Nyx Green Concealer In A Jar Review

 

Ello lovelies!
Another naughty eBay purchase review for you today. I'd seen a few rave reviews on the original, skin toned Nyx Concealer In A Jar and as i was in the market for a green concealer / primer and am sadly on quite a tight budget i thought I'd give this one a bash. I've mentioned before i do get my Nyx on eBay even though there is a UK online store. Because the price difference is quite steep if you only want one item once you've paid postage its normally about double what you pay to get the product and have it shipped from the USA, madness!

 I have quite a lot of pink in my skin which as I've been using less coverage foundations lately has been really ticking me off, so i went on the hunt for a solution. Weirdly, there aren't as many green concealers / primers on the high street as you'd think. I only spotted one or two in Boots and then spent about half an hour lusting after the Smashbox one as i love the original, i just don't love the price! So eBay it was!

Sadly, i don't think this does an awful lot. Heavily swatched it looks like it'd be perfect, but it literally blends out to nothing. Even out of frustration i scooped out rather a large lump and it just blended away never to be seen again... Well thats a bit dramatic but i just don't think this works for me. I've tried it both under and over a few foundations but I've just had no luck what so ever.

Overall, yes it was a bargain at just over £4, but its not really a bargain if it doesn't work. I really wanted to love this, but i just couldn't make it work however i applied it. So if you have any tips or suggestions on application, or even any other affordable products, let me know! On the plus side the seller i purchased it from has a lot of affordable Nyx products and my package arrived in just a week, which from the USA is bloody brilliant!

You can check it out here or on the Nyx UK website.

xox

My Top 5 Face Brushes

Heya lovelies!

I thought I'd start a little series today, "My Top Five...", starting with my favourite face brushes!

Thinking back to a few years ago i actually only owned one brush, an Avon Kabuki that i used for powder and blush and was a bit lapse on cleaning (ewww). But now I've got quite a small collection of different brushes so i thought I'd share some of my favourites. Most of these are relatively budget friendly, i don't own Mac brushes because i am just too stingy to part with that much money. But the ones i have, i love, and they do the job!

Real Techniques Contour Brush

I've got into highlighter in a big way recently, and this little beauty has probably been half the reason so. I personally find it too small for its suggested purpose but i adore it for highlighting. If I'd of done this post a month or so ago it'd be 60% different. Real Techniques brushes are my new love. Okay, so some of the sets have a few less great brushes but the couple of gems in the face set more than make up for it! This brush is a tapered, gorgeously soft beauty that just works perfectly for powder highlighters!

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

There's a good reason why this brush is so hyped about! Works perfectly for most of my liquid foundations and tinted moisturisers and leaves a beautifully blended, airbrushed finish. Again, a month or so ago i would of sworn by my Sigma F80, as i guess a lot of people would of been before discovering this brush. Like all the others its wonderfully soft, and just applies liquid foundation like a dream. Its not overly dense which i think is actually a good thing, since this drys a hell of a lot faster than other brushes. I'm SO glad i purchased this!

Real Techniques Powder Brush
So now I'm starting to sound repetitive, right? This is probably my favourite brush right now. I'd been trying so hard to keep loving my Sigma F20, but the dye had started to run whilst it was washed and it shed so much it looked like i had facial hair! Seriously, it was that bad! So this brush was a welcome addition to my collection. I've been wearing less powder recently but I've been loving this for a quick, less precise application of bronzer.

Crown C141 Small Chisel Blush
I picked this beauty up at IMATS earlier in the year and has been a staple in my makeup bag ever since. Its great for contouring and precise application of blush. I've had this almost constantly in my handbag for blush touch ups while I'm out as its small enough to shove in a small makeup bag. I think i only payed around £5 for it too, bargain!

Sigma F40 Large Angled Contour

Whilst having a love / hate relationship with a lot of my other Sigma brushes this one has remained a firm favourite. My only slight niggle is that it does slightly splay at the edges and stains particularly easy. Other than that its one of my most reached for brushes, perfect for contour and blush.

So i didn't want this post to be essay long but i thought I'd add a few honourable mentions:

Bdellium Tools - 953 Small Duo Fibre
Sigma F05 - Small Contour

Elf- Complexion Brush
Elf - Powder Brush
Sigma F80 - Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki

I'm really looking forward to writing this series, as I'd never really wanted to do a collection post but this gives me the opportunity to share more of my favourite products in different categories. Up next, eye brushes and lipsticks!

What are your favourite face brushes?


xox

Guest Post: Creating Luxurious Volume For Your Hair

Ello lovelies!
Following my "Go Big or Go Home" FOTD post i had a few emails and questions about how to get big, healthy voluminous hair. Over the years having massive hair has been my style of choice for nights out or when I'm feeling like making a bit more of an effort. But with my baby fine hair I've struggled to find products or techniques that help to do this without weighing it down. Now I'm no hair expert so when someone offered to share their expertise and write an article on Five Steps To Voluminous Hair, well i jumped at the chance! I love getting a bit of someone else's hair wisdom and being able to share it with you lot!

So if you're like me and get major hair envy when seeing women with a full head of voluminous locks, have a read of the post below and hopefully you'll find it as useful as i have!

