Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

I had been looking at this product for about three months before I finally popped it into my metaphorical basket for the final time and actually proceeded with the checkout, and I'll tell you why it took me so long;

i) There is no illamasqua store/concession anywhere near me and I hate trying to chose a foundation shade online.
ii) I'd heard really mixed reviews, some people loved it, some hated it.
iii) It comes in at around the £32.00 mark, which may not sound a lot to some of you, but for me that's preeeetty darn expensive for such a small amount of foundation.

I liked the idea of a second skin feeling foundation, something that hid your imperfections quite well but let your skin breathe and didn't make you feel like you'd applied poly-filler to your face. I used Illamasqua's handy little shade comparison chart and opted for the shade 11 which is a good enough match, although I think its a little on the pink side for me, especially as its comparison was NC35-NC40. 

I first used this foundation whilst getting ready for work, which was my first mistake. I needed plenty of time to get to grips with this one - not a half hour slot for all my makeup, and my second mistake? Using my Nanshy Flat Top brush to try and stipple it into my skin (its my favorite method of application dont'cha know). I hated it. And that is no exaggeration, I actually took it off and opted for a foundation that I get along well with. I threw it into the back of my "don't use" draw and forgot about it for a few weeks. 

However, on Thursday I decided my vanity needed a tidy up, organize and a clear out and I came across this foundation and thought to myself 'what a waste of money' and so I decided I would give it another go. 

I found that using a different primer to the one I had used previously actually helped the application of the Skin Base this time, and made it stick to my face a little better (last time it seemed really patchy) and my complexion looked a lot more even and using my fingers to blend and apply the foundation worked a whole lot better than my trusty Nanshy brush did.

As I mentioned before, the colour match was okay - just a little pink. I evened this out by using a Mac MSF in Medium Dark, which is quite yellow toned to set the foundation and neutralize the pink.

And so, I've been using the Illamasqua Skin Base in this way for the last few days and I'm starting to enjoy using it. My skin hasn't broken out at all (fingers crossed) and my makeup wears pretty well with this as a base. 

The packaging is pretty simple and hasn't really got a wow factor, and with the first few uses you can really struggle to get any of the product out of the squeezy bottle as its so stiff. However, its easy enough to keep clean and dispense the right amount from - I just think it would be jazz-ied up a bit!

Overall I'd say this is an okay foundation, not the worst I've ever used but nothing to write home about either. I probably wont be repurchasing this one when/if it runs out as its in no way my favorite and it has a pretty hefty price tag at £32.00.

I'm sure it would work better for girls who only need a very light base, but I don't tan my face (only my body) and so I like a full coverage foundation that can help me match up with the colour of my body. 

And the lesson I've learnt? Don't buy foundations or pricey products that you're not 100% sure about online without visiting a beauty counter first! Lets see how long I stick to that rule for!

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L'Oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick

Despite usually being a bit timid when it comes to lip products, recently it feels as though I've been buying very little else and, here comes the strange bit, actually enjoying playing around with different glosses, lipsticks, crayons etc.

I have been reading about these 'liquid lipsticks' for some time now and I'll be honest, I thought they were another gimmick on the market to help us beauty fanatics to part with our cash. That was until I found myself online shopping a few days ago (no surprise there!), and one suddenly jumped into my cart.

L'oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick By Color Riche in Nude Ballet £8.99

When this lipstick/gloss hybrid arrived through my letter box, I was quite excited to finally get my hands on one and see what all the fuss was about. Let me just say this, I don't think I've ever used a product like this before. I was expecting something like the NYX Lip Cream as the name would suggest. However, I found this product to be a very pigmented (lipstick like) gloss, that isn't super glossy and is long wearing. A strange one, but I like it. The colour that I chose is a lovely and very wearable pink nude which is super flattering and doesn't look too pale on the lips.

The packaging is quite luxurious for the reasonable price tag with its gold colored vial with a window so that you can see the shade inside. It has a lid that twists off to reveal a doe foot applicator which is very soft and easy to apply the product with. The product inside smells gorgeous, it smells very sweet without being too sickly and I didn't notice the fragrance at all after ten minutes of wear.

