Be a Style Queen

The release of the Boots’ Christmas catalogue marks the official run up to Christmas. Each week during this run up to Christmas, Boots offers up one of its “star” gifts for half price. This weeks’ is pretty good and guaranteed to cause a stampede….

Frontcover Style Queen Reduced from £35 to £17

Frontcover Style Queen is a bumper beauty collection for eyes, lips and cheeks. It includes all the products, tools and techniques you’ll need to rock a new look and is great for party season.

The Frontcover Style Queen Colour Set includes:

• 6 lip glosses
• 7 dome baked powder eyeshadows
• 6 pressed powder eyeshadows
• 2 fine-line baked powder cheek domes
• Double ended mascara/sealer
• 2 iridescent pigments
• Shadowline
• 6 make-up brushes
• Mini lash curler
• Double pencil sharpener
• A mirror in the lid

All that for just £17! I can personally vouch for their eyeshadows – I picked up a bumper collection during last Christmas’ star gist. See the review here.

Offer ends Thursday 20 October 2011, whilst stocks last, which won’t be long!

Road testing Collection 2000 and The Natural Collection

Of all the budget brands I’ve never tried Collection 2000 or The Natural Collection. If truth be told I probably dismissed them based on the price, but when my little sister picked up these treats at the weekend I was intrigued to test them out.

Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Crimson £1.99

 If I was blind testing this I would never have expected it to be a cheap lipstick. Don’t be fooled by the bland packaging, it’s very creamy and moisturizing – easy to apply straight from the bullet and can be layered up to achieve more intense colour. As for the shade, I struggle with reds – blue based ones don’t suit me much, I tend to go for orange/coral reds or slightly pinker reds. This, I’d describe as a universally flattering cherry red. It didn’t last as long as other red lipsticks I’ve tried, but equally it didn’t stain my lips. Overall I really liked this lipstick and it shows I should be more open minded – cheap doesn’t always equal substandard.

Natural Collection Pressed Powder £1.99

I couldn’t fully road test this as the shade is too pale for me, but my sister liked it and said it doesn’t what it says on the tin – reduces shine and gives a matte finish where it’s needed. She wore it all day and it didn’t go patchy pr dry the skin out. It’s a light, soft powder, which used sparingly can control shine, or used all over can give a matte finish. My only criticism would be the lack of shades. There’s only three, and this was the darkest, which is still quite light.

Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fast Dry Shimmy Shake £1.79 8ml

This is spectacular – I can’t believe the price tag! She opted for Shimmy Shake – a sparkly yellowy gold. I’m dubious when it comes to glitter polishes, they’re often too sheer and can take many layers to achieve the bottle colour. This one applied like a dream. I loved the formula – not too runny, not too glupey. It dried really fast and needed just two coats and unlike the natural collection, came in a vast range of shades.

Right now Boots have a 3 for 2 mix and match offer on, meaning all these goodies together cost just £3.98!

Beauty Waitlist… VIVO Make up at Tesco

Tesco, is there anything they don’t sell? Ok I know they already do make up in the form of Barbara Daly, but I’m sorry it’s a bit dull and does anyone actually buy it? Their new and exclusive make up range VIVO  celebrates being “Alive with Colour” and looks set to rival other budget brands like MUA and Sleek, who give us great, on-trend products at affordable prices.

The VIVO range will start at a very affordable £1.50 offering the staples – foundation, mascara and lipgloss etc, as well as bronzer/highlighter duos, brow kits and false eye lashes.  There are also some gorgeous eye and cheek palettes containing domed and marble affect blushers and eyeshadows set to retail around £6!

To be honest I don’t think I need anymore distractions when I’m trying to do my weekly shop, I already spend half an hour in the magazine aisle and have to be dragged away from F&F and now, like a bee to honey  I’ll be drawn, actually sucked in, to the make up isle.

 

I might as well just transfer all my wages to Terry Tesco.

VIVO coming soon (End of September) to an oversized Tesco near you!

Duty Free Treats

I thought I’d share with you the duty free treats I picked up in the airport last week.

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Essentials

I bought this one whim – partly because I was caught up in the holiday spirit and partly because every girl should own this kit, and some boys too 😉 I make no secret of the fact  I’m a lifelong lover of Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, but I’ve never explored the range further… until now.

This pack contains the following products:

• Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant – 30ml

• Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Moisturising Hand Treatment – 50ml

• Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Lip Protectant Stick – 3.7g

I fancied the lip protectant as I use the original cream on my lips all the time, so it made sense to have a handy little bullet that’s more user friendly, plus this one has an SPF 15, making it an ideal holiday companion. I wasn’t disappointed – it looks and feels like the regular version, it’s super moisturising and surprisingly didn’t melt in the heat. Now the hand cream, this was a real surprise, it’s one of the best hand creams I’ve used. Incredibly thick, rich and moisturising – Looks like I’ve added another two products to my “can’t live without” list.

Duty Free Price £22 – contents worth over £50

Lancôme Doll Eyes Mascara

I won’t say too much about Doll Eyes right now as I’m planning a full review and some comparisons to other mascaras, but I will say it’s fab and as you can see some the photos, so are the results. It worked well in the heat and humidity too.

Duty Free Price £17.45

Been Shopping!

I popped to the shops yesterday to make some last minute essential holiday purchases and ended up picking up a few unexpexted extras along the way –  I just didn’t bank on seeing so many bargains!

No7 Soft and Soothed Cleanser £3 Boots

It’s No7 voucher time again and this is my all time favourite cleanser. It’s great for dry skin and leaves a lovely moisturised glow. Normally £8, just £3 with the voucher.

Revlon Nail Enamel in Facets of Fuchsia £4.49 Boots

Words or pictures can do this nail polish justice, it’s seriously HOT! Part of Revlon’s Autumn/Winter 11 collection, it’s a grey polish jam packeked with Berrylicious specs of glitter. Currently on promotion at Boots, save £2. Here’s a quick swatch on my finger.

Rimmel 3 Looks Volume Mascara and 60 Second Nail Polish £1 each Poundland

Poundland can be great for picking up branded cosmetics for, well £1. It can be hit and miss but pretty rewarding when you discover some gems, like this Rimmel 3 Looks Volume Mascara in Black and 60 Second Nail Polish in Desert Beauty.

GOSH Professional Eye Brush £5.99 Superdrug

I’ve been on the look out for a slanted, precision eye shadow brush with firm bristles and this fits the bill nicely. I didn’t want to spend too much and thanks to GOSH, I didn’t have to. Made from synthetic bristles – it’s great for shadow and liner.

Tail Comb 99p Superdrug and Travel Bottles £1 Primark

I have my tangle teezer for battling the holiday hair tatters, but this tailcomb I need for backcombing. And last buy by no means least, these handly little travel bottles so I can decant some shampoo and conditioner – they even come with little lables.

Something for the Weekend – M&S Beauty Sale

We get the emails, we see the posters – everywhere we go it’s SALE, SALE, SALE! Although it’s mainly fashion, there are beauty bargains to be had so don’t forget to look beyond the clothes rails. M&S for one are having a final summer clearance, instore and online, and there’s some delicious beauty bargains, like this eye palette for just £2!

And Nail Colours and lipglosses from £1.00!

There’s also lipsticks, blushers and eye shadows – selected colours only of course.

Be quick, things don’t hang around in marksies for very long do they. Check out the online beauty bargains.

17 All About Nude Palette

If you’ve been in Boots anytime in the last week or so this summer palette might just have caught your eye. Unfortunately the limited edition palette is not for individual sale, instead it’s a free gift when you purchase any two 17 products. I ordered mine online as the shops had sold out, and now I see why. The palette is really good quality and wouldn’t be out of place alongside premium palettes from the likes of Benefit and Stila. It contains two eye shadows (top row), a multi purpose cheek blush/highlighter (bottom left) and a lipgloss (bottom right).

The golden coloured eyeshadow is divine – buttery texture, highly pigmented and metallic finish. The cheek product reminds me of a pigmented highlighter, think Nars’ Multiples or Topshop’s Cheek and the lip square is rosey glossy lipstick.

l-r pink eye shadow, golden eye shadow, blush and lips

 So which two 17 products did I choose to go with the new palette? Well, I opted for a mirror shine lipstick in Peace that I’ve had my eye on for a while and a practical, but slightly boring pencil sharpener (£1.99).

Mirror Shine Lipstick – Peace £2.59 (online, £4.59 in store)

If you fancy one of these lipsticks, order online. Boots have £2 off the Mirror Shine range, for some reason they’re still full price in store. As the title suggests, this is a shiny, glossy lipstick. It looks like a lipstick but feels like a balm. It’s shiny like a lipgloss but not at all sticky. Peace looks like a bright coral, but on the lips, it’s more of a hot pink – either way it’s a nice summer shade and super shiny.

All three products cost less than five pounds, a pretty savvy haul I’d say!

Glossybox Reviews and Thoughts

I promised a full review of the products contained in my July Glossybox. This might seem a little late but I didn’t want to let my initial disappointment about what I received cloud my judgement of the products, plus you need a couple weeks to break them in before drawing any conclusions. If you’d like to read more about the service and my first thoughts on July’s Glossy box, click here.

So this is what I got and this is what I think of it…

Weleda P0megranate Body Oil (100ml RRP £19.50)

Despite looking like a bottle of cough medicine, this is undoubtedly the jewel in this Glossyboxes crown, and probably the product that’s saved my subscription. Glossybox promises luxury products and this is certainly LUXURIOUS. The rich body oil smells divine! It’s best used straight out of the bath/shower and applied to moist skin. I’ve been using it twice a week for three weeks now and I really think my skin’s softer, plus a little goes a long way. It’s not sticky either and it absorbs well, although I wouldn’t recommend wearing good clothes after application. I normally use it before bed or on a duvet day (which there’s been a lot of lately). Body oils have never been a product that feature in my beauty routine, until now! And that’s the whole point of Glossybox, to allow you to try products you wouldn’t necessarily choose. Yes this one is expensive, but depending how long it lasts, I’d probably buy it.

Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether (15g RRP £22)

Ok, this multi use powder is very nice BUT it’s not for me. The loose powder is a shimmering yellowy gold and can be used on the face and body as an all over highlighter, or concentrated to smaller areas such as the eyes and used as a shadow. The intensity is buildible and the colour is flattering but I have many products that already do that job, but better, such as Mac’s Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle.

Ciate Nail Enamel in Mohito (13.5ml RRP £9)

I tried, I really did, but SHREK green isn’t very wearable. I’ll probably give this to my teenage sister.

Orla Kiely Eau de Parfum (5ml sample)

It’s not offensive, nice to try but not a fragrance for me.

Ultra Sun Face SPF (15ml sample)

I haven’t used this yet, I’m saving it for my holidays in two weeks (can’t wait) but I expect it’ll be good and the 15ml size is a pretty handy handbag size.

Glossybox thoughts

So much has already been said about the service, so I won’t got on… too much. The question of whether or not this service is a good one and value for money is completely up to the individual. At face value this is a lot of products for ten pounds, but it’s only good value if they’re products you’ll actually use. In my glossybox this month I will use both the Weleda body oil and the suncream, so I’d say it’s worth it, still I’m left with three products I’ll not use. My main problem with Glossybox is the randomness of the products you receive. Each month there’s a pool of around ten products, of which you’ll get five. These five are apparently based on your preferences, although to me, it appears to be random. A lot of other Glossybox recipient got a Xen tan product and false eyelashes this monthly, which I would have been really happy with – GLOSSYBOX ENVY! Another huge problem I have with the service is that the price has gone up. When I signed up in May, the service was £10 per month the FREE delivery. Glossybox quickly realised that wasn’t viable and therefore increased the cost by £2.95 to include postage costs. To me this was a BIG mistake, I signed up to a “ten pounds all in” service!

I guess the best thing to do is balance up the pros and cons.

Positives

• You get five “luxury” products for £10 per month, plus postage costs
• Try before you buy and discover new products you wouldn’t necessarily choose
• GORGEOUS packaging and handy, reusable box
• It’s like a surprise present being delivered to the door
• No minimum subscription

Negatives

• You don’t know what you’re going to get
• GLOSSYBOX ENVY – from the pool of monthly products, you might not receive the products you’d have liked
• You might not like or use the products you receive
• The monthly price has increased from £10 to £12.95

I think I’m still undecided on this one, so I’m planning to keep my subscription on for another month or so. On the one hand, I’m obsessed by all things beauty and this is a new and innovative way to satisfy that need, but I also like control over what I buy and £13 per month might be better spent on products I know I want, rather than gambling on ones I might not???

Glossybox lives on, for now at least.

I’d love to hear you thoughts?

September Magazine Freebies

September’s glossies are out already, packed with Autumn/Winter trends – browns, furs and boots. NOOOOOOOOO IT CAN’T BE THAT TIME ALREADY! I’m sure I say this every year but is 2011 the fastest year yet?

As I hang on to the last days of summer (i know, what summer) these fab magazine freebies might just help cusion the blow.

First up, pick up a copy of September’s edition of Cosmopolitan magazine £3.50, with Fergie on the front and bag some free eyelure false lashes.  The special edition flasies were designed exclusively for the magazine and would retail for £5. They’re long, full and sex kitten esque, can’t wait to try them.

With this month’s Marie Claire magazine with Anne Hathway on the cover you get a choice of Ciate Nail Pots. There’s two colours to collect, a nudey beige and a dark plummy purple, worth £9 each. I love the Ciate nail pots, they’re really good quality, but I must admit I’m not overly excited about the shades, who knows they might look better in the flesh. Marie Claire, £3.60 is out now.

If Ciate ain’t your bag, grab a copy of Elle Magazine £3.80 with Kirsten Dunst on the front and choose from three free Mavala nail polishes. The shades are – The Elle Red, The Elle grey and The Elle Orange BUT be warned these areonly 5ml bottles.

Finally, with this month’s issue of Red magazine £3.80, you can get your hands on a bottle of Balance Me body wash, worth £8. There are two to collect – rose otto and super moisturising.

Packed To Go?

Leaving on a jet plane? Not before you’ve checked out MAC’s new limited edition travel collection – Packed To Go!

The collection contains everything you should need to fill your chic travel make up bag. Featuring gorgeous face kits, eye, cheek and lip trios and brush bags – perfect for those all important touch ups on the go.

It’s a while since I’ve been super excited by one of Mac’s collections, but this one’s ticking all the boxes. Look in a Box kits are pretty genius and as the name suggests contains everything you need to create a gorgeous themed look… in one box. The eyes, the lips, the cheeks – it’s all taken care of, everything except the foundation and at £36.50, they’re pretty good value.

• Girl Next Door – 2 Eye Shadows in Grand Entrance and Smoke & Diamonds, Iridescent Powder in Belightful, Cremesheen Glass in Deelight and Zoom Lash Mascara in Zoom Black
• A Very Stylish Girl – 2 Eye Shadow in Dreammaker and Glamour Check, Bronzing Powder in Golden, Cremesheen Glass in Looks Like Sin and Zoom Lash Mascara in Zoomblack
• Rocker Chick – 2 Eye Shadow in Electra and Black Tied, Lipstick in Hue, Lipglass in Oyster Girl, Eye Kohl in Smolder and Dazzle Lash Mascara in Black Dazzle

Packed to go Eye products

• Packed to Go: Assorted Black Eyeliners – Power Point Eye Pencil in Engraved, Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline and Penultimate Eye Liner in Rapidblack £27.50
• Packed to Go: 6 Warm Smoky Eyeshadows – Shroom, Naked Lunch, Greensmoke, Tempting, Showstopper and Stormy Love £29.50
• Packed to Go: 6 Cool Smoky Eyeshadows – Satin Taupe, Beauty Marked, Carbon, Seedy Pearl, Tendersmoke and A Brown Suit £29.50

Packed to go Lip products

• Packed to Go: Lipstick in Pretty Please, Plumful and Hug Me £28.5o
• MAC Packed to Go: Cremesheens in Boy Bait, Over Indulgence and Double Dare £32.50
• MAC Packed to Go: Lipglasses in C-Thru, Lust and Cultured £27.50

 

 

MAC Packed to Go: 4 Lips & Pressed Powder – contains Lipglosses in Poetic License, Rosehips, Riviera Ready and Quick Change along with Iridescent Powder in Belightful £29.50

Brushes

• Packed to Go: 5 Define & Blend Brushes – 129SE Powder/Blush Brush, 190SE Foundation Brush, 224 SE Tapered Blending Brush, 242SE Shader Brush and the 266 SE Small Angle Brush £39.50
• Packed to Go: 5 Shape & Perfect Brush Bag – 168SE Large Angled Contour Brush, 187SE Duo Fibre Brush, 212SE Flat Definer Brush and 275SE Medium Angled Shading Brush £39.50

And even if you’re not travelling, in fact, especially if you’re not travelling you deserve a little treat and some of these sets are really good value.  Available online.