Spring Brights Tutorial

Hi everyone,
Now that it's gotten into spring I've been experimenting a bit more with bright colours, and I thought that I would show you one of the looks I came up with :)

For this look I used:

• Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation 
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
• Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
• Collection Shimmer Shades
• MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter
• MUA Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette
• Wet n Wild Idoleyes Creme Shadow Pencil in E133
• Primark Eye Liner (I'm not sure if they still make these, but almost every brand has a blue eyeliner)
• Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Mascara
• Gosh Velvet Touch Lipstick in 145 'Shocking Coral'

First off, I applied my base; foundation, concealer and a little bit of powder.

Next, I applied some blusher and highlighter. I used the palest shade out of the four (on the bottom left) because with the bright lipstick and eyeliner, I didn't want it to look too much.

Moving onto eye makeup, firstly I applied a champagne colour (third from left) from my MUA palette all over the lid...

Next I added the Wet n Wild eyeshadow to the crease (it's not showing up very well in the picture unfortunately)

Then, using the blue eyeliner, I lined my upper lash line

I know some people would be a bit freaked out by the idea of wearing electric blue eyeliner, but if you keep the line quite thin, it's not actually not too obvious and in-your-face.

I then added just a bit of mascara.

Finally I applied my lipstick. I used the Gosh lipstick in 145. As you can see it's a really bright coral pink, a very spring-y colour.

And that's the finished product!

Mini-Haul |Seventeen Lipstick

Hi everyone,
So, it's no secret that I have a great love for lipstick. It's my favourite makeup thing, and probably about 50 percent of the posts on this blog feature lipstick in some way, shape or form. While I was in Boots today I succumbed to the 3 for 2 and bought myself some lipstick (because clearly I don't have enough already) and I thought I'd show you them.

All three lipsticks come from Seventeen, which is a Boots brand I think. They have a couple of different formulations of lipstick, but I decided to go for a Stay Pout lipstick, which I think is supposed to be a longlasting lipstick with stain in it, and two of the Supreme Shine lipsticks, which are apparently supposed to be very pigmented, and have very cool packaging.

This spring I've been really into bright colours (as usual), but I've also gotten to like paler pink, your-lips-but- better-type-colours. In line with this, the colours that I chose are (from left to right) Hot Flash, Delinquent, and Barely Blush. Hot Flash is a very bright coral/orange colour and Deliquent is an equally bright pink that I think would look great in summer with a tan (not that I ever get much of a tan). On the other end of the spectrum, Barely Blush is a really nice natural colour, that is very close to my acutal lip colour, but just adds that little something extra :)

Barely Blush

Hot Flash

Delinquent

My first impression, just from trying them on, is that I  really like them. The colour payoff seems to be good and the formulation is nice. Once I've tried them out a bit more I will probably do a full review.

Reviewsday #2| Elizabeth Arden Eye Pencil in 'Smoky Black'

Hi everyone,

And welcome to Reviewsday part two. This is going to be quite a quick review of this Elizabeth Arden eye pencil.

 I have to admit, I'm not a usually a fan of pencil eyeliners. I started off wearing liquid liner (although I feel like most people do it the other way around) and always just found pencils quite awkward to manouevre. Although I'm still a liquid liner girl at heart, I did find this pencil good. It's very pigmented and easy to apply (which is a big thing for me- I hate the feeling of scribbling on your eyeballs that you get with some pencil eyeliners) It also  lasts pretty well throughout the day. It's a nice alternative if you want something less harsh (for want of a better word) and obvious as liquid eyeliner.

Empties #1

Hi everyone,
Ever since I started this blog, I've wanted to do an empties post. Unfortunately, I take the longest time to use up products. But recently I've finished lots of things in a relatively short space of time, so here is my first Empties Post.

Ikea Cinnamon and Apple Candle

I've tried a few Ikea candles, some I really like, some I haven't and unfortunately this one fell into the latter category. It just didn't really give off any scent at all. I had it for awhile before burning it, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it (do candles go off?) but still, I didn't have it that long. Also, as you can see in the pictures, it burned down really weirdly, leaving a load of wax in the bottom.

Nivea Pure and Natural Body Lotion

Again, I wasn't overly impressed with this body lotion (it won't be all negative reviews I promise). It smelled nice and it claims to be all natural, if you're into that sort of thing, but it just took ages to dry in and wasn't actually that moisturising.

Aloe Vera Vaseline

From the not so good Aloe Vera things to the very good. Finally I have something positive to say! I really like Vaseline, it's the only lip balm I ever use. It's just very moisturising. And cheap. And the little pots last for ages. The Aloe Vera one is one of my favourites, I really like the smell off it.

Superdrug Nail Polish Remover Pads

Yeah, these weren't such a favourite of mine. They just didn't take off nail varnish that well, I found myself having to scrub at my nails. Also the pads left a kind of greasy residue on my hands after using them. They just weren't the best. I've tried some from Aldi before that were actually much better.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

I don't claim to be an expert on foundation, I haven't tried that many of them, but I do know that of those I've tried this is by far my favourite. It just matches my skin really well, and I really like the coverage it gives, it's not too heavy. It also lasts a really long time. I think I'm on my third bottle of this at the moment.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Again, I'm not extremely well versed in concealers, but I do know that I like this one a heck of a lot. It literally covers up anything, but without getting to cakey. If I had one complaint about this concealer it's that the range of colours that they have isn't very good; I think they only have four. At the moment I'm using Shade 1 Fair, but it's just that bit too pale for me, but Shade 2 is too orange. But that's only a minor complaint, I can make it work.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner

I'm pretty sure that I've talked about this on this blog before, but anyway, I really liked this liquid liner. It was really black, and stayed put all day. If you're on the market for an affordable liquid eyeliner, I would highly recommend this one.

March Favourites

Hi everyone,
So it's favourites time again. I've been trying a lot of new makeup things lately,and I actually have quite a few favourites to tell you about, so I'm going to get right to it.

Wet 'n' Wild Mega Last Lipsticks in 'Rose Bud and Coral-line'

My last post was a review of all these lipsticks, and as I mentioned Rose Bud and Coral-line are my favourite colours. Rose bud is a really nice dusty pink, sort of your-lips-but better colour. Coral-line (see what they did there?:), despite the name, is actually a really bright orange red, much brighter than it's showing up on camera. It actually reminds me a lot of MAC's Lady Danger. But yeah, if you like matte lipsticks, I would definitely recommend giving these a go.

Essence Liquid Ink Eyeliner

My beloved Rimmel Glam Eyes eyeliner ran out recently, so I was on the market for a new liquid eyeliner. I remembered Leanne Woodfull raving about this one and decided it'd give it a go. I actually really like it. It's really black, easy to apply, and stays put all day. And at 2.89, it's a complete bargain!

Wet 'n' Wild Comfort Zone Palette

Upon realising that Wet 'n' Wild had come to Ireland, this palette was the first thing I bought, firstly because it was much-talked about on the internet, and secondly because have a great love for nude eyeshadow palettes. And as you can probably tell from the picture, this palette has been very well-loved in the last month. The quality of the eyeshadows is really nice, and they last quite a long time. I've mostly been using the top two colours all over the lid, with the darker colours in my crease. While they're not quite as good as my all-time favourite MUA eyeshadows, they're a close second and I'd really recommend this palette. 

Revlon Colourburst Lipgloss in 'Peony'

After years of being a strictly lipstick person, I think I'm getting more into lipglosses. I'm also getting into spring colours, and this is the perfect combination of both. I've talked about how much I love these Revlon lipglosses before, they're really pigmented and not-sticky at all. The only thing that I have noticed about this one is that the smell is...not great. But if you think you can deal with it, it's a very nice lipgloss.

Essence Nail Varnish in 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'

I love this nail varnish! The colour is so amazing and unique (the photo isn't really doing it justice but it's a duo-chrome blue/lilac colour) and it lasts surprisingly well. I find that Essence nail varnishes can be a bit hit and miss when it comes to how long they last, but this one stayed put for four or five days without chipping.

Burt's Bees Milk and Honey Body Lotion

This is a really, really nice body lotion. It smells lovely, it's very moisturising and dries really fast. Unfortunately, the full-sized one (this is a mini one I got in a gift-set) is not cheap, but it's so good that I might just have to start saving.

Penneys Statement Necklace

I think I've written about my love of statement necklaces here before, and I recently acquired yet another
one from Penneys. And I like it a lot.

Tesco Ankle Boots

I'd wanted a pair of boots like this for ages, and randomly found this pair in Tesco (where I hardly ever shop). I got them in the post-Christmas sale, so they're probably not still available, but I'm sure you can find similar things elsewhere. I literally wore these all month. They're perfect for the weird weather we're having at the moment, where it's too warm to wear proper boots, but still just that bit too cold for pumps.

Random Favourite: Orange is the New Black

All I can say is, if you have not watched Orange is the New Black yet, go and watch it. Go and watch it now. It's so good. I'm currently watching it a second time.

Reviewsday #1| Wet 'n' Wild Mega Last Lipsticks

Hi everyone,
For the last while (since Christmas really) I've been trying out a lot of new makeup bits, and I've developed a bit of a backlog of products to review. So to deal with this, every Tuesday this month I'm going to be reviewing a new makeup item, starting with the Wet 'n' Wild Mega Last lipsticks.

Left to Right: Think Pink, Rose Bud, Mauve Outta Here, Smokin' Hot Pink, Coral-line, Sugar Plum Fairy

I'll admit, I may have gone a bit overboard on these lipsticks. I've been going through a bit of a matte lipstick phase lately. In my defence, I didn't buy them all I once. I started originally just bought Sugar Plum Fairy, because it's apparently a dupe for MAC's Rebel, but I liked them so much I just kept going back for more. 

The lipsticks have a matte finish, so they are a bit drying, and  I'd recommend wearing a lip balm underneath, but they're not awful. They also last a really long time, even if you eat or drink with them on. Despite their lasting power however, I noticed after swatching them on my arm that they're actually very easy to remove, you don't have to scrub at them, which is another plus. 

The range of colours is also really good, they have a nice mixture of bright and neutral colours. I've particularly liked Rose Bud, a kind of dusty pink colour, and Coral-line, the really bright orange-red. 

The only problem I've had is that I don't like trying out lipsticks on my lips in the shop (the testers are usually nasty) so some colours, like Think Pink or Mauve Outta here just don't really suit me. I'm definitely going to have a play around with them and see if I can make them work, but I'd recommend maybe looking up some swatches or pictures to try and figure out what works for you. 

Think Pink

Rose Bud

Mauve Outta Here 

Smokin' Hot Pink

Coral-line 

Sugar Plum Fairy

So overall, these lipsticks get the thumbs up from me; they have nice colours, and great pigmentation and lasting power, all for only 2.99. What more would you want? :)