Smudge proof eyeliner: 17 Tattoo Me

Blogging really took a backseat in November. Work got really hectic, which I know is a common problem for most bloggers, but I work in theatre and got well and truly sucked into panto-land, it's just magical and probably my favourite time of year. Then following that I just lost my blogging mojo a little.

I'm finally feeling like getting back on my blog and showing it some love and thought it was the perfect time to share my favourite new make up discovery.

Who doesn't love eyeliner? It's a great everyday staple or an easy way to add a bit of drama to an evening look.

I wear it pretty much daily, with a little flick at the end. For a good 6 months I have been using a Collection eyeliner, a bargain £2.99 product with a felt tip style applicator (again, the child in me enjoys drawing my make up on with felt tip and crayon inspired products)

The only downfall of this product is that it comes off quite easily and I always have to top it up half way through the day (my eyes water when it's a tiny bit cold and I laugh A LOT at work so it doesn't take much to smudge it!)

Recently two friends recommended the 17 Tattoo Me Eyeliner. It's only available from Boots and costs just £4.99. It describes itself as semi permanent liquid eyeliner and my goodness it does not budge an inch!

                                               

I've been using it for a couple of months and it lasts from 8am to 11pm. No touching up required. Amazing.

It is a very glossy black and quite a thick textured eyeliner.

                                                     

It took me a couple of goes to get used to a brush eyeliner again but it glides on well. My only niggle is that if any gets on your eyelashes (yes I am a mucky pup) you need to get it off quick or get your mascara on quick or it makes your lashes very clumpy.

The other niggle, which is a bit silly as my quest was to find a budge proof liner, is it can make your eyes a little sore taking it off as it is stubborn! I had to use make up remover on cotton wool, followed by make up remover on a cotton bud, then baby oil and a bit of moisturiser to shift it!

Recently I've been using my Collection liner on my eyelids then used the Tattoo Me eyeliner to create my flicks at the end as that is the bit that normally wears off during the day and this is much kinder on my skin when it came to removing my make up. It also tones down the high gloss look of the liner for every day wear.

For a night out it is perfect, as you will never need worry about finding your eyeliner half way down your face!

This is definitely a new staple for my make up bag.

Monday Monochrome

Happy Monday!

Just a quick post to share a nail look I rocked this weekend - Barry M black polish with 17's black and white graffiti top coat over the top. I've been so busy using this polish over different colour nails I didn't even think to put it over black!

I love the simplicity of this look - do you like it too?

Rimmel Matte Polish and Model's Own Splash Polish Reviews

In  a previous blog post I mentioned picking up the very pretty mermaid tears polish from the Model's Own Splash Collection.

I was so excited to use it; Revlon's Moon Candy in Dark Green is one of my favourite polishes and I hoped for the same effect. The overall effect of the Model's Own polish is really pretty and more or less the same as the Revlon version but in a big bottle!

For the base I used a berry red polish from Barry M for a contrast.


Every time my nails caught the light the different colours in the splash polish came through.

But...It was a bit of a pain to apply compared to Revlon's, and I either had no chunks of the foil particles or far too many on one nail. It meant my nails had A LOT of polish on to get the effect right, which then sadly meant they smudged, really, really quickly (as you can see in the pic!) - despite me waiting aaaaaaaages in between each coat and the final top coat. The other downfall is even with a top coat the foil pieces can catch easily and if you like to pick at your polish...well this ain't gonna last more than 2 days. It's a great look for an occasion, not so ideal for every day wear. I probably wouldn't buy more in the range, as even though the colours look different I imagine they all deliver a similar effect when used as a top coat over other polishes.

The next newbie was actually a Rimmel discontinued find in Sainsburys! Barry M recently brought out a matte polish range which for once I skipped on as the colours were too similar to polishes I already own. The Rimmel polish is a top coat so it can go over any polish, hurray! I'm a big fan of effect top coats that can be used like this - much better value for money in the long run!

In my excitement I slapped it on over a range of polishes to see what colours worked best. The only polish it struggled with was black, which is a shame as matte black looks great - but I will retry with a thinner coat of black. I used it over a few of Barry M's high shine gelly polishes to really put the matte coat to the test and was really impressed! 

Before the matte coat...

After....

It makes a nice change, in the end I settled for using it with Barry M's Cappucino Polish (probably my favourite polish ever - it's not quite purple, not quite mink) and it looked really chic. I think over all I like it best with the more muted colours. My nails still felt nice and smooth and it just changes up old polish! 

I prefer the muted shades with
the matte polish

Do you like matte nails or want all out shine?

An actual miracle product?!

Last year I had to change the type of contraceptive pill I take (yes straight in with personal detail) and it has wreaked havoc with my skin since. Suddenly, the acne that had been under control for nearly ten years was back with revenge. My spots were taking forever to heal and for every one spot that calmed down another five would crop up. They were everywhere, no discriminating and choosing one part of my face, oh no, they cropped up on my chin, nose, forehead, hairline and even my cheeks! My cheeks! 

My saviour!

I've never really believed in any products fixing spots after years of battling as a teen and finding for me that the only thing that helped were antibiotics or the pill. The main thing that seemed different this time was that my normally dry skin was feeling very oily by the end of the day, gross.

As a teen I tried some Clearasil pads, and yes, they absorbed excess oil, but they also absorbed most of the skin from my nose - I looked sunburnt from all the peeling, frightening.

I was in Boots last week and browsing the Good Things skincare range and picked up their Deep Pore Anti Blemish Cleansing Lotion. I've tried a fair few of their products before, I love their face wipes (fruity, refreshing, scrub all make up off yet gentle) and also use their face mask once a week and find it perks up my skin. The only product I didn't get on with was their face moisturiser, I found it a little too fruity and it didn't sit on my skin well. I also tried their Stop That Spot! gel and didn't see any improvement to my skin. Their body butters, however, are rich and fruity, so lovely to put on!

The best thing about this range is as well as being affordable (most products around £5) it has NO parabens or SLS, two things that really make my sensitive skin even worse. 

As there was a 3 for 2 I picked up the Deep Pore Anti Blemish lotion along with their facewipes and cleanser.

After just a week I can not believe the improvement in my skin.

I was wary of falling into the trap of overdoing removing my skin's excess oils and thus making it produce more, but actually it feels like it has it's balance back.

My spots have healed much faster and hardly any new spots have cropped up this week. Previously I was walking through the door, catching my reflection in the hall mirror and recoiling at the many, many gruesome new additions to my face. Now I walk through the door, breeze past the mirror and get on with my evening (much to the other half's delight too - I am also spending less time in the bathroom at night time inspecting my face, huzzah!)

Suddenly I feel more confident (especially as I am rubbish with getting really good spot coverage with concealer and foundation, so only having to wear this minimally again makes me happy) and I just feel more like myself. 

The only thing that took time to adjust to was following the advice to leave it on the skin. Normally I take my make up off, wash my face, then moisturise. It felt very odd leaving this on and not moisturising. At first  my skin felt really tight, but now I see that perhaps moisturising at night was just clogging my pores even more. It's also surprising seeing how much make up is comes off using this, even using this after taking my make up off normally (which also can't have helped my spots!) 

The final bonus is that it smells great too  - fruity but not sickly. You can find out more about it, including the full ingredients here.

Obviously, different products work for different people, but if you have problem skin, for £5 it is well worth a try, as I have never used anything so effective before.

Polka-Pretty: Simple but effective nail art

It's come to a point that I am struggle painting my nails one simple colour as I am so used to glitter top coats, different colours on one hand and so on!

I had an afternoon spare and had a little play - this look is simple and just takes a bit of patience and time.

To start I put on my base coat ( my nails are in much better nick since using it) then two coats of my favourite pink polish from George at Asda and Barry M's white polish on my ring fingers. The white spots were done with a Wah Nails Pen, and once you use it a few times you get used to how it comes out and is really to use. The pink spots were done with a dotting tool; this is slightly harder to use in terms of getting the right amount of polish on the end (I either had too much or not enough!)

To finish I popped on a top coat and was done! The time with this is just waiting to make sure each part of the nail is dry (don't want to smudge those spots with the top coat!)

It's a fun look and just makes me smile during this sudden cold weather!

So far I can only manage really, really easy nail art looks - do you have any fabulous

but simple nail art looks?

Accessorize wish list

I've loved Accessorize products for a long time before I worked for the company (and whilst working for the company opening the deliveries was like Christmas!)  I do think there is nowhere else like it on the high street. This season they have really upped their game and have got some great edgy products in, whilst keeping their unique brand style.

Every time I pop in to say hello to my old colleagues I'm always slightly distracted by the gorgeous new products (oops, sorry girls!) and I've been on their website and made a little wishlist....

Mari Tote in Red, £39

I already own this in tan and it is a fabulous bag, I use it loads, it is incredibly versatile: you can carry on your arm like a diva, tucked under your shoulder or across the body with the long detachable strap. It is super roomy, with a detachable inner bag with phone pockets.  I love this rich berry colour, it looks a lot more expensive than it is!

This is a true classic.

Andrea Statement Necklace, £15

Isn't this stunning! There are a few colour variations available (including red and turquoise) 

Normally I would have gone for the red, but I think the muted grey and cream stones make it much more versatile for everyday wear. I love that each necklace is slightly different due to the variations in the stones.

I am counting down the days till payday to pick this beauty up!

Pretty embellished ballerina shoes, £35

So these might not be the most practical autumn shoes, but look how pretty! They're like little princess slippers! 

I used to own similar shoes from a little boutique in Durham, so these really caught my eye.

They're not cheap, but the detail is lovely and I've always found Accessorize shoes last well and are really comfy.

Aaliyah Stone Ring, £14

I'm a total sucker for rings, they are my favourite jewellery accessory and the chunkier the better.

This is a lot more bling than my usual choice, but the gem stones have a vintage look to them and I love the swirl effect on the central stone. This also comes in grey. 

It would add some real glam to an evening outfit!

Melange Paisley Scarf, £19

Thanks to my years working for Monsoon and Accessorize my scarf collection is over flowing but I love how they can change up a simple outfit!

I really like the fresh colours in this scarf, it makes a nice change to the other Autumnal scarves in the shops at the moment.

Accessorize scarves are a little more expensive than other high street stores, but they are great quality and will last many years!







Icicle Drops Collar Necklace, £25

Accessorize have always done statement jewellery better than the rest of the high street and this season's collection of statement necklaces is just perfection!

The contrast of the blingy "icicles" against the tough black rope and gold loops looks fab - this would work really well on a plain tshirt or with a really glam dress.

Super Soft Slipper Boots, £19

These have always been a favourite product of mine, the material is just beautiful, I could sit and stroke them all evening!

I chucked out my slipper boots this spring (not so toasty with holes in the bottom it turns out...) and am currently living in ballerina slippers, which aren't quite warm enough now the nights are getting chilly.

These will be the perfect winter investment!

Have you got your eye on anything in Accessorize at the moment?

Beetle - mania: Models Own Beetlejuice polish

After spying this on the Model's own website I HAD to try it. Their whole nail varnish range is really fun and I like the way they put them into mini collections. I've also tried their Lip and Cheek Tint before and thought it was just as good as Benefit's and it lasted aaaages, as well as their Red Hot lipgloss which has the most impressive colour from a high street lipgloss I have ever seen.

I picked up Indian Ocean from the Beetlejuice Collection, which is clearly popular as there were only two left. My local Boots didn't have the full range, but I'm not hugely keen on all the colours available anyway. I do like the look of the Purple Blue, it reminds me of a nail polish I used to have from Accessorize that shone different colours, like the effect you get with spilt oil!

Indian Ocean is seriously pretty, shimmery blue with a purply pink shine when it catches the light, if feels very dreamy and Disney princess.

One coat of Indian Ocean

The final effect

Only downside is that it needs quite a few coats, and despite my best patience between coats and using a top coat it has made them a bit more prone to smudging, as the polish is so thick. A single coat doesn't look bad - as you can see in the pic, it would be good if you aren't looking for a dramatic effect but still want a polish on your nails.  I love any polish that creates an effect for you - I'm not great with nail art pens or dotting tools, so any polish like this or a simple effect top coat is always a winner! The final effect is lovely and I keep moving my nails to watch the colour change (simple things!) The pictures don't really do it justice in all honesty.

It just looks a little bit different and super pretty. I think it will also work well as a top coat over different colour polishes as the first coat is so light. I highly recommend it and will probably treat myself to another darker shade on payday.

Excited to try these!

It retails at £5, which isn't bad for a large bottle. Boots currently have an offer which is buy 2 Models Own products and receive a free Velvet Goth polish. I have been itching to try this in Absinthe after seeing a post on it by Charlotte over at Make Up By Candlelight.  I picked up the Mermaid Tears polish from their Splash Collection (so, so pretty - and the foil like particles look like a good replica of the Revlon Moon Candy range) and got the new Velvet Goth polish free! So three of their polishes for a tenner was pretty good going.

I can't WAIT to try these other two polishes! I have also noticed Model's Own have brought out a chunky "lip stix" range (a version of Clinique's Chubby Sticks by the looks of it) and I am also now keen to try out polishes from their other collections - in particular the Mirrorball and Fruit Pastel collections - the fruit pastel polishes are scented!

Have you used any Model's Own products? What do you think of their nail polish collections?