Mini Review: Sleek Sparkle Palette

This is Mistletoe on its own. You can see the glitter (or lack thereof) is unevenly distributed despite blending. I think that as a palette - minus the glitter - it's quite nice in terms of colour and of course pigmentation like all Sleek shadows. However, if I'm rating this as a glitter palette like it intends to be - it's a 2/10.

It doesn't bother me (so much) that the glitter falls off straight away - it's more that some remains when applied and it ends up looking unintentional. Like you've accidentally picked up a little bit of glitter on a brush and used the brush to blend your edges and now you can't get the glitter off without starting your makeup from scratch!

If anyone has any tips on how to make this work, please share!

FOTD: Bare Eyes, Bold Lips

I've been afraid of a red lip for as long as I can remember. So this is what I put on today...

It of course all wore off by the time I got to work...



Base: Revlon ColorStay Foundation in Buff, MAC Studio Finish Concealer, e.l.f. HD Powder to set, MAC Blonde MSF as blush/highlight.
Eyes: L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara, Urban Decay Primer Potion to even out eyelids.
Lips: Natural Collection lipliner in Cinnamon, Stila lipstick in Anna.

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. III Swatches

Just a quick post today! I'm about to head out the door for a Sunday lunch at John's mum's house. Nice and relaxing - I need it! I've worked 6 days this week and am absolutely wrung out.

I received this palette for my birthday and really love it! I'm not overly keen on the glittery shadows though - none of the glitter actually adheres to the lid which is so irritating! Not only because you don't get the effect you want but because it ends up all over the rest of your face. I've yet to find an eyeshadow that doesn't do this.









What do you think? Do you love it as much as I do?

Sleek Sparkle Palette Swatches

Who else picked up the Sparkle palette today? I didn't cheat (technically) on P5P - John bought this for me! It's really pretty and I'll be wearing it tomorrow to see how well the sparkles last!



First impressions - I really, really love Twinkle. Swatched, Illusion and Festive look more or less identical. Perhaps it's my light. Gold Ribbon and Tinsel look quite out of place despite Noir being the only matte shade. Overall it's a lovely palette and for the price, another great addition to my collection! I'm happy to own it.





L-R:
Cranberry, Dream Maker, Galactic, Twinkle, Star Light, Noir
Illusion, Festive, Mistletoe, Glitz & Glamour, Gold Ribbon, Tinsel

What do you think? Will you be picking this up? I also had John buy one to give away! Isn't he lovely?

Update: Applied, there's next to no glitter. Most, if not all of it falls off when you blend it out. There is a pretty iridescence to the shadows though.

Mario Badescu: Baring All (Before Pics)

I'm starting my Mario Badescu skincare regime today! I'm really excited about this. I've had this feeling before about other products. I felt it at the start of my Lush skincare regime and while it worked for a year and a half and still is to some extent, I think I need to try something new. Something with chemicals...mmm...chemicals.

Before:



(Fully aware that I look deeply unimpressed about posting ugly pictures of myself on the internet - all about honesty though right?)

Lots of scarring, one or two active spots which are drying up but are most certainly still there. Time of the month is coming up so I'll no doubt have a monster of a breakout around my jawline and on my cheeks. I also have lots of small white bumps under the surface of my skin, mostly around my T-Zone.

What am I aiming for?

I'm not unreasonable nor am I unrealisitc. I don't expect miracles or airbrushed looking skin in 2 weeks. Ideally, I'd like to have my acne under control to the point where I'm only experiencing small hormonal breakouts. I'd like my scarring to fade and for my skin texture to improve so that covering the scarring I do have is much easier. More than anything, I'd like consistent skin so I'm not jumping from a heavy foundation to a tinted moisturizer every couple weeks.

London IMATS 2011 Anyone?

