My Face But Better

Sleek Contour Kit Light

2011-08-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit of a make up novice, I love love love products and playing around with them but my knowledge of how to get the best from it is slightly limited. YouTube videos are my saviours for working out the best ways of applying and creating looks.

Contouring I'm sure is nothing new to most of you but if you're not sure what it is it's basically the "art of defining, highlighting and enhancing facial features", bronzing parts of your face with help to disguise certain area's and highlighter's will enhance. If like me you are not blessed with cheekbones then contouring really is a great method or trying to make it look as though you are. You can use a highlighter and bronzer to get the same kind of effect but I find these kits really useful to carry around. Sleek's Contour Kit in Light is nothing new but it's one that I've not been able to get my mitts on until now.

First of all, I don't understand why Sleek use the images they do on their packaging, I would love it so much more if this lady wasn't on it. Nothing against her mind, but I just find it all a bit 70's and slightly tacky. I absolutely love the logo on the palette and think this would make for a much sleeker outside box but hey ho.

One thing Sleek has done that fills me with joy is provide a little leaflet giving tips on how to use the kit to define your cheekbones and slim down your nose. They are so easy to follow and very handy if you don't 100% know what to do. A little YouTube search though is also very helpful.

The product itself is perfect for my skin tone right now (got a bit of a summer tan still looming from V fest) but I kinda feel that in the winter the bronzer will be maybe a bit too dark for my face. They could do with something perhaps a little bit lighter than the Light version. Having said that though I think both the bronzer and highlighter gel well together and really compliment each other, especially love that the bronzer is a matte finish with no glitter. The texture is smooth and very easy to work with, a little does go a long way though as it's highly pigmented!! The kit has finally given me cheekbones and housed all together in one little compact is definitely a bonus, I'm all for touching up on the go.

You can buy Sleek's Contour Kit's online from Sleek's website or from Superdrug stores for £6.50 each.

What do you guys think?

xoxo

HD Brows Eye and Brow Palette

2011-08-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

I've become a little obsessed with eyebrows, I am forever comparing one person's to the next looking at how people's are shaped and the difference it makes to someone's face. I think I have brow envy about 5/6 times a day. My brow's are nothing special, I don't love them but yet I don't hate them, I appreciate that my natural shape is good so therefore don't want to ruin that by changing them radically.

A month or so ago now I went and to a local salon to try out the HD Brows technique, if you haven't read my post on my experience then feel free to here, I think it's safe to say I wasn't that thrilled with it but I've always loved how everyone else's have turned out. I was contacted by a lovely lady who asked if I would like to try the new brow palette, I was really intrigued as to whether just by filling in my brows I could get the desired effect I was after.

The first point to make about this palette is that the colours can be used either to define your brows or as eye shadows, I love this. Because the colours are right up my street anyway the idea of carrying this around in my handbag (it's not very big/bulky) and it being multi tasking is a massive bonus. There is also an applicator and a mirror for on the go touch up's.

The palette comes in three colours, Bombshell (for blondes), Foxy (for brunettes) and Vamp (for dark hair), I've got Vamp as although I have brown hair it is currently very dark, teetering on black.

The Vamp palette contains four shades, a nude, a carbon shadow and two dark brown shadows. Nude is a great highlighter for under the brow bone and I've found the bottom left shade below is a great match for my hair. Now, I am by no mean's an expert. I have never filled my brows in before as I was always scared I would have brows that some how made me look like one of the Gallagher brothers but I was definitely intrigued by HD Brow's new eye and brow palette and gave it a whirl. I am so surprised at how easy this product is to use, my brows instantly look better filled in and my face has more definition to it, I also rubbed and rubbed my brows and the colour didn't budge, bonus! I absolutely love it, Vamp is perhaps a little too dark and Foxy may be better suited to my hair colour but considering how much I love this product I'll be purchasing Foxy and experimenting til I can get that perfect eyebrow shade. I never keep my hair one colour for long so having both will definitely suit me better.

Swatched as it appears above

I know the colours look a bit scary but it's very buildable, you can choose to have a gentle not so in your face brow or really go all out.

The HD Brows eye and brow palette is available to buy online from www.hd-brows.co.uk or over the phone on 0845 644 3994 (ext 32) and retails at £19.95.

What do you guys think? What are your favourite products for filling in and shaping your eyebrows?

xoxo

Make Up Academy Heaven and Earth Palette

2011-08-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

I made a comment a few weeks ago on Twitter when I picked this palette up and said that it was 'easily on par' with Urban Decay's Naked Palette, I take back that statement, MUA's is so much better.
Don't get me wrong, I will always love UD's Naked Palette but for the cost of MUA's palette and the quality of the pigments I don't really see how I could justify £30 odd quid on something that MUA can achieve (and a bit more) at £4 a go.

Left Side

Right Side

The colours are beautiful, really strong and shimmery. There honestly isn't one shade I don't love, I also like that none of the shades are that dark therefore you can go quite light and natural or build them up for a smokier eye, they also compliment each other beautifully. I really am impressed with the product, I had never tried MUA before as they aren't layed out in an obvious way in store but I'm so glad I did.

