Bring on spring/summer 17!

 

gosh-ss17-makeup-launches-review-1Every season there are a couple of brands that will launch a product that stays with me for a long time. GOSH is certainly of them.

gosh-ss17-makeup-launches-review-2They are always focused on genuine Nordic ingredient, and are always introducing new ones into the lines. This season, meet the dandelion.

Personally, I really enjoy how affordable, high quality and extensive the range is; and for Spring/Summer 17, they keep growing it: there are tons of new products as well as additions to much loved lines.

For me, their pencil products are just amazing – application, durability, versatility – you name it and they have it.

Their new CCC (contour, cover and conceal) chubby concealer stick is no different. It comes in six shades including two shimmery ones which make amazing highlighters.

gosh-ss17-makeup-launches-review-9My favourite is the 001 Highlight Vanilla, which is a fabulous discreet highlighter, perfect to use alone or underneath a powder one for amped-up glow.

The cream is light and turns into a perfect finish upon blending. Amazing. They cost £9.99 each and are already available. They are perfumes and parabens free and shades 001 and 002 are vegan.

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Also already launched and creating a social media furore are the matte liquid lipsticks. No secret (or surprise) I became a fan of those pretty quickly and they’ve been the thing on my lips for almost a week now.

Coming in eight shades and costing £8.99, they apply like a dream with a velvety finish. It is not drying and doesn’t bleed, wearing out quite nicely too.

They are also vegan friendly and infused with dandelion leaves extract (full of carotenoids, vitamins A, B, C and D, minerals, flavonoids ad sterols) and LIPerfection, GOSH’s ecocert certified lip plumper.

The colours all carry a hint of pink, from the nudes to the purples, without a brown in sight (amen to that!).

gosh-ss17-makeup-launches-review-10For the eyes comes the Volume Serum Mascara, which has the finest comb brush I’ve ever seen.

It does take a little bit of getting used to and it gives lashes amazing definition. I think it’s perfect for bottom lashes and the RRP is £13.99.

gosh-ss17-makeup-launches-review-7In the eyeliner department, there’s a fabulous super pigmented Giant Pro Kajal (vegan friendly, £7.49), the Giant Pro Double Ended Liner (£10.99). Durability is great and application easy, although I struggle a bit getting definition with kajals.

They also have the Infinity Eyeliner (£6.99), which is soft as butter and durable like a marker pen. No joke. The Ash (006) colour is very close to black but not as harsh, making it a perfect shade to define without being too heavy. It is very close to Charlotte Tilbury’s The Classic.

gosh-ss17-makeup-launches-review-8Now, the Eye Xpression eyeshadow quads (£8.99) are super useful: perfect size to have on the go, fabulous, versatile shades with the exceptional quality of GOSH shadows. Warm neutral BackToNature has become a fixture in my makeup bag.

Have I mentioned how much I love their matte Velvet lipsticks? Oh! I do! And they are adding five shades to it: pretty pinks and mauves as well as a killer orange red. They cost an affordable £7.99 each.

gosh-ss17-makeup-launches-review-5And for the fans of Lumidrops (£8.99) highlighters, there are two new additions to the line, but this time blushers: a pink and a peach based. They highlight and colour at the same time. So pretty!

So, for a makeup refresh for the (sooooo expected) new season, you know where to go! GOSH is available at Superdrug.

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You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains a mix of products I have bought myself and PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Discovering Mii cosmetics

mii-cosmetics-review - 2Discovering new brands is a huge perk of blogging and when you’ve been doing it for a while, it’s a bit rare to come across a brand you never even heard before.

Mii makeup was one of those, and I went into their immersion event, at the gorgeous ME London penthouse, with a very open mind and very curious.

mii-cosmetics-review - 1After a fab Mii spray tan, I got to explore their very extensive makeup range, for all tastes and complexions. And I got to try a few items, which surprised me with their quality.

The Celestial Skin Shimmer in Rose Quartz is as good as it is pretty.

mii-cosmetics-review - 5Within is mosaic, a mix of golds, pinks and corals, that mixed create a beautiful flush and glow to the cheeks.mii-cosmetics-review - 7

The lighter shade is also a handy and effective highlighter.

mii-cosmetics-review - 3Makeup brushes make me happy. I have more than I could ever use and I still manage to go through a fair few.

