Beauty UK's Matte Bronzer in Dark

It was a fair few months ago that I purchased Beauty UK's Matte Bronzer in No.2 Dark, I wasn't particularly looking for a new bronzer but saw it sitting there for £3.99 and so thought I'd give it a whirl. I hadn't seen any reviews on this product, in fact I was completely unaware that it even existed yet a random, spur of the moment purchase has now become an essential part of my makeup routine.

There are two shades available of this matte bronzer, No.1 Medium and No.2 Dark, of which I own the darkest option. Normally I would choose the lightest shade available but upon swatching 'Dark' I found it looked like a great contour colour compared to the Medium. The online description says it's 'a soft bronze powder that naturally illuminates the skin for a natural looking glow' and it also claims to 'eliminate unwanted shine and provide a smooth satin finish for a healthy bronzed look'. Honestly, by reading that description I probably wouldn't look twice at the product as it seems to be marketed as a bronzer for oilier skins while I presumed it being matte as referring to the finish of the product.

The pigment and colour pay off you get from this bronzer is really amazing especially when you consider how affordable it is; to contour one side of my face (cheeks, temple, jaw) I need only a small amount of product on my ELF Tapered Brush and even then still need to tap off the excess beforehand so it doesn’t look overdone. I love the versatility of this product as I can use less for a daytime look to just give some shape to my face or more for nights out to make my cheekbones look a bit more defined and to balance out my face when I’m wearing eye shadow too.

I know a lot of people favour more grey-toned shades to contour with now as opposed to browns as it’s supposed to look more natural and create more of a realistic shadow effect but, for me personally, this deep shade of brown works well with my skin tone and gives the look I want when doing my makeup. When I contour I don’t mind if people know that I’m trying to do so as you only need to look at my  filled in eyebrows and lipstick that never leaves my lips to know that I quite clearly wear makeup so people knowing that my cheekbones aren’t really that defined doesn’t bother me haha.

The product is a little powdery in that when you put your brush into it there is some product that’s lifted and sits on top but I just shake the compact to get rid of it...and this ladies and gentlemen is one of many reasons why my mum strongly suggested I have laminate in my new room and not carpet. The powderiness is worth noting if you prefer a bronzer that is more finely milled and creates less mess as it may be easier for you and avoid wasted money.

This is hands down my favourite product I've found to contour with, I was using Sleek's Contour Kit beforehand but, truthfully, always found it a little difficult to work with as I felt it blended out far too easily and left my contour a little patchy. In comparison now as well, looking back, I feel Sleeks' offering looks a little orange on my skin, I love how I realise now after using it for months on end #regret. I was going to repurchase the Contour Kit before finding this product as I've hit pan (uh love it) on the bronzer but was reluctant as the highlighter is still very much going strong so am glad I now don't need to.

From left to right: Beauty UK's Matte Bronzer in No.2 Dark, Sleek's Contour Kit in Light

I can contour so quickly and easily since using this product as it's so fuss-free and I've learnt how much I need, where to position it and how to blend it. Have you tried this bronzer at all in either the Dark or Medium shade? What's your favourite product to contour with?

Primark Haul

A Primark haul has occurred again which isn't surprising when you combine me with cheap clothing and a recent pay day. I hadn't had the chance to go to Primark for quite a while and so was excited by all the Autumn/Winter clothing they now have in store along with all the housey items, dang, I love it all. I actually bought a lot more but when I got it home to try it on none of it looked how I imagined it (damn you high expectations) and some of the items just didn't sit properly which I find is often the case with Primark. 

Oversized Jumper- £8

I debated round the whole of Primark whether to get this jumper or not as I've always loved this bright yellow/green colour but wasn't sure whether it'd make me look ill, but, after taking it home and trying it on, I've found I absolutely love it. On the label it's called Mustard even though it's got more of a lime tinge but the colour is really suited for the colder weather and it's so warm and comfortable, I've definitely worn it too much already. I bought a size up from what I usually would as I wanted it to be cosy but after checking the receipt and seeing it's intended to be oversized anyway I could have got my normal size so is something worth bearing in mind if you buy this or any of the other colours.

Twisted Knot Earrings- £1

Recently I've been loving really simple stud earrings and so picked these up for just £1 (keels over in shock). For some reason the backs that came with these earrings wouldn't stay in place and kept sliding off so I just got another pair of backs from another set of earrings I have and the problem is solved, Dani the Handyman.

