PETITE DECEMBER: January 2014

A BELATED AUTUMNAL SMOKEY

Friday, 31 January 2014

There are a number of bandwagons in the blogging world - most of which I jump onto a good few months late, including the red/burgundy autumnal smokey eye, but I thought it deserves a post anyway.

You are probably all screaming at your screens waiting for me to quit the rambling and get on with explaining what products I used, so I'll do it now. I began by priming the lid with the Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer, which is my new favourite primer, and I followed that up with MAC Bare Study Paint Pot all over the lid. I used my trusty MUA Undressed Palette and used Shade 2 all over the lid, followed by Shade 9 on the outer half and along the lower lashline. I then took the Kiko Eyeshadow in 137 through the crease and blended it thoroughly and then went in with 133 to deepen it up slightly.
Finally, I finished off with Soap and Glory Thick & Fast Mascara and the look was complete.

I may be late on this, but I will continue to go for the winter looks until I see a ray of sunshine through the clouds and I personally declare it Spring.

SMASHBOX IT'S YOUR PRIME

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

Since the day I started watching Youtube videos, someone has always been talking about the Smashbox Primers, and I got my fair share of the cute minis from the It's Your Prime set this Christmas. It contains 3 of their primers, 2 well-loved staples, and one new release. I'll give you the low down on the trio.

Photo Finish Foundation Primer: This is the one that everyone talks about, but also the one which some people don't like. I'm fairly sure it is silicon based, which breaks out a handful of people, but I am yet to experience that *touches wooden desk*. For me, I wouldn't say this dramatically increases the longevity of my makeup, just more so helps it wear off more evenly, so I don't have any weird marks where it settles.

Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer: This was the exciting newly released one, which isn't like many others on the market. This primes the under eye area, in order to prevent concealer creasing or drying out too much. I do really like this, and I find that concealer does apply and wear much better on top.

Photo Finish Lid Primer: For some reason, I am a lover of eye primers and I always want to buy more. This one though, makes me want to buy the full size (maybe my purse wouldn't agree). This is a lid primer which mattifies the surface, smooths, and blanks any colour out, and creates the perfect base for shadows. I definitely find that this guy makes my eye makeup wear for so much longer, without any signs of creasing. I am using this sparingly, because the pot is so diddy, and I love this stuff. Maybe I will fork out the £15 for a repurchase one day.

So, I am sitting on the fence with some, and totally smitten by others, but who would say no to cute little minis like these?

ORIGINS DRINK-UP INTENSIVE MASKS

Monday, 27 January 2014

Ah, Origins. Their masks have intrigued me for such a long time, and I never thought I would own any. That was until I got 3 in a set for Christmas, and I think the love will last for a long time.

Even with some oily areas on my skin (we'll say combination), I still want that plumped, nourished skin and these masks seemed like the perfect duo to give me that. Must I say too, the apricot scent gets me weak at the knees every time I slather this on my face.

Overnight Mask: So, this is my favourite out of the two. It is a thick, creamy consistency, which you basically put on after cleansing before bedtime as a really intensive moisturiser, and by the morning it has entirely sunken in and your skin thanks you oh-so-much for the fruity hydration.

10 Minute Mask: This is the same sort of consistency, but slightly thinner and more leaning towards a thick moisturiser texture. I put this on and I find that after the 10 minutes some has sunken into my skin and there is a bit less that I put on to wash off, which is nice to know - especially if you are really looking for hydration reassurance. It washes off like a milk, and leaves my skin looking radiant almost immediately.

I think there is some sort of love going on here. I dread the days when my 3 Origins masks run out (in the set you got 3 75ml masks for £25), because I sense some repurchases going on...

MY FIRST KIKO PRODUCTS

Saturday, 25 January 2014

Kiko. A brand I wasn't all that aware of, until when spending the day in London for my birthday with Megan, and we strolled past the store - and some purchases were made. I wanted to get a product from each category I guess; eyes, lips, and face, and I did that, and I love every single one of the products I got, and now I have a craving for more.

I got 2 shadows, 137 which is a stunning red, which instantly reminded me of MAC Cranberry, which made me throw it into my basket, and for £2.90 a shadow, it was rude of me to only buy one. So it appears I was liking the red eye colours on this day, because 133 was also purchased. This is more wearable, but still has those red tones in it. Basically, it's a warm darkish brown, which has those burgundy tones in it that make it that little more interesting. This and my crease get along very well.

The Natural Concealer in 01 made its way onto the till and now as a daily product on my face. I saw that this was slightly pink toned, and after hunting for something for under my eyes for quite a while at a reasonable price, this £5.50 offering intrigued me. Okay, okay, the coverage isn't that great, but it is light, sets nicely, doesn't crease, and gives a little correcting and brightening action under the eyes, and you know, I really like this little one.

Finally, the Smart Lipstick in 912 came home with me. This made me think of MAC Impassioned (Kiko, you are on point with the MAC esc. products), so I snapped it up straight away, and for £3.90 I have no regrets - in fact, I want more. This has been making me love a bright pout, and for a budget price, a few more shades are on my wishlist.

Have you tried Kiko?

A'KIN SKINCARE BOLT-ONS

Thursday, 23 January 2014

A'kin is a brand which is pretty new to me, but my skincare cupboard is always open to new housemates. When these products dropped through my door, I almost squealed.

First up is the Rose and Geranium Pure Facial Creamy Cleanser & Toner*, a thick, hot cloth esc. cream cleanser, which not only cleanses well and feels glorious on the skin, it removes makeup fairly well too. This has been getting almost daily use from me since I got it, so that proves it's a good'un.

Then, I'm sure this has made an appearance in a few of my posts, but this is the Kaolin Clay & Activated Carbon Express Purifying Facial Masque*. This is pretty much a breakout buster, because it really drags out every sing impurity that could possibly in your skin. It does get a little tight after you remove it, but a good coating of the next product and you're good to go.

So, for that moisture boost, I have been loving the Chamomile Unscented 24HR Pure Moisture Cream*, which is light enough for day wear, but then can be applied more liberally at night and still moisturise enough.

It's safe to say that I am a little bit of an eye cream junkie, being blessed with the biggest, puffiest, rings under my eyes, I'm always on the hunt for something to help me out. The Brightening and Tightening Eye Day Cream* has been getting quite a lot of use from me recently, and although it isn't de-puffing all that much, it definitely moisturises and soothes any dry or irritated areas on my eyes, and wears rather well under concealers too.

Oh, A'kin, you are good. Perhaps one day I will get my hands on their Rosehip oil which I am desperate to try...

REVLON GIRLY NAIL POLISH

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Ever since I got into the whole world of nail polish, I was always intrigued by the Revlon Nail Polish in Girly, a jelly base, alongside an array of coloured glitter. I never got my hands on it, but when it was in a set with two Charlie body sprays for £4 in the sales, I literally jumped for joy.

So basically, this is a sheer pink base, which is accompanied with blue, purple, pale pink, and a tiny, tiny hint of gold, rusty small glitter. It took me a good few coats to get this opaque which is a little annoying (we are looking at the 3+ mark here), so that is generally my only complaint.

Other than that, I love this, and I hope to wear it more often when I can be bothered with slapping on the coats, and maybe it'll open a new door for me to these jelly and glitter kind of nail polishes, because honestly, they do really interest me.

BARGAIN STILA PRODUCTS

Sunday, 19 January 2014

I love a good sale. Even when I am on a spending ban, one incredible sale popped up on the Stila website and I simply couldn't resist, and obviously I am going to write a blog post about my bargainous finds.

So, basically, Stila incredibly discounted tons of their products, including sets, individual products, and some limited edition items, and the thing which made up my mind was the free shipping - result. I picked out 2 sets which I am so happy with and I will be more than happy to review them in the future if you wish.

Firstly, I found the Smudge Stick Eyeliner Set for an incredible £6.25, which contains 5 shades of what is a bestselling liner. Although I have complaints about the packaging and the often faulty twist-up mechanism, I can get round it because the colours are divine.
You get Moray, which is a stunning olive base with some green and almost rust coloured shimmer, which only shows withing certain lights. You also get Oscar Fish which is a brown liner, with some reddish shimmer in there which I adore. Next up is Angelfish which was the one I was most excited about, which is a nude shimmery liner, with almost a slight hint of greyish lilac to it, but only slightly. Then there is Stargazer; a black liner with sliver glitter/shimmer in it which is nice for a feline flick. Finally, Tetra is a gorgeous jewel-like purple which is infused with some pink shimmer to add some dimension.
These liners are truly smudge proof, to an extent which I can rub my eyes like mad without any evidence of doing so.

Then, I got the Positively Pink Lip and Cheek Palette, for £3.25 which contains a powder blush, and a lip glaze, both of which are stunning pink colours. I believe this was made to support the Breast Cancer Awareness week/month which is a lovely touch as well.

Bargains everywhere. I ~~hope to~~ will restrain myself now, after buying the Ikea Alex 9 Drawer Unit, and needing to pay my family back some of the money. Spending ban it is.

BLOGGING ESSENTIALS

Friday, 17 January 2014

Through personal preference, there are a lot of things that I like to have desk-side when I am writing a blog post, or planning one, which includes a few beauty bits, some stationery and the technology bits and bobs.

Technology: When I am writing a post, I will always use the laptop, as this is just easy to type on (I'm sure the space is running low with the amount of photos I have on there), and makes the whole process easy. This is a family laptop which we have had for a good possibly 5 years and I have kind of inherited it now as a new one entered the household. It has been through a lot; smashed screens, viruses, and some of the keys have even gone faulty, but for the time being it serves me well enough.
My iPad Mini is something I always have nearby in case I want to do some quick research, have an Instagram check-in, or watch all the videos from the current youtuber obession - this device comes in pretty handy.

Water, lots of the stuff. Remember my New Year's resolution to drink more of the stuff, well I have been sticking to it. A pen and my blogging book are always nearby, so that I can flick through the notes I have made for an upcoming edit, or just to write down my blog's current stats. Whichever it is, they are a must have for me.

Of course, being a beauty blogger and all, I like to have a few products nearby. Maybe the one I am reviewing at the time, or I like to have a lip balm, and some hand cream as recently my hands have been so dry. Also, I like to paint my nails whilst either typing, editing photos, or watching youtube videos. What you see here is the Burt's Bees Beeswax Lipbalm, the Rimmel 60Seconds Nail Polish in Rose Libertine, Burt's Bees Hand Salve, and my current obsession which is Soap & Glory Hand Food.

What are your blogging essentials?

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