Thursday 16 September 2010

Hair Traumas

Eek! Sorry it's been a while. I am a baaad blogger! I have loads to do in the way of reviews, tutorials and general ramblings but for today my focus is all about hair, the things we put it through, and the trauma it suffers! This is on my mind as, over the weekend, much to the dismay of my mother and boyfriend I decided that my ends were looking a little ginger and decided to whack on an at-home dye to cover my highlights. It'll be a while before I go to the salon again and this seemed the most logical thing to do. Well, how mistaken was I. I applied a shade of dark blonde and left it for 15 minutes, half the recommended time. Foolproof plan I thought, leaving it in for the whole time would surely make my hair way too dark (this has happened more times than I care to remember in the past!) and so I proceeded in my merry way :) Unbelievably, the result was STILL too dark. I was brunette again, and this did not please me to say the least. I spent the first part of this week moping and complaining that I wanted to be blonde again, to the extent that I went to Superdrug with my Mum in search of a remedy. This is what I found:

http://www.boots.com/en/Colour-B4.-Hair-Colour-Remover-by-Scott-Cornwall-hair-expert._1000978/

I had read about this product before and it seemed too good to be true, but given the situation I was willing to try it. The little leaflet said that it works by shrinking hair dye molecules and allowing them to be washed away without affecting your natural hair colour. All very sciencey. I haven't seen my natural colour for years, so I was just after getting rid of the last dye I put on and restoring my blonde to it's former glory :) The instructions were as follows:

1> Must be used on clean dry hair free of other products. Cue a wash and blow dry to rid it of all the hairspray and dry shampoo I had used that morning!

2> Apply colour remover for 20 mins max. then rinse for 10 mins. In this case I have to say 10 minutes felt like an hour! My hair also felt a little rough and straw-like which was weird considering it says ion the instructions that it doesn't damage hair? hmm.

3> Apply buffer, lather for a minute, rinse for 5, followed by another buffer application and 5 more minutes of rinsing. This is where I started to worry. When rinsing the first lot of buffer out I couldn't believe the state of my hair :/ it felt matted, tangled and SO dry, I had a major panic and decided to slather it with deep conditioning mask for the next 5 minutes! So, no second stage of buffering, but I reckon I rescued my hair from the brink as it would not have tolerated another layer of that buffer!

Regardless, it actually turned out ok. I have been left with a pleasing shade of honey-blonde which is only a tiny bit more subdued than the blonde I started with. The ginger ends are gone - yay! And I will be staying away from the boxes of home-dye for the forseeable future :) My verdict? Excellent for lifting an unwanted colour, but be prepared for your hair to take a battering. It's fine now, nice and soft and shiny, but what I felt when washing the buffer out was comparable to a full head of bleach left on for a while.

Colour B4 cost me 9.99 from Superdrug, they also do an extra-strength formula at 11.99.



I promise not to leave it so long this time! Will blog soon :)
Lucy x

Wednesday 23 June 2010

Summer Wishlist

Project 10 Pan is coming along wayyy to slowly for my liking (update blog coming soon!) and it seems like this wishlist keeps on growing every day. There are various bits and bobs that I've seen/read about and it's going to be SO hard come Friday (payday-woo!) to resist these little beauties. If anyone's tried these things please please tell me all about them! It will make me happy :) until I have finished P10P I can only dream and play at the beauty counters. Sigh.

First on the list is something I think is an essential for anyone's kit - lipbalm. However, this isn't just any old lipbalm! I'm talking about Clarins Crystal Lipbalms which look absolutely divine and good enough to eat. They are packaged like a lipstick and to me they look like jelly in a tube! Awesome. I really want one. Of each colour. Ha :)
Here's a blog I found all about them :D

http://cosmetic-candy.com/?p=14739


The next two things are a couple of mascaras - Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous, and Rimmel 1-2-3 looks mascara. I'm really interested to see how the Rimmel one actually works - does the brush change? Or is it just the amount of product picked up by the brush? I also really love the original Lash Stiletto so it'll be good to see how this one's different and if it's as good!

I tried a nice Revlon lipgloss the other day aswell, I'm pretty sure it was a Super Lustrous but I can't for the life of me remember the name of the shade. There's one on the website called 'firecracker' so it might have been that, it's a gorgeous summery coral shade, I was so impressed with the pigmentation of a drugstore gloss, and the fact that it was Revlon! I don't get along with Revlon products so it was a refreshing change. :)

Another thing I am just dying to get my mitts on is one of Urban Decay's new setting sprays. Don't get me wrong, I love it when its hot and sunny outside as it's something we rarely see round this neck of the woods, but it does my head in when my make up starts sliding around my face. The same is also true of a night out. Now we can all dance to our hearts content in a hot and sticky club knowing our carefully applied make up ain't budgin'! Well. That's the theory :) Cannot wait to road test this one guys.

http://www.urbandecay.com/categories/AllNighterLongLastingMakeupSettingSpray.cfm


I really need a new primer potion aswell so no doubt I'll be haulin' that along with the spray.

That's it for now, but let me know what's on your wishlist! No doubt it'll also be on mine once you tell me how fabulous it is ;) And anyone else doing 10 pan, show me your pictures!

All this talk of shiny new products is making me wanna get P10P over and done with.. I'll give y'all a little update really soon but for now, here's a sneaky progress picture :)


Speak soon lovelies!
Lucy xx

Wednesday 26 May 2010

Smokey Purple Experiment...

The other week I got my mitts on two lovely new Mac shadows I'd coveted for ages, Trax and Sketch. Trax is a gorgeous warmed-up plum with golden bronze reflects and has a Velvet finish, while Sketch is a dark aubergine with a purpley red irridescence, also a Velvet shadow - I'd swatch for you but my camera has died a death :( I only just managed to squeeze enough battery life for photos of the look!

Anyway. This morning I had a play and created the following:

(all shadows by Mac)
Apply Urban Decay Primer Potion to set your shadows and prevent creasing. Then sweep Trax all over the lid up to the crease. Apply Hepcat to the outer third and define the outer corner. Next, take Sketch and place it into the crease, blending inwards. Define the inner corner using Goldmine, and sweep outwards across the inner third of the lid, blending into the Trax. Use Brule for highlight, and blend. On the lower lash line, apply No.7 Metallic Eyes Pencil in 05 Purple to the outer half, and blend inwards using a pointed sponge applicator or your finger. For cheeks I used No.7 Natural Blush Cheek Colour in Candy Pink (I've hit pan! yay) and for lips, GOSH Darling :)






I didn't wear it out in the end because it's too dark and smokey for daytime. I'm considering it for a night out later in the week, however, I am a little paranoid it makes me look like I have two black eyes :S Without the Goldmine thrown in there, I swear I looked like I'd had time in the ring with Mike Tyson. So, if you do decide to road test this one, send me a little picture or let me know how it goes, and if you can tell me any products to add or remove that get rid of the black eye syndrome please do tell! :)

Cheers dudes. Lucy x

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Ins and Outs!

Having seen this done on a few other blogs I thought I'd give it a whirl seeing as there's a few random bits I want to ramble on about. Hopefully this won't be a total disaster haha :D

Okay, so here goes.

IN

SJP NYC Perfume - I went to Debenhams and had a sniff of this at the weekend - it's gorgeous! A really fruity, summery perfume, it's right up my street. I've tried Lovely by SJP in the past for a brief period and although it smells gorgeous, I didn't feel it was very "me" - too flowery! My sister wears it now and it reminds me of her which is nice :) I really wasn't keen on the trio of perfumes she released last - one reminded me of baby powder, and one of wasp spray haha. NYC is fab though - hope to get it for my birthday in August as I'm saving/really skint at the moment. Which leads me onto my next 'in'...

Project 10 Pan - For those not in the know, Project 1o Pan means a total ban on make up junkie purchases in a bid to collect 10 empty products. I've decided to give this a go for 2 reasons - I just got a new job (yay!) but I will get paid monthly, meaning that for the next couple of months I won't have two pennies to rub together (booo!) which also means no more non-essentials for Lucy (even more boooo!). I'll be trying my best to use up 10 random products and of course, keep you updated on my progress! The second reason I'm doing this is because frankly, my love of bronzers is getting a bit out of control now :P At last count I had 7, 3 of them I have hit pan on! I was deliberating whether to get Refined Golden from To The Beach, and the MA actually talked me out of it! lol.

Mac Brushes - I bought my very first the other day, the 129, and love it! I find that it gives more precise application and I need to use less product than with the Body Shop brush I was using. I'll be purchasing more of these as soon as funds allow it! They are on the pricey side but I can totally see why - it's so well made and I can really feel the quality.

The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub - I ran out of my passion fruit scrub the other week - despair! As some of you may know, passion fruit products got discontinued at the Body Shop a while back - so I went along looking for a decent substitute. I went for coconut as it smells GORGEOUS :D <3 seriously, it's like a cross between cocoa butter and the smell of Malibu. haha! I think I like this better than the passion fruit one - it's really creamy and my skin feels really smooth after I've used it :) love this.

