Eyebrows: unsculpted vs. sculpted.

My eyebrows are what I put the most effort into when applying my daily make up. They frame my face and make me look 100 times better than what I do without my eyebrows made up.
I start off with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in ebony to get the basic shape down then I fill in most of my eyebrow with Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in ebony apart from the start of the brows – I use the spooly brush of the brow wiz to blend in the product towards the centre to get that ‘ombre’ look.
Using Illamasquas concealer in 135, I sculpt underneath the brow starting from the centre outwards to get that sharp point at the end and a little above the brow. When there is no product on the brush, blend it into the skin and set with some powder.
This eyebrow product does stay on all day and doesn’t budge when you wipe over them so you don’t necessarily need a setting gel but I choose to use Urban Decay’s Urbanbrow Styling Brush and Setting Gel just to make sure.

As you can see on the photo, using concealer to sculpt makes quite a difference.

I hope this post has helped a little or taught you a few things :)

New lipsticks from superdrug...

So I decided to treat myself by ordering some lipsticks online from Superdrug.
Here are some swatches, pictures of the products and what I think



What are they meant to do?
The luxuriously moist formulation of the ‘wet’ collection leaves lips lucious and glossy with long lasting shine. Our ‘Matte’ formula gives a nourishing ,long-lasting pop of colour that packs a punch! all formulated with a fresh and tasty minty flavour.

My experience:
These 3 are from the Beauty UK range and I think for £3.49 they are quite the bargain. I purchased ‘plumalicious no.17‘, ‘passion no.10‘ and ‘vampire no.6‘. They hav a soft and creamy texture when you apply and if I were to wear them out (I only applied them to see what they felt like when I was in bed lol!) I would need a lip pencil to prevent the product from bleeding. They don’t feel heavy on your lips and they’re really quite pigmented for the price. I would definitely buy more shades :)

Overall opinion:
Excellent pigment, GORGEOUS minty smell & tingle and worth the price.

Rating:
7/10



What is it meant to do?
Awaken your makeup with a True Colour Lipstick. Get high impact lips with our vitamin E enriched lipstick in a selection of matte and sheen finishes.

My experience:
This lipstick is Sleek Make-up’s True Colour ‘Mulberry’ and was £4.99. You can buy it from here. I adored this colour when I saw it online and I adored it when I opened the packaging. It goes on very smoothly and is quite true to colour. Just like the ‘Beauty UK’ lipsticks above, I would recommend applying a lipliner prior to the lipstick to prevent any feathering and bleeding into the skin. Also, if I wanted this to last all day, it would probably be best if I powdered the first layer and added a second.

Overall opinion:
All in all, the colour is great and so is the texture. Perfect for a dramatic night look.

Rating:
7/10



What is it meant to do?
Everything from nudes to bolds, MUA’s matte lipsticks are available in 5 wearable shades that glide smoothly over lips to give a beautiful non-glossy finish. Classic red colour, glides over lips to give a soft matte- satin finish.

My experience:
When I ordered MUA’s Matte Lipstick in Scarlet Siren for £1, I thought it was too good to be true. I liked the packaging, the texture was great and the smell was a delicious soft vanilla. When I swatched it on my hand, I didn’t think much of the pigment but it was certainly quite matte in it’s appearance. I showed my mother this product, and as she isn’t a ‘dramatic lip’ kind of person, she thought it was perfect for a subtle red lip as she doesn’t suit brightly coloured lipsticks.

Overall opinion:
I liked this product, especially for the price. I prefer highly pigmented and dramatic lipsticks, but this would be good for you who don’t like that look or if you already have a bold eye make up.

Rating:
5/10

Models Own - Velvet Goth Collection

What is it meant to do?
Five intensely inky pigmented colours each with an extraordinary 2D finish. Matte yet sparkly at the same time, each shade applies glossy and dries down giving a multi-faceted effect that can be seen but not felt!

My experience:
I adore these nail polishes – the colours are just so luxurious as well as being matte AND glitter! A combination I didn’t think existed or would look good but it works so well. The nails appear matte but up close you can see the depth and detail to all the glitter and sparkle.
The green polish is ‘Absinthe’ and the red is ‘Sardonyx’. You can buy them here: http://www.modelsownit.com/products/nails/velvet-goth-collection.html
At £5 I think they are quite the bargain. They go on smoothly and I barely need another layer as they are so thick and highly pigmented. If I was picky, I would paint on a second coat.
My nails are usually quite oily and nail polishes chip off so easily, but with these I don’t use a base or top coat and they stay on for so long, I end up picking at it or having to eventually remove it.
This colour combination, I admit, would be more appropriate for Christmas but I wanted to use them so badly!

Overall opinion:
Perfect for a dramatic nail look to pair with evening outfits especially.

Rating:
10/10

ELF Cosmetics - Mineral Eye Brightener & Zit Zapping Concealer

Tried out 2 of my ELF cosmetics products yesterday.


The first is ‘ELF mineral eye brightener in buff‘ £3.95 and you can purchase it from this link:
http://eyeslipsface.co.uk/en/restofworld/eyeshadow/mineral-eye-brightener/invt/6535




What is it meant to do?
‘Perk up those tired eyes and diminish the appearance of dark shadows with the Eye Brightener. Infused with Chamomile, Green Tea, Mulberry and Vitamins C & E to nourish, tighten and refresh! Great for using as an eyeshadow base or around the nose, lips and anywhere you want to brighten and revitalise.’

My experience:
The directions say to use it to brighten your eyes by applying it in the corners, however I found it amazing at helping to blend the edges of my eyeshadow to lessen the harshness.  All I did was use a little of the product with my eyeshadow blending brush and proceeded to blend the edges and up to the brow bone as well as under the lower lashes. The product is light and colourless which is perfect for what I used it for.

Overall opinion:
It does what it says and more. Multi-use cosmetics are always a positive.

Rating:
8/10

The second item I tried out was the ‘ELF zit zapping concealer’ £2.95 in fair and you can buy it from this link:
http://eyeslipsface.co.uk/en/restofworld/concealer/zit-zapping-concealer/invt/23160




What is it meant to do?
The 2-in-1 Zit Zapping Concealer fights and prevents acne with the unique blend of Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil and Camphor. Safe and gentle formula minimises pores while hiding and concealing blemishes.

My experience:
I used it a few weeks ago on a full face of make up and it has complete coverage. I’m officially in love with this item after yesterday though. The weather was really warm for England and I didn’t fancy a full face of foundation so I thought to apply some of this concealer to a few blemished on my chin and the redness on my cheeks, in between my eyebrows and the dark areas under my eyes. It completely covered all redness and blended so well. It is a heavy product but you don’t need to use much so it feels like you have nothing on your face. Plus it smells of tea tree and doesn’t make me break out.

Overall opinion:
A new must-have in my personal make up bag. When opening a salon I will be purchasing the other shades.

Rating:
9/10

The image below shows what my skin looked like with just the concealer and a bit of bronzer/blusher on my cheek bone.
I also used the eye brightener to blend out the eyeshadow.

New to the blogging world!

Hi everybody, my name’s Rebecca and I’m a qualified hairdresser and make up artist.
I have always bought beauty products with the intention of reviewing them but never got round to it – I love giving people advice and recommendations!
I am opening a salon in the near future and I want it to be a salon with a difference. Online networking, finding new and upcoming beauty products, accessories and clothing and the ability to share my work and what I use online by reviewing them.

I know it’s not easy doing these as there are so many people that are already popular and newbies don’ get a look in but I am always here to try and will post as often as possible.

Thanks for reading – more to come!

DD x