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Monday 29 June 2009

June's The Good and The Bad

Thanks to the lovely heat wave we've been having in the UK I've been having trouble keeping my make-up on, the air conditioning system were I work is broke and I'm literally melting.
The humidity is so bad that as off today I'm not even gonna bother straightening my hair anymore cause it either turns into a ball of frizz or goes flat and limp.
Consequently I've found myself not using as much because I'm too sweaty to be bothered.

The Good:

MAC Cleanse Off Oil, still loving this from last month, I don't think I'll ever find a product that cleanses so well.
Elemis Sensitive Cleansing Wash, I use this to wash my face in the morning. It smells amazing, is super gentle on skin and it moisturises.
MAC Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF50, I'm using this as my moisturiser and sunscreen in one, it's not a thick and heavy as my moisturiser.
Sleek's eye shadow pallates, the quality is amazing and they only cost £4.87.
NARS Laguna, I keep trying new bronzers and always go back to this one.
MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty and Pleasantry.
Dior Lip Glow, perfect shade of translucent pink and the texture is light and not greasy.
MAC lipsticks in Brave New Bronze, Angel and Saint Germain.
Barry M lip paints in Peachy Pink and Dolly Pink.

The Bad:

Moisturiser, it's too hot and sticky for me to want to use one and the ones for oily skin are lighter but don't actually moisturise.
Foundation, because of the hot weather and no air conditioning I can't get any of my foundations to stay.
Hair straightening, again because of the heat and humidity my hair does not stay straigh no matter what I do.
Lush Porridge soap, I had a feeling this was the cause of breakouts on my back and chest and I was right.

Barry M Lip Paints Review

Barry M as recently released 4 new pink shades and I absolutely love them.
The colors are Peachy Pink, Dolly Pink, Punky Pink and Cerise Pink.

Back in April I reviewed Barry M lip paints and was not impressed with them mainly because of the texture being dry and the colors being unwearable for me.
But having tried the new ones I feel I judged the lip paints a little harshly, I still don't like Marshmellow or Baby Pink and I don't think my opinion on those too will ever change, Palest Lavender is okay but lasting power means I wouldn't re-purchase.

I don't know if they changed the formula or what but the new ones are gorgeous, they go on smooth, pigmentation is amazing, they aren't drying and the colors are really flattering.

I got 3 of the 4 new colors, Punky Pink and Cerise Pink are to alike for me to wanna get both and Cerise Pink is something I would wear more in the winter.

#147 Peachy Pink is just like the name implies, slightly more on the peach side than pink, it's probably the most wearable of the bunch and the only one that's matte in texture however it isn't drying.

#146 Dolly Pink is a medium bright cool pink that is sort of along the lines of MAC Saint Germain but a little deeper and not as loud. Saint Germain is one of my favourite lipsticks but I have to say I prefer Dolly Pink cause it's easier to wear.

#145 Punky Pink is a bright hot pink that's similar to MAC's Girl About Town in both color and texture. Looks great for summer paired with a nude eye and lightly flushed pink cheeks.

#144 Cerise Pink is a deep raspberry shade and only a shade darker than Punky Pink which stopped me from buying it.

I would reccomend to anyone who is looking into buying a lip paint to go and test them first, they are not labeled according to finish and texture and belive me they differ greatly.

I really hope in the future Barry M will release more color as long as the quality is on par with these.

Sunday 28 June 2009

LOVE/HATE Tag

The lovely Lorraine at TheCurrentCustom was tagged for this and she asked everyone to join in too so here's mine.

LIPS

Love:
Nude, light pink,hot pink, red, lilac, coral, peach.
I like creamy opaque finishes and long lasting formulas, shimmer is okay as long as it's not too much.

Hate:
Brown, taupe, rust, copper, plum and burgandy. Anything that's too Frosty or glittery as well as gloss finish lipstick as these don't last.
Lipstick that as bleed outside of the edges of your lips and lipstick on teeth.
Overlined lips and too dark liner.
I also hate dry chapped lips or when a lipstick as left that white residue on your mouth.

FACE

Love:
Defined and neat eyebrows, smooth glowy blemish free skin, light bronzer and a pink or coral blush.

Hate:
Overplucked brows, spots or scars that are not covered well, cakey foundation and too much powder. Overly matte or overly shimmery finishes, foundation that's too light, too dark or the wrong undertone. Bronzer and blush that's not been blended properly.

HAIR

Love:
Red hair, any variation of the color really. Long healty shiny hair is something I love but will probably never achieve on myself.

Hate:
Too much hairpray so that hair doesn't move, sticky or greasy hair due to too much product, faded haircolor,roots, split end, dry and damaged hair and the dreaded frizz.

EYES

Love:
Smoky eyes, nude eyes, bright neon eyeshadow, volumised lashes, winged liner.

Hate:
Badly blended eye shadow and spidery lashes.
Eyeshadow that as little to no pigmentation.

BODY

Love:
Soft smooth skin, nuff said.

Hate:
Body hair, I hate having to shave it takes too long and it grows back too fast.
Waxing last longer but it hurts and it's expensive.
I also hate badly applied fake tan or people who are too tan.

20 Questions Tag

This tag as been doing it's round and even though no ones tagged me I'm still gonna do it.

1. Thing you cannot leave the house without?
My handbag, I could technically leave the house without it but I wouldn't get very far, both my bus pass and purse are in there and I can't get to work without either one of those.

2. Favourite brand of Make-Up?
Hard to narrow it down to one as I have favourites items from lots of different brands but it would probably be YSL for high end and GOSH for drugstore.

3. Favourite flower?
Rose or Freesia.

4. Favourite clothing store?
H&M for affordable basics and Miss Selfridge for their petite range.
I also like New Look and Top Shop.

5. Favourite perfume?
At the moment it's Gucci's Flora.

6 Heels or Flats?
I love the look of heels but I can't walk in them so I'd have to go for flats.

7. Do you make good grades?
I didn't make good grades at school but I guess I didn't really try. I did well at college, I did all my coursework and handed it in on time and passed but that's because I wanted my qualification.

8. Favourite color
Pink obviously, but I do like coral, red and black also.

9. Do you drink energy drinks?
Yes but I don't like to, they are full of sugar and some of them leave an aftertaste.
However they do give you a caffeine boost which is good if your addicted to it.

10. Do you drink juice?
Yes, my favourites are orange, guava and lychee.

11. Do you like swimming?
No cause I can't swim, I'll splash around in a pool or even the sea as long as the water isn't deep but I can't actually swim no matter how many people try to teach me.

12.Do you eat fries with a fork?
No, who does?

13. Favourite moisturiser?
For the face Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream and for the body Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Moisture Melt.

14. Do you wanna get married later on in life?
No, I can't see myself ever getting married, you can live and be happy with someone for all eternity without needing it written on legally binding papers.

15. Do you get mad easily?
Yes extremely easily but for stupid reasons, the things that should get me mad don't and the one's that shouldn't do.

16. Are you into ghost hunting?
Yes, all the time, in fact I'm off ghost hunting right now. Come on what kind of a question is that of course I don't go ghost hunting.

17. Any phobias?
Spiders, if I see one that bigger than a grain of rice I will scream the place down and get someone else to get rid off it.

18. Do you bite your nails?
No it's such a disgusting habit.

19.Have you ever had a near death experience?
No and touch wood I never will.

20. Do you drink Coffee?
I can't live without coffee. If I don't have my morning cup of coffee I can't function properly. I'm not fussed on what type it is either I like my latte's just as much as I would enjoy an espresso.

Natural Collection Review

Let me begin by saying I will NEVER purchase anything from Natual Collection again, EVER.

Natural Colection is a Boots own brand aimed in my opinion to young girls,fun light girly colors and the products are cheap and more often than not on 3 for 2 or 3 for £5.

Packaging is cheap and flimsy looking (you get what you pay for on this occasion) but I'm prepared to overlook that fact if the product itself performs well, however it doesn't.

The lipgloss is the most gorgeous shade of nude peach I'll ever come acroos but as the lasting power of water, feels gritty on my lips, is extra drying, leaves a white residue when it wears off and as this wierd artificial sweatener taste to it that I can't bear.
Honestly this is probably the worst gloss I've ever encountered, and it's such a shame cause the shade of it is truly lovely.

The lipstick is no better, for a product marketed as "moisture shine" it's neither moisturising or shiny.
The color is a light pinky nude but goes on lighter than the tube and the texture is dry and heavy and it applies unevenly, it will settle in every line and make your lips look dry even if they are not, a balm underneath does not help the problem it just decreases the lasting power and it's not great to begin with. I'm lucky if this lasts 20 minutes before it's gone and all I want to do after I've worn it is moisturise my lips cause they feel like rough and dehydrated.

These were a complete waste of £5 and I'm annoyed that I bought them, I actually wouldn't rather go without makeup if this was all that I could use.

Collective Haul

Yep another haul, this as been accumulating for the past 3 weeks.

Natural Collection was on 3 for £5 and a couple of their items had caught my eye so I got:

Natural Collection

Fondant Juicy Lips Lip Gloss, I got two of those.
Apple Blossom Moisture Shine Lipstick.
A sample of Dior Nude and one of Dior Forever.

Both items are a huge disappointment, love the colors but the quality of the product is appalling, full review coming soon.

