EOTN: Grunge

I had my first night out for a very long time the other night!  Unfortunately it was just local which is expensive and bit crap but still, it was better than nothing and good catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while.

This look turned out nowhere near what I had expected but it worked out quite well as I was wearing orange shorts so it matched!

Sorry for my weird expression and odd eyes... I hate full face photos!

• I primed my eyelids with Urban Decay Primer Potion, then applied Mac Painterly Paint Pot over this (not CF).
• Using Lounge eyeshadow by Urban Decay I packed this onto my lids and blended out until I got the desired shape.
• I also brought it underneath the eye bringing it about two thirds along.
• I then used Urban Decay eyeliner in Whiskey along the top lash line and blended it with a brush.
• Lastly I applied loads of Benefit They're Real mascara on the top and bottom lashes.

On my face I have Illamasqua Skin Base foundation in shade 2 mixed with a bit of Bourjois Healthy Mix in shade 51.  I filled my eyebrows with Avon brow pencil in Brown (not CF), on my cheeks I have Marine Life highlighter by Mac (not CF) and on my lips I am wearing Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti (not CF).

I did not expect Lounge to come out this colour!  I'm looking forward to trying it over a dark base to really see it come to life, it's so versatile.

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Real Techniques Starter Set Review

I've been meaning to do this post for ages but with having exams I've not had the chance to try them all out properly!

Going from left to right:

Deluxe Crease Brush

I started off using this for eyeshadow but then I realised that it's the amazing under-eye concealer brush that they (Nic, Sam and Tanya) all use in their videos!  So I now use it for under-eye concealer.  It works really well for most concealers I've used with it - Mac Studio Finish and Bourjois Healthy Mix.  I also use it to dab any imperfections.

I'm not sure how well it would work as an eyeshadow brush to be honest.  I guess it would be okay for a bit of crease blending but it's really quite thick and dense so it definitely wouldn't be the best brush for the job!

Base Shadow Brush 

This brush is the reason I got the whole set to be perfectly honest!  I am in dire need of a synthetic Mac 217 brush and this is quite close to it!  I am going to do a separate post where I compare the two later on.  It's perfect for applying a base shadow (as the name implies!) all over the lid but the tapered end make it great for applying colour and blending in the crease too which is what I mainly use it for.

Accent Brush

I've not used this brush particularly much but I found it best for applying colour onto the lower lashline as it is so tiny and precise.  I think I just forget I have it because it's so small and I don't see it in my brush stand!

Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush 

Pixel-point? Hmm... I think not!  Out of all the brushes I'd say this is the most disappointing.  It makes such a thick line that I only use it when I just plan on wearing eyeliner as I'd be too scared to use it after applying my eyeshadow nicely in case I drew a massive line along my whole eyelid and ruined it all!

Brow Brush

I use this brush pretty much every day now!  If I am using my ELF Brow Box which I use most days then I apply it with this brush, the bristles are nice and firm.  At first I thought it was too big as the brush I had been using was really quite small (see below) but after a few days I found myself automatically reaching for the RT one instead.  It means you cover a larger area a lot quicker, however my eyebrows are quite big so if you have smallish ones then you'd just need to be more careful with the application as it might be too big for you.

Comparison of RT Brow Brush and generic angled brush I used previously for eyebrows

The Real Techniques Starter Set costs £21.99 from Boots, and £20.99 from Love Make Up. 

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NOTD: Neutral Tones

You may remember when I bought this nail varnish a few month ago, I did a haul post and included swatches.  I wasn't sure about how this would look against my skintone as when I held up the painted nail wheel it looked a bit funny, so this is the first time I've worn it.

The polish is Fast Track by China Glaze which is from The Hunger Games collection.  Although I think my skin looks a bit pink (maybe?) for it, I do actually really like it!  I am not often seen wearing such a neutral colour but the gold shimmer in it gives it an edge over other plain neutral colours.  I think that it gives my nails a lovely clean, polished look!


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Empties #2

It's empties time again!  If you are new to my blog then just to clarify I do my empties posts when I get to 5 items, it means there are always the same amount, if I did it monthly it would be very uneven!

Dove Beauty Care Body Wash in Silk Glow

Thoughts: This smells really nice actually and made a lovely creamy lather, however one of the main ingredients is Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS) which is an ingredient I try to avoid, especially in such large quantities.  SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate also falls into this category) is basically the foaming agent and it's very hard to avoid.  Even most Lush products contain it, but usually in a lower quantity.

Cruelty-free?: No, Dove are owned by Unilever.

Repurchase?: No.

Pearl Drops Hollywood Instant Teeth Whitening Toothpaste

Thoughts: I bought this a while ago because my dentist advised me to use a whitening toothpaste once a day.  I had totally forgotten about it and decided to finish it off.  For this period I used it twice a day and I didn't notice any change to be honest.  I wasn't exactly cataloguing it but never did I notice them being any whiter.  I would quite like to have my teeth professionally whitened but I'm worried about it making them sensitive!

Cruelty-free?: No, Pearl Drops are owned by Church & Dwight.

Repurchase?: No, but if I came across a cruelty free version I would maybe start using it once a day.

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

Thoughts: I really liked this, it smelled and tasted so good!  The only thing is that I didn't finish it - it went out of date!  As much as I love it I don't think it's worth £5.25 (I swear it was £4.95 when I bought it!?).  I'm keeping the pot and going to have a go at making it myself at some point...

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Not unless the DIY one is really bad!

Virgin Vie Icon Pearliser Stick

Thoughts: I have had this for years and years!  Since I don't use it I decided it was time to bin it.  It's basically a cream highlighter in a stick form, however I don't like it because it's got kind of a sticky texture which doesn't blend into the skin very well.

Cruelty-free?: No.

Repurchase?: No.

Bourjois Volume Fast & Perfect Mascara

Thoughts: I love this mascara!  I think I will do a post later on comparing this mascara to Benefit They're Real because I am loving them both currently and I'm not sure which I prefer.  

Cruelty-free?: Yes.

Repurchase?: Yes.

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What's In My Bag?

I love these kind of posts!  I am very nosy so they are right up my street.  I've been putting off doing one though because I was waiting until I got a new bag, the one I was using was quite big cos I used it for all my uni stuff so I needed A4 note pads, calculator, ruler... all that fun stuff.  However now that I won't be going back to uni I downsized and got this bag from H&M for £12.99 I think it was?

So that is it full, and below is with everything taken out!  I forgot a couple of things actually but only a pen and a lip balm so nothing too drastic!

1. My Kindle, or a book depending on what I'm reading at the time.  I've got a couple on the go at the moment...
2. My diary, I love writing everything down!  I have a terrible memory so this makes sure I don't forgot any plans I've made.
3. Cath Kidson travel card case, this was more handy for when I had my 1/3 off discount and used monthly season tickets but I still keep it in my bag anyway, it looks cute!
4. Ted Baker purse.  Orange is one of my favourite colours!  Sadly it is leather so I will probably be selling it in the next year or so but I only got it for my birthday and I love it so I'm trying to make good use of it.
5. Car and house keys.  I like to keep them all together so that if I'm using the car then I will definitely have my house keys with me too.
6. Wee foldy hairbrush, very handy to keep in your bag, also has a mirror on it too!
7. My swipes and badge for work, I always have these in my bag so I don't turn up without them!
8. This is a sort of emergency kit which I've put together and I'll show the contents of it below.
9. My iPhone!  It also has a wee orange sock to protect it but I'm not sure where that is at the moment...

The 'emergency kit' and work swipes I keep in the flapover part of the bag, the tassles are actually attached to zips so it makes a handy extra storage area.

In my wee bag I have:

• Hand gel
• Bobble
• Earphones
• Oragel for ulcers but I use it for my wisdom teeth coming in - I highly recommend it!
• Ibuprofen and Pro Plus
• Eye drops
• Contact lenses
• Nail file
• Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream tinted lip stuff (not CF)
• And half a hanky...

Finally here's a close of up of my purse and some of the cards I have in it:

• Boots card
• Superdrug card
• Debenhams Beauty Club card
• Student card
• Drivers license
• AA members card
• Morrisons Miles card

Obviously I then have my debit card (I don't keep my credit card in my purse, too much temptation!) and credit card I need for staff discount but they aren't shown.  I also have a library card but I had taken it out and forgot to put it back after going to the library yesterday.

Hope you've enjoyed reading this, I really enjoyed putting it together!  Sorry, it's a bit of a long one haha!

