Youngblood cosmetics

You may or may not have heard of them, I first discovered them on The Black Pearl's blog (one of my top reads!).  The products looked amazing, high quality, free from talc & perfume and cruelty free.  So when I was asked if I'd like to try a couple of their products, I was very, very excited!  After browsing through their catalogue, I'd amassed quite a wish list as you can imagine!  If you want to see what I've been trying out, and what I thought of them, then keep reading :)

Youngblood mascara in Blackout

The packaging is one of my favourite things about this, it's made of metal not plastic, which instantly makes it feel high quality.  The wand is the kind I like, not big and fluffy but smaller and precise.  It coats the lashes really well and doesn't really clump - if it does just keep brushing the wand through and they'll un-clump.  I like that it has a really solid base too, it can stand up and not feel wobbly, I know that seems like a silly thing, but when you take lots of blog photos of things, it's little touches like that, that make my life easier.  As for how durable it is, it's really good, I don't really get any flaking or fallout until it's been on for a good 10-12 hours and even then it's only a little bit.  The only mascara I've ever encountered that's not done that is my Maybelline Rocket Volum.

Now, volume and length.  I think it's fair to say, it adds a nice amount of volume (look at my pic of nude lashes, compared with 2 coats and look at the lashes in the distance - there's a definite difference).  It holds a curl really well and gives my lashes a natural amount of volume.  With this, you're not going to get 'false lash effect', but you will get very pretty lashes.  Personally this is what I opted for during the day, I prefer Illamasqua Masquara for evenings as it adds a LOT of volume.

Where to buy: Online
Cost: £19
Would I recommend: Yes


Youngblood lipstick in Tangello

** First lip pic is just applied with a lip brush, and second lip pic is applied from the bullet **

I thought I'd go a little out of my comfort zone here and pick a coral orange colour, not something I'd typically opt for.  However, I do really like it!  Just like the mascara, the packaging is made of metal and feels lovely.  The pigmentation of the lipstick is really nice, it's not too over the top which isn't what I'd want from such an orangy lipstick.  Personally, I prefer it applied with a lip brush, but I do with most lip products, I also find they last better when applied that way too.

This would last a good couple of hours without needing to be topped up, that's with typical chatting and drinking coffee/tea.  The formula is lovely, a bit buttery and hydrating but without being too shiny and glossy which some can be when they're very hydrating.  The colour is really pretty, I'm really glad I tried something different, I think this will make a lovely addition to my out of control collection :)

Where to buy: Online
Cost: £14, so a little cheaper than a MAC lipstick and equals in quality
Would I recommend: Definitely

All in all I really like these products, as a brand I'd definitely recommend them to others.  Their prices are quite high, and for that I would expect there not to be things in them like phenoxyethanol (which is in the mascara) which is a faux paraben.  But I like that there's no talc or perfume in them.  Clearly they're priced at a high end market, and I think the quality matches that too.  They're lovely products and I'm looking forward to trying more from them.

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Hayley from Water Painted Dreams

 

Written by Georgina Kent

Nivea express hydration primer

My first experience of this was in the form of a little sachet inside a magazine.  I'm a big fan of Nivea's skincare so was excited to give it a try.

That was back in the day of my spending ban, well, once I was off it and I remembered that this little beauty existed, I hastily rushed out to purchase one for myself.  Typical of most primers, a little goes a long way.  It's consistency and texture is just like their Pure & Natural day moisturiser which I'm a massive fan of, and holey attribute my skin now being clearer to.  This primer creates a perfect base for your BB cream or foundation without it clogging up your pores.  I found that my foundation looked better for longer when I was using this, typically lasting for a good 12 hours before I started looking patchy.  It dries to a non-oily or greasy finish and doesn't leave any residue on your skin, unlike some of the more gel type ones, which can roll off your skin at the sides, yeah... they don't work for me.

Aside from thinking it's great and generally loving it, it also comes with a great price tag, just £4.99 and it is also available for sensitive skin.  You could also use it in place of moisturiser as the product itself is very moisturising :)

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Hayley from Water Painted Dreams

 

Written by Georgina Kent

Model Co - Dannii's Colour Essentials

To say I have a love hate relationship with this set is an understatement.  One minute I can't stand the eye shadow, how it's such poor quality, the next minute I find myself caught up in how beautiful it is once it's applied and how well the three colours compliment each other.

It's taken me a while to get around to writing this post for that very reason.  I'm finding it hard to decide if I like it or not.  And to be honest, I still haven't really decided.  So instead of me waffling on about how I can't decide, I'm just going to start talking about it.

In the kit you get 4 base products - an eye shadow trio, a kohl eyeliner, a bronzer, and a double ended lip gloss/lipstick.

The eyeliner

Pretty thick, and pretty creamy, very well pigmented, this is my favourite of the set.  It lasts pretty well on the waterline, and tightline and is a nice deep black, not like the blacks that seem to create a sheer line when you apply.  I love that the lid has a sharpener in it too, so useful, I'm always losing my sharpener!

The bronzer

At first sight, this was one that I didn't like - I'm just not keen on shimmery bronzers, plus the packaging feels pretty cheap and naff - not one for your bag.  It's not orangey or anything like that, just shimmery.  But, after playing around with it I realised it was actually pretty ok.  The shimmer didn't translate to anything noticable on my face but did contour pretty well.  It's a pretty solid formula, so you can really swoosh the brush on the product without picking up too much.  So, not a bad product at all.

The lips

Let me just say, this smells awesome!  The scent is like... strawberry or raspberry ice cream, like a raspberry ripple - it makes me want to nom it up!  Both the gloss and the lipstick smell the same.  Both products are really nice and decent quality.  There's also a handy mirror on the side in case you need to touch up your gloss on a night out - however, as nice as it is to have a mirror, you'd really need it for the lipstick, but that wouldn't work as the mirror is on the bullet part of the packaging, so rendering it useless for applying lippy.  The gloss is really pretty with a delicate shimmer.  It lasts well and in my opinion, is worth it just for the scent!

The eyes

I was hoping that by now, after writing about the other products I'd have made up my mind on what I thought about this... but I haven't.  So, I'm going to continue to love and hate it.  First off, what I don't like.  Similar to the rest of the products, the packaging feels a bit naff.  The shadows themselves are poor quality, with a lot of fallout.  They're not very finely milled and they're very soft.  Now, what I liked.  If you use the sponge tip applicator (they don't apply so well with a brush!) you can create a really pretty look.  Use one side of the wide sponge on the lightest colour on the inner third of your eye.  Take the other side of the sponge and apply the middle shade to the middle of your lid, and then the narrow sponge end on the darkest colour on the outer V of your eye and in the crease.  Then, take a fluffy brush and blend, and just run it all over to soften.

The three colours compliment each other really nicely, and do create a really pretty look.  I just think there are better trio's and palettes out there for your money, I hate to say that, and because I was given it to review, it does make me feel like I'm being ungrateful.  But I wouldn't want to say it was great, when I don't think it is.  Will I use the trio again?  Maybe, but probably not.  If I was given this as a first piece of makeup, I'd be over the moon, I think it's a great starter kit and super cheap, and if you ruin it practicing how to apply makeup, it's not too expensive to buy a replacement.

You can pick this up for £5.99 here.  They have put that it's worth £120... I struggle to see how when the quality just isn't there...

Have you tried any Model Co products?  Other than the eye liner that was in a recent Birchbox?

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Hayley from Water Painted Dreams

 

Written by Georgina Kent

EOS Lip Balm in Lemon drop

Ages and ages ago, like, last year, I received an EOS lip balm in a makeup swap, you can just picture the squeals of joy when I ripped open the packaging to see one of these, it went straight on the lips and has been a firm favourite of mine ever since.

Then a few weeks ago, the lovely people at Cocktail Cosmetics offered to send me a couple of goodies to review, I of course graciously said yes thank you, and the rest is history!  Lets face it, it would have bene rude not to ;)

Did you know: EOS stands for Evolution of Smooth?  *shrugs* me neither!

The other two products they sent to me I've already reviewed (Japonesque brushes and Neve powder foundation), this is the third and final instalment.  So lets get on with the review!

My Thoughts

I always feel a bit like Jerry Springer when I start writing this!  You've probably guessed by my intro that I'm a fan of the EOS lip balms. They're not too waxy and they're not oily (that's something I really don't like).  They stay put on your lips for longer than you expect them too, and seal in moisture like a #boss.  They don't have any nasty ingredients in them like parabens and junk like that, nope, pretty much all natural, whoop.

They come in a range of mouth watering sounding flavours, like Strawberry Sorbet and Pomegranate Raspberry - these will be added to my collection very soon!  Next up, the packaging, they're neat, round and have a rubberised finish - and if you watch Beauty Broadcast (Emily Noel), you'll have clocked her EOS bowl in the background of all the flavours, they almost make a great centrepiece!  And, to quote Miss Glamorazzi, they look like a.....

All in all, I'm a big fan of these, I will be growing my collection of them with the afore mentioned flavours, and for £5.95 each and SPF15 in them, I'd recommend you do too :)

Now, take care of yourself, aaaand each other.

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Stacie from Life is worth the fight

 

Written by Georgina Kent

Aveeno hand cream

One thing I go through a lot of is hand cream.  I keep a tube of it on my desk at work and moisturise my hands around 5-10 times a day.  About a year ago I noticed that my hands were really starting to show signs of ageing, mostly down to the time I worked in operating theatres a year or so before that where I was washing my hands an incredible amount of times a day, it really dried them out.

Since then, I've been moisturising like crazy and on the hunt for the perfect moisturiser.  Well, this may not be the perfect moisturiser, but it's pretty good :)

Here's what I like about it;

• It's really quick drying and quick to absorb
• It dries matte so doesn't leave a sheen on your skin
• Even after washing your hands, it doesn't wash the moisturiser off
• It's cheap - I picked up this one on sale for about £3

So that's all the good.  I would do a bullet list for the bad too, but there's only one thing on it, how it smells.  I normally love the oatmeal scent body moisturisers have, but there's something about this one that just makes it smell like... like it's regurgitated oatmeal :/  But that's just how it smells to me, you might smell it completely differently, but it's that scent that would stop me from picking it up again.  Which is a bit silly really considering how good it is, but I guess that's what you get with me, I'm really into scents and how things smell.

What I will say though, I'm not sure if it's this hand cream, or just the fact I've been moisturising my hands a lot over the last year or so, but I feel that the ageing my hands were having has been wound back a bit, they're definitely not showing as many signs as they were, the skin on the back of my hands looks and feels stronger with less fine lines (yay!).  So even if you smell it and don't like this moisturiser yourself, make sure you keep your hands hydrated, you'll thank yourself for it when you're my age :)

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Stacie from Life is worth the fight

 

Written by Georgina Kent

Neve mineral pressed powder foundation

A little while ago the lovely people over at Cocktail Cosmetics sent me a couple of products to try out and review, one of the products they sent me was a powder foundation by Neve.  I'm a big fan of Neve, I love that their products are natural and cruelty free, and free of nasty things like parabens, petroleum and silicone.

On the left, me without makeup, in the middle me having the Neve mineral powder foundation over one side of my face, and on the right, me with it all over my face and my makeup complete.  And here are all the products I used to create this look.

As you can see from the left pic of me, I have a much redder face than my neck/decollate.  Too many people make the mistake of matching their foundation to the colour of their face, or the back of their hand (hands tend to tan the most (and the face) as they're usually exposed to the elements and not protected by sun block as much).  If you want your foundation to be the perfect shade, match it to your neck and chest, then you can add colour with bronzer and blusher, this way you you won't have any unsightly foundation lines :)

The shade I picked was 'Fair / Neutral' since I'm pretty much alabaster pale most of the year round.  Seeing as it's summer, I have tanned a little from spending a couple of days outdoors without sun block *slaps wrists* which means I've found an extra use for this.

The first and main use is it as a normal foundation.  The coverage is really good, it covered most of my redness and helped to even out my skin tone. It left a soft powdery finish, but didn't look cakey at all, which is what I was worried about.  It lasted really well throughout the day and didn't crease in any of my fine lines.  I did get a bit shiny as they day went on, but that's nothing new, I do every day with whatever I use, so that was expected.  A simply top up of the product, or another setting powder and you're good to go.  It was a pleasant surprise, especially as I really did pick the right colour off the site.

The secondary use, and probably what I'll use it most for is to alter the colour of other foundations.  What I'm wearing most at the moment is my Dior BB Cream, but the lady in the shop matched me to 02 which is too dark.  Then it dawned on me, instead of brushing my Maybelline Fit Me powder over my face after applying my foundation, I could just use this and it would give me extra coverage, alter the BB cream/foundation to be my actual shade and set it all.  It worked so well doing it this way, it's probably what I'll be using it for the most, but I'll definitely keep using it by itself too, it's a strong product that's cruelty free and for a reasonable price.

Where: Cocktail Cosmetics
How much: £12.95
Would I replace: Yes

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Shang from The Feminine Crusade

 

Written by Georgina Kent

BaByliss curling wand

Babyliss curling wand from Very.co.uk £20-£25* 

They say "The BaByliss 2285CU Curling Wand is a salon quality hairdresser styler, giving you the freedom and flexibility to create curls, flicks and soft waves. Simply wrap and curl - it's that easy.

Designed with advanced heat technology, the BaByliss Curling Wand has a ceramic conical barrel that heats up to 200°C for long lasting salon quality results."

As you may know, I went to a wedding at the weekend, I used the opportunity to do something a little different and curl my hair with my new Babyliss curling wand*.  I'm not the kind of gal who likes big tight curls or ringlets, I like big waves, but I don't have hair long enough to really pull that off, not as long as I'd like anyway.

This curling wand has a couple of really nice features.  Firstly, the way the cord is attached to the wand, it swivels so that the cord doesn't get all twisted - if only my hair dryer had the same attachment!  I really like how clear the LCD display is telling you what temperature it is too.

One of my pet peeves with my old curling wand is that the hair would always slide down to the end of the wand, which meant I'd have to keep re-curling it until I could put enough tension into the hair to make it grip, which isn't great as it's a bit damaging to the hair.  But with this wand it has little rubbery grippy circles going down the ceramic wand to help grip the hair.  It really does help, I didn't have any instances of my hair slipping down :)

All the photo's you can see of my hair curled were taken about 3 hours after curling it, and with no hairspray or product to hold the curl.  My hair still had a bit of a wave at the end of the evening, but not much.  But had I used hairspray or a curling serum, I know it would have lasted better :

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Shang from The Feminine Crusade

 

Written by Georgina Kent

The Body Shop Honeycomb bronzer

A few weeks ago I was asked if I'd like to try the new Body Shop Honeycomb bronzer, of course I jumped at the chance!  So I've been using it for the past few weeks and here's what I thought about it :)

You can find the bronzer £13*and the brush £16*here on the Body Shop website :)

My Thoughts

I think the shade I have is Light Matte, it could be fair matte, but the numpty I am I ripped off the label at the back to have a look at the ingredients which is where the shade was, silly billy!

First off the brush.  This might be one of the softest bronzing brushes I've ever used, it's super soft with synthetic bristles which are cruelty free.  It has a good base on it so it stands up by itself too.  It picks up the product beautifully, never picking up too much.  I've tried this brush with other bronzers too and it works great on those as well.

The bronzer - how often is it us pale people find a bronzer that isn't too dark and isn't too orange, and isn't £30+?  Yep, not that often.  I think the thing that struck me most about this is how it's not easy to overdo.  It's easy to build up to a flattering level without being all orange and obvious.  In the photo above I'd gone back into the product about 3 times to layer it up (I wanted it to show up for the photo's as the camera can wash me out a bit).  Even with 3 coats it's still nice and fairly subtle.  It lasts really well throughout the day without fading or going blotchy.

The big question is would I repurchase it, without hesitation I can say yes, to both!  The brush is so soft and really good at applying the bronzer, and the bronzer is perfect for my skin tone and not orangey :)  The bronzer actually comes in 4 different shades, so hopefully there's one to suit you :)

What's your favourite bronzer?

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Shang from The Feminine Crusade

 

Written by Georgina Kent

Budget makeup picks

I think it's fair to say, the majority of us don't have hundreds of pounds to throw away on high end makeup every month, I know I don't.  Yes I like to splash out every now and then but it's not a regular occurrence.  One thing as a beauty blogger that I have made as a goal, is to find high quality high street products which are as good, if not better, than their high end counterparts.  So, without further ado here are my top budget makeup picks. 

Elf Powder brush

You can pick this up on the Elf website for £3.75*, very soft synthetic bristles with a flat top, perfect for applying powder, works great on blusher too :)  It has a rubberised grippy handle too and can be used on wet or dry products.

Bourjois healthy mix serum

You can pick this up for about £10.99 from Boots and Superdrug.  As much as it may not be my 'go-to' foundation, especially since I have the Dior BB Cream in my life (yes, not exactly fitting for a high street post!), but this is a really decent foundation.  Hands down better than the Revlon Nearly Naked which I really didn't like.  If you keep your eyes peeled you could pick this up on a 3 for 2 offer.

Collection lasting perfection concealer

Hands down one of the best concealers out there, regardless of high end / high street, it's just brilliant.  It's a heavyweight concealer that sets beautifully and lasts really well.  The best bit, it's only around £5 in Boots/Superdrug :)

Maybelline the Rocket volum mascara

If you're in the UK (like me) you'll know it's virtually impossible to get our mitts on the iconic Covergirl lash blast mascara, however, this little beauty from Maybelline is practically the same!  The wand is almost identical, the formula very similar and the look it gives your lashes is pretty much identical.  The non waterproof version is pretty much as tough to get off your lashes as waterproof mascara, so make sure you have some good makeup remover to hand :) This you can pick up from Boots / Superdrug for about £7.99.

Elf lipstick

The photo really doesn't pick up the colour very well, it's actually a very bright lipstick.  The packaging may not feel really high quality, but hey, you can twist the lipstick up and down and that's all that really matters :)  The formulation is good, I'd describe it as a semi-matte finish.  Pigmentation is great as is staying power, and for £1.50* it's hard to go wrong :)  You can pick them up on the elf website.

Maybelline colour tattoo

If you can't afford the Urban Decay primer potion (or even if you already have it), or if you have really oily and hooded lids like me then you'll love this for making your eye shadow last much longer and stay put.  I use this on top of my primer, then add shadow on top - I'll get a good 12 hours out of my shadow before it's all creased - which is about double the time of just primer.  Depending on the shade you get it can also add intensity to the shadow and give it a whole different look.  You can pick them up in Boots / Superdrug for about £4.99 - and they last ages!

MUA Undressed palette

Not everyone can afford the Urban Decay naked palette and if you're one of them, this little beauty is only £4 and is a great quality.  I won't like, the naked palette is better, but not by a whole lot.  The shades are near identical just not quite as finely milled, and there's a bit more fallout with these, but for £4 it's hard to argue which one is better value.  You can find this in Superdrug and on the MUA website.

Rimmel scandaleyes kohl kajal liner

This has become a bit of a go to product for me over recent weeks.  The shade nude does a great job of brightening up the waterline and opening up the eyes.  And because it's a nude shade you don't get that gathering of icky goo in the corners of your eyes, result!  You can pick this up in Boots / Superdrug for about £3.99.

FashionistA blush palette

When I heard MUA had bought FashionistA and was selling them at less than half price, I had to jump on that bandwagon!  I'll be doing a full review of this palette (which cost £9!!!) sometime soon.  These blushers are amazing quality, all very pigmented and with different finishes, some glittery, some matte and some satin, but they're all great and only cost £1.65 on the MUA website.  This is a brilliant way to build up a nice selection of blushers for a great price which can be done here.

So there you have it, my budget makeup picks for the moment.  I also have a couple of tips stuffed up my sleeve to share with you too:

• Make TKMaxx your friend, they often have NYX & Physicians Formula products in for really good prices, and they're products which we can't really get very easily over here, especially the latter.
• Only buy makeup when there's an offer on.  A massive % of the time both Boots & Superdrug have 3 for 2 offers on, that's the time to write down what you want and make your purchase!
• Search on Twitter for blogsales, often you'll find beauty bloggers selling off lots of their collections for great prices - quite often you'll be able to pick up a brand new item, sometimes I'll have been used a little or just swatched for a photograph.
• Make sure to check blogs for reviews of products you're thinking of buying, we may just be able to save you from buying something you'll hate :)

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Shang from The Feminine Crusade

 

Written by Georgina Kent