The Beauty & Make Up Review

Essence Gel EyeLiner Review

2012-11-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

So I recently lost my Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner (wah!), but having heard good things about the essence gel eyeliner I decided it was the perfect opportunity to give it a go! I bought it in the shade 01 "Midnight in Paris", and I also purchased the little eyeliner brush from essence to try out as well. Here's what they both look like..

The eyeliner I think was €2.95 and I'm not sure about the brush, both were definitely under €5, which is a bargain! I'm going to compare this to the Maybelline lasting drama, as I think it is the most commonly purchased "drugstore" gel liner, and it's a bit more expensive!

The Eyeliner

So first off I love the shade, it is a dark dark matte black, come out very pigmented. I would say it is similar in pigmentation to the Maybelline, although I found the texture of the essence to be a little more moist. I didn't think I would like that when I seen it first but it actually made it just that little bit easier to work with and apply. The big thing for me (and most people I think) with eyeliner is finding one that is pigmented and STAYS on the waterline! Now the Maybelline lasting drama was good, in that it went on really well and it did stay for maybe an hour or two, however the essence for me was better. When you put it on initially, due to the more moist consistency it is not as pigmented as you might like, the key I found was just giving it a chance to settle, and then going over it. Using this technique for me really worked, it DID NOT BUDGE. I was so impressed, having being out clubbing for hours to find my eyeliner was still perfect.

The Brush

The essence brush is also quite nifty, it was easy to use and worked quite well, also an inexpensive purchase so if you need a brush, grab this one you won't be sorry!

So overall I am very impressed. Its more affordable than most (if not all?) gel eyeliners out there and it is definitely one of the best I have tried. It's so inexpensive, its waterproof, it doesn't budge and you get 3ml for the small price tag so its also going to last! If you're on the lookout for a new gel eyeliner, or just a really good eyeliner I would absolutely recommend giving this one a try!

K :) x

MUA Professional Matte Foundation Review

2012-02-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

This is going to be a review of the MakeUp Academy Professional Matte Foundation. This is only £4 and my shade is Shade 1 Soft Sand. It looks like this...

So to start the packaging is nice, in usual MUA Pro style, simple and stylish and it's a tube as you can see. Here are some swatches..

I was really impressed with the shade, I always struggle to find foundation that suits my skin tone. I am very yellow- toned, but I'm also quite pale at the minute. This has been a really good match for my skin so I was very happy. I found the consistency a little thicker than other liquid foundations I've tried but workable, though I would say a primer definitely helps with application. It gives pretty full coverage and I'm happy wearing it with just a little concealer (MUA at the minute too, review coming soon!). The one thing I did find with this foundation is that for me it wasn't matte. Obviously foundations are going to work differently with different skin types, but it definitely left a sheen on my skin and I couldn't wear it without setting it with a powder. That aside I was really impressed with the whole foundation, I've tried lots of cheaper foundations and I've always hated them (see previous post! http://thebeautymakeupreview.blogspot.com/2011/07/no2-cheap-things-what-works-and-what.html ). But all of my usual issues with cheap foundation were not a problem with this at all. It is my foundation and I will definitely be re-purchasing when I run out (though its lasted me quite a while because you don't need much for good coverage).

All in all I think it's pretty amazeballs that I have found a good everyday foundation for £4 and I would absolutely recommend going out and giving it a try!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Karen :) x

Essence - Multi Action False Lashes Mascara - Review

2012-02-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

So in my experience false lash effect mascaras, never really deliver the goods do they?...Until now that is!..This is the Essence Multi Action False Lashes Mascara!..

I have it in black and it cost me €2.99. There are other "multi action" mascaras from Essence, like the original (the pink one) but that didn't do much for me, this mascara is amazing though!..The brush is quite large but it's really easy to use and the formula is a thicker kind of consistency. I think the pictures will speak for themselves so here we go!..

This is before....

After one coat..

After two coats..

I really think this gives a false lash effect, it is lasts all day and the best bit is it's only €2.99. Amazing, I would absolutely recommend it!

Thanks for reading! :)

Karen xx

Essence Stay Natural Concealer - Review

2012-02-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

So we are all constantly looking for a good concealer, am I right?..Well I know I am anyways, and I doubt I will ever stop looking! One that I came across recently was the "Stay Natural" concealer by Essence. I love Essence, I've tried lots of their products from eyeshadows to lip glosses; they are SO affordable and I've loved them! So I was looking forward to trying this concealer. It looks like this...(Please note this is a stock photo from beautycosmetic.biz, I do have my own photos but I wanted a decent pic to start off with, I will explain later in this post!!)

The shade I picked up was 03soft nude, after trying the testers and it cost me €2.79 for 5ml of product. It has a brush applicator and a twisty bottom to get the product up, the brush looks like this...

So I'm going to get straight in, I hated this concealer. Firstly it has a far too watery consistency for me. I prefer my concealer to feel like its doing something but this felt almost like it was just rubbing off the skin. It was weird I didn't like it. Secondly it oxidizes like a bi-atch! It is a nice light colour to start off with but turns to a more orange shade within minutes...not good! I'm sorry I can't show pictures to back this up but this is why....it lasts NO TIME! I mean this in two ways!...

First off its staying power was awful, I barely felt any coverage from this concealer anyway, but what I did have was gone within about two hours. I need my concealer to last all day, this did not! Secondly the entire tube of concealer lasted me a grand total 2 weeks! And this is not everyday use, not excessive use. Its the least time I have gotten out of a product, I didn't even get time to swatch it for you!
In addition the packing quality is terrible, this doesn't normally bother me much but it's just something to add to the list, here is a pic of two weeks worth of wear...

So I almost didn't want to do this post due to lack of swatches, crappy pics etc. But I did because even though it's only €2.79, I don't think you should waste your money! Nothing impressed me about this product and I'm so disappointed because Essence have some really good stuff, their "Stay with me" lipglosses are the bomb diggidy!! (Review here http://thebeautymakeupreview.blogspot.com/2011/09/essence-stay-with-me-lipgloss-review.html) But this unfortunetly just wasn't for me!

