The Beauty Boxes: February 2014

Tuesday, February 25

Hairstyle Ideas || Spring

Messy Ponytail

Fishtail Braid

Half Up Half Down Plait

Waterfall Braid

Products Used -

Headbands Pack of Two £2.99 - New Look

Clear Hair Bands £1 - Primark

GHD IV Styler £99

TRESemmé Instant Refresh Volumizing Dry Shampoo £5.25
V05 Firm Hold Weather Resistant Hairspray £3.15

With special thanks to my glamorous assistant / model for letting me style her hair!

Mallory
<3

Disclaimer: I am not being paid to show any of the products above. All opinions are my own. All photos are my own.

Friday, February 21

FOTD || Newest Purchases

Face

-Benefit Porefessional primer

-L'oreal True Match foundation

-Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

-Maybelline Fit Me pressed powder
-Benefit Erase Paste concealer

-Sleek Face Form Pressed Powder (used to contour)

-Sleek Face Form Highlighter (on cheekbones, cupids bow and slightly down the bridge of my nose)

-Benefit Dandelion Blush

-Nars Laguna bronzer

Eyes

-Sleek i~Devine eye shadow palette in Au Naturel
1-inner corner of the eye & browbone
2-eyebrows
3-outer corner of the eyelid
4-all over eyelid (before 3 goes on)

-L'oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim liquid liner

-Chanel Le Volume De Chanel mascara

Lips

-Nivea Lip Butter Original (put on just after foundation&powder)

-Topshop Lipstick in Saint

-Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss in Super Natural (over lipstick)

Tool

-Real techniques expert face brush ~foundation

-Real techniques powder brush ~powder&bronzer

-Real techniques blush brush ~blush

-Real techniques brow brush ~eyeshow on eyebrows

-Real techniques deluxe crease brush ~highlighter on cheekbone

-Real techniques base shadow brush ~eyeshadow

-Real techniques accent brush ~smudging\blending eyeshadows

-Real techniques pixel-point eyeliner brush ~highlighting inner corner of eye&brow bone

-Benefit brush that comes in the blush boxes ~contouring

Kelly

♥

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products

Thursday, February 20

Sleek Eyeshadow Palette Review

I was in Superdrug yesterday and I didn't have much time to look at things however I really wanted an eyeshadow palette as I don't actually own a full palette, just duos, quads etc. So I picked up Sleek i-Divine palette in Au Naturel as I had heard really good things about it, and they weren't wrong!

The eyeshadows are so pigmented and are perfect for everyday wear and also great for night outs. I also found that the eyeshadows blended really well together and are not chalky at all. There is a mix of shimmery and matte eyeshadows, including a few colours that are great for eyebrows and a couple that are really good for highlighting the inner corner of the eye and on the brow bone.

For the price of this eyeshadow palette (under £10) the quality is amazing, it even includes a huge mirror, so if you're not sure where to go and you're looking for an eyeshadow palette then definitely check this out!

Kelly
♥

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products

F.O.T.D || Everyday Spring Look

In the warmer months I prefer to wear a lot lighter makeup. I like to avoid foundations, lots of eye makeup etc. just because if you're at school or work and you're getting a bit hot and bothered, it's better to not wear lots of heavy makeup day to day.

Face

- Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer (mentioned here)

- Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent

- Benefit Rockateur Blush

Eyes

- Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe

- Topshop Kohl in Coal

- No7 Extreme Length Extend Mascara

Lips

- Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon in Orange Punch

Tools

- Real Techniques Powder Brush

- Real Techniques Blush Brush

Mallory

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products

Tuesday, February 18

Benefit Dandelion Blush Review

Today I went shopping and as ya do I had a look at the high end makeup in House of Fraser and I actually ended up buying the 'dandelion' blush by benefit. I have wanted this blush for a while since I saw my friend wear it and it looked really nice on her so I kinda just had to buy it haha.

This blush is a beautiful baby pink colour with a slight shimmer in it, which I think is perfect for the upcoming months. I would also recommend it for people of all different skin tones but particularly very pale people.

One thing I really love about Benefit is their packaging for products, as you can see above, it is very unique and quirky. Whilst the product inside doesn't let you down either!

Inside the blush box it includes a small mirror, which is really handy for on the go, a small brush, which is actually a really good brush unlike most brushes that come with products (however I use this brush for contouring), and of course it also includes the blush itself.

This retails at £23.50 in House of Fraser, however I do think this is slightly a bit to much money as, even though this blush is amazing, I feel that high end products in general can be over priced for what they actually are. Although, this was one of the more expensive blushes as I know the MAC, Nars, Bobbi Brown, etc are cheaper (not by a lot). But I have a feeling that this blush contains more product and maybe even better quality.

Kelly

♥

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products

Monday, February 17

OOTD || Spring Edition

Mallory

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products

Sunday, February 16

F.O.T.D || Bright Lips

I don't usually wear a bright colours on my lips as my natural lip colour is quite dark anyway so I try to stay clear of bright lipsticks and stick to sheer glosses, however I felt oh so adventurous today so I thought I would show you what I wore.

Face

-M.A.C Studio Sculpt Foundation

-Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (under eyes&blemishes)

-Benefit Erase Paste (under eyes)

-Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

-Sleek Blush in Life's A Peach (doesn't really show up in the picture)

-Nars Bronzer in Laguna

-Benefit High Beam Highlighter (brow bone, tear duct/inner eye corner, cheek bones)

Eyes

-Rimmel Glam Eyes in Smokey Brun

-Rimmel ScandalEyes Kohl Kajal in Bronze (upper lashline)

-Benefit Bad Gal Mascara

Lips

-Rimmel Apocalips Lip Laquer in Celestial

As I chose this look based on the lip product i thought it was only right to do a really short review on what i thought of it. So firstly I want to say that I actually do really like this product even though it isn't my usual cup of tea. It lasts a very long time and is basically a lipstick in a liquid form or a 'melted lipstick'. When it is first applied to the lips it has a slight shine but it does become more matte after a while, so if you don't want to go all out in a lipstick but you still want a nice colour on your lips then this is definitely for you!

Kelly

♥

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products

From the Drugstore || Dupes

Dupes are incredible. They float my boat immensely, especially when they turn out to be better than the more expensive one. If, like me, you're always on the hunt for good dupes, then look no further!.. aha. As I can't actually always afford the expensive version I find that by getting the cheaper one first you actually get a lot of bang for your buck, excuse the expression.

The YSL Touché Éclat is a highly raved about product, however I don't really want to be spending £25 on a concealer that I'm not too sure about and I'm sure you wouldn't either. So as I was scrolling through some blogs I found a comparison of that and the Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer (that's a mouthful!). So as any normal person would, I ended up buying it. I prefer this to the Lasting Perfection Concealer as it's not as drying, matches my skin tone and brightens the under eye area. Also, as this is £20 cheaper than the Touché Éclat, I thought it was necessary to show you.

The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eyeliners are £14 each and are identical to the Rimmel London Scandeleyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliner (why do these products have such long names?!). The pigment of both are incredible yet exactly the same, so personally I think that by buying the Rimmel one which is only £3.99, you're going to be better off.

Lastly, the M.A.C Mineralise Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle is another cult classic, yet so many people don't know a great dupe for it! The M.U.A Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter is an amazing duplicate of the M.A.C one. Both have a beautiful pearl of pinks and golds and both have an amazing pigmentation. The dupe only costs £3 but the higher end costs £22. Certainly a product that will do less damage to your bank!

Mallory
<3

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products.

Friday, February 14

Naturally Active Skincare || Liz Earle

I first discovered Liz Earle about 8 months ago when i was looking through my mum's skincare products and I came across a mini Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic and Hot Cloth Cleanser. So I decided I would at least try them out seeing as I wasn't happy with my skincare products at the time and I'll tell you this for nothing, they were bloody amazing!

I applied them just before I went to bed and I kid you not, when I woke up the next morning my face felt better than it had for a long time. It evened out my skin tone, made the redness of any spots or blemishes I had go down, I even went out that day with a bare face, zero makeup, just because I felt like I didn't actually need any as my skin looked nice for a change.

Anyway, for Christmas I received the set of the Naturally Active Skincare range by Liz Earle and they're still my favourite skincare products by far. It came with a cleanser, muslin cloth, toner, moisturiser and body wash, all of which I would recommend to anyone.

As I got this as a present I'm not 100% sure what the price was but I'm told it was around the £40 mark in House of Fraser around Christmas time so go and check it out if your interested.

I also want to just add that the body wash is also really good and makes my skin really smooth, although I'm not the biggest fan of the smell however I think that might just be my weird nose haha.

Kelly
♥

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products.

Wednesday, February 12

Soap & Glory Lid Stuff || Swatches and Review

For Christmas I was fortunate to receive a new eye shadow palette (also mentioned here). I've been in need of a new neutrals palette so when I opened the "Soap & Glory Lid Stuff" in What's Nude? I was one happy gal.

It is the perfect little eye shadow quad because it has four shades which range from light to dark, with three matte shades and one shimmery shade.

Swatches From Left To Right -

Vanilla, Pink T, Mudhoney and Aubersheen

Vanilla -

Vanilla is a matte white which is, as you can see, as pigmented as eye shadows can get! Even the slightest touch will give you a great colour. This colour is perfect for a natural sweep of colour all over the lid or as a pretty highlight on the inner eye or on the brow bone.

Pink T -

Pink T is a dusty pink-brown colour which is perfect natural eye look or to perfect that smokey eye. This colour has the Soap & Glory logo on it and is also as pigmented as vanilla. I like this if I just want a simple eye shadow look, it's just a bog-standard matte skin toned colour.

Mudhoney -

Mudhoney is my favourite colour of the palette because it is a versatile eye shadow that you can use as a liner, in the crease, on your eye brows or just all over the lid. As you might have guessed this is just as pigmented as the others, but with this one you can build the intensity of the eye shadow. So if you wanted a light brown you can have it or if you want a darker colour you can still have it!

Aubersheen -

Aubersheen despite not being my favourite it is my most used one in the palette. This is the only shimmery shade and is a beautiful shimmery golden taupe-brown. I find this really suits green/blue eyes. A beautiful colour for any occasion or any look!

This palette retails for £10 in Boots and is the perfect eye shadow quad for ANY gal. The colours and the packaging floats my boat immensely. You will not be disappointed if you buy this!

Mallory

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I received the product above from my family, I am not being paid to show these products.

F.O.T.D || Natural Winter to Spring Look

I wasn't doing anything special today so I decided I would wear some products that I don't usually include in my everyday makeup routine. I didn't want anything too dramatic so I decided that a natural look was the way to go on this fine morning!

Face

-Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

-Benefit "that gal" brightening face primer (which I mix in with my foundation)

-Benefit Erase Paste Concealer

-Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer

-Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

-Maybelline Dream Sun Triple Bronzing Powder

-Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

Eyes

-Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer for Concealer and Eyeshadow

-MAC Eyeshadow in Ricepaper

-Rimmel Scandaleyes Khol Kajal eyeliner in Bronze

-Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara (top lashes)

-Nars Larger than Life Volumizing Mascara (bottom lashes)

Lips

-Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in Hydrate

Kelly

♥

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products

Sunday, February 9

Winter to Spring Fragrances

As spring is swiftly approaching, I thought it was time to change up my perfumes.

In Winter I tend to go for more musky or spicy scents but in the Summer I prefer to venture down the sweet smelling perfumes.

For Winter -

This Winter I have been enjoying using "Loverdose Tattoo" by Diesel. I discovered this scent when I was given a free tester when I was in Boots, it is a very musky, sort of fruity and spicy scent, perfect for Winter. This retails between £30 - £49 and comes in 30ml, 50ml and 75ml. Although this is a lovely Eau de Parfam, it is a bit too heavy for spring/summer.

So it's out with the old and in with the new!

For Spring/Summer -

My new perfume love affair is the Ghost "Sweetheart" Eau de Toilette. This is a lot lighter than the Diesel one and is more sweet and refreshing. It is suitable for both day and night and the scent has a great lasting power. I prefer this one because it makes you feel more awake and zingy, perfect for the long spring/summer days! This retails between £24.50 - £46.50 (a bit cheaper than the Diesel perfume) and comes in 30ml, 50ml and 75ml also. So if you don't have a perfume or if you want to change things up a bit then this one is definitely the one for you!

Mallory
<3

Disclaimer - All opinions are my own and I bought the products above with my own money, I am not being paid to show these products.