Flower Necklace- £4

I honestly don't think a day goes by where I don't have a necklace gracing my being at some point as, to me, they complete an outfit entirely. I only ever seem to wear gold necklaces or monochrome ones so thought I'd mix it up a bit by buying a colourful one; the smaller gems surrounding the flowers are emerald green and a lighter green then with silver gems in the middle of each flower. This necklace surprisingly works really well with my new jumper and even though the necklace is a bit of a pain initially to get all the flowers to lay flat I'll be getting a lot of wear out of it.

Textured Coatigan- £12

I honestly love this item, I feel like it's called a coatigan but I'm not entirely sure, more like a jacket/cardigan type hybrid. The picture doesn't do it much justice unfortunately as it's difficult to photograph but it's an oversized, slightly cropped sleeved piece which is great for throwing over a pair of leggings and simple vest. It's perfect for this time of year in England where it's quite cold but not cold enough for a full on coat but not warm enough for just a cardigan, hence why I feel it's a coatigan haha. It's got two front pockets and would look great dressed up or down and is again something I'll wear constantly until I find something else to become obsessed with.

Navy Bag- £10

The first time I walked past this bag I laughed and said it looked like a beat box bag (the pockets just really give off that vibe to me even though my friends practically died mocking me when I told them that) but the more I looked at it the more I convinced myself I needed it. Navy, again, is a Wintery colour and I only have black or grey bags so is a good addition to have, saying that though they also have an all black version and a burgundy one. For only £10 you get the three zipped sections at the front and then inside a zipped section and two pockets, regardless of this extreme storage opportunity everything still ends up at the bottom of the bag, nothing will ever be able to tame my lack of organisation. 

Navy Flats- £4

Following on from the theme of navy I desperately needed some basic flat shoes as my dog lovingly destroyed my go-to pair and all the others are hideously misshapen from being thrown in a box when we moved. These literally are the most basic shoes known to mankind but look nice paired against black leggings and will go with mostly everything.

That's everything I bought from Primark as everything else is currently waiting patiently in the bag to be returned. What do you think of the items I bought? Have you bought much from Primark recently?

Homeware Purchases

I've always loved homeware items but, since moving house and having appointed myself as Head Interior Designer (haha), my love for it has grown much more. Everything house-related that I've bought so far has been really affordable so all items can be bought on a budget, does anyone else get a thrill from finding something amazing in a shop that's considered cheap?! As you can tell I am a full on adrenaline junkie. Not.

We've had most of the rooms decorated now and decided to have a feature wall done above the mantelpiece in the living room; my mum chose some samples from Homebase, including this one, which we were going to buy but then while in B&M we found the exact pattern but for a much cheaper price so it's worth looking around for these type of things. The wallpaper is quite reflective in certain lights and is perfect for our living room as we love neutral colours but wanted to incorporate colour too so the pale blue background will tie it all in together when we've finished the rest of the room.

Home Word Ornament- Dunelm Mill

Does anyone else panic when they have to say Dunelm Mill out loud? Firstly, I always think it's Dunelm Miln and secondly the way the two M's run into each other is so awkward and unpronounceable. Moving on from my proposition of possibly renaming a well-established shop, I found this item in the sale section and it was something crazy like £1.87! I can't find it online but there are similar ones like this one here and also on Amazon/eBay. The pattern doesn't work against the wallpaper but at the minute we don't have a coffee table or any side tables so the only place it can go is on the mantelpiece. First world problems.

Vanilla and Amber Room Spray- Dunelm Mill

This smell quite nearly finished me off, it's the perfect smell for a home in my opinion as it's so warm and musky. I always forget to use room sprays and will then make up for it by going crazy spraying every room in the house once in a blue moon but I'm going to make a conscious effort to use this one more frequently. It's £2.99 for a 100ml bottle but when I got to the till it was £2.09 instead as there's currently 30% off this one and a few of the other scents in the range.

Pack of 4 Coasters- B&M

As soon as I saw these coasters I fell in love, a lot of the things I've bought that aren't included in this post are bird or owl-related including mugs so the mini animals on the coasters will look adorable teamed with the other items. I literally want every single part of our house to have a nice detail to it, place mats are next on my agenda even though we rarely use place mats. Ever.

