emmalou-beautynews

2010-10-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

Autumn/Winter Lust haves!!!!

While flicking through some online make up sites, I was stopped in my tracks by these two palette's from NARS

"Only You Eye and Cheek palette" "Beautiful Life Lip and Cheek Palette"

I love both of these palettes the colours are all really wearable, and the shades are great for Winter.

I love sets like this especially for weekends away and travel where you don't have to take numerous eye shadows and lipsticks, especially after my recent trip to a London Hotel (that will remain nameless) where I left, and this hurts to say.....a 15 pan MAC eye palette thankfully not full... behind in the room. (still hurts to say that out loud) and although I rang the hotel that eve mysteriously it had disappeared!!!! Anyway rant over I want both of these palettes and I love the the little soft zip up pouches they come in! Perfect.......Just need to save up for them!!

Emma x

What are your Winter lusts......?????

2010-09-07T05:37:00.000-07:00

MeMeMe....Blush me!

Hi guys, I have just returned from holiday in Mexico so been a bit absent in the blogging world! I'm going to be doing a holiday heroes post this week, just going through some products I used while away which really helped with the condition of my skin and hair whilst in scorching temperatures!!!!

Anyway apart from picking up some Ghost perfume at the airport, I have been been totally makeup purchase free for the last 2 weeks!!!! (shock horror!!) So when I got back I readily started reading all you lovely ladies posts to see whats new and what I have missed out on! One product that caught my eye was a post Laura Lollipop26 did with regard to the new range of blushers from Me Me Me cosmetics.

They are boxed and look exactly like the Benefit ones and after looking at her review and swatches I decided to pick one up in my lunch hour today. The one I picked up was in the colour Rouge which is a Deep Coral shade, they do have a shade called Coral but this was more pink toned. The pigmentation in these blushes are really quite good and definitely a contender for the Benefit alternatives. I have a love hate relationship with Benefit, to me a lot of there products are overpriced, and they seem to base more emphasis on the packaging than the quality of whats inside it! The fact that Me Me ME have basically mimicked the blusher boxes for a third of the price, to me just goes to show Benefit need to up there game!!!

Oh and theres a mirror in the lid!! all for £6.49 (on offer in Superdrug £1.50 off normal price right now)

I really like the Bronze shade shown in my pic here, and think I will pick that up too!! Anyone else tried these out??

Emma x

2010-07-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

Silkimiz.........THESE ARE REALLY GOOD!!

Hi guys!!

On the eternal quest for smooth legs during summer, this product caught my eye in Superdrug. It's the Silkimiz Mitt, as you can see from my pics they are like little hand size pockets, of what basically looks like smooth sandpaper!....(maybe first dupe for make up product to be found in DIY store....ha ha ha!)

As there was no one in my office this afternoon I gave then a quick little trial on a patch of my leg..! I'm probably shaving my legs every 3 days at the moment and there just at that stubble coming back through stage. So basically you rub this little mitt in a circular motion 4 or 5 times in one direction and then the same in the other direction. And I have to say WOW my skin was really really smooth.....much more so than after shaving.

I bought the small pack which contains 3 of the mitts at the massive cost of 99p!!! I'm not sure the cost of the larger packs but its not more than £5 I will be doing the rest of my legs this weekend. The only downside I will say is that it probably takes 3 times as long as shaving, but I'm so impressed with the results so far I think its worth it!

Anyone else tried these or anything similar??

Emma x

2010-07-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

MAC - In The Groove

Hi guys......sorry it's been so long!!! Just been so busy lately not had time to even pick laptop up after work!

Well anyway as you may or may not know I went on the make up foundation course at AOFM in June and part of that was a great shopping day where we got up 35% off MAC Bobbi Brown Space NK etc, so as you can imagine I bought lots to build up my kit, my aim is to get into wedding makeup ad I'm currently having a website designed!! I spent ALOT of money on products in London but was totally happy with everything I got, and def have a nice start to my kit with some really good wearable bridal colours, I may do a post on what I bought if you guys are interested? let me know.

Anyway I felt I hadn't really bought anything much for my own make up bag and then along came In The Groove from MAC, I had bought a couple of bits from To The Beach but was not all that inspired, In The Groove on the other hand I liked alot, so I purchased

Stereo Rose MSF!!

This is truly gorgeous a beautiful coral/bronze toned MSF it looks alot pinker in my shot but its definitely more coral it has gold flecks running through it but no chunks!!! I cant wait to wear this today, I think its sold out on he website already and as I usually dither about what I want from MAC collections, I'm glad I got in quick with this one. I think i is probably going to work better on slightly darker skin tones, but the other two Petticoat and By Candlelight would work well on all skin tones, I wanted to get them all!!!

In The Groove - Eyeshadow Trio

This was by far my favourite of the eye shadows, I steer towards these pinky burgundy tones, there so easy to wear, I'm glad MAC are doing the trio eye shadows, makes them much better value for money, for £15 I think these are great. The only other one I would have possibly picked up was Soften The Mood but I was being restrained!!...lol

I Like It Like That - Cremesheen Lipstick

This is one of those colours I dithered over for ages, it's a really lovely bluetoned pink, and something which I don't have in my collection, It is however very bright and I had visions of my disaster with MAC Chatterbox which I loved but I just looks awful on me. But after swatching them both together in the MAC shop this is a much more cooler pink and having got it home and tried it, I think its going to become a favourite. Jazzed was also really nice but reminded me of Dressmaker from a previous collection which I have, so didn't pick that one up.

These are truly awful swatches!! I have a decent camera but my pictures always look rubbish!?!

I'm sure you have all seen thousands of these swatches anyway, but from the top In The Groove Eyeshadow Trio..........Middle Stereo Rose MSF and then bottom I Like It Like That Lippie!!

All in all This is one of my favourite MAC collections this year. So did you pick anything up?.....And what do you think?.....x

Emma x

2010-06-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

My course at AOFM........

Hi everyone, haven't posted for a while as I have been on a great course at the Academy of Film and Makeup in London. http://aofmakeup.com/ I decided a while a go that I wanted to pursue a career in make up and now I have the time to concentrate on it, I decided to go and get some formal training.

I cannot praise this course and the Academy enough, it was a brilliant week spent learning so much about make up right from basics through to advice on careers in bridal/tv/film/catwalk etc......

