Welcome to One Brush Beauty

OBB Where all are welcome, i write reviews, answer questions, give tips and advice on how to use the makeup that you have. OBB is really about easy yet beautiful make up, making you feel your best, and what products are out there to help you do that.

TTFN
C x

Sunday 28 July 2013

Lush Sunnyside Bubble Bar Review!

Well hello there!

I tweeted the other day about using "sunnyside" for the very first time. As anyone who regularly reads my posts will know, I have in the past 6 months or so become very much addicted to Lush.

From their, bath bombs to face masks, cleanser to perfume and more;  I absolutely love shopping there. The staff are always so helpful, and if you ever want to try something they are more than happy to provide a sample in a teeny "black pot" of whatever you fancy - and they contain a decent amount of stuff so you actually get to try it quite a bit!

On to the review!

So the bubble bars from Lush are a crumbly bar, that when crumbled under running water make lots and lots of lovely skin conditioning bubbles. You can get 2 baths out of most bars and 3 out of the bigger bars. Most of the time I just use the whole bar - as I have baths as a sort of 'treat' to relax, and showers most of the time.



With Sunnyside it is a glittery gold coloured bar with gold glitter all on the outside. It is a bit daunting, I mean the thought of tying to clean all that glitter out of the bath, plus all that glitter on your skin! But I was pleasantly surprised.

Yes there is glitter in the water, but as the whole bar does not have glitter running all through it and it is just a coating on the outside, the glitter actually is actually a very small percentage of the resulting bath. But the rest of the bar makes a lovely shimmery gold swirly bath with lots and lots of iridescent bubbles.

It smells really fresh and fruity - it reminds me of mimosas (bucks fizz), which is a lovely match to the indulgence of the bath.

I already have tried quite a few of their bath bombs and a couple of the bubble bars. My next wanted product are the bath melts! I think that a bath should be as much of an 'experience' as you want it to be! Me I like, bubbles, bombs, melts, candles, music, a good book and maybe even a glass of wine!

I would really recommend the lush bath products, there may be a lot of them. But if you have an idea what kind of experience and smells you want/like, you only have to ask and they will point you in the right direction.

Have you tried a Lush bubble bar?

Loves
C
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Sunday 14 July 2013

Coral Nails!

Hello lovely people! 

First odd let me apologise for not posting in FOREVER! But I have just started my new job, and I am absolutely shattered at the minute so my spare time is spent sleeping! Haha. 

Now onto my post, 
It's been quite a few weeks since I've had my nails done. I loved my last purple ombré nails and got so many compliments! 

But as the sun has arrived here in the UK, I wanted something less vampy and more summery! 

I have gone with a lovely bright coral with gold sparkle! Simple and effective. 

What are you wearing on your nails this summer? 

Thanks for reading 

C
X

Friday 21 June 2013

The Beauty Blogger Tag!

Well Hello There!!

So as you may have gathered from the title of this post...I have been tagged! By the lovely Beauty Splash! Her blog is great, so if you haven't already checked her out then I suggest you do so :) 

This tag seems like a heap of fun...here we go! 

The rules:
Tell all you lovely folks that this tag was created by The Beau Bow
Tag some fellow beauty bloggers
Title the blog as I have done (exclamation mark is subject to creative license...you may or may not feel as enthusiastic as I do)

The most obvious rule would have to be...answer the questions! 


Name the Beauty Routine you barely do:
Contour...I am So lazy, I just slap it on and go. No Kim K highlights and contour before foundation! I'm all about simple, plus I don't think I could chisel me some cheek bones if I tried.

Is washing your makeup brushes something you do regularly?
Urgh! No...I do do it a lot more than I used to. I use baby shampoo to wash them, and I dont necessarily hate it, I just hate waiting for them to dry out!

How lobg will you last with chipped nail varnish?
Aha! Well thankfully I don't suffer from this, my talons are acrylic and so don't chip...but I am thinking about reverting back to 'au natural' and then who knows!?

How long do you put off buying/replacing a beauty or nail polish product even if you need it (i.e. top coat, foundation, etc.)?
Tbh with you, I am one of those people who repurchases before I have run out; even if I have a while to go. i dread the day I try and use something only to discover it has run out and I have no alternative. I am over cautious...plus I love shopping, so I am always on the hunt for 'stuff I need' haha.

What is your worst beauty habit?
This one is a tough one...I dont really know. I would probably have to go with not cleaning my brushes often enough. 

