FOTD #14- A Not Very Productive Week

So this week ought to have been brilliant as a beauty blogger, as I bought so much beauty stuff you wouldn't even believe. But as I'm feeling rather uninspired and underwhelmed about blogging at the moment I didn't actually bother to write anything up. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's from being ill last week, maybe from unemployment... I don't know. It's proving a rubbish few months. Anyhow! I got lots of stuff from Boots, Superdrug, M & S, DHC, OCC and Nyx, which will pop up at various points from now on. So today's FOTD, with full on smoky eyes... to stay in the house and stare at my laptop. See? Uninspiring. I need to get my arse in gear.

 

Face- MUA Pro Primer

Gosh X-Ceptional Wear Foundation in 11 Porcelain (applied with Gosh Foundation Brush)

elf Complexion Perfection Powder

Eyes- MUA Pro Professional Eye Primer

MUA Pro Palette 'Starry Night'- shade 11 (purple grey) all over lid, shade 4 (silver) dabbed in inner corner of lid, shade 12 (deep lilac) patted along upper lash line. (applied with fingers)

17 Va Va Voom Volume Mascara in Black

Cheeks and Lips- M & S Lip and Cheek Tint in Pink Mix

WOW this FOTD is so MUA full. Also that last sentence had too many capital letters in. Hmm. I'm actually really pleased with this look- I can't do a smoky eye to save my life (what is this 'blending' you speak of?) but this actually looked really pretty and very night sky like! I'm loving the cheek tint- which I believe was around £3-4 from M & S? Very good value, and easy for the blusher phobic to use!

Love B xxx

Beauty LAT: A moisturiser to improve sunscreens...

So following my recent post on sunscreens, I briefly mentioned a product that could improve the dreaded greasy sunscreen. I always use a moisturiser with sunscreens- my skin is combination, and while my T-zone would be happy without any more product, my dry cheeks need something more. I also find that sunscreens can tend to just sit there and not really sink in- so 20 minutes later your face is no less greasy than it was when you first put it on. Enter this...

The Body Shop Mattifying Seaweed..... As a moisturiser on its' own, it's a bit rubbish. Maybe ok for the very oily, but it doesn't add that much. On top of sunscreens though, it performs a mattifying miracle. I apply my sunscreen and let it sink in for 10 minutes. I then apply a dollop of the moisturiser (and this is quite important) I rub it in. After a minute or two it rubs down to a lovely matt finish. I didn't find myself overly oily through the day either.

It has a rather gloopy jelly like texture.

I have to confess I don't use this often. My skin is a little too dry and I'm using other products which work better. But if you want to use your expensive but useless sunscreens and not look like a greaseball, this is definitely worth trying, even just occasionally as I do so they weren't a complete waste of money!

7/10

Love B xxx

Beauty LAT: Sunscreen Rundown Part 2

So part 2 of my big sunscreen review is here! These reviews are a little longer (I don't have as many new ones to review) but I'm sure there will be a part 3 at some point (I'm a bit obsessed with sunscreen).

Clarins Spf 40 UV Plus Day Screen

The astute and ample memoried of those among you might think 'hang on... wasn't this reviewed before?'. That was the new version, this one is the old one (consequences of buying on ebay without proper research). It's not as matte as the new version, but sinks in well after 10 minutes (and that's over a moisturiser). The proof is in the using- I've been using this daily for a good few months and it's good. It's not perhaps exceptionally, but it fits in very well and does what I want it to. Obviously don't seek this out (I'd probably just get the new one) but it isn't the end of the world if you accidentally buy the old one. 9/10


La Roche-Posay Spf 50+ Fluide Extreme Anthelios XL

I've read so many rave reviews of this, talking about how light and non-greasy it is. I find this SO greasy! Ok, I'm maybe overexaggerating a tad, but it isn't matte by any stretch of the imagination. The only way I can wear this is with a very mattifying moisturiser on top and that keeps it in check. On the plus side, even on bare skin this isn't irritating (I might even say soothing) and it's lovely for dry/sensitive skin. I wouldn't recommend it for the oily skinned, but for cold winters when we get dry and sore skin, this might just be a winner. 7/10 (with room for improvement).


