GLOSSYBOX July 2013

Hello Everyone,

It’s been a very hot week here in the UK, and my July GLOSSYBOX – Seaside Splash couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Of course this Summer addition of the beauty box is packed with colour and skin care for sunny days on the beach. I know I’m going to love a few of these products and have my fingers crossed for the rest. Let’s get going!

Ciate London – Paint Pot in The Glossip, Full Size £9.00

This polish is lovely! The formula is extremely pigmented and I think in a hurry you could definitely get away with one coat. It also dried pretty quick and the colour is a  gorgeously bright coral. I’m really excited about this beauty.

Sleek – Pout Paint in Pinkini & Lava, Full Size £4.99 each

Wowza these sure do pack a punch of colour! I tried this on a good while back and didn’t get any as at the time I wasn’t such a brave lipstick wearer. Now however, they are a fantastic addition to on growing collection of lip products. The formula really is like a paint (be careful with clothes and furniture, this is a bad boy to wash out). The formula is matte and extremely pigmented which at first can appear a little scary. You can blend a tiny amount onto your lips for a more subtle colour though and they do last a very long time. I like that you can mix the colours together to create your own shades. I can’t wait to mix up a bright coral with these two.

Alterna Haircare – Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist, Full Size £23.00

What a mouthful! I’ve not come across this brand before, but then I’m not very good with hair products. I do have a salt spray which I assume is similar to this texturizing mist and have to admit I use it very rarely. I just don’t have the hair for a good ‘messy’ look. I shall however, give it a go and for those of you with a natural kink in your hair I’m sure it would be very fun to have a play around with.

Coola – Organic Suncare Face SPF30 cucumber moisturizer, full size £25.99

With a full size tube at that price I shall be making the most of this little one. I don’t actually own a sun cream specifically designed for the face as I tend to splatter my general one all over, and lots of my foundations and bb creams have spf in too. I like the idea of this yummy cucumber scented cream. I think I’ll have a go at wearing it underneath my foundation in the hot weather next week and see if it does the job well.

Anatomicals – Spray Misty for me facial spritz, full size £6.00

I feel a little ‘meh’ about this product. I’m not a fan of face mists and this one doesn’t have any particular draw for me either. The scent is ok, the spray a little uneven and the packaging isn’t to my taste, but I shall pop it in my bag if I ever get a chance to lie by a pool this Summer.

I have to say I’m very impressed with this month’s box and am quite excited about the products inside. Just taking a quick look back at last month’s box, I thought I would share my fave. I have worn this Nuxe oil on the top of my cheek bones an awful lot this month. It leaves such a lovely golden glow to the skin.

If you fancy a look at any of my past boxes, pop over to my Glossybox posts using the menu at the top of the page, and don’t forget to follow me on twitter, making sure to come say hi and have a chat.

Happy Blogging All, xxx

smashbox -It’s Your Prime

Hello Everyone,

I did the extremely silly thing of picking a product up from the shelves in the beauty store queue last week – ooops! However, turns out is was a good, silly thing after all. I do have a couple of primers, including Urban Decay’s Eye Primer and Benefit’s face primer, but saw this little trio on offer at £14 and thought I would give some new primer products a go. Interestingly this set contains an under eye primer, which I found intriguing as this is a sad area for me, All in all I’m pretty pleased with the purchase and have been using them all week.

smashbox, photo finish foundation primer – travel size

Considering this is a mini bottle there is a considerable amount of product. This is very similar to the Benefit primer which I like. It is a little less grainy and feels less obvious on my skin which I like as sometimes I feel primers dry my skin out a little.

smash, photo finish lid primer – mini

I really like this. It sets very quickly so you can apply eyeshadow almost straight away and the tone is perfect for my skin, covering any blue areas of skin. I’m quite useless at using eye primer but have been popping this on everyday this week and have noticed a dramatic difference in the staying power of my eye makeup.

smashbox, hydrating under eye primer

This is a lovely little product. The formula is not thick so no caking at all, and the light tone lightens under the eyes. I have noticed the length of time my concealer has stayed on during the day too which is great.

I would definitely recommend this little set to anyone that hasn’t used primers before or doesn’t use them very often. My product of the week for sure. If you fancy hearing about other products I am loving, be sure to follow me on twitter and join me in a little beauty chat. 🙂

Happy Blogging All, xxx

Get The Look – Audrey Hepburn

Hello Everyone,

After enjoying a vintage night out this weekend, I thought I would share this Audrey Hepburn look that I created with you.

Flawless skin, perfectly lined eyes and a nude pout. Lovely!

Visit this polyvore link for details 🙂 Get The Look – Audrey Hepburn

 

Mini Makeup HAUL – Real Techniques, Sleek, NXY, Lord & Berry

Hello Everyone,

I had a little splurge online this week and thought I’d share the products with you. Some of them are items I’ve been wanting for a while, while others are new brands to me. They were all really reasonably priced too which is always a bonus. 🙂

Lord & Berry –

Smudge Proof Eyeliner in Black £7.50             Lipstick Pencil in Cherry £8

I have never owned any products from this brand but had seen the lipstick pencils on vloggers videos and heard lots about the eyeliner too. The pencil is an amazingly pigmented lipstick. The formula is matte and opaque but isn’t at all dry on the lips. The lasting wear isn’t amazing but I always enjoy re-applying on a night out anyway. Honestly though, it’s the vibrant colour red/pink colour that I love so much about it. It sure does pack a punch.

As for the eyeliner, it wears well without smudging or disappearing. The texture of the pencil is quite soft, so if you’re looking for a fine line I wouldn’t choose this. I’m sure I’ll be looking up more of their products soon.

Sleek – I-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in, Au Naturel £7.70

I can never get over the fantastic pricing of Sleek products. They are always extremely pigmented, last a long time and come in such a variety of shades and styles. I already own the infamous Storm Palette but as I’ve been wearing brighter lips and cheeks recently I wanted a good natural shaded palette. Au Naturel seemed perfect for that. It has every neutral shade you could ask for, including a mixture of matte and shimmers. I love the shades taupe and cappuccino with mineral earth blended into the crease. There’s also got a good white for the corner of the eye and a black for lining. Perfect!

NYX – Blush in Red £7.00

I can’t believe I don’t own any NYX products! I searched the web for a dupe blush for Mac’s Frankley Scarlet this weekend and this was the best I found. I love it! It’s the perfect balance of pink and red, is pigmented and wonderfully blendable. It also matched my new lippy! Most of my blushes are pinks or coral so a red toned one is a perfect addition to ever0growing collection. I had to buy this online so I’m not sure if the prices are cheaper in the shops but I was quite happy to pay this amount for a lovely blush.

Real Techniques –

Your eyes/enhanced starter brush set £17.85     Fine Liner Brush £5.95     

I am a huge fan of the real techniques brushes and already won most of the orange (face) collection. If you want a reasonably priced brush set, this is definitely the one to buy as the brushes look great and are easy to use. Although I use my Mac 217 I don’t really own any decent eye brushes. I love this little collection as it has everything I need. I did also buy the fine liner brush too as I think the one in the kit will be a little thick for the liner I usually wear.

Looking back over my purchases I’m very excited. Luckily I have the perfect hen weekend to play with them. Let me know if you want to see the look I come up with for that. Also don’t forget to add me on bloglovin, twitter and Instagram using the buttons at the top of my sidebar.

Happy Blogging All, xxx

Dashing Dupes – MAC’s Satin Taupe

Hello Everyone,

I have written a few dupe posts in the past and have really enjoyed them. When I first started buying ridiculous amounts of makeup, I would spend hours looking through beauty store sites for products that looked similar to the high-end products I just couldn’t afford. I have to admit, that eventually I ended up buying some of them, but I think it’s great to know what dupes are out there, especially if a product is insanely priced and the dupe is just as good.

