Holographic Nails

Topshop Holographic Nails in Winter Frost! For those that are as useless as me when it comes to nail art and the like, this is the next best thing! Great way to make your nails stand out from the crowd, it looks ace. The polish itself is easy to apply and quick drying. Ive had it on for 4 days now and its still chip free and not fading.

Benefit Fine One One

I was unsure about this product but reading a lot of other bloggers reviews I thought I would give it ago. I usually tend to use powder blush, and the colour’s in this product seemed quite bright so wasn’t sure it would suit my pale skin tone.

 

The cheek and lip brightening trio has three shades – Pink Champagne, Sheer Watermelon and Soft Coral. To use I ran it across my cheek bone with the lightest shade closest to my eyes and then blended in with my fingers.

It definitely added contour to my cheeks, I was really pleased with the colour. It definitely didn’t go on as bright as I was expecting, it’s very subtle which suits my style, it’s such a different product! It’s very quick and easy to use!! it also blends beautifully, and is so easy to apply and creates a nice happy glow which brightens up my whole face. 

 

A highlighter, blush and bronzer in one stroke, how clever is this?! The 3 colors together are FAB! And I love how it’s not a powder blush, and the packaging is adorable!

Although it does go on in three stripes they blend easily. The highlighter isn't too shimmery for me either. You can also use it as lipstick, but I think it needs liner for definition and shine. It's somewhat flat on lips alone so I will only be using mine on my cheeks.

I have definitely been converted, and will be using this as part of my daily routine.

MAC Archies Girls Collection

I love this range and was counting down the days till its release at the beginning of the month. I love the graphics used on the packaging, its so cute and quirky. Archie's girls are Veronica and Betty who are both vying for his attention. Beautiful Blonde-Next-Door Betty inspires a limited-edition colour collection with a soft, innocent sexiness all in peaches and pink girly shades. All packaged in exclusive designs. Whilst Veronica smoulders with a limited-edition colour collection rich in deep, seductive tones such as violet, red and blackened plum. All packaged in exclusive Archie's Girls designs. I am definitely more of as Veronica as I love the dark vampy shades!

 

 

 

Being on a tight budget at the moment, I really had to restrain myself from buying the whole collection and rinsing my overdraft at the same time! I decided to treat myself to one item which was so hard to choose! So the winner I went for was ‘Archie’s Girls pearl glide intense eye liner in Designer Purple’ which I am really pleased with! It’s a gorgeous purple with a lilac shimmer in it, as you can see from this swatch.

 

I've been wearing it on its own with some Mascara, I use Benefits They’re Real, and put it on the inside rims and above my top lashes. I've also applied it to above my top lashes when I've been wearing a purple shadow. It is easy to apply, glides on nicely. I have been using it on my water line but this isn't recommended due to the shimmer.

Pearl glides always have an intense colour payment with deep, dark, rich pigment that once applies simply pops on eyes. The creamy texture applies complete colour on the first pass and a quick second or third pass will add super drama to eyes. The texture is so soft that it glides effortlessly across my lash line without tugging or pulling. I typically get about 8-12 hours of wear with these before any fading occurs.

 

The pencil is wrapped in a solid white shade of colour with little red hearts they are really cute. YOU NEED these. Seriously, the formula is creamy, pigmented, and oh so wonderful to apply.

The best thing about MAC Archie’s Girls product range is that they are bright, fun, and very wearable in daily looks. I will definitely be saving the pennies and purchasing a few other bits, next on my want list is this pencil in Petrol Blue (Veronica) which is a bright navy with pearl. After seeing Adele at the Oscars with gorgeous blue eye liner which looked stunning, it’s definitely a look I want to try out!

Monday Motivator... #7

I found this quote the other day and it put a massive smile on my face! It really puts life in to perspective and thats Mondays can actually be pretty awsome!

How do you store your makeup?

Lately I have seen a number of posts on other blogs all about where and how people stash their makeup and thought id follow suit! Some of the posts I have seen show these amazing work stations and I’m seriously impressed with the organisation these people have! Yes I am jealous! I think I am the most unorganised person you could meet and my storage probably highlights this, but hey ho, it works for me!

I section my make up into three parts. First up is my awesome big dinosaur mug which I purchased from Urban Outfitters and I love it! It stores all my brushes, glosses and liners.

Then in my Lady Bird Books makeup bag (purchased from Amazon) is my creams, eye shadows, blushers etc. The mug and case both contain all my everyday items, so everything else, such as makeup I use on nights out etc, all go into the large woven box.

It’s not as glam and organised as other bloggers but it works for me and suits my style!

Would love to know how you guys store your makeup?

Face Time

My skin can be pretty skank at this time of year. I suffer from eczema, which sometimes flares up on my cheeks resulting in them looking pretty red and / or dry. I can also get some pretty major blemish breakouts on my chin. I went for years only getting one spot flare up when I was due on my period.  That, I could cope with, now? My chin resembles hormonal 15 year olds. Apparently spots on your chin and mouth area mean you’re not vocalising your emotions. I also read that in Chinese medicine it’s a sign your ovaries have gone into over drive. Either way none of this equals a good look!

This also means I have a bit of a nightmare trying to find products that

a)      Don’t make my eczema worse

b)      Doesn’t highlight my dry skin

c)       Cover angry red spots

d)      Doesn’t clog up or look too heavy on my skin

This is no easy task I can tell you! I feel like I have tried every product going.

I now think my prayers have been answered! I went on holiday to New York in January, and whilst browsing in Macys I was chatting to the assistant at the Clinique counter who recommended Clinique’s Age Defence BB Cream.

 

I’ve now been using it for 2 months and I love it! I only like a natural coverage, so am conscious of colour and only use a small amount, but I needn’t have worried with this product. It’s a great match to my skin tone and a little seems to go a long way. It covers evenly and doesn’t feel heavy. It’s also moisturising so doesn’t highlight and dry patches.

 

Clinique Age Defence BB Cream Shade 02

To cover up my break outs I use MAC studio finish concealer, this stuff is like industrial wall paint, it’s awesome! It covers up the red and stays put all day. It applies really nicely and doesn’t look like you’re caked in the stuff. After I apply concealer, I then apply the Clinique BB Cream next to my whole face and these products seem to complement each other well.

 

To sum it up I now get people commenting on what great skin I have which is such a confidence boost! I would love to hear from others with skin problems on what products they would recommend.

A Little Bit of Pretty....

.... on a wet miserable day! I love this time of year as the days are starting to get lighter and the signs of spring are slowly creeping in. I thought I would share with you all my naughty purchase today, a lovely bunch of daffs. Id just finnished work and as I wondered past a flower stall I saw all these fab bright flowers and with this horrible weather, I thought it was lovely way to brighten up the place!