Avon Haul

So I have wanted to get a couple of things from Avon after Pixiwoo used them and liked them in a couple of videos, the product Pixiwoo (YouTube) liked was the Super shock Gel liner in pencil form and I also wanted the super shock mascara, but I didn’t want to pay postage (I really dislike paying for postage especially if I only want a couple of things). Then Avon was offering free delivery!! So I decided to buy a couple of things...

1. I got my mom a True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in mocha latte for Christmas, I am slowly trying to get my mom into wearing make up and this quad has 4 lovely neutrals, light neutral pink, light brown a medium/dark brown and a satin like finish, medium brown with a hint of bronze. I thought these would be great basic colours for my mom and be suitable for her age as they aren't too bright or shimmery, they are quite safe colours. Also the colours are numbered 1-4 and there is a diagram on the box showing you where to put each colour if you where to wear them all together. This was £6 and came in different colours.

2. Super shock gel eyeliner, this is a gel liner but in a pencil not a pot, Pixiwoo recommended this so I wanted to try it. I have the luxe lace version, the only difference is the pattern on the pencil and I got this one because it was £3 instead of £6. I got this in black, nearly everyday I wear black or brown liner on my waterline and I have quite watery eyes and need something that will last, so I hope this does.

3. Avon Kajal Stick in dark bronze, I brought this because dark bronze sounded like a nice colour and it was only £2.50 its a pencil eyeliner which is probably the longest pencil eyeliner I own, it just seems like its longer than my others so should last ages. Not sure what I am going to use this for yet as I don’t usually use pencils on my waterline, so maybe on my lid or under my lower lashes.

4. Tweezers, I needed new tweezers as I use my others as a tool to open things, clean of my nail varnish when I get it round my nail not on my nail, they get eyelash glue on them etc.. So I decided I needed a new pair of tweezers to keep for just tweezing!! These where £3.

5. My last 3 items where a free gift which you get when you spend £12 or more on certain products. In my freebie I got the Super shock mascara, which I was really excited about as I was going to buy this but I removed it from 'my cart' because I have quite a few mascaras I have to get through already. I also got a free nailwear pr varnish in wicked which is a brown shade and lastly I got Spotlight moisturising shimmer gel.

Ill be back to review some of these after I have tried them a few times.

Future posts

So i have a few posts planned which i wont put up yet mainly because i want to give the products a good trial 1st..
coming up:
1. Swatches of Face Atelier's Ultra Foundation in shades 3,4,5,6 and my thoughts on the foundation - i brought these samples the ovber day and they arrived the next, i am so excited to try them out as i am always on the hunt for that holy grail foundation that gives me great coverage a dewy finish and lasts all day :)

2. Reveiw of Tresemme's 24hr body products - root lift and blow dry spray, these are currently 2 for £6 in superdrug which is great as they are over £5 each.

3. My new mac eyeshadows :) yay very slowly on my way to my 15 palette :)

4. any suggestions for more posts? i really want to try and get some loyal followers on here it would be great to know people actually read what i write so i want to write about what you want to hear :)

xx

Drugstore Haul (superdrug and Boots)

So today i went out to custom purchase an item for an MUA'er to balance out a swap we are doing and obviously i got distracted by a couple of offers and ended up buying myself a few things whilst i was there.

In Superdrug at the moment the Barry M Dazzle Dust is on 2 for £7 so i picked one up for the MUA'er in a colour she wanted and got myself 98 petrol black, i have wanted to try this ever since i herd it was comparable to MACs Blue Flame Mineralize eyeshadow, although i do have the MACs She Who Dares which is also comparable to Blue Flame i still wanted to try it out. Also after watching 2 of Pixiwoo (youtube) videos i decided to buy the Sleek eyeshadow palette in Bad Girl as she said its great and she usually uses high end eyeshadows.

Then i went into Boots who have 3 for 2 across lots of make up and i need a new eyeliner and you cant just buy 1 item when its on 3 for 2 though can you?
so i purchased my favorite eyeliner for my waterline which is Prestige automatic waterproof liner, and a Rimmel lipstick in Asia as i read a good review on it (can't remember whos review it was now though) and a Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer in 04 rose Beige, i need a new concealer and one of my mates loves this so i thought i would give it a go.

I also just brought a Benefit jumbo sharpener off ebay as by benefit it stick doesn't sharpen properly in the big sharpener i currently have.

A review of these items should appear soon, after i have tried them out for a while :)

This or That tag

So this is a tag thats been going round on youtube so i thought i would do a quick blog version..
and i tag you all to do it 2!!

tag questions:

makeup:
blush or bronzer - Bronzer, i dont wear blush often but i love to contour with a bronzer.
lip gloss or lipstick - Lipstick, prefer the feel of a creemy lipstick than a gloss.
eye liner or mascara - Eyeliner, gel eyeliner i would put a lil on my lashes too to blacken them.
foundation or concealer - Concealer, couldn't live without it i have to conceal those red cheeks and circles!!
neutral or color eye shadow - Natural, i am loving my Urban Decay Naked Palette.
pressed or loose eye shadows - Pressed, i always get in a mess with loose.
brushes or sponges - Brushes, they are more versatile imaging tryin to do a whole eye look with a sponge.
nails:
OPI or china glaze - Orly, am i allowed to chose a different option :S
Long or short - Long suit me better, but always polished!
Acrylic or natural - I do love my acrylic if only they didn't lift round the edges :(
Brights or darks - oo hard one ill say dark as its more seasonal.
Flower or no flower  - No flower i do love a pattern but not really a flower.

body:
perfume or body splash - Perfume
lotion or body butter  - Lotion, rubs in better, unless anyone knows a body butter that soaks in quickly?
body wash or soap - Body wash
lush or other bath company - Soap and Glory

fashion:
jeans or sweat pants - Jeans, but i do love my linens
long sleeve of short - short, only long if they are loose
dresses or skirts - dresses, saves matching a top
stripes or plaid - stripes, ahoy sailor!
flip flops or sandals - sandles, less noisy
scarves or hats - Scarves, suit me better
studs or dangly earrings - studs
necklaces or bracelets - necklace
heels or flats - for everyday then flats
cowboy boots or riding boots - My fav boots are more cowboy style but they aren't cowboy boots.
jacket or hoodie - Hoody
forever 21 or charlotte russe - Forever21, can't wait till its in Birmingham :)
abercombie or Hollister - hollister, never been to Abercrombie
saks 5th or nordstrom - never been to either :(

hair:
curly or straight - curly, but its usually somewhere inbetween
bun or ponytail - Chic bun not a really neat one, or a puffed up ponytail
bobby pins or butterfly clips - Bobby pins
hair spray or gel - hairspray
long or short - long, suits me better i just wish it would grow longer!!
light or dark - light on me anyway
side sweep bangs or full bangs - side swept or none
up or down - down
random:
Rain or shine - shine
Summer or winter - summer
Fall or spring - spring
Chocolate or vanilla - choc
East coast or west coast - West midlands?

MAC 15 Palette

I am going to start my very 1st mac 15 palette, i currently only own club which i think is rude as i do love mac shadows its just that i have so many other eyeshadows i have been trying to use those up 1st (it didnt help that i got tempted and brought the urban decay palette to add to my collection, but ill discuss this in a separate post). So after realising it seems impossible to finish off any of the eyeshadow i already own i am giving in and i am goin to start a MAC 15 palette.

So i have been deciding what colour i want in my palette and so far my only certain decision is carbon..
I decided i want my 15 to consist of these types of colours:
1. Light natural/highlight
2. Medium natural brown
3. Dark natural brown
4. Black
5. Grey
6. Blue
7. Plum
8. Pink
9. Brown Black
10. Bronze
11. Gold
12. Purple
13. Random
14. Random
15. Random

But cant decide what ones to chose, i have managled to shorten the entire mac eyeshadow collection down to these options:
1. Vanilla/Shroom/Crystal Avalanche/Brule/Electra
2. Wedge/Woodwinked/Cork
3. Espresso/Mulch/Handwritten
4. Carbon
5. Knight Divine/Print
6. Electric Eel
7. Sketch/trax/cranberry/Plum Dressing
8. Da Bling/Sushi Flower/swish
9. Brun/Concrete
10. Bronze/Tempting/antiqued/sable
11. Goldmine
12. Shadowy Lady/Beauty Marked/ Nocturnelle/Fig 1/Vibrant Grape
13. Satin Taupe
14. Smut
15. Naked Lunch/ ll that glitters/Star Violet
16. Club

any suggestion what colour i should chose out of this lot? please help i can just see my self in the mac store for ages trying to decide what 2 to buy 1st.. i am going to gradually build on the palette as i cannot afford to buy it all at once..

Mac Venomous Villians Haul

So this is the 1st time i have ever brought from a Mac limited edition collection
so i purchased:
Innocence, Beware Lipstick
Toxic Tale Lipstick
My Dark Magic Mineralize Shadow
She Who Dares Mineralize shadow
Bite of an Apple Blush
Briar Rose Beauty Powder

I really wanted to get the mineralize eyeshadows as i missed out on the ones in the style black collection and these are similar to Blue Flame and a bit like young punk.

I brought all these online so couldnt try out the colours 1st, next time i will deffinatly be going to the shop to try everything out.

I am yet to give these a good try out but please let me know what items from the venomous villian collection are your favorite and some tips on how to wear them etc..

Orly Nail Polish

I have just purchased 5 new Orly shades from head2toebeauty, the shade I got are:
Rockin Rockette – A sparkly deep red brown, from their new ‘Tis the season collection.
Halleys Comet – A momchrome sparkly turquoise blue, from their Cosmic FX collection
Out Of This World – A purple black with lots of purple monochrome sparkle, from the Cosmic FX collection.
One Night Stand – An orange based red, from the Divorcee Collection
Happily Ever After – A deep purple plum, from the Once Upon A Time Collection

I also already own:
Get a Grip – A pink purple almost metallic
Velvet Rope – Dark purple with silver sparkle

      

(Sorry its not the best swatch pic)

The quality of Orly polishes are amazing!! They go on so smooth and even and don’t streak or go gloopy. I don’t have a very steady hand and I love these polishes they make it a lot easier to get you nail polish looking neat.
For me some colours take 2-3 coats as I have quite prominent white tips, but once their on they last really well especially with a top coat if you decide to use one.
I really like Out of this world however I can achieve a similar look using Velvet Rope other a dark base such as a dark purple black, so I am unsure whether to keep this.
Rockin Rockette is a festive shade and if you like a brown shade varnish you will love it, however I’m not to sure.
Halleys Comet is amazing it is smooth and doesn’t contain glitter chunks but the sparkle is great and evenly distributed instead of a glitter which is hard to spread out.
One Night Stand is a nice colour but not quite that phone box red I was hoping for.

Happily Ever After is gorgeous even though I brought this thinking it was a different shade I don’t mind because I love it, it is in the same colour family as Get A Grip but with a very different finish, Happily ever after has a subtle sheen whereas Get A Grip is slightly metallic.
Velvet Rope is great its not to bright not to dark this would be perfect if the glitter was pink or a different shade of purple, but I still love it, I would like to find something right between Velvet Rope and Out Of This World and stick with that, yes I know I am hard to please.

Anyone recommend what Orly colour I try next? x

Project 10 Pan Finale :)

Finally finished project 10 pan and just in time for the Mac Venomous Villains collection
So the Product I have just completed is Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear foundation SPF 20.

It claims to last up to 16 Hours, provide a Flawless coverage and be anti transfer.
This foundation does last longer than most drugstore foundations especially those brands like collection 2000 (no17 etc..) but not 16 hours.
The coverage is good, the foundation is thick and creamy and blends well the coverage isn’t full, id say more medium to full. I prefer to apply this with my ELF Studio Powder brush and always set it with a powder.
As for being transfer resistant, some still comes off on my mobile when I make calls but doesn’t transfer as much as some other foundations.

Overall this foundation is really in between it isn’t bad but it isn’t great and for the price I think it is well worth it (£3.99) I don’t know if I would repurchase simply due to the amount of other foundations I want to try but I would definitely recommend it, especially if £4 if your price rang this is amazing for the price.

As for project 10 pan I don’t think ill be doing it again I felt like I was becoming a bit wasteful with products and was really impatient, instead I’m going to do something like project 2 lip gloss, where I can’t buy a lip gloss till I have used 2 I already have, I will be starting this after my MAC Venomous Villains Haul.

Project 10 pan - another update

So I had already finished 3 products (shown in my other project 10 pan post) and now I have finished 3 more, I have been trying really hard to complete this a quick as possible as I want to buy from the MAC Venomous Villains collection which is out soon.

So I have now also finished my:

Elemental Beauty Mineral concealer – I ended up using this as an all over face powder as it was quite dull under my eyes, I haven’t quite got used to mineral products yet but I will give them another go soon.

Emporio Armani Diamonds Perfume – I loved this!! I am unsure whether to repurchase it or try something new though..

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical – This smells great and I will continue to repurchase as dry shampoo is amazing when your in a rush or just want to freshen up your hair.

So I Have 1 product left to complete, wneh I started this I did a list of possible contestants (products) I thought I would finish, these where:
Illamasqua concealer
Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in conditioner
Xen Tan Dark Lotion
No7 Intense volume mascara
No7 False Lash mascara
GHD Guardian Shampoo (for coloured hair)
Schwarzkopf repair conditioner
And so far I have only used 2 of these 7 so I presume the next product I complete will be from this list.
Ill keep you posted and I hope I complete this in time for MACs Venomous Villains collection  x

My Fake Tan Routine (xen tan/california tan)

I have had a couple of weddings to go to lately and wanted to be tanned in my dress so i thought i would put Xen Tan's Dark Lotion and California Tan's tan extending moisturiser to the test.

I started tanning a week prior to the 1st wedding, i started by applying Xen Tan Dark lotion over my entire body, I slept in it and then showered it off in the morining, this tan is great it blends easily, it's nice and creamy, doesn't streak, smells nice (to begin with then the normal tan smell comes about but it isnt to strong) and it gives a lovely colour. This tanning lotion is the 'Dark Lotion' although this does give me a deeper colour than other tans i have tried it still isn't 'Dark' after one layer..

So after my shower i applied the california tan moisturiser to hydrate my skin (hydrated skin tans better and avoids wierd dark patches), california tan also has a fairly pleasent smell to it and once dried it doesnt need rinsing off, it dries in about 5minutes.

The following day i applied another layer of xen tan and again showered it off the following morning, now with 3 days left to the wedding.
The next day  applied california tan.
The next day my final layer of xen tan
then on the morning of the wedding i showered off the xen tan and applied california tand to give my skin a subtle glow.

Finally i was tanned!! A natural looking tan that was nice and dark :D

After all this to maintain my tan i apply xen tan once a week (or twice if im going out clubbing ect.) and california tan moisturiser 2/3 times a week and i stay a nice colour :)

Note: During each shower  i do exfoliate to remove dead skin cells my tan may cling to.

I highly recommend Xen Tan to anyone who wants noticable results from their tan but a dark tan after one application. I will repurchase this tanning lotion but my hunt for a darker tan will continue.
http://www.xen-tan.co.uk/item/Xen-Tan-Dark-Lotion-236ml/1

As for the California Tan it is a lovely product that doesnt streak, doesnt smell bad, however it wouldn't give you much colour if used alone but is suitable for hands and feet. This product isn't to different from most gradual tan moisturisers it is just higher quality and more epensive. I purchased mine frommy local tanning salon but its available for £14.99 here > http://www.californiatansunlessstore.com/acatalog/post_tanning_treatments.html

Has anyone tried the new Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe?

Nails Inc Haul

Don't worry i haven't broke my Project 10 Pan I brought these a couple of months ago in the Nails inc sale, I had always wanted to try nails inc due to the good reviews but didn’t want to spend £10 a bottle when I can buy Orly for £6, so when I saw the sale advertised I just had to try them.

I got 6 colours:
battersea power station
drury lane
beverly hills (from ‘The Hills’ collection)
Melrose avenue (also from ‘The Hills’ collection)
London nights caviar
Marco polo house

Even though I have had these nearly 2 months I haven’t had the chance to use them until today as I have been having my nails done at a salon.

I decided to try out Beverly hills 1st a pink toned red, my 1st impressions where that it went on well as the polish has a good consistency. 2 coats were required and to be honest the finished look looks a bit cheap I don’t know if its due to the colour or just how it looks over my gels but im uncertain about this shade.

(Beverly Hills)

I used marco polo house on my toe nails, this is a purple black shade, again went on smoothly and I loved the finished look, it was almost black with subtle hint of purple and dint look cheap at all.

Overall, so far I like the polishes they go on well and don’t streak, I just think Beverly hills might not be my taste in colour. I cant comment on the staying power as I have only had the polish on for a day, so more reviews to come for the other colours and I will then be able to comment on the staying power.

Project 10 Pan Update and mini reviews

This is taking longer than i thought and it is soo hard not to buy beauty products, ecspecially with the new(ish) Mac Pro Longwear range out :(

So far i have finished my:

No7 Lash Extension mascara - This has a narrow bristle brush and is ment to 'Dramatically lengthen and curl', there was some lengthening but i didnt notice anything dramatic and as for curling nothing more than a usual mascara, the mascara itself idnt bad it just isnt 'dramatic'. Personally i would repurchase as there are so many other mascaras i want to go and try but i wouldn't say dont try this it just depends what you want out of a mascara, if you want a great black which applys nicely and doesnt clump then try it but if you want false looking eyelashes this probably isn't for you.

No7 Sculpting bronzer - I loved this!! its all the shades of bronzer you need in 1. I used the lighter shades to warm my complexion and the darker half to sculpt my cheekbones, this is very handyu and saved me needing 2 seperate bronzers. The powder is very soft and blends easily, the only downside is that when a large amount of the metal pan was visible the powder broke.. nothing major it just made it hard for me to use the very last bits. I would recommend this the only thing is that it is limited edition and sold out by me. If you can get hold of it buy it.

Illamasqua Concealer - Purchased this thinking it was the under eye concealer but it wasn't but decided to keep it anyway. Under the eyes its quite cakey and can crease, this is not a fault of Illamasqua as they do a seperate under eye concealer i just thought i would try it under my eyes. I found that to use this concealer i had to warm it up quite a bit, once warmed the consistancy is creamy and blends well, but warming it up is time consuming when im in a rush! It covered my red cheeks well and has good staying power. I may repurchase one day but there are a lot of other concealers i want to try 1st.

So i still have quite a long way to go, a whole 7 more items to use up! It isn't too bad as i really do need to cut down on spending atm till i find a job with more hours, but i am craving make up shopping and hair treatment shopping.

Have you tried project 10 pan? (inspired by lollipop 26)
How long did it take?
What items will you repurchase?
Let me know x

More post :D ASOS Delivery

Today i recieved another parcel YAY!! and it was my ASOS order :)

I ordered Illamasqua Gleam cream as it was on offer for about £8 off (I love a bargain) and as i wanted to purchase this item anyway i just had to get it, and whilst browsing their website i found a gorgous dress by Motel its black on the bottom and purple on the top with cut out details on the back.. i haven't tried it on yet but i hope it fits as i plan to wear it tomorrow.

                                                          (Illamasqua Gleam Cream)

If you have never ordered from ASOS i highly recommend that you do, i know that in the UK they do free delivery if you spend over a certain amount (might be £30) and they allways do free returns.. As i opted for the free super saver delivery my items took 4 days to arrive, so in general they are pretty prompt on delivery and i have always recieved my items within the time stated on their website :) x

(Pics and reviews coming soon)

I love it when the postman has something for me :)

Yesterday my MUA (Make Up Alley) swap arrived!

After i CP'd (custom purchased) a Bobbi Brown Gel liner in Sepia Ink and a Gosh Lets Twist Liner in Grey Mink and sent them out to the lovely swapped i recived my end of the swap.

I recieved MUFE HD Foundation in 127, as im in the UK MUFE is really hard to get hold of so i had to truy and gues my colour online and then see who had it up for swap. 127 seems a pretty close match although i have not used it all over my face yet, i will do later when i decide to get ready as im in a lazy mood today.

The lovely swapper also sent me a great freebie which is Benefits Swoonderful Lipstick its a pinky colour with lots of sparkle, i do love this colour and its a great addition to my lipstick collection as i dont have any with with much sparkle, the only bad thing iv noticed so far is that i end up with glitter on my face not just my lips so i may have to seal it with a gloss or lipcote x

Project 10 Pan

I heard of project 10 pan when I was watching lollipop26's YouTube videos; I highly recommend checking her out if you haven’t already.
The aim is to use 10 products before you buy any more, as this is my 1st project 10 pan I decided to include: make up, shampoo/conditioner, moisturiser, fake tan and any other beauty products rather than just make up as it would take me a long time to completely use 10 make up items..
I think the items I am likely to finish will be my:
Illamasqua concealer
Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in conditioner
Xen Tan Dark Lotion
No7 Intense volume mascara
No7 False Lash mascara
GHD Guardian Shampoo (for coloured hair)
Schwarzkopf repair conditioner
and not to sure of the others we will have to wait and see.
So I decided to do this because I am constantly buying make up and other beauty items, I just can't resist when I see them and often end up buying them online and I really need to cut back on spending as im going back to college and wont be working as many hours as planned, I have also found that I often only buy 1 or 2 things at a time and it feels as though im not buying much when really it all adds up, so at the end of this im going on a little spree to replace what I run out of. I am also waiting for 3 swaps to arrive and 1 item I brought online to arrive so hopefully these will help the beauty cravings till I can buy again.

Let me know if you have done this and how it went and how long it took you :)
Also let me know if you would like me to review any of the above items.

Thanks x

MAC pigment sample haul

Hiiii i have just got my 1st lot of MAC pigment samples, i decided to buy sample size pigments as there are so many colours i wanted i just couldn't afford them all in full size. I got 12 pigment samples in total, a paint pot sample, 4 empty sample jars and a mini mixing medium (which isn't MAC).

Pigment colours: Pink Bronze, Silver Dusk Irirescent powder, Smoke Signal, Teal, Blue Brown, Mauvement, Melon, Naked, Tan, Cocomotion, Vanilla and spiritualize.
Paint pot sample in Bare Study.

(Pigment samples in screw top jars)

(You may be able to read some of the names)

(Mixing Medium)

Each pigment sample is approx 1/4 teaspoon and came in a screw top jar with a sifter and a lable on the bottom with the name. From 1st impressions the samples look pretty generous, enough to use them a few times.

The website i purchased them off is http://www.thebodyneeds2.com/ it is based in the US but shipping to the UK cost $10.95 and took about 10 days.

Can't wait to try them :)
Swatches and reviews coming soon..

A possible cure to feeling tired, mouth ulcers and having dark circles

For a while now i have been getting ulcers in my mouth always thought it was due to an allergy but decided to research it recently and found a few possible causes, the one that stood out to me was a lack of vitamin B12 as it says this also related to feeling tired, and i have been feeling tired alot lately even after a good night sleep.  

I then decided to research ways to reduce the appearence of dark under eye circles and this is when vitamin B12 popped up again as it can also cause dark circles which i can't cover to well with make up :(

I realise that this is probably a sign that i need to eat better, get my 5 a day and all that but to kick start it all im going to go buy some vitamin B12's tomorrow and then look into startint to eat a bit better. 

If anyone has any other ways of curing ulcers, tiredness or dark circles please let me know..
and ill give it a month and update you on my B12 supplements.

:)

Stila mini Haul and Review

I purchased 4 eyeshadows and a bronzer and have used them for a little while now.
The shadow colours i have are:
Pigalle - a deep highly pigmented plum colour.
Barefoot Contessa - a warm brown with shimmer.
Jezebel - a bronzy peachy shimmer
Champara - matte light brown

(Without flash. From Left to right: 1st row - Jezebel, Champara, 2nd row - Barefoot Contessa, Pigalle) 
All the shadows are decently pigmented, go on well and blend well and all last. Pigalle is a difficult colour because theres no going back once its on your eye, i like to wear Jezebel and Champara all over the lid and Barefoot Contessa as a crease colour, but all could be worn in many ways. The Stile shadow i have com in pan form and are a lot larger thatn mac shadows (about twice the size) and are good value for money.

The Bronzer i have is in shade 02 and contains SPF 15 its a matte colour which is great for both contouring and addint a hint of tan. Easy to apply and blend. It comes in a compact with its own mirror and is a pressed powder, would by again but i tend to swap my bronzers around. :)

INGLOT Haul and Review.

I was so excited about going to INGLOT that i made sure when i was in London that i went to Westfield shopping centre, there is also a store at Blue Water shopping centre in Kent (iv been told).

Inglot is a Polish brand which i believe to have started by producing nail varnish, it is now spreading accross teh world selling cosmetics and of course nail varnish!

So when i finally got to the shopping centre and found the store all the samples where on display there was loads of different producys and colour, i was in heaven!! The packaging reminds me of MAC with most items being in sleek black.

If i was to compare it to MAC (as a lot of peoploe have tried MAC) INGLOT is generally cheaper and of slightly less quality, only very slightly though.

I Brought a Cream foundation in colour 24 (£12 for 30ml), a Lip Duo (£9), a palette of 5 eyeshadows (£15), Lipstick (£9) and eyeshadow brush to fit in palette (£3).

Ill start with the eyeshadow, this is part of their 'Freedom' range which basically means you pic the colours you want in you palette, they do this for their eyeshados and powders (blush and bronzer etc..)
There was so many colours to chose from i couldn't decide, fortunatly one of teh lovely assistants gave me a hand and i got colours 434, 423, 402, 62 and 395 basically a highlight, taupe, brown, grey and black with pink shimmer. They are all great colours and are highly pigmented, they go on well, blend well the only issue is the staying power isn't quite as good as MAC so always use a base and you will be fine. Will deffinatly by again 5/5 compared to their price :)

The brush that goes in the palette is number 20P and has a small head on it and is great for all over color or half eyelid colour, good quality and no shedding so far.

The listick is color 53 and is a my lips but better colour or i can add more for a more dramatic colour, it goes on well and the texture is nice not drying but nmot that creamy that it slides off. Doesn't last all day without reappling but not many lippies do, i will deffo buy this in  another colour on my next visit.

The Lip Duo in 21 opens into 2 halves, one is lip colour the other is gloss. The lip colour has a cery creamy glossy texture and elaves a suttle shine and the gloss perfectly compliments the other colour adding a shimmer. The colour is gorgeous but comes off on glasses and needs reapplying, so if anyone knows something that will keep my lip products on longer please let me know as i am yet to find one i like.

The assistant perfectly matched me to colour 24 in their cream foundation, it has a great texture and blends easily, this foundation seems impossible to put on wrong, has medium coverageand lasts well but not all day. Will repurcase when i run out as it is a great inexpensive foundation for days when i wont be out all day.

Overall i LOVE INGLOT and can't wait to be back in London to buy more. Please let me know what INGLOT products you did and didn't like so i know what to look for when i go back :) .

1st ELF Haul and Review

I brought my 1st ELF products a while ago and i can't even remember how i found out about the sitebut i though i would let you all know about what i thought of the products. All their items are around £1.50 and £3.50.

I got: a Candy Shop Lip Tin in Candy Fix. Nail varnish in Chocolate. All Over Colour Stick in Toasted, Concealer Brush, Shieldong Hydro Tint SPG 15 in Tone 3, and an eyeshadow in Moondust. All these are from ELF standard range, none are from the mineral or studio collection, which i can't wait to try next.

The candy Shop Lip Tin is a gloss, the colour was pretty sheer and the texture wasn't great, i feel bad complaining when they are such cheap items but i personally wouldn't reccommend it.

