E.L.F. Haul #4

Hello my pretties!
I'm sure you all know my love of that budget makeup brand E.L.F. by now! Over the past few days they've been having a sale, 50% off everything! Being in need for another fix, i grabbed my sister and we made a joint order. It came to £60, halved to £30, we ended up spending £15 each with free shipping. I decided I wanted to try a few new things as well as a brush re-purchase and lip-liner buy in a different colour. There wasnt everything I wanted in stock, so i just grabbed a few things i've never tried before.


Nail Polish in Mango (£1.50)
Matte Finisher Clear Nail Polish (£1.50)
Regular Lip Liner in Bark (£1.50)
Brightening Eye Colour in Teal Dream (£1.50)
Mineral Lipstick in Ripe Rose (£3.50)
Mineral Lipstick in Runway Pink (£3.50)
Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in Bronzed (£1.50)
Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in Grassy Green (£1.50)
Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in Twinkle Teal (£1.50)
Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in Bandit (£1.50)
Lip Stain in First Date (£3.50)
Studio Powder Brush (£3.50)
Studio Eyeshadow C Brush (£3.50)
Hypershine Lipgloss in Fairy (£1.50)

Im so excited to try this new stuff out! I'm going to be soon doing an E.L.F. lip product post, combining swatches and reviews of all the lipsticks and glosses i've come across, so stay tuned for that!
E.L.F. can be purchased from their website (UK & other countries) plus online & in stores in the US!

xox

Eyeshadow look inspiration: Weekly Feature?

Hello nuggets! I've been having a pretty busy week working and preparing to go back to Southampton for a week so i've not had as much time to post! But, i come to you today with an eyeshadow inspiration post! I've found im using the same eyeshadow looks for a few days in a row, and nothing really bright or dramatic. I can just never think of what colours to do, and how to shape them! What i want to know is, what is your inspiration for eyeshadow combinations?
I really want to get more creative with my makeup, I have tonnes of it sitting there not being used. I tend to reach for the same colours all the time! I mostly always dont have time to do an elaborate makeup look, however much i love bright colours!


I came across a book last week in waterstones with loads of different eyemakeup looks, and how to apply them. But i thought, whats the point, i can always find blogs online to help me expand my creativity. I've been considering doing a weekly post on a different eye look, which will encourage me to be more creative, and hopefully give you guys some inspiration! What do you think?

I'm also letting you know here that i'm going to be away from the computer for a week, from the 30th June - 7th July! I'm going to try and pre-write some posts and get my sister to post them during the week, or see if i can do it from my blackberry! Tomorrow I shall be posting a June faves and hopefully my ELF haul (if its arrived!) To make up for my week long break I shall also be having a Giveaway when I return from southampton to thank you all for following me! I know its been a slow start but i'm determined to get more orginized and have more regular features!

xox

Boudoir Privé: The new monthy subscription service!

I seem to be posting alot more than usual latley dont i? Anyway, just thought I would do a quick post on a new service coming to the UK! GlossyBox has got some competition, make way for Boudoir Privé! A monthy service, you pay £10 a month for six high end samples! No information has been released yet but it's worth a look see i reckon, to discover what products they may be offering! You can sign up to receive an exclusive invitation when this company launches here!
Thanks to Liloo for informing us via Twitter ^_^
Im pretty excited to see how this shall differ from GlossyBox (apart from the sample difference)! I shall have a June GlossyBox review up tomorrow when I pick it up from the post office!

xox

Chanel Mimosa: My craving has been sated!

As many of my friends know, there has been one beauty item this summer, which I have been obsessing over. It's inspired my current wardrobe, kicked off my yellow obsession and got me craving pastels. The product of which I speak is Chanel Mimosa. A bright yellow nail polish released this summer for a limited time only. This jaw dropping colour has inspired abit of a yellow frenzy within the beauty world, making many girls wear a colour they never thought they would touch. I for one used to really dislike the colour yellow, until I saw this. Now i'm being snared by yellow items everywhere, wanting and craving everything yellow. I've been on the hunt for the perfect yellow dress for weeks, to no avail!

An elegant bottle topped with the famous Chanel logo, this polish a vibrant with a hint of gold shimmer, noticeable at certain angles. I've heard many views on this, some hate it, some love it. Im 100% the latter. The application is flawless, gliding onto the nails smoothly and evenly. The only downside is it needs 3 coats to become totally opaque, which may take a little time. However, it doesnt feel "heavy", its very light on the nails giving the feel of only having one or two coats.

I've had this on for 2 days now, and theres no chipping yet what so ever, which is pretty strange for me as nail polish ALWAYS chips pretty fast on my nails! I have to say I am mega impressed with this. Certainly not in everybodys price-range, at £17 its a luxury item. Hell I had so many doubts about buying this, but oh am I glad that I did. Its not often that i HAVE to have a particular item and this is one of those rare times that I was willing to splash out. I would 100% recomend this Nail Polish, i'm still reeling over it! I find myself constantly peeking at my fingernails, admiring them from every angle! Love it or hate it. Its one of those products that stand out amongst thousands.

xox

Lipstick Tag: First Tag Blog Post

1. When you were a child, did you use your mother's lipsticks?

Nope! My mum hardly ever wears makeup so growing up I had to discover it all on my lonesome! Though she's got this No7 Nude colour which i used to sneak a swipe of every now and again :p

2. How old were you when you bought your first lipstick?

Oh wows, It was probably when i was 14-15 and in my "goth" phase. It was either a black lipstick or a blue stargazer one! I've only really gotten into lipsticks in the past few months so am still building up my collection.

3. Pink or red lipstick?

Pink for me :D I just think i suit it more! Especially nude-pink colours, I love them! Im curently going through abit of a light pink lip phase! I'm way too scared to go for red lips really, unless its a lighter red shade.

4. The most expensive lipstick you have ever bought?

A MAC one (£13.50) although I am saving my boots advantage card points for either a Chanel or YSL lippy, though thats technically not "buying" i guess =p

5. And the cheapest?

ELF regular line at £1.50! I love these lippys and plan to buy alot more when the website has been restocked!

6. Do you use a lip brush to apply your lipstick?

Sometimes! It depends on the colour/texture/pigmentation of the lipstick and what finish I want really.

7. If you had to recommend a lipstick, which brand would you recommend and why?

Deffinatly MAC from the brands i've tried so far. Its the longest wearing and really moisturises my lips! I'd also reccomend the ELF regular line lippys as they're such a steal for the low price!


Go check out the lovely Edith at Beauty Baby who tagged me in this post <3

I tag Caitlin at Cosmetic Chronicles
Jenny at Beauty and Reverie
Beth at All Things Beautiful
& Katie at My Makeup Obsession

Haul: Chanel, MAC, Barry M & Free Benefit Skincare Offer!

Hello there :)
Shopping, every girls weakness right? After cutting down quite abit on my makeup spending, I decided to splash out a little yesterday ^_^ I was only planning to buy clothes really, but seeing the "spend £30 and get £7.50 worth of advantage card points" offer in boots, i had to oblige!

I think i pretty much knew what I wanted from the moment i stepped into the store. I was looking for a foundation, as all mine are too dark, so picked up the Revlon Colourstay which ive heared so many people rave about! Some Barry M polishes were also on the cards as i've only ever really used the crackle ones. I currently have Peach Melba on my toes, and i love it so far!
After deciding upon these 4 items, i was then stumped. What else do i get? Thats when the Chanel counter appeared, attracting me like a moth to a flame. Once i practically skipped over, there it was. The nail polish I have been lusting after for months, ever since I saw the first swatches. The colour that had inspired my yellow obsession. Yes, im talking about Chanel Mimosa! Loved and hated by many, after a slight hesitation over the price tag, I snapped it up. For me, this has just been one of those products I need! While I was there, i also got colour matched for Estee Lauder Double Wear, picking up a sample in Shell.

Theres currently a deal on in Grazia magazine offering free Benefit skincare to its readers! This mag is only £1 with a voucher redeemable at any Benefit counter, so ofcourse i rushed to find one! Being sneaky, I picked up 2, one from Boots and one from Debenhams! I've been wanting to try the range for a while so am so happy with this find! Thanks Katie for letting me know about it! This deal is only for for this week, so grab it while you can!
While I was in town I also stopped by the MAC shop, grabbing a Concealer and Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipstick <3 I dont really have that many MAC items, but i hope to build more of a collection in the next few months.
I've apparently forgot to picture the topshop cream blush i got as well in these photos!

Revlon Colourstay Foundation in Ivory (£12.49)
Barry M Nail Paint in Mint Green (£2.99)
Barry M Nail Paint in Blue Moon (£2.99)
Barry M Nail Paint in Peach Melba (£2.99)
Chanel Mimosa Nail Polish (£16.85)
MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipstick (£13.50)
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15 (£13.50)
Topshop Cream Blush in Flush (£6)

I also got a a dress from Debenhams & 2 purses, makeup bag and a dress from Primark!

xox

Collection 2000 Perfect Finish Foundation: Review

Good evening! I come to you today with a little review about a foundation I picked up a few months ago. It was on sale for £4 I believe (or possibly £3) from superdrug! Im going through abit of a foundation kick at the moment, trying out as many as i can get my hands on, so seeing it there I thought why not!