Name something non-beauty related you putt off doing all the time?
Cleaning my room! I mean I am 22 and I still feel like a kid who is punished by having to tidy my room. Its not a pig sty...but it could be better. The problem is I'm just too lazy, and so is my other half, not a good thing.

When you go out somewhere, do you leave getting ready to the last minute or not?
I try not to. I do love going out and having the whole day to get ready...I have been known to take 24 hours to do my hair (lots of rollers involved). But saying this, I'm usually the last one to be anywhere, and I am well known with my friends for always being late.

Can you commit to spending bans?
Yes!! I am such a scrimper when I want to be. When I was at Uni, I never went shopping and really had to teach myself how to shop again; even now, if I'm not in the right kind of mood, I either get ridiculously bored or just terrified of spending money.

How organised is your makeup and nail polish collection?
A heck of a lot more organised than it used to be! I have a makeup carrier with little shelve thingies, so that's organised into category (lips, face, eyes, brushes)...but my nail polish is just in a basket.

What is the longest time you have gone without writing a blog post?
Over a year! I started my blog in the second year of Uni and then kind of just forgot I had it, then when I left, my boyfriend persuaded me to start writing again and it has only really been the last 5/6 months that I've really gotten back into it...I wish I had never stopped as I love it!


And that is the tag! Its just a great little set of questions to get an idea of what we are like behind the blog I guess. 

Many thanks to Beauty Splash for tagging me, I really enjoyed doing it! 

And I am tagging:

However if I haven’t tagged you and you would like to do this tag, please comment below and send me your links :) as I really enjoy reading them! 

Thanks for Reading!!

C
X

p.s. sorry this took so long to write and edit, I have had it for over a week waiting to be edited…just been so busy!!

Tuesday 11 June 2013

Nars Orgasm and Nars Albatross Review

Hii Guys!

So I posted a haul in May where I bought a few (a lot) products - 2 of which were face products from Nars.

The first of which was the powder blush Orgasm - probably Nars' most famous product - said to be used by many celebrities and suit any skin tone, this is one sought after product. I have resisted buying this for years as it is pricey (£21.50) and I was happy plodding along with my Mac blush that I have been using for years.
In the Pan 
Natural Light
Under Flash 

But as summer came around (or didnt here in the UK) I wanted something a bit more 'glowy' and peachy to go with summer skin.
Orgasm blush is a pink peach fine powder blush with gold irridescent shimmer, it does not have large chunk glitter - unlike Nars' Super Orgasm - so there is no glitter or shimmer fallout on to the rest of your face - which I would say is pretty important.

Because of this it creates a lovely glow to the skin.
I have been using this since I purchased it and I must say I do really like it - maybe not worth ALL the hype it gets: but as far as colour payoff and finish goes it is a lovely product. It also has a great staying power for both the blush colour and the shimmer finish. I think less is definately more with Orgasm as too much and you may end up looking like a glitterball.
I like to bring this product up slightly on to my temples as it helps to create that summer skin look. I am also fairly pale and this colour does suit me perfectly - so as far as its colour diversity goes I would say it can suit most skin tones.

The second product I purchased was the highlighting blush in Albatross - a little bit confusing calling it a highlighting blush - there is no way on earth that this could be used as a blush - but as a highlighter it is fantastic. This is also one of Nars most famous products, again supposedly used by A-listers. And I must say this product is worth the hype.

In the Pan 
Natural Light
Under Flash

It is a beautiful gold sheen highlighter, not glittery or even shimmery just perfect. Despite being less well known (but just as pricey as Orgasm: again £21.50) this has to be one of Nars best products and for me out shines Orgasm by a mile.

The perfect colour for summer skin - its white transparent base means that it is will suit any skin colour as it is not ashy nor orange - the finish is amazing and because of the powder formulation, again fine blend, it sits perfectly on any base and lasts all day. I am in LOVE with this product and I use it as often as I can, even days where I dont want to wear makeup I like to sweep this on my brow bone for a bit of natural 'glow'.

A wonderful highlighter that really makes your look complete - great on the cheek bones, brow bones and decolletage.

So there are my thoughts on these two 'cult' products.

What are your experiences of cult products - do they always live up to their reputation - are they worth the money?

C
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Sunday 9 June 2013

Lush Godiva Solid Shampoo Review

Why hello there...

So I'm getting around to reviewing my May purchases, as I've been using the products for a while and have actually managed to finish a few!

On to the review!

