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Showing posts with label *beauty*. Show all posts
Showing posts with label *beauty*. Show all posts



A couple of weeks ago I got sent this gorgeous blusher in the post, and it's safe to say I fell in love instantly. I've never been much of a blusher person but I was so excited to try it out that as soon as I opened the package, I just had to have a lil swatch. The pigmentation of this blusher is insane, with the most beautiful shimmer I have ever seen. I'm genuinely shocked at the quality of the product...I've got to admit, I'm usually pretty adamant to try out new products from new brands, but I'm so glad I tested this out because - and big statement here - this could be my holy grail blusher. Especially this colour - 'Beyonce'. The name I'm not too sure about because I believe this shade is much better suited for fairer skin tones, which is one of the reasons why I love it so much - because I can actually pull it off! It's not too dark and has just the right amount of shimmer! It's best described as an iridescent coral with flecks of silver and gold running through it. The finely milled formulation ensures intense pigmentation without looking heavy on the skin, which is always a bonus.



The packaging of this is so sleek and classic, and nothing like anything I already own (surprisingly). It is predominantly clear plastic with an opaque black bottom (haha) and a matching black ring around the outer top of the lid. It simply clicks open, no force is needed but at the same time it stays securely closed. Might sound a little bit petty to some but I hate it when I'm opening this kind of click mechanism you see with blushers, bronzers, eyeshadows etc and it chips my nails. I know I sound like such a girl saying that but if you're like me and you can spend hours on your nails for them to chip because you have to use all your Herculean strength to open a frigging powder, you'll feel my pain.



The price is the one thing that would put me off purchasing this blusher. It retails for £13.95 at Beauty Crowd (my new favourite place to purchase make-up, by the way, but more on that in another post...) and don't get me wrong, like I have said it is absolutely stunning, but to me almost £14 for a blusher is pretty pricey. I always opt for cheaper blushers and splash out on eyeshadow palettes instead as you probably know by now that I'm a palette junkie! The quality is phenomenal so I do understand to a certain extent why it is a little expensive but at the same time this brand isn't well known yet, and personally I think that making it this price is gonna put people off from trying it out. Maybe that's just me and my reservation towards spending money on face products rather than my usual lip and eye stuff but I have a feeling many people will feel the same too.

Despite me being slightly put off by the price, I may have to repurchase when I run out because this colour is beautiful, and probably my favourite of the four (the others being Mariah, Shakira & Rihanna).


*This product was sent to me for consideration of a review*

Have you tried any products from Mesauda Milano?

"Each and every animal on earth has as much right to be here as you and me." - Anthony Douglas Williams 
♥

My love affair with make-up started when I was around 6 years old. I remember having these lip balms - I think there were 3 of them. I can't recall the shades but I do know one of them was orange - and that they smelt awful. You know that typical cheap cosmetic smell? Yeah, like that. I kept them in this little Tweety handbag and I would get them out every so often to look at them and smell them etc. There wasn't much wearing of the lip balms, mainly just admiring. I guess that's where it catapulted into me becoming a make-up collector.

Soon enough, I started buying magazines. Not really for reading, more for the free make-up. I remember I used to buy like 6 different magazines - Sugar, Mizz, Top Of The Pops, Smash Hits, Bliss and Shout. I rarely missed an issue. Now that I look back, it would've been waaay cheaper for me to just buy proper make-up!

I had this big box where I would store all my magazine make-up, and it was filled to the brim. At this point I was around 8 or 9, and obviously I didn't wear a full face of make-up but I would rock a bit of lipgloss, eyeshadow and mascara once in a while. I just loved dressing up, and to me make-up was an extension of that.

I guess when I started wearing a full face was probably in Year 7, so I would've been 11 at the time. A girl in one of my classes said that I'd look better with make-up on (in a nice way) - so I took her advice and started wearing some. I went to my Mum and she gladly said that she'd share her make-up with me. Now if you haven't realised - I'm very pale. So pale that still to this day, I struggle finding a foundation that will match my skin tone. My Mum, on the other hand, has very tanned olive skin. You can see where I'm going with this. I guess it wasn't too bad as it was a tinted moisturiser rather than a foundation, but instead of using powder to set it, I used bronzer. Shimmery bronzer. My Mum knew absolutely nothing (and still doesn't - I love you Mum!) about make-up so her 'tips' were pretty unhelpful. Despite the super-tangoed image you have of me in your head - it surprisingly didn't look too horrific. I'm not saying it was a good look by any means - but it wasn't so bad either.

At this point I started experimenting more with make-up - glittery liquid eyeliners, turquoise eyeshadow etc. Very 'retro-disco' if you will. To be honest I'm kinda proud that my younger self actually had the balls to wear hot pink glitter eyeliner - cause I'm not too sure if I'd be able to own the look so much now...

So now I'm around the age of 13 and I've become obsessed with Avon. And before you say anything - they didn't used to test on animals but yes, they do now. Anyways, my Mum would bring the catalogue home from work as her assistant was an Avon representative. I used to get that feeling like when I was younger and my Mum would hand me the Argos catalogue and say "Circle what you would like Father Christmas to get you and I can send it to him.". It really did feel like Christmas every time. Even more so when the products actually came! I would spend around £30 each time on various different bits and pieces because it gave me this ecstatic buzz when I opened the little white bag to see what I'd ordered. Usually I had forgotten so it was always a nice little surprise.

Mum would always tut whenever I bought make-up - and still does to this day. I try to constantly remind her that I could be like most other young adults and instead of spending my money on eyeshadows and lipsticks, I could be spending it on drugs, alcohol, and admission into sleazy nightclubs. Also known as the complete opposite of me. She should count her blessings that I'm an angelic little princess with a penchant for eyeshadow palettes! It could be worse, Mother.

It's gotten to the stage where I'm asking myself on a daily basis: 'Is my love for make-up getting out of control?'. Heart says no. Head says yes. Despite me rolling my eyes over the opinion of my conscience - I know it's becoming - or has the potential of becoming - an addiction if I'm not careful. Addiction. It feels weird writing that word. Something I've always associated with alcohol, nicotine, and not-so-legal narcotics. Make-up 'addiction' seems extremely mild in comparison.

To be perfectly honest, I can't see myself going down the 'I will sell one of my Dad's kidneys for an Urban Decay eyeshadow palette.' road. Not yet, anyway. Despite my almost blasé attitude on the matter, I know that I need to be careful. I've always been good with my money. Very good, in fact. So good that I have the ability to turn a few measly £s into designer accessories and top-of-the-range techno gadgets. I honestly have no idea how I do it - I guess I'm just good at saving money for the things I really want. And maybe make-up just happens to be one of those things. I'm trying to get my heart to synchronise with my brain like it does any time make-up is not involved. Maybe one day I'll have the strength to ignore the countless e-mails from Illamasqua telling me they have a sale on, or I'll be able to walk through the Beauty Department in Debenhams without batting a perfectly cut-creased-and-cat-eyed eyelid. Or maybe, just maybe, I will find it deep within myself to throw away *gasp* those Boots vouchers offering 200 points when I spend £20 or more. I did say maybe...



Have you got your make-up obsession under control, or is it running wild like mine?

"There are barbarians who seize this dog, who so prodigiously surpasses man in friendship, and nail him down to a table, and dissect him alive to show you the mezaraic veins. You discover in him all the same organs of feeling as in yourself. Answer me, Machinist, has Nature really arranged all the springs of feeling in this animal to the end that he might not feel? Has he nerves that he may be incapable of suffering?" - Voltaire

♥



The other week I nipped into Boots for a few bits and pieces and obviously ended up buying things that I most definitely did not need. But at least it gave me the opportunity to put it into a post and classify it as a haul, right?! Here's to cheap makeup that has outstanding quality... Cheers! *clinks glass of water against wall*
















Natural Collection Solo Eyeshadow in Crushed Walnut - £1.99




Collection Work The Colour Eyebrow Kit - £3.99




Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Neutral x 2 - £1.99 each








Have you been shopping recently?

