LeCarpe: Makeup Addict

Mini Shiseido Haul (From AdamBeauty.com)

2013-08-03T21:25:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

Today I will be sharing three Shiseido products that I purchased from adambeauty.com. This is a great website with Asian brands and international shipping is a flat rate of $2. Things tend to sell out take a while to get restocked so you will have to keep an eye out.

Shiseido is a Japanese brand that can be found in the UK, but for some reason, it is SUPER expensive in the UK. The Shiseido Pureness Oil Control Blotting Paper (100 pieces) retails for £18, yet the Shisedio Sweat & Oil Blotting Paper (90 pieces) is 380¥ which is just over £2.50. I ended up getting two different packs of blotting paper, the one I just mentioned (for $6) and another one that is in a plastic sleeve which was $5.50 for 150 pieces. I also got the Shiseido Eyelash Curlers that retail in the UK for £18 for only $10. In total, including the $2 shipping, I ended up paying less than £16 for these three items.

Enough talk, onto the pictures and first impressions.

First off, let's talk eyelash curlers. If you're familiar with eyelash curlers, you know how much beauty gurus rave about the Shu Uemura ones. However, they cost £20 and I think that's too much for eyelash curlers. Plus, other Asian beauty gurus have actually said they prefer the Shiseido ones better as they fit their eyes better, So at $10, I thought I'd give it a go to see if they'll do anything to my straight Asian lashes. Whenever I curl my lashes and put mascara on, the weight of the mascara weighs down my lashes and they stick straight back down again. I've never found an eyelash curler that holds the curl after applying mascara. Alas, this is no game changer. This curls my lashes fine, but then as soon as I apply mascara, it drops down again. This won't go to complete waste as I can use these to curl my false eyelashes. Means I'm still on the search for the eyelash curlers that will actually work for me (I've used the Shu Uemura ones and the same thing happens).

As mentioned above, I also ordered two packs of blotting sheets as it has been SUPER hot in the UK (with the odd thunderstorms) and I have been looking like a greaseball, not attractive. Although I like my Clean & Clear oil control film, I wanted to see if the Shiseido ones will work any better. For this blog post, I will refer to the Sweat & Oil blotting paper as the blue blotting paper and the one that comes in the white plastic sleeve as the pink blotting paper (for obvious reasons).

First difference you can see between the two are that the blue blotting papers are larger than the pink blotting papers. The blue blotting papers are roughly twice the size as the pink one and is thicker. They both don't have any powder on them so you can blot away without the worry of it leaving a cakey powder residue on your face. You can blot the whole of your face with these sheets without it tearing and even though the pink one is smaller, it's big enough to blot the entire face.

What I really like about both these blotting papers is that you can take a sheet easily without having to struggle to take one out and end up with two or three sheets stuck together.

The blue blotting papers come in a cute cardboard box with cute polka dots on them and is easy to open and close. Nothing annoys me more than having to fiddle with packaging.

The pink blotting sheets also come in a small cardboard box that is slipped inside a white plastic sleeve (see pictured right). Again, it dispenses the blotting paper individually so is very user friendly.

You can take a look at the picture below to see the size difference of four blotting papers. The ELF one is the Green Tea Rejuvenating OIl Blotting Sheet (the smallest of the four). The Clean & Clear Oil Control Film is the second smallest of the four. As you can see, both Shisedio blotting papers are large than the average blotting paper which means you can use just the one sheet to blot your entire face. I tend to use 4-5 of the ELF papers, and two of the Clean & Clear ones. So not only do you get more papers in the Shiseido ones, you use less which makes it really good value for money.

So overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchases, especially the blotting papers, they get two very big thumbs up.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, and perhaps you want to think about picking up these for yourself. You can grab them on adambeauty.com and on eBay. However, be careful of fakes on eBay, I did a quick search of these and I saw some sellers selling the pink blotting papers but the plastic wrapper had absolutely no text on it which looked pretty suspect to me.
And until next time..

- Diem xo

July Beauty Favourites

2013-07-28T20:27:00.001+01:00

I finally found my camera, so hopefully I can take better photos rather than using my iPhone (which I've been doing for the past few months). Today, I will be talking about my favourite beauty products of the month. I didn't just want to include products I've just been using every day this past month, but I wanted to talk about the products I LOVED this month. Although I've been using the same moisturiser, foundation, powder every day this month, I can't say that it is can't-live-without-it material.

I also want to make note that I have been a lover of all things drugstore slash high street for the longest of times. However, things have gotten pretty out of hand with my collection of makeup and it doesn't make sense to me to have loads of makeup that I will never end up using. Due to this, I have leaned more towards higher end makeup as I can invest in one good product and actually use and appreciate.

Enough rambling, onto the favourites.

My first favourite for this month has to be Lancome's Tresor Mightnight Rose (£38 for 30ml, £52 for 50ml). A lovely sweet scent, perfect for summer. This is described as "a sexy, sweet and playful fragrance... It embodies mischievous femininity: the rose becomes playful, driven by deliciously tangy raspberry tones, wooden shimmers and voluptuous vanilla notes". When you first spray it, you really get a scent of blackcurrant - if you like sweet scents, I would definitely recommend this scent to you.

London has been super hot this month and it felt like I was literally melting. To get through the hot sticky days, I kept the Vichy Eau Thermale (£7 for 150ml) in my bag at all times. This is a smaller bottle of 50ml that I was received in a beauty box and was a perfect size to carry around with me. Vichy describes this as "a light and refreshing formulation is rich in fifteen rare mineral salts and oligo-elements that work to decongest, relieve redness, soothe sensitive skin and reinforce the skin's natural protection... During the day, it immediately soothes and refreshes". This is an aerosol spray that sprays a fine mist over your face. Spraying this over my face whenever it got really hot was instantly refreshing and made the heat somewhat more bearable.

I have also been loving the YSL Terre Saharienne Bronzing Powder (£34, 10g) in the Shade 5 which is a nice bronzing powder with subtle gold shimmer particles. The colour is not too orange (in my opinion) and I think is suitable for light-medium skin tones. For reference I am around MAC NC30. I'm not usually fan of any shimmer in my bronzer, but this is very subtle so gives a very nice bronzed glow. The formula is nice and lasts pretty well on the skin. The compact has a pretty decent mirror and is pretty lightweight so is perfect to travel with. Although weighty compacts tend to feel more luxurious, it somewhat impracticable to carry around.

My current favourite blusher is MAC's sheertone blush in Pink Swoon. This is a bubblegum pink which I think would be perfect for light to medium skin tones. The blush is sheer (as the name would suggest) but is definitely buildable and looks lovely on the cheeks. Make sure to really blend it into the skin or else it can look pretty powdery.

I've also been enjoying the Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in Tourmaline Pink Blush from the Spring 2012 Luce Collection. It is indeed a very sheer blush that is a very light pastel pink colour, with the slightest hint of peach, with very sublt shimmer particles in it. I don't use this as a blush and would need to use a lot of it for it to actually show up on the skin. It may work for really fair skin tones, but I find this to be the perfect highlighter for light-medium to medium skin tones. It is absolutely gorgeous on the cheekbones and provides a very nice glow to the face without shimmer overload.

My final makeup favourite this month is the d.j.v. beautinizer fiberwig LX mascara. It has a curved brush with lots of fibre extensions in it. I got this from Sephora in the mascara box which they release every Christmas and features a number of different mascaras (most of which in sample size). This is the first time I've used a mascara with fibres and I've read good and bad reviews about these kinds of mascaras. The fibres in the mascara are supposed to really lengthen your lashes but can end up looking really clumpy and spidery (from what I've heard and read). Seeing as this is in my monthly favourites, it's fairly obvious to say I really like the fibres in the mascara. I have Asian, non existent lashes and need all the help I can get. It doesn't hold any curl (but NO mascara has ever done that for me). It helps with the volume and the length of my lashes, but CAN look really clumpy and spidery. I don't mind too much if that happens to me as if I'd be lucky if you can see my lashes at all, even with mascara. What I LOVE about this mascara is after a few coats on my BOTTOM lashes, it most definitely lengthens it, I would even go as far as to say by twice the length of my natural bottom lashes. I will say that this smudges a little and when it comes into contact with water, it turns into a really weird almost rubbery feeling, so take care to remove the mascara properly. Also, I have no idea where you can even find this mascara, so I will enjoy it for three months and continue my search for the perfect mascara.

My last favourite for this month is an absolute essential for the summer and for anyone who has oily skin. I've used different kinds of blotting sheets before, the kinds with powder on them, and the kinds without. What I dislike about blotting paper is that they tend to fall apart when I'm using them. Perhaps I'm too heavy handed by I want that grease of my face. The Clean & Clear oil control film sheets are plastic-like and won't rip and tear when you're blotting your face with them. They're pretty inexpensive as well. I know they are harder to find in the UK, I asked my friend to pick up a few of these when she went to Hong Kong. I believe these can be found in drugstores in the States. For anyone who don't have access to them in stores, eBay is your friend. Even though you're expected to pay a small increased price for these on eBay, they're still reasonably priced for what I consider to be the best blotting sheets I've used. Sidenote, I've recently ordered the Shiseido blotting papers to try out.

Even though I only had seven beauty favourites this month, I sure had a lot to say about them. I hope you found my thoughts on these products useful. I would also like to say that I believe the YSL Bronzer shade and the Giorgio Armani Blush shade were limited editions so you may not be able to find them. However, if you find a shade that tickles your fancy, I do recommend the product as I am a fan of the formula and product itself, as well as the colour of them. Hopefully, I will get to blog some more now that I'm much more happier with the quality of the photos (although I know they're not super fantastic as some of the more established blogs).

I for one, cannot wait for this summer to be over, but for those of you who enjoys the sunshine and heat (why?), hopefully the recent thunderstorms will go away and leave us Londoners dry for the upcoming week. And until next time..

- Diem xo

Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in 536 Lucky: Review + Swatches

2013-06-06T16:17:00.001+01:00

Today I am reviewing the Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in the colour 536 Lucky. I receive this as a mini sample size lipstick as part of a Dior offer at Debenhams (purchase two or more Dior products and receive a free mini lipstick). It has 1.4g of product, full size having 3.5g of product and retailing for £24. The lipstick is so cute but does not have the same sturdy feel as the full size (which I've come to expect with the sample sized packaging). You pull out the lipstick (from the silver knob) and voila, there's your lipstick.

I feel like the lipstick doesn't snap securely shut like the full sized lipstick does. Therefore I'm afraid that the lipstick will become loose in my makeup and bag, so I just keep it in the cardboard box it came in. I do like the (slightly) translucent packaging but once you pull the lipstick out, you aren't able to stand it up as the knob is domed. In my opinion, it doesn't feel as luxurious as the YSL lipsticks, but the Dior lipsticks are still pretty and chic.

Dior describes this as Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick as "Radiant Colour, Hold and Shine. Dior Addict fashion lipstick goes to the Extrême, with radiant colours, a perfect hold wet-look texture, and audacious, sophisticated Dior styles. At the heart of this new soft, sensual texture lie 4 specialist waxes, acting in a targeted manner to correctly combine these extremes in a single formula. This veritable technical feat achieves perfect hold, comfort, and shine in an astonishingly fine film. Dior Addict Extrême is available in 12 shades of pure radiant pigment, from nudes to the boldest shades, exploring all the facets of Dior elegance. A new style means a new dress code: the Dior Addict case plays on transparent, vibrant black - black as in perfection, mystery and timelessness."

I would say that the Dior Addict Extreme lipsticks are a bit like the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in that it is also sheery had a glossy finish. The lipstick sits nicely on the lips and doesn't highlight the dry chapness of your lips. I would say it's quite moisturising and provides good colour, even if it isn't opaque. The sheerer kind of lipsticks are my favourite kind and I tend to gravitate towards them. The lipstick lasts so-so on the lips, I think it has a tendency to wear off on the inner parts of your lips leaving the dreaded bold lipliner look, but if you touch up every now and then or rub your lips together, it should reduce the likelihood of that happening.

The colour 536 Lucky is a warm red pink colour and as far as I can see, there's no shimmer in it. In the picture to the right, you can see that you can build the lipstick to a stronger colour (top swatch) or you can just apply one thin layer and have a sheer glossy look (bottom swatch). The picture below is what the lipstick colour looks like on the lips.

I don't think the lipstick has a fragrance to it, so if it does, it must be very subtle. If you're a fan of the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine, I think you may be a fan of this, so I would recommend checking it out at your nearest Dior counter. It is pricey, so if you aren't willing to fork out £24, I wouldn't say you're missing out entirely. I was intrigued to try out a lipstick from Dior (I purhased a full size Dior Addict lipstick along with a blush for this freebie) and now that I own one, I don't think I would be getting another. I think I may prefer the YSL lipsticks a little better (as well as preferring the YSL packaging). If you don't own a YSL or Dior lipstick and you were interested in getting a high end lipstick, I really would advise you to go to the counter and check them BOTH out before picking one over the other. (You can read my review on the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in 6 Pink Devotion here or in 3 Violet Incognito here as well as checking out the swatches).

So my thoughts on this lipstick? Hyner. If there wasn't the YSL lipsticks, I would have prolly loved these as my guilty high end treat. As this is not the case, I will happily use them but not quite covet them quite as much.

My final(ish) verdict:

❤❤❤♡♡ (3 out of 5 hearts) ^^

Have any of you tried out both the Dior and YSL lipsticks? If you have, let me know your thoughts and which one you preferred. Hope you enjoyed this review and as always, until next time..

- Diem xo

Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher in #6 Grapefruit Jelly: Review + Swatches

2013-06-04T16:52:00.000+01:00

Don't be fooled by the picture advertised for the Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher in #6 Grapefruit Jelly (pictured right). It looks like it peachy pink colour, as the name grapefruit would suggest. However, I feel like this colour of this blush is very different to what is on display here. Etude House is a Korean beauty brand which can be found in quite a few East/South East Asian countries, but not so much over in the UK. There are a few Asian beauty stores here and there, but for the most part, access to Asian beauty brands are usually found online.

I would describe the colour as a peachy, orange, apricot coral colour, I don't really detect any pink tones in this blush at all. This blusher is matte and I picked this up from eBay (click here for direct link to item) for less than £4. (I think my new love in makeup are blushers). The blush comes with a small fluffy powder puff with a pink bow on the top.

The blusher itself is a velvety soft finely milled powder with a texture similar to the MAC sheer tone blushes. It feels smooth on the skin and does not produce much fall out when the swirling the brush in the pan (yay for non wastage). The powder may appear chalky if heavily layered on, but looks nice when blended into the skin. I think it's a gorgeous colour that blends into the skin beautifully. It lasts pretty much all day but it may be slightly patchy if you have super dry skin.

There is a slight fragrance to it, nothing offensive, nothing noticeable. The packaging is super cute if not bulky as I won't be using the puff so there will be empty space between the powder and the domed lid. If I had room in one of my UNII palettes, it would live there, but I don't, so it will have to be a loner until I finish up an entire blush, would seems highly unlikely as I've still yet to hit pan on any blusher I own. I think this is a very nice blusher and I would be interested in the other shades of this range, but I have too many blushes and I'm on a makeup low buy (which I'm failing miserably at).

My final verdict:
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

To summarise, this is a really nice blush and is a bargain, perfect for those who are interested in expanding their makeup collection and slash or interested in Korean/Asian makeup beauty products. Hope you enjoyed reading my review.. And until next time..

- Diem xo

Revlon Baby Stick in Pink Passion: Review + Swatches

2013-06-03T17:30:00.000+01:00

I will be reviewing the Revlon Babystick in Pink Passion today. I haven't much about these in the "beauty blogger" world but I have seen a couple of videos on YouTube featuring this (both were American). I saw this in my local Boots and it said it was Limited Edition and I picked it up when it was £4.99 (apparently it was £2 off the £6.99 RRP). It is available in three shades: Pink Passion, Sunset (Red Orange) and Tahitian (Peach Pink). So I checked out the tests and swatched them on my hand and the Sunset and Tahitian shades did not show up on my light/medium skin. So I wouldn't waste time and money on those, however, the Pink Passion shade is actually really nice. Pink Passion is a hot pink colour with no shimmer in it. It feels creamy and is pretty moisturising. It has a light chemically(?) smell to it, but nothing you can detect on the skin.

You will find negative reviews on this product because of Sunset and Tahitian being pretty much useless, but I really would try out the Pink Passion as it actually does have pigmentation to it, as you can see in the picture below.

The top swatch is a few layers, the middle is just one layer, and the bottom is blended out so you have an idea what it would look like.

The Baby Stick is apparently for lips and cheeks, but I have only used this on my cheeks as most multi purpose products are often better for one area. I also have an allergy in some lip products so I try to not use brand new products on my lips in case my allergy flares up.

I think this would be best for those who have dry to normal skin, as it is a cream product rather than a cream to powder finish. I think it gives a very natural flush to the face and is suitable for fair to medium skin tones as you can sheer it out or build it up for a stronger look. It has 2.8g of product, which isn't very much for a blush, but the packaging is so small and cute - baby stick being a fitting name. The miniature size makes it perfect to pop in your handbag and slash or to travel with. Plus, it's in a stick form, so no need for brushes, just some antibacterial hand gel on your hands to clean them, and you can just blend it out with your fingers.

For those of you who are worried that the stick may remove some of the makeup, although I have found slight transfer of my foundation onto the stick, I don't think it removes much of it for it to be noticeable. I also think it works fine on top of powder as well as before.

I actually really like this product, and have always wanted to try out more blush sticks, I may have to check out some from different brands. So although other two shades are complete rubbish, do check out Pink Passion.

Therefore, my final verdict:
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

I hope you found this review useful, don't be put off by all the negative ones out there, those only apply to the Sunset and Tahitian shades. Your best bet is to go in store, and check out the testers yourself!

Until next time..

- Diem xo

Maybelline 24 Hr Color Tattoo in 85 Light in Purple: Review + Swatches

2013-05-30T18:54:00.000+01:00

Today I will be reviewing the Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in the colouor 85 Light in Purple. I have been slowly migrating away from using eyeshadow, and have only been doing a winged out eyeliner with strong lipstick for the past few months. However, when I was in Tesco, this colour really caught my eye and thought it looked absolutely gorgeous, I couldn't not pick this up. The cream eyeshadow retails for £4.99 in the UK.

The colour is pretty unique in that it is duo chrome and it's a purple/blue/silver colour. It was difficult to capture the duo chrome(ness) in the swatch photos - so do check it out instore if you ever come across it!

As you can see in the photos to the right, the outside rim appears more purple, but for the most part, I think that this looks more like a blue silver colour.

Unfortunately, the beautiful colour does not translate well onto the skin and it definitely appears nicer in the pot than it does on the eyes. It is still a nice colour, just not as nice as I had expected it to be. Turns out it's not very flattering on the eyelids either. This has further reinforced that I should really do my research before buying things on impulse, especially since I hardly ever wear eyeshadow anymore.

You can take a look at the swatches below. I tried to take pictures of the swatch at different angles to try to show how the angle can change the way the colour appears, but I don't think it really translated on camera.

Another thing I was pretty disappointed with was the lasting power. In my opinion, it does not last as long as some of the other Color Tattoos that I have. It is also pretty hard to work with and applies pretty patchy, very different from the other Color Tattoos that I own.

I guess if you're really in love with the colour, you can prolly make it work and you might like it, otherwise, I wouldn't really recommend this colour tattoo. I think it was a bit of a disappointment and let down if I was completely honest. But hey, that's just my opinion.

Therefore, my final verdict:
❤❤♡♡♡ (2 out of 5 hearts) ^^

I absolutely love my bronze and taupe Maybelline colour tattoos, I don't know why the formula for this particular shade is different (or appears to be different). If you're in the UK, I would highly recommend you test out the swatches before just buying it.

Hope you found the review and pictures useful, and let me know what your thoughts are about this if you've tried it, and until next time..

- Diem xo

Sample Review: L'Oreal True Match Foundation: First Impressions + Swatches

2013-04-23T18:14:00.000+01:00

Another sample, another review. Check out my first sample review by clicking here. This time I will be doing a first impressions on L'oreal's True Match foundation in W3 Golden Beige. L'oreal describes this foundation "for women in search of a perfectly natural complexion, L'Oreal Paris has invented True Match, its first foundation that perfectly matches the colour and texture of your skin." Retails for around £10 (slightly cheaper at Superdrug), and from what I can see on the Boots website, there are a variety of shades, 22 on the website.

The foundation consistency was like most traditional foundations and the first thing I realised was that a little goes a long way, this is a pretty high coverage foundation. This was pretty dark for skin colour, but I could have gotten away with it when I blended, blended, blended. It has a pretty matte finish, so I think it would work great for those with oilier skin types. This did not fare well on my dry patches and did cling to those areas and made my skin look flaky. It also does look quite heavy on the face, my mum never usually comments when I wear foundation but she did after I had applied this. I preferred the way it look after I had set it with a bit of powder, and it didn't look too cakey.