Right Side

Left Side

Yes, the packaging may be simple but if like me you carry a mirror around with you anyway then does it really matter? The point is that the product is fantastic, the pigments strong and with a little primer the colours stayed on all day. I really can't fault this product. I'll be going back and picking up more palette's as there are some others which look just as gorgeous.

MUA's Heaven and Earth palette can be bought from Superdrug online or in store for £4.

xoxo

E.L.F Mod Mauve Nail Polish

2011-08-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

I won't lie, I didn't have high hopes for E.L.F's nail polish. Perhaps I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to things like this but I assume something that costs £1.50 isn't going to be that great. I love that I've been proved wrong.

Mod Mauve is absolutely gorgeous. Granted it's not a colour I would automatically be drawn to had I seen it on the shelf in Boots but it really works. It's also a lot more sophisticated than most colours I'd splash on my nails but I quite like it for this reason alone. It's definitely met with more approval at work.
Mod Mauve is a dark redy pink shade. It goes on really well and after two coats completely covers the nail, you can get a much lighter shade with one coat but I really wanted to build it up. What I will say is that you really need to give this varnish a chance to dry, I indented my second finger because I made the mistake of thinking all was ok and running round like a headless chicken, as a result I bashed my nails and dented the polish. On another side note I also find these varnish's chip less without a top coat too, it lasted around 5 days before I needed to take it off (a lot better than it's more expensive cousins in my collection).

I am continuously amazed and impressed with E.L.F Cosmetics. I've got another post coming up with some other bits and bobs I bought when it was 50% off, I really can't wait to share as there are some other gems!

You can buy Mod Mauve polish from E.L.F's website here for £1.50!

xoxo

Sleek Oh So Special Palette

2011-08-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is my first new post on My Face But Better. I decided to change my blog name/url from Ramblings of a Rascal as I wasn't 100% happy about it and I wanted to be, so ta da 'My Face But Better' is born. The name has more of a beauty focus and I put a lot of thought into it. I guess when I first set up Ramblings of a Rascal I didn't quite take into consideration the real importance of getting the name right.

Anywho onto the make-up goodness that you're all here for.

I present to you Sleek's Oh So Special palette. This is by no means a new addition to the shelves but my local Superdrug has only just stacked it's shelf's with Sleek's offerings so it's new to me.

Oh So Special is made up of 12 different complimenting shades ranging in colours and textures, there really is something for everyone. For those of you who hate matte colours there's a few shimmers added in and vice versa. As much as I love palette's full of shimmer I know it's not to everyone's taste. The colour's range from white, neutral pinks through to your darker browns, blacks and greys. The palette is really versatile in that you can use it during the day for a soft make-up look and then vamp it up in the evening. The added bonus is that it's also small enough to carry in your handbag with a pretty big mirror and applicator, all of which are great for changing or adding to the look during the day.

Top Left to Right: Bow, Organza, Ribbon
Bottom Left to Right: Pamper, Gateau, The Mail

Top Left to Right: Gift Basket, Glitz, Celebrate
Bottom Left to Right: Boxed, Wrapped Up, Noir

Some of the colours really don't do it for me on application, I find a couple of the matte shades just a bit 'blah' but that's down to personal preference. I'm also often put off by matte black eye-shadows such as the Noir shade in this palette, I'm never really quite sure how to work it (queue looking like I've been thumped in the face), I'm a bit of a novice. Having said that though the other colours more than make up for that, Organza, Glitz and Celebrate are my fave's and are absolutely gorgeous (yes I know, shimmer, shimmer and more shimmer). I've been using most of this palette over the past week or so (alternating with MUA's Heaven and Earth - post coming soon) and loved it, also dared to give the coral Ribbon a go, a colour I would never have been drawn to!

Top Left to Right: Bow, Organza, Ribbon
Bottom Left to Right: Pamper, Gateau, The Mail

Top Left to Right: Gift Basket, Glitz, Celebrate
Bottom Left to Right: Boxed, Wrapped Up, Noir

What do you guys think? I like it but I don't Love it. I think I'll check out a few more of Sleek's palette's as when the shades are good, they're really good.

Sleek's Oh So Special palette can be bought online from http://www.sleekmakeup.com/ or from Superdrug store's for £6.49.

xoxo

Sleek Make Up Pout Paints

2011-08-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hello, Hola, Bonjour.

How blooming lovely is this weather at the moment? I've been dashing back from work and lounging around in the evening sun, Harry Potter book in hand, it's bliss. Hope you're all making the most of it.

I went on a bit of a make-up spree last weekend (payday wahey!) and picked up some bits and pieces. The lady in Superdrug looked at me really weirdly as I went from stand to stand swatching products with my bestie watching me slightly impatiently whilst I oooo and ahhhhed and commented on everything (bless her for putting up with me).

I noticed that hidden away at the back of my local Superdrug was a brand spanking new Sleek make-up stand, which unfortunately didn't have the contour kit I was after but did have the new Pout Paints that seem to be causing quite a hype.

Left to Right: Pinkini, Minx, Peechy Keen, Peek-a-bloo

I love the idea of these, if you haven't read about them already they are a collection of 11 little tubes of highly pigmented lip stains which can be used on their own or mixed together to create your own little lip colours. The idea is that you use the white coloured paint to cool colours down and the blue paint to warm things up. It's advisable you use a lip brush to put these on as they are quite thick, gooey and fiddly, a little really does go a long way so be careful how much you dollop out! I went against instructions and tried to use my finger and looked a little like Crusty the Clown after application, not quite the look I was going for.

I picked up Minx which is a neutralised pink shade, Peachy Keen a corally peach, Pinkini a really bright in your face pink and Peek-a-bloo the blue colour (to warm up the colours when experimenting, not quite daring enough to wear this bad boy on it's own).

Left to Right: Pinkini, Minx, Peechy Keen, Peek-a-Bloo

I don't know if it's my imagination but they taste slightly apricoty to me, a bit sweet tasting so if this isn't your thing then beware. But I quite like it. Remember though these aren't for eating and are quite thick so licking your lips probably isn't advised. All that said I really like them, the idea of creating your own shades is right up my street as I find it hard to find colours that suit me well so now I can experiment. On their own though each colour is really wearable (with the slight exception of Peek-a-bloo) so even if you aren't feeling that adventurous with creating new shades these will suit you.

Here are some I created earlier (goggles and white lab coat are optional). I haven't quite got the hang of mixing them yet, I added a bit too much blue to the first shade! The lighter of the two pink shades was Minx and Peachykeen mixed together and I love this combination, also adding a tiny bit of blue to Pinkini made the shade a little warmer and much more wearable without altering the brightness. Love love love them. I've since made some other random concoctions which I'm very happy with.

You can find these little tubes in Superdrug at £4.99 each or online from Sleek's website http://www.sleekmakeup.com/. What do you think?

xoxo

E.L.F Haul

2011-07-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

I certainly made the most of the 50% off everything code for E.L.F last week, purchasing the below products. I'll be posting up reviews/thoughts about each item over the next few weeks. First impressions are good, though I'm a bit dubious about the polish's, they don't really look like my kind of shades after all but we'll see.

The below items (I also bought two eye-shadow brushes which aren't pictured) only came to a total of £22, I'm forever amazed by how much you can get for your pound with E.L.F. If you missed out on the 50% off code don't worry, it's worth noting that E.L.F notoriously have great discounts running very frequently so I'm sure it won't be long before another code pops up.

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend. I did a bit of retail shopping yesterday then went out with some girly friends for cocktails at a place called Gunwharf Quays, was lovely! Going to spend the rest of today painting my nails and reading Harry Potter - I don't know why but I've never read the books even though I love the films. As a result at the ripe age of 24 (and a few years late!) I am now reading them all and loving them.

xoxo

OPI Muppets Christmas Collection

2011-07-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ooooooh yes, it's true. OPI's Christmas collection will be based on the Muppets. I've always loved them, especially Miss Piggy. Anywho, the lovely Claire over at The Beauty Scoop blogged about this yesterday and ever since I've been hunting around for more info/swatches and the like.

I love OPI's Christmas collections as they are always filled with sparkly nail products, which are a bitch to remove but look oh so pretty. This collection doesn't disappoint! I'm not even a big fan of green polish but Fresh Frog of Bel Air (how cute are the names!) looks gorgeous.

What do you guys think? Yay or nay? I have my heart set on Fresh Frog of Bel Air, Rainbow Connection, Gettin Miss Piggy With It (my favourite polish name ever), Gone Gonzo and Divine Swine - there's a definite trend here with my choices.

I know Rainbow Connection is pretty much a dupe for Happy Birthday polish by Deborah Lippman but I can't bring myself to spend £16 on a bottle of nail polish no matter how pretty it is.

Li Lian over at Short Wide Nails has some swatches up that you can see here to better understand my fascination with this collection.

Is it wrong to be a bit excited about Christmas in July?

xoxo

30 Day Shred

2011-07-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Image Courtesy of Cathy Thorne at Everyday People Cartoons

For those of you not familiar with the 30 Day Shred it's basically a workout DVD by a lady called Jillian Michaels (she is evil!). Jillian is an American fitness personality who is known for getting big results on programmes like The Biggest Loser etc. The idea behind this DVD is that there are a series of exercises working strength, cardio and abs into a 20 minute routine through a 3-2-1 system (3 minutes of weights, 2 of cardio and 1 of abs). There are three levels and you progress through them over the space of 30 days with each level increasing in intensity.

Let me just start by saying that although I am pretty happy with my weight/shape, it wouldn't hurt to loose a couple of pounds and there are areas that I want to tone up (my overall fitness isn't that great, not sure if I would survive running for a bus!). I am not doing this though because I want to be a skinny minny (I'm a big fan of my big bootay), I just want to be healthier and there's no harm in that. I'm also not a big fan of going to the gym, when I do go the big guys on the weights make me feel too self concious whilst I'm pumping like 10kg and killing myself over it. I prefer to eat healthy and exercise away from people, whether that's a DVD, a run where people can't see or a fitness class where I can stand at the back.

I first came across this DVD when someone on Facebook stated they tried it and lost 7lb in 2 weeks. I thought she must be fibbing but I decided to research it anyway. A google search later and I was proven wrong. A lot of people claim to have used this DVD and achieved great things so I thought why not give it a go if it's going to improve my fitness too.

First things first, this DVD isn't easy. Not at all. You will feel like you want to die (at one point she actually screams at you that she wants you to feel like this) and you will want to slap Jillian Michaels for pushing you but it's worth it. I'm currently at day 5 and already feel much better for it and it's definitely getting easier. You'll be a bit sore the first few days (I had to stop people from making me laugh as my stomach muscles were so tight) but it does ease up and I've got so much more energy. I know it sounds a little unbelievable but the routines are intense, the first level includes exercises such as push ups, sit ups, crunches, lunges etc. (I haven't got past level 1 yet so can't comment on the others).

The DVD is pretty cheap at £5.93 on Amazon, all you need is this, some hand held weights and a matt if you're got a hard/slippy surface. Please don't make the mistake I did with the weights, a lot of people recommend using 3lb weights but I stupidly misread this and bought 3kg which basically equates to 9lb each. The 3kg weights are too much and are slowly killing me.

If you're a fan of fitness DVD's I whole heartedly recommend to give this a go, just prepare to be a sweaty mess on the floor. Please remember though that a workout DVD needs to be done responsibly, don't over do it by craving a certain weight/shape. The DVD will also only achieve results if you're eating and drinking healthy. That's my mothering bit over.

Please let me know if you've tried, would love to hear your thoughts. I've jotted down my current measurements so I'll let you know how I get on after 30 days is up.
xoxo

Batiste XXL Volume

2011-07-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

I am always on the lookout for products that claim to produce massive volumous heavenly hair. I have naturally curly hair which teamed with frizz reducing products can often look quite lovely and is the easiest option when I really don't have any time. Like most other people though, I often crave what I simply wasn't born with, straight, sleek, gorgeous locks. The only way I am able to achieve this is by using my trusty GHD's to straighten my hair until it's pretty much flat, cue the use of volume products. I like my hair to have a bit of oomph at the roots, I know a lot of people when they straighten their hair like it just like that but my face will not allow for such a thing. I need body.

Batiste are well known for their time saving dry shampoo's. It is a daily staple of mine, not because I have dirty hair but because it makes it look a bit more alive regardless of it's cleanliness. Batiste's latest offering is a dry shampoo that will give 'big and bouncy XXL volume'. This is where it gets interesting, a product that will get rid of excess oils AND give me volume.

My beauty draw is full of products like this, Dust It, Backcomb In A Bottle etc. but this has become my favorite. It's so easy to use (I get Dust It all over the place) and does not leave my hair sticky (Backcomb In A Bottle I am referring to you!!). It's also better for your hair then teasing relentlessly at the roots with a comb and hairspray.

The idea is that you spray it about 30cm from the area you want the volume. As shown below I lift the top section of my hair up and spray at the root, then do the same for the underneath of my hair and fringe. Like a lot off Batiste dry shampoo's (you can get products specifically for coloured/brunette/blonde hair) it is white so you will need to make sure you've rubbed it in properly.

Once sprayed I tip my head upside down and massge/rub the product into the roots. Turing my head back up I then brush through lightly with my tangle teezer and voila BIG hair.

Before

After

The staying power is really good, once sprayed my hair will stay poofed up for a good few hours and due to the nature of the product it's so easy to spray and give the shape a little boost. The best part? It easily brushes out of your hair, doesn't leave it in a sticky stuck together mess and your hair will look all the better for it.

What do you guys think? Another hit product for Batiste?

xoxo

P.S: Apologies for not using a HD camera for the last few photos, I'm having a make-up free day and I'm sure you guys don't want to see every bump and crevice of my au natural face.

Rimmel Nail Polish

2011-07-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit fickle when it comes to nail polish. I find a brand I love, I hoard it like it's nobody's business and then when I get bored I go onto the next. For a long time Model's Own polishes have been my first love, closely followed by Barry M.

Although I own plenty of Rimmel's nail polishes for some reason I'm never drawn to them when choosing which colour to paint my nails. I can't think of any particular reason either as to why I often overlook them. They come in lots of different shades and types from long lasting, 10 days wear and 60 seconds dry.

I recently entered a twitter competition to win a nail goody bag (apologies if you follow me on Twitter, I can never resist a competition especially when it's beauty related!). As a result a package arrived on Friday with four polishes inside.

