Thursday 27 December 2012

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette Review

Urban Decay - Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette, £20 - Debenhams
 
 The Naked Basic's palette is the newest release from Urban Decay. This is their very first matte palette and when I heard this, I knew I had to buy it and instantly put it on my wishlist. So, imagine my delight when I spotted a pile of the Naked Basic's palettes at my local Urban Decay counter - I probably let out a little squeal as I speedily ran walked over.
This palette features six shades, four of which are brand new to Urban Decay. From left to right we have..
 
Venus - New. A demi matte, pearly white.
Foxy - This featured in the Naked2 palette, it's a matte cream.
Walk of Shame - A pale, pink toned nude, matte.
Naked 2 - New. A matte taupe.
Faint - New. A warm, rich dark brown, matte.
Crave - New. A matte black.
 
All of the shadows are well pigmented, creamy and blend like a dream - perfect shades for a neutral look or evening eyes all in a compact, sleek palette with a large mirror. This palette is ideal for travelling, it's well made, secure and half the size of the other Naked palettes!
Do I think it's an essential purchase? No. Is it a nice luxury item? Yes, of course.
If you have a little extra Christmas money and feel like treating yourself, this will set you back £20 but it's a great purchase. All of the neutral shades you'll need together in a well packaged palette with a nice demi matte to use as a highlight.
 
Did you pick yourself up the new Urban Decay palette?

Wednesday 26 December 2012

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain's

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain's in 'Romantic' and 'Crush' - £7.99
 
Described as a 'pampering balm fused with a lightweight lip stain in an adorable, retractable chubby lip crayon'.

After seeing the Revlon Kissable Lip Balm Stain's splashed across almost every blog I read and hearing that they were a dupe for the Clinique chubby sticks I knew I had to pick a few up. I wasn't particularly interested in the pink or nude shades as I knew they wouldn't make a huge difference to the colour of my lips so I opted for the two red shades on display. 

'Romantic' is a classic Vixen, old Hollywood red.
'Crush' is a gorgeous, deep cherry plum.
 
The packaging of these are simplistic but sweet, it did take me a few minutes to figure out but they twist up so you never have to bother sharpening them - a huge plus for me. These balms are quite firm and waxy so I don't foresee them breaking off and you end up using very little product, also helped by the fact that the pigmentation is amazing! If you're a little colour shy then a light handed application will give you a hint of colour or you can apply more generously for the full effect.
I always exfoliate my lips prior to applying any lip products to eradicate any dry patches so I had no problems with uneven application, etc. These apply like a dream, gliding on to the lips and feel smooth and creamy once on. I find these to be pretty moisturising but by the end of the day the glossy finish has faded and the colour has worn off slightly in areas due to drinking or eating although you'll still have a base colour where your lips are stained - a quick top up is all that's needed!
 
The only downside, for me is the minty scent - I don't understand why anyone needs minty lips?! but I can overlook this minor negative.
 
Revlon is currently on 3 for 2 in Boots so if you fancy trying out a few of the Lip Balm Stain's get yourself down there ASAP!

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Dior, Clinique and Perfumes Club


Recently I was very generously offered the opportunity to trial a few products from the Perfumes Club website and feedback my thoughts on the website, delivery and cosmetics themselves. After having a thorough browse of the site, I decided upon the Clinique Anti Blemish Foundation - acclaimed to be brilliant if you have oily skin, and the Dior Matte Bronzer. In order for me to trial the website as a normal customer I was given a code which discounted the products at the end of checkout, but still allowed me to go through the process of finding each item, adding it to my basket, checking out and experiencing delivery as any other customer may. The layout of the website is incredibly easy to navigate and if all else fails and you come up trumps in your search you can find the item you're looking for with the search bar. The Perfumes Club offers a wide range of discounted beauty products, including high end brands which means you might find your favourite products at a lower price! The website also offers the option of PayPal payments, money transfers and Card payments whilst checking out which is an added bonus.
 Postage and Packaging is my only quibble, with it being £6.90 - I know this will immediately throw up a red flag for some but my parcel arrived within three days of purchase, well packaged and I had continual updates on it's whereabouts (it comes all the way from Spain!). The real stand out product so far for me has to be the Dior Matte Bronzer, which is just a dream to use. Although it may be Winter, I'm still an Essex girl and I love a tan so this adds a really healthy pop of colour without looking as though you've been tangoed. Not to mention the packaging is just gorgeous! I'll be reviewing both products in full details within the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled!

