Current Favourites | Jan 2015

Despite the freezing cold and bitchy antics of this year so far, I have come across some fabulous new-to-me products to share. If you are a permanent passenger on the beauty band wagon, then some of these may not come as a surprise- especially Benefit's Roller Lash, which has already surfaced the beauty blogging world like a tornado. But, if you're looking for some hot new products to either add to your kit, or to your personal makeup bag, this post is for you- or you might just be a makeup addict, like myself. My first favourite of the month not only screams for a premature Spring/ Summer, but contains fresh, floral notes that match it's super cute packaging. Marc Jacobs Daisy was very recently gifted to me and so far, so good. It has a very clean, floral scent that fills my surrounding air with some fresh scents and girly vibes. I'm usually more of Guerlain Insolence kind of gal, but something new and different seems to be satisfying my perfume palette- can't argue with that can I? The next product has quickly become my favourite drugstore concealer. It brightens my atrocious dark circles and ties together my whole look. The Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser concealer undeniably has a very unhygienic applicator, but has trended the drugstore beauty department for a few years. I finally gave in to the hype and tried this little gem- now i'm hooked. It wears very lightly on the skin creating brightened, flawless under-eyes as well as a great base for any makeup look. The product itself is perfect for tote touch-ups and for a drugstore concealer, is actually very long-lasting with the help of a little setting powder. Another favourite, the MUA Eyeshadow in 'Fudge' is also a product I have been loving because 1) it's matte and 2) it's so versatile. I use this cheapo beauty buy under my eyes for a more dramatic under-eye highlight, as a bog standard highlight and as an eyeshadow. This shadow doesn't have outstanding pigmentation, but applies evenly and gives a really nice sheer, matte finish upon application plus it's £1- how can you beat that?

Now for an oldie, but a goodie. MAC Lip Conditioner in 'Pink Fish' is a limited edition product that released in 2008- a time that humoured my overpriced beauty addiction. I often forget I even own this product and in all honesty- it's one of the most moisturising lip products I have ever owned. It adds instant moisture to your smackers but also with a cheeky pink tint. A couple of other lip products I have really been enjoying is a combination of both KIKO Smart Lip Liner in '712' and YSL's Rouge Volupte Lipstick in 'Peach Passion'. This lip combo is a great alternative to the dark mauve/ brownish tones that have been popular throughout Winter, and really compliments clean, natural makeup. The consistency of the rouge volupte lipstick from YSL can only be described as heaven; the formula is beyond moisturising, pigmented and works well when applied with both fingers and brushes. To see what I think about the Kiko Lip Liners, click 'here'. Now for the grand finale, the piece de resistance- Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara. Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that ELLE magazine distributed samples of the exclusive mascara in this months issue. I luckily managed to get my hands on the £4 publication to only be amazed by the little sample that came with it. The wand of this product, grips to the eyelashes like a shark to bait; it perfectly curls them from the very root and lengthens so much, that my eyelashes actually tickle my brows. The formula isn't great in the volumising department but really does help to separate and extend each eyelash, making the eyes pop. As far as durability, this bad boy leaves you with fluttery and fabulous eyelashes all day.

What products have you been loving lately?

Poundland Make-up Gallery Review

So, if you're not Tyra Banks or the best paid Youtuber then cheap make-up is always a must. After a week of being unimpressively poor; Poundland became my second home and whilst roaming the hair and beauty/ tacky jewellery aisle, I found their brand spanking new cosmetic range. They have everything- lipsticks, nail varnishes, foundations and powders, blushes, bronzers etc. I selected a few bits and gave them a two week trial before reviewing them for you now. I chose products that I could sporadically incorporate into my everyday make-up routine and shucks, did they fit in.

(left to right) 'Sand' & 'Natural Beige'.

Hide & Chic Concealer, £1
Let's start with the concealers. They read "Hide and Chic" which is just fabulous in itself. It replicates those Miss Sporty type concealers that you used to buy as a teen and if we were to really dig into this product, you would understand that concealers like this are fairly unhygienic on reapplication but this product does have very nice coverage, blend-able consistency considering it's a cream product and if you are looking for the perfect shade for under the eyes. 'Natural Beige' is your bae. Talking of shades, there are very few complexion shades in this range- four to be exact, and they are all for light skin tones. I found that the Make-up Gallery range not only lacks in variation of shades but the longevity of this product isn't the best and although the coverage is fab, I do find myself needing to re-apply the concealer. My overall verdict which will pretty much be the same for every product in this range is... It's a £1 so you honestly cannot complain.

(left to right) 'Honey Beige' & 'Natural Beige'.

Smoothly Does It Pressed Powder, £1

With both Youtubers, Vogue and Cosmo raving about this product I needed to try out more than one shade. I've found that when you use a brush with this light to medium coverage powder, there is a lot of brush fall out and powdery smoke BUT if you use a powder puff, this product is a dream to work with. It mattifies the skin with a little coverage and isn't cakey or heavy on the skin. Again, the shade thing is an issue, there are again only four for this product- and they are all light. It doesn't quite compare to my holy grail MAC Studio Fix Plus Powder Foundation, but it does have potential to be a purse staple for blotting throughout the day. £1? You can't beat it guys. 

(left to right) 'Coral Rose', 'Candyfloss' & 'Spice'.

Feeling Blush Blusher, £1

Okay I'm gonna try and not get too emotional about these because I have actually fallen in love. They have the perfect amount of pigmentation that gives you such a natural glow and they come in four very complimentary shades. They all have a matte finish apart from 'Coral Rose', which has a very subtle frost one when swatched. Guys, these blushes aren't quite as pigmented as your standard MAC blush but are actually a very similar finish to the Benefit Box Blushes- possibly a dupe? They are only 1 squid, you have nothing to loose in the hope of rosey cheeks and a natural glow. If you are going to try at least one of the products then I would say it has to be these!

Never-Ending Story Lengthening Mascara, £1
I read online that at the Poundland Make-up Gallery Launch, they claimed to have designed this cosmetic range in order for it to exceed and compete with other affordable drugstore brands such as Maybelline and Rimmel, however this mascara has left them completely defeated. Okay, so yes it's a £1 and you can actually tell this from using the product. With a standard fibre mascara wand, this product exceeds it potential in packaging but it's downfall is the formula. When first opening this product it was about as dry as a nun's vagina. I dipped and shaked in the hope of finding more product- nothing. Upon application my lashes were left limp and lifeless- yes lifeless. Such a shame because the packaging is fab but definitely a miss on this product!

These are only a few of many products in this range and with the exception of one mishap, overall I'm sending you all some positive feedback. I'm actually quite late on the band wagon for this, but as always, I wanted to give you guys my true opinions after actually using the products for a while. I just think that these are definitely worth a try and for only a £1, come on guys?

x

New Years Eve Make-up: Rose Gold Edition

2014 was a solid year girls. We did well! A couple of wine-infused rosy cheeks and the all-too-common, yet completely deserved, weekends off that no doubt led to 'horror movie prop' faces thanks entirely to the hangovers from hell. But overall, we looked great throughout. So let's start 2015 as we mean to end it again, this time next year- looking HOT. Embrace this New Year's Eve with a brightening, smoky-glitter look that will change your everyday neutrals to a face that will get you a midnight kiss, and prepare you for the biggest night out of the year. Seeing as Rose-Gold was such a popular trend this year gone, I thought I would include it in this look and here's how to create it.

• Start with the eyes, glitter is a tricky business- as is fallout. Prime the eyes with a base that gives a correcting coverage but will also allow the eyeshadow to hold in place. For this look I used MAC 'Painterly' Paint Pot; it is an absolute delight for redness and veins on the lids. Next you'll want to grab your favourite transition colour for the crease, I used NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer 'Sunny' which is also what I used to contour with! Blending is key for something this heavy, once you have that transition colour in place, take a slightly darker shade of brown and run that through your crease- remembering to blend, blend and.. blend. 
• Next apply 'Shag' by Urban Decay on the lid followed by a gorgeous Rose-Gold glitter. The mess-of-a-product I used is a glitter by OCC in 'Beige' which is most definitely the prettiest colour I have ever seen BUT is an absolute pain in arse to apply, because of how fine it is. The only thing left to do is add some dimension to the eye and smoke it out with some black eyeshadow in the crease. Take the medium brown shade you used after your transition colour, and apply that with a fluffy brush to the lower lash line of the eye.
• Finish the eyes with a nice coating of mascara and you're nearly ready..
• The brows will frame this whole look, so go with something fierce but nothing verging onto a scouse brow. Imitate the hairs lightly with a precise brush and pact down the your product when filling in the brow. 
• For my model I used the Maybelline FITme Foundation which provided a more natural finish that I added coverage to with powder. On a night like New Year's Eve long lasting make-up is essential so powder will be a purse staple! Concealer under the eyes will ensure brightness under the eyes as will a lighter powder in the same area. To the cheeks I contoured for a photo-ready face and applied MAC 'Pink Swoon' to the apples of the cheeks. Seeing as the eyes are mainly glitter, it's important to keep the cheeks matte because a blush with shimmer would just be a hot mess. 
• The final part of this make-up look is the lips. I applied a beautiful pure pink lipstick to my model's lips in order to draw attention to the eyes and compliment the glitter. MAC 'Angel' lipstick was perfect for this!

So, hope you guys have enjoyed this! Let me know what you think and follow, like, share.. blah blah! You know the drill. Have a fab week guys!x

Makeup Recipe: Sad to Sassy

So, undertaking transformation sassy can apply to anyone whom is looking to jazz up their make-up every so slightly- without looking like Lady Gaga on a bad day. We've gone with a very natural look that embraces winter with a warm mauve lip and still maintains that glamour with a soft shimmer on the lid, and pop of white on the waterline.

INGREDIENTS:

Larger than pea-size amount of moisturiser

----------------------------------------------------

1 to 2 pumps of chosen foundation

----------------------------------------------------

Real Techniques Nic's Picks 'Cheek Brush'

----------------------------------------------------

Even application of concealer 

----------------------------------------------------

Translucent/ Coloured powder

----------------------------------------------------

pea-size amount of Too Faced 'Shadow Insurance'

----------------------------------------------------

MAC 'Phloof' eyeshadow

----------------------------------------------------

MAC 'Soft Brown' eyeshadow

----------------------------------------------------

MAC 'Expresso' eyeshadow 

----------------------------------------------------

MAC 'Fascinating' Kohl Liner 

----------------------------------------------------

MAC 'Cork' eyeshadow 

----------------------------------------------------

MAC 'Twig' Lipstick 

----------------------------------------------------

MAC Zoom Lash 'Black'

----------------------------------------------------

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder 'Sunny'

• Begin by taking a slightly larger than pea-sized amount of your chosen moisturiser, here I used the very affordable Superdrug's own brand Natural Radiance Balm. It smells like christmas and leaves the skin looking perky in preparation for these cold winter mornings!

• Once your emollient moisturiser of choice has sunk into the skin- it's operation flawless! Your foundation of choice should leave space for a build able coverage and create natural looking skin with immaculate coverage. The secret to a good base is not only the artist herself but her tools. My brush of a life time is the Real Techniques Nic's Picks 'Cheek Brush'.

• Concealer and powder are now the only things getting in between you and creating those sassy eyes. A large part of this look is based on the brightness under the eyes, this creates a very awake effect. I'm usually all about that dewy skin, but for this look I powered this soon-to-be sassy bitch to create a matte effect that would photograph beautifully. I usually try to use a lighter powder colour under the eyes to emphasise the effort we made with the concealer.

• Now, whilst your face is sassy, your eyes aren't... yet. Start by priming the eye using a very small amount of Shadow Insurance by Too Faced then begin to apply the shadow. The design calls for shadow to be applied from light to dark so begin with some beautiful shimmer, subtle and never glittery. I used MAC 'Phloof' all over the lid, then grab your favourite transition colour (mine is 'Soft Brown' by MAC) and apply it gently to the crease using a window wiping motion . Take it as high as you wish but leave some room for brow bone highlight. To deepen and add dimension to this look, I took MAC 'Expresso' and added this to the outer-v of the eye and smoked it out ever so slightly on the lower lash line. 

• White Eyeliner- a simple and effective single product that will help to brighten the eyes and make them appear larger. Apply this naughty number to your waterline, blink a few times and apply lightly again. Avoid getting the pencil in your eye or all over your lashes- if you do, no worries that's what Mascara's for!

• Moving on to the brows. I simply used MAC 'Cork' eyeshadow again to replicate the hairs of my models natural brows and voila!

• For the lips, just make sure they're moisturised and lipstick friendly. The fabulous colour used in this design is MAC 'Twig'. It compliments every skin tone and adds a lovely warmth to the face.

• The final touches are applying mascara. My mascara of the moment would have to be MAC Zoom Lash- a product that is great in the lengthening department. To really finish this look add a complimentary matter mauve blush, maybe even something with a little brown in it. I used a very old school product, Sally Hansen's little pocket palette from god knows what decade in the colour 'pink'. Before I forget, it's key to use a bronzer in this look to really compliment those neutral tones in the eyes, warm up the face and even add some definition with contouring. 

There you have it guys and gals. You could share this recipe with all your friends and family and they could become sassy too! Massive thanks to Meg Wills from Club Sass for approving and modelling this look! Let me know what you think guys!