Origins GinZing Mascara

A couple of months ago I had one of those disastrous makeup moments. You know the ones, where your whole face turns into a melting mess and theres nothing you can do to stop it. I had a very sudden reaction to the mascara I was wearing and from being perfectly normal suddenly my eyes felt like they needed to be scratched out of my sockets, they ran like a river and spilled my mascara all over my cheeks. Fortunately I was at a friends house and she had makeup wipes on hand to sort out the mess, and she also had a recommendation for me.
Try Origins.

Origins? For makeup? I mean, obviously I know they are great for skincare but I had never even considered them for makeup before. She swore that their mascara was wonderful if you had sensitive eyes, so I stored the little nugget of information in my brain until I was next near a counter.

A few weeks later I popped over to York for a spot of shopping, and in their outlet is a Cosmetics Company outlet store, which stock Origins! Naturally while stocking up on my favourite face masks I had a gander at the mascaras they had. Origins actually make two mascaras that I have found, but in this shop they only had the GinZing mascara. It was nicely discounted being £12.50 as opposed to the £17.50 you pay in Boots, so I decided it was worth a try. I bought a tube and couldn't wait to get it home.

Touted as a brightening mascara that lengthens and lifts lashes, I have to agree with its claims. The product is slightly wet to give your lashes a smooth gloss like finish, while also being not so wet that your lashes clump together. This mascara has a pretty hefty brush in its arsenal too, the bristles separate lashes creating a fan effect that is natural and fluttery, while still retaining enough body to create impact.

The formula of this product is so incredibly gentle I wish I had come across it sooner, this has yet to cause my eyes to run, itch or need some serious massage at the end of a long work day. I can confidently wear this when wearing my contacts and not worry about it sticking to my lenses or irritating my eyes. After a month or so of use I generally have to dispose of mascaras because they begin to cause my eyes to sting, my ultimate signal for a mascara that is getting stale, yet three months in to this tube and it is neither dried out or funky smelling, and although it will be binned because Lisa Eldridge tells me to, I feel like I could keep using it for a little while longer.

The product stays on all day and holds my lashes in their imposed curl without effort. There has been no flaking, and it doesn't melt onto my lower eye lids until I give it a good rub, yet it removes easy as pie with my balm cleanser in the evening, further cementing its position as being anti-irritant (nothing worse than having to scrub at sore eyes).

Although I paid less than standard for this product, I am without a doubt going to be buying it again. Even if I have to shell out the full price, it is worth it for a product that lasts all day without leaving me with bloodshot eyes, I highly recommend it!

Have you ever tried any Origins makeup before?

What's in my Makeup Bag

I mentioned a few weeks ago on twitter (come say Hi!) that James's Grandma bought me a makeup bag for Christmas. I think she may have unintentionally bought me the best present ever!

Now I think this may need a little explanation, because I am sure you are thinking "Surely you already have makeup bags, you had a beauty blog!" and yes I do, but I have always struggled with them. I previously kept all my makeup in my desk drawer neatly organised by type mainly because I have never found a makeup bag that I was happy with. They were always either too big, too small, or a nearly unusable shape, and my main issue when I am getting ready in the morning is time. I need to get my face on as quickly as possible so that I can get out the door.

I have been feeling a little self conscious of having all that makeup on display though lately and wishing I had less of it. I am rubbish at using things up though unless they are the only products at my disposal so a makeup bag was the solution I have been craving. I had been planning to pick out a selection of products and just use those for a while so when I unwrapped the Ted Baker beauty that Grandma had kindly given me I did a little skip of joy.

Two C's

A couple of months ago, around my birthday, I made a trip to Lincoln with one brand on my mind. I had saved my birthday money and desperately needed some prescription sunglasses so I popped to the optician where I got my spectacles the year before intending to purchase a lovely pair of Chanel sunnies with bows on the sides.

I was disappointed. My optician has stopped stocking Chanel of all kinds (I had to check while trying not to hyperventilate that they would still be able to re-lens my specs, they can. Phew)

Needless to say that I was really rather disappointed by my Chanel-less trip to the opticians, and what do disappointed Chanel-less girls with a wad of birthday cash burning a hole in their handbags do? Why they nip into House of Fraser.



Not to be dissuaded I went home with two things I had been lusting after for a loooong time but which didn't really fit the impulse buy bill. Vitalumiere Aqua foundation in 20 and Powder blush in Rose Initial (I have been steadily using up all my foundations so that I could buy that one, it has taken me a year, and don't even get me started on that blush, I first saw someone using it on a bus when I was 16 and I may have drooled)

I had a lovely consultation, but I was yet again disappointed. I had heard of the oh so elusive Les Beiges, the lovely counter girl tried it on my skin and it felt amazing with the fancy kabuki brush and looked wonderful. I would treat myself I thought! Oh but of course it was not in stock. She would add me to the list, they were expecting some in August.

