Rave Review: Maybelline Superstay Better skin foundation

So of course I'm going to give you a back story as to what made me pick this product up, I don't know why I feel the need to do this, it just seems to be my thing! Just scroll a bit if you want to get to the review, I'll let you off ;)

 I popped into Boots last week intending to pick up the L'oreal true match foundation after hearing so many great reviews about it, I actually had the bottle in my hand and was on my way to the till when I passed by the Maybelline stand and spotted they had released a new foundation, I took the gamble having heard nothing about it, put back the L'oreal  (I'm not made of money) and grabbed a bottle of this admittedly not taking a great deal of time selecting a shade because I was double parked (Oops!) I actually wanted to write up the review the second after I'd applied it but it would have gone something like this... ohmyfreakinggodivefoundmyholygraildrugstorefoundation...and so I held off to give you a more cohearent review and after a week of trying it out I can officially announce that this is my new drugstore foundation love!

If you read all of that garbage, thanks! Scrollers you missed a treat! Ok so lets get on with the review...

Price/size

£8.99 30ml

Formula/Packaging

Liquid foundation/ Glass bottle pump combo

Shade range

Available in 8 shades 

What Maybelline say...

Our foundation improves the look of your skin every time you wear it. Skin looks better today, tomorrow and beyond.

Better Skin reduces the appearance of dull, blotchy and uneven skin, leaving you with flawless, hydrated, even and glowing skin.

It evens out discoloration and brightens dull areas, providing a healthy looking glow from day to night.

The formula is suitable for sensitive skin, contains no perfume, and is non-comedogenic. It is tested under dermatological control.

On Monday morning I applied this and completely forgot to apply concealer, this never happens! So clearly it really does what it says on the tin in terms of coverage and leaving a seriously flawless, even (semi matte) finish. I have a normal/dry skin type so if my skin was leaning dry I would probably avoid using this, as although it feels smooth and hydrating I can imagine it caking like buggery on very dry skin. There isn't a specific time frame regarding length of wear among the claims, the back of the bottle just says 'all day wear' which I will back up, I apply this and 8 hours later it still looks flawless without powder.

 So there is also the claim of "better skin in 3 weeks" I can't comment on that just yet as I am just about to go into my second week and can't say I have noticed a difference in the condition of my skin, but I love it so much that I actually don't really care, if that did happen it would just be a (very) nice bonus.

I have the shade 021 Nude which suits my NC25 skin perfectly although I have a small amount of gradual tan on at the moment so I'm a tad darker it seems to adapt and blend well to the change.

Some of you may already know that my favorite foundation of all time is Nars sheer glow and this is the only contender for a dupe I have found in the drugstore, from consistency to finish If I was blindfolded I would  be hard pushed to tell the difference between the two.

 Can you tell I love it??

Have you tried this out?

xxx

Luscious lips and Princess tips...

...Week (or so) in Instagram pics...

1.My very first E.L.F purchases, 3 lip products for a fiver and I love them so I'm looking forward to making another order soon.

2. I found some oh so beautiful old webcam pictures of me and my boyfriend (oh dear!!) 

3. Pulled Essie Mint candy apple out of hiding to satisfy my craving for pastel nails.

4.Love this top from Primark, it may end up being a pyjama top but I had to get it!

5.I went out in search of the L'oreal true match foundation and came home with this one from Maybelline instead, I will be posting up a review shortly...spoiler...I'm really, really loving it!!

6. This l'il fella joined me while I was on my coffee break at work..definitely one of the perks of living in the countryside.

7.I was just a bit excited to see these on the shelves in my local shop but there are no where near as yummy as regular ferrero rocher.

8. I'm still determined to get over my You Tube nerves so I popped up The TMI TAG as a kind of 'get to know me'.

9.You can't beat a good Sunday roast can you? Last weeks was one of the yummiest ever made by my boyfriend.

10.I was fancying Barbie pink on my nails towards the end of the week and found this nails inc mini among my polishes I think it's called Oxford Circus I added the beautiful Rimmel finishing touch glitter top coat and the result was Princess nail perfection!

