Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Eyeliner
Fragrance Direct Valentine’s Look: English Rose
8
8 years
The lovely folks at Fragrance Direct recently set me a fun challenge – to create a look for Valentine’s Day using make up from their site. I was given a budget of £20.00, and could choose five items in total. I initially planned to go for smokey eyes and vampy red lips, but as that’s quite a clichéd Valentine’s look, I went for something a bit different in the end. I wanted to keep it simple, so I settled for a fresh-faced ‘English Rose’ look that makes the most of my pale skin, with pretty pink cheeks, lips and nails. After all, roses are what Valentine’s is all about, right? These are the five items that I chose…
Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in ‘Light Porcelain’ £5.50 / Rimmel ScandalEyes Thick Eyeliner in ‘Black’ £5.00 / Bourjois 10 Day Anti Choc No Chips Nail Polish in ‘Shade 26′ £1.99 / Maybelline Clear Smooth Blush in ‘Fresh Rose’ £2.50 / Calvin Klein Delicious Luxury Creme Lipstick in ‘Mesmerize’ £1.99
Total: £16.98
On the high street, these products would have cost over £35.00 in total, so to get everything for under £20.00 is a massive bargain!
As was allowed, I used a few bits and pieces from my make up bag to complete the look (namely concealer, face powder, a bit of kohl eyeliner and mascara), and here is my finished look…
I must say, I am really impressed with the staying power of all of these products. The lipstick stayed put through a meal and several drinks, the eyeliner didn’t budge at all until I removed it, the foundation gives amazing coverage which lasts all day, as does the blusher, and the nail polish is supposed to stay chip-free for 10 days!
I’m happy with my Fragrance Direct Valentine’s Look – it’s subtle, but still pretty, and I think it’d be perfect for a relaxed Valentine’s Day lunch. You can check out Fragrance Direct’s full range of cosmetics here.
Naomi x
*These make up items were sent to me by Fragrance Direct. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Zoya and BM Beauty from Lucy Rose
12
9 years
As a vegetarian with sensitive skin, I am always looking for beauty products and retailers who specialise in products which are suited to my needs, and that means ethical, natural companies with high quality products. A couple of months ago during one of my searches, I came across a fantastic online organic beauty boutique called Lucy Rose, which stocks only the best organic skin care products and natural cosmetics. Their range of products is pretty impressive, covering everything from hair and skin to make up and nails, and they feature some brilliant collections too, including Inika, Faith In Nature, Burts Bees, and as mentioned in the title, Zoya and BM Beauty.
A few weeks ago, the lovely folks at Lucy Rose were kind enough to send me two wonderful products from their range, which go together for a festive look like bread and butter – Zoya’s ‘Rina’ Nail Polish, and ‘Emerald Showers’, a stunning mineral eyeshadow from BM Beauty. After getting to know the products and sampling Lucy Rose’s service for myself, I have decided that they’re too good not to share, so here are my thoughts on Lucy Rose and their products!
Zoya Nail Polish in ‘Rina’
When I first opened my parcel from Lucy Rose and found Zoya’s Rina inside, I literally gasped. I had been looking for a green glitter polish for a while and this one is just perfect, and so unusual. The green shade is a rich, bright emerald green, made up of small glitter flecks and bar glitter, some of which has an icy blue holographic undertone, giving it a 3D texture when on the nails.
I applied Rina over a navy blue polish to give it a deeper appearance, and as you can see, it worked incredibly well. It only took two coats of the Zoya glitter over one coat of the base colour to create a completely opaque glitter look. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Rina dries VERY quickly. Within a minute it was dry to the touch, and because it doesn’t need a top coat I could be on my way without worrying about it denting or smudging.
What I love about this glitter is that it doesn’t feel rough like other glitters when on the nails – it has a lovely smooth finish, but it still has incredible depth and catches the light really well for breathtaking sparkle and shine.
Zoya’s Rina is also extremely hardwearing. I’ve had it on for around three days now and the wear is minimal, but what else would you expect from a range which are said to be ‘the longest wearing natural nail polishes available’?
