FOTD & OOTD: Coco Pigment, Coralista & Karen Millen

Hi! Hope you had a great xmas? I went to a wedding on Sunday which was fantastic. This is my makeup, which I wasn't too happy with but thought I would take pics even so. I got my highly-anticipated Benefit Coralista for Christmas, and it's even better than I thought!

Face:
DiorSkin Forever Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup foundation (my skin is anything but flawless at the moment as you can see and it didn't really help)
Bobbi Brown Corrector and Concealer under the eyes
Benefit Coralista
MSF Natural in Light

Eyes:
UDPP
MAC Coco pigment used wet
Woodwinked
Ricepaper
Blanc Type
Smolder e/l
Maybelline Colossal Lash mascara
Mac Brun on brows

Lips:
Gosh lipliner in Chocolate Kiss
Benefit lipgloss in Freshly Squeezed (later changed to I'm With the Band)

Did I mention how much I love Coralista??!! ♥

Normally I'd wear falsies but I've completely run out of them.

This is when I changed the lipgloss to I'm With The Band (much better :)

I dyed my hair as well, using L'Oreal Casting in Jamaica - it's very dark but I like it anyway.

This is the best shot of my outfit I could get. It's from Karen Millen and is a deep electric blue:

The dress is sadly now covered in beer and wine since the wedding was such fun, everyone was dancing crazily and there were the inevitable spills! A chemical clean is on the cards this week.

Review: Tarte FRXtion Natural Sugar Exfoliator and Lip Balm Duo

I seem to be drawn to all things made by Tarte. Maybe it's the fact that their products are so hard to get in the UK, or then again maybe it's just the name :)

This product is FRXtion, which features a side with exfoliating sugar crystals (the orange side) and a vitamin E (amongst other beneficial ingredients) lip balm side. Just look at the packaging, it is gorgeous! The lip even has a little flip out mirror which is so handy.

My first impression was that this was incredible. I had dry flakey lips and it seemed to be just what I was looking for. I sloughed off the dead skin (nice) with the scuffing side and then applied the lip balm. My lips felt smooth. However, the exfoliation does not seem to be any greater than using a toothbrush or a flannel. The smoothness seems to come from the fact that the lip balm is really nice, thick and creamy, and it gives the illusion of smooth lips by covering up the flakey skin.

The other problem is that it is such a delicate product that any hardcore scrubbing is out of the question. It is fairly soft and you will end up warping it. This is what mine looks like now:

It bends easily and there's a risk of it snapping off completely. Not to mention one side will inevitably wear down quicker than the other so you'll end up with something unusable in the end.

Those irritations aside, I am still quite fond of this product, if only for the lip balm, the packaging, and the unbelievably gorgeous vanilla/burnt caramel smell which is addictive.

It's a novelty product really that won't last you very long, but I got mine for fairly cheap on eBay (less than £10 including shipping from the US). I doubt I will repurchase once this has gone but glad I got to try it. I think I will stick to the vaseline and toothbrush method though! Unless of course something else catches my eye :)

Quick FOTD post - MAC Violet Pigment and Up The Amp!

This is unusual for me to do something quite as bright as this as I usually stick to neutrals (boring, I know...) but since I was going on a night out and wanted something different I chose to use Violet pigment which is such a gorgeous colour ♥! I put Top Hat e/s in the crease, lots of Blacktrack and some Ardell lashes, and I used Mac Enough Said beauty powder blush on cheeks.

P.S. My hair wasn't done yet :)

What do you think??

Collective Haul - MAC, Stila, Too Faced, Sleek, Nails Inc!

This is my first haul post to share with you what I've bought recently. We got a surprise Christmas bonus in our pay packet at work, so I thought I'd treat myself to a few new things. However these were all bargains as I bought them online from various places (everything except the Sleek item that is, but that was a bargain too, as I'll explain :).

I bought most of these items from a lovely seller on Specktra, where they have the most fantastic Clearance Bin section where you can pick up new and rare items from so many sellers worldwide. I've had some great experiences on there. For about £60 including shipping from the US, I got:

Stila Blanc Palette - BNIB

This palette is beautiful! It's from Stila's winter collection a couple of years ago, and not only is the packaging gorgeous, but the 3 eyeshadows and blush are so wearable and lovely. They are perfect if you love neutrals like I do. They are so pigmented and soft.

I also got a Perfect Topping MSF from Mac which I missed out on when it came out. It's a great highlighter for paler skins and is perfect for daytime as it's not overly shimmery.


My haul also included Pinch O Peach blush pan, and Sable, Signed Sealed, Femme Fi and Style Snob (♥) eyeshadow pans.

...aaannndd the item I was most excited about, the Too Faced retractable Kabuki Brush which I can say is everything I thought it would be! It's so soft (it's their "Teddy Bear Hair" bristles) and is such a beautiful, girly thing to behold ♥ This I believe cost me about £10 compared to the retail of £21 :) My iPhone photos are crap as I'm sure you've noticed so here is a photo showing it in its full glory:

From another seller I got the Mac 181SE mini kabuki brush, shown here next to its larger cousin the 182:

I also bought the Sleek Pout Polish in Perfect Plum from Superdrug (3 for 2 on all their makeup at the moment, so I got a couple of Christmas presents and this was free for myself! It's normally £3.99). I love this stuff - it's very moisturising, extremely pigmented and smells lovely. Highly recommended!

I also got a mini Clinique Clarifying Lotion #2 from the great seller who sent me the 181SE brush, a Nails Inc nail polish in Marco Polo House which I am yet to try out, and L'Oreal Exfotonic which is an awesome body scrub.

More stuff is coming too! I love getting packages through the post :)

Super cheap, super effective - Barry M 3-in-1 Base Coat, Top Coat and Nail Hardener

I've been looking for a good top coat and base coat but didn't want to spend too much, so when I saw lollipop26 mention on her blog that the Barry M 3-in-1 version which is a basecoat, topcoat and nail hardener all in one really works, it stuck in my mind and when I was in Superdrug last week I popped one in my basket.

On Saturday I painted my nails with OPI''s Oh To Be 25 Again, using the Barry M as a base, followed by 3 coats of the OPI then the Barry M and finished off with OPI's Drip Dry. The manicure has lasted until today (Thursday) and has just started to chip. Considering I work at a computer spending most of the day typing I am very very impressed!

At £2.95 this is an absolute bargain. Normally my polish lasts a couple of days at the most before chipping.

Now I want to try out the Nail Paints!

Review: Korres Wild Rose Mask for Brightening and Illuminating

So my skin was looking awful a few weeks back. I think the change of seasons and a bad diet etc just led to it looking dull. I also had red marks from previous spots. I decided I needed to take action, so I just googled 'brightening mask' one day and this little beauty popped up. 'Why not?' I thought, so I ordered one.

I've used it a few times, about once a week. I suppose you could actually use it more but I like to alternate between masks as I get bored easily.....so I can't really comment on the cumulative effect of using this mask to progressively brighten skin. However I can comment on the instant effects of using it and for me they were quite remarkable!

Here's what Korres say on their website about this mask:

"A pure white mask for a clear and radiant complexion. Suitable for all skin types. An instantly brightening effect is visible on application. Wild rose oil is a natural source of vitamin C, which demonstrates significant repairing activity to fine lines and skin blemishes. At the same time, an active complex targets skin discolorations and promotes cell renewal, boosting the skin with brightness and radiance.

Contains: Wild rose oil, argan tree oil, waltheria indica extract, shea butter, avocado butter and provitamin B5.
Dermatologically tested, mineral oil free, silicone free, propylene glycol free, ethanolamine free"

When I use this, I leave it on for about 15 minutes and then wipe off with a wash cloth or cotton wool. The brightening effect is instant and very obvious. My face sort of has a luminous 'glow' about it, appears even toned and redness is drastically reduced. All in all, it's brighter :)

Now I wouldn't say this effect is particularly long lasting. For me, it doesn't last longer than a day. But for special occasions or days when you just feel like poo and want to do something to your face to perk it up a bit, this is an excellent product with visible results. Worth a try if you like using masks and want something a bit different from the usual deep pore cleansing/ultra moisturising masks, and it definitely works.

I've used a couple of other Korres products. A few years ago I was in love with the Sugar Crystal 3 in 1 Antioxidant Cream which smelt beautiful and left my skin so soft. However now I am 30 (oh the horror) it's not moisturising enough for me, but would be great for younger skin.



I've heard the Body Butters are good but have never tried them. What do you think about Korres products?

Review: Kerastase Reflection Chroma Riche Luminous Softening Essence

Hi! This is my first ever blog post so to start things off I thought I'd do something nice and simple so I can make sure I even know how to post things on my blog......so I am going to review my most favourite hair product ever. I've been using Kerastase's Reflection Chroma Riche Luminous Softening Essence for a few weeks now and I am loving it.

It's basically a serum (sorry, 'softening essence') that you put on damp hair. Kerastase say this product "provides detangling and styling ease and helps protect from external aggressions. Maximises colour's radiance and shine. Hair fibre is left softer, more supple to the touch."

Can I just say...this stuff is amazing! I have awful hair - fine, limp, tangled, frizzy, damaged, coloured and dyed to within an inch of its life - basically it's horrendous - and this stuff just makes it so sleek, so shiny and SOFT!! It really does make a huge difference to the texture of my hair, unlike any other serum I've used before. My hair just feels so 'slippery' with this on.

I have long hair (I'm sure I'll post an FOTD eventually so you can see) and I use just one pump. It's pretty runny but spreads through easily, detangles instantly and is an all-round miracle for me - minus one thing, it doesn't have any heat protection in it so I always use a heat spray before I put this on.

I also love the intensive mask from their Reflection line. I have just ordered the Masquintense for fine hair though so I will be trying that out and letting you know what I think in comparison.

Does anyone else have any recommendations from the Kerastase line?