My top 5 lipsticks for summer

Today I would like to share my five top favourites that I have been reaching for the most since the weather has started to hot up.
Mac lipstick in Patisserie
Charlotte tilbury matte revolution lipstick in sexy sienna
Mac lipstick in Plumful
Nars Velvet matte lip pencil in pop life
Nars Velvet matte lip pencil in cruella

For my everyday, don't need to think about it lipstick I always go back to Mac Patisserie. This is very similar to my own lip colour but evens them out with a lovely finish. If I am going out for the day and I know I need something that will last, I tend to go with my Matte lipsticks. Pop life from Nars is a lovely neutral colour than doesn't dry your lips out. For the evening, you can never beat a red lip and Nars cruella has to be my favourite. It stays put even when you are out for a meal. I also really like the Charlotte Tilbury Matte revolution lipsticks, the packaging is beautiful! This is a lovely coral pink colour in sexy sienna. The newest addition to my collection was a recommendation from Lily Pebbles for Mac Plumful. This is a lovely berry pink with a gloss finish that looks lovely with any makeup look.

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

Sunday riley: Good genes treatment. Is it worth the hype?

Now I have been wanting to try this for quite some time now but guess what? The price tag of £85 for 30ml has been putting me off! I recently received this in the Space N.K goody bag and I have been using it daily for a couple of weeks. I have to say that personally I am not impressed. This product is supposed to give you an instant complexion booster, plump fine lines and exfoliate aswell as reduce hyper- pigmentation. When I first put this on my skin it really stung. I could feel a plumping effect but I didn't find it very pleasant. I have quite sensitive skin and over the last two weeks my skin has been a lot dryer and I have had a few breakouts which isn't usual for me. I also have quite a few red patches around my nose and cheeks and I do not think the treatment had any effect on correcting this hyper- pigmentation. 

Obviously I can only give my own opinion and experience but I definitely won't be repurchasing the full size version.

Have you tried this? Does it work for your skin?

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

The hourglass ambient lighting palette review

I recently purchased this palette after falling in love with the blush palette.
This is a trio of the best selling existing shades: Dim light and Radiant light as well as a limited edition shade (incandescent light)

These powders use 'photoluminescence technology' to refract light and create a transparent coverage

Left to right: Dim light, Incandescent light, Radiant light.

My thoughts

These powders range in finish. Dim light is a lovely all over powder with no shimmer that sets your make up with a glow. Perfect if you are not a fan of shimmery products. Incandescent light is definitely a highlighty shade that I personally use on the tops of my cheek bones. Radiant light is a happy medium between the two. This is an overall powder with a hint of shimmer. Great for those summer months when you are looking for an instant glow.

The packaging is also swoon worthy and very handy for travelling as the packaging is very sleek and compact.

Another lovely product from hourglass.

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

My Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil collection

I recently added some new pencils to my collection. I started a while ago with Nars Cruella and I have to say I LOVE these pencils! They last so well without being too drying on the lips.

Pictured above:

1. Nars Sex machine

2. Nars Pop life

3. Nars Cruella

There are 17 shades to choose from in the range. These are great as they last for 5-6 hours and can be easily touched up throughout the day. The only thing that I could say is I wish they had a wind up end so you didn't have to sharpen them! Other than that I seriously recommend you try them if you haven't already.

Do you have any shades that I should try?

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

Space.NK haul

As you may have seen from my previous post, I recently made a purchase on the Space.NK website to get their ultimate new season edit goody bag.

Here are the products I purchased:

Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder
Hourglass ambient lighting palette
By Terry Ombre Blackstar in midnight forest
Nars velvet matte lip pencil in sex machine
Nars velvet matte lip pencil in pop life

I have already got the Hourglass blush palette and several of the By Terry Ombre black stars so I am excited to have these in my collection.

What this space for a more in-depth review and swatches.

Please click on

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

The Space.NK Ultimate new season edit first impressions

So when I saw this Space.NK event I HAD to get it. This was a promotion held on the 13th & 14th May. If you spent £150 you received this bag of goodies. 

Now that seems like a lot of money but I have a lot of friends birthdays coming up so it was quite easy to spend that! I really wanted to get this as I have wanted to try a few of these bits for a while. Especially the Diptyque candle, Sunday Riley good genes treatment and the This Works! pillow spray. Please keep your eyes peeled for some in depth reviews shortly! 

Here are the products that I got in the deal:

Radial skincare extreme repair

Jurlique rose hand cream

Wei Manuka Been Venom Anti wrinkle mask

Ren Instant firming beauty shot

Caudalie instant detox mask

Sunday Riley good genes treatment

Percy and Reed volumising no oil oil

Kevyn Aucoin essential mascara

Elemental herbology cell food radiance and vitality facial serum

living proof no frizz nourishing styling cream

This works sleep + pillow spray

Diptyque geranium rosa candle

Phyto citrus shampoo

Algenist concentrated reconstructing serum

Rodial bee venom moisturiser

I think it is amazing how many products you get with this deal. Obviously they are miniatures but a lot of them are a really good size!

Watch this space for further reviews of the products I love and maybe some that don't impress

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

My Nars Blush collection

Today I would like to share with you my Nars Blush collection. These are some of the first make up items I owned and I used them a lot. There is a mixture of single powder blushes, a limited edition Virtual domination palette and a multiple use creme stick.

Here is what you can see:

• Virtual domination palette (Limited edition- sold out) with: Miss Liberty highlighting Blush, Deep throat blush, Laguna bronzer, Sex fantasy blush (LTD Ed), Final cut blush (LTD Ed)

• Nars Gina (single blush)
• Nars Deep throat (single blush)
• Nars Orgasm (single blush)
• Nars Gilda (single blush)
• Nars Orgasm (multiple) This is a great product as it can be used for cheeks and lips. It has a lovely creamy texture and can be blended really easily.

Swatches

I think there is a really good mix here of pinks, corals and browner shades. My top 3 favourites have to be:

• Nars Deep throat
• Nars final cut
• Nars luster

Which ones do you like the best? Have you got any others that I should try?

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

My Bronzer collection

My bronzer collection

Now it is getting into the warmer months I have been reaching for my bronzers a lot more. I thought I would share with you my collection. Out of all the make up I own,  I don't seem to have many bronzers. I often find that they can be quite orangey if I am not too careful.

Pictured here are:

Bourjois Delice de Poudre £7.99

Soap and Glory Solar Powder £11

Nars Laguna Bronzer £27.50

Kiko Milano Essentail bronzer 200 Warm Melange £17.50

There are two shimmery bronzers  (Nars, Kiko) and two non shimmer bronzers (Bourjois, Soap and Glory). I particularly like the soap and glory as it is a great everyday bronzer that is great for pale skin. 

All of these bronzers are very pretty but I wouldn't say that they are the best for contouring with. For this I would choose the Keyvn Aucoin Sculpting powder as it is much more ashey which makes it look more like a shadow. For contouring I like to use the Real techniques Bold metals flat contour brush and for applying bronzer I use the Zoeva luxe sheer face brush 127.

What bronzers do you recommend?

thanks for reading 

Katherine

xxx

DIY Shellac nails at home

I recently purchased all the things you need to do Shellac nails at home. I love getting my nails done professionally but it can cost so much money! I was recently shopping at Westfield Stratford City and it was going to cost £40 to get Shellac nails. Ridiculous! So I decided to have a look online at DIY kits and purchased a few bits!

The last time I got my nails done they used CND Shellac polish and I was really please with them so I decided to stick with the brand I knew. I bought all of these things from Amazon:

(click on the name for links)

The Nail Star professional UV lamp £18.99

CND Shellac base and top coat £24.50

Shellac nail polishes £12-15 depending on colours

Preparing your nails

Firstly I think it is really important to prep your nails. I recently went to boots and picked up a few things on 3 for 2.
I got cuticle pusher, cuticle trimmer, nail buffer and file and some cuticle oil.
By preparing my nails properly it makes sure that the nail varnish lasts much longer and your nails will be in much better condition.

 Base and top coats

It may seem annoying sometimes going through all of the different steps but it is really worth it. I picked up this duo set from Amazon. I start with 1 layer of the base coat and place my hand into the UV lamp for 2 mins (there is a handy timer on this lamp!)

After the 2 mins I put 1 coat of the nail polish on and then place back in the lamp for another 2 mins. I repeat this so I have two coats of polish. Next I add the final top coat and place my hands back in for another 2 minutes. 

Shellac nail polishes

 I have started off my Shellac polish collection with 6 different colours. The colour of the bottles here is a very true representation of the colours.
(From Left to right, top to bottom)

1. Mint convertible
2. Azure wish
3. Iced Cappuccino
4. Nude knickers
5. Decadence
6. Tropix

I decided to paint my nails with Tropic first of all and here is the result 1 1/2 weeks on! These Shellac polishes are supposed to last around 2/3 weeks. So far so good!

For all of the links please click on the list above

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

My travel makeup bag: The Muji Vanity make up box

I have been looking for a new make up bag for quite some time now. I find it very irritating putting everything in a soft bag and not being able to have my products neatly laid out as I do at home. I am so pleased with this case as you can buy the inserts that are tailor made to your needs. What is even better is that you can take them all out when you are away from home and have all of the containers laid out!

I purchased the medium vanity case for £14.95 which is 16.5 x 23.5 x 16.5cm. It has 7 brush holder compartments in the lid with a protective cover that stops the brushes from making your case dirty. It also has a size pocket on the inside and some elastic holders down one side. Perfect for holding concealers, lip balm tubes etc.

I could probably fill up the large one too but I think this is the perfect size to fit into my hand luggage suitcase.
I also got the PP vanity 1/2 with partition £2.95 and the PP make up tray which sits on top on the partition for £1.95. There are so many different inserts, you can take a look here at all of the different options available. You can even get a lid that is a stand up mirror!

When thinking about which inserts to get, they are based on the large  case so as you can see in the photo, the 1/2 partition is not half of the medium size case.

I am really happy with this case and it holds everything I need for a weeks holiday

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

The Naked 2 palette V The Naked 3 palette

I have had the Naked 2 palette for a long time now and it is one of my favourite eye shadow palettes. I know I can rely on it and the shadows last all day.

I recently purchased the Naked 3 palette as I wanted some more pinky shades for the spring time.

As you can see, the colour pay off from both of the palettes is amazing. 

The Naked 2 palette

The Naked 2 palette has 9 shimmer shades and 3 matte shades. This is the perfect palette for a brown smokey eye which suits every eye shade and colour. It is also great for everyday use as there are neutral matte shades like tease which look good all over the lid. The brush provided isn't too bad either. I'm please to see that there isn't a rubbish sponge applicator in there. There is a black shade in this palette which is great to line the lash line and make the eyes more defined. I think this palette is the best all rounder that suits every colour eye. I would choose this over the Naked 3 palette if I had brown eyes.

The Naked 3 palette

The Naked 3 palette has 8 shimmers and 4 matte shades. The colours are beautiful and would really suit hazel/ green/ blue eyes. There are a few similar shades to the Naked 2 palette for example chopper and trick are both golden shades. Strange and foxy are similar light shades. Limit and tease are also similar non shimmer light browns.

I can't pick a favourite are they are both beautiful. If I were to suggest one if you didn't have any of the palettes it would be the Naked 2 as I think it would suit all eye colours and has a nice variety of shades.

Which is your favourite?

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

Dupe alert! Hourglass ambient lighting blush V Max factor creme puff blush

I recently purchased the hourglass ambient lighting blush palette after searching for it for a long time. It has been so hard to track down so in the meantime I saw the Max factor creme puff blushes and thought these looked quite similar.

As you can see from the swatches they are extremely similar in texture and colour pay off. I tried to match the colours as best I could but I think there are definite dupes here.

Hourglass mood exposure V Max factor seductive pink

The one that strikes me most is:

Hourglass mood exposure and Max factor seductive pink

These are practically the same. The max factor one may be a little more shimmery and less pink but they are very similar indeed.

The other comparisons are similar but not exactly the same colour. The hourglass blushes seem to be more coral coloured whereas the max factor blushes are more pinky toned. Despite this I would probably choose the max factor ones as they are a lot cheaper and are probably the best high street dupe I have seen in a long time. I am really pleased I have the hourglass palette as I think it will last forever. The packaging is also beautiful!

What do you think? Have you tried both?

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

The hourglass Ambient lighting blush palette

Now I have been looking for this for quite some time now and weighing up whether it is really worth the price tag. There seems to be a lot of dupes on the high street but I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

There are 3 shades in the palette (1 limited edition) 

The colours from left to right are:

Luminous flush

Incandescent electra

Mood exposure

They are all very pigmented and the colour pay off is extremely good. All of the three shades are very wearable with a slight shimmer running through them.

I have a dupe alert post coming up soon so keep your eyes peeled for that one. I managed to pick up this palette in John Lewis (York). It wasn't out but I asked the lady who works for hourglass and see had 3 stashed away. I have tried to find an online link but it is currently sold out everywhere. You can by the blushes individually here. Incandescent electra is limited edition.

thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx