Review | Lord & Berry ASOS Exclusive Lip Colour Set

I recently picked up this set from ASOS and seeing as it’s even cheaper now (£11) I thought it would be a suitable time to review it ^_^
*EDIT: Just read that these are RRP £7.50 each!! SO THIS IS AN AMAZING BARGAIN*

Lord & Berry is a makeup brand that I’ve only seen on the internet, but I was drawn to it’s cute sleek packaging. I’ve also really started enjoying using lip-liners, either as an all over the lip matte or just to define my lips. Its a step a lot of people tend to skip, but can make a lot of difference.

I only own two or three lip liners from Rimmel, so this set is a great introduction to the brand aswell as a range of colours I hadn’t previously owned. I’m especially happy with the lightest and darkest shade, because a good neutral lip liner is invaluable and for a darker lip, lining and defining the lips is essential.

Prior to trying these out, I had the expectation that they would be a little drying as obviously they’re a pencil product. I’ve tried a cheap lipliner from Natural Collection which left much to be desired, and the Rimmel ones are lovely but lack a wide range of shades. So I was expecting a decent pigmentation, at least slightly creamy/easy to apply and also long lasting. They’re labelled ‘Kissproof’ and ‘waterproof’ so these expectations weren’t much to ask for.

My favourite, and the one that will undoubtedly get the most use blush is a beautiful neutral pink colour that matches my ‘go-to’ lip colour of choice perfectly. I tend to favour the nudish-pinks and this liner defines my lips beautifully, even when just wearing a gloss (this Barry M one or Bobbi Brown one). A little trick I’ve picked up is instead of applying this all around the lips, just line the top (cupid bow) and bottom middle part. This will make them appear fuller as it emphasises the fullest part of the lips. Blossom is a mauveish-bluish pink and again lovely for a slightly darker pink lip. I don’t have a great deal to say about it other than it’s a welcome addition to my sparse lipliner collection. Sienna is a red with a tinge of orange mixed into it. It’s a nice enough colour, not anything particularly special but I’m sure it’ll come in handy when doing a red lip. Finally my second favourite Black Red which is more of a purple and matches PERFECTLY with Rimmel’s lasting perfection lipstick in 04 (the vampy one). I think with any bold/dark lip a liner is essential and I can’t express how perfectly these two go together. Not that I’ll be reaching for this often, but it was an awkward bold colour to find the perfect liner for, so happy Lord&Berry have provided that for me ^_^

They're smooth and easy to apply. Not the MOST creamy but defo worth their combined price!

You can find the lipliner set here.

Do you have any favourite liners? Please share them below I’d love to read your favourites!

Review | Lord & Berry ASOS Exclusive Lip Colour Set

I recently picked up this set from ASOS and seeing as it’s even cheaper now (£11) I thought it would be a suitable time to review it ^_^
*EDIT: Just read that these are RRP £7.50 each!! SO THIS IS AN AMAZING BARGAIN*

ASOS Haul December ‘13

Hello lovelies! First of all I wanted to say a BIG thank you for all your support! I’m at 150 bloglovin followers and just over 100 Facebook likes and don’t even get me started on all the love I get from IG <3 You guys are so kind, and it means so so much to see all your support *huggles*

Ok enough of the mushy stuff, so this was a little haul I did around two weeks ago when I was up to my eyelashes in stress from assignments and exams, and ASOS kindly had a 20% of EVERYTHING sale going on. Of course I hit up the beauty section first because my philosophy with high end makeup (and actually most makeup) is if you get it in the sale, it’s a good enough deal to justify. Plus high-end makeup is more of an investment blah-de-blah I say the same things every time I talk about it, you all get my drift ^.^

I also really thought about what I NEED (something I’m trying to do a lot more!!) SO ON TO THE HAUL:

Although I have already picked up some black boots this year (link here) which I DO like, I wanted some more that were a little more edgy, and hopefully more comfortable. Like I’ve mentioned before I am already pretty tall (5’6.5) so I don’t love to wear heels..but when I saw these ASOS Revolution Ankle Boots I just couldn’t say no to the 20% off. They are £35 at full price, and I figured if I didn’t like them I could always return them for free.

The heel is 5cm, and it’s more of a wedge then a ‘heel’ so they are SOO comfortable to wear. To the point where I can actually run in these without wanting to chop my feet off. They are the most practical boots I’ve owned, I love how they look great with max skirts, and all types of jeans. I picked up another pair of boots because in England, we have cold weather until April time, and even then it’s pretty chilly, so boots aren’t a 2/3 month thing only, they’re pretty versatile! The Revolution ankle boots are edgy yet still smart. I really like how they make my feet look smaller than they actually are, and how I can tighten them up around the ankle, something which is a lot harder to achieve with the New Look boots. The wedge part is made out of some sort of foamy material, I’m not sure how clear that is in the middle photo, but I have to admit I was pretty dubious when I saw them at first. However this material makes them spongy and comfy. It’s a mix between military, chique and casual and although they won’t be everyone’s cuppa tea I have fallen in love!

Next up was the purchase I was (and am) most excited about, the NARS Guy Bourdin Blush in the shade Coeur Battant.

I couldn’t justify picking up the 6 blush/bronzer palette because it came up to nearly £50 which actually is a bargain considering each NARS blusher is around £21, but none of those shades STOOD out to me, and so I didn’t rush online to order it. (Lets not forget that I'm a student so spending nearly half a hundred quid on blushers when I already have a small and growing collection was totally unjustified ._.) 

Coeur Battant however is something special, limited edition and pigmented like you wouldn't believe it is a blue-toned magenta colour which is so unique, yet so flattering on my medium skin tone. It would look fabulous on darker skin tones too, however the paler gals would need to go with a VERY light hand when applying this. Much to my irritation the camera just wouldn’t pick up the true shade of this, however if anyone wants a more in-depth review then I will try again in the early hours of the morning to captur it’s beauty! The packaging of the box is very ‘louboutin-esque’ and I was slightly disappointed that the actual packaging of the blusher wasn’t similar haha

It actually has more of a purple/blue hue to it than the camera has captured and NARS are the high-end equivalent of Sleek, so although it looks frightening in the pan, on the cheeks it’s a different story. I adore this blush so much, and 20% was just the perfect excuse to treat myself to a Limited Edition piece! I know this is sold out on ASOS, but I’m sure it’s available at NARS counters so do have a swatch and see this for yourself ^_^

I was on the hunt for a new purse, seeing as my old one from Primark (which has served me well might I add) was finally beginning to look a little battered. I went for another ASOS own brand and picked up this cute envelope style.

I ADORE the gold detailing on this, and how soft the material is! It’s also a lot lighter than my old one, which does help when you're commuting several times a week. I don’t like overly blinged out purses/bags so this simple style, with a tiny bit of special to it was perfect! It costs £10, but I got it for £8 and hopefully this’ll last me as long as my old one did. Inside there are 12 card spaces, and I find all my cards fit in fine. The change pocket thing is a LITTLE bit smaller and trickier to use than I would have liked, but it does that job and stops me cramming a bunch of receipts, vouchers and other paper that I probably won’t look at again!

Last of all we have the cutest little mirror ever. Cath Kidston is known for her feminine prints, but this has got to be my absolute favourite of them all. It costs £3, and I really needed a small compact mirror for my makeup bag, but unfortunately I dropped this when taking a photo and it now has two cracks in it! What bad luck. It really should have been sturdier, or at least have had a cover so I can’t say I recommend this…still useable but, a big shame that its cracked.

And that concludes my haul! I saved a fair amount and love love love 3/4 of my purchases! What have you been splurging on this month?

