Crosswires

Heavily swatched and slightly out of focus, sorry!

Today I received my blog sale buy MAC Crosswires in the post (thank you Sabina) and it promptly went on my lips. If you didn't already know, coral is my favourite colour and this may be my new favourite one? It's a bit similar to Vegas Volt which I also love but this has more pink in it. The cremesheen formula means it's much more wearable than Vegas Volt which is amplified and shows every bit of dry lip. It's also a subtle wash of colour that can be built up to your preference which I really like as sometimes I don't like wearing a strong lip colour but still want a hint of something.



Can't really say anything about how long it lasts as I've only worn it for these photos but I don't think it's very long. That said I wouldn't mind reapplying this, I really love the cremesheen formula.

I've bought a lot of new lipsticks over the past few months so expect more posts like this soon xx

My wedding makeup

Base: Olay UV Fluid with SPF15, MAC Face & Body foundation in C4, MAC Select Moisturecover concealer in NC42 & Keromask Mineral Finishing Powder.

Blush: Nars Orgasm & Torrid

Eyes: MAC Mulch eyeshadow, Blacktrack fluidline, MUFE Smoky lash mascara and MAC #10 lashes applied with Duo lash glue.

Lips: Carmex and MAC Creme in your coffee lipstick.

Brushes: MAC 209 for eyeliner, ELF angled contour brush (not pictured) for eyeshadow, ELF stipple brush for foundation (not pictured), Gotta B Urban bronzer brush used for blush & ELF powder brush for powder



L-R: Nars Orgasm, Nars Torrid, MAC Mulch & MAC Creme in your coffee.

I was supposed to have my own little makeup trials with different looks but that soooo didn't happen and on the day I played it by ear and just ended up using some of my favourite products. MUFE Smoky lash mascara is the best I've ever tried!! I bought this one brand new in a blog sale last year but was saving it for special occasions. If it wasn't so expensive to buy in the UK I would repurchase over and over again. I was also really pleased with MAC face & body, it was so lightweight it felt like I wasn't wearing any foundation at all. I also cannot stop fawning over Nar's Torrid, it's a beautiful coral which everyone must buy!

So to sum up, my make up was not perfect at all nor was it upto a professional standard but I felt comfortable and it worked for me :)

Westfield buys

Easing myself back into regular blogging and showing what I bought today during my after work trip to Westfield Stratford. I love that it's only 10 minutes away from me but equally loathe the way it's always rammed. Why are the walkways so narrow? Shepherd's Bush is so much better!

Anyway I digress, here are my buys:


Lush Snow Fairy: I always read on other blogs about how great this shower gel is and I couldn't fathom why something so lurid pink had everyones attention every Christmas, especially since whenever I sniffed the bottle it didn't seem anything special. I decided to buy a small bottle and try it out for myself and wow I'm converted!! It smells deliciously sweet, kind of like those raspberry panda pop drinks but even better the scent stays on your skin after you've showered. I really like it but not sure if I would buy another bottle seeing as it's £5.95 for 250ml. Expensive for someone who usually buys their shower gels for a quid!

Topshop Nail Art Pen: I saw these online the other day when Topshop were doing free delivery but I disregarded them as I thought they would be crap. I wasn't impressed by the WAH nails/Models Own one and assumed this would be along the same lines. Then I saw this post by Gem Fatale and decided that I had to have them. I went in wanting pink but walked out with "Nightrider" black which I'm sort of regretting now. Haven't used it yet as I haven't had time to paint my nails today but I have high hopes for this.

Kiko Creamy Lipstick: Never heard of this brand until recently but I went in to have a nosey and really liked the look of their lippies. I bought #399 which is a sort of rose petal pink? It swatched beautifully in store but after trying it on my lips at home I'm uncertain. I like the matte rubber case which makes it looks more expensive than £5.90 but the actual lipstick is a bit of a let down. It's thin and very "slippy", like cheapo lipsticks and I just feel a bit short changed. I certainly won't be buying any again but their eyeshadows looked really good, there were loads of metallic glittery which ones caught my eye.

Have you tried any of these? Let me know if you're a Snow Fairy fan!

MAC Teddy Kohl swatches

So as promised, here is a swatch of MAC's Teddy eye pencil which I used to create the simple smokey eye I posted last month. A lovely dark bronze with golden shimmer running through it. It's really soft and blends easily but as a kohl pencil it will smudge and it will crease/fade. I keep this in my bag and use it to transform my basic everyday work makeup (black eyeliner & mascara) into something a bit more sparkly. I'd love to find something like this colour in a long lasting or waterproof eye pencil.

FOTD: A 3 minute smokey eye

Popped into Selfridges after work today to have a mooch around MAC. Whilst I was queuing for assistance, I watched a lady spend 10 minutes applying as many things as she could get her hands on. Including the tester lip gloss, straight from the wand to her lips. So GROSS! How many people have also used it before her?!

I didn't walk away with a lipstick for once but bought Teddy kohl pencil, a gorgeous dark bronzey brown with gold shimmer. Flash washes the colour out so I'll put up a swatch another day.

I was meeting the Mr for dinner and only had mascara on so I used this to create a quick smokey eye. I applied Teddy all over the lid and blended, then smudged a black eyeliner along the lash line and outer corner. Finished off with Teddy on the lower lash line and black eyeliner on my waterline. Didn't use any brushes at all, just my ring finger. Quick and really easy! By the time I got home, it had creased and faded a little but I didn't mind so much :)

My recent beauty buys

Charles Worthington Daily Defence Heat Spray: How can you tell if your heat protectant spray works well? I find it difficult because my hair always ends up splitting anyway. I guess I buy them and hope for the best? I'm ashamed to say I picked this up because the pink bottle stood out on the shelf. Only bought it this afternoon so haven't used it yet. Fingers crossed!

Gotta B Urban Bronzer Brush: Never heard of this brand but spied it in TK Maxx yesterday. I was instantly wooed by the chunky wooden zebra print handle and it was only £5.99. It's SO soft and despite being branded as a bronzer brush, I'm using this to apply my blush :)

Tweezerman for Benefit Pointed Slant Tweezer: I received this from a Benefit event I went to last week so it's not an actual purchase. The pointed tip is brilliant for tweezing out stubborn eyebrow hairs. I think everyone should own some Tweezermans. They are expensive but so worth the money as I use mine every day. I also have a mini slanted pink version which I carry in my bag.

Topshop Lip Polish in Melba: Popped into Topshop to get some shoes and couldn't resist picking up this lip polish. Like a less gloopier version of lip gloss and much more pigmented.

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara and Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara: Both are highly recommended and I've never tried Voluminous before. I've been wearing it everyday but still can't decide if I like it or whether it's just "okay". I've used the MF mascara before and loved it but sadly I think this particular one is fake. I was being a cheapo and bought it in the market for a fiver and it's NOTHING like the one I used to have. Boohoo.

MAC lipstick in Vegas Volt: Wore this in my last post though can't see the colour well. I've wanted this colour for ages and I finally decided to buy it after Kaushal posted about it. Will eventually do a separate post on this at some point.

Bad gal waterproof liner: I hate the original version of this eyeliner but this one is much more pigmented. I bought it after seeing Lisa Potter-Dixon (head makeup artist of Benefit UK) use this on a model to create a really simple smokey eye with the smudger on the other end of the pencil. It doesn't hold a torch to Avon's waterproof eyeliner though!

What have you bought recently? :)

Sleek Pan Tao blush from the Avoir la peche collection

When I first saw the promo photos from this new Sleek collection I knew that the Pan Tao blusher simply had to be mine. I mean look how bright and peachy it is. Love at first sight. I had originally bought the ASOS Groupon voucher with the intention to buy Gina by Nars but it's not on there, however I'm not too miffed coz Pan Tao looks very similar (to me anyway) and is like £15 cheaper!

It's a very orangey peach. It actually swatches a lot brighter than it appears in the pan and you really need a light hand when applying. I have to say that I found it chalkier than my other Sleek blushes.

Getting my hands on this turned out to be a mission. I went to Superdrug a total of SIX times, the one near work and the one near my house, last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. The collection officially came out on the 16th but the displays were up with the testers however only the palettes were in stock. In both stores I was told that the blushers and lip pouts hadn't been delivered yet. FAIL.

On Friday I sent the Mr to the Superdrug near his workplace with very detailed instructions. He is completely and utterly clueless when it comes to makeup. I even had to tell him that eye shadow goes on your eye lids...

I mean they're pretty clear right? (Note how I explained what blusher is) Yet he still had to ask a sales assistant for help haha.

I love this colour and will be buying another one as a back up if I can ever find it...

Btw I had to redraw the winner for my Avene Giveaway as the original winner never contacted me and it's been over a month. Congratulations to Ellie! xx

Benefit's 'Finding Mr Bright'

On Thursday evening I had the pleasure of attending a Benefit event where we were introduced to their new makeup manual, Finding Mr Bright.



This little kit contains the following complexion enhancers:

Girl Meets Pearl (7.5ml): A golden pearly liquid which can be mixed in with your moisturiser or applied wherever you want to glow. I prefer to use this on my cheeks after I moisturise as it gives a new dimension to my powder blush.

Posietint (4ml): A bright pink cheek and lip stain which can be layered up for a stronger colour and it lasts for ages.

High Beam (2.5ml): Described as a "luminescent complexion enhancer" (whatever that is) but I use this as a highlighter on my cheek bones and brow bone.

Erase Paste (No2.Medium 3.2g): A brightening concealer to get rid of dark circles and shadows under your eyes.



L-R: Girl Meets Pearl, Posietint, High Beam & Erase Paste (from my own pot which is No.3 Deep)

Finding Mr Bright is £28.50 and would be great for travelling, to give as a gift or simply for someone who wants to try these products but doesn't want to spend so much on the full sized versions.

BTW, if you're a Benefit fan they're currently holding a competition on their Facebook Page.



Check out the interactive video and upload your ending to be in with a chance of winning a whole years supply of products and you could also appear in their next video. My pick would be Mr Smooth, purely for the LOL factor! xx

Benefit Beauty Event for WOC

My biggest gripe with Benefit is that I find most of their products don't cater for women of colour. However on Tuesday evening I attended an event co-hosted by the lovely Yinka for an introduction into the brand and to look at the products which suit darker skintones. We were given a demonstration by Benefit's Head MUA Lisa Potter-Dixon who did a makeover on another blogger using popular products like Bella Bamba and Benetint. She then gave her a brow wax and tint - a service I never knew they offered. We also learnt something interesting about the origins of Benetint which I thought was hilarious.

After the talk we were given the chance to browse the products in their Covent Garden Boutique. Rhamnousia and I went swatch crazy and ended up discovering lots of WOC friendly products, some of which I had never come across before.

Lust Dusters, Creaseless Cream Shadows & Silky Finish Lipstick.

These are the ones that stood out the most, and I was really impressed with the Lust Dusters which were very pigmented and came in a number of gorgeous shimmery shades. I think these products get overshadowed by best sellers such as their blush boxes and make up kits which is a shame as they're really good (and in some cases, probably better!).

Even better news is that Benefit will be releasing a new range of foundation with 20 shades where there'll hopefully be something to suit everyone.Before that there'll be their new skin care range to look forward to this Spring.

All in all I had a great time at the event, especially as I got to meet so many other bloggers. If you're interested in blogs by WOC, do check them out!

Inner Belle 

Desi girl does makeup 

Just a bowl of MOULDY FRUIT 

BeautyFulfilled

Lil Miss. Rosh

Fashion Overload

Lipgloss And Leopard Print 

Shortiee's Beauty Blog

The Postcolonial Rabbit

Vex In The City

All pics from the Benefit website as I forgot my camera. I know, I know, I fail at life.

Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pencil

...aka the best pigmented black pencil eyeliner out at the moment (well I think so anyway!).

I wear lenses so my eyes are very watery and anything I wear on my waterline just gets washed away. For years Urban Decay's 24/7 pencil liner in Zero was my go to waterproof eyeliner of choice but even that ended up smudging into nothing by the end of the day. At £11.50 it wasn't brilliant or pocket friendly, so I tried Gosh's waterproof velvet touch eyeliner which was £5. It had good staying power but the colour was dull and faded.

However this Avon one is AMAZINGand fulfils all my eyeliner needs

Look how black it is! I have not edited this photo in any way whatsoever.

It's very soft and creamy, similar to a kohl but it does not fade or smudge. The second photo is after I rubbed hard with wet fingers but I stupidly took this photo first so I had to reapply liner over the top which is why the first lines are thicker.

If you love very pigmented black eyeliner pencils then you should definitely get this. It's only £6 and you will not be dissatisfied! I couldn't find the exact one on the Avon website but they have a silver and a black shimmer colour. I don't know if they're rebranding or if it's just out of stock? It's also worth signing up to their newsletter if you do decide to make an order because they sometimes have discount codes for first time buyers.