I'm thinking about going on the Saturday, possibly the Sunday too but as I'm not building up a kit anymore, I'm purely there for the shopping! Is anyone else going? Come forward friends! I promise I'm not as scary or abrasive in real life.

xx

Haul: Mario Badescu Skincare

Quite a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to win a £25 voucher for beautybay.com. I'd been eyeing up the RMK Cleansing Oil and some RMK palettes and had intended to save up a bit of dolla and get the lot in one go. Failing miserably, I settled on my original intention - Mario Badescu skincare.



I placed my order late Thursday night and to my surprise, found a well packaged box on my bed when I woke up this morning! I was expecting it to arrive Monday or Tuesday! Service - top notch peeps. I was informed of the process the whole time. I instantly received an order confirmation email and a despatch email the following day.

I purchased the Acne Repair Kit at £33.95 - which includes their infamous Drying Lotion, Drying Cream and Buffering Lotion, Acne Facial Cleanser at £12.50, Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 15 at £18.75 and the Whitening Mask at £20.50. The £25 off really helped!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be using these products religiously and documenting my progress weekly. I'll start this on Monday morning and will post "Before" photos.

Breakdown of each product (from beautybay.com):

Please click the thumbnail to see ingredients.

Acne Facial Cleanser:



"Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser (177ml) will prevent and heal existing acne with this exfoliating and deep cleansing wash.

• Formulated with acne-fighting Salicylic Acid.
• Contains Aloe Vera and Chamomile, natural ingredients that calm and soothe acne inflamed skin.
• For best results follow with our Special Cucumber Lotion or recommended astringent.
• Suitable for combination and oily skins.

Acne Repair Kit:

"Mario Badescu Acne Repair Kit contains everything you need to keep oily and acne prone skin looking clean, clear and healthy.

• Kit Contains:
• Our world famous Drying Lotion (1oz.) clears up whiteheads overnight.
• Drying Cream (0.5 oz.) which is an effective treatment to dry up small under-surface blemishes.
• Buffering Lotion (1 oz.) helps to fight acne before it starts.
• Suitable for all skin types."

Drying Lotion Ingredients: Isopropryl Alcohol, Aqua, Calamine, Camphor, Calloidal Sulfur, Salicylic Acid, Glycerin, Talc, Zinc Oxide, (CI77947), Titanium Dioxide, (CI77891).

Buffering Lotion Ingredients: Aqua, Isopropryl Alcohol, Sodium Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Hydrolyzed Serum Protein, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Pyridoxine, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Allantoin, Biotin.

Drying Cream Ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Colloidal Sulfur, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ichthammol, Polysorbate-80, Polyglycerylmethacrylate, Propylene Glycol, Zinc Oxide (Ci77947), Titanium Dioxide (Ci77891).

Whitening Mask:



"Mario Badescu Whitening Mask (60ml) is a hydrating mask that will help brighten uneven skin tones and gently reduce the look of old acne scars and discolorations from the sun.

• Skin lightening, natural ingredients like Kojic Acid, Licorice and Mulberry make this mask gentle for all skin types.
• Contains no Alpha Hydroxy Acids making it safe for acne erupted skin.
• Suitable for all skin types."

Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 15:

"Mario Badescu Oil Free Moisturizer SPF15 is a simple, fragrance free, lightweight daily moisture for oily and problem skin.

• Non-clogging and ultra absorbent.
• It also has the added benefits of daily sun protection to keep scarring and discoloration to a minimum.
• Suitable for oily, combination and sensitive skin types."

So wish me luck! I've heard such fantastic things about Mario Badescu products and can't wait to see whether they'll help me as much as they've helped others.

Have you tried anything from Mario Badescu? How did you find their products?

Forever 21's UK Site

Check it!

I think I know where my Christmas money is going. Score and a half people!

Has anyone purchased anything yet? If so, how was the service?

So excited!

Review: Lush Skincare

Last night, John ordered a bunch of Mario Badescu products from beautybay.com for me so I'll be finishing off my Lush skincare soon. I've been using these products for about a year and a half now and I've been really pleased with how well they've worked for me, but think it's time for a change! My skin seems to have gotten used to the products so fingers crossed, Mario will pull through.





