Monthly favourites - May 2012

Hello there gorgeous glitterati :)

I thought I'd do a quick little monthly favourites as it's nearly the end of May ....... yes seriously, it's June in a few days, crazy times!!

I always enjoy monthly favourites posts and youtube videos, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon and give it a bash.

I honestly don't have very much this month at all, I've been jumping between products all month long, but there have been a couple of things have remained constant and a couple of other things I've just really enjoyed in general.

Going from left to right we have the following yummy goodies:

1. MAC "O" lipstick - So not my usual thing at all. MAC describe this frost finish lipstick as purplish red with golden pearl. In the tube it looks bronze with a shimmer to it, but on the lips it really comes alive, the red undertones really shine through on the lips and it's definitely been my go to shade this month. Never judge a MAC lippie on first appearances :)

2. L'occitane hand creams - I have Fleur Cherie and Frangipani both in mini 30ml sizes. I LOVE this hand cream so very much. I have large tubes of it in my bedside drawer and little tubes in my handbag and various others scattered everywhere. It's super thick but not greasy and it just makes your hands feel super soft too. I've been loving this especially this month because I'm trying so hard to stop biting my nails so I'm slathering my hands in moisturiser to encourage the nail growth :)

3. Too Faced chocolate soleil bronzer in original chocolate. This is just an amazing bronzer, the first and most fickle reason for me loving it is because it smells like cocoa and vanilla, yummy chocolaty goodness. Other than that it's matte in finish, looks amazingly natural and stays put all day long. I've been faking the tan when we haven't had weather good enough to provide a natural one.

4. Illamasqua powder blush in Hussy. I honestly only bought this because I wanted the skinbase foundation and you got a blush for half price when you bought any foundation ...... well what a good choice this was. Hussy is the most divine pinky coral, it's matte finish too which I just adore, not all of us want our faces plastered in shimmer all the time. The formula on these blushes is incredible, so smooth and crazy pigmented in just once swipe, I think I may have started a little illamasqua love affair.

5. Barry M super soft eye crayon in 8 "Matt Turquoise." I use this primarily as a liner, even in my waterline and I've had no issues whatsoever. This is just the most stunning bright turquoise and it looks absolutely fantastic on the waterline for that pop of colour to really brighten up your eyes. Obviously these crayons can be used as shadow or bases, but they're so soft and pigmented, you can use them any way you so desire. Superdrug in the UK have these on 3 for 2 at the minute and I'm feeling the itch to grab some more shades.

My last favourite has got to be my gorgeous little fur babies Ruby and Millie. We've had them for nearly 4 weeks now and they're just getting cuter and cuter by the day.

What's not to love :) they're cute as buttons!!

Well that's it for my May monthly favourites, hopefully there will be more next month if I can stick to the same thing for more than a couple of days, I've been so fickle this month, chopping and changing my mind every day. I've been trying out lots of new things though, so hopefully that'll find me some lovely June favourites.

Let me know in the comments below what your favourites are this month? Anything I should be checking out that I haven't? You know me, I love a good beauty buy.

Take care and much love to all xox

Betty Girl Makeup - An awesome giveaway you NEED to check out :)

Hey there gorgeous glitterati.

My awesome friend from Betty Girl Makeup is hosting a truly amazing giveaway, it's for over $170 worth of yummy scrummy makeup goodies.

You need to get your butts over there right now and check it out.

Click here to go straight to the giveaway blog post.

Definitely 100% follow her blog because not only do you have to for the competition, but it's an amazing diverse blog well worth checking out - her looks are amazing and super easy to follow, plus she's an absolute sweetheart.

Let me know in the comments below if you check her out and enter the phenomenal giveaway :)

Take care and much love to all xxx

Quick little catch up - Fur babies, MAC and Real techniques :)

Well howdy, hey hey and hello my gorgeous glitterati :)

I'm so sorry, it's been a week and I haven't popped in even to say hello, how rude am I!!!

I've got a few things to share with you lovely lot, but this is mainly just a catch up post to reassure you I'm still alive and kicking about, I've just been super busy.

First and foremost, I got 2 gorgeous new fur baby kittens:

Can we all say Awwwwwwwwwwww together. The tabby is called Ruby and the black kitty is called Millie.


I've had them for 2 weeks and they're just so adorable, I find myself speaking to them like you do a new baby, it's totally crazy. But needless to say they've been taking up loads and LOADS of my time, training them as best I can and playing with them non stop.


Other than that I've just been busy with work and stuff, which is majorly boring I know but unfortunately it is what it is :( I'm back now though and I promise I'll be continuing on in my "how to" series and Summer favourites too.


In the meantime here's a few swatches for the goodies I picked up from the MAC hey sailor and reel sexy collections:

Left to right we have:

Pro longwear bronzer in sun dipped - Fabulous smooth gorgeous bronzer, it's a much nicer texture and finish that the regular liner bronzer AND it's a matte finish which I just love.

Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade - LOVE with a capital L, there's no glitter to this at all, just a beautiful pearly sheen that really gives you that lit from within look we all crave.

Blush in Fleet Fast - Lovely warm peachy coral, quite subtle when on the cheeks, so perfect for a more natural Summer look.

Lipstick in Sail la vie - Ooooo so orange and coral all at once, I love it so very much. It's a satin finish and just looks gorgeous on, very much a holiday colour, I can't wait to take it away with me.

Lipstick in pink popcorn - Lustre finish gorgeous pinky purple, it looks a little scary swatched but trust me, it's fab when on the lips. I use this nearly every day for that hint of colour with a gorgeous sheen.

Ooooooo and I've also been playing with and loving my new real Techniques brushes:

I got the core collection, starter kit, powder brush and blusher brush.

They're all so soft and lovely to use, plus they wash really brilliantly without any shedding or the brush hairs losing shape.

I'll have a review on these babies coming up soon I promise.

Well that's it my lovelies, I just wanted to get a post up, sorry it's a bit rambly, but I had to let you know where I was at :) I hope you enjoyed the brief swatches and the pictures of my gorgeous Ruby and Millie (yes, they just HAD to be named after makeup).

Take care and love to all - I'll be back soon with more glittery goodness xxx

Tarte Amazonian clay 12 hour blush swatches

Well hello there my gorgeous glitterati.

I'm back today with yet more swatches :)

I did a swap with a lovely lady I met though Makeup Alley and she is US based so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands to finally try some of these Tarte blushes that I've heard nothing but rave reviews about.

I managed to get my hands on 7 shades and as usual, I'll give you the good stuff that is the pictures first and then explain a little more after. I will apologise now for my picture quality, I just couldn't seem to get it right so I've done the swatch shot with flash, they're still pretty accurate swatches in my humble opinion:

The swatches are from bottom to top :

Natural Beauty - Red toned pink for that perfect "flush" of colour.

Glisten - Peachy pink with added shimmer.

Exposed - Beautiful neutral nude for those "Au naturale" days.

Blushing Bride - Berry plum, perfect for Autumn / Winter.

Amused - Gorgeous bright bubblegum pink.

Blissful - Hot coral peach, bang on trend for Spring / Summer.

Adored - Light pink with added shimmer.

The texture of these blushes is just lovely, very smooth yet super pigmented in just one single swipe. I'm wearing Blissful today to test out the 12 hour claim, I'll have to let you know how I get on as I only just got these babies yesterday and wanted to get the swatched up ASAP for you.

There are many many benefits that Tarte claim from the Amazonian clay base of these blushes, check out the full details on their website here. The benefit are supposed to include oil control, nourishment for the skin, a reduction in the appearance of dryness and all this while also making your skin look smoother and giving you more clarity - What more could you ask for eh' :)

Tarte also do Amazonian clay based foundation, concealer, mascara and eyeliner amongst other things and I've now been bitten by the Tarte bug and I'm keen to try more out.

Tarte isn't readily available in the UK unfortunately!! Mega sad face!! But if you do know anyone State side who can help you out, they're definitely worth checking out, it's a lovely brand with great ideas, products and ethics.

Have you ever tried anything from Tarte? Anything else you'd highly recommend for me to check out?

Take care and love to all as always xox

How to ....... Stop lipstick bleeding.

Hey there gorgeous glitterati :)

This post has been requested by a lovely friend of mine called Trina. It sparked a little idea though, I was hoping to do a little series of posts on my ideas on "how to" do certain things that some people can find particularly tricky.

Let me know in the comments below if there's anything you'd like me to do a blog post on "how to" do - I have a few ideas of my own, but I'm always here to help where and when I can.

Anyhow onto the topic for today ....... How to stop dark coloured lipsticks bleeding.

When I'm wearing a particularly dark shade and I want it to absolutely 100% stay put as long as possible, there are certain measures I take. I'll be honest and say I don't really have a problem with lipsticks bleeding on me, but I feel like these steps would definitely help those that do.

When I'm applying my makeup, I'll first pop a nice thick layer of lip balm on to keep my lips in tip top condition. My favourites of the moment are the Jack Black lip balms:

I got my lemon flavoured one for £7.25 from feel unique with free delivery - Click here to check it out.

I like to leave the balm to sink in while I do the rest of my face and this product is fab at sinking in over a period of time and keeping your lips super moisturised and supple.

Then when the rest of my makeup is done, I grab my favourite lip liner of the moment which when I'm wearing a red lip is currently MAC brick:

I use the liner to line my WHOLE lips, not just the outline. I literally just line the edges of my lips then scribble in the centre and spread the product out with my fingers to get a nice thin layer of colour. I find that the liner spreads easily and sinks in nicely after application of the Jack Black balm.

Next I take my favourite lipstick, which when I'm doing a red lip is MAC Kanga rouge:

I apply a thin layer of the lipstick with a lip brush, using it straight from the bullet will apply too much product and defeat the purpose of building up thin layers.

The next step for me is to blot my lips with a clean tissue and brush over a small dusting of translucent powder, my favourite at the minute is the Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder:

Only apply a very fine dusting of powder, the last thing you want to do is make your lips super dry and tight.

Then my final step is to apply a layer of lipstick straight from the bullet for added shine and depth of colour.

If I do all of these steps I promise you my lipstick does not bleed or budge - I just carry the actual lipstick with me to top up as and when necessary, but the base shade the lip liner has provided does not budge so your lips look fantastic all day / night long.

If this is just all too much for you though, why not try a lip stain ... granted the colour is not as intense, nor do you get the finish of a lipstick / gloss. That's when I'd point you in the direction of the new YSL glossy stains, my LOTD and mini review is here. These give you the look and pigment of a thick gloss, but they stay put for hours on end without bleeding or completely wearing off at all.

Maybelline have also just released their very own version of the YSL glossy stains called "Super stay stain gloss". I haven't tried these yet, so I can't comment on their likeness to the YSL version, but they're a fraction of the cost and 100% worth a try:

So that's it - Those are my top tips to help stop your lipstick bleeding. If you try my method out, definitely let me know how you get on :)

Take care and love to all xox

Liz Earle Colour launched - Hurray!

Hey there my gorgeous glitterati.

Have you heard of Liz Earle? If you haven't .......... why not? ;)

Liz Earle is a UK based natural skincare brand, I first discovered them from the joys of QVC and fell head over heels in love with their most famous product, cleanse and polish, the first and in my opinion the best hot cloth cleanser.

The skincare line is phenomenal, it covers the basics brilliantly with cleanser, toner and moisturiser and I adore their exfoliator and lovely luxurious masks.

The company has branched out further with a full body care line including body, hand and foot care products and a delicious perfume was also added to the line.

The most recent product added to the product line was called Sheer skin tint, basically a tinted moisturiser but it was a stand alone product, nothing else "makeup" wise was released ........ until now :)

I got an email a few weeks ago introducing "Liz Earle Colour" and I squeed with excitement, what more could I want, one of my most favourite skincare lines releasing a makeup line - perfect!