It lasted pretty well, and I was surprised with the coverage - I would recommend this to people who need that extra little coverage and who don't mind wearing a heavier foundation. As you can tell with by the picture above, it has evened out the skin and my freckle is almost completely covered, something only a concealer can usually completely conceal. If you're the kind of person who likes the "like skin" foundation, or really light coverage, I don't think this is for you. Also, if you have dry skin, you may want to look for a different foundation. All in all, it's not a bad product, just not for me, but I'm sure it would work brilliantly for some of you.

My first impressions verdict:
❤❤❤♡♡ (3 out of 5 hearts) ^^

Hope you found this first impressions review helpful, and until next time..

- Diem xo

YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in 3 Violet Incognito: Review + Swatches

2013-04-18T14:43:00.001+01:00

You can check out the post for YSL's Rouge Volupté Shine in 6 Pink in Devotion by CLICKING HERE.

Now don't let the bullet frighten you. YSL's Rouge Volupté Shine in Violet Incognito is one of the prettiest shades I have ever seen. The packaging is absolutely beautiful (check out my previous Rouge Volupté post, linked above, for a more indepth review). The colour of Violet Incognito is a deep plum and does not contain any noticeable shimmer slash glitter in it. These lipsticks retail for £24 (pricey, I know!) and so I made the most and got this whilst there was a 10% off deal at Debenhams (I also had £10 worth of vouchers, so double score).

Although I am always attracted to purple colours for some reason (I think purple is a gorgeous lipstick colour, yes this is direct at A$AP Rocky, LOL), I wanted to veer away from this because I thought that I should get a more colour that I did not already have or have a similar colour to. However, after seeing some swatches of what this looked like on the lips, I just could not not get it. Although this is probably more of a fall slash winter colour, I will totally rock this during any season, and even in the daytime. For those who are less adventurous with bold lip colours, this would still look great for a night time look. I would keep it all about the lips and wear a very natural slash no makeup kind of look on the eyes, and rest of the face.

As this is a Volupté Shine, the colour has a more sheerer glossy look to it, so it really can be sheered out to a very subtle colour if that's what you want to go for.

Pictured to the left is a swatch of the lipstick on the back of my hand. The top swatch is just one layer, and the bottom swatch is what the lipstick would look like with a few more layers. As you can see, the colour can be built up to a deep plum colour, but still with that sheer glossy finish. Perfect for those who are afraid of full on colour, or tend to have problematic chapped lips (like me!)

Pictured left is what the lipstick looks like on my lips with just one layer. I'm not sure if it's due to the pigmentation of my lips, (which I don't think is all that dark or heavily pigmented) but the colour does appear to be a fuchsia purple colour, which I still think looks great! This picture was taken in direct sunlight and I believe this to be a pretty accurate represenation of what the colour looked like on my lips (cameras and lighting can hugely affect how a colour looks). This shows that this lipstick can be wearable and is a great colour for this time of year!

The picture to the right is what the lipstick looked like on my lips when I built the colour up a lot more. As you can see, this is much more plum colour, but still is on the pink side. This is perfect for the evening and for the fall and winter time, and I think it's an absolutely gorgeous colour.

I love these lipsticks, I think they last a long time for a sheerer, more glossier kind of lipstick, they feel nice on the lips and aren't drying. I think they wear off pretty nicely too so you don't have to constantly look in the mirror to do touchups or to make sure it hasn't worn off patchy.

And even though it does come with a hefty pricetag, I think these lipsticks are brilliant (which is why I own 3 of them!). I will refrain from getting anymore, but I think so many of the colours in this line are beautiful!

My verdict:
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^ (minus one heart for the price tag)

Just like my previous post on this lipstick, I give this lipstick four out of five hearts. The only reason why it doesn't get five is purely due to the price. But if you feel like you need to spoil yourself (or have someone spoil you), then I would really recommend this.

Hope you found the review and pictures useful, and until next time..

- Diem xo

Sample Review: L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream - First Impression & Swatches

2013-04-15T14:57:00.000+01:00

You know how sometimes there are foundation samples in magazines? Or how sometimes you can get a sachet sample sent to you in the post? Well, I do. And before I knew it, I had quite a few sachet samples. And you know how they say out of sight, out of mind? Well, instead of trying out the samples, I just tossed them in a bag, building my collection up. So, I decided to put them on my table, in sight, and do reviews on them. They can only be first impressions as I will only be able to use it once, maybe twice, hardly enough times to give a in depth thorough review.

So my first sample review is on L'oreal's Nude Magique BB Cream which retails for £9.99 in the UK. The shade that I have is medium. What was very odd when I first opened this was that the actual product was an off white colour with faint tan colour balls in it. You can see a picture below of what it looked like.

However, when you rub it in, the colour begins to change, and becomes a more medium foundation kind of colour. The consistency is very liquidy and is lightweight on the skin. I would say that the coverage is light and will even out your skin tone, but not much else. The finish is natural, not matte, but not exactly dewy either. I have extremely dry patches on my face and fared well, slight clinging to the dryer areas, but I have that problem with pretty much every foundation, some worse than others. It lasted for an ok amount of time, but it did wear off pretty patchy on the half side of my face that I did not set with powder. The side that I did set with powder lasted around the same length of time, but did not wear off as uneven.

You can see in the picture to the left what the coverage is like - I applied the product to the arm with my fingers and worked it in. I only saw two shade options on the Boots website, which means that not everyone will be able to use this. The shade medium was slightly too dark and orange for me.

Would I buy this product? Even though I did not dislike this product, this was nothing special either. This would be good for those who have pretty good skin anyway and just needs something to even out the skintone. It is also good for people with dry skin - I have an extremely oily T-Zone and I did not look completely greasy so I think it may even work for those with combination skin. It is very quick and effortless to blend in, you don't have to work the product in so it's pretty effortless in application.

My first impressions verdict is:
❤❤❤♡♡ (3 out of 5 hearts) ^^ Not right for me, but can work for you~

Hope you found the review and pictures useful.. And until next time..

- Diem xo

'Red My Lips' - Wear Red Lipstick To Raise Awareness About Sexual Violence: My Red Lipsticks

2013-04-07T23:12:00.000+01:00

So April 2013 is Sexual Assault Awareness month and there is a campaign going around called 'Red My Lips'. This campaigns asks us to wear red lipstick everyday in the month of April to 'help raise awareness about sexual violence and SPEAK OUT against victim-blaming!'. I will do my best to wear red lipstick to support this campaign, and I hope you all will too. You don't have to wear bright red lipstick, a variation of red will do, if bright red lipstick is not suitable (school, work, etc). So I pulled out all my red lip products and thought I'd do a post with pictures and swatches. You can see all the red lip products I own in the picture above (L-R: Maybelline Baby Lips in 15 Cherry Me, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 045 Romantic, L'oreal Rouge Caresse Colour Riche lipstick in 179 Cherry Tulle, L'oreal Caresse Glam Shine Stain Splash in 300 Juliet, Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in 400 Big Bang, Yves Rocher lipstick in 101 Framboise, Sleek True Colour Lipstick in 778 Stiletto and NYX Lipliner Pencil in 817 Hot Red). You can find swatches of the products below (in the same order).

I also took pictures of what they look like on the lips. The picture to the left is what my lips look like without any product on them. And I didn't think too far in advance when I was doing the pictures to the order of the swatches below are different than to the picture of the products and the swatches on my hand so I will describe each product below. Bear in mind that this is not a review; it's to show swatches.

1. Maybelline Baby Lips in 15 Cherry Me: A lipbalm with a very sheer hint of red. It smells like cherry (as the name would suggest) and smells delicious.
2. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 045 Romantic: somewhat sheer, an orange toned red. Is much more orange than what the packaging and the bullet would suggest.
3. Yves Rocher lipstick in 101 Framboise: a rich creamy pigmented blue based red. Glossy finish.
4. NYX Lipliner Pencil in 817 Hot Red
5. Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in 400 Big Bang: Tomato red, extremely pigmented. Glossy finish.
6. L'oreal Caresse Glam Shine Stain Splash in 300 Juliet: Glossy cherry red. Somewhat sheer but can be built up to full colour (like pictured above). Leaves a more pinky red stain behind.
7. Sleek True Colour Lipstick in 778 Stiletto: a true matte red. Creamy and pigmented.
8. L'oreal Rouge Caresse Colour Riche lipstick in 179 Cherry Tulle: Sheer cherry red. Glossy finish.

Apologies for some of the rushed applications. But I hope you get an idea of what the products would look like on the lips.

I'll be rocking either the L'oreal Caresse Glam Shine Stain Splash in Juliet or the L'oreal Rouge Caresse Colour Riche Lipstick in Cherry Tulle, a sheer approach to red. For evening looks, I'll wear the more pigmented colour with a simple black winged liner.

Support the cause. Raise awareness. And until next time..

- Diem xo

YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in 6 Pink in Devotion: First Impressions Review + Swatches

2013-03-27T14:52:00.001+00:00

You can check out the post for YSL's Rouge Volupté Shine in 3 Violet Incognito by CLICKING HERE.

I'm in love. I am actually in love with the YSL lipstick packaging. They are so beautiful and luxurious. I'd pick a YSL lipstick over Chanel, Tom Ford, etc any day, purely for the packaging. It looks expensive (which it is!) and has a nice weight to it so it feels study and robust. I have a problem with No. 7 lipsticks in that the lid seems to crack and becomes loose which is highly annoying.
I won't be having those problems with the YSL lipsticks. And I'm only in love with the lipsticks that have the YSL cut out in the round tubes (not the square tube ones). I first came across these beauties on YouTube and thought they looked gorgeous then, but they look even better in real life. Oki, enough about the packaging. Actually, one more thing about the packaging, I like the fact that you can see the colour of the lipstick in the cut out in the middle of the tube. However, I do not like that the lipstick name is not on the bottom of the tube, it tells you the number, but not the actual name of the lipstick which I find quite odd (the name of the colour is on the box though).

Onto the actual product. What YSL says about the lipstick:
"Give in to the temptation of dazzling color. Succumb to a unique sensorial experience with extreme comfort and luminous shine. Hyaluronic acid microspheres help seal in moisture for 8 hours of hydration. Anti-oxidants and emollients help condition and soften lips."

If you have had the pleasure of owning slash experience the YSL Rouge Volupté lipsticks, you know that they pack quite a punch. They are extremely creamy and pigmented. The Rouge Volupté Shines are more sheerer and has a much more glossy finish (as the name would suggest). I would say that although these lipsticks are not as opaque as the Rouge Volupté lipsticks, I feel like the Rouge Volupté Shines have more pigmentation than the typical sheer lipstick. I do feel like they are more long wearing than sheer lipsticks and does wear off quite well. I don't find this lipstick to be particularly moisturising though, and at the same time I don't find them drying either.