Hope this helps!

Thank you for reading,
Karen xx

Topmodel Backstage Secrets Set - A Review

2012-01-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

So I have pretty much abandoned this blog over the last few months! A lot has been going on and for many reasons (which I won't bore you with!) this hasn't been a high priority for me. However 2012, new year, new start and all that jazz...I'm hoping things can only get better!..Anyways I received a Topmodel Backstage Secrets set as part of a Christmas present and I thought it would be something worth posting about! I got the "Professional looks for Smokey Eyes" kit and it looks like this..

As a general overview I would say this kit would be perfect for a makeup beginner; some one who likes make up but maybe hasn't quite got the confidence to try "smokey" kind of looks yet; for more in depth info, read on!

It has really nice packaging to start off with and it says it offers "insider know how" on how to create the perfect smokey eye; with instructions on the inside of how to use all of the products included. As well as written instructions it also has some diagrams on how to achieve your smokey eye look. That bit looks like this...

So on to the actual products. Inside you get three baked shimmery eye shadows, a white, a silver and a black; a purple shade of eye dust; a black/silver glitter eyeliner; a black mascara and an eyeshadow applicator. Not bad for (I believe) under £10. Here is a few pics of the products themselves..

So firstly the shadows, nice shades but not overly pigmented. They definitely are not the most pigmented shadows out there but at the same time they give quite a nice look. I created a look for a night out using them, and they lasted all night.They are quite forgiving in that you can play around a bit and still get a good look. Which is why I say perfect for a beginner.

Next up the glitter eyeliner! I really liked this, gorgeous for a night out look and good quality. I find with liners such as this they can tend to kind of have colour or glitter, not both. However this is just a nice black liner with some nice glitter through it (which it obviously should, my point is products I have tried in the past which have claimed to do this have let me down!)..It also lasts quite well...Here are some swatches!

Next up is the eye dust and it is beautiful! Such a gorgeous colour and SO pigmented - I just love this. It goes perfectly with the other shades when used to blend out alongside the black, to give a bit of a different edge to your classic smokey eye. In my opinion the best thing about the whole kit. Some pictures....

Then onto the mascara, this worst product in the kit in my opinion. This is what it looks like..

Fairly standard brush and wand but I found the formula to be quite dry and basically it just didn't do much for my lashes. Here are some pics to demonstrate..

No Mascara

One coat

Two coats

Three coats

As you can see it's not awful , but I felt it took a lot of work to get to that point. There are much better mascaras out there and I won't be reaching for this one anytime again soon..

So to sum up, it's a nice kit and was a lovely little gift. I think it makes a really nice present in general, I will be using all the products in future (except the mascara!) and also its really quite reasonably priced. If your looking for a gift for a makeup lover in your life,or just something for yourself, you can't go too wrong with this! :)

Karen :) x

Accessorize Baked Blush - A Review!

2011-09-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

This is going to be a little review of my latest favourite blush! It's from Accessorize, it is the "Merged Baked Blusher" in the shade "5 - Sensation" and I think it is gorgeous! It is £5, from Superdrug and looks like this!

I love love love the packaging of Accessorize make up. I think it's all really pretty and gorgeous and also really classy looking. (Classy might be the wrong word - but what I'm trying to say is it doesn't look cheap!)

Now I've mentioned my love of baked makeup before! But I could actually just look at this and be happy I bought it, it's just so so pretty! The blush itself is a light pink shade with coral tones to it, as you can (hopefully) see. It's a gorgeous colour and nicely pigmented so easy to use and should last me a lifetime! One thing that I like, but others may not is that it's got quite a sheen to it. I like it because it kind of acts as a highlight as well a blush. If you prefer a more subtle look then maybe this might be a bit much but I adore it and I think it is perfect for nights out! Here is a swatch...

Crappy picture (as always Karen) so apologies, but I hope you can sort of see the results you get from this blush. I would definitely recommend it as I think it's gorgeous and it's only a fiver ;)

Hope you enjoyed this post :)
Karen xx

How I Highlight!

2011-09-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!
This is just going to be a little post on what I use to highlight my face and a miniature review! So what is it I'm talking about?....It's the Accessorize bronzer in Golden Sand and it looks like this...

I'm a sucker for baked products anyways, I love them and I always think they look so good! So obviously I couldn't resist this! Never mind using it I could just look at it all day!..But I do use it!..It's leaning towards a little expensive at £7 but it gives a lovely sheen. I don't like to use it all over my face, unless I'm going out, however I find this product is a perfect highlight for me and gives a gorgeous glow in the right places. Here is a swatch...

I hope you can see here the look it gives. I use this on me cheek bones and tiny bit down the bridge of my nose. I really love it and if you are looking for a nice highlight I would definitely recommend giving this a try!

Hope you enjoyed this post,
Karen :) xx

40 Beauty Questions Tag!

2011-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

SKINCARE

1)How many times do you wash your face daily? Usually twice, although if I'm being lazy when I get in from work I sometimes just take off my makeup with a face wipe.

What skin type do you have?

Normal to dry skin. I'm lucky my skin isn't overly sensitive and I don't tend to get spots or breakouts often.

What is your current facial wash?

Currently I'm using the new Clean & Clear Morning Burst Skin Brightening Cleanser and I really like it, wakes my skin up when I need it!

Do you exfoliate?

I do, I exfoliate both my face and body around twice a week.

What brand do you use?.

I love the St.Ives apricot exfoliating facial scrubs, they are amazing and leave my skin so feeling so soft! As for body I tend to switch it up and use a couple of different body polishes.

What moisturizer do you use?

I don't moisturise much, terrible I know! But my skin is never too dry so I often just don't bother, but if I do I like Olay Beauty Fluid. I'm currently using a Body Shop body butter from the Dreams range for my body.

Do you have freckles?

I have some freckles, but not a lot.

Do you use eye cream?

I haven't yet found an eye cream that I really like, so I do use some but I haven't got a favourite or anything like that.

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?

No I have never had acne prone skin.

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?

Nope, never.

MAKE-UP

What foundation do you use?

Currently I'm regularly using Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. I also like Revlon Colourstay

How about concealer?

At the minute I'm enjoying the Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer, but I also really love boi-ing by Benefit and I love their Erase Paste!

Do you know your undertone color?

I've never done an actual test but my skin has yellow undertones.

What do you think of fake eyelashes?

I think they can look really nice when done well. It's a skill I don't possess unfortunetly!

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?

Yes!

What brand of mascara do you use?

At the minute I'm using the MUA Pro Extreme Curl Mascara, it's amazing and only £2. I would say my all time most re-purchased mascara is GOSH Amazing Length & Build Mascara.

Sephora or MAC?

Neither

Do you have a MAC Pro-card?

Nope!

What makeup tools do you use in make up application?

I have a scatter of different brushes! I mostly use my Eco tools brushes with some random ELF and No.7 brushes too.

Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?

At the minute I'm using Catrice eyeshadow base and I love it, and I've recently done a review on it!

For the face?

I'm currently using the MUA pro primer, still undecided on it though! I still think Benefit's That Gal' is probably my favourite face primer.

What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?

I use neutral brown/gold/cream shades most often

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?

If I have time I like to use gel, if I'm in a hurry I use felt tip eyeliner. Pencil eyeliner has always smudged badly for me.

How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?

Not very often thankfully!

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?

Great colours but too messy for my liking.

Do you use mineral makeup?

No not really. I'm not blown away mineral makeup that much.

What is your favorite lipstick?

Oh that is a hard question!...In general I like pink tones most of the time. I think the Natural Collection lipsticks are quite nice, really affordable and some nice shades. I also really like The Body Shop lipsticks.

How about lipgloss?

Same with shades, I use pinks most often. At the minute I'm using and enjoying the Essence stay with me lipgloss.

What is your favorite blush to use?

Another hard one! Currently I'm loving the Accessorize blushes. A review will be coming soon!

Do you buy your makeup on ebay?

Do you like drugstore makeup?

Yes absolutely, my makeup collection is mainly drugstore products.

Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)

No, just because I'm not near any :(

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?

No not really, I enjoying playing around, practicing and kind of teaching myself! Plus youtube is a great help, there are some great tutorials etc out there. I really love emilynoel83's videos

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

No not usually, if I'm feeling lazy and not wanting to concentrate too much I keep it simple.

Name a makeup crime that you hate?

Bad mascara! Clumpy stuck together lashes do my head in, I don't know how anyone can think that looks good! I just want to attack them with makeup remover!

Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?

With lipsticks and eyeshadows I tend not to be too wild with my colour choices. Personally I think natural looks suit me best.

Which celebrity always has great make up?

I'm not sure but the person who springs to mind is Jennifer Lopez on American Idol, when it was on. I loved her makeup looks!

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?

Probably mascara

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?

Yea I'm not overly conscious about that.

Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?

I think I look ok! But I prefer myself with at least concealer, because I get terrible eye circles and have some scars.

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?

I don't think there is one. I've found lots of good bits from lots of different brands.

What do you think of Makeup??

A great way to make the best of what you have, and to get creative and have fun! :)

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Karen :) xx

George Flawless Creme Foundation - Review

2011-09-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

So recently George at Asda have come out with a new makeup range including a much wider range of products of seemingly higher quality. I thought it looked interesting and wanted to try some so I picked up the Flawless Creme Foundation. It is £4 and looks like this..

It is quite nice packaging, it has two compartments, one with a nice size mirror and the other with sponge for application.

So the foundation itself? Terrible! I've tried it a couple of days now and I actually can't use it anymore, I think it's horrible. I've applied it using the sponge and my fingers, neither made any difference as it's the actual foundation that is so bad. The first thing is that it is incredibly greasy, I have normal - dry skin and it felt awful on. It was like having a layer of oil on my skin, just disgusting. And as for the "flawless" coverage? Non existent. It turns to a slightly tinted almost clear coverage. Here is a swatch..

Can you see it?!...This is a couple of swatches and you can barely see anything. This might be ok for a really light coverage look but the foundation itself feels anything but light so it's actually not much good for that either!

Overall I don't like this product and would definitely not recommend it! (I'm still wishing NYC didn't get rid of their cream foundation, boo!) Have you tried any good products from the George range?..Let me know!

Hope you enjoyed this post
Karen :) xx

Essence Stay With Me Lipgloss - Review

2011-09-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

It has been ages since I last did a post! If you follow me on twitter you probably know why but I won't go into it now! This is a review of a lovely little lipgloss I came across recently by Essence! It looks like this..

So to start off it is a bargain as I bought it for €1.99. It has really nice packaging, nothing too fancy but it's a nice size and I quite like the design. It has a strange little applicator, not the usual doe foot type, it looks like this..

I can't really see any particular benefits to this applicator, it's not awful but I think a regular doe foot would be fine if not better. So on to the actual gloss, I really like it! I was so impressed with the pigmentation, it's not something you get with a lot of cheaper glosses. Often they are pigmented in the packaging but not when they are applied, this wasn't the case with this though! The quality is definitely more reminiscent of what you would expect from more expensive gloss. Here is a swatch...

As usual my picture taking skills are letting me down but I hope you can see the kind of result this lipgloss gives! As well as this it also lives up to it's long lasting claims, something that also doesn't often happen with cheaper glosses. It stayed well for me while drinking and eating and didn't need reapplication for about 2 hours.

So overall I was really impressed and would definietly recommend it! Such a fabulous gloss for under €2!

Hope you enjoyed this review!

Karen :) xx

The Easy Way to Fix A Broken Lipstick!

2011-08-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

So it's happened to us all at some point, your favourite lipstick breaks, disaster! :( But fear not, there is a ridiculously simple, easy cheap effective way to fix them! First of all I don't claim to have come up with this method, after some researching blogs, youtube videos and all that, this is the best and easiest way I have found and it doesn't involve the use of lipstick molds or any complicated stuff! So this is what you will need!...

You will need: A Hairdryer, your broken lipstick, some baby wipes to clean up and a fridge (not pictured!)

The first thing you need to do is take the tube that has a little product left in it and stick the hair dryer on it on a high heat setting. Do this for about 15-30 seconds or however long you find it takes to slightly melt the remaining product in the tube.

Once this is done simply press the lipstick back into the tube on top of the the slightly melted lipstick. Press it down to your desired position and leave it in the fridge, upright like the following picture, for approximately 30 minutes.

And voila! Your lipstick will be fixed! This worked perfectly for me, no wobble or anything, my lipstick was back to normal! Also the lipstick I used in the pictures in Rose Pearl from Natural Collection, and this has happened me three times with Natural Collection lipsticks!

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this post! :)
Karen :) xx

An Eye Primer Extraordinaire!

2011-08-27T03:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I am so very excited to tell you about this amazing eye primer I came across recently. It's the Catrice eye shadow base and it looks like this...

It claims to intensify eye shadow and increase durabililty. I bought this from my local pharmacy, it retails at €4.79 (Around £4.20) but it was 50% off all Catrice on the day I was there so I got it for €2.40 (Around £2.10), for 2.1ml of product, what a bargain!..I had recently been thinking that I had never come across any eye primers by the more affordable brands (maybe there is but I have never seen them!) and so there wasn't really a good alternative for anyone who didn't fancy spending £16 + pounds on the "cult favourites" like Two Faced shadow insurance, or Urban Decay primer potion.

SO enter Catrice eyeshadow base, this stuff is amazing! The first thing that I thought when I was using it is that it is very similar to the Urban Decay primer potion (previously mentioned cult fave!), the product itself, consistency, feel, application etc. all very similar. It gives a really smooth soft finish, as you would expect. Here are some swatches..

When I apply my eye makeup over this, you can really feel the primer "grabbing" the shadow, and it really does intensify eyeshadow, like it claims it will. This is all great but the main thing I want from an eye primer is to increase durability, so does it live up to it's claim?...YES!.. I have used this first thing in the morning, carried on through a normal day, then into the evening, over 12 hours and still my eye shadow did not budge. I also used it on a night out last night my eyeshadow stayed perfect all night long and (I'm really not proud of this) I didn't take my makeup off when I got home (disaster, I know!) BUT when I got up, my eyeshadow was still perfect!!...And all this for €2.40? AMAZING!

I'm so impressed by this stuff, the only downside being I know Catrice are not overly represented in the UK, so it may be a little hard to come by, but anyone from Ireland should be able to find this pretty easily. Anyways, wherever you are if you come across this product buy it, you won't be sorry!

Hope you enjoyed this review!

Karen :) xx

Preparing for University! Tips for first time students :)

2011-08-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

It’s that time of year, back to school, back to college, back to uni. For a lot of people it’s their first time heading off or away from home and this is quite daunting. I’m no expert and maybe this won’t help anyone but I’ve been through it, so I said I would do a little post on preparing for university! I started university 3 years ago (I’m finished now, sob) and I moved quite a distance! I’m from Ireland but I moved to the U.K in order to do a course that wasn’t available in Ireland. It was incredibly daunting and hard considering I had just turned 18 and not only was I leaving home, I was leaving my home country. When I moved over it was lonely and it was scary and I did find myself questioning if I had done the right thing by moving for the course. Now I’m finished and I am about to start my dream job, so I can definitely say it was the right move.

First Things First

So you’re about to head off, what advice can I give you? The first thing I would say is this; don’t do a course, just for the sake of it. Do something you will love and enjoy and that will lead you to a job and a life you will love when it’s all over. If you don’t know what it is you want to do, then take some time out, think about it. If you’re not interested in your course, you won’t enjoy the lectures, you won't want to attend, you won’t want to do the work and usually that means you won’t be very successful. I seen it happen on my own course, there was people who didn’t want to be there, who barely turned up and when they did they spent their time disrupting the rest of us. Needless to say they dropped out at the end of the first year, not only is this a waste of time, it’s a waste of money. I know there is often a lot of pressure to head off to college or university straight away, but there is nothing wrong with taking time out to figure out what you want to do. One of best friends went to college to do a course she wasn’t really interested in and ended up dropping out. She took a year out and now this year she is returning to uni to do a course she is actually interested in.

The Practical Stuff!

Well the first thing you will need is stationary (Woohoo!). I would recommend the hardback notebooks with dividers – do not use just a refill pad! – Notes fall out, get lost etc and it’s not good! The divider notepads allowed me to keep all my subject notes together and because they were hardback, all my notes are still in ace condition! Aside from notes you take yourself you’re bound to get handouts as well so I also had a sturdy folder, which I bought dividers for so all my subject notes could be categorised in the same way as they were in my notepad! The other thing I had was a regular ring bound notepad, this I used this for rough assignment and research notes. This is not a lot of stuff but it enabled me to be very organised and even now I would have no problem finding subject notes from any of my years because they are so well organised! :) Aside from this it also helped to have a diary with assignment due dates, exam dates etc. in, that way you will not forget!

Home Comforts

I think a lot of first time students move into student digs, these tend to be pretty plain and not too fancy! I found that simple things made a big difference to me, a nice bed set, posters for your walls, picture collages (my favourite!) etc., anything that makes your space a bit more YOUR space. It’s probably the first “home away from home” for most people and so you really want it to be a place that feels like yours and that you’re happy to spend time in.

Get involved!

For a lot of people university is the time they come out of their shell and although it can be intimidating, remember 99% of people there are feeling the exact same as you! At my university all dorms were arranged with first years together and a fresher crew member that had been there before. So everybody that was there was in the same boat as I was. The important thing I found was this, the first people you hang round with don’t have to be your only friends; get out there, get talking to people as much as you can until you find a group of people you feel you fit into. A lot of uni life does centre around socialising and drinking, if this isn’t your thing don’t feel pressured to do it, there will always be people around with the same values as you. Join clubs and groups that reflect your interests, personally I found my best friends were people from my course, because we had the same interests. The other thing I found helped me was getting a job at our uni bar, you meet and talk to lots of people and it helped me to come out of my shell, make friends and earn a little extra cash!

Finally....

The most important thing is to know what you want to from your university experience and make sure you get it. I had the best three years of my life (so far!) at uni and I’m sure when you finish you want to be able to look back and think the same, so enjoy it :)

Hope you enjoyed this post and it that it will be of some help to some of you :)

Karen xx

Collection 2000 Smokey Eye Palette Review

2011-08-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I recently received this as a gift from one of my friends and was very excited to try it! It's the Smokey Eye Palette from Collection 2000 and it looks like this...

First off I like the packaging, it's not fancy or anything but it's a good size and would be great for travelling with. It has 9 shades which include shimmers, mattes and a cream and they are classified into dark, medium, light and cream. It also comes with a nice double ended applicator and a step by step how to guide on the back. The applicator is actually pretty nice, it looks like this...

It has a large side for packing shadows on and a smaller side which is good for using in the crease, along the lower lash line etc. The guide on the back is pretty simple but covers the basics in a four steps, it looks like this..

So the shadows themselves..I found them to be ok, not great, not awful. Here is a swatch in the order they appear in the pack..

Now I know the picture quality isn't fantastic but I think you can see what I mean. The shimmer "Medium" shades are nicely pigmented and I quite like them. The darker shades aren't as pigmented, like the matte black shade is very light, and I found it took quite a bit of effort to get the kind of "BAM" look I want from a smokey eye. However the pink toned light shade and the cream are really nice and really good highlights.

Overall the feeling I got when using this palette was that it would be perfect for a smokey eye beginner. The medium and light shades are really nice and the darker shades are quite forgiving and so if you were trying a smokey eye for the first time I think this would be perfect! To sum up it's a nice little palette and well priced at under £5. If they were to make more smokey eye palettes using some different colours; plums, blues etc. I would definitely consider investing!

Hope you enjoyed this review! :)

Karen xx

The Final Confession of Mabel Stark - One Of My Favourite Books

2011-08-16T02:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

This is something a little different and non beauty related, but something I wanted to share! I came across this book in a second hand store and bought it for 50p. I have just finished reading "The Final Confession of Mabel Stark" by Robert Hough; and I have to say I enjoyed this book more than any I've ever read.

Mabel Stark was a world famous Tiger trainer with various circuses in the 1920's, including probably the most famous circus in the world, The Ringling Brothers. Now this is probably the main reason I loved this book, given my love of Tigers (you'll know what I mean if you've seen my "about me" page!). But whether or not you love Tigers the story of this book is truely amazing. I should say that Mabel Stark's story is a remarkable one anyway, however a lot of points in the book are fictionalized, to fill in the parts un-recorded in history (bare in mind she was born over 100 years ago). Even though I believe there was controversy over these inaccuracies, I can't say it changes my love for the book. It's just such an amazing story, the parts involving the Tigers, and the parts involving her personal life (a hint-she married five times). It's written by Hough but using I guess the voice of Mabel - her story, how Hough imagined she would have told it.

The book includes everything from mental institutions to marrying a millionaire to life a circus trooper. I won't give away any details in case any of you do want to go out and buy this book; but when I finished the book I cried.....actually cried! This is something I have never in my adult life done over a book. Not only did I cry, I put the book down, went to bed, continued to think about this amazing lady ....and cried some more! (Before realising how ridiculous I was being and getting some sleep.)

The bottom line being that's how into the book and the story of Mabel I got. I suppose her love of her Tigers being something I feel I could relate to. (Though perhaps not to the extent explained in parts of the book - if you read it, you will understand!) It's totally and utterly enthralling, so I would definitely recommend it! I'm going to finish with some pictures of the lady herself, followed by a few disclaimer points at the bottom!

Hope you enjoyed this post :)
Karen xx

Mabel - Once the most famed circus performer in the world

Mabel training some of her Tigers

An older Mabel who moved to a zoo in her later days and continued to train Tigers

Disclaimer Points!
1) I do not agree with animals in the circus, this book is set almost 100 years ago, knowledge and attitude was a lot different back then; though I didn't enjoy reading about the techniques they used to use, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.

2) I do not believe dangerous animals like Tigers should ever be in contact with human's like they are in the above pictures. Only the other day a keeper in the U.S had her arm ripped off when she tried to stroke a Tiger. As I've already said times were different back then.

3) I do believe that animals in captivity (for conservation purposes) are important, though not to be used for entertainment as they are in circuses. For example the Ringling Circus still runs a Tiger show; I believe 100% that this is wrong. However I do believe some level of animal training is important and a form enrichment for animals in captivity. Something proven correct by research recently conducted by a friend of mine who showed the benefits of positive reinforcement training for Tigers in captivity.

Miss Sporty Perfect Colour Lipstick - A Review

2011-08-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

So I think pretty much everyone knows the brand Miss Sporty, they are an affordable brand that have been round as long as I can remember! That said I have never really tried any of their products, a few nail polishes and that was really it! Then about 5/6 months ago I was on the hunt for some new lipsticks. I went into my local Superdrug and asked one of the staff what was the best lipstick they could recommend to me...the answer she gave was Miss Sporty!..

I was definitely surprised but she said that she never bothered with expensive lipsticks because for the price and quality, as well as the choice of shades, Miss Sporty was the best all rounder. So taking all this praise on board I went for it! I bought two shades from the "Perfect Colour" range, a pink and a red, two quite intense shades (well for me)!.The pink is called "Innocence - 009" and then red is in "Dream - 055" and they look like this...

"2 of each, Karen that doesn't make 3?..."..I have two pinks, don't ask!

Dream 055

Innocence 009

So the first thing I will say about these is that they are nicely pigmented, you get a pretty good colour pay off with little effort. They go on really easily and really well, so my first impressions were really good! Here is a swatch..

The pink doesn't come off well in this picture but I really like the shades themselves and I was impressed with their pigmentation. Here is what they look like on...1st my lips "au natural!", then with the lipsticks (excuse the poses, my pouting skills aren't the best!)..