I haven't actually bought anything yet, I was planning on visiting a Liz Earle stockist to swatch and peruse before purchasing, but a few bits and pieces have definitely caught my eye so far:

Firstly the natural glow bronzer, I'm a bronzer crazed loony, I love the stuff for a lovely glow without any need for actual sun :) this one is only available in one shade "bronze" but it doesn't look too dark or scary and the website states "minimal shimmer" I'll have to  judge that for myself on swatching but it sounds and looks like a winner that needs to jump right into my makeup collection.

Secondly the healthy glow cream blush. I love a good cream blusher and I'm always on the look out for the perfect texture with both blendability and staying power. This one is available in 7 shades from nude to pink and coral so I'm certain one of those will be able to tempt me ........ maybe 2 ;)

Lastly the sheer lip gloss. I'm not normally a lip gloss girl, I love my lipstick but I'm keen to try this out. I think it's because Liz Earle started as a skincare line, I'm thinking these glosses will be super moisturising and easy to wear. The website states they are enriched with avocado and Shea butter  which sound good to me, and with 12 gorgeous shades to choose from I'm sure I'll find a winner.

There are plenty of other bits and bobs to tantalise your taste buds - stick concealer, loose powder, powder blush, mascara, eye pencils and even a few brushes. If you want to have a look for yourself, click here and have a browse.

The prices seem to coincide with the likes of MAC, £19.50 for the bronzer, £16.50 for the cream blush and £13.50 for the sheer lip gloss. I'm happy to spend that if the product is genuinely worth it and my experience with Liz Earle thus far has not given me any reason to doubt that the makeup line will be amazing.

I can't wait to get my hands on a few bits and pieces and I'll be sure to let you know when I do and provide my usual swatches. I've got high hopes for this line and I'm keeping everything crossed that they do well and expand the product range with more colours and maybe even some actual foundations.

Is this a brand you know and love, have you tried anything from the colour range? Please let me know in the comments below if you've ever dabbled with Liz Earle and your thoughts :)

Take care as always and love to all xox

11 Questions Tag!!

Hey again gorgeous glitterati :)

I thought I'd do something a little different today, I've been tagged by the gorgeous Betty and I haven't ever done one of these tags before so I thought I'd give it a whirl, why not hey I'm all about diversity.

Here are the rules of the Tag:

1. Each tagged person must answer the 11 questions given to them by their "tagger" and post it on their blog.

2. Then, choose 11 new people to tag and link them in your post.

3. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

4. Go to their page and tell them they've been tagged!

5. Do not tag back to the person who has already tagged you.

Here are the 11 questions that Betty set me:

1. If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
That's a toughie for me as I'm quite happy being me :) I'd probably be super fickle and say someone like Victoria Beckham so I could snog the face off David lol!!

2. What's your favourite place to shop for beauty products?
On the Internet it's probably Debenhams or the MAC website, if you can't already tell I'm crazy about MAC and I could browse their website happily for hours.
Out and about shopping it would have to be Selfridges (UK department store), they have everything I drool over and it's just a beauty addicts heaven!

3. Share one weird or funny fact that nobody knows about you.
Hmmmm probably just the fact that I'm super SUPER clumsy, especially with hair straighteners, I have a burn on my forehead and loads on my hands and arms from being careless. I've also sprained my right ankle 5 times, chipped a bone in it once and broke it once - I'm officially a klutz!

4. What is your one MUST HAVE beauty product?
For me at the minute it's my Lush Aqua Marina cleanser. I love my makeup and stuff, but without this cleanser my skin wouldn't be looking so good. I've got crazy oily and blemish prone skin, but this miraculous stuff keeps all that at bay, it's well worth checking out.

5. What is your favourite food?
My favourite meal is probably Spaghetti Carbonara, I'm a sucker for mushrooms and bacon with pasta, it's just so delicious.
In terms of junk food, I'm a sweets (candy) girl, I'd choose a bag of haribo over chocolate and crisps any day.

6. Slankets - yes or no?
Flat out no, I hate being too restricted so this would drive me absolutely flipping crazy.

7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Physically it would definitely be my nose, I've had such a complex about it for years and think it's utterly huge, but it's something I've learned to live with, I am who I am :)

8. Favourite vacation spot?
Well I'm going on holiday with my bestie in September to Fuerteventura, I've been there once before to a resort called Jandia and I totally adored it, so I'm going to say there.

9. Do you have a monthly beauty budget you set aside for yourself and do you stick to it?
I don't really, I just buy what I want if i have the pennies to spare, if I don't I just have to pine for it until the next payday.

10. Describe yourself in one word.
Crazy. Lol that's self explanatory, anyone who knows me knows I'm a bit of a live spark sometimes, I'm definitely not the shy and quiet type :)

11. Tell us something about the person who tagged you?
Betty from Betty Girl Makeup is adorable, she does You tube videos as well as maintaining a blog and her looks are always incredible, she's one of these people who can pull off any eye colour at all.
Definitely check out her blog which I've linked above and subscribe to her You tube channel as well, you won't be disappointed, she's a darling.

Well that's it I'm all done :) Here's my 11 questions for you lovely lot:

1. If you were trapped on a Desert Island what one beauty product would you want to have with you?
2. What is your favourite band / singer?
3. What's your go to makeup look?
4. What was the first beauty product you can remember buying and do you still use it?
5. What celebrity do you most admire and why?
6. What is your favour colour and do you ever incorporate it into your makeup looks?
7. Describe yourself in one short sentence.
8. If you had an endless supply of money, what would be the first thing you would buy?
9. Describe your perfect night in.
10. What do you consider to be your best physical feature?
11. Tell us something about the person who tagged you (I liked this question so I stole it :p)

Well that's it, I'm done.

I'm going to cheat and tag EVERYONE who wants to do it. I'm still starting out, I don't have loads of followers at the minute (though the ones I have, I LOVE) and I don't really know a lot of my fellow bloggers, so I thought I'd just leave this open to anyone who sees it, feel free to do it and let me know in the comments below if you've had a go.

I hope this was interesting and something a little bit different for you all.

As always, take care and love to all xox

LOTD - MAC Patisserie - Wendy does nude .... yes, really :)

Well hey hey and hello there my gorgeous glitterati.

I'm about to do a beauty tag post, but I thought I'd quickly do a little lip of the day as I'm wearing something completely different for me today.

In a swap recently, I received MAC Patisserie lipstick, it's a lustre finish which means it has a beautiful sheer coverage with a glorious high shine.

This is what is looks like on me, I have swatched it on my hand too, but the colour on my lips looks much more true to life :

Ooooooo I love it so much and I really REALLY didn't think I would, it's nude for crying out loud - I'm all about the bold bright lips.

I know you guys hear this a million times, but this really is a "my lips but better" shade, it's a pinky nude so it doesn't wash me out at all, if anything it warms my entire face up.

What's your favourite nude shade? I'm keen to try out a few more now, the nude bug has well and truly bitten me :) I know I can't pull off very cool nudes, but I'm more than willing to try anything once!

Let me know your recommendations in the comment below pretty please and thank you.

Take care and MEGA love to all xox

My top Spring blush picks.

Hey again gorgeous glitterati :)


It's officially Spring ...... whilst the UK weather currently tells us a very different story!! I hope you're having nicer weather wherever you are than I am here, it's pouring with rain AGAIN.


Needless to say the weather is pretty depressing, so I thought I'd get stuck in with another Spring blog post to keep me perky :) Who knows, the warm Spring air might be just around the corner.


I've decided to do my blush picks first, because they're my favourite thing apart from lipstick and I've definitely shown you guys enough lipsticks to last a lifetime.


As usual I'll show you my swatches first and then onto the nitty gritty details :

Left to right in the top picture and bottom to top in the bottom picture we have the following :

• YSL Cream Blush in 5 "Fuchsia Temptation" - This is my first and only YSL blush and it's kicked in a major lemming for more. The texture of this blush is impossible to describe, it feels like a spongy mousse to me and it blends incredibly well. To me this is a gorgeous baby pink, pretty neutral toned, it doesn't lean too cool on me at all.
• Topshop Blush in "Neon Rose" - My original blog post including this is here it's just a beautiful bright orange toned coral, it will look absolutely stunning with a tan. I can't wait to see if Topshop release more shades in this blush, because for the price you cannot beat it, the texture and blend ability are just incredible.
• Urban Decay Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tint in "Crush" - A bright mid toned pink. The Urban Decay cream blush offering feels a lot more liquid to the touch than any of my others yet the staying power is as good as any other. This one is much more sheer, but is very buildable so you get the best of both worlds.
• MAC Cream Colour Base in "Virgin Isle" (discontinued .. sorry) - THE most perfect hot coral, I absolutely had to include this even though it's discontinued, you could always check out eBay or Makeup Alley. Cream colour bases are so versatile too, these can be used anywhere on the face and body, but for me this is an utterly perfect Spring shade, again will be divine with a tan or on ladies with darker skin.
• MAC Mineralize Blush in "Utterly Game" - A gorgeous peachy shade with very a subtle sheen, no chunky glitter here. You can't see the sheen in my swatch very clearly but believe me it's there. This is the perfect blush and highlight in one for Spring as it will just give your cheeks that healthy glow that we all aspire to.
• MAC Mineralize Blush in "Giggly" (Another discontinued one, sorry people) - I just had to include this one too. This is a beautiful cool toned bubblegum pink with slightly plum undertones when swirled with the heart in the centre of the blush. Giggly is perfect for all you paler ladies out there as it will just perk your skin up and give you that lovely "pinched" look.
• MAC Matte Blush in "Frankly Scarlet" - This one looks absolutely terrifying in the pan, it's red as red can be! But used with a light hand and a lovely fluffy brush, this can provide the perfect flushed shade. I wear this one a lot in Spring / Summer and it always makes me look really healthy.
• Benefit Boxed Powder in "Bella Bamba" - Last but by no means least, this is my only watermelon toned pink. This also has definite shimmer to it, but again no chunky crazy fallout style glitter. Benefit claims that this blush "Brightens, Sculpts and Defines" - I'm not sure about all three, but it really does brighten your face and again because of the subtle sheen, it can also double as a soft highlighter.

That's it for my top Spring blush picks, I definitely break out the cream blushes more in the hotter months as I prefer a dewy finish when the sun is shining. Do you think there are any missing? I'm always keen to hear any recommendations from you lovely lot :) I've tried to pick a variety of shades from pinks to corals, but please do feel free to let me know if there's something you think is lacking.


Take care and love to all xox

My perfect Spring lip combination - New MAC lipsticks :)

Hey gorgeous glitterati :)

Sorry I've been so absent for the past few days, I've had my dad over staying with me since Thursday night, so I've been having lots of much needed family time which has been lovely and I've enjoyed every second being off work and going places with my dad.

We popped into MAC at the weekend as I had some Back to MAC empties to return for my free lipstick and I picked up 2 gorgeous shades that I haven't had before.

I've only had these 2 lipsticks for 4 days now and I've already determined that the 2 layered together are my perfect Spring lip combination.

On the left is lovelorn which is a lustre finish, then on the right is Chatterbox which is an Amplified finish.

Both to me are perfect neutral pinks leaning slightly on the cooler side, but not so cool that they completely wash you out. Chatterbox pulls slightly stronger pink on me, but I imagine this is just because it's an amplified finish, so it tends to be more creamy and opaque in one swipe. Lovelorn is gorgeously smooth and glossy and gives a much sheerer finish.

The swatch on my lips is the 2 layered over the top of each other and I love this colour combination, it's got great staying power because of the amplified finish of chatterbox, but the lustre finish of lovelorn gives it the beautiful glossy shine which I adore.

I'm going to do a whole series on Spring / Summer looks and products if that's something you guys would enjoy. I do tend to gravitate towards very different shades in the Spring and Summer than I would in the Autumn and Winter, it's just a natural reaction to the change in weather. Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see and I'll get on it ASAP.

Take care and love to all xox