For the skin I seemed to find the best product to get rid of any dry skin on my face and would you believe me if I told you it was £0.89p ?. Well it was and I’ll come back to that later in a review. As for lips theres nothing that works better than chapstick and the yummy cherry flavour just makes it even better. Lastly hair well this is a little harder as everyones hair is different but for myself it was an oldie but a goodie that my mum used when I was little and that’s Vosene shampoo.

Now as we are all hoping the winter is coming to an end and the sunny days are on the way. I’ve spotted a few new arrivals in my favourite make up lines that will be perfect for summer and I can’t wait to try.

• ELF Studio Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 - Available in 7 shades and for warm days a much lighter alternative to your usual foundation. Not to mention the SPF20 this is important if its sunny or not you should always protect your skin.
• Lily Lolo Bondi Bronzer – If you love your mineral make up you will love Lily Lolo who have an amazing collection. Their new addition been Bondi Bronzer which is a medium bronzer which gives a shimmering brown bronzed effect with golden highlights. A better way to get the bronzed look without damaging your skin.
• MAC Prep+Prime Face Protect SPF50 – This is on my must have list before summer (actually asap lol). Again a great way to protect your skin and sometimes that can make all the difference for your skin. Added benefits include it been a featherweight formula, oil-free and invisible.
• Too Faced Amazing Face Liquid Foundation – Oil-free, skin smoothing liquid foundation which will give your skin that airbrushed look. 8 shades. Use a silicone based primer before applying the foundation to get the flawless look.
• Smashbox In Bloom Collection –  New additions just in time for the sunny days to come. The collection includes Soft Focus Powder Eye liner, Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss SPF15, Eye Shadow Palette and Artificial Light Powder.
• Illamasqua Sultry Selection – Not really a product summer but more like releasing your inner seductive goddess to come out and play. You get Liquid Metal in Resolute which can be applied a little or a lot depending on the look your going for and Intense Lipgloss in Hermetic. What more could you ask especially since you save £5 from the price you would pay buying them separately.

There will be many more great things to come but this is it for now, hope you’ve found a few little gems for your make up box.

Retropinuplady

A new year and already so far behind but I’ve decided no longer to worry about what I’ve missed but instead of what is happening now in the present. I wasn’t impressed by last months Mac collection and I’m sad to say I am not impressed by this months collection either. It all seems to be the same colours and nothing new that pops out to me.  So I’ve been shopping around for some new wonders and have found some amazing new lines that I’ll tell you about within the next couple of months.

As for the Mac collections I know theres many unimpressed by the collections so far and some saving for the new wonder woman collection but we will get back to that a bit later.

Only a short update tonight and a quick look, happy belated new year everyone

Many of you are probably thinking I can’t afford a luxury spa visit or is this person for real she obviouly doesn’t have a house and kids to maintain….well your wrong and I know how hard it is to fit time into your day for yourself after all their isn’t enough time in the day for everything else as it is. Believe me  I’ve wished for a time device just so I can stop time and have a few deep breaths.

So what do you do?, well you have to find at least an hour (even only half if you can) just to focus on you. Now for you who like reading take a book in the  bath or listen to music while you soak. If you prefer cooking to relax how about trying on a new recipie which isn’t for the kids or cook with your kids. Unbeleivebly there are things you can do to relax that you haven’t even thought of yet.

Now for those signs of stress, tiredness and ageing that are starting to show your face. Sometimes the old ways are the best, ou don’t need to spend £20-£30 on an anti-wrinkle cream. Try a few of these:

• Cucumber or used teabags on your eyes (closed obviously) to discourage those bags and under your eyes.
• Once a week (maybe a sunday) use a face mask, their as cheap as 99p and can make a world of difference.
• Spots? -  Don’t pick them and make sure you clean your hands before touching your face. My touching your face over and over again you are adding germs and bacteria to your face.
• An easy one – More sleep, the more sleep you manage to get the more time your body has to revitalize before the next day starts…maybe we should go to be at 7pm
• Give yourself a manicure, it gives you time to concentrate on you and you may get so good your friends will be jealous.
• Have one night out of the week where the kids are away and you can fully relax, put your feet up,have your favourite food and book/tv program….theres nothing better.

Retropinuplady

“In the world of Pro Longwear, Foundation and Concealer carry the show with creamy, medium buildable coverage right through to a flawless, natural finish. Marathon makeup to go, made from micronized pigments to promote the smoothest application and colour purity.”

The concealer comes in 15 shades and it’s stated it last up to 15 hours, lightweight and builds a medium to full coverage with a natural matte finish. It helps to conceal and correct undereye circles, and discolourations. It also comes in a pump glass bottle which makes it easier to dispense. Depending on if the product works for £12.50 I would actually try this so I’m going to try a sample when I next vist the store….if they have it.

The foundation comes in 16 shades and it says gives up to 15 hours wear…in any enviromental condition…now this I would love to test. Lightweight, creamy but with sheer to medium coverage. It controls the oil in your face even in the most humind condtions to keep your look natural and flawless. It’s £22.00 and comes in the usual non-pump bottles. You can buy pumps though from M.A.C if you want them.

Also in this collection are the 190 foundation brush, 195 concealer blush.

As for the Lipcreme here is what M.A.C says:

“Introducing a new generation in Longwear technology. Hours later, lips look just the way you left them in the mirror that morning – luscious, lustrous and fresh, in frost or cream texture with flexible film-former to provide transfer resistance for extended-play passion!”

In the Lipcreme collection there are 12 shades, its said to last 12 hours without a top coat. A lightweight texture with a creamy finish, it wont feather or tansfer. So if you want lips that are soft and hydrated this seems the way to go. At £14.50 its not a cheap lipstick but depending on how much you wear it, it may be the best money you ever spent.

Retropinuplady

M.A.C says:

“A two-in-one mascara that lets you choose if you want lashes to be naturally defined, or instantly combed and loaded for full-on drama. Easy to use dual-wiper system allows this lightweight formula to go on either way. One wiper refines the application for a clean sweep, while the other loads the lashes for greater impact.”

So basically how it works is you unscrew the purple section and pull the brush out for defined lashes or unscrew above the purple section and pull out for dramatic fuller lashes (or vise versa) but thats basically how it works.

I’d be intrested to know if this works but what I don’t know is if I’d be willing to pay this price when I could probably buy two mascaras for less. Do you think it would be worth it?

Retropinuplady

There are many shades that have been brought out before as well as new limited edition items but nothing really jumps out at me. I do however want to try the new superslick liquid eyeliner, it has beautiful shades but there is no real rush to buy this as it is permanent. The only thing I would really consider buying is the Bloodline pigment from the Palace Pedigreed collection because the colour looks amazing.

I can’t say anything is really worth buying in this collection especially if you really haven’t got the money to spend. I think a lot of the lipstick colours could be duplicated with a permanent colour…Maybe not an exact match but at least you won’t have to find the money for it right now.

I will of course try and get to see this collection in store and get you all swatches but that may not be possible.

Retropinuplady

It’s already known that eating right, drinking plenty of water and exercising holds many of these benefits but there are other ways to on top of the standard knowledge that can help.

Make-up can be a girls best friend (even sometimes a guys), its more than some lipstick on a night out or some eye shadow and mascara in the morning. It can be like having a magic wand if used right and who doesn’t want a bit of magic.

I’ve put together a few tips to make the most out of your make-up and get the benefits you deserve.

1. Wash Your Face – Firstly  and I know this may sound simple but make sure you wash your face before applying make-up.  I know you may have washed your face the night before but you need to do this again in the morning. Its more than waking you up, its getting rid of dead skin cells and the oil that has built up on your skin over-night. Once your washed, dried and you’ve applied moisturiser then you can add your primer.
2. Primer – Now it’s hard to beleive that companies don’t bring out gimmick after gimmick just to make us buy. When I was younger I never used primer I thought it was just another way for companies to make money but its not true when it comes to primer…it makes a difference. Primer for your face can mean the difference between your foundation gliding on on without it showing every bump and flaw.
3. What Lines? – That’s what you want to say right when your friend is showing you the lines under or at the side of your eyes. Dark bags under your eyes are easy to disguise with a light concealer but what about lines. Beleive it or not there is an answer and for me (yes I have these lines and I’m 25) the answer is Benefit Eyecon which is a brightening eyecream, it fades dark circles and smoothes out fine lines. It’s not cheap at £22.50 for a 14g jar but it works and the jar will last ages.
4. Break the rules – So you’ve been told that you shouldn’t wear blue eye shadow and that brown makes your eyes pop. Does that mean your only going to wear brown for the rest of your life?. The truth is you can wear any colour you want, you just have to make it work for you. There are rules of what colour suits your eye colour best but its not always accurate if you have say blue eyes with flecs of green. Be adventourus and try something different, even if you do end up taking it off and starting all over again.
5. It doesn’t always have to be black – Black eyeliner is a must have in every womans make-up bag but it doesn’t always look that great on everyone. For younger generations we can practically use any colour we want, as you get older black can close your eyes off giving the apperance of smaller eyes, so when black doesn’t look that great anymore move on to grey….I know this doesn’t sound as nice but grey is a gorgeous colour to work with. My favourite is Stormy Grey Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil from Rimmel. If this is still a little too dark then browns are the way to go and remember theres always a way to make them work for you.
6. Use By Dates – No I’m not talking about the food in your fridge, your make up has use by dates or its better said best before dates. I know theres people out there thinking don’t me silly its make-up but thats exactly why I’m saying this. There is usually about a 6 month period for what you buy…look at the tube or the label and you will see 3m or 6m and this is usually the date you should look to use it in and then get rid of it. Why should you pay attention to these labels? becuase at the end of the day you can read the labels but no know exactly whats in them and what kind of reaction it will have with your skin if used after the date it has suggested. Your could damage your skin, most mascaras are only good for 3 months…would you risk damaging your eyes for the sake of a £7.oo mascara. I know I wouldn’t so be vigilant in what your using on your skin and you don’t always see the damage been done.
7. All White – The quicket and easiet make-up trick to having wide awake eyes all with the simplest of products. There’s 3 things that will do this for you. The first is white eye shadow on the inner corner of your eyes, it instantly makes your eyes appear bigger, fresher and more noticible. Second is white eyeliner along your lower lashline this again makes your eyes appear bigger. Then lastly a peachy-ivory colour like M.A.C Eye Shadow – Vanilla on your brow bone.

I will update this list with new tips as and when they come.

Those are a few tips for you and I hope they help with your dilemas.

Hey All,

I’ve been promising you all a new site for I don’t know how long but it is finally done. The money, time, sweat and blood…okay maybe not that far has gone into this new design and I couldn’t be happier of how it’s turned out.

Some old links, if you have them saved will not work as all links have been changed for the new design but if you know the name or anything you can search by you can use the search box on the site. Everything has been transferred over and I hope you find the new site a lot more easier to navigate through.

Check the titles to the right for more information on some of the new features and if you see any errors or problems just let me know by commenting on this blog post.

Thanks

Jo

My E.L.F (Eyes Lips Face) package arrived this morning and I am super excited about trying these products. I’ve wanted to try them for a while but have never got round to puchasing anything. I’ve got 4 things to try:

• Mineral Infused Face Primer
• Eyelid Primer
• Blush : Pink Passion
• Minty Lip Gloss – Miami

Anyone who has read my blogs knows I’ve been looking for a cheaper alternative to Mac Prep + Prime because even though it is a great product and lasts ages its still a little steep. I got the Eyelid primer to try because I’m running low on Urban Decay Primer Potion and again its not cheap even though its my favourite primer but if I can find one for cheaper thats better then great. Also I had the blush because I love the colour and don’t have many blushes. Last but not least a minty lipgloss in a more netural tone and the colour is gorgeous. Have a look at theirwebsite and see the amazing stuff they have.

Retropinuplady

Now I’ll start with the brush, through the last couple of years the make-up industry has been trying to improve the brush to improve the product and I have to say I haven’t liked many they’ve brought out. We’ve had the comb brush which in my opinion did nothing, no extra length, no volume and no false lash effect. Then we were introduced to the gel/plastic brush with same material bristles and I didn’t find these useful either so I stuck to the normal bristle mascaras I always used. So from that you can tell from that I didn’t have much expectations for this mascara.

All I can say was I was really surprised, this brush is completely different as the gel comb/bristles are very soft and flexible. No clumping, there wasn’t too much of the formula on the brush and the special tip made it easy to do the inner and outer lashes without getting mascara on my skin. My lashes were defined and had plenty of volume without looking like fake lashes. The formula is another factor that makes this mascara special…it actually conditions your eyelashes, after taking off my mascara my eyelashes were silky soft so less damage is a plus if you wear mascara everyday.

So in all this is one mascara you won’t be sorry you bought and if you spend £5 in Boots at the moment you get a £5 money off voucher….

Retropinuplady