FOTD- Fresh Faced and Wide Eyed

I think I may have found it! I mean my perfect non-designer foundation!
You may remember that the other day I blogged about some cheeky payday buys. One of those was the Instant Radiance Foundation by No 7 which I picked up for £12.50, well it turns out that its really great!

I admit that usually I'm a bit of a foundation snob because I think that there's no point in using high end paint on a cheapo canvas so I usually spend quite a bit to get the best base possible for my makeup but I've not liked a foundation this much since accidentally falling for the Dior BB cream so I'm more than happy...along with my bank balance! I won't say too much now because I have a full review coming up tomorrow, but for now I'll just say that the finish is light, dewy and fresh; just what I like for summer.

So whats on my mug?
Face:

• No 7 Instant Radiance Foundation in cool vanilla
• Nars Orgasm Blusher
• Lush Emotional Brilliance Sheer Powder
• Illamasqua Gleam in Aurora
• Lush Feeling Younger Highlighter

Eyes:

• Bobbi Brown Mahogany powder on brows
• MAC Painterly paint pot
• MAC Eclair paint pot
• Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara

Lips:

• Lush Strong lipstick
• Lush Vibrance lipstick

It always amazes me when I write down how many different products I use without realising. I swear it doesn't feel like it at the time. Do you find that too?

Have you tried any of the No 7 foundations? What do you think?

Annie xx

Illamasqua Gleam in Aurora Reviewed

Another of my Illamasqua sale purchases! Gleam is a product I had been lusting after for a while in the shade Aurora which is a heavenly pearlescent champagne colour. It really is a magical shade.
Gleam is Illamasqua's answer to a cream highlighter designed to be able to be used on both face and body and is available in 2 shades; Aurora and Supernatural which is a deep bronze tone.

The Gleam comes in the stylish classic Illamasqua packaging, and is slightly larger in size than the blushers, weighing in at 6.5g of product. The flip up lid is easy to use without feeling like it would come loose in your handbag and the compact also feels nice and sturdy. It does bug me that the light cream shows up so much is it gets on the black case but thats just me being a neat freak! The highlighter is also a good size to either dab with a stippling brush or with fingers which is a nice bonus and something I miss with highlighters such as High Beam (Benefit) or Feeling Younger (Lush) so it does feel nice and versatile.

Wear wise, I like to dab this around the outside corner of my eyes and along the cheek bone and as you can see in the photo above, it reflects the light really nicely and gives a nice glow without looking too much. I've found that I like to dab with my fingers best because you can achieve a nice soft, subtle look easily, but I do buff out with a brush lightly after if I feel I've been a little heavy handed. The colour also looks pretty highlighting the brow bone, but this doesn't show very well in my photo, oops! I find that the colour doesn't fade really during the day and I arrive home with the same healthy glow visible as when I first apply so I'm more than happy with the quality. At £18 this product doesn't come cheap but I have completely fallen in love with it and think that for the quality and how little is needed per use, the price isn't as bad as you might originally think and I would happily replace this when it runs out.
You can pick up a Gleam compact here from the Illamasqua website :)

So what do you think? Pretty eh? Would you be able to justify buying yourself?
Annie xx

Makeup Mugshot and Mermaid Nails

Today has been one of those strange days where you just wake up feeling pants for no particular reason. I know I'm prone to the odd gloomy day but this has just been weird.
So plans have been cancelled, calm, happy music is being played and vanilla scented candles have been lit.

I always find painting my nails pretty colours is great for cheering me up so today I've gone for glitter and used a combination of GOSH "Ocean" and Barry M "Amethyst Glitter" and created pretty mermaid nails :)

The photo doesn't show just how bright and pretty the colours are in the light but it gives you a good idea :)

The other thing that makes me feel more like me when I feel rubbish is bright red lipstick. I sort of feel like if you give off confidence from the outside maybe you'll feel better on the inside too.

Whats on my face:

Skin:
Estee Lauder invisible fluid foundation
Lush Emotional Brilliance face powder
Benefit Dandelion blusher
Lush Feeling Younger highlighter

Eyes:
Bobbi Brown Mahogany powder on brows
Lush Sophisticated eyeshadow
Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara

Lips:
Lush bubblegum lip scrub
Illamasqua Sangers lipstick

I have to say that just doing these little things has made me feel a lot better about myself :) I'm lots calmer and ready to face the world again.

What do you do to cheer yourself up on an off day?

Annie xx

Makeup Mugshot- Taking the Plunge

For some time I've been debating getting a pretty major hair cut. I love my big, flowing mane but its a nightmare to wash and tangles like no ones business so, spurred on by the sunshine and an urge to be able to dye my hair without needing 2 bottles of dye I went and got chopped :)
So heres new Annie!

What do you think? I've had about 4 inches off the bottom and lots of shape and layering put in to give me back some bounce and I love it! The next step is to dye it a nice bright colour, I'm thinking maybe dark purple or red.
Makeup wise I've been loving black eyeliner in my waterline recently. Just enough to make my eyes look nice and bright without being too heavy, combined with fairly neutral eyeshadow and dark pink lips.

Face:
Bourjois 123 perfect foundation
Nars Orgasm blusher
Lush Emotional Brilliance face powder
Lush Feeling Younger highlighter

Eyes:
Bobbi Brown Mahogany powder on brows
Lush Sophisticated cream eyeshadow
Rimmel scandaleyes waterproof black eyeliner
Soap and Glory thick and fast mascara

Lips:
MAC Pink Nouveau lipstick

So what do you think of my new hair? Do you think it suits me? And the most important question; red or purple dye?
Annie xx

Makeup Mugshot- Just Another Manic Monday

I've had that song stuck in my head for hours now. It feels like a while since I've posted a mugshot so heres todays makeup from 7.30 this morning. It feels like spring is finally starting to show itself so I've been going for light and glowing the last few days :)

 I'm loving these Russian doll earrings at the moment, I like that they're nice and eye catching, especially worn against fairly subtle makeup.

Products Used:

Face-
Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation in True Ivory
Seventeen Oh So Spring blusher in coral
Lush Emotional Brilliance face powder
Benefit High Beam highlighter

Eyes-
Bobbi Brown mahogany on brows
MAC Paint pot in Painterly
Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara

Lips-
Lush Mint Julips lip scrub
Seventeen Honey Trap lipstick

What do you think of todays mugshot? Have you posted any looks recently? What look have you been going for?
Annie xx

Makeup Mugshot- Spring is Springing!

Today has really felt like spring is on its way; through the cold air the sun has been shining and the crocuses have popped out. To get in the mood for spring I went for light, fresh looking makeup today (even though I have huge eye bags from not sleeping much last night and having only got up half an hour earlier!)

Look how light it was at 7.30 this morning! Spring must be here!

Products used:

Face:
Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation in light vanilla
Rituals Gemstone enriched blush in Sunglow Pink
theBalm Fratboy blush
Lush Emotional Brilliance translucent face powder
Lush Feeling Younger skin tint

Eyes:
Bobbi Brown powder in mahogany on brows
Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in Pastel Pink
Lush Sophisticated cream eyeshadow
Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara

Lips:
Max Factor colour elixir lipstick in Bewitching Coral

What do you think of todays look?...minus the eyebags that is. I'm loving the fresh, dewy look at the moment, it really is getting me excited for spring and summer to come. Are you getting that spring feeling?
Annie x

Makeup Mugshot: Minerals and Shimmer

Today has been amazing so far, I got offered a new job which I'm really excited to start, the sun has been shining and actually giving off warmth aaand I've been shopping (photos here). To celebrate such a fab day I'm going out this evening with my lovely mummy :)

Today I kept makeup pretty simple, going for subtle cheeks and lips, a little shimmer on the eyelids but lots of super black mascara, I just love the look of my lashes with the Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara *review here*
Lolly the Grumpy Kitty is having one of her clingy days and growls whenever I try to move her from my lap so she's in my mugshots too today haha.

Products used:

Face:
Bourjois 123 perfect foundation in light vanilla
Lush sheer face powder in emotional brilliance
Miners blush and bronze duo
Bare Minerals warmth all-over
Benefit High Beam
Topshop Brighten concealer pen

Eyes:
Bobbi Brown mahogany shadow on brows
Bobbi Brown baby pink shadow all over lid
Catrice Made to Stay cream eyeshadow
Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara

Lips:
MAC Brave lipstick

It always amazes me listing down what I've used just how much makeup it takes to look like you...only a bit better because I'd definitely call my very made up face a natural look. Madness eh what we do to feel confident :)
Have a good monday! I am!
Annie xx

Soap & Glory Thick and Fast Mascara Review

If you're a long term reader of Three Little Buhos then you'll probably know that I am a devout user of Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara. I've used it every day for months and months but when the latest tube ran out I thought it was time to try something new. A lady on Beauty Box Swaps on facebook recommended Soap and Glory's Thick and Fast to me as a good alternative so I decided to give it a go. Long story short; I love it. I think I may actually prefer it to the Max Factor option I was using. So let me show you.

Unlike a lot of Soap and Glory products, the Thick and Fast mascara comes in a pretty basic looking tube with no bells and whistles. The brush is lovely and big and picks up a nice lot of product. My one slight complaint though is that it does tend to leave a bit of excess mascara on the end of the wand but thats easily wiped off on the rim of the tube.

In this first photo I am not wearing any mascara, just a slick of eyeliner in the water line.

In this photo I have applied one coat of Thick and Fast and as you can see, my eyelashes have been lifted and curled a lot. They are also a really deep black shade which shows how pigmented the mascara is. I think they look thicker but definitely more full and coloured. As with most mascara's there is a small amount of clumping if you put several layers on, however I always finish off by giving my lashes a comb through anyway so this isn't a problem, and I've found that with this mascara there hasn't been too much of a problem anyway.

Here's my finished look, I apologize for the rabbit caught in the headlight style expression.
Products used:
Face- MAC prep+prime fortified skin enhancer in Illuminate, Ginvera BB cream, Benefit Dandelion blush, Benefit Posie Tint, Lush Emotional Brilliant face powder, Benefit High Beam highlighter.
Brows- Benefit Brow Zings in Dark
Eyes- MAC Painterly paintpot, MUA grey eyeliner, Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara
Lips- Lush Bubblegum lip scrub, Max Factor Bewitching Coral lipstick.

What do you think of Thick and Fast? Have you used it before? If so, did you get on with it?
Annie x

Makeup Mugshot #11 A New Feline Friend

So I haven't blogged properly in a while now, I'm sorry about that, I just seem to always be busy with one thing or another. I have a couple of posts lined up now and have set time aside to get writing. I visited a Cosmetics Company Outlet today so I have some fab MAC buys to show you tomorrow, but today I thought I'd show off yesterdays makeup.
I'm a member of a beauty group on facebook called Beauty Box Swaps where you trade new and lightly used beauty products and yesterday I decided to do a FOTD using almost solely BBS obtained products.

Face:
Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in Light Vanilla (BBS)
MAC Pinch O' Peach powder blush (BBS)
Natural Collection sheer pressed powder
Benefit High Beam highlighter (BBS)

Eyes:
Benefit Browzings in medium (BBS)
Bourjois eyeshadow that I can't remember the name of (BBS)
MAC So There Jade Powerpoint eye pencil (BBS)
Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara

Lips:
Lush Honey Trap lip balm
MAC Lickable lipstick (BBS)

The reason I made myself look all nice and polished yesterday is because we visited the Bath Cats and Dogs home to bring home the newest member of the family; Betsy. Betsy is a gorgeous, very cheeky 7 year old tabby who's last family couldn't look after her any more. She settled in here straight away and is napping in a little ball at the foot of the bed as I write this.

Hello Betsy :)

Annie x

Makeup Mugshot #10 New Hair!

Today I was treated to an amazing Toni and Guy haircut(*) in their Bath New Bond Street store by Jordan, one of their uber friendly stylists. I thought, new season, new style so I've gone for quite a change.

I have my beloved fringe back, all thick and choppy again, oh how I missed it during the summer. We also decided to take about 3 inches off the length which has given a lot more volume back.
On to the makeup!
At the moment I tend to use the same Bourjois foundation (123 perfect in light vanilla) each day. I also used MAC Fleet Fast blusher and Lush Feeling Younger skin tint to brighten the look up.
On my eyes I used Bobbi Brown Mahogany eyeshadow to fill my brows, MAC Painterly paint pot as a base colour, Maybeline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze all around the eye, lined the water line with Bobbi Brown Charcoal kohl eyeliner to define and finished with Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara.
On my lips I used MAC Red Racer lipstick after having a good old scrub with Lush Bubblegum lip scrub.

What do you think of my new hair? I've so missed the fringe!
Annie x

Makeup Mugshot ...Ooooh, Shiny

So, autumn is definitely here. The weather has been rubbish for days and my hat and scarf have been traveling everywhere with me so to brighten things up a bit and cheer myself up I went for bright, sparkly colours today :)

On my face I kept things pretty simple and just used Ginvera BB cream, accessorize blusher and Lush Feeling Younger skin tint as a highlighter along my cheek bones and under my brows.
On my eyes I started with a base of MAC Painterly Paint Pot to prime all over the lid, I then used a 17 plum purple shadow from the lashes up to the crease. Next I lined along the lashes with Lush Fantasy gold eyeliner. On the bottom lash line I used Catrice Made to Stay cream shadow in Lord of the Blings and I blackened the water line using my Bobbi Brown kohl liner. To finish off I applied a thick coat of my trusty  Max Factor False Lash Effect.
On my lips I used Lush lipstick in Believe and topped it off with a coat of clear Barry M gloss.

Of course, as Lolly the Grumpy Kitty likes to always be the centre of attention, she wouldn't let me snap my mugshot without trampling all over the keyboard. But she looks uber pretty too, even without makeup :)

What do you think of my gloomy day makeup? What sort of look do you wear when you want to add a bit of colour and cheer to a gloomy day? Doesn't Lolly look gorgeous with her ickle whiskers? =^.^=
Annie x

Hello Blog- Makeup Mugshot

So its all been a bit quiet around here lately. I really am sad about that. I love writing this blog and I have so much planned, its just taking me a while to get in to the swing of fitting in my new job, socialising with friends, doing everything that needs doing and still finding the time to write lots. But a weekend means time to snuggle up with a cup of hot chocolate whilst its raining outside and devote some time to my lovely blog <3 I've really missed writing so its an exciting thought.
Don't forget me, I'm still here :)

Face:
MAC NC15 studio fix foundation
MAC Fleet Fast blush
Natural Collection loose powder
Lush Feeling Younger skin tint

Eyes:
Bobbi Brown Pastel Pink eyeshadow
MAC So There Jade eyeliner
Max Factor False Lashe Effect black mascara

Lips:
Lush Bubblegum lip scrub
MAC Brave lipstick

Annie x

Makeup Mugshot #5 and a Glitter NOTD

Hello,
After a mini haul over the weekend from a mixture of shops and blog sales today I just had to play around with some of my new bits and bobs. New cosmetics are so exciting!

On my nails I played around with my new Barry M polish and did a glitter tip mani. I think the polish is just called Turquoise glitter and I bought this one and a light pink glitter in Superdrug where you get £1 off if you buy two. I love the look of bright tips with nude nails, such a bright contrast.

On my face:

• Maybeline BB cream sample (not impressed, won't be buying full sized!)
• Frat Boy blush from theBalm. This is one of my blog sale purchases from Jetley Mess and I love love love it! Such a lovely matte pink shade, perfect for pale girls like me.
• NYC mosaic blush and bronze duo in Rose Bronze to contour. Another Superdrug buy. I've wanted the MUA one for ages but refuse to buy from them after an incident a few months back and this is almost identical so I was so happy to find it.
• MAC brow pencil in Spiked.
• 17 blue/green pressed eyeshadow.
• Max Factor False Lashe Effect mascara in black.
• TINY dab of pout paint in Pin Up bought a couple of weeks ago from Ms Red's blog sale. This stuff is so strong that you only need the smallest amount to get a very bold look so I used literally a pin pricked spot mixed with vaseline for a soft look.

What do you think of the glitter mani? I love all of my new bits and pieces so much. Its amazing how much joy makeup brings me :)

Have you been buying lots in all the sales going on at the moment too?

Annie x

Makeup Mugshot #4

Hello,
Just a quick one today because I'm off out tonight, looking forward to seeing some of my besties :)

I've gone for a pretty simple look. Bronzed glow, cat eyes and red lips.

What I used:

• Ginvera BB cream
• Natural Collection Translucent loose powder
• Miners Bronzer and Blusher mix
• Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer
• Bobbi Brown nude shadow
• Rimmel London Glam Eyes Liquid Liner
• Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara
• Sleek Pout Paint in Pin Up

I thought a bit of loose powder was in need for a long evening of being a social butterfly and a nice long lasting lip colour.

So thats me for today! I'm off out. Have a great Saturday night. What are you up to? What do you use for a nice long lasting fix?

Annie x

Makeup Mugshot #3

Hello,
I have been so busy over the last few days its unreal. I've been doing a lot of over time and when I haven't been working I've spent some great time with lots of various friends as well as Dan and my mum. I haven't really had much tome for blogging but I'm charging my camera as I speak so that I'll be able to take some photos for some product reviews this week. I'm a bit lipstick crazy at the moment so there's a few new lippy reviews I'm a put together as well as the well known dupe of Benefits High Beam from Technic which I bought the other day and love! I'm also planning a eyebrow how-to post for one day this week so there should be lots going on.
For now though, here is todays makeup mugshot. Sorry about the eye bags, I was rather hung over this morning and there's only so much that makeup can do!

What I'm Wearing:
Base:

• Max Factor Xperience Weightless foundation in Beige Linen (terrible colour name, just makes me think of dirty sheets, eew!)
• Estee Lauder Double Wear concealer
• Natural Collection Loose Powder
• Natural Collection Bronzing Pearls
• The Balm Hot Mama blusher
• Technic High Lights highlighter

Eyes:

• Rimmel London black/brown brow pencil
• Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in pastel pink
• Rimmel London Glam eyes liquid eyeliner
• Max Factor False Lash Effect black mascara

Lips:

• M.A.C satin lipstick in Brave
• Barry M clear lipgloss
• 17 lip liner in Fawn

Its amazing how much makeup it takes to look normal version of yourself after a night out. It also takes extra time when you have a cat come and sit in the middle of everything whilst you're trying.

Got to love Lolly the Grumpy Kitty!

Annie x

Makeup Mugshot #2 + a Sally Hansen Review

Hello,
There is nothing quite as relaxing as a day off.
Today has been a day of doing very little and just enjoying spending some time with Daniel. We had a friend over for the afternoon and ate wayyy too much pasta before slobbing out on the sofa in front of property hunting programs like old people.
The only reason I bothered with makeup today was so our friend wasn't unfortunate enough to have to see my blank canvas face. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to see people other than Dan and my family without makeup, but for now, fully painted face it is when we have company! (Excuse the photo quality, my little webcam can only manage so much)

What I used:
My base is Garnier BB Cream in light (yes, I'm still trying to get rid of the stuff) which I took the shine off of using my E.l.f clarifying pressed powder. To brighten my cheeks up I used Hot Mama by The Balm. It's one of my favourite summer blushers because it also contains a slight golden shimmer which has a pretty sun kissed look.
To add colour to my eyes I used my Glam Metallics liquid eyeliner by Collection 2000 in the shade Groupie. I picked this up a while back in Asda for just 98p and its a really good dupe for the MAC liquidlast eyeliner in Aqualine which I adored for years before I used it all up. Other than that I just added one coat of Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara and filled in my brows with my usual Rimmel London brow pencil.
To finish off I popped a slick of Estee Lauder Pure Colour Gloss in Pink Kiss over my lips and ta dah, guest ready Annie! Thank goodness for the 5 minute face eh, this really showed me that I spend most time fiddling with eye shading by far.

I also found some time to paint my nails this fab purple colour today. The colour is Cyber from the Sally Hansen HD collection, and let me tell you, whilst the colour is amazing, it is sooo not worth the effort. To gain opacity it takes 3-4 coats because the formula is so thin and even after waiting hours for the stuff to dry it chipped almost instantly so give me Nails Inc any day over this. Huge disappointment!

Now I do believe it is time to slop in front of a dvd and drink strawberry cider. Yayayay!
How do you spend your days off? Have you found any of the Sally Hansen ranges as disappointing as I've found this one?
Annie x

Makeup Mugshot #1

Hello,
Isn't it a shame the bad weather is back?
Work today for me and I'm off to a singing rehearsal in a little bit. I love singing so it will be good to exercise my vocal chords again.

Simple make-up for me today because of work.

• Garnier BB cream base
• E.l.f natural radiance blush in coy
• Rimmel Brow pencil
• Body Shop gold gel liner
• Max Factor False Lash Effect black mascara
• Sally Hansen lipstick in Sunburst

Has anyone tried any good lipsticks recently? I'm looking for some new ones to try, I seem to get bored of lipstick colours fairly quickly. Are the new Flipsticks any good?

Annie x