AW 2017 Releases from Mii Cosmetics

August 29, 2017February 13, 2018 - Vicki 5 Comments

Mii Cosmetics are a brand that I have never heard of before so I was excited to try out their new AW 2017 Supernova Collection which is launching in September. This new collection doesn’t instantly scream A/W to me but I guess that is the beauty of makeup, anything goes and collections don’t have to be restricted by certain colours or what we expect from a season.

This collection for me is easy to wear makeup that has a subtle edge. The lip products are matte which is great for getting that long wear lip look and the eyeliner is my ideal shade. The liquid liner is perfect for adding a touch of glitter to your eye look and dare I say it, for the party season (Christmas isn’t too far away).

Mii Power Matte Lip Créme

These are available in 4 wearable shades which can take you from day to night. They have a matte formula packed with sweet almond and jojoba oils to help keep lips soft. They apply like a cream but dry down matte, once on the lip they look vibrant and have fantastic staying power. If you’re not a fan of how matte finishes can feel on the lips then these might not be for you as they are quite dry, but you do get a lip colour that is long wearing.

These have the nicest, sweetest scent and the doe foot applicator makes it easy to outline the lips with the edge then use the flat side to fill them in.

Eternity

This is a gorgeous everyday peachy nude shade. It does apply a little patchy but if you wait for the first coat to dry and apply a second it evens out the coverage. I have also used a lip liner under this shade too and that can help it apply more smoothly and more evenly. I really like this shade and have been keeping it in my car for any occasion, it’s a colour that makes it look like I’ve made more of an effort than I have.

Sensuous

This is a vibrant fuchsia pink and it is seriously bright. It is the type of shade that brightens up any makeup look and makes you look instantly awake. I would say this was more of a Summer shade but it is always nice to have a pretty pink in your collection no matter what season it is. This applies so well and doesn’t bleed at all.

Imperial

Perfect Christmas party red! Yep, that is what I thought as soon as I applied this, it’s a stunning bold red that makes your makeup look pop. Christmas is the perfect excuse to work that red lip and this Mii one is just beautiful, it applies the best out of the four shades I have tried and I would use a lip liner just so you can get that really sharp defined edge and fill your lips in without making a mess.

Supreme

Berries/plum shades are my favourite to wear in the colder months and I think they’re the shades that suit me best. Supreme is the perfect Winterberry, vampy shade but it takes a little patience to get the finish right, make sure you let the first coat dry before applying a second otherwise it just moves about and the finish is a little off.

Eternity 01 // Sensuous 03 // Imperial 02 // Supreme 04

Mii Show Stopping – Eyeliner

I love jumbo pen eyeliners and this new release from Mii is exactly that, it has a junky nib with a very precise tip so you can get both a thick, chunky line as well as a neat precise flick. This is an intense black shade but I did find it a little watery, however, it was still quite a bold black. It isn’t the best liner I have used but I liked how easy and smooth it applies and it is long wearing. If you have the time to apply two layers you will get your liner to be very bold and black.

Mii Glitter Glam Liner

I used to be obsessed with this kind of liner back in the late 90’s and I’m quite excited to have this in my collection. It is a mix of iridescent green, red, blue and silver micro flecks of glitter in a clear base, you can build this up to be quite intense or wear just one coat for a more subtle pop of glitter. I like to add this to my black liner so it looks bolder. This would have been fab for festival makeup looks, but I’m going to rock it anyway.

Let me know if you have tried anything from Mii Cosmetics and give me your recommendations.

Mii Supernova Collection is available from September at www.miicosmetics.com

This post contains PR Samples

Current Foundation Collection 2017

August 22, 2017 - Vicki 12 Comments

Over the past few months I’ve been having a huge clear out out my makeup and skincare, so it feels a more manageable. I thought I would share my current foundation collection with you, I have 7 foundation products which I adore and reach for on a regular basis. I think I have covered all bases, with a nice powder, a BB Cream, a great SPF skin tint, two luxury foundations with different finishes and an amazing foundation that covers redness and blemishes with ease!

YSL Touche Éclat Le Teint Foundation

This is one of my absolute favourite highend foundations, its such a treat to have it in my collection. I have the shade B30 Almond and that is a great match for me over the Summer so I’ve been trying to get my wear from it whilst my skin is a little more tanned.

I would say it gives me a good medium to full coverage and I love the radiant finish it makes my skin look really refreshed and healthy. I also think that this looks better as it settles in throughout the day. Its lightweight formula means it doesn’t look or feel heavy. A little product goes a long way, just take your time to blend it well and it will make your skin look flawless.

It contains Vitamin E which protects against free radicals and also has SPF 22 to provide sun protection. So it is a fantastic all-rounder.

bareMinerals Bareskin Perfecting Veil Finishing Powder

This isn’t exactly a foundation but on lazy days I do use it on its own, just to even out my skin tone and give me a hint of colour, but If you like to have that flawless, smooth finish to your makeup then this Mineral Veil makes the best finishing powder.

It gives your skin a little added coverage with an illuminated (not glittery) finish. its gorgeous and so lightweight. This helps keep my oily t zone in check and makes my makeup look like I have made an extra special effort. It doesn’t look like much in the pan but don’t be fooled, its understated but just finishes your look off by giving it that soft focus, flawless effect. This is a really great product to have in your handbag to refresh your makeup out & about.

GOSH Primer Plus Skin Adaptor

I would compare this to a tinted moisturiser, it gives you a nice amount of coverage whilst feeling hydrating and lightweight on the skin. It is one of those products that adapts to your skin tone to give you a healthy, even-toned glow, the product comes out of the tube looking white but once you apply it to your skin it actually changes to a flesh colour – it is beauty magic! I tend not to use it as primer but instead of a foundation as an everyday base. It gives me enough coverage and if I need a little more I use the bareMinerals finishing powder and they make a lovely combo.

This primer is formulated with a combination of anti-pollution ingredients and oak extract to keep the skin hydrated and protected so it is a great product to keep your skin looking fresh, radiant and the perfect product to combat the rising effects of free radicals and pollution on our skin. I really, really like this and it is nice to have something in my skincare regime that helps protect my skin from things like pollution which can cause premature aging.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation

This foundation comes in a whopping 40 shades, I like that it has a lightweight formula which can easily be built up to give you that gorgeous full coverage finish. It is easy to go from a medium to a full coverage without applying too much product or having that heavy-looking finish. It has a semi matte, velvety smooth finish that never looks flat. It leaves your skin looking radiant and very healthy but don’t think because it is full coverage that it will look cakey because that is 100% not the case, you can tailor this foundation to your needs by building up the coverage when / where necessary. I love this foundation for special occasions because the coverage is perfect and it has serious staying power.

Tropic Tinted Skin Shade SPF50

This is a tinted facial sunscreen and it’s water-resistant, SPF50 mineral sunscreen, it provides broad spectrum UVA and UVB sun protection whilst also giving your skin a healthy natural tint. I have the Light / Medium shade and have been enjoying using this alone as my base for a couple of weeks. It gives my skin a beautiful touch of colour and a healthy glow. It also evens out my skin tone but still lets my freckles show through which I like. It feels comfortable on my skin, is very easy to apply, blend (I use my fingers) and to top up throughout the day.

It is the perfect product for creating a lightweight, fresh Summer look and perfect for taking with you on holiday. I really like that this product gives you the benefits of high SPF protection, a nice subtle coverage and contains lovely skincare ingredients too. It simply ticks all the boxes for me.

Erborian BB Cream

I used to wear a lot of BB Cream but this Erborian one is my favourite and the only one I have kept. The whole premise of a BB cream was to combine the effects of skincare with a light coverage and most BB Creams don’t actually have any skincare benefits to boast of, but this Korean one has some fantastic skin benefits including:-

Ginseng: stimulating, toning and energising
Licorice and Ginger: anti-inflammatory, firming and anti-oxidant
Titanium Dioxide: solar filter

It hydrates and protects the skin whilst also evening out skin tone, concealing blemishes and giving a nice light coverage. It is the perfect everyday base and I always pack this in my holiday makeup because it has SPF25 in too!

Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction Foundation

I love how creamy this is and such fantastic coverage. It is lovely to blend and I would say it gives a decent medium coverage but you are able to build up to more of a full coverage if you like. It covers everything!, all my blemish scars, redness and uneven dark patches. This takes care of them all with ease. It does feel quite thick at first but I like to apply it with a damp beauty sponge so that I get that really nice even, lightweight coverage. This oil free formula gives the skin a semi matte finish and offers SPF25 protection.

If you have oily skin but like quite a high coverage, flawless finish foundation, this Vichy offering should be top of your list. It does contains salicylic acid so it is also a great base if you suffer from acne or have blemish prone skin. This tube is lasting me forever because you need such a small amount.

How many foundations do you have open at any one time?

*This post contains PR samples

New In My Beauty Stash #5

August 7, 2017 - Vicki 4 Comments

I thought I would share a few new products that have made their way into my beauty stash, some of which I’ve been using for a couple of months and one that just came through my letter box last week (but I’m already head over heels in love) can you guess which product that it?

