NYX HD Concealer - Review

I was quite late to the NYX makeup craze and only first tried out one of their products a few weeks ago - the matte lip creams. After trying and loving the product I thought I'd give something else a go to see what I thought. I'm constantly complaining of my dark under-eye circles, which seem to be caused by both my pale skin and sinus problems (totally not a lack of sleep!). So I picked up the NYX HD Concealer Wand in yellow.

The formula reminds me of the Nars Creamy Concealer and I think the skin tone shades would make a great dupe! I chose yellow because it's perfect for hiding those dark under eyes on paler skin. If you have a warm or darker skin tone, a orange concealer would be better for you.

I don't actually wear this everyday as it is not an all natural product, but it has never broke me out. I wear it on nights out when I wear slightly heavier makeup. It lasts well and never creases my under eyes. If you have tried and liked Nars Creamy Concealer and want a cheap dupe, I'd definitely try this out! NYX are cruelty free too, like every product I review.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - Review

For a while now I've been admiring NYX makeup from afar. It's cruelty free, budget friendly and has great reviews - what more can you want? So when an NYX makeup stand opened up in Boots, Glasgow (Buchanan Galleries) I knew I had to visit soon. 

I do love a matte lip and so far I've been recreating them with mineral pigment (you can see me doing this here!). However, sometimes you just need something you can slap on and stick in your bag for later touch ups. 

I picked up the shade "San Paulo" and, although it's lovely, I've found myself wishing that I picked up something a little darker. I currently have my eye on "Budapest", but can never seem to find it in store!

The lasting power is good, but I do have to have a little touch up after I eat. The pigmentation is great for such an affordable product, but I'd recommend using this with a lip liner if you're not great at lining your lips with the brush (as I'm not!).

Overall I would recommend this product as I am planning on buying another myself!

Ps. Keep up with me on Instagram here. 

My Autumn Beauty Wish List

There's some pretty exciting stuff happening in my life just now. I'm starting a new course after dropping out of university last year. I've got a new job in one of my favourite places. I've met a whole load of amazing people recently and my blog is beginning to take off. Although it's early September I can already feel the darker nights creeping in and soon enough the Autumn months will be upon us. Is there a better time for a fresh start or new beginnings? Anyway, with SAAS just round the corner I thought it was the perfect time to do an Autumn Beauty Wish List. Here are some products I've had my eye on for a while and I'll be no doubt picking up some of these in the coming months. 

Also, for my readers from elsewhere in Europe or from "across the pond", SAAS is where us Scots get our student loans from and the first payment is a biggie. So naturally we're all pretty excited to be irresponsible adults and spend it all straight away.

NYX Lip Lingerie in Ruffle Trim

I still haven't managed to try one of these and everyone seems to be talking about them. My nude lips are quite rosy, so I thought the shade "Ruffle Trim" (described as a cinnamon pink) would be the perfect nude gloss for me.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse

The brown powder I've been using for my eyebrows is beginning to run low, so I've been looking at other products out there for a bit of a change. I've heard good things about this, and would like to see how well a mousse performs compared to a powder.

Jane Iredale 24-Karate Gold Dust in Silver

I don't know why I haven't tried any Jane Iredale products yet because they always get great reviews. My current highlighter from Everyday Minerals is running out and, although I love it, I want to try out some other brands. My blog would get pretty boring if I just kept reviewing the same products, right? I'd opt for this shade in silver as I think every other shade would be too dark for my pale skin.

Jane Iredale Circle/Delete Concealer in Yellow

I did say these products got great reviews! I've heard good things about their circle/delete concealer and I always need something yellow to tackle my under-eyes. I'm assuming this would work well with my mineral makeup as the website says it "goes well" with their mineral foundation.

Green People Natural Tinted DD Cream in Ivory

I've never been a lover of BB,CC or DD creams (are there EE creams yet?), but I want to give them another chance. As I'm returning to college soon I daresay some mornings I just won't have the time to do a full face of makeup. I wonder if Green People's DD cream could be the time saver I'm looking for?

Barefaced Beauty Natural Mineral Lash Enhancing Mascara

I love my current Lily Lolo mascara, but it's running out and my curiosity is making me want to try something new. I noticed recently that Barefaced Beauty have a new mascara out and it's made its way onto my "to try" list. I would like to give this a go to see how it compares to Lily Lolo.

Barefaced Beauty Mineral Finishing Powder

Another repeated brand! I have tried their foundation before and I liked it, so my eye is currently on this. I'm not using any finishing powder at the moment (I can hear the makeup lovers gasping in shock), but their shade "Jasmine", which promises an "Illuminating, dewy finish" has caught my attention. After all, a matte finish doesn't seem to be the style anymore.

