Saturday 21 February 2015

My Little Wishlist..

Scrolling through the likes of Selfridges website tonight (yes, I know it's a Friday night and I should get a life) I couldn't help thinking, I want this, I need that. Need is definitely a lie, I'm just a sucker for that instant gratification of finally owning something I'm lusting over, and once I've set my mind on it, I tell myself I need it. Surely I'm not the only girl to do this??

So after seeing at least 5 items on Selfridges website that I needed, I was inspired to write a Wishlist post. This will basically be products I aim to purchase in the next few weeks/months, and if I do, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a review.

The first thing on my list is the Mac Studio Concealer and Correct Duo in the shade Pale Yellow/Pink. Although I do have the Prolong wear concealer already, I really like the idea of the double ended pen, with different colours for different areas of the face. I chose the pale yellow/pink shade because I find yellow tones really help to brighten my eyes under foundation, whilst the pink will compliment my skin tone in areas such as around my nose and on my chin where I am prone to redness. This concealer stick is said to have Shea butter and vitamins E and C, which help to smooth out lines and wrinkles and even the skin tone. This product is £23, which I think is a bargain. I've heard it's limited edition though, so click the link above and grab yours whilst you can.



The next product on my wishlist is the Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Mini Lipstick Trio. Ahhh! Now I'll be honest, my love of Charlotte Tilbury did initially start purely because the packaging was rose gold, but not only do her products look luxurious, the quality of them is too. I already have a full size lipstick in Stoned Rose, this is absolutely stunning, it's a very, 'Your lips but better' lipstick in that it is a warm toned nude colour and completely matte. This trio includes the shades So Marilyn, Penelope Pink, and Bitch Perfect. I already know from the lipstick I have that Charlotte's products have amazing staying power, and at £29 for three miniatures, I'm starting to wonder why I don't already own these, haha.



Okay, so I've got a concealer, and some lipsticks so far, the next item on my wishlist just had to be this. Now I don't know if this counts as cheating, because I have already had this product before, but I just love it soo much! It's the Nars Laguna Bronzing powder. Yes, I know everybody who's anybody has had this bronzer, but it really is up there with the best. I've had this once before and I ran out in 6 weeks because I used it so much. It's so addictive though once I've used it one day, the next day I feel my face doesn't have the same definition without it! It isn't the cheapest of bronzers I'll be honest at £27.50, but maybe if I vow to use it in small doses so that it lasts a bit longer next time, that could be my justification for purchasing it. 


My fourth item has to be the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. Yes I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but in my defense I've been obsessed with the Naked Basics 2 for quite a while, it was only when browsing online did I realise how much I need (there's that lie again) this palette. I can't really go in to full detail on it because I don't have it yet but if the other palettes are anything to go by then this one will definitely be a staple in my makeup collection. The palette is priced at £38, but for the range of shades, colours and textures it brings, I think it is quite the bargain!





 This wishlist could be as long as my arm but I'll just do one more and, as you probably guessed, it's another lipstick. However, this is not your average Creme Cup, oh no. This is the Yves Saint Laurent Volupte lipstick in Nude Beige. I don't have much to say about this other than it is simply beautiful. This was recommended by one of my favourite beauty bloggers Victoria at Inthefrow in one of her recent posts. It is definitely at the higher end of the scale at £26, but I suppose a payday treat every once in a while is okay, right?!



All of these pictures are from the Selfridges website, except the first Mac one which was from their own site as it annoyingly wouldn't load on Selfridges. Let me know if you make wish lists, or how you justify a make up splurge haha. 

Thanks for reading x


SHARE:

Friday 20 February 2015

Brighten up your face, for under £14!

Sounds appealing that title, doesn't it?! Couldn't quite believe it myself at first. I hadn't browsed my local drugstores in quite a while (I'm not including last week when I marched in to Boots on the hunt for the Bold Metals, because I did just that ha) so I decided to have a look in Superdrug and see if any new products stood out to me.
My make up collection at the moment does average out at the more high end scale, not particularly through choice, more because I tend to go to the Trafford Centre more than into my actual town centre. As you can imagine, falling in to Selfridges once a week can get quite expensive from time to time, hence the reason I made this trip.

So after backing myself away from the Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow last week whilst simultaneously trying to justify it, I opted to search for a dupe or something similar. *in walks Sleek Contour Kit*




Would you look at this, contour heaven! This palette has not only a dark, warm toned bronze shade in it, it also comes complete with a highlighting shade and mirror. I got this in the shade Light, although there are 3 to choose from.
The colour pay off on these two products are brilliant. The bronze shade is really pigmented, but as long as you don't pick up too much shade on your brush, it can be blended with ease. I would recommend using this in the hollows of the cheekbones, sweeped up across the temples and just below the jawline. I found once I'd done this, it worked really nice to grab a big fluffy brush and swish in a sort of number 3 motion across all three areas, starting at the temples and ended at the jawline. Lovely!




The highlight shade is a dream. It is light but super pigmented, and again if you tap off any excess product from the brush before use it works perfectly. It actually kind of reminds me of the Mac Mineralise Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle, you know, that kind of shimmer. I found this looked best when sweeped upwards just above the bronze shade on the cheekbones, and lightly across the brow bone and cupids bow. Can I just say this duo only cost me £6.49. Yes, £6.49, amazing, right?!

The next product I purchased was a liquid eyeliner from NYC in Pearlised Black. If you read my last blog post you'll know I was raving about the Illamasqua Precision Ink, and this is definitely up there with it. It is really similar in that it has a foam nib, making it really easy to apply, not dragging the lid whatsoever. Whether it's a thicker wing you prefer or a super thin wing, you can easily achieve both of these looks with this liner. I suppose there's not much more I can say on this product other than I would highly recommend it, and for £2.49, if you try it and it's not for you, at least you haven't broke the bank!



Finally, the last product I picked up was this lip Pencil, also from Sleek in shade Eau La La. I initially picked this up not paying much attention to the colour, at first glance I assumed it may be a similar shade to the world famous Soar from Mac. Uh oh, this wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous shade, but it's definitely more a coral pink than a dusky pink. Oops. It was my own fault for not looking properly, and although it isn't what I thought it was, I will definitely be putting it away for the summer. I think this liner will look perfect underneath Mac Vegas Volt or maybe even Morange, so it is sure to be staying in my collection. This liner was £4.99, which I think is reasonably priced, and comes in a range of shades.







So there we have it, 3 staples for your make up kit to give your face that extra definition and radiance, all for under £14. If you recommend any other drug store products, especially lipsticks, please let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading x

Shop the Contour kit here
Shop the eye liner here
Shop the lip liner here
SHARE:

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Top 3 favourites from that Illamasqua sale

So, as promised, I have reviewed my favourites from the Illamasqua sale I was going on about last week. I can't remember if I showed or mentioned everything I got in the sale but I remember being conscious that I was rambling on haha. So just to briefly run through what I actually got, (I will try to link where possible)

Multi Facet palette in Semblance
The Reflections palette
Precision Liner in Havoc
Pressed Pigment in Mould
Clear Brow and Lash gel
Lip Pencil in Uncanny
Eye Liner Cake in Zeal
Lipstick in Growl

Phew! Haha. Although I am aware that it seems ridiculous buying this amount of makeup when I'm not even a make up artist, It did actually only come to around £65 for everything, which  think considering there's two palettes and a lipstick in there is pretty damn good! My only way to justify it is that I don't really go out much on nights out, so surely make up is healthier than alcohol? Who's with me?! Haha.

Anyway on to my favourites..

Firstly, I'd like someone to tell me how I have managed all my 23 years of life without precision ink liner. HOW?? It's actually amazing. The foam nib makes it easier than ever to get that perfect wing, without having to press hard on the skin and glides sooo smooth! I've tried quite a few liners now in attempt to perfect my wings, but this one is the first I've come across that doesn't feel as though its dragging the skin along with it. It glides softly for an even finish, perfect! Havoc shade is a dark red but I mean really dark red so you cant really tell unless up close that it's not black, although I will most definitely purchasing this in black at some point.



My next favourite has to be the Multi Facet Palette. Even though I haven't tried every aspect of this palette yet, it's the products I have tried that earned place number 2 in the favourites. Brow cake is just to die for, no joke. I have tried so many brow products and more recently have been using the Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil which is great, but the brow cake is just so precise and easy to use. I applied this with my Mac 266 brush to give me as much control as possible, and I think these two paired together work a treat. The longevity of this product is 10/10 for me, as if you don't know I am a waitress, so I can work long shifts and be running around a lot. I find some products I use for work can disappear by the end of my shift, but my brows are always still in tact since using this.
 The highlight, shimmer and contour products in this palette are all perfect too. I may try, when I have more free time, to create a look using only this palette (and a foundation of course). Leave me a comment if that's something you would like to see. This palette should have been £45 and I got it for £13.50! Absolute bargain and I love it because it's so handy to travel with, it has so many different face and eye products in it as well as a huge mirror. Winner.

Here are a few swatches to give a better view of them.

Left to right:

Contour in shade Hollow - Base in shade Slink - Shadow crease in shade Tango - Pressed pigment in Dizzy - Highlight in Mirage - Blush in shade Hussy



My third favourite has to be the pressed pigment in Mould. Wow. I had never used a pressed pigment until I tried this one, and was actually quite nervous thinking I would over do it. I thought it would be best to apply small amounts and build it up to be as dramatic as I want. The pigmentation in this is unreal. It is a dark plum shade, so I had to be careful not to make it look like I had a black eye haha, but I actually found it really easy to use. The pan is so smooth, I initially used my finger to test it and smudge the tiniest amount onto the outer corner of my lid, then blended with a Zoeva eye brush. My god are these pigments so easy to blend! To be honest I thought they would be a nightmare, some shadows/pigments feel rough on my eyelids when I try to blend them, leaving my eyes feeling really sensitive. This was not the case at all, the product moved exactly where I wanted it to with the brush and was half of a lovely plum smoke. As you can see from the below swatch (apologies for poor quality) you can see how the product can be a really deep aubergine or a subtle violet depending on how it is blended. I love it!





Although I am really happy with all the products from this sale, this post would have been huge if I had reviewed them all haha. You may see others pop up from time to time though. In the mean time why I am still fairly new to Illamasqua, can anybody recommend any of their products for me to try? That would be great.

You can shop Illamasqua at Selfridges here
Thanks for reading x


SHARE:

Monday 16 February 2015

The Too Faced chocolate bar palette

The only thing better than a big bar of chocolate to sink your teeth in to, is a big bar of chocolate you can make yourself look amazing with! The Too Faced chocolate bar palette comes equipped with 16 warm shades enabling you to create a different look every time you use it. Whether its a rose gold shimmer or a nude smoked lid you're looking for, this palette definitely has the perfect selection.

I would recommend for an evening the golds and dark browns for a sexy smokey eye, and the creamy, pinky shimmer shades for day time. The pay off on these is actually really good, they are super pigmented which is great because it means you don't have to scratch at the pan when you want a pop of colour.



I like this palette because the shades all vary, from the beautiful radiant pink shimmers, to the subtle plum sparkles and the ultra matte browns. Although I am a huge fan of the Urban Decay Naked range, I have to say that more recently this has been my go-to palette.

The packaging of this product is really creative, with the lid being engraved into chocolate like chunks. Its shiny front gives it that added bit of luxury. The long mirror inside the lid is an added bonus, meaning if you are going for a night away, it's really handy to have with you for touch ups.

My favourite part of this palette has to be the smell. Ahh it's sooo nice! Each shade has been infused with cocoa making it smell just like chocolate as you bring it up to your eyelid. It's like the dream diet, a giant chocolate bar with zero calories! Guilt free indulgence haha.

The last thing I will mention is another novelty of the palette, but still adds to the overall experience of enjoyment when using it. That is the names of the shades. Each shade is inspired by a type of chocolate! For example, the creamy shade is White Chocolate, and the camel coloured brown is Caramel. Cute eh?!

This palette is priced at around £39, although I got it in America for I think $49 which works out much cheaper.

At the moment Too Faced have a special offer ending midnight tonight (16/02.15) for 20% off when using the promo code ONETRUELOVE. Happy Shopping!

Shop the palette here

Let me know what your favourite shades to put together are in the comments below. Also if there are any posts in particular you would like to see, feel free to mention those too :).

Thanks for reading x
SHARE:

Wednesday 11 February 2015

The Bold Metals Collection.

Can we all just take a moment. The holy grail of brushes Real Techniques just got even better. The Bold Metals Collection has finally arrived, and they are to die for. Not only are they now the prettiest brushes on the market now, but the quality is up there with the best too.



I'll start off by telling you how gorgeous they look. Gold, rose gold, and silver. The packaging is clear with a back drop to match the colour of the brush. The brushes are actually colour coded too, with the gold ones being more for the base, so foundation and powder. The rose gold are more for detailing, so contouring and concealing, and the silver brushes are for eyes. So far I have purchased a gold and a rose gold. I say so far because I know it's likely I will be adding to my collection very soon haha. 

So firstly, my gold brush..the 100 Arched Powder brush. Does exactly what it says on the tin, and does it very well. This brush has a huge surface area, making it easier to powder every aspect of the face, without missing anything out. The brush is weighted, which acts as a sort of guide in how to hold it, helping you to create the perfect glide. Also, being ergonomically designed means that each finger has an edge to hold on to, giving you the most secure grip possible. It means they won't roll off the dressing table too haha. The hairs on this brush are something else. Seriously. Real Techniques have always been my favourite anyway as they never seem to shed hair, but these bristles are on another level. 



My second brush is the rose gold 300 Tapered brush. Now I don't know whether it's because I love rose gold that I'm tempted to say this is my favourite of the two I purchased, but it's just so pretty! The tip of this brush is angled to create the perfect highlight, and if used for contouring is great for really sculpting the cheekbones. Think Angelina Jolie in Malificent haha, yes, it is that good. The weighting in this brush makes it so comfortable to use, and helps to give you maximum control to avoid getting carried away when contouring. 



As with everything, the better quality comes with an equivalent price tag. Although they can still be bought in Boots, they are definitely at the higher end of the market, setting me back £49 for the two. I justified buying these because I do think of my brushes as an investment, and looked after in the correct way will mean they last me a long time.

As daft as it sounds, after watching the video Sam and Nic posted on their Youtube channel, I was slightly hesitant to purchase them. They spoke about how magnificent the brushes were, but then said they were aimed more to make up artists and professionals. I couldn't help but think, hold on a second girls, just because I don't make a living through make up, surely that shouldn't mean they're not for me? I love a bit of luxury as much as the next make up artist haha! I have decided to only use these brushes when going out with friends or on date nights, the lavish feel of them will give me that extra feeling of glamour before a night out. For work though, I will stick to my Duo Fibre Collection.



I would say overall that these brushes are worth the more expensive price tag, my only downfall of them is that with them being metal I can see every fingerprint on them! I suppose that's nothing a quick wipe after use won't fix though. 

Let me know if you've tried any of the Bold Metals Collection yet, do you think they're worth the hype?

Thanks for reading x

Find the collection here
SHARE:

An unplanned Mac trip

Who doesn't love an unplanned trip to Mac? haha. I went to the Trafford Centre at the weekend, mainly just to go for tea and the pictures, but somehow found myself dragging my boyfriend into Selfridges. It was 8.45pm and it was shutting at 9, please tell me I'm not the only one who panic buys at this point? Haha.




 To be honest I wasn't really looking for anything in particular, but I do love a good browse! I always find myself firstly looking at the new collections as they are the first stands you come to, and then moving round to the bases, then of course the lipsticks. At this time though, I could tell the girls were ready for closing up, so I decided to grab a Mineralise skin finish in Lightscapade.

I initially saw this in the Lightness of Being range, and it only really caught my eye because of its bumpy texture. When I asked for this though, it was out of stock, but the girl informed me that it was in stock in the usual smooth pan. The colours in this are to die for. Literally. Lemon yellow, pale blue and a really subtle pink all swirled into one to create the perfect shimmer of highlighter.




I also picked up from this range a gorgeous creamy gold eyeshadow (again, the bumpy texture sold me on this haha) in the shade Spiritual Life. I love this shade already because I think it will look great as an all over lid colour, or as part of a golden brown smokey eye. I'm thinking I could also use this really lightly as a brow bone highlighter too to define my arch a bit more. Winner.



The last thing I picked up was a lipstick. Can I just ask, has anyone ever heard the words, 'I'll choose you one' come out of their boyfriends' mouth at a lipstick counter? Neither had I until that day! I suppose it was his way of curing his own boredom whilst I was looking, which ended up working out pretty well for me. I did give him some guidelines, no bright pinks or reds, neutrals and purples only (this is a habit I need to break ready for spring). After staring at them all in detail for all of 30 seconds, he pulled out Odyssey. Well done Connor. Haha. A perfect Frost lipstick with a hint of shimmer but nothing over powering. A lovely shade of purple that wasn't too dark, exactly what I'd specified to him. He did well.



That was it from Mac, if anyone can recommend any neutral/plum shades for me to try I'm always up for trying new ones.

Thanks for reading x
SHARE:

Monday 9 February 2015

The Illamasqua sale

So I was flicking through Instagram the other night and I noticed Illamasqua post a regram of a look someone had created using items from their SALE. My first thought, why am I only just hearing of this sale??? haha. I don't really get excited by sales that often, usually when I hear the word sale I instantly think of rails and rails of last seasons fashion jumbled up in every size but mine. Make up sales however, are a different story. Just because the spring is fast approaching and we may be swaying away from the plum or dark red lip, doesn't mean they aren't an investment for the future. And if you're in England like me, you'll know that at the minute it's most definitely still winter, so I'm not ready to put my more wintery looks away just yet.

It's safe to say I did go a bit mental on the online sale, but to be fair to myself I saved more than I spent so in my eyes that makes it okay haha. I bought 8 things in total, including two palettes, a lipstick, a lip pencil, an eye liner cake, precision ink and a brow gel. Phew! I got all that for £72. I think that's pretty good going.

I will put some pictures down below, but I think what I will do is try out the products first (I'm more of a Mac kinda girl but trying to broaden my horizon a bit) and then maybe review the products I'm enjoying the most. I haven't linked these products because they were in the sale and I know how annoying it is to click a link for it to say 'out of stock' haha. Full shade details etc are listed below though.

I would definitely recommend keeping an eye out for sales on Illamasqua in the future, because it wasn't just your average 10% off sale, this was 50-70% off (hence the reason I couldn't say no ha).

Thanks for reading x



                                                Displaying image.jpeg

Eye/lip pencil in Uncanny

Pressed pigment in Mould

Precision eyeliner in Havoc




Reflection Palette



Multi Facet Palette in Semblance









SHARE:

Wednesday 4 February 2015

A bit about me.

Although i'm not expecting anyone to read this, if you happen to come across my blog then I suppose it'd be nice to know who's writing it..

My name is Hayley, I'm 24 and I'm a waitress. I'm not a make up artist, I just love buying and trying new make up. I plan to use this space to write my opinions on different products that I pick up. I usually buy make up on average maybe once a week, sometimes once a fortnight. It does sound a bit excessive when you put it that way haha. Like I said this will just be what I think about different things I pick up, but if like me you like to see what other people think about products before you buy them then maybe it could be useful. I don't have a good camera yet so any pictures will just be on my iPhone, but I will try to get them in the best lighting possible to give you a better idea of shades/textures etc.

My aim is to post a couple of times per week, but we shall see how it goes haha.

Thanks for reading x
SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig