July Faves

I cannot believe that the months gone by already! I'm still sat here in Florida, I get back on the 5th of august at about 7am so by the time we've driven back up it'll be 10AM, then mission up to Blyth to collection Blake from his holiday home, which he most likely will not want to leave, and the to the kennel to collection her ladyship and bring her home, who will most likely be moody! by the time I get home, it's going to be coming up for 1pm! I'll have been up for 25 hours and about to die of exhaustion so that isn't going to be pleasant.


But, I will be posting up a haul of the things I got, and so far I've got quite alot of stuff, including some lovely older limited edition MAC, but anyway, on to the faves!


Laura Mercier Mineral Powder in Soft Porcelain - I'm in love with this product, it makes my skin look almost flawless and soft, it doesn't look powdery or too matte but just lovely! only problem is that it can make my huge pores stand out a bit more but with a good primer that is no issue

Illamasqua Katie - This gives me the perfect doll like cheeks over the Laura Mercier Powder, it offers natural looking colour and even though it's matte it's got something about it that makes me look healthy. Also like all Illamasqua blushes, it smells amazing!

Sleek Pout Polish in Pink Cadillac - I'm in love with this, it's moisturising, smells and tastes good, the colour is just enough to make your lips look pinky and nice without being too much, it looks pretty and girly, and has become a staple in my quick make up routine.

MAC Feline Eye Kohl - The famous 'blackest black' eye pencil, this month I've really been into just applying a medium-thick line of pencil and smudging it out with the 219 brush to give my lashes a bit more definition.

Sonia Kashuk Domed Multi Purpose Brush - I need like...4 of these! One for powder, one for blush, one for foundation and one for cream blush, it is good at all these things, it's also the softest thing on the planet, and has been applying my Laura Mercier powder so well, it's really impressed me. If you have a chance to get hold of any of the Sonia Kashuk brushes, do so, they're really good brushes and pretty cheap!

Pictures are all off google images, sorry they're not my own.




Sorry that this is quite a small post! 

Thankyou!

Huge thanks to the 15 of you who follow my blog! I never thought anyone would want to read what I have to say but thank you so much! 


Other than posts being more regular (which I promise will be happening!), what things would you like to see on my blog? Reviews of any specific products? hair 'stuff' (tutorials, care, colour) anything, just leave a comment and tell me


x


PS. Thankyou again!

USA CCO Haul #1

I say number one as, after going to the CCO I think I'll be going back to do some serious damage!


for those of you who don't know, CCO stands for Cosmetics Company Outlet, which is an estee lauder brand outlet in the USA, we do have three here in the UK, which I believe to be in Swindon, York and Ellesmere Port in 'Designer Outlets'  but I am not 100% sure of these locations, so don't quote me on it.




In the CCO I managed to grab


Femme-Fi Eyeshadow from the Neo-Sci-Fi Collection and most recently from Blonde, Brunette, Redhead

Sorry for the blur, the camera was like 'no, I won't focus on this for you!' 

Perfect Topping Mineralize Skinfinish from the Sugar Sweet Collection

Conjure Up Mineralize Blush from the Magic, Mirth and Mischief Collection (The Christmas collection just gone)

So Sweet,  So Easy Creamblend Blush from the MAC in Lillyland Collection

Blood Red Lipstick from the DSquared2 Collection, which until in was involved in a traumatic accident involving the washing machine, was my favourite lipstick of the fall just gone

Strada Blush which I believe wasn't limited edition but instead was discontinued, this seems to be the contour colour I searched so desperately for!

I attempted swatches, but my camera hates me because I made it take about five-hundred-thousand-million pictures in Harry Potter World Yesterday, so I apologise for that (let me know if you wanna see those pictures though!)


The CCO has provided me with the gifts I plan to bring back from the' Land Of Sephora' for my favourite bloggers who I think know who they are but I've not told them, and also some prizes for a give away I'm planning to do, so stay tuned for more! 


Any recent haul's you girls have done and want to share? also, any recommendations for products to pick up while I'm here?

In's and out's #2 & June Faves

This post's just combining my monthly faves and monthly fails!
I'm in Orlando! the trip here was interesting, luckily my cousin slept the whole car trip to Manchester (2 1/2 hours for us) but was excited for the entire wait in the airport, which did NOT have a starbucks like the website said. On the flight I ended up in pain for the first hour! it was awful it felt like the pressure on my head was trying to crush it or something, and it wasn't like when you're on the plane and your ears hurt, it was awful, I've been on planes since I was 6 weeks old and this has never ever happened before, but for the rest of the flight I had Harry Potter audio books and Titanic on my iPod so I was entertained once I got rid of the headache. So, on to the makeup...


