Essence Make Up Haul

My first foray into Essence cosmetics was a pretty successful one, and since this haul I've been back to my local Wilkinsons a good few times! I won't go into too much detail, but everything pictured ranged from 99p to around £3.50 - pretty bargainous! 

Everything I've tried so far has been, for the price, amazing quality! The only product that was disappointing was the All About Matt! primer, which 'balled up' on the skin if I rubbed it in too much! The nail polish was nothing to write home about in terms of lasting power, but the colours they have are gorgeous! The lipsticks are amazing and come in a wide range of shades, and for 99p the purple sharpener was a funky replacement for my old one. The Blush Up! in 10 Heatwave is a stunning ombre blush that ranges from orange coral to bright magenta pink - go lightly with this one! Finally the powder and blush brushes are great quality and a handy mini size - perfect for popping in my make up bag. 

Overall I'm really impressed with the Essence brand, and I'm so glad we have it now in the UK! It's available in pretty much every Wilkinsons store across the country.

Fiona xox

Sleek Matte Me Lip Creams | Fandango Purple & Birthday Suit

Sleek Matte Me Lip Creams in Fandango Purple and Birthday Suit: £4.99 each - 

These Matte Me Lip Cream's are one of the latest releases from Sleek Make Up, so I picked up two shades that really caught my eye. Fandango Purple is a magenta purple with an almost raspberry undertone. It's a cross between MAC's Rebel and Heroine, with some hot pink thrown in to make it a bit more wearable. I really really love it. Birthday Suit is the perfect nude shade with peachy undertones that doesn't totally wash me out. I normally look terrible with nude lips but Birthday Suit looks fab, especially with a smoky eye look. 

As for the formula, these really are matte! If you have any dryness in your lips whatsoever, you definitely need to exfoliate and moisturise before wearing these. They go on really creamy (not unlike the Rimmel Apocalips) but dry to a totally matte finish. Once they've set they really don't move, as with everything they won't last through a full night of eating and drinking, but otherwise they stay well! Fandango Purple also leaves a nice stain on the lips. If you want lasting power but don't like the dryness of a matte lip, once these have set you can pop a gloss over the top and it doesn't all smush together! 

Overall I really really like these. There are 3 more shades in the range as well as 5 Gloss Me lip products. As far as I'm aware these are limited edition (don't quote me on that!) so I will be repurchasing these two shades as back ups since they are a bargainous £4.99! 

Fiona xox

2012 Favourites! | Eyes, Lips & Nails

Firstly, I'd like to say happy new year! I hope you all had a good Hogmanay! I've got more favourites from 2012! This time I'm going to show you my favourite eye, lip and nail products:





First up are these Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Liners in Taupe and Nude. I love love love these liners, they're one of the best products Rimmel brought out in 2012. Rimmel are the first high street brand to bring out a nude liner and the taupe is great for adding definition to the lash line.

 

MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow in Young Punk has been my party eyeshadow of the year, so glittery and amazing. I've loved the Maybelline Color Tattoo's but particularly On And On Bronze which has been amazing for popping on every day. Finally for eyes I couldn't leave out the MUA palette in Undressed. An amazing dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette, I've been using it loads. 

 

The Revlon Kissable Balm Stains have been one of my favourite lip products. Darling and Honey are easy to wear and nice and moisturising. MAC's Girl About Town lipstick has probably been my most worn lipstick this year, a beautiful bright fuschia. MAC lipstick formulas are the best about, if you're buying lipstick in 2013 go for MAC!

 

 

My favourite nail varnishes from 2012 have to be Jo'Mina by Illamasqua, and Carnival by Technic!

 

Well, thats my favourites from 2012 over and done with! I'm really looking forward to seeing what 2013 brings for the world of beauty because 2012 was so exciting!

 

 Fiona xox

2012 Favourites! | Face & Tools

I decided to do my favourites in two parts this year, one Face & Tools and a second, Eyes, Lips and Nails. So, heres the first part!

from l-r, clockwise: Real Techniques brushes, Sigma F82, E25, Rimmel Wake Me Up! Foundation, The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser, Illamasqua Disobey, Vivo Baked Bronzer in Healthy Glow, MAC The Perfect Cheek.

 

These Real Techniques brushes have taken over my brush collection this year. My collection is slowly growing and I can see myself buying more RT brushes in 2013! The blush brush is so soft, the stippling brush gives a great finish and the setting brush is so good for soft contours, highlighting and applying powder under the eye. My Sigma F82 has become another of my favourite brushes for applying foundation! The mini Sigma E25 brush is my absolute favourite for blending out the crease.



MAC The Perfect Cheek blush from their Marilyn Monroe collection really was my perfect cheek in 2012, so simple but goes with any eye/lip look. Vivo's Baked Bronzer in Healthy Glow was my favourite highlighter of the year. I've made a good dent in it, and its a dupe for MAC's Soft & Gentle! The Illamasqua powder blush in Disobey has been my favourite product for contouring. Completely cool toned and not orange at all, its great for defining my barely there cheekbones and disguising my double chin!

Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation in 103 True Ivory has been my most used foundation this year, I've gone through several bottles! It doesn't have the best staying power on oily skin like mine, but it gives the skin a gorgeous glow and with a good setting powder it can last quite a while.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser is my favourite primer from 2012, a new release, it primes the skin, minimises the look of pores and truthfully I think the tea tree helps keep spots at bay! Its great for those with oily skin and visible pores.

Fiona xox

Sleek Blush By 3 Palette in Lace

Hello lovelies! Last week I noticed Sleek Make Up had restocked their Blush by 3 palette in Lace on their website, amd I quickly snapped it up. They are only available online now, and Lace has been out of stock for months, so I'm so glad to have it!

Sleek Blush By 3 Palette in Lace: £10.00



The packaging is lovely, sleek and black with shiny writing, just what I like! Its not a large palette at all, but a perfect size for travelling.



Chantilly, Guipure, Crochet

It contains 3 blushes, Chantilly, Guipure and Crochet, and boy are they bright! Chantilly is a matte tangerine colour with peachy undertones, Guipure is a shimmery rose gold, and Crochet is a matte bright coral pink. They are highly pigmented, and very very bright! I recommend those with pale skin to apply with caution, and a light hand.

These really are much brighter than in these swatches, but they're so beautiful. I don't have many scary bright colours in my blush collection, so I'm excited to see what they work with!

Hope you enjoyed this post! I'll be back soon with a biggggg Illamasqua haul, but bye for now! xx

My Tribute To Marilyn.

Hello lovelies! Today is the 50th anniversary of the death of the one and only Marilyn Monroe. Considered by many (myself included) to be the most beautiful woman in the world, I'm a huge fan of Marilyn and own a big boxset of almost all her movies.

She is a beauty and style icon, famous for her blonde hair, big red lips and that beauty mark.

I'm going to show you a few beauty products that I use to create the Marilyn Monroe pin-up moviestar look! I genuinely own all these products and use them in creating the pin-up look I wear most days, I just didn't have time to photograph them!

MAC Russian Red Lipstick:
The classic red lipstick for beauty addicts the world over. Miss Monroe's favourite lipstick was a Guerlain red, but if MAC had been around in the 50s, I bet Marilyn would've worn Russian Red. A favourite of modern pin-up and burlesque star Dita Von Teese its perfect for creating the look.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette:
Marilyn always wore lots of champagne coloured eyeshadows, with a darker brown in the crease. The Naked 2 palette is perfect for creating a pin-up eye look.

Rimmel Glam' Eyes Liner:
No Marilyn Monroe make up is complete without black 'cat eye' eyeliner, and of course, her famous beauty spot!

Sleek Brow Kit:
All 50s pin ups and actresses had extremely well groomed brows. Use Sleek's Brow Kit for perfect brows.
Illamasqua Powder Blush in Tremble:
Pink cheeks are a staple in the pin-up look. Use Tremble sparingly for a sheer flush of colour!

Katy Perry for Eyelure 'Oh Honey!' Lashes:
Popstar Katy Perry is another example of a modern day girl who loves the pin-up look! These lashes in 'Oh Honey!' are perfect for creating big bambi eyes.

These products should have you looking fabulous like Marilyn! I hope you enjoyed this post, I'll leave you with one of Marilyn Monroe most famous performances, from my favourite film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes:

Diamonds are a girls best friend! More posts coming soon! xx

Festival Make Up!

Hello everyone!

This will be my last post for a while, as I head to Download Festival tomorrow!

So heres a list of the make-up I'm taking to the festival. This isn't cutting it fine, this is me taking all the things I think I'll use there, I could cut it down a lot more if I needed to, however I had space, and festivals are all about trying new things, even with your make up!

Right to left:

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara in Black
Rimmel Glam' Eyes Liquid Liner in Black
Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara in Black

Nkd Skn Concealer
Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' Concealer
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Benefit Porefessional Mini
Collection 2000 Naturally Matt Foundation
L'Occtaine Moisturiser, free sample.
Superdrug Solait Mattifying Facial Sun Cream Factor 30

Urban Decay Glitter Liner in Metalhead
Barry M Nail Pant in Black
MUA English Rose Mosaic Blush
MUA Sunkissed Glow Mosaic Bronzer
Sleek Brow Kit in Dark
Collection 2000 Shine Away Powder
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Permenant Taupe
Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze
Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Black
Soap & Glory Lid Stuff Eyeshadow Quad
MUA Brow Pencil
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Perversion

Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker in Candy Gloss
Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 02
Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 08
Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 04
Lime Crime Liptick in Airborne Unicorn
ELF Clear Lipliner
ELF Lipliner in Fuschia

I know it may seem like a lot, but I will wear almost all of this at somepoint across the weekend! I hope you enjoyed this post, and I'll see you when I get back! :) xx

Poundland Make Up Haul.

Hello everyone!

Now I know what you're thinking. Poundland, why? Well, at 8.30am after a doctor's appointment there aren't many shops open!

But anyway. I wandered into Poundland and bought two beauty products - a Nkd Skin 'Hide It!' Concealer in Shade 02, and a ChitChat Juicy Lipstick in Peony, both (you guessed it!) £1.

Firstly, theres the Nkd Skn 'Hide It' liquid concealer. This seems to be a Spanish brand, although the packaging was all in English. I was rather impressed by the lovely high end looking packaging.Shade 02 is a very pale neutral colour. For the price I'm impressed. The squeezy tube (similar to MAC's Select Cover Up), makes applying the product super easy. It has really good coverage, and although a little tacky when first applied it dried nicely and doesn't crease under the eyes.

Next, the Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick in the shade Peony. Chit Chat is Poundland's own make up range, and these lipsticks are their answer the the Clinique 'chubby stick' style lip products. The colour is a nice pale pink, and gives lips just a tint of colour. Its nice and moisturising too!

Overall I'm really happy with these two things, I'll definitely be popping back into Pounland again!

Hope you enjoyed this post, I'll hopefully have my festival make up post up tomorrow! xx

Quick Update: Festival Beauty.

Hello all!

Just to let you all know, in a few weeks time I'll be attending Download Festival for the 4th year!

Over the next few weeks I'll be putting together things to take to the festival, and that of course will include beauty products! I'll be showing you what I've bought and asking for your advice.

So, I'd like to know: would you be interested in seeing posts related to festival beauty and toiletries?

Just let me know! xx

Make Up Myth: Using Chafing Gel as Primer.

For years, I've heard beauty bloggers and YouTube guru's claim that chafing gel could be used as a primer. They claim that chafing gel (a product used to stop skin rubbing together and causing irritation), contains many of the same products as the majority of facial primers.

I can confirm: this is not a myth!

Lanacane Anti-Chafing Gel - £6.65, is a heck of a lot cheaper than most high-end primers, and even most high street ones! It feels smooth and silky on the skin, and definitely prolongs the wear of make up. It didn't last all day on my super oily skin, but if you have anything from combination to dry skin it would last a long long time. It might seem a little silly, but it really does work!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Have you ever found any beauty 'myths' to be true? xx

New Avon SuperShock Gel Liner Review.

Heres a review of the Avon SuperShock Gel Liners I got the other day!

I don't normally order make-up from Avon very often, I usually don't like the quality. But I'd heard such good things about the SuperShock liners (including their quality - they've been compared to Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide on pencils) that I just had to buy their two new colours, Blackberry and Golden Fawn.

Blackberry is a gorgeous browny/plummy colour with lots of red and pink shimmer, and Golden Fawn (which has been compared to Rose Platine by Chanel by a few people), is a gorgeous champagne colour with lots of silver sparkle.

They really are great. They go on really smooth and creamy, they're definitely similar to the Urban Decay liners in terms of application and quality! I'm not sure I'd agree with the name 'gel liner', for me, a gel liner comes in a little pot and needs to be applied with a brush. These are just super soft, super creamy pencil eyeliners. They have amazing staying power too, It took more than a few swipes of my baby wipes to get the swatches off my hand.

Speaking of swatches, here they are:

Overall, I'm really impressed with these eyeliners, the colours are gorgeous and I've been using them on my lower lash line for a nice pop of colour! I'll definitely be picking up some of the other colours they do and I think I'll be buying the black when I run out of black eyeliner, which won't be anytime soon!

Have you tried the Avon SuperShock liners? If theres a product you'd like me to review, just leave a comment and let me know! x 

NARS Illuminator Review.

Heres the review I promised on NARS Illuminator in Super Orgasm!

This is my first ever NARS product, so I was really excited to get it! Super Orgasm is one of NARS's newer shades, and is a brighter, more glittery version of the incredibly popular Orgasm shade.

I bought this a few weeks ago from BuyaPowa for £15, although it normally retails at £22, not exactly a bargain so I was pleased to get it a bit cheaper! The packaging is gorgeous as expected, and I'm glad the illuminator bottles are made of black plastic instead of NARS's usual black rubber, which I've heard gets very dirty quickly. 

Super Orgasm is a very peachy pinky colour, with lots of gold glitter and shimmer. Its absolutely gorgeous! The glitter is a little bit scary at first, but once blended in its really lovely. I'd say the colour is comparable to Benefit's Coralista (although Coralista is a bit pinker), they're both bright peachy pinks with gold through them.

I've been wearing this at the top of my cheekbones as a highlighter, with Coralista as my main blush as I think using Super Orgasm all over the cheeks would just be too glittery!

Its just a really gorgeous summery colour and I have it on today because the suns shining! I've just used a tiny bit today, but for going out this weekend I might pop a bit more on for a really shimmery night time look!

Whats your favourite NARS product you would recommend me? If you'd like to see a product reviewed, just leave a comment and let me know! x 

MUA Haul.

A boring Saturday and a few spare pennies led me to head to my nearest half decent shopping centre, where I picked up a few things from the infamous MUA range at Superdrug!

MUA Eyeshadows in Shade 17 and Shade 19 - £1.00

Bought these two shades because I feel like I need more matte neutral colours until I get my hands on the Naked 2 palette or the Kat Von D Saint palette! Shade 17 looks very yellow but swatched its not so bad. Shade 19 is your basic dark brown matte, if Shade 17 doesn't work out I can at least use 19 for my eyebrows!

MUA Brow Pencil in Brunette - £1.00

Repurchasing this as for a pound, you can't really go wrong. Its very creamy and for my heavily filled in brows, I need to sharpen it an awful lot, but again, for a pound I don't really mind.

MUA Nail Varnish in Shade 19 - £1.00

Again, another repurchase. I'm a Barry M girl as far as high street nail polishes go, but this colour really caught my eye and I've nearly used up my first bottle. Its a gorgeous light grey/nude colour.

MUA Professional Out There Plumping Lip Gloss in Nude - £2.00

A very nice, nude coloured lip gloss. Its quite sheer and you need to put a lot on to get any sort of 'plumping' sensation, but its perfect for me. I needed something for on top of my 'Gaga Viva Glam 2' lipstick, but I wasn't willing to buy the matching lipglass; too much money for a colour I don't wear often!

The professional range from MUA costs a little more than their usual £1 range, but you definitely get a better quality item with nicer packaging.

