Spring Wishes...

Spring is one of my favourite season's, and not just because of all the guilt-free chocolate I get to eat at Easter. I love the idea of fresh make-up during this time of year. Think fresh, polished and radiant skin with hints of peach and pink goodness on the lips and cheeks. A subtle and fuss free eye with a slick of mascara - perfect. 

My make-up routine is pretty much still in Winter mode, although who can blame me when it's currently snowing outside, so here are some products I've been lusting over that will hopefully pull me out of Winter mode and push me straight into Spring. 

I've been hearing a couple of my favourite beauty bloggers talking about the Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener recently and as soon as I heard about it, I wanted it, in true blogger style. The Bobbi Brown correcter had always appealed to me because of my dark under-eye circles but the thick and dry consistency put me off so this new formula is completely perfect for me and will hopefully rid me of my dark under-eyes just in time for Spring. Sticking with the bright and awake eye theme, the NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Alhambra seems like the perfect product to create a brightening but polished eye look. The more pink shade would make a perfect highlight for the inner corners of the eye and the more gold/tan shade would look lovely swept across the lid - with a subtle slick of brown kohl liner and lashings of mascara, it could create the perfect, fuss free Spring eye.
Fresh and glowing skin screams Spring to me and the Laura Mecier Radiance Foundation Primer appears to be the perfect product to create a subtle glowing base. I've heard lots of good things about the Laura Mecier primers so this product has got me seriously lusting.
I adore peachy shades - especially for the spring. Peach shades just seem to suit my pale complexion which is why I kind-of think I need the Tom Ford Lip Colour Shine in Insidious. As well as having absolutely gorgeous packaging *swoon*, the shade itself is beautiful. I can't resist a shiny and sheer lip and this lipstick seems like the perfect formula for a fuss free but pretty lip. 
I've gone a bit crazy for matching nail and lip combos, especially after reading Vivianna's 'Matchy Matchy' blog post. Chanel Le Vernis in June seems like the perfect shade to compliment the Tom Ford Lipstick. We all know during spring pastel nails are a bit of a must, and this peachy shade seems like the perfect one. I'm on the look out for a bit of a dupe at the moment as I can't quite part with £18 for a nail varnish, even if it's Chanel. 

What are you lusting over this Spring? 

✩ How Much Is Your Face Worth? ✩

I saw Louise do this tag first and have seen many other bloggers do this post since then. I can't stop reading them, maybe it's because I am a little nosey but I find these posts really interesting to read. The idea of this tag is to list every product that is on your face and total up the price. I think it's interesting to see how the price of make-up really adds up and how expensive it really is to get a full face of make-up.

Nivea Milk & Honey Lip Balm £1.99 // Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer £6.99 // Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19 // Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream £7.99 // Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation £10.99 // Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder £3.99 // MAC Cork Eyeshadow £10 // Urban Decay Naked Palette £35 // MUA Clear Mascara £1 // E.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow Primer £3 // MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow £10 // Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara £16.50 // Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara £1.99 // Benefit Hoola Boxed Powder £23.50 // Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold £17 // NARS Deep Throat Blush £21 // Revlon Colour Burst Lipstick in Peach 75 £7.99

And the total is..... £183.12! I am a little bit shocked, knowing I've spent that amount on just one face of make-up makes me scared to think how much I've spent on my whole make-up collection although I do get my wear out of most of the make-up I buy so I guess it's worth it. Most of the prices were taken from the Boots website, of course the total price isn't 100% accurate as some things may of been bought on offer etc. but it gives a good estimate. I am a little bit of a high end make-up lover but as I can't always afford to splurge and there are some great products to be found on the high street, I usually have a good mix of high and low end make-up which is why I am a teeny bit shocked. I would love to do this tag again but with evening make-up on instead of everyday/day time make-up, what do you think?

Also, I can only apologize for the state of my skin right now, I'm having a really bad time with it. I've never suffered from spots or anything else really but over the past few months my skin has gone crazy and that's all I've been covered in along with some mysterious red bumps, and my skin has been very dry. I have literally no idea why. Sigh.

I tag everyone who reads this to do it. I would love to have a nose so pretty please leave a link if you do it or have done already. 

