Saturday, November 16, 2013

e.l.f Disney Villains Nail Polish First Impressions

It's no secret that I have a HUGE obsession with Disney, so when theres a combination of my favourite things, Disney and Make-up i will do everything in my power to own it.

Earlier this year Disney collaborated with Sephora, in what is rumoured to be the last time, to create the Ariel collection and because Sephora doesn't offer international shipping i still haven't managed to get my hands on anything from the collection which upsets me so much that i get quite angry whenever i think about it! So lets move on…..

Earlier this year Disney announced a collaboration with Walgreens in America (Walgreens is like an American Boots or Superdrug) to bring out a line inspired by some of the villains.
Four villains were chosen and for each villain there is a face palette, eyelash set, nail polish set, nail art kit, a hair accesories set and a make up/toiletries bag. The villains that they chose to represent are Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Evil Queen (Snow White), Cruella De Vel (101 Dalmations) and Maleficent (Sleepig Beauty). I love the look of it all so much but because it was only exclusive to certain Walgreen stores I had to order mine online so just got the nail polish set.

The nail polish set is by E.L.F. You get 12 colours, 3 for each villain. The bottles are miniatures but when i swatted them the consistency is so good i can't see myself finishing any of them any time soon!






I love the packaging. The colours and stylised versions of the villains themselves fits perfectly with the personality of each one! They've managed to make them look beautiful but still deadly at the same time! Even Ursula (my favourite villain personally) who is supposed to be quite ugly looks stunning!


Maleficent

 The 3 Maleficent polish's (Left to Right) Bubble Gum Pink, Mod Mauve, Gina Girl

Here they are swatted, this is 2 coats of each polish on it's own. Also this is quite a bad picture of what the colours actually look like! Bubble Gum Pink is a definitely not as dark as it is in the picture! It's a creamy bubble gum pink just like the name suggests! And Mod Mauve is a brown toned mauve, i'm not a big fan of this, it is really streaky to apply and even after 2 coats it still looks quite messy! Gina girl is quite accurate though. It's full of purple, orange, gold and red glitter in a sheer purple base. It's definitely a bit difficult to use, you need to almost place the glitter onto the nail. But i think with a bit of work the effect could be gorgeous!

Evil Queen


(left to right) Pot of Gold, Cranberry, Thunderstorm

These are again not exactly true to the colour (I'm so sorry!!) Pot of Gold is, it's also self explanatory it's a gorgeous metallic gold. Cranberry is stunning!!! I'm a little disappointed that it isn't exactly like it is in the bottle, because in the bottle it looks as if it is packed with orange and red tonnes which would be perfect for Autumn! But when painted onto the nail it is a dark cranberry red colour which fits the name, this is a bother streaky polish. Thunderstorm is a smokey dark green/black that when swatted i thought it looks more grey than green/black. It's also a bit streaky.

Cruella De Vil

 Nude, Smoking Hot, Smokey Brown

Nude is a pink toned nude that is really quite beautiful, Smoking Hot is a gorgeous bright red that is a crelly finish (jelly/cream) and Smokey Brown is a a dark smokey brown, i'm not too impressed with this it's a bother one that is really streaky to apply, even after 2 coats!

Ursula

 Coral Cream, Mint Cream, Sea Escape

Coral Cream is a stunning pink toned coral orange. Mint Cream is light mint colour that is really beautiful when swatted, i can't wait to use it! Sea Escape was a really big disappointment! In the bottle it is a black base packed with turquoise shimmer but when painted on you can barely sea any of the sparkle so most of the time it just looks black! Even with 2 coats and a top coat it just looks black! I had such high hopes for this polish and was quite sad when i realised it wasn't living up to expectations!!

Overall this is a lovely set, I only have a few problems with some of the polishes being streaky and then the big disappointment with Sea Escape not being as gorgeous as it is in the bottle on the nail. The colours fit the characters very well and the packaging it comes in is very well done, the windows show clearly what polishes go with each character.
I only have one really big issue, thats the names of the polishes. All the colours are one that elf already sell in their collections. They Disney-fied on the outside of the box but then stopped, i would of expected them to maybe change the names of the polish to fit the characters the colours were representing! It would of showed they thought a bit more about the choices they made, not just picked random colours and threw them into a collection. 
Having said that i do like the choices they made and i'm glad that they sell full sized bottles of the colours because i will definitely be re-purchasing a few, Gina Girl, Cranberry, Mint Cream and Sea Escape (despite the issue with the shimmer it still has is a lovely colour).


Sorry this is a bit late going up, i've had quite a busy week! Look out for a huge Lush haul coming in the next week!!!!

Hope your all having a fantastic Saturday, i'm off to get ready for a Hero and Villain themed party!! What are you up to?

Kat
xoxox


Wednesday, November 06, 2013

October Favourites

I've been wanting to do a monthly favourites for sooooo long and i'm FINALLY getting round to it haha!! Lets get started!


First up Make-up...
 Mac - Original Viva Glam lipstick,
 Mac Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash,
Urban Decay Vice 2 palette, 
Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation,
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

If you want to see full reviews of any of these products check them out here

Mac Original Viva Glam Lipstick

I really cant say much more than I said in the post above (this is going to be the same for every item in the above picture tbh!) just that I absolutely adore this lipstick and really haven't stopped wearing it every chance I get!! The colour is perfect for the Autumn and Winter. 

Mac Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Mascara

This mascara is seriously amazing. I'm really bad for not curling my eyelashes before applying mascara (i know it's terrible!) but with this i dont need to! A couple of coats of this and my lashes look longer, fuller and really do open my eyes up! I will definitely be re-purchasing this!

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette

I have used this every single day this month! You can create so many different looks that it's good for casual everyday looks and going out looks. I used this to create my halloween make-up! 

My halloween make-up!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

I love love love this! It has become my go to foundation and i actually havent used a different foundation since i bought this one! I have had an issue today and yesterday with the foundation wiping off in certain areas which i'm not entirely sure why that is especially since yesterday i was wearing the setting spray....despite that i'm still putting this in here because i love the coverage, the colour, the texture and the look of this foundation and would recomend it to anyone who has oily or combination skin because this is matte and stays matte all day!

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

This stuff is a-maz-ing!!! (Well until yesterday :S I'll keep you posted if it happens again!) The past couple of weeks when i've used it it's kept my make-up in place all day and when i forgot to take my make-up off after a wedding i went to the make-up was still perfect the next day! This is also great for oily or combination skin because it helps keep everything matte!


Smellies next...

Yankee Candle - Fireside Treats
Vivienne Westwood - Naughty Alice

Yankee Candle Fireside Treats

This smells incredible! It smells of toasted marshmallows, when it's burned it fills the room up and it just smells warm and sweet. I love sweet smells so this is perfect for me! Ive beurned it pretty much everyday since i bought it so i'm really glad it's not going down too fast!!

Vivienne Westwood Naughty Alice

I bought this perfume because i was looking to do a complete overhaul of my perfume collection. I started with this and i just love it! I am absolutely rubbish at desccribing scents so i'll link you to a page that tells you what it smells like haha! (here) I've got so many compliments from wearing it as well!



Last of all we've got 2 random items...

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 
Confused? Skittles

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Polaroid Camera

At the end of last month i purchased an original polaroid camera. I love how they look and i've always been fascinated at how they worked! But after it arrived i realised that buying film for it was near impossible because of the price! So after talking to a few people i was recommended this camera over and over, I had a look online at them and decided to buy this one! I now dont go anywhere without it! I havent taken that many photos because although it is quite cheap for film i dont want to waste it away! The pictures i have got are awesome though. I think it's awesome that that image is the only one in the whole world, it's not on the internet for all to see which means that every photo you take is extra special. I think i'm going to make a collage with all the photos i take and frame it to put on my wall.

Confused? Skittles

I think i have a slight addiction to these! I buy them everyday at college and then i get the big share packs if i'm planning on watching a movie or for the days im babysitting, i will just sit and go through the whole packet! The flavours are just awesome (Green and yellow are my favourites).


So that's my favourite things of October. Can you believe it's November already?!?! This year has just gone so fast!!! It's nearly Christmas though!!! Aaaah!!! (yep I did just say the C word, sorry!!) 

Hope your having a great Wednesday

Kat
xoxox

Monday, October 28, 2013

Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard First Impression

I love anything matte black, anything matte tbh. I think it stems from my love for batman haha! I just love the way matte can really add another dimension to an outfit, even if it is just on your nails!

Matte nails are definitely on trend for this Autumn and Winter so when i saw that Revlon had brought a range of their dual ended nail art sticks out that were called Chalkboard i jumped and bought one!
There are 6 sticks to choose from each with 2 colours. I picked up Liberal Arts which has a black and a white enamel.


 Matte nail polish's are notoriously hard to make last even if you do have a matte top coat so i wasn't really expecting much from this when i first tried it!
The black end has a large, thick brush that is perfect for covering my nail with just one stroke! And the white has a long thin brush perfect for doing designs on the nail with. I have to admit though, i haven't actually used the white...i know, i know! I'm doing a review on the product and haven't used half of it! Shocking!!! But i decided to just give the black a go first and then i would use the white side if i liked the black. This is what i did with my nails....

Yes this does have an instagram filter over it but this is because i deleted the original photo, sorry!
Picture below of the polish's i used on my ring finger

I actually quite like the effect you get with the black. The enamel it self is easy to apply and depending on the size of your nails depends on how many coats you need. For my pinky, middle and pointer finger i only needed one/2 strokes, one coat but for my thumb i needed 2 coats and multiples strokes. It dried fast which is great because it meant if you did want to do a design with the white by the time you'd painted all your fingernails the ones you painted first would be stone dry so you could make a start! Personally from the pictures i've seen of the chalkboard effect i'm not the biggest fan of it but you might be different! 
On to how long it lasted...I painted my nails Thursday night and unfortunately by Saturday morning they were chipped and the ones that weren't chipped were showing the edges of the tip of my nail. This might be different with a matte top coat but i don't own one as of yet (REALLY need to get my hands on one though!). I almost expected it to only last till lunch time Friday so i'm kind of impressed that it lasted till Saturday but i would really love matte nails to last longer!

As for my ring finger in this design i used Rimmel I <3 lasting finish in Black Cab topped off with Miss Sporty Oh My Gem in Be A Star.


 clear/purple base packed full of large purple pieces of glitter and tiny blue glitter



So in all i'm kind of impressed with this, it's easy to use, quick drying and lasts almost a day longer than i thought it would haha! If i ever do use the white i will definitely post a picture! But for now i'm still not liking the effect in pictures so it might be a while, maybe if i was to go out as a school girl for halloween but i'm not so....

Look out for an October favourites and a What I Wore - Halloween edition coming up this week!!


Kat
xoxox


Thursday, October 17, 2013

What I Wore - Wedding

So last Saturday I was a guest at a wedding and I thought I would show you my outfit, make-up, hair, nails etc!

Lets start with my hair....

I can never get my hair to sit right when I actually need it too! I'm one of these people who will have perfect hair that will do what i want to when i'm actually not doing anything but sit about the house. But the minute i need it to curl, straighten or even just sit right it decides that thens a good time to go a bit crazy. Even when I went to the hairdressers my hair would be fine for a few hours then spring back to its normal horrible self....all this was before i met Anna (Heres a link to her Facebook, please go and like and comment and if your nearby book your next cut with her, she is just wonderful!). Im not even exaggerating when i say that she's a genius when it comes to hair. I met her when she did my hair for a fashion show i was modelling in and since then she's been my hairdresser so naturally when i realised i was probably going to loose the battle with my hair again i booked an appointment! I started looking on Pinterest for up do's because my dress had a lot of lace detailing around the neck and i wanted to show it off but i wanted to incorporate the braiding trend that is huge for this autumn/winter! So this is what we came up with....

 It's just absolutely gorgeous isn't it??? I got sooo many compliments from people! Anna basically started by curling all my hair then doing 2 fishtail braids one on each side of my head, she then pinned them into place before gathering all the rest of the hair and pinning it to create a kind of messy bun.


My make-up next....

First I want to apologise for the amount of pictures i only realised just now that i could of done one picture with all the things i used! Oh well, next time i'll do that but just now you'll just have to cope with a few extra pictures than there needs to be!

Heres a picture of the finished look...

Because I had decided on a monochrome look with a splash of red, I decided to do red lips. Now when it comes to make up i looove bold bright colours on the eyes but because i was going for such a statement lip colour i decided to just go for a simple cat eye. I thought it matched the hair quite nicely too.

For the main products I used in this look I'm going to direct you here. Mostly everything i used was mentioned in my haul and review there. The foundation is Urban Decay Naked (my colour is 2.0) applied over moisturiser with the UD Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush. For my eyes I used 2 colours from UD's Vice 2 palette, DOPE all over the lid and then AMBUSH on the outward corner and blended up onto the brow bone (not too far though!) and then as a highlight i used DOPE again under the eyebrow. For my lips i used MAC Viva Glam The Original lipstick and lipglass. For my the rest I used....
Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black. I actually apply this with an old lip liner brush, I just get a better result from it rather than an eyeliner brush! I get a sharper point on the flick in a cat eye!

Bourjois Delice De Soleil. I love this bronzer! Apart from the fact it smells AMAZING (tropical coconut) It really does give you a soft bronzed look that you can build up easily without looking over done! It is slightly shimmery in the pan but once used it's almost matte. I used this on the parts of my face that would naturally tan (forehead, cheek bones) and then applied it on my jaw line for a little bit more definition.

Maybelline blusher. I am so so sorry but i cant find the name of this anywhere!!! All I know is that it's a soft red/brown almost bronze colour that is lovely for a bit of colour on my cheeks! Sorry!!

For my nails i actually ended up buying products to create what i had in my head and i was so happy the way it turned out!! I'm going to apologise (again) for the state of my nails in the first picture it was taken before i cleaned them up and then i forgot to get a proper picture after the clean up!! 

Aaah!! They're really messy!!! 

Here's what I used to create them....

(Left to Right)
Sally Hansen Maximum Growth, Sinful Colors - Snow Me White, Sinful Colors - Gogo Girl , Barry M - 150, Seventeen Nail Effects - Monochrome, Rimmel Liquid Dry, and then I used the Sally Hansen Maximum Growth as top coat because my nails just seem to last longer without chipping if i have a coat of that on top!!

Here's a picture of my nails after clean up that I took at the wedding...


I was really quite happy with them and i really love the effect of the Seventeen nail effects on top of the white!!

For my accessories i kept it so simple! Just my bag and a bracelet! Oh! and my beautiful shoes of course!!

This clutch is from Primark, but to be honest i dont think it looks as if it is! It's so classic and simple that it could be from Warehouse or maybe even Zara! (my favourite places for clutch bags!) I love the white and black with the nude on the bottom part of the back! And it isn't stupidly thin either! It has a kind of expanding bitt at the bottom which meant i could fit my phone, purse, lipstick etc in it without it giving it a strange shape!

I honestly have no idea where this is from, i think it was a birthday present a few years ago but i love it! Its chunky but not too chunky that it looks silly on my skinny wrists and the skulls give it a little bit of a rocker kick!

Now onto these babies! The shoes I originally bought ended up being to big for me so i went looking for replacements. I found these in New Look and i just adore them! The colour, the almost snake skin print!!!! *sigh* they're perfect. They're also really comfortable! They have a sort of cushiony sole inside them which makes them really soft and easy to walk in (and dance).

Now the important bit!! The dress and the whole outfit all together!! 

 The lighting isnt the best but you can see the dress! I bought it on Ebay actually! When i first tried it on i got a bit worried about how tight it was but with some help from Boux Avenue that wasn't much of a problem. The lace is what sells it for me to be honest, It's a gorgeous touch and made my feel quite sophisticated. The blazer is one i got in H&M last year.

Slightly better lighting but kind of out of focus now! 

I love weddings, they're always so happy! Its the one party that you can go to and know that there probably won't be any fights or anything and it's just all love and happiness! And this one had a pic 'n' mix which made my night!!

Anyway I hope you enjoy this little 'What I Wore' and hopefully there will be more to come as we go into the festive season (maybe a Halloween one??).

Hope your having a wonderful Thursday!

Kat
xoxox


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

High End Make-up Haul and Review

So!! I'm not really going to put much of an introduction for this post. I just want to say that from now on i will be posting regular reviews, make-up looks and nail designs every Tuesday and Thursday (maybe Friday).

Lets get stuck in!!!

This is a bit of a high end beauty haul. I've always loved the idea of being able to afford the high end make-up products like Chanel and Dior (come on! Who doesn't!!). My two most desired products are from MAC and Urban Decay. I love Macs products because they are staples that everyone can use! They have such a huge variety of products available too and the collections they bring out are always gorgeous! Urban Decay is the same, I mean everyones heard of the Naked palettes by now! (If you haven't, i'm sorry but where have you been?!) But the main reason i love UD is it's bright, colourful and sparkly shadows and eyeliners! They're prepping and finishing products are raved about too!!

I'll start from when I decided to take a leap and purchase my first high end make-up product! Urban Decay brought out a Vice Palette about a year ago and it was snapped up all over the world and beauty gurus everywhere spoke about it! So when they announced their Vice 2 palette i got VERY excited! Especially when I saw Xsparkage (www.xsparkage.com) review and tutorials using it I knew i had to have it!!!

The price did put me off a bit for a while but i think that was just because I had never spent that mach on one make-up product, ever!! But I went up to my nearest UD counter (Debenhams, Silverburn, Just outside Glasgow) and just took the plunge!

  •  I love the packaging, the colour and pattern is gorgeous! It reminds me a little bit of butterflies wings! Anyone else see it?
  • I also love how it opens, theres a button to push on the front and when you push it the lid slowly opens up to reveal a full sized mirror and the 20 shadows

  • There is 20 gorgeous brand new, never seen before shadows. A great mixture of matte, shimmer and metallics. All just begging to be used!
  • The great thing about this palette is that all the shadows can be used with each other to create so many different looks, smokey, bright and natural.
  • Theres hardly any fall out either! Which from the reviews i've read is unusual for UD's sparkly shadows! But even the shadows that are packed with shimmer and sparkles there is barely any fall out!!
  • The double ended brush you get is amazing quality too! One end is a normal shadow brush and the other is a blending brush. They are just fantastic!
  • My favourites in the palette are: COAX (4th on top) which is a gorgeous pink metallic! I was surprised i liked this so much since i'm not really the biggest fan of pink but i think it'll look great as an accent colour in a look. PRANK (1st on 2nd row) which is a dual tone shimmer, dark blue base with electric blue shimmer through it. DAMAGED (2nd, 3rd row) A beautiful metallic green that i can't wait to use in a mermaid inspired look!!! BETRAYAL (4th, 3rd row) A dual tone light lilac shimmer that in certain light almost looks as though it has blue through it. Last but not least TOXIC (2nd, 4th row) a rose gold shimmer that is going to be perfect for the Autumn!

Swatches (Left to Right) Coax, Prank, Damaged, Betrayal and Toxic


When I bought the Vice 2 my blog came up in conversation and the girl gave me 2 samplers! One of the Naked foundation and one of 4 lipsticks. I have to be honest and say i actually haven't tried the lipstick samples but I used the foundation the next day and I fell in love with it!! The shade was 1.0 which was a bit too light for my skin but I wore it with some bronzer and it wasn't too noticeable! Normally with foundation i've used in the past, by about lunch time it's slid and is looking ridiculously oily on my T-zone! So when I got home at the end of the day and realised that the foundation was still in place and completely matte i knew I HAD to have it!!
So on Friday I went back up to the shopping centre that has a UD counter I asked to be matched to a shade and the girl was lovely and actually re-did my whole face using UD products! Finishing it with the All Nighter setting spray! My shade in the Naked foundation is 2.0.

  • The packaging is so clean and high end looking! I love that you can see the product in the tube!
  • The pump is hygienic! and is easy to keep clean!
  • This foundation is honestly the best foundation I have ever used! It blends in perfectly and you can build it depending on how much coverage you want! Obviously if you build it too much it will cake but thats the same with most foundations! (despite what they claim!)
The girl at the counter used the Good Karma optical blurring brush to apply the foundation, I loved the way it felt on my skin and i've been looking to start applying my foundation with a brush because it really is so much more hygienic!! So I decided to add it too my basket too!

  • I dont really have much to say about this other than it is amazing at giving you that flawless, airbrushed look!
The girl then set my make-up with the All Nighter Setting Spray, because whenever i bought a cheap one it just didn't do what UD's setting sprays claimed to do and some even made my skin greasier and actually break out!!

  • It has 2 lids, the big purple one and then a second covering the actual pump which i thought was a great idea!! Very hygienic!
  • Dry's immediately so you don't have to wait for it to dry before you can touch your face or open your eyes!!
  • I used this to set my make-up for a wedding i went to on Saturday. I was so tired when i got in that i didn't take my make-up off (which i'm now paying for with a horrible break out!!) and it was still perfect when i woke up! I mean i could of seriously gone back out and it would of looked as if i'd just done my make-up!!
Heres a wee picture of them all in their original packaging!



Wow! this is going to be a looooong post!!!

Right now onto MAC!!!! I'm claiming I "accidentally" walked into the MAC counter....although i'm not sure people are buying it!! I've often gone in and looked at all the MAC products and if i'm being honest I always feel a little bit intimidated by all the products! theres just so many to look at and I always was scared that if I asked one of the girls for help I would be forced into buying something i didn't actually need! This time was different, i decided i would ask about a red lipstick for the wedding i was going to the next day. So when a girl approached and asked if she could help me i took a deep breath and jumped right in! I told her what I was looking for and she immediatly told me i should buy what she was wearing because it would go with my eyes! I'm not really sure if that was her way of making sure i bought it and if it was it kinda worked! The lipstick turned out to be Viva Glam The Original part of the RuPaul collection. It is based on the original formula first introduced in 1994. 

  • The colour is a gorgeous matte deep red that looks super sexy!
  • I love the packaging! It's compact and the deep red accent when you open it up is really lovely to look at
  • The formula of this is rich and soft and surprisingly quite moisturising for a matte! It also acts almost like a stain, I didn't need to keep reapplying after having a drink!

The girl then recommended the matching Viva Glam lipglass and let me test it on my hand. I loved the feel of it so i decided to take it too.

  • Again compact and small, perfect to put in your clutch on a night out!
  • The formulation is gorgeous! Its not sticky at all so you dont have to worry about your hair sticking to your lips on a cold winters night!
  • It is a gorgeous colour perfect for Autumn/ Winter and I cant wait to rock this and the lipstick on nights out!


Swatches (left to right) Lipstick, lipglass and both

As I got to the counter to pay the girl pointed out the new In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash (phew! such a big name!) mascara. I'm always looking for new mascara that will make my lashes look fuller and longer. The girl claimed that this mascara would definitely give that false lash effect without clumps, and you know what? She was right!!

  • It's truly amazing! The packaging is gorgeous and sleek. I love the shape of the lid and it actually makes it a little easier to hold
  • The brush is large but is so precise and really does make it look as if you have fake lashes on!


Here's a picture of the packaging, I really can't help it i love the way MAC boxes everything!


So thats the end of this high end make-up hauls/review!! BUT!!! I thought i'd throw these in at the end since i bought them on the same day as i bought the majority of the things here!

I've been looking to replace all my old perfumes slowly and I went into look at the Vivienne Westwood 'Alice' perfumes. I smelled them all and decided that i would go for Naughty Alice. Im not great at describing smells so i'm not even going to to try and explain it all i can say is that it smells good. I decided to buy the gift set which came with a 50ml of the perfume and a moisturiser. But the box it came in doubles up as a jewellery box with a little mirror on the inside! Also because i bought the 50ml perfume i got a free Vivienne Westwood sketchbook! 






I also got this....it's my first Autumn/Winter candle this year, a Yankee Candle called Fireside Treats and OMG! it smells like toasted marshmallows! I just adore it!! I actually originally picked it up as a gift for my best friends birthday but ended up buying two because i just couldn't leave without one for myself! I had it burning in my room last night and everyone in my house could smell it and wherever you went in the house all you could smell was toasted marshmallow! *sigh* I love autumn!



Right so i'm soooo sorry about the length of this post!! I really didn't think it would turn out this big, turns out i had a lot to say then!


Speak soon! 

Kat
xoxox