NARS Orgasm Blusher

This was my second NARS product that I purchased and the Orgasm collection is my upmost favourite by far!

Described by NARS as
- Soft powder formulated with transparent pigments
- Use for a sheer healthy glow
- Or layer up for a deeper colour

Orgasm is described as 'Peachy pink with shimmer'.

It is a light pink with a hint of coral shade, flecked with lots of golden glitter. Fortunately the golden sparkles don't leave you looking like a glitter ball but offer a lovely sheen. This blusher has really lived up to the hype for me with both the quality and colour being worth the price. I can see this lasting me ages as you don't need a lot of product and think it will be perfect for spring/summer make up.

I was very cautious to purchase any blushes as I am very fair and don't like to look bright pink etc but this was very gentle on my skin and gave me a lovely glow - has definitely won me over and will be expanding my NARS collection asap!

What products do you use or recommend?

Sx

NARS Super Orgasm Illuminator

I wondered into House of Fraser in Milton Keynes and headed straight for the NARS beauty counter and hovered around for a beauty consultant to head my way! I asked about the Illuminator as a lot of my friends have ordered me to purchase one!

She tested all four colours on my skin and I explained I would like a bit of warmth to my skin so I asked for the 'Super Orgasm' ...I couldn't quite believe what I was asking this woman and I almost whispered the name to her! I bought it for £21.50 for it and I'm tempted to buy the whole collection!

The Illuminators (also available in Copacabana, Laguna, Orgasm, and Super Orgasm) are multifunctional and meant to work as a blush, bronzer, or highlighter (depending on the colour you buy).

The first thing I realised after using these was just how much shimmer they contain. It’s A LOT. Even a tiny dot, like the size of a pea, is enough to noticeably illuminate my cheeks, the bridge of my nose, my temples, chin AND my shoulders. And the fluid is really easy to blend into the skin, too, taking mere seconds to apply.

What it is:
A multifunctional face product that gives skin a refreshed luminosity.

What it does:
This light-reflecting liquid glides on to refresh and enhance the complexion, creating a shimmering incandescence. Wear it alone, or pair it with makeup to transform your skin from ordinary to extraordinary.

Do you use this Illuminator or you use something different?

Let me know - would love to hear from you!

Sx

Nivea Daily Essentials Hydration Primer Dry/Sensitive

As you know reading my previous blogs i seem to have primer coming out of my ears! The world clearly has gone primer mad!

I usually tend to use 'Pore Professional' Primer by Benefit and 'Airbrush Away' Primer by No7 which costs me a fortune!

Im so glad a high street brand has finally brought out an affordable product! With this being a great price I use it everyday under my foundation and find it to be lightweight and hydrating which is what I need as my skin is rather dry.

It works well to make my foundation last all day. It not only lasts it helps keep my skin hydrated. Not a huge amount to say about this other than I like it and its a great budget primer.

It comes in Dry/Sensitive and Normal/Combination and I purchased mine from Superdrug for £3.99!

http://www.superdrug.com/face/nivea-daily-essentials-hydration-primer-drysensitive/invt/556950

What primers do you use?

Sx

Neal's Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Hand Cream

Normally I’m not the biggest fan of honey, I find the scent a little to raw for me, but this hand cream has a wonderful blend of organic essential orange oil that is sweet but subtle and blends in beautifully with the honey.

At first I was way too overzealous with the amount I used and squeezed out a huge dollop that took forever to rub in and left my hands feeling quite greasy. So a word from experience, you really don’t need much at all to get a good result from this cream. When you use the right amount (for my little hands, about a large pea sized dot) you aren’t left with any residue or greasiness, which is a fair rarity when essential oils are used.

It’s quite a thick cream formula but is ultra smooth and soft and is easily absorbed by the skin. Like I said the smell is divine. As you first apply it, the citrusy zingy orange is quite strong but that quickly blends down as you massage it in and you are left with a very subtle hint of orange oil. I wouldn’t say the scent lasts particularly long on the skin but it’s very enjoyable while it lasts, careful though you don’t get too carried away enjoying it, I have recently received some very quizzical looks on the tube, no doubt people are wondering what’s going on with the ‘hand sniffer’! haha it just smells amazing and really perks me up when I’m tired in the mornings. It’s actually designed to energise and lift the spirits and I genuinely think it does a little!

For a 50ml tube you pay £10 online (I got this little beauty free with April's edition of Marie Claire!!) and you can also buy it in a little set with some wildflower seeds. Not bad seeing as some of the proceeds (5% I believe) go to helping raise awareness to save the bees! 🐝

Ps. Of course it is also paraben and SLS etc free!

Benefits:

• Nourishing
• Softening
• Protecting
• Helps raise money for our bee-friends Buglife, Landlife and Pesticide Action Network UK who are working to help save our precious bees!!

How to Use:

Apply to dry, rough or dulled skin. Keep on you for instant energizing, uplifting skin softening.

BareMinerals READY Luminizer in "The Shining Moment"

I am a big fan of the Bare Minerals/Escentuals Ready products (I have their powders and shadows) so I was excited to see something new from them.

I bought this little beauty from Debenhams in Milton Keynes and luckily they had a sale on all beauty products and I managed to buy this at £13 instead of £26 which made me extremely happy as you probably guessed!

This luminizer comes in two shades, I got The Shining Moment, which is a golden colour. There is also a pinky beige one called The Love Affair.

The look is really cute, with sleek white packaging, and a cute design pressed into the powder inside.

This highlighter gives a subtle natural glow, with no visible shimmer. You don't have to worry about over doing it with this product, but if you are looking for something that really gives a lot of shine and has shimmer, this is not it.

This product gets a thumbs up from me, and I may have to get the other colour as well in the future.

I really like it on my cheekbones and I even use this as a eyeshadow when I want my eyes to stand out...I cannot wait to use this during the summer!!

Do you use BareMinerals products?

Sx

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder

My previous blog was about Laura Mercier's amazing Foundation Primer and when I purchased this I also bought her Loose Setting Powder which I have now fallen in love with!

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder has been a much sought after product and has been a favourite amongst makeup lovers over the years. This was actually my second ever purchases from Laura Mercier! I’d contemplated buying it for a little while, but eventually I was convinced after reading all the glowing reviews it had received.

The Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent is a lightweight, sheer and finely milled talc. I’ve tried using this with a powder brush and also powder puff, but found a brush gave the most air brushed finish whereas the powder puff made my makeup look a bit too smothered. It controls shine pretty well too so I don’t have to worry about brushing it around every 5 minutes!

The setting powder comes in a circular powder pot with sifter which is great for shaking the powder out when using. I always shake a little into the lid and transfer it from the lid to my brush and then shake any excess powder off the brush.

Laura Mercier products unfortunately don’t come cheap and this 29g pot costs £29. Given that you only have to use a tiny amount each time though so hopefully it'll go a long way! You can pick up Laura Mercier products from places such as John Lewis or House of Fraser.

What Loose Powders do you use and why?

Sx

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer creates a smooth, invisible layer that acts as a buffer to outside elements and expertly holds foundation. This water-based formula guarantees that your makeup stays fresh and colour-true for hours. With vitamins A, C, and E added to protect the skin, Foundation Primer is ideal for all skin types.

With my dry and sensitive skin I have to have a foundation primer, even with cream/liquid foundations. Because of this I have tried loads of primers and this primer has been the best as of yet. I love it. It not only helps my dry skin problems but it also helps keep my foundation on until I'm ready to take it off. This product is also lightweight so I have no problems with it feeling too heavy with my foundation.

I do not find this primer to be oily like a lot of primers out there so I do believe it would be good for oily skin types as well.

Features: Light cream-gel texture, oil-free formulation, Vitamins A,C,E, non comodegenic

Benefits: Smooths skin, prolongs foundation wear

Perfect for: All skin types. This is the primer I end up using most in my kit.

What primer do you use and why??

Sx

Weekly Boots Buys!

Hello guys!

Thought I'd tell you about my weekly boots shopping trip... I tend to go into boots on a weekly basis and buy stuff that I don't necessarily 'need' but it's more of a want really!

Anywhooo...I was slowly running outfoxed foundation and I usually wear Maxfactor Ageless Elixir in Light Ivory 40 but I fancied trying out the new No7 range and needed to get colour matched!

I spoke to a lovely lady at the No7 counter and explained that I wanted a full coverage foundation but wanted it to look natural and not heavy on the skin. She then took off all of my makeup using the No7 Beautiful Skin range (which is the skin care range that I use anyway)..

She then proceeded to colour match me using a very clever machine, she tested out both sides of my face and found that my left cheek came up as 'Calico' and my right cheek as 'Cool Vanilla'.

I was happy with the Cool Vanilla as it gave my skin a nice warm colour to it as I have a very fair complexion. The foundation that the lady recommended was 'Protect & Perfect - Younger Looking Skin Foundation' - this basically smoothes and moisturises for younger looking skin and gives you a flawless and radiant complexion!

After using this foundation I will usually add concealer under my eyes (depending how much sleep I've had?! zzz) and then add No7 Translucent Loose Powder to help smooth the foundation and hide any flaws etc.

In boots at the moment they have a 'Buy two No7 products and get a free Beauty Bag worth £28' and because I LOVE No7 I couldn't really resist so I decided to buy the new Limited Edition Tip Toes Nail Varnish from their Spring collection along with the foundation.

I was pleasantly surprised to find inside this really cute pink No7 bag some small travel sized products - Mulberry Moisture Drench Lipstick, Black Extreme Length Mascara, Mauve Stay Perfect Eyeshadow and Protect & Perfect Intense Day Cream'

What No7 products do you like or use? - Let me know!

Happy reading Guys!

Sx

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder

The bronzer comes in a little case which opens up like a little book and is kept closed by a concealed magnet. The Bourjois bronzer is available in two shades, 51 and 52. I have shade 51 which is the lighter of the two shades and I think that this is suitable for light to medium skin tones and i'm ridiculously pale so this was a big step for me!

 

 

 

As you can see from the photos the bronzer is shaped like chocolate and it also smells like it! (It doesn’t smell once applied to skin). The bronzer is mainly matte with just the slightest glimmer of gold flecks through it. I find that as it’s mainly matte you can use it for contouring your cheeks as well as using all over your face for a sun-kissed glow.

 

The gold flecks are so subtle that you can’t even see them from the pictures.

The colour is quite pigmented and is easily bendable. I find that this product lasts all day without needing to be touched up.

 

I rarely use bronzers and i absoulotely love this bronzer and couldn’t recommend it enough as it only cost £6.99!

 

I bought this little beauty from Boots and it's usually on a '3 for 2 and get the cheapest free'

 

What do you think guys?

 

Sx

Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner!

I wonder if anyone can help me...

 

I'm trying to find a good Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner as I like to keep my hair nice and bright (kind of like how your hair looks and feels just after being coloured!!)

 

The only two brands that i have found that actually look like they're doing anything is

Umberto Giannini Colour Luxe Billionaire Blonde and Toni&Guy Cleanse Shampoo for Blonde Hair.

 

 

Umberto Giannini Colour Luxe Billionaire Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner from boots is £5.49 each however boots usually have a '2 for £8 on selected Umberto Giannini haircare'

Toni&Guy Cleanse Shampoo and Conditioner from boots for £5.99 each however boots usually have a '3 for £12 on selected Toni and Guy haircare'

 

Have you found or use a better Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner?

 

Please let me know!

 

Happy reading guys!

 

Sx

My Favourite Lipsticks Everrr!

I cannot go anywhere without a hint of colour on my lips and as we all know lipstick is a leading part to a girls make up! As i am very fair i tend to stick to pinks and sometimes if i'm feeling daring i go for a lovely shade of rouge! So anyway..here are my top favourite lipsticks! :))

 From left to right : Revlon Super Lustrous in Cherry Blossom, Revlon Super Lustrous in Pink In The Afternoon, No7 Moisture Drench in Waterlilly and No7 Poppy King in Glamour!

 

 

 

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick was in a 3 for 2 offer in boots and I could not resist but If you would like to buy them separately they are £7.49. I use the Cherry Blossom on nights out as it's very vibrant and stands out and i have also been using it on photoshoots for models as it looks fantastic! Pink In The Afternoon is my favourite and i use it as everyday wear from going to work to going out into town..it's just gorgeous!

 

No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick is another one of my favourites...i love No7! My makeup bag is full of their goodies as they're kind to my skin as i am very sensitive and can't have anything that contains alcohol or any other products! This lipstick is £9.50 but No7 usually have a 'Buy 1 get 2nd half price on selected No7 cosmetics'

 

And finally we get to No7 Poppy King which is simply my guilty pleasure and is £10.95 (trust me..worth every penny!) The colour i picked is Glamour. Glamour is fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it is a very cheeky colour. This shade is a great place to start if you are currently wearing too much nude or bright red - this shade is simply gorgeous

 

So there we go guys..those are my favourite lipsticks!

 

What are yours and why?

 

Sx

Eylure Naturalites

Good afternoon :-)

As I have recently started my Makeup Artistry course and have attended photoshoots my models have been asking me for fake eyelashes!

I have never been able to apply them on my own eyes..not to sure why not..fiddly buggers!!!

So I decided to go into boots and have a little wonder and see what eyelashes I could find! (All my friends and model friends have recommended me to use Eylure)

The Starter Kit was great for me as I had no idea about how you applied the lashes and making them last the entire day/night!

The pack includes everything you need for a perrrrrrfect lash application including a free practise lash and even a corner lash kit (which I find really lovely) :-)

Happy reading!

Sx

Boux Avenue

Hey Guys! :-)

Just thought I would tell you what I was recently treated to by my lovely other half which I'd never used before and that's Boux Avenue Clothing!

What I loved about it was that we ordered of Saturday night and it came yesterday and it came gift wrapped!
Pink wrapping paper..smelling beautiful and rose petals!
(..yes I said rose petals)

It was a gorgeous chemise that had come down from £32.00 to £12.00 - I love a good bargain!

I can most definitely say that I will be shopping here again!

Happy reading :-)

Sx

My Addiction :))

For my second post of my blog I thought that I should write about my known addiction of nails and nail varnish as my Mother reckons that I have 'more colours than boots' (comedian i know)...

Anyway.. here is a few pictures of recent nail colours that i have used!

Happy Reading guys!

Sx

 

Illamasqua Nail Polish in Speckled Pink is the one that I am currently wearing and I love it :))

 

Mariah Carey by OPI in shade Can't Let Go which has a texture matte finish!

 

OPI in shade Midnight in Moscow!

 

Christmas Tips with a hint of sparkle in the Acrylic!

First Post Ever!

Hey guys, as this is my first post ever I will be telling you a little about myself and why i'm creating a blog :)

My name is Shelly and Makeup is my passion! I have been passionate about makeup from a very young age from stealing my mothers red lipstick and overly pink blusher to her creamy eyeshadow!

In my blog I will be showing everyone my 'how to's' and also behind the scene pictures of shoots that I have been lucky enough to attend!

I have recently had my very first photoshoot and I loved every moment of it from chatting to the models to dolling them up and seeing the final picture! (theres nothing quite like seeing the final design!)

Here are a few pictures of models that participated last weekend for me - for those of you who are interested in who the models and photographer is the Model with the long blonde hair is Francesca Costello and the Model with the brunette hair is Katherine Peaden and the Photographer is Kirsti Manning!

Thanks for reading guys!

Sx