Spotlight On | Kat Von D Nietzsche Ink Liner.

I'm currently on holiday in Vancouver BC so apologies for not posting much. I've been doing a bit of shopping in Sephora since we don't have it at home. I'm trying to buy things I'll not get in the UK so that I can justify it ;) I may do a collective Canadian haul post at the end of my holiday but for now I'll do a spotlight on my fave find so far. 

Kat Von D Ink Liner in Nietzche is a pretty periwinkle blue shade in a liquid liner pen form. I'm really into this shade at the moment and it could be cute to match my liner to my Essie Bikini So Teeny nail polish. 

I wore Nietzche today with just a bit of mascara and kept everything else simple.

I like it as a simple pop of colour, I don't feel like it's "too much" for daytime. I got this for CAD$23 in Sephora. I picked up some more KVD goodies but I'll show you them later! 

I'm off for some poutine and Tim Hortons (not even kidding) :) 

Spotlight On | Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait.

I've decided that not all my posts need to be super long. Sometimes a quick blurb of my thoughts on a product is enough to let you guys know whether it's worth a look or not. So I'm starting this series of 'Spotlight On' posts to give you mini reviews. Hopefully this will mean I can post more often and let you in on when there's something that is just rocking my world (what's the fun in keeping it to myself?!). 

The first product I'm throwing into the spotlight is Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait. Let me start by saying I got this as a freebie in a 3 for 2 offer on Revlon, and I wasn't particularly excited about it. It sat unused for around 6 months until two months ago when I picked it up again. It's since become my everyday staple lip product!

The base colour is like a peachy-rose, similar to a natural lip colour (or what I'd like my naturally pale pink lips to be!). Through this colour is a golden peach shimmer which highlights and plumps the look of the lips. I find that the shimmer accentuates my Cupid's bow, almost like a built in highlight, and the colour is very multidimensional (my pictures don't do it justice!). I love the Revlon lip butter formula as it applies easily like a lip balm, lasts for 3-4 hours on average and the colours are buildable. Peach Parfait is such a lovely natural colour and the shimmer makes it even more interesting; it's become my go to lipstick for work and weekends. My current tube of this lippie is worn right down to the end and I'll definitely be picking up another one this weekend in time for my summer holiday! 

I've had lots of compliments on it and I'd happily have paid high end price for such a lovely lippie. The best part is that it is Revlon and so it's widely available and cheap (£7.99)! If you pass by it anytime soon please swatch it. It suits me no matter how pale or tan I am and I think it would suit most skin tones from fair to medium-dark. 

What's your go to lip just now?

Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation | Review.

I bought this foundation in May and I'm glad I waited this long to review it as a month ago I would have trashed it! 

I got the shade Fiji which is the darkest of the light shades and has a yellow undertone. I also use Fiji in Sheer Glow and the All Day Luminous Powder Foundation formulas, and it the most flattering match for my skin I've ever had. 

I love Sheer Glow for short wear time but if I wear it all day I end up so horrendously oily, and I found the Sheer Matte too difficult to build up and apply. The powder version of the All Day Luminous Foundation is a holy grail on light and natural makeup days as it's so quick and blurs out imperfections but again it can leave me pretty oily by the end of a work day. I have fallen in love with my Loreal Infallible 24hr Matte as you know, but the colour match isn't quite as good as Fiji. So when I heard that the new Nars foundation was a matte long wear formula for oily skin I was so excited! 

So the first time I tried this was for Beautycon and I HATED it. I applied with a buffing brush and perhaps I used too much but I was so overly yellow and my skin looked really bumpy and textured (gross basically). I had used the powder foundation on top and it looked oily but cakey at the same time. I tried to fix it all through the day but I couldn't wait to take it off. 

I haven't touched the bottle again until two weeks ago when I really felt I needed more yellow tone in my foundation and mixed a bit in with my Loreal Infallible (in shade 11 Vanilla). I used my beauty blender this time and the result was gorgeous. I had a better colour match and the finish was lovely and matte but natural. 

This week I progressed to using the Nars foundation alone with my beauty blender and I'm thrilled to say I am loving it. I use two or three tiny pumps (a little goes a long way) and blend it into my face. I then add my concealer and set with Soap and Glory Kickass Powder and this keeps me matte for around 6-8 hours. I usually just blot rather than adding more powder and it looks fresh and even for another good few hours after that. 

Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Fiji on skin in natural lighting. (Charlotte Tilbury 'Norma' on eyes, ABH 'Retro Coral' on lips, Becca 'Opal' highlighter and Nars 'Madly' blusher on cheeks)

I'm so happy that I didn't waste my money as this foundation cost me £32 and I honestly thought I'd never touch it again after the Beautycon fiasco. I love the colour of it when I use a smaller amount, although it is definitely more yellow than Sheer Glow in the same shade. I think light handed application and a beauty blender may make it work for you if you haven't had luck so far. I still prefer the Loreal Infallible formula for keeping me flawless and matte all day but the colour range of Nars is superior. I am happy to own both and I think I would actually repurchase this foundation now I have got to grips with it. 

So we have a happy ending :) Have you tried this foundation? What were your first impressions?

Pineapple and Watermelon Crazy.

I've been buying lots of fruit themed items the last couple of months and it's become a bit of an obsession. But a cute one. 

Pineapples and watermelon are my favourite summer fruits along with the less photogenic coconut (which looks like a brown hairy ball... We'll leave it at that). I much prefer cheery fruity prints to floral when it comes to clothes and homeware. So here are some gems that I've picked up!

1. Estella Bartlett Pineapple Necklace.

I picked this up in an independent shop in Cowes high street which carries the loveliest range of jewellry. I was torn between this one and a pretty little Hamsa hand necklace but the pineapple won! This was reasonably priced at £16.50 for a gold plated necklace. It's quite small so it's discreet from far away and then when people see it up close they'll realise you're a crazy pineapple lady. Cool. 

Found an online source to buy this! http://www.lisaangel.co.uk/gold-pineapple-necklace

2. H&M Watermelon and Pineapple Sequin Tees. 

This was love at first sight. I bought the watermelon first, and then when I went back into H&M the following week the pineapple one threw itself at me. The tees fit really nicely, are so soft and only cost £12.99. The sequins really catch the light and it adds a bit of colour and interest to a basic tee and jeans look. I saw two more sequin designs in store; a white tee with palm trees and a cream tee with parrots. Some might call them tacky... I call them AWESOME. 

3. Paperchase Watermelon Travel Cup.

This little thing hasn't left my side since I bought it in May. I may have even taken it in my handbag once and surreptitiously sipped the straw when no one was looking. It's so cute and I drink so much more water with this than before. I think the straw makes you drink more and the lid stops me from feeling like dust can get in my water if it's been sitting for a while (does anyone else care about this or is it just me?!). Anyway it's cute and it was £7. Bargain. 

4. Paperchase Watermelon Makeup Bag. 

This wasn't actually sold as a makeup bag (I think it's a wash bag) but I knew it would be perfect for carrying my cosmetics together in my big handbag. It's adorable and wipes clean. I also like that you can see throughout the sides so you don't need to dig around looking for things. I can't see it on the website anymore but you might find it in store. It was £8 I believe. Paperchase have an amazing range of watermelon and pineapple goodies at the moment, from earphones and phone cases to plates and bags. Defo worth a look! 

What are you obsessed with at the moment? Don't be shy, there will be no judgement here ;)

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerise.

I'm supposed to be saving for my holiday so I have been trying not to buy unnecessary amounts of new makeup... Enter Charlotte Tilbury and her new collection of eyeshadows. I didn't stand a chance. 

 I really wanted high shimmer or metallic formula champagne and gold-bronze eyshadows as it looks stunning with just some mascara. I then saw Vivianna Does Makeup and I Covet Thee on YouTube raving about the Bette shade of the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerise cream formula shadows. It was such a gorgeous bronze shade but it was the metallic look that hooked me. It's difficult to find a really wet looking and shiny formula like that. When I saw that the range also had a champagne shade called Norma I was adding to basket and at the checkout before I knew what had happened. I reasoned that they will be very well used this summer and that I wouldn't need any more eyeshadows after that (ha). 

I purchased straight from Charlotte Tilburys website and was delighted when they arrived as it only took three days for delivery and the presentation box was gorgeous. I didn't take a picture because I ripped into it the moment I got it... Bad blogger. 

The little pots are sturdy glass with the CT symbol embossed on the lid, all very luxurious. The shadows are a moussey-cream which blends easily and dries quickly to a budge proof finish. I'll let the swatches speak for themselves....

Bette is the top swatch, it's a gorgeous warm gold bronze which can be sheered out to a more golden brown shade, or layered for the full metallic bronze effect. 

Norma is the bottom swatch, and although it's described as a pink champagne on the site I'm happy to say I don't detect too much pink in it. It's more of a true champagne gold with slight peach tones. It's gorgeous on its own as an eye brightening wash of colour, or used as a centre of lid and inner corner highlight on top of Bette (as below). 

Im so so thrilled with them both. They can be sheered down and made work appropriate or layered on to give a beautiful summer bronzed eye that's not too try hard. I've used my fingers and brushes to apply, both with success, so I'd say it's really your preference. The lasting power is fantastic, they look as good at the end of the day as they did when I first applied them and I've not experienced creasing or flaking.

 I am so in love and haven't touched any other eyeshadow since I got these. They cost £24 each and you can get them from CT website or Selfridges. There are four other shades to check out but I'm looking away before I spend anymore of the holiday fund!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks | Ordering To The UK Experience

I am so pleased to have got my hands on these infamous liquid lipsticks! They are all over Instagram and YouTube and I felt like the only lipstick fanatic not to have tried them. Living in the UK means that these are not available easily and I had to purchase straight from the Anastasia Beverly Hills website and pay international shipping (plus customs). 

I'll start by saying they have a bit of a bad rep when it comes to delivery times. I was prepared for them not to be very fast but taking over three weeks to arrive was still disappointing. Also, I emailed them ten days after ordering to ask for a rough ETA and they told me that the order had just been processed (!) even though I'd had an email the week before telling me that they were shipped. This was due to 'back order issues'. Not a great experience and the long wait means I'm less keen to order in future, although I most likely will as they keep bringing out such bloody good products.

The liquid lipsticks cost $20 each, plus $17.95 for international shipping. I also had £20 of customs charges added so these lipsticks didn't exactly come cheap to the UK.

I wanted to try a selection of colours from the line and managed to whittle it down to four. I wanted a nude, an orange, a dark and a coral (these are my most likely to be worn shades... I'm a creature of habit). I chose Pure Hollywood (a neutral beige nude), Neon Coral (neon orange), Heathers (dark, darrrrkkk burgundy) and Retro Coral (bright pinky coral). 

The formula is pretty consistent, but I find Heathers and Pure Hollywood easier to work with than the two brights. They can become streaky in application but I find it's generally fixable whilst wet and once I'm happy with the look of things I leave my lips apart til everything has dried and 'locked in'. Lasting power is good, however when you add to many layers things start to look a bit goopy and flaky, so I'd advise less is more and if you go overboard blot and start again. 

Overall I'm so glad I bought these as I own nothing like them. I wish there were more liquid lipsticks on the UK market, I'm hoping it filters down into more drugstore brands. I'm going to be wearing these with a tan, minimal makeup and a smile. 

Have you tried Anastasia's liquid lipsticks? Any shades you recommend? 

I'm Back!

Apologies for being M.I.A. for the past month and a half... I just finished a postgraduate year for my job and things were hectic. I also got a promotion (yay) so things are good on the job front, but poor on the blogging front. I feel so guilty, I promise to post more regularly from now.

In my absence I have been (stress) buying lots of makeup and bits and pieces so the good news is that I have plenty of new goodies to share with you. 

Thanks for staying tuned :)