Bedroom Beauty Challenge - Sprinkle of Glitter

Hi beauties!

I hope you're having a lovely Sunday - in between baking some yummy cookies, I wanted to do a quick blog post for you.

So I'm sure many of you read the lovely Sprinkle of Glitter's blog, she also makes Youtube videos, where she talks about beauty, fashion, life and her little munchkin, baby Glitter (Darcy). She's also prone to an impromptu sing song, which I always appreciate!

Now, on to the challenge! The idea is to experiment with makeup, and each month she provides the inspirational words for you to get out your make up bag and create a new look! This month's challenge was Vivacious Vixen. Now I knew I definitely wanted to get the false lashes out for this look, and I was thinking sultry eyes, but also something quite wearable. So here's what I came up with!

I think this is such a fun idea, and will definitely try and take part each month! If any of you are planning on taking part, please let me know as I'd love to take a look at your lovely make up looks!

Samantha

xo

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

Hi beauties!

I hope you're all keeping well in the snowy weather - I love days like this where you can just bundle up inside with a warm drink and comfort food. Pure bliss!

So today I wanted to talk about a product that although is already rather well known, I truly think it's worth talking about - I've been using it every day since I bought it a few weeks ago! 

A worthy winner of a Cosmopolitan Beauty Award 2012, it creates a flared false lash effect to enhance those beautiful eyes of yours!

What I really love is the spoon shaped brush, as it really allows you to get in to the root of the lash, separating as you work it through.

It's a great product, and I definitely recommend trying it out if you haven't already! I know I'll be repurchasing once this runs out. Available at Feelunique.com for only £7.79. 

Apologies for the slightly crazy brows!

Let me know what your favourite mascara is!

Samantha 

xo

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation Review

Hi beauties,

So I've been meaning to write this post for a while now. When it comes to foundations, I've never really found one that I've stuck to, like mascaras I tend to buy a new one each time. In the back of my mind I have that thought that there's always something better on the market, and as I don't buy a new foundation very often, I like to shop around when I do.

I know there's been a lot of hype surrounding the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, but for me, I found that their colour range wasn't light enough for my super fair skin. This is where Match Perfection comes into its own. It does exactly what it says, allows you to achieve match perfection! (You can see it's been well loved from the worn bottle).

The packaging is impressive for a highstreet brand, and I love that it has a pump *claps*. It's a steal at only £6.99 a bottle. Currently on offer at Superdrug for £4.99 (link). 

It has a light scent, which is actually really nice. The consistency provides a medium coverage, and it gives a dewy radiant appearance. When applied, it does take a while to set on the skin, but I find this makes it easier to blend and I simply use a dusting of Rimmel's Stay Matte powder on my forehead, nose and chin to finish. I'm really enjoying using this as part of my make up routine, and would definitely repurchase. 

Has any one tried the Match Perfection concealer? 

xo

Embryolisse 24-hour Miracle Cream

Hi beauties,

I hope you're all having a fabby weekend!

Now before you start thinking, Samantha, seriously... another moisturiser?! Please keep reading. I've been eager to get my hands on this - Samantha Chapman raves about it - and it's become one of those cult beauty products that I felt I needed in my kit! It's also suitable for all skin types, which I think is great as I know my skin's needs change over time.

Described as an all-rounder, Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre Moisturiser (24-Hour Miracle Cream) is a rich moisturising lotion used as a 3 in 1 product by makeup artists to prime, moisturise and cleanse. As I'm now set with my lovely Good Things moisturiser, I was mostly interested in it as a primer, as I currently don't use one in my make-up routine.

I bought this from the Guru Make Up Emporium. If you haven't checked out their online store, I definitely recommend that you head on over there - they stock so many fabulous products that are pretty hard to find here in the UK, such as Make Up Forever! 

At £10 for 30ml, I would say it's worth the investment. When applied it gives a dewy look to the skin, acting as the perfect base to give flawless foundation application. I simply use a pea-sized amount, concentrating on the nose, cheeks, forehead and chin area to give a smooth base for my make-up. 

Has any one else tried this product before? Definitely worth a look if you're searching for a great all in one product.

