No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter

Firstly, hello! Sorry it's been so long, I'm a bad blogger :( I have a lot of catching up to do.. so lots of my posts will seem like old news, but hey I'll get up to speed as soon as possible!

I don't really have any news, boring.. except it's my birthday tomorrow, meaning new things to play with! :) And my boyfriend will be taking me shopping at the end of the week hopefully, Westfield shopping centre won't know what's hit it... ANYWAY, moving on, I've got a little review here if you're interested!

I got this a month ago now, so I'm sorry as I think it's sold out now :( I had been eyeing this up for a while whenever I went into a boots store, but I always put it back down. Even when I had a £5 off No7 voucher, I forgot to go and get it! Either way, I was looking for a few things on the website and saw that this was still on the site, and it had been reduce to £6.50! From the £13 (?) it had been when I saw it in store. BARGAIN! So without hesitation I popped it into my online basket, and it soon whisked its way to me. 

Firstly, the packaging is so sweet, the floral print reminded me somewhat of Celia Birtwells artwork. It's so gorgeous to pull out of your bag and have on display. It's just plastic, but it doesn't look cheap or tacky or such. It also has a huge mirror inside the lid which is a helpful bonus. The other thing that caught my eye in store was obviously the floral pattern of the powder itself. Very reminiscent of Laura Mercier and Guerlain's highlighting powders which have been very popular. It was just too pretty to want to mess up! I soon got over this, and swiped the product to find it is buttery soft and incredibly pigmented. A gorgeous shimmery champagne colour, with not too much glitter, and not too gritty, but very soft and fine.

It leaves a gorgeous youthful glow, and this is my go to highlighter now. Although it's very similar to lots of other highlighters if you're looking for this sort of product. I feel that the formula of the product is close to Topshops Sunbeam highlighter as that's just as soft, it's obviously a lot more yellow/golden. I know MAC Lightscapade is a similar colour, and there are a few other MAC mineralize skinfinishes with the same shade. 

I have just ordered Illamasqua cream blush in lies, as it's a silvery pink highlighting cream, and I've been looking for a silver based highlighter for a while. So I'll see if it matches up to this one!

February Favourites

Can't believe it's March already, when you get old it flies by..! Sighhh. Anyway, these are the products I've used consistently throughout February, most are my daily make-up items now. Looking forward to seeing what new stuff March brings!

Face: 

MAC Matchmaster foundation 1.0 - Matches my skin colour perfectly, (FINALLY!) stays matte and lasts all day, my definate favourite foundation at the moment.

Sigma F82 - Perfect with my MSFN, and the F80 with my foundation, finally been converted to using brushes with my foundations.

Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream - Leaves my skin soft and not oily, which is a problem I have with every single moisturiser. I actually got this in the post from some company, but there no letter or anything in :/ just a random sample! No more will squeeze out, so I've had to cut it and there's still plenty in there!

TheBalm Frat Boy Blush - The perfect combination of peach and pink, leaves a lovely dainty flush! 

Illamasqua Cream Pigment Hollow - The perfect contour colour for me, doesn't look orange, taken me so long to find the right shade! I love it, wouldn't be without it now.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - Couldn't say enough good things about this, covers my bags, redness and any spots. This badboy is forever a keeper!

Eyes:

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly - Use this every single day without fail, with or without shadow. Love how creamy it is, just covers any uneven skin tone on my lids and around my eyes.

Benefit They're Real! Mascara - Really makes my lashes look black, I wouldn't say they make my lashes look really long or perfect, like falsies, but good enough. I got this for Christmas, and I'm starting to think it's drying out now - keeps making my lashes go clumpy and stick together, not separating them like before!

LOOK Long Last Liner Eye Brightener - Again, I use this every day without fail. Perks my eyes up instantly without them looking over the top like they do when using white eyeliner. My eyes don't look as red or as tired now. So glad I found this!

Lips: 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Addis Ababa - Such a lovely texture on the lips, so soft and creamy. A lovely bright pink, would suit all skin tones. Wear time isn't so great, but I forgive it because I just adore it! Really makes lips look plump and just lovely :)

MAC Pink Nouveau - I've just had a sudden craving for bright pink lips recently, so if I haven't worn the NYX Lip cream, it'll be this or MAC Chatterbox or Speed Dial or something. This lipstick is a satin finish but I think it looks and feels pretty matte. Really creamy, as if I've put loose pigment on my lips! Great statement lips without being too OTT.

Other:

Soap & Glory The Daily Smoother Body Butter - I've got to say from what I've tried recently I haven't been impressed with S&G's venture into cosmetics, but their body & bath products I will forever love! Starting to use up this body butter, as I have tonnes, and it smells lovely and does the job!

Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola! Perfume - Such a gorgeous smell, I'm so in love! The perfect mix of floral and fruity. Perfect spring scent, so delicate and feminine. Plus I'm in love with the bottle design, fits perfectly in the palm of your hand, and it's just so pretty, I want to carry it everywhere haha. I have to say I'm disappointed that the scent really doesn't last long :( I aways have to spray LOADS of perfume and top up all day long, so people can literally smell me coming! And this just does not last :(

Morrocan Oil - Okay, I officially love it. My hair is shiny all time time, and feels so much softer after I use this. My hair's not in great condition anymore, but this is a great start.

And because I'm so clever, I forgot to photograph my nail choices! 

Nails Inc Porchester Square - Lovely creamy and fast drying, it's a grey that seems to lean different colours in different lights. Looks lovely under Rainbow Connection too.

Nicki Minaj for OPI Fly, Pink Friday, and Metallic 4 Life - Might just have to purchase these as full sizes. Fly is the nicest turquoise, I'm totally smitten with it at the moment. Pink friday is just so girly I love it, and Metallic 4 Life is an easy way to 'toughen' up an outfit ;) Sort of.

So those are my favourites! Looking forward to finding new stuff in March, got my eye on Real Technique brushes, MAC Shop lipsticks (coming soon eek!), Topshops Sister of the Moon collection, and Sleeks Blush by 3 - I tried the 'Lace' Palette out in Superdrug a few weeks ago, and I'm kicking myself that I didn't pick it up! Oh well, more shopping to do :)

What were your favourites this week? Leave your links!

x

Sigma F82 & F84 Kabuki Brushes

Been meaning to post this review for aaages now, I'm utterly hopeless! Anyway, pretty much everybody will recognise these brushes, so I'll try not to blab on for very long! These two kabuki brushes are from the Sigmax collection. 

"The F82 Round Top Kabuki brush simplifies precise makeup application under the eyes and around the nose. This brush is also perfect for achieving flawless coverage using liquid and powder products. Made of Synthetic Sigmax HD filament." - Sigma Website

"The F84 Angled Top Kabuki brush is the perfect brush for precise, yet blended application of products on the cheeks. It seamlessly applies cream, powder and liquid products. Made of Synthetic Sigmax HD filament." - Sigma Website

I already owned the F80 Flat Top Kabuki, and I at the time I used it for my powder, which isn't it's main purpose. But I loved the brush, how soft it was, how the handle sat in my hand perfectly. So when I saw these two on the Sigma website for about £15 for the pair, (if I remember correctly) I knew I couldn't pass them up. 

I finally have the right brush for my powder - the F82. Works brilliantly hand in hand with my MAC MSFN, a perfect partnership! As it's a rounded top, it gets into curved areas on my face. It can also be used for liquid foundation, but I now use my F80 for that. 

The F84, I use for powder/cream blush. It's a multifunctional brush, and can be used for powder as well as highlighting and contouring. I personally find it's a bit big for contouring, and have my eye on the tapered F86 as that's perfect for countouring. I haven't actually used this for powder as of yet, so I must give it a go and see if it's any better than the round top F82. 

I love the look of these brushes, they look so professional yet are such good value for money. I've already washed them, and they're still as good as new, with no shedding. Has the usual silver writing on the black barrel. These brushes had synthetic 'Sigmax' fibres which makes them extremely soft, easy to clean, and perfect for applying make-up, especially minerals. And seeing as they're synthetic, they're suitable for vegans!

I would totally recommend these if you're looking for aid with applying foundations, you can purchase them on the Sigma website, but the cheapest shipping is about £8 approximately. These Sigmax brushes are about £10 each, or you could purchase the whole set of 4 for just over £35, not too shabby! They sometimes do free delivery and often do discount codes if you're considering using the website. Other websites sell these in the UK such as Love-makeup and eBay has a seller or two which sell them now. 

I now have my eyes on the Mrs Bunny vegan kit, they have the same fibres, and they're baby blue! So cute! Also, the Sigmax precision kit, which has brushes that basically mimic the fingers, great for concealer, eyeshadow, contouring etc. I really need to try out Real Techniques aswell, only ever hear good things!

What do you think about Sigma brushes? Can you recommend me a Real Techniques brush to try?

x

What's in my make-up bag: Daily make-up

• MAC MSFN in Light: The best powder I have ever tried. Stays put all day long, perfect for my oily t-zone, and leaves my skin feeling smooth.

• Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam: Golden yellow highlighter, really accentuates cheekbones, looks lovely underneath a blusher, plus it's only £9! Really soft and pigmented, wish Topshop would bring out more shades in this!
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• MAC Eyeshadow in Grand Entrance: Lovely neutral light gold shade. Perfect to just quickly put over the lids when I'm in a rush and want some sort of colour. Otherwise I'll turn to my Naked palette.
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• Philosophys The Present primer: Leaves a lovely finish, matte, and my cheeks always feel super soft. The smell isn't very nice, and the price tag is a little much, but it's a nice luxury. I do rotate my primers, other favourites include; The PoreFessional and Smashbox Photo Finish.
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• Illamasqua cream pigment in Hollow: I've finally found the perfect colour for contouring my unbelievably pale skin! 
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• MAC Matchmaster foundation in shade 1.0: Obviously the palest shade they do. It has a lovely matte finish, and matches my skin perfectly, which is a really hard to find! You can also build up the coverage from medium.
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• MAC Paint Point in Painterly: Nude colour paint pot. So unbelievably creamy. Can be used as a base or on it's own, and I usually just use it on it's own to smooth eyes and oily lids. Makes eyeliner pop a bit more.
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• MAC Satin blush in Fleur Power: My favourite MAC blush ever. Gives me the most amazing natural flush, especially with highlighter combined. Recommend it 100%
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• E.L.F Cream eyeliner in Black: Really good eyeliner, lasts all day long, and it's only £3.50! Sometimes smudges a bit underneath my waterline, but it's not that noticeable, and I can put up with that little negative for the price tag! The perfect brush to accompany is MAC 209.
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• Benefit They're Real! Mascara: The price is a bit off-putting, but makes my lashes really thick and black, and is perfect for going out. If I feel like a lighter mascara, I'll use MAC Haute & Naughty, No7 or Chanel Inimitable.
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• Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in shade Fair 01: Hands down - the BEST concealer I have EVER tried! Prefer it to my MAC, Bobbi Brown and Benefit! Brightens my eyes and covers spots perfectly all day long. Can't believe I waited so long to purchase this! And seeing as it's so purse friendly at just over £4 it's a total repurchase. Holy grail - there, I said it!

My make-up bag I got in the sale at ASOS, had a thing for tartan for a while now! As you can see, I do like to incorporate a lot of MAC products into my routine, and I'm not snobby for that, but I love my make-up and I find my skin awful to work with, so I would rather spend the extra money on products that actually work for me. For instance, it's really hard to find a foundation pale enough for me that doesn't have an orange tinge or oxidise. And one that puts up with my oily t-zone, and my nose which seems to HATE foundation! So I like to spend extra money on my primers and foundations to make me feel a bit better and more confident about my face and skin. I do love to find bargains in drugstores, and seeing as I spend most of my money on cosmetics, I do have a good range of make-up from drugstores to high end make-up, and I do like to mix it up, but these are my every day products at the moment which I know I can count on them working for me. 

I haven't put the brushes I use - So I use MAC 209 for eyeliner, Sigma F80 Kabuki for foundation, Sigma F82 for powder, E.L.F Angled blush brush for blusher, MAC 165 for highlighter, MAC 217 for blending, Urban Decay Shadow for eyeshadow/paint pot and I'm using No7 eyelash curlers at the moment. I haven't added any lip products, because I will always use a different colour every day. I always have my carmex and vaseline to hand, or my MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner. Some of my favourite lip products to use during the day are; MAC Lovelorn, Hue, Creme Cup, Please Me, LOOK Double Hit Lip in Rose Riot and Topshop Innocence. I also use MAC Fix+ every day to try and 'secure my face in place' all day! 

What are your daily staples? Do you think there's anything different I would like that you could recommend?

x

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit - Porcelain

Another purchase from BuyaPowa, not too happy with them at the moment, I've been waiting for ages for the Shu Uemura eyelash curlers and Naked 2 palette for ages, and now I've missed them both!! Anyway.. I've wanted to try the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit for a while now, as I always suffer with dark circles, and I've only ever heard good things about it. Obviously being as pale as milk, my shade is Porcelain, and luckily it was on buyapowa, for a lower price of £18.

It's housed in a small black plastic case, with a mirror inside, which is great for touch ups on the go. Very sleek looking case and it's the perfect size for travel.

When swiping the product, the product name is definately correct, as it is super creamy, buttery soft. Perfect for working under and around the eye. It comes with a pan of white/translucent powder, but for me, I didn't find it to be much of a use, and I just top with my MSFN anyway. This definately does a good job of concealing dark circles, but I found sometimes it would get caught in eye creases, and just highlight it more. You can also use it to cover spots which it does a good job of too. To be perfectly honest, I prefer my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer, I've tried numerous concealers, and I think this is my favourite to date. For £4 it is amazing! I find it brightens my eyes aswell, so definately try that out when you're next in Superdrug or Boots. But back to the product in question... I think I will definately give this more use, and see if there are other ways to make it work for me, I've only tried it over foundation, so we shall see. I'm not too sure I would recommend you go out and buy this straightaway, unlike most people who always say how great this is. But I will keep working with it and keep an update.

x

MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC Collection

MAC Shop MAC, Cook Mac (Shop Shop Shop, Cook Cook Cook)

"Try and Buy a delicious, delovely, delectable, divine, degorgeous, de-with-it, degroovy assortment of Eye Shadow x 4 in wearable brights perfect for Spring. Treat yourself to Lipstick in heavenly hues, mouthwateringly Kissable Lipcolour and Cremeblend Blush. This Spring, shop ‘til you drop with a tongue-in-cheek collection that elevates the everyday into the extraordinary. Whether it’s detergent or diamonds, produce or Prada, everyone loves to shop, shop, shop!"

Available in UK from March.

I've been reading about this collection online for a good few weeks now, but only now has Temptalia posted the official collection pictures, and there are full descriptions available. I love the look of this collection, and I'm particularly excited for the lipsticks, so I'm posting the pictures and the descriptions are available on Temptalia, as I think it's still not on everyones radar yet. 

"Ladle on an extra helping of foodie fun with an appetizing assortment of temptingly tasty Tendertones, nearly black Fluidlines, Studio Careblend/Pressed Powder, Opulash Mascara, two Brushes and nosh-worthy Nail Lacquers in fun, bright shades sure to satiate even the most discriminating gorgeous gourmands. Cook M∙A∙C has spring’s no-carb, no-calorie recipe for kooky, kitschy, kitchen kouture insavoury shades for Eyes, Lips and Nails."

