Body Shop Foundation Brush Giveaway

I thought it was time for another giveaway! This is a Body Shop Foundation brush. Brand new, still in its wrapper.



Enter your details in the box (personal info is private) and a random winner will be picked on 14th May. Good luck!

Is there a mac eye pigment in Brass?

While going through my Stat Counter profile, I noticed a hit from a search for "Is there a mac eye pigment in Brass?".

So today, I will introduce you to one of my most precious and rare items in my collection. Brass pigment is long, long discontinued. I noticed it popping up on ebay, but I've never actually seen a real pigment. Anyone who can sell 20 of them is selling fakes. This is an extremely rare pigment. I only have 1/8tsp left in my sample jar so I use it sparingly.

The quality of this pigment is like nothing MAC currently has out. That collection recently with the heavier pigments (what was its name?), it had colours such as Heritage Rouge. Some of those came close to the texture and pigmentation of this.

As for a colour description? Metallic Brass.

Behold!



I will be a sad Make Up Addict on the day this runs out.

Review: Satellite 3 Eye Shadows

Recently I got to try some products from a brand I hadn't heard of, Satellite 3. A quick google revealed Spaceships!!!!! Make up in the shape of Spaceships!

Anyway, rather than getting all excited over the packaging, let's get into the review (Spaceships!!).



Two eye shadows will fit into one of the Spaceships. You can buy the Spaceship (I'm not calling it a palette, it's a Spaceship!) and two eye shadows for £25. Refills are £7.50 each. The volume is listed on the back of the pans as 4.5ml, quite a generous size so these are going to last a very long time.

The Spaceship is quite large, it doesn't actually fit into my storage. I'm going to have it sat on the shelf so I can see it! The plastic is very sturdy so it's not going to break if you drop it onto the carpet. The refills come in a thinner plastic "flying saucer" which are also quite bulky. I got 4 of the shadows, but one Spaceship. The two extra pans are really just sat in their flying saucers without a proper home.

The quality of the eye shadows is actually very high.



Left to right (swatches as well as the pan photo):

• #2014 "The Blue Planet" (bold, shimmering blue)
• #2042 "Cyborg Chic" (gunmetal silver with sparkles)
• #2017 "Planet to Perfection" (mid-toned greyish brown with silver flecks)
• #2005 "Sheperds Delight" (pink shimmer)

The pigmentation is great, I did find there was a little staining with the blue shade. I think my favourite is the blue, it's such a bold colour. They blended well together. The brown shade needed a little more work as the base to the colour is quite matte. I noticed some fall out with the silver shade, due to the sparkles.

I wore the blue and silver shades together recently:

Over a base, I didn't notice any creasing or fading after a few hours wear.

Beautiful Pigments: About Face "That's so Camp"

Well, I did warn you in my first Beautiful Pigments post that I may show pigments that are not available any more. This is the first one of those. I only have a small sample so I won't have this much longer. If I'm honest, about 90% of my pigments from the She Space could go in my Beautiful Pigments series! Heather, the owner and creator, has a way with colour that seems to be quite unique in the mineral blending world. I've never had a dud pigment from her.

So, here is today's Beautiful pigment:




You see the tiny bit I have left?

About Face "That's so Camp"

This pigment was released some time in 2008, I believe. I'm kicking myself for not picking up a whole jar of this, rather than just a sample. But, honestly, I have so many pigments from the She Space (samples and full size) that once this is all used I'm sure I'll find something just as gorgeous in my stash.

I have been given the official description on the She Space message board by duhmoms!

"Sheer iridescent sky blue with a hint of lavender sparkle."

This reminds me of blue sky when the sun is shining. Plenty of iridescence, I can see blue, green and lilac.

Dry on the left, foiled on the right.

I love to foil this over a dark base to really bring out the colour.

FOTD: 25/04/09

Life and work has just ben nuts over the last 2 weeks or so. At times like that, make up tends to fall by the way side in return for a bit more sleep. Today I had nothing important to do so I spent some time on my make up.





I'd been saving the lid shade for just the right combo and I think I found it today.

I used:
-Fyrinnae Rice Primer
-L'Oreal True Match foundation "Rose Ivory"
-MAC Cream Colour Base "Black" thin layer on lid
-Fyrinne pigment "Vodka" wet over lid and pressed into lower liner
-The She Space pigment "Lucifer's Chariot" dry in crease
-Fyrinne pigment "Winter, Again" highlight
-Mineral Face FX pigment "Ice Princess" in tearduct
-MAC Fluidline "Macroviolet"
-Gosh liner "Majestic Sea" lower liner and smudged
-Mascara
-MAC blusher "Peachykeen"
-MAC lipstick "Delish"

Review: Go Cosmetics Gel Liners

All of my Go Cosmetics products come from Iona Cosmetics as they have a huge range of stock and the owners are just wonderful to deal with. Jude is someone who wants everyone to be pleased with their order, I think their customer service is some of the best I've come across.

Go Cosmetics Gel Liners are some of the most affordable on the market at £3.49 per tub. There are only 6 shades available right now, though there may possibly be more in the future.



The come in a plastic, thick walled jar. The lid has a ring on the inside which creates an air-tight seal. There's no weight information on the jar, but I estimate that they contain a little less than the MAC Fluidlines. I have three of the six colours available:

• #1 (Brown shimmer)
• #2 (Black)
• #3 (Light green shimmer)

My black is drying out a little, but I've had it the longest. It still works just fine. Also, my black MAC Fluidline is the only one of those that is drying out so it may just be that black ones dry out faster than other shades.

They all feel very creamy but the black, even though slightly dried out, feels even creamier. They're almost at the point of feeling like cream eye shadows. I have actually used them all as eye shadow bases. They spread out over the lid with no problems. There was a little creasing from the black one at the end of a 10 hour or so day.

The pigmentation is fantastic:

Swatched left to right:

• MAC "Blacktrack"
• Go Gel Liner #2
• Go Gel Liner #1
• Go Gel Liner #3

Seriously, yes, the Go Gel Liner is deeper than the MAC "Blacktrack". When I swatched for my video it was the first time I had compared them and I really wasn't expecting that. It may be that the pigment is more concentrated as it's slightly dried out, but so is my "Blacktrack". As for further comparison with MAC Fluidlines, these last just as long on my lids but take a little longer to set.

I will definitely be repurchasing that black one, just as soon as Iona get some more in stock! I'm also hoping to complete my set of six. Since they're only £3.49 each, I think they're well worth picking up.

Oh, Iona Cosmetics ship worldwide.

Make up by Chase Aston

I got my DVD through the other day which held a wonderfully edited video of my make over that I had done at the Body Shop Beauty Bloggers event. I'd asked Chase to focus on my foundation as I have most issues with liquid foundation. Minerals and every other type of make up that I use I don't tend to have a problem with. He gave me some really great tips.

It took me a couple of days to get this up as I wanted to be 100% sure about having permission to upload it to Yotube. Enjoy!

Using stuff up

It is a rare event for a beauty addict, but we do occasionally finish an entire product! Inspired by this morning's shower that saw the end of my current shampoo and conditioner, I have decided to record all used up products until the end of the year. For next year I will just start in January.

At the end of the year, I'll post the complete list. I suspect it will mostly consist of items such as shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, etc. But I hope to finish a make up product! I think I've only ever managed a lip gloss once or twice.

So, just because I'm sure you are curious:

• Herbal Essences Greasy roots/Dry ends Shampoo 400ml
• Herbal Essences Greasy roots/Dry ends Conditioner 400ml

My next shampoo and conditioner to use is a pair from the Olive range from the Body Shop.