Feel free to share your top tips in the comment box below!
xox

Recent Rediscoveries: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

 Heya lovelies!
I've got another addition to my "Recent Rediscoveries" series in store for you lot today! As i mentioned before I've been forced to do a lot more "shopping the stash" lately as my mega saving panic has fully kicked in, my holiday is only just under four months away now so need to get those pennies put away asap! But the upside to this is that I've been rediscovering some real gems in my makeup collection and this has got to be my favourite so far!

Weirdly enough this product was my first ever review here on my blog! I cringe a bit when i go back and read it now, but hey, we've all got to start somewhere!

This was my "getting into university" pressie from my Mum during the summer last year. I'd been lusting after the Silk Creme foundation (still am really) but got talked into the tinted moisturiser at the counter. I absolutely loved this for the first few weeks i had it but i then discovered BB Creams and this has been quite unloved ever since. Now i have around 22 foundations, tinted moisturisers and BB creams (apparently that is too much :P ) so Ive been trying to work out which ones are usable and which ones i really can't work with and sadly there are quite a few in this category. But i am pleased to say i fell back in love with this one!

Generally, i love fuller coverage foundations. But i have come to learn that they are not always needed, and i can get a lovely finish with a sheer / low coverage product and a dab of concealer. I first hooked this out my collection around two weeks ago and slapped it on with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and was gobsmacked. Okay, the colour isn't a complete match for me, but the sheerness of the product makes it pretty forgiving. It looks AMAZING on the skin. Its sheer but has enough coverage to really even out the skin tone and cover any minor imperfections, anything else i slap some concealer on. For a tinted moisturiser it is not at all shiny, I'd describe it as more of a satin finish. I've been REALLY enjoying wearing this with just a touch of concealer, bronzer and mascara as my quick every day look.

It sadly has one down side, price. At £33 for a 40ml tube its not at all cheap and i do feel myself using a bit more product than I'd like at that price. I'm seriously not looking forward to running out of this but even with its not so friendly price tag i think I'd have to repurchase it! I can see this being a staple for summer seeing as it has SPF 20 and doesn't feel heavy or greasy on the skin. They also have an "oil free" and "illuminating" version so there is something for everyone.
But I'm still lusting over Silk Creme, hmph!

Have you tried any of Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturisers or Foundations? What did you think?

xox

FOTD: Go Big Or Go Home!

 

Hiya Lovelies!

Just thought I'd share a quick FOTD with you all. I went out in town with some friends last night as its been a while and I'm eventually free from uni until October, YAY! So i vainly quickly took a few snaps just before i went out the door because i was particularly pleased with how my hair turned out! I love big hair but big hair doesn't love me, mine drops within half a hour and no volumising product so far (and I've tried tons) has worked. So to have some good hair, even for half an hour was good for me!

Eyes:
Inglot Neutrals. (Sorry I'm being lazy!)

Mac Dazzlelight
Mac Omega (Brows)
Elf Liquid Liner
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Red Cherry Lashes #110

Lips:
Mac Watch Me Simmer Lipstick (really blotted down)
Mac Wonderstruck Lustre Glass

Face:
Elf Primer

Elf HD Powder
Estee Lauder Double Foundation
Collection 2000 Last Perfection Concealer
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Mac Cream Colour Base in Pearl
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Bronze and Rose.

Oh and as per usual i decide to do a FOTD a few days before I'm due to get my eyebrows done, so they are horrendous! A good night was had by everyone, although it was pretty hectic. And i am STILL nursing my killer hangover! Oh well!

Thanks for reading guys!

xox

Mac Lightscapade Review

Hey lovelies!

So if you're a Mac lover you would of undoubtedly heard of this product. Lightscapade is one of their "cult", most sought after products that I've been dying to get my hands on. It's limited edition, and until now I've never been able to find it in stock when its been re-promoted. So yeah, kinda happy!

Lightscapade is a Mineralize Skinfinish Highlighter and a damn pretty one at that! Granted its not as pretty as the ones from earlier collections which were a lighter, pearl like colour with more pink and blue veining, but i think its still quite pretty. I don't live near a Mac store so i have to order online, sadly i think i pulled the short straw and got one with less veining, but I've eventually managed to get my hands on it, so i couldn't care less!

See? Still super pretty!

Like i mentioned, the veining in mine is subtle but i quite like the finish it gives to the skin. Its on the more subtle side of highlighters, not at all over the top and has a very fine shimmer to it. It really does look lovely on the skin. You get 10g of product as its the same size as all their other Skinfinishes, so considering how little highlighter you need to use, i don't see me needing to purchase another one. And I'm pretty glad about that as its on the more expensive side of Mac products with a price tag over £20.

Overall yes its a pretty product and looks lovely on the skin, but am i wowed? No. Considering the immense hype around this product i guess i was expecting a little more, its a lovely highlighter but its not amazing. And i dread to say it but i think i may even like my Cream Colour Base in Pearl more!

All things considered i am glad i own Lightscapade, I'd be forever lusting after it otherwise. So if you've got your heart set on one or you're an avid Mac collector, grab it while you can. If not, its an alright highlighter, but in my opinion doesn't necessarily live up to all the hype.

You can check it out on the Mac website here.

What do you think?

xox