5 Make Up Items I Couldn't Live Without!

For a lot of girls it's very hard to whittle down the different make up products they own to just five things. I'm just going to mention each one generally. I.e. if I was stuck on a desert island (with lots of gorgeous single boys maybe?) and I had to pick 5 make up items that I couldn't live without, what would they be???


1) Concealer = No matter how little time you have to get ready, you can always dash a little bit of concealer on, to cover tired eyes, spots and any bits of skin discolouration! Concealer is my favourite piece of make up cos it can just freshen you up, and (providing you pick a good one) it does its job well! Foundation doesn't always conceal as well on its own, which is why it won't be appearing on my list!


2) Mascara = This is my favourite eye product. You can wear it with nothing else on the eye area and it will immediately make your eyes look bigger and more defined. A definite win for me! For me eyes are the most beautiful part of the face. Sometimes heavy make up, although sometimes nice, can detract from the 


3) Lipstick = I suppose lipstick, because unlike gloss your hair doesn't get stuck to it, and again (for me) the lips are the other important part of the face. A nice pale pinky-red colour, that isn't too pale but isn't outrageously intense in colour either (even though you can just apply less).


4) Blusher = I prefer blusher not bronzer, because to have 'blushed' cheeks is more natural than having cheeks with a brown smudge on. With blushers less is more, I used to hate walking around school and seeing the clones of the 'plastics' from 'Mean Girls' with their 'go faster stripes' of blusher (and bronzer too) emblazoned on their cheeks like there's not tomorrow. It really annoys me!!! But then again that's just my personal opinion :-)


5) Eyeliner = Even though I hate applying it (I hate having a gap between the eyeliner and the edge of the lower eyelid) - because it's so hard to make a line when there's eyelashes in the way!! - it can do wonders outlining your eyes. Even sometimes without mascara :-) You can put it on top, on bottom or both! The choice is yours.


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I guess if I had to whittle it down even further, it would just be concealer and mascara. I really could just live with those two! But of course I'm never going to be in that situation where I can only have 5 or even just 2 make up products. So I guess my face power, face primer, endless amounts of eyeshadows, bronzer, lipglosses..........can all come in useful!


See ya soon xxx

Ways of removing make up - milk, cream, make up wipes, liquids, baby wipes, home remedies!

In the past I have used both cream cleansers, make up remover wipes and baby wipes to try and do the job of taking off my make-up. I thought I'd do a little review/explanation of each method as well as others, and recommend which is the best for which people :-) Hope you enjoy!


Cream Cleansers
Cream cleansers gently remove make up, and they're often good at removing eye make up, particularly mascara. However be careful because sometimes they can sting when they get in your eye! All cream cleanser can sting, even sensitive ones, and it's kind of difficult not to get them in your eye when you're trying to remove make up at the very edges of your eyelids! Apart from that they're fairly easy to use. However you must remember to buy cottonwool pads as well. In theory, cream cleansers will cost more because of the extra 'equipment' needed, but some cottonwool pads aren't too expensive. Some cream cleansers can also be quite expensive. They don't drip as much as cleansing milks and liquids will, but they still can so just be careful. Some can smell quite nice too! Cream cleansers are good because you can use as much as you want, rather than however much moisture is in the wipe you pulled out. You can get ones that are sensitive for your skin too.


Cleansing  Milk
The main thing about 'milks' is that they can drip easily. However, like cream cleansers, they can also smell really nice (such as the Garnier milk that smells of roses, pictured left). Again some can be a little pricey, but your skin can benefit from the softening qualities that most cleansing milks tend to possess. They're kinder to skin than clear liquids (e.g. special eye make up removers). Again you will need cotton wool to use this.
















Make up remover wipes

 You do not need to spend more on cotton wool in order to use these - yay! However just because a product is labelled as a 'face wipe', it doesn't mean it is actually designed to remove make up, rather that it just cleanses the skin. There is a bit of difference, and a specific 'make up wipe' will be able to tackle make up such as mascara. However, I'm yet to find a make up wipe which actually removes waterproof mascara easily. I often end up having to use my fingernails like 'pincers' in order to remove it, but please don't do that yourself as you risk pulling out a couple of eyelashes (believe me I know!) Some make up wipes are ridiculously expensive (with some not being far off the £5.00 mark), and you usually only get 25 wipes. What a rip-off! However they are specialised at removing make up, or should be anyway, so at least you know they should be relatively nice on your skin, compared to other general wipes.


Liquids

Liquids are the ones that are at risk of dripping the most. But they're usually clear so at least too much damage should not get done, however all cleansers are at risk of discolouring a fabric, for example. But if you are careful you shouldn't have any problems. Liquids are more often found to be specialised for the eye area, such as this 'Tesco sensitive eye make up remover' pictured opposite. They're not as common as general make up removers. However Garnier do have a '3 in 1 make up dissolver' which has 2 separated liquids in a bottle that you have to shake up to use. It's for sensitive skin and apparently removes waterproof make up! If it's not too expensive or on offer one day, I want to try it. I really want to see if it really works, plus it'd be fun to shake the bottle up!


Baby wipes



This is the method I've been using for the past few months. And I've even been using these particular wipes that you see to the left of the screen. A while ago I was getting fed up with how expensive make up wipes can actually be, and I'd heard that some people use baby wipes, so I thought I'd try them. These 'Johnson' wipes were on offer at the time, for only £1! You get 64 wipes in this particular pack, and for me that was a no-brainer. The wipes are huge as well, and sometimes if I'm only wearing a small bit of make up or just want to cleanse my make up free face, I rip a wipe in half and put the other half back in the pack to use another time. I picked these because the packet says: "As mild as pure water to skin and eyes". Anything that suggests something is skin friendly is good enough for me. These are indeed good at removing make up, but just be careful (as with any wipe I suppose) as when I need to removed eyeliner and mascara (they're okay at removing waterproof mascara), I sometimes find that the skin on the eye area feels ever so slightly sore from the continuous rubbing, particularly when I put my fingernail behind the wipe to get the precise lash line cleaning done! (That's a tip btw, that I might discuss more in another post). Overall, you get a lot more babywipes for your money (in any pack) than you do in a pack of make up wipes. So these are better value. Just make sure you get ones that clearly state somewhere (like on the front of these) that they're mild/face friendly, and/or they won't cause irritation. Some baby wipe fabrics can actually irritate the face, as in the actual material they're made from, so just be careful at that too. These pictured aren't too bad at all. Just don't scrub away too heavily as with anything!


Home remedies

• Olive oil & baby oil = Some people use these individually or together (together you get the caring properties of the baby oil along with the cleaning properties of the olive oil). They're particularly good at removing eye make up, and this is usually just what they're used for. They won't contain too many nasty chemicals, however I wouldn't recommend this if you have oily skin, or you don't want to increase the possibility of getting spots, as you'll only be putting more oil on your skin using this method!
• Natural unflavoured yoghurt = Using a cotton wool ball, this apparently is a good face make up remover. Not for eyes though!
• Baby shampoos = can remove mascara that is difficult to take off.

...and there you have it! My comprehensive overview of different methods of removing make up. Why not decide which one is best for you. 

See ya soon xxx

bareMinerals Lipgloss Review!

I got a Bare Minerals lipgloss a while ago as part of a present from my sister. So, I didn't pay the £14.00 that an individual lipgloss (of 4.2ml) costs on the Bare Minerals website! I certainly wouldn't have bought one at that price. I find that, with lipglosses, really cheap ones are just as good as really expensive ones. My only priorities with lipglosses (I don't wear them often, only if my hair's up or it's a special occasion) are that they're shiny (as in reflecting the light) and are of a nice colour that suits me. They are not something I'd invest a lot of money in anyway. They soon come off once you eat and drink and even just talk, so I don't see the point! Even non-sticky still get your hair stuck with no intention of letting go!!

So, here's a couple of piccies of the 2 colours I own. The one on the left is 'sugar cookie' which would be cheaper because it's a smaller size) and the right one is 'fruit cocktail'. Cute names I think :)


Packaging
I like the lids as they are a nice 'soft' sort of plastic that is easy to grip and the two 'bumps' make them comfortable to hold while applying. The clear bottles make it easy to view the colours as well as see when they're running out.


You might be able to observe that they have what I call 'microglitter' in them. I like it when glitter in lip products is tiny because it doesn't look too cheap and tacky. Rather, it gives a nice professional sheen.

Here is 'sugarcookie' applied. It's a nude colour and didn't bring any colour to my lips really. But it is pretty much the same colour as my lips so what do you expect! I quite like this though, because it just gives them a subtle tint and sheen, perfect for everyday wear or subtle, more natural looks. I am naturally quite pale though, so maybe I would wear a little more blusher or eye makeup so I didn't look too washed out. 

This is 'fruit cocktail' applied. It's a rich red-pink in the tube, however I didn't find colour distribution to be all that amazing. You might be able to see that, on the picture, (after literally less than 1 minute of wear) the colour had sunk into the creases of my lips, and left patches elsewhere. This is despite trying to purse my lips together and use the small brush applicator to spread it all out and make it look even. I didn't want to daub too much on in case it just looked really over the top. However the colour is nice.


Both lipglosses are quite sticky, and yes the annoying hair thing does occur!! It says on the website that they're non-sticky but I do not believe them!
But, the colours are lovely and it smells really nice - like biscuits! However online it says they're actually scented with vanilla. Smells like biscuits to me :-) Cosmetics that smell like food, yummy! I sometimes wonder if this is a psychological ploy to try and make us like them more, because they smell like things we like to eat. But anyway.........


The main thing I like about Bare Minerals is that they have no preservatives in their products, and they're made from lots of natural things.
Their lipglosses are said to hydrate, which is a bonus :) They also soften, and ingredients that provide both qualities include cupuacu butter and jojoba, sesame and sunflower oils. Antioxidant protection is also provided via vitamin E and pomegranate seed oil. Vitamin E is great at protecting against the environment (I wrote more about it in my Avon Rich Moisture Face Cream Review). They also contain honeysuckle flower extract to condition the lips, and the general goodness of bareMinerals. So why not wear makeup that actually does some good in the process = simples!!


All in all, I think they smell great, are nicely coloured, have a nice sheen, and they're lip-healthy. I reckon the colour could settle and spread out better though, particularly in 'fruit cocktail's case. I would not pay £14.00 for a full sized tube. I think it's wayyy overpriced. But still a good product :-)


See ya soon xxx

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer Review

I'd run out of my usual concealer and to my disappointment the brand it was from doesn't seem to stock it any more. Sad times! :( :(

I thought I'd try something different and after a little bit of looking around in the shop I decided to try 'Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer'. It says on the tube that it: "Conceals flaws and blemishes for up to 16 hours. Transfer resistant."

Well, it was £4.___ (four pounds something I can't remember exact) and to be honest I'm quite disappointed. It covers quite well, and I think it does indeed last a fair while (not sure if it actually would last the whole 16 hours I highly doubt it!) but it goes ORANGE. Yes I swear to you it does! I decided to get the 2nd of the 4 different shades (1-very light --> 4-dark) because I'm quite pale but I'm not a ghost.

Choosing other concealers and face products in this way has always worked, and I even tested it on my hand in the shop and it looked okay (maybe it was the shop lighting or maybe it looks more orange-y the longer you wear it!) but recent observations have led me to think differently. Maybe using loads makes it go orange, but for some spots or other areas you have to use more. Luckily you can only see the orangey-ness when you look right up close in a mirror.

Maybe I should put concealer then foundation on (I usually do it the other way round) and then maybe the orange will be hidden, but if I just want to cover a couple of areas quickly before having to pop off quickly somewhere I may be stuck! Oh well. I've learnt my lesson, I'm not buying this again unless the lightest is actually better (I would have to try the lightest on my hand before considering buying this product again). At least it's quite good at covering! :)

See ya soon xxx