LOOK Beauty Lipstick 'Toffee Cup'

Price: £7.00Shade: Toffee Cup, 4 other shades in the range.Available: Superdrug
After finishing my Christmas shopping today I decided with my last ten pound note I'd have a little wander round Superdrug and treat myself. Any new stands immediately catch my attention so within minutes I was hovering by the LOOK Beauty counter, oohing and ahhing over new products. Torn between their lipsticks, nail varnishes and double ended lipstick/gloss I decided to play it safe and settle on a nude lipstick for £7 - not very adventurous I know!
'Toffee Cup' is quite peach/salmon toned, a bit like Mac Myth and applies very smoothly thanks to the creamy, soft texture. The pigmentation isn't as good as other nude lipsticks I've tried but the colour can be built up without looking like you have a lot of product on your lips. The finish is slightly glossy thanks to the moisturising formula, meaning it doesn't cling on to dry patches - which is never a good look.
Overall, I'm happy with my purchase, all the products are reasonably priced and seem good quality, the only thing I'm not a huge fan of is the packaging. The design on the outer casing is nice enough but the shape makes it a bit awkward to hold and it does feel a bit flimsy, although the magnetic lid means it wont fly around in your purse! I definitely want to try a few other products from the range!

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Batiste 'Wild'

Price: £2.99 for 200mlDescribed as: 'Wild is for daring girls who are in touch with their animal instinct. A feisty Oriental fragrance with loads of personality, it's the perfect partner when you’re out on the prowl.'Available from: Boots (in-store or online)
The newest addition to the Batiste line is their 'sassy and daring' Wild scent. Like the original formulas, this comes out white - so be careful those with dark hair. The packaging is adorable, I love leopard print so this makes a welcomed addition to the products on my shelf. The scent has notes of cocoa, vanilla and woody tones making it sweet and musky. I'm quite sensitive to fragrances, so for me it's quite a strong scent, I find it to linger and be more noticeable than other versions of Batiste - but not in a bad way. At just £2.99 this would make a great stocking filler or a little additional present!

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Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer

Recently Soap & Glory branched out into cosmetics and released a line of products, hoping to continue their success in a new area of the beauty industry. Curious, I dropped into Boots a few weeks ago to peruse their counter, which is very eye catching, and choose a few products to try out. I settled on the Smoulder Kohl SuperBlack pencil £5.00 (review to come), and the Kick Ass Concealer in Medium, priced at £10.00.The cardboard packaging is very sweet and appealing and the actual product packaging isn't bad either, everything inside feels secure, the consumer is told what each product is for and it's compact. This concealer has three steps to it.Step 1 - Under eye brightening concealer. 2.96gStep 1 is quite a neutral shade, with a slightly yellow undertone. The consistency is almost mousse like and much more creamy than I expected which made it easy to blend.Step 2 - Superwear face concealer. 2.9gStep 2 has a peach undertone and while still creamy, it's not as soft as step 1 making it easier to pat on to problem areas.Step 3 - Concealer sealing powder. 2.5gStep 3 is a white, finely milled translucent powder for setting the concealers, it also comes with a small powder puff for on the go application.
I really liked the idea of everything you need for concealing in one, compact product and if I'm on the go I'll definitely keep this popped into my handbag for touch ups. Other than that I probably wont get much use out of either of the concealers because although easy to blend, I didn't find they properly set so my mascara transferred underneath my eyes a lot. I also found that the under eye concealer moved about quite a bit, settled into fine lines - even with the powder, and looked really cakey. Ick!Would I repuchase?No, but I did find that the powder worked really well with the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer so I'll use it until that runs out.
Where can you find this? Boots

