January Favourites

Hello everyone!
The time has come again to share with you what products I've been loving this month. This post might as well be an FOTD post, since all the products listed are one's I've been using again and again for my basic face this month. It's January, I'm knackered and working, so these are the products I'm reaching for all the time for an easy, natural look.

I've been loving my Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Buttercream (£10.50) this month - an invigorating, lime and sugar scent in a light, absorbent moisturiser. I spoke about it here.
For my face this month, I've been using Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation (£10.99) every single day - it evens out my skin, has a great finish and price point, and lasts. I also use the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer (£7.49) for it's brightening effect and coverage. I spoke about each here and here.
Oddly for me, I've been using my angled liner brush and my L'Oreal Super Liner Gel Intenza (£9.99) to create a little winged liner and forgoing shadow completely. I'm not quite an expert, but it's getting easier! See my original review here.
If you read my blog all the time, you'll already know how much I love my E.L.F Studio Lash Extending Mascara (£3.75)* - I raved about it here - as it makes my lashes long, fluttery and yet still natural looking. I've been sticking with that favourite this month.
And my NARS Yachiyo Kabuki (£37.50) is still my favourite blush brush - or brush, period - I use. It dispenses just the right amount of colour in the right place and blends beautifully. My original thoughts are here.
MAC Hue Lipstick (£14.00) has been my go to this month for a slick of shine and colour without having to glance in the mirror. You can see that since my original review I'm almost done!
And finally, my Sleek Suede Blush (£4.49) - a blush I'd forgotten about since I reviewed it, really, and now I love as a very natural looking, soft tawny blush that also works as a gentle and light bronzer.

What have you been loving this month?
S xx

Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver

Hey everyone!

As I've mentioned before, I often have a hard time styling my hair. One of my resolutions this year has been to do stuff with my hair; actually make an effort and learn how to style it without burnt fingers, broken strands and a full can of hairspray (this was my go-to in my teen, Motley Crue hair days). When I was offered the chance to try out the Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver (£74.99)* I was more than happy - finally, a tool that seemed easy to use!

If you're keen to look into this Waver or Enrapture's other styling tools, they post look books and how-to's on their Facebook and Youtube.

The best way I can describe the Jumbo Waver is that it's like a crimping iron but with round barrels and a rounded plate, that allow you to achieve a wave texture in your hair. Apparently, this is the only waver on the market with barrels as big as these, allowing for big waves.

I like that it has a little dial on the handle allowing you to customise the heat setting for your hair type (because I have fine hair I put it on a relatively low setting, you can turn it up for a more defined wave or if you have coarser hair.)

I found these incredibly easy to use, and I am an idiot at hair styling. Because it is essentially a rounded crimper, you can just clamp, hold and release sections of your hair and the tool does all the work.

I am still trying out different styles (a looser, more relaxed rock-chick wave, a big 40's wave) and will have to check out the videos for more tips, but for the moment I've been waving my hair like in the second picture, then fluffing it out with a little hairspray and finger-backcombing to get an almost 90s curl. You could keep a defined wave for a more Great Gatsby look, which I might do once I finally get my hair cut again.

Apologies for my roots, I've been needing to make a trip to the salon for months!

Overall, I love this tool. The curls lasted on my fine hair all day, and the next day were soft, textured, beachy waves with no extra effort from me. I think I'll be using this all the time!

Have you tried a waver? What do you think?
S xx

Rimmel Apocalips (plus a Giveaway)

Hey everyone!

As I'm sure you're aware, considering the buzz and the hype, last week saw the release of the new Rimmel Apocalips range. This would appear to be the drugstore answer to YSL Glossy Stains, so I popped into Boots before work and picked up four shades for myself (shhh, I couldn't help it!) Of course, I got one red, but unusually for me I also picked up three different pinks - I don't often go for a pink when I can go for a berry or a red, but these have pleasantly surprised me.

Boots are currently running a 3 for 2 on these lip lacquers - I got the shades Big Bang, Stellar, Apocaliptic and Celestial. They are £5.99 each.

You can see the packaging is kind of a love-or-hate deal. Some have called it very 90's. I personally really like it, with the sort of jewel-cut lid, and the clear packaging at the bottom allowing for easy shade identification. Inside, the applicator is a doe foot with a little well inside, that allows for product to pool, meaning that one dip is enough for your whole lips.

