Wednesday 21 May 2014

Cargo Cosmetics Suited to a Tea Cream Eyeshadow Palette review

Hey lovelies! Hope everyone is well!
I thought I would show you my newest purchases- the Cargo Suited to a Tea Cream Eyeshadow Palette. 
I've never owned or even seen a completely cream shadow palette. I'd read a few bad reviews from the USA stating they had to send it back as it was so terrible, I just hoped that it would work for me as the packaging was too cute to resist!
The colours are all perfect for spring and have cute tea related names like 'Earl Grey' and 'Bloomsbury'. Although this is an eyeshadow palette, it also states that you can use the shades 'Bloomsbury' and 'Macaron' on the lips and cheeks. This is okay if you're pale like me, but if you're NW/NC 25 or above, it's not going to work out so well. On the cheeks both colours give a nice, subtle flush but on the lips it does not show up very well and is very drying. 
I was so disappointed when I opened the palette to find the brush had broken. Obviously, brushes in palettes are cheaper than you'd buy separately, but it should at least be in one piece. 
As you can see, the colours inside are so gorgeous and perfect for spring. Here are the swatches-
Above- without flash
Below- with flash
Above- without flash
Below- with flash

As you can probably tell, some of the colours are more pigmented than others. The brown/neutral shades are much nicer than the brighter colours. They have actually stained my hand so I think they will come in handy, particularly on no-makeup-makeup-days or as a base for other colours. However, as a palette in it's own right to stand against something like the Naked palettes, it just doesn't work. I tried to create an eye look using this palette without primer and it lasted around 30 seconds before creasing. If you like cream eyeshadows, you will probably like this palette as it offers a variety of colours. But if, like me, you just wanted to mix up your make-up routine a bit, I wouldn't bother. For £30 (here), it's expensive for a palette that can't really offer a full look. I know there are colours in here I won't use as the pigmentation is terrible. I did, however, use the 'Mayfair' shade in my eyebrows with a bit of brow gel and it looked really nice. Overall, I wouldn't recommend you go out and get this palette without testing it out yourself first. I'm glad I have it as I think you can make it work with a bit of effort and extra care, but it just isn't worth £30! It is not up to the standard of the Cargo Vintage Escape Palette- I would recommend that over this! I'd wait for it to go on sale in Debenhams as I don't see many people buying this one.


Lots of love, 
LilyBettie and Elsie 
xoxoxoxo









Saturday 17 May 2014

Dior Addict Fluid Stick Review in Shade 338 Mirage

Hey lovelies! This post is slightly late- oops! I'm useless with a schedule! 
But I wanted to show you my new purchase- the new Dior Addict Fluid Stick! 
Seriously... How gorgeous is the packaging?? It looks like a regular lipstick with a see through lid but it's actually a glossy liquid lipstick. 
I've been wanting to splurge on this since they were released, but at £26, I just couldn't justify it.
However, when I received an email from debenhams to say they were giving 10% off all beauty and fragrance. I caved...
Starting off with the application- it's so silky like a lipgloss but with much more pigmentation. There's no stickiness and it leaves the lips feeling moisturised. The applicator is much better than the normal ones i've used before on both lipgloss and liquid lipstick. I picked up the shade 338 Mirage which is a natural coral shade. It's one worn by Jennifer Lawrence so that sold this shade for me.
Above- without flash
Below- with flash
And this is what it looks like on...
I love how natural and glossy it looks. It really does give an extra something to a more natural look. It doesn't last a really long time, maybe 4 hours (depending on what you are doing in that time), but it is easy to reapply and that is much longer than any gloss finish i've tried. I really want to try some other colours. Fortunately, Debenhams offer a try it before you buy it on some items. This was one of them so I got a sample of this shade and 3 others, 754 pandore, 575 wonderland and 551 aventure. I have used the shade I purchased, and there is a lot in there- enough for at least two applications.

Would I recommend this product? Yes! If you want something that feels luxurious on the lips, is easy to apply and doesn't feel like its going to break in your handbag, this is for you. The price point might be a little off putting for some, but it might be a good one to put on your birthday want list. I'm wanting the shade 373 Rieuse next!

Also, do you like my new nails? I think they are perfect for summer.
Thanks to Laura Wade @ Nail Candy Lincoln

LilyBettie and Elsie 
xoxoxo


Wednesday 14 May 2014

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in 04 Peach Club and 02 Frambourjoise


Hi my lovelies!
I was supposed to post Monday, but I had a funeral Tuesday and things were a bit tough so I decided to push my plans back a day or two! But in future I will try to post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday!
Anyway, onto the good stuff... Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick.
There are mixed reviews but Youtuber LauraLovesBeautyX reviewed Peach Club and I knew I had to have it! 

They are liquid lipsticks with a matte finish. I think people associate matte lipsticks with winter, but I love them all year round for their staying power and the look they give! 
I got the shades Peach Club and Frambourjoise. Peach Club is a gorgeous dark but bright coral/orange with red undertones. Frambourjoise is pink berry red. Both are very opaque, not drying even though they are matte and you don't need to go out of your way to apply a balm beforehand (although I would advise it). 
Without flash
With flash

They claim 24 hour wear, which seems ridiculous. I don't know why you would need to wear a lipstick for 24 hours. But the staying power is really good. I wore Frambourjoise for 8 hours. I ate, I drank (excuse the drunk photo below!) and it was still there, almost as vibrant and opaque as when I first applied it. I took the tube out with me to reapply but it never left my handbag. I've worn both colours and although both colours wear really well and for a long period of time, Frambourjoise takes the edge as it showed little to no sign of wear. These products wear evenly too, they don't leave that horrible lip line around the edges but no product in the middle (if you've used a lip stain or other long wearing liquid lipstick, you'll know what I mean).
At 4pm (above)
At 12 o'clock (below)

I'm a bit wary of bright colours, particularly on a night out for fear of them smudging all over my face. However, this product stayed where it was and stayed all night. To make the colour last longer, i'd recommend applying a first coat, blotting it with tissue before reapplying.