August isn't so long to wait I thought, and it could be a late present to myself! So I happily handed over my details and skipped from the store with my two long sought after products.

I waited, I checked every counter in Meadowhall when I visited at the end of July, I waited some more, August had been and gone.

And then two weeks ago I got a call from a withheld number. I considered just sending it to voicemail, at the time me and my mum were battling a hall wardrobe, it was an inopportune moment.

I'm glad I didn't!









Isn't it pretty!? I picked it up on my next trip into the city, and absolutely love it!

The brush is so soft and in no way, shape or form the sort of brush you would just throw away, the plastic protector cap will be staying firmly on during travel thank you very much, and the powder just sinks into my skin looking like it isn't there, but providing a nice light coverage which can be made fuller when paired over the top of my Vitalumiere aqua.

I haven't been using it long enough to say wether I think this is going to be a favourite of repurchasing status, but so far I really do love it. I am also tempted by the fancy kabuki brush, it was just so. damn. soft.

Have you tried Les Beiges?

Just Call Me Pandy

I have recently discovered something about myself, I hate waterproof mascara!

I had been wondering lately why I didn't wear waterproof mascara, with the weather getting hotter, and hayfever making my eyes itchy and watery, it seemed like the logical thing to do. Wear waterproof and it solves my problems!

I bought the L'Oreal Telescopic waterproof mascara after Anna of Vivianna Does Makeup had raved about it so much thinking that it would surely be the one to try, but alas I am afraid I have to disagree with her. Now don't get me wrong, I like the telescopic range, I love the brush for its separating capabilities, I just hate how much effort it takes for me to get the damn stuff off. Even using my Micellar Solution following Lisa Eldridge's instructions and then following with my Hot Cloth Cleanser I struggle and end up losing at least one lash. 

After making my eyes even more sore using this for a few weeks, I caved and went and bought a different, plain old lets the water make it run mascara and I am now much happier. Waterproof simply isn't for me it seems, I'd choose panda eyes any day over red sore ones! 

And which lesson has this taught me? If I don't use something and haven't for a good long while, there is probably a reason for it, and just because I can't remember that reason 

doesn't mean I should question it!!

Now, what to do with the second one I bought as part of the offer.

Do you wear waterproof mascara?

xo

April/May Empties

Sorry, sorry, blah blah. It has been over a month since I've written a beauty blog post, and it has mainly just been because I have been a busy bee. 

May was my birthday month, so I scheduled a post or two and then got swept away in having fun, I've decorated my room (all nice and neutral cream, loooovely) and spent some time fixing cars with my other half. I've also been working two jobs which is slowly picking up steam, but this week I am on holiday from them both, so I have jotted down a few blog posts and I am determined to post!

If you follow my youtube channel you might have noticed that it has been even longer since I made a video, and that is for the same reasons, it is simply very time consuming, so you might find that some of my normal video content will migrate over to blog content so that I can easily get it out there.

If you do like my ramblings and aren't limited to following beauty, you can find me on my other blog more frequently at the moment, as I am spending a lot of time reading, it can be found here!

Now throughout all this time being oh so busy, I have to admit I haven't bought many products, which rather stumps me on what I can write about, but I have used up quite a few which I am insanely proud about! I am all about clearing out the junk and clutter at the moment, selling things on ebay, trading in DVDs and using up loads of my products.

Without further ado, here are April and May's empties!

La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution

£11.50 from Boots

I mentioned this in my first ever empties post, and it has now become one of my constant repurchases. I have decided that I am going to give Bioderma a proper go once I have used up all my backup's of this stuff, but if it doesn't measure up I will be straight back to grabbing these on 3 for 2. The main reason I grab for it again and again is that it just works, it lifts my makeup and any grease on my face up and away leaving me feeling nice and clean without any residue, perfect for before a full face cleanse or even when I can't be bothered to do the full routine.

Weleda Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash

£8.95 from Boots

I received this in a Glossybox a while back, and at first I was sceptical. I don't really buy in to the whole luxury shower gel thing, I like to have one from The Body Shop or something, but nearly £10 a bottle is pushing it a bit. I did really like this though, it isn't for you if you aren't fond of the scent as it lingers a bit and definitely makes the bathroom smell lovely, but if you are after a shower cream that will leave you moisturised and feeling a little bit special then give this a go. I can't say anything for the anti-aging properties, but it is worth noting that when used to shave my legs, I didn't need to moisturise afterwards! 

Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash

£12.26 for 260ml from John Lewis

Another shower gel from a beauty box, and this time one I really hated. I had issues with the Balance Me hand cream scent last time, and this time the scent really put me off. I am not a fan of roses, and my skin hates the scent from them and breaks out in little bumps. Turns out that applies to the rest of my skin too not just my face! I'm sure many people would love this product, and I have to say for a sulphate free product it did lather nicely and didn't require lots of product per use, but for me it just caused hassle.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

£8.99 from Boots

This is a holy grail product and I've even written about it, nuff said!

