Collection 2000 on Trial

Hello again!

I had planned to do a post over the weekend but it was too hot, hot, hot to get on me netbook and post to me blog. Tonight is a wee bit cooler so here I am, blogging about some of the Collection 2000 goodies I received last week when I was at their relaunch shin dig.


Contents of Goodie Bag


I thought I'd give the eye products ago, I really liked the look of the glitter eyeliners and metallic cream eyeshadow


L-R; No 1:Gold Rush Metallic Cream Eyeshadow,
No 5: Le Freak Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner
No2: Platinum Bling Metallic Cream Eyeshadow,
No 9: Retro Chic Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner
No 3: Rock 'n' Rose Metallic Cream Eyeshadow,
No 3: Funk Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner
No 5: Rockpool Metallic Cream Eyeshadow


I tried No 5 Le Freak Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner but was so disappointed with the results I didn't bother take a picture. The applicator is a soft small brush so it was really difficult to get enough product on to actually line my eyes and when I did get it on, there wasn't a smooth consistent line. I attempted to put it all over the lid but that didn't look to great either. So I decided to take it of and that was the worse part. The little bits of glitter felt like grit on my eyes, just as gritty as glitter polish, oh it was awful to take off! It has put me off trying the other colours, if this was after a long night I dunno how I woulda get it off with a few glasses of wine in me?!

So red eyes later I tried No2 Platinum Bling Metallic Cream Eyeshadow, surely this cream wouldn't be a bugger to get on? It wasn't but the applicator again wasn't great. It's the same kind of applicator you get in a lip gloss so although it gets a lot of product on, it doesn't spread it evenly so I ended up using an eye brush and these were the results -

Maybe it was the colour on my skin tone but you can't really see much of it on the lids, which is nice in a subtle kind of way. I was more impressed with my lashes and this was courtesy of the skyscraper mascara, this is excellent! seeing as I don't have many lashes and they are quite short and stubby, I really need a brush that lengthens and defines my lashes. This is what the Sky Scraper mascara says on the tube and that's exactly what it does, the applicator looks like a cute little comb which grabs, separates and drags your lashes to their full. I think my lashes look great and this will become one of my staples, I love it when the products live up to their claims!

Pump Up the Volume either side of the amazing Sky Scraper Mascara

So thumbs up on the mascara from me, will give some of the other products a go at some point but for now I'll sign off, see you later xx

Inspiration!

Hello one and all!

Yes I have decided to post to my blog, finally!

Alot has happened in the last few months and I took some time out to grieve, heal and move on as they say, I've exhaled and finally I feel inspired enough to start blogging again.

I must say a big thanks to my dearest friend and fellow blogger Miss Ash-Lily. She got me to shake off the cobs webs and get out the house on a school night to the pre-launch of Collection 2000's Diana Vickers range and I'm so glad I went.

Despite my hatred of the underground, I did get on board, found a seat and stood clear of the closing doors up to Bond Street in central London (after jumping more times than I care to mention to get into me ultra skinny jeans and as per usual a pair of sky scrapper heels) . The pre-launch took place Hush Bar and Restaurant just a block up from Claridges. Gosh its been years since I've done anything like this and was feeling very apprehensive, however the Collection 2000 team were on point, venue was nice and intimate lit by candle light, champagne on entry and so much lovely make-up to "ooh" and "aahh" over, the butterflies in my tummy went awol!

There was a bit of everything from the range and I got to try the glam crystals dazzling gel liner, metallic cream eyeshadow and was very impressed with the Sky Scraper Length & Definition Mascara. The brush looks just up my street with a lil comb to separate the lashes. There was also foundations, face powders, lip sticks and glosses, polish and fake lashes but unfortunately the face products didn't go down to my skin tone. They made up for it with some brilliant little smokey eyes palettes which not only give you six great shades to use, there is also a step by step guide on the back, splendid! even with my bits and bobs of experience it is so helpful to have a guide so you know you're doing the right thing and seeing as smokey eyes can often look like black eyes, its good to see some professional advice to avoid you looking like a panda when you were after a sultry look :-$

To top it of I got a goodie bag with actual full size products (not miniature samples) to have a play with which on top of the champagne makes a very good night for me! I'm feeling very SJP aka Carrie from Sex in the City at the mo, sat at me laptop in me dressing gown and glasses typing away. I'm not gonna promise to blog every day, week or at anytime at all, I'll just do it when I'm feeling inspired and right now with all these fantastic goodies to try, I think I'm gonna have a lot to write about ;-)

PS Thanks for tonight Miss P, you're one in a million xxx

A woman's work is never done

G'day All,

Today I thought I'd try posting during a break in my day rather than wait till the evening to find I don't have enough strength to even switch my laptop on!

