All Made Up

The quick, gentle, cheap way to cleanse

2014-06-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Evening all,

Hope you’re having a fab weekend and aren’t experiencing that awful pre-work Sunday slump that always seems to hit about this time. I’ve decided to indulge in an awesome pampering evening that’ll involve a face mask, hair mask, long bath and a copy of Glamour magazine but before that I wanted to mention a newly discovered favourite product…

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Every couple of years there seems to be a new type of cleanser on the market claiming to be the next best thing. We had the cleanse and polish ones, the balms, the powders and of course there are the waters; it’s hard not to be sceptical of this one I reckon but I’ve been using the Garnier cleansing water for a couple of months now and couldn’t be more impressed. Well unless Garnier had Tom Hardy come to my house each evening to gently but effectively remove my makeup using the aforementioned cleanser before making me a cup of hot chocolate and then scampering off home again but I think that may be asking a bit much, don’t you?

The whole point of this cleanser is that you can apply it to a cotton pad, wipe away any makeup, dirt and grime and that’s it – there’s no need to rinse. It works a treat and is extremely gentle but I always follow it with some Liz Earle cleanse and polish because not doing so just feels wrong to me.

I think this would be the perfect product for anyone who ends up sleeping in their makeup every night (which ages your skin 8 days for every 1 night apparently) because it takes seconds to use and can even be done in bed… Which I consider to be energy efficient as opposed to lazy

On a normal day I don’t wear a lot of eye makeup; I’ll stick with shadow and mascara and I’ve found this removes them with no problems at all but if I’m going for a more dramatic eye look with a liquid liner, khol pencil and waterproof mascara then I’ll use an eye makeup remover before my cleansing water to ensure there’s no residue left over

As skincare products go this is gentle, easy to use and really inexpensive so it’s become an essential part of my skincare routine

Have you tried this yet? Or are there any other cleansing waters that you think I should try?

Joy ♥

3 super full coverage foundations

2014-02-25T09:52:00.001-08:00

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation

Estee Lauder Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup for Face and Body

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Teint Corrective Fluid

Afternoon all and what a lovely afternoon it's been! Leaving work early + going to see The Lego Movie + tea and toast with lime curd = a very happy me. It really is the small things, eh?

I continued my chilled out day by sorting through my foundations and binning a lot of the duds/empties, one of which was Vichys Dermablend (falls into the empty category) and it got me thinking that it's about time I did a post on high coverage foundations.

Actually comes in shades light enough to match my akin!

For daily use I know most people opt for a natural looking product that gives them that my-skin-but-better finish but there are definitely times when only a pigment dense, high coverage finish will do and when that's the case these are my 3 go to liquid foundations. They're generally described as camouflage or corrective makeup for face and body and are not for the faint-hearted ; if you find things like Double Wear to be too thick and heavy then you'll probably not be a fan

These products are a bit like super hard working concealers that you use over your entire face so likely not right for every occasion but you know how you sometimes want a completely even toned, unblemished blank canvas to work with? Well when that’s the case these deliver beautifully

Estee Lauder mid-blend

I hate recommending something and then finding out that someone has purchased it and been disappointed so I wanna be really clear about all the disadvantages of these foundations, starting with the fact that they don't look natural; even a small amount applied with a light hand and blended well gives a very made-up look (simply because natural skin is a mix of different tones) and this is even more apparent in natural light. Due to the thick texture these aren't quite as workable as a standard foundation so I'd advise to work quickly and get them evenly blended asap to avoid a patchy result. Also, the completely even-toned finish means you have to "add" your features again by using blush, highlighter etc otherwise you can end up looking like one of those featureless shop mannequins. They can also be quite drying on the skin so it's worth using a scrub to ensure that you don't have any areas of dry, dead skin for the product to cling to and then applying a good moisturiser. As for longevity; I have combination skin and these generally break down and separate around my t-zone so I don't wear them if I know I'm gonna be out for 8+ hours.

Estee Lauder - Fully blended

By this point I've probably convinced you that these aren't worth trying so lets get to the good points; the coverage is brilliant, so if you wanna go for a look that calls for completely flawless skin then nothing works better. Of course if you happen to have "problem" skin (spots, acne scars, rosacea, dark circles, hyperpigmentation, port wine stains etc) then the confidence these can give is invaluable. As a little goes a long way they last absolutely ages and of course on good skin days if you just happen to need a little extra coverageyou can use them as concealers and dab on where required

If you've tried any of these before or have any other full coverage foundations you wanna recommend feel free to mention it below :)

Joy ♥

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

2014-02-23T13:14:00.001-08:00

Evening all, hope you’ve had a nice weekend. Mine has been fantastic because it’s included 5 episodes of Downton Abbey (Yeah, I’m always a bit late on the bandwagon when it comes to TV shows and can’t believe I nearly didn’t bother starting this one!) a few chapters of A Dance With Dragons and an afternoon nap. It might sound like the dullest weekend ever but sometimes I think there’s nothing better than doing, well, nothing…

Like any truly gratifying weekend it also involved a little play around with some makeup and that got me thinking that I haven’t blogged in a ridiculously long time and I’ve really missed it. I think, in real life, people probably aren't too keen on me rambling on about how one concealer out-conceals its rivals and how there’s a new palette of nude shades they just have to try whereas here I can go on for as long as I like safe in the knowledge that you can just close the page if you’re sick listening to me.

