Spring Picks | Nails

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!

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 :)

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: 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!

Which shade is your favourite? ^_^

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Spring Picks | Nails

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

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!)

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!

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!

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. 

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

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

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 ^_^

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.

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!

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!

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

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 ^_^