Thursday, May 31, 2012

Nude Lipsticks - Swatches, Reviews & Comparisons

Not everyone is a fan of nude lipsticks, but I'm a huge lover of them! I think they can look so stunning with a dark smoky eye, or a bright colourful eye.

I've included pictures of me wearing the lipsticks (no other makeup). However, please excuse my skin, everything has been hectic lately with moving and personal goings-on, so I'm quite stressed :(

I currently have 4 nude lipsticks, ranging in price.

These are my 4 nudes... heehee

 
Left to right: ELF 'Natural Nymph', Barry M '[101] Marshmallow', MAC 'Myth', Rimmel 'Nude Delight'.
 



Swatches

Left to right: ELF 'Natural Nymph', Barry M '[101] Marshmallow', MAC 'Myth', Rimmel 'Nude Delight'.


Now, I'm going to review each one and you can compare...

ELF - Natural Nymph
£5.00/€6.00






I really love this! It's so creamy and long-lasting. It's not too 'nude', it doesn't make me look dead, and it looks fantastic with a dark smoky eye. It feels so soft when applying and it keeps my lips so hydrated. The colour is really natural too, not too strong or over the top. I think it's very similar to Myth by MAC, but a fraction of the cost. Love it!

5 out of 5 stars from me!

******

Barry M - [101] Marshmallow
£4.49/€7.00 (approx)




Doesn't this look just like concealer?! The first time I wore this, I found it very drying, but it seems fine when I apply lip balm. I love this colour over or under a pink lipstick. If I wear it on it's own, it makes me look so washed out, and it looks like my lips don't exist!  I've seen it on people with darker/tanned skin and it looks good. But I've also seen it on pale people (like myself!) and it just looks like they have concealer on their lips! It just washes them out altogether. Compared to how it used to be on my lips, it's not AS dry, but I do tend to use lip balm more. I never wear it on it's own, but over another colour, it lasts for ages and softens the colour underneath.

4 out of 5 stars from me!


******

MAC - Myth
£13.00/€17.50

  


This lipstick was a real splurge for me, as I rarely buy MAC. I'm used to spending around €6-7 on a lipstick, a €17.50 seemed a little... expensive for my budget! But I did splurge and I'm glad I did! It's worth every cent. It's a satin, and it's my favourite ever nude lipstick! It lasts all day with minimal touch-ups. It's so moisturising, and doesn't wash me out. I can wear this with a smoky eye, but it looks pretty even with a natural face and just mascara. I love the smell of this lipstick too! I want more MAC colours... maybe some day!

5 out of 5 stars from me!

******


Rimmel - Nude Delight
£6.29/€7.55




This lipstick has been a firm favourite of mine for ages. I love it, this is my second tube but I did buy it ages ago. It's moisture-rich, and has SPF 20, which is good for those sunny days so you won't burn your lips! It glides on so smoothly and lasts for ages. If you need to touch up, a quick slick is all it takes. I find it more of a 'brown' nude, so it will suit more skin tones. It can be worn alone or with a colour underneath, it's pretty either way! It's similar to MAC's Myth, just a little darker.


5 out of 5 stars from me!


******

I hope you enjoyed my little reviews, nude lipsticks are a must!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Red & white polka dot nails

I'm loving polka dot things! Since we've moved, I've come across so much polka dot stuff, mostly red with white dots... I LOVE it so I painted my fingernails AND toenails red with white dots!



Heehee I hope you like them as much as I love them!

How I Clean My Makeup Brushes

I like to deep clean my makeup brushes once a week or once every (around) 10 days, depending on how much makeup I wear during the week. On most other days, I spot clean so bacteria doesn't build up in the brushes. This is how I deep clean my brushes...

Brushes before... yuuukk!


Baby shampoo (my brush cleaner) It keeps my brushes soft and smelling yummy!


**********

Step 1: Pour a few drops of baby shampoo into the palm of your hand, and wet your brush.


Step 2: Whilst the tap is still running, rub the brush back and forth across the palm of your hand (you'll see the dirty coming away!) Squeeze the brush a couple of times to help remove the dirt from deep in the bristles (yuk!) Keep doing this until the water runs clear.


 Step 3: Squeeze the brush bristles until all moisture drops out.


Step 4: Lay the brush with the bristles facing downwards onto a towel, so the remaining water can run out through the bristles (don't store the brush flat or upside down - the warm water can loosen the glue, ruining the brush). Allow brushes to dry naturally.


Brushes after... Clean, soft, smelling gorgeous and good as new!


Hope you enjoyed this little post, thanks for looking!

Monday, May 28, 2012

False lashes on adverts = false advertising!

This REALLY irritates me. One of my biggest pet peeves.
I'm a huge makeup lover, and mascara is my must-have makeup product.

However...
99% of the mascara adverts I've seen (tv, magazines) use false lashes to make their mascara look like it will give you the longest, thickest, most curled lashes ever. These are just some of those adverts...


*************

If false lashes are used, it's usually written in teeny tiny writing that people can barely read. For example, in Rimmel's '1-2-3 Looks' mascara ad, if you look veeeeerrrrrry closely on the left side, it reads 'shot with lash inserts', which means that they've used false lashes. Thankfully, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned the ad as it was misleading.


In the US, CoverGirl advertised their LashBlast mascara, as seen below...


Is your volume true? or "false"?
LashBlast gives you true volume

"If your mascara promises volume but delivers clumps - that's false! True volume comes from our big brush, not from big clumps. Try LashBlast Volume for yourself. You may never go 'false' again."

Yeeeeeeeeah.... true volume... riiiight... that's why the advert was shot with false lashes? Yup, that's right. If you look right at the bottom left, you can just about see the teeniest, tiniest writing ever.

It reads: "Lash inserts were applied to both of Nicole's lashes to add lash count before applying mascara."

Now this is so wrong, so misleading for consumers. I mean, I've tried mascaras that give some pretty amazing results (my favourite mascara ever is L'Oreal's Volume Million Lashes', as shown above.) In the advert, Eva's lashes were shot with false lashes, but personally, I think the mascara itself is just brilliant. I had never seen the ad, but I picked up the mascara after a recommendation from a friend, and I love it! When I've worn it, I've had people ask me if I'm wearing false lashes! Obviously, the mascara itself will never make our lashes look as good as they do in these adverts... because the companies use false lashes!

I would love to see more adverts with companies using JUST their mascara. Just to show us exactly how it works, and how it will look on most lashes WITHOUT the need for falsies. I do love false lashes but these companies are using their mascara for a reason - to show us what it does! So why do they need false lashes?!

Every woman wants long, thick, full, voluminous, curled lashes... Most mascara ads promise this, and most ads make it look possible - because they use false lashes! Obviously, you'll have long, thick, full, voluminous, curled lashes if you use falsies! In my opinion, it only makes them look bad... yet still, some women are naive enough to think that these mascaras are like 'magic'. I've never been that stupid to just go out and buy a mascara by looking at the advert like that. It's hard to trust these companies now, you can never guarantee that your lashes will look like they do in the ads.

Personally, I think using false lashes in mascara adverts should be made illegal! Too many companies do it, it's misleading, it's wrong and it's just plain stupid. Sure, the mascara may sell, but mostly because women are tricked into thinking they'll have the most amazing lashes ever. It's all FALSE (pun intended!)
Bullsh*t!

Thanks for reading, I like ranting, hahaha.
What's your opinion on this subject?

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Summer 2012 (pictures!)

Ahh I'm loving this Summer in my new home! Such beautiful views :)
















Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... the sunset tonight outside my house...



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