Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner

I recently purchased this product from Boots here, on their current deal, which is buy one, get second half price on selected products. I couldn't resist this offer, so I went ahead & purchased a Maybelline foundation (which I have recently blogged about) & got this, too. I was so excited to try this, as I'm an avid Liquid Eye Liner lover, always have been, thought I always would be! I thought I would try it out a little bit first, just to get the gist of it, & let you know about how I got on!

Here is some photographs of the product close up. I apologise about the slight blurriness!

So, this comes in a 'clear' glass/hard plastic pot. There is also a label on the bottom of the product, informing you what shade you own. This also has a very secure screw top, which is excellent, as your product will not dry out, as its certainly air tight!

The formulation of this Gel Liner is beautifully smooth, which easily & effortlessly glides over your eyelid. I found that I didn't have to tuck away at my eye, to achieve a smooth, crisp line.

This product came with a handy, well constructed Eye Liner Brush, which I found was great that it was included. It has a lovely soft brush, which packs on the Liner so well, you don't need to dip it back into the pot. The liner brush is quite flat, with a a nicely pointed tip, allowing you to apply the liner thinly, with a perfected flick, of you desire!

As I have always worn a Liquid Liner, no matter what the brand, I have over the years, taught myself how to create my own perfect line, which is usually a winged out flick look. I was able to achieve this quite quickly & effortlessly (bearing in mind this has taken me a few years to perfect!)

Since now trying this new product, I have to spend a little more time to apply this, as I haven;'t yet grasped my own technique. I still use the same method: apply the product to the centre of my eyelid, working my way across to the outer end, create a flick, & then come back & fill in the start of my eye. I now have to work a little slower, just so I can work out how much product to apply to the brush & how much pressure to apply onto my eye, so on & forth with. I believe I'm getting the hang of it now, considering I grab this Gel Liner on a dark, early morning to line my eyes, with not a lot of time to perfect properly.

I love the fact that this is so long lasting, as it is waterproof, which it actually is! Many products claim to be waterproof, but this one, you have to remove with a make up wipe, or whatever you generally use. It is recommended you use waterproof eye remover, however I didn't even know this & I've been find with ordinary make up wipes! You don;t have to drag your eye, either, which is great. This had amazing longevity. It lasts beautifully throughout the day, which is just so nice for me!

I purchased this in Black, which is genuinely the blackest black. Its so intense, requiring only one coat of the liner, as it is so opaque.

I love the fact that you can easily create a day time look, or a nigh time look. With how creamy & smooth the formulation of the product is, you can also create either thick or thin lines, which ever you desire! I can't comment at the moment about how long it will last, as far as drying out is concerned, as I have only recently started to sue it, however, I shall keep you updated! Feel free to comment and suggestions below, I love hearing feedback!

According to Boots website on this product from Charlotte Willer (MNY Global Make-Up Artist):

- Up to 24hour liner

- The Gel Liner comes with a brush

- The point is very flexible, so its easy to apply the liner

- You can extend it & make it pretty dramatic. Also, by going inside & under

- You take it from the inner point, as a thin liner, you turn the brush over to make a large line

- You take it towards the end, you turn the brush again, flick it, its very easy.

- This Gel Liner has an amazing staying power

Overall:

I adore this. Its so easy to apply, I cannot stress this enough! As its only £7.99, which may be expensive to some, is a great product. Considering there isn't many Gel Liners on the market as far as the budgeted, high street brands are concerned, this is a great product. Its perfect for someone (like me!) wanting to practice with a different form of Eye Liner, before purchasing something possibly higher end. I doubt I personally will, though, I'm quite content with my Liquid Liners & this one!

If you have any questions, queries, etc, please do not hesitate to ask!

Thank you!

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation & Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

I thought I'd quickly blog about some new products, which I recently purchased!

Firstly, I'd like to apologise about the quality of the photos. I again decided to be a night owl!

So! I wanted a liquid foundation, that would be suitable for my dry skin, before application & suitable for when my skin becomes more oily during wear. Maybelline Dream Satin Foundation, is a re-purchase. I strolled though Boots counters & remembered I previously used this a few years ago, & really liked it. I usually tend to buy a different foundation, whether its the brand or texture, just so I can have some variation.

This one is beautiful to apply, whilst giving an even light to medium coverage, although it does work well if you're wanting more coverage, to build up, without looking cakey.

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation

Swatch

Blended

As you can tell from the photographs, the lighting doesn't give the product any justice in relation to the shade.  As you my be able to tell from all of the photographs they are quite dark, which isn't portraying the true shade. In natural light, this is a fairly light foundation, more so outside the packaging. 
I have purposely not blended the product well, for the purpose of you being able to tell where the product is, before fully blending, etc. This is the perfect shade for me, as is the conceal,er. I don't find that I get streaks, lines, orange-ness. Its perfect for me! 

I personally use Ivory, as I'm quite fair. I tend to never really swatch the products in store, & juts choose the lightest shades. The consistency is lovely & smooth & creamy. I apply about half a pump to my hand, or a little more, if I need it or prefer more coverage, & begin to apply to the face with my fingers. I find I can work really quickly with this product, which is great for early mornings! I find this is nicely hydrating before its set, which is great for me, as I wake up with dry skin. I find this does last all day, for me personally. I do set this with Avon's Pressed Powder.

Swatch

Blended

Here is what I use as my current concealer, varying between this at No7's Quick Cover Concealer. I chose to purchase this as I've heard so much hype about it throughout the beauty community, but never got round to personally purchasing it until I received a Boots gift card! I chose the shade 1, which is the lightest. It has beautiful application, which is medium to full coverage, which is perfect for hose early mornings & dark circles! This is so creamy & comfortably thick, meaning you barely need a lot, to cover dark circles or blemishes. I'm really happy I decided to try this, as its genuinely a great concealer. This had quite good longevity, lasting throughout the day.

I hope this helps someone in search for a new foundation &/or concealer! I love reading new blog posts, relating to something I'm currently after! You can purchase the foundation here. Unfortunately, I couldn't for the life of me find the concealers link, as Boots website is currently down & Superdrug's just couldn't fund it. Although I am sure you will easily be able to get it at your nearest store. The concealer was around £4.

If you have any questions, queries, etc, please do not hesitate to ask!

Thank you!

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

M&S Lavender Collection

I rarely do shop in to Marks & Spencer, which is a shame, because they do some lovely things. Recently, Pixiwoo Samantha Chapman recently posted a review about their make up range, which I definitely want to check out now! Thank god for blogs! So, I received this gift bag for Christmas, full of Lavender loveliness! You can purchase this gift bag here. The bag consists of:

Silky Talcum Powder

Foaming Bath Cream

Shower Cream

Body Puff

Hand & Body Lotion

Apologise about the shoddy quality. I decided to be a night owl!

So, as you can see, you get some lovely packaged products, that would look lovely in your bathroom or bedroom. You get full sze products in this set, which is great. I usually get the Rose scent, so it was nice to try something new!

With it only just been Christmas, I am still getting the chance to try out my new smellies! So, so far I have tried the Bath Cream. You don;t need much of this, as it creates wonderful bubbles, whist pouring it into running water. This honestly fumes your whole bathroom, with this beautiful floral Lavender scent.

I have also tried the Talcum Powder. I haven;t used this since I was really young, when I used to use the Johnsons Baby Talcum powder, which is also a brilliant product! What can I say? It let you smelling gorgeous,l whilst leaving you silky soft!

Again, I have also used the Cream Cream. I poured this out on to my Body Puff, then it created lovely luscious bubbles & foam. It was so nice to apply & again, has a floral scent. 

The lavender scent isn't by any means over powering, in my opinion. Its a lovely hint of fragrance, that's stays with you as you bathe.

I'm really happy I received this gift bag & got the chance to try a different scent, to what I normally would. Marks \& Sparks is worth having a look through. There is a lot of hidden gems, to what you would normally expect!

If you have any questions, queries, etc, please do not hesitate to ask!

Thank you!

LuceeLovesBeautyBox,

xxx

Gruesome face. Perfect for fancy dress!

Now I know this is an odd post to blog about, but as I flicked through some pictures, I came across Halloween. Reminiscing over spending a few hours getting ready, I regretted not bolgging this step by step. However, I do have the final shots & really simple steps to achieve his look. As it has just turned January, Halloween is really out of the question, although this look would be perfect for fancy dress. You could quite easily glam this up to, in the sense of goring out one side of or face 7 making the other into a doll or something? I really wish I created this on my own face, but for a first attempt, I think the outcome was great, which I'm sure others did as they gasped at his appearance! - not to brag!

So, the outcome:

Essenstially, this is a really easy look to create, once you know the ropes, that is! So, I'll type up some steps for you to follow. I originallly followed a YouTube tutoroal that I had only viewd the night before, so this was a pretty spontaneous, 'let me put loads of things on your face' kind of looks! This took me 4 hours in total, all of which I was applying things to the face, or pottering about whilst things dried.

 What you need:

- PVA Glue

- Tissue paper

- Paint (Acryilic, or face paint will work) in Green, Red, Black & Brown

- Black eyeshadow

- Toothpick

- Vaseline

- Old paint brushes

- 

1. Clean the face, using any product you wish, or simply water if need be & moisturise or apply a product you wish that will give your face some protection, if you have sensitive skin, etc.

2. On to the good stuff! Apply the glue to your face, small amounts. Rip some tissue off & simply stick it to the face. You can just apply one ply of paper, or 2 - 3, depending on the effect you wish to create! Once you have applied this technique to the areas of the face/body, cover with the glue. Use this time to add other bits if need be. Once you complete this messy stage, you will wait 30 minutes to an hour or so until it is tacky. You can now take this opportunity to use the tooth pick & tear the tissue, to create your 'wounds'. You can do this now or later, although now would be easier than when it is solidly dry! (Believe me!)

2. The messy part! You want to take a plastic plate, or something disposable that you can mix your Vaseline &  paint with. You could use something like a plate & wash it, but its convenient to use something disposable.

So, apply a small of paint (any colour as you will be using all of them evenly, depending on what effect you want) with the same amount of Vaseline. Mix these together with a cotton bud or brush. Now, simply apply to the face, covering what ever area you like. Here I applied green to the whole white area, covering the majority. Its okay if colour is peeping though, as you can layer!

3. Repeat the process with the next colour, so on & forth with! You can use browns & greens to give a rotted effect, which I chose to do. By including Vaseline into the mixture, its easier to apply & blend than pure paint. Don't worry about the paint getting on your skin if you're using Acrylic, is should be fine if your using a washable one. It doesn't matter what brand, You can always use face paint if you feel more comfortable.

4. You should have a rotten, dirty face. Lovely! Now you can apply fake blood/red paint & Vaseline to the insides of your wounds. You can extend this onto the 'mask' to make a realistic look.

5. Now, use an old (or new, depending if you don't mind some of your product missing) black eyeshadow, & scrape some on to your plate. Now add some Vaseline & mix into a paste. Apply to the eye area to hollow out. As I have used Vaseline, this will smudge & smear, so I chose to set it with pure black eyeshadow.

6. That's the basis really. It sounds really simple, nut for the first time, you're nervous & not sure what to do. I know this year I'll easily be able to work a lot faster, even squeezing in time to do my own face!

If you're unsure about applying certain products I have mentioned, you van simply research into it. Don't take my word for it, as we're all very different.

Removal of this is very easy, as you can see, I still have the 'mask'! You can easily peel this away. Make sure to thoroughly cleanse your face & moisturise, just to remove all the things that have been on your face!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Completely random, but hopefully useful! Its a great, simple technique with amazing results. You'll sure get some odd looks & strange questions!

I apologise on the quality of the images, I had flash on, which appears to have washed out the face, but you can see the result.

Thank you!

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

e.l.f Products!

I thought I'd blog about some e.l.f products I have, just to let you know, as I'm contemplating ordering some of their products again. If you have  any recommendations, please let me know!

Here is all of the products I so far own from e.l.f. I decided to make an order, through their last 50% off deal. After looking at reviews, etc, I scrolled through their site & ordered away! As this was quite a spontaneous order, I could have chosen more appropriate products for the first time, as I haven;t used some things, but this is what I have anyway!

Mini Eyelash Curler

Eyelashes

Complexion Perfection

Nail Polish (below) Golden Goddess & (above) Party Purple (I believe)

Eyelid Primer

Stipple Brush

Foundation Brush

Eyeshadow Brush

Concealer Brush

Blending Eye Brush

Daily Brush Cleanser

I really enjoy using e.l.f's products, They are such good value for money. Perfect if you're just starting out in make up, or for someone younger, who wants to experiment, etc. Most of their range is from £1.50 & not much more than that. Its super if you're after a lot of brushes, for blending or to use on different people, as they are so cheap, its perfect for that.

I have to say, I rarely use the eyelash curlers, they're just not for me. I wasn't aware I purchased the mini one's, as further down their website page, you're able to select which one you want - handy tip! They are indeed mine, therefore you have to work your way around your lashes, from start, middle to the end of the eye. I just don't have the time! Great for travelling!

Complexion Perfection: I had't really heard a lot about this when I purchased it, but from what I did, I thought I'd give it a shot since it would be half price! As you can see, I've hit pan quite a bit, so I'm starting to use it sparingly, until I next decide to order. As far as I've gathered, the concept is to apply all over face to even out the complexion. I swirl the brush through all colours - not sure if you're supposed to, as a finishing powder. I couldn't really see a difference, but there you go!

 On the left Golden Goddess, on the right Party Purple (I believe). I haven't heard barely a thing about their polishes, so I thought I'd give them a try, as I'm an avid nail polish fan! As soon as I opened up my package, I was surprised to see what I received. The colour swatches are quite known through the beauty community as poor. I could now tell why. The purple was supposed to be, well, purple - at least a lot brighter than this. Thi one is more like a very, very deep purple. Almost as if you can see the shimmers of purple in certain light, than in general. Still pretty, though! When looking up the links for the products, I really couldn't tell which one was mine, & its not easy to see the label on the bottle, so when ordering - I would bear in mind the colour swatches aren't always genuine. The gold one, again, is so much different than the swatch. I'd really only use this as a top glitter coat, as it doesn't have a lot of actually colour, which I was disappointed at. I'm still over all happy with them.

I never used Primer before purchasing this. Its a good investment - considering its only £1.50! Not too much to say about this one, other it always your shadow to stick really well to it. It has reasonable staying power throughout the day. Good thing to have kicking about your make up bag.

These are the most used items I purchased from e.l.f. I mainly use the Stipple Brush for my powder blush, as I have yet to invest in a cream one. I do intend on washing it, & trying it with foundation, I just haven't got round to doing that!

Foundation Brush, I haven't really used this much, just when I first got it. Its great to own as your first one, although I found it ate up al lot of product, which steered me away from using it. I've also always applied my foundation with my fingers as I find I can work it in to the skin better, whilst warming it up. This way  use how much foundation I like also - & not waste any in the brush. Personal preference!

Eyeshadow Brush is the honestly most used one. Its tightly packed, short bristles make it ideal for picking up the colour & packing it onto the eye, rather than losing any product. I use this everyday to apply my lid colour. I'd be lost without this one!

Concealer Brush was great. I mainly only used it when my concealer had run low, meaning I couldn't access the remaining product with my finger, as the packaging was covering it. making this thin little brush ideal for scraping out the last of the product, which really was a lot - what a waste! By doing this method, & me not taking care of the brush, its sprayed quite a bit. It was great for applying concealer to tiny areas, to get a precise cover up. I would definitely re-purchase this one!

Lastly, Blending Brush. I adored this until I picked up my No7 one. I would ideally love the 217, but for now, these will do! Its a perfect brush for blending, & ideal if you have a lot of people to apply make up to, or a lot of blending to your eye, as its better to have clean brushes to achieve a great blended look! The only negative to this, is it does stray bristles quite a bit. It may only be mine, as I haven;t heard of this problem, but its not a significant negative. I can easily deal with it!

Unfortunately, I really don't use this. I should really do, as its important to keep your brushes clean & sterile as possibly to avoid spread of bacteria, etc (ew), but who really keeps on top of it? I know I don't! This is the perfect product to wipe products with after use each day, but I really don't have the time most of the time. Its a case of applying make up, getting dressed & dashing out the door! Its a great product if you're interested in keeping your brushes pristine or for people working on clients, etc.

I believe e.l.f - which stands for Eyes Lips Face, is a great company. They have great customer service - if you have a problem with your order, a product, etc, they will help straight away! There products are amazing quality for the price you are paying, meaning you van purchase twice the amount you normally would in any other beauty store! If you 'Like' them on Facebook here, you will be notified of many offers they have on, which could be certain percentages off or free shipping. I personally decided to order mine when there was a 50% off. I just couldn't resits that offer! They deliver your package really efficiently, even with their high demand due to their amazing offers! I can't rave about this company enough. I should check them out tight now!

So there you have it. My e.l.f products. If you want a more in depth review on each or any product, please comment & let me know! I love hearing feedback!

Thank you!

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx

Illamasqua Freak Eau De Parfum

So, I managed to get my hands on Illamasqua's Freak fragrance sample! Wow! It smells divine! It may not be to everyone's taste, but for people that love this dusky scent, you'll honestly be in heaven!

I have included a image of their bottle, just so you know what their packaging looks like, if you're browsing through Illamasqua's counters - not that you could possibly miss this beautiful bottle!
This little sample comes in an informative folder, which is beautifully designed, with dark, gothic, midnight-esque theme. Enclosed is a paragraph, which consists of:
I am
Exquisitely rare
Mysterious midnight blooms
Unfurling only for Luna's light
Datura, Black Davana, Poison Hemlock,
and Queen of the Night,
A covert gathering of forbidden flowers
Brought together in love's darkest hour
I am magical, timeless
Utterly unforgettable
I am bottled midnight
I am
Freak


This alone is selling you their product. Who wouldn't want this? The typography used is beautifully done, to create a vintage deep feel. Perfect tied with their packaging.
On the next page, informs you of the notes in the perfume, which are:


Top Notes:
Black Davana, Opium Flower & Belladonna.


Heart Notes:
Poison Hemlock, Datura & Queen of the Night.


Base Notes:
Frankincense, Oud & Myrrh.


Even the names of these notes sync heavenly with what the product is about.


Finally,  you are met on their final page of the sample booklet with an advertisement of there company:
To discover the cult British beauty brand and to view the full Illamasqua make-up range visit www.illamasqua.com.
There is also a paragraph of all of the ingredients included in the fragrance.
The sample size I have is 1.5ml.


I found the scent very string, meaning you literally only need very few squirts of this. As  applied this in the morning, I could still easily smell it late into the afternoon, which is very long lasting! I love how this fragrance has sweet tones, as well as deeper, muskier tones. In my eyes, this would be perfect for anyone of all ages, simply because its so versatile in scent. However, I would personally refrain myself to just use this on a night time, as it is quite a heavy scent. I'm sure you will get lots of compliments about this one!

If you are interested in this, you can find it available here. On their website, you are immediately met with the amazing films they have produced, to market their product. Along side this, you are also able to discover the inspiration behind Freak with an exclusive interview with Joseph Corre, Joint MD & Alex Box, Creative Director. I was pleasantly surprised by this. 

Here, you can purchase their 75ml first ever fragrance for £59.00. A little expensive, but for what you truly are receiving & the quantity, its a lovely investment! 
As I scrolled through their site, I also found out they have other products relating to the Freak collection, which include Nail Varnish in Hemlock & Pure Pigment in Queen of the Night (which both are currently out of stock online, although I am unaware whether their counters are still in stock. Worthy of checking out!). Also available is their Exclusive Limited Edition Freak Gift Set which is £80.00. Again, a hefty price, although you would be receiving Liquid Metal in Phenomenon, Nail Varnish in Wink, & Sheer Lip Gloss in Tantrum, along with obviously the Freak fragrance! This a perfect set for yourself as a treat, or a gift to someone special, loved one or friend!


Overall, I would honestly love to invest in this perfume. Its beautifully packaged, which would take centre stand on your dressing table. The scent is intense, dark & dusky. Perfect for night time. I'd highly recommend checking out their counters & grabbing a sample, just so you can smell the hype - literally! If only computer screens had smell-evision!


If tyou have any uestions, queries, etc, please do not hesitate to ask!


Thank you!


LuceeLovesBeautyBox.
xxx

Barry M Nail Paints

Hello! I thought I would create a post on my little collection of Barry M Nail Paints. I'm a avid lover of there polishes. I don't find a single problem with them. They are available in a varied selection of colours - which I still want to purchase & own!

Here is a some photos of the ones I currently own, including two new ones I've recently acquired, which I have yet to try!

From left to right:

Silver Foil Effects 319, Purple Nail Effects 322, Mushroom 310, Hologram 244, White Nail Effects 316, Black Nail Effects 311, Strawberry 309 & Lime Green 137.

I have to say, I absolutely love all of these shades! One of my favourite shades is the Hologram one. This is a perfect polish to top a dark coloured base. I usually tend to apply 2 - 3 coats, depending on how strong I want to pigments of the polish to show. As this is more of a top coat polish, you don't get a lot of the hologram particles on to the applicator brush, which requires you to apply several coats, if you wish to have as many holograms as possible! Unfortunately, this means you have also applied lots of coats, requiring longer drying time. However, if you have time to kill on a night time, whilst watching your favourite movie/soap, this won't be a problem - at least I don't see it, as the outcome is so beautiful & eye catching! I also like to use this if I have a light/sheer/neutral polish on all of my fingers & just applying this to my ring fingers, gives a great subtle effect, perfect for just an everyday look!

Another colour I adore, especially in summer, is the Lime Green. Its a bright, vivid, mushy pea green colour. I love to pair this with the White Crackle Nail Effects polish, as it creates the most unusual look, that will sure get you noticed! I can't wait for the summer to come round, so I can apply this look!

The Mushroom shade is a most used polish I use, as its so neutral, & is suitable for night or day, everyday or occasion. If I'm undecided on which polish I want to go for, this one is what I'd usually grab. It also goes with a lot of outfits, needing you not to co-ordinate!

Finally, the two shades on the left are the one's I recently received for Christmas. I'm really excited to try out both of these! The first one is the Silver Foil Effects, which gives the effect of a foil nail - pretty self explanatory! As soon as I heard about this, I instantly logged into YouTube to see what it was all about. I have yet to see what the polish looks like on a nail in person, as I don't think you'd get the true colour & foil effect on camera. I'll soon see, though!

Lastly is the purple Crackle Effects Polish. I love the crackle polishes, whether people think they were so last season or not - I wear what I personally like! I own the Black & White version, but a purple is my favourite colour, I was excited to unwrap this one! Its a gorgeous deep purple, that I think would look lovely under a lighter similar colour. I shall no doubt be making a post about what I think about these!

All of these polishes have a lovely application, requiring between 1-2 coats, depending on the polish itself. I usually apply 2, although if I'm feeling lazy, I'll be satisfied with the 1! They have quite good longevity, too. As I regularly do general housework, I find that these polishes withstand the abuse, they probably face! I tend to paint my nails once a week, as I find that its as long as I need.

I really cannot recommend these enough. They come in fabulous shades, perfect for any time.

I'm contemplating next purchasing the Croc Effects Polish, which you can purchase here, along with several other of their shades!

I hope you all liked this post. I really enjoyed writing this & reminiscing over the colours. I'm now desperate to paint my nails! If you have any recommendations or polishes you think I'd love, please write them in the comments. I love hearing feedback!

If you have any questions, queries, etc, please do not hesitate to ask!

Thank you!

LuceeLovesBeautyBox.

xxx