 I also love the research that goes into finding the right products. There are so many products out there and often blogs that I have read only give one alternative. I aim to show you four different ones, all more affordable, just as lovely and ones that are available from different corners of the world. This does mean that I don’t necessarily own all of the products but have tried, or tested them all.  If you fancy a look at my other dupe posts, just click on the dupe button in the menu at the top of my blog where you will find dupes for mac’s girl about town lipstick and macs’ stereo rose.

MAC Satin Taupe – This is by far one of my favourite eye shadows and I know it is a popular choice for most beauty bloggers and readers. I love to pair it up with Mac’s Naked Lunch, popping it in the outer corner and crease. I realise that these days £10 for an eye shadow is not as crazy as some brands, but to some that is still too much or they can’t get hold of Mac products very easily. So here they are, my favourite dashing dupes:

Soap & Glory, Lid Stuff Quad Palette in What’s Nude £10 – Why buy one gorgeous shade when you can buy a quad for the same price? The palette is made up of four velvety shades: Vanilla, Pink, Mudhoney and Aubersheen. The later is the dupe shade but as a whole set they create a wonderful eye shadow look. If I didn’t own Satin Taupe already and didn’t already have a good selection of nudes, I would definitely go for this option. Who am I kidding, I’ll probably have it by next month.

NYX, Iced Mocha £5 – This seems to be a popular shade amongst other bloggers. The colour match is very close and at half the price I would say it’s a good bet. The NYX shadows are very pigmented and are very buildable. Perfect for a smoky eye.

Wet & Wild, Nutty £5 or less – Prices vary on this product all over the net but are all very good value. It’s a little harder to get hold of here in the UK so would suggest the other products to them. The wet & wild formula is creamy and pigmented and is a great understudy for Satin Taupe.

L’Oreal, Bronzed Taupe £6.99 – This dupe is a little harder to find and does contain a little more shimmer than Satin Taupe; however, I think it looks amazing on the eye and really makes them pop.

There you have it, my dashing dupes. Hopefully I’ve helped those on a budget, in a distant location or anyone that hasn’t yet treated themselves to any Satin Taupe style shade. It is a must for the make up bag!

Happy Blogging All, xxx

May Beauty Favourites

Hello Everyone,

Exploring new products is one of my favourite things to do, and I have been enjoying lots of newbies this month. Lips and cheeks have been a focus for me. Sticking to neutral eye shadows and concentrating on lengthening the lashes and contouring the face has given me the opportunity to play with cheek colours and luscious lippies. That being said, no lipsticks have made it into my faves this month, mainly because I have been trying to use lots of different colours, so no single lipstick has taken center stage. Let’s see what has made the cut:

 

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics – Prime & Create Mixing Medium Apologies for the little transparent tub. This products is a tester from my latest GLOSSBOX and I knew when I first saw the title of the product that I was going to have fun with it. The idea behind this gel is to experiment with your other products to create new mixes. Examples given are to mix it up with powder blushes to create cream tints, to use with eye shadows to make your own eyeliners or to mix with foundations to form an airbrush effect finish. The latter is the mix up that did it for me this month. Adding a pea sized amount of this onto my hand, then mixing it with my foundation before applying with a brush has improved the application and finish of even my most favourite foundations. It works as a beautiful primer alone, but paired up with a foundation, you’ve got yourself a wow formula. This will definitely be making its way into my shopping basket as soon as this little tub is empty.

Rimmel – Wake Me Up Concealer I bought this product a while back but wasn’t convinced that it rivalled most recent favourite by Bourjois. This month however, as the formula is quite pale, I have been applying it under my eyes, onto the lids and around my nose, before applying foundation. It works really well at lightening up dark or red areas and some days (ones with a higher morning coffee intake) I haven’t even needed to add a product on top too.

