Mini Essence Haul

As Essence has just landed in the UK, it was only right for me to try a few things out. My first impression is that they have a wide range of products, with an amazing price tag perfect for anyone looking for good quality products whilst on a budget.

 The first product I am most excited about is the Blush up in Heat Wave, an ombre shade from Coral to Pink. Allowing you to use each colour or both together getting a different colour each use. The blush has great colour pay off , to give a natural or intensive look all for £3.50.
 

 Next is the I stage eye shadow base, which I love as it allows your eye shadow to stay in place all day with out creasing. I was a bit worried as it was a skin tone shade, that it would leave a orange residue but it didn't luckily, with the best part being that it is only £2.50.

 

I next brought the XXL shine lip gloss in the shade Big Night Out, a non sticky lip gloss in a beautiful natural shade. As it lasts all day long and also has a great colour pay off, I feel that the product, feels a lot more expensive than the £1.80 I paid for it.

 

I next got the Colour and Go nail polish in the colour 115 Redvolution, a gorgeous basic vibrant red. With one coat you are left with a great colour but with a second coat you are left with a full vibrant colour. All for £1.60. Also for nails I got the Gel Look topcoat, a topcoat that gives an amazing shine to your nails and also helps to make the colour last longer, the only down side I have seen from one use of this product is that it does take a while to dry, but I am proud of the price only being £1.70.

 The last thing I purchased was the Maximum Length mascara, I firstly love the size of the brush as it is small and allows you to apply mascara to the roots of your lashes, I also love the length it gives it gives to my lashes . But I have to use another mascara to help give me the volume I like to have in my lashes. But as it was only £2.80 I am very pleased. 

When I go to Australia later in the year I hope to come back with a few more items from Essence to add to my ever growing collection.

Summer Favourites

As the UK is in full summer weather (hopefully for a while), we all need our makeup to last through the blazing sun and heat.

My favourite foundation for sunny and hot days is Mac Face and Body Foundation, as it can provide you with sheer to medium coverage with out feeling heavy or

cakey looking. This foundation is 50ml for £21.50.

 

For eye shadows in the summer it has to be cream, as they are quick and easy to apply and last all day long. Perfect examples of this are Maybelline Colour Tattoos . I have On and On Bronze the perfect shimmery bronze shade, that would look AMAZING with a tan. The next is Permanent Taupe the perfect matte taupe shade. The colour tattoos are £5.

 

I'm not usually one for eyeliner but these two are great. Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner, has great staying power it is also creamy and easily glides on to the skin. You can get this eyeliner for £8. The next one is Seventeen Tattoo Me eyeliner which is semi permanent and when dried can last up to two days, this eyeliner is perfect for summer days when you don't want to be thinking about your makeup, £5 for this eyeliner.

 

The summer time is perfect for cream and colourful blushes, My favourites are Mac powder blush in Frankly Scarlett, a bright red matte blusher perfect to give a pop of colour on the cheeks, £18 from Mac. I next have another cream product from NYX in Boho Chic the perfect light pink leaving a healthy dewy look to the skin, £5.50 from NYX cosmetics.

 

On summer days you don't want a lot on the lips so I recommend a tinted lip balm. My favourites are from Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me for a perfect wash of red, and Pink Punch the perfect pink shade. All the baby lips are great as they care for your lips whilst giving them some colour.

 

My Mac Collection

As Mac is one of my favourite makeup brands, my collection is rapidly growing.

 

I first start off with blushes one of my favourite things from Mac. My first was Pink Swoon a bright bubble gum pink, that can brighten up any look. Next was Peachykeen a peachy shade with a bit of shimmer, although I didn't intend to get this shade it has soon become one of my favourites. My last is Frankly Scarlet, a bright red matte shade which I adore. But recently has not had the best colour pay off, which has resulted in me making dents in it to get the colour.

 

Next is bases the first is Face and Body Foundation a multi purpose foundation to provide sheer coverage, but can be build to a medium coverage. Next is Prolong wear Concealer which is a favourite, as it provides you with amazing coverage without, feeling heavy on the skin. Next from Mac is my all time favourite powder Studio Fix. Which is a powder foundation so it provides coverage by itself. Last from Mac for bases is Prep and Prime Pressed Powder (bit of a tongue twister) a translucent powder to set your foundation.

 

Next I have two eyeliners, Smoulder eye kohl which is a Mac staple piece, as it is creamy and can be easily smudged. Then eye pencil in Coffee which is a lovely soft brown.

 

Mac lipsticks are a beauty staple as they offer a wide range of colours, in a range of finishes (amplified, lustre, satin and matte). I have chatterbox, Viva Glam Gaga and High Tea. I also have Tinted Lip Conditioner in Fuchsia Fix, a nourishing lip balm with a hint of colour.

 

It is not often I am disappointed with a Mac product, but Big Bounce Eye shadow is one of it as it has dried up, and has no colour payoff. Next is one of my least used products the Colour Pigment in Fuchsia, a bright pink shade that cannot be applied whilst in a hurry.

 

I next have eye shadows in Sea and Sky, a beautiful duo that would look amazing together or on their own. And Glamora Castle an amazing shadow with blue and different shades of grey. I next have a pre-made quad in the shade Call Me Bubbles, a perfect selection of eye shadows for spring and summer, Next is Woodwinked an all time favourite shadow of mine, the perfect bronze gold shade that when blended in to the crease creates a darker colour.

 

My last thing from Mac is my eye shadow palette which is home to, Smut a dark matte grey, Naked Lunch the perfect champagne shade with a hint of shimmer. Sable a bronzy gold eye shadow, Carbon a dark matte black, Mulch a shimmery brown, Satin Taupe a purple brown shade, Sketch a rich deep purple, All that glitters a peachier shade to Naked Lunch and Bruna dark matte muddy brown.

 
I hope that you have enjoyed seeing my Mac collection, please tweet me any posts you would like to see soon.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

After the huge success of the Original Naked palette, the second had a lot to live up to ! I don't own the Original Naked Palette, but the second is my most used palette in my collection.

When you first look at the palette you can see Urban Decay, have upgraded the packaging from velvet to a tin case which is perfect for travelling. The palette comes with 12 eye shadows ranging from matte to shimmer, with this palette you can create simple day time looks to smoky evening eye looks, perfect for any occasion.

The first colour is Foxy creamy matte shadow, perfect for a highlight or an all over lid colour. The next is Half Baked a famous eye shadow that is the perfect gold with a hint of shimmer. Next to that is Bootycall one of my favourite colours, the perfect champagne colour that would look amazing as an all over lid colour or a highlight.

Next is Chopper a darker shade of gold to Half Baked, with bigger chunks of glitter. Next to Chopper is Tease another matte shade, which to me is a mixture of purple with a hint of grey. Perfect to deepen the crease, and is a great dupe for Mac Quarry. Next is Snakebite a beautiful shade of brown with a reflex of gold.

Next is another favourite colour of mine which is Suspect, which is perfectly paired with Snakebite to create an eye look with a hint of smoky brown. The next two colours in the palette are the perfect colours to create the classic smoky eye. Pistol a perfect shade of grey and Verve an eye catching pigmented silver.

YDK the next colour is another one of my favourites, that is a deeper rose gold toned eye shadow that looks perfect under any light.The last two colours are Busted, a deep brown to add depth and definition to any eye look. And Blackout a deep dark black with a matte finish.

Overall the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette is a perfect addition to anyone's makeup collection. As it offers 12 incredible eye shadows that can be used to create any look. Everyone of the eye shadows is pigmented, soft and easy to blend.
Next on my wishlist is the Naked 3 palette, the perfect 12 rosey toned eye shadows, that would be well loved by me.

Real Techniques Brushes

Real Techniques Brushes are one of my favourite brush brands, along with Sigma. As they offer great quality brushes for an excellent price. As my collection is rapidly growing I thought I would share with you them.

The first brush I got from Real Techniques was the Stippling Brush. A well loved brush I used to use for everything. With this brush you can buff in your foundation, then stipple over to give an air brush look to the skin. The price of this brush is £12.

Next in my collection is the gigantic powder brush. This brush evenly distributes powder to not give a cakey effect. This brush can also be used to bronze up the skin to give a healthy look, and to also blend everything together. The price of this brush is £13.

 

Out of all of my Real Techniques brushes, one of my favourites is the Blush Brush as for me this is the best multitasker brush. As I use it for my powder and it is also the perfect size for applying blush to the apples of my cheeks. This brush costs £10 and is the perfect price as it can carry out numerous tasks.