Fancy a browse of the Perfumes Club website? http://www.perfumesclub.co.uk/

Monday 26 November 2012

Instagram Diary

 
1. 5 Things I'm Loving Lately 2. Soap & Glory's Whipped Clean Shower Butter 3.Tagliatelle Con Funghi 4. Pear and Walnut Salad 5. Sneaky presents I found hidden from my parents 6. I LOVE my onesie 7. Goodies from shopping in London 8. Pho - Westfields Shepherds Bush 9. Smokey eye with Mac's Cranberry

Instagram: lisamichellexx

If you want to see more regular updates from me be sure to follow me on Instagram, or on Twitter (GoldenGloww) as I constantly have my phone with me! Blogging on the other hand I'm finding more challenging now it's Winter and the lighting is awful - anyone have any tips for me? I'm attempting to find the perfect blogging background at the moment and also contemplating buying some studio lights - even though I'm clueless as to whether they'll make a difference!
Is anyone else feeling festive yet? I've just recently downloaded the 'Now That's What I Call Christmas' album and have been playing it on loop in my car, it's my favourite holiday! My top tunes being Wham, Band Aid and Mariah Carey's hits! I feel like a big kid over Christmas, we always put the tree up on the 1st of December, have our calenders at the ready, my mum goes all out with food, watch movies like Home Alone and even though I'm in my 20's - my mum still does me up a stocking, haha. The one thing I always struggle with when it comes to buying gifts is presents for boys, so if you'd like to share your gift ideas to give me some inspiration, feel free!
I'm also going to be planning a Christmas Giveaway which I hope will be up on the 1st of December - potentially based on my current favourite products?

Anyway, I'll quit with the rambling for now - I'm off to catch up on my current loves Grey's Anatomy, Misfits while I wait for Made In Chelsea to come on. Oh how I love days off!

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Pencils

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Pencils, £3.99
 
As soon as the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl's were released I rushed straight to Boots to pick some up. I'd intended on just getting 'Nude' as it looked like a great dupe for the Mac Chromagraphic pencils, but my mum (of all people) convinced me to get 'Taupe' and 'Black'. There are six shades available, including a silver, plum and electric blue.
These pencils are incredibly creamy, incredibly pigmented and pretty long lasting. The only colour that I find needs re-applying through the day is 'Nude' as I wear it on my waterline to brighten up my eyes.
A lot of people have compared these to the Urban Decay 24/7 liners and I'd agree with the comparison - they apply like a dream with no tugging on the skin, you can blend them out easily but once they've set they stay put.
At just £3.99 these are a bargain, plus Superdrug are having a 3 for 2 event at the moment so if you really wanted you could get all three for just £7.98!

Tuesday 20 November 2012

GlossyBox - November 'Stocking Fillers'

GlossyBox* - November
 
This months theme for GlossyBox was 'Stocking Fillers' - 'Pamper yourself and loved ones with these luxurious stocking fillers and be the first of your friends to get your holiday shopping out of the way'.
In my GlossyBox I received the following products:
 
Sandalwood Face Cream, full size - £4.95, 200ml
This full size product is a whopping 200ml's and claims to moisturise your skin without leaving it feeling greasy. It contains Sandalwood oil, olive oil and aloe vera to leave skin nourished. First thoughts? Face cream?! It looks like a tube of body lotion! I've no doubt this would last absolutely ages, I've only tried it once but it smelt nice and left my skin soft.
 
Burberry Body Perfume Sample, full size is £75 for 85ml
Described as an effortlessly sensual, feminine fragrance with an eclectic combination of green absinthe, rose and cashmeran. I'm allergic to 90% of perfumes, so I've left this in it's packaging - I'll be passing this along to a perfume lover as the sample bottle is lovely.
 
Alison Claire Natural Beauty Mango Body Butter, full size is £15 for 200ml 
'A delicious blend of organic mango and cocoa butters will leave your skin feeling wonderful'. I love the packaging of this, a pump makes life so much easier! I adore the smell of this and even though it has quite a thick consistency it rubs in to the skin easily.
 
