March favourites

Browsing through my high street has started to become tedious so I've tried to go to places I wouldn't normally go to... Like some charity shops so I could maybe have a look for some vintage pieces. But, my overall favourites have been from Boots (any of you who don't live in the uk this is basically a massive makeup shop).

Bourjois instense baked shadow in 01

I can't get over how nice it feels on your eyelids. It comes with a mirror inside the lid so is really handy for on-the-go, plus it's easy to use with your fingers as well as a brush. It has a golden undertone in the glitter so I think this would go well with an eye-catching lip colour and cat-eye liner if you bring the shimmer up to your brow bone.

Clinique blush brush

The bristles on this blush brush are so soft, making it perfect for using a powder blush. I've been using it for contouring as well (even though most of the time I contour around my nose I look like someone's just put a load of soot down my face), and it's great for blending if you don't have a kobuki brush.

Rimmel London 1000 kisses lip stain in Timeless Tango

 

I have no idea why they called it Timeless Tango but anyway, this shade goes really well with both light and dark hair types and really brings out the shape of your lips. It's a two-way stick so one end has a handy lip balm to moistursise your lips beforehand, because lip stain I find is really dry compared to lip stick. The pen-like nib gives a smooth application and really eye-popping lips!

 

 

Batiste dry shampoo minis in Floral and Fruity

It smells just like it says on the bottle; floral and fruity! There is a strong scent of rose and orange in there, plus it doesn't leave that powdery stuff behind because it's really easy to just comb into your hair. Even when my hair is practically a chip pan sat on my head I can always rely on this to make it feel effortlessy soft! The small packaging makes it easy to take with you to the gym so if your hair misbehaves it will feel as soft as it did before when you put this in.

17 Photo Flawless skin primer

This primer is just perfection in a tube. You can tell a primer's going to be good because you can feel the silky feeling of silicone in it; this is what makes the make-up stick to the primer and the make-up actually stays put! I found it's also good for using on the lids and lips and it just blends into your skin really easily like the e.l.f primer I used to use.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Foundation in Ivory

Being the pale little creature I am I find it really hard to find a foundation that suits my skin tone which is why I usually rely on Nicola Roberts' Dainty Doll collection (this is for REALLY pale girls!), but this somehow just melts in to my skin and I don't look orange or brown or anything, it doesn't even look like I'm wearing foundation - it's just perfect! It provides excellent coverage and I think it was only £6 so I really recommend going out especially just to buy this.

Rimmel London Extra Super Lash mascara in Brown Black

Yes, I am a bit obsessed with Rimmel London this year. But for could reason - this literally only needs about 4 or 5 sweeps of the mascara wand to get a nice, even cover of mascara on your lashes. 15 sweeps will get you a false lash effect and 25 sweeps will give you really dramatic eyes! Jet black mascara looks a bit fake to me so the brown black shade looks a lot more natural if that's the look you're going for without looking completely bare.

March has been great for cosmetic shopping! Do tell me what your favourites have been last month.

Cheerio! xx

 

 



A selection of reviews from my haul... 4/4

Hello chickadees,

This is my final post of my review from my Tuesday haul and the last one is Barry M magnetic nail polish. Again, if you haven't read my previous posts, please do so you know what's going on :3
    This is definetely my favourite product that I've reviewed from my Tuesday haul and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you all :)

There are loads of designs you can choose from when you go and have a look at Barry M's nail products but knowing little ambitious me I got the most complex design. Lol. 

   You apply two coats of this and, like the chameleon nail polish, it applies very thickly but I recommend applying two coats. All you have to do is hover the magnet over the second coat for five to ten seconds and apply a topcoat over the design. It works by little metal strands in the polish reaching to the magnet and end up making a design.

 

It's not that fiddly but all you have to do is make sure the magnet isn't a cruelly touching the nail an you'll be fine! It doesn't dry very quick at all but overall the results are really good and you end up with a lovely nail design without any strikers, dotting tools or faffy nail art tools of any kind- just a magnet and some polish, really!
The Verdict: 4.5/5
The fact it takes ages to dry bought it down half a mark bit other than that its absolutely brill :)
Cheerio chickadees! xx

A selection of reviews from my haul... 3/4

Hello chickadees,

Again, if you haven't read my previous posts, please do so now so you know what's going on :3
So I'm going to do a MUA review this time on their Fur Effect nails, I really found it handy for doing Cutepolish's cheshire cat nails as the purple stripes are fuzzy and she uses a similar pigment to make it furry (fur effect nails hadn't come out then). WARNING: THIS GETS REALLY MESSY!

There are a load of instructions on the back as you can do it three or more ways to get the fur pigments onto your nails. Each strand is just reaching a milimetre in legnth and if you blow them it goes EVERYWHERE. You have been warned. The method that I like to use with this is to shake the pot (with the lid on, silly) and then open it to reveal a little mound of fuzz. Then, I quickly paint where I want the fuzz to go on my nail with a topcoat and press my nail into the mound, scraping away any excess with my fingers. That's about it; you can even wash your hands without all the fur coming off!

 

 

 I made some fuzzy stripes quite easily because I've had some practise but the first time using it I realised you have to be so so careful when taking off the wrapper that's covering the holes where the fuzz comes out. The shape of the packaging can also be a little impractical, I would have personally preffered something a little taller and less wide, like a salt shaker. Also, this little pot won't last you very long and these pots have just come on the shelves so that's why they're pricier than other MUA nail products.
     And yes, I did spill some of it but I vaccumed it away and it was all my fault because although it says on the instructions to blow off any excess this is a really bad idea. Take my word for it.
The Verdict: 2.5/5: Leaves nice results but it does come off easily and it's awfully messy :(
Cheerio chickadees! xx 

A selection of reviews from my haul... 2/4

Hello chickadees,

If you read my previous posts, you'll know I've selected 4 products from my Tuesday haul to review. I've chosen Barry M Chameleon Nails, Barry M Croc Effects, MUA Fur Effect nails and Barry M Magnetic polish. Next up is Barry M Croc Effects, which is probably one of my favourites!

    Instructions are fairly simple; paint your nails with two coats of a normal polish and once they're touch dry you apply a thin coat of Croc Effects. However, because it applies heavily (not to be confused with thickly, this is a good example of thick polish) you've got to know the nail-ese language and know exactly how much to put on.

So as you can see it's a lovely jet black, making it really stand out. When you apply a thin coat no base polish should be poking through (neon or otherwise!), so it should be nice and opaque. I've done a lot better on some other nails so this is why you should be really careful when applying it.

 .....and then it turned out like this. You should be getting A LOT better results than this, if not, you've either let the base layer dry for too long/less or you've applied a thick coat of Croc Effects rather than a thin one. So yeah, basically, you've got to know your nail-ese when it comes to Croc Effects. 

The Verdict: 3.5/5

Cheerio, Chickadees! xx 

A selection of reviews from my haul.. 1/4

So after showing you my Tuesday haul, I said I was going to do reviews on Barry M Chameleon Colours, Barry M Croc Effects, Barry M Magnetic Polish and MUA Fur Effect nails. All of these are like nail art in a bottle, with the ability to apply nail varnish, Fur Effect nails being an exception - it's SO messy!!
 
 So first up is Barry M Chameleon Colours. It's relatively simple to do: apply one or two coats then paint your design with a top coat, then the top coat will go from clear to a solid colour like pink.

 I just used the Barry M base and topcoat for the top and it went kind of a reddy pink. With other topcoats, I found it goes less opaque and lilac-y, so I recommend sticking to Barry M so it actually shows up on your nail. I only used one coat because it applies very thickly, and also has a nice metallic shine. It also makes you think, why can't I just use an actual colour instead of a clear nail varnish that I can't even see? The answer is, my dears, it's fun watching it change from clear to colour. Just give it a go and you'll see what I mean.
The Verdict: 3/5

Tuesday nail haul

Hello chickadees,

I've got my first blog haul (yay)! Since I only started the blog a matter of hours ago as an alternative to my rather successful blog that had a bit of trouble (old blog was http://outoflipstick.blogspot.co.uk) so if you were an old follower of the other blog then you will need to follow on this new blog instead.
   Anyway, here's the haul:

• Barry M nail paint in 304 Mint Green 235
• Barry M basecoat and topcoat in 54 Clear 305
• Barry M nail paint in 323 Croc Effects 245
• Barry M nail paint in 328 Magnetic Blue 228
• Barry M nail paint in 331 Chameleon Blue 229
• Collection Lasting Colour in 1 Liquorice
• Rimmel London Pro-Matte Finish topcoat
• MUA nail varnish in 32 Clear
• MUA Fur Effect nails in Fluffy Bobbin 

 So as you can see, I'm a big Barry M fan, and I'm currently lovin' their croc effect nails. I'll be posting a review on their croc effect nails, the chameleon colour, MUA fur effects and the magnetic nail varnish very shortly.
     What I love about Barry M is how you can recognise the nail polishes just by the shape, and their polishes never dry out because they have those little metal balls floating around inside (not sure what it is but do tell me if you know). I also love their dazzle dusts, their eyeliner and their little eye shadows (yes I have all the little eyeshadows :3)! They're also cheap yet quality, and not massively expensive like Benefit (it's excellent quality but really pricy) or O.P.I (I have a few of their chunky glitter polishes, they're about a tenner each).
    I don't know what the equivalent to Barry M in the US is but I've heard about China Glaze and I've also seen a lot of swatches from China Glaze. So any of my visitors from the US do tell me what the equivalent is! Remember to stay tuned for the reviews, too.
  Cheerio chickadees! xx

The Dreaded Box of nail polish...

 Hello chickadees,

So I was rummaging through all my things when I came across the Dreaded Box of nail polish. It's called the Dreaded Box because 1) Every time I buy a nail polish I'm also facing the consequence of trying to squeeze it into the once-empty-and-large box that I store my polishes in and 2) The Dreaded Box, aka the TARDIS, is rather small on the outside, but what's inside nearly knocked me out.
                                                                                           

 

 It looks small on the outside, doesn't it? But go to what lurks into the very depths of the Dreaded Box and there you will find over 70 nail polishes. Crazy, I know.

 And then I found a load of old rubbish... this black nail varnish was purchased from me a while back and since then it has dried and decayed. I didn't even like it so that's OK. But these nail polishes from Claire's? I was using them as a kid, and although they haven't dried up yet you have to apply around 40-45 coats to get a near-to-opaque coverage. Talking of nail polish, I'll be posting some reviews on later but I have the Box of Doom to sort out...
 Cheerio chickadees! xx