Review: Manly 24 Grande Eye Shadow Palette

A favourite online passtime of mine is browsing the depths of Ebay for make up. I'm not fussy if it's coming from Hong Kong, Europe, the US or where ever, just as long as it looks interesting. That's how I found this:


I think a lot of you will recognise the brand from the multitude of 120 palettes floating around on Youtube. This one is the 24 Grande Eye Shadow palette. I paid about £22 with shipping for this palette. Not a bad price, including shipping from Hong Kong. It came wrapped up in a huge roll of bubble wrap.

The weight on the front of the box if listed at 120g. That means a weight of 5g for each shadow.


Upon opening I was struck between the similarities between this and another "Grande" palette in my collection, to the point where the bottom layer of colours have the same names: click The colours are similar in some cases, but not the same. There was one casualty in the shipping. The yellow shade (Sun Yellow) was destroyed. Fortunately, each pan of eye shadow had a lid so it hadn't exploded all over the palette.


I was able to scrape everything up and repress it.

These are very, very soft eye shadows. They don't feel like they've been pressed very heavily. My yellow repress looks like there is less in there as I've pressed it harder than these have been. I have actually gouged a couple as they are so soft. You will get fall out with these! I prefer to pat them over something a bit sticky (like a shadestick) to reduce the amount of fall out.

The palette includes 2 matte shades: black and brown. They are actually pretty decent and not too chalky, unless you pack on loads. They're both good colours for deepening a crease and I'm planning on trying the black with a wet brush as a liner.

Top Layer:


-Ice
-Shine Orange
-Bright Red (actually a very pretty pink)
-Pink
-Sapphire Blue
-Black (matte)
-Ocean Blue
-Dark Blue
-Coffee
-Paris Green
-Aztec Gold
-Brown (matte)

Bottom Layer:


-Ice
-Aztec Gold
-Silver
-Azalea
-Cosmic Blue
-Sun Yellow
-Iced Gold
-Tangerine
-Chartreuse
-Jade
-Amethyst
-Cosmic Violet

Overall, it's a fun palette to have. The quality is pretty good but it's really not comparable to Ben Nye, Urban Decay, etc. I still would think the 120 palette is the better investment if you are starting out and want a lot of colours to see what works for you.

I'll leave you with my favourite colour from the palette - Jade

Video: Green, copper brown and blue

Good evening! I got this recorded last weekend but I've only just got round to processing and uploading it to Youtube. I'd had a good play with the 24 Manly palette I bought from ebay recently and came up with this look:



I Used:
-L'Oreal True Match foundation "Rose Ivory"
-MAC Shadestick "Beige-Ing" as base over lids
-Manly eye shadow "Copper" outer edge of lid
-Manly eye shadow "Paris Green" inner edge of lid
-Manly eye shadow "Dark Blue" lower lashline
-Manly eye shadow "Ice" as highlight
-Manly eye shadow "Brown" outer edge of lid
-Gosh liner "Majestic Sea"
-Go Cosmetics gel liner "1" (bronze/brown)
-Mascara
-Boots 17 blusher "Damson Wine"
-Bee Luscious Hint of Mint lipgloss "Mint Pearl"

London Haul

Oooh, look what I'm finally posting! I've been sat on the pictures for a couple of days but just haven't got round to doing anything with them yet.

First, onto MAC Pro!



I actually went twice. Once bfore the event, and once with everyone afterwards!

-Brush Cleaner (Not on photo)
-Brush #109
-Brush #210
-Nail Polish "Peppermint Patti"
-Mineralize Blush "Gentle"
-Pigment "Kelly Green"
-Pro Pan Eye Shadow "Bio Green"
-Shadestick "Lemon Chiffon"
-Blusher "Plum Foolery"
-Mineralize Skin Finish "Perfect Topping"

Before getting to the Pro Store, I stopped off at B Never Too Busy To B Beautiful (what a mouthfull!!), one of my friends gave me a shopping list before I went down to London. The store itself os gorgeous. Lots of pots of shimmer and sparkle, everythings displayed by colour. However, I doubt I'll be buying anything else. The pots of eye shadow are very tiny (1g in weight) which I already knew about though. I bought one of the big magnetic palettes, a few eye shadows and a cream blusher. The woman who served me was lovely and ran round getting all the pans I wanted. However, they all came out of pots and have no labels on the bottom. So I don't know what I got in the end.



They're pretty though. Very crumbly, I think I'm going to get through one of the pans in about 5 minutes.

I visited Covent Gardens on the Friday morning, forgetting nothing in London opens until at lease 10:30am! I only had 2 hours then for Covent Gardens and Oxford Street before my train. Charles Fox is a favourite of mine (Screenface was opening too late for me to trek back over to it), and the main UK stockist of Kryolan.



-Satin Powder "Flieder"
-Satin Powder "GY"
-Satin Powder "Anthrazit"
-Satin Powder "Altgold"
-Aqua Pearlshade "Arena"
-Aqua Pearlshade "Birch"

I walked over to the MAC in Covent Gardens, the straight back out again without buying anything. For some reason they were very pushy that day, I don't like to be sold to while I'm browsing. The Shu Uemura boutique had moved since the last time I was down to a slightly bigger store (finally!) so I was able to look without having to climb over other customers.



-Eye Shadow "ME Yellow 300"
-Eye Shadow "IR Beige 800"
-Blusher "P Pink 36D"
-2 Cleansing Oil samples

Then I had a quick, final trip to Oxford Street to grab some lunch before going back to King's Cross.



-Bobbi Brown Gel Liner "Black Plum Ink"
-Urban Decay Pocket Rocket "Doug"
-Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil "Flipside"
-Barry M Liquid Liner "LE 6"

Requested Swatches - Bee Luscious

I got a comment in my inbox today asking me to swatch my Bee Luscious Signature Quad in Rock Diva from Jessica. Who am I to refuse a request like that ;) Enjoy!



They are dry swatches, pressed into Urban Decay Primer Potion. The silver is intensely metallic. I'll be recording a video with the quad at the weekend, so keep a look out next week!

Don't forget the discount code for Bee Luscious!! spring2009

NOTD: 13/04/09 MAC Peppermint Patti

This was bought the other week in London. Since the UK is miles behind the US with MAC releases, I get to decide if a collection is worth checking out before it's released here. Nothing from Suagarsweet wowed me (I ended up buying 3 things!), especially not the minty cream nail polish that was selling out all over the US.

Once I saw it in real life, I just had to buy a bottle of it.

Review: Body Shop Vitamin C Micro Refiner

The Micro Refiner is a product I'd been eyeing up in store, I'd actually got a sample of it from the Body Shop at Regent Street before discovering a full sized tube in the giant bag. My Mum quickly claimed the sample!

So, this is £12.20 for 75ml (2.5 US fl oz) which, as Mizz Worthy points out, makes this more expensive ml for ml than MAC's version. But to the average person, in the UK at least, the Body Shop version is going to be far easier to get hold of.

Contains Community Trade Shea Butter from Ghana. The details for Community Trade ingredients are given on each product that contains them.

I've tried a lot of exfoliators in the past, only to stop using after a couple of uses due to the coarse nature of the scrubbing particles. They hurt!! The only exfoliator I've had any success with is the MAC Micro Fine Refinisher. I'll be doing a quick comparison at the end of the review.

This is a very thick white cream containing very fine exfoliating particles. The tube gives instructions to apply in circular motions to wet skin, once a week. It also states it is not suitable for sensitive skin. However, the website suggests to use it as part of your daily skin regime. I'm trying this twice a week for a couple of weeks, then I'll probably go down to once a week. There is a slight "orangey" scent that isn't overpowering and is quite fresh and pleasant.

I apply it as stated: on wet skin with circular motions. I can certainly feel the particles scrubbing away! But not in the scratchy, painful way I've felt with previous exfoliators. I wouldn't call it a gentle exfoliation, I agree that this wouldn't be suitable for sensitive skin. After careful and thorough rinsing, my skin felt very soft and smooth. I didn't notice any improvement in the radiance of my skin, but I suspect that will come after a few more weeks of use. I've noticed, even after only a couple of uses, that a small dry patch on one of my cheeks has virtually gone.

