March Favourites (2015)

Today I am going to be sharing with you my favourites from this month. I can’t believe how quickly time is going I only have two months left of my first year of university.

My first favourite is the Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer. Many brands have a YSL Touche Eclat dupe available, I have only tried a couple of these but this one is my favourite. The pen style is not my favourite as it can be quite messy but I think this concealer is really good. The consistency is perfect for an under the eye concealer; it isn’t too thick that it settles into fine lines but it is thick enough that it does over a bit of coverage. I like using this under my eyes as it really brightens and wakes up the area.

Next favourite is the Max Factor Wild Shadow Pencil in Caramel Rage. I really like eyeshadow pencils as they are so quick and easy to apply and are perfect for mornings when you are in a rush. I haven’t tried a lot from Max Factor but when I first used this I instantly fell in love with it. The pencil is very creamy so when you are applying it, it doesn’t drag on your eye like some eye pencils do. This dries really quickly and lasts all day. I love the shade as pale, it is a gorgeous light brown/ bronzey shade. I use this on days when I have to apply my makeup really quickly as this is very quick and easy to apply and looks as if you have put in more effort than you actually have.

When I tried the Collection All About The Eyes Palette from the Little Mix Collection I was instantly impressed with the quality of the shadows. All of the shadows in this palette are really well pigmented. I have been reaching for this days when I have more time to apply eyeshadows. All the colours are really wearable and there is not a single shade in the palette that I don’t use. My favourite shades are Sunkissed, Dazzling Brown and Cocoa Dream. I think this palette would be really handy if you were going away for a weekend as there is a variety of different looks that you can create and the palette is really compact.

I have been wearing the Essence Lipstick in Natural Beauty pretty much every day this month. I am completely in love with it. This is a great natural shade as it is only slightly darker than my natural lips. I love shades that are fuss free as I don’t need to worry about this fading and leaving patches on my lips. I love wearing bright lips but I hate reapplying as I often forget and depending on the lipstick you can look a bit strange if you don’t reapply. Although I have not been massively into the Kylie Jenner lip craze for me this is the perfect shade to achieve that look as it doesn’t look strange with my pale skin like a lot of nudes can do.

My last favourite is the Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish in Uptown. I love Nails Inc polishes but this has got to be one of my all-time favourites. It is a gorgeous dusky pink shade which I think looks absolutely stunning. I think it is quite a sophisticated colour and I have repainted my nails with it quite a lot. I am also really enjoying the Gel Effect formula from Nails Inc, it gives a really glossy, shiny, smooth finish which is my favourite finish in a nail polish.

What have been your favourites this month?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Milani Sunset Duo in Sunset Beach Review

Today I am going to be reviewing the Milani Sunset Duo in Sunset Beach. I have previously reviewed the Milani Sunset Duo in Sunset Breeze and the Milani Glimmer Stripes in Pink Glimmer and I really liked both of them. I picked up the Milani products in Poundland as they are not that readily available in the UK.  

The packaging of this is pretty nice. It comes in a gold compact with a clear lid. On this particular one I find that the lid isn’t that secure but on the other two that I own the lid is much more secure so I am not sure why this one is different.  I like that this is a two in one product as I don’t wear bronzer that often but I am more likely to wear it if it is in the same compact as the blush that I am wearing. One complaint that I have is that the blush and bronzer are not equal in size. I think it would be much easier if it was split down the middle as I find it difficult to get my brush in just the blush or just the bronzer. 

I use the Real Techniques Blush Brush to apply this product but like I mentioned above this brush is quite big which isn’t ideal for applying the blush as there is only a small area that I often get bronzer on my brush as well. 

The blush is a really pretty plum shade with gold shimmer running through it. I don’t have any other shade like this in my collection and I find that it looks very pretty on my pale skin. The bronzer has a slight bit of shimmer in it but it isn’t too much that your face looks glittery. The pigmentation of these two is ok. There are more pigmented blushes available but if you want a subtle touch of colour then this is great. The bronzer is more pigmented than the blush. I use the bronzer to add some colour all over my face. 

Overall I do like this product but this is not my favourite colour combination I prefer Sunset Breeze and Sunset City as the colour combination is better suited to my skin tone.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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NOTD: Revlon Vintage Rose

Today I am sharing with you what I was wearing on my nails. I have quite a few polishes from Revlon that I have picked up in Poundland. They have a great shade range to choose from. 

The shade Vintage Rose is a dusky pink shade but unlike a lot of the dusky pink shades that I own this is slightly darker. If I am honest I was not a massive fan of this shade. I don’t know what it was about it but I wasn’t that keen on the colour. If I wear pinks I either prefer something lighter or a bright pink. 

I like Revlon polishes from the Colourstay line as they have a wide brush which makes the application really easy. I used two coats of this for the colour to be fully opaque. I find these polishes to be pretty long lasting this lasted me just over a week before it started to chip. 

The finish was really smooth and glossy something which I really look for in a nail polish as I can not stand matte nails. Sometimes I think my base coat really helps contribute to the glossy finish. I use the Nailgirls 3 in 1 Base Coat, Top Coat and Nail Strengthener which I got in a Glossybox. I really want to try the new one from Collection so I’d be interested to hear if anyone has tried it.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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MUA Haul

When I got an email from MUA saying that I had a 20% code because it was birthday I knew I would be making an order. I haven’t bought anything from MUA in a while but I had quite a few items on my list that I wanted to try and they also had some items in their sale. I got quite a lot of products and I think it cost me around £25 with post and packaging. 

I picked up a few of their brushes. I have tried the Powder Brush (F4) and the Eyeshadow Contour Brush (E4). I think the brushes are really great value for money. I got the Blending Eyeshadow Brush (E3) which was £1.95 and the Eyebrow Brush and Comb (E6) which was £1.50. 

I got the 2 of the Sweet Sheen Lip Balms which are a new launch as part of the Spring collection and cost £2 each. I think that these might be similar to the Lip Butters from Revlon and I can’t wait to try them out. I got the shades French Violet and Cherry Bomb. 

I went a bit lip product crazy. I got 3 of their £1 lipsticks. I got the shades 7, Tulip and Persian Rose. I also got 2 of the Intense Kisses as they were only 75p, I got the shades Kiss and Tell and Stolen Kisses.

I picked up a few of their single eyeshadows as I had heard good things about them but I had never actually tried them myself. I got shade 12, Bronze and Misty Rose. All of the single eyeshadows are £1 each. 

I decided to get the last 2 blushes so I could complete my collection. I needed the shades Bon Bon and Cupcake in order to have all 6. I am looking forward to using these as I really like the MUA blushes which are only £1. 

I saw that they had the Twelfth Night Palette in the sale for £2 so I thought I would pick it up as it is different to most of the palettes I own. It is a perfect palette for winter time as it has browns, greens and purples. I also picked up the Extreme Metallic Quad in Go Getter which had been reduced to £1. This has a beautiful range of neutral metallic shades which I know I will get a lot of wear out of. 

I love testing out new brow products so I thought I would try the Power Brow which comes with a highlighter as well. This was £3 and I am looking forward to seeing what it is like. The highlighter that comes with it looks gorgeous. I picked up one of their new Whipped Velvet Lip Lacquers in the shade Ritzy. These are part of their Spring collection and as I quite liked the original Velvet Lip Lacquers I thought I would give this a go. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this haul and I will be reviewing everything as soon as I’ve had chance to try things out.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Me Me Me Beat the Blues in Pearl Pink Review

I received this in one of my Glossyboxes and I was very happy to see it in there. I am a massive fan of highlighters and I really like liquid ones so I was looking forward to trying this out. I have never tried anything else from Me Me Me and I haven’t heard too much about the brand. 

At a first glance some might mistake this for a nail polish as the packaging is very similar. It comes in a clear glass bottle with a black lid that has a thin brush attached to it. I like the packaging but due to it being in a glass bottle it isn’t the most travel friendly of packaging. You receive quite a lot of product in the bottle as well (12ml which is more than a lot of nail polishes). 

I use the brush that comes with this to dot the product on my cheek bones. I then use the Real Techniques Multi Task Brush to blend it all in. 

This is a really pretty pale pink shimmery highlighter and it is similar to Benefit’s Highbeam although this looks more pink. This is pretty long lasting and lasts pretty much all day. Sometimes it will be half way through the day and I’ll just get a glimpse of it. I think it looks really pretty and I use it as a highlighter on top of a blush or sometimes I will wear it by itself as it looks really pretty. Although this is shimmery it is not too much and doesn’t make your face look glittery at all. It gives a lovely glow to the skin that I really like.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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FOTD #3

 Today I am going to be doing another Face Of The Day, I really enjoy doing these posts as I can show you what makeup I am currently enjoying using and I can give you a mini review of each product.

I start with the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation which I am really enjoying. I love the new light shade that Rimmel has which is light porcelain as it matches me really well. This foundation has a really natural finish and has a medium coverage. I have been trying the Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer which I like to use under my eyes as it really helps to brighten the area. My skin hasn’t been that great recently so I have had a few blemishes so I have been reaching for an old favourite; the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. This concealer is offers a medium- high coverage so is perfect for hiding blemishes. I then apply my Rimmel Lasting Finish Powder as I am really enjoying it at the moment. It is a very fine powder so it doesn’t look too cakey on the skin. 

I used my Makeup Gallery Blush in Candyfloss as I love the natural flush that this gives to my cheeks and it is only £1. I have been experimenting more and more with bronzer recently, I opt for an overall bronzed look rather than a heavily contoured look. I have been using the Collection Bronze Glow in Sunkissed which is a really pale colour so is suitable for my skin, it does have a bit of shimmer in it but it is very subtle. 

For eyeshadow I have been enjoying using the Collection All About The Eyes Palette. I use the shade Dazzling Brown all over my lid, Cocoa Dream in my crease, Feather as an inner corner and brow bone highlighter. I then used Blackbird as an eyeliner to line my lid. The quality of this palette is fantastic, the shades are very pigmented and it only costs £3.19. I have been enjoying the new Benefit Roller Lash Mascara. It really helps to curl your lashes and it makes them look fuller and longer. For brows I used my Collection Eyebrow Definer which is one of my favourite brow products at the moment. 

Lastly on my lips I am wearing a new favourite the Essence Lipstick in Natural Beauty. This is my Kylie Jenner lipstick as it is very much a pink nude. Brown toned nudes don’t suit me as they clash with my pale skin. I am in love with this lipstick though as it is slightly darker than my natural lip colour so it is great for wearing every day and I can apply it without a mirror. 

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Makeup Revolution Blush in Wow Review

Like many bloggers I have quickly fallen in love with Makeup Revolution. They offer amazing products for such affordable prices. They have a fantastic range of products that they are always adding to. Today I am going to be reviewing one of their Powder Blushes in the shade Wow. 

The packaging of this blush is quite simple, it comes in a black compact with a clear lid. Despite being simple the packaging does feel very sturdy and doesn’t feel as if it would break easily. The gold writing on the lid does rub off especially if you keep it in a makeup bag however considering the price you pay this is only a small issue. I like that the packaging is very compact sometimes with more budget brands the packaging can be quite bulky. 

I use the Real Techniques Blush Brush to apply this to the apples of my cheeks. I like the Real Techniques Blush Brush for applying blush as it is the perfect size for applying product to your cheeks. 

The shade Wow is a light pink which gives a natural flush to the cheeks. I am really impressed with this blush as the texture is very soft and it is easy to blend. It is nicely pigmented but not too much so that it looks scary on your face. This blush is completely matte which can be harder to find at the drugstore as a lot of brands opt for shimmery blushes. Makeup Revolution have six shades available to choose from so there should be something for everyone. 

This blush is super affordable and only costs £1 and I would happily pick up more from the range. Makeup Revolution is available online and in selected Superdrug stores.

If you are a fan of blush then I recommend trying these out or if you are new to blush and you want to expand your collection this is a good one to get as it is so affordable.

What’s your favourite Makeup Revolution product?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Jemma Kidd Mineral Skin Nourishing Tint Review

Today I am going to be reviewing the Jemma Kidd Tinted Moisturiser. I picked this up in a discount beauty store and although it has been discontinued you may still be able to get it online so I thought it was worth sharing my opinions on it. As you probably know I really like a light coverage base so I am always interested in trying out tinted moisturisers the problem I find is that a lot of the drugstore ones come in a limited shade range and are often too dark for my pale skin. 

Firstly let’s talk about the packaging it comes in a tube but what I really like about this is that it comes with a pump. Usually these types of products come in a tube but don’t have a pump and for me a pump is essential on any type of foundation product as it makes it less messy and you don’t waste as much product. Due to it coming in a tube it is more travel friendly as there isn’t a glass bottle which could get smashed (although this has never happened to me). I like the colours of the packaging a simple black tube with a pretty pink floral pattern. 

I use either my Real Techniques Buffing Brush or the Cheek Brush to apply it to my face. Sometimes I use a makeup sponge as well as I really like the finish it gives. I never use my fingers to blend base products as I prefer to uses brushes.

