Wednesday 28 January 2015

What's New with Maybelline

Hi Guys,

All the new American Maybelline goodies have finally landed! From new a Mascara to the famous Baby Lips. I was so excited to see them here after hearing so many things about them for the I'd say past year for the colour tattoo's!
Maybelline do know how to do a great product, So I have high hopes for these new guys on the block! Especially as Im already quite a fan of the original Baby Lips.
 Lash Sensational Multiplying Mascara - £7.99 HERE
The newest Mascara launch for Maybelline, who do have a pretty good reputation for their mascaras and dare I say it, I haven't actually tried one before! It's a new brush for the brand, it is a curved fanned wand, with both longer and shorter bristles to catch every lash. On the outside curve the bristles are also longer, then the inside is shorter. 

It is aimed towards giving lots of volume to long lashes, I actually found however that it gave more length than volume. I think it is mainly depending on the amount of product you have on the brush. The brush is also plastic, which you will either love or hate. I don't mind it too much, but I do prefer a bristle brush. I found using the shorter side, then brushing through with the longer bristles helped, It also doesn't seem to clump which is a win!
Color Tattoo Leather Effect - £4.99 HERE
I must admit I haven't tried many of the original paint pots, just due to the fact that the shade range wasn't my favourite array of colours. This is where the new Leather Effect Color Tatoo's step in, they have been around in America for quite a while and now they've finally arrived in the UK!

I can only see two shades available over here just now and America has five. However I do think we got two of the nicest ones available! We have Creamy Beige, which is a light tan shade and Vintage Plum, a muted grey toned dark purple. They are both matte in finish but very creamy due to its gel formula. Once they set, they set though and they really do not budge if you dont want them to!
Dr Rescue Baby Lips - £3.49 HERE
Now Baby Lips are another love or hate product it seems, I intact love them and was very excited to see the Dr Rescue ones had reached our shores! They are a medicated balm, they all have a menthol taste, so its mainly down to which shade you prefer than flavour. There is also a clear in the range as well as four colours. I went for Coral Crave, a light orange, which is almost peachy on myself. Then I have Soft Berry, a deeper rose shade. 
Dr Rescue Baby Lips and Leather Colour Tatoo
(Swatches: Top to Bottom - Creamy Biege, Vintage Plum, Coral Crave and Soft Berry)

Overall the mascara is lovely once you get to grips to the apparently ten different types of bristle on it! I think I may also have a new Baby Lip favourite variation, they seem to be more moisturising than the originals! Plus I just cant help but love a great matte cream shadow, especially in these shades. Can Creamy Beige beat my beloved MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot? Well Maybelline have done it again...

Eloise x
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Sunday 25 January 2015

Happy Valentines with Lush

Hi Guys,

Lush is all set for Valentines Day, with quite a large selection of products this year! Including old favourites and lots of brand new bits to pick from. I picked up quite a few bits from their new selection, as I don't really like the bits from the reoccurring valentines range. Although I know Prince Charming Shower Gel in the range, is Lushes second best selling shower gel after Snow Fairy! 
The range consists of three Bubble Bars, Shower Gel, Soap, Lip Scrub and Balm and two of their Bath Ballistics. So its quite a large range compared to past Valentines Collections. It is also mainly a very sweet or floral based range, You can see all the bits in the range HERE.
Unicorn Horn Lonely Heart
Lonely Heart Bubble Bar - £3.50 HERE
This is the smallest bubble bar in the range, I'd say you could only get two to three baths out of it. It does give you a lot of bubbles, from quite the small chunk as long as you crumble it really well under the tap. he bubbles don't last as long as I would of hoped for though, but I think the more you use of it the longer they'll last. It has a citrus smell, once in the bath though its almost floral. You also don't end up covered in the gold shimmer on the bar too.

Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar - £3.25 HERE
Dare I say it, I could of sworn I saw this in twitter way back in august! Ive been excited for it ever since then and I just couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Its basically a multicoloured, star covered, sparkly, unicorn horn, what's not to love! It has lavender and neroli in it, which makes me love it even more, as its great to help you sleep. It does however smell more like sweeties than your usual lavender scent. I'd say it would even last for four baths too.
Lush Bath Ballistic Lip Scrub
The Kiss Lip Scrub - £5.50 HERE
I dont usually buy Lush Lip Scrubs, but with edible hearts, sprinkles (Which don't exactly do anything) and a sherbet like taste, how could I say no. The Lush lip scrubs are made with mainly caster sugar, so they're good enough to eat, literally! They gently exfoliate your lips, also with the use of sea salt, which don't worry you cant taste! Their is also a lip gloss in the same range.