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FOTD: BBQ & College Practice

This is the make up I wore to a family BBQ on Sunday - it rained obviously - and I also wanted to do a  trial run for the make up I would wear to college the next day.

I actually ended up forgetting to put on eyeliner the next morning, also my mum had told me that I was too pale so I darkened my foundation slightly but those were the only differences in make up!  Oh and excuse my hair in the photos, I'd clipped it up to do my face haha!

• I first used Two Faced Primed and Poreless mainly on my forehead and under my eyes.
• Then for foundation I mixed Illamasqua Skinbase in shade 2 with a little bit of Bourjois Healthy Mix in shade 51, on Monday I used slightly more of the Bourjois one to darken it.
• Under my eyes I used Mac Studio Finish concealer in NW20 (not CF) and powdered over it with Benefit Powderflage.
• I filled in my eyebrows with Avon eyebrow pencil in Brown (not CF).
• On my cheeks I used No7 cream blush in Rose Silk then went over it lightly with the Covergirl (not CF) blush I'm trying to use up, and highlighted using Physicians Formula highlighter that I love.
• For my eyes I just lined the upper lashline with Mac Fluidline (not CF) in Blacktrack and applied Benefit They're Real mascara.
• Finally on my lips I wore ELF Moisturising Lip Tint in Berry.

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NOTD: Disco Disco Disco!

I'm so creative with my post titles aren't I!?  This is one of the goodies I bought from cutECOsmetics shown in my last post.

I'd had my eye Disco Biscuit from Butter London for a while, it's such an unusual colour: bright pink with blue/purpley shimmer.  I'm not totally clued up on nail varnish types but this one is quite sheer and slightly jelly-ish!

I painted my nails last night and I already has some tip wear a few hours later!  So for these photos I repainted them and used 2 coats (3 on ring finger for comparison).  Hopefully it was just my application which made it chip quickly - I used my new base coat the second time and it was a lot smoother!

This was my first Butter London purchase and I'm not sure that it was worth £12... I don't regret buying it and no doubt I will buy more but I don't think it is amazing which it bloody well should be at that price!  Although let's not even go into Deborah Lippmann prices...  Here are the photos!!

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This Or That Tag

I am back! Yayyy! Exams are over for this year, aaand I have some super exciting news!  I'm starting college on Monday (only found out today too which was a bit of shock) to do a HNC in Fashion Make-up!  So to ease me back in gently I'm going to do this tag which I saw on Yamina's blog and thought it looked quite fun, so here we go...

Make Up

Blush or Bronzer?

Blush

Lipgloss or Lipstick?

Lipstick, lipgloss is too sticky and annoying but I do wear it sometimes

Chapstick or Lip Butter?

I do love my Lip Butter but as they're not cruelty free I guess I'd say chapstick, however I doubt that's CF either!

Matte or Sparkle Eye Shadow? 

Sparkle!

Eye Liner or Mascara?

Mascara

Gel, Liquid or Cream Eye Liner?

Probably gel, but I quite like them all.

Foundation or Concealer?

Concealer, I only wear foundation occasionally but concealer every day!

Liquid or Powder Foundation?

Liquid

Neutral or Colour Eye Shadow?

Hmm quite tough, but I think I tend to go for colours even though they are more muted.

Pressed or Loose Eye Shadow? 

Pressed, I'm too messy for loose things haha!

Waterproof or Non Waterproof?

Non-waterproof, waterproof is too hard to get off...

Brushes or Sponges?

Brushes, I have a sponge for a cream-to-powder foundation but I don't use them for anything else.

Powder Highlighter, Cream or Liquid?

At the moment I love my powder highlighter which you can see here.

Nails

OPI or Essie?

Neither are CF!

Acrylic or Natural?

I quite like acrylics but only occasionally as they aren't good for your nails, so I'll say natural for this one.

Brights or Darks?

Brights

Matte or Shiny?

Shiny! I hate it when it's not shiny enough for me!

Glitter or No Glitter?

Hmm I do love glitter but I'll probably say no glitter as I tend to avoid it cos it's so annoying to remove.

Body

Perfume or Body Splash?

Perfume, The Body Shop White Musk is my go-to scent.

Lotion or Body Butter?

Erm... just what's lying around really I'm terrible I only apply it after shaving my legs or if my skin feels particularly dry... 

Body Wash or Soap?

I quite like soap now actually!  Especially Lush ones, mmm!

