RIMMEL LONDON: Lasting finish by Kate Moss

Hiya guys, so I recently purchased Kate Moss' Lasting Finish lipstick in the colour 01. I'll begin positively by saying that it is a steal for the price, it retails at £5.49!!! But looks as though it is worth a lot more. The packaging really stands out from other Rimmel lipsticks for me, this one looks classy and very high end, the matte black finish and Kates' signature. Very simplistic but really nice! 

Now as for the actual lipstick, the colour is a very classic, deep red. I honestly bought it immediately and wore it the same night. 

Im not too sure why, but I was under the impression that this lipstick had a matte finish, (far from it). It promises high intensity colour: CHECK! Lasts up to 8 hours: not so much, I didn't get through 30 minutes without having to reapply it. I honestly do not know if I'm messy or its the lipstick but it transfers on everything! My hand, my clothes, my drink, the cab. At the end of the night I looked in the mirror to find it all over my chin! Haha

Sigh, even though I love the packaging and the colour, It is NOT easy to wear, other people may not have this problem, but I find that a matte lipstick is more durable, and I was looking for a cheaper alternative to MAC's Ruby Woo, but I will have to keep looking... 

PROS: 

- Very good value for money

- Packaging looks high-end worthy

- Provides high intensity colour 

- Very pigmented 

- Great for a statement look

CONS:

- Very messy, not good for clubbing!

Thanks so much for reading :) 

NEW PURCHASE!!!: NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Hey Guys, so I finally made the decision to buy the Nars sheer glow foundation. It has honestly taken me 2-3 months to decide whether or not I want this foundation. I've been colour matched twice by a really lovely lady in the Kingston Bentalls centre concession, and today she finally managed to convince me to buy it, (this wasn't easy as this foundation is quite expensive, retailing at £30.50 for 30ml bottle.) The foundation itself has a very light consistency, it doesn't weigh down on the skin. Its buildable, so depending on what you feel like that day/night, its perfect to suit your every mood. I would just apply this with my fingers as it looks more natural this way, and finish it with a translucent powder. 

PROS:

- I love the look of the bottle, it's sleek and simple but so elegant. 

- Good colour range, (20 colours) I got my foundation in the colour New Orleans and its a perfect match. 

- Dewy finish

- Doesn't make me look oily, (Even though I have a very oily t-zone)

CONS: 

- It doesn't come with a pump, you have to buy this separately. The pump retails for £3 however they had just ran out of pumps when I bought my foundation, (:( so I'm pumpless) 

- Expensive! haha, but hopefully worth it!

- Doesn't mention that it contains SPF anything, (tut tut Nars) 

- Works very well when accompanied with other Nars products, however do not let this deter you from buying it. I just personally find that when you apply the Multi Protect Primer and finish with their Loose setting powder you will achieve optimum results! howeverrrrr, because it is expensive I will just have to do without for now and hope for the best :) 

I shall keep you updated! Thanks so much for reading xxx

BEAUTY BARGAINS: Zara Perfume

 I just quickly wanted to share my FAVOURITE inexpensive perfume, by ZARA, the scent is called Oriental and retails for exactly £10 for 100ml!!!, it is available in all Zara stores and is the perfect Autumn scent! Its quite sugary sweet. I am not a huge fan of floral scents as I find they become overbearing on a daily basis. So, this is perfect: It has a combination of rose, freesia, cedar, sandalwood, vanilla and caramel. (The vanilla and caramel are potent!!!)

I would highly recommend this scent, the outer packaging, (not pictured because I stupidly threw it out) is very simple but so classy making it an appropriate, inexpensive gift! I am literally smelling it whilst typing this because it is just that good!

Thanks for reading! :D

Everyday Foundation Routine: MAC Face and Body

I have currently fallen into a routine, where I am consistently using MAC's Face and Body foundation. I bought this a few months ago when I was shopping in Brighton with my friend Michelle, we were frantically looking for the MAC store, as I had had my eye on this foundation for a while, I had read loads of reviews and I finally decided to try it out! (YAY!) The man used the colour N9 on me, and speaking honestly I hated it, it looked wet and greasy and wayyy too dark for my skin. 

The packaging looks like this, a squeezy plastic bottle, which looks like acrylic paint! I bought the 120ml which retails for £27. (there are two sizes of the Face and Body foundation, the 50ml which is £21.50, and the 120ml which was £27! MAC's pricing baffles me lol) Anyways, no brainer I went for the larger one.  MAC describes this foundation as a water- based, water-resistant foundation that provides natural coverage for the face or body. AGREED! It provides a very sheer, natural looking coverage, that in my opinion is best achieved when you work the foundation in with your fingers.

 

A little goes a very long way, I just apply a small amount (As shown above) to the back of my hand and work it into my skin. 

PROS: 

- 150ml goes a long way

- Bottle is very practical, can be tossed about to your hearts content and it will not break, (not that I recommend throwing your foundation bottle about)

- Works very well on other parts of your body, great for the airbrushed legs look.

- Dewy finish 

CONS: 

- A little pricey 

- Not suitable for oily skin (unless bought with the blot powder pressed/ or a similar powder)

- A very limited colour range, (some people may disagree, but I find that my foundation is not a perfect match, but one that I have rather settled for)

- The cap gets a little messy, because the formulation is so watery.

- Brushes seem to absorb this foundation, I recommend using your fingers. 

Now, I mentioned earlier that I did not like this foundation which it was first put on me, I have oily skin at times and this foundation is better suited to dry skin. After my friend Michelle kindly told me I looked wet (lol), the man recommended I used a finishing powder. 

I now present to you, the best powder in the worlddddddd....

The BLOT POWDER PRESSED! this powder retails for £20, which I believe is totally worth it! It is available in 5 different colours, I have the colour Deep Dark. MAC explain that this powder was primarily designed to provide shine control, and it does exactly that! I use this with other foundations too not just the Face and Body foundation and it works a charm, I highly recommend it! 

PROS:

- Can be used on top of any foundation, (even my bareMinerals foundation as a substitute to the veil.

- Literally illuminates shine

- Buildable, you had buff a little bit on top of your foundation, to get rid of shine, or a lot to give the appearance of a matte finish.

- Completely worth the money

-Its recommended use by time (little open pot with number written inside, on back of all makeup packaging) is 24 months!!!

- I have had this for 4 months now and I have not hit pan 

CONS:

- This is NOT shatter resistant, every time it drops on the floor, I slowly pick it up and hold my breath waiting to see if its cracked. As you can see above I've dropped it a few times.

Thanks so much for reading :D

bareMinerals: Customisable Get Started Kit

Heya guys, so I recently purchased up the bareMinerals get started kit and I can honestly say it is nearing holy grail status! The kit retails for £50 online at www.bareminerals.co.uk but all six products have a combined value of over £121 

Kit includes: 

- Your shade of foundation (I'm in the shade Warm Deep) 

- Prime Time foundation primer 

- Original mineral veil finishing powder

- Warmth all-over face colour 

- THREE brushes (full flawless brush, flawless application face brush and the minimum coverage concealer brush) 

- How-to DVD

I have combination/ acne prone skin, so finding a foundation that is long lasting, gives a flawless coverage and won't break me out is a rarity. I was assured by the woman at the bareMinerals counter that the formulation is so light and acne prone friendly that I COULD EVEN SLEEP IN IT AND NOT BREAK OUT! Ha, now I do not recommend doing this because it is so bad for your skin, but my skin seems to love this foundation so much that I would consider sleeping in it, lol.   

PROS of the foundation:

- It contains SPF15 

- Flawless coverage

- Build-able  

- Great value for money 

- Can be used as a concealer, foundation and powder

CONS of the foundation:

- Now I do not know if its just me but this foundation gets so messy if you forget to close it properly as it is a loose powder. So ensure that the safe lock is in place before lid is put back on.

The set comes with three brushes, that have a retail value of £57 if bought alone. They are very easy to use and clean, the how-to DVD demonstrates the bareMinerals famous swirl, tap, buff technique which help give a flawless look, firstly the full flawless brush, which I use when I'm going it gives a heavier coverage. The flawless application face brush, which is perfect for an everyday look and the maximum coverage concealer brush is great for covering under eye circles or covering blemishes etc. 

PROS: 

- So soft when newly purchased

- Gentle on skin and easy to buff into skin

-  Brilliant value if bought with the kit, individually have a combined retail price of £57

CONS: 

- The flawless brushes shed quite often, I recommend using Johnson's baby shampoo when washing your brushes, as other shampoos could increase shedding and leave the bristles corse. 

The warmth is gorgeous, I was skeptical at first because when I think of a warmth I think of a bronzer, which for my skin tone I felt may not be necessary! I was so wrong, it looks really good and I would recommend this for everyday use, in the areas where you would usually contour, it adds definition to your face, without being too heavy and gives a very healthy looking, sun kissed glow! 

Again, I was skeptical with the mineral veil finishing powder, I thought it was would defeat the dewy glow I had just achieved with the foundation and warmth. However, it is so light and serves its purpose.

The Prime Time foundation primer is not nearly as good as the other items contained in the kit. Firstly, the packaging is awful, the squeezable tube gets so messy to a point I had to stop using it because I feared it was no longer hygienic. I understand it has a lot to do with maintenance, but I feel a pump would be more practical. Secondly, although it does leave my velvety soft, the primer is quite greasy on my skin, (I have oily skin, so this might differ with other skin types) so I just moisturise with a light moisturiser before I apply the foundation etc.

I would HIGHLY recommend this kit, it is perfect for beginners and bareMinerals have such a wide range of colours, you are guaranteed to find a colour match!!! Below I have showed how much (or how little) foundation you would need to swirl on your brush with each brush! 

Thank you so much for reading :D