Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to post quickly to say...

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a fabulous day with all your loved ones, also hope Santa was very good to you!

This is about as Christmassy as I get, lol!

Love you all :)

Christmas Wish List

Hey everyone,

So with only 6 days until Christmas and a tiny bit of spare time on my hands I thought I'd make a quick post with my Christmas wish-list.

I don't usually tend to "ask" for things.. I just hint - strongly. ;)

Typically though I'm now struggling to remember what I asked for.


So if I forget something I'll just add to it later.

1) Clarisonic Classic - I've been wanting this for close to a year now, I really feel like my skin could benefit from this after reading and watching so many reviews.  No matter how much I scrub it, it just doesn't feel or look (to me) "clean". 

2) Liz Earle Skincare Essentials Kit - This is another thing I've wanted to try for quite some time.  I've read and heard tons of reviews on these products and how amazing they are, and some even pair it with the Clarisonic so it's really a bonus extra!

 

3) Nails Inc set. - I saw a set on QVC of Nails Inc polishes, there was like 8 polishes for £22 - which is a STEAL if you know that Nails Inc polishes cost £11 each.  That's a £66 saving!  I love the quality of Nails Inc but can't ever really justify the cost, so this set would be great.

4) OPI Touring America Polishes - There are a few from this collection I'd like, and as I have a Sally's card I've told my Mom she can use it to go buy them for me, haha!

5) Kindle - I've wanted a Kindle for ages now, and I'd mentioned it quite a while ago but then I remembered I wanted the Clarisonic.  So whether or not I'll get it I don't know.  I can't be too selfish - I do have two younger brothers that need Christmas presents too.  I won't be too bummed out if I don't, but I would LOVE it if I did.


I think that's roughly it!  I know my Mom isn't finished my shopping so I may ask her for a make-up palette of some sort.  Maybe the new BOS from UD?  I'm not really interested in the new Naked2 palette.


What have you guys asked for Christmas? Are you done all your shopping? What about wrapping?

Also!  Please don't forget I have a NEW Twitter account!  I will be deleting my old one so if you'd like to chat to me follow me on Cosmeticicle !  :)

New Twitter & Update

Hey everyone,

Once again I'd like to apologise for being AWOL.  I'd planned on getting back on track with my posts and then I had to move house.

As I'm sure anyone who has moved house knows - it's stressful and takes up a TON of time.  Not only that, I also had no internet for 3 and a half weeks.

So after moving and having no internet, I then had to do a bunch of assessments etc for college so a lot of time went into making sure I passed (which I did!) them all.

I do plan on getting back on track with my blog.  I am really sorry I've been such a let down.

I've also made a new Twitter, specifically because people in my personal life whom I did not want seeing it did, and by which point I couldn't make it private.  I've already changed it on the side bar, but for those of you who don't have it yet my new account is called: Cosmeticicle -- It is set to private, so you'll have to "request" it but so long as I don't know you in my personal life, I'll happily accept you without a problem.

I do hope you're all doing well.  Christmas is so stressful!  Maybe Santa will be good to me this year and get me some nice things to blog about? :)

Are you guys all done your Christmas shopping?

Nails Inc Glamour Magazine

Hey everyone,

Today I'm going to talk about the Nails Inc polishes you get free with this months Glamour magazine.  There are four to choose from and if you're lucky and quick enough, you may get all of them.

So far I've only managed to find three of them, much to my dismay.

Basil Street, Tate and Piccadilly Circus are the ones I have - I'm still hunting for Victoria!

I have to say - I was shocked when I first swatched these polishes.  They went on so smoothly, so easily and SO opaque in just one coat!  I almost didn't use a second one, but couldn't help myself.  They are definitely worth the £11 original price tag - however I just can't justify it to myself to buy more.  Enough of my rambling, onto the swatches!

I'm going to add quickly that I've just taken these photos about 20mins ago, at around 5pm.  I have every light on in my bedroom trying to get a decent representation of them and I'm hoping they at least help you all some what get just an idea of what you'd be getting.

