My Lips, but Beauter (Yes, I'm not very good at word play)

We are all searching for that magic product that will give us our lips, but better. A product that looks flawless and mimics our natural lip colour while making our lips fuller, smoother and glossier. I think I have found that product for me.

The Weightless Lip Creme from Beaute in the colour Trace is described as a whisper-soft beiged pink. It is a little darker in life than in the photos - a beautiful,  creamy,  rosey pink, which is very similar to my natural lip colour. It is one of the most wearable colours I own and looks great with all makeup looks from smokey eyes to bare lids as it's light enough to look neutral, but dark enough to give some definition to the lips.

The WLC has the consistency of a light, yet creamy liquid lipstick with a glossy finish.  It almost feels like a balm on the lips as its texture is very smooth and there is no stickiness whatsoever. It is also very pigmented and lasts a decent amount of time. So pretty much the perfect lip product in my humble opinion- works like a glossy lipstick, but feels like a light balm.

The only potential downfall of the Beaute WLC is the price. The weightless lip creme weighs in at £22, but personally I think it is well worth it as the colour range is beautiful and the formula unique. The only product I can think of as a comparison are the YSL rouge volupte lipsticks (£21) as they too have good pigmentation with a similar sort of creamy finish, but wear off faster and are generally messy as they tend to melt off my lips. (The packaging gets me every time though)

Beaute can be found at http://www.cocobeau.co.uk

This product was sent to me for review purposes, but I am in love and will probably be ordering some more come pay day... I have my eye on Wanted, which looks like it would make the perfect nude :).

Have you ever tried Beaute?

Do you have your own 'my lips, but better' product? Do share! xxx

Skin MD Natural Discount

Hello my lovelies,

Recently I reviewed the Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion and if you missed it the review can be found here. Since the review I have been enjoying this lotion so much that it has made it into my handbag and become my go-to hand cream. I use it everyday, pretty much every time I wash my hands, and I absolutely love it.

Previously I had been using the LUSH Lemony Flutter cuticle butter, but I have decided it isn't very 'public friendly'. Not only does it take such a long time to sink in that I inevitably leave greasy marks everywhere (and often get locked in rooms as it is impossible to open doors), but the smell is so strong that I have noticed people inching away from me when I apply it on the tube. Shielding lotion, on the other hand (no pun intended), provides the same level of moisturisation, but in a light lotion formula that sinks in instantly and leaves my hands feeling soothed with a faint fresh, clean scent. No more greasy keyboards either ;). I can't recommend it highly enough!

As before the only problem I could find with the lotion was the price, especially as I slather it on multiple times a day I tend to go through it quickly. The lovely people at Skin MD natural sympathised and have kindly made another discount code for my beautiful readers, which will give you 20% off your purchase at www.skinmdnatural.com

The code is FFF and will be valid for 1 month from today.

If you try it out do let me know what you think! xxx

Self-Pity Party and a hair ramble

I have been feeling guilty all week for not putting up any videos, especially as I have all these great ideas in my head, but no time to do them. Come Friday I was ready to rectify this and was all set to dedicate a good proportion of my weekend to filming.

However, my body did not agree, and decided to punish me for the lack of care I have been taking recently. With 5 hours of sleep a night, rubbish food (I see it= I eat it) and lack of exercise I don't think it likes me very much at the moment. So on Saturday morning I woke up with a horrible swollen red eye, which not only looks disgusting, but sends needles of pain through my face every time I blink. All in all, I have spent most of the weekend in bed feeling sorry for myself and probably taking it out on the bf more than I should be :(.

So next week I need to cheer myself up! I have noticed that my hair is looking quite lackluster at the moment, with far too any split ends, so the time has come for the dreaded biannual hair cut. Yes, I always put it off as long as I can because I have a rather love/ hate relationship with hairdressers. I have never found one I can really trust with my long hair. I can just see their eyes light up at the thought of slicing it all off. It fills me with fear every time I murmur "Just a trim please", knowing that I am about to lose 4 inches of beloved hair. It takes me weeks to get used to a cut and, though I am ultimately happy that even though my hair is shorter it looks healthier, I still dread it.

However, the time has come. I think the last time I had it cut was in October! Since I'm so bored of it I have just given up and have been wearing it in the same styles for far too long.

For work I usually just blow dry it quickly, then pin back the front section as it's too short to stay back by itself, but too long to be a side fringe and just irritates me all day.

Or if I have an extra 10 minutes in the morning I use large barrel curling tongs to add some waves and body to the hair. Even though after a gruelling tube ride these usually fall out and I arrive at the office looking frazzled and sleepy.

For nights out I just use the babyliss conical wand to create loose curls and pull the front back with a head band.

So before I book my appointment I want to ask you guys for help :). What kind of style I should go for and what do you think would look good, while being easy to manage? I want to keep the length and add some more layers, but sort out the front portion, as at the moment it just doesn't blend in with the rest.

If you have some inspirational pictures I'd love to see them!! I trust your opinions much more than any hairdresser and I think I would feel a lot better about the whole experience if I could specify exactly what I wanted and maybe bring a picture :). xxx

Dulce Cosmetics Part Deux

As promised here is the second installment of my Dulce Cosmetics review. The colours on the site are pretty true to life and more accurate than my photos, but I always think it's nice to see what products look like without the harsh lighting of a studio.

First up let's talk cheeks. If you don't like mineralized blushes then look away now as these are all very shimmery. Personally a bit of sparkle never scared me, so I was keen to make them work, and they do if buffed into the skin, or lightly layered on top of a matte(ish) bronzer or blusher. The colour range is great with a good selection of pinks, peaches and even some plummy colours.

The baked lustre blusher in shade 04 would be perfect for adding colour to darker skintones. Though it is far too dark for me, and looks more like a bronzer, I have used it to create depth very sparingly along the cheekbones (in between where you would sweep your bronzer and blusher).

The baked metallic blusher in shade 02 (which is much more peach than orange in real life) makes a nice highlight over a matte peach blush.  I would recommend using this with a fan brush as it is very shimmery.

As you can see both blushes are very pigmented, so use them wisely :). Less is definitely more with these!

The megashine and volume glosses are smooth, easy to apply and have a pleasant fruity scent. The consistency and colour pay-off is more like a liquid lipstick, while the staying power is that of a gloss.

They can be sheered out to create a more subtle look as in the swatch (shade 09, which is darker in real life than on the website). These are not at all sticky and I haven't found them to be drying.

Dulce also have a range of lose shadows called pigment shimmer powders. These come in a plastic pot with a screw top. Inside there is a plastic cap which has a hole in the middle (I think Kryolan does something similar with their pigments). There is also stopper attached to the lid so when you close it none of the powder can come through. Unlike shadows with sifters they can therefore be stored upside down without the fear of an explosion next time you open it This is a good idea in principle, as it stops those all too frequent spillages, but it does make it quite difficult to get the product out as the hole is not big enough for a brush.

This is shade 05, a beautiful warm bronze colour. The pigmentation as always is great, but I have found this pigment to be quite chunky (I only have one colour so am not sure if this is the case with all of them). It almost seems like the pigment particles clump together because it isn't properly dry. Looking at the ingredients I see that the pigment shimmer powders contain almond oil, which probably makes the pigment stick together. I know that some MAC pigments have this problem too *ahem Frost.. I'm talking about you!*. This makes application a little difficult as there is a lot of fall out. I have found it best to apply this dry all over the lid with my finger, which makes it blend well and appear almost like a cream eyeshadow.

You can see the texture in this swatch, but if you go over it with your fingers it becomes very smooth and creamy as the heat helps it blend in. It really depends on how much time you want to spend playing with it, but at $7 a pop for a tonne of product I can see myself trying more :).

I have put up a tutorial using some dulce cosmetics on YouTube to show you guys how the products wear and can be used :).


I would love to know what you all think of Dulce cosmetics!! It almost makes me wonder how some brands can charge up to 10 times as much for mineralized products when you can get such pigmented shadows, blushers etc. for extremely affordable prices.


Dear FTC: All products featured were sent to me for review purposes. As always, all opinions are my own :).

John Frieda Go Blonder- Guest Review

You may remember a few weeks ago I ran a competition to win a set of John Frieda Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner. The lovely winner Lovisa Devereux has been testing it out since and has kindly reviewed it for all you girls with blonde ambition :).

"I was lucky enough to win the competition Natalya held for the John Frieda Go-Blonder shampoo and conditioner!  I'd always wanted to try them out as i usually use Sunsilk blonde shampoo that is about £2 in shops (but funilly enough contains almost the same ingredients.)

Prior to using I investigated online to see what all the hype was and whether I was expecting unreasonable results. I was shocked by what I found. I was shocked by what some people where saying about acidity and hair thinning and brassiness, but call me foolhardy I decided to use them as I've ruined my hair over the years so I have nothing to lose. My hair has already been a multitude of colours!

Im glad those other reviews were wrong! After two days of using the shampoo and conditioner, I noticed that my hair felt a little gruffer, and really dry so I added in the purple john frieda conditioner (comes in a round gold tub) and that sorted that problem out- silky smooth again. I noticed that the shade of my hair was lifting in a way similar to that of when you go on holiday and the sun lightens, it wasnt dramatic so if you want lighter blonde that's VERY noticeable just bleach your hair, but if
you want a gradual, brightening of your shade (as long as you are champagne or lighter, NOT GOLDEN) then this product is great.

A week later and I've decided that I prefer using the go blonder shampoo with the frieda purple conditioner- I just dont think the go blonder conditioner did anything for me whereas the purple john frieda I already own sealed in the effects of the go blonder shampoo. I stopped using it for about 3 days and noticed that I was slowly returning back to my original shade which is a good thing as I wear extensions and hadnt been treating them with the go blonder, and there was starting to be a shade difference which also attests to the fact that this product works! It doesn't weigh hair down and smells lovely. Using twice a week has a nice effect, but obviously if you used it 3 or 4 times a week it would be more intense.

