False Lashes

I am often found browsing the beauty section in TK Maxx hunting for a bargain, so I got very excited last week when I saw rows and rows of false lashes. I spent about 20 minutes dithering about which ones to get as I had a pile of about eight pairs that I wanted but had to restrict myself to just two. I finally chose the two below – Ardell Demi Pixies and Lash Addiction Sex Kitten. They were £2.99 each

The Demi Pixies are the typical lash style that I go for they flare out at the outer edges and are fairly wispy. My eyes are quite small with a small lid so I think they can easily be drowned lashes that are too big and thick. However my second choice is a very full lash I am not really sure what I was thinking when I bought these! I tried them on today and I think it probably is best if I stick to the wispier types, but I won’t give up just yet maybe it is just a case of getting used to seeing myself with huge lashes.

I am definitely loving the Ardell Demi Pixies though they give the perfect ‘bambi’ eyes and elongate my eyes giving them a more almond shape due to the longer lashes on the outer corners but still look natural-ish. I tried them with just some simple black eyeliner.  you can see below my natural eyelashes with some mascara on and then with the Demi Pixies on underneath.         

xx

Everyday Favourites

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Sand

I have been using this everyday lately, as I have been having a lot of breakouts, which isn’t normal for me, so I have been needing to conceal a lot. I love this concealer because it is so creamy which is great as my skin is very dry in winter and I find that some concealers can go on cakey and flaky therefore just drawing more attention to the area. I love the packaging of this as well with the cute little mirror not that I have ever used it, but it is good to know its there in case of emergency.

Stila Matte Eyeshadow in Kalahoo 

I have had this eyeshadow for about a year and only in the last couple of months have I realised its potential. It is a matte taupe cool brown the perfect shade for filling in my eyebrows, which are a medium/dark brown. I had been using Mac Brun eyeshadow, which gives a lovely strong defined look but is better suited to evening. I then saw a video by Lisa Eldridge who used Benefit Bossy on her eyebrows just to give them a bit of definition for daytime. I realised I had a dupe for that sitting in my draw and is perfect for filling in the brows more naturally and gives a gentler look.

2true Liquid Eyeliner in Black     

This eyeliner only costs £1.99 from Superdrug so I wasn’t expecting miracles, but it has actually surprised me. I find it easier to apply using a Mac 210 brush instead of the applicator it comes with, but what really impressed me is that this eyeliner lasts all day and still looks pretty much perfect when I go to take it off before bed.

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Lies  

This has been on my wish list for ages, I finally took the plunge and bought this in January as it was 25% off in the Illamasqua sale. When I saw it I thought that it too pink to be a highlighter but when you swatch it it’s a beautiful pearly light pink that just gives the perfect glow on the skin, and this lasts really well for a cream product, we all know that they have the tendency to slip away after a couple of hours but I could still detect Lies on my face eight hours after applying.

Illamasqua Highlight Brush         

This brush is amazing, it is super super soft and silky and feels like a cloud on my face. It makes highlighting fool proof as it is the perfect size for the top of the cheekbone and the synthetic brushes buff it in seamlessly.

Bourjois Eyeshadow in 90 Blanc Diaphane

I have been wearing this everyday in my inner corner to brighten and make my eyes look more spaced out. It is perfect has just the right amount of shimmer and blends out easily. This eyeshadow always makes me want to try more Bourjois eyeshadows, hopefully there are more that are as lovely as this one. 

Search for the perfect cleanser continues...

I have been very curious lately about micellaire solutions ever since bioderma sensibo has been appearing on blogs and youtube. They are very appealing to someone who can be a bit lazy when it comes to cleansing. I can be enthusiastic for a couple of weeks when I get a new product take for example hot cloth cleansing but when the novelty wears off it all just seems a bit of a chore.

I originally wanted to get the bioderma one but because I would have to order it online and pay postage and packaging bringing the total cost to about £20 plus the fact that I might turn out to hate micellaire solutions put me off. So I went to boots with an advantage card full of points waiting to be spent and purchased Vichy 3 in 1 Purete Thermale Micellaire solution for £10 or rather 1000 points. I did have my eye on the La Roche Posay one but it always sold out! (Must mean it’s amazingly good, possibly holy grail material!!)

I mainly use this as an eye make-up remover although it does claim to do three things
1. Cleanse the face

2. Remove eye make up

3. Soothe the skin – no rinsing required

I love this as eye make-up remover because it just feels like water. My eyes can be very difficult they go red, sting and water when most products are put near them, I have found that when I find a remover that doesn’t sting my eyes it isn’t effective in dissolving eye make-up quickly resulting in a lot of rubbing, which we all like to avoid because rubbing the thin skin around your eyes will just lead to lots and lots of wrinkles. I just squirt the Vichy on to the cotton pad so that it is mostly soaked then press it onto my eye and hold there for about 30 seconds or more, I then just do a couple of gentle wiggles with the cotton pad to dislodge any stubborn mascara leaving my eyes clean as a whistle and not pink, therefore no panda eyes to wake up to in the morning. It doesn’t irritate at all as it is alcohol free, soap free and colorant free, however it is not scent free which I am okay with but it can bother some people.

I have used this all over my face to cleanse it feels refreshing and is very effective at removing make-up, but there are cons to using this as a face cleanser such as you go through it so quickly because it is just like water (if only it was as cheap as water), it takes about three cotton pads soaked with Vichy to get a perfectly clean face. This product does leave a residue which I think helps to hydrate my skin but I do have fairly dry skin so if you where oily I could see how that could be annoying. I don’t think you should have to rinse your face because that is one of the unique selling points of this product is that you don’t need water which can actually cause your skin to dry out, I found this hard to believe until I didn’t use any water when cleansing for a few days and did notice a difference, that my skin wasn’t feeling like it was going to crack open with dryness.

When I finish bottle of Vichy I am not going to repurchase just yet as I want to give La Roche Posay and Bioderma a whirl first and have a battle of the Micellaire waters!

xx                   

I heart Ankle Boots

I have come to the conclusion this winter that my favourite boot length is ankle. They are probably not thought of as the most flattering due to their reputation for visually shortening legs but given that I am 5"10 I am willing to forgive that. I worry about how to make myself look shorter (or more petite). I have one pair of ankle boots that I truly love they are flat tan pixie boots from Faith purchased about 4 years ago. I really want exactly the same style  but in black I have been looking everywhere but have not found the perfect pair. How can that be when I am looking for something so simple? It is like trying to find the perfect fitting pair of smart black trousers, almost impossible.  I know there are lots of black ankle boots out there but none of them are for me. I will know when I see them, it will be love at first sight.   

 

I did purchase some black ankle boots with fold down fur at the top from soyoushoes.co.uk for £28 which I do love though they don't fit my 'perfect black boot specification' as they are a little to casual for work (though I do push my luck and wear them anyway!) I really like this website their prices are amazing. I have been eyeing up their selection of ankle boots and am tempted to place another order before winter is over.

 

         

Elf Powder Brush

I can't believe this brush was £3.50, it really is gorgeous. I would say that everybody should get this, I can't imagine any reasons why anybody would not love it. It is a flat top synthetic brush. It is very dense for a £3.50 brush and very soft but also firm. I like to use it in 2 different ways. The first is for applying foundation, it is similar to a duo fibre brush and gives that airbrushed look to your foundation, it also makes application very quick as it is quite large. The second is to use it to contour, I just swipe this through my bronzer so that only about 1/4 of the edge of the brush is covered. Then swipe this below my cheekbone and use the whole of the brush to blend it out. This brush would also be great for cream and powder blush or to set your foundation with powder. I defintley want to try more of the elf studio brushes (not too sure about their make up) The next one I want to get in the blush brush, which is rumoured to be great for contouring as well.

          

xx

A Better Value Nectar Thermique?

I have been using L'oreal Studio Hot Straight for years now this is probably my 6th or 7th bottle. This really says something about the product because I am very fickle when it comes to beauty products and rarely repurchase something over and over again. I am not a fan of the spray heat protectants because I find they make my hair go stiff and lacklustre. Cream or milk formulas are definatley the way to go when protecting your hair, if anything it just feels like you are have a leave in conditioner in your hair. My hair feels soft and remains frizz free when I use this. I believe it is around £3.50 in Boots, I have noticed that the packaging has had a revamp and it has a slightly different name 'silk and gloss hot straight'. I purchased my current bottle at the discount price of £1, obviously reduced to make way for the new one. So I haven't tried the new one, I am hoping that the formula either hasn't changed or is even better. It always seems that when you love something they change the formula, to make it worse! 

Anyway as I have just mentioned I am very fickle when it comes to beauty products and I haven't been totally faithful to studio hot straight. I was watching a youtube video by FleurdeForce about her hair routine, the heat defense hair product that she used was kerastase nectar thermique which is for dry to very dry hair and has a 'thermo-protective heat-activated ingredient' which always sounds good to me. As my hair is naturally quite dry and frizzy I never say no to extra moisture. I had always wanted to try some Kerastase hair products because they seem so luxurious and salons use them so they must be good. This RRPs at £17.90 which I wouldn't pay especially as there are so many bargains to be had. I bought mine from activebeauty.co.uk for £13.95 including postage and packaging although if you did a bit more research I think it could be found a smidge cheaper. 

The first few times I used nectar thermique I was disappointed, it wasn't bad infact it was just as good as my beloved studio hot straight, but considering the price difference I expected it to be amazing, for my hair to feel like silk and have a mirror shine. Don't get me wrong my hair was soft and glossy but it just wasn't jaw dropping gorgeous. Both products are made by L'oreal and I did suspect that they were mostly just the same product but in different packaging and with a different price tag. Recently I have been using nectar thermique after every hair wash and I do love it, I think my main problem was that my expectations were too high, sometimes it is better to buy something having not read rave reviews before hand and not have your opinion clouded by other people's. Nectar thermique does feel thicker, creamier and more expensive (I should hope so!) when you run it through your hair but if you don't want to spend that much on the hair product I would highly recommend studio hot straight, I would also say it is better value for money. I think the nectar thermique would be better value at around £9.             

xx

First Elf Haul

Last week I placed my first elf order for the warm bronzer, the blush/bronzer duo, studio powder brush and the eyeshadow brush. I am especially chuffed with the powder brush (review coming up) and I am fairly happy with the blush/bronzer duo and the eyeshadow brush for £3.50 and £1.50 they can't really be sniffed at. The warm bronzer is currently residing on ebay as I hated it. I really wanted to love it though, I had done my research of course and read rave review after rave review about the bronzer. As soon as a got my packaged I ripped it open went straight for the warm bronzer and applied it on my face. Now I am quite light handed when appyling make up and it was dark and all I could see was chunky glitter all over my cheek. I do have issues with glitter on my face I am very sensitive to it there is a fine line between glowy and glitterball. Elf warm bronzer definatley fell in the glitterball category, so onto ebay it went. it currently has 7 watchers which is rising by the day so I am confident it will find a loving home. 

 The blush/bronzing duo on the other hand has earned a place in my blush draw. The blush side however is another glitterball fiend, the colour is a lovely coral/pink but then it has huge chunks of glitter in it which just sit on top of your cheeks. What is wrong with a matte blush I ask you? surely it is not more expenesive to make, it should be cheaper infact if they leave out the glitter. The saving grace of this duo is the bronzer, although I spied glitter chunks in this once swatched onto skin they do not show up at all. The finish is like a pearly glow, like one step down from shimmery but not matte. The colour is quite dark and pigmented which I like (darker than benefit's hoola) because then I don't have to apply as much. I feel like with hoola I have to cake it on to get a good contour. The tone is also perfect for contouring not too warm and orange. I have been using it everyday since I got it and can't believe I have found a great contour powder for £3.50, although I am still curious about sleek's contour kits! could they be even more perfect?

I am not sure how I feel about elf now, there were so many things I wanted about 3 x as much as I ended up ordering as I managed to restrain myself. I was planning to make a second order in the new year and try the mineral blushes, cream eyeliners, eyebrow kit and more of the studio brushes but now I am a little hesitant as cheap as it is the £s do add up quite quickly is it better to just get one expensive item? or 5 cheaper ones?   

xx

Right Now's Ins and Outs

In

- Mac Face and Body Foundation

I love this, makes my skin look all glowy and like I am not wearing any foundation. What more could a girl possibly ask for? plus it comes in a huge bottle 120ml for £22.   

- Clarins beauty flash balm

I am putting this under my face and body foundation to stop my skin looking so drab, dry, tired, wintery. It makes you look healthy and glowy (I am always chasing the glow!) 

- Taupe eyeshadow

Almost eveyday I have been reaching for a taupe eyeshadow to give that suble smokey eye. I think in winter it is okay to go a bit darker with the eye make up. My favourites have been Ruby & Millie taupe which comes in a palette and Rimmel taupe. Mac's Satin taupe is at the very top of my wish list.  

- Boots cucumber face wipes

I have been using these in the morning, some may think that this is lazy, but they just freshen up my skin, wake up my sleepy face and I am not too worried about deep cleansing in the morning when all I have done since the last cleanse is sleep. I prefer the cucumber ones to the blue non-fragrance as the blue ones seem a little rougher. These are currently 3 for £3 in Boots, Bargain!    

- Ankle boots

Ankle boots are my favourite type of boots, they are cute and look great with tights, leggings and skinny jeans. My favourite is to wear a black pair with black tights ot leggings. It looks really chic and the block colour keeps your legs looking long.   

Out

- Cleanser

This is not a particular cleanser on my out list but all of the ones I have ever tried,  I am really struggling to find my perfect cleanser. I don't think I have ever had one that I would repurchase again. My current cleanser No.7 soft and soothed (Which was one of my mum's rejects) just doesn't feel like it cleans my face properly. I want something that gets everything off but is still gentle and not drying. I could possibly be searching for something that doesn't exsist.

- Puprle eyeshadow

I have green eyes and apparently purple eyeshadow makes green eyes 'pop' purple eyeshadow does nothing at all for my green eyes and it makes me look sick, really sick. I actually find that bronze makes my eyes more green which breaks all the colour wheel rules. maybe I am wearing the wrong kind of purples. 

- Snow

The recent snow has only just melted, meaning that it was hanging around for two weeks. Now everything has just gone back to normal more snow is rumoured for next week! I used to love snow as a child but as an adult it really does just make your life more difficult.

xx

Z Palette

After seeing these all over blogs for a few months I decided that I wanted one, and put it on my list of things to buy. A couple of weeks ago it finally worked it's way to the top of my shopping list and I purchased one from love-makeup.co.uk for £14.99.  I chose the large black one. 

 

I had so many single eyeshadows that I rarely used because I tend to reach for my palettes more. Plus they take up a quite a bit of space and I am struggling to contain my make up in its limited storage space. When I first looked at all my eyeshadows to depot I thought there is no way I will fit all of them into my z palette, so I did it one at a time as I didn't want any eyedshadow pans to be left without a home. To my suprise they all fitted in and I bet if I did some shuffling around I could squidge some more in there. 

I wasn't sure if I would need magnets, so I purchased magnetic tape just incase. However it turns out that I could put the pans straight in and the magnetic bottom of the palette had a strong pull and holds them very securely. All but one pan that was, a troublesome No.7 eyeshadow and seemed to have no magneticness so I resorted to my magnetic tape (£1.30 ebay) which did the trick. 

PROs 

- Clear lid so you can see your colours

- Nice selection of designs 

- Strong magnetic hold (no risk of eyeshadows getting loose)

- Having lots of eyeshadows in one place means you can see there potential to go with other colours you possibly haven't thought of 

- good storage solution 

CONs 

- expensive considering it is made from cardboard

- The cardboard is easily damaged (mine already has a scuff from being in the post) so not great for travelling with

- Quite heavy due to the magnetic bottom 

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

When I first bought Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour cream I only imagined that i would use it as a (giant) lip balm, which i did for the first few months. I highly recommend this as a lip balm and it is my favourite use for this product. The moisture lasts a long time on the lips (even longer than my beloved blistex relief cream) , gives a gorgeous glossy sheen and when it finally wears off your lips don't fell drier than before ( I am looking at you Vaseline)

Then one morning I used some on my eyebrows to keep them in place I was a bit heavy handed mind you and ended up with greasy eyebrows when I was more aiming for groomed, but it worked my eyebrows stayed exactly where I told them to all day and even the next day (this may be because I applied a little too much) I have learnt that less is more and use my little finger to dab over my eyebrows before combing them through.

This also makes a gorgeous and very natural highlighter in the same way that some people use Vaseline as a highlighter. Perhaps not a wise choice if you have oily skin but my skin is on the drier side. I just used my fingers to pat a tiny amount on top of my cheekbones and then through to under my brows in that C shape. It gives me a gorgeous glowy look without risking looking like a glitter ball. 

The fourth use I have found I was a little dubious about trying at first and that is putting the Eight Hour cream on my spots. Now when tackling a spot my first form of attack is to dry it out, slapping a greasy dollop of jelly like substance on there is not the way to do that. I had this pesky big red spot right in the middle of my cheek I had tried everything sudocream, toothpaste!, just old fashioned covering with a heavy duty concealer but it still just glowed through. So in desperation I did some sneaky research at work and googled uses for eight hour cream knowing that it had magical healing powers and hoping that spot treatment would flash up as one of its many uses. My prayers were answered and I found several testimonials swearing by eight hour cream for spots. So I skipped home and slapped some on straight away, and then reapplied before bed. When I woke sadly my spot wasn't gone boo! But there was definite improvement, it had calmed down significantly although bad news there was a brand new spot that had popped up further up my cheek. So without hesitating I dabbed on the eight hour cream and by the end of the day it was barely visible! Result! My theory is my original spot had been there for days and had probably grown roots and decided it wasn't going anywhere and that’s why the cream didn't have such an effect. So when I start to feel the first tingles of a new spot I will definitely be reaching for my Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream.

The only negative thing I have to say and you can probably guess what it is... the smell, when I first opened my tub i did get a shock it is a very strong herbally, garden, chemical smell. But do you know what I use this everyday and don't even notice the smell anymore, so I say stick with it it's definitely worth it.   

xx