N.O.T.W - Teal, Plus Jane gets Arty!

Hello m'dears! I thought I would do something a little different today, than your bog standard Nail of the Week. My inner arty nerd has finally been released and im buzzing with ideas to make this blog more arty and intertwined with my photography work. If only my computer monitor was colour colaborted to let me edit pictures properly *le sigh*


Yey for tip showage! I only applied one coat of this polish, just to test it out ^_^

OPI Base Coat
E.L.F. Nail Polish in Teal
Revlon Top Coat

What do you guys thing of me doing more images like this? I shall still do swatches and product shots ofcourse, but I want to be more creative with Makeup and Nail looks!

xox

FOTD - Half Baked Iguana

G'day! Today I have a FOTD post for you lovely people ^_^ I've been wanting to experiment more with my Sleek Palettes so heres another result of m playing around. As a side note, has anyone else got problems with watery eyes? I find that sometimes my eyes can really water and completly ruin my eye makeup, which gets pretty uncomfortable as is tends to glood together and rub on my eyelids. Anyone got any solutions?
Anyway, to the pictures!

[Surprised look!!]

Face:
MUA Face Primer
Revlon Colourstay in Ivory
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder in Ivory
NARS Laguna
Benefit Thrrrob
E.L.F. Gotta Glo

Eyes:
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Virgin & Half Baked)
Sleek Curacao Palette (Blue Hawaiian, Green Iguana & Martini)
E.L.F. Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil - Black
NYC Showtime Mascara

Lips
E.L.F. Lipliner - Bark
Sleek True Colour Lipstick - Peaches and Cream
E.L.F. Hypershine Lipgloss - Fairy

Have you ever put eyeshadow on to only realise you had forgot primer? Yeah...I did this with this look. Luckily it actually held up! Result!
I have an E.L.F. Haul and reviews coming up for you so keep you eyes peeled (where does that saying actually come from?)

xox

Versus Mascara: Estée Lauder Projectionist vs. NYC Showtime

Hello there m'dears. As I mentioned briefly, here's my newest permanent feature which shall be ongoing for the next couple of months at least. A battle of the brands! I do love my high end products, who wouldn't? These luxury department store counters look amazing, provide great assistance and make one feel expensive wearing their products. However, I am always prancing up and down superdrug & boots looking for a great bargain! Makeup’s makeup right?
Today I am going to compare two rather similar mascaras, with one major difference. Price.

Let the battle begin!

Estée Lauder Projectionist HD Volume Mascara vs. NYC Showtime Volumizing Mascara

Firstly, lets start with the packaging! Noone can deny that Estée Lauder have hit this in the bullseye. A sleek, streamline tube of a navy blue colour, with a golden band hosting the brands logo would make anyone look forward to coating their lashes. It just feels luxurious. Smooth, thin and downright pretty, this mascara would easily fit into a bag or makeup case, not taking up much room but still yielding a whole tube of wonders. The lid is pointed which makes for easier application, fitting perfectly into the palm of the hand without any bulkiness.

The NYC mascara on the other hand, is pretty bulky. A light blue colour, its thick, plastic feeling and a little bit tacky. Don't let the packaging put you off though, it's still pretty easy to apply, fitting into the hand nicely, its bulky frame not really being a hindrance.

The wand of the Estée Lauder Mascara represents the packaging. A kind of dome shame, slightly pointed, continues that streamline effect, making it easy to reach those hard to get lashes. It provides an even application, while making coating the bottom lashes a dream. I have no complaints what so ever about the wand or application of this product, its what I would expect from a £20 mascara.

The NYC mascara has a rounded wand which evenly coats, while really adding volume to the upper lashes. Its not as easy to reach the inner corners or the bottom lashes as the Projectionist mascara, but still works amazingly.

[Naked Eye]

[Left: Estée Lauder Projectionist. Right: NYC Showtime]

As you can see, my lashes are pretty thin, short and fair. Both these mascaras add length and volume with one coat. I believe showtime gives me more length while the volume stays pretty even between the two. Projectionist is better for the lowes lashes due to the wand shape, making clumps easier to avoid.
There are a few small differences, but the mascaras look very similar to be honest. I wore these two different products all day and they pretty much looked the same. My boy couldnt tell I was wearing two different brands (althought i guess most men are oblivious to makeup related issues!)

They last all day without smudging, both being water resistant, yet come off really easily with makeup remover. Overall I am really impressed with both mascaras, though I would have to say their results are nearly identicle considering theres £16 between them.

Price:
Estée Lauder Projectionist HD Volume Mascara : £20
NYC Showtime Volumizing Mascara: £3.99

Summary
Versus Winners

Packaging: Estée Lauder Projectionist
Wand: Estée Lauder Projectionist
Upper Lash Application: Draw
Lower Lash Application: Estée Lauder Application
Volume and Length: Draw
Staying Power: Draw
Price: NYC Showtime

Overall I have to say I would buy the NYC Showtime mascara again over Projectionist, purely because the actual application and results equal the high end mascara, but for a fraction of the price.

xox

And the winner is...

Hello there! I'm sorry is been a while! I've had tonnes to do over the past 2 weeks so havent had much time to blog. I have a few posts coming your way and a new permenant feature, which will see a battle of the brands! High End vs Low End! So stay tuned as the first post will be up later this evening!
For now, I'm going to announce the winner of my MUA giveaway! Thank you all for entering, and celebrating with me, reaching my 50 followers mark! Well here we go!

And the Winner is...

Sweet as Honey Blog!

I shall be sending you an email either later today or tomorrow so keep your eyes peeled! Congrats!

xox

FOTD - Caribbean Curacao

For once i've actually bothered to do a makeup look other than a neutral eye! I had an hour to spare before the boy arrived earlier today, so i thought i would try out a makeup look inspired by Youtube Guru xsparkage's "tropical glitter" look, but more toned down (as i've had work this evening!) This seems to look so much better in person, I really need to take better pictures ahha! Note to self, invest in a macro lens for my camera. Sorry about my really horrid, dead looking skin. It seriously looks terrible in pictures apparently, and way cakey urgh! Also the brows are really messy at the moment! Ima stop moaning now :P


Face:
MUA Face Primer
Revlon Colourstay in Ivory mixed with E.L.F. Regular Tinted Moisturiser in Ivory
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder in Ivory
NARS Laguna Bronzer
Benefit Thrrrob Blush
E.L.F. Gotta Glo

Eyes:
TwoFaced Shadow Insurence
Sleek Curacao Palett (Screwdriver, Singapore Sling, Tequila Sunrise, Blue Hawaiian, Green Iguana, Martini)
Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner
MUA Gold Glitter Eyeliner
E.L.F. Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in Teal
NYC Show Time Volumizing Mascara
MUA Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde

Lips:
E.L.F. Lipliner in Bark
MAC B-Babe Lipstick
NYX Clear Lipgloss

xox

Giveaway: MUA!

Hey nuggets! It's now time for me to post my first giveaway! This it to say thankyou to all my followers for your support and to celebrate reaching 50 followers ^_^
The prizes will be a few MUA goodies including some eyeshadows from the all new MUA Pro range!

Eyeshadow Palette in Glitter Ball
Lipgloss in Shade 4
NailPolish in Shade 8
EyeDust in Shade 4
Trio Eyeshadow in Chocolate Box

For a chance to win all you have to do is:

Be a Google Friend Connect Follower & Comment below!
Leave me a comment below with your email address and a short sentance on what YOU would like to see on this blog in future. You Must follow via GFC (i will check!), if not you won't be entered.

For One Additional Entry
Tweet using the following.
Check out @hippymeow 's giveaway to win some MUA Goodies! http://bloodfeatherslipstick.blogspot.com/2011/07/giveaway-mua.html
Remember to leave your Twitter username in your comment below.

This giveaway will be running for 2 weeks, and will close on July 26th at 5pm UK time.

The winners will be chosen via Random.org.
Open internationally.
One entry per person.
The winner will be announced on July 27th.

xox

Sleek MakeUP: Caribbean Eyeshadow Palette!

Hey guys! Now i'm sure most of you, especially those in the UK, know of the amazing Makeup brand Sleek, myself having posted a fair few times about their products. Their eyeshadow palettes, retailing at £6.49 are by far some of the best drugstore eyeshadows I have ever come across. They're pigmented, blendable and dont cause too much fallout. I hope to do a Sleek Collection post sometime in the future, but for now I'm going to focus on the newest limited edition release. The Caribbean Collection.


There are three products in this range. An i-Divine Palette, a Pout Polish and a Blush. While in town last week, I saw the Sleek stand and these colours instantly grabbed me, especially the yellow. The 12 beautiful shades are in a range of colours from the tangerine orange and vivid yellow, to the deep blue and jet black.


The colours are named after cocktails, hosting 6 shimmer and 6 which are more matte (but still hosting a little shimmer when swatched) creating a perfectly dazzling mix.


This is a great palette for those who love bright, bold colours or for those like me, who want the colours there, just incase. I'm going through more of a neutral phase at the moment, but cant wait until I have to time to experiment more (I'm always in a rush doing my makeup!).

[L-R: Tequila Sunrise, Martini, Blue Hawaiian, Apres Midori, Blue Lagoon, Purple Haze]

[L-R: Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, Green Iguana, Green Martini, Singapore Sling, Espresso Martini]
What are you thoughts on this newest collection? Will you be picking up any of the range?

xox

June Favourites!

Hai ho! Sorry that I have been away, but as i mentioned previously, I had to go back to Southampton for a week to move into my new student house! If your unaware, I have just finished my first year at Southampton Solent University where i study Photography. I'm currently back at home in the north-west for summer, spending some time with my friends, boy and working! Anyway, heres my belated June Favourites! Better late than never!


Urban Decay Naked Palette
This is probably my favourite product of all this (last) month! Before I picked it up, I was never really a fan of neutral shades, instead sticking with the blacks. Since trying this out, I always have at least one of the shadows on my lid! It really is my every-day palette and I 100% think its worth every penny. My usual colours are: Virgin, Buck, Smog & Half-Baked.

NARS Laguna Bronzer
A relatively new purchase, I was on the hunt for a bronzer which i could use to contour for summer. As i have fairly pale skin, I didnt want anything too dark or muddy looking, which I was afraid this would bring at first, but its perfect! I actually wear this everyday, even if im wearing no eye makeup! It perfectly accents my pale skin, and paired with a pink blush, makes my skin glow. A must for summer!

E.L.F. Studio Stipple Brush & E.L.F. Blending Eye Brush
I seriously cannot fault E.L.F. brushes! Some say they can be too scratchy compared to say, Sigma or MAC, but not having tried these I have nothing to compare them too. The stipple brush applied liquid foundation flawlessly and really help buff it into the skin, unlike a foundation brush which can be streaky and take longer to blend.
The eye blending brush is actually perfect for packing colour into the crease. Not a day goes by when i dont swirl this in "Buck" (UD Naked Palette). It applies colour evenly and smoothly, giving amazing precision.

Benefit Thrrrob Blush
This is the first real blush I ever got, when I first started wearing it, in Feb/March i believe. The boy got it me in Manchester, and its remained one of my favourites. This pretty pink shade is perfect for lighter skintones, especially in summer! I usally paid this with NARS "Laguna" Bronzer and E.L.F. "Gotta Glo" Blush (Highlight).

Estée Lauder Projectionist HD Volume Mascara
This is the second "high end" mascara ive tried after Benefit "BadGal", and i really am impressed. The packaging is luxurious and slim, with a wand which grands even application. It doesn't smudge or fade away, which ive noticed happens with "BadGal", and isnt prone to running down my face if my eyes water or it rains. I'm 100% going to be trying more Estée Lauder products as this is exactly what I want in a mascara. Im more than happy to wear it on its own, unlike the Benefit one which i knew would fade after a while.

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Pencil in Zero
Need I even say anything about this? The best pencil eyeliner i've ever tried in my oppinion. It leaves the chance to be smudged out when first applied, but when set, seriously wont budge. I usally wear this on my lower lashline or to tightline (using a white liner on my waterline). Im perticularly loving it to tightline this month, for a really natural eye.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner
I may as well say, my hair is terrible. After bleaching it to death and straightening every day (WITHOUT heat protection spray) my hair seriously needed some love and attention. After deciding to improve its condition, I got my hands on some Aussie products, which ive heared can work wonders. I love this conditioner so so much! When I ran out, I had to use my mums Elvive and I HATED it, it was so chemical feeling and urgh. I really have seen an improvement in the condition of my hair since using this. The ends are no longer a frizzy dead mess and the roots look healthier.

Benefit Its Potent Eye Cream
I got this mini the other week as a Grazia magazine freebie. I may have only been using it for a little while but I'm totally a fan (unlike the rest of the skincare range). Im going to be posting a review of the B-right range soon, so i'll just say this eyecream is so soothing. I apply it at night and sometime when i wash in the morning. I cant say anything for reducing circles and I dont really have proper noticable bags under my eyes, but it just feels nice! I shall write more in the upcoming review ^_^

Barry M Nail Paint in Mint Green & OPI Silver Polish
Im unsure of the OPI polishes name as it was part of my May Glossybox, and it didnt have a name mentioned. Im adoring these 2 polishes at the moment though! The green is so so pretty, really saiting my pastel cravings and i'm using this silver as a topcoat on practically every nail look im doing! I really never thought i'd be a massive fan of glitter polish but its growing on me.

Soap & Glory Clear Here Moisturiser
I'm on a massive skincare kick of late, striving to perfect my skin. A product which i'm loving is this soap & glory moisturiser, which I picked up about a month ago. At first it made my skin feel so dry, I actually didnt leave the house for a few days, not wanting to irritate it with makeup, but after that initial phase was over ive noticed it really did make my skin better. It tackles blemishes by drying them out, and has "pore shrinking" ingredients. I cant say ive noticed any pore-shrinking, but this does leave my skin feeling smooth, and is apparently a perfect base for makeup. I'm going to continue using this over the next few months and hope to see further improvements.

So thats my June Favourites. Again I apologize for being away, but you can expect more regular posting now that im back. Also I shall be having a GIVEAWAY this week to thank all my lovely followers, and to celebrating reaching over 50!

xox