Simple Soothing Facial Toner

£2.99 from All good supermarkets

I always seem to pick up this toner, and it has featured in an empties post before, but I think next time I might branch out. I have my eyes on an Avene mattifying one, but if you are after a basic, cheap toner, this is a great one to try.

No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara in Brown/Black

£13 from Boots, or use a No7 voucher for £5 off!

I really enjoyed this mascara, which is why I was happy to pick up two, but it does dry out quickly, one tube usually lasts me about two months before I have to change because it is making my eyes sting.
 I can't honestly say that it curls my lashes as I always use an eyelash curler, but it holds them steady throughout the day without being too crispy and it is easy to remove.

Bionova Bioactive Cleanser

£29 from Bionova

I'm not entirely sure on the price of this one, as I got this sample in a Glossybox and although their website says £29, I can't find a product which perfectly matches this on the Bionova website (which is quite complicated) and so it could cost more. I wouldn't be repurchasing anyway as it left a weird rubbery feeling on my skin, and isn't suited to my combination skin type anyway. I think there are probably better known similarly priced cleansers out there if you wanted to splash out on a fancy one.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser

£15.50 from House of Fraser

When Kiehl's popped up in my local House of Fraser last year I really wanted to try the eye cream or the hand cream that I had been lusting after on YouTube, on discovering that they were US only, I plumped for trying their best selling all around suitor moisturiser. I liked it, but it was a little greasy for me, and when I was taking Roaccutane it stinged like mad, which doesn't fill me with confidence.
If you have dry skin, I say grab a sample, but otherwise, despite it saying it is for all skin types, I would maybe give it a miss.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermofoliant

£41 for 75ml from Dermalogica

Oh yes you read that right, FOURTY ONE POUNDS! For an exfoliator! This sample came from Glossybox and unlike the lipbalm which I really loved, this didn't stand out for me at all. I am currently using a similar exfoliator from The Sanctuary which is a quarter of the price, so no way in hell would I repurchase this. I know Dermalogica is expensive, but I honestly can't say that this worked any differently to my other heat activated exfoliators, so that would be a big fat no!

Sanex Dermoinvisible Antiperspirant

£1.55 from Boots, Supermarkets

I'm talking about another deodorant! I had to mention this one though because I wasn't particularly fond of it. It didn't seem to have as much product in it as other ones I have used, wasn't very moisturising, and it didn't have a nice accompanying smell. It did however work in the sweat stakes, and I was free of white marks while I used it. 

How many empties have you run up lately? I get a great sense of satisfaction when I pop another tub in my special empties box.
:) 

Oh NARS, I Love you!

From top to bottom, and left to right in the swatch, is Ashes to Ashes, 413 Blkr, and Lhasa

This post requires a large picture.

Last month I had a little splurge, I meant to post about ti at the time but forgot, typical, but I can't just let this one pass by, it needs to be documented because these are my first Nars Eyeshadow purchases and I believe they have stirred a passion within me which will cost me a lot of money. 

It all started when I heard about Lhasa, I'm not entirely sure where I first heard/saw it, it could have been any number of bloggers or twitter, but I saw it, and I knew I had to have it. I have a thing for taupes, I still haven't written the post about it, but I do love them. Lhasa is a perfect taupe for me. 

Then I saw a post comparing Lhasa to this shade I had never heard of before, 413 Blkr, a limited edition shade released to commemorate the opening of a Nars store in New York City. Oh now that was a pretty taupe with more grey, I love all taupes with grey, but I still loved Lhasa! I would have to bit the bullet and get both. You can only pick up 413 Blkr from the Nars website, and if you have used their service before you will know that they charge a ridiculous amount for shipping despite the items being TINY so of course I had to bump my cart up to get the free shipping, and I added Ashes to Ashes.

When they arrived I was quite prepared for Lhasa and 413 Blkr to be very close shades, but was pleasently surprised to find them completely different. The purple in Lhasa makes it a much deeper shade, much more like a crease colour than 413 Blkr which would be an all over lid colour for me.

Ashes to Ashes is simply a gorgeous brown, and one I think I have been searching for for a while, not too deep not too light, not too shimmery and doesn't make me look like I have an eye infection, perfecto!

The formula of these shadows is also fabulous, they are soft, easily blended, and richly, yet subtly pigmented. I am usually a staunch fan of MAC eyeshadows but sometimes find pigmentation and texture don't quite match up, but these shadows have a nice soft level of colour payoff when used which means it is hard to apply too much, and easy to blend them to the desired finish. They also aren't so soft that they go everywhere like my Urban Decay shadows do, which lord knows is good for me because I am awful at correcting mistakes with my eyeshadow application. 

