Swatches and Review - Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Ghost

Hello!

Yesterday I caved and ordered the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Ghost from SpaceNK* despite resisting it when it was first released at Christmas as I had recently given away my Hourglass blush palette to a friend because I found the blushers too shimmery. So why did I buy this you ask? I wanted to try a bronzer by them. Why didn't I just buy a travel size one for £24? I have absolutely no idea. Honestly, quarantine has been so so bad for my bank balance because my mental health basically goes "you're depressed....buy something....that'll cheer you up!" which...you know...it does.....for 5 minutes....and then I buy something else to cheer me up again and its a vicious cycle that ends up with me owning a new palette that cost me £75.......bugger. (I did have £5 of N.Dulge points to use though.....so there's that at least................right?....) Anyway, enough self judgement......

Left to right - Top Row - Finishing Powder in Dim Light, Finishing Powder in Diffused Light and Strobe Powder in Iridescent Strobe Light.

Bottom Row - Bronzer in Eternal Bronze Light, Strobe Blush in Iridescent Rose and Blush in Sublime Flush.

Now then, I cant deny that this is a damn pretty palette. My main issue with hourglass palettes is how they basically bring out the same palette each year with just SLIGHT differences which makes people like me think "oh....but its different to last years...." and then we buy them all because "THEY ARE DIFFERENT!" and we are weak. No judgement on the people who do buy all these palettes of course....I'm one of you, just not with Hourglass palettes (well....not yet anyway...)

So that is my index finger for reference as to how small the palette it (and I have the hands of a twelve year old so the palette is really small!) For £75 you would want something a little bigger I think? When trying it out properly, I couldn't actually get my brush (bareMinerals seamless shaping and finishing brush for reference) into the individual pans that easily. Yes I could use a smaller brush but for bronzer and blush and a setting powder I need a fluffier brush so it's more diffused.....so that leaves one product in this palette to use a smaller brush with (which I did.) I do think the size of this palette makes it really good for travelling though....you know....when we can again!

Close up of Dim Light.

Dim Light is the first of the two finishing powders. It has a slight pinky undertone which doesn't show up too much on my skin tone (pretty pale and pinky anyway) when dusted over with a fluffy brush. If used with a smaller brush it shows up with a bit of colour. I will say that it does give me skin a nice sheen but wouldn't replace my actual setting powder as it does nothing for my open pores at all...

Close up of Diffused Light and Iridescent Strobe Light.

Diffused Light is a paler and more yellow finishing powder compared to Dim Light. Out of the two I prefer this one as there is no risk of me putting too much on and feeling a bit too tanned. Again, it is a pretty powder giving a nice luminosity but does nothing for my open pores up close. I do think this one gives me a more soft focus look from a distance though, which is always a good thing! Iridescent Strobe Light is a real winner for me! It's got a more apricot undertone and is good for my pale skin. It gives a really good wet look highlight to the skin, however it also quite glittery which picks up quite a bit in the sun. I can imagine I will use this as a great lazy day eyeshadow as well as its intended use. 

 

One swirl swatches - left to right - Dim Light, Diffused Light and Iridescent Strobe Light.

Not the best products to show one swirl swatches of but I do think you an see how pinky Dim Light is in this picture.

Swatches as above from a different angle...

You can see how much bright Iridescent Strobe Light is in this picture compared to the setting powders.

Close up of Eternal Bronze Light.

This is the one product that I was most interested in trying and boy it did not disappoint!! It's a really nice glowy bronzer that just made me look sunkissed and not muddy at all! It was very pigmented so I only had to use a tiny bit and could build it up easily too. I would definitely re-purchase this if I ever actually used it up. But I won't because I work in the beauty industry and own far too much make for one human. 

Close up of Iridescent Rose and Sublime Flush.

The thing I think everyone loves when looking at Hourglass are how pretty the veined blushers are. Even if you don't like a glowy blush, you're still drawn to these. Iridescent Rose is exactly what it says....its a rose colour with an iridescent sheen to it. It's quite warm toned so a tiny bit goes a long way. Sublime Flush is a lighter and slightly cooler toned pink. This is my favourite of the two because it just looks better on my skin tone. Not to say I won't use Iridescent Rose, but I have to be more careful with it so I don't end up looking like I've put my redness back on after covering it up with foundation! Both have a sheen to them but Sublime Flush is more subtle for sure.

One swirl swatches - left to Right - Eternal Bronze Light, Iridescent  Rose and Sublime Flush.

Here you can see that Eternal Bronze has a nice sunkissed warmth to it and also the difference in the sheen of Rose and Sublime.

