Maybelline Liner Definer Pen Eyeliner Review & Swatch

I'm really lazy when it comes to eyeliner, I really love the flicky look but can never perfect it and it always ends up being such a hassle having to wipe it off and start again that most days I don't actually bother with it anymore. However, for the times where I can be bothered I either reach for this pen or my Maybelline studio gel line (review here).

I find this easier to use as the brush that comes with the gel liner is a little bit harder to master compared to just 'drawing it' on your face although the gel does give a more defined and darker look which I actually prefer.

This pen glides on nicely and isn't too bendy or too stiff (naughty), the nib is nice and soft (felt I think) and it doesn't pull on your eyelid on the way over, although sometimes you do have to run the pen over a few times to get good colour payoff. It doesn't bleed into tiny little eye creases and it comes off easy with makeup remover.

This can smudge if that's what you want but once it's dried it does stay put. It doesn't last brilliantly, it does fade after 5 or so hours (I find that the studio gel lasts so much better!).

I thought I liked this pen but reading this review back it doesn't sound that convincing does it!  I do prefer the the studio gel but my dodgy handwork puts me off - but practice makes perfect I guess! x

What's your favourite eyeliner?

OOTD #1 - Well, Kind Of!

 Hey Lovelys,

 

I never really do outfit of the day posts due to either hating the photos I take or not actually remembering to photograph what I'm wearing on that day so I thought this was an in the middle post :) 

This is what I'm wearing today at work. It's pretty casual really - I'm allowed to wear anything ( well within reason) as we don't have any customers or suppliers coming to the office.

 

Are outfit of the day posts something you enjoy? Should i get my but in gear and do some?? ♥

 

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in 'Bikini Line' Review & Swatch

 

 

This is my second benefit eyeshadow (review on my first one here) & I love them! The quality is lovely, they are so pigmented and last really well and the packaging is cute.

 

This shade is Bikini Line which is a gorgeous shimmery pale yellow/light gold, I's not something I would usually go for but it's really lovely and great for a bit of highlighting too.

 

Have you tried these eyeshadows? What did you think?

 

 

 

Mini Body Shop Haul

Hey Girlies ♥,

 

I ordered these goodies just over a week ago when they were having their 50% off sale, it arrived just before the weekend so I thought I'd show you my mini Body Shop haul! x

 

 

Almond Nail & Cuticle Oil Pen

 

This smells like cherry bake wells! I love the smell and I like how convenient it is to use, my cuticles are looking tidy with none of them little pealy bits so it must be doing a good job so far :)

Macadamia Straightening Balm

 

No, I do not need any more hair products but I can't help myself! I thought this would smell like the Macadamia hair oil  which I really love but it doesn't unfortunately, it's still pleasant enough though. I actually really like this so far. It's a straightening balm for curly/wavy hair but I found it gave my hair some extra volume which was nice. I've also used it before curling my hair and it worked great too. It is quite thick so I wouldn't really recommend if your hair is quite fine.

 

Vitamin E Night Cream

 

I've wanted to try this for a while, it was recommended to me through twitter for my sensitive skin. This cost around £2 which I'm happy with and I like it so far! It does have a strong floral scent (which I actually love) but luckily it seems fine for when my skin isn't having a hissy fit!

Wise Woman Eye Cream

 

This was originally £20 but down to £12 on an offer, then i got 50% off on top of that so I had to add it to my basket. It's the most expensive eye cream I have ever tried if you don't include the discounts :). It's meant to hydrate, smooth and soften fine lines. Its ok, I haven't noticed any difference as of yet but I haven't been using it that long! It works well under concealer and it hasn't caused any bad reactions so I'm happy :) 

 

Hope you enjoyed this post! Have you brought anything this weekend? ♥

 

Wish List #3

Hey Lovely's ♥!
As I'm now officially skint it's the time of the month where I have to start to window shop instead of actually shop! Let's just call it a two week spending ban for now :)

I've been using the NYX blush in taupe lately and I bloody love it (review here) its a perfect & flattering shade for pale skin tones and it's such a bargain. I've been eyeing up similar products in a creamy consistency rather than a powder and I've heard such great things about the MAC Pro sculpting cream so would love to give them a go! 

I recently got the Bobbi Brown corrector in light bisque (review here) which I also really love but the shade is just slightly wrong for me unfortunately. I think I need a peach toned concealer (like the soap and glory kick ass concealer) rather than my pink toned one. It seems such a waste to buy a new one though so will have to wait it out for now.

My skin, like most people, gets seriously dry in this cold weather so on a whim I tried the caudalie thirst quenching serum (review here) and I have to say its bloody amazing. The best product I have tried in a long time! This was the first product from the Caudalie range that iIhave ever tried and as I was super duperly impressed I would now love to try a moisturiser from the same range. After a lot bit of research the Vinosource moisture recovery cream seems to be the best for dry & dehydrated skin! I would love to know if you have any suggestions?

I really love my real techniques brushes and use them everyday, I would love a brush that applies powder nicely with a good coverage so I chose this Bobbi Brown Face Brush.

The GHD Air Professional Hairdryer looks absolutely amazing but in reality I don't think this will be coming home with me any time soon!

Let me know if you haev any recommendations or advice for me! :)  ♥

YSL Matt & Radiant Pressed Powder Review & Swatch

Hey Lovelies ♥,

 

This YSL powder was on my November wishlist and had been something I had wanted to try for ages! I love my YSL Touche Eclat foundation and the highlighter too so I really wanted to see if this powder matched up to those. I tried searching for reviews online but I couldn't find any anywhere! So I thought sod it and that's when it landed in my basket when doing some christmas shopping online, gawd knows how it got in there! :)

 

 

The packaging on this powder is absolutely gorgeous,  it's all gold and shiney and very hard to photograph I might add!  It comes in a gorgeous little velvet pouch which stops it from scratching. If you have a problem with finger marks then you will hate this compact with a passion! The powder puff also sits in the pouch rather than in the compact which is a little strange (and is probably why I have lost it already!)

 

I got this in shade 2 which is just right for my NC20 skin tone and is about the same colour in my MAC mineralize skin finish which is in light plus (review here) maybe not quite as yellow. It is very lovely to apply and looks so natural and not cakey at all. It doesn't have that chalky look either which is what I find with drugstore powders. 

 

I'd say that this has quite a light to medium coverage and it can be built up nicely. It's a little heavier than my MAC MSF and covers my redness on my cheeks well but it doesn't cover blemishes that brilliantly. The lasting power is quite good too, it doesn't last all day but powder's rarely do on me. I'd say a good 4 or 5 hours before my shiny nose shows through :)

It sheerly mattifys if that makes sense but it doesn't dry out my skin which is a must for me.

As it's quite a soft powder I do find that it does go down rather quickly, I've had this for around a month and there is already a big dent in there!

 

This cost me £29 in the sale which is the most expensive powder I have used, the quality of this powder is lovely but it just depends on how long it lasts as to whether I would repurchase. My MAC mineralize was my HG but I've been using this since I hit pan on that so it will be a contest between the two once this runs out!

 

What's your favourite face powder? ♥

 

Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Hollywood Red

Hey Girls,

 

I got this lipstick recently as I wanted a shade that was pretty close to natural lip shade and this was the closest I could find while hunting around boots (It's like my second home in there) I've never tried any of these lipsticks before but I'm really impressed by this one.

 

 

As you can see you can apply a nice sheer coat which looks really natural or you can really build it up for a bright pop of colour.

I really love the colour of this and it's exactly what I was looking for. I usually apply this lightly just to enhance my natural colour and even that lasts a good few hours. It doesn't dry out my lips either and my lips are prone to a bit of dryness!

 

Overall, I am really impressed by this and would repurchase, I may even purchase a few different colours :)

 

What is your favourite lipstick?

 

Get To Know Me Tag :)

Hey Lovelies ♥,

I've been blogging for 6 months now and I've never done a get to know me tag so I thought why not now? I've love to know about you guys too so leave a link in the comments if you have a similar blog post so I can have a little nosey :) 


Do you have a middle name?  Alice :)
How old are you?  22
What colour eyes do you have? Green
How tall are you? 5'3
What is your Favourite subject in school? I loved P.E, Textiles and weirdly - maths! 
Whats your Favourite drink? Hmm hot drink would be a hot choc and cold would be orange tango!What would you name your kids? I love the name Holly for a girl and Billy for a boy after my dad :)
Do you participate in any sports? I love it but I don't really have the time anymore, I do swimming or spinning in the evening every now and again if that counts ..
Favourite Book? I love the twilight and fifty shade books - cheeky ;) I love a love story!
Favourite Animal? Penguins :) I love how they waddle!
Favourite Perfume? Roberto Cavalli, I got it for Christmas and its fricken amazing gorgeous
Have you graduated high school? Yea I'm a working 9-5 girl now!
How many siblings do you have? 3 - Two sisters and one brother x
What is your favourite store? I loooove Topshop but it is so expensive!
Favourite restaurant? Frankie & Bennys or Nandos #nomnomnom
Do you like school? I actually loved it and I wish I could go back!
Favourite TV show?  There's so many! I love New Girl, Broke Girls, Miranda, Vampire Diaries, and I'm loving the American Office on netflix at the moment too.PC or Mac? PC :), although I'd love an Ipad!
What kind of phone do you have? I have the galaxy note and I bloody love it!
Why did you start blogging? It's a hobby to escape the everyday madness really :)
What are you hobbies? Blogging & SHOPPING, I don't really have any hobby hobbies! (when I think of hobbies I think of golf)
Something you would like to change- I would love to stop worrying about everything, I'm literally the biggest worrier ever and it really drives me nuts!
What do you look forward to? This is going to make me sound 52 not 22 but I love getting home from work & getting in my pyjamas and having a cuppa tea and some milky buttons in bed with the boyfriend! The Giant ones are the best :)

Hope you enjoyed this and found out a little bit about me, remember to leave your links below too!

NYX Taupe Blush Review & Swatches

Hey Lovelys ♥,

 

I'm sure you have seen reviews on this little blush before but I thought I'd throw my little review into the mix too!

 

I've tried one of the NYX cream blushes before and I loved it! (Read that post here) but I've never tried their powder blushes before this one.
The shade of this blush is perfect for contouring on pale skin. It looks a little shimmery in the picture but it doesnt contain glitter is it nice and matte! I was using the sleek contour kit in light before which I did love but it was a little too muddy/dark for me, but this is just perfect. It's not too orangy and not to muddy, it really does look natural when you apply it. You can also really build this up without it looking cakey.

It's not the most pigmented of blushes but I actually prefer that as it's easier to work with and it doesn't end up looking all blotchy. (I find that the sleek blushes are so pigmented that you have to be so careful when applying!)

The staying powder is quite good but not brilliant, I apply this in the morning and it has pretty much rubbed off by the time I get home but I don't use any primer or setting sprays so those could help!

This costs around £5 and I think its a bargain, really love this and recommend it!

Have you tried any NYX blushes before? ♥

Weleda Iris Hydrating Masque Review & Pictures

Hey Lovelys ♥,

I was sent this masque to review by Natures healthbox. They offer the best organic, natural and eco friendly products all in one place, click here to check out their website :)

 30ml £12.49*

This mask is described as 'An intensely hydrating facial masque containing soothing jojoba seed oil and witch hazel for improved elasticity, and perfectly clear skin. Shea and Cocoa butters further soften and moisturize' - sounds perfect for dry, dull winter skin!

It is advised to use this once or twice a week, If your skin is more normal/combo than dry then I think once would probably be enough. I have been using it twice a week and this works well for my dry skin.
This has a very thin lotion consistency which spreads over your face nice and easily,you really don't need much to see results so this little tube should last a good few weeks.

Although this doesn't contain fragrance it does have a very strong herbal scent to it (I wasn't keen on at first, but i got used to it) It reminds me a bit of the Liz Earle Cleanse and polish scent, if you like that you'll love this!
I love that this is organic and contains no nasties, but they do advise to do a patch test if you have sensitive skin (that's me).

This really does help to hydrate your skin, I do have to follow up with a moisturiser though as my skin is super duperly dry.
I'll let you into a little secret, my boyfriend also uses this and he really likes it! He pretends he doesn't love me trying products out on him too ,but secretly he bloody loves it ;)

They have also given a little discount code which is 'BLOGTASTIC2013' - This is valid until the 31st January!

Have you tried anything from the Weleda line? ♥

Free Escada Fragrance Samples

Hey Girls ♥,

Just a quick one to let you know you can get samples of 4 of the Escada perfumes on the link below!

Enjoy :) ♥

Here's the link! x

Caudalie SOS Thirst Quenching Serum - First Impressions

Hey Girlies ♥, 


I had to write this review as the improvement in my skin in just a few days is bloody amazing!
I used to moisturise so much during the day - I'd apply my moisturiser in the morning and then a few hours later it would be dry again so out came the moisturiser. I would also wake up in the morning with such dry skin even after slathering my face in cream the night before. 

I've used this day and night since I got it a few days ago and my skin is so much smoother, calmer and well .. hydrated! I can literally go without applying moisturiser for the whole day now which to me is incredible! My dry skin has improved so much I wasn't expecting it to be this great. my makeup goes on so much nicer now and stays flake free during the day.

As soon as I apply this my redness disappears immediately but I think this is more of a temporary effect but it has already reduced the redness in my cheeks overall since using it. I apply this straight after I've cleansed and then apply my moisturiser on top and it feels so comforting and not irritating in the slightest. It may sound a bit much applying them both but my skin has been so much happier and I haven't had any breakouts but I can imagine that just the serum is fine if your skin is not at dry as mine.

The serum is so light and refreshing it literally sinks right into your skin. It does have a slight scent to it, it's a sort of floral plant fragrance. It reminds me of the smell of the Yves Rocher hydra vegetal products if you have ever smelt those.

If you have been thinking of getting this, GET IT!! It's truly amazing and I cant tell you how pleased I am with the results, I only wish that I had brought it sooner. 
It has only been a few days but the results so far are so incredible that I wanted to tell you all! I will do another update in a few weeks to report any changes but for now its an everyday necessity and I actually look forward to applying it!

Have you been thinking of getting this? Have you tried it? ♥