I had to “pop” into the city on Sunday afternoon to drop my eldest off at his latest geek club and so I took the opportunity to have a good mooch around Superdrug. When we lived in Bangor Superdrug was more handy to me than Boots but since I’ve been in Belfast (3 months… wowzers) I hadn’t set foot in one.

I was pleasantly reacquainted. Sure, Boots is fabulous, who doesn’t LOVE those advantage card points?! but Superdrug is quite exclusive in a way. I got my fix of Gosh Cosmetics, Bloom, MUA and Sue Moxley. Different is almost always good in my book.

My main focus was on the “Famous” by Sue Moxley range. I always wanted to like this range, after all what’s not to like about a range created by a real life Make-up Artist. However first impressions were poor. Every single time I went to a Superdrug her brand stand (oooh it rhymes) was clearly unloved and unreplenished. The tester make-up was a mess, everything was covered in dust and things that I did find of interest were inevitably broken or smushed (technical term…).

I think over the 18 months I’ve been aware of her brand I’ve bought one thing that wasn’t in a complete state, a fan brush and it was amazing so I hoped they’d get their act together.

It finally looks like they have done just that.

On Sunday I was pleased to find that her stand was clean, tidy and reinvented. My eye was immediately drawn to the solo shadows which were on 2 for £6. Some really dreamy metallic shades. Then I clocked the 4 pan palettes which were priced at £9 and since I was having trouble deciding which singles to opt for I went for the palettes instead.

This particular quad of brown tones is called Cafe Culture.

Under Flash

Under Natural Lighting

The back of the palette assures me that these can be applied dry as well as wet, depending on the impact you desire. Today I went for dry.

Face – Diorskin Nude Foundation + Topshop Bronzer
Lids – Sue Moxley Cafe Culture Palette
Lashes – L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black
Cheeks – NARS Deep Throat
Highlight – Mac Shimmer
Lips – Mac Modesty

Overall I love the result, all the shades work really well together and are comparable to a few main Mac shadows.. second left is a more subtle Satin Taupe for instance.

Bad points, well there are a few unfortunately…

• All 4 colours are high in the shimmer/ sheen stakes. I’d have thought that as they are apparently designed by an MA that the nude shade at least would have been matt. I had to take a touch of Mylar and blend that up towards my brow to avoid the drag queen look.

• Not all the shadows are of the same consistency, the second from right (a warm brown) is very bitty. It separates more than the others and can be quite messy, however it is a very pretty colour.

• The packaging. At the moment I have quite long/ strong nails (how and why is a mystery) but even I struggled to open the palette. It has a good groove to get your grip on but for some reason it’s still an absolute bitch to open.

So all that’s not so positive, however I have to say I’m still really glad that I bought this.

In fact I love the 3 brown shades so much that it’s a definite must have in my going away make-up bag this weekend (wedding anniversary… YAY!!). There is no denying that each colour compliments each other perfectly. The blendability is superb and nine hours later is still looks like this…

(OMG… look how much my foundation colour has oxidised)

Ok so there is definite wear but significant shape and colour remains so I am MORE than happy.

£9 well spent in my opinion

xo

We all know it makes sense don’t we? Yet for some reason when we see that new MAC Collection pop up online we can’t help ordering somewhat blind.

Recently I’ve really wised up and put the foot down. I dread to think of the hundreds (maybe thousands eeek) I’ve wasted on make-up that I thought looked gorgeous on a computer monitor/ in a bottle/ on a sticker!?!  but of course is actually completely different IRL.

I’ve no one to blame but myself. Testers are everywhere. Granted some of the high end counters can be “funny” (and no, not in the haha way) about giving them out. However I’ve come to the conclusion that if a sales assistant truly believes the product is as good as she is claiming, then she won’t blink twice at giving you a sample. After all, logically you’ll be back to purchase the full size bottle/ shadow/ cream etc.

This has worked really well for me recently. Estee Lauder in particular displayed excellent customer service by refusing to foundation match me on a dull day under artificial lights in Debenhams, Belfast. Instead she gave me generous samples of both the shades she felt I would fall into and told me to “try them, and see how they wear for you in the next few days”I did exactly that, and went back just under a week later and bought the full size from her. Now that’s smart business.

The other place where you can perhaps “try before you buy” a little more freely is of course your local Boots/ Superdrug. Not all of them provide wipes to remove said testers from the back of your hands tho, so my advice is to carry a travel size pack in your handbag.

I can spend over an hour in my local Superdrug and I don’t have any pushy MA looking over my shoulder, trying to force a sale. I swatch and wipe, swatch and wipe. If I try something I like, I leave the store, go do something else (….shopping!!) and then re-evaluate an hour or so later. Does the colour still look good? Has it worn off? Is it creasing? A lot of the times it will look rubbish and I’ll have saved myself £5 – £12 ish. Not to be sniffed at in the current economic climate!

The most recent example of victory for the “try before you buy” thinking was yesterday. GOSH cosmetics have a whole new smokey collection in Superdrug. Part of which is the stunning “Night Passion” Nail Polish you see below. Look how sumptiously gothic and rich it is in the bottle…..

Now look at my thumb nail…. not so beautifully black and beautiful looking is it? Granted the glitter shavings are lovely, and they really do catch the light. However the polish formulation is like dish water. I applied a second coat and it was little better. Needless to say I walked out without purchasing and £6 better off.

How utterly crap it actually is was confirmed again later that evening when I glanced down to see it all but chipped off! How disgusting is that colour? Yuck! Narrow escape.

So the moral of the story is “try before you buy” and if they refuse to let you try, chances are it’s probably a bit rubbish anyway! xox

It suddenly occurred to me this afternoon that I had promised to post pictures of Barry M’s Strawberry blush “last weekend” *slaps wrist*

Better late than never eh?!

In Natural Light

Under Flash

Same great, almost creamy consistency as the Raspberry but imo more suited to the brunettes amongst us. This is a potent colour, I literally used a smidgen and it’s pretty full on as you can see. I’ll hazard a guess and say this would be very over-powering on a blonde/ redhead.

xox

As I proclaimed earlier on Twitter. I heart blush. Out of all the different types of make-up blush is the one I couldn’t live without. Second would be mascara (I’m guessing this would be a lot of other people’s first choice) which yes, does open up my eyes and improve my stubby lashes…… but, without blush I might as well not have bothered putting on any make-up, including mascara in the first place.

It has always been what pulls a look together for me. The difference between feeling happy with my make-up and feeling sensational about it. For this reason I always apply blush last, I just love to see the transformation it makes to the end result, it brings the whole look alive (literally, if you’re as deathly pale as I am).

So when 2 of the new Barry M Sheer Blushers fell into my grubby little make-up loving mitts this morning, a planned “no make-up day” quickly turned into a “full on slap day” . I just couldn’t wait to play with them!

There are six shades to choose from:

Pink Orchid 1 – add to apple of cheeks for a girly, pretty-pink finish.

Rose 2 – a romantic English rose shade.

Strawberry 3 – this vibrant colour will give cheeks a flushed red blush.

Raspberry 4 – a striking fuchsia-pink to give cheeks the definition that’s required this season.

Apricot 5 – fantastic on fair skin, this zesty orange will give a fresh faced glow.

Terracotta 6 – a gorgeous bronze to add warmth and give skin a sun kissed complexion.

I picked No 4 Raspberry for todays look. It does look quite scary in the pan but as the product name suggests these blushers are designed to be sheered out. That said, this range is by no means selling itself as subtle or pastel. It is however glitter free! So if you’re one of the minority that prefers a matt finish (as opposed to human glitter ball) these will be to your taste

The range is bright and bold, bringing the prominent cheek colour trend we’ve seen from the likes of Marc Jacobs and Gucci this season, and making it “wearable” for the girl on the street. Into your 80′s revival? Bubbling over at the thought of Fame on the big screen? These are aimed at you.

The compacts are sturdy plastic and each blush comes with its own little brush, however I like to use a slightly fluffier brush when applying, just makes it that little bit easier to build on colour and avoid looking like Coco the Clown.

The blush itself is almost creamy, which is excellent as fallout is minimal and the compact itself stays nice and clean. I believe it contains an anti-oxidant Vitamin E to protect and condition, and I did feel it was soft on the skin, it blended well into the cheek, and didn’t just sit on the surface looking talcy.

Under Flash. Zero cakiness = WIN

Minus Flash

Cheeky!!

Overall I’m impressed and refreshed to see a brand step outside the subtle comfort zone of pastels which so many of the big name brands are still churning out.

It might not be to everyone’s taste, but bright “in your face” blush is a major trend this year and IMO it needs to be catered to. The only other “accessible” brand that has got close with colours like this is Illamasqua (I’m not counting Mac Pro) but their blush is £14 a pop.

I’d much rather call into Superdrug or buy online and get 3 from the Barry M range for the same amount ( £4.50 each). It’s a trend at the end of the day, these things come and go, so they have to be affordable. I know where I’ll be spending my limited funds!!

xoxo

P.S Keep an eye out for a FOTD using No 3 Strawberry over the weekend

Well its been two whole months since I set about saving these hideous nails…

Nails on 9th June 2009

I’ve been continuing with the application of Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle Night and Day and we’re now at this stage….

Nails on the 11th of August 2009

I really can’t fault this stuff, the before and after pictures speak for themselves. What you can’t appreciate in photo though is just how strong my nails now are. There is very little flexibility in them, but enough to mean they are not susceptible to chipping.

A few people have been put off by the price of this product (approx £8 per bottle). I understand in this climate people are more careful about buying these type of treatment products, however I can honestly say I’d pay double that for it if I had to. That’s quite simply because it works.

Each bottle lasts almost 2 months as well (and thats using it twice daily) which I think is great value for money.

Most of all though I like my hands again, I don’t shove them into my pockets or feel ashamed of them, such as when handing money over at shops. My hands feel elegant, feminine and more representative of “me” which quite frankly rocks

xoxo

Well folks, I may have to eat my words here…… as through gritted teeth I must confess that the Sleek Safari Palette isn’t half bad…. in fact its pretty great.

Under Flash

The pay off from the majority of shadows in the palette is superb, to the point where you might like to use a light hand!

The colours in the palette are also well chosen. I found it pretty effortless to pair colours that would compliment each other, always a good sign, and the shadows are easy to work with and blend.

The only thing I can really find to criticise is the fact that the palette does get quite messy (like the others) as the shadows break down very easily. However that really is me looking for a flaw

£4.99 well spent xox

Rimmel London have released a new collection of Moisture Renew Lipsticks £5.99, Vinyl Glosses & Blushes £4.99 which is currently on 3 for 2 in Superdrug.

The lippy and gloss seems to revolve around the whole “bronze goddess” vibe thats floating about at the minute. Very summery, sexy and metallic.

The blushes are based around the seasons, ie Spring Flower.
Sorry if I’m being a bit vague but the Rimmel London website isn’t actually updated yet (poor show) and the blushes & lipsticks don’t even appear on it. Tsk tsk.

Spring Flower is a cute baby pink with mauve undertone. Although because its got a three toned gradient you can intensify this or play it down.

Out of the Lipsticks I got Rose Bikini 020 and Beach Babe 050.

I didn’t get any of the Vinyl Glosses as they have a sickly orange scent to them which reminds me of my Dove Gradual Tanner. Not something I want to keep reapplying on my lips! Its a pity really as I am a fan of the vinyl consistency, its not overly sticky.

L-R: Spring Flower, Beach Babe, Rose Bikini

The lipsticks are lovely though, I was so glad to see some shimmer! It’s definitely where my heart lies

Beach Babe

Rose Bikini

They feel soft and moisturising on the lips, but nice and light, after all nobody wants to be wearing a heavy lippy in summer.

I’m think they’d look fab with the co-ordinating Vinyl Gloss over the top but even without they have that high shine and shimmer.

A new purse friendly favourite

xoxox

Its 11.30pm and I’m getting ready to go to bed. This is unusually early for me (bit of a night owl), but its an early start tomorrow as I’m headed to Dublin in the morning to meet the Benefit Twins. Soooo exciting!!!

I’ve primped and preened in preparation (my husband doesn’t get this much effort), and in my hasty excitement commited the mortal eyebrow plucking sin….. I used the magnified side of my mirror. Such a bad idea! I just get so carried away when everything looks so big and black and goddamm hairy, and I overplucked!! Nightmare.
So one thing I will be picking up at the Benefit counter tomorrow is some eyebrows

Anyway, I’m rambling…. basically I wanted to share a few purchases I made today. I went out specifically to grab myself a set of the Eylure Girls Aloud Lashes, namely the Nicola which looked right up my street. While there I also lifted Nadine’s lashes as Superdrug had a Buy One Get One Half Price on them.

I’m not a huge fan of very heavy dense falsies for everyday wear which I consider these to be suitable for, and so these were the two that really appealed to me.

Below is a close up of each. Click to enlarge

Nicola

Nadine

I’m hoping to wear my Nicola’s tomorrow and will post pics up for you over the weekend

While in Superdrug I also picked up another GOSH Extreme Art Eyeliner in 17, which is a gorgeous lilac tone. Last week I was obsessed with golds and blues! This week its pinks and purples
I really like these eyeliners, I’m getting used to working with the gloopy consistency and think they are a gorgeous and simple way of adding a cheeky flash of colour to an otherwise neutral eye.

I also don’t find them as difficult to remove as I had anticipated, a wet wipe or cotton pad soaked in cleanser makes short work of them.

Also from GOSH I got this pretty Multicolour Blush in 50 Pink Pie. I just adore the name! I have yet to try this, it reminds me of the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick and the Me Me Me Shimmy Shimmers though. Its a mix of baby pink, rose, copper & tan infused with mostly gold glitter. So it differs in that its not all from the same colour family, so I am intrigued and excited to see how this applies. I’ll keep you posted

Without flash

With Flash

And finally, I bought a dress. I’m really getting back into my frock love now that the weight is coming off. I’m especially loving the whole All Saints parachute dress/ skirt jazz. I am not however loving their price tags!

So I was a happy bargainista when I saw this nifty little tartan number in cheapy clothes shop Exhibit for £18. I’m thinking it’ll be gorgeous over my denim treggings, or even bare legged if my prayers are answered and the sun stays out for longer than half an hour.

Night Night Peeps xoxoxxo

Barry M released 6 new Dazzle Dusts on Thursday & I have been dying to get my hands on them!!

Imagine my disappointment then when I rocked up yesterday to my local Superdrug only to find the shelves labelled with the new colours but a severe lack of the dazzle dusts themselves. I went in search of answers…..
In retrospect the interrogation I gave the shop manager as to their whereabouts may have been a little over the top (in my defence I am a make-up addict)….. but she assured me they were simply late and would be arriving in the next delivery.

I returned today and unfortunately they still had no stock of 2 of the Dazzle Dusts, namely Block Blue 93 & Parrot Green 95, however much to my insane pigmenty joy they did have the others
I got Dark Chocolate 97, Teal 94, Gold 96 & Petrol Black 98. I also picked up one the GOSH Extreme Art Eye Liners in 10, a vibrant electric blue, it looked so gorgeous on my chum Kelly that I just had to have!

Yay!!

From left 97, 94, 96, 98 (Minus Flash)

From left 97, 94, 96, 98 With Flash

How amazing do they look under flash? I can’t wait to play around with these, expect a FOTD soon

xoxoxox

Eyeko Touch Up & Glow

I have passed the Eyeko stand in Superdrug literally hundreds of times, it is always surrounded by school girls, and for that reason I’d dismissed it as being exclusively for that age group. I still think it probably is however everyone is allowed to share in value for money cosmetics, right?

This little highlighter pen was £3.42, we’re talking bargain basement prices here.

Consistency is much like Benefit’s High Beam, only major difference is this highlight is more champagne coloured instead of pinky and you obviously get a lot less product.

I love it though, great value for money, actually gives a gorgeous effect (I wore a little of it at the Style Awards with my MSF) and the pen type dispenser is really easy to shove into my handbag. Thumbs up from me!

xox

When it was released in the states it sold out immediately, the same seems to have happened here. This has been near impossible for me to find. All I can conclude from that is that I have a lot of company in the Gimmick Lovers department

So what is the Wave?

Its a battery powered facial cleanser.
According to the packet it provides exceptional cleansing in 3 ways;

• Tingly, cool foam penetrates deep into pores to remove dirt, oil and make-up
• Gentle vibrating motion stimulates the skin’s surface – feel (lol) the massaging action open the pores to enable lather to get deep in the pores
• Softly textured pads sweep away dead skin cells – skin is immediately softer and smoother after just 1 use

It comes with 2 weeks supply of the inter-changeable pads, I picked up an extra months supply while in Superdrug (I’m anticipating being wowed by it, the marketing claims have seeped in and done their work already and I have yet to open the box LOL).

My main purpose for wanting to give this a whirl (beyond being an unashamed gimmick whore) is that I’m still struggling on the blackhead issue. You never know eh! Worth a try!

Most amusing are reports that the “vibrating” wave has been receiving some mis-use…….. oooooer LOL, well if its a rubbish cleanser at least I won’t have completely wasted my money!!!

Anyone else tried it??

xox

Once again it’s a Revlon polish, I am totally loving their colours at the moment, they are bang on trend. It also helps that the coverage is amazing! May look runny if you check out a tester but don’t be fooled, this stuff is opaque.
Currently a few pounds off them in Superdrug, this was a little over £4.

097 Plum Seduction – a wonderful magenta pink

Under flash

What’s on your nails this week? xox

I feel a little sick as I type this…… recently I have found it increasingly difficult to get a hold of L’Oreal’s Voluminous Mascara in both Boots & Superdrug, there was always an empty space…
Alarms bells only started to ring loudly when I noticed the actual space for Voluminous and the shelf ticket was replaced with other offerings from within the brand.

So I emailed their UK Customer Services department and got this response back a few minutes ago…
I have cut & pasted the email to maintain my email confidentiality.

Reference: C86520844

www.loreal.co.uk

Data Protection: Your personal information and that of any other person upon whose behalf you are making your query or complaint may be retained (which may include being held electronically or in our databases) by the L’Oréal Group and used for the purposes of addressing your query or complaint and for internal monitoring, adverse event reporting and auditing requirements. In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 you may write to us to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

Is anyone else freaking out?? This is my favourite mascara ever!! I’ve already been on Ebay and stocked up on any I could find. There are plenty of the US one but no UK listed right now.
On that note, be aware that the Voluminous from the US has a slightly different wand and doesn’t perform as well. You need the L’Oreal UK version, see pics below for packaging detail differences.

US Version

UK Version

*cries*

I got three of the Sleek palettes courtesy of my lovely mum at Christmas and have used them all sporadically since then. So what do I think of them……… is the title giving it away?

Clockwise from bottom; Original, Jewel, Chaos

In a word, nasty.

They are pretty to look at, packaging is cute for around £4.98, colours look vibrant and fun.

Where it all starts to go wrong is around the application point. All the palettes are different consistencies, the Original is hands down the best in regards to pigmentation and creaminess. The bolds in Chaos are low in pigment, chalky and disappointing. Jewel is a bit of a mix, some are well pigmented, others poor.

Below is the gold and bronze from the original palette. It has been applied over UDPP, and this is what it looks like after approximately seven hours…..

Apart from the fact that there is barely any of the shadow left on my lid because it flakes so badly, the main problem is that when this shadow gets in your eye, it doesn’t half hurt!

I can wear basically any eye shadow, premium or drugstore, my eyes are not sensitive, but this shadow does not agree with me at all. The first few times it irritated me I thought maybe I had an eyelash annoying me, now after numerous applications I am 100% positive that it is the Sleek shadows.

They weren’t expensive but they have been getting rave reviews, so I kinda feel a bit mislead but I think it just once again proves that in regards to make-up what suits one person won’t necessarily agree with someone else.

*Opens bottom drawer (where bad make-up goes to die) and tosses palettes in*

I have done a look today for the upcoming Christmas party season. It is quite daring and not for everyone, but I like to have fun with make-up and especially love green against my eyes. I have used a mixture of products, but most are very inexpensive and available from Superdrug or Boots.

All the coloured pigments I used were from Barry M, Superdrug is currently running a promotion of 3 Dazzledusts for £10 which is great value. I covered my lid with MAC paint in Bare Canvas to give a nice sticky base for the pigment. Then using homemade mixing medium (1 part glycerin to 3 parts water) I made a nice paste of each pigment. Far far easier to work with and no annoying fall out. Yay!!

I then took it a bit further, couldn’t resist!
I added a splash of red to the corners to make the look really young & fun
Please excuse the eyebrows, I have ruined my tweezers by using them to perform a number of non tweezer related jobs (ie DIY things that actually required pliers). Ooops

Eyes

• MAC Paint in Bare Canvas (all over eye to prep)
• Barry M Dazzle Dust in Emerald 72 (lid & up into crease)
• Barry M Dazzle Dust in Lime 75 (inner third of lid)
• Barry M Dazzle Dust in Cherry Red 84 (outer third of lid)
• MAC Eyeshadow in White Frost (Brow bone)
• Rimmel Exaggarate Eye Liner Intense 001 Black (top lash line)
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Covet (under lower lash line)
• Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Gel Eye Liner in Pizzazz (over the 24/7 on the lower lash line)
• MAC Plush Lash Mascara in Plushblack

Yet another bargain this week, in the form of a money off coupon. Yay!!!!!
The coupon is in this weeks issue of Closer magazazine. Redeemable at any Superdrug store from now until the 19th of November, this entitles you to £2 off the Gosh Cosmetics Quattro eyeshadow in either:
Q24 Platinum or Q31 Aquarius. RRP is normally £8.