I got the shade 01 Porcelain which I believe is the lightest shade. Unlike other tinted moisturisers I have tried this one isn’t very orange. However it is very yellow toned which means sometimes it doesn’t look right on my skin as I usually choose something that has more of a pink toned. I can make the colour work for me though. Due to getting it from a discount store there weren’t any testers and they had a limited amount of shades.

I really like the formula of this it feels very light on my skin and not at all cakey. I’d say the coverage is light to medium although due to the colour I don’t tend to build the coverage. It gives a really natural finish that allows your skin to breath.

Overall I do like this and if the shade was slightly better I would wear it more often.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Glamour Magazine Freebies (April 2015)

This month Glamour Magazine are giving away Balance Me goodies in their magazine. I have tried quite a few different things from Balance Me in the past and I really like their products although they are a bit out of my price range. Getting them is a perfect way to try the products out as although they are sample sizes they are decent sizes and they are great to use if you travel a lot. 

This month the freebies include the Super Moisturising Body Wash, Shine On Tinted Lip Salve, Radiance Face Mask and the Pure Skin Face Wash. I have picked up the body wash as I am always interested in body washes that claim to be moisturising. I also got the face mask as I love trying out new face masks as they are a great way to treat your skin. I’ve already got the face wash and  although I like it I have quite a lot of face washes at the moment so I thought I would give it a miss. I wasn’t really that interested in the lip salve either as I love my Nivea Lip Balms and the Body Shop Lip Butters that I don’t really want to try anything else.

The magazine retails for £2 and the products have a total worth of £41 so you are getting a great bargain.

Will you be picking up anything? 

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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NOTD: Uptown

Today I sharing an NOTD with you. I think this has quickly become one of my favourite polishes. It is from the Nails Inc Gel Effect Range and I picked it up in a set in TK Maxx. The set had six shades in it and they were all from the Gel Effect Range and it only cost £22. The shades in the set were Uptown, The Boltons, Grosvenor Crescent, Piccadilly Place, New Oxford Street and Old Bond Street. 

Uptown is a lovely dusky pink shade. I fell in love with this colour as soon as I saw it. It is a great neutral shade as it isn’t too bright. For me this is better than a lot of the nude shades as this goes well with my pale skin.  I think this shade would look great all year round. This shade looks very sophisticated and I really enjoyed wearing it and I can see myself reaching for it a lot in the future. 

This is the first Gel Effect polish I have tried from Nails Inc and it didn’t disappoint me. The polish was very shiny and had a gorgeous glossy finish that I love. The application is great it only needs 2 coats for it to be fully opaque. I found that it was very long lasting and it probably would have lasted longer if I hadn’t had to peal off that annoying plastic that you get on eyeliners. 

I really like the new packaging that these polishes have I feel it makes them look more high end. I also like that the lid now matches the shade of the polish.

I would definitely pick up more of these as I think they are great. I have a £5 off voucher for Nails Inc so I would love to hear your shade recommendations?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Top 5 Under £5

As you know I am a massive fan of budget products and today I thought I would share with you my favourites that are under £5. I have done one of these posts before but I thought I would do an update as there are always new products. It was actually very hard just to pick 5 products so I will be doing one of these again in the future. I also found it difficult not to mention the same brands so I tried to pick product from different brands. 

The first item shouldn’t come as a surprise as I have mentioned it before. Makeup Revolution has taken over the blogging world with most bloggers mentioning their products and I can see why as they have some amazing products. The Iconic 1 Palette is a great neutral palette. I reach for this palette so much I love pretty much all the colours in it. The quality of the shadows is impressive, they are very pigmented and easy to blend even the matte shades are pigmented. The palette is £4 which is a great deal as you get 12 amazing shadows. My favourite shades are 2, 3 and 9 the only downside to the palette is that the shades don’t have names.

My next favourite is the Makeup Gallery Blush in Candyfloss. Makeup Gallery is Poundland’s own makeup range. When this first launched I wasn’t that interested as there were other brands that offered products for £1 such as MUA and Makeup Revolution. When I finally picked up a few bits I was really impressed. I really like the blush as it is a really nice natural shade that is great for everyday wear. It adds a pretty flush to the cheeks and I am really pleased with it. The eyeshadows from the brand are also really good. 

I have mentioned the Avon Glimmerstick Brow Definer on my blog many times and I do still really like it but recently I have been using the Collection Brow Definer. This is a very similar product in that you have to twist it up in order to get the product. The Collection one is slightly darker than Avon one but it isn’t too dark. The product lasts all day and it is cheaper (£2.79) and easier to get a hold of compared to the Avon one.

I haven’t tried too much from Essence as up until recently it was that easy to find however now their products are sold in Wilkinsons. I really like their lipstick in Natural Beauty as it is a really gorgeous everyday pink shade. The lipstick is really creamy and quite long lasting.

My last favourite I have mentioned so much that you are probably fed up of seeing it. The ELF Baked Blush in Pinktatsic is a fantastic highlighter. It is a gorgeous pinky/champagne shade that adds a gorgeous sheen to the cheekbones.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Illamasqua Eyeshadow Shiver Review

I have had this eyeshadow for quite a while now and today I thought I would share with you what I thought of it. 

I got this in a Mystery Box which was in the sale for around £20 and it came with 2 eyeshadows, 2 nail polishes, a precision ink and a liquid metal. I would never normally spend a lot on single eyeshadows the Illamasqua ones cost £15.50 which is a lot of money I would rather spend that money on a palette rather than just one eyeshadow. The packaging is quite nice it looks very high end the only problem is that due to it being an odd shape it can be difficult to store. 

Shiver is a gorgeous shimmery highlighter colour which has gold undertones. I often use this as an inner corner and brow bone highlighter. Occasionally I will wear this as an all over colour on my lids. I like to apply it on top of a cream base to give it more of an impact. I like to apply it on top of Calvin Klein’s Tempting Glimmer in Bare Silk or the Collection Work the Colour Eyeshadow Stick in Vanilla Sky. I have also been wearing it with the other Illamasqua eyeshadow I have. I also have Never which is a matte blue which I have been using to line my upper lash line. The colours work really well together and I have been enjoying wearing them. The pigmentation is ok but considering it is a high end eyeshadow it is not amazing. I would not want to spend £15 on this eyeshadow as I don’t think the quality is any better than some drugstore eyeshadows I have tried. 

Overall I do really like this eyeshadow but I would be reluctant to buy another Illamsaqua eyeshadow as the 2 that I have tried have not been any better than some cheaper ones I have tried. I think I would only purchase another if it was on sale or the colour was really unique.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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Max Factor Freebie

Max Factor is a brand which I have tried very little from but when I was buying a lipstick for my Grandma I saw that they had a free gift offer. If you spent £15 you got a free gift. I decided to pick up my Grandma a lipstick from them and I also picked up a few bits for myself. Today I thought I would share with you what I picked up and what is included in the free gift. 

I’d heard a lot about the Max Factor Crème Puff Blushes and I decided to get the shade Seductive Pink (15). These are actually powder blushes but have a creamy feel to them. Bloggers have been comparing them to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes which I haven’t tried. I really love blushes and I was interested in trying these out. I haven’t actually used this yet but I did swatch it in store and it felt really nice and was decently pigmented.

The next thing I picked up was the Wild Eyeshadow Pencil in Caramel Rage (05). I really like eyeshadow pencils as they are so quick and easy to apply. I really wanted to try the Excess Shimmers but the Boots I was in did not have any. 

Now onto what was included in the free gift. The first thing is a coupon for £2 off either the Facefinity All Day Primer, Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation or the Skin Luminizer Foundation. I am interested in trying the Skin Luminizer Foundation as I really like lightweight, dewy foundations. Now onto the products. The first things is the False Lash Effect Mascara I’m always interested in trying out new mascaras. This mascara has a big, spiky wand which I am interested in giving a go.  Next I got a lipstick in the shade Star Dust Pink (615), this is a gorgeous neutral pink which I think I will get a lot of wear out of. The packaging of these lipsticks is lovely and if this one is good I can see myself picking up more shades. The last thing I got was a Glossfinity Polish in Pink’ed (72). This is a really pretty peach shade that will be excellent for spring/summer. It looks similar to Peach Melba from Barry M.

I recommend picking up this free gift if you can as it is a great way to try products from the range especially if you are like me and haven’t tried that many.

What’s your favourite Max Factor product?

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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NOTD: High Tide

Today I am sharing with you what I am wearing on my nails. I got this polish in a set for Christmas a few years, the set is by Fearne Cotton. 

The shade I am sharing with you today is High Tide which is a gorgeous dark blue. This is a gorgeous dark blue shade, a deep indigo that can at times look a bit purple in certain lights. 

This polish applied really well and I only needed 2 coats. I found this polish to be quite long lasting it lasted about 5 days. 

I think that this polish is absolutely gorgeous. I am in love with the colour and I don’t have anything else like it in my collection.

Prettylittlefashionista xxx

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