My Illamasqua Lipstick Collection

Hey,

It's safe to say I'm a teeny weeny bit obsessed with Illamasqua, I have been for years. Over this time I've collected quite the personal collection of their lipsticks, some of which are now holy grails or have been repurchased for my pro kit too.

I am guilty of always reaching for the exact same shade in particular from Illamasqua. So I'm hoping by getting them all out I can encourage myself to use more than just nude.

Especially as after the past year I've bought quite a few new lllamasqua lipsticks as a pick me up treat, but as I hadn't been wearing makeup they're not been used as much as they would of been. So I'm determined to experiment more because they're absolutely stunning! As well as offering a brilliant formulation range, you really don't need a lot to get a bold lip though, as they really make a statement with their pigmentation. 

Illamasqua offer four different formulations;

• Original - Matte finish, highly pigmented.
• Glamore - High pigment, moisturising, satin finish. 
• Antimatter - A semi matte finish, highly pigmented but comfortable. 
• Lava - Highly pigmented marbled satin lipsticks.

They do also offer liquid lipsticks, however this post would be ridiculously long, so I'm only talking about the traditional lipsticks. However just let me know if you're interested in their other lip products. I can say as someone who's not a lip gloss fan, Illamasqua will completely change your mind on that!

The Reds...

• Box - Traditional blue red in the Original formulation. Designed by the one and only Alex Box herself and it's her signature red lip. 
• Maneater - A subtle neutral red. 
• Vampette - A deep vampy Glamore berry. 
• Virgin - A blue toned red in the Glamore range. This one was designed especially to go with the Virgin Atlantic uniforms designed by Vivienne Westwood, that the Virgin staff wear. 
• Vixen - Lava lipstick, marbled with white, creating a soft true red. This one was exclusive to the Look Fantastic 2017 advent calendar. 
• Kin - A brown toned red from the Glamore range. This one was limited edition and part of the Earth Collection, I really wish they'd bring it back as I use it so sparingly now, even though it may be one of my all time favourites. 
• Growl - An original matte dark berry red. 
• Vega - A Glamore deep berry lipstick with slight blue undertones. Again another limited edition part of the Equinox Collection. 
• Shard - A matte red toned violet, from the original range. I haven't photographed this one as mine has gone walk abouts! But I love it at this time of year, for a dark red lip.

 The Nudes...

• Buff - A Glamore fudge brown.
• Born - An Original formulation, rose nude. It was a part of the Dusk Collection originally but was relaunched in the Vanitas Collection with rose gold limited edition packaging. It's the only one I have stock piled! 
• Rosepout - A your lips but better shade, a light pink Glamore. My all time favourite lipstick from Illamasqua, if you cant already tell from the state of it. If I want a nude lip, its most likely going to be this one, It's probably the one I reach for the most out of all of my lipsticks and it just never seems to end! 
• Climax - A dusty rose pink with an Original matte formula.
• Bare - A pink toned light brown, it has the formulation of the Original matte line. 
• Bang - A cool toned Antimatter dark rose nude. I find this one to be almost like the darker rose toned version of Rosepout. 
• Cherub - A Glamore Coral Nude.
• Cosmic - An Antimatter baby blue toned pink nude. 

The Pinks and Oranges...

• Eurydice - A bright almost neon fuchsia pink, from the Original matte formulation. 
• Activist - A marbled bright pink, from the Lava range, it has a mixture of blues and teals running through it. This one was limited edition and a part of the Hypnotica Collection. 
• Physical - A bright Antimatter, deep fuchsia shade with a blue undertone. 
• Solar - Another bright pink Antimatter shade, however this leans towards the coral tones. 
• Wanton - A washed out rose toned pink and an original formulation. Another relaunched limited edition from the Vanitas Collection. 
• Atomic - A cool blue toned bright pink, an Original formulation, however it is frost in finish instead of the usual matte. 
• Brink - A warm matte coral, part of the Original range. I love this one with a purple eye look and this just blotted onto the lip so its not too strong. 
• Blaze - A matte bright orange, almost red in tone. 
• Obey - An Original matte pale coral. 

The Others...

• Vendetta - A cool toned bright blue Glamore. This may be one of my secret favourite lipsticks, granted not one I get a lot of wear out of, but I fell in love with it from the To Be Alive Collection. I actually did a whole post on how to make more wearable shades from it HERE. 
• Eclipse - A pigmented Antimatter white. Great to mix with other shades to create lighter tones or ombre lips. 
• Apocalips - An Original matte, cool toned teal. 
• Kontrol - Another Original formula, this time in a dark purple shade. 
• Posture - A cool lilac, part of the Original formulation.

