Danielle's Beauty Blog: blusher

Monday, 11 January 2016

Tarte Holiday Blockbuster Collection

Hi everyone! So I know I’ve been saying a lot recently that I’m going to be a bit more mindful of my spending and stop buying makeup because I certainly don’t need anymore, buuuut… I got some late Christmas money and a £10 off QVC voucher in the post last week and it would have been rude not to?

Anyway, I ended up getting this set and a blusher from the Illamasqua sale and I’m going to stop now! Hopefully. Tarte has always been high on my radar because it’s always been so hard to get a hold of in the UK but now through QVC it’s a lot easier and after being impressed by a mini blush set I got before Christmas I decided to treat myself to this set!

The Holiday Blockbuster Collection comes with four portable palettes each with four eye shadows and a blush, a Lip Surgence Lip Cream in the shade Ravishing and the Lights, Camera, Action 4-in-1 mascara. There is also a little holder included so you can take whichever palette you want with you on the go and the set cost’s £35.

Tarte Holiday Blockbuster Collection inviting blush

Eye shadows clockwise from top: Sparkling Decor, Feeling Fizzy,Chocolate Fountain, Pop the Cork. Blusher: Inviting

Tarte Holiday Blockbuster Collection jolly blush

Eye shadows clockwise from top: Tinsel & Tulle, Merry Mocktail, Plum Pudding,Vintage Cuff. Blush: Jolly

Tarte Holiday Blockbuster Collection cozy blush

Eye shadows clockwise from top: Paper Snowflake, Up on the Rooftaupe, Sweater Weather, Light my Fire. Blush: Cozy

Tarte Holiday Blockbuster Collection swanky blush

Eye shadows clockwise from top: Sequin Centerpiece, Suit & Tie, LBD, Platinum Bauble. Blush: Swanky

As with the Tarte blushers I've tried before, the four in this set are super pigmented and long-lasting! I’m usually not a fan of blushers in the same palette or side by side other products but the pans are a really good size so my brush doesn’t get mixed.

Similarly, the eye shadows are all neutrals with a nice mix of shimmer and matte shades and the palettes are all coordinated but obviously you can mix and match to your hearts content!

So far I’ve only tried out one palette of eye shadows and the payoff was brilliant and they lasted as well on me as my Urban Decay and Makeup Geek eye shadows! I've used two of the blushers and they are such gorgeous colours and give such a beautiful flush to my cheeks although I can imagine it could be easy to go overboard with the shade “Inviting” especially!

Tarte Lip Surgence Ravishing lip pencil swatch

I haven’t tried the mascara yet as I have a few I want to finish first but the Lip Surgence pencil is a lovely bright pink colour and has a minty scent. I think at some point I may look into depotting these into a Z palette as the main storage box is quite large if I did want to mix and match!

Can you tell eye shadows and blushers are my weakness? Closely followed by lip products! I definitely feel like the blush and palette tag might be done at some stage this year! Have you tried any Tarte products before? What are your favourites?

Danielle xx

SEVENTEEN Christmas Gift with Purchase 2015

Hi everyone, I wanted to get a post up today with a gift with purchase that’s currently available in Boots! If you spend £6 on selected SEVENTEEN products you get a free pouch with three makeup brushes! Here’s what I bought!

SEVENTEEN gift with purchase Christmas 2015

SEVENTEEN gift with purchase blush powder makeup brushes review

SEVENTEEN Stay Time Pressed Powder

I go through powder quite quickly and my Holy Grail powder is No7 Perfect Light pressed powder, being that SEVENTEEN is meant to be the baby sister brand of No7 I thought I would try one of their powders. I went with Stay Time as I like mattifying powders that help make my makeup last and so far I’ve been really impressed with the stay time (geddit) of this powder! I have it in the shade Fair and although I do prefer my setting powders to be translucent, this doesn’t add any noticeable colour to my face and I’m really impressed with its lasting power!

SEVENTEEN Blush Powder

The packaging of the blusher is not my favourite thing in the world as it’s a screw cap and I just find it more fiddly than anything but the range of colours is great and I had a hard time picking just one! I eventually settled on China Pink which is a lovely bright matte pink colour that has a great amount of pigmentation and lasts all day on my cheeks! The best thing about these blushes – they’re only £2.99!

