Tag: beauty

Fashion

Outfit Of The Day | Marble Print

Outfit Of The Day | Marble Print
Top – SheInside* | Trousers – Topshop | Shoes – Topshop | Bag – Primark
So I’m a bit (a lot) late to the party with blogging about this print. The top I’m wearing here is another Zara ~inspired~ piece, available for much cheaper than RRP from SheInside. Obviously I’m a fan of the print, but I particularly like the shape of this top and how the hemline mirrors the neckline. Here I wore it with my Topshop Boutique silk joggers – a sale purchase from a couple of years ago which I still love – and silver cut out shoes (the black version of which is currently on sale here – tempted!)

As well as my usual everyday make-up, including a very strong brow using Illamasqua eye-shadow in ‘Jules’, I’m wearing Illamasqua Pure Pigment in ‘Furore’ (applied wet for a bolder look) on my eyes and Lime Crime Velvetine in ‘Pink Velvet’ on my lips. Let me know if you’d like to see more mini run-downs of my make-up in future outfit posts!

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July 2, 2014 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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Beauty

Sleek ‘Matte Me’ Review

Sleek ‘Matte Me’ Review
After buying a Limecrime Velvetine in Suedeberry a couple of years ago (and subsequently pretty much every other shade they do) I have been a matte lip product convert. I’d tried matte and semi-matte lipsticks like Mac’s Ruby Woo before, but they don’t quite give the same super bold, super opaque effect as the liquid matte products. I’m still an advocate of the Limecrime Velvetine, but at £13.50 plus shipping they’re not cheap and they can’t be bought in store in the UK. Consequently, I was keen to try out some more affordable high street alternatives, especially as they’re becoming more and more popular at the moment. I tried one of MUA’s Velvet Lip Lacquers (£3) but wasn’t a fan – although the colour was great and they did dry matte, the texture was sticky and it crumbled off very easily. 
Sleek Matte Me in ‘Birthday Suit’
My latest matte lip purchases have been two Sleek Matte Me ‘ultra smooth matte lip creams’ (£5 each – currently buy one get one half price in Boots). They have been around for a while, but I thought I’d post about them as I think that a lot of people are yet to experiment with matte lips.
Although Sleek offer some great bright and bold shades, I wanted to try the more subtle ones ‘Petal‘ and ‘Birthday Suit‘, and I’m so impressed! Although the texture isn’t identical to that of the Limecrime Velvetine, they are very similar and (more importantly) the effect given once dry is just as good. Sleek Matte Me dries completely matte, and once dry is totally touch and smudge proof. They claim not to need a second coat and I would agree that a second coat isn’t necessary, but I personally apply a second coat anyway to ensure I get a totally opaque look. I have found that it needs touching up if I wear it when eating, but that’s true of any lip product, otherwise the staying power is fantastic. The shade I’m wearing in these photos is ‘Birthday Suit’, and is my favourite of the two. I would describe it as a dark nude, and I think it’s so wearable! Plus it looks a lot like the shade Kylie Jenner has been coveting recently.
One of the biggest concerns I hear about matte lip creams is, ‘aren’t they really drying?’. As would be expected, they are more drying than a glossy sheer lipstick (for example), but providing you’re not wearing it all day every day and apply a lip balm before you apply Matte Me (or any other matte lip cream) I personally don’t find dryness a problem. This might be different if you suffer with particularly dry lips to begin with, but otherwise do not let dryness put you off!
So if you’re looking to experiment with a matte lip cream, Sleek Matte Mes are fairly inexpensive and come in six colours, making them the perfect place to start! Similarly, I think they’re great if you’re already a fan of the matte lip product and are looking to expand your collection. 
Have you tried any of these matte lip creams? What do you think? Do you have any other matte lip recommendations, or would you like to see me review and swatch any of the other products I mentioned?

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June 27, 2014 TAGS: , , , , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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Beauty

Best undereye concealer? Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer review.

Best undereye concealer? Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer review.

Before (no face
make-up) / After (Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and Collection Lasting
Perfection Concealer)
Happy Friday all! I was going to post this
review next week, but I decided to do it earlier in case you want to run to
your nearest Boots or Superdrug over the weekend to pick up this product! It is
the Collection Lasting
Perfection Concealer, it costs £4.19 and it’s undoubtedly one of the best
(if not the best) undereye concealers I’ve ever used. I have seen a few
bloggers speak about it before, but when I posted on my Instagram many of you were keen for a review
regardless, so here goes… 

Lasting Perfection is definitely a heavy
coverage concealer. It’s liquid rather than creamy like the Mac Studio Finish
Concealer I coveted in my everyday
make-up post, and it is easy to apply with the lip-gloss style applicator,
then blend either with your fingers or a brush. A couple of people on Instagram
expressed concerns that this concealer can look cakey – I think that the best
way to avoid this is to apply it with a brush as it’s easier to achieve even
coverage. Start with a little bit of concealer and build on it, buffing it as
you go! I personally use my fingers sometimes, but when I use a brush it is
either the Real Techniques pointed foundation brush or Real Techniques setting
brush.
It comes in four shades, and I use shade 1
‘fair’. ‘Fair’ has a yellow undertone (which is better suited than pink for
balancing out blue tones of dark circles), and isn’t a perfect match for my
skin tone by any means, however once blended with foundation it doesn’t make a
difference, and it’s nice and bright.
I apply it in a triangle shape under my
eye (see photo 2) as this covers dark circles and brightens my whole face more
effectively than just dabbing it in a semicircle shape. In photo 3 below the
concealer looks slightly odd because I am wearing it without any foundation,
but when worn with full make-up it blends very well, and when set with powder
lasts all day! Additionally, because it isn’t creamy like Mac Studio Finish I
find that mascara doesn’t run into it throughout the day.  

After using Lasting Perfection on a spot a
couple of days ago, I would say that I still prefer Mac Studio Finish for spots
or other blemishes which change the texture of my skin, but I’m absolutely won
over by Lasting Perfection for dark circles! I’m not sure how it would take to
dry skin, but for £4.19 it can’t hurt to find out! As it stands, I can’t
recommend this concealer enough!  
Let me know what you think of Lasting
Perfection. Will you be purchasing it?
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June 13, 2014 TAGS: , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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Beauty

The Body Shop Makeup Review | Concealer, Shimmer Waves, Eye Shadow

The Body Shop Makeup Review | Concealer, Shimmer Waves, Eye Shadow
Concealer All In One* / Shimmer Waves in Blush* / Colour Crush Eyeshadow in Berry Cute* – all The Body Shop
I hope you all liked my big make-up post about all my everyday make-up! Since then I have very kindly been sent some new products to try out, courtesy of The Body Shop. I’ve never bought make-up from The Body Shop before, for some reason I always have a (false!) preconception that make-up by skincare brands won’t be heavy coverage or highly pigmented or any of the other things I generally look for in make-up, and is reserved for those who prefer their make-up barely there and natural looking. I put together this summer make-up look to give you a taste of The Body Shop make-up if, like me, you’ve never tried it before. I’m definitely a convert now!
Concealer All In One – Shade 00

Like most people I have dark circles in the morning and so I like to dab on a little concealer. My favourite all rounder is Mac Studio Finish Concealer, but after using this I think I will be reserving Studio Finish for blemishes. Concealer All In One is more lightweight but still gives great coverage, the colour is perfect for my skin (a similar shade but with a slight orangey undertone to counter the purple hues of dark circles), plus it is very moisturising which is essential for healthy under-eyes. I probably would not recommend this if you have very oily skin, but for normal/dry it’s a dream. Check out the difference it makes to my dark circles in the photos below, I’m wearing no make-up in the first photo and only Concealer All In One in the second. 

Shimmer Waves – Shade 02 Blush
As you’ll know if you have read my everyday make-up post, all the bronzers and blushers I use are matte, and I add shimmer to the very top of my cheekbones with a highlighter. Shimmer Waves is, obviously, shimmery so makes for a nice change, and will be lovely with a lighter base in the summer. There are five colours in the pan, which when used together give a subtle shade of rosy pink (I think the colour is quite similar to rose gold jewellery). I’m wearing it without any other bronzer, blusher or highlighter in the full face photos above and below.
Colour Crush Eyeshadow – Shade Berry Cute

Pink eyeshadow is something I haven’t experimented with since my (disastrous) early teens, so I was a little nervous about this shade. However, as you can hopefully see from my photos, it is a lovely subtle shade which I think sets off the green in my eyes. Berry Cute is one of the pearlescent Colour Crush Eyeshadow shades – the pigment is great used with a dry brush, and extra strong when used with a wet brush. I applied it with a dry brush all around my eyes, including a little under my bottom lashes, because I wanted quite a subtle effect. I’m definitely going to experiment with pink eyeshadow again, would you be brave enough?
Tah dah! Here is my full summer make-up look featuring The Body Shop; I’m also wearing some of my usual make-up favourites and MUA £1 Lipstick in Shade 14 ‘Bare’. What do you think? Are you enjoying my make-up posts?

**PS: the Company blogger award nominations are open! I’ve decided that I’d like to give it a shot for the first time this year, and so I’d love it if you could nominate me as ‘Best Personal Style Blog in association with Missguided’ if you like reading my posts and seeing my outfits. It takes 2 seconds, just click here and fill out the short form with my url www.hannahlouisef.com – thank you so much if you decide to do this for me, and let me know if you do!**
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April 26, 2014 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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Beauty

Makeup for Pale Skin – My Everyday Makeup

Makeup for Pale Skin – My Everyday Makeup
I certainly wouldn’t consider myself a beauty blogger, however along with “where is ____ from?”, “what foundation do you use?” is definitely my most asked question. I have consequently been promising a big blog post about my everyday make-up for some time, and here it finally is! It’s going to be a long post, but I hope it’s helpful, and I have tried to include budget alternatives wherever I use a more high end product.
FACE I
First and foremost I use a primer – I apply it to my t-zone daily, or to my full face if I’m going out or have a special event. The primer I’m using at the moment is Smashbox Photo Finish, which I cannot fault. It is quite expensive (£25) however you only need to use the tiniest bit and so it works out to be excellent value for money; I just scrolled back through my Instagram to check when I bought this tube and it was 50 weeks ago(!). The only other primer I have ever used is by MUA and is £4; I found that wearing that was better than wearing no primer, but Smashbox Photo Finish is definitely the superior product. I have included Photo Finish in my swatch below (number 1), you can just about see how it has smoothed out the lines on my hand – it has a similar effect on the face and gives foundation more staying power. 
Next – foundation. The seemingly endless search for the perfect product is made even more difficult when you have particularly pale skin! My favourite foundation at the moment is Estee Lauder Double Wear (£28.50). It provides flawless full coverage, is very easy to apply, lasts all day without being cakey and is just generally fabulous. The only downside is the annoying glass bottle, which means that you’re often left with product towards the end of a bottle which is difficult to get out. The shade I use is ‘Shell’, which as far as I’m aware is the palest they do. As you can see from the swatch below (number 4), Shell is still slightly warmer than my skin, however the colour difference is only slight and I like that it gives me a little bit of colour. To combat the slight colour difference, I usually combine my Double Wear with Illamasqua Skin Base in Shade 2 (swatch number 3). I don’t always mix the two together before applying (partly due to laziness), but usually use Skin Base on areas of my face I want to highlight and around my jawline so that blending my Double Wear into my neck looks more natural. Illamasqua Skin Base is also a fantastic foundation in my opinion, and the range of pale colours is second to none (Skin Base is also available in a pure white, which you could mix with any foundation to lighten). Shade 2 is very, very light but also quite neutral in tone, which I prefer to the very pink or very yellow undertones you tend to find in pale foundations. Skin Base is now quite pricey at £32 (although last time I purchased it it was still £27!), but is currently still available on ASOS in selected shades (including shade 2) for £27 here. The reason I prefer Double Wear, and if I had to choose just one I would choose Double Wear, is that when worn all over Shade 2 of Skin Base can look a little ghostly, it takes much more buffing to achieve a flawless finish, and isn’t great if you have dry patches. 
As well as my heavy coverage foundation, I have recently gone back to an old favourite in Gosh BB Cream in Sand (swatch number 5). It is a perfect colour match, and I’ve chosen to replace Double Wear with it in my daily routine on days when my skin is good or I’m not doing anything special. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who is looking for a lightweight foundation / BB Cream, and especially if you’re pale and/or on a budget as it is £9.99.

I also use concealer in my make-up routine on most days, either dabbed under my eyes or to cover a spot, or both. My favourite is MAC Studio Finish Concealer, shade NC15 (swatch number 6). NC15 is too yellow for me to wear all over my face in a foundation, but I find that it works well under the eyes as it warms up the blue-y tones of dark circles, and once it is blended with my foundation the colour difference is not noticeable.  I have tried Illamasqua’s concealers, which are a better colour match, but found them to be a little too greasy and not as heavy coverage as MAC’s. Studio Finish Concealer is moderately priced at £15 for a 7g pot, if you’re using it conservatively it lasts ages. If you’re looking for something cheap then I have found that Miss Sporty and Natural Collection cover stick concealers are surprisingly good for their £1.99 price tag, but MAC Studio Finish is unsurpassed when it comes to spot covering, even if there’s dry or broken skin involved as it is very creamy. 
Finally, I have also included Soap & Glory Hocus Focus in the photo (swatch number 2), despite only having purchased it a few days ago. I impulse bought it, £11, whilst trying to make the most of a 3 for 2 offer on Soap & Glory cosmetics in Boots (I’m a terrible sucker for their offers), and so far I’m loving it! Hocus Focus is an illuminator, not a product I’ve ever considered to be an essential in my make-up routine before, however experimenting with it so far I have found that it gives a great dewy effect and highlights very subtly and I think it could serve as a 2-in-1 primer/highlighter if I found myself without a primer or powder highlighter. I have mainly used this on my cheeks and undereye area, and you can be more liberal with it than you would be with a powder highlighter for example because as I mentioned the highlighting effect is quite subtle. Whether or not I will repurchase remains to be seen as I’m more of a matte-finish than a dewy-finish gal when it comes to my skin, but it is definitely a great fun product. 
FACE II
For me, my powder is just as important as my foundation. As I mentioned I much prefer a matte finish, and fixing foundation with a powder makes it last so so so much better! My two favourites are Rimmel Stay Matte, which is excellent value at £3.99 (I use the shade ‘Peach Glow’) and Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot, which is pricier at £12. I had been a Stay Matte worshiper for many years, generally unimpressed by both the price and comparative quality of other powders I tried such as Mac Skinfinish (expensive, lasted 2 seconds), until I got the Soap & Glory powder for Christmas and I now think I’m a convert! For a start, I have only just repurchased One Heck of a Blot and I still have a little of my old one left, which means it has given me around 4 months of mattifying whereas I replace my Stay Matte around once every 2-3 months. Plus, One Heck of a Blot is in an infinitely handier compact with a mirror and the powder hasn’t broken even a little bit, which I find usually happens towards the end of a Stay Matte. As far as the quality of the actual product goes, I think that Stay Matte gives a heavier coverage than One Heck, but since switching to One Heck I’ve found that I never look cakey, which there is a danger of if you overdo it with Stay Matte. Colour-wise, One Heck comes in one shade for all skin types because it is transparent. How well it works on darker skin I do not know, but despite the yellow appearance of the solid powder I find that it doesn’t change the colour of my base at all, unlike the ‘Transparent’ shade of Stay Matte which goes on too yellow for me. As I mentioned, I use ‘Peach Glow’ in Stay Matte, which is a great match to Double Wear Shell. Whichever powder I use, I usually apply it with a powderpuff around my nose and undereyes to really make sure the powder is pressed in, and with a powder brush for the rest of my face. 
Before I apply powder, I sometimes use Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow to contour. Now I’m definitely not a skilled enough make-up applier to get away with what I would consider ‘proper’ contouring, which would include the nose, forehead, jawline, etc, (and if you aren’t either I would definitely recommend practicing a million times before going out with your nose/forehead/jawline contoured because bad contouring looks hideous, and far worse than no contouring at all!) but I do like to define my fairly non-existent cheekbones a little. Hollow (swatched on the far left of my hand below) has been raved about my many pale-skinned beauty bloggers thanks to its lack of orange-ness, and with good reason. In colour, it is a light brown without too warm an undertone unlike a bronzer, so is much better for creating depth. In texture, it is very creamy but also matte, and super easy to blend and build on using either your fingers or a brush. It is £17.50, but lasts an age – there is still only a slight dent in my pot despite using it fairly regularly for around 9 months.  
For an injection of colour, I use Benefit Bronzer in Hoola and Illamasqua Powder Blush in Naked Rose and more recently I added Illamasqua Powder Blush in Tremble to my collection. Looking at Hoola in the pot or even swatched on my hand (second from left) it looks far too dark and orange toned to work on my pale skin, however once blended it really does work and providing I don’t overdo it gives just the right amount of warmth to my cheeks. Again, you need only the tiniest bit of product to achieve the right amount of colour, especially on pale skin, so although you spend £23.50 on a 8g pot it lasts forever – I first bought mine when I was still at sixth form, and have now almost finished my second year of university and still have plenty left. 
I tend not to use either Hoola or Hollow cream pigment without a blusher on the apples of my cheeks, and for that Illamasqua powder blushes are my favourite. Until I got Naked Rose (second from right swatch) about 6 months ago I hadn’t used any higher end blushers, and tended to stick to MUA’s £1 blushers (which are really great, by the way, especially for the price). However, I don’t think I could go back now! Naked Rose is the perfect dusky pink shade, I couldn’t have dreamed up a better colour for my skin tone if I’d tried. More recently I purchased Tremble – as you can see from the swatch (far right) it is a much brighter, more coral toned pink than Naked Rose. I bought because it was in the online sale (something Illamasqua is fantastic for, I would definitely recommend subscribing to their email newsletter), and I was expecting a more candy-pink shade because that is how it appears on the website. It is a lovely colour, but I do think that it would probably suit a bit of a tan or a darker skin tone better than it suits me. That being said, I think it will be a lovely colour for summer, especially in the (unlikely) event that I catch the sun a little. So in terms of colour Naked Rose is my holy grail for pale skin, but whichever shade you go for the product itself is fantastic. It is super super pigmented and easy to blend – you need the most minuscule amount on your brush to achieve the right amount of colour. They are £21.50 each (although like I said do look out for sales, Tremble was reduced to £10 when I bought it) but, as with Benefit Hoola, they last forever. I have had Naked Rose 6 months and frankly I could probably get away with selling it as new if I wanted to, it doesn’t even have a dent yet. 
I also like to use a powder highlighter. Around 4 months ago I treated myself to NARS Albatross on ASOS (a great place to buy make-up as a student, as you can use your 10% discount), which is £21.50. It gives a very subtle highlight, as you can hopefully see in the left swatch in the photo below. I’m not sure whether or not I will repurchase this as it is quite pricey; it is definitely a great product I’m just not sure it’s worth splashing out on for me personally. Perhaps I’ll change my mind when I run out and start missing it though! My budget option is MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder (right swatch), which is an entirely more reasonable £3. The highlight isn’t as subtle as Albatross’ so I have to be careful when using this in my everyday make-up as I don’t want to look too glittery. Both are fab products, I prefer NARS but as far as value for money goes the MUA highlighter is great! I haven’t pictured it here as I use it mainly as an eye shadow, but I love Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Furore for highlighting too! I have also tried Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam which is a great product and is a middle-of-the-range price at £10, but I found it to be a little too gold for me. The pigmentation is fantastic though, so if you have a darker skin-tone it would probably be ideal for you.
LASHES AND BROWS
Foundation is probably my most asked about product, but after that it has to be eyebrows. I am really not blessed with naturally good brows, so this is an essential part of my make-up routine. For the past 6 months or so I have been exclusively using Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Jules applied with an ecotools eyeliner brush on my brows. Obviously Jules is warm brown shade rather than red like my hair, however I personally don’t see a problem with having brows a different colour to your hair, particularly if you keep the tone of the colours similar. As far as technique goes, I use Jules dry to fill in the main ‘body’ of my brows (left swatch), and then usually use it with a little water (right swatch) to give a more defined effect, especially to the arch of my brow. I have also finally started doing my brows before applying foundation like a make-up artist would but for some reason most of us don’t, and I find that this makes it much easier to achieve a more natural look (or as natural as a very defined brow can be). Plus, doing your brows first makes it easier to go around them with foundation on a small brush to further define them. The ecotools brush is £5, and Jules is £15.50, not the cheapest brow product but again it does last, and can of course still be used as as an eye shadow too!
Mascara is a product that I change around a lot, I rarely stick with just one for very long. At the moment I’m loving L’Oreal Miss Manga, which is very reasonably priced at £8.99 and gives all the length/volume/blackness I like, without being flaky or drying so is fine to layer up or reapply later in the day. I have found, however, that it is quite smudgy. I have this problem with many mascaras, but I don’t want to sacrifice wearing a creamy concealer under my eyes (which I think is definitely part of the cause of the problem), so I recently started wearing a layer of waterproof mascara on top of my regular mascara. I don’t like to wear waterproof mascara by itself on a daily basis because I simply have never found one that is as good as a regular mascara, even the L’Oreal Volume Million Waterproof isn’t as good as its non-waterproof counterpart. Doubling up and using a regular mascara with a layer of waterproof over the top, and using only waterproof on the bottom lashes, seems to give the best of both worlds as you get the effect of the regular mascara without the smudging thanks to the waterproof on top! Some other mascaras I like are Benefit They’re Real (great, but a bit too expensive for mascara for my liking at £19.50), Max Factor False Lash Effect (this, or L’Oreal Volume Million, is the mascara I usually fall back on after purchasing and using a more expensive brand – a firm favourite!), Soap & Glory Thick & Fast (really great but even more smudgy than Miss Manga) and YSL Shocking Faux Cils (fantastic but expensive at £23.50, and I found that it went gloopy very quickly). 
Liquid liner is not something I wear every day, particularly when I’m getting ready in a rush, but I thought I’d include it here anyway. I have tried liners from Max Factor and L’Oreal but haven’t liked either, particularly in comparison to Rimmel’s. The liner pictured here is Rimmel Exaggerate, however I much prefer Rimmel Glam’Eyes. The main difference between the two is the brush – Glam’Eyes’ is very thin and precise whereas Exaggerate is more of a felt tip type brush. I think that this is really a matter of personal preference, and there is in my opinion no noticeable difference in the actual product, which itself is super black and lasts very well. Both are £5.29. 

BRUSHES
For me, the brushes I use are almost as important as the products. Before I purchased the Real Techniques Core Collection (orange handles) I hadn’t found a brush that I liked to apply foundation with and so stuck to a sponge. A sponge does the job and of course is cheap (I used the basic circular sponges which are around 5 for £1 in Bodycare), however they can waste product and generally I don’t find the finish as nice as the finish you get with a brush. I use the Buffing Brush (second from right) to apply my foundation, and only switch back to a sponge if I’m having a bad day with my brushes (which usually only happens if they need cleaning!). As long as I clean the buffing brush roughly once every 2 weeks I rarely have a problem, though! Sticking to the Real Techniques Core Collection, I love the smallest brush in the collection, the Detail Brush (third from right), for neatening up all sorts of things. As I mentioned before, I use it with foundation to neaten the edges of my brows, but I also do the same with the edges of my lips if I’m wearing a bold colour. I use the Contour Brush (fourth from right) for all my powder blushers, bronzers and highlighters, it’s a great size and is just generally very easy to use. The Pointed Foundation Brush (second from left) is the brush I use the least from the collection because it’s too small for foundation application in my opinion, but I do occasionally use it with concealer or to apply Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment, which I then blend into my foundation with the buffing brush. The e.l.f. Powder Brush (far right) is the only powder brush I’ve ever used, but it has always done the job for me so I’ve never felt the need to replace it. I especially like that it is only £3.95!
More recently I bought the Real Techniques Starter Set (£21.99, purple handles) which contains my new favourite brushes for eye shadows, the Base Shadow Brush (far left) and Deluxe Crease Brush (third from left). I particularly like the deluxe crease brush, which is great for buffing and blending eye shadow. I have used the Accent Brush from the Starter Set for applying lipstick, but I don’t use the other brushes in the set; I don’t think that the brow brush is fine enough, and I haven’t found a use for the pixel point-brush. I got the set when it was on sale at Cocktail Cosmetics, and wouldn’t have liked to have paid the full price of £21.99 as I mainly only use two of the brushes, but those two brushes are great. 
Annnd breathe! 3000+ words later and that is the end of my everyday make-up post, if only it was this easy to write my coursework! Please bear in mind that wherever I have mentioned a price, this is the RRP (generally from the Boots or Superdrug website), and I would encourage you to search online for more competitive prices (particularly with brands like Real Techniques) or sales or discounts (the Illamasqua sales are always great and they offer a free delivery online and a 10% loyalty discount from your third order, and ASOS offers student discount on a lot of beauty brands). I haven’t included any eye shadow or lip products, but you can read about some of my favourite lipsticks in this post. I wrote it around 18 months ago but many of the products I included are still firm favourites! As I mentioned, I do love Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Furore on the eyes, but I won’t get into a discussion of eye shadows here as I tend not to wear them on an everyday basis. 
I hope that this has been helpful, especially for you pale skinned girls! Remember I am by no means an expert and am writing purely as a consumer. If you’d like to recommend any products you think I’d like then I’d love to investigate those so do leave a comment, and I’d love to know if you’d like to see more beauty related posts from me! I promise I will get better at photographing products if that’s the case 🙂
**Don’t forget that the Company blogger award nominations are open! I’ve decided that I’d like to give it a shot this year and so I’d love it if you could nominate me as ‘Best Personal Style Blog’. It takes 2 seconds, just click here and fill out the short form with my url www.hannahlouisef.com – thank you so much if you decide to do this for me, and do let me know if you do!**

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April 9, 2014 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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ghd – Candy Collection

ghd – Candy Collection
ghd IV mint professional styler* | Lily Angel caviar manicure set in ‘Rainbow’* | Mac Pressed Pigment in ‘Blue Willow’*

I recently received the most amazing gift package! ghd was already my favourite brand for straighteners, my first hair styler (which I shared with my mum) was ghd and I’ve been unable to find any brand whose flat iron quite matches up. Fortunately ghds come with a 2 year guarantee and need replacing less often than that, so despite being expensive in comparison to other brands, price per use they probably work out much better value. It isn’t just me who loves ghd: the company was voted as a Coolbrand for 2012 by the Superbrands’ CoolBrands Initiative and won best life-changing product in the Fabulous 2012 Beauty Awards, as well as many more. ghd’s latest collection, the ‘Candy Collection’, is inspired by retro sweetshop favourites, and consists of the acclaimed IV professional styler in three super sweet colours: yellow, mint and violet. ghd was kind enough to gift me the mint styler! (pictures from my gift package above and below)

In the last picture you can see the Candy Collection ghd IV professional styler compared with the standard version – they are almost identical but the mint styler is undeniably prettier! The price difference is £11 – the standard IV styler retails at £99 whereas the Candy Collection stylers are £110, although if you’re buying as a gift or simply like your things to look pretty then in my opinion the £11 difference isn’t overwhelming – plus the Candy Collection is limited edition! 

I also received a couple of beauty goodies, with which I created a spring look inkeeping with my new mint ghd styler: the eye shadow is ‘Blue Willow’ pressed pigment, which is a pale blue/green shade and is not very bold on the eyelid, however it is very sparkly and (because it’s not overly bold) easy to wear; the ‘Rainbow’ caviar nail set is by Lily Angel (available here on eBay) and is very similar to the extremely popular but more expensive Ciaté caviar manicure sets. My nails definitely lasted 24 hours before the beads started to noticeably fall off (the middle photograph below was taken the day after I did my nails, the bottom photo was taken shortly after doing my nails) and it was only after 3 days when I felt that it needed to be taken off or re-done, so the Lily Angel set is more than adequate for a special event or night out! Take a look at my (albeit amateur) eyes and nails below:
Finally – my hair! My hair is naturally quite wavy and so if I leave it to dry naturally it always needs straightening in layers if that is the look I want – I find that using ghds makes my straight hair last easily from one wash to the next (I wash my hair around twice per week), with the exception of only the very front section of my hair. Below are some photos of me with ghd straight hair, but every photo you have ever seen of me with straight hair is thanks to one pair of ghds or another! I cannot recommend this brand enough, and the Candy Collection is all the quality of regular ghd but in a cuter package. Check out the ghd website for their full range of hair straighteners and for some hairstyle inspiration too.
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March 21, 2013 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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Enrapture Totem Styler | Review

Enrapture Totem Styler | Review

I’ve heard a lot of fuss about Enrapture‘s products, and so I was super excited to be able to try out their popular Totem Styler* for myself! I’ve never owned a curling tool before and have never had much luck with curly hair, and as this one has so much hype surrounding it, my expectations were high.

Firstly, disregarding the actual curling power of the Totem Styler, there were many small aspects of the whole Enrapture pacakge which I was instantly impressed with: the handy stand on the tool itself, the heat-resistant pouch which doubles as a heat-resistant mat when unzipped, the helpful book of tips on using your Totem Styler, and even the sleek packaging.

I find that my hair is extremely temperamental when it comes to styling – whether I sleep in rollers to achieve loose curls or use my straighteners to wave my hair, it always ends up dropping out after just a few hours, even with hairspray! However, I’ve been much more successful in this department with the Totem Styler – I find that now when I get home my hair usually ends up at least resembling my hair when I went out, which is great! That’s not to say every hair is still in place, but I would give the Totem Styler (combined with hairspray) a solid 8 out of 10 for staying power.

The Totem Styler is unique in that the barrel is separated into three heat zones, the heat of which you can control individually with the ‘encoder dial’. Setting each zone to a different temperature allows you to create different styles of curl, for example a 3-3-3 can be used for even, tight curls, whereas a 1-1-3 or a 1-2-3 will create loose curls which become tighter towards the end. Check out some photos of my different ‘codes’ below (and yes, I have lightened my hair from the second photo to the first!):

Overall, I’m very happy with the Totem Styler! At £74.99 it is quite pricey, but you definitely pay for quality and I would completely recommend it!

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January 31, 2013 TAGS: , , , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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The Great Lipstick Post

The Great Lipstick Post

I’m often asked about my lipstick – my favourite brands, preferred shade etc etc, and so I decided that the best thing to do would be a very extensive post on some of my favourite lippys from a range of brands at a range of prices. I’m currently home from university over the Christmas period and so these lipsticks are the ones I threw in my bags to take home, and so although I do own many more I think that this selection is very representative of what I wear on a day to day basis and for the odd special occasion.

MUA

I have a number of lipsticks from MUA, and at £1 each I really cannot fault them! Their lipsticks are creamy in texture and all of the ones I have tried give great coverage and aren’t too sheer or invisible like some cheap lipsticks often are. The shade pictured above is ‘Shade 15’, which I bought very recently think is the perfect nude colour. MUA lipsticks are 100% my number one in terms of value for money.

One of my go-to lipsticks is MUA’s ‘Shade 7’. As you can see from the photo, I have used this lipstick a lot and it was in fact the first MUA lipstick I bought. It’s a really great shimmery coral shade which is very pretty for summer. Other MUA shades I own and like are 1 and 13, which are both bold, luxurious reds. MUA lipsticks are available for £1 each online or at Superdrug.

MAX FACTOR

I only own one Max Factor lipstick, the above shade ‘Plush Blush’. I didn’t choose this lipstick, it came in a set I got in Bodycare which I wanted for the mascara, however it has become my perfect everyday lipstick as it is very similar to my natural lip colour but perfects and evens it out, as well as giving some shine.
RIMMEL X KATE MOSS

After hearing raving reviews of Kate Moss’ lipsticks for Rimmel, I had a tough time choosing which shade to buy first. I decided on a simple red, shade 01 from the first collaborative collection. It is a great ‘true red’ shade which is very easy to apply and always looks even on the lips.

The second Rimmel x Kate Moss lipstick I bought was shade 101 from the matte collection, which I got on sale on ASOS. ASOS is in my opinion often overlooked for beauty products and make-up, however they do stock a great range of brands and often have sales on. Shade 101 is a pretty baby pink, similar to Mac’s ‘Snob’. I don’t think it is the most flattering shade for my skin tone, however I do still like to wear it (oops) and I think it looks amazing on other people. Unfortunately Kate Moss’ matte collection isn’t actually as matte as I initially hoped, I would describe the finish as ‘semi-matte’, however if that is what you’re looking for then this is a fantastic lipstick and reasonably good value for money. Both the matte and original collections are available for the normal price of £5.49 on ASOS and in Boots.

TOPSHOP

  

When Topshop’s make-up range first launched, I heard mixed reviews and didn’t jump at the chance to buy any of the products initially. I got one of their lipsticks in ‘All About Me’ free with an online order and was very pleasantly surprised! The texture is creamy and the finish very velvety and matte-ish. Topshop lipsticks aren’t cheap nor are they super expensive at £8 each, and I definitely want to try more of their shades.

MAC

Mac are famed for their lipsticks, and I have never been disappointed or underwhelmed by any which I have tried. Mac’s standard lipsticks retail at £14 so they are at the higher end of my range of lipsticks, and I tend to buy from Mac mainly when they have a colour which I have not seen a good (and lower priced) dupe for, such as Morange or their matte Ruby Woo. However, I do think that most Mac lipsticks are worth the money if you have it to spare as they are fantastic quality, especially if you like their bold shades as I do.

The most recent Mac shade I have acquired is ‘Media’ – a gorgeous, vampy purple/red wine shade which I actually won in a giveaway on the wonderful Charissa Rae‘s blog! The shade is perfect for winter as it’s so rich looking, however I’m sure I’ll wear it all year round too.

I bought ‘Morange’ when I had dark brown hair and I really loved it! I still love the colour, however I feel that it can clash with my red hair and looks better on girls with dark or blonde hair, and especially gorgeous on girls with very dark skin. It is definitely an attention grabbing colour which I am yet to see a good dupe for by a ‘drugstore’ brand.

Mac’s ‘Ruby Woo’ is one of my favourite lipsticks, as it is fully matte as opposed to semi-matte or velvety in texture like Topshop or Rimmel’s ‘semi-matte’ products. It is a very striking red, and almost every time I wear it I get a compliment on it – it’s a definite ‘get noticed’ lipstick!
LIME CRIME

I have always wanted to try Lime Crime products, in particular their lipsticks, however until recently they haven’t been (to my knowledge) very available in the UK without having to pay high shipping costs from the US. I am still yet to try their famous lipsticks, however I could not resist purchasing this ‘Velvetine’ in ‘Suedeberry’ when I saw it in stock on UK site Cocktail Cosmetics. The Velvetine goes on like a gloss, but once it has dried it is perfectly matte and is just as bold as any of my lipsticks, if not more so! The colour is a coral/orange shade, and I would definitely recommend this product. The Velvetines sell out everywhere quickly and unfortunately aren’t in stock on Cocktail Cosmetics at the moment, however you can currently buy Suedeberry from the Lime Crime store if you are in the US or don’t mind paying a higher shipping cost.

REVLON

 

‘Wine Not’ is the only Revlon lipstick I own, however I do really like it. As the name suggests is a red wine colour and isn’t dissimilar to Mac’s ‘Media’, but has a ‘semi-matte’ finish (it claims to be matte, however it is not as matte as Mac’s matte shades or the Lime Crime Velvetines) as opposed to a shiny one. Again it is a lovely shade for winter and looks amazing with a silver eye for parties.

I hope this post has helped solve some of your potential lipstick dilemmas! One brand I have left out of this post is Barry M, simply because I don’t have any of their lipsticks at home with me, however I do especially like their brighter lipsticks. Happy make-up shopping!

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December 20, 2012 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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Nail Update!

Nail Update!

Although I still love spending far more time than I should painting my nails, I have recently neglected blogging about them, so here’s a little update. If you want more frequent nail updates, then feel free to follow me on Instagram @hannahlouisef or on the web version instagram.com/hannahlouisef!

Base – 2True Fast Dry Nail Polish, Shade 11
Leopard print – Models Own x Wah Nails Nail Art Pen in Black
Bow – eBay (red)

Base – E.L.F. ‘Lilac’
Tips – Technic ‘Jet Black’
Glitter – from a set, eBay
Gems – eBay (Crystal Clear with AB)

Base – Rimmel ‘Strawberry Fizz’
Gems – eBay

Base – 2True Fast Dry Nail Polish, Shade 11
Half moons – Technic ‘Jet Black’
Glitter – from a set, eBay
Which are your favourite? Will you try any of these out?
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November 30, 2012 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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YSL Shocking Mascara

YSL Shocking Mascara
I recently attended a very exciting AW12 press day at Harvey Nichols Manchester and afterwards received a goodie bag full of the most amazing samples! Amongst those was my new favourite mascara: ‘Shocking’ by YSL. At £23 it is more expensive than my usual mascara (Max Factor False Lash Effect, £10.99 @ Boots) and considerably more expensive than my ’emergency’ mascara (Primark, £1 reviewed here) however the quality definitely matches the price. 

 

The brush is medium sized and easy to use and be accurate with, and the packaging of both the sample (black) and full sized (gold, image c/o Harvey Nichols) products is simple and stylish. The Below is a photo of my eye with two coats of YSL Shocking mascara, however with more layers you can achieve even longer and blacker lashes, and the mascara stays on without crumbling all day or all night, making it a perfect and less hassle alternative to false lashes for an event or a night out.
Overall I would absolutely recommend this mascara and despite the high price you do get what you pay for! YSL Shocking mascara is available from the YSL counter of any Harvey Nichols.
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September 29, 2012 TAGS: , , , , , BY: hannahlouisef
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