Have you been out enjoying the glorious spring weather? I have, had the week off work and thought it best to run out into the sunshine whilst it was around. You know what the Great British weather is like, come late August after months of wind and rain, we'll realise that the few days of sunshine we had back in April was actually the only 'summer' we got!

So this week I was supposed to be resting, relaxing with the family = kids are off school. I had planned to do nothing but have lazy days, catch a movie, walks in the park and generally going with the flow but the housework got the better of me one day, the place just looked cluttered and thought it best to have a spring clean now whilst I have a bit of time on my hands.

After cleaning the house from top to bottom, polishing skirting boards and mirrors, I was pleased with myself for transforming the house into the palace of Dallas BUT I was completely knackered! and it was only just gone noon and I had to venture out to visit friends that afternoon?! I jumped in the shower to freshen up but my feet still felt like I had been walking on hot coals. I started riffling through the 101 pots and potions in my bathroom, desperately looking for something, anything to soothe and revitalise my feet and found this goodie in my treasure trove:

Scholl Fresh Step Crackling Ice Foot Gel

Scholl Fresh Step Crackling Ice Foot Gel is a God send, seriously. Like the tin says (and I'm a firm believer in the product doing what they claim it does) it instantly gives a cooling sensation, revitalises tired, hot feet and also deodorises. After the mornings cleaning session this was right up my street. 

As you can see it comes in a little pressurised can and you spray it either directly on to your feet or into your hand and rub it all over your feet. It comes out like foam (so not sure why they call it a gel), as cold as ice and it crackles! Sounds really funny I know but as you rub it in, it crackles and tingles as it soothes, sounds similar to rice krispies being poured into a bowl of milk! it gets absorbed into the skin very quickly and leaves your feet feeling cool, refreshed and like you've rubbed talc onto them as it completely vanishes once rubbed in. It doesn't dry out your feet either so no need to moisturise after either, you're good to go. 

It retails at about a fiver which is pricey considering it only comes in a 35ml can but shop around, one of those auction sites might do it a bit cheaper ;-) On the plus size, it's small enough to keep in your make up bag or hand bag and considering some of the some of the killer heels I've got in my wardrobe, I'm gonna need it!

See ya later x 

I've been a naughty girl

I've been a naughty girl haven't I? No posting for over two months is really bad of me isn't it? I'm sorry!! I've given myself a slap on both cheeks for my naughtiness.

Now the discipline is over I've got a top tip on some mascara I bought recently but in my haste to get the net book lead out the case, I hit the outside of my ankle with the plug, ouch!!!! Words can not describe the pain I felt, so much so all I could do was to fall to the ground and clutch my foot, hurting the thigh I fell on in the process, double whammy, literally!!!

Yeah I know, I sound like Mr Bean's wife right about now don't I (rolls eyes), luckily my son ran to the fridge and took out a cool pack to put on my foot

Medicool Coolpack

Now when my mother first gave this to me, I thought "this is great for kids, they're always falling all over the place", never thought my son would end up using this on me did I?! I must thank my mother for it cos it sure has come in handy, otherwise my ankle would've swollen up and I would look like I've had a leg transplant from an elephant donor, ha ha!! gotta laugh if not I'd cry!

So after crawling up from the floor after my traumatic experience, I've got a tip on some mascara I bought recently - Maybelline XXL Volume & Length Microfibre Mascara

Maybelline XXL Volume & Length
Very Black #501

 As you can see from the pick it's a double ended mascara, base coat in white one end, topcoat in black the other. I've been a bit dubious about putting a white base coat on my lashes, I tried it once but didn't quite get enough of the black topcoat on and my lashes just looked like I hadn't washed me face and got the sleep out of my eye.......... or conjunctivitis...........either way not a good look! 

