A Little Concealer Lovin'

So today I'm very happy to talk about a product that I have continuously and consistently loved for, I'm going to have a little guess and say, about 5/6 years? Now I don't know if this is a common thing for you lot but this is NOT a common thing for me and HG, again, is not an acronym I use lightly- in fact I don't really use it at all so this is a special occasion!

So, as you can see from the pictures, I am talking about MAC Studio Finish Concealer! I think it is £15 which is a little bit expensive (obviously, depending on what sort of brands you normally buy) but the plus side is that it lasts absolutely ages! I don't even know if this is healthy but I had the same pot of mine for maybe 2 years? And its not like I delicately use this little pot of delight, no, I used this on a daily basis- this included doing my makeup and any touch ups throughout the day.

Studio Finish is a creamy texture but at the same time feels sort of powdery to me. The main reason I like it is because of how much coverage it gives which to me is a need for a good concealer, because thats the point isn't it? It covers literally anything on me so when I am having a bad skin day (which is a lot recently!) I feel comfortable because no one will see it. It also gives a perfect, matte type look to your face without powder.

I know that there isn't much love for MAC skin products (foundation/concealer- not blush/bronzer) as they are known for breaking people out and being bad for your skin but I haven't had anything happen, although this could be because of how long i've been using it, so take care when buying! something else to watch out for is also that it can cling to dry areas of your skin so if your skin is very dry, then maybe give this one a miss, or moisturise very well. It comes in SPF 35 and I personally use NC20.

Secondly, I wasn't actually planning on doing this but it has sort of come up and now I would feel unsatisfied leaving it out, I want to talk about the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer. I am absolutely sure that if you spend any time whatsoever looking at beauty reviews, you have already heard people raving about this products, it's been a bit of a hit and is a complete bargain as it's only £3.99.

Sorry, it usually has writing on the bottle
 but it has all rubbed off, whoops!

It has a very creamy texture (more so than Studio finish) and glides onto skin very well as well as having very high coverage (about the same, possibly a bit higher than Studio). Something I also love about this is the highlighting properties it has, under your eyes especially, it gives such a lovely radiant glow! It just gives your face a dewy effect which is perfect for me as I hate looking tired and dull. I'm not actually completely sure on this, I will have to test it out, but I think it does actually last all day as well. When I go to college to when I come back home it usually has stay put pretty well, so all in all this product is a winner, there really isn't much I can say that I don't like. I got mine in Light (2) and it suits my skin very well.

As I'm writing this i'm actually realising how much I like Lasting Perfection, I think more than Studio. They are both better for different things though, such as if you were more on the oily side I wouldn't really recommend it and it can set into lines and look a bit cakey at times. Other than that it does seem to be more of an all rounder.

So that's about it for concealer, I don't really have many more that I am in love with, at least not as much as these. 

And on a last little note, I have had the laziest Sunday (/weekend) in the entire world and am wearing no eye makeup, through this I have found that I completely love being able to rub my eyes. Its amazing.

£30 Well Spent!

Hello little chummies,

So as you can see I had an accidental shop! I desperately wanted a bronzer after recently my old favourite's powder fell out of the tin -cry- and heard that Sleek was a good cheap (silly poor student money) brand. So I went down to Superdrug and got a tad distracted.

First of all, I actually managed to buy a sleek bronzer which I'm slightly surprised about. I got the Face Contour Kit in Light (884) for £6.49. It includes a highlighter and bronzer and a handy little contour instruction leaflet thingy for anyone that doesnt know, I think thats quite nice!

I'm actually very excited about this because the main idea for a bronzer (for me anyway) is contouring and since this is a matte shade and has no shimmer in it that should work well, it is just a darker browny skin colour. As well as this, as an added bonus, the highlighter actually looks lovely! It looks quite similar to a Topshop one I had my eye on so (depending on how this goes) I shouldn't need to buy it anymore.

Then there is the Sleek Blush By 3 in colour Lace (367) for £9.99. It has 3 Sleek blushes in it- Crochet, Guipure and Chantilly and they can be layered with each other or just used alone.

I really love the packaging to both the bronzer and the blushes, they are very simple and much better than they used to be! They look expensive now and the mirrors are such a lovely size, from now they will most likely be my mirrors of choice :) The colours are beautiful as well and include both shimmer and matte. I think I will most likely use the peachy looking one a lot its looooovely.

Here is a little swatch for ya! the colours are so pigmented and seem to blend quite well. They have so many other mixes of blushes and also do 3 sets of a bronzer, highlighter and blush if you like that- I may have even bought that instead if I saw it because of how easy it is and i'm a lazy soul.

Next up I got something I've been wanting for ages! Its the Real Techniques expert face brush.

I am actually someone that does not use brushes and it makes me feel like I am missing out and not getting my full potential of face loveliness. Every time I have used one, though, they have not made an improvement and it just did not go well and I never really thought it might be the brush i'm using. So I am having another go! and I have heard a lot of people living for this one so I am very very very very excited.

So there isn't too much to explain for these 2 little ones. Maybelline Baby Lips (£2.99) is being raved abut just about everywhere and I suddenly felt left out when I saw them sitting next to the till. Yes, it is so frigging soft and yes it smells like those little cherry chewy sweet droplet things which is lovely if you are walking around with it on your lips all day. I am not sure if I am going to like this though, i'm not really sure that I can get away with glossy/sheeny things but it might be ok since it isn't super pigmented, we will see!

And then there is Scandaleyes Thick and Thin Eyeliner (£5.49). I have had so much trouble with liquid eye liners and this is frustrating because I wear it daily! They never seem to work for whatever reason and this is why they are piling up in my bedroom and being thrown away. So I am going to have a go with this one! I like that it has a thick and thin bit though, I can imagine it makes applying a little easier.

Lastly, a little last minute thing that I couldn't leave behind, a Models Own amazing nail varnish. I think the name is Sardonyx? with number NP176. I can't really find another word that would look like a name for this? so I am just going to go with that, even if that does sound slightly odd and I cant find it on the Superdrug website.

There were so many of these that I wanted (including Hedkandi Hedonist) but I went with this one because it reminded me of Christmas and thats only about 2 months away! Excited. Its so glittery and a sort of deep burgundy colour which I don't have yet. I think it was a little awkward to put on at first just because of how much glitter it had in it and how quickly it dried. Another thing I loved was the lid, I thought it was so great that it was made out of a velvety material and I keep stroking it (weird) because it feels so nice. I think I will most likely buy a hell of a lot more a these, especially the glitter ones for christmas!

So thats it for now, I hope this may have given you a little bit of inspiration for some cheap but lovely products!

Overdose: Rimmel Lipstick.

As the title infers, I can safely say I went a tad crazy with these lovely Rimmel lipsticks as I originally posted a teaser for 3 and now have...6. So to start this off on a good note it's safe to say I quite like these money grabbing little buggers!

I have never actually been one for lipstick, not because I didn't like it but because I have always forever focused on my eyes, I don't think a day has gone by in about 1-2 years (unless I was sick then I just don't put anything on- makeup wise) when I haven't put on liquid eyeliner and most likely some eyeshadow and before this I sort of thought it was one or the other, eyes or mouth- otherwise it would be a bit too much.

so because of this I find it super difficult to think lipstick actually suits me and feel a bit odd wearing it, especially out. I've decided though, that I absolutely love lipstick when i see it on other people and think there is nothing better than bright/deep red lips so I want to force myself out of my comfort zone and MAKE it work and eventually be a lipstick person!

so on to the review...

so as we can see, all apart from the 2 on the right are Kate Moss brands of Rimmel and these are my favourites. I find the colours diverse with some perfect reds for everybody and good mix of textures eg matte, shiny.

they are actually super hard to get off (especially when I was trying to get them off of my arms! I think I still have imprints) but I am thinking this can only be a good thing as this should mean that they will last quite a long time, right?

there is one problem with this lipstick though: it does bother me a little bit and thats that it gets EVERYWHERE, like literally, everywhere. on cutlery, on cups, on classes, on cans, on food (weird experience) just literally everywhere. This is where I get to a point that, because I dont usually wear lipstick, I can't compare it to anything and I don't really know if this is normal but I am sure you can figure this one out for yourself!

The prices are good too and fairly average of drugstore brands at £5.49 each at both Boots and Superdrug but I got mine on a deal of buy one get one half price (the reason I have an even number) which might actually still be on so look out for that!

The red capped Kate's have a matte finish and the black ones have a glossy finish if you didn't know this already (I didn't) and obviously it will depend on what you prefer and what you are used to know which one you prefer but I am not by any means a lip gloss person and so definitely prefer the matte ones which to be honest still have quite a nice sheen on them! the 2 on the end (i'm so sorry i'm not actually entirely sure what brand these are!) are both glossy, glittery lipsticks and are generally used for work/college and places they frown on excessive makeup and for that I love them, they just make your lips pop a little more :)

Personally my absolute and undying forever and ever favourite is 107, its not too outrageous to wear out when i'm not completely confident yet and the colour is just so friggin' lovely with a sort of deep burgundy pick colour going to add some depth and I could talk about it all day but the main point is I think you should all go buy it and be as happy as me.

and last of all- the smell. the smell is blooming lovely! they smell like fruit and flowers and some perfume that I can't quite put my finger on but I love them, I also think the black covered one smells a but more than the red but that might just be me.

My boyfriend has nicely enough coined the term 'FAF' for these little ones after I talked about how nice it was to walk around smelling them- meaning face air fresheners. what a genius ay'? I genuinely think they could smell so nice that they could even cover bad breath, forget polo's!


so if there are any questions you have about these lipsticks that I haven't covered just let me know and I will endeavour to answer them!

TALK SOON CHICKENS

Tigi S Factor Things- Finally!

So its 12.14 AM right now and I should be sitting in a little sort of uncomfortable cinema chair being scared out of my little wits at Insidious 2 BUT because of the stupid buses not running that late I did not get to go because I am not walking 40 minutes home in the dark after watching a horror movie. We went to the bus stop and everything sigh. So instead I'm waiting for pizza (correction I now have pizza yay!) and attempting to start this talk on my new and beloved S Factor products.

Straight off the bat- and a little warning- these are expensive and high brand products that are used in salons quite a bit to make your hair look lovely and thats pretty much what they do. So to give you an idea shampoo alone is about 15 pounds (for some reason the pound sign isn't working on my keyboard? weird?) in the salon size and about 10 pounds in the normal 250ml. I'm sure there are more expensive products but for me at least this is pretty darn expensive hair wash!

Smoothing Shampoo + Conditioner 
My first use of these little lovies was in a world of its own, I pretty much felt like I was in Katy Perry's 'California Girls' and there was candy floss and sweets wallpapering my shower- IT SMELT AMAZING. Although candy floss and sugary stuff isn't quite on point, I think strawberries and cream would cover it better- which I think it is actually meant to be. (if so- good job!) I could actually smell this product as soon as I opened the box- before I even unwrapped them, again- amazing.

First using it, personally I think the shampoo was a tad awkward to get lathering nicely and I actually had to do something I have never had to do before and thats wash my hair twice but this was just a choice I made from thinking that using 2 small amounts, about 1 pump a time, (because the second would always lather fine) would probably use less product than having to use about 3 pumps in one go and be quite handsy and frustrated about it. Saying this, my hair is amazingly thick and unless it lathers like a cloud instantly it will always be a little long processed for me so this may not happen to you at all- something to think about!

another thing I quite liked about the shampoo was the consistency- it had a gel type feel and was really glittery and shiny, sort of like the l'oreal glitter shampoo which I am in love with because I am a child.

and then there is the conditioner which I will leave on my hair for a few minutes while I do lots of other showery things which I love because I can smell it the whole time. It goes into my hair very easily (side not- if I forget to brush through my hair it takes a little while to rid of the knots, a little longer than I thought it would to be honest as some other cheaper ones don't take this long) and I have to use about 2 sometimes 3 pumps to cover my hair but it is thick and quite long at the moment so again, this may not apply to you.

after all of this I can instantly, even when still wet, see the difference in my hair- it is so so shiny and manageable and the smell, oh the smell, sticks quite well, I can actually smell it in my hair right now which I love!

even though I really want to say that I would totally re-purchase this, I actually can't- if I was in the situation when I had money (being a student now i'm not sure this will be the case!) or it was a present, there would be no hesitation but when I don't have too much I think I would buy a cheaper one because there are quite a few that I like.

I bought these as a set from FeelUnique and it wasn't on sale or anything so it was the full 30 pounds but make sure you do have a look around and compare!

Serious Conditioner 
The S Factor serious conditioner was actually, like many I've seen, the first product of this series that I bought that set the mark and gave me a bloody unwilling addiction to buy more- it is just one of those products that everyone loves and everyone gets along with no matter what hair they seem to have and that doesn't happen very often!

the smell seems like a mix of strawberries and cream like the others, but it also has a nice little mix of mint in there to jazz it up a little. It is infused with sunflower seed oil as well which I've already seen is great for your hair and it is really so noticeable.

I also completely love that it is in a round bucket/tub like package with a little handle- it reminds me of making sand castles on beaches but that's completely off topic so swiftly moving on...

I bought this from CheapSmells- now AllBeauty for 20 pounds (its normal selling price is about 30). Before this I did actually consider getting it from Ebay for quite a while since it was so cheap but from all the fakes apparently sold there I'm glad I found this in time!


Smooth and shine Lusterizer
This was the last one of the bunch that I bought because I there was a sale on S Factor products from an email I got in the morning- again from All Beauty.com- and actually I went straight into ordering it on my lunch break at work because it was the last thing I specifically wanted and I splurge too often because I am so very weak willed.

I have used it both on damp hair and on dry hair because they give different effects and textures, personally I like using it on dry hair a little more but there is a small difference as I really love both ways. It makes your hair (and your hands) super shiny and has little glittery bits in it and I don't blame them for doing that because who doesn't like a bit o' glitter? it also neatens up fly-aways and split ends and just generally makes your hair healthier and smell nicer.

sadly the cap on the bottle has cracked a little which is so annoying but I can't say I have heard this happening to anyone else so I think I might just be an unlucky one, not that it has affected or wasted any of the product.

so as I said, I bought this from AllBeauty for 10 pounds (generally about 16 at full price) and I think the sale is actually still on so if you have a spare tenner I would definitely suggest this!


Ok so to sum this all up, since it is now 3.26 AM and I want to sleep quite a lot because I have had too much pizza, I am besotted with Tigi S Factor products including the lovely high end looking packaging and will most likely lose control at some point soon to try their other products- until then, byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

added bonus plate included because I was eating nutella on toast

let me know your experiences, questions and suggestions on Tigi S Factor!