Showing posts with label Barry M. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barry M. Show all posts

Thursday, 9 October 2014

Top 10 autumn nail polish shades for under £10



With yesterday's rain, it's safe to say that autumn is well and truly here. Gone are the days of sunglasses and shorts, and out comes to brollies and breeze. With that comes the more muted fall-inspired nails polish shades. I've delved into my collection and dug out my top ten shades for the colder months - and best of all, they're all below a tenner! 

From left to right in the picture of the swatches:

What's your favourite autumn nail polish shade?
*PR Sample
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Written By Unknown at 6:31 pm
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Thursday, 2 October 2014

Changing your make up for autumn with Boots #GiveItAGo














There's a chill in air, the mornings are getting darker and I've invested in a new coat. It can only mean one thing - autumn is officially here. I'm definitely an autumn fan. I'm not particularly fond of the sun and warm weather, and I think England in particular looks beautiful as the leaves start to turn yellow. I also love layering up and experimenting with different colours. 

When it comes to make up, I don't tend to stray too far from my usual nude eye and bare lips. As a store, Boots are constantly challenging us to #GiveItAGo and were kind enough to send me over a fee products to experiment with. Fresh off the catwalk are cheekbones, brows, flawless skin, berry lips, green nails and smoking eyes. 

1. Banish dull skin with these illuminating face products...
I've actually been trialling this foundation for a while. As a foundation-fiend, I give them a full on robust test before I draw to a conclusion. For me, I like this one. It provides decent coverage with a natural finish and is very long lasting for a high street foundation. One thing I'm not keen on though is he fact that it highlights my pores after a couple of hours. 

I was SO excited when I saw this in my Boots box. I've been wanting to try out one of these chubby sticks for a long time. The beautiful highlighter is a gorgeous golden bronzed colour and creates subtle shimmering cheekbones. I have combination skin so I try and mattify my skin down as much as possible. But adding a hint of this really awakens my complexion. I'm addicted.

I do love a good blush! I haven't tried many products from Revlon for some reason, but this blush palette has upped my opinion on the brand. With five complementing shades of pink, these palette brightens the complexion and awakens the skin. The formula is perfect and the blush blends like a dream. No complaints.

2. Create the perfect autumnal smoky eye with this peeper duo...
I usually stick to browns and golds on my lids, but the moment I saw this trio, I knew it'd probably become my day-to-day palette. Coming with two mattes - grey and navy - and one champagne shimmer, the palette comes with everything you need to create a coloured-smoky eye. The shades aren't the best when it comes to pigmentation, but they are easy to blend and build up. I use the grey all over my lid, blend the navy into my crease and highlight with the champagne shimmer.

When it comes to eyeliners, I like sticking to my two favourites. But for the sake of this challenge, I branched out and embraced the gel eyeliner. The liner itself is smooth and glides onto the lids perfectly. The brush ensures you can create a multitude of perfect looks and the waterproof formula means the liner lasts all day long. In total, it's a great eyeliner. But I generally find pen-formulas easier and quicker to work with so I'll be sticking with my usual.

3. Get this season's statement brows...
With a spoolie one end and a comb the other, this nifty gadget is marvellous. It folds up into a little compact 'thing' which makes it perfect for on-the-go grooming. At £8, it isn't the cheapest but when those wonderful No7 vouchers are released, it's a good idea to snap one up. 

I can't say I'm loyal to brow products as I'm still trying to find "the one" but I haven't found a fault in this one. The palette comes with a brow powder and a wax, is beautifully packaged, reasonably priced and even comes with mini tools. The kit itself is available in four different shades meaning you're almost guaranteed to find a brow-match for you. 

4. Embrace a red lip with new season formulas...
Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Frambourjois* - £8.99
Oh my, I absolutely love these lipsticks. I must say, when it comes to lipsticks I find myself skipping wearing them. The formulas never seem to suit my lips. But these babies are a god send. They're creamy, long lasting, pigmented, lightweight and exceptionally easy to wear. I now have three different shades and it's only a matter of time before I buy the entire collection. Frambourjois itself is a vibrant red-pink shade, but the formula makes the lipstick nice and wearable. In fact, I've been wearing it a lot recently - which is incredible considering I'm a nude-lip lover...

5. Experiment with colour on the nails...
I love me a good nail polish and despite have a room full of colours, I'd never tried an Essie polish. I can hand on heart say the formula is wonderful. This shade in particular - which is a gorgeous shimmering teal shade - is opaque in just one coat and looks glossy and shiny once dried. Lasting power is great too.
How do you change your make up for the new season? 
*PR Sample
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Written By Unknown at 6:03 pm
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Tuesday, 2 July 2013

Pucker up for National Kissing Day


L-R Disney Princess Lip Smacker in Ariel, Barry M Lipstick in 162



On the 6th of July, all you taken ladies can rejoice and partake in National Kissing Day. I, however, will not be doing so being a good ol' singleton. But you see, kissing involves the lips and to me, lips equal lipstick so writing about this very special and completely meaningful day (sarcasm?) was something I just had to do being a beauty blogger and all. So boyfriend-less or not, hurrah for National Kissing Day - any excuse to whack out those lipsticks.

If you are planning on puckering up and showing off that pout then you're going to need a few little products to ensure it's looking beautiful and in tip-top condition. And floss picks are first on my list. The DenTek Complete Clean Floss Picks* - £4.40 are perfect as they remove food, reduce tooth decay, remove plaque, cleans the tongue and fight bad breath with their fresh mint flavour. They're great at getting to the hard to reach areas such as tight teeth and back teeth. They're also a lovely small size so they're perfect for popping into your handbag (in a smaller bag for hygiene purposes) for touch ups throughout the day. Secondly, you're going to need lovely soft lips if you want them to be kissable and I'm really loving the Disney Princess Lip Smacker balms* - £2.55 at the moment. The one above is the Ariel one which has a Calypso Berry scent and taste. It's absolutely delicious and I've been using it constantly throughout the day for weeks now. It does leave a weird pale purple tint to your lips but of course, you're going to be using lipstick so that doesn't matter too much. The Disney Princess balms are also really hydrating and they don't leave a nasty film/layer on the lips either. My lipstick of choice is the Barry M Lip Stick in 162* - £4.49. I'm currently loving red lips with a simple eye and this one is a really deep but completely wearable red. This is my first Barry M lipstick and although I've read a few bad reviews about the formula, I haven't had a problem with it. They're not necessarily moisturising lipsticks but I don't think they're drying either. 162 glides onto the lips and lasts really well which is great if you're going to be going out on a date. Of course, if you are going to be kissing someone, I don't think they'd be too happy with the colour choice as you'd be leaving your lipstick all over them but you know, that's the price we pay for beauty after all!

What are your favourite lip products?
xxx
*PR Sample
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Written By Unknown at 7:48 pm
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Tuesday, 11 June 2013

And we can't stop
























I went out the other night and as always, posted my eye make up on Instagram. I liked the finish result quite a lot and as it's pretty simple, I decided I would write a blog post sharing it with you all. If you have the Urban Decay Naked palette then this look is something you'll be able to recreate easily.

As I've just mentioned, all of the eyeshadows I used were from the Urban Decay Naked palette which I've fallen back in love with all over again. Since the release of its sisters, I've been toying and flitting between them and the original Naked palette has been feeling a little unloved because of it. However, I'm now glad to say it's back to being my number one trusty palette. I used the colour Toasted all over the lid and popped a little bit of Hustle into the crease to define it and add depth. After this, I used Half Baked underneath my lash line which is something that I do pretty much every day. And finally, I used Sin as a highlight. If you're after a highlighting eyeshadow then Sin is one that you definitely need as it's the most perfect champagne colour, ever. To line my eyes I used my beloved Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner - it's incredibly easy to use and it's literally like drawing on your eye lids with a felt tip pen. The liner also lasts all day long despite perspiration and oilyness - it's like a dream. I then used KIKO's Vivid Eyes Kajal and Eyeliner* in 03 on my waterline as like the Collection 2000 liner, this stays put. It's also very pigmented. Unfortunately, I added this after I'd taken these pictures so it can't be seen on them. On my lashes I used my favourite combination of Lancome's Hypnose Drama, SEVENTEEN's Doll'd Up, Barry M's Lash Vegas* and Maybelline's Great Lash. All of these combine together to create length, volume, drama and separation all without the need for falsies.

What's your favourite eye combination at the moment? Do you like the eye look above?
xxx
*PR Sample
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Written By Unknown at 10:58 am
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Tuesday, 14 May 2013

What I wore on my face


I don't think I've done a "what I wore on my face" post in a really long time. Either that or I've never done one. So on Saturday before heading off out, I decided to photograph the products that I'd used on my face and posted it on Instagram. I received an incredible amount of "likes" so I thought I'd do a little write up about which products I used, how I used them and why I love them.