Lipstick (Limited Edition)

Innocence, Beware! Light yellow pink (Cremesheen) (Repromote)

Watch Me Simmer Bright pink orange (Amplified)

Naughty Saute Bright pepto pink (Cremesheen)

Quick Sizzle Bright pink (Matte)

Dish It Up Berry pink (Lustre)

Runaway Red Rich red blue (Satin) (Repromote)


(I'm posting the lipstick descriptions as these are what I have my eye on!)

I like the look of this collection, the packaging and the bright colours, it's a great way to welcome Spring. But to be honest, the more I look at the pictures, the less interested I actually am in this collection. The packaging is bright blue, yellow and pink, yet all the items don't seem to compliment each other. You have lipsticks and kissable lipcolours that are all pretty much pinks, opposite red and turquoise nail polish and bright paint pots. I would never wear them together. The eye palettes are somewhere in the middle also. I just find this combination really weird, and I think it will be a case of people buying select items from the range and not looking to get a complete look. Although the cremeblend blushes look quite nice too, but once again they're different to the other products. Does anybody else feel this or is it just me being crazy?! 

It's a shame only the outside packaging has this design, as I think it would be really good on the actual cosmetic casing. But you can't win them all! I think the promotion pictures have a bit of a 50's housewife feel to them, but with an obvious modern twist, but I love it. Especially the 'pink' look on the model with pink dress, it looks great on her skin tone.

This range comes out next week in the USA, so there will be swatches available soon, so I'm looking forward to seeing them! There are a few more collections coming out over the next few months of course, and I know Beth Ditto has just been confirmed for one which could be quite interesting. I still need to get my hands on some of the Naturally collection that has just been released.

Do you like the looks of this collection? Interested in anything?

x

January Glossybox: Valentines Special

Pretty in Pink: The Valentines Day Edition

5 Perfecting products to pamper and preen yourself!

First of all, I love love LOVE the colour of this box, it's just so eye-catching, I think it's great. I would love a few more of these to use as colourful storage. They would look so cute all stacked up. I have my other boxes inside my dressing table, so you can't actually see them. Moving on!

It was sealed with a pink heart sticker, but I was too impatient and tore it apart...

The 5 products I received this month were;

1. Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner - Full size £9.50 - Get a handle on your eyeliner for precise definition and intense colour with a long-lasting finish.

2. Orly Nail Lacquer (5ml) - Full size 18ml £6.95 - Orly, the top Californian brand, offers an infinite range of colours.

3. Weleda One Step Cleanser & Toner (10ml) - Full size 100ml £9.95 - Weleda One Step Cleanser & Toner is a handy two-in-one pack ideal for travel.

4. FAB Gentle Body Wash (56.7g) - Full size 226.8g £13 - A moisturising, irritant-free everyday cleanser ideal for even the most sensitive skin.

5. Murad Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer - Dewy Finish (5ml) - Full size 30ml £29 - Oil-free primer ignites a radiant glow, powered by light-enhancing minerals.

Eyeko Skinny Liner in Plum

I used to love Eyeko, I think they really had a great market going within the blogging world, their liquid eyeliner pen in black was one of the best I've ever tried, and believe me - I've tried a lot! I also had their fat balms, along with everyone else. But their nail polishes were also great, good quality for a good price. So when I heard about their new facelift, I was intrigued. But once I saw their prices, it put me off for good! £15 for a mascara?! Which is probably nearly the same formula as before, but for double the price? No thanks! But seeing as though this is in the box, I will definately give it a try. The price still puts me off, as I rarely use pencil liners, but it's worth a go. I did actually reeeally love the Stila pencil that was in a box not long ago, in the shade 'Moray', I ended up buying another! So who knows, I'll try it out.

The design of the pencil is quite strange, it has a long silver end, which the box says it's good to use when the pencil needs sharpening. But I find I can't control it aswell. I received the shade plum, which is a browny purple with a bronze tinge. My camera hasn't picked up the shade too well. And it's made my skin look awful..

