Latest wish list

1/2/3/4/5

1: Too Faced Candlelight glow duo, I've tried the regular Candlelight glow which came in a holiday palette last year. I liked the highlighter but had to use it with a light hand as it is quite shimmery. The only problem with having it in a palette is that it's not easy to take travelling but I never bought the single as I found it wasn't worth it. I can't wait to try this new duo.

2: Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, I've tried the original of this also in the same palette as the Candlelight highlighter and although I liked it, I find most bronzers are too dark for me so I think it's great they've released a lighter version for paler girls like myself. I also love the smell!

3: MAC Hey Sailor! Fleet Fast Blush, I haven't tried that many MAC blushes (one to be specific lol) and have loved the look of this collection and am really into the nautical look. 

4: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Perle, I've heard a lot about these and can't wait to try them. The packaging is so beautiful and love that you can see which colour is which without having to look at the name. I love all the nude colours too.

5: Lancome multicompactage 001: I saw this over on another blog and thought it was beautiful, I've never tried anything from Lancome before mostly because of the price. I love anything that's pretty like this bit find I never use it much because of ruining it. 

The Crimson Amulet

With the premiere and release date of the Tim Burton film Dark Shadows being this week, I thought it would be fitting to do my post on the NYX palette themed around the film. I only saw this by chance in ULTA back in March/April time, I think they got it prior to the release date. I'd always heard good things about NYX as a brand in general and their palettes always got good reviews, and as I'm a huge Tim Burton and Johnny Depp fan I could hardly say no to this ;) NYX is hard to get in the UK and I know palettes like this rarely get released in Europe or the UK so I thought I'd pick it up while I had the chance. 


I liked this palette because you can create more or less a full face, it has a selection of neutral and colourful eye shadows along with a few blushes, highlight colour, an eyeliner and a base for the shadow. I also liked that it gave you tips on how to create the makeup looks from the film. I know that they won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I like the makeup looks for creativity and fun. Maybe not for every day but there's a lot to offer in terms of a natural every day look. There are a mixture of both matte and shimmer shades in this palette. Something I like about NYX is that their cosmetics are cruelty free!


The packaging isn't the best, some might say tacky. I like it just because I like anything with novelty and am into the whole Tim Burton thing. I was quite disappointed when first swatching these, the eyeshadows and cheek colours are quite chalky in formula which isn't something I like, very few eyeshadows came off well on my hand. Obviously when applying them I wouldn't use my hand but if a swipe on a finger isn't showing up well I wouldn't expect it to with a brush. I think with the eyeshadows though, you can work with them, some have very good pigmentation and if blended in well can pull off a nice eye look. 


The thing I was most disappointed with was the highlight colour, and some of the blushes. In the swatch photo above the highlight shade is just below the blushes and this took about four heavy swipes just to get it to show up a little. Not very much pigmentation and quite chalky. I prefer to have something that is high in pigmentation that I can use with a light hand and then build it up as I please. The blush colours are mostly ok, the darker shades have the most pigmentation and will show up better on skin, but some were not coming off so well. I think these would be good for an everyday look as they are quite sheer and will give just enough colour to look like a natural flush.


I loved the eyeliner, not a fan of liquid eyeliner in general but this one had a nice formula to it. Not too watery or hard to work with and quite opaque. The eyeshadow base was something else I was impressed with, not sheer at all. I like an even base on my eyelids to cover any veins/blemishes and this covers them nicely.


The lip creams aren't something I really use, I'm not a fan of using a lip brush but the pigmentation was ok. I find lip creams, of what I've used so far, aren't huge in pigmentation but give a nice sheer colour to the lips. Overall I think this palette is good value considering how many different products you get inside it. 


This palette retails for $25 and is available from ULTA

Montagne Jennesse Skin Heroes

A few weeks back Motagne Jennesse contacted me and kindly sent me samples of their new Skin Heroes range. I've tried a few face masks in the past but not many, so I was really excited to try these. They have a whole range of masks available for different skin types. There are 5 sachets in total, dry skin mask, t-zone peel, break out mask, shine control and a pack of 3 nose strips.

The first thing I noticed about these face masks is that they come in two separate steps, which I'd never seen before. I think it's great that they give you a way to treat your skin even after you've washed the mask off! I was very impressed with how much product you actually get in these sachets, more than enough to use it twice over. I just wish I had a pot to put the left over product in, I hate to waste products so layered as much on as I could. This did make it longer to dry but at not much longer than the recommended time.

What I also love is that this brand is BUAV approved and Vegetarian standard, I like products that have natural ingredients in them rather than a bunch of chemicals that I can't pronounce.

The moisturizer has Acai Berries and Argan Oil worked into it. I did notice that at first this moisturizer was quite oily on my skin but once it had time to sink in it really does leave your face feeling smooth.

 My skin has been up and down recently and it changes from one week to the next so couldn't wait to try all the different types as these all relate to my skin. I have acne-prone skin and am always on the look-out for new ways to help stop flare ups. 

The first mask I tried was the Break Out mask. This smells heavily of tea tree oil which I love and is supposed to be really good for break outs. I put this on quite thick and left it on for just over 20 minutes. The recommended time is 15-20 but as I'd put it on thick it took a while to dry. I have quite an oily t-zone so was excited to try the peel off mask which again you leave on for up to 20 minutes. The shine control mask is probably the one I noticed the least difference with, I do get quite oily skin during the day, depending on what I'm doing but did not notice if this mask took that away. The dry skin mask I did notice a difference with, although my skin does get oily there are times it gets really dry and could feel my skin was quite moisturised after this rather than oily. The nose strips are like most strips really, but they did really help with blackheads and helping the area on the nose smooth out.

These masks aren't a quick fix for skin problems but they do help when incorporated into your skincare routine and for £1.49  you can't go wrong! I will definitely be purchasing more of these in the future. These masks are available from ASDA.

Have you tried these? What did you think?

Dark Shadows European Premiere

So... I'm a total Johnny Depp fan geek and have made it my goal to stalk him... ok maybe not quite that bad but whenever he's in London for a premiere I try and go along to meet him. I did try meeting him on the set of Pirate's 4 a few years back in Greenwich and although I got to see the original movie set and kind of see them filming I got bored waiting not knowing if he'd come out to sign after filming. So today he was once again in London for the european premiere of Dark Shadow's, I woke up WAY too late and wasn't even sure whether I'd make it down there, usually I'm there for 8am and I'll wait the entire day but today I got there at 2:30pm which is late for me! lol I did manage to see him again and get his autograph along with Tim Burton's and a few others.


I know it seems to bizarre to wait 10/11 hours just to get an autograph and 10 seconds with someone but the rush you get when they're really in front of you is so worth it, especially when you're a huge fan. It's also really nice to get to know and talk with everyone around you. Tim Burton was, as always, the most nicest person I've ever met! When I saw him at the Sweeney Todd premiere he came over and said "who's next then?" he loves to give out autographs and always thanks people for coming, and that's not something I can say for everyone. I was really excited that Richard Zanuck signed for me, I was shocked no one knew who he was! Probably one of the biggest producers in Hollywood! I also managed to get one of the plastic poster boards they strap to the barriers :)


Here are the photos I took of the day along with my autographs :) I managed to get Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, Chloe Grace Moretz, Richard Zanuck and Jonny Lee Miller. I can't believe I now have Johnny's autograph 8 times, all of which I got in person except for 2.

Richard Zanuck

Chloe Moretz

Tim Burton

Johnny Depp

Jonny Lee Miller

Estee Lauder Mad Men Collection

I'm a huge fan of the TV show MAD MEN, so when I heard Estee Lauder were releasing a collection themed towards the show I couldn't wait to finally get my hands on it. The collection only consisted of two items though, which I was kind of disappointed with because I think they could have released a few more items or at least a range of shades. But having looked at the two products they did release I think they did a really good job, the colours aren't that unique but I think they chose shades that would appeal to a wide audience considering there were only two items available in only one shade. I love Estee Lauder's packaging anyways but I think they did a beautiful job on this. Mad Men is set between the 50's (first season) and into the 60's and back then lipsticks were a lot smaller than they are now, so Estee Lauder made sure their collection was authentic as possible by copying this. I love the 50's and 60's era's, especially the fashion and makeup and think that these items really reflect the glamour of it all.

I only purchased the blush from this collection which is a cream blush in the shade Evening Rose. It comes in the most beautiful box decorated with blue flowers and gold leaves and the gold compact also comes in a gold pouch. There is a blue "button" that you push to release the top. On the inside of the compact there is the words "ESTEE LAUDER MADMEN COLLECTION" engraved into the edge which I thought was such a nice detail to add, there is also a mirror on the inside.

I first started applying this blush with my Sigma F50 but I found that the brush just picked up too much dust and all the hairs kept sticking into the blush. I prefer patting it on my cheeks with my finger first and then using a brush to sheer it out, I haven't used many cream blushes in the past because I don't feel too confident with them but this one I love. It gives you that perfect natural flush to the cheeks. I think this would be good for an everyday blush and one that I wouldn't wear with a bronzer because I like the natural finished effect. This is definitely a buildable blush and gives your cheeks that dewy glow.

I searched every Macy's and Nordstrom's for this blush only to have everyone on the counter tell me they'd never heard of the collection (umm hello! you work for the brand!) after some searching I found that unfortunately this was an exclusive to Bloomingdale's, and my boyfriend offered to drive me all the way down to Santa Monica to buy it! :D

At $40 I do think this is very pricey, but that's the price you pay for a little luxury and I would say this product is a wonderful item to have. On the upside I did get a gift with purchase with this which I've also been loving and will post about at a later date.

Sweet As Candy

Wet 'n' Wild is a brand I hear a lot about over youtube and blogs and for some reason I was slightly reluctant to try their products, maybe it was down to the cheap price tag? I've never heard bad things about their products so I'm surprised it took me so long to try anything of theirs. And I have to say I'm really glad I did! It's probably one of the cheapest makeup brands I've come across and I always expect the product to reflect the price. But this was not the case, I picked up this palette as I liked the colours and wanted a naked/nude eye look but with a tad of colour thrown in (this is me being adventurous lol)

The first thing I do when buying a product is to see how it swatches, obviously a product is not going to look the same when applied on your eyelids as it does when you swatch it. But it gives you a good idea as to how the product feels and how pigmented it is. One small swipe of this and the colour is so rich and vibrant! I'd say that these eye shadows would rival even the big name brands like MAC. I only own two MAC eyeshadows but when comparing the quality of those with these, Wet 'n' Wild gets my vote! This is good quality for something you would buy in the drugstore, and one of the cheapest brands too. I don't find these eye shadows to be too chalky either which is something I've encountered with cheaper makeup. I haven't noticed creasing with this trio but I do use a primer and have never experienced that with other brands. I think that these 3 colours also make a change from what I'm used to wearing on my eyes. I'll always go for browns but with this you have the light pink colour. I also like that it's clearly stated where best to put each colour, obviously there's no rule that says you need to put each one in that specific place but it's a nice indication and great for anyone who is just starting out with makeup.

Instead of going for a 6 or 8 palette I went for the trio to test out in case I didn't like the product, I'm starting to wish I'd bought more and know that when I get the chance will definitely be getting more!

If you have the chance of checking this brand out, I would definitely recommend their products. This product sells at Walgreens and CVS for $2.99

For your chance to win a Sweet As Candy palette, enter my giveaway here

NOTD - Super Bass

Just a quick NOTD post today. I purchased this nail polish on buywapowa about 2 months ago from the Nicki Minaj collection. I'm not a huge fan of crackle varnish but I do like the black one every so often for a change. I wasn't planning on buying this polish but I wanted the Pink Friday polish and these two came as a gift set. I layered the Super Bass shatter over the Don't Touch My Tutu white shade from the OPI NYC Ballet collection and I like the effect it gives but I'm not in love with it. I feel like this type of purple would be hard to work with in a shatter polish. One thing I also find with OPI shatter polishes is that you can't layer them or else the shatter doesn't work. With my Barry M black shatter I can paint my nail several times and the polish always separates but with this I need to cover the nail in one or two swipes or else it doesn't work. If that makes sense lol Still, I liked experimenting with this shade and will no doubt try it out with some other colours in the future.

Hope you all had a good weekend!