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 :)