August Favourite

I’m never any good at favourites posts simply because I like to try and use different products every day so that nothing goes unloved. Add to that my current project ten pan and it’s looking positively dull. Nevertheless there are a couple of things that I have really enjoyed this month.

Sleek Oh So Special palette. Let’s be honest, we are suffering a little bit of Sleek overload at the moment. The endless parade of new palettes can be a bit overwhelming. And yet despite all of the other new palettes that have come out recently this is the one I keep reaching for.

Botanic Soothing Eye Makeup Remover. I bid a fond farewell to my last bottle of Lancôme Bi Facil knowing it will be a long time until I can afford to purchase it again. So I reverted back to the Botanics version and realised that really there isn’t any difference between the two. They both work equally well for me, neither irritate my eyes or dry out the skin underneath them. And the Botanics version is a couple of quid. Winner!

Clinique Lip gloss in 09 Currant. This was free in a magazine a while ago. Now you won’t get any colour from this but what you do get is a super thick slightly tacky lip balm. Tick and sticky might not sound nice but it means it lasts for ages on the lips. I’ve been chucking this on when my normal lipbalms haven’t been cutting it.

 

The Body Shop Sea Weed Pore Perfector.  I’m convinced that this is what has reduced my breakouts to a bare minimum lately. It’s amazing and I love it.

Rapidlash Lash Enhancing Serum. I have bambi lashes now. Just sayin’.

Are you doing a favourites post this month? If so link me to it in the comments!

*Everything was bought by me*

My MAC Neutral Palette

During the week I have to keep my makeup reasonably toned down for work. Now I have my Urban Decay Naked palette and I do love it but I wish they had mixed it up a bit more with the finishes. For this reason I find myself reaching for my MAC palette more. The empty 15 pan palettes cost £11.50 and pro pan eyeshadows £9.50 (you can get the potted form for £11.50 and depot them). This means it would cost £154 to fill one palette. Thankfully there is another option. Plenty of other brands fit these palettes including The Body Shop and Inglot so rather than forking out to enough MAC shadows to fill it I just depotted what I already owned. Most of them are MAC though. 

Tops Row (Left to Right): MAC Club (permanent), MAC Satin Taupe (permanent), MAC Woodwinked (Permanent), MAC one of the shadows from the Burmese Beauty quad (Ltd edition from the Fabulous Felines collection), The Body Shop No1. 

Middle Row: Inglot Pearl 423, MAC Corduroy (Permanent), MAC Smoke & Diamonds (Ltd edition), MAC All That Glitters (Permanent), MAC Blanc Type (Permanent).

Bottom Row: MAC another from the Burmese Beauty Quad (Ltd edition), MAC Cut To Fit (ltd edition), MAC Wedge (Permanent), MAC another from the Burmese Beauty Quad (Ltd edition). 

It’s a shame these palettes don’t have a mirror and it’s a bit of a pain that if you depot eyeshadows to go in them you need to buy some magnetic tape to go on the back to make them stay put. Other than that I do love this palette and I am making a dent in a lot of the shadows x

*All bought by me*

Blogger Interview – Skin Deep Beauty Blogger

This week we have Astrid from Skin Deep Beauty Blogger in the hot seat. Shuffle on over to her blog ASAP!

 

Quick fire question – tell us something you love about blogging and something you’re not too crazy about!

I love being able to share my new discoveries as well as rave about trusted favourites. One of the aspects of blogging which I never expected was just how extensive & welcoming the blogging community is- it's great to be a part of it! What's not so great? Us bloggers always seem to bemoan the lack of hours in the day.

Why beauty/makeup? What made you decide you wanted to blog about it?

I'm a professional beauty writer so blogging just seemed like a natural extension on what I do on a daily basis. It's great to be free to write about what I want, 100% free of advertising bias.

You have 5 minutes before you have to leave the house. What items do you throw on?

I've just had lash extensions which means that I can get away without eye makeup for the time being so I guess I'd dot on some concealer and apply a slick of red lipstick. It's my go-to product for cheating a polished look and I'm running a series on my blog with the aim of helping readers find the perfect shade.

Are there any brands that aren’t available in your country that you would love to try? What ‘local’ brands do you think everyone should have a chance to try?

Not one beauty brand specifically but a beauty shop.. Sephora. I know I'm not the only one to feel like this so come on Sephora, hurry up & make your return to UK shores! Local brands which I think everyone should try.. hmm, a tough one. In terms of British brands, I adore Elemis and have been pleasantly surprised with the Topshop Makeup range but really, there's too many to mention!

