Too much turquoise!!!!!

I love the look of wearing a neutral eye and having a pop of colour on the lower lash line. Being a blue eyed girl I like to rock either turquoise or purple.

Whilst rummaging around my makeup collection I happened to notice three colours pretty similar so I swatched and they are basically identical. Some of the eyeshadows are cheap but one is quite expensive so to save you from making the same mistake and spending a ridiculous load of money on three shadows that are identical here is the three dupes!! 

This first one comes from the Urban Decay Preen palette. £22.50. It's called painkiller. I don't know if you can purchase this eyeshadow separately. For me this palette doesn't have a great mix of colours purely because I can't create a look just by using the colours it has to offer. So I don't reach for it as often as I should. I will do an in depth review of this palette later.

The second shadow is from a Chilli Pepper palette. £7. I think this brand is exclusive to Boots but I can't be 100% sure. I have a few of their palettes but the one with the dupe in is Elegant Eyes, Earth.

This is the turquoise, very bright and pretty.

Finally the last turquoise is a solo shadow from 17 in Viva Diva. £3.99. I don't know why I bought this. It was probably on 3 for 2 or something.

Anyhoo, here are all the swatches......

Left to right, Urban decay painkiller, Chilli Pepper, 17 Viva Diva

As you can see all the swatches are basically identical. Totally ridiculous to have all three!!!! Urban Decay is the most pigmented with a slightly metallic finish. The chilli pepper colour is very pretty, slightly lighter than the other two. Finally Viva Diva is more of a green turquoise. They are all pretty in their different ways  but personally Urban Decay wins this one. I know it's the most expensive but I think if it's good quality I don't mind spending a little bit more. If you like these dupe posts I will keep my eyes open for more.

Thanks for reading

xxx

Fashionista Fantastic

Whilst perusing the ever enticing isles of Superdrug I was drawn in to one of their new brands, Fashionista. Their main products are eyeshadows and blushes, sold in mini compacts that can be put into a larger palette. I love the concept and with a fantastic deal going on, buy 3 shadows or blushes and get the fourth AND the palette free it would be criminal not to buy!!

These are the shades I picked up.

Left to right, Bella, Radiant, Subtle Glamour and Juicy Apricot

 As i'm sure you'll have noticed I chose three eyeshadows and one blush. They have loads of colours to choose from, most of them are satin or pearl finish and they have a few of these beautiful marble shadows.

However, I was very disappointed with the two marble eyeshadows. They pay-off is pretty poor. I wouldn't have chosen these however there was no samples to try in Superdrug. 

On the other hand Subtle glamour is a pretty mid toned purple brown that will work well in the crease.

The star of the show was the blusher, Juicy Apricot. This is so beautiful, a gorgeous bright peachy coral with gold shimmer. It's so pigmented and looks fantastic on the skin. I will definitely be picking up more of the blushes.

These eyeshaows and blushers retail for £4 each and the palette is £5. With the deal going on I got everything for £12 which is a complete bargain as it would normally cost £21!!!!

I would definitely recommend checking this new line out as they have some hidden gems.

Thanks for reading

xxx

Best of the ELF studio line

Elf is one of my favourite cheap brands. The products are great, the packaging is good and the price is unbeatable ranging from £1.50 - £6. 

They have three lines, regular, mineral and studio. Today I am going to run through a few of my must haves from the studio line.

Starting of with brushes, these all cost £3.50 except the kabuki which costs £5.

Left to Right, Powder brush, stipple brush, complexion brush, kabuki

These brushes are really good quality, they hold their shape really well and don't shed. I have had these for nearly a year, I wash them regularly and they are still going strong.

The tinted lip balms are relatively new and cost £3.50. They have four colours but the one I have is peaceful pink. It is quite big so it lasts a really long time.

It is really pigmented and it looks gorgeous by itself. It lasts a really long time and it also moisturises the lips.

I featured this in my last ELF haul but I had to include it again because I wear it all the time. It's the matte lip colour in Praline costing £3.50.

I apply it very lightly to get this brick brown colour. I love it for Autumn.

The studio blushes are fantastic. The two colours I have is tickled pink (left) and blushing rose (right) The packaging is sleek and easy to store.

Tickled pink, blushing rose

They are very pigmented and last a really long time. Tickled pink is my favourite because it gives a gorgeous pink flush to my cheeks that looks great. These also cost £3.50.

I also got this with my last ELF haul, it's their cream blushes. I believe these cost £5.50 but I may be wrong. The shade I have is flirt.

It is a cream to powder finish so it is easily buildable. A light dab with a brush will give you a soft hint of colour like the swatch on the left or if you put more on you get a bright dolly pink as shown in the swatch on the right.

This is probably one of the more well known products from ELF. The blush and bronzer duo. This is talked about as the dupe for NARS orgasm and luguna. I've never tried either of them so can't comment but for £3.50 this duo ticks all my boxes. It's pigmented, the blush is beautiful and the bronzer is great for contouring. Also the packaging comes with a huge mirror so it's great for your handbag and travelling.

As you can see the blush is a gorgeous peachy pink with gold shimmer. It looks amazing in the summer. I think this blush would compliment alot of skin tones. However, the bronzer is very dark so I can use it for contouring however I think very pale skin tones would struggle to pull this one off.

Finally, the mineral infused mascara. This costs £3.50. I like this because it lengthens and separates. It doesn't volumise however I tend to use this as my first coat and apply Benefit BAD GAL lash as a second coat to give some volume.

I really like this to wear by itself because it defines the eyes really well.

Phew! That was a long one but I hope you've found this helpful and inspired you to check out their fantastic range of products.

Thanks for reading

xxx

Current Favourite Lipsticks

I've been going a bit lip crazy recently so here is another post with my current favourite lipsticks.

Be warned there is some rough photo's.

Firstly we have the best nude for my skintone.

Gosh Darling.

I really like this it blends really well, is really moisturising and lasts a long time as well.

It's very cheap so definitely one to check out.

Next up, Mac Hue

This is the perfect everyday nude peach colour. Most people who try this love it because it works for nearly every skin tone. If you are looking into trying out Mac lipsticks for the first time have a look at this.

17 lipstick, Flirty

This is really creamy, very comparable to a Mac cremeshene. The colour is very wearable and I use this nearly all the time.

Mac, Creme Cup

This is a perfect light pink. It is really glossy so you don't need to wear a gloss over the top. 

Revlon, Baby Pink

z

It's like the name says, a baby pink. I really like this, it's not in your face but it's still quite bright so it can brighten up a neutral look.

Rimmel, Nude Delight

This is a much darker shade of nude. This would suit much darker skin tones. It's very creamy and very opaque.

Finally, a bit more of a crazy colour but I love it. 

Rimmel, coral in gold

It is alot brighter in person but this is my favourite summer colour. (I don't know why i'm mentioning that in the middle of winter) I definitely recommend this for people with darker skin tones. 

So there we go, not my most interesting post but I have been loving lipsticks so I had to share them,

Thanks for reading

xxx

How to wear 101

Barry M 101 is the nude of the drugstore world. It is cheap, very nude and the packaging is sleek and chic. What's not to love? However, many people are disappointed once they've purchased it saying it's chalky or too pale. I think the same too but if you wear it different ways it will soon become a staple in your makeup collection. So here are a few ways that I like to wear Barry M 101.

Firstly, never apply in a sweeping motion, that will give the chalky finish. To get a perfect finish by itself using a light patting motion.

I very rarely wear it by itself but if do I will usually slap a clear gloss over the top. This blends the colour better.

If you still find it's too pale for you dig out your darkest brown lipgloss and slap that over the top. You will get a nice inbetween colour to suit your skin tone. The gloss I use is Elf luscious liquid lipstick in Brownie Points.

