October Empties

It has been ages since I did an empties review. Probably because I have an attention span of a fly and end up giving away most things before I finish them.  Well I stuck through these, for better and for worse and this is my review.

SUQQU eyebrow liquid pen
£20 from Selfrdiges
This is my second one that I have gone through. The first time, I thought I may have gotten a bad one as it barely lasted me more than a month.  The finish is very natural and great for that daytime natural look, but there is not a lot of product. The actual longevity of the product is great however.  I will not be repurchasing this one for the 3rd time. I am now using a Chanel eyebrow pencil and I am happy with that.  I will definitely be buying their cream foundation however as soon as I muster up the will to drop £65 on it.

DIOR Diorskin Nude natural glow hydrating makeup
£32 from Boots
This liquid foundation contains spf 10 and is a lovely nourishing natural foundation.  You can build it up for medium coverage, but this is not a full coverage foundation.  I fell in love with the texture and the scent of this foundation and have this in two shades. This one is my winter shade in 020 and I have 040 for when I return from holiday with a tan.  I would consider re-purchasing this one definitely.

LUSH Sun Perfume
£18.50 from Lush.co.uk
Lush released a new series of perfumes last year an this is part of that collection.  Sun is a zesty, citrusy and very fruity perfume.  It reminds me of a fresh satsuma orange peel and is really pleasant and easy to wear.  The base of this perfume is sandalwood oil and it's a very gentle one. It lasts roughly 2-3 on my skin and then it turns into a very subtle sandalwood oil.  The bottle comes with a dropper and not a spray.  I would definitely repurchase this perfume, especially for the summer.

LUSH Feeling younger skin tint
£12 from Lush.co.uk
This is a creamy highlighter that I mixed with my foundation and moisturiser for the last year. This 20g pot lasted me that long. You only need a little bit for a healthy glow and it really left my skin feeling moisturised.  There are loads of beautiful ingredients in there like oatmeal infusion, almond oil, and cocoa butter that gave my skin the nourishment it needed.  I highly recommend this one for those who love to use highlighters to brighten up their face.  I will definitely be repurchasing this one!

MAC Face an Body foundation
£21 from Debenhams
I bought this foundation after good reviews that I read online.  After using the entire 50ml, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed in this foundation. I found that it dried too quickly and if you didn't act fast when applying, it had a tendency to drag the colour.  I know this one is not for full coverage, but the website stated that you could layer this up.  There were some grand promises with this one and I have to admit that it doesn't stand up to it's review. I will not be buying this one again. The only good part of this foundation is the plastic bottle in which it comes in an it helps with getting all your product out by squeezing it.


Overall this post will give you an idea of the two areas that I am really interested in and that is beautiful skin and perfume. 

What were your favourites this month? And if you have any recommendations for foundations, please let me know! xx

Dior Vernis in NY 57th Polish review

About two years ago, I sold this polish to put towards my moving fund and this week I was able to re-buy this limited edition polish for £6 (with postage included) from ebay.  I was so happy and I put it on as soon as I got it in the post.

 

The formula was easy to use and I love the Dior brush; however, I'm not crazy about the colour. I realised now why I sold this before I moved here.  I think the allure of this polish was that it was limited edition and that it was influenced by the streets of NYC.  So despite not loving this colour, I will keep this and possibly use it as a base for something else.  

 

Christian Dior nail polish in Dune

All these posts are long overdue. My fantastic Dior SA gifted this to me ages ago...yikes, I'm so rude.  I never go for brown polishes, but for some reason, I just love every colour that Dior ends up doing.  There is just something very elegant and subtle about this version of taupe brown.

Application was flawless, brush was amazing as usual and this is 2 coats.

Dune was part of a previous collection, but a simple google search produced many different places that were selling it for £18.

Hope you enjoyed the swatch and please leave me a message and let me know what your favourite Dior polishes are? x

The Military Look: Dior 454 ROYAL KHAKI 5-Couleurs Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette

The military look is one that I absolutely love. I love all those button up tops, military inspired boots, and sage green just happens to be one of my favourite colours; however, if this style is too masculine for you, then a military style inspired eye is just for you.  Dior has come out with this amazing palette that brings the femininity into this masculine style.

And to answer your question, No, I didn't win the lotto and basically have a total high-end makeup splurge lol. My awesome Dior SA gave me a mini of the Royal Khaki, because she had pity on me for being poor this month lol. No, seriously though, she is always so great with giving me these extras on the side as I do tend to spend out of my budget with her. So I have Royal Khaki to swatch for you all thanks to Rachel!

Now, I must apologise first, because I can not seem to get a decent thick swatch out of this tiny palette, so the colour that appears in my photos is a light application.