After my hiatus I thought I’d start by discussing Maybellines Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. Which just isn’t. My pores aren’t particularly visible at the minute so shouldn’t be much of a challenge for any primer but this seemed to make almost no difference to their appearance. In fact I’d say that pretty much describes the entire product and its effects; it makes almost no difference.

Top: Baby Skin Bottom: Smashbox Photo Ready

The texture is thick-ish and gel-like so reminds me a lot of Smashboxes Photo Ready primer which is an old favourite of mine but the similarities between the two start and end there. When I apply the Baby Skin primer it makes my skin feel a tad smoother but it doesn’t actually look any smoother so I have no idea why anyone would wear this by itself (as suggested on the bottle) I’ve tried it under a few different foundations and it hasn’t made them look any better when freshly applied, which is the least I’d expect from a primer. It also hasn’t improved the longevity of my makeup; in fact it’s made my mildly oily t-zone even oilier so I’ve ended up applying a powder throughout the day to keep the shine at bay

The plus points are the super cute packaging (don’t you just love the colour?) and the price (8 quid for a primer isn’t bad at all) but of course a low price isn’t much use if the product doesn’t do what it’s s’posed to.

A lot of people have raved about this since it was released so I’m guessing it must work well for some skin types but I regret buying it and definitely won’t be picking up another bottle. Especially when there are primers like Rimmels Fix and Perfect available; more of a better product for less money? Er, yes please

Have a good week

Joy ♥

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils

2013-04-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Good evening all :) Hope you're having an awesome week so far. I finished work at 12.30pm today and have spent the entire afternoon watching Bake with Anna Olson (I've never seen someone make such complicated pastry dishes look so simple!) and drinking tea; but it's been raining heavily pretty much all day so that's my excuse

Been meaning to do a post on the Urban Decay 24/7 liners for ages so now seems as good a time as any!

I love using colourful liners cos it's such an easy way to brighten up even the most simple eye look. I'll sometimes apply a fine layer of a nude shadow all over my lid and then finish it off with a really eye catching eye pencil or gel liner; a lovely look that takes no more than 2 minutes

At the minute I have 4 colourful shades and 3 of the black pencils but there are about a dozen colours available including an unbelievably gorgeous gold. It's so gorgeous, in fact, that I've gotten through 2 of them and haven't got round to buying a new one yet :)

One of my favourite things about these pencils is that the packaging doesn't lie - the colour you get matches the packaging exactly and these could genuinely be worn for a full 24 hours with no smudging or fading. Also, the texture is soft and creamy, almost a gel liner consistency, so you can draw the line without pulling or pressing too hard

From left to right : Woodstock, Ransom, Radium, Junkie and Perversion

Once a line has been drawn you get about 30 seconds play time before these set, at this point they'll be stuck fast and wont move till you get at them with some decent eye makeup remover

The only thing that I find slightly annoying about these is that the softer texture makes them more difficult to sharpen, I usually leave them till they're really blunt as I'm happy with a thicker line but if you like a super fine line and had to sharpen these all the time they probably wouldn't last too long!

My favourite Argan Oil hair product

2013-04-16T14:07:00.001-07:00

I guess I should start with a brief description of my hair so you can see how this works for me and if it might be suitable for you. My hair is a nightmare. I'm letting it grow and it's currently just below my shoulder blades; It’s fine, flyaway, dry and prone to frizziness. I'm allergic to hair dye, which is probably for the best because I reckon dying it frequently might turn it from hair-that’s-not-in-top-condition into actual straw :)

Because I wash my hair most days I'll usually opt for a nourishing or hydrating shampoo/conditioner and then something that will (hopefully) control the frizz and help protect against split ends. Like a lot of people my first experience of a hair serum was John Fridas Frizz Ease and I still like it but it's a little heavy and doesn't actually improve the condition of my hair over time

With the sudden surge in Argan Oil products a few years ago I've been slightly obsessed with finding ones that really work. My mum, sister and I went to Morrocco last year and I was ridiculously excited about buying actual Argan Oil from actual Morrocco! It turned out to be a complete let down, it would seem that Argan Oil isn't half as good used neat as when used in a mixture of other hair-fixing ingredients.

For Christmas my sister got me the Organix Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo, conditioner and serum and I absolutely loved them from the first use. The shampoo and conditioner get 8 outta 10 and that’s pretty much all I'm gonna say about them in this post as I want it to be solely about the serum which is a definite 10/10. I have to stress how little of this needs to be used for superb results - I have a tendency to think more is more when it comes to certain beauty products but any more than a pea-sized amount of this will leave my hair greasy. It's a 100ml bottle and I've used it at least 4 times a week since Christmas but there is still loads left so it's seriously economical

When it comes to brushing my hair after a shower Organix Argan Oil and a Tangle Teezer are an absolute must because it ensures my hair breaks as little as possible and gets rid of any tangles straight away. The serum ensures that when I blowdry my hair its smooth, silky and easier to manage - So much so that I think the reduced amount of time dragging a brush through it and straightening it into submission has left it healthier than it has been in ages!

I find this works best if I rub a pea-sized amount between my hands, apply it evenly to damp hair starting at the ends and then I work my way up so there's almost nothing left on my hands by the time I get to the roots. This way the ends are well coated and there's no risk of the roots looking greasy and flat when it's dry. The smell is light and inoffensive so there's little chance of it interfering with any perfumes or lotions I'm wearing.

Being a bit of a product junkie I will still be trying out other hair serums and oils cos the grass is always greener n all that but Boots have these in a 3 for 2 offer at the min and they're only £6.99 each. I think I'll have to pick up a few as 18 months worth of hair treatment for £14 is just too good to pass up!

3 of my most used eye palettes

2013-04-15T16:08:00.001-07:00

The only product from the Accessorize line that I've ever bought and disliked was a lipstick, every other item has totally surpassed my expectations and best of all are the eyeshadows. Whether I'm using the singles, duos, trios or palettes I'm always impressed by the quality as they're better than a lot of premium shadows that I've paid 5 times as much for!

The 3 palettes below are probably more used than any others in my collection - including the NYX, Urban Decay and Stila ones - because there's such an array of colours I can create pretty much any look without digging through and looking for other shades that'll compliment the ones in the palettes.

Lovely Day - great selection of wearable shades and you can see how each vertical column of colours is like a little mini quad of complimentary shades that would create a full eye look - very nice touch I think!

They've become a bit of an everyday essential because no matter how early I get up I always end up rushing around like a headless chicken, (I have been known to brush my teeth, put my socks on and make tea all at once) leaving less time than I actually need to do my makeup. This morning was a perfect example as I wasn't due to leave the house until 7.30am so got up at 6am and still only had about 10 minutes to throw some cosmetics at my face and hope it turned out ok. Thanks to the blendability of the shadows in the Lovely Day palette I actually looked alright and not at all like I'd applied the shades whilst on a moving train (as would be the finished result with lesser quality shadows!)

Exposed - a mix of neural shades 1/3 matte and 2/3 satin/shimmer

I reckon this is one of the most underrated brands on the highstreet. The shadows are fantastically pigmented; when you apply the the colours they are pretty much identical to what you see in the pan, even without a primer. They blend easily and are a great consistency - not crumbly enough to disintegrate when you dip your brush into them but not dense and compacted enough to mean you have to dig a hole in them and keep going back for more to build up any colour.

You Are Everything - Full of gorgeously vibrant colours that look as good on as they do in the pan

As a huge fan of highstreet shadow palettes I'm always on the lookout for something new to try but no matter what I get my hands on I always come back to these!

Other stuff :

Availability : Sold in superdrug stores and online
Price : £8.95 for 32 colours (I know, right?!)

New L'Oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash

2013-04-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

I'm ridiculously fussy when it comes to lip products; they're always too glossy, greasy, thick, drying or just an overall disappointment but I've always been a huge fan of the Color Riche lipsticks so figured I'd give L'Oreals new gloss/stain a try. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice this is…

The packaging is super cute and different from all the other glosses available at the min so top marks there. The Applicator is a tear drop shape (same as the Glam Shine ones if you've tried those) and makes for fairly precise application as the point of the applicator can be used to line the lips with the product and the wider part of it is plenty big for filling the lips in quickly.

I really like the smell cos its so sweet and yummy it makes me wanna just lick this off the minute I apply it... Probably not a good thing for anyone who doesn't like scented products though!

As a general rule I'll always go for a natural pretty pink shade if I'm buying a new lip product. I know it's really safe and dull but it means I'm (almost) guaranteed to like the colour even if the actual products turns out to be a bit naff. This was no exception - I opted for Romy which is one of the most subtle and wearable colours of the 8 shades available.

First time I wore this was to work on an 8-4 shift. I applied the gloss at about 7am and it felt fairly nice; a very thin layer gave a subtle colour to the lips and it was surprisingly shiny without looking thick and tacky (my pet peeve when it comes to lip gloss) After about half an hour the texture became slightly sticky, though not uncomfortably so. I had a cup of tea and a few grapes at about 9am and after that my lips started to feel pretty dry. I assumed they would look cracked and "patchy" but when I looked in the mirror they were actually still shiny and moist looking - surprising considering it felt as if the gloss effect had worn off!

I've worn this every day since and I just like it more n more so I'm gonna pick up a few more shades

The stain remains on the lips for hours but it would need to be topped up with another coat or a lip balm as it definitely feels dry and tight after a while. This reminds me a little of the old 2 step long lasting lip glosses where you'd paint the colour on and then use the clear balm throughout the day to keep your lips from feeling like dry, cracked clay (which they always did in the end) But this is far more comfortable and definitely in my list of top long-wearing glosses! ♥

Revlon does it again - Nearly Naked foundation/powder

2013-02-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

Good evening all, hope you've had an awesome weekend :) The weather here in Belfast was ridiculously lovely today - really crisp, bright and sunny - it's got me all excited about Spring!

I've been looking forward to doing a post on the new(ish) Revlon Nearly Naked foundation because I absolutely love it!...

Initially the name put me off trying this because my skin is far from perfect so I usually opt for a medium or full coverage foundation and I figured this would be more of a tinted moisturiser but I'm happy to admit that I was completely wrong. I find the coverage to be medium and definitely not as light as I was expecting - it evens out my skin tone whilst looking totally natural and although it doesn't do a good job hiding any spots or dark circles that's what my awesome Revlon Photoready concealer is for :)

The texture is amazing because it's creamy and light as air so actually feels more like a moisturiser than a foundation. It's very similar to Healthy Mix by Bourjois which is a long-time favourite of mine so if you like that then chances are pretty good that you'll like this

One of my main concerns about light textured foundations is that they'll wear off after a couple of hours and I'll be left with practically no coverage or, even worse, horrible faded patches on my face! Every time I've worn this I've finished off with the Nearly Naked powder and it looks fab for about 6 hours, at which point I'll usually add another dusting of powder to my t-zone as it tends to get a bit shiny throughout the day

As for the Nearly Naked powder... It's nice but not exceptionally so. The texture is very fine and light so it's great if you want something that's buildable but still natural and non-chalky. It definitely adds a little extra coverage when dusted over the foundation and it's handy to carry around in your bag because it comes with a mirror and puff applicator. These days I think almost every drugstore brand has at least one or two great powders in their range so if you already have a powder you love I wouldn't suggest buying this just to go with the foundation because it's nothing to write home about

Hope this was helpful if you're thinking about trying this. If you've already got it let me know what you think! ♥

Other stuff :

Size : Foundation - 30mls, powder - just over 8g
Shades available : Foundation - 16, powder - 6
Price : Foundation - £8.99, powder - £7.99

NYX Pore Filler

2013-02-22T13:33:00.000-08:00

Evening all :) So I was just thinking back to when I was a teenager and the only makeup I wore was a dusting of Rimmels Clear Complexion powder and a dab of lip balm... Perhaps a gloss when I was going all out. How things have changed!

I don't exactly cake it on with a trowel or anything but I've definitely noticed more n more steps being added to my routine over the years, it doesn't seem that long ago that I first learned about things like primers and highlighters

For me to consider adding yet another product to my "steps that can't be missed" list it has to be pretty fantastic The NYX Pore Filler was one of those spare of the moment online buys; I was won over by the claim on the tube which says "magical agent that minimizes the look of pores to create a smooth, porcelain doll-like finish to your face" So, yeah, my expectations were pretty high!

First things first; the texture is a cross between a cream and a liquid and is unbelievably silky but it's super thin so doesn't feel heavy and uncomfortable on my face (a problem I've found with a lot of other silicone based products) It really evens out the surface of my skin and does a great job of filling in any obvious pores so they appear to shrink even before I've applied my foundation. Generally they're small and well behaved but sometimes the pores on my cheeks and nose seem large enough to be used as storage when I'm only carrying a tiny clutch bag and although this doesn't get rid of them entirely it makes a gigantic difference

There is a very light tint to the cream but this barely shows up, even on my ghostly pale skin. I've found my makeup looks fab when applied over this but it doesn't work in the same way as a primer because it doesn't seem to actually extend the wear of my foundation at all. Hardly a major issue considering that's not what it was designed for but it'd be a lovely little bonus!

Here in Belfast I haven't found any stores that actually stock NYX products so I get most of mine from Amazon, though the majority of places online seem to be selling this for about a tenner. I reckon that's good for 20mls cos I only use the teensiest amount and I can see this lasting me months

Right, I'm off to make some brinner, hope you have a great weekend ♥

Makeup to wear to bed...

2013-02-21T15:02:00.001-08:00

I was getting ready for bed and decided I just had to do a little post on a product I've been really enjoying recently; Pure Transformation Night Treatment from Bare Minerals.

This is essentially makeup you wear to bed that promises to improve your skin (I know, right?!) I'd heard about it on QVC when it was first launched and couldn't help thinking it was kinda ridiculous, I mean who can't go 8 hours without makeup... when they're sleeping!?!?! But as someone who has suffered from pretty unpleasant looking acne I could see why it might be appealing

I'm not particularly vain or anything but answering the door to the postman or the Dominos delivery guy with a makeup free face is never the highlight of my day. They might not care that I have some impressively volcano like spots and pores the size of the Grand Canyon but I do and I'd much rather keep it between me, my dogs and my Rapid Action Clearasil Gel. So a skin perfecting powder that is designed to be worn over my other skincare products suddenly seems like a relatively sensible idea

Anywho, I got a little 2g sample size in a Bare Minerals collection from QVC and I figured it was worth trying. The pot comes with one of the typical sifter style dispensers and has a brush in the lid, which could be handy but it takes up tonnes of space making the packaging super bulky and is awkward to clean. I use a normal Bare Minerals foundation brush so it really is just like applying a regular Bare Minerals foundation before sleepy time. Which feels super strange. Even after using it for almost a month I haven't got used to putting makeup on twice a day, though I could definitely get used to waking up looking fresh faced a blemish free (almost)

I know this might be hard to believe because this is a skin treatment but it actually gives better coverage than a lot of powder foundations I've tried - it feels smooth and light on the skin and gives a nice matte finish. On days where I'm not planning to apply any makeup I've found myself adding a light dusting of this over my daytime face products because it evens out my skin tone and adds a little brightness to my face without looking heavy or cakey

I can't say I've noticed a complete transformation but my skin has definitely improved; the texture is more even, my pores are less noticeable and I haven't had as many of those little skin coloured bumps that congregate around my cheeks and forehead (I'm sure they have a proper sciencey name but I haven't a clue what it is)

According to the Bare Minerals website the benefits come from the ActiveSoil Complex which seems to be the basis for most of their skincare. This isn't the most amazing product I've ever used but it's good enough to have convinced me to order a full size pot

Other stuff -

Shades available - Clear, Light, Medium and Tan
Price - £45 for 4.2g Yep, the price shocked me too, especially when I checked the price of the regular Bare Minerals foundation which is only £25 for 8g!

