Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator Review with Photos

Liz Earle is known for their all-natural range of skincare, and the combination of attractive packaging, awesome scents and good quality tends has proven to be a winning formula. Like most of their range, their Gentle Face Exfoliator is also composed almost entirely of natural ingredients. It contains, among other things, cocoa butter, eucalyptus, and jojoba beads to exfoliate.

Like their other products, this one comes in their trademark light mint green packaging, and has a very nifty and hygenic pump dispenser.



The product itself is a white coloured cream with very find jojoba beads. In fact, when you first pump a ball of the product out onto your hand, you can't see any beads of exfoliatant when the product isn't spread out. Looking at the small dollop of product on my hand, I was thinking - where are the jojoba beads?



Ahh, there they are. The beads are quite fine (not super super fine, but small enough) that you only see them when you spread the product around. I hope this photo is clear enough, but you can see those little jojoba beads - they're the lumps in the product.



Usage of this product is simple - you massage it around your face gently, and then wash it off. It doesn't lather, but it washes off decently. Although it's exfoliating, it's also really rich, so it moisturizes really well. In fact, if you're one of those people who like your skincare to leave that squeaky-clean feel behind, you're going to be disappointed by this, because I felt like it left a slight film of product behind. It's not necessarily a bad thing - I think people with dry skins would really love this, because it doesn't strip the skin, and the rich, creamy consistency actually feels really nice on the skin. I also felt like it left my skin with a slight glow, which I liked.

However, I do imagine it could be too rich for some skins, because one of the main ingredients, cocoa butter, is comedogenic for some people. So if your skin is oily, acne-prone, or sensitive, then this is a product that would probably be best used occasionally, instead of everyday. I used it without any major issues, although I was very worried about the cocoa butter breaking me out. (You see the risks I put my skin through to test products for you guys! :P ) I suppose part of the reason why I didn't end up developing any pimples is because as an exfoliator, this wasn't part of my everyday routine. I was using it weekly without issue, but I suspect that if I used it everyday, my skin might react to it.

Although most people could probably use this on a weekly basis without any major issues, although this product would probably appeal most to those with dry skin that isn't acne-prone or sensitive. If your skin has no major sensitivies to cocoa butter or any of the other ingredients, I think the Gentle Face Exfoliator is nice to have. It exfoliates without drying out the skin, and it has a rich, luxe creamy formulation that is pleasant to use.

(Product was sent for review. Not affilated with/compensated by company. Review is my complete and honest opinion.)

Stuff I'm Actually Using Up: MAC Dazzlelight

As a beauty fanatic, I often get people asking me, "Do you actually ever use up any of your stuff?" And most of the time, I have to admit, I have way more than I'll ever use up. I mean, sure, I use up basics like concealers, powder products (face powders etc), and mascara (because they dry up quickly anyway), but when it comes to colour products, I have to admit, it's rare for me to use anything up. So when I do use something up, I have to trumpet it.

So here you go - look what I actually hit pan on lately, people!



That's MAC Dazzlight. It's a gorgeous fleshtoned neutral that packs a punch. I think I've been using it everyday for the past 6 months or so. And I know you're thinking - what's so special about this boring beige that she's using up so fast? Well, first of all it's highly pigmented. You know sheer eyeshadow shades bore me to tears, and this applies to fleshtoned neutrals as well. You see, when you wake up with those panda eyes in the morning, a bright fleshtoned neutral covers the fact that your eyes are sunken in and two shades darker than the rest of your face. And of course, it can only do that if it's reasonably pigmented.



The other thing about Dazzlelight is that it's frosty, as you can see from the swatch above. By that I don't mean chunky glitter, but I do mean so much shimmer that it's like bling for your eyes. That may, or may not, be a good thing depending on your preferences. Generally, I prefer some shimmer but not outright frost, so I do find Dazzlelight a tad too frosty for my tastes, so I exercise caution when applying. But as an eye-brightener, I can't complain that it isn't doing its job.

So now I cay say I'm officially using up something. Has anyone else recently used up something?

ManGlaze Mayo: A Matte White Christmas!

Okay, so it's not Christmas yet, but somehow, that was what I thought of when I was wearing ManGlaze's Mayo. Mayo is one of ManGlaze's latest colours, and an addition to their immensely popular matte nail polish range. And this one, unlike Manglaze's usual range of dark colours, is white! From what I know, the white has been requested for a while, but it took awhile to get the formula right. And on the ManGlaze website, they even tell you that "this stuff takes a skilled hand" to apply.



ManGlaze, despite its relative newcomer status, has already been rapidly garnering a fan following, because of its grungy, edgy image. In a world where most polish brands produce masses of pinks and reds, and tack on everything from flowers to bows to annoyingly girly paraphernalia to boost sales, ManGlaze stands out, like that devil-may-care rocker chick wearing studs in a sea full of pink princess-y girls toting Hello Kitty bags.



Anyway, enough about Hello Kitty and goth girls, let's get to the nail polish. Yes, this colour is hard to apply, and yes, you do need a skilled hand and a good base coat. Mayo, when compared to ManGlaze's other colours, is trickier to apply. Unlike Fuggen Ugly, it doesn't go on nicely in smooth, thin and even coats. Mayo goes on thicker, and more unevenly. My personal experience was that it's better to apply this in as thin and even coats as possibe, and do two coats, rather than attempt to apply one single thick but even coat, because this doesn't even out that nicely.



Now that I've gotten the negatives out of the way, let's talk about the positives. Have I told you how cool this colour is? It's not jet-matte-white, like OPI's Alphine Snow Matte (which honestly I think is a little boring). But this one has some very fine flecks of glitter dotted throughout the polish. Once applied however, this glitter is invisible to the eye (I myself can only see it in the bottle), but I feel like it adds a little something to what would otherwise be just another matte white.

So, do you need this? Sure, if you don't have a matte white, and you want ManGlaze's punk-rock take on it, and you can deal with the application issues. You gotta admit, there is just something attractively cool about ManGlaze's aesthetic. But if you think you might have trouble with application, I suggest you go for Fuggen Ugly, or another colour.

(This product was sent to me for review. I am not affiliated/compensated for my review.)

ManGlaze Fuggen Ugly: A Fuggen Awesome NOTD!

If you've been up to speed with your nail polish knowledge, then you'll know probably have heard of ManGlaze. The Chicago-based (woohoo, Chi-town!) brand is still small and niche, but they've steadily been making waves among the nail polish fanatic community.

As you might imagine, ManGlaze, with their matte shades, grungy colour names, and their punk-rock influenced aesthetic, was made with men in mind, but they've garnered huge following among ladies too. I guess you could say they're like the rock stars of nail polish, complete with controversy and all.

I know you're wondering how nail polish is supposed to be edgy, but take a look at the bottle:



The bottles are quite attractive, with graffiti-inspired drawings on them. That's pretty cool, because as far as I know of they're the only nail polish brand that makes 'em like that.

Fuggen Ugly is a matte grey-black (it's almost black, but not quite), infused with really tiny silver shimmer that gives it a certain dimension, instead of just being matte and flat. The end result is a polish that kind of looks like OPI's Suede polishes.



Isn't it cool? It kind of looks like the tarmac surface of a road, doesn't it? Very industrial looking. I really like it.

Application on this polish was one of the best as far as mattes go. This one went on evenly, and like most mattes it dried fast, but not too fast. Also, unlike some other matte polishes I've tried, you can layer two coats of this without it getting all weird and stringy and goopy. I really like the quality of Fuggen Ugly, and I think all the other matte polish makers ought to go get themselves a bottle of Fuggen Ugly and replicate it's ease of application.



In most lights, you won't be able to see much of the silver shimmer - it just gives a certain depth and character to the polish, like in the second photograph above. However, in some lights you can see discrete bits of silver shimmer (like in the very first photograph shown), which I think is pretty cool. I actually like it better when the silver shimmer is visible, but either way the polish looks good.

Of course, ManGlaze's attempt at a matte grey-black isn't that unique - this one is going to bear comparisons to OPI's Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees Suede, Zoya's Dovima and Orly's Iron Butterfly. But of course, all the colours vary in colour intensity and shimmer density and size, so to a nail fanatic they're all worth owning. But what really makes Fuggen Ugly stand out is not just the colour, but also the gorgeous application, as well as it's really unique punk-rock positioning. And ManGlaze ships internationally too, so if you're outside the USA and having trouble getting your hands on some of the other colours, Fuggen Ugly might be worth a look at.

(This product was sent to me for review. I am not in anyway affiliated with or compensated by the company. This review is my complete and honest opinion.)

Beauty Blog Link Love

Phyrra's Indie Spotlight for October is with Amy of Sugarpill Cosmetics!

Check out this great Splurge vs Steal over at Prime Beauty. Cindy did a look with both palettes--can you guess which is which?

Sophie shows her amazing Sleek Makeup prize package that she won, lots of goodies included!!!

My Lips But Better swatches MAC's upcoming holiday collection, A Tartan Tale.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed checks out new products from Olay Regenerist and wonders if they will be as popular as the last one!

Sarah from IHeartCosmetics shows swatches of her collection of Korres Colour Cherry Oil Lipgloss.

The Lip Print discovers a cheap and cheerful treat for shoppers on a budget.

Eyelining has a look at a rather pretty multitasking marvel from Rituals.

Amy Antoinette organises her makeup collection and showcases her new dressing table.

Has Emma finally found her HG foundation? Head over to BirdsDecorateBranches to see if YSL Teint Resist might just be yours too!

Pink Diva's Beauty Spot loves all of the pink beauty products for Breast Cancer Research month. Check out some of her favourites.

Retrodiva checks out Annemarie Borlind to see if going natural is possible with oily and breakout prone skin.

TheGlossGoss reviews her Haus Of Gloi haul. Halloween themed products -- perfect for the Autumn season!

theNotice takes an early look at Clinique's Strawberry Fudge Holiday 2010 collection (yes, with swatches) and loves it!

Good bye Neutrals, Hello Drama! Jenn spices it up over at Spiced Beauty.

Jeweled Thumb shows evidence that makeup is magic!

Pink Sith says you can't put a price on FEELING pretty. Come find out why she thing Guerlain Meteorites Voyage Compact is the bee's knees!

Are you made for 'Fire and Ice'? Over at The Glamorous Gleam, Mz. More compares the legendary Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice to other red lipsticks in her collection.

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Audrey Dao has 2 giveaways going on for the month of October. Check them out now before it's too late....

Mein link: Win a basket full of beauty products from Boot's on Beauty Woo Me.

Daily Polish celebrates reaching the 1 year mark of daily posts of new polishes and manicures with a giveaway where the first prize is worth over £200!

Jellyminx has a spooky giveaway, enter before it closes on Halloween!!

Cheap and Awesome: Collection 2000 Colour Extreme Lipstick Swatches

One of the things about drugstore lipstick is that the colour selection is often poorer than that of higher end lipsticks. Often, the colours aren't very nuanced, so we often see a bright harsh pink instead of a wearable one, or a weird dusty brown few people could wear. Of course, things have improved in the past couple of years (like the lovely wearable colours from Revlon's Colorburst range), but especially at the cheaper end, finding wearable lipstick colours can be a challenge. Fortunately, Collection 2000 has just the answer to such a problem.

Collection 2000 is the cheapest-of-the-cheap when it comes to UK drugstore brands, and their lipstick colours are surprisingly wearable, and quite complex for a drugstore brand. There isn't a colour that I swatched that I thought was outright unwearable or plan ugly.

Here are swatches:



L-R: Delight 1, Spice 2, Bliss 6, Firecracker 8, Playful 9, Hotpants 10

Delight 1 is a pretty pinky-mauve that is cool-toned. It has some slight shimmer, but not too much.

Spice 2 was swatched a bit too heavily because the lipstick broke off halfway (argh) so it isn't as dark or brown as it looks. It's a darker purply-pink that has shimmer that honestly is a bit on the gritty side.

Bliss 6 is a light-medium pinky-peach. A great option for warm-toned girls.

Firecracker 8 is a middle-of-the-road bright pillarbox red with a neutral undertone. You know I love red lips, so you know I'm going to love this one. If you're looking for a red lipstick but don't want to spend too much money, this is a good option.

Playful 9 is a peachy-coral with a hint of pink. Probably mostly a peach. Also a warm colur.

Hotpants 10 is a magenta pink, but as far as magenta pinks go, it's actually pretty muted. It's not a WOWZA pink, it's a pink that's got some zing, but it's not neon. I actually quite like this as a bit of a pop of colour for girls who don't want to wear brights.

The texture of these lipsticks was a little on the dry side, but I guess since these are probably the cheapest lipsticks you can get if you are in the UK, I can't really complain too much. I'd say these are cheap, and value for money.

Edward Bess Platinum Concealer Swatches

It's been awhile since I blogged about Edward Bess, but I found these in lying around in my computer, so I've dutifully uploaded them for all of you who were interested in seeing concealer swatches from the line. These come in stick form (with a metallic tube that clicks shut easily - nifty eh?), and are actually quite pigmented, and don't feel too cakey or oily going on. I'd be all over these, because I like the packaging, the pigmentation, and the texture, but the expensive price is a kicker. I guess Edward knows that beauty doesn't come cheap!

The only thing I can say about this is that the colour selection is pitiful. I guess that's to be expected with only four shades in the line. Please excuse the lousy indoor lighting in the swatches. It was the best I could do.



L - R: Ivory Nude, Soft Beige, Warm Amber, Natural Tan

Ivory Nude is your "light cool-toned pink beige". If you're fair and cooltoned (NW20 maybe?) you might want this.

Soft Beige is probably the shade I'd pick, and I'm NC20. It's your "pale yellow beige". Apparently this is their best-selling colour, and it's obvious why. This is probably the shade that would suit most of us, since I can imagine Ivory Nude might be too pink for some people.

Warm Amber is the generic "dark tan" kind of colour. It leans warm in undertone, but not too warm.

Natural Tan is also leans warm, but is a good few shades darker than Soft Beige. Probably a guesstimate match might be NC30 or so (I'm not that good with MAC shades, so this is just my rough estimate!)

Other than the colour selection, I think these are pretty good. These are actually quite well-pigmented. They're not 100% opaque on first swipe, but I think with a couple of swipes you could cover most flaws and blemishes. If you don't have anything major to cover, a little of this will go a long way.

Orly Galaxy Girl Dupe: Maybelline Vanishing Venus 350

Orly's Cosmic FX Collection has made waves with its unusual duochrome colours, and one of the colours in the range was Galaxy Girl. It's a deep vampy burgundy red with hints of green shimmer. Unfortunately for Orly, who had hyped up its collection to be unique (and jacked up the price to $10 per bottle along the way), bloggers have been finding dupes for most of the colours in the range for cheaper.

Now the presence of dupes doesn't detract from the awesomeness of the colour, and truth be told, Orly's collection DOES have really killer colours, but for those of us who can't spend US$10 on a polish, having the option of cheaper alternatives is always a draw. Maybelline's Vanishing Venus happens to be a cheap - and pretty good - dupe. Unfortunately, it's also been discontinued for awhile, so if you want it, you'll have to do some hunting around for this somewhat ancient polish.

Here's Vanishing Venus. Isn't it awesome? I know the texture on my middle finger is a bit weird, but that's because there's a teabag wrap on that nail. That, AND I dinged my middle by mistake while the polish was still wet, and I have neither the patience to re-do the nail, nor the image editing skills to edit it out. Oops.



I think it is quite a close dupe for Galaxy Girl, even if it's not 100% identical. It's also a shimmery vampy burgundy red, and it kind of looks like dried blood. (Hehe.) And it also has that awesome green flash, and the same kind of fine shimmer. I love it. It's a gorgeous colour. And that green flash. It sort of reminds me of RBL's Scrangie, only that this one is a blue-green flash in a burgundy red base, instead of a green-blue flash in a blurple (blue-purple) base. Few nail polish colours have this type of shimmer nowadays, so it's pretty cool for Orly and Maybelline to have something like that.

Here's a closer shot of my nails (and of said teabag wrap):



Application for this one was pretty darn good. Maybe it's one of those ancient non-B3F polishes (Big 3 Free meaning free of toluene, formaldehyde, and DBP aka dibutyl phthalate), because it has this really thin yet smooth application that is reminescent of those non-B3F polishes. Which is a good thing - it means it doesn't apply thick and goopy, yet isn't streaky because it's too thin. It applies in nice even but thin layers, and is easily built up for opacity. Of course, I've no way of knowing if this really is B3F or not, but it sure applies like one, and it's probably old enough to be one as well, which might be an issue for some users who may want to avoid non B3F polishes.

Anyway, this colour is gorgeous. If you don't mind potentially running the risk of using a non-B3F polish, I'd recommend this. If you do mind the fact that it might possibly contain one or more of the "Big 3", then the Orly option might be a safer (if more expensive) bet.

NOTD: Nubar Twilight Kiss and Revlon Grapefruit Glimmer

Nubar Twilight Kiss is one of those "in-between-the-season" colours - it's not too dark or dusky for summer, and it's not too light for cooler weather. And when overlayed with a sheer shimmer, I think it looks pretty good. So that's today's NOTD is! The layering polish is a really old (and probably discontinued) Revlon goodie, the Grapefruit Glimmer from their ancient Glimmer Gloss range.



Nubar Twilight Kiss is a dusky light purple, and I think it's actually a pretty colour, and quite wearable to work. I kind of think it's one of those colours you can sneak into the office. Revlon Glimmer Gloss in Grapefruit Glimmer is definitely an office colour - it's a sheer pink with very fine, faint shimmer. Honestly, it's so sheer it probably won't look like much by itself. But I think Grapefruit Glimmer has a lot of potential over darker colours.

Here, I'm trying it out over a light colour, and I think it looks quite good. Just imagine the possibilities this one has with dark colours! In fact, I think that if you layer it over a dark grey-purple, you'd get a shimmer similar to Chanel Paradoxal. I mean, it does have that similar faint sort-of-pink shimmer, no? Not identical, but close enough, perhaps?



Application was pretty good for both - but then again I'm partial to Nubars and Revlons, they are some of my favourite brands. The brush size, shape, texture of the polish just works for me. Lasting power is average, these lasted for about 3-4 days before chipping, which is normal for me.



I like Twilight Kiss well enough, but I personally think Nubar has more exciting colours (like their awesome duochrome shades). Twilight Kiss by comparison is one of their more subdued shades, although it's still pretty. And Glimmer Gloss is a great work shade for someone looking for a slightly more interesting pink sheer. Not a bad combination altogether.

St Tropez Celebrates London Fashion Week with a Sale!

St Tropez has been hard at work London Fashion week, and now they have put their key products on sale for those who want to replicate the look! For my ladies in the UK, The London Fashion Week Kit will is on sale now and contains tanning hints and tip written by Nichola, a Wash Off Mousse, Skin Illuminator and a free St Tropez Wash Off Face and St Tropez Applicator Mitt.

The entire kit is on sale now for only £30 and will be free delivery for all in the UK. It will be on sale for 6 more days only, so hurry before the offer is up! Click here to buy the St Tropez kit now, and you can view the inspiration behind the looks here.

Sleek iDivine Palette: Safari Palette Swatches

I know the Safari Palette was LE (Limited Edition - a horrible word to hear if you're a makeup junkie like me!) from awhile back, but I thought in the interests of completeness I'd just put up swatches of it anyway. I think this palette is very aptly named - with it's greens, golds and browns, it really does have a jungle-like feel. There's also a good variation of warm and cool shades, especially when it comes to greens.



Packaging is much like other Sleek palettes - we've all seen the plastic casing and double-ended sponge applicator before. I don't really like greens, and I rarely wear colour on my eyes, but I actually sort of like this palette.



Top Row, L-R: matte black, light shimmery yellow, light olive green, muted forest green with silver shimmer, burnt red-brown, matte yellow

Bottom Row, L-R: neutral light tan-brown, shimmery white cream, matte bright green, deep emerald green, tan with silver shimmer, neutral shimmery brown

I quite like this palette. My favourites are the greens (I love the three shimmery greens), as well as the neutral tans, and the neutral brown all the way at the right bottom corner. Shadows are, as usual, pigmented and soft, but a little on the crumbly side, especially for shimmers, while the mattes tend to be less pigmented but a little harder. Overall, the quality is pretty much the same as your usual Sleek Palette, so I don't have much to add to this one, other than if you've liked the other Sleek offerings, you'll like this too. It's great for those who love greens, golds and browns - I think this palette has a good mix of wearable as well as brighter shades.

GOSH Extreme Art Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Swatches Part 1

GOSH is one of the most underrated UK drugstore brands ever. Sleek and Barry M get more coverage (probably because they seem to engage in PR activities more), but I personally am more drawn to GOSH's colour selection and quality. Everything I've tried from GOSH, I've liked, and I can't say the same about Barry M or Sleek. And I've tried quite a bit from GOSH - so far, I've tried and liked the nail polishes (I still remember my first love, GOSH Holographic), lipsticks, eyeshadows, eyeliners, and lipglosses.

The Extreme Art Waterproof eyeliners are, indeed, waterproof. In fact, once you let these "set" for awhile, they seriously DON'T FREAKING BUDGE. These are probably the most long-lasting eyeliners I've come across, and thus excellent value for the price. I've worn these on a night out, and despite sweat and rubbing, they were still there at the end of the night. What's more, they come in such a wide range of colours - there's going to be a few you'll need to pick up.



L-R: Black 07, Metallic Grey 25, Dark Purple 01, Light Blue 08, Middle Blue 09, Cobalt Blue 10, Green 12, Light Green 05, Olive Green 06, Orange 03, Gold 13, Metallic Brown 24

Black 07 is jet inky black. It's one of the few colours that's not metallic or shimmery in finish.

Metallic Grey 25 is a gunmetal metallic grey with silver shimmer bits. Quite pretty, methinks.

Dark Purple 01 is one of my favourites! It's like Urban Decay's Rockstar, only in liquid form (which makes it last longer, on me at least), and it also has this metallic sheen to it.

Light Blue 08, Middle Blue 09 and Cobalt Blue 10 - GOSH obviously loves the fans of blue eyeliner because they have made three shades for them! They're all similar, but as you can see in the swatches they're not all alike. Light Blue 08 is a metallic sky blue, Middle Blue 09 is a darker blue (but it's still quite light), and Cobalt Blue 10 isn't quite my idea of cobalt blue at all, but it's a pretty metallic blue nonetheless. To me these are all variations on sky blue.

Green 12 is a straight up green. Not much to say here. Neither too blue nor too yellow.

Light Green 05 is not only lighter than Green 12, but it's also more yellow in undertone, and more metallic.

Olive Green 06 is another of my favourites! I love olive greens though, so I'm totally biased. But I love this, it's a very wearable neutral that still adds some colour to your eye look. It also has specks of silver shimmer in it.

Orange 03 is a light yellowy orange, while Gold 13 looks more like Orange Part Two to me...it doesn't look gold to my eye, but it does look like an ambery-orange.

Metallic Brown 24 is just that - metallic brown with just a hint of red. A very safe work option.

GOSH Extreme Art Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Swatches Part 2

GOSH is usually one of those brands associated with boring neutrals, instead of brights and unusual colours. But there are surprises in that line, too. Like their Extreme Art eyeliners - they actually have glitter shades in there, and five of them, and some of them are actually pretty unique and very multi-dimensional. For a drugstore brand, the colour selection of glitter shades is pretty impressive. I only wish the glitter in these were denser, because for some of these shades, you'll need to go over the line a couple of times to achieve full opacity.



L-R: Multi Glitter Top Coat 18, Silver Glitter 19, Silver 14, Light Purple 17, Purple Glitter 26, Aqua 11, Aqua Glitter 21, Green Gold Glitter 22, Dragon Green 23, Light Yellow 04, Copper 02

Multi Glitter Top Coat 18 is pretty cool. It's a clear base with glitter bits that sparkle gold? silver? something pretty cool. I only wish the glitter was denser in this one, but I guess it's a top coat, right?

Silver Glitter 19 is just that - silver glitter in a clear base. Very nice if you like that sort of thing.

Silver 14 is a metallic platinum shade of silver. If you wanted a metallic silver, but didn't like Silver Glitter, this might do the trick instead.

Light Purple 17 is a gorgeous light lilac purple shade. Very pretty and girly.

Purple Glitter 26 - OMG this is totally awesome. Definitely my favourite of the bunch, and I don't even like glitter! For one, the glitter in this one is slightly finer than some of the other colours, and it's also denser. And - it has holographic glitter! This has got to be the only eyeliner I know of with holographic glitter! It's absolutely gorgeous, and my swatch did not do this one justice at all. There are two types of glitter in this one - a purple/silver metallic glitter, and holographic glitter. The net result combines to give a very multi-dimensional shade that looks purple in some lights, silver in others, and still black in yet other lights, AND also has holographic glitter to boot. Very very cool. Awhile back there was a shade of nail polish by OPI called Mad As A Hatter that was wildly popular, and this is the eyeliner equivalent of that nail polish.

Aqua 11 is a bright and pretty Aqua blue. Very glowy.

Aqua Glitter 21 doesn't look aqua in my swatch, but it's aqua/silver/gold in real life. The glitter bits shift colours with the light, and I think there's more than one colour of glitter in there. Very multi-dimensional, and even though I don't like glitter I can appreciate that.

Green Gold Glitter 22 is a metallic glitter that looks simultaneously green and gold. I kind of like it. Like Aqua Glitter, I think there's more than one colour of glitter inside. I think some of the glitter is the same in both colours though, which is why they look similar.

Dragon Green 23 is a grassy green shade that is darker than Light Green (which was swatched in the previous post). It has a metallic gold flash that makes it interesting.

Light Yellow 04 is a pale banana yellow with a metallic finish.

Copper 02 is a metallic copper shade, and this does look like copper to me. A little boring, maybe, but still quite pretty.

Beauty Blog Link Love

My Lips But Better writes about the MAC Venomous Villains launch party and shares her thoughts about the products.

Check out the duo-chromed awesomnicity (yes that is a word!) that Aijuswhanakno found through Persephone Minerals.

Tammerly at Pink Diva's Beauty Spot gives you the 'gloss' on the 2010 Sydney International Beauty Expo.

Amy Antoinette experiments with Kim Kardashian curls.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed gets to pretend she is a real makeup artist with the TEMPTU AIRbrush system!

Kim Porter reviews Dr. Miracle’s Follicle Healer Hydrating Oil, a great product for dry, damaged hair.

With blogger events and launch parties, it's Illamasqua overload at Hellcandy make-up! Check out the photos from the launch party here.

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Mascara and Yinnie's lashes become BFFs over at Looking Glass Beauty.

Daily Polish professes her love for all things Catrice with the turquoise lacquer, "I Sea You!"

Over at The Glamorous Gleam, Mz. More gives you a sneak peek at the new Sleek MakeUp Bad Girl & Good Girl Palettes, due to be released on October 27th!

Eyelining uses some NYX pigments to demonstrate how bad packaging can ruin a perfectly good product.

Vex in the City shows you how to step up your nail game on the cheap, with the new Instant Nail Effects from Barry M.

Emma swatches the best Orgasm dupe yet for only £3.99 at BirdsDecorateBranches!

Melissa reviews Smell Bent's limited edition Halloween Killer Smellies over at LovelyAndroid.

You need an idea for Halloween? Vesna at Beauty addict blog has one: turn yourself into a Dark Fairy for this year's Halloween!

Love NARS makeup but not the price tag? Lipglossiping signals the "dupe alert" siren when she shows off a serious but affordable dupe for NARS Albatross!

The Pink Sith is less than impressed with the Too Faced Naked Eye Palette, despite it having a few great taupe shadows.

Jellyminx jumps on the naked band wagon and shares a look created using the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

Jolie Laide girl gets to work showing you the best of the Elf Mineral Shadows.

Louise spends a day chatting with Daniel Sandler and getting a whole new look!

The Lip Print discovers a products with a Happy Philosophy; you can share the love too!

theNotice finds a fab product to banish under-eye bags, and it's under $5!

L at Beautifully Addicted To gives a run down on Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanse.

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Jeweled Thumb is celebrating reaching her 400th post with a giveaway! Enter to win Stila, ELF, BE, Milani Bare To Wear and more!

Enter Phyrra's Beauty for the Earth The Wizard of Oz-Some Giveaway for a collection worth $60!

Barry M Blusher Swatches Part 2: The Brights

Barry M is usually known for their bright colours, but judging by last post's swatches, you wouldn't be able to guess. Fortunately, those who want blush (or blusher) shades that are brighter aren't disappointed, because today's swatches are all brights, and shades that I imagine are geared for more tanned women.

The blushers come in a plastic compact with a flip-top lid, and these colours are very nicely pigmented. I actually really like these, they're like a cheaper NARS or Illamasqua. The texture isn't as smooth or soft as Illamasqua's, of course, but for the price you can't complain. I'm a fan of these, and judging by the popularity of these blushes, I'm not the only one.



L-R: Raspberry 4, Apricot 5, Terracotta 6

Raspberry 4 is a gorgeous bright magenta pink. It's brighter and darker than Strawberry 3 (which was swatched in the previous post). This is one of those colours which virtually anyone could wear, although it does lean a little to the cool-toned side. It was probably created with the darker girls in mind, but fairer girls could apply this with a light hand to get a pink flush.

Apricot 5 is a bright red-orange, kind of a cross between those reds and oranges you see on the colour wheel...that kind of bright. Still though, I think this is rather wearable because it's bright but not neon. This isn't my shade, but I can imagine it looking lovely on darker girls.

Terracotta 6 is also another one of those shades that was probably created for darker girls, but is another one which I think fairer girls could potentially pull off with a light hand. It's a brown-red, but I think applied lightly could be a neutral pinky-brown colour on, and those types of neutral pinky-browns are usually quite universally flattering. I'm guessing that if colours like Bobbi Brown Slopes and MAC Blushbaby didn't show up on you, this one would.

All the blushers are matte, or if they had a shimmer it was so slight that I can't remember it as being shimmery. The darker colours (swatched in this post) tended to be more intense and more pigmented than the lighter colours (swatched in the previous post), and to my mind, they seemed to have a slightly better texture too. Cheap and pigmented blushes are a rarity these days, so these are definitely picking up if you want some oomph but don't wish to spend too much.

Barry M Blusher Swatches Part 1: The Pinks

Barry M is one of the more popular UK drugstore makeup brands for a reason. Their products are generally very pigmented, and they have a good colour range that has something for everyone. It thus seems a pity that despite their gazillion Dazzle Dust shades, they only have six blush shades. Fortunately, the six encompass a good range of colours that are pretty wearable.

Almost all Barry M Blushers (yes, they call them blushers! It seems to me that it's "blush" in the USA, and "blusher" in Asia/Europe, although the geographical boundaries seem to be blurring) are matte, and very pigmented. The only slight drawback is that the powder isn't silky-soft like some of the high-end brands. Still though, for the price these are worth having. I rather like them.



L-R: Pink Orchid 1, Rose 2, Strawberry 3

Pink Orchid 1 is a cool-toned light pink colour that's light but not quite pastel...very nice but quite common - I mean, doesn't every brand have a colour like that? Still, this one is a good basic, and it's probably better than your pastel pink because it has better pigmentation. Probably a very popular colour

Rose 2 is a slightly muted magenta pink. I think this one is also very pretty, and reminds me a bit of NARS Desire or Bobbi Brown's Pale Pink. You know, one of those bright pink shades. A bright, clean pink.

Strawberry 3 is a medium rose pink. This one is pretty intense, but I think it will probably be quite universally wearable - I think lighter skintones can apply this one lightly for a slight flush, and darker skintones can carry this off beautifully too. I love it when companies make colours like this that everyone can wear.

I imagine these colours must be pretty popular - I mean out of the six blusher shades, four of them are pink, so people must like pink. They do have some (okay, fine, two) non-pink shades though, which you'll see in the next post.

Giveaway: Win a $70 CSN Voucher!

It's giveaway time! Two awesome things have happened, one in bloggerville and one in real life. Firstly, this blog has 1000 followers! (Well 1031 as of present, but that's not a nice number :P ) Secondly, I've officially finished being a student and have started work! And to celebrate, we have a giveaway, kindly sponsored by CSNStores, an online retailer with over 200 stores. And they have an overwhelming array of goods, selling literally everything, from coffee tables to cameras and shoes. And they have Kipling backpacks, which have a special place in my heart. I used to carry one of these to school everyday for 4 years, and it was subject to the roughest kind of usage you can think of, but it remained virtually indestructable. I thought I was the coolest kid on the block for having one!

Anyway, the rules of the giveaway are simple. You get 1 entry for following me, 1 for following me on Twitter and RTing, 1 entry for adding my blog to your blogroll, and 2 entries for blogging about this giveaway. And you can enter up to a month from now. Simple, no? The only catch is that CSN doesn't ship outside the USA/Canada, so unfortunately this will have to be US/Canada only. So just fill out this form, press "submit", and you're all done!



(Form should be embedded in this blogpost. If it is not viewable, click here to access the entry form.)

Taupe of the Day EOTD: First Light Cosmetics Storm Grey!

I'm a shameless taupe hoor, but it's been awhile since I did a Taupe of the Day post. (In fact, I think there's only ever been one. LOL. I keep intending to do more but I kind of suck. :X ) So to atone for my oversight, here is a recently discovered taupe I'm currently having a love affair with.

The taupe in question is First Light Cosmetics Storm Grey. I know I've talked about First Light Cosmetics before, but I just can't get enough of this taupe! I've swatched Storm Grey before, so here is the swatch picture again for anyone who can't be bothered to look for the previous post:



Storm Grey is to the right. It's gorgeous, isn't it? I've been using it a lot to do a simple EOTD (eye of the day) look with just Storm Grey alone, and I really love the simplicity of this look. It's a light taupe, not a dark taupe, so it's awesome for girls who feel sdarker taupes can sometimes overwhelm their eyes. The look I get with this is simple, clean, and very elegant. I think if you foiled the colour, it would be more metallic and vibrant. I totally need to try Storm Grey wet one day.



It does have a bit of fallout, but that's fortunately rather minimal. Lasting power was pretty good even without a base. It lasted for half a day on me without any base at all. I think if you used a base, it would probably last longer.

Anyway, if you want it, the First Light Cosmetics website has it for sale. But if you're a taupe hoor like me, you know there isn't really question about whether you need another taupe - every taupe deserves to be loved!