Orange Lips...

Hey ladies, I hope you all had a fantastic June Bank Holiday Weekend! I'd a great time, went out Friday, had a rest Saturday, and hit the town again yesterday! :) It was great to catch up with friends and have a good gossip, and scout out some potential talent ;)
Anyway, given that I've seen orange lips everywhere this Summer, I decided I wanted to give it a try. I'm a little bit apprehensive about colours like these because they can often wash me out and just look ridiculous on me! But I decided I'd pick up something cheap to try the trend, and if I didn't like it there was no harm done.

The one I decided to try was from one of my favourite brands Catrice, more specifically the Ultimate Colour Range. This range comes in sleek black packaging, which make it look more expensive than its less than 5 euro price tag. It also has the brand name embossed into the actually product, which I think is another lovely touch.
The shade I picked up was shade 50, Princess Peach, ( cute right?) To me this is a beautiful light orange shade, which isn't too over powering, which is what I wanted given that I was dipping my toe into the orange pool for the first time.

Formula wise, it was so comfortable, it glided on to my lips effortlessly, and left a creamy, glossy sheen. It applied lightly, but I built it up to get more colour. Time wise, it didn't last too long, but given that I was eating and drinking, I wasn't too surprised. But reapplying lip products isn't something that bothers me too much.
Overall, I'm really glad I picked it up, and I do genuinely really like it! Paired with a neutral eye and lashings of mascara, it's the perfect shade for Summer, if it ever arrives that is! I also picked up a more vibrant shade from the Penney's range, but I'm yet to try this, but I shall let you all know when I do! :)

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Catrice Liquid Metal Single Shadow in Gold N Roses

Over recent months I've developed an obsession with Rose Gold. I bought a ridiculous amount of rose gold jewelry (cheap costume jewelry  of course), my lovely parents got me a watch as a gift, and I went on a hunt for the perfect Rose Gold nail polish, (I think I found it, its a Max Factor one). I then picked up the Naked 3 palette, and while I love that don't get me wrong, I still felt I was missing a true Rose Gold eyeshadow, mental eh? But while I was in Penneys the other day, I wandered over to the Catrice stand as I always do and left with The One. Pretty big statement right? But look at it! If that's not the perfect Rose Gold shade I don't know what is!

The Catrice Liquid Metal shadow's are highly pigmented shadows, which have a super metallic finish, which come in a range of colours, to suit either day wear or night wear. The embossment of these is so cool aswell. Its almost like 3D snakeskin!

Application is so easy with these aswell, the formula is fantastic, so pigmented and creamy. I tend to use this on its own for day wear as its just so pretty, but I'm sure it'll look great blended with other shadows for other looks, (I'm not that creative).
Altogether there's 9 shades in the range, and at around 4/5 euro each, you can afford to have them all in your collection! ;)

Have you tried these?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Catrice Nail Polish in 'Karl Says Tres Chic'

Don't get me wrong, every girl needs a few bright nail polishes in her collection, but she also equally needs more toned down wearable shades for every day. I've tried a variety of nude shades and they just don't work for me at all. Nudes just make me look like a mannequin in a shop window, so if I want a nice neutral nail that's not going to offend anybody at an interview or something like that, I go for in a soft or light pink.
The colour I'm talking about today is neither soft, nor light but it works and is a colour that's not going to draw too much attention or looks of disgust. Its Catrice's nail polish in 'Karl Says Tres Chic' which was part of the 'Ultimate Nudes Collection' so I'm not 100 percent sure if its still available on stands, and if its not, well its a travesty I tell thee! ( I've just checked the Catrice site, it has been re released, whoop!)

