February Favourites

Origins Drink Up-Intensive Overnight Mask:

I was lucky enough to receive the Origins Mask Marvels set for Christmas, and I've been loving all the masks, but the Drink Up-Intensive in particular mask has been a life saver. It's an overnight mask and is just amazing for hydrating tired skin.

Maybelline The Eraser Eye Perfect & Cover Concealer:

This has quickly become my favourite every day under-eye concealer, it's not the most heavy duty product but it's very brightening and light for daytime make up. 

Rimmel BB Cream Matte:

I posted about this BB cream last week and I absolutely love it! I'm definitely going to repurchase this but next time in the shade Extra Light, as I feel the Light shade is just a little too dark for me! It's matte without being drying and provides great coverage.

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Lover:

A true peach blush that almost verges on orange (the good kind of orange!) I've been reaching for this a lot since I got it in January. Illamasqua blushes are always incredibly pigmented and you only need a tiny bit to pack a punch on the cheeks.

MAC Pigment in Vanilla:

I really really love this pigment, it's perfect for highlighting just about everywhere, but it's especially nice on the browbone. It's frosted white with gold sparkle but it still manages not to be too OTT. Also, you get a huge amount of pigment and this is going to last a long long time!

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly:

This is another new addition to my make up collection. I loved my first MAC paint pot in Bare Study, but I'd always wanted a matte base product and Painterly is brilliant for creating a blank canvas for eyeshadow.

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in Demure:

When Revlon released their new colorburst balms I wasn't excited about the lacquer versions at all, but I picked up the shade Demure and it's lovely. A pale peachy pink with chunky glitter (which isn't very comfortable but I can deal with that!) it's the perfect nude lip to wear with a glamorous smoky eye!

Fiona xox

Rimmel | BB Cream Matte | 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Make Up

Rimmel BB Cream Matte 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Make Up: £6.99

I'm just going to dive right in here and say that this is the best BB cream I've ever used. Rimmel BB Cream Matte is one of those products that occasionally slips onto the shelves of Boots and Superdrug unnoticed, with no advertising and very little blogger attention. However anything with the word 'matte' printed on it grabs my attention every time, so I had to pick it up to try it. 

Shopping The Stash | #2

I missed last week, but here's my second Shopping The Stash post! Its quite a small one as I've been using a lot of new products recently, but I thought I'd show you what I've been using from my collection:

Models Own Gloss in Berry Nice: £4.99 from Models Own and Boots - This berry gloss is lovely for adding a bit of colour to your lips. It's quite sheer, not sticky and has a tropical scent! 

Smooch Cosmetics Blush in Kookie Crumble: £3.99 from www.smoochcosmeticsuk.com - This bronzer/blush is great for defining my (chubby) cheeks. I pick this up when I just don't know what to put on my face. 

Rimmel Wake Me Up! Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch in Shimmering Sand - £4.99 from Boots and Superdrug - I bought this shortly after it came out, and I've really neglected it. Its very very glittery, and in all honesty not my favourite highlighter, but I do like it and want to use it up! 

That's it for my stash this week!

Fiona xox

Rimmel Apocalips | Celestial & Galaxy

I know there have been millions of reviews of these, but here's my two cents!

Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial and Galaxy: £5.99 from Boots and Superdrug - These hotly anticipated lip laquers from Rimmel have finally been released. I bought mine from the Rimmel Facebook shop last week, but they've started to appear in Boots and Superdrug stores now. 

I bought two shades, Celestial; a rosy pink, and Galaxy; a plummy purple with shimmer.

These are so so creamy. They apply like a dream and aren't sticky. The doe foot applicator actually has a dip in it meaning you can apply product to your entire lips in one go! I can't say too much about the lasting time yet, as I haven't worn either for long, but so far so good.

Celestial

Galaxy

I'm really liking these so far. I'm definitely impressed, and will purchase more shades in the future, (Stellar, the almost neon pink really caught my eye!). These really do live up to their hype.