I hope you are all having a lovely relaxing Sunday evening I've been feeling a little bit poorly this afternoon so I just had a bit of a pamper session in the bath while my very own Jamie Oliver was busy working his magic on a joint of lamb, I can't even describe how yummy it smells and I'm hoping that plus the little ferrero bunny that's waiting to be munched should make me feel a whole lot better! 

xxx

Video: Primark Haul January 2014

Hey lovelies, so I've dabbled on and off with You tube for a little while now but for the last year it's definitely been more off than on, and I deleted a lot of my old video's because I felt really self conscious but I've decided to try and develop a bit more of a "sod it" attitude this year, stop being such a wuss and make more video's because I really enjoy it and I hope other people will enjoy watching them. I'm definitely out of practice when it comes to talking to a camera and I need to fine tune a few technical bits and bobs but I'm sure that will all fall into place the more I get stuck into it.
Anyway I love Primark Haul video's more than any others on You tube and because I've picked up a few bits and pieces in there over the last month I thought it would be a good place to start off. I hope you enjoy!

xxx

A little e.l.f. haul

Firstly apologies if the title is a little misleading and you have landed here expecting to see pictures of tiny little elves, of course you haven't but the title made me laugh when I read it back, oh dear I think I need to cut back on my caffeine intake!! Ahem... anyway clearly I have not been shopping at the north pole, I actually made my very first order from the notoriously inexpensive e.l.f. cosmetics last week and thought that I would share with you what I picked up all for the bargain price of £5.10!

Top to bottom 

Luscious liquid lipstick in 'Strawberry'

Hypershine gloss in 'Bubblegum'

Mineral lip liner in 'peachy'

The main reason I decided to pop my e.l.f. cherry was the lip liner, I saw it on Sabrina's video and knew that it was something that I wanted to get, it looked so nice on her and it's a gorgeous peachy nude I thought would go nicely with 'shy girl' lipstick which I bought last week. I like how lip liner makes lips seem more 'done' but I hardly ever wear them so for the past couple of days I've been wearing this and I absolutely love it, it comes in a twist up pencil and because it glides on really smoothly you don't end up pressing on too hard and snapping the end off, fab!

I also checked out the sale while I was on the site because it would be rude not too and popped the hypershine lip gloss in 'Bubblegum' into my basket, mainly because since being about 12 and having a Miss Selfridge lip gloss which was bright pink and tasted of bubblegum, I've been a sucker for bubblegum lip products...fun fact! I also thought that it could possibly be a dupe for the Stila lip glaze's which I used to love back in the day...It's not... the twist up pen/brush applicator is where the similarities end. The colour goes on quite sheer and the consistency is pretty runny so trying to build up colour can end up giving you a delightful 'dribbly' look. For £1.35 I'm not complaining, how could I? It's still a pretty gloss which looks super shiny without being in the slightest bit sticky it just requires a light hand.

Also in the sale for 75p...I know..cray! was the luscious liquid lipstick, another twist up pen jobby with a sponge tip applicator, I really wanted the shade 'baby lips' which looked like a really pretty peachy pink but it was out of stock so I settled for 'strawberry' which is a little more red than my swatch shows, the colour is actually very similar to NARS 'scandal' lipgloss .I really like this, I'm impressed with the pigmentation it applies smoothly and like the hypershine its glossy without being sticky I've only tried this out briefly so I can't be sure how long lasting it is, it does adhere to the lips better than the hypershine so I'm hopeful of at least a couple of hours but we'll see. I do really like this formula so I'm keeping my eye out for some other shades coming back into stock.

Do you have any e.l.f. recommendations?

xxx

L'oreal Miss Manga Mega volume mascara

Try saying the title of this post 3 times really fast!

So this is the new mascara from L'oreal, We'll just call it the miss manga for the remainder of this post so I don't end up with cramp in my fingers. Initially I was so impressed with it that I wanted to type up a first impressions post immediately, but I held off and now after wearing this everyday for the past ten days I feel like I can give you a proper review...

Firstly lets talk packaging a black and bright metallic pink I can see it not been everybody's cup of tea, its definitely such not an important factor, I personally love it! 

The wand is an interesting one, it is a conical shaped bristle wand with a flexible handle designed to make application easier, I haven't found that having this extra feature has made all that much difference to the way I apply my mascara as I'm quite set in my ways when it comes to application but I can see it being useful to those who struggle reaching the inner corner lashes.

 The tip of the wand is designed to achieve that Japanese anime doll eye effect, it has very short sparse bristles and looks unlike any other drugstore mascara that I can think of, really it looks a bit like its been hacked at with scissors, but it does coat and separate lower lashes perfectly and allows you to have complete control while doing so.

Application wise I initially found this a dream to work with however the formula dried out within a week and I'm finding it harder not to get a clumpy finish to my lashes when I use it which is a shame.

I actually don't find it to be that volumising as the name would suggest however it does give a decent amount of length and curl to my lashes.

 

Before Natural lashes

After with 2 coats of miss manga 

(no eyelash curlers used)

The biggest plus points I have found are that it really holds up the curl throughout the day it also doesn't flake or smudge, even on days when my eyes have been really watery in the cold weather it has held it's own against the elements even though it isn't waterproof which has really impressed me!

Personally I probably won't repurchase this mascara because of how the formula dried out and made it difficult to work with for my preferred separated lash look however I know a lot of people enjoy a drier formula and because of the plus points for this I'd definitely recommend giving it a try especially as it's still on introductory offer for a bargainous £5.99 at Boots and Superdrug!

 (it also comes in Pop Turquoise and Tropical Violet if you want to be fancy ;))

Have you tried the miss manga?

Oh and happy Friday!!!

xxx

MAC Shy girl....

...AKA the lipstick that has lived on my wishlist for the longest...

...I think around 2 years or so, anyway last weekend my boyfriend and I had a little break away in Bath and ended up doing some shopping in Bristol while we were in that neck of the woods. I haven't bought a lipstick from MAC for the longest time but as I had spent most of the day unsuccessfully searching for a Naked 3 palette I decided to give up and console myself with some vanilla scented goodness (works every time!).

Shy girl is a cremesheen finish (my favourite). Because of the creamy formula it applies smoothly and feels moisturising on the lips and leaves a subtle gloss finish, because of this the wear time isn't great (usually around 3 hours) but that doesn't really upset me too much, lipsticks wear off and as long as they don't leave a patchy mess along the way I can live with that.

So I'm pretty much in love with this colour! I've worn it twice so far and have found it to be the perfect peachy nude shade for me, I find it has just the right amount of warmth without being too orangey and a nice balance of beige and pink undertone to see to it being an easy to wear nude for both daytime and evening, it's definitely a shade that can be pulled off by a lot of different skin tones. I'm thinking it will be a great colour to wear in the Summer months with a bit of a tan and a peachy blush or with a dark bronze smokey eye on nights out! 

So far Shy girl is getting a big thumbs up! 

xxx 

Little mix by collection Perrie's blush!

I want to introduce my latest blush obsession to you.

The other day while I was in Superdrug looking for hair bleach (seriously this ombre is taking some getting right!) I picked up this single blush from the Little Mix range by Collection, which I think is new but I could be totally wrong!? In the pan it doesn't look too special and I honestly don't know what drew me to it, I'm not a big little mix fan (although I do love their new song!) so it's not that, I think it will remain a mystery, anyway I swatched it and was so impressed with the pigmentation and how gorgeous the colour was, also because it's by Collection it wasn't going to further damage my post Christmas bank balance at £2.99 which is nice, so into the basket it went.

My first thought was that it looked like a dupe for Benefit Coralista blush which it isn't far off but in real life it is slightly more pink and reminds me of a mash up of Coralista and Deep throat by Nars its definitely in that peachy/coral pink with a shimmer family (Jeremy Kyle your services wont be needed) It's a finely milled powder, which is buttery soft in texture it applies and blends into the skin so nicely! There is some fall out from it but tapping off the excess from your brush sorts that so that's no biggie.

I feel like I haven't had a new blush obsession for ages, I've been using bronzer alone and skipping blush a lot lately so this is a welcome addition to my make-up bag and I really want to have another look at the Little mix line when I next pop down to Superdrug, who'd a thought it eh?

 Let me know if you've tried anything from the range and if there are any other little Gems worth picking up.

xxx

Becoming a make-up artist for TV/film

Hey lovelies!

I thought this post might be quite useful for those of you that are interested in a career within the TV/film Make-up industry, as some of you may know I dipped my toe into the area for a couple of years and although sadly I don't do that anymore :( (a huge crappy story that would be another post) I did pick up some useful tips which I hope will be helpful. I know I was massively confused at how to get into the whole business and what the job involved before I trained and would have loved a bit of advice so here goes....

Hard work, but it's all good fun!!!

Training

There is no set rule that says you have to have formal training to be a Make-up artist at any level, some of the biggest names in the business are self taught. Make-up for television is an area I'd say it's essential to have some formal training just so you aren't thrown in at the deep end there are other things other than just application to factor in ie continuity, breaking down scripts, lighting etc.

Media make-up courses, are a great way to learn from professional media artists and get your foot in the door they also provide a support network which is fantastic when you first start out working on sets and need to call in some emergency advice! These courses do tend to be pricey (we're talking a house deposit lol) and if it's not an option for you then getting a basic make-up qualification at college and doing your research into TV/film make-up will start you on the right path. (I've included a few helpful links at the end of this post)
I recommend finding a MUA that is working within the media and needs an assistant or applying for jobs through production companies as a runner they're great ways to learn the ropes, get some experience and build up a reputation within the industy...

Reputation

Massively important, I cant stress this enough  in such a large industry it's surprising how close knit it can be if you gain a bad reputation with a production company it's quite likely that word will get around and you will decrease your chances of being hired by others.
I don't mean to scare you but you have to be willing to put your heart and soul into this job, it's not just a case of showing up on set with a palette and a make-up brush or two, applying a bit of powder and going home, days on tv/film sets are long (18 hours a day is quite normal) you can't be stroppy and sulky or have a bad day you really do have to show your passionate enough, (which is easy when you are) you need to show up on time at all times, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to work hard and prepared to be a team player even when you feel like crap, otherwise you will be stepped on by some other up-comer who will take your place gladly. 

It's not about the money

I remember while I was training I googled 'how much money does a TV make-up artist get' and declaring to my Dad that I was going to be super rich soon and promising to buy him an Audi.......I however had probably landed on Stephen Moleski's bio and got carried away!

In fairness it's not a bad chunk of change once you get established, like I said above you have to be prepared to work hard just for the sheer love of the job when you start out, you also have to expect to be paid nothing I mean zero, in fact depending on the budget of the production company, you end up paying out more than you earn in some cases (petrol, accomodation, products etc) which obviously isn't ideal for most people who have bills to pay, in short you will need to be supported in the beginning while you build up your reputation to allow you to work away from home for long hours without bringing home the bacon.

Excited much???

Go for it!

If you really want to go into the TV/film area of make-up, and your lifestyle permits it, but you are (understandably) nervous about starting out in what might seem like a big scary world, honestly I promise it really isn't so scary (and that's coming from miss anxious/scared of everything here) once you get stuck in, you will meet some really interesting characters, make new friends and have some truly amazing experiences. In my opinion it is the best job in the world!

I really hope this has helped some of you and I haven't missed out anything important, if I have and there's anything you want to know leave me a comment or email me and I'll try my best to help you out!

Sites to check out

Modelmayhem.com

Productionbase.co.uk

Freemantlemedia.com/careers

starnow.co.uk

xxx

Maybelline Baby skin instant pore eraser... first impressions...

So today I have been testing out the new launch from Maybelline's 'baby' line, the baby skin instant pore eraser (in case the title and pictures didn't give it away lol) I love my peach kiss baby lips to death so I have been really looking forward to getting my hands on this and giving it a try and now that I have I wanted to share my first impressions with you...

Baby skin is a silicone based primer that claims to instantly erase the appearance of pores giving smooth looking skin. I don't have overly noticeable pores on my skin so I cant comment too much on how effective it is on large pores, but what I noticed and loved is it gives a definite instant soft focus effect and smooth finish to the skin which combined with the silky gel texture makes it a dream when it comes to the application and overall appearance of foundation. It can also be worn alone if you don't really need any coverage, I think it would be great worn with a bit of concealer or tinted moisturiser in the summer for a natural look. 

Packaging wise I'm not gonna lie, not even a white one, the only reason I bought a tube of baby lips was because of the ultra cute packaging, I am a sucker for it! Baby skin has followed suit with it's cute pastel green plastic tube and equally cutesy pink font, which may offend the uber chic but I love it!

At £7.99 for 22ml of product it's definitely a good price to product ratio, considering the tiny amount you need per application it should last ages! On first impressions it gets a big thumbs up from me, I can't find anything negative to say, so I'd definitely recommend giving it a try if you are in the market for a new primer especially one that wont break the bank! I'll keep you updated. 

Available in Boots stores and online now.

Are you planning on picking this up?

xxx

My MAC eye shadow collection with swatches

Hey lovelies, Happy new year! I hope you are all well and enjoying 2014 so far!

I have been meaning to post this for such a long time but it seemed like such a mammoth task that I never got around to it, this afternoon while my boyfriend snoozed away on the sofa and my little man busied himself in the land of Xbox it seemed like the perfect opportunity to have my own fun by covering myself in eye shadow and talking to you about it :) 

First off let me start by pointing out the obvious, my palettes are really buggered 'well loved' I think I have owned them for around 4 years now so they have been thrown around in my kit bag, scorched with hair straighteners, and been dropped and trod on numerous times...I really do need to invest in a couple of new ones but the war wounds of these palettes really are a testament to how much I truly love them so it's a good thing really! 

Anyway lets get in there...

Vellum- A really pretty frost shade which looks just like a boring White in the pan but has a gorgeous Blue/Purple irridecence to it when applied.I do believe this is discontinued but it's worth picking up if you find it at a CCO. 

Naked lunch- A pale Pink frost finish with a pretty Gold sheen. I love using this either as a base shadow or alone as a quick and easy wash and go shade.

Sable- Another frost shade described perfectly on the MAC website as Gold Plum with Bronze pearl. It is soooo pigmented and buttery soft to apply, it is one of those eye shadows that you can wear alone as a wash of colour and it gives the impression that you have spent ages blending numerous colours. I wore this on my first date with Bob 2 years ago so it holds a little special place in my heart.....vom! Seriously though If I could only pick one MAC shadow for the rest of my life it would be this one, it is spectacular! 

Sumptuous Olive- A truly beautiful Khaki Green with a Golden Sheen. Pigmentation and finish wise this is so similar to Sable I love it!  

Carbon- A matte Black which I rarely reach for as the pigmentation is rubbish and I find it takes a lot of building up to get a half decent colour payoff. There are definitely better Blacks for your buck!

Nylon- A really pretty pale Gold frost. Mine is still hanging on in there as you can see I'm scraping the pan at this point, I only ever use it as an inner corner highlight on a tiny detail brush so I think It'll be a while until I have to repurchase, but I definitely will when the time comes.

Gleam-A pink toned Gold which looks a lot more Pink in the pan, on the eye it translates to more of a Golden sheen which leans Pink with a small amount of gold glitter.

Woodwinked- The swatch above makes this seem more Orange than it is in real life it's a warm metallic Gold. This is one of my favourites especially when I have a bit more of a tan I love it as a wash of colour in the summer.

Club- This is such a beautiful and unusual shade. MAC describe it perfectly as a Red/Brown with Green pearl. Again it's one of those dimensional colours that even worn alone gives the impression of having spent an age blending numerous shades.

Beauty marked- A Black based shadow with Purple glitter. To look at this in the pan I love it, and it is a beautiful colour, however I don't really ever reach for it I find the pigmentation pretty poor, the texture a little ashy and it's just a bit of a chore to work with overall.

Ricepaper- MAC describe this as "Peachy Gold with shimmer" I personally don't see where they get "peachy" from to me it's really similar to Nylon colour wise with a tad less of the icy shimmer so it could be used as a subtle highlight shade if Nylon is a bit too much for you. I love wearing this alone with winged liquid liner or with something like Bronze or Urban decay 'smog' in the crease.

Satin Taupe- A really hyped up shade I think because as well as it been a gorgeous colour it's so universal and can be worn so many ways, daytime or night time and suits pretty much everyone. For some reason I just don't tend to use mine that much so I'm going to give it a bit more love this year.

Bronze- This is one I had for the longest time before giving it the attention it deserves. It is amazing! A highly pigmented, buttery soft frost finish Bronze with a warm brown undertone, I really recommend swatching this next time you are at a MAC counter it doesn't get the attention it deserves.

Shale- A Greyish Purple satin finish with a slight sheen to it .It's quite similar to satin taupe but Shale is darker and less shimmery.The pigmentation isn't overly fantastic but it builds well and is a gorgeous shade for a subtle smokey eye.

Knight divine- A deep charcoal Grey with a really subtle silver shimmer, this is similar to Gunmetal from Urban Decay in the way that it leans towards blue in certain lights, the pigmentation is fine but not amazing, I find it a little chalky in texture which makes building up and blending more difficult when compared to the buttery soft Urban decay shadow.

Chrome Yellow- I don't really know what to say it's a bright matte Yellow ....why I have this I do not know lol! 

Stars'n' rockets- Such a hard one to describe.MAC describe it as Purple with Pink pearl. I don't remember the last time I used this shade as it's not the most wearable but it is really pretty and gives an interesting pop of colour when layered over a dark base shadow.  

Orange- I feel like I bought this at the same time as Chrome Yellow with a photo shoot in mind but as you can see I haven't had much use out of either.If you are in the market for a bright matte Orange eye shadow then this will do the trick.

Humid- A deep forest green with a very subtle shimmer, neither picture above does this colour justice it is so, so pretty and works really well with black to create a gorgeous Green smokey eye.

Freshwater- I think this was one of my first ever MAC eye shadows, I remember my eye been instantly drawn to it because of how vivid it is and "needing it" It's not one I really reach for anymore and it does sit a bit unloved in my "brights" collection but it is highly pigmented and applys like a dream so if you are after an amazing Blue this is definitely worth checking out!

Newly minted- I'm a bit mystified as to why there is pan showing on this because I don't remember ever using this colour haha! It's a highly pigmented matte Green with a hint of Blue. To be fair it's quite a pretty colour but it's by far the chalkiest texture ever, (it's comparable to pool cue chalk) which is probably why it has been discontinued.

Gorgeous Gold- A super pretty Yellow toned Gold with shimmer which I had honestly forgotten I had! It actually appears a lot brighter and more Yellow on my swatch picture, in real life it is much more of a subtle sheen which I think I'll try and show a bit more love to and get back to you about.

Steamy- My all time favourite Green eyeshadow! It is a frost finish Aqua blue green with a slight Gold sheen, it is super pigmented, applies beautifully and makes Brown eyes pop like nothing else!

All that glitters- Finishing on a good one! "All that glitters" is the no brainer shade for me, I instantly pick this out when I have no time or just can't be bothered to pick an eye shadow. A creamy textured Beige with the most gorgeous Gold shimmer to it without being at all sparkly,it works well alone as a wash of colour or as a base shadow it's a perfect all rounder that suits most complexions and eye colours. 

Wow what a post to start the new year on! If you are still with me then thanks a lot and well done! 

I hope this post was helpful to you weather you are looking to start a MAC collection or just looking for thoughts on shades you are thinking of picking up for your palettes.

I think it has been over a year since my last eye shadow purchase from MAC. I am really looking forward to seeing what shades the Maleficent collection will bring though! What are your favourites are there any you think I might be missing out on? 

xxx