I've been looking for neon pink and orange shadows for a while now so when I saw the new Sleek Acid palette I had to get it, what have you got to lose for £4.87.
I like them a lot and went back for the other two.

Sleek Devine Acid Palette

Acid Palette

Sleek Devine Storm Palette

Storm Palette

Photobucket

Original Palette

Next on to the Barry M, a couple of new polishes and the new Lip Paints:

Barry M Fuchsia & Bright Purple

#302 Fuchsia
#303 Bright Purple

Photobucket

#147 Peachy Pink
#146 Dolly Pink
#145 Punky Pink

A couple of Chanel's new Glossimers:

Chanel's Mica & Venus

#131 Mica
#124 Venus

Last but not least a two new foundations by Dior, I know I've only just bought the Korres one's but after trying a sample of the Dior Nude I had to get it.

Dior Nude

Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup in #020 Light Beige
Diorskin Nude Natural Glow fresh Powder Makeup in #020 Light Beige

Tuesday 16 June 2009

New Hair Color!

I haven't had my hair professionally dyed since end of February quite simply because I've been topping up my shade with Special Effects hair dye.
Because the Special Effect won't take on hair that hasn't been previously bleached or permanently dyed I was left with a couple of inches of regrowth even tough the rest was still red.
So I guess you can see why I was in dire need of a color, I decided I wanted something warmer for summer than the cool based red I had all during winter, I'd debated about going back to blonde but I don't think it suits me and I do love red so my hairdresser reccomended copper and I love it.
She did a darker copper base with brighter, lighter copper highlights that are still quite subtle as she placed them underneath the top layers of my hair.

Here's a picture:

Photobucket

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Korres Ginger and Vitamins Foundation Review

This is a review on the Korres Ginger and Vitamins Foundation, it comes in a 40ml tube and retails for £17.50.

From the box: Lightweight, water-based foundation that balances skin tone and leaves the skin fresh and luminous. Smooth to aplly and easy to blend, it combines medium coverage with sun protection. Enritched with vitamins C and E and Ginger extract to tone and moisturise the skin.

First of all lets get the packiging out of the way, yes you know what I'm gonna say, it comes in a bloody toothpaste tube, please Korres if your reading this CHANGE YOUR PACKIGING! it's so not travel friendly and I'm so scared it will burst in my make-up bag.
Having say that the product itself doesn't dissapoint and it makes a fantastic light and dewy foundation.
The box describes it as medium coverage however I would actually describe it as sheer to medium, buildable coverage, for example if I use my MAC 109 brush I find the coverage it gives me is just as good as the Wild Rose, but the finish is completely different.
Wild Rose as a luminous satin finish this is more of a fresh and dewy finish, it looks more moist and glowy kinda similar to how a tinted moisturiser looks.
This is a really nice summer foundation, it's extremely natural but still covers minor imperfections and if I set it with a powder I find it lasts about 8 hours before I need a touch-up, it's a lot more moisturising that the Wild Rose in my opinion and it does so without turning into a oil slick by noon.
I did not have a problem with the undertone of this one, shade LF1 is a perfect match,much more yellow based than the lightest shade in the Wild Rose.
Now there are some bad points, first is the smell, I can't even describe what it's like but it's not pleasant however it does fade really fast,secondly is it's SPF of 10.
I would have like to see this with an SPF of 20 like the Wild Rose as I'm more likely to use this in sunnier weather as I like the ultra natural finish it give.
While I still prefer the Wild Rose I do think this is a great foundation to have too, this will replace my tinted moisturiser this summer and I shal very much enjoy using it.

Korres Wild Rose Foundation Review

This is a review on the Korres Wild Rose Foundation, it comes in 30ml bottle and retail for £20.

From the box: Long-lasting foundation for a flawless, radiant finish. Smooth to apply and easy to blend, it offers natural looking coverage and sun protection. Wild rose, a natural source of vitamin C, works to repair fine lines and brighten uneven skin tone.

I purchased this based on the glowing review given to it by Lisasz09 on youtube, she absolutely raves about it and I can really see why.

Let me start by saying that selecting a shade takes a little work and even after doing my research I picked the right shade depth but the wrong undertone. This is because Korres Color isn't sold in many places and there was no way for me to get color matched, and had to rely on online swatches to make my selection.
I got it in shade WR1 when I really should have gone for WR2 which is more yellow than peach, apparently the un-even numbers are like MAC's NW shades and the even numbers are like MAC's NC shades.
Having said I've matched my undertone wrong, it doesn't look bad, in fact I'm probably the only one who notices it and as I set with a yellow based powder it seems to even everything out quite nicely.