They are the perfect shadow for me, and I can already think of a few more shades I would like, my purse is quivering with fear!

Nars Lhasa and Ashes to Ashes Eyeshadows can be found at a variety of retailers such as ASOS, House of Fraser and HQHair and are priced between £16 and £17, 

but 413 Blkr (£17) is only available at Nars Cosmetics

xo :)

Top Pout: Shy Girl

The sun is shining outside, that means I can write a top pout post about a very popular summer lippy, MAC's Shy Girl.

I haven't had this lipstick that long, or rather I have had it for a year but couldn't wear it because of my skin treatment, but oh do I love it!
This shade and MAC's ravishing are two of my favourite MAC lipsticks for summer and I think it is because they are peach. I have a bit of a love affair with peach when summertime comes around, I will maybe do a post on it. While typically someone with my fair skin should go for lighter pinks, once the sun is truly shining I shun most of my pink blushers and go for glowy peaches even though I have always been told that they weren't really right for me. 

Personally I think this lipstick, another of the Cremesheen formulas, is perfect for summer days when you don't want to look too done but also don't want to look like you haven't made an effort. Matched with a blush such as Vivo Peaches and Cream and a bit of bronzer this looks ever so pretty. I used to be petrified of shades like this, leaning far too orange for what I deemed acceptable, but these soft peaches are my attempt at doing something different.
Now my lips are fairly pigmented naturally, so this almost nude peach is very light on me, if I want more of an obvious peach that suits my natural lip colour better I go for Revlon Peach, and if I want a pop of colour I go for MAC Ravishing, or Ever Hip for a coral version, but for looking ladylike and pretty when you are around your grandmother and wearing a girly dress, Shy Girl is just the thing.

£14.50 from MAC Cosmetics

xo :)

March Empties

Apologies for the lateness of posting, again. I have been so busy with work I just haven't got around to blogging much lately, but I have taken loads of pictures the past few days while I can and hopefully should have a few posts to go soon.

So March was a very productive month on the empties front, finally I had a large amount of finished products, and my first makeup product! It made me so happy I instagrammed it.

Without further ado, here are the empties for March!

Body Shop Coconut Shower Cream

£4 for 250ml form The Body Shop

This is a product that is a bit of a staple for me, I mentioned in my January Empties that I keep a supply of Body Shop shower products in my cupboard because they are some of the only nicely scented ones that I can use without irritation. The coconut shower cream is my go to for when my skin needs a bit more nourishment, and I will continue to use and repurchase this for a while I think!

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water

£9 for 200ml from Boots

I grabbed this cleansing water after seeing it on a couple of blogs when the new No7 range first launched thinking ooo this could be a good alternative to my Micellar solutions. Boy was I wrong. I had never used any No7 skincare before other than the face wipes, and as all face wipes give me little allergy breakouts I didn't think anything of it when I had miniature mountain ranges on my face. But when I tried this product it because clear to me that No7 reacts the same as Clinique on my skin, it gives me awful hard little bumps all over and should be avoided. Thankfully I had used nearly 3/4 of the bottle when I narrowed the reaction down to this product, so I simply used the rest up sharpish and went back to my La Roche Posay. I was a little disappointed though as I quite like the pump (even if its closing mechanism is a little loose) and the price is cheaper than my standard cleansers. If you are ok with No7 products normally I would give this a try, especially if you have a £5 off voucher.

It is also worth noting that at the same time I purchased a night cream, and didn't use it as my other one wasn't finished yet, and Boots took it back for a full refund with no quibbles what so ever when I explained, I was really impressed with their customer service!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Take The Heat Deep Treatment

£4.99 from Boots or any good supermarket

Now I don't heat treat my hair that often, but I do feel like the ends get a little ragged as my hair tangles very easily and gets knotty, so I grabbed this to help revive it a little, and while I got some lovely compliments about my hair while using it, it isn't a product I am loyal to. The product left my hair sliky and smooth but still in need of a serum during the day, while it felt moisturised while in the shower, once it had air dried I didn't notice a huge difference.

 I come back to aussie often because they are often on reduced price offers and things, but I think in future for deep treatments I will try slightly higher end products to see if they are worth it. 

L'Oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara

£10.99 from Boots

I picked this particular mascara up after hearing the waterproof telescopic mascara raved about on YouTube, and Boots didn't have any in stock. I figured what the hell, clean definition is more my kind of thing anyway. I did quite like the product as it gave me nicely separated lashes, and it lasted a reasonable amount of time before drying out, but I wouldn't purchase it again. The steep price tag has put me off, I have used much better mascaras from other brands, and I would only grab it if it was on a decent offer.

Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion

£8.99 from Boots or Lloyds Pharmacy

The cleanser that accompanies this lotion is one of my holy grail products, but unfortunately for me the lotion isn't as great. I have used this both on my face, where it doesn't sink in quickly enough, and on my body, where it doesn't hydrate enough. However, if you are undergoing Roaccutane treatment it is amazing as it doesn't irritate at all or clog pores, and as your skin is very dry during treatment it sinks in nicely.

Sanctuary Spa Perfectly Polished Hot Cloth Cleanser

£10.20 from Boots

The tube pictured here is actually the old packaging, and I believe a different product to the new packaging currently available on Boots shelves. The new product is by far superior, so don't worry about missing out in that sense. I am a big advocate of the sanctuary hot cloth cleanser though because with my skin it does exactly the same as the Liz Earle one but without such a strong scent. This one is also a few quid cheaper, and you can even get it for an extra £5 off when Boots have those discount vouchers that print with your receipt, pretty good in my books! 

I already have a couple of bottles of the new packaging version of this in my cabinet and one on the go, I will be repurchasing this for a long time.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Cocoa Flower Hand Cream

£8 for 30ml from L'Occitane 

I received this in a magazine absolutely ages ago and am so glad I did. This product is amazing, it is hydrating without being greasy, sinks in quickly and smells divine. Think cocoa, but milder, softer, and more delicate. The ladies at work have all complimented the scent of this product and loved it when they have tried some, next time I am in Sheffield I will be popping in for another tube!

Bobbi Brown Oil Free Even Finish Compact Foundation

£29.00 from House of Fraser

This is one of those products that I have both loved and hated while I have used it. Initially I was thrilled with how it made my skin look, having found it difficult to get a decent shade match for a long time when I spotted a new Bobbi Brown counter I was in House of Fraser like a shot and getting my makeup done by Georgina, one of the head artists for the UK. I looked slightly radiant with a nice and even skintone and felt great. Then after a while it started to look awful and cakey as the product started to dry out no matter how thinly I applied it, and had completely slid off my face by lunchtime, it lost its lustre rather quickly. 

After giving it a break and coming back to the product intending to finish it up, I found that when applying it with the Cosmopolitan Beauty Blender dupe I liked the lighter application I got and actually found I could work with it.

 I will never repurchase as the price is exorbitant for not being completely satisfied, but it wasn't a bad product per-se.

Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream

£14.50 for 100ml from Balance Me also available in Waitrose

I received this hand cream in my first ever Carmine Box and at first I hated it. It took me some time to get used to the scent, and the cream is very thick so not great for while I am working (the main time I use hand cream), and while the density of the cream means it is deeply moisturising, it also means it leaves you a little greasy after application. 

I do love that the product is 98.8% natural, and can actually be used most places on your body for intense dry patches, not just your hands, but the scent is hard to get over. They use essential oils that have added skin benefits and while the reasoning behind it is sound, I just wish it didn't whiff quite so much!

So there you have it, a lot of empties this month and only a couple I would repurchase. 

How many empties did you rack up in march? I already have quite a few for April.

:) xo

Like Butta!

I got my mitts on some Revlon Lip Butter's yesterday, they were just sitting there in my tiny little Boots store (it's the one near where I work, and when I say tiny I mean tiny!) Obviously I tweeted straight away, and then applied one of the shades as I walked to work, I was that excited.

As you do when you buy something new and you have a blog, some photograph taking and swatching was in order, so here they are, I purchased some of the brightest shades, and all shades without shimmer. I've never been a huge fan of shimmer, so that was just a personal preference, and I went for bright shades as I was able to swatch them at different opacities on my hand so they seemed the most versatile. I am seriously looking forward to giving these a go this summer!

From left to right these are Tutti Frutti, Candy Apple and Sweet Tart, and these swatches are with 1-2 swipes. The colour shows up nicely and the texture is lovely and smooth as expected.

Again top to bottom these are in the same order, and these are a medium opacity swatch I would say. I could definitely build them up some more if I wanted, but this is probably how I would wear them.

You might just be able to make out that these do catch a little on any flakiness, and I wouldn't say that they could take the place of a lip balm, or my Korres Lip Butter, they simply aren't moisturising enough. For what is sold as a lip butter I think of them more as a glossy sheer lipstick, and would definitely put a balm underneath for everyday wear.

I haven't had a chance to properly test these out for wear, but I suspect they will need quite a bit of reapplying during the day. I am no stranger to this however, and the price isn't so steep that it would ever really annoy me.

These are £7.99 each from Boots 

(currently they are in the 3 for 2, and if you're lucky like me you might get a £2 off Revlon voucher with your advantage card leaflet this month)

I hope that Boots eventually carry more of the shades of these, my local store had 8 shades, though online there are more, and I know in America that there are many more. I know I would like to try a few more of them out. What about you? Have you tried any yet?