Samantha

xo

Let's Talk Skincare - Good Things Range

Hi beauties,

Firstly a HUGE Happy New Year - I hope you all had a lovely evening celebrating! I'm very excited for 2013, and what a better way to kick off January than with a blog post!

For today's post I wanted to talk a little bit about skincare. As I LOVE using make up so much, I was on the look out for a range that focused on natural goodness. The Good Things range was developed by award-winning beauty writer Alice Hart-Davis, and is specially designed to make the most of young skin. Free from parabens, mineral oils, sodium laureate sulphate and animal ingredients, the range is packed full of super fruits for the skin. Lovely!

Available at Boots and Superdrug

Both reasonably priced, I purchased two items: the Face the Day Moisturiser (RRP £7.99) and the Bright Eyes Eye Cream (RRP £5.99).

Face the Day Moisturiser - Now I really love the smell of this, it's so fresh and fruity! The product application is great, and it's really quickly absorbed and feels light on the skin. I've tried moisturisers before that I've felt were too thick and heavy, but this one's just perfect.

The goodness bit - it contains anti-oxident goji berry extract which helps to soothe skin while papaya improves skin radiance.

Bright Eyes Eye Cream Anti Puffiness & Dark Circles - I've never used an eye cream before, but what with a busy job and lack of sleep I've noticed I'm definitely applying more and more concealer. So when I saw this alongside the moisturiser, I thought it would be good to see if I can address, or at least improve the problem. 

Bright Eyes has skin-calming raspberry and clarifying lychee. For full effectiveness I've been using this combination day and night. I think I'll need to persevere with this product before I can tell whether it makes a significant difference, but I love how hydrating they both are. 

I will definitely be checking out other products in their range! Has anyone else tried these?

xo

Face of the Day - Russian Red

Hi beauties,

So I'm making the most of this lovely long break from work, and I thought I'd do a quick post on my make up look today! 

Face: 

Foundation - Rimmel Match Perfection (I love this foundation. For once a shade that 

works for my very pale skin!)

Concealer - Collection 2000

Powder - Rimmel Stay Matte in 001 Transparent

Eyes:

Primer - E.l.f. Eyelid primer in Sheer (I've heard this is a good dupe for Urban Decay primer potion - I couldn't say though as I haven't tried Urban Decay's. I plan on purchasing it soon though, so I'll do a little comparison)

Eye shadow - Naked 2 palette (Verve all over the lid, tease through the crease and a touch of snakebite in the outer corner) 

Mascara - Maybelline's The Falsies. This stuff is amazing!! It gives so much volume and length, I love it!

Cheeks:

Blush - Bourjois no 74 Rose

Lips:

Lipstick - MAC Russian Red Matte

I used to be scared to try bright lip colours, but I've really tried to experiment recently with bright and bold colours and I think a red lip looks so pretty on any skin tone - rock the red lip ladies!

Hope you're all having a lovely day!

xo

Mac Pro Palette Review

Hi beauties,

So I hit the sales yesterday, and unsurprisingly I only came home with one item that was actually discounted (most of the shops looked like they had been hit hard by Boxing Day shoppers, and I think I missed out!)

With the distinct lack of bargains around I decided to visit MAC. As I don't have one locally to me so it's always a bit of a novelty. I actually only owned one item from MAC, but I've been dying to add to my kit. As I've previously mentioned, my ambition is to become a make up artist, specifically focussing on bridal - I can't think of any thing better than helping a bride-to-be to look amazing on their big day.

MAC have a beautiful range of eyeshadow shades, and accessories. For make up kits (professional or individual use) they have a really useful palette in which you can store pan form products. I hear this is the newly redesigned palette, so here are my thoughts:

Palette £14 / Insert £6.50
Find these at MAC

This is a similar concept as the Z Palette, in that the base is magnetic so can be used on its own, or you can purchase an additional insert which separates eyeshadows out to fit 15 in total. The other new addition to this new design is a see-through lid, which is great for quick reference and to see all the beautiful shades you have to hand. 

The main downside of this product I have is that once you have the insert in place, the shadows are rather tricky to remove. If anyone has advise on this I'd greatly appreciate it! Nevertheless, the case itself is very sturdy and I feel that my eyeshadows are in safe hands!

Does any one have any suggestions of shadows they think are must haves? I bought Sable and Satin Taupe to get me started.

xo