The next brush I have is the Expert Face Brush, a brush that is perfect for cream and liquid products. As the brush hairs are dense and tightly packed together you can buff the product in to the skin. This brush will also cost £10.

 

The Core Collection brushes are my most recently added brushes to my collection. The Core Collection consists of the Detailer Brush that can be used for precise concealing. The Pointed Foundation brush perfect for the use of foundation, or blending in concealer. The Contour Brush which is the perfect size for creating killer cheekbones. And last but not least my favourite the Buffing Brush perfect for blending in foundation and cream products to give a flawless finish. This set is perfect for anyone new to makeup hoping to achieve the perfect base. This collection is £22 and will give you four amazing quality brushes.

Overall the Real Techniques Brushes are a staple in any makeup collection, and offer great quality brushes that I would recommend to any makeup lovers.

The se7en Deadly Sins of Beauty

GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item ? What is your most expensive ?

The most inexpensive beauty item has to be from MUA, available in Superdrug with most of their products being £1. My favourite has to be the eye shadows the favourite one I own is the shade 24, a beautiful shade of purple. My most expensive is my MAC eye shadow palette, with an empty palette costing you £15 and each refill costing £10. Overall at the moment my palette has a cost of £105 eek !!! Another expensive item has to be my Dior blush in Pink Happiness, which is a stunning product I think that everyone should try a Dior makeup product as they are a staple makeup brand try.

WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with ? What products have been the hardest to get ?

I have a love / hate relationship with pigments, to me they offer a great range of colours for example MAC rose pigment. But they are quite messy and are not to be used if in a hurry.

Products that have been hard to get hold of are Make Up For Ever goodies. The products are like gold dust if you live in the UK like me, but thanks to yearly IMATS I got my hands on the HD loose powder, which will provide you with HD looking skin in photos.

GREED: What are your most delicious beauty products ?

Definitely Soap and Glory products, such as Sugar Crush body scrub with sweet lime to fill your senses. Another product has to be the famous Righteous Butter, which smells incredible and leaves your skin silky smooth.

SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect due to laziness ?

Has to be Garnier Summer Body which leaves your skin moisturised whilst leaving a natural looking tan, that can be built up for a deep tan. I neglect this product as I don't like having to wait for it to dry.

PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence ?

For me this has to be a little colour on the lips, such as baby lips in Pink Punch that leaves a subtle shade of pink on the lips, that can be buildable. Another is lightly applying MAC chatter box or Revlon matter balm in Elusive.

LUST: What attributes do you find the most attractive in the opposite sex ?

Has to be a man who can make me laugh, and has a good personality.

ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift ?

I would most like to receive items from my Sephora wish list, that consists of Makeup Forever, Tarte, and Anastasia brow products and of course so many other products I would love to get my hands on.

 

June Favourites

As the month of June slowly comes to an end, I'm going to share with you an old favourite and new that make up, the products I have loved throughout the month.

I firstly start off with the oh so famous Shu Uemura eyelash curlers. That will always be loved by makeup fanatics, they hold the curl in your lashes all day long and will last you a life time.

My next favourite has been the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shade On and On Bronze. I had been looking for this colour for a while, and now I have got it I will never look back. This colour offers a beautiful shade of bronze with a hint of shimmer, which can look great on its own or acting as a base for other eye shadows, that need help to last all day.

Another favourite has been Mac Amplified Lipstick in the shade Chatterbox. At first the colour looks scary, but applied straight on to the lips then tapped in with your fingers it leaves a beautiful shade that is not so harsh. As it is a reasonably bright colour it can be used lightly on the lips, or applied for a full pop of colour.

An old favourite that has been re-discovered throughout this month has been. Rimmel Scandal eyes waterproof Kohl Kajal in the shade nude (what a name !). I apply this to my waterline of my eyes to brighten up eyes, leaving them looking awake and more brighter, (perfect for early mornings). I like to think of this as a concealer for my waterline.

My last two favourites are from NYX. The first is the eyebrow cake powder. This little set can give you defined, full looking brows in no time and is perfect for beginners. My next is the powder blush in the shade Mauve, which looks amazing on the apple of the cheeks and leaves a healthy flush of colour. Another thing I love about this product is the packaging, as it is simple but with a lot of product.

 Hopefully as we go in to the month of July more new products will be discovered.