Thursday, 12 June 2014

MAC Peaches and Well Dressed Blush...


I'm a bit of a fan when it comes to MAC blushers. They come in a variety of great colours, have a lovely finish and are extremely pigmented. These 2 that I have added to my collection are probably my favourite blushers of all time. Well Dressed, a sheer baby pink that goes with any makeup look. It gives a soft flush of colour to the cheeks and everyone should have this in their collection, it's perfect for bridal makeup! And Peaches, the most gorgeous blush ever. It's a shade that suits fair skinned gals like myself but on tanned/olive skin it looks so pretty. It's the blush that I have been reaching for most mornings.

What's your favourite MAC blush?

Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Bourjois Velvet Rouge Liquid Lipsticks...

L -  Hot Pepper, R-  Pink Pong

Bourjois has always been a firm favourite of mine. It's one of the best drug-store brands who seem to create fantastic dupes of high-end products. The Bronzing Primer is a perfect dupe for the Soleil tan de Chanel and the Java Rice Powder is very similar to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. However Bourjois's most recent launch is probably one of the most exciting launches yet. The Velvet Rouge liquid lipsticks have recently hit the shelves and they are already extremely popular. Liquid lipsticks are nothing new, both Sleek and Topshop have also bought out similar products but nothing like what Bourjois have to offer. 

There are 8 shades to choose from, ranging from nudes, corals, reds and pinks. I swatched all 8 onto my hand and I thought each one was bloomin' lovely. I finally decided to go for Hot Pepper and Pink Pong, be warned, both are mega bright but gorgeous colours. The formula of these lipsticks is very different to any other similar products I have tried. When it comes to matte, I tend to find that the lips can often look really dry and a bit flaky. Well certainly not with these, they first apply wet but once dry they are full on mattes with no flaky business going on. You can throw on as many coats as you like and your lips will never feel dry and the colour pay off is amazing! The cute little applicator makes it easy-ish to apply, steady hands are a must! 

What's really great about these though is the staying power, they just don't budge. I first wore Hot Pepper and around 3-4 hours later my lipstick was still intact (and that was after devouring a chicken kebab and a can of coke, damn Sunday hangovers!) I think these will be great to throw on before heading to a festival so you don't have to worry about checking your compact every 10 minutes for a touch up!

These are available for £8.99 each, currently Superdrug are offering buy one get one 1/2 price. So I'd be quick if I were you, trust me, these are going to be a sell-out!


Wednesday, 9 April 2014

HD Brow and Eye Palette...



Since Cara Delevinge first graced the cover of magazines and walked the walk on catwalks we have all been obsessed with eyebrows. Her thick, bushy eyebrows are her main stand out feature and us girls have been dying to grow out our over plucked brows.

Unfortunately I was one of those girls who got very tweezer happy back in my early teens. Over plucked and seriously arched, I look back at old photos and cringe. And since then it has been a bit of a pain trying to grow them back out. As soon as I see any stragglers I get itchy tweezer fingers and have to really resist the urge not to pluck.

About a year or so ago I was introduced to HD brows. A 7 step procedure that transforms the look of any brows. After seeing several before and after pictures I was seriously impressed and booked myself an appointment. After being waxed, threaded, plucked, tinted, shaped and so on my brows nearly resembled Cara's. They looked so much thicker and the shape really suited my face. At £25 I was so happy I tried it out. The shape was easy to maintain and after the tint faded, I was able to use brow pencil or shadow to easily fill them in. My favourite brow product to use at the moment is the HD brow palette in Blonde Bombshell. As the name suggests this palette is best suited to blondes or light brown haired gals. It comes with 4 different shades, 2 ash-brown shades that are perfect to fill in the brow. A matte black, which I would use more as an eyeshadow. It's far too dark and obvious when used on the brow and a matte cream vanilla shade. This is the perfect colour to highlight the brow bone or as a base shadow for the lids. Long-lasting and smudge resistant it's so easy to create perfectly groomed brows in an instant. 