Bottles themselves:

 

Funnily enough, Piccadilly Circus looks like a really pretty pink-ish colour.. but when swatched, it's actually very dark.  I do however still find it to be very pretty.  I also have yet to see these in daylight so that could change how it looks perhaps.

Swatches!

L-R: Basil Street, Tate, Piccadilly Circus with flash

L-R: Basil Street, Tate, Piccadilly Circus without flash

I'm actually finding it difficult to tell you which is more accurate.  I suppose in the lighting I have, without flash is definitely seeming to be more accurate however I have to admit I'd kind of like it if it were the other way around.

I'm really sorry again I couldn't get better swatches, but hopefully this gives you an idea, somewhat of what you'll be in store for.  Also keep in mind that when you pick up the magazine - the name of the polish is not on the box of the polish so you'll be comparing them all to make sure each polish is slightly different in colour.

Drying time for these polishes is impressive.  It's taken me 25mins to swatch, take photos, edit photos and type this post up.  In this time the swatches are 90% dry - two coats.

Overall opinion - absolutely worth the £11 per bottle.  If you're like me and can't justify it, I strongly suggest you get them from the Glamour offer this month.  £8 total for £44 worth of polish?  It's a steal.  If you don't like the colour - give it to a friend!

I hope you're all well.
 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation Review

Hey everyone,

So recently I went to my local House of Fraser and got matched for the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in the shade Shell.

Rather than buy this straight away, I took home a sample to use.  The first time I wore the sample my skin looked amazing.  The colour matched me perfectly, all flaws were hidden and I didn't even need to use concealer due to the sheer epicness of this foundation.

Then we come to last night.  I have been sick for the past week and a bit and I'm still recovering, but I was going out to a friends house and decided to try it again.  This time... I looked like a ghost.  I'm usually as pale as you can get, "Ivory" in most foundation brands is usually too dark for me.. but dear lord there IS something lighter than me.  

I don't know if maybe it is the SPF in this foundation, or whether it's just completely matched incorrectly... but I looked like a ghost.. or like I was wearing a mask.  Let me show you.

Isn't that INSANE?!  Then again, I think my camera hates me as my chest/arms are NOT that tanned at all.


The unfortunate part is this - someone bought me this foundation in THIS shade because it was what looked great on me the last time I wore it and I told them it was this shade that was for me.  So now, I have an unopened bottle of Double Wear, with no receipt to take it back to Boots.


Time to break it down.


It's a liquid foundation that claims to have "medium" coverage but is definitely more full coverage than medium to me.  However it is a buildable foundation so you can choose to make it more full if you'd like.
  
It has SPF 10 in it, which I find to be quite useless but heyho! 

It claims to have 15hrs of staying power. - After 15hrs it's not perfect, but it is still there.

The finish is "natural" to "semi-matte" - Personally I'd say this is a "natural" finish rather than "semi-matte"

Is it worth the price tag?  If you're matched correctly - absolutely.

The one downfall I can find is the packaging.  I'm sure most of you know this comes in a beautiful glass bottle - but no pump!  So I'd suggest using something to scoop the foundation out of the bottle so you don't use more than necessary.  Would not want to waste any of this stuff.

I hope you're all doing well!  Let me know if you have any questions, it's been a while since I have done a review so I'll be sure to answer them!

EDIT:  In the middle of writing this post I went into town with no make-up on with my bottle of Shell in hand.  I was able to exchange it for another shade, the lady matched me to Ecru.  I'll update you on how it is once I've tried it out properly.

FOTN

Hey everyone,

So as I said in my last post, I was going out for a meal with some friends for one of their birthdays.  I was trying to do something fall-ish.  I'm not quite sure if I nailed it but I like how it turned out anyway.  Here is the look.

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Ivory
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer - Light
E.L.F HD Powder

NYX Raisin Blush

MAC Fix+

Eyes

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil - Milk

MAC Woodwinked

MAC Handwritten

MAC Sketch

MAC Cranberry

MAC Vanilla

Stila Smudgestick - Stingray

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Black

MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil - Dirty Blonde

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - 003 Extreme Black

Lips

Carmex Original Lipbalm

MAC Vino Lipliner

MAC Musky Amethyst Lipstick

Let me know what you think!  I hope you enjoyed and I hope you're all well.  To those of you who have commented lately - thank you!  I will be replying to them soon.  I appreciate all the feedback.  Any constructive criticism though is always greatly appreciated.

