How to get huge bouncy curls!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

This is the Remington Pearl Hair Curling Wand, my mum recently purchased this and i've since kept it for myself, I love it! (My mum let me have it... she never used it.. hehe) This is really brilliant for creating gorgeous curls. They can be tight curls, or if you're like me, larger ones for a more wavy effect.

 What I like most about this is the price, £25.99 from Boots in the UK. Amazing.

The wand comes with a cute silver drawstring pouch, which is completely heat proof. Really great for travelling, and a little black glove (so you don't burn your fingers... OUCH) I lost the glove though, because I'm the most unorganized person ever! The wand itself features a little stand which is handy if you curl your hair at a desk like me.The temperature goes up to 210°C and it can reach that temperature in under 5 seconds. I have GHD's and I used to think they got hot quickly. These = Way faster.

After I curl my hair using this they will last all day long, and my hair is famous for being flat as anything. After I've slept the curls are still always in tact the next morning. Impressive. Here's a picture of me and my curlyness in all it's glory. This picture was taken the day AFTER I curled my hair, which is pretty good.

If you have really long hair like me, then I will give you a few tips on how I like to style it.

1) Starting at the top of your head, wrap your hair around the barrel of the wand until no more hair fits.

2) Hold it for around 20 seconds (Depending on hair thickness)

3) Release the hair, and then repeat step one on the ends of the hair.

4) Repeat steps for the whole head... doesn't take too long, promise.

5) I always turn my head upside down and spray with hairspray when i'm finished, helps a lot!

Let me know your curling methods!
I haven't ever tried any curling styling sprays or anything, can someone recommend any? :) Love Claire xox 

NYX Diamond Sparkle Lipstick Review

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Sparkling Nude (left) Sparkling Orange (right)

These lipsticks are very pigmented, with a good amount of shimmer. The nude is quite a difficult colour to wear if you have dry lips; as it can go on a little patchy. I always recommend using a chapstick before applying lipstick anyway. 

TIP: I would use the nude over a creamier lipstain or colour just to give it some shimmer, i find it too hard to wear on it's own.

The lipstick is unscented (good for those who hate the smell of some cheaper lipsticks), and isn't irritating at all. I like the packaging of these. I like the square base where we can see the colour of the lipstick, so much better than having to read labels, especially if you fling all your lip products in a drawer like me.

The texture of these lipsticks isn't gritty, however it's not as smooth and creamy as their 'Round' Lipstick range. You will get a really great colour pay-off from these, especially the orange colour. It is extremely bright. It lasts on my lips for a good couple of hours.
Let me know what you guys think. Again, apologies for the rubbish pictures. I WILL BUY A NEW CAMERA! xox

ELF Makeup Mist and Set Review!

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

I'm sad that i didn't like this product as much as some others do. It just doesn't work for me unfortunately.
ELF says " Keep your makeup in place all day with a radiance boosting invisible hold.
The invigorating mist moisturizes and soothes the skin with key ingredients Aloe, Green Tea, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C & E."

As far as a spray that increases the longevity of your make-up, i would say that it's not a great product. If anything, i honestly think my make-up would last just as well OR longer, without it. The only reason i can see for buying this product would be for a refresher spray during hot days. However, as i live in Scotland, it would be totally pointless, and even on the 2 hot days we get a year, i could just use water in a spray bottle which would do the same thing.

One thing i really don't like about this is the smell. It is pretty disgusting, i don't really know how to describe it but it's just unpleasant, luckily it doesn't last long so won't be there to linger around you all day!

I would much rather use Model In A Bottle or a proper fixing spray which actually will help my make-up last longer.

If you want to try this for yourself you can get it from ELF's Studio Line for £3.50. Let me know what you think!

Claire xox

ALTERNATIVE TO SHADOW SHIELDS!

