You say you feel all hollow, and you know it's cause you are

Elliot Smith - Between The Bars

Drink up with me now and forget all about
the pressure of days, do what i say
and i'll make you okay, and drive them away
the images stuck in your head
of people you've been
that you don't want around anymore

Drink up one more time, and i'll make you mine
keep you apart, deep in my heart
seperate from the rest, where i like you best

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPD-a1FjUtU&feature=BFp&list=PLF43AD3A9A00470A5&index=18

Never underestimate your power to change yourself

Motivation gets you started,habit keeps you going

Wish List!

I have to write lists for everything... To Do, To Buy etcccc. (it's usually To Buy really), this is what's on my wish list at the moment, it will no doubt be updated...

- Myface Lipliners - recommended by Lulu (and the strawberry fields lipstick looks good)
- Prestige liquid eyeliner - I used to have a blue one and it was really good, and I need a new black one :)
- NYC liquid liner - recommended by Emilynoel83
- Body shop honey and oat mask- recommended by DulceCandy
- Palmers Cocoa Butter formula lip balm - love the smell of this range and need a lip balm:)
- Elf complexion brush, for overall bronzer and powder
- Elf Cream eyeshadow in Bronzed
- Elf conditioning balm in Nice and Natural!
- Eco tools retractable Kabuki, or bronzer brush
- Elf HD powder
- Bare escentuals Faux Tan
- No 7 lipliner in Nude - created by Lisa Elridge
- No 7 stay perfect eye mousse in Vanilla
- Benefit That Gal - mine ran out ages ago and i've wanted it ever since
- Pen pots for my makeup brushes, the large ELF one looks pretty handy. (still reforming my makeup storage/collection and want it to look pretty!) i also want a pretty box of tissues... sad i know 

 

Benefit vs Mememe and 2true!

So with Glamour magazine this month they were giving away minature High Beam, Benetint and Posie Tint (as i previously mentioned), which yes i was a little excited about... Last year when they came out with Eye Bright, Bad Gal Liner and It stick concealer in FULL SIZE i got them all and eye bright has been a staple in my makeup ever since. I didn't get posie tint as i already tried it and didn't really need it.

Everyone loves these 'cult' products... High Beam is creamy and gives a dewy finish, which I really like, and Benetint is a rosy colour which i wear on my cheeks, but can be also used a lip stain.

Although the quality is good they are pretty expensive and don't think I'd buy the full size ones. Mememe, which is a low end brand sold in Superdrug do amaaazing dupes and are over half the price, and the quality is also good. The two shades are reminiscent of Moon Beam (a golden glow) and High Beam! If i was Benefit i'd be pissed off.

2true, also a cheap brand in Superdrug do a lip and cheek stain which is comparable to Benetint, and only £2! AND they do a pink one just like Posie Tint! When I run out of the miniature benefit products I will definitely reach for these, or save the small versions for travelling :)



May Favourite Products...

Products I've bought and liked in May... went for cheaper stuff this time! :)

1) Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - this stuff is ace, only £3.99 and good coverage. Definite new favourite...

2) 2true natural powder bronzer - saw this mentioned on Pixiwoo, it's matte and only 2 quid so i thought why not, I find it hard to get matte bronzers cheap so this was nice - little on the orange side for me but still can look natural.

3) Body Shop Vitamin E facial mist - Use this before foundation, as a sort of primer. I really wanted Mac Fix + for the same thing but i guess this is a cheaper alternative... My skin is fairly dry and i like it to be super moisturised before i start as it applies much better. I can see myself using this a light moisturiser in summer too!

4) Mememe illuminators - will do a seperate post on these

5) No 7 Eyeshadow and Contour Brush - I use this for concealer, it's good for blending under the eye. It's synthetic and works perfectly for concealer, it looks like it should be a concealer brush really, but I know my friend uses it for eyeshadow, versatile!

xxx

Urban Decay Naked Palette

As a bit of an UD palette fanatic, I hadddd to get this, there was a lot of hype about it and there still is! It was a better investment than i realised, it's about £32 and comes with a mini original primer potion, and a double ended eyeliner (zero - black which comes with most of the palettes and whiskey - deep brown) and 12 eyeshadows, shimmer, glitter AND matte! I'm really glad they included the matte eyeshadows as I often find urban decay shadows too glittery, and wish they'd add some more! Some of the shades are ones you'll have seen in loads of other palettes and part of their permanent range (Half Baked, Sin, Smog, Sidecar) but they had five new exclusive shades. The first one 'Virgin' is my favourite, is perfect for the inner corner of the eye and highlighting brow bone, it has just the right amount of shimmer. A pet hate of mine is pure white eyeshadow packed with shimmer and glitter used on the inner corner so I love this (and dreading when it runs out). I often use the the two matte shades as an everyday quick basic eyeshadow.

