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

Awards 2014 - Beauty watch

This time of year means one thing, awards season...NTA's, Golden Globes, Grammys and lots more. 

This is just one of the times in the year my eyes are peeled for make up and hair looks on gorgeous celebrities.

Here is a collection of some of my favourite looks from 2014's award season...

Favourite beauty looks...

I have to say I'm not much of a Rita Ora fan, but this look at the Grammys deserves some recognition, I adore this type of make up.. A deep smoked out purple eye, matte clean skin and blanked out lips with a slight pink tinge. Also loving the retro curls.

Giuliana Rancic is one of my favourite faces, I love the emphasis she always puts on her eyes and lashes, this look isn't too far our from her usual but ties in perfectly with her outfit.

I don't think she needs any sort of introduction, Mrs Carter chose a midnight deep red with blue undertones to really finish off her outfit. I don't think this look would have had the same effect with her previous longer locks.

Kelly Osbourne went for lots of lashes and slick black liner with a berry lip - her skin looks flawless!

Ciara was glowing with this bronze look, her hair was simple, a tucked under messy bob. Just the right amount of glamour to go with a stunning dress and cute baby bump. 

Rochelles hair at the NTA awards looked gorgeous, full of volume yet sleek and tousled. 

The Wolf of Wall Street actress Margot Robbie was simply stunning at the Golden Globes this year, the low bun was perfect for her look.

Least favourite looks...

Alicia Keys' look was quite the disappointment, she went for the understated soft brow, soft eye, neutral lip, her dress really did say enough but I really did want her make up to say a lot more,... though I can't fault her signature hair style, a curled quiff mohawk.

Katy Perrys make up is always on my favourites list, her skin is always glowing, however her hair in this look is the reason she is on my least favourites list.. 

The dress she wore said so much, I really think a simple loose bun would have worked better than this towering up braided bun, if the bun was somewhat smaller I would say it might have worked too.

There was quite a theme across all the ceremonies when it came to the beauty side, we saw a consistent make up trend with good skin being the common factor. We didn't spot too many celebrities far from their usual comfort zones.

Some more glorious images...

Which was your favourite celebrity look?

xXx

Tom Ford - True Coral 08

In my last post I mentioned True Coral would be my next purchase, and guess what..my lovely friend Maria surprised me with it! 😊 ..so sweet of her right!!

It's such a gorgeous colour, the perfect coral mix! Now I just have to think of the next one to mention and hopefully another generous friend might catch on ;)

Everything about this lipstick; the consistency, colour pay off, texture is the same as Flamingo 08 in my previous post.

 xXx

Tom Ford Pout 💋

I swear Jay Z had nothing to do with this purchase, but I can thank Instagram instead!..

I saw the most gorgeous post from one of the millions of make up artists I follow on Instagram and have wanted one of these lipsticks ever since, the colour on her lips was just gorgeous..(pic below)

Value for money:

Lets face it Tommy boy hasn't got to where he is with crap products and a crap clothing line has he!

Tom was the creative director for Gucci and YSL from 1994–2004- enough said!

You really do get what you pay for..this cost me £36 and lord knows I'm glad I did, it's a lipstick of dreams, you gotta give it to the man, genius! 

Colour range and payoff:

I've got a picture below of the colour range, but they only had a few shades where I got mine.
These remind me of the YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks, which only need one swipe of colour and you're good, I'd say they aren't as creamy but it does go on smoothly. I found that it didn't bleed so you could probably get away with not using a lip liner, however if you are choosing a darker shade say Black Orchid, I'd recommend lining your lips without a doubt.
The colour I chose is Flamingo but you can bet True Coral is my next buy! I've swatched the colour below, on the left is a couple of swipes and to the right is just one..pretty good going!

Packaging:

I'm always a sucker for nice packaging with any product but lipsticks most of all.

I love this packaging, it's so classy, and the lid actually clicks closed properly! (That's a pet peeve of mine)

Moisture:
I know a lot of us have trouble with lipsticks drying our lips out, prime example - the Mac Amplified shade range! I didn't have any trouble with this one, for once I didn't have to reapply any balm before my lipstick with is always helpful!

A couple tips for dry lips
- Put on your lip balm when you start your make up so it's had time to settle in by the time you get to doing your lips at the end
- Prime your lips with primer / concealer if you have discoloration
- Exfoliate once a week, either using a dedicated toothbrush very lightly in circular motions or with a home made sugar scrub (sugar and honey..try not to eat it!)
There are loads of exfoliant products out there for lips, I wouldnt waste your money but if you are feeling lazy but don't want to spend too much I know Elf cosmetics do a lip exfoliator for £3.75

                                             

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And of course follow the beautiful make up artist @makeupbylilit

xXx

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

I have to say I've had my eye on the Clinique Chubby Sticks for a while but have never actually invested, probably because 95% of the things I purchase are not done so without a bit of research....so that I don't have to write one of those 'Things I regret buying' posts!

First impressions:

Packaging is sleek and very similar to the Chubby Sticks

Colour choice and pay off:

I was pleased with the colour choice in this triple pack, they are staple colour shades-nude, coral and pink. The colours are buildable to an opaque state which is great if you want a bold lip which isn't going to budge.