Face
On my face I started off by using Seventeen's Photo Flawless skin primer. I really like this primer and I've gone through two bottles of it since first trying it. It prolongs my make up a little bit and it really smooths out the skin and preps it for foundation. I then went onto use Vichy's Dermablend foundation* which is one of my all time favourites. It gives perfect coverage, looks invisible and is really easy to blend and use. It also lasts all day long on the skin too which was perfect for me as I was out in the raining photographing a Zombie Run. For concealer, I've been using Rimmel's Wake Me Up underneath my eyes. I used to love this concealer but it got thrown aside a while back so I'm glad to have it back in my life. And of course on blemishes I used the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer which is my all-time favourite. I then powdered the skin with Purminerals Pressed Mineral Make Up.* I love this powder as it's a foundation so it adds extra coverage to the skin whilst mattifying it down and ensuring make up stays put all day long. As I've been fake tanning recently, I used the Liz Earle Natural Glow Bronzer* to warm up my complexion and add a little bit of a glow and then followed using the Nars Deepthroat Blush which really perks the skin up.

Eyes
To fill in and shape my eyebrows, I used the KIKO Eyebrow Expert Styling Kit.* I really love this kit as it comes with two different shades of powder, a wax, some tweezers and a brush. It's a really handy kit and sorts out the mess of a job a beautician did to my eyebrows. For my eyes, I went back to my trusty Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. I used Suspect all over the lid, Snakebite on the outer corner, Tease through the crease, Bootycall as a highlight and Half Baked underneath my lashes. I really like this combination as it looks natural but also emphasises my eyes. Half Baked underneath my lashes is my little trick as it makes my eyes look wider, brighter and finishes the look off perfectly. I then finished off with Seventeen's Liquid Liner close to my lash line for definition and used lashings of both Seventeen's Doll'd Up mascara and Barry M's Lash Vegas mascara* which are two of my favourites. Seventeen's Doll'd Up mascara is great for defining and curling the lashes whilst Barry M's Lash Vegas mascara is perfect for both length and volume. Both of them work wonderfully together to give me full but defined dramatic lashes.

Lips
Finally, on my lips I used MAC's Please Me followed by the Korres Lip Butter* to moisturise and add a little tint and gloss to the lips. Please Me is a matte colour which means that it can sometimes be a little bit drying so pairing the Korres Lip Butter over the top really helps to moisturise the lips. I also adore the combination of the two colours together. Please Me is a muted down dusky pink whereas the Korres Mango Lip Butter is a coral colour. Both of them work together to create the most adorable pink on the lips which I love.

So there we have it. The products that I used on my face on Saturday. These are also the products that I tend to wear on a day to day basis however, I usually switch up my eyeshadow a little bit. I always go for the highlight in the corner, light shade on the lid, darker shade on the outer corner, matte brown through the crease and Half Baked underneath the lashes though for some reason. I guess it's just routine. What have you been using on your face recently? Have you tried any of the products that I mentioned above?
xxx
*PR Sample
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Written By Unknown at 6:57 pm
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Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Nail Polish Collection



Barry M: Mushroom, Limited Edition 030, 262, Black, 311 Nail Effects

Nails Inc.: Elizabeth Street, Basil Street, Brook St.

Revlon: 570 Vixen*, 315 Pretty in Papaya*.

Barbara Daly: Fondant Fancy*, Marshmallow*, Violet Cream*.

Miscellaneous: Kure BAZAAR in Macaron*, Natural Collection in Clear, BeYu in 112, Collection 2000 in Fruit Salad.

17: Fairy Cake, Orange Soda, Glisten, Tropical Island.

NailGirls: B #3*, Purple #10*, Matte Purple #1*.

China Glaze: Cherry Pie, Code Orange.

Missguided: Misscellaneous, Missfit, Misstique.

KIKO: 37*, 19*, 16*

No7: Tiptoes, Mojo, Me! Me! Me!, Daisy Darling*, Milan, Speakeasy*.

Models Own: Artstix Duo Polish in Bubblegum and Blizzard*, Goldfinger*, Clothes Show Live in Show Stopper*, Champagne*, Bubblegum*, Pukka Purple*, Nail Art Pen in Black*.
If you'd have asked me to show you my nail polish collection three years ago, it'd probably have consisted of around three polishes. Up until recently, I'd never been a nail polish buff. I just couldn't understand the fascination with painting your nails. I also hated - and still do - waiting around for my nails to dry. Once I've painted them, I always remember something that I should be doing and end up messing them up. But above is my university nail polish collection - I have more back at home but the fact that they're back at home proves that they're unloved - and I'm pretty impressed with it. Of course I'd love more but I'm happy with what I have at the moment; I have different formulas, different colours, different textures. I won't do swatches of them all - I think my nails would hate me if I did - but if there are any you'd like to see swatches of, please do let me know and I'll get round to doing so. My favourite nail polish brand is Models Own; I love the formula, the huge array of colours and textures and the price is outstandingly affordable too. As you can see, at the moment I keep my nail polishes in a Champney's box but when I get home, I keep them on a cake stand so that they can be displayed. 
What's your favourite nail polish brand?
xxx
*PR Sample
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Written By Unknown at 11:19 am
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Friday, 12 April 2013

REVIEW: Barry M Lash Vegas Mascara




























Aside from their Nail Paints and a blusher a couple of years back, Barry M isn't a brand I use very often. I love their Nail Paints and if I'm after a new nail colour, they're my go-to brand but I never venture out into anything else of theirs. However, their Lash Vegas Mascara* interested me. Barry M claim that this mascara is ultra volumising and it uses a new spiral shaped brush which has been designed to separate, define and reach the smallest of lashes which aims to give exceptional length and definition. I've completely fallen in love with this mascara. Normally, I use around five mascaras to achieve the look I want - I've never had a favourite and I never really repurchase a mascara as I just keep trying out loads of different ones as I've never believed that I've found "the one." I like full-on lashes no matter what I'm doing - work, university or going out and this mascara is perfect for just that. It really does volumise, lengthen and separate. This will be the first mascara I ever repurchase and I believe it's my "go-to" mascara. This mascara retails for £6.49 and you can buy it here.
What's your favourite Barry M product? What's your favourite mascara? Have you ever tried this mascara before?
xxx
*PR Sample
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Written By Unknown at 12:11 pm
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Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Do Good & Feel Good with Barry M & Ovacome

Originally, I wasn't going to post today. But when I saw this email arrive in my inbox, I had to. Basically Barry M have teamed up with Ovacome for Ovarian Awareness Month. Ovacome is an ovarian cancer support network and Barry M are supporting the "Teal Tips" campaign and donating 50% of all sales of the Watermelon Gelly Nail Paint from the Barry M website throughout March to Ovacome. Personally, I think that this is a great cause. Not only can you help out a wonderful charity but you can also gain a new and beautiful nail polish - everybody is a winner!
To find out more about Ovacome and the great work that they do click here.
xxx
Written By Unknown at 6:12 pm
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Friday, 6 April 2012

Drugstore Make Up Look

I absolutely love drugstore make up so I thought I'd do a complete look using products that I've bought from Boots, Superdrug or Avon.
For foundation I used 17's Miracle Matte foundation which I bought the other day. I'm totally in love with this foundation. It's medium coverage, easy to apply, looks even and keeps my skin matte all day. To add more coverage I used my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer on my scars and spots and 17's Hide & Chic Brightening concealer underneath my eyes. I then went on to powder the skin with 17's Pressed Powder which is a lovely powder that keeps skin semi-matte and helps to hold make up in place. The highlight that I used was an Avon one in Moon Sand and I also contoured my cheekbones and nose with Sleek's Contour Kit. Finally, I used Barry M's blush in BL2 on my cheeks. It's a matte, bright pink so I added Accessorize's Merged Blush in Pretty Pink over the top to add shimmer and tone the pink down.
I used 17's Mardi Gras eye shadow all over the lid and in the crease to create a V shape which elongates the eyes. I then used 17's Glitter eye shadow in Chalice underneath the eyes to brighten them up. I then wanted to darken the look up so I used 17's Glitter eye shadow in Night Sky on the other corners of the eye. I love 17 eye shadows; they're cheap, buttery smooth and very pigmented. I also don't need to use a primer with them as they last a long time. I lined my upper lash line with 17's liquid liner and the tight line with Avon's Color Trend Kajal Stick in black. I then used GOSH's Kohl Eye Liner in white on my water line to brighten the eye area up. The mascara that I used was Revlon's Double Twist which is great for adding volume and length the lashes and on my brows I used Rimmel's Professional Eye Brow Pencil.
 17 Hide & Chic Eye Brightening Concealer, 17 Liquid Liner, Revlon Double Twist Mascara, 17 Miracle Matte Foundation, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 112 Ambre Rose.
Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick in Light Blue/Black, Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil in Brown/Black, GOSH Kohl Eye Liner in White, Barry M Blusher in BL2, Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light Brown, 17 Pressed Powder, Jillian Dempsey for Avon Highlight in Moon Sand, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink, 17 Glitter Eye Shadow in Chalice, 17 Eye Shadow in Mardi Gras, 17 Glitter Eye Shadow in Night Sky.
 17 Hide & Chic Eye Brightening Concealer, 17 Liquid Liner, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 112 Ambre Rose, Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick in Light Blue/Black, Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil in Brown/Black, GOSH Kohl Eye Liner in White.
17 Glitter Eye Shadow in Chalice, 17 Eye Shadow in Mardi Gras, 17 Glitter Eye Shadow in Night Sky, Jillian Dempsey for Avon Highlight in Moon Sand.
Barry M Blusher in BL2, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink, Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light Brown.