For that price you get 30ml of product in a plastic bottle, topped with a pump. It claims to leave skin flawless and airbrushed to perfection. Having SPF 20 is a massive bonus with this, as its not as common for drugstore brands to contain sun protection.
I really wanted to like this product, as I adore my collection 2000 pressed powder, but I cant say i like this. For one the shade is too dark for me, making me look slightly borange. The consistency isnt too runny, nor too gel-like so I do like that, but I hate the feel of it on my skin. It does give good coverage and is pretty buildable, but leaves the skin feeling "tacky", even when left for 30 mins.


I've found it also can "sink" into pores and look uneven around the eyes (although that may have just been me applying it quickly haha!) but gives a dewy finish. Overall I think its nothing special, alright for people who arent fussy with foundations i guess (like my little sister) but horrid for me! Although the staying powder is actually decent coupled with a powder, I found this lasted throughout the day without traveling all over the show or smudging.
In the below image I had on ELF Mineral Face Primer and Collection 2000 Perfect Finish Foundation. Sorry for my massive pores, ewwy! As you can see though, the colour is uneven and way too dark for my skin (i also have no clue to why the corner of my eye looks gammy!).


Overall I really am not impressed with this product! For the price, i guess its alright, but i've found better drugstore brands. I wouldnt reccomend it, as its just not what i look for in a foundation.

As i am on a foundation kick I will have a few foundation reviews coming up, also doing a collective post at the end of my favourites and least favourites from high end to drugstore, including Bourjois Healthy Mix, Revlon Colourstay and Estee Launder Double Wear!

xox

MAC Mineralize Blush, Hang Loose: Swatches

Hello there m'dears!
I come to you now, with a MAC post! I've never really purchased MAC products before except for the black paintpot and a liquid eyeliner, but when i was in the Cosmetics outlet shop in Cheshire Oaks I came across this blush from the "In the Groove Collection". Its a beautiful Baby Pink paired with Lilac. When i saw this i knew I had to have it, as the pink looked the perfect shade for my pale skin!


This is my first MAC blush so I was really excited to try this, having just written a list of MAC products im going to get over the summer. This is limited edition I believe but they had loads at the Cosmetics Outlet store! Anyway, after a massive debate on what products I wanted from the massive MAC stand I narrowed it down to this, realising I really shouldnt spend too much money. A quick flashing of my card and this baby was mine for around £12.99.


I'm extreamly happy with this product! It feels amazingly smooth and leaves a beautiful pink flush on my cheeks. It blends well and has excellent pigmentation, also giving way for a few different shades due to the duo colour.

I've used this a few times and love love love it! I've deffinatly been converted to mac blushes! Im using this more than my adored Benefit blush now <3 Next stop, the MAC shop!

In other news, I've started working again in my old photography job over the summer! I've been mega busy this weekend photographing 2 weddings and a boxing event (with special guests Michael Watson and Steven Collins)! Im becoming so inspired by photography and makeup tutorials! Be prepared for some FOTD's this week!

xox

Sleek MakeUP: Mediterranean Collection!

Hey there ^_^
So today i'm going to natter on about the new limited edition Sleek collection which i've been wanting to get my hands on ever since i saw the swatches from the launch.
The collection has three items:

• Monaco i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette (£6.49)
• Monte Carlo Pout Polish (£4.29)
• Santorini Blush (£4.29)

Being unable to resist, I picked up all three the other day from Superdrug!


The eyeshadows contain a range of colours suitable for highlight, base and crease in a mixture of matte and shimmer finishes. As usual with Sleek, the colours are highly pigmented and blend easily. I'm personally loving some of the shimmer shades which turned out quite metallic when swatched!


My Favourites are probably Sunset and Humming Bird, though I do also love the summery green-blue shades of Aquamarine and Summer Breeze, which remind me of just that! Clear blue seas, sandy beaches - the pefect combinations for summer.


As for the Pout Polish, this is the first one i've tried so wasnt sure on what to expect. The colour is a very bright pink, almost neon but turns out quite sheer. It contains SPF 15 and would look amazing over a lipstick or on its own to give a natural pink tint to the lips. A summer must have!


Lastly, the blush! Its literally neon pink and very pigmented. Apply with a light hand, blending out to create a nice flush of pink on the cheeks. It might look abit too bright for pale skin but would compliment tanned skin nicely.


I'm pretty pleased with these newest editions by Sleek, which is fast becoming one of my favourite drug store brands! Im looking fowards to trying the Caribbean collection which should be out in July, keep an eye out for it!

xox

Inspiration, Bbloggers & Beauty

Good evening nuggets! I have lots of posts in the works for ya'll, but for now I just thought i would write a little snippit about the inspiration from joining in my first BBloggers chat on twitter! For those of you who dont know about this, its held every Sunday from 8pm - 9pm UK time and each week theres a main topic for all those bloggers and blog followers out there! Reading advice from the beauty community has really inspired me to put more into this blog, and to connect with other bloggers out there! If you have your own blog, or have one to reccomend, please post below so I can check it out! <3

As abit of an update on my own photographic endevours, I'm becoming really inspired by photography i've seen on tumblr so thought I would post an image of my own here. It's not my best photography wise, but I love the focus on the makeup (which was done by Charlotte Odell).
So what inspires you? I personally LOVE looking at images, perticularly beauty images showing off the makeup! As an aspiring beauty photographer, whos just found my niche for what i want to do in the photography industry I love looking at makeup brand advertisements and images of makeup itself as a product!
I've got lots of swatches and product shots to do tomorrow, ready for a few reviews coming your way! Stay tuned <3

xox

NYX Round Lipgloss & Lip Plump: Review & Swatches

So today I decided to play around with my camera and try to take some more professional looking images for my blog. As some of you may or may not know, I've been doing photography for about 3 years now, just having finished my first year of a BA(Hons) photography degree. I specialise in fashion and beauty photography, persuing this in my free time as well as within my uni work. Anyway, I decided to stop taking quick snapshots and do this thing properly! The lighting & colours aren't perfect as my monitor here isn't colour colaborated and I didnt have much equipment to work with, but I experimented with natural light and got some decent pictures. I used a Nikon D90 SLR to take these. Anyway enough of this rambling!

I picked these up about 3-4 week ago at TK Maxx for a bargin of £2.99 for all three! Since then i've had time to try them out and get a feel for them. The glosses each contain 2.5ml/0.09oz of product while the plump contains 12g/0.4oz, both being cruelty free, which is really a plus for me. I love the packaging of the glosses, they're simple but feel really sturdy, these arent going to break apart in your handbag thats for sure.

The plump has the typical diagonal tube applicator commonly seen from products in a tube while the glosses have a doefoot applicator. I cant really fault the glosses at all, but personally dont like things which apply from a tube. The colours I got were 27 Vamp Red and 02 Very Clear.

The pigmentation of the red is pretty good actually. I thought it would come out more of a brownish red from looking at it in the tube but its quite a deep pinkish red. I was actually really impressed with how they feel on my lips. They're not sticky at all and have decent pigmentation. They smell and feel kind of fresh, not being overly gloopy. I do love the formula, having the colour slide on so easily. The colour goes on evenly leaving a nice dark pink colour on my naked lips.

I dont think this is a "daytime" shade but deffinatly will be used by me on a night out. Depending on how much product is used, depends on the vibrancy of the colour. They're not drying and the wear is average. I wear the clear gloss all the time, as it makes a nude lipstick really pop!
As for the plump, like most it leaves a tingy feeling on the lips while still being refreshing. I personally didnt notice much of a difference, but then again i've not really paid much attention.
Overall I'm really impressed with the glosses and will deffinatly be getting my hands on some more of them in some pink colours!

Remember to let me know if there's anything you want to see from this blog in the future! Follow me on Twitter and stay tuned for youtube videos coming in the next month!

xox

BeneFit goodies FREE with this months Glamour Magazine!

Heya! Just a quick post to say that in tomorrows Glamour magazine (9th June 2011) there will be some BeneFit freebies woth about £8. You will either get a Benetint, Positint or Highbeam! The sizes are just smaller than the full size! I'm going to be picking up several of these i thinks! The magazine is bound to sell out so get in there fast!



I'm also in the process of planning a load of reviews for products i've been testing over the last few weeks! I move into my new house in July, so i'm setting up a "photo area" were i can take more professional photos of products and swatches. I may also do a small give-away when I reach a certain ammount of followers ^_^
I would love to hear input on what you would like to see from me!

xox

Lots of new things upcoming!

Hey guys! Just thought i would put a little post to say welcome all my new followers! Thank you all so much for following, it means alot to me <3 Feel free to leave comments and I shall get back to you a.s.a.p! I love making new friends online so dont be scared to say hi.

Also i would like to say i've finally got a twitter account!! I would love it if you could go follow me on there. Im pretty damn clueless so any advice on how to "get going" would be amazing!
More shameless promotion incoming! Im also considering starting up doing youtube videos! Ive been thinking about this for a while and it may finally be the time to take the plunge! I shall link my youtube account channel here and shall let you all know when i decide to take the plunge!

I really want to start combining my love for makeup with my photography, so expect to see lots of images, makeup looks, swatches and me just generally taking pretty pictures of my makeup coming soon!

Im also playing around with my blog page, changing the theme, layout ect and getting a banner made so expect it to look prettier in the near future!

Jane xxx

N.O.T.W - Red O.P.I. & Falsies

Its nearly 3am, so what better way to ease my "cannot sleep" boredom that to blog =]
I have another nail post to do, as im really into experimenting with my nails latley. This week I has my first attempt at applying nail polish to some falsies. I applied the Elegant Touch false nails in short on Saturday night, putting the polish on the day after. I have to say, im freaking darn impressed! Its nearly a week since ive had this "nail look" and there has been no chipping what to ever. The falsies are also still firmly in place! I applied a base coat, 2 coats of OPI red nail polish (from the alice in wonderland collection) and a top coat. I'm deffinatly one happy chappy! I've got really weak nails so mine never grow long naturally, what i love about falsies is they make my fingers look long, slender and more feminine!


I apologise for the phone camera picture!

Products used:
Elegant Touch False Nails in Short
OPI Base Coat
OPI Off with Her Red
Revlon Top Coat

Haul: Soap and Glory, Urban Decay, Neutrogena.

I'm currently putting myself on a spending ban until mid-summer as I realise i've been spending way too much money and have £25 a week to last me until my September student loan! Saying this, I couldnt resist nipping into town for some new hair and skin products, only just going over my £25 a week limit! I came away with some goodies and some killer bargins which i'm really excited to try out and review!


Number 7 Micro-dermabrasion Exfoliator (£11)
I heared the term micro-dermabrasion when watching a skincare routine video on youtube and through i would give it ago. I dont have perfect skin, but am now on a mission to find myself a fixed skincare routine which will enable to me feel as confident as I do with foudation on, to be able to have fresh clear skin. Apparently this has small crystals in which, when massaged into the skin, remove dead skin cells and can even remove the topmost layer of skin. I'm going to try this in the coming weeks and post a review.

Neutrogena Wave Duo Power Cleanser (£9.99)
Im lusting after a clarisonic but as i dont have the pennies, i've settled to trying other electronic cleansing products. This comes with cleansing pads which can be attached to the head. Its also waterproof with 2 powder settings. I tried this last night after a nice bath and it seemed to work all right. My skin felt tighter and deffintly smoother. I've not read upmuch about this, it was abit of an impulse buy so I'll see how it works out. I still want a clarisonic, but sigma have just released their own version which im eyeing up, so if this productas dosent turn out to be what i want, i shall be splurging on that.

Soap & Glory Clear Here Daily Moisture Lotion (£8.17)
Again another product to help with my quest for perfect skin. I used this last night after trying the wave duo and again this morning. I have noticed it stung a little, which may have been due to the deep cleaning of the duo. I accidently got some near my eye too which stung! Keep away from the eyes people! It doesnt seem to have irratated my skin at all though, and when i put on this morning it didnt sting. Im looking foward to seeing the long term results of this as it claims to shrink pores and clear an oily complexion (my T-zone gets oily now and again).

I got all these for £15.99 in boots using the 3 for 2 on skincare products deal and a £5 number 7 vouncher!

My superdrug buys were some hair products! My hair is DEAD, having bleached it and straightened so much without any form of protection. Im going to let it rest over the next few weeks i think, not straightening and leaving 5ish days in between washes so the natural oils can recover the strawlike mess on my head. To help in this task I got 2 more Aussie products, one to help with volume as my hair is mega flat when straightened (and i know im not gonna be able to resist straightening when i see my boy) and a deep conditioner.

Aussie Volume Shampoo
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner
I cant remember how much these were intervidually but there's currently a deal on, 2 for £5, which ofcourse I snapped up! Dont forget to also pick up the new superdrug beauty card which launched this month!

Some other things i picked up were:
3 Montagne Jenuesse Blemish Mud Masks (89p each from bodycare)
Skin Benefit Deep Cleansing Pore Strips (£1.99 from bodycare)
Some weird foot scrub brush thing (£1.05 from bodycare)
Urban Decay Ultraglide in Gash (£3.99 from TJ Huges)
Stila Tinted Moisturiser in Fair (£2.99 from TJ Huges)

Expect to see more reviews, swatches, Makeup looks and nail looks in the next few weeks as my spending ban has now officially started!