Swatches as above with more light on them.

Overall, I think this is a lovely palette if you enjoy the really glowy look. Hourglass is a brand that I want to explore more but their price point is just a bit mental really. I mean a palette that fits in my hand (remember...hands of a twelve year old....) for £75? The packaging is also made of plastic so it doesn't even FEEL expensive? Handy for travel, but for the price I'd just want something a bit more weighty. Would I recommend this palette? If you want to spend £75 on a boujee glowy palette, then absolutely. Do you need it in your life? Probably not. Am I sad I spent £70 (£5 N.Dulge reward remember!) on this? I feel like I should be but......I'm just not at all!!

Price: £75

Limited Edition: Yes for as long as they have stock I guess?

Weight: 6x1.4g

Price of each pan: £12.50 - The travel size bronzers and blushers are £24 for 1.3g each so I guess you could say this palette is a bargain? If you got the minis of each of these (they don't do minis of all these shade though) you would spend £144.....which is almost double the amount of this palette! (This is exactly how I justify my purchases FYI......)

Best for which Skin Tone: Definitely fair to medium. I can't imagine any of these shades working on tan to dark skin tones - the downside of pre-made palettes a lot of the time still.

What do you think? A waste of money or a boujee 'bargain'?

Until next time,

xoxo

Product paid for by me!


*Affiliate link

A Few of My Favourite Things: Serums and Face Oils

Hello!

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a little a bit obsessed with skincare! So today I bring you the first in a new blog series called "A few of my favourite things" where I will discuss a few of my favourite things in each category explaining why I like them so much and why I would recommend them.

So, serums and face oils....why do I love them so much? Basically a serum has more potent ingredients and will ultimately do more than your regular moisturiser. For a slightly more in depth look at what a serum is the lovely people over at Into The Gloss have put together a little FAQ that's definitely worth a read!

First up is the bareMinerals Skinlongevity*. This is the newest serum by bareMinerals and I bloody love it! I was worried when they announced that they were discontinuing all their serums for this "vital power infusion" as I had no idea what that meant and I loved the old serums. Basically, this infusion can be used alone or with another serum on top to boost what that other serum does. It also has skinmimetic technology in it, which effectively means it'll make your skin act how it should do at your age. It helps to get rid of visible signs of ageing and stops environmental stressers from making your skin look older than it is. With ingredients like long life herb and California poppy in it (and no parabens, fillers or binders), it's designed to keep your skin looking younger for longer. Plus it smells AMAZING so, you know, there's that too....! You can see my one is getting rather low despite only having had it for 2 and a half months.....it turns out my Mum is also a fan of this product!!!

bareMinerals Multi-Wrinkle Repair was my absolute favourite serum before Skinlongevity came out. It smelt like lavender and just sunk into my skin so quickly whilst hydrating it quickly too. I won't go on about this too much as it has been discontinued and I don't want to make anyone feel like they want to try it only to be disappointed when it's difficult to find!!

Nip+Fab Dragon's Blood Plumping Serum - I got this as a 10 day sachet sample set when I got the face mask on their website a while back. Firstly, if these sachets only last you 10 days, what are you doing with the serum?? There is SO much in each sachet!! I really enjoy this serum and it's a cheaper version of the Rodial Dragon's Blood Serum, which I've not tried as it's rather expensive! This one is slightly thicker and stickier than the other serums and oils in this post which does put me off buying the full size to be honest. I don't mind using this at night but it takes way too long to sink in for me to use during the day. It does have hyaluronic acid in it though, so if you have excessively dry skin this might be good during the day too.

Clarins Pore Minimizing Serum - I got this as a sample from my local Clarins counter and although I'm not a huge fan of it all over my face, I do like how it does minimise the appearance of my pores and helps to mattify my face during the day. My makeup sits nicer and stays for a bit lonoger too I have noticed. This serum is for more combination to oily skin, which is probably why I don't like it all over my skin but it has alpine willow herb in it which helps slow the production of sebum resulting in a matte finish.

AD Skin Synergy Nourishing Night Treatment - I got this in a beauty box a while back and I love it! It's seriously nourishing and smells amazing. The brand is also paraben free which is always a good thing I think. It contains a lot of natural, organic oils which will help to hydrate your skin and repair it overnight. Highly recommend! (Plus a tiny bit goes a REALLY long way so it lasts ages too!)

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concerntrate - I got this when it was on a huge discount on the Debenhams website (it is still on a slight discount here) as I'd always heard such good things about it. To start off with, I wasn't really sure it was doing much. Sure it smelt good but really....was my skin looking any different? Then someone mentioned that my skin looked really glowy and I realised that the subtle changes weren't noticable by myself so much, but it was obviously doing something! This is another paraben free item which I love to put on after my bareMinerals Skinlongevity to really give my skin an overnight boost!

