Some new goodies...

...well it's been about a week or so since my last post. Unfortunately I've spent the last couple of days being quite ill :(


So I treated myself (pre vomiting!) to some goodies I've had my eye on for a bit.


First up NARS Nouveau Monde eyeshadow duo. This is a powder eyeshadow duo and it's absolutely gorgeous! On one side is a pale lilac colour, almost duochrome. It's quite sparkly but the sparkles are very finely milled. The NARS website describes it as "metallic silver lilac" which is a pretty accurate description. It has a tiny bit of fallout but nothing major. It's very buttery and easy to blend - and buttery is a word that gets associated with NARS eyeshadows quite a lot. I've been using it as an inner corner highlight, and it has pretty good staying power. The other side of the duo is an olive green. The NARS website describes it as a "rich olive gold." It has been compared to MAC's sumptuous olive by some but I find sumptuous olive pulls a bit more gold on my lids. This NARS colour is a lot more of a dark green khaki on me, and like the lilac, blends beautifully. It's lovely to wear in the crease, outer v and lower lashline.


Next is the new MAC face primer. It's from their new "Prime future" range and the one I picked up was the MAC Prep + Prime Skin Smoother. It comes in a compact similar to the pressed powders, with a mirror in the lid. It has a solid-balm like consistency. It can be applied with a sponge, clean fingers or a brush. I've been using my 190 brush to apply it before foundation and it really goes on well. I have found that I really don't need very much to cover my face and it makes my skin beautifully smooth. While it doesn't do much in term of spots and blemishes, my skin has a much smoother texture when it's on. But beware that if you use too much, your foundation might become a bit slippy. Used sparingly, as well as smoothing out the skin, it does help foundation take hold. I use it with my pro longwear foundation and the two seem to go well together. The MAC website claims "Velvety Prep + Prime Skin Smoother instantly fills in fine lines and wrinkles, evens skin texture and mattifies while softening the skin" and I have to say it certainly lives up to these claims




Finally a MAC Cremesheen Lipglass in "Just superb," which is described as a "dirty neutral pink." I had been looking for a pink gloss to wear that wasn't too fuschia or too barbie-pink. This one is perfect. It's not too sticky and I've been wearing it over my Revlon "Pink in the afternoon" lipstick. I'll be giving it a test run over my MAC Angel lipstick this week. It goes on very smoothly and evenly and lasts a decent amount of time. It doesn't stay put quite as long as some other stickier lipglosses, such as the normal MAC ones, but I don't mind re-applying as it's nice and creamy. These glosses are based on the popular cremesheen formula lipsticks which, like other lipsticks, are not quite as long lasting but a lot nicer to apply and much creamier.

 MAC Just Superb swatched on inner forearm

NARS Nouveau Monde duo swatched on inner arm and fingers

Review: LUSH Lemony Flutter

So today's review is of the delightful Lemony Flutter cuticle butter by LUSH!

Although it says "cuticle butter" this little gem can be used for a whole host of things, such as dry skin, elbows, cracked lips etc. I mostly use this for my cuticles as I am constantly picking at them so they are always a state. To say that this lemony miracle soothes would be an understatement. Using it for a few times a day for 2-3 days, it heals up all the sore skin around the base of my nails straight away!

The butter itself is thicker than the standard hand cream but is easy to apply. It can be a pain getting the screw-top pot open and shut once it's on your hands but, to be fair, this product is much too thick to put into a squeezy tube. It's thick, buttery and smooth. On first application it may feel a bit greasy but this feeling goes away very quickly and it absorbs well. Also the little black pot is eligible for LUSH's free facemask deal (where, if you bring back 5 empty clean LUSH product pots, you get a free fresh facemask.)

It has a lemon-sherbet smell but they seem to have changed the formula slightly over the years as there is a slight burnt plastic/chemical smell to the product that didn't used to be there 4 or 5 years ago when I first started buying this product. Needless to say, the actual lemon smell is strong and overpowers the the more plastic/chemical smell so you don't notice it for very long.

I generally always have a pot of this in my handbag. In a sore lips emergency it doubles up as a lipbalm. I also find it great for elbows, knees and feet, especially in the winter. And it makes a fantastic intensive hand treatment for overnight, especially if you pop a pair of gloves on.

All in all, the little tub lasts ages even with daily use and it is well worth the price tag. As most of the ingredients are natural it's a great one for people with allergy prone or sensitive skin. I haven't found a product that does the same job so it is a staple item for me!

FOTD: Green eyes

So it's been about a week since I updated (sorry!) as it's been mad at work. However, somebody requested the green eyeshadow look that I posted as part of my MAC Pro longwear review below so here goes!

Base:
Rimmel fix and perfect primer
MAC Pro longwear foundation in NC15
MAC Studio finish concealer in NC15
Illamasqua undereye concealer
MAC Prep + Prime setting powder
MAC Well dressed blush
Boots No 7 LE Floral brights highlighter

Eyes:
MAC Paint pot painterly (as a base/primer)
Urban Decay Mildew all over the lid
MAC humid in crease, outer v and under eye
MAC Sprout (now discontinued) on inner third of lid
MAC blacktrack fluidline on upper lid
Bourjois Fix and Perfect masacara

Lips:
Revlon Colorburst lipstick - Pink in the afternoon

Enjoy!

Review: MAC Pro longwear foundation

Some FOTD's where I've used MAC pro longwear

I've been a long time fan of MAC foundations. In fact, it was the first HE brand I really got into and still love. I've worked my way through many a foundation of theirs, from tinted moisturiser as a teen through studio fix fluid (which was a staple of mine for a long time) and now pro longwear.

The main reason I made the jump from studio fix to pro longwear was more of a longevity issue. Studio fix does stay put for about 8-10 hours on me, but does require blotting and touch ups. In my day job (in "real life" I'm a teacher!) I need my MU to stay put for a good 12 hours and not need touch ups. I decided to go with MAC's pro longwear rather than something like Revlon colorstay or Estee Lauder Double Wear as I've worn MAC for a long time and find that it doesn't irritate my skin, and I know I'll get a good shade match - despite some mutterings I hear of MAC foundations causing breakouts for some, it's not a problem I've had despite being blemish prone, and their shade range really is second to none.

I've been wearing the MAC pro longwear for about 2-3 months now in NC15, which is the same shade I wear for studio fix fluid and the studio fix + foundation compact. Some may find that this foundation runs a touch darker in the pro longwear line than say, studio fix or studio sculpt, but that actually suits me better! However, I have noticed that there is a slightly more limited shade range for the pro longwear range at present.

So, down to the consistency and quality of the foundation. It comes out in quite small pumps - smaller than the pump that is available for studio fix - so I need 2-3 pumps for my whole face. It is a similar consistency but it sets much faster. Not a problem so long as you work on one area of your face at a time. While it sets quickly, it doesn't feel sticky or tacky, and the benefit of it setting like this is that it doesn't transfer! (something which my other half will probably be eternally grateful for)

It's quite easy to apply and blend, but beware that you do need to really make sure you blend this foundation! It's not one of those that you can slap on and walk out the door. I apply mine with a MAC 190 brush and it goes on really well. If there are any stubborn bits, I whizz over them with clean fingers or buff lightly with a buffing brush

The foundation gives a lovely matte finish - though this might not be a great one for ladies who are a fan of the dewier finish. It is matte - with no dewiness, shimmer, sheerness etc. But obviously, a bit of highlighter afterwards or even the addition of a liquid highlighter to the foundation like the MAC Strobe cream should take care of this. I find this matte finish really does last all day for me. After about 10-11 hours I see a bit of fade and shine but nothing horrendous or overly noticeable. If I'm having a super long day, I just top it up with some studio fix + powder. Seems pretty good at controlling oilies.

The coverage itself is definitely more medium than full, but that being said, it is buildable, contrary to some other reviews. I often build a little bit up in a second layer around my nose and chin because I'm quite red there, and it's easily done as each section dries and sets quite quickly.

Word of warning to anyone with dry skin - this foundation does accentuate dry bits! Regular exfoliation and moisturising is a must with this one.

In terms of how it feels, the skin doesn't look or feel too heavy or cakey with this on. And when I remove it after 12-15 hours of wear, lots of it comes off! So in short, make sure you remove it thoroughly, because it is so longwearing, I imagine it would cause breakouts if not removed thoroughly

All in all a good buy, but I would suggest getting to a MAC store or counter to swatch and also a tester if you are acne prone

Review: Illamasqua Muse nailpolish

Ok first review!

I've been a fan of Illamasqua nailpolishes for quite a while now, though I only own 3. They are such lovely quality, but they really should be for the price (£13.50). I'm one of these people that, no matter how many base coats, top coats etc I put on, my nailpolish still chips and gets lots of wear and tear at the tips. Illamasqua polishes tend to last a good week with minimal chipping

This week I purchased "Muse" on the Illamasqua website for 50% off as part of their Easter sale. Muse is a beautiful teal colour. Teal is one of my favourite colours ever and can vary blue to green quite a lot. This is one of the slightly more blue- teals I've come across. It applies beautifully - smooth and creamy. It's almost opaque on the first coat and definitely opaque on the second! It applies evenly and with no bubbles. It dries in pretty standard nailpolish drying time (about 10 mins) with no noticeable dents or chips straight after

Hoping this one stays put for the next week - I'll update later next week once it's been through a few more day-today wear and tear tests

Peaches and Cream FOTD

Aaannnnddddd right on top of my welcome post, my first FOTD. I already posted this on the MUA forum today but for all of you here.

Apologies for the posing!

Ok products used

Foundation:
a mixture of MAC studio sculpt in NC15 and ELDW in Ecru as I had samples of both. Applied with a MAC 190 foundation brush then buffed in lightly with a random buffing brush. *note to self - buy new buffing brush on payday!*
Concealer:
MAC studio finish in NC15 for blemishes, Illamasqua under eyes
Powder:
Collection 2000 sheer loose powder
Blush:
Illamasqua lover, applied with the lovely Ecotools blush brush
Eyes:
MAC Paintpot in painterly
Illamasqua stealth all over the lid
MAC quarry (a touch) in the crease
Bourjois fast & perfect mascara

Brows:
Benefit brow zings in medium (i think)

Lips:
Revlon lip butter in peach parfait
Rimmel vinyl max gloss in outrageous

Christ, that's a lot of makeup for a no MU look!

Welcome!

Hi everyone!

So welcome to my brand new blog, about makeup, beauty, skincare, and all things cosmetic

In a world full of blogs about similar things, I'm not going to pretend to reinvent the wheel with this blog. On here I'll simply be commenting on products I love, reviewing products, trying to provide you with pictures/swatches/comparisons to help you with any decisions you need to make about beauty products you want to try and buy

I hope to get round to make doing a few FOTD's (face of the day!) and maybe some tutorials if I get the time and get over my phobia of videos

So a bit of info about me.....

I love makeup! I'm not a makeup artist or anything but I love watching and learning. Some of my favourite artists/bloggers etc that I like to follow are Pixiwoo, Lisa Eldridge, Temptalia, Karlasugar, Killer Colours etc

Some of my favourite makeup brands are MAC, Nars, Illamasqua, Urban Decay, Shu, Laura Mercier..... I'm sure there's more!

I live in London and I'm fairly pale (NC15) with brunette hair and blue eyes. My skin is somewhat blemish prone, so I'm constantly on the lookout for skincare and foundations etc that work for me, which I'll share with you all

Hope you all enjoy! x