June 2013 Favourites

You know the drill, let’s get cracking!

 

Clockwise from top left:

Illamasqua Loose Pigment in Beguile

It’s basically just really sparkly, looks good over any colour and is super fine. How could I not love it?

Illamasqua Hydraveil

My undereyes are loving it. LOVING. Erryone’s been talking about this, you can read my full review here.

Illamasqua Concealer in CC105.

Last Illamasqua product this month, I promise! It’s a white concealer. I know. But it’s awesome a strong highlight, or as a white eyeshadow base. Love it.

L.A Colours Endless Semi-Permanent Auto Lipliner in Berries

Man, I love this thing. Actually, I love all of these lipliners and for £1.99 each I’m not sure why I don’t have more. The “all day wear” claims are of course bull, but these do last particularly well without being too drying. This berry-red shade is just too pretty.

EcoTools Tapered Blush Brush

At least, I *think* it’s that and not the large powder brush, based on the price I paid for it in Asda, which was about £5. Either way, I’ve been using this for a light sweep of bronzer and I’m in love with it. I had to buy this before a holiday having left everything else at home and I’m kind of glad I did, because it is so beautifully soft!

Darling Girl Kiss You Off Colour Rich Lip Balm in Sanctuary

Yep, it’s another berry colour! Could I be any less summery? I always love the formula on these and Sanctuary is one of my favourite colours DG has done for lips. Lip colours seem to be off the website at the moment so I’m not sure if this shade is still available or not.

Wet n Wild coloricon Nail Colour in Back Alley Deals

My friend Priscilla picked this up for me and it’s so pretty! From Wet N Wild’s Ice Baby collection last year, it’s fine purple glitter with larger magenta glitters. With no top coat it almost has that liquid sand look, with topcoat it’s unbelievably blingy. Also loving Believe Me, It’s Real from the same collection.

Sleek Blusher in Fenberry

A tiny touch of this blush gives even light skin a rosy, flushed “I’m such a pretty English Rose y’all!” kind of look. With a golden highlighter it’s drool worthy. Again, it’s a berry, again, it’s not a “summery” colour and yes, I know it’s been through the mill as a result of crappy depotting technique but damn I love it!

 

L-R: Beguile. CC 105, Berries, Sanctuary, Fenberry.

What have you been loving this month?

Bargain of the week: LA Colors Lipstick in Matte Amethyst

My favourite budget buy for a long time…

 

Ooooh, isn’t that bloody gorgeous? If you disagree, we can’t play together any more. I spotted this out of the corner of my eye in Beauty Base and I thought in the store lighting it might be a dupe for MAC Up The Amp, which it very much isn’t. Horrifcally cheap looking as the packaging is – and at 99p, what did you expect, woman? – the product itself is actually rather nice. A creamy satin formula, it’s pigmented and unlike some other very cheap lipsticks, stays put without the need for a lip liner. I think “matte” is slightly misleading, but it’s not exactly a glossy formula. Sometimes buying such cheap product is a real gamble as you may well end up just wasting product, which isn’t nice, but I’m very pleased with this colour!

If you can face the horror of looking through a display utterly ravaged by rabid teenagers with pocket money to spend, this is well worth checking out.

Bargain Alert: L.A Colors Jumbo Eye Pencils

Sound a little familar? If the name made you think of the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils, you’re on the right track. These babies are cream eyeshadow pencils in the same chunky format, with very similar (albeit black) packaging to their NYX counterparts.









L-R Popsicle, Bikini Time, Cherry Blossom, Iridescent Light, Limeade,  Summer Love, Sand Castles.

Check that shiz out – matte, shimmer, iridescent AND glitter formulas. And this is only a small portion of the colour range, there appeared to be at least twenty shades in store. Very nice, L.A Colors, very nice! These are a very similar formula to the NYX pencils – pigmented and creamy enough that you don’t totally lose the colour when you apply these thinly as an eyeshadow base. If I’m honest, they’re pretty much exactly the same bloody thing, but different colours. They didn’t have a white or black cream, for example.


The best part though? You can go and BUY THEM IN A SHOP. IN THE UK. AND THEY’RE 99p. Ninety nine pennies! You can pick up these bad boys – and a ton of other 99p goodies including the suprisingly good L.A Colours polish range – from Beauty Base. Sadly I can’t find them on their website and apparently L.A Colours is a bugger to get hold of in the states as well, but should you see some on your travels, they’re well worth snapping up.

Lucky Dip 3!