Dior – New Look Mascara I have had this mascara for a while and it is one that I return to time and time again after trying new trending products. Don’t be fooled by the tiny plastic wand; It does a fantastic job of separating and lengthening my lashes. This was my first plastic wand mascara and I bought it on recommendation of a friend, unsure of how I felt about changing wand type. I was immediately converted, and although I have since tried other similar wands like Avon and Clinique’s, I always reach for this one for day time looks and to add extra oomph to fake lashes. Sadly it is a product that I rarely see on anyone blog or vlog about, so I’m giving it a big shout out today! I think a mascara picture comparison post is due very soon.

Stila – Convertible Color in Poppy & Petunia Oh my, I’m in love. I haven’t left these beauties alone since they arrived on my door step. Let’s first take a moment to admire the adorable embossed little cases they come in and then to oooo and aarrr at the ever so pretty product inside. These are my first but definitely not my last cream blushes as they apply so easily and look so natural and glowy. I don’t own any other red blushes but as I said in my Rainbow post, I’m not sure why not, as surely red is the natural colour of a pretty flushed cheek. The coral/pink one is very pretty and works well with my Summer lipsticks. It is taking me a lot not to hop right over to the store and buy the rest of the shades.

Lanolips – 101 Ointment There was me thinking my Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream was the Queen of lip fixing. After buying and loving the Lanolips hand cream I decided to add their lip balm to my collection too. The formula is simple but does wonders for dry lips. I can’t recommend it highly enough for those with dry, cracked lips or just to keep in your handbag to apply over lipstick for a delicious shine. It has taken my number one lip treatment spot!

So there you have it, my fantastic faves for May. Now here I am, already thinking about my June wish list…oops.

Happy Blogging All, xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colours of the Rainbow – Beauty Favourites

Hello Everyone,

The idea for this post came from a popular tag that I most recently watched on my fave vloggers channel (EssieButton). Although this isn’t a vlog, and I haven’t been tagged by anyone, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to cover a post in colour.

The idea for this tag is to choose a favourite product for each colour of the rainbow. As easy as this sounds, it is actually quite a tricky task as finding products for every colour isn’t as easy it seems. I either had far too many to choose from, or had none at all so had to cheat slightly. I also tried to choose only one product from each category so that I didn’t end up with lots of lipstick and nail polishes. This challenge was however extremely fun to put together so I urge anyone and everyone to have a go. Let’s begin:

Stila – Convertible Color in Poppy

This is a new product in my collection and I have used it nearly everyday since it was delivered. I am now a cream blush convert as it is so easy to blend and gives such a natural glow to the cheeks. I don’t have any other red blushes and I don’t know why as of course a red flush to the cheek is the most natural look. I had a pile of red lipsticks to start off with but decided this product was my favourite.

 Real Techniques – Buffing & Contour Brushes

I thought I’d mix it up a little and choose some beauty tools for this one. I was tempted to choose my favourite orange/coral sleek blush but change my mind when I spotted these lying by my mirror. Since makeup became some what a hobby for me a few years back, these have been by far my best discovery. I couldn’t apply my foundation without my trusty buffer, and this little contour brush is perfect for apply cream blush and highlighter.

Burt’s Bees

When I think of beauty and yellow I think of this lovely collection. I realise this is the first of my little cheats, as not all of their products are actually yellow but yellow isn’t a colour that you would find across my makeup stash. If you opened up my skin care draw however, you would find a great deal of this yellow packaging. I love the collection, from shampoo to foot scrub, and a huge favourite of mine are the lip balm sticks in pomegranate and honey.

Liz Earle – Cleanse & Polish, Moisturiser and Skin Tonic

Another cheat, but a well deserved winner for green. I think the only green makeup product I own is a rarely used eyeliner and although I have a vast array of mint nail polishes, I had to save that spot for later. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish has been part of my daily skin care routine for years now. Even though I have tried many other creams, lotions and oils, I always come back to this beauty as it never fails to clean and soften my skin. The whole collection is fab but these three are my faves.