Stain power:

Balm Stains like this claim to have a good stain capability but rarely live up to it, I have to say these definitely do stain your lips to the point that when it does eventually wear off after a few hours your lips have a sure 'bitten' look to them. They don't give that terrible half worn off lipstick look which I detest!

Drawbacks:

The only one negative I can think of is the smell, they have that annoying minty smell that some products have, minty is the only way I can describe it - and note I don't mean a lovely mint ice cream smell, it's quite similar to what the OCC Lip tars smell of. I can see how this would put a few people off so be warned if you are thinking of purchasing online, I would go and have a sniff first!

Shu Uemura Eyelash curler 💜

The amount of blogs I have read that rave about these eyelash curlers is unbelievable!

I've always been a loyal fan to Boots own brand until a bit of an uncontrollable shopping splurge led to me purchasing these.

I'm letting out a bit of a secret of mine here but I have always heated my eyelash curlers with a blast of hot air using the hair dryer, in my opinion you never get a nice lasting lash pump without doing that.

However since buying these I haven't had to do that once!!!! Which really proves to me that they are most definitely worth it! 

Cost:

They are worth the £20 hands down, you just don't get the same effect from a regular drug store type. I also think the rubber edge is of far better quality with these, with cheaper versions the rubber always ends up falling put or just degrading but these seem to be well fixed in.

Colour options:

The gold version I picked up was a new edition but they also come in the standard silver

Effectiveness: 

As I've already said, I've gone from heating up eyelash curlers to hot having to at all..these are about effective as they could possibly get! I can't even stress it enough! 

The lift from the pump lasts all day.

Comfort:

Not much to say here, they don't pinch and there's enough finger room in the handles. They don't have the sponge lined edges as you see on some products but who needs those anyway!

So, if you've been umming about getting these, believe me I hear you but GO GET THEM!! 

xXx

Stiletto #Nails

Just a quick post to show off my claws!
Nothing like a nude nail! Love!

I think the colour I have on is Essie Jazz which is a beige-taupe colour, with two heavy coats of Seche Vite Top Coat (favourite top coat ever!)

xXx

Follow me on Instagram! @rouge_volupte

Topshop Lip Marker

Hi guys its been a long while but I wanted to do a quick post on the Topshop Lip Markers and tell you to go out and get them!

My main findings
- Highly pigmented
- Reasonably priced
- Wide range of colours available
- Stays on for around 7 hours tested during a shopping trip to Westfield, it only came off slightly after our meal

The picture doesn't really do it justice, it doesn't show how bright this thing really is even after just a single application.

The colour I got was Hot Shot, and as a girl on the Estée Lauder counter pointed out, it is somewhat similar to Macs Chilli but I wouldn't say totally because the texture, tone and intensity is very different.

The good thing about Topshop is that they are pretty much everywhere unless you literally live in the middle of nowhere, so pop in and swatch some of the colours. Believe me you will walk away with more than one!

Lip Markers retail at £7

Let me know if you recommend any colours!
xXx

Brow Perfection - Anastasia Brow Whizz and Gel @anastasiasoare @cult_beauty

Anastasia Is an absolute brown queen, she is known as the celebrity browista and even Kim K tweeted a picture of herself at Anastasia's famous Beverly Hills salon.

I actually saw this brow pencil on the Pixiwoo channel in one of Sam's videos, and like everything Sam and Nic talk about, I was totally sold.
Unfortunately there wern't any UK stockists of this product at the time, so I got mine from Sephora when I was in New York.

I used one of my regulars - Mac Brow pencil in Spiked and also Macs Embark eyeshadow to compare against. In the picture the Brow Whizz is above and Spiked below.

The Brow Whizz pencil by Anastasia that I bought has more of an ashy/grey tone rather than the red tone that Spiked or Embarked has. That means it just looks so much more subtle and perfect for when the rest of your face is pretty caked, and you just need some definition in your brows!

The pencil itself is hard and not waxy which means you can get a really defined outline. Also it doesn't cause any flash back in pictures because it's not waxy, flashback basically makes you look like you have no brows because the light bounces off..not a good look.

There is a little spooly on the other end of the pencil which saves me searching for mine,

This brow pencil totally changed up my brow game, I'd totally recommend it, I got mine in Brunette (fyi my hair is black). But there is a whole range of colours. I'm considering having a few of her other products shipped over because I'm totally sold on the quality of this!

I also bought the Brow Gel to keep those pesky hairs in place for windy days lol loving that too.

UK shoppers can now get yours on cultbeauty.co.uk @cult_beauty
Go get it!!


xXx

Empire state of mind

This post is slightly, well actually majorly delayed but never the less I still wanted to do it.

So about a month ago I had landed from a very eventful, very fun trip in New York...

As you know it was also a month ago that the devastating Sandy Storm hit the U.S, although our trip clashed with the arrival of the storm. Fortunately we were not directly affected by the storm itself but definitely felt it's strength through the stormy weather that came with it, I have to say that I've never quite felt wind so powerful! My thoughts are with all those affected out there and in the Caribbean islands.


So I'm sharing a few holiday pics and will be doing some beauty post on all the goodies I picked up

xXx