FOTD

Hey everyone,

Today is a FOTD I did Friday last week. I actually just basically copied xsparkage's look, I wanted to try it out myself. I didn't do the liquid eyeliner or the lashes (I still haven't gotten these mastered yet and didn't want to ruin the look by messing it up).

It's actually my second time doing this look, I wish I'd gotten photos the first time as I think it came out much better that time than it did this time.

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Ivory
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer - Light
E.L.F HD Powder

Can't remember the blush, sorry!

MAC Fix+

Eyes

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil - Milk

Sleek Acid Palette

Stila Smudgestick - Stingray

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Black

MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil - Dirty Blonde

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - 003 Extreme Black

Lips

Carmex Original Lipbalm

NYX Thalia

Apologies for photo quality in these ones. It was 7am as I was getting ready for college, no decent light outside and absolutely exhausted.

I'm going out for dinner and drinks with the girls tonight so hopefully I'll manage to get a decent photo of the make-up I wear. I hope you're all doing well!

FOTD

Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well.

I'm posting a look I wore the other day. I kept it very simple as I was exhausted and just throwing it on to go out for dinner, lol.

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Ivory
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer - Light
E.L.F HD Powder

NARS Orgasm Blush (I think!)

MAC Fix+

Eyes

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil - Milk

MAC Woodwinked

MAC Club

MAC Plumage (tiny bit)

MAC Vanilla

Stila Smudgestick - Stingray

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Black

MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil - Dirty Blonde

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - 003 Extreme Black

Lips

Carmex Original Lipbalm

NYX Thalia

That's it! I hope you all enjoy. Sorry the photo isn't great. My camera skills are lacking lately for sure. Like I said, it was a very quick look I just threw on to get out the door. :)

FOTN

Hey everyone,

Today I'm gonna just post a couple pictures of the make-up I wore on a night out with the girls in August, I think it was roughly the 27th/28th. Hopefully I'll remember all of the products used.

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Ivory
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer - Light
E.L.F HD Powder

Blush - Can't remember, sorry!

MAC Fix+

Eyes

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil - Milk

MAC Cranberry

MAC Sketch

MAC Shadowy Lady

MAC Vanilla

Stila Smudgestick - Stingray

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Black

MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil - Dirty Blonde

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - 003 Extreme Black

Lips

Carmex Original Lipbalm

No 7 Moisture Drench Lipstick - 30 Plum Beautiful (I think, the name has rubbed off)

For good measure I'll add in a photo of me actually out so you can perhaps see it just a *tiny* bit better.

That's it! Hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think and I hope you're all doing well! :)

FOTN - Family Meal

Hey everyone,

This FOTN I did was actually on August 24th, it was my brothers 15th birthday and we went out for a family meal and snapped a photo of the make-up.

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Ivory
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer - Light
E.L.F HD Powder

MAC Blush - Well Dressed

MAC Fix+

Eyes

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil - Milk

MAC Goldmine

MAC Steamy

MAC Deep Truth

MAC Vanilla

Stila Smudgestick - Stingray

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Black

MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil - Dirty Blonde

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - 003 Extreme Black

Lips

Carmex Original Lipbalm

MAC Gem of Roses 

 

 

I'm pretty sure this is all correct.  It was a while ago but if memory serves correctly this is it.  The only changes would be the blush and lipstick but I can't be 100% sure. 

Hope you like it! :)

FOTD?

Hey everyone,

So today I'm just posting a FOTD? type thing I did a month or so ago.  It's very obviously not for every day wear, it was more so just me playing around with the make-up out of boredom.

Either way, enjoy it for what it is.  A hot mess!  :)

Hope you're all well!

AWOL - quick update!

Hey everyone,

Apologies for not posting in over a month.

