NOTD: Barry M Ltd Edition Pink

I know, another pink. What the hell? Except it’s not really pink. I’d call it more of a pinky purple. And I wanted to get this up whilst it was still available as it is ltd edition. I got this as a gift with purchase in Boots after spending over a certain amount though I can’t for the life of me remember what that amount was. The gold lid is really cute! This was 2 smooth, easy coats.



The formula was, as is standard for Barry M Polishes, fantastic. Thick but not gloopy so it covered evenly. I got tip wear pretty quickly (second day) but no chips. I actually love the colour too. It’s bright and summery without being too in your face. I wore this to work and didn’t get any funny looks! (well, anymore than usual). Love it! X

*The above product was a free gift with purchase. My reviews are always my honest opinion. The disclosure policy can be found in the menu on the left*

NYX Round Lipsticks: B52, Jupiter and Frosted Beige

I think these were less than $2 each from Cherry Culture and yet they are fantastic quality and seem to have a bit of a cult following. Youtube seems to contain a fair bit of makeup snobbery with high end often being the be all and end all and yet many people who might turn their noses up at drugstore brands will sing the cheap and cheerful praises of NYX from the rooftops. And for very good reason!

The main problem with ordering these online is that the swatches are rubbish. Google for actual swatches because the ones on the website bear little to no resemblance to the lipstick that you will get. I expected B52 to be much lighter but as you can see it’s actually fairly deep with quite a lot of brown in it. I’ll be waiting till Autumn is in full swing to wear this one.

Jupiter is a bright pink with some blue in it but it is surprisingly wearable. I like this with a pale cream eyeshadow all over the lid and winged eyeliner. All of the shades here are relatively sheer so you can leave them light or build them up to get the desired look. This has a bit of shimmer to it but it isn’t crazily frosty unlike...

Frosted Beige! It’s a beigey neutral and it is (shock horror) really quite frosty. I like to tone is down with a none shimmery gloss over the top.

*B52 on top then Jupiter then Frosted Beige

The formula is creamy on all three of these and whilst they aren’t really moisturising they don’t dry my lips out. The colours don’t last too long with me needing to reapply every 3-4 hours. Overall I’m really impressed with the quality of these and I do plan on buying more in future. I will be more thoroughly researching the colours though... x

*I bought these myself. My reviews are always my honest opinion*

Brow Basics: 17 Clear Mascara

I love my Benefit Browzings however I don’t always have the time or feel the need to properly wax and powder my brows. I have black brows and lots of ‘em so definition isn’t a problem. What is a problem is the fact that the hairs are quite long and if I don’t do something to keep them in place I look like Worzel Gummidge. I wanted something quick, cheap and idiot proof to swipe on and at £4.49 this fit the bill rather nicely.

The wand is rather handy with short bristles on one side and longer, more comb like ones on the other. This makes me suspect that this isn’t really being marketed for eyelashes at all though it says on the packaging for brows or lashes. Answer me this people, have you ever used clear mascara as actual mascara? What is the point? Maybe I’m missing something here... Anyway it is perfectly designed for combing through my unruly brows.

The gel itself is none sticky leaving a really subtle finish. It doesn’t look like there is anything on there is just keeps the hairs in place. I like it! It’s subtle and easy enough to use every day. I’d say I use this 5-6 days a week and Browzings 1-2 days. Just don’t rub your eyebrows after application (no I don’t know why I felt the need to either). It will disintegrate into dandruff. This never happens unless for some reason you decide to fidget with them. I think I was trying to see if they ‘felt weird’ with the mascara on?

This lasts pretty much all day on me but if it’s particularly hot and muggy you might want to consider popping it in your bag for another quick swipe. There is only one problem with this. I am OCD. I like things to be a certain way. Clean for a start.... after a month of use this is not clean. I will spare you the photo but trust me, this once clear mascara is slowly turning a murky beige. You can’t help but pick up a tiny bit of foundation when you apply it as my brows are the last thing I do in the morning. I doubt I’ll finish the tube before I have to throw it out but then again at that price can I really complain?