Floating Flower Bath Ballistic - £3.50 HERE
Now this is quite a big bath bomb! You could probably actually get two baths out of this, if you broke it in half. It smells fantastic, I couldn't quite put my finger on the scent, It smells exactly like a past Lush Bath Ballistic. Ive now realised its actually the same scent as Sakkura, which Lush have recently brought back, which is quite floral.

I love each of these, however I think the only one I wouldn't be desperate to repurchase is the Lonely Heart Bubble Bar. I would really like to try the Bubbleroon in the range though, so I think thats next on the list!

Eloise x
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Wednesday 21 January 2015

Illamasqua Brush Review

Hi Guys,


I was going to originally review the lllamasqua Brush set from the Facets collection, sadly they put it into the sale and it’s sold out! However the brushes included is available all the time, the only difference is that the handles are a little shorter in the set. The brushes are fantastic no matter the handles so I thought I’d still pop up a review!

I have had my eye on Illamasqua Brushes for quite a good number of years now, it’s only just now I finally have them. I would always put off buying them over a new lipstick! All of the Illamasqua brushes are synthetic, so they work with both powder and cream products. You can also use the same brush in the two different formulas as long as you make sure it’s not overloaded with product.
Highlighter Brush - £24.50 HERE

I love Illamasqua Skin Base foundation and whenever I have had my make-up done at the counter, the brush of choice to apply it with has been the Highlighter Brush. The brush is dense and quite small, compared to the Real Techniques Buffing Brush for example. It gives the most amazing finish to Skin Base. I prefer this brush though as it is so multipurpose, mainly because of its size, you can use it for foundation, highlight, blush and even contour.

Concealer Brush - £19 HERE
The Concealer Brush has become my new favourite brush, it is perfect for applying and then blending out concealer and its also large enough to apply eye shadow with too. As well as the occasional bit of glitter to go with it. Its dense and quite a long cat tounge style brush, but it makes it so flexible and great for under the eye area.
Smoulder Brush - £19 HERE
This is one of the newest launches to the Illamasqua brush line, it was made to smoke out and blend out harsh lines or colours. It's fantastic for smokey eyes, especially for blending out under the eye as it has a tapered point with a lot of precision. You could also use it to get a cut crease line, without it being too thick.

Lip Brush - £18.50 HERE
The lip brush in the kit that I got didn't have a cover with it, the single lip brush however comes with a cover. Which means that you can throw it in your handbag or makeup bag, without damaging it or getting lipstick everywhere after touch ups. I also learnt from Illamasqua's Brand Ambassador Zoe that you can also use it for liner too as it has such a sharp edge to it!

Angled Brush - £19 HERE
The Angled Brush is such a multifunctional brush, perfect for the eyebrows as it is densely packed but still a sharp edge. You can get so much precision and really get such a clean brow shape, you can also use it for liner. Which I love as it is so thin, you can get a really thin small line at the lash line. You could even use it with concealer round the mouth to tidy up the lip line after lipstick.

These brushes are quite pricey compared to the popular brushes on the high street such as Real Techniques, but you can tell the difference with the precision you can get with these brushes. I find some of the Real Technique ones a bit too thick, as much as I love them! I wish I'd invested in these sooner!

Eloise x
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Sunday 18 January 2015

Boxing Day Sale: Illamasqua Haul

Hi Guys,

Its no secret that I am obsessed with Illamasqua! January isn't the best month after Christmas and the weather just isn't that great. But Illamasqua does the most incredible sale in January and its safe to say that this year, like usual I went absolutely bonkers over it! With 50-70% off how could I say no...
Illamasqua Sale
I had put off buying quite a few bits from Illamasqua as I know as it gets closer to Christmas the sale is just round he corner. I was extremely lucky to find a lot of the bits that I had waited to get were in fact in the sale. I am also building up my pro kit, so the sale is fantastic to pick up things to add to it. 
I picked up two of the palettes in the sale, Illamasqua always have quite a few to pick from. This time however the new amazing multi facet palettes were included from their Christmas collection. 

I already own Aura, which I reviewed HERE, If you're interested. So I picked up the other one in the collection, Semblance. The difference between the two is that it includes four different shadows in the shades Slink; champagne shade, Dizzy; muted rose pink, Tango; bronze and Obsidian; matte black, as well as Mirage Gleam and Hussy Blush. However the Brow Cake and Cream Pigment are the same. 

I also managed to pick up the Reflection Palette for myself and my kit. Now unfortunately both of them came broken, which I know they were in the sale and are just going to get used anyway. However it was still frustrating, so after contacting Illamasqua's customer services they sorted it out for me very quickly. They were extremely helpful and were lovely to deal with. Anyway the Reflection Palette contains four of their more creamy and spongey in texture shadows in the shades Precipice; cream, Acute; taupe, Dart; bronze and Graphica; grey.
Illamasqua Havoc Liner, Raindrops Polish, Hermetic Lip Gloss & 13 Lashes
I got the Lashes in 13, as I'm planning to do a very extreme winged look based on Illamasqua lashes and these are perfect! Im currently eyeing up the Lush lashes too.... 

I had seen the Intense Lip Gloss in Hermetic on their Instagram, I cant remember which one it was but as soon as I saw it, I just "needed" it in my life! Firstly they taste like sweeties, then its the most amazing purple toned red! Perfect for this time of year and if you really sheer it out its almost brown. Its one of the most unusual glosses I've come across but I love it! 

Raindrops Nail Polish has been on my wish list for quite a while, the grey polish with silver/white specks through it, has been a very popular polish for Illamasqua. It even had a sister polish made, Pink Raindrops as a limited edition, because it was just so popular! 

Then I also picked up one of their ever so popular Precision Inks, in the colour Havoc, which is in fact a very dark berry shade. It does look almost black however, I think it would be lovely as something different to the black liner, especially now its colder too.
Illamasqua Burst, Creep, Dizzy, Inception, Delirium & Mould
I have such a soft spot for the Cream Pigments and Powder Shadows, especially in extremely bright and unusual colours. I was in a brown, beige rut until over the past year I just want to wear Illamasqua colours 24/7!!

The Cream Pigments are fantastic, lipsticks, eye shadows, blushers, you can even use some shades to contour or even on your brows if you want a funky brow. I picked up both of the shades in the sale, which are Mould, a dark purple and Delirium, a rosey taupe colour. 

Then I kind of lost my mind on the Powder Shadow selection, they have so many to pick from in the sale. I picked up Inception, one of my favourite purples Illamasqua do. Dizzy a muted pink, Burst, which looks like the most fantastic turquoise shade. Then finally Creep, a lovely lavender, which ever since Jamie Genevieve mentioned at the Glasgow counter I knew I would eventually have it in my life, I could of squealed with excitement upon seeing it in the sale. 
Illamasqua Reflection & Semblance Palette Swatches
(Swatches: Left to Right - Hussy, Slink, Dizzy, Tango, Obsidian, Precipice, Acute, Dart, Graphica.)
Ilamasqua Powder Shadow, Liner, Cream Pigment & Lip Gloss Swatches
(Swatches: Left to Right - Inception, Burst, Creep, Mould, Delirium, Havoc and Hermetic.)

Since I made my order, Illamasqua have since added more lines to their sale, so theres now a bigger selection. Which I am attempting to avoid looking at as it could become dangerous haha. If you'd like a review on any of these products let me know! 

You can shop the sale HERE

Eloise x
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Wednesday 14 January 2015

Glossybox January

Hi Guys,

The first Glossybox of 2015 has hit my door step and its a good one! Including five full size products, which is pretty amazing seeing as at the most sometimes you would get three. There's always a bit of a new year new start theme with Glossybox every January. This time its no different with the theme of Fresh Start Must Haves.
As well as the full size products there was also a little extra, which I forgot to photograph, sorry! But it was a £25 Gift Voucher for the Hello Fresh site. Hello Fresh is basically a service that delivers fresh produce and little recipe cards too, so that you can whip up fresh yummy meals.
My box was heavy when it arrived which to me is always a good sign as it usually means its not filled with lots of little samples. I had seen that there was going to be two full size products in this months box, as you get a little sneak peek card in the past box. However the other three full size products were a complete and lovely surprise.
Kueshi Natural & Pleasant Cosmetics Revitalising Facial Toner - €10.70 for 200ml
I haven't tried this just yet as I am currently using the Pixi Toner, It contains Camomile and Aloe Vera, which help to calm the skin, it also claims to rehydrate the skin too. Im looking forward to seeing the results I get from using this.

Jelly Pong Pong All Over Glow - £10 for 15g
Im starting to gather quite the Jelly Pong Pong Collection, they have a wonderful selection of products and they've been around for quite a while. It still however isn't a very well known brand, which is a shame. The actual product itself has quite the golden pink toned sheen to it. Mixed with foundation it would give a really radiant glow, I think over the tops of the cheek bone too would look pretty in the warmer months.

Nicka K New York Colourluxe Powder Blush - €8.95 for 5g
Im not really a huge fan of the powder puff blushers that have been popping up recently. I would just rather use a brush, this one does unscrew so you can just use the blusher however, which I really prefer. It is also a very pigmented blush, Its a little bit on the chalky side too, but once blended out the rosy shade gives a lovely flush to the cheeks.

Me Me Me Eye Line Pencil in Clay - £4
Me Me Me isn't a brand I ever really went to look at in Superdrug and now I wish I had, this Pencil is a lot better than I ever expected! Its matte a dark brown matte shade, which Ive been looking for an affordable version of for a while! Its soft and doesn't pull on the skin, it's also very long wearing.

Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm Superfruits - €5
My lips are really dry now that it's colder and I think thats probably the case for a lot of Glossybox subscribers, so I think its a great idea to include one in this months box. This one is packed full of berries and other fruits, as well as oils to leave the lips feeling hydrated.

The only downside I have found is that most of the products aren't actually in the UK, but actually European, I love the fact I can try things that I wouldn't usually be able to try. It's just a little annoying when you fall in love with a product...

Eloise x
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Wednesday 7 January 2015

Tom Ford Lipshine

Hi Guys,

I was extremely lucky to receive two Tom Ford Lipsticks from my Dad for Christmas. I've never tried Tom Ford before so I was extremely excited to finally add some to my collection.

There's no doubt that Tom Ford is probably one of the most expensive cosmetic ranges, which has always put me off them, because really are they that good for that price?
 The two that I received are from Tom Ford's line of Lipshine's, which I admit, I didn't have any idea that he even made these. I tend not to look at Tom Ford non stop before my bank ends up in pain. So the only pieces I have ever really seen, are the very talked about bits such as the Lipsticks or the Contour Palette. I am quite pleased to of gotten these over the lipsticks however as I don't think I could bare to ruin the embossing on the Lipsticks.
 The packaging is slightly longer and thinner than the normal lipsticks. It is still as luxurious however. In the sleek black with gold edging box tubes, which do get a little finger printy but you can easily just wipe it and its away, unlike the Nars packaging for instance! They may not have the logo embossed into the lipstick but it is on the lid. Which I think just adds to the luxury, they're the sort of lipstick I'd want to have lined up on my dressing table just from packaging alone! They're also really rather weighty too.
The two shades that I have are Quiver and Ravenous. Ravenous is the more intense almost hot pink shade out of the two, with a blue undertone, which I think is mainly preferred as it makes your teeth appear whiter. Then Quiver is a cool toned rose pink, I'd say on me its a my lips but better shade, it has a slight golden sparkle running through it too.

This range of lipsticks is the sheerest out of his ranges. Yet they do pack a punch with pigment too, I almost expected them to be just a tint, but in fact they're more like a glossy hybrid. They are really moisturising and comfortable on, smell lovely too, they remind me of sweeties.
(Swatches - Bottom to Top: Quiver and Ravenous)

Tom Ford may be an extremely Luxury brand, I do think for the quality of the packaging and the overall feel and look of the lipsticks on. They're worth the price tag, even if it does hurt. They're definitely my favourite idea of a treat. However and hopefully in the future I will try some more pieces from the brand. I've caught the Tom Ford bug! 

If you'd like to take a peek at the other 10 shades in the range then you can do so HERE

Eloise x
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Sunday 4 January 2015

Lush Boxing Day Haul!

Hi Guys,

I actually went shopping on Boxing Day for the first time this year. I don't know how I managed it at half seven in the morning, but that's what Lush does to me. I didn't really have any plan at all other than I wanted to stock up on favourites.

I did stick mostly to things that aren't based on the main range, or bits and pieces that I hadn't already stocked up on. Although a few did slip through that I just love so much, they were a bit more of an impulse buy. 
Boxing Day was actually quite quiet in the town, Lush did seem to attract everyone once the doors opened however. It was a bit of a mad dash round the store but I'm really pleased with the bits I've picked up. 
I picked up some old favourites in the form of Rose Jam Shower Gel and Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic. But a new favourite this year is So White Shower Gel, I've always loved the bath bomb version of this, so I picked up another bottle as I'm at the end of my current one.

I picked up another Butter Bear just because he's so extremely cute, he is just a fancy Butter Ball but I couldn't help but add him to the basket. Dashing Santa has to be one of my favourites from the collection this year, I think mainly because of the tie to Cosmetics To Go, (Lush before it was called Lush) in its design. Then finally I picked up two of the Angel Bath Ballistic/ Bath Melt hybrids, mainly because lush don't really do anything similar to this in their permanent range. 
I was swayed to buy this just because of the fact its Rudolph on a scarf... But it does contain two favourites Dashing Santa and Golden Wonder. But the main reason I picked it up was for Yog Nog Soap, I have heard so many people talk about this over the years and I have never ever tried it! So I'm very intrigued to finally give it a go, Plus it also contains the Snowman Shower Jelly. So I finally have my own pot as the other went to my mum.
I have to admit, I solely bought the Festive Friends Gift Set for the packaging. I mean mini versions of whats inside printed on the paper! I couldn't help it... These are all favourites of mine so nothing in the box will go to waste, plus I have even more backups of Dashing Santa and Butter Bear now. As well as the Penguin and Christmas Hedgehog Bubble Bars to go with them.

In the end Im quite glad I managed to get up to go and get these, I have seen on a few of Lushes Instagram's some of them still have some sale items left, but I'd be quick as with 50% off they were flying off the shelves!

Eloise x
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