Friday 30 April 2010

Mixed bag with Eyeko

Many of the blogs I visit seem to have reviews on EYEKO products so I decided I needed to test out the range for myself. I decided to go for two nail polishes, 'INDIGO POLISH' and after seeing it on http://lollipop26writes.blogspot.com/%20'POSH I wanted to pick up 'POSH POLISH'. Somewhere between thinking this and adding to my basket I ordered 'NUDE POLISH!'   Was tres annoyed at this when they arrived but it was my own silly fault.
Nude is fine, not much you can say about it really...it did go on nicely with just one coat. However the Indigo was a nightmare! Looks a gorgeous rich navy with a slight sparkle in the bottle but one coat was streaky and the more I tried to fix it by applying another layer the worse it got. It was a very thin consistency and  not something I have the patience to try and make work.
Not convinced at all by this product, they are £4 a bottle but have had £2 bottles work much better. Will be sticking to OPI from now on!
This photo was taken seconds after the one above
On the bright side I got the 'Graffiti Eyeliner Pen' and after using it once I can say I really like it, went on smoothly, lasted and it is a nice rich black. I can see myself going back for some of the brighter shades in this item.

With this order came a free lip gloss/balm...nice round tin container, good size, was thinking what a nice gift and then I opened it. It smells like really really cheap rose oils, and feels thick, gungey and horrible! The most horrific lip gloss/balm I have ever come across! Think pink, cheap rose scented vaseline and you are pretty much on the right path to how bad it is.  So bad it is going  into the bin as I would not offend anyone enough to offer it to them!

All in all my order was hit and miss....eyeliner a definate hit and nail polish probably okay for some but not for me.



Thursday 29 April 2010

Strawberries please...and Orchids and Amethyst!

Yesterday I noticed a tweet from make-up genius Lisa Eldrige that made me very happy, she was raving about a lipstick that I already own. Okay I it has been in my hands for a few days but it is very rare  that when one of the gurus I follow mentions a product, especially lipstick, I have it in my collection.
The lipstick in question is Revlon Matte Lipstick in Strawberry Suede and it just squeals 'Summertime!' I find red too hard to wear during the day but this shade is perfect for me, it has slight orange undertones and with being a matte it is toned down, not super-glossy 'look at me!'. Usually Matte equals drying on me but so far I have found this lipstick moisturizing and it manages to stay vibrant throughout wear. Very pleased with this purchase and plan to pair it with natural eyes and cheeks throughout the Summer.

Here is a link to the wonderful Lisa Eldridge's website, go have a look her videos are amazing! http://www.lisaeldridge.com/

I also picked out two other Revlon colours in a 'buy 3 get cheapest free' deal, they each cost just over £6 from Superdrug.

The other two I picked are from the 'Super Lustrous' range, 'Wild Orchid' is a pinky/purple shade, it really does appear luscious on the lips. Rich and glossy with great staying power and this shade is AMAZING for those of us with blue eyes. I tried it on and my eyes seemed to go 'pop!' As with the three Revlon colours it is build-able and you could apply it lightly for day wear.


This picture demostrates the depth of colour these lipsticks have...a bit more light and you can see the purple tones
Below is the colour lightly dabbed on with my finger..very versatile!

'Amethyst Shell' was my third colour choice, a soft everyday pink shade.
There does appear to be a silver sheen to this one which is perfect for giving a nice 'pouty' look.



















Very happy I went for these colours, knew nothing about them before eyeing them
on Superdrug.co.uk..
                                                   Great price and fab quality!
L-R 'Amethyst Shell' , 'Wild Orchid' , Strawberry Suede

Shopping at Superdrug is dangerous!

I went online to order 2 boxes of hair dye and end up with much, much more. Please tell me I am not alone and most of you get sucked into '2 for 1' deals, 'buy one get one free' and the bargain bin! In my defence the subtotal was £50.04 but with discounts I paid £37.84...bargain!

I went for the Clariol 'Perfect 10' colour...can't say I am all that impressed by it. So many people love it as a brand but I have had much better results with L'Oreal hair dyes. Needed cotton wool pads so got 2 for 1, then the Samy hairspray fell into my basket too. It is maximum hold and it truly is...too strong for the ends of my hair, gives that crispy look but brilliant for backcombing and giving a bit of height on the crown.
Been on the look-out for a eye make-up remover, love my Elemis cleanser but feel I rub too much at my eyes with it so when I noticed this Garnier one I thought I might as well try it and get 1 free. It does remove my eye make-up without any sensitivity BUT the lid makes me mad. The bottle is the perfect size to take with you if you are away from home but the lid has a flip that sticks out and is so easily opened therefore spilling out. Would not last five minutes in my bag! 
Next came the lipstick....Revlon had a 'buy 3 get cheapest free', I was sucked in and decided to get three lipsticks. Not really the biggest lip stick wearer...usually stick to MAC but these have really opened my eyes. Last and very much last I went for a L'oreal 6 hHR Glam shine in 'Golden Tattoo', it was in the sale section and I used to have a L'oreal nude gloss that I loved....unfortunately this one is nothing like that much loved one. HATE this product!!  Goes on nice and natural  but smelt weird and within 30 minutes it felt tacky and gunky on my lips.  It does not last on my lips for long at all. Would much rather re-apply lipgloss than wear this horrible stuff.


Sunday 18 April 2010

Lorraine's Everyday Makeup Contest!

This is my entry for Lorraine Stannick's (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCurrentCustom) Everyday Makeup Contest!

I am not one for posting pictures of myself, not exactly an oil painting but thought Lorraine's competition was too good to miss up. As they say, 'if you are not in, you can't win!'

So...let's start at the very beginning-

Skincare
* I start of using Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom  Cleanser, Balancing Lavender Toner   
   and then Pro-Collagen Marine Cream moisturiser.


Next up...the base.
* I use Smashbox Photo Finish Primer    
  *Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer to cover up dark circles  
*Due to health problem my eyes lids are very discouloured so
 I use MAC Paint in Bare Canvas                           
then on the mobile lid put URBAN DECAY Primer Potion
 

  On to the fun stuff...
Nars Sheer Glow in Punjab is my foundation                  
 
Eyes MAC Femme-Fi eyeshadow all over lid then  MAC Wood-Winked in crease            
          *BOBBI BROWN 'Black ink'  longwear gel eyeliner  
          *MALLY  'black velvet' eyeliner in waterline
          *BeneFit BADgal lash


                                                              








Cheeks- * SMASHBOX Baked Starlight fusion soft lights










* Then I highlight top of cheeks, above eyebrows and down centre of nose with Jemma Kidd rose gold Radiance creme




Lips * MAC plushglass in 'Big Baby'



This might seem like a lot of product to some but I can slap it on in a matter of minutes...lets face it with age you need a few more products for your everyday look!

Before Meets After


I use 4 MAC brushes and an ELF contour one

And this is the mess I make EVERYDAY!
N.B Before is not my natural state, I am not that silly to show that! It is with primer, concealer, paint and primer potion.

Time to break out the Havaianas!!!



My feet are doing a happy dance...you ask why?  The sun has come out and that means it is time for me to raid my wardrobe and find my  faithful friends...my Havaianas!

Was never a fan of the 'thong' style flip flops....nothing can wipe away the memories of  childhood spent with blisters between my toes where the thong would rub the skin raw. So I avoided that style until last Summer when  I needed new summer footwear and was unhappy with the sandals I kept buying.  Then I came across an article about havaianas in a magazine...there name was new to me but the style was not. For years I had noticed Jennifer Aniston sporting them but thought she was just lucky they did not  rub between her toes. 

Jen arrives in gorgeous heels......


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
But has to admit defeat and changes into her comfy havaianas!


































Next, I came across them again in a sale, so I thought what the heck and ordered a pair. They felt amazing from the first wear, comortable between the toes, nice and spongy sole and they did not make that annoying 'flip flop' everyone can hear you coming before seeing you noise!

They are a basic looking flip flop, although you can get them in some gorgeous fun colours...they are simple but do the job they are made for perfectly.

I practically lived in them all Summer, after packing a stupid amount of shoes for my holiday to Nice I ended up wearing my Havaianas all the time.

So if you want to treat your feet, go by some havaianas...you will not regret it!

P.S...Even Lorraine aka The Current Boobies wears these and we all know she has great taste!  (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCurrentBoobies)










My Havaianas get the 'toes up!"

Wednesday 14 April 2010

My OPI Hong Kong collection finally here!




A few posts back I mentioned ordered this collection from QVC, delivery seemed to take a little longer than usual. I finally got to test out the colours tonight and I am very glad I went for the kit.

There are 3 nail colours-
* Red My Fortune Cookie- This is a coral red tone and although I thought it would be a 'foot nail' colour I have loved wearing it on my fingernails. Very summery shade and definately new shade to my collection.















* Dim Sum Plum is a mixture of purple and fuchsia, I own a million different purple shades but this is still fresh and exciting to me. Not dying to wear it yet but I am sure it will have its moment of glory soon enough.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*Pearl of Wisdom- According to OPI "Smart girls choose this lustrous pearl shade " which is obviously true!  This is a  must-have, easy to splash dash in a rush kind of colour. I have read some reviews which stated it gave no colour to the nail but with 2 coats I definately got the 'pearl' vibe from it. Just a classic girly colour to have in your collection.
Along with these 3 colours came a nail oil in a handy tube which is very convienent to just throw in your handbag.

As you can see from the pictures I am not the neatest nail painter, I blame it on have small nail beds but probably more to do with my lack of patience.  Included in the kit was a corrector pen, I had recently run out of Leighton Denny's corrector fluid so was looking forward to trying this. I thought with it being in a pen form it too would be handy to carry around but I am not impressed at all. I found the nib too large and it also dried very quickly, meaning I had to constantly shake it about to get the liquid to run down to the end. I will definately be re-purchasing Leighton's product...much better.


This is them together...I think the problem is the OPI nib is not flexiable enough and you can't move around the nail with ease like with the brush from Leighton Denny


Next up was the OPI Drip Dry drops and they were up against Seche Vite, unfortunately they were not a match...I say unfortunately as I am fed up of only being able to use 1/2 a bottle of seche Vite and then find it is thick and gunky. I recently heard you can buy a thinner for this and will try and give that a go.
.
The Drip dry drops did help the drying process but not in the same time frame as Seche Vite...I also found they made the colour duller. Maybe I am just spoilt with the glossy finish from Seche Vite but I will use up the OPI product as I have it but I will not be getting it again, back to Seche Vite I go!