Makeup Revolution Romantic Smoked palette

Hiya Easter bunnies!

I made an order from Makeup Revolution a couple of weeks now and was reminded by a reader (hi Morgan!) to dish up the deets.

I bought one eyeshadow palette and 3 lipsticks. I'll cover the lippies in another post.

The palette is the Romantic Smoked. You get 14g of product for £4.

It has a mixture of matte and shimmery shades, and is quite similar in consistency to MUA eyeshadows - there's a LOT of fall out and you'll get better results over a primer.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge. You can see the shimmers have very subtle sparkles.

Click to enlarge

The shades aren't named. but that buff coloured one on the far right (above) is fallout central.

I can't tell you how much I hate swatching. I take 347 photos, and you still can't see the bloody first shade below. See the close up afterwards. 

Click to enlarge

A close up so you can see shade 1.

I did an uber quick eye look - I literally spread the shadow on with my fingers, no other eye make up at all, no primer. I used a taupe-grey, a pearl white and a few matte purple shades.

I hope you can see the fine sparkle, that's down to the 1st & 4th shadows in, a shimmery pearl white and a multifaceted grey-taupe (with the teensiest bit of sparkle) which I can see I'll be getting a lot of use out of.

The mattes in this palette are like a lot of other budget-value mattes - you have to work them a bit to get good pay off. The shimmery shades are a lot easier to work with, but if it's a subtle matte look you're going for, you just have to be a bit more generous in the application. All in all, 12 shadows for £4 is decent value for me and I've certainly seen worse mattes. I love the mix of colours and the purple toned mattes are something I didn't have before.

I'll cover the lippies in another post later today, but let's say Makeup Revolution is a boon to frugal beauty lovers! I'll have to try out their dupes for the Naked palettes at a later date.

Have you tried anything by MR yet? You can buy on their website and in Superdrug stores/Superdrug online.

Thanks for reading.

I get brow with a little help from my friends

Hi all!

Please excuse the hideous title of this post. I just couldn't help myself!

A couple of weeks ago - or was it a few? - time goes so fast - I was bemoaning on Twitter that my current eyebrow regime was no longer working and the brow powder I've been using for 2 years just wasn't cutting it any more. I think my brows have got slighter lighter and it was looking too fake. Gail of Gaily Gumdrops kindly offered to send me a Catrice eyebrow kit as a belated birthday present, which was very nice of her. Catrice is one of those brands you get in Ireland, but not in England - like Essence as well. God knows why but there ya go! Is it really that hard to ship it over the drink to us?! Anyway, I digress. Just a wee while later a package arrived for me and here we are!

The powder is slightly darker in real life.

This kit is so dinky but so good. It's housed in a sturdy and functional case. The top flips open to reveal a mirror and two shades of powder, which I'd describe as a light and dark ashy brown, similar to shades of coffee. In a tray underneath there is a tiny but extremely accurate set of tweezers and a double ended brush. At one end is a mini spoolie to comb your brows and at the other end is an angled brush to apply the powder with. I'm pleased to say these colours are a much better match for my brows and I'll do a make up post using them soon. I've been using this kit every day since it arrived and the chocolate was very yummy. Thanks Gail!

Do you fill your brows in?

Thanks for reading.

VIVO from Tesco Enchanted eye palette

Hiya pickles!

I have a lovely bargain eye palette to show you today from VIVO, which is available from selected Tesco stores and online.

**As of August 2015 VIVO is out of business.**


This palette has 12 shades, comes in at 8.4 g and costs £3.99. There's a mixture of matte and shimmery shades and they're quite pigmented. I've got some VIVO single eye shadows in matte and shimmer finishes and have been very impressed with them.

The packaging on VIVO items is no fuss, black and sturdy. I say save by snapping up cheap palettes like this one and spend on some decent brushes. The sponge applicator inside is so crap - it's both rough and flimsy - it's fit for the bin.

Have you tried anything by VIVO before?

Thanks for reading.

Famous Cosmetics eyeshadow High Five in 'Smouldering'.

Hi ickle fruit bats!

I've been a fan of Famous Cosmetics for a couple of years since I discovered a battered and pillaged display in my local Superdrug store. They make really good make up which is heavy on the glam.

This is the High Five eyeshadow set in Smouldering. As you can see, with just one swipe the colours are very pigmented. Beautiful! The burgundy shade is gorgeous.

This beauty sells at £4.99 for 4.7g. Currently there's buy one get one half price on everything on the Famous website, plus a free party purse with 4 mini nail polishes, which is worth £7.99.

I have quite a few more Famous bits and bobs to show you, so stay tuned (as they say!)

Have you tried anything by Famous?

Thanks for reading.

Retrospective of hair and make up

Hi :)

So....I remembered Photobucket existed yesterday.