SOOO... I know of a new product that i think will interest a lot of people, especially those who use Shadow Shields.
First off, for those who don't know, Shadow Shields are used to catch fall-out when applying eye make-up. How annoying is it when you've perfected your foundation, concealer, blush etc, then you do your eye shadow and end up looking like a panda. ANNOYING. So Shadow Shields were made to help with this.
I know of people who have trouble applying mascara to their bottom lashes without making a mess as well, and apparently these are great for that.

These cost £7.99 for which you get 30 shields. It sounds like a pretty good deal... but it's not.

DUN DUN DUNN. No, seriously. These are not reusable. So lets say you use 2 of these everyday for 30 days (one for each eye, assuming you have 2 eyes) .. that would mean you get enough for 15 days. Then what? You spend another £7.99 to get you through the next 2 weeks? Obviously it becomes expensive.

Enter... the SILCOPAD. 

These are pretty much the same thing only they are reusable. They cost £12.99 for a pack of 2, it sounds worse than the above option however you will only need to buy these once;  you use them, wipe them clean and re-use them as much as you want.

Ofcourse you might be the type of girl who applies her eye make-up first, meaning you won't even care about these. I've always applied my face make-up first, it's just habit, so i think these would be good, save me a lot of time wiping away smudgy shadow from under my eyes.

It's an option anyway. Let me know what you guys think of this. YAY or NAY? haha

Love Claire! xox

shadow shields here

silcopad here

Sleek: ONE Finishing Powder. My thoughts.

★ ★ ★ ☆☆

I recieved this powder from Sleek Make-up a few weeks ago. It costs £7.50 from their website.

On the website it says "An ultra-translucent powder which sets and enhances the effects of foundation by providing a glowing, translucent finish. "

To be honest i'm not sure about this product, i think that it is either a love it or hate it kinda thing. 

The first thing i noticed when i applied this to my skin was the amazing cool sensation it gives. It feels as if your skin has been sprayed with a cooling spray. A few times i have actually thought that my brush was wet. I think it would be a great product for people living in hotter climates, they can touch up their make-up and feel cool and clean all at once! 

The powder itself is a pale pinky colour. It is shimmery, not matte, which i think will put a lot of people off, it certainly alarmed me when i first noticed. I don't want to set my foundation with shimmer dust!

However, *sigh of relief*...it doesn't make you shimmery, more dewy. I would say it gives a subtle glow to the skin.

The powder comes in one universal colour that is suited to all skin types. 

Above you can see a swatch of the powder on my skin, and below, the same swatch blended out.

This powder definitely doesn't make my make-up look any different, other than making it more light reflecting due to the soft shimmer. Overall, i probably won't repurchase this. I would rather set my make-up with my Bare Minerals Mineral Veil which i think works better at mattyfing the skin.
This is REALLY fun to use though... REALLY fun.

My Pink Pink Pink PINK Make-Up.

I used the Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette for the eyes AND cheek colours.

& My hair was backcombed to f*ck to create the big fat mess effect. haha!

(this picture is pretty old, just fyi)

NYX Cream Blush Review

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I have 2 of the NYX Cream Blushes. & I am gutted about it. Gutted that i only have 2. These are honestly so amazing and such high quality that i long to get every single colour in the line!

The colours i have are Glow (left) and Red Cheeks (right)

Glow is a lovely warm pink colour, while Red Cheeks is a bright intense red.

Both of these colours are matte, and are extremely soft and creamy. You just have to touch them and the colour you see in the pan transfers exactly to your fingertip. Quite. Impressive. When these 'dry' on the skin, they feel very light and natural, not greasy, oily, or sticky at all. I like to apply this using my stippling brush so as not to look like a clown. Never a good look. These colours are so pigmented so go easy by using a light hand and blending well.

The above picture shows a swipe of both blushes on my hand so you can see for yourself how intense and vibrant the colours are, while the picture below shows them blended out.