Fiona xox

Wednesday Wishlist | #1

Heres another hopefully regular feature - Wednesday wishlists! Here are a few products I've been lusting after recently:

Urban Decay 'The Great and Powerful Oz' Glinda Palette: £35.00 from Debenhams - This limited edition corker is due to be released at the end of the month! There are two palettes, the light Glinda palette and the darker Theodora palette. I have loads of dark neutral palettes so I fancy something different and have my eye on the Glinda palette!

Yves Saint Laurent Glossy Stains: £23.50 from Debenhams, Boots, House Of Fraser - I don't own any YSL  products but I've had my eye on these glossy stains for a while. Some of the shades are absolutely stunning, particularly the darker more purply shades.


Inglot Freedom System Eyeshadows: £4.50 each from Inglot - I bought my first Inglot palette earlier this month and I absolutely love it. If I could afford it I would buy another one in a minute. The quality of the shadows are just fantastic.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers: £5.99 from Boots and Superdrug - These are the newest product from Rimmel, and I've already ordered two from their Facebook shop (now sold out). I suppose they're a cheap version of the YSL glossy stains, and I can't wait for mine to arrive! They should start appearing in shops soon.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade: £21.50 from MAC and House Of Fraser - Sadly, this beautiful skin finish is in the Goodbyes section of the MAC website - but don't worry! - if you miss out like I will be this time, Lightscapade will be returning later in the year as part of the Hayley Williams collection! Hooray!

NARS Blushers in Mata Hari and Douceur: £21 each from NARS and House of Fraser - NARS blushes are on my radar, big time thanks to Laurzrah's NARS blush collection! I already own Sin but Douceur and Mata Hari are now on my wishlist.

Fiona xox

Rimmel | Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara Review

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara* was sent for me to try out before it's release in February. I've never been a big lover of Rimmel mascaras, their last few releases have been dissapointing, but I kept an open mind and gave this a go. 

This is another member of the Lash Accelerator family, with its sleek yellow chrome and black packaging. The lid for this mascara shuts with a satisfying click, which means air won't get into the mascara easily, hopefully making it last longer!

The formula contains a 'grow lash complex' and fibres which claim to help to make your eyelashes look longer whilst actually making them longer! It isn't too dry or too wet, it sits nicely in the middle. I've never used a mascara with fibres before, so I was interested to see what a difference it would make. 

The mascara wand is a long, slim spiky plastic brush which combs through lashes and separates them (no spider lashes, hooray!). 

Before mascara! 

Uncurled lashes with Lash Accelerator Endless. 

My lashes are quite long already, but this mascara just makes them even longer! If you have shorter lashes I think you'll definitely see more of a difference. Another thing about this mascara is that its excellent at defining  your lashes. It does give a bit of volume as well, but its mostly all about the length!

As a lover of volumizing formulas, I was surprised at how much I liked this mascara! I'm not sure about the growth claims just yet. I've can't tell if it makes any difference to the length of my lashes as I've only been using it for a week, but I'll update you on any noticeable lash growth!

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara will be available to buy from 20th February priced at £7.99

Fiona xox

*This product was sent to me for the purpose of review. 

October Empties

Hello everyone! Just a quick posts to show you my empties from last month, sorry I've left it a bit late!

 

 

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Intensive Mask: £2.50-£4.99 - This is a great hair mask if you're looking for something cheap and cheerful. ASDA usually have it on offer for £2.50.

 

 

LUSH Mask Of Magnaminty: £8.75 for 315g - This is one of the Lush face masks that last way longer than two weeks. I found it really refreshing, and actually since I've stopped using it my skin has broken out a bit, so I think I'll need to be restocking!

 

John Frieda Frizz Ease Hairspray: £2.99 - If you've got curly frizzy hair like me, this hairspray is great! I've only got the mini version but they do a larger size as well.