I gave this lip colour a proper trial run yesterday during a ten hour shift hosting a wedding at the country house hotel where I work. I applied it before my shift (2pm) and didn't need to reapply until around 6:30pm. That's a whopping 4 and a half hours of wear, pretty spectacular for a glossy product in my opinion. And I should mention, I was super busy rushing around and had been eating and drinking within those four and a half hours. Super impressive! One thing that I did notice was that even when the 'glossy' side of things had worn off, there was still colour pigmentation left on my lips - they were not completely bare.  

And then there were the compliments, I was complimented on the colour of my lipstick/gloss on four separate occasions throughout the day - more than usual for a nude lip colour and something that I wasn't expecting at all. 

Today (the day after wear) my lips do not feel dried out or in need of some tlc at all which they can sometimes after using a lip product for a lengthy period. I think I'm going to have to invest in some of the bolder shades of this range.

So if you're looking for a reasonably priced lipstick/gloss hybrid with an array of wearable shades, looks no further! Now, where did I put that bank card...?

Have you tried any of the L'Oreal L'extraordinaire Liquid Lipsticks? What did you think to them?

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Benefit Box O' Powders Dupes?

I have been lusting after two of the benefit powders for so long now, but I just cannot seem to sacrafice my old favourite must haves in favour of something that just might not work for me. So when I found the W7 Honolulu and W7 Honey Queen Honeycomb Blusher I had to snap them up. To sweeten the deal even more for me, I recieved a 20% off code and also free delievery, making my affordable products super duper affordable!

Benefit Hoola Bronzer 
So, if you're unfamiliar with benefit products then where have you been all your life? Under a rock?! They are very cute, tongue in cheek and colourful packages that encase beautiful, if slightly pricey products. They would look stunning on your vanity table, and on your face of course! The Hoola Bronzer comes in a little purple cardboard box, with a bamboo motif in a light, almost sky blue which match the colour of the font used to tell you the items specifics (net weight ect). Included is also a small brush with a handle that is the same light blue as on the packaging. Opening the lid you can see that there is a small mirror included, which I can honestly say I don't think I would find use for, it's small and to be honest, I wouldn't have one of these box of powders in my handbag as I don't think they would travel all too well. The bronzing powder looks to be very brown in the packaging, but from what I've read, isn't very pigmented. As I haven't tried it, I can't really comment, but I'm hoping to pick one of these up in the next few weeks to try myself! 

W7 Honolulu Bronzer
Here is where the simalarities start - first of all is the name? Just me? Thought not. The W7 Honolulu bronzer comes in an identically sized box. The only differences that I can see are that of the colour of the box, the motif and the fact that this box of powder has a fully removable top without a mirror as apposed to Benefit's which boasts a flip top lid with a mirror enclosed inside. The W7 Honolulu bronzer box looks a little cheaper, but I'd expect that considering the price difference is a huge £20.50. Inside is a really soft brush very similar to that that benefit's hoola offers. This brush is a black handled, thin brush which I wouldn't necessarily use to bronze my face, but which may come in handy for contouring. The product again, looks very dark in the pan, and once swatched I can see that it's incredibly pigmented and almost a butter texture which I feel would blend out very well. There is no shimmer at all in this bronzer, which I am a huge fan of! I was a little anxious that this powder may have been very orange/red based which I have known some of the cheaper powders to be but upon swatching I am more than happy with the colour, and although there is a hint of orange in there, its mostly a tan shade which I'm hoping will prove very easy to work with. Even though I have picked this one up now, it's definitely helped me to make up my mind and order the Benefit's Hoola for two reasons. The first being so that I can really compare the two products for myself and the second being that I really love Benefit's range of products and want a treat, a girls prerogative huh!?

W7 The Honey Queen Honeycomb Blusher

The second item I purchased was this blusher, thinking that perhaps it might have been a dupe for Benefit's Rockateur. Sadly, this is in no way a good dupe or a blusher come to that. The packaging is super cute and I love the print and colours of the box. Included inside is the same brush as in the bronzer which again, although handy, I don't think its one that I would use to apply a blusher, and although it has been provided to help with on the go touch ups, I cant say that I would be likely to take one of these box of powders out and about with me as I don't think they would travel all that well, they're definitely a vanity table product. Inside the box is the most shimmery mosaic block I've ever come across which immediately made me cringe a little. I've pretty sure I haven't used a shimmer product like this since my early teen years when I learnt that a glitter ball look isn't something that suits me. So far, I've only swatched this product as I'm currently sat cross-legged and bare faced enjoying my day off which is my designated 'no makeup day' and might be able to get it to work as a possible highlight? But at the moment all I can get it to do is be super glittery with very little colour payoff. I also cannot get any blush colour from this at all, there's just no pink, peach or reddish pay off here. A bit of a waste!

Inside the box, this product looks super pretty, with pink, peach, mauve and a purple-ish colours but unfortunately the colour just doesn't pay off. I'm a little disappointed because I really wanted to enjoy using this product!

















So overall, its a mixed review! I'm totally in love with the bronzer at the moment, but I'll have to give it a couple of days wear to actually commit to it, but the blusher? I'm really not a fan. However, first impressions aren't everything so perhaps this one will grow on me? For £5.58 for both and including postage, you cant really moan can you? 







Have you used any of these products before? Do you have any W7 products that you adore? 
Have you used the benefit versions of these products? If so, what do you think of those?


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The Body Shop Haul

I can honestly hold my hands up and say I have never, ever made a purchase from the body shop before know. And I cant really explain why that is, I love that they're committed to being cruelty free and I love that all their ingrediants are all of the natural variety & that the company is committed to fair trade. Perhaps its because I never thought of the body shop as a makeup brand before, and although I do use skin care, I'm not what you could consider to be a skincare junkie (so shoot me). I can still remember holding my mums hand walking around the tropical smelling store when I was young and my mother used to wear Patchouli oil as perfume which she would buy from the body shop. When ever I get a whiff of that it takes me back to being a toddler, literally a flashback!

When I discovered last week that The Body Shop had a 40% flash sale and free shipping when you spent over £5.00 I just had to have a little browse, and surprise surprise a couple of items jumped into my basket! Delivery wasn't exactly speedy, but it was free and the delivery was done by Royal Mail. The items were delivered today (19/5/14) in brown envelopes that seem to be insulated with some kind of grey fluff, which I appreciated as I tend to worry that my items may get smashed or damaged in transit!

First up is the Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel For Face £12.00. This is described as a bronzing gel to be used on the face. As you will probably already know, I am a bronzing junkie and I'm always on the look out for a new product that will help me to look naturally tanned and feel better about the way I look, I just cant stand being deathly pale. I had the idea that perhaps this will be ideal for lazy summer days when I don't really want to wear a full face of makeup, but don't want to scare the neighbors with my ghost-like face! From swatching, this seems like a lovely, easily blend-able product with good colour pay off. I'm hoping it wont break my skin out, but as I don't plan on using this everyday I don't think this will be too much of a problem!

Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment £11.00. Although I'm not exactly big on skin care, occasionally something grabs my attention and twists my arm to purchase and try it out. The Body Shop tells me that this over night treatment is for combination/oily skin and helps to combat excess oil while moisturizing skin at the same time. It promises to leave skin clear, hydrated and shine free. I'm excited to give this one a try tonight after I've cleansed and toned my skin as usual. The product smells really lovely, clean and fresh! The product comes in a 30ml bottle with a pump on the top which makes it easy to dispense. The packaging feels sturdy enough and I feel that it would travel well.

Rose Lipgloss £7.00. As you may know, I have been on a quest to find a lipgloss that is a close match to my beloved limited edition (and very nearly empty) Lancome Juicy Tube and this is a pretty close match. Its a really pretty, shimmery pink colour, which doesn't feel sticky on my lips at all. Granted, I've only had it on for ten minutes before writing this post, but still, first impressions and all that! 

Colour Crush Lipstick in 130 Sweet Coral £10.00 This is a beautiful lip colour, as you can gather from the name its a bright, slightly frosted pinky coral. The Body Shop's lipstick collection actually got me quite excited, which is unusual as I'm generally not that big on lips. I opted for this shade as I'm usually Mrs Boring and felt like being a little daring. This lipstick feels really nourishing whilst on and does not feel like it will dry the lips out at all - and I have dry lips! This product has a beautiful, but not overpowering smell to it and the packaging is really cute, and feels like it would protect the lipstick well. I'm definitely going to have a look at some of the other shades and add some more of these lovely little lippies to my collection!

Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 03 & 04 £13.00 each. Last but not least, I picked up these two beautiful bronzers. I got them in the two darkest shades as I tend to always be a lot darker than my natural skin tone! I bought number 03 for a colour base and the 04 to use as a contour. Both colours are completely matte and shimmer free, do not look at all muddy or orange on my skin and feel silkily smooth. The packaging is what I really love about these bronzers, they are encased in a beautiful tortoiseshell coloured plastic, which feels quite thick and protective. Inside is a lovely large mirror providing convenience when applying product on the go.  

So that's the lot, and I have to say so far, I am very happy with all my purchases from The Body Shop! I got some real bargains, considering I received 40% off everything and free delivery on top too! (Spent £66.00, applied the discount code and received my goods for £39.60, saving a whopping £26.40). The Body Shop has certainly proved its self to me and has been added to one of my favorite online makeup destinations!

Do you have any of these products? Do you shop from The Body Shop? What are your The Body Shop must haves?

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My Makeup Wish List

Surely I'm not the only person that has a continuously growing list of wants? I thought not. 
Here I have compiled an assortment of things that I am interested in, would like and need.

1) Hoola Bronzer Benefit £23.50
I have been lusting after this bronzer for as long as I can remember, but although I have had the opportunity to purchase, it would mean going without my beloved Mac MSF. I just haven't been able to make that sacrifice. Perhaps the next time I receive a generous paycheck I'll have to bite the bullet!

2) Long Wear Even Finish Foundation Bobbi Brown £30.00
I'm a bit of a self confessed foundation fiend, with my makeup storage currently hosting 17 different foundations, but that doesn't mean I'm not on the look out for more. I've heard some really great things about this foundation, and have been told that it works well on the oilier skinned ladies so it sounds like it ticks all the boxes for me!

3) Le Blanc De Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base £31.00
Having recently bought and tried out Soap & Glory's Hocus Pocus has made me want to try a higher end version of an illuminating base product. Could this just be makeup snobbery? Absolutely, but there's just something satisfying about having a Chanel product on your vanity..

4) Zoeva Luxe Complete Set £105.00
I would be lying if I said that I am loyal to one particular brand of brushes. I enjoy using different brushes, for different purposes by different brands. These include many of the Real Techniques brushes, Mac brushes, Nanshy brushes, Models Own brushes, Elf brushes. However, one brand that I am yet to try is Zoeva, and this luxe complete set looks like the ultimate set of makeup brushes. All I hear is good things by this makeup brush brand and I would love to get my sticky little paws on them!

5) Real Techniques Mini Brush Set £9.99
I actually had a little look for this brush set whilst I was in my local boots store yesterday, but sadly it wasn't in stock. This is the cutest little travel sized set of brushes containing the mini foundation/concealer brush for touch ups on the go, the mini face brush for all types of powder products and the mini shading brush to transform your eyeshadow on the go. I'm a sucker for anything in mini form, and these look like they would be really useful to have in your handbag, plus they come in a cute little pouch to help keep them clean!

6) Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Heftiest Hibiscus £17.00
I have wanted this chubby stick for around two years now, but have always either balked at spending almost £20.00 on what is essentially a lip balm, or when I have built up the courage to go and purchase, that particular shade hasn't been in stock. There's just something about this particular colour that almost mesmerizes me and i think that in the near future this is going to appear in my lip product draw!

7) Benefit Gimme Brow £17.00
I already have the Divaderma brow product within my collection, this (if you don't know) is essentially an older version of the Gimme Brow. It is a colour/fiber concoction held in a little glass tube with a doe foot applicator. You simply swipe onto your brows and it deposits both colour and fibers onto your brows to give them a boost and a more voluminous look that is still natural looking. However, being a cosmetic enthusiast I have been wanting to try the benefit version for a while. From what i can gather it seems to be more of a gel product that has fibers included? Gimme!

8) L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche (Rose Symphony, Tangerine Sonate, and Rose Melody) £8.99 each
I almost picked these exciting new lip products up yesterday, but I already had three lip products in my basket and with the boyfriend hovering around I just couldn't bring myself to pop those in too. (I'm meant to be saving up, dont'cha know). I think these three colours are really wearable and would look lovely on a summers day picnic or similar. This line of liquid lipsticks really has me intrigued, and I don't think it'll be long before I've snapped a few up.

9) No.7 Gel Look Shine Summer Nail Colour in Lemon Drop £7.00
This is the most beautiful pale, pastel yellow shade that I have ever come across and I need  this in my life as my go to summer nail colour. I usually tend to stay away from yellow nail colours as i think it can make your nails look stained and dirty, but I just cant see this happening with this particular shade. I look that its a 'gel look' nail product, I love a super shiny finish and a nail colour that resists chipping is always a winner in my book!

10) Maxfactor Colour Corrector Sticks £9.99 each
I'm really interested in these new CC Sticks, each of the five different coloured sticks has its own purpose and conceals different skin problems. Unfortunately these were not in stock yesterday when I went to have a look and so they are firmly on my 'want' list!

11) Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara £19.00
It seems every where I look at the moment, someone's talking about how fabulous this mascara is! Ever since my teenager days, mascara has been the product that I seem to have hoarded the most, and I can see that my lust for this mascara will not end until I have it securely in my eye makeup draw! It boasts a huge bristle brush and claims to give the lashes a full and intense flutter. Better than sex? I'm not sure, that's a pretty big claim to stake, I guess it depends how much you love mascara!

I actually thought there would have been a whole lot more on my wish list, but this is all i can think of so far. Have you got any of these products? Do you rate them? What's on your wish list?

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April Favourites

April's Favourites;

I know, I know! Its the fourth of may, and I have been meaning to get this post up for the last couple of days but have been so busy with work that I just haven't had the chance!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the products that I have been loving throughout the month of April. I haven't necessarily purchased these items this month, and you may have seen some of these products in my other posts, but these are the ones that I've found myself reaching for nearly everyday!

I do apologise  for the quality of some of these images. Unfortunately I've missed placed my camera and am using my iPhone, which is slightly scratched over the camera lens and so does not always take the best pictures! 

Max factor Face Finity All Day Primer; £10.99

Having been a fan of Max factors All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation, I didn't have to think twice about trying this primer. As you may know, I love a primer, and on a recent trip to Manchester I found myself staring at this cute little glass bottle. It's silky soft, with easy application, a pump which makes dispensing a breeze and it feels very, very light on the skin. I would have to testify that it does make the application of makeup easier and it does indeed keep your foundation on for longer than normal. I'm a big fan! Luckily for me, when I bought this it had a little sample size of a mascara that came with it, and that too is definitely on my wish list now!

Urban Decay Deslick Makeup Setting Spray Oil Control Travel Size; £9.00

This is my holy grail setting spray. I have placed an online order for the full size bottle of both this and the original setting spray, but as of yet they haven't arrived! I use this spray pretty much every day to hold my makeup in place for as long as possible. It keeps oil at bay somewhat, although occasionally I do have to go in with a translucent powder to help control my shiny t-zone. I find that when using this spray my makeup doesn't slip or slide at all. It sprays out as a very fine mist so doesn't drown your makeup and it doesn't have a bad aroma - which I have found some of the cheaper setting sprays do have, although I don't find these to be a major con. This one is nice and slim and fits into my handbag or overnight bag with no problems. The bottle is very sleek and hardwearing, although I have found that it almost attracts makeup marks, nothing a quick wipe with a baby wipe wouldn't fix though!

Revlon Colour Stay Foundation in Natural Tan; £12.99

This month I've really been enjoying using this foundation as my everyday base. It very much reminds me of Estee Lauders Double Wear Foundation, but with a much smaller price tag! Its got a lovely creamy consistency and blends like a dream. It covers dark circles and imperfections really easily and I find that it works well for me. This is definitely a full coverage foundation but that doesn't mean its cakey/thick. I've been experimenting with different variations in application and find that you can still get a natural looking finish to your foundation using the..

Real Techniques Stippling Brush; £11.99

This is one of my favourite brushes out of the entire Sam & Nick Chapman Collection! I have previously used this as a finishing brush, to make sure everything is blended in properly and that there are no harsh lines left on show, however, since saving up and finally purchasing my beloved Mac 187, this one had become a little redundant. Until I saw a post about using a stippling brush to apply foundation! I was a little dubious because I'd never used anything to apply foundation other than my fingers and a traditional foundation brush. However using this brush is a dream. I have tried this with every liquid foundation that I own and I cannot fault its capability. It gives a really natural coverage, even when using a full coverage foundation. It helps to blend everything in seamlessly and the brush is super soft. I think I must have gotten some water in the feral last time I washed it and it has caused some shedding, it is no where near as thick as it used to be, but I love this brush so much that I've just ordered two more from the Superdrug website as they have a buy one get one free offer on at the moment! Unfortunately mine is in dire need of a good shampoo, which is what I'll be doing when I've finished this post!

Mac Mineral Skin Finish in Dark; £22.00

Next up I have my favourite powder. I actually use this as a bronzer, as I really like its light and natural texture but I think it has many uses to be honest. I recently had to buy this in dark and add it to my collection of Medium Deep, Medium Dark and Medium Plus as I've recently had my hair coloured a lot darker and its coming up to British summer time, so I have started my tanning properly. This is really easy to build up and blend out to achieve the perfect shade for you, and although it looks scarily dark in the pan its not actually so dark upon application. I have included a swatch on my inner arm, but as you can see (or not) you can't really tell where it is. Perfect for me!

Make Up Academy Powder Blusher in Cupcake £1.00

I've recently been trying to broaden my horizon's when it comes to blusher, but as you may know I'm not one for spending a ton of money on something that a) I'm not sure will suit me and b) I'm not sure I'll even use! Enter Make Up Academy's range of super affordable makeup products. I picked up four of these beauties in different shades, but this is definitely the one I like the most. It reminds me very much of MAC's blusher in melba but is a little more on the pink side than the peach. This has become my go-to blush for most days, its really nicely pigmented without giving me that clown look that is so not in!

Makeup Revolution The One Concealer in Light £3.00

Makeup revolution is fast becoming one of my favourite makeup brands. Its relatively new but has so many fantastic products on offer at super purse friendly prices. This is their 'one' concealer. Its a very nourishing, creamy concealer which I use to disguise my under eye circles. I know that it looks incredibly light in comparison to my skin tone but you must remember two things 1) In the picture of the swatch, the product hasn't been blended out at all, in fact that's about four coats of the concealer and 2) I love a brighter under eye area. It has good staying power and I haven't noticed that it creased on me, even though I had my makeup on for around ten hours. Its an absolute steal at just three pounds and as long as it continues to give me fantastic results I'll definitely be repurchasing!

Soap and Glory One Heck Of A Blot Powder £12.00

This is my new do everything powder. I have been using this as a setting powder, a finishing powder and indeed what it was intended for, a blotting powder! This powder literally just drinks up any shine in my shiny t-zone but doesn't leave any trace of itself or any chalkiness. It comes in a really sleek compact with a powder puff included, at first I didn't think much to the puff but when I gave it a chance I found that it was really good for on the go touch ups! I cannot believe that I didn't find this product sooner, and have already ordered an extra one to keep in my handbag!


So there you have it, those products were my favourites for this month. Have you used any of these products? What were your favourites for this month?

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