There is a nice colour selection, 19 shades in total, and retail for £24 (UK) or $34 (US). The colour that I bought was No. 6 Pink in Devotion and is a hot pink with very subtle blue-tone micro shimmer (the shimmer is not noticeable when applied). Check out the swatches to see what the colour looks like. The top swatch is just one layer and the bottom is with a few layers so you can build up the colour if you wanted to. They have a weird scent to them, I can't quite put my finger (or nose?) on what it is. I'm horrible at describing scents but if I had to, I would say that it was a mix between the typical lipstick smell with an old lady smell, and then a sweet fruity scent to mask the lipstick and old lady scent, but it doesn't quite overpower them? The overall scent is not too strong but you can kind of smell it when you first apply it to the lips so take a sniff of the lipstick before you purchase.

They feel nice on the lips, the lipstick melts onto your lips to give a nice sheer colour with a glossy (but not sticky) shine. Applies pretty evenly and feels lightweight (almost undetectable) on the lips. It doens't feel balmy which is what I've come to expect from sheer lipsticks.

They are definitely not cheap, but do I think they are worth it? In my opinion, if you are a lover of the packaging and love makeup, I would recommend getting a YSL lipstick. If you prefer sheerer lipsticks, then get the Rouge Volupté Shine, if you prefer full on colour (I'm talking similar to MAC Amplified finishes), then go for the Rouge Volupté. If you think that the price tag is too expensive, you can always ask for one as your present for the occasion.

I also received an email from Debenhams to say that they are having a 10% discount Easter special starting tomorrow (Thursday 28th March 2013). Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated or sponsored by Debenhams.

I have read that blogs that liken these lipsticks to the L'oreal Rouge Caresse lipsticks. I know that YSL is owened by L'oreal, but in my opinion, I do not think the L'oreal Rouge Caresses are dupes for the YSL Rouge Volupté shines. I think that the L'oreal lipsticks are sheerer and do not feel the same on the lips. However, they are nice lipsticks, so if you want to go for a sheer lipstick and do not want to pay a lot for one, then do check out the L'oreal line as they have a nice shade selection too. I just do not consider them dupes, just similar.

My first impressions verdict:
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^ (minus one heart for the price tag)

Do check out the YSL lipstick range if you want to spoil slash treat yourself to a high end lipstick, have a little swatcharoo and purchase if you want =))

Hope you enjoyed reading this review.. And until next time..

- Diem xo

L'oreal Colour Riche Balm Lipstick(?) in 318 Heavenly Berry: Review + Swatches

2013-03-22T16:30:00.001+00:00

I'm back with another review. Today I will be reviewing the L'oreal Colour Riche Balm (lipstick) in the colour (hah) 318 Heavenly Berry. I got this at when I was in The States at Target for $7.99. but apparently you can get them for $6-$8. I'm not sure if these have (are) released in the UK, as I haven't been able to find them anywhere. I hadn't heard anything about them, I just liked the way it looked, like the colour and thought I'd give it a shot. As most of you already know, they don't have testers on all products like we do on the UK, so I didn't have the chance to swatch this (and I didn't want to open it on the sly).

And let me tell you, I should have researched this and looked at swatches before purchasing it. I was on holiday and went a bit cray cray in my shopping sprees and picked up anything that tickled my fancy and I hadn't seen in the UK. This, to me, is a very pointless product. It offers pretty much no colour payoff and is not nearly as moisturising as an actual lipbalm. I love sheer lipsticks, they're my favourite kind, but the colour on this is almost non-existent.

I've checked out some blogs and reviews on the internet and this has gotten some favourable reviews and I cannot fathom as to why. If you look at the swatches (pictured right), the top swatch is about 20 layers of product and the bottom swatch is just one layer. As you can see, the colour does not build up, it is just extremely sheer and once it is on the lips, you can't even tell you have any colour on, it just looks glossy. It does feel balmy on the lips, and it isn't drying. But why spend $6-$8 on a product if it all it does it give you a slight gloss on the lips? I think you might as well go for a nice lip balm, which will prolly be half the price. And if you are dying to try this out, for whatever reason, you only need to pick up one, and it won't even matter what shade you go for because I reckon they'll all look almost identical once applied on the lips. So why waste your money? Sorry L'oreal, but I just don't see the point of this product - extremely disappointing.

My overall verdict:
❤♡♡♡♡ (1 out of 5 hearts) ^^ Because after all, it didn't do anything bad to my lips.

Please save your money and go for the Caresse Lipsticks if you want a sheer lippy. Hope you found this useful and until next time..

- Diem xo

bareMinerals READY Luminizer in The Love Affair Pictures + Swatches

2013-03-21T17:42:00.003+00:00

Back with another review, well, more like a first impressions of a product. I've always wanted to try some of the bareMinerals READY collection because I am a fan of bareMinerals, but not so much the mess that comes with loose powder. However, bareMinerals is really expensive in the UK compared to The States. This retails for $26 in America and £26 in the UK! I picked this up half price (£13) at Debenhams, which is unfortunately now out of stock. "The Shining Moment" was already out of stock so I had no choice but to take "The Love Affair".

bareMinerals describes this products as enhancing "your complexion with a radiant, lit-from-within glow. Powered by our proprietary SeaNutritive Mineral Complex, this silky smooth formula delivers incredible skin-nourishing benefits. FEATURES & BENEFITS: This formula combines our proprietary SeaNutritive Mineral Complex composed of positively-charged sea minerals with antioxidants and cold-pressed kiwi seed oil for soothed, conditioned skin. Highlights the complexion with a soft, candlelit radiance. Sweep over cheeks, eyes, forehead and bridge of nose for beautiful luminescence."

The colour is described as a "pink nectar glow." I would say that it's more gold-beige colour, slight hint of pink with champagne-gold shimmer. It is definitely on the warmer side, and does not have chunky glitter.

I have been obsessed with highlighters recently, I'm not sure what it is, but I have been lusting after plenty of highlighters, but I'm definitely not liking some of the price tags.

I like the packaging, it comes in pretty sleek white compact with a good sized mirror. I think the pattern is gorgeous (it's all in the small details). I don't think this looks cheap at all.

The formula is extremely silky smooth and I am pleased there is no chunky glitters in it. In my opinion, the only product that should have chunky glitter in it is eyeshadow. This is why I do not like NARS Orgasm, AT ALL. Back to the topic at hand, I am so glad this is now in my collection. I've only used it once, and it looks very nice on my skin (I would say I have a light-medium skintone), but so far, I like it. I think this would look nice in the inner corners of the eyes as well. It gives a nice subtle glow, exactly what you want from a highlighter. All in all, I'm quite the happy bunny.

My first impressions verdict:
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

Hope you enjoyed this review and until next time..

- Diem xo

Laura Geller Inkwell Waterproof Gel Eye Liner: First Impressions Review + Swatches

2013-03-15T13:47:00.002+00:00

Time for another review again. This time it'll be a first impressions type of review. So, my Birchbox arrived last week and lo and behold, one of the goodies in the box was this Laura Geller Inkwell Waterproof gel eyeliner.

The first thing I thought of when I first saw this was that it pretty much looks identical to the Rimmer gel eyeliner (pictured above, right). This eyeliner has a built in brush into the handle which you pull out so it's ideal for travelling and it won't make a mess in your makeup bag. This gel eyeliner retails for $16.50 in The States and £24.50 for a duo set. I'm not sure if this is sold as a single, but quick research (the Birchbox and QVCUK site) sells this as a duo set. The colour I received is black.

My first impression on the packaging is that the brush is pretty soft but not as fine as I like my eyeliner brushes to be. I can't imagine myself to be able to draw a really fine line with this brush. I also find it quite awkward to hold and it doesn't seem to snap securely into place so I feel like I need to hold it at the joining or else the lid and brush will dislocate. The brush did manage to come loose in my makeup bag so do be sure to wipe off any excess product after using or else you may end up with a messy makeup bag.

The product itself is very creamy, but in my opinion, not very opaque (please find swatches pictured to the left). I did have to go over with a couple of layers to get an opaque black colour and I was also unable to get a fine line with the brush. I would say I am pretty experienced in using gel eyeliner and have done so for years and I would use a different brush to apply this if I had the option to. I would advise a fine liner brush or a hard angled brush.

I found that the liner took a pretty long time to set and even when it had, when I swiped the swatches a few times, it smudged instantly. I think I waited for about 45 minutes before rubbing my hand. Please find the picture of what the swatch looked like after slight rubbing. I also washed my hands with soap and dried off with a paper towel. When I held my hand under the tap with no contact, the product remained, but once I washed my hands with soap, most of the product washed off. I'm not sure how this affects the staying and holding power on the eyes because you don't wash your eyes with soap like you would your hand, but I just wanted to make a comment about this.

The picture below demonstrates the holding power of the eye liner. Please do apologise the state of my eyebrows, this was after a long day at work sans makeup. I applied the eyeliner with the brush that it came with, without any makeup on and without the use of primer. The brush wasn't actually too bad, I didn't do a very fine line, but I don't tend to anyway. The eyeliner in the picture is the way I typically do my eyeliner so I wasn't too fussed about the brush.

I made sure not to touch my makeup and just went about doing what I usually do after work which is pretty much have my dinner and catch up on TV (hehe). So there was no running around and thank gawd I did not leave the house with this on because as you can see, after three hours, I am a complete panda. I made sure not to wipe underneath my eyes as to show an accurate representation of how the eyeliner lasted. Even though the actual line above my eye remained pretty much intact, it managed to smudge all under my eyes, not a great look. I do have oily eyelids and eyeshadows do tend to crease on me. However, I have found that that the Essence liquid eyeliner does not smudge at all. I have used the MAC Fluidline and the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner before and although the two of them do smudge, they do not smudge this much and so quickly.

My first impression of this product is not a good one, especially since this is pretty expensive. I'm sure there are better and cheaper gel eyeliners out there.

My first impression verdict:
❤♡♡♡♡ (1 out of 5 hearts) ^^ No hearts feels a bit too harsh, I guess I could use this as a base and see if I can make it work?

Hope you found this review useful and helpful, and until next time..

- Diem xo

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Damsel: Review + Swatches

2013-03-14T15:58:00.000+00:00

Today, I will be reviewing the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof eyeliner in the colour Damsel which is Stila describes as a matte brown colour. I received this as part of Stila's 'In The Light' palette and is the second Stila Smudge Stick that I own. It is a retractable eyeliner (yay for no sharpening). It retails for $20 in The States and £13 in the UK, so it is pretty dear for an eyeliner.

I much prefer my eyeliners to be in a retractable pen form, however, with the Stila ones, once you wind them up, you can't wind them back down. This means, you won't be able to know how much you have left unless you wind the product up and have no way of winding it back down. That is my only complaint with the packaging. I do like how the eyeliner packaging tells you what colour the eyeliner is and whether or not it's shimmery. My other Stila Smudge stick is a shimmery colour and the packaging is shimmery also. Ok, onto the actual product.

The colour is an extremely dark matte brown colour. It glides on like a dream - extremely creamy formula. And once this eyeliner sets, it is set. I know this has been compared to the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners, but I haven't owned any so I cannot comment on that. The eyeliner is extremely long lasting but not so much on my waterline. That being said, I have yet to find an eyeliner that doesn't budge from my waterline so I don't hold it against this product. I think it is an extremely good eyeliner and is great for smudging on the top lash line. No effort necessary.
It really does have good staying power and would say that it is pretty waterproof - even after washing my hands (with soap) and made a conscious effort trying to wash the swatch off and using a paper towel to dry my hands, the eyeliner did not fade away completely (see picture below). It comes off with a half decent makeup remover though. I would say there were good drugstore slash high street alternatives such as the Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliner, so the only negative thing I can really comment on is the price tag.

My final verdict:
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

It would have been 5 hearts out of 5 if it wasn't so expensive. It is still a pretty amazing product though and it is a permanent resident in my makeup bag.

Hope you found this review useful and until next time...

- Diem xo

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick in 179 Cherry Tulle: Review + Swatches

2013-03-13T15:04:00.000+00:00

179 Cherry Tulle

401 Rebel Red

Today, I am going to be reviewing the L'oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick in the colour 179 Cherry Tulle. I'm not sure if this colour is available in the UK because I got this when I was in America. I've checked out the L'oreal Caresse lines in the UK and from what I can tell, they only carry one red shade, 401 Red Rebel (see picture to the right). Another thing to note is that the packaging for the Caresse lipsticks in the States (see picture to the right) are different to those found in the UK. In my opinion, I much prefer the US sleek packaging - it look's more expensive. However, the UK packaging has the colour of the lipstick on the top, which makes locating a specific colour all the more easier.

Onto the review. This line was released not long after Revlon released their lip butters and so everyone was comparing the two. The L'oreal lipsticks are more expensive, but are they worth the extra buck? For me, I can't wear the Revlon lip butters, I think I'm allergic to something in them and my lips did not react well to them so I cannot say whether or not they are worth the extra pennies. I am very glad that L'oreal released a line that was similar. The lipstick is very glossy and sheer - perfect for those who are afraid of full-on lip colours. This also quite moisturising on the lips and do not leave them feeling really dry. Unfortunately, because of sheer formula, the lipstick does not last incredibly long on the lips.

This particular shade is a great way to get into wearing red lipsticks. The colour is not opaque which can be terrifying to those who are not used to it, but it provides enough colour payoff. The colour itself is a cherry red (as the name would suggest) with the smallest micro shimmer that is not able to be seen when worn on the lips.

I think this shade is incredibly wearable, one that I'm not afraid to slap this on during the day. I love wearing this lipstick with some simple winged black eyeliner.

It is a shame that this shade cannot be found in the UK, but for those who live in The States, I would highly recommend it. I would recommend the line in general, so check out what shades there are, I'm sure you'll find one to your liking.

As you can see in the picture to the left, the lipstick is very glossy and balm-like. It feels very light on the lips and does not feel sticky. There is a slight lipstick fragrance to it, but it is definitely not as strong as the usual lipstick.

The top swatch is the lipstick with just one layer and the bottom swatch is what the lipstick is like with a few layers. As you can see, the lipstick is buildable to a stronger colour. Extremely easy to wear and you can use the lid as a mirror when applying it - extra bonus points to the American packaging.

A beloved addition to my makeup bag, I will be sad once I finish this.

My final verdict:
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

Thanks for reading my review and I hope you enjoyed it.

Until next time,
Diem xo

ELF HD Blush in Headliner: Review and Swatches

2013-03-12T15:31:00.002+00:00

Hi everyone, long time, no post. Today, I will be reviewing the ELF HD Blush in the colour, Headliner.

The HD blush comes in a plastic pump bottle (measures around 10cm in height and 2cm in circumference). I would describe the colour as a dusty rose pink with subtle gold shimmer. I would say that once blended onto the skin, the shimmer pretty much disappears so for those who dislikes shimmer in their blushes (like I do), don't let this put you off.

Priced at £3.75, you can purchase it on the ELF website.

I quite like the packaging for this blush. I think ELF products tend to be a bit bulky, but this blush packaging is really light. The pump, however, dispenses too much product as a little really goes a long way with these blushes. They are too pigmented (yes, a product can be TOO pigmented) and so I would be careful when pumping out product.

The product itself is lovely. Feels very creamy and velvety, as if it has been whipped? I have dry skin and this blush does not leave dry patches. For £3.75, I think this is an absolute steal. The colour is very natural and I think it would suit light to medium skin tones.

Please find pictures of swatches below.

I would recommend this to people, with the advice of: use sparingly.

My final verdict:
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

Hope you enjoyed this review - let me know your thoughts if you've tried this product and until next time..

- Diem xo

What's In My Makeup Bag

2012-09-30T02:42:00.001+01:00

It has been too long since I last blogged. It's been quite difficult to find the time blog these days. Perhaps I'm just too lazy. Enough with the rambling and onto what's in my makeup bag. I don't usually carry a makeup bag with me, I just chuck a bunch of makeup products into my bag and then spend ages trying to locate things in my mess of a bag. I have a ton of lip products and so when I'm trying to find a particular one, it's always the last one I pull it. So, I decided to put it all in a makeup bag and not have a million things loose in my bag.

My makeup bag is from Elizabeth Arden and it came with the 8 hour cream set. I thought it was going to be too big but is actually a perfect size to fit all my makeup.

First, I have my Carex hand sanitiser in Grapefruit and Lime. Smells really fresh and everyone needs hand sanitiser in their bag.

And after I sanitise my hand, I use hand lotion, and my favourite is the one from Soap & Glory called Hand Food. Smells amazing and is a pretty decent hand lotion. I think I mainly like it because of how GOOD it smells.

I have Tiger Balm because you never know when you'll need it. I get pretty bad aches and pains (I swear, I have the body of a 60 year old woman).

An Altoids tin that has cotton pads and cotton swabs inside, because you never know when you might need them. I also have a comb, pretty self explanatory as to why that's in there. Ditto for the mirror.

Weleda One Step Cleanser & Toner. Got this in my Glossybox and haven't used it. There might be a time where I feel like I need to clean my face. Bottle is ickle at 10ml and so it doesn't take much room or weigh too much.

A sample of Maybelline BB Cream. I've yet to try this out so I have no idea how this is. But there's no way I'm carrying a full bottle of foundation. Takes too much space and would weigh a lot. Plus, I have quite a few sample sachets of foundation, so if for some reason, I need to put on some foundation. I can just use a sachet. The chances of me ever needing it is very slim so there wouldn't really be a point of carrying around a whole bottle of foundation with me.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, this is the small 15ml size. I swear by this as a lip balm. There is something in certain lip products that my lips just don't like, and they become crusty beyond belief if I use it. Sucks because I'm a lip product person, so I feel like I'm taking a risk whenever I try out a new lip product. This was the only thing that makes my lip feel anything other than crusty. Only thing is, it's too expensive(!)

Clean & Clear oil control film, probably the best blotting sheets I've used. Unfortunately not available to us here in the UK. A friend got this for me when she went to Hong Kong, but I'm sure you can find some online on eBay.

ELF Clarifying Pressed Powder - I've only just opened this to include in my makeup bag. It's pretty small, compact, and dirt cheap. You never know when I may need to powder my face. I do tend to grease up pretty bad during the day.

Clinique High Impact mascara. Pretty bog standard to be honest. Only carry it in my makeup bag because it's a small sample and I had quite a few with free gifts with purchase. I think it's in every single free gift with purchase that I've seen, so I really wouldn't waste money on purchasing the full sized one. It's nothing special, does not justify the price tag.

MUA eyebrow pencil in brunette. Comes with a little brush on the other end. At £1, can't really go too wrong really. I use the HD Brows palette when I'm at home. Taking that with me would be too bulky, so I just opted for a pencil. Quick and easy.

Urban Decay Cream Shadow in Rehab. Perfect neutral all over the lid colour. It's a light brown frosty shimmery colour. When blended, it's almost the same colour as my skin, but gives it a subtle shimmer. Lasts pretty much all day. No mess, no fuss.
Stila smudge stick waterproof eyeliner in Damsel (dark brown). Pretty much stays put and doesn't budge once it's set. One of the best eyeliners I've tried.

Essence liquid eyeliner in non-waterproof black. Have heard some good things about this brand. Got it in when I was in Budapest as this brand is not available in the UK. I wish the applicator was finer and had a sharper point. But it stays on all day, doesn't smudge or flake. Inexpensive too, I think it cost about £2.

ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen. Now my other eyeliner pen (K-Palette) is pretty much done and so I just opened this eyeliner today. And well, it's very dry. Didn't cost much so I didn't expect much. From what I drew on my hand, it stayed on really well. It's just too dry. Don't think it'll last too long.

Onto my lip products and fragrances. And believe me, there are a lot.

Three Carmex lip balms. Just because. I have the Cherry, Strawberry and Mint ones. These did help a lot with my chapped lips before I used the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. They just smell a lot nicer. If you haven't used the Eight Hour Cream, I would highly recommend you smell it before you purchase it, or purchase the unfragranced one. When I first smelled it, I always retched. And putting it on my lips was just plain nasty. If it wasn't a miracle cure for my lips, I prolly wouldn't have used it again. I've gotten used to the smell now so I don't mind it so much.

Three No.7 Sheer Temptation lipsticks. Sheer lipsticks are my favourite formula which is why I was so excited when the Revlon Lip Butters came out. I got the one in Candy Apple (I think it's called, but it's the red one) and Lollipop (hot pink fuschia). When I used the Candy Apple one, my lips reacted really badly to it so I had to give it to a friend and I'm eBaying the other one. Anyway, the lipsticks are in 15 Tempt - sheer hot pink fuschia with glitter. 70 Sassy - sheer plum purple with glitter. 20 Entice - very sheer aubergine (eggplant) colour with glitter. It is very very sheer so applies with the slightest purple gloss on the lips. Not noticeable at all.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick. Smells just like the Eight Hour Cream but in my opinion doesn't perform as well. At only 3.7g and I think costs around £20, I would highly recommend getting the tube rather than the lipstick form. Works well, but not AS well as the tube.

