Revolution Ultra Blush Palette Sugar And Spice ~ Mini Review and Swatches

This is the Make Up Revolution Blush Palette in Sugar and Spice which is a set of 8 'blushes'.

It is a strange set of powders to be honest, with two intensely glittery, unwearable highlighters at the far end, and then 6 completely matte, insanely pigmented powders in the rest of the palette.

1. Is a colour I stayed completely clear of until very recently. It's like a deep browny peach which I thought would be horrible on pale skin, but actually looks really natural, and can be used as a contour/bronze/blush hybrid because its matte

2. Is a really dark bright pink, I will never ever use this colour to be honest. It's so pigmented and dark that it just won't look right on my skin, so I don't think I'll ever use this colour, but  I think would look really nice on darker skin.

3. is a lighter, less brown version of 1, as you can see, so it's a really good all-in-one shade.

4 & 5 are ridiculously similar, I tend to use 5 rather than 4, I just think it's a shade lighter, but is still quite a full-on darkish pink

6 is my favourite shade out of this whole palette. It's a proper bright coral with a huge pigment punch, love it

7 & 8 are highlighters. Now...I don't understand how you would use these, except maybe as eyeshadow. 8 especially is just...unwearable. It's incredibly, incredibly glittery, and a super bright pink. Totally unwearable and basically a little bit crazy. 7 is like the same thing but a silvery lilac, so could work as a really super intense highlight, but I still think is not very wearable.

All in all, I don't think this palette is really worth getting, unless you love a range of super matte, SUPER pigmented blushes and crazy highlights. They are so pigmented that they are quite hard to blend, so you have to apply with a really light hand. However, I love having a range of blushes in a palette, and I'm eyeing up the All-About-Cream blush palette from Revolution which I think would be more usable. 

Thanks for reading :)

Lou x

First Impressions & Review ~ L'Oreal True Match Foundation & Touche Magique Concealer

I am still on the search for the perfect foundation, as most of my collection are not quite the ghostly- white colour which is the reality of my skin.
The only one I am wearing at the moment is the Rimmel Lasting Nude in Porcelain which is quite sheer, and is really boring to wear every day. So, the hoarder in me went wild on my lunchbreak at work yesterday and purchased the much-talked about L'Oreal True Match Foundation in R1 C1 Rose Ivory. I also bought the Touche Magique concealer pen in Ivory Beige. 
First of all, I was really really impressed with the range of colours for the true match foundation. There was a Warm, Neutral and Yellow toned foundation for each shade, which is so good ; if you're struggling to find a foundation which matches your skin, I would check out L'Oreal. I picked out the 'Rose' Ivory shade which I think is the cool shade? Judging from the C which surely means cool? However- 'Rose' suggests warm, and it does look quite warm so...who knows. Basically, I swatched all three ivories, and this was the palest. (#ghostlife) 
The concealer is full-on yellow, and supposedly illuminating, so that bodes well. Who doesn't love illumination ey? I'm after a lightweight under-eye concealer because I always find that concealer settles into my fine lines, so I thought this would be a good one to try.

Ok so, onto the first impressions. I will be checking in throughout the day to share how well it is wearing on my skin.



11am- 

When I applied this, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it blended into my skin. It is quite a pink ivory (hence the name, duh), and I was panicking when I was putting it on because the rest of my skin looked quite yellow. BUT, I persevered, and it seemed to blend to my face colour. Which is amazing. The colour looks really natural, and definitely is pale enough, so, ten points so far.
I was really surprised about the finish of this. I kind of expected an illuminating but fairly- full coverage finish. However, the fluid (ew) itself is thinner than I thought it would be, and the finish is pretty matte. I am not really a fan of a full- on matte finish so I was a bit disappointed about that. 
The coverage, however, is really good. I didn't put any concealer on apart from the illuminating under eye concealer (more on that in a minute), and the scar- zone - which is located on my chin- was fairly concealed. Obviously, still visible, but not too much. I decided to not apply any concealer to this area so I could really see how it wore. I also did not apply primer.
I striped the concealer under my eyes in a scary triangle shape, and was horrified at the bright yellow colour. Yikes.
However, I went ahead and blended it, and it really sunk into my skin and blended nicely. I'm not super blown away with this concealer yet...I don't know if it's because it's pale enough to be my skin colour, so it doesn't create the dimension it would on other people...or just because it's not as illuminate-y as I thought it would be.