Bargain Beauty Christmas Present

2012-12-20T08:01:00.001-08:00

Good afternoon all you lovely people, hope you're keeping well and enjoying the run up to Christmas! I've spent a ridiculous amount of time shopping for gifts online and as much as I love the convenience - none of that getting caught in the rain, standing in mile long queues or trying to juggle 20 shopping bags while digging out bus fare - I do kinda miss the Christmassy feeling I get wandering around the shops choosing pressies. So in an effort to obtain a little of that fab festive feeling I think I'll do a spot of actual Christmas shopping over the weekend. Still counts if I'm buying gifts for me right? :)

Talking of gifts I had to do a post on this Stila All Is Bright lip glaze set. It comes with 8 gorgeous colours for the bargain price of £18.50, which is pretty amazing when you consider that a single Stila lip glaze will set you back 15 quid

6 of the 8 colours are limited edition and the other 2 are best sellers so this is definitely gonna be a great gift for any Stila fans. And a pretty good introduction for anyone who hasn't tried the brand yet

They come with a brush applicator and give a nice touch of colour, not too sheer and not too full on. The texture is on the tacky side which I prefer cos it means the product actually lasts once it's been applied and doesn't feel greasy

Other stuff :

Colours - jack frost / jingle / holly / jolly / joy (obviously my favourite!) splendor / black cherry and sugar plum

Size - 1.5ml each

Beautiful Barbie Blush

2012-08-26T12:07:00.003-07:00

Revlon Photoready Cream Blush in Flushed

Good evening all! Hope you're having a fantastic weekend and have the bank holiday off work. I'm gonna spend mine doing some decorating and shopping which is always good :)

I seem to be a bit barbie-ish in my choice of makeup shades and am almost always drawn to the most ridiculously bright pretty pinks so when I spied this Revlon Photoready blush on a recent shopping trip I couldn't pass it by. I was worried it would be a bit clown-like but after a little swatcheroo I decided it was worth buying and trying properly

The colour looks more than a tad scary in the pot but it's very natural and subtle once it's been applied. It's easily blended to give a simple sheer wash of pretty, glowy pinkness as opposed to a yucky dark stripe of obvious makeup

Because the colour is so concentrated you only need the smallest dab of product for each cheek so I have no doubt that this will still be knocking around my makeup bag a year from now with barely a dent in it. The massive amount of product and the £7.99 price tag make this fantastic value... Though it's worth checking a few different stores cos it's available from Boots and Superdrug for £5.99 at the min

Of course being a cream product this doesn’t work well with powder. For my shiny skin a little setting powder is a must so I use the blush over a cream or liquid foundation and then set the whole look with some powder, which means that I really cant top up the blush throughout the day. The blush lasts well so this generally isn't a problem unless I'm out running marathons or going deep sea diving, which I do very rarely. And by rarely I mean never

Top 10 foundations under a tenner

2012-08-21T15:59:00.006-07:00

Good evening all. Long time, no blog :)

I've been kinda busy recently but I'm sure you dont wanna hear me ramble on about my tediously dull life so lets just get right to the point; cheap foundations! These are my top 10 that can be purchased for less than a tenner

I'm ignoring sale prices so although there are plenty of foundations with a few quid off that could technically make the list at the min - such as good old Revlon Colorstay, which is currently £9.99 in a few high street stores as opposed to the usual £12.99 - in the case of this blog post they just don't cut the mustard

Oh and on a bit of a side note have you noticed just how expensive "cheap drugstore foundations" have become recently? I can't help but scoff when I see some of them being sold at £14.29 a pop (yeah, you better hang your head in shame L'Oreal!) At that price I want someone with troweled-on makeup testing out the shades on me and giving me the hard sell. If it's good enough for the Clinique counter...

So my top 10 in no particular order are:
Collection 2000 Naturall Radiant £3.99
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr £6.99
Maybelline Superstay 24hr £9.19
Max Factor Xperience £9.99
Maybelline dream Satin Liquid £7.99
Rimmel Match Perfection £8.99
Barry M Foundation Creme £6.19
Max Factor Panstik £6.99
Bourjois Healthy Skin £9.99
Maybelline Wonder Finish £6.19

Top 10 makeup mistakes

2012-06-13T14:06:00.008-07:00

I couldn't sleep last night and figured I'd do a little post on my top 10 makeup mistakes. Though calling it a top 10 seems kinda weird but you know what I mean!

I'd like to mention that I think makeup should be fun and give you the chance to be creative so there are no hard and fast rules - the following are just things I personally don't like! I'm prone to making the odd blunder myself and this post isn't meant to offend anyone so even if you do one or all of the following please don't take this post personally :)

1. Wrong foundation colour - I think this may actually be the worst offence when it comes to crimes against makeup because it's just so noticeable! When I was a teenager I completely avoided foundation because I knew so many girls who looked like they had literally dipped their entire face into a basin of orange liquid and then decided against blending it around the jaw/hair line

2. Badly drawn brows - As someone with ridiculously sparse, pale brows I can see why it's easy to get a little carried away with brow pencils n powders but in this case less is definitely more. I know a girl (who shall remain nameless) who's eye brows resemble little black tadpoles floating on her forehead giving her a permanent "OMG! I can't believe it!!" look. She's gorgeous but would be even more so without the scary brows

3. Clown blush - Undoubtedly one of my most common mistakes over the years! It's taken me a loong time to learn that it's much easier to add a little extra blush than it is to take some away. I always find it really distracting when it looks like someone has simply pressed a little pot of cream blush against their cheek and left it in a perfect circle shape. Though I think carrying around little blending sponges to hand out to offenders might seem a tad rude

4. Concealer that's too light - The reverse raccoon eyes look seems to have gained a lot of fans over the last few years. It's a shame really cos using a concealer that's too light does the exact opposite of what's intended and actually just draws attention to an area that is supposed to be, well, concealed :/

5. Dark lip liner and light lips - This might be the only mistake I haven't made (yet) and I sometimes wonder if people have mistaken their brown eye liners for lip liners. Surely that's the only explanation for such crazily dark lines around the lips?!

6. Spider leg mascara - Clumpy lashes totally gross me out and are the main reason I've gone back to the same Max Factor mascara over and over again for years now. There are so many things that can go wrong with mascara (clumps, smudging, flaking etc) and I can't think of anything more distracting that talking to someone who's lashes have clumped together so it looks like they only have 5 or 6 thick, dark, crispy hairs growing from their lids. Bleugh!!

7. Powder overload - As someone who suffers from pretty severe acne I used to be guilty of just piling more and more powder on my face throughout the day for fear that my spots would start to show through my makeup. Of course by 6pm and my 100th dusting of powder I looked like I'd opted for talc instead of actual makeup and it had all gathered in every single crevice and pore on my face

8. Too much lip gloss - I adore lip gloss as much as the next girl but I can't stand really thick, glittery wet-look ones because they're just sooo trashy looking. When it comes to gloss I think a nice slick of pretty colour is much better than a big slimy looking layer of bright sparkly colour that looks like it's about to drip off the lips. Yuck!

9. Lots of shimmer - Shimmer is scary. I think it deceives us by being all "hey, girl check me out! Don't you just love my awesome glittery prettiness that's totally guaranteed to leave you looking polished and glowy?" So we end up going to town with a gorgeous shimmery highlight and end up looking like a shiny sweaty mess. Highlighter is definitely the perfect name for these kinda products because although they can look absolutely gorgeous they also do a brilliant job of highlighting bumps, lines and pores on those of us with less than perfect skin!

10. 80s eye shadow - As someone who is shockingly lazy I'm all for applying as few eye shadow colours as possible but I don't think there are many occasions when you can apply one block colour from the lash line right up to the brow. Halloween and fancy dress parties are the exceptions :)

So, that's my list... Feel free to include any makeup mishaps that you've experienced or witnessed below! ♥

Baked blush bargain

2012-06-09T17:11:00.004-07:00

Accessorize Baked blushes in Sensation, Scandal and Diva

I reckon Accessorize has to be one of the most underrated makeup brands available. I'd never come across a single review when I first spotted the range in Superdrug but the bright shades and gorgeous packaging was reason enough for me to buy a few bits n pieces; I now own dozens of items and they are as good as (and in some cases waaay better) than lots of my high end products that cost 3 or 4 times as much

The baked blushes are a great example! They're very similar to the Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten products, which I can only get from QVC here in the UK. Each Of the Laura Geller blushes comes with a brush but at a cost of £28 each I'd rather pay a fiver for my awesome Accessorize ones cos I think a brand new brush with every blush is a tad excessive. Hmmm, I seem to have typed blush and brush about 300 times in the last 2 minutes :/ Where was I? Oh yes!...

...One of the best things about these is the marbled, slightly shimmery finish; it works like a blush, contour and highlight all in one so if you happen to prefer quick and easy makeup (and who doesn't?!?) then this works a treat. The shades range from pale pinks to rich berries and they're totally blendable so you never end up looking like you've let your 7 year old niece do your makeup
Swatches from top : Diva, Sensation and Scandal

Thanks to the baked texture these are extremely fine, densely packed powders so there's very little fall-out. And I can't believe how long they last! I've used Sensation loads of times yet I've hardly even made a dent in it

So if you're after a pretty bargaintastic blush then these might be worth a look. You can find them here on the official Accessorize website and they're also sold in Superdrug ♥

Just one of my awesome dogs :)

2012-06-09T16:54:00.005-07:00

I walked into my bedroom today to find Zoe "looking after" some makeup. For such a tiny pooch she can take up a lot of space!
She's eye-balling me cos it was raining out and she knew it was time for walkies :)

Dreadful cream eye shadows

2012-06-08T16:53:00.005-07:00

AVON Arabian Glow eye shadow quads - Golden Sands and Tropical Paradise

Happy Friday all! Hope you have a fantastic weekend lined up - even if you intend to sit with a box on your head picking up marbles with your toes (?!) it'll probably be more exciting than mine :)

I just wanted to mention a couple of truly dreadful cream eye shadow quads by AVON. I used to be an AVON rep and there are dozens of products that I adore but of course you can't try before you buy so there's always a chance you'll get a few duds

When these arrived I was well impressed by the colours cos they look so rich n pigmented in the pan. Unfortunately they aren't nearly as pretty once they have been applied but I hate chucking products that I've barely used so I've experimented with these over numerous different primers to see if I could make them work but they're always rubbish
I figured I'd swatch a few of the most vibrant looking colours so you could see just how "meh" they look once they've been blended slightly

The texture isn't bad - fairly silky n smooth - however the colour is much less concentrated than it looks in the pan and due to the creamy texture there's no way you can build on it without ending up with a thick yucky mess on your lids

Talking of which! These shadows actually seem to gravitate to the crease of my lids... within 10 minutes of applying them I have a pathetic wash of colour all over my lid and a big thick dark line of colour right along the crease. I think the only way to avoid this would be to not blink and if I'm honest I think that's just going a step too far :)

These are everything I dislike about cream eye shadows so as much as it pains me I'm just gonna have to chuck 'em.