What entices you to follow a new blog? What puts you off?

It can be something as simple as a single post catching my attention or falling in love with the overall writing style.

Thanks for taking part Astrid, I know I could use some help finding the perfect red! x

Mini MUA Giveaway (Closed)

CLOSED

I’ve been scouring the streets of Glasgow looking for the infamous MUA Heaven & Earth palette for a friend with no joy... until today. I found not one but two all sealed and pristine in the stand and pounced. So I’ve decided to give one away on here just for the hell of it.

So to the rules.

You must be over 18. Sorry but you are giving out your address to a stranger on the interwebz.

Open internationally!

You must be a follower on GFC or on Twitter (I know not everyone uses GFC to follow blogs but I can’t keep tabs any other way, hence the inclusion of Twitter). My Twitter ID is ClaireEyelining.

Please no accounts that are created purely for giveaways. I will be checking.

Enter by commenting below. Please state how you follow and you’re GFC or Twitter ID. I’d also like to hear from you what kinds of posts you’d like to see more of in future. Oh and a contact email would be a good idea.

Ends next Sunday (September 4th) at 21:00 GMT.

Good luck! x

Products I just don't get

Some things that make me go 'hmmm' (gotta love braniac).

It’s Sleek Saturday!

The gorgeous Liloo once again challenged me to take part in Sleek Saturday, specifically she asked me to create a look with the Curacao palette. Now when you see the Curacao palette you instantly think rainbow eye looks and I duly searched Google for inspiration. Cue a million stunning pictures of girls rocking rainbow eyes. One problem, each of these girls had acres of lid space to play with. In comparison I barely have a back yard. Not even a bin stores worth of space. Thinking outside the box/ lid space I remembered the GOSH UK website. The image on the front page is one of my favourite looks. Bear in mind that the finish of the Curacao palette is different (matte rather than shimmery) and obviously my eye shape is rounder with a much bigger gap between the lid and the brow. Also I’m not a makeup artist but whatever, I had fun!

How creepy are those full face shots :p Get thee over to Liloo's blog immediately!  x

NOTD Nails Inc Pembroke Close

I’m already gravitating to dark vampy shades but this shade had to have one last hurrah before being shoved to the back of the drawer. I got this in a huge Nails Inc gift set that my Mum gave me for Christmas last year. I think she got it from TK MAXX for about £20.

The colour is a gorgeous medium purple, it’s not quite pastel but it’s not deep either. There is no shimmer which stops it being too girly. This is two coats. 

I’m not a huge fan of the Nails Inc formulas. Whilst they are ok to apply they do not wear well on my at all. They chip badly within 48 hours regardless of what top coat I wear x

No7 Lash 360 Mascara

This is yet another of those little samples that you get in the frequent No7 gift with purchase sets. This particular offering focuses on volume claiming to provide “up to 7x more volume”. I’ll preface this by saying that volumising mascaras aren’t really my thing. I have plenty of volume, I would like some length and some curl please. Therefore this isn’t the kind of mascara I would typically buy with my own money especially considering that I think No7 mascaras are overpriced for what they are. This is £12.50 for a full sized tube.

The brush is certainly different. It’s pretty normal at the ends but the big open spiral section in the middle causes me some problems. I get that it’s this bit that creates the volume but on my lashes I have to spend an age combing through my lashes with the end section in order to avoid my lashes sticking together in one big clump. You can see in the open eyed picture that I didn’t totally manage it. 

I also find that this mascara smudges quite a bit for me. Granted my eyes have been a bit weepy of late (damn you pollen) but panda eyes by midday is not a pretty look. Overall it’s just too much hassle for me. I wouldn’t recommend it x

What are you doing over here?

You should be over at Cornflakegirl's Musings reading my guest review! Get thee over there post haste!!

August Empties

I should clarify that I will be doing a project ten pan update shortly. Almost 1 month in! The only thing in this post that counts towards it is the No7 mascara. Anyhoo here are my empties for the last month. I’ve stopped buying skin care etc too for project ten pan and it’s nice to see my stash starting to look more manageable.

Raspberry Melon Lip Smaker from Primarni – Cheap and very very cheerful (I think £1.50?). Tasted gorgeous and did a good job too. I have a stash of these....

No7 Lash 360 sample size mascara – This was an awful mascara for me. Clumpy and unforgiving on dense lashes. It dried up very quickly too so overall thumbs down.

Carmex Mint SPF15 lip balm – I must have bought this dozens of times over the years and will continue to do so.