I used it virtually every day when I was posting pictures on MySpace, but since I stopped visiting that lame duck I'd forgotten all about it. It was only last night when I was looking for a photo of Jason Momoa (my all-time man crush) that I saw a link to Photobucket on Google and thought I'd have a look to see what I'd uploaded there. I last used it about 2 years ago.

There were a load of my photography pics as well as a bunch of hair and makeup ones over the last 4 years or so, which are very interesting, as I am reminded of all the changes I've been through. Here are a selection...you'll see 3 different pairs of glasses and no end of hair colours and styles.

Long gingery-brown hair approx 2005-6

Pinky purple hair approx 2006 - I loved this colour

Blonde-y red approx 2006-7

About 2006

I wish I knew what I was doing with my skin here - dewy!

Blonde and brown 2007

In Cyprus 2007

2007

2007

2007-8

2008

2008

2008

Probably the last time I dyed my hair before I became allergic, Halloween 2008



By April 2009 all that remains are the faded bleached bits I can't dye over any more



Dressed up at Halloween 2009



And there we are.

It's interesting to look back and see how I've aged in the last few years.

Have you ever looked back to see how you've changed over the last few years? I'd love to see your photos!

Lacura concealer pen review - great for older skin!

Hello lovelies!

I've tried many concealers with limited success. I vaguely remembered someone saying their Aldi concealer pen was as good as - if not better than - famed wonder concealer Touche Eclat, so naturally, my interest was piqued! When we dropped our friends off at their home near Aldi last weekend, we popped in for some bits. When I went to the make up section I saw their concealer was only £3.59. I was set to buy, and when a quick Google session on my phone revealed Aldi don't test finished products nor their ingredients on animals and haven't done since 1992 I went for it. Wunderbar!

Here's what they have to say about it on the Aldi website:

With the light-reflecting micro-pigments of the Lacura^® Concealer Pen shadows, lines and fine wrinkles around the eyes are concealed, pigment disorders are covered and surface irregularities of the skin are balanced out. The complexion looks smoother and more radiant. The special "NMF" - Natural Moisurising Factor active agent complex, based on high quality ingredients like amino acid, urea and alantonin, reduces dark shadows around the eyes and keeps the sensitive skin in the eye area soft and supple and stops it from drying out. The product is long-lasting , smudge-proof and suitable for all skin types. The soft brush applicator enables a very precise application and the ideal amount can be released with the push button applicator.

Now naturally you might assume because it's from Aldi, and because it's cheap it'll be a bit, errr....shit. Thankfully that isn't the case!


The concealer is a click pen, just like YSL's Touche Eclat. If you buy one, don't be alarmed if you have to click the button on the bottom of the pen about 50 times to get the product to come through to the nib, it's totally normal. Once you've given yourself mild RSI getting the product to come to the nib, you only need about one click per eye, and it's a lovely full coverage thick cream without being heavy or cakey in any way.

Click photos for larger images.

I thought at first glance this shade would be too dark for me, as I'm several shades of Edward Cullen minus the glitter, but not so! It blends in beautifully. I got the lightest shade, Cashmere.

You can clearly see in the photo below the unconcealed eye has a purplish tinge to it whereas the other eye looks bright and fresh.

In the photo below I've concealed one eye and one half of my nose thickly so it photographed well, but you can see the massive reduction in redness on my nose and the lack of purple under the concealed eye.

Most importantly for me, the concealer didn't sit in the fine lines under my eyes, which tends to happen with most concealers I've tried. When that happens it makes my under eyes look more crepey, and deep horizontal lines appear which then makes me look old and tired. As an older lady, trying to find a concealer which wouldn't make me look 100 was a bit of a mission - until now. The concealer dries matte and doesn't smudge at all. It can also be used as an eyeshadow base so I'll be testing that soon.

I dare say this is my holy grail concealer and I'll be holding it to my ample bosom and rocking it like a baby! Next time I'm in Aldi I'll have a peek at some of their other make up offerings. And is it as good as Touche Eclat, in my opinion? YES, better! Touche Eclat does very little for me at all - I can barely notice a difference when using it.

What's your favourite concealer?

Thanks for reading!

Darling Girl swatches pt 3

Hello you!

Here are some more Darling Girl swatches for you. Here we have Cut Me Deeper from the Not an 80's Band collection, Bioexorcist from the Ghost With The Most collection, Black Day and Scarab.

Darling Girl colour descriptions:
Cut Me Deeper - Deep blood red and wine with golden shimmer.
Bio-exorcist - Black base loaded with gold and blue shimmer.
Black Day - A stunning, dark, coal black with blue duochrome.
Scarab - Deep cool greyish brown with strong green shift.

L-R Cut Me Deeper, Bio-Exorcist, Black Day, Scarab

You get 2 free sample sizes per order and also a gift with purchase (GWP) if you spend over $10. The GWP is a freebie in a little screw lid jar with a sifter. Delivery is $5 international.

Each sample bag you get - even though it has a tiny amount of product - will give you enough for 2-3 uses, certainly enough to tell if you want to buy a bigger size. You can buy 5 sample bags on the website for $4, which is a steal.

Full sizes have 3/4 tea spoon of product in a sifter jar and cost $5.90 (about £3.65.) Petit sizes have 1/4 tea spoon of product in a sifter jar and cost $2.50 (about £1.55.) It doesn't sound like a lot of product but it goes so, so far, especially if you use a sticky base to make your shadows pop. I did swatches today using Darling Girl Glitter Glue. It makes such a difference to the vibrancy.

All of these colours are stunning and I couldn't possibly pick a favourite among them.

You can see Part 1 of my Darling Girl Swatches HERE and part 2 HERE.

Did anything take your fancy?

Thanks for reading.

How an older lady does her make up

Hiya!

Today is one of those days where I hate my face, hate the make up I did and wish digital photography and the internet were in my life 10 years ago, when I was less old and ragged.

Let's start the clock at 9am, although that's a bold lie, as I'm never out of bed before 10 am when I can help it.

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09.00 - Sit at dressing table. Open curtains. Spy crusty seagull shit which has been on window for months. Mental note to find a window cleaner. Sometime.

09.01 - Pick up mirror. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Accidentally looked in magnifying side, now scarred for life.

09.02 - Wish I had gin to calm my nerves after seeing that. I don't even like gin.

09.03 - Turn mirror round the right way, swearing to score through the other side so I can't get a fright like that again. Ugh. Pores! My eyebrows need plucking.

Approximately 3 weeks later - Brows are plucked. Curse taking after my dark haired dad and not taking after my blonde mum, then remember it could be worse. My mum is 4 ft 8. No, she really is!

09.10 - Look at plucked visage which now resembles a weather-beaten Cornish seafarer.

09.11 - Curse not being this vain when I was 20.

09.12 - Rake through enormous drawers of make up looking for the wonder treatment which'll make me look 20. If only.

09.13 - Pick up eye shadow brushes, inspect for fluff. Contemplate cleaning, but think 'Stuff it, it'll do for one more go.'

09.14 - Slap on some eyelid primer and dollop on a randomly picked eyeshadow.

09.15 - Curse having hooded eyes. Apply 6 feet more eye shadow so people can see it when my eyes are open.

09.16 - IS THAT A HAIR SPROUTING FROM MY CHIN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

09.17 - Yes it is. Mother Nature, you absolute twatbucket.

09.18 - Blend eye shadow in frenzied window-wiper motion while one solitary tear slips down my left cheek.

09.19 - Am I sure there's no gin?

09.20 - Apply mascara. Realise mascara is getting a bit dry. It's all right, I have another 6.

09.21 - Don't apply to bottom lashes. Alice Cooper look is soooo 1970.

09.22 - Fill in brows, thanking the sweet baby Jesus I stopped over plucking before I had Gary Glitter brows. Shudder.

09.23 Contemplate which of my 3 foundations will fill in the cracks. Wonder why Polyfilla don't go into cosmetics.

09.24 - Dob face liberally with foundation, hoping the slapping action will make me look plump-cheeked and youthful, not post-gin.

09.25 - Work it all in with a stipple brush. I seem to have misplaced my trowel.

09.26 - Poke self in eye with stipple brush. Solitary tear flows down right cheek. Alice Cooper's not such a bad look after all when both eyes match.

09.27 - Buff in with stiff bristled brush.

09.28 - My face tickles. Look in mirror, 27 thick black hairs shed from brush gives me a look into the future - how I will look when I'm 62 and those hairs from my chin have migrated North.

09.29 - Weep silently.

09.30 - Rake around in lipstick drawer for something that'll make my teeth look Simon Cowell-esque.

09.31 - Apply lipstick. Smile into mirror. Vow never to do it in public again.

09.32 - Ta da! Done.

09.33 - Take the long walk to the kitchen in search of gin. No gin. Eff you universe!

09.34 - Eat Tunnock's Teacakes I've been saving for my dad. Screw foil wrappers up in a futile rage, knowing it's only going to get worse with age.

09.35 - Online shopping. One litre of gin.

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If you did a time line like this, what would be on it?

Thanks for reading!

Darling Girl order/How to avoid customs charges

Hello loves!

It may come as no surprise to anyone that I am a little obsessed with make up. I'm addicted to sparkles. Someone who does sparkles very well is Susan from Darling Girl Cosmetics. DGC are based in America. There is every colour you could possibly imagine on the website and then some. Furthermore, her products are phenomenal value for money, as her eyeshadows are so finely milled that you only need the tiniest amount to strike the wow factor. You literally need product smaller than a match head to cover both whole eyes. You get 2 free sample sizes per order and a gift with purchase if you spend over $10, which is a larger freebie in a little screw lid jar with a sifter. Delivery is $5 international.