The Miracle Base Brush is packed with compacted soft bristles, making it quite firm. Made from liquid and cream foundation, I think this works very well with powder too, for a heavier application and great blend.

mii-cosmetics-review - 6Finally, the Forever Eye Crayon in Sorbet a shimmery beige leaning towards peach that also works wonders as a highlighter. On the brow bone and for me, it’s hero use, the Cupid bow to make those lips pop.

The durability is fantastic, it sets quickly after application, with enough time Tom blend and it comes in 8 colours.

mii-cosmetics-review - 4Mii is a salon brand, brought to the UK by Gerrard International, the same company behind the fab Jessica nail polish, which is also a professional brand.

The Celestial Skim Shimmer costs £27.50 and comes in two shades – mine, Rose Quartz and Aurora, the Miracle Base Brush, £21.50 and the Forever Eye Crayon, £17 each.

You can browse their fantastic range on the Mii cosmetics website.

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This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Beginner’s budget makeup bag with Make Up Gallery

makeup gallery - poundland

Make Up Gallery launched at Poundland not that long ago. Having tried a good range of products, I can say they brought out a good line for the exceptional value of £1 each.

I think the range is perfect for younger girls putting together their first makeup bag.

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Poundland to launch exciting Make Up Gallery range

makeup gallery - poundland

I don’t even think I should open this post by proclaiming my love of makeup but here it goes – I love it. And I know lots and lots of people are in the same position as me and I am glad that Poundland is giving us a helping hand with the launch of the Make Up Gallery.

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Review: Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Posh Purples Eye Shadow Quad

elizabeth arden Beautiful Color Eye Shadow Quad – Posh Purples

My day to day makeup is usually very neutral (read gold tones eyes and red lippy) that will make it through the seasons without any problems. However, seasonal touches that make a real difference are always welcome.

Riding on the purple trend for AW14, Elizabeth Arden brings out the Beautiful Color Posh Purple eyeshadow palette quad, with four gorgeous and wearable colours.

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Product review: Lola by Perse Spirited Away eyeshadows and eyeliner

lola automatic eyeliner - somanylovelythings

I hadn’t worked on an eye makeup for a very long time, so the arrival of the beautiful new eye colours from the Lola Makeup Spirited Away collection was the right excuse to get me going!

For this look, which was inspired in one created to promote the collection, I used the Lola satin eyeshadows 034 – a shimmery gold – 035 – a shimmery baby blue and 045 – a shimmery terracota.

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Lola make up by Perse SS14 launches Spirited Away collection

lola_spirited_away

Lola make up by Perse is launching the Spirited Away collection with some amazing colours to bring your make up to spring/summer 2014. The eyeshadows and nails polishes are a mix of earthy neutrals and brights – a very “natural” tones palette, inspired on the nomadic desert people and landscapes.

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Product review: Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Eyes smoky eyes palette by Alber Elbaz

lancome by Alber Elbaz smoky eyes palette

There is no way of resisting this palette for a lover of all things pretty. Although the colours are not new for Lancôme, the pretty dotty packaging created by Alber Elbaz for this five-colour Hypnôse Drama Eyes smoky eye palette is. And yes – I am a sucker for packaging.

More than a that, I am an ultra-sucker for black eye shadow. A black smokey eye is my favourite look. I would wear it everyday. You read it right. DAY. Plus, as a wearer of red lipstick, black is pretty much the only smokey I can get away with. There you have it.

lancome by Alber Elbaz smoky eyes palette This palette comes with five very wearable shades: a very pearly pink, a light silver grey, a metallic charcoal, a very dark charcoal with silver particles and a satin pure black. What a selection!

I created this look using all but the pink colour in the palette. It was an “Ibiza clubbing eye make”, hence the over the top crystals.

Black smokey eyes with crystals -somanylovelythingsApplication was alright, the colours are super pigmented and look great when applied. You can also use them wet for extra impact. Dry they are extremely blendable. The only problem I found with it is that the darker colours drop an awful lot when applying, so if going bold, do eyes first then skin. Or hang tight to tissue under the eye. Once it drops, it really sticks.

Black smokey eyes with crystals -somanylovelythings

Not only it looked fantastic but it also lasted well, so this is a palette which will be accompanying me in many nights out!

Love it.

Product review: myface.cosmetics eye shadow and eye liner

In my amazing goody bag from the Elemis event, I received an eye shadow duo from myface.cosmetics, which were providing the make over at the event. I had heard about them before but didn’t have any of their products. And I love to try new brands!

The duo is called Siren and is part of their Silk Screen collection. Packaging is very nice, clean, easy to use, and it comes with soft brush, which is also very nice for blending. The shades are a satin finish orange with a subtle shimmer and a beautiful raspberry with some golden sparkles.

Both eye shadows are very satin-y, they have good pigmentation and blended well. They are very bright shades and applied well. There was a little bit of fall out, but no more than other brands.

Since I attended the Elemis event, NBPR, who looks after myface.cosmetics, has kindly sent me some products to try, and I decided to use the first one from the lot I received with the very first product I ever got from the brand, as they went together beautifully!

So I used the slinky liquid liner in Tequila Sunrise, and orange-gold. Yeah, just one little bottle inspired the whole look I posted before!

The liner is very easy to apply, the brush is firm without being hard, very fine and precise. The consistency is good, not too runny, not too hard. The colour, with one stroke, is quite vivid, but I went for two, especially where it was over the orange eye shadow, to get more distinction. It dries quickly and I managed not to smudge, and it sticks well. The metallic effect is really noticeable, and the colour very solid. Thumbs super up.

I am soooo happy they sent me a few, and in gorgeous colours, so it looks like you will be seeing different looks going liner crazy, as I will be experimenting more – after all, this is what the challenge is all about.

This post contains PR samples, however, this review is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Eye make up challenge: green, as a witch

Green witches (yes, Elphaba, I am talking about you!) inspired me for this challenge. I wanted to do something big, bold, a bit evil and of course, green. I love using green eyeshadow, it photographs really well, it is so vivid.

Here is what I did: I applied a primer, and attempted to erase half of my eyebrow (without much success). Then swept the whole lid with green pigment.

After that, using a darker green, I drew the cat-eye shape with a pencil brush, from the beginning of my crease to close to my eyebrow edge.

Then I applied a lighter darker green to the upper lash line and met the higher dark green line, closing the shape.  To add dimension, I applied very light green crushed pigment to the center of the eye lid, as a swoop that went from close to the inner corner, upwards, meeting the darker line at the top. I then blended all the lines using all the colours and some other shades of green until I was satisfied with the amount of definition of some lines and blending.

I lined the lower lash line with the lime green, closer to the inner corner, blending into dark green towards the outer corner and applied black eyeliner to the water line.

Finally, I added the lime green to the tops, a little bit of black to define some of the lines (close to the crease and from outer corner), applied black eyeliner, making a huge flick, and dabbed more light green crushed pigment close to  the brow bone and inner corner of the eye. I finished the look with false eye lashes.

Things that didn’t go too well:

1. I tried to “erase” the end of my eyebrow, it turns out mine are too dark and thick to do with concealer and foundation only. I did it in the past to re-create Boy George eye make up, but I suppose the person had fairer and thinner eyebrows than me, so it worked alright!

2. Drawing the shape was hard. Very hard. I had to clean everything up and start again.

3. My first combination of greens didn’t give me oomph. This is another reason I started again. Next time, I will swatch them in my hand before applying!

Products I used:

  • Urban Decay eyeshadows in Bender and Hijack
  • MAC eyeshadow in
  • Collection 2000 green pigment in Bitter
  • Ocean Scent green eye shadows from basic palette
  • MAC crushed pigment from Surf the Ocean pack
  • MAC Studio finish and Select Moisturecover concealers
  • Collection 2000 felt liner in Black
  • MAC eye kohl in Smolder
  • MAC brushes number 208, 217, 219, 239, 266 and 195
  • Urban Decay eye primer potion
  • DUO eyelash glue
  • Maybelline Falsies mascara
  • Eylure false eyelashed in Vintage 124

Difficulty: