collection - CONTOUR KIT

COLLECTION

Contour Kit 

One of the great things I really love about make up, is that you can really have a play. There endless amount of brands out there to try. I love having a mix between high street and professional make up brands. Collection was one of those trusted brands I always turned to when I was in school. I  rocked the cat eye look for a good few years thanks to their Collection liquid eyeliner ( was a god send)

It is a good brand, if you are on a budget or if you do go through make up relatively quick as it won't leave you out of pocket. When I saw this lovely palette lying on the counter at boots I had to do a double take, This for the amazing price of £3.99 looked too appealing not to buy.

So outside, great design for the price. Little tricky to open if you have false nails (always the case) But what is really good is the fact it has a little mirror on the lid when you lift it up.

So on the left hand side you have a highlighter and the right a bronzer, trick is to use both these shades to contour the face, Simply run the darker shade up the cheekbones and the highlights just slightly above this. There are lots of contouring videos about on youtube if you want to see how to do this from a  pro. I have taken a few pictures without photoshopping to see the look it gives. the highlighter is very subtle so you might end up re-applying more than once. It does give this gorgeous dewy look, which I love. Very similar to the Maybelline contour set I brought for twice the price. I think I prefer this one

Laura Mercier foundation primer

Laura Mercier foundation primer

I have been after this little one for a while now, Well ever since the lovely girl at SPACE N. K introduced me to it, I fell in love! It is a perfect product and since I have brought it, I use it everyday.
I really love Laura Mercier products, It really is worth checking out their social networking sites and signing up to their newsletter. 

About the primer, So at £29.00 this isn't a cheap primer, But it is worth is. This one comes out in a creamy clear gel form that just quickly absorbs into the skin and gives it the mattifying feeling. You can put this on top of clean skin or onto of moisturised skin. So the perks of using a primer on your skin. It makes your make up last longer which is a god send for us girls who work stupid amounts of house at work. Mine always seems to melt off my face especially with this heat. It contains the lovely vitamins A,C,and E which helps with free radicals (nasty pollution) great if you work in the city!

For me I just love the feel of this product, Really is worth considering buying especially if you have dry skin like me and need a little more care when doing the daily make up routine. 

NARS - RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER REVIEW

NARS 

Radiant creamy concealer review

In shade Light 2 VANILLA £22.00

As I mentioned before with my previous post when it comes to make up I do tend to stick with the products I know, Like A creature of habit I buy them over and over again. Sad really as it means I never try a new brand or products. I am slowly getting better with this, having turned away my 'boi-ing' concealer by benefit I have made a fantastic switch to NARS. 

This concealer is £22 to buy instead of the boing from benefit at £17.50 so a tiny bit more expensive but really worth it. Don't get me wrong the benefit one covers imperfections and great for under the eye but this NARS one does that and more. It gives you a added boost of radiance and also works as a highlighter to help contour your features. 

It is very easy to apply with the applicator wand, straight onto of foundation onto the face. I usually blend this in with my fingers of using a blending sponge. They both give the same results.

For best results I do reapply this under my eyes every 5 hours or so,  just to brighten them up a little. 

The benefits 

There are a few things that make this concealer special, for a start it is enriched with multi action skincare benefits and light diffusing technology. It create a smoother and a lot softer complexion while instantly diminishing fine lines and signs of fatigue. Which lets face it when we are tired we need something that does this! 

My views on this, well I love it. I love the packaging, I love the colour, the texture, the fact it works! its a all rounder!

Lauren

REVIEW - Laura Mercier silk creme moisturising photo edition foundation.

LAURA MERCIER FOUNDATION REVIEW 

Silk creme moisturising photo edition foundation £35.00

This little gem is worth every single penny, Now don't me wrong I always in the past have stuck with my trusted Maybelline matt mousse foundation and have used it for around six whole years. However I have seen so many of you bloggers swear by NARS foundations I just had to make a trip into my local Space NK in cheltenham to see what the fuss was about.

Yes, so I went in with the intention of buying a NARS foundation but after speaking to a lovely girl we decided a Laura Mericer one would be better suited to me as I suffer with terrible dry itchy skin. I had heard of her brand but I had never used it and once she put a little on my face, I was sold. 

This product gives you full coverage while moisturising the skin and giving it that lovely finish, perfect for pictures, You find a little goes along way too. I picked on of the lightest shades called rose ivory as I have a cool complexion. Packaging itself is just gorgeous however I would like it to be a little bigger for what I am paying for it, but its so gorgeous I don't think I can complain. It is a lovely consistency so very easy to apply with a sponge, brush or even the fingers which I ALWAYS use.

