When Something Is So Pretty it Makes You Want To Cry...

This is hands down the best spontaneous purchase I have made in a long time. I just walked past it in Selfridges and although I admired its beauty...I walked on. However, one of the lovely ladies at the Bobbi Brown counter grabbed me and said I must try it. 

Usually i'm pretty good at saying no, but the moment I saw that sheen, I was done. 

Here we have the Bobbi Brown Highlighter in Pink Glow. 

I have never owned a BB highlighter before...in fact now I think of it, I think everything I own from her is matte. GOOD GOD this woman does glow well. 

The moment the light hit my cheeks, I saw this beautiful, ethereal yet refined glow.

Do not be fooled by the name, this is not 'Pink' - we aren't talking Benefits High Beam, this is more of a beige with a hint of pink/peach. There is no overwhelming colour to this, it is just very sheeny. 

If highlighters are your thing- I really think you should check this out. 

The texture is incredibly smooth yet it does not kick up any excess powder. It is very dense in the pan so one would assume it's dry- but it's not. 

My preferred method of application is with a fan brush on the high points of my face. Pink Glow is very buildable so it's up to you to create as much glow as you like.

I have applied this with my Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder brush but for my tastes it came off a little too strong. 

If applied heavily, this can look quite metallic. It still looks wonderful, but for me it is a little too much- especially in the day time. 

The swatches really don't do this justice- I'm still trying to get used to the lighting in my new flat. 

This is a firm favourite in my make up collection and I have worn it constantly since I picked it up. 

I have fair/medium skin with warm undertones and this really suits me. If you are a touch darker though, there is a bronzier shade which may be better suited.  

Bottom Line : I am in love. You need this. 

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Giorgio Armani : Maestro Concealer and Corrector

For me, finding a great under eye concealer/corrector, seems to be the hardest task in make up.

I have tried so, so many and to be honest, more often than not, I am disappointed. 

I bought the Giorgio Armani Maestro Eraser and Corrector a while ago. I've barely ever seen them blogged about and when I tried them in the store I loved them....I dont anymore- which is disappointing as I ADORE Giorgio Armani make up. 

They aren't the worst I have tried but they are definitely the most expensive and due to such a high price point, I do expect perfection. 

Lets start with the Master Corrector (£26) the pink bottle on the right. It's called Rose (shade 1).

The application is great as it has a tiny little brush wand that allows you to place the product exactly where you want it. 

However the packaging really isn't great as it can leak.

I know pinky/salmony shades are meant to correct the blue/purple colour under your eyes- but this is PINK. Very pink. 

The texture is lovely- very blendable, never cakes and sinks into the skin. 

My issue is that one would assume the total pinkness would take all the blue out of my under eyes...but it just doesn't...also this is quite a watery consistency so it can spread very easily, which means it is very easy to be left with bright pink smears across my cheeks.

This does lessen the darkness under my eyes- but not that much which is weird because the colour should work...but I feel more the most part it just disappears into the skin. 

This might work on slight under eye shadows- but not mine.

L-R: Maestro Concealer and Master Corrector

Next we have the Giorgio Armani Maestro Eraser Dark Circle Concealer (£28.50) in shade 2.
I bought this to place on top of the pink corrector to make it blend more in with my skin tone, brighten and eliminate the pink.
I find this ever so slightly pinked toned anyway (which I dont think is being picked up in the picture)
But I just don't feel this adds any coverage.
It has a very watery texture- which I do like as it is non drying, doesn't sink into lines or pores, can be layered without caking, but I find even after layering, coverage is not built up.

Bottom Line : I don't hate these, but I just wish they added a lot more coverage and actually helped to rid me of my dark circles.
I also find that by the end of the day, these have somewhat worn away so any minor coverage achieved has disappeared.
This was an expensive purchase for me so I am a bit gutted.
The texture is fine, the coverage is not.
I can apply more throughout the day when it has worn off and it wont cake, but still - aint nobody got time for that.
For a great concealer, have a look at my review of the Urban Decay Naked Concealer.
I also bought a new concealer last weekend that is currently rocking my socks- it is one of the best I have ever tried. A review of that will be up soon!

I'm always keen to try new concealers - so if you have any suggestions please leave them below!

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Bobbi Brown Artstick in Rose Brown

This is such a gorgeous mauvy/brown/pink that I think pretty much everyone can pull off.

It's 90s without being too harsh. 

As much as I love the colour, I don't reach for this as much as I would like is the application can be a little messy. 

Due to it being a pencil- unless it is freshy sharpened, it can be quite easy to stray out of the lines, so its not super ideal to apply in a rush. 

I know there are a lot of crayon like lip products out there, but I find the BB one to be a little chunkier than the rest.

If I am worried about mess, I firstly line my lips with Macs Soar Lip Liner - it's a very good match. 

Bottom Line : This is a comfortable, fairly long lasting lipstick, in a colour I adore.

I just wish Bobbi did this colour in her origninal lipstick range- I much prefer that sort of application! 

The justification for these sort of crayons is that 'they are a lip liner and lipstick in one'...really? My lip liners are a hell of a lot skinnier than that. 

I won't be picking up anymore of the Art sticks as I prefer the application of regular lipsticks, but I will try to use this more often. 

What do you guys think of the Arts sticks? Am I just being overly critical?

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Current Skincare Favourites...

Hello everybody!

I apologize again for the radio silence. I have moved house and started a new job so everything has been pretty up in the air. 

I am fully settled now and I have missed blogging so much! There is lots to come now. 

I was thinking which post I should go for as I have been absent for so long, and then I realized that make up aside- its my skin care that has seen the most change, so I thought it was a good place to start!

Some of the above are old, some are new, but regardless, I am loving them right now. 

Una Brennan Super Facialist Vitamin C+ Skin Renewing Cleansing Oil: I have heard so many great things about this cleansing oil (mostly from Viviannadoesmakeup- one of my biggest enablers).

This does a fantastic job at breaking up makeup and it is gentle enough to use as a double cleanse. 

I don't think it performs as well as the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil when it comes to pure make up removal, but it is a lovely, gentle non stripping oil that I enjoy. 

It's the first affordable cleanser that  I have liked in YEARS - I honestly have really high maintenance skin, so I like there is something on the high street that doesn't break the bank.

It does have a fragrance to it but its not overpowering and for me, not irritating. 

Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask : I am a huge fan of using acids on my skin- I barely ever use manual exfoliants these days. I use this mask once a week and I think it has done a really good job at brightening my skin that has been ravaged by excessive sugar consumption and central heating.

I make sure not to over exfoliate so I only do this once a week and with one or two swipes of my First Aid Beauty pads here and there. 

It makes my skin clearer and brighter. I will definitely pick up the full size.

Ren Flash One Minute Facial: This is so refreshing to use in the morning, its ever so slightly grainy and its weird that you only need to leave it on the skin for a minute, but it does help to perk up tired skin.

I think this could be pretty harsh so I only use it a couple of times a week, but its a pleasure every time. 

If you are super sensitive though, I would maybe ask for a sample- I can be pretty sensitive and its pretty easy for my skin to get blotchy and red looking- this however is fine for me.
I do find sometimes my skin can feel a little tight after use, but it does make my skin look great and its nothing that a little facial oil cant sort. 

I will pick up a full size when this runs out, but I have other brightening masks that I will finish first.

Emma Hardie Brillaince Facial Oil : I LOVE this stuff- a full review is on its way!

Egyptian Magic Cream : I have had his for ages and I'm only nearly a third of my way through. It's one of my holy grails. The packaging sucks though as all the writing has worn off.
For a full review, click here. 

Liz Earle Instant Boost Tonic: I used this religiously for years but stopped to try new things. I'm glad this is back in my life! 

I really enjoy this in spritz form as a toner, to refresh throughout the day and also to spritz on after I've done my make up in case things are looking a little powdery.

Its become a permanent fixture in my make up bag. Non drying and refreshing. A win. 

Liz Earle Eyebright: If like me- you wear lenses, you will understand the agony of putting lenses in tired, dry eyes. 

It's horrible, but sometimes unavoidable. If I've had little sleep (which is often) I cant afford to wait forever for my eyes to adjust...

Enter this. I now keep this by my bedside, and after my first alarm has gone off, I drench two cotton discs with this calming solution and place on my eyes for 10 mins. 

I'm sure this would help with de-puffing, but I don't really have that problem- I more need something to bring my eyes to life. 

This does just that, soothes my eyes, wakes me up and tricks my eyes into thinking they're contact lense ready. Its a keeper. 

What are your current skin care faves? 

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Gimme Brow VS The Brow Artist Plumper

Benefits Gimme Brow is one on my Holy Grail products. It is a heavily tinted brow gel that contains tiny fibres that cling to your eyebrow hairs to help thicken them up. As someone with very fine brows, that is exactly what I am looking for. If my brows have been tinted, then I only need a couple of swipes of this to add some volume, or I use it after I have filled them in with powder.

So basically, I use this everyday. It helps to create such natural brows which is exactly what I want with mine, I don't want the main focal point of my face to be my brows. 

It also helps to set them in place, it's just a lovely product. 

However, I ran out of this a while ago and I heard a lot of people compare it to the L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper and as it is much more affordable, I thought I would give it a go. 

L-R L'Oreal and Benefit

I'm sorry to say that in my opinion, the L'Oreal is not a dupe, I think the Benefit offering is so much better.

You can see the L'Oreal wand on the left is quite significantly bigger and more spaced out. Due to this, I find it can be very messy to apply and it's not good for grabbing on to the eyebrow hairs.

The Benefit one is small so offers much more precision, its very hard to over do and it has more pigment to it. 

Also I find the Brow Plumper sets very quickly and I can really feel it on my brows. 

I suppose if you have thick, unruly brows- you might quite enjoy that, but it makes mine feel too rigid and once it has set, you can't cant layer it up as things start to look really messy.

L-R: Benefit and L'Oreal

I find both these colours are suitable for those with dark hair like mine, but you can see that the Gimme Brow is a lot ashier whereas the L'Oreal is quite warm. That's another reason why Gimme Brow wins out for me as I favour an ashier, more natural brow.

Bottom Line : Sorry folks, but for me this is one of those times where the more expensive option is just genuinely better. I have since repurchases this little guy and I can't envisage a time when I don't use it.

I know it's pricey, but I got my first Gimme Brow as a Xmas present last year, I picked up another one a couple of months ago and it's still going strong. I use it daily, so to me, that makes it worth the money.

Whats your fave?

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Liz Earle Powder Blush : Swatch and Review

If you have read this post, you will be well aware that I totally adore the Liz Earle Cream Blushes. They are some of the best I have ever tried and really create that dewy flush of colour.

I realised whilst sorting through my make up stash that I had rather ignored their powder counterpart- so I just wanted to right this wrong!

This is the Liz Earle Powder Blush in Nude, which is described as a rosy apricot.

It has a matte finish, which is not usually something I go for- I like my blushes with a dose of glow, however this is one of the creamiest matte blushes I have tried.

It is surprisingly silky to the touch, it's not overly powdery, it kicks up very little powder at all in fact and it blends with ease considering it is a matte.

This colour does create a lovely natural flush and I really should make a effort to use it more often!

Do I prefer it to the cream blushes? No. I think if you are dithering between, the creams reign supreme. 

This is a lovely blush though so I have moved things around a bit so I have more easy access to it, the colour reads very autumnal to me and due to its rosy base, it suits a multitude of make up looks.

What do you guys prefer? Cream or Powder? 

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Autumn Lip Options No.3 : Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick in Berry Much

When I have been feeling a super matte, dark lip, this has been my lipstick of choice.

As you can see, the Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick comes in the form of a pencil, which has it's uses but I think I would rather it just came as a normal lipstick in a bullet.

The colour is a very dark berry, which right now I am obsessed with- it's so striking but surprisingly wearable.

I've been enjoying pairing it with super shimmery bronze lids, warm pink cheek and a flawless base.

This is a matte lipstick so it is fairly long lasting as well and quite comfortable on the lips.

The idea of this is that it can be used as a lip liner and lipstick in one. It can perform both purposes- but it means it has to be super sharp every time you use it, which means you have to sharpen it a lot- which is another thing I'm not mad keen on as I find things get a little wasteful.

I prefer lining my lips with Urban Decays Venom and putting this all over the top.

This is such a great lipstick that I have been enjoying wearing, it's fun to do full on vampy lips! I do like the formula- I don't think it's the best out there as sometimes it can wear away at bit in the centre of my lower lip, but it's very easy to reapply- it never flakes and its not overly drying either.

If you would like to see the other Autumnal lip options, click here and here. 

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