Avene Eau Thermale Spf 50+ Emulsion

A bit of a disappointment. I love Avene (they make my favourite ever moisturiser) but I wasn't a fan of this. I found a little irritating on bare skin (not like 'OW' but tingly) and it's quite greasy (though I will review a product soon which can make it more usable). The big bugbear of this for me is the smell. You know that Vitamin E smell (I'm thinking mostly of the Body Shop range). This smells of that really strongly. Smells don't bother me much, but I really hate this one. It's not the worst sunscreen ever, but there's enough negatives that mean it isn't really worth it for me. 4/10

Garnier Ambre Solaire Sheer Protect Face Spf 30

I barely even tried this before I threw it away. Greasy, greasy, greasy. 1/10

Garnier Ambre Solaire Light & Silky Spf 20 Protection Milk

The first body sunscreen! I really like this. It's somewhere between a sunscreen and body lotion. It sinks in well (though my skin is normal rather than dry), has a light fragrance which won't destroy your perfume, and is nicely usable on a daily basis as opposed to just on a beach. I only have the Spf 20 version (that was all that was in stock and I want to try and use it up) but there are higher versions. Very good. 8/10


The Sun Mousse Spf 30

I wanted to adore this, as it promised to be easy to use and non-greasy. Unfortunately I find this a little sticky on my skin upon application, and it doesn't leave my skin as smooth or non-tacky as I'd like. It isn't horrendous by any means, this is particularly good on large areas (like say legs if you're wearing shorts or a skirt) and it is easy to spread. 6/10

Dr Brandt UV Spf 30 High Protection Face

I acquired this through a swap with the rather amazing (in every way) Charlotte from Lipglossiping. Sadly I'm rather disappointed with it (especially as its rather pricey at £30). This is very greasy on me, so much so to be pretty much unusable. The worst thing is the packaging. It comes with an airless pump, which is supposed to be hygienic, but the seal has come apart meaning that you pretty much have to open it up to get it out. Totally not worth it in my opinion. 1/10

Phew! No doubt there'll a part 3... I really need to stop buying sunscreens!

Love B xxx

Beauty LAT: Kleenex Facial Cleansing Range

So recently I mentioned I picked up a few items from the new Kleenex face range. I thought I'd do some mini reviews on the things I picked up.

Kleenex Extra Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes

I'm a big fan of face wipes, I hate using eye make-up remover and tend to just use wipes to get all my make-up off before I wash my face (it's a budget method for double cleansing). The only thing that tends to irritate me is that they can dry out very quickly which can mean they drag when trying to remove heavy eye make-up. And so we come to these wipes. I LOVE them! They are really wet (it was still wet 8 HOURS after I'd used it!) and lovely and soft. They aren't perfect for really tough eye make-up (the kind nothing but cleansing oil will get off) but they are really very good otherwise. I'm definitely stocking up on these!


Kleenex Facial Cloths

I don't know about these. I can see a lot of uses- not so much for daily use, but for travel, for removing heavy make-up, for getting off hair removal cream, for homemade face masks (you could soak them in toner, rosewater or witch hazel) and just generally for emergencies. I can't help thinking though... they seem like a waste. They are supposed to be eco friendly, but you still have to throw them away, and they just seem a waste compared to a normal washcloth. I will keep these for the reasons above, but I can't justify buying these for everyday use sadly.



Kleenex Oil Removing Sheets

I've used oil blotting sheets on and off for a while- they were a boon when I was a very oily teenager, but now I just tend to get more dewy than oily on my T-zone. Still, these are handy to have around! I wouldn't recommend dragging them across your skin, as that seemed to take off a lot of powder. I found they were better when dabbed on the oily parts, and they did a decent job. These are ok, but I'm not sure they're a repurchase for me (love the colour of them though, they're bright purple!)

All in all this is a decent attempt by Kleenex to get back into a tough market, and with the facial cloths they are trying something which I haven't seen elsewhere. I do love the wipes a huge amount, and will keep buying, the other stuff... maybe not. But definitely worth trying!

