Monday 15 October 2012

Origins Zero Oil Oil-Free Moisturiser: Review!

So. It happened. I ran out of my Clarins Multi-Active Night Cream. Cue hysterical sobbing. Well, not really but the thought of parting with £42 of my ever shrinking money made me want to. As I resigned myself to kissing goodbye to my cash, my Mum phoned and said "Why don't you try Origins?" "Origins, Mum? I like them but..." 

And so forth. But I did happen to look online, and see this little product being advertised as a saviour for oily skin. 


As it was only £23, compared to the £42 I would spend with Clarins, I thought I would give it a try. And I am so glad I did!


It's a really lightweight, soothing moisturiser - almost more like a serum as it is not think or heavy at all. It instantly calms my skin and tightens up my pores, ridding me of my usual build up of oil. I find when I apply this in the morning, my skin doesn't get anywhere nearly as oily as it would normally and feels soft and soothed throughout. It has a very minty smell, which is refreshing but I am not particularly fond of - however, it is not a deal breaker for me. 



It comes in a squeezy tube as well which I love as creams do tend to come in pots, which I hate! I don't know why, but I just hate having to scoop out cream and getting it all stuck under my nails...just, yucky! So for me, this cream is the whole package - I can't say enough good things about the quality of this product. The scent is a little off for me, but if you were somebody who loved minty, fresh smells, then this would be perfect for you. I was dubious about switching up my skin care, as it can sometimes have adverse affects but I am really glad I bought this product.


Let me know down below what your favourite moisturiser is, and if there's anything you would like me to review for you next! x

Saturday 13 October 2012

Essie 'Apertif' Review


Anyone who knows me can tell you that I love my nail varnish. My favourite brands tend to be Barry M and China Glaze but after hearing so many great things about Essie and then seeing a counter pop up in my local Boots, I decided to give them a shot. Mistake.

I wanted to so much to like this brand! The colour choice is really good, but I just think the quality is terrible, considering one bottle will set you back £7.99. It applies quite thin and takes a long time to dry. However, the main problem is that when I apply this, it dries extremely bumpy and uneven. This is not a problem with my nails as I keep them in really good condition, and have never had this problem with any of my other polishes. I tried to get past it, but it just looked so ugly that I took it off within a few hours.

I have tried again on a few occasions, but each time I get the same horrible bumpyness on my nails. It's such a shame as this colour is beautiful and I have seen a few other colours that I would like to try also. I'm not sure if this is a defect with this bottle, but I'm a bit unwilling to pay £7.99 for another bottle, only to have the same issue.


Has anybody else had this problem with Essie nail polishes? Let me know in the comments below.



Sunday 7 October 2012

A (late) September Favourites!

Hey! Many apologies for a bit of a lull on the blogging front, I've just started back up at Uni for 2nd year and there's been so much going on with (re)freshers and my course loads and society duties but I should be back on track from now. Today I'm going to share with you some things I've been loving in September.


Quite a small amount of products this month, I've found a really good lot of products which I've been using everyday for the past few months and I've also been living on a tight budget so I haven't been buying as many new things as I usually do - hopefully should be getting something sorted and having a look around soon for some new buys though!


Origins Zero Oil Moisture Lotion: My skin has been a bit of a big oily mess recently so I decided it was time to do something about it! I picked this up after hearing a few good recommendations about Origins skincare and decided to give this ago. It's really, really great and I'm going to be doing a full review on this next week so keep an eye out for that.

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation: I love, love, LOVE this foundation. It is seriously so good, I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a light, natural coverage. Read my full review of this here.


Naked Rescue Intensive Care Conditioner: It's always been so hard to find a cruelty-free conditioner for a budget price tag, but this is a new range that has appeared in Boots in the past few months. I've also tried one of their shampoos, which just smelt divine but this conditioner is the one I'm really impressed by and have been using alternately with my LUSH 'Retread'. 


Benefit Hoola Bronzer: It's getting into the autumn months and the nights are getting darker already! I've definitely been needing to crack out the bronzer to give my face some degree of colour. I love Hoola but it is getting a bit too dark for me. Any good recommendations for me guys?

No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil in '10 Brown: I've really been using this a lot recently. Black kohl can be quite harsh and dramatic sometimes, especially when you want quite a natural look as I often do. This one is really great as it's quite soft and easy to apply. 

MAC Eyeshadow in 'Jest': I've been reaching for this beauty so much recently, I did a post on this eyeshadow paired with MAC's wedge which I will link here. This is such a pretty and easy look to do in the morning, and one of my favourite combinations to use.


Rimmel Kate Collection in shade 01: This is a classic true red colour, and I've had this in my bag nearly all of this month. It's so great to whip out and make any make-up look appear more dramatic immediately. The formulation is great for a drugstore lipstick and I really, really like this.

Revlon Nail Enamel in 'Lilac Pastelle': The bottle on this is horrendously worn down because I bought it in a market for £1 (unopened). It's a beautiful light purple colour and really cute to wear.

China Glaze Nail Lacquer in 'For Audrey': I was saving this little gem for me to purchase when I finished placement and was finally allowed to wear nail polish again! It had been in my amazon basket for weeks and I finally ordered it this month. It's one of China Glaze's most famous colours and I can see why. I'm wearing it on my nails right now and I've been alternating between this shade and the Revlon 'Lilac Pastelle' all of this month. Love it!


That's it for this month folks! Next post should be up this week :)

Sunday 30 September 2012

Tag: How much is your face worth?!


I've seen this tag floating around for a while and I think it's so interesting to read, so I thought I would do it for you.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation: £9.99
Clinique Airbrush Concealer: £16.50
MAC Studio Fix Concealer: £14.00
MAC 'Well Dressed' Blusher: £17.50
Benefit 'Hoola' Bronzer: £22.50
Benefit Browzings: £22.50
MAC 'Painterly' Paintpot: £14.00
NARS 'Alhambra' Eyeshadow Duo: £24.50
MAC 'Wedge' Eyeshadow: £12.00
No7 'Fanomenal' Mascara: £13.50
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Powder: £3.99
Burts Bees Lipbalm: £3.69
Any MAC Lipstick: £14.00

Total: £178.17

Honestly, I'm pretty shocked but it was the around the number I had in mind when I started thinking about this. I would say I do use mainly mid-range products - MAC and No7 aren't cheap, but they're not extortionate. If you were to tally up my skin care, which is mainly Clinique and Clarins, then we might have a much higher number up there! It is startling to see the amount in black and white though. This doesn't account for any tools either - such as brushes and eyelash curlers. I love make-up but I do think I'm fairly sensible with it because I do try and keep the number of products on the go to a minimum.  Items like eyeshadow and lipstick, I have tons of but things that will expire, like mascara, I will generally only use two/three maximum at a time. So while that is a massive number up there, I use nearly all those products every day and will only vary the eyeshadow/lipstick.

Sunday 23 September 2012

Review! Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation!

It was a sad moment for me when I realised I was coming towards the end of my beloved Chanel Vita Lumiere. I still had some left but I wanted to save it for special occasions and being premature of my next pay packet, I couldn't afford to replace it. So I headed off to Boots with the intention of giving Revlon's famous ColourStay foundation a try but while I was there I spied something better.



It was this little gem from Bourjois. I'd recently found out that Bourjois were cruelty free after thinking for so long that they weren't so I was quite excited to try it out. It has 4 different fruit extracts in it, each one working together to make your skin appear radiant and flawless. It claims to last for 16 hours, with a primer it may last up to about 8 or 9, but it will generally last about 6 on me. But thats 6 hours of flawless coverage and it only starts to fade a little bit, it still looks really great after this time - just not perfect.




I really, really love this foundation. I may even go as far as saying I like it better than the Chanel Vita Lumiere! It has a lot of the same aspects as Chanel Vita Lumiere - it applies beautifully and flawlessly, but still looks really natural. I think it applies better than the Chanel foundation because it doesn't cling to any dry patches and sinks in much better. The Chanel foundation always looked better after an hours wear, it needed that time to settle into the skin. The smell of the Bourjois foundation is lovely too, you can really smell the fruit extracts. I find this foundation applies best with a flat foundation brush, I use the MAC 190. I'm really excited to try the Healthy Mix concealer now!

Thursday 20 September 2012

My Make-up History tag!

Oh no, over a week since my last post - this is not good at all! What can I say dear readers? The only explanation I have for you is that I've been so busy since my last post. I finished placement (thank god) and I've moved back to my london flat so I've been doing things with different societies and generally chilling after placement. But that is no excuse, and I'll be back blogging much more regularly before you know it.

So today, I'm doing a tag for you guys and it's the My Make-up History tag! I spotted this over on Shannon's blog RasberryKiss which you can check out here.


1. How long have you been wearing makeup?
I think I started wearing make-up when I was about 12/13 but that was just your basic mascara and foundation. I really got into different brands and products when I was 16/17. 

2. What was your favourite makeup product in the beginning?
It was probably the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation! Oh those were the days!

3. What is your favourite makeup product now?
I think it's red lipstick or, failing that, any bright lipstick. My favourite one at the moment is the Rimmel London Kate 01 shade or a lovely Barry M limited edition shade 201 called 'Valentine'

4. What were some of your favourite brands in the beginning?
I really liked Max Factor, and to this day I still think they are a great brand - I just wish they were cruelty free! I was really into Natural Collection and I still really like them.

5. What are some of your favourite brands now?
MAC*, NARS, and Revlon. My tastes have changed a bit!

6. How would you describe your makeup style?
I generally go for quite natural make-up - I don't like to look fake or cakey, but I like to have flawless, glowing skin.

7. What is your everyday makeup like?
Usually a neutral eye using a MAC* Paintpot in 'Painterly', or my Revlon Smokey Shimmer Stick in 'Torch', with any bright lip colour.

8. What is your going out makeup like?
I generally go for more of a smokey eye using MAC* or NARS eyeshadows, and a few No7 ones I have. I then often for for something like 'Creme Cup' by MAC* on the lips and I will bronze up my skin a lot more.

9. What makeup look are you known for?
Ooh a tricky one here! I would say my statement bright lips but people do often comment on having glowing skin so I'm not sure. You will have to ask my friends!

10. What is the worst beauty crime you have committed?
Ooh wearing too much blusher. I'm really pale and I didn't really realise that blusher needed to be matched to your skin like every other, so I'd have like white skin then these patches of bright pink blusher. CRINGE.

11. What is the worst beauty crime you are proud to have not committed?
I never had orange foundation lines, I was always really careful to match my foundation correctly.

12. What is one beauty trend your were part of but now aren't a fan of?
I'd agree with Shannon here and say the overly khol lined eyes.

13. What is one trend you are proud to say you were never a part of?
The blue eye-shadow and red lipstick trend. The thought makes me shudder!

14. What is one look you will never go for?
The scousebrow. Or, having really thick eyebrows pencilled in. I have quite thin eyebrows, so I fill mine in softly and only where there is actually hair there. I cannot understand this obsession with making eyebrows massively thick when it's so obvious that they are drawn in.
15. If you were brave enough to wear any look what would it be?
I think I'm actually pretty brave with make-up looks. I suppose I would love to do a really dark, rock-chick style smokey eye but other than that, I'm alright for daring make-up.

16. An old Holy Grail product of yours?
Max Factor 'False Lash' Mascara. I went through so many tubes of this and, honestly, I don't think I've found a cruelty free one I love as much as I loved that one. Max Factor, please go cruelty free just so I can use your mascara again!!

17. A new Holy Grail product of yours?
My Clinique Airbush Concealer. I love this thing to death, you can read my review of it here

I tag anyone who reads this to do this, either as a post on your blog or in the comments below! I'd love to hear what you guys think so please let me know :)


Wednesday 12 September 2012

MAC 'Jest' & 'Wedge'





I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite eyeshadow combinations for a really natural, neutral smokey eye. I have blue-grey eyes so I tend to go for brown/gold/pink colours as these tend to look the nicest on my eyes, and really makes them 'pop'.

I've had 'Wedge' for quite a while and use this often with my beloved NARS* 'Alhambra' Eyeshadow Duo but I recently purchased 'Jest' and these two colours just look so beautiful together. 'Wedge' is a really natural, light brown matte colour that is great for adding shape and definition through the crease. 'Jest' is a stunning golden-pinky-peach colour in a frost finish that is so, so lovely and has enough shimmer in it to catch the light.





















I use a neutral cream eyeshadow such as MAC* Paintpot in 'Painterly' as a primer then sweep 'Jest' all over the lid. I then apply 'Wedge' through the crease and blend this towards the outer corners. It's a really natural but gives a great smokey texture and finish to my eye. It's so simple, yet so effective!

Saturday 8 September 2012

Soap & Glory 'Hand Food' Hand Cream: Review!


Soap & Glory was one of those brands I'd never given much thought. I'd always heard good things about their products, and I knew they were cruelty free but I'd never really head to that section when in Boots. However I needed a really good hand cream to rescue my hands from all the damage caused by the hospitals anti-bacterial gel and I had heard such great things about this product. So I decided to pick it up and give it a try and I do not regret it! This is such an amazing quality hand cream. I get dry patches below my knuckles and this really makes them so much better. It smells so lovely as well, it's got a very sweet, marshmallow smell to it. 

This is quite a 'slippery' hand cream, as in you have to leave it to soak in for ages otherwise you can't do anything. This isn't really great if I use it in placement, I applied some earlier this week and then I couldn't even get the lid off my pen! I get around this by applying this on my lunch break if needed, and then when I get home from placement. 

This is the small 50ml size which cost £2.50 from Boots, but I shall be purchasing the 125ml version for £5 when this runs out. 

Friday 7 September 2012

August Favourites!


I know, a very late August favourites but these are the products I have been really enjoying this month. I've been going for a very natural look this month as I've been on placement for nearly all of it and so, while I am allowed to use make-up, it's not necessarily been appropriate to wear a lot of it. 

Soap and Glory 'Hand Food': This has been such a life-saver this month! If anyone works in a hospital or has spent a lot of time in hospital, then you'll know about the spirogel that needs to be applied before entering or leaving a ward. This has been completely destroying the skin on my hands and this doesn't make it completely relieved, but is definitely helping to protect my skin and make it feel nice and soft. The smell is so nice too! I'm going to be doing a full review on this soon.

Real Techniques 'Blush Brush': I got this brush for my birthday and I've used it every day since to apply my blusher. It's tapered and so the precision is great, it doesn't deposit too much product on your face and is great for blending. It's so soft and doesn't have any fallout either. I love it.



Focus Dailies One-Day Contacts: This is a weird one, I know! I don't normally wear contacts as my eyesight is not that bad but I decided to get some for placement as if I am trying to see things such as ward signs from far away and I don't have my glasses on then it would give me a headache and I just generally thought it would be easier for placement. These contacts are so easy to use and I can wear them for so long without my eyes getting irritated or dry. 

No7 'Fanomenal Lashes' Mascara: I've done a review on this mascara already so you can check that out here, but I generally love this mascara and I've been using it everyday for the past few weeks.

Revlon ColourStay 'Smoky Shadow Stick': When I first got this, I really didn't like it. I just didn't think much of it and I didn't think it was gonna do much. Nothing particularly against the product, but I just didn't really see the point of it almost? But I've tried it a few times and eventually found a great way to wear it, and I can blend this in so well to wear in the day. I don't think it gives a smokey eye as such, but it does have a lovely effect and I have been wearing it a lot. 


MAC* 'Well Dressed' Blusher: This is such a great natural blush that I think everyone should have it their make-up bag. It's the perfect light pearly pink shade that is so buildable and beautiful to wear every day.

NARS* 'Alhambra' Eyeshadow Duo: I featured this in a haul a few months ago, and since then I've been wearing it so much! It is really, really stunning and NARS eyeshadows are one of the best on the market. Their quality is incredible and all the colours are beautiful. I have been wearing the peachy-pink shade of this duo the most and this looks lush with blue eyes!

MAC* Paintpot in 'Painterly' (not pictured above): This is a great natural beige shade that can be used as either a base for shadow or on it's own as a very neutral your-skin-but-better shade. Love it!


Burts Bees Lipbalm: This is a favourite every month really as it is my absolute, all time favourite lipbalm but this month I could not have lived without it! My lips have been so dry, the wards are so so hot and humid and this has been an absolute saviour. 

Topshop 'Whimsical' Lipstick: This is a really pretty peach-pink shade lipstick which is great for summer. Topshop have a great formula for their lipsticks and this is one of my favourite shades of theirs. They've brought out a few new shades which I shall have to go and check out!

Revlon Lip Butter in 'Strawberry Shortcake': When these first came out, I was obsessed with the Rasberry Pie shade of the lip butters but more recently I've been wearing this really cute pearly pink shade. There's not much I can say about the lip butters that you probably haven't already heard, but they are so so great. Definitely check them out!

Tangle Teezer: I've written a full review on this which I will link here, but I generally have been obsessed with this recently. It's great if you have thick hair that does get tangled easily like mine. 

Thats all from me! I will see you soon.


Tuesday 4 September 2012

Review: Bourjois Magic Nail Varnish Remover!

It's just a quick review today because I am absolutely knackered after placement and am subsequently in bed at 8pm. Living the high life! I've been wanting to review this for a while and just haven't got around to it. Bourjois Magic Nail Varnish Remover is a nifty little beauty product that eliminates cotton wool in the nail varnish removing process (take that cotton wool!) and claims to cleanse your nails in 1 second. If your incredibly lazy like me, then this will sound like the best thing since sliced bread!


 It definitely is easy, you simply put your finger into the hole (oo-er) and give it a little twist for about 5 seconds and it does come out lovely and clean and nail-polish free. It definitely takes more than 1 second to remove all the nail polish. It smells nice and fruity and doesn't have that horrible acetone smell that generic nail polish removers do, which means it is that little bit more pleasant to use. I would say it arguably removes more nail polish than my usual one as I don't find I have so much colour staining on my nails after wearing polish when I've used this to take it off. I wouldn't necessarily say it is easier/any less effort to use than using a cotton wool, but it is definitely move fun and I suppose it is quicker than using cotton wool.



I really like this, my only concern is how quick the sponge inside is going to dry out. If that is not an issue, I would definitely re-buy this. It isn't extortionately prices either, retailing for £4.99.

Monday 3 September 2012

No7 'Fanomenal' Mascara Review!

Yes, it's another mascara! No7's new mascara 'Fanomenal' promises a fuller fan lash, with a unique 'star' brush which supposedly allows better control with the wand. I would be inclined to agree with this.

At first when I pulled out the brush, I was like "Oh great! What good is this gonna do?!" but after using it, I think it's a really nifty little brush. It doesn't deposit too much mascara onto your lashes which allows you to build up the volume without clumping. It's not great for curling, but I use my eyelash curlers anyway and it holds in this curl just fine. It gives amazing length, my eyelashes look huge with this mascara and it definitely gives a fuller 'fan' effect. Some people have mentioned about this being quite a 'wet' mascara, meaning it can transfer to your eye-lids when applying to the bottom lashes. I haven't especially noticed it with this mascara any more than any other mascara, and hadn't even thought about it until seeing it mentioned in a few reviews.




Overall, I really like this mascara. It doesn't beat No7 Exquisite Curl which is one of my all time favourite mascaras but I have been using it every day for the past few weeks and I do really, really like it. This mascara retails for £12.50 but I managed to get it half-price. I'm not entirely convinced I would repay the full price to buy it but if I had one of the £5 off No7 voucher that Boot's always give out, I probably would.

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Review: Revlon Photoready 3D Volume Mascara - A Benefit Dupe?!


Revlon Photoready 3D Mascara is part of their new 'Photoready' range. I have reviewed the blushers in this range which I was very impressed by and you can check that out here. Firstly, the packaging. It's similar to the very annoying plastic NARS style packaging that unfortunately gets dirty very easily. You can see in the photos how dirty mine is and I have only had this a week and a half! Other than that, the packaging is nice and sleek, albeit a tad plain. The brush is quite big, with long comb style bristles to separate and lengthen each lash. It actually reminds me of Benefit's 'They're Real' as it as the very snazzy little ball on the end of the wand to pick apart any clumped lashes, and to get to the very small lashes in the corner of your eye. The mascara in general is actually very similar to Benefit's 'They're Real' so if you were looking for a slightly cheaper alternative to that mascara, I would give this one a try.

 

In terms of the mascara itself, I wouldn't call it anything spectacular. It does a nice job of coating your lashes and does give a lot of volume, but it's not the effect I tend to like in lashes and it is definitely more of a 'night' mascara. Especially while I'm on placement, the effect is way too much as I need to be having the more natural look. It doesn't flake during a 12 hour day, nor does clump or look bad - it's just not anything special. 

I will keep this and probably use it in the evening, but I can't see myself replacing it. In fact I have already bought a new mascara since buying this one, because I wasn't a huge fan of this one.  I bought this mascara for £10.99 on offer in Boots, where if you buy any Revlon Mascara, you get a Revlon ColourStay Smoky Shadow Stick for free! I'd been wanting to try these so I decided to give them a try. A review of the Shadow Stick is coming once I have tried it and have enough to report back to you on.

Monday 27 August 2012

Review! Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser



Anyone who knows me can tell you that I swear by Clarins Skincare. I love that it's all made from plant extracts so it's so natural, it never makes my skin break out and is just generally lovely. Therefore, when they had one of their superb offers on earlier this year, I jumped at the opportunity to get some large freebies. This is one of the large samples I received, the Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser with Orange Extract. This sample is 75ml which is HUGE for a freebie, the full price ones are only 100ml. I've had this before in a full size and it's something I will repurchase for the foreseeable future. 


Exfoliating is something I make sure I do about 2-3 times a week as it's so great to give your skin that extra scrub and unblock any pores, clean any excess dirt and buff away any dry patches. I have combination skin which, at the moment, leans on the side of oily. However I do get quite bad flakey patches around my nose and on my forehead and this little beauty sorts them all out. It has orange extract but I wouldn't say I've ever noticed a particularly orangey smell when I've used it. It is really soft and gentle, but will get the job done. I've used the old favourite St Ives Apricot Scrub as well, and I do prefer this!

What are your favourite skin products? Let me know below!

Sunday 26 August 2012

Weekend Wishlist! August Bank Holiday

These are a few things I was looking to buy this weekend. Unfortunately, I was a complete and utter idiot, and forgot my rail card on a journey from Cambridge to London and had to fork out just short of £100 in fines and new tickets! WHOOPS! I'm going to see about claiming some of it back, but until then, I am reduced to dreaming about these lovely products and crying a little about what a fool I am!

Picture from Debenhams.com
This is something I have seen around a few blogs and channels, the Clarins Colour Accents Face & Blush Powder. I got a chance to swatch this yesterday, as our local Boots has a Clarins counter. This looks so good online and to my dismay, it's even more lovely in real life! The colour payoff is great and it swatches so soft and blendable on my hand. Sob.
Picture from Debenhams.com

The other product I was looking at is the Urban Decay 'Smoked' Palette. We all know that when it comes to eyeshadow palettes, Urban Decay is the top dog and this new one looks set to continue that. I saw a great review of this on FleurDeForce's blog so be sure to check that out for all the swatches.


A few reviews to come next week guys so make sure to subscribe. I'm in a high street phase at the moment so I've got a few Revlon and Bourjois products to tell you all about :)

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Tangle Teezer Review!

This review is about something that has definitely made the blogging rounds in recent months, and it is the Tangle Teezer from Boots. 


I had been looking at this a few times in Boots and never really been able to bring myself to spend £10.99 on a hairbrush, especially as I don't have particularly long hair and it doesn't really get overly knotty. However, it was something I wanted to try and I was very pleased when I was gifted it for my birthday recently. I've been using it ever since then, any time my hair is knotty and whenever I wash my hair. I do really, really love this. I would recommend it to any one who has knotty hair because it brushes through mine so easily and without any pain or breakage of hair.



It can be a little hard to grip sometimes as it doesn't actually have a handle and if you use it with dry hair, it can go a little bit haywire. The first time I used it on dry hair, my hair poofed about 3 inches out from my head! However, these are tiny niggles about an otherwise excellent product and it's something I have incorporated into my routine with pleasure.



Sunday 19 August 2012

Review | Clinique Airbrush Concealer!

As an insomniac, I'm always on the hunt for a really great under eye concealer. I find a lot of them don't have a huge amount of coverage in them and mainly work to illuminate your under eye skin, which is great - except when you have dark circles to cover. I have tried Benefits Erase Paste, which was too cakey, and MAC* Studio Fix, which is too drying on my under eye skin. I used to use Collection 2000 Illumination Touch Concealer which worked pretty well and this is the one I was using when I found the subject of this review; the holy grail aka Clinique's Airbrush Concealer.


This is without a doubt, my favourite under eye concealer and something that I don't think I could go without. If ever I woke up and all my make-up had mysteriously vanished, this would be one of the first things I would rush out and by (btw, let me know below if you would like me to do that tag!). I've never given much thought to Clinique's make-up. I like their skin care but have never found myself drawn to their cosmetic range. It was actually a concealer that my mum was using and she said the shade was too light for her. I was using the Collection 2000 one at the time and I said mine was too dark for me. So we swapped and both ended up loving the each others concealers, funny isn't it?!



I have since repurchased this and I definitely would again. It gives such great coverage without caking or looking too heavy and also brightens up your eyes so much. It blends in beautifully and the shade I used which is 01 Fair is a perfect match for my skin. I use this under my eyes and blend it down around my nose where I get a fair amount of redness and it covers any blemishes up easily. Go and buy it right now! Go on, go!


Wednesday 15 August 2012

Review: Rimmel 'Wake me up' Foundation

I'm sure any beauty junkie will have heard a lot about this product as it's been hailed as one of the best drugstore/high street foundations on the market. 


My mum bought this for me when I left all my make-up in London as I needed something to keep me going and that would look good, but I didn't want to spend a load of money on make-up I would only use for a week or two! I've always stayed away from Rimmel as I've never been able to verify it's animal testing status. Some websites say they do, some say they don't - it's all a bit confusing really! Since my mum had already bought it, and I did use it for a while, I thought I might as well do a review on it for you all.


'Wake me up' foundation claims to reawaken and illuminate the skin with it's anti-fatigue effect. It does have some microscopic glitter in, which I imagine works to give the radiant effect it claims to give, but these are only noticeable in the bottle and just barely at that. The packaging is quite cheap, but then the foundation isn't high end so I wouldn't expect anything great from the casing. I do like the pump it has, I feel this gives just the right amount to cover your whole face in one pump. I tried a few ways of applying it, and found it applied best with a MAC 130 Buffing Brush, then smoothing down with your fingers to sink it into the skin.

As for the foundation itself? I was impressed, but only to a certain extent. It is definitely a great quality foundation for the price (I believe it retails for £8.99) and it does give a good medium coverage, which could be built up if needed. It's definitely a higher coverage that I would use on a day-to-day basis. I wouldn't say it gives a flawless finish and I find it can cake on certain areas of my face. I would not recommend this for oily skin. I get oily patches around my nose and this foundation would just slip right off here after a few hours. 


Blended in with fingers
Overall, this is a decent foundation for a good price - if you were looking for a cheaper alternative to a MAC foundation, then this is it! I don't think I'll be repurchasing but I probably will finish the bottle, it might just take me a while.

Monday 13 August 2012

Review: Mac 'Mythology' Eyeshadow


Today I'm going to be telling you guys about one of my absolute FAVOURITE MAC* eyeshadows. 'Mythology' is a beautiful burnt-pinky-copper colour with it's fair share of glitter. If you have blue eyes like me, you'll know that pink/orange shades are one of the most flattering colours to wear and I find when I wear this shade, it really makes my eyes 'pop'. I don't think I would wear this in the day as it is quite bright but I love wearing it in the nights, with a matt brown colour in the crease. You will need a primer with this shade, I often use a MAC* Paintpot in 'Painterly' or occasionally 'Indianwood' to create a really intense look. 

Taken at a funny angle sorry!

I bought this in the pot as I don't have a MAC Pallette but I think I might have to get one, as I'm creating quite a collection now!


 I find it doesn't come out as shockingly bright as it appears in the pot, but it is easily to build up to a lovely deep colour. It's a Lustre finish and has a slight gold sheen in it which you can see when it catches the light.