Combinations i like  - Sin and Darkhorse, Naked and Buck, Toasted - on it's own or with Hustle as contour, Hustle reminds me of Mac 100 Strokes but with less of a purple tone.

I've never really heard many complaints about this palette, apart from the price (which is actually a good deal for what you get) and people who aren't a fan of all the shimmer, but that's just Urban Decay :)

Laura Mercier Mineral Illuminating Powder...

Loose shimmer powder, I have it in the shade 'Starlight', which is a pale gold, but they also do 'Candlelight' which is pink toned. I didn't use this product for a while but love it now, it's up to you what you do with it as it's really versatile... I started off using it as a highlight on the cheekbones but now mix it with a loose powder which gives a really nice finish as the shimmer particles are super fine and soft - it doesn't add colour just gives a glow and radiance, which being extremely pale like me is refreshing! I've also used it as a wash of eyeshadow if i'm in a rush which is also nice, or as a body shimmer in summer. It's expensive... but you get a lot of product, i can't imagine myself ever finishing it as I use it very sparingly, and use gradually - too much makes you shimmer, instead of 'glowing' (i think using a fluffy powder brush is better than a blush brush as the powder might become too concentrated, and look noticeable). 

Starlight

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick!

These lipsticks are known for being super creamy and moisturising and i agree the texture is impressive!  They're £18 each, which is usually over what people would pay for a lipstick...

Pink Parfait 161 - When i swatched this, i instantly hated it. It's a frosted/shimmery pink, and is fairly dark. On, however, it's more brightening than dark and the shimmer isn't AS noticeable with a light hand, so significantly less scary! 

Bois De Rose 118 - This is my favourite out of my collection, it's a pink rose with brown. The picture here makes it look much darker than it is but it is highly pigmented and a strong colour, especially on me, yet definitely still wearable like all the pure colour lipsticks. I'm looking forward to autumn and winter to wear this.

Rose Tea 117- Veryyy similar to Bois De Rose and also a creme, but more rose and neutral, i can imagine this looking good on anyone! Love it:)

Beige 112 - This is a shimmer and is pretty much what the name says. Not a huge fan of shimmers but the shimmer here does seem to add to the lipstick and I like it. It isn't particularly spectacular so I wouldn't say it's worth the money.

Crystal Baby 301 - There's definitely a lot of hype about this shade, it's a nude pink and seems even creamier than the rest of the colours. It's a perfect colour and a lot of people it's like their lip colour but better, the shine it gives is really nice and makes any look polished. Doesn't last very long, and is apparently very hard to find! I have about three so feel a bit greedy here... but worth looking for!:)

The Doors - Hello I Love You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzM71scYw0M

E.L.F Cosmetics - Brushes...

Most my brushes are from the studio line, I reallyyy rate them and i love the design of them too, not that it matters to me but it's a bonus, and all £3.50! :) I have a few from 'dollar' line, but generally the quality isn't as impressive as the studio...

1) Blush Brush - Wasn't so sure on this brush at first, it's a lot smaller than most blush brushes and i thought it wouldn't blend the blusher creating two small circles of blush! I figured i'd use it for serious contouring, but after a while found I love it for blush, contour and highlighter! It's perfect for cheekbones

2) Small Precision Brush - I remember watching a review on this brush that rated it highly (so of course I bought it!) but didn't really live up to expectations. Too big for eyeliner and is stiff.  I do however like it for applying gel eyeliner on the upper waterline/rim of the eye, seems right for that, and can be handy for shadow under the eye but it's not really necessary

3) Small Angled Brush - love it for eyebrows! always use it, it's not as stiff as most angled brushes so it's not good for eyeliner

4) Angled Foundation Brush - This is a typical foundation brush, I like the size though many people complain it's too small. In my opinion it's small enough for difficult areas but big enough for it not to take hours!

5) Fan Brush - Good if you're looking for a cheap fan brush, i've used it for highly pigmented blusher (Nars Exhibit A, doesn't get much more pigmented) and now usually use it for a sweep of highlighter or to get rid of fallout.

6) Stipple Brush - It's not very dense for foundation but i still use it regularly, worth it rather than paying for Mac etc

7) Powder Brush - LOVE this brush, it's so velvety. It's flat top so is really smooth on your powder, I like it for buffing liquid foundation if you use a light hand too, and I've even started using it for all over bronzer

8) Professional Eye Shadow Brush (£1.50 line!) - Really didn't like this brush initially but i find myself reaching for it more often just for packing on colour, some hairs are longer than others on mine but worth it :) 

9) Professional Concealer Brush (£1.50 line) - awful, don't know what they were thinking! way too small, really stiff and scratchy.  I've only used it for outlining lips/eyebrows in concealer if i want to them to be more defined but still.. shit

10) Blending Eye Brush (£1.50) - This is fairly soft actually but too dense and stiff really, I use it for heavy duty blending such as blending an eyeliner base or black eyeshadow, or cream eyeshadows and I find it's very useful for that!

11) Defining Eye Brush (1.50) - This is an angled eyeshadow brush, it's very thin and I never use it but could be good for small eyes

12) Angled Eyeliner Brush - This too is a fairly recent addition to elf, i loved it at first but the end has splayed slightly making it harder for a really thin tapered flick, or to do anything really. I prefer stiff eyeliner brushes, the angle doesn't really help either 

To Buy: Complexion Brush, Kabuki Brush, Studio 'C' brush, Brow/lash brush

best.song.ever

My heart is broke

An I have some glue

Help me inhale
And mend it with you
We'll float around
And hang out on clouds
Then we'll come down

And have a hangover

Benefit free gift in Glamour magazine!

Heads up for 9th of June - Glamour giving away travel sized Benetint, Posietint, and High Beam with their magazine.. (yes, I am planning on buying 20!)
xxx

Lush Lip Scrub..!

This was a product I wanted for aaaages, and it didn't disappoint:

I got it in the flavour 'Sweet Lips'  (Vanilla and Chocolate) but there are two other permanent flavours, bubblegum and mint julips (mint chocolate).
Basically oil to hydrate and sugar to exfoliate! You can make one yourself with a tiny bit of regular cooking oil and sugar BUT this one tastes way better believe me, which i'd say is worth considering seen as though you lick it off! it's in a small screw top pot which is super handy (and minimal mess) for just having with you and it does what it's meant to! It's £4.75 and it lasts agessss as not much is needed each time.

Definite recommendation, even if you find you only occasionally suffer from chapped lips it's worth having in for winter, or i find it really handy for using before lipstick, especially nude or a stain/matte! It really softens and smooths your lips:)
 Go go go! -> http://www.lush.co.uk/index.php

Urban Decay Primer Potion - Sin, Original and Eden :)

Okay so every makeup/beauty related blog etc will probably have a review on this 'cult' product, because everyone loves it! I just got it in 'Sin' as it's one of my all time FAVOURITE shadows so this seemed like a good first post:)

It's a very light, champagne pink pretty colour, with just the right level of shimmer. It's not as versatile as the original simply because it has shimmer, but blends well and I know a lot of people like it as a cream eyeshadow as it's fairly thick, which I often do when in a rush!! It also is great under shimmery eye shadows to make them pop! My Mum disliked this product and regretted buying it so try it out first, the shimmer isn't for everyone unfortunately...

There is a huge difference between the regular primer potion and Eden, it's a much thicker consistency and more pigmented, like a creamy concealer (which some people use it as!) It's yellow toned which i really liked but may be too yellow for some skin tones.
I would definitely recommend opting for this when using matte shadows (or any others really) same quality as the original but minus the slight dewy sheen it has :)

Yet to try Greed (the latest edition of a pale gold primer that's recently been released in the full size bottle) but will update if i get the chance! and be warned, depot your primers that are still in the potion bottle as there is so much left, or opt for the new squeezy tube packaging! finally! :D