Stila Good

Oh I'm so funny! Do you get it? Stila Good, Still Good?
I know, I'm terrible.

Anyway, so I have been wanting to post about these since I got them for Christmas last year, but I am always a little wary of posting things received as gifts and didn't want to just start shouting about how I had received them, so a review was the best way to talk about them.

As I am sure you all know, a few years ago Stila was a readily available brand in the UK, not as easy to get hold of as it is now (as far as I can remember) but it was available. And then they did a Sephora and went away (Yes we used to have Sephora's too, those should take a leaf out of Stila's book and come the hell back!!) Last year Stila relaunched in the UK in Boots stores, usually the slightly larger ones with a few counters, and in my local stores took the place of Urban Decay, which never seemed to be stocked so to me I was happy for the exchange.



Before Christmas I went shopping with my Mum and spotted the Stila counter and decided to do a bit of swatching, I knew I wanted Kitten after hearing so much about it being Mac All That Glitters but better, as that particular shade tends to make me look tired. Personally, I think Kitten is nothing like All That Glitters, it has none of the awful peachy tone which makes me look so unrested, and is instead a gorgeous champagne gold which I love to wear over Mac Bare Study Paint Pot to keep me looking bright and awake. I suspect after I have finished that Paint Pot I will be picking up the Kitten Smudge pot and possibly the grey one too (stay tuned for more about my love affair with grey). As you can see in the picture above, there is a bit of fall out with this product, which irritates my OCD self a bit, but when on the lid I don't find it falling all over my cheeks and making me look like a glitter ball.

The Convertible Colour in Lillium was not so much of a certain purchase. I love cream blush, it is my absolute favourite form of blush and has been for almost a year now, but I wasn't sure I would use this on the lips as it is a bit of a weird shade. I have since gathered that it is actually somewhat of a cult product, but at the time I had no idea and eventually chose this shade after swatching all the other convertible colours several times and debating for enough time to annoy my mum. I decided to go for this one because it was the most natural, and most likely to fill a gap in my cream blush collection and so far I love it.

No I haven't worn it on the lips yet, and I doubt I will as I fear it will be drying, but I absolutely love it as a quick blush which I can grab, apply and go. It doesn't dry down to a powder finish, which I am grateful for as I am finding my favourite type of cream blush is one which stays cream. Because of this it gives me a beautiful fresh sheen which I think helps me stay looking youthful and pretty without being oily, despite my combination skin. The formula is slightly sticky, in comparison to say Illamasqua cream blushers, so isn't quite so smooth to apply, but due to that it also stays on the skin well and a quick dab to blend is sufficient to keep the shade even.

Stila products are available at larger Boots stores and online and Feel Unique and HQ Hair with free delivery, and are sort of in a medium/high price range. The Convertible Colour is £16, the eyeshadow around £13 which I think is a reasonably good price for the quality of the product.

Have you ever tried Stila before?

xo

Korres Blimey!!

Korres Lip Butters in Guava and Quince, and the
Watermelon Tinted Moisturiser swatched (left) and blended (right).

Before I received the January Carmine box I had been curious about Korres, but I had never tried any of their products. Then I spotted the discount voucher in the box and thought, why not!? I had been recommended the Watermelon Lightweight Tinted Moisturiser several months before by a friend but at the time I heard it was to be discontinued and resigned myself to never trying it myself.

After spotting the voucher I popped onto the House of Fraser site, had a little browse and lo and behold, there it was. I promptly popped the lightest shade 'Light Sand' in my cart, and added the Quince Lip Butter to bump me over the spending limit.

When I received the items I was very excited, Korres products are just impossible for me to swatch so I was a little disappointed the tinted moisturiser was a bit dark, but I know in the summer the shade will be perfectly fine (I have a little bit of MAC left and a whole tube of Laura Mercier for when I am paler) so I will have to review that at a later date when I can wear it regularly, but as an oil free formula I am sure it will be wonderful.

The real excitement was for the lip butter though, I am a lip balm junkie, and will have to do a collection video soon as I have about 25, and these lip butters are so popular in the blogging world that I was just praying they didn't disappoint. They really didn't! The Quince Lip Butter is oh so soft and has strong pigmentation much like the Sleek Pout Polishes, but with a light fruity scent which doesn't give me a headache.

After having so much success with the Quince lip butter, I knew I wanted more so when I spotted them in Waitrose last weekend I snapped up the Guava version, an untinted shade, so much more suitable for every day use, the Guava lip butter has another light fruity scent which is just delicious. The formulation is composed of both Shea Butter and Rice Wax which are supposed to provide deep hydration and so I would definitely recommend them as a slightly luxurious lip balm, especially if you are prone to particularly dry lips. I have tried other lip butters, in particular the ones from the Body Shop, but I would definitely choose these over their offerings, Korres just does the job so much better!

Korres is available from House of Fraser and the Tinted Moisturiser is priced at £19, the Lip Butters at £6 each.

Do you use any Korres products?

xo :)

Review: L'Oreal Color Infallible

As promised, here are the pictures I said I had taken from my recent review video. I've inserted the video below in case you haven't already seen it, as in it I actually apply this shadow as I do on an everyday basis, so it's sort of an advanced swatch!

You can find the product here at Boots or Superdrug and I am sure most large supermarkets, and it actually retails for £6.99, not £6.50 so apologies for that!

Will you be giving these a try?

:) xo

P.S. Does it bug anyone else when they have to write in American English because of a product name? No? Just me? 

Top Pout: Chanel Rouge Noir

Now I have to admit I was pretty sure winter would have slipped away by the time I got this post up, and I really didn't want it to have as for me this is the ultimate winter lipstick.

Chanel Rouge Coco in Rouge Noir is a beautiful deep berry shade that looks positively terrifying in the bullet, but can be used a multitude of different ways to make sure that you get plenty of use out of that twenty-odd quid lipstick. 

I picked this up about a year ago along with Clinique Black Honey after watching Lisa Eldridge do a video on dark lipstick (which she has since reshot with a Tom Ford shade).

The way she used just one deep dark lipstick in so many different ways to create a multitude of looks completely appealed to me, and the fact that it was Chanel sent me straight to the nearest counter.

In the picture above I shown it worn three ways, the top is the lipstick alone, over a lipbalm which is providing an extra glossy finish. 

This is the way I wear this shade for a special occasion, and I did post an OOTD/FOTD sort of post a while back when I was going to a party where I wore this. I find that when combined with fair skin and dark hair the colour gives that luxe vampish look, without looking like you regularly listen to heavy metal (to use an awful stereotype).

 It looks absolutely grown up, it may just be because of the packaging and the feeling that evokes, but I feel more grown up when I wear it too. 

I haven't done so in the picture above as I wanted to give an accurate swatch, but when I do wear this in its full capacity for colour I use the Clinique Plummy Quickliner for Lips to ensure it lasts the whole night without sliding all over.

The second picture is me wearing the shade as a stain, deeply pushed into the lines of the lips but not layered thickly to create the deeper shade, this simply makes me look as if I have been eating winter berries and is a much more wearable day look for me. As it is staining the lips it doesn't take a huge amount of touching up, though again I recommend a good lipbalm as it can cling to flakes when worn this way.

Finally I am showing the stain method topped with a gloss, and my favourite to pair with Rouge Noir is Mac's Oyster Girl. I would wear this over the shade be it worn as a stain or a full on berry lip, as its silvery lilac shimmer softens the brown in the colour and instantly makes it a bit more wearable (browner shades are not good on me, nuh-uh!).

I will also note that I do also use this as a blush as Lisa instructed, and it was what first got me into trying cream blushers!

A pricey lipstick, but definitely worth the splurge

xo :)

Top Pout: Mac Russian Red

It doesn't seem right to let Valentine's day pass by 

(even though I personally think it is a money grabbing holiday and greeted my boyfriend this morning with "Happy Hallmark Day") 

without doing a nice red lipstick post.

Now in my current collection, lipstick doesn't get redder than this shade, Russian Red is the absolute pinnacle of bold red lips for me. I find that all of the Mac reds are nice and pigmented, but when it came to purchasing one I went for this shade purely because it is so strongly pigmented. It means that I can safely sheer it out if I want to, or go for a classic strong lip if the occasion (or outfit) calls for it.

As you can see the formulation is a matte, which is the shade's only real downside for me. I do find it rather drying and have to make sure I pre-prep my lips with a nice slick of lipbalm beforehand.
I pair this shade with Mac's Cherry Lip Liner, though I haven't in the picture above, which is a perfect match in shade, and together they make sure that the lipstick stays on for several hours without needing touch ups, even enduring eating and drinking at a Wimpy! (I once wore this to go shopping for a day, and it survived perfectly)

At £13.50, mac lipsticks are neither the cheapest nor the most expensive on the market, but as I have said before I do find that their formulations are well worth the extra couple of pounds. A decent red lipstick isn't usually used regularly, and so is worth being classed as an investment piece in my opinion. I certainly class this shade as a great investment.

:) xo

Top Pout: Clinique Black Honey

When I am deciding which of these posts to write next I have a list that I refer to and try to pick my favourites, and today I was going to post about Clinique Baby Baby. 

It occurred to me though that recently I have mentioned this lipstick several times, and as it is an autumn/winter shade on this particularly rainy day I should maybe post on this one instead! 

(Don't worry, Baby Baby will be featured once it warms up a bit)

I have been a fan of this shade from Clinique for a couple of years now and it becomes an immediate staple in my handbag as soon as the weather turns cold. 

