Wednesday 15 June 2016

NYX Tame And Frame Brow Pomade

Brows are all the rage right now and many different brands offer all different brow products from pencils, powders and pomades. My favorite brow product of all time has to be Dipbrow Pomade from Anastasia Beverly Hills. I was shopping at NYX a few weeks ago and saw that they offered a similar product called Tame And Frame. I was wondering if it was an exact dupe so I went and got myself one. 



This one comes in small plastic pot packaging, unlike the Anastasia one which comes in a glass pot. As a price comparison Dipbrow Pomade is £15.00 compared to this one which is £5.50. NYX offer this product in 5 different shades for a range of brow colors, although the Anastasia one does have a lot more colors to choose from. The color I went for in this one was Blonde. 

After using this one, I have found that it isn't as pigmented as the Anastasia one, meaning you have to use more product to get defined brows. It doesn't glide as smoothly as the other one either. Although it's still workable and gives your brows a nice finish.

Like the Anastasia one, this one stays on all day, although Dipbrow Pomade does take more work to remove. This still isn't a bad product and I definitely recommend it if you are on a budget. Although if you have the money I definitely recommend the Dipbrow Pomade By Anastasia Beverly Hills as I do think it is a much better product. So while being a similar, this one isn't a dupe for Anastasia Beverly Hills. 



Charlotte Tilbury Velvet Underground Lipstick

I recently got my makeup done at the new Charlotte Tilbury counter that has opened in John Lewis, Cardiff. The look I went for was the Glamour Muse and is a very dramatic look. Perfect for those who love something that stands out. The lipstick I went for is called Velvet Underground and is from Charlotte's K.I.S.S.I.N.G. lipsticks. I've tried the Matte Revolution ones before and decided to try the other lipsticks that the brand offers.



Swatch
Velvet Underground is a bright pink and unlike the Matte Revolution ones, these have a creamy texture to them and have a bit of a shine to them. They have that same amount of amazing pigment that the matte ones do and glide on the lips nice and smooth.

The interesting thing about these ones is the secret ingredient called The Lipstick Tree. It's basically an anti oxidant that protects lips from UV damage and pollution. Great for the summer. 

If you love your pinks, this color will be perfect for you. It also does a really good job of staying on your lips for most of the day too. 



Monday 13 June 2016

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick - Glastonberry

Glastonberry is a berry colored lipstick from Charlotte Tilbury and one of her Matte Revolution Lipsticks. I have a few of these already and think the quality is superb. Doesn't the gold packaging look amazing. 



The pigments in these lipsticks are just insane and even though it is a matte it doesn't have that really drying feel to it, that some mattes can have. This one glides on the lips nice and smooth and builds up for really intense color. Once on it did a really good job of staying on all day and didn't really need reapplying.

I like to wear this color when having purple eyeshadow or when I go neutral on the eyes. I do love a stand out lip color and this one is perfect. 



Sunday 12 June 2016

Charlotte Tilbury The Glamour Muse Palette

The Glamour Muse is another one of Charlotte Tilbury's Luxury Palettes. I have a few of these already and think that they are amazing. They have colors to suit everyone and the quality is fantastic. The Glamour Muse has 4 purple toned colors in it and is great for people like me who love something dramatic.




These palettes are color coded, making it really easy for you to create one unique look. I used the pale color as a base and applied the second color all over the lid. I then blended the darker color into the outer corners and put the sparkly purple on top. The pigments are really intense and have a nice soft workable texture to them. You don't need to use a lot to get the color showing and the pigments allow for easy blending. Once on, the colors stayed on and didn't crease or fade.

This palette isn't one for those who like their eye makeup natural. If you love your purples, this palette is perfect for you. Out of all the looks at Charlotte Tilbury this one has to be my favorite.



Saturday 11 June 2016

NYX Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator - Sunbeam

Glowing skin is all the rage right now and I much prefer strobing to contouring as it is really easy and looks great on all skin tones and types. Contouring can be quite a tricky technique to get the hang of, compared to strobing which is a lot easier. Who doesn't like nice glowing skin. There are many illuminators out at the moment and one I tried recently is NYX's Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator.

These ones come in a range of different shades and the one I went for is called Sunbeam, which is a pale pink pearl. This product comes in packaging very similar to Smashbox's Primers.


There are many ways to use illuminators. They can be used before foundation, mixed in with foundation and even applied on top of foundation. Or if you are going a day without makeup, you can actually apply this just to your face and you will still get a nice glow. I personally like to mix this one in with my foundation to give my skin an all around glow. You don't need to use a lot either to get your whole face glowing and I really liked the look it gave my skin.

It actually mixes really well with foundation too and doesn't change the way your foundation goes on. The consistency is just right too, not too runny and definitely not too thick either. Sometimes when you mix products in with foundation, they can make it really unworkable, this one pairs nicely with it.

Once on, my skin stayed glowing all day and didn't fade. I just loved the glow my skin had with this one. NYX have done a great job with these illuminators. 



Thursday 9 June 2016

Charlotte Tilbury The Rock Chick Palette

Charlotte Tilbury make the most amazing eyeshadow quads. The other week I got my makeup done at the new counter that has recently opened in John Lewis, Cardiff and decided to go for the Rock Chick look. I really liked the eyeshadow so I went for the palette which shares it's name with the look itself - The Rock Chick. 

This palette has 4 colors in it, all in silvery gray shades. Each color is color coded on the back allowing you to create one unique look.


I used the lightest gray as a base, applied the second color all over the eye and then blended the darkest color into the outer eye. I then dusted the sparkly color on top.

These colors are very pigmented and have a nice soft texture to them. You don't need to use a lot to get the color to show up either and they allow for easy blending too.

You can go very dramatic with this palette and is perfect for people like me who love to show off their eye makeup. Once on, the colors stayed on all day and didn't crease or fade. These palettes are definitely worth checking out and they do a good range of colors to suit everyone.

Flash 

Normal Light 


Friday 3 June 2016

NYX Liquid Suede

One lip product I'm loving at the moment is Liquid Suede from NYX. These are basically liquid/cream lipsticks and they come in an amazing range of colors. I love my brights and there are plenty of stand out colors to choose from. I got the colors - Amethyst (Neon Purple), Pink Lust (Hot Pink) and Sway (Lavender).

Liquid Suede is available in more than 12 colors, glides on a dries to a matte finish. 

Amethyst, Sway, Pink Lust

Swatches

I am totally in love with this product. The pigment is incredible and unlike some lipsticks you can actually apply one coat to your lips and the color looks intense already. Once dry, they don't actually feel like a lipstick on and even though they give a matte finish, my lips didn't dry out and this is coming from a person who has quite dry lips.

To apply you just glide the color on using the applicator. It's one of those doe  foot ones which allows for easy application. I much prefer one of these applicators to one of those brush ones that come with the Kylie Jenner ones.

The staying power is awesome too and once on they stay on and don't need reapplying. Words cannot describe how amazing this product is. 

So here are the colors.

Sway

Amethyst

Pink Lust

Thursday 2 June 2016

Bright Lips With NYX

Anyone who knows me know that I love daring makeup, especially when it comes to lipstick. One brand I have found that is perfect for lovers of brights like me is NYX. I've tried a few of their Macaron Lipsticks before and think that they are a really amazing product. There is a lipstick in almost every color imaginable and the quality is pretty good too.

When the NYX counter opened up in Boots in Queen Street you could not imagine my face when I saw that they had the full range of Macaron lipsticks. I decided to grab 4 different colors - Chambord (Black), Citron (Yellow), Blue Velvet (Bright Blue) and Violet (Bright Purple).

Chambord, Citron, Blue Velvet, Violet


Swatches

The texture of these colors is very creamy and the pigment is fantastic. NYX describe these as having a satin matte finish. I'm not sure what they mean exactly by it, but i'm guessing it's probably to do with how long lasting they are on the lips. They have the staying power of a matte, but not the dry texture that some mattes can have.

The only color that came out a bit sheer was Citron. I don't know what it is with yellow as a pigment but every single yellow eyeshadow or lipstick I had tried always tends to come out patchy. No matter whether it's MAC, Illamasqua or Makeup Revolution, yellow always seems to be a dodgy pigment. 

The other three colors had a much better finish to them and built up nicely. Later on in the day I did reapply them just a bit, but it wasn't really necessary and I think i could have gotten away with not reapplying them.

These colors are quite daring and not ones for those afraid of color. They are really fun though and great for the summer. 

Violet

Citron

Chambord

Blue Velvet


Charlotte Tilbury Cheek To Cheek Blusher - First Love

The other day I got my makeup done at the brand new Charlotte Tilbury counter that has opened up in John Lewis in Cardiff. The blusher that was used on me on my makeover was one of Charlotte's Cheek To Chic blushers in the color First Love. 




The blusher has two different shades in it, when blended together it comes out as a peachy brown. The inner color is a matte rose brown while the outer color is a shimmery peach. The best way to use this is to swish the outer color up on the cheek bone. You then go in with the middle color and put it on the apple of the cheek. I personally like to swirl my brush into the two colors at once to get one blended color. There is no set way of using this product and either way works really well.

The pigment in this blusher is just insane, you don't need to use a lot to get the color to show up. With one application you can get your blusher looking very intense. It is best to gently put your brush into the color as it is very easy to build up, but it can be quite tricky to tone down over applied blusher.

This one is a really amazing color and gave my cheeks a really nice glow. The texture is extremely soft and blends out nicely. Once on it didn't fade and stayed on all day.


Wednesday 1 June 2016

NYX Rouge Cream Blusher

The other week when I was shopping at NYX I decided to grab one of their Rouge Cream Blushers. The color I got is called Red Cheeks and is a red pink. I love a blusher that really stands out which is why I went for this one.



I do find that cream blushers do take a bit of getting used to, especially if you are used to powder blushers. You also have to use them a bit differently too. With powder blushers you can apply them straight after powdering your foundation, with creams it is best to apply them before powdering to stop any patchiness. 

As for pigment, this blusher has a good amount of it and blends out nicely. You don't have to use a lot to get the color to show up on your cheeks and once you set it with your powder it does a good job of staying on all day without fading. 

It may look quite bright in the packaging, but it comes out a nice pink red color and doesn't look that bright on, although it can be built up if you really like your cheeks more dramatic.