Beauty ¦ Clinique Lip pop - Poppy pop

 

Oh my good lord I love these lipsticks, like seriously I really love them. I feel like these haven't had half as much hype as they actually deserve. So starting off with packaging I love how obvious it is what shade you are getting out, it also feels super sturdy and the lid feels incredibly secure which is one of the things I look for in lipstick packaging. I have the driest lips in the world and recently they have been super flaky and gross (painting a really attractive picture here) because of the flakiness I've been really struggling with wearing lipsticks without my lips feeling like they are going to just completely fall off. The think I love about these lipsticks is how comfortable and hydrating they are.

These somehow whilst being super hydrating and pretty glossy they really last well. I do find however that if you put to many layers on it does have a tendency to bleed a little. Other than that though I find that this particular shade's gloss lasts around 4 hours and then I get around another 4 hours out of the colour.

So that's it for today's post, if you guys have any Clinique lip pop shade recommendations I'd love for you to leave them in the comments. 

Beauty ¦ YSL Rouge volupte shine - Beige blouse

 

Ever since starting blogging I've been dreaming of owning one of these stunning lipsticks however I could never quite commit myself to shelling out the £26.00 for one however on my recent visit to the airport I decided to bite the bullet and get one and I am so very glad I did (Unfortunately my bank balance doesn't feel the same as I now want all the shades) I mean I expected to be impressed but this has gone above and beyond what I expected for it.

 

I decided to settle for quite a neutral shade as that's what I have found I've been reaching for a lot lately. In the end I went for Beige blouse (47) which is a beautifully brown-y pink nude which is just the ultimate my lips but better shade (I really hate that phrase but it fits) The finish is glossy and I find it leaves my lips looking a little plumper especially when I pair it with a liner like Charlotte Tilbury pillow talk.

 

 

My lips have been an absolute nightmare recently as they have been so dry and I find that this is one of those lip products that you can wear no matter what state your lips in as the formula is so hydrating. If this lipstick has one downfall it has to be the lasting power however with a formula as hydrating as this one it would be hard for it to last for hours and hours pair that with the fact that the shade is quite light therefore it doesn't leave a stain. I find I can get two - four hours out of it depending on how much I've been talking however it definitely does need topping up after any kind of food or drink.

 

Overall I really love this lipstick and I would say that it is well worth a purchase if you can bear to shell put the cash for it.



Beauty ¦ Urban decay x Gwen stefani eye palette

 

 

 

I swear when I opened this on my birthday my heart actually skipped a beat. I know that literally everyone is talking about this collaboration at the moment but look how beautiful it is. Today I thought I would stick my oar in and review this for you guys because I mean I'm sure there needs to be another review of this palette on the internet! So without further ado lets get into it.

 

 

So starting of the packaging one thing I really love is the fact it's so sturdy and also very pretty at the same time. It is quite heavy which I really wasn't expecting however I feel like it's one of those palettes that will be pretty much be indestructible. In terms of quality the shadows are exactly what I would expect from Urban decay they are beautifully pigmented and blend like an absolute dream. A couple of the glitter shades have got some fall out so if that bothers you (it personally doesn't bother me)  then maybe consider that before picking this palette up. So lets move onto the shades.

 

 

Shades from left to right

 

Blondie - This shade is the more subtle highlight shade in the palette, it's a beautiful shimmery gold highlight shade which I have been using under my brow bone and in the inner corner.

 

Bathwater - This one is a super intense pale gold shade which makes for the perfect super dramatic highlight shade as well as a nice pretty shimmery all over the lid shade.

 

Skimp - This one is a almost matte highlight it contains a little bit of shimmer however once on the eyes the shimmer is almost undetectable as it is so fine. I love using this one with the matte shades in the palette for a very almost matte look.

 

Steady - I think this shade is my favourite out of the entire palette. It is the most beautiful light rose gold shade with lots of warm tones. It looks so metallic on the lid and it looks incredible with a darker warm tone in the crease (like makeup geek Cocoa bear) or a burgundy brown shade (like Punk in this palette)

 

Punk - This one is the first matte shade in the palette, it's a beautiful burgundy red-y toned shade which is the most beautiful crease shade for a darker look.

 

Baby - This is a really metallic pin shade with silver shimmer in it. This is one of those perfect super simple shadows which work so nicely just swept over the lid.

 

Anaheim - This is the coolest of the three matte shades in the middle of the palette. It's a very basic shade but one that is really useful as both a transition shade and a subtle crease shade.