I was initially introduced to it by Lisa Eldridge in her original plum lipstick video where she demonstrated several ways to use a deep lipstick (the new version of this video features a Tom Ford lipstick, but the original was Chanel Rouge Noir) and Lisa used Black Honey as an easier way to achieve the tinted/stained softer way to wear a deep shade than faffing about with lightly applying the deeper coloured Chanel. 

I saw it in the video and loved it, swatched it in store the next day bought it immediately and I haven't regretted it since.

Black Honey looks really quite scary in the tube, especially if you don't think about the fact that this is an almost lipstick. It applies like a gloss or a balm, really softly, and provides a beautiful healthy sheen while still providing a little bit of a deeper autumnal colour.

Because it is so sheer it doesn't require a mirror to reapply, and surprisingly lasts a reasonable amount of time. It lacks the slipperiness of a true gloss so it doesn't slip right off, but it does need to be topped up every couple of hours.

This past autumn Clinique released a limited edition set of eyeshadows and blusher to match this shade, and I am absolutely gutted that I missed out on the blusher, so if they re-release it I will be snapping one up. 

For now though I am content keeping my Almost Lipstick safe as I will always fall back on it during the colder months.

Currently it is priced at £16 and I picked up mine from Boots, but you can get this from any good Clinique Counter.

:) xo

Top Pout: Natural Collection Rose Bud

 

I haven't written one of these in a while, a multitude of reasons for that really, mainly lighting and things, but I am hoping to keep up with them this year as I eventually want to profile all of my favourite lipsticks (i.e. most of my collection) on here so that I don't have to do a lipstick collection video!

So this is Boots Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Rosebud.

 

 For me this is one of those my lips but rather a lot better shades, it generally works well to make me look better put together and generally healthier. It is a deep enough pink to be bold, and doesn't have a dusky tone which would mute the colour, instead it manages to be both deep and bright, with a subtle gold shimmer which you can't really see on the lips but which adds a healthy shine and keeps the lips looking plump and pretty.

The formula is slightly glossy in a soft way as opposed to an in your face shine way, which also generally means that they are a little bit moisturising, though personally I would wear a lipbalm under them as over time they can dry the lips out a little. 

They make no claims to be long lasting, and I do find that if I want to maintain a solid colour on my lips I do need to touch them up every hour or so, or when I remember, but to be quite honest the next point means that I really don't care about that.

These bad boys are £2!! TWO POUNDS for a decent wearable lipstick in a range of lovely shades, some of which have shimmer some of which do not. It is really impressive that we can now find these items at these prices on the high street. The price also means that I can have these thrown in my bag and I don't care about if they get damaged, or if they melt next to the radiator, or if they get lost when I am rooting around for my purse. There is something to be said for a lipstick that you would miss if you lost it, but not for long because you can cheaply and easily replace it. I actually couldn't find a link on the Boots website, so I really hope they aren't discontinued, but they were definitely in my local store the other day.

Next time you walk past the Natural Collection display grab one for a swatch, it will be worth it!

:) xo

A Messy Operation

I spent a couple of hours swatching all my lipsticks today, I took 117 photographs! 3 of each lipstick. 

They're for my top pout posts, first one of 2012 will be up on sunday, and some bad lippy posts too as lord knows there are a good amount of those out there too.

As you can see it was quite a messy operation, and it did require a lot of lip balm, 

but now all the lip swatches are done it will be a lot easier for me to get the posts written 

as the lip swatches are always the most difficult. 

I also may have had a little play with photoshop this evening.

 I used to know how to do so many great looking tricks with it but haven't really tried for several years, but after following Pugly Pixel for ages I started watching her tutorials and got a few of her web design bits and had a go! 

I think it looks quite fun.

:) xo

October Favourites

I managed to keep my October Favourites quite short this month, which is something I have been trying to do in order to keep the upload times down. 

Obviously I filmed this a few weeks ago now, but I have pretty much been sticking to the same products all month. 

Enjoy!

xo

OOTN with Rouge Noir

Terrible lighting, but a diddy OOTN, black H&M flippy skater hem dress and blazer, M&S opaque black tights and I am wearing some black patent Mary Jane block heels from ALDO.

The lippy is the awesome Chanel Rouge Coco in Rouge Noir, topped with MAC oyster girl gloss :)
Wish I had had time to take a picture of my eye makeup, it's a pretty grey crease with winged liner though, and perfume is Armani Diamond.

Happy Friday people :)

Review: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

I reviewed the new Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation the other day.

I picked this up for around £8 in Superdrug (though I can't find it on the website),

 but it is also available at Boots.

After using the product for a couple of weeks I am really enjoying it as a light coverage, fresh looking and feeling base. For the winter I feel it will possibly be quite moisturising and might help me stave off the dreaded dry skin dullness.

Definitely worth taking a look at!

xo