Essence Lip Liners

Essence is a brand that isn't talked about much here in the UK, because it isn't readily available, but their products are much talked about by American Bloggers. Imagine my surprise when I happened to stumble across an essence stand whilst looking around Wilko recently, I decided to pick up two of the lipliners which were selling for £1.00 each!!

I picked up In 11 The Nude and 15 Honey Berry

11,15

 I've been wearing In the Nude daily since I got it. It's a beautiful everyday shade that can be used in so many different ways. My personal favourite is to fill in my lips with it first and then add a deeps pink or brick red shade and blend. It give the most beautiful muted 'Kylie Jenner' lip colour which is perfect for this season. They have a creamy formula, which means they glide onto the lips smoothly, and provide an even coverage.

 I can't wait to get my hands on some more shades, at £1.00 they are complete bargains! Get yourselves down to wilko!

Aroosa x

Fashionista Double Take Long wear Lipsticks and Fashionista Maxi Moisture Lipsticks

I recently placed an order for a number of lipsticks from Fashionista. They were selling for £1.99 each on www.fragrancedirect.co.uk, which is quiet a bargain seeing as they retailed for around the £7.00 mark!

I picked up 5 shades from the double take long wear lipstick range and another 5 from the maxi moisture lipstick range.

RED = double take long wear, SILVER = maxi moisture

 The size of each lipstick tube is nice and slim and I think they look sleek with the red being something a little different! Who doesn't like nice packaging!?

FashionistA Double Take Long Weat Lipsticks
ATOMIC ORANGE, NATURAL PINK, ULTRA PINK, CINNAMON, AURBERGINE

FashionistA Double Take Long Weat Lipsticks
ATOMIC ORANGE, NATURAL PINK, ULTRA PINK, CINNAMON, AURBERGINE

FashionistA Double Take Long Weat Lipsticks
ATOMIC ORANGE, NATURAL PINK, ULTRA PINK, CINNAMON, AURBERGINE

I couldn't find many swatches online at the time, so it was a bit of a blind order!  Atomic oranges swatches alot more pink on me and comes across as more of a coral than straight up orange. Natural Pink is a nice mid tone pink and Cinnamon will make a lovely everyday nude. Aurergine is something a little more daring but perfect for this time of year. The texture and finish of these lipsticks remind me of MAC cremesheens. They're very pigmented but creamy, you can't go wrong for £1.99!

I also Picked up 5 Maxi Moisture Lipsticks. It was even harder to find swatches online for these, but again i'm happy with all the colours I picked up.

FashionistA Maxi Moisture Lipsticks
PERFECT FIT, I'M AN INDIVIDUAL, TOUCH UP, HOW DO I LOOK?

FashionistA Maxi Moisture Lipsticks
PERFECT FIT, I'M AN INDIVIDUAL, TOUCH UP, HOW DO I LOOK?

FashionistA Maxi Moisture Lipsticks
PERFECT FIT, I'M AN INDIVIDUAL, TOUCH UP, HOW DO I LOOK?

They glide on easily, feel very moisturising, but also have a decent colour pay off. Perfect Fit swatches alot pinker on me than it looks in the tube, I couldn.t find any swatches of this shade before I purchased so I wasn't too sure what to expect. It is very pretty though! I'm and individual is a orangey coral and touch up is a lovely brown nude. I purchased two of these as I could tell it would be a colour I would use often. How do I look? is a nice mid tone but brighter pink that I think will be perfect for adding a bit of brightness to the face! 

Again the quality of these lipsticks is great! They remind me of MAC Lustre lipsticks and they're perfect for his time of year when we need a little more moisture on our lips!!

Aroosa

x

Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition - Warm Eyeshadows

About a month ago I blogged about the New Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition that at the time had just arrived in the post! (click her to view the palette)

As promised I've swatched all the shades so you can get a better idea of the colours and pay off before you purchase. This post will focus on the WARM EYESHADOW section. The images have in no way been edited in order to provide a true representation of each colour and finish.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE COOL EYESHADOW SWATCHES 
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE HIGHLIGHTERS AND CHEEK POWDERS SWATCHES

WARM EYESHADOWS CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE

1ST ROW

2ND ROW

3RD ROW

4TH ROW

5TH ROW

ENTIRE PALETTE (CLICK HERE)

I love warm eyeshadows, so I was excited to see how these would swatch. Although a lot of beautiful shades have been included I feel like alot of them are fairly similar, it would have been nice to have seen a bit more variety. Having said that, there is definitely something for everyone!

 The 3rd shadow on the second row was slightly too soft and bitty, so I ended up picking up too much product when I attempted to swatch it. It did blend out okay though. The intensity of the shimmer are even better than the cooler part of the palette and they swatched beautifully! I absolutely love the 3rd row!

 Just like everything else the matte shades were less pigmented but they were buildable and didn't tend to apply patchy.

I hope the swatch posts have helped! Overall it's a beautiful palette and so far I don't feel like it's got enough attention! I think it makes a perfect gift this holiday, so I definitely recommend you giving it ago. 

I purchased my Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit from HQHair. It is currently priced at £34 £29.50!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Aroosa
x

Pixi Ulitimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition - Highlighters and Cheek Powders

About a month ago I blogged about the New Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition that at the time had just arrived in the post! (click her to view the palette)

As promised I've swatched all the shades so you can get a better idea of the colours and pay off before you purchase. This post will focus on the  HIGHLIGHTERS AND CHEEK POWDERS section. The images have in no way been edited in order to provide a true representation of each colour and finish.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE COOL EYESHADOW SWATCHES 
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WARM EYESHADOW SWATCHES

HIGHLIGHTERS AND CHEEK POWDERS (click to enlarge image)

HIGLIGHTERS (1ST AND 2ND ROW)

HIGHLIGHTERS WITH FLASH

CHEEK POWDERS (3RD AD 4TH ROW)

ENTIRE PALETTE (CLICK HERE)

The highlighters ARE soft, blendable and non of them contain any chucky glitter. I like that they are of variable intensity, allowing some to be more wearable during the day and others more suited to evening wear! They can of course be used as eyeshadows as well, not that they are needed with the variety provided in this palette!

A good variety of blush shades are provided. Like the eyeshadows the matte shades are less pigmented than the shimmers, but yet again they are buidable and not difficult to blend, The only problem I have with the shade selection is that the 3rd shade on the 3rd rows is the only 'every day' blush the rest are pretty daring and for me at least will probably not be worn as much.

I hope the swatch posts have helped! Overall it's a beautiful palette and so far I don't feel like it's got enough attention! I think it makes a perfect gift this holiday, so I definitely recommend you giving it ago. 

I purchased my Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit from HQHair It is currently priced at £34 £29.50!

Aroosa
x

Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition - Cool Eyeshadows

About a month ago I blogged about the New Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition that at the time had just arrived in the post! (click her to view the palette)

As promised I've swatched all the shades so you can get a better idea of the colours and pay off before you purchase. This post will focus on the COOL EYESHADOW section. The images have in no way been edited in order to provide a true representation of each colour and finish.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WARM EYESHADOW SWATCHES 
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE HIGHLIGHTERS AND CHEEK POWDERS SWATCHES 

COOL EYESHADOWS CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE

1ST ROW

2ND ROW

3RD ROW

4TH ROW

5TH ROW

ENTIRE PALETTE (CLICK HERE)

Overall the cool eyeshadows were soft and blended easily. I found the shimmer shades had a better colour pay off compared to the mattes but they were buildable. The colour pay off of the 4th row is generally pretty poor, which is a shame seeing as the colours are so pretty! I did not find any of the shades to be flakey of gritty and the colours translated well, looking the same on the skin as they did in the pan.

I love wearing purple on my eyes, so I can't wait to creates some looks using these eyeshadows What makes this section even better is the inclusion of some good transition colours to help blend out and warm up any eye looks.

I hope the swatch posts have helped! Overall it's a beautiful palette and so far I don't feel like it's got enough attention! I think it makes a perfect gift this holiday, so I definitely recommend you giving it ago. 

I purchased my Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit from HQHair. It is currently priced at £34 £29.50!

Aroosa

x

NARS Douceur

NARS Douceur is a blush that I had heard a lot about and it was one I had made a mental note about wanting to try. Once word got round that it was being discontinued I searched around online (in a slight panic I must admit!)  where I found it on ASOS and placed an order.

I had been in the market for a ' matte soft pink/brown blush' that could be doubled up as a natural contour to help sculpt the face on those lazy days. After reading many reviews, Douceur was described as just that, so I was excited to see how I would feel about it.

What Do I Think?

I've had Douceur for about a week now and I must say I don't think it lives up to the quality of other NARS blushers I've tried! I really wanted to love it but it just doesn't do much for me at all! It barely swatches and I have to really build it up for it to show up on my skintone. My other NARS blushers are so pigmented, to the point where I have to be aware to use a light hand to avoid over doing it. It leans more pink than brown on me whereas I was actually hoping for the opposite, so it doesn't even work so well in helping create that 'natural contour'.

I'm so disappointed that I just don't love it as much as everyone else, but I'm going to continue playing around with it and hopefully find a way to make it work for me! I think it's a blush that is targeted mainly at light/ light medium skintones, I feel like it was begin to look ashy on anyone darker than me. Like I said, I really had to build it up on myself to get a decent pay off.

Douceur is no longer avaliable at NAR makeup counters but it can still be found at selected online retailers. If you were interested in trying it before its gone, I purchased mine from ASOS.

It retails for £22.50

Aroosa 

x

La Roche Posay Redermic R

Having received a couple of samples of Redermic R by La Roche Posay, I've spent the last couple of weeks working my way through them. I'm definitely a fan of La Roche Posay Skincare, the things I've tired, I've loved and the Effeclar Duo is a firm favourite.

What is Redermic R?

La Roche-Posay, has developed Redermic R with 0.3% retinol. Redermic R has clinically tested anti-wrinkle efficacy. It helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dark spots and is suitable for sensitive skin. - Contains 0.3% retinol. - Exclusive Retinol Booster Complex [Retinol Linoleate + Adenosine] - Lipo-Hydroxy Acid [LHA] 0.3%

What does Redermic R do?

Women who are looking for an effective solution to wrinkles, uneven skin tone and dark spots. Also suitable for women who have sensitive skin or who have experienced feelings of discomfort on the skin when using retinol based skincare in the past.

What Results should I expect?

BENEFITS

- Fine lines appear reduced

- Dark spots appear faded, as if corrected

- Skin texture appears refined leaving it visibly smoother and more even-toned

What do I think?

I usually apply a thin layer of Redermic R every night and I must say I do feel like my skin feels softer and looks brighter in the morning. Now I'm only 22 so I can't really comment on how beneficial it is in terms of reducing fine lines, but my skins definitely looks and feels smoother and refined. I have a really issue with pigmentation scaring after a break out so I'm keen to continue using this to see if it helps fade them.

A little goes a long way, a sample 5ml tube lasts approx. 2 weeks! You can find Redermic R in Boots stores and and retails for £28.00 for a 30ml tube. Considering the ingredient I would say that was a fairly competitive price. Many products containing retinol sell for a much higher price tag.

Have you tried Redermic R before? If so, what do you think? 

Aroosa 

All About Brows

EYEBROWS EYEBROWS EYEBROWS!

Like many others, eyebrows are a complete stand out feature for me. I notice them straight away and if I like them I'll like the person they belong too (because good eyebrows mean a good person right?!?!) On a serious note,  I think neat eyebrows can really help tie a look together and work wonders in terms of framing a face.

Eyebrow threading has become rather mainstream over the past couple of years, having know about it long before it became popular (mainly due to my roots) I learnt how to thread and maintain my own eyebrows. I don't think I could trust someone else!

Threading can help achieve straight neat lines, something that can be a little more difficult with just tweezing alone,

What Do I Do To Maintain My Eyebrows?

So once a week I use thread to create 'straight lines' on the top and bottom of my brows. Then I go in with tweezers to neaten up and stubborn hairs that refuse to come out with thread. Tweezing is also very good for getting into difficult spaces such as right underneath the arch. I also trim my eyebrows to make them look sharper. I'm keen on the angular look but I think it totally depends on your face shape in terms if what shape of eyebrow will look best on you. If in doubt I would always recommend to stick to your natural shape as much as you can.

PRODUCTS I USE

What Do I Use And How Do I Fill My Eyebrows In?

To fill in my Brows I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade in the shade Dark Brow with an angled brush. I started by drawing a straight line at he bottom of my brow and then I concentrate most of the product towards the end and defining my arch. With whatever I have left on my brush I feather it towards the front of my brow using a light hand. You have to work fast with this product as it sets fairly quickly, acting as a eyebrow gel and a eyebrow product it one.

If i'm going for a softer look i'll use a cool brown eye shadow such as Crushed Walnut by Natural Collection. I have black hair naturally so using lighter shades on my brows prevents a very stark harsh look. If you have light eyebrows I would recommend using a brow product with is a couple of shades darker than your natural colour. This will really help add definition.

Continuously brushing out your eyebrows whilst filling them in is something not to miss! I find this to be more important when using powder as it helps distribute the products and avoids brows from looking patchy.

BEFORE FILLING IN MY BROWS

AFTER FILLING IN MY BROWS

I can go without filling my eyebrows in but I love the look of a defined brow. I'm actually now on the look out for a good brow gel that I can either use alone or on top of powder on days that I'm in a rush. Any recommendations?

La Roche-Posay EFFACLAR DUO

The hype around La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo is no secret and I'm sure you've probably heard about about how wonderful it is before! My thoughts on this product are no different.

At the beginning of this week my skin reacted to something I put on it (not sure what!) and as a result I had little red bumps surface over my cheek area. Having sensitive skin, this is unfortunately something I'm used to, but every time it happens I turn to effaclar duo. It really is my skin saviour! Usually after three days of once a day application I can see a noticeable difference in my skin, and this episode was no different.

The product is a gel like cream consistency and a little most certainly goes a long way. An increase in spots may be seen at first but stick with, it just drawing out impurities!

Once my current tube runs out, I'm excited to try the new Effaclar Duo [+](which had now replaced the original) to see how it compares. It's certainly go a lot to live up to in my eyes. The effaclar Duo [+] is marketed as having additional benefits such as scar prevention and reduction.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo[+] can be purchased in Boots in the UK. and it retails for £15.50.

Have you tried the knew version? If so what do think?

Burberry Body

Now and again I like to invest in a perfume as a little treat to myself. Who doesn't like to smell good?!

I've had my eye on Burberry Body for a while now after smelling the Rose edition that my sister received a while ago.

Whilst browsing Groupon last week, I noticed it  was on offer for £29.99(STILL AVALIABLE). Seeing as I also had a £10.00 voucher to spend on the website, I decided to snap it up for the bargain price of £19.99! (RRP £75.00 for 85ml)

It was a bit of a risk as I hasn't smelt the original before placing my order, but let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed!!

'Burberry Body is a feminine and effortlessly sensual fragrance with an eclectic combination of refined ingredients.

The scent has top notes of fresh green absinthe, illuminating elegant peach and refined freesia.

The floral bouquet of natural rose absolute and iris blends gently with subtle warm tones of sandalwood to form the heart notes.

Woody cashmeran, creamy vanilla, sensual amber and musk compose the base.'

On me the base components stand out the most and it comes across as a very warm/clean fragrance.

The only complaint I have is with regards to the lasting power. The scent had faded significantly after 4hrs of wear, but for the price I paid I think it's still very worth it. 

It's a lovely everyday perfume but also appropriate for wearing in the evening.

What perfumes would you recommend?

Make Up For Glasses Wearers

People wear glasses for a number of reasons such as vision, comfort and fashion. 

Being a fairly statement piece to be wearing on your face any makeup application may be masked or less noticeable, leading to features that you like to highlight being hidden away instead.

I've personally needed to wear glasses since the age of seven, and until recently I've completely hated the fact that I don't have 20/20 vision. I've always disliked the way glasses would mask my eyes and especially make any eye make up less visible. This led to me overusing and over wearing contact lenses for many years, something which my eyes have not thanked me for.

Having recently invested in a new pair of glasses I'm determined to find a way to make them work for me so I can feel comfortable wearing them out in public!

So what have I been doing in terms of makeup?

1. SUBTLE BROWS IF YOUR BROWS ARE DARK- like many others I'm obsessed with the perfect brow! I've learnt however that if you have darker brows when it comes to wearing glasses less is more. The especially applies if like me your frame are fairly bold. toning down your brows will avoid a overly harsh look.
2. STRUCTURED BROWS IF YOUR BROWS ARE LIGHT - Brows help to frame our faces, so if  your natural brows are very light, filling them in as you normally would do if you weren't going to wear glasses is important to maintain your normal daily face structure. 
3. WINGED LINER - I'm a big fan of a neat wing, but if I'm not wearing glasses I can get away with skipping this step if I'm in a rush. However if I want to wear my glasses, adding winged liner really helps to open up my eyes and stops them from getting lost in my frames.
4. CLEAN WATERLINE - Normally I add a black Kohl pencil in my waterline, but leaving it bare when wearing glasses again helps open up the eyes, making them more noticeable.
5. MASCARA - Don't forget to add a couple of coats of your favourite mascara to finish things off. With or without glasses I feel like mascara makes a massive difference in terms on making your eyes a stand out feature!
   

OPTIONAL:

1. CONTOUR - My frames for example are very square and rather big, so contouring my face adds structure to the rest of my face and helps balance everything out. 
2. BRIGHTER LIP - Adding a bit of colour to the lips can really finish off your look. A nude would suit too, but the brighter lip doesn't have to be a daring red or a bright pink. Something like a rosy tinted lipbalm would really help bring the look together. A favourite of mine are the korres lip butters.
   What are your tips for make up application when wearing glasses?