Godiva is one of Lush's solid shampoo's - with a whole list of beautiful ingredients such as: Jasmine, Coco Butter, Coconut Oil, Ylang Ylang....the list goes on an on.

Godiva Shampoo Bar £6.25 /55g 
Now I have a lot of good things to say about Godiva. It is a fantastic formula that smells divine (think of a hot summers evening when all you can smell is jasmine in the air). My hair smells beautiful from wash to wash and it is great at really nourishing and moisturising the hair from root to tip.

It is a very clarifying formula though so if you are in the habit of washing your hair everyday it may be too much for it. Even so it would be a nice shampoo to have for a kind of 'hair detox' or treatment - although I have used this every time I have washed my hair.

The bar formulation is also quite handy for travelling - but this has proved problematic for me.

As much as I love this shampoo i don't think I will be re-purchasing it (as an every time shampoo anyway). My hair is very long and thick and the bar just doesn't hack it, I think I am over using the product just to make sure that I thoroughly wash every part of my hair - so the bar just hasn't lasted as long as I am used to a shampoo lasting. Plus because of my hair being so long it is actually really hard for me to use - either lathering it up in my hands or applying it directly to the hair.

I was really disappointed with this as I wanted it to last ages and work really well with my hair.

Alas this is the only down side - if I ever revert back to having short hair I will be reinstating this as my normal shampoo.

I would really recommend this to people with short hair and people with fine hair of any length. If you need a moisturising shampoo and/or love the smell of jasmine then this is the stuff for you!

Hope this helped and let me know what Lush products you love!

C
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Thursday 6 June 2013

Purple Ombre Nails

Heres my monthly Nail update!

So I was a bit apprehensive to keep my talons considering that I will be starting my new job in like 2 weeks! But as soon as I sat down in the chair at the nail salon I couldnt resist!

As always I wanted something 'jazzy' and my nail technitian never seems to disappoint! I wanted more of a bright and vampy look - or 'professional' as I am going to pretend they are.

This look is greated with Gelish on acrylic and then some fancy powder UV pigment stuff that she used to create the ombre - how clever!

Any ways here they are...



What are you wearing on your nails right now?

C
X

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser Review

Well Hello There!!

This is the kind of post that I love doing: A Review of a product that I LOVE!!
I mentioned this product in my May Haul, but I had been using this product for a while before hand as I had a 'tester sample' - which incidentally lasted me AAGES!

I am really loving Lush and its wonderful array of products at the minute - I must admit that for years I have avoided simply because of the overwhelming smell of the shop, you can smell it (almost literally) a mile away. Well I have now concluded that I should have ventured in a long time ago as they have something for every one!

So onto Ultrabland...

In the Pot
Before Use
Melted/Massaged in to the Skin
Lush describe it as: " A rich, soft, oily cleansing cream that cares gently for all skin types" and "Ultra Effective, Ultra Gentle face cleanser"
It is a beautiful cleanser that I would describe as more of a balm than a cream, it is super soft and smells just like Honey - which makes the experience of cleansing with it all the more enjoyable. As for oily, I would disagree  the product strikes me more as waxy than oily, and it certainly doesn't leave your skin feeling oily or greasy.

To Use:
I like to run a bowl or warm water in the sink and let a face flannel/wash cloth soak. I then use a half walnut size amount of Ultrabland and then soften it in my fingertips. I then apply to my face and massage all over. To remove I use the warm wash cloth, this also helps with gentle exfoliation.

This product WILL remove all makeup - even my Lancome Hypnose Drama Waterproof Mascara, which whilst it is a product I could not live without, it is a notorious b**ch to get off: but Ultrabland melts it right off really gently so that my eyes don't feel sore afterwards. Although, because of the massage action you do end up looking like a panda before you use the face flannel.

All in all I love this product and can see me using it for a long time to come, I have been using it twice a day for a few weeks now and my skin feels more moisturised and softer already.

I would give this product 5 stars and would and am recommending it to you all!

Have you tried and loved any Lush products?

C
X

Saturday 18 May 2013

Eye of the Day!

Hey Beauties!

I have basically decided to re-brand my 'Look of the day''s as 'Eye of the Day''s ...as I think this is a more accurate description for what I am providing.

Who knows, maybe one day I can suck it up and photograph my whole face, but for now I'm just not ready for that.

So today I did a bit more work shopping, nothing special, but it was successful. Even came back with some lovely black high heel peep toe shoes... definitely for work (or at least that's what I'm telling myself).
But I thought I would share my make up choice.