OUT

Urban Decay 24/7 liners - I bought these a while back and I was really excited about using them after hearing great things. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but these just don't work for me at all. On my waterline they go all patchy, and on my lash line they clump and just don't blend well at all. I'm really disappointed! When I bought them I thought they were great value for money but apparantly not :/ sad times! I'll stick with kohl formulas for now I think. They just work better for me!

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara - This looked so good in the ad's but sadly didn't translate in real life :( It sticks lashes together in clumps - seriously rubbish for separation - and as far as I can see, adds zero volume. It's advertised by Eva Longoria-Parker which to me is an odd coincidence as so was Volume Collagen which I also hated - I'd best avoid her mascara endorsements in future lol!


So that's my ins and outs at the moment! I should also mention something that's neither an 'in' nor an 'out' - Boots No7 vouchers! For the last few weeks, every time you spend a fiver or more at Boots they give you one of these pesky little vouchers. I have officially exhausted all No7 products I could possibly want! I managed to get into a vicious cycle whereby I'd redeem one or two vouchers only to be given another little blighter. Boots is like the beauty addict's equivalent of a crack dealer with these vouchers I swear. Anyway, I STILL have one that needs using up, so if you would like me to review a No7 product just leave me a little comment and I will go buy it :) I'll most probably do a blog giveaway when I've reviewed it aswell :) (this doesn't count as cheating at Project 10 Pan if I don't keep it, right?! :P)

Much Love
Lucy x

Monday 26 April 2010

The wonder that is Maybelline Superstay 24hr!


So, for quite a long time now, my go-to foundation of choice has been L'oreal True Match liquid foundation. Put simply, I love it. I love it so much that I have four different shades, one for each season, depending on the level of tan I'm going with at the time (well, a gal's face gotta match her body right!). As with various other things (mascara, lipstick and the like) I have been somewhat of a bed-hopper when it comes to foundation. Every time a new formula catches my attention, I must try it. Some of these experiences have been good (read: Maybelline Dream Creamy) and others, not so much of a success (read: Revlon Photoready. Lol!) But no matter what, I always come back to True Match. However, I have to say, Maybelline Superstay might have just toppled it.

In the past, Maybelline has failed to inspire me with its foundations, so as a general rule I tend to avoid them. Here's a general breakdown for reference!

Dream Satin Liquid: Not keen. Made my skin very shiny. Needed a lot of powder to set it! On its own, not very good staying power.

Superstay Silky: Hated it. My best friend bought it and loved it! On me, streaky and orange. Not a good look :/

Dream Creamy: The best I have tried, bar this one. My problem with this is it's too heavy. I prefer to use it as a concealer :)

Dream Matte Mousse: This taught me a valuable lesson. Mousse foundations do not agree with me! I find them very drying, and seeing as my skin is kinda dry anyway, not good.

So those are the ones that I've tried, and I've not been thrilled so far. I am happy to report however, that 24/7 raised the bar!

It's like I have found a new, improved version of True Match. On application, it's creamy and smooth without being oily, and you only need a little to provide adequate coverage. When I wear it for work a little goes a long way, and for a night out when I know I'll be in a hot and sticky club, it's easy to build up to full coverage without that 'cakey' look, and what's best, you know it ain't gonna budge!

Now, as much as I love you all, I just can't commit that cardinal sin of going to bed in a full face of foundation for the benefit of my blog! Hence, whether this foundation ACTUALLY lasts 24 hours is debatable. I am of course willing to put this on first thing in the morning and party all night long, so maybe that can be this weekends task eh ;)

All in all, this is an excellent foundation on my dry/combination skin. It's easy to apply, very light, easy to blend and wears brilliantly. Maybelline, you have redeemed yourself. :)

Saturday 10 April 2010

Massive Haul and Reviews :)

Brace yourself dear followers, this one's going to be a biggie!

In the last week or two I have done a whole lotta haulin' and not much blogging, and for that I apologise! Hopefully this will be a nice way of making it up to you :)



For starters, I went to Mac last weekend to check out Liberty of London and showed immense self restraint as I only picked up Shell Pearl beauty powder and Petals and Peacocks lipstick. I guess when I saw the collection 'in person', there was a lot of stuff that looked dupe-able, so I just grabbed the essential things that I wanted. I tried a look the other day using both products, and this is how it turned out:
My skin is terribly dry at the moment - that's why you should always wash your face after a foam party(!) - so the base doesn't look too clever. I used All That Glitters on the lid, then lined my upper lid with Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Corrupt and flicked it out at the edges. I used this in my waterline aswell. I used Shell Pearl beauty powder for cheeks, and for lips Petals and Peacocks lipstick with Barry M Lipgloss Wand in Bubblegum Pink over the top. I adore this lip combo! The gloss smells like bubblegum aswell which is awesome :)

On the same day I did Mac, I went to Nars and got a blush and a gloss in the colour Orgasm, as I heard great things about both and saw gurus on Youtube rave about them. The blush did not disappoint, it is a beautiful deep coral colour with a golden sheen, and I love it. The gloss on the other hand, I will not be repurchasing! To me, it is unnecessarily sticky and gloopy, and I'm not a fan of the colour. It looks pretty in the tube, but that's not enough to impress me unfortunately! I will be passing this on to a friend or my Mum to see of they like it any better.

Nars Orgasm Blush

The third thing on my 'to-review' list is Revlon Photoready foundation. This is another product I have heard good things about, and when I swatched it onto my hand it looked alright, so I bought it. Big mistake. Revlon promise that this foundation gives

"...poreless, airbrushed skin in any light. Photochromatic pigments bend and reflect light to erase every flaw. Complete, yet undetectable coverage. Soft, luminous finish."

When I first applied it, it felt quite oily, which was strange as it claims to be oil free. The 'soft' and 'luminous' finish is actually very shiny, and needed a lot of toning down with powder. Maybe I'm just used to using matte finish foundations, but this seemed to make my face look oily rather than soft and sheeny, and that's a feat seeing as my skin is on the dry side!

I wore this for work when I road-tested it, and I would say around the 5 hour mark was when I noticed how truly crap this foundation is. All down my T-zone it had separated and gone all patchy, even though I had set my foundation with powder like I usually do and moisturised thoroughly before application.

I am not a fan of this foundation and will not be repurchasing!

Today I picked up the new Maybelline 24hour Super Stay foundation, so we shall see how that one fares. I also bought a back-up of my favourite nude lipstick, Rimmel Volume Booster lipstick in Foxy, as I am running a little low. I love the plumping effect of this lipstick and that it's a great muted beige shade that doesn't give the 'concealer lips' effect, as it has a slight sheen. It goes on smooth and makes your lips tingle, and is great paired with a smokey eye. I also picked up Rimmel Vinyl Bronze Mirror Shine lipgloss in Summer Nude. I applied it in the car on the way home and found it has a lovely texture, a sweet orangey smell that is nice but not too overpowering, and looks great on its own though I intend to test it over lipstick too! Colour-wise, it's a lovely pinked up gold with shimmery particles and applies sheer but with a hint of colour.
I also bought a silver liner from Barry M as I needed one, and a Lip Paint in Pink Sparkle, which is a mid-toned cool pink with a hint of golden shimmer. I haven't tried it yet but the swatch looked mesmerising on my hand and I had to have it :)

Barry M Lip Paint in Pink Sparkle. Rimmel Volume Booster Lipstick in Foxy.

Last week, I got a new Bourjois blush in the shade Rose D'or, which I had to show you as it's such a pretty shade. Perfect for summer! It looks fab swirled onto the apples of your cheeks and gives a nice, subtle pink shimmer. Highly recommended.

Mmm...pink loveliness :)

Second to last, I'm a sucker for a new product or formula and I've seen this advertised everywhere, I just had to pick up a Rimmel Colour Show Off lipstick. I chose the shade Pink Gossip, a matte, mid-toned yellow pink. This has fantastic staying power, comparable to Mac Please Me in colour and texture, but ever so slightly darker. For a drugstore lipstick, the quality and staying power of this lipstick is phenomenal, I am really impressed. In fact, looking over this blog, I am impressed with Rimmel in general at the moment! Maybe it's time to wean myself off Mac and onto Rimmel for a while...my purse would definitely thank me!

Last, but by no means least, is something I've been lusting after for a while - Urban Decay 24/7 liner Super Stash. 9 mini versions of some of the most popular shades in their range, all packaged up into what I think is an excellent value for money product. The shades you get are:

Corrupt, Stash, Ransom, Rockstar, Eldorado, Graffiti, Oil Slick, Binge, Zero.

Of the 9, I am enjoying Eldorado the most as I love gold eye products, and Corrupt is a nice alternative to black or plain brown liner as it has a slight shimmer.
I can't wait to have a play with the others in various looks, I think this set is so versatile and has enough shades to keep even the most avid collector entertained for a bit!

I expect those of you who have read all that to be bored to tears by now so I'll end it there :)
Stay tuned for a review of Maybelline Super Stay and possible something else, I haven't thought of yet :)
Also, if there's anything you wish me to test, blog about etc. do leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do :)

Much love!
Lucy x


Wednesday 31 March 2010

Hair and stuff :)

I went away to Wales for a few days around Mother's Day to have a family meal and I needed some travel-sized products, so I picked some (oh-so-cute!) baby bottles of Batiste Dry Shampoo (tropical), Tre Semme heat protect spray and Tre Semme Salon Silk shampoo and conditioner. I've not used Tre Semme in a while and I'd forgotten just how wonderful it is, so as soon as I ran out I went out and bought big bottles of both Salon Silk shampoo and conditioner - this stuff makes my hair SO soft, I am loving it. Very highly recommended as it's one of a rare breed of beauty products that actually does what it promises - salon quality haircare at a fraction of the cost.

I also had a little play with the hair dye again the other day. I have been many a colour in my 19 short years, and this one is a lot more subtle and closer to my natural colour than some of my attempts! I had quite a bit of root regrowth that needed covering so half my hair was dark brown, and the other half was a mid-brown colour which had faded and was generally looking a bit boring. I decided on L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss in Black Cherry as it's semi permanent and didn't do any obvious damage to my hair. It's a dark purplish red colour and it came out exactly how I wanted :D

I got my hands on a few new bits this week, all of which will be reviewed in due time. These were:

Revlon PhotoReady foundation
Bourjois blush in Rose D'Or
Rimmel Colour Show Off lipstick in Pink Gossip.

I think I'll ponder them along with my Liberty of London haul blog which will probably be Saturday. I'm super duper excited! :D

Have a lovely Easter!

Lucy xx

Friday 19 March 2010

Beyonce 'Video Phone' inspired look!

So today I was watching the 'Video Phone' music video by Beyonce and Lady Gaga, and I loved Beyonce's make up look at the beginning of the video. It's nothing too fancy, black shadow which is 'winged out' at the corners and lots of black liner, a contoured cheek and a nude lip. It caught my attention nontheless! :)



















As I'm off out tonight, I decided to have a go at
my own interpretation, which turned out like this:






I can't really pull off a totally matte, nude lip so I went for a pale pink lipstick instead. It took a lot of patience and I would definitely recommend doing your eyes before the rest of your face, but I was impressed with the result.

To begin, apply Urban Decay Primer Potion to make sure your shadow doesn't budge, then apply black liner in a thick stripe along the upper lash line. It doesn't have to be too neat at this stage, so you can blend the line upwards with your finger to darken the lid a little. Next, apply a matte black eyeshadow all over your lid and into the crease using an eyeshadow brush with a flat top. Make sure the curve is sharp and defined using the top of the brush to create a line which wings outwards. The shadow should taper to a point and stop just in line with the edge of your eyebrow. Next, bring it downwards towards the lower outer corner of the eye. Apply black liner along the waterline, and use a pointed brush to smudge a line of black shadow along the lower lash line. Make sure your lines join up at the inner corner of the eye, like Beyonce's in the picture :)
Next, apply a coat of your favourite mascara, preferably a thickening mascara rather than a lengthening one, as you want to keep that smooth line and not see lashes poking up! :) I skipped mascara on the lower lashes as they don't need it for this look.

Next, it's time for foundation. A full coverage foundation is the best bet for this look, as skin needs to look flawless so attention is all on the eyes. Use a tapered brush loaded with bronzing powder to contour your temples and upper cheeks, and use a neutral blush or highlighting powder to sculpt and shape the cheeks.

For lips, I applied a touch of concealer to my lips to tone down their pinkness, then applied a coat of Angel lipstick by Mac (my new favourite!) and that's it!




Give Me Liberty of London...give it to me now!


http://www.temptalia.com/mac-give-me-liberty-of-london-overall-round-up

I know they say you shouldn't wish your life away...but right now the 1st of April can't come quick enough! I read in this month's Cosmo that 1st April is the launch date for the Give Me Liberty of London collection by Mac and I'm so excited! :D

The packaging for this one looks divine, and there are so many things I'm lusting after I know this one's gonna break the bank (again. sigh!)

Petals and Peacocks lipstick is the main thing I've been drooling over as it's SUCH a beautiful colour. Honestly, I have never seen a hot pink more gorgeous than this! I really really hope it suits me :D

Also high up on the wish list is Shell Pearl Beauty powder, as it looks so amazing and shimmery in the swatches I've seen and it'd be a fantastic highlight powder. The beautifully patterned compact it comes in is also a bonus!

I've posted a link to the most comprehensive review I've seen on the ever-fabulous Temptalia so you can go and have a nosey at the product photos, swatches and whatnot. Let me know what grabs you in the comments! :)

Lucy xx

Friday 12 March 2010

The Quest for Soft, Tanned Skin!


This past week I decided it was high time I cracked out the fake tan again as it's coming up for spring (yay!) so out came the Dove Summer Glow body lotion. This is a particular favourite of mine as the smell always reminds me of summer, it's a great smooth consistency and it gives a lovely even tan which you can build up over a couple of days. After many a fake tan disaster in my teenage years, and given that my complexion is quite fair, a gradual tanner was the best way to go.
It still has that unmistakable stale biscuit smell which seems to be unavoidable with tanning products, but it's nothing a shower won't fix!

To prepare my skin for tanning and get it nice and moisturised, there's only one thing I turn to - The Body Shop Body Butter. This product is heavenly! There are a variety of 'flavours' to choose from, my favourites being Strawberry, Passion Fruit, Mango, Grapefruit and Cocoa Butter. This week I have been using a passion fruit exfoliating scrub, also from The Body Shop, so it made sense that I use the passion fruit body butter to match. Just take a scoop of product with your fingers and warm it between your hands, then liberally apply to your dry areas such as knees, elbows etc. I also like to apply it to my wrists and neck in the same way I would a perfume, as the smell really is to die for!


The Body Shop Body Butters retail for £5.00 for a 50ml pot, and £12.50 for a 200ml pot. I'd recommend a small pot to start off with just in case you decide it's not for you, but there are also testers in store so you can try before you buy. Everything there is animal-friendly and fair trade so you can treat yourself in the knowledge that nothing and no one suffered, which is always a bonus in my book! :)

Have a nice weekend everyone :)

Lucy x


Tuesday 9 March 2010

Look of the Day

Hello lovely followers :)

I decided to have a little play with my new goodies today and test a few of them out in one simple look. I think the blush and lipstick complement eachother well and would work nicely with something a little more dramatic on the eye for a night out.



Eyes: UDPP to prime the eyes, followed by a sweep of All That Glitters by Mac all over the lid and up into the crease. I then applied Cranberry shadow into the outer crease, followed by Twice Baked by Urban decay in the outer corner and blended inwards. On the lower lashline, I blended a little more All That Glitters along the inner lash line and defined the outer lash line first using Cranberry then layering Twice Baked over the top. I rediscovered Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara this morning - totally forgot how fabulous it is! So I applied a couple of coats to top and bottom lashes to separate and define. In my waterline, I used Prestige Soft Blend Kohl eyeliner in Chamomile.

Cheeks: I used Well Dressed blush on the apples of my cheeks for a subtle hint of colour, then used Avon Arabian Glow pressed powder in Shimmering Bronze to contour. Simply pout your lips to find the hollows of your cheeks, the use an angled brush to dust a little bronzer in a smooth, diagonal line and blend it out.

Lips: I applied a touch of lip balm (The Body Shop Mango Lip Butter...mmm) to soften and protect the lips, followed by a coat of Mac lipstick in Angel. I love this lipstick already! I've been looking for my perfect pink ever since running out of Avon 'Party Pink' and not being able to find a new one! In fact, I think this one tops it :)



Have a nice day!

Lucy x

Mac Haul!


Woo! Yesterday Mr Postman brought me some lovely new Mac goodies :D
I thought I'd get more Spring Colour Forecast, but in the end I only wanted Fresh Salmon lipstick and vetoed everything else in favour of other stuff! That other stuff being...

♥ Angel lipstick - I've heard rave reviews about this lipstick and I'm on the lookout for my 'perfect' pink! Hopefully, this will be it. It looks like it'll be a nice everyday colour.
♥ Well Dressed blush - pale, subtle matte pink. I fell in love with it at the Mac counter last week and had to have it as soon as payday came hehe! I don't own any blushes as pale as this and I'm hoping it will highlight my cheeks without being too overpowering.
♥ A new Mineralize Skinfinish Natural as I'm scraping out the corners of mine! :P
♥ Cranberry eyeshadow - gorgeous! I can see this being more of a winter colour if I'm honest, it's very Christmassy (please don't kill me for mentioning the C-word in March ;)! ) A deep scarlet shadow with gold reflects, which swatches more of a reddy-brown colour and seems more wearable than I would have thought.


Top: Fresh Salmon
Bottom: Angel


Fresh Salmon - Coral with gold shimmer and a lustre finish. Can't wait for summer so I can use this beaut every day :D

Angel - not as lilac as it looks on camera! Lovely pale, muted pink with a glossy frost finish.

I'm very pleased with this little lot :) Must curb excessive hauling for now though as I'm on a mission to save!

Thursday 4 March 2010

Look of the Day - Summer Corals

Yesterday I got the first part of my Mac Spring Colour Forecast haul in the mail so I was dying to try it out! The stuff I got was:

Blush Ombre in Ripe Peach
Tinted Lipglass in Electric Fuschia
Lipstick in Laugh a Lot
Eyeshadow in Hot Hot Hot.

I plan on ordering a few more bits tomorrow so I'll do a haul blog as soon as I've got everything to show you :)

So today I decided to try out a summery peach, gold and coral look using Hot Hot Hot and Ripe Peach. The sun was shining today and it was kinda warm for early March which was a nice suprise! So I decided to road test a summery look using some of my new stash :)



For eyes, I started with Urban Decay Primer Potion, then applied Mac Rubenesque paint pot all over the lid using my finger. I then applied Urban Decay eyeshadow in 'X' over it to bring out the colour a little more. Next, I used Mac 'Goldmine' eyeshadow in the outer corner and blended it towards the centre of the lid using my Body Shop eyeshadow blending brush. I applied Hot Hot Hot eyeshadow in the crease and blended it into the Goldmine shadow. Next, I lined my waterline with Urban Decay eyeliner in 'Zero', which is just a simple black liner. I applied two coats of Maybelline Falsies mascara to my upper lashes, and defined my lower lashes using Maybelline Volum' Express mascara.



For cheeks I used Ripe Peach swirled over the apples and up towards my temples. I love this blush! I can see why it sold out in less than 24 hours on the Mac website, I really can. It looks like a sunset in the pan and when you apply it..oh my! :) Beautiful.



For lips I used a combination of Mac lipstick in Myth and Mac lipglass in Underage. I think this is a good combination for a glossy, neutral lip. On me, Myth doesn't work alone because it just makes my lips disappear into the rest of my face which is not a good look, so I always have to use something else over the top. It's good for creating a blank canvas for other lip colours though so I can't really knock it. Swatched on my hand it looks dark and kind of peachy, but on lips it comes out skin toned.


Swatches l-r: Myth by itself, Underage by itself, both combined.




What look are you wearing today? Post me a picture in the comments! :D

Lucy x

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette!


So, early on Sunday morning I persuaded the boyfriend to drive me all the way into Manchester (love you Chris!) to get a much coveted Alice in Wonderland palette by Urban Decay. I've had my beady little eye on this beauty for SO long, in fact, ever since Christine first blogged about it on Temptalia. They are only selling 2,000 of these in the UK so it is VERY limited edition over here. I was beaming ear to ear all day when I finally got my mitts on one! I am so in love with this palette, it's unbelievable.

The top section folds up to reveal a mirror and a beautiful pop-up scene of
Alice as she ventures through Wonderland. The bottom section is a pull-out drawer containing 16 Urban Decay shadows, 2 miniature 24/7 liners and an oh-so-cute mini UDPP, which is great news for me because mine's running out :)

The shades included in this palette are all existing Urban Decay shades which have been re-named to fit the
Alice in Wonderland theme. I am lucky in that only 2 of these shades are dupes for me, those being 'Underland' which is Flash and 'Alice' which is Painkiller. I don't own them as singles but I do have the Preen palette which contains them. I do believe that the Show Pony palette has these aswell, I had a look at it and it's exactly the same as Preen but packaged differently! The other shades included in the Alice palette are as follows:

Underland (Flash) - Cool, very pigmented purple with silvery-blue reflects.
Alice (Painkiller) - Bright, ice-blue with silver shimmer.
Oraculum (Baked) - Golden bronze, highly pigmented with a metallic sheen
Queen (Last Call) - Shimmery burgundy pink, comparable to MAC Cranberry but with a more purplish edge. Another of my favourites from the palette, looks great in the crease and outer corner.
Chessur (Chopper) - Lovely copper with silver and golden reflects
White Rabbit (Polyester Bride) - slightly off-white shade with silver sparkles. A good highlight colour for a 'going out' look, and also very pretty on the inner corner and tear duct area.
Wonderland (Maui Wowie) - a tarnished gold similar to MAC's Woodwinked, but not as dark.
Curiouser (Grifter) - cool pinkish lilac with silver particles. Not sure what to do with this one yet. Might be pretty in a pink look with MAC Sushi Flower and Swish. I also have a Maybelline shadow which could work well with this. Stay tuned for a future tutorial? :D
Muchness (X) - this is possibly my favourite shade of the lot. It reminds me of Rubenesque paint pot by MAC. It's a beautiful peachy pink with gold undertones and is great as an all-over lid colour.
Mushroom (Mushroom) - nice taupe colour with a slight shimmer. Looks great in the crease
Midnight Tea Party (Midnight Cowboy Rides Again) - eurgh. Why UD insist on putting this shade in EVERY palette I will never know. Sparkly and beige, it could be nice if the glitter chunks didn't end up all over your face when applied.
Vorpal (S&M) - gunmetal grey which would be perfect in a smokey eye look. It has a metallic sheen to it.
Absolem (Homegrown) - a gorgeous green with golden shimmer.
Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin) - a great dupe for All That Glitters by MAC. Lovely neutral pink-beige with golden shimmer.
Mad Hatter (Twice Baked) - a gorgeous chocolate brown with fine glitter particles
Jabberwocky (Oil Slick) - black with fine sparkles of blue and silver. It looks kinda matte in my swatches but thats my rubbish camera! It's gorgeous in real life.

The 24/7 liners included in this palette are Zero which is a basic black with some shine to it and Flipside, a bright aqua blue with some metallic qualities.



Swatches l-r:
Underland, Alice, Oraculum, Queen, Chessur, White Rabbit, Wonderland, Curiouser.


Swatches l-r: Muchness, Mushroom, Midnight Tea Party, Vorpal, Absolem, Drink Me Eat Me, Mad Hatter, Jabberwocky.



Top: Zero
Bottom: Flipside.

Overall, I think this palette is a great investment for anyone as it's such a collector's item with beautiful packaging and a decent array of shadow colours. If you're new to the world of Urban Decay I would recommend this as it's
£28, which is a total bargain for 16 shadows, plus you get the pretty packaging aswell! If you own a lot of the singles or have a couple of other palettes, there's probably too many dupes in this to make it worth your while, and it would have been nice for UD to throw in some new shadows exclusive to this palette, but nevermind. I am very impressed with mine and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it.

Sunday 28 February 2010

Maybelline The Falsies mascara - a review.

Okay, so for the very first post on my shiny new blog I’ve decided to do a review, and the product up for scrutiny today is Maybelline The Falsies mascara. I bought this pretty much as soon as it came out a couple of weeks ago and I've been using it every other day when I'm not wearing my beloved L'oreal Telescopic!

The brush for this is described as a ‘spoon’ shape, in that it curves like…well a spoon. :) The recommended way of applying the mascara is to kind of 'scoop' your lashes in an upward motion, which I've found is the best way to be honest. I was impressed from day one with this mascara because it lengthened and separated my lashes brilliantly. The promise on the Maybelline website is that:



"The Falsies Mascara delivers a false lash look; giving you a full set of voluminous, bold, fanned out lashes and the appearance of no gaps from any angle.

The Pro-Keratin and Fibre enriched formula is designed to deliver immediate
results, distributing volume and visible intensity to your lashes. The patented ‘Spoon’ shaped brush helps fan lashes out.

The Falsies Mascara is designed to give the appearance of no gaps and spaces. In a wink lashes you didn’t even know you had look visibly thickened!”


Personally, I wouldn't describe this as a particularly effective volumiser and it might just be that I have sparse lashes, but I didn't get the 'no gaps' effect either. The photo above is taken from the website and, while we all know about the little 'post-production' tricks and 'lash inserts for an even lash line' I can assure you now that using this product won't make your lashes reach your eyebrows :) For that it's best to use actual Falsies! It takes 2-3 coats to see this mascara at its best and I was very impressed at the lack of clumping and the wide-awake,'doe-eyed' look this mascara is capable of creating. I would say that this is the best Maybelline mascara I have tried so far (the others being Lash Stiletto and Volum' Express) and I will definitely be buying it again in the future.


In conclusion, I would certainly recommend this mascara if you're looking for something to give your lashes definition, added length and separation, but not so much if you're after a volumiser. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!


Lucy x