Top Fave… Lip Combo

Hello ladies! How is your Sunday going? I hope your making the most of the sunshine!
I worked a night shift last night and unfortunately my body has decided that 4 and a half hours sleep is the new 8 hours. This means my Sunday will be spent in my dressing gown on the sofa watching the F1 eating Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper Tyrrells…not that I’m complaining!

As I’m sure you are very aware by now, I am a total lipstick fiend! I have so many I don’t want to count. The idea of how much £ they have cost me makes me feel a little ill. Which is why I’m so overjoyed to be entertaining the idea of finishing one!

MAC’s Angel has been a consistent fave for a long long while, it’s so easy to slap on and go without worrying too much about my lip line (ain’t nobody got time to apply lip liner EVERY time!) and it wears fairly well, two hours or so on me. It’s a frost formulation which sounds like a horrific 90’s throwback but it’s not noticeable. Thank god.
My tube of Angel is now a shadow of it’s former self so it’s high time for the final push to use it up so it can go to lipstick heaven. I’ve been wearing it with a dab of Clinique’s Long Last Glosswear in Air Kiss, a sample from Glamour magazine at some point.







This is just an easy to wear lip that goes with everything. I don’t like to pile on the makeup for work because barely anyone wears any but this makes me feel ‘done’ without feeling like a overdone tramp. Bonus!
Once my husk of a stump of Angel has depleted I will try Air Kiss with MAC’s Creme Cup, a similar shade that I also love!
Are you a fan of Angel? Or Ange in my case as the label has worn…

One last thing…

Bought some new Havaianas after having my old ones for 6 years…GRIM!

AAAAHHHH BUTTON IS OUT!! DEVASTATED!!!!!!!!!

A JadeyLou Initiative Numero Dos–Lip Products

Following on from my earlier post about rotating my products round during my weekly boring-as-hell work makeup routine – here is the lip products edition…
I don’t mean to sound like a dick but lip products – I have a million of the feckers so the aim of this game is to stop reaching for MAC Angel – or ‘Ange’ as she is now known – man up and use some other shizzle.


L-R: Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, Rimmel Moisture Renew in Coral Queen, NYX Tea Rose, Wet N Wild MegaLast in Just Peachy and Dollhouse Pink, Sleek Sheen Coral Reef, MAC Ange (Angel), 17 Mirror Shine Beehive, Topshop Lip Stick in Coy and Barry M 147 Peachy Pink.
So operation Don’t Use MAC Ange was a fail from the off but I have used a few other bits since this programmes introduction two weeks ago.

Revlon, Rimmel, NYX, Wet n Wild Peachy

Wet n Wild Peachy, Wet n Wild Pink, Sleek, MAC

MAC, 17, Topshop, Barry M

Oh dear hairy arm swatches.
You can see there is a bit of variation, I had to use the Rimmel and Sleek lightly to be work friendly/not look like a clown. You can also see that the Topshop and Barry M are very similar. Unfortunately they both have a difficult formula as well and are impossible to wear alone, both of these I wore topped with glosses.
Bringing me nicely on to…

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Right Image, Clinique Superbalm in Raspberry (sample maybe from Glamour magazine?), 17 Va Va Voom in So Peach, Barry M 5, HEMA Lipgloss Shine

Same order as above

And one more for luck. I love wearing Right Image over Angel and So Peach over Barry M 147, those have been my favourite combination I’ve found since following this initiative but I will post these with lip swatches in a separate post
I know it’s a bit boring just swatching but I haven’t shown nearly enough of my collection and this is one way to plough through it!
I will update as I use more and more, 15 down ten million more to go!

Exit Interviews: Concealers

Happy weekend ladies! How are your Saturdays? I had an early night last night reading, an early morning swim this morning and now I can barely move my arms or legs! A trip to Matalan may be in order this afternoon as I have my eye on some beautiful shoes but I should really be spending my money on presents or not be spending it at all and saving for a deposit on the flat I am going to need to rent by the end of the month for my new job! Who can resist pretty shoes though? Surely it’s not just me!

Anyway, as part of my not spending any money drive I have been using products I have at home, even if I have used them and didn’t like them. By using them in different ways or combining them with other products I’ve managed to finish two products this last week.

Concealer is one of the mainstays of my routine. I cannot (ok I can but I don’t like it) go with out. I have tried just about everything to try and hide my dark circles from a number of brands and here are two I’ve finished….

This is Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer in Porcelain with White powder and Clinique’s Airbrush Concealer in 04 Neutral Fair.

I don’t know if the packaging has changed on this as this is around a year old but it has two layers, a concealer on top and powder to set it on the bottom. I got this after receiving my student loan and deciding to finally sort out my complexion products once and for all. I marched to the Bobbi Brown counter at my local John Lewis and came away with the Skin Foundation, Corrector and Concealer. If you have hideously dark circles like me you are supposed to apply the corrector then concealer then set. I did this for aggges as it was ‘what I’m supposed to do’, ignoring the fact that it was cakey as hell on me and didn’t cover sh*t, so eventually I stopped bothering and moved on to something else.

This time, to make it work for me I applied my eye cream only a few minutes rather then leaving it to sink in fully. I then used this mixed on the back of my hand with a little of Collection 2000’s Lasting Perfection concealer, patted it on with a brush then blended with my fingers. The powder ran out ages ago so I set it with whatever loose powder I have in front of me. The shade of the Bobbi Brown concealer alone is a little off on me so mixing it gave it a more peachy tone to cover my circles better as well as blending more with my skin tone. I actually liked the combination and would have used it daily for a while if it hadn’t of run out. However for the price (£17 on the Bobbi Brown website) it really should be able to do the job on it’s own.

Conclusion: No repurchase

This concealer is also from ages ago! It’s Clinique’s Airbrush Concealer as far as I can remember, though it is now showing in different coloured packaging on their website where it retails for £16.

Again when using this previously I had trouble with coverage both alone and over Bobbi Brown’s corrector. I have used just about every concealer in this bloody pen form on the market and NONE of them have been worth the excessive geld they retail for (YSL, Dior, looking at you!).

This time around I mixed it with GOSH’s Touch Up Concealer which is sadly discontinued. I’ll be gutted when it runs out. The colour of the Clinique concealer is a little dark for me especially now winter is setting in and I am returning to my ghost-like form. The GOSH concealer lightened it a little and again once it was powdered it lasted all day. As the coverage is light I used it over MAC’s Select Moisturecover in NW20 which covers the bluey purple of my circles though I didn’t bother doing this for work as the coverage was fine for my colleagues, they are used to my crazy face.

Conclusion: No repurchase. Despite both of these concealers costing a fair whack I still prefer my GOSH mixed with Collection 2000, the combined price of which was around £8!

I went to my local shopping centre last night and picked up a few things I need to play with before reporting back, expect a post in the week!

This is the book I’m reading…

My sister is reading it for AS English but she doesn’t ‘do’ reading as a rule (why do English then?!?!?!?) and was meant to read it over the summer but got as far as page 15 or something so YOINK! Bedtime reading for moi!

Can you recommend any books? I love Agatha Christie and murder mystery kind of things. Not just in books either, I am probably the only person that watches Diagnosis Murder at least 3 times a week. When my Dad was home from work and sat on the sofa all day it used to drive me wild being separated from Dr Mark Sloan and Jessica Fletcher for a whole two months!

Also what do you think to the concealers, have you used them?? Do you have any recommendations? Let me know!

Acting Up, Drink In My Cup

Wow ladies, it seems I am incapable of having any kind of regular posting…. I’ll try harder next time. I take the pictures, think of something else I need to do/get distracted by food and end up forgetting.

Nevertheless, here are a few of my favourites from the month of June, though I don’t like calling it that as that makes it seem like summertime which bar this weekend it HAS NOT BEEN.

Clockwise from top left – Revlon Grow Luscious mascara, 17 Photo Flawless mascara (the green one), Sigma Synthetic Face Kit (F82, F84, F80), MAC Studio Moisture Tint in Light, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in Light, Jergens Skin Firming moisturiser, ignore the scabby mascara brush, Shills Super Magic BB Cream, Clinique All About Eyes (from Glamour), MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, Tweezerman metal eyelash comb, Topshop blush in Head Over Heels, Benefit High Beam.

These are a few bits that have lived in my makeup bag this month. From finishing placement up north to being too lazy to unpack my stuff to convenience, this is the stuff that I haven’t bothered swapping around.

I have been loving the combination of Grow Luscious followed by a coat of Photo Flawless then combed through with the Tweezerman eyelash comb. This gives me huge volumised lashes! The Grow Luscious is fine for day but I felt it needed a little something extra for night time, added the Photo Flawless as it was the only other mascara I took up north with me and voila! A very happy accident (like me!)

My skin has been looking pretty good lately (thanks Liz Earle!) so I have been almost exclusively using Studio Moisture Tint or Super Magic on days when there has been a bit more sun. I pop a few dots of Head Over Heels on my cheeks and blend with my F84 and if I OD on it I dab my F80 with the residue from my base back over it. Pretty and flushed but not unnatural.

Since I have been single my cider intake has increased about 8 times over. I am no longer a hermit and love my friends for encouraging me down the pub at every opportunity! However the downside of alcomahol is the evil hangover and crappy looking skin the next day. Painterly covers my red eyelids beautifully and I mix a little High Beam in with my base to look a little more perky. Lasting Perfection goes great over All About Eyes and conceals my hideous crackhead undereye circles beautifully so you’d never guess that I was tipsy dancing like a knob until the early hours!

Lastly the Skin Firming moisturiser has been brilliant in the warmer muggy weather. It absorbs really quickly and smells lovely but not offensively strong. It keeps me moisturised but not sticky and I’m definitely going to be picking up another couple of these whilst they are on half price!

Do you agree with any of these products? Or do you have any recommendations for me?

A few other favourites…

Beyonce – I wasn’t at Glasto, for which I am gutted. I watched her set on iPlayer and it was brilliant. I even had a little cry (getting emotional in my old age) but she is fab. Gotta love B.

Cider – I am from the West Country, that’s all there is to it.

The Adam and Joe Show – They are all on 4OD!!!!!! I want to marry them. Both of them.

Maxi Dresses – A total blessing for those lazy/overly hairy/skanky beehatches who can’t be doing with daily shaving.

Mirrored Aviators – I have inherited the nosy bitch gene, though I am nowhere near as bad as my Grandmother. Wearing these allows me to people watch without detection! Win!

Anything to add ladies?!

Recent Empties–Yay Oder Nay?

Gutentag meine freunde!

I first want to issue a quick apology, I haven’t really been doing the best posts lately and I don’t really have much of an excuse for it. With all the recent rubbishness I think I just need time to concentrate on having fun with my friends and getting my life together…. I am going to try and make more of an effort and find some proper inspiration, the next few weeks will be hard as I am back on placement but as I will be in the other end of the country by myself I will have plenty of time on my hands I hope.

Anyway onwards and upwards, here are a few of the products I’ve used up this month. As I have been trying to save money which hasn’t worked in the slightest, there are a few things I have used and don’t have replacements for. Suggestions would be much appreciated!

First up…

I have had this tub of Clinique’s Moisture Surge for a while, it was part of a GWP. The name Moisture Surge convinced me that this would be waaaay to heavy for my normal/combo/oily skin, so much so that I didn’t bother opening it for a long while until I ran out of my usual moisturiser that I use on my drier (but still normal) bits where the moisturiser I use on my t-zone isn’t enough. I do really love this, it sank in immediately and didn’t leave me with a greasy feel. However at £30 for 50ml on the Clinique website this isn’t really repurchaseable. This is a 30ml jar and I got through it pretty quickly considering how long moisturisers usually last me, maybe when I have a ‘proper’ job with ‘proper’ money this wouldn’t be so extravagant now but at the moment with a minimum wage job and a holiday to pay for, no. At the moment I am using my Boots Skin Clear which is usually solely for my t-zone all over and at the moment it is doing a good job.

I got this tube of Darphin’s Vitalbaume in a giveaway I won before Christmas. I have said before about how dry my lips get and I do feel like I always have to have something on them. It is important that balms are long lasting on me because otherwise I get through them VERY quickly. This one was OK, it contains Shea butter, carnauba and beeswax and does feel moisturising but it didn’t last long on meaning I got through it in around three weeks of using it daily. It also wasn’t that moisturising meaning I frequently felt the need for something more heavy duty. Maybe if your lips weren’t so dry this would be ok but at £10.80 a tube I won’t be repurchasing.

This is my second tube of MAC’s Prep + Prime Skin and for me it does the job. It comes out white and shimmery but sinks in quickly and leaves a ‘glow’ rather than shimmer face. I do like how it sinks in and leaves my skin itself feeling great rather than leaving a coating on it and it does make my face makeup application easier and more even. However I don’t particularly find it makes my makeup last that much longer, my pores are still pretty visible and it doesn’t help application to problem areas such as my nose. I do like this but at the same time feel there are primers out there more suited to my needs (pore coverage, longevity and oil control). At £18 for 30ml it isn’t the most expensive primer out there but I doubt I will repurchase. I am currently using Avon’s Magix primer instead.

Lastly…

Trevor Sorbie’s Beautiful Blonde Intensive Treatment was a quick purchase about a month or so ago when it was on special offer of 2 for £6 in Boots, I got this and a smoothing cream that I haven’t touched yet (oops!). This for me is a definite no go in the repurchasing stakes. Rather than feeling that the other products above were mediocre for my needs, I actually disliked this. First of all, I got through loads of it. It didn’t feel like it was covering my hair in the slightest. It is recommended to leave it on for 3 to 5 minutes and still manages to leave a disgusting filmy coating on my hair despite vigorous washing and rinsing and doesn’t leave my hair feeling remotely conditioned. The only time my hair felt nice after using this was when I wrapped my head in a hot towel and sat down for an episode of Midsomer Murders. Yes, I am actually an 80 year old trapped in a 23 year olds body. After that 2 hour soak my hair did feel nice though again it did require an almighty rinsing out. However I feel the product should work as directed, and for me it doesn’t. Yes if I planned my time I could have 2 hours a week to use this to fully benefit me but my name is Jade and I am a scatterbrain. I plan nothing.

Wow. That was an essay. Thank you so much for bearing with me and I have done a little bit (lot) of haulage these last few weeks so I will be posting those in the next few days. If you have any other suggestions for posts or products to replace these ones I’ve used please let me know!!!

Meh.

Hi ladies, I hope you are well. Have you had a good week?

I had a hideous exam on Tuesday so now I’ve got that out the way I’ve got time to blog about bits that aren’t just nails!

I thought I’d show a few bits that I actually use regularly. It’s all well and good reviewing stuff that’s been sent or you’ve bought and it is useful but I kind of think its more useful to see stuff that actually gets used daily you know? That’s the stuff thats worth purchasing.

I try and keep my skincare pretty simple, there are a few things I’d like to change about it, a few things I’d like to find an alternative for but until I use those up I won’t repurchase. Not spectacular but not bad if you get me?

This is one of those products.

This is Clinique’s Take The Day Off Cleansing Milk. The pictures a bit crap as it’s so bright (for once!!! Yayyyyy!!!) but it’s in a pretty purple bottle with a pump. I approve of this, there isn’t a lid but you can twist the pump to stop it for travel etc, not as secure as a lid I feel but in reality when bumping around in your bag they are probably equally as likely to squirt all over your belongings…

It is milky, not literally like milk but more watery than a lotion. It was trying to escape off my hand here.

I like cleansing ‘milks’, I have tried a few and they seem not to try my cheeks but not over-oil my nose and chin.

However this one is a bit of a dud. I use it twice a day, two pumps in the morning to remove my night cream and around six in the evening to remove my makeup. I wouldn’t try and take eye makeup off with it though, I remove that separately.

I use this in conjunction with my Botanics Face Brush and it gets my makeup off. Just. And bear in mind that aside from the occasional powder touch up I am normally still wearing the makeup I applied that morning. I do use a primer but I rarely have much left on my face regardless when I take it off at around 10-11 pm. If I am less than vigorous with my face brush I am still taking foundation off with my toner. Don’t even think about using this with your hands, it will do sweet f**k all.

I do double cleanse using Cetaphil to ‘loosen’ my makeup but I don’t like this one half as much as the one for oily skin that I got in NY. When that ran out I had to get the regular and I’m not as impressed, another I won’t repurchase.

So as to the title of this post. Meh. That is exactly how I feel when I think of this product. It doesn’t really take makeup off but it doesn’t make my skin feel tight. Just meh.

This was a gift but this is £16.50 for 200ml from Boots.

That is it for me, I’m done with Clinique skincare. I have the Moisture Surge moisturiser that was a GWP that I like on the occasion I do have dry skin but aside from that they’ve all been total duds! I have the eye cream from Glamour to use when I finish my other one, holding out hope for that.

Bah! What do you think? Have you used this? Or any other Clinique skincare? Do you have any recommendations for cleansers? I have no idea where to start looking for another when this one runs out!

Binned!

OOOKKKKK.....So I haven't wrote in ages, I started back at uni and am currently on placement so was going to pack it in, but honestly I can't just do placement and my course for the next 9 months until I finish, I'll go mad! Especially with dissertation thrown in :( so from now I'm going to pull my finger out!
So the other day I had a (very small) clear out of one of my drawers and decided there was a few bits I could live without.....

Garnier Nutritionist Regenerating Eye Cream
Where to start..... This eye cream did nothing for me. I use an eye cream because although my skin is usually oily/normal combination, I can get dry patches under my eyes and on my cheeks if I don't keep these areas moisturised. So I was at my boyfriends, forgot my regular eye cream and got this as it was 50% off or something in Superdrug, I'm just glad I didn't pay full price for it. It did little to moisturise my undereye area and required a lot of product to make the area feel comfortable. I have used about half of the tube but with so many eye creams that are (in my opinion) better and cheaper, this one is chucked.

Mellor & Russell Eye Revival Roll On
So this looks pretty similar to the Garnier eye roll on serum and I got it in Tesco for under 3 quid on offer. I figured, in my seemingly never ending quest to find the ultimate eye cream, that it was worth a bash. My first thoughts were that it took a while to dry making it unsuitable for use in the mornings when I need to get up and go, and that for a serum it didn't feel that moisturising to me. However my experiences with this product were cut short when I tried to use it one evening, nothing would come out. So I shook it and tried again. Nada. Third time lucky? No, third time showered my room, and me, in serum. Bin.

Clinique 3 Step System
Pssssh. I truly feel I was mis-sold this entire shebang. Even if this wasn't the case, I don't like it. I was having trouble with my skin being a little spotty and temperamental and on a whim in Boots allowed myself to have one of those skin consultations at the Clinique counter. I was told I have skin that should fit into system number 1, for very dry to dry skin. My skin usually is normal/oily combination, there are dry patches in the deepest darkest depths of winter but very small. However, against my better judgement I placed myself in the hands of those who know best. Supposedly. The Facial Soap stripped my skin leaving it feel dry and tight, moreso than I have ever felt with any other cleanser. The toner did nothing to soothe this and finally the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion was waaaay too heavy for my skin, leaving it feel hideously greasy and making my makeup slide right off, even if it did stop the tightness caused by the cleanser. This went on for months while I stuck to it determined it would help my skin eventually, until I decided enough was enough and swapped to a oil-free lighter moisturiser. The greasy patches under my makeup disappeared and my spots started to vanish until I gradually replaced all of it with MUCH better products for my skin, and it has never looked better!
Have you tried any of these products? What were your experiences? It'd be interesting to see how you feel about them...