I Heart Drugstore Makeup Tag!

Hi :)
I have a tag post for you today and this time I got the idea from a  video that I literally just watched!

I watched the "I Heart Drugstore Makeup" tag video from emilynoel83 - a youtuber I actually love! I'd highly recommend you checking out her videos, I find them very informative and I trust her opinion more than anyone else's!

So lets get on with it :)

1. What is your favourite drugstore makeup brand overall?

 

Although here in the UK I can't get E.L.F products in stores, I still would consider them to be a "drugstore" brand as they have great budget prices. I have a lot of E.L.F in my makeup collection and I have so many products that I adore and its great to know I didn't pay a fortune for them!

I also am obsessed with Sleek, which is a UK based brand but you can get it online also.

They are slightly more expensive than E.L.F but they have the most beautiful eye shadows!

2. What are your favourite face, cheek and lip products?

 

At the moment my favourite face product is my Hard Candy Glamouflage concealer. Again, I cant get this in stores in the UK but it is still a drugstore brand (I think this is $6 in the US) and I use it pretty much everyday!

I'm also getting a lot of use out of my Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation as it blends in so well and is great for when you are in a rush as it mattifies so well I don't even need powder on top of this.

 

Cheek product would have to go to E.L.F. I recently reviewed the All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight (which you can read HERE) and I absolutely love it. Gives such a beautiful glow to the cheeks.

 

I'm not a huge lip product person but I do love my Rimmel London Moisture Renew lipstick in "Nude Delight" - definitely my favourite lipstick!

3. Least favourite product?

 

I think this would have to go to my Accessorize face primer...I really didn't like it.

Normally I love Accessorize products but this had badly thought out packaging, was messy to use and generally wasn't worth buying for the price.

You can read my review HERE if you are interested :)

4. What is the best makeup bargain?

 

I think I'd have to say the eye shadows from MUA.

Most of the MUA line (including the shadows) is £1 and for that you get 2g of gorgeousness.

I've currently got 7 and I haven't found one that I don't love.

 

5. What is your favourite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)

 

I've used the Bourjois Khol & Contour Eyeliner for ages now and even though now I've tried out many others I always go back to this one. I find that it looks very dark and potent on the lashline and it's not overly creamy but not overly dry either, making it the liner that lasts the best on my waterlines. I think it's only about £5 too and I'm currently on my second one. :)

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?

 

Um...I don't have much of an answer for this. The only thing that I can think of is the Revlon ColorStay Foundation which is about £12/£13 pounds here. I love this foundation so I'm happy to pay for it but it still feels ever so slightly steep for a drugstore foundation.

7. Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!

 

I don't have a huge amount to say here as most of the time I don't buy many high end products very often.

Generally, I've found that the Sleek eye shadows do tend to compete with the quality of many other high end shadows like MAC and Urban Decay.

 

I've found Sleek dupes for the Too Faced Natural At Night Palette too:

 

Sleek "Taupe" = A less crumbly/messy version of Too Faced "Night Light"

Sleek "Moss" = Too Faced "Moonstone"

Sleek "Honeycomb" = Too Faced "Spotlight"

Sleek "Conker" = Too Faced "Eclipse"

 

I generally feel that Sleek's shadows are incredible quality and rival higher end brands.

8. Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?

 

E.L.F nail polishes.

I dislike these - A LOT.

I've bought 3 in the past on separate occasions because I thought that maybe I just got duds or maybe I was being too harsh but I hate all of them.

It feels like I'm painting plastic on my nails. I'm definitely not a fussy person when it comes to nail polishes, far from it, but these feel plastic-y, cheap and they take forever to dry so they end up looking smudged too. They are far too thick and gloopy and it's a shame because I LOVE so many E.L.F products.

 

I'll stick to my Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fast Dry nail polishes...only £1.79 and amazing quality!

 

So there you go! There is my "I heart drugstore makeup" tag...and I have to say I genuinely do love drugstore makeup! Why pay an arm and a leg for something when you can get it for less? :)

By the way...I tag all of you reading this! :)

 

Thanks for reading!

Libby x

Makeup Empties! #3

Hi! :)
I have my second makeup empties post for you today...I've been trying really hard to use up products before I buy more ones and also use up products I've had hanging around for a while.

I think it's so useful to look back over the products that you've used up because by the time you've used it all up you can really form in opinion on it :)

 

here's a run down of the make up products I've been able to use up recently :)

 

1)

E.L.F Eyelid Primer

 

I've actually repurchased this already! I really like this for an everyday eyelid primer. It does the job well, makes the shadows appear brighter and last longer and also it's only £1.50 from www.eyeslipsface.co.uk :)

 

 

 

2)

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer

 

Once again, I've already repurchased this!

This one comes with the powder on the bottom and while I used up the powder I didn't repurchase the kit that comes with the powder.

This is really thick & creamy but covers really well.

This product is expensive but it does work well so I bought it in a different shade.

 

 

3)

E.L.F Tinted Moisturiser

 

And again...I've repurchased this :)

I love this tinted moisturiser! It gives a really nice glow and it's really cheap. The packaging has changed slightly now but I still love it.

I also adore the scent of this..i think on the website they describe it as "sugar orange"...I love it.

 

 

4)

E.L.F Studio High Definition Under Eye Setting Powder

 

Love this. There seems to be a theme here: I've repurchased.

I use this to set the concealer that I have under my eyes. It really brightens and keeps it lasting all day. AND its only around £3.75 from the website :)

 

 

 

 

5)

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black

 

I really liked this mascara....it thickened lashes so well and made them look so dramatic.

The only thing is I'm pretty sure L'Oreal test on animals and as someone who is very interested in animal rights I'm reluctant to support that...

For that reason I haven't repurchased, and instead now I use the Stila Fibre Optics mascara for really thick lashes.

 

 

6)

E.L.F Liquid Eyeshadow in Sultry Satin

 

This wasn't my favourite product..it was pretty but it blended quite unevenly.

I don't feel like I used up this product fully but rather it dried up...

I haven't rebought this but I wouldn't be totally against it.

 

 

 

7)

Benefit Ooh La Lift

 

This was meant to highlight and brighten the under eye area. It kind of did something but I don't feel it did enough.

It wasn't a full size and I'm glad I didn't pay for the full sized product.

As you can see it isn't totallyused up as there is a tiny bit around the sides but it's impossible to get out using the tiny wand.

 

 

So that's it! I hope you enjoyed my empties post...

What products have you used up?

Thank you for reading!
Libby x

 

 

Ways To Organize Your Nail Polish Collection!

Hi! :)
I have a slightly different type of post today - one for any other nail polish addicts out there ;)

Once your nail polish collection starts to grow it begins to get a little tricky to store it in a way that makes it easy to find/see and also is neat and organized.
I have a couple of suggestions that I've found have helped me organise my still-growing collection!

 

One of the best solutions I've found is this nail polish rack...

I got mine from amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Varnish-Display-Stand-approx-bottles/dp/B007D0QQ6M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369071817&sr=8-1&keywords=nail+polish+rack

 

You can find ones of all different sizes by putting in "nail polish rack" into the search engine.

 

Mine was around £10 and it looks so pretty with some of my polishes on it.

This says that it holds only about 30 bottles and it doesn't hold all of my polishes but I keep my favourites on there and also ones that I have a lot of...

 

On the top row I have 3 Accessorize polishes, then 4 O.P.I polishes, then along the second row I have my favourite 9 Collection 2000 polishes (I have 2 more that don't fit on this row..) and then along the bottom I have some from next that came in a big set that I got a while back.

I feel that this is a really pretty way of storing them! I'm tempted to get a couple more to hold all of my polishes but that would take up quite a lot of space...

 

So I have this solution!

 

Drawers...

 

 

I get these sets of drawers from Asda (they're pretty cheap and you can get ones with different sized drawers).

I actually use these to store makeup too...

What is so great about these is that you can break them apart and use different combinations of the drawers...

I have two sets of 4 drawers and I broke them apart to make a stack of 3 that I use for my nail stuff and then the others hold some of my makeup.

This bottom drawer looks messy but I promise you there is organisation!

 

 

 

I actually have two layers of polishes in this big bottom drawer.

The ones in this drawer are polishes that I don't use as often and also ones I don't have many of.

 I have one layer at the bottom and then a few stacked on top.

You can't see but on the bottom I have a load of polishes from  The Colour Workshop and E.L.F which have flat tops which make it easy for stacking other polishes on top of them properly.

 

I stack my Models Own polishes on top of them.

I also have a few polishes that just fall over but I don't mind that because  the drawers are transparent I can still see really clearly what's in them.

 

I'd recommend if you keep them in drawers that you put the ones that you don't use as much in the drawers as they may be slightly harder to see/ get to.

 

 

This drawer is slightly smaller and so I use this for nail art things. I have various nail wraps/sponges/nail art pens in here and keeping them separate makes things a lot more organized.

 

And then because I have that top drawer too I have the perfect place to keep my nail polish remover and also cotton pads!

 

 

So there you have it! I hope this may have been useful to people who aren't quite sure how to store their polish...I used to be one of those people who just had it standing around all over the place but it makes it so much easier when you know where it all is and then you can utilise it properly :)

 

Thank you for reading!

How do you store your nail polishes? Do you have any tips on keeping it organised?

Libby x

 

*REVIEW* E.L.F All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight

Hi! :)
I have another E.L.F review today for you...this was another one of the products that I bought recently in my haul from E.L.F (which you can read HERE) :)

 

 

 

The All Over Colour Sticks (or Color sticks if you're across the pond!) cost £1.50 from www.eyeslipsface.com.

I also have another one of these in Lilac Petal which I've already reviewed HERE.

 

I decided to get this one because it looked like it would be a really good highlight colour. I have very fair skin and don't tend to use a lot of blush or bronzer but I love using highlighters to add a bit of contouring to my face.

 

 

A lot of E.L.F products have this scent which I absolutely LOVE...it's described as being "sugar orange" on the site and every time I smell it I fall in love all over again.

 

It says:

"Naturally illuminates for a healthy glow. Instantly soothes and conditions skin. Multipurpose formula."

 

Although it says you can, I don't ever tend to use these for anything other than my cheeks as the colours often look too frosty to go on my lips and I'd be worried about creasing on my eyes.

 

Feel free to click on the picture to enlarge the picture - for some reason recently my photos have looked a little stretched...

The left side is a swatch blended in and the right side is the product swatched heavily.

 

As I hoped, this makes a beautiful highlight.

I use this on top of my cheekbones after foundation and then blend it in with my fingers.

For me, this is the perfect shade for my skin. It's not quite white, more of a pale cream colour despite the rather misleading lighting in the photo!

There is also a slight shimmer in this which looks really beautiful when it hits the light.

 

The only thing I'm not so keen on about this product is that the formula is a little...wet? It's pretty creamy (which is why I don't tend to use these on my eyes unless setting with another shadow) and while I don't mind this much, it means that it doesn't have the best staying power in the world.

Nevertheless it is still visible after quite a few hours of wear and it still looks pretty throughout the day.

 

Generally, I really like this product and I'm so glad I got it! It adds a lovely sheen to the tops of the cheekbones and you can build it up depending on how visible you want your highlighter to be.

 

Thank you for reading! What do you think of the All Over Colour Sticks?

Libby x

 

 

 

My Top 3 Primers!

Hi! :)
I feel that using a primer is so essential before applying makeup and so I thought I'd compile a little list of my top 3 primers of all time! :) Admittedly I've only tried about 7/8 primers in my time but I definitely know what I like in one!

These aren't in any order, but just my top 3 for both eyes and face!

1) E.L.F Eyelid Primer

 

I love this because it's cheap and works well! This costs £1.50 from www.eyeslipsface.com.

Mine is in "Sheer" but there are other shades available that I haven't tried.

I love this primer because it's so cheap but it makes my shadows last longer and look a lot brighter.

It reminds me of the UDPP but it is cheaper and slightly thinner in texture. It doesn't keep the shadows lasting quite as long but it is great for everyday when you don't want to be using an expensive eye lid primer.

 

2) Urban Decay Primer Potion

 

 

This has a status of being one of the best eye shadow primers ever and I think it does deserve all the hype!
My one here is a mini one (I think it came from the Naked palette) but I have used up a whole full size and another mini one before starting this one.

I use this on special occasions or weekends when I want my shadows extra bright and to last all night without creasing.

It is expensive but it is worth every penny and once I've used this mini up I will definitely get another! Urban Decay also tends to give them with palettes which is worth looking out for as these mini sizes last a surprising amount of time!

I also adore the Primer Potion in the colour Sin which you can read a review of HERE if it interests you :)

 

3) Too Faced Primed & Poreless Face Primer

 

 

I wanted to include a face primer in this list and this one is definitely my favourite!

I got this in a set of Too Faced products and although it is only a deluxe sample size it has lasted me ages.

I use this mainly to go under my concealer. It keeps my concealer lasting SO much longer than without it and it also prevents it creasing.

This is pretty expensive, but like the UDPP I think it is definitely worth it! :)

This is already on my list of things to buy soon!

 

So there you go! There are my favourite primers - I hope you enjoyed reading!

What are your favourite primers? Have you tried any of the ones I mentioned?

Thanks for reading!

Libby x

NOTD: Plugged In Plum (18/05/2013)

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi! :) I have another quick NOTD for you...using a couple of colours that I really love.

I started off with my usual base coat and then added the Models Own nail polish in Purple Blue from the Beetle Juice collection.

 

This colour is really pretty..it kind of has a purple base colour with blue /pink/purple duochrome and shimmer in it. It looks different colours in different lights.

 

I then added an O.P.I nail polish in Plugged In Plum to the accent nail.

This is another really nice nail colour and one of my favourite purples.

 

 

 

Feel free to click on the picture to enlarge it slightly :)

 

I really like these polishes and I know I'll be using them again a lot. The O.P.I colour is expensive but they always go on so well and it only took one coat.

The Models Own polish took two coats but it's so pretty once its on!

 

Thank you for reading!

Libby x

*REVIEW* E.L.F Volumizing Mascara

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi! :)

I had a big E.L.F haul the other week (which you can see HERE if you want) and in that E.L.F order I wanted to try an E.L.F mascara so I chose the Volumizing Mascara from the essential line :)

This was £2.50 from www.eyeslipsface.co.uk and for that price I decided it was definitely was worth trying out!

 

 

On the packaging it says:

"Volumize lashes with this vitamin B enriched mascara that boots and curls for a dramatic look. Lashes appear fuller and thicker for a long-lasting effect."

 

 

 

Packaging:

The packaging of this is very simple and quite cheap feeling, but this is so cheap you can't complain really. It functions as packaging so it's ok!

 

Wand:

The wand on this mascara is one of those traditional bristle hair wands. I find that these generally volumize better than mascaras with rubber wants but don't always necessarily separate lashes quite as well.

 

Formula:

The formula is quite dry which I really like. I don't like mascaras that have a really wet formula as they tend to clump together so much more.

The texture isn't overly thick either so this means it doesn't clump too much.

It seems to work quite well for the want but you still do have to wipe off a little bit of the excess mascara from the wand before using it.

 

Effect:

As you can see from the picture about there is some definite volume and length added.

However... I find it weird that this mascara is called a "volumizing" mascara.

There IS volume...but it is much more of an everyday mascara for me.

I would say there is more length added than volume and for dramatic looks this just doesn't give enough to make the lashes stand out.

However it gives enough definition and length to be a good everyday mascara.

 

Generally I do like this mascara...I just don't think it necessarily lives up to the name of "volumizing" mascara. It DOES add volume...but not massively.

I've been using this every day now for most of the week and I have enjoyed it. I think I will definitely use up the rest of the tube and maybe buy it again when I run out.

This removes quite easily I find and I haven't noticed any flaking or smearing throughout the day but I don't generally have a problem with this anyway usually.

 

Thank you for reading - I hope you enjoyed my review!

What do you think of E.L.F mascaras?

Libby x

 

 

*EDIT*

 

After using this mascara I felt the need to add this on as a little side note as I've had a chance to review the mascara over a long period of time...

I've noticed that considering the mascara had a pretty dry formula to begin with, it has now almost dried up completely and it's not easy to use. It no longer gives much volume at all so I don't use it anymore.

It was very cheap but I am slightly disappointed at the very fast rate at which this dried up...although I won't buy it again it wasn't an awful mascara overall!:)

 

*REVIEW* Sleek Au Naturel Eye Shadow Palette

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi!
Recently I bought a new palette from Sleek (now my fourth!) and now I feel like I've had long enough to play with it and try out new looks and I think it's time I did a review!

For some strange reason the photos today are sometimes looking a little squashed...so feel free to click on them to enlarge them if you wish! :)

 

 

 

All of the Sleek I-Divine Eye Shadow Palettes are available from certain Superdrug stores as well as online (www.sleekmakeup.com)

They all cost £7.99 and contain 12 mineral based eye shadows.

 

I believe this palette was from a collection called "Nude" that I think was released a while back...but this palette still seems to be permanent so I'm guessing they made it part of the permanent line.

 

 

I really love the packaging of these palettes...they are slightly hard to open (I wouldn't risk trying to open them if I'd just done my nails!) but they look so...well...sleek.

The packaging is always black and this palette seems to not only have a very slightly different graphic on the top but unlike my other palettes this doesn't have the criss-cross pattern on the shadows...which is a bit of a shame as that pattern made me think of Sleek!

 

This palette caught my eye as being a great palette for natural, toned down days.

Of the 12 shades, 8 are completely matte, 3 are metallic and one just has a slight bit of shimmer in it.

I think it's time for some swatches! :)

 

This palette has a plastic insert that has the names of the individual shades on it which I really like.

In the swatch above, the shades are from the top:

Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe, Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal and finally Sleek's famous black shade...Noir.

I'll give you some closer up swatches and a run down of the shades!

Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe

Toast (again), Taupe (again), Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir.

 

The shades are:

 

Nougat:

A matte, very pale nude colour. It doesn't show up that well on the swatch but this shade is my most used shade in the palette and it has a big dent in it!

This makes a great highlight. If applied with a large fluffy brush below the brow bone it softens any harsh lines and brightens the eye subtly.

 

Nubuck:

One of the two slightly disappointing shades in here.

This shade is a matte, light grey colour which reminds me of concrete.

Would be good for blending but this one is lacking the soft texture and pigmentation that the other shades have.

You can build this up slightly but it is quite patchy and generally not very pigmented.

 

Cappuccino:

This is a matte, pale taupe colour. It reminds me of a really milky tea! :)

This does have a nice soft texture and good pigmentation.

Really good for blending out the crease.

 

Honeycomb:

This shade is also really soft and creamy.

This is a matte, cream/pale golden colour.

Again, a great blending colour. Most of the shades on this line seem really good for blending.

 

Toast:

The other disappointing shade.

This is a matte peachy colour, but like "Nubuck" it is sheerer than the others, can be a bit patchy and generally doesn't have great colour payoff.

Also it isn't as soft as the other shades. I suppose if you used it for blending it would blend out another shade but not do very well on it's own.

 

Taupe:

Not really sure why this is called "Taupe" as this doesn't seem like the most Taupe-y shade to me but never mind!
This is another well-used shade in this palette for me.

This is a metallic, light pink-toned golden colour.

There is plenty of shimmer in this and I've been used it a few times over the past week or so spread over the lid for a really simple look.

This has great colour payoff and lasts really well on the lid.

 

Conker:

This shade is a metallic bronze colour with definite red tones.

This is pretty but could do with being slightly more pigmented. This isn't quite as soft as other shades but it is buildable and does look very pretty.

 

Moss:

This colour has a slight bit of shimmer in it but isn't metallic like others.

This shade is kind of muted, dirty, olive green colour with slight golden shimmer.

I haven't worn this a whole lot since I got it but I do like the shade and the colour payoff is very good and the shadow is soft and blends well.

 

Bark:

This shade is PIGMENTED! :)

I barely have to touch it with my finger and I have great pigmentation.

The colour is a matte, cool toned, plum with hints of brown/taupe.

This shade is really soft and a little goes a long way - it works very well in the outer v!

 

Mineral Earth:

This is another one of my favourite shades...

This is metallic deep bronze colour with some bits of gold in it.

It's not all that unique as I think I have some similar shades but it's still very pretty.

The colour is very rich.

 

Regal:

This is a matte, dark plum purple. Think "Bark" but darker.

Like "Bark" this is very pigmented and I actually used it today for a look.

It isn't the easiest to blend in the world but it still does work well.

 

Noir:

I have to confess I haven't used this a whole lot as I've been experimenting lately with other shades apart from black!
However I have used it once or twice and the swatch is also impressive.

This is your standard, matte black and so is very useful to have in a palette for this as it would do well in the crease or in the outer v.

 

 

 

Overall:

Sleek has never disappointed me before and it certainly hasn't started!

I've been reaching for this palette a lot recently and I'm very glad I picked it up...

I'm not a huge matte shadow person but this palette has really helped me get into matte eye shadow looks...

I actually used this to create a "1920's look" the other day and I was really pleased with the result:

 

I think here I have Nougat all over the lid and as a highlight, with Bark in the crease blended out with Honeycomb and I think Bark is smudged under the lash line.

 

I think what I liked about this palette is the fact that you have everything you need to create a full look...So many palettes don't have a good highlight colour for me as I don't like using overly shimmery colours as highlights under the brown bone so I'm so glad this palette has such a good highlight.

 

It also has some really nice crease colours and a useful matte black. You can go totally neutral with this or get some really dark, dramatic looks so it's very versatile.

Generally most shades are good quality, the only ones I'm not too fond of are Nubuck and Toast but the others are great especially for the price!

 

So that's it! :) I hope you enjoyed my review...thank you for reading!

Have you tried Sleek shadows yet?

Libby x