Nude...with a twist.




This really reminds me of a nail polish released in the Illamasqua Toxic Nature collection, but it's less weird.




 
As always, great application and lasted a few days without chipping and minimal tipwear. Pretty sure we've nearly reached the end of this intial KIKO polish haul, but I visited Westfield a week or so ago and I stocked up on some more...

I really wanted the glittery topcoat, and during the Christmas period Superdrug did a lot of promotions on various makeup lines. I can't remember what the exact deal was on Miss Sporty but it involved a free nail polish (I think) if you bought some other items from the range? I don't know. I'd been eyeing the topcoat for some time, so this just gave me a good excuse to get it.



I bought the brown colour because it looked unusual - yes, stupid on my part, as I know how horrid their nail polishes go after not very long. Still haven't tested it.



This is my second experience with their lipstick range - the first was when I was fourteen, and bought a not-very-opaque black lipstick to vamp around in and pose for Facebook photos wearing. Yup. Don't remind me. That one wasn't scented. I don't know if all their lipsticks are now scented or they've reformulated the range or it's just this one or what. But this smells very strongly of bubble gum, just like it's name. It's quite novel, for me - I like it!

 

 The colour is halfway between sheer and opaque...highlights lines in a not very flattering way, and I don't have very 'liney' lips. Might be a bit too light, as well. I like it as a somewhat wearable way into the whole 'peach/bright lips' trend that was big last summer, though knowing my luck it won't be this summer.



Thoughts?

This is cute, you gotta admit.

It does smell of French Vanilla but also of menthol. I'm not that keen on putting menthol on my lips, personally (I know some people are huge fans) but the tube is cute and the balm does it's job well. The smaller size is great for those who have smaller lips (not me) or just freaks like me who love cute shizz. This is cute. I like it. The poorly hidden K-pop fan in me wants to scribble all over it in Hangeul and pretend it's made by Etude House, and I too can look cute like my favourite K-pop celebs by using it. I don't know why, or what's wrong with me.



Pretty much the only downside to this is the quantity. This was £1.25 (or thereabouts, I think. Maybe a little more) from Superdrug, and you get 2g of product in this stick, whereas a 'normal' sized balm from say Nivea would be about 4g and about £1.70, or if you go for the own brand versions, around the same price as the Softlips. The way I see it, I'm paying for the cute packaging - which is fine. I know and understand that, and made my decision. But this doesn't work miracles on my bone dry lips, nor does it really taste of anything (smells of something though) so it's not like a miracle lip treatment for me. IT'S SO CUTE THOUGH.

Seriously, I consider this the budget of obtaining cuteness without paying through the nose for some authentic Asian brand on eBay. Wait until payday rolls around again, then I can afford the real deal.

Recently, I've bought an incredible amount of MUA's Pro range, and just haven't blogged about it. I'm not sure why.

yes




 

After my disastrous first experience with their Pro mascara, I returned to it a month or so later to find it had improved in formula considerably - much thicker and easy to work with. It delivered the promised volume, too (not much in length, but hey) so I take back some of my previous upset with it. I maintain a mascara should work well straight out of the tube, though, and not have to ferment like yeast or something before it's effective.




 
I also purchased the MUA Pro Lip Balms, which you can read about here.

Wanting to get in on the whole pastels-for-spring trend on time this year, I bought this in late autumn/early winter. It's not the best No7 polish I've tried...


It was pretty runny to apply, but surface-dried in seconds, so you'd pass your brush nearby and get drag and brushmarks in the polish. Although it surface-dried quickly, actual drying time was longer than average, and you had to be careful of denting it even three or so hours after initial application. Bubbles formed on my thumb and middle finger, and the whole thing feels heavy on the nail - like you've got layers and layers of paint on, even if it's only two or three coats. The shape of No7 bottles really doesn't help either...globs of polish drip down as you're painting. All in all, wouldn't repurchase. I usually like No7's nail line, but perhaps their pastels are a colour family to stay away from.

The second makeup item in my E.L.F order, I was pretty curious as to whether this would actually resemble the website's photographs at all. That's the problem with E.L.F not having a physical store presence - you have to, for the most part, rely blindly on online swatches. Luckily, this fit me really well.



For a physical colour comparison that you can actually swatch in store, I'd suggest Sleek 'Hide It' concealer in shade 4. I own both and the colours are almost dupes (I'd say Sleek has ever so slightly darker red undertones) but the E.L.F is a lot cheaper and the mechanism is less prone to breaking. On the flipside, the Sleek is unscented, whereas the Cover Stick has a sort of orangey, sugary smell? Not sure how to feel about that. It's not unpleasant, just an interesting choice for a face product.



The way I like to use this is as a concealer. I dip my finger in and just put it over some dark spots on my face, rubbing slightly. I then go over with powder, and it stays all day. I think this is a bit too thick to use under the eyes, but for concealing blemishes it's great. It's quite creamy, so blends well, and doesn't dry your skin out.



Recently, this has been my 'go to' face makeup. Conceal with this, light dusting of powder, and I'm off to school. Takes almost no time in the morning and looks effective. Another winner from E.L.F, in my opinion. I like it when you can finally understand the hype about a company.


Applied thickly.


Blended in - you can barely see it!

 If you were looking for actual words in this post, unfortunately you're out of luck :P Christmas cosmetics spam, that's all.

Behold, my mascara saviour.


After my hideous incident with the MUA mascara, I was lucky in that I had another in my drawer to try. I'd not had any prior experience with these two step mascaras, so it was quite exciting for me to brush on the white primer side and then the black mascara side. I got definition, length, and a little volume. It's pretty easy to layer, as well, so you can create a very dramatic look with little effort. I personally like the brush, as well. While I prefer the plastic ones, this is like a traditional bristle brush with shorter bristles, so it's pretty cylinderical. I find it makes for both great application and control.

 
Having had this for a little while now, I can say that the black side of the formula does thicken up considerably, and turns almost...rubbery? Making it a lot less pleasant to use, have to say. The trade off being that it does deliver a lot more volume with that added thickness. I've been using it for about three months. I think this is a repurchase, though it is more expensive and won't last me as long as the other mascaras I use. But the time it saves me in the morning (no need for cleanup, quick application) is worth it, I feel.

Some hideously messy pictures to illustrate my point:





Anyone tried this one? Or even better, knows of a dupe that doesn't change consistency so dramatically?

Hoping everyone had a great New Years Eve/Day! It feels strange to think we're in a new year. Time flies...

Tonight, it's late. Let me present you with pictures of 2011's collective, last minute haulin'. We're talking days before Christmas here.