Product Rave : Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer

shades l-r : eclipse / luna / shooting star / stellar

I have recently fallen head over heels with these lip lacquers by Rimmel. I'd been wanting to try them out for ages but held it off as I'm not a massive fan of Rimmel products in general - but these really surpassed all my expectations. I'd heard great things and decided to bite the bullet and get a couple of shades (I've since gone back and bought the rest of the shades as I love them that much!)

The texture of these is amazing, they're extremely buttery and silky yet don't appear sheer on the lips; infact the colour pay off is amazing and they're incredibly pigmented. For something that's marketted as a 'fusion' between a gloss and a lipstick "but better" you really do get all that. The colour range is gorgeous and thankfully Rimmel made every shade completely unique, so we're not just dealing with a bland palette of samey nudes. When I've worn these myself, the staying power is amazing, they stay on all day and even hold up fairly well through eating and drinking - plus the shine they provide is lovely. Usually, I would only expect good longevity from a matte formulation but these have really changed my view on that. 

These are ideal for, if like me, you are looking to build up a kit - these are so versatile, covering all the shades you could want and every finish, as they're neither a gloss nor a lipstick as mentioned previously. I imagine they would be ideal for bridal or wedding makeup - I can't wait to try them out for a wedding I'm doing early next year. The last thing I love is the applicator, which allows the product to glide on really smoothly, outlining and filling in your lips perfectly everytime... oh and the packaging is so pretty. (is there anything I don't like about these?!)

Fern

Review : bareSkin Brightening Serum Foundation

shade : Bare Buff 10

With this foundation set to release in just a few days in the UK, I thought I'd write a little post sharing a few of my thoughts on it. Working for the company myself, I know that there's a massive amount of hype around this as it's Bare Minerals first ever 'liquid' foundation - but with that has also come a lot of scepticism about how good it is for your skin. It's hard to believe, but this stuff really is great for your skin, unlike many other typical liquid foundations on the market. 

The foundation comes in 20 shades, varying from light to dark and taking into account different undertones like pink, neutral and golden. As I always prefer a more golden tone to my skin (and often tan a few shades darker than my natural skintone) I went for Bare Buff which has a lovely rich golden colour to it. Even though it's just a little too dark for me, I still love this colour. Ok, so in terms of ingredients, this foundation boasts only having 18 - compared to Estee Lauder Double Wear which has around 45 - and is the lowest ingredient foundation on the market. Just like the Original Mineral Foundation, this one is 100% natural without any nasties like fragrance, parabens, oil or silicone. What I love is that it's good for everyone's skin; if you suffer from blemishes and acne is still allows the skin to breathe and doesn't clog, and if you have aging skin the super brightening serum really peps up the complexion and deminishes discolouration. 

So in terms of my experience with it, I really like this foundation. I like that it doesn't feel like it's clogging my pores; it has a silk like texture which doesn't feel drying or cakey on my skin (in that respect, it reminds me of my trusty L'oreal True Match). It really brightens your skin and can be worn super natural or layered for a more heavy coverage. Day to day, I like to go for a medium-full coverage, and so often layer my Original Loose Mineral foundation over the top to really give a flawless fuller coverage finish (both of them work together like a dream). You can vary the coverage you get depending on how many drops you use (1-2 giving a light coverage + 5-6 giving you the max) Some things I'm not so keen on with this foundation are that it's not got an amazing staying power, I often find it wearing away from around my nose and mouth a little after a few hours, but this can be combatted with the use of a good primer and setting powder. It's really important that you remember to shake the bottle well before applying, or you'll find (as I did with a customer!) that it just comes out as an oil (that's a good sign though! Due to the fact there is no chemical emulsifier in there which can irritate the skin)

For anyone who wants a fresher, more glowy and flawless look to their skin, this is perfect. If you're into the dewy look you will love this and the way it blends out so seamlessly. If you love a heavy coverage, this may not be the foundation for you, but like me, you might love it with the Original Loose over the top. 

Fern

My new desk / makeup storage!

Ikea Micke Desk

So yesterday I took a trip to Ikea with my boyfriend (I haven't been there since I was about 7, and it's even more amazing than I remember!) I was originally planning to buy the Malm desk which everyone and their mum seems to own so that I could organise all my makeup nicely and see everything I have, especially as I'm planning on expanding my collection - some crappy old wooden drawers weren't cutting it anymore. In person, I was really disappointed by the Malm, it was a lot smaller than I expected and really didn't look worth nearly £100. In the end, I found this desk, the 'Micke'. I absolutely love it. It's perfect for storing makeup/products and was only £65, quite cheap in comparison to the Malm. I also bought five little sectioned trays whilst I was there for 80p each (bargain!) and a white metal cutout pot for storing all my brushes in. I keep opening the drawers to look at my makeup laid out neatly, it all looks so pretty and I'm honestly so happy with this desk, it was worth every penny. It looks really sleek and simplistic, plus I was happy to find that the drawers pull out really easily and slide back in smoothly. All the room underneath means it's the perfect station to do makeup at and doubles up as a nifty shoe storage (I like to be able to see my shoes otherwise they collect dust in my cupboard and I forget to wear them!)

Fern

Brighton Makeup Haul

MUA Undressed Palette / Benefit Perk Up Artist / Sleek Contour Kit / L'oreal True Match / Nails Inc Polishes

My recent trip to Brighton actually coincided with payday, so of course I had to spend a few pennies. I'd been dying to get my hands on the sleek contour kit for ages now, I've always heard such good stuff about it but sadly I don't have a sleek in my local superdrug and everytime I looked for it in another city, they were always all out - so when I saw it I snapped one up as well as the MUA Undressed palette - I'm a massive fan of all the MUA palette's, the pigmentation is amazing and this one is another favourite now (as predicted!) 

Whilst I was there I also stocked up on my trusty L'oreal True Match in W4 Golden Natural (reviewed here), I absolutely love this foundation and bought two bottles as it was 2 for £15! There was also a really good TK Maxx in Brighton - the one where I live is never great in the makeup department. I saw this Benefit concealer palette and got it as I was curious about how well it would cover - so far I'm not a massive fan of this, but I'm going to give it another crack and see how I get on with it. Last but not least, the selection of Nails Inc polishes there was so good (and they were all £3.99 which is quite a bargain) so I decided to get these two shades, a nice wearable nude and a corally neon orange - both are so nice when applied and last for ages without chipping.

Fern

MAC Darkside Lipstick

I recently bought MAC Darkside after wanting to add another one to my (very small) collection. I've been wanting to try one of MAC's nude or wearable pinks for ages now, but after much umming and arring, decided upon Darkside - a gorgeous rich plum shade, the perfect balance between a dark purple and red. Darkside is an 'amplified creme' meaning it's less drying than the matte formulation yet not quite as buttery and glossy as the cremesheen range (I sometimes find that finish a little too glossy for myself) So, it's a good compromise between a matte and a gloss finish - perfect if you ever suffer from chapped lips!

The pigmentation of the lipstick does not dissapoint! Like most MAC lipsticks, it's stays put for ages, slightly staining the lips even after it's been removed. The longevity is very impressive, it even stays put through eating/drinking/all day wear with minimal transfer/ The finish it gorgeous, not too matte and dull but a really nice wearable sheen.I'm in love with this formulation and really want to try out more of the amplified cremes in the future as I expand my makeup kit. I would love it if you guys could recommend which colour I should check out next!

Fern

outfit of the day : brighton pier

Hat; H&M / Kimono; Newlook / Crop Top; Miss Selfridge / Skirt; Bershka / Shoes; Converse

I recently went on a week away to Brighton with my boyfriend, followed by a 3 day festival near where I live to top it off - it's safe to say I'm all camped out and a real bed feels like the best thing in the world right now! Brighton is honestly such a lovely place.. I fell in love a little. It's like the ideal mix between a seaside town and a quirky city with both well-known and unique shops - I can't wait to go back! If you get the chance to go check out The Lanes, so many cute shops down there! Luckily the weather was beautiful so I was able to wear (and buy!) some nice summery clothes. I've been wanting a kimono for ages now so finally bit the bullet and bought this lovely floral one from Newlook. Also, I've now discovered Bershka (don't know how I missed this shop before?!) and picked up this lovely skirt as I fell in love with the daisy print. On a nice sunshiney evening it was the perfect photo op for an outfit post, so here it is! Definitely want to be doing more of these on my blog - it seems necessary as well as I can't stop buying clothes! (my bank account isn't loving me at the moment!)

Fern

Nail Polish Storage

I thought I'd write a little post on my recent nail polish storage solution - it's far from revolutionary but I guess it fits into the 'DIY' category. I picked up this little cutlery drawer thing from a carboot a few months ago, I think it was about 50p so being the hoarder I am I just bought it! I was happy to find that it actually stores my nail polishes perfectly - every brand has managed to slot in there nicely and as you can see from the pictures, there's still room for loads more polishes. I still need to get round to painting it white but I don't think it looks too obvious even with the original wood. I've also stored palettes in it in the past, and they slot in perfectly - for me this is a far neater solution than how I used to store them (all stuffed in a drawer) plus it makes me use them all more frequently as I can see all the colours I own - all I need now are a few more colours to fill it!

Fern