Nails Inc Top Coat, minature - full size £11-12, 10ml
This is one of Nails Inc's best selling products, I've only tried one other polish from Nails Inc so I'm excited to see how well this works and if it compares to other top coats I own. 

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, full size is £38.50 for 75g
'A unique rice-based powder that gently exfoliates skin, leaving it noticeably smoother and brighter'. I'd been wanting to try a product from Dermalogica for a while now so I was extremely excited to see the Daily Microfoliant inside! I've seen rave reviews about this, the only thing that would put me off is the price!

For me, the two stand out products are the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and the Alison Claire Mango Body Butter. I think Novembers box has been the best in a while and I'm excited to see what comes in Decembers!

Sunday 18 November 2012

Clynol Keratin Sleek

Recently I was chosen to be one of twenty Bloggers to take part in the Clynol Keratin Sleek competition. This entailed being sent four new products from Clynol's Keratin Sleek range and creating a smooth, obviously sleek style from it. As my hair is so long and I tend to use heat regularly the ends can be slightly dry so any products that help smooth the hair always catch my eye! The Keratin Sleek range claims to help turn frizzy, unruly hair in to a glossy mane while maintaining the style for up to 48 hours - not bad ey?
The four products I recieved included the Sleek Shampoo, Sleek Blow-Drying Balm, Sleek Treatment and Oil Potion - all of which I'll add smell amazing! So to create my 'Sleek Style' I started off by using their Sleek Shampoo which coats the hair with a Keratin-Polymer Complex, then I popped on the Sleek Treatment and left this on for 5 minutes. This intensive conditioner left my hair silky soft and made brushing through my hair ten times easier! I then applied some of the Sleek Blow-Drying Balm all through the mid lengths and ends of my hair and roughly blow dried my locks. Moving on to the final steps, I straightened my hair on a low heat, rubbed a little bit of the Oil Potion in to the palm of my hands and ran it through my hair.
The result? A glossy, sleek 'do and my smooth style lasted for much longer than usual! 
 
Price List;
Shampoo - £9.35
Treatment - £10.65
Blow-Dry Balm - £9.15
Oil Potion - £10.40
I've loved Clynol for a while now as it's the chosen brand of my local Salon and their latest products didn't disappoint. I would definitely re-purchase all of these products once I've used them up! If you're interested in any of these products they're are available from Feel Unique or Beauty Bay    
Incredibly sorry for the rushed post and poor quality photo's, I've been at work non-stop this last week - please ignore the awful poses, hideous winter jumper and haphazardly applied make-up.. I do intend to update the photos once the competition has ended but I wanted to get my entry in before closing so I had my 12 year old brother act as my photographer during my break haha!

Friday 26 October 2012

Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in '107'

Price: £5.49
Available: Tesco, Superdrug, Boots

Don't you just hate those massive security stickers Superdrug puts on all their Cosmetics? Always awkwardly placed and leave horrible sticky patches on the packaging, urgh! Please excuse the shabby looking tube..
Today I bring you a quick review of this beautiful lipstick from the Kate Moss for Rimmel London collection in the shade '107', which is a gorgeous, deep plum red. At £5.49 these are an absolute bargain, they're matte, creamy, pigmented and smell absolutely delicious! I love that both Revlon and Rimmel have an affordable matte lipstick range for those that might not be able to pay out for pricier brands. I don't find that I need to wear a lip liner with this and it lasts much longer on the lips than a regular lipstick. I can already tell I'm going to get a lot of wear out of this as it's perfect for Autumn/Winter!
In preparation for application I use a gentle exfoliating scrub, my favourite being the Bubblegum or Popcorn lip scrub from Lush and then pop on a nourishing lip balm, my current love is Soap & Glory's Smooch Operator.   

Have you picked up any shades from the Kate Moss line? 

Thursday 25 October 2012

Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel Foundation Review

Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel Foundation, Classic Beige - £6.99
 
Whilst browsing through photos on Instagram I found myself on a friend of a friends page who I'd always noticed had beautiful skin. In one of her photos she had shown an empty jar of the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, raved about it and underneath a few others had commented on how they loved it too. Needless to say the next time I was in town I popped in to Superdrug and picked it up in the shade 'Classic Beige'. I'm not a huge fan of the packaging but it has a secure screw top and a little stopper so I'm pretty happy popping this in my handbag if needed.
This foundation claims to adapt to your skin tone and texture for a natural finish and I agree for the most part. The shade 'Classic Beige' does have a slight pink undertone which isn't what I'd normally opt for but once I'd let the foundation set I couldn't notice it anymore. The consistency and texture of this is slightly bizarre as it's not quite as thick as I'd imagined and feels a bit wet as it's being applied but this does mean blending is made easy as it just glides over the skin. The finish isn't what I'd describe as matte or dewy it just looks very natural and radiant.
My skin tends to get quite oily so I usually like to powder and I found this to last on my skin a good 5 hours before I had to blot and touch up, which I have to do with most foundations. The coverage is quite light but buildable to cover redness, freckles and then you can just top up problem areas with a concealer.
If your sensitive to fragrance then this foundation is quite potent but I don't tend to notice the scent after application. I couldn't quite put my finger on what the smell of the product was but it seems to be in all of the Rimmel foundations and it's quite a fresh, slightly flowery scent.

To sum up; I really do like this foundation, it's not the most long lasting on my oily skin but it has a lovely finish and it's pretty cheap at just £6.99 - my only issue being the limited shade ranges as I could only find five colours in my local Superdrug.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Soap & Glory Smooch Operator Lip Balm

*Soap & Glory Smooch Operator Lip Butter Balm, £6 - Boots 
 
'A super-conditioning lip butter moisture & repair balm for dry, cracked lips. Ultra-moisturising, repairing lip balm stuffed full of soothing oils and butters. Includes wild mango butter, vitamin E, plus argan and rosehip oils to replenish, tone and soften lips sorely in need of affection. Special cooling, soothing formula.'
 
 Since receiving this to review I've been using it non-stop, not that you'd be able to tell from the photos as I've got plenty left! Instead of regular lip balms that tend to coat your lips in a greasy, thick film this isn't sticky or uncomfortable on the lips and you only need the smallest amount of product. As soon as Autumn comes around and it starts getting colder my lips tend to get a bit dry and sore and this has returned them back to their former plump, smooth state.
As you can see in the description above this contains lots of lovely ingredients like mango butter, vitamin E, argan and rosehip oil, as well as shea butter, coconut oil, caster seed and almond oil which really aid in nourishing the lips. I apply this with my finger, just dabbing it gently on to the lips and within minutes you feel a cooling, almost tingling sensation.
The packaging is all made of plastic and is very light so ideal for chucking in your handbag over the winter months. I also find this to be a great base for lip products as it moisturises the lips without making the lipstick or liner slip around too much.
 
What's your favourite product from Soap & Glory?

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Mac Treats


Everyone needs a treat every now and then, right? I'd had my eye on the Pro Sculpting Cream since I saw a photo posted on Instagram a good few weeks ago and when I finally caved and couldn't resist any longer I went to my local counter to pick one up. The sales assistant had reeled me in, sold me on the shade 'Coffee Walnut' and then just as I was about to make the purchase, told me it was out of stock.. urgh. Luckily though after scouring a few websites I managed to find it on Debenhams and swiftly placed my order, popping 'Girl About Town' in to my virtual basket at the last moment.

The Pro Sculpting Cream's are creamy and incredibly pigmented so you literally need the tiniest amount of product. The shade 'Coffee Walnut' is a deep brown, with olive/ashy undertones which looks a bit intimidating in the pan and when swatched but if used sparingly creates an amazing sculpted cheek. Since discovering Sandra's blog and in particular this blog post I've ordered the shade 'Accentuate' as well to try out her Kardashian-esque contouring/highlight technique.
'Girl About Town' was a last minute decision, I've been uhmming and ahhing over whether to get it after seeing it on Kayleigh's blog as it's not a colour I'd usually go for but I decided to get it anyway! It's a gorgeous deep, fuschia pink and I've really fallen for this lipstick, even if I never wear it out it's pretty and I can wear it around the house and feel like a diva! I also picked up an eyeshadow in the shade 'Cranberry' which I completely forgot to include, but I'll let that have a whole blog post to itself some other time. This was also a purchase made after reading Kayleigh's blog. Enabler! Enabler! Whoever's just employed her for a marketing/research job has picked the right girl because she sure knows how to sell a product!