I really love this look. It's great for every day and can also be built up for going out. It's easy to recreate and because it's drug store, it's relatively cheap. What are your favourite lower end make up products?
xxx
Written By Unknown at 5:06 pm
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Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Swatched - Favourite Blushers Part Two

As promised, here is part two of my favourite blushers mini series! You can view part one here.
L-R, Top to Bottom
Avon Colour and Contour in Rose Glow
This blush looks very shimmery in the pan but on the skin it doesn't make you looking like a glowing vampire. Instead it perks the skin up and believe it or not, it's perfect for the day time. A gorgeous dusky pink colour with a beautiful champagne highlight colour.
Blusher by Barry M in BL 2
This blush looks so scary in the pan but when used lightly it leaves such a gorgeous Barbie pink on the cheeks that is just so pretty! I use this whenever I'm feeling a bit down or sad as it makes me smile.
Blush Bourjois in 95 Rose De Jaspe
I'm in love with this colour! It's a pinky/coral that has purple/gold/silver shimmer running throughout it. It's so easy to work with and is just so pretty. An instant pick-me-up and very cheap!
L-R Avon Colour & Contour in Rose Gold (Blush then Highlight), Barry M Blush in BL 2, Bourjois Blush in Rose De Jaspe.
What are your favourite blushers? Do you enjoy these kind of posts?
See more of my recently swatched favourites -
xxx

Written By Unknown at 2:00 pm
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Wednesday, 25 January 2012

My Favourite Lip Glosses - Swatched

I don't tend to swatch lip glosses and that's mainly because they're pretty hard to swatch. They end up just looking like a mess but seeing as in my poll most of you want to see more swatches, here you have it! My favourite lip glosses, swatched! 
L-R
Soap & Glory's Sexy Mother Pucker in Candy Gloss
When I tried my first ever S&G Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss I can remember slating it. I absolutely hated the formula; it was sticky, tacky, tasted disgusting and the 'plumping' effect actually stung my lips. I think since then, the lip glosses have been reformulated as this lip gloss isn't like the first one I tried. It isn't as sticky and it doesn't taste too bad. I also love the colour, it's a very natural colour that's great for every day wear.
Barry M Lip Gloss in 11
I'm a big fan of Barry M lip glosses as the formula is lovely and they taste really good. This colour is a nice coral colour and sits beautifully on the lips.
Barry M Lip Gloss in LE3
Once again, a gorgeous colour that's a bit brighter and pinker than number 11 but still very wearable. I think the LE in LE3 stands for Limited Edition though so I don't think you can get this anymore.
Revlon Super Lustrous in Lilac Pastelle 
I'm not a big fan of the formula of this lip gloss. I find it hard to work with and I'll only wear it if I have quite a lot of time as getting it right takes effort. But the colour is so beautiful and unique that it's worth the effort. It's a beautiful, milky lilac colour that actually suits my skin tone wonderfully.
L-R
Avon's Color Trend Lip Gloss in Sheer Pink
This lip gloss actually comes with a lip stick in the same colour and when applied together, they look so nice! But even alone as a lip gloss this is beautiful. A really nice bright Barbie pink with purple shimmer running throughout it.
I Love.. Strawberries & Milkshake Shimmer & Shine Lip Gloss
This lip gloss tastes amazing - just like strawberries. I even have the lip balm. This adds a nice subtle glow to the lip with a beautiful milky pink tint.
Estee Lauder's High Shine Ultra Brilliance Lip Gloss in Pearl
I absolutely adore this lip gloss. It's a nice formula but it's a little bit sticky. However, as the colour is so beautiful I can get used to that. It's a very light pink but if you look closely it has gold and pink shimmer running throughout it and when it hits the light, it gives the most gorgeous effect I've ever seen from a lip gloss!

What are your favourite lip glosses?
xxx
Written By Unknown at 6:14 pm
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