2faced

Hurrrahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I've just finished my degree. Three years of hard work will hopefully pay off, will have to wait and see in a few months!  Anyway, this means I can start blogging again as I pretty much have nothing to do with my time now, yey! (Is this yey?!) 

I've been spending a lot more time on my make-up recently, trying to establish a few different looks, instead of always wearing browns and neutral shades. Anyway, here's two from the past few days: 

Look 1

Please excuse my extremely dodgy expression, I haven't yet found the right pose that doesn't make me look either pissed off, or over excited!

Anyway, this was a simple look because I was only going shopping. I had some cute vintage earrings shaped like peacocks (I think!) and I wanted to match my makeup to the metallic blue and pink colours on them. 

On my face I just used Maxfactor's colour adapt foundation (feels like silk and gives the most perfect light coverage), Bodyshop blush effect cheek colour, YSL Touche Eclait radiant touch, Victoria Jackson eyeshadow pallet, BarryM dazzle dust (I don't know the name but it was light blue!) Rimmel eyeliner pencil in 'azure shimmer', two coats of Number7 extreme length mascara, and Rimmel volume booster lipstick in 'foxy'.

Look 2

This is very similar (I didn't have time to try new things, had to hand my bleedin' dissertation in!) Instead of the blue colours I used POP's eye cake in 'violet eyes'. mixed with Bodyshop shimmer cubes on the brow bone.

What do you think? 

Mineral makeup

My Lily Lolo mineral foundation arrived this morning, a little late after posting it to the wrong address, then having a small feud with Mr. Postman. Still, better late than never!

For the benefit of any mineral makeup novices (like myself), they are different to liquid foundations because they contain naturally occurring minerals Titanium and Zinc Oxide, which are lighter on the pores, and have a sun protection factor of 15. The foundation comes as a powder that you apply to your face with a brush using circular motions, or 'buffing', until the desired amount is applied.

I was advised to try out mineral makeup by a friend, when I told her my skin was often blotchy and quite red. My gorgeous Lily Lolo pot has not let me down so far. I tried it this morning, and although the application was quite tricky to master without a proper buffing brush, the end result was perfect. My blemishes had gone, my whole face felt soft and smooth, and most importantly, I didn't look like I was wearing too much makeup. I bought it in 'Blondie', which is quite pale but can be livened up with a light bronzer, like the Body Shop's all over cheek shimmer.

Here's a picture of the end result:

I used the Lily Lolo foundation all over, followed by Body Shop's all over cheek shimmer, and YSL Touche Eclat under my eyes. For my eyes I used a little L'Oreal colour appeal trio, brown eye brow pencil and eye liner. I finished with Rimmel's lip plumping lipstick in 'Foxy'. I wanted a subtle look as I was only going to the newsroom to do work!

What do you think? Could you be converted to mineral makeup?

Tried and Tested

Here are a few other things I picked up on my quick shop, and my verdict on them so far...

1.) Sally Hansen nail growth activator:

At £7 a bottle it is quite pricey compared to Boots' own brand, and doesn't look or feel like it's going to be any good at first. However, after applying the magical blue liquid to my nails twice a day for two days I am already noticing a difference. My nails are much stronger and they seem healthier already. On the packaging it says I will notice the difference in four days, so I hope it will continue to help me on my mission to finally grow some nails! 4.5/5

2.) Rimmel lip plumping lipstick in 'Foxy':

This product claims to plump up lips and give a bigger, fuller pout. I love the colour, it's quite bright pink so it stands out but doesn't make me look like a Barbie doll. As for plumping, I haven't noticed any change in the size of my lips. I'm not sure what I expected really! It tingles quite a bit once it has been applied, which made me think it could have worked, but alas, it doesn't. The lipstick is on special offer at Boots at around £5, pretty reasonable for a lipstick I think! 3/5

3.) L'Oreal Colour Appeal trio pro for brown eyes:

I never really wear much eyeshadow normally, but now I have my trusty Body Shop brushes, I decided it was time to invest in some. I was initially disappointed when I opened up the compact to see three of the tiniest eyeshadow pallets I'd ever encounter. The compact itself is quite big, but there is simply not enough for your money, and the application brushes are curved in a way which is supposed to make it easy to apply, but instead makes it uncomfortable and pointless.

All in all the colours are good, this compact includes a bronze, a gold, and a lighter gold, and on the back there are instructions on how best to use the different colours, which is a nice touch. I found that in order to get an effective look, you need to apply quite a lot, which is a pain as there isn't much to go round. I don't expect this make-up to last me long! 3/5