To be honest, I always thought that Avon makeup was a bit "mumsy" (for lack of a better word) but this eyeliner has totally changed my view and I'm now wondering if they have any other makeup gems out there?

Urban Decay Naked Palette + Swatches

I was so excited when I first read about the neutral palette that Urban Decay was bringing out, that I rushed to buy it when it was released here in September. The eyeshadows are gorgeous and every colour is wearable, no matter what your skintone.







If you can't tell from my swatches, they're soft and very pigmented which I have found to be the usual case with UD shadows. However unlike my chunky Box of Shadows vol.II this palette is slim and easy to carry/store away.

I bought mine from House of Fraser for £27 which I think is well worth the price for 12 shadows, 2 mini eyeliners and a mini primer potion.

Debenhams have a 15% online discount code (enter PD9P at the checkout) until the 12 November but annoyingly this palette is out of stock. However they still seem to have the limited edition NYC Book of Shadows if you also fancy that.

Things I've been loving this week (in photos)

1. Barry M's instant nail effects polish.
2. Big clumpy boots for winter.
3. Mac's Plumful lipstick.
4. Eldora lashes.
5. Black XS - my new favourite perfume.
6. Fuggs as house "slippers". My feet have never been so toasty!

The power of....contouring?

Okay so you HAVE to watch this video. Using only makeup, this girl transforms herself into Jared Leto . It probably helps that she has a similar facial structure? But the resemblence is so amazing it's slightly creepy!

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in "Excite"

I've been coveting some Illamasqua blushes for quite a while, but at £16 each I was a bit hesistant. I'm glad I bided my time, as I managed to get this from the lovely Karleigh in a recent blog sale.



Described as "vivid apricot", this matte colour looks really orange and scary in the pan but the trick (as with any highly pigmented product) is to build up the colour in layers.



On my skin it's not as loud and far more muted. In terms of longevity I don't think it's superior to any other brand (high end or otherwise)- every blush I wear disappears after a few hours on me anyway. However I do adore this, especially the packaging which is a bit chunky but swish! I can't seem to get enough of colours such as Excite.

Do you have any Illamasqua blushes you can reccommend? Although I think I want them all!

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer (NC42)

This is most probably the last post about Mac products for quite a while as my makeup funds are running low after my last haul. I wasn't even aware of the Pro Longwear collection until I was instore and decided that I obviously needed to buy this as concealer is my life (not really but you know...)



I was also tempted by its sleek good looks and pump dispenser which looks very "pro". In reality it's not that great as I always end up pumping out more product that I need. However it really does last for ages so that more than makes up for it. As much as I love my Select Moisture cover, I find it wears away easily, especially since I tend to rub my eyes a lot.



On the left is Pro Longwear with Select Moisturecover to the right. Both are in NC42 but Pro Longwear is lighter for some strange reason. However when blended (in the photo below) it's still a perfect match.



So how does it really compare with Select Moisturecover? SMC is really smooth and creamy whilst this is more of a liquid consistency that sets with a matte finish. I usually apply concealer with my ring finger but because this sets so quickly I definitely need a brush because it's hard to blend into the thin skin under my eyes.

I don't think it's amazing but it works well. Would I buy it again? Maybe....

Did you buy anything from the Pro Longwear collection?

Recent makeup buys

Because of RamadanI haven't spent money on food this month so I've had a splurge on makeup. Haven't had time to make dedicated posts yet but here's a lil glimpse of what my upcoming posts will be on.

My everyday essentials

I enjoy reading posts like these so thought I would do one of my own.

1. I apply my concealer first and I use Select Moisturecover in NC42 which does a brilliant job at covering my dark circles. So far, this is the best concealer I've tried as its easy to blend in and doesn't cake or settle in my fine lines.

2. Using my ELF Complexion brush, I apply MSFN in Medium Dark over my concealer and on my eyelids.

3. The 209 eyeliner brush is amazing and helps to create a fine line - I have the small SE version. I use this with Blacktrack Fluidline because it does not budge or fade at all.


4. I then line my waterline with Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Zero which sadly isn't 100% waterproof with my watery eyes but is super black (unlike Gosh's Velvet touch pencils). Next comes mascara of which I'm currently using Maybelline's Colossal.

5. Lastly, I use my favourite brush ever, ELF's powder one to apply my blush  and I usually turn to Coral by Sleek.

These are the very basics which I use everyday without fail, although the blush and mascara are interchangeable. If you've done a post like this (or are planning to), leave me a link so I can have a nosey :)

P.S. I wrote down the entrants for my Naked Coco de Mer bathfoam giveaway on pieces of paper and my little brother picked out Becky from Style and The City. Congrats! xx

Benefit Coralista and some pondering

My sister recently went to an in store Benefit event and to my delight, came home with a little bag of purchases. Finally, a chance to steal and play with her makeup as she does to me!

I was really keen to try the much talked about Coralista and began swatching and applying away. And what did I think? Not worth the hype and slightly disappointing. It took a few layers to get it to show up on my cheeks and even though I love coral blushes, this one is just "meh". The colour looks alright but it isn't anything special.

The sheer colour and the amount of shimmer reminded me of Nars Orgasm which is pinkier but much preferred. Even in terms of quality you can see that Coralista is slightly chalky. The packaging may be cute but it's impractical - the dinky box would take up half of my makeup bag. And at £23.50? Pah, I would rather spend £19.50 on a sleek, and highly pigmented Nars blush (which has a mirror and would slot neatly into my bag!).

Moving onto Dr Feelgood - "a velvety comlexion balm". Apparently it is an "invisible refiner, blended with Vitamin C to smooth away the appearance of fine lines while leaving skin feeling and looking more silky, flawless and matte to the touch. It is a colourless, weightless miracle worker".

It came with a smooth sponge puff which I used to apply to my skin but I didn't see any change. It just seems like a gimmick. Looking at the ingredients, the main one is modified corn starch along with wax, parfum and other complicated sounding ingredients that need to be googled. Why not just buy some loose/blotting powder? I don't get it.

This made me think about Benefit cosmetics in general so I compiled a list and my thoughts on all the products I've tried:

• Erase Paste - Loved this at first but then I discovered Mac select moisturecover which rendered this obsolete. I don't like the way it looks so obvious and it has been rotting in my makeup drawer for the past year.
• Posietint - Doesn't really show up on my skintone and there are many other cheaper dupes.
• Highbeam - Really liked the trial version but I wouldn't buy the full sized product. Especially after realising the iridescent white eyeshadow from my Ben Nye palette was better.
• PowderPop trio - Colours are okay but I never reach for it.
• Badgal Lash Mascara - This mascara was too natural for me and didn't enhance my lashes in any way.
• The Glamour Freebies - Badgal eyeliner pencil was absolute rubbish. Not pigmented at all so it made lining my eyes difficult. Rubbed off so easily as well. Eye Bright didn't do anything and I have no idea why I bought the It concealer stick which was aout 4 shades too light.
• Big Beautiful Eyes kit - Already did a review about how it did not work for me.

With the exception of their creaseless cream eye shadows, I don't rate any of their products at all and feel that they don't work for me and my skin tone (or any darker skintones). I think it's really overpriced and that I'm actually paying for the cute, retro and sometimes impractical packaging (which suckered me in, in the first place!). Obviously this is my own personal opinion based on my own personal experiences with the brand. I know there are many others who swear by many of the products I disliked. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

Oops (I did it again)

I was in Westfield the other day waiting for my sister to finish work and I found myself gravitating towards Inglot - it's so sleek, colourful and inviting. I've seen many other bloggers rave about Inglot and I was keen to have a look for myself. I went straight towards the blushes and started swatching away to my heart's content and to the annoyance of one of the SA's who seemed irritated that I didn't need his help :\

I ended up buying these two blushes - one powder in shade #30 and one liquid/cream in #86.

Now the title of this post is in reference to the fact that my reasoning for buying the powder blush was "Wow I love this colour and I know I don't have anything else like it". Then I came home and realised this could almost be a dupe for the Coral blush by Sleek I already own. I do this all the time with nail polishes and end up buying around 5 in the same colour pink. I think it's a disease!

They look REALLY similar to me but perhaps the Inglot blush is more pink? Sometimes I can't tell the difference. However I suppose all is not lost as I find the Inglot blush easier to work with and lasts a lot longer than my Sleek one.

And onto the disappointment that is the liquid blush........

I love the colour but the formulation has really let me down - it took 4 pumps to get this colour and I had to wait for each layer to dry before applying the next.

As you can see it's a bit watery, so the colour doesn't show up when I apply it to my cheeks and it doesn't *set*. Considering I paid £10 for this I am really annoyed and expected much better. I am going to see if I can thicken it by leaving it in the sun because shaking it 100x doesn't seem to make any difference!

Has anyone else had this problem?