 

ELF Daily Brush Cleanser: £3.75 - I did love this product, but now ELF seem to think its ok to sell half the amount of product for the same price as their old bigger bottles. Will be switching to MAC's brush cleanser as its better value for money.

 

The Body Shop Earth Lovers Shower Gel, Watermelon & Eucalyptis- I got this for free when I joined the Body Shop members club. It was nice, but nothing special.

 

Rimmel ScandalEyes Mascara: £5.99 - I hated this. The formula was far too wet and the brush was far too big! It might work for you, but for me personally it was rubbish.

 

MAC Lipstick in Sweetie: £14.00 - This was a lovely shimmer baby pink. I don't think I would repurchase it because I never wore it and it took soooooooo long to use up, but if you like lipsticks with shimmer I think you'll really like Sweetie. 

Rimmel London Haul

Hello everyone! Firstly, apologies for not posting for the last week or so, being back at Uni has meant I havent had a lot of time to sit down and relax, never mind blogging!

I have some new offerings from Rimmel to show you, two of the new Kate Moss matte lipsticks and a Scandal Eyes Kohl eyeliner. Officially, these don't go on sale until the 6th of October, but my local Superdrug already have them on the shelves, hoorah!

111 Kiss Of Life, 101

Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in Nude

I've been excited about these releases from Rimmel for ages now, and I wasn't dissapointed. I'm already a fan of the Kate Moss lipsticks, so picked up two shades, 111 Kiss Of Life, a bright red that is bang in the middle of reds, neither blue or orange based so (theoretically!) should suit everyone, and 101, a mid toned light pink thats just lovely. Its not bubblegum or baby pink, it has almost a nudeyness to it. They retail at £5.99 each.

I also got one of the brand new Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohls in the shade Nude, which was £3.99. This is really exciting, as nude liners are few and far between on the high street, but are really popular within the beauty community. Its great for putting in the waterline to open up the eye, and I'm so glad I got it!

I seriously suggest you go check out the new ranges from Rimmel, I'm really impressed. The brand as a whole just seem to keep bringing out amazing products this year! Bye for now! xx

Kate Moss for Rimmel Spring/Summer 2012 Lipstick

Hello all! I've been meaning to pop this up for a while! Heres a quick look at one of the new Kate Moss for Rimmel S/S 12 lipsticks in Shade 16.

In all honesty, I wasn't impressed by the new Kate Moss collection. I have three lipsticks from her first offering, which I love. But I felt not much had changed, apart from changing the red signature on the side of the tube to pink, pretty much all of the colours were similar to the original line. Two reds, a magenta pink and some pinky nudes, just made a little brighter for Spring/Summer. However, when I spotted Shade 16 for £3.99 in Superdrug, I couldn't resist.

Its a gorgeous pinky coral, so different from the rest of the range. I would go so far as to say its Rimmel's answer to MAC's Nicki Minaj Viva Glam. Its very similar, its just slightly less bright and less intimidating.

I've yet to find a way to pull this off just yet, but I haven't tried many looks with it, and slapping a bright lippy on with no other make-up just makes me look terrifying!

Its definitely much brighter in real life than in this picture, but not overwhelmingly so. I'd say this was a nice middle of the road lippy for paler girls who found Viva Glam Nicki just didn't work for them. I'm definitely going to get a lot of wear out of this when/if we finally get decent summer weather up here in Scotland!

I hope you enjoyed this post, I'll be back with a wee Illamasqua haul later! :) xx

Rimmel Scandal Eyes 'Show Off' Mascara.

Hello everyone! Another purchase from my recent shopping trip, heres my review of Rimmel Scandal Eyes 'Show Off' Mascara - £4.99 on offer from Boots and Superdrug.

After my last (less than kind) review of the original Scandal Eyes mascara, I was wary of trying their new offering. Nevertheless,I purchased the new 'Show Off' mascara on offer at £4.99, (will normally be £8.99) hoping it would be a bit better, and was pleasantly surprised!

