What's On My Face #2

For the most part, I either work one or three ways with my make up for during the day - barely anything, a subtle smokey eye or barely anything with a bold lip. Pretty much. This post is the subtle smokey eye which I wear more often than not...

July Favourites

Another month, another lot of products I simply couldn't keep my hands off of...

Glowing Base Heroes

I've done separate reviews (here and here,) for the Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer and the No7 Skin Illuminator - both of which I adore separately but the magic really happens when you use both of them...

Summer Top 5 | Lips

Carrying on from this post, where I ramble about my favourite summer nail polishes - it's time to follow up with what I've been reaching for the most for pretty summer lips...

Empties #8

Another day, another small lot of empties to talk about. With this lot, I actually feel like weeping because they have all been fantastic products to use - so needless to say they'll be going back on the shopping list as soon as possible!

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer

I know when it comes to primers; everyone has a mixed opinion. Some can't see the point and rather skip the whole process of 'adding another layer' and there are others that shout from the rooftops for all the benefits. I'm in the annoying latter group. 

Nails | Autumn/Winter

There is nothing I love more than (anally) organizing my nail polish collection on the best of days; factor in new seasons and then I'm a goner for at least an hour with my ikea storage. This year, I couldn't narrow it down to five - some aren't easily available anymore, some I've found ridiculously cheap online (but still great quality,) and so without further ado, my personal choice of seven Autumn/Winter ready nail polishes...

Beauty Bag | November

It's that time of the month again, a new month and so a new rotation of beauty bumf to switch it up and this month there's a hint of sparkles and shimmer in the bag...

Colour Rush

I know right, not another chubby stick lip crayon - but you know what these are seriously some of my favourite lip products, they are fool proof to apply and considering the high street have an amazing line up - they are affordable too. I've got tonnes of the Revlon Just Bitten and a few of the Bourjois Colour Boost - so let's see how the new Rimmel Colour Rush Balm in the shades The Redder The Better and Give Me A Cuddle fares...

In terms of longevity it's around the same as the Revlon Just Bitten range - I suppose all depending on what you're doing (don't go down the gutter, I mean eating, drinking etc,) but they do last for a few hours before wearing off, so you can either top it up with a normal lip balm or just reapply the colour. 

Upon first application, they aren't that bright - which is actually great, surprisingly. You can build it up (as I have in the swatch above and I do apologise for the lighting,) to go bright or just do the one light application and not be paranoid that it's over kill - these would also be great for people who don't like wearing a bright lip - it could be a great way of easing into it, so to speak.

These aren't super glossy, but perhaps sit quite comfortably between the Revlon Just Bitten range and the Colour Boost range - not overly glossy, but a pretty sheen to it none the less. 

Did I need another lip crayon? No, but I'm pretty glad I bought them and I'll probably pick up another shade eventually as they are all so wearable. Definitely worth a swatch or three when your in Boots or Superdrug next.

Have you tried the Rimmel Colour Rush Balms?

Peace!

Nudes & a Red...

I hadn't heard of the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks until Essie shared her top 10 drugstore lipsticks - and well then I got intrigued until I finally remembered to pick up Nude Delight - recently however thanks to one of my favourite places to shop online, Fragrance Direct - I picked up two more, Rouge and Notting Hill Nude (Lily just did a post on that one,) - for 99p each....

 From top to bottom; Rouge, Notting Hill Nude, Nude Delight.

Even though the packaging isn't Rimmel's finest - the lipsticks are very comfortable to wear and almost feels like applying a lip balm or butter. Wear time is pretty agreeable too and lasts for three to four hours (longer if not eating, probably,) which for the price point - I don't mind the reapplying. 

The colour pay off is beautiful too and the two nude shades are very wearable - Notting Hill Nude is more on the pink toned scale whilst Nude Delight has more of a peach undertone - so no fear of ending up with concealer lips (worst 'look' ever). 

Rouge looks deceptive in the pan/tube and looks pretty dark but the colour is immensely flattering, it kind of reminds me of the Avon Perfect Kiss in Smitten Red, more of a dark pinky/purple red - but a good colour for most skin tones and one I can see myself using in Autumn/Winter.

I bought Nude Delight in Boots for £6.49 whilst I bought Notting Hill Nude and Rouge for 99p on Fragrance Direct.

Have you tried these lipsticks before? Do you love or hate them?

Peace!

True Red

I don't know anyone who doesn't like nail polish. I mean seriously, it's a lot easier to get to grips with than other make-up out there and can complete an outfit - plus make you feel amazing. I'm always gazing at my hands once I've done a fresh manicure and I know I'm not the only one...

Do excuse the claw, but I think I've found my new perfect red. In this post I asked everyone whether they could accept the challenge of whittling down your nail polish collection and find your perfect red. A red lip never dates and neither does a red mani/pedi. So considering my favourite had gone as bad as bad can go - it was time for a fresh coat and I was in the market for something new...

I love the Rimmel nail varnishes but especially the Salon Pro range, the colours are beautiful, they are under a fiver and they last on the nail. Winning all round. This shade in 'Rock N Roll' is a perfect deep, true red. Not pillar box, but this cooler toned red suits my skin tone perfectly and looks just as beautiful on toes as it does on fingers. Plus it won't look out of place all year round, score.

So, what's your favourite red?

Peace!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint | Rich Russet

Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint - Available here.

If you read a lot of blogs then this product won't be exactly new to you, but the Scandaleyes Shadow Paints are reasonably new on the market and there was one particular shade I was interested in, and that is Rich Russet. The other shades available currently are two silver/grey shades, a light golden shade and a purple - I don't dislike these colours but once swatched I knew this was the one I wanted to test out...

I'm pleasantly surprised by the consistency, it's very smooth and so pretty easy to blend with a brush or (a clean) finger. What I will say is to act quickly because once set - it's set and it took ages for me to get these swatches off over the course of the day (a standard swatch test, am I right?) but it came off easy enough with trusty bioderma and it came off with a cleansing oil too.

Personally I think to ramp up the range they could add some matte colours. I love a slight shimmer like any other girl but I think some matte colours in some nude shades would work a treat.

You can buy these in most drugstores and supermarkets now but currently Boots and Superdrug have them available for £3.99, a saving of £1. 

Have you got the Rimmel Shadow Paints, what are your thoughts?

Peace!

Haulin' | Boots

Heh. 

What can I say? One minute you're casually browsing the internet and then this happens. There is only one saving grace to this haul and that is; these were all on offer. Whew.

For my face I picked up two products that I have high hopes for - one has been blogged about by everyone and their cat/dog. The Dr Jart Waterfuse BB Cream was half price when I bought this - so only £9 - need I say anymore? The coverage is light to cover blemishes but to still let your skin through - aka, no mask like tendencies with this bad boy and I cannot wait to try it out on warmer days (that are hopefully coming...) 

I also wanted to try the No7 Essentially Natural foundation that boasts a light/medium coverage for all skin types with an 25 SPF, so no night time wear if you're taking photos but it looks to be promising and a similar consistency to that of the Dr Jart. This was part of the buy one get one half price offer across a selected line so to go with this I picked up the Revlon Colour Stay Ultimate Suede lipstick in Finale. First thoughts - creamy, long lasting and a beautiful shade of hot pink/red that looks a dream on - winner, I say!

A bit boring but I also picked up a tanning mitt - an essential for this time of year but this St Tropez one had £1.50 off. I haven't tested it out yet but I'm hoping it can save me from dreaded orange fingers. 

Lastly the other two combinations I bought were the Bourjois Bronzing Primer - apparently it's useless as a primer but is a pretty good dupe to the Chanel Soleil Tan Bronzer - both of these products look hellish scary in their respective pans but I am intrigued to see how this one works out. With this I also picked up the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Nude Delight - again, this looks like it wasn't going to be a good match for me but once applied it definitely has more pink/peach in it - and doesn't look that brown once swatched + applied...

Overall? I'm going to hide by card now and hibernate for a few weeks I think but I am pretty pleased with the offers/deals I got!

Had an good deals recently?

Peace!

Rimmel Salon Pro - Peppermint

showing off my new Moleskin too...

Let me just clarify; I had a massive clear out of nail polish - I had quite a lot of polishes where I had two or more of the same colour so my niece (who lurrrves make up, by the by,) benefited quite nicely if I do say so myself.

So what did I go and do? Well I bought some more, but I promise, they were all colours distinctly missing from my (growing, out of control, blah blah blah,) collection. 

I spied this Peppermint shade before from Rimmel and I think it was when the Salon Pro range was in the old bottles - I distinctly remember swooning back then - and don't ask me why, never picked it up. I love Rimmel polishes, they have an amazing quality for the price range and a wide variety of colours, no matter whether I pick it up in Morrisons, Tesco or Boots/Superdrug etc. They are just the one.

Peppermint is no exception to the range, it's a darker mint, almost a turquoise and thanks to the fat-fool-proof brush (wide, if you will...) which is my favourite for nail polish application, a dream to apply. So far this polish has lasted five days before tip wear occurred - but, I haven't tried this out when at work where I constantly use my hands, that will be the ultimate test.

Now, thanks to Anna and Meg - I'm seriously heading back to purchase Hip Hop (a coral/pink/hard to define shade,) and Reggae Splash (a peachy, creamy orange that is not in my collection which is very much being added to the basket as I type and is also from the Kate range) which is going to look a beaut on the nails for this summer...

Rimmel Salon Pro polishes retail for £4.49 at Boots where an offer is invariably on, so go have a look and swoon, see if you are stronger than I and not leave with a few or five...

Peace!

Mini-Haul | Superdrug

I think it's safe to bet that if I have to pick up anything from Boots or Superdrug (Hot cloth cleansers, usually,) that if there is an offer on cosmetics, I will pick something up. This time, I picked up three little somethings...

First up was the Rimmel Salon Pro nail varnish in Peppermint. Oh, it had me at first glance - a perfect green-blue for Summer - plus the finish and longevity of the product is brilliant especially for the price point. 

Second, another polish. This time by Barry M - my Superdrug can sometimes fall behind on ranges when it comes to make up but recently they have undergone some changes to their stands (YAY!) and with it comes better stock lines for me to peruse. I picked up the Sequin Nail Paint in shade 1 (really, not a delightful name for this pretty product?) and it seriously reminds me of those penny sweets, my favourites, sometimes called white rainbow drops. I trust in Barry M polishes ever since my early teen years, and this doesn't disappoint. 

Last of all was Permanent Taupe - from the Maybelline Colour Tattoo range. I've had On and On Bronze and love it dearly so picked up this shade. I love it, of course. I usually use my fingers to apply these or the Detailer brush from Real Techniques (it's stiff enough to apply these kinds of products perfectly! A match made in heaven...) and the opportunity to build up in light layers is incredible. You can go subtle to smokey very easily. 

So that was my little pick me up, what was your recent treat to yourself, beauty or otherwise?

Peace!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner + Eyeshadow Sticks

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Taupe and Bronze, Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Bulletproof Beige.

The Rimmel Scandaleyes range is nothing new to the blogosphere. The Kohl eyeliners have been raved and hyped up and so I caved. I bought the Nude eyeliner and fell in love upon immediate application. Less scary than a white eyeliner, the nude shade perfectly makes eyes look brighter and much more awake. So why not invest in a few more shades, I thought...

Of course by this time the Eyeshadow sticks have already come out and swatching one in Superdrug was my downfall. Although all of these are under a fiver so it won't break the bank. You'll just have to show some restraint and not buy all the range in one go. ;)

Creamy formulation, there is no drag to either of these products. They apply like a dream, and stay put more to the point. These swatches lasted through various amounts of washing up and stayed put, and that is saying something considering how vigorous I am with a scrubbing brush. 

I've stuck to the neutral shades as that's what I do best - but I wouldn't mind the purple shade 'Paranoid Purple' for the lower lashline. 

Have you tried this range yet? Thoughts?

Peace!

Face | Blushers

 Rimmel Blusher in Smoked Oyster, Natural Collection Blusher in Peach Melba, Babara Daly Blusher in Peaches and Cream (Cream Blush.)

Carrying on from the Bases edit, concealers and foundations - now I'd like to move on to blushers. 

For me, blush is kind of I can either take it or leave it kind of product. If my skin is looking good, I'll use it, if not - I don't have to bother. My cheeks are always blushing/flushing - I have sensitive/dry skin and it's a pretty common problem for this skin type, or so I am told - so if I am having a pretty bad 'red' day - I'll forgo the blush because I will end up looking like a red/pink mess come the end of the day.

That being said my skin is being pretty well behaved more often than not these days, so these are my highstreet/drugstore picks.

First up is the Rimmel Mono Blusher in Smoked Oyster - this is my blush of choice during warmer months - usually of an evening if I am honest, when although I don't tan, this blush is more on the brownish side to give my skin a little 'I've been in the sun, but I've only got freckles to show for it!' kind of glow. If that makes any sense at all. It's an overall good blush, pigmented, easy to work with - the only issue is the packaging - my god, how long has Rimmel had their mono blushes in these? Revamp, please?

Secondly is the Barbara Daly Cream Blusher (otherwise known as Velvet Blusher, I believe,) in Peaches and Cream. I adore this, because paired with my Real Techniques stippling brush - it goes on like a dream. I love to use this all year round but it is particularly flattering in spring/summer - purely because of the coral tones of the product. I literally have no issues with this blusher and I recommend you go see when you do your weekly in Tesco. 

Lastly, a little gem hidden in Boots. Not too dissimilar to that of Macs Melba, is this lovely, under two frickin' pounds blusher. Natural Collection has long been a favourite since I was a young teen and let's be honest, I took their cheapness for granted because their quality is pretty insane - I adore their duo eyeshadows for staying power/pigmentation! The quality of this blusher - especially for the price range, is quite frankly a god send - it's the perfect blusher for year round use - that will suit most skin tones and let's be honest, won't exactly hurt the purse strings. I'm on my second pot now, which says a lot, given my redness issues...

So concludes my blushers edit from the highstreet/drugstores - all reasonably priced, all pretty solid contenders. 

What's your favourite blusher?

Peace!

Base | Concealers

Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer// No7 Stay Perfect Concealer// Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer// Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer.

Let's cut to the chase - I wasn't a concealer gal. When I was younger and overdid my make up (another story altogether, and maybe I will tell you one day...) I used a scanty amount of concealer and relied predominantly upon foundation to cover any blemishes (mostly redness, I don't break out,) - and then I would just move onto my eyes. No I wasn't an orange. If you're wondering.

Eventually though, I found my way back to concealers, and here is a quick round up of four drug store concealers that I've tried recently...

I first used the Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer - one of my first tests back into concealers (after having gone so long without,) and for a while it was perfect. But the same can be said with No7 Stay Perfect Concealer (new formula,) - it seemed to work for the first initial uses and then come up short, for whatever reason. I found when I used these in the summer they were fine - but when it got to winter they felt drying and clogging. 

I still don't know whether it was me, or the formula of these two products - but they just ain't cutting it for the concealing of my ever purple under eyes (lovely,) or slight redness around my nose. Sorry, Rimmel and No7. 

Moving onto the Collection 2000, I absolutely adored the Illuminating Touch Concealer - a similar product to the YSL Touche Eclat, and for the price range it was a solid contender. I will be buying it again, but I wanted to test the Lasting perfection concealer, from the same brand. The latter is a heavier formulation, and I tend to use this on larger blemishes rather than my under eyes. It covers, blends well and keeps the redness at bay for a solid eight hours. 

My favourite though and I kind of hate that it is because it's one of those hyped products - but it is completely worth it... Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer! I adore the foundation, and so tried the concealer too... what a surprise (sarcasm,) of course it worked and still works under my eyes, blemishes around my nose, spots. It doesn't dry or cake (I have sensitive/dry skin,) and rarely causes any problems (except when I am having a really bad skin day, which for me is dryness in epic proportions, but then I just use a tinted moisturiser if I absolutely have to use anything at all,) and for under £10 - comes into my budget and I don't have to feel too guilty. 

So while I haven't had much luck with the first two concealers, the last two mentioned have done a pretty good job at keeping my skins general redness at bay and under control.

What's your favourite concealer? Any gems you've found?

Peace!

Did a bit of shopping... With hardly any 'real' money?

 Rimmel Apocalips (left to right,) Nude Eclipse, Celestial and Apocaliptic.

 (I got these rather delicious looking Rimmel lip lacquers on a three for two offer at Boots!)

M.U.A Heaven and Earth Palette. 

I mentioned in my review of the Nivea Primer that I received two £5 vouchers to spend at any Nivea stockists, Boots, Superdrug, etc and so I went into my local town - which to be fair is a farmers town, is small and most of the shops are too - all which culminates in not a lot of stock of ranges sometimes, but I digress.

I went into boots and picked up some Nivea products, I got two at this point, a body lotion for me and some face moisturiser for the mister! 

After this purchase, I asked the lady how many points I had so off I toddled to spend £15 (I had more, but couldn't find particular products, so didn't bother wasting my points on stuff that didn't intrigue me...) I kindly bought mother some hairspray and I got some Rimmel Apocalips... They only stocked four of the range, but these were the ones I wanted - so I couldn't complain! I think I will definitely returning for Big Bang though, so gorgeous!

Superdrug was next on the list. I went to the counter first, checked I could use my remaining £5 voucher from Nivea with them, yes you can by the by, and to see how many points I had on their loyalty/beauty card. I only had £2, but still, I had the M.U.A dupe for the Naked palette in mind, so that only cost me...yep, £2 for a solid neutral palette of eyeshadows! Bargain. 

Of course I treated my man to further products from the Nivea for men range (aftershave balm, face scrub,) and then called it a day.

In total I must have spent £2+£1+£1= £4 of my own change, and then the rest from boots points, superdrug beauty card points and of course nivea vouchers. Not bad, eh?

(Completely forgot to use my student discount card though! Doh!)

Have you ever had one of those 'bargain' days?

Peace!

autumn nails; nailed it...

 images via google.

Been pretty swamped this week and a little poorly - so sorry for a lack of posts.

Being extra lazy in my boyfriends jumper, watching films and finally 'nailed' my autumn nails. :)

Peace!