Wednesday 28 June 2017

You Tubers made me buy it

You Tubers made me buy it

I have been watching a lot of You Tube videos lately and from that I have brought a lot of makeup pieces because of them so I thought I would do a write up of what I have brought and what I really think of them.  My favourite You Tubers at the minute are Emily Canham, Just Jodes, Sophdoesnail and Sophie Louise.  All my prices are from the Superdrug website which is where I brought all my items from, I can highly recommend Superdrug as they when I brought my items I got them on special offers and triple points also with health and beauty members get free delivery with no minimum spend.

The first thing I brought was down too Emily Canham, Just Jodes and Sophdoesnails;

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer Fair 1 £3.99

Now I know I am late to the party with this one and so many You Tubers and bloggers have been hyping about this concealer for a very long time and I have got to admit it is worth the hype. I have really dark circles under my eyes that no matter what I do they do not go away so I have to manage them with layers of different concealer’s. The way I use this concealer is in two different ways depending on the amount of makeup I am wearing; if I am doing a full face of makeup with foundation then I use this concealer over the top of my foundation as brightening effect under my eyes, a line down my nose a small patch on my chin and in between my eyebrows and on to my forehead. With this look it looks like I have a natural glow to my skin without looking sweaty or dewy it just looks like I have a natural glow. If I am doing a casual every day to day look without foundation then I use this as the only product on my face as a concealer (obviously) I apply it in the same areas as I do when I have a full face on but this time I just blend it out on to my natural skin to create a beautiful fresh clean skin without the dark circles and a lighter complexion; this is how I use this concealer the most as I don’t always have time to do a full face of makeup every day.

Again the next thing I brought was down to Emily Canham; a lot of my new routine is down to Emily and I love most of them.

Maybelline Age Rewind Eye Concealer Light/brightener £8.99 each

I brought two of this concealer in different shades to try and tackle my dark circles, I find the light is still slightly too dark for my skin to work as a lightening concealer, so what I do is use this under my foundation to take some of the darkness out of that area of my skin. With the brightening concealer I apply this over my foundation to create that glowing and brightening effect around my under eyes. This concealer is just for under eyes and does not work on any other area of skin so I don’t know if I will repurchase this again as at £9 each it’s a lot of work to use both to create one look where I could just use the Collection concealer instead.

Next is a recommendation by Sophie Louise

Make Up Revolution Ice Kiss Highlighter

This highlighter is beautiful; the shade is perfect for my skin tone and I love it so thank you Sophie. I have done a full review of this highlighter as it was so beautiful that it needed lots of pictures and a full description. That can be found here

I have more products waiting to be delivered; once they arrive I will update this post with more products and whether they are worth the hype. Thanks for reading.

Nicola



Thursday 1 June 2017

Morning Routine ft Neutrogena

My Morning Routine ft Neutrogena

I have a great night time routine with Elemis that I have explained before so I thought I would share with you my new morning routine that is easy and fast as in the morning I do not have time to spend on my skin care what with 2 kids to run around after.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gelee Milk Cleanser


This cleanser is the perfect lazy girl cleanser; you do not need water to rinse it off meaning that I keep it by my bed and it takes 2 minutes to apply on a cotton pad. The formulation is lovely it is a cloudy gel that is cooling on tired skin, it removes any dirt or impurities (left over makeup) that has built up over night. At £7.99 it is very affordable and I love the speed in which you can apply it; it leaves my skin feeling soft and awake which makes it perfect for a morning routine. The packaging is in a cool blue tone with a pump that makes is so simple to use, I generally use 2 pumps for my whole face.  There is 2 versions of this cleanser the milk version that I have and a water gel version which look identical but the water gel needs to be rinsed which is not good for me as in the mornings I have so much to do that it needs to be quick. 

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturiser


This is the matching moisturiser to the cleanser I use; it is glycerine based which creates the perfect surface for under makeup as it makes my skin feel softer and plumper. It absorbs really quickly which again makes it perfect for day use, the formula is suppose to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day and slowly release moisture in to your skin. The colour of the moisturiser itself is a cool blue shade that makes me feel summery and matches the outer packaging. At £12.99 it’s not the cheapest drug store moisturiser but I am loving using it in the hot weather the whole routine makes me feel refreshed and cools me down before I apply my makeup . I am hoping that it works all year round but if it is only a spring/ summer formulation I am ok at that price point.



I hope you have enjoyed reading my morning routine


Nicola 

Tuesday 30 May 2017

Beauty bay experience

Beauty Bay experience ft make up geek

I am late to the party when it comes to Beauty Bay; I had never heard of them until 2 -3 months ago when a few of the You Tubers I follow started mentioning it. I am really impressed with the service I have received from them, orders take 2 -3 days to arrive and even get delivered on a Sunday which is amazing. I thought I would show you what I recently brought from them and my ever growing Make Up Geek collection.



First off is the Morphe M441 Pro Firm Blending Crease Brush; this is my first morphe brush and I must say that I really like it. It is really smooth when applying colour I use this for applying an all over colour but you can easily use this for working colour in to your crease and for blending out. If you are limited on space or only want to take one brush for travelling then this brush would be perfect.  As first experiences go this brush definitely makes me want to try out others from the range.

Next is the Z Palette; this palette is a large magnetic palette from their Sunset collection. The large palettes hold 27 eye shadow circle pans (make up geek, mac, etc.).  The colour of this palette is stunning and a really summer colour in the bright blue. Most Z palette you see are black or animal print which isn’t really my style but I love the brightness of this one and that it different from most peoples. The magnet is fantastic; once you put your colour pans in they don’t move which makes them great for travelling or if you are clumsy like me. I had tried the smaller 3 pan holder as I didn’t want to jump in and pay £17.50 for the larger palette but they are worth it, the smaller 3 palette cost me £5.50 and is what I plan on taking away if I am only taking a hand luggage as you can wrap it up safely and place in a shoe. I highly recommend the Z palette and both sizes I have are easy to use and make a great gift for makeup lovers.

Last but definitely not least is the latest colours added to my Makeup Geek collection; I ordered Cocoa Bear and Homecoming. Cocoa Bear is reddish brown that is perfect for blending in your outer corner or in your crease; since this arrived I have used it daily, it adds a warmth to your eye looks that isn’t too harsh on my pale skin and works with so many other colours. If you watch You Tube videos on makeup looks then you will more likely to have seen this shade as it is getting to cult status very quickly. Homecoming a brown toned shimmer shot through gold shimmer, this colour works with all your neutral based looks as it isn't too harsh against the brown colours in your palette. My collection of Make Up Geek shadows is now up to 5 and I love them all. 


Overall I loved using Beauty Bay, it was quick to set up an account, they have a great selection of makeup ranges and delivery is superb. This is the perfect site for any makeup fan.

Thanks for reading


Nicola 

Thursday 25 May 2017

Make up revolution Ice Kiss

Make Up Revolution Ice Kiss Highlighter


The packaging of this highlighter is beautiful; the outer box is in a gold metallic starburst design which is also repeated on the highlighter itself. The pan is in rose gold and I cannot begin to tell you how much I love it. The size of the product is massive for a highlighter it is outstanding, it fills my whole hand and has a mirror on one half that is perfect for using whilst travelling as you can see your full face and where you want to apply the highlight.


The highlight is in a pressed powder form like an eye shadow just in a large style; when I swatched it on to my finger it looked very silvery, but when you apply it to your face there is a shot of gold when the light catches it. In the shade ice kiss you can layer your look very easily, you can make it look very subtle and every day or you can layer to create a dramatic glow. I like to apply highlight only to my cheek bones if I apply it to the areas people normally apply it like on their nose or on their eyes I look like a glittering fairy.



This shade is perfect for my pale skin and I adore the size it will last me a long time and for £5 it is a bargain. I highly recommend this product, I have just brought the other 2 shades that make up revolution have made so look out for the reviews soon.

I first heard about this product from Sophie Louise on You Tube she can be found here.


Thanks for reading


Nicola 

Monday 22 May 2017

Makeup Geek - Frappe, beaches and cream, shimma shimma

Makeup Geek Frappe, Beaches & Cream, Shimma shimma

Makeup Geek is a brand that focuses on teaching videos on how to apply makeup, from this the creator Marlena also has a makeup range that is majorly hyped by beauty bloggers and You tubers alike. The eye shadow collection is huge and selection of colours is varied and has a depth of matte, metallic’s, foils and chromes; all of which come in individual pans that you buy in solo shades to create your own palette and looks. I have loved seeing all the looks people have made on Instagram and Twitter using the makeup geek shadows.

The packaging is very simple; the colours come in card containers that you can clearly see the colour through a small circle window on the front of the card and on the back you have the name on the base of the pan visible. I like how simple it all comes as it means you are not paying for the excess packaging or plastics but the colours are safe and not able to be touched and contaminated before you buy them.


I wanted to start off with 3 shades that I could create a very simple day look that I could add too and use other shades to create more dramatic looks. I chose Beaches and Cream which is a neutral matte beige shade which I use as an all over colour that works as a great base for blending other colours too.

Frappe is a medium brown shade that I use in my crease line and blend slightly on to the lid to create a slightly smoked out brown eye look. This colour is stunning; it is classed on the website as a demi-matte as it has small glitter particles with in it, it does not look like a glitter eye shadow when applied and works perfectly as a crease colour.

Shimma Shimma is metallic cream champagne colour that I apply over my mobile lid and blend out with Frappe to create that smoked out look. I also slightly wetted my brush and added a small amount of the intensified shimma shimma on the centre of my lid. I absolutely loved this look and can easily wear it every day.


I have stored my Makeup Geek eye shadows in a Z Palette; I have never used a Z palette before so went for the smallest option which can hold the 3 shades I brought, the case is amazing and I would highly recommend it. The magnet is strong and holds the shadows in place with no fear of them falling out. It does not have a mirror but the size of mirror that would be able to fit in this palette probably would not be of use as a mirror for applying any way so it is not that big of a loss.

Overall I cannot wait to try more colours and get a larger Z Palette to store them in.

Thanks for reading

Nicola 

Sunday 21 May 2017

MUA matte lipstick haul

MUA – Makeup Academy Matte Lipstick Haul

I have a mini haul of MUA matte lipsticks; I choose 4 different shades from the matte range to give it a fair test. I chose 2 neutral shades called Totally Nude which is the lighter of the 2 neutral shades and Fawn Fancy which is a darker chocolate brown. I also picked 2 brighter colours called Peachy Keen which is a pink/orange shade and Lilac Belle which is a purple shade.

The packaging on the lipsticks isn’t the best; it feels cheap. The plastic is white and silver, from a distance they look great but once you touch them the plastic is flimsy and not nice to touch. At the bottom of the lipstick is a colour sectioned which you can easily identify the shades you own which is great; the strange thing is that this section unscrews and has a well of lipstick within it. I don’t know if this is intentional and to be used with a brush or what but it is very strange and something I have not seen before on other lipsticks I own.

The formulation of the lipstick is odd and I am not a fan of it all; with Lilac Belle and Totally Nude the lipstick drags and pulled at my lips and did not distribute colour evenly or nicely. With Peachy Keen the formula was much better and went on smoothly however the colour balled up on the centre of my lip and would not sit on my lips evenly. The only one I actually loved was Fancy Fawn it went on smoothly; the colour was great and matched the tone it was in the bullet, if I was basing this review just on Fancy Fawn I would recommend them so highly as it is stunning but the other 3 make me think that Fancy Fawn is the odd one out and works for me and the whole range is more like the other 3 shades.

If you are interested in trying the matte MUA range out I picked them up at superdrug for £1 each. I did not have my hopes too high as they are £1 but I have used other MUA lipsticks at the same price which have been fantastic sadly these ones didn’t match up.

Thanks for reading


Nicola 

Thursday 18 May 2017

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream

I have to start off by saying that I love this product, the pot pictured is actually my second pot that I have brought and I think when I brought it; it was a limited edition hence the chrome effect. It normally comes in a frosted white tub I personally prefer the chrome effect pot but either way its the product inside that counts.

The formula is a lot thinner than you would expect for a very intense moisturiser and when I started using marine cream I applied way too much as I could not work out how much I needed but once you get use to the formulation it is amazing. The fragrance is slightly floral; I am not a huge fan of the fragrance I would personally prefer a citrus scent but it isn’t off putting and it is the only down side of the product in my opinion.

The cream sinks in to your skin so quickly and leaves it feeling silky smooth well in to the day; at the moment I only use it in the evening as my skin has some fine lines that appear if I have forgotten to use moisturiser or if I haven’t drunk enough fluids throughout the day. The morning after using marine cream my skin feels smooth and plump; that feeling lasts me well in to the evening and works as a perfect base for my foundations as my skin looks healthy and well looked after.

I am pretty good with my skin care routine as I would rather prevent wrinkles and fine lines than try and tackle them once they are set in. My evening routing currently consists of all Elemis products; I start with pro radiance cream cleanser which removes all my makeup and deeply cleanses my skin, next I move on to soothing apricot toner which neutralisers your skin Ph after water strips it of when washing. Finally apply a thin layer of pro collagen marine cream all over my face but specifically focusing on my forehead, around my eyes and around my mouth.

As for price this cream is not cheap but if you want effects this is the cream for you for a 50ml pot it will cost you £80. But there is a way around this if you wait until Christmas QVC Uk normally do an elemis special set where you can normally get a 30ml pot and lots of other goodies such as cleansers, toners, shower gels, hand creams for around the £40 mark which is incredible and I normally ask friends and family to buy me the sets. I try to get 2 sets as this will last me the year in elemis products.

Thank you for Reading


Nicola 

Essie Urban Jungle

Essie Urban Jungle

I don’t know if I am unlucky or if its just the brand but I really struggle with Essie formulations. I found that the formula for Urban Jungle was thick and dragged; it left a variety of thicknesses as you pulled the brush across your nail leaving a horrible finish. I used 4 coats to create the final effect shown in the picture, it is such a shame as I love this colour especially in the summer when with a tan it looks lovely. The colour itself is the palest of blush pinks almost white, it’s very similar too ‘Hubby for Dessert’ which is a lilac sheer version. If you are willing to put up with the formula the colour truly is lovely I really enjoy wearing the lighter colours on my nails I just wish I could get a good formulation from Essie. Maybe I am comparing it too much to other brands like Ciaté or Leighton Denny but Essie is at the same price point so should stand up against them yet sadly I feel they do not. I have also included a photo of the difference between ‘Hubby for Dessert’ and ‘Urban Jungle’.

My ring is by Gemporia a company specialising in gemstone jewellery; this ring is peridot (green gemstone) and zircon (zircon is the natural gemstone cubic zirconia is based upon). Life is too short to wear fake gemstones in my opinion. 

Thanks for reading

Nicola

x

Tuesday 16 May 2017

Maybelline 24Karat Nudes

Maybelline The 24Karat Nudes

 

I have wanted this eye shadow palette for a long time; the colours looked beautiful and the gold packaging just caught my eye so I had to have it. I got this in a 2 for £10 deal from Superdrug which is a bargain as the palette alone is £11.99 so it is always worth checking out there deals for bargains that you have been eyeing up for a while.

The colours are beautiful and the pigment is great, the bottom row has a stronger pigment when swatched on my arms but the top row is stunning in person and has a subtle sheen. Nearly all the colours are metallic or glitter based which is fine but I personally couldn’t find a crease colour in a mid brown shade; there is a great neutral matte colour that works as an all over base colour and there is a perfect dark brown for shading your outer edge and makes the metallic’s pop. The colours are probably too much for an everyday look but it was so much fun to play with and the metallic green is my favourite colour and I can’t wait to try and create a day look with it, you can easily create layered evening looks with the glitters.

When applying there is a fair amount of fall out on to my face but I personally find that happens a lot with all glitter eye shadows no matter what the brand is. I would definitely purchase another eye shadow palette from Maybelline.

Bye for now

Nicola 

Sunday 14 May 2017

whats in my bag

What’s in my bag?

This is something a bit new from me but I always talk about products that I always use and have on me and I wanted to show you how I store my products in my handbag. Now as most of you know I am a mum; I have a 2 year old little girl and a 5 year old little boy so most of my handbag is over taken with kids stuff. When I say kids stuff there is certain things that are essential to keep on me at all times for instance I have a pouch for nappies and baby wipes, colouring books for both kids just in case we head to a restaurant the kids are entertained also small toys and stickers. I also have 2 bags within bags; the main big pouch has a Harry Potter book, sunglasses, my phone, my purse and a kid’s spoon (you never know when you need a small kid’s spoon) packet of tissues.

The other little pouch is where I keep my essential little things that get lost in my bag normally so I have a small leather pouch that attaches to the outside of my bag which mean I can just pull it and everything is instantly to hand. The things in this bag get changed as and when they run out but are generally the same style of things but I wanted to show you what was currently in there.
First of my essentials is hand sanitizer; when my son was a baby he hated hand dryers in public toilets so hand sanitizer became my best friend. The one currently is Merci Handy black vanilla hand cleansing gel; I got this one in a glossy box and genuinely I love it, it doesn’t have a chemical smell the vanilla is a natural smelling not an overly artificial one. It also does not dry out my hands I highly recommend it. The merci handy hand sanitizer currently retails at £2.90.

Next up is hand cream; I suffer with eczema and having dry split hands is the worst so hand cream is one of those things I use every couple of hours to try and keep on top of it. My current one is by the Body Shop, I love body shop hand creams and have so many in different fragrances that are stored in an empty yankee candle jar on my side so that I don’t lose them or use them all at once, I am being really good at the minute and trying to use only one hand cream at a time. This one is Honey fragranced and it smells amazing, I don’t think it smells specifically of honey but it is definitely a floral/sweet fragrance and I adore it. The body shop hand creams currently retail at £4.

Now lip balms is one of them things that I have so many open at once that I need to have 2 on me at the time as I need to use some up because my jar of lip balms are over flowing. I try to have an SPF lip balm on me so that I can protect mine and the kids lips are protected if the sun decides to make an appearance, my current SPF one is a Malibu watermelon flavour and it is lovely my kids love this one and it is so summery. Next up is a body shop cocoa butter lip care stick, I didn’t like this when I first started using it the fragrance is very odd and I just didn’t like it but the way it made my lips feel was amazing so I persisted and now I love it I don’t think I will repurchase it. The Malibu lip balm I picked up in the pound shop so was £1 bargain in my opinion, they have a lot of different fragrances and I can honestly highly recommend them all. The body shop one was £4.50.

I always have a lipstick on me as I don’t always remember to apply it before I go out so if there is one in my bag it doesn’t matter. The colour I am currently using is by the body shop, it is part of their Colour Crush Shine lipstick collection in a pale pink colour; the colour is lovely but it has a glitter running through it which is fine but when the colour begins to wear off you are left with large glitter particles on your lips. I managed to pick this up in a sale for £2 which is pretty good but if you wanted to it is available on their website for £10 personally I would not pay that for this lipstick.

The last thing that I always have in my little pouch is a carabineer clip full of hair bobbles; putting them on the clip means that they don’t go everywhere in my bag and I can see at a glance how many bobbles I have, I keep normally 3 thick ones, 2 thin ones which I use if I double plait my hair, and 5 or 6 for my little girl who always pulls her bobbles out within 2 minutes of her hair being put up so I always have more for her than me.

I hope you like this post I wanted to share with you my most used items on a day to day basis; it also means as I use things up and add new things I can just link back so you can all see what I am talking about. If you want more pictures of my big bag and the other bits just let me know I just didn't have the time when I started this.

Bye for now


Nicola


Thursday 4 May 2017

W7 Night Glow Highlight and Illuminate

W7 Night Glow highlight and illuminate

I am new to W7 it is one of those brands that I have seen so much of on social media and so many people I love use it but I never got round to buy any so I splurged and brought a haul that I will review as and when  I use and share it with you all.

I have been afraid of highlighters for so long, I am 27 and a mum I do not want to be walking around like a mermaid so have stayed away but I could not resist this colour. If like me you are afraid of highlighters just dive in they are phenomenal but a quick warning do not get this confused with a nail varnish; the bottle and the applicator is exactly the same as a nail varnish applicator so just watch out.

The packaging outside is non offensive the bottle is easy to hold and the applicator I applied on to my hand so I had more control over where I put it on my face if you apply direct on to your face be careful as a little goes a long way. The bottle came in a gold mirrored box with stars which personally I feel isn't needed; the bottle is safe and could be secured with a security tape band. it just feels unnecessary. 

The formula is creamy and in a pastel pink which I think is a safe starter colour that is not too intimidating; it blends out beautifully and does not look to harsh against blushers/ contouring but leaves a beautiful glimmer and sheen on your face. As a first time purchase of W7 I loved it and would definitely recommend this product. I loved it.

Bye for now


Nicola  

Friday 28 April 2017

Etsy loving

Supporting small businesses

I love Etsy; it allows you to support small businesses and artist’s which is something I personally feel is very important. When you support artists you are supporting someone’s passion, desire, need to create something beautiful. Most artists are doing their art in their spare time around other jobs or education so buying items from them helps them in doing what they love full time. I thought I would share some of the things I have brought from Etsy this month:

The first person I brought from this month was Jemma from Dorkface Shop.

I brought a personalised anchor with mine and my husband’s wedding date on it. I found this piece really significant to me and Rob as we love to travel but I have always said that through the roughest of storms he has been my anchor through it all, so to find Jemma’s print was amazing and it is now sat on my travel shelf.  
 
Custom Couples Anchor A4 Print £4.50

Also this month to go on my travel shelf from Jemma I brought her wander often print, when me and Rob go travelling 9 times out of 10 we get lost so to say we travel is a bit of a lie really we wander, get lost, discover new things then try and work our way back to where we are staying so this print also needed to find itself quickly to my home. 

Jemmas prints are very affordable and arrived quickly I highly recommend her work, she can be found here.

Etsy


Twitter


The next person I brought from will not come as a shock for anyone who follows me on twitter or instagram, it was Lauren at Heartsindisneyart.

I buy a lot from Lauren on regular bases, I adore her style and the work she produces is amazing. I nearly always order custom pieces so there is a short delay in receiving orders but I personally don’t find this an issue as I would always rather Lauren produce a piece she is happy with. I generally order every week with at least 3 or 4 pieces in each order. I received a lot this month so here is a small selection of what I got. 
     


I have wanted the Beauty and the beast stained glass window by Lauren for a long time so I am glad it is finally in my collection, I also received a second Rapunzel which is for niece. I use Laurens work all round my house but you will always find a selection on my kid’s art wall in their bedroom.

Laurens work is so affordable with A4 paintings coming in at £10 and her sketches coming in at 2 for £10 I highly recommend you buying her pieces you will never be disappointed and as of  yet she has managed to paint all the crazy ideas we have given her. You can find her here:

Etsy


Twitter


Next up is an item from Lizi at Itslizi

I have brought many things from Lizi in the last couple of months; I have nearly all of her Disney inspired underground station prints as well as a few of her plaques which is what I ordered this time. I ordered the tinker bell plaque this time as that is the nickname of my daughter who when she was born was blond, had big blue eyes and pixie ears. So when I saw the plaque I just had to have it. 




I managed to get this one in the sale at only £3.65 so always check back on people’s Etsy stores to see what bargains you can pick up. Later on in the month I also brought peter pan at the same price, when I saw him I had to have him join our little Tink. Lizi can be found here

Etsy



Twitter



My next purchase was from someone I have never brought from before. The artist is called Martyn Rotherham at Square Orange Art.

I am planning on doing my kids art wall in a Harry Potter/ Fantastic Beasts themed for one of our monthly swap around so I am currently collecting art from different sellers in a variety of styles so I can fill both shelves in the theme. When I saw this version of Hagrid I knew I had to have it for the kids, he is one of my favourite characters in the book and films so needed him as part of the collection. He is done in a watercolour/ splat style which is so different from everything else I already have and feel it will make a great addition once I put the collection together. 


Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid A4 limited edition print £5

As a price point I don’t think you can question whether or not you need this print, it is such a bargain for the size. There are lots of other characters on the Etsy store that are well worth looking at. You can find Martyn’s Etsy store here:

Etsy



To continue with my Harry Potter Wall is a print by Tarnya at Sweet Allure.

I have a love for watercolour paintings/ prints so I have been eyeing up Tarnyas prints for a long time and I am glad to finally own a piece of her work. I went for the A4 size to fit in with my other prints and paintings. This piece cost me £4.50, you can find Tarnyas work here



Etsy



Twitter


I hope you have enjoyed reading about what I have brought this month on etsy, if you feel like supporting other etsy stores my notebooks can be found here.


Bye for now Nicola