My Month in Instagram

Ello Lovelies!

Bit of a different post for me today! I think i may have only done these once or twice in the past, but as I've been a little less bloggy and a little more Intagrammy over the past month i thought I'd share with you some of my favourite things. I'm thinking of keeping these posts as a monthly thing, whatcha think? I rarely post about personal / lifestyle stuff so i thought this would give you lovely lot a little more insight to me and what i love other than beauty! But don't you worry, normal beauty blogging will commence again shortly.

L- R

 1. Sugar Skull eBay purchase

2. Disney Shop Bargains

3. My favourite mani of the month: Barry M Mint Green & OPI Sparke De Triomphe

4. Cry Baby Tee present

5. My baby woof Star.

6. Oreos on fruit, AMAZING.

7. Mango and Coconut Bodyshop purchases.

8. I can't type when i am drunk...

9. Woof being a vulture

Have Instagram?

Leave me your user name in the comments!

You can find me at katiexlou

xox

Nars - Pierre Hardy Blush Giveaway!

Hiya lovelies!

A little while ago i entered a Nars Cosmetics UK Instagram competition and i was extremely lucky and chosen as one of the winners! I was also mistakenly given two of the same shade of blush, so I stored it away and patiently waited to do a giveaway for you lovely lot! The product is brand new but unboxed as this is how i received it directly from Nars.

I'm loving my Boys Don't Cry blush and found it perfect for the hot summer weather so i couldn't think of a better time for a little giveaway. This giveaway is open internationally, so wherever in the world you live you are welcome to enter! Giveaway will close on the 11th of August 2013 and the winner will be contacted within 48 hours of closing.

If you'd like to see my post on this bad boy blush just click here.

You know the drill, there is a Rafflecopter Widget below for all your entries. 

Good luck!

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xox 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Illamasqua - Cream Pigment in Hollow - Review

Hi lovelies!

If Illamasqua are on your radar and you're a pale lady like me, Hollow is something that already heard a ton about (sorry!). I can't remember a day where I've done my makeup and haven't attempted to contour, its just finding that perfect product that is really a pain in the ass. Now I've purchased quite a few bronzers (i hear makeup artists weep at the thought of contouring with bronzer) and ultimately most are just too warm. I've been using my trusty Laguna and MAC Sculpt powder for a good year or more and thought it was about time to switch it up!

Illamasqua cream pigments are multitasking products that come in a variety of shades to be used on the eyes, lips or cheeks, or really wherever the hell you want them to go! Hollow is such a special shade as its been deemed by many as the perfect contour shade for paler complexions, and I totally agree with this statement.

Please excuse the messy pan pictures as i have committed the number 1 blogging sin.... I played around with it before phographing *gasp*. I've been using my Real Techniques contour to brush to apply this and I've found this SO easy to work with for contouring! It applies beautifully and you have to build it up to get a real defined look which is perfect for heavy handed me. Being cream in texture i find it wears longer on the skin, i do tend to set it with a swipe of my regular contour colour for extra definition and lasting power

Priced at £17.50 it isn't the cheapest product on earth but Illamasqua offer an extremely generous pro discount and often have sales, i picked this little gem up in their 50% off sale. If i ever get through this, i'll be repurchasing it in a heartbeat, i love it that much.

Overall i think this is a fantastic find for the paler population. If like me you struggle to find contour colours that are not too orange or muddy i really suggest checking this beauty out. You won't regret it!

You can find Hollow on the Illamasqua website here.

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xox

MAC Tropical Taboo - Adored Mineralise Skinfinish

Ello lovelies!

MAC Mineralise Skinfinishes are probably some of the most lusted after items in any their releases. My collection is extremely modest (i only have three now including this one) as i really only use MSF's for highlighter and there are only so many highlighters one girl can use, right? There are five MSF's featured in this collection, two permanent and three limited edition shades. Soft and Gentle is also promoted in this collection too (although permanent) which is my all time favourite highlighter, you can check the review out for that here.

 

I'm a little bit late on the review bandwagon with these but am happy to say ALL shades are still available on both the MAC and Debenhams websites, so still a chance to get your paws on them.

Adored is described as "Coral with a light beige pearl" which for once i actually agree with the description. Mines a bit more beige than i would of liked meaning even on my fair skin this only works as a highlighter. Being an NW13 (I'm a little darker due to this mysterious UK heatwave currently) i really can't say i could see this working as a blush on any skin tones, its just too light.

It doesn't really have any colour pay off, just gives a sheer corally-beige sheen to the skin, perfect as a highlighter. Its taken me so long to review this because i honestly keep forgetting about it! Its been in my makeup basket for a good few weeks and i just keep reaching for Soft and Gentle, which says it all really.

Priced at £22.50 these aren't the cheapest products but you do get 10g of product, I've been using my other two nearly every day and I'm yet to see a dent so these really will last a long, long time.

I found this an extremely hard product to photograph swatches for, as you can see it is a very sheer colour when blended out and barely shows up on my skin tone. It does however work beautifully as a highlight shade, but it isn't my favourite. Soft and Gentle needs hiding so i can get some good use out of this!

Overall if you're an MSF fan this might be one to check out. But as this is really only viable as a highlighter if you have Soft and Gentle i don't think its a necessity.

You can check Adored and the other four MSF's in this collection out here.

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xox

Seascape Peppermint Lip Balm* - Review

Hiya Lovelies!

Seascape Island Apothecary are a premium British body care brand I'd heard very little about until recently. Located in Jersey they source many ingredients locally to use throughout their product range. The entire range is paraben, silicone, petroleum, SLS, artificial colouring and flavouring free. In other words, you won't find any nasties in their products. Its really refreshing to see a brand with such a focus on ethical production and sustainability and Seascape have a whole host of information on this on their website, which they put a hell of a lot more eloquently than i ever could so go have a read!

Today I'll be sharing their Peppermint Lip Balm* (RRP £10), and if you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know how much a love a good lip product! This beauty contains 100% natural peppermint essential oil, Jersey beeswax and jojoba seed oil as its main ingredients and is possibly the most luxurious feeling, in both product and packaging, lip balm I've ever tried. Mine has been sat on my desk for the past 3 weeks and i can honestly say I've not reached for another lip balm!

Being in pot form i have this sat next to a hand sanitiser as I'm a bit fussy like that but this has been my go to balm for nearly a month. I tend to swipe my finger across the top to get a thin layer of product that works wonderfully under lipsticks as a base or by itself. I apply it more liberally before bed and find i wake up with soft, moisturised lips and i actually find the peppermint to be quite a relaxing scent. Mint lip balms are some of my favourites so i have to stop myself constantly applying this while I'm at the computer, its just so moreish!

If they released this in a tube form I'm sure I'd have one in every single handbag (at last count, i found 7 lip balms in my bag). The scent reminds me a little of the EOS Mint, which i loved but didn't find really moisturising but with this i can really tell the difference after a few applications. Its also works great as part of my lip routine, i try to exfoliate them at least twice a week (more if I'm in a lipstick mood) and this just helps to rehydrate them nicely. The best part of this balm is its texture, its thin in consistency and is not at all sticky which really floats my boat since i cannot stand sticky products (lip gloss, URGH) on my face.

As you can probably tell already I'm a little bit smitten with this balm even though its a little pricier than the balms i would normally go for, I'll definitely be purchasing this after mine runs out. If your after a little bit of lip luxury or just opt for cruelty free or sustainable products i suggest putting down your Nivea sticks and checking this little gem out! 

 

Available from the Look Fantastic website here.

 

Have you tried any Seascape products?

Recommend me your favourites!

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xox

* Product sent for review consideration but all opinions voiced on My Makeup Obsession will always be 100% honest and my own. You can view my disclaimer here.

Meow Cosmetics: Shades Of Meow Volume 3* - Review

Ello Lovelies!

A little while ago Meow Cosmetics posted on Facebook that they were looking for a few bloggers to review some of the shades from their latest collection "Shades of Meow Volume 3"*, this collection consists of 50 shades and 10 are released in each new volume with the 10 best selling shades ultimately becoming becoming a permanent collection. These 10 shades all have erotic names which i really love and are a little naughty, rather than the crude product names I've seen a lot from other brands recently. As always although i was sent these for review purposes my opinions are 100% honest and my own.

 

All the shades are pretty bright and not something i may have picked for myself so it really was great to get out of my comfort zone for a bit while testing these out. Sample sizes are priced at a reasonable $1 a baggie giving you a chance to try shades out before committing to a full size, and full sizes at $8.25. They also have a free worldwide shipping with orders over $40 offer currently running.

Discipline was the shade that really caught my eye as soon as i opened them, it is an absolutely gorgeous shimmery orange, and even though I've been saying it a lot... perfect for summer. I've been shopping my stash quite a bit lately and its a shade i actually don't have anything like (madness, i know!). Texture wise i found a few of these a little drier than others with the more shimmery ones being a lot easier to work with.  Swinger i had the most trouble with blending which was a shame since it is such a beautiful shade. I'm really looking forward to doing a FOTD using Discipline and Strawberries, its about time i got out of my neutral safety blanket i think!

Disciple, Swinger, Threesome, Slave, Strawberries.

Master, Whipped Cream, BDSM, Lascivious, Hot Wax.

I've found that like most loose eyeshadows that many are best applied wet or over a sticky base like Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy, this just helps the colours and sparkle to really pop and last throughout the day. All the above are swatched dry as i know many people prefer to apply this way.

 

The real star of the show in this collection for me is BDSM. Applied wet (pictured below), this shade is absolutely stunning. Now this is where i fail miserably at a description but my photos really do not do it justice, it is an absolutely gorgeous dirty purple with extremely fine pinky silver glitter. If i had to pick just one from the collection, this would be it! I think it would work as a great alternative than a traditional smokey eye, so you lot might see a FOTD with this beauty soon!

Overall i think although a few shades weren't really my cup of tea, BDSM and Discipline are definitely worth checking out. And of course the others if you're into brights!

You can check out this collection here on the Meow Website.

Have you tried Meow before?

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xox