Beautiful Addictions: No7

Showing posts with label No7. Show all posts

2 Mascara Reviews

Hello you gorgeous lot. How ya doing then? Good I hope. Today I have two mascara reviews for you and here they are.

Left: No7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara Black, £11.00

I received this as part of an offer with a purchase from No7. I have never tried their mascaras before so I was interested to see how this one worked. This has a plastic brush like a lot of new mascaras with the spokes like weapons spurting out at the end. One side of the brush is meant to add volume while the other side defines. The end is meant for those hard to reach lashes. I would say this is a really good everyday mascara. It definitely separates the lashes well and adds a good amount of volume for day, but I would want more for a night time look. It is buildable, but I prefer a denser looking lash at the roots. It is prefect though for those on a mission to find a great defining mascara. It comes in two shades of Black or Brown/Black shown in the link above.

You can view how it looks in this FOTD post, link. This is two coats with a little extra on the tips and outer corners.

Right: Primark Coloured Mascara Navy 8ml

I can not remember how much this cost, but it was around £2.00 I believe as I bought it a while a go and I am not sure if they still sell it. To put it bluntly I wouldn't bother picking this up if you do see it. I thought the navy shade would be great at making the white of my eyes pop out, but you can barely notice it. It feels as if I am applying virtually nothing. The mascara does not appear to cover the end of my lashes. The brush is very thin and seemed to collect mascara to it without transferring much to my lashes. This dried up pretty quickly. It did not hold my lashes upwards as I find most mascaras do at least a little. This meant my lashes pointed outwards so no added definition.

What are your favourite mascaras for volume, pigmentation and/or definition? Have you found any great coloured mascaras? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

Lips Of The Day: Sexy Pout Temporary Lip Tattoos By StarGazer

Hey loves. Happy Sunday to you. I have the house to my self today so I thought why not try out some temporary lip tattoos as you do.

StarGazer Sexy Pout Temporary Lip Tattoos In Top: Red Hearts, Left: Red Cheetah & Right: Pink Tiger

I was sent the designs Red Hearts and Pink Tiger quite some time by StarGazer for free. They did not ask me to review them at the time, but I gave the Red Hearts design a go and was unsuccessful.

Kat from Touch Media recently sent the Red Cheetah design along with the Temporary Eye Tattoos which I recently reviewed here. I hate being beaten and not understanding how a product works so I gave this design a try.

Application:

Ensure your lips are dry and clean as well as free from any other other lip products like lip balm or make-up.

Pop the lip shapes out of the packaging. Snip to adjust the design to fit your lip shape and size. I found these designs quite large for my lips and although there are guidelines on them telling you not to cut from the top of the top lip or the bottom of the bottom lip I cut all around both in the end as they were just to large and an awkward shape to fit to my lips.

It's not in the instructions, but you must peel the plastic from the front of the design and place the sticky side against your lips.

Press a damp cloth or flannel against the design and try to keep the tattoos in place. This was a little difficult to do. I will warn you that it does feel weird and you will be trying not to drool (nice).

You will see the design start to slip away. Gently peel off the backing after about 30-40 seconds of dampening. Use your cloth or flannel to gently press against the design now on your lips to mould it to your lips.

I applied the top lip first, but it's up to you which way you do it. Apply the design to your other lip in the same way trying not to let your top and bottom lips meet as these tattoos take 5 minutes to fully dry and seal.

I applied these before any of my other make-up as I thought it would be easier. I had a little overlap on one corner which I managed to manoeuvre in place and then I applied the rest of my make-up.

To remove use gentle make-up remover or baby oil. Oily food may cause the design to be removed.

As you can see the design could be a little bigger on my lips, but I found it difficult to size and get a great fit. Nice attractive ring around the mouth (not).

Open mouthed to show you how it looks on the inner parts of the lips.

I do think these are a really fun and creative way to make your make-up stand out. However I think these are too fussy to apply and get the right size and shape for your mouth. I have been wearing the look while writing this post and already it's peeling from my lips dues to the saliva in my mouth as I haven't even had a drink. They are meant to last all day, but I don't see how they will stay in tact. I have one more of the designs to try which I will probably reserve for a Halloween look on my blog this year as I wouldn't feel comfortable or attractive when out in public and these start peeling away.

Other products in this LOTD/FOTD are:

Pure BB Cream (Light)

Helen É Cosmetics Miracle Concealer*

E.L.F. Studio Translucent Matifying Powder

E.L.F. Studio Cool Bronzer

NYX Cosmetics Eyeshadow Base (White)

E.L.F. Mineral Eye Liner (Black)

No7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara (Black)

HD Brows Brow Beater

*This Helen É Cosmetics Concealer was a PR sample that I reviewed in a FOTN post here.

There are many designs of these temporary lip tattoos which are available for £4.00 each here.

Are you a fan of temporary lip tattoos? Do you know how to make them stay on the lips for longer without peeling? Are there any products from StarGazer that you recommend? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

Glam Bunny FOTD: Featuring StarGazer Eye Tattoos

Hiya Everyone. Happy Easter Sunday to you. I hope are enjoying the weekend so far. Today I have some interesting eye products to show you that were sent to me for free to review by Kat from Touch Media.

StarGazer Sexy Eyes Temporary Eye Tattoos in Left: Flourish & Right: Flames

I have been meaning to try out some eye tattoos as I was intrigued to see how well they work. They bring so much drama to the eyes so they seemed right up my street.

These looked a bit large for my eyes and I thought they might be a little fiddly to apply so I just used part of one set. I used the smaller section from the set Flames on the right to add a firey wing to my eyes.

My skin was clean. Free from oils and make-up. Make sure that yours is the same when applying these or they may not adhere to the skin properly.

I cut around the design carefully with some small, sharp scissors cutting off as much excess as possible so that they would be easier to apply.

I removed the clear protector and placed the design facing downwards against where I wanted it on my eye.

With a damp cloth I pressed firmly against the tattoo ensuring it had wet through the whole design.

I could see the paper sliding away and some of the design appearing on my skin. I was worried that I may break or smudge the design so after about 30 seconds I removed the paper gently.

I used the damp cloth to gently press against the tattoo to make sure it sat nicely on the skin.

I have to say it came out perfectly with no smudging or splits in the design. I then applied the other eye tattoo in the same way, trying to match it at the same angle as the other eye, but in reverse.

I then applied my make-up being careful to use smaller brushes around the eye area.

Other products used in the FOTD post are:

Pure BB Cream (Light)

Helen É Cosmetics Miracle Concealer*

Helen É Cosmetics Powder Blush (Candylicious)*

E.L.F. Studio Translucent Matifying Powder

E.L.F. Studio Cool Bronzer (Two Darkest Brown Shades)

Vera Valenti L'ombre a Paupiere Margarita Palette (Cream Shade)

NYX Cosmetics Winter In Moscow Palette (Black Shade)

No7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara (Black)

HD Brows Brow Beater

Fearne Glossy Lips (No Name, But Pink Shade)

E.L.F. Studio Mist & Set

*These Helen É Cosmetics products were both PR samples that I reviewed in a FOTN post here

I wanted the tattoos to be the main focus of the make-up and so I made the rest of the make-up quite simple. I went over the whole of the eyes with a cream shade, using a small angle brush around the tattoos. I used a black shade to define the crease and line the eyes so that the tattoos would join to it nicely. I went over the tattoos with this black shade just a little to deepen it a bit more and so it matched the eye lining. I did not apply any product other than clear mascara to my brows to keep the eye tattoos the focus.

The tattoos were removed easily with make-up remover on a cotton pad pressed against the eye for about 10 seconds. You can also use baby oil, but be careful not to get it in your eyes.

I like to blog while wearing the make-up look I am writing about and while doing so I wear my glasses. To show you these tattoos also look great with glasses I just had to show you this photo.

These come in 6 designs at £4.00 per set, Link. They all look great. I would like to try the design Four Eyeliners. I think you could cut that one also to use with one or two flicks at a time if like me you have smaller eyes.

Have you tried using temporary eye tattoos? Which ones are your favourites? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

FOTN: Helen É Cosmetics Reviews

Hello you beauts. How are you on this fine Sunday morning? I hope fabulous. Today I want to show you some products from a brand named Helen É Cosmetics. I received one of their Long Lasting Lipstick's in my last GlossyBox and gave my initial impressions which you can see here. I have been asked to review some more of their products which were sent to me for free and so I thought I would show them off in a FOTN post.