(Swatches: Left to Right - Vampette, Kin, Growl, Virgin, Box, Maneater, Vixen and Vega)

(Swatches: Left to Right - Cosmic, Bare, Cherub, Buff, Rosepout, Bang, Climax and Born)

(Swatches: Left to Right - Physical, Activist, Eurydice, Atomic, Solar, Brink, Obey and Blaze)

(Swatches: Left to Right - Vendetta, Posture, Kontrol, Eclipse and Apocalips)

All of Illamasqua's lipsticks retail at £20 each. However there are quite a few currently in their sale at £10! They're definitely my favourites when it comes to pigment and longevity. Plus always keep an eye out in TK Maxx too as I've grabbed a couple recently in there, just be wary though as I left a few due to them being used/swatched! 

Eloise x

The Rose Gold Glossybox with Really Ree

Hi Guys,

I dont think I've ever been so excited over packaging in my entire life, the December Glossybox is just the box of dreams. Not only is it Rose Gold, it's also a collaboration this month with the lovely blogger Really Ree. It's filled with lots of Ree's much loved favourites and a few extra goodies to try too.

It's theme is all about getting prepped and prepared for the party season and you'll be all ready to celebrate all the festivities!

You actually get six products this month instead of five, as well as four of the six being full-size products too. The overall value of the box comes to £65.65 which is not bad at all. It's such a varied selection of skin care, makeup and a little nail treat too. 

Collection Long Lasting Nail Polish in Cosmic Stars - £2.99 for 8ml

Collection polishes aren't necessarily ones I would think to go out and buy, I'm a tad too attached to my Illamasqua ones. But actually the offerings that collection have for the price are great. I love the name of this one as well as it really reminds me of a night sky and all the stars, it's perfectly sparkly for Christmas and I think it would be a lovely shade for the New Year too. 

Etre Belle Golden Skin Caviar Roll On - £30.66 for 10ml

Eye creams are so easily forgotten about and having a roll on just seems to make that step that bit quicker and easier to remember. Especially when you can put them in the fridge and the feel 10x more amazing, because the rollerball tip is nice and cool. Unfortunately though I have a bit of a reaction to anything gold, so although I think the fact it says Golden in it doesn't mean there actually is a gold element to it. I'm going to just avoid it for a bit until I can check the ingredients! 

So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil in Starlight - £15 for 1.8g

So Susan is definitely a Glossybox favourite, it appears quite a lot in the boxes and its a pleasure to see them in every box as they are kinda unknown and do have a great selection of products. The pencil itself glides onto the skin effortlessly, it has a feeling thats almost like velvet and leaves such a pretty sheen, its subtle but gives a natural glow to the skin. It does exactly what it says on the stick, it really does give you statement skin.

Hylamide Pore Delete - £18 for 30ml

I had never heard of Hylamide before but they actually have such an interesting range of products, I think its possibly the almost lab like design of their packaging that draws me in. Pore Delete itself is used to reduce the look of pores instantly, it can't really be used to reduce the look of them in the long run. But it will smooth the skin out and make them appear smaller, which is great for applying your makeup over and then you're getting a more seamless finish.

Essence Liquid Lipstick in Show off - £2.50 for 4ml

I will admit I was a little confused when applying this, as when I think liquid Lipstick, I do tend to think of a highly pigmented lipgloss that turns into a matte product. Although this is a really highly pigmented gloss, thats where it ends as it doesn't go matte. It stays glossy, but not sticky and is really comfortable to wear, it feels moisturising on and In the end I actually quite like this kind of Liquid Lipstick. Though I would like to see Essence come out with a formula that does dry matte too, as they have a winner in this one.

Starskin Bio-Cellulose Second Skin Mask - £8.50 for 30ml
This month the added extra is this mask, although there are different versions in each box. I got the Behind the Scenes mask, which is calming and breakout busting. This is another packaging love, as I think it's so clever to have it like a film title reel, to emphasise that name. I also couldn't believe it when I saw that one mask has one whole bottle of serum infused into it, that's one intense boost of hydration in there too! 

(Swatches: Left to Right - Show Off and Starlight)

Overall I really love this month's box, from the gorgeous packaging to the festive products, ready to get you pampered and sparkly for the Christmas period. I think it's such a great selection this month and its always nice to get an added treat. Ree has done a fantastic job coming up with this one and I hope this is the start of more blogger related collaborations too.

Eloise x

A Guide To: Eyeliner

Hi Guys,

Eyeliner seems to be that beauty mystery, that seems to be nice to us some days and others not so much. Eyeliner struggles are real and they're a huge pain! So after eye shadow I thought the best instalment to follow would be on eye liners! If you want to have a look you can see all the other posts, from brows to primers, here.

There is what seems to be an almost never ending list of different products to try and the newest ones always seem to be the best. But really eyeliner is a very personal thing, everyones going to find something that works better for them. Hopefully this might introduce you to or explain the best ones for certain methods.

