I've been MIA for so long, it's actually shameful :( My only excuses are exams and the fact that I spent every single week of the summer holidays doing work experience of some sort. This is the year in which I apply to university, and since I'm hoping to study Medicine I've been trying to do as much extra curricular stuff as possible, now that the academics are somewhat out of the way.
Peace offering: May I show some pretty pictures of what I've been up to while neglecting my poor blog? Then tommorow, I promise to answer my comment backlogs and work on some new material. I've seen some product launches that are impressive and I'd like to talk about them, though I'm way behind the times!
Boo, Chemistry.
Boo, practice exam papers.
Volunteering at the hospital!
Out with friends to celebrate the end of results...we went out to eat a lot. Wagamama was probably one of my favourites.
I was lucky enough to be able to watch the Athletics at the London 2012 Olympic Games! One of my Mum's friends works at a company involved with the Games and was able to score us free tickets. We saw the morning athletics, including the men's 200 metre sprint heats - which featured Usain Bolt! Slightly in love with that man.
Interesting entertainment outside the stadium!
Gold Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition up the Brecon Beacons. Seriously hard.
Back to work at the library! My college was one of the earliest in the area to go back. Typical. Latest to break up, earliest to start term again...
Squirrel in the bin. Not sure why I found this so amusing.
I'll endeavour to update far more regularly now things have calmed down somewhat. To be a good doctor, I'll need good time management skills, and where better to start but here?
(If you made it all the way to the end, please award yourself an e-medal)
Summer.
MUA Love Hearts Lip Balms in 'Kiss Me' and 'Great Lips' review.
Be honest, who didn't see these and immediately mentally scream 'Pout Polish!' I know I did...
However, though these greatly resemble Pout Polish in their packaging, they're really not the same product once you open the lid. For one, these are far more moisturising than I've ever personally found the Pout Polishes to be. For me (and I can vouch for this, look back under the 'Sleek' tag for all my Pout Polish reviews, I say the same thing) Pout Polishes are a little more moisturising than Vaseline, with a bit of colour. I use them for their colour, not for moisture, because they simply don't give any. These, on the other hand, are really hydrating. They leave my lips feeling nice and soft at the end of a day wearing them.
Even the way they feel on the lip is different from Pout Polishes. Pout Polishes feel like they're going to slide off as soon as you dare to eat or drink - these are comfortably hugging, almost a little tacky, so they stay put a little longer.
The colour isn't bad, either - there's a solid tint when on the lips, which is layerable.
Swatches:
These cost £2 each from Superdrug, which is a good price considering the Pout Polishes are pushing £5 now. :/
All in all, very pleased with this offering from MUA. I'm going to try and collect more as they don't seem to be limited edition!
Maybelline Haul
Maybelline has been on 3 for 2 in Superdrug for some time now, and this glorious offer coincided with the release of some new summer products. Naturally, I couldn't help myself and took full advantage (and utilised my NUS Extra card, which entitled me to a further 10% off the normal price)
I bought their new Colour Sensational Popsticks in 'Cherry Pop' and 'Citrus Slice' as they look so like the Clarins balms I have been craving for like two years (but way cheaper) and their new BB Cream in Dark. I was seriously impressed that their 'Dark' shade is genuinely dark, unlike others (cough cough, MUA).
I also purchased some of their 10 Hour Super Stay Tint Glosses, which I have been road testing and am seriously pleased with! I think the red is my favourite performance wise, but I love the colour of the plum.
What does everyone else think about Maybelline's recent offereings? Yey or nay?
Sleek 'Blush by 3' Palettes in Sugar, Lace and Pumpkin (Part Two of Three)
The three shades in this palette are named after varieties of sugar:
Left to Right: Turbinado, Muscovado, Demerara
Sugar is the darker version of Lace, flattering on tans and darker skintones. It all looks very natural, adding a subtle tone/contour to the cheekbones. The shimmer colours are decently milled, so you won't get masses of cheek glitter fallout, but they're also quite pigmented so a fluffier brush is advisable. I think I'll get a lot of use out of Turbinado in the winter months as it's like a natural flush, but darker and more brown toned. I also like Muscovado to help highlight.
Left to Right: Crochet, Guipure, Chantilly
Lace is really warm, light and natural. It contains the infamous Rose Gold dupe (Guipure) in the middle, flanked by a neutral peach (Crochet) and a sort of muted coral colour (Chantilly). I can see why it sold well, the colours suit most people.
Left to Right: Lantern, Sqaush, P-Pie (can't stand that name)
Pumpkin is bright and summery, despite having a name that evokes a more autumnal feeling. I love the bright orange, P-Pie (now I have a dupe for Aruba, a blush from the Caribbean Collection that I adore) and the pink (Squash) reminds of Pixie Pink, another Sleek blush. The corally colour (Lantern) is something else entirely and it looks pretty unique when on my cheeks. It's bright but not bright, if that makes sense? It's the sort of colour that adds a little bit of 'I can't pinpoint what it is about her face, but I really like it.' to the cheekbones. I think it's the coloured shimmer pieces that add that depth and interest which really comes across on the face...I hope Sleek release this colour as a standalone at some point, it's really special.
Overall, I consider the Blush by Threes very worth owning. The colours are seriously well put together and I now lack an excuse to buy any other blush (knowing me, I'm beyond sure that I'll manage to somehow!)
I've still got one more post planned, which is a comparison post against some of the other Sleek blushes I own.
My Sleek Pout Polish Collection
I have far too many of these.
Electro Peach, Pink Cadiliac, Perfect Plum.
I think these, after the eyeshadow palettes (obviously) were some of the first things I'd ever tried from Sleek. Their sheerness meant they were school appropriate. Ah, memories.
That was then. This is now:
Starting from left: Sugar May (limited edition), Pink Cadilliac, Raspberry Rhapsody, Electro Peach, Chocolate Kiss, Powder Pink. Middle: Perfect Plum.
It's ludicrous that I have so many of these because I don't even like them that much. Petroleum based products in general don't help my lips, they simply maintain their dry condition until the skin up and peels of its own accord, so I don't really get the 'conditioning' effect that other people rave about with these, and many of them are as sheer as hell so I'm not even getting colour!
Mwahahaha! Cover your eyes, dirty used makeup in five, four, three, two, one...
I find a layer of Carmex or a Nivea balm prior to application of these means that I get both conditioning and colour when I wear them.They're ideal for a school day where I can't be bothered with maintaining a strong lip colour and have gone dramatic on the eyes, so lip colour overkill isn't necessary.
Left to Right: Powder Pink, Perfect Plum, Chocolate Kiss, Electro Peach, Sugar May, Raspberry Rhapsody, Pink Cadilliac.
Again, in slightly different light:
On the lips, Perfect Plum is by far the most pigmented (looks like a colour saturated lip gloss, to be honest) followed by Chocolate Kiss. Electro Peach, Pink Cadilliac and Powder Pink are all reasonably pigmented (and they're from the core line) and Raspberry Rhapsody and Sugar May being least pigmented, though somewhat layerable. I guess, as with any product, if you have less pigmented lips then these are more likely to be more visible on you.
Sleek Blush By Three - Pink Sprint and Flame (Part One of Three)
Yes, I did purchase all five palettes. I was initially under the impression that these were limited edition, but they're only limited edition in Superdrug, apparantly, and will remain permanent on the Sleek website, so if you're upset that you've 'missed' their sale in stores, fear not.
First up are Pink Sprint and Flame.
Pink Sprint is the only entirely matte palette. I think I'll end up getting the least use out of this simply because all my other Sleek blush singles are also matte, so it's not like I'm short of matte blushes. Even so, it's really beautiful.
As with many Sleek blushes, it swatches a little chalky but has no problem once applied to the cheek. Pink Sprint, as a palette, screams 'summer' to me. It's asking to be paired with jet black eyeliner and some bright coral on the lips for a day in the city. The colour choices are also pigmented enough to work on any skintone. Sleek gets a thumbs up from me on this.
Flame is actually rather breathtaking.
I love all three of the colours in this. Actually, there isn't a colour in any of the palettes that I hate/don't use, but the bright red is reminscent of Scandalous (Valentine's Day, 2010) a colour I already own and get a lot of use from, and the two blushes have a small hint of shimmer in them which really bring light to the face. They look scary in the pan, but really are beautiful on.
Planning to have the remaining three as well as dupes/comparisons to other Sleek blushes in later posts!