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France
♥


Ages back I was requested to do this post by a reader on ask.fm, so whoever that was - thank-you for the great idea! Here I have compiled a list of my 10 favourite cruelty-free (of course) budget beauty products ranging from skincare to make-up bits and pieces. Enjoy!




I've had this blusher for years and somehow still haven't hit pan. Talk about value for money! It's a universally wearable colour as it's such a beautiful, natural shade. It's perfectly pigmented and I'd recommend to all!





This has to be the only face wash that I've used that I can tell has properly cleaned my face. Because the muslin cloth that comes with the cleanser is white, and because the cleanser is white too, you can really see all the crap come off your face. It's disgusting but sooo satisfying at the same time. Not to mention it's super gentle on your skin, which is always a bonus. I've mentioned it previously in my 'How To: Care For Your Skin' post that you can have a little read of here.





This stuff comes in super handy. If I'm feeling lazy (which is very often) I can use this to clean my face, and not feel guilty about it. It gives your face a great deep clean, getting out any traces of dirt from the day. Not to mention, it's a great make-up remover! My only problem is that I have to be careful taking my eye make-up off with it, as it's not quite as sensitive as it should be.





I started using this foundation when I was about 15 and I loved it, but at the time I didn't know how to properly apply foundation and concealer, and therefore the coverage wasn't great. Now that I know how to get the most out of a product, I can use the HMF to it's full potential, And despite it not being full coverage like I would usually opt for, it's great when applied on top of Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer.





This is probably my favourite nail polish of all time. And I've literally had hundreds of different polishes, but this one tops them all. It gives you a shiny, pigmented finish that can even trick the professionals themselves into thinking you've had a gel manicure. Forget going to the beauticians - just nip to Boots!





If you have trouble applying eyeliner, you need this. This liner has helped me create the perfect eye look on so many occasions, at one point causing a shop assistant at Miss Selfridge to compliment me and ask where my eyeliner was from. Safe to say she was pretty shocked when I said Collection, I think she was expecting me to say MAC or something! Because it's a felt tip, the nip is fairly stiff (stop it) and therefore makes for easier application. It's now a staple in my make-up bag as it doesn't flake or dry out quickly like many others I've tried.





These lipsticks are amazing. They're pigmented, creamy and long-lasting. What else could you want in a lipstick?! The packaging is sleek and classic too, which is always a huge bonus. The only issue is that once you get one, you're gonna wanna get them all...



excuse the chipped nail polish... *cringe*


Everyone and their dog seems to rave on about this stuff, but it really is fab. There are many people out there that dismiss 'cheap' make-up because they believe it's not going to be good. Yet brands like Collection are there to prove them wrong. If you're looking for a medium-to-full coverage liquid concealer, give this one a try. My only main concern is the small colour range, especially for those like me who have pale yet neutral/warm skin.





I've loved their lip balm since around 2010 when I first purchased their limited edition Christmas Spiced Vanilla. Quickly after, I purchased the Cranberry Joy flavour in the range and then the next year, added Candied Ginger to my collection. Sadly, they no longer do them exact lip balms anymore. Two Christmases ago, I went into the Body Shop to see if they had any, but they were replaced by these domed lip balms that were no where near as good, they weren't even creamy like the old ones! I think TBS must've gotten a few requests to bring the old lip balms back as last Christmas they donned a similar formula, and I obviously had to snag one. This time, in the Glazed Apple flavour. Sadly but obviously, these only come around at Christmastime. Therefore, you can either wait or you can get their good-but-not-as-good Lip Butters. I have a bunch of these and I do love them, but they're just not quite the same.





If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll be sick and tired of me raving on about this powder. For the price, it's bloody fab. Yeah the coverage is non-existent but it sets my makeup perfectly. And for just under £2, it's worth a try. I guess that's why I felt it was worth the coveted No.1 place!



What are your favourite budget beauty buys?
~requested~

"We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognise it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace." - Albert Schweitzer 
♥


Several weeks ago, Illamasqua had a huuuge sale on to celebrate Christmas and me being me just had to get involved. I went onto their website with the mindset that I'm 'just going to have a look' and 'maybe get one or two bits'... yet after several hours and over £100 later, I'm here writing about the things that accidentally 'fell' into my basket. Accidentally. Yep, accidentally...




I bought this as I thought it would make the perfect contouring powder. I've almost hit pan on the one I'm currently using and surprisingly I have no alternatives! It's slightly on the yellow-y side but I think it'll do the trick just fine.







Ahh eyeshadow palettes... my kryptonite. The one thing I just can't resist - even if I already have more than Boots themselves! This is a gorgeous palette with a fairly creamy texture, which surprised me but in a good way. It's not reaaally creamy - it kinda just feels like a wet powder, if that makes sense. 







As soon as I saw this back in October I fell in love. I wanted to buy it there and then but I was trying to be good with my money (that lasted long) so with a face full of mourning, I closed the window and stayed away from the website to avoid temptation. I'm glad I waited now as it was so much cheaper in the sale!






Pink eyeshadow is something I've really been enjoying experimenting with for quite some time now. I like to apply it in the centre of my lid, blending it out and then applying brown shadow in the crease. It looks natural but still girly, feminine and classic. So when I saw Dizzy in the sale, I couldn't not get it!







I'd been considering purchasing this for well over a year but because I'd never smelt it in person, I was put off. But when I saw how cheap it was to say it was a 75ml bottle - mixed with the rave reviews - I thought I'd take the plunge, and I must say, it smells amazing.







A few years back I got a white eyeliner pencil for my waterline as I knew that it helps make your eyes look bigger and brighter but because I have a blue sclera (the 'whites' of your eyes - I have brittle bones so mine are blue) it just looked odd against the contrast. Vow is more fleshy-toned so I thought it would be more effective - and natural - than my old white eyeliner.







Resist is very similar to one of my other Illamasqua lipsticks in Glissade - except this one is slightly lighter and is matte. Therefore, because it wasn't exactly the same AND because it was the perfect raspberry pink, I needed it. Don't judge me.






I'd been wanting this as soon as I saw it, but I had a gel eyeliner yeeears ago that went dry really fast, so it put me off buying any more. As for the brow gel, I was worried that it would make my eyebrows look unnatural, so I was put off buying any of that too. Despite this, my fears quickly dissipated after reading the rave reviews on the Illamasqua website. Customers were saying how amazing the products were and that the brow gel was a staple in their makeup bag, so obviously I had to jump on the bandwagon.
I wasn't too bothered about the Vintage Metallix, so it was more of a bonus for me. I love the pots that they come in as well, they look so sleek and classy! Not to mention, the matching rose-gold box is suuuper adorbs.







As you can see in the picture above, my eyeliner came covered in this weird white creamy stuff (take your heads out of the gutters, please) and I quickly tweeted the lovely social media team at Illamasqua, for them to tell me that I should e-mail them, which I did. To be perfectly honest - I was kinda pissed. Usually their deliveries come in flawless condition (I should know, I order from them often enough) but for some reason, during this sale period, they seem to be slacking as I wasn't the only one with a problem with one of my products. Many others opened their packages to find their Reflection Palette broken - and I'm pretty sure when they e-mailed Illamasqua they were faced with the same reply - send it back for a refund or exchange. When I read it I thought 'Right, okay, I'll just send it back and ask for an exchange. Simple!' Except, it wasn't simple. Now, if you haven't already noticed - I'm pretty lazy. I like things hassle free, especially when I'm not the one in the wrong. The paperwork that I had to fill out for the exchange was bordering on a joke. You'd think that I'd found a thumb in my can of Coke there was that much to fill out and do. So typically I left it for a few days, which turned into a few weeks, and a few days ago I thought 'Ahh screw it!' and I cleaned off the white stuff with hand sanitiser and then sharpened the pencil. I haven't tried it on my eyes yet but lets just hope I don't end up blind *knocks on wood*.


Now, despite my big old sigh over that order - it hasn't put me off ordering again. I got an e-mail last Thursday from them saying that more lines had been added to their sale, so obviously I had a look. Aaaand I may (or may not) have added three more lipsticks to my ever-so-vast collection...




The perfect nude. Something I've always been looking for, and to be honest aren't we all? This is why I ordered it - I had a feeling it could be The One. The verdict? It very well could be. I'm gonna have to see how it fares for a little bit longer, but for now I'm pretty chuffed with it! Ahh, it's so pretty!






"I don't have any pink lipsticks... Not any this exact shade anyway" is what I said to myself when I clicked 'Add to Basket'. Truth be told, I have a lot of pink lipsticks, the hefty majority being from Illamasqua. But this one is different - as unlike the others it's a dark, almost-but-not-quite vampy, raspberry pink. Honestly, I don't have a lipstick like this. 'It looks just like Resist!' I hear you cry - yeah it does but it's darker. So hush. I thought it was much brighter when I was ordering it, but to my surprise it wasn't. And I'm even more happy about it now as it brings the guilt levels down...







I wanted a mahogany lipstick for a while, so this was the perfect chance to get one! Although Autumn is over and Winter is coming to a close - I know it'll look great when September rears it's head again. When I tried Growl on for the first time, it's safe to say I fell in love. I can definitely see this shade quickly becoming one of my favourites. It's so gorgeous!


I'm really gonna have to put a serious spending ban in place as I've been wanting a Mini for years and if I'm not careful, I won't be able to afford one. So if you see me shopping, you have my full permission to remind me that I don't need that extra eyeshadow...or those 5 lipsticks in my basket. Okay?!


Did you order anything in the Illamasqua sale?

"I am in favour of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being." - Abraham Lincoln
♥
Okay so if you're one of those kinds of people who will read haul posts and then go out and buy everything, you might wanna look away. It's safe to say that after taking the picture below I came to the realisation that I may have a problem... Mum, if you're reading this, you were right. God I hope she doesn't read this. To make my 'little' haul seem less dramatic, all of the products that I'm about to show you were bought on three separate occasions over a period of around 4 months, one of them I paid entirely with advantage points. So it's not that bad...right? I've been keeping all this stuff in their bags and boxes so I could write about them, but admittedly I have used about half of them... oops! Anyways, if you're easily influenced like I said before, you may wanna look away. But for those with a very strong willpower (screw you), carry on...





Skincare


Boots Botanics Micellar 3 in 1 Cleansing Solution Ultra Calm - £3.29 (currently on sale for £2.19)

I wanted to see if I could find a micellar water that would take my eye makeup off as the Superdrug one I was currently using was quite drying and therefore I didn't want to put it on my eyes. It does the job fairly well, it doesn't sting when I use it although you can feel it on your eyes if you use too much. I paid £3.99 for this bottle, it was reduced from £4.99 at the time...looks like they've lowered the price completely!




Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Cleansing & Toning Wipes - £3.39

I think I had a voucher that if you spent so much on the Tea Tree & Witch Hazel range you would get so many points, so I thought these wipes would be worth a try to remove makeup. Plus, they might help my nasty acne-prone skin out!



Tea Tree & Witch Hazel with Active Charcoal Face Mask - £3.59

Same excuse (haha) as above, except I really wanted to try this. I've used their peel-off face mask before and really liked it, so I thought this was worth a shot. I always used to go for peel-off masks over mud masks but recently I've been preferring the latter. Plus, charcoal is meant to be really good for your skin. I used this on Monday, and on first impressions it's lovely! We'll have to see how it goes...

Make-up


Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Light Vanilla x 3 - £9.99 each

When I was about 16 this was my go-to foundation. I loved it at the time, but as I got better at doing make-up I didn't enjoy it as much as it didn't give the coverage I wanted and needed. After a 3-year hiatus I returned to it in a classic 'I've ran out of foundation and if I don't get any now I will die' panic. And to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. Last time I tried it, I hadn't quite mastered the art of concealer, but now that I have I can see how brilliant this foundation is and why so many people rave about it. I guess that's why I bought three...




Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation in Porcelain - £5.99

Ah, the almost-perfect full coverage foundation. This is my go-to if my skin is acting more annoying than usual as it covers my imperfections (with the aid of the LP concealer) without looking too cakey. Only main problem with this foundation is the lack of shade range, especially for pale-but-warm toned creatures like myself.



Seventeen Stay Time Foundation in Porcelain - £6.49

To be honest I'm not too sure why I got this, I guess I was having a foundation-related identity crisis. The reviews on the boots website were brilliant so I thought I might as well have a try. Plus, it's full coverage!



Seventeen BB Magic Blemish Balm in Light - £6.99

Before this purchase, I only had one BB cream from the Body Shop that turned me electric orange. Not a good look. Therefore, I decided to try and find one that doesn't make me look like I've been tangoed as I was going on holiday and wanted a lighter alternative to my usual full coverage foundations.



Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair x 3 - £4.19 each

The classic Lasting Perfection concealer that everyone and their dog seems to be raving about just had to be included, didn't it? It's fab for the price, and it was on 3 for 2!



Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Neutral x 8 - £1.99 each

I bet you're all getting tired of me banging on about this powder...but it's just so good! You wouldn't think it was good cause it's so cheap, but it seriously is brilliant. If you haven't yet tried it, get one! Or make like me and get 8!


left to right - personne ne rouge & grand cru


I know I'm super-late on the bandwagon for this one, but that's mainly due to the fact that I've been banning myself from buying unnecessary make-up products for what feels like forever. When I went on this Boots binge I decided to treat myself to one, seen as I've been so good for so long. After much deliberation, I decided to go for Personne ne Rouge - a classic red. Very Taylor Swift. As for Grand Cru, that's Jenny's (more of a sister than best friend) fault. I told her about my purchase of PNR and she fell in love and just had to have it. Therefore, when she got Grand Cru, I just had to get one as well. We are non-biological twin sisters, after all.



Collection Supersize Fat Lash Mascara in Ultra Black - £2.99

Because I'd spent so much on Collection products, I got this lil freebie. I never seem to buy mascara as I always get them free like this, or in sets. I honestly can't even remember when I last paid money for one!



Seventeen Backlash Mascara in Brown Black - £6.49

Like with the Collection mascara, this was a freebie. Not bad for a freebie to say it's worth over £6! I'm looking forward to seeing how these two work out though, although that may be in a year or so. I have a LOT of mascara...



Other Stuff That I Can't Categorise Because There Isn't Enough Stuff...Stuff



Batiste Dry Shampoo in Medium & Brunette x 2 - £3.99 each (on sale for £2.66)

I used to wash my hair every day and now that my hair is down past the bottom of my back, I can't really be bothered anymore. Plus, if I'm straigtening it, it's always better on the second day. Although it's always starting to get greasy at this point, and that's where my trusty Batiste comes in! I always stayed away from Batiste as it was never suitable for brown hair, until they bought this beauty out! I swear by this stuff, it's fab.



Boots Baby Shampoo (500ml) - £1.50

Boots often have a 2 for £2.50 deal on the shampoo and the baby bath below amongst other baby products, and although they're a bargain anyway, I always like to take advantage of the offer. Why not! I use this shampoo to clean my makeup brushes with, and it does a great job! It's brilliant that it's so cheap as I go through the stuff super fast. It keeps my brushes and my purse happy!




Boots Baby Moisturising Bath (500ml) - £1.50

I love a good bath, me. The smell of this stuff just reminds me of being a little kid, and the massive bottle means plenty of super bubbly baths for just over a quid. Yes it's meant to be for babies but don't knock it until you've tried it!



Have you bought way too much in Boots recently?
♥