The "not just a primer" primer

2012-06-06T15:55:00.006-07:00

Prime Time - Bare Minerals Neutralising Primer

Know what I love about this primer? It leaves my skin feeling smoother, creates a good base for my makeup to adhere to and helps said makeup last longer. Which is pretty much what you'd expect from any half decent primer but what makes this different - and better - is that it actually helps colour-correct problem areas on the skin before you even get to the makeup part
I kinda rediscovered Bare Mineral a few months ago and couldn't believe how the range had expanded since I last bought some BM foundation! There are like a gazillion new products so I ordered half a dozen or so and was pleasantly surprised by most of them

Prime Time looked interesting cos most of the colour-correcting/neutralising primers out there are bright green and look hideous on so the yellow tone intrigued me!
I now absolutely love this and if I'm having any skin issues at all, from dark circles to volcano like spots, then I'll always opt for this primer before I do my makeup. It doesn't hide the problems like an actual concealer but lessens the harshness of them, meaning I can usually get away with less foundation, concealer and the like
I'm all for products that can multitask so this has become a firm favourite and I'm already on my second bottle :)

Fab foundations for really pale skin

2012-06-04T15:53:00.008-07:00

I know that some of you will think this is a strange thing to post about. I mean most foundations are available in a massive variety of shades so you would be forgiven for assuming that each brand has a shade to suit everyone... Unfortunately being as pale as I am means that finding a foundation that actually matches my skin tone can be a total nightmare, I've noticed a lot of other bloggers have the same issue so I figured I may as well do a little post on foundations that are properly pale

I've included liquid and powder foundations, all of which are absolutely brilliant (and not just cos they're available in the lightest shades imaginable!) and I can always reach for these safe in the knowledge that I wont end up with orange toned demarcation lines all round my jaw line
Bare Minerals Original in Fair C10
Diorskin Forever in 010
Maybelline Super Stay 24h in Light Beige 005
Lancome Teint Miracle in 01
Laura Geller Balance n Brighten in Porcelain

Obviously everyones skin tone is completely different so, where possible, it's always worth getting a sample before you buy but if you happen to be looking for a seriously pale foundation then these could be a good starting point :)

Little makeup n beauty haul

2012-06-04T14:37:00.007-07:00

Know what's better than sunny bank holidays spent shopping? Absolutely nothing :) Hope you're enjoying all the Jubilee celebrations - cant believe how many people in my area have gone all out with the decorations, it's good to see people really getting into the spirit of things! Kinda wish I'd been more organised cos a little back yard BBQ would've been good but I didn't have any food. Or drink. Or a BBQ. Maybe next weekend...

I didn't have much planned for today so decided to head into town to get an eye-makeup remover as I've completely run out (shocking when you consider I have like a spare 6 month supply of every other product under the sun!) Of course it's scientifically impossible to buy just one item when there's so much gorgeous stuff out there so, as you can see, I picked up a few other bits n pieces; ♥ Good Things deep clean blackhead exfoliator
♥ Garnier simply essentials 2 in 1 makeup remover
♥ No7 beautiful skin exfoliator
♥ Olay essentials eye makeup remover
♥ Collection 2000 lasting colour lipstick in Bubblegum
♥ Collection 2000 CreamPuff lip cream in Cotton Candy
♥ Bourjois colorissimo lip palette in Roses Muses
♥ Revlon colorburst lip butter in Sweet Tart
♥ Natural Collection lip gloss in Raspberry Ripple ♥ Nkd Skin fabulous foundation in shade 01
♥ Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in shade 52
♥ Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer in shade 52

I have tomorrow off work which should give me plenty of time to play around with my new purchases! :)

How had I lived without this for so long?!

2012-06-03T14:09:00.004-07:00

Ultrasun - SPF 30 face

Here in Belfast we've had the most fantastically gorgeous weather over the last while and it got me thinking about SPF. When the sun is out I've always applied plenty of sun cream with a high SPF (even as a teenager it beat listening to my dads nagging) It was only when I read that the incidents of skin cancer in the UK each year currently exceed those of lung, prostrate, colon and breast combined that I started applying an SPF to my face and neck every single day.
The only one that's really worked for me is Ultrasun. This stuff is genius! It only needs to be applied once a day and gives 8 hours protection. That one little thing was reason enough for me to buy a bottle but there are soooo many other things that make this better than normal sun cream;

♥ The texture is fantastic and blends easily (yep, even the high SPFs)
♥ It's moisturising so can be used in place of a regular moisturiser
♥ Protects against UVB (the rays that burn) and UVA (the rays that age the skin)
♥ Fragrance free
♥ The face version includes anti-aging ingredients
♥ Once opened the products can be used for 3 years - most other brands can only be used for 12 months after opening
♥ Absorbed quickly so you aren't left with a horrid greasy residue
♥ Even though I have acne prone skin this hasn't caused any breakouts

At first glance Ultrasun seems quite expensive but when you consider that this is only applied once every day instead of once every couple of hours each bottle lasts ages. As soon as I discovered the brand I was like How have I not heard of this before?!? I mean why on earth have we all been faffing about with a regular sun cream when this is available?!

Yay for free beauty goodies!

