the colour of lipsticks. As you can see one side has a transparent balm which claims to 'plump' your lips in preparation for the primer and then your lip colour.
The primer smells quite strongly of menthol and cinnamon which is a refreshing change to the usual fruity scents most products have. As soon as I popped it on my lips I could definitely feel it tingling away, I didn't notice a huge difference but it plumped out the fine lines.


The primer should be applied onto exfoliated, smooth lips with the primer beneath as it can be slightly drying then blend with your finger. Just as an eyelid primer would, it blanks out most of the colour and gives your lipstick a good base to stick to increasing longevity.

Monday 16 May 2011

New CID Cosmetics

I was recently given the oppertunity to choose a few products from New CID Cosmetics to have a play about with, two things instantly caught my eye and here they are..



I-Pout in 'Scarlet'
£15.00

There are so many great features in this product, to start there's a little built in mirror on the side of the case for touch up's and the button on the base switches on an LED light making it possible to apply whenever you need to. For me, this is a huge plus. On numerous occassions a last minute decision to go out has left me unprepared and applying last minute touch ups to my make-up on route to town. Now I'm not sure how many of you have ever attempted to apply make-up in the dark but it is almost impossible. Especially if like me, you suddenly come to the realisation that 'red lipstick would be a great idea right now' and try to pop it on in the dark. I will say no more as you can imagine, the result is always bad. Very bad. This is where this product would of come in incredibly handy as well as for touch up's during the night instead of rushing off to the bathroom.
The lipstick itself is a gorgeous classic 'Hollywood Starlet' shade of red that everyone needs at least one of in their collection. This can be applied lightly for a 'just bitten cherry' effect or with a slightly heavier hand for a full on red lip. The formula is incredibly moisturising, ensuring lips stay glossy and luscious looking all through the night.



Applied lightly


I-Glow in 'Coral Rush' £24.00 for 9g's

The I-Glow is a gorgeous marbelised baked powder in a coral/pink with gold veins running through. This makes both a gorgeous blush or highlight shade as it has has a beautiful, luminous finish that reflects light, brightening up your face.
As well as getting a whopping 9g's of product (in comparison to Mac's baked blush 3.5g for £17.50) there's also a giant mirror and sleek, secure packaging to keep the product in place. The I-Glow powder is also intensely pigmented, the swatch below was just one swipe of the product so no doubt this will last me a very long time as you only need a light hand. Along with Elf's 'Candid Coral' and this has become another firm favourite for Summer. I've tried this on my mum, best friend and myself and we vary from lily white, fake tanned, to naturally olive skinned and it suits us all! This makes a very versitile product as I've also used it as an eyeshadow, or as a highlight in the inner corner.





Feel free to have a browse of their website they have some amazing products in gorgeous colours!
http://www.newcidcosmetics.co.uk/

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Senna Cosmetics

Recently I was offered the chance to try out some products from Senna, a cosmetics brand created by Eugenia Weston an Emmy nominated celebrity make-up artist. After recieving a very generous box full of goodies and trialling them all out here's what I thought..



Advanced Mineral Makeup : 'Bronze & Glow - Light'

I absolutely adore the packagine of this product. Pop the lid up and you had a pressed highlighter in a gorgeous, milky beige shade with slightly pink undertone and shimmer. Twist off the base and you have a little sifter jar full of golden brown bronzer, once again with shimmer. Combined, these two products make the perfect Summer product. Another great thing about this product is that it's oil, fragrance, wax and talc free and also available in Medium and Dark.





Lipstick in 'Tiffany' - Cream.

Described as a 'soft glowing pink'.
This for me, is a your lips but far, far better colour. It's gorgeous pink shade, with a slight coral undertone that feels really creamy and glides on to your lips aswell as being intensely pigmented so you only need a light hand. It's also a really moisturising formula that suprisingly I found lasted well on my lips.






Sheer Matte Face Colour - Dollface

This blush was one of the products that caught my eye as soon as I pulled it out the packaging. As regular followers of my blog will of realised I am very predictable. I like my nude lips, reds, neutral eyes, winged liner, long lashes and.. dolly pink cheeks. This is a completely matte blush that instantly reminded me of Illamasqua's 'Katie' (a favourite of mine) but slightly darker, warmer and more wearable. I sometimes find 'Katie' is a bit too light for anyone with a tan, especially if you get a bit heavy handed. This blends seamlessly into the skin leaving a lovely doll like effect which I adore!





