No. 17 - you've surprised me!

I don't usually take much notice of No.17 makeup, but Friday I took refuge in Boots while in an insanely crowded Euston station. I noticed some solo eyeshadows on special offer. At £3.49 each they're hardly expensive full price, but they're currently £6 for two.

I quickly swatched a few and grabbed two me (ie neutral) shades. I've been very pleasantly surprised by these. It's a small thing, but I love the way they finish these - like a fan of pleated fabric - so beautiful

L-R: Statuesque, Mardi Gras

Statuesque is a peachy gold colour, and Mardi Gras is...well - Satin Taupe, but cheaper - a nice walnut brown.


I can't believe how pigmented they are, and how soft and creamy in texture. I don't know whether I got lucky with these two shades, or whether the rest are equally good but I urge you to check them out for a cheap treat.

L-R MAC's Satin Taupe, 17's Mardi Gras and Statuesque

These are just one swipe, no primer or anything - look how strong the colour is. And look how much more pigmented than MAC's Satin Taupe.

Bingo!

Have you found any gems in the no 17 range?

ELF goodies

A parcel arriving from ELF in the middle of a hectic and slightly lonely week is a very welcome surprise.

I dashed off an order the other day, without paying too much attention - I find this is the downside of such low prices - I do more impulse ordering. I bought:

- brush shampoo
- Mineral lipsticks in Nude Delight and Rosy Raisin
- Studio High Definition powder
..and got a freebie mini makeup collection palette.

My thoughts...

BRUSH SHAMPOO


I bought the brush shampoo thinking (despite the word shampoo..I know - I'm not very bright) that it was some sort of daily cleaner I could use without going the whole hog and washing brushes.

I am L-a-z-y...with a capital L when it comes to looking after my brushes - cardinal sin, I know but I tend to just wash them with normal shampoo. However, I've just washed the gang with this and it definitely gets them a lot lot cleaner than ordinary shampoo did. Especially my foundation brush which I just couldn't seem to get completely clean. Thumbs up for this one!

MINERAL LIPSTICKS

Both top and bottom photo: L - R Nude Delight, Rosy Raisin

I don't know why I bought something with 'nude' in the name - I haven't yet found a nude lipstick that doesn't make me look grim, and this one continues the tradition.

Rosy Raisin however I do like. It turns out I have rosy raisin coloured lips - this is one of those MLBB shades and matches mine precisely but it's nice.

Theyre both curiously odourless - I suppose that's a good thing, fewer ingredients and all that but I quite like it when lipsticks have a feint fragrance, but hey ho.

THE FREEBIE - mini makeup palette

Pow!

Some close-ups. The 10 lipglosses:

Bronzer and blush, 9 eyeshadows and 1 cream eyeshadow:
The 'tools' section, and the brow powder:

I haven't spent long with this, but I'm pleasantly surprised after a quick look. The whole contraption - although a nice idea - is pretty clunky and I have a feeling it wouldn't take much to break it, but the colours are pretty neutral and use-able and the pigmentation seems good.
More thoughts once I've had a proper look.

I can swatch the whole lot if anyone's wants to see them. Let me know.

As for the fabled High Definition powder from the Studio line, I haven't had a chance to use it. I can tell you it was a real mess when I took it out the box though - loose powder everywhere, tut tut. Anyway, I'll give it a go tomorrow and will let you know what I think.

New York beauty shopping

So as promised earlier on, here's a little more on the few things I bought on holiday.

First up -

Sephora Star Gazer Palette:


It's from their 'Pure' collection, and is free of various chemicals presumably usually present in lots of makeup. The palette itself is made of bamboo.

Thoughts: much as I love the idea of a bamboo palette..it's not actually that great as it feels little brittle, doesn't shut that securely and the inserts don't fit that tightly and I can imagine them coming loose unless I treat this one with kid gloves.

That said, the colours in it are good and pigmentation seems strong:

Blush: Soleil | Eyeshadows (top L-R): Aurora, Galaxy, Polaris (bottom L-R): Heaven, Jupiter, Orion

I've used all of them and find the shades really wearable (though the glitter in the top centre and bottom right shades might restrict how often you use those two!) Aurora is a shimmery silver, Galaxy a dark matte grey with fine silver flecks of glitter, Polaris is a matte charcoal. Heaven is a shimmery very light heather colour, Jupiter a similar tone just darker Orion is a matte deep blue-y purple with pink fine glitter.

NARS Silent Night single eyeshadow:
Well this one was an impulse purchase - $9 at the till. They really know how to suck you in don't they? It's a beautiful rich gold colour in the pan:


Thoughts: Once you try using it you find there's some really chunky glitter in it and pigmentation is a little weak. You really have to get stuck in to extract much colour. I've found it works better wet. I actually don't mind the glitter too much - especially at this time of year I'm just about going to get my money's worth from this bad boy, so overall I'm happy. Had I paid full price - I'd be less happy.


Wet 'n' Wild Idol Eyes in Techno and Pixie:
These were something ridiculous like $1.99 each I think. Quite soft and creamy consistency. I like 'em.