Here is my latest order. Susan was kind enough to include some Halloween bits and bobs, including some candy corn, which I scoffed!

Every order gets 2 samples and a small gift with purchase, which varies weekly.

5 samples are $4 to buy, about £2.50.

I bought a glitter fixative, a mini lip gloss and 2 shadows.

Each sample bag - even though it has a tiny amount of product - will give you enough for 2-3 uses or more, certainly enough to tell if you want to buy a bigger size. Full sizes have 3/4 tea spoon of product in a sifter jar and cost $5.90 (about £3.65.) Petit sizes have 1/4 tea spoon of product in a sifter jar and cost $2.50 (about £1.55.) It doesn't sound like a lot of product but it goes so, so far, especially if you use a sticky base to make your shadows pop. I did some swatches today using the Glitter Glue from this order and OH MY DAYS does it make a difference! I have some swatches coming up in my next post so you can see what I mean.

How to avoid paying customs fees on purchases from the US.

All my orders from Darling Girl (including this one) cost below $18 INCLUDING POSTAGE (which is about £11.20), because $18 is the threshold for not being charged import duty. Anything costing over $18 stands the risk of being opened by UK customs, and then you get charged. For example, once I ordered from America and spent about $19 by accident, and customs charged me £11! That's doubling the amount I'd spent. Bollocks to that. Don't fall prey to the customs man, be crafty like me :) Lots of little orders rather than one big one will save you lots of money.

My next post has some swatches for you.

Do you ever buy things from abroad?

Darling Girl is cruelty free.

A few Sleek MakeUP purchases and swatches

Hello my ickle cockles.

When Sleek MakeUP had a discount code a wee while ago I bought a few bits and bobs I'd had my eye on.

How vampy is Mulberry?! I always used to wear a vampy shade like this years ago but had struggled to find a suitable replacement after my last one (which was from the Body Shop) ran out.

Blusher £4.49, 8g.

Pout Polish £4.49, 10g.

Lipstick £4.99, 3.5g.

Have you tried anything by Sleek?

Thanks for looking!

Me in a nutshell

How much of ourselves do we successfully put over on our blogs?

I'm quite rubbish at varying my blog posts enough to talk about the things I like, so I thought I'd do a 'my life in a nutshell' post.

I have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (M.E.) so it touches upon every area of my life. I'm not all 'woe is me' about it. As long as I draw breath I'm happy to be alive. The alternative is so final! I adapt to each obstacle as it comes, roll with the punches and when I have a good day, I'm like a pocket rocket :)

I love Sons of Anarchy. Kurt Sutter (writer) is a bloody genius. I never buy TV series, but I will collect all the DVDs from this series, as I will the next....

A Game of Thrones is another of my big loves. George R. R. Martin is a great writer and the second series is almost over already *sniff*. I have 4 of the books so far and will collect them all. I thought the fantasy genre would be a bit hard to read but they are awesome books and they suck you right in as a reader.

Make up and nail polish make my heart sing. I do my make up almost every day and I do my nails at least once a week. I buy a lot of beauty products. I mean to take photos of the products I buy, my make up and nails a LOT more than I do. In my opinion, make up and nail shots need a mixture of natural daylight and flash to capture the nuances, and if there's no decent daylight.... no photos. Thankfully my new camera (which should be here by Wednesday) has much higher ISO settings so I should be able to take better photos in poopy lighting conditions. Perfect for sunless English 'summertime', ha! I look forward to taking more beauty shots photos of absolutely errrrrrrrrthang.

Clothes, clothes, clothes, especially dresses. I love clothes but I'm really awful at asking J to take photos of my outfits so most shots are bodged, like the ones above. My new camera has a remote control available, which I think I will purchase if it's not megawads, because then I can make use of my tripod and take my own outfit shots. One of the things I'm most looking forward to on honeymoon is having J around to take pics of my outfits every day :) I really want to take more outfit pics, as dress up is always fun.

Photography is another one of my big loves. 'Proper' DSLR photography, Instagram snaps where at least the filter is given some consideration and hastily-taken camera phone shots - whatever the format, I love taking photos. I used to be semi-serious about it - getting involved in taking shots for local alternative models and events, and doing favours for friends on the way to building myself a portfolio, but as my illnesses got worse the time I was expending taking photos of people out and about and editing them afterwards began to eat into my 'well' time too much. It was all gratis too, so it's not like I had financial compensation to sweeten the pill ;) Now I prefer to photograph inanimate objects unless someone asks really nicely ;) That way I can suit my activities to my health on any given day.

My friends, family and hubby are everything to me. I can deal with whatever life throws at me with these bobby dazzlers behind me.

What would sum you up in a nutshell?