Thursday, 13 April 2017

Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone | Vincent Longo Highlighters


Vincent Longo highlighters review creme to powder la bella luce

Highlighters are a funny thing to me, with my oily skin I tend to shy away from them or skip them completely when I’m doing my makeup because I’m paranoid they will draw attention to me (ironic since this is one of the reasons most people wear them, no?). I remember doing my makeup for my friend’s wedding a few years ago and thinking I’ll add a little highlighter, what can go wrong, fast forward a few hours and I notice glitter that has dropped down my cheeks and gathered under my eyes (ABH Sand from the contour kit by the way) and I think I made a conscious decision then not to bother with that step. (I think I was probably the only person that noticed the fall out and I cleared it up pretty quick with a powder brush by the way!)

Since then, I’ve always been extra careful with highlighter, I only use a tiny amount and the highlighters I own all come in palettes with the only full size coming as a free gift! So, when I was sent these two Vincent Longo highlighters I knew I was going to be pushed firmly out of my makeup comfort zone and you know what, I’m loving it!

Vincent Longo highlighters review

I have previously reviewed Vincent Longo Cosmetics on my blog here but very briefly, the brand was founded in 1995 and is known for its luxurious, high performance formulas as well as creativity and award winning products. One of my favourite products from them is their Water Canvas Crème to Powder blush which featured again in my Five Products I’m Loving post back in January so I was excited to give the Vincent Longo Water Canvas Highlighter in Mermaid Muse* (RRP £32) a try.

Vincent Longo Water Canvas Highlighter in Mermaid Muse review creme to powder

Vincent Longo Water Canvas Highlighter in Mermaid Muse review

The crème to powder formula is quite possibly the most unique formula in makeup I’ve ever come across and it feels absolutely beautiful on the skin! It’s moist with the formula containing 75% Microwater – a natural seaweed polymer - pure pigment, Vitamin E and silica. In the pan this looks like a peachy blush shade but when on the skin it transforms into a translucent sheer but buildable skin shimmer that promises to give a refreshing wash of luminous colour and sparkle which it certainly does! This is a little too sparkly for me for daily wear but I’ve been enjoying experimenting with it and can vouch for how long lasting it is and it won’t migrate or cause fall out. The packaging is airtight so keep it moist so make sure you close it properly after use!

Vincent Longo La Bella Luce Highlighter in Flora review

Vincent Longo La Bella Luce Highlighter in Flora* (RRP £24.50) on the other hand is something I can fully get on board with and it’s officially my favourite highlighter! It is everything I didn’t know I needed on my face and I’m going overboard because I love it! La Bella Luce means “beautiful light” in Italian and that’s really what this highlighter is. It’s a very finely milled powder in a beautiful marbled pan. Flora is a pearlescent pink that suits my skin tone perfectly whether I have tan on or not and it’s easily buildable depending on how much glow you want! Ethereal, candlelit and luminescent are also words that are in the description of this product online and I could not agree more, this gives me exactly the right amount of sheen every time I use it and it just adds a little somethin’ somethin’ to my face! I also love the packaging; it’s a sleek black magnetic compact with a mirror inside so perfect for travelling with. I think I’ve finally got over my highlighter fear with this one! Trust me, you need it!

Vincent Longo La Bella Luce Highlighter in Flora close up review

I found it impossible to capture these properly in my swatches but I’ve added them in any way to give you a guide! The first photo on the left shows finger swatches of Mermaid Muse and Flora, the middle photo shows a finger swatch of Mermaid Muse then a brush swatch using the Real Techniques duo fibre contour brush and finally the last photo is a finger swatch of Flora then a diffused brush swatch using a Morphe B8 fan brush.

Vincent Longo highlighters review swatches

Vincent Longo Cosmetics are available at Cult Beauty, Feel Unique, ASOS, Beauty Expert, Look Fantastic and HQ Hair!

Have you tried Vincent Longo Cosmetics before? Let me know what your favourite highlighter is in your collection!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own. See my full disclosure here.

Danielle xx

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Monday, 10 April 2017

Latest in Beauty Subscription Box

latest in beauty subscription box

Latest in Beauty are my favourite beauty box service, they continually come out with collaborations with the likes of Glamour magazine and Origins and also offer a subscription service! I’ve never subscribed to the likes of Birchbox or Glossybox before because I don’t like the fact you don’t know what you’re getting each month but with Latest in Beauty you choose exactly what you want to receive each month - brands range from Rimmel and MUA to Nuxe and Omorovicza! Now I certainly don’t need any more beauty products but I was tipped over the edge this time when I saw what had been added to the website when Sal at Umm Baby Beauty showed her last box over on Instagram! She is one of my favourite bloggers and you should all follow her immediately if you aren't already! 

The Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist was the product that did it for me – I have wanted to try the brand for the longest time but the products aren’t cheap and I was unsure if the rose scent would be too much for me. I’ve only used this a couple of times since I got it but the scent is very gentle and the mist feels really refreshing!

The Bumble and Bumble Hairdressers Invisible Oil PrimerDr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel pads and Oskia Renaissance Mask were also Sal inspired purchases and all brands I’ve heard great things about but never tried anything from so thought this was the perfect time! I’ve only used the invisible oil primer and so far so good, it’s lightweight and doesn’t make my hair greasy and apparently it’s meant to protect against heat styling too so perfect for me!

latest in beauty subscription box oskia renaissance mask

You will see a continuing theme here as all the rest of the products I went for are from brands I have tried nothing or very little from. Next up is the Ole Henrickson Sheer Transformation Facial Crème to help fade skin discoloration and retexturise the skin, NUDE Skincare Rescue Oil to smooth skin and refine texture (can you tell I have a thing for products that promise to do this?!) and Purity Made Simple 3 in 1 Cleanser which I thought would be nice to use in the morning with my Foreo Luna.

I also picked out a Nanshy Kabuki Brush because I haven’t used one in years preferring my Real Techniques blush brush for bronzing but I wanted to try the brand and the Elemis British Botanical Body Cream as I wanted a change from my usual Soap and Glory or Nivea creams!

latest in beauty subscription box 9 product

So that was my build your own box! Lots of new products to try and I’m sure you will see them pop up here or on my Instagram soon! It also came in a makeup bag which I wasn’t expecting and I know that when I bought a one off box for my aunt at Christmas you had to buy this separately if you wanted it (£4) so I’m not entirely sure if this just comes the first time you sign up to the subscription but I’m assuming so!

I went with the 9 product subscription but they also offer a 3 product or 6 product box. As well as the subscription service you can buy a box at any time as a one off buy though it’s slightly more expensive. To subscribe to the three product box its £9 per month with free delivery or £16 one off plus £3.95 delivery. Six products are £15 or £22 plus delivery and the nine product box (my personal favourite) is £18 or £25 plus delivery. You can see why I went with the nine product subscription though I will cancel it before next month or downgrade it depending on what’s new in to pick from!

Have you tried the Latest in Beauty subscription box?

Danielle xx

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Thursday, 6 April 2017

Makeup | Lorac PRO Palette Review


Lorac PRO Palette review

I mentioned in my try not to buy haul on Monday that I would have a full review of the Lorac PRO palette today so here it is! I know these have been done to death but I can’t help myself, I absolutely love it and I want to talk about it!  

I have wanted this palette for years – I used to see it all the time on Youtube and blogs with The Anna Edit and Estee Lalonde being my main enablers. I always remember how much trouble Estee had getting this palette because it was always out of stock so when my friend was in America on holiday recently and asked if there was anything I wanted back I said this palette and told her not to go out of her way to find an ULTA. She found one though with a fully stocked Lorac stand and I could not be happier!

Lorac PRO palette  original review

This palette had become my go to and I haven’t put it down in the three weeks I’ve had it! The packaging is super slim line and matte black and is definitely looking a little grubby already but I couldn’t care less! Inside are 16 beautifully pigmented neural eyeshadows with 8 mattes along the top row and 8 shimmers (1 sparkle to be precise) along the bottom.

Lorac PRO Palette close up

The mattes do have a bit of fallout and you only need to lightly dip your eye brush in to get amazing payoff! If I’m going for a matte eye I love using Light Pink to set my eye as its really brightening then I usually go for Taupe or Mauve through the crease and I’ll build up my outer corner with Sable and Espresso before using Cream in my inner corner and halfway across my lid and then I'll use Black to line my upper lid.

Lorac PRO palette top row matte swatches

Lorac PRO palette bottom row shimmer swatches

If I’m doing something a little more special, I’ll use basically the same combination but instead of Cream, I’ll pop Pewter or Light Bronze over my lid. I will pluck up the courage to try out Garnet one of these days too! As usual my swatches do no justice to how pigmented and smooth these eyeshadows really are! 

With the palette also came a mini Behind the Scenes eye primer which I have been enjoying using. It dries matte quickly and brightens up my eyelid but I do find oils start to peak through during the day. I have oily lids and most primers start to fail on me after half a day’s wear so I don’t hold that against it. It’s fine for daytime use but I still something like the NARS one if I’m going out as it lasts a little longer.

Overall, if you can’t already tell, I am in love with this palette and it has very quickly climbed to the top of my favourite palette list! The quality of the shadows is amazing and though I probably would have liked to have seen another mid toned matte brown on the top row instead of the stark white I really don’t have anything bad to say about it at all! I feel like this is what I wanted the Smashbox Full Exposure palette to be but the bottom row shimmers in that palette are awful and I never reach for it even though I love the mattes. The mattes in the Lorac palette remind me of the Kat Von D Shade and Light eye palette which I also love but I do think the Lorac is more versatile as it has the shimmers too! 10 out of 10! 

What do you think of this palette? What’s on you eyeshadow palette wishlist?

Danielle xx

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Monday, 3 April 2017

A Try Not to Buy Haul #2

spending ban haul lorac pro palette beauty blender the ordinatu foreo

I mentioned a few weeks ago about my spending ban or my “try not to buy” as I prefer to call it so I’ve got a little update this week on what I’ve been buying recently and justification to myself as to why!

My main expenditure was on Cult Beauty as they had their infamous spring goody bag up for grabs last month when you spent over £100. I tend to add things to my wish list then when this offer comes around (usually every season) I have a splurge because the GWP is so good! I also talked a little more about what offers I like to wait for in my Best UK Beauty Sites and How to Save Money post a while back!

Standard! This is my favourite way to apply foundation and I recently opened a new one so this is my back up! It will probably be a few months before I open it but I didn’t want to waste money on something I don’t need and I know this will get used!

I loved my Foreo Luna Play that I got in my last Cult Beauty GWP and it was something I would never have bought had I not had the chance to try it! When the GWP offer came around I took the opportunity to upgrade to the rechargeable Luna Go! I actually haven’t tried this out yet because I still have some uses left in my Luna Play so I can’t say much about this yet but I have high hopes as I love the Play so much!

fairydrops brow wow wow liner natural brunette
Fairydrops Brow Wow Wow Liner in Natural Brunette

Fairydrops Brow Wow Wow Liner
I’ve wanted a felt tip eyebrow pen for ages as I love my Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil and wanted to try another one. I got this in the shade Natural Brunette and it’s got a nice fine felt tip but it’s very sheer and I find I’m usually happier when I top up with a standard brow pencil. I definitely prefer the Soap and Glory and it’s cheaper too for a double sided product!

Have a nosy at what was in the goody bag on my Instagram!

I can’t begin to tell you how long I’ve wanted this palette for and even though I definitely didn’t need another eyeshadow palette in my collection I couldn’t pass this one up when my friend asked if I wanted anything back from America a few weeks ago! I won’t go into much more detail at the minute because I’m going to have a full review up on Thursday about this but spoiler alert I LOVE it!

Boots Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream
I can’t find this on the website at the moment but I picked it up because I ran out of eye cream and had a few pounds left on a gift card! I’ve used this before and it’s perfect for the daytime as it’s so lightweight and absorbs quickly but I do prefer something a little richer at night!  

ASOS recently had 20% off for St. Patrick’s Day so I took advantage and picked up a couple of products I’ve wanted to try for ages including this primer! The Ordinary are known for being incredibly affordable while not skimping on quality and I love the other products I own by them. I’ve been using this all week and I’m just not sure about at the minute, I love the formula and how it feels on my skin but I’ve been retrying a few foundations I hate so I think that is swaying my opinion a little – stay tuned though because I will definitely revisit with my favourite foundations and see how it holds up!

This was actually part of a Mother’s Day present for my mum but I wanted to include it because I will totally be borrowing it! I’ve only used it once so can’t say much about it, but it targets the signs of aging and textural irregularities and I have high hopes for it as I’ve been noticing massive creases in between my eyes because I squint so much so I’m hoping this helps!

Have you tried anything I’ve mentioned? What have you been buying recently?

Danielle xx

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