I went for the nail varnish in chocolate as i thought it would be a colour totally different to ones i already have. The shade is a chocolaty brown which you may like depending on your taste personally i don't like it and havn't used it properly to comment on stayng power, however when applied to my nail (to test the colour) it did go on smoothly and i think 2 coats would be required.

The all over Colour Stick is a good product it can be used on eyes, lips and cheeks the colour toasted does look pretty on the eyes but if too much is applied it does crease, however it is great for quick colour. Toasted doesn't suit my lips but does have a nice creamy texture. For my cheeks id use this colour as a highlight rather than blush, and when used sparingly it does create a nice bronzed glow on the cheek bones, blends easily and adds a suttle shimmer. Overall my favorite product of my ELF collection so far.

The Shielding Hydro tint blends easily and adds colour to the face, it doesn't provide much coverage and is similar to a tinted moisturiser. Dry on the skin nicely howver i can't imagin this lasting through a long day at work, but for a quick bit off colour at £1.50 isn't to bad it just depends what you want from a foundation type product.

The concealer brush bristles are very small and are not suitable for under eye concealer but are better at precision concealing. I personally prefer this as a lip brush. Haven't used it a lot but so far no shedding.

Lastly the Eyeshadow in Moondust is a shimmer brown with a hint of bronze. At 1st the colour appears quite pigmented but easily blends to almost nothing, it is possible to pack on the colour to keep the pigmentation but this wont last all day, this eyeshadow works best over a base and looks nice over Toasted. (Sorry there's no pic, i just couldn't get it to photograph clearly)

That was my 1st expeience of ELF i used a free shipping coupon code which they seem to do quite often and it arrived within a good time, i am now looking forward to try their Studio and Mineral range. :)

Mini Haul (Drugstore)

I was out today custom purchasing an item for a lady i am doing a swap with and got distracted by all the other make up whilst i was there.

I ended up purchasing 2 GOSH items; a waterproof shadow stick in 'Love Than Brown' for £6 which i plan on using as an eyeshadow base as well as on its own,
and my 1st GOSH lippy its velvet touch in '122 Nougat' for £6 which is a fairly nude pink colour.

I also saw a new stand called MUA (Make up academy) and all the items were £1, so i thought id give it a go not really having high expectations for the products as they were so cheap i got 2 items;
a pressed powder in shade 4 (light/medium shade) and a lippy in shade 11. i have just applied the lippy and its a great colour and applied really well (didnt sink into my lip creases) the formula is a little dry after a while but so far so good for £1 :)

I will be back after using these products for a while to review them x

make up courses

So i love make up, i can do my own make up and write bout it but i want to be trained and work in the industry..
so i took a look online for some courses and everything cost £100-£1000s i even foun one for £15,000 the kind of money i don't have :(
the other option is learning from home, however i am doubtful of this type of learning..

Anyone got any ideas or courses they know of?
As soon as i find something ill let you know but at the moment i just can't afford these ridiculous price tags, i don't even understand why they cost so much :S

So help needed please someone give me a bit of info :)

MAC Greasepaint Slick Black VS Shade Stick Sharkskin

I rate the shadestick 4/5
and the greasepaint 5/5 for what i use them for :) (eyeshadow base to darken shadows).
I 1st brought MACs shadestick in sharkskin to use as a base under my shadows for a deep dark evening look, and it did the job.

However the product need warming up 1st, this can be done by rolling it in your hands for a while or putting it in a warm place (near radiator or under clothed arm pits) without warming it is really hard to apply the product as it just doesn't glide onto the skin, but once warm the product is easy to apply and dries quickly which doesn't allow you much time to blend.

The greasepaint which i have in slick black still needs warming before applying but glides on a lot easier and doesn't dry quite so quick allowing you time to blend which is what makes the greasepaint better than the shadestick.

Colour pay off is darker and more opaque from the greasepaint but both have a similar effect when you use them as a base under shadows, i also find they help my shadows last a lot longer.

I can't wait to try both these products in other colours but i recommend the greasepaint over the shadestick as it is easier to apply and blend.

No.7 Intelligent Balance Mousse foundation

I gave this product a 2.5/5 although it isn't as good as my Mac foundation (also a 3/5) for the price and for what i use it for it is great :)

This is a great 'quick fix' foundation whenever im in a rush this is what i use its so easy and quick to apply (i use a foundation brush) and has a decent amount of coverage (probably medium).

This product may not be great for those with quite dry skin as it is a mousse foundation but i find it a lot less drying than maybellines dream matte mousse.
It is priced around £11 which isnt bad for the amount and the quality you get, but i usually buy it when i have a £5 off voucher or its on 3 for 2.

The packaging isnt great the shape of the gar it comes in makes it difficult to get product from the top corners, although the spatula it comes with is quite helpfull.