 As you can see, all four shades are incredibly pigmented and glossy. I actually had trouble taking photos of these because they were so colourful and shiny! Celestial is a neutral, mid-tone pink, Stellar is an almost neon red pink, Apocaliptic is a vivid, blue-based fuchsia, and Big Bang is a bright, true red.
They apply pigmented in one swipe, are fluid and do not drag, but smell a little off (very waxy). The smell does fade pretty quickly but I can imagine it bothering some people. They are very easy to apply (even with such pigmented shades, on my relatively thin lips).

 Here are the shades swatched on my lips. It looks like I've messed with the exposure or curves setting on these photos but the colours were so glossy and bright that this is how they picked up on camera. Aren't they gorgeous?
I thought Big Bang would be my easy favourite, but I'm in love with all four for varying reasons. I actually love Celestial, which I thought might be my dud shade. As you can see, all four apply without patchiness.

 Here's a full face swatch, which might show off the colours differently. It certainly highlights how much of an impact these shades make, even from a distance!
You could also say that I seem to have a drunkface going on in 3/4 of the photos.
The gloss wears off after about three (or slightly more) hours (without eating or drinking), leaving behind a stain. The stain looks like a balm-texture (midway between gloss and matte) for a while, and then fades to a natural lip texture.
Obviously, with Celestial, the stain is lighter, but it also faded the most evenly of the four, whilst Big Bang stained more obviously but less evenly. I'd say the stain lasts about six hours on the lightest shade and seven to eight on the darkest.
It's moisturising at first but as it fades it's the teensiest bit drying on me. Not enough to bug me, cause my lips to crack or flake or feel horrible uncomfortable, but it is something to keep in mind!

Overall, I give these a huge thumbs up! Wallet friendly, beautiful colours, so so glossy and they last for a good while. I cannot believe how much I love the colours I chose, and I feel like they give me almost cartoon lips!

So, in the spirit of goodwill (and because I noticed a few of these shades had sold out in store), I'll be giving away two Rimmel Apocalips! The giveaway is international, if you are below 18 you should ask your parent's permission to enter, and the giveaway will close in one week.
You can win Big Bang or Apocaliptic. Enter the shade you'd like in the space given in the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

S xx

Around the World in 80 Eyeshadows: Weekly Round-Up

Weekly question: Do you prefer cream, powder or liquid foundation and why?

Seonaid's answer: Liquid! I have dry skin so I find creams too heavy and I haven't yet found a powder foundation that impresses me and doesn't catch on dry patches. If you have any suggestions let me know!

This week's links:

Affairs Magazine - Michelle is in love this Valentine's!

Beauty & Baggage - has found her perfect drugstore concealer with Bourjois.

Fashionable Heart - has five new Origins products to try.

Massachusetts Mask - is loving the after holiday bargains!

Norwegian Elephant - is vacationing in Singapore!

So, what type of foundation do you prefer?

S xx

Weekend Supplement #26

Hey everyone!
I hope you've had a great week. Can you believe January is almost over? Here's what I've been browsing on the internet this week:

See Questlove's picks for the top 50 hip hop tracks of all time.

An interesting piece on why we never leave high school (at least, in our minds) from NYMag.

Continue on the nostalgia train with this 'Child of the 90s' ad from Internet Explorer.

Get lost in Griottes, a blog with some of the most gorgeous photography I've ever seen; featuring lifestyle, cookery and travel. (Thanks to Sam for the tip!)

Image via: Prettymaking

This week's blog is Prettymaking - if you don't know it already, check it out for the gorgeous swatches and in-depth reviews!

S xx

Estée Lauder Pure Color Lipgloss in Plum Divine

 Hey everyone!
A rare lipgloss sighting on the blog today! This is part of the set I got for Christmas, and it's the Estée Lauder Pure Color Lipgloss in Plum Divine (£16). I love the packaging of this - it looks like a sturdy, classic thing. The colour in the tube looks a lot more purple than it is (which disappointed me a little) so if the colour was freaking you out, not to worry!

Here it is on the lips - yes, there is a little purple in there, darkening my lips, but there is also a little gold shimmer and high reflection.
Oddly, it's not incredibly heavy or sticky feeling and the shimmer is not gritty at all. For these reasons I think it would work great as a layering polish, perhaps over a darker purple lipstick? Alone it's quite pretty though, and while it doesn't last forever, I found a couple of hours without eating worked fine for me!

