Boots 3for2 Offers

Boots is again running a 3for2 offer on make up so I picked up few items.

They have been quite cunning this time: you can't mix and match between brands (and not all make up brands are included) so you need to buy 3 items for each brand...

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick in 003 Bad Girl Bronze - I've been really eager to try this formulation but there's not much choice, colour-wise. I picked up the brown shade which is the one I will probably use the most. It's actually very pretty with gold and red shimmer; it can also be sheered out and blended a lot and used as a base or as a total look for lazy days.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 014 Bright Blue - a blue eye pencil - too retro, possibly? Well, I literally woke up one morning wanting a blue eyeliner (no kidding here - I'm pathological, I know)... so I bought it. Let's see how I will make it work!

Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish Nail Polish in 700 Block Your Green - isn't emerald the colour of the season? AND missing from my collection... couldn't live with that! This is the perfect shade of green, a forest green and exactly what I wanted. Always happy with Rimmel polishes, they last very well on me and can't complaint about the price either.

 

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick in 301 Dating Coral, 101 Tempting Lilac, 303 Coral & Floral - another insane craving I gave into. My sister introduced me to those last october - of course, I heard about them before but I was never too interested until I tested them. I have to say I like them better than the Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butters... A LOT better! The formulation - they are so smooth and soft and moisturising and also the shades are really pretty. The packaging I like both of them.
The 303 shade actually has a mother of pearl heart making it extremely shimmery but I like it. I saw 4 shades in store - not sure if they are new, personally I had never seen them before.

l-r: dating coral, tempting lilac, coral & floral

Have you tried any of these?
Xxx

Revlon Colourbust Lip Butter

I, finally, managed to swatch the Revlon Lip Butters in store and I must confess I only returned 1 of the originals I bought a couple of weeks ago - http://fashion-olic.blogspot.it/2012/03/giveaway-reminder-haircut.html

I got pretty sucked into this hype, Im afraid and I wouldn't normally buy 5 lipsticks from the same brand/line in one go (I got 2for£10 and than 3for2... still!)... I blame it on the pre-wedding madness! :P

Anyway, I got to admit I like the product: I like the pigmentation and because of the balmy feeling, it gives me the opportunity to wear lipsticks more.

I returned Tutti Frutti 'cause it really didn't suit my skin - shame as I love a orange lip!

The packaging is still up for judgement: I like the quilted coloured cup but the black base is too thin so it's hard to grab and open it, the first few times at least.

I like the actual metal tube inside - very sleek and chic and definitely a reminder of the Dior Addict Lipstick.

025 Peach Parfait

This is a warm peach which is the most subtle on me; it, also, has a layer of golden shimmer which still adds a dimension to the lips. Very summery!

050 Berry Smoothie

This is the one that surprised me the most; it looked pretty ordinary in the packaging but instead is so flattering on the skin and the most wearable.

It's a berry colour, obviously, with a tiny tiny bit of shimmer (nothing compared to Peach Parfait), perfect to add a hint of colour. At the same time, it can be built up easily to obtain a very intense stained lip.

080 Strawberry Shortcake

This is my least favourite, actually; I wanted a light baby pink, ideally Cotton Candy but I couldn't find it so I got this one. 

It lightens my lips too much and I was looking for something barely there, instead.

Swatched, it is a gorgeous bubblegum pink (pretty cool toned) but it's simply too pigmented to look good on me.

090 Sweet Tart

My favourite! :)

It's a warm bright pink, nearly fuchsia I'd say - and fuchsia is my favourite shade of lipstick; especially,  for a statement lip instead of a red!

096 Macaroon

I read that Macaroon is Uk-esclusive apparently... it's described as a toned down strawberry jam with brown undertones... I think the description put it down, it's much prettier in real life.

It's kinda of a unique, peculiar shade but definitely mostly wearable by many and in many occasions.

Looking forward to experiment with this one.

***

They last about a couple of hours on me - colour-wise, the shine disappears well before that - but because they are so low maintenance, I don't mind to re-apply on the go. 

What struck me the most and I love is the glossiness which enhance my thin lips... but without being sticky as a gloss.

All together, heavily swatched - l-r: peach parfait, berry smoothie, strawberry shortcake, sweet tart, macaroon

So, what do you reckon... would you try any of these? :)

xxx

Giveaway Reminder & Haircut

It's now, officially, less than a month to my wedding - arghhhh!!!

I'm mostly excited now and I can't wait for the big day but at the same time I don't want to come too fast... I'll, probably, sounds weird but I'm loving being engaged. :)

Anyway... also, a reminder about my giveway - you got time until the 20th march and you can enter here:

http://fashion-olic.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway-time.html

Yesterday, I went for an haircut.

I haven't had my hair this short since before the engagement; I have been growing it, just in case I decided in a particular style for the wedding but, to be honest, I don't suit up-dos and I prefer my hair short, anyway.

I have a couple of trials booked in Italy but if nothing convinces me, at least I still have my 'fresh' haircut to fall back on. :)

The fringe is a bit shorter than usual but that way, it has time to grow to the right length for the big day.

Pardon the messy make-up but I had to brush a massive quantity of hair off of my face. ;P

Finally, I popped in Boots to collect my Revlon Lip Butters delivery; I decided to get it delivered in store to avoid missing the postman since I knew I was in town for the haircut.

I have been waiting for so long about these to come out and got a bit carried away and ordered 6 - they're in offer, 2 for £10 and they'll be available in store from monday.

I'm planning on going to swatch them and then decide which ones to return so sorry but they're still sealed (it's a torture!!).

Which ones should I keep? :)

I, also, ordered these extra bits:

Eylure Naturalites 101 - these are my favourite Eylure lashes.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in medium - everybody seems to love this so I had to try it. I'm, especially, hoping it won't crease.

Nailene Perfect Tips - I'm not into french manicure but I wanna try the nude/light blue which is trending after Zooey Deschanel picture. 

Introducing / Korres

First of all, I order these on Lookfantastic.com - yay or nay?

It was actually an ordeal! Basically, they sent me 2 wrong/faulty items and I contacted them straight away to check how to proceed. After three days still no answer (mind you, I emailed them every 24hr) so I phoned them up (0845 number, not happy about that!) and I was asked to email the pictures of the products that required replacement. Fine, no problem at all and in fact I sent the pictures the same day.

Another three days go by and no sigh of package or reply from them, so I phoned again and FINALLY they agreed to send me the correct items.

Not sure its worth ordering again from them, to be honest - ok, I admit prices can be good (for example, I placed this order because I received a £5 off on orders of £30); also, in their favour I got to say they didn't ask me to send back anything (suppose as they don't do free returns) but if something goes wrong, its a really hassle. 

Poor, poor customer service!

What about you guys? Any bad experience with them?

Anyway, I wanted to try Korres for a while now and here's what I got:

- Milk Proteins Cleansing & Make Up Removing Wipes: nothing exciting about these wipes, good when travelling and milk proteins are renewed to be good for the skin.

- Lip Butter in Pomegranate: I read many good reviews about this one. Quite nice balm and colour is really bright, in fact so strong that you must be careful when apply and use a mirror. I really like the packaging.

 - Yoghurt mask: this mask is for normal to combination skin and it's describe as "ultra-soothing and cooling mask for long-lasting hydration and comfort to oily, yet dehydrated skin". 

This is my favourite item of the lot - it smells amazing, truly amazing and feels even better on the skin.

In the picture, you can also see the day cream of the same collection because they originally sent me the cream instead of the mask. The cream seems a bit too rich for me and its probably better for mature skin, so I will pass it over to my mum.

 

- Milk Soap for Stressed Skin: as you can tell, I like milk (and derivates) in my face products. :)

Usually, I don't use solid soap on my face but if I end up not liking these, they can also be used for the body. They come in a nice box and carving on the bar - pretty! 

Samples! always welcome, especially Dermatologica's ones.

Finally - in the same order - I bought the followings:

- Ole Henriksen's African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser: this is another hyped product in many blogs, but it has failed to impress ME for now. I've been using it for a week now and I would say my skin is 'a tad' worst; I had same breaks out on my chin which, lucky, is quiet unusual for me. I think I'll give it a rest and try it again in a few weeks. I like the foaming pump tho. 

- Murad's Blemish Spot Treatment: as just mentioned above, I don't usually get spots so I merely bought this because it was down to 2 pounds and I needed to reach the minimum amount to use my coupon. :)

It can always come in handy.