Have you treated yourself recently?

Clarins Odyssey Eye Quartet Palette - Limited Edition

 
"A collection of four harmonious, long-wearing eye colours with a silky-smooth, mineral texture. Multiple effects, apply dry for natural results or damp for a more sophisticated effect."
 
*Clarins Odyssey Eye Quartet Palette, Limited Edition, £30
 
How beautiful is this product?
 This is the eyeshadow palette from Clarins Limited Edition Christmas Collection, it comes in a classic red Clarins box and inside you'll find a beautiful golden, embellished palette in a luxurious red velvet pouch to prevent scratches and a little card with ideas on how to use it. Open it up and you have four beautiful shades to play with - all contain shimmer. There's a subtle creamy taupe, a mid tone ashy brown, a deep charcoal brown and then the beautiful gold leaf shadow that steals the show. I haven't ever used a gold eyeshadow like this, it's shimmery, a true gold colour and contains chunky flakes of gold leaf. You all need to go out and swatch it! The palette also has a decent sized mirror and comes with two small, gold applicators - one is a standard applicator and the other is pointed for more precise application.
All four eyeshadows are creamy, well pigmented, long lasting, blend easily and are just a delight to use! You're able to use these either dry, or wet for a more intense look and I find these four shades really versatile. If I want a natural look I'll use all but the golden shade and then if I want a more intense look then I'll add in more of the darker brown and the gold leaf.
 
I am so in love with this!
Not only is it beautifully packaged but the product itself is great quality and it's a welcomed addition to my make-up collection. This palette will set you back £30, which in all honesty I would happily pay for such a stunning product. I have the Odyssey Face Palette on my Christmas Wishlist after seeing featured it on Belles Boutique! 
You can find Clarins products in Debenhams or on http://www.clarins.co.uk/
 
Thoughts? 

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Clarins Skin Illusion Loose Powder Foundation

*Clarins Skin Illusion Loose Powder Foundation, 109 - Wheat, £28
Available in five shades from Debenhams, Boots, House of Fraser, Clarins.
 
Recently Clarins have launched their Skin Illusions Loose Powder Foundation. As a big fan of Clarins, I was incredibly excited to try this product out especially since I'd been meaning to try a mineral foundation for a while now. I'll start off by sharing with you a little bit of blurb from the packaging..
 
'A loose powder foundation with an ultra-fine, silky texture with highly effective mineral and plant-base ingredients that work in harmony with the skin to illuminate the complexion's appearance. The result; a beautifully radiant, perfectly even, matte complexion and skin that feels incredibly soft and comfortable. Matte Finish, Light to Medium Coverage, All skin types - even the most sensitive. Oil Free.'
 
As you unbox the foundation, the first thing you'll notice is the stunning packaging. The base of the product is thick, hard plastic so there's no fear of breakage if you drop it and the golden lid conceals an adorable, mini kabuki brush - which I'll add is incredibly soft and useful. The powder foundation is finely milled and buffs easily in to the skin, blending well and leaving the skin so, so soft! It does have a slight fragrance, I can't quite put my finger on what the scent is but it reminds me of Parma Violets which I love, added bonus. Although this foundation claims a light to medium coverage, it's buildable without becoming cakey so you can easily work your way towards a medium to full coverage whilst still retaining a natural finish. 
I've added an up close photo of my skin with the foundation applied below, it's covered almost all of my freckles, evened my skin tone, concealed any redness whilst still managing to look naturally radiant, air brushed and light on the skin. One thing I worry about with powder products is my skin feeling tight or looking dry but I had no issues whatsoever. In terms of longevity, I have incredibly oily skin and found this to last a good 6-8 hours (depending on whether I'm at work, or just running errands) before it needed a light touch up.

Have you been tempted by the Clarins Skin Illusion Loose Powder Foundation?

