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Wednesday 29 April 2009

Barry M Lip Paint Review

I'm gonna start by saying I absolutely adore Barry M nail polish and their dazzle dusts but the lip paint are a big disappointment.

Barry M Swatch

From top to bottom
#129 Palest Lavender
#101 Marshmellow
#100 Baby Pink

There most certainly not lacking in color choice, they have everything covered from the lightest nude to the brightest pink but the texture of these are just awful and all of the lighter shade's look fine when swatched on the back of your hand but the second they go on the lips it's zombie central.

Baby Pink and Marshmallow have the driest texture out of any lipstick I've ever tried including the ones labeled as matte, I can literally feel it drag my lips and it applies unevenly and even with a balm underneath I still get that problem.
The color of both of these is lighter on the lips than the back of my hand the swatch above actually looks quite pretty but on the lips they practically look white, they are very chalky.
If I apply a warmer gloss over the top I can just about make these two work but there are similar colors in other brands that don't require this extra step that I prefer.
Palest lavender on the other hand is quite shiny and sheer and a lot more wearable but the color isn't very long lasting, I find myself re-applying this one a lot during the day, again a gloss does help it lasty but I don't want that to have to be a requirement.
Unless Barry M changes the formula of these I will definitely not re-purchase.

Tuesday 28 April 2009

China Glaze, Nars and GOSH Haul

Another haul for me today not that much really just some stuff I've wanted for a while.

First the China Glaze:

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Watermelon Rind
Grape Juice
Raspberry Festival
Cherry Pie
Orange Marmalade
Strawberry Fields

China Glaze Neons

Pink Voltage
Rose Among Thorns
In The Lime Light
Japanese Koi
Shocking Pink
Labu Heels

NARS and GOSH:

GOSH and NARS

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in #006 Bananas
NARS Turkish Delight Lip Gloss
NARS Taj Mahal Blush

This is my first set of China Glaze colors and I love them but I think they are still a little expensive.
I absolutely adore Labu Heels, I've been looking for a color like that for years.

I finally broke down and bought Turkish Delight, love NARS shades of gloss, hate the fact they smell of plastic but I'll live with it for such a nice color.

I also got my hair cut from shoulder lenght to a chin lenght bob, a necessary measure in order to get rid of a large chunk of the damage the bleach caused at Christmas and to make it all one lenght.

Sunday 26 April 2009

Make Up For Ever HD Review

This is gonna be a review of all 3 HD products; the primer, foundation and powder.

I bought them after seeing of all the amazing reviews on Youtube, MakeupAlley and Specktra so I thought I'd give them I try.
Honestly I think they are average, okay but nothing special. My MAC Studio Sculpt foundation set with Studio Fix powder give me the look I believed the MUFA HD would give me at a much cheaper cost.

Make Up For Ever is a nightmare to locate in the UK I took me two days of searching the net in order to find the only two places that stock this range one of them is PAM www.makeup-provisions.com and the other is Guru Makeup Emporium www.gurumakeupemporium.com.
I ordered from Guru Makeup, it's mail order only as opposed to PAM which as an online shop too.

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The primer is £22.50 for 30ml and I have it in shade #0 which is white in color, they say it's a ligh, non-greasy skin perfector that improves the skin's appearance and primes it for make-up application.
The MUFA HD feels just like a lightweight moisturiser, it sinks in immediately and leaves no residue, the scent is quite light and pleasant and it does brighten my skin while still giving a smooth base to work with and it does it without that "slick" finish most other primers have.
I'm not sure if it makes you foundation last longer as I've only used it with the HD foundation and that seems to have good lastability on it's own.
I still don't feel it's a remarkable product, I like my Blanc De Chanel just as much and if your on a budget the GOSH Primer is excellent.
Out of the 3 HD products I own this is the one I would probably re-purchase but in a different color.

The foundation is £26.50 for 30ml and based on the swatches online I chose shade #117which matches me well, however I'm pretty sure that depending on the time of the year and how tanned I get I could use #118 and #120.
That's the first mildly annoying thing about this foundation you chose a shade sight unseen unless your prepared to travel to the two places mentioned above so looking at swatches online really helps with selecting you correct shade.
Now here the thing I don't see the HD effect this foundation supposed to give, don't get me wrong it's actually a good basic foundation but it doesn't perform any differently for me than the likes of MAC Studio Fix Fluid or Select, YSL Perfect Touch or Giorgo Armani Luminous Silk.
The blurb on the box promises flawless coverage with an extremely natural finish and I would have to dissagre, I still need concealer to cover blemishes and redness and if I happen to have any dry patches it will accentuate it more.
One thing I will say it as not broke me out at all or blocked my pores and I like the fact it's completely fragrance free.
If I'm having a really good skin day I can use this foundation and be quite happy but otherwise I'll stick to my Studio Sculpt.

The powder retail at £20.95 for a 10g jar which is shockingly pricey but it promises such good things I had to try it.
It contains spherical microparticles which give skin a perfect glowingly natural complexion says the box.
It's very finely milled and feels silky smooth when you apply it but I find for me it doesn't mattify too well, it does blur fine lines and makes your pores disappear but my Studio Fix powder works just as well.
Also I find that by midday my skin looks shiny and when I feel my skin it's like I can feel the texture of the powder, it's hard for me to explain but it's like you can feel an ever so slight grittiness.

Overall the only thing I can probably see myself buying again is the primer but I still see the HD range as being over hyped and over priced.

Saturday 25 April 2009

Debenhams Beauty Club

As of Friday just gone Debenhams as introduced a new loyalty scheme called the Beauty Club Reward Card.

Where can you get one and how does it work?

Quite simply pop into your nearest store and pick up a card and you can start collecting points straight away however to be able to redeem your points in store you need to register online, this also ensures that your don't lose your points if your card is lost or stolen.

How do you earn points?

You get points on all beauty and fragrance purchases including treatments so if your local store as a spa or hairdressing section you'll earn points from those too.

How many points per pound can you earn?

If your spend is under £25 you'll get 1 point per £1
Over £25 and you get 3 point per £1
Also as an introductory offer spend over £25 and you get a bonus 500 points which equals to your first £5 reward.

How do you know when you have a reward?
Every month you'll get an email to tell you how many of your points have been converted to rewards, points will be converted into reward to the neerest lowest multiple of 500.
For example: point you've accumulated 882 = £5 reward
Another example: points you've accumulated 1010 = £10 reward

The best part of this card, unlike a Boots Advantage card, is you can use the money you've gained as part payment, no waiting around building up points until you have the right amount to pay for something in full.

As a bonus you'll get Beauty Gossip emails to keep you up to date on the latest news on new products, information on any future beauty events, bonus points and tips on how to look your best.

I think it's a great idea, as I spend a lot on cosmetics it will be a great way of saving some money on them.

What are you waiting for?
Join today.

Thursday 23 April 2009

First Haul

So this is gonna be my first haul on here, I didn't buy all this in one day it's been accumulating over the past two weeks.
It's mostly lip stuff and a blusher which I forgot to take a picture of.

I've never tried GOSH make up and it was only brought to my attention thanks to lollipop26 on youtube but I must say I'm impressed and will be buying more.

The primer is great, similar to the Smashbox but loads cheaper and works just as well if not better, it does contain silicone so it may not suit everyone and I am acne prone so we shall see.
The lip gloss is sort of clear really but it's still a nice gloss and it will look nice over nudes and pinks.
The lip jam is my favourite out of the products I got it's a clear gloss with a reflective blue finish, this one will look great over hot pink lipstick.
Next is soft'n shine lip balm, not quite sure if I would class this one as an actual balm as it's not as moisturising I would say it's more of a lightweight liptint. The color is absolutely gorgeous.
Moving on to the MAC, I friend at work had Angel and it looked so pretty I had to have it, and the lady at the store recommended Creme Cup to me, I don't know why it's taken me this long to get either one of these, they are gorgeous.
Lastly the Barry M, love the price and the colors but not the texture of the #100, it's really dry and it doesn't go on smooth unless you use a balm underneath first and that makes the lipstick wear off faster, also it looks great when swatched on he back of my hand but on my lips it's too light and makes me look washed out.
I guess I can still make it work if I use a darker tinted gloss on the top but then it's not a nude lip color.

Gosh, MAC and Barry M

GOSH Velvet Touch Primer
GOSH Lip Gloss in #004
GOSH Cool Lip Jam in #100
GOSH Soft'n Shine Lip Balm in #30 Barbie
MAC Frost Lipstick in Angel
MAC Cremesheen in Creme Cup
Barry M in #101 Marshmellow
Barry M in #129 Palest Lavender
Barry M in #100 Baby Pink

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I've had quite a bit of YSL stuff in the past but I've never tried the lipsticks or glosses so since there was a sale were I work I decided to get some things that I've wanted for a while.
The Rouge Volupte lipsticks are amazing and there at least another two that I want to get if not more, the downside is they are £20 and that's expensive for a lippie and as much as I love them I would never buy one at the RRP.
The Pure Glosses are fantastic too; super shiny, not sticky and they smell of watermelon, I find they don't last very long on the lips but they are so nice I don't mind reapplying them more often.
As for the Pure Lipsticks I haven't made my mind up yet on these as they are supposed to be a longer lasting formula than the Rouge Volupte but I don't find this to be the case. I'm reserving judgement until I've had a chance to use them more.

Pure Gloss in #1
Pure Gloss in #2
Rouge Volupte in #1 Nude Beige
Rouge Volupte in #7 Lingerie Pink
Rouge Volupte in #13 Peach Passion
Pure Lipstick in #148 Tea Rose
Pure Lipstick in #146 Romantic Pink

I also got NARS Blush in Super Orgasm but I might take it back has I fail to see a difference between this one and the regular version which I already have.

Sunday 19 April 2009

My first post.

In the 5 years I've been on the net I've never had a blog, main reason cause I'm lazy and because I'm quite stupid when it comes to this type of stuff.
So why I have started a blog now?
Honestly I don't know, moment of madness probably, I mean I'm far to lazy and I'll probably get bored after a week or two and stop updating but who knows maybe I wont.