Third time lucky? We’ll see! As per my last Lucky Dip posts, four indie eyeshadows, one loose glitter and one pencil were chosen at random and I had to create a look using only those products (and basics like mascara, brow pencil, primer, etc.)

Fyrinnae Shinigami, Daring Girl “Plush”, Aromaleigh Frutti di Bosco, Fyrinnae Danse Macabre, Fyrinnae Electric Stardust, LA Colors Turquoise

Fyrinnae-tastic! I was pretty darn chuffed with this selection to be honest! I didn’t think this would be too much of a challenge, although I’d have preferred to have pulled out something less similar to Shinigami to make it more difficult.





First I took the pencil in “Turquoise” as it’s pretty soft and used it as a base on my lid and lower lashline, blending out with my finger. I then went in with “Electric Stardust” on the inner corner of my lid and “Danse Macabre” on the outer half, going back in with “Electric Stardust” to blend the two together, and did the same under my eye. Then I mixed “Shinigami” with mixing medium and drew a shape through my crease, then a winged liner, connecting the two together. I then took “Frutti di Bosco” on a small brush and softly blended the liner in the crease so it looked less harsh. Then I patted “Plush” over the top of that area with my finger, using some Pixie Epoxy to help the glitter stick. Finally I went back in with “Turquoise” for a funky brow colour.

My favourite combination so far for sure!

Purple Party Look and Tutorial

I filmed my first tutorial yesterday! I hate Windows Movie Maker. Haaaaate. I also hate my other half (who I inevitably have to ask for help) for taking the piss because I bother to enunciate in the video. Annnyway, here’s the look, using one of the most beautiful shadows ever, Hi-Fi Between the Stars <3

Git yo’ hood up.

Eyes:
MUA Professional Eye Primer
NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk
Hi-Fi Cosmetics Between the Stars (lid)
Purple from Sleek Bohemian Palette (crease and lower lashline)
MAC Gesso (to highlight, not shown... I'm not sure what happened to that clip!)
Kryolan Aqua Color in white
Collection2000 Extreme 24/7 Eyeliner pen in Black
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Wet n Wild Mega Sparkle Confetti in Lilac Frosting
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama gel liner
Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown
Maybelline One by One mascara
Brandless eyelashes from local afro beauty supply shop.

Lips:
LA Colors lipliner in Smooth Plum
Gosh Light N Shine Lip Glaze in No 5

Face:
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer
Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff
Hard Candy Glamoflague concealer in Light
Evil Shades blush in Violet Fire
NYX Mosaic blush in Highlighter

 

…And here’s the tutorial! Please let me know if you like it and then I will attempt to make more D:

 

NOTD: Green Glitter Gradient

Alright, alright, its a nail of the... last week sometime!



I don't think I've ever done a glitter gradient before - I think I did okay considering. The most difficult part is getting the glitter to fade out at the bottom - it's difficult to get the right amount on your brush. I think I've found a good use for foam eyeshadow applicators! The base coat is a nameless sheer white glitter from an Accessorize set and the green is LA Colours Treasure Island - one of my favourite glitters!



Proper post for you soon, I promise! I was going to have a purple eyeshadow week, but I've been in a rush most mornings and have only had time to do mascara and lippy some days. I'm going to Volupte tomorrow night, so hopefully I'll have some nice retro hair and make-up to show you guys this weekend.

Tried any fun nail techniques recently?

What's the equivalent of writers block for a make-up geek?

Because I have one. I haven't done anything creative or even something I've really liked day-to-day for a while. I've got a great idea drawn up as a face chart for Julissa's mask contest, not to mention a million other face charts I've drawn up and would be mad to attempt but want too, not to mention I want to try Jonna's tutorial too. I just... I'm not feeling it, its annoying me at bit.

So, failing any makeup for you, here are a few manis, because I have been feeling my nail art thang at the moment.



Here's todays look. Just a simple one with LA Colours Magnetic Force, which is a semi-matte neon coral with gold shimmer, black striper and some gems, which of course have all fallen off already.



I tried out the on-nail marbling thing. I did a first coat of the base colour, then while the second was wet I blobbed the polish on and made teh pretties. The base colour is Beauty UK Smokey Lilac which is the nearest you will catch me alive to a griege, I reckon.



These aren't a fail exactly, they just didn't come out as well as I would have liked, as I should have used a white base for the flames. Gosh Rainbow did a good job of being the sparks coming off the fire though, dont'cha think?



I loved this mani and kept it on for four days which is a veritable lifetime for me. The little hibiscus flowers didn't show up very clearly, but I think that was the colour combo. I got a lot of compliments on this one, anyway! (And yes, my hand were that dry!)

Back soon with my mojo, I hope! xoxo

Face n' that...

I always do multi-purpose posts. Do you guys think this is a good thing or a bad thing? I'd rather cram a few of my looks/manis into one post than spam you with my face everyday.

So a couple of manis first. I was really pleased with all the lovely comments that I got on my water marbling post that I did another one when I took that one off. It was difficult because I had to use tap water and I was using a polish which, while awesome looking, is basically one of those ones thats an emulsion of micro-glitters and it didn't spread that well. But I loved the result!





Both colours were L.A Colors Color Craze. I totally recommend these polishes for a bargain brand if you can find them in the UK because they're only £1.50 (I think in the States you can get them in Dollar Tree, etc.)The silver is Live and the turquoise is Radiation. Pretty neat mani, huh?



This is what I'm wearing today. I get so many comments whenever I do leopard nails, and it is the EASIEST. NAIL ART. EVOR. All you do is a blob in the middle (optional) and then draw c's and o's - and if its wobbly, it's better! I used Barry M Matte White for the base (crap, crap, craparoo), Barry M Yellow and Cobalt Blue, La Colours in Lightning (pink) and Atomic (turquoise) and a black nail art striper/pen.





There were a couple of green and purple psychobilly-esque looks on Make Up Geek recentley so I thought I'd give it a go. My liner sucked that day and I think I could have done a better job. I just don't have the brows to do pin-up looks. I used Barry M's Pearly Mauve and Parrot Green and NYX Super Creamy, and I wore a sheer-ish red gloss from MUA. I think maybe I used a brown for blending because the purple seems not-so-purple.

And now my favourite look of the week!







It was inspired by MatthewLX's Rihanna inspired look (click iiiiiit) and I just had to do something! I used the three matte neutrals from Sleek Bohemian palette and a neon pink Fardel Maquillage, with Sarah Harding Girls Aloud lashes. I love these lashes because they don't bop around all over the lenses of my glasses!

Thats all for now guys n' gals :) xxx

P.S: Sleek Circus Palette, which isn't due out till Wednesday, got leaked into some stores today. I didn't get one yet, but go have a looksie just in case!

Water palaver! (How I do water marbling!)

Hahahaha, I'm so punny. Anyway, its been going around so I thought I'd do my own water marbling post. Its such a hit and miss process the first few times you do it so I thought I'd share how I'm doing so far.

Basically, the key is to work pretty fast so your polish doesn't dry on the water. If your polishes aren't spreading well, then check your water. Room temperature is best and filtered water is recommenced by lots of YT gurus - I don't have a filter, but I do have hard ol' limescaly water so I use bottled when I can. Evian doesn't work well for some reason, but Buxom does. No idea why. (Edit: I realise that Buxom is an adjective I normally reserve for bosoms. I meant Buxton.)

You'll need:

-Your polishes and top coat
-Disposable cup/old mug
-Room temperature, preferably filtered or bottled water
-Orange stick/needle/something point
-Tape
-Q-tips
-Polish remover
-An old cloth or kitchen roll to protect your surface and to wipe your orange stick.


Put a base coat of colour on your nails as water marble patterns are pretty sheer. Put the water in the cup (doy!) and place the cup on the cloth or kitchen roll. I use a small round cup so the polish stays in a small area and its easier to draw patterns on (I've used odd shaped yogurt pots, etc, and its just not so good.) Get all the lids off your polish bottles so you are ready and then tape up the nails on one hand like a-so:



One piece of tape goes under the nail and around the finger, and another goes behind the nail and folds down the sides. It can be tricky but the more skin you can cover the easier the clean up will be and the nicer your cuticles will look in the end. Try to make sure your tape is nice and tight and secure around your nails or you can get bubbles when you do your dipping:



Pop these with your orange stick while your nail is in the water or they can ruin your design a bit.


Now you want to start making the target on the water! Drip one colour on the water, let it spread a little, add another, and repeat with as many colours as you want. I've really found that its a total trial and error thing as to which polishes work. I don't own posh polishes like China Glaze or OPI, most of my polishes are cheap ones like Barry M, so cheap ones do work! Theres variations within the brands I have, though, which is annoying. Some polishes spread, some don't, some won't spread with others. I had to ditch this color combo as it wasn't spreading right...



...and try another color combo...



...which worked, yay! So then I could start making the swirlies with my orange stick. You have to go pretty gentle, just kind of skim it across the top. I used to use needles, but orange sticks give you more control. You might need to wipe your stick off on your kitchen roll as you go.



Swirly! Pick a spot you like and slowly dunk your nail in.





Then clean up the surrounding polish with your orange stick - if you see a clear scum, you need to get all that off too or it'll stick to your design and you'll have to do it again! Wipe your orange stick off. Then, slowly pull your nail out at the same angle you put it in to help stop bubbling...




...aaaaargh! Messy! Go ahead and make a mess on all your other fingers now! If your water looks really scummy after a few fingers, change it.




Once you take the tape off it looks so much better! There's a bit on my fingers but its easily removed with a Q-tip soaked in remover. Some people say you can use Vaseline round your nails instead of tape but I've tried it and its just as messy as not using anything. I'd recommend taping up one hand, doing your marbling, then removing the tape before you tape up your other hand or the tape stick to more tape and makes a big ol' tapey mess!


So that's basically it, bar letting it dry! I don't really like Seche Vite top coat that much as I find it chips, but because its thicker its great for nail art and marbling as it doesn't smudge the colours together when you apply it. However I couldn't find my Seche Vite so I just went careful with a generic one.

And the final result!








I thought the colours were pretty 70's so I added the little yin-yang! I used Beauty Uk polish in Soft Green and L.A. Colours Color Craze in Lightning - its super neon and my camera gets confused by it! Maybe it wasn't the best combo but hey, its all about experimentation.

If you want more advice from someone who knows what the hell they are doing and doesn't just want to sound like it, I really really recommend going and checking out the My Simple Little Pleasures blog and YouTube - Colette is seriously awesome!

Hope you liked, thanks for reading all my crap! :D

Chirpy chirpy cheap cheap

Why haven't you entered my giveaway yet?


I thought I'd do a quick post showing some uber cheap stuff I've got in the last whenever... to show you sometimes you get an absolute bargain and sometimes theres a reason something has that low pricetag...

First up are a couple of Boots Natural Collection Moisture Shine lippies. Now, I've bought these lippies before, when I was a teenager and haven't bought them since, probably because they are so cheap so I just had it in my head that they were total crap. And they're really not! Boots Natural Collection is always a fiver for three, so a while back I went to grab some. I was looking for the much coveted Apple Blossom shade but my local Boots is tiny and doesn't carry it. So I got:



Caramel. I adore this colour! its really subtle but it has a little bit of shine to make it that bit more glam. These lippies wear really well - I'm wearing this shade today and it stayed on pretty well while I ate dinner. While not exactly moisturising, they have a nice, fairly creamy texture and apply really smoothly and evenly.



Rose Bud. If you want to win a tube of this lippy, go and join my giveaway HERE! I adore this lippy. It really is a perfect rose colour. The pigmentation on these lippies is impressive for the price- when I swatched them all in Boots, my hand was stained for the whole day, and I only swatched the more natural colours, nrot the red or auberginey shades.


I bought some pigments on eBay because I thought they were glitter - there are a lot of Chinese sellers on eBay whose... well, its Engrish, not English! Anyway, it was 2.70 plus shipping for 12 so I'm not really that put out.






As you can see, these colours NEED a base. They're extremely fine and not the best pigmentation. But those pinks are really beautiful and the dark browns are lovely too. You can see you're getting a cheap product though - some of the jars are crammed with pigment and some are barely half full. Also, on a couple of the jars the top clear part of the lid is a little loose. I have dupes for most of these in my 120 palette too, but hopefully I can find a use for them! I wonder if you can marble nails with pigments...?




This is the LA Colours palette in Wildflower. I'd seen and heard great things about these on blogs and on YouTube but figured it was an American brand and that you couldn't get them in the UK. However, I saw these babies in my trusty local beauty supply for two pounds. Pretty looking, huh?





The liner here is Barry M Dazzle Dust in WinterBerry but the other colors are all the LA palette. The texture of the gold is a little odd, not very smooth at all and doesn't apply that well, but that pink is just beautiful and unlike anything else I own. I was pretty pleased with the pigmentation of this palette as I couldn't test it before I bought it - and bear in mind I only did this look over UDPP, and not over a creamy base. I'm probably going to nip back and get the monochrome palette at some point.

Also bought some Rimmel kohl pencils including this beautiful shade 'Loveable Lilac, which is slightly metallic and so pretty.



I also bought a Benefit 10 'dupe' from Primark, which I will do a review on soon. Its nothing like the Benefit colour wise, but the pigmentation and texture is pretty darn good - and its £2.50 for 10g at Primark while Benefit charge £22.50 for the same :| Comparison swatches soon?




So thats all for now. I'm on a make-up ban for probably a long time now. Well... we'll see :D

Robyn xxx