Have you tried any Estée Lauder glosses? Any shade recommendations?
S xx

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

Hey everyone!

Remember last week I was talking about my first drugstore foundation buy in a little while? Well, this is my first drugstore concealer buy in years. I struggled to find a concealer that worked for me for so long - went without for ages, then tried MAC, then settled on Bobbi Brown - but I've hear good things about  the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer (£7.49) so I grabbed one in Shade 52.

I know, every time I talk about foundation or base products in general, I moan about shade range. But really? I think it's important. This concealer comes in three shades, none of them suitable for darker skin.

This concealer performs really well. Yet again my expectations have been surpassed, performance-wise, by Bourjois. You need literally the tiniest amount, and you can either pat on or blend with a brush, and this will brighten, lighten and conceal your underye bags.
The before and after shots show this - although on closer inspection I need to blend out at the corner - and it wears! It wears pretty much for about six hours without starting to fade, I found. Around the nose and so on it could be a little drying - I find that exfoliating and moisturising there would help, but for undereyes this made me look more awake and concealed my blemishes too.

I really like this concealer. Have you ever tried it?
S xx

Estée Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal Eyeliners in Blackened Black and Blackened Sapphire

Hello everyone!

I got two eyeliners in my gift set - two Estée Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal Eyeliners (£16 for full size) in the shades 01 Blackened Black and 04 Blackened Sapphire.

 Both colours look pigmented when swatched on the arm. Blackened Black is a true jet, and Blackened Sapphire is a deep navy.
However, on the eye the liners diverge dramatically. The black liner is very soft and creamy, and slippery, which means it migrates all over the place. This liner is not good on the waterline as it slides down, and on the lid it transfers to my socket. Boo!
The blue however, is harder, which makes it slightly more difficult to transfer to the eye but makes for a much longer lasting liner. The colour is lovely but isn't opaque on the lid after a couple of passes. However, when I heat it it tends to pass more easily.
So, plusses and minuses on both sides - for £16 full size, I'm not keen on a repurchase when I have my Urban Decay liners. However, I like the blue shade quite a lot. Any recommendations for an on-point navy liner?

What do you think? Have you tried these before?
S xx

No7 Precision Lips Pencil in Nude

Hey everyone!

I picked up a beigey neutral lip liner from Boots the other day, because it seemed like something I should have. Lisa Eldridge is always using them in tutorials and they seem to come in handy, so I picked up the No7 Precision Lips Pencil in Nude (£6.75). Sorry for the cool photographs, the pictures were taken on a rainy day.

 The colour is a little brown toned, a little rosy. The formula is very creamy (the nib of the pencil will break off if you're not careful) but very long lasting. It does not last all day, but about seven hours on me with minimal fading, and even fading at that. On the lips below, it empahsises my dry lips but I had no balm on and I'ver had particularly dry lips this winter.

It's quite a nice shade on it's own, but I think it'll be good under neutral toned lipsticks and as a base even for brighter lipsticks.

What do you think?
S xx

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara in 01 Extreme Black

Hey everyone!

Today, another product I got in my Estée Lauder gift set - the Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara in Extreme Black (£22). Whew, what a mouthful!

The mascara comes in a solid-looking tube with a nice pattern. The brush is natural fibre, I think, and rather large. I found it difficult to do my bottom lashes with this wand, but if you use larger lash-wands you won't find this excessive, I don't think.

Below are before - after shots of my lashes. Keep in mind I'm getting a little better at curling my lashes!

As you will see, this mascara (a fibre kind, I think) definitely lengthens! Unlike other fibre mascara I've tried though, this didn't look clumpy, or flake through the day.

You can do a couple coats, but once it's dry it doesn't smudge or break away in the day. I was impressed by how black it was - when they say Extreme Black, that's what they mean. There's a vinyl like quality to it too.

I also thought it added volume - my lashes felt and looked fluttery for the day.

 What do you think? Would you or have you tried this mascara? I'm quite keen to try the other colours now if this is how spot on they get the black colour!
S xx

Around the World in 80 Eyehsadows: Weekly Round-Up

Weekly question: What are your favourite lip balms to keep your lips protected during the winter?

Seonaid's answer: I only recently started using lipbalm, so for me it's the old classic, Carmex Cherry. It's no miracle worker (especially in this ultra-harsh weather) but it softens and smoothes my lips whilst smelling pretty nice and with a little SPF. Plus, it's cheap!