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Sleek 'Blush By 3' Palette - Lace

Available in Superdrug or from the Sleek website.
£10.00
Comes in 5 colour combinations; Flame, Lace, Pink Spirit, Pumpkin, Sugar

Recently the Sleek website was offering 20% off all orders in celebration of their new website design and not wanting to miss out I placed an order and brought lots of goodies that I'd been eying up for a while - haul to follow soon.
I'd been wanting to try a Blush by 3 palette for quite a while after seeing them featured over a huge selection of blogs so I decided to pop 'Lace' in to my basket and I'm very happy I did. For just £10 you get three beautiful blushes, all intensely pigmented with a nice variety of finishes as there's two matte shades and one shimmer. The blush palettes come in a stylish black compact with a large mirror and the name of each shade printed clearly on the back. All three blushes have a lovely texture and blend easily in to the skin, adding a beautiful flush of colour to the cheeks.
I was holding the palette upside down for the photographs below as to avoid the dreaded mirror flashback, so please excuse the colours being in a different order to the photo above!
Crochet - Vivid deep, matte orange.
Guipure - Apparently a dupe for Nars 'Orgasm' gorgeous peachy pink with golden shimmer.
Chantilly - Matte peachy coral.
 
I adore all three colours in this palette as they're all completely different from what I'd normally go for. The pigmentation is amazing, you need the smallest amount on your brush meaning this will no doubt last me months and months! I'd happily purchase another and I've already got my eye on 'Flame' and 'Pink Spirit'. 

Monday 8 October 2012

Free Benefit with InStyle Magazine!

  Just a quick heads up in case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard about the free Benefit mini's with this months InStyle magazine. On offer is ChaChaTint, SunBeam and BeneTint, I didn't bother with BeneTint as I've already got a sample but the other two I've been wanting to try for a while so I had to rush out and grab them both! Try your local Tesco as InStyle is only £2.50, which is a bargain for a trial sized product and a magazine, especially if you're thinking of buying the full sized product any time soon.
I've already tested out SunBeam which adds a lovely glow to the skin and can be mixed with foundation or used as a highlight and ChaChaChaTint looks like a beautiful coral for the cheeks and lips!

Have you managed to get your hands on a copy of InStyle?

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Neom Luxury Organics - 'Harmonise' Triple Wick Candle

'Out of clutter, find simplicity'
 NEOM - 'Harmonise' Organic Candle* - £39.50, also available in travel size for £15. 
100& Natural Wax and Pure Essential Oils.
No synthetic scents, paraffin wax, black smoke or toxins.

One of the latest products to launch from Neom Organics is their Harmonise candle, scented with Pine, Cedarwood and Eucalyptus with underlying green hibiscus and deep wood notes. All of their candles are hand poured in the UK, made from a special blend of 100% natural vegetable waxes and essential oils, nothing synthetic is added and they burn for up to 50 hours.
As a chef, I have quite a stressful job. The hours are long, you're constantly on the go and there's always something else to do, it's a male dominated industry and sometimes as a female, you have to work twice as hard to prove your worth and show you can do the job just as well, if not better! In the Hospitality Industry, most places have a high turnover in terms of chefs as stress is a big issue, not to mention that alcoholism, drug abuse and depression are also common. A working week for me can be anything from 50 hours to 80 without a break, so taking time out to relax is essential. When I was offered the chance to try out Neom's Harmoise candle which is aimed at those wanting to 'focus, treat tiredness, energize and help concentration' as well as working as a holistic treatment, I instantly said yes!

As you open the box and release the candle from its casing, you're instantly hit with a fresh woody, eucalyptus scent that fills the room - and that's even before you've started burning it! Considering I usually opt for sweet scents I surprised myself by instantly warming to the fragrance which reminds me of long, country walks and the first deep breathe of air you take when you've been cooped up indoors all day and finally venture outside. It's a very refreshing, yet calming scent.
Described as being for times when 'you need a moment of restoration, to treat tiredness and to encourage focus. A gently energizing blend, perfect for helping clarity and concentration.' I'd have to agree. When a quiet moment opens itself up, I like to light up my Neom candle, open the latest book I'm reading (Bared To You, risque!) and get lost in the moment. When I re-surface, I feel refreshed and tranquil.
The candle itself is stunning, there's no glitter, or flashy ribbons - nor would there need to be. The triple wick, classic NEOM stamp, and simplistic, weighted glass are classy, simplistic but ooze luxury. With a price tag of £39.50 these are undoubtedly more expensive than most, but these would make a beautiful gift or a well deserved treat to yourself if you're stressed, studying, in need of relaxation or just adore candles as much as myself! 