Rina is ideal for this festive season, and is available from Lucy Rose for just £10.50. All of Zoya’s polishes are vegan friendly and free of the big three toxins, and Lucy Rose also stock many other shades, which can be found here.
BM Beauty Mineral Eyeshadow in ‘Emerald Showers’
I have used BM Beauty mineral eyeshadows before and have always been impressed by their amazing quality, so when I received this I was a very happy bunny indeed. BM eyeshadows are oil-free and consist of 100% natural ingredients. They are also completely cruelty free, and as such are approved by BUAV and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Don’t you just love it when you find make up which is ethical AND high quality? I know I do!
As with all BM Beauty packaging, the eyeshadow comes in a sleek and simple 2g pot, which allows for mess-free, easy application. The shade I was sent is Emerald Showers, which you can see below.
Emerald Showers is exactly what it says on the tin… A gorgeous shower of emerald shimmer soft mineral powder. In the pot it looks quite dark, and it does have a grey undertone to it, but once on the skin it really comes alive with sparkle and bold, deep green colour. The powder is extremely highly pigmented, so a little goes a long way. It only takes a little dab and a sweep over the eyelid for a striking shadow look, which is represented in this swatch:
I wanted to try something a little different with Emerald Showers, to see whether it can be used as more than just an eyeshadow, and I was pleased to discover that it can! All I did was mix a little bit of powder with a few drops of water to create a gel eyeliner, which I then applied above my top lash line with an eye liner brush. This was the final result…
The gel dried very quickly which meant I had to make up a small batch for each eye, but that didn’t bother me as I only used a tiny bit anyway. I found it really easy to mix the right consistency, which made it even easier to apply. It glided straight on like any gel liner, and it went on really neatly as well so it was easy to create a fine flick at the outer corner of each eye! It didn’t smudge either because of the quick drying time.
I must admit, I was slightly worried that it wouldn’t last that long, but I was proven wrong. The eyeliner looked just as bold and neat after ten hours as it did when I first applied it, and only when I took my make up off (after fourteen hours of wear and no touch-ups) did I notice any fading. AMAZING! Using this as an eyeliner is a great look for the day time when you want a burst of colour, but not a daring shadow look, and I will definitely be trying this again!
You can view Lucy Rose’s full range of BM Beauty mineral eyeshadows here, and they cost £7.00 each, which is great value. Lucy Rose also stock many other BM Beauty make up products, which can be found on the make up section of their website.
Lucy Rose won the ‘Best Retail Website 2011′ award at the Natural Beauty Awards last year, and I’m inclined to agree that they really are the best online natural beauty product shop that I have ever come across. Not only do they sell top quality products, but they also provide outstanding customer service which goes above and beyond what you’d expect. They love their freebies, and you get great deals left, right and centre on their website! They offer FREE postage on all UK orders, FREE samples with every order, FREE live help and expert beauty advice, and you can even join their beauty club to earn reward points with each purchase. I also noticed that they’re currently offering free gifts with some items, and 5% off your first order if you sign up to their newsletter too, which is also a bonus.
If you want to discover Lucy Rose’s wide range of products for yourself and put together a beautiful festive look, you can have a browse of their website here.
Happy Shopping!
Naomi x
*I was sent the above two products by Lucy Rose for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own*
Chocolate Treat Week: Makeup
8
9 years
My third Chocolate Treat Week post is all about make up. Believe it or not, I had to search high and low for chocolate scented and coloured make up products, but I found a couple of great ones in the end. I’ve also created a yummy eyeshadow look to share with you, which uses three different shades of chocolate brown. Enjoy!
For Lips… Palmer’s Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Lip Butter
In my high and low search for chocolate lip products I discovered a myriad of chocolate lip balms, but none of them seemed to cut the mustard as a gloss, rather than just a protective balm. In all honesty I was close to giving up, but then I found this… Palmer’s Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Lip Butter.