Overall, this is going to be a welcome addition to my skincare regime. As I said earlier, I'll begin with twice a week usage for the first couple of weeks then decrease it to once a week. I have normal/combination skin.

Compare to MAC? Well, I had a tube of their Refinisher not long after it was released and I haven't repurchased it simply because something more interesting distracts me when I get to go to a MAC. As it has been a few years since I used it, I'm going on memory! The MAC has a much more fluid texture, it was still thick but not as thick as the Body Shop's. Other than that, I think the two products are pretty much the same. The MAC one may be cheaper ml for ml than the Body Shop's but there's a Body Shop in pretty much every decent sized town in the UK, so it's far easier to get hold of.

Repurchase? Yes.

Beautiful Pigments: Fyrinnae "Daemon's Tail"

This is the first in a series of entries that I'm called "Beautiful Pigments". I'll be creating it as a tag so keep a look out for future entries.

This was sparked off about a week ago when I was applying my make up for work. I pulled out a pigment to use and just went "wow". As any of you who follow me on Youtube know, I have a lot of mineral pigments. A lot. Occasionally I'll pick one up that is exceptionally beautiful and unique. I decided then that I'd do a blog series on them. Just a warning though, limited edition and discontinued shades are quite likely to turn up from time to time.

Here is the first pigment:



Fyrinnae "Daemon's Tail"

Described by Fyrinnae as:
"A rich combination of purple and gold. Not purple with gold shimmer, or vice-versa, but a velvety mix of different shades, which adds a burgundy hue in as well. Must be seen in person to appreciate--photos do no justice to this."

The photos on the website do not do this beautiful pigment justice. Neither do mine!! The description is spot on, it is not just purple with gold shimmer. The purple and gold are mixed into one gorgeous shade. I'm sure there's some copper in there as well.

Here are my swatches:



Dry pressed into primer on left, wet on the right.

FOTD: 11/04/09

I love long weekends, it means I get to sit and update the blog as much as I want to!! I dug out my Bee Luscious quad in "Rock Diva" today. I'd been ignoring the poor thing in favour of my Spring/Summer 2009 palette.

Before I get onto today's make up, Bee Luscious have sent me details of a discount code that will give you an additional 10%!

spring2009

I think you need to create an account and be logged in to be able to use it. That's on top of the 25% sale they are currently running! It's all in lower case.





I used:
-L'Oreal True Match foundation "Rose Ivory"
-About Face eye primer "Nude"
-Bee Luscious Shadow Quad "Rock Diva" silver over lid, deep purple in crease and lower liner, light pink over purple in crease
-Boots No 7 no name eye shadow as highlight
-Bee Luscious Automatic Liner "Black" top lashline
-Afterglow Pure Soul Mascara "Black"
-Bee Luscious blusher "Sparkling Rose"

Shimmercubes Giveaway!

I've just noticed I've rolled over 100 followers today! So, instead of doing this tomorrow I'm giving away a set of Body Shop Shimmercubes!



This set is completely unused and is still sealed. I got this in my goodie bag from the Body Shop, but I already owned it. So I'm giving the extra one away!

I'm trying out this new widget for contests, it should just need your name and email and will pick a random winner on 18th April.

Good luck!

More London pictures

Since it's a rainy Saturday afternoon, I've been into town and done the jobs I need to and the dog is asleep and not wanting a walk yet, I thought I'd run you through the last of the London pictures.

I'm kicking myself for not taking many pictures of the day. But it was so busy all day, and I just wanted to have fun rather than taking pictures every few minutes. Hopefully I'll get the ones that were taken by the Body Shop through soon so I'll be able to show you more of the event.

Firstly, here we are at Covent Gardens after making the treck from Oxford Street. We really couldn't be dealing with the tube at rush hour, plus it was so hot and stuffy down there. And we didn't all fancy dragging the heavy goodie bags down there with us.



So, going from left to right we have:
-Jasmine (Oxford Jasmine)
-Natalya (Filthygorgeousmakeup)
-Jen (Mizz Worthy)
-Rebecca (Panda Does Makeup)

You might be able to see some of the goodies that the Body Shop were kind enough to give to us spread across the table. And Jen had clearly been to raid B Never Too Busy To B Beautiful (the biggest mouthfull of a make up line ever!).

The weather was lovely. Sat outside in the evening at the beginning of April!

Turned out that this first place didn't have an alcohol licence! But the bar next door (which was the same company) did. Here's a better group photo (Jasmine has a gift, she can convince anyone to take photos of us. This time it was the waitress).



We had a quick bite to eat and drink before Rebecca and Jen had to make their way home. Jasmine, Natalya and I walked over to China Town (all of 5 minutes walk from Covent Gardens) for some dinner. This is the end of London I visit when I go down so I knew of a fab place to get decent food.

Jasmine took this snap of me while we were waiting for food (plus, after a few drinkies on my part!).



Details of the damage I did at MAC Pro will be coming up later! This is actually a pretty good picture of my make up after I'd had my foundation, etc sorted out by Chase Aston.

The meal was delicious and chatting away about blogging, Youtube and general make up with Jasmine and Natalya was wonderful!

Then, back to my orange box!! I was stood at the door when I took this photo! The bed was quite comfortable, but I did have to use both pillows at once as they were very thin. The floor was a bit icky, with crumbs and bits all over but I get that a hard floor is quicker and easier to clean than a carpet.

Tag: What was the product that started your love affir with make up?

The idea for this post was shamelessly taken from Mizz Worthy!

So, what began my love affair with make up? I'd like you to meet Urban Decay Face Case "1st Date to Pin-Up".



Way, way back in the day Boots used to have a shop called Pure Beauty. At this shop you could buy a huge array of different make up brands, ones you wouldn't normally see in Boots. It was at the store in Covent Gardens that I first laid eyes on Urban Decay. The store is long gone, but the Face Case is still going strong.

I wish Urban Decay still made these, the lovely palettes in metal, not the card ones. These were pretty much the perfect conception of a palette.

Before this, I used a few Rimmel products. Make up wasn't anything special, just something I wore when I was going out. But then this appeared in my life and I've been hooked ever since. I actually bought 2 on that trip (the Rockstar one) but this is the one that's taken the most abuse.

Urban Decay Super Smokey Purple

I know more than a few of you have been waiting for me to upload this video. Ever since I posted my London Vlog, I've had a constant stream of messages and comments asking about the make up look I was wearing. I cannot tell you how pleased I am with the finished look. I've been somewhat lacking inspiration of late but this photo sparked it off:



It's from the Makeup International magazines I showed in my London Vlog. This is an advert from the first page of the first magazine I picked up. I'm still kicking myself for not buying every issue the shop had out on the counter. When I've been paid at the end of the month, I'm phoning up Charles Fox to see if they will ship the remaining issues out to me.

Here are a couple of pictures of the look I ended up with. Not an exact replica, but it's never going to be identical:




I used:
-YSL Radiant Brush Foundation "#1"
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-MAC Cream Colour Base "Black" over lid and under lower lashline
-Urban Decay eye shadow "Lust" over lid and lower lashline
-Urban Decay eye shadow "Last Call" crease
-Urban Decay eye shadow "Vapor" highlight
-Urban Decay eye shadow "Exhaust" inner corner of lids
-Gosh liner "Black Ink" waterlines
-Barry M liquid liner "Black" top liner
-Mascara
-Milani blusher "Pink Craze"
-Prestige Mineral Bronzer "Pure Shimmer"
-Urban Decay lipgunk "Gash"
-Urban Decay lipgunk "Naked"