Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner: Review

Being an avid fan of eyeliner, both under my eye and on the lid, means that I am always partial to beauty bargains. Last week while shopping for my product "up-dates", you know yourself, every so often you have to have to pop  along to Boots to re-stock your beauty bag. Well, during mine last week I spotted Rimmel promotions, including their latest mascara to the range "Scandeleyes Rockin Curves", offering a few euros off, which I couldn't resist! In the end I bought the above mascara, some Natural Collection concealer and lip gloss and today's featured product "Scandeleys Eyeliner".

The biggest point to note at this moment is that I am very particular with the way I like my eye liner to sit on my lid. For my under eye I tend to stick to pencil liner as it stays on longer and isn't as difficult to apply, but it is strictly gel liner "pitch black" effect on top. My usual Rimmel product of choice is "Exaggerate Eye Liner" and this new liner style does not add up in comparison. First of all if you like your liner really dark this is not the product for you. It comes out more like a faded black which is only really acceptable at the end of the day when you are falling into bed. Well, it doesn't last until the end of the day anyway. If it is still visible at lunch your doing well. Another aspect of the product that has me on edge is that I don't think I am going to get very long out of it , this mainly due to the fact that I have it less than a week and it seems to be drying up already. The "Exaggerate" product has a  refill pot which the brush sits into allowing to achieve the ideal jet black lines above the eyes. Overall I am very disappointed with this product and if you are a keen eye liner wearer such as myself I would say stay away from this.

Another promotion that Rimmel are doing at the minute includes the eye shadow chubby sticks as part of the "Scandeleys", I bought one in the deeper purple shade. Last week I went out with a few friends and wore this shade to brighten up my make up (nude lip, basic contouring) and it did exactly just that, it looked great! What I loved the most is that it lasted until I got home and I didn't have to re-touch once (I wish the same could be said for my eyeliner).  I will be picking up one in every shade available.

Love C X

Be Happy, with your Foundation!

Over the past number of years I have tried many, and I mean many, different brands of foundation. At first I am always happy with the initial results, they tend to blend well and give the radiant effect that we all crave. But over time, usually this time frame being a few weeks, the initial happiness fades and I find myself back at square one, trying to find a new foundation to buy.

I always find that a true test of how good a foundation really is is how it holds up by the end of the working day. Working in retail translates to being on your feet all day and generally a lot of physical movements, so naturally this has an effect on how you look by the time 6 pm arrives. When I realise that the foundation that I have bought cannot see me through this period I simply move on to the next. But alas! I think my may have finally found my foundation heaven in the form of Clinique "Stay Matte".

Clinique was first recommended to me by a friend about six months ago but it was actually the "Even Better" foundation that I was told to try. Now I did try this option but it just did not suit my skin type at all (oily to combination) so I browsed the brand for alternative foundations and this is when I decided to try "Stay Matte". I wasn't hopeful at first as many had let me down in the past. At the beginning I was pleasantly surprised with the results, it gave me the radiance, easy to blend, there was a shade to match my skin tone (004 Fair) and above all it still looked in tact by the end of the day. With my type of skin foundation tends to look particularly shiny even after I have applied powder and previous matte foundations that I have tried have all resulted in my skin looking "cakey". So trying to find the perfect option which will offer a matte effect with just the appropriate amount of shine has always been a struggle, so I was genuinely shocked that I found all of this with this product.


Six months later and I am still blissfully happy with Clinique "Stay Matte". Only in recent years have I understood the value of truly investing in brand (expensive) beauty products, the value being the long lasting beautifying effects. Not that this product costs much, 27 Euro is actually a bargain for how happy I am with it but is still a significant difference if you are accustomed to buying your foundation in Boots. This is the only product from the brand that I am using at the minute but now I am considering investing in other items, such as the chubby sticks, pressed powder or nail varnish (which I have also heard is really good).

Clinique is also a brand that I had never thought to buy before it was recommended to me.  I was very determined for certain brands, such as MAC, to work for my skin tone and this was partly because everything else from that brand worked so well on my skin and I love them. But you have to listen to your skin and if it works with a specific brand or product you must stick to this until you feel it longer continues delivering these results. If like me you have struggled with different foundations over the years I urge you to give this a try because it may just be what you have been looking for.

Love C X 

The Future is Looking Bright

A new year can only mean one thing; new trends! This generally equals to the fact that new colours are coming that we are all going to be lusting after. Looking at this from a beauty perspective always fascinates me; how is it that everyone,with a vast range of complexions and skin tones, can all wear certain shades so well.

Moving into spring/summer '14 has already given me hope for bright colours. With this in mind I have reason to believe that colours that we we all want to brand our lips with are soft berries and electric oranges. We seem to have exhausted every other form of berry so it only seems natural to test the waters with a lighter shade. Personally, I am a massive fan of deeper burgundy shades. They create a bigger impact and compliment my features better. Now I am not saying that I will not at least try these shades but with regards orange, I am not feeling too confident.

This orange come back reminds me of the 90's era where everything was a lightly bit brighter and crazier. 2013 saw the decade become very trendy again with the help of  Miley Cyrus, midi crop tops and high waisted denims, so it was only a matter of time before the colours which defined the 90's was going to make an appearance.

As I write this I am trying to figure out how I will style this shade. My new colour (clothes wise) is white, so I'm thinking this could be a great team together. With regards products, I'm putting my money on Michael Kors Lip Lacquer in Dame and Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids Lipstick in Electric Orange.

Soft berry is a gorgeous to play with, particularly for day time wear. Given rise to a gentle finish for your look will definitely compliment clean, fresh colours such as white, beige and grey, all of which I am embracing in the coming months.

Happy New Year! 

Love C X 

Best Beauty Brand of 2013

As all hard working women know, it can often be difficult to find a make that will last all day. By biggest issue is the effect that make up leaves after it has begun to fade; scaly, dry and overall unattractive.  So I have been searching for products and tips which can improve the length of my make up since I began to wearing it. During this time I have tried and tested almost every make up brand in the form of foundations, powders, bronzers, lipsticks or eye beauty, which could not only go the distance but have the consistency to continue to give me the look that made me fall in love with a brand.

One day while browsing in Penney's I decided to have a look at the beauty counter which is usually just by the till, primarily Catrice, Essence and NYC products.  Now I love buying new make products and I especially love a bargain so this was the perfect combination. The first brand that I starting picking up products was Catrice and I think on that first day I bought eyeliner, mascara, foundation and an eye shadow, and the best part was the total was around 10 Euro. Not only did I love the price but I went on to love the products.

I started using the "matte mousse" first and loved the results. It gives great results for a flawless effect and lasted longer than most foundations for a reasonable 4.50 Euro, although I think the price may be slightly higher these days. I no longer use this product because I found after time I realized this was not the best foundation for my skin type (combination). My skin feels its best when using "matte" foundations so I now use Clinque "Stay Matte" and the results are amazing. Also with this Catrice foundation it only lasts for about 2-3 weeks which can be irritating having to constantly go in and buy more! The eye shadows are also extremely great value and the brand offer a vast range of colours and tones to choose from.

But it was the following product which was the clear winner for me; Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing Refiner. I had previously used Smashbox Primer as it is suppose to have the best results but I wasn't sold. It was alright but it was definitely not worth the money and didn't have that much of an impact on my make up so I couldn't understand the obsession and it mad be reluctant to try primers again. But I did! This primer not only kept my make up on ALL day but it retained that smooth, just applied look also. It is by far my favorite beauty find of 2013. 

The brands lip liners are also very effective. As a newbie to the lip liner world I dare not compare it to the effects of larger brands products but it converted me. My grads was a few months ago and it was my first experience using it with lip stick. I went for the nude effect and was very impressed with the  results; long lasting and beautiful natural tones. 

So there you have it, another year and another beauty discovery. Let me know if any of you are using any of Catrices products and what you think of them.

Love C X 

All I want for Christmas.......

So I've decided to put together a little list of gifts/gift ideas that could make good presents for sisters, girlfriends, friends, secret Santa and also things that I would love to receive, so it's a mix of both really. This is purely based on my personal taste but it may give you an idea of what to get someone if you are struggling to think of something.


1. Etsy Phone Cover 

Over the past few months I have discovered Etsy, which basically is an online platform for really creative people to sell pieces that they have made or designed such as jewellery, clothes, personalised blogger templates and phone covers, just to name a few (there's much more). But as someone who loves a good phone cover I always find that etsy.com by far have the most original designs and completely unique from anything that you will find in any Carphone Warehouse shop. Also they are priced higher than your average phone cover but this is because they are one of a kind hand made gifts, and still reasonable to justify paying the premium. Below are some of the phone covers that I love which can be found by clicking into the Etsy link above.

2. Fur Gillet

For the winter it is essential to wrap up because it seems to be getting colder each year. So fur is the obvious choice, yes? And now I am mad about the idea of a fur gillet and was absolutely delighted to find this amazing one in my local Promod, and I wasn't even aware of this shop until recently. When I buy from the high street I usually try and stick to a specific budget and this would normally be out of my budget so I'm really hoping that if I drop enough subtle hints that it may just appear under my tree on the 25th........

3. Free People 

This next idea is inspired by a website called freepeople.com, which is an online fashion boutique based in Australia. I love this place because every thing they sell is bohemian themed and if I could afford it I would literally buy the whole website, but I can't! So for the minute I have just hand picked my favourite bits.

Khaki Vest $13

Denim Waistcoat $170

Beige Denims $22

Tan Ankle boots $145

Black Soft Leather Satchel $465 

All can be purchased at freepeople.com

4. Instagram Gifts

Instagram is fast becoming one of the most popular platforms for social media addicts. Personalli I cant get enough of it (@cicijewels) and think that these personalised gifts centred around photos that have been posted by your friends are a really nice and thoughtful gift. The following are just a few ways that you can create a really special gift for someone.

 StitchGram
This site allows you to personalise gifts such as pillows, christmas stockings, bags and purses.

Printstagr

These guys can professioanl print your instagram pictures and put it together like a book/memoir so you can remember those special moments long after your post has been published. 

Postgram

So if you have at least 50 images on your instagram account these guys can create a stunning poster similar to the one below. 

5. MAC Eyeshadow Palette 


AS I've stated previously, during the winter months I prefer to go darker and edgier with eye make up (even during the day), so I am always on the look out for colours that  1) I haven't used before or 2) that I haven't used in awhile. Right now I am searching for deep purple tones with a glitter underlay. It is also a common fact that investing in eye shadow palettes is definitely the way to go because of the variety of colours, tones and endless experimenting.  MAC offer a great palette containing four base eye shadows (of your choice) for 40 Euro. This is amazing value and will definitely make nay girl happy.

6. Downton Abbey Season 4 

If any of you follow me on twitter (@cicijewels) you will already know that I am OBSESSED with this series. Last Christmas I got the boxset with series 1, 2 and 3, and spent the rest of the month gripped by Lady Mary, The Crawleys and the waiting staff. If you haven't seen any of it, invest! And if you have I would say pick up season 4 because it doesn't disappoint.

7. MAC Lipstick and Liner 




So instead of picking obvious colours for my next lipstick purchase I decided to be a little bit more adventurous and I am going with brown! Normally I would not even think twice about this but while sampling various shades at the MAC counter, I really surprised myself at how much I warmed to the earthy tones. I finally settled on a tone : Lusturing  Lipstick  and Film Noir Lip Liner to match. A great fresh look for the party season which will be sure to grab some attention!



So that's it! My list is short but sweet and if I could have it all I would be a very happy girl :) Wishful thinking........

Hope you found this interesting/helpful.

Love C X 

November Loves .....

Chiffon Blouse, H&M, 18 Euro

Levi Acid Ripped Denims, Etsy, 34 Euro

Kookie Black Heel Platform, SPY LOVE BUY, 31 Euro

Double Triangle Necklace, Accessory Foundry, 27 Euro

Eastern Delight Rings, ASOS.com, 20 Euro

Floppy Brim Fedora, Rag & Bone, 130 Euro

BlissfulCASE Galaxy Pink Cover, Boticca, 22 Euro

60's Collection Lennon Glasses, 80's Purple, 6.69 Euro 

Heart of Flames Nail Polish, Etsy, 6.69 Euro 

Love C X 

Girl with the Iron Mask

This year I am really excited about Halloween. I love dressing up, but in particular I love dressing up in Gothic attire. I know Halloween is usually themed with death, blood and gore, but this year I am taking a slightly different approach. While in Paris I stumbled across this amazing costume shop (which was also really cheap) near Hotel Du Ville, and while looking around I found the most beautiful range of masks ever. After trying everything on I decided on a black lace masquerade style face piece and a matching black feather for my hair. This has pretty much been the focus for arranging my costume for this year. I have been racking my brain as to what clthes to wear with this, but I think I nearly have everything in place. 

The next big task when putting a creative costume together is figuring out what what to do with your hair and make up! For Halloween, the focus for your face is the crazier the better. I have this image in my mind that I am going to paint my face white, in contrast to the black mask for dramatic impact and bold black/deep purple lips. At the moment I am still experimenting with colours and styles of how this look will piece together on the night but I will do a follow up post of my whole look and how I put it all together. 

                     

 

                             

 

As I have blonde hair, I think the black mask will go well because of the disparity of tones. Similarly, I would advise that any brunettes to opt for a white or lighter shade mask for a resembling result. My plan is to use a silver coloured spray to add a "deathly" image to my look, crimp and backbrush. Lots of hairspray will be needed also so I have been stocking up! 

Although the last image above has nothing to do with the masqerade look that I am going for, I love it! Maybe this could be a look for next year :) 

Everything about my costume will be up very soon including what products I used and where they were bought. 

Love C X