CLOSED! Giveaway! Finally:

Apologies for the super delay in getting this posted but here it is! :D

As a thankyou to all my subscribers - especially those who stuck around when I left blogspot for many, many months! - here is a little giveaway :) This ones simple, all you need to do is leave a comment, but I will be holding one in the next few months which involves some interaction as those are lots more fun :D

Prizes are:

♥ Sleek Storm palette - Had to choose between all the permanent offerings and this is probably my favourite, plus it's neutral and office friendly etc etc so I figured it was the best one to offer!

♥ NARS Orgasm Polish Mini - When I bought mine, I bought another for one of you :)

♥ & finally a MAC Lipstick - of your choice! Self explanitory really. Any lipstick in the permanent line is available and I encourage Viva Glam!

'Rules':

Open to any of my followers, anywhere in the world!

To enter please comment with the URL of your blog for me and anyone else to browse :) If you don't have a blog, comment with one of your favourites! Also state which lipstick you would like :)

If you want to post about this in your blog, sidebar or twitter for an extra entry then feel free, and state that you have done so and I will verify and leave you an extra comment but it is by no means a must-do.

Contest will end in 3 weeks, at midnight on the 22nd December. I will then place my MAC order including the chosen lipstick and mail it ASAP.

CLOSED! CLOSED! CLOSED!

Good luck everyone!

Sigma F82:

I ordered and recieved this brush a while ago and have been using it frequently ever since. I have a plethora of brushes and so I try to resist temptation and only purchase new ones if I don't already have something remotely like it already. I managed to justify the F82 so here it is :)

The F82 Round Top Kabuki is one of Sigma's latest offerings. This is what they have to say about it:

"The F82 Round Top Kabuki brush simplifies precise makeup application under the eyes and around the nose. This brush is also perfect for achieving flawless coverage using liquid and powder products. Made of Synthetic Sigmax HD filament".

It was released with two other similar brushes; one flat top and one angled, but all made the same materials and similar looking. I may purchase the angled version at some point (annoyed I just missed the free shipping, but whatever) but I don't love flat topped brushes so that one they can keep ;) They all retail at $16.00 which is amazing value for money, especially for us in the UK once the exchange rate comes into play. I believe, with shipping I paid a little under £13 for this, which for me is no problem at all.

The brush itself is excellent quality. This is my first Sigma purchase as none of their regular line appeals to me, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. The handle is matte black and a nice length, no complaints there but the bristles is where I fall in love. This brush is soo densely packed yet super soft. Often bristles as dense as this can feel a little 'hard' on the skin, but this is a pleasure to use and apply with.

I have used this to apply my liquid foundations and although at first I found it absorbed a little too much product I have now started to apply my moisturiser or primer with it first, which moistens the bristles a little more and stops it from sucking up too much foundation.

The dense head really pushes the products into the skin creating a flawless buffed finish. No streaks whatsoever. It's also super easy to buff the product around the eyes with this one. I can't say much more, but if you don't get on with traditional paddle foundation brushes or find that duo fibre brushes just arn't quite dense enough, then consider trying one of these.

False Lash Effect vs. Lashblast:

These two mascras are often branded the same product in different - yet very similar - packaging.

As a long time user and fan of Covergirls Lashblast I recently decided to pick up the Max Factor version. Not only is the Lashblast only available in the US, but I also wanted to try out the MF for comparisons sake - it would be a lot easier for me to repurchase this from my local Boots or Superdrug than have to go out of my way to order the Lashblast online or have a friend or relative in the USA send it to me.

The Max Factor retails at £10.99 whilst the Lashblast will only set you back round $7 which currently exchanges at just £4.49. Bare in mind that US drugstore brands are almost always on offer and I think it's clear to see which is the best value here. But, alas, we are used to the significance difference in prices between countries by now I'm sure :)

Packaging:

The shape of the packaging is exactly the same, it's totally obvious they are manufactured by the same parent brand. I much prefer the black and gold colour combination of the Max Factor but the Covergirl is nothing to complain about - just a little bit bright and in your face :)

Brushes:

The brushes or wands, whatever you may call them are also exactly the same. Both large and made of hard rubber or plastic with really short and closely spaced bristles. By now I'm fairly sure the product inside is going to be the same too...

Applied:

Max Factor to the left and Covergirl to the right.

This is where I'm not so sure anymore. Do you see the difference I see? Although both seem to lengthen and seperate the lashes the same, the Covergirl seems to voluminize at the base a little more. You can see darkness at the roots in the right eye that is not so apparent on the left.

The Lashblast was maybe 1month older than the False Lash Effect when I took these photos, but it was in no means dried up or any different in texture to when I first purchased it. It could also be down to my application - my left is usually slightly better than my right eye.

I don't know why, but I do see a difference and I much prefer the Lashblast. It just seems strange to me that the formula be different when the packaging and wand are exactly the same. Perhaps one of the ingredients in one is banned in the other, who knows? I will always repurchase Lashblast when I get the chance, but the Max Factor will be a one time purchase.

I have however finally fallen firmly in love with Yves Saint Laurent Faux Cils after a itchy and irritating first attempt with the cult favourite. Review soon but it's pure love! xo

Estee Lauder Lucidty:

The next in my foundation series is Estee Lauders Lucidity, a light diffusing liquid foundation for a 'radiantly perfect look'.

Out of all the EL foundations I have tried - and I've tried a lot - it's probably my favourite but it's nowhere near perfect. As usual, the shades do not come quite light enough. It's a better match than many but it still pulls ever so slightly too orange toned on my neutral skin. It's wearable, but definately not perfect.

What Estee Lauder themselves say - "Special light diffusing pigments actually reflect light away from fine lines and wrinkles so they seem to disappear.
Provides light moisturising and other skincare benefits, so it's comfortable even on dry skin".

It's dermatologist tested, fragrance free and non acnegenic.

It has an SPF of 8 and retails at £25.00.

The Packaging:

I have only tried this foundation in sample form, so I don't have my own photos of the actual packaging. However it's the same as Doublewear if I remember correctly, which I have owned in the past, both come in heavy frosted glass bottles. It's good quality but contains no pump which is always a gripe of mine as I always seem to pour too much when it's full then have to really work to get product out when it's nearing empty.

The Formula:

As you can see in the photo below, I have tried both 1N1 Pale Ivory and 1C1 Porcelain, neither of which match perfectly, but the Pale Ivory is a little closer. The formula is a smooth, slightly thick liquid that blends easily into the skin. It has the signature foundation scent, no problems there.

Application and Finish:

I apply this using a foundation brush, it blends quickly and easily into my skin. It provides me with a light to medium coverage which is what I look for in foundations. It is definately moisturising as it claims, I reach for this if my skin is feeling on the dry or irritated side and it really nourishes the dry patches and soothes any irritation. True to it's claims, this one does give a fair amount of 'glow' to the skin, but it doesn't leave the skin shimmery. I rarely set my foundations with powder, however if I do with this one, it does erase most of the illuminating properties.

It lasts all day on my normal-dry skin, but most do so it could just be my experience. Some foundations will sink into drier areas or build up around my nose and chin but I have not found this happens much at all with this foundation.

Before/After:

As you can see, although not the perfect match colour wise, it doesn't look terrible and it evens out my skin nicely. This was the 1C1 which has neutralised the redness in my cheeks really nicely. If this came in a lighter shade I would definately buy a full sized bottle, but for now I'm holding off. I do recommend this though, so if you're near an Estee Lauder sample definately pop in for a sample bottle and give this one a go!

Many more foundations reviews coming up, but for now click the links for my previous posts:

Yves Saint Laurent Teint Resist, Lancome Teint Miracle and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser.

My Go-To Eyelook and Chloe!:

I've discovered an extremely easy way to create polished, neutral eyes using only four products, two of which I've already used on my face and brows :)

Apoligies for the picture, it's not as clear as it could be as I had to crop it from a much larger photograph, but it shows it well enough I think. It's also the end of the day so it's a little smudgy:


First I apply my concealer or foundation as a base all over my lid, then take Lightscapade MSF by MAC which I previously used as a cheek highlight and cover my entire lid with it. Then I use MAC's Omega shadow which I also use to fill in my brows and ever so lightly define the crease. Next I take Teddy eye kohl, also by MAC and line my upper and lower eyelids, smudging the lowers then apply it to the waterline too. The fourth and final product is mascara and it's done - all in about 2 minutes :)

And here's Chloe playing in the snow of Seattle, WA! I love my photos and updates but cannot wait to see her in real life again!:

Another of my foundation reviews coming next!

Cellnique Paramedical Pt 1:

Like many other bloggers I was contacted by Cellnique Paramedical a few months ago and asked if I would like to trial some of their products. To be honest, when it comes to skincare I'm usually a little weary about trying new products as I have found what works for me (Dermalogica Ultracalming series) and I also have fairly sensitive skin which can react badly to some products. However I decided to give it a go and gave them some details about my skin, and they sent me a series of products, the first of which I am reviewing now :)



One of the products I recieved is the Advanced Bio Renewal mask and this is what the Cellnique website has to say about it:

Benefits
• Exfoliates dead skin cells and deep pore cleansing
• Optimizes cell renewal performance
• Slows down aging process
• Instant lightening, brightening and whitening effects

This product comes packaged in a large, heavy blue jar with a mirrored lid. The packaging is of great quality and would not look out of place in your bathroom. Something I really like about this jar is the top is actually a crystal clear mirror, so if like me you can be rather lazy sometimes and dont always want to stand in front of a mirror to apply your beauty products you can just use the top of this! Haha I'm easily pleased it seems, but it makes for a great addition to the already substantial packaging.

The mask is full of fruit enzymes and AHA's which both help with exfoliation and cell renewal.

It has a thick, wet, slightly gritty texture as you can see in the image below and is quite a bit more fluid than some masks I have tried. It also smells very strongly of pineapple syrup - the stuff found in the bottom of a can of pineapple chunks - which is not really a scent I would choose myself but is in no way unpleasant.

I like to apply all facial products with a brush, so that will explain the streaks in the image below. This mask goes on smooth and very fragrant and you can feel the gritty texture working gently into the pores. It has a slight tingling sensation once applied to the skin, and I have experienced this with other products of this nature so figured it was probably fine. I took a quick look at the website which confirmed this and carried on with my application.

I leave this mask on for around 20 minutes a go, in which time it doesn't harden completely like other masks, only sets slightly and becomes a little less sticky to touch. The scent does not linger throughout application.

It washes off easily, I like to take my time and gently exfoliate at the same time using the beads within the mask. They are gentle, small and smooth enough even for my sensitive skin.

Since recieving this product I have used it at least once a week and I still have at least half a tub left. Although I have never really seen very visible results from face masks since my skin is already in pretty good condition, I can say that this definately leaves the skin feeling refreshed, clean and soft. I love to use it if my skin is feeling congested or dull, as it really cleans deep down and leaves my face looking brighter and smoother.

It's definatelty up there with my favourite masks now and I feel if I were to continue to use this for a super long period of time my skin would only keep getting better.

The only downside to this product is the price, it retails at $51 for 50g. Although my Dermalogica products are around the same price range, I can definately see this being a problem for some. I will look into repurchasing this at some point in the future, but for now I have an array of other masks I need to finish first ;)

Read more and purchase here. Thankyou Cellnique!