You can buy these from the NYX website for £9.95 each. Like i said i absolutely adore these and find myself reaching for them everyday. When i add more to my collection i will update you guys :)

Elf Stipple and Powder Brush Review

Stipple : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Powder : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

First I'll start with the Stipple brush, both of these are from Elf's Studio range.
I think this brush is really great. It's not as dense as some other stipple brushes, however it is perfect for applying cream blushes, and for those who want a more sheer coverage of foundation.
I use this with my cream blushes which is why the white bristles are actually pink, haha! It washes really well and neither this or my powder brush has shed at all. SCORE.

I also think the handle on these brushes are good, they feel sturdy and good quality, they definitely don't feel like they will fall apart in your hand. (Always a bonus, right?)

The powder brush is one of my all time favourite brushes. It is a flat top which means it is great for buffing product into the skin. I use this to apply my face powders, although it is extremely versatile and can be used for a bunch of other things. The bristles are unbelievably soft yet the brush is still firm enough to give a medium to full coverage of product on the face. I know a lot of people love this brush for applying their liquid foundation as it gives a beautiful airbrushed effect.

Both of these brushes cost £3.50 which is amazing value. I wouldn't recommend a brush just because it was cheap if i didn't actually like the brush itself! Try it, you won't be sorry!
If you own any of these brushes then please leave me a comment and let me know what you use it for! 

xox

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss Review

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

I love lip plumpers, so wanted to try out a few from my fave brand Soap & Glory.

I got these 3 in a set, which cost around £12 in a sale. I can't find it anymore on the website (i bought them on asos) However they do sell the indivudual gloss which retails at £8.25.

The set comes with 3 colours, the 1st is called 'What-a-melon' a sort of reddy pink colour. The 2nd is called 'Nude', which is a dark brown colour. However all of these glosses apply very sheer and so are suitable for everyone. The last is called 'Super starry' which is basically a beige-y coloured shimmery gloss.

These smell amazing. CHOCOLATE. CHOCOLATE. 

Again, CHOCOLATE. 

I find myself applying these just for the scent. It's like heaven for the lips... haha.

When these are applied to the lips the sensation is very full on. The tingling is quite extreme and i've read a few reviews from people who say it actually hurts. I wouldn't go that far, i actually love the feeling. It makes all my other regular lipglosses seem boring to me... the only downside is that these glosses are more sticky than i'd like. Definitely don't use this on a windy day. Hair-in-gloss- syndrome!

As for plumping the lips, it definitely does something. You can see in the pictures above that by the time i'd put the 3rd gloss on, my lips do appear slightly larger.

You can decide for yourself . When i'm finished all 3 of these i will definitely end up buying another though :)

The Righteous Butter Body Lotion Review ; Soap & Glory

Anyone who knows me will know i'm a sucker for Soap & Glory. I love the packaging of their products, the retro feel and cheeky slogans.

I'd been looking for a good body lotion for a while, so decided on this one. I got the 500ml bottle which really is a great size, and costs £10, a little pricey but i think it's worth it.

I love the fact this comes with a pump, so much easier than squeezing lotion out of a tube.

The lotion isn't greasy at all, but not too thick. It sinks into my skin easily and doesn't require endless rubbing in.

I'd describe the scent as a floral, fruity kind of smell... I don't really have anything to compare it to but i do really like it. Overall i'd give this product 10/10. There's nothing not to like about it.

A collection of my face charts.

Some of these are movie character inspired while others are just made up by moi.
I used actual make-up to do each one, not coloured pencils like some do. Although using real make-up does take it's toll...

Sleek i-Divine Primer Palette Review

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I was really excited when i received this palette, as i'd been wanting to try out some good bases for my eyeshadows that would also prevent creasing. 

The palette contains 12 cream primer colours. Some appear quite shimmery while others seem more matte.

One thing i hate about primers is when they have that oily consistency, so i'm glad to report that these don't have that problem. They are much more thick and creamy. Eyeshadows adhere to them very well and it certainly has the ability to intensify certain shadows. One negative is that the colours don't transfer on to the eye as you see them in the palette, no where near as intense.

The packaging is the usual from sleek, very professional and sturdy. It also has a large handy mirror inside, and comes with a small double ended brush (which i've lost- clumsy claire!)
Overall i really like this palette, it costs £7 which is amazing for 12 coloured primers. If you consider buying Urban Decay Primer Potion which is around £14 for the tube, you're making a huge saving.

Thumbs up :)

Elf Blush Reviews

Please note i've had all these products for a while so they're not in top condition!

Blushing Rose :  ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Tickled Pink : ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Flushed:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The first is 2 of the blushes from the Studio line. I have 'Blushing Rose' and 'Tickled Pink'. Both costing £3.50
Blushing Rose is definitely a hit. It is a super pigmented deep mauve- red colour with a little gold shimmer. The shimmer isn't too OTT and it gives a lovely warm glow to the cheeks. A really easy colour to wear even for pale skinned gals. (Raise your hand if you're a pale-eey!) Anyway...
Tickled Pink on the other hand is a bit of a miss in my opinion...

It looks like a really nice baby pink colour which is what first attracted me to it, but it is INCREDIBLY sheer. I really had to pile it on in order to get the nice pink colour to show. Sad times.
I also have a blush from the 'regular' line from Elf, in 'Flushed'.
This blush is definitely a hit. Although it only costs £1.50 it is very pigmented. I would describe it as being a deep raspberry shimmer colour. One thing i don't like about the blush is the packaging, it looks cheap and nasty. I wish this blush came in the studio line packaging, but hey, for £1.50 i can't really complain.

Mulan make-up

(sorry for the crappy quality pictures :( it was night time and my camera isn't great. wee bitch)

My 'KATY PERRY - ET' Make-up

Sleek True Colour Lipstick Review

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

So, first off i need to start by saying that Sleek have become one of the most talked about make-up companies of the year. They have a range of super pigmented products for cheap cheap prices, and are now compared against the highest of high end brands, (a lot of the time coming out on top!)

I purchased four of their True Colour Lipsticks, in Baby Doll, Stiletto, Pink Freeze and Mulberry.

Stiletto and Pink Freeze are matte colours, while Mulberry and Baby Doll are sheen.

I absolutely love the packaging of these lipsticks, they look very professional and high end. The look and feel of these are matte, although the brand name 'Sleek' is glossy. They are also a little shorter than other lipsticks, which i like as i can just throw as many as i want into my bag!

These lipsticks all apply beautifully and are mega pigmented.

Mulberry is a deep purple vampy colour. I love it and although it looks quite scary, i find it very wearable, as you can see in the pic below of me. (Trying to pose, started laughing = Fail)

Pink freeze is a bright hot pink.  Stiletto is a gorgeous dark blue based red, while Baby Doll is a VERY pale pink. Like these? Leave me a comment :)

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish. 'Rose Quartz' review. (Semi Precious Collection)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The outer area of this skinfinish is a kind of medium pink colour with gold undertones. While the inner 'circle' is a champagne colour. Both are ultra shimmery, and are amazing for highlighting. The formula can be a little powdery however as you can see in the photo below, the shimmer really does get everywhere, so be careful how you use this so as not to end up looking like a disco ball...

  

I use the outer colour as a blush, I think it is a perfect shade for pale skinned girls like me, although it really would suit a wide range of skin colours. I use the inner circle to highlight at the top of my cheeks, and under my eyebrows. It really gives the skin a gorgeous glow. I can see this looking stunning on girls with a tan!

These can even be used as eyeshadows. I think the champagne-y colour would look great in the inner corners of the eyes to really brighten them up. Overall I love this product, although it is pricey at £21.50, I know it will last a long time and I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of it. 

I'm new!

Hi everyone :)

Like the title says, i'm completely new to this. To be perfectly honest, i don't even know how to go about following people... hahah.
I made this blog so i can post reviews on anything cosmetic/beauty related, and also talk about my quest into becoming a make-up artist.
Would mean a lot to me if you could help me out, talk to me!

Thankya, Claire :)