Medusa's Makeup Review

 I was first recommended Medusa's Makeup by a friend of a friend and after some research and being enticed by all the pretty colours i decided to give it a shot. I purchased the Makeup Artist start up kit as it seemed to be the best value for money option at $75 plus shipping from the US, all in all i paid around £55. The set included 12 of their Electro Eye Shadows, a 6 piece brush set, eye primer and eyeliner seal. I'd just shelled out for a couple of Smashbox pieces and this seemed like and OK deal to me. 


The first plus note about this brand is that my package was sent as a 'gift' which meant i didn't have any import fee's to pay. It was securely packed in a thick envelope and bubble wrapped quite tightly. I think it took about two weeks for delivery.

The Electro Eye Shadows:

They come in simple but a tad flimsy black casing and are around the size of the regular Mac shadows. Originally i was in love with these, the colours i started using were extremely well pigmented and applied pretty. When i got around to testing all of these around half of them were a little bit of a let down, the casing was broken on two of them and they were not easy to work with and were extremely less pigmented than the others! I will however still be using the Blue, Black, Green and White shades as these are probably the best out of the lot. The only slightly annoying note was when wearing the blue on a night out there was some slight glitter fall out on my lashes which was incredibly annoying whenever the light hit it. I used UDPP and will probably give these another shot using their own primer.

6 Piece Brush Set:

I have to say i do quite like these. They come in a plastic case with the brush information on the back and have the names of the brush printed on each one. I bought large brush set from Fraulein (which i will get round to reviewing eventually) and i find myself reaching for the Medusa brushes for my eyes much more often. The bristles are soft and I've had no fallout from any of them which is beaut. Unfortunately the fluff brush did fall apart on about the third use, whether this was from the postage or poor manufacturing i do not know. I will be gluing it back together until i find a superior brush though.

I haven't got round to using the primer and eyeliner seal yet due to not really liking the packaging as it looked and felt a little cheap and i love my Primer Potion. 

A BIG letdown was when i tried to contact Medusa's Makeup to inform them about the broken shadows and brush i got no response. I wasn't looking for a refund and was more than polite in my emails. To be perfectly honest i probably won't be purchasing from them again for a few reasons. The cheap packaging is a real turn off for me and so is the non existent customer service. Had i not been dazzled by the colours i probably would of realised that for a relatively unknown brand £55 is a lot of money on a gamble. The products are really hit and miss and the hits are not exactly bulls eyes. I've heard good things about their Eye Dusts but in my opinion if you're not from the US you are much better off buying some Barry M Dazzle Dusts or a few Sleek Palettes you'd probably end up with more products you like for your money!

Thanks for reading! <3

Makeup Storage

As my makeup collection is vastly growing i've found myself looking into different storage options. I've looked at a lot of Youtube videos on it and sadly not found any decent UK storage videos as all the US ones seem to have cheap and cute options at places like the container store and Wallmart and sadly i can't get those here in the UK. Here are a few things i've purchased or am looking to buy for storage. :)


Whsmith do some cute and affordable stationary boxes that can double up as Makeup boxes. I was a very happy bunny when i checked in my local store as they had a sale on storage drawers and picked myself up a hot pink set for £6.80 which is a bargaintastic price! I couldn't find the exact box i bought online but here are a couple of similar boxes. I'd recommend if you live near a Whsmith to have a look in store and see if you can pick up any bargains!

Polka Dot 3 Drawer Set

 Laura Ashley Large Multi Drawer

On the slightly more expensive side I purchased a portable Beauty Box from Beauty-Boxes.com. I'd spent a lot of time researching for a cosmetics box but was finding it extremely difficult to find one under £50 that had a flat bottom compartment. There are a lot of cheaper cosmetics cases available online but i found nearly ALL of them had sectioned compartments on the bottom which means i would of had to carry my brushes and palettes around separately and with me being as clumsy as i am that was a no no. This case is sturdy and lockable (great if you want to keep other peoples mitts off your makeup!) and has two tiers of different sized compartments on each side perfect for storing all kinds of hair/beauty/makeup items! They also come in a few cute colour selections if you you're not a fan of pink.

 Lastly i've seen online that Ikea do some slightly less attractive but pretty practical drawers that would be perfect for storage! I've not purchased this yet because to be honest i'd have an excuse to fill it with more makeup if i did! But i'd be something i'd look into in the future as it is only around £20.

These come in three different colours white, red and silver and you can see these online here.

Thanks for reading and i'd also like to say a big thanks to my new followers you make me feel a little bit less silly for writing all of this! Also if anyone has any other cute and affordable storage ideas please let me know :)

<3

NYX Haul Part 1

  

A few weeks or so ago i purchased a nice little haul of NYX products from both Cherry Culture and Ebay. I’ve only managed to test out a few of the products so far. Although NYX UK did inform me that Cherry Culture apparently should no longer be shipping NYX to the UK since they are supposed to be the only UK distributor. To be honest i will probably not be paying NYX UK prices as it is considerably cheaper to order from the US. If CC do stop shipping to the UK i will probably end up buying from Ebay. The Glitterati Palette i ordered cost me $10 when it is £20 from the UK store so you get my point.

                            

Smokey eye kit: I’ve been eyeing up the Benefit Smokin’ Eyes for quite some time now and i really just cant justify paying £28.50 for that little product in a cardboard case! I came across this on Cherry Culture for $8… Bargain! The shipping for the little lot i ordered was about $15 i think but i did buy two palettes and a few of their Jumbo pencils.

Its got 10 lovely neutral shades perfect for a smokey eye look. First off i couldnt work out whether i loved the texture of these shadows, they are very silky but there is quite a bit of fall out when you use them. I'll try them out with a couple of different brushes to see if that makes a difference. These are very easy to blend but again i’m unsure about the texture. They are fairly pigmented and the end result with them is pretty nice. Overall i think this product is a very good buy for the price. These little sets come in about 10 different variations for different eye colours and looks too which is a cute little bonus.

Jumbo eye pencils: I purchased three of these babies! Black Bean, Cherry Red and Rocky Mountain Green. They are on sale at Cherry Culture for around $3.50 but you can also get them from Ebay from multiple sellers for a couple of pound each. Apart from swatching I’ve only really got round to trying the black one. They are very large and apart from lining my water line i use a slant brush to apply these because I’ve not got the steadiest of hands! Black Bean has a slight oil like texture which i actually really like. As for staying power I’ll have to update this on that! They are a really good buy for lining or using as an eyeshadow base which again I’ll have to try and test for creasing! I've just placed another order for the Milk shade in this pencil purely to use as a base.

I have quite a few other Nyx products including a glitter palette and 6 lipsticks to use and review which i'll do as soon as possible.

These can all be purchased from either Cherry Culture, Ebay or Nyx UK and are definitely worth a try :)

<3

 

Products i couldnt live without

There are a few products i use on a daily basis and really couldn't live without. I have seen a lot of videos and blog posts on this subject so i thought I'd post my own :)
(In no particular order)

Tigi Superstar Queen For A Day Thickening Spray:
This product is a beaut! I have quite thin and extremely flat hair and this completely solves this problem! It adds much needed volume and makes my hair easier to work with when back brushing or styling. I'm really not sure how i managed before this! Love it!

Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner:

 Liquid liner is my go to lazy option for makeup. Up until recently I'd probably use a very similar liquid liner look for all my nights out! Lately I'm trying to be a little more adventurous but still i absolutely love this product! I do get a little smudging at the outer corner of my eyes when its hot by the end of the night and sometimes touching up when my hands arnt the steadiest is a pain in the ass but this is definitely my all time favourite liquid liner.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil - Zero:
I really need to purchase this again! I lost this item about a month ago and the Bad Gal liner i've been using just doesn't cut it. This pencil is beautifully pigment and lasts a hella long time on the eyes! A cheaper alternative to this would probably be Rimmels kohl liner but i shall definitely be getting my hands on one of these babies again soon!  

Lush - Skin Drink:
I've spoken about this product in an earlier post so wont go into detail. It's my favourite moisturiser and is great for my skin type!

Simple Soothing Cleanser and Toner:
I got these as a gift for Christmas in a little set and only really got round to trying them a month or two ago. Like with all lower end facial skin care brands I'm a little skeptical (brand snob i know!). I'd been using a Gatineu cleanser and toner for SO long i just didn't really want to use anything else. The products are lovely for the price (around £3 each) and are gentle on the skin. When feeling the pinch I'll definitely be picking these up instead of my Gatineu! I just cant live without a good cleanser or toner!

L'oreal Million Lashes:
I got a couple of these as a gift and it is a very good mascara! I've got quite a few mascaras in my collection and was previously a Bad Lash addict but i seem to be reaching for this one almost every day. The downside is that it's L'oreal and knowing about their stance on animal testing will make me have a big think before repurchasing it. But this is a fabulous mascara and if you don't have any quarrels with animal testing you should check it out. :)

Mac Studio Fix Foundation:
I've only had this a couple of months but has been one of the products when routing in friends makeup bags I've had a go with quite often. I love it! I wouldn't apply this with the applicator it comes with unless i need really heavy coverage. I use this to set my foundation with a powder brush and it gives a lovely finish!

Blistex:
Boring i know! But i think this stuff is wonderful. Perfect for dry/chapped lips! Not much else to say on it really!








I wish i could add more colour but honestly its generally something I'm just experiment with more at the moment! I have jumped on the Orgasm bandwagon with Nars blush and am loving that currently too! There is also a lot of Elf products i'm surprisingly liking and using more regularly. More reviews and so on coming soon!

Also if you have a blog and do a similar post let me know, its great to see what everyone else loves!


xx

Soap & Glory "The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel" review.

Up until recently I'd been a bit skeptical about using Soap and Glory facial products. I have dry/sensitive skin and have had to be very careful in the past with what products i use on my face. I've owned S&G products before such as their body butters and Breakfast Scrub (which smells almost edible!) which i love, but nothing from their facial range.

I first heard about this product through a friend who'd purchased it. I suffer from blackheads all over my nose which as much as i love squeezing spots does get rather tiresome. So i tried some of her little pot sat in front of the telly watching girly movies! To my surprise the pores on my nose were visibly smaller and the blackheads were much easier to remove. I'm not claiming this a miracle product as my blackheads did not completely disappear but there was a really noticeable reduction.

The product itself has a minty smell to it and has small blue beads which dissolve as you apply the product. Overall i would really recommend this to anyone looking to help with pore and blackhead problem areas.





It's available in stores and online at boots.com and is currently £4.77 for 50ml! Bargain!

Thanks for reading guys :)

Elf Brush Review

 Over the last month I have purchased quite a few Elf products. I got a little carried away since they often have promotions such as free postage and 20% off. Most of the products are either £1.50 or £3.50 for the better quality 'Studio' range of products. There are a few exceptions with some of their kits, palettes and brushes being slightly more expensive but nothing bank breaking. I was at first a little skeptical about Elf mainly because of how insanely cheap things are but after reading reviews online decided to do a bit of a haul! 

A lot of the products in my opinion are hit or miss and I will be doing reviews on all the products I purchased when i get a decent camera for swatches and so on. For now I'll just review the few brushes I bought since these can be done without :)

Elf Studio Kabuki Face Brush: On first glance I was a little disappointed with the brush as there was a large scratch on the base of it. I did email Elf and they were very quick to resolve the problem by giving me a partial refund. I got this originally as a gift for my Mum but decided to keep it for myself as I liked the brush and shall buy her another one soon. I was actually quite surprised as I found this brush did not shed at all! Although I haven't had a chance to wash it yet so I'll soon see then. To be picky it isn't as dense as I would of liked it to be but its not bad. Priced at £5 its a steal for a Kabuki brush perfect for any sort of powder. Overall for the price I give this a big thumbs up.

 

Elf Studio Powder Brush: I really love this brush! Mainly because its one of the very few brushes I have purchased that hasn't broken on first use. Its soft, sturdy, densely packed and again had absolutely no shedding. It's probably my favourite brush at the moment. I've been using to apply my Studio fix and any sort of blush. It's priced at £3.50 so again extremely cheap. I've been using a Smashbox brush for quite a long time now and I'll definitely be reaching for this more. Love it!

Elf Studio Complexion Brush: Its not really as dense as i would like it to be and is a little bit flimsy! This brush did shed slightly but not a large amount. I don't really have any luck when it comes to buying brushes and was yet another brush I purchased that was wobbly and can see it coming apart in the near future. It's and OK brush in my opinion but with the two other face brushes I purchased I can't really see myself reaching for it too often. Again its priced at £3.50 but I'd suggest looking at other reviews for it since I know a lot of people have got on well with it, I guess it's just not one of my favourites.

All of these products can be purchased from www.eyeslipsface.co.uk.

Keep an eye out on their facebook as they often have promotions running http://www.facebook.com/elfcosmeticsUK

I will be updating my reviews on all the other products I got very soon!

Thanks for reading!

My favourite summer fragrance

I've got to say this has been my favourite summery fragrance for years and years. Its one of those perfumes I've just never got sick of!

Clinique describe it as:
'A hint of citrus. A wealth of flowers. A mix of emotions. A chic, modern, multi-layered floral fragrance with sparking Ruby Red Grapefruit, Boysenberry Bush Flower, and Hawaiian Wedding Flower. Fresh, bright, soft and sensual.'

Its cheesy to say but Happy does make me happy! I really can't say how much i love it! Although its very sweet which probably isn't for everyone. <3

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

I had been hearing a lot online about how good Laura Mercier foundation is so I decided to go check it out since we have a counter in the John Lewis near me. Other than online I'd not really known much about the brand. I was recommended this product by the saleswoman on the counter due to having quite dry skin and not needing a lot of coverage. It has a SPF 20 which is great since I'm awful at remembering to put sun screen on, not that I'm going to need it all that often.

After trying it out a few times I really do love this product. Its really hydrating on my skin and leaves a dewy finish which is great for summer. It does stay put for quite a long time on my face too. The downside to this product is the coverage. Although I don’t need a whole lot of coverage most of the time I do like to have it. It does look lovely but there a few small broken capillaries on my cheeks that it just doesn't cover, but to be honest thats just me being very picky. I will probably use this as my day time foundation over the summer and see how i get on with it. It’s also very pricey at £33 a tube for 40ml.

Basically if you’re looking for a very light coverage tinted moisturiser for the summer to give you that fresh faced look i really recommend this product. I can’t wait for pay day to go grab the Silk Creme foundation. :)

This is available in selected stores and online on the John Lewis website.