My Favourite Pinky Nude Lip and Peru Update!!

Hi my little Cherubs! How did your Xmas go?

I know I haven´t posted in forever, just been busy with the Xmas season and also getting ready for my Peru and Miami trip!

We have now been in Peru for 4 days and are having a lovely relaxing time! We attended my friend´s wedding which was just magical. I will try to share some photos when I get back.

We are going to Cuzco tomorrow to see Macchu Picchu so I cannot wait for that!!

I just wanted to quickly share with you my absolute favourite pinky nude lip which I am rocking as often as possible. It gives me that perfect balance between looking natural and fresh and sophisticated too. It is a little Kardashian inspired as it is basically MAC Stripdown liner and MAC Angel lipstick. I dont feel the need to use a gloss over the top as Angel is a frost finish so it has a lovely sheen.

Sorry I cant post pics at the moment but there will be plenty of posts when I get back!

Oh and just to share, I just had the most AMAZING mani and pedi for a mere $8!!!! Sooo cheap! Is it wrong that I love getting my nails done this much??!! The shade I chose for my mani was a Revlon one called Peach Nectar - just gorgeous!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Review: Sleek Kajal in Odyssey - Purple/Violet soft eyeliner

Hey Cherubs!

How are you holding up during the busiest season of the year? Me, I cannot wait for my upcoming holiday to Peru and Miami, and I am being suitably anti-festive by flying out on Christmas morning hehe! FYI I am hoping to pick up a few US beauty products while I am out there so look forward to some haulage reviews when I get back!

In the meantime, I decided to check out my local Sleek stand at Superdrug and came across this gorgeous kajal (or kohl) or in other words a soft, creamy eyeliner which is in solid rather than a pencil form. They had 2 colours but I went for the beautiful purple/violet shade called Odyssey. The other colour is black.

The packaging is very, well, sleek and expensive looking, I especially like the little ribbon attached to the end to make it easier to pull it out of the container.

The application is nice and soft and creamy, although it doesn't have great staying power, but applied over an eye primer it creates a soft smudged look. I particularly like using this as a base over which to apply my MAC Nocturnelle eyeshadow. Here is a swatch over my NC42 skin.

It is only I think £3 (can't remember exactly) but go check it out as it is such a vibrant, stunning colour and as its not in pencil form, it is a nice little unique addition to your makeup collection. I have a soft spot for this particularly as it's a little throwback to my ethnic roots *LOVE*

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Review: Stila Blockbuster Colour Palette and 1940's Hollywood Glamour FOTD

I recently picked up the Stila Blockbuster Colour Palette from my local Costco (!) for just £19 and decided to share my thoughts with you on this makeup kit.

It consists of 30 eyeshadows, 15 lip colours, 3 blush colours, 1 bronzer and 1 highlighter, black kohl pencil and lip liner pencil and an assortment of mini sponge applicators/brushes.

The Eyeshadows

The eyeshadows range in colour from neutral, through to bronzey browns, to purples and blues and a couple greys and black. The pans are around the size of a 5 pence piece. The colours are actually very pretty and useable - no odd lime greens, or 3 shades of neon pink - more everyday kinds of colours so I was satisfied with the range and know I would feel comfortable making use of the colours. I wasn't blown away though as there are no particularly unique shades.

As for the formula, well they certainly do not appear to be the same formula as standard Stila eyeshadows. They are very, very dusty. I was disappointed about this as I was hoping that for £19 I would be able to rely on the Stila branding but I think they have just decided to stick their logo on something they have created outside of their usual standards - shame..

The shadows mostly seem to contain a shimmery aspect to them, however, some colours are more matte. Given that they were so dusty what I wasn't expecting was the pigmentation - they are very pigmented which I was pleasantly surprised about. They are also fairly easy to blend out too. Even the lighter champagney colour when quickly washed over my eyelid without a primer or concealer, was really true to colour. I am actually very pleased with the pigmentation of the shadows.

