Baby Pink Nails!

When it comes to nail polish I tend to go for fun pastels or darker colours like navy, grey and black. The only pink nail polish I had in my collection, until recently, was my ELF nail polish in Passion Pink, a darker bright pink shade with gold shimmer running through it. However, I am starting a new job soon and wanted a  more subtle, but still pretty, nail colour.

My first stop was Barry M, and I found exactly what I was looking for pretty quickly. Baby Pink fits in well amongst my mint greens, pastel purples and peach nail colours. The colour is exactly what the name says, a beautiful baby pink. I often find paler pink nail polishes to be a bit wishy-washy and nondescript, but I love that this shade still packs a punch and is a very definite colour on the nail.

I don't tend to like shimmery pearlescent polishes, opting for either shimmer-free shades or nail polishes with actual chunks of glitter in them so I often go to Barry M for nail polish as they have a great range of colours to match my fussy requirements. 

I've had this on for 4 days straight without any noticeable chipping, which is quite a record for me. If it hasn't chipped in a couple of days then I've normally peeled it off anyway. Hopefully this durability will come in handy for working.

I absolutely love this colour. It could just be cos it's not normally a colour I'd opt for, but I find it so refreshing and pretty. It's a great colour for Summer, but will be a great staple all year. 

And at £2.99 for 10ml it's a fantastic buy!

xxx

Read my thoughts on ELF Passion Pink nail polish here! http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/elf-reviews-part-two-concealer.html

What's In My Makeup Bag? #3 LIPS

I always enjoy 'What's In My Makeup Bag?' blog posts. I like to know what people are using day to day and what they like enough to consider them essentials in their makeup bags, so I thought I'd do one of my own!

I don't have a huge makeup bag, and I don't think I carry around an excessive amount of products, but everyone has different opinions of what is essential and what they're likely to want or need throughout the day, so here's mine...


LIPS

LIP BALM: It's not high brow or hot in the beauty world, but I love Lip Smackers! My mum got me a set of the Coca Cola Lip Smackers last Christmas and I have probably used one everyday since. In my makeup bag I carry the Cherry Coke Lip Smacker. I normally put this on after my foundation to leave it to soak in a bit while I do my concealing and eye makeup. The Cherry Coke one has a dark pink sheen to it, so sometimes I will wear this on my lips by itself as it's moisturising and gives a nice bit of colour. I reapply this throughout the day when my lips are dry, and when they're not, just for the great smell!

LIPSTICK: I keep my Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in my makeup bag everday. I guess this could count as a balm product, but seeing as I don't carry a lipstick around (in the Summertime anyway) this is the nearest thing. I like to have a couple of different colour options in my makeup bag in case I fancy a bolder lip, and I tend to have two or three different colours. For instance, in the Autumn/Winter months I keep a pink lip product, a deep red lipstick or lip liner, and perhaps a more plummy colour in my makeup bag. So for these Summer months I enjoy having this Tutti Frutti Lip Butter to hand and I think the orange shade is different and summery.

Read my review of Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter here... http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/revlon-colorburst-lip-butter.html

LIP PENCIL: Unless I'm doing a red lip, I don't tend to lip line. Instead I like to use lip pencils for filling in the whole lip for a more lasting, matte look. I keep my Barry M Lip Liner in Fuchsia to hand as it is fantastic for just this look. It lasts really well on the lip, and is such a pretty bright pink. It stays in my makeup bag throughout the year as I think the shade is gorgeous in all seasons.

LIP GLOSS: I have a lot of lip glosses, but most of them are coloured. That's why I like to keep this pale nude shade with me. I got this Barry M Limited Edition Lip Gloss last year when they gave them free with Impulse body sprays. I believe the shade is Nearly Nude. The best thing about this lip gloss is the smell. IT SMELLS DELICIOUS! It has a vanilla caramel scent to it, which is amazing. Sadly, this is probably coming to the end of it's shelf life. Let me know if any of the other Barry M Lip Glosses have this scent to them, as I know a lot of them have different scents, but I haven't tried many of the range.


Read Part One of my What's In My Makeup Bag? here...  http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/whats-in-my-makeup-bag-1-face.html

And Part Two here...
http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/whats-in-my-makeup-bag-2-eyes.html

Thanks for reading! xxx

What's In My Makeup Bag? #2 EYES

I always enjoy 'What's In My Makeup Bag?' blog posts. I like to know what people are using day to day and what they like enough to consider them essentials in their makeup bags, so I thought I'd do one of my own!

I don't have a huge makeup bag, and I don't think I carry around an excessive amount of products, but everyone has different opinions of what is essential and what they're likely to want or need throughout the day, so here's mine...

EYES

Eyeshadow: I'll often throw the eyeshadow I put on in my makeup bag before I go out, but there are a couple that I always keep on me. The first is Collection 2000 Colour Intense Trio Eye Shadow in the shade Sandcastle. This has 3 shimmery nude shadows, a very pale cream, a slightly darker beige, and a warm light brown. I think this trio has a great selection for everyday makeup, and can be built into a couple of different looks and can work to adjust a lot of looks if you forget to put your eyeshadow in your bag or if you don't want to carry a lot around.

I also have my Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette in Bad Girl in my handbag. While a lot of colours in the palette are very dark or bold, they can be used lightly to create a wide range of looks, and it's great to have in your bag if you're going out for the day and night, as it's easy to make a neutral day look into an evening one with a smokey eye. It also has two great nude shades in it, Innocence (a frosty white) and Gullible (a frosty beige) which I use a lot for a wash of colour on the lids in the daytime.

Eyeshadow brush: I don't like to carry a lot of brushes in my makeup bag, so I just carry my eyeshadow brush from FCUK as I find good for most looks or touch ups I may need to do.

Eyeliner: I love liquid liners, and personally find them relatively easy to do on the go or touch up quickly. At the moment I'm using 2true Effortless Waterproof Eyeliner and am loving it. It lasts really well, applies accurately, and is opaque so it doesn't require numerous coats. I used to always carry a black kohl pencil or gel liner for my waterline, but have been needing a new one for quite a while since my Maybelline gel liner (which I really liked) dried out and it hasn't been top of my makeup priorities. When I repurchase one, it will undoubtedly live in my makeup bag everyday.

Mascara: I always have two mascaras in my makeup bag. I'll keep a waterproof mascara in there at all times (I'm currently using NYC Showtime Waterproof Mascara) to apply over my normal mascara if necessary or if I want to make it last a bit longer (this isn't scientific fact, just something I like to do!). I then will put in the mascara I am using at the time after I've put it on. I tend to alternate between Benefit's Bad Gal Lash Mascara, George's Lash X-Treme Mascara, and Rimmel Volume Flash Scandal'Eyes Mascara (all in black) depending on the look I want, as I find they all give me different effects.

Read my review of Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara here!
http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/glamour-and-benefit.html

Read my review of George Lash X-Tend Mascara here!
http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/george-lash-x-tend-mascara.html




Read Part One of What's In My Makeup Bag? here! http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/whats-in-my-makeup-bag-1-face.html

Part Three coming soon!

Thanks for reading! xxx

What's In My Makeup Bag? #1 FACE

I always enjoy 'What's In My Makeup Bag?' blog posts. I like to know what people are using day to day and what they like enough to consider them essentials in their makeup bags, so I thought I'd do one of my own!

I don't have a huge makeup bag, and I don't think I carry around an excessive amount of products, but everyone has different opinions of what is essential and what they're likely to want or need throughout the day, so here's mine...

FACE
Foundation: I don't carry around a foundation everyday, especially if I'm carrying a lot about that day, and often concealer will fix any skin dilemmas that may arise. But I do often throw it in my bag before I go out, despite the fact I don't think I've ever re-applied foundation when out and about, unless I was going somewhere to get ready (like a friend's house before a night out or a special occasion where we want to get ready together) or if I'd rushed out without time to do my makeup (which is rare!). At the moment I am using the NYC All Day Long Foundation, which I love for a cheap foundation. It lasts really well and when hotter days come along it doesn't slip or sweat off.

Read my review of NYC All Day Long Foundation here! http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/nyc-all-day-long-foundation-review.html

Concealer: I carry concealer at all times! I used the Rimmel Hide The Blemish stick concealers for a really long time, until I recently bought the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer. I know this concealer has a lot of fans on blogs, and I understand why. I love it! It lasts throughout the day, has great coverage, allows you to pinpoint blemishes, and doesn't go cakey when built up. This has quickly become a staple in my makeup routine and I don't go anywhere without it.

Read my review of Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer here!
http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/collection-2000-lasting-perfection.html

Powder: I am always a bit scared when I get my powder out of my makeup bag. I've suffered from broken powders, bronzers, blushers and eyeshadows many, many times in my life! However, in the Summer I can get a bit shiny, especially if I'm running about a bit and therefore like to keep powder on me for a quick fix. I always buy translucent powders because I am quite fair, I use the palest foundations generally, and I don't want any coloured powder that may not match up well and would look very obvious on my pale base. I was using Rimmel Stay Matte translucent powder untiil that broke recently, so I am know using Collection 2000 Pressed Powder.

Powder Brush: To apply my powder on the go I use a blusher brush by FCUK, which is great because it's slim and doesn't take up as much room as perhaps a larger powder brush would, and I only tend to put powder on a couple of places on my face, so it's good for keeping powder exactly where I want it.

Read my review of Collection 2000 Pressed Powder here!
http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/collection-2000-pressed-powder.html

Eyebrow Pencil: I actually use a pencil eyeliner for shaping and colouring my eyebrows. I often get a No7 gift set for Christmas or birthdays and these (luckily) often include the No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil in Brown. I really like this for my brows as it's easy to do light individual strokes and the colour is quite ashy so it doesn't leave me with gingery eyebrows (which has happened in the past). Eyebrow products may not be considered essential to everyone, but my brows aren't very dark naturally and are quite sparse, so I like to fill them in to make them more defined, and consider this one of my makeup musts everyday. I probably wouldn't use these liners for my eyebrows if I wasn't getting them in gifts as there are cheaper brow products out there, or even just eyeshadows, but when I've tried eyeshadows I've found it hard to find the right shade. Also these pencils are really convenient for on-the-go makeup.

Mascara Spoolie Brush: I keep an old, clean mascara wand in my makeup bag to brush through and shape my brows before adding pencil or brow mascara.

Brow Mascara: I have only started using brow mascara the last few months, but now I don't know how I ever managed without it!I use the ELF Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara. I keep it on my despite the fact it's never required touching up or another coat because hairs have fallen out of place. I find once I apply it in the morning, my eyebrows are set all day.

Read my review of ELF Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara here!
http://beautyimaginarium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/elf-reviews-part-one-eyeshadow-eyeliner.html



Part Two of What's In My Makeup Bag? coming up!

Thanks for reading! xxx

Benefit 'They're Real!' Mascara Review

Benefit often has a lot of products I'd like to give a go, but are just out of my budget at the moment. Luckily for me, my mum recently bought the They're Real! mascara and didn't get along with it (she's quite sensitive to different products and brands), so gave it to me. I hadn't previously looked into the product or heard anything about it really so I was excited to give it a go.

They're Real! claims to lengthen, curl, volumize, lift and separate lashes, and I'd have to agree for the most part. I didn't know anything about the look this mascara was meant to achieve when I tried it for the first few days (the outer packaging had been thrown away before I had a chance to look), but I was impressed with the effect.

I was dubious about the wand when I looked at it, as I'm not a big fan of plastic wands generally, but I actually liked it. It meant that you were able to apply one coat and have defined but more understated lashes, or build up more volume with more coats, which is sometimes hard to do with bristles when you have less control over how much product is on the wand. Also, an aim of this mascara is to separate, which I always find plastic wands to be better at. However, I did find the more coats were applied, the less separated the lashes looked, and they became a bit more clumped together.

I did feel my lashes were lifted and slightly curled with this mascara. I don't tend to use an eyelash curler for everyday makeup, and am yet to try this mascara with a curler, but I find it works by itself to add a nice effect. I'm not sure I'd call it a curled effect, but it definitely lifted the lashes and I felt like it really made my eyes pop. It also worked great with one coat on my lower lashes as it defined them without making them look spidery.

As for it's lengthening effect, I was really impressed. My eyelashes definitely appeared longer to me. I think this product has the tiny hairs or fibres in it that a lot of lengthening mascaras have these days, and I find work a treat. I also find that the formula makes my lashes feel less dry and hard than some volumizing mascaras.

I know this formula is not waterproof, and I don't believe a waterproof version is available at the moment. I tend to get smudge marks on my lids with most mascaras I wear within a couple of hours, particularly non-waterproof ones, but They're Real! left no marks whatsoever, even after a day of wear, which was fantastic. However, if you live in the UK you'll know that we haven't really had any hot weather to test how it would last in those circumstances.

A downside of this product is that it is currently only available in black, so if you're fairer haired or are just not a fan of black mascaras, then this isn't for you.

Although I did really like this mascara, I wouldn't buy it myself at £18.50. I have found mascaras I prefer or that are nearly as good on the high street for under £10, so realistically I'm not sure it's worth it's price tag.

xxx

Benefit They're Real! Mascara - £18.50 - http://www.boots.com/en/benefit-theyre-real-mascara_1231677/

17 Wild Metallic Cream Eyeshadow!

I love cream eyeshadows, especially for this time of year, but know a good one can be hard to come by. I've bought many that look great in the shops, and when I actually go to use them their promises of being 'crease free' or 'longwear' seem to fade pretty rapidly. Nevertheless, I was browsing some of the 17 range in Boots recently and was really drawn to the Wild Metallic Cream Eyeshadows.

I really liked the colour range, although not being the most extensive with 6 shades to choose from. However, the colours that were available all looked gorgeous, and I'd probably have bought them all to try if I could have afforded to. They have the metal shades (silver and bronze), bolder colours (purple, navy blue and green), and a more muted taupe colour (Wild Nude), so there's something for everyone.

I chose Wild Nude. I really liked this taupe shade and thought it would be adaptable and buildable for a wash of colour for quick daytime looks and more dramatic evening looks. It's also a good middle ground between the silver and bronze, as it has warmth but isn't as bold as the bronze. 

The product looked really metallic and pigmented in the pot, and I was really excited to try it. The formula was slightly more like a mousse than I would normally go for. I used to love the Rimmel Colour Mousse 8 Hour Eyeshadows, which despite their name, were less like a mousse, and would apply like a cream then almost set on the eye. A thin mousse is unlikely to stay put and crease-free without some powder shadow on top, I find. 

I really liked the application of this product. It gave a beautiful metallic wash of colour to the lid and stayed looking good for a couple of hours. However, if the weather was warmer I'm not sure they'd have this staying power. I liked that it could be built up nicely for an evening look without going too cakey or lumpy as some cream shadows can do when you build them up, but if I was going to wear this for a night out I would definitely set it with a similar colour eyeshadow (the shade is so pretty, it would be a shame to cover that completely). 

I really liked this product, so am hoping that I can give it a try when (hopefully!) the weather gets better, as I think it would be a really good eyeshadow for summer, providing it lasts, as it gives a gorgeous wash of colour which would be really good for quick makeup, or a natural, tanned look.

I'm tempted to buy another one of the 17 Wild Metallic Cream Eyeshadows, particularly the Wild Purple, however I am going to try and resist and test out the Wild Nude in a few more makeup looks or situations!

Let me know if you've tried this product and your thoughts! Also let me know if you know any good cream/mousse eyeshadows.... I love them!

xxx

17 Wild Metallic Cream Eyeshadow - £3.99 from Boots - http://www.boots.com/en/17-Wild-Metallic-Cream-Eyeshadow_1228312/

Collection 2000 Pressed Powder!

As I said in my previous Collection 2000 posts, I popped into Superdrug recently and they had 3 for 2 on the whole range, so I picked up the Lasting Perfection Concealer, the Fast Stroke Eyeliner and the Pressed Powder.

I bought the Pressed Powder in Translucent as opposed to one of the coloured ones as I don't tend to wear a lot of powder, so I'm never trying to really build coverage with it or apply it heavily. I have dry skin so can find powders to make my foundation look a bit cakey, but I will use a translucent powder down the centre of my face, to lightly set any areas where I've had to do a bit of concealing and just to set the concealer under my eyes. They appear to have about 9 shades online, but when I was in Superdrug they only had about 4 or 5 on display. 

I tend to have problems achieving the exact look I want for my skin. As it is dry, I like to use products that leave it looking dewy, glowing and healthy, whilst giving me good coverage. A lot of these products don't seem to last as well on my skin as perhaps more matte products, so they often need setting with a powder, but if I'm not careful this can take me back to the beginning where my skin looks dull, dry and tired. However, it is nice and fine and allows you to build up the coverage you want, whether you want a light coat to set your make up, or prefer to build your powder up if you have more oily skin.

I really liked the fact that this powder is enriched with silk and Vitamin E, and has UVA and UVB sunscreen. While I doubt the effects of this sunscreen is really significant, it's nice to feel like you perhaps have an extra bit of skin protection in the summertime. I haven't noticed a change in my skin, good or bad, but I didn't expect to, but it's nice to apply a makeup product that feels like it's doing your skin some good. 

For £1.99 I think this powder is great, especially if, like me, powder isn't a huge part of your everyday makeup routine and you just want a cheap one on standby for when you do use it, and I think this powder is a good choice. 

xxx

Collection 2000 Pressed Powder - £1.99 from Superdrug or Boots http://www.superdrug.com/face/collection-2000-pressed-powder-3/invt/236829/