No lipstick....

Innocence

Dream

Now for the but!.....I have two issues with these lipsticks, here is the first..

Longevity...The staying power of these lipsticks is really not great, now when I've used them I've used them on their own and with gloss on top (I've never tried with lipcote so maybe that would help) but neither stayed on very long. As I've mentioned in previous posts my usual make up test is how well a product performs on a night out; I found that when wearing these they needed constant re-application to maintain a good look, not particularly convenient when my nights out involve lots of liquid consumption etc! So staying power - not good.

My other issue - drying out my lips...Now I know this can be quite a common complaint from lipsticks, they often tend to dry out lips but this affected mine more than anything I've ever used. In particular the red shade; I once had to dress as a pirate for work (I do miss my old job sometimes!) and this for me involved intense red lips! Throughout the night I found that again it needed constant re-application and by the end of the night my lips felt like they were cracking, incredibly dry!

SO! Overall given the good and bad points, I still quite like them. I think this is purely because I enjoy the shades more than anything and they are affordable. I haven't tried any similarly cheap lipsticks (I'm thinking the MUA lipsticks which I have yet to try - shock horror!) so maybe there are some better ones out there..If I find them I'll let ya know! :)

Hope you enjoyed this review,
Karen :) xx

An apology!

2011-08-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

This is just a quick sorry for my lack of posting recently! I haven't done a post in a while and it will be another little while before I'll probably get a chance to do one :(

Life is a bit hectic at the moment, I'm starting a new job soon, I'm moving back to the U.K., house-hunting, organising my 21st before I leave and some other personal stuff too!..So it's hard to find the time at the moment! As well as all of this there's all the terrible events that have been happening across the U.K and in the last number of days I'm not sure how many would of considered "reading a blog post" of high importance!

So I hope you don't mind and I will try my best to post again very soon!

.............AND to win you over here is a picture of a makeup-less me with my gorgeous boy Zack (A.K.A the most handsome dog in the world)

:)

Karen xx

Want Long Lasting MakeUp?...

2011-08-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

.....Of course you do!

Hey Everyone!
This is going to be a review of the NYC (New York Colour) Smooth Skin loose powder. I bought this product about a year ago maybe, so I've had it for quite a while and without a doubt it is the best product I have ever used in terms of making my make up last. It was the first translucent powder I had purchased and I am still so impressed. I have tried other pressed powders and the E.L.F mist and set spray but they do not compare. (Let me know if you would like a full review of the E.L.F spray!)

So to start off it looks like this...

It contains 15g of product which is really good considering I payed €3.58 for this and it retails in superdrug for £2.99. I purchased it in the shade Translucent 741and it is also available in Natural Beige. The translucent powder is just a white shade that blends into the skin and becomes "invisible" . NYC states that the product is gives an "ultra sheer soft and natural finish" and I would have to agree!

I really love it. It gives me such soft skin, to the point where my friends have just stroked my face because it feels so good! I also find it adds a flawless finish to my makeup and gives a nice sheen that really just finishes the look. It doesn't cake and blends really well. I would enjoy using this to set my makeup in general but to top all this off, it makes my makeup last so much longer, and better! It keeps the "flawless" look for longer than anything else I've used and it stands up to the "night out" test! I always judge a product on how well it lasts when I am either travelling or on a night out - both of which are times when I need my makeup to last for hours, without touch up. The NYC Smooth Skin powder has passed both! If I had to find a negative it would be the packaging. I always have spillage incidents and the style of the packaging means that there is a lot of product stored in the top area.

But overall I am very impressed and would definitely recommend! As long as this is available I will be repurchasing (though I have yet to need to because there's so much in one pack!)

Hope you all enjoyed this review :)
Karen xx

2True Blusher - Review

2011-08-01T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

This is going to be a review of a product that I have had for quite a while but that I've recently re-discovered! It is the 2true blush, in shade 1-pink. It looks like this..

I bought this a long time ago and at first I loved it. Its a nice colour and has a nice shimmery finish. It goes on really nicely and I really like the way it looks! Recently I was packing up a lot of my stuff and I came across this again (my organisation is not 1st class with my makeup so it had got lost somewhere along the way!). So I started using it again and I remembered how much I loved it! Here is a swatch..

This pay off is from very little effort and the blush is quite nicely pigmented. It's very blendable and buildable, which is how I like my blush! 2true as a brand are pretty hit and miss for me, there are a few products of theirs I really like and a few I really don't, but I think this is quite an impressive little blush. It's only £1.99 so really affordable, the packaging isn't amazing and in terms of ease of use I would prefer if there was a bit more product in there, but for the price you pay I think it's pretty sweet!

Hope you enjoyed this review! :)
Karen Xx

Tiny Tiny Fashion Haul - Tally Weijl!

2011-07-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

So this is probably the worlds smallest haul, but I said I would do a quick post and talk about my absolute FAVOURITE clothes shop...Tally Weijl!

Tally Weijl is an international fashion label originally from and based in Switzerland . They are now located all over Europe, although as far as I know (I could be wrong and really hope I am!.) they have yet to arrive in the U.K. - Major sad face! (If they are in the U.K. you MUST tell me where!) So whenever I am home I ALWAYS take a trip to Tally! The benefit of them not being in the U.K was always having different clothes and being the envy of all my friends.....mwhahaha!

Anytime I returned with Tally goodies (pretty much everytime) my friends would always remark about the new items I was wearing that had come from Tally! They even started looking online and asking me to pick up things the next time I was in the store!... So whats the big fuss then?..

Well the clothes are always on trend, gorgeous, good quality and affordable! And it's not just clothes, my store also does bags, shoes and jewelry. So today I went on a mini shop, and picked up a few items in their sale, and their sale is outrageously good value! I would love to show you my entire Tally Weijl collection, but I'm pretty sure that would be impossible in one post, so instead here's a look at the little few bits I picked up today!

The first item is this dress...

It's a dark beige colour and I picked it up because it's just a really nice piece. I could wear this casually with flip flops or team it with a belt and heels for night time. Its was originally €12.95, reduced to €8 in the sale...BUT when I got to the counter I found it was further reduced to €5....which is around £3! Bargain right?!

The second item I picked up was this beach towel...

Is this not the funkiest towel you have ever seen?....I don't usually do pink things, bit girly for my taste, but I love leopard print and this is just fabulous! It was also originally €12.95 reduced to €5 in the sale.

The last thing I picked up today were these flip flops..

I thought these were really gorgeous, some nice simple flip flops....oh yea and they were FREE! That's right f.r.e.e! Tally do 3 for 2 on all sale items, these were originally €12.95, reduced to €4 in the sale, but free for me!

I hope you can see the quality from the pictures because I know at those prices it might be easy to assume that the quality is not great, but it really is. The other thing I wanted to show was a top I picked up the other day, not with these purchases but also in the sale, and that is this top..

Cute right? I thought it was a really nice little top, also it's got an animal on it, so I obviously loved it! This top was €3, or around £1-2..

Without a doubt this is my favourite place to shop in and I just wanted to share it with y'all! Anyone who has been in I'm sure will understand! And if you haven't then hopefully they will come to the a location near you soon and you can run out and fall in love it with it too!

Hope you enjoyed this post,

Karen :) X

P.S. They also support a (I believe) really important charity, which I also support, so gold stars all round! :)

No.2 - Cheap Things! - What works and what doesn't!

2011-07-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome to instalment Number 2 of Cheap things – what works and what doesn’t! I’d just like to start by saying this of course just my opinion, it’s not definitive! I’m just writing about my experiences with the different things that I mention!..Anyways onto this instalments products!

The first thing I’m going to talk about is a brand I’ve seen in quite a few places, Tesco, Bargain stores, Savers etc., it is Derma V10. I’ve tried a couple of different products of theirs and I’ve never been impressed. A couple of months back I tried a hair dye from their line, I believe it was £1.99 per pack, I always get two because I have long hair. I don’t dye my hair very often, it’s a dark brown – black colour and I love it like that! But around twice a year I like to dye it just a shade darker than it naturally is, to keep it’s dark look. I usually use Nice n’ Easy but at the time I was still a student and so the pennies were tight! I said I would try Derma V10 hair dye.
It was AWFUL! For a number of reasons; to start the smell, I know most dyes don’t smell good obviously, but this smell was vile (the smell was as bad as what I’ve experienced cleaning out the bed of a 200 kg Tiger – not pretty!). It went onto my hair fine and everything but as soon as it touched my scalp it started to burn, now I did the skin test and I have never reacted badly to dye but this gave a stinging sensation. Not so bad that I was like “GET THIS OFF MY HEAD ASAP!” or anything, but more I guess, uncomfortable. Anyways I stuck with it and left it on for the allocated times, washed it out and used the conditioner, as per the instructions. So when I got out of the shower and dried my hair I was expecting the “Darkest Brown” it said it would be..........So you will imagine my dismay when the colour I actually got was a light ginger tinged brown!! No offence intended to anybody with shade of hair, but it does not suit me and it was definitely not the colour promised by the product! I did consider writing a complaint but I guess with hair dye selling for £1.99, what could I expect?..

The other products from Derma V10 that I have picked up include a moisturiser and an anti-wrinkle eye cream. The moisturiser called Q10 innovations - day cream, it cost no more than £2 I think and it looks like this...

I have normal to dry skin. This moisturiser is quite a thick consistency and it feels very greasy on the skin. I’ve used it in times when my skin was feeling quite dry and although the immediate feeling is fine, it doesn’t last. I want my moisturiser to “lock moisture in”, not to leave my skin feeling dry again within 30 minutes. So in general I wasn’t impressed with this either.

The wrinkle cream I don’t feel I can really comment on; I’m only in my 20’s and I’m not too wrinkly yet! I bought it more as just an eye cream to see how if it worked to reduce puffiness etc. like many others do. It doesn’t do this for me, but to be fair it doesn’t claim that it will, it is an anti-wrinkle cream and so like I said, I don’t think I can really comment on its effectiveness too much.

The other “What Doesn’t Work” product for this post is the skin therapy eye makeup remover. I bought this from Wilkinsons for 79p, and it looks like this.

I usually remove my makeup using a wet wipe, then wash my face, then get any remaining eye makeup off by using an eye makeup remover. This product just didn’t work for me. I would put some on a cotton pad and attempt to remove little bit of remaining eye makeup like eyeliner and mascara; but I may as well have just been using water. It simply didn’t work for me, it left 90% of makeup behind, I wasn’t impressed! I have since discovered eye makeup remover pads – which I love, maybe I’ll feature them in a post soon!

So on to what works then!

Firstly I am going to talk about a bronzer I discovered over a year ago! I originally bought it from ASDA for £1 (since asda have changed their makeup around I’m not sure if it is still available), but I just recently re-purchased (3^rd time) from Dunnes Stores in Ireland for just over €1. It looks like this..

No money wasted on pretty packaging as you can see but the product itself is really nice. It’s a nice natural shade, completely matte and it goes on really well. I use this on my face sometimes just to add some colour and also I’ve used it down the neck and to chest area, again just to give a more “sun kissed” glow. Here is a swatch...

Overall really nice, really cheap..You can’t go wrong!

AND FINALLY!

My second “What works” product of this post...Perfume! Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing quite as nice as a designer perfume, and until I purchased the bad boy featured here recently, designer brand perfume was all I owned. The reason I bought this is because although I still love the more expensive perfumes, I wanted something that when travelling, or on a night out etc. that I could just throw in my bag and not worry about it getting tarnished or used up really quickly (Yes I worry about getting scratches and things on my perfume bottles..most of them are really pretty!). So I bought this Virtual Brands “D’accord” 50ml perfume for 99p in the bargain store “B&M”. It looks like this..

This is a really nice smelling perfume, I’m not great at describing smells but I will try! It’s not fruity at all, definitely a more classical scent, but without being too old fashioned. It doesn’t last as long as my other perfumes, but I still love it. I worked in bar while I was studying and throughout the night drinks would be spilled, I would use cleaning fluids and all that jazz; so it was nice to have something just thrown in my bag that would keep me smelling good! If you don’t mind taking your more expensive perfumes out with you then that’s cool, but for anyone else like me I think this is a really good option!

So I hope you enjoyed this post, even though it was another lengthy one!

Karen :) x

MUA - Make Up Academy Professional Extreme Curl Mascara Review

2011-07-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

So another MUA review! This time on their Extreme Curl Mascara. This review is a bit picture heavy as I was trying to show the results as best I could, but I don't have the best camera, but I think you will get the idea anyway! To start off this mascara is £2, I know I've gone on about it before but seriously how do they do it?! I didn't need a new mascara but at £2 I couldn't exactly leave it behind! The packaging is gorgeous and sleek, it looks expensive and again a lot more than I would expect from spending so little. It looks like this...

Sorry about the picture quality!

The packaging states the this mascara "Shapes lashes beautifully from root to tip for long lasting curl".The wand itself is a long and the brush is curved, obviously to give the "long lasting curl". The consistency of the mascara itself is quite "wet" for want of a better word, it's not sticky or clumpy, in other words it's nice! The curved wand is easy to use and helps to catch the difficult inner and outer corner lashes. So this is what the wand and brush look like...

For this review I applied just one coat of this mascara to one eye and took some before and afters pictures and some comparison shots between the eye with and without the mascara. I didn't curl or prime my eyelashes in anyway before I did this, and the mascara is the only makeup I am wearing. (Please excuse the alien looking poses I pull here!)

BEFORE

AFTER ONE COAT

You can see the result from just one coat here. As well as curling the lashes it's also has quite a lengthening affect. I also tested this mascara on a night out recently. When I go out I like my lashes to be as big as they can be without the use of false lashes for help. I applied two coats of this mascara and I was happy with the look I got. I brought the mascara out with me in case it needed touching up throughout the night, it didn't. If I had to find a negative it would be that due to the curl on the brush, I get some product clumping on the tip when taking the brush out, but I'm sure I'll figure out the knack of how to take it out and avoid getting this!

Eye on the left of picture with mascara
Eye on the right without

Without

With

Overall I'm very impressed! And I'm still in awe of the fact that this mascara is just £2! I would say to definitely go out and buy it, you can't go to wrong at that price and I found it to be a really impressive product!

Hope you enjoyed this review!
Karen :) X

For Fellow Snifflers!

2011-07-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

This post is about something that I think affects quite a few people...sneezing and sniffling! I have hay fever so this is a problem for me in the summer as well as in the winter, when the flu,colds etc. affects almost everyone at some point! Obviously there are lots of treatments and stuff for hay fever, allergies and colds, but it is actually an associated problem I talking about in this post. Anyone who has experienced "the sniffles" in any form, will know how difficult it can be on the skin around your nose, constant touching and rubbing with tissue can be very irritative. Even when I stick to the lovely soft Kleenex packs, the skin on my nose can still get red and irritated!

I have this problem more often than I'd like, and so I have tried a couple of different things to help solve the issue. I have previously used vaseline, sudocrem, sensitive skin moisturizers and that type of thing; but recently I tried something which has worked much better than any of these.....Aloe Vera lip balm!

I purchased a double pack of aloe vera lip balm form my local bargain store, it's by the brand "Pretty Smiles" and is available from Amazon for just £1 for two balms. They look like this..

Because its a lip balm it's very moisturising and so this helps with dry skin caused by tissue over use. As well as this the added Aloe Vera works to soothe the irritation, so redness decreases and the it helps reduce stinging which may also occur. I recently had a day where I forgot to take my hay fever tablet and I was a nightmare, sneezing every two seconds! Subsequently my nose got quite irritated, so I said I would try the aloe vera balm and it worked a treat!

So that is just a little random tip for anyone who hasn't tried this before, I hope you enjoyed the post!

Karen :) x

MUA Make Up Academy Professional Heaven and Earth Eyeshadow Palette Review

2011-07-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I recently purchased one of the new eyeshadow palettes from the MUA or Make Up Academy Professional Range in "Heaven and Earth". It looks like this..

It is a nice neutral palette with a mix of shimmer and glitter brown,bronze and cream toned shades. I was very excited about this as I really liked the single shades from the regular MUA range so when I heard that there was a professional range, with eyeshadow palettes, for £4...There was no stopping me from purchasing! At £4.00 you really can't go too wrong in terms of an eyeshadow palette, your getting 12 shades, that's just over 30p a shade..AMAZING! So as good as that is in general, it is topped with the fact that these shadows are really good quality. Here are some swatches..

This is the pay off from just a tiny touch of my finger, the colours are really nice and the pigmentation is brilliant. The shadows have quite a creamy texture and are really nice to use. I recently posted about the Beauty UK palettes, which I also like and which are also good value, but the MUA palette really just blows them out of the water. It's the type of quality I would expect to pay a decent amount for and yet it's SO affordable!

The next time I can get myself to a MUA stockist I will be buying the other palettes, I just can't see a reason not to! I would definitely recommend this palette (you'd never of guessed right?!). The shades give great looks, whatever style you like you can get, be it a neutral or a smoky look, you have the shades to do so.

To sum up..I love it! I have used it everyday since I bought it, one day I did a soft look for daytime then just grabbed the palette and jazzed it up for a night out! This will be my new "must have with me" item when travelling! Big kudos to MUA on this range, I have yet to try something I didn't like! But you will hear more about that in upcoming posts!

Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this review!

Karen X

MUA - Make Up Academy Goodies!

2011-07-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I have been buying different MUA products on and off since they first came out, unfortunetly my local Superdrug didn't have MUA so I haven't managed to buy it all yet!
This is my current stock of MUA, although I have nail varnishes which are not in the picture and I have also tried another lip gloss which I managed to loose in a worse for state at a festival recently!

I am going to be reviewing each of these products individually in upcoming posts, so stay tuned! :)

Karen :) X