Sheer Sparkling Face Colour - Charmed

This is one of Senna's best selling products, it's a gorgeous shimmery pinky/plum shade, different to any other blushers I have in my collection. I found this to be incredibly pigmented and just a light application with give you gorgeous flushed, glowing cheeks.





Lip Lacquer in 'Love Drop' and 'Blink'

Love Drop is a gorgeous baby pink shade that looks amazing over nudes and pink lipsticks. Both of these glosses aren't sticky or drying, they feel slightly thick when applied but once rubbed in you can barely feel them on your lips. They also last a lot longer than any other lip glosses I own. Blink is an icy champagne shade with gorgeous shimmer.



Linear Lip Liner in 'Shy'

I've never used a lip liner before as I never thought of it as a necessity, but I've started applying it underneath my lipsticks for longevity, or just all over for a lovely subtle peachy/pink lip. The pencil is really soft and glides on, really defining the shape of lips and it's very quick and easy to quickly fill in your lips and rush out the door for a hint of colour.
Shy is a natural peachy shade.




Mineral eyeshadow trio in 'Cocoa Nudes'

I really loved this eyeshadow trio! I always get lured into shimmery, bold colours I never use - partly because I cannot blend to save my life, but also because a nude eye suits my face better.
The milky, cream shade is great to quickly brush over the entire eyelid for a more awake look.
Te taupe for defining the crease or as a brow powder and the chocolate brown as an eyeliner or applied on outer corners for a natural smokey eye.




All three shades are incredibly pigmented, creamy and silky. They glide onto the skin and are just the perfect netural shades.



Final Thoughts..?

I love this brand. I really felt like the products I was sent were exactly what I would of picked for myself and this is by far the most excited I've been about cosmetics in a while so a big thank you to Alison! I liked the packaging, the quality of the products are amazing, superb pigmentation, creamy lipsticks and silky smooth eyeshadows. I really would recommend their products and urge you to have a little browse on their site because they have a huge selection of gorgeous items on there. I'm going to be placing an order of my own in the next few weeks as it's my mums Birthday and she fell in love with the lipstick and eyeshadow trio. So, if anyone thinks my thoughts were influenced by getting sent them for free you can't rest assured I'll be spending my hard earned cash on them too!

Superdrug Beautycard



If like me you always find yourself wandering into Superdrug 'just for a browse' and end up walking out with yet another shopping bag full of cosmetics then the Beautycard will be a huge benefit to both you and I. Just like the Boots Advantage card the Superdrug Beautycard allows you to gain points with purchases then use them to pay for products once you'd saved up enough. You must be 16 or over and a UK resident to get a card.

All you have to do is pick up a card in-store, register it on the superdrug.com/beautycard website and start collecting.
For every pound you'll get 1 point and for every 100 points you'll get a pound to spend.

From now to June 7th there'll be extra ways to start you off such as;
Online:
10 points per £1 you spend
1000 chances to win 1000 points when you register online

In-Store:
Earn 50 points for every £5 you spend on Superdrug own brand products
Earn 250 bonus points when you spend £10 or more on Rimmel products
Earn 300 bonus points when you spend £15 or more on Olay products
Aswell as lots of others.

I thought this might be of interest to some of you, I know myself I spend a lot in Superdrug on a regular basis so if I can get a few extra points and over time get some goodies for free, why not!

Monday 9 May 2011

Liz Earle Sheer Gold Shimmer


Liz Earle Sheer Gold Shimmer
50ml - £8.95

'This light, refreshingly scented gel highlights skin with a soft, golden shimmer. Apply to bare shoulders, legs and cheekbones.

Simply dab on to subtly highlight face and body.

Naturally active ingredients include organic aloe vera, natural source vitamin E and 10 essential oils.'



As Summer is now upon us I've completely changed the products I'm using. The self tanners are applied on a regular basis for a golden glow, the exfoliating scrubs are buffing away any dull skin, matte foundation has been swapped for a dewier finish and I've re-discovered all my gorgeous coral and bronze products.

In particular on days off or nights out when I have a bit more time to put extra effort into my appearance, products like this are a must. The golden shimmer really compliments a tan (whether it's real or artificial) and the gel itself adds a bit of well needed moisture into my skin while absorbing incredibly quickly leaving a gorgeous sheen behind. You only need a pea sized amount so I've no doubt this will last me ages!

