The Body Shop Glitter Eyeliner

If you're a glitter fan like me then you'll love this cute little eyeliner from The Body Shop. Seriously. I. Love. Glitter. If I could get away with wearing glitter all over my face, body and hair, believe me, I would. But unfortunately I am all grown up and must keep my glitter down to a minimum. But, dear readers, do not despair! We can still wear glitter! Even if I am closer to 30 now than 20...
I bought this eyeliner, brand new, from eBay, for the teeny tiny price of just £1.99! If you're not as cheap as I have been recently then I would suggest Urban Decay's Heavy Metal glitter eyeliner, it's very long wearing, the glitter particles are bigger and it's very sparkly. Anyway, back to my eyeliner...

This modest little tube contains a lovely amount of glitter, so don't worry when you see how teeny the tube is. The liquid holds a fair amount of glitter, and one sweep across your upper lash line should be enough to give you a decent sparkle from inner to outer corner! I like to use the glitter around my tear ducts to brighten up my eyes. TIP: If you use glitter eyeliner make sure you curl your lashes gently and use two coats of mascara - maximum - more than that and you may start looking a bit over-done.

Ok, you are probably straining to see the difference but if you squint really hard you'll see that the inner corners of my eyes look a touch brighter. Squint no more, dear readers, here is a close up:

Ummm, sorry for the rubbish close-up but I was in a bit of a hurry! But you see what I mean? Not too much glitter, but enough to feel bright and perky! This is great for an every day look, simple, easy and makes me feel so much younger!! I am using Maybelline "The Falsies Volum' Express" in 'Black Drama' mascara. It tends to flake if you use too much so use it sparingly. Ok, so I slap on the rest of my makeup and head off to work. 14hrs later, my eyeliner and mascara look like this:

There's a few tell tale flakes but not so bad that they can't be smoothed away. As for the glitter eyeliner, not bad for 14hrs wear, I'd say. It is also easy to remove with normal face wipes or makeup remover, and the chances of getting glitter in your eyes whilst removing your eye makeup is almost non-existant, whereas there's a much higher probability when you use Urban Decay's eyeliner. Trawl through eBay and find yourself a bargain like I did! Have fun x

Nivea Visage Daily Essentials Tinted Moisturising Day Cream

Hello! Now I must admit here that I am not much for tinted moisturisers because I like foundation coverage better, but I was shopping in Tesco and I was in need of a new moisturiser and this one is currently on offer at just £1.50! In these times of recession, who am I to turn my nose up? This is what the (opened) box looks like:

This moisturiser is for all skin types (hooray!) in the shade "Natural".
On the top of the back of the box it reads "A touch of natural colour is essential to brighten your skin's natural complexion and give it immediate radiance"
Below that is states:
NIVEA VISAGE DAILY ESSENTIALS TINTED MOISTURISING DAY CREAM enriched with Light Reflecting Pigments and Vitamin E, provides the skin with essential intensive  moisture and enhances your natural skin tone all day long:

• With a special blend of light-reflecting and colour pigments this light daily moisturiser brightens up your complexion.
• With UVA/UVB filters and Vitamin E, it helps to protect from environmental influences that result in premature skin ageing

SEE AND FEEL BEAUTIFUL SKIN: Your skin is intensively moisturised, looking instantly radiant and healthy-looking all day long.

So in it went into my trolley. A moisturiser for all skin types and the promise of possibly having more radiant skin at the same time, hooray! The tube looks like this:

 
Nothing terribly special, a squeezy 50ml tube with a screw on cap, simple and sweet.

This is what the colour looks like on the back of my hand. Quite dark looking, really. The moisturiser is of creamy consistency, smells a bit like sun cream/sun block and blends into the skin quite smoothly and doesn't actually look too dark once smoothed in. Thank goodness, for my skin (under the red cheeks) is actually rather pale!






Here is a picture of me with half of my face with this moisturiser on, the other with none:

 

ARGGHHH! Me with bed hair and loads of spots! *sigh* Oh well, I had just gotten out of bed I suppose... Anyways, the left side of the picture is with the moisturising cream, and the right is my bare face. There's not a really noticeable difference but the left side looks just a little bit less red, if you know what I mean? I had to blend it well at my jaw line as it was a tad too yellow, but other than that it went on fine, so I quickly put it on the rest of my face (blending gently) and this is the end result (more bed head alert!) :

I think that my face here looks a little bit more even, it certainly feels nice and moisturised, and after all that's sort of what we want from a moisturiser! I think if I was in a hurry to put on my makeup I could probably just smooth some of this on, set it with a little powder and a touch of mascara and I wouldn't feel half bad :)
I think, for £1.50 this is a bargain, and as it's for all skin types, why not give it a go? Hurry on down to Tesco, before the offer ends! Have fun x

John Frieda Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight

Ok, so after a hefty silence of no blogging whatsoever I thought it was about time I stopped procrastinating and just got on with some reviews! And today I will be reviewing the new 3-Day Straight for curly hair by John Frieda.

Basically, what this is is a liquid that you spray onto wet or damp (but not dry) hair, comb through and then blow dry, followed by some hair straighteners. It claims to help keep your hair straight for up to 3 days. Personally, I never fall for the "stays on for up to 12 hrs!" claims because that rarely ever happens so I am naturally not going to assume that my hair will stay straight for 3 whole days. I like to see such claims as those as more of guidelines than the absolute truth. It says to use between 7 and 15 sprays "Use more or less depending on amount of curl, hair length and thickness".

My hair is half way down my shoulder blades, is very thick (I have enough hair on my head for at least three girls), and it is curly to boot. Not massively curly, for my hair is too heavy and tends to pull what would be ringlets into loose curls, so I decided that I am the perfect candidate for this hair product.

Please forgive my total lack of makeup in this blog, I hate my face without the comforting layer of foundation and my eyes are tiny and tired without some mascara to perk them up - but - I am blogging about my hair, so here we go:

My hair is damp with about 12 sprays of the liquid in it, brushed through thoroughly with a paddle brush. Now to commence with the blow drying. Just so you know I don't blow dry my hair - ever - even though I do own a hair dryer I don't use it more than maybe once a year. I'm a big fan of letting my hair dry naturally :)

 Eurgh! This is me after my pitiful attempt at blow drying my hair straight. I don't look happy because my hair is now half straight and big and fluffy, which I personally detest. Also I would like to say that at this stage my hair has taken on a slightly sticky quality, due to the Frizz-Ease liquid in it. Quickly! Time for the straighteners (which are four year old GHD's)!!

This is... well... sort of... the end result... Basically after I had finished straightening with my GHD's, my hair, with the help of John Frieda, was straight but completely weightless. Weightless, straight, thick hair means BIG hair and big hair is a BIG no-no for me. I have heard and read how it makes your hair poker straight and flat to your head. For me this is completely untrue, and I hated how my hair was straight AND orbiting around my head like it had its own gravitational field. So I grabbed up my trusty Paul Mitchell smoothing Super Skinny Serum:

This liquid should be clear and smell really deliciously fruity, but unfortunately I left it in the bathroom window in the summer sun, so now it is translucent-ish and smells a bit weird but still does the job. I used about three pumps of this and smoothed it all over my hair, and then last but not least rubbed two pea sized amounts of John Frieda's Brilliant Brunette Satin Shine to help weigh my hair down that tiny bit more:

And then my hair finally started to look as smooth as it usually gets when I straighten it normally. To be completely honest, I am not entirely impressed by this 3-Day Straight stuff. I won't be testing it for three days because I simply can't leave my hair unwashed for that long because greasy hair is a definite turn off in my opinion. I won't be buying this again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either due to my experiences. From now on I will let my hair dry naturally and use a heat protector spray before using my straighteners for a much better result without the need to use all the extra products.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Hi there, today I am going to blog about Too Faced Shadow Insurance. It's a silicone based primer to go on your lids before you put eyeshadow or eyeliner on to prevent creasing and transferring:

 Above is what the tube looks like. I love the fact that this is a squeezy tube with a small, nib-like end, unlike Urban Decay's primer potion, which is in a genie shaped bottle/tube and has a wand, and does pretty much exactly the same job BUT with one big difference: you can get ALL the product out of a Shadow Insurance tube eventually - whereas with Urban Decay's tube you literally have to cut the bottle open to get out the last remaining primer - would you want to do that just so you get your money's worth? No, I didn't think so haha! Also for those really wanting to save their pennies, Too Faced is 50p cheaper than UDPP in Boots... So, anyway, I need my eyeshadow (when I wear it) to last at least 14hrs minimum due to work, I can't be dealing with unsightly creases and I certainly don't have time to reapply eyeshadow. Ok, so here is a picture of my closed eye at the beginning of my work day at 4pm:

 Ehem, please ignore my very visible pores lol - but see how the colour looks relatively vibrant (well, for browns I suppose!). So off I head to work, do my nightshift, then get home at 6am. I was very tired so please also forgive the fact that I took a picture of my other eye (also shut) but don't be dissuaded; they both looked the same at the end of the night/morning, and here is my other eye 14hrs later:

I took this picture in a darkened room with a flash (as it was 6am after all) but as you can see, there are no creases and the colour still looks great. Too Faced Shadow Insurance definately does the trick for me. All you need is to squeeze a very small drop of the flesh coloured primer onto your finger, dot onto clean lids (I pat my eyelids very gently with a clean tissue to absorb oil before application) and then blend very gently - try not to drag or pull at your eyelids. It dries quickly and easily and leaves a wonderful base for eyeshadow :)
       I just thought I should say here that I don't think it's very healthy to be putting silicone primers over your eyelids all the time - try to give yourself at least two or three days a week where you let your eyelids breathe, treat them with rich creams or even a tiny bit of vitamin E oil to keep them supple. Have fun :)

My Basic Look

Well, here I am on blog number three - apologies to all for not having blogged sooner; life has been keeping me busy!!
      I have decided to show you my basic look for when I am out and about. I am wearing eyeshadow, mascara and a tiny slick of lipgloss too but for the moment I'm just going to talk about the makeup I wear on my face haha! Ok, so here are the four basic things I wear on my face (and they're ALL drugstore and relatively cheap - yay!):

Ok, from left to right is Superdrug Vitamin E Illuminating Moisture Cream with SPF 15, Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation for Combination/Oily skin in 110 Ivory SPF 6, Revlon PhotoReady Powder SPF 14 and last but not least MaxFactor Flawless Perfection Blush in 220 Classic Rose. Because you can't really see the MaxFactor properly, I'll add another picture of the back so you can see :)

Ta-dah! Hehehe :) The moisturising cream is super cheap at under £3! It has light reflecting particles in it to "give your face a glow" but on my face it just makes it look super oily haha, but it makes for a wonderful makeup base. I use it everyday under my makeup, even with my acne-prone, combination skin. Also it has an SPF 15 which is VERY important to keep your skin protected from the sun, even in winter!
      The Revlon liquid foundation costs about £12.50, maybe a little more than some people are willing to spend and boasts a semi-modest SPF 6 - again, important! It is quite a thick liquid with medium to full coverage which is a must for me. I use my fingers to blend it into my face and it doesn't take long to blend and dry. The Revlon Powder to set the foundation has an SPF 14 (more cheers from my protected skin!), costs about £13 and it comes with a little brush you can sweep the powder on with which is quite handy, although the brush loses its bristles fairly easily - no matter though - I have other brushes!
      MaxFactor Blush costs about £7 has no SPF but that doesn't bother me much, I use just a little bit because too much makes me look gaudy and doll-like.
      So you've all seen me from my last blog with *shivers at the memory* no makeup on, so I'm going to spare you from a before and after fiasco and just show you what I look like with the finished look :)

 On an more-than-basic-makeup-day I would normally set my liquid foundation with Lily Lolo mineral foundation powder in Porcelain, but I'll blog about that in the near future.
      I would just like to say to all that don't include an SPF in their daily skincare routine to please start using one, it'll do your skin wonders and protect your skin from damaging, harmful rays. I always look for makeup products that contain some kind of SPF :) Ok, that's it from me for now - stay tuned for blog number four...

Solait Tinted Bronzing Foam

Now for my second ever makeup blog. Oh, happy days! I went out to town and as usual found myself in Superdrug, perusing the isles of makeup wondrousness and came along the self tanner section. The offer was two of these bottles (150ml each) for just £7 so I thought "hell, why not?" I bought them in "light/medium" for my pale, pale skin!

This is what the bottle looks like in the shops. Take a good look - and then please avoid it if you ever see it, even if it's on sale... And here's why...
         I scrubbed my face and neck nice and clean, pumped the tinted foam out on to my fake tan mitt and started to apply it. The tinting is kind of useful, so you can see where you've applied it and gives you a strange, browny, shiny complexion that I wouldn't be caught dead outside my house with - it almost looks dirty and greasy in one go. I waited for a good few hours for the tanner to do its tanning magic under the tint and then headed off to the shower, washed the colour off my face, neck and chest with warm water... And the pictures below show what happened... Please keep in mind that the first picture was taken in daylight, unlike the second two, which required a camera flash...

                       Eurgh... Me with NO makeup. Gross. Only my husband normally sees me like this...

That's what I looked like with the tinted mousse/foam/rubbish on my face, chest and neck. As you can see my shoulders aren't coloured with tanner, and are their natural milk white colour hehe! Please forgive my bareness by the way *shivers*... After a few hours I headed off to the shower...

 Ok, so I am fresh out of the shower and... almost nothing had happened. I was a TEENY bit darker than I had been before I put it on, and I seriously mean teeny. In fact now I have the right tint to my skin to wear my Lancome Photogenic Lumessence foundation which in it's palest shade is still too yellow for my skin. I am now wearing said foundation and now I don't have the telltale "tidemark" on my jawline because I now have a yellow toned pale complexion instead of a pale pink tone complexion.
         I am so glad that I only spent £7 because if it had been near twenty I may have cried... I think from now on I'll stick with Xen-Tan (My-Tan, I like to call it haha) and St Tropez... I think high end sometimes pays :) I don't think I'll ever use such rubbish fake tan again unless I want to look 1/4 shade darker than I really am.
         That's my second makeup blog. I'll be blogging again real soon, so stay tuned!

The Beginning

So this is my first ever blog. Gosh, I'm not sure where to begin! My name is Xen and I am 26yrs old with the joys of having combination, acne prone skin which is actually rather pale and with weird, red cheeks. I live in Cornwall and I love living here.... And I am a makeup addict - I can't help it - I am forever buying new makeup and am on my own little voyage of cosmetic discovery and skin care discovery too. I have been on this journey since I was twelve, and it's like an addiction I can't stop. I am not a 'natural beauty', I am not slim or amazingly good looking (although I sincerely wish I was haha), I'm short, rotundly plump with dark hair and a round face. But I would like to blog about my experiences with high end and drug store makeup, take photo's and upload them to show you all the before and after of each new thing that I buy. I want to take you on my journey of addiction of makeup and skin care, so here I am, tentatively reaching out to anyone that will care to read :-)


RED LIPSTICK

Ok, so since I was twelve years old (I know, too young to be buying makeup) I have been compulsively buying red lipsticks. Due to my pale skin colour red lips are supposed to be very complementing to us 'English Roses' and that red lips never go out of style - but let me tell you something that we're NOT told: Finding the perfect colour red lipstick can be an absolute nightmare! It's all very well checking the colour of your veins to tell whether you're warm or cool undertoned (I'm a definate cool) but trying to find a red on your own that doesn't make you out to look like a cartoon or a vampire (unless of course that's what you were aiming for) can be like looking for a needle in a pin stack. Not good, by any means!
          I went out two days after I turned 26 *sigh* and with trepidation made my way to a M.A.C counter, for the very first time in my life. I must tell you now that I am rather intimidated by the beautiful, trim ladies that float around their Lancome and Clinique booths with their impressive, well cut clothes and perfect makeup. Don't get me wrong, I love high end makeup - who doesn't? But I like to grab the offending mascara or foundation quickly before one of those ladies can swoop down on me and ask me if I need help! So I went up to one of the ladies that I spend half my time trying to avoid and asked her if she could please help me find the perfect red lipstick.
         She helpfully pointed out two colours that would be the closest match to my skin colour; Russian Red, a slightly blue based matte lipstick, and Lady Bug, a shinier, slightly blue based lipstick also. I can tell you now that I had done it. After fourteen years of searching (hangs head in shame) I had found them (or more honestly been directed to them). My husband obligingly bought them both for me and I fairly pranced home.

         Russian Red is a highly pigmented colour, rich and wonderfully smooth; I apply it with a lip brush for an even finish. Yes, I have a monroe piercing, I got it done about a month and a half ago. Needless to say I love it! This picture was taken with a flash so the colour looks a tad brighter than it does in real life. I would suggest that you don't smudge it, because this baby transfers like a bad boy! I put my foundation on my lips before applying this colour to give it a little more staying power, and wow, does this lip colour just keep on going, even with it's amazing transfer abilities (like to my poor husband's lips)! I don't mind reapplying my makeup throughout the day so I wear this every day (except for at work but that's a long story), and sometimes for a nice, shiny change I wear M.A.C's Lady Bug. These lipsticks cost £13.50 each, relatively expensive if you think about it, but they're cheaper than Lancome's lipsticks by far - not that I'm dissing Lancome at all - I love their cosmetics, but you know what I'm getting at.
         Wowza, that was a long first blog! I'll leave it there for now... But I'll be back...