The palette also comes with 2 teeny-tiny brushes. A perfectly angled brush to apply the shadow to the brows and a small eyeshadow brush. 

There are different palettes to choose from all of which will be suited to your hair colour. Vamp - for dark haired girls,  Foxy - for brunettes and red heads and Blonde Bombshell - for blondes (obviously). The palette is available from BeautyBay.com for £19.95. However I recommend you check out eBay first as I managed to grab mine for £15.

Thursday, 3 April 2014

Laura Mercier Royal Orchid Lipstick...




I have been watching a lot of Monika Blunder's makeup tutorials on YouTube recently and I absolutely love her. Monika is an outstanding makeup artist to the stars, often working with the Victoria Secrets models, Mollie Sims, Taylor Swift, Megan Fox and the gorgeous Rosie Hunting-Whitely.

Monika's tutorials are so informative, fun to watch and easy to follow. She often uses a few drugstore products as well as easy to get hold of high end products. I love the way she creates such different looks in each video, nothing too dramatic, just gorgeous looks that everyone can relate to and follow.

I also follow Monika on Instagram as she often posts pics of the makeup looks she creates on the celebs. Recently she uploaded the above photo of the stunning Rosie and the comments on what lipstick she used on the model came flooding in. The lipstick was Laura Mercier Royal Orchid. A gorgeous, sophisticated your lips but better shade. It's a creme finish lipstick that covers the lip in colour and has a beautiful texture and finish. I love using this as an everyday lipstick for work or at the weekends, it nourishes my lips and it's something that I can throw on without having to use a lip liner or even look in a mirror. I love this lipstick and I think it's going to be a firm fave with future wedding clients.

It's available from Space NK or John Lewis for £21. Subscribe to Monika's YouTube channel here.


Monday, 31 March 2014

Tanya Burr Lipgloss Review...



L - R Aurora, Picnic In The Park, Paradise Island
Tanya Burr launched her range of lip glosses and nail polishes back in February so I am a little bit late jumping on the bandwagon here! However Feel Unique currently have 25% off all of her products so it was finally time for me to test some out. 

I'm sure most of you reading this post will know exactly who Tanya Burr is but if not, here is a little background information. Tanya Burr first started YouTube around 4 or 5 years ago and has since become a pretty well know celebrity in her own right. Her YouTube channel gets around 5million views per month and her 1.89million subscribers love to watch her makeup tutorials and monthly favourites. She's often seen on the front row of fashion shows and has made a massive impact on the beauty industry. It was only a matter of time before Tanya would be creating her own products. Teaming up with eyeCandy, Tanya has created a range of lip glosses and nail polishes at affordable prices. Each product has been uniquely named by Tanya herself, all of which have a special meaning to her. The lipgloss Aurora is named after her favourite Disney Princess, Sleeping Beauty, such a nice little touch.

Moving onto the products themselves, I ordered 3 of the lip glosses. Aurora, a beautiful cream finish gloss thats a gorgeous every day colour. Picnic In the Park, a really pretty pink and Paradise Island, a bright purple gloss with specks of glitter. All 3 glosses are beautiful and have a lovely texture. I love the packaging of the glosses and the smell is amazing. They smell like sweets but aren't at all sickly, and the pigmentation of each gloss is great. They are almost like a gloss stain as they last for ages. I am seriously impressed as I knew I would be and they are so affordable at only £6.99 each. There are 12 shades to choose from so there will be a shade for everyone. All of the products are available from Feel Unique or Superdrug. 




Monday, 24 March 2014

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette Review...






Urban Decay are renowned for their Naked collections. First came the original palette that everyone and their dog seemed to rave about. After watching a few of Tanya Burr's tutorials using this palette I thought about buying it but never actually got round to it. Then the Naked 2 palette was launched, in my opinion it didn't look too dissimilar to the original palette so I wasn't overly fussed. But then came the launch of the 3rd palette, Naked 3! Now this was something to get excited about. It was completely different to the first 2, pinks, shimmer, rose golds, every single shade looked delicious.

