£10 Makeup Challenge!

The £10 makeup challenge. This can be quite a tricky task - making up your whole face, using a limited amount of money.

All of the makeup i used, is from Poundland's Make Up Gallery Range (excluding falsies, but these were from Poundland too!). Of course i would go to the place where you can get ten items for your money, rather than popping into Boots or Superdrug and only being able to get 5 or 6. I wanted to try out everything possible, without skipping any steps i would usually do!

My general go-to makeup look involves:

• Foundation
• Concealer
• Eyebrows
• Eyeshadows
• Eyeliner
• Mascara
• Lipstick or gloss
• Bronze or blush
• Highlight

I managed to get a product that can be used for all of these categories. Plus i even added in some sneaky false lashes. I tried to pick up products that can be 'multi use' so i could try out even more items. * I tested all of these products for at least 1 week after the challenge to test out the longevity *

STEP 1: Foundation Total spent: £1

I'm pale. Really pale. I do not like the sun, or particularly going outdoors! So my skin tends to stay a looking like a milk bottle all year round. I also have quite pink toned skin, meaning a need a yellow foundation to balance this out.

I picked up the 'Gorgeous Flawless' Foundation in the shade Ivory. This foundation is supposed to be long wearing, matte and has UVA sun protection filters within, which is pretty good.

The texture of the foundation is almost mousse like, definitely not runny or drippy whatsoever. I applied this all over my face, and was quite impressed! The coverage of this foundation is light/medium, depending on how much you wear.  I have dry skin, and even though it was matte it didn't sink into any of my dry areas! It applied evenly and did not feel sticky on my face. 

The colour however was still a little dark for my pale pale skin, so i just blended it out quite well. It made me look slightly more tanned than usual, yet i didn't look ridiculous. This foundation lasted a good 10 hours without much colour fade or patchiness.

I am fairly impressed with this foundation, and will continue to use the rest of the bottle. I would like it if in the future lighter shades would be released! I have definitely used worst foundations that cost almost 7 times the price of this one!

STEP 2: Concealer Total spent: £2

If i am being honest about this concealer, i was dubious! I haven't picked up a stick concealer since 2008 (W7 famous Tea Tree concealer, great for the traditional 'concealer lips' look) and much prefer liquid or cream concealers. 

I was pleasantly surprised! 

I picked up the 'Hide and Chic' Concealer in the shade Ivory. This concealer is a natural coverage product.

I really did like this product. The concealer was creamy and hydrating without looking oily. I have dry skin, and did not need to apply pressed powder to set it down! It is definitely more 'natural coverage' than liquid concealers, however it still managed to cover the purple rings under my eyes and evened out my skin.

This concealer blended out really nicely, as it's really nice and creamy. and didn't crease throughout the day.

STEP 3: Brows Total spent: £3

Brows are hard to get right, and they are a step i cannot go without in my makeup routine!

I used the 'Take a Brow' Eye Pencil in the shade Blonde, as my brows are both warm toned blonde, and ashy brown - meaning it's very difficult to find a good match.

I have to say, the product names and packaging are very sleek and pretty!

When applying this product i immediately noticed it was very waxy. This made it a little hard to fill in my thick haired brows! My eyebrows felt quite sticky after using this, however as it was so waxy it set my eyebrows in place all day - they didn't budge!

The colour however was very nice. I'm not sure if it's 'blonde' enough for platinum haired buyers, however it matched my hairs perfectly, even better than the Anastasia Beverly Hills products, and they have alot of colours available.

I have actually continued to use this product (yes i like to get the most out of my things!) and instead of using it to fill my brows, I've been using it to set them at the end of my brow routine, and correct any colours that don't match my hairs.

STEP 4: Eyeshadows Total spent: £5

Typing this blogpost, i have been most excited to get to the shadows, there's no need for long lengthy explanations: i love these so much!

With good pigmentation, staying power and colours these eyeshadows are great for £1! I used 'White Frost' and 'Cappucino' for this look however also picked up some other colours to use outside of this challenge.

White Frost

Cappucino

I created a 'natural glam' look using these shadows, and used the Hide and Chic concealer to prime my lids beforehand. With this combination the shadows lasted a good 7 hours without budging.

My photogenic eye out of the two, and my UNphotogenic brow eeek.

STEP 5: Eyeliner Total spent: £6

I'm not going to ramble on about this, so if you would like to read a full length description of this liner, here's my blog post on it: eyeliner review

(Side note, its AMAZING)

This liner really added a glam factor to my look. Eyes are my favourite part of any makeup look, so it was important to me that i could get alot of eye products, without wasting the £10 and having none left for face makeup!

STEP 6: Mascara Total spent: £7

I picked up the 'Never Ending Story' Lengthening Mascara in the shade Black, however i wish i picked up the Carbon Black shade.

The wand is fairly big, yet not too chunky, so you don't have those 'poke yourself in the eye' incidents!

I found this mascara to be very natural looking. It definitely added length and colour to my lashes, but wasn't particularly dramatic. I would like to try the Voluminous Mascara from the same range too see how that came out.

I did however like it, it applied well, gave my lashes a natural fluttery length, and was easy to remove! It also lasted all day, and didn't flake or run when my eyes were watering (hayfever).

Two coats

STEP 7: Falsies Total spent: £8

I wanted this look to be more dramatic than an everyday look, so i had to add lashes. These particular one's were not in the Make Up Gallery range themselves, but they were from Poundland, and they were by a brand called Allura.

These eyelashes were fairly natural and you get two sets in a pack. The lash band is sturdy, yet flexible which i found easy when applying.

I actually cut my lashes in half, and just applied them to the outer corners of my eye. (so technically i only spent 50p total on the lashes!!)

These lashes were actually really nice. They were natural and easy to apply, and the glue that came with them was really good! I have continued to use the glue within my regular makeup looks, as it's pretty impessive!

STEP 8: Bronze/Contour Total spent: £8

This is where the multi-use products came in! I used my 'Cappucino' Eyeshadow as a bronzer/contour shade all across my face.

This product was great! It's the perfect contour colour for pale girls - not too orangey or not too grey.

It was also nice and long wearing. The eyeshadows lasted around 7-8 hours on my lids, and they did exactly the same on my cheeks. The colour was pigmented enough to give my face abit of definiton, yet wasn't so pigmented that i looked like i had wiped mud down my cheekbones!

STEP 9: Blush Total spent: £9

I find blushers to be a little iffy. They often make me look like a sparkly, red faced clown. I need to use really natural shades in order for any blushes to look decent! 

My absolute favourite blushes ever were in the Morphe Brushes 9B palette, however this Make Up Gallery Blush, has become my holy grail! I picked up the shade 'Soft'.

Aside from it's pretty packaging and large pan size, this product is great. The formula is silky and lightweight, letting you avoid that powdery thick look other blushes sometimes give off. The colour is natural yet pigmented - i only use one swipe on each cheek, but for more definition you could definitely use more.

STEP 10 - Highlighter Total spent: £9

Another multi use product here! I used my 'white frost' eyeshadow as a highlighter. I was a little unsure at first, as it really is a bright white colour, yet it looked so pretty on, and depending on your highlighter preference, colour come across really natural, or very dramatic.

This lasted on my skin around 7-8 hours, the same amount of time as the eyeshadows did on the eyelids. It did not look greasy at all, and was really great on my pale skin.

STEP 11: Lips Total £10!

I love nude lipsticks. I really really do, and would pick them anyday. However i found myself drawn to a pinky nude gloss. Yes that's right, a gloss. I haven't wore a lipgloss for years, so why i picked this, i do not know!

I picked up the 'Shine on' Lipgloss in Nice and Nude.

I love this lipgloss so much! It is very pigmented, so i only apply a small amount, but it is really very pretty. The formula is slightly sticky, but i wasn't particularly fussed about this.

This lipgloss lasted a good 2-3 hours before wearing off. It didn't crease or split around my lip line either.

THE FINAL RESULT

I am actually very impressed with this makeup look. I cannot believe i managed to complete every step i would usually do makeup wise, with added extra's! I also LOVE the face that alot of the products can be multi use.

I spent dead on £10 to create this look, and will definitely be recreating it in the future. I will continue to use every single product i used, even if they are for different purposes than they are intended.

Thanks for reading! Let me know, have you tried any of the Makeup Gallery Range?!

Chloe

How to achieve the PERFECT winged eyeliner look! Tutorial, review and eyeliner swatches!

Winged eyeliner: The enemy of the beauty world. 

Lets all be straight here, winged eyeliner when done right looks amazing. It adds shape, length and accentuates any eye colour. Winged liner acts as a barrier to hide false lashes, opens and brightens the eye and when done neatly makes you look effortlessly glamorous.

BUT. It's not easy! Getting that perfect sharp line, curving slightly at the outer corner, is difficult. Almost everyday someone creates a new tool or beauty fad to help with this process, but using these gadgets and tools often just ends in tears (which then result to smudged panda eyes instead!)

I feel like i have tried almost every type of liner going. They range from soft pencil khols, hard pencil khols, gels, liquids, felt tips, you name it, it probably exists!

Illustrations by Kathy Wyatt for Max Factor

Reviews and Swatches

My personal preference, to get that sharp clean wing, is to use a liquid liner. These are the least likely of the liners to smudge, and often contain the most colour pigment too. Having said that, the liquid liner is probably one of the most tricky eyeliners to use. The tips are usually so precise that it's difficult to get a straight line without any lumps and bumps along the way.

Over the past year, i have been rotating the same few eyeliners, trying to decide my favourite, but recently have discovered a gem in the beauty market!

I love the blackness and matte(ness) style of the Maybelline Master Ink Satin Liquid Liner, (£4.99) but it smudges very easily in the corners, and as it's hayfever season, this is not suitable! I will continue to wear this, but probably in winter when all the pollen subsides. The tip is quite chunky, so it's not perfect to create thin lines, but is great as an overall day to day liner.

I also love the Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner. (£5.29) It is fairly long lasting, and not as smudgy. Also the tip is so skinny, yet really flexible, so you can get that perfect wing without worrying the tip is going to ping back any second, and ruin what you have spent ages trying to achieve! I feel like i run out of this eyeliner very quickly. I have to scoop alot of the product onto my brush, and 2 months in, it starts running out! 

Poundland, have created a makeup range called Make Up Gallery and i had heard good things about their liner. The Pro Liquid Eyeliner (£1) is amazing. I am currently working with poundland, as a makeup ambassador however this has no influence on my decision at all. I have worn winged liner for almost 7 years straight now and i still struggle sometimes! and have honestly been unable to find a favourite until now.

It has the matte qualities of the Maybelline Liner, and the tip preciseness of the Rimmel Glam Eyes.

It lasts for around 7 hours, on unprimed eyelids, and 9-10 on primed lids. This is perfect, as you can put it on before work in the morning, and know that you will not be coming home with black rings around your eyes.

The only downside to this liner, is the bottle. I feel like i'm going to run out of this product very very quickly. However it's £1, so i could buy 5 for the price of the Rimmel one! They also sell it in bundles of 12, for £12. Which is currently temping me already!

Winged Liner Tutorial & Tips

This image has only been edited to brighten the eyeball, the makeup itself is completely untouched and real!

Step 1: Prime your eyelid. You can use whatever you prefer! I used the Maybelline Fit Me concealer all over the lid and undereye, then set it with a plain cream shadow.

Step 2: Slowly and carefully draw long lines across the eye creating a base for the liner. You do not need to do anything wing related yet! This can be thickened later and doing it in small steps like this helps, especially if you have shaky hands.

Step 3: Fill in the gaps between the lines to create a nice thin line across the eye.

Step 4: Depending on how you want the wing to be, draw a small straight line, emerging from the outer corner of your eye. I usually point my line in the direction of the top of my ear. If you have small round eyes, and want to extend them, draw this line a little longer. If you already have big eyes, you can keep the line smaller. 

Step 5: Work out how thick you want the wing to be, and draw a straight line heading back towards your eye. I personally try to keep this line as horizontal with my eye as possible, as it helps join it to the liner much more easily.

Step 6: Join your lines together slowly and carefully. If you have hooded eyes like me, try shutting your eye and lifting your eyebrows as high as possible, this flattens the skin! Also doing one swift movement from line to line instead of tiny little ones, helps it look smoother.

Step 7: Fill in any gaps!

Step 8 (optional): I like a full liner look sometimes, so i go across my waterline too. I find that using a liquid liner in a waterline is quite a tricky process. If you get it in your eye, a watery mess begins to happen! I try and keep it on my lower section of the waterline, and don't take it down any further than the bottom eyelashes.

Step 9: Add false lashes (or mascara) to complete the look!

Tips:

• If you apply foundation, primer or moisturiser before winged eyeliner, if you make any mistakes it's easier to smudge away with your finger than on dry skin.
• You can use concealer on any thin brush or cotton bud of your choice to really make that line clean and sharp
• Make sure you give your liner brush a little scrape before using it. Too much = messy disaster, Too little = bumpy uneven line
• If you want to make your eyes look extra 'cat eye' like, when drawing around the inner corner, drag both lines further than you would and join together.
• If you like experimenting with fun colours, applying a wet eyeshadow (of any colour) ontop of the black is so easy, and you don't have to bother creating the wing again!

Thankyou for reading this post! Let me know what you think of this liner in the comments below!

Chloe 

Morphe products - Are they really worth the hype?! Honest Review + Swatches

Morphe seems to be one of the latest brands currently storming the beauty world. With over 2.8 million followers on Instagram and stockists all over the world, it was hard to resist posting a full length review on whether or not this hype was really necessary!

If you haven't heard of Morphe by now, they sell variations of makeup palettes and brushes, and have now expanded there range to lip creams, concealers and more!

REVIEW AND SWATCHES

My first ever Morphe purchase was over a year ago! The classic 35W palette, filled with 35 warm toned neutral eyeshadow shades, varying from creams and browns to blacks, purples and oranges.

I have always loved this palette. It cost me £15.95 which i though was a reasonable price for 35 large pans of colour. I found the shadows to blend nicely and the colour pay off was nice too. I occasionally use Fix Plus, to brighten up some of the metallic colours as certain ones had less pigmentation than others, but to be honest i use fix plus with any metallic shadow i ever use!

After wearing this palette to death, and playing around with eye looks over on Instagram, i was kindly sent a package by the Morphe Team, containing all different palettes and brushes. I am not being paid to write good things nor to promote there products! I am writing this review as a honest customer (also a very lucky one!).

My Top 3 from the Palette.

The 35B palette is completely the opposite to any neutral palette you will ever see. I personally think this palette contains every single colour that you would have missing from your collection. The colours range from blacks and whites to all different shades of greens, purples,
reds and more!

I also love this palette. It is mostly matte however the couple of shimmer colours that are in the palette need that spray of Fix Plus to really pop. I can't really fault this palette, for the prize and size it's really efficient!

Moving onto possibly the companies most popular seller, the brushes. 

I have been testing the brushes for over 3 months now (almost everyday). A few of the brushes are hit and miss. When i first begun using them, i noticed a few were shedding bristles, which i had never encountered before. This was mildly annoying but luckily over time, the shedding stopped, and i haven't had any hairs fall out in over 2 months.

Some brushes i have found less use for, however others have become my holy grails, and have joined my trusty Nanshy brushes in my all time favourite brushes!

I particularly love the (MB23 and the M462). The MB23 is the biggest, fluffiest, EASIEST, blending brush i have ever used (knocks about 5 minutes of arm ache off a smokey eye!)

MB23

M462

MAKEUP LOOKS USING MORPHE

Using the Morphe 35W Palette!

Morphe 35B Palette

Morphe 35W Palette

I rate this brand, i really do! The qualitys of the shadows are not quite at the top with Too Faced, but definitely come next in my opinion, and second place is oh so fine by me!

I think for the price you pay, and the fact that they stock regularly on UK sites, is worth it! The pans are large, and there are so many different palettes there are colours available for everyone. I have also tried the blush and bronze palettes which are unreal. The quality of these is even better than the shadows, and these range usually at between £15 and £20. Also certain brushes (hint hint MB23) have made my life complete!

Have a little nosy around Beauty Bay, they stock alot of the Morphe collection:
http://www.beautybay.com/morphebrushes/   

Thankyou so much for reading. How have you found Morphe as a company? Let me know below!

Chloe 

Another Incredible Must Have By Makeup Revolution!

Makeup Revolution. The British beauty brand currently storming the cosmetics market. Dupes? They have them. Cheap prices? Extremely. Good quality? Definitely!

Being a Makeup addict and creating eye makeup looks on Instagram (forgetmenotchloe) definitely not plugging my own social media, i am constantly on the look out for exciting good quality products that do not cost me an arm and a leg!

 If i suddenly need a bright green neon eyeshadow, I'm not going to go out and spend £20 on a single from a high end brand. So this is where Makeup Revolution falls into place. This 'Eyes Like Angels Palette' I'm chatting about today, cost £8. For 32 shadows. Amazing!

The packaging is classic MUR packaging. Black and glossy with a coppery bronze logo.

Every single shadow in the palette is a foiled metallic or has a slight shimmer apart from the neon pink which is 100% matte.

I picked this palette for a good few reasons. I own the 32 shade 'Flawless Matte Palette' and even though i really like it, some of the colours are not as pigmented as i would have hoped. However i know foiled shadows tend to have much stronger pigmentation and can be brightened with fix plus or a wet brush!

These shadows needed no wet brush or fix plus at all. They are so creamy and buttery. I like to apply with my finger, as i feel this really picks up the most colour possible.

Favourite colours from the palette incorporated into makeup looks!

'Green Dream' (comes out a dark navy blue)

'Frosted Lilac'

'Sophisticated pink' (the reason i brought the palette!)

If you are into eyeshadows i seriously recommend this palette. It's a dream and for £8 you cannot go wrong!

Chloe 

Beauty Empties + Products I Regret Buying! Featuring MAC, Benefit and more!

Hello everyone! Over the past few days i have had a seriously good clear out within my beauty items. I decided to be ruthless and tried to free myself from the emotional attachment I've made with some products i don't even like!

