MAC Viva Glam Nicki

So Nicki has been all over the blogosphere recently, and with good reason. The whole price of a MAC Viva Glam lipstick goes to the MAC AIDS Fund. Click on that link to read more about the work that they do, if you weren't aware already.

When I got an email from MAC with a presale code for Viva Glam Nicki, I couldn't not! I'd been planning to get it anyway and well, it is for charity...

Nicki...

Minaj

Viva Glam Nicki is a bright yellow toned pink with a Satin finish. It's got a lot of slip when swatching but I havn't worn it yet so I can't comment on wear time. The swatch here is a little dark- it's a bit lighter and brighter. A Barbie pink. It's like the yellow-toned cousin of MAC 'Pink Friday' as far as I can tell. It's lots and lots lighter and brighter than 'Impassioned'.

Will you be picking up Viva Glam Nicki? I'll be back tomorrow with it on my face!

Review: No7 Vital Brights Cream Blush

After seeing pictures of the No7 Spring Collection popping up all over the blogosphere, I could hardly resist this little cream blush, especially given my love for cream blush. I skipped the pink blush from this collection, instead opting for 'Blossoming Pink', a red-toned coral.

The packaging on this collection is fun and Spring-y, just what you need in your collection to make you look forward to the warmer days ahead. I kind of hate that it's a round pan in a square compact, though. I wish they'd just made it square...

This is what Boots No7 has to say about this blush:

Give cheeks a pop of colour with this soft and creamy blush. Beautifully light, the colour is easy to build and blend to delicately sculpt cheeks.

The blush is definitely lightweight, but not lacking in pigment. It's a cream-to-powder formula that dries down quickly to a matte finish. Nonetheless it's easy to sheer out and has enough slip to make blending a doddle. The formula feels very silicone-y and sure enough Dimethicone heads up the ingredients list. Worth being aware of: if your skin has issues with silicones, this will be one to steer clear of. The one little problem I had with this formula is that it can 'lift' foundation and concealer off of blemishes. Blending with patting rather than sweeping or mixing a bit of blush and concealer to conceal after blush would solve the problem.

The formula did remind me a lot of Topshop's cream blush formula, so if you're a fan of those this will be right up your street. Indeed, upon checking, the ingredients are practically the same.
With Topshop's blush coming in at £6 and No7's £10, it's worth checking that you really want these colours before purchasing. I don't think Topshop has a dupe for either of the Spring No7, but if you disagree, leave a comment.

This colour is a coral with a strong red base. The red tones help to make this a wonderfully natural-looking flush on the cheeks, but the overall coral colour avoids that 'just in from the cold' look that many look for in red-toned stains and blushes over the winter season.

Where: Boots
How much: £10
You'll like: if you're a fan of Topshop's cream blush, or lightweight cream-to-powder formulas.
You won't like: if you don't think either of No7's Spring colours is unique enough to pay the extra £4 over Topshop.
Bottom line: lovely, lightweight veils of colour. But buy from Topshop if you can get a dupe.

BONUS ROUND


Here is No7 Vital Brights Cream Blush in 'Blossoming Pink' worn:

I've got Collection 2000 Cream Puff in 'Fairy Cake' on the lips.

FOTD: Five-minute face

I love using cream products when I'm in a hurry, or feeling lazy. In this look I used Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre #83 for a pretty fool-proof smoky eye. All of the darker toned eyeshadow look, none of the fallout and mess. I actually used it over a gel liner for darkness at the lashline.

EYES
Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner
Chanel Illusion d'Ombre #83 'Illusoire'
MUA Shade 16 matte eyeshadow
Rimmel 'Dark Brown' Professional Brow Pencil
Boots 17 Wild Curls mascara

FACE
Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation #51
Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer #51
Meow Wild Child blush 'Hang Up'
Illamasqua Cream Pigment 'Hollow'
ELF Studio HD powder

LIPS
MAC 'Summer Shower' lipstick

What do you chuck on when you're in a hurry?

Review: Boots 17 Peep Show mascara

So, I broke my Project 10 Pan no-buy. Is anybody surprised?! I picked this mascara up in Boots after seeing a bit of a buzz about it online and being curious about the 'lengthening fibres' as I've not used a fibre mascara before.

The packaging is pretty cute, I must admit. I really like the cheekiness of it without it becoming smutty and too much. The top also 'click's into place which is pretty satisfying. But it's what's inside that counts, right?

They say:
Where'd ya get those peepers?Flash your lashes with our fibre-rich formulation which lengthens lashes from root to tip. Voluptuous volume and no clumps... Just a full, flirty flutter.


The wand on this mascara is a bristle-type brush with a little dip in the middle of the brush. Mine leans slightly to one side but I don't think it's intentional. I prefer a plastic comb or a brush with very sparse and short bristles.When you pull the brush out you can see the little fibres clinging to it, ready to be deposited on the lashes.

XL picture for little fibres

I was excited to see how much lengthening these little fibres could do for my lashes, as I've heard some good things about fibre mascaras. However, when it came to actually coating my lashes I was left deeply unimpressed. On the first pass I was left asking myself whether anything at all had been deposited on my lashes. I persevered, however and built up the first coat until I got this:

BARE LASHES

WITH ONE COAT OF 17 PEEP SHOW MASCARA

The formula is decently black, but it doesn't really boost my lashes. They don't look especially lengthened, which was the main point of having the fibres in the mascara.

Nonetheless, I persevered with a second coat:

I included the front-on picture so it's obvious just how little this mascara is doing for my lashes. I felt like a second coat didn't add any length or volume, just extra spidery-ness. In it's favour, the mascara didn't clump at this point.

Just for good luck, I went for a third and final coat:

At this point I felt like my lashes just looked ugly and spidery. Length and volume were not boosted by this third coat. Again, this coat did prove just how clump-free this formula is, so that was nice.

I was curious about the mascara's lack of lengthening ability. I could forgive this mascara a lot if it was lengthening, but not giving my lashes enough 'lift' for that length to be impactful. But there seemed to be none of the little fibres adhering to my lashes. 'Maybe my lashes are fibre mascara unfriendly' I thought.

I gave the mascara a little swipe on my hand to have a closer look at the little blighters:

I was surprised when I saw this... There's only a few little fibres clinging in there! There's about three, and some mascara blobs that in the photo look a bit like fibres. This whole 'lengthening with fibres' thing isn't really going to work when there's so few fibres. It's just silly. Why bother with them in the first place? It's such a token effort that it actually makes me a bit cross.

One major plus point is that I rubbed over this swatch a few times with my finger and it did not budge. It's a pretty smudgeproof formula.

Where: Boots
How much: £6.29
You'll like: possibly if you're looking for a very bland mascara with cute packaging for a young teen.
You won't like: if you like your mascaras to have impact.
Bottom line: don't bother.

FOTD: Blue and pink gradient for NTMS

You might have heard of 'Never Too Much Sparkle!', Wendi from Makeup Zombie's Facebook group. Every week there's a look challenge, and this week is Gradient.

Here's the look I came up with! A blue gradient liner going from dark blue to light and back again and a blue and pink gradient lip (yes, I took the idea from my Illamasqua makeover!)

EYES:
George eye primer
L'Oreal HIP duo 'Charming' - shimmery white
Illamasqua Cream Pigment 'Hollow'
Sleek Original palette- bright and navy blue
MUA Shade 16 matte eyeshadow

FACE
Soap and Glory Kick Ass concealer 'Light'
Soap and Glory Show Good Face foundation 'Fairest one of All'
Topshop cream blush 'Crushed Berry'
ELF Studio HD powder

LIPS
Boots 17 Shine On lipstick 'Plum Port'
Prestige eyeliner 'Rhapsody'

Do you like gradient makeup? Do you prefer lips or eyes?

Jessie J Tutorial

I've filmed my first ever tutorial for the Makeup Heroes.



This is the Jessie J look that it was based off:

http://www.stylebistro.com/lookbook/Jesse+J/Makeup

Unfortunately I couldn't get any pictures of this look as my camera batteries died after I'd filmed it, but next time I'll take pictures.

Any constructive criticisms? Next time I'm planning on zooming in on to my eye, but I'm not sure of the best way to do it. As I'm short sighted, I need a mirror quite close. Any ideas?

Lit and Lipstick

I've started up a Facebook group today called Lit and Lipstick! It's the makeup lover's book group.

Every two weeks, we'll come together to discuss whichever book we're reading and have a showcase of the looks inspired by that book.

If you like lit as much as you like lipstick, please come and join! You can find us here:

Lit and Lipstick

I'm really excited that there's been a positive response so far, and looking forward to our first 'book club meetings'!

NOTD: Mermaid gradient nails

This nail post is even more mermaid-y than the last one!

I used Accessorize 'Mermaid' and 'Electric Blue' and I found that the Illusion range of polishes are really good for gradient nails- with their sheer bases and sparklies, they seem more willing to blend together.

This were the best gradient nails I've ever managed, and I loved the colour combination. This manicure stayed on for a bit longer than they usually do.

FOTD: Pop-art Pin-up

The other day I did this fun colourful look to go with the Rosie the Riveter style bandana I had in my hair. Instead of going old-school pin up with neutral eyes I decided to play with a bit of colour on the lids.

EYES
George @ ASDA eye primer
MUA Intense Colour eyeliner in 'Snow White' (lid, as a base)
Living Dead Grrl 'Skip to the End' eyeshadow (lid)
ELF Studio 'Cool Bronzer' (crease)
MUA 'Shade 16' matte eyeshadow (highlight)
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel liner
Vivo Curve Effect mascara
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer (inner corner, waterline)
Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil 'Dark Brown'

FACE
L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Primer
Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation #51
Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer #51
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer 'Fair'
Illamasqua 'Emerge' Cream Pigment (cheeks and as a colour corrector under eyes)
Illamasqua 'Hollow' Cream Pigment (contour)
ELF Studio HD powder

LIPS
Rimmel 'Retro' Lasting Finish lipstick

Do you like to play with classic looks? I love pin up looks with a bright colour on the lid- lime green is one of my favourites.

NOTD: Sparkly Mermaid Nails

I've been loving my new camera for nail posts even more than for face posts! You just need macro to get pictures of nails, and that is a fact. These are some nails I could have taken pictures of all day. I used Illamasqua 'Raindrops', GOSH 'Rainbow' and ELF's matte topcoat. I love matte flakies!

I love the glitter flakes over a more subdued colour. I want to invest in more flakie polishes! Which are your favourites, and which polishes do you like to layer them over?

FOTD: Purple People Eater

I very very rarely wear properly purple lips. Purple-leaning reds and pinks I will wear with abandon. I'll even go for Urban Decay 'Vinyl', a dark mauve-ish colour. But Proper Purple? Nuh-uh. It's about the only makeup thing I find a bit scary.

But today I wore this look, a navy blue smoky eye and a Properly Purple lavender lip. And I even got a compliment on my lipstick! Goes to show...

EYES
George @ ASDA eye primer
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in 'Zero'
Archetype 'Witching Hour' eyeshadow
MUA 'Shade 16' matte eyeshadow
Vivo Curve Effect mascara

FACE
L'Oreal Studio Secrets primer
Bourjois Healthy Mix #51
Kent Touch of Light
ELF All Over Colour Stick 'Pink Lemonade'
ELF Studio HD powder

LIPS
Urban Decay liner 'Asphyxia'
Barry M #129 Lip Paint

FOTD: Channeling Kat Von D

This is the makeup I wore in my January Favourites video for The Makeup Heroes.

It's a little bit Kat Von D, with smoky brown eyes and glossy red lips.

EYES
George @ ASDA eye primer
Illamasqua 'Furore' Pure Pigment
Aromaleigh 'Fiddlesticks' Wonderstruck Collection eyeshadow
Aromaleigh 'Tunnel Vision' Wonderstruck Collection eyeshadow
MUA 'Shade 12' pearl eyeshadow
Sleek Bohemian palette- dark brown and black
MUA 'Shade 16' matte eyeshadow
Avon Supershock gel pencil
Vivo Curve Effect mascara
Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil 'Dark Brown'

FACE
Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation #51 Vanille Clair
Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer #51
Darling Girl 'Just Bitten' Sweet Cheeks blush
Vivo 'Cinnamon Glow' baked blush
ELF Studio HD powder

LIPS
Bourjois Rouge Hi-Tech lipstain #82 'Rouge Futuriste'
Illamasqua 'Temper' Intense Lipgloss

January Favourites

I made a January Favourites video for The Makeup Heroes!



I'll have a FOTD post up with the makeup I'm wearing in the video soon.

Please check out the other girls' January Favourites videos, and subscribe if you enjoy them :)

Project 10 Pan!

I've decided it's high time to clear up some old-ish products that have been languishing away while I get distracted by other newer things. So it's time to Project 10 Pan.

(A Project 10 Pan is where you choose 10 items to use up before you can buy anything new.)

Here's my chosen 10:

1. Good Things Five Minute Facial.
This is okay, I just hate the scent and find it a bit drying. I'll ignore it for other things if I don't commit to using it up.

2. Sleek New Skin Revive foundation.
I hate this so much on my skin. It has a really nice finish, but far too much effort to build up to a heavier coverage on me. Also oxidises so it's a bit too dark to get away with. Might just donate it to be honest, I've only used it 3 times.

3. Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation and concealer.
Only a tiiiny bit of the foundation left- loved it, went off it, bought something new... Having that tiny bit left is just so pointless though. The concealer is nice. I just started using the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer and forgot about it.

4. Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream.
Also a tiny bit of this left. Like it but find it a bit drying... I've got my eyes on some different ones for this summer!

5. Kent Touch of Light.
YSL Touche Eclat copy-cat. I got it free when I bought some other stuff. I like it, I just never got into the habit of using it.

6. Vivo Curve Effect mascara.
Just blah.

7. Soap and Glory 'The Fab Pore' facial peel.
I actually really like this, I started using it again last week and I think it may be worth a repurchase when the time comes.

8. MUA shade 16
Bought it just as a matte brow highlight, but I've severely neglected it since hitting pan. Time to use it up!

9. Body Shop Liquid Lip colour
Just a sheer sparkly gloss. I never use gloss, I have so many that need using more. Maybe I'll start a gloss series lol.

10. Meow Wild Child blush in 'Hang Up'
Thought this was a bit too shimmery at first, since decanting my sample into this little pot it's much easier to apply properly. Worth a full size, probably.

So there's my list. Have you done a P10P? What makes you neglect a product in your stash?