Murad Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer Dewy Finish

I still haven't used the cleanser I got from Murad in one of the other glossyboxes, but I'm interested in trying this. Unfortunately I suffer from oily skin, and this has a dewy finish, so I don't know if it will be a good finish for me, or make me end up looking like a greaseball by the end of the day! 

I tried some on my hand, and it's flesh coloured not clear. And the finish was a tiny bit shimmery, only slightly, I assume this is due to the "light-enhancing minerals" it claims to have. Plastered over the packaging are other claims that it gives you a "radiant glow". And on the front it also says "Create a smooth resilient canvas while minimising the appearance of pores". When I swatched and blended this on the back of my hand, it was firstly quite an orange shade and too dark for me. And it also didn't leave it feeling smooth, like such primers as Benefits The Porefessional or Philosophy's The Present for example. So I'll have to try it out on my face and report back. In the swatch, on the right it's blended in, I don't know if you can see that there's a orange patch next to the liquid?

FAB Gentle Body Wash 

By re-reading the product card and looking at another blog have I only just realised that this is actually a cleanser! Which I really don't get, as it has 'Gentle Body Wash' written over it and the title on the product card, it's a bit misleading no? Seeing as I didn't receive any FAB products in other boxes, I've been interested in trying something.

It's a bit of a shame that I have TWO cleansers in one box, but this one is a bit more appealing than the Murad one. It's a white sort of cream, and doesn't have much of a scent, just a hint of a fresh smell.  I like the packaging/print/design, I think all their products look nice, clean and simple.

On the bottle, it says "Daily treatment, fab antioxidant booster.

Use to: Cleanse, calm redness and relieve dry skin. Safe for Sensitive Skin."

I suffer from red cheeks and nose, so I'm looking forward to trying this, maybe it will help!

Weleda One Step Cleanser & Toner

I received the Pomegranate Body Oil in a previous glossybox, and I think it's a great product. But this cleanser AND toner seems a bit weird. We spend time and money on buying cleansers and toners because we're made to believe that we need both these products. And for me, I think that I definately need my Liz Earle goodies! My cleanse and polish and my skin tonic compliment each other so well and finish off the job perfectly. So for me, this just seems like a wasted product. 

It has witch hazel in, and smells SO strong! I have a feeling this will do my skin no good. The box says it's for normal to combination skin, but I have a feeling, just from the smell that it might strip skin and dry it out. I could be wrong though.

As for the bottle... Oh dear! It looks like one of those tubes that urine samples go in at the hospital! It freaks me out! The product itself looks like milk or cream! I'm not over the moon about this product as you may be able to tell!

Orly Nail Lacquer in Ruby

This is a great addition. I've been meaning to pick up an Orly polish for ages. In one of the Boots stores near to me, they recently put an Orly stand in full of mini sized polishes. They sell for £5, but I have way over 200 polishes so I always put them back down! Funnily enough I am actually wearing a red polish similar to this colour today, but oh well, can't have too many reds ;) Still pleased to see this in the box, I think it's great in keeping in with the theme. The Deborah Lipmann mini went down well at Christmas, so I know this is going to be a favourite of most people.

And finally... Glossybox sweet!

This is so cute! Just an extra touch, which goes to prove the thought that went into this months box. It's too pretty to eat, but I'm sure I'll change my mind haha!

Overall, I'm impressed with this box. Just a bit of a shame about the two cleanser thing, they should of maybe put in a lipstick or maybe a perfume sample of cute scents like Marc Jacobs Daisy range or Vera Wang princess or something? Just an idea. Anyway, i'm going to keep subscribed because I want to see if the boxes will actually fit the beauty profiles from now on! Hope you liked this and sorry for the long rambling post, but seeing as it was a special limited edition I thought I'd post a bit more than I usually would! 

What did you think of this months Glossybox? Anything you would of like to have seen in it? What did you get in yours? Leave me your links :)

x