Left to Right: 500 Peppermint, 805 Grey Matter, 030 Double Decker Red, 307 Grape Sorbet

First of all I was excited to see that Rimmel have changed the brushes on some of their nail polishes. There is a handy little label on the outer 'lid' (can't think of a more suitable word!) to tell you what sort of brush is contained within. The two Lycra Pro finish polishes have a 'Maxi brush'. I've taken a picture below but I absolutely love this idea, instead of your normal rounded brush it's a flatter denser shape. This really makes sense, I don't know why I haven't seen this being done before. When using a round brush you make it flat on application anyway but this flatter design makes for a much better coverage on the nail. I definitely found it alot easier to apply. The 60 seconds polish had a similar flat brush but was much smaller in size, I imagine this is due to the idea that you're using this polish when in a hurry therefore it makes for a more accurate application than using the larger brush.

Please excuse my not so perfect application but I wanted to show you how easily/quickly these varnish's could be applied.

On to the nitty gritty. First off was Rimmel's Lycra Pro polish in 500 Peppermint. The idea behind this formula is that it's 'long lasting, chip resistant and anti-fade' for up to 10 days. I really loved this colour. This was my favourite of all the shades I swatched. I am a sucker for cooler colour's in the summer (although bright coral's often rear their head also) as I find they always make my hands look quite tanned, although this may just be in my head. Peppermint is a minty green shade, it's a gorgeous finish with not a lot of shine which suits it perfectly. The below is the colour after 2 coats. I applied all of these quite quickly (the sun was going in fast) but I didn't seem to make any major mishaps, this is a massive thumbs up to the brush and consistency of the product.

My second favourite colour was Rimmel's 60 Seconds polish in 805 Grey Matter. The idea behind these polishes are that they are a 1 stroke, 1 second, easy application polish. Yes, they are easy to apply but it takes more than 1 stroke for my liking and this means they aren't quite a 60 second drying polish. Having said that though it is a gorgeous colour and well worth the wait and the two coats. Grey Matter is a muted white grey, it is a lot lighter than Barry M's grey and probably the lightest grey polish I own/have seen. A lot of people won't touch grey's or black's in the summer but I quite like the look of grey polish with bright jewellery.

There's something quite sexy and vixen-esque about red polish isn't there? Whenever I apply it I feel instantly more confident and I have no clue as to why. I'm not going to knock it though. Rimmel's I Love Lasting Finish in 30 Double Decker Red is a bright, vibrant, telephone/post box red. I blooming love it. It took me years to be daring enough to try red nail varnish but the more vibrant the better for me, it's such a good all round shade and this is a brilliant red. This is only 1 coat too, all that colour in one application, it's luuuuuverly.

Rimmel's Lycra Pro in 307 Grape Sorbet was the only one I wasn't so taken with. I'm not good with metallic pink's or purple's and I wouldn't pick this up off the shelf. I find the finish too much for me although a quick google search showed a lot of love for this on make-up alley. I guess it's a bit like marmite. It didn't dry very well and I completely bodged up my second finger (as you can see) by applying a second coat. I just can't warm to the metallicy sort of streaky looking end result. Sorry Rimmel but it's just not quite my cuppa tea.

All in all I'm really happy with the polish's, it's made me now go back to my stash and relive the love for the colour's I have bought. I am just about to paint my nails with their 60 Second polish in 405 Rose Libertine (a very gorgeous pink).

Rimmel's nail polishes can be found in Boots and retail for between £2.99 and £4.59. The Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish nail polish is currently on offer at 2 for £4.

What are your favourite Rimmel nail polishes?

xoxo

Model's Own Blooboo Nail Polish

2011-07-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

If you're a regular reader of the lovely Vivianna's blog you will know that she loves Model's Own Blooboo, taking her lead I bought a bottle during a Boots haul at the weekend to give it a whirl.

(Apologies, I've now noticed that I've completely scratched the top layer of my nails somehow today - whoopsie. The part of me that is completely OCD about stuff like this is now screaming)

I completely and utterly understand her fascination with it. Blooboo is a really whitened blue which when looked closely at under light has a purple iridescent shimmer to it. It really makes your hands look quite tanned! It does need two coats to get the most potential from it but Model's Own varnish's are so easy to use that this isn't a bother. It's also a lovely consistency and it dries pretty quick. I used Barry M's top coat and base coat before and after application. If you want something less shiny I can imagine 17's matte top coat would be a gorgeous pairing with this.

I know we aren't having much of a summer right now (outside of my window is currently lurking storm clouds and hail stones!) but it's a feel good polish, bright and fresh. I love it.

Thanks Vivianna for the heads up.

Model's Own polishes are available from Model's Own website http://www.modelsownit.com/ or in Boots stores for £5.

xoxo

Benefit Face Powders

2011-07-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Benefit face powders are some of my favourite beauty products. For those of us with pale skin it's really difficult to find blushes and bronzer's that are really inoffensive colours, often I find myself looking a little china doll esque.

Below are four of my very favourites. I'm sure you've all heard of these and have at least one, they aren't anything new but they are part of my must have's and therefore important enough for me to want to share with you guys.

I absolutely love the packaging. I find it really funky (am I still allowed to use that word in 2011?!) and love the way they are all quite similar in look, it makes it look prettier when they're all together in my make-up drawers. I still don't really get the front of the 10 box though but hey maybe I'm just a bit dappy (does anyone want to help me out here?).

Clockwise From Top: Georgia, Dandelion, Coralista, 10

The colourings are all very different. Georgia is a gorgeous warm neutral peach, Dandelion a soft pink, 10 a bronzing and highlighting duo (the highlighter isn't much different to Dandelion) and Coralista a coraly pink shade. My favourite (as you can see!) is 10, the fact that I've hit the pan is a big accomplishment in itself. I love the idea of a highlighter and bronzer together in one product, swirled together it's a really gorgeous shade. If you've got pale skin like me I would recommend all of these products depending on what colour you are typically after.

Top to Bottom:10, Dandelion, Georgia, Coralista

I've tried really hard to show you the true colour's above. Apologies that it isn't the clearest of photos. As you can see though they all nicely compliment my NW20 skin. Coralista is perfect for these summer months when I can get away with a bit more colour in my cheeks than normal. All of them except 10 (it's a highlighter so to be expected) are of a matte finish, no glitter or sparkle to be seen.

Each little box come's with a soft little cheek brush, I don't find them the easiest to apply this product with as it's generally a little bulky but I love the addition of it as it means I can top up my face on the go.

I really want to try the Cha Cha tint, Bella Bamba and Dallas cheek products too. What do you guys think of these, worth a shot? Also what are your favourite Benefit goodies?

xoxo

Eyelash Extensions and HD Brows

2011-07-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend I trundled along in the pouring rain to a local beauty salon armed with a Groupon voucher for eyelash extensions and HD brows. I have always wanted to try lash extensions as my natural lashes are about a centimetre in length and so hard to work with. I've tried so many mascara's to try and get something that works but I decided enough was enough and lash extensions were the way forward.

The salon I visited wasn't up to much, my appointment was delayed, the staff were a little away with the fairies and tended to walk in and out of the treatment room I was in to talk to each other, so I wouldn't say the experience was at all relaxing but that's completely down to where I went.

The beautician I had asked me what length of lashes I wanted, having never tried them before I decided I wanted something quite natural, I did not want to resemble a drag queen. They are meant to last about 2 weeks on average but apparently it depends completely on the person. Because I have such small lashes there isn't really a lot for the extension to cling to so mine might only last a week, considering the treatment costs around £40 from scratch (you can spend around £15 every 2 weeks 'topping them up') I'm hoping they last longer than that!

The treatment takes around 45 minutes as they stick each individual lash on separately. Whilst waiting for them to dry I also had my HD brow treatment. The theory behind this is they use 7 techniques including threading, waxing, plucking and tinting to get a 'high definition' brow. I haven't taken photos of this for the simple fact that I don't notice any difference except they are a little darker. When lying there she asked me how I wanted my brows shaped and then commented on how the arch was already really good. Now, I've never touched my eyebrows, they're quite light in colour which looks a little odd with my dark brown hair but they aren't that thick or rowdy, my friends have fallen victim to over plucking and I simply didn't want tiny brows. I told her though that I wanted them to look natural, be a little thinner but simply add definition to my face. She followed the 7 steps but apart from tinting them they look pretty much the same. It wasn't the desired HD brow that I lusted after but the tint has made a difference to how my face looks. I do kind of think the 'HD Brows' idea is a bit of a gimmick though, do you really need to pluck, wax and thread your brows? I honestly think threading and tinting would have the same effect but would be a lot cheaper!

The lashes were more of a success. I've put photos below, unfortunately I don't have any before shots to compare the two but as a rough guide my bottom lashes are probably not a lot shorter than my natural lashes at the top.

I wouldn't say these are perfect but I really like them. I personally think they look quite natural, like they could easily be my own lashes(which is what I wanted, I didn't want them to resemble the lashes I buy from Boots). Just by looking you can't see the glue that's attaching them to my lash either which I was worried you might. The eyelash extensions make my eyes look bigger, bluer and more defined. I've always quite liked my eyes and having longer lashes just opens them up a bit more. I also like that I don't have to faff around for ages with mascara in the morning's to try and get a little bit of volume. I'm converted, I honestly don't think I'll be able to go back to my boring little lashes, it's an expensive habit to keep up though at £15 every 2 weeks but I'm sure I'll justify it to myself somehow ;)

Have any of you guys tried eyelash extensions or HD brows? What did you think?

xoxo

Urban Decay Naked Palette Swatches

2011-07-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

I know this has been done to death and isn't by all means anything new but it's my favourite ever eye-shadow palette and an everyday staple that I had to share. I simply could not carry on posting without mentioning it. This is my second palette (my first is a little bruised and battered so thought it was best to show one in a better state), my first is by no means dead and buried but when they all became sold out I got a little panicky and had to buy a second.

I am a neutral eyeshadow junkie. I am drawn to all brown, bronze, nude, black, smokey, shimmery, matte colours. They call to me from their little testers in department stores and I can't help myself to swatch as I walk past. I am a little weird.

I own palette after palette of neutral mixes but Urban Decay's Naked palette is a dream for me. It contains the right amount of matte, shimmer and glittery mix in the most perfect colours. It has replaced my Bobbi Brown palette's which I loved so dearly by delivering everything I want in one.

Left to Right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Dark Horse, Toasted, Mustle, Creep, Gunmetal

I love the range of colours. As you can see from the above swatches it ranges from the very light highlighted colours of Virgin and Sin to the very dark shimmery grey's and black's of Creep and Gunmetal. I go through stages of using a few colours together and then switching it around but still find Sin, Sidecar and Toasted to be my very favourites. There are a good combination of colours to create either a neutral or smokey eye depending on the occassion.

I know i'm probably sounding a little crazed but I adore this product and urge you to go try it out. There are still some available here if you were still looking for it, unfortunately it does seem to have gone up in price since I purchased it. You do get with it a free travel sized Urban Decay Primer potion which is very handy.

What do you guys think of the Urban Decay Naked palette? Are you as into it is as I am?

I've got my eyes on their new 15th anniversary eyeshadow pallette which is up on the Temptalia website here. Some of the colours are quite bright (not sure I would know what to do with them) but it's time to get out of my comfort zone!

Rhona
xoxo

17 Mirror Shine Lipsticks

2011-07-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

By all means these lipsticks aren't new additions to the 17 range but during a not so sunny day I trawled through old posts of Milly's over at Pearls and Poodles and came across a blog post about these gorgeous little lippies. I'm a little slow on the uptake and taking full advantage of a 3 for 2 offer on a last minute dash at the airport I grabbed a few to try out.

After reading Milly's post and looking at the swatches I knew instantly I wanted to try out Peace and Hollywood, the third I picked up was Flirtini.

Left to Right: Hollywood, Flirtini, Peace

Mirror Shine's are glossy and sheer in colour, giving your lips a little something without being in your face, I wouldn't recommend these if you love lipsticks that are more pigmented in colour though. I'm not into lip gloss at all and find that these are a great substitute for a similar look without the sticky horrible ness.

Top to Bottom: Hollywood, Flirtini, Peace

I find the colour in the tube isn't quite the same as when swatched so please don't go on first impressions and try out the testers available in Boots. Hollywood is a light red/dark pink shade which looks absolutely gorgeous on the lips. Flirtini is my favourite although it's the only shade that contains shimmer (which often puts me off). It's a berry pink colour. Peace is a light pink, it looks brighter and slightly corally/orange in the tube but doesn't swatch that way. It's nice but I was expecting a lot more from it.

Unfortunately these lipsticks don't last very long, but I guess that's to be expected from a gloss consistency. On the upside re-applying doesn't leave my lips dry which is perfect for the summer. They are priced at £4.59 each (keep an eye out for those 3 for 2 deals) and there are 10 shades in total. I really want to try out Beehive (it was sold out when I purchased the others), have any of you guys tried it? What do you think?

I'm off now to watch the final Harry Potter film, I'm excited though a little upset. I really don't want them to end. I've spent all week watching the past 6 films, I had forgotten how much I loved them, especially the one with Robert Pattinson in ;)

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend, if not a wet one!!

xoxo

MAC Lipstick Haul

2011-07-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hello, Hola, Bonjour.

At the weekend I received a little goodie box of MAC purchases and wanted to share with you my thoughts on the items I got from their permanent range. I wrote a little blog post at the weekend on the two items I bought from the Fashion Flower collection which I wanted to get up on here quickly before they sold out online, so if you want to read that you can here. I pinkie promise I will drift away from MAC goodies soon and write about other brands.

Perpetual Flame Pro Longwear Lipcreme

Perpetual Flame is part of the Pro Longwear Lipcreme family. It is an amazing pink fuscia colour that is creamy in texture (I hope the swatch below does it some justice). It's so bold and in your face but I really love it exactly for that reason. The best part is that it live's up to MAC's claims of being long lasting, it was still on my lips hours later. It also wasn't drying in the slightest. I just want to prance around the house in it. Although it is a bit pricer than the standard MAC lipstick's (they are £15.50 each), you do get a bit more product. As with both the Pro Longwear Lipcreme's and Sheen Supreme lipstick's I really like the casing, it's a lot slicker. The Pro Longwear's are in a matte casing where as the Sheen Supreme lipstick's below are shiny.

Impressive and Ultra Darling Sheen Supreme Lipstick

Sheen Supreme's are the perfect blend of lipstick and lipgloss. I'm not big on gloss as often than not I find it too shimmery and sticky, I often opt for coloured balm's instead. Sheen Supreme's are a creamy glossy formula and I find them very wearable. I wish I had been a bit more daring with the colour's I opted for but I went for Ultra Darling and Impressive.

Ultra Darling is a gorgeous bright pink gloss shade, it's subtle enough to not be too overpowering for a gloss but gives the right amount of colour. I'd describe Impressive as quite a neutral tone, it's not that dissimilar to my own lip colour. It's more of a darkened pink/brown shade.

Left to Right: Ultra Darling, Impressive

Out of the two I would definitely say that Ultra Darling was the clear winner as there is more colour pay off but for an everyday lip Impressive would be perfect.

Have you guys bought any of the Pro Longwear's or Sheen Supreme's? I want to try some others but don't really know which direction to head in next.

xoxo

MAC Fashion Flower

2011-07-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little fragile today after a very late night and a lot of Rose consumption (is it just me or does Rose give the WORST next day headache's! Argh) but I wanted to share with you my purchases from the new MAC Fashion Flower collection. As you can see I've also found a place indoors with light and a white background to photograph on. My photos are now starting to look a lot better and I don't have to run around my garden with make-up under one arm and camera under the other.

On paper both the Semi Precious and Fashion Flower collection's really excited me but I just wasn't amazed by either when swatched by others. The Semi Precious mineralize eye shadows sound and look amazing in but the supposed fall out just made the product a bit useless in my opinion. I can't get to a MAC store easily at all so for limited edition items that are likely to sell out quickly I have to do my research and just go for it. Makes things a little trickier.

I decided to purchase Ever Hip lipstick (reprobate from Liberty of London collection so you might already have it) and the Light Sunshine beauty powder.

Light Sunshine Beauty Powder, Ever Hip Lipstick

Light Sunshine Beauty Powder

First of all, how pretty is the flower pattern? I am such a sucker for pretty girly pink things so this powder is right up my street. Although it did hurt my heart a little to swatch this and watch the little flowers disappear. As you can see above Light Sunshine is a light pink shimmery beauty powder, it's very pale but this is perfect for my skin (not sure it will be quite right for those with darker skin tones). It's a great little highlighter though, sorry it doesn't really show up very well in the first photo below.

Apologies that my nails look a bit mank, I'm wearing Model's Own Nude Beige and photographed from behind it just makes my nails look a bit dirty.

Ever Hip Cremesheen Lipstick

The second purchase I made was Ever Hip lipstick. I ummed and ahhed about whether to go for this or Mlle but decided after a little researching that Ever Hip was one of those lipsticks that has a lot of hype surrounding it. I am so glad I made this pick, the lipstick is amazing! It's a gorgeous peachy colour that I never would have thought I could pull off but I adore it. It's a creamsheen finish so it's a gorgeous glossy lippie, they are very quickly becoming my favourite MAC lipstick types. I've just had a look and it's sold out online but if you can find it in your nearest MAC store then you definitely should pick it up. It's been one of the most exciting lipsticks I've found in a long time.

I'd love to know what you guys picked up from this collection. I'm tempted by a few of the eyeshadows in the Fashion Flower collection but think my wallet might cry. I'm now off to carry on my Harry Potter movie marathon, I'm trying to watch all of them again before I go and see the new one. I definitely need to get out more! Hope you've all had a lovely weekend.

xoxo

Eyeko: Liptastiks and Fat Balm

2011-07-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Eyeko is a brand that I've read a lot about over the past few months but felt that the products just didn't appeal to me. This all changed whilst reading a post on Dainty Dollymix's blog reviewing the new Eyeko Liptastiks and toffee Fat Balm. She lured me in with the bright summery colours and the allure of a free gift when I spent over £15, that teamed with free delivery I knew now was the time to take the Eyeko plunge.

I decided to buy three Fat Balm's in Frosting, Minty and Toffee along with the three for two set of Lip Lover, Loud Mouth and Hot Lips Liptastik's.

First of all, I absolutely loved the outside packaging of the Fat Balm's, but was a bit disappointed with the tubing the product comes in. It's very bulky and I find it slightly awkward to apply. Having said that though, I loved the colour's and they made my lips look juicy and glossy. The product can also be used on your cheeks but I personally don't think the texture is right for this.

Left to Right: Frosting, Minty, Toffee

Top to Bottom: Frosting, Minty, Toffee

As you can see from the swatches there is a slight iridescent shimmer to the balms, giving your lips a bit of sparkle (but not in an obvious barbie way). My favourite was Toffee as it gave me the 'my lips but better' look that I always crave from everyday balms.

Although I liked the Fat Balms, the Liptastik's certainly were the star buy.

Left to Right: Hot Lips, Loud Mouth, Lip Lover

Top to Bottom: Hot Lips, Loud Mouth, Lip Lover

There is an incredible colour pay off with a gorgeous glossiness. Again the packaging isn't perfect, I just don't really love the grey plastic design but if you can see past this you won't be disappointed by the products. My photo doesn't quite show the difference between Hot Lips and Loud Mouth, but Hot Lips is a more fuchsia hue. My favourite was definitely Hot Lips, what can I say I'm a sucker for bright lips.

Both Liptastik's and Fat Balm's can be purchased from Eyeko's website and are £6.50 each. You can also get the set of Liptastik's I have for £13 at the moment.

xoxo