There are 4 glitter shadows, two of which are super glittery, Dust and Buzz which you don't get too much colour payoff from. I find it best to dampen these shadows before applying to get a better result. Then there are two matte shadows, Limit and Nooner. Both are dusty rose shades, Limit being the lighter of the two and requires a bit of build up. One is a satin-matte shade, Strange. Although not a strange colour at all, this pink vanilla shade works well with all the other colours. Then the rest are a mix of shimmer and satin. As always the quality is amazing but you do get a bit of fall out with these.

I think a lot of different looks can be extracted from this palette. Keep things soft and pretty by using the left hand side of the palette or create something a bit more dramatic with the colours on the left. Mugshot and Factory are two of my favourites shades to create something with a bit more depth. Whats also great about this palette is that it seems to suit all skin tones and eye colours. I think I will be using this palette a lot for future bridal makeup. It's hard to go too full on and I think a lot of people will be goo-ing and gah-ing at any look you choose to create.

The palette is £37, however it does contain 12 shades, a double ended shadow brush (which is actually pretty darn good) and 4 samples of the Urban Decay Primer Potions. It's available at Debenhams, House of Fraser or online.

Let me know if you have any of the Naked palettes and which one is your favourite. I am really tempted to purchase the original palette now that I have fallen in love with this!


Friday, 14 March 2014

Rituals Fresh Fig & Rice Milk Whipped Body Cream...



One of my new years resolutions was to take better care of my body. Get fit, lose weight and look after my skin. I'm pleased to say that I have generally stuck to it! I am eating a lot better, no more snacks or greasy takeaways, I have started up my running again and I treated myself to some luxurious body care products.

This may sound really grim but I never used to moisturise my body. My face, of course but the rest of me, too much effort! I can be extremely lazy at times. But something kept on nagging at me to start doing it and I kept on hearing so many raves about different body creams. There was of course Laura Mercier's offering, Almond Coconut Milk and Fresh Fig Creme both smell amazing! And Soap and Glory also have a great range to offer. But I had first heard about Rituals when Fluer De Force posted a review on her blog about the Honey Touch body cream. Fluer said that she was obsessed by this, her review made me want to buy it instantly.

So I went onto Feel Unique to have a snoop. Bearing in mind I hadn't ever smelt any of Rituals scents I didn't really know which one to go for (they offer quite a variety!) Do I go on Fluer's recommendation or do I try something different? I love the smell of anything that contains fig so when I saw the Touch of Hammam Ultra Rich Whipped Body Cream with Fresh Fig & Rice Milk I thought perfect, that's the one for me. I also nabbed the Hammam Delight Foaming Shower Gel Sensation in Fresh Eucalyptus and Rosemary so I could smell extra delightful!

The cream itself is rather gorgeous, I can see why Fluer became so obsessed with it. The texture is quite thick but when applying in onto the skin it sinks in beautifully. It leaves my skin feeling so soft and the smell, well I just love it. It lingers for ages and when I apply it just after my evening shower I can smell it wafting around my bedroom (and my PJ's smell gorge).

The shower gel is pretty lovely as well. It has a totally different smell, really fresh and minty. I squeeze one big pump onto my hands, it first appears as a gel and then when you rub your hands together it turns into a foam. It really lathers up so a little goes a long way, I can basically scrub my whole body from head to toe with 2 pumps. I actually look forward to my showers now so I get to use these two products.

The whole Rituals range is available from Feel Unique. The body cream is £17 for a 200ml tub and the shower gel is £8.50 for 200ml. Have you ever tried anything from the range? I think I will definitely be buying the Honey Touch body cream once mine is finished.

Monday, 10 March 2014

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm...


So if you have been following my blog for a while now you probably already know how long I have been dying to try the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, (what a mouthful). I had already been using Clinique's Cleansing Balm for about 6 weeks and was loving that but the Emma Hardie balm was still lingering around in my mind. I convinced myself that I needed to treat myself so I ordered mine from Feel Unique. £34 lighter (I know, big treat for moi) I was happy that I was finally about to try the skin product that everyone loves!