First up is my cleanser. I use Fresh Farmacy both morning and night and find it does an excellent job of calming any redness in my skin and drying up breakouts. If you have mild to moderate acne or rosacea, I'd say give this product a try and see how it goes. It's inexpensive and Lush are excellent for giving samples. It doesn't smell amazing, but isn't unpleasant. It can leave the skin feeling tight but a dab of moisturizer fixes that problem easily. If you like a squeaky clean feel when you wash your face, Fresh Farmacy will do that. Another Lush cleanser I can recommend for oily skin is CoalFace. My boyfriend uses it daily and it has helped his skin immensely. Another inexpensive item we both use is the Body Shop's Facial Buffer to gently exfoliate each day which means I don't need to use a separate exfoliator!



Tea Tree Water is essentially a toner. It's very gentle, it doesn't sting when you apply it like many alcohol based toners can be and it cleans any cleanser or makeup residue from your face. Again, I use this morning and night and it's great for picking up any makeup your makeup remover and/or cleanser may have missed. You'd be surprised!



Grease Lightning is a blemish treatment but I use it as if it were a serum - especially when I'm breaking out. It does a wonderful job of gently calming and healing any spots you might have. I had a monster coming up just under my nose (ouch) on Tuesday. Today, it's gone. There's the slightest bump when I run my finger over it but it's no longer painful or red.

I use my Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/o to remove my makeup and Cetaphil moisturizer and find they work well in harmony with each of the Lush products. It's a great routine and it has worked for me but like I said; time for a change! I've tried other products in between and found some winners (Shu oil!) but I've never changed my entire routine like this.

I'll be keeping a diary and photographing my progress with the Mario Badescu products. To some, they're quite an investment (myself included) so it's always nice to see how well they work (or not) before purchasing.

Are there any products you use that you wouldn't change for the world? I thought Fresh Farmacy was mine, but it turns out...it's my Shu oil!

Photo credits: Lush.co.uk

NOTD: Models Own Champagne & Barry M Nail Effects

I got to play around a little more with Nail Effects and coupled it with Models Own Champagne. I'm glad this didn't sell in my blog sale!

Mimi update:

Growing for sure. We're getting her spayed soon. She and Reggie get on so well now, they even curl up and sleep together. She gets jealous when I'm making a fuss of Reggie and comes and sits in my lap.

Silly as ever:



Special Delivery...

I didn't stick that on her, we came home and she was trying to get it off her head!

Review: Lush Christmas Eve Bubble Bar

I'm slowly working my way through my stash of Lush's Christmas goodies. I managed to fit in one bath last week and the weekend has been bath-free! I've showered...of course.



What Lush say:

"The Night Before

Escape from seasonal stresses with a soothing, deep blue, floral bubble bath. Irish moss powder forms a soothing, softening gel in the beautifully blue water; the floral and sensual scents of jasmine and ylang ylang are relaxing, and the oils are good for caring for sensitive skins.

Relaxing Blue Bubble Bar

On the night before Christmas, all through your house, if everybody is stirring and making you grouse, run yourself a Christmas Eve bubble bath and watch your troubles to float away.

Irish Moss Powder

When it comes into contact with the hot bath water, Irish moss powder forms a gel-like solution in the water, which is very soothing."



We all know I fawn all over floral scents and this bubble bar made me react no differently. It's smooth, silky and beautifully fragranced. Not overpowering, but not subtle in any way; the Christmas Eve bubble bar doesn't offer the traditional scents of Christmas with Ylang Ylang, Jasmine and Gardenia; but more the feeling of Christmas Eve - when you want to be relaxed, pampered and prepared for the next day's festivities. When crumbled under running water, you are greeted with a mass of bubbles and relaxing (I think anyway...) murky, deep blue water. I know some won't like a cold bathroom, but I quite like it when I've got the window open a tad and the hot bath steams in the cold air. The water felt smooth as did my skin once I'd pulled myself out of the bath (after several hot water top ups I might add) and I felt loosened up and ready to finish chilling out in bed with a copy of War and Peace *cough* heat magazine.

Christmas Eve bubble bar is a welcome break from Lush's 2010 Christmas goodies, most of which have been based around Christmas treats (food) and/or sickly sweet (which I also love!) - and one I'm sure will return again next year! This was one of my favourites from last year and I'm very happy it's back. Either way, I'll be picking up a couple and locking them up in a baggie for later next year.

I'm quite aware that my reviews have been heavily Lush based! If anyone has any review requests of products they've seen in my hauls or (sort of) collection post, please feel free to email me, leave a comment, Tweet me etc. I'm always very pleased to hear from people! It doesn't have to be a review request either!

I hope you're all keeping well and enjoying the run up to Christmas. What are your plans this year? I'm heading off to spend a week with John's mum and brother. Lots of fluffy blankets, pillows, food, fire and TV!

100 Followers Giveaway! [CLOSED]

I reached 100 followers today! Thanks so much to everyone who reads, comments and interacts with me. Again, I really appreciate it!

Prizes:

1 MAC permanent line eyeshadow of your choice. Pot or pan.
1 MAC permanent line lipstick or lipglass of your choice.

Details:

1) You must be a follower using Google Friend Connect.
2) This is open internationally.
3) If you're under 18, you need to have your parents permission to give me your address should you win.
4) You cannot enter using a blog only used for giveaway/contest entries.

How to enter:

Comments:

In the comments below, write which eyeshadow and lipstick or lipglass you'd like and why, plus your second choices in case your first choices aren't in stock! This counts for 1 entry.

Example:

"Hi! I would choose Satin Taupe pan eyeshadow because it is a great staple eyeshadow and Myth lipstick because I don't have anything like it in my collection. My second choices are Deep Truth pot eyeshadow and Lychee Luxe lipglass."

Blog:

Write about my giveaway in its own blog post and/or post it in your sidebar with a photo. Each gives 5 extra entries. Please post the links with your entry in the comments below.

Twitter:

Copy and paste the Tweet below. Each RT will earn you one extra entry. Please leave your Twitter name with your entry in the comments below.

RT @ricewarrior I'm celebrating 100 followers with a little MAC giveaway! If you like my blog follow & enter to win http://bit.ly/9LrbHE

Winner will be chosen at random.

This giveaway ends on the 2nd January @ 11pm GMT! You've got WEEKS to enter! It's a very long one as I don't want prizes going missing or taking forever in the Christmas rush so they'll be shipped out after Christmas.

Have fun!

Chrissy xx

Birthday Haul & Giveaway Win!

The past week has been quite eventful. I celebrated my 23rd birthday at home with my boyfriend and the cats! Bo-ring some may say, but it was perfect for me. I got to speak to my mum and brother for ages over the phone - something I don't get to do very often (as they live in the Philippines and Hong Kong) so I was really happy! It was a quiet yet very joyful day with lots of food, a bit of poker and copious amounts of tea (as I don't drink alcohol).

Here's what I got:









Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. III from John. Amazing! It's very, very pretty. I haven't yet had the chance to play with the shadows yet but I'll try get a few looks and swatches posted in the next few days if that's something you're interested in.



Hugo Boss Orange - again from John. I love this perfume! A very modern bottle, this perfume offers sweet scents though not as much the spritz of orange as you'd expect. Very floral with strong vanilla notes. Womanly rather than girly and playful like the adverts suggest.



Flowers from my girl down in Cornwall! A really lovely surprise to come home to after work.



Will get a better photo of Nail Effects. I was so excited to break these out I used both!



Barry M Dusky Mauve & Nail Effects. I actually bought these a while ago but promised myself I wouldn't touch them until my birthday due to P5P...and so these are a gift to myself for being so blatantly crap at not spending but making up for it by not using what I buy!

I also received some jewellery, clothes and a bit of cash which I've tucked away in an old biscuit tin for when I finish P5P which is imminent...I've got about 1/4 through the eyeshadow duo and 1/2 way through my UDPP!

This evening (well, yesterday evening now) I was lucky enough to go to an HP and Palm event at Westfield London Shopping Centre. I got to check out all the awesome new laptops and phones and got to have a go on the new ice rink. I'll be blogging about this for work so will post the link up when it's published. My last blog post about the Blog for Sales session is here in case you're interested.









At the event, I gratefully received a £50 Westfield gift voucher which I swiftly spent in Inglot afterwards. I picked up 10 shadows in the Freedom System and an angled contour brush. I think the concept of the Freedom System is amazing and is an excellent way to customise palettes whether you're a makeup junkie or a makeup artist starting your kit. Inglot offers fantastic quality products at very, very reasonable prices. 10 shadows plus the palette came to £35! Buy 10 shadows and a palette from MAC and not only get less product (in terms of grams) but pay £101! I can honestly say, that these shadows meet and some exceed the quality of MAC shadows. For example - Carbon...crap. Inglot's matte black is incredible (see bottom left swatch). A little powdery but amazing pigmentation. It's such a shame that this isn't a brand that is readily available. The store at Westfield is the only one in the UK and as far as I know, you can't order online. I also really love the magnetic palette. It's very strong and I feel confident that it would take a lot for this to break! The only thing I'd change is the frosted lid, though you can roughly see the colours in the palette through it.



One more thing that I received this week was a 100ml DKNY Be Delicious EDP from Sarah that I very unexpectedly won. I really, really love this fragrance. It's sweet, fruity and long lasting. It's ideal for me.

In between everything, I've had doctors appointments (been having some health problems, blood tests etc...eugh) and puppy sitting weaved in. It's been hectic but I'm glad to have a nice relaxing day tomorrow. Today. Whatever! It's 3am. I'm off to bed!

What are you doing this weekend? Hope it's fabulous!

xx

Review: Marc Jacobs Basil

This is my first fragrance review. Feel free to spit and laugh. I'm absolutely rubbish at describing scents that aren't bang in your face but will try my very best!



This scent has to be one of my favourites for this time of year. Described as a summer fragrance, it's refreshing amongst the autumnal heady florals. I bought this back in August and quite honestly barely touched it until a couple of weeks ago. John used it on and off but decided it wasn't for him and it slowly slid to the back of my fragrance drawer.

The packaging is clean and chic; a plain, clear glass bottle with a black glossy cap and simple labelling. This bottle is a whopping 300ml meaning it will last forever! I've been using this for at least 3 weeks straight and it has barely gone down. It is priced at £43 but I picked it up for £17.99 at TK Maxx. Nice!

Lifted from the post I first mentioned this in:

It's a clean unisex fragrance with top notes of tomato leaf, lemon and basil, middle notes of orange blossom, freesia and jasmine and base notes of sandalwood, musk and cashmere wood. Now I don't know what any of that means, I just know that I like it. Though I do think it might be weird that John and I will smell the same on certain days. I think he'll be using this a lot more than I will as it's a slightly more masculine fragrance - and I'm more than happy for him to. It is after all, a huuuge bottle.

I still stand by this. I love its masculinity. I love the strong woody base, the lighter fruity notes. I love the way it sits on my skin and develops throughout the day. It's one of those fragrances that evolves as you wear it. It starts out strong, with the earthy notes coming out first. At around lunchtime, you're left with a light fruity, herby scent which lasts until teatime when most will choose another fragrance for evening. I now realise that I not only like my men to have perfect timing, but my perfumes too.

Review: Lush Karma Bubble Bar

I haven't ever brought anything home from the Karma range at Lush, despite it being their most popular scent. How stupid do I feel now huh?

What Lush say:

"Our signature in bubbles.

Our signature fragrance for bath-time: oranges and multi-layered spices. Karma is a fragrance that keeps on giving. Each time you catch a whiff of its layered fragrance you notice yet another thread in its multi-stranded personality.

Trippy Karma fragrance.

Karma bubble bar was created so that customers could enjoy a hot bubble bath with our signature fragrance.

Pine oil

Aromatherapists use it to clear the mind and for its cleansing and antiseptic qualities.

Elemi oil

Elemi oil is used throughout our range of Karma products for its unique aroma and skin conditioning properties."

Karma is fantastic for those who enjoy clean, sweet citrus scents. This bubble bar is moisturising, smells absolutely gorgeous and creates a mountain of bubbles!

Strangely enough I really enjoy the patchouli scent and combined with the orange and pine, it comes out clean and slightly masculine. Karma bubble bar is yet another one of those Lush products that permeates throughout your entire house so it's fantastic when you can't be bothered to do the dishes.

I'll for sure, be repurchasing. It's an uplifting product that softly cuddles you in the bath and leaves your skin soft and fragrant. Adding the perfume to my wishlist too!

Busy Sunday + P5P update

As per usual, my Sunday was full of things to do. Laundry, dishes, chasing cats out of places they shouldn't be, researching places John and I might like to move to and a little bit of work. I'd intended to sleep in but of course Mimi decided she wanted a cuddle so rubbed her nose all over my face, then nipped my bottom lip. So it's quarter to 2 in the afternoon now and I've long finished the house work and looked at just about every area of South London and still haven't decided on where we want to move to. Now all that's left is to finish my write up on an event I attended for work called Blog for Sales. Very interesting; gave me lots of insight into how much power bloggers really have...and how much money some of them earn!

One more thing I'd intended to do today was place an order with BeautyBay.com. I won a voucher a while ago and have been saving up some money in my PayPal account to make a big purchase of Mario Badescu skincare and the RMK cleansing oil (still not violating P5P!) but then found out that they don't accept PayPal! My own stupid fault for not checking. I hope that I haven't lost my voucher! I entered it but didn't complete checkout. We'll see. I'll be placing my order on Wednesday or Thursday instead.

Speaking of wins, I very unexpectedly won Sarah's DKNY Be Delicious giveaway! It's my birthday week, perhaps the Gods are sending me luck this year.

Friday and Saturday were both eventful. We headed to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to meet a 12 week old Husky/Lab cross puppy. He was extremely playful and absolutely STUNNING! We then headed out to the depths of the Kent countryside to set off fireworks and start a gigantic bonfire. A women's bike club + fireworks = good times. Always.



Saturday, John's mum brought the puppy home! He settled in really well and plays nicely with a friend's adult Alsatian! Pup really holds his own too! Because of how big he's going to be and his breed history, he's going to be a working dog as well as a pet and will help John's mum down the allotments. For now, we're all concentrating on getting him well trained - he's very intelligent - and getting the cats used to him!



Cream crackered after lots of playtime!

Saturday evening - more fires and fireworks...and lots of food. All the cuttings from where we were preparing the allotments for winter (as well as lots of scrap wood) went on a huge bonfire. John had fun setting off fireworks and actually managed to get a Catherine Wheel to spin properly! TWICE!





Project 5 Pan is coming along nicely. I managed to finish my Revlon ColorStay foundation yesterday meaning there's just the eyeshadow duo and UDPP left! I predict I will finish these by the end of the month meaning I can still snap up lots of Christmas deals and goodies in the January sales!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a safe bonfire night!

xx

I have made a decision...

I am going to conquer my fear of eyelash curlers and false lashes. I am going to add some lash curlers to my Christmas wishlist and attempt falsies this week.

BTW - Actual fear. Not a joke.

I've spoken about this quite a few times on my blog and whenever I read my posts out to myself in my head, I become aware of how insane slash ridiculous I am.

So that's it. I've decided.

Last time I tried (and failed) using a lash curler, I cried for 25 minutes and had to lay down.

I'm so doing this you know.

When I last had falsies applied, they ripped out half my eyelashes when I removed them. Yes, I used eye makeup remover and soaked them. Made no difference.

So yeah...I'm doing this.

If you don't see a post from me in the next few days, I'm probably sat in a corner somewhere hyperventilating with a pair of lash curlers and falsies in the middle of the room.