Rimmel – Lycra Pro Polish in Aqua Cool

No doubt about it, this is not only my favourite blue beauty product but is also my favourite nail polish of this season. Blue can be a hard colour to pull off but this soft seaside cutie looks lovely. The formula is fantastic; it applies easily and lasts a long time without chipping.

Benefit – Hoola Bronzer

Okay, so I don’t do purple. As an eye shadow it really doesn’t work for me. I can get away with mink and mauve but  that’s about it. This bronzer was one of the first makeup items I brought many years back and as you can see it is still going strong. I alternate between a few bronzer, this one being my Summer favourite, and I love the tone and texture of it.

Revlon – Lip Butter in Lollipop

Wow this was a toughy. I literally had a heap of pink products to choose from. Blushes, eye shadows, lipsticks, glosses, polishes…help! In the end I decided that as a lipstick hadn’t been chosen yet that I must have been saving it for last. I lined all of my pink lipsticks up. I had ones for day, night, bright, pale, shimmery, matt, glossy etc. Eventually I decided that my most fabulous and most worn had to be this one. I love Revlon, adore the lip butters and this colour is amazing. A dupe for many expensive lipsticks like MAC’s Girl About Town, this is a lipstick that I think every girl should own. These are by far the easiest lipstick to wear if you are not one for bright and bold as they are so easy to apply, are buildable and don’t need a liner.

So there you have it, my rainbow of beauty, I’m really pleased to see the final selections and would love to see what you would choose for yours. If you decide to have a go please do comment in the box below with a link to yours.

Thanks for reading, xxx

GLOSSYBOX May 2013

Hello Everyone,

It feel like it’s been a long month waiting for my box. I already knew that GLOSSYBOX were celebrating their 2nd Birthday so my expectations for a special box were high.

At first glance I was surprised to see the amount of ‘black’ products, considering the birthday theme. This slight disappointment disappeared when I got a closer look at most of the products. As well as a few well-known brands, there are some full size products, which I always think is a bonus.

Before I take you inside the box I wanted to take a step back to last month to reveal any products that I have really enjoyed and that I would recommend to you.

This beauty is probably the only product that I have made full use of this month. I was very excited about it in May, and still love it now! The colour is called Nice to be Nice and is perfect for those pastel outfits and sunny days.

Now, in we go:

COLLECTION – Fast Stroke Eyeliner £2.99

I already have a love some of the extremely well priced COLLECTION (aka collection 2000) products and was pleased to see a replacement for my quite ancient eye liner. If you like a brush tip liner then this will do you well. It creates a semi thin line that glides easily across the eyelid and isn’t too thin and runny.

JELLY PONG PONG – Fairy Lashes Mascara £15

Full RRP of this mascara is quite pricey so I am happy to have received a full size product. The wand appears to be pretty basic, nothing fancy, and the casing is a little cheap looking. The formula isn’t clumpy and slightly lengthens the lashes but all in all it isn’t anything special and I’m not convinced I would ever want to pay full price for it.

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics – Prime & Create Mixing Medium, Full Size £20

This is one of those products that you truly hope will work as advertised. The idea of being able to create cream blushes, foundations and eye shadows sounds like such fun. The sample size is very small but I intend to have a good go at creating some pretty mixes with it. Just from rubbing a tiny amount on y hand I can tell it will be a lovely primer if nothing else as it has instantly left my skin incredibly soft. I shall report back to you on this one in next months box review.

Awapuhi Wild Ginger, Shine Spray £18.95

This is a Paul Mitchell, pricey hair product and I love that we were given a full size bottle of it this month. The scent is lovely and it gives a good shine to my hair. What more is there to say. Very happy! 🙂

HEADLINE COLORS, Poolside Pary Polish £9

I’ve not heard of this brand before, although with this price tag I feel I should have. I have to say I am quite disappointed that I received a not so ‘poolside’ colour; black. It does have a little shimmer to it and the formula is very pigmented but sadly I just won’t wear it often as I’m not really a dark nail polish fan.

Glossy Extra Treats – Mini Nail Files & Green & Blacks Mini Chocolate Bar

A GLOSSYBOX wouldn’t be complete without an extra treat. This time we have two. Of course nail files are always handy but I appreciate the chocolate a little more. Thanks!

Overall I am pretty happy with this months box. It is always hard to tell this early on if I am going to enjoy any of the products so stay tuned for next months for updates on any Wow products.

Happy Blogging All, xxx

Must Have – L’Oreal Lip Stain Review

Hello Everyone,

I have made a wonderful discovery! These L’Oreal Glam Shine Lip Stain Splash are a mouth full to say, but they are worth the effort.

I own a few lip glosses but rarely wear them as they tend not to give too much colour and are often a little too shiny for everyday wear. These beauties are amazing. Not only do they come in the most gorgeous colours, they are extremely pigmented, stain incredibly, smell yummy and shine fantastically. Now I have run out of adjectives I think it’s time for some photos.

 

There are a few colours ni the range. I had to force myself to leave the orange one behind as my coral/orange obsession is becoming as bad as my lipstick one so instead I picked up these.

Lolita gives is a pretty neutral dusky pink. As the stain sets, my lips became a darker and shinier. A great one for days when your eyes are the center of attention but you want your lips to look good too.

Juliet is amazing! The colour is very vibrant. A very pinky red. The stain power on this will require a good Bioderma scrub before bedtime but it will last all day and aswell as being very easy apply, doesn’t look harsh around the edges as some red lipsticks do. This takes the just bitten look to another level.

Marilyn I own a couple of fuscia pink lippies and they are so much fun to wear. This blue toned one is so bright but looks elegant too. I wore this out for a meal that included soup, ice-cream and a few drinks and still had pink lips when I got home.

I am a huge fan of these (must resist the orange one). They are 2 for 1 in BOOTS at the moment so go on out and get yourself one… or three!

Happy Blogging All. xxx

March Beauty Favourites

Hello Everyone,

This post has ended up being a little late but I still had to share my favourites with you for last month as they were products that I used most days and aswell as some expected faves, there are a few surprises in their too.

I’m not really a photo of my face fan but wanted to show you how I used the products to create a natural Spring look. I used all of these products for my everyday makeup as they are simple, quick to apply and brighten up my face. I will be reviewing some of these products in more depth soon and others are already included in posts which I will link below.

La Roche-Posay – Toleraine A light moisturiser that I have been loving as a base under foundation. See Review Here.

Clarins – Instant Light Complexion Perfector in Rose Shimmer This is a beautiful product that gives a very subtle highlight to the cheeks. It can also be used under foundation to give the skina dewy glow. Full review coming soon.

Revlon – Colorbust Lipgloss in Papaya Not usually a gloss fan, I adore this peachy coral gloss. For days when you don’t want a lipstick look but still want lovely lips. HAUL and more pics here.

OPI – Nail Envy Wowee this stuff is amazing! strengthens and lengthens like a trooper. I will be reviewing this very soon. Stay posted!

Sleek – Trio Blush in Lace I love this trio. Last month I favoured this too,  but mainly the center blush. This month I have been using the other two aswell. As crazy bright as it looks, it actually gives a beautiful tint to the cheeks. I use a large blush brush to sweep it on the apples and just under the cheek bones, Recently I have been using Chantilly, the more orange/coral colour to match the Revlon lip gloss.

17 Va Va Voom I bought this a while back and wasnt quite sure whether I liked it or not (thoughts here). One day when I was wearing a simple eye shadow look I thought I would give it a try as I remembered it layered up to give a dramatic look. This time I applied one coat and was pleased with the length it gave my lashes. If applied carelessly it can look a little clumpy but I found myself reaching for this most days this month and it has now moved into my ‘frequently used mascara draw’.

So that’s it for this month. I’m sure as always I have missed some favourites that I will later moan at myself for forgetting but these were the products I had written down on my makeup draw postet.

I love reading monthly favourite posts so please do comment below with your links.

Have a happy April, xxx