Fresh Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil - This was part of a Sephora gift set my brother got for me a while ago and it's the only face oil I've ever been able to use in the morning under my makeup! It's a blend of pure oils and is a lot thinner in consistency meaning it will sink in quicker. Seaberry is known for its moisturising properties and helps to heal skin too. I've loved all the Fresh skincare I have used but it's a little expensive....although totally worth it!

Nude Rescue Oil - This was another sample in the Sephora set that my brother got for me. This serum has a product in it called bakuchiol which Nude claims has the same effect as retinol "without negative side effects." I like this one as another overnight treatment as it refines the texture of my skin which means I wake up with epically smooth skin in the morning! This serum is suitably for Vegans too, which is pretty awesome!

Nude Firming Youth Oil - This one has a really nice plumping effect which helps to fight the visible signs of ageing in the form of fine lines and wrinkles. I'm not super fussed about wrinkles at the moment so I'm not sure I could justify the price tag but I'm enjoying the sample I got! Again, this serum is suitable for Vegans so if fine lines and wrinkles are a concern for you it might be worth looking into this one!

Superdrug Coconut Oil - Now then, I'm not adverse to cheaper skincare brands by any means, but for serums and oils I've just never found one on the high street that is something to rave about you know? Most serums on high street have silicone in them, which is what most primers contain to make your skin feel soft and smooth and I would never recommend putting a primer on at night to sleep in, so I'm not about to recommend a serum that has that ingredient in! However, this coconut oil from Superdrug is absolutely amazing and is only £2.50!! I use it in my hair as well as on my face when it gets excessively dry during Winter and I love it! My hair is dyed frequently so it's a good overnight treatment to help it from getting dry and horrible and when my face gets dry and flaky during Winter it's fab for re-hydrating it. If I use this over one of my other intense serums it's even better! If you don't have a huge skincare budget, then this is the product for you for sure! Maybe not a great day time option, especially for oily skin types, but as an overnight option it's the bomb!

So there are my serum and face oil picks for the moment! How do you guys feel about serums and oils? Do you have any recommendations for me to add to my list once I use some of these up? (or before I use these ones up knowing me!!!)

Until next time,

xoxo

Face Highlighters are my Favourites!

Hello!


So today I bring you a mini review of the highlighters in my collection. Highlighters are my favourite make-up item as they are so freaking pretty and can add so much to a simple or complex make-up look. Considering how much I love them, I think my collection is very restrained! (I started this post a while back and since then I may have brought another one..damn you illamasqua sale!! I also won one in a work competition but I'll do reviews of those ones separately.)

So here are my 5 highlighters. DiorSkin Nude 001, MUA Undress your Skin Shimmer Highlighter, MUA Eyeshadow 01, bareMinerals Turn On Highlighter and bareMinerals Champagne Diamond Radiance.

From left to right:

• MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter - I like this highlighter but it's a bit on the pink side so may not suit all skin types. I do find that if I'm too heavy handed it looks a bit intense...but for the £2.50 I paid for it when it was on offer, I can't complain too much!
• MUA Eyeshadow 001 - I brought  this as some people had said it was nice as a highlighter an  it really is! Again, you need to be quite light handed with it as its quite pigmented (being an eyeshadow you would expect this!) But used correctly it leaves a really nice shimmer on your skin and if you accidentally put too much on (leaving a white streak....) it buffs out really easily too!
• DiorSkin Nude 001 - This highlighter is simply beautiful. It's the most expensive one I have in my collection and I brought it because it was almost identical to my 17 one that I loved so much (but was a limited edition a few years ago...damn it!) It is simply the most beautiful thing I've ever owned make-up wise. It's very subtle and just gives a really nice light highlight to your cheekbones/cupids bow etc. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a highlighter that goes a long way and is very subtle. I know it's a tad expensive (£32 I think...) but it was totally worth the money!
• bareMinerals Turn On Highlighter - This is practically a loose version of the Dior one. It's very very pretty but a tiny bit more pink toned. My only issues with this one is the fact that it's so pigmented that you do have to be careful when applying it. A tiny bit goes a long way! (which is good as it'll last ages!) I got this in a set a while ago so I don't know if you can get this particular one any more, but they do radiance's that are just as pretty.
• bareMinerals Champagne Diamond Radiance - Again, this was part of a Christmas set a while ago but is so so pretty that I hope there is one that matches it for when this one runs out. It's a bit more bronze toned than the rest so works really nicely when I'm going for a more bronzed goddess (HA!) look.