Now the name itself to me is something special, as I picked this up one day at a stand after going back with something that was broken and the polish just caught my eye and I grabbed it. I only noticed the name after I got out of the shop, and Karl was actually my brothers name who unfortunately passed away when he was 13, so to me this is a message from above! :)
Anyway the polish itself is a beautiful creamy neutral pink, it just goes with anything. I have found the formula of Catrice Nail Polishes to be fairly decent, and this is no exception. One coat of the polish gives fairly opaque coverage, but I generally tend to apply 2 coats anyway just to make it last a bit longer.
The brush is also a thick enough brush that makes it easy to disperse product over the nail in just one swipe without making a mess, which I somehow always manage to do!
Catrice polishes are cheap as chips at around the 4 euro mark, and come in a great selection of colours, and they also have a great choice of glitter polishes which are perfect as top coats, or else to use as an accent nail.

Have you tried any Catrice Polishes?
What do you think?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Penney's/Primark Picks!

So more or less since Christmas, I am being very sensible and trying not to shop needlessly, because I'm going away in a few weeks time and want to save as much as possible for that. I could easily go in to Penney's and spend 80 or 90 euro in one go, but I've been doing well lately and haven't bought anything in there really in weeks! Until now that is. I've been so good that I decided I could go in and pick up just a few bits to brighten up my wardrobe for when Spring eventually realises that its late getting here and the sun comes out!

First up I bought socks. Lots of socks. I don't know why I bought so many really because its not like anyone  is going to see them except me. I just couldn't resist the quirky colours and animals! I think my favourites though are the ones on the right, which are so so handy for wearing with pumps and open shoes in the summer. I hate wearing shoes without socks, and I won't wear popsocks (smelly feet central), so these are perfect as they are cotton like normal socks, so they don't make your feet sweat too much.

Its not  a trip to Penney's without a look in the accessories section. They have so many pretty things in there, including some beautiful sequined bags, but I restrained myself and just picked up this trio of bracelets. I love the colours, and the different designs all within the one bracelet! It came in plenty of other colours but this was my favourite.

Can anyone go into Penney's without checking out the make up? Just me? I spotted these eyeshadow palettes on the Essence stand and I couldn't decide between the two of them, so I got both. The first one has some really pretty pastel colours, which will make some really nice eye looks when the weather picks up, and the second one has more neutral colours in it. The colours seem to have a pink tone to them, reminding me of the Naked 3 palette, so I figured I'd give it a go. They were only 4.89 euro each, and there was other colours in them aswell, so well worth a look I think!
I spotted  these Catrice 8 Hour Lip Polishes online a few weeks back and HAD to have them. The idea seems similar to the YSL Glossy stains, the colour of a lipstick, with the shine of a gloss and a staining effect after the glossiness wears off, topped off with the promise of 8 hours wear time! I picked up two shades, Mission Pinkpossible, which is a really bright blue toned pink, and Strawberry's Secret, which to me is a nice light coral colour. I'll  be putting these through their paces in the next few weeks and doing a review, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

To finish I picked up some shoes. I love when the weather gets a bit warmer to get rid of my boots and heavier shoes and go for something light and girly, so when I saw these I had to pick up a couple of colours. They're so light and they're not completely flat so they'll be nice and comfy, and they'll go with lots of different bits and pieces, especially jeans and nice tops!
To match the coral shoes I then picked up this jumper to match. I know they look slightly different colours here, but I promise they are a lot closer in real life! Also, this jumper is a huge fit, I've ended up taking it in a size 6, and its still very big!

Have you ladies done any shopping lately?
If so what have you bought?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

February Favourites...

Hey everyone, happy March! Ok so I'm a couple of days late but I'm a bit stuffed up with a cold and had been feeling just meh. But now I'm back with a months full of favourites!


First up I've been really getting back into my  Undress Me Too eyeshadow palette from MUA. Its a pretty identical dupe for the Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay from what I've read online and I've rediscovered it this month. Its made up of a range of different neutral colour eyeshadows ranging from mattes to shimmers and its perfect for creating either a natural every day look or else a smokey night time look. And its a steal at just under 5 euro!

Sleek is one of my favourite brands and I especially love the blushes. This month I'm loving the shade Rose Gold. Again its hailed as a really good dupe for Nars Orgasm, but I can't compare because I don't own it, but I love Sleek's offering. Its a beautiful pink coral shade with gold shimmer throughout it, and it transfers on to the face really nicely, as it gives the colour of blush, but the shimmer leaves a really nice highlight. I shall definitely be wearing this throughout the summer when I get a bit of a tan. (When I say tan I mean red. Up to my elbows')

I recently ran out of my beloved Healthy Mix, and rather than going straight out and buying a new bottle, I decided I'd be good and raid my foundation drawer. (Don't judge me). The first one I tried was another Rimmel one which I can't think of the name of, but after a few uses I ran out of that one! Aaaagh!! But anyway, I then reached for my Wake Me Up Foundation instead, and its all I've reached for the last few weeks. I find its a really light coverage but I've had a really bad break out the last  few days, and I found it was easily enough built up to cover it. It just makes me look awake and healthy, and makes me look like I've lovely glowy skin, when its in fact the opposite at the moment.

My lips have been ridiculously dry this month and its taken ages to get them somewhat back to normal, then I go and get a headcold and I'm right back to where I started! But because of this I haven't been able to wear lipstick which has been killing me! However I have been wearing gloss without too much hassle, and I've really loved this Catrice Infinite Shine Lipgloss in Pink Up Your Life. Its a lovely pink with gold shimmer through, its very like the Rose Gold Blush, except in lipgloss form. I don't know why I left it to the side for so long, because its a super creamy gloss, and there's no stickiness at all, not like other glosses I've tried. It doesn't last too long, but I have no problem reapplying it a few times a day anyway!

There's one fragrance I haven't been able to get enough in February either, and its Caroline Heherra  L'Eau, which is one I picked up in Lanzarote a couple of years back. This is my second bottle of the stuff, and after using up the first bottle I had bought, I couldn't wait to get back to Spain to pick up another bottle as it couldn't be got here. I'm rubbish at describing scents, but if you could put Spring and Summer in a bottle then this would be it. Its just so fresh and it gives me an instant lift as soon as I put it on. It contains notes of Lemon and Orange Tree Flowers, Jasmine, and Apple Tree Flowers, but deeper  notes like Sandalwood also, so its while its sweet, it still has enough deeper notes to keep it from being sickly.

So that's it for this month! Not a whole lot of products really, but honestly they are the ones I have reached for without giving a second thought this month.

What have you all been loving?
I'd love to know. :)

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

How much is your face worth?

Sometimes the urge takes me to just sit down and empty everything out of my make up bag so I can see what I'm using frequently and what can be put back in my drawer until such a time I'm going to use them. This week in particular I emptied everything out and then thought to myself about the cost of all the make up I have. Like most other make up junkies, I have gathered quite a lot, and although some of it has been given to me as presents and what not, I would imagine it all still adds up to a fairly large amount. So today I thought I'd do something a bit different and discover how much the make up I actually use on a daily basis adds up to, therefore telling me 'how much my face is worth', well for today at least!
I could be cheating a bit by not putting in my moisturisers etc, but that's for another day!

Let's get cracking!
First up is the face products:
Primer: Benefit The Porefessional: 34.00
Foundation: Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Compact Foundation: 9.45 (A present)
Concealer: Catrice Camouflage Concealer: 3.49
Blush: Sleek Rose Gold: 5.49
 Total: 52.43 (ouch)

Eyes:  
Base:Maybelline Colour Tattoo On and On Bronze: 10.49
Eyeshadow: MUA Undressed Palette: 4.87
Mascara : Mac Opulash: 18.00 (This was part of a giftset at Christmas) 
Total: 33.36

Lips: Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub: £5.50 (so around 6.69 euro)
Lip Gloss: Catrice Infinite Shine Lip Gloss: (Not sure of exact price, around 4 euro)
Lip Balm: Lush Honey Trap: £5.75 (part of Christmas gift set,) around 6.98 euro
Total: 17.67

Total altogether: 103.46

Wow. I honestly didn't think it would come to that, and OK its not as high as it could be in comparison to others say that use more high end products, its still a lot of money to be putting on your face, that instead say you could be putting towards a holiday or a new car or something like that. But that's the joys of make up I guess! And what harm, sure we could be doing worse! ;)


What about you?
Have you tried this before? How did yours compare to mine?
Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

How I Conceal and Correct

It would be great if we could all wake up each morning looking absolutely perfect, but for most of us this is not the case. I don't know about everyone else, but in the last couple of years the pores on my nose seem to have got significantly larger, and there seems to be a lot more redness on and around my nose than there used to be. So much so that no matter what primer or foundation I use it still seems to shine through. I'm used to light to medium coverage bases, and my skin is generally quite clear, so I'm not willing to switch to a fuller coverage base just to cover up a bit of redness in one particular area. If it was all over my face, or I had a lot of blemishes, then it may be something I'd consider. For now, I've figured out what works for me at the moment, so until it stops to work I'm going to stick to it like glue.
The two main area's I always conceal and correct no matter what are my nose and under my eyes.

Nose: I've mentioned the problem I have with my nose already so I won't dwell on it again, but I'll just explain what I do to fix it. If you're familiar with the Colour Wheel, you'll know that red is a primary colour, and green is its complementary colour because its across from it on the wheel. So if you put green on top of red, it will cancel it out altogether. So if you have problems with redness on your skin, if you use a green tone concealer on these red areas, they will eliminate the redness. The one I currently use is the green shade from the Catrice 'All Round Concealer' palette. This palette is so handy as it contains a green, pink (to counteract dark circles,) and 3 beige shades to suit differing skin tones. Its really inexpensive aswell which is always a bonus! I apply the concealer to my nose with my finger, and then blend it in with my Real Techniques Flat Foundation brush as its a middling size so it blends in the product quite nicely. The product itself is also really creamy so its easy to work with. And voila, redness is gone!

                                                    Maybelline's The Eraser (mine is disgusting and empty)
Under Eyes: The reason I conceal my under area is for the same reason as most others, dark circles! For most people, the area under there eyes will be of a purple/blue hue. If you look to the Colour Wheel to see the complimentary colour this, you'll see its yellow. Henceforth, a good colour to disguise the bags under the eyes is yellow. The area under the eye can be more difficult to find a concealer for because if you choose something to thick, it'll end up cakey and sitting in the lines around the eye. A more liquid concealer is perfect for this job as it blends in easier. I know a lot of people use Mac's Pro Long Wear Concealer for under the eyes, and I am hoping to pick it up when I go away, but for now I'm using two others. (At least I was until it one of those ran out).Those two are the Maybelline The Eraser, and Wet n Wilds Cover All Concealer.  Unfortunately I've ran out of the Maybelline one, and its 11 euro here, and something like 8.99 dollars, so naturally enough I'm going to stock up when I get over there instead of buying it here. ;) In fairness though it is a pretty good product. It comes with a little sponge applicator on the top, which some people don't like but I wasn't bothered about either way. Its a nice light liquid product, so it blends like a dream, it counteracts the darkness under my eyes, and brightens the area up all at the same time.

Until I get to New York though I'm going to use the Wet n Wild Cover All Concealer, which I picked up partly out of curiosity, it was only 2.99 or so, so it wasn't going to break the bank if it wasn't good. However though I was really impressed. Its another liquid product, but its a little bit thicker in consistency than the Maybelline one, but not so thick that it cakes and creases. In fact it blends really easily, and it actually offers more coverage than The Eraser. After using my concealer of choice I then set it with a powder, the one I'm currently using is the Rimmel Stay Matte.

Lastly, for the odd time I do get a whopper of a spot, I don't tend to wear a lot of make up as it just makes it more noticeable in my opinion. If I'm going somewhere though and can't go Au natural, the concealer of choice is Catrice's Camouflage Cream which is comparable from what I hear to the  Bobbi Brown corrector, accept this stuff is only just over 5 euro if my memory serves me correct. Its amazing, like its industrial strength stuff! It covers anything, and I mean anything! I've previously had scars on my hands from being pure clumsy but after dabbing a bit of this on it you wouldn't know they were even there! It is a very thick concealer though, so it wouldn't be suitable for the likes of under your eyes, but I find it works a dream for spot concealing, and just literally applying the tiniest amount on the pesky buggers!

Sorry this post was so long winded everyone, I didn't realise I used that many concealers on my mug!
Do you use as many as this? If so, which ones?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Catrice Creme Fresh S/S 2014

Catrice is one of my absolute favourite make up brands of all time, and it's not hard to understand why. Great quality products at great prices! At any given stage there is a few Catrice bits in my every day make up bag.
Another thing Catrice are great at is releasing frequent limited edition collections, with there being a new one every couple of months or so.
This newest Spring collection is one that actually has me quite excited I must admit!
Beautiful washes of pastel with a hint of 60's style to it.

There is something for everyone in this collection. It is made up of:

• Creamy Powder Eyeshadow's
• Graduation Blush
• Lip Balms
• Ultimate Nail Lacquer
• Hair, Lash and Brow Colour!

I have to say the Hair Lash and Brow Colour is probably the most interesting thing, its just something that Catrice haven't done before. However I think it will appeal to a lot of people as hair chalks and adding bright colours to the hair is something that has become very popular over the last few months or so.

I'm a bit of a blush hoarder so I think I may have to pick that up, and possibly one or two of the nail polishes.

This collection will be available from January to March 2014 in pharmacies and Penneys.

Anythin here that you all would like to try? 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx

Make Up Monday!

Back to Monday again... Sigh... Wouldn't it be great if there was an extra day at the weekend to get ready for the week ahead? Ah well, a girl can dream I guess. I have to admit this week I was a bit lazy with regards to make up. I wasn't doing a lot so I didn't really bother with a heavy base, but yet I didn't want to leave the house sans make up altogether. That would just be crazy, and I really didn't want to scare all my neighbours. The saviour product I used this week though was Catrice's BB Allround Foundation Multi Benefit Make Up. Ok so quite a long winded name, but basically its Catrice's version of a BB cream! I picked this up on a whim after Laura Cunningham raved about it one morning on Ireland AM. Laura Cunningham really knows her stuff when it comes to beauty products, so I figured if its good enough for her its good enough for little old me! Its a 6 in 1 product which Catrice claim offers Balancing, Correcting, Protecting, Illuminating, Covering, and Moisturising properties.
That's a lot of claims for just one product!

Some of them I don't know would I agree with altogether, such as the balancing property and the moisturising one. I do find it does a very good job of correcting and covering, as it does even out the colour of my skin and does a good job of visibly reducing redness, a lot of which I have on and around my nose. I'm also very impressed with the protection offered in this product, as its Factor 30! Which in itself is amazing as a lot of face products I've seen seem to offer at the most a Factor 15. This product also contains light reflecting pigments which give a more radiant glow to the skin. (At times I use a bit too much and so end up looking shiny, so just beware of that and use a tiny amount.)
Coverage wise, obviously as its a BB cream its a rather light coverage, but that's what  I like about it. Some days I just don't want the hassle of priming my skin and then applying foundation and then powder. This is just so quick and easy, especially for day's your not doing much and are just hanging around the house, but yet want to feel somewhat put together.
Its so handy to use, literally just this, a tiny bit of blush, and mascara and I'm good to go!
There is only 3/4 shades in this, so that is probably the only downside of this, I'm using the lightest shade and it is very yellow, and my skin has more pink undertones, but with a lot of blending in I manage to make it work.
I have a feeling that Catrice are actually to discontinue this, but don't worry if they have because they always reintroduce something very similar within a few weeks, which is partly why I love Catrice, they're always reintroducing new products for me to try! It is very reasonably priced too at 6.99, which is great if you want to try the BB craze!
Catrice can be found at selected pharmacies and Penney's stores nationwide.

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Loved Up Lippies

Everyone loves a bright lipstick don't they? Well what better reason do you need to break them out but Valentines!
Today I thought I'd show you my favourite pink and red lipsticks that are perfect for the rosemantic weekend that's upon us!

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple: Everyone has heard of these by now, and knows how fantastic a product they are. If you're the type of person who usually shys away from red lipsticks, this is the perfect way to slowly dip your toe in the water. With the colour of a lipstick, but the comfort and moisture of a lip balm, these can be built up to a really strong red colour, or can be worn more sheerly with just a wash of colour over the lips. If you're a pink girl rather than a red, Sorbet is a nice alternative. These are 11.20 in Boots and all usual Revlon stockists.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick No 20: The formula of these lipsticks is without a doubt the most comfortable I've ever worn. Really smooth to apply and not at all drying when on the lips. This dark pink is the perfect shade, not too light that it leaves your lips too pale, but not too dark either. These is a matte formula of these lipsticks aswell, but I personally prefer this formula, but hey we're all different! At 6.99 they're really affordable and you can pick up a couple of them for less than the price of one MAC one!

Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in Pinkadilly Circus: This shade from Catrice is a slightly more muted shade of pink  than the Rimmel offering, and so is a little easier to wear. Its a really pigmented lipstick that offers lots of shine at the same time. The lasting power isn't the greatest, but I'm not too bothered about that because I tend to top up my lipsticks a lot, purely out of habit I think at this stage. They are a bargain price at only 5.49 each, and again there is a great selection of colours and finishes to choose from. There are some of them that have a slightly frosty finish, so I tend to steer clear of those ones myself.

Wet N Wild Megalast Lip Colour in Red Velvet: I was so delighted that Wet N Wild finally arrived to Ireland, and needless to say it wasn't long before I hotfooted it to town to pick up a few bits, the lipsticks being one of the first things I wanted to try. Red Velvet is a beautiful coral red colour, so again if true red's ain't your thang, this is a great one to try. I even wore this on Monday, just because! The only thing I would advise with these is to make sure your lips are in tip top condition if you're planning on wearing any of the megalast lip colours. The formula is slightly drying after a few hours wear, and it does tug at the lips when applying. But just do it bit by bit and you'll be fine. Slow and steady wins the race and all that! ;) It really is worth giving it a go, it is only 2.99 after all!

Sleek Pout Polish in Powder Pink: This is a product I recently rediscovered in my collection.This is a great product for those who are slightly less adventurous when it comes to lipsticks etc but still want to wear lip products. The pout polishes are a conditioning lip balm that offer a slight hint of colour with lots of shine while providing your lips with lots of moisture and nourishment. It also contains an SPF of 15 which is always a bonus with lip products as a lot of us forget that our lips need to be treated with the same care as our skin. Powder Pink is a nice natural 'your lips but better' colour, (I hate that phrase by the way), it just adds a nice slight hint of pink and plenty of shine! It also smells like Vanilla! Again they're not expensive, coming in at a cheap and cheerful 5.49! They are available from Sleeks own website, or our very own Cloud10Beauty. I have heard some Sleek is available in Boots in Liffey Valley, but as I'm the other side of the country I can't say for sure!

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Big Bang: This is exactly as is says on the tin, a bang in your face red colour! Its the perfect shade of red to match a nice and simple eye look with just some black eyeliner  and lashings of mascara! The apocalips are one of my most loved products from 2013, a seriously pigmented lip colour that lasts for ages! Like seriously, no matter what you do these WILL NOT budge for hours! If this isn't your cup of tea, then try Stellar! It leans slightly more to the coral red side, but I really love it, its a real statement lip with little to no effort. (Although take your time applying, otherwise it can be a little messy,).I have just seen that these are on offer in Boots right now for 5.95, usually they cost 7.95, so you'll save 2 euro for yourself, which you could put towards buying yourself something else nice in Boots! ;)

So they are just some of the shades and products I have in my collection that I may or may not be rocking next weekend, depending on what plans my boyfriend has up his sleeve.. What about you lovely ladies? Any exciting plans?

Thanks for reading,
Alisha xxx

Top 5 Lip Products of 2013

Hey lovelies, hope you're all enjoying your Sunday! I myself went in to town shopping, (bold, especially seen as I'm trying to save money), I don't feel too bad though because I didn't spend a huge amount, just a few bits in Penney's!
Today's post in the Top 5 of 2013 series is my 'Top 5 Lip Products', and I have to say this was a really difficult one for me, because in the last year I did get more adventurous with lip products, and I came across loads that I really liked, but in the end I narrowed down, and went with the ones that I just reach for continuously. More often than not there is always 2 or 3 of these in my handbag at the same time! Am I the only one this happens too?

So onto the little beauties!!
From left to right we have:
Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Cotton Candy:
Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in Hey Nude:
Rimmel London Apocalips in Apocalyptic:
Rimmel London Colour Rush Balm in Keep Mauving:
and Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie.

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Cotton Candy: I picked up a couple of these on a whim earlier in the year, and I was blown away. Everybody knows' that Essence is a fairly budget brand, and a lot of the products can be hit and miss. Not these babies. They only cost 2 to 3 euro, and for the price they are amazingly pigmented and so creamy! So much so that I picked up another two after this one! This colour is Cotton Candy, and its a lovely bright pink colour, perfect for spring!

                                         (swatch of Essence Cotton Candy)

                                                                                                                                                   Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in Hey Nude:
 I really make a habit of picking things up on a whim, (damn you Penney's), but that is what happened with these guys aswell. I had wanted to try a nude lipstick but didn't want to spend a whole lot of money,  for fear I'd end up with 'concealer lips'. Thank god though it didn't happen. I was so impressed with this, its so so comfortable on my lips, not in the slightest bit drying, in fact you wouldn't know you were even wearing a lipstick! I did pick up a couple more of them, and I picked up 2 matte ones, but even those aren't as drying as some other matte formula's. The colour of this is so nice, (see below), it just adds a slight colour to the lips and a little bit of shine, and its a bargain aswell at under 5 euro!                

                                              Swatch of Catrice Hey Nude



Rimmel Colour Rush Balm in Keep Mauving:
You can always count on Rimmel to come up trumps when it comes to trends in the make up world, and they've definitely done that with these lip balm crayons. I picked it up one day in a red colour, and it packed a real punch when it came to pigmentation! For a balm the colour payoff is excellent, and they are so moisturising its unbelievable. This mauve colour is great for every day wear, as its natural but there's a hint of pink in there to stop it from being too boring. Pricewise they're only about 7 euro, which is a bargain!

                                      Rimmel Colour Rush Balm in Keep Mauving    

Rimmel Apocalips In Apocalyptic:
Silly me forgot to take a picture of my own one... Silly me, but at least I remembered to swatch it! Everyone and their mother has heard of these, and I've mentioned them before so I'm not going to go on about them too much. But I really love these! For a while I was frustrated with them because I couldn't get the application right. I was applying them more like a lip gloss, which is not what they are! Once I realised that and applied them slowly and precisely like a lipstick I got to love them! Again they're a great price at only 7.95 (I think), so its worth giving them a go!

Rimmel Apocalips in Apocalyptic  (far right)

Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie: 

 Turns out I forgot to take a picture of my lip butter aswell.... Ah!!! I'm really slipping up today ladies, apologies! I don't need to say too much about these either, because they are so well known from various blogs etc... I have the lip butters in 3, maybe 4 colours, and this is the one I turn to regularly, especially in the winter. There's nothing I can say about these that hasn't been said already, super soft and buttery on the lips, amazing colour payoff and pigmentation, what's not to love! Well... The price is the only thing I don't love as much. Its more on the high end of the drugstore at 11 euro.... But none the less, they are lovely products, especially if you're in the market for a bright lipstick these are especially great because you can start off with applying them quite sheerly, and build them up! 

Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie (2nd from right)

So that's it for my Top 5 Lip Products....

Have you any different ones?

Thanks for reading..

Alisha xxx

Top 5 Face Products 2013

Hey there everyone, how depressing is it being back to normal after all the excitement of Christmas and New Years! :( Oh well, such is life I guess! So on to the good stuff! 

By far the beauty post's and video's I love to read and watch are good old favourites of the month!

I find it really interesting to see what products other's use and love. More often than not it does end up in me buying them to try out for myself! 

I decided rather than doing one long post it would be better to break them up in to a couple of shorter ones, which it'll make it a lot less boring for you all! 

So first up I decided I'd share my favourite face products with you all! 

2013 was the year that I really did become a tad more obsessive about beauty, and previously to that I had one foundation and I'd use it until I ran out and that was that. Now I have slightly lost track and have begun to branch out and try different brands and formula's, and pretty much spreading my foundation wings! 

So in no particular order.... :

The Porefessional Face Primer from Benefit: I only recently picked up the full size of this, but beforehand I did have a sample, and god did I get every last drop out of it! I know everyone had raved about this, but I never could see myself forking out. Until I tried it that is. I have rather large pores on my nose, and I've become quite paranoid about them lately, so I really couldn't believe the difference this primer made. It reduced the size of the pores quite largely, and it also toned down any redness I had on my nose and face too.. Happy days! It is expensive at 34 euro, but I do think its worth it, and I have a feeling it will last ages! 

L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation:  This was definitely one of 2013's most raved about products. Although it was only released this side of the pond in recent months, everyone and anyone who's tried this product has loved it. Everything about this foundation is different to most other foundations, in that this is a really liquid product, (it is lighter than water after all) it has to be shaken up and then tipped on to the finger to apply, and it is also a really light coverage! I'm loving this since I bought it, and it has firmly earned its place as my new everyday foundation. The finish is just beautiful, it just looks like you're having a really good skin day! Its priced at 14.99 from Boots and most other pharmacies. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation: Rimmel had a fantastic 2013, and came out with some amazing products, the most well known probably being the Apocalips Lip Lacquers. They release this Stay Matte Foundation in late August/early September, and although I don't have oily skin, I did want to try out a foundation with a matte finish, and what better way to do it than with a budget product. I have to say though I fell in love with it as soon as I tried it! Its a thick mousse texture, and a little goes a long way with this, otherwise you may end up looking very caked, which is not a good look for anybody! It is a more full coverage foundation though, so if you do like your lighter coverage, then this  isn't for you. I loved it though, and at times when I thought it looked a bit flat, I just added a bit of highlighter. Simples. Its cheap as chips aswell at 7.99 (ish).

Catrice Camouflage Cream: This was another one that set the beauty world alight this year, and because I'm lucky enough not to get blemishes too often, I'm not one to use concealer an awful lot. On a whim in Penneys one day I picked it up to try, and this is some hardcore stuff! I've tried it on a scar I have on my hand and you wouldn't even know I had a scar after using this, and as for blemishes, well they just vanish into thin air! It is a thick concealer, so I don't know would I use it under eyes as I would fear it would sit in lines and whatnot, but maybe someday I'll try it just for curiosity's sake!

Maybelline The Eraser Under Eye Concealer: I gave this a go back in August after a week full of late night's and a couple of sleepless nights, which resulted in me having bags under my eyes bigger than Ryanair's carry on bags. They were horrendous, and no matter what I did I couldn't make them disappear! As soon as I started using this I instantly saw a difference. Although it doesn't make bags disappear altogether, it does a very good job at hiding them, while also brightening up the under eye area. As you can see by the picture I've been getting some serious use out of it, and I will definitely repurchase!

Have any of you tried any of these products? If not, what have your favourites been? 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx