Monday

NARS Portofino Multiple

It had been far too long since I'd visited...

So I met up with Angel on Saturday and we had a play at the NARS and Laura Mercier counters and I finally succumbed to my lust for a NARS Multiple.  I'd always intended to pick up Orgasm, but it actually looked a bit non-descript on my cheeks - the sales assistant agreed - so I plumped for Portofino Instead.  Riviera looked gorgeous too - a light baby pink - but it was a little too glittery.

Who doesn't love NARS packaging?







I'm away a lot over the summer so I imagine this handy little tube will be a permanent fixture in my make up bag as it takes care of cheeks and lips in one swipe. 




Swatched in natural daylight. 


Under flash.


The formulation is a little odd.  You expect it to be quite wet and creamy, but it actually goes on quite dry but is at the same time blendable.  It's buildable and for my oily skin I really like that the finish is so dry.  However if you have very dry cheeks you might want to try out how the formula works on you first before dropping £29.

Above I have a bit of Albatross highlighter along my cheekbones - hence the golden shimmer.  I did worry that a coral shade could make me look a bit ruddy, but I'll just have to use it sparingly.



I'm really happy with my purchase and I will at some stage get Orgasm too.  Copacabana is on the list also.  I've also got my eye on this gorgeous trio of Laguna bronzer, Orgasm blush and Albatross highlighter.


Enter my Oral B Power Toothbrush giveaway here



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Sunday

Top 10 £1 MUA Eye Shadows (+ MAC Dupe)


Here are my top 10 eye shadow picks from the Superdrug £1 MUA range.  If you are starting out in make up  I strongly recommend you check out this range, especially these eyeshadows.  The best bit is that I got this whole set for £10!

I cannot fault these shadows in terms of weight (you get a whopping 2g), pigmentation, consistency and blendability, not mention the stunning shade range.  You have all your staple neutrals as well as a few bright pops of colour.  I hand on heart prefer the quality of these shadows to MAC (although I'm not a huge fan of MAC's e/s quality, they do have a fantastic array of colours).

I accidentally bought two Shade 2s, and didn't realise they were the same, so there are 11 shadows in the image above and below, but only 10 different shades in total.  They come in two finishes - matte and pearl, the latter being by far the best.

Shade 9 - Pearl: this is the most gorgeous electric purple with a blue duochrome which has actually shown up stronger in the photo that it is in real life.  There is actually a little more pink to it.  It works really well on brown eyes but also enhances my own eyes which are blue.  It might not be wearable for everyday, but it's a stunning colour to have in your collection if you want something a little different.

Shade 4 - Pearl: this pinky lilac compliments shade 9 nicely and makes blue eyes appear to have a green tinge.  

Shade 10 - Pearl: this gun metal purple creates a sophisticated smoky eye with a difference.  It has just enough shimmer to give the look dimension. It also works well in the crease over Shade 10 or 9.  

Shade 3 - Pearl: this is the perfect silver shadow - I have some which don't come off opaque, but this really does.  I sweep it all over my eyelid and finish with a flick of black eye liner.  

Shade 2 - Pearl: this is the pale cream shade I bought twice, but I can use it as a cheek and browbone highlight so I'm going through it pretty fast.  It's also a great inner corner eye highlight.   

Shade 1 - Pearl: this is also a great highlight shadow but has more of a golden tinge so it works better with browns and greens.   


Shade 7 - Pearl: I don't wear a whole lot of green eyeshadow because I have blue eyes, but I couldn't resist this moss green for whenever I have the urge to go green, or St. Patrick's day! 


Shade 11 - Pearl: this was one of the first shadows I picked up from the range.  It's a great soft brown which reminds me of MAC's Satin Taupe.   



Shade 12 - Pearl: I'm not overly impressed with how this shadow has photographed as this one is a great dupe for MAC's Club.  It's a greyish brown to look at but has green duochrome and an ever so subtle hint of a reddish brick shade.  It's a very sophisticated, complex shade for such a budget range.


Shade 14 - Pearl: this greenish gun metal shade is perfect for me as I get my 'green' hit without it clashing with my own eye colour too much.  Another great option for a smoky eye other than boring old black.  




Swatch time!

In natural daylight

From left to right: Shade 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14




With Flash

From left to right: Shade 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14













I cannot recommend these eye shadows enough.  Not all Superdrugs carry the MUA range, but if you're in London check out the ones on Oxford Street, Shepherd's Bush, Queensway or Kilburn as they definitley do. You can also order MUA products online.


Enter my Oral B Power Toothbrush giveaway here

**CLOSED** Weekly Giveaway Series SS2011 - Win an Oral B Professional Care 500 Power Toothbrush

This week  I have another great prize up for grabs: an Oral B Professional Care 500 Power Toothbrush.  

In April I took on the Oral B Britain's Brush One Month Challenge to see if I could be converted from my favourite manual brush to an electric, and the answer is a resounding YES!  As maintaining clean white teeth is a vital element of any beauty regime, Oral B has kindly provided me with another Power Brush for one lucky follower of this blog. 


Here's what the brush looks like:





If you’d like a chance to be the lucky winner all you have to do is: 

Be a follower of my blog & comment below 
This giveaway is only open to Google Friend Connect public followers (I check!)
Become a GFC follower by clicking the 'Follow' button in the right sidebar before submitting your comment and before tweeting.
You don’t need to have a blog to enter, just an account recognised by Blogger (e.g. Google, Twitter, Yahoo, AIM, etc.). 

Leave a comment on this post and if you don’t have a blog – some way I can contact you if you win e.g. email address, but leave it in a way the spiders can’t pick up on i.e. clickandmakeup at gmail dot com.

(+1) For an additional entry... 
Add it to your own blog sidebar or Tweet this: 
Want to win a @OralB_UK Professional Care 500 Power Brush? Check out the @clickandmakeup giveaway & enter here http://tinyurl.com/3nzgl5w

Remember to leave your Twitter username in your comment below.

The winner will be announced in two weeks time instead of as I'm going away on a work trip next Sunday, so this giveaway is open until Midnight GMT (+1) on 11th June.

Good luck! x

Last week's Liz Earle winner was announced here.


THE SMALL PRINT
* ONE entry per person please, any more will NOT be counted
* Open internationally
* One winner will be selected at random from all valid entries using Random.org
* The giveaway closes on Saturday 11th June at Midnight (GMT +1), so that gives you plenty of time to get your entries in! Any entries made after this time will not count
* Winner will be announced on this blog and contacted on Sunday 12th June
* If you are the lucky winner you must be willing to provide me with your postal address details
* The winner has 5 days to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen at random



Weekly Giveaway Series SS2011 > Liz Earle Winner Announcement



A big thanks to everyone who entered the Liz Earle Giveaway for the chance to win the fabulous Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser!  

A winner has been picked at random...

HeatherJ

Congratulations! I've emailed you for your postal details to send you this:


If you didn't get lucky this week, next week's giveaway prize is a Oral B Professional 500 Power Brush which I have reviewed here and the post to enter will be up very soon!

Friday

Beauty Battle: Illamasqua Precision Ink vs. L'Oreal Super Liner





I recently forayed into the wonderful world of Illamasqua and here are the spoils...


Across from the Illamasqua counter in Selfridges is the Lancome one, so I swatched Artliner, then Precision Ink and the latter was by far the more opaque and had a narrower - more precise! - nib. 


Here are a few photos of my Precision Ink'd eyes.  When I first starting using it I wasn't sure if I like it at all as the nib was far too saturated with product (unlike Rimmel's Flash Liner) and it ran into my tearduct and was just a bit messy to work with.  However now that it's dried out a bit it has really come into it's own, and I would use it everyday if it were a bit more budget friendly.  I'm wearing Abyss which is the blackest black and extremely long wearing - think all day and well into night.  It's an eye watering £17 for 10mls, but I must say mine's lasted three times longer than my cheaper Rimmel one which dried up in a week!