The Lip Butter has a lovely creamy formula which feels amazing on the lips. You can tell from how it feels that it is intensely enriching, and because it’s a butter and not a gloss it feels smooth and moisturising rather than sticky. It is also light in colour so doesn’t leave a tint on the lips, but as the packaging states it adds a ‘subtle gloss’, which is what makes it makeup in my eyes. The glossy shine it adds lasts for a long time, and can be worn over lipstick as well as directly on the lips.
The minty chocolate scent of the Lip Butter is absolutely divine. The fact that it is dark chocolate means that it isn’t too sickly sweet, and the freshness of the peppermint gives it a sharp edge. The mint also feels wonderful on the lips as it gives the lip butter a pleasant tingle. Though it doesn’t claim to be a plumping product I think it does have a slight, natural-looking plumping effect, but without the pain that some plumping glosses can cause!
Palmer’s Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Lip Butter definitely does what it says on the tin. It ‘softens & soothes lips’ almost instantly and leaves them feeling protected, but it has a big advantage over most lip balms by adding that ‘subtle gloss’. The Lip Butter is available in lots of high street shops (there’s a list here), and usually retails for about £2.75, which is an excellent price considering it is a gloss AND a protective balm in one.
For Eyes… MUA Malt Chocolate Intense Glitter Eyeliner
MUA’s Malt Chocolate Intense Glitter Eyeliner is another quality MUA product. Like all of their glitter liners it costs just £1, which is outstanding value as there’s even a pencil sharpener incorporated into the lid! The eyeliner is very creamy so it applies like a dream to both your waterlines and your upper and lower lash lines without pulling the skin at all. The glitter is very fine too, so it adds a lovely shimmer without causing any irritation or heaviness on the eye.
Malt Chocolate is a pretty, highly pigmented shade with a bronze tinge to it, which gives it that ‘intense colour finish’ – far from the dull, uninspiring look of most brown eyeliners! What I like about this liner is that, once it dries, it doesn’t smudge and it lasts a good long while before it comes off, keeping its bold colour for the duration of wear.
The eyeliner is also impressively versatile. MUA state that it can be worn all over the eyelid, as a lip liner or as an all-over lip colour as well as an eyeliner, and due to its creaminess I think it would make a great lip product as it wouldn’t be drying at all. What a fab thing to throw into your suitcase for a holiday or into your clutch on a night out!
If you’d like to try any of MUA’s Glitter Intense Eyeliners they are available in Superdrug stores or online here.
Create the Look… Triple Chocolate Eyes
The above look was created using three different shades of chocolate coloured eyeshadow. MUA’s Chocolate Box Trio Eyeshadow would be perfect for this, but I actually used their Immaculate Collection Palette. All you need to use to copy this look is a white chocolate shade as a highlighter, a milk chocolate shade as your main colour, and a dark chocolate shade for shadows and creases. The shades I used from the Immaculate Collection were these…
- White Chocolate: Shade 12
- Milk Chocolate: Shade 23
- Dark Chocolate: Shade 21
And here’s how you get the look:
- Prepare your eyelids right up to the brow bone with your preferred eye primer.
- Apply your milk chocolate shade to your eyelid using a flat eyeshadow brush, from corner to corner and up to the crease.
- Using another flat eyeshadow brush sweep your white chocolate shade above the milk chocolate shade, up to the brown bone.
- Using a shading brush, apply the dark chocolate shade along the crease of your eye, thickening the line at the outer corner and taking it down to the corner of your lashes.
- Blend the dark chocolate shade into the edge of the milk chocolate shade with a clean eyeshadow brush.
- Using a fine brush, apply a small amount of the white chocolate shade to the inside corner of your eye and a third of the way under your lower lash line. Fill in the rest of your lower lash line with the dark chocolate shade.
- Brush any loose eyeshadow from your face using a clean brush and finish with a generous coat of your favourite mascara, preferably brown.
The Last Rolo…
The Last Rolo is where I hand over the last few words of each Chocolate Treat Week blog post to another blogger. In the run up to Chocolate Treat Week I asked five of my favourite bloggers a couple of questions about their favourite chocolate treats, and today’s answers come from Claire of Nocturnal Beauty.
Can you recommend any chocolate scented, flavoured or themed beauty/fashion products?
I can definitely recommend the Whipstick lip balm from Lush. It’s my by far my favourite chocolate scented product that I’ve tried. It smells just like chocolate orange, and it isn’t overly sickly or too sweet, it smells absolutely divine. I do catch myself smelling the tin quite a lot! It feels lovely too and leaves a bit of a brown tint to the lips. It’s perfect for anybody who loves chocolate!
What is your favourite chocolate treat to eat, and why?
My favourite chocolate treat to eat is probably chocolate cake. I eat far too much cake and it’s a wonder I have any teeth left. I also make some seriously good chocolate fudge!
Thanks for reading today’s Chocolate Treat Week installment! Please check back tomorrow for a post all about chocolate themed nails, featuring some new nail art!
Naomi x
A Simple Way to Create the Illusion of Longer, Fuller Lashes
6
9 years
I must admit, I’ve never been a fan of false lashes. The glue really puts me off using them and I really don’t think they suit me. I much prefer more natural looking lashes, but I have no problem with adding a bit of length or volume using make up. As well as the obvious choice of mascara, there’s also another simple way to create the illusion of longer, fuller lashes, and that’s with a thin line of eyeliner. Personally I like to use gel liner as it’s easier to draw a fine, smooth line with, but any eyeliner will do.
To create this basic look I used two gel eyeliners – a black one and a purple one. With a fine brush I applied a thin line of the black liner across my top lash line, as close to the lashes as possible. This is what creates the illusion of longer, fuller lashes, as the black looks like an extension of the lashes, and the solid line makes the lashes appear fuller. If you have paler lashes or use a different colour mascara, then use an eyeliner shade at this stage which is more suited to your colouring.
Using the purple liner I then drew a thicker line above the black line, with a slight flick at the outer corners. Adding this thicker line of colour adds to the long lash illusion as it gives the impression that the lashline starts where the colour begins, thus making the black look more like an extension of your lashes. It’s up to you what colour you use – I just wanted my eyes to match my outfit. Add a layer or two of your favourite mascara and you’re good to go!
I hope you’ve all had a good weekend!
Naomi x
NEW MUA Gel Eyeliner in ‘Tribe’
22
9 years
by Naomi in Eyes
Last week, my favourite budget beauty brand – MUA – added various new items of bargain make up to their already impressive range, including Every Lash mascara, the Going For Gold palette and four gel eyeliners. I am a fan of MUA on Facebook and they’re very good at updating their fans about offers and new releases, so I always know in advance when something exciting is going to happen. So, on launch day, I rushed off to Superdrug to pick up this new Gel Eyeliner in the very vibrant shade of ‘Tribe’. I had been after a bluey gel eyeliner for a while so I was extremely pleased when MUA revealed this shade!
The eyeliner comes in a little pot with a brush which clicks into the lid. When I first opened the product I was wowed by how stunning the colour is. The top image of the gel doesn’t really show the true shade, but the bottom one does… It’s a gorgeous turquoise colour with a slight shimmer to it – just what I was after 
I’ll admit, I didn’t have very high expectations of the brush as every other free brush I’ve had with gel liners have been, quite frankly, rubbish. However, I should know by now not to judge MUA by the standards of other budget companies as they really are a cut above the rest, and I will go as far to say that their gel eyeliner brush is the best that I own. The bristles are very soft but they keep their shape, and since this product is so creamy, it glides on like a dream!
The creaminess of the gel and the shape of the brush make it very easy to create a smooth, neat line above the top lashline. The brush is narrow as well so you can easily draw delicate flicks on the outer corners without any mess. The product dries quickly too, so you can build up layers of colour in no time for a bolder, brighter look. Here is how I wore ‘Tribe’ yesterday. I usually try to steer clear of blue eye make up as my eyes are blue and colour matching can make them look grey, but I don’t think this looks too bad.
I can safely say that MUA’s Gel Eyeliner is also extremely long lasting. e.l.f.’s gel liner often needs reapplying after a few hours to keep it looking solid, as does Avon’s, but this one lasted a good 14 hours without smudging or losing its boldness. I didn’t reapply it once throughout the whole day, and it looked exactly the same when I took it off as it did when I put it on – AMAZING. You’d expect it to be difficult to remove after lasting so long without budging, but it really isn’t – it comes off as easy as anything with a bit of eye make up remover.
All in all, I am SO impressed with this product and I want to collect the whole range eventually. I use black gel eyeliner more often than any other colour so I think that will be next on my list, and it will most likely replace the black gel liner that I already use! Each gel eyeliner in this range costs just £3 from Superdrug, which is an absolute bargain. I hardly made a dent in the product after swatching and applying this and I can tell it will last for ages. I really can’t recommend this highly enough! I can’t wait to combine it with other colours to create exciting new looks.
Naomi x
*This product was purchased with my own money and this is an honest review. I am in no way affiliated with MUA or Superdrug*
e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner in ‘Punk Purple’
10
10 years
by Naomi in Eyes
As promised, here is my review of the e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner that I received today, in the stunning shade of ‘Punk Purple’. I’d been looking for the perfect purple cream eyeliner for months and I think this may be it!
The eyeliner comes in a square 4.7g pot, with a screw lid, and has a small brush with it. I’d heard people saying that e.l.f.’s packaging wasn’t the best as it looked quite cheap, and though the pot is made of plastic and not glass like my other cream eyeliner pots, I’d say the packaging is quite good for a £3.50 product.
Before applying the eyeliner, I swatched it on my arm to give you an idea of what the colour is like…
I am completely in love with this shade as it is exactly what I’ve been looking for. It’s a deep, violet purple with a slight shimmer and an undertone of grey. I let the swatch dry on my arm and then rubbed it hard with my finger and it hardly budged, which is good news! After swatching on my arm, I then applied the eyeliner to my upper lash line using the brush provided, and this was the result (I love how you can see the camera and my hands in my pupil haha)…
The consistency of the eyeliner is wonderfully smooth and creamy which made for easy application, and it dried very quickly. I wasn’t that impressed by the brush… It was too small and the bristles weren’t stiff enough so they separated, which made it difficult to create a smooth line, but I got there in the end. I have a bigger, better quality eyeliner brush from Avon which I will probably use in the future.
In terms of lasting power, this liner definitely has it. I have been wearing it now since this morning and it still looks as bright as it did when it first went on, and the line is just as clean. I’ve been rubbing my eyes a bit today too and it hasn’t smudged a bit – amazing!
Overall, I am very impressed with this eyeliner. FINALLY I have found a purple cream eyeliner that cuts the mustard, and for just £3.50 – who’d have thought it? I will definitely be purchasing this again as it is a gorgeous colour, nice consistency and lasts for ages. Top marks, e.l.f.!
Naomi x
Avon SuperShock Eyeliner in ‘Blackened Metal’
8
10 years
by Naomi in Eyes
I received this little pot of wonderful stuff with my Avon delivery on Tuesday. Avon’s SuperShock Eyeliner is unlike any eyeliner I’ve ever used before, as it comes in a glass pot and is applied using an eye liner brush. When I first received the eyeliner and my new brush I was slightly worried that I wouldn’t be able to apply the liner neatly. I don’t have a very steady hand when it comes to this sort of thing, but I thought I’d give it a go this morning.
The bristles on the brush are stiff and fine, and the brush is angled for precision application. I have to say, for a fairly low priced plastic brush it feels quite high quality – the handle is sturdy and the bristles soft and silky.
I was expecting the eyeliner to be solid black in colour, but it is actually more of a metallic grey/black with silver sparkly bits. It looks more solid in the photograph that it really is. In reality the gel is nice and creamy and the brush picks it up well. Before I talk about application, here is a skin swatch to demonstrate the colour of the eyeliner. You can really see the shimmery undertones to the gel in this picture:
Surprisingly, the eyeliner is VERY easy to apply! It glides on in one neat, smooth line and can be layered easily to create thicker and darker lines. I even found it simple to do even, equal flicks on the outside corner of my eyes without making a mess! The eyeliner dries extremely quickly and stays in place with no smudging. I am so impressed with this eyeliner – it has exceeded my expectations and the brush is one of the best I have! This is the final result:
Avon’s SuperShock Eyeliner costs £6 at full brochure price, and the brush is £4, but they are currently on offer at 2 for £8 in Brochure 8. The eyeliner also comes in two other shades – Shimmering Sapphire and Flashy Brown. If you would like to order, visit the ‘Order Avon From Me’ page. I now deliver to Europe and the USA!!
Have you ever tried Avon’s SuperShock Eyeliner?
Naomi x
Avon Haul – March 2012
0
My Avon delivery arrived this morning and, once again, I had ordered some goodies for myself in amongst the brochures and customer orders! Other than the Liqui-Glide Eye Liner, I’ve never tried any of these products before, so I will be reviewing them all in the not too distant future.
From left to right I have:
- Naturals Raspberry and Hibiscus Volumising Shampoo (yet to be released to the public)
- SuperCurlacious Mascara in Black
- SuperShock Eye Liner in Blackened Metal (comes in a little glass pot)
- Eyeliner Brush
- Glimmerstick Liqui-Glide Eye Liner in Black
And at the bottom is the fantastic Shine Attract Lipstick in Orchid, which I will be reviewing later today.
Have you ever tried any of these products?
Naomi x
Friday Favourite: Avon Glimmerstick Eye Liner in Blackest Black
3
10 years
by Naomi in Eyes, Friday Favourite
The time has come again for me to choose my Friday Favourite, and today’s every day essential is the eyeliner that I use every single day without fail – Avon’s Glimmerstick Eye Liner in Blackest Black! I am a big, big fan of thick, bold eyeliner lines, both on the upper lash line and on the waterline, and over the years I have tried and tested many different eyeliners to find one that works best for me, and this is it.
Avon’s Glimmerstick eye liners are crayon liners rather than pencil liners, and come in a twist-up plastic tube. The problem I always had with pencil liners is that they would become scratchy, especially if the sharpener that I was using wasn’t very good, as little pieces of wood from the pencil would flake off, usually whilst they were being used! And trust me, that hurts. The beauty of Glimmerstick is that there’s no mess and no fuss. All you need to do is twist up and they’re ready to use.
The eye liner applies cleanly and very smoothly, with no blotching or breaking. I have perfected my technique with this liner and can create thick, even lines with one hand – they’re just that easy to use! The liner is creamy and soft so doesn’t tug at the skin, and unlike a lot of pencil liners it stays put and doesn’t smudge. I wear this all morning, afternoon and evening and hardly ever need to reapply it, and if I do I only do it once.
The liner is also fantastically versatile. You can easily control the thickness of the lines you’re drawing as it’s just like using a pen, so if you don’t want a bold line in the day, you don’t have to have one, but it’s easy to thicken it out a bit in the evening for a different look.
The only downside with the Glimmerstick Eye Liner, for me, is that they don’t last as long as I’d like. I get through about one a month which I guess isn’t that bad considering I use it every day, but it does mean I have to buy a lot of them!
Avon’s Glimmerstick Eye Liners are available in a variety of other shades, including Saturn Grey, Starry Night Blue, Cosmic Brown and Majestic Plum, as well as in ‘Diamond’ shades which are glittery. There are also Glimmerstick lip liners available. All Glimmerstick liners have an RRP of £6.00, but they are almost ALWAYS on offer at lower prices, or with free gifts.
Which Glimmerstick product is your favourite?
Naomi x
PS. Don’t forget, if you want to order any Avon products from me, visit the ‘Order Avon from Me’ page to find out how.
