How To: Depot Urban Decay Primer Potion

At 11 quid a pop, I'd like to think I get the most out of this product. Urban Decay disagrees. If you have the old version of UDPP, you may have heard about how much product is wasted due to the poor design of the packaging. I'll be honest, I'm not 100% convinced the new wand makes much of a difference so will be depotting all Urban Decay Primer Potions in future. I know about the new pro tube but really, I'm not sure I'd use it all. I may give Too Faced Shadow Insurance a go when I've used this up.

So, to get started - disinfect everything. You'll need a disinfected serrated knife, a disinfected container (I'm re-using my Lush lip balm pot) and disinfected hands. Did I mention you need to disinfect EVERYTHING?! A spritz of alcohol over everything will suffice.



1. Firmly take hold of the base of the tube and place it on its side.
2. Remove the wand and cut through the widest part of the tube until you can separate the two sections. It's actually very easy to cut through.



Check out how much is still in there! And I thought this was empty! There was literally nothing coming off the wand when I used this.

3. Use the wand to scoop out the product and transfer it to your chosen container. The more air tight the better.





4. That's it! Stick a label on it if you wish.

FOTD: Natural Sunday

This is my first Face Of The Day post. I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with it but hey, it's up. It's also several hours old! I slapped up at 11am this morning so I've had this on for a good 8 1/2 hours now.



I used Revlon ColorStay foundation mixed with a little of my Cetaphil moisturiser, M.A.C Studio Finish concealer, e.l.f HD powder to set all over then my No7 pressed bronzing pearls to warm up my skin a little and I used it lightly as a blush. I highlighted my cheek bones and brow bone with M.A.C Silver Dusk Iridescent Powder. Lined my waterline with GOSH velvet touch eyeliner pencil in Bananas and contoured my lids with a reddy brown shadow in the e.l.f mini makeup kit. Slicked on Maybelline Great Lash mascara and left my lips and brows bare.

Review: Lush Li'l Lush Pud

One of my favourite Lush Christmas offerings. I stocked up on these last Christmas! I plan on doing the same this year.



What Lush say:

"It May Be Li'l, But It's No Pudding

Our li'l version of a traditional Christmas pudding grows more popular every year. The fragrance of our pud will instantly make you hungry for a figgy pudding. Although this is a ballistic, it contains many of the things you'll find in your Christmas dessert.

Bath Time Dessert

The Pud is one of our most soothing ballistics. It's made with aloe vera extract to nurture dry or rough skin and add a brown colour to the little bomb

Cloves

Cloves are spicy and have a mild analgesic effect. We use powdered clove to add spice to our fizzing figgy pudding.

Powdered lemon peel

Powdered lemon peel and clove add both sweetness and spice, giving you the full pudding experience right there in your bathroom."

The reason why I love this product so much is not because of how adorable it looks - perfect stocking filler by the way! - but because of how lovely it smells and how moisturising it is despite its small size. When you slip into the bath, you're surrounded by sweet, spicy, warm water that brings about the essence of Christmas. Food, family, fun. You feel your belly warming, your back relaxing and your lips curling up at the sides. The only downside I'd say, is the colour. It turns your bath water into a browny yellow colour which can only be compared to something that should probably (though I hear incredible stories about its properties) never be mentioned on a beauty blog.

When you get out of the bath, reach for your towel warming on the radiator and wrap it around yourself, it's easy to feel why I love this so much. Your skin is soft and your head is clear, ready for a night of dreaming about what Boots will bring you for Christmas *cough* Givenchy Ange ou Demon Le Secret *cough* and what delicious warm drink you'll have waiting for you once you curl up on the sofa in front of the telly.

I highly recommend this one. If you've tried it, let me know what you think!

October Favourites: e.l.f, No7, Wet n Wild, Models Own, M.A.C

There are a few things I've been using religiously this month. A few are past loves, a few are products I didn't think too much of when I first bought them and have found new uses for and some are products I've bought recently that have had a lot of use.

First up is a product I bought nearly a year ago and didn't really like. It was decent but wasn't something I reached for very often. e.l.f HD powder from their studio line. I use this to set my under eye concealer and find it does an absolutely fantastic job of that! I like using my Revlon contour crease brush for this. It's a little messy to use because of the square lid and round screw top but at a fiver, you can't complain much and if I'm using this to set under my eyes, it'll last forever.



Next is a product I received in a swap a while back. I've been using this a lot lately as the shades are very autumnal and we all know I love a good purple. It's the Wet n Wild ColorIcon palette in Lust. Gorgeous shades, incredible pigmentation. If you can get your hands on this I really recommend you do! I hear fantastic things about the ColorIcon shadows and am hoping to get a few more. If anyone on the other side of the pond is interested in doing a swap please get in touch! I'm guessing (and hoping) I'll be done with P5P by the end of November and the UK has a lot of awesome products available. Sleek and Barry M being the main brands and MeMeMe is one coming up in popularity.



M.A.C's Studio Finish concealer has been a staple of mine for a couple years now. It offers great coverage without looking cakey and the colour match is perfect. I have this concealer in NC20 and NW20 - NC I use for blemishes and NW I use under my eyes. I use this by applying with my fingers and patting in to blend.



M.A.C eyeshadow in Humid is another one I've been going to quite a lot lately. One of my Project 5 Pan items is a neutral Biotherm duo which is lovely on it's own but sometimes it's nice just to add a pop of colour and I love green on my eyes. I have small green patches dotted around my iris and this really brings them out.



I bought a Models Own blending brush in a set back when they had their 50% off sale. The size of this brush is perfect for my eyes. I have hooded eyelids and not much lid space so find that it's difficult to create definition in my crease while blending out well and not too far up for a daytime look. This brush is an ideal size for that. It's soft and washes well too. I've not noticed any shedding.





Last up is No7 Stay Perfect nail polish in Totally Teal. It's the most perfect creamy petrol blue colour. I usually change my nail polish up every couple of days because I get bored, but I find myself reapplying this one day after day! It also looks fantastic with gold glitter over the top. I have one of these polishes included in my giveaway! If you haven't entered, you can do so here.



What are your October favourites? Have you used any of these products? Share!

Review: Lush Winter Bath Ballistic

This evening I decided to stay in. Yes, it's a Friday night but we're still in the middle of saving money plus I'll be honest with you; I just don't know many people in London. When I stay in, I relax with a bath and a Dexter marathon. This evening, Winter Bath was picked from my Lush drawer. These are my thoughts on this product.



What Lush say:

"Creamy Spice Bath

Everyone needs a good, hot winter bath every once in a while to keep the cold at bay, but they can dry your skin out if they are too hot. That's where we step in with our Winter Bath ballistic

Soya Milk

This ballistic is actually made with a little of our bath melt mixture, too, to keep skin moisturised. We've also mixed in some soothing, softening soya milk powder, which disperses in the water to create a milky bath

Ginger

Ginger has traditionally been used in ancient remedies as a way of stimulating and warming the skin, as well as improving circulation.

Inspired by Noriko

Noriko and Mark worked on this one together, taking inspiration from Japanese bathing traditions. There are spicy ginger oils and clove bud to warm your body and get your circulation pumping again. You'll be hot blooded again in no time."

I do like this ballistic, but I don't love it. It smells pleasant; soothing and calming, but I didn't feel as moisturised as I thought I would be. I'm used to bubble bars and bath ballistics making the water silky smooth. Whilst my bath water appeared milky (a sort of light milky turquoise) it didn't feel it.

I could certainly smell the ginger, it was the first scent that hit me. This is a very earthy ballistic so if you're into sweet smells, I'd steer clear. Next I noticed how lovely my muscles felt. Very relaxed and loose. I'd imagine this would be fantastic for when you've got the flu.

This is probably totally irrelevant but this bath ballistic fizzed much slower than any other I've used before and didn't dissolve completely. It left a piece about the size of a Malteser. It was actually quite nice not to see it rushing around the bath!

Have you bought and tried any of the Christmas products this year? What are your must haves? I recently received Christmas Eve and Lil Lush Pud. Both are amazing products!

Photo from Lush.co.uk

Video: Reggie Grooms Mimi

Proper post later this evening - a Lush review. I just had to post this. No joke, seeing this made me tear up a little bit. SO CUTE!

Review: Sleek Bad Girl Palette

Sleek MakeUp Bad Girl Palette



L-R: Innocence, Gullible, Blade, Gun Metal, Underground, Noir
Intoxicated, Envy, Obnoxious, Abyss, Twilight, Rebel



Look using Innocence, Gullible and Abyss.

Excuse the transfer under my eye. There's a lack of concealer and primer here!

I know I only purchased this today but I feel that because I have a few other Sleek palettes, I'd be alright giving a fair review of this product as it is mostly based on the colours.

A bit about Sleek palettes: Priced at £5.99 and including 12 mineral based eyeshadows, Sleek palettes are not only fabulous quality but fantastic value for money at a pinch under 50p a shadow. The eyeshadows tend to be shimmery but a few palettes include matte and satin finishes as well. Pigmentation is phenomenal and in my opinion rivals Shu Uemura's (and we all know I'm a Shu Superfan) - and that's saying something. Application is buttery soft, the shadows are easily blendable and wear well. The only downside is I find I get quite a lot of fallout with these shadows but it's nothing that would stop me from buying them.

The Sleek Bad Girl palette is one half of their latest offering. The other half is the Sleek Good Girl palette which I feel is not something too many people would be interested in unless they're Sleek collectors or plan on using it as a blush palette as it's full of gorgeous pinks and corals. This time, the shades have names! Unfortunately the names are not printed anywhere on the palette except for the plastic protective insert which I usually throw away but won't this time.

I've got to say that the Sleek Bad Girl palette is my favourite so far with the Graphite palette coming in a very close second. It holds a selection of wearable smokey colours that suit any eye colour or skintone. I'm a sucker for a good purple shadow and the purples and blues are my favourite shades in the Bad Girl palette. Check out Twilight! Gorgeous.

Did you manage to get your beautiful mitts on this today? Do you plan on getting it?

Sleek Haul & 50 Followers Giveaway Prizes

I lay in bed this morning and wondered whether I should clean the house or head out and pick up the Sleek Bad Girl palette which was released today. Shopping it was. Didn't want to take my chances by trying to get it tomorrow. My instincts were correct. I picked up the last 2 palettes on the shelf. There was still a full stack of Good Girl palettes. I wasn't overly interested in the Good Girl palette. A couple of the shades were lovely but who really needs 12 pink eyeshadows? They might be great as a mini blush palette but I've got an abundance of blushes and am not in the market for any more at the moment.



Sleek Bad Girl palette - will post swatches later tonight.

Popped into Primark for some trusty disposble fashion and didn't find much. They had some nice faux fur gilets in and a few cute blazers but I look awful in anything faux fur and I have more blazers than any one person needs in their lifetime. I did find this keyring and picked up two. I tend to pick up doubles of things I really like just in case I want to give it away or give it to someone as a gift.

Anyway, a little preview of my 50 Followers Giveaway prizes.



Barry M Dusky Mauve, Barry M Nail Effects, Sleek Bad Girl palette & a pretty darn cute keychain. Baby cat not included.

Mimi Update: Much better now, Reggie has settled in more but still tends to run away when she comes near him! Umm...Reggie, she's the size of your water dish? He's just used to being the baby and we understand that. They've had their little scraps here and there but generally get on just fine.



They're eating together!



We have to give up on reading books or magazines with the cats around. They like to lay on them before you get a chance to turn the page.



She knows where we keep the food!

PS: P5P is still on - I cleared the Bad Girl palette release and it doesn't count! Oh I'm a cheeky one.

PPS: Getting insanely frustrated that I can't open or use my bottles of Dusky Mauve & Nail Effects! Since I bought them whilst on P5P, I'm not allowed to.

Autumn Cleaning & P5P update!

You do a little bit of Autumn cleaning....and you find a forgotten Stila lipstick in a handbag, a Rimmel nail polish under the bed and a load of earrings you'd thought you'd lost so had already thrown away the other half of the pair. Actually, the kitten found most of the earrings...she thought they were new toys. Toys they were not.







Stila Shine Lip Color in Anna

A Project 5 Pan update - I finished my Armani powder foundation a while ago and have just knocked out my Lush lip balm - a sure sign of how parched my lips are at the moment. I'm finding myself applying lip balm every 5 minutes. I have UDPP, the Biotherm eyeshadow duo and my Revlon Colorstay left to go! I've been using the Colorstay everyday since P5P started and because my skin seems to be behaving itself at the moment, I'm using less of it which is slightly annoying. I'm aware of how stupid that sounds.

I'd also like to add that I used up 3 mascaras this week! I decided not to include mascaras in P5P as they're so easy to use up. I finished off my Diorshow, Rimmel The Max Volume Flash and a mini Benefit Bad Gal Lash. Very proud.

Many will know that the amount of UDPP wasted is just...unasseptable (watched Supernanny today) so I'll be posting about how you can get the rest of the product out.

Update on Mimi: She's settling in very well and is super affectionate. Having some trouble with Reggie accepting the fact that he's not the baby anymore but this happened today:



And I consider that a bloody triumph! This is what it must feel like to see your child walk for the first time.



Miss Mariah

Hope you've all had a fabulous weekend! Get up to much? Do share.

xx

Introducing a new member of the family...

This is our little Mariah aka Mimi. She's the most precious black kitten with faint brown tiger stripes which you can only see in certain light. We brought her home last night and she's settling in well but Reggie seems to be scared of her despite her being about 1/3 of the size of him! He's not impressed. But they both need time! She hasn't "adopted" either of us yet but I'm hoping she'll lean more towards me as Reggie has nominated John as "his".

Really happy Reggie finally has a new playmate!

1 more follower until I start my giveaway! Fingers crossed I can post it tonight!

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.

xx

Tag: 4 Things

I nicked this from Katie's blog. Go and have a look at her answers and perhaps write a post of your own!

Four things in my bag

1. Lizzy Arden 8 Hour Cream - my face dies if I don't have this.
2. Tigger pen - don't even ask.
3. Nose stud - I haven't had my nose pierced for about 6 years...so...? It's new as well!
4. The Fashion Book - I like the pretty pictures.



Four things in my purse

1. Shakeaway card #3. If you know what Shakeaway is, you know why this is just as important as a Boots card.
2. A prayer I've had since I was around 9. My mum gave it to me.
3. Christmas stamps from last year. Yep...that's how often I send letters!
4. Bobby pins.



4 things in my bedroom

1. A painting I did a few years ago.
2. A Christmas wreath I'm making - drying it out at the moment but it'll have extra things put on it.
3. A grapefruit scented candle I picked up for like 60p at Lidl. It smells lovely. The mug it's in is from Ikea.
4. A bundle of homegrown wheat - I'll be weaving this into coasters/placemats if I ever decide to open an Etsy store.



4 things that I've always wanted to do

1. Live in Brazil.
2. Know what it's like to be blind.
3. Eat Fugu (blow fish).
4. Slice malt loaf without squishing it. This picture is complete LIES!



4 things I'm currently into

1. Lush baths - especially now it's getting colder, I'm bringing bubble bars and bath ballistics back into my life.
2. Raspberry leaf tea for period cramps. Tastes strange but it really works girls! In fact, I'll include a box in my giveaway.
3. Vitamins!
4. Chatting to people online! I used to find this so boring but I really enjoy it now. I love connecting with people I wouldn't speak to/see in everyday life. Like to talk? ME TOO! Tweet me @ricewarrior or email me at chrissydee1011@hotmail.co.uk



4 things I bet you dont know about me

1. I was engaged for a total of 6 days when I was 18. Worst. Decision. Ever.
2. I can't stand having the backs of my knees touched. Not long after John and I got together, I punched him in the face because he grazed over them by accident. I didn't really do it on purpose either - reflex. (Obvs. couldn't find a relevant photo for this so here's some nice legs)
3. I really really like peanut butter and tomatoes. Together. In a sandwich. Toasted. That's what lifes all about.
4. I am mixed race (Eurasian) - this is me Ma & Pa.



Four songs I can't get out of my head

1. After reading that - Kylie's CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD! Thanks. Hahah.
2. Rolling Stones - Angie
3. That Justin "I'm on my period" Beiber song...baby baby baby whatevershutupplease. It's just in there! It won't stop!
4. UmbrellaELLAELLAELLAELLAELLAELLA. I've had this song in my head for like...3 years now.



I promise, I'm not a complete lunatic...aaand there go the followers...COME BACK! 4 more of you guys and I'm posting my 25 followers giveaway! Next ones 50, then 100, then 200 and so on. If I ever get there!

Have an excellent week wherever you are!

Chrissy xx

***Some photos were Googled for - if there are any issues with them, please contact me and I'll remove them right away***

How to: Press pigments & powders

This technique can be used for just about anything you want to put in a pan that's in loose powder form. I've used this to save products I'd dropped on the floor that had shattered, pigments and powder foundations (to mix the perfect shade for me) and it has worked really well.

I had some No7 Bronzing Pearls that had seen better days. Most of the pearls had been crushed up into a powder and I decided (at 5 in the morning in all my wisdom) to press the loose powder into a pan. So there I was, picking the intact pearls out of the powdery mess when John woke up and "eh'd" in my general direction then rolled over. It really does say something when this is something he's used to seeing.

All you need is:

* An empty pan - you can purchase eyeshadow pans that fit perfectly into M.A.C palettes or just use empty pans of products you've used up - I used the empty pan and compact from my Giorgio Armani Silk foundation powder (1 down 4 to go on P5P!)
* Alcohol
* Something to stir with - I used a spatula I got with a foundation
* Whatever you're going to be pressing.
* Something with a flat base that's the same size and shape of the pan you're using
* Books
* Small piece of fabric

1. Start by cleaning everything. Thoroughly clean your hands then clean the pan you're going to be using and all your utensils.



2. Put the powder you wish to press into a container and make sure it's smooth - no lumpy bits. It may help to use the back of a (sanitized) teaspoon to do this.
3. Add alcohol to the powder drop by drop whilst mixing until you get a paste.



4. Pour the paste into the pan and lightly pick up and drop the pan until the mixture sits evenly. If you need to mix more to fill the pan, that's fine. Always better to start with too little than too much.



5. Leave for an hour or so until the alcohol has evaporated.
6. Place the piece of fabric over the pan and press down with the object you've chosen that's the same size as your pan.
7. Place books (or any other heavy objects) on top and leave for about 24 hours. Make sure the weight is distributed evenly.



8. Unload everything, and you're done!

Why I pay for foundation samples...

There are many benefits to buying foundation this way. I've used Revlon ColorStay for a good 4 years now. It's something I go back to and now, always have in my collection. It offers great coverage, doesn't break me out and wears well.



I buy in bulk...

I have oily skin, but find the Normal/Dry skin formulation works best for me. It seems to offer slightly less coverage but the Oily/Combo skin formulation seems to look a little more cakey on me unless I slap on a ton of moisturiser and use my fingers to apply it. Occasionally, I'll combine the two and use the Oily/Combo foundation on my T-zone and the Normal/Dry on the rest of my face.



Sample Tube



Regular messy bottle

These tubes are 5ml samples and when purchased (I buy them from eBay) come in sets of 6 so equals a full size 30ml bottle you'd normally pay £11.99 for. I pay £3.99 + £1.99 P&P. Essentially half price to get the same amount of product but:

* No dealing with the messy pumpless (why haven't they changed this yet?!) bottle. These samples come in squeeze tubes.
* More hygenic.
* Foundation won't dry out quickly or go off before you use it up.
* Easy to pop into your makeup bag - perfect for travel.
* You get all the product out instead of wasting about 10% of it.
* CHEAPER!

I don't know if there are opportunities like this for other foundations but it's certainly worth checking out. If you use ColorStay too, have a quick look on eBay. Hope this helps someone!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Everything Pink!

This is (almost) everything pink in my collection! I enjoyed doing this - it allowed me to remember past loves and I'll be bringing them back into my life this week while bringing light to Breast Cancer Awareness Month which I originally posted about here. If you have some time and a cuppa, please have a look.













I saw this on The Glamorous Gleam at the beginning of the month - check her post out then do a post of your own!

My Current Routine!

I saw this on The War Paint Guru's blog and thought it might be fun to do every few months to see how things change!

FACE

01. Cleanser
Lush Fresh Farmacy/CoalFace

02. Toner/lotion
Lush Tea Tree Water & Grease Lightning

03. Serum
None!

04. Moisturiser
Cetaphil

05. Facial mask
My homemade honey mask which I'll post the recipe for at some point.

06. Exfoliator
The Body Shop Facial Buffer

07. Make-up remover
Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil

BODY

08. Shower gels/soaps
Lush Snow Fairy/Nivea Happy Time

09. Body lotions/creams
Lush Vanillary

10. Hand cream
L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

11. Lip balm or lip treatment
eos lip balm/homemade honey & sugar lip scrub (which I also use as a cuticle exfoliator because I'm rubbish with all sharp tools)

12. Perfume
Issey Miyake L'eau d'Issey - running out! Boo.
Marc Jacobs Basil
Burberry Brit

HAIR

13. Shampoo/conditioner
Pantene Aqua Light

14. Mask or other treatments
Pantene Aqua Light

MAKE-UP

15. Foundation

Revlon ColorStay

16. Powder
MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light - I love this as a setting powder!

17. Blush
MeMeMe boxed blush in Coral or Rouge

18. Mascara
L'oreal Voluminous

19. Lipstick/lipgloss
MAC Innocence, Beware!/none

20. Eyeshadow
Urban Decay Naked palette - mostly Sin & Half Baked

21. Eyeliner
Models Own Kohl

What are you currently using?

Review: Lush Calavera Bath Ballistic

While I relaxed with some quality time with the TV and a cup of tea, John had a bath with the limited edition Calavera bath ballistic yesterday which symbolises the Day of the Dead festival. Here's his review.



What Lush say:

"When Jack reinvented the bath ballistic, he came up with this spooky bomb that symbolised the Day of the Dead festival. He used marigold petals to give it an authentic feel and gave it a kick with essential oil pressed from the juicy lime, a Mexican favourite with food and alcohol.

Calavera changes colour and looks like a magical, eerie celebration in the water – just like the extraordinary celebrations that happen in Mexico. Stock up while you can, it won’t be around forever.

Lime oil has a sharp, fresh, zesty scent. As with all citrus fruit, this fragrant oil is considered a top note, which means it evaporates first and it is therefore the first note that your olfactory system picks out of a blend."

When I first got into the bath I noticed a strong citrusy smell which was prominent but not overpowering. My number one thing was that it didn't smell of toilet cleaner which many citrusy products can do. When it came to washing myself, I found the little flower petals were quite annoying as they stuck to my skin and wouldn't come off without scratching them off. However, this was not a huge issue as I felt clean and my skin didn't feel tight but felt moisturised. Overall I felt very relaxed during and after my bath.

Photo from Lush.