I've found the best way to use this product is lightly along the front of the legs, arms, decolletage or dabbed on cheekbones and nose once your make-up is finished. This has become a firm favourite of mine for nights out, the lights reflect the shimmer and give the illusion of 'Victoria Secret' legs.

Hairaisers Pink Label Extensions

A few weeks back I was sent some hair extensions to trial out and give my thoughts on. Having never tried extensions before, as you can imagine I was incredibly excited and couldn't wait to see what they looked like! Now as some of you may know I have pretty long hair so I wasn't looking for any added length. What I wanted to achieve with extensions was volume and thickness. My hair is quite fine and even though there's a lot of it, it's never been as thick as I've wanted it.

I was sent the 18 inch, shade 4 - Pink Label Extensions which include 3x 3 clip pieces and 1x 2 clip piece.
These exentions are 100% human hair, european type double weft, have a high percentage of remy hair blend and are available in different lengths and a variety of colours! The colour is a perfect match for my hair, which is currently (if you're interested) Medium Brown - Perfect 10.




Getting the extensions in and out was far easier than I imagined. Simply take a straight section of hair, lightly backcomb the hair at the root and clip in. They felt completely comfortable in my hair, didn't tug or cause me any pain. The clips have rubber grips which add extra security and mean you run no risk of your extensions flying out if you get a bit too enthusiastic with the dance moves on a night out.


(Left - Au Natural - ick my hair looks terrible here, it wasn't all thrown behind me sorry!
Right - With 3 sets of extensions in. Hello thick lucious hair!)

The extensions themselves have a lovely healthy sheen to them, can be straightened, curled, crimped, plaited - anything you would do to your natural hair but also need to be maintained with a simple wash with shampoo and conditioner every now and then depending on how reguarly you use them.

Overall I've been incredibly impressed, you recieve a good amount of hair, they look natural and they're a great colour match. I've already caught my mum sneakily curling them and adding them to her hair when she thinks I'm not around so if it gets the seal of approval from her, I know the product is good as she's notoriously picky - about everything.

If you're interested in finding out prices or just want to ask about the colour range, how much hair you recieve. etc go ahead and visit the 'Contact' section of their website.

http://www.hairaisers.com/extensions/pinklabel.html

Monday 2 May 2011

NuBo Cell Dynamic Velvet Cleansing Cream

I was recently sent the Nubo Cell Dynamic Velvet Cleansing Cream to try out and after having a good few weeks of use it's about time I shared it with you all.
Available from: Here
Price: £28.00



The NuBo cleanser comes packaged up a lilac box with embellishment on the sides, very simplistic but classy. The product has a sturdy pump that allows you dispence just the right amount of product without wasting any. The bottle contains 100ml of product, which I can see lasting a good few months because you only need half a pump for a full face cleanse.

As you can see in the last photo the cleansing cream claims to;
- Instantly refine complexion
- Stimulate skin cell renewal
- Reduce skin irritation
aswell as..
- Contain Wheat Germ and Coconut oils to restore optimum elasticity and skin comfort

I've also heard NuBo add brown algae complex which protects the skin from free radicals and also activates the skn’s regeneration process by stimulating natural collagen production.


One pumps worth.

The product directs you to warm in the palms of slightly dap hands, massage over the face, neck and decollete and rinse off with warm water.

The cleanser feels very rich and luxurious as you rub it into your skin and as soon as I washed the cleanser off, not only was I make-up free but my skin felt incredibly smooth and baby soft! I haven't had any reaction to this and neither has my mum who's going incredibly sensitive skin.
As for the claims to refine the complexion, stimulate the production of collagen, restore elasticity, etc. I don't think I've used the product long enough to see a big enough change in my skin to comment. However I will keep on using it and keep you all updated if my face looks any different!



If you haven't tried out NuBo products as of yet, hop over to their website nubobeauty and have a little browse.
NuBo products are paraben free, contain no SLS, no irritating petro-chemicals, no synthetic colours or fragrances and don't test on animals.

Natural Collection 'Rose Petal'

Natural Collection 'Rose Petal'
£1.99
Available from Boots



Mine looks a bit worse for wear!




I'm continuously impressed with the Natural Collection lipsticks, Apple Blossom is a firm favourite and this is close behind. 'Rose Petal' is a gorgeous nude peachy/pink shade that's really easy to wear, incredibly pigmented and creamy.
If you can get hold of Natural Collection their lipsticks are well worth trying, at £1.99 each or 3 for £5 they're a bargain!