Blackheads begone!

I thought I'd do a little bit of a different post here as you may be a little tired of eyeshadow swatches, sorry I'm an addict!

Blackheads have been an annoying problem for me for quite some time and although I've never managed to completely rid my face of them I've had a good try! There are a ton of products on the market claiming to remove blackheads and refine pores but I've not found many that work. Here are a couple of products that i find work for me, I'm not claiming they are gunna miraculously clear up the problem, but they definitely help!



These are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I LOVE squeezing spots... odd i know but it runs in the family. Me, my Mother and Sister will all fight at the sight of a ripe blackhead. You might think that's a bit rank but we can't help it. There is something extremely satisfy about getting a decent blackhead or spot out and I'm not ashamed to say it! Even other peoples if they are willing! But there are some limits, i obviously wouldn't ask a random person to squeeze their face but if good friends have them i will (or I'll definitely be thinking about it!). 

Getting to the point. I've tried a ton of pore strips in the past and not really had much luck with them and I've found these bad boys work the best! And having a good old look at what they get out for me makes them even more amazing. At £1.80 for six they are extremely affordable and work like a dream.

Soap and Glory - The Fab Pore Facial Peel
 
"Soap & Glory The Fab Pore™ 15 Minute Facial Peel 50ml has an intensive pore refining action with our exclusive PORESHRINK-R COMPLEX. Ideal for greasy, spot prone or problem skin, or for a strategic attack on a misbehaving T-Zone."

I generally use this after a strip and find it really helps to minimise pore size. It's obviously not going to completely close them but it does a good job trying.
It's priced at £7.15 for 50ml as has lasted me quite a long time already. Keep an eye out in Boots stores or online for them as they have 3 for 2 offers frequently

Do you have any products you swear by when it comes to blackheads? Let me know!

xx

TKB Trading Haul & Swatches

I've been on a little bit of an indie spree this month and this was the first package that arrived, eee exciting stuff! Before now I've stuck to mostly big named brands and until recently hadn't really heard much about indie cosmetics companies. So i did a little research and found a few that took my fancy! TKB Trading, Fyrinnae and Beauty From The Earth where the three that caught my attention.

TKB Trading is a wholesale company which a lot of mineral cosmetics company order their micas in bulk from and create their own shades. This was all news to me so i did a little search for reviews online. TKB Trading sell sample pigments for $1.50 and you get a tablespoons (yes, a TABLESPOONS!) worth of product, which is probably more than enough to keep you stocked for years if they are just for personal use. Some of the more expensive pigments like their "Travel To" range are a teaspoons worth for the same price but that's still a lot of product. They have a minimum order of about $15 which if you take into account that they are a wholesale business that is not a lot of money.

The pigment samples come in large baggies which could be a bit of a pain in the ass when it comes to applying them so i bought quite a few of their 5g jars to keep them in, and at $1.65 for 4 they don't break the bank. You could probably fill at least 8 jars per sample so i had a ton of product left over. They have a massive selection of micas, glitters, jars and other products for sale so trying to pick out the ones i wanted was a little tricky, i have no self control.

There is a slight downside with these is that they are not "ready to use" pigments as such, without a base these are not going to last. They do not have the additives that eye shadows and pigments have to make them hold, but using a good base underneath will solve this problem! I swatched these using a small layer of NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Milk to get an even colour.

 Grape Parfait - True Coral - Twilight Green - Pink Red Blue - Sapphire

 True Green - Rouge Flambe Red - Verdegris Gold - Emerald - Hilite Gold

Travel To Earth - Antique Silver - Brilliant Glitter Red - Mermaid's Gold - Cyrus Green

My camera really does not do most of these micas justice. TBK describes Travel To Earth as "an iridescent gold green which shifts to golden rose." and it has to be one of my favourites, i just wish my camera would pick up the beauty of it! I love golds and greens and these are definitely some of my new favourites!

Shipping to the UK is $14 and is shipped priority so i received my package in just 8 days which was brilliant! Although they do not "gift" items which means you may pay customs charges, although i was lucky enough to miss those somehow!

You can buy these and many more online here on the TKB Trading website!

I'm looking forward to getting the rest of my indie goodies through the post soon! And hopefully getting some FOTD's done with these beauties!

Thanks for reading guys.

<3

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

Hello I'm Katie and I'm a palette addict.

Everyone has their favourite things and mine is definitely palettes. Over the last year I've picked up quite a few and this is absolutely one of the most exciting ones! There was a lot of anticipation with this one since UD didn't really give us a release date here in the UK no matter how much i pestered their facebook page. But out of the blue one day i had some missed calls from Miss Jane telling me they had these in stock where she lived..... WHAT?! *frantic rush into town to Debenhams* So i got my hands on one, yay! My frantic rushing was a little over the top since they still have a ton in stock almost three weeks later... But never mind. Onto the shadows!

What makes this palette special is that it has 15 brand new shades it, no repeats! And the packaging is stunning, once you're finished with the shadows you can remove that layer and use the container as a very pretty jewelry box. Priced slightly higher than the regular UD palettes at £39 i really do think it's worth every penny.

Midnight Rodeo - Midnight 15 - Vanilla - Flow - Chase

Tainted - Junkshow - Omen - Evidence - Deep End

Deeper - M.I.A - Ace - Blackout - Half Truth

With a mixture of neutrals and brights this is a very versatile palette and I'm glad i managed to get my hands on it!


This is limited edition but is still in stock on the Debenhams website here.

Or check in your local store but I'd try and snag one of these quick before they go!

xox

Sleek - Monaco Palette

Ello again guys! 

I've been meaning to post this one for a while so thought I'd pop this post up while you can still buy the palette. Recently I've been rediscovering my love for Sleek and have picked up the slightly over the top grand total of 4 new palettes lately (i even had to stop myself buying a second Curacao the other day because i love it so much!). I've been using them nearly every day and had a lot of fun being more creative with shadow!

As you'll see below i do think the matte shades are a little weaker than the rest but there are some gorgeous stand out shades in this, especially for me Kiwi Zest! I'll be getting a lot of use out of these palettes year round as I'm not one to stick to certain colours for the seasons, what a rebel :p

Bamboo - Aquamarine - Midnight Garden - Sunset - Washed Ashore - Magenta Madness

 Summer Breeze - Sand Walker - Kiwi Zest - Lotus Flower - Humming Bird - Moors Treasure

I've said it before but i do think these rival a lot of high end brands and are probably some of my new favourite shadows. They are soft, creamy, blendable and super affordable i really don't think theres really much to complain about! Sleek release limited edition palettes regularly and this can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. Having new options frequently at this price is a great thing in my opinion, unlike other brands i don't find myself lusting after the new collections but worrying about my bank balance.

These aren't available on the Sleek website anymore (Argh!)
But you can still probably find them in some Superdrug stores, just get them to open the drawers below the display. My local one had quite a few hidden under there!

Are you excited for future Sleek collections?
I know i am!

xx

FOTD - Pink Burst

Hey guys!

So this past week I've been  battling with my PC which has been a nightmare! I've not been able to post everything i wanted to so i thought I'd do a quick FOTD. Having the besties round the other day was a great chance for me to experiment with makeup and looks I'd generally not go for, i loved this one so much i thought I'd share it!

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Sleek Curacao Palette (You can tell I've been loving this one!)
Rimmel Exaggerate Liner
Maybelline Falsies Mascara

Lips:
Mac's Pink Burst Lipstick

Face:
Skin79 Hot Pink BB Cream
E.l.f HD Powder
Benefit's Bella Bamba

It's very simple but not something I'd of dared before! But lately I'm starting to rediscover a love for purples and pinks.

I shall hopefully have my PC back in full working order soon! *fingers crossed* And get some of the reviews I've been dying to post done.

Hope you liked it and thanks for reading!
Link me any of your FOTD posts in comments.

xx

Sleek - Pout Paints

The world and it's wife have been posting about Sleek Pout Paints but as they've been one of the most exciting things I've purchased lately i just had to jump on the bandwagon. OCC lip tars have been in their own category for some time and the beauty world has been needing a high street equivalent and here they are! Coming in 11 shades designed for mixing the colours you can make are endless. So i made an extra trip into town to my nearest Superdrug store to pick a few up. Being on a slight spending ban i only opted for three but Superdrug has a 3 for 2 offer on these at the moment which made me feel a little less guilty.

Pin Up, Pinkini and Cloud Nine were the ones the caught my attention. Although the first thing i noticed was the size, they are a little on the small size but when you think about the amount of product you need to use this wasn't an issue for me. I'm a little on the shy side when it comes to opaque lip colour so these were a big jump for me. Not being the most adventurous i picked the ones i thought were the most wearable on their own and toned down with Cloud Nine. I've not managed to get my hands on Lip Tars yet so i can't really compare but these are by the far the most pigmented products i have ever tried, and the smallest amount goes a long way!

Top - Cloud Nine - Pinkini - Pin Up

If you're a fan of Lip Tars or strong lip colours i highly recommend giving these a shot!

These are available online here on the Sleek website and in any Superdrug store that stocks Sleek. Priced at £4.99 each these are a steal!

Thanks for reading guys.

xx

Urban Decay Book of Shadows III

If you're thinking this is an odd post you might be happy to know there is actually method in my madness! Urban Decay released there Book of Shadows III last year i believe, but to my delight Debenhams have recently started selling them again. I found it on a random check for the 15th anniversary palette and it was definitely a great surprise! I missed this palette the first time round and I'm ecstatic that i managed to get my hands on this now. If you're considering getting this I'd definitely advise you to get this sooner rather than later because no one knows how long this will actually be on sale for.

Firstly the packaging... it's pretty impractical but i love it! It's gotta be some of the cutest packaging I've ever seen.The top part of the palette has an open up lid that has a super cute pop up scene of New York with adorable lighting behind it. It is pretty bulky so not something you can throw in you're handbag but if you're like me and are sucker for packaging you'll love this.

Value for money wise i think this is actually fantastic, not only do you get 16 eye shadows but two mini 24/7 eyeliners and a mini primer potion. The eyeliners were the biggest selling point for me as I've been meaning to pick up Zero for quite some time now, it's simply the best black eyeliner I've ever used. Loaded and Kush shades where the second selling point for me, I'm slightly obsessed with green eye shadows and having those two gorgeous shades to clash with my hair was just the cherry on top of the cake.

Now for the swatches!

(I'm not used to having nails so accidentally took a chunk out of Uzi, *sobs*)

How gorgeous is Kush?! If i wasn't excited enough about this palette when i got it swatching just multiplied my excitement, i can't wait to try these out.

As i mentioned above the palette comes with two mini 24/7 eyeliners in Zero and Ransom. I'm not a big purple person but I'm certainly going to be having a play around with Ransom and Psychedelic sister as this was the most eye catching shades to me. I've not been let down with any of these shades so far, the colours are stunning and the pigmentation and texture is awesome but i really wouldn't expect any less from Urban Decay.

I originally wasn't going to blog about this as it's been done to death in the past but i thought it was a great chance to let some UK'ers know that they could still get their hands on this! Overall i think this is a wonderful palette and would make a great gift or just be an extremely pretty piece of your collection.


These are currently available online only at Debenhams website for £32.

 And as far as I'm aware was the only palette that didn't see a slight increase in price this week, as the Naked Palette went from £32 to £35 which i thought was odd.

Anyways, thanks for reading lovelies.

xx

Sigma Synthetic Face Kit Review

Hello m'lovelies! I've been meaning to do this post all week and now i have some time off work (yay!) I've been able to get round to it. These are probably one of my favourite beauty purchases ever, so i thought I'd do a review and let you all know why!

I've had my eye on some Sigma goodies for quite some time but I've been a little cautious due to not wanting to wait a long time for them to arrive and not wanting to pay customs fee's. I eventually couldn't resist any longer and decided on buying the Synthetic Face Kit as it was at the top of my wishlist! Using the cheapest shipping to my surprise they arrived in just a week with no evil customs charges. I was ecstatic! And to top if off they come in a remarkably cute blue pouch with instructions and details of the brushes. In total these came to about £30, that's including the fast, low cost shipping!

Here's what Sigma say about these:

"F80 - Flat Top Kabuki

The F80 Flat Top Kabuki brush is perfect for applying and blending liquid, cream, and powder products onto the skin. The flat surface allows perfect buffing with flawless results. Features synthetic Sigmax HD fibers.

F82 - Round Top Kabuki

The F82 Round Top Kabuki brush simplifies precise makeup application under the eyes and around the nose. This brush is also perfect for achieving flawless coverage using liquid and powder products. Features synthetic Sigmax HD fibers.

F84 - Angled Top Kabuki

The F84 Angled Top Kabuki brush is the perfect brush for precise, yet blended application of products on the cheeks. It seamlessly applies cream, powder and liquid products. Features synthetic Sigmax HD fibers."

The F80 has been a new favourite in my daily routine, using it to apply liquid foundation mainly my Skin79 BB cream and it's made me love that product even more! It leaves all my uneven skin tone covered beautifully without feeling like I've got a layer of foundation on, giving a flawless finish. I've been using it for a good few weeks now and I've had literally no shedding even after washing them a few times, the bristles have stayed in shape and are super soft. I'm absolutely in love with this brush.

The F82 and F84 haven't gotten as much use as i would like so far as my routine has been a little boring as I've done little else but go to work the last few weeks. So I'm determined to have a good play with these soon. Again they have both stayed soft and in shape but I've had a little shedding with the F84, but i mean under 10 hairs which i really can't complain about.

Everyone loves a free gift and this one was definitely not to be sniffed at. Every purchase on the Sigma website over $30 receives a free E25 blending brush, and like the F80 this has managed to work its way into my daily routine and given me an excuse to place another order to get a few more! Although it did shed quite a bit initially and has splayed out ever so slightly this is a fantastic blending brush in my opinion. Although I'm only used to the E.l.f ones so I'm not sure how much my opinion is worth on the subject! :P

All in all i think this set is fabulous and well worth looking at if you're looking to invest in some good quality brushes. Always look out for promotion codes when purchasing anything off the Sigma website as there are generally a few 10% off codes flying around at any given time.

This set can be purchased off the Sigma website for $42 + Shipping here.

Let me know through comments if you guys have any reviews on Sigma brushes as I'd love to read them!

xx

July Favourites

Welcome to my first ever favourites post! This month I've been loving SO many products it was hard to take it down to just a few. So here's what I've been adoring for the month of July!

Sleek Curacao Palette - This is something i purchased on a whim, luckily i love it! I've been playing around with different bright colours in the last week or two mainly using this to do it. My last post was actually a review on this if you want to know more about it.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Okay... I know everyone's probably sick of hearing about this palette by now. I've never really been a neutral girl until i started using this. Every shade is absolutely stunning and wearable and i don't know how i lived without it (a bit dramatic but you get my point). Half Baked is probably my all time favourite colour from this. I'll shh now because unless you've been living under a rock you've heard all this a million times.

E.l.f High Definition Powder - I've never really been into translucent powders before getting this. I have a little bit of an E.l.f obsession, although i ony really like probably half of their products i have the urge to make an order every time they have a good sale on. I just can't help myself. This really does make my face look and feel silky smooth, I'd definitely recommend checking it out!

Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study - On my lazy days with makeup i will just pop this all over the lid with some liquid liner and I'm good to go. It's a gorgeous pearly nude shade that makes my eyeliner stick ALL day.

Skin79 Super Plus BB Cream - This is probably my HG item. Apart from when i go for a night out i wear this every day. I even mix my Double Wear with this when i do go out to give my skin more moisture. Theres not even words for how much i love this. I've been using my Sigma F80 to apply this lately and it just gives such a flawless finish and removes any darkness or redness from my face. Although if you do suffer with your skin this may not be enough coverage for you.

Benefit's Bella Bamba - I'll do a full review on this soon so I'll keep this short. Love love love love. It's a beautiful watermelon pink and is super pigmented. Probably my favourite blush of all time.

Clinique Happy In Bloom - I love any variation of Happy. I've constantly had a bottle of this since i was about 14 years old and i still love it just as much. It's a lovely light summery fragrance, and i just can't get enough of it!

Sigma F80 & F82 - I'm not gunna say much about these since my next post will hopefully be my review on them. These have completely changed how i apply and wear foundation for the better.

Mac Lipstick in Lustering - I'm not a big lipstick wearer and I've been trying to rectify this lately. Lustering is a gorgeous bright pink shade and has been a good start to converting me to Lipstick!

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream - I'm just starting my second mini pot of this i got free with Grazia Magazine a little while ago. Although I've really been liking this I'm not sure I'll repurchase it. It feels lovely and cooling on the eye but I've not really noticed a difference. These little tubs were a lovely introduction to eye cream for me and I'll definitely be trying some other brands out to compare.

Claire's Accessories Pocket Watch Necklace - Well I'm not sure if I'm cheating a little bit putting this in because i only got it the other day but i just had to. I've been eyeing up pocket watch type necklaces on ebay now for some time and literally squeeled with excitement when i saw this. I love everything about it down to the little bow. I'll be including this in a mini Jewelry haul soon :)

Benefit's High Beam - Again most of you have heard a lot about this product. It's one of the minis i collected from Glamour Magazine and this is definitely my favourite out of the three. It's basically a gorgeous liquid highlighter and there are a gazillion reviews on it so I'll stop there.


Well this ended up a lot longer than i expected! Which products are your favourites for July? Let me know in comments or link your blog.


Thanks for reading guys.

xx

Sleek Caribbean Collection - Curacao Palette

I'd like to start off this post by saying a massive thank you to everyone who has followed my blog. As I'm writing this I'm on 50 followers which i think is amazing! So again a big thank you to all of you :)

I am a big fan of Sleek products, i own a few of their older palettes and they probably don't get as much use as they deserve. In my opinion most of their shadows rival high end brands but at a fraction of the cost. I'm not a massive collector of their palettes but in all honesty i think i should own more! They have an amazing range of shades and are all superbly pigmented. So whilst in town last week as per usual i made an excuse up to go have a browse in Superdrug, I'd spotted the newest collections online but nothing had really taken my fancy but after a few quick swatches in the shop i soon changed my mind.

 

I was pleasantly surprised when swatching these as the colours i was least interested in turned out to be the prettiest out of the pan. Tequila Sunrise actually made me "ooooooooooooh" when swatching as it is absolutely stunning and I'm determined to do a wearable look with this soon.

Tequila Sunrise - Martini - Blue Hawaiian - Bloody Mary - Screwdriver - Green Iguana

Apres Midori - Blue Lagoon - Purple Haze - Green Martini - Singapore Sling - Espresso Martini

I'm extremely impressed with this palette and have hooked out my older ones so i remember to use them often. I shall be keeping my eye out on Sleeks future collections as i can see myself collecting a lot more of them.

These are priced at £6.49 and can be purchased from Superdrug stores or online on the Sleek website here.

xx