When it arrived I still had over half the tub left of my Clinique balm so I thought I would finish that before trying my new purchase. Overall the Clinique balm lasted around 4 months, which I thought was brilliant and I seriously loved how it removed all of my makeup and how it made my skin feel. At only £21, the Emma Hardie balm had a lot to live up to in my eyes.

First of all this balm has a very different texture. It's much more oily and has quite a strong scent. It's a pleasant smell and reminded me of the type of massage oils you find at Spas. It's seriously relaxing massaging it into the skin and I literally apply it all over my face, even on my eyelashes and lids and haven't experienced any irritation. I then take a wet muslin cloth and wipe everything away. I do find that I need to use more of this than the Clinique balm to remove every single trace. Sometimes I have to repeat the process twice if I have been wearing quite a bit of makeup that day. Something that I didn't have to do with Clinique.

The balm itself contains moringa seed extract, wild sea fennel and vitamin E which helps minimise the appearance of open pores. It also contains orange, neroli and mandarin oils that work to rejuvenate and revitalise the skin. I have very dry skin and it leaves my skin feeling comfortable, clean and fresh. I don't find that it necessarily hydrates my skin so I would recommend moisturising afterwards.

Since using the balm I have had quite a few break-outs on my face, especially around the chin area. I'm normally pretty lucky when it comes to spots, don't get me wrong, there has been the odd occasion where I get a belter but I never seem to have break-outs. I don't know if it's because of the balm but I didn't experience this when I was using my Clinique one. It does an excellent job of removing makeup but that's all I find it does. My skin doesn't look replenished or glowing afterwards (something that a lot of other bloggers have found it does for them) so I personally think it's a little too heavy for my sensitive skin. I have read a lot of reviews on this product and haven't found a bad one yet, apart from the lid breaking and the packaging being generally a bit rubbish. I just don't think this is suited to my skin as well as the Clinique balm. When I'm finished with this I don't think I will be re-purchasing. The Clinique Balm stole my heart and I'm looking forward to buying it again. It's cheaper, doesn't have a scent (which I personally prefer when it comes to skin care), probably lasts longer and I feel is better for my skin. If you would like to read my review on this product click here.

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

MAC Peach Blossom...


Over the last few years I have accumulated quite a lot of MAC lipsticks. I think it's safe to say that they are probably my favourite, the variety of shades is second to none. My first ever purchase was Speed Dial, a really girly pink shade that I still wear a lot. Then I started to play with some colour, Vegas Volt, a bright coral colour with a tinge of orange, looks great with a tan and Rebel, a gorgeous deep berry colour. Then I started to go through a phase of more nude colours, Cherish, Hue, Snob and Viva Glam V were all added to my collection.

So what could I possibly get my hands on next? Anna over at Vivianna Does Makeup recently blogged about her new favourite MAC lipstick, Peach Blossom. I have been following Anna's blog for a few years now and I really trust her judgement and recommendations. It's a cremesheen formula, which is my favourite of all the textures. It gives the right amount of moisture and shine to lips. It's very much a my lips but better shade and it's fast becoming my go to lipstick on a daily basis. I love pairing it with natural makeup, a touch of foundation, a slick of mascara, a pop of blush on the cheeks and Peach Blossom smeared on the lips. Definitely my kind of makeup style. 

After wearing Vegas Volt throughout last summer and Rebel nearly through the entire winter it's nice to swap to a more neutral shade. I also love popping the Laura Mercier lip glace over the top in Bare Peach to give a little more colour and shine, my review on that can be found here. You can also check out Anna's review of the lipstick here.

Friday, 14 February 2014

Charles Worthington's Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray...


So you may have heard every beauty blogger rave about the Oribe Dry Texturising Spray over the last few months. There is only so much a gal can take before indulging in a hair product that, quite frankly, is supposed to transform flat, lifeless hair and boy do I need transforming!

