My Pink Suede Lips!

Most of you hopefully would have seen my love for these products. I first picked them up back in December when I was in the US of A roaming around Target. I picked up 'Iconic' and 'Flashing Lights' which have featured a few posts. I've been wanting to do a post on them for so long but wanted to wait till they were out here in the UK.

Soo…without further ado onto the products themselves…

Product:

These beauts are from the Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipsticks. It's supposed to combine moisture with staying power according to their website.

Price:

£8.99/$7.49

Results:

I love them, they are better than the lip butters simply because of their staying power. They really do apply with a suede texture, it's really hard to describe, it's a unique feeling when on the lips, I don't know any other brand to do a similar texture. They're a buildable formula, which is perfect for different looks.

Back to the colorstay aspect; the really do last all day, I apply it in the morning and it's there at the end of the day after eating/talking. The only time I've noticed that it's not there is when I have bitten my lips - naughty me.

'Iconic' is my absolute favourite colour that I have. It's a 'my-lips-but-better' colour! The only thing that that I have an issue with is the amount of glitter or I should say the size of the glitter in both 'Iconic' and 'Flashing Lights'.

'Couture' is a lovely red with pink shimmer in it, but unlike the other two it doesn't have large chunks, it's more refined.

Downsides; I don't think that they're particularly moisturising. On first application they are smooth which gives this feeling of hydration but then you find that the initial smooth feeling wears off and you're left with this slightly 'sticky' feeling. It's not a horrid feeling because you only feel it when you push your lips together, but it's not something that you should feel when it's supposed to be 'moisturising'.

The price; this is something that I hate looking at when it comes to the american brands, their price points are so different for dollars/pounds. Why do we have to pay more here in the UK?!

Shades; I love the colour range both here and America. I don't know if they change the shade names when they bring them over or they are completely different but it's confusing.

Overall:

I can't hate on these, Iconic is the lip product I grab when I'm in a rush and don't know what to wear on my lips. I even recommended them to a friend after all and to my delight she loved it.

If you're looking for a staying powered sheer-ish lipstick then I would recommend that you get one of these. If you're still not sold, I would still recommend going to the store and having a look at the colour range and give it a good test.

Have any of you seen these? Or tried them?

♥ RP ♥

Spring Flush!

Some of you may know, and if you don't now you do, that I'm a complete blush-aholic! Popping that pinky pigment on my cheeks just makes me happy. So with the sudden change in weather (and lets hope it lasts) I thought I would share with you some cheek-y (see what I did there) spring blushes that I know I will be grabbing this season.

So...Let's start with the more readily available blushes. I tend to go for more of a brighter cheek during the warmer months. I'll mention Sleek's blush in 'Life's a peach' which is one of my all time favourites and I think would suit any skin tone. It's a perfect apricot/peach colour and instantly brightens up the face.

Topshop's cream blushes are excellent for the warmer season because of their cream to powder finish. I find the best way to apply these is with a stippling brush, namely the real techniques one, it's amazing. Just use a patting motion, I find that this works best for most cream blushes, especially if you have used concealed blemishes on your cheeks, which I do.

Moving on to the 'higher end' brands, I'll start with my most recent purchase, which is Tarte's'Natural Blush'. It's the most perfect pink, the pigmentation is obviously incredible you literally need a the tiniest amount.

Another cream blush that I love when I haven't got a lot of makeup on is Illamasqua's blush in 'Dixie', it gives this lovely dewy flush. I suppose the only thing I would say about this one is that if you have super oily skin then I would stay away from this formulation, I can imagine that it would slip and slide on that type of skin.

All of these blushes have a good colour pay off and I personally think that they will be perfect during the warmer seasons. It's funny how the sun can influence little decisions like what you put on your cheek.

What would you recommend as your favourite blush for the Spring/Summer?

♥ RP ♥

Deer Body Shop!

So yesterday I was lucky enough to go and meet Leona Lewis at Body Shop in Westfield. It was all a bit rushed and we (my friend and I) were the last people to see her, but she was launching her new collection which is promoting cruelty free beauty products around the world.

The Body Shop has been an advocate of cruelty free beauty products since 1993 and after 20 years the EU has finally put a ban on animal testing on beauty products. But the Body Shop want to go a step further and stop it all across the world. That's their latest campaign and a good one at that. If the EU can do it, even if it does prove slightly difficult for certain companies, then the world and follow. Here's a *link* to their web page where you can make your pledge to support cruelty free internationally.

