Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit 2nd Edition

Whilst browsing the internet for a new eyeshadow palette to get my hands on, I came across the Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit (2nd Edition). I must admit I hadn't heard of it before but the variety of colours and the inclusion of blushers really caught my attention. Pixi isn't I brand I'm too familiar with, but I've heard good things, so after googling to gain more knowledge of the quality of Pixi products, I decided to take the plunge and order this beautiful palette.

UPDATE: 

click here to see swatches of the cool eyeshadows 

click here to see swatches of the cheek powders and the highlighters

click here to see swatches of the warm eyeshadows

The Kit contains:

1. 40 Eyeshadows
2. 6 Highlighters
3. 6 Cheek Powders

"This ultimae 'go-to' Pixi beauty palette gives endless options for gorgeous fresh faced looks. The suit all shades range from cool to warm in velvet and satin textures and are all designed for you to simplify and beautify!

This is a must have edition to any wardrobe - half of the colours are prefectly pretty 'cool' tones and the other half are sizzling 'warm' tones!"

I initially planned on testing out the palette before blogging about it,but I thought I'd do a quick post to show you how pretty it is! I'm planning on doing a swatch post if anyone would be interested and also a review once I've had a chance to play around and create different looks.

WARM

COOL

The palette retails for £34.00.

I purchased mine from www.HQhair.com

UPDATE: 
click here to see swatches of the cool eyeshadows 
click here to see swatches of the cheek powders and the highlighters
click here to see swatches of the warm eyeshadows

Warm Purple Smoke Makeup Look

I love it when I get a chance to experiment with make up and try something new. Here is a look I did over the weekend, I hope you like it!

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE:

• Bourjois Healthy Mix in 53
• NYX Orange Concealer in a Jar to color correct under my eyes
• Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer under the eyes in Medium 3
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC30 to conceal blemishes
• Ben Nye Banana Powder to set under the eyes
• Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 to set the rest of my face
• Natural Collection eyeshadow in Crushed Walnut to Contour
• Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer in Medium Deep to warm up my complexion
• NARS Blusher in Sin
• The Balm Mary Loumanizer to Highlight 

EYES/BROWS:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade in Dark Brown to fill in my eyebrows
• Bourjois colour edition 24H cream to powder eyeshadow as a base
• Sidecar from the NAKED1 palette all over the lid
• Deep purple from the Sleek Bad Girl Palette and sketch by MAC in the outer V blended into the crease...BLEND BLEND BLEND
• Bright purple from the original Sleek Palette smudged under the lower lash line
• Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer in Medium Deep 3 in the crease to warm up and help blend
• Rimmel Exaggerate black khol pencil in the waterline
• L'oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga mascara 
• False lashes - Amazing Lashes in 43

LIPS:

• Clarins Lipliner in Natural to outline
• Revlon Mauve it Over Matte Lipstick

New Maybelline Colour Tattoo In Cream Beige

  I've always been a fan of cream shadows and I was too all about the Maybelline Colour Tattoo hype when they first launched a couple of years back. Unfortunately in the UK we don't get the extensive colour range that is available in the US, as well as rarely getting the limited edition releases.

So whilst perusing the isles of Superdrug once again (I feel like you may be getting a sense of what I like to do in my spare time!) 2 weeks ago I stumbled across this new Maybelline Colour Tattoo Leather Effect in the shade Creamy Beige. Due to no longer keeping up with new launches as religiously as I used to I had no idea that new colour tattoos were released,so just imagine my excitement when this caught my eye! Total child in a sweet shop moment, I had to have it.

The name describes the colour well, I think its beautiful! On my skin tone it swatches warmer than it looks in the pot, leaning slightly orange. But overall its a camel tone bronzy shade with a satin finish.

I haven't had the opportunity to use this yet but I'll be happy if it performs like the others in terms of longevity, colour payoff and base properties. I think it will make a beautiful base for a warm bronze/brown smokey eye. I can't wait to try it out!!

If you're a fan of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos give this a try. Another Shade from the Leather Effects collection called Vintage Plum was also available if you're into deep purply tones. 

Have you tried this yet? What are your thoughts?

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Naturally Radiant 2 in 1 Moisturiser and Serum

Believe it or not, this is the product that sparked my interest into getting back into blogging! After seeing the results I achieved from this moisturiser/serum, on top of all the compliments on how great my skin was looking I was itching to let people know about my skincare secret!

At the beginning of this year,back in January, I was perusing the isles of Superdrug looking for something new to try. My skin had been unhappy for a while, with the texture of it had been looking and feeling very uneven. I needed to find it something new!

Now I must say I used to feel like you get what you pay for in terms of skincare, so I wasn't expecting much at all when I picked this up and the main reason I did decide to give it a go was because of the bargain introductory offer of £2.98.

Due to having very sensitive skin, I was initially put of by the strong scent of this product. Don't get me wrong, it actually smells lovely! Very Herbally and 'Natrual' but at the time I was worried it cause a reaction. Because of this I unfortunately left it to collect dust up until about April. When I did FINALLY start using this regularly, I have to say my skin never looked or felt better.

The actual product has a gel like texture. A little goes a long way, it absorbs quickly and leaves the skin feeling soft and hydrated. I have a combination skin type and ever since I started using this moisturiser/serum religiously (twice daily) since April I haven't experienced any dry patches or excessive oiliness in my T Zone (these are problems I experienced prior to this product arriving in my life!)

Having just entered in to the bitterly cold winter months here in the UK, I was wondering if my skin would end up needing more moisture, but I have to say its still working wonders and keeping my skin adequately hydrated. I cannot recommend this product enough!

SKIN!

It retails for £5.99 an it is sold at Superdrug. It's often on offer  though, making it even more worth it!

I highly suggest you give this product a go! It's definitely a holy grail skincare product for me and I couldn't be happier with the condition of my skin ever since I started using it!

MUA Luxe London Velvet Lip Lacquers

I recently purchased the much hyped about MUA Luxe London Velvet Lip Lacquers from Superdrug. I've been enjoying experimenting with different types of lip products lately, so I was excited to give these a try.

L-R - RECKLESS, HALCYON, TRANQUILITY

The Lip Lacquers are described as a long lasting, kiss proof lip lacquers that provide an opaque finish, drying down to a matte velvet finish. I had high hopes for these lip products, firstly because I hadn't previously tried any of the 'lip lacquer' type lip products that are currently being release left, right and centre. Secondly because I'm always fond to a good old matte lip, and finally because I had myself read some rave reviews about these lip lacquers!

My Thoughts

I really wanted to like these, but unfortunately I was left rather disappointed, The first time I applied RECKLESS, I applied it to bare lips without a lip balm underneath. You  may be thinking that this was a pretty silly move as we all know how drying matte products can be, but I just wanted to test them out to see how they held up alone. Once RECKLESS had dried down, it didn't take long for it to start settling into fine lines and flaking off. I removed it within an hour of applying it as it started to feel rather uncomfortable and look patchy. I could feel the product sitting on top of my lips, and drinking from a cup just promoted the flakey-ness. I did however like the colour and the initial finish of the product!

L-R TRANQUILITY, HALCYON, RECKLESS
JUST AFTER APPLICATION BEFORE DRYING DOWN

L-R TRANQUILITY, HALCYON, RECKLESS
DRIED DOWN TO A MATTE/VELVET FINISH
(PLEASE NOTE: THIS PICTURE IS MORE OF A TRUE
 REPRESENTATION ON THE ACTUAL COLOURS)

Next I tried out the less daring shades and this time I made sure to moisturise and exfoliate my lips beforehand. Having done so I was hoping for a more positive result, however I found the application of both HALCYON and TRANQUILITY to be fairly patchy. To reduce the patchiness I would recommend blotting your lips a couple of minutes after applying lip balm. I found this to help some what but in all honest it wasn't easy to achieve an even application. Once I did however achieve an even application with TRANQUILITY, it dried down to a beautiful matte/velvet finish and lasted until I chose to take it off.

On more of a positive note I was really fond of the colours and generally feel like MUA have done well with the colour selection. The price definitely has to add to the good points of this product, at only £3.00 per lip lacquer it would be a challenge to find a product in the same type category at that price. Its also worth noting the lasting power, I had to really scrub at my lips to get these off!!

I'm looking forward to playing around with these lip lacquers a little more and hopefully finding a way to make the application easier for me. I'm also interested in trying some of the brighter colours in the range such as DARE.

What did you guys think of the MUA Luxe London Velvet Lip Lacquers?

Oh Hey!

Well Hello!
So it's been about 4years since my last blog post and here I am again!
It's safe to say that alot has happened in the past 4 years as you can probably imagine! I am no longer a teenager, I finished college ages ago and I look fairly different from my 17/18 year old self.

I've been thinking about starting to blog again for a while now. I used to love the interaction and being able to talk to others who had the same interests as me. Initially I was going to start from scratch and I still might do that, but I stumbled across my old blog (this blog!) yesterday and it bought back so many happy memories so I didn't have the heart to delete it. For now I've decided to just start where I left off really and just see how it goes.

I'm very rusty with the whole blogger thing at the moment and my blog definitely needs a revamp! As you can probably tell its still a reflection of my 17 year old self. So I'll be working on updating it somewhat and hopefully get back into the swing of blogging!

If there is anything you would like to know or if you want me to blog about anything in particular then do not hesitate to ask! I'm still planning on keeping the blog beauty related as my love for that good stuff (by that I mean makeup) never faded!

A selfie... 4 years on! Follow me on IG: __akq__

REVIEW: Vichy's Normaderm Tri-Activ Anti-Perfection Hydrating Care Moisturiser

What is it?

To simplify the title (which is a bit of a mouthful), it's a new daily moisturiser by Vichy's that has been designed to help problem prone skin.

How is it different to other daily moisturisers?

Hydra-peel technology – a unique association of acids in a highly hydrating care:

•       LHA, a L’Oréal patented acid helps micro-exfoliate the surface of the skin for a smoother surface and a uniform complexion.

•       Salicylic acid targets the pores helping to break down blackheads and whiteheads by gently micro-exfoliating the top layer of skin and clearing blocked pores. Salicylic acid also has antiseptic properties to cleanse the skin to help stop recurrence of blackheads.

•       Glycolic acid, the most common of the AHA’s is an all-natural derivative of sugar cane. Glycolic acid naturally exfoliates the skin and helps reduce the bacteria causing imperfections.

These three acids work in conjunction to target blemishes, black heads and open pores.  

Why was I excited to try this moisturiser?

When I get stressed...I get spots! From there, everything goes downhill. I get blackheads, blemishes, excess oil... and the list goes on! 

When I'm suffering from a breakout, my skin tends to become very sensitive to products I put on my face. This of course makes the situation worse, so there's just no winning! I think it's safe to say I was excited to give this moisturiser a go and see what it could do for me.

As for what the moisturiser contained, I'd previously read alot about Salicylic acid and it's benefits, so I was looking forward to seeing the results.

What's my verdict?

I used this moisturiser once a day(as recommend) for a week before I saw any results, but the results I did see were positive.  I found that the texture of my skin was alot smoother and my face would stay matte for longer throughout the day. Little bumps and blackheads around my nose has smoothed out and disappeared, which in turn helped even out my skin tone.

I didn't see a reduction or notice any fading of the blemishes on my face which was slightly disappointing as it's probably my biggest problem, but it certainly ticked the boxes for everything else.

Due to the texture of the cream being almost like a serum and not at all greasy, this moisturiser was perfect to use underneath foundation and so doubled up as a makeup base. As soon as applied, it left a smooth, matte finish.

Would I recommend it?

Yes I would. it helped me achieve a healthier appearance to my skin and it wasn't at all greasy or thick.

You can find the Vichy's Normaderm Tri-Active Anti-Perfection Hydrating Care Moisturiser in Boots and it retails for £11.50.

Disclaimer: I was sent this product for consideration to review. All opinions given are my honest opinions.

ROSA X

Models Own Nail Polishes

As many of you will already know, Models Own recently had a 50% off sale on their website to celebrate reaching 10,000 likes on facebook. Having read alot of reviews on their nail polish, I was eager to try them out for myself and get my hands on some lovely and unique colours! 

I decided to pick up five nail polishes...

From left to right:

GUN GREY 

IN THE NAVY 

PURPLE GREY

NUDE BEIGE

SLATE GREEN

They arrived yesterday, so I've had a bit of time to play around with them.  I did initially find the application a little difficult. I found that the handle to which the bristles are attached to seemed to pick up too much polish. So whilst I was painting my nails, it would slowly run down and land on my nail, resulting in a bit of a mess. Once I realised that was the constant problem, it was no bother to wipe the handle aswell as the bristles on the bottle before I started painting.
This problems only occurs with two out of the five polishes, the others were great, and all five of them left a lovely finish with no streaking.

  On a slightly more positive note,I'm really happy with all the colours I picked and I know I will definitely be picking some more up in the near future :)

Sometimes it can be difficult to find a drugstore brand (Models Own nail polishes and cosmetics are sold in Boots) that have a large range of unique and interesting colours. I've been looking for a deep, dark, glossy navy shade with a creme finish for ages and I think I've finally found it in the shade 'In the Navy'

I would absolutely love Models Own to come out with a dark forest green shade. Something Similar to ORLY'S 'Enchanted Forest' or American Apparel's 'Hunter'

Having said that, for now I have a long list of existing colours I want to get my hands on!

What is your favourite nail polish by Models Own?

ROSA x

Barry M Nail Paints and my second Sleek Palette!

My Barry M nail paint's collection is growing fast!  Since I blogged about the shade 'Mushroom' a couple of weeks ago, I've got my hands on two more shades. Superdrug had a 2 for £5.00 offer, what was I supposed to do?!

The two shades I picked up were 'Racing Green', a colour that I've had my eye on for ages, and 'Vivid Purple'

I'll post pictures once I've had a chance to wear them :)

Whilst sorting out my makeup storage, which is still a mess by the way, I can across my Sleek Storm Palette. I had really forgotten how much I loved that palette. The shadows are so soft and pigmented, I'm definitely going to start using it more often. Anyway, so whilst in Superdrug I decided to pick up the original palette, It was between that and the sunset palette, but the original had a greater variety of colours. I'm sure I'll end up picking them all up soon enough!

i decided not to do swatches, only because they can be found on many blogs already. But if you do want to see swatches, just let me know.

I'm really excited to use the greens. I think they will look really lovely when creating a green smokey eye.

I wish sleek would bring back some of their limited edition palettes such as safari and jewel, I 'd love to get my hands on them!

Whats your favourite eyeshadow palette by Sleek? and what else do you recommend by them? I'm really interested to try some other makeup items by the brand.

ROSA X

Neutrogena Skincare

Two skincare items by Neutrogena:

1.Visibly clear 2 in 1 wash and mask

2.Visibly clear triple action lotion.

Are both staples in my skincare routine. Not that I have a set routine, because I'm still searching for new products that truly work for me. These however I always find myself coming back to time and time again.

I mainly use the first one as a mask only, as a prefer to use a face wash that contains exfoliating beads. When used as a mask, I find that it really helps to clean out my pores and leaves my skin glowing and feeling clean. I try to apply this mask to my face once a week, and in doing so, I have really noticed a reduction in black heads and just a generally improvement in the way my skin looks and feels! This products retails for around £3-4... completely worth it in my opinion!

To date, I have probably gotten through 6/7 bottles of the triple action cleansing lotion. I use it to take off my make up, re freshen up my face, clean out my pores etc. etc. etc.
I just love this thing! It leaves such a clean feeling on the skin and on top of that it retails for about £2.99! You can't go wrong!

What skincare items do you love?

The Obsession Continues...OPI

I recently went ahead and ordered some more OPI nail polishes.

Seriously

I'm obsessed!

I want to own every single bottle! Too bad the retail price in the UK is so high (£9.95 per bottle), I'll just have to settle for purchasing a couple of bottles now and again! Just so you know... I didn't pay retail price for these, I ordered them for a slightly cheaper price online. I don't think I can quiet justify 10 pounds on a nail polish yet!

Anyway back to the point... my recent purchase consists of:

1.Here Today, Argon Tomorrow...SUEDE (new shade for fall/winter)

2.Catch Me In Your Net (Summer Flutters Collection 2010)

3.My Private Jet (Night Brights 2007)

4.Holiday Glow (Holiday Collection 2009)

4,3,2,1

1. The finish on this one is sooo cool! Seriously. Google it! I'll definitely blog about it when I have it on again, it's just not that summery. I'll be getting more use out of this in winter. I'm really interested in trying a couple of the other shades in the suede finish... I like!

2.This is amazing! you can't help but stare at your hands when this is on your nails. I'll have to show you to explain it properly, but it has tiny glass flecks that reflect the light in an array of colours....like blue, green and yellow. It reminds me of a mermaid :)

3.The famous My Private Jet...There are supposedly 4 different versions of this. The original being the best and very hard to find. The original is described as a charcoal grey with a holo finish. The other 3 lack the holo finish, and instead have one colour shot through it. Mine has a bronze shade shot through it. It would be nice to get the original, but I love this one too.

4. I was really excited to get my hands on this one because it's really hard to find as it was limited edition a while back. It's a really pretty brown/dark burgundy shade with tiny particle of gold and red glitter.

 

Just in case your interested, Here's a recent NOTD using an OPI polish. I first painted my nails with 2 coats of 'mushroom' by BarryM and then i added a coat of 'Wing It' by OPI which is also from the new Summer Flutters 2010 Collection.

See what I mean about the little glass fleck particles? Very cool!

 

What is your favourite OPI polish?

ROSA x