The only problem I was faced with was the price! £38 for the 300ml spray and £18 for the 75ml. Now I  enjoy spending money on beauty products, both high end and drug store but I can't justify that kind of money on a spray. I thought there must be something similar out there that I can try for under £10. And yes, yes there is. The lovely Amelia Liana did a review on the Charles Worthington's Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray and actually said that this is just that tiny bit better. So how much does this one cost? At only £6.99 from Boots I jumped straight onto this band-wagon and purchased two.

I don't have anything to compare this spray to but I don't think I need to. This just ticks all the boxes. It adds volume, height, texture and long lasting hold. Everything that the Oribe spray does but at a fraction of the price. It's a brilliant alternative to dry shampoo but it doesn't leave roots looking grey. It's an invisible spray that gives full on glamorous hair. And at only £6.99 I don't feel guilty for using it on an every day basis. 

The lasting power of this spray is pretty incredible, it's so good that when I wake up the next day it's still in my hair. It is a bit of a nightmare to brush out so a few quick sprays go a long way. So I wouldn't recommend using it like a hairspray. A few sprays at the roots to add volume and a few sprays quickly through the ends to add some sexy texture. Anyone would think you have just walked out of the salon with a freshly blow-dryed bouffant.





Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Kevyn Aucoin the Iconic Eye Set...


The Kevyn Aucoin Iconic Eye Set is a beautiful nude palette containing 5 custom hero products. The palette includes 2 iconic Kevyn Aucoin essentials, the Sculpting Powder in Medium and the Celestial Powder in Candlelight. It also comes with 3 gorgeous eye shadows, the Shimmer Shadow in Rose Quartz and matte shadows in Light Bone and Taupey Gray. It's the perfect palette to create timeless looks that will never date. 

The Celestial Powder in Candlelight, this sheer, champagne coloured powder works beautifully as a highlight. It is designed to blur out any imperfections. Apply over foundations or on bare skin to highlight cheekbones, brow bone or as an all-over glow.

The Sculpting Powder in Medium, something that you may have spotted in my last post! This powder combines the perfect pigments that help recreate natural shading on the face. It's great as a contour through the eye socket to create definition and also through the cheekbones to easily enhance features. Kate Moss eat your heart out!

The Shimmer Shadow in Rose Quartz, a gorgeous shade that will suit every eye colour. This iridescent shadow creates dimension and light. It's a great colour I often use alone, sweep over the lid and add lashings of mascara. 

The Matte Shadows in Light Bone and Taupey Gray. These staple shades are designed to be used as an all-over base shadow or as a crease contour for real definition. They are colours that will help transform any look.

Basic Black full-sized Eye Pencil, this waterproof eye pencil is 'perfection'. The smooth creamy formula is smudge-proof free and delivers a silky carbon black colour. The palette also comes with a small angled brush that is great for applying any of the shadows onto the upper and lower lash lines.

Overall it's a gorgeous palette that I am sure I will be getting a lot of use from. It seems to have the perfect colours for bridal makeup so I am really excited to use this on my next job.


Monday, 3 February 2014

My Wish List...



Since falling in love with the Space NK site I seem to be spending most of my time browsing the products and adding items to my wish list. Only thing is it's just getting bigger and bigger!

So first up on my list is Charlotte Tilbury's Powder & Sculpt brush. After watching Charlotte use it continuously on her YouTube channel & Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup rave about it on her blog, it's a brush I am longing to add to my collection. The tapered brush just looks like it will help create the most killer cheek bones! Available from Selfridges for £35.

Something else that helps achieve supermodel bone structure is the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder. Formulated with brown, grey and red pigments, It seems to be the perfect shade to really sculpt the face. Available from Space NK for £35.

Tanya Burr celebrated the launch of her first makeup range last week and I have been itching to get my hands on some of the products! Tanya has created a beautiful range of nail polishes and lip glosses and they are now available to buy from Feel Unique. The names are super cute and I love the look of Afternoon Tea lipgloss and Penguin Chic nail polish.

Hourglass have recently announced the launch of the Ambient Lighting Blush powders and OMG do they look ah-mazing! Only thing is what one do I go for! They are available to pre-order from Space NK and I am in love with the colour Ethereal Glow! They come in at £26 a pop but seriously just look how pretty they are! Another thing I am longing for is the Ambient Lighting Powder in diffused light. Although everyone seems to adore these powders I just can't bring myself to spend £38 on a powder. However I will probably find this sneaking into my makeup bag sooner rather than later.

And the last two items on my wish list are the Georgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, £35.50 and Kevyn Aucoin's Sensual Skin Enhancer, £38. Both are loved by Nic from Pixiwoo and are firm staples in her make-up bag. In fact the Georgio Armani foundation is pretty much loved by every beauty blogger out there. Fluer De Force has been wearing this a lot in her recent YouTube channels and her skin is looking insane! It's been on my list for months now so I think it's only a matter of time before I bite the bullet and purchase it, even if it does carry a serious heavy price tag!

Friday, 31 January 2014

Laura Mercier Bare Nudes Mini Lip Glacé Set...


As I already mentioned before Space NK had the most amazing sale throughout January. So something else I was lucky enough to get my hands on was this mini lip glace set. I'm not too familiar with Laura Mercier makeup products but the hype surrounding YouTube and fellow bloggers  resulted in me buying quite a few of her products in the sale. This set was down to £15.50 from £31 so I thought what I great way to start introducing myself to the range.

So first of all how cute are these mini lip glosses? I love a miniature lip product that is small enough to fit into the tiniest of bags for a night out. I like to bring the entire contents of my makeup bag when I hit the town so these are perfect for me to squeeze into my clutch!

There are 5 shades within the set, from baby pinks to pale peaches and barely there nudes, Laura has provided a great selection. I adore the packaging, they just look like a really expensive product and the applicator makes it really easy to apply a precise amount of colour to the lips. Each gloss smells amazing, kind of like cake and it's very similar to the smell of MAC lipsticks (which I think smell and taste like cupcakes, yum!) The formula is really creamy, almost like a balm as it doesn't feel at all sticky. I have no problem wearing these out on a cold windy day as I know my hair isn't going to be stuck all over my lips! The colours are pretty sheer with a hint of colour but they look lovely on their own. If you do want to add more colour they also work really well over a lipstick, very versatile little things! Colours from L-R on the top image are Gilded Rose, Bare Peach, Bare Baby, Bare Blush & Pout.

Friday, 17 January 2014

Laura Mercier Votive Candle Sampler Collection...


Space NK has had the most amazing sale on in January! These Laura Mercier candles were 50% off, originally £42 down to £21. I first thought about buying them as a Christmas or birthday gift for someone but once they arrived I just had to keep them, oops!

There are 4 candles in total and they are a pretty decent sizes as well. Containing four different smells we have Amber Vanille, Creme BrĂ»lĂ©e, Fresh Fig and an exclusive addition to the collection, Tarte au Citron. Each come in a 70g chocolate brown glass tumblers which are equally gorgeous. From just smelling these beauties Fresh Fig is my favourite (slightly obsessed with anything fig anyway) but the others all smell seriously delicious as well. I haven't actually lit any yet as I am in the middle of searching for a new house so think these will be perfect to use then. Have you tried any of the Laura Mercier candles? 

Tuesday, 14 January 2014

theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer & Cabana BOY Blush...


theBalm is a brand that I haven't particularly heard much about nor have I purchased anything from the range until now. However Alix, beauty blogger & YouTube star from I Covet Thee is a huge fan and after featuring the gorgeous Mary-Lou Manizer in her 2013 favourites, I started to sit up and pay some attention! Now Alix is super gorgeous anyway but she always looks so glowing and it's all thanks to this pretty amazing highlighter. The Feel Unique website stocks quite a fair but from theBalm's range so I was really intrigued to try some of the products. Obviously I put the Mary-Lou Manizer straight into my shopping basket and was then on the hunt for a new blusher. I have loooooads of baby pink blushers so I decided to opt for the Boy's Blush in Cabana BOY, a gorgeous dusty rose colour with a hint of shimmer. Alix has also featured a blush from theBalm in her favourites video so I knew this was going to be good. I also really wanted to buy the Bahama Mama Bronzer (mainly because I loved the name) but it's been out of stock for a few weeks now, boo!

