The Swatch Files: LA Colors eyeliner pencils in Black, Violet and Sky Blue

I can't help myself when it comes to buying eyeliner.  I have about six million that I need to use up and still I buy more and more.

I bought these in the Autumn and I've been getting some good use out of them.  I especially like the blue as it is one of the few bright blues that shows up well on my skin.

All three are pigmented and smudge out a treat.  I find that the Black and Volet pencil glide on smoother than the Sky Blue one.  Having said that, the Sky Blue one isn't a total pain!

A Revlon Haul

In Boots at the moment, they have certain Revlon products on sale for £5.00.

As far as I'm aware, it's on all mascaras and eyeliners and then on the lip stains.  I'm a bit confused by the whole affair though as when I checked online a few weeks ago, it was also on some lipsticks.  Now it seems to have been scaled back to only what I've mentioned above.  Online, they're still showing as in the promotion but it's not the same story in store.

I bought the following for a total of £20.  I've not heard much about the Just Bitten lip stains so I did a very un-beauty blogger thing and bought blind.  I've used the Grow Luscious mascara before (and I love it) but have yet to use the matching pencil.

Does anyone have any experience of the lip stains?  Anyone planning on picking some bits up?  I was quite surprised that they were reduced by so much as we seldom get these kinds of deals in the UK.  The Boots page for the promo is here..

The Illamasqua Christmas Sale: What I bought

Whenever I go to Oxford Street (be it to go swatch mad on makeup or to pick up some bits for the flat/house), I meander on down to Liberty and now on down to the Illamasqua flagship store on Beak Street.

As I tend to hit this shop after I'm practically shopped out at Selfridges, John Lewis, Debenhams, HoF and Liberty, I get a bit of fatigue on only test out things that really jump out at me.  The only thing that annoys me is that they store all the products upside down which makes it hard to swatch them in a rush.

The Illamasqua sale is a proper sale.  You can pick up a lot of things for £5 (cream shadows, false lashes, nail polish etc..) 

This is what I got from the Illamasqu sale..8 things for a very decent £45.

I got three cream eyeshadows (Malevolvent, Debauch and Peak) which I will either use as such or to add a bit of colour to my lower (or upper) lashline.  I was going to buy an apricot shade to use as a blusher but after seeing the consistency of these, I'm glad I didn't as I don't think they have enough slip to be used in that way..but then I might be wrong.

I also got a set of three liquid metals for the bargain price of £10, each usually retail for £17.50.  They also smell nice and sweet..kind of like those Rusk biscuits and a bit like cocoa butter.

The final two things are eyeliner pencils.  One is a thin pencil (Eerie..which is black) and a fat pencil (Fickle).  Eerie looks furry and I don't think that's right.

Anyone else found any bargains?  I wanted to buy so much but have been behaving myself so this is it for me so far.  I might get a perfume from L'artisan Parfumeur but that is about it.  Well..and a Matalan order but I think that really is it!

You can check the sale out here.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Baked, Binge and Mildew

There are some products that need no introduction; the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils fall into this illustrious group..but as this sentence illustrates, they're still getting one.  

The inspiration behind  the naming process for Baked and Mildew is obvious but I just don't get Binge.  If I was naming it, I'd call it Galaxy because it reminds me of the night sky they used to have on The Jetsons.  Or velvet because it reminds me of blue velvet.

The fact that the casing corresponds with the colour of the pencil is a godsend for me because I'm perpetually in a rush so I know exactly what I'm grabbing for when I pick up one of these babies.

The pencils are soft enough to glide along the waterline and lashline without tugging but strong enough to leave a decent amount of pigment behind.  You don't have to go giving your waterline the violin action to get a fair bit of colour.  The colour flows easily on the upper lashline and doesn't budge until I need to take it off.

I have oily lids and these all last well on both the waterline and lashline. Normal wear for me is 7 a.m. until about 10 p.m.  However, if you want to push it and wear them longer, they do smudge..but more in a "she's rubbed the pencil through her lower lashes" way than a "she's been crying and hasn't tidied her makeup up" way.  And if someone ever said the latter to me, they'd get a swift kick..as if sorting your makeup out would be the first thing on your mind.

I got a good few months usage out of them before the first one needed sharpening which is a long time as I usually end up sharpening after a few weeks.  When I sharpened Galaxy Velvet Binge and it didn't crumble so you're all good on that front. 

Each colour really makes my brown eyes sparkle in a way that no other eye pencil has done. My favourite is Binge, simply because the blue manages to not only make the whites of my eyes look whiter but it also makes the brown sparkle. 

If anyone reading this never knows how to dress their eyes up for an Indian function, buy Baked and you won't be sorry.  I either line my waterline with it or line my upper lashline and stroke it through my lashes, whack some mascara on and I'm done!

Notice the tired eyes in the last photo? I'm not usually that dopey looking.

I'm not sure why Baked looks patchy but trust me, it is very pigmented and gives you a gorgeous pop of colour.  I'm not sure why you can't see it on my waterline because you can in reality.  Mildew and Binge are perfect worksafe colours for me.  Most of my other green/blue pencils are either too bright for work or they're just not worth wearing as they look black.

Each pencil costs £13.00 from Debenhams and the usual outlets.  I'm planning on buying Zero as I know it will let my line my upper lashline in a hurry and run off to work.

The Swatch Files: Stila Kajal Eyeliner in Amethyst

On my waterline, it comes out lilacy but when I put it on my lids, it comes out as a darker purple.

Sorry for the crappy photo of the pencil, I had a better photo which Picasa has conveniently lost.

To get a darker colour on you waterline, I suggest warming the pencil up by rubbing it on the back of your hand.

Re. how long the pencil lasts, I've noticed the following:

• It lasts all day on the waterline, it is creamy when you apply it but it sticks around for ages, doesn't smudge or anything.
• If you have brown eyes, it's a really good work-safe colour to use as from a distance, it looks brown but it accentuates your eyes
• I have been using this on a weekly basis for more than a year and I've only had to sharpen it very recently

The Swatch Files (and a tiny review): Jemma Kidd Makeup

For once I bring you a post which contains more photos than words..I'm not happy with the spacing between some photos but for the life of me I can't figure out how to make the space smaller, if you know how, let me know.

I-Perfector Prep & Brighten Duo

What do I think? The primer is good but I wouldn't recommend it for a starter as you have to blend it in pretty well to get the eyshadow to stick to it smoothly.  If you don't blend it in, the eyeshadow applies really patchy.  It's very good to use if you don't need your eyeshadow to stay for more than a couple of hours.  I've worn it to work and it's worked well for all day too.  You only need a tiiiiiiiiiiiiny bit as well which is good.  The liner is crapola, for starters, it's too hard to use on your waterline which is the only place I would use such a colour.  You can't soften it or anything either (I tried).  You could use it as a base but I have never tried.

Define Stay-put Eye Liner

What do I think? The smudger is one of the best I have used and this pencil lends itself very well to smudging.  The pencil alone is ok..nothing spectacular, not too hard but could be a bit softer.  It works brilliantly when used for a smudging effect.  If you're looking for a pencil which is smooth and you don't want to smudge it..don't get this.  If you want to smudge it on out, this is fantastic.

Dual Illuminator Créme Highlighter & Shimmer Dust

What do I think? As you can see, you can barely see the colour on both my swatches which is a good thing as I dislike obvious shimmers.  The first swatch is of the solid highlighter which I prefer to the powder shimmer because it is a lot easier to apply.  The powder shimmer gave me many a problem..the puff which comes with it is a bit useless as I can't think I would put something so glittery on my cheeks and it doesn't pick up product up properly either as it is too small.  The powder section had a sticker on it which prevented it spilling out, took me ages to get that off..and you can't stick it back on properly either.  Overall, I like the cream highlighter, the powder shimmer..not so much.