Gel Liner is my personal favourite, especially the Illamasqua Gel Liner. It's such a versatile product to have, from being used for flicks to buffing it out as a base for your smoky eye. Plus the Illamasqua one is actually the blackest one you can buy and is safe to use on the waterline. Gel liner on a whole though is slightly tricky to get to grips with at first, but I prefer to use it on a fine tipped brush to a slanted eyeliner brush, but whichever is the most comfortable for you. Unlike some other liners, you also have a bit of play time with a gel, but once its set it won't budge. 

The newest version of Gel liner available is in the form of a pen, made famous by the Benefit They're Real Liner, however I love the Maybelline Gel Pen. These work by housing the gel liner inside a wind up pen, to give you a precise amount to work with each time. Also due to the flexibility of the tip of the pen, you can really get into the lash line. These are a great way to try gel liner if you're looking for something a little easier and steadier to use. 

A more unknown style of liner is Liner Cake, which is basically just like an eyeshadow, that you can mix with a little bit of water or sealing gel, to create a liquid liner that you can use on any brush you prefer. Ben Nye Eyeliner Cake is a personal favourite of mine, due to the pigmentation of the liner once its been mixed. Cake Liners if mixed with water, do set quite quickly as the water evaporates, leaving you with the pigment from the liner. You can also just use a eye shadow of your choice to also do this, however the main difference is that Liner Cake is designed to be mixed with gel or water. As sometimes mixing an eyeshadow can create an annoying film over the product. This method also cant be used on the waterline.

Liquid Liner in a felt tip form is an extremely popular method, due to it being that little bit less messy than your typical liquid liner. They're also compact and great to travel with. The Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner, is a classic felt tip liner. The felt tip is great to get a neat line as close to the lashes as possible and depending on the angle that you hold it at the thicker the liner. You cant use this on the waterline as this will sting a lot! Trust me I once foolishly tried it, big mistake! On the plus side they're the best for getting those precise points to your eye makeup look.

I love the idea behind this style of liner, its almost like a safe fork for your eyes, (which in hindsight doesn't sound very appealing...). The 3 Dot Liners that hit the market a few years ago now are perfect to add subtle definition to the lash line and are fantastic to add volume in such a natural way. The  Clarins 3 Dot Liner is the original of its kind and works wonders to the lash line. The applicator has three separate spaced tips, which are perfect to dot a long the lash line, as close to the lashes as possible. If you leave it as dots like that, it will give the illusion of fuller lashes. But at the same time you can also use the pen to dot out your liner and join it up, still with the same pen.

Pencil Liner and Kohl is a classic, its a fantastic one to use on the waterline as its quick and easy. But make sure you pick one that is safe for the waterline, as with all eyeliners that you can use for that. Pencil is also a very quick way to line your upper lashes and to run underneath the eye and smoke out a little bit. However unlike using a liner with a brush, you are unlikely to get a very precise line, it will often be quite thick too unless its sharpened really well. A popular pencil is the MAC Kohl Pencil range, Kohl is a fantastic one to use due to its creaminess and it doesn't tend to drag. Plus they are often really dark, hence the name.

Finally the trusty classic liquid liner, this is actually probably one of the hardest methods to apply. it does take a lot of practice as it is really quite runny. You have to make sure you don't have too much on the brush and always just build it up, its so much easier to add to your eye liner than take away. The Collection Liquid Liner is a great one to try, its budget friendly and has a great finely tipped applicator wand. Just like its compact felt tip sister, its another great one to get precise lines and varying lines. 

(Swatches: Left to Right - Maybelline, Ben Nye, Illamasqua, Eyeko, Clarins, Collection, MAC.)

If only eyeliner was a walk in the park, but there's an option out there for everyone, its just a lot of practice and trial and error! Let me know too what you'd like to see as the next instalment too!

Eloise x

A Guide To: Concealers & Correctors

Hi Guys,

This is my fourth instalment into my A Guide To Series, which is going to be on concealers, but mainly more on correctors as they're becoming more and more popular. They're a product that can be a bit baffling because well some are bright orange and green! I also thought this would be a good progression from Foundations too!

One of the main difference's between a concealer and correctors are that you won't want to use a corrector on its own. Correctors neutralise the area your Concealers are covering, which then in turn actually make your concealers more effective.

Correctors are used to neutralise unwanted tones in the skin, if you were to look at a colour wheel. The colour of the corrector will be opposite to the colour your correcting, there is mainly 4-5 main shades that are more commonly used, my favourite products to use for this is Illamasqua Cream Pigments. They have a waxy consistency, so as soon as you apply your foundation and concealer over the top, it won't budge underneath.

Peach/ Orange - Peach tones are used to cancel out purples in the skin, specifically under the eye on fairer skin, a great ones is Cream Pigment in Emerge. However on a darker skin, a darker orange shade such as the one in the wheel, works a lot better than a peach tone.

Green - Is fantastic at neutralising redness, the mint tone of Cream Pigment in Bedaub, perfectly reduces any redness in the skin.

Yellow - Yellow will neutralise any purple tones found in the skin, I find it works better over the eye lid to correct pigmentation rather than on dark circles, which are better corrected with the peach tones.

Lilac - A product like the Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Dab, is a great lilac to use to counteract any yellowness to the skin, as the purple tone is usually used to correct sallowness in the complexion. 

Or a few companies who mainly supply makeup artist kits, like Graftobian, do a  Light Corrector Wheel, which houses your peachy tones, orange, green, yellow and a couple of nude concealer shades. 

You tend to find with concealers that come in a pot, they're not going to have varying finishes on the skin, they're going to be most probably higher coverage and creamy on the skin. 

MAC Studio Finish Concealer is a popular option, the MAC Concealers also come in the same system as their Foundations, meaning you can find a concealer in either a warm tone or a cool tone. If you want to use it under the eye, then picking a NW shade, which is cool toned, will correct under the eye slightly on fairer skin tones due to its pink undertone. 

A cream compact concealer that actually contains a corrector is the Illamasqua Skin Base Lift Concealers. They have Emerge pigment mixed into them, as they are designed for under the eye area mainly. But you can also use this product else where on the face too. 

The Blogger favourite, Collection Lasting Perfection, is quite possibly the most popular liquid concealer out there, especially high street wise. It's a medium to high coverage concealer, with a matte finish, you can use it under the eyes. But with all liquid concealers under the eye area, you're better setting it with powder straight after, to prevent creasing.  

Rimmel Wake Me Up is a radiant dewy concealer, probably the furthest away from the Collection finish. Due to its light reflecting properties, it blurs any fine lines under the eyes, as it reflects so much light under the area. At the same time it will also brighten under the eye because of this. However it does mean Its not recommended using it on any blemishes as it will highlight them. 

The high end option, Nars Creamy Concealer is a lot creamier than the Collection Concealer. It can be used both under the eye and on any blemishes. The actual finish to it isn't matte, but not radiant, it has a slightly dewy finish, which looks lovely under the eye.

(Swatches - Left to Right: Nars, Collection, Rimmel, Bedaub, Graftobian Yellow, Dab & Emerge)

I haven't included a couple of types of concealers just because I wouldn't actually class them as a concealer, but they will be included in a future post! Hope this has helped and let me know which type of product you'd like to see next too!

Eloise x

May Favourites

Hi Guys,

How is it June already?! I feel like it was just Christmas the other week, this year is flying in at an insane rate! I guess its time for my May Favourites and I think this last month might of been the best month for me trying different things. I had gotten caught in a product rut, but last month I just liked switching everything up!

 This month's favourites are such a huge mixture of Beauty, Music, Events and Tv. Ive enjoyed so much in May and I hope June is just as jam packed with favourites. Though its already the 3rd and I can already think of a couple!

 A monthly favourites for me isn't a monthly favourites without my Illamasqua mention! Ive fallen head over heels for their latest product to contour the skin naturally. Im personally not a huge fan of a very heavy everyday contour, but its nice to have cheekbones and the Illamasqua Gel Sculpt gives me that quickly and easily. It takes something ridiculous like 30 seconds to give me a contoured look in the morning and it deserves worshiping just because of that.

Another new Illamasqua product Ive been loving is the Nail Polish in Prismatic , I did a full review on the new range HERE. But Ive been loving this duo chrome blue for the first few weeks in May and I was constantly re applying, week after week. That isn't something I usually do as I love changing my nail colours, but Prismatic in all its Unicorn like glory has won my heart. 

Lastly for my Illamasqua favourites, is the Highlighter Brush. I use this to buff in my foundation, mainly Skin Base, and it gives the most beautiful finish to the skin. Its very multipurpose as I can powder with this and apply blush. I just chuck it in my handbag a long with my eye shadow blending brush and thats all the brushes I need for the day. 

 My favourite lipstick has to of been MAC Velvet Teddy, I put off trying this for so long because I didn't want to fall for the Kylie Jenner lip hype. Im so annoyed now that I didn't use it sooner, its made me fall in love with the 90's lip. Ive loved pairing it oddly enough with the Collection Eyebrow Definer  in blonde, but not on my eyebrows but as a lip liner! Ive really loved having this lip with either a winged liner or a really dark eye, even a purple eye, Its a really versatile combination.

On my eyes Ive been gravitating more towards using my old Urban Decay Book of Shadows Palette, though Ive really only been using the Urban Decay Shadows in Bust, Midnight Rodeo and Sin. I have been loving a couple of others, but they don't seem to do those shades anymore, so I thought I'd leave them out. 

As you may of seen in a post (HERE) a few weeks ago, I chopped my hair off! Even before I chopped it off though, COLAB Extreme has become a fast favourite. My two favourite scents are Rio and New York. 

Then If I haven't had on Illamasqua Prismatic Ive been wearing the Tanya Burr Polish in Little Duck. I always like to wear mint polishes when it gets closer to summer, not that we've seen much of a Spring or Summer yet!

Another long time favourite singer of mine is Hobbie Stuart, I really don't not love a single one of his songs and covers, But this month I've had both his cover of See You Again and What Time Do You Call This? on repeat constantly. 

At the start of May I watched the whole of the Netflix series Daredevil in a week, I really wish I hadn't as now I have to wait till next year for the next series. But it is fantastic! I am a huge Marvel/ Superhero fan and Daredevil is no exception. I cant recommend watching it enough, but be warned it is addictive!

Lastly I couldn't not mention going to Manchester and meeting Alex Box and Spob O'Brian as a favourite. I could listen to both of these lovely ladies talk for hours and had the best night with them and the girls from college. I cant recommend both of them enough as exceptional inspiration women! I did a full write up post about what was discussed that night HERE if you're interested! 

Eloise x

May GlossyBox

Hi Guys,

My May GlossyBox has arrived, all packed with goodies for this months theme of Summer's Calling. Now if you'd been about Glasgow the past couple of weeks, the statement Summer is calling seems like quite a long shot! But we can live in hope and use all the Summery products hoping they'll change the weather! 

After I didn't like the April Box as much as I had hoped, it just wasn't really a selection that wowed me. But I know lots of other people who really loved it, so maybe it was just me! I tried to have wishful thinking for this months box and It really has delivered!

Just having a quick peek into the box at first I thought that personally although this is the Summer Calling Box. I think nearly every product in here would be fantastic for festivals, they're just the perfect easy but effective items that you could use quickly too.

I also had that moment of confusion when I only counted four out of five products in there too! Turns out the last one was hiding under all the tissue, mini panic over!

Me Me Me Enchanted Eyes Dual Ended Eye Wand in Midnight Storm- £6.95

Before recently I'd of looked at this and thought oh no, just because of the shades. Though recently I've learnt to love blue and I can see myself getting a lot of use from this as its actually really not a bad product at all. It has two shades, a cobalt which I think would be lovely as a bright liner or all over the lid. Then there is also a Navy, again I think it would be nice as a winged liner, or a base for a navy smokey eye. The pencil its self is creamy, though each shade has a slight silver shimmer running through it too. Its something quick and easy to play about with, especially as blue is this summers on trend shade.

Etre Belle Aloe Vera Ultra Moisturising Gel - £15.93

This is definitely one for the fridge, when the sun does finally make an appearance and you end up with sunburn! A cold helping of this on to it will feel fantastic! Aloe Vera is one of the best things to use to soothe the skin and because its a gel formula its packed with moisture. Its even a great product to just carry in your bag, or apply in the morning to be nice and cooling on the face.

Zerreau Towel Off Shampoo Foam - £7.95

I actually cannot contain my excitement for this product, I just think its such a great concept! This would be so handy for camping at a festival, even though dry shampoo is great, you can have the whole white roots problem. This being a foam, I think it feels a lot fresher in the hair, It also smells like apples, which is one of the best smells I've smelt from a product like this.

SASS Intimate Perfect Skin Concentrate - £12

Ive heard of SASS before but never tried any products, so I was very excited to see this in the box. It is basically just a product to soothe the skin after either shaving or waxing. I know everyone seems to love The Cool Fix gel by Shaveworks, especially Vivianna Does Makeup. So I'd really like to see how the two compare. As it also contains Salicylic Acid, its also exfoliating the skin, reducing the chances of ingrown hairs too.

Collection Cosmetics Field Day Lipstick in Pink Rose - £2.99

When I saw this in the tube it looks like a really washed out bubble gum pink, pair that with the blue and I feel like its more 90's Barbie. But once I actually tried the shade on its a really pretty brighter pink, which I think looks the nicest just patted on with a very fresh makeup look. The formulation of Collection lipsticks make them really comfortable to wear and they are so pigmented for the price, I'd really recommend them!

(Swatches: Left to Right - Pink Rose, Midnight Storm Cobalt &Midnight Storm Navy)

Overall I really love this months box and now I really wish I was going to a festival so I could give these a good road test. They'll be such handy products to use this summer anyway and I can already see myself making a few repurchases too!

Eloise x

My Illamasqua Polish Collection

Hi Guys,

Im known to talk about Illamasqua a lot... So it seemed only right to start what may become a little series! (Let me know if you enjoy this one) On my Nail Polish Collection and favourite brands too. I used to do my nails quite a lot, but then after doing beauty therapy I fell out of the habit of doing my usual nail art, as you're not allowed any polish on at all! So Im getting them all back out and hopefully getting back into the swing of things.

Starting with one of my favourite brands for Nail Polish, Illamasqua!

Ive also found that not many people talk about the Illamasqua Polishes and I think they definitely need their recognition! This post is also meant in no form of bragging, I just thought it would be fun to tell you a bit about them. Plus I know I love having a nosey through a nail polish collection too!

I also apologise for the very cheesy subtitles you are about to read and the picture heavy post!

The Cream of the Crop:
Jan - Pinky Lilac: I was obsessed with this shade and found a way to use it in every single nail art design I did, Its just such a pretty colour, perfect for spring. Its sister is probably the very popular shade in Jo'Mina.

Load - Off White Cream: This is probably the streakiest polish Ive tried from Illamasqua, but I can forgive that as the rest of them I have no problem with. I think its down to how pale the polish is, it's just a little difficult to get it right.

Nomad - Bright Mint Green: I have to admit, I bought this shade after seeing Tanya Burr talk about it and on a few of her Instagram posts. Its amazing for the summer, Im not a huge green fan that isn't mint (I say while having three other green shades!). But this one is easy to fall in love with.

Caress - Baby Sky Blue: I love how this shade is another off white shade, its washed out, really simple and just makes it really easy to wear. Its a shade, I just like to fall back on when I need something pretty quick!

Nudge - Pastel Mint: For me, Mint shades can do no wrong, Nudge included. However it is really similar to Caress and I have to admit I do get them mixed up sometimes... It definitely leans more on the blue side of things than the green.

Blow - Pastel Lemon: Yellow is always a difficult colour to wear, especially as I am quite pale, it can look rather odd. As well as sometimes looking like you've just stained your nails. Blow though is such a lovely creamy shade, its just the perfect pastel that isn't too much.

The Shimmer Shades:

Bacterium - Pearlescent Biege: Its a duo chrome polish and has many looks to it, It can go from an iridescent pink, to a taupe then even green toned!

Melange - Teal with a Golden Shimmer: This is the only matte in my collection from Illamasqua and may actually be my favourite. The difference between the matte base shade, with the golden shimmer running through it is extremely pretty in the light and really gives it a uniqueness. Ive never seen a polish like it on the market.

Snap - Metallic Gun Metal: This is the only Metallic out of all the Illamasqua polishes I own, they don't really do many, especially nowadays. It doesn't have a glossy finish, but its also not matte. Its just very shimmery.

Charisma - Dark Pink Raspberry: This is the perfect Christmas shade, I did get it after Christmas, so its not been used to its full Christmas potential. If only it wasn't getting into spring!

Radium - Almost Neon Lime: The newest little guy and one I cant believe I didn't buy sooner, it has a really subtle blue shimmer running through it, which is extremely pretty as it catches the light. 

The Textured Team:
Raindrops - Pale Grey with a Silver Glitter: The sheerest of the bunch, Its actually designed by a fan after Illamasqua held a contest and this won. It got to the point where it was extremely difficult to get your mitts on as it was always sold out! Its so unique with its different sized chunks of silver glitter.

Trilliant - A Pink/Champagne shade: The best wayto describe this polish finish is as a sand effect polish, which were very popular last year. Its made up of very fine glitter and slightly chunkier pieces to create a really textured almost rough finish to the polish. It sparkles amazingly in the light! It also looks fantastic with a clear gloss over the top too.

Pink Raindrops - Baby Pink with White Sparkle: Due to the Success of its not so identical twin, Raindrops. Pink Raindrops was born, It has more shimmer than glitter and is a little easier to apply. But you kinda cant help but love them both!

Mottle - Black Speckled Mint Green: Inspired by Mini Eggs and actually If I stare at it for too long I kinda feel like I want Mini Eggs. Again its in my favourite Mint Green, but it does also come in four other shades and applies smoothly to the nail.

The Neon Nails:
Collide - Hot Pink: This was my first ever Illamasqua Polish that I received in a goodie box, they did years ago. I was also going through my Fuchsia Pink as bright as you can get it faze, so this was perfect!

Gamma - Orange: Im not a massive orange person, I also got this in my goodie box. But as much as I don't like to wear it on my nails as much, its fantastic in the summer on your toes!

(Swatches: Left to Right - Collide, Gamma, Jan, Bacterium, Load, Pink Raindrops, Trilliant and Nomad)

(Swatches: Left to Right - Caress, Nudge, Blow, Melange, Snap, Raindrops, Mottle, Charisma and Radium)

All the swatches are just two coats, as thats usually all I need. I always forget to use a topcoat too, but these polishes last for 4-5 days before even slightly starting to chip and thats without a topcoat! I have my eye on a couple more shades, I just cant help it they're like little bottles of goodness!! They may be pricey compared to the high street polishes, but in my eyes they're worth it, I cant recommend these unsung heroes enough.

You can get most of the shades I've featured HERE, minus my beloved Jan, Snap, Caress, Nudge and Blow as they've sadly been discontinued, noo!

Eloise x

My Current Make Up Bag!

Hi Guys,

I was thinking about posts to do and maybe to do something a bit different to my usual reviews and things, so I thought why not show you what Make Up I've been wearing/ What's in my make up bag! This is basically what I've mainly been wearing at work and at college recently, especially for college. 

Now I completely forgot about foundation and everything for this so I've currently been using the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory also mixed with Rimmel Match Perfection in Light Porcelain to make it lighter as I'm so pale! Plus I'm still loving the NYC Primer too!

Eye wise I've gotten really into the winged liner, which I could never do but I've been practising and they are still kinda wonky but I'm rather pleased with how its turned out. To do the winged liner I've been using the Ben Nye Eye liner Cake in Black, but shhh its from my kit! 

With that I've gone back to one of my favourite eye shadow combo's MAC's Naked Lunch (Which I think I'm going to have to replace soon at this rate!) and Satin Taupe. To go with those I've liked wearing Cork through the crease of my eye too. 

Lastly on the eyes I've liked the Barry M Lash Vegas Mascara, I have to admit I really didn't like this at first, but I've found if I wipe a lot of the excess off of the wand it does look really good! Oh and I cant forget my Illamasqua Brow Cake in Thunder for the Brows, Love this stuff! 

Cheek wise I've gone back to my favourite blusher, Illamasqua Unrequited! Illamasqua have to re release this! Even though I've been using it for around a year and hardly dented it, I'm going to be very disappointed when it finally runs out! Plus I've loved the much loved Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair too!

Finally for the lips I've had many options, In the past few days I've loved the Baby Lips by Maybelline in Cherry Me as its been great when working long days doing the make up for the pantomime at college! Very Moisturising while still adding colour!

Then before that I loved the Rimmel Stay Glossy in Non Stop Glamour, It tastes good, Looks amazing and isn't sticky! I love the Stay Glossy Line! Then I also loved the NYX Lip gloss in Biege which you may of seen me talk about in my monthly favourites - HERE, I still love it for the same reasons. Then finally for the lips under the two lip glosses I've still been loving the Body Shop Lip Butter in Pink Grape Fruit, It just tastes so good!

(Swatches: Left to Right - Non Stop Glamour, Beige, Cherry Me, Unrequited, Naked Lunch, Cork and Satin Taupe)

I hope you like this kind of post! If you do let me know and I'd love to hear your ideas for posts you want to see too!

Eloise x

Clothes Show O.O.T.D and F.O.T.D

Hi Guys,

Today I've been at the Clothes Show Live so I thought I'd do a bit of an outfit post! Plus nails and make up! Sorry that the photos are such poor quality I didn't get back till late and had to work with the room lighting and not the natural lighting. 

Dress - H! By Henry Holland

Tights - Primark Cosy Tights

Bag - H! By Henry Holland

Watch - Next

Ring - River Island

Nail Polish - Ilamasqua in Jan

Base:

Nars Sheer Glow in Mont Blonc
Clarins Skin Illusion in Ivory
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair

Eyes:
MAC Shadows in Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe and Cork
MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Ben Nye Eyeliner Cake in Black
Barry M Lash Vegas Mascara
Illamasqua Eyebrow Cake in Thunder

Lips:
Rimmel Stay Glossy in Non Stop Glamour

Cheeks:
Illamasqua Blusher in Unrequited
Jelly Pong Pong Brazilian Sun Bronzer

I'm going to hopefully put a post up about the show tomorow so anyone going on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday can take a sneak peek at what there is or if you just want to overall see what its like!

Eloise x

My Top 7 Winter Lipstick Picks!

Hi Guys!,

I thought I'd do a post on my favourite lipsticks for this winter as I always love wearing lipstick and especially at this time of year as you get to crack out the darker shades. 

Originally this post was my top five winter lipstick picks, but then I couldn't whittle it down to five so its now seven...

The Purple Tones:

MUA Matte Lipstick in Wild Berry : £1 - Here
 I've done a review on this range here. It's one of my favourites as it is quite sheer but its perfect for having a bold colour without it being quite so bold, if that makes sense. Its just good for the days that you want a bit of colour but not too much! You can also win it in my giveaway just now too.

MAC Lipstick in Rebel: £15 - Here
  This is the most pink toned of the bunch, also the most expensive out of my three favourites. It's part of the satin line of lipsticks for MAC, its great for pale skins like me as it doesn't wash you out too much. you can also make it less bold just by patting it into the lips so its not as dark.

Collection Lipstick in 3 Revenge: £2.99 - Here
This is probably the darkest one, and for £2.99 it is crazily pigmented! plus it lasts so long on the lips I actually found it eventually had to be taken off with make up remover to get the last traces off, so for me I think that's great as topping up lipstick, well I forget to do it. its got a pink undertone to it for sure.

The Classic's:

 

Rimmel Matte Kate Moss Lipstick in 107: £5.49 - Here
This is one of the most raved about lipsticks at this time of year, I love the matte Finnish as you may of noticed I like the matte finishes, it lasts amazingly well! and doesn't fade in a horrible way either. I cant say I'm the biggest fan of the smell but the shade definitely wins me over, its definitely more of a pink toned red too.

MAC Lipstick in Hue: £15 - Here
Hue is a Glaze finish lipstick for MAC, which usually I'm not a fan of but for a nude shade it makes it so easy to wear, its quite moisturising, again it has a pink undertone to it, you wouldn't think I prefer a blue undertone after all these pink ones haha! 

The Liquid Lipsticks:

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in San Paulo: £5.50 - Here
An old favourite which you'll probably of seen me talking about loads on here! These smell amazing, can be layered up to make a dark matte lip or you can put it over a balm and make a sheer red lip, pink undertones and is amazing on pale skin again. probably one of my all time favourites. its so easy to apply as well and doesn't dry out my lips.

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Reckless: £3 - Here

This is a new very pigmented favourite! at the moment I'm yet to wear it fully by its self as I keep sheering it out, but for the price this is amazing! I've done a review on it here. and yes once again I think its more of a pink toned red haha!

(Swatches: Left to Right - San Paulo, Reckless, Hue, 107, Rebel, Seduction and Wild Berry)

I hope this shows you some of the great lipsticks out there at this time of year!

Eloise x

P.S. Theres only 3 days left to enter my giveaway HERE if you haven't already! 

October Favourites

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I'm a bit behind on my blog posts the past few days, I was going to upload one yesterday but I thought I'm better sticking to my plan and put up my Favourites today instead of tomorrow! I tried to mix it up a bit with my favourites this month and my ultimate favourite isn't actually a beauty product either!

Thinking about this month it seems to of gone so fast, then when I think back to the first of October it seemed like so long ago! October meant quite a few new products were brought into my life which I've been loving then those old favourites you never seem to get tired of!

My first favourite is a repurchase this month of the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, I'm sure this has been in past favourites, it also has the entire blogging community raving its name! I got shade 1 Fair for the winter months, I don't really change from winter to summer though, I'm very pale all year round! It has great coverage and lasts very well, even longer when you set it though! 

The E.L.F Cream Eyeliner has always been a favourite of mine but this month I've been finally trying to master a winged liner and without this I'd still be hopeless... I still cant do it perfectly but this made it so easy to apply on a angled brush. Its pigmented, soft, it doesn't really drag at all and if you mess up its easy to fix, saying that though it lasts amazingly well! Mine has seen better days but has lasted me for so long!

Tangle Teezer! Why did I not get you before October?! I had quite an incident with my hair falling out this month, that's another story though! I ran out to buy this hoping it could help me save my hair a bit and I'm not sure why its taken me so long to purchase it! Its made brushing out my very knotty long hair a lot easier and makes it quicker too, plus its pink! What's not to love!

This time of year for me equals dark colours and green has never been a colour I'm a huge fan of, Mint I love, but any other shades no thank you! Then I picked up Barry M Gelly Hi - Shine in Watermelon for a competition. I thought I'd wear it then and never again, I was wrong! If you follow me on twitter you may of seen me raving about this! I must of had it on for three weeks straight! seeing as I change my polish every four days this is a achievement! I didn't even have to reapply it too often either. 

Again during these months I like my dark lips, I've really been loving Matte for a while now too, so I finally took the plunge and bought the Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107, Again I've hardly had it off. I must admit I don't like the scent at all! But once on the lips you cant really notice it, It lasts well, Fades nicely and doesn't dry my lips out either compared to other Matte formulas. 

(Swatches: Left to right - Collection Concealer in Fair, Rimmel Lipstick in 107, ELF Cream Liner in Black)

 My last monthly favourite and also my ultimate favourite was going to see Hobbie Stuart! If you've been reading for a while I've raved about him a few times, to be honest I like to keep him my own little secret, but he deserves all the success and love and followers! He's a Youtuber and is releasing his album next year, This is the first proper Gig I've ever been to and I loved it! Make sure you check out his channel because he is just amazing! You can find Hobbie's Channel - Here. P.s. I told you I was Pale! Oh and I also have the Rimmel 107 lipstick on in that picture too! 

I have tons of blog posts planned for this month and December and also a bit of a giveaway coming up very soon! I hope I can fit it all in hahaha!

Also make sure you go over to Naville at Inspirations I Have None who is holding a great giveaway with OASAP! I'm in love with those jumpers! 

Eloise x