So my order arrived the other day and I feel like thanking Alix personally for introducing everyone to theBalm. Wow am I impressed! The highlighter is without a doubt the best highlighter I own. Now I am serious hoarder when it comes to highlighters, I have everything from the Bobbi Brown shimmer brick, Dior's Amber Diamond, Illamasqua's Gleam highlighter in Aurora & MAC's Soft & Gentle. But this just beats them all! It's a real eye catcher and with the smallest amount on the tops of your cheeks really brightens you up. It adds serious dimension to your face and the champagne colour would suit just about everyone. It's so finely milled that you could sweep it over the whole face to create a sexy and youthful glow. I would even sweep it across my lids for a night out. I like to use a fan brush to apply highlighter, I just think it applies it so much better and gives a more natural look. The brush I am using at the minute is the Smashbox fan brush in 22. Swirl the fan into the product and sweep across the desired area. You could also use this brush for bronzer and blusher, it's a great all-rounder.

The Cabana BOY blush is also a really nice product, I adore the colour. It's a lovely shade for the winter especially as I am so pale, this adds just the right amount of warmth. Just like the highlighter a little goes a very long way. The colour pay off is great and it's a blusher that lasts all day, something which is very hard to find in a blusher. The packaging for both is just so cute as well, it does remind me of Benefit's packaging but the blushers are so much better, you don't have to fight with the Benefit's boxes trying to squash them into your makeup bag! Both also came with decent sized mirrors as well. So overall I am so happy with what I purchased, next on my list is to try some of the brushes and I will definitely be buying the Bahama Mama Bronzer once it's back in stock!

The Mary-Lou Manizer is £15 and the Cabana BOY blusher is £13, both can be bought here.
Also check out Alix's YouTube channel to see just how gorgeous these look.


Friday, 3 January 2014

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara Review...


Finding a really good mascara can sometimes be a very hard task. I don't tend to purchase high end mascaras as I find Rimmel & Maybelline both offer some really great products. However after falling in love with the YSL Baby Doll mascara earlier on in the year, I found that high end makeup has a bit more to offer. My beloved Baby Doll mascara was on the pricey side, £25, although I LOVED it, I am not prepared to cough up that sort of money every other month.

So after Rhianna had launched her new collection with MAC last year I kept hearing good things about  her Extended Play Mascara. Fluer De Force in particular seemed really impressed and her lashes always look pretty phenomenal. Unfortunately by the time I got round to a MAC counter her collection had pretty much sold out. However I found out that it's actually part of MAC's permanent line (must be good!) but just wasn't in the snazzy pink and rose gold packaging, boo!

Ok so if I am honest I still prefer the YSL mascara but at £15.50, this comes in at a very close 2nd. It's a super lengthening and defining mascara which is also pretty good at adding volume to your lashes as well. Finding all 3 qualities in a mascara is pretty darn rare so I was really impressed. The brush is probably the smallest brush I have ever used but that's what makes it really good. It's really easy to reach every single lash and coats the bottom lashes nicely. I am probably the messiest gal when applying mascara (I must go through about 10 cotton buds a day to remove the mess I create all over my lids) but this wand seems to help me out a little. (Now I seem to use only 3 or 4 to clean things up!)

It lasts all day, no flaking or smudging and it still looks pretty good when I go to take to off at 11pm at night. 

Overall this is a really good mascara and a lot of people seem to agree. Lisa Eldridge and Sam Chapman from Pixiwoo have both raved about it on their YouTube channels. If your still thinking about buying the YSL Baby Doll mascara then compare my review here.

Thanks for reading, Becca...X