Autumnal Day Makeup Look

What I used: 

Lips - Chanel 458 Marlene

Eyes - MAC loose pigments in Reflects Bronze, Naked & Out All Night

Brows - Benefit Brow Zings Kit 5

Skin Primer - Benefit "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer

Lashes - Eylure Volume No. 100

Skin - Boots No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation in Deeply Beige 

Blush - Benefit Coralista 

Finish - MUA Matte Perfect Translucent Loose Powder for Shine Control 

Love 

LauraClaire

Miss Selfridge Party Perfect Style Competition

 

Hi Chickies, 

I'm on a winning streak at the moment...

Just before Christmas Miss Selfridge and Company Magazine held a little competition which I entered and was a runner up eekk yay! Sadly I did not win the £500 Miss Selfridge shopping spree (life sucks lol) but did get a gorgeous little goodie bag of bourjois cosmetics which I thought I'd share with you. 

What was in the bag: 

Two Bourjois 1 Seconde Gel nail polishes in numbers 17 and 14

A Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara

A Bourjois mineral pigment eyeshadow in number 92

I am yet to try out the mascara as I have semi-permanent lashes on at the moment but the eyeshadow is gorgeously pigmented and the polishes are long lasted. 

Favourite cosmetic from the goodie bag is definitely the pink glitter polish in no. 14. So sparkly! 

What are your favourite Bourjois products? Any recommends?

Love 

LC

Smokey Eyes and Red Lips

Heya Lovelies! <3

With my new fringe in tow I thought I should try some new make up looks. I've always loved smokey eyes with a fringe, I think it looks really soft and sweet so wanted to give it a try myself. What do you think? 

The Base
The products I used were Clean and Clear's Moisturiser which I love as it is Oil Free. Next I applied Rimmel's Fix and Perfect Primer and one layer of L'Oreal's Lumi Magique foundation.

Once I had an even base to work from I used Benefits Bluff Dust, with it's yellow tones to eliminate any reddness. I then swept a light layer of BedHead bronzer under my cheek bones and either side of my nose to contour my features.

 

The Eyes
For my eyes I used Ruby and Millie's eyeshadow duos in purple and and black and white shades. I applied the lighter purple shade around the lower and upper lids on both eyes and used a brush to smudge the shadow so it looked worn in and messy. I then added the darker purple to the outside corner of the upper lids all the way up to the lid crease. Again I used a brush to blur the edges of the shadow. I used the white shade in the corners of each eye to make them pop and the black shadow at the outside corners close to the lid line. As this look was for daytime I made sure the black was fairly subtle.

The Lips
I finished the look off by applying Mac's Sail La Via Red Lipstick

 

Love

LauraClaire

L’Oreal Lumi Magique Foundation Review

I finally ran out of foundation! That doesn’t happen too often you see.  I’m not big on foundation, usually reserving it for special occasions or extra ugly days. The best bit about running out of foundation, as every girl knows, is the fun of buying a new one. I generally find great joy in buying anything! hehe  I was lucky this time around as I had already been swayed by a tester of L’Oreal’s Lumi Magique foundation in a magazine (I think it was Cosmo? It’s usually Cosmo for me).

Normally when you get those little tester you get all excited to get a freebie – or is that just me? – but then are upset when the colour is stupidly pale or makes you look like you’ve just been varnished. However this colour on me fit perfectly. I was, of course, nicely surprised. I didn’t yet have the glamour of a beautiful glass bottle, just a little tester but was already impressed with the silky texture of the liquid and how easy it was to apply.

Boots review reads: L'Oreal Lumi Magique is a Light Infusing foundation which gives luminosity to the skin. A luminous looking complexion as if lit from within. It has a very light, silky soft formula which provides 24 hours of hydration.

Although I can't say I look or feel 'lit from within' I do think the review is pretty fair. I always use a primer before applying foundation but even without I think the foundation does brighten my skin. It evens and tones well without needing to be painted on which is also great. The liquid is light and easy to apply whilst the pump bottle deposits just the right amount so you're not left with tonnes of foundation on you're hands afterwards. 

I think it retails for around £10 in the shops so about a medium price range and you get a decent sized glass bottle for your money. All in all a good foundation that sits nicely on the skin :) Thumbs up

Love

LC 

Ruby & Millie Nail Polish Review

 

Good Morning girlies, Hope you've had a fabulous weekend :)

I spent Sunday shopping and eating three courses in the pub with my bestie... more on what I bought in the next few posts! So, onto nail polish... I always go for brights when it comes to polish but am always a little disapointed when it doesn't look as great as my nails as it does in the pot. Does that happen to anyone else? 

Last year I got this bright yellow polish from Ruby & Millie in the hopes that it would be brighter than bright. Ruby and Millie are a great brand and usually really good quality to my hopes were high. Sadly, this polish was a little bit of a let down, it took three coats to get to the opaque yellow below and even then I don't think it looks too fab. 

I've only worn this colour a few times because of it, I wanted the yellow to really pop but it's not strong enough for that. I haven't tried any other Ruby and Millie polishes and, as this was my first I don't think I will bother again. Does anyone have a different opinion? Should I be giving them a second chance? 

<3

Love LauraClaire

Lipcote review

I never used to be much of a lipstick wearer. It's only been in the last couple of years that I've started properly using lipstick and most importantly.. not thinking 'OMG who is that weird looking drag queen' every time I catch myself in the mirror :)

One of the things I've noticed now that I have succumbed to being a lipstick wearing grown up is that it's near impossible to keep the stuff put. It's all over my glass when I take a drink, all over my teeth when I smile and all over boyf's tees when I give him a hug (shhh, I don't think he's realized yet though! hehehe).

I'd known about Lipcote for ages, and I seem to remember it being around for ages. Their website http://lipcote.com/home/ tells me they are celebrating 50 years in beauty so they must be doing something right!

I thought I'd give Lipcote a try in the hopes it might help my lipstick last a little longer. The little bottle is too cute and comes nicely packaged in a card box. As you can see it's all very simple, just a little bit of clear potion, a little brush and just a couple of dabs later and voila! I have to say I was impressed, apart from having a strong smell the lipcote worked well.

You need to make sure any excess lipstick has been dabbed off and that you don't purse your lips whilst waiting for the lipcote to dry (it's harder than you might think!) but very good results once dry. My lipstick stayed put so I'm happy. The Lipcote does change the matte/gloss effect of the lipsticks though which is worth noting. All the same I would recommend it to a friend. <3

Love LC

My MUA haul

It's getting close to the end of the month now, and it's pretty much a week before payday so you can tell my posts are getting 'on budget' hehe... I can't help a browse though, even if I can't afford things so love to look around SuperDrug just in case there's something to my liking for a couple of pretty pennies. As it goes there is! MUA MakeUp Academy is new brand to me and is exclusive to SuperDrug, I don't think I've come across them before but judging by the quality of the powder, blush and primer that I bought from them I definitely won't forget them.

As is usual for me at the end of the month, I was attracted to the low prices, I think the blush and powder were just a pound each and the primer was £4! I've been after a subtle rouge blush for a while so was pleased to get this one home to try. I love the colour and it has actually replaced my bright pink Hello Kitty MAC blush! The makeup seems fab and I haven't noticed any drop in quality due to price. The powder is a natural colour and smooth on my face. The primer I like too as it's silky and does seem to keep my make up in place. The only teeny downfall is with the blush lid upclipping from the base. However, it can be easily clipped back on and doesn't unclip when closed.

I'd be interested to test some more of their products. They had a great collection of lipsticks and I'm so fussy with lipsticks so would be great if I found some I liked for £1 too <3

Love LC

My signature eyeshadow colour

Since I was about 15 my signature eyeshadow colour has been gold. My first golden eyeshadow was an amazaballs urban decay one that I literally used every last bit of. Don't you think that's so rare? I never finish eyeshadows, EVER! Do you? or is it just me? meh anyways, so gold is my thing. Not sure why. I have kinda olive skin and my eyes are hazel so I guess gold just suits. 

I got the MAC eyeshadow a couple of months ago to add to my vast collection of golden shadows but thought I'd blog about because it's one of the few subtle eye shadow colours that I get compliments from. Even from my boyf and half the time he doesn't even realise I'm wearing makeup, aww love him. 

The colour is MAC Amber Lights Frost and as with MAC is pigment is exactly the same on your eyelids as it comes in the pot. That's what I do love about MAC, if you see a colour you know that that's the same colour you'll get when you apply it. This colour is uber shimmery and a real warm deep gold. I like to apply it to the whole of my eyelid and then use a thin brush to paint underneath my lower lid too. Because the colour is so intense it looks great! 

Anyone else rocking shimmery golds?

What's your go-to eyeshadow colour?

Love LC

Colour Co-ordinate Darlings

I'm in love with the co-ords trend at the moment. In a post I did earlier this week I talked about my favourite clothing items but for this post I thought I'd take it one step further with something I love doing... co-ordinating accessories with makeup. To show this I've taken the beautiful bags from TopShop and their gorgeous colour lipsticks.

I think it's something that often gets forgotten about but can look amazing! A bright pop of colour on your lips to match a bright clutch is uber cute on a night out.

 P.S. <3 the Coral Lady Stud Bow Bag!

Love LC

Cosmetics for the price of a Magazine!

Can you tell It's the last week till payday for me? hehe, yep! I get paid on Friday... WOOOOO I'm more excited than you can imagine as it will be my first pay cheque from my new job and I've waited over 6 weeks for it so it should be a goodun.. boyf and I have already planned our weekend shopping trip :) 

Anyway, back to beauty...I've always known about natural collection products but never bought anything from them bar a little eyeshadow in my early teens. I was on task to buy a shampoo in boots at the weekend when I walked past the display and was drawn in by the large red £2 sign (i do love a bargin!).

£2 girls, 2 quid, 2 squid, 2 poundage!!! Pretty much everything on display was the same price as a glossy magazine. It was amazaballs.

So, of course, I treated myself to just one thing (very restrained!) the Natural Collection SunTint Bronzing Pearls in Tropical Tan. This might sound insane but I'd never used bronzing pearls before, I don't know why really but £2 to try them was a perfect 'I must by this now' reason. As you can see from the photo the colour is bronze is very warm and when applied is light and fine. After dropping a few pearls on the floor and crushing on under foot I realised that if you shake em up they crush all by them selves and make it easier to apply. That did actually take me a few days to work out embarressingly! 

I've been using it all week and I think it's a fab colour and just as good as any other bronzer but with a much better price tag. 

Have an amazing Wednesday girlies, happy hump day and only three days left until the long Jubilee weekend! The count down has well and truely begun. :)

Love LC

The Perfect Summer Blusher

The perfect summer blusher for me has got to be Coralista from the amazing Benefit.

The colour is very subtle, especially on my skin tone. I don't like to put too much blusher on during hot Summer days because my cheeks get fairly pink of their own accord!

The blush colour looks much lighter and pinker than in the photo. That's why I like Coralista, it's sheer and shimmer highlights my cheeks and the pretty pink tone is 'barely there' visible for me.

As always the packaging is gorgeous and the Applicator brush good quality and soft. I use it for contouring because of its flat shape.

This is always my summer blusher of choice, and as you can see from the photo below, it's already had a fair bit of use!

Love LauraClaire

A French Manicure Kit Worth Having

Heya Girlies <3

I got this Sally Hansen Hard as Nails French Manicure Kit in Sheerly Opal from my parents at Christmas and thought it would be a great product to blog about. After trying it out numerous times I can officially say.. It's the BEST manicure kit I've tried. A bold statement I know but let me explain. :)


Point 1. The main tag line of Sally Hansen nail polishes is 'Hard as Nails' and this is totally true. Usually with home painted frenches they chip and crack within just a few days but Sally's seem to last me nearly all week. I'm somebody who is rough and generally unloving to my nails too so I am impressed.

Point 2. The little kit has everything you need for salon quality nails. Sticky guides in curved and straight lines, white tip polish and pink polish. The white polish is applied first and is so easy to do with the strips. I was also pleased with the generous amount of strips provided which will last you well over 100 polishes if you were careful.

Point 3. As simple as it is, the white nail polish consistancy is perfect. It's sticky and thick and means you're not putting coat after coat of the stuff on. In contrast to that the pink polish is thin and shimmery and makes your nails look shimmery pink but still natural.

Point 4. People have asked me if I've had a salon manicure. Yep, the final point has to be the compliments I've recieved of course! I've had lots of girls ask where I had my nails done and all look back dumbstruck with disbelief when i've told them I can actually paint french nails (on both hands) with a straight white line. Big thumbs up there!


I actually had a compliment today about 'where I had my nails done?' which inspired this post :)

Love LC

Zara Duo Eyeshadow Compacts Review

I'd never bought cosmetics from Zara before but noticed their little collection and thought I'd give it a try. I got two Duo Eyeshadows in Negro 800 and ORO 302. I really like the Matte black casing which looks very sleek but I'm finding gets grubby in my make up bag quite quickly because of the matte effect. Each eyeshadow also comes with a mirror which is great as i'm always searching around for my little compact mirror at the bottom of my bag. So all in all very impressed with the quality of casing and quite suprised about the thought that's gone into it.

I chose one matt colour (the black and white duo) and one shimmer colour (the golden hues) just to see which would be better. The pigment is great quality as you can see from the swatches below. I think the shimmer comes out better though. The pigment is quite solid and took some good rubbing to get enough pigment onto my brush. However, I think with time this will become easier!

All in all I would definitely recommend Zara cosmetic products, I was pleasantly suprised at the brilliant quality of both the pigment and the casing.

A good buy and two great little duo eyeshadows <3

Love LC

MAC Sail La Via Satin Lipstick

 

My MAC Sail La Via Satin Lipstick is.so.beautiful.

I got it at the weekend. It's a bad idea for me to walk past the MAC counter because something bright and pretty always catches my eye. The lipstick is from the new Hey Sailor! MAC collection. 

Has anyone else got an item from the collection? There were I think three or four different lip colours to choose from.

As always Mac has done a great design job, the lipstick casing is dark blue with white geometric stripes and the photos of gorgeous girls in sailor outfits on the MAC website is too cute. I've been reading some other girlies blogs on this colour and a few are calling the colour a bright red. I'd say its more of an orangy red.. that's why I picked it. I've been looking for an orange/red lipstick for a while and this one was perfect. 

The colour is opaque and non-glossy which does mean its not as kind to your lips as the shimmery MAC lipsticks I've had in the past but is far from drying. A beautiful colour and I'm a happy girlie! Or should that be sailor! hehe

Love LauraClaire

Benefit tinted moisturizer: which Rebel are you?

Hi girlies! 

This post is all about one of my favourite cosmetics brands.. you guessed it Benefit! Suprise Suprise! 

Today I'm going to be talking about the two versions; You Rebel and You Rebel Lite that the lovely ladies at Benefit offer. 

For those that don't know You Rebel is a tinted moisturizer that can be used in place of foundation. It's something I find great to put on if you just popping to the corner shop or out and about in Summer when you already have a gorgeous glow.

I bought both versions and, as you can see from the above photos, they've been well used! I feel that my skin tone falls somewhere in the middle of both of these colours. The original You Rebel has very dark orangy colour which was a bit worrying the first time I started to put it on. However I use it sparingly and apply a light covering with a make sure to smooth out and it looks great. It gives me just a little bit of a tanned glow but without the heaviness of foundation.

I use the You Rebel light in Autumn/Winter when my tan has faded (sad face) and I just want something to even out my face and give a hint of tan. What I also like about having both colours is they are perfect for colour mixing. I often mix a little of each colour and use more of one on certain areas of my face.

As with all Benefit products, I love them! They go everywhere with me in my make up bag.
A pair of very well travelled tinted moisurizers darling!

Love LauraClaire

Tempted by sparkle lashes

I'm like a little magpie when it comes to make up and beauty bars. So when I popped into Superdrug the other day this product Glitter Lashes by Barry M caught my eye immediately. I haven't seen anything like it before and liked the idea. Is this something new or is it just me? Do any other brands do something like this?
There were a number of different sparkle colours but I chose a pretty Purple glitter.

You twist the tip to push the glitter out and onto the brush tip. I applied my mascara and let it dry before brushing on the glitter. It doesn't give your lashes the biggest sparkle ever but the effect is quite subtle and does catch the light during the day I noticed. It's funny though because I bought it thinking it would be great for party lashes but it doesnt really seem to show up at all unless in daylight.

Overall I love the idea and think it's cute little gimmick if you have a few penny to spend but I wouldn't recommend it as a best buy girlies. What do you think? 

Love LauraClaire

My Spring MAC lipstick choice

My favourite MAC lipstick , Frost Odyssey A30 is all used up. So, without hesitation, I made a trip to the MAC shop to buy my lovely reliable brownish plum coloured usual. But instead I saw this gorgeous bright pink and couldn't help myself. It's called Amplified Full Fuchia A27 from MAC. 

MACs Amplified Full Fuchia A27

Like most girlie girls I'm attracted to anything bright and pink and I love the colour on my lips. MAC lipsticks are really creamy which is great because they don't dry out my lips. I think it's a pretty colour Spring too. I'm planning to wear it with a crisp white Tee, blue jeans and black pumps. Pink lipsticks make happy girls :) 

Love LauraClaire