Lip Colours

These are again the size of 5 pence pieces. The colours vary from nudey pinks, to brighter pinks, oranges and reds. At first glance they look like they would go on very sheer, however, again the pigmentation is good. The colours go on true to colour and then oxidise very very quickly to a pinkey/red colour. Again, it is a shame that the usual Stila quality has not come through in this palette. Having said that, the deeper red colours work with the oxidisation and almost act as a lip stain. Weirdly enough I have somehow managed to find my perfect red lip shade in this palette! It gives me that gorgeous 1940's style old Hollywood glamour lip - the saving grace in the lip colours. I will be taking this along to MAC to match to a proper lipstick though!

Blushes and Bronzer/Highlighter

3 shades of blush, from pale dusky pink, medium dusky pink to a warm berry pink colour. Highlighter is more of a nude peach colour and shouldn't really be called a highlighter in my opinion. The bronzer is a goldeny molten brown colour. The pigmentation is good, apart from the palest colour, which due to my skintone just doesnt show up at all. The bronzey colour works pretty well as a contour shade actually. I do like the blushers, especially as I tend to go for more peachy shades so its nice to have the pinkier colours.

Lip Pencil and Eye Pencil

The lip pencil is a browney pinkey shade and as such is kind of neutral as a lip pencil and therefore plausible as a lip pencil. The problem I had is that it is quite dry and therefore drags the skin. It definately benefits from being warmed up on the back of the hand first. It definately has good staying power too.

The eye pencil is black but not at all well pigmented unfortunately. Again, very dry and not creamy at all so it actually scratches the skin - NOT GOOD around the eye area!

Brushes/ Applicators

Two words: cheap and crap..! OMG what was the point in these crappy, little plastic and nylon, spongey objects? Pointless, utterly utterly useless. *Sigh*

Overall

Ok so I would award this palette 2 and a half Angel Wings. It is not the usual Stila quality at all unfortunately, but having said that if you are starting out and need some eyeshadows to practice with these are decent as are the blushes. Pigmentation is excellent! I wasn't too thrilled with the lip colours as they oxidised like mad on me, but I feel some warmth towards the lip colours purely because they happen to contain the perfect shade of red for me. It is fairly cheap and I believe only available in Costco.

To prove that you can actually use this palette to create looks, here is an FOTD based around a classic red lip. Enjoy!

Products Used:

Face

Lanacane Anti Chafing Gel

NARS Sheer Glow in Syracuse and MAC Studio Finish stick in NC42

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW35 just on blemishes

Benefit Erase Paste in No 3 under the eyes

YSL Touche Eclat to highlight down the bridge of the nose and tops of the cheekbones

MAC skinfinish in medium dark

Cheeks

Stila palette middle shade blusher and highlight shade mixed

Eyes

MAC Bare Study Paintpot as eye primer

Yellowy-champagney shadow from Stila palette all over lid - top row, 4th across from the left

Medium brown shade lightly in the crease 2nd row, 3rd across from the left

Sleek Eyeliner Gel in Dominatrix

Primark Fluttering Lashes

MaxFactor Masterpiece Mascara in black

Lips

Stila Blockbuster palette lip liner

Red lip colour from Stila Palette - 4th row, last column

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

DEAL ALERT!! ELF 100 pc Eyeshadow FREE!

Hey my cherubs! Hope you are feeling suitably festive! I on the other hand am shunning all things Christmas (Bah Humbug!).. except for the awesome deals of course! LOL!

ELF have an amazing deal on right now. If you make any order over £18 you will receive a FREE 100 pc eyeshadow palette! All you need to do is enter the code FREE100.

THE DEAL ENDS MIDNIGHT TOMORROW THOUGH SO BE QUICK!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

FOTD - Purple Smokey and Girlie Pink

with flash without flash

I don't have a massive collection of MAC eyeshadows (yet!!) but the ones I do have are all classics and I totally love them! One of my all time favourite eyeshadows has to be Shadowy Lady which is a deep purple-aubergine shade in a matte finish. It creates the BEST smokey eye and I really don't need many other shadows to finish off the look. I teamed this dramatic purple eye with a really girlie pink flushed cheek and a gorgeous bubbly pink lipstick. I hope you like it!

My silly face! LOL!!

FACE

Lanacane Anti Chafing Gel
NARS Sheer Glow in Syracuse
MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW35 and Benefit Erase Paste in No. 3
MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in medium dark
MAC Ladyblush creme blush

EYES

MAC Bare Study Paint Pot as base
MAC Shadowy Lady eyeshadow all over lid and blended into crease and lower lashline
Medium/dark purple colour from Coastal Scents 88 Palette on lid only
Shimmery off-white colour from Stila Blockbuster Colour Palette on browbone
MAC Technakohl Graphblack eyepencil smudged into upper and lower lashline
L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara

LIPS

Rimmel lipliner in Eastend Snob
MAC Angel Lipstick

Enjoy!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Tips and Tricks: How to Choose the Correct Foundation

Being a woman of colour myself (I am a MAC shade NC42), my biggest makeup difficulty in the past has been how to find the correct foundation. Through trial and error (mucho error..!) I believe I have got the technique down now for getting the correct foundation.

The Real Foundation is your Skin

The best advice I was ever given was that no foundation will make your skin perfect, you need to get good skin to get good foundation. I have the most problem skin out there, and I was so intent on getting a foundation to make my skin appear magically better - NOT POSSIBLE! If you have problem skin, whether it is dryness, oiliness, blemishes, acne, eczema, anything - you need to tackle this first. So I put my holy grail foundation hunt on hold and took a long hard look at my skin and decided to totally change my routine. I got a mixture of Dermalogica and Avene products, I have changed my diet (more fruit and water), and just take much more care - simple things like not touching my skin as much, washing my face thoroughly after any kind of facial depilation and closing the pores back up again. I use sunscreen every single day now, and use AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) on my skin at night once or twice a week. My skin is far from perfect, but I have definately noticed changes for the better.

Know Your Skin Type

Prior to my skin revelation, I had always thought my skin was dry, weirdly enough, once I started looking after my skin I realised it was actually oily/combination!! So many people don't know their skin type, and just go for a foundation because it is popular. The number of (particularly South Asian and black) girls who wear MAC Studio Fix Fluid because, well I assume because the colour options at MAC are better than other brands, amazes me! But Studio Fix Fluid is a medium to heavy coverage foundation which has a matte finish and is a generally drying formula. This is just my personal opinion but it is NOT suitable for dry skins, it is NOT suitable for sensitive skins and if you have good, blemish-free skin and just need your skin tone evening out, it is not suitable for you either. If you like a dewy, natural finish from your foundation - it is not suitable for you either..!!!

The general rules are:

Oily, blemish prone skin - oil-free, matte finish, medium to heavy coverage, liquid or mineral foundation.

Dry, sensitive skin - moisturising, light-medium coverage, liquid foundation.

Normal skin - you are the lucky ones! You can choose your finish - whether matte or natural/dewy, but go for lighter coverage and perhaps consider a tinted moisturiser instead of a foundation.

HOWEVER YOU NEED TO ANALYSE HOW YOUR SKIN REACTS TO EACH TYPE OF FOUNDATION. ALL SKIN IS DIFFERENT.

N.B. Regarding knowing your skin type, remember this can vary depending on season, as winter weather can cause your skin to be dryer, more sensitive and red, summer can cause your skin to be more oily. My advice would be to change your skincare routine depending on seasons, rather than your foundation. Obviously, your skin may also be more tan in the summer so watch out for that too.

Buying Foundation

So, you have sorted out your skin routine, and you know your skin type. Next is to go foundation shopping. Here are my top tips for foundation shopping:

1. You already know the first rule, which is not to purchase a foundation just because your friend/sister/colleague/whoever looks amazing in it. Your skin may react differently.

2. Never just go out and buy foundation full stop. By this I mean, take your time, shop around and be patient!

3. Don't just buy foundation because a make up artist has put some on you in store and you think it looks good. Remember that store lighting, different application techniques and sales pitches can cloud your judgement. Instead, get the makeup artist to apply the foundation all over your face, not just a patch. Walk around in it all day. See how it feels and looks under natural day light and after wearing it for several hours. See how your skin looks and feels after you have washed it off, and also the next day to see if you have reacted to it at all.

4. If you have done all of the above, and you still love it, don't buy it.. yet! Instead, go and ask for a sample, take it home and play, play, play with it. Remember, you have to feel comfortable being able to apply it on yourself with the tools and primers etc that you have at home. Use the sample on a night out, see how it wears throughout the night, and most importantly see how it looks on you in pictures and under a flash etc. (N.B. High SPF content can cause that ashy/mask like effect under a strong flash)

5. Use the sample trying different techniques to apply it. Sometimes, a foundation may not go on as smooth using, say, fingers to apply it, but try it with different brushes (flat foundation brush, stippling brush, flat top buffer brush etc) and you may find that by changing the technique you can vastly improve the look of the foundation.

6. Treat this like a piece of coursework - take notes! I know it sounds silly but you may lose track if you are trying lots of different foundations out. Keep a log to refer back to.

7. Don't limit yourself to a certain brand or budget - I know that money does not grow on trees, but you may find that spending a few pounds less or more will widen your options and you may find THE ONE! With regard to brands, you may feel that MAC have the best colour range, they definately do, but they aren't the only ones. There are so many great brands out there now that recognise that their customers come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.

I know its a lot to remeber, and a lot of people don't have the patience, but believe me it is worth it. After all you are looking for something that you will put on your face, in full view of the world, possibly every day. If you are concerned that this will mean you have to get by with no foundation until you find the perfect one, just use a tinted moisturiser and make sure you get enough samples to try out so you will always be able to complete your makeup during the hunt.

I know its another long post, but its something I feel strongly about as the wrong colour and type of foundation can completely ruin a look.

Me and My Foundation

My skin - Oily/combination, sensitive, hyper pigmentation (when I get spots/blemishes it scars my skin to a dark colour and the scars remain for many months). Small, occasional blemishes.

Shade Equivalent - MAC NC42-43

My light coverage, daily foundation - MAC Face and Body in C5

My Holy Grail, took months and all of the above steps to find, foundation - NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Syracuse

My Silver medal award winning foundation which was just pipped to the post by NARS - Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in No. 8

My Bronze medal award winning foundation - Smashbox Healthy FX in Medium 3.

Hope that helps!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Best under £10

Hi my Cherubs!

I know everyone has felt bogged down by the recession, especially those of you in the UK where it all appears to be doom and gloom. But you don't have to feel like you are missing out on your makeup/hair/beauty fixes when there are so many great finds out there for less than a tenner (£10).

Fashionable, Bang on Trend Nail Varnish for £2.95??

All you need to do is go and hit up your local Barry M store for the funkiest, "of the moment" nail colours. Barry M are simply exceeding themselves every time they bring out a new colour. The varnish is such excellent quality too (I'm talking as someone who has splashed cash on Chanel's varnishes and been not too impressed with the formula). Every time I wear a Barry M nail colour I receive compliments. If you can't find Barry M's products, luckily for you they also sell online just click on the link http://www.barrym.com/. The best part? They cost just £2.95 and regularly do offers of 2 colours for £5.

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack Dupe for £3.99

Sleek Make Up sell an ink pot in Dominatrix (love the name!) which is a much cheaper dupe (copy) of MAC's famous Blacktrack Fluidline. The formula is slightly less creamy than MAC but with my little trick of scooping a little on to the back of your hand to warm it up prior to using it and it transforms into the creamiest, inkiest eyeliner you could wish for. Sleek cosmetics are available at Superdrug and carry a great range of makeup for a very reasonable price. And for all you dark skinned ladies out there, the range was initially created for dark skintones so their colour selection of facial products is excellent!

Drugstore Contour Kit for £5.99

Contouring your face is a great way to mimic high cheekbones, a slimmer face or even a smaller nose with just makeup. For makeup newbies, practise in contouring is definately key to perfecting the art of contouring, and the last thing you want to do is to splash out on some expensive contouring kit (which are generally hard to find anyway). The answer? Sleek Makeup have created a gorgeous little kit that comes in 3 shades - light, medium and dark that retails for just £5.99! It also contains a fairly handy little explanatory guide to contouring. It consists of a finely milled matte bronze shade and a shimmery peachy/creamy colour for highlight. If this just sounds like somthing you may be interested, keep a look out for my contouring and highlighting tutorial.

Eldora False Lashes

Although MAC false lashes are under £10 (I believe they retail at £8 a pair), even with the best of care, they can only be used a few times. Luckily for you, I am going to let you all into a little secret known as Eldora Lashes. They are an online company specialising in false lashes. They have over 200 pairs of lashes from the most natural wispiest lashes, to full on Carnival lashes! Prices generally range around £2-£3 and they deliver to the UK - Bargain!

Trim your own hair?? Seriously..

I was recently admiring my beautiful friend's perfectly formed long fringe and she promptly told me she had cut it herself! She is not a hairdresser by the way, she had just found the greatest little tool from Boots known as a razor comb and had been using that to get her fringe exactly as she wanted it and also to neaten up feathered layers framing her face. This little beauty is only £4.95 and can save you on a couple of trips to the hairdresser for sure! You basically hold the front sections of your hair taut and angle the comb down the hair and it precisely feathers away your hair. Now please my Cherubs, do not attempt this unless you are absolutely sure of what you are doing and do not underestimate the sharpness of this comb!

Lather and Exfoliate in One Swift (and cheap) Move

You may recall me harping on about the gorgeous products at LUSH, and particularly the Sugar Babe body scrub. I do love it and it is holding up surprisingly well considering it melts rapidly under hot water, however, I have discovered another little gem while out doing my grocery shopping at Sainsburys. The Active Naturals Mango and Avocado Exfoliating Soap is a sweet, fruity smelling soap, with bumpy, massaging nodules on the underside and scrubby, natural exfoliating grains within the soap itself. As it is a solid soap it does not melt away under the water as many scrubs do and due to its size and shape, aswell as those handy little nodules, you can get maximum scrubbage power! With this product, you can save not only money as it costs just £1.28, but also time and space as you basically get a scrub and a cleanser in one. Lovely! Apparently it comes in a couple of different flavours - coconut and lime anyone? YUM!

Under Eye Concealer for under a Fiver

I have no recollection of buying this concealer but I am sure it was back in the days before I really got interested in makeup, in which case I probably put no thought into it except that it probably looked like it would do the job. In my utter ignorance, I hit the jackpot! This concealer is wonderful! It is light and moisturising and although they only make this in two shades (Ivory and Soft Beige), the Soft Beige is very close to NC42, perhaps a shade lighter and therefore works perfectly for me on my NC42 skin. I have a real problem with the skin under my eyes which are very sensitive and dry, however, this stuff works really well as a lightweight concealer with great coverage yet is kind to my skin. I apply this using my MAC 224 brush in very light circular motions.

Extra, Extra, Extra Gentle Eye Makeup Remover for around £3 a litre..

Talking of the under the eye area, did you know that the skin under the eye contains almost no sweat glands and therefore produces almost no natural oils? Hence why this are can be prone to wrinkles, dryness and itching. I have learnt the hard way to treat this area of skin very gently, having spent years removing eye makeup using vigorous rubbing, harsh makeup remover wipes and alcohol based makeup remover until the skin is now dry and irritable : (

I now use the best oil based eye makeup remover in the world, it is made of pure, natural and organic products only, you can find it anywhere and it costs around £3 for a LITRE bottle - have you guessed what it is yet?? OLIVE OIL! No, not the expensive green tinted extra virgin, but the cheaper, lighter, virgin or just pure olive oil. In one swipe it removes waterproof eye makeup, it does not irritate the skin and as an added bonus it conditions your eyelashes. Just put a teeny amount on a cotton ball and very gently swipe away the makeup. Simply rinse afterwards with warm water and Bob's your uncle!

Have you discovered any fabulous credit crunch bargains?

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo