Weekly Wear….?

I know I keep saying I need to work on the titles and they keep being crap but it’s so frustrating! I would use song lyrics or something but seriously, the song that has been going through my head all day is the ‘Take my breath awayyyyy…’ one from Top Gun. Now it’ll be in your head all day.

Since moving in together my boyfriend has been initiated into my payday induced makeup purchasing frenzy on a few occasions. He doesn’t say anything out loud, just quietly judges which is DEFINITELY worse.

In a bid to convince him that I really do use allllll of these lipsticks and can’t possible chuck any out, in fact I NEED MORE I’ve decided to rotate my makeup every week, in a bid to get to grips with bits I’m not confident using and blitz through items I’m near finishing.

Base – Benefit’s That Gal primer (finished Avon Magix last week), Bourjois Healthy Mix 51 (not much left), Benefit High Beam (not much left), MAC Select Moisturecover NW20 (not much left), MAC Pro Longwear concealer NW15 (had for a while, ploughing through), Collection 2000 Perfect Wear concealer 2 Light (not much left)

Eye Primer – I was going to chuck out my UDPP as I thought it was finished. Cut it open. Now I feel foolish. The stuff kept coming out, I thought it would never end!

Eyes – Kiko eyeshadow 118, Stila Kitten (was broken so repressed), Revlon Grow Luscious (coming up to 3 months, needs to go soon), 17 Peep Show mascara (like this so far, using until it dries), Benefit Eye Bright pencil, Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar

Blusher – The Body Shop Cheek Colour 04 (replaced an old favourite but I got the wrong colour and have rarely used this), MAC Cremeblend So Sweet So Easy (new purchase, got this used on me when I got colour matched but it was sold out and I only just got it now along with Viva Glam Nicki), The Balm Frat Boy

Powders – HEMA 01 Terra Bronzing Powder (hit pan on Laguna so I’m keeping it for best, this is good for work as it’s not crazy pigmented), NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder, Fyrinnae Fluff powder (NYC looks a little chalky on me but it’s HUGE and I need to use it. I love Fyrinnae so I use it pretty frequently)

Lips – Topshop Polish Smoothie, MAC Slimshine Gentle Simmer, MAC Frost Angel

So there you have it….do any of you do this kind of thing? I can’t go too wild with things like this because I have to wear sensible makeup to work but there’s so much I’d like to get through!

Have you tried any of these products?

The lighting is pretty crap so I didn’t do swatches but if you’d like to see anything in more detail then please comment and I’ll happily oblige!

Shine A Light…

Here I go again with the astonishing titles.

I’m sat at home, ill from work which is annoying because I’ve only worked there two months but glands will be glands. To soothe my spirits I’m indulging in a spot of Lewis (Lawrence Fox is alluring at times) and thought what better a time to show you my (teensy) liquid highlighter collection. I’ve been relying on it to make me look alive as of late and I’m nearing the end of my High Beam…so here goes!

Also please note this is my first lone attempt using my boyfriend’s DSLR and you can DEFINITELY tell.

First up, the one I’ve used the longest….

This is my second bottle of Benefit’s High Beam and you can see how much there is in the bottom! This was the only liquid highlighter I used before I purchased the St Tropez and MAC ones.

The design is convenient enough, I use the brush to dot it along my nose, cheek and brow bones before blending which it does well with little effort. The only thing that annoys me about the packaging is how much product collects along the underside of the brush lid (which I cleaned for this picture) and around the neck of the bottle. I have to regularly clean it and the amount that gathers is unreal, considering this is £18.50 a bottle for 13ml it feels like a real waste.

Argh so this swatch isn’t great, it’s amazingly hard to focus a camera that weighs a ton with one hand when your upper body strength is in the minuses. You can see the sheen it leaves on the skin, it is the least subtle of all the highlighters I own so for everyday I wear it under my foundation. I’d call this baby pink to champagne in colour though that is not my forte.

This is the St Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose. At £12 for 50ml from Boots it is considerably better priced than the High Beam and comes in a squeezy tube which eliminates the waste from the packaging. As long as you squeeze carefully…

You can tell this is more subtle than the High Beam and is more rosy in colour (surprisingly enough!) I do like this and when I have got a bit further through the tube I will consider purchasing this in Violet which sounds pretty unique.

This is MAC’s Strobe Liquid that I picked up in duty free on my way to Kos so it was slightly cheaper than the retail price of £21.50 for 50ml. It is under the ‘Moisturisers’ section on their site but I use it as a highlighter or mixed with foundation, not as a moisturiser. The pump is nice and as the mechanism is the same as my Fix+ which lives in my handbag I feel comfortable chucking this in my bag without worrying about spillages.

The effect of this one is subtle, probably why suggested use is moisturiser, but i like it. It is more of a silvery white that reflects pink than an all out pink-fest.

Quick comparison, you can see the High Beam is the thickest texture and Strobe Liquid the least, the same goes for their subtlety.

Aaaannnnd blended.

Mammoth post, what do you think? Have you used any of these? Do you have a preference? Or do you have any other highlighters I should keep my eye out for?

Finally

Day trip to Bognor Regis last weekend woo! I thought it was in Wales….

Get The Slinky…?!

Gutentag!

This is only going to be a little un today with the standard shoddy pictures. Partially because my flat has no light and partially because I am distracted by pizza and Poirot…..

Me and liquid liner do not go hand in hand! I have a shaky hand at the best of times and then there’s the eyelash conundrum…curl before or after?! Before and my lashes get covered in liner and it goes everywhere, after and it comes off on the curler undoing all my hard work!

So it is safe to say I don’t have the best experience of them and try to avoid if possible.

Recently however I have been thinking it’s time to pull my finger out and try harder. So this weekend I was perusing my local ‘big’ Boots and saw that the entire MyFace cosmetic range was half price. I’m guessing it is being discontinued or something?! The stand by me was pretty picked over but if there is something you love then get there quick! I picked up the lightest foundation Fair 01 and this eyeliner.

Feckin blinds.

This is Slinky matte liquid liner.

Standard inkwell/brush scenario. I like this brush, I found it not too stiff nor floppy. Even a total newb like me found this easy to ‘draw’ with. I also didn’t need to ‘re-dip’ the brush, the once was enough which I prefer, re-dipping means I am more likely to end up with it all over my face.

You can see it is definitely black, perhaps not the darkest black but enough for me. It looks a little chalky in the picture with flash but it isn’t when worn.

I have only worn this today so I cannot say I have extended experience of this eyeliner. However I have had it on for four hours with no signs of smudging or fading and that has included a sweaty trip to Asda. Nothing like an Asda trip to a) make you feel better about yourself and b) fear for the future of the human race ay? Though that could just be my local…

Here is how I wore it…

I used Urban Decay Primer Potion to prep followed by Verve, Pistol, Blackout and Bootycall from the Naked2 palette. I tightlined my upper waterline with Avon’s Supershock gel eyeliner and then lined my upper waterline with the Slinky liquid liner and winged it out a little. I used MAC’s Select Moisturecover in NW20 under eyes as a corrector then Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer in 1 to conceal. My brows were ‘filled in’ but obviously not very well with the lighter shade in Urban Decay’s Brown Sugar Brow Box. Mascara is a coat of Revlon Grow Luscious topped with a coat of Soap & Glory’s Thick & Fast (free with Elle this month!)

Here you can see the wing a leetle beet better… (Poirot influence)

And for the craic, a face of the day…

Flat is a mess, I look like I have bonkeye and my hair looked like ALF’s this morning and hasn’t got much better.

I am also wearing Face Atelier’s Ultra Foundation in 1 Porcelain, Benefit’s High Beam, NYX cream blush in Glow and a smidge of Sleek’s Contour Powder in Light. I did have Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shine in 69 Flirt on, which is a new purchase I’m loving, but it’s faded a fair bit.

Ok – long post but the emphasis is – MyFace cosmetics are half price in Boots so if there is something you love or have been interested in trying then go for it – and my first impressions of this eyeliner are good considering application is not one of my fortes.

And in case you were wondering this is ALF.

Source

A Little Empty

Happy Monday! I hope your day started better than mine! I am on annual leave which would normally make me happy but I feel poo! Why The Face!

As January the slow and boring and depressing month is over with and I have spent almost all my wages ALREADY I thought I’d show you a few of the things I have managed to use up in the last few weeks…

Top Left Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Shampoo was a freebie from John Lewis back in September when you took in an empty shampoo bottle. I’m almost through with the conditioner too and to be honest, I love this duo. My hair always feels silky smooth when I use them together and I don’t feel the need to use any other products (eg leave in conditioner) like I do with some others. This would be a definite repurchase – however this retails at £20 (eek!) on the John Lewis website so may have to wait until I’m in the money!

Top Right L’Oreal Elvive Full Restore 5 Replenishing Masque was a pleasure to use. It smoothed my frazzled ends, untangled knots and made my hair a lot more manageable without weighing it down. This won’t be repurchased because of – as I’ve banged on about before – L’Oreal’s animal testing policy.

Bottom Left Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is a beauty. This is my second bottle and the only thing that stopped me from grabbing another is my lack of funds. Next payday I’m thinking about a trip to the Isle of Wight where the HQ is for a look around the store and to get some more goodies from the range. If you’ve put off trying this and remain unconvinced by the hype – give in. I’m using Superdrug’s Vitamin E cloth cleanser in it’s place and while it’s good I don’t feel it’s as good as this one.

Bottom Right Superdrug Natural High Brightening Eye Cream…well. Lord knows my undereyes could do with some brightening. This wasn’t the cream to provide. It’s a nice formula, sinks in quickly and does provide moisture but I didn’t find it brightening and as I am (not so slowly) creeping towards a quarter century I feel like I need something a bit more heavy duty. If your undereye area isn’t too dry and you aren’t yet bothered about ageing then for the price it’s a goodie.

Do you agree with any of these? Or have you used any of them?

One last thing…because I went home this weekend…

Obligatory bunpix, Fluff cleaning herself and Brownie cleaning Fluff

Dawww!

Beneficial???!?

My oh my I am going to have to work on the whole posty title badgers. Maybe one day I’ll have an epiphany and will find them child’s play…. Here’s hoping!

Since the cold weather started to approach I needed a moisturiser that provides more relief than my summer fave of Boots Skin Clear. I got a little tube of Sephora’s Instant Moisturizer while in Paris this summer but wasn’t blown away by it. When it finally bit the dust on Christmas morning I was pondering what would replace it. Cue my Uncle popping round bearing gifts with a bottle of this…

Meet Benefit’s Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. It did come in a snazzy box but in typical me style it is lost, doomed to appear from under the sofa cushions at some point.

The Benefit website states that “Triple performing facial emulsion SPF 15 PA++ hydrates, protects & comforts the skin with an oil-free, lightweight formula.”

It sounds ideal. Oil-free, SPF, lightweight, what’s not to love?!

Well. The main issue for me is it is not lightweight. On my skin anyway. At first it seems it sinks in quickly but I can feel it on my skin all day. It doesn’t always feel greasy as such but I am aware of it’s presence if that makes sense.

This makes me unable to use it over my whole face. My skin condition hasn’t changed that much with the colder weather, just got a little drier on my forehead and cheeks. These are the only areas I can use this, when I first got it and tried it on my greasy chin and slightly oily nose it was a disaster, no makeup would stay in place and literally an hour after applying my makeup my chin felt disgusting. I’m not about to attempt that again, instead I use La Roche Posay’s Effaclar Duo on my oily areas.

There are a few plus points to this….I do love the scent of this. I’m not sensitive to scents and can give or take them but this is refreshing and a little fruity. It reminds me of Benefit’s B-Spot fragrance if you have smelt that, light but refreshing and pleasant.

The packaging is also pretty cute if completely inconvenient for travel. It has a pump which is great for hygiene freaks and has yet to get clogged. It looks nice on my dressing table.

This is one pump, as I said it absorbs quickly and covers well. I use two pumps, one for my forehead and cheeks and one for my neck.

My conclusion on this is mixed. If your skin is dry you’ll have more success than me. However my skin is normal/combination so I can’t really judge and as Benefit don’t really give out samples and this is £19.50 for a 50.3ml bottle it’s a big outlay with a lot of product if you don’t end up liking it!

The quest for a winter moisturiser continues….

Benefit is available from Boots, department stores and the Benefit website

MAN I’M ALIVE!!!

It’s true, I am alive and well.

In fact, I am very well. In this last month and a bit I have moved to a different area of the country, into a flat shared with my hetero life partner (aka my boyf) and started a proper job!

So far everything is going swimmingly. Yesterday was my first proper pay day which was exciting though most went on rent and bills rather than the Mulberry handbagasm I was hoping for (sadface)

Due to only getting paid yesterday and leaving my previous job the week before xmas, to say I have been skint is a mahoosive understatement. Therefore my life has mostly consisted of;

Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. I am a total girl and have to have a spoon of hot chocolate in there too because the taste is ick but god knows what I would be like in the morning without it…

Reading. Fact: I heart books. These are all the books I have read since the new year, I am midway through the top one now. I actually squealed when I realised the library was a 2 minute walk away! When I have no money making the pub out of the question and the only telly the boyf permits is the African Cup of Nations, Agatha Christie is my saviour.

Exploring. I have left my beloved West Country for the south coast. I miss my bunnies a lot but they will be joining me soon enough! They had to stay home with my parents as I didn’t have much time to find somewhere suitable for them to live with me before my start date :(

I do love where I am living at the moment, with the exception of the occasional vagrant. It does seem that Southsea is where crustaceans come to die though…

Poor Sebastian.

In more makeup related terms, I have a few goodies you should be seeing soon, some from Christmas time and some payday treats!

One more parting shot of the exploration shenanigans last weekend…

I hope you are all well and had a good Christmas and new year!

Shopaholic–New Goodies!

I’m sure I’m not the only one that finds when times get tough consolation comes in the form of shopping…? It used to be clothes, then makeup, now makeup and clothes!

I’ve been stressing about the new job and moving and everything. Even though it is what I’ve wanted for a long time it’s still scary when it’s really happening….so I buy lipstick and I feel better.

That’s the long and short of it.

I’ve picked up a few things in a few shopping trips over the last 2 nearly 3 weeks. I am NOT MEANT TO BE SPENDING ANY MONEY so spreading it over three weeks makes me feel (marginally) less guilty.

*Apologies in advance for the weird lighting, it is a disgustingly dull Yorkshire day and while what I’m looking at in real life looks ok, on camera it looks sh#t plus the photos are a mish mash of what I took at home and taken here*

I’m on a lip product binge again. It flits between blusher and lipstick with the odd splash of bronzer or highlighter thrown in for good measure.

First up was Revlon in Superdrug – there was an offer of 2 lip products for £9.99, I swatched one of the new shades of Liquid Lipstick when I picked up a new Grow Luscious the other week and the colour would not budge off my hand so when I saw it on offer I grabbed…

Prime Pink is the ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick and on the right is a Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink In The Afternoon.

From first impressions I can’t argue with the longevity claims but I did find this drying as hell. Not surprising though. The shade is a little frosty/pearly for me personally but it could work topped with a bit of gloss I suppose.

On me this is a bright corally-pink. Not bright crazy bright but a nice pop. I think this would be nice if you are a little scared of bright lip colours as a little introduction. This feels creamy on and isn’t drying as lipsticks go. I really like this an anticipate a lot of wear.

Next stop on this same trip was Boots where I had a perusal at 17’s offerings…

The Photo Flawless mascara is a repurchase – I used it previously along with my Grow Luscious and really liked the effect. Seeing as I am using Grow Luscious again I thought I’d grab this one too along with one of the new Metallic Eyes cream/mousse shadows! I love both of these! There was a GWP offer too of buy two products get a little purse with it containing

I haven’t used any of these but I don’t have a cream black in my collection so that’s handy!

Once my flat hunting had finished last weekend my parents and I went to shopping centre in the city where I’ll be moving where there is a CCO!!!! And it’s less than a mile away from the flat!!!! Obviously I couldn’t resist…..

Of Royalty is a cremesheen formula from the Fabulous Felines collection, I had wanted this at the time but it was sold out. Then there’s a Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Overtime. This is still available on the MAC website. I got both of these for £19!

This is in a similar vein to the first Viva Glam Gaga. It looks severe here but when I have makeup on it looks nice, the only thing is it shows up flaws and settles into fine lines after a bit. Nothing a quick smoosh can’t rectify but still, it looks a bit mental if you don’t catch yourself in the mirror.

I love this. It is a little drying as it is also a long-wear but not uncomfortably so. I wore this to my work’s xmas lunch the other day, it stayed on for four hours before we ate then it began to look a little dry so I popped some gloss on and it stayed on for three courses! There was a little bit of a ring around my mouth but not hideously so. I expect to get a lot of wear out of both of these.

Lastly, my Mum and I went for a spot of xmas shopping at the beginning of the week and in John Lewis I spotted that several counters were discounting products, maybe by 20%? I am looking for a new moisturiser anyway and ended up coming away with

I have heard good things about the concealer and it isn’t badly priced anyway (showing as £13 on their website) and the lady gave me a sample of the ‘A Perfect World SPF25’ moisturiser.

A few swatches…

L-R Prime Pink, Pink In The Afternoon, Photo Flawless Mascara Green Black, Metallic Eyes Wild Nude, Quick, Hide! concealer in 01 Light, Of Royalty, Overtime

Well done if you made it this far! If you want any in depth reviews or to see more pictures of anything just leave it in the comments!

Have you tried any of these? What did you think?

Do you have any recommendations for a moisturiser for combo/normal/oily chin skin?? I’ve no idea where to look!

Until next time :)