Swatch.

On the lips. You would hardly know it was the same lipstick!!

The same applies if you want a nice mid tone pink. Take a bright pink gloss, here I have ELF luscious liquid lipstick in perfect pink.

Result: A gorgeous mid tone pink lip

I must sound like a broken record but the same applies if you have a scary dark red lurking at the back of your lipstick stack. Here I have Revlon matte lipstick in In the red. It's pretty scary but layered over 101 it turns into a gorgeous wearable everyday red.

SCARY!!!

Not so scary :)

I hope this has helped any of you stuck wondering how to pull off a pale nude lipstick.

I would love to know if anyone has anymore tips and tricks.

Thanks for reading

xxx

Taming My Mane

I featured my new shampoo and conditioner in a previous post and promised to do a review. I have tested it so here is my verdict.

1 word. AMAZING

My hair is prone to frizz, dryness and split ends. It's a nightmare to take care of. It will go wavy but I have to use loads of products which makes it go greasy really quick. I try to wash my hair as little as possible because I believe your hairs natural oils are best for it. So I tend to wash my hair 2 or 3 times a week.

Usually, I shove it in a plait or bun when it is wet and keep it like that until next wash day.

However, with VO5 gloss me smoothly, I left it out long, let it dry naturally and then run my GHD's over it. (I use Guardian Angel heat protector) 

I couldn't believe the results. Glossy locks. 

Okay, it's not like a hair commercial and I am due for a trim up but my hair has a shine that no other product has been able to give it. I have worn my hair out long for three days straight doing nothing but giving it a rough brush.

I can't rave about this product enough. It's fantastic and it's so cheap. £3 a bottle. Also it's currently half price in Superdrug. I am definitely stocking up.

I hope this has been helpful,

Thanks for reading

xxx

Lipbalm Lovin

I strongly believe that lipbalm is a staple in any girls makeupbag, handbag, purse etc...

Our lips go through alot and by the end of the day they need some TLC

I am a lipbalm junkie, always have and always will be. I probably have about ten lipbalms in my bedroom alone.  So I thought I'd share with you my top 5.

Petroleum Jelly or otherwise known as Vaseline is a classic lipbalm. It has no scent or colour, it's just a thick moisturiser for your lips that works. I keep this massive jar by my bed and slather my lips with it every night. In the morning my lips are lovely and smooth. Great product. 8/10

Nivea. They are well known for their lip balms. They have many scents and have a few tinted ones but this is by far my favourite. Milk and Honey. It smells just like the name. It's so gorgeous when I have this on I lick mu lips all the time. They last a really long time and I use this before I apply my lipstick or gloss just to protect my lips. It works really well. 7/10

Carmex. I think you love it or hate it. I love it. You can purchase Carmex either in a little pot or in this squeezy tub. I personally prefer the little pot but I don't have it at the moment. They have a few scents, regular, cherry, mint and I think strawberry. I like the original and mint. The mint is really fresh and tastes so good. Carmex also has SPF 15 which is great for those of you who like to protect your skin.

I don't use this everyday only because I have ones that I prefer but it is still a great product. 7/10

This is probably my favorite lip balm. Blistex. It is sooooo good. It smells amazing and when I apply it I can feel it working on my lips making them lovely and smooth. This is seriously the best lip balm ever. It does come out like a white cream so you will have to rub it in otherwise you look like you've been drinking milk!!! 10/10

Finally the most expensive. Liz Earl superbalm. For those of you who can remember the MAC naked honey collection it's like the skin salve that came out with it. You can use this on your lips, elbows, knees, feet, anywhere that gets dry and needs moisture. I use this on my lips purely because it's not very big and I would run out very quick if I used it anywhere else. It has a rough texture so it sort of removes the dead skin on your lips. I do like it but it's quite expensive so I probably wouldn't repurchase it. 6/10

I hope this has been helpful for you

Thanks for reading

xxx