This last me ages and i have rebrought i am on my 2nd or 3rd gar and would buy again, this is my foundation for when im in a rush or for when i don't need my foundation to last long (the staying power of this foundation is just average, nothing special) however it feels light on the skin and is therefore great in hot weather. This foundation helps me use less of my more expensive foundations when i don't need to wear them and makes them last me longer :)

Mac Studio Fix Fluid SPF15 Foundation

I gave this product a 3/5
I brought this in shade NC30 which is a great evening/going out colour for me but a little too dark for every day ecsprecially when im paler int he winter.

There is a good range of colours for this foundation and i asked the assistant to help match me up. The coverage is medium buildable, and i find it is best applied with a foundation brush as a sponge make it a too sheer coverage for my liking.

Once applied it can feel a little bit tacky and definatly needs setting with a powder, it lasts fairly well but not all day. I find after going clubbing it is generally still in place.

The price isn't too bad compared to some other good brands an is overall a good quality foundation, i think it was around £19 but still pricey compared to drugstore brands.

One thing to take into account is the packaging it comes in a glss bottle which is annoying as you have to ti the product out and i tend to use too much, however a pump is sold seperatly which i highly reccommend, although i didn't use a pump for my 1st bottle of this foundation i will definetly get 1 when i repurchase. Also due to the glass bottle it is hard to use every last bit up.

I reccommend trying this product if you are looking for a medium to full coverage foundation but definatly take advantage of the in store make up artists and ask them to apply it, it is best to wear the foundation for a bit before buying it as everyones skin takes differently to different foundation.

Illamasqua False Lashes 21

I give this product 3/5
This is the last item i brought from Illamasqua in my 1st trip to my local counter, i got the false lashes in no.21 they are longer on the outer corners and have a few lashes which criss cross.

Having these loashes applied by the make up artist at Illamasqua was not my best experience, it seemed that she didn't quite trim them to the right size and every time i blinked they dug in which was a little painful for my sensitive eyes :( i also found the lashes quite heavy which the make up artists told me i would get used to.. so after the lashes were re-trimmed and applied they felt a lot better and she was right i did get used to thier wiegth.

Using the glue they came with they lasted all noght (out clubbing) and came off easily before bed, the lashes are a great quality and are reusable which make them a bit more worth their pricey price tag of £14.

I would consider buying more lashes from illamasqua for their quality, but would probably only buy them if i was having my make up done at the counter as there are loads of cheaper alternatives.

Apart from my not so good experience the lashes are great quality i give them 3/5 as they are really expensive and not that amazing!

Illamasqua eyeshadow GIMP

I give this product 4/5
I also brought this in my 1st trip to my local illamasqua counter after the make up artist used this on my and i loved it, the colour i brought is GIMP, a dark navy blue colour.
This shadow is matte and is great for creating a smokey eye and is a good alternative to always using black (which i used to do). The make up artist applied this shadow in combination with an Illamasqua pigment called MARVEL which is a yellow gold shade, these 2 colours work great together.

The shadow is highly pigmented, applies great and lasts ages. If i were t compare this to MAC (as a lot of you have probably tried MAC eyeshadows) its is deffinatly as good as, if not better.

The reason i gave this product 4/5 is because of the price, from Illamasqua counters in the UK it is £15, which is reasonable good value as you get enough to last almost forever but is still pretty pricey.
The illamasqua packaging i really like, its simple black with their logo on top and colour and description on the bottom, but what i like most is the shape, its a strange square type shape (have a look and you will know what i mean).

Overall great product and i would buy it again if i ever ran out, which i doubt i will :)

Review: Illamasqua Concealer

I rate this product 3/5

This is one of the items i brought in my 1st visit to my local illamasqua counter.. this concealer has a decent amount of coverage, I use it to cover my red cheeks and dark circles.. it covers the redness in my cheeks great and helps my under eye area look less thin but the dark circles are still apparent as there are no light reflecting particles in this.



I find that in order to apply this well to my skin i need to warm it up 1st as the product is very solid, which is annoying when your in a rush.


I like the shape of the box the illamasqua products come in (unusual square like shape) and the outer box is pretty simple and black.


I wouldn't buy this again as i am always on the lookout for something better and this isn't a HG product for me.


Overall i gave it a rating of 3 as coverage is medium and quality of the product is quite good, however when worn under my eyes it does crease and make me look wrinkly (not a good look at 18!) i think if this was used other the right based and well set it would be a lot better, i just havn't found that base yet.


I do recommend you try this out in the shop 1st, i usually test coverage by seeing if it covers a vein in my hand.


Illamasqua do sell a concealer specifically for the under eye area and i will deffinatly try that at some point.


Hope this helped :)