Its Haul time......

Hi everyone, 

So I asked on twitter what you would like to see first, an empties post or a haul, and the haul won. lol.

These are items that I have got over the last few weeks....

Im a total sucker for 3 for 2!!! lol.

I hope that you enjoyed this and it has given you as few ideas for your shopping lists :)

Mwah

Medium cover foundation routine using Nars Sheer Glow.....

Hi Everyone!!

Hope you are all having a fab bank holiday!!

I wanted to share with you a demo of how I use the NARS Sheer Glow, I got this foundation a couple of months ago and really love it. 

The name sheer glow doesn't really do it justice as it gives a medium cover that can easily be built to full cover.

I love the soft finish it leaves on the skin and how long lasting and flawless it is.

Have you tried NARS Sheer Glow?

Are you a fan too??

Mwah

Current Medium cover foundation routine, Nearly Naked demo...

So after sharing with you my review on what I think of the new Revlon Nearly Naked foundation, I decided that I wanted to show you how it applies and my current routine.

At the moment my skin is in a terrible state so it is lovely to be able to wear a foundation that feels light and yet gives me enough cover to hide my blemishes and make me feel confident.

I hope that you like this demo...

Have you tried Nearly Naked?

What do you think?

Mwah

Revlon Nearly Naked range.............

If you follow me on Instagram I'm sure you will of seen that I picked up the Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation and matching powder.

I have been using it now for 3 days and my first impressions are that I love it!!

It is completely different to what I imagined, I was expecting a very sheer formula with little or no coverage, when in fact what I have found is a fantastic medium cover foundation.

Are you going to try Nearly Naked?

Mwah

January Favorites 2013......

Who can believe that dreary January is already over, I for one am glad and cannot wait to see some of the better weather very soon. 

My favorites this month were harder to put together as I have been doing face of the week, although in some ways I enjoyed this, in others I have found that It has left me feeling a lil less excited about doing my face and finding what I love for the month.

I also feel like I didnt have as many favorites this month...

What do you think???

Mwah

November Favorites, better late than never!!!

Hi Everyone, hope you are all well and getting excited for Christmas!!! I have been crazy busy at work and so my November favorites are late for you this month.

I didnt have millions of new loves this past month, I have enjoyed using alot of my all time favorite items and things that are quick and easy to fit into any makeup look.

It has been nice to rediscover some of my holy grail products as well as finding a few new gems.

Have you been reaching for old faith fulls this month?

What have you been loving??

Mwah

Full Cover Foundation Routine........

Hi Everyone!! How are you all today? Fab I hope. Today's video is sharing with you my full cover foundation routine. This is the routine I use when perhaps my skin isn't so great or I have a event coming up where I need pretty much bullet proof makeup lol. 

Its also great for nights out.

This took a lot of guts for me to do as I know my skin isn't the greatest.

Products mentioned...

Revlon Colour Stay Foundation

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

Ben Nye Banana Powder

MAC Gold Deposit

Milani Baked Bronzer in Soliel

MAC Superb

MUA Blush shade 5

Urban Decay All Nighter

ELF HD Powder

What are your favorite full cover foundations???

Mwah

My top Foundation Picks........

Over the recent months, I have found that I have been experimenting with a few more foundations than usual. Because of this I decided that I wanted to share with my favorites.

I have a mixture of favorites, both drugstore, mid range and high end. as well as a mixture of finishes, dewy, matte, demi matte and so on. 

I find that I find myself reaching for different foundations at different times of the year as well as different occasions.

The foundations I talk about are.......

Bourjois Healthy Mix

Bourjois 1,2,3

Loreal Lumi Magique

Revlon Colourstay

Mac Studio Fix

Makeup Forever HD foundation

Chanel Vitalumie

What are your favorites?

Mwah

Brand Favorites, Part 4....MAC

Today I have part four of my brand favorites series for you. 

MAC was a highly requested brand, its a brand that is well know and widely available.

I was surprised how many items I love from MAC, there are without doubt more than a couple of items I dont love also. It has such a wide range of products that there really is something for everyone.

What are your must have products from MAC???

Mwah

Brand Favorites Part 3.....Revlon

Its time for part 3 of my brand favorites series..... Today I am looking at Revlon.

As a drugstore brand, Revlon are at the higher end of the price range, especially here in the UK, however Revlon are steady launching new products that are pulling us all in, remember the lip butter hype?!?!

As a brand I really do think they have some fab products, here are my favorites...

Thank you for watching!!!!!

What are your favorites from Revlon???

Mwah

Bourjois 1,2,3 Perfect.............

As those of you that have been reading my blog for a while will know, I have had varying luck with drug store foundations over the last year.

Bourjois are the makes of both my favourite ( Healthy Mix) and least favourite ( Healthy Mix Serum) drug store foundation discoveries of the year. So when I saw that Boots had an exclusive Bourjois hitting there shelves last month, I knew I had to give it a go.

This is 1,2,3 Perfect Foundation

If you are familiar with Bourjois foundations, one of the first things that you will notice is the upgrade to the packaging. Gone is the usual plastic bottle and in is the classy, expensive feeling. The plastic pump feels average, all in all tho, the packaging looks and feels great.

There are only five shades in the range, the darkest being my shade 56, Beige Rose.

The shades in these foundations come up a bit lighter, I would go so far as to say a couple of shades at least.  

I am not sure if this is because of the 3 colour correcting pigments in the foundation, but I do know that this is going to limit the appeal of the foundation, no matter how fabulous it may be. With even a hint of colour this is going to become far to light for me. I would say that if you are anything over a NW30 ish that you may struggle.

The Bourjois web site does say that there are 9 shades available, I'm guessing that these extra shades will be released shortly.

That being said, I have been using this foundation and enjoying it. It offers a lovely cover, I would say medium to full. It leaves a satin finish on the skin. What makes this foundation different from say Healthy Mix is the 3 colour correcting pigments that are in the formula, Yellow, Mauve and Green.

Yellow promises to conceal dark circles and give a rested look to the skin.

Mauve is to correct dullness and give a radiant appearance.

Green neutralises any redness in the skin and helps to even out the complexion.

Added to all this there is the promise of long wear (16hrs), SPF (10) and 24hr hydration.

Sounds good doesn't it?? 

It is!!

I'm pleased to say that I really do like this foundation, it leaves my skin feeling and looking fresh whilst offering me cover and help in those aggravating areas such as any blemishes that may of left those horrid red tell tale marks.

Even with the limited shade range, I think that this is definitely worth checking out if you are on the look out for a new drug store foundation. 

Bourjois, you have made me smile once again :))

1,2,3 Perfect is available from branches of Boots and on line. It normally costs £10.99 but at the moment has £4.00 off so is just £6.99.

I would love to hear what you think of this foundation.....

Mwah

Vegas Haul Part 3, MAC, Bath&Body Works and Victoria Secret.........

OK I promise this is the last part of my Vegas haul.

There is a MAC pro store in the Forum Shops at Cesar's Palace. I couldn't resist a mosey round the store as most prices are pretty much dollars for pounds so offer great savings. I also have been wanting to try the Face & Body Foundation for a fair while now and it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I managed to get Naughty Saute at Gatwick on the way out to Vegas, I was so pleased as it was out of stock when I placed my order on line on the Thursday morning!!! I also grabbed Girl About Town as I have been craving bright lips of late.

Bath&Body Works for me was like Sephora all over again, HEAVEN!!! They had some great deals so I got a few bits n bobs, I also picked some up as gifts for family.

Lastly I got 2 glosses from Victoria Secret.

These both smell and taste gorgeous and just made me smile.

I know I went a little crazy, but I had my birthday money and what better to do with it than pick up goodies we cant get at home.

Thanks for reading....

Mwah

Vegas Haul Part 1, Sephora, it had to be done?!?!?

While I was in Las Vegas, I of course did some shopping. I mostly stuck to things that we cant get here in the UK. I had been making a list of bits as I saw them so that I was able to check them out when I was there.

I took all the photos in my hotel with the packaging before we came home which is why they are different to my usual and no swatches.

I will review all the bits I get when I have had a chance to use them all for a while.

One of my first stops was of course Sephora.

This was what I got from my fist trip to Sephora.

Makeup Forever HD Foundation, I had to get this as it was for my wedding day.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Tipsy

Demolition 24/7 Urban Decay liner

Illamasque Lipstick in Over

Buxom Flirt Alert Kit

Sephora Eyeshadow

Sephora Powder blush in Pink Flush

I also picked up the famous Airbrush 55 Powder brush, and it certainly lives up to the hype.

I also got my Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday gift, Philosophy's Happy Birthday Beautiful bubble bath and a Fresh Sugar Kisses lip duo.

On the 2nd to last day I paid my 2nd trip to Sephora and got some other things....

Too Faced, Glamour to Go Palette

Daisy by Marc Jacobs roller ball

Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Frisky

Makeup Forever Star Powder

Laura Mercier Baked eye shadow in Black Karat

Josie Maren Protect Daily Sun Protection SPF40+ with Argan Oil  

Fairy Drops Scandal Queen Mascara

Sephora Ribbon Hair Ties

Sephora Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil.

Eeeeek!

Its been 7 years since I was last in Sephora, and I really was a kid in a sweetshop.

I cant wait to show you and review these things for you. A few of them have already become favourites.

Have a fab day.

Mwah

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, not for me I'm afraid...................

I thought I would share with you the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation today.

I have been using this for a few weeks now and feel I can give a fair and honest review.

I got the shade 400 Natural Beige, this is an ideal colour for me when I have a little self tan on, I was thinking ahead to Vegas when I choose the shade. I would say that it is only 1 or 2 darker than my normal shade so is ideal to mix if I want to.

My first impressions of this have changed in the couple of weeks I have had to use it.

 However I really cant decide if I like this foundation or not. It is said to be long lasting, up to 10 hours, but even with a primer I find that after 4 or 5 hours its looking uneven and patchy on my skin. 

It has a full texture, not watery at all and offers buildable coverage, light all the way to full cover. Sounds good. I find that if I do apply a little more to my skin, that it sits in my pores and looks dry and clogged. Not something I want from a foundation. 

I so want to love this foundation, it has everything I look for, long lasting, light to full coverage, light reflective particles, pore smoothing, line filling and Vitamins too.

But it just doesn't suit my skin. Do you know how to make this work for me? I am disappointed as this is the first Rimmel foundation I have tried. Which ones do you think are there best?

What are your favourite foundations?

Mwah

Some recent fails :((.....................

I don't usually have that many products that I end up really disliking, today tho I have two definite fails.
I would like to point out tho, that just because these products are not for me, some of you may love them.

First up is the eye studio eye shadows from Maybelline. I have just one of these in the purple shade.
You get a 2nd colour in these compacts that is a translucent powder with some sparkle through. Right up my street you would think? Unfortunately not. The purple is not that greatly pigmented, its not the worst I've used but comes a long, long way short of what I look for in an eyeshadow. The translucent powder has terrible fall out and when applied in all honesty looks no different to me at all as the glitter seems to end up pretty much anywhere than on my eye.

As I said it may just be me, but this for me is a total fail.

Next up Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum.

I am a massive fan of the original version of this foundation, Healthy Mix. And when I saw this I had to try it out. This in comparison to the original has a more a serum texture, Bourjois say gel. It is also packed with more of the fab antioxidants that are crammed into the original formula, sounds good so far doesn't it?!?!?

Well I can honestly say that this for me is the worst foundation I've ever tried. It literally for me did nothing. I think that I personally get better results with tinted moisturiser. I don't know why but as soon as it hit my skin it seemed to vanish to nothing. I tried it with and without a primer, with and without powder, I really tried everything as I really wanted to like it.

Sadly for me, nothing could make me like this foundation :((

Thank you for reading my post.

Have you had any products that you have been let down by???

Mwah

NYX HD Foundation Review.......

In my recent NYX HAUL I purchased the new HD Studio Photogenic Foundation.
I have been using it for several days now and so its time for the promised review.

I got the colour Warm Sand 07. For me this is a perfect colour. It gives my Olive skin enough warmth without having orange undertones.

The coverage is light to full depending on application. I have been wearing it as a medium cover, using a stippling brush to apply. It goes on super smooth and has a fab dewy finish.

Its worn very well for me throughout the day.

I'm very impressed with the results of this foundation and would defiantly recommend it. I love the way you can build up the coverage from sheer to full and how easily it glides on the skin.

You can see that it doesn't leave a powdery look to the skin, it looks very natural.

I'm so so pleased I bought this foundation, its gorgeous!! I had hesitated several times as I'm always a little skeptical with the promises made for HD products.

On a separate note, the HD range from NYX has so far been a real hit with me, the HD eyeshadow primer is also fantastic and works like a dream.

For the full review click HERE

So for £14.95 I think this foundation is great, its alot kinder to your purse than the Makeup Forever HD Foundation that's for sure. 

If your on the hunt for a new foundation, I would say give this a go :))

Happy Saturday!!!

Mwah

Maria xxxxx

  

The BB cream Buzz...........

In the beauty world, over the past say 6 months there has been a new kid on the block in the guise of BB cream. I have heard so many of the Youtube beauty gurus talk about it that i have been dying to get my hands on some and give it a try!!!

Its notoriously hard to get hold of here in the UK so i spent alot of time and energy finding an Ebay shop based in Korea with 100% feedback. When i found one i was pleased with i took the plunge and bought one.

I didn't get the the skin79 BB cream in the pink canister as the reviews have always said it is a lil on the grey side, and having an olive skin tone i didn't want to get it only to find it left an ashy tone on my face.

I instead opted for the MISSHA Perfect Cover BB Cream in shade 23. I decided to pick this one as it has a slightly darker tone and a little less grey.

As you can see from the above swatch, it is more of a pink tone, i was really pleased with the colour choice as my skin with its olive tones can sometimes look a little sallow (mostly in the winter) so the pink tone warms up my skin nicely.

The official website says...

The M Perfect Cover BB Cream gives an even and natural-looking coverage with the soothing, moisturising properties of a cream. It is suitable for all skin types including acne-prone skin, and can be used as a makeup base or foundation.

Whitening + Anti-Wrinkle + UV Protection (SPF 42 PA+++)

I would have to agree with their claims that it gives a natural cover, for me tho i think i could wear this with just a little powder and would feel confident.

At the moment my skin is a little to dark to be able to just use this, so because of that i am using it as a foundation primer ( I ran out of my Mac PREP & PRIME) and loving the results.

Have you tried BB cream?? What do you think?

Does it live up to the hype?

I would have to say YES!!

Mwah,

Maria xxxxx

NYX Cosmetics, a Haul..........

Knock knock, postman here.....

Whoop whoop, that means one thing...My NYX order is here :))))))

Yayyyy!!! Living in England i cant pop down to my local drugstore to pick up some NYX, i have to get it online.

This has good and bad points, good being the excitement when it arrives, the bad being i have chosen some colours that i may not of purchased had i swatched them first, the upside of this tho is that NYX doesn't break the bank. It is very competitively priced and offers great quality products.



So here is what i got in my NYX haul today :)

First up the lipstick Round and one Diamond sparkle.

In the shades LSS630 Pumpkin Pie and DS10 Sparkling Flamingo

So pretty :))

Next up.......

HD Studio Photogenic Foundation

Shade Warm sand HDF 07

I have wanted to try a HD foundation for a while now, so i thought this is a good place to start.

A couple of eyeshadow bases.

NYX eyeshadow base in White pearl and the NYX HD eyeshadow primer.

A body glitter gel in Crystal Cave

2 glitter on the go in Glam Gold and Las Vegas

2 Glitter Cream Palette in Bronze Goddess and One night in Luxy

Jumbo pencils in Pots & Pan's and Yogurt

And lastly i thought i would try some of their lashes....

I got the ones called Nirvana, they look lovely :))

I cant wait to try out all my goodies, ill post reviews as i do....

I'm really excited to try out the HD Foundation.

I didn't get any more eyeshadow from Nyx, i already have a few and find them to be very creamy and long lasting. It will be fun to see how they look and lst over the HD eye base!!

Have a fab day,

Maria xxxxx

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation..........

Foundation is something that i don't really change up that much, i tend to stick to a foundation for a while when i find one i like.

My current favourite is Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. (RRP £9.99)

I'm in the shade 56 Hale Clair and really enjoying this foundation at the moment. It has a semi matte finish. As well as being long lasting (up to 16hrs) its very natural looking, something you don't normally get from a long wear foundation.

Bourjois are using fruit therapy technology in this foundation, using the following ingredient's that promise to give radiance boosting results.

• Apricot > radiance
• Melon > hydration
• Apple > antioxidant
• Ginger > energy

There is a conceler in the range that i am interested in trying, if its half as good as the foundation, it will be a winner.

For more info on Bourjois and its cosmetics, check out the web site

http://www.bourjois.co.uk/home?mood=0

Bourjois is avaliable from all good drugstores.

Maria xxxxxx