Same as above but with flash on. I think this shows the shimmer of all the highlighters nicely but also shows how the MUA ones are distinctly more intense than the others.

So there's (most) of my highlighters and my thoughts on them. What do you guys think of my small collection? Any that you can recommend for me to keep my habit going strong??

Until next time,

xoxo

Comparison: Highend Vs Highstreet Pink Lip Products

Hello!

So here's another comparison for you! This one is on the same lines as my red lip product review but just with pink lip products instead (obviously....) So basically I take a random sample of my collection and let you know which one I would pick out of all of them. Fun right?? Now then, I own a hell of a lot of pink lip colours so I've narrowed this one down a little bit so I don't over load you guys with the ridiculous amount of pinks...also my arm wouldn't be long enough to swatch them all I don't think! Anyway, on with the comparison....

Swatches in the same order as above. From left to right:

• Dior Addict Lipstick in 579 Must Have - Love the colour of this lipstick but the colour payoff isn't massive. Very nice for just a slick of colour.
• BareMinerals Pretty Amazing Lip Colour in Ambition - One of my favourite work colours. Such great colour and staying power!
• BareMinerals Pretty Amazing Lip Colour in Moxie - Another favourite work colour. It's a really nice light pink for a more natural look.
• MAC Lipstick in Lickable - My first and only MAC lipstick (so far...) highly pigmented and has amazing staying power.
• 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Bolshie - More of a sheer colour but still has pretty good colour payoff I find.
• Barry M Lip Paint in Touch of Magic (green to pink) - I love this colour because of the fun factor (and for the finished colour) but it is a tad annoying when you can't really see where it's going and you end up with pink just over your lip (you can rub it off but it's difficult with this one!) Once it's on though, that's it! I've even woken up the next day going "what?? How is there any left on?!?!" 
• ELF Mineral Lipstick in Rich Raspberry - I like the feel of this one. It's very soft on your lips.
• Natural Collection Lipstick in Raspberry - I love this lipstick. I practically lived in it this time last year. 
• 17 Berry Crush Lip Stain in Pinkini - Love the colour and staying power...but that fact that it seems to dry up when you're using it is a real pain!

Winner: Highend - MAC totally wins this one (based on one lipstick...) because I bloody love the colour, the payoff and the staying power! Barry M is close but is quite drying too which brought it down a few points. Special mention to the Natural Collection lipsticks though - these are my favourite highstreet ones but they lost points for colour selection (possibly only a problem in my local Boots?)

Swatches same as above from left to right:

• Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss in 152 Socialite Pink - Considering I don't really like the feel of lipgloss generally....this is beautiful! It's really good colour payoff but not sticky at all.
• BareMinerals Natural Lipgloss in Heartcake - I like the way this feels on my lips too. Not sticky and just a swish of colour.
• Buxom Lipgloss in Gina - I love the colour of this but sometimes you don't want one that's got a plumping effect.
• Buxom Lipgloss in Berry Blast - This is one of the cream finish ones which gives much more colour than a normal gloss. However, the tingle is still there so it's not one of my everyday ones now.
• Barry M Lipgloss in Limited Edition (no name!) - No then, this isn't strictly pink but I've only ever used it over pink lipsticks so it's got a pink tinge to it now (gross right?!) This isn't sticky but it feels a bit....slimy on my lips. I'm not a fan of being able to taste the fragrance in it either.

Winner: Highend - Nothing will ever beat the Dior lipgloss for me. I really don't like the feel of gloss so the fact that I can only barely feel this gloss is a massive bonus for me. I LOVE the colour of this one too and would be interested in looking at more. This might a little skewed because I do only really own one highstreet gloss in the pink ranges though, but I've owned more and given them away for being too sticky or too sweet smelling/tasting!

So there's my few comparisons for pink lip products.... Do you guys have any recommendations for lip products? Anything I'm missing out on lipgloss wise?? 

Until next time,

xoxo

Comparison: Highend Vs Highstreet Red Lip Products

Hello!

So I decided to do this sort of blog post last night when I was trying out a new way to style my hair....obviously I couldn't get the full look without doing my makeup at 8pm in the evening right?? (I call this use of my time "snow madness" I've literally not left the house in 3 days now. I'm so bored!!)  Anyway, I put on my beloved Estee Lauder red lippy and decided it wasn't quite what I wanted....so I delved into my case of stuff that I just don't use much anymore, but still totally love. 

