Body Shop Sheer Lipstick: '03 Sheer Watermelon'

I bought this product in the recent body shop sale and I did mainly buy it as it was only £2! But I do quite like this lip product. There was only one shade to choose from, as this product was a sale item, and the shade is ’03 sheer watermelon’ which sounds nice but I don’t really like orangey shades for lip colour. Nevertheless this shade is really nice, it is an orange/coral colour which has a lot of fine shimmer in it which looks like a metallic sheen on the lips – so if you use too much you could end up looking like a 80’s throw back which is not a good look (unless you are going to a fancy dress or Halloween party). The lip colour glides onto the lips really nicely and it sherbet, mixed with that old fashion cosmetic scent. I think this shade is really nice but I think it would look gorgeous on individuals with tanned or olive skin tones. It applies really nicely, it is fairly pigmented (so the name sheer lip colour is not very accurate) and it feels nice on the lips; it does not feel heavy or gritty. The longevity is not fantastic and it does transfer; this product lasts for about six hours on me if I don’t eat in that time. But with eating/drinking this product lasts for about three hours at the most. Also when the colour has faded the shimmer does stay on the lips to an extent. Overall, I like this product but I would only buy it if it was on sale. A bargain at £2 but it is not amazing! 3/5 stars for this lip colour. 

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A week in Photographs!

Yes, I know there are nine photographs but I couldn't not put all of these photographs in this post. My week has been filled with coffee, rain, coffee, rain, magazines, Costco cookies (aka. heaven), magazine freebie hunting and new make up launches!

Firstly, this Topshop mug - the one that looks like a toadstool mushroom...it is adorable! I bought it from Topshop a month or so ago and I love it; the lid can be used to cover the mug or as a coaster. Although the mug is fairly heavy and priced at £9 it is not the cheapest but it is so cute. I have been drinking quite a lot of coffee this week so while in ASDA the other day I saw some latte glasses (top left) and I love them! They look great, in my opinion but they do only just hold 250ml; although they were only £2. 

Another thing I have been loving this week is the tidal wave of new make up launches!

Revlon have released their new kissable balm stains this week (they are now available in boots for £7.99 and Superdrug for £5.99, which is an introductory offer). Revlon have also recently launched their 'PhotoReady' range which includes: a pressed powder, concealer, primer, foundation and blushes. I bought the Revlon PhotoReady concealer stick and I really like it so far. Although on my dry skin it can look a little bit cakey. Also Revlon have released their colorstay eyeshadow quads and I have a quad called 'addiction' and I am not that impressed with it - review coming soon. 

Bourjois have launched their spring/summer collection recently which included new nail polishes, the colorissimo lip palette and the Quintet eyeshadow palette. I have one of the 1 second new nail polishes (the shades are new and the formula is now a gel) and the shade I have is 'beige distinction' which is divine! I love the Bourjois 1 second polishes as they are incredibly easy to use and they dry fairly quickly, although the longevity is not amazing. 

Avon have released a couple of new items recently including the Chromes eyeliners; I have one in the shade 'Mocha Flash' - link here to my review/swatches. 

Real techniques have three new brushes out; the fine liner brush, the setting brush and the expert face brush - I have the expert face brush and I adore it! 

ELF (eyeslipsface) have a couple of new products out too; one of which is the primer eye shadows and I have one in the shade 'Coco Loco' and I really don't like it - review coming soon! 

And most recently YSL have released their new Touche Eclat foundation! I have a sample of it from a recent Feel Unique order (code: ILOVEYSL) and I will have an initial impressions post shortly. phew. 

I have been loving the freebies in magazine recently! Glamour magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Instyle, Red and Marie Claire have freebies in this month. I bought a few and I was a bit disappointed with Instyle as they show that the freebies are the Armani eyes to kill mascara and the Shiseido cleanser but you have to take the magazine to a counter to get the freebies! 

Then the biggest feature of the week: rain! In England it rains a lot (well in Manchester it does) but this week it has been almost non stop rain which has caused major flooding all over the country. I cannot wait for my holiday in August!

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Illamasqua Sale Haul!

Illamasqua are currently having an up to 60% off summer sale, so naturally I had to get some Illamasqua amazingness! I used the code LIKE15 to get 15% off my total order which was great but you do have to create an a account to use this code and you can only use it once. Illasmasqua also ship worldwide! Firstly, I am impressed with the site in general and you can add free items/samples to your order (for example: I added a sample size of the Illamasqua 'Freak' perfume). I also like the way the items were packaged, like the Glossy box packaging and presentation. 

This is how all of the items were presented when I opened the box and I really like the presentation. The items were packaged and presented well and the free sample I added was included. I ordered the: Light Liquid Foundation in the shade: LF120, Medium Pencil in the shade: Rowdy, Fat Pencil in the shade: Fickle and a Cream Eyeshadow in the shade: Intrude.

Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation: LF120

I chose this foundation as I do have the Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation but it is a bit too dark and orange for me and it is really rich and thick, so I have to mix it with a lot of moisturiser so I can actually use it. I wanted a thinner foundation that would be a bit easier to use and obviously a lighter shade as I am fairly pale. 

I picked the shade 'LF120' which is described as being suitable for individuals with 'light skin with pink undertones' which is my skin exactly. This foundation does match my skin really well, although it is slightly yellow toned. I have only used this foundation twice as I only received it a couple of days ago but so far I am really quite impressed with this foundation. It applies so nicely; I have used this foundation only with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (which is amazing by the way) and it glides onto the skin quickly and easily. As I have dry skin I find I very difficult to get foundations that are as moisturising as I need them to be and this foundation is unfortunately not as moisturising as I need it to be - so I do have to mix some of my Simple Rich Moisturiser with this foundation, as I have to with 95% of my foundations. Overall, the shade is great for me, it looks and feels light on the skin, it does not emphasise dryness and it has light to buildable coverage. This foundation does last all day on me although by the end of the day this foundation can look a little bit patchy on the more oily or drier areas and it does let the minimal amount of oil I have through fairly easily - so possibly not good for someone with oily/combination skin (but with a mattifying primer and or setting powder it may be suitable for people with oily/combination skin types). 

Illamasqua Fat Pencil: Fickle

One of the only reasons I bought this product was because it was only £5! How could I not add it to my basket? I have not tried any Illasmaqua pencils before this and after using this product for a couple of days I do want to buy more Illamasqua..Fat...Pencils. Not the best name, in my opinion, but I really like this product so far. I purchased this shade 'Fickle' which is described as a 'Bronze Shimmer' which is quite accurate although in some lights it can look a little brassy and the shimmer looks like a metallic sheen on the skin. This pencil applies really smoothly onto the skin and it feels really soft and creamy as it is being applied and blended. I have only really used this pencil along the lower lash line to define the lower lashes and it works fantastically - it defines the eyes subtly and the shade is gorgeous. It is also really nice all over the lid or along the upper lash line. Overall, a gorgeous shade, great application, easy to blend and a fantastic price!

Illamasqua Cream Eyeshadow: Intrude

I have one of the Illamasqua Cream Pigments in the shade: Hollow, which I purchased from Debehams a while ago and I love it because of the creamy texture and because it doesn't crease on the eyes at all (well after about nine hours it does). So a cream eyeshadow from Illamasqua...at £5 = I had to get it! I bought the shade 'Intrude' which is described as a 'rich brown, with a satin finish'. I love the shade, well I love all neutral/natural eyeshadow shades but this shade is gorgeous. The creamy texture of this product is really nice and the creamy texture makes applying and blending this product onto the skin so quick and easy. I used this product yesterday and it looks really nice all over the lid then blended and set slightly with a similar shade of brown eyeshadow (shade 'Mudhoney' from the Soap & Glory 'what's nude' quad). This cream eyeshadow did crease after about five hours on me even when it was set with a powder eyeshadow but 98% of eyeshadow products crease on me (I know, I'm very lucky...). Overall, I love the shade, it applies so smoothly, it has a great texture and it wears fairly well. 

Illamasqua Medium Pencil: Rowdy

The last item I purchased is a medium pencil in the shade: Rowdy which is described on the Illamasqua website as a 'Rich Terracotta'. The photograph above it making this shade look slightly more orange/brighter than it actually is but on the lips it does look a bit different anyway. This shade on my lips looks like a darker orange terracotta shade - it looks darker and not as bright on the lips. This pencil applies the product so smoothly and easily which makes it very nice to work with. This is the second pencil I have purchased from Illamsqua and if you have noticed the pencils are not labelled as a 'eye pencils' for example or as a 'lip pencil' as you can use them for both eyes or lips. I will just use this shade for lips, until Halloween maybe, but it is not an everyday colour for me. Although the shade is gorgeous and this product is so easy to use. This pencil is also really pigmented! Overall, a great shade, it is really pigmented, the texture is nice and smooth/creamy and it is a really precise pencil. 

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My First Jolie Box - and it's the birthday box!

This is my first ever Jolie Box and my first impressions of the delivery times and efficiency are not very good. This box had only just arrived (6th July) which is a bit late and I did contact the Jolie Box customer services, although I did eventually receive the July (aka. the Jolie Box 1st Birthday Box!). Disregarding the delivery issues, I am extremely happy with the products, the quality of the products, the brands and the presentation of the box/products in the box! 

Firstly, the Jolie Box packaging/box = gorgeous and cute! As this box is the 'birthday box' it has been designed differently and I think it looks great. Secondly, the products come in a Jolie Box bag which I really like and I think I will be able to re-use it for a few things. The first thing I was greeted by was a set of cards; one of which states all of the products in the box and it has a description of them and if the products are 'new', 'full sizes' or 'customised'. The other cards included a L'Occitane card which has a code for a FREE Angelica cleanser when you buy the full size Angelica moisturiser! Another card was from Codage Paris, a brand I have never heard of, and it has a code for 30% off! I have been on their website and completed the skincare questions to get my skincare diagnosis and products specifically created for me and my skin - I may actually buy the serum designed for me from the website! The last card was from Jolie Box and it was for £5 off the products on the Jolie Box online store which is great and apparently you could have received a £5 off, £10 off, 10% off, £20 off cards or a free shipping code, a free dress rental or a free french edition Jolie Box! Not bad.

Now, on to the products I received...

These are the five products I received in my Jolie Box! Most of the products are the same for everyone although there are differing shades from box to box and one or two of the products can differ slightly too. I received a: Jolie Box nail file, a Elysambre Lipstick (full size, 3.5g), Yonka Paris Normal to Dry Facial Moisturiser (50ml), Institut Esthederm Face & Body Spray Bronzer (20ml) and a L'Occitane Angelica Facial Hydration Cream (15ml). Overall, I am very happy with the products - especially the two moisturisers and the lipstick shade!

The Elysambre Rouge a Levres is the product in this Jolie Box that I hoped was a wearable shade, as I have read blog posts about this Jolie box before I received mine and there are other shades of this lipstick, one of which was a strange silver colour I believe - which naturally I didn't want. I am really glad that I received a gorgeous wearable shade and this lipstick and shade in general are really quite gorgeous. The shade I have is '238' I think, as it doesn't have a shade name as far as I am aware. The shade is a bright, but fairly dark, shimmery fuchsia in the tube but on the lips it is quite sheer and it makes my lips look like I have been eating strawberries and raspberries = Gorgeous. It looks like a berry stain but it is sheer, glossy, smooth, moisturising and light on the lips. A full review of this product will appear soon. This product is really quite fantastic apart from one thing: the packaging/tube. The tube for this lipstick is unique but it is also cheap and tacky in appearance, in my opinion. The tube is plastic and to get to the lipstick you have to pull off the plastic cap on the top and then twist up the lipstick. Although this design is flawed and when putting the clear cap back on you can squish the lipstick with the cap, so you have to be careful when putting the cap back on! So this product has almost top marks from me so far, although I hate the packaging!

The next product I received is the Institut Esthederm UV inCellium Spray which is 'a pre-tanning treatment which will boost skin's natural defences and ensure a long lasting tan'. I sprayed this product onto my hand and as you can see from the photograph above that it is a clear liquid. As I live in Manchester (Northern England) there is hardly any sun and mostly rain so I cannot really use this product but I will be going on a Royal Caribbean cruise in August so I will be taking this product with me to use in the morning before a day in the Mediterranean sun! This product can be purchased from SpaceNK for £42.50 full size which is far too expensive in my opinion, although if this product turns out to be amazing when I use it on holiday I may purchase it. 

Firstly, the moisturiser that I was most excited about is the NEW L'Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream which is a 15ml sample which is quite big and it comes in a pot. The scent of this moisturiser is just gorgeous! It smells so light, fresh and refreshing but it is not too strong. I have only tried this product once and it has the most amazing texture; it looks like a thick cream but it feels like a light gel on the skin. It makes my skin feel smooth and moisturised but it did irritate the more sensitive areas of my skin very, very slightly. I will continue to use this product and report back in a few weeks. 

There is a second facial moisturiser in my Jolie Box (it is a good thing that I have dry skin and like trying different moisturisers otherwise I might not have liked this box). This moisturiser is from a french brand called Yonka and I received the 'protective and vitalising cream for normal to dry skin'. On the Jolie Box card it has 'customised' next to this product as there is a 'beauty profile' to fill out on the Jolie Box site so that you get products for your skin type - which is why I received the normal to dry skin moisturiser. I have not tried this moisturiser yet but it does have a scent which is sweet and fruity but herbal at the same time. The scent is really nice and this product does feel nice on the back of my hand. Also this sample is really big; the tube is huge and there is 50ml the bottle, although it does look like more because of the size of the bottle. 

Overall I am very happy with this Jolie Box and I will continue with my monthly Jolie Box subscription! 

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ELF Studio Matte Lip Colour: 'Natural' & 'Praline'

I love lipstick and lip products in general and I do have quite a few so this type of post will be the first of many featuring my lipstick/lip gloss/lip liner collection with swatches and mini reviews! This post is all about the two ELF (eyeslipsface) Studio Matte Lip Colours I have. I have the shades 'Natural' and 'Praline'

'Natural'

The shade 'natural' is a dusky pink in the tube and swatched on the skin but on the lips it is a little bit lighter/paler than the lip colour looks in the tube, which is a little bit disappointing as I do not like pale/nude lip colours. Although this shade does look nice and as it is a jumbo pencil (twist up) it is so easy to apply! This shade has a good colour pay off but not as good as the shade 'praline'. This shade can highlight dryness/flakiness but overall it is a great product! 4/5. 

'Praline' 

The shade 'Praline' is a darker shade and it is a gorgeous browny red on the skin and it is very similar on the lips. This shade is a gorgeous natural but defining shade and it is a few shades darker than my natural lip colour. This product can highlight dryness but not as much as the shade 'natural' does. This is my favourite shade out of the two that I have and it is the most wearable, for me anyway. 5/5. 


Both of this shades apply really nicely as they have a smooth, soft texture. As this product is a twist up jumbo pencil it is incredibly easy to apply and it is really easy to outline the lips, then fill in the rest of the lips with the colour. The pigmentation is great, the texture is great and the longevity is really good. I definitely recommend these lip colors from ELF as they are fantastic and I will be buying more of these! 

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Avon Glimmerstick Chrome Eyeliner: 'Mocha Flash'

The Avon Glimmersticks and the Avon Supershock eyeliners have been available to purchase for a while and they are great - especially the Supershock eyeliners. Avon have now bought out a new range of Glimmersticks - the Avon Glimmerstick Chromes! These new eyeliners came out a couple of weeks ago and there was actually only one shade that I wanted - 'Mocha Flash'. 

As you can see from the second image, the actual amount of eyeliner you get is shorter than the lid of the eyeliner, which seems like a bit of a rip off and a waste of packaging in my opinion. Nevertheless the packaging is light weight, sleek and it does look a bit more expensive than it actually is. The swatch on the end of the eyeliner is fairly accurate. 

I chose the shade 'Mocha Flash' which did look more green in the images/swatches in the Avon brochure but it is a really nice shade. This shade is a dark brown with green shimmer which makes the shade look quite unique. The shade is like a duo chrome as it can look like a dark brown in some lightings and more like a dark olive green with shimmer in other lightings. The shade is fairly cool toned and if you wanted a warmer version of a similar shade I would recommend the MUA single eye shadow in the shade: 12. The MUA shade is a similar shade as it is a brown with green duo chrome but it is a lot warmer toned than this product. 

This eyeliner applies so nicely to the eye lid and along the upper lash line, it applies really smoothly and quickly. The Avon supershock eyeliners do apply more smoothly but this product is still great. This eyeliner applies and blends really easily although I cannot use this on my waterline as it just does not show up on the waterline. In terms of wear this product is water resistant - it has survived a shower and this product once set (for about five minutes) hardly smudges. The glitter in this product can move a little bit though. This product is really great although there is one main negative point about this product: it creases really badly without a primer and it creases with a primer - but not as catastrophically with a primer underneath. 

Positives

*Easy to use and remove when needed

*Great for travelling, compact, light weight 

*Applies smoothly and blends quickly/easily

*Great shade - a dark brown/green duo chrome (but not as green as it looks in the brochure)

*Water resistant and fairly smudge proof once set (after about five minutes)

Negatives

*A little bit expensive at full price but when it is on offer it is a great price - I paid £2.49 for this eyeliner!

*Creases after ten minutes without a primer and with a primer it only lasts for an hour without creasing 
*Cannot be used on the waterline

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