Collection Eyes Uncovered

Five products under £5

- Vicki 16 Comments

Five products under £5

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitisers – I know these are quite hard to get hold of in the UK & I tend to stock up if I go to America or if anyone I know goes on holiday there I ask them to get a shed load of them because they’re 5 for $5 (bargain). I was down to my last bottle & there is no USA trip on the horizon so I bit the bullet & took to eBay, there are quite a few UK based sellers & although you won’t get them for anywhere near as cheap as US prices, they’re still so fun to have. I bought three sweet scents & I’m so pleased with them all. So if you’re looking to order a couple I bought mine from this

Collection Eyes Uncovered Eyeshadow Palette £3.99 – I just can’t say enough good things about these Collection Palettes you get 6 great quality eyeshadows in each palette & there are 3 palettes to pick from. I have 2 out of the 3 but the Nude Bronze is the one I have been using the most, if you love gold, bronzy shimmers then this is the one for you. This Nude Bronze palette is beautiful and for an affordable brand the colours are pigmented and very good quality. All the shadows in this palette have some shimmer in them, so if you want a more matte palette then the Nude Palette might be the one for you. I have used this palette so much since I got my hands on it. If you haven’t checked these out you really should!

MUA Sweet Sheen Lipbalms* £2 – These were released as part of their Spring / Summer 2015 collection there are 6 pretty shades available and these 2 colours are my current favourites. They give your lips a light wash of colour and feel hydrating and comfortable. These are handy to have in your handbag for applying a pinch of colour on the go. All 6 shades are perfect for the warm weather & look glossy and pretty on the lips. I have been alternating between these two colour this month and love them both.

Essence Gel Waterproof Eyeliner £2.30 – I wasn’t too fussed at first that these were waterproof, I initially loved how creamy, soft and pigmented they are. They glide on without any tugging and the colour is even and looks vibrant. If you want to smudge these out to create a smokey eye then you best be quick because after a few minutes the colour isn’t going anywhere. This liner will last all day on your lids & looks as fab after 8 hours as it did when you first applied it. There is no need for a pencil sharpener (they’re so 1999, these are twist up). Now on to it being waterproof, yes it might be a pain to remove but it means your liner won’t smudge, transfer or end up halfway down your face & if you need a liner for your summer holiday then this is a really affordable option. They come in 6 colour options & I have brown & black but if you’re looking for something more colourful then you can get blue, green & purple.

Origins Facial Brush* £5 – First off can we address how cute this is! Also it is so very soft, the bristles are not abrasive at all so if you’re worried about it being damaging or a little harsh on your skin it really isn’t. This manual hand held facial brush is perfect for gently exfoliating your skin, I have been using it mostly on my nose & chin & its the perfect size brush for those areas. You use it with a cleanser & I have been using the Origins White Tea Cleanser, this brush helps buff away the dead skin & build up of the days grime & dirt to reveal glowing healthy skin. Its so lightweight & compact that it would be ideal to take away with you on holiday & for £5 I think its a bargain. This gets two thumbs up from me, I love it.

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.

Travel Makeup Bag Scotland Edit

- Vicki 8 Comments
Scotland Makeup Edit

I have just returned from visiting family in Scotland & I was there for almost 3 weeks. I thought i’d share with you the makeup I took with me. First off I love this makeup bag, it was a limited edition release from Origins last year & they teamed up with fashion designer Nanette Lepore. It is a beautiful design and it fits quite a good amount of products in. I do have my brushes packed separately so this just had my makeup in.

My Scotland Makeup Bag

I took my B. Prepared Illuminating Makeup Primer* this leaves my skin feeling silky smooth and doesn’t add any slip or shine to the skin but instead it adds a beautiful luminous glow to the skin without any shimmer or glitter. It is a really nice smooth base for my foundation to sit on top of & it helps my makeup last all day whilst adding a healthy glow to my skin. It also has Hyaluronic acid and vitamin E which are great at hydrating skin and helping reduce the signs of fatigue.

Talking about foundations I took 4 bases with me, sounds excessive but 2 are sample sizes & the other two are totally different options. The one I used most frequently was the Bourjois CC Cream* it gives my skin a light, natural coverage whilst counteracting redness and evening out your skin tone. I found it so easy to blend and wears really well throughout the day. I love this & I’m so pleased with it. If you’re looking for a Summer base this might be the one.

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation* – This was bought on a whim a couple of weeks ago & I have been blown away by it. It gives more coverage than the Bourjois CC Cream but it still isn’t heavy in the skin and I would say it gives a medium coverage. Its a very watery formula which I think is very easy to blend and it gives the skin a gorgeous satin finish, it makes my skin look incredible & I don’t need to powder unless I want it to last all day & into the night which isn’t often.

Scotland Makeup Edit

I took the Ginvera Green Tea BB Cream too and I like that its a light coverage and provides a natural touch of colour so my complexion looks bright & even. It has a lovely creamy consistency which I found very easy to blend, I did lightly powder but I don’t think thats 100% necessary. This BB Cream covers all bases it provides a SPF30, protects against free radicals, conceals imperfections & contains hyluronic acid for all day hydration. So you’re getting a lovely BB Cream with the added skincare benefits which Asian brands are renowned for.

I always take my MUA Undress Me Too Palette as its so slim & has 12 eyeshadows in, so lots of neutral options. I like that its affordable so I’m not worried about it getting damaged in transit & I think all the shadows are great quality and are perfect for wearing during the day.You get 2 mattes and a mix of metallic finishes and shimmers, so quite a varied selection for a £4 palette. I also took the Collection Eyes Uncovered Palette in Nude Bronze which is a more recent purchase & the shadows in this palette wear slightly longer & I love how pigmented and pretty they are. If you love gold, bronzy shimmers then this is the one. Again it’s such an affordable palette & I highly recommend checking it out. There are a few in this range & this one has more metallic, shimmery options. So perfect for the evening.

I took two cream eyeshadows & they were the Bourjois Colorband Eye Crayon in Brun dadaiste & Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost these are my go to eye option for a lazy makeup day. they look pretty on the lids & they last all day. I also just blend them out using my finger, its so quick and easy.

Travel Makeup Bag

I am so in love with the Soap & Glory Supercat Liner that I had to pack it, its amazing at getting that perfect, precise liner that you can make look more dramatic if you want to. Wonderful deep black pigmentation and no smudging throughout the day. Try it if you like liquid liner, you will not be disappointed.

My Benefit Boiing Concealer is always in my makeup bag, I have repurchased it so many times because it just works. It covers everything and anything & it never looks cakey. Its quite creamy and you can blend so easily but once its on it stays in place for hours. Its heavy duty and a concealer that you can rely on. I also took my Bobbi Brown Corrector because I am trying to shop my stash & I hadn’t used this for a while & I knew that Scotland would be a lot of early mornings & late nights so this was going to be my product to counteract the dark under eyes.

Soap & Glory Solar Powder – This is my favourite bronzing duo, its very handy for travel having 2 shades. I think this bronzer gives me a sun kissed glow & a touch of natural colour. I must have used it everyday since I bought it. I do hate the flimsy cardboard packaging & the lid / mirror is about to rip off any day which is such a shame. Next up is Elf Pinktastic which is a baked highlighting blush with pink and beige marbling, it really brightens up your cheeks and leaves them looking flushed and glowing. The shimmer isn’t too OTT but looks fresh and is a beautiful highlight.

I took two blushers with me the first is the Max Factor Creme Puff in Gorgeous Berries* which is just beautiful, and it adds such a pretty warm rosy glow to your cheeks. The last blush I took is the Essence Silky Touch Blush in Babydoll which it is a soft pink and I think quite a natural colour so it gives your cheeks a very subtle fresh healthy look.

Travel Makeup Scotland Edit

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot is a wonderful setting powder if you have an oily t zone, its keeps my foundation in place and from looking shinny after a couple of hours. I have hit pan on this too. I also took my Mac Select Sheer Pressed Powder NW25 this powder gives my skin a little more coverage & sets my makeup. I use it at night because of the extra coverage it gives, it makes my foundation look flawless and stops my skin getting oily. I have had it for ages & I’ve almost used it up. I always forget I have it but love it when I rediscover it, its just a great all round powder.

I only took two lip options and they were both lip crayons. The Origins KissZing Lip Crayon in Rosemance* this has to be my favourite everyday lip colour. Rosemance is a soft nude rose shade, it gives your lips a pinch of colour & looks natural and pretty. The formula is quite creamy and glides on effortlessly, feels hydrating on the lips but not greasy at all. I have it in my handbag ALL the time. I also took the Lord & Berry Twistick in Shut Up* which a deep plum shade & is my go to evening lip colour.

So thats what I took with me for 17 days in Scotland, do you think I packed light?

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.

February 2015 Favourites

- Vicki 8 Comments

My February Favourites

DHC Virgin Olive Oil Swabs* – At first I thought these would be a little gimmicky & not anything to write home about , but I was so wrong. If like me you wear liquid liner & are terrible at getting both eyes to look the same, or if you make a little mess when applying mascara then these swabs are so handy to have. They come individually wrapped & look like cotton buds (but they’re magic cotton buds) so if you’re travelling you can take a couple with you. You get 50 in a box & they’re double ended. One swipe with these and your liner or any mess that you’re trying to clean up has disappeared. No rubbing or tugging literally one light swipe & you’re good to go.

DHC Olive Virgin Oil Swabs

RMK Vintage Candy Cheeks in 01 Candy Pink* – I use this as a highlighter as it’s a little too shimmery to be a blush. It gives my cheekbones a pretty peachy glow & it look gorgeous when the light hits your face. I think the packaging is beautiful, it’s rose gold & comes with the a little mirror inside too. So elegant. I posted about the Vintage Sweets Collection a few weeks ago. It is limited edition so be quick if you have your eye on anything.

Burberry Body Body Mist– I haven’t tried a fragrance from Burberry before & I have no idea why, I have been using this one since December & simply adore it. The Body Mist is a lighter version of the iconic Burberry Body fragrance. I am TERRIBLE at describing scents so this is what Burberry has to say about it

‘Top notes of fresh green absinthe, illuminating elegant peach and refined freesia. Floral bouquet of natural rose absolute and iris blends gently with subtle warm tones of sandalwood to form the heart notes. Woody cashmeran, creamy vanilla, sensual amber and musk compose the base.’

Because it is a body mist it’s the perfect scent to wear during the day, it lasts a good amount of time. The packaging is beautiful too, the frosted glass bottle is tall & slim with a rose gold lid. It looks pretty on my vanity.

Burberry Body

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Rust – I have three of these NYX pencils but this is the one I use the most. I’m a big fan of cream shadows & find these jumbo crayons the easiest to apply. No dipping fingers into pots, you simply glide them over your eyelid and either use a brush to blend the product in or I find using my ring finger just as effective. This Rust shade is stunning metallic red toned bronze, it looks so pretty on. These never crease on my lids & they make a great base for powder shadow, especially if you want your eyeshadow to look more pigmented & last longer. NYX is so affordable & now stocked in many NEXT stores in the UK.

OGX Hydrate + Defrizz Kukui Oil Anti-Frizz Hydrating Oil* – Earlier this year I reviewed the Kakui Oil Shampoo & Conditioner and I have been using this leave in oil alongside them. This range uses the natural nut oil which is hydrating and locks in moisture as well as leaving the hair glossy and lightweight. l like to spray on to damp hair & it leaves my locks feeling so soft, it never looks greasy. If like me you have quite thick wavy frizzy hair you will love it, it really calms fly aways & makes my wavy hair look so healthy. It gives it bounce without the frizz. Its a wonderful addition to my haircare routine.

Collection Eyes Uncovered Nude Bronze Palette – I have the Little Mix palette which is similar but when I saw that Collection had released 3 more palettes I had to get one. I am a neutral palette ADDICT! This Nude Bronze palette is beautiful and for an affordable brand the colours are pigmented and very good quality. I have swatched the 6 colours below & all apart from the first swatch which is a very first light cream shade have shown up pretty well. All the shadows have some shimmer in them, so if you want a more matte palette then the Nude Palette might be the one for you. The colours are easy to blend & have a little fall out but nothing that tapping your brush off won’t solve.

All three of these new palettes retail at £3.99 & I think that’s incredibly good value for money. If you have bought any of them let me know what one you went for & how you’re getting on with it.

Collection Eyes Uncovered Palette

So February was over in the blink of an eye. Let me know what you have been loving this past month.

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.