In's/Faves 


Blonde MSF - This came out with Blonde, Brunette, Redhead last year but I only acquired it towards the end of May, but now it's a go to for when I need a more glowing look, it really does make you look as if you're glowing! it's an excellent blush topper and can be used to highlight the top of your cheekbones. 


MAC Blanc Type eyeshadow - I bought this about 6 months ago, and I'm running out! I love this eyeshadow I wear it just about everyday all over the lid  to even out the colour of my lids and be a good base for any eyeliner if I'm not wearing anything else  on my eyes that day. 


Maybelline Full n Soft Mascara - I'm going to cheat and put this in here even though I've only had it about a week, after getting it in a swap I now don't know how I never asked for this mascara from one of my US swaps before! I absolutely adore it and for the price of just under $6 I think I'll be stocking up on this while I'm here as it's just that good, full looking lashes (Which do look soft and not crunchy) a good black colour and it hold a curl! what more do I need? it's not a lengthing mascara but personally, I don't need length as I do have very long lashes but they lack the fullness I desire. The first paragraph of Cami's latest post sums up my expectations of mascara completely.


MAC's Marine Life Highlight Powder - My first really coraly blush! the pink in it makes it wearable for me when I mix the two together, a great summery cheek that doesn't look odd on me! NARS blushes are now becoming more and more necessary for me to buy now that I think I can get away with more colours.


NARS Fez eyeshadow - A beautiful bronze-brown kinda chocolatey shade, looks amazing in the crease of any look or the outer v, again, a nice summery colour


Out's/not loving


Diorshow Extase Mascara - ever so sorry Dior but this mascara is not for me! it's too much effort and doesn't even give me half the great effect of Full n Soft and costs about 5 times the price! 


MAC Lipglass - I continue to buy them, especially from MAC but I don't like wearing them! too sticky and the colours aren't that great nor pigmented, I am a loyal lipstick lover! 




Also, here's a picture of my baby boy, who I am missing alot (but not missing his love of eating headphones and stealing!) I'm sorry for all the yapping I do about him, but he's lush and mine!

His beloved paddling pool

Yes, that is a carrot he's eating

Diorshow Extase Mascara

This mascara is the newest edition to the Diorshow Mascara 'family' which, according to Debenhams website, consists of 8 mascaras. Before I get on with the review, here's a bit about my lashes, I have long lashes with a little bit of a curl, but they're not as full and 'false' as I'd like.

I chose Extase out of the Dior mascaras about a month ago as my first high end mascara (other than mini Lancome ones from my aunt) it claims to be an 'Instant Oversize Volume Mascara' with a 'couture brush', offering both length and volume along with a 'lash care' ingredient, I picked this one partly because the sales women at both Dior counters were pushing this one and were very reluctant to show me the other mascaras and if I asked about them they would refer back to this one and since it was the same price as the others, I figured it was worth a try since I had birthday money. On to the mascara its self...

It comes in a shiny gold tube which is very pretty and quite classy looking, with black writing showing the name of the mascara, the tube it's self is very sleek and it has a 'click' when you close it which is nice as you know that air is not getting into the mascara and drying it out. However, the top of the tube is to wide and lets too much mascara onto the brush which could lead to very clumpy lashes so you've got to sort of wipe it off in the tube which is a bit of a fuss. The mascara its self is quite wet feeling and thickens the lashes nicely, it can easy go clumpy though and if you have any left over mascara from the night before which didn't come off, it will clump pretty quickly as the brush can't separate the lashes, I'm not sure if that's because of the brush itself or because it has too much mascara on it, either way I find it difficult. For me, it holds a curl okay, but I've got a crap eyelash curler so I think it's difficult for me to say if this will or won't. This mascara only comes in black at the moment and isn't waterproof, neither of these are serious flaws for me, as I think brown mascara is weird looking with my dark hair, brows, lashes and eyes! and waterproof is often irritating for my eyes. One this that I didn't expect this to do and I assumed was just marketing is the fact that my lashes feel much stronger and look much nicer since using this which I think is due to the lash caring ingredients.

Overall I'd say this is a pretty decent mascara, nice volume and length, I'm not sure if it's right for me though, for others, it may be HG but for me I think I need considerably more volume! I'm not returning to the drugstore just yet as Diorshow Blackout is next on my list!

May Favorites

I cannot belive that may is over! it's really scary how fast this year has gone by, I think it needs to slow it down. Sorry for the lack of posts which is due to the fact my exams are here, It sounds weird but I'm really happy my exams are upon me. Now, I'm not one of these people who just love exams (Anyone Hermonies face in harry potter when exams were cancelled?) but we've been building up for these preparing for about two and a half years so I can finally just get them over with and move on to a life without school. So yes, back on topic, I've been revising alot recently and then doing other things too to help my mother with the guide dog puppy who's recently become a nightmare as he enters the doggie equivalent of the terrible two's which seems to involve alot of chewing. 


Moving swiftly on, I can seriously talk for England. 


So in the past month, I have been loving...

Topshop Cream Blush in 'Crushed Berry' 

Since getting this, I think I've used it most days it's creamy and smooth but doesn't look OTT grease or anything. I disagree with the cream-to-powder formula it says it has as I think it's a bit more of a satin finish on me, but either way it's very good. It looks natural despite the fact it's a berry colour but it comes out more pink. I'm really egar to try the other blushes in the line (Flush and Pinch are on my list!) excuse the ickyness of the picture, i tried to use a too fluffy natural hair brush in it...just don't do it

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

This is my daily foundation and I truly love it, I normally only have one foundation open and 'in use' but I do currently have two on the go, the other being MAC's studio Sculpt which I plan to do a review on at some stage, and this is the one that I choose everyday to wear, I love the finish of it and it lasts all day without feeling heavy see my review here

Illamasqua Loose Powder

I love this powder, I got it back in December for Christmas and used it to set my revlon colourstay foundation, but the look wasn't good for me, overly matte and highlighted all my winter dryness, so I instead swapped to MAC and these were left in the draw. Until recently when my Illamasqua loose powder has been busted out and used to set my Sheer Glow, I have the colour 115 which is described as having golden undertones, I personally consider this to be crap as I cannot detect the slightest golden hint in the powder when in the jar or on my skin, but this powder does a great job of setting my foundation without making the foundation matte, but it does prevent me getting oily and the foundation transferring. It's a daily essential for me, even though people have told me that because I have dry skin I shouldn't use a setting powder I find it to be necessary to making foundation last and this does an outstanding job.

MAC 'A Rose Romance' Lipstick.

I recently got this in a swap so I've only been wearing it for about two weeks, but the colour is beautiful, the pink is just right and the formula is quite pigmented for a lustre. The slightly gold hint to it I think is what makes all the difference it feels pretty and summery. I must say, it is slightly more drying than other lustres I've tried but I'll put that down to it being more pigmented than others I've tried.
Image property of Temptalia 

NARS Eyeshadow In Ondine 

This is a lush colour to use in the crease or outer-v the purple is great on my dark eyes the colour is just perfect to use lightly over the lid for a wash of colour too.
Image found on google

NARS Eyeshadow in Mekong

This eyeshadow is so pretty, the picture doesn't at all do it justice you really need to have it! it's beautiful pushed over the top of black liner (I use a 212 brush and pack it on) to give a beautiful deep espresso brown and gold glittery finish but it also works nice in the outer-v and crease, I reach for this everyday! 


What have you been loving this month? or what things have you been hating this month? 

Big Boobs = Big Bra Budget!

Is it just me? or does it seem that the bigger your boobs the more you have to pay for a bra. I'm not talking about bra sizes going up to bigger size and costing more, but as in being able to find a nice bra, for a reasonable price! 
I'm a bit stingy when it comes to spending money on things such as underwear which are hidden 90% of the time but the going rate for a nice looking bra which fits well seems to be about £14 which to me seems pretty reasonable price and even though it is hidden most of the time, it makes me feel confident to have a nice looking bra on! The problem, however, lies in the fact that in general, these bra ranges seem to finish at a D. DD is your lucky maybe, but that's way to small for me! 
After my mother told me that my bra was looking awful and making my boobs like as if I was about 50 years old, I went to deb's for a bra fitting (I'd normally go to M&S but after the last bra..no thankyou) and when the woman told me my size  (I'm a 34F) I seriously sighed. My previous size of a  34DD to E was hard enough to find bras which are nice looking and fit well on a budget but at an F! Now, I do know that there are loads of places that cater for bigger boobs (Bravissimo, Figleaves...etc) but at prices of about £24 a shot I think it's a bit over priced since a smaller bra costs about a tenner less! I tried on a lovely freya bra that was super comfy but it was so expensive! lucky I managed to grab it on sale along with two which were reduced to £16 pounds so I'd have some bras which fitted me nicely! now these bra's do fit but I was so put off by all the prices, the ranges designed for bigger bras seem to cost so much more, and my question is just why!? 
Also, a little rant about all these lovely looking structured dresses around with cups in them, I actually think I could pull one off but I don't think I could get half a boob into one of those cups!
Anyone else think this is a bit of a scam?


Anyway, rant over just something I've noticed that's bothered me for a while now. 
GCSE literature exam on Tuesday and I'm ever so slightly bricking it! Poems and of Mice and Men are my subjects for it :(