Charlotte Tilbury (UK)

Thursday, 30 March 2017

The Concealer Blog


Hi Guy's! 
Sorry it's been a little quiet on the blog front.. This weekend saw Mothers day, so I was a busy bee treating my Mum! I have been a bit naughty this pay day and treated myself to a couple of new makeup bits.. One of which is the NARS Creamy Concealer, which I have heard nothing but great things about. So I've tried it out and thought I'd tell you what I thought and about my favourite concealers. Now.. Unfortunately, I have slightly sunken eyes and I have inherited lovely dark circles, so I often look like I've not slept for a year. I cannot tell you how much I struggle to cover them and how many different products I've tried.. but these beauties really do work!
So firstly I need to colour correct.. With dark circles your corrector needs to be an orange / red tone. This will counteract any darkness and minimise your dark circles. My favourite is the Bobbi Brown under eye corrector and I use colour Bisque. It's a subtle orange tone but super pigmented, which means I get a good coverage before applying my concealer. Unlike many others I've tried; It's a rich cream texture which blends really well and the BIG plus is it doesn't sit in any of my fine lines. Pair this with any of the following concealers and I promise you'll get full coverage and you'll look wide awake 24/7! 

Make Up Forever - Ultra HD Concealer 
Much like the foundations I blogged about, this concealer photographs beautifully. It offers a medium but buildable coverage and has a really lovely texture. It's really easy to work with and blends beautifully. When powered in place this stays put all day! Although this is great for the under eye, it's not so great at covering blemishes, because of it's thinner consistency it needs a little help. The amazing thing about Make Up Forever though is the range of shades; they offer a shade for all origins and skin tones. RRP £20.00

NARS - Creamy Concealer 
Well... Believe the hype! This is a brilliant concealer. Unfortunately.. I bought a slightly darker shade than I need (Custard) so I've had to improvise a little, but the colour and coverage is amazing! One downside.. If you don't set with powder it will crease. But it stays in place all day and will cover everything! RRP £23.00

Clarins - Instant Concealer 
 This is my ULTIMATE favourite! I don't know what Clarins have put in this concealer but my god, it's awesome! It's super pigmented and offers a full coverage that will cover everything! The texture is a creamy liquid; it's slightly thicker than the other two concealers but it's in no way cakey. In fact, it has a smoothing texture; blurring any fine lines. The shade is beautiful.. I think it's available in three different colours but each shade has a slight light diffusing finish which really brightens the under eye. I use this concealer all over, where ever I need some extra coverage. It's so easy to blend and stays in place all day even without powder... A little really does go a long way, the tube lasts easily 4-5 months. One thing.. If your thinking of trying this, make sure you buy the correct one. Clarins have two concealers with pretty much the same name. Just remember its the one in the tube (pictured above) RRP £22.00 

Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful; please comment below and let me know your thoughts or if there are any looks or products you'd like me to try let me know!





Thursday, 23 March 2017

Make Up Forever - Mist and Fix Setting Spray


Hi Guy's, 
I thought I'd do a quick review and tell you about the Mist and Fix setting spray from Make Up Forever. I bought this along side one of their foundations and to be honest I wasn't really sure how much of a difference it would make, originally I thought perhaps the whole "fixing spray" thing was a bit of a gimmick; but I was wrong. It really does make a difference! After applying my make up, I spritz my face with a few sprays and Hey Presto.. your left with glowing, healthy looking skin! It gives my skin an extra shot of moisture without moving my make up and it locks my base in place all day. But the thing I love the most about many of the Make Up Forever products is the tester sizes that are available. These are sold at a lower price and are not only great for testing out a product before you lay out the full price, there also really handy for your handbag. So if your skin is struggling for moisture or just needs freshening up you can have a quick spritz on the go! The full sized bottle lasted me approx 3 months, I made the mistake of trying a different setting spray from Tarte Cosmetics - Marine Spray and it promises more than the Make Up Forever spray and I can honestly say it's not a patch on it! This is definitely one on my favourite product list!


Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful, please comment below and let me know your thoughts!


Tuesday, 21 March 2017

My Favourite Skincare Items


Hi Guy's! 
If your anything like me and wear make up pretty much every day, then you really need great skin care products to get your skin super soft and squeaky clean. I have tried countless amounts of skincare ranges but I always come back to one... Clinique! I have typically combination skin; Dry on my cheeks but oily on my T-Zone. I have the odd breakout now and again but I honestly do believe that my skin is kept under control by these products. My typical skincare routine is wash, tone and moisturise every morning and night. And twice a week I will incorporate an exfoliant into my evening routine. Now the reason why I swear by these products is how clean my face feels and how they improve my skin texture. I use one pump of liquid face soap on my damp face brush morning and night, the brush vibrates; taking off dead skin cells. It's designed so you travel across your face using circular motions, which also stimulates the blood flow. To make sure you don't over do it and scrub you face too much, the brush switches off after a minute or two. I was sceptical at first as I believe it was approx £80 when I bought it...I know that's not the most pricey out there, but add it on to my normal spend for cosmetics and it adds up! But I can honestly say I LOVE it! It is the best beauty gadget I have ever bought. It really has changed my skin, everyday my skin is super soft and you can see a visible difference after I have used it. So much so, my boyfriend has had to buy one too! The soap alone is powerful enough to remove even the toughest make up and dirt. But it never leaves you with the tight face feeling so many soap cleansers do.. And as with all of the Clinique products none of their products contain oil so you don't get that horrible slimy feeling after you've just washed your face. If my skin is feeling particularly drab or I have any flaky patches I will use an exfoliator and the one I swear by is from the Clinique Men range. Now don't panic, your not going to wake up with a beard and a deep voice just because it says its for men. I'd go as far as to say it really makes no difference. The reason why I love this exfoliator so much is how clean and tingly it leaves your face. With it being designed for "Men" you'd expect a harsh, course texture but what you get is a soft paste with just the right amount of grit to deeply cleanse your face and a shot of menthol which leaves your skin tingling. I follow each face wash with my clarifying lotion, it's strong stuff so whatever you do.. don't get it in your eyes! It removes any stubborn dry skin and removes any residue of your soap or exfoliator. Again I love the intense clean feeling it leaves you with. One tip.. Visit the ladies on counter to get the right number. The levels vary in strength and if you get the wrong one it can strip your skin. But if you get the right one the difference in your skin is amazing! Once I have perfectly clean skin I wack the moisture back in with my Nip+Fab Dragons Blood serum and layer my moisturiser on top; I'm still on the hunt for the perfect one! 

Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful, please comment below and let me know your thoughts! And.. If you fancy trying these or any of the other items I've featured. Follow the link below for 15% off at Feel Unique! 



Saturday, 18 March 2017

Green Smokey Eye / Tarte PRO Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette


Hi Guy's, 
Welcome Back! Today I'm going to show you how to get this gorgeous emerald green smokey eye! Now, if you've read my previous blogs you'll know I recently purchased the Tarte PRO Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette. There are so many different looks you can create from this palette including this one! So to start I took Indie on a 203 Real Technique Bold Metal brush and blended this just above and into the socket of my eye. Next, I took Trendy on a 201 Real Technique Bold Metal brush over the mobile lid but not quite into the inner corners of my eye. I then took a CLEAN Mac 217 brush and gently blended the edges. Next, I took Glam on a 203 Real Technique Bold Metal brush and gently pushed this into the inner corner of my eye and blended into Trendy. To intensify the green I took Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Junkie and drew over the area where I had applied Trendy. To blend, I used the same brush as I had to apply Trendy and buffed over the pencil. I took the same brush without any extra product and swept under the lower lash line. To finish I tight-lined my eyes with a black kohl pencil and put a slick of black liquid liner on my upper lash line and applied plenty of mascara. Finish the whole look with a flawless base and your favourite nude lippie... 
Et Voila! 



Thank you for reading.. I hope you like this look, if you wish to read the full review for the palette please head to my Red Smokey eye / Tarte PRO Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette blog post; please comment below and let me know your thoughts or if there are any looks or products you'd like me to try let me know!