2012-06-02T12:56:00.007-07:00

Happy Saturday all! Having a nice weekend so far? I've had the busiest day ever... Normally that's a good thing but in this case I was just cleaning and trying to sort out the garden, which was even less fun than it sounds. I'm just about to get a nice long, hot bath with my new copy of Glamour which should make up for the rest of the day being sucky

Talking of Glamour... I was browsing the magazines at Tesco today and loads of them have awesome freebies this month! I always feel guilty spending a fortune on mags in one go so I only got two today. I'll pick up another couple tomorrow. Oddly that's all that's required to assuage the guilt :) I wanted to mention the ones I got cos I was so chuffed with my little extras
Red magazine......Comes with a choice of Jemma Kidd mascara or eye liner. I decided on the mascara cos I think I currently own 365,988 liners. Thats just a rough guesstimate though. It's probably more
Glamour magazine...
...Comes with a choice of Benefits The Pore Fessional, Bad Gal mascara or That Gal primer. I hate the mascara but I've wanted to try the other two products for ages! So of course they didn't have the primer. Bloody typical, eh?

Top 5 full-coverage foundations

2012-06-01T05:22:00.007-07:00

A while back I did a post on my favourite natural looking foundations that look great but usually fall into the light/medium coverage categories. Unfortunately my skin has been bad recently. I'm not one to be overly dramatic but I can safely say that my skin is pure evil. That's right, EVIL. That's the only explanation I can come up with for it constantly inflicting yucky spots on me even though I treat it really well. Stupid ungrateful skin! GRRR!!!

On the plus side my cruel skin has forced me to find some extremely high coverage foundations so I figured I share my top 5 today (as requested by the lovely Katrina) I'm afraid the majority of these are kinda pricey... As a general rule I've found that the high end brands tend to do better quality full-coverage foundations than the drug store brands

When I'm looking for a full-coverage product I want one that will hide EVERYTHING. I know people say they cant wear foundations that give a mask-like finish and I totally understand why but my skin can be so bad that sometimes I need something that will essentially leave my face looking like a blank canvas. Of course that means I have to add my features using blush, highlighter etc but I find that easier than using a concealer to hide unwanted areas. When my skin is being particularly horrid that could mean covering most of my face with concealer!

Anywho, these are products that I absolutely adore and the coverage is amazing... I think I'll do separate reviews for each one cos although they're all very full coverage they differ in many ways. So, in no particular order these are my top 5...
Vichy - Dermablend in Opal 15
Estee Lauder - Double Wear in Fresco 01
Max Factor - Pan Stik in Fair 25
Diorskin - Forever in 010
Estee Lauder - Maximum Cover in Light 01

If you happen to have a favourite that I haven't included feel free to mention it in the comments! I'm always on the look out for new ones to try ♥

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr

2012-04-24T16:44:00.005-07:00

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr eye shadows

Good evening all! Hope you're having a nice week. Mine has been a bit of a drag so I spent a couple of hours in the bath reading the new issue of Marie Claire and am just about to head to bed to watch River Cottage with a nice cup of tea. It's definitely the simple things in life, eh? :)

Anywho, I just wanted to mention these little Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr eye shadows that I've been using recently. Being a total sceptic when it comes to "long-wear" makeup I would have been impressed if these had lasted 8 hours without a primer. So I was more than a little wowed when I took my makeup of at about 8.30pm (after applying it at 7am) and my shadow still looked pretty close to perfect
Shades: On and on bronze and Turquoise Forever

I went for a bright shade and an every day neutral because I wanted to be sure they were half-decent before buying any more. I've now got my eye on the silver and dark brown as well because as every day eye shadows go these are bloody brilliant. The texture is like a tacky cream and I can literally swipe a bit of colour across my lid and bam! I'm all set. These are definitely a must for those of us who are really busy (ahem, lazy) and don't have time to spend ages faffing about with 4 different eye shadows every morning

You only need the teensiest little dab of product to get really good colour pay-off over the whole lid so these beauties are definitely gonna last me months... providing I keep the lid on tightly! The texture seems similar to gel liners so I reckon they'll dry out if left open for too long. Oh and talking of which! These can be used as gel liners with an angle brush and the effect is awesome. Hurrah for 2-in-1 makeup purchases ♥

Top 5 most natural looking foundations

2012-04-23T16:34:00.007-07:00

As much as I love a good full-coverage mattifying foundation I find a lot of my favourites can look a tad cakey in natural light. Do you ever do that thing where you feel great about your flawless makeup, then catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror when you're out in actual sunlight and feel shocked at how unnatural your skin looks? It amazes me how many of my complexion products actually stop my skin from looking like skin

I adore foundations like Double Wear by Estee Lauder, Rimmels Lasting Finish 25 hr etc but I find they're more suitable for nights out or winter weather when a fuller-coverage and, dare I say it, less natural look is perfectly acceptable

Now that being said I should mention that I need good coverage all year round. I suffer from acne around my chin and jaw line so when I say "natural looking" foundation I mean ones that actually hide a multitude of sins but still looks glowy and light, not ones that could pass for tinted moisturisers!

With the lovely summer weather just around the corner (fingers crossed!) I've been veering towards my favourite natural looking foundations more n more. So of course I had to do a little post to mention 5 that I have gone back to again and again. These are all drug store products and can be worn all year round but in bright sunlight, when you need something that looks beautifully dewy and youthful, they really come into their own
GOSH x-ceptional wear in porcelain
Bourjois Healthy Mix in 51
Myface My Mix in fair
Max Factor Second Skin in creamy ivory
Maybelline Dream Creamy in nude

Feel free to mention your favourite in the comments if I haven't included it here! ♥