Quick Sidenote: This is the one curse of working on a makeup counter I think. I literally can't wear anything but BareMinerals on a day to day basis, and whilst I love BM products, this does mean that a lot of stuff that I love gets neglected, only being used for "special occasions" (or on nights when I'm trying out new looks obviously...) My Naked palette literally hasn't been used in 6 months now I don't think, which is annoying as I love it so don't want to gift it on to someone but I never get to use it! 

So, I delved into my beauty case of goodies and fished out my MUA lipstick in Shade 1 and was completely overwhelmed with how good it looked and how it was exactly the right shade of red for that look! So I had a little look around in the case and was a little shocked to discover that I had a rather large range of lip products that I had forgotten about! I also discovered that I had a range that went from highend to highstreet...hence this post! I always really like posts when people compare highend and highstreet because I find it really interesting how some products can come out on top when they only cost £1 or something crazy like that! I'm going to try and keep this short by not reviewing each individual piece in full, but just by giving you swatches and opinions on my personal favourites...(we'll see how this goes!)

From Left to Right (swatches in the same order as products above): 

Estee Lauder Pure Color Vivid Shine Lipstick in Forbidden Apple - Beautiful deep red but packed with shimmer. More of a night out look. Very good staying power though and minimal bleeding.

Dior Addict Extreme in 536 Lucky (sample size) - Quite a pinky red. Not great colour payoff either really. Wouldn't buy the full size.

Barry M 121 - Was given this by a friend who never wears red lipstick, which was good because it's way too orange toned for me, so I'm glad I didn't buy this myself! Colour payoff is great but just WAY too orange. I look like the Joker with this on!

ELF Mineral Lipstick in Cheerful Cherry - Non-drying, non-bleeding almost perfect deep red. Very impressed!

ELF Lipstick in Posh - Almost identical to the other ELF one, just cheaper packaging! 

Natural Collection Lipstick in Cherry Red - I love this lipstick colour as it's a little bit brighter but still a deep red if that makes sense? It's a little drying though so lip balm is needed.

MUA Lipstick in Shade 1 - This is amazing for one whole pound!! It looks really similar to my Estee Lauder one, just without the shimmer. Lip liner is very much needed with this though as it's really soft but bleeds LOADS if you're not careful!

ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Cherry Tarts - Eh. I really liked this once, but I'm more about the bold colour at the moment. Maybe I'll fall back in love in the summer. It's stickier than I remember too.

17 Berry Crush Lip Stain in Smokin' Hot (I think - major downside to this one is that the colour name is on the plastic wrap and not on the product at all!) - I loved this when I first bought it but after two uses I was just angry with it. It's good for popping over lipsticks to lock them in though....which is something I guess!

Winner: Highstreet - MUA Shade 1 for a perfect deep red shade for me! For a pound I was SO impressed with how this lipstick felt and lasted on my lips, especially when I would say it was comparable to the Estee Lauder one! The only thing the Lauder is better at is not bleeding AS much and I'm happy to shove a lip liner on first for a perfect deep red shade thanks! - Special mention to the ELF ones too as they have great staying power, but the shades aren't exactly what you see on the website so go careful!

Sometimes I like to a balm over the top of my red lipstick and sometimes I like it to be red toned so I can change/enhance the colour of the lipstick a little bit so I have a handful of balm/glosses to do such a thing...

Left to Right (Same as top to Bottom in above picture):

Maybelline Shinylicious Fruity Gloss in 804 Raspberry - Brought this YEARS ago (tut tut I know!) and it's still fine, but a little bit too sticky for me.

Natural Collection Tinted Lip Balm in Raspberry Rhumba - I'm not sure if they still do these anymore but I do like the feel of this as it isn't sticky but the colour pay off is pretty good too. Possibly a bit too pink for me  and the smell/taste of this is a bit gross.

Clarins Dynamic Red Lip Balm - This was a free gift with something a while back I think but the girl at work found a stash of them in her cupboard....and we're allowed to take 2 samples home per week...and as this is marked "not for sale" on the back, it technically counts! (Quick note, no, we aren't allowed to take anything marked for testers!) The photo above does it no justice at all as it's actually a deep red with very fine shimmer in it. Completely enhances any red and adds the bit of glossiness I want without leaving my lips sticky! Smells lovely too!

Winner: Highend - Clarins Lip Balm is a real winner for me...makes any drying lipstick perfectly fine for my lips and gives a great deep red colour to all my lipsticks! Makes my lips look and feel kissable!

So what do you guys think? Am I missing any perfect Reds from my collection? Any highstreet red lip balms you can recommend? (I think the Clarins one was limited edition! Nooooo!)

Until next time,

xoxo