I've been using L'Oreal Super Liner in Carbon Black for a couple of years and it's my favourite 'drugstore' eyeliner.  It gives a true black line which is very durable - almost on a par with Precision Ink.  It's currently on offer at Boots for £5.19 so I'll be picking up another soon!


I actually prefer to use this one to line my top lash and switch to Precision Ink to create the perfect flick.  The nib of this eyeliner saturates with just the right amount of product, but because it's very long it can be hard to keep control over the shape of a flick, as evidenced below.



My first introduction to Illamasqua was through their very pale foundations which I stumbled across on a blog a couple of years ago.  

I have a few foundations which are too dark and so I picked up shade which is extremely pale Light Liquid Foundation in the lightest shade LF115 which is for very light skin with neutral undertones.   I couldn't use this foundation on its own.  To be honest I've only used it once so far with an RMK sample I received which was very dark for me.  It didn't work that great but I think it was more to do with the consistency of the RMK sample.  Once I test this foundation out a bit more with all of my others I'll do an more in depth review. It's £21.50 for 30mls.




I'm pretty happy with my first Illamasqua haul and the shop assistant in Selfridges was delightful - friendly, informed and helpful.  I'll definitely be checking out more from this brand.



Have your tried Precision Ink or Super Liner? Which do you prefer?


Want to win a Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser? Enter the giveaway here.



Sunday

To Buy or Not To Buy (Again!) #1

Is it just me or does your life seem an unending struggle to cull clutter? This beauty blogging lark has only worsened conditions but I must say I've found some pretty darn amazing products which do make up for living in what feels like a mini Boots outlet.

I have 7 products here which have all finished up around the same time.  Oh that sweet satisfaction of chucking an empty container of something you loved (or hated!) in the bin knowing that it can only mean one thing - shopping for a replacement!

So here's my list:

To Buy
  1. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair - oh yes, I've already bought the replacement in fact.  My all time favourite, holy grail concealer.  Even if this was big bucks I'd buy it, but for around £4 you can't go wrong.  Extended love letter to this product coming soon!
  2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 Vanilla - this is nice skin in bottle.  I've raved about this enough on here so it's no surprise it's replacement in waiting in the wings already!
  3. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Fresh - LOVE this version of Batiste as I find it doesn't make my nose as itchy as some of the other scents.  It really soaks up the oil better than the Tropical and Blush versions too.  I couldn't live without it.
  4. Mitchum Deodorant in Powder Fresh - would you call this a beauty item? hmm, anyway I whacked it in there as I've used this product without diversion for the past four years.  The Powder Fresh scent is gorgeous.  Give it a try.
Not to Buy
  1. YES YES YES/ OUI OUI OUI Lip Butter - NO NO NO.  Bought this after it was raved about by various YouTubers.  Hate it. Glad it's discontinued.  Horrid consistency, not moisturising, and only good thing I can say about it was it had a decent taste, a bit like passionfruit.
  2. i.d BareVitamins Skin Rev-er-Upper - I got this with a starter set of Bare Minerals foundations and brushes which is a fantastic set, but from day one this moisturiser/primer smelled rank.  It smelled off. I thought it was mine so I went back to the shop and sniffed the tester and it also had the off whiff so I guess that's just how it is.  For this reason alone I wouldn't repurchase, but other than that it is a nice light moisturiser for oily skin so I used it in the mornings.  Doesn't contain SPF though which is a drawback.
  3. John Freida Sheer Blonde 3 Minute Tone Booster - I bought this when I got a lot of blonde highlights the summer before last.  It has a purple tinge to it and is supposed to brighten blonde tresses. I can't say that I noticed any real difference in the vibrancy of the blonde but what I hated was that my hands would seriously tingle and itch after use and the product had a very chemical - almost ammonia smell - so I don't think it was great to have it all over my hands!  However John Freida used to make a Radiant Red tone booster which was amazing and really did boost colour.  However it's sadly been discontinued but if any of you want to join a petition with me, let me know!

Enter my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser giveaway here.

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