I'm really into browns at the minute and I have rediscovered the Revlon Colourstay pallet I used in my Everyday Brow blog. It has really lovely shades and they seem to be so compatible with so many other eyeshadows I have. These shades worked really well with the gold (I am definitely a brown/gold aholic these days) 

I did regret one choice however - after I used my eyeshadow primer I then applied a creamy base in a burnished bronze shade (a really old Avon product I came across) - this seemed to counteract any staying power any eyeshadow had or indeed the power of my primer. I may be a little over dramatic, it wasn't sliding down my face or anything, its just creased and blended on its own accord, so my lovely eye makeup kind of did its own thing after a while. 

Will NOT be using that again! 

Anywhoo - hope you like it and hope you are all having a lovely weekend! 

C
X



Wednesday 15 May 2013

My Everyday Brows

Hiiiiiiiiiii!

So I get a lot of people asking me about my brows - the likelihood is that because they are prominent they get a lot a lot of attention. Now I'm not saying that this post shows them off particularly well, the reason for this being that I am not wearing makeup at all so they look a bit odd on their own.

I love my eyebrows, and even though they are not the tamest of beasts they are strong and thick and I like this. Even though they caused me grief in my teens due to people picking on me because of them (*sob*)...I love them and I own them. I love to put colour through them and even glitter from time to time (the inner drag queen just dying to come and play).

Nevertheless I thought as I get asked what I do with them...I would share...so here we are.

First of all here are the products that I use:
Here we have: 
Revlon Colourstay 515 (colour 4), The Body Shop Matte it Primer, Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 2 Light, Benefit High Beam, Real Techniques Angled Brush, Tweezerman Tweezers and Ted Baker brow brush and comb. 

I do swap up what colour I use (if any) as sometimes I want a bold colour (purple any one!?) and other times I want my brows to be warm and light. As my brow hairs are naturally black I try and not go any darker than dark brown - other wise we have a scouse brow situation going on. In summer I tend to go for a mid brown to keep it warm. 

Before

After
  1. First I prep and prime - tweeze any stray hairs and prime my brow by running primer against the hair. Also at this point I conceal under the brow to get rid of any redness from any tweezing. 
  2. I dab the angled brush in the colour and tap off excess. When putting colour in my brows for every day I start from half way in the brow and run the colour to the tip, creating the desired shape. Then with what colour is left on the brush I sweep and take the colour to the front of my brow (this helps stop the 'scouse' brow). 
  3. With the brow brush I then brush and blend the colour to make sure that it is soft and there are no harsh lines. 
  4. I then apply brow gel in an upward motion. Making my brows look wild and untamed. I then let this set for a few seconds. 
  5. After this I tame them by brushing the top of the brow with the brow comb to give a smooth yet full shape. 
  6. The last step is to add (if I'm feeling jazzy) a highlight on my brow bone - I do this any way if I am doing a full face of makeup, but even if I'm not sometimes its nice to add a highlight. 
And there we have it. 

I am dying to do a full glitter brow and put it up to show everyone - but maybe that would be too much!? Maybe not. 

So I hope you have enjoyed reading it and I hope it helps if you have problems taming your brows. But own them and remember that they are such an important part of your face - they frame your eyes and give your look structure - LONG LIVE THE FULL BROW!! 

C
X


Sunday 12 May 2013

May Haul!

Ok, so it has been aaaages since I spent money on things for myself, well apart from new work clothes.
So I felt it necessary to splurge a little bit and have had a few trips shopping and built up over the last few weeks a nice haul - which I thought some of you may like to see.

This is just a bit of a show and tell post - I will however be trying to do more reviews as they seem to be popular - so watch this space for those.

Here we go!
 


  • The Body Shop: Hemp Hand Oil - £7 
This hand oil is a deep moisturising and protecting hand care product, I would describe it as a more intense product than the hemp hand protector cream (which I also swear by). I bought this as my medication has caused me to have eczema on my hands and this has been helping brilliantly - it is not a greasy oil, it melts and is absorbed quite quickly. It does however have the strong hemp smell, which I have actually become used to from using the cream, but this may put people off. 


  • Lush: Ultrabland Facial Cleanser - £6.75/45g or £10.75/100g
This is a product that I have been after for a while, I was given a sample back when I bought Angels on Bare Skin ( here in my February Haul - see how long its been since I did a 'proper' shop!?). I have only recently tested it; but loved what I have tested so thought it was worth a purchase. It is a cream/balm cleanser that smells just like honey - fantastic! 


  • Lush: Godiva Shampoo and Conditioning Bar - £6.25/55g 
I have wanted to try one of Lush's  solid shampoo bars for SO LONG! But as we don't have a Lush in my home town I have had to wait until I could get to one. I love lush as all the staff are so help full and can match you with the perfect products for your needs. I bought Godiva over the others as it conditions as well as cleanses the hair, supposedly making it really nourishing ( I have yet to use this) - but most of all, it smells exactly like Jasmine, I could just carry it round with me to smell, its gorgeous. 


  • Lush: Jungle Solid Conditioner - £2.95/55g
Again I wanted a solid conditioner to match the Godiva shampoo - this is a really lovely smelling product too, less intense than Godiva and more fruity; but in a subtle way not a sickly way. Due to the length of my hair I need a really nourishing conditioner that tames frizz near the scalp and moisturises the ends of my hair. I have been promised that this is the perfect product for me - only time will tell! 


  • NARS: Orgasm Blush - £21.50/4.8g 
Possibly the most famous blush in the history of makeup - hyped up to the extreme and revered as many peoples best product. I have resisted buying it for so long as I simply just didnt see what all the fuss was about. Happy with my Matte Mac blush I just plodded along without it. However...since getting clear skin I wanted something more 'glowy' for the summer months (Hello Sun! Where are you??) and so I gave in, marched my way up to the counter and gave in... succumbed to its pinky peachy glowyness; wapped it on my cheeks straight away and strutted out the shop - I will be writing a full review of this later when I have used it a bit more. 


  • NARS: Albatross Highlighting Blush Powder - £21.50/4.8g
I have been using Benefit's High Beam (again featured in my February Haul) for my highlight when I wear a full face of makeup - however with my dry skin the texture of it is not working for me at the minute, plus the colour is perfect in colder months as it has a lovely icy sheen - but this is not what I want for warmer months. Albatross however (despite its appearance  has an amazing gold sheen that works in conjunction with the gold shimmer in Orgasm. The powder texture also works better for my skin while its dry.

 I must add here that I love NARS packaging, it is beautiful - not practical as it gets dirty very easily - but nonetheless beautiful and I also love the attention to detain with a mirror in all powder product packaging! LOOK AT IT!!

BEAUTIFUL!!


I have bought a couple more products as well as these but I am deeming them not interesting enough for this post - plus I don't think I can bear to see the price of any more of the products - its like my own post telling me off for splurging! 

As I said I will be reviewing most of these products in more depth when I have used them a bit more. 

Hope you enjoyed the read! 

C
X

Thursday 9 May 2013

Now Follow me on Bloglovin'

Hii Everyone

So I know that probably all of you are now aware that Google reader is becoming extinct...
and I'm sure many of you have seen very similar blogs to this one. So I will keep it short and sweet.

There is this wonderful thing called Blog Lovin'! If you havent noticed my snazzy button in the corner of my page, I am pointing it out to you now! (hehe)

So if you would care to clickity click it and follow me on there then that would be grand! This way you can keep completely up-to-date on all of my One Brush Beauty  posts and goings on. Plus this way, when Google Reader is eventually no more we can still be friends!!

Thankyou to those who already follow me and a big HEY THERE and also thank you to any possible new followers...I look forward to your company.

Grande Love

C
X

Saturday 4 May 2013

New Nails!!! Again!!

Now it certainly doesn't seem like 5 weeks since I reverted to my almond nails...but it is!

I went to see my lovely nail technician today and we decided on something a bit different. I have had glitter tips on now for nearly a year now, so I've gone for an all over colour. I've also opted for a pinky nude, with Swarovski detail...yep you read that right Swarovski!!

I loved the baguette cut crystals as they are something a bit different. I also kept the length instead of having them cut back down like I usually do. They are a bit full on and talon like...but I LOVE them!!

Hope you like them too!

C
X



LOTD - An Evening out!

Hey peeps!

So for those who follow me on twitter, you will have seen me tweet about a girlie meet up yesterday. Every now and again I pry my fingers away from my laptop to indulge in a few alcoholic - or indeed non alcoholic beverages with a few friends: last night would be one of these instances.

I decided to go for a gold and chocolate look on the eye, full on glam with some eyelashes. I even used my 'jazz in a pot' (see my Jan & Feb faves) Chanel eyeshadow!

The photos dont quite show how much of a cut crease this look was - I'm really getting in to cut creases now that I have more confidence with them. I love this look as the colours are still fairly neutral so its not over the top for a chilled evening with the girls. Yet still glam enough to feel glamorous.





Products I used:

Avon Eyeshadow primer
Nars Eyeshadow - Voyage 
Nars Eyeshadow - Galapagos 
Chanel Illusion D'Ombre - Vision 
Avon Supershock Gel eyeliner pencil - Black 
Rimmel Glam Eyes liquid eyeliner - Black Glamour 
Eyelure Lashes - 100 Superfull 


Hope you like it!!

C
X

Friday 3 May 2013

March and April Faves!

Hi guys so it has been a while since I did a faves blog post and thought it was time to update.

I like the idea of doing a favorites blog every couple of months as I don't tend to stray too much from my routine so doing one every few weeks could be pretty boring.

So first of all I will do my make-up choices.



MUA - Undressed pallet - 

I have been travelling around a bit in March and April and this pallet has proved to be worth its salt, it is compact and contains lovely neutrals that can be adapted to: no make-up make-up, everyday neutrals, cut crease drama, smokey eyes and full on drama! It fits in my travel make-up bag perfectly. Great Value too!
- Superdrug £4



Avon - Supershock Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Black 

This is such a versatile product, its great on the waterline and as a liner on the upper and lower lash line. The great thing about this product is...it sets! Its like the perfect intermediate between a khol pencil and a liquid liner. I have found myself going back to this very often on days where I just want to do a simple bit of eye definition - which has been a LOT lately. - Avon £6



Nars - Single Eyeshadow in Voyage

I bought this a while ago (maybe over a year) and loved it, and for a while it was my every day shadow, just sweep this over the lids and add mascara - ready to go. But as I bought other products this got pushed to the back and I must admit I had forgotten what a gorgeous nude it was, with just the right amount of sparkle. So for the last month I have been bringing it back! Love Nars shadows too, great colour payoff and staying power. - Nars £18


Clinique - Supermoisture Foundation 

This is a product that I featured a while ago, I have been using this a lot as it is made for super dry skin. It is a good foundation for this purpose. And because I need it I am putting it in. But I will not be continuing this once my skin is back to normal moisture levels. Not that there is anything wrong with the foundation, its just a very very dewy - and I need a bit more matte in my life! But all in all it is a really good formula for dryer or super dry (like mine) skin. - Clinique £21



MAC Blusher in Pink Swoon

Apologies if I have mentioned this product before - but I will rave about it! This is the best blusher I have ever used, it is a matte bright pink blush. The colour pay off is perfect and suits my skin tone to a T. Its a bit scary looking in the pan, but once applied it looks wonderful. Just enough for my pale skin.
MAC - £17.50



Avon Solutions Hydra Beyond 

This is a lovely light gel moisturiser that I have been using for a while now. I must say I use a fair amount of different moisturisers, basically just based on what my skin needs at the time. The Hydra Beyond has become one of my favorites due to its formula, it melts on to the skin and really does pump moisture back into my skin easily. The gel is fairly watery (as you would expect) - so on really dry days I do need something thicker. But this is a great product with great results. Avon - £7.50

Amazon Kindle

AGAIN! This has to be my favourite thing that is non-beauty related for the last two months. I have been travelling a lot and going to meetings and interviews in preparation for starting my new job and this has been great to read on the: train, plain, bus, car, horseback, dolphin...how ever else you want to travel...although thinking about it I don't think its water proof so I take back dolphin.


So that's all folks. Tried my hardest not to bombard you with products in this faves.

Let me know what your faves at the minute are and if you have tried any of mine!

Muchos Love

C
X



Sunday 21 April 2013

Purple and Gold Cut Crease!

Hey guys!

So I know I've been a rubbish blogger for the last few weeks and pretty much MIA, but there are very good reasons for this...I managed to bag myself a spangly new grad job, which very excitingly I will be starting in the summer. This means lots of new opportunities and a chance for me and my fella to get our own place (extremely exciting stuff)!

But never mind all that, you're here for the make-up (obviously)...

Purple and gold cut crease

 So for not wanting to lie to all my lovely readers...I was really bored and so decided to create this especially for you, that's the truth. Although I would love to wear this out and maybe even double up on the lashes as I like a lot of drama for my going out looks.
I would also like to try the purple with the MAC Orange shadow that I love instead of the gold, but I played it safe while I was playing around.

