I will happily admit I am completely shoddy at contouring. I've watched countless Youtube videos to learn the techniques (one particularly fab one if you are new to the idea is Lisa Eldridge's) and tried out a few different products aimed at contouring (if you are confident, give Sleek's Contour Kit a go - the highlighter alone is fab!) but have still not felt entirely confident in my rather poop abilities.
Thankfully I have discovered a little trick for those who are struggling, like me, to get it down to an art. This is just what works for me and might be worth a go if you are unsure. Instead of opting for shades available in bronzing and contour kits that are a fair shade darker than your natural skin colour, consider using face powders that would usually be too dark for you. My normal face powder is MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in 'Medium' and for contouring I use Max Factor's Creme Puff Powder in 'Nouveau Beige' - you can see the difference in the pic below :)
Back - my natural powder / Front - my contour powder
The result definitely isn't as striking as it would be if you used a contour product, but while you are learning where to place product the different areas of your face this is a pretty failsafe option! You definitely get some definition without commiting to a big old stripe down your cheeks (been there). It really isn't anything innovative, but just a little trick that makes make-up easier for me.
Do share any tips you have them, and let me know if you might give this a go :)
Also, check out our lovely GIVEAWAY - it's closing soon!
Just before work, I had a chance to read the 'Martin's money tips' email and saw that Glamour magazine are giving away Benefit 'luxe minis'.
You can get 'The Porefessional' pore minimiser (Apparently worth £10), 'That Gal' face primer (apparently worth £15) or the 'Bad Gal' mascara (apparently worth £10).
I was considering not writing this review as I'm always reluctant to criticise a brand I (usually) love, but I thought.. hey, it really is a blogger's responsibility to share when they think a product is a pile of poop too. The product is Bourjois Volumizer Mascara, a bit of makeup kit that I've seen fawned over frequently on Youtube, etc - and as I was in the market for a new mascara, I thought I'd give this a go.
It's a two step system, step 1 claims to define and 'prepare' lashes for step 2, which supposedly offers maximum volume to your lashes with no clumps. When I received this I was pretty excited to use it after such gleaming reviews. Step 1 is fine (the brush handle is mega long) and adds just a thin coating of mascara, I suppose if you have rather healthy and long lashes this step may be just enough for you. Alas, I have short stubby ones so I thought step 2 would be just what I needed. Unfortunately there seems to be no suction system (?) when removing the wand which results in a brush full to the brim of mascara. It actually takes me longer to remove all the gloop from the wand than it does to use it! For a product that is a rather whopping £10.49, I would expect a little more. The result, after removing all the excess, is a pretty clumpy look that I really don't think is worth the pennies.
Here are a few pics to demonstrate!
Bourjois Volumizer
Step 1 - looks promising..
Step 2
Step 2 - oh dear!
I'm hoping that with time, as the mascara starts to dry a little, this product may be a little easier to use! Have you bought this product? Would love to know what others think!
I hope you've all had a fantastic Christmas and New Years! I just wanted to write a short post to let you know about two new products arriving with Avon in the new year that are particularly exciting for me.
Firstly, I'm sure you are all already aware of Avon's superSHOCK Gel Eyeliner as it's proved to be popular among the beauty blogging and Youtube communities. The reason for this is the fact it is so extremely pigmented and the staying power is hard to rival.. and thanks to that Avon are about to release two new shades alongside the current black and silver shades. Here are a few pictures for you :)
Top to bottom: Golden Fawn (NEW) / Blackberry (NEW) / Silver / Black
If you're interested in buying these they will be available in Brochure 04 at a discounted price of £3.00. To find an Avon representative near you or to purchase online, go to Avon's online shop where they will soon become available.
Secondly I was able to get my mitts on a brand new lip product featured in Brochure 03 at an introductory price of £5.00 (check the link above if you fancy!). Shine Attract Lipstick is a pretty unique product - instead of a regular lipstick formula, this product has a "dual formula" where the colour is surrounded by a hydrating gel. I was quite sceptical about this as I thought it would apply unevenly but I have been pleasantly surprised. As someone who often struggles with getting perfect definition when using lipsticks, these has been a breeze as it initially applies sheer with the option to build up colour. I have been wearing it by applying directly from the tube and using my finger to spread the colour - almost like a lip stain. The gel is soothing too and leaves a lovely shine. Needless to say I am a big fan! There are ten available shades but here are three sneak peeks..
Top to bottom - Rose Bouquet / Orchid / Cherry Pie
If you want to see one of these used in action, I noticed Sam from Pixiwoo using Shine Attract in the shade 'Guava' in her fab new Tulisa tutorial here.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope this post was a little insightful into some new goodies to look out for.
I was very lucky to receive a MAC voucher last Christmas that I've only just got round to using it (god knows how I made it last so long) so after a silly amount of time debating, I bought these two products. Somehow I've managed to follow a little bit of a pink theme.. hope you like!
MAC Lipstick 'Please Me' // MAC Eyeshadow 'Star Violet'
Firstly, the eyeshadow was £11.50 and as I'm sure you're aware, you can get these in a huuuge variety of shades to drool over - you can see them all here. MAC are known for providing blendable and well-pigmented shadows, so I had no doubt this would be worth the pennies. 'Star Violet' is Veluxe Pearl shade, which is essentially slap bang in the middle of matte and shimmer, providing a lovely shimmer but no Christmas tinsel eyes! The above picture highlights the pink in the shadow a little more, but as you can see from the swatch (below) this shadow is more burgundy/plum with pink as an undertone. Fab for me with green peepers, but I reckon this would look fab on most eyes. I've worn this a few times and have found it easy to apply and long-lasting.. thumbs up!
MAC Eyeshadow - 'Star Violet'
As for the lipstick, this was my first ever from MAC and blimey, did it take me long to decide! Their selection is extremely huge, and I toyed with winter plums and nudes until finding a great middle ground here for £13.50. As someone who's new to the lippie game, I'd recommend this shade if you fancy a pop but with little responsibility to keep having to touch up, or a 10 minute session just trying to get it on right. The first thing that struck me was how easy it was to apply, no feathering or mess at all. 'Please Me' is a matte shade though, so if you're a fan of glossy lips you might have to pop a little gloss over the top. MAC describe this shade as "rosy-tinted pink" which I agree with, but it does lean slightly towards barbie pink so if you're shy, try using your finger to apply rather than directly from the stick, as the pigment on this is strong!
What's your favourite MAC lipstick? I think I'll be repurchasing because I'm really impressed with these, give me some ideas ladies! :)
I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend? It's starting to finally feel like winter is on it's way. I love it! All those hats and scarves can now be put to good use. I love this time of the year, does anyone else?
Anyway, my mum and her boyfriend just came back from a week away in New York (lucky ..........) and before they went, I asked mum if she should try and find me a new pair of baby pink converse as mine died years ago, as well as a Betseyville bag. OH.MY.GOODNESS. I love this bag. LOVELOVELOVE IT!
The bag <3 <3 <3
Close up - just so you can see the detail a little better.
Inside the bag - beautiful lining :]
When mum was in the outlet and described it to me, I wasn't sure but decided she knew what I liked so trusted her. She was spot on. I love this bag and can't wait to wear it into work tomorrow! Not only did she get me the bag (which was $49.00 so.. £30.00 - which I paid back) but she decided to get me a little present.... THE MAKE-UP BAG!
Betsey make-up bag :]
I have so many make-up bags at the moment but due to my recent make-up addiction, this couldn't have come at a more perfect time! I love this and the lining is the same as the handbag.
But it doesn't stop there....
Whilst mum & her boyfriend were in the outlet, they saw two pairs of leggings so bought those too! Today mum made me choose which pair I wanted. The plain black pair with gold zips at the ankles or a lacey pair.. so after lots (and I mean lots) of uhming and ahhing, I went for the lacey pair!
I made this picture slighly larger so you can see the detail.
I'm not sure how much the make-up bag was but I think these were $17ish from what I remember on the packaging. I love them, I just hope they fit! If not, I will lose weight to get into them.
The only other thing I got was my lovely new pair of converse, which look a little strange because I still need to re-lace them but you get the idea :]
I <3 these so much!
Lastly, I was in TK Maxx on Saturday and they have all their Christmas bits out so figured i'd have a look through the beauty stuff. I eventually found the nail polish and look what little gem I found....
LOOK AT THE PRICE!!
Four amazing Nails Inc colours for £14.99!! These are in the shades (L-R): Burlington Arcade, Hanover Square, Bow Street and Kingly Street. I have been eyeing up these street name polishes on ebay for ages, so was super pleased to finally find some for an affordable price! I currently have Burlington Arcade on my toe nails (but won't insert pictures as that's a little weird) and I have Kingly Street on my fingernails (but.. it went slightly wrong so I won't include pictures but they will follow).