I will admit I have had it almost a month now, yes I'm so behind with my posts it is unreal. Anyway I have had it almost a month and I am halfway through which seems like it will work out to be a little costly but I will see how it goes. 

Here are some before and after shots of the foundation.

As you can see fantastic coverage in a lovely colour, When I originally purchased this I saw a lot of you guys start to blog about it, So I am not sure if it is new or not, Someone please tell me and let me know. However overall with this product if you are after a more nourishing hydrating which helps with overall colour correction. This one will be perfect for you. 



Lauren 

MAC LIPSTICK SHADE - HEROINE

MAC LIPSTICK IN SHADE HEROINE 

I love bright lipsticks, and I have always been a fan of Mac. So it seemed only right that when me and the girls went to Bristol to pop in to Debenhams. I was surprised to see how big the MAC shop was, I would say same size as the covent garden shop just not as busy. 

The girls nipped over to the benefit counter, while I had to stay at MAC, It couldn't actually get a sales girl to help me so I was left to try them all! I have just brought a really funky bright pink NARS lipstick but when I saw this purple one I fell in love. After the long wait in the line at the till I finally got my purchase. 

It is a gorgeous deep plum purple, with a slight pink hue shade heroine - £15.50 

I think even for a darker shade, you can pull this off in the summer. Pair it with some skinnies, and a light pinky floaty top. It would look gorgeous. Very easy as well to do a daytime to night look with this lipstick just by adding darker eye makeup gives it a whole different effect. 

Buy me here! 

smashbox SET - REVIEW ON THE ROCKS EYE ESSENTIALS

ON THE ROCKS EYE ESSENTIALS 

Smashbox Cosmetics 

On the rock eye essentials £25.00 

So I got this lovely gift set from smash box cosmetics, It is the perfect little set to buy if you have never used this brand of cosmetics. Price range it is fantastic as you do get two full sized products that are both worth £35! Saving money too. It is worth going over to the website and having a look around, And if you're interested you can buy these products at many BOOTS stores around the UK.

It contains the following;

- Its a wrap waterproof make up remover ( Travel size 125 ml)
- Full exposure mascara (Full size)
- Always sharp eyeliner (Full size)

Smash box 

Its a wrap eye make up remover £16.50 for 125 ml 

I love the look of smash box cosmetics, It is all very modern. However this item is a pain. It is one of those push down and screw tops. Which makes me feel uneasy, I did have to go London to see the fella, and contemplated in bringing this.I thought  this would spill everywhere as the lid doesn't fully shut. Worrying, So I ended up taking my cleansing milk. It is an oily base which makes it very kind to the skin and gentle. When using just ordinary make up remove aways be cautious when taking off eyeliner etc. With re-purchasing I would buy this again! It is fantastic at getting off really stubborn waterproof eyeliner. 

BUY ME 

Full exposure mascara full size £19.00

This one is a good mascara, not brilliant. I would say it is a little better than my No7 mascara. It separates the lashes and gives them extra volume which is what they are made to do. I do like this mascara but I feel like for £19.00 I could easily purchase a just as good mascara for around £10.00. I might purchase this again if it was slightly cheaper.  

BUY ME 

ALWAYS SHARP EYELINER - shade Raven 

My favourite, The colour is gorgeous. It lasts and really does create a beautiful flick. I am slowly replacing my liquid eyeliner with this one, Yes it is that good. This one is worth the £16.00 and I might actually buy this eyeliner but in different colours. It has this awesome twist lid so the lid doesn't end up falling out in my make up bag. Wins points with me. 

BUY ME 

Overall, The products are good. I like using the eye remover just have to keep that one on the dressing table. The eyeliner is one of my favourites..maybe better than MAC dare I say it. Mascara is okay does the job. I would say this is about 8/10 simply because I LOVE the eyeliner. 

Lauren

DAY 1 - 2 No7 Christmas BLOGMAS

DAY 1-2 No7 BLOGMAS

It is that exciting time of the year where we sit on our beds and open our calendars, whether that be chocolate, beauty or candles. Well as a couple of posts before this states I was lucky enough to get a No7 calendar whoop!. So throughout this exciting months, I will post festive and exciting posts about these lovely products.

December 1st.

No7 - Skin Illuminator 

Radiance Boosting Fluid

This is such a hard product to review, Some parts of the product I just love other parts not so much.
I love that it is all shimmery and very silky so absolutely gorgeous to apply on to a cleansed face, As it just makes you have this amazing healthy glow. Which let me tell you I NEVER have. Under foundation this works a treat too, almost as a primer for the makeup. It seems to brighten around the eye area. What I didn't like,  I don't think this is a product you would actually need.

Before application of the product 

And after! See the difference..

Overall 

I do like this product however I wouldn't need this product everyday. I think if I did purchase the full size at £11.00 I wouldn't actually use it. 

6/10

December 2nd 

No7 High shine Lip Crayon

I love love love this, I wish they where a little braver and did other shades and I feel like they played the safe card a little bit. I hope the whole calendar isn't like this! It is lovely to apply, and leaves lips so soft.

It is the cutest size, I actually prefer this to the smash box lipgloss, its shiny it smells lovely and doesn't have that fake plastic taste when you apply it straight to the lips. 

This itself is a pretty shade it is a slight shade darker what my lips are now, But love the shiny look it gives them. 

Overall, I am actually going to purchase another one because I really like this!!

8/10 :) 

Smashbox - LIPGLOSS 24/7

SMASHBOX - lipgloss 

shade 24/7

I have never used smash box cosmetics, I always stick with either MAC or Bobbi brown.  But every time I walk past the cosmetics stand in Boots I always see some very pretty eyeshadows and blusher. Now I am a women of sense. I won't spend lots and lots on a brand if I don't like it or I have never used it before. What's the point in that. So on Friday I was in a rush and noticed they have a sale section! 

Did you guys know they had sales?

And they had in a pot five gorgeous lip glosses, I did have too favourites however I love a plum colour for the winter! 

I am always more of a lipstick more than lipgloss due to the fact hair and lipgloss is a disaster waiting to happen, with long hair and wind it becomes sticky and rather messy. 

The lipgloss itself is usually £16.00, On sale I purchased it at a mere £8.00 

The lipgloss had a sloped applicator wand which makes it a lot easier to apply, And Actually comes in a better case then Bobbie brown, which is impressive in my books. I am one of these people who like quality products that look good too. 

'

The colour itself is really pretty, not as dark as I would like but you sure have that purple plummy colour. the lipgloss too lasts for absolutely hours. Has anyone got a darker shade in Smashbox? 

Also if you have noticed my christmas tree, I put it up few days ago! Getting all festive quite early! 

EXCITED!

Smashbox lipgloss - 8/10

Overall really nice, good price and size just wished the shade was at dark as it looks on the outside! 

doh for donuts

DOH - MAKE UP BAG

Yep, Not spending any money did not last long. I went shopping, All for good reason I start my new job tomorrow! So went to get a few things I needed from town today and came across this Cute bag from H&M. I don't know if this is made to be a make up bag, But more of a pencil case. I however love using it as a make up bag. This is only £1.99  and is new in store so there is a lot of stock! 

I don't actually own many funky bright items, So this for me is something new to try. Plus the donuts remind me of the Simpsons, and I do like that! This is more of a FUN item to have and most likely the cheapest make up bag I have ever purchased in my life. I am trying to save money after all, right?  I will keep telling myself that. 

You can fit a lot of items in this bag, and it has a very secure zip. If you would like to see more designs and maybe purchase one click below. 

www.Hm.com

GLAM EYES - RIMMEL

GLAM EYES - RIMMEL

I received a Rimmel Glam eyes palette about a month ago and I was going to write about it. But one thing lead to another and basically I put this away and only just remembered it once I had moved. This palette retails at £6.99 in boots and contains 4 colours. You have a highlighter, a very dark pink, a light blue and a beautiful dark blue. 

This items also comes with a double ended applicator. I hate these little applicators, I am so set in my ways with using an eyeshadow brush but I will give anything a try.The great thing about this item is that on the back they have instructions on how to create the perfect eye. With what shadow goes in to what bit of the eye e.g. under the brow or crease of the eye.

Now these colours are very pigmented, they do recommend on the website if you want more of a dramatic effect to use with water. However if you wear it normally it lasts up to ten hours! and all of them are a beautiful shimmery effect. 

My favourite the pink in the middle, added with some highlighter under the brow

There is only one downside to this product and that is the packaging. Who ever invented this case and layout of the shadows didn't take into consideration the fact when you're trying to use the applicator and get some of the highlighter on the brush it then runs into the other colours. Boooo I hear you say. Yes, So the palette looks very messy very quickly. But overall for the Rimmel a great product! I wouldn't be spending the £6.99 for this thou!

Have you used this before? Reviews please!