Here are some more shots...



 I even coloured my eyebrows in my darkest duo tone purple for added effect! I love this look and hope you do too.

Let me know what you think!

C
X



Friday 19 April 2013

The Leibster Award!

Hi guys!!

First off I would like to say a HUGE thankyou to the lovely Beauty Splash for nominating me! Although I have been blogging in dribs and drabs for a few years, its only really since February of this year that I have really gotten in to it!

So I hadn't heard of the Leibster Award before, but from what I understand it is a kind of a 'pass it on' thing which gets people interested and talking about other peoples blogs. So I will answer the 11 questions that were posed to me and tell you 11 random facts about myself; in turn I will nominate a few peeps and they will have to do the same. ( I really like this idea!!).

So I will get on to the 11 random facts...

1. My favourite colour is Green - love it!
2. I have too many obsessions in life! These include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Darkness (the band) and obviously Makeup. 
3. My favourite beverage is Milk 
4. I have a massive white cat called Leo, he is my baby. 
5. I love everything Japenese and would love to go there one day. 
6. I love Cows and Frogs, they make me so happy! 
7. I am a hermit, I could stay in for another 6 months and not feel the need to venture out. 
8. At University I craved creme brulee like ALL THE TIME so thats basically all I ate...that and celery...
9. I am a qualified Zoologist. 
10. Heath Ledger was my dream man (sorry boyf!) 
11. I spend hours grooming my eyebrows - they are my pride and joy!

So onto my questions from my nominee..


1.What is your favourite thing about blogging?
That I can share my passion and speak to people who have the same passion, the passing on of ideas and inspiration is such a wonderful thing, and blogging definately opens up the door to that. 


2.Cheese burger or chicken caesar salad?
Hmmm. I actually love salad...not in a 'Oh Ive had too many calories this week, pass me the lettuce' sort of way; but I genuinely love the taste of it. And ceaser dressing is amazing! So Ceaser Salad! 

3.Thoughts on lip stains?
Not for me Im afraid, even with the balm they seem to dry my lips out, plus I feel like Im putting felt tip on my lips when I wear them. Never a good thing. 

4.Do you have a best friend? If so, where did you meet them?
I have 2! One I have known for a LONG time. But we became best friends when I moved away and I love her so much and I could not do with out her, we met right at the beginning of high school when we both played guitar. And my other bestie I met at Uni and he lived in the same flats and did the same course as me, I dont think I will ever be able to have a relationship like we have with any one else! 

5.Best budget beauty product?
MUA eyeshadows! They are so well pigmented and the quality is that of a high end product! The monos are priced at £1 and they do pallets that are compared to the likes of Urban Decay and I think they are around £4. 


6.Favourite nail polish of all time?
Hmmm. This one is a tough one. But I am going to go with a fairly new one to my collection which is China Glaze's 'Running in Circles' which is from their Cirque Du Soleil range. It is the most sparkly vibrant shade of acid apple green! Its wonderful! And I actually bought it because I saw it swatched on one of my fave blogs. 

7.Starbucks or Costa?
Starbucks! Major coffee fiend! I just like the way their coffee tastes...not really bothered about anything else.


8.Favorite online clothes shop?
Heres a secret...I have actually never purchased clothing (non-band related) from the internet!...so this question is a little lost on me Im afraid. I could not live without Amazon though!! 

9.A shop you cannot leave without buying something?
Boots! Even if its just a snack! They lure me in and then Im there round all the makeup, smelling and testing! Its such a strain on my little bank balance. Really could not live without it though, it keeps the makeup goblin under my bed happy and thats all that matters!

10.Leggings or jeans?
JEANS!! Im starting my first 'proper job' in the summer and have to wear smart office wear, and its the first time since I was 16 that I havent been able to put my trusty pair of jeans on everyday, I live in them and they are the most versitile and comfortable piece of clothing in the entire world, I truly believe they will never go out of fashion. 


11.All time favourite book?
This one is SO hard!! I have so many! One single book!? There have been so many that I couldnt put down, like the Thomas Harris Hannibal series, the Phillip Pullman His Dark Materials series, Stephen King's Misery...but just because of its ease and simplicity with a great story I will go with 'When God was a Rabbit' by Sarah Winman. Its not a religious text or to do with faith, its just a really good story with a melancholy nostalgia that I really like.  

So thats that! The next thing for me to do is nominate - I think the rules are you cannot nominate the person who nominated you...so here goes


And my questions to my nominees are - 
  1. What made you start blogging?
  2. Whats your guilty pleasure?
  3. What brand could you not live without?
  4. If you were an animal what animal would you be and why?
  5. If you could only carry 3 makeup items in your bag what would they be and why?
  6. Liquid or pencil liner?
  7. Is there any where that you would really love to travel to?
  8. Favourite book and why
  9. What is your classic look?
  10. Highend or Budget products and why?
  11. Every cloud has a silver lining...true or false?
So there we are! 
Again a Massive thank you to Beauty Splash for nominating me! I have really enjoyed doing this! 
Hope you enjoyed reading it and if you haven't already checked out my nominees then you really should! They're awesome! 

Much Love 

C
X

Wednesday 27 March 2013

New Almond nails!

Hi guys!
So I tweeted yesterday that I was having my nails done...yay! And I had a complete change!
For the past 7 months I have been sporting lovely square shaped nails, but longed for the on trend almond nail. However I have been so apprehensive to change the shape as I just couldn't imagine looking down and seeing them.

But yesterday I bit the bullet and just went for it!
I love them! They are the princess nails that I've been longing for! I also went with a champagne mixed glitter tip to really be regal (hehe)

Anyway I love them and hope you do too!
Mwah
C
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Friday 22 March 2013

Avon Eyeshadow Primer Review

Hi guys!

This is just going to be a short review of a product that I've been using and loving for a while now. I featured it in my February Haul and have been loving ever since.

It is of course my Avon eye shadow primer


I compared it previously to MAC's paint pot in Ocre only more pinky beige - essentially it is very similar only it has more of a face primer feel...silky? I guess.

The packaging is not very fancy, yet because its glass it does have a more heavy and expensive feel to it - however as a girl with long nails applying this product with fingers directly is impossible (but hey what are concealer brushes for...right?)

The product goes on smoothly and blends to a nice even tone, I say tone as 'colour' seems too strong for how it appears. But as I said before when I bought it, Avon should be thinking about bringing this out in at least two more shades as it is too light for darker skin tones.

Its kind of a Ronseal product in that it does exactly what it says on the tin. It prolongs your eyeshadow wear, prevents creasing and helps to make colours 'pop'. I have had no problems blending my eyeshadows after using this, I do however let it dry a few minutes before applying as I don't want my eyeshadow to stick to it and become un-blendable.

Its not the best eye shadow primer out there, but its affordable and it works. And quite honestly I can only commend Avon for bringing out continuously good products recently - they seem to be on the ball - long gone are the blue shadow and red lip looks that we associate with the 'Avon lady' of the 80's/90's.

If you are in the market for a eye primer I would give this a go.

Hope you found this helpful :)

Muchos love

C
X

Sunday 17 March 2013

Green Eyes!

So seen as its St.Patricks day I thought I would upload a lovely green eye look for you guys. Green is one of my favorite colours to wear on my eyes and so I had so much choice on how to do this look and what colours to use!

I decided to go a bit 80's/90's with this look - instead of doing the cut crease trend that we are seeing so much of now. I have used only 3 green eyeshadows (had to limit myself) to create this - however I am not counting my green glitter in this haha. Had to have some glitter in there!

Here is the look (forgive the awful lighting, its such a dull day here in the UK that the photos don't do the vibrance of the colours any justice, Oh and the flash just makes everything look shimmery).


Natural Light

Flash




Products that I used -
MUA poptastic pallet - MUA Undressed pallet - POP glitter in Green - AVON Supershock gel eyeliner in black
BARRY M pigment in Green - AVON eyeshadow primer - AVON glimmerstick brow pencil in black -
ILLAMASQUA Brow and lash gel - LANCOME hypnose drama mascara in Black Waterproof -
 COLLECTION 2000 lasting perfection concealer in Ivory - REAL TECHNIQUES brushes -
POP sparkle sauce mixing medium.
 Even though it is a green look I wanted to keep it quite understated so that it can be worn as an everyday look. Love glitter so I couldn't resist putting a bit in there - I would have covered my whole eyelid but I feel that may have been a step too far (seeing as though I'm not going anywhere today). I tight lined my eye with the Gel eyeliner pencil to add a bit more depth.

I think this look can work for whatever occasion  although I would like to try a green cut crease as I think that could work for a more dramatic look. Also its so weird to see how brown this eye makeup makes my eyes look!

Anyway hope you like it and let me know what you think :)

C
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