So here are my thoughts on the Helen É Cosmetics:

Stage Foundation Ultimate Performance Liquid Make-up For All Skin Types (Monroe - Very Fair Skin), £20.00 for 35ml

Helen É Cosmetics, the Make-up Sponsor of the Miss England Competition have taken inspiration from iconic actresses when developing the Stage range. It is aimed at professional Make-up Artists and customers alike. The Stage Range is made up of Stage Liquid Foundation in four shades, Stage Matte Mousse Foundation in three shades, Eyelights, Stage Eye Shadow Primer and Cheek Radiance in two shades. The collection is available from the Helen É Cosmetics website and selected stockists now, priced between £8 and £24.99.

When I heard the term 'stage make-up' I did think this foundation was going to be heavy duty and very mask like, but it is quite the opposite. It feels as light as a BB Cream and is buildable. I would say it gives a medium to full coverage without being dry or cakey. Great for my dry skin. It does not streak and lasts very well. I am still undecided if this shade is right for me, but it is the lightest of the four. I am not too sure if it's a little too yellow on my skin, but let me know your thoughts. This foundation is paraben and fragrance free. It comes in a squeezy tube with a screw top.

Chunky Twist-Up Miracle Concealer, £8.00 for 3.5g

I have never used this style of concealer before. I expected this to cling to dry patches everywhere and not apply very well. This is a correcting concealer which should be used to neutralise dark pigmentation or shadow before applying a skin smoother or foundation. I always apply my concealer after my foundation otherwise I think you just end up ruining the effect of the concealer or wiping it away all together. I used this under my eyes and on blemishes. I have to say this worked really well. It comes in just one shade which I thought may be a little too deep for my skin tone, but it blended in easily. This may be because the foundation is a little more yellow than I am used to as well though. It did crease just a bit when I initially applied it under my eyes, but when I corrected this and used a setting spray to seal all of my make-up there was no further creasing. This also covered my blemishes pretty well. I used it on my eyes as a shadow base too and it did not crease there. The pencil did start to get a little loose a couple of days ago though and start dropping forward a bit without the need to twist up.

Powder Blusher (Candylicious), £7.00 for 2.5g

This coral blusher is pigmented and easily buildable. It's a little hard to tell in the photos because my cheeks are naturally flushed from rushing around getting ready after shower, but this is a really pretty, wearable shade that I think shows up best in the 1st and 3rd photos. I also used this on my eyelids on another day and it really made my blue eyes pop. This has a very secure click shut compact with a transparent lid. There are 5 shades in this blusher range.

Cheek Radiance (Oyster), £10.00 for 5g

This product is said to add a flush of colour to your cheeks or to be used as a highlighter for the cheekbones, brow bones, collar bones and shoulders. This is another twist up product. Inside the pop off lid there is another cap, but I'm not really too sure of it's purpose as I think the click shut lid is sufficient. This comes in two shades. The one I have is a peachy golden highlight with glitter particles. I found the best way to apply this was to apply a fair amount to the back of my hand and use the tip of my finger to dab it on where needed. I applied this product on top of my cheekbones, on my cupids bow and a little down my nose. On another day I applied this too my eyes to add a very subtle shimmer. I think this added a nice highlighting sheen to my cheekbones and the cupids bow. It leaves a trace of a few particles of glitter on my cheeks which didn't bother me, but that may not be for everyone if you just want the sheen effect.

Long Lasting Lip Colour, £8.00 for 3.5g

Left: Blush

Centre: Coral

Right: Hollywood Red

Blush (shown in the photos above) is a very natural rose lip shade that is one of those 'my lips but better' tones. I find these lipsticks so moisturising. They are not drying at all and the pigment in them lasts so well. It barely fades at all and does not go patchy so great for an all day event or a night out. I like the clear packaging at the top so that I can actually see what the shade is inside at a glance. There are 21 shades in this range of both cream and pearlised colours, including neutral and more vibrant tones. I really want to try some more as I am so impressed by them. My only fault is that the stickers do tend to come off so that's a bit annoying if you want to repurchase a shade and can't remember it's name.

The next two lip swatches were applied by using my I-Phone camera to apply them on the weekend while making breakfast as I was trying to catch the sunlight so please excuse the not so neat looking lips. Photos were taken with my digital camera though.

Coral

This is actually a really nice nude shade. Not too pale and deathly as some nude shades can make you look. I think this is very wearable for many skin tones. Unfortunately this one snapped while using and I didn't use extreme pressure so that was a real shame.

Hollywood Red

Just wow. This was an amazing colour to wear and is not for the faint hearted. This lasted so well throughout the day considering it's vibrancy.

Other products I used in this FOTN are:

No7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara Black

E.L.F. Studio Translucent Matifying Powder

Peacocks Quad Palette (White Shimmer Shade)

E.L.F. Studio Mist & Set

Overall I am very impressed by this range of products from Helen É Cosmetics. I am totally in love with their lipsticks and want to try out more products too.

CEO Helen Elowe also has a blog called Helen's Make-up Tips where you can discover more about Helen É Cosmetics with helpful tips and advice. I think it's great when brands back up their products with advice on how to actually use them. I believe it gives consumers the confidence to work with the items they have purchased and perhaps try new things.

Have you tried any Helen É Cosmetics? Which products are your likes and dislikes and why? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

neutralises dark pigmentation or shadow before you apply your Skin Smoother or foundation. - See more at: http://www.helen-e.com/cosmetics/face/chunky-twist-up-miracle-concealer.htm#sthash.ic1cWzDP.dpuf

Mixed Product Reviews #3

Hi there you Beauty Addicts. I hope you are having a fab weekend. I'm feeling all sorry for myself as I am not well :( I have a bad throat and cough and feel like death. Oh well enough of the drama let me get into my post to take my mind off of it. Today I have many mixed product reviews for you.

Left To Right:

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 80 Handy Wipes Orange Scented, £1.00

I picked these up in Poundland. I think they were in the baby section. I always go there now rather than the beauty section as you get 80 wipes for just £1.00 rather than the 20-30 wipes I usually get in the ones aimed at beauty.

This Works Clean Skin Daily Wash

I received this in my January Feelunique Beauty Box. I really enjoyed using this facial cleanser because of the scent. It felt like I was giving myself a relaxing facial each time I used it. It was a pretty good cleanser at removing make-up, but not every last trace. This was £18.00 for 150ml at the time I received it, but I'm not sure if it is still available anymore. I think it may have been discontinued or may now be the Gentle Cleanser?

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Moisture Mist Hydrating Spray, Various prices/sizes

I received this in my July GlossyBox. After cleansing I would spray this on as refreshing pick me up. I used it on sun burnt areas earlier in the year also to cool them down. Check out the link above for this product or alternatively have a look on Ebay or Amazon as I have seen it on those sites for various prices.

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift and Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm, £25.50 for 100ml

I received this in my November 2011 Feelunique Beauty Box. This also came with the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Dual Action Professional Cleansing Cloth which I intend to keep and re-use as it can be washed. It looks like a white flannel. This combined with the face wash mentioned above was just a lovely combination. I love the packaging of this product. It looks expensive and classy. This did last me quite a while. The texture is like a smooth balmy paste. It's a lot more pleasant than it sounds. The scent is amazing. I see that on the John Lewis website there is a starter kit for just £32.00 that includes the balm and a cloth as well as 3 other treats. This may be a nice gift for someone this Xmas or even yourself.

Possibility Lemon Cheesecake Ultra Rich Shower Gel, Shampoo & Bubble Bath

At the time this was on offer in Savers for £1.00 so I snapped it up. I managed to snap the lid when I dropped it in the shower, doh! This was okay, but it has a slight medicinal scent to it. I will attempt to make the lemon cheesecake recipe on the front of the bottle and for those of you that want to also here is a close up.

Possibility Peppermint Ice Cream Ultra Rich Shower Gel, Shampoo & Bubble Bath

I bought this at the same time so I got this from Savers for £1.00 also. This one I really liked. It was so refreshing and uplifting. I would definitely pick this one up again. Here is a close up of the recipe on this one.

Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil, £14.28 for 100ml

I received this in my July 2011 GlossyBox. This product did not appeal to me from the start due to it's medicinal appearance. This is something at first glance I would expect to pick up in a pharmacy, not at a beauty counter. After a bath I applied this all over my body and lets just say if you tried to give me a hug you would probably have slipped right off me. This is definitely of an oil consistency. I thought this might sink into my skin after a while, but five hours later it still felt greasy on my skin. I could not do this to myself again so I resorted to using it as a massage oil as I hate wasting products. The scent is okay, but I'm not a massive fan. This ones a miss for me.

Aveeno Skin Relief Shea Butter Moisturising Lotion, £2.99 for 200ml

I think I got this free sample in a magazine. This lotion felt nice to apply and sank into my skin very easily.

Elizabeth's Daughter The Daily Moisturiser For Face and Body SPF15, £17.50 for 100ml

I received this free sample at Glow Bluewater when I attended the Vitality Boutique. This was also a nice cream to use on both my face and body that again sank into my skin nicely.

Alison Claire Remarkable Bio-Natural Beauty Mango Body Butter, £15.00 for 200ml

I received this product in my November GlossyBox. I love, love, love this product. The scent is just adorable. I made my fella smell me whenever I applied this if he was around. I smelt like a sweet and that's a good thing :) I actually got excited to apply this because of the amazing scent. I did go through this rather quickly as I tend to do a full body moisturise twice a day. I love the pump design. I only wish it came with a pump on the full size 200ml version.

Rose & Co Apothecary Rose Petal Salve, £5.00 for 20g

I received this in my October 2011 Boudoir Prive Box. This tin has lasted me absolutely ages. I have used other lips balms in between, but this I would say I have had around 7-8 months use out of. This always felt nice to apply, but it didn't resolve my dry, flaky lips. Mine are unruly though and nothing seems to work on them. The vintage tin is so cute and has the rose scent to match. I think this could be a sweet stocking filler for crimbo.

Colgate Advanced White Fluoride Toothpaste, £1.27 for 100ml

This toothpaste was fresher and more minty than the standard Colgate that I don't like because I think it lacks that fresh feeling. I did not notice whiter teeth in 14 days.

Oral B 3D White Brilliance Radiant Mint Fluoride Toothpaste, £2.49 for 75ml

This was fine to use, but again no whitening brilliance. I also hate screw top toothpaste as it ends up bouncing around my bathroom because I am forever dropping it.

No7 Lift & Luminate Foundation SPF 15 (Porcelain), £16.50

In the link above is No7's Lift & Luminate Foundation, but the bottle design has changed and I'm not sure if they have changed the formula so I can only tell you my thoughts on the product I have tried. This was a great everyday foundation. It was so easy to apply and gave a light/medium coverage. It did not feel heavy at all on my skin. I could wear this as a tinted moisturiser with one layer or build it up to two layers for a medium foundation coverage. I would not say that my skin felt more lifted as there was no tightening effect for me.

Superdrug Nail Polish Remover Acetone Formula, £1.09 for 250ml

This product is such great value. I prefer acetone polish removers as they can remove stubborn nail polish, especially glitters more easily. There is also a 50ml size for 79p.

Elegant Touch Vitamin E Rapid Dry Nail Spray, £2.79

I have been using this for years and I need to get some more. This is a simple spray that mists over your nails to help them dry quicker. It is said to dry nail polish in 60 seconds and although it dries them very quickly I would still be careful when digging around in your handbag or washing the dishes etc. A great alternative for speed when a top coat is just too much effort. So that I don't worry about smudging my nail art I use this so that no smearing occurs :)

Roger & Gallet Creme Sublime Bois D'Orange SPF 15 Hands & Nails Cream, £7.20 for 75ml

This was given to me for free at a Roger & Gallet PR event, Link. This product has a creamy, citrusy scent to it. This was a nice cream to use. It's weird how the design on the Roger & Gallet logo has gone a bit smudgy though.

So that's everything for these mixed reviews. I hope you found something informative in this post. What products have you been loving or loathing and why? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

Halloween Look: Dominatrix

Hello All. I hope you are having a happy Sunday. I have been left in the house again by myself today so you probably know what that means? Yep you guessed it I have created another Halloween look so here are the pic's.