Love B xxx

NOTD- Nubar Sour Candy Nail Lacquer

Holy crap is this pretty.

Seriously. SO PRETTY. I don't know what's up with me lately- I've never been a really girly girl, but lately so many glitter polishes have reduced me into an overexcited 5 year old going 'LOOK AT THE PRETTY!!!'. I have so so many on my shopping list! This is 3 coats of this- it's still on the sheer side but you can always layer it if you hate that. It applied quite well, but there have been more chips and tip wear than I'd hoped and it isn't that smooth. Also when I went to town in this I felt like a bit of an idiot. So a fair few negatives, but I can forgive it- it's just that pretty. I feel like a mermaid in it. And who doesn't want a polish that can do that! I got this off ebay for around £5.

Love B xxx

NOTD and a half- L.A. Girl Rockstar & Nubar Nail Lacquer in Sour Candy

This is a bit of a cheating post, as I added a layer of the Sour Candy on top of the Rockstar polish from a few days go.

 

They aren't what I'd called blinged out, but they were very pretty and quite understated (for a glitter anyway). They almost looked like stars shining in a black sky. Lovely! A full NOTD with the Nubar comes in a few days...

Love B xxx

Foundation Forever #1- Illamasqua Skinbase in Shade 2

After doing my Lipstick Forever series for a while, I thought I'd start a foundation series to cover in depth about foundations! First up... the Illamasqua Skinbase.

Product: Illamasqua Skinbase
Shade: 02
Price: £25, online at the Illamasqua website or from their counters.
Finish: Semi matte, more natural.
Skin Type and Colour:  Combination (dry sensitive cheeks, oily T-zone). Very pale (N10 in Mac) neutral toned, but slightly more pink.

Packaging: I really love the packaging of Illamasqua foundations. The colours they use and the curves on the bottle make it really stand out from the plain packaging a lot of brands use. The bottle is plastic and easy to carry, and the small nozzle means it is difficult to squeeze out too much.

Colour: I picked up Shade 2, a very pale pink. If I'm honest, it is a bit too pale (even for my ghostly skin). I couldn't really go down to another shade (the other one they showed me was way too dark), although be aware the shades are by tone rather than straight from light to dark. I love Illamasqua's range, but this colour has too much white for me. You know the white cast effect from sunscreens? That's what this reminds me of when I first put it on. I can work with it, but it isn't great.

You can see it clinging a bit in these two pics.

Ghostly.

Application & Coverage: I would say the coverage is medium-high. I LOVE Illamasqua as a brand, but honest to God I've hated the application of every foundation of theirs I've tried (this is the third). This is an improvement on the others, but I still found it very hard. I found it a little cakey and liable to cling to dry patches (where I didn't think I had any). It did get better after an hour or so, it sort of melts into the skin and looks better? Very odd.

Best Way to Apply?: I didn't particularly like this with fingers or any of my brushes or primers. Fail.

Lasting Power: Admittedly not bad, it held up pretty well. I did find I was quite oily by the end of the day though so I'd take powder or oil absorbing sheets to top it up if you are oily too.

Thoughts: I love Illamasqua. I love their ethos and style. And I really wanted to like this. But I don't. At worst I really wasn't pleased with how I looked. At best, in the middle bit where it melted in... it was ok. There was never a point sadly when it blew me away. Great colour range though, and I'm aware it could be my own picky skin and rubbish skills that are letting me down as much as the foundation, and I have seen loads of good reviews and there are good points. I just can't think of any niche in my make-up bag where it's better than anything else I have.

Overall Mark: 6/10. I really really wish it was more though.

Love B xxx

NOTD- L.A. Girl Rockstar Nail Lacquer in... um... Rockstar. Plus Seche Vite!

This is from the Rockstar collection from L.A. Girl which I talked about before here.

I'm not overly impressed by this polish. It has an amazing holographic glitter finish in the bottle, but it doesn't translate that well at all on the nails. You can try supersizing the top picture, you might be able to see the glitter if you look really hard! It's an ok polish otherwise- opaque in two coats but it's chipped and got a lot more tipwear than I'd like.

But other more exciting news... I finally bought Seche Vite! This is my second time using it. It takes a bit of time to get used to (like using it over wet polish) but I love the fact it dries so quickly and I don't end up with loads of dents like I used to. It isn't indestructible, but I feel like I'm giving my polish more of a chance now.

Love B xxx

Beauty LAT: Manchester Haul and trip

So last Saturday I had a day trip to Manchester so my sister could look round the uni there! It was a bit of a miserable day, very cold and rainy, but a little shopping trip towards the end of the day perked us all up a bit. I got a few little things:

 

I finally got round to buying the Illamasqua Skinbase! First thoughts... I'm not really that sure I like it. I'm going to do a proper review of it soon but right now... hmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Lots of hmm-ing about this!

I also picked up two MUA Intense Colour eyeliners, and some of the new Kleenex range- the face wipes, the facial cleansing cloths and the oil absorbing sheets.

I'm hoping to have reviews of all these coming up soon!

I also took a few photos of the Manchester Museum, which is part of the university:

How beautiful are these paper cranes?

Skelly skeletons.

Desperately wanted to steal these, but they were a bit big to smuggle under my coat.

Check the badass T-rex.

My new pet. I'm going to keep him in the garden and call him Fluffy.

So that was my trip!

Love B xxx

FOTD #13- A trip out!

So a few days back I went to see Othello at the Sheffield Crucible (the one with Dominic West in, there's been quite a lot about in the papers if you read the arts or theatre bits) and I wanted a pretty but glamorous look. The play was amazing by the way, and Dominic West was scene stealing as Iago!

Face- Gosh Velvet Touch Clear Primer
MUFE Mat Velvet + in #15
elf Complexion Perfection
Bourjois Mini Blush in 03 Brun Cuivre

Eyes- UDPP
Shade 9 of the MUA Pro Heaven & Earth Palette (all over lids)
Organza from the Sleek Oh So Special Palette (lightly on outer side of lids)
Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara

Lips- Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in 095 Crimson

I apologise for endlessly using the Heaven & Earth palette, I'm so not a neutral eyeshadow girl (I don't even own the Urban Decay Naked Palette *shock horror*) but I'm really loving this at the moment! I suppose it's hard to get wrong for novice eyeshadow blenders like me. And *even more shock horror* I'm wearing BLUSHER. I can get the concept of blusher, but I naturally have pink cheeks and ultra pale skin, so I very easily look like a painted doll. I applied this one really really lightly, and actually... it's ok. I would actually consider buying more than two I currently own. Progress. Oh yeah.

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #5- Mac Ruby Woo (Matte)

This was a birthday present from the lovely Dani amongst others!

Packaging: Classic Mac. Very uncomplicated, but very pretty and very grown-up. I'm not over fond of the lid shape though if I'm honest.

Colour: It's... red. That's the closest I can get. I think this is a much more orange red, but in certain lights it can look more like a true red. So perhaps it's an orange red, but isn't too difficult to pull off if orange isn't your colour. Sorry, I'm rubbish at judging the undertones in red!

 

Application: This is one of the tougher lipsticks I own to apply. The matte finish makes it drag a little, and it definitely applies better if it's a little warmed up. It doesn't bother me too much, but it does make me think carefully about whether I've got time to apply it properly. As with most pigmented lipsticks, you have to apply carefully to not end up with looking wobbly, but you can apply from the bullet if you're ultra careful.

 

Kiss Test: There's pretty much nothing coming off this baby.

 

Lasting Power: Um... here blog readers, I fail you. I can't actually remember (it's taken me ages to write up this review and I've been busy). I think it falls under the 'decent lasting power as long as you don't eat or drink' category, as I *think* it got ruined when I had a meal. But really to qualify a lipstick as good it needs to last about 4 hours (which is a breakfast to lunch kinda time span) and it wouldn't have problems doing that.

I do like this lipstick, even with it's orangey side, but it isn't one to reach for every day for me. I love a matte finish, but it can be a little drying and a bit tricky to work with if you're in a 'no effort' mood. I love this more for evening- it's a great party lipstick because it's so vibrant! 

5/10 for day, 7/10 for night- 6/10 overall.

Love B xxx