MAC Dame

MAC - Satin powder blush

in DAME

£17.50

Dame is described as a sophisticated blue pink. But don't let the word blue put you off haha, i mean who wants a blue face?!?

Its a lovely pink shade with a slight shimmer to it... In the pan the shimmer seems to have a purple sheen to it which is where i imagine they get the blue tones from, but it doesn't transfer like that to your face. With blue undertones you would expect this to be quite a cool tone, but on my (snow white) skin the shade is actually warming and doesn't make me look washed out or pasty which is a big thumbs up from me.

I really like the formula, its so soft and super easy to blend.

This is actually my first MAC blush and i am now wondering why o why i put off buying one so long... I can see myself picking up a few different shades in the near future :)

At £17.50 MAC blushes aren't cheap, but they are great quality with a great shade range. A little goes a long way so they will last you ages too. 

If anyone can suggest a nice MAC blush for pale-ys like myself let me know :)

Thank you!!

x x x

Wishlist #3 All things beauty

1// Caudalie beauty elixir 30ml £9.90 Feel unique

2// Various Essie nail polishes £7.99 Superdrug

3// Estee Lauder advanced night repair 30ml £41.00 Estee Lauder

4// MAC lipstick 'Angel' £13.50 MAC

5// Urban Decay naked 2 pallete £36.00 House of fraser

6// Stila convertible colour for lips and cheeks 'Petunia' £16.00 ASOS

7// Paul and Joe pearl foundation primer Bonbon £23 - currently sold out everywhere :( wahhhh!!!

8// Paul and Joe eye make up remover 100ml £13 ASOS

9// Real Techniques starter set £21.99 BOOTS

x x x x

Latest in beauty

The 'Latest in beauty box' is a little box of samples (literally samples - no full size beauty box esq samples here) which you pay just £1.50 for, the state the £1.50 is just to cover the P+P so really its FREE!!!

You can only get one box a month, and you only get one if you want one - its not a subscribtion like the beauty boxes. The beauty of it all is that you actually get 9 choices of which you pick 3, so really you are making your own box with things you want to try :)

What i picked:

1// Elemental herbology - 3 step trial 

Which includes the cool and clear facial cleanser, soothing oil free facial hydrator and the facial glow radiance peel mask.

2// SUPER by Dr Nicholas Perricone - Bright eyed

3// Dr organic - rose otto skin lotion 

I think this is a great way to get to try new products before committing to them,

reviews of each to follow.

x x x

KIKO #part4 all about the lips

This is the KIKO lip gloss stick in shade 'light beige' - retailing at £3.90

This is the KIKO lip gloss stick in shade 'baby pink' - retailling at £3.90

These are great little lip glosses, and are different to what ive experienced in a stick form before. Normally lip sticks come like this meaning they are matte and quite drying. These are classed as a lip gloss meaning that they provide a shine to the lips and give moisture too. I picked these 2 shades as they are super wearable and have found myself reaching for them a fair bit :)

They are easy to sharpen as the end fits into a standard double cosmetic sharpener. I think these are a great price and there is some lovely colours available.

Check them out HERE

x x x

KIKO #part2

This is the KIKO eye shadow colour sphere in the shade Golden bronze special FX - retailing at £5.90

This is a lovely baked eye shadow, in a rosey gold/bronze colour. It has gorgeous veins of bronze shimmer throughout the dome which add just enough sparkle without being OTT. It reminds me a fair bit of MAC'S mineralize eye shadow in 'Gilt by association' without the black. In fact i feel like a lot of the KIKO packaging has been influenced by MAC.

Overall - i love this colour and its a great formula which blends well and with a primer stays put.

Check them out HERE

x x x

Wishlist #1

Oh payday why are you always so far away???

Currently lusting after:

1// gold crossd earrings - ASOS

2// Liz Earl - Cleanse and polish

3// Nars blush - Orgasm

4// Essie nail polish - Shes picture perfect

5// Bioderma make up remover

6// MAC MSF - Soft and gentle

7// Real techniques - Core collection

8// Topshop - Slouchy over sized T

KIKO #part1

This is the first installment of my KIKO purchases... I bought these while in Spain, see my post about the brand HERE. I've had all the products about 2 weeks now so i have had chance to give them all a proper go :)

The first item i picked up was this Cleansing Milk, 200ml retails for £5.90

I initially only put this in my basket because i had taken my Lush 9 till 5 cleaner with me and it was running worryingly low. And im glad i did :)

I was impressed from the start with the sheer amount of product, its going to last me ages. Its a really nice formula, some cleansing 'milks' are really thin and water like (hense the milky name) but this is different. Its thicker and seems like more of a moisturiser consistency at first then when you rub it in its a lovely silky, thin cleanser. 