Lily Lolo Naked Pink Cheek Duo

These little compacts look great for travelling or sticking in your hand bag for touch ups. They do two other shades, but I think the naked pink one would be best to give my skin a natural looking flush of colour when on the go.

Lily Lolo Smoke & Mirrors Eye Palette

Yes, I'm slowly edging myself into the world of eye shadow and my recent experience with The Body Shop's new eye palettes has left me eager to try more. I've known about Lily Lolo's eye palettes for a while and I think this mix of day and night colours would be perfect to experiment with.

As always all of these brands are cruelty free. If you're looking to start switching to cruelty free brands, I'd definitely recommend checking out some of the above!

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here. 

The Body Shop, Down To Earth Eye Palette - Review

Last night I attended a bloggers event at The Body Shop's Sauchiehall street store, Glasgow. It was the perfect opportunity for me to find out more about their new "Down To Earth" eye palettes I've had my eye on.

There are currently six of these palettes out: five quads and one larger palette with eight shades. The five quads come in Smoky Brown (pictured above), Smoky Plum, Smoky Gold, Smoky Grey and Smoky Black and are £15 each. The larger palette seems to be a mixture of  the above and is £22. These eye shadows are vegan and, like all of The Body Shop's products, cruelty free. The eye shadows also pop out of the casing so you can mix and match the colours. I've also heard that they will be releasing these eye shadows as singles in the future too - perfect if you want your own custom palette.

At first glance the shades are beautiful. Smoky Brown caught my eye right away, but I would describe it as more of a nude-pink palette than brown. The colours looked very wearable and offered that subtle pop of colour that could take you from day to night. Think Urban Decay's naked palettes.

One of the lovely assistants at the store event quickly used this palette on my eyes to show me what it could do. I was sold right away. These eye shadows are a lot more pigmented than The Body Shop's current range of singles and are easy to build and blend for your desired look. When I commented on how these shades reminded me of Urban Decay's naked palettes I was told they're made by the same people - exciting.

From top to bottom: Oregon Sunstone, Peru Clay, Sienna Dust, Idaho Jasper

Today I decided to try them out for myself. I am by no means an expert at makeup and eye shadow is something I really struggle with. Saying that, I found these eye shadows great to work with. They can be built up easily, blended easily, and they still look good right now after a few hours of wear. So if you're like me and struggle with the eyes, don't be scared to try these out!

Overall I would definitely recommend these eye shadows. Not only are they cruelty free and vegan, they're great value, great to work with and have good lasting power.

In the picture above I am wearing:

Aloe Vera Gel - primer

Everyday Minerals Colour Corrector in Green - Face

Everyday Minerals Colour Corrector in Yellow - Undereyes

Everyday Minerals Foundation in Fair - Face

Everyday Minerals Blusher in Tea Rose - Cheeks

Everyday Minerals All Over Shimmer in Hint - Highlight

The Body Shop Down to Earth Eye Palette in Smoky Brown - Eyes

Barry M Blink Precision Eyeliner - Eyes

Lily Lolo Natural Mascara - Lashes

Bare Minerals Loose Eye shadow in Taupe - Brows

Lily Lolo Natural Lipstick in French Flirt - Lips

Natural Rosewater - Setting Spray

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Lily Lolo Natural Lipstick, Berry Crush - Review

I've wrote about my love for Lily Lolo's natural lipsticks before, but after purchasing a new shade recently I had to do another post.

When on holiday recently my mum decided to pinch my lipstick in "Rose Gold" (it suited her better anyway), and promised to buy my another lipstick in replacement. I decided to go for the deep, purple shade "Berry Crush".

I thought a bold berry shade would be perfect for the colder months coming in. Like my other Lily Lolo lipsticks it's strongly pigmented and feels great to apply. Here are some swatches to compare:

From top to bottom (natural light): Berry Crush, French Flirt, Rose Gold.

From top to bottom (flash): Berry Crush, French Flirt, Rose Gold.

I'd describe the finish as satin. Not quite glossy, but it has a sheen in the light. I sometimes apply a little colourless balm on top if I want a glossy lip.

Here is the finished look with the lipstick. As it is such a bold shade I imagine it would go with most, if not all, skin tones. Lily Lolo's natural lipsticks are my favourite lip products, and I can see myself picking up a few more shades in future. If you're interested in these lipsticks check out my more in-depth review here.

Here is a list of what I'm wearing in the above photo:

Honeypie Minerals colour corrector in Green (face)

Honeypie Minerals colour corrector in Yellow (under eyes)

Honeypie Minerals mineral foundation in Fair 

Lily Lolo mineral blush in Sunset

Everyday Minerals all over shimmer in Hint (highlight)

Mineral Powder in dark brown (Eyebrows) - It's an old tub so I don't have the brand!

Lily Lolo mascara in Black

Lily Lolo natural lipstick in Berry Crush.

And a little colourless lip balm for a bit of gloss! 

I prime my makeup with aloe vera gel.

I set my makeup with this rosewater spray.

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Lily Lolo Nail Polish - Review

So I've recently arrived home from a short trip to Paris and, admittedly, my blog has been a little neglected. So to get things back on track I decided to review one of Lily Lolo's new products, their 8-free nail polish.

Lily Lolo have impressed me with their new releases recently, although I haven't been able to try them all as my budget can't keep up! I've unfortunately found myself unemployed after my Au Pair family sadly cancelled our contract early due to their personal circumstances. Visiting Paris again made me miss the french countryside.

So what is 8-free nail polish? It just means it's free of 8 of the "nasty" ingredients usually found in nail polish. Not everyone will agree on what exactly is too nasty for nails, so I'll leave that up to debate. I ordered the nail polish in "soft coral", a wearable, everyday shade of light pink.

I don't paint my nails often anymore. Most of my time is spent drawing, typing or on my hands and knees playing with my rabbits. Groomed nails can get in the way and are the least of my concerns. As I've previously said,  most days I'll only wear a little makeup and brush through my hair (if I leave the house, that is). Why am I blabbering on about this? Just to let you know that I'm not too good at painting my nails.

That being said, the nail polish went on lovely. It wasn't "gloopy" as I expected - probably because it was 8-free. The formula actually didn't seem any different from other nail brands I've tried, such as Barry M or Nails INC (that's about how far I've ventured into nail polish). Again I'm no expert, but the formula gets a thumbs up from me.

I hate waiting on nail polish to dry, but I decided it was worth it for my friends wedding last month. When applying the first coat I was doubting whether it would work - it was very light and looked streaky. After the first coat dried the streaks disappeared, and after a second coat the colour was nice and solid. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures for my blog.

I'd say the polish lasts for 5-7 days, perhaps with some small chips if you're as clumsy as I am. I'm currently on day 10 and I probably should have taken it off by now. Maybe tomorrow...

So to my readers out there, would you consider trying this cruelty free, 8-free nail polish? Or do you have another favourite cruelty free brand for your nails? I'd love to hear about it!

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Mineral Pigments and What You Can Do

Mineral make up is still something that seems to be frowned upon in modern beauty. Minerals are often overlooked amongst fun new beauty trends like cream contouring, highlighting and cut crease eye shadow. Minerals can seem too safe, too normal, too boring... but it doesn't have to be! If you're anything like me and have your eyes popping out your head when reading the ingredient lists on some major make up brands, I'm happy to say that us natural beauty lovers can have some fun too!

Anyone who's had a nosey into mineral make up has probably came across mineral pigments, usually labelled as "loose mineral eye shadow". I've had a stash of mineral pigments sitting around for a long time and, although I love eye shadow, they've been gathering dust. The truth is, my eye shading skills suck (I'm working on it). So recently I've been experimenting with them to see exactly what else they can do. I've not been disappointed and, more importantly, neither has my skin. So what do you need to get started? Some mineral pigments/eye shadows (as seen above), water, and some brushes. These are from an old BareMinerals set I received as a gift. BareMinerals aren't my favourite mineral brand, but I'd recommend shadows from Honeypie Minerals, BareFaced Beauty and Lily Lolo (or try Everyday Minerals or Meow Cosmetics if you're from across the pond).

Good make up is wasted on bad brushes. I absolutely adore EcoTools (Honeypie minerals sell them here for the UK), but I've heard good things about Real Techniques and Lily Lolo's brushes. All are cruelty free. From left to right:  Lovely Looks Lip Brush, Detailed Lip/Liner Brush, Angled Eyeliner Brush, Lovely Looks Flat Eyeliner Brush.

Brows are definitely in, and it doesn't look like they're going anywhere soon. I really struggle doing my eyebrows, but I never though mineral pigment would be the answer! 

I use the Angled Eyeliner brush and a mid brown pigment mixed with water. I simply mix them both in the lid with my brush. This brush is the perfect shape for brows and they take moments to fill in. I usually pair this with the brown eye pencil from Lily Lolo for the whole "light to dark" look.  

