Birthday gift

It's my bosses birthday on monday so my afternoon was dedicated to finding her the perfect gift.

It took one shop to produce the goods.

Accessorize always has the best jewellery and at reasonable prices.

My boss has a thing about earrings, in fact its the only items of jewellery she wears. I know these flower design ones won't disappoint.

Along with the earrings I also got her a paisley stole, very pretty.

Before leaving town I called into Topshop to find a new pair of pumps for work. I left with these:


Just simple black patent flats with a grey ribbon and smaller black ribbon, very office friendly :)

A cheaper alternative!

I've been debating whether to get arcylic nails or gel nails which can both have damaging effects on your natural nails.

Instead i've opted for press on nails.

Same effect as acrylics/gels without the damage.

I used Nailene So Natural in 71000 Pink (short length/square shape) which were £6.85 from Superdrug.

These are a bargain compared to the upkeep of acrylic nails. They are simple to apply and can easily be removed.

They come with a nail glue which I neglected to use. I bought Nailene ultra quick glue which seems to hold them on for longer.

I applied mine on Monday and they are still going strong :)

They have curbed my cravings...for now!

BBR Contest!

I've chosen to recreate Katy Perry's look for Holly and Hele's contest.

Her makeup stood out the most to me not to mention those piercing blue eyes.

This is my interpretation:

Products used:

Face: MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC15
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Porcelain
MSF Natural in Light
Chanel Bronze Universel to contour and bronze
MAC Vanilla pigment as highlight
MAC Well Dressed blush

Eyes: Katy seems to be wearing a light wash of colour on her lids. Her main focus seems to be under the eyes.
MAC Soft Ochre paintpot
Urban Decay Blunt e/s all over lid
MAC Vanilla e/s as highlight and also in the inner corners
MAC Blacktrack fluidline on upper lashline
Maxfactor 2000 Calorie mascara
MAC Brassy fluidline on lower waterline
MAC Tempting e/s smudged along lower lashes
MAC Charcoal Brown e/s to fill in brows and then set with vaseline to obtain Katy's glossy brows
NYC false lashes

Lips:
Blistex to prime
Concealer to mute my natural lip colour
NYX Round lipstick in Orange Soda

Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed doing it.

xx

Intriguing Scarlet: Warm Eyes!

I created this look using my new MAC palette which I mentioned in my previous post.

I used - Warm Suede, Well Spiced and Real Drama:

I also used Bobbi Browns gel eyeliner in Ivy Shimmer Ink (which I received in a swap from Magpie Sparkles) along my upper lashline and water line although you can't really tell from the picture.

For reference I used:
Cheeks - Enough Said
Lips - NYX Harmonica Round Lipstick

Today is a proud day

I have finally completed my first MAC palette. It's only taken me two months.


I'm very pleased with the end result.

Top Row: Modest Tone, Mythology, Wintersky, Deep Truth and 100 Strokes
Middle Row: Woodwinked, Sable, Cranberry, Mulch and Femme Fi
Bottom Row: All That Glitters, Plum Dressing, Tempting, Gleam and Smut


What shadows made up your first palette?

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Junction One

This morning I made the long journey to Junction One, a shopping outlet in Northern Ireland which stocks NYX but most importantly has a Cosmetic Company Store where you can find discounted brands such as MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique and Estee Lauder.

My main focus was the MAC counter which usually stocks items from previous collections but you can find permanent items too. There was brush sets and palettes from the holiday collection just past, Metal X shadows and some leftovers from Neo Sci-Fi, Fafi and Moonbathe.

My haul:

Smut E/S, Red She Said blush in Enough Said and Trax E/S

Top: Enough Said (tan with gold pearl)
L-R - Smut (black with red shimmer) and Trax (burgandy-plum)

Intriguing Scarlett Warm Eyes Palette

Top Row: Warm Suede, Grand Entrance, Real Drama
Bottom Row: Gentle Heat, Well Spiced, Sweet Joy

Two fluidlines in Dip Down and Brassy. I intend to use Brassy along my lower lashes for added colour.

I never noticed before but the Cosmetic Co. Store also sell empty palettes.

I picked up an empty 15 slot palette and a quad.

E.L.F Makeover

On Wednesday night I placed an order with E.L.F cosmetics. My goodies arrived this morning, just in time to be featured in todays makeup.

My goodies include: Empty eyeshadow palette, Eye shadow pans in Moondust, Golden Glow, Mocha and Truly Pink (currently all £1), All Over Colour Stick in Pink Lemonade, Hypershine Lipgloss in Fairy and Mineral lipstick in Nicely Nude.

The eyeshadows have quite good pigmentation and have lasted all day (I used UDPP as a base).

Despite the quality of the eyeshadows, the lip products where a let down. The hypershine gloss looked horrible on my lips. It showed up as a glittery purple although it may look better if I apply lip erase first. The mineral lipstick was far from nude. Its more of a pink. I applied it lightly to get just a hint of colour.

This is the finished look:

My favourite product has to be the All Over Cover Stick in Pink Lemonade. First of all this smells delicious and works great as a base under powder blush. I paired it with MAC's Well Dressed. I found it easier to dab my 168 onto the product rather than swipe it directly on my cheek,that way you can't overdo it.

Current craving

Recently i've found myself lusting after arcrylic nails.

Photo courtesy of sensalsa.co.nz

I know these are not the healthiest for your nails and there are lots of horror stories but i'm so jealous of those with well groomed, long talons

I've always wanted WAG style nails with the perfect french manicure. This obsession has been encouraged with the current state of my nails ie bad cuticles, different lengths and certain nails are always peeling.

They are permently hidden underneath layers of dark polish.

So come pay day I hope to book my first appointment to have acrylics fitted leaving me with the nails I yearn for :)

I sort of know before I ask, but what are your feelings on acrylic nails? There must be some people who swear by them and who are keeping nail salons in business.

Check out this video. It certainly made me feel better about acrylics.

What i'm using right now Tag!!!

I was tagged by the lovely Av to list the products i'm currently using.


Shampoo: John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Release Moisturising Shampoo

Condtioner: John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Release Moisturising Conditioner

Styling products: John Frieda Satin Shine Finishing Creme, TiGi Bed Head After Party

Shower Gel: The Body Shop raspberry shower gel

Body moisturiser: The Body Shop Raspberry body butter

Deodrant: Dove Invisible Dry

Fake Tan: Don't do this

Cleanser: Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1 Wash and Mask

Eye makeup remover: L'oreal eye makeup remover

Exfoliator: Neutrogena Visibly Clear Gentle Exfoliating Wash

Primer: MAC Prep & Prime with SPF

Foundation: MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC15

Foundation brush: MAC 190

Concealer: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit in porcelain

Powder: MAC MSF Natural in light

Blusher: Nars Deep Throat

Bronzer: cheap Rimmel one

Highlighter: MAC Blonde MSF

Eyeshadow base: MAC Soft Ochre Paintpot

Eyeshadows: Scant and Satin Taupe

Eyeliner: MAC Black Track Fluidline

Eyelash curler: one by MAC

Eyelash base: Don't use one

Mascara: Maxfactor 2000 Calorie

Lipstick: GOSH Darling (134)

Lipgloss: Vaseline

Nail Colour: Barry M Nail Paint in Grey


I tag anyone who wants to do this

x

Lash Experiment: Week 1

These are my lashes before the treatment, pathetic I know.

Before

These are my lashes after a weeks use of Ardell's Brow & Lash.

Week 1

As you can tell no difference as yet.

Maybe next week...

MAC's Tempting & Carbon Recreation

I was inspired by Lollipop26's latest tutorial using MAC's Tempting and Carbon e/s with a little bit of Mythology on the inner corner.


This is the combination i'm wearing today.

I am loving this look. Its easy to achieve and can be worn either day or night with just the right amount of Carbon.

You can find the tutorial here.

x

Lash Experiment

For a while i've been wanting to try a lash growth stimulating product.

On sunday I finally gave in and ordered Ardell Brow and Lash Growth Accelerator.

I was sold on this product after watching a review from sayanythingbrooke.

I got this off ebay for £8 including shipping which is considerably cheap compared to what you would pay for Lilash or Enormous Lash.

Ardell Brow and Lash contains multi-proteins that repair weak lashes as well as added conditioners which soften dry lashes, enabling them to grow longer, thicker and fuller.

To be honest i'm not expecting too much from this product. It doesnt claim to encourage the growth of new lashes rather it just conditions your existing lashes so that they appear healthier (thats my take on this).

You apply this treatment gel before bed after cleansing your face. Unlike Lilash which has an eyeliner wand, Brow and Lash has a mascara wand which you apply to your lashes like you would a mascara.

I will be starting this treatment tonight and will be posting weekly updates on how im getting on.

For those interested in trying this, I got it from this seller.

Has anyone had any experience with this product?

BBR, Creme Team & Well Defined

All throughout work on Thursday I was itching to get to the MAC counter to check out the new collections.


Although this was an expensive haul, i'm really pleased with all my buys :)

From BBR collection I picked up Femme Fi e/s and 100 Strokes e/s. French Cuff was on my list but it is very similar to Mythology which I already own.

I chose the Blonde MSF (Brunette was too dark for me) but I think i'll go back and get the Redhead as well. I can't get enough of MSF's :) Today I wore the darker side on my apples and the lightest shade as my highlight.

The only lipstick in that collection which stood out to me was Marquise D' which is a really nice peachy nude.

I only got one lipstick from Creme Team and that was Creme Cup. The lipglosses didn't appeal to me and their colour pay off was disappointing.

Left to right: Creme Cup and Marquise D'

I couldn't resist getting the new Studio Sculpt foundation and concealer which i'm wearing today. Both of these give great coverage and you get 10ml extra compared to MAC's Studio Fix Fluid. The foundation doesn't feel heavy to me and its gel formula is great for my dry skin. These get two thumbs up from me.

Bad Skin = :(

For those who you who follow me on twitter will know that i've been experiencing bad breakouts on my face.

The reason? Who knows...

I've narrowed it down to some possibilities.

1) I've stopped using MAC's Prep & Prime because i've read it can make you look very white in photo's which I don't want for my blog posts.

2) My new HG foundation brush, the 109.

3) New Bourjois bronzer.

To be honest, I think the 109 is the culprit. This brush is used all over my face, basically everywhere my skin has broken out (even on my brow bone :( )

My solution?

I've reduced the amount of makeup I wear down to the bare minimal ie. foundation, concealer, mascara and blush (these are the products i've used for months with no side effects) until I can see improvement in my skin. This method seems to be working so tomorrow I might introduce eyeshadow into my routine.

These past few days have reminded me of when I rarely used to wear makeup, before I really got interested in it. I prefer myself when I have my full face done, anything less makes me look and feel tired.

This experience will teach me to try one new thing at a time, that way I can measure the effects it has on my skin.

For now i'm back to using Prep & Prime and my 190 and will be back to posting full face looks once these spots are all gone :)

To be continued...

These are the last items from my Boots haul:

I got carried away with myself and bought 6 new lipsticks, all from the nude family.

Back right: Bourjois Paris Sweet Kiss lipstick in Beige Elegant. This is a new release from Bourjois which promises high intensity colour as well as moisturising properties. It does feel light and moist on the lips but not its not long wearing and I found it gathered in the lines on my lips.

Back middle: 17 Sheer Moisture lipstick in Balmy Beige.

Back left: 17 Lasting Fix lipstick in Shell.



Front right: Boots Natural Collection Sheer Natural in Sorbet. Its a coral/pink but appears shows up on my lips as a baby pink.

Front middle: Natural Collection Moisture Shine in Apple Blossom.

Front left: Natural Collection Sheer Natural in Lotus. This is my favourite out of the bunch and is also the palest.