But I must say I'm pleasantly surprised by the end result, it says on the box it 'visibly lengthens lashes by 40%' and 'up to 6x the volume'. Now I ain't about to take a ruler to my lashes so I can't work out if it is scientifically correct but have a look at these before and after pics and give me your verdict

Before - without mascara

After - with base coat and top coat mascara

Pretty impressive stuff huh eh?! I think we can say that this is no gimmick, there are no lash inserts, it's not been enhanced in post production and all the other stuff that's in the small print in the ads, finally a product that does what it claims, yay!

This retails at £9.51p which is quite pricey I think, but if you shop around you may find it cheaper. Totally loving this product, if you can get your hands on it, buy it!

Sees ya later x

Why did I bother?

Hi all, how's it going? hope you and yours are well.

I'm feeling rather disappointed with Barry M at the mo. You see I actually bought that Saturday newspaper that had a voucher for free Barry M products, went off the shop to redeem my voucher and was handed a little pouch with an eye pencil, lip gloss and nail varnish by the sales assistant who asked me "are you alright love?" I didn't realise that my disgust at the shades of the lip gloss and nail varnish was written all over my face. OK, I know that it was a promotion, 3 products worth about £9 for 60p but really Barry M what were you thinking, the colours are awful, why did I even bother??!!!

L-R: Glossy Tubes, Super Shiny Lip Gloss
Kohl Pencil
Nail Paint

As you can see the lip gloss is a baby barbie candy floss type of pink. God knows whose skin tone this is supposed to suit but unless you're actually barbie I can't see it suiting anyone of any normal complexion. I can't even bring myself to swatch it it's that bad!! As for the nail varnish, that is on par with the lip gloss in terms of shade. It's a dusky pink, matt and doesn't look flattering at all. Best thing about the products is the black kohl eye pencil, can't really go wrong with that though can ya?!!

So in an attempt to redeem Barry M and stop them getting carted off to a war crimes committee for crimes against humanity, I decided to have a play with some rust and emerald dazzle dust pots I had bought a few moons ago.

Left - Dazzle Dust Shade 72; Emerald
Right - Dazzle Dust Shade 25; Rust

Now having a play with these pots really did cheer me up and redeem Barry M they did! These high pigmented dazzle dust pots add sparkle instantly to your eyes, with smooth and even coverage. There is some fall out so you have to be careful when applying. I use a flat or angled lining eye lining brush with just a dab of the colour on, a little of this dust really goes a long way, leaving a lovely sheen of colour. I used the rust dust from the inner corner of the lid to the middle and blended the emerald dust from the middle to the outer edge of the lid, I also mirrored this on the bottom lash line

Gorgeous ain't it?! These pots are great value for money, just under a fiver and they last forever, seriously, I've had some of these pots for five years and there's still loads left inside! So my top tip is just to invest in a few of these pots and do not bother hold out for any magazine freebie cheap as chips versions, the real deal is really is worth every penny.

Sees ya later x

It's been a long time...........

It's been a long time since I last posted, sorry folks xxx Work and life have been manic of late leaving very little time for me to indulge myself in having a play around with my make up :-(

Anyhow a few of my anonymous followers commented that I haven't posted in a while so tonight, amidst the housework, I thought I'd do a quick post on some Barry M Eye Crayons that I bought recently.

I really love the bright and vibrant make-up colours that Barry M create, I've invested in quite a few of their dazzle dust pots which last for ages so they make great value for money. Seeing as I've done quite a few posts involving powder shadows, I decided to try eye crayons in the hope that they'd give a more intense look, easier application and less product use in comparison to powder. I purchased two, one in aqua green and the other in a baby blue:



Barry M Super Soft Eye Crayon
Top Crayon - Matt; Shade No: 7
Bottom Crayon - Shade No: 4

 I must admit, I did feel like a kid playing with face paint putting such a huge pencil up to my eyes! I was also concerned that if I used too much on the upper eye area, I could end up looking like a clown, so I just opted to place the product just on the lids putting the aqua green from the inside of the lid two thirds across and the darker baby blue on the last third.