Self Tanners or Natural?

I love being fake tanned but it's too much effort, I put it on my legs if I'm wearing them bare on a night out but I'll say natural for this one!

So that's it!  I hope you enjoyed it and if you do it please send me a link! :)

But here's a sneak peak of what will be coming up very soon, all from cutECOsmetics:

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EOTN: Smokey Eye with a Vampy Lip

I was having one of those days where I just felt ugly, I think everyone has those every so often!  I decided to do some nice make up to make myself feel better, and here's how it turned out.  I didn't even go anywhere after it (okay that's a lie, my dad made me go to Morrisons with him, how embarrassing haha!) I just went back to studying!

Photo from Instagram

I used some of the products I got from Liz in our swap; the eyeshadow quad and the Hard Candy blusher.  I'm really not very good at doing smokey eyes at all for some reason, I can't make it very dark or it just gets messy, I think it's maybe just that I don't suit very dark eyes in the first place.

• Primed the lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion.
• Used the silvery colour all over the lid.
• Then the brown in the outer third.
• Next I applied the darkest 'black' (it's not a very true black!) in the crease and blended it out.
• Then using the shimmery white I highlighted under the brow and in the inner corner.
• For underneath the eyes I brought the white out from the inner corner, then brown then the black in the outer corner meeting with the same colour on the top lid.
• I then lined my eyes with a black gel liner and tight-lined with a black eyeliner pencil.
• Finally I applied Benefit They're Real mascara to top and bottom lashes.

On my lips I am wearing Avon Ultra Colour Rich 24k Gold in Golden Wine (not CF), and on my skin I have Illamasqua Skinbase foundation in shade 2 and Illamasqua under-eye concealer in UC115.

I used the blusher from this set

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Cruelty Free Alternative to Mac Club Eyeshadow

I know I said I probably wouldn't be blogging much during my exams but meh, I'm an excellent procrastinator!

I was working today which kind of sucked as we are having really nice weather this week in Scotland for a change!  I work beside a loch so it was mobbed with everyone in their summery clothes and ice creams, so jealous!  But anyway, I came home to lots of parcels which was really exciting!  One of them was this eyeshadow.

I can't even remember how I came across this eyeshadow but I think I hunted it down after hearing it was similar to Mac's Club.  I first saw Club in one of Tanya Burr's (Pixi2woo) youtube make up tutorials and thought it was just stunning!  However, I don't buy Mac because of them selling in China i.e. not cruelty free, so finding a cruelty free alternative to it was very exciting!

Unfortunately this post is not going to contain swatches, just because I don't have the best camera and trying to do this shade justice was impossible!  So instead I am going to do a make up look using this eyeshadow, which should be easier to photograph, hopefully!

As Urban Decay have rebranded all their eyeshadows with the new palette system I had to get this from eBay as I couldn't find it on legit websites, I'm pretty sure it's real... haha!  I got it here for £5.85, but it's now out of stock!

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NOTD: Shrek!

My nails are starting to look a wee bit better I think, yayy!!  Anyway, last night when I was meant to be studying I decided to paint my nails.  For some reason I have very few green nail varnishes, and this is one of them: Who The Shrek Are You? from the O.P.I (not cruelty free - see here) Shrek Forever After Collection.

It has definitely showed up slightly more yellow in my photos, but I have included a photo at the bottom from my phone (hence why it's teeny) to show it in direct sunlight.  This polish went on really streaky in the first coat but by the second it had leveled out nicely.  Although on my right hand it is still a bit streaky because I'm right handed and the mini O.P.I. brushes are quite tricky to work with!

I quite like this colour although I can see how it's not to everyone's taste, it does look rather bogey-ish...

I've got lots of posts lined up to do after my exams, but until then the most you'll get from me is very basic nail ones I'm afraid haha!  Roll on 16th August!

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Mac Formidable! Over Black

In my last NOTD post I wore Formidable! (not CF) and because of the streaky formula I wondered how it would look over black, so here are some photos of this:

And here it is again alone on my fingers:

As you can see the colour is a lot less brown and instead more of a deep plum.  It just looks like a soft black with green shimmer in it, which I quite like!

Putting it over black definitely helps with the formula issues, although when I applied Formidable! it smudged the colour underneath slightly even though it had been dry for ages!  I find it quite surprising how different they look actually.

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