Favourites of 2011

Happy new year everyone!

Throughout 2011, I discovered a lot of make-up products that became go-to everyday items and some which really impressed me, especially for the price tag, as you'll see most of these are high street products. So, I thought I'd share what I've been particularly enjoying this year.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
I purchased this in May or June this year, and now have 3 in different shades to do me throughout the year. It's just a gorgeous foundation, especially considering the price of £10, and leaves the skin with a lovely dewy glow without being cakey or shiny. It's fairly low coverage so sometimes I'll go for something a bit more matte, but for everyday wear this is a perfect foundation.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
This is by far the best high street concealer I've found, and it's only £4! It covers dark circles and blemishes extremely well without ever looking cakey. It's not a very exciting sort of product but it's an everyday staple so deserves to be included.

Sleek Contour Kit in Light
The contour colour in this duo is just the perfect colour for my skintone to contour my face in a way that appears natural and flattering and looks neither too brown or orange. The highlighter is also great on the cheekbones or browbones, and this has become a product I use almost every day.

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold
This colour is by far my favourite blush I own. It's a beautiful peachy pink colour with subtle gold shimmer, and is often compared to NARS Orgasm, though I can't verify that as I don't own the NARS blush, but frankly I have no desire to because Sleek is just perfect for me.

Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Lipcolour in Supreme Sienna
I've seen some pretty awful reviews of this product, but I actually really like it. It's a little different from a lipstain in that it sits on top of your lips but dries to an almost matte finish, and refuses to budge. I wore it on Christmas day and it withstood Christmas dinner - the true test of endurance! I like that it can be sheered out to a very natural bitten cherry look or applied full on for a more dramatic look.

Sleek Au Naturel Eyeshadow palette
There seem to be lots of Sleek products on this list, but that's fine by me because I love so much of their stuff. This eyeshadow palette has a beautiful selection of muted colours to get a perfect smoky or natural look for any occasion. I love their other palettes (I have 4 now!) but this one is by far my most used.

Revlon Matte lipstick in Wine Not - a gorgeous deep berry colour that I like to wear sheered out for a more natural look.

Revlon Matte lipstick in Pink Pout - A lovely mauvey pink colour that does not make the skin look sallow or the teeth yellow, which I find quite often in pale lipcolours.
MAC lustre Lipstick in Patisserie - This is my go-to nude lipstick, as it's quite close to my natural lip colour and has a very lustrous natural finish.

Gosh Lipstick in Darling - I like wearing this nude colour not on it's own but on top of darker colours to bring them down a bit.

 L-R: Wine Not, Pink Pout, Patisserie, Darling

MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study
This is such a gorgeous champagne colour, and it's wonderfully versatile - I like using it on my browbone, on my eyelids, in the inner corner to brighten up my eyes or even as a highlight on my cheekbones. Just a lovely little product.

I hope you guys had a wonderful 2011 and are all looking forward to the surprises 2012 will bring.

Thanks for reading,

Kathryn

Illamasqua Lipstick in Corrupt Review

Hi guys,
While looking on ASOS recently for Christmas presents, I found this Illamasqua lippy was on sale for £11, and I had a 30% off discount code, and just couldn't resist. My previous blogpost about the Illamasqua Cream Blush shows how much I loved it, and I really wanted to find out if other Illamasqua products were of the same standard. I just adore the theatrical element to their make-up, and the packaging is exquisite, so I was eager to see if the make-up itself lived up to its name.

Packaging 

I think the sleek shiny black packaging is gorgeous. I wish the plastic was slightly thicker or heavier to make it feel a little more luxurious, but beggar's can't be choosers, and it looks pretty.

Product 

This lipstick is a bright fuschia pink colour, and is probably the most matte lipstick I've ever owned. It's copletely opaque and matte, which makes it quite drying on the lips, but I find the same with all matte lipsticks, and it's fine as long as you have a good lipbalm on underneath. It's a gorgeous colour, and one I can't believe I've not owned until now - I've always thought it's way too bright and girly, but it's actually really flattering on my pale skin. I wore it today with a very neutral eye and cheek as it's definitely the focal point of a make-up look, and overdoing other areas of the face would make it look far too over-the-top, in my opinion. However, I think it's a fun but still classy colour - it's not a bright Barbie pink but is still very youthful.

The lipstick is amazingly long wearing as although the vibrancy wears off after a couple of hours, it really stains your lips so the majority of the colour lasts all day - it even withstood me eating a greasy fry-up, so gets the thumbs up from me.

Overall

I'm delighted with this purchase. It's perhaps not an everyday colour as it's very bright and I was cautious to wear colours in my outfit that it wouldn't go with as it stands out so much, but it's perfect for when you're feeling a little daring or want to make a statement. It's a beautiful formulation encased in lovely packaging with not such a lovely price tag, but if you wait for a good deal like I did, I think it's worth the money.

This will be my last post before Christmas, so I'd like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas - I hope Santa's good to you, you eat lots of yummy food and most importantly, you enjoy your time with your family and friends.

Merry Christmas,
Kathryn

Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Ravish Review

 Hey everyone,

I've always loved the look of Illamasqua products - I love their premise, the packaging and the products almost always seem to get a good review. However, I didn't much like their prices, so I managed to snap this up on eBay a couple of weeks ago for a bargain £8. It's the Cream Blusher in the shade Ravish, described as a "Bright raspberry red, dewy finish" on the Illamasqua website, and retails for £16.50.

Packaging

I absolutely adore the packaging. It is so distinctive and luxurious; just a pleasure to have in my make-up bag.

 

Product

Illamasqua is known as a brand not to skimp on pigmentation, and they weren't kidding. I've never come across a blush so opaque and true to the colour in the pan.  Despite the fact there's only 4g of product, this will last me a lifetime as a single dab onto my cheek with my fingertip is plenty. 

This shade is not the one I would have picked for myself as I was quite dubious about using such a dark colour on my pale skin, but I needn't have worried. It glides off the pan and isn't creamy at all, and I'm amazed such a thin consistency can hold such a strong pigmentation. It's very dewy and natural looking when it's sheered out and is extremely blendeable. It lasts all day and never appears cakey or greasy - to me it's the perfect blusher as it leaves the skin with a beautiful natural flush. 

I've even been using it on my lips as it's such a gorgeous opaque raspberry colour, though it doesn't last all that long as it's not drying enough to be a lipstain - it's more of a lip tint and actually feels quite hydrating on the lips.

I photographed it when I first bought it, which is why it has a little condensation on the surface, but I've been using it for a couple of weeks so I could write a proper review.

It's not the best photo since it's a bit over-saturated but it at least gives you an idea of what it looks like on the cheeks and shows it can suit even pale skin.

Overall

I'm in love with this product, and have been checking eBay religiously over the last few weeks, though the sale on ASOS has already tempted me and an Illamasqua lipstick is on it's way to me as a little Christmas gift to myself. Really, I'd be happy to pay the full price for this because it's so different and more luxurious than any of my other blushers. This is one of my favourite products I've bought in a long time so I'm sorry if this seems like a bit of a rant but I really think it's great and I want you all to know!

Be sure to check back for my review on the Corrupt lipstick which I should hopefully receive by the end of this week.

 In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely week without too much stress about last minute Christmas shopping and preparations.

Thanks for reading
Kathryn

December/Christmas Glossybox

Hey everyone,
My much anticipated December Christmas edition Glossybox has finally arrived, and I thought I'd share my initial thoughts on the products. I'd mostly managed to avoid reviews, which made it a lovely surprise and a nice pre-Christmas treat.

So, onto the photos!

I was delighted to find the festive red packaging, as it makes a nice little change and makes me more excited for Christmas!

 This is what my box looked like when I opened it. It looks a lot more full than last month's, mostly due to the big bottle in the middle.

These are the products I received:

Nouveau Lashes Noir Mascara - Full Size: £14.99
Quick drying flake-free formula and dramatic volume from just one application. Excellent staying power.
This is a lovely mascara - it made my lashes look long and full while still being natural-looking and flexible; they weren't flaky or hard. They didn't smudge and lasted all day.

 Deborah Lippmann Mini Nail Varnish - Full size costs £16.00
Party glitter nail colour with a sachet of the most amazing polish remover finger nail mitt.
This is such a gorgeous cranberry glitter - the very essence of Christmas, and as it's such a lovely colour, I'll be wearing it on Christmas day.

Rituals Foaming Shower Gel - Full Size: £6.50

 This unique foaming shower gel gentle cleanses your skin and leaves it silky soft and smooth.

I've not used this yet but the scent reminds me of China (I was there in October) - you can definitely smell the green tea in there!

FAB Face Cleanser (15ml) - Full size (141g) is £13.00
A mild, nourishing cleanser that's ideal for all skin types. Calms redness and reduces skin reactivity with regular use.
I've only used this twice so far, and it seems quite nice - no fireworks and confetti; my skin felt a little bit tight but certainly clean after using it. If miracles happen in the next couple of weeks, I'll be sure to do a blogpost, but I somewhat don't expect it.

Cargo Cosmetics Classic Lip Gloss - Full Size: £10.00
Perfect shades, great wear and high shine without being sticky.
I'm not really a lipgloss kinda gal, so to say I quite like this is saying something. I got it in a nice rose gold colour called Serengeti, and the formulation is light and non-sticky, and it doesn't feel heavy on the lips. No, it's not converted me into a lipgloss fanatic, but I'll certainly be using this one.

So, those are my initial thoughts about the box. I think it's a great mix of products; I love that there are some generous full sized products, that there are make-up items this month and that it's all stuff I will gladly use. I'm especially pleased with the mascara as I've been in need of a good one for some time as I have been trying to use up some of the rubbish ones I seem to have accumulated.

Thanks for reading,
Kathryn

Revlon Matte Lipstick in Strawberry Suede Review

Hey,
Another short review of a Revlon matte lipstick that is discontinued but can be bought for just £3.50 on eBay here: Revlon Strawberry Suede. It's a gorgeous slightly pinked down red which makes it wearable but still bold.

It's a matte lipstick so you need to make sure your lips are moisturised beforehand, but providing you do so, it's not drying and lasts quite a long time on the lips.

It's not such an overbearing colour that you can't play up your eyes too, but also looks great with a neutral eye to make a lovely warm focal point of your make-up look.

 Thanks for reading,
Kathryn

Revlon Wine Not Matte Lipstick Review

Hey everyone,
Since Christmas is getting inexorably closer, I thought I'd review a nice little festive berry lippy - Revlon Matte Lipstick in Wine Not. This lipstick is actually discontinued, but can be found on eBay for just £3.50 including postage here.

This isn't going to be an overly long review, as it has all the same qualities as the Pink Pout lipstick I reviewed in more depth a couple of weeks ago. It's almost entirely matte giving it a very true, deep shade of mulled wine when applied directly, but can also be patted into the lips to give a very natural bitten cherry stain to the lips. I rarely apply this thickly as it's quite dark and vampy, but I love applying a sheer shimmer lipstick just on the centre of the lips over the top to tone down the harsh effect.

So, onto the photos:

                                                                          Bare lips

                                                                                Wine Not patted into lips

                                                                                  Wine Not applied directly


Overall, this is a very versatile shade that can appear either natural or dramatic, and is particularly complimentary to pale skin like mine, I think.
Tomorrow I'll be doing a review on another discontinued Revlon lippy that can be bought on eBay - Strawberry Suede, so look out for that.

 I think at this rate I'm going to own all the Revlon lipsticks, as they are both cheap and great quality - a dangerous combination!
Thanks for reading,
Kathryn

GOSH Amethyst Lipstick Review

Hi guys,
This is a lipstick I feel like I neglect a little bit but I really love it, and I'm hoping doing a review will inspire me to wear it more often.

Packaging
The packaging is very sleek and matte black, which I like. It feels quite weighted and more expensive than it is.

Product

This lipstick is very shimmery though still fairly opaque. It is hydrating though only lasts a few hours since it doesn't really stain the lips like matte lipsticks do. I feel the photos don't really do the colours justice - it's a pale purple infused with silver shimmer, though applies with a slightly darker burgundy tone to my lips, though that's just mainly my natural lipcolour peeking through. It's a lot more wearable than it looks, though I also love wearing it underneath other colours just to give them a hint of shimmer.

Bare lips

Amethyst in shadow

Amethyst in bright light (so you can see the shimmer) I had to lie on my bathroom floor to get this photo - it's the only decent source of light in my house since daylight seems to have become nonexistant in Scotland.

Overall
These cost £6.50 and are available in Superdrug, and I think all GOSH lipsticks are very unique and pretty colours that are well worth the price.

Thanks for reading,
 Kathryn






Kathryn