Hanging Bird Decoration- Debenhams

I am so useless at remembering prices of things and, again, I can't find this item online either (technology, you fail me) but it was around the £2-£3 mark in the sale and I believe it was originally £7. I love everything about it and can't wait to have it hung somewhere in the house; it's quite small but will look really nice near the right items.

Tea, Coffee and Sugar Cannisters- Morrisons

So much regret with the way I've placed the cannisters, tea sugar coffee definitely does not work in the same way as tea coffee sugar. Me and my mum spent such a long time looking for some nice, affordable cannisters but all the ones we found were quite average and we'd sort of stopped looking for them until we went into Morrisons and randomly saw these ones. The colours fit in really well with the rest of the kitchen and they were only £2.99 each so for all three it came to just under £9. They're ceramic so of course I had to knock them together by mistake and chip one of the lids, woe is me.

I'm planning on doing more home-based posts when we're fully finished and box free (we still have a quite a few lurking around the house) as I love reading other people's posts/videos on homeware hauls and house tours. Also, at my old house my room was very vintage with lots of ornaments but for my new room I want it to look minimalistic and simple with the colour scheme being mainly monochrome but with hints of colour so I'll be doing posts on how that comes along too.

Where do you usually buy your homeware items from? Have you found any bargains lately?

When Broken Makeup Happens to Good People

I think we've all been there when you unassumingly peer into your makeup bag and are met by a disheveled, powdery explosion which can only mean one thing, something has smashed. It's always a severely emotional time, there's stage one: disbelief, stage two: wailing over wasted money, stage three: acceptance and then finally stage four: throwing it away, or, if you're like me, there will be a stage three-and-a-half which involves a blog post. I've never actually broken any products before up until now where three items broke in one week, but, to be fair, two were from being in my bag when I was dancing (if you've seen me dancing you wouldn't call it that) and jumping at a music event where I can only imagine they were knocked around continuously. Ah hindsight.

First to be crushed into smithereens was my GOSH Multicolour Blush in Bronze Pie, a blusher/bronzer made up of four colour segments: a peach, a pale pink, a golden beige and a purple brown. I used this product non-stop during the Summer with it being the only cheek product I kept out in my everyday makeup box as using the three lighter shades gave a really nice bronzed, peachy look. I avoided the more purple-toned shade as it was too overpowering when used but aside from that it was great quality and really long-lasting when worn so is something I would definitely repurchase (if I didn't already have so many cheek products).

Next to be ruined was Natural Collection's Eyeshadow in Crushed Walnut, my ultimate eyebrow powder. When I discovered I'd smashed the eyeshadow I feared for my eyebrow's lives and, for a few days, I tried to make do without it by trying alternatives I had stored away but quickly repurchased it after being left disappointed. Fear not eyebrow hair follicles, you are dark and defined again.

Lastly is a really new product to my makeup collection, Essence's All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder. I must have only had this powder for a week when the metal on the hinge (for lack of a more appropriate word haha) of the packaging broke meaning there's now no way of closing the product securely. Technically this product isn't broken, yet, but it's definitely heading that way and what remains is a dented powdery mess, soon to be in Makeup Heaven.

I'm quite impressed that over the years so much of my makeup has survived considering how clumsy I can be with my bags and products and these are the only fighters that didn't quite make it. What makeup have you broken in the past, if any?

Review: Mac's Relentlessly Red

I've added yet another lipstick to my collection (slaps wrist) this time being one I'd resisted for a few months, Mac's Relentlessly Red. Was anyone aware that Mac lipsticks have gone up another 50p?! I nearly keeled over when I looked at my receipt and saw £15.50 staring back at me. Moving on from my near-breakdown Mac describe Relentlessly Red as a bright, pinkish coral and is from their fairly recent collection of Retro Matte finishes.

The first time applying the lipstick I wasn't expecting quite how drying it felt; I own Mac's Lady Danger which is a Matte finish but with this one I felt really conscious of my mouth and it felt like quite a bit of effort to talk, probably not the best route to take when I had to serve customers for 5 hours. Rookie error. Since wearing the lipstick quite regularly now though I've got used to the formula and it feels completely comfortable to wear but is a heads up if you find lipsticks can be drying in general.

Truthfully I've found the lipstick application a little difficult to master, scrubbing and applying lipbalm beforehand leaves my lips a little too greasy causing the colour to appear faded and smudge outside of my lips but not exfoliating makes for a hideous, flaky sight. Layering the lipstick can cause it to gather and so I've found it best to scrub my lips with my toothbrush instead of my Lush Lip Scrub and then applying the lipstick in small sections on my lips instead of all at once. The lipstick does drag on my lips sometimes and can leave an uneven edge so I pair it with Barry M's Dark Pink lipliner which is a near enough match and helps to clean up the look.

The lipstick's wear time is amazing, I swear I applied it before I had work at 1pm and it was still there at 10pm looking as bright and vivid as it did when first applied. I remove my makeup using Garnier's Micellar Water and even using that the lipstick still left a stain to my lips, I don't even understand how it's possible to last so long but I love it as once it's on it's so hassle free. I can eat and drink without worrying about the colour fading and even ate a greasy Chinese and it was still in place.

The two lip swatches showing the colour when in different lighting

The shade has quickly become one of my favourites as it brightens up my face and is an all year round wearable shade, I've read many people saying it looks different in different lights and it's true, sometimes it looks like a dark pink and sometimes a sort of neon coral. I originally kept resisting buying this shade as I thought it was too similar to Mac's Impassioned which I also own and, there's no point beating round the bush, the shades ARE similar and I probably don't need both but Relentlessly Red gives a much more intense colour pay off compared to Impassioned's Amplified finish.

From left to right: Relentlessly Red and Impassioned

Overall, this lipstick can be a little temperamental, one day I can apply it and it will make my lips look horrible and chapped no matter what I do but on other days I can apply it in one swipe and it looks perfectly fine and so, for those glorious days where it applies nicely, it will earn a place in my lipstick display. Feel honoured Relentlessly Red.

Do you own this lipstick? What are your thoughts?

L'Oreal's Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation

A few months ago Asda had L’Oreal’s Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation  on offer much to my delight as I’d been wanting to try it out. I’d been looking for a lightweight foundation to wear on warmer days when heavy makeup tends to feel annoying and overdone that gave my skin a natural look but would still smooth out my complexion. The foundation claims to have a ‘fresh feel’ giving ‘weightless bare perfection’ while also providing SPF 18 which is really useful for when Summer actually lives up to expectation (alert: it has).

At first glance the foundation bottle appears to be quite small but a little goes a long way with this formula; you're told to shake the bottle and then apply just one drop, now, I have a pretty small face as far as 19 year old faces go but one drop definitely isn't enough for me. The runny formula does mean that the product covers a much bigger area than you'd expect but I prefer to use two, three or four drops depending on how much coverage I want.

The foundation blends quickly with minimal effort (perfect for me as I am always running late) and leaves my skin feeling pretty much like my own skin when I'm not wearing makeup but smoother. I like to use my fingers to apply it as when using a buffing brush it feels as though the product disappears too quickly and doesn't achieve anything. I picked up the shade Warm Ivory, which I believe is the second to lightest shade, as they didn't have Porcelain in stock but am so glad I bought the slightly darker option as it give my skin a hint of colour which I really like (bronzed Goddess I am not) but due to the lightweight formula I don’t have to worry about blending the foundation down onto my neck.

When initially using the foundation I wasn't all that impressed as it didn't seem to give much coverage compared to what I was used to and so felt using it wasn't achieving anything. However, now that I've been using it for about two months I find it really helps to even out my skin tone and gives a nice base for everyday events and is much better for my skin than caking it with something much heavier. If I am going to wear cheek products then I like to fill in my eyebrows to pass time and allow the foundation to set slightly then I apply a little powder over the top otherwise products can apply quite unevenly without it. Throughout the day I do tend to get incredibly oily on my nose, I do usually get oily on my nose but with this foundation it seems to be exaggerated by about 10,000 and the foundation completely wears away so if you suffer with oily skin it might be best to avoid. For a night out wearing this foundation would be a disaster as the foundation leaves my skin looking glowy at the end of the day and this would translate into 'crazed sweaty wreck' on camera so I will still use heavier coverage foundations.

My skin has improved a lot since using this foundation and has made me realise that I don't need to cover my skin as much as I did in the past but at £9.99 I may not repurchase it as I want to try out another light foundation to compare, most likely Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation.

Have you tried this foundation, if so what do you think?

Back with a Vengeance

I haven’t blogged in such a long time due to a painful reversion to the Stone Age, also known as 'The Loss of Internet’. I was supposed to move house in May and so we ended our internet contract thinking we'd be gone but we actually ended up moving on the 3^rd of July.  I’m not entirely sure how I’ve survived but through a combination of strategically using 3G on my phone, stealing wifi by parking in a McDonald’s car park and lurking outside my friend’s house with my laptop, I’m still standing. Feel free to burst into song.

In the time I’ve been gone I’ve visited my friend at Lincoln University and nearly finished myself off going out five nights in a row, finished an awful college course much to my delight, moved house, spent a lot of time with my friends who are home from uni, went to EDC (an all day music event), passed my driving theory test and done a heck of a lot of overtime at work. Can I just take the chance to say that moving house was so stressful and I have new found empathy for everyone thinking of moving or preparing to move.

I have seriously missed blogging and reading all the posts on Bloglovin’, I feel so out of sync with the beauty world and am so unprepared when I see new releases in Boots/Superdrug. There has been a positive to me not having access to blogs though and that is the amount of money spent on clothes and makeup has seriously decreased as I’m pretty much unaware of everything but I'm certainly making up for it now (cough just made a big Missguided order).

I’m surprised I can even remember how to write up blog posts to be honest but I’m glad I can as I plan to blog a lot more and also write some housey posts as I have been really enjoying trailing round shops looking for cheap little bargains to make mine, my mum’s and brother’s house look nice and homely. I also missed my one year blog milestone which was on the 3rd of July, dang.

Bargain Beauty

In my mind there is nothing better than finding incredibly affordable beauty products that do a great job and rival more expensive items as it fills my little heart with joy and means my money goes further. The two products I've recently started using are now both part of my daily makeup routine and I carry them around with me at all times in my Primark makeup bag, oh the prestige.

Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara- £1.99

I've only recently started using this mascara after having it in my drawer for a few months (watch me get an eye infection) and didn't expect much from it, using it only as I had finished the mascara I'd been using previously. However, this mascara helps to define my eyelashes well and has a really gentle formula and brush compared to some other mascaras I've tried that nearly destroy my vision in one swipe. I find this mascara to look best after a few coats which is perfect as it is completely buildable and doesn't cause my lashes to clump together. I tend to have problems with mascara smudging underneath my eye but with this mascara I can't say I've had that problem and due to the brush having a narrower tip it makes it easier to coat the bottom lashes.

Miss Sporty Liquid Concealer- £2.99

I don't know what possessed me to buy yet another under eye concealer but I am so glad I picked this one up, I'd seen someone mention this concealer in a blog post and I think in the back of my mind I made it my mission to buy it. The concealer comes in three different shades, Light, Medium and Dark of which I bought Light and I am honestly so impressed with it. I've been wearing it on both foundation and no-foundation days and it just gives the perfect amount of natural coverage, it helps eliminate dark circles but without making it obvious you've covered them. The concealer is said to contain vitamins E and C and I'm not even going to pretend to know what effect this has on the product but whatever it is, it's working. The product does contain a small amount of shimmer to it which is unnoticeable on the skin unless you're looking incredibly closely so might make it unsuitable for blemishes but I don't use it for this purpose anyway.

Have you tried either of these products? What are your thoughts on them? Or have you discovered any other beauty bargains recently?

EcoTools Fresh and Flawless Five Piece Complexion Set

I've owned the EcoTools Fresh and Flawless Five Piece Complexion Set for quite some time now and thought it was about time I typed away my thoughts on it as I have personally never seen it be mentioned on a blog. I picked this set up randomly one day while cruising the aisles of Boots and, on this particular day, I was feeling reckless and untameable and paid for it using my hard earned Boots points so I technically didn't spend any money. At one point I had around £40 worth of points on my card and now I'm down to a measly £2.10, but please don't get me started on my Superdrug card where I have a whooping 48p... I believe this set was £11.99 but I can't actually see it on the Boots website at the moment but other stockists include Amazon and Feel Unique.

The packaging holding the brushes is in a book sort of form which is handy to travel with as there is a magnet in the lid meaning it closes securely and you also get information about the individual brushes and their uses. It also means you can keep all the brushes in one place and store them neatly rather than flung all over the place which is my usual choice of storage. In the set you get 5 quite miniature brushes all of which are intended to be used with base products and each have a pretty, colourful design.

I will run through my thoughts on each brush individually in their order in the packaging from left to right:

FLAT CONCEALER BRUSH

I don't use this brush as part of my daily makeup routine but is really handy for when a more precise and heavier coverage is required on any blemishes or problem areas. The bristles are fairly short and dense meaning you can push product into your skin well and layer up product and would also work well at cleaning up eyebrows after filling them in if you want a sharper, cleaner edge.

BUFFING CONCEALER BRUSH

This brush is great for under eye concealer as using your finger to tap the product in can be quite time-consuming (first world problems) especially if you're like me and apply several different concealers to try and get rid of blueness. I've also found this brush handy to carry with me throughout the day as when I get creases in my concealer I can use this brush to get rid them of. The bristles are, again, quite short but are a lot more flexible and is a fluffier brush making it easier to blend products into the skin.

PRECISION FOUNDATION BRUSH

This is another brush that I don't use every day but is great to have if you wanted to do a more dramatic contour and highlight as you'd be able to use it to apply and map out where you want different products to go. I personally wouldn't use this as a foundation brush as it'd take such a long time to apply and blend the foundation due to its small size but as the bristles aren't as densely packed you get a lot of movement when using it so you can get to difficult areas of your face if you do prefer flat foundation brushes.

COMPLEXION BLENDING BRUSH

I have been using this brush in place of my Real Techniques Buffing Brush recently which came about as a bit of an accident as I had used my Buffing Brush on someone at college and hadn't had a chance to wash it so decided to try out this brush instead and loved the results. This brush is a lot more travel friendly than the Real Techniques Buffing Brush as it fits in my makeup bag for any touch ups throughout the day; I don't have a preference for either buffing brush and would say both are equally as good at creating a really well blended base of foundation.

FULL POWDER BRUSH

I have been loving this brush and have reached for it nearly every day for a long time now as it works so well to apply powder with, beforehand I was using a massive kabuki style brush but felt it was too big for my face and so this small, flexible brush has been a lifesaver. I can be a lot more precise with where I powder now and it also works really well for setting my under eye concealer because of how flexible the bristles are meaning it can get into awkward places.

This set is definitely worth its price tag around the £10/£11 mark as you get 5 brushes which are really well made, are incredibly soft, cruelty-free and with the added bonus of the handles being made from bamboo. The price for this set is especially good when considering that one Real Techniques brush alone can cost more than £10. This set would make a lovely present for anyone but especially for someone who is just starting to get into makeup brushes as it has everything that would be needed for foundation, concealer and powder.

Do you own this brush set or do you prefer other brand offerings?

Makeup Revolution: Lipstick in Immoral* and Nail Polish in True Blue*

I'm sure over the past week or so you have seen hauls and product reviews cropping up left, right and centre featuring the new makeup brand Makeup Revolution and have squealed with joy, like myself, over the reports of there being a Naked 3 dupe. The company, who have already created a huge impact after only having launched in London during March this year, offer 300 products on their website, here, all while being incredibly affordable and cruelty free. Prices start at £1 (seriously, my bus fare is more than double this amount) and the most expensive price being a mere £12 for a 100 Piece Eyeshadow Palette or a collection of 12 nail varnishes currently on sale at the same price.

It was on one fine Tuesday afternoon that I was offered the opportunity to try out their blue lipstick in Immoral and, although I really wasn't sure what to expect, as the old tale goes: never pass up the chance to rock a blue lip. Or something vaguely along those lines I'm sure. I am a huge lover of lipstick and rarely feel self conscious regardless of what shade I'm wearing from pinks to oranges so thought how different could a blue lipstick really be?!

The lipstick is held in a basic, black plastic case with 'MAKEUP REVOLUTION' printed nicely on the side in gold writing with the shade being displayed at one end in see-through plastic. For me, packaging is necessary only to store the product inside and I feel that it will be enough to keep the lipstick safe and free from damage. Immoral has a definite hint of a vanilla scent which I really love as I can never resist giving my makeup a good little sniff before applying it (uh so weird).

Immoral is a light, baby blue colour and, I feel this is fairly obvious, but it's not the type of colour that you would pop on to go to the shop quickly and is instead one used to create a statement. I admire that Makeup Revolution have stepped away from the classic lip shade collection of a red, a nude and a pink as I'm only currently aware of Lime Crime doing unusual lipstick shades which cost around £13 so Makeup Revolution definitely provide a much better alternative for people on a budget.

The formula of this lipstick is quite sheer and feels a little like a lip balm on the lips as opposed to being stiff and drying like a lot of cheaper lipsticks tend to be. At first I did find it a little difficult to work with as I couldn't seem to get an even application all over my lips as when applying another layer it seemed to remove the first layer and make my lips appear patchy. It's worth mentioning that I do feel like this is a problem unique to the shade as I can imagine the sheer formula working really well with a more nude shade and one which isn't going to be such a contrast against the natural lip shade. After some trial and error I did find that lining my lips with a blue eyeliner first improved the look of the lipstick a lot as it gave the lipstick something to stick to and intensified the colour which made it more wearable as well as giving much needed definition.

I did originally think that this would be a really cool lipstick to wear on a night out (although I can imagine my friends recoiling in horror) and would make for a striking look but unfortunately I don't think I have the right sort of face for it (damn you genetics). I do truly believe that if you're the type of person who's quite edgy then Immoral would work for you and make people want to go out and buy the lipstick too, and I know for one I would be in awe of them. This shade would flatter someone with a darker skin tone as the contrast would look amazing and you'd be less likely to look washed out or even with a nice sun-kissed tan it would be a shade worth considering. As I'm doing a makeup course I'm planning on using this lipstick for fashion/editorial looks and so I'm certain I'm going to get a fair bit of use out of it. If you're on the fence I'd say to give it a go as it truly is only £1 you'll be losing out on if you decide blue lips aren't for you but you could definitely get creative with your makeup to compliment the blue.

Immoral applied alone (excuse my awfully moody lips)

Immoral applied with a blue lip liner

Makeup Revolution were also kind enough to send me a matching nail varnish in the shade True Blue, pretty great timing as it's all about matching lips and tips this season! I would say that the nail varnish and the lipstick are nearly if not exactly the same shade in person and this has been on my nails since it arrived in the post on Monday. The shade is a perfect powdery, summery blue and has lasted incredibly well so far especially considering the low £1 price tag; while at work on Monday I kept checking my nails over to see if there were any signs of chipping and didn't see any (ticks imaginary check box) and I'm now on day 3 of wearing the polish and the only chips are from me picking at them (bad habit). I applied 3 coats as application was a little streaky at first but this is an issue I find with a lot of different brands and is not something that would deter me from buying more shades from the range. If you're wanting to incorporate colour into your wardrobe for Spring and want to start with your nails but don't want to spend a fortune then Makeup Revolution would be a good place to start as you get a good quality product and not to mention the nicely rounded edges on the bottle.

From left to right: one coat of True Blue, two coats of True Blue, three coats of True Blue

Makeup Revolution is a brand to keep an eye on as their existing products already look amazing and seem to be innovative and up-to-date with current trends so it's going to be really exciting seeing what else they come up with. I've heard the brand will be available in Superdrug eventually which nearly sends me into excitement overload as I can swatch until my heart's content and walk away proudly with a bag full of beauties. Next pay day I feel like I'm going to have to purchase a few items online from Makeup Revolution as I can't help the fact that the Hot Smoked and Iconic 3 eyeshadow palettes are calling my name!

Have you tried any Makeup Revolution products yet or are you interested in doing so? What's your take on blue lips?

*Products sent for consideration of review

Review: Veil Cover Cream*

When Thomas Blake Cosmetic Creams Ltd contacted me to see if I was interested in sampling their product Veil Cover Cream* I was so excited due to the big claims made as to what it can cover; ranging from temporary blemishes to permanent tattoos and many conditions in between, such as Vitiligo, Rosacea, age spots and various scars, the cover/camouflage product seems to be a lifesaver. The product is used widely within hospital settings in the dermatology area, within the professional beauty industry and also at home for personal, individual use which is a big step up from the likes of Revlon, Rimmel and MUA that I tend to gravitate towards. Imagine a doctor whipping out a Rita Ora inspired lip product.

With there being 40 shades available, ranging from extremely pale to very deep skin tones, I was wondering how on earth a near-enough matching shade would be sent to me, bearing in mind in my social media picture I may (definitely did) have fiddled around with settings. Cleverly though, when opening the envelope I saw I had been sent the Light/Medium Sample Kit which I was really pleased with as it includes 21 different shades meaning you're free to experiment and see what colours match your skintone and get a feel for a huge variety of shades. Along with all of these samples a mini pot of Translucent Finishing Powder was included too which is used to set the cream once applied. The kit is also available in Medium/Dark which is great if your skin is on the darker side and this is paired with the Dusk Finishing Powder so you're not washed out by the translucent I assume! 

The shade ranges are really great and, for those of you who constantly struggle with finding shades that are light enough I assure you that you would not encounter this problem with this kit. I compared several shades to my Revlon Colorstay foundation, which is in the shade Buff, as it is a perfect match for me when blended in and is on the fairer side of the scale yet many shades were, surprisingly, lighter.

From left to right: Natural-Light, Vanilla, Cream, Wheat, Revlon's Colorstay in Buff, Suede

As soon as the kit arrived I rifled through the shades and picked out Peach, a light beigey peach (no way) colour and applied some to my under eyes where I have a fair bit of blueness. I was really surprised to see that the smallest amount goes a huge way, I had read it in the leaflet that only a small amount was needed but a lot of companies make this claim so I was a bit unsure but with the Cover Cream the claim is correct due to the high amount of pigmentation. The shade blended in really well with my skin tone which did surprise me as, at a first glance, I did think it would only be able to be used as a corrector so it's great to see it can double up as a concealer.

I used this shade on my friend when I did her prom makeup trial who is a lot fairer than me and the colour, again, blended well into her skin and I was told the makeup still looked good when she took it off before bed so Veil obviously have created a very long-lasting product. The cream allowed my skin to still look natural and like skin but made it more even in tone and, even when set with the powder, it remained looking natural, didn't go cakey or appear powdery and still looked fresh at the end of the day.  When I use other concealers throughout the day it always looks like there's been a car crash under my eyes what with creasing, unevenness and smudging but with this Cover Cream I noticed very little.

Top picture: Peach unblended on my skin

Bottom left: before

Bottom right: after Peach has been applied

My mum has an age spot which really isn't that noticeable but she asked me to have a go at concealing it as she's found it's never been fully covered by other foundations and concealers. I chose to use the shade Almond on her as she is more olive toned than me and, again, patted it in and then set it with the powder. Although it doesn't look fully concealed in the image below in real life people don't come up and scrutinise your face as closely as I took the picture (well I hope not anyway) and so, in reality the coverage was really good and my mum was pleased with the outcome. Veil do say in their information booklet that it can take a few attempts to fully conceal a blemish or unwanted area as I suppose there is a technique to concealing correctly and so after a few more attempts I'm sure the coverage will be even better!

From left to right: before Veil's Cover Cream, after Veil's Coverage Cream (please ignore the difference in the colour from my phone's lighting haha)

Veil claim that their Cover Cream is waterproof and so, like the true Scientist that I clearly am not, I put it to the test. I used the shade Suntan, which is clearly a lot darker than my skin tone so it would show up in pictures better, and patted some onto the inner part of my arm followed with the finishing powder. I then ran some water from the tap over my arm for around 30 seconds and patted it dry, as instructed, rather than rubbing it. The picture of the tissue shows how little product came off when dabbing my arm completely dry, in fact such a small amount came off that it's difficult to tell what you're supposed to be looking at (I'm not a crazy tissue obsessive) but it is in the middle of the tissue. I was really impressed with the results and wasn't expecting it to last so well under the water and feel if you were covering something you wanted to remain hidden then this product would be really great as it takes foundation and concealer coverage to the next level.

I honestly just scrunched this tissue up in my hand when dabbing my arm dry and it turned out looking like a swan, them few origami after school lessons I took in middle school paid off, forget beauty, this is now a tissue origami blog

All in all, I have been loving these Cover Creams since I received them earlier in the week and if you have any areas that you want concealing I would recommend you purchasing the sample kit to get a feel for the products as for £6.50 you get a lot of product. The formula is lightweight, looks natural on the skin and doesn't go cakey so is incredibly easy to wear and one of those quick, time-saving products. I am definitely considering purchasing a full size of Peach (£19.50) if, when I eventually finish the sample, I am still as impressed as I am at the minute because it makes the concealing process so much easier as it really is a two step process: blend and set.

Have you ever tried Veil Cover Cream? How did you get on with it? If you would like to see a certain shade swatched on my skin or some paper tweet me at @lacelipstickme and I'll send you a picture, or you could send me an email if you'd prefer!

*Product sent for consideration of review