This week's links:
Affairs Magazine - is reflecting on her best looks with Kiss My Sass Cosmetics.
Beauty & Baggage - finds a pretty springtime pink in Illamasqua's Androgen.
Fashionable Heart - got her Sephora Boxing Day goodies in the mail!
Massachusetts Mask - is less than impressed with one of Revlon's Nail Enamels!
Norwegian Elephant - link TBD.

What's your favourite lip balm?
S xx

Weekend Supplement #25

Hey everyone!
I hope your week has been as good as mine. It was my boyfriend's birthday yesterday, and I made a cake (terribly decorated). Any week with cake is a good week.
Here's what I've been browsing this week:

See designers discuss their favourite movie interiors over on House Beautiful.

A nostalgic and interesting piece on the decline of American arcades.

Over on the NYTimes a lengthy and kind of fascinating article on what it's like to work with Lindsay Lohan now. This was one of the most shared stories on my Facebook feed this week, too.

Image source: Katie Loves

Go check out Katie Loves if you have a second. A mix of beauty and outfit posts, with some seriously killer heels and very enviable hair for good measure.

S xx

Estée Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

Hey everyone!

Today's post on Estée Lauder's Gentle Eye Makeup Remover (£19), which I got in the set my boyfriend's mum bought me. Yes, it's pricey, but when such a little goes a long way, you get a lot for your money in my opinion.

First of all, I like the purple and gold bottle - very regal feeling. Secondly - I often dislike eye makeup removers because they feel oily and my contacts gets cloudy and it's not fun for anyone.
Yes, this still clearly has oils in it. However, it removed heavy and dark eye makeup with a quick press, hold and swipe, and I was able to remove any oily residue with either my normal cleanser or a facewipe if I was feeling particularly lazy.
For stubborn makeup, waterproof mascara and the like this works wonders, and if you feel other eye makeup removers are too slick, this definitely felt less greasy and heavy than most I've used.
A thumbs up from me - this even removed stubborn traces of my Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners. So on days when Bioderma is just not enough, I'll be reaching for this.

What's your favourite eye makeup remover?
S xx

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

Hey everyone!

I'm not quite sure what drove me to pick up this foundation. I think I was picking up the Healthy Mix Concealer (after watching Estée rave about it) and I saw this on offer and thought - why not? I don't often try out drugstore foundations (except for my BB Cream series) so why not try this? It's the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation in Shade 52/Vanille (currently £7.99).

 I quite like the narrow, slim bottle for this. The pump is good too, it dispenses the right amount for me for a full face without getting product everywhere.
What's annoying is the shade range. This annoys me a lot of the time when it comes to drugstore (and some high end) foundations. Bourjois say this is available in 6 shades. On the Boots website, there are 4, in my local Boots I found 3 (from 51-53). I'd also point out that even on the Bourjois site, the six shades are demonstrated using the same (white) model, so if you have darker skin I'm not sure there's a shade for you here. Hopefully that changes!
Anyway, I got Shade 52, second lightest. And I have done before and after photos (argh, my face in the before photo! Also, I have one droopy eye??) to show you the results:

What I was most impressed by in terms of this foundation was how incredibly light it felt whilst simultaneously covering up all my redness. Yes, it's a yellow toned foundation (good for my skintone) but a lot of lighter foundations or BB creams I've tried don't cancel out or cover my redness, which this does. So it really evens out my skintone.
It smells nice, blends easily (you can use your fingers or a buffing brush, I've tried both) and it sets, unusually for me, into a semi-matte finish. Not matte as in powdery, but more like a satiny finish that looks very natural and lasts  for ages.
If you have very dry skin like me moisturising beforehand is essential or the foundation will get snagged on dry patches around the nose and so on, but with moisturiser this lays on the face really well.
On my dry skin it does last for ages, not quite six hours, but it was still holding up at hours eight and nine for me.
I don't know that it works as an anti-fatigue, radiance booster, but I do think it looks natural, light and even. A definite surprise and impressing product for me.
I just wish they, like many others, did a wider shade range.

S xx

Estée Lauder Brushes

Hello everyone!

I'd like to talk today about the Estée Lauder makeup brushes that came in my Ultimate Colour Collection set. Unfortunately, I can't find this set to purchase online, and the brushes came with no names or numbers so I cannot find any individual corresponding brushes, but I'm sure they make standalone brushes with a similar purpose.

The brushes certainly look very nice - I for one am kind of charmed by the gold and clear perspex handles. I think they are natural, rather than synthetic hair, and as a result they take longer to dry - but I've experienced no shedding or dye bleeding from these as of yet.
I got four brushes in my set and I've guessed at their uses - the smallest I think is a lip brush, then there is an eye brush, then what I assume are to be blush and bronzer brushes given that you receive a blush and bronzer in the set.
I'm split 50/50 in my impressions of these brushes. Whilst I like the lip brush (firm but supple, maybe a smidge too large for my thin lips but applies product decently) and the eye brush (good for buffing in the shimmery shades provided in the set), the two larger brushes are more difficult.
Both look more dense than they are when in actuality they splay quite a lot, so it is difficult to both pick up and dispense product. They do not blend particularly well either so you end up with a dot of colour where you first applied it. As a large powder brush, the largest would probably not go amiss, or the smaller could be used for lighter powder application in the T-zone. However I rarely use powder so these will find themselves limited in use for now.
I think that in general, makeup brushes in sets tend to be the weak link - even MAC sets often get a bad rep for lower quality travel size brushes. As I said, the two smaller brushes are good, and the two larger not so much. I'd be interested to try a brush from Estée Lauder's permanent line to make a comparison.

Have you tried any Estée Lauder makeup brushes? What has your experience been?
S xx

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Androgen

Hey everyone!

I got another lovely gift from Sam in my box of Christmas makeup - one I'm very excited to show you. The beautiful Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Androgen (£17).  The cream pigments are multi-use products - you can use them on lips, cheeks, eyes and body. 

 It comes in a lovely curved square case. The pigment is not too soft but is incredibly pigmented with the lightest touch. It is blendable and easy to spread onto the skin without rubbing too hard and thus removing the rest of your makeup.

 The pigment is a gorgeous warm coral shade, but is not so bright that it would be unflattering on my yellow based, red-cheeked skintone.

 Here, I have applied it to my lips, cheeks and eyes. It will crease on the eyes when applied alone, as you can see, so using a primer or powdering over the top is necessary. On the cheeks it blends into a lovely natural coral flush. On the lips it is opaque, matte and a little drying - it would be better to layer over a lipbalm. On the lips alone I found it lasted about four hours. On the cheeks, closer to six or seven without noticeable fading.

Is this a pigment you'd use? You can build it into a bolder coral if you so choose, and there are many other cream pigment colours to try - I have my eyes on Hollow and Bedaub.

S xx

Estée Lauder Ultimate Colour Collection

Hey everyone!

For Christmas, I got an incredibly generous gift from my boyfriend's mum. The Estée Lauder Ultimate Colour Collection! It sold out online but you can still get it from places like eBAY for about £50.

 Look at the bright red case! I kind of love it. It has a bit of a glam vintage feel about it and it's big enough for a light packing weekend bag.

Look how much you get inside!
So, so pretty! I love the gold packaging on the lipsticks, the design on the brushes, mascara and lipgloss. The set also comes with two eyeliners, a makeup remover and two gorgeous palettes (each with eight eyeshadows, and one with blush and one with bronzer). I'll be reviewing all of these gorgeous items over the next couple of weeks as I thought all in one go would be a bit too much.
The set also comes with a little wallet, into which one of the palettes can click into using a smart mechanism at the back of the palette. This makes the sets ultra-portable!

Overall I love this set and can't believe how lucky I was to receive it!
Which product would you like me to review first?

S xx

Around the World in 80 Eyeshadows: Weekly Round-Up

This week's question: What are your top three beauty or fashion items you want to buy on the market right now?

Seonaid's answer: I know they're not technically 'currently on the market' but I am so excited for the Rimmel Apocalips range launching on the 23rd - I want them all! Also, I'm dying to get hold of MAC Lipliner in Cherry, and also this crop top from ASOS - even though the weather in Scotland doesn't really permit it right now.

This week's links:
Affairs Magazine : fell in love with a new trendy color!
Beauty & Baggage :  is sparkling with her Models Own Mirrorball collection. 
Fashionable Heart : found a red lipstick that might sway those that are terrified to wear red lips! 
Massachusetts Mask : finally got her hands on two tricky lipsticks!
Norwegian Elephant : is taking a wee break from blogging!

What's on your wishlist?
Sxx