Lipstick fridays

Todays lipstick is a new addition to my collection courtesy of the fantastic Mission Me giveaway.

Yay - I won and and I chose the beautiful Angel lipstick by Mac. Thank you so much to Mission Me for this - you should all check out her blog its fab.

Angel is described as a soft pink and when applied to the lips is a really pretty, soft, pinky rose colour. Its really creamy and it doesnt contain any shimmer at all - I think it would look really great if you were going for dark smokey eyes and paler lips. Mac is one of my favourite brands right now and the lipsticks are just amazing - they are very wearable, not sticky at all and smell amazing !

Mac Angel is a steal at £13.50 and can be purchased from Mac online.

Thanks again to Mission Me for my fantastic prize.

Whats your favourite Mac lipstick ?

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

Illamasqua

Hi Lovelies

Today I wanted to tell you about some purchases I made online.

I love doing a spot of online shopping, I love it even more when the postman delivers your online shopping - I do get very excited when opening my goodies. Todays goodies are from Illamasqua, so here we go.

Pure Pigment Furore

Illamaqua's Pure Pigment in Furore can be purchased for £15.50 from their online store. It is described as a metallic, high-shine, pure-colour powder that can be used to highlight the eyes, cheeks or brows. You can use this on its own or you can mix this with shadow or blusher. This is a really versatile champagne peach shimmer, its really pretty when just used on its own over the eye area and when applied this lasted all day. I was really pleased with this pigment - normally you do experience a bit of quite a bit of fall out with them but surprisingly I didnt really find that as much with Furore - there was some but not a huge amount. You hardly need to use any to achieve excellent coverage so thats probably why. The texture was lovely and I found that when I used it wet it just seemed gorgeously creamy. Furore is a multi tasker and also looks really nice over the decollete area.

Powdered Metal Erzule

This was a sale bargain for £10 but it can still be purchased on the website for £22.50, which to be honest is quite pricey for what you get, I dont think that I would have purchased this at full price. I must admit when I first opened it I got a bit of a shock as the powder looks quite dark and Im quite fair, but this will look great on my hols though when Ive got a bit of a sun tan - it blends nicely and you can achieve a subtle shimmer or build the powder up to achieve a more metallic finish. Powdered Metal has an amazing creamy soft texture and is really nice to use, again I would probably be thinking about using this over my decollete, shoulders and the tops of my arms and maybe my legs to give my skin a lovely dewy sheen, it looks fantastic as a blusher and if your feeling adventurous you can mix this with Illamasqua's sealing gel to create metallic designs on the body and face.

Illamasqua Masquara - Raven

Before Masquara

After Masquara

Masquara can be purchased from the online website for £15.00 - I was really excited about this as I had heard some great things about it, but Im sorry Illamasqua but this one just doesnt hit the spot for me - I was expecting amazing things from this mascara but after two coats I dont think my lashes look all that different. They look a bit more defined but thats about it. It is nice to apply and has a nice thick brush but I dont feel like it delivers on the "wonderbra-like effect" as promised on the website. Now Im not saying that I totally hate this mascara - I actually quite like it but I just dont think that it "dramatises lashes to extremes". 

Has any one else tried this ? I would love to hear what you guys think of it.

 We all have our favourites dont we?

 To be honest I think its all Benefits fault as I recently got hooked on their Are They Real mascara - when Im wearing that mascara every single person I have spoken to has commented on my lashes and I think thats what I was expecting from this.

Overall I was over the moon with the Furore pigment its definately a re-purchase when it runs out, I think that you could definately achieve the same effect with a cheaper bronzer/shimmer powder as you can achieve with the powdered metal and if your looking for nice defined lashes then by all means give Masquara a go but dont expect to get that false lash look.

I purchased all of my items from Illamasqua online.

 http://www.illamasqua.com/

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

January Amarya Box

Im a bit late with this post - so I'll keep it short.

Ive been meaning to blog about this for a couple of weeks but other things just seem to keep popping up ! Oooops ! Anyway better late than never and I didnt want to miss a month so here is my review of the January Amarya Beauty Box.

One thing I will say was I panicked when I seen the size of the box but when I opened it I just thought WOW ! For £10 and no extra fee for postage I received a full size Dr Haushcka Rose Day Cream which was one of my hero products for 2011 and is retailed at £19.99. I am absolutely in love with this day cream - my skin seems to look brighter and healthier when Im using it and someone even told me my skin was glowing the other day - result!

I also received 5ml of John Masters jojoba and ginseng exfoliating face cleanser - its got a nice refreshing smell and is said to stimulate the circulation and restore vibrancy whilst reoxygenating and nourishing the skin. Its a gentle exfoliator so you dont feel like your scrubbing away the surface of the skin and I managed to squeeze two exfoliating treatments out of the 5ml. The tester wont really tempt me to buy this though as I am hooked on my Elemis Skin Buff.

I also received 3ml of the Caudalie Day Perfecting Fluid - You use this in the morning and it has the added bonus of containing an SPF 15.  The fluid is an oil-free moisturiser which is said to help regenerate the skin and give it a radiant glow. It also helps to smooth out lines, minimise pores and reduce dark spots. This had a lovely fresh smell and I found that it definately gave my skin a little bit of a glow, but I dont know if Id be tempted to buy the full size of this or not as I felt like I just covered up any of the benefits of it when I put my makeup on.

Overall I really liked the January box it was fantastic value for money.

Anyone thinking about subscribing to a beauty box should definately give Amarya a try.

Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes ?

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

Easy at home manicure

I love to look after my hands and nails and Im always giving myself little manicures, its one of my favourite things to do on a Sunday. I find this one of the most relaxing treatments to give clients and I always think you feel a little bit better about yourself when you have nicely manicured hands. If you love going to the salon for manicures it is still important to do some maintenance at home so this 10 step manicure will help keep your hands and nails in beautiful condition between visits.

However if you have never experienced a salon manicure then you should definately try one but I know its not always easy to stretch our budget that far so my little diy manicure when help get your hands and nails in tip top condition.

 I would recommend that you do this once a week and in a few weeks I will show you how to give yourself a luxury manicure in which you can include exfoliation, a hot oil treatment and hand mask to really soften and moisturise your mitts !

Another good tip to get your nails in great condition is to apply a cuticle oil or cuticle cream every evening before you go to bed. My absolute favourites are CND Solar Oil and Qtica's Cuticle Balm.

To get prepared for your mani I find the best thing to do is to find yourself some space at a table, gather together everything you need then sit down then pop on some of your favourite music. If your feeling extra indulgent a glass of vino would also go down a treat xx

Illamasqua - Stagnate

Things you will need

A bowl filled with warm soapy water (pop in a dash of any gentle hand wash)

Towels

Any acetone free nail polish remover

Cotton wool

An emery board (a crystal file is great as its really gentle)

Nail buffer - I have one which has three surfaces one to buff, one to smooth and one to shine.

Cuticle Oil or Cuticle Cream (Olive oil is great as its really nourishing)

Cuticle Remover - Sally Hansen do a great one

Cuticle pusher (always use one with a cushioned end or wrap the end of a wooden orange stick with some cotton wool)

Cuticle Nippers

Base Coat/Polish/Topcoat or Nail Treatment

Step 1

Remove any polish with an acetone free nail polish remover and gently file all your nails

Step 2

Gently buff your nails using step 1 of your buffer - buffing helps to ease out ridges, increases circulation and the flow of nutrients to the nail.

Step 3

Working on one hand at a time take some cuticle oil or cuticle cream and massage into each cuticle then the hand soak in the warm soapy water for five minutes.

Step 4  

Dry off your hand then apply a tiny amount of cuticle remover to each cuticle and leave for a few minutes to work.

Step 5

Take your cuticle pusher and gently push back each cuticle. I never trim my cuticles with the cuticle nipper I only ever use this to remove any excess skin. Over trimming could end up causing you to bleed or get an infection. Clean your hand off in the bowl of water to remove excess cuticle remover - you dont want this hanging about on your skin for too long.

Now repeat steps 4 & 5 on the other hand.

Step 6

Take some cotton wool dipped in polish remover and clean off each nail.

Step 7 

Use stages 2 & 3 of your buffer to smooth and shine - I find doing this always helps my polish last longer - before applying any polish I always finish off my washing my hands to make sure Ive got rid residue of anything which might be left on the nails and hands.

Step 8

You can apply your nail treatment or polish and remember if your applying polish to always use a base coat as this stops your nails from yellowing and creates a smooth surface for the polish.

Step 9

Leave your polish to dry for a couple of minutes and apply your top coat which will help prevent chipping.

Step 10

Once the polish is dry take some hand lotion and apply to each cuticle and over your hands to help moisturise and add some more shine to your manicure.

Voila !

Perfect nails and hands to flash to all your friends.

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

Friday Night Nails

Woo hoo

Wonders will never cease !

I am actually on time with my Friday night nails this week.

This Friday evening I am wearing another nail polish from the OPI designer series.

Temptation - this is a beautiful stunning purple which has purple/majenta tone and duo chrome flecks of silver,majenta, blue and purple.

I cant fault this polish or OPI in general for that matter - I always achieve an excellent finish with any of the colours I use although I think I may prefer Magic over Temptation.

What do you guys think ?

This finish was achieved with three coats of polish.

What are you wearing on your nails this Friday night ?

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

‘

 

Lipstick Fridays

Hi Lovelies

As from today I am starting a new weekly post called Lipstick Fridays. Its a novel way of showing you my lipstick collection plus it means that I will use every single one of my lipsticks instead of reaching for the same one all the time (Mac Hue by the way).

Each week I will feature a different lipstick - this could be never ending as my collection seems to be growing by the day ! Note to self - I must stop buying lipsticks!

This weeks lippy is Estee Lauder Pure Colour in Rose Tea. This lipstick is gorgeous, its a great all round colour, very versatile and would suit most outfit choices.

The pure colour lipsticks are enriched with apricot kernel, shea butter and murumuru butter which all help moisturise your lips and keep them soft.  This lipstick is amazing to apply, it goes on smoothly and your lips really do feel like they have had an infusion of moisture.

I am so fussy with lipsticks and lipglosses because I dont like anything sticky, I prefer to feel like Im not wearing anything at all and this lipstick delivers on that.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour retails at £16.50 and can be bought from http://www.esteelauder.co.uk/index.tmpl

Very pretty indeed

The packaging is a little different on mine as I got this as part of Estee Lauder's Christmas offer.

What is your favourite lipstick of the moment ?

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx

Origins Super Spot Remover

I have combination skin and I am always looking for products which will help me combat this. I dont usually get spots that often but when I do they seem slow to appear then they tend to set up camp and stay there for a couple of weeks !

I have had one persistent little blighter on my cheek which has been bothering me so I decided to invest in some Origins Super Spot Remover.

This miracle spot remover contains Salicylic Acid which helps to slough the dead skin cells. There is also skin calming Red Algae and Caffeine which relieves the redness you can experience from spots and Origin's anti-spot technology helps correct any darkening of the skin.

I applied this at night time before I went to bed - I used a cotton bud to gently dab the liquid on to the spot. I would always recommend that you do this when dealing with spots as you dont want spread the infection and although everyone does I would always say dont squeeze them however tempting it may be - you dont want to end up damaging your skin skin or ending up with more spots !

The product does smell quite strong but then I always seem to think that spot removers should what with all the ingredients they contain for spot busting.

It didnt really sting when I applied it but I think that if you had a newer spot then it might sting a little - It really is simple to use.

Go to sleep and voila !

My spot literally seems to have disappeared over night !

I have to say I was quite sceptical about this product but my spot which has been bothering me for weeks has gone !! Hooray !!

I dont think that I would use this on acne prone skin as with acne I definately think you should see your doctor or dermatologist, but if you only get the occassional spot here and there then I would definately give it a try. Origins say that its ok to apply this two or three times a day but I only needed to apply this once.

You can purchase Origins Super Spot Remover for £12 from Origins Online and for your money you receive a 10ml/3fl oz bottle which is a little pricey but you only need a tiny amount so the bottle should last a while.

So get spot busting with Origins Super Spot Remover.

Do you have any favourite spot busting products ?

With Love

Lipstick Fridays

xx