The interesting thing about the mascara is the brush - the flat part of the brush is designed to plump lashes, and the ball tip is designed to lift and define! Overall, I'd say using the ball part o the brush all over is a bit tricky, but its nice for getting into the corners of your lashes, like the original Givenchy ball brush!

Its definitely a good mascara, it gives lashes a good amount of volume and length. Nothing too extreme or amazing, but good enough for me to be satisfied! Unlike the original Scandal Eyes mascara, the formulation isn't too wet and the brush is plastic instead of bristles. The packaging is also very pretty, the purpley pink definitely appeals to me!

I'd say this mascara is a good staple product, nothing amazing, but definitely worth checking out if you're looking for something new!

Hope you enjoyed this post, lots more coming soon! xx

Foundation Overview.

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts, been busy with exam revision, lack of money and festival preparation! But I'm back now :)

Thought I'd do a quick overview of all the foundations I own, and let you know what I think of them! I've never been a fan of buying lots of foundations at the one time, it seems daft, so I only have a few, if I like them, I'll repurchase, and if not, move on to something else!



Left to right; Collection 2000 Naturally Matt, Rimmel 'Wake Me Up', Bourjois Healthy Mix, Revlon ColorStay, MAC Studio Fix Fluid.

Collection 2000 Naturally Matt in Blonde 2, £2.99 - Bought this because it was so cheap but promised matte skin! Its not the best of foundations, and the colour was awful, all the shades in the range are way too orange, I had to pale mine down with white foundation. It has decent staying power though. Would I repurchase? No, probably not.

Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' Foundation in True Ivory, £8.99 - This is one of my favourite foundations, it really does make you look fresh and awake! For £8.99 its a really good high-street foundation. It has sparkle but it doesn't make your face look like a glitterball! Doesn't have the best staying power on oily skin but its better than some foundations and is fine with powder and touch ups throughout the day. Would I repurchase? Already have!

Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52 Vanille, £9.99 - This is the newest addition to my foundation collection, and I really like it. Again, not the best staying power for oily skin but it would be amazing on normal to dry skin. Avoid if you have really sensitive skin, this is highly perfumed and might break you out! Would I repurchase? Yes, but might try the Healthy Mix Serum instead of the original foundation again. 

Revlon ColorStay for Combination Oily Skin in Sand Beige, £12.40 - I had high hopes for this foundation, but it wasn't the miracle product I was looking for. It has good staying power, especially as its aimed at those with oily skin (there is a version for dry/normal skin too). The colour is good but oxodizes on extremely oily skin and goes a bit orange,  I think I need to test this foundation out a bit more. Would I repurchase? Maybe.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20, £19.50 - A good sturdy foundation to have, MAC Studio Fix Fluid is good for all skin types, but especially oily skin. It has good staying power, but NW20 seems a little dark for me, which is a shame as its the lightest colour in the Studio Fix Fluid Range. For £19.50, its a good foundation but nothing overly impressive. Would I repurchase? Maybe, would like to try some other MAC foundations first.

I have a really nice collection of foundations, some nice ones for daytime and some more hardwearing ones for long nights out. Next on my hitlist to try are the Estee Lauder DoubleWear foundation, the Sleek Creme to Powder foundation, and maybe a little something from Illamasqua! Need to finish a few of these first though, and save up some money!

Hope you enjoyed this post, whats your favourite foundation? Do you like me only have a few, or do you like to have lots of different products in your collection?  Let me know! xx


March Favourites 2012

Here are my March favourites, products I've been using lots and loving this month.

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer -£6.99
I love this for a decent priced, high-street primer, its great! It does have silicone in it - an important ingredient in primers, but it doesn't feel like a heavy layer on your face. Its really smooth and helps my foundation stay on much much longer than it normally would.

NARS Illuminator in Super Orgasm - £21.00
I wasn't sure about this product at first but now I love it! I've yet to use it all over my face mixed in with foundation, its far too glittery! But I love it as a highlighter at the top of my cheeks.

Benefit Glossytown Lipgoss Set - £19.50
Got this as a Christmas set, and its lovely, there are six mini lipglosses and all the colours are gorgeous, some more than others. Its allowed me to find some really stunning colours that I probably wouldn't even have looked at otherwise!

Hope you enjoyed this! What are your March favourites? xx

Lipstick Collection.

As promised, heres my lipstick collection! It is mostly M.A.C, but I'm trying to branch out into other brands and I'm going to try other brands like Revlon in the near future!

From top left: MAC Girl About Town, MAC Viva Glam Gaga, MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2, Rimmel Kate Moss 02, Rimmel Kate Moss 04, MAC Sweetie, MAC Lustering, MAC Coral Polyp, Rimmel 006 Pink Blush, Avon Pout, MAC Russian Red, MAC Lady Danger, MAC So Scarlet, MUA Shade 13.



Ok, so I'll start off with the bottom row; the reds!

M.A.C Russian Red: One of MAC's most famous lipstick shades, a true matte red. I would repurchase but I think I'l be trying Ruby Woo first as its slgihtly more blue toned, which I prefere.

M.A.C Lady Danger: Another matte, its a very orangey red, this was my first ever MAC lipstick. And truthfully, I haven't gotten much wear out of it, I prefer a true red but I'm going to try and use it up this summer.

M.A.C So Scarlet: Part of their 'Cult of Cherry' collection a few years ago, this amplified deep berry lipstick is one of my favourites, I wish I'd bought a back up! Its so vampy and lovely, especially paired with the Cult of Cherry lipglass, which MAC will hopefully be bringing back later this year.

MUA Shade 13: A lovely dark red, doesn't have great staying power compared to other lipsticks, but for £1, I can't complain!

M.A.C Girl About Town: My most recent addition, this amplified lipstick is a stunning fuschia pink with blue undertones. I haven't had this long but I adore it.

Rimmel Kate Moss in Shade 02: Part of the new Kate Moss lipstick collection, this is another of my fuschia pinks, but slightly more red toned, but very similar on the lips to Girl About Town. I take it out with me if I'm wearing bright pink lips but don't want to carry an expensive lippy about! (After an accident where I lost a Hello Kitty lipglass at an 18th, I've learnt my lesson!).

M.A.C Lustering: I've shied away from this for years, I got Lustering mixed up with Impassioned and bought it accidently online. However, I wore this yesterday and actually really really liked it! It's a lovely lustre almost yellow toned pink, almost like a darker, sheerer version of the Nicki Minaj.

M.A.C Sweetie: A nice pretty shimmery lustre lipstick. A lovely baby pink, its almost finished and I don't think I'll buy it again because its nothing special and I'm not a big fan of really shimmery lipsticks.

These don't show up well on cameria, but anyway!

M.A.C Viva Glam GaGa: A lovely bubblegum pink, I'm not sold on this lustre lipstick yet, not too sure if it suits me but it really is gorgeous and I'll find a way to wear it.

Rimmel Pink Blush 006: A very similar shade to the Viva Glam, a touch darker and much creamier, not sure how I feel about this either!

M.A.C Viva Glam GaGa 2: A nice creamy nude, I still need to find a way to make this work for me but it really is lovely.

Avon Pout: A peachy nude, I've had this for ages and its just right for wearing with a smokey eye.

M.A.C Coral Polyp: Part of the Dame Edna collection, this bright coral is really stunning, but I wish I'd ordered the two other colours from the collection instead because I can only wear this in the summer and rarely do.

Rimmel Kate Moss Shade 04: This stunning dark purple is amazing and so so vampy. I haven't been brave enough to wear this out yet, but I love it!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Whats your favourite lipstick? xx

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 

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