Current Skincare Routine

After a week away up north, eating rubbish and not getting my full 8 hours, my skin pretty much hated me. I set out on a mission to find a skincare routine that would get my skin back to normal sharpish! I have combination skin - it tends to get slightly oily in the centre of my face, and dry across my forehead and around the edge of my face, so I needed something that was going to work well with my skin.

The cleanser I chose was Neutrogena's visibly clear pink grapefruit daily scrub, because I'd heard only good things about it. The exfoliating beads really feel like they are doing something, but are small enough so that you know you're not being too rough on your skin. Not to mention the fact that it smells amazing! I also picked up Neutrogena's visibly clear spot stress control moisturiser. It's quite a weird (but amazing) product. I was expecting a normal moisturiser consistency, however this is more of a gel and so feels extra smooth when applied to the skin! I absolutely love this moisturiser, and the fact that I got it for 5p (there was a 2 for £5 on the visibly clear range in Boots) makes it even better! I'd definitely repurchase this once this tube is finished. Finally, the favourite of them all - Clean and Clear dual action moisturiser. I absolutely love this moisturiser, a little goes such a long way and it leaves my skin feeling so soft and, well, moisturised.

I keep the clean and clear moisturiser on my bedside table, so that as soon as I wake up I can moisturise my face. I use the cleanser each night when I shower, followed by a load of the clean and clear moisturiser. I then dry my hair while that absorbs, and then apply the Neutrogena moisturiser. I'm probably making it a lot more difficult for myself than it needs to be, but I like to have little routines set out in my head and find it really difficult to snap out of them, so it seems like this one will be with me for a while!

Have you tried any of these products? What is your favourite skincare product?

Evie x

TOPSHOP Lipstick - Ohh La La

Ohh La La is described as a 'coral blush', and I'd definitely agree with this. I love the colour of this lipstick. It's a modern colour, but feels quite classic on the lips. A single swipe of this lipstick gives a sheer wash of colour that's really pretty, or it can be built up to a more striking, punchy coral.  Topshop claims that this lipstick is a matte finish, which smooths, moisturises and nourishes your lips. I'm not quite sure how true this is - in my opinion the formula of more of a semi-matte finish, although this isn't a problem for me as I didn't buy it thinking it was matte. As for the moisturising element of this lipstick, I'm yet to see any results of this, however that's not to say that it's drying and I don't think that using a lip balm before application is essential. I'd say that length of wear with this lipstick is around 2/3 hours, however it was put to the test during that time as I was eating, talking and drinking - so not bad I'd say! For £8 I'm really happy with this lipstick. The colour is gorgeous and will carry me through spring and summer, I have a thing for coral so really wanted to try it! The finish is (semi)matte although for people who are not fans of this finish, when used alongside a clear gloss it's beautiful also. I'd really recommend this product to someone who was looking for a coral lip colour, that on first application gives a sheer colour, but can be built up to achieve a vibrant finish. Love love love.

Update & Urban Decay Loose Pigment Eyeshadow in Goddess

It's mad to think that in less than six weeks I'll be on exam leave, and then I'll only have a month of exams to do before I'm finished school forever! Scary but so exciting! I know what I'm doing now - decided uni isn't for me and although I'd love the social life, I really don't want another four years of education, so instead I'll be moving to Edinburgh (wooohooo!) to go to college and hopefully find a job! I really can't wait, it feels like everything is coming together now and like I can just concentrate on passing this year and then I can start a new chapter in my life in a new place. Of course I'll miss everyone but this is what I've wanted for a long time, and I have to trust myself that it's the right thing to do! Jeez I sound old!

Okay, onto what I'm guessing is the reason you're reading this post... This is the Urban Decay loose pigment in Goddess. I bought this on a whim one day whilst browsing cheapsmells.com(link) I was looking for a black eyeshadow with a bit of depth because although the matt black in my Sleek palette is great, I wanted something that would instantly liven up a dramatic smoky eye. I'm going to a school social in two weeks (which is basically when 6th years from 9 schools from my county get together in a hall and have a dance and a drink - orange juice obviously!) and the theme is pirates, so I wanted to create a really dark eye, but something that would photograph well and feel like I made a real effort. As soon as I saw this shade I knew it was perfect!

From the above photograph you can get an idea of the glitter in this pigment. It's amazing! The base of the pigment is a matt black shadow, but it's full of blue/purple/green glitter that shows different shades in different lights, so each photograph I took turned out differently. It's a really interesting colour, and is exactly what I was looking for when buying it - something that will jazz up a deep smoky eye. I was surprised to find out that this is in fact a mineral pigment - I actually only realised this when I was reading up on the product before writing this post, I have to admit!

Something that lets the product down is the packaging. Although on paper it seems like a perfect product - compact, pretty design with it's own brush - it is quite the opposite. Yes it looks nice, but on opening the pot you are met with a brush that holds far too much product to be of use, and it's a messy job to tap it off if you really want to use the brush - trust me, I tried! To use this product I find that I have to tip out the pigment and use one of my own brushes to apply it. This technique produces a lot of waste, and if I had paid the RRP of £11.50 this would have annoyed me no end, but thankfully I only paid £4.25.

The pigment is really nice to apply, it blends beautifully and although this is my first Urban Decay pigment, from what I have heard/read this is common with similar products so I can imagine myself purchasing other products from their eyeshadow range, perhaps not another pigment unless it was at a discounted price!

All in all I'm glad I bought this pigment. It does everything I wanted it to in terms of application and wear, but is let down simply my the annoyance of the packaging. However, as I have said I didn't pay full price for this item so I can't really complain! 

Have you tried any of the products from this range? What did you think of them? Any recommendations for better packaged pigments?;)

Evie x 

MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder

First off, can I just say how much I love this packaging?! The lid is black with green and purple glitter in it, so pretty! Okay, on to the actual product... This is MAC's translucent (or transparent) finishing powder. I'd heard a lot about this product on YouTube and Blogger, so thought I'd give it a go. The artist who helped me in the MAC store said it was one of their best selling powders and that she, as well as other girls in the store, couldn't live without it.

I was advised to use this powder with a kabuki brush, and to start at the top of my face so that any product that dropped could be swept away as I moved further down the face. I was really excited to try it out, so got up pretty early the next day - you know when you're really excited to do your makeup and get up at stupid o'clock? I have to say I was quite disappointed. Described by MAC as 'A silky finishing powder that provides an invisible way to set makeup. Reduces shine while optically minimizing the look of pores, likes and imperfections', I felt it didn't achieve any of these claims. As for keeping shine at bay, this product didn't do much. I don't have particularly oily skin, but this powder did nothing to 'reduce shine' on my face. I also felt that my pores looked the same as they did before I applied the powder, which is really disappointing for a product which costs £18.50.

As for setting my makeup, I can't honestly say that this product is anything fantastic. I use Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation after hearing so much about it, and I really like it, but find that is has the same staying powder with or without the use of MAC's finishing powder. I will be continuing to use this product on thr rare occasion for the simple reason that I want to use it up! I feel like it was such a waste of money and I'm really disappointed with it.

I hate writing such negative reviews but I don't want to lie about a product that I feel didn't live up to expectations! Have you tried this powder? What did you think?

Evie x

MAC Angel Lipstick

It's always exciting getting something in the post, especially when it's from MAC! Even though I knew what it was, I was so excited to try this shade as it's everywhere! I'm guessing that almost all of you will own, or at least have heard of, this lipstick. It's massively popular, and this is probably due to the fact that Kim Kardashian is often seen wearing this shade along with Turkish Delight gloss from Nars. (Link) It's a frost finish, which I was a bit sceptical of trying after hearing that this formulation can sometimes be quite drying. However I have had no problems with this lipstick and find that as long as I use a lip scrub (Link) and balm beforehand there is no drying element with to product. 

The shade is described by MAC as a 'soft pink', and in my humble opinion that sums it up pretty well. It's so wearable and a very daytime appropriate shade, and is complimentary on all skin tones I have seen it on, from pale to dark. Everyone loves the smell of MAC lipsticks, that vanilla scent is strangely satisfying and compared to that painty smell that some lipsticks have, it's something that definitely helps 'make' this product for me.

I'm no MAC expert by any stretch of the imagination! I own 3 MAC products, and this is simply because with no job, and already having to borrow from the 'bank of mum and dad' (I hate that expression!) for driving lessons, I can hardly ask for money to buy make up... So when I can, birthdays etc, I go a bit mad on clothes and make up, but otherwise it's drugstore for me! (Not that there's anything wrong with drugstore products, obviously!)

I'm desperate to get my hands on Watch Me Simmer from the Shop Mac collection, but it seems to be sold out everywhere and I'm not keen for the massively raised prices that will be floating around the internet! I also really love Full Speed from the Sheen Supreme range... Maybe someone will be nice and this will be in my collection soon!

Have you tried this, or any of the other lipsticks I mentioned? What's your favourite MAC lipstick? Hope you're having a great weekend!

Evie x

Can I just apologize for any blurriness in these pictures! Someone with  has gotten fingerprints all over my camera lens, I know.. Tragic! I hadn't noticed until I went to crop the images on my laptop, so I hope it's not too annoying for you! The first picture is doing my head in!:(

Accessorize Nail Polish Shade 38

I bought this nail polish on a whim really... I was at the till waiting to pay for a necklace and I saw this little gem sparkling in a box on the counter. This one in particular caught my eye above the rest because it's such a different colour, it's green. And purple. And glittery. And only £4. I love it!

It was quite hard to capture the true colours of the nail polish in a picture, but I think these two photos do it quite well, and should give you an idea of what it's like anyway! It's such a shame that this polish doesn't have a name, other that 'Shade 38', because it so deserves it! It's a mixture of green, and purple. Although when I started to take it off it revealed a pinky copper shade that was really pretty.

The only downside is that it takes SO LONG to come off! You need at least two coats of this polish to build up a decent colour, and this makes for a really hard time getting it off again! However, I personally can cope with an extra 5-10 minutes because it's seriously amazing when it's on.

Are you a fan of this nail polish? Can you recommend any similar effects/colours? Hope you're having a good weekend!

Evie x

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrup

I'm a massive fan of everything lipbalm-ish. I carry around 13 with my in my school bag on a daily basis (sad thing is, I'm not joking) because I hate the feeling when my lips don't have some sort of balm on them. I was shopping in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago and fancied a wee peek in Lush. I must admit I rarely shop there, I'm dead tight on wonga at the moment and I need to pay for driving lessons, as well as clothe myself, so as much as I'd like to spend money on bath bombs and face masks, I just can't. 

However (and it's a big however seeing as you can make a similar thing yourself from sugar and oil) this was placed on a stand near the door, and I couldn't resist it! It was £5, which in the heat of the moment seemed like an excellent price for what is essentially sugar and flavouring in a pot.. Looking back the price was maybe a bit steep but what can I say, I'm a sucker for anything that will make my lips look nice!

I really like the packaging for this product. It comes in a small glass pot, which makes the whole thing seem more substantial and worth the £5 price tag. You get 25g of product, so it will last a while. I'm not sure of the preferred regime for this product, but I've been using is every second day, followed by a load of Blistex intensive moisture, which is amazing! I do it at night, simply because the Blistex can leave you with ghostly looking lips, but that's just because it's so thick and incredibly moisturising, so I can't complain! 

As you can see, the colour is a bright vivid pink, which is immediately eye catching and I think makes the scrub more exciting to use! In terms of how well the product actually works, I can say that I have noticed a difference in how soft my lips are after using this scrub. However, even though I apply moisturiser straight away, it doesn't provide a lasting difference to my lips. I'm glad that I picked this up, because I would have always wondered about it, but I can't see myself buying this again.. Sorry lush!

 Have you tried this, or a similar product? What did you think? Hope you have a great weekend!

Evie x