12 noon-
After an hour or so I am noticing that the matte- finish is settling into a more natural satin. I am so pleased. My forehead, nose, chin and cheeks are actually reflecting light rather than lying completely matte and flat, so I am much more enthusiastic at this point. I can't believe how good the coverage is- the pores on my nose and cheeks are completely camouflaged, and I'm not super bothered about not having any concealer on my chin.
The concealer under my eyes has settled a little into lines, but this always happens. I've sort- of  blended it with my fingers to make it settle, so hopefully it will last a bit better. I have to say, the coverage on this is really good for an 'illuminating' product. I'm not itching to wack some more concealer on my under eyes which is promising.


4pm-

The foundation is lasting well, the natural oils on my skin (ew) have made it a lot less matte on my forehead and chin, making it look more dewy, which I like. It was really hard to  get a photo with the right light so you can see, but I hope you get some idea. Normally I would love a bit of concealer over that chin area, so apologies for my skin, which is (never) in the best shape.
The concealer seems to be holding up well too, I would prefer to have a little more coverage, but hey, it's doing well to be honest, medium coverage, and I suppose a bit brightening? Not as intense as I imagined.

6pm-

My facial expressions are just getting more and more awkward as the day goes on.
Anyway, nothing new to report since 4; shinyness around the chin and forehead, which I would normally have the option of powdering, but I probably wouldn't -I don't like my face to look flat. So far I am loving this foundation.
Under-eye area is holding up really well, no more fine lines visible than normal which is always a plus.

8pm-

This is my I've-been-doing-coursework-all-day-and-I'm-really-fed-up face. Can you tell?
So last check in, my make up has been on for about nine hours. The foundation lasted really really well, my chin and forehead are quite shiny by now, but that always happens because those are my oily areas. The concealer lasted really well too, I would normally touch up my concealer throughout the day and I didn't today which is good.

Overall I really like this foundation and concealer.The foundation has an amazing colour range, amazing blendability and a lovely finish. Ditto for the concealer. 
I would recommend them both!
Thank you for reading, if you enjoyed this post make sure you +1 this post and follow my blog for more reviews :)
Lou x

The New Blue

I know that I just did a Spring nails post, but I hadn't yet realised how amazing this nail polish is. 

This is the Maybelline Forever Strong Super stay 7 Day Nail Colour (whoa) in  'Surreal 635. I have to say, for some reason my camera is really brightening up the colour. In reality it's just slightly more muted and ever- so- subtly purple-y hued. I used two coats of this last night ontop of the Barry M Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener, and then added an extra layer of that this morning to really shine it up. 

So yeah- just a really nice, fresh, pretty way to wear a blue nail varnish. I like the formula of this nail varnish too, I'm not finding that the 'gel' in it makes it thicker or more long lasting than my other nail varnishes if I'm completely honest, but it's pretty good. I'd say a four or five day wear if you aren't doing anything intense with your hands (oo-er)

If you're near the highstreet I would go check this colour out as it is amazing

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

(I apologise for the hideous state of my cuticles. Ain't nobody got time for that level of upkeep.)

MAC Cinderella Palette ~ 5 minute eye-make up

As a lover of cheaper make up (and a lover of not having an overdraft), my amount of high-end make up is very limited. However, I did invest in the MAC Cinderella Eyeshadow palette as a treat for myself for finishing some significant coursework. I had never tried MAC eyeshadows before but I really wanted to, and the price of the palette was a good deal compared to buying individual eyeshadows. I LOVE this palette. I am so glad I bought it. The six shades are so wearable for both day and night looks, and are definitely all shades I would have picked myself.

So here is a really quick easy look using the palette to create a really simple day look. I wore this with quite a sheer foundation, a pink cheek and bare lips, but I think it would look amazing with a bit of winged liner and a deep berry lip for the evening.

So here's the look. Really really simple, and heres how I achieved it-

1. Apply a mix of Vapour and Floof all over the lid (the two lightest shades) to create a really shimmery base. (I had also prepped my eyelids with Maybelline Fit Me Concealer)

2.Buff 'Quarry' into the create with a fluffy brush. This is a really really beautiful browny purple shade, and I think it is my favourite colour in the whole palette. It's such a nice colour to create a soft look without using just brown-y colours which is a good change.

3. I was going to use 'Satin Taupe' for the outer V of my eyelid but I didn't want it to be so deep so I actually switched it up for an Avon eyeshadow which is similar but a little lighter and purpler. I just applied this to the outer edge of my eyelid

4. I added a thin line of dark shadow along my lashline and pencil eyeliner to my tightline to deepen it up, and added two coats of Maybelline the Falsies mascara.

5. Add a little bit of Vapour to the browbone for a subtle highlight and  there  you have it :)

This is Phloof, Omega and the Avon Eyeshadow which has no name because its so old- the back of the compact says 'true colour healthy glow' if you were wondering! Any darker browny shimmery shade will work as this is a daytime look.

So yeah! I just wanted to share how easy it is to create an easy daytime look with this palette. It's so wearable and the powders are so blendable. I find these eyeshadows easier to use than my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette because there is no fall- out which always makes things quicker. :)

Hope you enjoyed this, thanks for reading!

Lou x

Maybelline Colour Tattoo On and On Bronze ~ Does it last a whole day?

If you haven't heard about the Colour tattoos by Maybelline yet...have you been living under a rock?

The most talked about shade- by far- and the first one I purchased, is 'On and On Bronze', or Bad to the Bronze in the USA.

I love this as a base or on it's own, and I thought I would test it's longevity ( it does claim to have 24 hour wear) and document a whole day's wear without eyelid primer or even concealer to keep it in place.

Here's the original hand swatch. You can see how amazingly pigmented and shimmery this cream eyeshadow is with just one swipe.

 So here's how it looked about half an hour after it went onto my eye. I was  short of time this morning so there's absolutely nothing else on my eyelid apart from the colour tattoo.

Two hour time check- the colour looks roughly the same, I do notice that it fades slightly from when you first put it on and doesn't pack the same punch as when first applied.

Here's about four or five hours later. I notice with this shade the colour seems to fade but the shimmer stays put really well. It doesn't look noticeably faded and patchy, but doesn't compare to the original swatch. 

Here's the last check up of the day. I swapped eyes, I'm not sure why but they look identical to be honest. This photo is after over nine hours wear, and I have to say, for one swipe of product, this has held up pretty well. I definitely think with a concealer or primer underneath the colour would hold up a little better, or even if I just packed the product on in a second or third layer. I think this is a really good one for quick morning make-up, as the shimmer and colour stay pretty well throughout the day.

(I have to say the photos show my mascara and how well that held out during the day too- it was Maybelline Falsies)

The Pale Skin Problem

Hello!

If, like me, you suffer from having  incredibly pale skin, you will know my pain. This is my foundation collection, and not one among them- even the high end 'colour matched' ones are okay on my skin. Until very very recently (details later on), I have not been able to find a foundation on the highstreet which is the right colour for my fair skin. Let's face, when it says 'Ivory' it's nearly always lying. 

So- here is a full review of ALL of my foundations, with swatches, starting from left to right.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, 0.5

I did SO much research on this foundation, which is something like £26, and which I bought with birthday money. To be fair, the lady who served me on the counter clearly did NOT know what she was doing, and I probably should have hesitated before I splurged on this. However, I really wanted a fairly full coverage foundation with good staying power, but nothing as heavy as the original Double Wear. I thought, for my skin, which is combination/ oily, something like this would stick to my skin and work amazingly. Unfortunately, I really don't think it has better staying power than my highstreet foundations, and the colour is slightly too dark for me. So disappointing. However, as it was so expensive, I WILL use it in the Summer when -hopefully- my face will be marginally darker. I am quite dry around my eye area, and this foundation tended to cling to those dry patches. Yum. I found that this did  work wonders when mixed with my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum- it was less cakey and a much more satin finish, but still too dark. This shade, 0.5 is the lightest, and still not light enough

Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions, 01 Alabaster

This is probably the second best match out of any of these foundations for my skin. Slightly lighter than the Estee Lauder, and I can just about get away with it. However, because it was expensive- for me- I only use it when I need the anti- blemish properties, i.e when I have bad skin. It is definitely matte, quite long-wearing, and does seem to be kind to my skin when it's playing up. However- still not pale enough. 

Maybelline Better Skin, Light Beige

When I bought this foundation, I was so excited that it wasn't called Ivory. Finally I had upgraded to beige, it was such an exciting day for me. This actually did work well for me in the Summer when I had been abroad a lot. It is quite pink- toned, but it really does stay very well. Lovely even finish which is between matte and brightening - probably Satin. I love this foundation, and I can't wait until my face is the right colour again. I've had a look at the lighter shades of this, and the lightest- which I think was called Ivory- was still too dark.

Rimmel Match Perfection, 101 Classic Ivory

Classic Ivory, what a joke. This is one of the two darkest of my foundations, and I'm actually not even sure what I think of it. Some days I would put it on and love it, some I would hate it. On me, it applied really dewy, but then throughout the day, I would find that it has faded to a matte- so strange. Really good staying power though, and does not cake at all on me. I'm not sure if I will be loving this in the summer as it feels quite heavy, and looks almost sweaty on my face just after it's gone on, which always puts me off

Rimmel Wake me Up, 100 Ivory

I love this foundation. It is so brightening, so longlasting and so...beautiful. However, when I wear this shade, I look like a sparkly orange. Lovely foundation, horrible colour. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

I bought this foundation after hearing Fleur de Force (youtube) rave about it on her channel. I really do actually love it. The texture is unlike any other of my foundations, it goes on so smoothly, and really does make your skin look healthy. Unfortunately, 51 is the lightest colour, and this is too dark for me, and I think slightly too yellow- toned. This is the foundation I am most disappointed about, if Bourjois released a lighter shade (PLEASE) I would be on that straight away. 

Miss Sporty So Matte, 001 Ivory

This is actually the best match, and the cheapest, of my foundations. It has amazing staying power, honestly for £3.50 you can't go wrong with this, and it really IS Ivory, would you believe. However, even though the texture is fairly light, and it doesn't cake, I do not want to have matte skin. Even over an illuminating primer, this is too matte for me. Unfortunate, but true. Or maybe I'm just being fussy...

So, after despairing over the number of non- match foundations I own, especially the two expensive ones- cry- I found out that Rimmel have actually released, typically, a lighter shade in their Wake me Up and Match Perfection ranges. BRILLIANT. After spending a couple of weeks sulking, and trying to wear my current foundations, I caved and bought the new Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude in 010 Light Porcelain, which I will be reviewing in a future post.

Thank you for reading!

Lou x 

Black Swan Make -up Look ~ All Budget Beauty Products

This is the look I created for Halloween last year, and I think its such a fun easy look which looks really effective if you have any fancy dress events to go to. :)

What do you need? -

A pale foundation or white face paint (I used Miss Sporty Stay Matte in Ivory)

A Black liquid liner (I used collection 2000 Black liquid liner)

A white and a black pencil eyeliner (I picked up both from MUA for a pound each)

A grey toned contour colour (I used a grey eyeshadow)

A white highligher (I used 'Golden Lights' from Make Up Revolution which was a little too golden but it worked)

Mascara (Any will do)

Fake Lashes (f you want)

Dark red lipstick (I used 17's Stay Pout in 'Rule Breaker' which is amazing)

A small eyeshadow brush. (I used one from W7 which you can see in my 'Budget Brushes' post)

This look is really easy. I wish I had taken photos throughout but honestly, it's meant to look feathery and messy, so a little smudgi-ness just adds to the whole look.

Here goes- I promise you it doesn't use any complicated techniques, just a bit of blending and concentration. :)

1. Apply foundation/ white face paint allover the skin. I used my fingers and applied two coats to make sure it was super opaque and pale. Don't do concealer as the eye look is definitely going to produce a lot of fall out.

 2. 

Do you love this sketch. I do.

So take your black pencil eyeliner and roughly sketch out this shape around your eye. The top line should run along the top of your eyebrow, and the bottom should be just slightly under your eyelid.

3.Continuning with your black pencil eyeliner, go ahead and fill in bits which are going to stay black. Fill in from your bottom line right up to your bottom eyelid. Also fill in the whole of your top eyelid and your eyebrows.  Thicken up the edge of the shape all the way around, but leave the outer edge of the shape thin and rough for the minute.

Still with the same eyeliner (maybe sharpen it at this point), create a design within your outer edges. I created points outwards from my eyelid, all heading towards my hairline. Fill them in with black pencil eyeliner. Your eyes should look something like this:

4. Take your white pencil eyeliner and fill in all of the gaps between the black lines with white. Because they are both pencil this might start looking slightly smudgey, but that's ok.

5. When everything is covered in black and white pencil eyeliner, have a look at the whole design and make sure you are happy with it before you go in with a more intense black eyeliner. When you are happy, take your black liquid liner and just intensify the black areas. Also use this to bring all the lines to a point on the outer edges, so it looks like feathers. Use the same technique around the inner corner and down the nose to create really pointed edges.

Your eyes should be looking a little something like this. If you have an intense white eyeshadow, go in to the white areas and intensify them

6. Line your waterline and tightline with black eyeliner, and apply mascara. Lashes are optional, but I think they really add to the intensity of the look.

7. Tidy up any fall out with some concealer or white face paint.

8.  To finish the face, take an ashy contour shade and hollow out the cheekbones, creating a harsh angle. Add highlight to the tops of the cheekbones.

9. For the lips, line with the black pencil eyeliner ( I know, stick with me), and then use a brush or the lipstick straight from the bullet to apply to the rest of the lip. Smudge the eyeliner into the lipstick to create a really intense outer edge and a dark red inner colour.

There you have it! A simple way to do the make up from Black Swan, you could even switch it up with a dark base and a white feathered eye which would look amazing.

Hope this was useful, thanks for reading,

 Lou x