Jana and his team are really friendly and each day we were trained by a professional makeup artist who specialised in a specific filed of make up. This is so much better than just one teacher, as you get to learn so much more , and pick up loads of tips and hints. The course is mainly practical which is great, and we got to create different make up looks on each other every day.

One of the reasons I wanted to do this course was to see I suppose, if my heart was really in wanting to pursue make up as a career, and I can definitely now say it's 100% full speed ahead! I want to concentrate on Bridal makeup and am going to get a website going soon.

Will post some pics from the course soon , but I can definitely recommend this to anyone who is thinking of pursuing a career as a make up artist....xx

2010-06-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

My Lip Favourites.... a return of Lipstick!!

Hi everyone, sorry it's been a while since my last post, but I feel with this blog I never want to just post random stuff just so I can post every day, It was never about that when I started this and it never will be!!!..Anyway on to the important stuff.....:)

I have always been a Lip gloss lover, I have far far to many..... Over the past couple of years I have probably worn Lip gloss daily and have only turned to Lipstick when I wanted a red shade, but that has all changed recently, mainly I must say due to watching lots of great videos from Lisa Eldridge http://www.lisaeldridge.com/ I decided to invest in a few more Lipsticks and have to say I have a few favourites that I wear every week, and thought I would share them with you.....

So from left to right MAC Vegas Volt.......MAC Dressmaker........MAC Jist.......Rimmel Coral......Maybelline Ambre Rose.

Vegas Volt and Jist have definitely become summer favourites and I wear them regularly, the Rimmel Coral is really easy to wear if you don't want an intense Coral, and Ambre Rose is a good go to every day nude. I don't tend to wear lip liner I prefer a more casual lip look and often just pat the colour on with my finger.

So whats your favourite summer Lipsticks...?..x

2010-05-19T01:38:00.000-07:00

Jewellery Time!!!!!

We have a store called Outfit just opened where I live in Essex and its basically Top Shop Dorothy Perkins and Warehouse all in one big shop!!

As It's my lovely friend Rachel's Birthday on Saturday so I decided to pop in there to pick her up a couple of bit's..........Obviously I couldn't resist picking up a couple of things for myself too...bad girl!....:) and I thought I would share them with you. Top Shop jewellery seems to have really come down in price, and they had some really lovely pieces, as did DP, they have all the jewellery in 6 huge stands in this store and I was standing literally forever trying to choose, think the shop assistant was getting worried about me!!!! so I thought I would share with you what I picked up

Gold LOVE ring from Top Shop, thought this was really pretty and I seem to be liking the more delicate jewellery pieces which are around at the moment.....

£4

Silver Angel Wing earrings Top Shop....Love these!!! cant really say anymore than that!

£7

Charm necklace Top Shop was really drawn to this, quite delicate and really liked the words and that fact that its silver and Gold so can wear with either gold or silver bracelets etc....

£8

Black BOW ring Top Shop, thought this was really cute I like my jewellery to be a bit different, I'm after the red LIPS ring I have seen in a few magazines but cant seem to get hold of one...:(

£4

Anyway hope you like these bits I cant wait to wear them...

Emma xx

FYI the nail polish Im wearing in these pics and LOVIN is MAC "to the beach" collection in Scorcher

2010-05-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

No 7 Voucher time again!!!

I once again seem to have ended up with a few of the Boots No7 £5 off vouchers, (not that I'm complaining..:-) and I really like seeing what you girls get with yours, so I thought I would share.......

I picked up "The Hot Cloth Cleanser" I have heard alot of rave reviews about the Liz Earle one and have not tried this out yet, so I thought while I have the money off I would give the No7 version a whirl! I tried this out tonight, and I have to say I really like this form of cleansing, the hot cloth is really relaxing on your face, and just rough enough to make you feel like you are having some exfoliation when you rub the cleanser off...so far so good, my skin felt really clean afterwards. This costs around £12 but I got it for £7 with the voucher

I also picked up the No 7 "Anti dark spot facial protection in SPF30" I wanted a handbag sized SPF face cream that I could just whack on during the day (If we ever see the sun again!!!) and this one seems good. I definitely over exposed my self to too much sun during my teens, although luckily my face doesn't seem to have suffered because of this, but I feel now that I have to start using sun protection on a regular basis, I tan very easily so I don't normally bother apart from if I'm on holiday, but this year I think It has to become part of my skincare routine on a daily basis, so I'm going to pop this in my handbag and use during the day.!.....

On a final note I just have to mention this Lip gloss from H&M, I have always been impressed with the small make up range they do, especially the nail varnishes which are excellent, and I have had a few of the lip glosses. My friend Rachel picked this one up a couple of weeks ago, and when she brought it round to show me, I knew I had to have it... It's a really summery Bubblegum pink shade and it is really really pigmented, it comes out very bright be warned...but I think its the perfect summer pink just teamed with basic makeup I think I will be wearing it alot... and also priced at £2.99 you cant really go wrong.

Have you guys tried any H&M make up products, or bough anything nice with your No7 vouchers this month?....xxx

Emma x

2010-04-30T00:49:00.000-07:00

Body Shop.....Love

On a trip to my local shopping centre, I decided to pop into Body Shop and see whats new, every time I go in I want to pick up another Body Butter I love love love!!! the Coconut one, this is always in my suitcase for summer holidays, actually I love anything coconut scented bit of an obsession of mine and my mum and sister actually? must run in the family...:)

Anyway I pondered over the body butters and as I said I do love them for hols, but they do take a while to soak in and post shower in the mornings I want something moisturising but quick to apply, then I found this

Coconut Milk Body Lotion (Spray Bottle)

Scary pic! looks like a bird has just flown by!!!...Just trying to show the consistency......lol

I particularly like this firstly as it has a spray applicator, I think they have done this as the formulation of this is really runny, if you poured it out you would probably end up with half of it over the bathroom floor! Having said that I like the spray applicator, and although thin in consistency this lotion really soaks into the skin well and the fragrance is on par with the body butter although not sure the scent lasts so long.

These are £8 each but on offer at the moment 2 for £8 which is really good! they come in other scents too.

P.S If you are a lover of the Body Butters there on offer 2 for £15 at the moment including the Scrubs, really good value considering there normally £12 each....