I have been using this daily since buying it and so far sooooo good!!!

I apply a good amount to cotton pads then rub it across my face untill all my make up is removed, its gentle enough to use on your eyes aswell so that's a plus :) 

I then leave it to settle into my skin for a few minutes, then i use a muslin cloth (that has been under super hot water) to remove the rest of the product, this also helps to make sure every last speck of make up is gone.

The directions of the botttle simply say to rise off the product but i like using a hot muslin cloth as its great for opening your pours and provides light exfoliation for your skin :)

& Ta-dahhh make up free, super soft skin.

Overall - great product, great price and great results.

Get it here

x x x 

KIKO cosmetics

So... i recently visited family in Spain and while i was there I discovered the FAB cosmetic store KIKO. I hadn't heard of it before, but they were everywhere & i fell in love with the range instantly. 

If you follow me on Hellocotton you will have already seen me ramble on about this range, but basically...

KIKO is an Italian brand but is widely available throughout Europe, there's currently only 2 stores in the UK so far though which i found strange. I think we will be seeing alot from this brand though and i imagine one of these shops will be popping up on most high streets. From what i can gather the brand focuses on quality cosmetics, with a huge range of shades and colours but at a more than reasonable price. The prices and sheer amount of products available reminded me some what of E.L.F. The good news is that i have checked out the website and they DO ship to the U.K :) yey!!!!

I did buy a fair bit... and dont want this post to be hugeeeeee so ive decided to do it in several parts throughout the week.

Keep your eyes peeled if you want to hear more about the products i purchased :)

x x x

DO believe the hype

I've been sucked in and i am now officially converted. 

I didn't buy these when they were first released as i wasn't sure if the buzz surrounding them was because they are actually an amazing product or if the Pixiwoo cult following had anything to do with it.

Blog after Blog raved about these even once the release passed so i guessed they really must have been the real deal. Then my local boots started stocking them, THEN they were included in 3-4-2 and i thought i would be mad not to snap them up when one would be FREE!!!

They are totally worth the hype they received!!! and i'm so glad i bought them :)

1) Stippling brush - £11.99

This is great for applying foundation. It leaches you with a lovely flawless well blended base. It super easy to use. Since purchasing it i haven't even touched my MAC foundation brush!!!

2) Blush brush - £9.99

I love how big and soft this is... its slightly tapered at the end so picks up product really well. With it being to bit it makes blending a breeze and avoids your blusher looking too fake.

3) Powder brush - £12.99

Its so so so soft and lovely and picks up plenty of product. With it being so big it takes no time at all to get your powder done.

So yeah i love them. They are fab quality and also a really decent price when you compare to mac etc... where one brush would cost you the same as off 3 of these!!!

I would say they are 100% worth adding to your collection! :)

 x x x

I gave in...

Maybelline colour tattoo 24hr.

Yes, i gave in. I know, i know a bit late but better late than never?!?

I wasn't fussed at all about the release of these... as i'm not really an eye shadow lover, especially cream shadows. But the blogging world went mad for these little pots to i thought they must be something special about them, and decided to give them a go.

I picked them up in the boots 3-4-2 @ £4.99 each:

The first shade i bought was permanent taupe. I liked this one as it was the only matte one which didn't have a shimmer, so i thought this one would be nice day to day as its not too OTT.

Ive seen a few people say this shade is good for filling in your brows too so i will definitely be giving that a go!!!

       

The second shade i picked up was 'on and on bronze'. I really like this shade its a gorgeous shimmery bronzey brown, which looks lovely on the skin.

So, yes im am converted and i wish i hadn't waited so long. I have been wearing on and on bronze most days which has surprised me. They are so easy to apply and a breeze to blend. They really live up to their name aswell... And last allllll day!!! Normally cream shadows crease and end up looking a total mess, But not these babys!!!! 

(On and on bronze ^^^ )

x x x

Candy apple

Revlon ColorBurst lip butters - £7.99

I was intrigued to try these as i heard loads about them and Revlon isn't really a brand i buy. I wasnt sure whether i would like these or not as i'm more of a lippy than a gloss sorta girl and wasn't sure how this balm like formula would hold up.

I  bought the shade 'candy apple' as i am a sucker for a red lip.

I must say i was more than pleasantly surprised by the colour pay off, its a lot more pigmented than i had imagined. It doesn't last as long as a lipstick but that is to be expected really for what is essentially a coloured lip balm. I also like that while lipsticks can be really drying this is really nourishing and lives up to the 'butter' part of its name.

All in all... i would say this is good product for someone who maybe isn't a huge lipstick lover. 

I do think they are slightly over priced for what they are, and while i like the silver stick design i don't like the plastic quilted packaging - i think it looks cheap and nasty.

You can pick them up now in Boots as part of the 3-4-2.

x x x

Bye-Bye blemish??

I can never resist the temptation of Duty free - FACT.

So recently while popping to Spain for a week to visit family i of course had to have a little peep, and this i what i came away with:

Its the Clinique - anti blemish solutions spot treatment gel

It retails normally for £12.50 but i think i paid about £9-£10 in duty free for it.

Now i don't have bad skin by any means... 80% of the time its totally clear and blemish free. But when i do get one i bloody know about it and its a monster!!! So this product really appealed to me as i don't really need products to prevent spots day to day i just need them to target the ones i have, when i have them. 

Its a clear gel formula, which isn't too thick but its quite sticky (luckily this stickiness stops when dry). It does have quite a strong smell and is really drying so it may not be great for sensitive skin!!! 

So does it work? YES. Simple as that, yes it does. It dries spots out and makes them appear smaller over night. I apply it when i first feel a spot starting and i think it helps to stop them in their tracks. Clinique advise you use this twice a day (morning and night) and state that it can be used under make up - bonus!!!

I think i would stick to just using it when needed though as i think long term use could be really drying and cause more harm than good.

All in all i like this product and while yes its not the cheapest... it will last you a long time as you really don't need to use alot!!

x x x

Day to Day

This is a post about my day to day, pretty boring make up routine. It changes often as i go though phases of which blush, mascara and lippy and obviously old products have to make way for new exciting shades.

Its pretty simple and dull haha!!! obviously when i'm going out or have more time then it differs and more colour is introduced but this is like day to day what i wear for work face :)

Face:

 

Benefit Porefessional primer - i apply this first and find it really helps my make up to stay in place!!!

 

Barbara Daly concealer in 'light' - this is actually really thick and super creamy! I picked it up in my local Tesco when i was in desperate need of a concealer and am very impressed!! I apply this to any blemishes and imperfections, my nose as i have large pores and then under my eyes if im looking tired.

Estee Lauder double wear foundation - Yes it had a hefty price tag but it it 100% worth it. I have never found a foundation as good as this and i doubt that i ever will. I honestly have nothing but good things to say about it and i am so glad i made the jump from high street foundations to this baby!!! I apply this with my MAC foundation brush and then help to buff it in with my fingers for a more natural flawless finish.

Rimmel stay matte powder in translucent - Just a basic powder to help set my make up... i think powder really makes such a difference and helps to stop concealer and foundation from looking oily and sliding off your face!!! This gets applied after my foundation.

Soap and glory highlighting powder - I've only just started using highlighter but im already a big fan of what this adds to your face. Makes you look more alive and all dewy. I apply this after my powder and before my blush to my cheekbones.

ELF blush in peechy keen 

Read my precious blog about this blusher as i have banged on about it quite enough haha! This is the last step for the face, i apply to the apples of my cheeks for a nice healthy glow.

Eyes:

Rimmel eye brow pencil - Eyebrows are my obsession and i spend a good 5 mins of my morning routine on them. At the moment i just use pencils but im waiting for my ELF eyebrow kit to arrive so we will see how i get on with that. 

Soap and Glory supercat black liquid eyeliner - I love liquid eyeliner and use it daily. I just sweep it across my top lids then flick it out slightly. I feel naked if i dont have it on!!! Im not really a fan of eye shadows unless im going out really so day to day i just stick to lashings of the blackest of black eyeliner!

YSL faux cils mascara in black - Mascara is a must!!!! I curl my eye lashes first and then add a few layers of mascara. I recently bought this one from Buyapower on a bit of a random splurge and im loving it so far. A full review of it will follow soon!

Lips:

     

Lush bubblegum lip scrub - this smells and tastes delicious. I rub a little bit of this on before putting anything else on my lips and it gets rid of all the dead chapped skin and leaves your lips soft and smooth!!!

Various lip balms - The one pictured is a Primark one, but it can range from Vasaline to body shop lip butters and anything inbetween. I put this on after the scrub and let it sink in for a few minutes.

MAC lipstick in Snob - I love this shade!!! I purchased it in about November and have reached for it about 5 out of 7 days a week since then!!!! On me its a lovely nudey subtle creamy pink, i've seem some peoples posts where it seems very blue but i don't find that on myself?!? how odd. 

Brushes:

ELF blush brush:

I use this brush for my highlighter and blush.

MAC 182

I use this brush for my powder and to blend.

MAC 190

I use this for my foundation and sometimes for my concealer.

I don't use a lip brush.. i just don't get along with them. I prefer to use from the tube or pat it on with my finger.

As i said i change my products quite regularly... but the type of products i use always stays the same its just the brand and shades which i change between :)

x x x