BEAUTY: Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

 

My Dad recently went to America *cue mass beauty shopping list* and he kindly picked me up some new make up. My Dad isn't the most knowledgeable about make up, which isn't entirely surprising, but it did mean my shopping list had to be seriously detailed!

BEAUTY EDIT: Long Lasting Products

Long lasting beauty products are vital for any special occasion, you don't want to spend ages doing your make-up perfectly only to find it sliding down your face a couple of hours later! I've trialled so many products in readiness for my wedding, as of course all of the beauty products I use on the day will need to withstand tears (of happiness hopefully!), heat, stress and a whole load of other things. It needs to look as good as possible in photographs yet not over the top in real life. It's a fine balance, which I hope I get right! I thought I'd share with you a range of long lasting products I've found, ranging from high end to drugstore, so there's something for everyone.

NYX Loose Pearl Eye Shadow in White Pearl

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Deauville

Rimmel Natural Bronzer Powder

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Flush

tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Adored

2true Lip & Cheek Tint in Shade 2

Chanel Irreelle Ombre in 28 Camelia

Laura Mercier Mineral Cheek Powder in Coral

theBalm Mary Lou Manizer Luminizer

Laura Mercier Bare Nudes Mini Lip Glace Collection

 Benefit World Famous Most Glamorous Nudes Ever

Eylure Shape and Shade Brow Pencil and Tamer

Eye of Horus Jewel Amethyst Pencil

Maybelline Falsies Mascara Waterproof Black

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Liner in Black

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

NYC Browser Brush-On Brow Kit

Maybelline Super Stay 24-Hour Powder

Urban Decay All-Nighter Make-Up Setting Spray

byTerry Ombre Blackstar in Frozen Quartz

Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying Powder

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Sand

If you know of any other long lasting make-up products then I'd love to know about them :)

Helen x

BEAUTY: Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Pink Plum

I bought the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in America and it was around the $5 mark, from what I can see I don't think this product is out in the United Kingdom - if it is please let me know. Even if it's not available in the UK yet, I'm sure it will hop over the pond as some point and all you lovely British beauty lovers will be able to experience the wonders of this blusher.

The Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush is a light, gel like blusher that 'melts' into your skin to create a powdery finish. It really is a delight to use and so easy to apply. I usually 'dye' my cheeks with a cheek & lip tint, as I find this lasts longer, and then I'll often pop a bit of powder blusher over the top. I'm a fan of rosy cheeks! I've been using this product like a cheek stain, dabbing it with my fourth finger (so it's lightly applied) over the apples of my cheeks and then gently working it in, using circular motions. Almost instantly it 'melts' into your cheeks and leaves a lovely pink colour.

I apply this over my foundation and concealer but before powder and powder blusher/bronzer. I find the gel like consistency doesn't work into the skin as well when you've applied powder. I tend to apply slightly too much of this product because I've found that after applying powder the colour is lightened slightly. You just have to work out what suits you and the look you want to create.

I've been pairing this Pink Plum shade with the tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Adored but any bright pink powder blush will compliment this colour perfectly.


Do you know of any product similar to this?


Feel free to leave me a comment :)


 

NAILS: Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish in Nebline and Speeding Light

Nebline (left) and Speeding Light (right)

These were such a bargain from the Fragrance Direct sale (see post here) for 60p each - Speeding Light is still in stock for 60p, as are some other shades. You can also buy them from Boots (£2.99), Superdrug (only specialist ones online for £2.99) and Tesco (£3) to name a few places.

It's always a bit harder buying shades of any beauty product online, as you can't see what the actual colour will be but I'm really pleased with these too. I don't have any nail varnishes these colours, so they fit in perfectly. Out of the two I thought I'd like Speeding Light on best but actually Nebline is my favourite - as it's such a subtle colour it goes with everything!

I did find that this nail varnish was quite runny, you have to be careful not to get too much nail varnish on the brush otherwise you end up with a 'puddle' of nail varnish at the nail bed. As it is quite runny you really need two coats before you can see the true colour. The drying time is really quick and it did last really well. To be honest I wasn't expecting it to last very long, mainly because it is quite runny. But this last 4/5 days, which for me and my nails is pretty good going!

I created some flowery nail art using the nail art tools Tom gave me for Christmas (you can buy them here)....

Nebline

Speeding Light

Does your nail varnish collection have a wide variety of colours or do you stick to certain shades?

Feel free to leave me a comment :)

Eyelashes and Mascara's...

As I explained in the Clinique High Lengths Review post (see here) I always thought that mascara's couldn't ACTUALLY make your eyelashes longer, have more volume or thicker BUT it seems they can! Who would have thought?! So since finding this amazing fact out I have started trying out loads of different kinds of mascara's. Each new mascara that comes to market seems to claim a brand new attribute it can add to your eyelashes, but really how many different ways can our eyelashes be enhanced? So I decided to try all the mascara's I have and take a photo at the same angle to try and see what a difference each mascara made to my eyelashes.

As a reference these are my natural eyelashes with no mascara on...

The results are here to see plain and clear - no enhancements, no photo shop, no false eyelashes. I hope this helps you make an informed decision when buying mascara's and enable you to see the different looks a variety of mascara's can achieve...

Maybelline the Colossal Volum' Express Mascara

Maybelline

Maxfactor False Lash Effect Mascara

Collection 2000 Skyscraper Mascara

Benefit Bad Gal Lash

Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

Maybelline the Falsies Volum' Express Mascara

There is defiantly a difference between my natural eyelashes and with mascara on. There are also slight difference between these mascara's but not as much as you may think there would be. This selection of mascara's range from high street prices to more expensive prices, therefore showing the results within a range of budgets.

What do you think?

Can you see any big differences?

I'd love to hear what you think :)