Spring Picks | Cheeks

the blushing giraffe's spring picks cheeks blushers
Hello! Another post in my little spring picks series, this time focusing on the cheeks! Now you may know that I have a rather large collection of check products (not quite catching up to the wonderful Vanessa, but i’m getting there!) and so I thought I’d share the ones that I’ll be reaching for most during the spring season!

For me spring makeup is all about keeping it fresh, light and as natural as possible. There are not many rules in make, so of course wear whatever shade you like whenever you like! But if you’re on the hunt for a pretty blush that has more of a spring time vibe, keep on reading..

sleek blush by 3 pink lemonade
Sleek Blush-by-3 in Pink Lemonade | £9.99

A rather recent purchase, this little blush palette has completely taken me by surprise. When I first saw the shades I was sure they would be too light for my NC30 skin tone, but I have once again judged a blush by its pan shade and been mistake, tsk. Containing two powder blushers and one cream, Pink Lemonade is your perfect spring time companion. The lightest pink shade is quite shimmery so I do skip the highlight. It is probably my least worn shade from the trio so far, but surprising I have enjoyed popping this onto the cheeks as the warmer months have approached. The silver shimmer could be a bit intense, so a light hand is best.

The darker powder colour is the most stunning cross between a hot pink and a peachy pink, with a little golden shimmer running through it as well, but more subtle than the lighter shade. I also quite like the cream blush, which is just as pigmented as it’s powdered neighbours and transfers onto the skin as a true medium pink. I know my descriptions aren’t fantastic but google is your best friend when it comes to swatches, so go search what I mean ^_^

nars blush in deep throat
NARS Deep Throat | £21.50

My first ever NARS blush, and what a beauty it is! In my humble opinion D.T should have got the fame and love that the famous Orgasm blusher received, because this is the most stunning pink shade I have ever come across. It is a lighter shade of pink, with the tiniest amount of peach mixed in, so looks gorgeous on us olive skinned ladies! Although it does have a slight shimmer running through it, it’s nothing over the top or chunky. In fact it is just enough to give you that glowing and healthy appearance, and for spring time this is a no brainer! Another thing that I love about this, is how it’s pigmentation is spot on. It’s one of those fool proof options which you can pop onto your cheeks, without worrying about being light handed and know it’ll look good, which is ALWAYS a good thing!

rimmel blush in pink rose
Rimmel Pink Rose | £3.99

Another favourite of mine, this was actually one of the first blushers I purchased some 4/5 years ago when the interest in makeup first began! Pink Rose is quite a cool toned pink, which is quite rare in my collection. The reason why I love it so much is actually because of how subtle it is. Yes we all love a good pigmented blush but sometimes those can be tough to work with! That’s why when I’m in a rush and want a nice subtle glow pink rose is the shade I reach for. No highlighter required again. This is probably the sheerest of the bunch with a strong shimmer when swatched with your hand, but on my that shimmer translates as more of a healthy sheen.

illamasqua blush in lover peach matte
Illamasqua blush in Lover | £21.50

Again another shade which I was less that impressed with upon first glace, but it took me by complete surprise when I first tried. If you’re looking for a gorgeous matte peach blusher, lover is the one for you! I love wearing this most when I am having a fairly neutral day in terms of makeup, as it adds a little bit of life but looks so subtle and elegant. It is quite a muted shade. Another plus point is you can highlight to your hearts content, due to this being matte.  A under-rated beauty in my eyes! Oh and just in case you didn’t know, Illamasqua blushers are the softest around - j’adore!

illamasqua blush in lover peach matte and rimmel blush in coral
rimmel coral powder blush 111
Rimmel Coral Powder Blush (111) | £1.50 (Fragrance Direct)

I picked this up from Fragrance direct for a few pounds, its not currently in stock but keep an eye out! I wasn’t expecting much but wanted to try a different shade of blush. Side by side I thought this could be a dupe for lover, but actually this has a warmer undertone, and hints of pink with and slight shimmer within it. Not disco-ball shimmer but very flattering tiny specks that can barely be detected once on the skin. I wear this as more of a bronzer and blusher in one, as it does have that orange/warmth of a tone. I think this would look stunning on skin tones lighter than mine, and also darker, however it can like a little muddy when applied with a heavy hand (though when I swatch it, it looks so much prettier on my hand :c ) I still really like the shade, and will try it with a stippling brush in the future, but wanted to recommend this for anyone looking for a peachy/warmer brush with a decent price ^_^

illamasqua blush in tremble
Illamasqua blush in Tremble | £21.50

A cool toned baby doll pink, which makes the most refreshing change from my usual coral or darker pink tones. I love how this shade really freshens up the makeup look, with its cooler tones surprisingly flattering my skintone (as long as I haven’t bronzed too much). Tremble is beautiful, and my perfect spring time shade. It has it all - great pigmentation, a matte finish, and a fresh look. I can highlight as much as I want, but still have pretty pink cheeks and with this shade I favour a cooler, silver toned highlight too, rather than my typical champagne tone. Although this looks scary in the pan, it looks quite the contrary on the cheeks. I have to say, if this post has taught me one thing, it is that I have judged far too many blushers by how they appear in the pan, and been shocked by how beautiful they look on the skin!

sleek illamasqua rimmel nars

And that is all! Quite a long list right there, and I will be posting swatches on the face, on my instagram  so if you’re interested in how any of these look head on over to there! I hope you enjoyed reading about the shades that are in my blush drawer - what ones will you be using this season? ^_^

Thanks for reading!
 
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Spring Picks | Cheeks

the blushing giraffe's spring picks cheeks blushers
Hello! Another post in my little spring picks series, this time focusing on the cheeks! Now you may know that I have a rather large collection of check products (not quite catching up to the wonderful Vanessa, but i’m getting there!) and so I thought I’d share the ones that I’ll be reaching for most during the spring season!

For me spring makeup is all about keeping it fresh, light and as natural as possible. There are not many rules in make, so of course wear whatever shade you like whenever you like! But if you’re on the hunt for a pretty blush that has more of a spring time vibe, keep on reading..

New Nail Polish Storage!

nail polish storage
Hey ladies!
I have had a very busy week, and probably won’t have much time over the next few weeks to post :( however I will do what I can when I have a spare moment, and today I was excited to show you my new nail polish storage!
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If you follow me on instagram or have liked my page on facebook, you will know that I adore me some acrylic storage! I have been asked to do a makeup collection post, and that could be coming your way towards the end of May/June but for now meet my latest piece :)

This was bought from e-bay, for under a tenner and from a UK seller surprisingly! The reason why I was tempted to pick this up was because in the last two months my nail polish collection has grown drastically due to taking advantages of the Fragrance Direct Ciate gift set sales!

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As you can see there are LOADS of reds, pretty much every shade you can imagine, as well as lots of other pretty ones. I thought they would look so pretty on display, and you can fit two into one slot :) Unfortunately ALL my nail polishes don’t fit on here, I could have done with an extra rack or two, but it just means I have to rotate them every now and again.

You could easily fit Essie bottles and I will check later if O.P.I bottles fit too. I love how pretty my growing Barry M collection looks on the top row! The link to buy this is here and it costs £7.49 with free delivery :) I love how you can clearly see all the shades clearly and how organised it looks next to my Muji storage too.
I hope you’re all well, and hanging in there if you’re going through the wonderful things that are exams ._.
Until next time…Thank-You for reading!


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New Nail Polish Storage!

nail polish storage
Hey ladies!

Spring Picks | Nails

spring picks nails the blushing giraffe
Hello! Since I’ve been switching up my makeup recently, as Spring has FINALLY sprung here in the UK, I thought I’d share what I’ll be using, and what I’m liking the look of for this spring!
So nails wise, I know pastels are ALWAYS in for spring time, and I love the look of milky colours, or ‘off-white colours’. Personally I don’t think many shades suit my own skintone…especially lighter shades, but here are a few that look perfect for spring and hopefully I’ll be a bit more brave with my choices, rather than sticking to my typical dark purple shades!
topshop easy breezy ciate sugar plum ciate ferris wheel review swatch spring nail polish ciate amazing gracie mua lush lilac barry m blush moon
L-R : Ciate Amazing Gracie, MUA Lush Lilac, Barry M Blue Moon, Ciate Ferris Wheel, Ciate Sugar Plum, Topshop Easy Breezy

All of my Ciate polishes are their mini paint pots which I purchased at a discounted price from fragrance direct. I’m not sure if they are still available, but they’re worth checking out if you can get your hands on them because they’re the perfect way to try different shades from a high end nail brand, without splashing a lot of cash! Although they’re minis, the full size is available online too :)

topshop easy breezy ciate sugar plum ciate ferris wheel review swatch spring nail polish

So staring off with the more vibrant shades..

Topshop – Easy Breezy: I bought this polish YEARS ago (do polishes have an expiry date??) and because I didn’t like the way it look against my skintone I’ve hardly used the stuff which is a shame, because I was impressed to see that with one coat this was almost fully opaque! I will be braver and use easy breezy this spring because its a gorgeous light teal shade, which matches a few silver rings that I own.

Ciate Sugar Plum: A beautiful cross between a lilac and a purple, this is where my comfort zone is at. I’m not sure why but I am drawn to purples polishes – and this is no exception. I love how its slightly muted tone means it’s really spring appropriate (not too bright like summer shades seems to be)

Ciate Ferris Wheel: The bluest on the bunch! This is a clear baby blue shade and there isn’t much else to say about it really! It has no hint of green, yellow or any other funkiness and I love how fresh this shade is despite being a light blue.

ciate amazing gracie MUA lush lilac Barry m blue moon swatch nail polish review spring

Ciate Amazing Gracie: How beautiful is this pinkish white shade?! It reminds me of a well loved Essie shade that is similar, but I adore this nude/neutral colour that has a hint of girliness about it. I think white nails can look very classy, but sometimes a little TOO stark? This however is a beautiful mix of pink and white, and a full sized bottle will be replacing the mini once I’m all out!

MUA Lush Lilac: Another beautiful shade, a lot more muted than Sugar Plum, I really like the way this can look lilac in some lights and pink in others! For £1 MUA allow you to experiment with all sorts of colours (I know they’ve just released a new batch) and I have my eye on some more of these lighter shades because they have got the colour so right!

Barry M Blue Moon: I left Ciate’s swatch on there (far right) to show you that these could almost be mistaken for a dupe! However up close blue moon has a ever so slight undertone of green, making the shade a washed out blue, leaning on the teal spectrum of colours. That sounded a lot fancier than it was supposed too, but basically, though blue moon is not as true of a blue as Ferris Wheel, I love the more washed out colour it is, and will probably be pairing this with some silver jewellery!

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Which shade is your favourite? ^_^

Thanks for reading!
 
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Spring Picks | Nails

spring picks nails the blushing giraffe
Hello! Since I’ve been switching up my makeup recently, as Spring has FINALLY sprung here in the UK, I thought I’d share what I’ll be using, and what I’m liking the look of for this spring!

Review | Illamasqua Blusher–Hussy

illamasqua blusher in hussy swatch review

Hello! Today I’m going to be talking about one of my biggest loves of the year so far – It is Illamasqua’s gorgeous blusher in the shade Hussy. You may remember from my rather large and slightly excessive haul, that this shade was one of the many that I managed to pick up for around a tenner! I have been very impressed with what I’ve tried so far, and I’m very much looking forwards to their future sales, because they are a brand that really do ACTUALLY put on a sale (none of this 5% off business!)



illamasqua blusher in hussy swatch review

Packaging wise all Illamasqua blushers are in a ‘pinched’ square shape, with a clear window showing the shade. I really appreciate this because when you’ve accumulated the number of blushers I have it’s just a little easier to be able to see which shade you’re picking up right away!

illamasqua blusher in hussy swatch review

Lets talk about the blush itself, honestly I have been blown away by the amazing quality of these powder Blushers. I own one MAC blush, and three NARS and I expected Illamasqua to be in-between the two, but honestly this is on par, if not better than NARS! The pigmentation is OUTSTANDING, when I say a little goes a long way I am not kidding! Just a small touch of the brush is needed, and you have all the colour you need. I like to use my RT Blush brush as the tapered point helps me to strategically apply the blush right where I want it. Anything larger, or more fluffier can result in a bit of an over-blush!

illamasqua blusher in hussy swatch reviewillamasqua blusher in hussy swatch review
Swatched heavily and lightly – see the beauty of this colour ^_^

Although on the Illamasqua website this is described as a bright candy colour, I would say that its more of a cross between a hot pink and a coral mixed together. Which makes it more neutral rather than cool or warm so its a lot more wearable. I’m pleasantly surprised by how much life it can put into the face, the coral tone adding warmth but the hot pink balancing out the shade, making it quite unique in my collection! I’d imagine it suits all skintones, but especially those on the fair-medium spectrum. 

illamasqua blusher in hussy swatch review

Other major plus points about this blusher are the matte finish, so you CAN use a lovely highlighter without looking like a disco ball! The staying power of this is fabulous, and its probably the main thing that set it apart from any blusher in the drugstore. I can apply this at 7am, and still see it on my cheeks by 6pm. If that’s not applause-worthy I don’t know what is! 

You get 4.5g of product which isn’t a lot compared to Sleek (a whooping 8g) or MAC (6g) but the pigmentation of this means  much smaller amount are needed so it all evens out, kinda! It costs £21.50, and the whole range is filled with shades that are slightly unique and very high quality.


