Illamasqua Brow Cake

I've been a religious Benefit Browzings user for well over a year now and I have to say I love Browzings and would recommend it to anyone. But when it started to run out my bank balance just couldn't justify £23 on a new one, I did consider sleek and ELF brow kit options but thought I'd be disappointed after being a benefit user for so long. Illamasqua is a relatively new brand, I've heard many things about them but never actually tried anything, that's when I decided to replace me browzings with brow cake. 

The texture is a slightly waxy powder (if that makes any sense!!) I apply it with a (largish) angled brush, it gives much more of a soft focus finish than browzings, however, I'm really impressed with its pigmentation. Do I prefer it? I'm not really sure to be honest, it's harder to gain an even brow, I've ended up looking like that lady on the stroke advert a few times due to uneven brows (not a good look)!!! If its left unset without clear brow gel it can powder onto your face slightly too. I think it's just different and will take some getting used to, I will definitely stick at it though, the quality is amazing and it's left me eager to try more illamasqua products so I suppose it can't be all that bad can it?! :)

Loula x

P.s. had to include the last photo, even Jack's eyeing it up to preen his slug brows!

Mac Fix+

4 posts in nearly 4 days? Cripes, I'm a reformed blogger!! haha!...

Today i'll be giving you my views on MAC Fix+ Spray :) It has to be said, I <3 MAC, I think we all do deep down! I don't know about anyone else but I didn't know what I wanted for Christmas last year, I don't need anything (except a new hair dryer, thanks mum!!!) so when my brother asked me what I wanted make-up was the only answer! So off I sent him to the MAC counter and boy did good! He got me the Fix+ Spray which I'd had my eye on for a while. What MAC claim:

An aqua–spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm–the–skin blend of Green Tea, Camomile, Cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energising scent of Sugi. Adds radiance, finishes makeup. Spray it on. Skin drinks it up!

It's pretty much glorified water, but some lovely glorified water at that! I read some reviews before I got it saying that it blends makeup together and makes an airbrushed look. To be honest, I don't think it does. It goes some way to sealing my makeup and I can tell a difference by the end of the day when I haven't worn it, i.e. more patchy foundation but I don't think it blends layers together. If you get the spray at the wrong distance you can look patchy too. However, it is a good makeup sealer, spritz a bit onto brushes for a daily clean and also a really nice skin refresher before make-up and hydrates skin through make-up (MAC foundation especially studio fix fluid is very drying so a good option if you find the foundation very drying to your skin). Would I re-buy? I think I would you know, it's not in my opinion hideously over priced! It's not a necessity but a really nice novelty and who doesn't love them?! :)

MAC Fix+ is available from MAC counters for £7 for 30ml or £12.50 for 100ml (mine is 100ml)

Loula x

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser

I've been using this cleanser for a few months now and steered away from reviewing it because I wasn't sure what I thought. I've never heard a bad thing about Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser and when this puppy was on 2 for £3.99 in Superdrug when they're £5.99 each (Superdrug fail. Y you be so stoooopid?!!) I couldn't really say no...

What it claims to do: 'Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser with muslin cloth is ideal for removing dirt and make-up whilst providing gentle exfoliation'

...I started using it once a day by wetting my face slightly and rubbing in the cleanser then buffing away with the muslin cloth ran under warm water. The cleanser is really creamy and lovely and removes all my makeup but I found it kept bringing my skin out in spots, which is very rare for me. I noticed it was worse if I did a cleansing mask after or used a heavier moisturiser after toning. I've come to the conclusion that the warmth of the hot cloth mixed with the exfoliation opens my pores too much for other product to then get stuck. Nightmare. I've gone to using it once every 3 days and sticking to my old skin care routine for the others & it's working really well, my skin is smooth, soft and clear- just loovlay jublayyy!! I would recommended it if Liz Earle, just start using it a few days a week and build it up to avoid the volcanic eruption occurring on the face look, personal fave.

Hot Cloth Cleanser is available from Superdrug for £5.99 (it's currently on 3for2 with other items in the vitamin E range too... Oooh happy dayssss!)

Loula x

Glitters raining on me.

