FAVOURITES SERIES - Eyeliner

I've decided to do a Favourites Series - All the products I usually post about, are those I would consider to generally be my favourites, but this is just a way of grouping them up which will hopefully help you see how I categorise them.

This is going to be a straight to the point, no fuss series with as many pretty pictures as I can take (as usual!)
So to start off, here's a quick breakdown of my favourite eye liners:

1. Inglot AMC Gel Liner
PROs: This liner couldn't get more true in colour, the black is highly pigmented and the gel sets matte so doesn't budge or bleed.
CONs: The only drawback is that it dries a bit too quickly, the pot seems to remain airtight for a good amount of time but when I have scooped some out onto a mixing palette to use, it does dry very fast and results in a bit of wastage.

2. Illamasqua Obsidian Eyeshadow with Sealing Gel
PRO's: We all know that Illamasqua eyeshadows are highly pigmented so with a few drops of their sealing gel you have an instant true black liner which you can customise to your preferred consistency.
CON: This doesn't apply to me but for some people mixing the shadow with gel might be an extra step they would rather not do - out of convenience.

3. NYX Fat Marker
PRO: This is a foolproof liner for those new to or not so confident with working with eyeliner, the product is just like a thick felt tip liner so fits nicely into the hand and gives you good control.
CON: The pigmentation is naturally not as deep as that of a gel liner would be, and also this might be abit difficult to purchase in stores as the UK doesn't have a great amount of NYX stockists. (Avaliable online at www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk)

4. Avon Super shock gel liner
PROs: This is a gel liner in a pencil form, so it's perfect with those who aren't great at using a fine liner brush with their gel liner. This formula set's nearly waterproof and does not move al day. Probably the most affordable product of the selection.
CON: It's setting power means you have to work with it very fast if you want to so something like blend it out.

I use a whole load of other eye-liners too but unfortunately they didn't make it to the top of my list! Let me know if you would like to see them though.

xXx

Banish Blemishes! Make Up Forever Corrective Camouflage Palette

This is a product I've been meaning to blog about for the longest time but I think now is a great time seeing as everyone seems to be talking about correcting and highlighting at the moment.

I'm not a impulse buyer type of girl, it might have something to do with being a Cancerian but I can be severely indecisive at times! With this in mind, 95% of the time I have already done my research before buying a beauty product, so for me buying something that turns out to be completely rubbish is rare!

If you find you are still seeing blemishes or discolouration underneath your foundation what you need to do is neutralise the discolouration before you conceal or lay your base...

Here's my theory: 

As women we are aware of the basic rule: 'White top, White bra', and why? ..Because if you were to wear a black bra the colour would show through!

The same idea applies here, your foundation is the white top in this scenario, putting a veil of a one dimension lighter colour over something which is darker won't block out the colour so we need to change that underneath colour to something similar.

This concealer palette comes in 5 very pigmented corrector shades (from left to right in the image below)

• No. 13 - Light concealer
• No. 16 - Salmon concealer
•  No. 17 - Green
•  No. 18 - Lilac
•  No. 20 - Orange

The lightest colour can be used alone to highlight areas around your eye, cupids bow or under brows or can even be mixed with the salmon colour to create the exact shade needed to layer above the corrector.

The orange is the perfect warm tone colour that will neutralise any blue or ashy tones -so under the eyes, or dark areas which are common around the mouth. The orange may be difficult to layer a concealer over without showing through so it might be an idea to mix this with the lightest shade to get a nice peach tone corrector which will work perfectly under the eye without showing through 

NOTE: Be careful when correcting darkness, use the rule the darker your skin tone the brighter the orange needs to be - it's possible to make the darkness look worse if the correcter used is too light - if it looks ashy then add more orange, quickly!

Green can be lightly blended over red blemishes often found around the nose area to neutralise them, foundation alone usually won't conceal red/blemished/flushed skin so this will correct that.

The lilac tone will neutralise any sallow yellow tones - good for the winter months when our skin tends to look a little lifeless and dull.

When putting down a correcter you will need to use a concealer that matches your natural skin tone to layer over the top, you will notice the blemish is undetectable as you have neutralised the colour.

Tips: These concealers are in a solid form so they need to be warmed up on the back of your hand for the best result. You may also want to use an under eye primer before these for a really smooth base. I've found this concealer can crease slightly under the eye so as always it's important to blend and blend some more!

 Pro tip: for easier application, the product may be diluted with a make up primer,  or simply with foundation - From MUFE website

Usability: Not everyone has the time to conceal to this level but for those who need/want amazing coverage this product is great. There are plenty of correctors out there that follow the 'corrective colour wheel' and lots of cheaper alternatives, but it's quite hard to find one with a good pigmentation like this.

So after all that rambling it's not a staple product everyone needs, but its quite nice to have it if you work on a mixture of skin tones/types

The Make up Forever Camouflage Palette is £25.50

 from Guru Makeup Emporium, I usually purchase my MUFE products from PAM purely because it's a little easier for me to travel to. These two shops are Pro Make up stores specialising in Film & TV Make up, there aren't many stores who currently sell MUFE in the UK, these both have an online shop too for those who would find travelling down difficult.

xXx

Lose inches in under an hour - Sanctury Spa DIY Trim and Tone BodyWrap

In my last post I told you about the trim and tome treatment I went for at the Sanctuary Spa [Have a read here]

Well, good news you can get the same results for a quarter of the price of you DIY!

I don't usually use web images but I couldn't wait to use my kit so it's not quite photo ready any more..

On the day of the treatment I picked up the at home kit which contains:

 1 x Pot of Body Clay

 4 x Bandages

 1 x Loofah Mitt

 1 x Tape Measure

It's super easy to get the same salon results at home with this, the only difference being that you don't have someone to give you a lovely massage..well I guess you could arrange that.

Before I got started I marked where I had measured with a ballpoint pen.

I used the loofah to scrub away and get the blood flowing, but to be honest I resorted to using my body brush instead as I just prefer it.

This time, after laying on the (very cold) clay, I wrapped the bandages around my stomach and upper arms and then put some clothes on to keep warm.

The good thing about doing this at home is that you can get a lot done in the time in which you are waiting for the clay to work its magic, and in my house that would be one task..CLEANING!

After scrubbing down the bathroom my wraps were ready to come off, after wiping down the clay I realised I had wiped off the tape measure markings!! So I couldn't get an accurate idea of the reduction in size, I just made do with guessing as I can usually tell just from how I feel.

THE RESULT:

I lost around 2 centimetres from my stomach and about 1.5 from my arms - I guess the amount will vary depending on how much water retention you actually have.

The only thing I would be wary of is bandage marks! I had lots on my arms which took around half an hour to disappear, I think that was down to wrapping the bandages too tightly.

The minimum recommended time to leave the bandages on would be 40 minutes, I had mine on for just over that.

I purchased the treatment set from the Richmond Spa for around £25, it's also available in most Sanctuary stockists so Boots, Debenhams, ect.

 http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_157119904599_-1

Birthday Pampering - Trim and Tone Body Wrap @SanctuarySpa1

In my last post I talked about Part 1 of my Birthday pampering marathon, well Part 2 was a visit to The Sanctuary Spa in Richmond.

I have been a fan of Sanctuary ever since my mum introduced me to their products and use their body washes and soufflé creams daily.

The Spa itself is very deceiving, from the outside it looks tiny but inside I was surprised. 

The ladies room was full of products for you to use which I was super excited to see, and it smelt gorgeous in there!

I was given my own big fluffy robe and slippers and taken into the Lavender room, unfortunately I didn't get a picture but it was a relaxation room with endless supplies of herbal tea and fruit, with comfy chairs and a beautiful waterfall trickling down the back wall.

Next up was my treatment, I went for the Trim and Tone Body Wrap - I chose it after reading reviews because, quite frankly there was too much choice in the treatments I could of had.

THE TREATMENT:

The aim of the treatment is to 'temporarily tone up problem areas', 'assists circulation and natural drainage' and 'to give an instant, temporary toning effect'

-Do you see why I chose it now? Sounded like a win win to me!

This is how it went down:

-The therapist wrapped me up so nice and warm on the treatment bed and took my measurements

-She used a body brush to increase the circulation along my thighs and across my stomach and sides

-She then covered me in the Sanctuary Clay and wrapped the bandages tightly across me

-Over about 50 minutes she then gave me the most amazing massage on my lower legs and feet and then my neck, shoulders and head.

 *By this time I would have happily nodded off - Pure Bliss!*

THE RESULT:

-After unwrapping and cleaning the clay off, I was measured again and drum roll please.....

I lost 2 centimetres off each thigh and 3 centimetres off my stomach! Amazing, I felt really skinny ha ha.

Don't be fooled it is only actually water weight you're loosing, it's not a miracle fat loss treatment, but PERFECT as an invigorating treatment to help with circulation and stretch marks/cellulite. I was told that alot of people use it as a quick trim up to get into that little black dress.

I would rate my Sanctuary Spa experience 10/10, the perfect birthday treat.

The good news is that you don't have to pay for salon prices to get the results I did, I bought an at home treatment set, and I'm my next post will be a 'how to' so stay tuned!

 

http://www.thesanctuary.co.uk/

xXx

Bojouris On the Go Nail Polish Remover #nails

I picked up this nail polish remover on a whim really, and as it turns out it's is quite good!

The tub is lined with sponge drenched in polish remover. Like the other products out there, it works the same way; dip your finger in and swirl it around against the sponge and literally in a second, you're done.

As well as the convenience of this product I like the shine it gave to my nails, it's really moisturising and made my cuticles feel very healthy.

I bought mine in Boots for £3.99

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair #bbloggerspost #beauty #skinrepair

This product is like air to me, I cannot go without it!

It is a repair serum that I swear by, it closes up my pores, speeds up the recovery of imperfections, and generally clears up and repairs the skin from pollutants and sun damage.

I apply it morning and night before my moisturiser without fail. If I  am having a bit of trouble in one particular area I will concentrate on it and apply more there and I'm always a bit more generous when applying it at night because I know my skin will really take to it.

If you hav'nt tried this before, I would go to an Estee Lauder counter to talk to someone who knows the product inside out, the counters don't tend to have samples of Night Repair which is common with the brand, I was once told it's because the products are so well established they don't need to provide samples..believable but come on, everybody likes a free sample!

Did you know: MAC is owned by Estee Lauder?

Beauty Tip: If you are lucky enough to have a Sephora near you or know someone who is flying to a country who does, the store give you little testers of any product you like! Yes, any product so go wild!!! :D 

The bottle retails at £50 for 30ml and £65 for 50ml..I stock up when I'm at the airport. Luxury product for a luxury price but well worth it.

Holy Grail Product by far!

xXx

Avon Supershock gel Eyeliner

Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner

If you're looking for an intense liner, this is the one for you.

How I would describe the Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner:
Intense, creamy, blacker than black, smooth to apply, totally blendable, doesn't budge..
Ok seriously do I need to convince you anymore?

For me, it outruns MAC Blacktrack fluid line or Bobbi Brown Gel Liner pot by miles!

The reason its called a gel liner is because it literally is like they have squeezed a pot of gel liner into a pencil but somehow given it a solid consistency which melts when you apply it.
Because its a gel, once you have applied it you can use a smudger brush or your finger to smudge it out for a smokey look above and under the eye. I sometimes use it as a base colour all over my lid when I'm doing a dark smoky eye, it doesn't move all night and it won't pull on your eyelid like MAC Shade sticks or other eye bases which come in a pencil formation. Because of its creamy formulation you could use an angled brush and dab the pencil liner onto the brush for a more defined line.

The only drawbacks I can think of is that it's intensity as a Kohl may render it too much of an evening look for some people. Also it only comes in black and a silver.

Here comes the disappointment..I actually can't find it on the Avon website at the moment! I know the Luxe Lace collection was limited addition at one point but Avon did bring it back, so I'm hoping it will mysteriously re-appear after Christmas. Good job I stocked up ;) Have a search online and you will find it somewhere that sells it.

Avon is truly my guilty pleasure, I don't think their products get enough press. I have been using Avon products since I first started wearing make up, I remember my mum would bring home a little girlie goodie for me and my sister as a Friday treat after school, it might have been something really little like a deodorant but we were gleaming! Even to this day, mum brings home that catalogue every month and I'm excited because I know I'm going to find something to spend on.