Makeup

Sharon Osbourne Duchess Quad

- Vicki 12 Comments
Sharon Osborne Eyeshadow Quad

Mac Osbourne Collection

Osbourne Collection Mac

It’s been a very long time since I bought anything from Mac, let alone something from a Limited Edition Collection, but I just couldn’t resist this Sharon Osbourne Duchess Eyeshadow Quad. I bought it from my local Mac store and I bought the second to last one, I did want the Kelly one too, but that had sold out but after seeing them both side by side in store I preferred the Sharon one. Nothing else from the Collection caught my eye.

I like the packaging and really like the new clear palettes, they are so user-friendly and feel sturdy and have magnetic closing, that is so satisfying. The red looks glamorous and cute on my dressing table. I’m pretty chuffed I treated myself to it.

Sharon Osbourne Quad

This Quad has four shades that I will get a lot of wear from, the only permanent colour is embark, the other 3 are exclusive to this palette.

  • Sweet Eyes (Veluxe Pearl) light champagne nude
  • Sexy Eyes (Veluxe Pearl) – bronzed toned & quite like a rose gold.
  • Femme Fatale (Satin) golden brown
  • Embark (Matte) deep matte reddish brown

All four shades are pigmented and very blendable, Embark is slightly dry but still pigmented. I think they work well together & unlike a lot of palettes / quads, there really isn’t one dud shade, they’re all beautiful.  Three of the four have a pretty shimmer frosted finish and I think they will be gorgeous for Summer, I wouldn’t say they’re overly frosted or shimmery but just enough to add some iridescence, glow and brightness to your look. I’m excited to try lots of different looks with these four shades.

I seem to be drawn like a magpie to Mac’s Pearl and Veluxe finishes, and own quite a few others. So this quad will fit well into my collection, also I love neutral shadows too so these I’m sure will be getting a lot of love. If you can’t tell already, I’m very happy to have snapped one of these up & I’m going to enjoy using it.

Mac eyeshadows

Top – Bottom – Sexy Eyes // Sweet Eyes // Embark // Femme Fatal

Did you manage to get anything from Kelly or Sharon’s collection for Mac?

Sharon Osbourne Duchess Eyeshadow Quad £33.00

Current Summer Bases

- Vicki 7 Comments

I like to switch up my base depending upon the weather and during the warmer Summer months I like to wear lighter coverage & I thought I would share a few of my current favourites.

Summer Makeup

Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal £21.50 – I love this product as you get a tinted moisturiser and there is a little concealer in the lid too. Very handy 2 in 1 & great for travelling. The Tinted Moisturiser gives you a light coverage, evens out your complexion and has a slight iridescence to it so reflects the light and makes your skin look glowing. As this gives your skin quite a light coverage I like to use the concealer on the places I need just that little extra coverage which tends to be around my nose, eyes and chin. The concealer is in stick form so you need to warm it up first, just so it blends out without being patchy. The concealer is pretty good and I would say covers redness and blemishes well, this is very much like my Benefit Boi-ing Concealer. This also contains an SPF of 20 & although I do apply a separate SPF at least you know this has a decent amount of protection. The shade range is a little limited, there is a choice of 4 and I have the lightest – Light Glow 1.

Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Cream £18.00 – I own quite a few BB Creams & this one gives me the best coverage & it lasts all day too. I can apply this in the morning & its still there 8 hours later. This is a very light formula and sits really well on my skin, it leaves my skin looking smooth and gives it a healthy glow which I like. I have an oily T – Zone and this doesn’t look greasy throughout the day or oxidize, I can apply it and not worry about it going shiny, it does have a slight dewy finish but not at all greasy. I do powder once in the morning (force of habit) and thats normally it for the day. This can look slightly grey on the skin which is the only complaint I have but to combat that I often mix an illuminating primer with it and that helps put a little pink tone back in. If you want a lightweight formula that gives good coverage then this might be a good option for you. This has SPF 25 which is good.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF 20 – This really does give me a natural but flawless finish & I love that this matches my skin tone perfectly. I tend to use my fingers to apply this & less is more. If I apply too much product it can go a little streaky, no one wants that look! It’s very moisturising and evens out my skin tone. I do find that I need to powder throughout the day with this but you can get an oil free version of this & I think that would be 100% perfect for me & will buy that option when this runs out. This is my go to base when I’m on holiday as there is no shimmer, its lightweight and it gives my skin a natural yet flawless finish. I have to say I hate the packaging as the product tends to explode out the top, even when I store it bottom down, It feels like the tube is always full of air and the product comes gushing out as soon as you take the lid off, Its such a waste.

Seventeen CC Cream Fair £6.99 – This is my product revelation of 2014, I bought this when Seventeen had a 3 for £10 offer on and I was struggling to find a third product. I bought this purely because it was new, and I am so glad I did. I have been using it for about 3 months now and my word I love it, it covers my redness without having to use a concealer and it leaves my complexion looking healthy but natural. This is the only CC Cream I have tried so can’t compare it to anything else however I will say this just feels like a lightweight foundation. I would say this has a slight Matte finish but not 100%, that might just be my oily skin making it look dewy. Either way I like the finish it gives and the coverage lasts throughout the day too which is great for a budget friendly base. It’s not my ideal colour match its a tad too dark but I make it work & I’m hoping that as we get in to the warmer days this becomes my perfect match. Im really impressed with the coverage and the lasting power of this CC Cream, it’s been a great addition to my Summer makeup routine. This has SPF 25 in which is pretty good for a high street base.

What is your go to Summer base? Have you tried any of the ones I’ve mentioned?

Glow On & On

- Vicki 6 Comments

Makeup

I like to wear minimal makeup during the Summer months & these are a few of my favourite products to achieve that Summer Glow. First up are a few skincare products. The lovely but very expensive Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask* is great if you’re pushed for time, I apply this in the morning and leave it on for 20 minutes, if I’m not wearing makeup I will just massage the excess in to my skin and this looks very glowing (not shiny). It is very hydrating and plumps my skin and is packed full of vitamins and anti ageing ingredients to restore the vitality and freshness of young skin. I’m scared to say I’m contemplating purchasing the full size. The Origins Brighter By Nature Peel Pads are like my secret weapon in the fight against dull skin. I love products that promise to give me radiant skin and these peel pads are damn good. The fruit acids exfoliate your skin and remove all the dead skin to keep your skin looking healthy – perfect in somewhere thats quite polluted as they help remove that deep down dirt to reveal healthy bright skin.

Helping to revive my dull complexion is the Clarins Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base, I either mix this with my foundation or apply it as a primer.  I have the shade Champagne, a gorgeous slightly golden colour which adds a subtle highlight to your face, evens out my skin tone and helps cover my redness. This is very lightweight but still hydrating (which is important for the warmer months) this sits nicely on my skin, not greasy in the slightest. I think I am going to pick up the rose shade too.

The Benefit Hollyood Glo is a liquid bronzer in a bottle. This is perfect at giving you that sun kissed, healthy look without having to have stepped foot outside. I love that you can use this to achieve a subtle glow or apply lashings to make it look like you have been on a two week holiday to the Maldives. This bottle has been my go to Summer Holiday in a Bottle for years, I like to apply it to my cheek bones & down my nose, I love how little product you need, its my best kept secret (so don’t tell anyone …. it is discontinued). This is perfect for a night out as it keeps the skin looking fresh, healthy and dewy.

My under eye area is naturally dark so I always need a little extra help in brightening under there. I have been really enjoying this Avon Magix Eye Radiance Brightening Wand, it dries to a velvet texture and feels very smooth under my eye. It just adds that little extra pinky cream brightness to what can look a little dark. This isn’t a concealer but an extra step in hiding those pesky dark circles. The only thing thats a little annoying about this product is the doe foot applicator, I wish it had a pump.

Adding a little powder highlighter to my cheeks is a fool proof way of giving the skin an iridescent sheen / glow and I have quite a few products that I love. I managed to narrow it down to 3, the Milani Baked Blush in Rose D’Oro which is a beautiful pigmented peach blush with a gorgeous golden shimmer running through. For those of you that don’t like to wear shimmer this won’t be for you but I like to use this when I have a tan to give my cheeks a flushed look & add a glow to my cheekbones. Its gorgeous but not subtle!

USA Products

Mac MSF Soft & Gentle this isn’t shimmery but adds a flattering sheen to the skin, its beautiful when the light hits & makes you look like you have had the best Summer Holiday! This is also baked and very finely milled, it never looks powdery or too over done just beautiful on the skin. The Me Me Me Shimmer Stack in Bronze is another gorgeous bronzer & I often use this as eyeshadow too as you get 5 gorgeous shades. This adds a golden bronzed glow to the skin & looks sun kissed and healthy. I like that you can achieve a subtle glow by using the lighter colours or if you prefer to for a little more colour the darker colours add a deeper wash of colour. Very versatile. The packaging is a little bulky but you do get a decent sized mirror which is a big plus.

Me Me Me Makeup

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow Stick  in Golden Pink – this cream eyeshadow is great for those days you don’t want to wear much makeup but want to enhance your tan & make your eyes look bright and pretty. I sweep this all over my lids and just blend out with my finger, its as easy as that. This has great colour pay off, blends really well and has a metallic looking finish . You can add as much or as little colour as you like. Its easy for on the go & lasts all day long, even in the heat it won’t end up sliding off your face!

Golden Pink

When it comes to Summer lips I like to wear something subtle and nourishing. My lips tend to really dry out in the sun but I have found the No7 BB-Lips add a subtle wash of colour & sheen to the lips whilst keeping them hydrated. This contains Anti- Oxidants and SPF15 help to prevent UV damage by protecting the lips from the environment and sun. A great lip product to throw in your beach bag.

Let me know what your top Summer Skin products are, I’d love to know if you use any of my favourites.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own. 

3 Minute Makeup Challenge

- Vicki 10 Comments

OK so I thought I was quite quick at applying my makeup & that If needed I would be able to get ready in under 3 minutes so when Fragrance Direct asked me to take part in a 3 minute makeup challenge I was excited to see how well I’d get on. Well let me tell you once that clock is ticking you almost forget how to work your brushes & I’m sure my 3 minutes passed in double quick time.

I was able to pick 3 products from the Fragrance Direct website & that took me quite a while as they have a huge selection of affordable makeup. I tried to pick products that if needed could be multi use, so I picked the L’Oreal Matte Morphose Foundation*, UNE Breezy Cheeks Blush* & L’Oreal Glam Bronze Sun-kissed Bronzer*.

Makeup

Fragrance Direct

I was optimistic and also looked out a few products from my collection that I wanted to use in this challenge just to finish the look off, I have to wear mascara & I do like to use liquid liner. I wanted to keep the whole look affordable so I picked the Miss Manga Mascara & L’Oreal eyeliner.

Before

My before shot – I look far too calm for whats about to happen, but I do look a little dishevelled though like I have been outside in the wind?!

The 3 Minute Makeup Challenge

This was 100% harder than I’d though it would be. I started with the L’Oreal Matte Morphose Foundation in the shade Rosy Sand – although the shade was slightly too dark for my skin tone right now it applied really nicely. The Mousse consistency was a little odd at first but it was light and went on very smooth. It has a Matte finish and felt like velvet on my skin which I really liked. Although I applied it in a rush it still gave me a nice but natural coverage, if you had more time I think it could be built up to give a more medium coverage.

I then moved on to my eyes, I used the L’Oreal Glam Bronzer as an eyeshadow – I put the darker shade all over my lid just to even out my red eyelids and a little of lightest shade in the inner corner. I then managed to add some eyeliner & I used my trusty L’Oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss, this stuff never fails me. I was a little wobbly at this part due to the clock ticking but I managed some half decent lines. The nib on this liner is very thin so you have a lot of control and can create nice subtle lines. I added one coat of the Miss Manga Mascara. Not my favourite Mascara but one coat of this on your lashes looks OK so being in a time pinch this was good for making my lashes look black and quite thick.

I then moved on to cheeks & I swept a little of the L’Oreal Glam Bronzer across my forehead & under my cheek bones. This looks quite pretty although I don’t think my camera picks that up, It gave my complexion a little warmth & definition. I then used the UNE Breezy Cheeks Cream Blush in B12 but I was almost out of time so I just dapped a little on my cheeks & swept this across my lips too for some colour.

To save time & the amount of products I used, I thought it would be fun to use the Bronzer as eyeshadow too & the cream blush as lipstick. I will try this more often as the bronzer especially worked out well as shadow.

makeup challenge

3 minute Makeup Challenge

Phew I took the full 3 minutes & could have done with 30 seconds longer. I loved all the products I used but the stand out was the L’Oreal Foundation as it was easy to apply, the texture was light on my skin and it gave good coverage. With the UNE Blush I wish I’d picked a better shade, maybe more of a rosy pink rather than a peachy brown, this colour didn’t show up too well on my skin tone but there are other shades to pick from. Oh & don’t look too hard at my bushy brows. Im growing them so I can get them shaped & threaded.

Have you done the 3 minute makeup challenge? If not I tag you all to do it, tick tock.

Also I have never shopped with Fragrance Direct before but after seeing their huge range of beauty products including quite a few of my favourite brands like Orly, OPI & Essie (at rediculousy affordable prices) I will be making a cheeky order soon.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.