I didn't put any primer on my lids beforehand as I wanted to feel and see the true consistency of the product however I discovered shortly after application that you have to use primer with these crayons. They feel ever so smooth on the lids and the crayon is great for quick, easy application so no eye irritation that you can get with fall out from a powder, however after blinking a few times, the colour moved all over the place and what was previously a stunning intense two coloured lid just looked a mesh of bluey green with some parts of the colour completly disappearing leaving the colour that stayed put just looking out of place.


Was quite disappointed really and will give it another go with primer on and hopefully that will end in a better result as the colours are truly beautiful - I'd hate to feel that they were a complete waste of money. On a positive note, they were so easy to take off, unlike some powders which seem to weld themselves to your eyelid, the crayons come off really easily so no double vision from scrubbing your eyes with these.

I'm gonna sign off and jump up in bed, must remember to buy a paper tomorrow, apparently one of the saturday newspapers has a voucher for a free Barry M kit with polish, lip gloss and eyeliner so will definately give that a trial and post my results!

See you soon (yes it will be soon and not as long as before alright?!) xx

Giving it a go

Good Evening folks, hope you and yours are well......

I never thought I'd be lured in by the power of advertising however when I saw an advert for a free Model's Own Make-up kit and all I'd have to do is buy two Sunday newspapers, I had to have it.

The first week the token was in the paper, I completely forgot so I had to wait for week two and what did I do? yep I forgot again?!!! Fortunately I did remember halfway through the afternoon so I ventured out only to find that the local shop had run out of that particular paper and all the other shops I tried didn't sell newspapers?! what the heck? how can a convenience shop NOT sell newspapers??!! So my quest for a free make-up set turned into a challenge, I really felt like I was on a game show like Crystal Maze (do you remember that programme?!), I was driving, parking-up, jumping out and into the shops as quick as a flash, only to return empty handed and have to do the same routine a few blocks up the road. By the time I actually got my hands on a paper, I was so exhausted, I went home and jumped into bed, didn't even bother cut the voucher out after all that.

Week three, I was much more organised but I guess it was because that was the final token and I would actually receive the goodies that day! So in the spirit of giving it a go, I tried all the products out as soon as I got home ;-)

Models Own Free Make-up Kit from Fabulous Magazine

The make-up set consists of tweezers, eye lash curler, liquid eyeliner, mascara and an eyeshadow duo set called 'Goldie-rocks' which is one shimmery cream shadow colour with a dark grey/brown shadow colour in a little compact and both shades have silver glitter in them.

It all came in a cute little pouch and I like the pink and black packaging of the eyeliner and mascara, very girlie. The tweezers have an angled head and are very effective, quick removal of those stray eyebrow hairs.

The liquid eyeliner is black, personally I think the brush/tip is a little too small so I had to use it a couple of times to get a solid line and it doesn't seem to dry so has a wet look which I'm not too keen on but that's just my personal preference.

My eye lashes are short, few and far between so I didn't try the eyelash curlers, I never use em, a good mascara usually does the trick and boy am I loving the mascara in this set! There wasn't much product actually in the mascara as the brush came out a little dry but I popped the brush in another mascara bottle that I have and the brush is fantastic. It applies just the right amount to the lashes to curl and shape them perfectly. I've been using this every day since I got it, it is brilliant.

The shadows are lovely too, there was no fall out and they are smooth on the lids. Also, you don't have to use too much product to get the full effect of the colour in the palette on your lids....

So for a couple of quid I got quite a few products, am considering getting this mascara when my current one runs out, it really is that good.

Off to raid the fridge, see you later x

How do I look?

Hey, how y'all doing? hope all is well with you and yours!

Last week I kind of by accident did an experiment. I was running late (as per usual) to do the school run, so I thought I'd save some time and put my make-up on when I got to work....

...when I got to work I completely forgot that I hadn't put done my make-up, until I was in a training session and one of the girls on the course walked in, all made up, looking like a supermodel and then I remembered that I forgot to put my face on???!!! Anyway, when we broke for lunch I went back to my office and asked my team, how do I look? They all said "you look like you normally do, why?" I told them that I didn't have any make-up on they all reckoned that they couldn't tell the difference. Now I really don't believe they were all brown-nosing seeing that I have no real power in the organisation so it got me thinking, why do I wear make-up? is there really no difference in the way I look with or without it? and if so why do I bother?!

I didn't bother to put my make-up on after that, although I felt comfortable enough to go through the whole day without it, I was still wondering why do I wear the stuff? I'm sure my other half will say "told ya you don't need all that stuff on your face" after my revelation above and perhaps he's right, however the unintentional experiment made me realise that I don't need to wear it, I just like putting it on for my own pleasure. It makes me feel 'dressed', kind of like my armour for the outside world I guess and more importantly, I simply enjoy playing around with make-up just as my hobbie and I ain't about to stop now! 

So full steam ahead with my playtime, I've done TWO looks with my Ruby & Millie palette using the other colours that I haven't swatched as yet!

Ruby & Millie Eyeshadow Palette

This first look is with the brownish colours on the top row of the palette

I like the look of this combination of colours, however, they have lots of gold glitter in the pigment which can make all the colours look as though they are blurring into one if you're not careful. There was quite a bit of fall out as well so I'll have take extra care when using them again so I don't end up with glitter all over my face!

The second look is with the blue/green shades on the last row of the palette and this time I decided to apply the shades in thirds, vertically working from the right of the palette

The colours remind me of a peacock, with the blue and green hues, what do you think? the colours work well together, can wait for summer to come so I can do this look again!

Strangely, there wasn't much fall out with these shades in comparison to the brown shades I used previously? no big drama though, all in all this is a lovely palette with colours to mix and match or use alone for a number of looks, a good staple to start your collection with or to add to your hoard of products, it gets the thumbs up from me.

See you next play time x

Just for the hell of it

Hey, hope all is well with you and yours?! I'm having a quiet night in tonight, no parties or dinners to get glammed up for, I guess everyone is still broke from Xmas - which is a distant memory now. So I thought I'd try out that Ruby & Millie palette I blogged about the other night, just for the hell of it.

Inspired by last weeks metallic purple & blue look, I thought I'd keep that combination of colours but perhaps in lighter shades, for a fresh spring look (although we aren't quite yet in spring, a girl can wish though right?!). I opted for three colours in the middle of the palette lilac, purple and turquoise with the white in the top palette for my highlight:

(from left to right)
Top Row, 1st Shade - White, Brow Highlight
Middle Row, 1st Shade - Lilac, Lid
Middle Row, 3rd Shade - Purple, Upper Eye
Middle Row, 4th Shade - Turquoise, Lower Lash Line

First I covered the entire lid up to the crease in lilac, then I lined the lower lash line with the turquoise. Then I applied the purple shadow to the upper eye area from the crease to the brow bone and added the white highlighter under the brow. I blended the purple and white highlight a little but not much with the lilac and purple as the colours are quite similar and didn't want one to get lost in the other. Once I had done some blending I did need to reapply the lilac so that it stood out, also added some eyebrow pencil and mascara just to complete the look:

These shadows are smooth on the lids, very little fall out although I did have to apply quite a bit of product to achieve a rich colour, even with my Urban Decay Primer. That shouldn't put you off trying any of these shadows though cos once they're on, they are gorgeous don't you think?!

If only uploading my pics was as pleasant. I took these pictures at 9pm, check out the time I posted this blog below?! I've spent hours online searching net forums trying to work out why my software update wasn't working?! Seems like I'm not the only one with the problem however after trying two methods to fix the glitch (which seemed to take forever to do) and a cut bottom lip from all the lip biting I was doing, I finally managed to fix the problem (touch wood) and upload me pics. After all that, I hope you like it! Right, I'm off to get meself a drink for all my hard efforts (she says) but really it's just for the hell of it ;-)

Hello All!

Hello All! I thought I'd do a blog today to say hi to new followers and those that have been looking at my blog but haven't subscribed as yet.

I had planned to show some pics of an eyeshadow experiment I did this evening but for some reason, my software update hasn't worked and now I can't upload my pics? Very disappointed about that as I've been fiddling with the darn net book all evening and now my forehead looks like a tube map with all the frowning I've been doing!

So instead I've got some pics I uploaded previously of a great Ruby & Millie Vanity Case that I got at Xmas and will be experimenting with soon. This sleek, stylish, gold, leather (well leather's cousin polyurethane) case has so much goodies inside, to be honest I'm not quite sure how I've managed to contain meself and not try all the stuff out yet but rest assured I will be, soon!

Ruby & Millie Gold Vanity Case

The vanity case contains a palette with 12 eye shadows, 4 lip glosses, 2 blushers, a removable brush case with 5 brushes and a removable make-up bag....

Ruby & Millie Vanity Case Contents

I'm loving this palette and I know it's going to become one of my make-up staples as the shimmering shades will look fantastic when used individually and great combined together to create different looks. The colours aren't labelled in the palette but from the pic below you can see that there is a great range of colours, white, black, blues, greens, pinks, lilacs, purple, brown and bronze.

Ruby & Millie Vanity Case Palette
Top Row: 4 lip colours,
Middle Three Rows: 12 eye shadows
Bottom Row: 2 blushers

The lip colours range from an organgey gold, pink, purple and red, the blushes are tan and bronze with gold shimmers. I don't think I'll be able to use one of the blushers on my skin tone but this can always be recycled as a shadow or a highlight at some point, waste not want not.....

Brushes from left to right:
Lip, Eye Line, Eye, Powder and Foundation Brushes

The five piece brush collection is everything you need for getting started - foundation & powder brushes for the face, shadow and an angled line brush for the eyes and a lip brush. It also comes in it's own little gold case and all the brushes are labelled on the wooden handles which is helpful. I'm not sure if the fibres used are synthetic or natural as there is no reference in the packaging, but they feel mighty smooth on the skin so I do hope that they work well and don't start molting once I start using them regularly - nothing worse than walking around looking like wolverine with  whiskers or a moustache with everyone around you being too polite and to say "you've got something on your face" in case you actually do have facial hair and don't give a damn!

I've already started using the make-up bag, it perfectly holds all of my daily make-up essentials and fits well into most of my handbags. I hope to start trying out the shadows over the weekend, so technology permitting, I'll have some pics for you all soon xxx

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Folks! Yes I know it's a bit late but better late than never eh? So I hope you all had a great xmas and a good start to the New Year? I did, ate and drank far too much but it's got to be done hasn't it?!

Going back to work was traumatising I tell ya, I was in desperate need of a power nap at 11am on the first day back and as if that wasn't bad enough I got called into a two hour meeting at the last minute (yawn). So there I was trying to keep my eyes open, thinking I was doing a good job until I snapped out of a daze and realised half of the people in the room were watching me staring at my blank page! I was supposed to be taking minutes and the only note I had written was to myself 'must stay awake' and the meeting had been going on for at least half hour......

The week got progressively worse, so much work to do, by the time Friday reared it's head, my nail polish had started to come off as I'd typed so hard and fast, felt like asking "do you want fries with that?" everytime the phone rang, seeing as the whole building seemed to be ringing me with one request or another!

So, when one of my girlfriends suggested dinner with the girls on Saturday night, I jumped at the chance to glam up, shake off the week and have a good stiff drink, oh and dinner too lol. I thought I give the Strictly Latin Look Book a go, seeing as I tried out the 'Stunning Look Book' previously.

Strictly Latin Look Book

The 'Stunning Look Book' has three metallic eyeshadows in dark purple, dark blue and slivery white, with a blusher and three lip glosses in plum, purple and red. Again I used my own Jemma Kidd brushes rather than the ones it comes with for application and literally followed the instructions inside using the silver as a highlight, purple on the lids and blue for the top and bottom lash line. There wasn't much fall out with the shadows and as I had put my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion on first, the shadows stayed put all night (this pic was taken at 1am!)

Purple, blue and sliver shadows plus mascara


 I'm very impressed with the final look of this combination of colours and the metallic edge to the colours really set off the biker chic outfit I went for, can't wait to rock this look again and I suggest you put this lookbook on your tip list folks, it's my favourite out of the two I bought, it's great!
See you next time x