Why is it that i cannot physically throw makeup away?!

Here are my empties and the products that i don't like that i DID actually throw in the bin.

There is no particular order to these empties. I personally prefer reading them randomly than having clear cut sections, so here we go!

Nivea Powerfruit fresh Shower Gel
I received this in a gift set at Christmas. Thinking nothing special of it, i used it a couple of weeks ago after i ran out of another shower gel. I am now a convert to this one!

I don't know why i like this product! It doesn't particularly have a scent or make my skin feel moisturised however when i do use this shower gel i feel so so so clean. I'm unsure as to whether i am only feeling like this because the phrase 'powerfruit fresh' is very inviting or this shower gel somehow manages to clean me better than any other product.

I will be repurchasing this very soon as this is officially empty!

Elegant Touch Moisture Balance Nail Polish Remover
I was excited to try this as the words 'moisture balance' really drew me in. I paint my nails alot and they really do need that bit of extra moisture brought back to the surface.

I extremely dislike this product. I am very disappointed as i love a lot of the other Elegant Touch items! This remover has possibly the strongest most chemical smelling scent ever. It literally chokes me every time i use it. It also is not especially effective at removing nail polish and involves alot of rubbing and buffing.

Even though i used the whole bottle up i saw no moisturising benefits, and will not be repurchasing this again.

Benefit They're Real Mascara
This has to go. It's completely empty and dry. This mascara is the first high end mascara i have ever owned! I went through phases of loving it then leaving it for a longgg time.

This mascara is overall a good product. It creates a nice wispy look to lashes and does not clump up at all. The brush is nice and it looks really good on lower lashes. However this product to me personally is nothing 100% special. I much prefer my Maybelline Lash Sensational, which is half the price of this one!

I would repurchase this again as it is not a bad product, and mine is so old that the new ones might contain a better formula.

Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser 
I have very dry eczema prone skin and was looking forward to trying this out! This came in the gift set i received at Christmas with the Powerfruit Shower Gel.

This product is moisturising, i'll give it that. My legs felt lovely and hydrated when i got out of the bath. However i didn't feel clean. Instead of sinking into my skin it sort of sat on the outer layer and felt as if it was clogging up skin and building up on the outside. When i put my (black)trousers on a good 20 minutes after, it left a white layer all over my clothes and i had to get changed!

I definitely regret this product, it just has too many inconveniences for me.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
A complete empty product. This is my second jar of this foundation and i have two more backed up in my makeup storage.

I cannot explain my love for this! This foundation is a dry skin lovers dream. It's glowy, healthy looking, moisturising and has an amazing smell that reminds me of holidays.

I have already repurchased this 3 times and will continue to do so for a long time!

Nivea Men Post Shave Balm
I'm sure you have seen the hype on this product. Nikkietutorials raves about this constantly along with many other beauty guru's.

I'm really really unsure about this product. I can tolerate the slightly manly smell, and it sinks into my skin nicely. However that's about it. I can't say my makeup has lasted longer with this on at all! I cannot actually tell a difference whether i use this or use nothing!

I will not be repurchasing this hyped up product as i personally cannot see what it is actually doing on my skin! Let me know your opinions on this product as it's left me a little confused. (Seriously!)

Blue Lagoon Moisturising Cream
I like this moisturiser. It has a gentle scent that is definitely not too over powering and it sinks in well. It's light enough to wear under foundation without looking greasy and does a great job at sinking in to any dry/damaged areas on my face.

I would 100% repurchase this as a light day to day moisturiser!

MAC Lipstick in Blankety
Ahhhhhhh my holy grail in life. I do not have much to say about this lipstick as i'm not sure i have the vocabulary to describe my love for it. I have gone through three of these in the past three years and will continue to do so for the rest of my life! This shade is my perfect nude, it's creamy, glossy, suits my dealthy pale skin tone and just completes any makeup look.

Ultimate Repurchase.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Reconstructer Hair Treatment
This hair product is unreal. Honestly i urge you to go and buy this whatever your hair type! My hair type is thick, long, and has bleach running through the under layers. This hair reconstructer has saved my hair's life. After using this treatment, my hair feels honestly like silk. It goes so soft, and so shiny and just feels restored back to the best quality it can be.

I desperately need to go out and buy this again ASAP! I can't be without it.

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara
This mascara had to go as it was dry and old. I did really like it when i wore it, the big curvy brush gave my lashes so much volume and definition. However i probably wouldn't repurchase this item as i have since found better mascara's for me personally.

That's it for my empties! Please let me know your thoughts on the Nivea Post Shave Balm in the comments! Thanks for reading