June Favourites

Hi Beauts.

It's the end of June! How did that even happen?!! It's be CCCCCCCChristmas again before we know it! Yes I said the C word, sorry!

Here's what I loved in June:

Beauty:

FashionistA blush in New York and bronzer in LA - New York blush is the prettiest pink I own and has a gorgeous sheen to it. The LA bronzer is the perfect shade for me, and is a great transition shade for eyeshadow

Crown C200 - This is the best blending brush I own. It's great for applying shadow to the crease, and even better at blending out harsh lines

Beauty blender dupe - This is the best thing I've ever used to apply my foundation. It gives a full, flawless coverage nd easy and fast application. I have a full review here

Food:

Kingsmill fruit and fibre bagels. I'm a HUGE fan of any bagel, but these bad boys are so yummy.

Ice Cream - Yup that's right. I'm ridiculously addicted to raspberry ripple ice cream lately, I can't bring myself to see how many empty tubs there are.

Music and TV:

Christina Aguilera - Best of me

Olly Murs - Dear Darlin'

Jessie J - Wild

Ron Pope - One grain of sand

Rizzoli and Isles seasons 1 and 2 (currently glued to season 3) - I love police dramas/films/TV shows!

The Fall - It ended on such a cliffhanger! Bring on the next series.

Stacey x

New members of the family

Hi Beauts.

This is a quick, non beauty post to introduce to you two new members of the family......

Everyone meet Fudge and Blackfoot (Mam named him that, not me!)

My sister and I had guinea pigs when we were younger, but unfortunately they got killed by a polecat and we haven't had pets since. It's too sad when they die :(

However my sister bought my niece and nephew two guinea pigs and I fell in love, which led to these two little fur balls tumbling into my life :P 

They're absolutely adoreable, and chatty little buggers haha

Do you have any pets?

Stacey x

All used up in June

Hi Beauts.

Time for another empties post, lets start up with make up products

No7 beautifully matte make up base - This is actually my third tube I think now, and I'm not so sure if I like it anymore. Took me long enough eh? The two I had before this were purchased before No7 repackaged their products, and I think they've changed the formula. This is even more difficult to blend into my skin than the other two, which makes it difficult to use. Repurchase? I already have another tube on the go (I bought them in a 3 for 2) but don't think I'll repurchase after that one. Recommend? No, unfortunately. I just think it's too much hard work to get it to work

Lioele triple the solution BB cream - I adore this BB cream. I have a full review *here* This makes for a great base if you're looking for full coverage on a special occasion, and of corse a great BB cream REPURCHASE? Definitely RECOMMEND? Yes! The little sachets are great if you want to try before you commit to buying a full size tube

Garnier anti dark circles roll on 'Light' - This was a great under eye highlighter rather than a concealer. However I did find it to be an unnecessary step in my make up routine, the collection lasting perfection concealer works as a concealer and highlighter in one for me. REPURCHASE? Yes, if I found it on sale. RECOMMEND? Yup if you feel you need a little extra brightness under your eyes

Soap and Glory It's about prime eye primer in 'Bright light' - I loved this. It's a gorgeous champagne shade and it perfect for lifter pigmentation from shimmery shadows, and the tube lasts ages! REPURCHASE? Definitely. RECOMMEND? Yes

Skin and hair:

Superdrug cucumber facial cleansing wipes - I've had these in an empties post, and will continue to do so. I love them (I think it's more the scent that I love) I use these to remove all of my make up before I use the L'oreal/Bioderma, and then I fully cleanse my face. REPURCHASE? Yes. RECOMMEND? Yup

Skinology tea tree blackhead cleanser - Again another related product and one I love. I think using this has definitely kept my skin clear from any spots. REPURCHASE? Yes RECOMMEND? Yes  

Avon solutions complete balance mattifying toner - I didn't find this helped mattify my skin at all if I'm honest, it did smell great though. REPURCHASE? Maybe RECOMMEND? If you're looking for a regular toner, yes. A mattifying one, no

I love....Calypso dreams body wash - This was the best smelling body wash ve ever used. It was mango, citrus and all kinds of fruit scented, absolutely gorgeous! REPURCHASE? If I can get my hands on it again, I'll be bulk buying! RECOMMEND? If you love anything fruit scented, then yes

Marks and spencer limited collection butterfly perfume - I'm rubbish at trying to describe scents, all I can say is this smells divine and it's something I've bought time and time again. It's definitely on the fruity side, and is the perfect summer scent. REPURCHASE? Yes! RECOMMEND? Yes!

Macadamia natural oil deep repair mask - I got two uses out of this hair mask, and have to say I didn't notice that much of a difference to actually say whether it was great or not. REPURCHASE? I'd probably try a sachet or two out again. RECOMMEND? Yes, I think it's worth trying to see if you like it 

Well that's it for June's empties....July, lets be having ya!!

Stacey x

NYC wishlist

Hi Beauts.

In 9 weeks time, I shall be strutting down fifth avenue, Starbucks in hand and hopefully enjoying the beautiful sunshine in New York City. I honestly can't believe how fast it's coming around, it only feelis like five minutes ago that we were booking up!

I have to admit, one thing I seriously can't wait for is hitting the drugstores and Sephora. No American holiday would be complete without some make up shopping right? 

I've complied a wishlist (which keeps growing by the day) and thought I'd share it with you all. Here we go, sit tight this could take a while :P 

* Wet and Wild palettes:

Comfort Zone

Vanity

Cool as a cucumber

Walking on eggshells 

Petal pusher

* More Wet and Wild:

H20 proof eyeliner in Black

Bronzer in Goddess

Blush in Mellow Wine

Eyeshadows in Brulie and Kitten

* Covergirl:

Clump crusher mascara

3-in-1 Foundation

Flame out mascara

Lashblast mascara

Lipsticks - 

Just peachy

Doll house pink

Don't blink pink

Mauve outta here

* Maybelline: 

Baby lips 

Color whispers

* Milani color statement lipsticks in 

Fruit punch

Rose amour

Rose Hip

High Voltage

Best red

* EOS Lip balm (has to be done)

* Bath and body works hand sanitiser (again, has to be done)

* Tarte Amazonian clay blush in Exposed

* Make up Forever blush in Dark Raspberry

Yeahhhh so I guess I should get saving right?!! 

Have you tried any of the products I've listed, or do you have any recommendations?

Stacey x

Lets do battle...Urban Decay Vs MUA

Hi Beauts.

I'm pretty sure that everyone has either read or watched comparison reviews of the UD naked 2 palette and the MUA undress me too palette. Originally I wanted to write up a blog post too, comparing both. However, I figured that there are so many out there so id do something a little different. 

I've created an eye look, on one eye I have Urban Decay and on the other I have MUA. I used the same colours from both palettes and I think they turned out pretty similar

The colour payoff is a little stronger from Urban Decay but that's to be expected, Urban Decay are famous for the pigmentation in their shadows. Having said that, MUA eyeshadows are amazingly pigmented too especially for the price.

I found them both really easy to blend and didn't really need to pack on the colour. The only shade I had a little trouble with was 'Corrupt' from the MUA palette. The pigmentation wasn't as strong as the other shades in the palette, or  as strong as 'Blackout' from Urban Decay. 

I found the colours in both palettes to be very similar but wouldn't say they were exact dupes, definitely alternative shadows though.

All in all I'd recommend either palette, it just depends if you want to splash out or save. I had to get both because I'm a make up addict and I just can't help myself :P

Do you have either or both? What's your favourite shade?

P.S I'm on bloglovin too (if I can figure out what the heck I'm doing!! haha)

Stacey x 

My favourite No7 products

Hi Beauts.

I've previously posted my favourite Soap and Glory products, E.L.F products and my favourite MUA products. Today I thought I'd share with y'all my top picks from No7. 

Skincare:

* Beautiful skin eye make up remover - £8.50. This is the only eye make up remover that I use now. It's oil based so those of you that don't like having an oily residue left behind won't like this. It removes waterproof mascara and liner in literally one swipe

* Beautiful skin hot cloth cleanser - £9.95. I've tried out the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser before and din't really like it as it broke me out, so I wasn't sure whether I'd like this one. However this has been great and I've been using it every day since I bought it. I've had no break outs and it leaves my skin feeling so smooth and soft, and best of all it removes all of my make up even Benefit 'They're real' mascara!!

Eyes:

* Stay perfect eyeshadow in 'Wheatsheaf' £7.00 - These eyeshadows were the first product I tried from No7, and one that I've continued to buy. They're pigmented, soft and blendable not to mention they last all day. Wheatsheaf is the perfect all over lid shade and looks great on us paler gals

* Stay perfect amazing eyes eyeliner in 'Brown' £6.50 - This is my all tome favourite brown eyeliner. If I ever want to add a little depth or darkness to my look I use this as it's a soft brown as opposed to a deep rich brown. These eyeliners are soft to apply so there's no tugging at the eye area, and are great for smudging along the lower lashline

Face and lips:

* Natural blush in 'Candy pink' £8.00 - This is probably one of my most used blushes, as you can probably tell from the big dent in it. It's the perfect pink, not too light or bright just right (Sorry I had to :p) This is one that will suit all skintones

* Liplicious gloss in 'Marshmallow' (discontinued) - This is a gloss I always go back to, and one that I have two back ups of! This gives off a very slight sheer shade of pink and is really glossy but sticky

Brushes:

* Precision eyeliner brush £7.25 - My favourite eyeliner brush of all time. The size and shape of the tip allow a perfect line and wing

* Smokey eyeliner brush £7.25 - This brush is amazing for smoking out liner or applying eyeshadow along the lower and upper lashline, and is soft enough to not drag the skin

Do you have any faves from No7? I'd love to try some of their other skincare products

Stacey x

Weekends are for shopping.....

Hi Beauts. 

I hope you've all had a fab weekend, it goes way too fast though doesn't it?! I think we need longer weekends and shorter working weeks....never gonna happen though!

I've had a pretty chilled weekend if I'm honest, trying to figure out what things I need for my kit and which looks I want to do for my portfolio. I did, however, manage to squeeze in a little shopping and thought I'd share what I got :) 

Clothes:

Aztec dress from Primark £10.00

Basic white Tshirt from Asda £3.00

Basic salmon strappy vest from Asda £2.00

Basic navy and white striped Tshirt from Asda £4.00

Beauty:

Garnier BB cream for combination to oily skin from Boots £6.99

Fade out cream from Boots £8.19

Beauty blender dupe from eBay 99p

Original source shower gel in Vanilla and Raspberry from Asda 50p

Seaweed clarifying toner from The Bodyshop £1.80

Seaweed mattifying day cream from The Bodyshop £2.40

Mango showergel from The Bodyshop £1.20

The Bodyshop still has 40% off and when you spend over £5.00 you get free delivery! Grab your bargains while you can girls

What have you been up to this weekend? 

Stacey x

Friday Favourites

Hi Beauts.

Each month I do a monthly favourites post, but this past week I've been loving two products A LOT and thought they deserved a little post of their own (as well as my upcoming faves post)

I've been using these two items every single day and think they'll be getting added to my Holy Grail list!

I've recently posted about my customised palette from MUA and one product in particular has amazed me, their bronzer in LA

This is the perfect shade for my skintone, it's matte which I love and it doesn't look muddy which I usually find with other bronzers I've used in the past. I also use this as my transition colour on my eyes, it makes my shadows easier to blend out and adds a little warmth when I use darker shades. If you're a paler gal like me, this could me your Holy Grail bronzer!

I also blogged about my favourite blending brushes and I've been unable to do my make up without this little beauty

The Crown C200 deluxe crease brush. This is the perfect blending brush in my opinion, and is a great partner for my LA bronzer from MUA. It fits nicely into the crease and is so soft that it makes blending out harsh lines so easy. Absolutely another product that you need in your collection.

Have there been any products that you've been loving this past week?

Stacey x 

2True 3-in-1 concealer in Light

Hi Beauts.

I'm afraid this I'm going to be a bit of a negative Nancy in this post and talk about a product I didn't really like. I personally think that negative reviews are just as helpful as positive reviews, and enjoy reading them just the same.

One of my favourite YouTubers is MissBudgetBeauty. I think her reviews and opinions are honest and down to earth, so when she says she loves a product it usually is a great product. Unfortunately I didn't feel the love this time. I watched Khila rave about the 2True 3-in-1 concealer and it sounded great so I went out to buy myself one.

I picked up shade 1 to use under my eyes because this concealer claimed to diffuse, correct and reflect light, sounds perfect for under the eyes right? Nope, I didn't find this to do any of the above.

Firstly the consistency was very thin and watery which meant that the coverage was sheer and not at all build-able. Not what I look for in a concealer. And secondly, it was difficult to blend in because of the consistency. The more I blended, the more it disappeared until I was left with almost no product. When I attempted to build this is it ended caking up and not looking so pretty. 

I didn't exactly break the bank when I bought this considering it was only £1.99, however I was disappointed because I had such high hopes and heard such a great review about it. But as we all say, what works for one person doesn't always work for someone else

I think I'll stick to my Collection lasting perfection concealer from now on, sorry 2True.

The Nitty Gritty

* Price - £1.99 (Or 3 for £5.00 )

* Product - 7ml

* Available from - Superdrug

* Very thin and watery consistency

* Sheer

* Little to no coverage

* Does cake up

Have you tried this?

Stacey x

Peacock eyes

Hi Beauts.

I was playing about yesterday with some eyeshadows, as you do, and ended up doing a kind of peacock inspired look so I thought I'd share it with you. I'm all for bright colours no matter what the season and this is  a pretty wearable colourful look that I think anyone could pull off.

First things first prime those peepers. I just used the MUA eyeshadow primer all over my lid. Next, taking a matte light brown (I used shade 3 from MUA Undress me palette) apply this into the crease with a fluffy blending brush. This will work as a transition colour, will help the other shadows to blend and will warm the look up.

Choose your favourite green shadow (I used shade 7 from MUA's single shadow range) and apply this all over your lid. Taking the fluffy blending brush you used to apply the light brown, blend away any harsh lines.

Next, take a blue/aqua/turquoise shadow (I used shade 8 from MUA) and a liner or small angled brush and run this along your lower lashline, as close to the lashes as possible.

Last for shadow is highlight. Apply a shimmery champagne colour to your tearduct area and browbone (I used MUA shade 1)

To finish off the look, take your gel or liquid liner and create a winged effect, and run a white or skintone pencil along your waterline to help open up your eyes

And that is the finished look. What do you think? What are your favourite shades for summer?

Stacey x

Revlon Lip butters

Hi Beauts.

A while back I got requested (by Confessions of a makeupaholic ) to do a little post on the new Revlon lip butter that I picked up in Red Velvet. So my lovelies here is said post :)

I have another lip butter in Berry Smoothie so I thought I'd chuck that into the mix too and do a little comparison, because I find both formulas to be slightly different

Berry Smoothie is the more glossy of the two and probably the more wearable if you're one for a nice wearable every day shade.

Red velvet, in my opinion, is more matte and more of a lipstick than a gloss/balm. This is SO pigmented and I find it a little more difficult to apply than Berry Smoothie as it's a little drier.

Because these are a glossy balm (more Berry Smoothie than Red Velvet) I assumed that they'd give a nice wash of colour and maybe last around an hour or so. Well I was wrong. They're pigmented, glossy and last almost all day! The glossiness does wear off but leaves behind a nice amount of even colour, and they aren't drying at all. I'm not sure about the lighter shades, many people say that they aren't very pigmented and can be patchy, but these two are great.

The Revlon Lip Butters are definitely on to have in your collection, I shall certainly be adding more shades!

The lowdown

Price: £7.99

Shades: 21

Available from: Boots, Superdrug and some Tesco stores

Pigmented

Very moisturising

Glossy finish (some more than others)

Long lasting

What are your favourite shades?

Stacey x

MUA and FashionistA join forces

Hi Beauts.

Today's post is a bit of a haul, review and rave all rolled into one. Recently MUA have taken over the brand FashionistA and are now selling their stock on the MUA website. I've spotted FashionistA before in Superdrug and actually have three blushes from them, so when I found out that MUA were now selling them I had to place an order

When FashionistA were sold in Superdrug, I'm pretty sure the deal was you could fill a palette with four blushes/bronzers/eyeshadows for £10.00 or £12.00. MUA are currently holding the same deal for £7.00! Helloooo bargain. I'm not sure how long this offer stands so grab yours while the offer is on!

I picked a red quad (there's also a palette with 6 slots), a matte bronzer in LA, a baked bronzer in Barcelona, a matte berry blush in Blushing and a baked blush in New York

These palettes are great, especially for travelling. All you do is choose four products: Choose from eyeshadow, blush and bronzer, and then arrange them in your very own palette.

Each palette on its own is £2.00 (regular price £5.00) (£3.00 for the 6 palette - regular price £6.00) and the single eyeshadows/blushes/bronzers are £1.65 (regular price £4.00) So to fill a palette with the £7.00 deal MUA currently have, you're saving yourself some pennys!

The blushes and bronzers I chose are SUPER pigmented, and the matte bronzer -  LA is perfect if you have pale skin like I do. Barcelona is definitely more of a highlight, and it looks really pretty as an eyeshadow too. I thought that the baked New York blush would be pretty shimmery but it isn't at all. It's a really nice pink shade with a slight sheen. And last but not least is Blushing. An absolutely gorgeous berry shade that will suit everyone.

I'm so happy with the shades that I bought, I definitely recommend checking them out!

Have you created your own palette yet? What are your favourite shades?

Stacey x

My favourite face brushes

Hi Beauts.

If you've already had a peek at my 'Favourite blending brushes' post then you'll know that I'm bit of a brush hoarder. I thought I'd do a bit of a follow up post and share which face brushes I love to use.

First up, Foundation:

Beauty blender dupe 99p. Not a brush buy my new favourite tool to use to apply my foundation. A full review is up, all I'll say is that highly recommend giving this a go

Real Techniques expert face brush £9.99. This was my favourite brush for applying my foundation before I discovered the Beauty blender (I still use this a lot) This helps give great coverage, a flawless finish and is even great for applying concealer too. 

Powder:

e.l.f Powder brush £3.75. This is my holy grail powder brush. I just find that this picks up enough product and I prefer to pat on my powder as opposed to swirling it on. I also find that this works great for applying foundation too

Cheeks:

Real Techniques Stippling brush £11.99. This was my first brush from RT and I loved applying my foundation with it. Then I discovered the Expert face brush and changed up my brushes. Now, I use this for either applying cream blush as it gives an even coverage and flawless look, or I use it to apply contour powder because I find it's a great size and shape

MAC 168 £26.00.This was actually a gift, I could never spend £26.00 on a brush even though I love it. I prefer applying my blush with an angled brush because I think it gives a nice definition to my face and gives an even coverage

Avon Angled brush £7.00. Another angled brush this time for highlighting my cheekbones. I like using this for highlighter because it fits perfectly along my cheekbones and picks up the right amount of product

What are your favourite face brushes to use? Does anyone know of any dupes for the MAC 109? I really want to give it a try but would rather find a cheaper alternative

Stacey x

My favourite Soap and Glory products

Hi Beauts.

Time for another favourites post, this time Soap and Glory. This is one of my favourite skincare brands on the highstreet, their products smell amazing and leave my skin so soft and moisturised. 

A lot if people consider soap and Glory to be on the pricey side, but when you work out how much product you're getting for your money it works out almost the same as any other brand.

Without further ado, here are my faves:

It's about prime eye primer £8.00

I love this primer, especially for wearing shimmery shadows. It's a shimmery champagne shade and kind of reminds me of MAC's Bare study paint pot

Lid stuff in 'What's nude?' £10.00

This is the perfect neutrals palette and great for travelling. The shades will suit everyone and this quad consists of a matte cream colour highlight, a perfect shade for transition and the choice of a medium tone matte brown and a shimmery taupe shade. Each shadow is smooth to apply, super pigmented and very easily blended

Hand food £5.00 

This is one of my all time favourite hand creams. Apart from the fact that it smells amazing, it is so moisturising and sinks in pretty quickly

Righteous butter £10.50

This is a thick, moisturising body butter that has the gorgeous well know Soap and Glory scent. It isn't greasy at all and soaks in pretty quickly, leaving your skin still feeling moisturised the next day

Smoothie star £10.00 

I wasn't sure that id like this at first because it doesn't have the Soap and Glory smell, which is pretty much what first attracted me to the brand. However, this smells good enough to eat! It smells of vanilla and cookies, and just yumminess! This is, again, a thick body moisturiser not as thick as the righteous butter but just as moisturising

Clean on me £5.50 

This is the first thing I ever bought from Soap and Glory and what got me addicted (I need to repurchase pronto) Again it has the typical S&G scent but what I love most is that it also contains moisturiser so it cleanses and moisturises in one, so if you're feeling lazy (like I usually do) there's no need to moisturise

Scrub of your life £7.00

I've never really been one for body scrubs because ones I've used in the past have been quite harsh. However the particles in this scrub are quite small, so it doesn't feel like I'm scraping my skin off...always a plus right? 

Well that's it folks. What are your favourites? I'm always on the lookout for new things to try

Stacey x

Beauty blender dupe

Hi Beauts.

A popular make up tool that everyone has or wants is the Beauty bender. I for one definitely wanted to get my hands on one, and whilst in Selfridges I almost bought one. However my thoughts pretty much went along the lines of ' £13.00 for a make up sponge?! Nee chance' So I held off, and I'm so glad that I did because I found a little dupe on eBay for 99p

I can't compare this to the original beauty blender as I don't have one, but I can tell you that this gives a flawless finish, even coverage and allows me to use less foundation than I would with a brush. 

All you have to do is run this little beauty under the tap then squeeze out the water. The beauty blender will then expand and you're ready to start applying your foundation. I like to apply dots of foundation all over my face then start to bounce it into my skin rather than pour a blob on the back of my hand. I just find this allows me to get all of my face without missing any patches.

Because of its shape, the more pointed end makes it easy to apply and blend foundation/concealer under the eyes and around the nose so you don't need a separate concealer brush. 

The only downfall with this is that it stains after one use, I've used brush cleaner and baby shampoo and those stains ain't budging. However for 99p who am I to complain?!

If you've been after the Beauty blender I'd say give this a go first, I promise you won't be disappointed

Stacey x

My favourite blending brushes

Hi Beauts.

Some girls like to collect shoes and others, bags. Me? I like to collect make up brushes. I don't intentionally buy loads and then keep adding to my collection, I just have a little bit of an obsession....Just a teeny tiny one.

Anyway a girl can never have too many brushes really can she? One type of brush that I seem to have a fair few of is the blending brush. Harsh lines are a big no no for me so having a blending brush or 10 is essential. Today I wanted to share with you all my favourites. 

Let's start with the more expensive first:

MAC  217 £17.00. This is a great brush for both blending and applying colour to the outer corner and crease (mine got stained from a bright purple eyeshadow! *sad face*)

S.B.C Contour brush £6.00. I actually got this in my brush set for college and it's the only one I use. It''s supposed to be for contouring (the eyeball) but I find it too big and fluffy so I use it for blending.

Emily 224 £3.19. This is supposed to be a dupe for the MAC 224, but I don't have the MAC brush so can't compare the two. This is larger and more dense than the MAC 217, so I find this is great for blending out the crease and applying a transition colour

Crown  C200 Deluxe crease £3.19. This is of a similar shape to the Emily 224, however this one is a little softer and fluffier which makes it perfect for blending

Crown C139 Stiff tapered crease brush £3.09. Again another dupe for the MAC 224 but unlike the Emily 224, this is softer, fluffier and smaller. I like using this to apply colour to my crease as well as using it for blending

Crown C218 Blending fluff brush £2.69. This is the largest and probably the fluffiest of the bunch. It's a similar shape to the S.B.C only smaller, and again this is great for blending out harsh lines and for applying a wash of colour all over the lid

I love using all of these brushes but if I had to choose tow, I'd have to pick the MAC 217 because I'm able to apply shadow to the outer corner and blend, and the Crown C200 because for me this is the best blending brush out of the above.

What are your favourites? 

Stacey x