I have my eye on the 'Invigorate' candle for when this one is all used up!
 Have you tried anything from Neom?

Saturday 15 September 2012

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Soft and Gentle'

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Soft and Gentle'
£21.50
'A luxurious velvet-soft powder with high-frost metallic finish. Smoothes on: adds buffed-up highlights to cheeks, brows, anywhere on the body: provides an ultra-deluxe polish to the skin.'

For the longest time I had absolutely no interest in highlighter. I've always had combination/oily skin but hated my skin to look dry and cakey so steered clear of setting my make up with powder, and would never want to add more shine. Oh how naive I was.
Fast forward a few years and I now realise that all you need is to find the right foundation and powder combinations that look natural together. Especially in Summer, I tend to stick to matte skin and add in a glow with a highlighter. I recently picked up the Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Highlighter in 'Soft and Gentle' and it's become a firm favourite. I do find the product description slightly scary (high-frost metallic finish?!) and I do have to admit, in the pan it does look packed full of shimmer but on the skin it adds a beautiful luminosity. I don't find this to look frosty or glittery, it just adds a gorgeous radiant effect which, paired with a bronzer, leaves you looking like a Bronzed Goddess.
I would advise to be light handed with this product, you literally need to tap your brush in once and then dust along the cheekbones, or wherever you want a highlight. I've no doubt this will last me ages, more than likely a good year or so as you only need the smallest amount.
Just to give you an idea of the type of highlighters I like, I also adore the Bourjois Highlighting Powder, Illamasqua Gleam Cream 'Aurora' and Jemma Kidd's Dewy Glow 'Iced Gold'. I didn't like the Highlighting Powder in the Sleek Duo as I found it far too glittery and frosty!

Tuesday 4 September 2012

How To: Big Brows

 
Let me start by saying I'm no eyebrow expert. These are just tips and tricks that have worked for me..

For years I over plucked my eyebrows. If you want an idea of what they looked like before, have a look at this FOTD which includes an awful up close shot - oh how I cringed when I saw it! I pretty much had 'tadpole eyebrows' which for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, means I had a thick section at the start of the eyebrow and then the rest got thinner until they were almost non existent. If that wasn't bad enough, I would fill them in every day with a dark brown shadow, square off the front with an angled brush and forget about combing through to blend the colour, of course I didn't bother with that!
It wasn't until I started seeing models with thicker eyebrows and started watching Lisa Eldridge on Youtube that I started longing for thicker brows. The first struggle for me was to quit plucking. I hate seeing stray hairs and my first instinct is to grab the tweezers but you have to just leave them be - of course you can still get the hairs between your brows, no one likes an unobrow!
To help my eyebrows along in the re-growth department, I brought RapidLash and used that every night which helps the hairs come through quicker and thicker. If you have the money to spare, definitely invest in a tube of RapidLash - you wont regret it! Once I'd started to notice them thickening up, I decided to dye them. My eyebrows are naturally an ashy dark blonde so when I dyed them it meant I didn't need to fill them in as much as they matched my hair colour and it shows up all the little, fine hairs you might not of known you had!
Once you have a decent amount of growth it's time to go in with the tweezers. I was lucky enough to be sent the Anastasia Brow Kit so I used a stencil from there, but you can find stencils in Superdrug and Boots. I opted for the full brow stencil, filled in my eyebrows and then plucked any stray hairs. I also brought a little spooly brush and a small pair of scissors and carefully combed any longer hairs down and trimmed them, this helps create your natural eyebrow shape.
The final step is to fill them in, and remember - minimal product! I use an eyebrow pencil or an eyeshadow and once my eyebrows are lightly filled in - only where needed, I brush them through with a spooly to get rid of any excess product. I then set them with the MUA clear mascara.
If you want to go for the full on 'Model Brow' like the photograph above, all I did was fill them in lightly with a powder, then brush through them with Mac's 'Beguile' Eyebrow Gel. This adds a base colour and then a slightly darker shade which really adds dimension to the brows.

I hope this is helpful in some way!