February You Beauty Discovery Box

The You Beauty Discovery box from You Magazine is slightly different to other beauty boxes on offer in the UK, and also the only one that I currently subscribe to, as I think that it is a much better system.
Rather than creating a box of 5 random sample beauty products that you may have little or no interest in, with the You Beauty Discovery box you pick two products yourself from their Beauty Shortlist that you think you are going to most enjoy and these are then joined by two products picked by the company. All for £6.95 including delivery.
This month's theme was Red Carpet Glamour

The products that everyone received this month were Beyond Dark gluten and dairy free chocolate drops which are delicious and packed full of antioxidants as well as being a lot less bad for you than their dairy filled alternative (fab for a chocolate loving beauty girl like me) and the Charles Worthington Salon at Home Amplifying Volume Treatment which is designed to lift and give volume from all directions to the roots when blow dried. I'm saving this one for a night out to see if it works well combined with my new shorter hairstyle.

The two products that I chose this month were an eye shadow brush from The Vintage Cosmetics Company and an eye liner from Teeez which is a new company to me. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed to see The Vintage Cosmetics Company pop up again because their products are always in beauty boxes but I was in need of a new eye shadow brush so I went with it, and the quality is very good.
The Teeez eye liner, on the other hand, is a total game changer. It is absolutely amazing! I have a full review post of the eye liner going live tomorrow but lets just say it's been my favourite discovery from a beauty box so far. The Rotterdam based company have some fab products and finding companies like this is what I think beauty boxes should be all about!

Annie xx

Clarins The Essentials Palette

I haven't really gone down the road of showing off all of the lovely things that I was treated to for Christmas, mainly because I squirrelled them away into their proper homes fairly quickly to restore some calm post Christmas, but one thing I had to show you is The Essentials palette from Clarins.

It has been noted by some that this palette isn't all that dissimilar to the Urban Decay Naked offerings however, I feel that whilst the shades have their similarities, as anyone who has used a Clarins eye shadow will know, the quality really is something else. Although they are powder, the shadows all apply so smoothly its almost as if you're working with a cream and their pigmentation is brilliant and with a selection of matte, shimmer and pearl finishes this palette really does have the lot. When a palette comes with a brush I usually end up throwing it aside because I find that companies just don't go to the effort to make sure it's high quality, however this brush is perfect both in size and density for creating lovely soft, smoky looks.

The packaging is a bit of a mixed bag in my opinion as I like the design of the outer casing with its stripes however I do think that Clarins could have perhaps put in a little more effort on the presentation of the internal packaging which is just a fairly average, drugstore looking plastic tray. I can't help but wonder whether this was to keep the price down in line with the UD offerings but I do think that metal or even sturdy cardboard like the outside would have looked a lot better and felt more special.
One handy feature is the looks sheet that comes with the palette which is a good addition for those who might be a little overwhelmed by the little row of neutrals sat before them however some written instructions might have been a good idea!
Over all I think that this limited edition palette is a real hit and I've found myself reaching for it most days. And at £35 is is also slightly cheaper than the Urban Decay palettes so if you can find one then grab it!
Annie xx

My Latest MAC Haul

It was almost two weeks ago now that I visited the Cosmetics Company Outlet in Swindon and topped up my beloved MAC collection with some bargains. For those who don't know, Cosmetics Company Outlet (CCO) is the outlet for all Estee Lauder owned brands, including MAC, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Origins, Smashbox and Bumble and Bumble. There are a fair few stores across America, however, in England I believe there are only three or four which makes the rare visits even more special.

For me, I was actually pretty restrained and only came away with two lipsticks, an eyeshadow pan for my palette and a kohl eyeliner. What made me most excited though was that the Venomous Villains lipstick, Violetta, and the Hey, Sailor! eyeliner, Blue Stripe were both limited edition products that I wanted but didn't manage to get hold of when they were in MAC stores.
So, what I got:
Pro Longwear lip creme in Love Forever- This lip creme is a pretty bright pink with a blue toned base. It is super long lasting but not at all drying like most long wear lip products. The composition is different to the average MAC lipstick which is why it is classed as a creme. I have a FOTD post lined up to review this already so that will probably be up in the next few days.

Venomous Villains Amplified lipstick in Violetta- Definitely my favourite buy of the haul. This lipstick is a gorgeous purple colour that is oh so bold against my pale skin. Once again it has a blue toned base but there is enough pink to it that it doesn't look too unusual on the skin. I haven't found this to dry out my lips at all, and it lasts around 4-5 hours before I need to touch up. Review to come early next week.

Ahoy, Sailor! Powerpoint eye pencil in Blue Stripe- I was drawn to this colour as the blue is so smokey and intense that it is almost black but with a sexy blue shimmer. Its hard to explain my love for it in a way that people will understand but it is an incredibly sexy colour. It is also a very long lasting, smudge proof liner which makes me so happy. Its actually what I'm wearing around my eyes in the Love Forever review so you'll see it soon!

Eyeshadow palette pan in Bright Sunshine- I've wanted a really pigmented yellow shadow for a long time and this one fits the bill perfectly. It is almost gold in some lights but it the perfect warm yellow shadow. I like to wear it either alone in a bright line along the top lash line, or blended in with a lime green for an uber summery look.

So theres my latest haul from MAC. What do you think? Have you got any of these products? Aren't they just so typically me?

Annie x

Crush Cosmetics

Hello,
Another late night post from me today, I simply must stop going out and having fun! In all seriousness though I am so nervous for my job interview tomorrow that it was partly so I didn't sit around the house worrying all evening, I am, after all, very well known for doing that.

So, onto Crush (picture heavy post btw!).
Everyone knows that makeup is a huge passion of mine. I can give and take skin products, nail varnish and all that stuff, but makeup I adore. And one thing I also really love, is supporting smaller, independent businesses and if you look in the right places you will find a wide range of small, brilliantly priced companies online who really care about what they do. You can get a better priced, higher quality product from a small company who care about what they put into their products and that is something that means a lot to me. Crush Cosmetics is one of these companies. Based in Canada, Crush sell their products through their Etsy Shop (here) They aim to create gorgeous products using simple ingredients that people will love and enjoy using.
 After catching my eye on Etsy I was lucky enough to be sent 6 little pots of their vegan friendly mineral eye shadow for review and to put together a pretty look or two for you lovely ladies. How could I say no?

The six colours I was sent are Femme Fatale (bright blue), 38 Special (deep silver), Funeral Party (matte black), Vintage (golden olive green), Thorn (deep gold) and Fairy Wings (soft glitter pink) which all came in little 5g pots containing a little sift to avoid the powder flying all over the place which is very useful when you're as clumsy as I am.

First of all, I have to say that the quality of these shadows is incredible. I own a large collection of pigment colours and these are only really comparable in quality to that of my M.A.C powders. For each of the swatches above I used only the tiniest amount of product so you can be sure that they'll last a nice long time. I was especially impressed with funeral party because a lot of black shadows, especially pressed powders don't give the level of colour pay off I would like but I have found that this powder does, and with long lasting effects too. The one colour I was slightly disappointed by was Fairy Wings but I think thats just personal taste, I like to use bold colours on my eyes and this is definitely a soft and delicate colour that is more suited to highlight the brow bone or in the centre of the eye to brighten a look but it is still the same high quality as the rest.

On to the look:

When swatching the colours I was particularly drawn to the combination of Vintage, Thorn and Fairy Wings so these are the three colours I chose to use. I felt that Funeral Party and 38 Special were clear smoky eye colours and it goes without saying that they would look stunning together and I thought that Femme Fatale would make the boldest statement alone, framing the entire eye so I got a bit creative with the other three and this is what I got.

Sweeping the gold (Thorn) across the entire lid up to the crease I created the base colour of the look. I then used the green shade (Vintage) to deepen the look along the crease and flick out to the edge in a winged look for extra drama. I also carried the green along to the centre of the lower lash line. I then used the soft pink (Fairy Wings) to pop open the eye by applying around the inner corner and blending outwards to the centre of the lid and lower lash line. Finally, I finished the look by applying kohl to the water line and two coats of extreme black mascara to both the top and lower lashes. Simples!

As you can see, the combination of colours work well together and the small amount of pink adds interest as well as brightening up the eye.

(I look so miserable in the photo above, sorry!) To keep the eyes as the focus of the look and avoid looking like over kill the rest of the face should be kept simple with soft, gloss covered lips and a small amount of blush. I was thinking of pixies and fairies when I put this together :P

However, for a more every day, easily wearable look, you can simply follow the same process only without flicking the green outwards and instead creating a rounded edge that just follows on down to the lower lash line. And I have also used a matte lipstick here instead of gloss for a more formal look.

Over all, I honesty rate these powders very highly and with prices starting at just £3.27 for a 5g tub I think that they are a purchase well worth your money. Far more so than drugstore brands that you could buy for a similar price. Crush ship world wide and I received my package nice and quickly and it was well wrapped so it was kept safe in the post.

To visit their shop click *here* they were so nice to me that I'd love you ladies to show them some love and buy some goodies, I think I might be building up my collection.

Annie x

*I received these products free of charge for the purpose of review, however I have been, and always will be totally honest with you, and would never promote a product I didn't feel really deserved it.*

Bobbi Brown Pastel Eyeshadow Palette with Swatches

Hello,
I've spent a lot of the afternoon listing shoes on ebay so if you want to take a look, find me here.

The other day I posted showing the lovely new Eye Palette that I picked up from Bobbi Brown so today I wanted to tell you a little more about it and what makes it so very lovely :)

I went into The Cosmetics Company Store looking for a nude shade to fill the void that had been left after my Chili Pepper nude had run out and when I saw this set I knew straight away it was everything I wanted and more. The shade I needed was "baby pink" which is the second shadow along. This is the perfect colour to apply as a base all over the eyelid. I also use "ivory" every day to highlight the brow bone which is the first colour in the palette.
This palette contains seven shades in total; three matte shades and four shimmer shades. Depending which brush you use to apply the colour, the shimmer shades can look very sparkly or a light shimmery colour which is useful for people like me who don't always want to look particularly glittery. It also makes it very easy to carry the colours in the palette from day to night with little effort.

sorry for the light swatches, the camera had a job to pick the subtle colouring up.

The Colours:
From left to right we have Ivory, Baby Pink, Champagne, Quartz, Platinum, Iced Blue, Rockstar and Mahogany

Ivory, baby pink and mahogany are the matte shades in the set and all apply very pigmented even with a small amount. Mahogany is probably the only colour in the set that will receive little use because I find dark browns too much on my fair skin, even with a smokey eyed look.
Champagne is a soft golden shade which us beautiful for highlighting the brown bone and for applying as the base for a smokey eye.
I think my favourite of the metallic shades however is rockstar which is a fairly light silver gray shade that is packed with glitter. This colour is great for using in the crease of the eyelid to add depth to a look and if applied with a small brush, also looks very pretty on the bottom lash line as a subtle liner to widen up a dark rimmed eye

The Brush:
Included in the palette is a double ended eye brush. There is a soft, fluffy brush which can be used to apply a base colour all over the lid and to smudge in darker shades, and there is a small, stiffer brush which can be used to apply with more precision along the base of the lashes, on the bottom lash line and in the crease of the eyelid. Together these brushes allow you to create some lovely effects using the colours in the palette so this is a great addition that I am grateful for. This also makes the palette that little bit easier to use on the go as you don't have to lug brushes around with you getting them dirty in the bottom of your handbag. There is also a mirror inside the lid covering the whole surface area of the palette which is big enough for you to use properly without only being able to see a tiny part of your face.

The Verdict:
I honestly adore this palette. The colours are gorgeous, the brush is useful (and not made of sponge!!!) and the longevity of the colour is great. You can comfortably wear every single shadow in this set knowing that the colour will stay put all day with no creasing and still look as pretty at the end of the day as when you apply it. I would thoroughly recommend this kit to everyone and also believe that it is a great example of getting the value that you pay for. The perfect pastel palette.

Annie x

Boots 17 Make-up Haul Reviews

Hello,
As you will already know if you read this post here, last weekend I went on a bit of a shopping spree...seems to be quite a regular occurrence, and I took advantage of the boots 17 range 3 for 2 offer and picked up these three goodies.

I got one of the limited edition spring florals eye palettes, a blush and glow two tone blusher and a supreme shine lipstick. I've now been using them all week and I have to say that I love all three, and they're excellent quality for so little money.

First lets take a look at the blusher:

As you can see, in the pot, this blusher is two different separate shades. I guess this is so you can achieve two different colours if you like, but I have to say, personally, I think the pot is too small to do that effectively so I just use the two together by sweeping my big blusher brush around a bit.
The colour that the blusher gives is a light, pinky tone that looks really fresh and just adds a touch of colour to cheeks. This is perfect for me because I have such pale skin, but the colour would easily be buildable by just using more of the product.

The swatch on my hand actually looks fairly dark bu thats because I used my finger to apply it, with a brush the tone is a lot more subtle but still holds the same peachy pink tone and a slight shine. I would definitely re-purchase this blusher and might try other shades in the same product.

Now the eye palette:

With this product, I was first drawn in by the beautiful design. The different colours look wonderful together and the effect definitely looks more high end than the price that I paid for it.
The gold, pink and purple eye shadows are all lovely, light colours that work well together and blend into each other well on the eye. Indeed, if you use the right sized brush, it is possible to pick up and use two different colours at once and use the gold as a highlighter and the pink or purple on the actual lid.
The bronze shadow I haven't used yet because it swatches quite dark and I've been feeling in a light, springy mood, but personally, I think Imight try applying it with a large brush as a bronzer on my cheeks as it is a nice shade that would look pretty that way.

As you can see from the swatches, the gold, pink and purple are all light, pastel tones, which are great for every day use. The bronze is a lot darker and more pigmented so should be used with a little more caution! I have been really impressed with the staying power of these shadows. Even after a 9 hour shift at work they looked just as bright as when I applied them, and they did not do that annoying thing where they work their way into a dark line along the crease of the eyelid so I was very happy. I would really recommend this palette, but be quick to buy as it's limited edition!

Finally for the lipstick:

I have been looking for a red lipstick for some time now and when I saw this colour I just had to give it a go. The name isn't very imaginative, something like "hot berry" or "hot red" if I remember rightly but as soon asI saw the colour of the bullet I knew I needed it. In the swatch it looks slightly pink toned but on my lips it is perfectly red. The staying power is very good too, although if you were wearing it for a night out you would need to re-apply once or twice I think. I really like the feel of this lipstick. Unlike some, it doesn't dry out my lips, and after a little while, you can hardly feel that there is any lipstick there. Another great product from 17 that I would buy again.

So those are my three new loves from 17. In the photo above I'm wearing all three, but the bright lips definitely take center stage!

What do you think? Do you own any of these products? Are there any other great 17 cosmetics that I should try?

Annie x