What are your Body Shop Summer Favs...? x

2010-04-29T05:45:00.000-07:00

FOTD!!!!!

I have been pondering over this for a while now.......My camera doesn't seem to be the greatest and some of the earlier pics I have taken are truly awful!

But heh were all on here for the same reason, a love of make-up and I like looking at other

peoples FOTD so here goes.....

Products used...

Foundation Chanel Vitalumiere .......Concealer MAC moisture cover NW25
Eyes MAC Paint Pot Bare Study as a base... BarryM Dazzle Dust in Coral No87.....outer corner MAC Woodwinked...... Mascara Benefit Bad Girl Lash
MAC Comfort Mineralize skin finish to contour and bronze
MAC Style Blusher
Revlon Coral Reef Lip Gloss

Well there you go!!!! Feels scary posting this but if you like this and want to see more then I will try some different looks.......

:)....xXx

2010-04-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Avon Calling...........

Now I have to say I have never really bought many Avon products in the past, the odd thing here and there when something has caught my eye, if the book has dropped through the door. But I have to say, there has been more and more about Avon products in the beauty press and magazines, and some of the products caught my eye.

Firstly was the Anew skincare range, this has been widely talked about and the eye cream was even featured in Vogue.com, Avon is massive in America and this eye cream was polled one of the best......so I thought I would have to give it a try......... http://www.avonshop.co.uk/

It comes in two parts a cream for your under eye area to smooth out fine lines, and a gel for your upper eye /brow bone to create a tightening and lifting effect! ( I could do with that!)

I have only been using this for a couple of days, so cant say anything review wise yet, but the gel part of the pot which you apply to the upper eyelid/brow bone does feel really refreshing and feels like the skin tightens after application, so we will see! The under eye part of the cream is nice I wouldn't say any different from my Clinique all about eyes, but I'm going o use the Avon one for the next two weeks and monitor the results!

Also from the Anew range I picked up one of there "Lifting Eye shadows" in the shade Moonlight

This is a really unusual colour a light lilac with shimmery pink undertones, perfectly on trend for this summers pastel shades, it's a really lovely colour, I'm not sure about the lifting bit! cant really see any eyeshadow doing that!!!

This shadow is a cream application that sets to a powder its really easy to apply, and I would say is better applied to the upper eye area as a highlighter. I tried and tried to get a good picture of this swatched on my hand but they just all came out rubbish!! having a nightmare with my camera at the minute I want to include swatches of everything I review..:(

Anyway So far so good with both of these products and I will keep you posted with a follow up review of the eye cream in a couple of weeks.

So what do you guys think of Avon? Any buys I should know about?......

P.S I know I said I was on a makeup ban but I did order this stuff over 3 weeks a go so that doesn't really count........does it???......:)

Emma x

2010-04-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

SOTD?!?!? (Sandals of the day)

Hi everyone!.... Well sorry for the lack of posts but I'm on a self imposed make up buying ban, until after my course at AOFM..! You get really good discounts on a shopping day there and I'm saving my pennies for that......:)

Anyway I thought I would share a couple of lovely summer items I purchased over the last month or so, Im a sucker for sandals/flipflops and love banning my boots to the back of the shoe cupboard!!!

These two pairs below are my definate favourites so far, and I cant wait to wear them all the time in the balmy summer days were bound to have..?!?!!!!!

These ones are from Next, £35 I think these are gorgeous!!! they have a zip up the back and look great with Jeggings or Skinny Jeans

These ones are from Aldo, £40 I had to have these!!! again zip up the back and lovely anklet style braids, there definatly going to be worn loads!!!

Anyway I hope your enjoying buying all your lovely summer sandals too.... I think I need another trip to Primark as have seen some bloggers with some pretty nice ones there too!!....x

2010-04-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

AOFM....

Well after years of wanting too and eventually looking into it properly, today I booked my Foundation level makeup course at the fab AOFM in Soho London.

http://www.aofmakeup.com/

This school looks amazing and I cant wait to start my course in June this year.

I have only been blogging for a few months and do love reading all the reviews from everyone, I don't really think I will ever do the youtube side of things but still like my rambles on here.

My real love is doing makeup for other people, this is my passion and I would absolutely love to have some kind of career in this field. I have spent a long time doing jobs that just pay the bills, but as my son is older now I feel I can, and deserve to dedicate the time and money into something that I have a true passion for.

I think sometimes in life it's too easy to say next week/month/year and I think also we are scared of failing at the things we love the most. Well I have decided that this is the time to take the chance and see if I'm good enough to do this semi-professionally, I don't want to look back in 20 years time and say "I wish"....So off I go!...... I'm scared and worried about how it will turn out, but sometimes I think that just drives you on to try things in life...xx

2010-04-09T03:47:00.001-07:00

March Favourites........and a couple of products I have fallen out of love with!

Loving!!!

Photo Ready HD Foundation

Thought I would hate this as I have dry skin but I have to say I really love it!!.. nice coverage no patchy dry bits , and I personally don't find a problem with it being to "sparkly" its not as heavy as other Revlon foundations, so thumbs up!

2. Dior Kiss Lip gloss in shade " 451 Mango Soda"

I have only just started dabling in Dior Makeup I have one of there eye shadow quads from a while back, the "smokey eye" one and it is lovely, but for the price tag nearly £40 I have not used it quite as much as I would have liked. But I was passing the Dior stand recently and the lipsticks and glosses caught my eye. I was looking for a lipstick shade that Nic from Pixiwoo used in a tutorial, but they didn't have it..:( so i moved on to the glosses, ( I love a nice gloss!) and spotted this one, its a lovely peachy colour with a lot of sparkle in it, but not in a trashy glittery way just very gold flecked, it really is a lovely summer shade and tastes good too!

3. MAC 187 Brush

I absolutely adore this brush for foundation..... when I picked it up from my local MAC counter I was dubious as it is expensive, but I had seen a lot of good reviews on it online. I sometimes find that the flat foundation brushes can need a lot of blending of the product, this however just airbrushes the product into your skin, the white bristles on the end are really light and distribute everything really evenly and as you get down to the more compact black bristles its really good for buffing everything in, I use this brush every day, and I just feel it makes everything look a lot more natural.....

4. Clairol Nice'n easy colour seal gloss

I colour my hair regularly prob about every 3-4 weeks and this little tube of conditioner is a life saver, it comes as part of the Clairol Hair Colour packs, but you can now buy them singularly on there own form Tescos Boots etc, there priced at 99p and one tube prob lasts my bob length hair 3 applications..... it really does leave your hair smooth and manageable and the shine it gives is amazing. They must of had a lot of good feedback on it as a brand to start selling it on its own, it comes in 3 shades red/brunette/blonde, def worth checking out if your hair is coloured.

5. St Ives Apricot Body Scrub

This is currently on half price offer in Tescos at the moment £2.49 from £4.99 def worth stocking up on. I am a fan of the Sanctuary Salt Scrub and that pretty glass jar is always standing on the side of my bath, but it is quite expensive and as summer is fast approaching and my fake tans are looking at me longingly form the bathroom cabinet,......:) I wanted a really good exfoliating scrub to use daily in the shower...well this is it, it actually feels like it's doing something! so many of the so called body scrubs about smell delicious but when you try them on your skin you find no scrubby bits in them! rubbish!!...... Guarantee you wont be disappointed with this one, have got my friend and Mum on to it and they have only good things to say about it to0! grab on now while there on offer.

A couple of items that I wanted to love.......:(

1. NARS Mousson Eyeshadow

Now when I saw swatches of this per Christmas last year in the NARS holiday collection i loved the look of this shadow, and when I was christmas shopping last year was excited to pick it up in London. Now the colour in the pan of this cream shadow is beautiful, but every time I use it , it just creases really badly......I use either MAC bare study or UDPP as an eyeshadow base for all my colours and have no problem at all with creasing apart from with this, its really hard to build up colour with it too you just seem to shift it around your eyelid rather than getting any decent coverage. I am going to try again with this shadow, as colour wise its everything I love, a mossy golden green, we will see.

MAC Ember Glow Lipglass

This is the Lipglass from the Colour Collection, I saw this and knew I wanted it straight away so purchased without really swatching it and the colour looked great in the tube. Hmmmm.... well I do love the colour its just the consistency I'm struggling with, it's very very matte on application (sounds weird as its a gloss) but it's hard to explain it just is really hard to apply it's such a matte colour for a gloss, it's almost like putting emulsion on your lips?.... I have tried it with a clear gloss over the top and it does work better, I'm not giving up on this one, I like it too much colour wise!!!!!

Anyway what are you loving right now?.......Any tips on the application of the NARS shadow or MAC Lipglass appreciated also appreciated.......:) x

2010-03-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Review - Bobbi Brown Concealer!!!..... and Corrector!

(And Clinique Eye Cream)

Well after much deliberation and reading my lovely followers comments on concealers, I decided I would go ahead and purchase the Bobbi Brown concealer and powder duo!

I visited the Bobbi Brown counter in House of Fraser at the Bluewater shopping centre, and one of the lovely girls there did a colour match for me. I have to say having visited various department store makeup counters before, the girl at Bobbi Brown was very friendly and really made an effort to choose the right shade for my skin. So firstly she applied a colour corrector which they recommend you use before the concealer to take any of the dark colours away from under your eyes. I have blueish undertones to my skin and I could really see a difference when she applied this as a base, she used the shade "bisque".

Next she applied the concealer itself, in the shade "natural" she used a brush although I find I prefer to use my ring finger and pat it on. After this the last stage ( i know this seems long winded!!) she applied the powder in "pale yellow" which comes in a compact attached to the concealer, this just sets everything and helps it stay in place. I dont use face powder so this is a must for me!

Well as you would know from previous posts I have written, the dark circles under my eyes are a problem for me and I have never found a product that I have been really satisfied with..........UNTIL NOW! I love this set, and I especially love the colour corrector, I didn't think this was going to be a necessary purchase at first but after seeing the finished result I felt it was worth it. Having used it now at home for the last 4-5 days I'm really pleased, I can notice a definite difference in the colour under my eyes when the products are applied, and I definitely think they look a lot better. This is not a cheap option by any means £22 for the concealer and powder and £16 for the corrector, but I think it will last a long time and you can buy the concealer on its own if you run out before the powder is used up! ....good idea!!

Which brings me on to eye cream!!.......I had been using the No7 protect and Perfect one for a while now, but I have to say that I have not noticed any difference with this cream, which is a shame as I love the No7 skincare range. I have very dry eyes/eyelids which in turn means I can be prone to crepey skin on my eyelids, a nightmare when you trying to apply shadows. So I decided to try Clinique "all about eyes rich" which has had a lot of good reviews, and I like the Clinique skincare range in general especially if you are prone to sensitive skin. Well I have to say I have been using this cream for 5 days now and can definitely notice a difference in the skin texture around my eyelids, its smoother and not dry at all, it claims to treat puffy eyes too, I will keep you posted on that one!... at £22 I think this cream is good value for money its really rich so you don't need loads and I think it will last a while...so far so good!...

Any Eyecream fav's....??? x

2010-03-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

To Conceal......or not to Conceal..?!?!

One product I find that I have never really found my perfect match with is......"Concealer" and boy have I tried loads....!!! Touche Eclat, Benefit, MAC, Clinique, ELF....need I go on?? I either find there to thick, sit in the fine lines under my eyes...(Benefit) Or there to thin and light and don't cover well (Touche Eclat) I think concealers are very personal to your skin texture as well as tone, and my skin is olive in colouring and i think that's where the problem lies, that and having quite bad dark circles from many years of lack of sleep from being a mummy!!

But hey, I will not be beaten there must be a wonder product out there which will make me look airbrushed and like I have just woken from a 12 hour sleep......(LOL) I just haven't found it yet. Next on my hit list is going to be Bobbi Brown, I have heard good things about this and like the idea of the cream concealer and powder in one compact!

Well I would love to hear about your favourite concealers and which ones you really love?.........Who better to ask than you guys??...xxx

2010-03-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

No7 £5 Vouchers.....Ruby and Millie & Body Shop!

Now i dont know whether its just me, but whenever Boots do there £5 off No7/Ruby and Millie vouchers, I either forget to use mine and they sit in my purse past there date!!!...Or I end up with so many that I spend hours looking at No7 convincing myself there is something i "need" from there skincare collection..!

Now I'm loving the No7 skincare range as you will have read in previous posts, but I have the cleanser /sauna mask/day cream/eye cream,.......something of an obsession going on here you think??......So today while in my local Boots I decided to give the Ruby and Millie counter a perusal, Now when this brand first came out I loved it, but I have to say it hasn't really excited me for the last few years, and the prices are, well blommin expensive for a brand sold in Boots, especially when similar products from MAC are only a couple of pounds more...... But still I looked and picked up a couple of things, one being the lip gloss pictured below in "Lilac 51" this colour really stood out as a pretty gloss, it's a lovely Lilac shimmer with Pink and Gold undertones, it really is lovely (picture doesn't do this one justice, camera not the best hence cant get a good swatch on the skin)........ But I would recommend this one, I personally wouldn't pay the £11 they ask for it, but with the voucher it was £6 so not too bad.....

Also I got this cute make up bag, I think this is a great size and has a stiff outer case which means products not getting squashed inside!..This was £8 but with my £5 voucher only £3.....Bargain!!!

Next a trip to Body Shop.......

Now after reading a few post's on the Body Shop Facial Buffer, I thought I would get one and see what the fuss is all about. It is to be used with a facial wash to gently exfoliate your face. I sometimes feel facial exfoliater's don't really hit the mark so thought I would try this little sponge, will keep you all posted..... Also picked up the Body Shop "Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Cleanser " will use this with the sponge, I love the Body Shop Tea Tree products, they always make my skin feel really clean. Let me know your Body Shop Favourites.....!..:0)

2010-03-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a guest review!!!!!!

The lovely Fiona at http://makeupsavvy.blogspot.com has chosen me to review a skincare product from Melvita, "Hydrastim Moisturizing Gel" cant wait to start using this a review will follow in next few weeks!....x

2010-03-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

MAC (small) Haul!!

So I was still consoling myself that once again I had missed out on a new collection MAC product that I really wanted....:(.....Product in question Ripe Peach Blusher from the Spring Colour Forecast Collection, It's my own fault I should have known better...! Order it online as soon as you see it. don't wait, but hay ho, maybe next time!!

Anyway I decided to go to MAC anyway as I really liked the look of one of the Lipglass lipglosses from this collection in"Ember Glow", I'm really glad I picked this up it's a gorgeous peach colour but its really pigmented so is not just a wash of colour it really fills in the lips...very pretty.... Also I picked up another Lipglass in "Cultured" this is a really nice pink, it didn't look that exciting in the tube, but in application at the MAC counter I loved it, really full on colour and not wishy washy like some glosses. Lastly as I was still hankering after a peachy blusher for summer, I spied.... "Chic Couple" this is a Mineralize two toned blush in a peach and bronze colour. Picture doesn't really do this one justice, its lovely on the skin. Think it's going to be my new fave!!!!

Lipglass.....

Left "Cultured"..........Right "Ember Glow"

Mineralize Blush......."Chic Couple" (looks pink toned in this pic, but it's really peachy)

Picked anything up from MAC lately??.....:)...x

2010-03-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

Bobbi Brown........

I cant actually believe that in all my years of make up purchasing I have never had any products from Bobbi Brown before, I guess not having a counter that near to where I live is the main reason , as with NARS....... I just never seemed to get to them that easily...! But now thanks to John Lewis at the Bluewater Shopping centre, I can start trying a few things out!! ....

So I have read numerous reviews online from bloggers and in magazines about how good her concealer is, it comes in a little pot as seen below with cream concealer in the top and a powder in the bottom compartment...Now unfortunately I have yet to pick one of these up, as the lovely lady on the counter said (quite rightly) that she would need to take off my make up and do a skin tone match, as I had my son with me at the time and we were already 10 minutes late for the cinema thought best not to do it right now!!!......:((... review coming soon on it though...I will have one!!!

Anyway on of the other cult Bobbi Brown products is her "gel eyeliner" written and raved about almost everywhere..... I will say at this point I have not had gel liner before, and everyone seems to say it is the best to apply for a precision line, and staying power, although I had my doubts if I would be able to apply it properly........But I have to say I have used it twice and practice is definitely going to make perfect, but it is a lot easier than I thought it would be , gives a really precise line and stays put all day with no smudging or movement whatsoever...! so far I LOVE it, wish I had tried gel liner before. I did also buy the Bobbi Brown liner brush which I definitely think makes the application a lot easier, its a brilliant brush angled just right for a thick or thin line......

Brilliant Brush!!!!!!

The other item I wanted to try was one of her eye shadows, and I picked up the one pictured above in the shade "Rock" this is a really nice neutral shade in a greyish colour with a silvery/green undertone. I wanted another every day shadow and this is nice addition to my collection neutral but very pretty. All in all I'm pleased with these two products so far, pricing is on par with MAC a little bit pricier but the single shadows do seem slightly larger. Also they have 10% off promotion on at the moment at John Lewis in Bluewater, not sure when it finishes, but worth it if you have a few bits to buy......The colour bricks look awesome..........

Any Bobbi Brown recommendations....????

2010-03-05T23:45:00.000-08:00

Another No7 Gem!!!!!!

As you may have noticed from past blogs, my love for the No7 skincare range is definitely growing.....The cleansing balm is my favourite makeup remover really gentle but gets the job done. And the "Purifying Hydration Mask" is a staple favourite for my dry skin!!!

So the other day I was browsing the No7 skincare in my local boots, when I came across this the Purifying Sauna Mask, I like to do a face mask/exfoliate at least 1-2 times a week, and this one is lovely!!!!......You apply it to damp skin and it heats up on contact!! Yes that's right HEATS UP!! and not just a little bit it really feels warm, it has small particles in it for gentle exfoliation. I tend o leave it on for about 2 minutes then wash it off....my skin felt really clean after using this, and the fact that it heated up on contact made it feel that little bit more special!!....It's priced at around £9.50 I think it will last a while you don't need loads of this it goes a long way......Any other face masks you would recommend?....x

2010-03-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

Birthday bits!!!!........Urban Decay

Well for my birthday my lovely family got me some make up bits and skincare (skincare will be in another post)....and I thought I would share with you all......!!!!

Urban Decay Palette.................................................Urban Decay 24/7 Eye pencils

I saw this eye palette in House of Fraser a while ago now, and absolutely loved it!!! and I can honestly say i'm so glad I now have it. The colours are all really wearable, there is not one in there that i wouldn't use, which is unusual for collections like this, they normally have some random one in there that never sees my make up brushes!!! But not these, there really pigmented and go on the eyes really well all the colours compliment each nicely. I will say there probably more for evening rather than day time as some of them have undertones of glitter in them, but there are a couple of flat ones too so all in all GREAT!

Now on to my other favourite thing the Urban Decay 24/7 glide on eye pencils, I bought a full size one of these in a lovely Green shade called "covet" a while ago and loved it, these pencils just glide on , no scratchy scraping around the eye which I HATE they are strong colours and are all really pretty..... This set is particularly good as it has nine of the shades in one box of half size pencils, so that way you get to have an array of colours in your collection! The full size pencils are around £11 each I'm not sure how much this set is (roughly £22) but its a lot better value for money buying them this way, plus you get all the shades. I have worn the green pencil "graffiti" and the brown one "corrupt" and they stay on all day, they don't budge!

Ok so from left to right........

Eldorado....Corrupt....Binge....Graffiti....Oil Slick

Then....Ransom....Rockstar....(luv this one!!!)....Zero....Stash

Sorry Pics aren't great swatching them on your hand never comes out well.....:)
But trust me these pencils are well worth it, all gorgeous LOVE THEM.......x

2010-02-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

Birthday Tomorrow!!!!!!......Jewellery bits!

So my lovely blogger's, its my Birthday tom and I thought I would share with you a couple of items I picked up from ASOS as a little pre birthday present to myself!!! (aren't they always the best presents?)....... ;0)

So I got this ring and earrings and I absolutely love both of them, I personally think there really different and the ring receives compliments every time I wear it. www.asos.com really do have some great jewellery and at £8 for the ring and £4 for the earrings you cant really complain.......

Where do you get your fave jewellery from?...........x

2010-02-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

Friday 26th February.....

Me Me Me Shimmy Shimmers....

So if your reading this you have more than like likely read my not so great review on the No7 Highlighter. So I was in my local Super drug today and I was musing over the Me Me Me counter, have a couple of their eye shadows which are really good quality for a cheaper brand, and at the moment they have £2 off the highlighters liquid and pressed ones. So I liked the look of the gold one, the pink is pretty but i have something very similar from Clinique and the gold looked like it would be good for your eyes too.....(here's hoping for no more sore eyelids with this one!).. So far I have tried this on my face and am impressed, it glides on and blends in really well, which was my main gripe with the No7 ........it just doesn't!!!

At £4.99 at the moment I think this highlighter is a bargain, will be using over the next week and will do a post in about a week with an update....... :0)...x

2010-02-26T05:32:00.000-08:00

Friday 26th February.......

Product I wanted to love...... :(

No7 Highlighter

Now this may be somewhat controversial as I have read so many posts with people raving about this product, but I said when I started this blog I will always be honest with my reviews, I bought this a couple of weeks ago, and initially I was really impressed seemed like a really nice product especially from No7 which is a make up brand I have never been overly impressed with in the past. It looked so pretty and swatched really well on my hand.........

But I have to say I just don't like this. I just find its so hard to blend?!...It just sits on top of the skin and no amount of buffing blending etc seems to make any difference? I also used it as a highlighter for the brow bone and it made my eyes really sore. Now this may be due to me having overly sensitive eyes but generally I feel you should be able to use a product like this on that area of you face.

Whats your thoughts on this product???.........x...:0)

2010-02-22T11:09:00.000-08:00

Random Haul.......ASOS .......N07......M&S!

So I picked up a few bits and bobs over the weekend, and thought I would share with you all, firstly I just love this cleanser, finished the first bottle completely ( which is a first for me!!!!) and really have been impressed with it. It's Boots No7 Soft and Soothed gentle cleanser for Normal/dry skin. I find this cleanser really soothing on the skin, it removes all my face makeup completely, not eye makeup but I still use baby oil for that, always have done! It doesn't feel heavy or greasy and leaves my skin which is on the dry side feeling really moist....(I hate that word...) it costs £7.95 from Boots and the last bottle probably lasted me 3-4 months a bargain I feel!!!

Next!!!....Nail Polish.......

So I picked up a couple of nail polishes one from M&S from there new spring pastel collection there really pretty colours but the pale pink/lilac was my favourite, I'm always drawn to the light blues and mint greens but whenever I put them on my nails I just don't like them..... So at £2.50, I picked up the one called "pastel" they go on really well no streaks and the colour is really pretty!

Also I got an Essie nail colour from ASOS www.asos.com in the shade Red Nouveau. I have been looking for a red shade for a while now, I don't really like the standard red nail polish colour I have loads but this one is different it's what I would call a tomato red rather than a pillar box dark red, I have been looking for this shade for a while, and after application I am pleased i bought it. It goes on really well, only needed 2 coats, so yea for Essie polishes....this is my first one....(of many i feel)........:0)...x

2010-02-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

Cynol Moisture Dream - leave in conditioner

Now I'm new to the Cynol range of hair products, but after a recent trip to the hairdresser, stressing about how dried out my hair was, she suggested the above. I was hesitant at first as I have never had good experiences with leave in conditioners always seem to leave my hair feeling heavy and gunky when blow dried!!!.... But surfice to say, after the hairdresser applied this my hair did seem really shiny and smooth so I purchased!... The product comes in a pump spray and is a clear liquid with the top third being a milky consistency, you shake up the bottle and then apply 3 to 4 sprays to damp hair before blow drying. I have been using this product for a week now and have to say I'm impressed! it really doesn't leave any residue and my hair seems to be much smoother and less dried out on the ends. I read a review by the lovely Sarah at http://www.iheartcosmetics.co.uk/ on the shampoo and conditioner and am seriously considering purchasing them too.... Do you guys have any experience of this haircare range?........ x

2010-02-11T10:49:00.001-08:00

OMG!!!!!!! Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation

Now I have been looking into purchasing/finding a foundation that I really truly love.....I have tried soooo many over the years, and trust me there have been a lot of them when your 36!!! My current favourite was as with a lot of you bloggers... Revlon Colourstay. Great foundation great staying power, if only one gripe a little hard to blend, I like to apply foundation with a brush and I find it hard with this one. Now I have been pouring over numerous blogs getting recommendations from Maybelline to Giorgio Armani, but one make has stood out in the review stakes and that is Chanel Vitalumiere, I have been reading the lovely girls from Pixiwoo's site and although they use and advocate lots of different brands they do seem to favor this one and when watching them apply it it looked rather lovely!!!...So off I went on an impromptu shopping trip to House of Fraser with my mum and I headed straight for the Chanel counter. Now the lady there colour matched me with beige 40 (I tried it on myself, there something about someone applying foundation to your face with a q -tip that I don't like!) and I must admit the match was spot on, so I purchased.

Now this is a big investment for me at £31 and of course was worried I wouldn't really think much of it, but oh how wrong I was. I gave it a little trial run this evening, it comes in a very nice pump applicator bottle and I applied 1 to 1 half pumps to back of my hand, and blended it in with my foundation brush, a little definitely goes a long way, and it covers like a dream!!! but in no way at all does it feel heavy or cakey it just glides on, It made my skin look really fresh and dewy, the look I have been wanting to achieve through prob the last 5 foundations I have used. So to sum up I'm LOVING this so far and thanks to Nic and Sam at Pixiwoo for your great videos an getting me on to this product, I think this one is definitely a keeper!...x

2010-02-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

E.L.F........

Now I'm not new to E.L.F make-up, I first bought from there great website last year, the prices are so reasonable that you cant really go wrong....!.. http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/

That said, I wouldn't say all of the products I have tried have been good, and there are some that I defiantly would not re purchase, all in one concealer, cakey and dried out quickly, lip glosses sticky and do no apply well..... But there brushes are excellent value for money and compare really well to some more expensive ones I have, that tend to shed thier hairs all over your face!!... (MAC 190 you know who I'm talking about!!)

"Coralista" on the left, "Tickled Pink" on the right

So anyway on my quest to build up a varied blush collection 2 E.L.F products caught my eye, from thier the studio collection and go by the names "tickled pink" and "candid coral" these arrived today and I couldn't wait to get home and try them, if your not familiar with E.L.F products there packaging is very similar to NARS plain black simple, and clean, the blushers come with a mirror in the lid, (not very useful for applying blush) , but would be a good one in your hand bag for lip gloss on a night out...:).....On swatching these on the back of my hand neither product seemed to have very much pigmentation but i decided to try them properly when home and was pleasantly surprised. My favourite of the 2 is definitely candid coral, this reminds me of Benefits coralista which has been blogged about lots, but with E.L.F being £3.50 and Benefit £22, need I say more??....... I like this blush it is a pretty coral peachy colour with really pretty gold flecks in it. not at all glittery just leaves a really subtle sheen on the cheeks! a winner I think? "tickled pink" is a nice pink and I'm glad I purchased it, but It is very sheer and maybe more suited to fair skinned lovelies and not darker skins like myself. So to round up I'm pleased with purchases and will look into some more E.L.F products soon..........So what are your thoughts on E.L.F???

2010-02-03T12:34:00.001-08:00

Quick Shout Out.....

Just a quick shout out for an eye pencil I picked up yesterday.........The product is called "Band of Bold" in the colour "Ever Green"

Sorry not a great picture!!!...... doesn't do this product justice!! this is a REALLY great pencil, very soft to apply you don't have to work it at all, it just glides straight on, with good pigmentation looks lovely on brown eyes and it has metallic undertones really pretty!!

Well all that's left is to tell you where I purchased this little beauty, and it was Primark!.....have never really thought much about there beauty products before, and wasn't holding out great expectations for this pencil, but I have to say at a price tag of £2 you really should snap one of these up!

2010-02-02T05:51:00.000-08:00

No7 Heavenly Hydration.....!!I purchased this at the weekend on recommendation from a friend, I really wanted something to put on a cleansed face a night before bed... Have had numerous night creams none of which I feel really have made any difference. This cream is marketed as a "softly lightly whipped gel-cream"...(it does look a bit like a Mr Whippy ice cream, which actually made it more attractive!!!!)..."With an instantly quenching caring boost". Its marketed as a mask they say leave it on for 3 mins then wipe away, or for more intense moisture leave for up to 10 minutes. I find though I have been putting it on at night before bed and leaving it on, it soaks into your skin anyway, and I cant really see the benefit of wiping it off after 3 minutes??. Anyway I have very dry skin and I have been doing this routine for the last 3 nights, I have to say it makes your skin feel really soft and I am impressed with it so far. Maybe avoid the leaving on overnight if you have skin on the oilier side, but generally this gets a thumbs up from me so far...if this changes and breaks me out into spots I will be sure to blog and let you all know.....:0)

2010-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Emma writes......

Wednesday 27th January.......

Product Rave!!!!!

I know that these products have probably been blogged about more times than I've had hot dinners but heh?? sometimes we all need a reminder of how good they really are....What i hear you ask?.....Well the items in question are The Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour products.....

I bought this set on a flight to Spain last year and I think the cost was around £22, a bargain as the eight hour cream on its own is around £16. now I know the eight hour cream is a very strange consistency think vaseline with a slight medicinal smell to it, and I have to admit when I first purchased it I thought it was a cream to smear all over your face...WRONG!!...but it is nothing short of a miracle worker for chapped lips...dry skin patches.....cold sores.......red skin around he nose area after a cold...need i go on??? one application of this little beauty before you go to bed and i guarantee by morning it will be well on the way to disappearing! Also in this set was the hand cream, which is really nice, not to greasy and smells pleasant enough. And the lip balm really nice to for dry/chapped lips in winter, although i have to admit i prefer slicking a bit of the eight hour cream on myself, think it works just as well if not better!!! Well that's my rave over , these are cult products that have been around for ages but they really do deserve a shout out, oldies but goodies..........Anyone have any old favourites?

2010-01-21T04:28:00.000-08:00

Emma writes......

Wednesday 20th January 2010

MAC Haul

Well yesterday I decided to take a trip over to Bluewater and visit the MAC store in House of Fraser.......My excuse was I had some vouchers for xmas......! Plus who really needs an excuse to visit MAC anyway????.....

I was interested to see the new "Warm and Cosy" collection although there were not many products that were exciting me from looking at other beauty blogs. But my purchases were

The MAC "cuddle" shade stick (in the white case)......This is a really lovely product, very creamy and easy to apply, I hate these shade sticks when there dry and you almost have to scrap them across your eye...this is not like that atall and I was tempted to buy "teddy" in this range too which was a lovely metallic brown colour, but I resisted!!!

Next up from this collection was the MSF in comfort, (above) I didnt think I was going to buy a MSF but I loved this one, it was duly applied by one of the MAC artists and i was sold!!!.....it's a really lovely brown with flecks of gold might work better on darker skin like mine, could be to heavy on fair skin......

r>Now I was going with all intentions of buying a couple more eye shadow singles, and vanilla pigment that I had heard good things about from follow bloggers.....but after looking at vanilla it was going to give a very similar end result as the "cuddle" shadestick and out of the two I felt I would get more wear out of the stick!.............After looking at the rest of the pigments I decided I would try a couple more, the colours are really beautiful, I decided to try "Golden Olive" and "Blue Brown" I would never have norally picked up the blue brown but one of the girls working there had it on and it looked GORGEOUS!!!......she had on a base of "Blackground" paint pot which I have and then layered the pigment over the top, it looked stunning!...will maybe try and do a pic of it on my eyes for this blog.

Lastly I have been on the hunt for a good concealer now for some time, and believe me have tried loads, high end to drugstore and still nothing that really works!!!......so i thought I would try out MAC and decided on the MAC moisturecover in NW25 this was applied to my eyes in the shop and WOW!! it really seemed better than anything I have used before, but I will report more on this as i use it....

>Anyway money spent now im poor again...but heh these purchases make me happy......

2010-01-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

Sunday 17th January 2010

Think Pink!!!!

After having a sort out of my lipsticks/glosses over the weekend......(God I have soooo many) I have decided I have been on the look out for the perfect Bright Pink Lipstick for some time now......I love that look of minimal eyes slick of black liner and a really bold pink lip...(think Rhianna esq..) but this is not an easy lipstick to find , prob on par with finding the perfect Red??.....A while ago while browsing the MAC counter I thought I found it.....I loved the look of MAC Chatterbox and although it is a bold pink I am quite dark so felt I could carry it off......Hmmm well I think it has been worn maybe once? applied lots of times with good intentions but never made it out the door on my lips!!! its a very hard colour to wear and I think maybe suited to blonde's rather than brunettes? A couple of weeks ago I picked up a pink in Barry M which I felt could be the next contender???? And............????

I love it! its Barry M number 146, they don't seem to have names on there shades, but its lovely! at first glance it looks very similar to MAC chatterbox bu it has deeper undertones and is just an easier shade to wear, although its still edgy enough o be a statement pink i feel.....S any one out there found there perfect Pink....???????

2010-01-15T03:20:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone.......(or not????).....Feels wierd doing this, It's my first blog!!! will anyone read it? Well this is something I am passionate about and my goal for 2010 is to start this beauty blog and also enrol on a proffesional make up artistry course, no more what if??.....do it next year....NO! This is the year for big changes........

So......Thought I would start off with a blog that everyone seems to love.....(I will venture into Videos but heh one thing at a time....)

PRODUCTS I'M LOVING RIGHT NOW!!!

1. Revlon Colorstay Foundation

I know its an oldie but after trying more foundations than I care to mention......:/ I have to say for a drugstore product this is really really good!!!.....It is thick and although I own the MAC foundation brush this is not one to be used with a brush!!...fingertips all the way , it is thick agreed but I tend to mix it with a hightlighter cream which brings on to number product no 2!

2. Barbra Daly "Glow Up" Face highlighter cream

OMG!! this is brilliant.... I have been using this for at least 2 years and have never read much about it review wise on the Internet/Blogs but trust me in my experience this is one of the only highlighters that actually really makes your skin shimmer...no glitter, easy to blend and for around £6 it really is worth a try, I tend to mix it with foundation in the winter and use it as a highlighter on its own on browner skin in the summer. Its not drying like the Eyeko cream I have tried and blends much easier than more expensive alternatives from Benefit........ This really is a staple in my make up routine!!

3. MAC Fix+

Im a new convert to this, purchased it at the Airport on the way to Spain for New Year....I cant resist a MAC purchase at the airport, I feel myself being dragged in every time!!!!!! telling myself I NEED another pigment/lipstick etc......I had read about this on Lollipop26 Blog and thought I would give it a go, have to say a spritz of this after make up application really does seem to keep everything in place for much longer....and im informed in the summer months it gives a nice dewy effect which we all love....so def worthy of a place I feel.

4. Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil

Got given some samples of this when visiting Space NK in Covent Garden, was sceptical at first although it did feel really nice when the sales assistant was applying it to the back of my hand.......I have to be honest and felt it was very pricy at around £55 for 450ml bottle , but having read rave reviews about it online and then given lots of samples to try i duly took them home to give it a go. Claims from beauty blog land say that it leaves your skin feeling so soft you don't need a moisturiser..(yer right)..but I hve to say that after having used it ( and it is wierd applying oil staright on your face!!) you then add water and it emulsifies and literally melts the make up away....mascara the lot!...and aftewards...WOW! my skin felt amazing really really soft. I did still use a moisturiser but that part of my routine that im sticking too, but I was really impressed by this product and in hinsight seeings you dont really need to use that much Im figuring a large 450ml bottle would prob last a year?? so an investment worth making.

5. NARS Mousson cream-powder shadow

Now im new to the world of NARS, have always tended to steer towards MAC in the higher branded end of the market, but after a recent shopping trip to John Lewis in London at Xmas I felt myself being drawn to the NARS counter.......I loved the latest collection 'Holiday 2009' there were lots of products I would have loved to purchase but the one that stood out was this shadow, its a mossy/shimmery green not drying like some cream eyeshadows and I find application with a small brush best for this, its not to shimmery that it looks out of place during the day, but also can be built up enough to create a stunning nightime shadow, looks goodwith an outer corner of MAC Smut........Am loving this shadow and is not that similar to the tens of other I have in my collection....worth a purchase, nice packaging too Like the mirror in the case, although not sure you would ever use it to apply with but heh?? a mirrors always handy!!

Anyway thought I would leave this at 5 products for now....see if anyones interested....etc.... but would love to hear your views opinions on any of the products, or anything you fancy sharing...feel free.......x