Firming I-Silk Long-last Colour

What did I think? This surprised me. I don't usually like cream eyeshadows but this is so nice to use and the colour is lovely.  It's perfect for both daytime and nighttime usage. I would recommend not using it without a primer but it takes to the JK primer very well.

Do I have a standout product?

Hmm..well I like the primer but you need a fair bit of effort to work it so it's not ideal when you're in a rush to get to work in the morning..and the nude coloured liner is totally pants.  I like the cream highlighter but the powder shimmer needs some amendments..I think my favourite overall is the eye pencil because it smudges up a dream.

The Bodyform Period Survival Kit take 2

A Bodyform giveaway was won. Prizes were crappy. This was blogged about.  Charlotte complained for me. We were told by the PR company that it would rectified..  It wasn't.  Time went by.  Charlotte still complained on my behalf.  I was promiesd Jemma Kidd goodies.  I picked them up the other day.

Here's what I got..

A more indepth look..
(in the same order as shown above)

There are no swatches as I'm going to put them into either The Swatch Files or do a full review on them, this is just another "look what I got" post.

I keep saying this over and over again but I'm saying it again, Charlotte..you are BRILLIANT!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On eyeliner pencils on a budget

Urban Decay pencils, everyone loves them yet not everyone is willing to pay £11.00 for a pencil.  I'm not saying the pencils are crap, they're brilliant but something inside me doesn't want to pay that much for an eye pencil.

Anyway, whilst I was in this frugal state of mind, I went to Boots armed with about 5 £5 off vouchers.  I didn't know what to get and these were an impulse buy as my brother was getting pissed off carrying a basket full of "women's crap" around with him.

I've been using these pretty much whenever I can which has been more often than I thought I'd be able to.

Boots do these pencils, eyebrow pencils and normal eyeliner pencils.  I've been in to buy more of these in the past and they've only had normal pencils..which I realised once I got home with my latest acquisition.

I really want the green one so I'm going to buy it with the next voucher I get.

I have two of them and the last forever on the eye so you don't have to use too much.  I've used mine whenever possible and the pencils are still pretty big.

As you can see, there is a slight amount of glitter in these pencils but it's not so much that you look like a disco ball whenever you wear them, it's nice and subtle.

The colour range isn't as varied as Urban Decay but you do get the basic blue, turquoise, gold, purple and green which I think is more than enough for most people.

You can buy them here.  They usually cost £7.00 but I tend to buy them when I've got the £5 off voucher so I get them for £2.00.

Also, does anyone remember back in the day when Boots used to offer it on No7, Ruby and Millie and Jemma Kidd? I wonder why they stopped selling JK.

Do you guys have any of these pencils? Do you know why Boots stopped selling JK? Let me know..because I'm a nosey cow.

What's the point of nude eyeliner?!

When I was younger, I was always very conscious of having small, Ratfink eyes which I was forever trying to enhance.  Life isn't really made easier when you're told that Indian girls have big almond shaped eyes and you're sitting there with the smallest eyes known to man.

I remember reading somewhere that white eyeliner made your eyes look bigger so I went a bit mad (by my standards at the time) and bought two white eyeliners.  One was by No7 and one was by 17.  I applied these religiously to my eyes every single day..and every lunchtime at school when I realised that the pencil had worn off.

Did it make my eyes look any bigger? No.  Did it make me look like a fool? Yes.

Time went on, I grew up (despite views to the contrary) and realised my eyes weren't as small as I thought.

Then I joined Specktra and people were saying how a nude eyeliner did the same thing but was not as harsh on your eyes.

Luckily, this was just around the time that Stila had their warehouse sale on.  I nabbed the Stila Kajal Eyeliner in Topaz which is a nice nudey colour.

I used it a few times and wasn't really sure it was doing much.  The pencil itself is one of the creamiest I have ever used and I think part of the problem lies there, if it was a tiny bit uncreamy (?) I think application would be easier as at the moment, I'm finding it hard to line my waterline without getting some on my lashes.

Anywho, I've figured out the point of nude eyeliner..it not only makes your eyes looks bigger but it also serves as a great tool to make your eye area look tidier and to make you look more naturally awake.

I'm just wearing the pencil and my trusty Colossal mascara and I think my eyes look pretty decent:

I've decided that this is my "your eyes but better" look and now I know what to reach for when I'm running late for work.

Do any of you ladies use a nude eyeliner?  What are your failsafe eye makeup looks?

Vintage is so in these days, daaaahling

I'm still on my never ending quest to trim down my stash but it's not going as well as I had hoped. As my top drawer of goods gets smaller, my bottom drawer of spares gets fuller and fuller.


Observe:


For those of you who say "it doesn't look that bad", the photo is deceptive as the cleansing wipes are piled up four high, I have six bottles of that shampoo, two bottles of the Botanics hair spray and there are many more items under the stuff on the left but I don't feel bad because this is stuff I actually like and will use. My hoarding days are well behind me.
I was reading this post the other day by my fellow Middlesex girl (woo woo) Marcia and it got me thinking (it doesn’t take much). Whenever someone in the blogosphere buys something new, they blog about it. With this in mind, I decided to show off “my” oldest makeup. Older makeup, like the oldest child doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves so I feel it about time it did!

This makeup dates back to 1980 (when my darling mum got married). This leads me on to my next point, how comes stuff which is this old still works and doesn't make me react yet I buy things which cause me to react a few months down the line? It's experiences like these which make me think that some beauty mags don't know what they're on about.

The goods:


Top to bottom:

• The bitchin'est greeny blue pencil ever, it's avocado in name but comes out much nicer. I think the closest dupe would be a UD liner.
• Rimmel gold pencil, my dupe for the Benefit Gilded pencil
• Almay duo with pink and blue eye shadow
• Almay blusher/bronzer in a goldeny shade

I have never ever ever been able to find a green pencil which matches this colour exactly. It looks like a standard blue here but IRL it’s a lovely amazon-like green.
I was looking to buy the gold pencil that Benefit sell when I found the golden pencil, which, I only found out yesterday was by Rimmel. This pencil is the softest mofo in all the land, glides on a treat, easy to blend if needs be and doesn't gloop! Looks like Rimmel had the pencil formula down back then..
The Almay duo is my profile pic here, on Specktra and on Twitter, I took it back in the day when I hadn't even heard of macro. The colours in it are Godsend, especially for Indian weddings/functions. The two colours go well together so you can just take this palette with you and make up a million looks.
Moving on to my OWN range..The quest to finish all products has gone as far as lipbalm and I am proud to say that my stash has been trimmed down from 10 to two and that I've bought balms in between and have finished all those off as well (please, hold your applause).

I present my oldest piece of "makeup": Superdrug's Tropical LipBalm in Strawberry Delight:



This tub is circa 1997, I was in year 9 at school which would indeed make me 25. God, that makes me feel so old. The fact that I still have it and that I have so much left of it makes me feel even worse..I'm nowhere near touching pan with it! I've been using it over the past few days and sadly it dries my lips out so it may be for the chuck. It moisturises intensely during the day but when I wake up in the morning my lips are drier than they were when I put it on.
If you’ve stuck it out this long, firstly, congrats and secondly, you might as well answer these questions. So, if I could have a minute of your time sir/madam: what is the oldest item of makeup you lovely people own? Do you stick to the rules and chuck things away when the beauty mags suggest? I personally think that throwing mascara away every three months is a bit overly keen, I wear mascara every single day and even then my tubs don't finish. If a mascara causes me to react then it goes in the bin ASAP but as long as it does the job, I keep it.