Application can be a bit tricky. they have the standard lipgloss style applicator, but with such a thick pigmented product, it can over apply at the edges. Once you get the hang of it, it's fine and a quick dab with a tissue and you're sorted. 

So what's the verdict?
You can probably tell that I really like the formula of these lipsticks. The big issue I have is the colour range, I wish there was a bigger variety. A lot of the colours are very similar. 
A lighter pink or peach would be great for summer!
At £8.99 each, they're quite expensive for drugstore lipsticks. The formula and last power sets them apart from other drugstore lip products i've used which justifies the price. Boots and superdrug are alway doing 3 for 2 and buy one get one half price though so i'd definitely recommend checking these out. 
I'd really like to try Pink Pong next, but after that, I won't buy any more unless they release more shades as the others are too similar to what I already have.

Lots of love and puggy kisses 
LilyBettie and Elsie 
xoxoxo




Friday 9 May 2014

Illamasqua blush obsession/collection; review and swatches

Hi lovelies! 
Hope you're well!

I'm a blush addict. I admit it. Once I find a brand of blush I like, I can't help myself and my collection just grows and grows.

This is definitely the case with Illamasqua blushers.
In my collection I have the shades Hussy (bright candy pink), Morale (rosed flush), Lover (soft apricot), Tremble (soft lilac pink) and Sophie (golden coral shimmer), which are all powders. Seduce (warm rose pink) is the only cream blush I have. 
The following swatches are not built up- these are with one swipe/coat only!
With flash 
Without flash

I absolutely love the pigmentation of these blushes. Every one of these blushers is of the same quality, which you don't often find! 
My favourite is Morale. It is such a unique colour. It's one that is not dupable and I've honestly never seen anything like it from any other brand. This was the first blush I bought from illamasqua, and it made sure it was not my last. 

Each blush costs £21.50 but Illamasqua always has amazing sales and if you've bought two times before, they give you a loyalty discount of 10% from your third order onwards! They are also sold at Debenhams and very.co.uk, where you can also find great offers. This is not to say I don't think they're worth the price, they really are! But everyone likes a bargain ;)  

If you're looking for super pigmented blusher that lasts a long time from a brand that provides a great colour selection- Illamasqua is for you!

Lots of love 
xoxoxo

Wednesday 7 May 2014

MAC Alluring Aquatic collection: haul, review, swatches and comparisons

Hi my loves!
Long time no blog! 
I started my masters degree and my social life disappeared.
But I'm back to review some items I picked up from the new MAC collection! (I wanted to make a youtube video but I was too scared... Haha.)
First off... Just look at the packaging.
I mean seriously. It's incredible. 
Those little drops of water actually feel raised on the packaging. Laurabangs posted a picture on instagram of the new collection a day or so before the release and I knew I had to get something. 

Now on to what I got...




Lipsticks are my favourite. I have A LOT of MAC lipsticks. I love the variety of colours they have, the limited edition collections they bring out and that there are different formulas to suit everyone's taste. 
There were four lipsticks in the collection and I got two; Mystical and Goddess of the sea. They are £16.50 each.

Mystical is described as a midtone creamy rose. 
It reminded me of MAC permanent shades Cosmo and Craving. It is not dissimilar to either, the main difference is the formula. It is also similar to the YSL sheer candy in sweet fig, but as the name suggests; the YSL is more sheer. 

The other colour I picked up was Goddess of the sea. I love purple tones in lipstick so I thought this would be perfect for me. It is described as a dark vibrant violet.
I own a few Mac purple shades to compare it to. Rebel and Plumful are more berry toned. Up the Amp is more vivid. It is similar to Private Party from the Divine Night holiday collection, but again, the formula makes it look different on the lips. I think Goddess of the sea is much more flattering on my pale skin. 

Both lipsticks have been applied over foundation to try to show the true colour. 

Eyeshadow singles are not my thing. Palettes provide much more value for money so I gravitate towards those. But when I saw a swatch of this Lorelei Extra Dimension eyeshadow (£16.50) online, I just had to pick it up. I thought it would compliment some of my favourite palettes perfectly. Mac describe it as a golden beige. 

Although i'm sure it will make a great eyeshadow, it is incredibly similar to the much coveted Superb Mineralise Skin Finish(LE). Despite its small size, a dusting of this on the cheek bones could give a similar effect to Superb, just not quite as sparkly. You might want to pick this up if you didn't manage to get your hands on Superb. 

Do you think they're similar?


The last item I picked up was a blusher in Sea me, Hear me (£20). This is described as a rosy beige. I don't think this is very accurate. Seduced at Sea is another blusher in the collection, but online swatches made it look a little orange, even though it was described as plum, so I opted for this. 

The formula is great and they have a lovely sheen. They remind me of the Clinique blush pops. It is also a similar colour to the Mystical lipstick; what a perfect pair!

Do you need anything from this collection? Probably not. Should you get at least one thing just for the packaging? YES! There's nothing terribly unique about the colour selection. Despite this, I do love the products I got. There's nothing special about these products, but they are incredibly wearable. 


See you soon, Lilybettie and Elsie
xoxoxo


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