Thursday 20 November 2014

Purple Is The New Black






 

Since dying my hair purple, I've had to completely re-evaluate my make-up routine, With black being to harsh for a day look, I was looking for something a bit more subtle. 

In almost perfect timing, Jane Iredale released their City Nights Collection, and sent me a few samples. 

The moment I saw the plummy shades of eyeliner and lipstick, I knew I had to give them a go. Such perfect hues for this season. 

I fell in love with the Jelly Jar Gel Eyeliner shade (also available in an olive green). It's a dark purple which means you get the definition you need when using it for winged eyeliner, and it's super blendable, allowing you to work it in with a variety of eye shadows for a smokey eye. 

It complements my hair brilliantly, but I think it's a shade that can actually be worn by anyone. I know that you can get brown liners for anyone who finds black too harsh, but I think this would be a more exciting alternative. 

As for the PureMoist Lipstick in Katerina, it goes so well with the eyeliner. Slightly different in shade with more of a reddy tone, it makes for a nice contrast. I've used another one of Jane Iredale's PureMoist Lipsticks, and it does what it says on the tin. Considering how strong the shades are, they aren't dry at all, and actually stay for quite some time. I also like to mix it with other shades, just to give any dry lipsticks I may have a bit of moisture and shine, 

The one thing I will 100% praise Jane Iredale's products for is that they last soooo long. I hate spending money on a product, using it regularly like I should only for it to run out sooner than expected. You don't need to use a lot of any of their products, so they last you a good few months, A worthy investment I'd say. 

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Tuesday 21 October 2014

Mary Kay 'At Play' Collection



Make-up time! I haven't done a make-up post in a while now, so I was quite excited about this one. A few months ago Mary Kay sent me their At Play collection, and since them I've been having a good play around and getting used to them. 

I think the best way to sum this collection up is FUN! When I first saw this collection it did remind me of some of the make-up collections I'd get in my free Go Girl magazine back in the 90s. There definitely is an element of nostalgia here. But then it dawned on me that there's no reason why adult make-up shouldn't be fun. The colours featured here are bright, but Mary Kay have carefully created shades that stand out whilst complementing an adult look. 

All of these eyeliners look amazing with eyeshadows in complementing hues, but I thought I'd show you what they're like in their purest form. 


   Gold Metal: This shade really brightens up the eye and goes with absolutely everything. Perfect for        
   Christmas. I've tried it with a few pinky eye shadows too and it works so well.  
  


  The Real Teal: I'm not entirely sure if this shade of green suits my skin tone, as it is quite cool. However 
    this would look amazing on anyone with a paler complexion. It's a subtle burst of metallic colour. 
     


    Blue My Mind: This is the only matte shade out of the four, and I love it. It's so striking and dramatic. Make 
    this your statement piece of make-up, and make the rest of your face as bare as possible. 



    Hello Violet: This one is my ultimate favourite. With Halloween coming up I could see a lot of creative 
    potential, but at the same time, I thought it made such a nice change to the normal black eyeliner. 
    Feminine with a grunge twist. 




    Triple Layered Tinted Balms: (Top: In the Plum Bottom: Atomic)  
These are perfect for those times when you just want a hint of colour on your lips. They're incredibly moisturising and smell amazing. I can see these making lovely 
    stocking fillers. 



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Wednesday 6 August 2014

MUA Haul: Bargain or Bin







(wearing Flawless Primer, Luminating Foundation, Gel Eyeliner and Lip Lacquer)

 (wearing Matte Lipstick in Wilde Berry)

  (wearing Matte Lipstick in Lilac Belle)

(Wearing Intense Colour Eyeliner in Forest Green)

 MUA.MUA.MUA.

The acronym grabbing the attention of everyone remotely interested in make-up.

For me, it wasn't to much the products themselves that caught my attention, but rather the buzzword 'bargain.' Having tested so many beauty products, I've learnt that expensive doesn't always guarantee you quality, and that there are some hidden gems to be found in bargain brands.

So this haul all started when I signed up to The Sun+ online for £1 to receive a £20 Superdrug voucher (you should check it out, they have amazing offers, and you can cancel the subscription shortly after). Now we all know make-up can be expensive, and I wasn't expecting the voucher to stretch very far, until I heard about MUA. I walked away with a whopping 8 products!!

Undress Your Skin Flawless Primer - £5
Primers are one of those products that cost a lot, yet the result is very subtle. One of those products you convince yourself you can do without. Now when I say subtle, I don't want to demean the importance of a primer. When you find a good one, you'll never be without it. In regards to this particular product, it does do the job. It creates a smooth, even and matte layer upon which you can apply your foundation. This product gives you what you pay for, and no added extras like colour correction or luminosity. It's not the best primer I've tried, but I was really happy with the result considering how much it cost. My only issue is that a little doesn't go a long way like others I've used. The bottle's quite small, and you will go though it quite quickly.

Undress Your Skin Luminating Foundation (Medium) - £5
I was really surprised by this foundation. I've never really got on with high street liquid foundations. I usually find them too drying for my skin and being olive toned, it's a right old hassle trying to find a match. The first thing I noticed about it was how runny in consistency it was. I saw this as a good thing, as the YSL and Estee Lauder foundations I've used were of a similar consistency and were very moisturising. The shade was a perfect match so I didn't have to faff around with neck and chin blending (I bloody hate that). Coverage wise, it wasn't as matt as I would have liked, but MUA do a Matt foundation, so I can't really complain. It left me with a nice and natural dewy look which for Summer I think is perfect.

Gel Eyeliner - £3
I actually used this gel eye liner before the Jane Iredale one that I reviewed HERE so this was my first experience of it. For me, gels have the best elements of both pencil and liquid liners. You have the intensity in colour of the liquid, and the control and precision of the pencil (depending on what brush you have of course). The brush on this product is quite short and square, which I really liked. The gel itself is more of a paste so you have to make sure there aren't any lumps on your brush or you'll get in a right state. To my surprise, there wasn't much smudging and my wings lasted longer than if I'd used a pencil. I have actually almost finished the pot, so for £3 this is more than a bargain, it's a bloomin' steal.

Intense Colour Eye Liner (Forest Green) - £1
I don't think there's much you expect from a pencil eye liner other than vibrant, sharp lines that last. This pencil is creamy in texture and has a gorgeous metallic, dark green hue that is perfect for adding a bit of drama and depth to an evening look. Just a thin line on the top lid is all you need. It also works well for blending with eye shadows. Now that I know how brilliant they are, for £1 I'm gonna get the whole lot. Oh, and the fitted sharpener in the lid is soo handy.

Matte Lipstick in Lilac Belle and Wild Berry - £1 each
I was so excited about trying these when I bought them. Now if you've ever been to an MUA counter in Superdrug, you'll know they're always an absolute mess ( which I can only put down to popularity). It's like someone's set loose a fashion conscious yet penny-pinching honey badger. So when I went to get the products, there were only a scattered few of these lipsticks left, but luckily in the shades I wanted. I thought Wild Berry was perfect for a moody red whilst Lilac Belle was cute and kitsch. However I was a little disappointed. The shade of Wild Berry once it's been applied differs quite drastically to what you see. It's a much brighter red, which clashes with my olive skin tone, but would definitely suit someone fairer.  The Lilac Belle isn't as deceiving. I knew it would be a risk choosing such a light shade, and it doesn't suit me as much as I hoped. They also have that cheap, plasticy texture that means no matter how hard you rub it on your lips, you barely get any colour. I've managed to get some use out of them however by manually scraping off a bit of lipstick and massaging it into my lips, and mixing both colours together to get a wearable shade. For £1 I can't say it's too much of a surprise, and I'm happy to continue using them the way I have been.

Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Kooky - £3
When I saw the word 'Velvet' I knew I had to try this. I'm a sucker for purple lips anyway, and I loved the pictures I'd seen all over Instagram of matte lips. In the short term, this product doesn't disappoint. The colour is gorgeous and slightly cooler in tone than my MAC Cyber lipstick. It's wet to the touch at first but in a matter of seconds dries to create a brilliant matte look which I adore, despite the fact the coverage isn't as even as I'd like. Now this lacquer is fine if you don't plan on eating/drinking anything whilst wearing it. The first time I discovered this, I ended up with camo style lips, and looked down to find most of the product on my burger. Despite this, I do love this product. A cheap price to pay for quite a dramatic statement, even if that statement does need a top-up or two every now and then.

Undressed Palette

I was very eager to try this palette as everyone's been raving about it. If you're into reading beauty blogs then you've probably heard the word 'dupe' thrown around a lot. If not, this basically refers to a product that is very similar to a more expensive counterpart. In this case, the Undressed Palette is the dupe for Urban Decay's Naked palette. I've never tried the Naked palette but being a beauty blogger I've heard so much about it. The colours in MUA's palette are stunning, and I love how each matte shade is paired with a metallic. It saves you trying to figure out what colours work together (I mean, of course you can experiment,but for beginners this makes life so easy). The pigmentation is incredible for a product so cheap, and the shades blend together really well. I'm going to do a separate post just for this palette, so I can show you the variety of ways in which these shades can be used, so watch this space. 

Until then, go grab yourself some major beauty bargains (if the stand isn't too much of a mess.) 

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Thursday 17 July 2014

Holiday Beauty Essentials




                         


Seeing as I've been doing a lot of posts recently reviewing products that are suitable for the holiday season, I thought it was only fair that I did a post showing the products I took on holiday with me. I am god awful at packing lightly and am renowned among friends and family for having the biggest bag packed full of what I like to call 'just-in-case' items. There was a mountain of products I wanted to take with me, but we were only taking hand luggage which limits liquids to 100ml bottles, so I had to be very selective about what I took, and just pick items I knew I would struggle without. 

Clinique Airbrush Concealer
Having looked up the weather before I went, and discovering it was going to be between 30° and 35°, just the idea of wearing foundation in that heat made me feel hot. However I wanted to take something, just to get rid of those dark patches and cover up any burnt bits, so this little concealer was perfect. Its light reflecting qualities made my skin look dewy and fresh instead of the beaten, weathered look created by lots of sun, sea and sand. 

Clinique High Impact Mascara
It's always nice to dress up of an evening on holiday when you're going out for something to eat, and even if you're not intending to wear much make-up, a decent mascara can finish off a basic evening look perfectly. I've tried many mascaras since doing this blog, and so far Clinique's High Impact is my favorite. 

MUA Gel Eyeliner
I've been testing this product for quite some time now ever since I bought a hauls worth of MUA products with the aim of doing an MUA haul and review post (which will be up shortly, promise) , so I won't go into too much detail about it just yet. Obviously the fact I took it on holiday with me is proof that I'm happy with the product. I do find liquid eyeliners can be a little bit too strong for the skin on my eyes - which is quite sensitive - and eyeliner pencils are too faint. So I'm fast becoming a fan of gel eyeliners, and since I'm a huge cat-eye addict, I couldn't go on holiday without it. 

ArtDeco Peacock Coquette Nail Varnish
I knew I wanted to take at least one nail varnish with me, and I'm sure if like me you have a massive collection, you can understand how hard it was for me to pick just one. This particular nail varnish is from Art Deco's Autumn/Winter 2013 'Asian Spirit Western Feeling' collection which I loved. The reason I chose it is because it's such a chameleon shade. Depending on the light, it can range from a gorgeous turquoise to a forest green, and in some lights it even looks navy. There were points when I was laying on the beach and noticed my toenails were the same colour as the sea. 

St Kitt's Herbery Face Cream
My skin has such a tendency to look dry, and I knew the Clinque concealer would not work to its best if my face wasn't moisturised. It's so important to keep your skin hydrated if you're going to spend hours in the sun like I did, and having just reviewed a few St Kitt's products and loving them, as well as the bottle being the appropriate size, I felt it was a perfect addition. 

Nivea Powder Touch Underarm 
This little beauty came in my Cosmopolitan Superblogger Masterclass goodie bag and is responsible for my new found love of roll-on deodorant. I had such a love/hate relationship with deodorant sprays and could never find one that suited me 100%, and it never occurred to me to try a roll-on, but seeing as this was a freebie I gave it a go. The main issue I had with sprays was that they dried out my skin, but this roll-on has nourished it back to health. 

Mary Kay Limited Edition Retro Rose Cream Lip Colour
As a last addition to my planned evening make-up look, I took this lovely Mary Kay lip colour. Finding lipsticks that suit me is something I struggle with (god I do have a hard time of it ha) and reviewing the Mary Kay Hello Sunshine collection actually introduced me to the first set of lipsticks that worked with my skin tone and my hair colour. Obviously it's creamy and moisturising texture was an added bonus, and the dark yet warm shade added a sophisticated element to my make-up as a whole. 

BVLGARI Omnia Crystaline Eau De Parfum
Due to being very picky about fragrances, I only have a handful of perfumes that I like the smell of, and at the moment this is my favourite. I received this as a free sample, and loved the fact that it was a miniature of the actual bottle and not a little phial, and that it was parfum and not eau de toillette. As it's parfum, I don't need a lot and the scent lasts for hours. I've had it months and I'm not even half-way through yet (by the way I sincerely recommend applying for perfume samples - a much cheaper way of having a large selection of fragrances, then buy the ones you really like). Due to it's size and of course how much I love it, there was no question about packing it. 



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Saturday 22 March 2014

My Daily Mask

Happy Saturday people!!!
What are you guys all up to this weekend? 
I'm off to see The Book Thief with my Mum after waiting for what feels like decades for her to finish the book that I lent her. 

So I have a lot of plans for make-up and hair posts for this blog, which I'm really excited about. But before I start any of that, I thought I'd share with you my daily make-up routine. The majority of these products will most probably feature in future posts and for me, they're the Crème dela crème

Products I've used:(Top left to bottom right)
Betty & Walter Rose Lipbalm


For me, bareMinerals is the Holy Grail of foundation. I bought it on a whim after testing it in Debenhams. I've tried so many foundations over the years from Estèe Lauder to Yves Saint Laurent , mainly because I struggle to find one that suits my olive skin. I also have quite a dry T-Zone and was finding that all the liquid foundations I was trying would just cling to the dry areas, and it would look gross. 
With bareMinerals, the range of colors is incredible, and because of it's mineral nature and blendability,  it adapts to my skin tone. 
One thing I really disliked about liquid foundation was that I didn't feel like it looked natural, and I was so conscious that I was wearing it. 
The Body Shop Foundation Brush is amazing at blending, and by the time I'm done, I'm left with flawless, natural looking coverage that feels so light and lasts all day, and that's without even using primer. 

BareFaced beauty is a similar brand in the sense that it really focuses on the skincare benefits of using minerals. The color looks quite harsh in the pot, but I use a very tiny amount for some natural looking warmth. 

It's a pretty good job that the base of my daily routine is so natural looking, because as you can probably tell from the picture below and previous posts of mine, I choose for my eye make-up to be the main attraction, and with all the other foundations and blusher's I have tried with this particular eye make-up style, it was just way too heavy. 

I'm pretty sure that if, like me, you're a winged eyeliner fiend, then no matter how many years you've been doing it, you're never quite satisfied with the outcome, with one wing ever so slightly wider/longer/thicker/angular than the other. For years I used pencil, thinking that I couldn't move onto liquid eyeliner until I was a wing master. I finally made the move, but nothing I tried cut it. That was until I was asked to do a product review for Art Deco make-up, and they sent me their precision liner. With this product it's the closest I've ever got to creating wings that I'm happy with. 
I found liquid eyeliners with short, hard brushes difficult to use when creating a wing that flows, so the long brush on this product is perfect. 
I also use this tutorial that I found to create the shaped wing that I like. 
http://www.topinspired.com/top-10-eyeliner-tutorials-for-irresistable-cat-eyes/



So there it is. I wear this look so often, and it works with practically everything, giving a delicate yet alternative edge to an outfit. For an evening look (which I'll do in another post) if I don't feel like changing my eyes, I'll pair this look with either a dark brown or a dark purple lip just to add a more sultry, gothic touch, but at the same time keeping it feminine. 

I hope you're liking my blog so far. I'd love to get some feedback, so feel free to tell me what you think about it so far. 
Who of you out there is a fellow winged eyeliner lover like me, and what products/techniques do you use to create the perfect wing? 

Steph x 


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