MAKE-UP & REVIEW: BOURJOIS TRIO EYESHADOW

Once again, the three for two offer on Bourjois make-up has seduced me into buying yet more of these pretty and easy to apply eye-shadows. I even received a free pair of sunglasses with my three most recent purchases of the Trio Eye-Shadows which cost £7.99 each. These have quickly became a favorite of mine on days where I am in more of a rush to do my make-up, this is because all the colour shades are right there and so I can effortlessly achieve the desired look. Additionally the compacts are lightweight and small enough to fit in a bag and so it is easy to top up the look throughout the day, although I use real techniques brushes after trying out the applicators supplied they are effective and precise enough to top up the look if you are in a rush, the only downfall is the length, that is they are quite difficult to hold and often leave your hands full of the product! 

Left-Right; bleu nuit, lady vert de gris, gris lilac, rose vintage, mordore chic and brun wood 

Below is one of the make-up looks I created using the Brun wood trio. Using real techniques eyes starter set, the eye shadows are very pigmented and there's even a simple to read guide on the back if you need and ideas. I really love these little palettes, as you can tell by the amount I own. They're great if you need something quick and easy that gives great results! The shadows last all day on the eye and still look just as vibrant on colour as when you first applied them.

                                       Have you tried these smoky eye trios?

SHOPPING ISSUES + WISHLIST

Okay, so I figure this is a place where I'm safe to admit this little problem and I won't be judged, because, well, lets face it, we're all guilty of it. 

My name is Georgia and I have a shopping addiction. 

I have draws bursting full of everything beauty related. I have enough shampoo and conditioner and probably shower gel, to never buy them again... well they would at least last a good few years. I try to justify it by saying it's back up for when the particular product runs out, but who really needs over 5 back ups of cleanser!? Nobody does!

I've decided that the time has come when I need to actually enjoy the products that I currently have and actually use them up! It's stupid really but I don't like using products up, especially make up products that were pretty pricey. So, from now on I have put in place a little scheme. I am only going to buy new products when I run out. *Cries inside - a lot!* This way, I am able to most importantly save money, but it also allows me to enjoy using the products that I have, before they become too old. It's also going to be fun to look forward to buying new things as it wont happen so often. 

To help wean me off of just simply buying whatever I want, I've decided that I'll keep a little, well more like huge wish list. This is just the start of one and I'll update whenever I decide that there is a new item I wish to place on it. 

Wish me luck, this will be a tough journey! I am quite excited to use up all of my current beauty products and I'm excited for when I need to go purchase some shower gel, probably some time in 2018. 

Products: 

- Mac Creme Cup Lipstick

- Zara Mini Bowling Bag

- Benefit Dr.Feel Good 

- Mac Angel Lipstick

-Dior Addict Eau Fraiche EDT

- Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer

- Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

- I've already thought of more stuff that I want.... Oh... This is going to be a long process... 

NAILS INC. | NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL

 

We have never purchased any of the Nails Inc. nail varnishes that we own, individually. We're cheap skates and only ever get them when they come as a free gift with magazines. However, this little ray of sunshine, in other words, 'notting hill carnival' was purchased from Boots! But - there's a catch. It was only £5 and not the normal £11. This is still actually more than what we would normally spend as we usually just get the Barry M nail paints, which are either £2.99 or £3.99 for the Gelly nail paints.

 The nail varnish was in a reduced section, along with lots of other Nails Inc. varnishes and some models own varnishes. I assumed it was because it was from an older collection or something, however, it's very similar to a new varnish by Nails Inc. called 'Belsize Park,' which is the usual £11. 

 

 The colour is a gorgeous bright yellow, on the website it's described as pastel yellow, however I think it comes out a lot brighter than you would expect from a pastel polish. It is a great fun and feel good colour for summer. It had a pretty good wear quality and didn't chip too easily. It was also pretty shiny and easy to apply. I do like Nails Inc. however, I've never really noticed a huge difference in quality from any other cheaper branded varnish, to justify the price. Therefore, we still stand by our word that we would never pay full price for one of these varnishes.

 What do you think of Nails Inc varnishes?

REVIEW: MAC VEGAS VOLT LIPSTICK

(I'm wearing the red shade in the Pumpkin blush palette by Sleek, reviewed 'here').

Well, Debenhams had a 10% off, offer for beauty products and I've just become addicted to MAC make-up, so if we add those together, we get Vegas Volt... and maybe a few other items which will most probably have their claim to fame very soon.

I was the proud owner of two nude MAC lipsticks, (reviewed here) and I was getting huge cravings for a brighter lip colour, especially as it's been looking a bit more like summer lately...well sometimes.

As I ordered this lipstick online, I couldn't really be sure what the true colour was, so I found myself stalking anyone and everyone's blogs who had reviewed this little beauty. A lot of blogs showed it as quite a true red colour, which it isn't, it's a great coral colour with  orange tones. I would go as far as to say it's the perfect coral shade, it's bright enough that it does make a statement but it's also very easy to wear, as it's not in your face bright... you know what I mean! It's a really warm colour and would look amazing on tanned and darker skin. I've also seen it on really fair skin and it still looked great, so I imagine that this is a good all rounder! 

It's an amplified finish which means it's got great colour pay off, really shinny and creamy. It's so creamy that you could apply only a small amount and blend it out if you only wanted a really subtle coral colour, however it easily builds a full coral colour with only one or two applications.  It also lasts a good few hours on the lips and stays well, it doesn't dry out or anything. 

This is the kind of colour that I would definitely repurchase when it runs out as it's the perfect coral and I have nothing negative to say about it... except the price but if you're buying a MAC lipstick or any high end lipstick, you know what you're getting yourself into.

REVIEW: DOVE SUMMER GLOW

The Dove 'Summer glow', is a gradual tanner. Therefore, it is just like a moisturiser, in regards to colour, texture and how you apply it, however it develops into a tan hours after application. 

I was really impressed with this grandual tanner, mostly because it didn't leave a horrid fake tan smell. (Horraaayyyy)! I find that even the products that do originally have a nice smell to them, end up smelling a bit of the 'fake tan' smell when they have been on your skin for a couple of hours. I usually apply gradual tanners either at night or days where I'm not going out, so I don't mind too much that I'm carrying around a funky smell. However, I have been using this Dove product during the day, even when I am going out, as it really doesn't leave a horrible smell on the skin.

The colour builds up nicely, to a natural tan, depending on how often and how much you apply. It's not at all orange or streaky and doesn't come off patchy, like some do. It's also really moisturising, so you're skin is left lovely and soft and smooth, which also helps further applications of the product. 

My only negative point for this product is the 'soft shimmer.' I didn't actually notice this when I bought the product as I was distracted by the half price offer, making it around £2.50. The 'soft' shimmer implies that it's a subtle shimmer, well, they lie! It leaves you looking like you've been doing arts and crafts, smothered pva glue all over you and then rolled around in glitter. As you can guess it is so glittery! Granted, the glitter pieces are 'soft' as in pretty small, however, there is so many of them that you're left way too glittery. I was wearing this product when I went out to a pub the other night and even in the dark pub, I was still sitting there glittering away. Luckily, they do give the option to not have the 'soft shimmer' included and I'll definitely be sticking to that one in the future!

Have you tried this gradual tanner, or any other good ones?

 

 

TAG: WHY DO YOU WEAR MAKE-UP?

 

We came across this tag on 'Couture girl's' blog, in a post from last year and we thought we would give it a go too. It's only a few questions but you can go quite in-depth with the answers, so you  really get to know the blogger more. It's also pretty interesting as make-up just seems like something you do when you get to around your teenage years and we probably don't even really remember why we started wearing make-up. Was it purely because that's just what everyone else was doing or was there was any other reason?

1. When did you begin loving make-up?

Georgia: I can't really ever remember not being interested in make-up. I used to bite my nails when I was a young child and I remember being so excited when I had grown them enough and my mum would then paint them for me. After that I remember always being fascinated by all of her make up, the mosaic bronzer especially! I started wearing clear mascara to school some days when I was in year 5, so only 10 years old! That just seems terrible now! (ooops) But obviously it wasn't even noticeable. I was obsessed with the Dream Matte Mousse foundation when I was around 13 and was so happy when my mum let me buy it. The main other time that I knew I was really passionate about make-up was when I'd watch films and T.V and be paying as much attention to what the characters make-up looked like, to the actual story line! I was always trying to copy Marissa and Summer's make up off of The OC. 

Hannah: I think I started wearing makeup in middle school, of course a couple years before we were allowed, so it was very subtle! However it's only been within the last year that I have really fell in love with experimenting with makeup and also trying to copy other people's looks.   

2. How do you feel without make-up?

Georgia: Okay, this may seem weird, but I feel like I have two types of 'no make-up face'. One is where I look at myself and think I look absolutely horrific, to such an extent that I don't really feel comfortable with that look even in my own house and around my family and boyfriend. The other is where maybe I've fake tanned so my face at least looks a healthy colour and then I don't feel so bad... but then again would that count as make-up?? Oh dear.... Okay lets shorten that. I'm lucky my skin is never too bad, I get the odd spot but that's it, so I don't feel too terrible without make-up generally. However, some days, maybe around the time where I'm more stressed from uni and busy with deadlines, so I have worse under eye bags, then I'm not overly comfortable with my own appearance.

Hannah:  I've always had a personal rule; if my hair and make-up is done I'm not as bothered about wearing the perfect outfit and vise versa, this rule became necessary when I have to wear all the lovely uniforms that come with school and now working at Sainsburys while I do my A-Levels. However if I had to pick I'd much rather wear make-up as I feel even just a little can make you feel much more confident, in addition I've always had a red undertone to my cheeks which exaggerates in embarrassing situations and so make-up has definitely hidden some of my embarrassment in the past! 

 

3. What do you like about make-up?

Georgia: What a silly question! I LOVE everything about make-up, except the price!!! I really like how it can completely transform your face and enhance your natural beauty. I like how it can make people feel; I think it's amazing that a lipstick and some mascara, to say the least, can really make people feel more confident in themselves. If we feel like we look good, as shallow as it may sound, I believe that we do perform better and more positive if we are happy and confident in how we look. I love the endless amounts of looks that make-up allows you to create with just your one face. I especially love the reaction when you do somebodies make-up and you can just tell that they now feel so much prettier and confident in their appearance.

Hannah:I like how it can transform you on a day where you've maybe had not enough sleep,or just aren't feeling your best, into looking completely different to how you feel inside, as bad as that sounds it gives you the extra push to be confident and positive in life. However on a less deep note, it is also so much fun to experiment with and is an always developing industry so you can never get bored ! 

  

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY #2

Monday has come around again and if you're in need of some kind of motivation to get you through the week ahead then maybe this quote will help. A lot of the time if you're anything like us, in times of hard and stress it's easy to just assume the worst is going to happen and then maybe on the off chance that it doesn't, you're left happier if it turns out positive. If you think negative then I guess we assume that we wont be let down if the worst does happen as we already expect that. 

However, this isn't a nice way to live life; it's very glum, depressing and just plain right boring. It's better to think positively as it puts you in a better frame of mind, a better mood and from there you can achieve much greater. If you can maintain a positive mind, even when your world is far from positive, then you have a great strength and it will help you get over the bad in your life. Think positive and you will achieve great things. Even if you don't achieve straightaway, it's better to think that positive things will happen and it's exciting to dream. So, lets be positive, lets hope for the best and we can then have a greater chance that positive things will then happen to us.

Hope you all have a great week, and think and be positive!

OUR TOP 5 SOAP & GLORY PRODUCTS

 We have both loved Soap & Glory for years now and it now seems that we're definitely not alone on this, as so many bloggers and youtubers rave about the products. If you don't know what Soap & Glory is, it's a brand in Boots that includes body washes, exfoliators, moisturisers, face washes, face creams and even has its own make up line. The prices are higher than most 'drugstore' brands, however there are often 3 for 2 offers on and for the past few years at least Soap & Glory have offered huge gift bags of products which originally costs £60 for 6 or 7 products, which is good value in itself, however a few weeks before Christmas Boots reduce the bag to under half the price, meaning you get over £60 worth of products for under £30. 

 

 

 

 

Sugar Crush Body Wash

The best thing about this product is definitely its smell! It's a gorgeous sweet lime scent that is so addictive! For anyone who loves zesty citrus smells, you NEED to go and smell this! It's a great feel good, summer fresh fragrance. It's around £10, which may seem a lot for just shower gel, but it is a huge 500ml bottle, which lasts for such a long time.  It has a light weight texture but you can easily build it up to a good lather, so you don't need many pumps; one or two is all you really need. The ingredients also sound really good, it contains; Lime oil, Kiwi Juice Water and Omega rich Veggie oil. 

Pulp - Fiction Body Scrub

This is such a great body scrub, (recently mentioned in a different scrub review, here).  The smell is also gorgeous and described as including, notes of frozen yuzu, orange oil, green fig and jungle pomelo essence.

It contains Fig Powder, pumice, peppermint oil, lemonade tree liquid, orange water juice and lots of vitamins.  

 It's quite a rough scrub, but still gentle on the skin. It's also really foamy and creamy so it seems to moisturise the skin at the same time, which would be especially great for dry skins.

Hand Food Hand Cream

This is a really great hand cream, which includes Shea butter, Macadamia oil and Marshmallow. It has the original Soap & Glory scent, which apparently is similar to one of the Chanel fragrances... surely that can only be a good thing?!  It instantly makes your hands feel super soft and hydrated. It absorbs quickly, so you aren't left with greasy hands! It also comes in little travel sizes, which are great for carrying around in your handbag.

                                                                                                                                                    

Scrub Your Nose in it, Facial Scrub

This facial scrub is designed to refine large pores and prevent blemishes. You can use it as a normal scrub or leave it on for longer, to act as a mask. It also has a fruit acid formula which apparently leaves skin looking brighter and more radiant.It has a really fresh scent, maybe a mint/peppermint smell. Once applied it makes your face feel really fresh and tingly,  like it's really working down into your pores. It's a light green/blue colour and is quite a thick texture and includes little scrub pieces which are gentle on the skin but really effective. It leaves your skin a lot smoother and also did seem to help unclog pores.

Butter Yourself Body Cream

This body cream contains Exfoliating AHA's Orange Waterjuice, Shea Butter, Peppermint oil and Fruitliquid fig. From this you can kind of get an idea of how good this product smells. It's a really strong fruity smell; you can really smell the peppermint and the orange. It's pretty zesty but girly and really uplifting. It has a gorgeous texture, very light weight and I want to say it's quite air whipped feeling... which may sound odd but it's different from any other body cream that I've used. It's really moisturising and absorbs into the skin really quick. It's one of the best creams that I've used for when your skin is feeling pretty dry and run down.  We've tried a few Soap & Glory body butters/creams and this one if by far our favourite.

REVIEW: THE BODY SHOP - CHOCOMANIA

As strange as it may seem to say this but, we kind of have a love hate relationship with the smell of the Chocomania products. Normally, we wouldn't go near anything that smells anything like chocolate or cake or anything like that; we prefer fresh or fruity scents. However, we were just smelling all of the body butters, as you do... and came across this one. Both of our reactions were 'eurgh that's gross.' However, after smelling it again... thinking about it, why would you smell something a second time after just calling it gross??

Anyway, we decided that surprisingly, there was something about it that we actually liked. It's one of those smells that you don't usually like and you don't really want to like but you can't help yourself but keep on smelling it anyway as there's something about it! So long story semi short, I got the body scrub and Hannah got the body butter.

Chocomania Sugar Body Scrub:

The smell is obviously chocolate, with cocoa butter, which it includes so no surprise there. It's a fairly rich smell but the cocoa butter seems to make it a little softer so it isn't overpowering.  The smell doesn't seem to last on the skin after you've washed it off, by just using the scrub on its own, however the smell might stay stronger if you used the butter afterwards. 

I was expecting the texture to be quite rough and a heavy duty scrub, however it's much softer than that. I use exfoliators and body scrubs mostly to remove the remains of my fake tan when it has come to the end of it's life, this scrub didn't do the best job at that and I had to revert to my trusty Soap & Glory scrub instead. It's quite gentle as the sugar scrub pieces are so tiny, it is however, very creamy and velvet feeling on the skin. This scrub would be good for anyone who only wants to use it as a gentle exfoliator, just not if you're hoping for much more. I imagine that it would be good for people with either sensitive skin or a little dry as it's really nice and moisturising. it's a pretty fun and interesting fragrance however I doubt that I would repurchase it, as it's not really tough enough and there's so many others that I'd love to try.

 Chocomania Body Butter:

As with all Body Shop Body Butters, this offers great hydration to the skin and leaves it feeling soft and smooth. I never felt any discomfort or dryness while wearing the body butter, even after the next time I showered, my skin still felt moisturised. The texture is quite thick and creamy but still absorbs into the skin nicely and fairly quickly. Unlike the scrub the chocolatey smell does last on the skin but it is a subtle smell. The butter contains 13 community fair trade ingredients, which is apparently the most that The Body Shop have ever put into one product. I would recommend this body butter to anyone who loves the smell of chocolate and cocoa butter and wants a really rich and creamy moisturiser, which is very long lasting. 

 

FRESH FACE + BROWN EYESHADOW MAKE UP LOOK

Products used

Primer - Benefit 'That Gal'

Foundation - Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Powder - Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder Translucent

Bronzer - Contour shade in Sleek's Face Form Contouring Kit (reviewed here)

Blush - Sleek Blush by 3 Lace (reviewed here)

Highlight - Hightlight shade in Sleek's Face Form Contouring Kit (reviewed here)

Eyebrows - Make up Academy Brow Kit

Eye Shadow - Benefit Peek a Bright Eyes 

                       & Maxfactor Smokey Eye Effect Shadow in Bronze Haze  

Eye Liner - Rimmel Gel Liner Black 

Mascara - L'Oreal False Lash Flutter Mascara 

 

REVIEW + SWATCHES: SLEEK FACE FORM CONTOUR KIT LIGHT

I originally only wanted the Sleek Contour kit, that includes the contour shade and a highlighter. However, the light shade was out of stock and I was scared that the medium would be too dark so...Superdrug had a 3 for 2 sale and the next thing I knew, somehow I had ended up with this Face Form Contouring Kit and two of the Blush by 3 palettes (reviewed here). Woopsie...

Like the sleek blushes, all three of these shades are really pigmented and give a great colour pay off. Although this is the light shade, it would suit most white skinned, skin tones, even those with more tanned skin as it is so well pigmented that it does give a dark colour, especially if built up more. For any darker skin tones there is a medium shade of the same palette, which includes a darker contour colour and a more golden shimmer, with a bronzer shade. The contour shade in this palette is matte and a really good colour that's natural and not orange.

The higlighter shade is a really pretty shimmer and highlights the cheek bones really well, while lasting a long time on the skin. 

The third shade is also a really pretty coral gold shimmer. Like the shimmer shades in the Blush by 3 palette's, I find that this is a little too shimmery for the cheeks, especially if you have a heavy or shimmery eye, so I use this on top of blush as a highlighter if I want a more sunkissed look. You definitely could use it as a blush, just with a light hand and a good blending brush. 

I really love this palette and if it actually ever runs out I would definitely repurchase it as it's so handy having all a contour colour, highlight and blush colour all in one palette. It's great for traveling and I would recommend it to anyone. 

 You can get this kit from either Superdrug or the Sleek website. 

Have you tried this contouring kit?

CELEB STYLE - JESSICA ALBA

 I hadn't heard much of Jessica Alba in regards to any films or acting roles that she has had recently, but apparently she has been busy, so wikipedia tells me anyway, when I quickly researched before writing this. 

I have however seen a lot of photos of her just strolling around with her two daughters and I've started to really love her style. It's so casual and laid back but at the same time very pretty and polished. This outfit caught my eye as it's a really nice mix of edgy style, with the boots and black baggy top, but still a bit girly with the patterned skater skirt. It looks like something that can easily be thrown together, but each piece really seems to compliment the other and makes a great day time outfit, which would be great for this time of year. The outfit just looks so effortless but great. I love how different the top is, as although it's only a plain black top, I really like the different sizes in the straps and I could not find anything like it when looking! *cries a little inside*

Where can you get Jessica Alba's style?

1. Dr Martens 1460 Boots £100
2.  Alana patent lace up boot - Boohoo - £25
3. Block heel combat boots - Forever 21 - £29.80
4. Brown tortoise shell cat eye sunglasses - River Island - £13
5. Split shoulder tee - Topshop - £15
6.  Cooperative blue style skater skirt - urban outfitters- £30
7. Meadow floral skirt - Topshop - £28
8. Chunky cat eye sunglassed - Topshop - £16
9. Messenger box bag - Zara - £25.99
10. Daytime clutch bag - Zara - £29.99