The "Matte Lip" is another current trend that's hard to miss. It's definitely a "love or hate" look. I absolutely love it. I used two different pigments here - "mauve" and "velvet wildflower". I adore the shade "velvet wildflower" and it's my favourite pigment I currently own. I used this darker shade to line my lips, and the lighter "mauve" to fill in.

Here is the finished look, in some miraculously good lighting may I add. It was one of those days in the house where your make up turns out better than ever and you feel like going out just to flaunt it. I ended up in bed watching Game of Thrones most probably. The great thing about this is that you can turn the lips metallic with a little dusting of highlighter. Or if you just want your eye shadow and lips to match, simply mix the pigment with some clear gloss. I also done my eyeliner with minerals here, and will go into it further below.

I love a good cat eye. When you pair my pale skin with my purple under eye bags in the morning I can look eternally tired, and a sharp wing can really waken up my face. Liquid and gel eyeliner can sometimes sting, feel heavy on the eyelids and smudge throughout the day and I can never get a pencil eyeliner to look bold or sharp. I'd noticed some other bloggers using dark mineral pigments to line their eyes, so thought I'd give it a try. I was impressed. 

I used the shade "charcoal grey" (the closest to black I own) and mixed it with some water. I used the Lovely Looks Flat Eyeliner brush to line my lid, and the Detailed Lip/Liner brush for the flick. I find it helpful holding the straight edge of a tissue/piece of paper under my eye to get a precise flick. I've seen people do this with tape, but tape can pull on the delicate skin around the under eye area so be careful. I've also tried some mineral liner on my mother, who also liked it.

I'd like to try this with a black mineral powder as I really think it will replace my usual liquid pen eyeliner. It felt weightless and didn't irritate my eyes at all, and it still remained on me at the end of the day (after fighting back some tears in the cinema with my friend watching "Me Before You"). It's a winner for me. 

Lily Lolo Natural Lipstick and Liner - Review

I've heard a lot of good things about Lily Lolo's lipstick, so I decided to add a couple into my most recent order from them. Lily Lolo are one of my favourite brands, and they've yet to disappoint me. I also picked up an eye pencil, nail polish and a mascara (for my mum) and I've loved them all.

It's pretty much agreed throughout the blogging community that Lily Lolo has lovely packaging. It's modern, it's cute, it looks nice in your collection. I must admit that I've never been one to spend a lot on lipstick. My current collection is made up of £3.99 Barry M lippies mixed with various higher end brands I'd received as gifts. Although they've performed well enough for me, they will now be getting chucked out (sorry Barry M!) to make way for my new Lily Lolo shades. And at £8.99 they're still in budget!

Lily Lolo describe their lipsticks as "creamy", promising a "burst of radiant colour for beautiful and nourished lips". They felt luxurious on my lips, I've never tried a lipstick like it. If you're looking for a nourishing lipstick, you've found it. I purchased the shades "Rose Gold" (Left) and "French Flirt" (Right). I also purchased their Natural Lip Pencil in "Soft Nude". 

From top to bottom:

Lily Lolo's Natural Lip Pencil in "Soft Nude". It is a pigmented nude colour, although it doesn't look anywhere near as dark on my lips as it does against my skin. It works great alone or with nude toned lipstick.

Lily Lolo Natural Lipstick in "Rose Gold".

Lily Lolo Natural Lipstick in "French Flirt".

"Rose Gold" is a golden beige/nude tone, although it's debatable what "nude" actually is. My nude lips are a warm pink, so the shade still looks pink on me. You can always build the colour up with a few layers of course. I'm wearing this along with the "Soft Nude" lip pencil.

I think it seems a versatile, subtle shade and can see myself wearing this a lot.

"French Flirt" is probably closer to my "nude" lip colour. Its described as a warm, mid-toned red. Great for when you want a flush of colour, but perhaps not if you want a statement, berry lip. I have my eye on Scarlet Red, Desire and Berry Crush for that.

The thing I love about red toned lipsticks is that they always make my teeth look whiter. I never seem to suit corals and pinks too much (despite my fair skin), and perhaps that is why.

Overall I think these lipsticks are fantastic. The formula is moisturising and feels lovely to apply. They don't have a huge range of colours, but their current thirteen shades cover all the staples most people like to own. They layer well and last quite long if you're not eating or drinking. I know some people like lipsticks that don't budge, but I don't mind reapplying when needed. I did only have to reapply this once, after lunch, I would like to see their range of colours expanded, such as some darker nudes for darker skin tones.

I recommend them. Thanks again Lily Lolo x

Lily Lolo and Kiko Cosmetics - Review

So I had some make up that had been running low recently (why do they always all run out at once?) and decided to take the opportunity to review some new products. 

Lily Lolo are a cruelty free British cosmetic company well known for their mineral foundation - they specialise in mineral make up. So far everything I've tried from them has been great. Kiko is another cruelty free brand I've noticed recently, although they aren't British. They do ship to Britain from their website. Their make-up is not what I'd consider "natural", but I'm not as strict with some products. I doubt eyebrow pencils are going to reawaken my acne.

So today I decided to try out my new products. First Up, Kiko Dark Circle Concealer. I was absolutely convinced in store that I'd picked up this yellow toned version, but sadly when I opened it I saw it was porcelain. Luckily I'd still picked up the lightest shade. I usually opt for all natural and mineral concealers, but I'd seen some bloggers talking about this and wanted to give it a go. If it worked I'd wear it occasionally on nights out, and wouldn't expect little usage to cause any skin problems. 

When I hear "porcelain" I think of a fair, cream whitish tone. This was a darker, salmon tone. I had doubts that it would be light enough for me, but I'd heard that salmon shades are good at cancelling out dark under eyes. Which I have in excess, by the way.

Once blended in it wasn't too dark. I did cover it with Lily Lolo's mineral corrector in PeepO. It's great with purple tones, but as mine are so damn purple I feel it isn't always enough. It did work great over the Kiko concealer, and by the time I had my Honeypie Minerals foundation on the bags were gone! Yes, it took three layers to cover those bad boys.

I skipped the contour today as I left my powder at home in a bid to start wearing less make-up in France. It has worked, as I now only wear it on trips out or to review a new item. Add in the sun exposure I'm getting here and my skin will be glowing when I return to Scotland!

Next up was the Lily Lolo mineral blush in Sunset. Despite my fair skin I always prefer darker blushes. My lips and natural redness are more "rosy" than "pink" anyway, so I always think it looks better.

Here are some swatches I done for comparison. From top to bottom: 

Lily Lolo's  mineral blush in "Sunset". It is described as a demi-matte, but (to me) it has a strong shimmer. I usually go for matte blushes, so decided to try something out of my comfort zone. I love it, but wouldn't want anything any more "shimmery".

Below, for comparison, is Everyday Minerals mineral blush in Tea Rose. This is a light baby pink, which I chose to go with my fair skin. It is a beautiful shade, but again I think I prefer something a little rosier and darker.

At the bottom is my Everyday Minerals All Over Shimmer in Hint. It is so hard to find a good highlighter for pale skin. Seriously, most of them are darker than than my foundation. Everyday Minerals do three shades, aimed to cover all skin tones from light to dark. This one is basically white, and the only highlighter I've used so far that gives me any sort of glow noticeable against my pale skin.

The Kiko Precision Eyebrow Pencil has been praised online, so  I decided to pick it up. At only €5.90 it's pretty cheap. It was very precise, and comes with it's own sharpener. It went on easily and hasn't budged all day. The Eyebrow Designer Gel Mascara was on offer for €2, so I snapped that up too. Again, it's worked very well and hasn't budged all day...

I was so excited to try Lily Lolo's mascara. I've heard a lot of bad things about natural mascaras, yet I've seen this one praised again and again. I'm lucky enough to have natural thick, dark lashes, so I've never been too picky about mascara. The only thing I can't stand is smudging and clumps. This has neither! It definitely helped shape and lengthen my lashes and I haven't had any smudging/irritation all day. 

And so this is the finished look! Apart from the concealer (which is slightly too dark for me) I would definitely repurchase all the products. There's this stigma around mineral make-up that it's too cakey, doesn't offer good coverage and doesn't give a natural finish. I'll let you be the judge of that! Below are my before and after pictures of today.

So this is what I'm wearing. All are cruelty free, to the best of my knowledge.

Kiko dark circle concealer in Porcelain

Honeypie Minerals colour corrector in Green (face)

Lily Lolo colour corrector in PeepO (under eyes)

Honeypie Minerals mineral foundation in Fair

Lily Lolo mineral blush in Sunset

Everyday Minerals all over shimmer in Hint

Kiko precision eyebrow pencil in 05 Brunettes

Kiko eyebrow designer

Lily Lolo mascara in Black

Natures Ingredients lip balm in Vanilla

Barry M lip liner in Russet

I use EcoTools brushes, which are available from Boots, Honeypie Minerals or through their own website.

So if you're looking to change to a cruelty free beauty routine I'd definitely recommend each of these brands. Honeypie Minerals, Lily Lolo, Everyday Minerals and Barefaced Beauty (not mentioned here) all do great make-up. Kiko is good if you're not into minerals but still want to go cruelty free. All brands are on the lower end of the price scale and pretty affordable.