I hope you enjoyed.

'Til Next Time,

✩   Instagram (caryslloyd)   ✩   Tumblr   ✩   Twitter   ✩ 

♡ New Release: Sigma F88 and P88 ♡

Source

Hello everyone. 

I've never done a post like this before but it's the type of post that I would love to read and I think all of you would too. Sigma have released two new brushes into their best selling and widely talked about Sigmax collection.

 The Sigmax collection are all synthetic brushes and can be found here on the Sigma website. 

I am a Sigma Affiliate (anyone can become one and if you're not quite sure what a sigma affiliate is go here and click the affiliate tab). I thought I'd let you all know that that's not the reason I am writing this post, nor to gain commission/money etc. It's because I am really interested in these brushes. I own the P84 Angled brush from the Sigmax collection which I adore for concealer and various other cream/liquid products which has a very similar shape to these new brushes excepts it's more curved instead of flat. I thought I'd let you all know with this post in case you were interested in buying them, I know I am anyway. I thought I'd write this post letting you know whilst these brushes are still new just in case they sell out, I wouldn't want any of you to miss out, and anyway my blog is about informing readers on beauty/fashion etc. I love Sigma brushes anyway, I think they're very nice quality for the price and have a huge range. 

Product Infomation

Sigma say.... "The F88 brush blends foundation easily onto hard to reach areas of the face. The specially designed angle fits all areas of the face seamlessly. The F88 works especially well on the cheekbones and contours of the nose. The P88 brush is best used for precise application of concealer products. It works particularly well around the eyes and nose."

P88 Precision Flat Angled

I can imagine this to be true about the products as the P84 brush works well in the same way for concealer and other liquid/cream products. The angled point makes it easy to blend and apply the product to hard-to-reach areas such as around the nose, the crease or the chin and in the corners of the eye. I can imagine the P88 brush being just as good or maybe even better than what the P84 can do so I am very much intrigued. I also think the brush would work well in apply a contour right into the hollows of the cheeks and applying highlighter. Due to the synthetic hairs these brushes will work best with liquid/creamy products.

F88 Flat Angled Kabuki

I haven't really used anything like the F88 brush, nor have I tried any foundation brushes from Sigma but I imagine this to work similarly to the P88/P84 brushes only on a larger scale. I image it would blend foundation well around the nose where it sometimes sticks for me. I'm very interested in trying this product as I love the P84 so much.

Cost? The F88 Flat Angled Kabuki brush is $16 (around £10.50). I'm actually surprised at this price, I thought it would be a lot more expensive. The P88 Precision Flat Angled brush is even cheaper at $14 (around £9).

When Available? From July 11th on-wards. 
Where? The Sigma website here.

These brushes are also part of the permanent collection, yay!


Also, Sigma have offered a 10% off  discount code of your entire order with no minimum spend required. The code is AP2012 and is valid from July 1st - July 31st. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and if not I have a haul video and a 'top summer cheek products' post coming soon. 

What do you think of the new brushes? Will you be buying?

'Til Next Time,

Carys xox

(All infomation and images are from the Sigma Beauty Affiliate blog, here.)

E.L.F/Recent Make Up Haul! + Small Review

Haven't bought too much make up recently, considering it's my birthday on Thursday (woo) so I'm waiting until then to buy anything! But I did make an order on E.L.F (eyeslipsface.com) when they had another one of their 50% deals so I took advantage of it and got some things I've had my eye on for a while! Over all I like everything I've got so yeah, hope you enjoy! :)

Mineral Eye Shadow Primer - Sheer - E.L.F - £1.50

(Very good at preventing shadow from creasing)

Mineral Lip Gloss - Pageant Princess - E.L.F - £1.50

(Pale Pink with Gold Shimmer - Fairly Sheer)
A very sticky gloss, almost unwearable!

Mineral Lipstick - E.LF - Ripe Rose - £1.50

Swatched twice

Love this lipstick! Great formula and pigmentation, and its the perfect colour for Autumn/Winter so I shall be wearing it a lot! :-) 

Angled Eye Liner Brush - £1.75
Cream Eye Liner (below)

Cream Eyeliner - Coffee- E.L.F - £1.75
Soo glad I bought this! Lovely colour, looks natural, and is great for wearing to school/work etc. as it is quick and easy to apply (I use E.L.F Angled Liner Brush) and stays on all day without smudging, at all! And it's very affordable and comes with a decent brush!

Brush that came with the cream eyeliner

Blending Eye Brush - 75p & Powder Brush - E.L.F - £1.75

All Over Cover Stick and Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara - E.LF - 75p

All Over Cover Stick - E.L.F - Golden Peach -75

Hate this!

Swatched 3 times

Another product I am in love with! I've worn this almost every day with a lip balm underneath because it can be quite drying! But it is a beautiful peachy/pink colour and looks extremely natural and flattering with my complexion! I need to get more of these :-) 

Blush - Peachy Keen - E.L.F - £1.75

             Really pretty natural peachy colour! :-) 

Contouring Blush and Brozing Powder - E.L.F - £1.75 

 Rather disappointed with this product, although I like the bronzer for contouring, I didn't expect them to be so shimmery, which puts me off using them! and the colours aren't the greatest, but hopefully, I'll find a good use for them! :-) 

'Til Next Time, 

Products I'm loving right now!

Thought I'd do a post on what beauty products I'm in love with right now, since I've found some really amazing things over the past few weeks that I thought I should share with you!

The first product is the 'Clarins Daily Energizing Cleanser':

This is probably my favourite product I've discovered this month! I've never bought anything from Clarins before, but I was shopping with one of my friends at Boots when they were promoting the 'Daily Energizers' range and we got give samples.. we got give sample sizes of the daily energizing cleanser, the daily energizing wake up booster and the daily energizing gel. I was especially exctied to hear that the range was targeted at 'younger skin' and 'radiance boosting'.. because that's exactly what I needed for my skin! I enjoyed all of the products I got given and I'm definitely planning on buying some more from this range.. But the cleanser stood out to me. For a start the smell is gorgeous. It's very fresh, and 'clean' smelling.. it's addicting! It lathers up extremely well, so you only need the tiniest amount to clean your whole face, which is great because I know it's going to last me a while.. but the biggest reason why I love this product is because it leaves my skin feeling amazing! My skin doesn't feel dry after I've cleansed it, it feels smooth, clean and moisturised. It leaves my complexion radiate and brighter after the first use, and it clears my skin up so I don't have to deal with stressful breakouts! It's £10.50 for 75ml, which I think is very reasonable considering how fantastic the product is. It's safe to say I am completely in love with this product! :-)

What it says on the box:  

The next product is a Sleek Blush in 'Pixie Pink':

(photo's taken in natural light)

I really can't get enough of this blush! As you can see it's a rather bright, true pink.. with a slight lilac undertone. The picture of the blush is pretty true to colour. I love this blush because you can wear it very sheer so it's sutible for every day, but you can then build it up for a more special occasion. It's a very versatile product. I also love the formula. The pigmentation is great, and it blends naturally on my skin. I haven't stopped wearing this blush since I got it and at £4.29 I really need to invest in some more! :-)

My last product is the 'One-by-One Volum' Express Mascara' by Maybelline New York

I've always been a fan of the Maybelline mascara's but this one is definitely my favourite! Unlike their other mascara's this one does not clump..at all. It separates my lashes very well, and no matter how many layers I apply.. it refuses to clump.It also does not collect under my eyes, which I find happens a lot with mascara's I try. I was very impressed with this product, that I've re-purchased, which doesn't happen to often when it comes to mascara's. I find it very comparable to 'Volume Million Lashes' by L'Oreal but at a much cheaper price! The usual price of this product is £8.49 but they have an offer at boots right now where you can save £2 on selected Maybelline products.. so you can pick this up at £6.49, which is a steal!

Another thing I've been loving recently, is curling my lashes. I think it makes such a big difference to how my eyes look, and it elongates my lashes, making my eyes seem wider, and in turn I look more awake. I've been using a pair from Primark which were just £1.. they do the job well, and you can't really go wrong for the price :-) 

Carys xoxo