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Showing posts with label beauty review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty review. 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 
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I have been through countless numbers of foundations, and none of them have ever been sufficient. I have oily, spot-prone, fair skin and would therefore need a foundation with medium/full coverage with serious staying power. Many foundations that I have tried have either become patchy on my skin within a few hours, or were too watery and not thick enough to cover my acne scars. A few years ago I discovered No7's Beautifully Matte foundation in Boots, picked up the lightest shade and went home. When I got home I applied the foundation and to my horror it was ridiculously dark with a disgusting tinge of orange - it's safe to say I looked like I had been tangoed. Sadly, the foundation's coverage was amazing and lasted all day (I only wore it at home, lucklily no-one had to see me like that, haha!). No7 must've realised that their colour range was awful, and only recently have they decided to give their entire foundation range a re-vamp. I was delighted to find that their Beautifully Matte foundation was included in this re-vamp, which meant that they had a shade for ones with a lighter complexion (Cool Vanilla).





The foundation promises 'up to 14 hours shine free complexion and a soft, even finish' and includes SPF 15 and is also hypo-allergenic. It comes in 14 different shades, and seems suitable for everyone, from light to dark skinned.


You would need to apply powder to 'lighten' the foundation as it can feel heavy on the skin otherwise. Although it promises up to 14 hours shine free complexion, due to my oily skin it doesn't last this long without blotting papers and reapplication of powder a couple of times a day. Despite this, it may work for those without oily skin, as the foundation doesn't seem drying but it is made for those with oily skin which is quite frustrating due to it not being brilliant at keeping me shine-free all day. The only main problem I have with this foundation is that it still doesn't match my skin colour - I have only ever found one brand that does (Illamasqua 133 - perfect match!) but I do still use this on a regular basis. I know, you'll all be disappointed in me but i'm the Queen of blending and I always make sure it graduates down my neck, no-one has noticed yet and I've been wearing it for a year! It's fantastic value for money, just a shame it's not a perfect match. Damn my English skin!


Before (on my wrist)
with No7's Beautifully Matte foundation


No7 Beautifully Matte foundation is available at Boots for £12.95

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Barry M are well known for their Nail Paints, but in 2012 they released their Gelly edition, promising a hi-shine finish and long-lasting pigmented colour. I have tried many 'high-end' nail polish brands, from Nails Inc to Orly and I must say, this nail polish beats them all. I work in a hairdressers as a Saturday girl and I find that when I finish work, most of my nail polish has come off due to all the jobs my nails have to endure. I applied the nail polish on Thursday (a base coat, one coat of the Blueberry polish and No7 top coat) and it is still looking shiny and chip-free, even after an 8-hour shift yesterday. I purchased the Blueberry, Prickly Pear and Watermelon shades after I saw one of my favourite beauty vloggers rave about them, and as they were on 3 for 2 at £9 altogether, I thought it was worth a try and at £3 each they were a fraction of the price of what I would normally pay. I have received so many complements with people thinking I had a Shellac manicure, including the nail technician at work! Amazing product and I intend on buying all the colours!

                          


I love these polishes so much that I bought 13 of the colours - Lychee (cream/grey), Papaya (salmon pink), Satsuma (bright orange), Blood Orange (bright red), Pomegranate (raspberry pink), Grapefruit (bright pink), Dragonfruit (pale pink), Prickly Pear (lilac), Blueberry (pale blue), Greenberry (mint green), Watermelon (dark green), Blackberry (dark blue), Plum (dark purple).



Barry M Gelly nail paints are available on the Barry M website or at Boots for £3.99

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As I was reading random blog entries one day, I came across a post somewhere in the blogosphere (that typically I can no-longer find) where the blogger had written a comparison between EOS and Balmi lip balms. Now I had previously heard of EOS before after watching make-up collection videos on YouTube, and I really wanted to buy some due to their super-cute packaging and because you could collect them all and have loads of cute little colourful spheres of lip balm! But sadly, they don't sell them in the UK and I couldn't order them online because I wouldn't be home to collect them. But after reading that blog post, I looked on the Boots website (my second home) not expecting them to stock Balmi, but they did! Although the price was a tad expensive for a lip balm, I just couldn't help myself and I ended up ordering the Strawberry and Raspberry scents, and after picking them up from the Boots store and trying them, I fell in love, went straight online and ordered the other two Coconut and Mint scents. Although I couldn't get the EOS balms I really don't feel like I'm missing out now that I've got my Balmis.


From left to right - Mint, Coconut, Strawberry & Raspberry


The lip balms come in one size of 10.5g. They have SPF 15 and UVA protection, not to mention the moisturising properties of Jojoba oil, antioxidant-enriched vitamin e, and shea butter to keep those smackers super-smooth. The mint one also includes an 'added tingle'. I really like these balms, my favourite is probably the Raspberry one, as it's one of my favourite scents in general. The balm stays on for around 3 hours, which is pretty impressive to say you don't need much (it's a fairly oily balm). I don't think the scents themselves are strong or chemical-like, they just smell like the generic raspberry, coconut, mint and strawberry scents, I don't know how to explain them haha! Although, after taking a second sniff at the Strawberry one, it reminded me of those strawberry lollies you get abroad (it is not edible, although I do have to keep stopping myself from licking it off... naughty Saffron!). They don't leave a coloured sheen on the lips, it's just clear and pretty glossy so it's suitable to apply over your favourite lipstick, ideal in the summer when it's hot or the winter when your lips are at their driest.





They're in the same cute spherical shape (although the new ones are cubed due to another company having the patenting rights for the sphere, but they still look good!) with an almost rubber-like coating, but unlike the EOS' they have an attachment for your bag/mobile phone. If you pull on the attachment, the base comes off to reveal the product, which I presume is if you prefer to use your finger for application as the main top part of the lip balm is domed so you can apply it straight to your lips. I'm not a fan of using my finger to apply lip balm as I find it unhygenic and messy, so this alternative to the usual lip balm stick seemed quirky and cute!




Balmi lip balms (both the spherical and cubed versions) are available at Boots for £4.99 and if you want to know more about Balmi lip balms and their other products, visit www.balmi.co.uk

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'oooooooooo, puuuuurdy...'
I've always been a big fan of neutral eyeshadows, as they accentuate your eyes but look natural at the same time, therefore perfect for school or work. Urban Decay, creators of the famous Naked and Naked2 palettes. But the question is, which one is better?



Naked features 12 shades and comes with the Good Karma Shadow Brush and a travel-sized eyeshadow Primer Potion:

- Virgin (satin)
- Sin (shimmer)
- Naked (matte)
- Sidecar (shimmer)
- Buck (matte)
- Half Baked (shimmer)
- Smog (shimmer)
- Darkhorse (shimmer)
- Toasted (shimmer)
- Hustle (shimmer)
- Creep (sparkle & shimmer)
- Gunmetal (sparkle & shimmer)






Naked's colour range doesn't suit my skin tone or eye colour very well. I have fair skin and very dark brown, almost black eyes, and I feel that this palette suits more bronzed skin tones, but depending on which colours you choose, you can make it work for yourself. My favourite shades from this palette have to be Virgin, Sin, Naked and Sidecar, the first 4 shades of the palette. These colours are gorgeous, and Virgin and Sin are perfect highlighters and Naked and Sidecar are perfect bases. The other colours in the palette that are meant for shading don't look good on me at all, although Creep and Gunmetal do look good together for a night out.



Naked2 also features 12 shades and comes with the double-ended Good Karma Shadow/Crease Brush and a travel-sized Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Naked:

- Foxy (matte)
- Half Baked (shimmer) also in Naked
- Bootycall (satin)
- Chopper (sparkle & shimmer)
- Tease (matte)
- Snakebite (shimmer)
- Suspect (shimmer)
- Pistol (shimmer)
- Verve (shimmer)
- YDK (shimmer)
- Busted (shimmer)
- Blackout (matte)





Naked2's colour range is similar to that of Naked's, but is much more wearable for different skin tones. I love all the shades, my favourites being Chopper and YDK (I'm a sucker for glitter!) and Blackout makes a perfect eyeliner due to it being jet-black and matte. The double-ended brush that comes with Naked2 is perfect for application, with an additional bonus that it's cruelty-free! The packaging is more hard-wearing than that of the first palette, as it is similar to an artists paint palette and stays closed, whereas Naked has a magnetic close and has a velvet finish.


Urban Decay is a luxury make-up brand, so it's not surprising that Naked and Naked2 are such good quality. The colours are very pigmented, which is how they should be due to their slightly expensive price tag. Naked was dubbed 'the world's best-selling palette of all time', and Naked2 was by far the most anticipated palette in the beauty world after the success of Naked. In my opinion, I would have to say that I prefer Naked2. This is because Naked2 seems to include more neutral and easy to pull off colours than in Naked. Shades like Darkhorse, Toasted and Hustle that are in Naked never seemed to work for me, so I wasn't too keen. I must say, I am in eager anticipation for a Naked3. Because of the major successes of Naked and Naked2, surely UD will make a 3rd?! We can only hope!

Naked and Naked2 are both retailed at £36 and available at Debenhams!

 What's your favourite Naked?
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I've been working at a hairdressers now for over 2 years as a Saturday girl. During this time, I have tried and tested many hair products from shampoo and conditioner to hairspray and mousse on both myself and clients, which has given me a good idea as to what the best hair products are out there on the beauty market. One of the wonders I have come across is ghd's Final Fix Hairspray. Now I'm sure most of you know about ghd's world-famous straighteners, but you may not know that they also have their own styling range too. Like their straighteners, their hair products are fantastic. The Final Fix Hairspray is the best hairspray I have ever used, and I have tried pretty much all of the best-selling brands. The stylists at work (some of them who have been in the hair industry for over 20 years) also agree, and that no other hairspray could come close. I bet some of you are reading this, wondering as to why I'm babbling on about hairspray, and that no-one really cares. Well, if you have spent hours on your hair curling it, or straightening it into the perfect style, just for it to fall out and lose all its oomph in the space of a few minutes (come on, it's happened to every girl at some point!), you will understand why I'm making such a big deal over the stuff.





Depending on how much you use determines the strength of Final Fix. If you've just straightened your hair, a quick spray all over will keep your hair straight but still give it that swishy-ness that many hairsprays take away. If you've done an up-do, use slightly more hairspray and this will stop any stray hairs falling down and will keep your hair in place all night, even after all the crazy dancing you've done! Also, no matter how little Final Fix you use, you will always get a beautiful shine on your hair. Now one of the worst things about hairspray can be the smell. That strong, overpowering, chemical smell that sticks to your hair all day and fills your lungs and makes you cough like a mad woman (even though you try and make it look like an elegant cough, it just won't happen). Luckily, Final Fix doesn't have this problem as it actually smells reeeeally nice! When I use this hairspray, I sometimes don't wear perfume as the scent from the hairspray itself is quite expensive and classy (two birds with one stone, eh?!). Final Fix Hairspray is retailed at around £9.95 for 400ml from official ghd stockists, which is pretty cheap to say it is high-quality. Many hair salons do sell and use ghd hair products, so next time you're at the hairdressers, ask for them to spray your hair with a little Final Fix, to see if you like it for yourself!

Tip No.1: if you're wanting to backcomb your hair, spray a little bit of Final Fix right at the root of the section you're wanting to backcomb. Wait around 5 seconds for it to go a little sticky, then use a tail comb or a backcombing brush to gently tease the hair upwards. This way, the volume stays in a lot longer!

Tip No.2: If you spray Final Fix onto your brush, it will smooth down and hold flyaway hairs.


ghd Final Fix Hairspray is retailed at £9.95 for 400ml and £3.95 for 75ml at www.ghdhair.com

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