ELF Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths – My holy grail face wipes. I bought 6 packs in the 50% off sale in July. Love them!

Lacura Face Wipes – Cheap and thoroughly miserable. Dry and they made my skin itch. DO NOT WANT.

Two packs of the old style ELF Shine Eraser sheets  - Yes two packs of 50. What can I say, it’s been warm and my face has been oily enough to stock a chip shop or a month. Ew. I actually prefer these to the new versions.

Little Neutrogena shampoo bottle from a hotel – I ran out of baby shampoo last month and I’m using up the million tiny hotel bottles by using them to wash my brushes. I’m never going to use them on me so it’s a great way to use them up!

Lancôme Bifacil Eye Makeup Remover – I adore this but at almost £20 a bottle I just can’t justify it. I find the Botanics version works almost as well and only costs a couple of quid.

Superdrug Mud Therapy Raspberry Exfoliating Mud Mask – This is only  couple of pounds but I really like it for helping clean out congested pores. I’ve bought several tubes in the past.

Batiste Tropical – I’m going to stick to buying the brunette tinted version as this was a bit hard to brush out. Not a huge fan of the fragrance either.

And now some stuff that isn’t finished but just has to go. The ELF Cream Eyeliner is a purple one that I loved but it has become so dry that I can’t use it. It’s strange as the others I bought at the same time are fine. Likewise the Urban Decay Ink For Eyes in Binge is unusable now despite Demolition, which I bought at the same time, being as good as new. The Calvin Klein gel liner is just  so awful that I never use it and I have two other good liners. Frankly I’m sick of looking at it so it’s time for the bin!

Everything was bought by me. Apart from the No7 mascara which was a gift with purchase. A disappointing gift like socks at Christmas. 

Blogger Interview - Lauren Loves

This week we are mixing it up a little with Lauren Loves . Lauren does write beauty reviews but also has a focus on fashion. Lord knows that's a department I need all the help I can get with!

        * Quick fire question – tell us something you love about blogging and something you’re not too crazy about!

I love the community! I've "met" so many wonderful girls who have the same interests and passions as myself which is so refreshing. I also love that becoming a blogger has opened up so many opportunities to make new connections, find new hobbies and learn so much about myself.

 

Sometimes I don't like how cliquey the community can be and how some bloggers complain about other who advertise, or discuss certain topics. Also commenters who abuse bloggers for not posting every day upsets me - they don't realise that this is our hobby and if we don't want to/have time to post, we don't have to!

 

·        * Why beauty/ makeup? What made you decide you wanted to blog about it?

I love beauty and makeup! I have such a passion for beauty and fashion (that rhymed...) I had to get it out there and stop boring my friends and boyfriend with my mindless comments so thought a blog would be the perfect outlet. I also have a really tough day job (I work with people who have had head injuries) so it's a great outlet for all things mindless and girly!

 

·        * You have 5 minutes before you have to leave the house. What items do you throw on?

Definitely a cute jumpsuit or maxi dress which I'm obsessed with at the moment, then shove my hair into a messy high ponytail and tie a black bow around it to make it more interesting. Then a quick slick of liquid liner, some mascara and I'm gone! I tend to shock friends by being quick to get ready!

 

·        * Are there any brands that aren’t available in your country that you would love to try? What ‘local’ brands do you think everyone should have a chance to try?

I don't really know to be honest. Here in the UK we are really spoilt by the big brands such as Sleek, Barry M and other fantastic names so I know other countries are trying to get our stuff, and I frequently get emails asking me to ship over products! I'd love to go to Forever 21 for a massive spending spree - I know they're online here now but the products don't seem the same. I also want Sephora to come back to the UK as they had some amazing products and now I can't find one anywhere!

 

·        * What entices you to follow a new blog? What puts you off?

I love a blog with smart, interesting content which is well written and informative. I like makeup reviews which include swatches on the place you'd apply them (I'm bored of lipstick swatches on hands, I want to know what it looks like on your lips!) I like blogs which have a nice clear layout and clear pictures (Bloggers need to please find the macro button on their cameras!)

 

And obviously when they're the opposite to that, it puts me off! Also if a blog is clearly full of PR press releases, and information which isn't relevent to the blog previously I feel a bit suspicious or put out - especially if the blogger is someone I love and suddenly their style changes! I obviously woulnd't complain to them though as it's their space to be who they want to be! 