MUA Professional 3in1 Extreme Contour Liner in Gunmetal - £1.50

Got this for free as part of a promotion, its a nice light grey with a blue irridescent shimmer through it. This is MUA's newest product and it comes in lots of lovely shades.

This is a great wee cheap range, with some surprisingly good quality items. I'm looking forward to the release of their eyelashes and BB cream later this year! What products have you tried from MUA? x

Soap & Glory 'Lid Stuff' Review!

A quick wee review of Soap & Glory's 'Lid Stuff'' eyeshadow quad in 'What's Nude', £10.00

I've bought a few things from the new Soap & Glory cosmetics range, but so far this has to be my favourite! The quad has 4 shades: Vanilla, a matte vanilla/white, Pink T, a darker nude shade, Mudhoney, a lovely dark matte brown, and Aubersheen, a sheer brown with lots of silver glitter.

The quality of these eyeshadows can't be questioned, they're so soft and buttery and go on perectly with a primer under them. For the price I'm definitely impressed.

The packaging is so cute too! A clear lid with gold writing, its glam in a truly Soap & Glory way. These eyeshadows are perfect for creating a classic 50's nude look (think Dita Von Teese or even Lana Del Rey!).

There are two other eyeshadow quads available from Soap & Glory, one for a smokey darker eye and another more colourful quad, I'll definitely be picking up the smokey one!

If theres a product you'd like me to review, just leave a comment! x

Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' Foundation Review!

As promised, my review of the new Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' foundation!

When I went into Boots to buy this, there were two bottles left. Yes, two. Luckily in my shade, 103 True Ivory, which I would say is around a M.A.C NW20/25. There are currently 6 shades to choose from. Its also currently on offer in Boots - £5.99 for 30ml, but will normally retail at £8.99, still pretty cheap!

Yet again, Rimmel have managed to release a product with lots of hype! However, compared to the Scandal Eyes mascara, I'm in love with this!

Rimmel says: "Our first foundation that visibly reawakens and illuminates skin with a radiant glow and a flawless, natural looking finish. Instant anti-fatigue effect". For once, I actually agree with whats written on the back of the bottle. This foundation really does make my skin look brighter.

This is the first foundation I've tried which has shimmer in it, which sounds offputting but its really not noticeable on the skin (I was terrified I'd look like a disco ball!). It has an SPF of 15, and I'd say it has medium buildable coverage, although you don't need much of it at all to get a nice coverage.

I've been wearing this with the Rimmel Pro Primer underneath, and so far, it stays on better than most foundations I've tried. After a long lecture at Uni yesterday, I came home to find my skin still looked good and my foundation had only slid a little!

I really do feel like my skin looks brighter and more 'radiant' when I'm wearing this foundation. I definitely prefer it to my Rimmel Match Perfection foundation. Overall I really love this product and unless I find anything better I'll definitely be buying it again!

If you enjoyed this and you'd like to see me review anything, please let me know by leaving a comment! Thanks! x

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara Review.

After seeing a few mixed reviews, I picked this up in ASDA a few weeks ago since it was on offer at £4.98.

I've been looking for a replacement for my 'Maybelline Colossal Lash' mascara, its my all time favourite but unfortunately I'm giving it up as Maybelline are owned by L'oreal. I am aware that Rimmel still do on occassion test on animals, however they are very apologetic about this and I believe they are working towards becoming a cruelty free brand.

Anyway! The first thing you'll notice about the product is the bright orange packaging, not to everyones taste but it certainly appealed to me. The second thing you'll notice is the huge brush - its massive!

I expected more from this product. There was so much hype around it and it sold out everywhere the first few weeks after it launched, that when I finally tried it I was dissapointed. Its gloopy, theres far too much product left on the wand, and (I thought I'd never say this!) the wand is just too big. Its hard to work with and you end up with mascara all over your eyelids. It does lengthen and volumise to a certain extent, but its nothing amazing.

I might change my mind once this dries up a bit, I always prefer mascara after its been open and used for a few weeks. Overall, its nothing spectacular and I don't think I'll be buying it again.

If there are any products you'd like me to review, just leave a comment and let me know! x 

Review: Topshop Blush

I went on a little shopping trip with my family on Sunday and picked up a few things, including the new Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' foundation, which I'll review after I've worn it a few times.

I've always wanted to try the Topshop make-up range, so I picked up this blusher in High-Five, which cost £6.00.

The photo isn't the best, but this really is a gorgeous incredibly bright pink, and to be honest, its a little scary in the pan. But on the cheeks, the cream to powder blush is gorgeous and blends beautifully.

4g for £6.00 isn't bad, but I feel like you should probably get a bit more for your money.

I'll definitely be picking up another of these, there was a lovely corally peach that caught my eye, and I'm going out again on Wednesday.

Disclaimer: I don't have an endless supply of money, I still keep money from Christmas and I've been selling a few things on Ebay. Just so you know.

If you'd like me to review any new products etc, just leave a comment! x

MUA Face Primer Review.

MUA Face Primer 27ml -£4.00

Okay, I bought this primer the other day, as I've been looking for a new one and can't afford Illamasqua Matte Primer right now. The majority of MUA products that I've tried have been amazing quality for the price, however, this just doesn't cut it.

The consistency is very watery compared to other primers I've tried, which really didn't seem like a good thing. It didn't make my skin feel any smoother, and made no difference on its own, although there was a definite difference to the look of my skin under foundation. It hasn't helped my skin to stay matte, which is incredibly important, so I doubt I'll be buying this again.

For £4, I wasn't expecting miricles, and I didn't get any.

If theres any product you'd like me to review, please leave a comment! x 

Rimmel Match Perfection and Fix & Protect Primer Review

I've had both these products for a while now, but that gives me the chance to review them properly for you!

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer 30ml - £6.99

I've yet to indulge in a high-end primer, but its becoming obvious my oily/combination needs one, so after dissapointing results from the Loreal' one in the pot, I decided to try Rimmel's first primer!

I'm certainly not dissapointed, for the price, this is great stuff. It keeps my skin matte and oil free for a lot longer than  just foundation on its on. It definitely gives my skin a slightly smoother look too, nothing I'd rave about but it does make a difference.

In America, I believe the primer is tinted, but here in the UK its a white cream which goes clear when rubbed into the skin.

My bottle is nearly empty and I've recently purchased MUA's face primer and intend to buy the Illamasqua Matte Primer, but if I ever need a primer on a budget, I'll definitely be buying this again!


Rimmel Matching Perfection Foundation 30ml - £8.99

I got this in the shade 100 Ivory, which in the bottle is a similar shade to NW20 from MAC. Rimmel claim that the foundation has "Smart-Tone" Technology which adapts to skin tone and texture. Now, I'm not sure about all that, but it is a nice foundation and it certainly matches my skintone just about right after putting it on. It has good coverage too.

Its great for days when I want a medium/heavy coverage foundation and don't want to use a more expensive product. I've always trusted Rimmel to provide good quality make-up for a good price.

I would say I'd repurchase this product, but with Rimmel's new 'Wake Me Up' foundation about to launch in the UK, I think I'll be giving that a go first.

Rimmel products are currently on offer in Boots, so grab yourself a bargain if you fancy it! If you'd like to see any other products reviews, please just leave a comment! x

M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid Review.

M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 - £19.50 - Shade NW20

I love this foundation. Its one of those cult classics, not given so much hype as something like 'Orgasm' by NARS of course, but still owned by many.

I would say this is a medium/heavy coverage product. It comes in a little glass bottle with a rubber top, but you can buy a pump from the MAC store/website for £3 making it a little easier to use.

The great thing about this foundation is that it comes in so many colours, for both pink and yellow based skintones (NW and NC). For me personally, NW20 is just perfect for this time of year.

It gives me good coverage and lasts a good while on my combination/oily skin, but I still feel I need to invest in a better primer as it just slides off my forehead/nose/chin by the end of the day. If you had drier skin this would last much longer on you, same with any foundation really.

Overall, this is a great product. A little pricey, but most high street foundations are around the £10 mark, so I'm glad I invested a little more in this!

If you have any questions, or theres anything you'd like to see a review of, just leave a comment! x