My eye is a bit irritated from my allergies, so I don't have a snapshot of my makeup, but I went with the beige blended into the green and I used the black along my waterline, and of course I used the white as a brow highlighter. The silver will have to wait another day :)

I won't lie, I find Dior eye shadows to be quite pricey, but this is a luxury palette that will make any girl feel pampered. I will also say that from the sample, I find that the texture of the middle green colour to be a little too matte for my liking. I really love the white, beige and silver shimmer and wish they would have done the same for the middle green as that is really the selling point of this palette.

What is your favourite eyeshadow look this fall season?

Christian Dior Creme Abricot pour les ongles Nail Cream

My cuticles have always been my #1 enemy. They just refuse to soak in lotion. I wash my hands quite a bit at work and even with lotion application, they never seem to be hydrated. So by the time that I get home, my cuticles are cracking and often times they crack and peel so badly that I do get infections. I've had this issue all my life.  And of course, it doesn't help that I use 100% pure acetone to remove my nail polishes almost every other day.

In hopes of finding a solution, I shelled out £19 and purchased the Dior nail cream after I remember a friend telling me that this was her favorite nail cream on the market (boy was she right!).

This is a 10g pot.  It came with a foil lid that you peel back to expose a coral/pink petroleum jelly like cream. It is very rich and applies clear.  It doesn't smell very nice and reminds me of the petroleum jelly that my mother use to lather her face in lol.  But the case itself is adorable and it really has improved my cuticles even with only a week's time.  This also soaks into the cuticles very quickly, unlike the oils that I find leave a mess everywhere.

Here are some other facts about this cream:

* Created in 1963 (why am I just hearing about this now? lol)
* Overnight cuticle treatment
* It also encourages nail growth

I think I may have found my HG nail cream ladies :)

Have you tried this nail cream? What are your thoughts?
Are there any other cuticle treatments that you highly recommend?

London Shopping Haul - Suqqu, Dior, Chanel and Clinique

I had a fabulous London shopping trip with an even more fabulous new girlfriend of mine this week.  I don't know why, but it is always much more fun to go shopping with someone else.  Well, we hit up the usual hot spots...Selfridges, Harrods, Bond Street, and this time we went to Camden.

This is my haul from this trip, and needless to say that other than my watch that I have been going on and on about, this will have to be the last of the major hauls.  All these beauties has set me back a pretty penny :)

Sorry about the instagram photos. I honestly wanted to get a blog post up as it has been forever since I last posted. I will review these products as I use them a bit more.

 

The haul consist of:

Dior mini palette in Royal Khaki - thanks to my awesome Dior SA!

Dior creme abricot nail cream - I have no idea why I waited to so long to buy this, it's really awesome!

Suqqu eyeshadow brush F - Where have you been all my life? The softest eyeshadow brush that I have ever touched. I died a little and gone to makeup brush heaven!

Dior foundation brush - this new brush just came out with the nude foundation.  This brush is the best brush that Dior currently has. It feels so soft that you can't even feel the individual bristles. It is the 2nd softest brush that I currently own

Chanel illusions d'ombres in Vision - Thanks to my wonderful DH xx

Suqqu eyebrow pen in green - sorry you can't see this too well in my photos but it's next to the Dior foundation brush. This is my HG eyebrow pen for that natural/everyday look.

Clinique skincare - Liquid facial mild soap and moisture surge

I have used both products a long time ago and although I liked it, I never returned to it, until now.

I got this set, because Boots had an advantage night which was £12 worth of points with any purchase of £50 or more. So ultimately I got this for a lot cheaper than retail.  I think my skin needed some moisture surge as well.  This stuff is amazingly hydrating.

Dior nude foundation 040

I had to get the full size bottle as I am always on the hunt for good foundation, Dior has never let me down and I do like this foundation a lot; however, I do prefer my extreme over it.

Last but not least...

Dior J'adore L'eau perfume

Boots is currently selling this for £34.99 for a 75ml. What a bargain. I tried to find the link, but it looks like it is all sold out now :(

dior eyeshadow, dior nail cream, chanel vision

Suqqu, Dior

Out of all these items, my favourites are the Suqqu eyeshadow brush and the Dior foundation brush. I am so excited to have these in my stash and I honestly feel like they are the best brushes I have used ever.  I definitely will be saving up for more Suqqu brushes.

So that is the end of my London shopping trip haul. If you have any of these, please share with me your rants or raves about the products. I'd love to hear about how you all got on with them :)

see you soon xx

My September Favourites

Time if flying by so fast. On one hand, it's a good thing as I am counting down the days until I can officially quit my job and on the other hand, it's crazy how life just goes by in a blink of an eye.

I decided to finally get my a&& in gear and start doing my monthly favourites again.  Last month was a very good makeup month for me in terms of quality of products (both old and new).  I am excited to share with you these products as I really felt that they made a huge difference in my regime. So let's begin...

Dior BB cream

This has been going on my face almost everyday now for the last month or so.  I love the dewy finish and the healthy (warm) and medium coverage it provides. I feel like my skin is hydrated and covered and that's something that I was not able to achieve with other bb creams.  I can't tell you how much I love the scent to this as well (so fresh and so clean!).  But the best thing about this bb cream is that it doesn't wash me out nor leave that odd grey tint to my skin like other bb creams have done.  Hands down...favourite bb cream of all times!

Chanel lift lumiere concealer

I always felt that eye concealers were super cakey for some reason.  Maybe it's just the ones that I tried, but I am loving this concealer by Chanel.  It really soothes my eye area (which has been looking darker and dry lately) and I can't tell you how "awake" I look now vs. before.  This is definitely a product for us 30+ who need that youthful and awake appearance.  I think next time I will go for a lighter shade, but as far as consistency and coverage it checks all the boxes off in my list of what I want an eye concealer to do.

Diorskin sculpt lifting smoothing concealer

The reason why I have been using this so much lately is that it is reaching it's shelf life. I have had this now for 2 years and realised it is time for me to use it up.  I am quite sad however that it is coming to it's end as I really love the colour of this concealer.  It gives my face a very clean finish. What I mean by that is that it really blends into the foundation that you have on and it just enhances and lightens up the area without looking like I have a different product on top of my foundation.  There is minimal blending involved and it really brightens up my face.  I've been finding areas of my skin that are darker than the rest and this does the job in concealing those.  I will definitely buy another one once this is finished.  I will say however that I do not like the applicator on this as it looks like a lip gloss wand.  It is totally useless but the product itself is great.

Dior nude foundation in 040

Rachel (my Dior SA) gave me this sample and I have been using it nonstop.  It is one notch above the bb cream in terms of coverage.  It is buildable and it gives you an amazing fresh dewy look.  I am not a beauty scientist, so I don't know the chemical compounds of foundation, but whatever it is, Dior knows how to make their products shimmer without being overly glittery (Chanel does this too).  It is a superb construction and I absolutely love it along with that trademark Dior scent.  I can not wait until the 11th for the Boots advantage points night, so that I can purchase this and rack some much needed points.  I am very excited about this product.  It looks like this came just in time as my bb cream and the Dior extreme foundation is coming to it's end soon.  Also...make sure you go a shade above what you usually take in the Dior foundations as these run much paler than the others.

Chanel illusions d'ombress in Mirifique

What can I say about this bad boy?  Ever since I saw the promo pics of the cream shadows, I have raved and raved about them. So I won't bore you guys again with my nonstop blabber about how these are my favourite cream shadows on the market.  I will say however that I use this as a gel eyeliner and that sparkle really makes my eyes pop.  I am in love with this and my MAC blacktrack has taken a back seat for awhile.  It is also lovely to use as an eyeliner and the smudge it slightly for a dramatic day time look.  

Benefit sugarbomb blush

This is another oldie but a goodie.  I pulled this one out again last month and I love the warm peachy and slightly pink blush for this time of year.  It is a perfect transition blush from summer to fall in my opinion.  

Dior shimmer powder in Amber Diamond

I don't know what I would do without this highlighter.  This has turned my dull face into a brightened and lively face in seconds.  The weather is awful here in England and I refuse to let that show on my face.  This shimmer powder has to be my #1 favourite item of the month.  It is such a chameleon (as it works with every skin tone) and blends beautifully into the skin.  I am so glad to hear that this once highly sought after/hard to find highlighter is now a permanent part of the Dior line.  Good move Dior!

Dior nude tan in 002

Ok. Ok. I know this sounds like a Dior month, but in all fairness, it wasn't intentional. I can't help it that all the Dior products have been the best performing products in my collection this month.  This was an impulse buy before my holiday as my skin was so pale and embarrassing that I knew that I needed something to fake a tan while I was abroad.  This is the first bronzer that has not made my face look muddy.  It is a few shades darker than my normal skin colour without being too orange or mud brown.  You know what I'm talking about all you fair skin ladies out there.  How many times did it look like you smeared mud on your face? I am so happy that I finally found a bronzer/contouring shade for my face.  It also comes in a beautiful silver case and an amazing little kabuki brush that I absolutely adore. Yes the price is steep but I have used it ever single day and do not plan on putting it down.  This one is bound to make the monthly favourites for quite some time now.

Tom Ford eyeshadow quad in Golden Mink

This next favourite was a huge huge lemming of mine for months.  I was able to obtain it through a swap with a lovely lady in the states. I officially can not afford to pay the amount of money that Tom Ford is asking for.  As much as I believe that this palette is worth every single penny, it's not something that I see myself shelling out in the near future.  Having said that, if you have some birthday money or you are just rich lol, you MUST get this palette. It is like the Bentley of nude palettes.  Urban Decay's naked palette wishes it could be this palette.  The four colours in this palette are silky divine goodness.  I thought I died and went to e/s heaven when I swiped this with my finger.  Other than Dior, I have not felt an eyeshadow so finely milled and luxurious.  I am absolutely in love.  One of the eyeshadows is very shimmery and glittery and perfect for that glammed out nighttime look, so you can easily use this palette for day-time and night-time.  I cherish this palette and really grateful for WM for swapping with me.

Last month was all about high end products, but this month has been all about more affordable beauty products.  I can not wait to show you all the new products that I have got this month, so stay tuned...

A part of me has been lusting for a nude nail polish, and one day after work, my favourite Dior SA showed me this.  It was always one of those polishes that never caught my eye, because it always leaned slightly too pink for me.  I took a gamble and bought it. 

This is Dior's Incognito.

It took 2 coats, and in some light, it appears to be a very subtle mauve pink.  I'm not sure about this colour.  I do like the delicate feminine nature of this colour, but it just doesn't do too much for me.  I suppose I could use this as an undie, but for £17.50, I would have liked this to be more nude.  The flourescent light of Boots did portray this as a nude, but in natural sunlight, it definitely leans more pink.  The formula and brush was lush as usual, and I'm hoping that this polish will grow on me one day soon.

Dior Vernis 638 Aloha swatches & comparisons

I treated myself to this after my contract at work got reinstated. So my job is safe (for now lol).  I'm not sure how rare this is in the UK, but I remember it was hard to get once it sold out in America.

I welcome this bold bright orange beauty to my stash.

everyone....please welcome, Dior's Aloha!

Riveria vs. Aloha

Holiday vs. Aloha

You can not fault the one coat opaque and smooth applying formula.  The brush and formula combination is the best on the market, and therefore, I don't even feel guilty shelling out £17.50 for these little bottles of colour.

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Flash in Little Red Dress (856) Review

Red lips are for strong women, so what about those of us who want that but too afraid to rock it? lol.  This is the answer.  It's a highly pigmented glossy lip gloss in this candy apple red.  Where has this been all my life? I embrace this lip gloss with open arms :)

I do love the clear cubes that these come in, it's like a Popsicle inside a cube of ice, absolutely alluring.

 

It's super moisturized, pigmented, and highly shimmery. You don't have to do your lips perfectly to be able to rock the hot red lips.  It's very easy to apply and has staying power.  It's one of my favourite Dior products this year.  Little Red Dress and Orange Pareo (soon to be featured) are doing heavy rotations in my handbag.

Retail £21

Big thanks to the wonderful gal who swapped this with me :)

Christian Dior Haul: Sunset Eye gloss and Diorshow Extase in Prune Extase

I have a love/hate relationship with promotions, especially when I end up spending money that I don't really have lol.  I ended up buying the Diorshow Extase in Prune Extase (purple) and their new Eye gloss in Sunset.

DIORSHOW EXTASE in PRUNE EXTASE (871)

 

I am not a huge mascara gal, because I'm so lazy but I did love this purple mascara.  It seemed to have brightened my eyes, without looking too obvious.  It's a very subtle purple tinted dark mascara.  The wand itself is very unique with it's winding spiral staircase like structure.  It's so unique that I plunged and got another mascara that I will probably never use again haha.

The next product that I ended up getting during this promotion was the new eye gloss in Sunset. 

I played it safe and got a "safe" colour.  Sunset is a nude with a slightly pinky/peachy shimmer.

The shimmer is a very adult shimmer.  It is very sparkly and shiny, which works very well with the whole summer collection.  

When the eye gloss is blended in, it is very natural and I found it to be not only a great eye gloss but a wonderful highlighter as well.  The only downside to this was that after several hours, the colour did fade away and all that was left was my bare face which looked like I got hit in the face with fairy dust LOL!

I probably wont be buying another eye gloss, because of it's lack of staying power.  This is of course with the use of an eye primer too.  I will say however that the colour pay off is GORGEOUS with the initial application, so that is what won me over and will probably win a lot of people over too.

The Cost:

Mascara: £21

Eye Gloss: £20

What's your experience with these eye glosses?