 

Thanks for taking part Lauren! xx

Sample Sunday – Rituals Magic Touch Body Cream

I go through body lotion like no tomorrow. The skin on my body tends to go all scaly and uncomfortable at the slightest provocation. That being said I don’t want to be standing around all cold and drafty waiting for a rich sticky lotion to sink in enough for me to get dressed. So I want an ultra rich lotion that is super moisturising but instantly disappears into the skin. And when you’re done on that miracle some water into wine would be just lovely. 

This is a very, very thick cream. So much so that I thought it was going to be a pain to spread over the skin but it melts very quickly with the heat of your hands and actually spreads pretty well. It has a faint fruity cherry scent which was inoffensive and not too obvious after a little while. I like this as I want to smell like my perfume, not my body lotion. 

It actually wasn’t sticky at all. After a minute or two it had completely sunk in leaving my skin infinitely less tight and scaly than it was before. There are only two down sides. For a start the full size 200ml pot is in, well, a pot. Not the best for hygiene. Secondly it costs £13.50 and given its limited availability in the UK (I know there is a counter in Edinburgh and I think John Lewis might stock it?) you might have to factor in postage too. 

Would I buy the full size? If I found myself at a counter and I was feel flush I would be very tempted. It is a lovely product. It’s just a little too pricey for me to actively go looking for it x

*Samples received as part of a gift with purchase*

Piz Buin Self Tanning Lotion & Colour Dial

When you spot an £18.35 (240ml) fake tan in Home Bargains reduced to £4.99 you just have to pick it up right? I was sucked in by the price and the gimmicky packaging. You twist the nozzle to determine how deep your tan will be. This should have set off alarm bells. Regular readers will know that I am almost allergic to waste. If you use this in any other setting then the middle one side will run out before the other and that really irritates me. 

The pump really does my head in too (you may already be able to tell this isn’t a positive review?). You have to pump it over and over to get a decent amount of product out. By the time I’d done my whole body I was at risk of developing repetitive strain injury. Regardless of what setting it is on it comes out as a white cream. I prefer tinted tanners so I can see where I’ve missed so this combined with the pump meant that it took me twice as long as my usual tanner to apply. 

Now for some positives. It has a light fresh scent and by the next morning the eau de Hobnob isn’t very strong. It also claims to be hydrating and it actually is! My skin often feels dried out by tanners but this is fine.

Sadly the hydration comes at a price. It never seems to properly sink in and I spent the whole night feeling uncomfortably sticky. I set the dial right in the middle to satisfy my obsessive compulsive tendencies and woke up to find a slight difference in colour. Call me crazy (many do) but if I’m going to spend this much time and effort on a fake tan I want to bloody notice I’ve done it. And yes I could just turn the dial up but a.) We’ve already established that I’m weird about that and b.) the colour I did get had a distinctly orange tinge to it. I have no intention of becoming Lady Wotsit so I’m not going to risk it. 

You don’t even need me to say it but I will. No I won’t be buying it again and no I don’t recommend that you do either! x

Collection Overview – Cream Shadows

As a general rule I like my eyeshadows pigmented and bold. A great way to increase the colour saturation of even sheer shadows is to pop a sticky cream base under them. I never wear them alone with the exception of the Benefit Creaseless Creams as cream shadows crease on me within seconds. I wear them over primer in a thin layer then pack powder shadow on top. I won’t have space in this post to review things but everything has been reviewed on my blog before so check out the label in the right hand column if you want to know more about any of them. 

I have NYX Jumbo Eye pencils in Milk (white), Strawberry Milk (shimmery pink), Pots & Pans (shimmery silver) and Black Bean (which I depotted into the plastic pot in the middle of the picture). There are two Barbara Daly Soufflé shadows in Haze (purple) and Sea-Foam (green). Revlon Illuminance Cream Shadow quad in Copper Canyon, Sleek Molton Metal Duo (Pewter and Gold Leaf), No7 Stay Perfect eyeshadow in Pewter and finally Bloom Eye Paint in Champagne. 

Swatched left to right: NYX Black Bean, NYX Strawberry Milk, NYX Pots & Pans, NYX Milk, Barbara Daly Sea-Foam, Barbara Daly Haze. 

Sleek Pewter, Sleek Gold Leaf, Bloom Champagne, No7 Pewter. 

Revlon Illuminance Cream Shadows. 

 Benefit Creaseless Creams in Pre-Nup and Skinny Jeans. 

My favourites are the NYX pencils, No7 Pewter and of course the Benefit Creaseless Creams. I certainly wouldn’t bother with the Barbara Daly ones again as they have almost no colour pay off x

*All bought by me*