Final Verdict:
Product rating: 9
Pros: The formula, lasting power and pigmentation is phenomenal. This shade in particular is in my top 5 blushers ever, the colour is so flattering when bronzed or when natural/paler, it is matte, it suits lots of different skintones.
Cons: It is lacking a mirror..that’s the only one I can think of.
Repurchase? Yes for sure! Although I’m certain this will last me for quite a while ^_^
 
Have you tried this blusher? Do you love it as much as I do?

Review | Illamasqua Blusher–Hussy

illamasqua blusher in hussy swatch review

Hello! Today I’m going to be talking about one of my biggest loves of the year so far – It is Illamasqua’s gorgeous blusher in the shade Hussy. You may remember from my rather large and slightly excessive haul, that this shade was one of the many that I managed to pick up for around a tenner! I have been very impressed with what I’ve tried so far, and I’m very much looking forwards to their future sales, because they are a brand that really do ACTUALLY put on a sale (none of this 5% off business!)

March Favourites

march favourites the blushing giraffe

Hello Lovely People!

I don’t feel like a tonne of products have stood out to me over March because as explained in the March Update its been quite a hectic month, and a rollercoaster without a doubt. However I do want to share with you the things that did stand out to me ^_^

IMG_0265

This month quite a few of my faves have been brushes! This is because I attended two weddings, and as it had been a while since I’d been to a wedding I spent any spare time practising! Bearing in mind I didn’t have a whole heap of time, when I was able to hit the YouTube, I’ve gotta say these three have just stood out to me enormously.

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Two of them are from the E.L.F studio line, and honestly ladies if you’re on a budget or not, there are brushes from this line that NEED to be in your collection. I am definitely going to a TOP E.L.F Brushes post soon because when bought with one of their amazing sales you are getting a bargain and a half! Anyway the first one is the stipple brush, its light, fluffy and blends makeup like a dream.  I wouldn’t ever apply my base makeup with this because it isn’t anywhere near dense enough, however when you’ve been a little heavy handed with the blusher or highlighter, turn to this thing because in a couple of seconds it will have have sorted out the clown cheeks. Especially with sleek blushes, I ADORE them but core do they pack a punch! Next a slightly newer brush from the e.l.f studio line collection and fast becoming one of my favourites its the flawless concealer brush. I mean the name says it all, I need to say no more ladies, this blends concealer in BEAUTIFULLY. I will be buying one ore two backups for that I think!

Finally its one of the brushes from that super cheap eBay set that I reviewed HERE I’ve been enjoying all of them for blending, but this one was been a dream to work with when applying cream contour. I made a insta video demonstrating it and although the lighting is horrendous, you can see have fabulously it blends product in. I’m amazed that not a single one of those brushes have shedded, and a backup set will probably be purchased soon in the future!

This month I fell head over heels for Benefit’s erase paste in 3. The near perfect corrector shade, its creamy consistency yet amazing coverage just makes me wish they had a much larger shade range! I adore the stuff, and applied with the smallest brush from the RT core collection, it is flawless!

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Moving onto eyes, my first ever pigment Ore by Illamasqua has been a firm favourite. Since trying it with some MAC fix+ I have been fascinated by the colour, a deep bronze with particles of gold and just the pigmentation! wow! I think I would like to invest in some neutral pigments for special occasions because I really noticed the difference between this and a standard eyeshadow!

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Palettes wise Sleek’s storm and MUA’s undressed two were both getting big thumbs up from my, adore the neutrals in the MUA one (and if you’ve read my top products of 2013 you’ll know undressed one was hands down my favourite palette of the year). I don’t know how they do it, for just £4 but I am obsessed! Sleek’s palettes never do disappoint, right from my first one back when I was 16, I have quite the collection now and storm was fantastic for wedding eyes. I’ll be trying a pictorial in a few days or so of my makeup from Sunday’s wedding so keep your eye out for that!

Lastly good old hand food, I bought this back in December and its been pretty neglected for a month or two as it’s been away in storage. I’m slowly getting my new room on track and have loved applying this every time I sit down at my desk! Smells good, leaves my hands feeling pampered and I love the pump!

If you’ve done a favourites post, feel free to link it below ^_^

Thanks for reading!

March Favourites

march favourites the blushing giraffe

Hello Lovely People!

I don’t feel like a tonne of products have stood out to me over March because as explained in the March Update its been quite a hectic month, and a rollercoaster without a doubt. However I do want to share with you the things that did stand out to me ^_^