Thoughts: As you can see, the colour payoff isn't bad either and for this price, you just can't go wrong.


NARS mini multiples set
This is limited edition available only from Sephora.


Now, these really are mini at only 0.14oz compared to the usual 0.5oz so $ for $ it's not technically great value ($40 for this limited edition set compared to $37 for a full size multiple), but it does offer an affordable way to try out three of the most popular shades.
You have Copacabana, Orgasm and South Beach.

(L-R South Beach, Copacabana, Orgasm)

Thoughts: I've mulled over getting one of these for ages so was excited to finally have three in my possession. They're all very shimmery and the shades are beautiful.

To be honest it's taking some practice applying these. As opposed to using a powder highlighter/bronzer/blush you have to take more care as to where you put them on your face. I'm just not used to using cream blush etc. But - I ike them and can see myself ending up buying one or more full size ones once these run out.

Neosporin Lip Health:
This is something I read about on Belle's wonderful blog before I left for holiday, then spotted in Duane Reade and remembered her rave review:


It's super cheap - a couple of dollars and is an 'overnight renewal therapy'. It claims to reduce/heal dry or chapped lips in 3 days.

Thoughts: well, this stuff got a real road test while we were on holiday - the wind in New York in winter is biting and it's very hard to avoid getting dry or chapped lips. So I duly slathered this on at night and it really worked! By morning they were miraculously restored. So, a big thumbs up from me for this beauty bargain as I'm sure it's one I'll be using throughout winter.

And finally...

Revlon's Silver Screen nail polish:

Excuse the sloppy manicure - to be fair to Revlon it's been over a week since I painted my nails..

Now, I don't know if you remember me raving about their Steel Her Heart which is a dark pewter/steel colour, and how I wished they did a pure silver one? Well, it turns out they do! I don't know whether it's not stocked in the UK, or whether it's just that I haven't yet come across it but imagine my squeal of delight when I saw this in the drugstore!

I bought two bottles, just in case. And - British ladies, get this - it's $4.70 in the US...compared to something like £7 over here. Not fair!

Thoughts: I can't get over how good Revlon nail polishes are. And that it's taken my this long to discover them. Even one coat is almost passable if you're in a rush and they seem to have really good lasting power. Love it.


So there you have it. Sorry if the post ended up waffling on too long for your liking!

Barry M lip loving

There's a lovely big Superdrug near work so I popped in at lunchtime yesterday and picked up these two. They were £4.19 each so pretty affordable and despite being cheap, the packaging is great (Rimmel, No 17 - take note!)



Lipstick no. 146 - Dolly Pink, and lip gloss in no. 2 - Toffee


They're the first Barry M lip products I've tried, and overall I'm impressed. The consistency of the lipstick is lovely - I have the say the colour is BRIGHT..I'm not entirely sure how often I'll find myself reaching for this one, but nevertheless it's a fun addition.

You may already have noted my deep hatred for lip gloss but I'm determined to find one I like. This one falls very much into that 'my lips but better' category - and the effect is pretty. It's not as sticky as some, which I like. The overpowering toffee smell is a little off putting as I'm not sure I like feeling as though I'm smearing toffee sauce on my lips!

So, I'm going to try some more soon I think - which Barry M lip paints and glosses do you have? And do you like them?

More Inglot treats

We ploughed our way through the crowds at a heaving Westfield today so I could go coat shopping. The effort was worth it, and I now have a lovely new winter jacket -and a purple one at that!

I made a quick stop at Inglot to pick up a couple more eyeshadows. They're a wonderful alternative to MAC - cheaper at £11 for 3 eyeshadows and as far as I can tell so far the pigmentation is almost if not as good as MAC. And they fit into the Pro palettes.

From left to right we have:
a matte neutral shade (390)
a pearl finish pink-y mauve (445) (a little like MAC's Trax crossed with Satellite Dreams?)
a pearl finish deep red-ish purple 452 (similarish to MAC's Cranberry?)


swatched without any primer:


Love them! What do you reckon?

A trip to Westfield is complete without a) a trip to Inglot and b) a cupcake from Buttercup (I ate it far too fast for a photo!)

Review - So sleek

I've read various people raving about the Sleek palettes, so decided it was time I jumped on board the bandwagon. And at £4.87 a pop you really should give them a whirl if you haven't already.

My local Superdrug had 3 options - Original, Storm and Chaos. I bought Storm

All are shimmery unless stated otherwise
Top row, left to right: taupe, white-gold, matte taupe, gold, light golden-pink, gold-burgundy



(apologies for the shoddy photo quality of this one)


Bottom row, left to right: rich brown, dark aqua, v. dark green-black, dark petrol blue, matte dark brown, matte black

I can see myself using pretty much all of these, and some of them an awful lot. My only disappointment is the burgundy colour top right which was the main reason I bought this but it's the only one where you have to work a little to get strong colour.

I love the palette - it's simple and stylish and it has a huge mirror - they've packed a lot into a smallish space and it's still handbag sized. The little applicator that comes with it isn't great, but you could keep it in case of emergency when you have nothing else to hand.

Definitely swing by Superdrug and give these a go.

Review- More cheap treats

I haven't bought any make up in an age, and today I caved - however I can at least hold my head up high as I kept it cheap. One cult(ish) item and one 'it's so cheap why the hell not give it a go' item.

I'm desperate to find an eyeliner that will stay on my waterline and won't just melt away 20 minutes after application so I got GOSH Velvet Tough Eyeliner in Hypnotic Grey. It's very dark grey, nothing half-hearted.

These eyeliners come in 27 colours, and even the teeny little Superdrug I bought mine in had a good 16 or so. GOSH claims they are very highly pigmented and extremely waterproof and durable. Makeupalley members would seem to agree. It certainly goes on beautifully smoothly and doesn't drag your skin so we'll see now how well it lasts.

My super cheapo why-not buy was a 2True lipstick in no.8:


Now, I don't 'do' nude lips - they just look awful on me, unlike so many people on here who I see looking beautiful with them. Perhaps because my lips are pretty higly pigmented naturally so it just looks very wrong? I don't know. Anyway, this is more my cup of tea, perhaps more than my normal cup of tea: It's a blueish-fuscia pink - bit 'more' than I'd usually go for, but surprisingly, I like it. I'm not going to be reaching for it every day by any means, but at this price why not have it for the occasions you do.

Swatches:

What are your favourite cheapo treats in the make up world?

Fake Baking

It's weird being back in London after the Easter break back home. I'm a country girl at heart and it always takes me a while to adjust back to city ways when I've been back home for a visit. However, weirdly, I seem to like extremes - as I said I'm a country girl, but I loved the ultra city-ness of New York...I just find myself uncomfortable and twitchy in the suburbs. We've just moved from a more quiet residential area back into Zone 1 again, near where I first lived when I moved to London. I'm finding I'm much happier being back in the thick of things. Plus I can walk everywhere which I love. Anything to avoid the tube.

I'm setting off today for the wedding this weekend that I'm bridesmaid-ing for. I haven't done the honours since I was 5, which was....let's say a very long time ago. I did a mad dash to Boots today realising that my glow-in-the-dark white legs might be in danger of stealing the bride's thunder, such is their luminous glow. I was after Sally Hansen airbrush legs spray which I used before, loved ten typically lost the can. So - I've had to pick up instead Rimmel's Sun Shimmer Instant Tan:

which I'm hoping will do the same thing - basically just take the edge off. I daren't risk something that doesn't wash off in case it all goes horribly streaky and wrong. Anybody used this one before?

2True makeup

Since I'm on a major economy drive at the moment I'm continuing my experimentation with cheaper 'drugstore' makeup. Today we hit rock bottom on the super-cheapo scale with 2True - and I mean that in terms of cost, not quality.

I believe this is only sold in Superdrug, and is crazily cheap - most things in the range seem to be under £2 and there seems to be an ongoing 3 products for £5 special offer going on. I bought an Effortless Eyeliner, some Glossywear Nail Polish in no.9 and an eyeshadow Dazzler (sound familiar?) in no.3:

I haven't tried the nail polish yet, but on closer inspection I have a feeling it's not going to be quite what I wanted - it looks very glittery and sparkly and I want a more 'fingertips clad in shiny metal' effect, but we'll see.

I haven't been getting on well with my fluidline lately - probably due to my cheap brush not being up to the job. Hele helpfully recommended the idea MAC brush I need, but I'm going to see if I can make any headway with a cheaper liquid eyeliner and if so might swap my fluidline on MUA. So far, so good with this one - though why is it one eye is always better than another. Practice, practice!

The Dazzler is of course a pigment/dazzle dust wannabe, and for one pound something I wasn't expecting an awful lot, but I'm pleasantly surprised with this. The colour is areally pretty grey-ish mauve and it suits my dark brown eyes. I think the colour intensity isn't probably as strong as other brands, but still, I like it and it does a good job.

Excuse the shaky line - I'm not doing the eyeliner justice at all, it's just what happens when you have to draw it with your wrong hand (which also happens to be the 'camera hand')!

Has anybody else given these cheap delights a test run?

Barry M Nail Paint

I know there are quite a few Barry M products that get a lot of love in the blog world but their - or his should I say (I've no idea of this brand's history but I realised I always think of it as being run by Barry Manilow...) - nail paints are wonderful in my opinion.

I have four of these and I'm impressed by them all, and for under £3 you get a lot of bang for your buck. They go on nicely and the intensity of colour is so good you can make do with one coat if you're in a rush. I love the chunky simple no frills bottle too.

The nail paints come in a every colour imaginable, but my favourite colour of all so far has to be no.279. The ultimate bubblegum/Pepto-Bismol/Barbie pink. Nice flat colour without a hint of glitter which means your nails look almost plastic when they're painted. Yup, that sounds odd, but I like the effect. Suitably trashy, it never fails to lift my mood.


Anyone else out there love these?