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG 30ml

I have a post coming up in a few weeks talking a little more in depth about my favourite products from Deciem but I wanted to put this particular product in this post mostly because I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a product as much as this one or seen such incredible results as quickly. I have been using this Caffeine Solution everyday since I received it back in April & I simply adore it. I would say the best way to describe it is as a lightweight serum that has a slight tackiness to it which once applied feels weightless yet hydrating and soothing on the skin.

You apply it to around your orbital bone (around your eye area) and it helps reduce puffiness, reduce dark circles and it has actually reduced a patch of pigmentation I had to the edge of my eye.

Caffeine – Constricts blood vessels to reduce discolouration and swelling.
EGCG – Sourced from green tea, EGCG has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and is also proven to reactivate dying skin cells.

It is without a doubt my favourite product from The Ordinary & that is saying something because I’ve tried quite a few amazing products from this range but this solution has visibly reduced uneven skintone and my eyes have never looked as healthy. It is like liquid sleep. I can’t sing it’s praises enough but if you did need any more convincing to try it yourself the price tag might just sway you – this 30ml is only £5.80! Now all I ask is that you don’t buy it in bulk, leave me a bottle or two.

Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara £21.00

This is the latest mascara release from Lancome & I am usually a huge Lancome Mascara fan but this didn’t really cut it for me. I get that Lancome (I think) are trying to appeal more to a younger market with this Monsieur Big Collection as the packaging isn’t as sleek or luxurious as you’d expect from Lancome and the promise of up to 12x volume and 24 hour wear is a little far fetched. I found the formula too wet and hard to apply to coats without it looking clumpy. One coat gives you a good amount of volume and it is a very ultra black formula but for £21, I think I will stick to my beloved Hypnose or the Doll Eyes.

Batiste 2 in 1 Dry Shampoo & Conditioner

To be honest I prefer the stand alone dry shampoo, I wasn’t entirely sure how to use this for the best results. I found that if I put too much on my roots it made them look a little greasy & If I sprayed too much through the length it made it feel icky. With it costing more than the actual dry shampoo I would say stick to that don’t over complicate things with adding a dry conditioner to the mix. The only plus of this product for me was the fruity, Summery scent, which I really liked.

Giorgio Armani Eye & Brow Maestro £28.00

I’m quite happy with my brow routine at the moment so I haven’t actually been using this on them, I have been using it as an eyeshadow primer & also on it’s own all over the lid. So the Eye & Brow Maestro comes in 8 shades and it has a cream formula which is also waterproof so for me it has been working so well on the eye. This formula doesn’t crease and it stays put all day long. I have the shade 05 Auburn which is a gorgeous as a soft taupe / brown shade. I do love a cream shadow simply because they are lightweight on the lid, this formula does not crease and their effortless to apply (I tend to use my finger to blend). I am smitten with this.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealer

I bought two shades of this in a blog sale and OMG I’ve never (ever, ever) tried such a full coverage concealer. This stuff is seriously full coverage and waterproof. That being said you’d think at first glance that it would be too thick to use under your eye, worrying that it would gather in all those pesky fine lines (which you do not want to draw attention too). If use use just the smallest amount and I mean a slither of product and really blend it in you have yourself a concealer that will cover anything and last all day without accentuating fine lines or looking cakey. It’s infused with high-performance pigments and anti-aging peptides, vitamins, hydrolyzed collagen, hyaluronic acid and antioxidant.

This concealer is great at covering anything you could name, blemishes, redness, dark circles and even help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It has changed my life. I have found myself just using this in the areas that need coverage and not even reaching for a foundation. My makeup routine just got a whole lot quicker.

Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette £.39.50

The internet has been going crazy for this new release from Urban Decay, I really like that they’re always adding to their Naked range and some of my most worn and best loved palettes are from the Naked Collection. I adore the Naked Ultimate Basics (all matte) and the original Naked Palette is still my absolute favourite (apart from the fuzzy packaging. So this new addition to the Naked family is a beauty, I feel like it has been very well thought out, you get 12 warm toned shades that are perfect for every season. You get a stunning selection of warm earthy shades with everything from amber toned neutrals including warm browns and burnt oranges to deep red browns and glimmering coppers.

Chaser – light nude matte
Ounce – ivory shimmer
Sauced – soft terracotta matte
Low Blow – brown matte
Lumbre – copper shimmer w/gold pearl shift
He Devil – burnt red matte
Dirty Talk – metallic burnt red
Scorched – metallic deep red w/gold micro-shimmer
Cayenne – deep terra-cotta matte
En Fuego – burgundy matte
Ashes – deep reddish-brown matte
Ember – deep metallic copper-burgundy

Ember / En Fuego / Dirty Talk / He Devil / Lumbre

As with all the Naked Palettes, there is a nice mix of finishes and textures including mattes, micro shimmers and two smooth buttery light base shades. Urban Decay eyeshadows are always fantastic quality, richly pigmented and easy to blend as this palette does not disappoint. So say that I’m thrilled to bits to have this in my collection would be an understatement.

So what is new in your makeup bag lately? Let me know if you have tried any of the products I’ve mentioned.

*This post contains PR samples

GlossyBox August 2017

August 1, 2017September 14, 2025 - Vicki 6 Comments

For those of you that aren’t aware of what GlossyBox is, it’s a subscription box and each month, you get a diverse selection of 5 beauty treats that includes niche, high-end and emerging brands. The products are quite often full size or deluxe samples, it is a great way of discovering new brands and getting a beauty treat right to your door each month.

So the August GlossyBox* is a collector’s edition, and it’s a beauty, the packaging is a sweet blue colour and has the text Girls Just Wanna Have Sun. As you may have guessed, the August theme is Summer, and I’m impressed with the contents as you get 3 full-sized products. I also like that the products included are not your typical Summer options, and I’m excited to try everything.

Essence Live Laugh Celebrate Palette

Long time readers of my blog will know I can’t say enough good things about this brand, Essence for me are the best affordable brand out there, their products are fantastic quality and their range is entirely Vegan. The most exciting product in this month’s box (for me) is the new Live Laugh Love Palette. This is a 4 pan customisable palette, and you can add your eyeshadows, highlighters and blushers to make your own perfect palette. So with the August GlossyBox you get the empty palette and 2 eyeshadow shades, a highlighter and a cute blusher so you can create a complete look.

The pans click in & out with a practical click-mechanism so you can interchange them depending on your mood / needs. The packaging is beautiful and fun, it feels very sturdy, and you have 20 eyeshadows, 3 blushers and 3 lip powders. With the palette and each pan costing only £1.50 each, you can make yourself a very affordable palette full of your favourite shades.

Model Launcher Cosmetics Safari Sun Bronzer £16.50

What Summer makeup bag is complete without that perfect bronzer? I have never heard of this brand before, but I’m loving the animal print look, it is so fun. This bronzer adds just enough warmth to the skin to give you that sun-kissed beach vibe, and it is talc free and mineral enriched, so perfect for even the most sensitive of skins. With this kind of multi tonal product I just swirl my brush across all shades ensuring I get a little of each colour then sweep it on where the sun would naturally hit.

Valquer Ice Hair Mask £14.99

Often when we are on holiday, our hair suffers the brunt of its drying effects, so I am happy to see a hair mask in this month’s box – got to keep our hair looking glossy and healthy. This hair mask is for use on damp hair, leaving it to work its magic for 3–5 minutes, then rinse with warm water (easy-peasy). This energizing mask has a cooling effect which is ideal for Summer, and it is also enriched with macadamia oil to hydrate and tame your dry holiday hair. I have never tried this brand, but I do like a good hair mask, so this is coming on holiday with me for sure.

Batiste Dry Shampoo & Conditioner Orange and Pomegranate £4.49

This isn’t your average dry shampoo – nope, Batiste have created a 2 in 1 Dry Shampoo & Conditioner which they say will refresh your roots and condition the lengths. I am an almost daily dry shampoo user, so I’m intrigued to see what difference the conditioner makes to how soft and clean my hair feels. The scent of this is 100% Summer in a can, it is so fruity and sweet. This is just a mini can, but they’re always very handy to take with you in your handbag or on holiday.

Rodial Suede Lips £22

I’m very partial to a lip crayon, they are my ideal no fuss lip option. This Rodial one is in the shade Big Apple and has a matte finish but don’t panic, thanks to the vitamin E in the formula it isn’t at all drying. I have to say, although I really like this product, I wouldn’t say it is your typical Summer shade. It is quite a deep mauve brown and I feel it is more of an Autumnal shade, so I might just keep it for my Autumn makeup switch up.

So all in all I am over the moon with this month’s box, it has some well-known brands included as well as a couple that are new to me. It is not often that I’m excited about every product, but I’m actually going to use all 5 beauty products from this box and not pass anything on to family or friends. So if you want this month’s box you best be quick as I think it will be a popular one.

Get your GlossyBox Monthly Subscription Here

*This GlossyBox is a PR Sample but the review and thoughts are 100% my own

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