Collection (2000) Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Fairy Cake 3. Nice warm dark-ish pink colour. Smells like cake and has a matte finish.

Two Revlon just bitten kissable balm stains. I have the colour Crush which is a pink purple colour and when sheered out on my lips, becomes a deep fuschia colour. It has subtle glitter in it. Very pigmented and smells like Mint Areo (mint chocolate) which I love. Lovesick is the other colour that I own and is a very hot pink colour and is highly pigmented. I find them to be quite drying, but the colours are kickass so I just make sure to keep my lips hydrated.

I have two Travelo perfume atomisers. Well, one is a real Travelo and the other is an imitation that I got from eBay that was half the price. I have a feeling that the imitation isn't as air tight as the Travelo so I have a feeling that the perfume in the cheap knock-off might be slowly drying out. But that just might be me being paranoid because it was less than £4. In the cheap one (the metallic navy colour), I have Nina Ricci's Nina in it which is the "original"(?) apple fragrance from Nina Ricci (who else). It's one of my favourite perfumes and I own four other variations of the Nina Ricci apple fragrances. I have Diesel's Lovesick in the Black Travelo. It has a slight vanilla, liquorice scent to it which fades as it wears. It's pretty strong and I prefer smelling it in the bottle than actually on me. I think after a few hours, if I spray too much, it makes me feel a bit lightheaded. So spray with caution.

I also have Escada's Taj Sunset which I can only describe as sweet and fruity. Smells GOOD. Shame it's not in spray form, makes it very difficult to wear, but just smells too good.

I also have a Jelly Belly Blueberry rollerball that smells like blueberry (what are the odds of that). Why not?

And finally I have three cheapo hair ties. Oh and an ELF Kabuki brush for powder.

I would say that's it, but that was a whole lot. I'm sure I could cut this down to the bare essentials if I wanted to. But I don't.

And if you're wondering why I don't have blush in my makeup arsenal, it's because the lip products can double up as blush. I would have included bronzer, but all my bronzers have chunky packaging and it would require another brush. I say that, but I'm sure I could fit it in if I didn't have so many lip products but in a battle between my lip products and bronzer, the lip products won.

And until next time..

Diem xo

Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo - 40 Permanent Taupe - Review + Swatches

2012-03-23T00:18:00.001+00:00

I know these have been out in the States for a while now, but they've just been released here in the UK. However, I don't think they released as many colours as they have in the States. The only colours I saw in store was the taupe colour I'm reviewing, a bronze colour, a bright blue slash teal colour, and a gold colour. I've just checked out the Boots website and the colours in the Superdrug I was in stocked: And On Bronze, Eternal Gold, Turqouise Fvr, and the one I bought - Permanent Taupe. The other colours on the Boots website are: Endless Purple, Immortal Charcoal, and Eternal Silver. I believe the names have been changed as well as I am quite sure that this Permanent Taupe colour is the same as Tough As Taupe.

If you don't know what these are - they are cream eyeshadows that are meant to last 24 hours. They can be used as a base to intensify any eyeshadow colours placed on top and to make them last longer, or it can be used on its own as an eyeshadow colour.

I really should have taken pictures before I swatched this, but I was just too excited. There wasn't a tester of this colour in store so I wanted to test this out to make sure that this was the Tough As Taupe colour. This is the only one I got, although I thought that the And On Bronze and Eternal Gold colours were beautiful too. I believe Boots and Superdrug are doing a 3 for 2 on Maybelline products and thinking about it now, I should have picked those two up >< However, I am supposed to be abstaining from purchasing any cosmetic products, which I have failed. But I really wanted to check it out and do a review ^^. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are retailed at £4.99 each because I thought they would be around £6 each.

The top two pictures are what the cream shadows are like when first applied to the skin. The top left is with flash and the top left is without flash. The bottom two pictures are what it looks out when blended out (left without flash, and right with flash).

This taupe colour looks matte but it actually has really small flecks of glitter, but it is very subtle. This dried pretty quickly, so it's not as creamy as I thought it would be. They do blend pretty well though. I know they are comparable to MAC Paint Pots, but I don't slash have never owned any, so I can't comment as to whether or not that's true. What I can say is that I am super impressed with this product. I love the colour and I love that once it dries, it just does not budge. This is going to be GREAT for those with oilier lids, and for the hot summer time. I used Urban Decay Primer Potion and an eyeshadow from the Naked palette and by the time I reached work (around an hour later), my eyeshadow had already creased! I know this is going to happen a lot during the summer, so I am glad that I have this as an all-over lid colour. But now I'm a little bummed that I didn't take advantage of the 3 for 2 offer. I swatched the And On Bronze colour which reminded me a lot of Half Baked from the Naked palette and it when I washed my hands a few times (with soap of course!), it still didn't budge.

Overall, I think these Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoos are amazing. I would totally recommend on getting your hands on these! I know that this is going to be a handbag staple - it's quick and easy to use.
I would give this product:
❤❤❤❤❤ (5 out of 5 hearts) ^^

This is the first time I've given a product five stars, and well deserved I might add.

I feel like I won't need any more eyeshadows, all I need are these in a few colours and I am good to go! Perhaps when I finish my no makeup buying challenge, I will purchase 3 more of these =DD

And until next time..
- Diem xo

Models Own 'Concrete Mix' Nail Polish - Review + Swatch

2012-03-20T12:37:00.000+00:00

I just finished painting my nails and thought I would do a blog post on the the colour. Apologies for the quality of my nails and how poorly I painted them. I'm desperately trying to grown them but they just keep breaking. Even though I use a nail repair base, it just doesn't seem to like me >< I was also watching NCIS whilst painting them so I got a little distracted - oops.

This is the first time I've used a Models Own nail polish and I've to say - I like. I actually own four Models Own nail polishes and this is the first one that I opened. I got this polish in a trio on asos.com for an absolute bargain of £5.50 (one polish is £5). As you can tell by the name of Concrete mixer, it's a concrete colour which is a matte nude grey colour. I'm liking the formula of this nail polish - the colour looks really creamy (if that were possible?!) When I paint my nails, I like to use medium-thick coats, but the trouble with that is that it could end up with air bubbles. I think I got one or two really unnoticeable air bubbles, and out of seven fingers that I painted, that's not too bad (I painted the other three fingers a different colour, as see in the above picture.) They dried pretty quickly (quicker than the other colour) and is really glossy. It didn't dry too quickly when I was painting them which is one of my pet hates in nail polishes. It didn't come out streaky and was pretty opaque. Although the picture shows my nails with two coats, I think if I was in a rush for time, I could have gotten away with just the one coat. The colour is very true to how it looks in the bottle.

Overall, I would give the Models Own 'Contrete Mixer':
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

Hope you guys have been enjoying spring and daffodils, and until next time..

- Diem xo

HD Brows - Review + Swatches

2012-03-18T17:24:00.001+00:00

As you may rememeber, many months ago, people received a HD Brows kit in their Glossybox. I've just opened mine to check out if it's any good or not. The main reason why I cracked it open was because I wanted more matte colours - most of the neutral colours I have are all shimmery (blast you Naked palette for only having two matte colours).

Let's get started on the review:

The HD Brows palette is in 'Foxy' and comes with four colours:

Nude (first colour in swatch, top left in quad) - The lightest of the colours. I have natural black hair so I obviously won't be using this for my brows, but I will be using this colour to blend out my eyeshadows when I'm doing a smokey eye because it's quite close to my skin colour (as you can see in the swatch above).

Warm Brown (second colour in swatch, bottom left in quad) - this is a brown with very warm undertones. I use this for the outer half of my brows, as I find that using this for the whole of my brows leave them too dark. Although the swatch shows that it's not anywhere close to a natural black colour, it is actually a colour I would recommend for those with dark brown slash natural black hair.

Carbon (third colour in swatch, top right in quad) - Though it shares the same name as the matte black from MAC, it's actually an extremely dark brown colour. Although I have natural black hair, this is a colour that I CANNOT use - this is too dark for me and any attempt in using this will make my eyebrows look drawn on. Perhaps those who have thick brows will be able to get away with using this, but I sure as hell cannot. It may also be suitable for women of colour as the other colours may be too light on the skin (and too ashy looking). I will also be using this as an eyeshadow rather than for my brows - I don't have a dark matte brown eyeshadow colour in my collection.

Ash Brown (last in swatch, bottom right in quad) - although this colour looks quite light and taupe in the swatch, when applied to my brows, it actually is quite dark. I could definitely get away with using just this colour for the entire of my brows.

I find that this palette is perfect for filling in my brows, but I don't think it would be suitable for those who do not have dark brown slash natural black hair, even though this is described for brunettes. They have a palette called vamp which is said to be for dark hair, but I think palette is already dark enough for natural black hair. So if you have light or medium brown hair, I would suggest to get Bombshell which is meant for blondes.

I wouldn't use the brush it came with, but I wouldn't use the brush that most palettes come with so I don't really care about that. The eyeshadows(?) themselves are pretty nice. They are pigmented, finely milled, and feel very silky and smooth. They do crumble slightly when I use my angled brush (Real Techniques Brow Brush), but it's not too messy. I have also dropped this on laminated flooring and it didn't completely crumble (thank god!). The packaging is nice, it comes with a reasonably sized mirror - perhaps it could have been a bit slimmer and sleeker.

Overall, I am extremely happy with this quad, I think it's perfect for my brows as well as using for my brows. I'm not sure what 'Bombshell' and 'Vamp' compares, but I would definitely recommend this quad for those with dark brown to black hair. Unfortunately, when I went to their website, it was sold out. I think it did retail for £19.95, but hopefully they'll have more stock soon.

I would give the HD Brows
❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

I'm defo gonna get some good use out of these, and I'm extremely happy I was sent this in my Glossybox all those months ago.

Until next time..

- Diem xo

No Buying Makeup For The Next Month? + Makeup Collection/Storage

2012-03-13T22:35:00.000+00:00

I must admit, I am completely addicted to buying makeup and I must stop. A lot of my makeup aren't even open because I already have loads open and I don't know how long it'll take for me to get through all my products! I've been giving away part of my unopened collection and throwing away really old products that I don't think I'm going to use anymore. I've probably given away slash thrown away around a quarter of my entire collection. I probably won't need anymore for a while, so I propose a self challenge of no buying makeup for AT LEAST the next month. Since getting into makeup, I don't think I've gone a month without getting ANYTHING. There's always a sale, or a free gift, or some sort of bargain, so I just spend, spend, spend. >< But no more, I say!

That means, no:
Makeup (Eyeliner, eyeshadow, blushes, foundation, etc)
Makeup brushes
Nail polishes
Lip Balms (even though I wanna try out the new Body Shop Born Lippy lip balm sticks)
Perfumes (with the exception of the new Nina Ricci fragrance which my mum will get at the airport - VAT free ^^)
Skincare products (face wash, makeup wipes, moisturisers etc.)
Body products (Shower gel, bath products, body lotions etc.)
Hair products (Hair sprays, gloss sprays, hair oils, etc.)

I have more than enough products to tide me over for the next three months - at least!

In saying that, I've been waiting FOREVER for the Revlon Lip Butters and Maybelline Tattoo what-you-call its - if they come out, I will get them! Although, I know that the Revlon Lip Butters have sold out on Boots online =(( So I will buy them WHEN I can get my hands on them, but I was planning on getting only two of each, so that's not too bad. Actually, scratch that, I can get them when this challenge is over. I want to see how I last.

Here's a couple of snaps of my collection:

As you can, I don't need any more nail varnishes, I have all the basic colours, and then some! These are two nail polish stands that I got from my local nail supply wholesaler - and I love them! I had about 75 nail polishes, but I've given quite a few away to free up some space - I don't have enough rough on my drawer to fit another stand. I just ordered 24 nail stripers from eBay - for £8!! I only have one row free so I will have to store some somewhere else. My favourite nail polish brand would be either Barry M or the 17 Supreme Shine ones. I also just tried out a Andrea Fulerton (available at Superdrug) and it was pretty amazing too! Nails Inc disappoints me, and for the price, it's a complete waste of money. I would rather get something from ELF. The Nails Inc polishes I own mainly come free from magazines, I would never spend £11 on it. I think Essie is overpriced too, the colours are AMAZE, but I'm not too fond of some of the formulas, some can be too streaky. My absolute worst nail polish was a Collection 2000 Hot Looks (I think its called?) one. It was really cheap (£1.79) and it dried waaay to quickly, was too streaky, and no matter how thin a layer I applied, I always wound up with air bubbles. Now I've been told that they were a friend's favourite, so I was completely bafted. The ones she owned were metallic and maybe they were a different formula because the one I tried was a matte mint green one and after using it a few times, I gave up and gave it away.

I got this drawer from Ikea and its complete crap. If you put anything remotely heavy in it, the drawers collapse - don't get it! It has three drawers, and I did keep my unopened makeup products, hair and skincare products in here, but it got too heavy and the drawers would just collapse everytime I pulled one out. My makeup collection also grew so I ended up getting another drawer (which you will see below). The top drawer has some hair products in there - hair sprays, leave in conditioner, etc. and some random stuff, like blu tack - lol. The second drawer has makeup tools and false eyelashes. Makeup tools include eyelash curlers, puffs, new makeup brushes, etc. I cropped out the bottom drawer because it had too much junk in there - it contains my makeup bags, new body puffs, my shower cap, and other random stuff.

This drawer is where I keep a lot of my makeup. The first drawer contains most of my face and body skin care products which includes: makeup remover, makeup wipes, sunscreen, primers, moisturisers, deodrants, body lotions, etc. The second drawer contains unopened makeup products - eyeliners, eyeshadows, lipsticks, concealers, foundations, etc. The third drawer contains unopened face, body, hair products - body butters, shower gels, hair tamers, body scrubs, primers, etc. The bottom drawer contains empty packaging that I'm either saving to do reviews or comparisons as well as packaging I can save to return back to the store in exchange for a free product - Back to MAC, Lush. As you can see, the drawer is the most empty because I rarely use up a product, it just tends to get old and I throw it out. I hope to see that drawer a lot more full and the other drawers a lot less full before I start to buy any more products. I got this drawer from Morrisons, but I think you can get one similar to this at Wilkinson too. I think it cost around £15? It stores a lot too.

I also have a few other bath products stored elsewhere, they're pretty big and heavy and I didn't want to keep them in this drawer in case it got too heavy and it broke it, but the drawer is pretty sturdy. I also keep my nail polish stands on top of this drawer too ^^

This is where I keep my opened makeup. Apologies for the mess on top - I haven't had a chance to clear it out, I really should! The makeup brush holder is from ELF and cost me £6 (RRP: £12). I keep my face makeup brushes in the left, makeup tools and cheek brushes go in the middle, and eye brushes in the left. On top is too messy, The only things that should be on there are my ELF mist spray (completely useless btw), my Avon mini eye makeup remover, and my ELF kabuki brushes - the pink diamonte one is rubbish and rough and coarse, but the studio one is luuuuurvely. The top left drawer contains all my opened eyeliners and mascaras. The top middle drawer contains all my opened blushers. The top right drawer contains all my opened lipsticks. The right middle drawer contains all my opened foundations and bronzers. The left middle drawer contains all my opened eyeshadows and pigments. The bottom drawer contains a lot of junk - samples sachets, my false eyelash cases, my unopened contact lenses.

Let's see how long I can last without buying anymore - I must avoid bargains and sales! And I know Clinique are gonna have free gift with purchase soon, but I shan't be tempted. Sales and free gifts are always happening. I can wait until I NEED to get something before I buy.

Arghhh, this is gonna be hard!!!!!

Until next time..

- Diem xo

March Glossybox - Harrods Edition

2012-03-10T14:14:00.000+00:00

I've been a subscriber to Glossybox for a while now - I think I signed up for the June box. They've had some hit and misses, but they're edition themed boxes (Christmas and Valentines) have been pretty awesome. So when I heard that the March box would be a 'mystery' box, I was more than intrigued. Each day, the Glossybox Facebook fan page were revealing a few letters each day and all the fans were trying to work out what this mystery box would contain. After a few days, people thought that the box was spelling out 'designer' and of course, it excited me. It was finally revealed that the letters spelt the word 'Knightsbridge' which could only mean one thing - HARRODS. All the items in our next box could be found in Harrods - exciting much?!

So, what did I get in my Harrods Glossybox - I know that the Glossybox team said that there will be variations so this is what I got in my box!

The Glossybox came in a white glossy box with the Glossybox logo and the Harrods logo at the bottom.

Inside of the box is the same but it had a Harrods green ribbon instead of the pink, and a Harrods sticker instead of the Glossybox one.

And now for the goodies! The first thing I saw was the YSL item and I was immediately excited. At first I thought it was a lipstick, but they come in a gold box so I was kind of disappointed, but hey, it's still a YSL product. It turned out to be the YSL - Forever Youth Liberator Serum. The next thing I saw was the Burberry item which I thought was going to be a miniture perfume but got really excited when I saw it was actually a mini lipstick! I've seen many YouTubes with Burberry lipsticks and knew I would never spend that much on a lipstick, but now I have a mini version (SO CUTE) that's the perfect size to pop in my handbag! The other three products were the Narciso Rogriguez - For Her eau de parfum, Molton Brown - Heavenly Ginger-Lily Moisture Bath & Shower, and the Clarins - Extra-Firming Body Cream.

Here is another look at the products in the Harrods' edition Glossybox.

The YSL - Forever Youth Liberator Serum (5ml) is not something that I would use. I know people say that you should use anti aging products early on for preventative reasons, but I don't see myself using them until I'm at least 25. However, this is definitely not a waste or something I'm disappointed to have because my mum was super excited to be given this. Any anti aging products I receive in my beauty boxes go straight to my mum, who is a very happy receiver. She was more than happy to receive this product, especially because it was from YSL.

The next item was a 50ml sample of Molton Brown Heavenly Ginger-Lily Moisture Bath and Shower Wash. I've never tried Molton Brown products before and I'm not a HUGE fan of ginger, but it is a perfect size for travelling and I'm intrigued to see how moisturising this will be. I'm sure I'll like it - I'm not a huge lover of bath products in my perfume, but at least I'll get some use out of it (unlike most of the perfumes). This will save me from buying travel sized bath products whenever I go travelling so I will save it for then.

Also in the box is the Clarins - Extra Firming Body Cream. I've never used Clarins before, but it's a brand that I have been wanting to try out. I am happy to have gotten this in my box because who doesn't need an extra bit of firming in the body? Not sure how effective this will be, but I am excited to see if this works. And if it doesn't, it means that I didn't waste money on buying the full sized product and trying it out. This sample comes with 30ml of product which is a very decent sample size.

The next product is by far, my most favourite out the box, and perhaps of all the boxes I've received. The Burberry Miniture Lip Cover comes in the colour Rosewood No.4 and is a very nice rose-brown lipstick which a subtle hint of gold shimmer. From what I've seen on other blogs, there was a variation as to whether you received the Lip Cover or the Lip Mist. The Lip Mist is a sheer lipstick and came in the colour Copper. Although I prefer sheerer lipsticks over the more opaque ones, I feel like they don't last as long as lipsticks do. And seeing as this is such a luxury item, I would prefer to have an opaque lipstick over a sheer lipstick. I must admit that the copper colour looks absolutely gorgeous, but I have a similar colour in my lipstick collection so I'm not too disappointed. I love the packaging although it's a lot lighter than I expected. If memory serves me correctly, the full sized lipsticks have a magnet that locks the lid and lipstick together, I may be mistaken, but this is not present in the miniature lipstick. The actual lipstick also has the signature checkered pattern which I love! It's such a small detail but makes it all the more luxurious. The sample is 0.8g and the picture above depicts how far it winds up. All in all, I'm super happy about the lipstick and will definitely stay in my handbag.

As with most people, I'm sure, I HATE receiving perfume samples in my boxes. It's not just that it's so hard to cater for everybody's preference in fragrance, but it is such a cop out! I can easily get a free sample of this from anywhere! Unless it's a more substantial sample, I really think that this cannot be described as a luxury sample. If it were one of those bigger samples that come in the mini (and oh so cute) bottles, I wouldn't mind as much, even if I didn't like the scent. I've yet to receive a perfume sample that I like and would actually wear, let alone liking enough to purchase the full sized. I've seen other people received a Versace perfume that came in a miniature bottle, but oh well. I probably would have given it away anyway, so I guess this is all moot. I've smelled Narciso Rogriguez perfumes before and I am not a fan, at all. However, my mum said she doesn't mind it so this will be going to her.

Overall, I am happy with the box, I'm glad to see some high-end brands in the box, and I recognised all the brands that were in the box. I'm still going to stay subscribed to the Glossybox, but to tell you the truth, I'm unsure as to how long. I'm also subscribed to the Carmine box, and they also have some really good products in their box. I don't know whether or not I need to be subscribed to two beauty boxes a month, but I'm undecided as to which box I prefer. I'm also tempted to check out the Boudoir Prive and the Feel Unique box, but four boxes is definitely too excessive.

I hope you enjoyed reading about what I received in this month's Glossybox and maybe you can decide whether or not you want to subscribe. You can visit their website here. I think they've also started a Glossybox service over in the States so yay for all you Americans! And until next time..

- Diem xo

Standout Make Up Products of 2011

2012-01-04T18:02:00.000+00:00

I was going to do this blog yesterday but then I got distracted, so even though it's a tad late, better late than never right?

My first product will have to be Urban Decay's Naked Palette. Twelve amazing colours - perfect for the neutral everyday look as well as colours perfect for smokey eye looks. These eyeshadows are extremely pigmented and not at all chalky. I must admit that that Sidecar has a lot of fall out and is pretty chunky compared to the others. Naked and Buck are the only matte eyeshadows so they're perfect for filling in brows. You would be surprised that Buck can be used for people with dark brown/black hair - you should go for a colour that's lighter than your actual eyebrow hair colour. My favourite colours from this palette would have to be Sin, Sidecar and Toasted - they're beautiful. Even though it is considered pretty pricey (I think they now retail for £35), I think it's well worth the money. If you are a beginner or just want the one palette, this is the one to get. I know there are quite a few dupes on the market - MUA (Makeup Academy) from Superdrug have one called Heaven and Earth and costs only £4. I would still happily pay that much more for this palette, the quality is amazing and you get a mini primer potion which seriously makes your eyeshadow last all day and night long without creasing. If I am travelling anywhere, I just bring this palette with me, it has the colours that I need, whether it be just a day out with friends, or a night out at a bar slash club. It's also the only eyeshadow palette I'm planning to bring to my trip to China.

My next standout of the year would have to be the ELF Studio Powder Brush. Although I don't actually use this to apply powder, it'z amazing for liquid foundation. I use this brush to either stipple or buff my foundation in and gives the perfect finish. It also has super soft hair and doesn't shed at all! And the best part of it, it's only £3.50. It's perfect for people who don't have the money to spend on more expensive makeup brushes such as Sigma or MAC, and it doesn't mean you have to accept poorer quality. I have a few MAC and Bare Essentials brushes and I find that the ELF and MAC are very similar in it's softness (Bare Essentials brushes shed and is very coarse). I also got this when they were having their 50% off sale so I only paid £1.75! It's an amazing brush and I would happily pay the full price of just £3.50.

The next product is not really makeup, but it's considered as one of my holy grail products. Cure Natural Aqua gel is an exfoliator but isn't gritty like most exfoliators. It's a gel that takes off the layer of dead skin, and it most definitely works. You take a few pumps of product and apply to DRY clean skin and you massage it in gently and you will find that it takes off a layer of dead skin. You will be able to literally feel the dead skin coming off which sounds gross and slightly daunting, but I can assure you that you won't be walking around with no skin on your face! It only takes off dead skin so no need to worry about it taking off much and damaging slash scarring your skin. This is an amazing product for people who have dry skin and find that when applying foundation slash powder onto your face leaves you will dry flaky patches. I was never ever able to wear liquid foundation because of this problem and now I am able to thanks to this genius product!
I got this from a site called beautycarousel.com and it costs around £22. The shipping is pretty expensive unless you spend around £45, and then you can get free shipping ^^ If you want to try out the product without spending £22 on a whole bottle, you can also get a free sample on this site, but you will have to pay for the shipping charges. This is what I did before I went ahead and purchased it - shipping cost around £2 and I would highly recommend it to people who have found that they have the same problem. I've made 2 orders to beautycarousel and have "purchased" the free samples (if it's free, why not?)

My next standout product is the No. 7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick in 70 Sassy. I absolutely LOVE this lipstick! It doesn't highlight the dry areas of my lips when they are chapped. I love the dark berry colour and wears off nicely - I cannot stand lipsticks that leave a white residue or don't wear off on the outside so you look really cheap and tacky like when you use a darker lipliner and don't blend it into your lipstick. It has a bit of glitter in it but it is quite subtle. It's my favourite lipstick colour and lipstick type in general. I've tried many lipsticks from different brands and within No. 7, but I just really like their Sheer Temptation collection. It's a real shame they don't have much of a colour range ><

My final favourite makeup product of 2011 is Laguna by NARS. I love this bronzer and have been using it every time I wear makeup since I've gotten it. Interestingly though, I do not like Orgasm or Albatross (the blush and highlighter in this trio). I am extremely disappointed with how chunky and glittery Orgasm is and I cannot stand how yellow Albatross is >< Although Laguna is not matte, it has a subtle shimmer that isn't obnoxious like Orgasm is. I can use Laguna to contour and bronze, as well as just using it alone. I cant remember how much this cost, I think it was around £40 which was one hell of a splurge. I would never repurchase Orgasm or Albatross but would most probably repurchase Laguna on its own, I might also try out Casino. I think they cost £22.50 on its own, but I could be wrong.

A quick mention (with no picture) - I loved Soap & Glory Righteous Body Lotion this year. It smells incredible and I find it more hydrating and moisturising than The Body Shop Body Butters but I am not sure if I prefer the lotion or body butter version which is why I'm not including it properly into this blog. Although I've used them both, I am still undecided, but I would recommend trying out either because they both smell the same - the body butter is much thicker and more suitable for those with dryer skin!

Anyways, I am looking forward to seeing what makeup products I discover this year and hope you guys find your holy grail products too.

Until next time..

- Diem xo

Christmas Haul (Part One)

2011-12-28T18:54:00.001+00:00

Boxing Day is probably the busiest shopping day for those in the UK - there are HUGE sales and discounts and its a good time to do some shopping (if you don't mind the crowds). I had heard that Boots was having a massive 50% off sale on selected items - most of which were gift sets. I had a very frustrating time trying to browse through the products on my iPhone - my shopping basket kept emptying and I had to start all over again >< I spent one hour adding the items in and then another hour trying to pay for the stuff - very long and annoying. All of the Soap & Glory gift sets had sold out online and I was majorly disappointed. I managed to get my hands on a few of the Hello Kitty Liberty collaboration which I was happy about seeing as they were sold out the day after I had placed my order (on Christmas Day).

I wanted to go to an actual Boots store to see if they had any Soap & Glory products instore and so invited my family to go shopping on Boxing Day. There were only two gift sets left - the two that I actually didn't want ¬¬ I ended up getting only one thing and that was a Hello Kitty Liberty set that I had thought about getting but didn't end up ordering online. I really liked the design and only really got it because of the case rather than the actual products inside.

The set is called: Liberty Art Fabrics For Hello Kitty Hugs and Kisses Pamper Kit and the contents include: Bath Bubbles (200ml), Body Scrub (200ml), Body Butter (200ml), Body Spray (175ml), Eye Mask and Wash Mitt.

I haven't opened any of the products because I might be giving some away seeing as I did order a different Hello Kitty Set (the one with the shower cap) online and I think it comes with the same products.

This kit was originally £30 but I only paid £15 which I thought was a good deal seeing as it came with a decent size beauty case (which I've stored some of my unopened beauty goodies).

The Beauty Case opens from one side only and opens up with a mirror on the bottom of the lid and with a cream coloured lining inside. It is a very pretty case and pretty sturdy and I will be using this to put all my beauty products in this when I travel.

I would totally recommend getting your hands on this if you can - I think it's sold out online but check if you can get it in store. I would happily pay £15 just for the case!

A quick FYI, the contents you can see in the case to the left are not included in the set, they're my own unopened goodies that I am storing in the case. The only products included are listed and pictured above.

I also needed a medium/large sized suitcase because I will be going to China for two weeks next month (so excited) so I went to Debenhams to see if they have some decent priced ones. Initially, I wanted one of those hard cased ones but after seeing the price tags on a few of them, I decided to get a normal one but with a cute design.

I didn't want to spend too much money, I only wanted to spend around £30. I ended up getting this purple one because it was light, a good size, and was pretty cheap considering the original price was £140 and I only paid £35!! I like the colour and the design and I will be able to easily spot it when it's on that luggage conveyor belt thing ^^

I also got the Zelda game on 3DS at GAME because it was only around £20 and I was planning on getting it anyway so what better time to get it?

I went shopping again today and went to my local Boots and saw that they had some more Soap & Glory gift sets and I grabbed them as soon as I saw them! I was so happy to see that I could actually get my hands on these as they sold out online pretty quickly and were not in the Boots I went to on Boxing Day. There were quite a few left of these two gift sets as well as LOADS of Yum At Heart (which I saw on Boxing Day). The Peace Hand Love set is "a practical, purposeful, product duo featuring our glamourous scented WASH YOUR HANDS OF IT SOFT LIQUID HAND SOAP and best-selling HAND FOOD HAND CREAM, in a classically shaped sink-side metal rack". I'm not sure what Wash Your Hands Of It smells like, but I'm assuming it smells like Hand Food which is the classic Soap & Glory scent which I absolutely LOVE! It smells just like the Righteous Butter and Clean on Me - it smells sooo GOOD! I also saw that they have very nice smelling hand sanitiser too but at £2.15 or something like that, it is too expensive. The hand wash and hand cream are both 250ml and at £5 for the both of them - it's a real bargain! Considering that the full size 125ml Hand Food retails for around £4.85, you get double the amount for £2.50! I'm so happy that I managed to get my hands on this =DD

The other gift set I got was Heaven Nose one - A delightful duo featuring EAU DE SOAP & GLORY Original Pink [Formula 1] Fragrance and a jar of our similarly-scented best-selling THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER Body Butter. I'm running pretty low on The Righteous Butter Body Lotion and decided to get the Body Butter instead because my skin gets dryer during the winter months. This set comes with a full size perfume and half sized Body Butter and was originally £16 but was marked down to £8.

A full sized Body Butter costs around £10 and the perfume costs around £16 and seeing as you get the full sized perfume as well as the half sized Body Butter, it's a really good deal. The perfume smells like all the other products I got ^^ I'm really tempted to go to Boots again tomorrow and grabbing another one of these sets but I think they might have sold out by now. Also, I've got quite a few perfumes that I still have to go through so I shouldn't be so greedy and hoard it because it's cheap ><

The last thing I got was the Carex Hand Sanitisers because they were half price at 70p each. They are handbag essentials and they smell really fresh and citrisy! These are the Grapefruit and Lime scented ones but there are other scents that are on offer. I got 3 of these when they were on offer for £1 each and I've only got one left so I thought that I should stock up on some more - Meehee!

This is part one of my haul because I've also placed an order on Boots, ASOS and Brand Alley, so I'm waiting for those to arrive and I will blog the second part of this haul when they arrive.

Go, shop the sales - but be SAFE!! Happy shopping and until next time..

- Diem xo