So there you go. 17 Clear Mascara – it ain’t groundbreaking but I don’t know what I’d do without it xxx

*I bought this. My reviews are always my honest opinion. For more info see the disclosure policy to the left*

Overzealous sales assistants (a rant)

Today I popped into my beloved Boots store in order to replace the burgundy mascara that I used up this morning. It’s a colour I wear fairly often so I don’t feel I’m being too naughty replacing it as I don’t own any others. Now not many brands do this shade of mascara so I bet you guess what well renowned hard sell brand I ended up at.

I want to preface this by saying I in no way blame the girl. Had we met under different circumstances I’m sure we’d have gotten on like a house on fire. These women are under insane pressure to drive sales and meet targets but the prescribed fashion in which some do it is bordering on bullying. “no thanks” I said when offered help. “I just want the mascara”. 15 minutes later my bewildered husband finds a quivering orange wreck pinned to the counter. As the fog of enthusiastically sprayed perfumed clears he sees that his wife, far from looking like she was born in the 80’s actually looks like she is in the 80’s.

Now I’m not a makeup artist. But I’m pretty damn sure that if your blush goes from your temple to your mouth and glows in the dark you’ve got too much on. Honestly my face looks like a tropical sunset with the hues of pink against the back drop of orange. Oh my friends Ronseal ain’t got nothing on these girls. It doesn’t matter what shade your skin might actually be if they had their way and army of orange faced clones would be walking the streets. I tried for a good 20 minutes to capture this on camera but my camera just can’t cope. Here is an image of Snooki to demonstrate the effect the foundation had on me. (I don’t own this image (thank God), google found it. If it’s yours ask and I’ll remove it)

The tactic is of course to put a whole face of makeup on you and then pressure you into buying every item used. And with the exception of the foundation everything she used is actually a product I would like to own (applied sparingly). But what did I buy? My mascara. Ok and some You Rebel ... and some Porefessional. You see I need these things for my holiday. But my point is I walked in just after pay day with a whole list of things I would have loved to have bought but much to her obvious disgust declined to buy anything else even though I’d said that I liked the blush colour etc. I was just so damn pissed off that everything I said was being ignored. Every time I said no she said ‘it will only take a minute’ before literally attacking my face with a brush. When she finally conceded that I wasn’t buying anything else she stopped talking to me all together and rushed me through the till whilst already eyeing up her next victim.

Will I be going into a counter in future? Hell no! It was a wholly unpleasant experience. I felt pressured and ignored at the same time. Maybe I’ll buy some of their products in future but I’d have to do it online which means I can’t swatch them so I may well end up not bothering. This means that the company has lost my business not because the products aren’t good, for the most part they are fab, but because buying from a counter again fills me with the kind of fear and loathing normally reserved for visits to the dentist. I left looking ridiculous and feeling like crap.

Let me know in the comments, have you had a bad makeup counter experience? What did you do to get them to back off and leave you to shop?! xx

NYX Blush: Peach

I’m one of these people who goes through little mini obsessions within my makeup obsession as a whole. Right now the focus of my attention is blush. I went through the summer slathered in SPF, mainly sitting indoors and most importantly in Scotland. I am just as pale as I was 6 months ago so I rely on blush to give me a touch of colour in order to avoid being carted off to the morgue. I’ve heard so many good things about the NYX blushes that I had to pop one in my cart during that long ago Cherry Culture haul.

I LOVE the packaging on these and the single eyeshadows. The pattern on the powder is so cute and I love that you can see right in to the colour. And do you know what? I love the product more. The powder is so silky soft that it’s a joy to use. It just glides on and practically blends itself though you do need to be careful with your brush so as not to kick up dust.

The colour is, shockingly, a soft peach. It’s quite pink but could pull either way depending on your skin tone. It’s wearable and summery so it’s been getting a lot of use over the last month. I find this to be as pigmented as some of my MAC blushes but not as full on as say Illamasqua. This makes it user friendly at 6am which is normally when I’m putting my slap on.

Prices vary wildly from a couple of dollars to £6. Next Cherry Culture haul I think some more of these will be coming home to me! Xx

*I bought this myself. My reviews are always my honest and open, for more info see the disclosure policy in the menu on the left*

Beauty Blog Link Love Time!

Rae reviews a gorgeously packaged mascara that smells like blueberries (no, we're not kidding!) over at theNotice.

Tammerly from Pink Diva's Beauty Spot was GHD's guest at Little Joe Woman fashion luncheon which was also sponsored by Lancome.

IHeartCosmetics reviews the famous Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish .

The Pink Sith tries to put as many non sequitur references that she can into her review of Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Blush. See if she has finally gone too far.

Madame B Fatale swatches some Australian Mineral Shadows by Kylies Professional.

Jellyminx creates an affordable autumn inspired eye look perfect for the dreary weather the UK has had recently!!

Urban Decay announce The Black Palette and Lipglossiping has the photos! This one's for the rock chick inside each of us!

Cindy from Prime Beauty is finally leading the semi-"charmed" life she thinks she deserves by wearing the newest Three Custom Color Specialist lipstick. Find out how you can get yours as a GWP!

What's in the vanity drawers at The Gloss Menagerie? Come have a look at Alyson's makeup organization.

Beautywoome takes you through the no-chip manicure paces.

It wasn't easy, but Glitter Geek actually listed her top 10 products for Summer 2010. See any of your own favourites?

Jeweled Thumb reviews a face paint by Models Own as a blush and discovers it works!

Want to learn how to self-apply individual false eyelashes at home? Mz. More of The Glamorous Gleam has a video tutorial!

Hot Beauty Health shares how to get short, curly hairstyles like celebs!

The Lip Print makes a change and crosses over to the light side .

Retrodiva explores eight autumn beauty trends sure to be popular this year.

Want Chanel Paradoxal but don't like it's price? Musicalhouses shows you Paradoxal's (much) cheaper little sister!

Revlon Colorburst Lippies: Rosy Nude & Carnation

These aren’t exactly new anymore but what the heck, I’m going to talk about them anyway. The Colorburst lipsticks are Revlon’s latest lip offering and let’s be honest, it’s looking rather luxe so far. The quilted packaging and engraved Revlon on the bullet feel more department store than drugstore. I think this indicative of the lipstick market as whole lately. Consumers are wising up to the rising prices of drugstore makeup and are expecting the quality to match and thankfully most companies seem to be stepping up their game.

Here we have Rosy Nude (a deep peachy neutral) and Carnation (a brighter warm pink). Rosy Nude is too dark on me to be considered a nude but it is a nice neutral work appropriate shade. A bit dark for summer perhaps but give a month or two and I will be wearing this on a regular basis. Carnation is a fun pop of colour but not to in your face. I like this paired with a simple eye over the weekend.


The formula is soft and creamy. It’s not the most moisturising formula ever but it doesn’t dry my lips out particularly. The payoff is good too though not totally opaque and the wear is average. It’ll last through a cup of tea but not lunch. What I do love about these is the fact that they have a glossy finish but aren’t shimmery. I’m getting a little tired of buying lippies thinking they are work safe and popping them on to discover that they are insanely frosty (I’m looking at you Max Factor...) The lack of shimmer in these shades is refreshing and I think much more wearable.

I like the fact the end of the packaging is a fairly decent representation of the colour inside too making it easy to spot the one you’re after in your draw. These feel like a well thought out product and personally I’m a fan. They normally cost £7.99 but my advice is to keep your eyes open for b1g1 offers to make the most of your pennies (Boots often have buy 2 get one free offers on most of their lower end brands). My one gripe is that the colour range isn’t huge, I’m hoping they bring out some more! X

*the above products were bought by me. My reviews are always my honest opinion. For more info see the disclosure policy in the menu on the left*

NOTD: OPI Blushingham Palace

Again with the work appropriate nails... Yawn. I suppose if anything is going to be office friendly it’s going to be a polish from the ‘Classics’ range. Don’t get me wrong, this is a fab polish. It’s just that pinks aren’t really my thing.

Blushingham Palace is a rich shimmery rose shade with a gold sheen. The gold makes it a little more interesting than a straight up pink. This is three coats.



The wear on this is fab. I don’t worry about going away for a couple of days on business and looking raggedy before I get back which makes it a practical choice for a busy work week.

Before I fall totally out of love with painting my nails let me know in the comments what shades OTHER THAN PINK you think are appropriate for the office. Any suggestions for polishes or even just colour palettes would be greatly appreciated! X

*I bought this myself. The disclosure policy is in the menu on the left*

A Comprehensive look at all of the Sleek Permanent i-Divine Palettes

After torturing you all with the Ltd edition palettes I wanted to do a run through of the palettes that you can actually buy without stalking eBay. All of these are permanently available on the Sleek website and in some Superdrug stores. The prices tend to jump about a bit but generally hover around the £5 mark.

Original:



The matte black isn’t as pigmented in this as it is in the other palettes but bear in mind that all of these are swatched without a base. This is the most versatile of all of the palettes which a range of neutral colours and brights thrown in together. If you only buy two and you need palettes that can actually be worn to a conservative office then my money is on this and...

Storm:



This is my favourite of the lot. As you can see it has taken a beating. If I don’t know what to wear to work then I just pick this up. The colours are Gorgeous! Unfortunately it does contain the only other shade that I can’t use. That navy on the bottom row is just too chunky and glittery. It actually hurt to use and it kept falling into my eyes. Again though when you take into account that I have 11 palettes with 12 shadows in each 2 duds really is not bad going.

Chaos:



Hats off to Sleek, not many drugstore brands offer a wide range of matte shadows and yet here is an entire palette full of them. Now these are not as smooth and pigmented as the shimmery shades in other palettes but for matte shadows they are pretty good. Some are better than others as the swatches show. If you like mattes you’ll love this.

Acid:



It is so hard to photograph neons! The swatches came out better than the pan shot did. It is hard to describe how bright those matte neon shades are though. Again Sleek have produced something that no other drugstore brand seems to bother with and they have done it very well. I find a sticky white base makes the most out of the neon shades as they can be a little sheer on their own after blending. There are a few shimmery shades in there too so you have a good mix.

Sunset:



Oh that orange! That blue! Those two together! The deep russet colours and shimmery textures in this palette mean that this is a palette that will get a lot of love this autumn. There isn’t a lot to say here, the swatches speak for themselves.

So there you have it. The five permanent palettes all together. I should note that the formula of the shimmery shades is so soft that they almost feel like cream shadows. You need to be careful not to gouge them with your brush. The softness does mean that they aren’t the best to travel with as I have seen a few people have their break during transit. That said I think these palettes represent brilliant quality and fantastic value for money. If you took away all my other eyeshadows and left me with just my Sleek palettes I’d be hard pushed to find a colour that I didn’t have. Apart from taupe now I think about it. But still there are plenty of other neutrals.
Hope this post was helpful! Xxx

*I bought all of the above products myself. My reviews are always my honest opinion. For more info see my disclosure policy on the left*

Rimmel 321 FAIL

I’m a huge geek and I do love my gadgets. So of course when I spotted Rimmels 3 in 1 looks adjustable volume mascara I pounced. I’m normally a huge fan of Rimmel mascaras too so between my previous experiences and the gadgetry this was building up to be one hell of a mascara.

The premise is this; you twist the mascara tube to different settings. This alters the amount of product that comes out onto the wand giving you either a subtle look or lashings of mascara. You can see here the wand at stage 1:

And stage 3:

That is a lot of mascara at stage 3... Here are my naked (curled) lashes:


And my lashes with one coat at stage 1:


Hmm. Not bad but not brilliant. Even at this stage I could tell this mascara wouldn’t work for me. The formula leaves my lashes crispy and spiky. It’s not comfortable at all. Normally I don’t have an issue with mascaras not being black enough but this one is positively grey. I dialled it up to level 3:


Ew ew ew... It dragged down the curl and bound my lashes together in a clumpy, spiky, grey mess. I’ve given less than enamoured reports about mascaras before but I’ve never actually hated one like I hate this one. I’m determined to use it up but I’m going to have to do so at level 1. It was reasonably cheap (I think I paid £5.99) but it goes without saying that I won’t be buying another. Sorry Rimmel, I love you but this mascara sucks!

*I bought this with my own money and really wish I hadn’t bothered. My reviews are always my (sometimes brutally) honest opinion. For more info see the disclosure policy on the left*

NARS Only You Eye and Cheek Palette

I love palettes. More often than not they represent fantastic value for money with you getting several different products for a lot less than it would cost to buy them individually. Ok you don’t usually get the full sized product but let’s be honest, when was the last time I used up an eye shadow of any size? That’s right. Never. For £45 you get 4 eyeshadows, a blush and a highlighter all zipped up in a little fabric pouch. It’s actually sturdier than is sounds though I’d be nervous of travelling with is for fear of breaking the mirror.



The eye shadows are (from left to right and according to the NARS website):

• Alambra Eyeshadow - Metallic Rose Mist
• Mekong Eyeshadow - Espresso infused with gold
• Eurydice Eyeshadow - Electric Aubergine
• Pandora Eyeshadow - Matte Black

Eurydice is all kinds of gorgeous. It has these amazing blue reflects in it. I’d recommend clicking on the picture to get a better look at them. Alambra is a stunning neutral and when paired with a tiny bit of Mekong in the outer V makes for a stunning work appropriate neutral eye. The shadows are all highly pigmented and as smooth as you can get. It’s everything I hoped for from NARS.

The blush is of course the infamous Orgasm. I’ve been listening to the hype on blogs and Youtube for years now and honestly? Meh. Don’t get me wrong, the colour is gorgeous and the pigmentation is out of this world it’s just that it was cracked up to be the most amazing thing the blush world has ever known and it just isn’t. It’s a bright peachy pink which doesn’t lean too far either way on my skin tone. I do however find the gold shimmer in it almost too much. I’m hesitant to wear this during the day as it is so shimmery. Just a tip; don’t load your brush up with as much as you normally would for any other blush. It will be too much, this really is that pigmented.

The highlighter is Honey Lust which is a warm cream colour with a gold sheen. It’s almost too deep for me actually as it shows up less well on my skin than By Candlelight MSF does. For darker ladies this might be more appropriate. If you’re as pale as me then you might appreciate the more subtle effect this gives. I certainly wouldn’t want anything more over powering to pair with Orgasm!

If you are looking to dip your toes into the world of NARS then this palette is a good way to go about it in my opinion. It’s a versatile palette and you get a fantastic selection of shadows. Though I’m not as blown away by the cheek products as I was expecting I think that’s mainly down to my expectations being too high. They are still fantastic products. Love it! X

*I was given this by the bestest Aunty in the whole wide world. It doesn’t matter how I get hold of a product, my reviews are always my honest opinion. Further info is in the disclosure policy on the left*

A Taupe for the History Books: Chanel Taupe Gris

No, I haven’t broken my no buy. I got a belated birthday present from my favourite Aunt. A lady of excellent taste I might add. Not only did she kindly gift me with the NARS Only You eye and cheek palette *swoon* but she also gave me the taupe equivalent of a lottery win (for me anyway, taupe addicts will understand...)


Chanel Taupe Gris is ltd edition and part of their Autumn collection. At £19.50 this is definitely an investment piece and given that taupe is one of my go to work shades I plan to use every last swipe of this shadow. I am not the sort of girl who buys ltd edition makeup then never uses it because I can’t buy it again. A lot of money was paid (though admittedly not by me) therefore I plan on getting the value from it.


The colour in the pan was difficult to capture. It’s in between the pictures with and without the flash. The swatch looks colour accurate to me. It is a deep smoky taupe that looks slightly purple to me. Is has shimmer but isn’t frosty. It’s soft but not powdery. It is, frankly, wonderful. It blends like a dream and does not fade (with primer of course).

The packaging surprises me. It’s not really what I was expecting from Chanel. For starters, a sponge applicator? No ta. This shadow deserves a decent brush. I’m not gouging a hole in it with a sponge applicator even if it is a Chanel one! And whilst the mirror is a nice touch the bulky packaging makes the little 2g pan seem even more meagre. The little faux velvet pouch is handy for keeping mucky finger prints off the sleek black case however the pouch itself feels a little cheap.


Do you need this shadow in your life? If you, like many other makeup addicts, are addicted to taupe and you have £19.50 burning a hole in your pocket then make haste to your nearest counter and pray it’s still in stock. That said there are plenty of beautiful taupes out there that don’t cost anywhere near as much. I do think it is unique in my collection and I can see this being a taupe of legend once the collection has sold out. I love it, do you?

*The above taupe-a-licious shadow was given to me as a gift. My review is as always my honest opinion. For more info see my disclosure policy in the menu on the left hand side*