 

Stark - This one is a matte peachy light brown, I've been really liking using this one over the lid with either Anaheim or Zone in the crease for a very subtle matte eye look.

 

Zone - This is the final of the three basic matte shades in the palette, it's a really beautiful medium chocolate brown which I've been using a lot as a crease shade as it's perfect for adding lots of definition without making the eye look to dark.

 

Serious - This one for me was one that I wasn't sure i'd love however it is so pretty and I have been using it quite a lot of the very outer parts of the lid. Its a stunning grey shade which has lots of coloured shimmer in it. I haven't had chance to use this in a smokey eye yet however I feel like it's going to be incredible.

 



Pop - This one is the most incredible pressed glitter the swatch above really doesn't do it any justice. It's a stunning light peachy shade that is absolutely packed with silver glitter particles. It looks incredible pressed all over the lid in the centre to add a little glitter to the look.

 

Harajuku - This one is not a shade I think I will ever use, it is a medium bright Barbie pink with silver shimmer in it. This one is definitely for the braver girls out there!

 

Danger - This again was on I didn't think I'd ever touch however I really love it. I've been using it under my lash line for a slight pop of colour. It is an incredible deep blue shade with a metallic finish.

 

1987 - This one is the most insane true gold shade which reminds me of a shadow I got in a magazine when I was about 11. I'm pretty sure I'm probably never going to use it however it is still incredible quality.

 

Blackout - This one is just the typical matte black shade in the palette. I don't really know what to say about this one!

 

 

So that's it for today's post I hope you enjoyed this! 

Beauty ¦ My new favourite cheekbones

I received an email about this palette from beauty bay a couple of weeks ago and needless to say I was instantly sold and I headed straight over and ordered it. If you know me in real life or you read my blog a lot you will be fully aware that I have no cheekbones at all my face is chubby and so I  require a lot of work in the contour department meaning I'm rather fond of a good contour palette. Again if you are a regular in these waters you will know that I really love the Barry M contour kit so for anything to come even close to being on par with it I am incredibly impressed by.

 

The formula of these powders is really lovely, they aren't chalky and they blend into the skin beautifully. They have a good amount of pigmentation but not to much so that it makes them hard  to work with which is one of my main expectations of a cheek product. As much as I love the rose gold packaging it is only cardboard and I feel like if you kept your makeup in a makeup bag it could very easily get destroyed as there isn't much protection for the powders.

 

Starting off with the contour shade which is definitely my favourite out of the three powders. It is one of the most brilliant contour powders I have ever tried. I am casper the ghost pale so I find that even super grey toned powders can sometimes still end up looking to dark and orangey on me, this shade however is the perfect mix of grey and orange to make it look natural. It is quite a sheer product however I personally like that in a contour as I can often go over board so I would rather have to build it up on my face rather than spend 10 minutes trying to tone down a super heavy contour.

 

 

The highlight is absolutely incredible however it is very intense. When it first arrived and I saw it I was a little disappointed as I was pretty sure a bright white highlight was something that would work for me however when I swatched it I realised that the shade in the pan was pretty misleading. It's actually a beautiful icy gold shade which catches the light so beautifully. It is one of those highlighters for people who aren't afraid of some intense glow however I have tried it under my foundation on the high points of my face and it just leaves a beautiful subtle golden glow to the skin.

 

Finally we have the blush shade, which is like nothing I've ever seen before. It is a very brown toned pink with a lot of very subtle golden shimmer and I really do love it. It's incredibly warm toned so not only does it add a flush of colour but it also leaves a slight bronze-y glow to my face so on can't be bothered days I've been wearing this without any bronzer. It is exactly the shade I hoped it would be and it has just made me love this palette even more!

 

Overall I would highly suggest that you check this palette out at £13 it's the higher end of budget makeup however for three powders of such high quality I think it's an absolute steal. I also picked up the Cocoa blend palette in the same order so expect to see a review of that in the next couple of weeks!

 



Left to right - Contour, Highlight (Unblended), Blush

Beauty ¦ Illamasqua sale haul and review.

Illamasqua are notorious for their incredible sales and I just couldn't resist making an order. Typically I bought this stuff and then they put absolutely everything in the sale down to 70% off. Never the less I'm super happy with my purchases so today I thought I'd do a quick little rundown and tell you my thoughts.

 

Cream blush in Dixie

This is such a pretty natural pink shade, I already have one of their velvet blushes and I love the formula so I was excited to try another form of their cream blushes. The texture of these blushes is so silky and smooth and they blend like a dream without moving any foundation about. They are actually a completely different texture to the velvet blushes which feel almost whipped. I will say that on first swatch I thought the formula was a little wet however once on the face they don't feel sticky on any way.

 

Powder blush duo in Lover and Hussy

These colours are so in your face and I just love them. When this duo first came out it was all over the blogosphere and when I saw it in the sale I finally decided to see what all the hype was about and I have to say I'm seriously impressed. These blushes are not only super pigmented however easy to sheer out if you want to but they are sticking around I can honestly say that I have never had a powder blush last all day yet these ones managed it. I'd definitely recommend picking up some shades if you are into super bright blushes.

 

Glamoure lipstick in Virgin

As if I needed another red lipstick but I simply couldn't resist this one its a slightly darkened red shade with a slight glossy finish. It's one of those lipsticks that feels so comfortable on the lips that you could forget you were wearing it. I expected due to the glossy formula that the lasting power wouldn't be great however once again I'm really impressed.

 

Lipstick in Corrupt

I thought this was a nude shade so when it turned up as a bright pink I was a little shocked to say the least however I think I may have found a bright pink that actually works for my skin tone. What I will say about this shade however is that it is so drying. I ended up having to wear it over a lip balm as I could barely get any colour to actually transfer onto my lips. I could imagine that when applied properly these last for hours however due to the fact my lips are currently drier than the Sahara I didn't get a chance to try it out without a million layers of lip balm underneath.

 

So that's everything I picked up! Did you manage to get any steals in the Illamasqua sale?

 



Left to right - Cream blush in Dixie, Lipstick in Virgin, Lipstick in corrupt, Powder blush duo in lover and hussy. 

Beauty ¦ The Makeup geek eyeshadow haul

I've been wanting to give the Makeup geek shadows a go since they first starting doing the rounds in the blogosphere. However I've been holding off but I finally broke and made a rather large order. The problem is now I am so in love with the shadows. The quality is second to none. They are buttery, blendable and extremely pigmented.

 



Shimma shimma is a beautiful pale champagne shade with a metallic finish I think out of the eight shades I went for this is the one I've the most. It makes a lovely brow bone and inner corner highlight but I also like to use it for a little wash of colour over the lid and pair it with a little bit of liner.

 

Peach Smoothie is a matte shade, it's a pale peach shade which makes a lovely all over the lid shade. It's a very warm shade and I love to pair it with one of the other warm matte shades I picked up.

 

Glamorous is a coppery warm gold with a metallic finish. It's one of those perfect one swipe shades which settles a little darker in the crease. It's such a lovely warm shade and I absolutely love the warm tones with my blue eyes.

 

Cosmopolitan is a beautiful mix of rose gold and orange again it's another metallic shade it works brilliantly as a base to create a rose gold smokey eye. It's got such a stunning gold sheen to it and although I haven't worn it yet I'm very much looking forward to using it.

 

Purely Naked is a warm light brown shade with very subtle silver shimmer in it. Again it's one of those perfect subtle all over the lid shades which I like to wear paired with a slightly darker warm brown shade.

 

Frappe once again it's another warm brown shade (are you sensing a theme) This one is probably the warmest shade I picked out and it looks absolutely stunning in the crease paired with Peach smoothie.

 

Latte is a pretty neutral dark sandy brown it's completely matte. It makes a lovely basic transition shade for super dark brown smokey eyes but it also makes a lovely basic crease colour.

 

Mocha is the final shade I ordered as I felt like I needed a dark shade, it's just a very basic matte dark brown shade.

Left to right - Shimma Shimma, Peach smoothie, Glamourous, Cosmopolitan, Purely Naked, Frappe, Latte, Mocha

Have you tried any makeup geek shadows I'd love for you to let me know what your favourite shades are?

Beauty ¦ Benefit Real cheeky party

I couldn't not do a post about this palette as I literally haven't put it down since I opened it on Christmas day. I know it isn't still available however I know that Benefit brought one of these cheek palettes out last year so it's likely there will be another one for Christmas 2016. All the products can also be bought separately so I decided I would put up a post about it.

 

So the palette contains 4 boxed blushes, there bronzer, a highlight and the They're real liner and mascara. Before receiving this I had only tried the Sugarbomb blush in a little set and I am going to be honest I wasn't overly fussed by it. However I am so impressed with all four of these including Sugarbomb. Out of the four Rockateur is my favourite shade, it's a beautiful deep dusky pink with a stunning gold sheen to it and I absolutely cannot wait to wear it with a tan. Coralista is your basic orangey coral shade with lots of gold sheen in it. Again I feel like this one will be one I reach for a lot in the summer with lots of bronzer. Dandelion is the most perfect natural blush shade, it's a very light baby pink shade with tiny particles of silver shimmer. this is definitely a good one for if the rest of your makeup is quite heavy. Sugarbomb is a peachy shade it has a lot more pink and is significantly lighter than Coralista however I would put them in the same kind of colour family.

 

Hoola is something that I have really been loving it's the perfect all over bronze shade with no shimmer. I also find that it's cool enough to contour with if I use a light hand. However I do definitely prefer it for all over bronzing. Watts up was something that I wasn't sure how I'd feel about however I really do love it. Bar Benefit high beam I tend to avoid cream highlighters as I find they just move my makeup about however I really do love it. It leaves the most gorgeous gold-y sheen on the cheeks and again I think it will look even more stunning when I'm tanned.

 

If you are a regular reader you will know that They're real is my favourite mascara ever so I was so excited to give the liner a go however I'm just not sure about it I feel like the applicator is just a bit of a gimmick. The formula is absolutely brilliant and it managed to hold up whilst I cooked Christmas dinner with my mum but I just can't be doing with how much of a faff it is to apply. I really hope that they bring it out in a pot form!
 



Left to Right - Dandelion, Rockateur, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista and watts up.

 

So that's it for today's post I really hope you enjoyed this review! Have you got one of the Benefit cheek palettes?

 

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Blogmas ¦ Day 29 - Primark makeup

Over the past couple of weeks I've been trying out some items from Primark's beauty range and today I thought i'd give you my thoughts. Overall I will say I'm really impressed with the products for the prices they really are brilliant quality however there are a few products that I prefer to others.

 

There are a couple of the products that I'm not overly bothered by the brow pencil in Dark is okay. For me personally it's a little too waxy and I also find that it is just far to dark for me. I've got quite dark hair but it's a very rich chocolate brown shade so if I'm not really careful it can end up looking far to dark. I also wasn't overly impressed with the Liquid lipsticks (Which I forgot to photograph) They are okay however I personally much prefer a matte liquid lipstick rather than a glossy one so they aren't for me.

 

 

I've actually been using the liquid concealer under my eyes for the past couple of weeks and I'm honestly really enjoying it. It isn't heavy but it offers a fairly substantial amount of coverage for the tiny price of £1.50. It's also a really lovely pale shade which I find is really difficult to get in a very low end concealer. The four shadow palette was something that I didn't really know what to expect but I'm pretty happy with it. Don't get me wrong they are in no way the most amazing shadows I've ever tried but for £2.00 for four shades I just can't complain. They are easy to blend and give of a pretty amazing pigmentation for the price. If you are wanting to try a smokey eye without investing massive amounts of money I'd highly suggest giving the smokey one a go (unfortunately they don't have any names)

 

Finally onto my favourite products from the range the Lip liners and the velvet matte lip pencils are both amazing products. The velvet matte lip pencils are so creamy and comfortable to wear but they provide a really lovely long lasting matte finish. I've actually ended up with the three dark shades but I love them all so much. The lip liners are also incredibly creamy but they work brilliantly to stop lipstick fading so fast and reduce/eliminate bleeding.

 

So overall I'd highly recommend you give the Primark makeup range a go.

 

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Blogmas ¦ Day 19 - Urban Decay Moondust shadow - Cosmic

So it's only taken me about 9 months to review this product as I received it for my birthday but when I was brainstorming post ideas for blogmas  I decided this was actually the perfect time to review it. I mean who doesn't love a bit of glitter for the festive season.

 

I'm just going to start with how pretty this product is, it is a mainly whit glitter however it has flecks of various different coloured glitters although the swatch below doesn't do it as much justice as it deserves. Although in the swatch it looks like the glitter is suspended in a white powder however it is just the glitter so it's perfect for putting on top of other shadows. I also love wearing it over a very neutral shade so it's pretty much pure glitter and then I pop on some lots of mascara and some lashes.

 

 

Lasting power wise due to it being a glitter it sticks around for about 8 hours when paired with the Urban Decay Primer potion. I must mention that there is quite a bit of fallout which comes from this shadow so I always make sure to apply it before foundation. I will also just say the I'm personally not a fan of the packaging. It isn't as secure as I'd like it to be and I also find that as they are made to go in the UD version of a build your own palette they pop out of the outer packaging very easily so they aren't great for just chucking in a makeup bag.

 

So as usual with all of Urban Decays products I am so impressed with this product and I'd highly recommend it if you are looking for a little bit of glitter in your life.

Blogmas ¦ Day 7 - More products from Born pretty

If you are a regular reader you will probably know I've spoken about born pretty before. I am always really impressed with the products that they send me so today I'm going to be sharing some more with you.

 

I've actually got a set of brushes very similar to these pink handled ones* and I absolutely love them so when I saw them on the website I had to get them. They are super sturdy and they feel super gentle on the eyes. I also love the angled one for concealer. If you need some new eye brushes and you want ones that wont break the bank these are perfect.

 

Next up I picked out a Makeup sponge* I've been wanting to try a beauty blender forever but I wasn't sure how I would get on with it and when I tried to find the real techniques sponge my local boots never seemed to have it so I was really excited to try this one. I can confirm that I really do love it. It seems to apply my foundation seamlessly and I've also found it's actually been lasting longer when I use this. (Although that could just be me)

 

DOG 02

Since it's Christmas time I thought picking out this 10 set of lashes* seemed appropriate as it is the party season. I'm very picky about what lashes I wear as I find so many styles look really strange on me. These don't look quite as full on the website however it turns out I actually really like them. They definitely aren't a natural looking lash however I think for parties etc. they are perfect.

 

So finally I have one of the DOG Eyeshadow crayons in 02*. I love a good cream shadow and I find sticks so easy to use that I definitely had to give this a go. The shade 02 is a beautiful mix of copper and gold with some pretty obvious shimmer. I was quite impressed by the formula and I found using it alongside my usual eye primer (Urban decay Primer potion for reference) that it looked good all day and I only experienced a very slight colour fade which no one is likely to notice. If you like eyeshadow crayons and you'd like to try something that not everyone has done I would definitely suggest these.

Don't forget to add the code BAXH10 at the checkout for 10% off!



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Blogmas ¦ Day 6 - MUA Velvet lip lacquers

If you read my post a couple of weeks ago you will know that I'm a little obsessed with my lip lacquers at the moment if you didn't read the post it's here. Today I thought it was about time I started working my way through all the reviews. I actually have one of these lacquers in the old black lidded packaging and when I first tried it I remember really not getting along with it however when I was taking lip swatch pictures for my recent makeup collection posts I gave it another go and I was actually quite impressed.

I picked up three shades from the new line, two which I really love and one which I'm not to sure about. In the end I picked up Vivacity, Kooky and Tranquillity. Vivacity is a bright raspberry shade, Kooky is a dark vampy purple shade and Tranquillity is a peachy nude shade. Tranquillity is a shade which I really thought I'd love however I'm just not a big fan of it. It looked a lot more brown in the lighting in Superdrug but it is actually very orange toned and I definitely get the whole concealer lips vibe from it.

Top - Tranquillity Middle - Kooky Bottom - Vivacity  

In terms of formula they aren't my most favourite lip lacquers but they are really nice. They are really long lasting however they do feel a little drying on the lips. They set down matte however they do feel like there is a coating on the lips unlike products like the Sleek matte me's and the Bourjois rouge editions. If you have super lovely and un-flaky lips then these would be brilliant for you however if your lips have a tendency to be a little dry then your lips will definitely need a little bit of TLC before you apply  



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Blogmas ¦ Day 4 - The budget berry lip



I wrote about a little nude lip combo from Primark not to long ago and I was so impressed by the lip liner that I had to pick up another one. I also decided that I fancied trying on of their velvet matte lip pencils. I did speak quite a lot about the liner in the last post so I'm not going to talk to much but if you didn't read that post. The liners are incredibly creamy and they don't drag on the lips at all.

 

So moving onto the velvet lip pencil I am even more impressed with these than I am with the liners. It sets down beautifully to an almost matte finish but it feels so creamy on the lips. I'll definitely be getting some more shades! At £2 a piece you really cannot complain. I'd definitely like to give the Nars velvet matte lip pencils a go so I can compare them!

