Spring Trends: Candy Colours

I absolutely LOVE these candy coloured skinny jeans from New Look. They cost £16.99 and this is a small selection of the colours they come in. I need these in my life. I would wear them with nude flats and a white shirt for a casual day look, or they can be dressed up by adding some killer heels. Now comes the hard part, which colour to choose??

Review: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Finding the right foundation is an extremely difficult task. what may be the perfect foundation for one person may be totally wrong for you, or vice versa.

 I have extremely sensitive, acne prone, combination skin. So for me finding a foundation that suits seems to be nigh on impossible. That is what I thought until one day I stumbled upon Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Boots.

This is how Bourjois describe the foundation:

"70% more radiance!

Bourjois 1st radiance-boosting fruit therapy foundation: a flawless complexion for up to 16hrs!

Its exquisite and glide-on formula blends onto the skin for a flawless, yet natural finish.

8 hours moisture. Let skin breathe. High tolerance dermatologically tested."

I would describe the coverage as medium, and it does make my skin look less flawed, but I wouldnt call it flawless, and my acne scarring does show through a bit. With a bit of concealer on my skin looks great, really healthy and natural looking. And the best part is that it doesn't break me out, not one bit!  

I love using this foundation for an everyday natural look, but for nights out when I want a bit more coverage and staying power I use Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation.  

The lasting power of this foundation is pretty good, I get at least 6 hours wear and that is without a primer. I would say to avoid this foundation if you have dry skin though as it does tend to highlight patches of dry skin when I have it. 

The only problem I find with this foundation is that the colour match isn't perfect for my skin, so I have to mix the colours 51 and 52 together in winter. In the summer I use shade 52. I would say I am quite pale with golden undertones, so the fact that this foundation has quite a yellowy tinge to it isn't a problem. But for people who are more cool toned this may be a problem for them.

Overall this is my HG foundation for everyday wear!!

Gem Rating: 4/5

MeMeMe Poppy Tint vs Benefit Posie Tint: Dupe Alert!

I have a tiny bottle of Benefit's Posie Tint running a bit low and I love it, so when I saw that MeMeMe had a possible dupe for it at a great price, I just had to try it. Posie Tint is £24.50 per 12ML whereas Poppy Tint is £5.25 per 10ML.

These two products are practically identical, even down to the nail varnish-like applicator brush. They are both the same lovely petal pink colour, which gives the cheeks a lovely natural looking glow. The only difference is that the MeMeMe Poppy Tint is slightly more watery, which actually makes it easier to blend onto my cheeks. 

Overall I definitely think that the MeMeMe Poppy Tint is an exact dupe for Posy Tint, something that I don't think they are trying to hide down to the fact that the two bottles are very similar in design. 

I may even go as far as saying that I prefer Poppy Tint, because it is much more affordable and easier to apply.  

They also do Pussycat Cheek and Lip Tint, which looks like a good dupe for Benetint, so I think I will be trying this next. 

Gemx

MUA Makeup Academy Poptastic Palette Review and Swatches

They say: "The Poptastic Palette contains a fusion of vibrant colours for the more daring, with bright blues to a shocking pink amongst the 12 highly-pigmented eye shadow shades. This palette contains shimmer shades with complimentary shades that keep their vibrancy on all skin tones".

The palette comes nicely packaged, it looks quite sleek and professional. It is slightly difficult to open though, if you have long nails you may find it quite hard to open. 

The palette contains 12 vibrant eyeshadows, 7 of them are blues though, so I would have liked a bit more variety of colours in this palette. They are all gorgeous colours and most of them are pigmented and easy to work with. I am dissapointed with the light yellow, it really doesnt show up on my skin at all, even when I use a primer. I would say that with this palette you need to use quite a stiff brush to pick up the colour. I tried using my too faced brushes with it, but that didnt really pick up any colour at all. I swithched to my Japonesque smugder brush and that worked perfectly. 

First row 

Second row

Overall opinion: I really am pleased with this palette, and for £4 its a bargain. its got quite a nice variety of colours and is of a decent quality. 

Rating: 3.5/5 due to the fact that the first and second colours in row 1, and the sixth colour in row two needed a stiff brush in order to be picked up. 

Here's a quick look I did using the darkest blue and the blue above it. 

Gemx

MUA Makeup Academy Haul!! Review and Swatches Blusher, Lipstick, Pearl Eyeshadow

Makeup Academy or MUA is a fairly new budget brand of makeup which is exclusive to Superdrug in the UK and they have just launched their own website. MUA claim that their products are "Affordable and High Quality"

I have been hearing good things about this brand for a while, and with products starting at just £1, how could I not give them a try?

So I went to their website here, as the Superdrug where I live is tiny, and they had an offer on! If you spent £8, you would get a free 24 Shade Immaculate Collection eyshadow palette, which is worth £8.

This is what I got: 

Clockwise from bottom left: 

> Eye dust in shade 3 £1

> Blusher in shade 2 £1

> 24 Shade Immaculate Collection Palette £8

> Lipstick in 'Juicy' £1

>Pearl Eye shadow in shade 8 £1

>12 Shade Poptastic Palette £4

I am going to review the lipstick, Pearl eye shadow and blusher in this post, and I will review the palettes separately. The eye dust is pretty basic, very glittery and nice, but it is very sheer and is better applied wet in my opinion. This is the only disappointment out of the lot, and not a huge one as it was only a pound!

Swatches of all three products will be at the bottom of the page.

MUA Blusher Shade 2

What they say: "Highly pigmented blusher which is a long-lasting powder. Applies evenly and blends beautifully to give your cheeks a radiant glow in any season!"

These blushes come in six shades and are priced at an incredible £1!

I agree that the blush is highly pigmented. I am used to being heavy handed with my blush because I am using Benefit Dandelion at the moment. I ended up with a bit too much on my cheeks to begin with and I found it a bit more work to blend than my benefit blusher, but not too much. I applied it with the elf blusher brush and then buffed it out with a kabuki brush. I have to say I loved the end result once I had toned it down a bit. 

I love the colour, it is a medium pink colour which i think would suit most skin tones. Its matte, with small bits of glitter in it, and on my skin which is quite pale, gives it a lovely healthy looking glow. I am definitely going to purchase more shades, although there are only 6 at the moment. I am hoping they plan on expanding the colours soon. The only problem I had with this is the packaging, its plastic and flimsy and difficult to open. I managed to take a chunk of powder out the pan with my nail when I was trying to open it. However in the end the quality and price of the blusher has definitely won me over.

Rating 4/5 

MUA Pearl Eye Shadow in Shade 8

What they say: Single high pigmented pearl eyeshadow. An easy-blending formula gives an endless versatility that will revolutionise your eye-makeup outlook and deliver stunning effects.

Again the packaging of the product isn't great, but I am willing to overlook this because what's inside the packaging is a pretty good product! 

The colour pay off is great and true to the colour in the pan.Its a lovely blue - green colour, a cross between jade and turquoise.It is definitely highly pigmented. The formula is soft, but not as soft as my Too Faced shadows, but it still blends beautifully. It has shimmer and a hint of glitter to it which I love. I am so pleased with this eye shadow and cant wait to try out more shades. Here is a picture of a quick look I did with the eye shadow:

Sorry the picture quality isn't great, but you can see from it how pigmented this colour is. I just used it in the inner V with neutral colours on the rest of the lid.

MUA Lipstick in Juicy 

What they say: Make a statement with our show stopping lip stick, available in 16 shades. Make Up Academy provides trend shades on a budget, allowing you to achieve the latest looks without breaking the bank!

I love the colour of this lipstick! it is gorgeous! Here it is on my lips;

This is with one layer of the lipstick on, it can be built up for a stronger colour. It is a lovely pinky orangey colour - very unique. The formula seems moisturising when you first put it on, but it does dry and go more matte after a while. Some lipsticks are just too dry for my lips. like elfs lipsticks, but this one isn't. It has great lasting power too and lasted a good 3 - 4 hours on me. They have got the packaging right with this one as well. I love the simple black and silver design it looks really sleek. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Swatches L - R: MUA Lipstick in Juicy, Blusher in shade 2, Eye shadow in shade 8.

Gemx

NYX Haul and Review: Jumbo pencil in milk, Smudge Brush and Luxor Swatch

NYX were having a 20% off promotion, so I couldn't resist getting a few items.The sale is on until Jan 10th here (UK)

I got:

• Caribbean Collection I Dream of St Lucia, which I have reviewed here £8*

• NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk £4.50*

• NYX Smudger Brush £5.50*

• NYX Single Eyeshadow in Luxor £4.50*

*Full price, I got 20% off in the boxing day sale*

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

I have wanted a white eyeliner for my waterline for a while now and have heard good reviews on the jumbo pencils so decided to give it a try, and i am really glad i did. The positive reviews are totally justified, it is in my everyday makeup bag now and I don't know what I did without it! The pencil goes on smoothly and lasts at least four hours, which I think is pretty decent as I have quite watery eyes.When used on my waterline it makes my eyes look brighter and more awake. I also like to use it on the inner v and on the brow bone as a highlight. I do gave quite pale skin though, and I an not sure I would use this as a highlight in the summer when I have a tan, because it is bright white. I also like to use it after a primer to make my eyeshadow more vibrant.

Gem Rating 5/5

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Luxor

This is a gorgeous colour purple and the formulation is buttery and easy to apply and blend. Used alone it is not the most pigmented but it is still pretty decent. I think it is best used with a primer, and when I use it with the jumbo pencil underneath its absolutely gorgeous. It can also be used over a black pencil for a darker look.

Top to bottom: Luxor with out primer, with elf primer, with NYX jumbo pencil in milk underneath, with black pencil underneath.

Gem Rating: 4/5

NYX Smudge Brush

I love this brush, it is great to use on the lower lash line and i also use it for more intricate crease work. It is quite a stiff brush which makes it perfect for smudging shadows and liners, and it is very small which also suits it purpose very well. I use this brush most days and would recommend it.

Gem Rating: 4/5

Overall Opinion

I am so pleased with everything I purchased, and would highly recommend them all, but I have got to say my favourites are the jumbo pencil in milk and the smudge brush. I cant wait to try out some more products from NYX, everything I have tried so far has been great.

Gemx

Too Faced Naked Eye Palette Review and Swatches

Too Faced Naked Eye Pallet

Hey, I have three of the Too Faced palettes; Naked Eye, Natural Eye and Romantic Eye. I love them All equally, but today I am going to review the Naked Eye pallet, since I have been wearing this one the most recently :)

I love the packaging, it's gorgeous and looks great on my dresser.

The box opens up to reveal the lovely shadows, which are arranged in rows. Each row of three shadows is a 'look'; Day, Classic and Fashion. Day has very subtle 'barley there' colours, Classic has more shimmery colours and Fashion has the most pigmented and dramatic colours in the palette, although as this is the Naked Eye palette, the dramatic look is still quite subtle.  

There are cards included with the palette which give you instructions where to put the colours on your lid. I think this is a lovely idea, however I don't use these as I have partially hooded eyelids so I always like to have the lightest shade on my lid and the darkest in my crease.

Day shadows

In The Buff, Pillow Talk, Like a Virgin.

In The Buff

A Lovely matte off White shade, which goes on quite sheer, but is buildable.

Pillow Talk is a slightly frosted grey-taupe shade, again this is buildable to get a stronger colour if desired.

Like a Virgin is a matte dark taupey colour, this is the most pigmented of the three.

L-R; In The Buff, Pillow Talk, Like a Virgin.

Classic Shadows

Birthday Suit, Satin Sheets, Unmentionables. All three shadows are shimmer, with Satin Sheets having the most shimmer in it.

Birthday Suit is a shimmery light brown with a little glitter in it.

Satin Sheets is a shimmery subtle pink with hints of gold in it. I love this colour and think it is quite unique.

Unmentionables is quite similar to Like a Virgin, a taupey brown, but a more shimmery version of it.

L-R Unmentionables, Satin Sheets, Birthday Suit

Fashion Shadows

Pink Cheeks is a very light sheer glittery pink. This is my least favourite in the palette, but it is still nice, and would be useful to blend a purple look.

Lap Dance is another lovely shade, sort of brown, grey with shimmer and glitter. I have realised the colours in this palette on the whole are difficult to describe :) which is a good thing in my opinion, it shows how lovely and unique they are

Stiletto is a matte black with a bit of glitter and can be built up for a strong look, or blended for a little added drama.

Top to bottom - Pink Cheeks, Lap Dance, Stiletto - all swatches are done on bare skin without a primer.

Overall Opinion

I love this palette! If you are looking for a palette you can use everyday, then this is the one.The quality of the shadows is excellent, most feel like butter to the touch and are very easy to work with I love the fact that there is a great mixture of matte, shimmer and glitter, and none of the shadows are overly glittery. When I wear them with elf primer, they last all day and don't budge until I remove them with my makeup remover. Definitely my go to palette at the moment for a barely there, flawless look. love. I will post a look using this palette soon. Compared to the Natural Eye palette, this one has more cool toned shadows where as the Natural Eye has warm toned shadows which are also great for every day.

Gemx

Rating

5/5, cant fault this palette :)

First Review :) NYX The Carribean Collection - I Dream of St Lucia - Swatches and Look

Its January, the weather is terrible outside, and I would love to be on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean right now. So what better  time to get out my NYX palette 'I Dream of St Lucia', and write a review. The colours are bright and bold and they put me in a really summery mood. So lets get down to the review :)

Here it is...

You can see from the photo that the colours are really bright. The pink has shown up a bit more purple here, but it is more a pink in real life.

Here are the swatches that I took, I didn't use a primer when doing them, just onto bare skin.

As you can see, the orange and yellow are the most pigmented colours, although all are pretty pigmented. The green took two swatches to get to that colour in the picture, so did the blue. Yellow, pink and orange were all done with one swatch. The yellow is very pigmented, I think this is due to the fact that it is a frost finish. Orange is glittery and so is the pink, but not overly so. The green and blue are more matte.

This palette isn't necessarily for everyday wear, but you can mix and match them with neutrals to tone down the look a bit. I went ahead and did a look using all the colours, and it is definitely a summer holiday look. (Please excuse my blotchy skin, I don't have any foundation on in this pic) I used elf primer and NYX jumbo pencil in milk as a base.



I am loving this look, I will definitely be wearing it in the summer. The shadow was a bit more vivid in real life unfortunately, the pictures were taken off my phone camera.

Final thought

over all I think the NYX I Dream of St Lucia palette is great, and a must have if you aren't afraid colour. The price is very reasonable, I paid £8, and for the quality and pigmentation you cant go wrong. The only reason i knocked off one gem was because of the blue and green, but it doesn't take too much effort to get colour pay off from them. I will definitely be getting more eye shadows from NYX, I am very impressed by the brand. The only problem is which one do I try next?

Gem Rating

4/5



Hello!

Hey so this is my first post, just to say hello and that hopefully you will enjoy my blog. I plan to write about my favourite makeup products and to review new products I buy. I am going to be totally honest with my reviews, and give my honest opinions, though I am no expert, I like to think I represent the average consumer :)

Gemx