My week in pictures. <3

Leopard nails, Caffe Nero, Twin Time, TOWIE, Filofax, MUA palette, Can I really buy this?!!, Picture taken by a giant, Roundest eggs ever?, Always helps if your shoes match, MUA shade 1, French Manicure, Starbucks, Barry M 52, Twin Loving!, Duke sleeping n'awwwww!, McQueen ring, Flat hunting, Lipsticks, Dissertation winning!, Revlon 471, train times, Topshop earrings, Classic keyring pose.

Loula x

Highstreet Lipsticks.

Hello there everyone :) Taking a well deserved dissertation style break to show you my favourite highstreet lipsticks. I'm a sucker for MAC lipsticks but at £13.50 (cripess) a pop they're reserved for special occasions so instead back to the high street we go! I was strictly a nude lipstick kind of girl until recently when I've really bonded with brighter colours, who would have thought it eh?!...

 Barry M 101 : a whiteish nude, lovely for summer though :)

 (Apologies for cracked lips! arghhh) Body Collection- Poison: a deep purple, a bit of a lip stainer for a day after though...

Miss Sporty- Striptease: a slightly shimmery nude

Barry M- 52 : a bit daring but lovely with an all black outfit :)

 Revlon Deluxe Creme Lipcolour- 01 Poppy: a lovelyyy classic red

 MUA- Shade 1: really moisturising and stays well all for £1, holy moly!

 ELF Minerals- Natural Nymph: my favourite nude ever besides GOSH- Darling and MAC- Myth, its really drying though, saddens me, SOB.

All my love,

Loula x

17 Hide and Chic Concealer

Two posts in one day? Holy mackerel... I've got a lot of lost time to make up for (could make another tragic joke here, i'll spare you all), spoiling you, too kind i know ;) As a poor student i felt it was only right to visit the freshers fair to bag some free pizza and other rubbish, besides leaving behind being a fresher over 2 years ago, muahahahahaa! And it has to be said they did give me some goodies, amongst the chocolate orange squares bar which hardly made it through my front door was a 17 (boots brand) Hide and Chic Eye Brightening Concealer in Light Beige. I was a little bit over excited by this, i'm growing to like 17 ever more, they step up to every season and trend as it comes and they're products are good quality for what you pay. I'm not a big concealer person, only when things are bad i.e. sleep deprivation, but I've given it a whirl all the same...

The applicator is brush style, where you turn the end to dispense product.

The consistency is a smooth lightweight formula, very different to my MAC Studio Finish Concealer i usually use, which is rather thick to say the least. The product has a slight glitter finish to it (i think this is supposedly the 'brightening' bit, gold star for Loula!!). Its maybe a shade too light for me, yet when i went into Boots to check out the selection of shades, the only do 3, this one and a light and darker pinky under toned tone being the other two, so all in all, i'd probably still have gone for this little puppy! It is a nice everyday eye concealer, due its shimmer finish its difficult to use elsewhere on the face without the explosion in a glitter factory look, yet its coverage is light-medium and long lasting, managing to cover even my dark circles (albeit with a little effort). One niggle, how on earth do you know how much is left? I like to be able to see when a product is running out so I'm not going to be left in a disaster zone looking like a zombie (everyones have look!). But...all in all its a good eye concealer with a nice finish if you're looking for something with lighter coverage and for £4.99 i don't think its priced too bad either :) 

Seeeeee i told you we were getting back to make-up ;)

All my love

Loula x

Happy Halloween(ish) and an apology (hanging my head in shame)

Hello there my lovelies :) I'm back, about time too mrs, some of you may run as fast as your little legs can carry you at this news and others may throw a party (not bigging myself up here at all, one bit...)! Huge, mahoosive, hu-billy-bongus apologies for my absence, they weren't lying when then they said the third year of uni was a lot more work, holy moly, i may never surface from a large pile of books and my looming dissertation, lets not panic now though (purely to try and calm myself, panic mode is full scale...). I have so much to show you, I've been loving some new products I've been trying and will get round to telling you all about them, hopefully before I'm grey and old at this rate! Firstly though it has to be said I HEART HALLOWEEN, i love everything about it, so I thought I'd share a few of my halloween pictures with you to get us back into the swing of thing. Naturally i dressed super scary, as a cat, totes....

N'awwwww! I had such a good night, the lovely people in the pictures are some of my housemates from uni, looking horrifically scary for deffs :) Back to the make-up now i suppose, what a shame..NAWWTTTTT!

Hope you're all well & had a frightfully good (tragic jokes are still here) Halloween!

All my love

Loula x