I love finding these little treasures in TK Maxx or any shop for that matter. Perfect :]
Thank you for reading, it won't be so long next time!
Huge apology for such a delayed post here, I've been a little snowed under with Uni work but have found a little time to write you a shiny new post. I've just bought a couple of Avon products and as I am a rep myself, I thought it was about time I shared these with the world. Hope you enjoy! :) I'll post the links of where you can buy these online from Avon Shop, or alternatively you can buy from your local rep - sometimes this is a better choice if your rep has their own offers (I offer 10% off when you spend £30).
First are two pencils, one is a double-ended kajalstick from 'color trend' and the other is a double-ended cream superSHOCK eyeshadow pencil (the same line that produced the well reviewed superSHOCK gel eyeliners, raved about by various Youtube gurus and available here for £4.00).
The pencil I have here is 'Chocolate Melt & Cream Dream' which as you can see is a medium brown colour on one end and a creamy vanilla on the other. Personally I would use these as a base under eyeshadow, but after swatching these and leaving them a while I can see that they set in place so could easily be used alone :) If you fancy one of these for yourself or a look at the other colours, they're currently £4.00 reduced from £7.00 here. The other pencil is from 'color trend' which is a collection of more affordable Avon products and though a little hit and miss, the pencils from this range are AMAZING. The one here is emerald and black - really well pigmented and easy to use. These double-ended eyeliners haven't been released just yet (they will be late November) but the formula is the same for regular color trend pencils available here for £2.50.
Above - colourtrend kajalstick, emerald and black / Below - superSHOCK eyeshadow pencil,
So moving on, I bought three lipsticks but from different ranges so I'm going to cover them separately here. This is all three..
The first on the left is from the new Little Red Dress collection which includes four new lipstick shades, two eyeshadow palettes, two nail polishes and a mascara - the packaging is all a beautiful red so will go great together in your collection if you're a fan :) This lipstick shade I have is Vino Royale, the darkest of all the shades and I love this - perfect for winter as Christmas draws nearer and we reach for those warmer shades. I found it good to apply but it is pretty creamy so use with a brush and definitely a lip liner. It'll be available to buy from Avon from 22nd November for an intro price of £5.00.
Avon Little Red Dress Lipstick - Vino Royale
Sorry for the awful condition of my lips, this cold weather is ruining me!
Next up is another product from color trend and that's a lippy in the shade 'Amethyst'. I have to admit I was a little disappointed with this one as it really didn't look the same colour as seen in the advertising swatch. Nonetheless, the colour is pretty but I'm not sure I'll be wearing this one often as it is pretty damn pink. These are £2.50 a pop and you can get them heeere!
color trend kiss 'n' go lipstick - Amethyst
In direct light - you can see this has a little bit of a purple edge
Finally, this is definitely the most wearable one of the three, I'll probably be wearing this on a regular basis as it's mess free and pretty suited to my natural lip colour. As a stick, this looks like it would come off pretty brown as nudes go, but the pay off is quite sheer and gives a great finish. The product is Avon Ultra Colour Rich Mega Impact Lipstick (phew!) in Never So Nude retailing at £5 at the mo. What do you guys think?
Avon Ultra Colour Rich Mega Impact Lipstick - Never So Nude
Again, my apologies for my crazy dry lips here, time to invest in a industrial strength lip balm for the winter! As a final thought, here are two other Avon products I am in love with at the moment.
Avon Naturals Room & Linen Sprays
These room and linen sprays are amazing, and only a couple of pounds (the prices on these are constantly fluctuating as they're often in 4 for £5 offers and such like - check with your Avon rep if you fancy one!). I have Sugar Plum & Vanilla and Black Cherry & Nutmeg. I use Yankee candles too which I know cost an absolute bomb, and these rival those smells make my room smell gorgeous. Definite recommendation!
Avon Naturals Body Whip
This new Naturals body whip is such a reliable moisturiser, smells gorgeous (Milk and Honey is my favourite) and is like a thick whipped texture. For such an unassuming product this really leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised. I've recommended these to friends who have fallen in love too, you can get them here for £3.00.
Anywho, I hope this post doesn't come across as some crazy rep trying to sell you things - there are Avon products I don't like, and will openly say so, but these are a few I am quite fond of :) Hope you're all having great days - please leave me some shiny comments with what you think, or what Avon products you enjoy! xxxx