SEVENTEEN stay time powder fair blush china pink swatch review

l-r Blush in China Pink, Stay Time powder in Fair

SEVENTEEN gift with purchase makeup brushes review

The GWP includes a black glitter pouch with three makeup brushes, one for cheeks, eyes and lips. They are all a lot softer than I was expecting and the cheek brush works well to apply the blush evenly, the eye brush is great for applying a darker shadow colour in the outer corner and the lip brush has been perfect to use to apply the lip products in my In the Balm of Your Hand palette!

Have you seen all the Christmas makeup GWP’s in Boots at the minute? This might not have been the only one I bought! Did you get any?

Danielle xx

My Favourite Makeup Brushes

favourite makeup brushes zoeva real techniques no7 boots

I thought today I would share my favourite makeup brushes! These are the ones I use every day and some of them I have doubles for because I love them so much!

favourite makeup brushes zoeva powder real techniques setting brush

Zoeva 106 Powder Brush

Some powder brushes I've used in the past are massive and while I like my powder, I sometimes feel a little like they make my makeup look a little cakey! This one is a great size and works perfectly to spread my powder evenly over my face! I got it in the Zoeva Rose Golden set which is expensive to fork out for but the quality of the brushes is amazing so it’s definitely worth it!

Real Techniques Setting Brush

I never used to use this one until maybe the start of the year when I realised my powder brush wasn't great at reaching under my eyes and my concealer was creasing a little. This brush solves that problem for me! I sometimes use a different powder to the one I use all over my face such as a banana coloured powder to help brighten this area and it works so well, I couldn’t be without this one now!

favourite best makeup brushes no 7 blush zoeva luxe sheer cheek brush

No7 Blusher Brush

No7 brushes are seriously underrated! This is actually the third incarnation of this brush I have gone through. It was in the first brush set I ever got years ago in a No7 Christmas set and I used it for blusher until replacing it when it got a little too worn looking and starting to use it for contour. I then rebought it a few months ago as they updated the brush line and mine had started shedding a little! This is my favourite brush for contouring as it's quite small but not completely flat so there are no harsh lines and it fits nicely under my cheek bone! It’s really soft so blends easily and it’s probably my favourite brush ever! I've got about 2 to 3 years daily use out of each of the previous versions I've had and while it’s quite pricey for a drugstore brush, if you get them with a £3 off No7 voucher they work out much better!

Zoeva 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush

I switch quite frequently with this brush and a Zoeva 128 Cream Cheek brush depending on what blusher I am wearing but at the time of taking these photos I had just got the Hourglass blush palette (found it in stock online at John Lewis!) and this is the most perfect brush for applying those blushers! I have preferred to use an angled blush brush for the last few years as I feel I can apply my blush much more evenly and this and the Zoeva 128 are the perfect size.

favourite makeup best brushes real techniques base shadow angled zoeva pointed crease wing liner eye brush

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush

I actually have two of these brushes, one from the starter set (of which this is the only brush I rate) and one from the Nic’s Picks set. This is by far my favourite brush to apply eyeshadow with. It’s soft, flexible but not too flexible and applies just the right amount of eyeshadow. I wish they would make this available as a single brush because I would definitely pick up a couple more, mine are starting to look a little battered but they still work really well!

Zoeva 231 Luxe Petit Crease

At first I thought this brush would be too stiff to apply a darker colour in my crease but it works perfectly to add a bit more depth to my eyes!

Real Techniques Angled Shadow Brush

This is my favourite blending brush to use, I love that it’s angled! I find it fits my crease better and allows me to blend more effectively! This is another brush I wish Real Techniques would sell separately as I love it so much!

Zoeva 317 Wing Liner Brush

This is another brush I have two of and originally talked about in this post! I use this bamboo handled one for my eyebrows when I’m using powder for my brows or my Anastasia Dipbrow pomade and I also use the one from the rose gold collection to apply eyeliner (usually just a black eyeshadow). It’s not too firm so I get a really natural look when using this!

I generally use my fingers or a Real Techniques sponge/Beauty Blender to apply my foundation so don’t really use brushes for that! Let me know what your must have brushes are!

Danielle xx

Two Limited Edition palettes/possible gift ideas!

NARS The Balm limited edition palettes 2015

Hi everyone, I have two recent additions to my makeup collection to share with you today that came about as a result of me treating myself after landing a new job and a birthday present from my mum!

NARS One Shocking Moment palette close up

The first one I got was the NARS One Shocking Moment palette and not having a huge amount of their face products apart from an older palette I bought in a blog sale, I thought I would treat myself to this one which is exclusive to Space NK in the UK!

NARS One Shocking Moment palette swatches

l-r Paloma, Laguna, Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster, Dolce Vita

I was expecting this to be dearer but at £45 I decided to take the plunge and try it out and I’m so glad I did. I haven’t used Laguna much as I don’t bronze my face for the daytime but I love the Paloma contour duo (and the fact it has a matte highlight!) and it actually reminds me a little of the SEVENTEEN contour kit with the SEVENTEEN coming off a tad warmer when I swatched them, anyone else? The blushers are gorgeous, from left to right we have Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster and Dolce Vita which are all good sized pans and have lovely pigmentation. As I don’t have any single pan NARS blushers I can’t tell if there are any differences in pigmentation but I know sometimes people mention that the quality isn’t the same.

The Balm In the Balm of your Hand palette close up

Next up we have the Balm’s In the Balm of Your Hand palette featuring some of their most loved cheek eye and lip products! I’m a huge fan of the Balm, especially their blushers Frat Boy and Down Boy so when I started to see pictures of this palette floating about I knew it would be top of my wish list!

l-r Hot Mama, Instain in Argyle, Cabana Boy, Bahama Mama

The only duplicate I have in the palette is the Bahama Mama bronzer which I really like and also use for contouring! I’m loving Hot Mama and the Instain blush especially but need to find a softer brush to use with Cabana Boy as it’s so pigmented I put a little too much on and had to spend a little extra time blending it out!

l-r Mia Moore, Caramel

I was more impressed than I expected to be with the lip products, I thought they would be sticky and hard to apply smoothly and it was only when I put How About them Apples in Caramel on my lips with my finger that I was won over by the gorgeous colour, easy application, no stickiness and comfortable feel! I haven’t tried it on my cheeks yet and probably won’t bother as I’m not a huge fan of cream blushers!

In the Balm of your Hand eyeshadow swatches

l-r Insane Jane, Mischevious Marissa, Sexy, Lead Zeppelin, Mary Lou Manizer

I’m enjoying using the much hyped Mary Lou Manizer (I don’t highlight often so a full size would be wasted on me) and with a light hand it’s easy to add a subtle sheen to my face. The eyeshadows Sexy and Lead Zeppelin are unlike anything I have in my collection at the minute and although not normally shades I would go for on a day to day basis, the pigmentation is amazing and I can’t wait to wear them over Christmas! Mischievous Marissa is a lovely warm toned shimmer shade and Insane Jane is another shade that is more in my comfort zone.

I got my palette from Cloud10 beauty a few weeks ago (then gave it to my mum to wrap up for my birthday!). It was my first time ordering from the site but they had a 15% off offer on, great samples and the delivery was super quick! I've also seen it on asos.com for a lot cheaper but it’s out of stock at the minute and Debenhams have it too!

Overall, I’m super happy with both palettes and will get loads of wear out of them! They are definitely great for beauty lovers or for people wanting to try a few different things from a brand! Have you tried either of these palettes or anything from NARS or The Balm?

P.S. Sorry about the horrific state of my tan in these photos! I took these pictures just before I scrubbed it off!

Danielle xx

A ColourPop Haul

ColourPop haul UK lumiere lippie stix super shock shadows

A lovely friend of mine recently came back from a year in America and before she returned, I placed a sneaky order with ColourPop for her to take back home for me! Here’s what I got…

ColourPop haul UK lumiere lippie stix super shock shadows ultra matte

Ultra Matte Lip in Donut

This is a bright peach colour that is a lot brighter/neon than what I was expecting! This is definitely more of a night out colour for me but to be honest I find the formula so drying on my lips I don’t know if I could get make it out the door with this! It’s the quickest drying of any matte cream formula of lip product that I’ve tried so it’s got that going for it but I just could not get on with it! I did try putting a little Carmex over it like I do with a lot of matte lipsticks to make them more wearable for me but this did not agree with that at all and turned into a bit of a gloopy mess!

Colourpop lippie stix lumiere crunch matte sheer

Lippie Stix in Crunch

This is one of my favourites! It’s a peachy coral colour that lasts a long time on my lips keeping them nicely moisturised and it really brightens up my complexion! I am completely in my comfort zone with shades and formulations like this and it did not let me down! It’s sheer but it’s buildable and I absolutely love it!

Colourpop lippie stix swatches lumiere crunch ultra matte donut

Lippie Stix in Lumiere

Another ColourPop lip product I am obsessed with! This is a dusty mauve pink created by Kathleen Lights who I actually never really watch on Youtube but this shade was so hyped I had to try it for myself! I’m so glad I did, it’s like nothing else I own and although I don’t usually get on too well with matte products this one is a different story! It’s creamy and it doesn’t dry my lips out or accentuate dry patches (although I always use a lip scrub before applying lipstick for the day!). This lasts ages on me before I start getting a tell-tale outline around my lips and have to reapply! I love the size of the nib of the lippie stix too as I can be more precise when applying!

ColourPop haul UK super shock cheek skinny dip birthday suit

Super Shock Cheek Blush in Birthday Suit

This is a neutral pink colour with a satin finish and I actually struggled with this in the beginning because I couldn’t get a brush that would pick up enough product for me! Since upgrading my old No7 blush brush to the newer version I have been having more luck with this and love the flush of colour and healthy sheen it gives me. The formulation of this, the bronzer and eye shadows is absolutely amazing and like nothing give ever felt before! It’s so soft and malleable and just a dream to touch!

Super Shock Cheek Bronzer in Skinny Dip

ColourPop describe this as a warm tan bronzer which I think is very light and perfect for me to contour with when I have no tan on, it’s very natural looking and I love it! I don’t find it overly warm either and I think it would be impossible to go overboard with it!

ColourPop haul UK super shock eyeshadows mittens to-a-t intoxicate

The super shock shadows were where I think I made a few rash decisions! I was in a rush so had about ten pages of google images of swatches laid out in front of me and decided to go with all mattes because I wear them every day. To-a-T is a mid-tone warm brown that looks pretty much identical on my skin tone to Intoxicate from the Rumer Has It Collection (not available anymore). Mittens is a deep warm brown with a red violet undertone. Now when it comes to eyeshadows I like them cool and taupey/brown/grey so these are slightly on the warm side for me for everyday wear! I do have blue eyes so by rights they should suit me and I think they will if I have lots of liner and mascara on to balance out the warmth of the eye shadows so all is not lost! They are so inexpensive too I’m not that upset I panic bought and didn’t read the descriptions properly before buying!

ColourPop swatches birthday suit skinny dip mittens to-a-t intoxicate

I went with the photos on ColourPop’s website which I found really helpful as they show the shades on fair, medium and dark skin tones but maybe should have looked up some more close up swatches and read the descriptions or I would have stayed away from the warmer tones! Sometimes swatches can be deceptive!

The stars of the show for me were definitely Crunch, Lumiere, Birthday Suit and Skinny Dip! Have you tried anything from Colourpop before? Or have you seen anything you like? I hope they get shipping to the UK sorted soon!

Danielle xx

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Boots/New in at the Drugstore Haul August 2015 #3

Boots Drugstore August 2015 haul soap and glory max factor new in

Hi everyone, I have a sneaky Boots haul for you all today! I saw a few weeks ago that Soap and Glory had released a few new products and Max Factor had a new foundation and lipstick range out that I wanted to try so I took advantage of the 3 for 2 offers and buy one get one half price and treated myself!

Here’s what I got:

Soap and Glory

Soap and Glory Original Pink Body Spray

I’m a big fan of the Original Pink fragrance so love the fact they have added a matching body spray to the line-up! However, I had this on me today and it didn’t last on my skin at all! I've spoken about my love for the Mist you Madly body spray on my blog before and it lingers all day on me so I was really disappointed with this!

Soap and Glory Archery 2 in 1 Brow Sculpting Crayon and Setting Gel

I haven’t tried this out yet but I have high hopes for it if it’s anything like the other brow products Soap and Glory have! Embarrassingly I now own all their brow products, would anyone like a review and comparison post on them all? Let me know in the comments!

Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Instant Perfecting Power Primer

I got so excited when I saw Soap and Glory had started doing a primer! I haven’t tried this yet because I have a wedding this week so I’m trying not to use anything new on my face in case I break out but this will be cracked open next week for sure :)

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker GlossStick 3D Volume Lip Shine in Nudist and Technicoral

These are like the baby sisters of the original sexy mother pucker gloss sticks! As far as I can tell, there is a lot less product in these which doesn’t bother me because I doubt I will ever finish off the originals anyway! These also come without the infamous tingle some Soap and Glory lip products have! They give a lovely wash of colour and shine and feel really moisturising on my lips! I want the other colours now!

Max Factor

Max Factor Miracle Match Foundation in Warm Almond

I saw this on Really Ree’s blog a while back and just really liked the look of it so ordered it! I used to love their Miracle Touch foundation but thought it was quite dear and I went through it quite quickly. Again, I haven’t tried this in case it breaks me out – I swear I’m so paranoid!

Max Factor Lipfinity Longlasting Lipstick in Evermore Lush

Again I think I saw this on Ree’s blog and as it was 3 for 2 I picked it up to try it! It’s a gorgeous berry colour and although it claims to last up to 8 hours I can’t see this being the case! I tried it out today and it was really easy to apply and felt quite moisturising. With lipsticks like this that are a little darker than I would usually apply, I rub them in with my finger to stain my lips a little more so I don’t have to worry as much about transfer! I noticed there was a little glitter in the lipstick but it wasn’t too obvious!

Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in Nude Mauve

This is my third Crème Puff Blush now and I absolutely love them! The give such a subtle healthy glow to the skin they are gorgeous! While it’s easy to go overboard with some blush I think these are absolutely failsafe and everyone should have at least one!

Collection

Collection Crème Puff Lip Cream in Fairy Cake

I've seen this in a few of Alix’s videos and it looks gorgeous so I finally bought it! I love her blog and channel and think she has such good recommendations! This is such a bright corally pinky colour and the formula is really easy to work with! Even though its matte it feels quite moisturising. I can’t say much for lasting power yet as I literally just tried it on to see how it looked but for £2.99 you can’t go wrong!

There we go, a slightly blogger influenced haul! See my previous Boots/Drugstore Hauls here and here! Have you treated yourself lately?

Makeup Storage Solutions/Alternatives using Nutella and Ferrero Rocher packaging

Makeup storage that is affordable is something I am always on the lookout for and I usually get mine from Homebase, H&M or Ikea. However, last Christmas I had a few bits and pieces of makeup lying out on my desk that I wanted to tidy up and found an even cheaper alternative.

nutella glass ferrero rocher storage makeup alternative

My aunt had got me a box of Ferrero Rocher’s as a present and once I worked my way through it I tried out a few blushers and bronzers inside and was happy with how they fit. It also easily holds a few eye shadow quads from Soap and Glory and the fact it’s so compact encourages me to use different makeup I have more often!

ferrero rocher alternative makeup storage

Similarly, a few of my eye products started rolling around my desk and were too small for my Ikea plant pots which are already full of brushes so I went downstairs and grabbed a Nutella glass. It was the perfect size to store mascaras, eyebrow pencils and concealers!

nutella glass makeup storage alternative

Anyway, I thought I would put up a quick post showing how I use my alternative storage for anyone who is maybe on a budget (and also so I would have an excuse to buy myself a box of Ferrero Rocher and another jar of Nutella)! It’s definitely not the most pretty of storage but it’s cheap and it’s handy and you do get a chocolate fix out of it :)

The Ferrero Rocher packaging can also be used for storing lipsticks upright or chubby lip pencils laid down which is what I’m using my second one for now!

ferrero rocher lipstick alternative makeup storge

ferrero rocher packaging lipstick makeup alternative storage

Here’s a little look at what powders fit in my Ferrero Rocher packaging.It’s the perfect size for the Soap and Glory eye shadow quads (What’s Nude and Smokey Dokey) and Solar Powder, The Balm’s Bahama Mama, The Body Shop Honey Bronzer 02, L’Oreal Glam Bronze 06, Illamasqua blusher in Hussy and the Wet n Wild blushers (Mellow Wine and Pearlescent Pink)!

soap and glory eye shadow quads illamasqua wet n wild loreal the balm the body shop

While we're on the subject of Nutella jars, does anyone else have about 100 Simpson’s glasses from a few years back? I was obsessed! Do you use anything strange to store your makeup in?

Danielle's Beauty Blog

Monday, 11 January 2016

Tarte Holiday Blockbuster Collection

Thursday, 10 December 2015

SEVENTEEN Christmas Gift with Purchase 2015

Monday, 7 December 2015

My Favourite Makeup Brushes

Monday, 30 November 2015

Two Limited Edition palettes/possible gift ideas!

Monday, 19 October 2015

A ColourPop Haul

Monday, 24 August 2015

Boots/New in at the Drugstore Haul August 2015 #3

Monday, 10 August 2015

Makeup Storage Solutions/Alternatives using Nutella and Ferrero Rocher packaging