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Mac 'Painterly' Paint Pot

Availability: Permanent Collection. Available at Mac Counters or on their website.Price: £13.50Description: A highly pigmented eye colour that goes on creamy but dries to an intense, vibrant finish. The next generation of a popular Mac formula. Paint Pots maintain all the intense traits of it's inspiration. Long-wearing, colourfast. Creates seamless coverage without weight or caking. Blends smoothly over lids. Cream-based, can be mixed with Mac shadows or liners. Available in satin, cream, frost and pearl formulas.
After watching numerous videos on Youtube, featuring Mac Paint Pots I decided I needed to pick one up to see what the fuss was all about. I originally wanted 'Bare Study', described as a 'soft beige, with gold pearl' but found it to be far too shimmery for an everyday natural look so settled on Painterly, a 'nude beige'. For £13.50 you get 5 grams of product, which may not sound like a lot but a little goes a long way and after a months use I've barely made a dent. The packaging is sleek, compact and sturdy - ideal for anyone like me who manages to smash 9/10 products I chuck in my make-up bag!Why I love it? The paint pot warms up on contact so it's incredibly easy to smooth the cream over your eyelid, blending well but once set - they don't budge! If you mess up your mascara you can apply more and blend away mistakes, it gives your eyes a wide awake, natural look while concealing veining on your eyelids and evening the skin tone and it's an ideal base for eye shadows, ensuring you're crease-free all day, shadows stay put and colours are intensified.Only downside? If I apply too much, it causes slight creasing but this can still be blended away easily.Simple, everday look using 'Painterly' to even out the colour of the eyelid and lighten up the whole area, leaving you with a more wide awake polished appearance.Eyeliner, Rimmel - WhiteMascara, Maybelline - The Colossal Volum' Express Cat EyesAmazing Shine Lashes - 747-S

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Anastasia Beauty Express Brow Kit

I'm sure most of you have heard of Anastasia Soare, the women behind most celebrities well groomed brows including, Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum and Reese Witherspoon. She's now branched out and created her own line of cosmetics, including the Anastasia of Beverley Hills Beauty Express For Brows and Eyes that I recently received to review. Inside the set there's a travel sized angled brush, five eyebrow stencils, two brow shades, a wax, a highlight, a contour shade and a how-to list of instructions. I received the kit for brunettes, so the two brow powders were a medium ash brown and a dark, neutral brown - similar to mac 'espresso'.On first impressions I was a bit dubious as to how the stencils would work, I assumed if you simply drew on an eyebrow it would look unnatural and fake. The five stencils are all different and vary from petite brows, high arches to thick, modelesque brows so there's a style for everyone. Simply pop out the plastic, position over your eyebrow and lightly feather on the brow powder, remove the stencil and join in any gaps. Following steps can include applying the wax, highlighting your brow bone, contouring the eye, using the highlight as an all over eyeshadow and the deeper brow shade as an eyeliner - the possibilities are endless.How I use it:Choose a stencil depending on the brow shape you'd like.Place over your eyebrow and feather on the lightest shade of brow powder.Remove the stencil and fill in any gaps.Brush eyebrows upwards to make them appear fuller.Apply highlight shade to entire lid and inner corner.Use the darkest shade with the angled brush to draw on a winged liner.
The two brow shades are well pigmented and creamy, which makes them easy to apply and achieve a strong brow with minimal product. The highlighter is a golden, champagne shade that has subtle shimmer in and looks very flattering on the skin and the angled brush is the perfect size and great quality. Personally, I don't bother with the wax as I think it's a bit too hard and difficult to pick up the product. Overall, I love the kit and how everything is so compact, everything I could need for my eyebrows and eyes are in one place. The only thing missing for me is a travel sized mascara wand to brush through your eyebrows to finish the look and some tweezers, but obviously - they'd bulk up the price.Moving on to the price, this kit will set you back $39.95, which is just about £25. What do you ladies think, worth the money? or too pricey?The finished result using the 'Full Arch' stencil.

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So...? Fragrance Contest

Recently I was sent a few fragrances from the PR team over at So...? Fragrances. Like most girls I know, I always have a body spray or some kind of fragrance in my bag, just in case. Not wanting to leave you all out, they offered up a chance for me to hold a contest where one of you will win a So...? Rock n' Roll gift set which includes a 100ml edt & 75ml body spray!
The Rules;Like their Facebook page - Facebook Page LinkRegister/Become a member of the So...? Website - Website LinkLeave a comment where you state what fragrance you would like to win from the So...? Rock n' Roll Range& Don't forget to leave your e-mail address so you can be contacted when you win!
This contest is only open to UK residents unfortunately and will close in a weeks time, on Monday 21st November.

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Sue Moxley Baked Bronze

A few weeks ago my local Superdrug had a bit of a revamp. As well as being made more spacious and looking a lot cleaner a few new lines were added, including MUA, Sue Moxley and the Saturdays cosmetic's line. Instantly I was drawn to the Sue Moxley stand, partly because of their sleek packaging - mainly because all products had an introductory price drop, meaning everything had 50% off. Yippee.A few products were already sold out but I managed to grab two of the Baked Bronze pots at a bargainous £3.00 each! The shades I opted for were '1 - Miami' a beautiful champagne, golden shimmer and '4 - Bali' a peachy, pink with bronze veining.Both are very pigmented, easy to blend and come with a mirror in the top of the case, very handy! Although 'Bali' is exceptionally pretty in the pan the pink tint transfers very subtly. You'll get the most from using it layered over another sheer blush that you want a subtle shimmery finish to. As for 'Miami' this is a fantastic multi-use product - highlight your cheekbones and the bridge of the nose for a healthy sheen or use as an all over eyelid colour and brow highlight!I'm definitely going to head back to Superdrug and pick up the other two shades as well as trying out more from the range! Have you girls tried Sue Moxley?

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MUA heaven and earth palette swatches

Available at Superdrug£4.00
If you've had your eye on the Urban Decay Naked palette but it's not in your budget, then don't despair - the MUA Pro Heaven and Earth palette is just as good. I've owned, and sold the UD Naked palette because I didn't think the pigmentation was as good as everyone made out, especially for the price.Surprisingly for a budget brand all the MUA shadows are well pigmented, creamy and easy to blend. The packaging is pretty basic but even with the amount of times I've bashed it about it's not broken! The colours are gorgeous and ideal for a neutral palette, ranging from shimmery golds, bronze, highlight shades and deeper browns for smokey eyes.For £4.00 you can't really go wrong and I've already got a back-up sitting in my make-up storage box.

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we found love in a hopeless place

Estee Lauder Double WearCollection 2000 Lasting Perfection ConcealerMaybelline Stay Matte PowderBenefit 'Hoola'Bourjois Highlighting PowderRimmel Lash Accelerator MascaraRimmel Eyebrow PencilSue Moxley Bronzer - Shade 1 MiamiNyx Lipstick - Eros

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Guest Post; MyFace Cosmetics

A few weeks back I was sent some products from MyFace Cosmetics. Unfortunately, when they arrived all were aimed at people with fair skins - which with my fake tan obsession, is not me. Luckily for me, Samantha answered my tweet asking for someone to provide me with a guest review so the products didn't go to waste!
______________________________________
MyFace Cosmetics is a brand I've wanted to try for a while now as I've heard such good things about the products. With all the moving I've done recently and having been unemployed I've not been able to afford much make-up so was happy to be sent these to review!

MyMix Foundation
£12.99 - Available from Boots or Online
There are nine shades in the range and I received 02 - Fair, which is the second lightest colour. When I first swatched this on my hand I thought it would be far too dark for my skin tone but on application it seemed to blend well and matched my skin quite well, although I probably could of done with the lightest shade. I found this to be a medium coverage foundation, but definitely buildable. When I first applied the product I noticed it looked quite shiny and oily on my already oily skin so I would definitely have to seal it with a powder. Once I've set the foundation it looks very natural and has a semi-matte finish. I did find that by the end of the day I had quite a bit of wear around my mouth and chin but apart from those areas the foundation lasted quite well. The only real negative I found about the product was how leaky the packaging is, I'd definitely not recommend anyone to chuck this in their bag for touch ups!

MyCover Concealer

£7.99 available from Boots or Online

Concealer is an item that usually gets pushed to the back of my make-up drawer as I usually find foundation covers everything I need it to. There are also 9 shades in this product and again, I have this in 02 - Fair. To me, the concealer didn't really stand out - it wasn't awful but it wasn't amazing. It's a slightly thicker consistency than the foundation but it covers under eye circles and blemishes nicely. If you have some seriously stubborn areas that need a little heavier coverage another layer might be needed. The concealer also had quite a shiny finish so powdering is definitely a necessity! I've not massively pale but I still find 02 - Fair slightly too dark for my skin tone.

MyMatch Powder
£10.49 from Boots or Online

I've mentioned on my blog before that I only use one type of face powder and that's from Natural Collection so trying a new brand was interesting. There are three shades and I have 'Fair'. I found this to be far lighter than the other products I received in the fair range which works well to tone down darker foundations. The powder comes with a little sponge applicator which I actually liked as I found it helped control my shine better than a brush did. The finish is semi-matte and it definitely doesn't make your skin cakey. It also helped my foundation stay on longer when I applied this on top and I didn't have as much wear by the end of the day.
Here's the finished result; I have on the MyMix Foundation, MyCover Concealer and MyMatch Powder.

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Haul; Illamasqua, Mac

    Mac Lipstick 'Saint Germain' £13.50 - A creamy vibrant pink with a slight purple undertone. It's the only lipstick I own like it and purchased it on a whim so I had something different to wear for evenings out. Mac Paint Pot 'Painterly' £13.50 - I originally wanted Bare Study but it looked far too shimmery for my liking. This is great for every day to ensure shadows stay put or to be used alone to cover veins and lighten lids slightly making you look more awake. Illamasqua 'Katie' Powder Blusher £16.50 - This is my second purchase of this blusher. It's the most beautiful matte, pale pink perfect for light to medium skin tones. I cannot rate this high enough it's the only blusher I use now. Gorgeous!

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I guess I got my swagger back.

Face;
Estee Lauder Double Wear - Tawny
Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - Golden Beige
Illamasqua Powder Blusher - Katie
NYX Jumbo Eyeliner - Milk
Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Cat Eyes Mascara - Black
Loreal Super Liner - Black
ELF Lip Stain - Red Carpet
HD Brow Kit - Ash Brown & Warm Brown
Maybelline Single Eyeshadow - Nude Beige

Outfit;
Corset Top - Cream. Asos.
Faux Leather Bodycon Skirt - H&M £14.99

Sorry about the poor quality photos, taken on my Blackberry!

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september favourites

Sorry about the slightly premature favourites post but I always seem to miss out on these monthly favourites as I leave it too late so here they are..
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 'Tawny' - As mentioned in my previous post I am in love with this foundation. Not only have I re-purchased but I use it every single day and currently it's the best foundation I've ever tried. If you like full coverage I'd definitely recommend you to pick up a sample, along with the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer and a Sigma F80 and you'll stipple your way to the most flawless skin you've ever seen.
Maybelline Colossal Volume Express 'Cat Eyes' Mascara - After a lengthy rave from a sales assistant in Superdrug I decided to pick up this mascara and boy, I'm glad I did. The wand is very small and slightly curved so makes getting all the little baby lashes incredibly easy. As well as adding length it also separates the lashes really well while adding a bit of volume too. Layered with the Rimmel Lash Accelerator it gives me long, luscious lashes.
Mac 'Myth' Lipstick - I still adore Natural Collection 'Apple Blossom' but this nude lipstick is also a firm favourite. Myth has a peachy undertone, smells of vanilla and applies smoothly but I do find it to be slightly more drying.
Maybelline Single Eyeshadow in 'Nude Beige' - If you're looking for a shimmery champagne colour then look no further. This is the perfect colour for me to use as an all over lid shade or to highlight the tear duct, lately I've been teaming this with bronzed cheeks, dewy skin and red lips.
HD Brow Kit from Septembers Glossy Box - I knew I'd love this product the moment I set eyes on it. I'm obsessed with eyebrows and this palette comes with four very pigmented shades, perfect for filling in your brows. As the shadows are so pigmented they can also be used as eye shadows or even as a subtle eyeliner. As well as being packaged well, you also get a mini applicator brush and a compact mirror. Perfect.

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Everyday Foundation Routine feat. Estee Lauder Double Wear

For the last few months I have stuck to the same 'face base' routine which is completely bizarre for me. Usually I'll swap between foundations each day, blend two types together, layer different foundations - anything in an attempt to achieve a perfect airbrushed finish.
When I first purchased Estee Lauder's Double Wear I was a bit unsure about whether I liked it but now, it's love. I've almost used up my first bottle and I've already purchased another as a back up which is almost unheard of for me. Of course, all products have their drawbacks and for me I do find that you need the right brush for application, you have blend it in well and the scent is slightly off putting. However, it is the best foundation I've tried so far.
I start off by applying the Good Things Miracle Mattifier moisturiser, then use my fingers to blend a thin layer of Maybelline's Pure Liquid Mineral foundation as a base/primer. I've got incredibly oily skin and have yet to find a primer that does the job, by applying this first it allows the Double Wear to apply smoothly and blend better. Next is the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, I buff this into the skin with the Sigma F80 then stipple all over the skin to achieve an airbrushed finish. If I need it I apply a small amount of the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer which I also pop on my eyelids as a base. Finally a light dusting of the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder with a large powder brush finishes everything off and my make-up doesn't move all day.
Although it might seem like a lot of work buffing, stippling, concealing I find that if you put the effort into making sure everything is blended and set properly then it really will last the whole day!
Oh, one other downside of Estee Lauder Double Wear - no pump!

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glossy box september

I know I'm a bit late on the September GlossyBox bandwagon but I wanted to trial out the products so I could add in a mini review of each. I was lucky enough to be sent the September box for free to see what I thought and I was incredibly impressed with what was inside! By far my favourite item in the box is the HD Brow Kit, a full size product. Inside is a compact mirror, a mini applicator and four intensely pigmented shadows. Not only is this perfect for filling in eyebrows, it can also be used as an eyeshadow quad or as liners. love,love,love.I did end up giving away the Plum fragrance sample, purely because I'm not a fan of perfume but my mum certainly enjoyed having it to chuck in her handbag. Another great product in this months GlossyBox was the Loreal Professional Mystic Oil, something I'd never think of using normally. I pop this on the ends of my hair, leave it to air dry and the result is smoother, soft hair - not at all greasy like I'd anticipated.The last two products were a multi-use oil by Nuxe for hair, body or face and a StriVectin-SD eye concentrate cream. I know most people my age can't be fussed with eye creams but I don't want to end up looking like a bulldog at 50 so I think it's important to keep delicate areas well moisturised. The oil, although it can be used anywhere is slightly too strong smelling for my liking so I just use it on my nails as a cuticle oil.Overall, I'd of been happy to pay £10.00 (+p&p) for this months box and will be signing up as soon as I figure out how to do so on the website!http://www.glossybox.co.uk/

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Favourite Nude Lipsticks

Top: Mac Myth Bottom: Natural Collection Apple Blossom
I have loved nude lips ever since the trend came around a few years back. Embarrassingly so I was one of those girls that used to apply foundation to my lips. Not the greatest look, very drying and I don't advise it but I didn't know any better at the time. I had tried the highly talked about Gosh 'Darling' and Barry M 'Marshmellow' and neither worked well for me, the colours were unflattering and they were either too drying or so waxy they separated on my lips. Finally, I discovered my hands down favourite lipstick after a mention on YouTube, Natural Collection 'Apple Blossom' a gorgeous pink toned, pale nude - the perfect shade for me. Not only is it a beautiful colour, it's also a moisturising formula, creamy, pigmented, glossy, has good staying power - and it's only £1.99. The only downside is a few of mine have snapped off or melted slightly so you have to be a bit more delicate with these.
My other firm favourite has only been recently discovered and that's Mac 'Myth' - a satin finish, peach toned nude that has a gorgeous vanilla scent. Although it's slightly more expensive at £13.50 it does offer better packaging and has more of a luxury feel.
What's your favourite nude lipstick?

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recent purchases.

1. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation 2. Estee Lauder Double Wear - repurchase. 3. Mac 'Myth'. 4. Natural Collection 'Apple Blossom'. 5. Loreal Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer. 6. Loreal Super Liner 7. Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Mascara 8. TRESemme Hair Repair Mask 9. Soleil Tan De Chanel I also picked up a Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil, Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation, Maybelline Dream Matte Powder, YSL Rouge Volupte in 'Nude Beige', Loreal Telescopic Mascara, Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara, Collection 2000 Super Size Mascara, Collection 2000 Cream Puff in 'Powder Puff', Batiste for Brunettes - currently half price, NYC Lip Stains, some lovely shoe boots from New Look & numerous items of clothing from H&M - a firm favourite at the moment. Let me know if you want to see a review on any of the items mentioned!

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YSL Rouge Volupte ' Nude Beige '

A few days ago I was rushing through Debenhams on a mission to solely pick up one YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick in the shade 'Pink Caress' for my '700 Followers Giveaway' winner. Of course once I'd seen the Rouge Volupte's up close in all their golden, embellished glory I was easily swayed to pop one on the counter for myself, fork over £44 and scarper off with my purchases.

The shade I decided on for myself was 'Nude Beige - 1' although I was torn between a peachy/coral and a vibrant glossy red as well. I think my choice was very safe but I wanted to be sure my £22 would be spent on a lipstick I'd actually wear! I definitely wont keep this in my bag as an everyday item, I'll save this for nights out and special occasions purely because of the price.

The packaging is stunningly beautiful, oozes luxury and has a lovely fruity scent, as well as the colour being gorgeous and having a glossy, moisturising finish - a welcomed addition to my lipstick collection!

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Anastasia by Beverley Hills!

I've never been entirely happy with my eyebrows. Through senior school my eyebrows were quite unruly, half moons that were dangerously close to uni brow territory until my friend got her tweezer happy hands on them. As you can imagine two giggling fourteen year old girls, armed with sharp tweezers, an eyebrow razor and hyped up on sugar - it was never going to end well. I ended up with very thin brows that I, for some reason attempted to maintain for a few years until the 'bushy brow' craze came around and my perception of eyebrow beauty changed. I now wanted full, thick brows and as I had plucked away the majority of my natural shape I decided eyebrow pencil was the way to go. Skip through a year or two of college, sporting over-drawn *cringe* too dark, bordering on clown-like brows I then decided I needed to tone things down slightly. Nowadays I use a powder to draw in my eyebrows and ATTEMPT to make them as natural as possible but I'm still not 100% happy with the result. Which is why when I heard the celebrity eyebrow groomer extraordinaire Anastasia was releasing her own line of products, including a brow kit I jumped at the chance to trial it out. Within the next few weeks I'll be popping up a review!

The Beauty Express Eyebrow Kit comes in two shades, blonde and brunette and inside you get two shadows, an eyebrow wax, a highlighting powder, stencils and a slanted eyebrow brush. As well as brow products, there are plenty of other products in the make-up line, here's a few examples as well as a video featuring Anastasia herself using the brow kit!

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Matte Red Lip

As many of you will of noticed I usually favour a nude lip, pale pinks or red lipstick. By far the easiest of the lot I would say is the red lip, this may come as a bit of a suprise to most but for me - matte is the way forward. Matte colours tend to adhere to the lips and therefore have less movement, last longer and in my opinion - attract less attention and require less maintenance. Ideal!

This is the combination I sported recently on a night out in town and to Latitude festival, I really feel like colourful lips add a touch of drama to your make-up when you don't have time/are too lazy to focus on the rest of the face. My two favourite products for a perfect matte red lip is NYX lip pencil in 'Cabaret' and ELF lip stain in 'red carpet' - which also has a gloss on the end if you feel you need it. Both are affordable and great quality, the liner allows you to get a precise shape - I always emphasize the cupids bow - and the lip stain I use to fill in as an all over colour.

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Good Things Five Minute Facial Mask

  ★★★★★
£5.99 - Boots/Superdrug'Good Things Facial Skincare has been developed by Award-Winning Beauty Writer Alice Hart-Davis using her years of expertise in the Beauty'

I'd been looking for a good face mask for a while so when I was sent this to try out I couldn't wait to slather it on and see what happened. The first thing you'll notice is the packaging which is well designed and eye catching, as well as the mention that it's 'FREE FROM: Parabens, Mineral Oils, Sodium Laureth Sulphate & Animal Ingredients' which is always a plus! One of the huge positives for me is the scent, it smells fruity and delicious so if you like fragranced products - this is one for you.

The mask itself has quite a thick consistency making it easy to apply an even layer to your skin, be sure to avoid the delicate eye area though! I found this dried and hardened after 3-4 minutes which I love as it feels like it's actually working. The most interesting thing I found was that you end up with little dots around your pores, for me it's mainly on my nose, where it appears to almost be extracting the oil. (Attractive, ey?) I remove the mask with warm water and muslin cloth so my skin gets a gentle exfoliation at the same time. Afterwards my skin feels really soft, clean and the pores around my nose look clear and improved. I do find it leaves you with a bit of a tight feeling but nothing a bit of moisturiser can't fix!

For me, it gets the thumbs up!

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NOTD; Milani Jewel FX

I mentioned the Milani Jewel FX nail polish in a previous post here but thought I'd pop this similar NOTD post up to show how it looks when it's built up in a few layers.

The varnish itself doesn't smell too bad, dries relatively quickly, layers well without smudging and has amazing staying power. I expected this to chip like no-ones business but you can literally scratch at your nail and nothing will come off - I never use a top coat either! Only downside is that it does take a little while to remove.

It's certainly bling-tastic but not to the extent of being tacky, it adds a bit of glamour to nude nails and just makes your hands look really feminine!
It took 3 coats to get the nail completely covered in the little 'jewels' but I also used Gosh 'Holographic' as a base so if I missed any bits it wouldn't show and gives an almost mermaids tail effect.
I'm wearing short false nails in the photos, Sinful Colours 'Easy Going' is the nude shade on the rest of my fingers!

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ELF studio matte lip colour

'Natural' - Top, 'Coral' - Bottom

'Natural'

'Coral' is slightly brighter than it shows up on camera.

What they say:
'This convenient jumbo sized lip pencil creates exact colour application with twist up ease so you never have to sharpen. The pigment rich colour glides on effortlessly and easily to provide long lasting matte colour. The enriched Vitamin A, C & E formula moisturizes and hydrates lips for beautiful healthy looking lips.'

What I thought:
The packaging is quite sleek and streamline making them perfect to chuck in your handbag and take up minimal room. At just £3.50 they're affordable for all price ranges and prove that sometimes quality doesn't always equal a hefty price tag. Both pencils were very pigmented and smooth which allows you to fill your lips in with the colour incredibly quickly. As stated, they're completely matte but don't leave you with dry, flaky lips - I wouldn't say they're hydrating exactly but you aren't left feeling uncomfortable, they're a good happy medium. Overall I've been really impressed with the colours and formula, my favourite by far is 'natural' and I'd definately try out the other two shades at some point!

Do matte lip colours interest you?

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NYX Rouge Cream Blush 'Glow' & 'Rose Petal'

Sorry to bombard you all with post upon post featuring NYX cosmetics but I promise these are the last products to show off from my CherryCulture 'Haul'.
At $4.75 these only cost me about £2.90 each - I know, bargain!
I'd had my eye on 'Boho Chic' for the longest time so when I found out it was out of stock I was slightly gutted and opted for 'Rose Petal' and 'Glow' instead. Of course I instantly compared these to my Mac blushcreme in 'LadyBlush', both are highly pigmented, creamy, easy to blend and have a dewy finish. The Mac blushcreme's have slightly more product (2.5g more) but that's reflected in the price, and the packaging is very similar except Mac is sturdier and more expensive looking. The consistency is pretty much identical, if anything I'd say Mac 'LadyBlush' is slightly tacky on application.
The only real difference between the NYX and Mac cream blushers is the price, at £17 Mac is a nice luxury item but if you've looking for a cheaper alternative the NYX cream blushers are just as good!

Rose Petal is a gorgeous, very flattering cool toned pink shade which is a very close match to 'ladyblush
Glow is a true deep pink, that reminds me of the classic 'English Rose' look

Topshop 'Flush', NYX 'Rose Petal', NYX 'Glow', Mac 'LadyBlush

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