The range includes two shimmer palettes, three lip glosses, a blusher brush and a fragrance. It's a cute collection, as a brush-a-holic I had to get the blusher brush, it is super super soft! And shape is different too, from the top it looks like a flower. I also got one of the shimmer palettes in the shade "Oh Deer! Bronze", it's super shimmery, I think it'll be perfect for WHEN the weather picks up a tad. Here's a *link* to her collection.

Have any of you looked at or tried the new collection? What do you think of the campaign?

♥ RP ♥

Chanel - Raffinement!

Need I say more from the title. Well, I suppose I do. I received a belated birthday present from my 3 besties whilst in Paris, I was so shocked to see the Chanel bag and obviously I turned into a 'what is it? what is it?' maniac. To my surprise they had gotten me an eye palette, which I mentioned in passing whilst perusing the Selfridges website, that I loved. I went into a fit of hysterics when I saw what it was, you can ask them, I was literally shaking because it was so unexpected (sad I know).

On to the palette itself; it's the LES 4 OMBRES Quadra Eye Shadow in 'Raffinement'. The colours that this palette has are so unusual, they're quite difficult to describe. The 'dark brown' has a hint of purple running through it. The champagne colour next to it has hints of pink. The taupey purple has hints of gold/silver flecks in it.

The best way I found to apply these shadows is to use a flat shadow brush and pack the colour onto the lid, then use a separate blending brush to smooth out the edges/harsh lines.

On the website it looks like it has more of a golden tone to the shadows than it does in real life, but I think that's because of the flash.

I really love it, I wore a 'look' using just these colours the other evening. I love wearing purpley pinks on my lids and this palette works so well. I don't know if I would necessarily say that you need to go and get it, but it was an absolutely amazing gift and I can't describe how ecstatic I am to have this in my makeup collection. My first ever Chanel makeup. I did need to use a base for the look, I used the Maybeline colour tattoo in 'pomegranate punk'. I tried without one and it didn't look like the payoff was working on my lids (but I always need a primer).

Do you own any Chanel makeup? What would you get from their range if you could?

♥ RP ♥

Fresh Cheeks - Look Beauty

I first heard about the Look Beauty brand when it launched last year and I saw bloggers and YouTubers going to their event in entral London. It's weird to have a magazine launch their own beauty line, but from the two products that I recently purchases they're definitely a brand worth looking into. I am very impressed by this Fresh Cheeks cream blush in Guava.

Price:

Look Beauty have a HALF PRICE offer on all their products and I got this baby at £2.50 . This offer ENDS on the 22nd Jan, so have a look at the look beauty website, or the superdrug website. I was tempted by their polishes, but I don't need anymore (like I needed more blush!).

Product:

Anyway, the texture of this product is so smooth and creamy. It's not tacky like some cream blushes can be, I'm so fond of cream blushes and I am always looking for a new or different texture. It's not an opaque colour when you touch it, it's quite sheer, which I like for a cream blush because you can't put too much on. The packaging is sleek and cute, in keeping with their range.

Results:

I just used my fingers to apply this with gentle tapping motions to blend it out. It gives a lovely sheen to your cheeks, which for this time of year is lovely. It lasts quite well on the face, I'm not going to say its amazing staying power, but it does well considering the sheer texture that it has. It's a shame they only had three colours to choose from, hopefully their range will grow.

I think that these would suit all types of skin tones, because they're sheer and will look like natural 'flush'. They remind me of the Maxfactor cream blushes in terms of texture, but definitely not in price as they are £6.99 for what seems like less. Getting this has really made me want to explore their range of products a lot more.

Have any of you tried their products? Have you bought anything whilst the offer has been going on?

♥ RP ♥

Overnight Makeup!

Hello lovelies! Hope you all had a good weekend! Back to the daily grime tomorrow! Just wanted to share what I took with me this weekend when I went to stay around my friends house to help her clear her wardrobe. We were swimming in clothes when we initially emptied her closet. We filled four bin bags worth of clothing for the charity shop! I was actually in shock with the amount of clothes my friend had, but now it's at a much more manageable level, plus I had so much fun going through it all and being the brutal friend who just said 'No!'.

On to what I had in my makeup bag (well my mum's);

Clarins Energising Moisturiser SPF15
BalanceMe Wonder Eye Cream
Jemma Kidd Light as Air foundation SPF15
Illamasqua Powder Blush in Create
Bare Minerals Minerale Veil
Sleek Palette in Oh So Special
No 7 Extravagant Volume Mascara
MAC lipstick in Brave

Tools:

Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curlers
Sigma E25 (eye brush)
No7 Foundation Brush
Real Techniques Blush Brush
Eco Tools Angled Brush
No7 Lash and Brow groomer

I didn't take any concealer or contour, which are a normal part of my makeup routine, because I didn't want to carry too much. We went to Oxford Street when we finally finished clearing her clothes out, a mere three and a half hours later, and checked out the new Primark in Tottenham Court Road, it has 4 floors!! =O Felt a lot less busy than the one by Marble Arch. We then went to Topshop and Selfridges where I did some damage on the beauty front. I shall be sharing those goodies in my next post!

Here are a few pics of the clear out! (That first pic isn't even all of it!)

Hope you all had a good weekend! =)

♥ RP ♥

Light As Airr!

I have used this foundation on some previous FOTD posts (my last post for instance) and I thought it was about time I wrote what I really think of this product. After hearing rave reviews from the lovely Vivianna from Vivianna does makeup, I caved and got the Jemma Kidd Light as Air foundation. Unfortunately I don't have anywhere close to me that sells this product, so picking the right colour for me online was going to be difficult. Luckily, I know what my undertone is and the swatches on feel unique are quite good. Therefore I got medium beige, this is a yellow toned foundation.

I have to say, when I first used I wasn't greatly impressed as I found that it didn't blend well, even with my beloved real techniques buffing brush. I kept using it, thinking it was just my technique of putting it on but I wasn't having much luck. Then I exfoliated my skin and used the foundation, and it worked beautifully on my skin.

What I like about it.

I like that coverage that I get from using a pea sized amount of the product. When I look for foundation the main thing I look for is a good coverage, but when I find one that is good coverage I find that it to heavy on the skin. So this is a perfect compromise.

When I have set it, it lasts all day. I haven't found that it fades or streaks when set. But you definitely need good skin to wear it nicely, by this I mean well hydrated and exfoliated. If you have flakey skin then I wouldn't recommend using it.

It's got an SPF of 18! I am all for protection against those UV Rays! But beware if you're going to take pictures with flash; you WILL look like a ghost! Lol!

What i don't like about it.

The packaging is horrible, and I don't just mean the actual bottle that it comes in even the box that it came in was tattered upon its arrival. The foundation is all over the bottle opening, so I HAVE to store it upright otherwise when I open up that bottle it will be everywhere. As much as i like the consistency because of the result when applied, the fact that it's in a hand cream style bottle is annoying because it's so easy to pour out too much. considering that the RRP is £25 (although Jemma Kidd products are always on offer you have a good look, I got mine for £20), I would expect better packaging if it is going to compete with higher end make up brands.

You need to clean your makeup brush after using this foundation. I found that it left a not so nice smell on my brush when I hadn't cleaned it. Not nice.

That's the mess that I mentioned, the lid just isn't tight enough

Consistency

It is a really (and I mean really) thin, runny consistency. You have to be careful with the amount that you pour onto the back of your hand.

That's how runny it is!

Coverage

It is a medium to full coverage foundation, which is perfect for me. I like using a normal flat foundation brush (my No.7 one) or my Lauren Luke Circular foundation brush. This foundation comes in 7 different shades, even having one that suits ebony coloured ladies. The foundation is exactly what it says, which is light as air, I cannot feel it when I have put it on my skin. As someone who suffers from oily skin I would definitely recommend setting this with a loose powder or whatever it is you use. If you have drier skin then you will be fine without needing to set it.

Before application

Applied

Overall

It's unfortunate that Jemma Kidd products aren't more widely available in stores. I know that Space NK sell her products but there are a lot more online stores that sell her products.

I don't know if I would repurchase it because I am one for experimenting with new products. This is the first foundation that I genuinely cannot feel on my skin, but with its price mark, I think that I could find another foundation that may be better in terms of overall appeal. I would definitely recommend it if you have been looking for a light weight foundation with really good coverage!

Have you tried it? What have you heard?

♥ RP ♥

Make up Storage!

I’m always interested in how people store their makeup, I don’t think im the only one. So I thought I would share how I store mine.

It’s all on display, nothing is out of reach. The reason I have it like this is, I know that if it were stored away in a draw; 1) I wouldn’t use half of it and 2) It would be a mess. I’m one of those people, that if it’s not easy to put away it will get left out.

Having said that I have these 4 draws (2 sets of 2 draws) from Muji, which I am sure you have all seen before. If I’m honest, I tried to look for alternatives but there aren’t any!

The top draw holds all my ‘drugstore’ blushes.

The second draw holds all my ‘high end’ blushes.

The third draw holds my individual eye shadows.

The last draw holds all my lip sticks.

At the top I sit my EOS lip balm, which is the most hydrating lip balm I have ever tried and some hand sanitiser. In this Lancome box I have all my eye liner pencils.

In between here are my Foundations and next to that I have tried to fit all the palettes I own into a box (which I believe is from Paperchase, it was given to me for one of my birthdays).

It holds my sleek palettes, A Christian Dior gift set (birthday gift), some estee lauder palettes, my MUA heaven and earth palette, some foundations that need to be stored upward facing and my MAC quad.

Next I have this cute three draw set from Homebase! I bought this when I didn’t have a lot of makeup.

The top draw contains my mascara’s, gel liners, paint pots and liquid shadows.

The second draw contains lip glosses and liners.

The bottom draw contains my concealers and setting powders.

On top of that sits my other larger palettes.

And here are my brushes in Ikea pencil holders, not in the nicest of holders but they are fine for now.

Have you done a storage post? I would love to see it, link them in the comments! =) x

*Just to say that I'm not showing off and I hope I haven't offended anyone with this post.*

FOTE!

The weekends are a sigh of relief to everyone I think! 5 more days till the next one! Yay! I organised an evening out with my cousins on Friday, not an easy feet let me tell you! But I was so happy that all of them were able to come out (except one of my cousins seeing as she is preggo! =) I’m so excited to welcome the new addition to the family!)

Here is my make up for the evening, it wasn’t anything too elaborate, quite subtle.

My Sexy Face ;-)

Products used:

Face (clockwise):
No 7 ‘Vital enlightening Highligher powder’
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC42
MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in Medium Dark
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Dark Peach
Sleek Contour Kit in Medium
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC42
Sleek Blush in Flushed

Eye and Lips (Top to Bottom):
Maxfactor False Lash Effect Mascara in Black
MAC Paint Pot in Nubile (used a base for the eyeshadow)
Revlon Lip Butter in Moroccan
Sleek Eau La La Liner in Cocoa
Sleek Au Naturel Palette (Used the darkest Brown (bottom row 4th colour from the left) to darken the lash line)
MAC shadows in ‘Romp’ and ‘All that Glitters’

Brushes used (Left – Right):
Real Techniques Buffing Brush (core collection) (Put foundation on with this)
Sigma Tapered Highligher F38 (contoured with this)
Sigma Powder/Blush F10 (set makeup with this)
Real Techniques Stippling Brush (applied blush with this)

Brushes used (Left – Right):
Sigma Small Tapered Blending Brush E45 (Applied ‘Romp’ to outer crease)
Lauren Luke Angled Liner Brush (Applied the Darkest Brown from the Sleek palette to the upper lash line)
Lauren Luke Blending Eye Shadow Brush (Applied ‘All that Glitters’ with this and used it for blending the shadows)
MAC 224 (Blended concealer with this)
No 7 Precision Eyeliner Brush (Concealed with this)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! =) And have a lovely week! =) x

Natural Emphasis (FOTD)!

Well…here is another FOTD! Again it’s another neutral look. There is more shimmer in this look, although the camera hasn’t really picked it up.

 

Sorry looking so miserable…what was I thinking??! Oh yh...get at least one 'non blurry' picture!! Lol!

Products used(Clockwise):

MAC Studio Finish concealer (NC42)
MAC Paint in ‘Bamboom’
Sleek ‘Au Naturel’ Palette
MAC eyeshadow in ‘Paradisco’
Jemma Kidd Make up school ‘light as air’ foundation in ‘Medium Beige’
L’oreal Extra Volume Mascara in Black
Sleek Contour Kit in ‘Medium’
Bobbi Brown Corrector in ‘Dark Peach’
NARS blush in ‘Amour’

So this is one of my many palettes! Yes, I can't help buying them! I love this deep purple for the crease, its so subtle but a nice hint of colour when used alone.

Because this is a frost finish eyeshadow, the pay off isn't that great, that's why I used the base (below). The gold in this shadow is much more prominent than the pink, I love it as a wash over the lid.

These paints are the best primers ever, much better than paint pots, but when you open them up the product just spews out...and there is no way of stopping it! Therefore there is a lot of waste for such a nice product. This colour is a pink with fine gold shimmer. I love it!

Should I show what brushes I use next time I do a post like this? I would love to know! =) x