Affordable

February 2015 Favourites

- Vicki 8 Comments

My February Favourites

DHC Virgin Olive Oil Swabs* – At first I thought these would be a little gimmicky & not anything to write home about , but I was so wrong. If like me you wear liquid liner & are terrible at getting both eyes to look the same, or if you make a little mess when applying mascara then these swabs are so handy to have. They come individually wrapped & look like cotton buds (but they’re magic cotton buds) so if you’re travelling you can take a couple with you. You get 50 in a box & they’re double ended. One swipe with these and your liner or any mess that you’re trying to clean up has disappeared. No rubbing or tugging literally one light swipe & you’re good to go.

DHC Olive Virgin Oil Swabs

RMK Vintage Candy Cheeks in 01 Candy Pink* – I use this as a highlighter as it’s a little too shimmery to be a blush. It gives my cheekbones a pretty peachy glow & it look gorgeous when the light hits your face. I think the packaging is beautiful, it’s rose gold & comes with the a little mirror inside too. So elegant. I posted about the Vintage Sweets Collection a few weeks ago. It is limited edition so be quick if you have your eye on anything.

Burberry Body Body Mist– I haven’t tried a fragrance from Burberry before & I have no idea why, I have been using this one since December & simply adore it. The Body Mist is a lighter version of the iconic Burberry Body fragrance. I am TERRIBLE at describing scents so this is what Burberry has to say about it

‘Top notes of fresh green absinthe, illuminating elegant peach and refined freesia. Floral bouquet of natural rose absolute and iris blends gently with subtle warm tones of sandalwood to form the heart notes. Woody cashmeran, creamy vanilla, sensual amber and musk compose the base.’

Because it is a body mist it’s the perfect scent to wear during the day, it lasts a good amount of time. The packaging is beautiful too, the frosted glass bottle is tall & slim with a rose gold lid. It looks pretty on my vanity.

Burberry Body

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Rust – I have three of these NYX pencils but this is the one I use the most. I’m a big fan of cream shadows & find these jumbo crayons the easiest to apply. No dipping fingers into pots, you simply glide them over your eyelid and either use a brush to blend the product in or I find using my ring finger just as effective. This Rust shade is stunning metallic red toned bronze, it looks so pretty on. These never crease on my lids & they make a great base for powder shadow, especially if you want your eyeshadow to look more pigmented & last longer. NYX is so affordable & now stocked in many NEXT stores in the UK.

OGX Hydrate + Defrizz Kukui Oil Anti-Frizz Hydrating Oil* – Earlier this year I reviewed the Kakui Oil Shampoo & Conditioner and I have been using this leave in oil alongside them. This range uses the natural nut oil which is hydrating and locks in moisture as well as leaving the hair glossy and lightweight. l like to spray on to damp hair & it leaves my locks feeling so soft, it never looks greasy. If like me you have quite thick wavy frizzy hair you will love it, it really calms fly aways & makes my wavy hair look so healthy. It gives it bounce without the frizz. Its a wonderful addition to my haircare routine.

Collection Eyes Uncovered Nude Bronze Palette – I have the Little Mix palette which is similar but when I saw that Collection had released 3 more palettes I had to get one. I am a neutral palette ADDICT! This Nude Bronze palette is beautiful and for an affordable brand the colours are pigmented and very good quality. I have swatched the 6 colours below & all apart from the first swatch which is a very first light cream shade have shown up pretty well. All the shadows have some shimmer in them, so if you want a more matte palette then the Nude Palette might be the one for you. The colours are easy to blend & have a little fall out but nothing that tapping your brush off won’t solve.

All three of these new palettes retail at £3.99 & I think that’s incredibly good value for money. If you have bought any of them let me know what one you went for & how you’re getting on with it.

Collection Eyes Uncovered Palette

So February was over in the blink of an eye. Let me know what you have been loving this past month.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Barry M Stain Paints

- Vicki 16 Comments
BarryM Lipsticks

Barry M Lip Products

BarryM Stain Paints

I was lucky enough to win 3 Barry M Stain Paints* on Twitter a couple of weeks ago and I have been wearing all 3 shades so much. I have tried Barry M nail polishes, blushers and eyeshadows but never their lip products. I’m really impressed by these new Stain Paints and really hope they add a few more shades to the line, because at the moment there are only 3 colours.

The first thing that stands out is the shiny silver and black packaging, it really catches your eye. It’s a little different to the typical lipstick packaging and I really like it.

As I said BarryM have only released three shades so far & they’re

Infinite Pink – A very pretty fushia pink

Eternal Coral – A lovely red coral

Absolute Burgandy – A deep wine toned red

All three shades are really nice to apply, they glided on with ease and felt quite creamy on my lips. I wouldn’t say they dried to a matte finish as they have a slight shine to them. The formula didn’t feel drying at all and all three shades are very bold. So if you like to wear more subtle lip colours these won’t be for you or you might want to blot the colour so it’s not so intense. These offer you the pigment of a lipstick with the staying power of a lip stain. BarryM have done very well with these, I like all the colours but if I had to pick one favourite it would be Eternal Coral – for me this is the easiest colour to wear.

BarryM Lipsticks

BarryM Stain Paint Swatches

All three shades are very bold so these have been pushing me to be more adventurous with my lip colour. They pack a punch & I was surprised how little the colour dulled throughout the day. Even after eating and drinking the product was still  bold on my lips and the colour wasn’t patchy or uneven. I would say these lasted a good 3 hours but after that they needed a touch up which on me is great as lip colours tend to fade & rub off so easily on my lips.

These Stain Paints are purse friendly but don’t compromise on quality. If you have a BarryM stand near you go and swatch these, they’re all beautiful.

BarryM Stain Paints £4.49 each 

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

elf Cosmetics Store Cardiff

- Vicki 5 Comments

I’m sure most of you are aware that e.l.f cosmetics opened their first European Store in the lovely city of Cardiff. It opened its doors on the 24th October and it sounds like it is going to be a huge success. I’m planning a road trip from Manchester to Cardiff so I can visit and stock up on all my favourite products.

In America e.l.f has been available in stores for a few years but in the UK we’ve had to get our e.l.f fix by ordering online & that has been a pain when wanting to see what the product colours are like as their online swatches have been known to be quite questionable. Now they have an amazing swanky new store so we can see what their products are like in the flesh.

I thought I would share with you a few of my favourite e.l.f products. It took me a while to narrow it down as they have so many products I enjoy using.

elf favourites

e.l.f’s Baked Blushes and Bronzers are amongst my all time favourites i have one of each in this post. They add a hint of glow and are also great as a highlighter. The two I like are pinktastic and maui I have a few more in my collection but I use those two most often. £3.75 for 6g

Their Baked Eyeshadows are also so pigmented and easy to blend, I have been using this beautiful dark brown shade called bark a lot and really want to buy a few more colours. They have 6 shades and are £3.75 each for 3.5g

Their Eyelid Primer in Sheer is a complete bargain and I have repurchased this so many times. It is a great base for shadow and just neutralises the colour on my eyelid and makes them look less red and evens out the colour. It helps keep my shadow on & my lids are alot less oily when I use this. This comes in 4 shades and is only £1.50 for 5ml.

e.l.f Contouring Blush and Bronzer Powder This is a great compact. I have used this when I go on holiday as yuou get both products in a good size compact and It has a great mirror. I have heard this be compared to NARS Laguna and Orgasm. I have never tried Laguna but I must say it is a quite a good dupe for Orgasm, the only difference is the elf blush isn’t as easy to blend. The blush in this is a lovely light peach with a hint of shimmer and the bronzer is a pigmented medium brown with a slight gold tint. I always recommend this dupe to people. £3.75 for 8g

These mineral eyeshadows from e.l.f are the only mineral makeup I have, I’ve used some in the past but find it messy and hard to keep in the pot. But these shadows are what I kept hold of as I really like the way they blend and they are pigmented and quite buildable. I have a few shades and like them all. The one in the photo is called Temptress. These come in 28 shades for only £3.00 each, such good value.

My beloved e.l.f Kabuki Brush is one of my most used brushes. I take it everywhere & use it for powder, blush, bronzer it is fab for travel and its so small & compact. It has never shed its bristles all over my face and washes really nicely. I should buy a second one of these as I use it every single day. £6.00

I seem to have an addiction to chubby lip crayons and this pretty pink one from e.l.f is a really good purse friendly one. It is in the shade Pink Umbrella’s and would say it’s a nice peach toned pink. It doesn’t have any shimmer and makes my lips look healthy and have a hint of colour. It is a twist up style so no sharpening needed. These lip gloss sticks aren’t long wearing but are fun and so easy to apply and nice to wear. £2.50 for 2.8g

e.l.f Cosmetics

What are your favourite products from e.l.f and do you plan on visiting their new Cardiff store