Negatives are that it takes a while to rinse out due to the consistency of the product, but I spend a long time in the shower anyway so this didn't bother me. Also there have been issues with peoples hair thinning... I already have thin hair so I didn't notice anything. Again everyone is individual and so if that happens, dont use the product.

As a clarifying shampoo it's great- if you have dark hair don't expect the same effects as peroxide as that isn't going to happen. My brown bits were cleaned and nothing more. Go Blonder products contain a significant level of citric acid and chamomile that have a lightening effect on blonde hair but very subtle effects which is perfect for people with my shade who don't want to mess with their highlights and lowlights too much.

In future I am going to repurchase the shampoo, but alternate between Frieda Go Blonder and the Sunsilk Blonde shampoo as they have similar effects. I wont be using the shampoo every week as it can be drying, but alternating should eliminate this :). I really didn't like the go blonder conditioner though and would recomend using the john frieda blonde hair repair conditioner that also doubles as a hair mask!"

To hear more you can find Lovisa's own blog here.

You can also join John Frieda's Facebook page for more info and contests :). www.facebook.com/johnfreidaUK

 Have you tried John Frieda Go Blonder? Did you notice any colour change. Don't be shy to share your experiences with the class ;p xxx

Foxy lashes

The lovely Imogen from foxylocksextensions kindly sent me a pair of her new foxy lashes to try out. So I thought I would quickly review them and show you the look I used them in.

These lashes are gorgeous! They add a good amount of length and volume without being too heavy. I especially love the winged out effect on the outer corners, which elongates the eye. They are easy to remove from the packaging, and the band is flexible without being too flimsy, which makes them a breeze to put on. However, the band is pretty long, so most of us who aren't blessed with Bambi eyes will have to trim them considerably (I always trim my lashes to make them fit so this was not a problem).

I wore these out to dinner and wanted to create a look that was quick, yet still striking with a lot of focus on the lashes. I decided to keep the shadow super simple, with just a little MAC wedge all over the lid, and a double liner effect with silver (GOSH) and black (ELF cream liner).

I really love how this looks as the lashes and liner really complement each other and make my eyes look a lot bigger and brighter, which is always a good thing :).

Foxylocks lashes are £3.99 and can be purchased here.

What's your favourite brand of eyelashes?

Dulce Cosmetics

I am always on the look out for fun new brands and get so many e-mails from young girls who have just started experimenting with makeup and want to try exciting, bright colours that won't break the bank. I was therefore happy to be given the chance to try a new line of makeup from Dulce Cosmetics. They kindly sent me a selection of products to review and I have been playing with them for a couple of weeks.
Let me just warn you that this is going to be a very picture heavy post!

The first product I tried was their true match mineral powder, which comes in 6 shades and contains 11g of product for $5.. yes you read that right! The whole line is very affordable, which makes it difficult to compare it in quality to high-end makeup that can cost ten times as much. This is definitely a line I would recommend to those starting out as there is definite scope for experimentation within the range.

Although I like the concept of this packaging I found the brush a little scratchy and would recommend purchasing a little kabuki or powder brush to use with it. The foundation itself is very finely milled, smooth and easy to apply. It has an added scent reminiscent of baby powder, which I haven't seen before in a mineral foundation. It provides good coverage with a glowing finish as the powder is infused with lots of shimmer (not glitter), which can be seen in direct sunlight. Like most powder foundations it lasts well, even on oily skins.

The ingredient list is longer than I would like for a mineral foundation. Although it does contain silica and methylparaben it doesn't contain bismuth and I have personally had no problems with irritation/ breakouts while wearing this. For the full list of ingredients see here.

My favourite Dulce products are definitely the eyeshadows. They have a fantastic choice of colours in their baked mineralized shadows! All the eyeshadows have a very similar finish- shimmer.

Some of my favourites include:

 

Viva trilogy eyeshadow in shade 03.

  

Brilliant fusion complement eyeshadow ($4), which is great for a smokey eye. I especially like the lighter taupey grey for a quick all over colour that would suit everyone.

  

Diamond elegant eyeshadow in shade 03. 

 

 Quad eyeshadow in shade 02.

 

As you can see from the swatch above these shadows are well pigmented when dry. They can also be used wet for a more intense colour. As with all mineral based shadows they require a little work, they do have fall out and need a good base to keep them on all day, but they blend easily and have good colour pay off.

The most striking are the mono shimmer eyeshadows, shown here in shade 11.

 

 

The swatch above is a single swipe of the dry shadow with no base, and the best part is it's only $2!

Overall I am impressed with Dulce Cosmetics. Of course the quality is not the same as high-end products, but with such great prices I think you get much more than you pay for. The whole line does have a lot of shimmer, which may not be for everyone, but I would definitely recommend checking them out if you are looking to expand your mineral collection on a budget.

I have lots more products to show you, so look out for another post including blushes, a highlighter and some lip products. I will also be using them in a tutorial soon so you can see how they apply and wear :). 

Have you ever tried Dulce cosmetics? Are you a fan of shimmery/ mineral eyeshadows? What do you think of this line?

Dear FTC: As mentioned all Dulce products were kindly sent to me for review and use in tutorials. As always all opinions expressed (positive or otherwise) are my own :).