One thing I hate about Korres is the packiging, the Primer and Ginger and Vitamin foundation are packaged in toothpaste tubes and this one is in a brown glass bottle and not a pump in sight, I cannot understand why companies in general don't provide pumps with bottled foundation especially if it's in a glass bottle as these are easier to go flying out of your hands when your shaking it to get product out.

Design flaw aside I cannot fault the stuff, it's medium to full coverage with an SPF of 20 and it leaves my skin looking flawless, not a blemish in sight.
It even my skintone in a way no other foundation ever as and it does so without making my face feel caked, I would probably say this compares the closest to Studio Fix Fluid in finish but anyone who's ever used that will know it can feel heavy and make you look greasy, the Wild Rose doesn't have that problem.
I've actually gone a full day and it's still perfectly in place, it doesn't budge and it doesn't sweat off which can be a major problem for me.
This is fast becoming my Holy grail Foundation and I will certainly b re-purchasing, in a different shade, when it runs out.

Korres Primer Review

This is a review on the Korres Face Primer, it comes in a 30ml tube and retails for £19.50.

From the Box: Certified organic, silicone free make-up primer with antioxidant, nourishing vitamin E, jojoba and sunflower oils and edelweiss extract.
This silky, fast-absorbingformulation acts as a layer,keeping skin elastic and comfortable, while offering smooth, long-lasting make-up application.

I absolutely love this primer, it beaten my GOSH primer to first place.
It feel just like your putting on a moisturiser, it's light and absorbs fast but it leaves a smooth surface for foundation but does so without leaving your skin with that slick silicone feel that can sometimes feel heavy.
It really does make you foundation go on smoother, last longer and it make my skin look airbrushed.
Another bonus is it smells absolutely fantastic just like lemon cheesecake, it's worth it for the smell alone.
One thing I don't like is the packiging, it comes in what looks like a toothpaste tube, I can see it being a pain getting to the last few drop of product and it just generally looks cheap and not worthy of the price tag however the product inside doesn't dissapoint and I can deffinitly see myself repurchasing in the future.

Monday 8 June 2009

Latest Haul

You've guessed it another haul but bear in mind that I do not buy all of this in one day it's been accumulating over the past 3 weeks and I'm too lazy to update every time I buy something.

Lush:

Lush Haul

Sugar Babe; this is basically a solid sugar scrub bar enriched with Coconut oil for it's moisturising qualities. Not quite sure how you're supposed to use it but I split mine in four and used a quarter on damp skin and gently massaged it in to exfoliate, it starts melting as soon as it gets into contact with water so you have to work quick but I did like the feel of my skin afterwards.
Porridge Soap; this smells absolutely amazing, just like an oat cookie however my skin as broken out and I'm not sure if it's this that's causing it.

Urban Decay and Dior:

Urban Decay and Dior

Urban Decay Get Baked Palette; I'm pretty damn sure I have most of the colors in this palette but it was too cute not to get.
It contains 4 eyeshadows in Twice baked' Half Baked, Flipside, Baked a mini 24/7 liner in Bourbon and a mini Sin primer.
The color are all very wearable and perfect for summer.
Dior Lip Glow; supposed to give your own personalised shade of pink, personally I can't see that and I find it goes the same shade on everyone.
Dior Lip Maximizer; this is supposed to plump your lips instantly as well as long term with continued use, again I've not used it enough to say if it works or not.

Barry M:

Barry M Dazzle Dusts & Lip Gloss

Dazzle Dust in:
#98 Petrol Black
#94 Teal
#93 Block Blue
#39 Tan
#44 Bronze
#89 Oyster Grey

Glossy Tubes in:
#4 Matte Pink
#9 Flamingo Pink
#11 Passion Pink

Korres:

Korres

The Korres Color range is amazing and I love everything I got, I will be doing a review on what I got.

Organic Face Primer
Wild Rose Foundation SPF20
Ginger and Vitamin Lightweight Foundation SPF 10

MAC:

Style Warriors Haul

Style Warriors impressed me more than I taught it would, I might actually go back and get a couple more things.

Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel and Bronze Hero; absolutely adore these as they are multi-purpose, they can be used as a liquid luminizer mixed with your foundation, as an highlighter and the darker shade can be used as a bronzer on lighter skintones.
Solar Bits in Scatterrays; there a reason why I didn't get these the first time round and that's because they were too chunky and glittery, I'm still trying to figure out why I bought one this time round cause I dislike it with a passion.
Wanna look like a disco fairy then these are a great buy however if you don't avoid like the plague.
Eye Shadow in Bright Future; Chrome Yellow's easier to blend and more wearable cousin.
Lipstick in Brave New Bronze; this is great for a warmer more natural nude lip and it's a satin which happens to be my favourite finish in a MAC lipstick.