Product Review: NARS Travel Set

Hi Everyone,

First of all, I'm sorry for my irregular posting over the past few days! I have been really busy moving house and we are still internet-less at our new place so I am a bit limited in when I can blog... Sooo annoying as I have picked up loads of products recently that I'm dying to review!

Today I thought I would show you one of my favourite newbies to my make-up collection: this gorgeous NARS travel set featuring the famous Laguna bronzer, Orgasm Blush and Albatross Highlighter trio. I was so excited to try all three of these products and can't believe that I managed to snap them all up in one bundle!

This set I don't think is available anymore as I have been scouring the NARS website for it with no joy. I picked it up in a blog sale for just £16 over at the lovely Lipstick Fridays (she still has loads of amazing stuff for sale if you fancy a look!) and I couldn't be happier. The bronzer looks to me to be pretty much full sized and the products had only been lightly swatched so I definitely feel like I got good value for money there.

So what's the product like? Well, one of the major plus points for me HAS to be the packaging. I mentioned that it's a travel set and it is genuinely one of the most travel-friendly products that I own- perfect for throwing in your handbag for an afternoon touch up. Yes, the Albatross pan is a little on the skinny side (which is a shame as I think it may be my favourite of the 3!) but all in all it is a really handy set to have around.

All three of these products have something of a cult following so I won't bang on for hours, but they are all beautiful shades that I'd imagine would compliment many skin tones. The Laguna bronzer I had heard was great for contouring and so far it hasn't disappointed- although I did notice that it is not quite as matte as some of my other contouring products. It is less orangey than some other bronzer shades though and really pigmented so very easy to contour with.

The Orgasm blush I was really keen to try having been given the shade Super Orgasm (oo er!) by my boyfriend a while ago. Orgasm is less sparkly than Super Orgasm and slightly more red-dy and gold-toned which I really like as it gives the cheeks a really healthy, natural flush.

Finally the beautiful highlighter Albatross, which looks so scarily white in the pan but on the skin transforms into a beautiful yellow-tone highlight! I LOVE this product and have been using it every day on my cheekbones and brow arch to provide a subtle highlight. Fortunately a little goes a long way with this product and I have barely scratched the surface.

Overall I'm delighted with this purchase (as you can probably tell from my lengthy review!). I should also mention that the case is really sturdy and has a huge mirror which makes touching-up on the go an absolute breeze.

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Rosie x

PS. there is still time to enter my MAC Giveaway! Just click here

500 Follower Giveaway!!

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm delighted to announce that I am doing another giveaway! This one is to celebrate reaching 500 followers, which is truly an amazing milestone in my eyes. I am so grateful for every reader and every comment on my blog and so this is just my little way of saying 'thank you'!

The prize is a MAC lipstick of your choice, so long as it is from the permanent collection. I know that this is not the most imaginative prize going but I have seen it on other blogs in the past and I just think you can't go wrong with a good lippy! All I ask is that you make sure that you are following my blog on Bloglovin and that you leave me a comment below to let me know what shade of lipstick you would like. Good luck everyone! Now onto the boring stuff...

Rules:

• This is a UK only giveaway I'm afraid. I apologise to any international readers that may be disappointed, I would love to do an international giveaway soon.
• I will check all entries so please make sure that you follow my blog and leave me a comment!
• I will post the winner on my blog and on Twitter, and will basically try my best to contact you in any way I can! If I don't hear anything back within 3 days then I will select an alternative winner.
• The giveaway is via Rafflecopter and winners are chosen entirely at random.
• The prize is bought with my own money and I will post it to you via First Class. I will get proof of postage but cannot be held responsible for items getting lost.
• The giveaway will close on 7th March 2014.

Thank you to everyone who enters, you have all been so encouraging since I started blogging and I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note the image used is not my own.

Rosie x

FOTD - Bronze Smokey Eye

Hi Everyone,

Today's FOTD post features one of my favourite looks- the bronze smokey eye. I must admit that I am not the most adventurous with my eye make-up on a day to day basis but I am getting better after following some absolutely amazing MUAs on Instagram. This one is pretty quick and easy and is just about subtle enough for everyday wear, although I did use false eyelashes today which definitely is not something I have time for every day!

Prep:

Ultima II Procollagen Extrema Day Lotion (I love this moisturiser and it is sparkly too!)

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer

Face:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20

Benefit Erase Paste in Medium

Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium

Brows:

GOSH Eye Brow Kit (colours light and medium)

Cheeks:

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (to contour)

Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-On Illuminator in Light (to highlight)

M&S Limited Collection Highlighter Drum

MAC Powder Blush in Melba

Eyes:

No.7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black

Estee Lauder Doublewear Stay-in-Place Gel Eyeliner in Stay Onyx

Eylure Naturalites Natural Volume False Lashes

From the Urban Decay NAKED palette: 

-Shade 'Naked' on lid

-Shade 'Virgin' on browbone

-Shade 'Creep' along lower lash line

-Shades 'Darkhorse' and 'Smog' along upper lash line

-Shade 'Half Baked' on lid

Estee Lauder Doublewear Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black

Lips:

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Nude Beige

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres in No.19

Phew, that was a lot of products! I hope you enjoyed my face of the day and I'd love to know what your favourite make-up looks are.. Maybe I'll try them next time!

Rosie x

Valentine's Look!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, we have been right in the midst of all the recent flooding and spent most of the week staying in a hotel!

Today I thought I'd share my (slightly belated) Valentine's look. I really wanted to stick to natural-looking, glowy make-up this Valentine's Day as we spent it at home enjoying a home cooked meal (yum!). For the base I used MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 which I mixed with a little MAC Strobe Cream to give a slight glow. I used my normal concealers (Benefit Erase Paste in Medium and Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois) and dabbed a bit of Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator across my under-eye area and down my nose.

For my brows I used a MAC eyeshadow in Brun. I set the look using MAC Skinfinish Natural powder in Medium, before doing a slight contour using my Chocolate Soleil bronzer by Too Faced. I added some subtle sparkle to my cheeks using M&S's Limited Collection Highlighter, and used a small amount of Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in shade 02 on my cheeks to add a light flush.

Now, onto the eyes! The eyeshadows I used were all from the Urban Decay NAKED or NAKED 3 palettes. For the base I used the shade 'Virgin', and then dabbed the shade 'Half Baked' all over my lid (both from the NAKED palette). Under my eyes and in the outer corners I used 'Darkside' from the NAKED 3 palette, and in my crease I blended in 'Smog' from NAKED. I lined my waterline with a white liner from Revlon, and in the outer corners used my No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Gunmetal Grey. Finally, I finished the look with a bit of Benefit They're Real! mascara and a slick of MAC lipstick in Hue (recently purchased in a blog sale for a bargainous £6!).

That's it folks! I hope you like my Valentine's look and please send me your links if you have done your own!

Rosie x

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Hi Everyone,

Today I am reviewing the Micellar Cleansing Water by Ganier Skin Naturals. I spotted this on the shelf in my local Boots store and knew straight away that I had to try it. I am a big fan on the Bioderma Micelle Solution (although not such a big fan of the price!) and was really hoping that this would be a more affordable option.

I reviewed the Bioderma Sebium H20 back in September after hearing so many good things about the range in the blogging community (full review here). I loved that it worked really well as a make up remover but without any of the scrubbing or rubbing that I was used to. I hate using makeup wipes and have oily skin so oil or cream based cleansers do not work for me, but the Micellar Solution ticked all the boxes, especially as it is so gentle.

The Garnier offering comes in a much bigger bottle (400ml which claims to be 200 uses!) and feels like great value for money at £4.99. Heck, I paid £4.50 for just 100ml of Bioderma so it's definitely the cheaper option! Like Bioderma, the Garnier Micellar Water is super gentle and effectively removes makeup without any hassle. It doesn't have much of a scent and feels no different to water on the skin. It leaves my skin feeling gloriously clean and fresh and even removes tough eyeliner and mascara which I wasn't sure it would.

So far I would say that the Garnier Micellar Solution is a great substitute for the pricier Bioderma option. It has all the same great benefits without the guilt- what's not to love?! Plus the bottle feels like it will last me a lifetime. If you are looking for a great value, gentle cleanser that leaves your skin hydrated and make-up free then look no further! I am loving this product right now.

Have you tried it? Let me know your thoughts!

Rosie x

How I Contour

Hi Everyone!

Today I wanted to share with you a quick post on my contouring habits. Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you'll know that contouring and highlighting is a key part of any makeup lover's regime to slim the face, accentuate the cheekbones and highlight our best features (!) whilst simultaneously trying to hide those that we're perhaps less fond of.

I don't claim to be an expert but I love to have a go at "HAC"ing (Highlighting & Contouring- name borrowed from Maskara's blog!), especially as my face is heart shaped and I have quite a high forehead.

There are loads of products on the market at the moment for HACing, but my personal favourites are:

Contour:

Chanel Tan De Soleil or

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer or

Topshop Bronzer in Sandcastle (which I cannot find online)

Highlight:

Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator or

Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois

I also tend to use a powdered or liquid highlighter such as Revlon Photoready Skinlights Illuminator to finish the look and give my skin a real glow.

For the look above I used the Estee Lauder Illuminator and the Chanel Bronzer, which is great for contouring as it is quite creamy and very easy to blend! As you can see I swipe the bronzer across the top of my forehead, under my cheekbones, down the sides of my nose and around my chin/jawline to begin with (over foundation). Some beauty bloggers will tell you not to contour too far down the face and keep it as a clean line to the middle part of your cheek, but if you have a heart-shaped face like mine you may find that this just isn't enough! I like to blend right the way across under my cheekbones to create a more visible 'apple' of the cheek, but that's just personal preference!

I also apply the highlighter down the centre of my nose, under my eyes, on my lower forehead and on my upper lip and eyebrow arch. I tend to blend the bronzer in with my Real Techniques Contour brush but prefer to use my fingers for the highlighter. Just keep blending until you're happy with it! It can be as dramatic or subtle as you like, that's the beauty of it!

To complete my look above I just swiped some Too Faced Powdered Sun onto my cheeks, added a slick of MAC lipstick in Costa Chic and lined my eyes with my Estee Lauder Doublewear Gel Eyeliner and some mascara. Easy peasy!

I'd love to hear about how you contour/highlight and what products you use so please leave me a comment below!

Rosie x