Yves Saint Laurent; Shocking Mascara

(YSL Effet Faux Cils Shocking Mascara, £23)
 
Hi everyone, long time no speak!

Today's post is about my current favourite mascara. I picked his little beauty up in duty free when I was flying home from London last month. I had the blues from coming home, so I thought I would buy something to cheer myself up. I decided to go for a mascara because it's probably my favourite make up item to try out, and after reading Fleur De Force's post on this mascara back in the summer I thought I'd give this YSL Effet Faux Cils Shocking a go!

Firstly, YSL were not lying when they named this Shocking! It is probably the most dramatic mascara I have tried.  It's a very 'wet' (technical terminology) which I'm usually not a fan of as I feel it can give you spider-like lashes. However this one works wonderfully, particularly if you're looking for a great mascara for a night out. One downside of this product is the steep price tag, which I wouldn't usually spend, but this was a little splurge.

Overall, this is an amazing product and I would recommend it for a night out as it is a little dramatic for everyday use.  Definitely something you could put on the old Christmas list! 

Have you tried any of YSL's offerings? 

Catherine, xo

Review- L'Oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal

Firstly, I must apologise for the lack of blogging the past few weeks as I've just started back at University and didn't have much time. 

Now I do have to admit that I have never been one for experimenting with various types of shampoo, in fact I usually stick to Herbal Essences, Aussie or whichever is on offer! I have spotted the Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal many times and thought it looked interesting (purely for the sparkles and the pink packaging), so when I saw that it was on offer I decided to give it a go and see if it really works.

The product claims to illuminate and smooth the hair's surface for better light reflection and crystal shine through the use of visible micro-crystals and mother of pearl powder. 
They also claim crystal shine and feather touch, which after using a full bottle of the shampoo, I totally agree with.
From the first use I definitely noticed my hair feeling softer and not as heavy. I also haven't experienced any issues with product build up. It has worked a treat every time! 
I found the scent to be very nice but not over-powering

Have you tried Elvive Nutri-Gloss Crystal? What is your favourite shampoo at the moment?

Catherine, xo

Polishes with Pow!- Models Own

This will be the first of two posts on my favourite nail polishes in my collection

There’s nothing like an exciting nail polish, (call me sad, I know) and these Models Own nail polishes are right up my street. They definitely offer something different from the regular block colour. The four I'm going to mention are, from left to right; Tropical Sun, Indian Ocean, Pink Buff and Ibiza Mix. 

(Available from Boots, £5 each)

I know you are probably thinking, there's nothing exciting about Pink Buff, but i've included it purely because I think it's a great base colour for Ibiza Mix.

Tropical Sun and Indian Ocean are both part of the Beetlejuice collection which I believe is still available and Ibiza Mix is part of the Hedkandi collection which again, I think is still available. If not, eBay will most likely have them!

My go-to colour for the summer was most definitely Indian Ocean. It's so unique and I've seen nothing like it! 

Have you tried any of Models Own offerings? 

Catherine, xo

Mini Haul!

Hi everyone!

This post will be about a few items I recently purchased from Boots. A couple of them were repurchases as I always use them, but the rest are new products I haven't tried before. 

I'll start with the products I've re-purchased which are, Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in 001 Transparent. This has been the only pressed powder I think I have ever used and it works a treat! It says it lasts up to 5 hours and minimises the appearance of pores which I completely agree with. It retails for £3.99 at Boots 

The next item is another offering from Rimmel and this time it's their Hide the Blemish Concealer in 001 Ivory. Once again this is the only concealer I use for under my eyes and have lost count of how many times I have repurchased. It retails for £4.49 in Boots

The last Rimmel item is a new one for me; the Wake Me Up concealer in 001 Ivory which I bought as I thought it would go well with the Wake Me Up foundation. It retails for £5.99 in Boots

On to nail polishes, I bought two Models Own ones in Buff Pink and Ibiza Mix (part of the Hedkandi range.) I had been thinking of getting the Ibiza Mix for a while because who doesn't love a bit of glitter? They retail for £5.00 each in Boots but when I got to the till I noticed they had an offer of 2 for £7.50

 Last but not least I got Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten. Now I originally bought this thinking it was an eyeshadow base, and when I got home realised it was actually a gel eyeliner. But it's ok, it can be used as an eyeshadow base! It's a lovely champagne colour and retails for £13.00 in Boots.

*Just on a side note, this post isn't me bragging or showing off about what I've bought. I just enjoy reading posts like this and thought you might as well.

Catherine, xo

Soap & Glory; The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser

I have to admit, until fairly recently I haven't been very interested in skin care (sorry skin, but applying make up is just more fun.) That is until I started to read more and more blog posts on skin care products. Previously I had been using No.7 Soft & Soothed gentle cleanser followed by No.7 Soft & Soothed gentle toner but if i'm honest they never seemed to fully remove all traces of make up.

I've always wanted to try the Liz Earle cleanse and polish, hot cloth cleanser but as it is a little bit more pricey, I thought I would try the Soap & Glory hot cloth cleanser as my first venture into the world of hot cloth cleansers (have I said that name enough yet?)

So here it is in all it's Glory!

(Boots; £10)

The product itself comes with a muslin cloth and the idea is that you rub the cleanser onto your skin and leave it for a minute or two to melt away your make up. You then dampen the muslin cloth with warm water and wipe over your face. I have been using this product for about 10 days now and I am so impressed with it compared to my previous make up remover and it removes every last trace and leaves my skin with an extremely clean feeling. I have not used this to remove my eye make up so I can't comment on how effective it is.
One thing I was surprised about the cleanser is that considering it is a Soap & Glory product, it is only lightly  scented, unlike their trademark strong sweet scents. 

I would definitely recommend this if you are looking to try something new in terms of make up removal. 

Have you tried any hot cloth cleansers? 

Catherine, xo

Review- Sleek blush in Rose Gold 926

Hi everyone!

I've always heard great things about Sleek as a brand, especially their eyeshadow palettes. However, I've never actually found a Superdrug store that stocked Sleek in my area. Whilst I was on a shopping trip with my friends I found a Superdrug which stocked it and got probably a little too excited. 

I picked up one of their blush colours in Rose Gold 926 which is exactly as the name suggests, a lovely Rose colour with gold shimmer. I thought this would be a nice change from my typical pale pink blushes and I wasn't wrong. I would say it is quite similar to the holy grail blush that is NARS Orgasm on the grand scale of things, although I do think it has a fair bit more gold shimmer in it than Orgasm. At a fraction of the price (£4.49) i'm not complaining

It is very highly pigmented, so a light hand is required when you're applying it. This is good though as it will last a long time! I find the quality of the packaging to be brilliant for a high street brand and it includes a mirror inside if you're applying it on the go. It is certainly one to consider if you're looking for a blush with a twist.

I'm very pleased with my first purchase from Sleek and I definitely will be purchasing some other products, hopefully one of their raved about eyeshadow palettes.

Catherine, xo

Love: Topshop Lips!

When Topshop launched their eagerly anticipated make up line back in May 2010 I had been extremely excited to try out some of their products. The first thing I tried was their 'Lips' lipsticks and I haven't looked back!
I currently own four including, Confession, Desert, Pillow Talk and their Crystal lip tint (part of the Sisters of the New Moon collection)

I'll start with Confession, a gorgeous coral red which I think is perfect if you don't feel brave enough to wear a deep red. The colour pay off is excellent in just one coat and I feel like it is very moisturising and who doesn't love that? This is definitely my go-to lipstick for a night out as it compliments a variety of different outfits.

 Next up is Desert. I bought this particular lipstick as I had been looking for a perfect neutral colour which wouldn't wash me out (as i'm naturally very pale) or leave me with the dreaded foundation lips due to it's warmer tones. This little beauty was the answer. Again, like Confession the pigmentation is great and the lipstick doesn't dry my lips at all. I feel as though the application of this lipstick leaves an almost matte look which I think is lovely especially when wearing a neutral such as this. 

Now for Pillow Talk! I got this lipstick at Christmas and from the packaging I'm assuming it was part of a Christmas collection although I believe they have added Pillow Talk to their core collection so you will still be able to get it. It's a girly light pink, although don't let the colour fool you; it is just as pigmented as the other lipsticks. I'm not sure if it's just me but I find it a little less matte in appearance. It's very smooth on application too.

And now for the show stopper, Crystal! Part of the 'Sisters of the New Moon' collection, this magical lip tint reacts to your skin to create a unique shade. The swatch below doesn't so it justice as it does change on your lips to give a natural flush of colour. I have to admit the main reason I bought this was for the gorgeous packaging and how sparkly it looks! (The sparkles don't transfer onto your lips)

(Top to bottom: Pillow Talk, Desert, Confession, Crystal)

I will most definitely be picking up more of these in the future! Well done Topshop

Catherine, xo

Here we go!

Hello readers! I'm Catherine and after toying with the idea for a few months I have finally decided to set up this blog. Expect to find posts about things I enjoy which i'm sure will include beauty items, clothing and other bits and bobs I come across. 

 To let you know a little about myself; i'm 19, living in the north of Ireland and about to begin the second year of my Marketing degree at University of Ulster. My dream job would be working in the marketing department of a cosmetics company (aiming a bit high.)Spending my summer working in a shop to earn some £££ and seeing my friends as much as possible- it's all good :) 

 With the awkward introduction now over, I'll end this post with I hope you will enjoy my blog and check back soon for some new posts. 

Bye for now, Catherine xo