 

In terms of colours the liner in Wine is quite a deep red slightly purple shade. It actually reminds me of a more purple version of Rimmel 107. Whereas the velvet matte lip pencil in purple is a very pinky purple shade which is a similar colour to mac rebel.

 

Have you given any of the Primark lip products? If you have let me know which ones you love!

 

 

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Beauty ¦ Bargain palettes from Collection

 

When I first saw these palettes surface I knew that I had to try them. I love the eyes uncovered palettes from collection as they are such amazing quality for a bargain price and I was really hoping these also lived up to that and I'm very pleased to report they do.

 

 

I picked up two out of the three new palettes. The blush and glow palette contains a highlight, two blush shades and what they call a contour shade however on my skin it's far to orange t contour with so I've been using it as a bronzer. What I love about these is the fact they aren't overly pigmented. On an everyday basis I want a blush that is easy that I can just stick on without worrying about how pigmented it is. The contour makes a really lovely bronzer on me to just add a slight wash of colour however if I do try and contour with it I look a lot like an uompa lompa (I have no idea how to spell that)  from Charlie and the chocolate factory. The highlight is a really pretty subtle everyday highlight which I really love. I've also been using it for my inner corner highlight and on my brow bone as it lightens but without adding to much colour.

 

 Bronzer, highlight, left blush, right blush.

 



The your style your mood palette contains two eye looks. The swatches above are the left hand side look and the swatches below are the right hand side look. These shadows are exactly the same formula as the eyes uncovered palettes and I love them. They are pigmented, blendable and creamy. They remind me a lot of the urban decay formula however they aren't quite as lovely. I love the way that this palette has the looks set out for you as it's super easy to reach for when traveling as you know you hae two full looks and you wont need to reach for anything else. It's also brilliant for if I'm in a rush as I can just grab it without having to root through my stash for three different shades in three different palettes. Both of the lightest shades are matte and then the other eight shades are shimmers so if you aren't a big fan of shimmer shadows this probably isn't for you however if you love shimmery shadows then I would highly recommend this palette!

 



 

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Beauty ¦ Stila convertible colour - Fuchsia

A couple of years ago everyone was talking about these especially the shade Gerbera, but it has taken me this long to give them a go. I decided I wanted something quite bright so I picked out the shade fuchsia. It's a bright slightly blue toned pink which leaves a slightly rosy look on the cheeks and on the lips it gives a nice hint of brightness which works beautifully with very minimal makeup.

 

 

In terms of formula due to it being a lip and cheek colour its a little wetter than your usual cream blush. On the lips it feels very hydrating but it still blends well into the skin without moving the makeup underneath around. I personally prefer applying it with my fingers as I find the heat helps it blend into the skin seamlessly.

Overall I would recommend these, they are really good quality and well worth the money.

 

Beauty ¦ Maybelline colour sensational shine glosses

I'm not usually a lip gloss person, the only lip glosses I don't hate are the Clarins instant light natural lip perfectors. However I'd read some good things about the Maybelline Colour sensational glosses so I decided to bite the bullet and give them a go. Now don't get me wrong I don't like them as much as the Clarins ones however I was pretty impressed.

 

They are a little bit sticky but no way near the levels that some drugstore glosses can be. The pigment of them is really lovely and they both add a wash of glossy colour. Glorious grapefruit is my favourite of the two shades, it's a peachy pink shade which looks lovely to add a slight bit of colour to bare lips or over a nude lipstick to make it a little more pink. Electric orange is a very bright true orange shade which looks amazing with a fairly minimal makeup as a little pop of colour. This one would be brilliant if you want to try an orange shade without going full on bright orange.

 



Neither of the shades have any shimmer in which is something I am really glad about as I find a lot of glosses can be far too glittery for my liking. The formula is lovely and creamy and they feel really hydrating and smooth on the lips. I find they wear for around 3 hours however electric orange leaves behind a light orangey tint on the lips. The glosses have a slight citrusy scent which I personally really like but if you aren't a big fan of scents in your lip products these probably aren't for you.

 

 

Overall I'd recommend these if you don't have the budget for the Clarins lip perfector however if you do I would definitely suggest those.



Left - Electric Orange Right - Glorious grapefruit

Beauty ¦ Illamasqua Velvet blusher - Flirtatious

I am slowly but surely making my way through reviewing all the products that I received for my birthday (If you'd like to see what I received head over //Here//) This product was one of the presents from my friends and I think they chose really well.

 

When I first swatched this is was really quite confused by the texture. It's almost like a whipped mousse, there are lots of little air bubbles in it giving the most amazing light texture. The formula isn't a cream to powder but neither is it a sticky feeling product. Once it's on the skin this isn't going anywhere and I find although by the end of the day the colour has faded it's still there.

 

The shade is such a gorgeous peachy pink which looks really natural on the cheeks. It's a pretty neutral shade so I find it works pretty well with most eye/lip shades.  I really like the packaging and the casing feels nice and sturdy.

 

These aren't the cheapest coming in at £21.50 but a little really does go a long way. If you're in the market for a cream blush that's a little more high end I think this is an amazing one to go for.



Beauty ¦ Rimmel Scandal eyes eyeshadow pencils

A couple of people commented on my April favourites (//Here// if you haven't seen it yet)  last weekend saying how much they liked the look of these so today I thought I'd put up my review with some swatches.  

 

I'm having a bit of a cream eyeshadow moment, I love the convenience and the fact that there is just no worry about creasing. The fact that these are sticks just makes life even easier. These aren't the first shadow sticks I've tried but they are definitely the best. They are really creamy without being slippy and they blend like an absolute dream. I love to wear the darker shade (Bad girl bronze) really blended out for a super simple smokey eye. It's an amazing mix between a copper and a coffee brown shade, it's also amazing for smudging along the lower lash line. The other shade I have which is Bluffing is the perfect everyday natural taupey shade which I've found myself reaching for a lot in the past month.

 

I love the fact that these aren't packed full of shimmer, they are more metallic. As for lasting power I got a good 7 hours without an eye primer and no creasing at all for an entire day when wearing a primer (Urban decay primer potion for reference). Packaging wise the lids fit on well and don't fall off in a makeup bag or in my draw (One of my biggest pet peeves) The only thing I would say is I wish they were twistable instead of needing sharpening.

 

Overall I really love these and I highly recommend them especially at the bargainous price of £4.49

 

If you have any other cream shadow recommendations I'd love to hear them! 

Top - Bad girl bronze Bottom - Bluffing 

Beauty ¦ Benefit - They're real mascara

I don't know why I've never reviewed this as I would say it's my all time favourite mascara. I've mentioned it in so many post yet it's never actually had a post of it's own so when I got it for my birthday I decided I'd get on and review it for you all.

This is my all time favourite mascara, a bold claim I know but it is a well earnt one. The formula of this just seems to work so well with my lashes. On the grand scale my lashes are pretty long but they are so poker straight getting a mascara to hold a curl is an almost impossible task. This one holds it effortlessly due to it being such a strong waterproof formula, I can curl my lashes early in the morning and they will still be curled when I come to take my makeup off at night. Colour wise it's a really strong intense black.

The effect this mascara gives is really lovely, it is in no way natural but it separates and volumizes the lashes whilst also adding a little bit of length.  The lasting power of this stuff is pretty amazing, i've never experienced any flaking, smudging or running with this product due to the formula that I mentioned before. I've also worn this in a swimming pool and it didn't run all down my face which is pretty impressive. The only downside to this mascara is the removal, it is so stubborn although it does come off easily with an oil based cleanser (The botanics cleansing balm does a brilliant job of removing it)

Overall I would seriously recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good waterproof mascara, however if you're into the natural look this probably isn't for you.

Beauty ¦ Insta-natural eye gel

 Insta Natural Youth express eye gel £16.95* //Here//

Now I'm fully aware I have absolutely no need for an anti aging eye cream but apart from the wrinkles I have all the things this little bottle of amazingness is good for. I've always suffered badly with puffy, sore and dark under eyes (Thanks genes) I've been using this for a couple of weeks and I've seem a massive difference. Due to this product being a gel it's really cooling and helps calm down any redness and refreshes tired eyes. The overall texture is really lovely and I'd happily use this all over my face if I needed it. It's made no massive difference to the overall darkness under my eyes but due to the skin being in much better condition I've found that they have been covering much easier and my concealer is going on much smoother and also creasing less. I've found it to be really nice and hydrating and overall I'm really impressed. 

I like the packaging, when I first opened the package I was a little worried about the pump dispensing too much product however I've found it is just right. I seriously recommend that if you suffer  from sore and puffy under eyes you give this ago. It's also a massive size so the £16.95 is well worth paying as not only is it really effective it's also super inexpensive.