ASOS Haul December ‘13

Hello lovelies! First of all I wanted to say a BIG thank you for all your support! I’m at 150 bloglovin followers and just over 100 Facebook likes and don’t even get me started on all the love I get from IG <3 You guys are so kind, and it means so so much to see all your support *huggles*

Review | The Balm’s Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter–HG STATUS

I have owned this highlighter for months, and it really is the best I’ve ever tried! Firstly The Balm is an American cosmetics company, and it sits between highend- drugstore. The prices are a little cheaper than MAC, and the quality is just as brilliant. I first heard about this from the YouTuber EmilyNoel83 who adores The Balm, so I would recommend checking out her channel for more info on the brand ^_^

Moving onto this highlighter, Mary-Lou it has the most adorable packaging ever. Its reminiscent of Soap and Glory and Benefit, with its cutesy retro theme. This one has a blonde woman with pouty red lips on the front named ‘Mary’ and the cardboard packaging was just as cute! Sadly I don’t have it anymore because this highlighter’s been tried and tested for a while!

The offence is ‘highlighter,shimmer, eyeshadow’ and the charge is ‘too pretty, too popular’ which made me giggle. When company's put the effort and detail into their products and packaging, it just makes me rate them that little bit higher! It is a multi-use powder, but primarily a highlighter which is encased in a sturdy silver packaging which is secured by a clip. There is a handy mirror inside (a real mirror not one of those funny ones).

The reason why this has earned a HG status (aside from the cuteness) is because of its colour and texture. Highlighters come in powder, liquids and creams and generally they are in either a golden tone, or a pink tone. Its pretty self-explanatory that if you have yellow undertones you’ll likely suit the golden toned ones more. I don’t like pink toned highlighters on me because they look odd, they just don't blend in with my skintone, so I’m most drawn towards the champagne coloured highlighters like this one. 

It is the most beautiful highlighter I have ever set eyes on! You can get other which are more subtle, but if you want to really HIGHLIGHT this is the one for you! It is super pigmented, but easily blendable so when applied to the tops of the cheekbones and other areas it makes the world of difference. I use the Real Techniques Setting Brush (review here) as it helps to put the highlighter precisely where I want some extra glow. 

I couldn’t believe the way it lit my face up and made me look healthier with a single sweep. I’ve tried other highlighters (admitably not any other high-end ones) but this by far is the best out there. It looks phenomenal with a gentle contour and a matte blusher, however with a shimmery blusher I’d most likely skip this or just about touch it onto my skin. 

For some people this would be over the top for the daytime, however it’s all about how strongly you apply the stuff. A gentle light sweeping (something the setting brush achieves effortlessly, or a thin fan brush) adds a subtle but beautiful glow. It looks amazing in the inner-corner too, a real ‘wide awake look’ and for evenings out, weddings and partys this is the finishing touch for getting your glam on!

It costs around the £17 mark and you get 8.5g of the stuff. I picked it up from Amazon,  however it is now cheaper on this website! I’ve used it so often and there’s still loads of the highlighter left because a little really does go a long way! It lasts for hours in the skin and would suit many skin-tones. I cannot get enough of this and really want to pick up their nudetude palette (when I’m off my spending ban which started last week ._.)

Final Verdict:

Product rating: 10

Pros: Its super soft, can be subtle or built up with ease, lights up the whole face, makes the world of difference! looks amazing as a inner-corner highlight, is the perfect colour for a medium skin tone especially, and you get a decent amount of product for a reasonable size. It’s super blendable and It’ll last me for years to come.

Cons: It can be overdone haha

Repurchase? Without a shadow of a doubt!

 

Have you tried anything from The Balm?

Thanks for reading!

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Review | The Balm’s Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter–HG STATUS

I have owned this highlighter for months, and it really is the best I’ve ever tried! Firstly The Balm is an American cosmetics company, and it sits between highend- drugstore. The prices are a little cheaper than MAC, and the quality is just as brilliant. I first heard about this from the YouTuber EmilyNoel83 who adores The Balm, so I would recommend checking out her channel for more info on the brand ^_^