Thursday, 16 March 2017

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask


Hi Guy's! 
Yes, I look like something out of a horror movie but there's a good reason for it! I recently entered into a competition where I got a chance to ask Charlotte a question and win a prize. I was one of the lucky winners of the competition with Harvey Nichols and Charlotte Tilbury. The prize... The newly launched Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask. I couldn't wait to try it out and tell you all about it! So, the biggest difference to other face masks is it's DRY! Completely dry! Now, I'll be honest I was sceptical about how this would perform especially with it being high end and pricey, but I'm pleasantly surprised.. The mask comes in a foil, resealable pack. Because the mask is dry you can literally use it anytime, anywhere. It's a soft fabric mask that is coated in active ingredients such as vitamins, floral extracts, peptides, oils and butters. To apply, you lay the pink side to your skin and hook the corners over your ears. Gently massage the mask over your skin to activate the ingredients and leave for 15 minutes! After removing the mask my skin felt gorgeous! It was left feeling hydrated and incredibly soft. Although I don't particularly have lines my skin definitely felt smoother and appeared brighter and the results last for 8 hours. Now, for the biggest plus of all.. The mask can be used THREE times. So although the mask costs RRP £18.00. If you think about it, technically it's £6.00 per application! Which is pretty much the same as other face masks.... Overall, I'm really impressed and I would definitely purchase! If your looking for something that really gives you skin a boost try this out! To purchase, click the link at the top of my blog page!

Thank you so much to Harvey Nichols and Charlotte Tilbury for selecting me as one of your prize winners!

Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful; please comment below and let me know your thoughts or if there are any looks or products you'd like me to try let me know!










Tuesday, 14 March 2017

The Foundation Blog

Hi Guy's,
I hope your all well! One thing I always get asked is what foundation do I use and how do I get a flawless finish? Well... The secret is out! Firstly, I cannot stress enough how important prep is for the perfect base. If your skin is dry and flaky or excessively oily then your foundation will be too, keep your skin hydrated and if needs be use a primer depending on your skin needs. Now, in my teenage years I had epic fails with foundation. From using the wrong colour to applying all over my face but not applying to my forehead?! (Not sure what I was trying to achieve there) but thankfully I have learnt so much since then. I cannot tell you how many foundations I have tried over the years, it has been a classic example of trial and error. I would recommend finding a brand that you like and asking the ladies on counter in your nearest store for a colour match; especially if your going for a high end foundation. Getting the wrong colour is a very pricey mistake to make and trust me I've made it! Think about the finish you want to achieve, not everyone wants a full coverage so don't be afraid to ask on counter and they should point you in the right direction. ALWAYS check the colour in natural light. The cosmetic counters are lit by artificial lighting and even a full face of make up looks understated in those lights. You should always wear your foundation for at least an hour before you go ahead and purchase. Some foundations can oxidise which means the colour changes, usually they go orange so always take a walk around and check the colour. If you find a great brand such as Lancome, Estee Lauder and Clinique they often have sample pots of foundations. Purchase the foundation but use the sample first, that way if you don't get on with it you can return your unused bottle. The three foundations i'm featuring are ones that I have found and love, these probably won't be for everyone. But if your looking for a medium to full coverage that is long lasting then these are your three. 

Make Up Forever Ultra HD Stick - Provides a full coverage, as this is a stick foundation it doesn't have the fluidity of the liquid foundation so it really needs to be buffed into the skin with a foundation brush. One swipe of this stick will cover pretty much all pigmentation and it does not budge. All of the Make Up Forever foundations photograph beautifully after all it is HD. Some full coverage and long wearing foundations contain talc and when photographed flash back meaning your face looks beautiful but in flash photography your face will look ghostly white. RRP £29.00 Available in several Debenhams across the country or the Debenhams website.

Make Up Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover - Medium to full coverage, this foundation is buildable and I would say much easier to wear day to day than the stick. As this is a liquid foundation it is much easier to work with and can be applied with both a brush and a sponge. Again, this photographs beautifully and will stay in place throughout the day. RRP £29.00 Available in several Debenhams across the country or the Debenhams website.

Lancome Teint Idol Ultra 24hr - Medium to full coverage which is really easy to build. It can be applied using both a sponge or a brush. This liquid foundation (despite being 24hr wear) some how still allows your skin to breath and feel like your wearing no make up. I was initially sceptical about flash back as this is a long wear formula but I have had no problems with it at all. This stays in place no matter what and throughout the the day gives your skin a polished, almost airbrush finish. This is my every day "go to" foundation. RRP £30.00 available at all Lancome counters, I usually go to Boots so I have get my advantage card points! 

Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful; please comment below and let me know your thoughts or if there are any looks or products you'd like me to try let me know!




Saturday, 11 March 2017

The Lush Spring Launch 2017


Hi Guy's, 
This week I was invited as my Besties plus one to the Lush Spring Launch. It was a night full of new treats and learning about the different products Lush offer. As you can see from the pictures above Lush have launched several new items for Easter from Golden Egg Bath Bombs to Bubble Bar Carrots. As the event was by invite only we had the perfect opportunity to get hands on and test out a few items. Not only could we see how the products perform we also learned so much about the natural and ethical way the products are made. Every product in store is freshly handmade and during the evening we were lucky enough to make our own products. Firstly a fresh, face mask favourite Cupcake - Its a mud mask with Cocoa Powder and Mint which draws out dirt and excess oil from your skin whilst Linseed and Cocoa Butter nourish and moisturise your skin. Made from completely natural products its full of goodness and your skin is left feeling deeply cleansed but super soft. My boyfriend loved it! We also made Creamy Candy Bubble Bars, these are super sweet solid bars that transform your bath into a bright pink bubbly, luxurious treat. Again, these are packed full of natural ingredients such as Almond and Cocoa Butter, Almond Oil and Butter Chunks. Simply crumble the bar under running water and watch your bath transform. Lastly, my personal favourite the Butter Ball Bath Bomb. It's softly scented with Ylang Ylang and is perfect for a relaxing bath after a long hard day. The chunks of Cocoa Butter leave your skin deeply replenished and you literally smell good enough to eat! I also purchased a couple of bits from the new range both of which I have fell in love with.. Scrubee is my ultimate favourite! It's a solid exfoliating soap bar made from Cocoa Butter and Honey with a gentle grain to softly buff away any dead skin cells. It's so nourishing that it skips the dry feeling of exfoliating and works as a 2 in 1 leaving your skin feeling like silk. I also bought a Lip Scrub I have used this product before in many of the different flavours but I just had to try Chocolate. Like many of you my lips can often become dry and chapped, I use this along with a balm and its problem solved. Use a small amount and gently buff the sugar scrub into your lips and lick it off, if you don't fancy a sugar fix simply wash it off. 

I thoroughly enjoyed using my Lush items and the evening spent with the team at the Leicester store.. All the staff were fab! They made us feel so welcome and had thought of every detail to make sure all of us had a brilliant time.. thank you so much, I will be back in again very soon. If you can't get to the Leicester store check out the website for all of the fabulous products Lush offer. 


Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful; please comment below and let me know your thoughts or if there are any looks or products you'd like me to try let me know!





Thursday, 9 March 2017

Becca Backlight Priming Filter


Hi Guy's, 
Today I am reviewing another new product and it's from another brand I haven't tried before! I know what your thinking.. Where have I been?! Honestly, I don't know! I've heard of Becca mentioned lots of times, their famous for fresh faced, natural looking make up that photos beautifully. Unfortunately, it's not a brand that is easily available in the UK (Unless you live in a major city) and I'm not usually one for buying before I've tried.. But, I saw this advertised a couple of weeks ago on a YouTube video and I decided to take the plunge.. Admittedly, I have only used this a few times since I received it but my god I love it! It does exactly what it says on the bottle and literally brightens your skin. It has the most beautiful pearly, iridescent glow that isn't obviously artificial which instantly makes your skin look so healthy. A little really goes a long way, I apply two pumps after my moisturiser to my whole face and neck. You can wear this both under your usual foundation for a dewy glow or you can use it to give your skin a little boost and go barefaced. I have done both and on both occasions I have received compliments on my skin and how healthy it looks. This primer has a lovely lightweight texture that doesn't become greasy throughout the day, I have tried a number of primers and found they can either sit in your pores and lines or slide off your face. This blends into your skin so well that it just feels like your skin. The RRP is £32.00 so it's not cheapest product out there but it really is worth the money. In fact, I have a feeling this won't be the last Becca product I buy. Especially if there all as good as this! 

Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful; please comment below and let me know your thoughts or if there are any looks or products you'd like me to try let me know!



Tuesday, 7 March 2017

Smokey Red Eye / Tarte PRO Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette


Hi Guy's 
Today brought much excitement for me as my New Tarte palette arrived! I'm sorry, For anyone who follows me on Instagram you'll already know.. I just had to share! I couldn't wait to try out the shades so I created this look and thought I'd tell you how I did it and also do a quick review. I can't believe I am saying this but this is my first ever purchase from Tarte cosmetics and I have to say I am impressed! The palette.. is GORGEOUS! From the sleek outer packaging to the really handy and well sized mirror.. It's safe to say I love it! So Girls / Guy's if your looking for a palette to add to your collection, you need this in your life! It has 16 matte shades ranging from soft neutral tones to deep dramatic reds and browns. Also 4 really wearable metallic shades with a beautiful amount of shimmer and a great payoff (I've pictured the palette below so you can see all the colours) The first thing i noticed about this palette is the smell, it smells almost chocolatey, so it won me over straight away! The pigment of these shadows is unreal, you get a really strong payoff with just the tiniest amount. And I had hardly any fall down even from the darker shades. Also I can often get watery eyes when using metallic shadows but I have worn this throughout the day and I have had no issues. So if you have sensitive eyes try these out.  



So onto this look .. I used the metallic shade Minx all over my lid and kept a clean blending brush handy to blend out the edges. Next I used Drama through the crease of my eye. You really don't need a lot of product with this, it works best to build up the colour slowly. I then took Mod which is the burnt red colour into the inner corner of my eye. This colour is gorgeous! Its a misconception that red is hard to carry off, just remember to take it easy on your blush and cover any redness in you skin and it looks amazing. Lastly I took Vamp through the outer corner of my eye and softly swept under my lower lashes. I then took my clean blending brush and gently buffed over the edges to make sure all the colours blended. Add a slick of liner along your lash line and finish with some false lashes or a few coats of your favourite mascara, I used YSL Volume effect Faux Cils 
... Et Voila!

Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful; please comment below and let me know your thoughts or if there are any looks or products you'd like me to try let me know!





Saturday, 4 March 2017

Redken Frizz Dismiss and Outshine


Hi Guy's, Welcome Back! 
I've got a lot of new cosmetic reviews coming up so I thought I'd keep it fresh by reviewing two hair care items. As a child I had the most gorgeous thick, healthy and ultra shiny hair but unfortunately as I've got older it has become more lack lustre and a bit limp. Now there's no denying I have abused my hair through my teenage years and early 20's. Although I have never coloured my hair, I have tried pretty much every type of hair extension going and also experimented with "thinned out" styles. Needless to say my hair has never been the same! So about 2 years ago I made the decision to ditch my extensions and start to love and look after my hair again. I have found an awesome Hair salon local to me (Fox Hair, Barwell) and I regularly visit Chan who has introduced me to some awesome products to help get my hair back on track. The two I am going to tell you about today are Redken Frizz Dismiss Smooth Force Spray and Redken Outshine Polishing Milk. Like many my hair reacts very much to it's surroundings and at times can be frizzy at the ends, which means it really struggles to hold a style. I first brought the Frizz dismiss spray before a holiday abroad as it specifically states it will battle against humidity and my god does it! Despite it being majorly humid, I managed to style my hair poker straight and go out for an evening meal without looking like a lion by the time dessert arrived! I literally use 2-3 sprays on the ends of my towel dried hair before blow drying. The result.. it gives smoother, softer hair that is so much easier to style. This is now my second bottle, my first lasted me approx 18 months. Now I appreciate this is more expensive than most high street brands (RRP £17.50) but it is so worth it, especially when it lasts so long. I purchased mine from my hairdresser but you can get this and other items from the Frizz Dismiss range from Feel Unique.. I'll include the link below. Onto the Outshine milk (RRP £17.00) I bought this at the same time as my replacement Frizz Dismiss and I was unsure if I needed both as they both target frizz. But I am soooo glad I did.. the polishing milk can be used on both dry and wet hair. I have been using half a pump on my towel dried hair and then using a pea sized about through the ends before straightening or curling. The shine is gives is beautiful and it just helps give your hair that extra bit of help to stay glossy and healthy without being greasy or weighing your hair down. I love this product and the two together really are awesome. I'll definitely be stocking up again. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you find this review useful; please comment below and let me know your thoughts!

My holiday selfie..





Thursday, 2 March 2017

Smokey Winged Liner / My Favourite Products


Hi Guy's!
Apologies for the extreme close up photo!... My last two blogs have been very much skincare related, so I thought I would mix it up a little bit and do a makeup look whilst sharing some of my favourite products. Starting with my base - I like to use a medium to full coverage foundation, I'm currently using Lancome Teint Idol Ultra 24hr foundation, it's a liquid formula and when applied with a brush or sponge it gives you a flawless, airbrushed finish. I personally don't like to have to reapply or touch up my make up throughout the day so I need staying power.. and this has it! No matter the conditions, my base is always still in place at the end of the day. I will often change my foundation in the quest for flawless skin but this is a foundation I always come back to. This is definitely up there in my top 5 favourite foundations. Add into the mix, Clarins Instant Concealer and the coverage you get is.. AMAZING!! I suffer with dark circles and as I'm getting on a bit now (29 this year!!) I'm starting to get fine lines too. This concealer glides beautifully onto your skin and honestly covers even the darkest of circles. To apply, I use the same sponge as my foundation and gently push onto my under eye area until blended. This is without a doubt my favourite concealer and now I have found it, it has a firm place in my makeup bag. Okay, so because this look involves a Black / Charcoal eye shadow, I would now move onto my eyes. Firstly, I line my eyes and draw in a flick, you want quite a thick line with this look. I used the Lancome Artliner - I like this eyeliner, I got it in the recent Lancome Gift but honestly it isn't any different to most black liquid eyeliners. Because it is Lancome it's quite pricey and I can't say it's wow'd me enough for me to buy it full price so perhaps try the Kiko 24hr Liner which is half the price and just as good! Once you've got your liner in place, take your Black / Charcoal shadow on a blending brush (See the Real Techniques brush I used in the picture below) and gently blend into the crease of your eye. Build this up for a more dramatic look but remember to blend! When you've got your desired look apply your mascara.. I used YSL False Lash Effect Mascara which I LOVE.. Again I have tried soooo many mascaras and I always come back to this one. With a couple of coats it gives you intense black, thicker and longer lashes.. So now your eyes are complete check for fall down from your eye shadow, I usually use my sponge just to wipe over my under eye area. I would now apply my powder, i used the Vichy Dermablend powder and swept it over my T-Zone. If you don't suffer with oiliness as much as I do perhaps try MAC Mineralize powder.. Next, I used the Sleek Powder Contour and Highlight palette. If you have a fair skin tone like me then you'll love this product, it gives a really natural contour which blends easily and the highlight is to die for! Now sweep blusher onto the apples of your cheeks, I used The Balm Hot Mama blush which is a beautiful deeper rose colour. This has a gorgeous shimmer to it, which gives your skin a really healthy glow, just remember a little bit goes a long way. Finish the look with your favourite nude lipstick, I used Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker in Nude O'Beige. 

I hope you find this review useful, please comment below and let me know your thoughts!