It's been a hectic couple of months for me.  Especially since the start of September.

I've started college, studying Level 1 Diploma in Beauty Therapy.  So far, it's alright.  I have more complaints than I do positive things to say about the course thus far so I'll refrain from doing so.

I'm also having a rough time in my personal life.  I'm trying to move house, by that I mean I'm trying to find a house and having absolutely no luck.  The worst bit is needing to move as we were told the landlords don't want to continue the tenancy.

My Mom has been sick for a year now, she's still not very well so things are still very tough there and trying to help her out, find a house to move into, pack and go to college and have somewhat of a social life is really taking it's toll on me.

I don't really have the time to sit down photographing products and to write reviews.  My days off from college consist of me running around like a headless chicken or trying to catch up on sleep as I'm so exhausted.

I do however plan to make some FOTD posts.  I do my makeup most days for college so the days I do I'll try to remember to take some photos and post them on here.

I hope you're all doing well! :)

Update!

Hey everyone,

I thought I'd do a quick update as I've not posted for a little while.

I have a lot going on in my life at the moment which is why I've not been posting.  Just a lot of personal issues, nothing to be concerned about though.  I do plan to be back soon hopefully.

If you have any post requests for when I'm back, let me know.

I hope you're all doing well.  Also, hello to all of my new followers!

My CP package!

Hey everyone,

I thought I'd write a quick post about my CP package I received. The wonderful Jen over at Five by Five was kind enough to pick me up a couple (3) things I'd wanted from the US but cannot get here in the UK. It arrived last week and I love everything.

The items she picked me up:

MAC Soft Brown Eye Shadow - I remember seeing it used in a tutorial and went to check it out on the MAC website to find it isn't there. Upon googling, I found out it's no longer available in the UK (apparently?) so I wanted to get that.

MAC Jealousy Wakes Eye Shadow - Who hasn't heard of this? This is the ever famous Jealousy Wakes created by the beautiful Christine over at Temptalia for the MAC Bloggers' Obsession Collection. This is an absolutely gorgeous colour, I'm so glad I got my hands on it!

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer in Light - I've seen SO many reviews on this product saying it can cover up absolutely everything, it's better than the Kat Von D concealer which is made for covering tattoos, etc. The difference is this costs $6 instead of $25. I don't have the Kat Von D one, however I will do a review of this one at some point.

This is all I got! I have another package coming in a couple weeks, my wonderful older brother back in Canada has been kind enough to pick me up some things I can't get here. I also plan on getting him to get me a few other things as well so long as they're in stock at the time.

Thank you again, Jen!

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara Review

Hey everyone,

So today I'm doing a review on the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara.

I had seen this used by Pixiwoo a few times before I decided to buy this.  I'm the type of person that really struggles with big mascara wands and trying to apply it to your bottom lashes without smudging it everywhere can prove to be quite a challenge, so I finally bit the bullet and bought it. As you can see, I bought it in 01 Black.

First let me point out just how small this is.

As you can see, this is a very small mascara tube.  I'm sure many of you expected it, I did also.. However it did surprise me just HOW small it is.  That's okay though, it does the job well.

I really do love this mascara.  It's small, it applies so easily and I've had less smudges than ever.  It reaches in to the inner and outer most corners with ease,  there is no clumping at all and it doesn't give you those horrible "spider" lashes.  It does take a bit of getting used to using such a small wand, but you soon do and I don't think people with problems would regret the purchase.

Like I said, the wand is tiny - but it does the job!  One thing I did find a tad off was that the tube actually says nothing on it.  The pretty flower design you see is all that is on there.  No where does it say "Clinique" or "Bottom Lash Mascara" - thankfully I know it is a real one as I bought it from a Clinique counter, otherwise I'd maybe assume it was a fake.

This costs £10 at your local Clinique counter or on their website and can be purchased in Black or Brown/Black.

Overall: I love this product. I will repurchase it and I recommend it to anyone else who has difficulty applying mascara to their bottom lashes.

Do you have this?  If so, what's your opinion on it?  If you don't, have you thought about purchasing it?

FOTD

Hey everyone,

Yeah, I know.  I need to stop doing FOTD's.  I can tell by the lack of comments you're bored.  I do have a couple more interesting (I think) posts than this coming up though, promise!

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Ivory
Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer - Light
E.L.F HD Powder

MAC Blush - Well Dressed

MAC Fix+

Eyes

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil - Milk

MAC Goldmine

MAC Free To Be

MAC Vanilla

Stila Smudgestick - Stingray

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Black

MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil - Dirty Blonde

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - 003 Extreme Black

Lips

Carmex Original Lipbalm

MAC Ever Hip

I really feel this is quite a fresh, spring/summery look.  What do you think?

FOYD

Hey everyone,

I thought I would quickly post my Face of Yesterday, haha. I've really been trying to get into wearing more make-up and improving my "skills" if that's what you'd call them.

I'm not entirely pleased with how this turned out, mainly because I kept forgetting to do things as I was rushed, but oh well.

Face

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Ivory
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - 1 Fair
Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder - 1 Barely There

MAC Blush - Well Dressed

MAC Fix+

Eyes

UDPP

NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil - Milk

MAC Expensive Pink

MAC Satin Taupe

MAC Vanilla

Stila Smudgestick - Stingray

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Black

MAC Impeccable Brow Pencil - Dirty Blonde

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - 003 Extreme Black

Lips

Carmex Original Lipbalm

MAC Girl About Town

As you can see from the first and second photo, the second photo is brighter and "glossier". In the first photo, I'd blotted my lips but decided I didn't want that so I swiped another layer of colour on and applied some of my lipbalm on top to help keep my lips moisturised.

Last photo, just to try and show how bright the lipstick is without horrible "fake" lighting.

I still really can't show just how amazing this lipstick is. I admit, for someone who loves bright make-up as much as I did, I first felt a little self-conscious wearing it. I got used to it though, just as I got used to the very odd dirty looks from women when I was wearing it. Can bright lipstick really cause such looks? Apparently so, it's all I can think of.

I hope you all like this! I'm still not particularly proud of how it came out, but that's more so because I was rushed and lost my mind.

Stila Smudgestick Review/Swatches

Hey everyone,

As promised, I'm doing my review on the Stila Smudgestick's I bought last week in Boots.  I've worn them several times since then and let me just say, I LOVE them.

I bought them in Stingray (Black) and Peacock (Blue).

These eye liners are your typical mechanical twist-up pencils.

Here is what is said about them on the Boots website.

"Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner. A color-rich, vibrant, easy-to-use eye liner with staying power. Long-lasting, waterproof formula." 

In my experience, this is exactly right.

I have yet to wear the blue, however it has been swatched several times since I've owned it and it's exactly the same as the black.

I have never experienced such pigmentation with an eye liner before.  Literally, ONE swipe and you have full colour.  You don't have to sit there and apply it five times before you get the pigmentation you want.

Onto the swatches.

Left: First applied. Right: First applied and smudged with q-tip.

Now, I'll show you the photo of the SAME swatches however, they're over 24hrs old.  I have washed my hands, showered, cleaned, done dishes, washed my make-up brushes, applied/rubbed in hand cream etc.  The only thing I haven't done is removed them with an eye make-up remover or wipe.

Please excuse the cut. My cat got me when he was playing.

As you can see, they have both smudged/faded in this time, however you can still clearly see them.

Something you may want to know: Although these have excellent staying power, I have noticed that they DO still smudge - no matter how long you have left them.  Let me try to make something clear, though. Whether it is wet or not, this will not move UNLESS you rub it.  This also stays perfectly on the waterline.

Overall: I recommend these.  I realise they're more expensive than your typical drugstore eye liner, but they are SO worth it.  I plan on buying every colour they have, eventually.

Where to buy?: The Stila website has a list of UK Boots stores that stock them.  If you don't have one near you that stocks them, you can buy online on the Boots website.

How much?:  I paid £13 in store for mine, however for some odd reason it says online they are £14.  Then again, the display in-store said that price too.