PS Love: Makeup Review;

Good evenin'! How are you all doing?
In the past few months Primark have been selling make-up, and bloggers all over the country went crazy when it first came out so, of course, I had to get my hands on a couple of things.

The first thing I think is quite the little gem and costed just £1, and I think it's quite great. It is a Moisturising Lip Gloss Crayon, I don't think they have shade names but its obviously the light pink one. This is a little chubby stick 'dupe' of sorts, which I have tried a lot of (but never the Clinique ones...) and I think that it makes application a tonne easier. I also love the gold accents and writing on the packaging, and the product has a lovely buttery sweet scent. It has glitter, chunky glitter which I usually am not a fan of in lip products. That being said, although you can see it in the stick itself doesn't over power on your lips. It is also essentially a gloss so it can be sheer and rub off quickly. Built up it can give a lovely colour, a gorgeous light pink that is perfect for spring. I have found myself reaching for this quite a bit. And against all odds I have found myself loving this, I think it is definitely worth the tiny price tag. 

The second thing I picked up was an eyeshadow palette for £2.50, this palette is the day palette. The packaging is matte black with gold writing which does look lovely. On the inside there is a really sizeable mirror which is great for the price. There are 8 eyeshadow shades, both matte and shimmery. The left four are brown in tone and the right are grey and cool toned, which I personally don't think is what most people would consider a daytime shade. The top left is a lovely shimmery champagne colour, the bottom left is a matte mid-tone brown, and the 1 one from right is a lovely grey with blue shimmer. But as for the rest of the shades... there isn't a lot of colour at all. I know it was £2.50 but I'd have rather bought a Starbucks than a palette that sits in a drawer because I only like a few of the shades.. sorry Primark!

The last thing I bought was a double-ended make up brush. One end has a flat, large top which I use for blending in my Benetint, it blends easily and doesn't stain the brush due to the pink bristles (or my fingers). The other is smaller but thicker and it is great for blending in both concealer and highlighter. This brush is also great for on-the-go as its 2 in 1!
Thank you for reading, I urge you not to overlook Primark for makeup as it may pleasantly surprise you!
Have you tried any of the PS Love range?

A Green Smokey Eye;

Good afternoon, today I wanted to share a little look I created. I decided to change up my usual makeup by creating a green toned smokier eye and I hope you like it.

I began with my base and face makeup. I primed my face with the Body Shop Instablur Primer which I picked up recently and am enjoying so far. I applied to this to my t-zone and then blended it out to the rest of my face to prolong the wear of my makeup and for a bit of oil control. Next I took my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair under my eyes and on my blemishes (which I have a lot of today) and blend in with a brush. I then went in with foundation, today I am using the L'Oreal True Match Foundation in the shade Rose Ivory, I like to use a small amount of foundation and really work it into the skin for a while with a flat top stippling brush. This gives the most flawless effect and keeps it looking great for longer. The last part of my base I used my trusty Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Ivory just to powder my t-zone. Moving onto my cheeks I first took my Avon Marbelized Blush. As this is both pink and bronze toned, I used it to contour my cheekbones on an angled blusher brush. Then I took possibly my favourite ever blush, Benefit Boxed Powder in Rockateur and dusted this across my cheeks with a tapered blush brush. This product gives such a lovely sheen I didn't feel the need for highlighter today.

 Next I moved onto lips, before applying my makeup I prepped my lips by exfoliating them with my LUSH Popcorn Lip Scrub and applied Carmex Cherry Lip Balm. Before applying my lip colour I used my Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch as I find it keeps my lips moisturised underneath my lip stick for longer. To add a bit of colour to my lips I used my Revlon Matte Balm in the shade Elusive which is lovely matte, dusty rose shade.
I then brushed out my brows and then I used an Accessorize Eyebrow Palette (no longer available online) taking the middle shade to fill in sparse areas and define the arch. To keep them in place all day I took my lifesaving Collection Clear Mascara and combed through my brows.

Moving onto the most exciting part- my eyes. I primed my lids with Revlon Photoready Eye Primer which I think is a great drugstore eye primer and keeps your shadow on all day. Then I took a Rimmel Eyeliner in the shade White to line my water line and inner corner to make my eyes look bigger. Moving onto shadow I created this look using my I <3 Makeup 'No Photos Please' Palette which is a great palette as it has neutral shades and brights, it is great for slight variations of your daily look or a really eye-catching look for a special event. I first took the shade 'Discrete' on my lids, I then took 'No Comment' and blended it through my outer corner, to add the hint of green throughout my eye look I took the shade 'Jealous of Success' through my crease and blended over the other shades, lastly I took 'Lights!' and used it as a brow bone highlight. After that I used my L'Oreal Super Liner in Black Lacquer to frame my lids with a thing line. The last step was to take my favourite mascara which is the Avon Mega Effects Mascara and added a few coats.

I hope you liked this look if you like the eye colours I have a few more photos in a post here.

Caviar Nails from Ciate;

Hey there!

Today I thought I'd present my first every nail post (sound of trumpets). I used to be quite into nails but lazy person + working in a bar = constantly chipped nails. But with Marie Clare a couple of months ago I spied a Ciate caviar nails set for just £2 and I had to give it a shot.

In this set, there is a lovely almost-coral, almost-red and the caviar beads are pearlescent, transparent and a metallic red. The polish itself is very watery but in a good way, it makes a thinner layer which makes for quicker drying time hurray! It doesn't chip as quickly as other brands but like I said pub work doesn't make for long-lasting polish. It's super shiny which looks amazing.

Onto the beads and technique. Do this on a flat surface and on a peice of paper to catch most of them to put back into the bottle and expect beads to scurry away from you onto the floor, into your bed and even in the loo. Quick tip: Probably keep a Hoover at hand. The idea is you leave your nails wet and just sprinkle the caviar-ness on top which works it just makes one hell of a mess. When you're done your nails look and feel fabulous... while it lasts. The beads in this kit are smaller than from cheaper brands I think the idea is that they will stay on for longer, but even with top coat they were dropping on like flies from day one.

Don't misjudge this I did genuinely like the look it gave, but I think I will be saving this for 'special event nails' and I think you should save your money if you're paying full price kit because a cheaper one will do the same short-term job.

DIY Sunglasses Holder;

Good evening and welcome to the world's simplest DIY. The picture pretty much shows you what to do because it is that simple, regardless I'm going to tell you how I did it and the utensils I used.

It all started on a hot summer day when I retrieved my many 14 pairs of sunglasses and set to put them back in the drawer they're supposed to be kept in, but it simply wasn't happening. I have quite a collection of boxes and pots that I have once used as makeup storage but none quite worked. I keep all of my bits and pieces on a shelf in my wardrobe, and on a trip to find another pot I was, quite literally hit in the head with idea, actually with a coat hanger but hey ho! It is a velvet covered one from a set in Primark that I keep all of my more sheer items of clothing on as they don't slip off. Any hanger with a bottom will do, and I decided to hook my sunglasses around it. I had a spare screw in the wall from an old photo but any hook, screw or nail will do. To jazz it up I used a tartan bow from an old dress that's been hanging around my wardrobe handle for an eternity. I grabbed a hair band and tied it around the handle.

I think this looks chic, tidies my sunglasses and is something Kirsty Allsopp would be proud of. I discovered afterwards that this is all over Pinterest already so I won't be buying hangers and ribbon to make my millions in after all....

xoxox

Haul and First Impressions: I Heart Makeup;

Warning photo-heavy post coming up....

So recently I couldn't resist making yet another order from Makeup Revolution. They have recently started offering a new brand called I <3 Makeup. I decided to pick up two items from the range, which I bring to you today.

The first item I ordered is this beyond gorgeous Blushing Hearts, Triple Baked Blusher in the shade. This is clearly a complete dupe for Too Faced blush and the packaging is so amazing I almost wouldn't care if the product were crap because it looks great just sitting on my dresser.

It comes in a gorgeous pink box with metallic fuschia writing and the bottom gives you a preview of the product, which I think will be so handy when the product is in store. The blush itself comes in a sturdy cardboard casing in the shape of a heart, this really makes the product stand out in my opinion. The top is the same pink and fuschia as the box but the bottom is metallic gold. Inside the product is held by a plastic container which is held in place pretty strong (I have tried to shake it loose). The only only problem with the packaging is that over time I can see excess product building up between the plastic and the cardboard. The product itself is made up of 3 striped shades of blush. Starting from left we have a light pink with a slight sheen, a sheeny peach shade and a darker pink with glitter. In theory you could use these shades together or separately (if you can find a small enough blush brush). If you're a lover of matte blushes this probably isn't the one for you. The last shade has a lot of chunky glitter, but I find it you don't go in too heavy on that shade it isn't too noticeable. The overall shade is a lovely more pink that peach shade with a nice sheen.

The second thing I purchased was one of the slogan pallettes, ironically named 'No Photos Please'. Ironic purely because the shades are so eye-catching that they call for about 143 selfies. This products' box also comes with a preview of the shades. The front of the palette is holographic although shows both; from some angles you see 'No Photos' and from others it says 'Please', I think this is a unique twist. This is a small size compared to the Makeup Revolution Palettes, but that makes it great for putting into your handbag. It has a mirror along the top, and ten sparkly shadows. A favourite feature of mine it that this palette has shade names such as, 'Back Exit' and 'Publicist' which I think are absolute show stoppers.
I decided to get this palette over the rest as, like any makeup lover I own far too many neutral palettes. This has a few sparkly brown shades to add a twist to an everyday eye look, but also a lot of really eye-catching blues and greens which will be amazing for trying out different styles and for nights out. I've only created two looks with this so far but the shade I have used are both highly pigmented and easily blendable. Paired with my Revlon Photo Ready Eyeshadow Primer the looks lasted very well and the palette has impressed me.

Along with this palette came a free, Mini Eye Primer. I tested this on my lids and was surprised to find it had a sparkle through it, which even though the shadows are glittery, immediately made me think this wasn't for me. To make matters worse once I'd applied a shade to my brush and went back to my eyes the primer had creased, badly. If the primer creases on its own it doesn't strike me as a product that will keep my makeup on. This, I'm afraid is sitting in the drawer for emergencies, but the shadows are what I ordered and they're good enough not to put me off ordering another palette.
Have you tried anything from the I <3 Makeup line?
xoxox