My Perfect Orange-Red Lip: Hourglass Opaque Rouge 'Raven'

Over the bank holiday weekend I spent my time watching one too many episodes of Kourtney & Kim Take Miami and became slightly obsessed with Kourtney K's trademark Orange-Red lip. So the next day I went shopping with one thing in mind: finding the perfect orange-red lip product! Now I know I look NOTHING like a Kardashian (that was never the aim), and I know that orange toned reds are typically more suited to olive skin tones than us pale english roses, but I try not to let makeup 'rules' restrict me too much. If I see a colour I like and it makes me happy to wear, then god dammit I will rock that colour, pale skin or not! 

Mostly I just admired the way Kourtney wore this bold lip colour casually in the daytime and was having a bit of fun with colour. It encouraged me to be a bit more daring with what I wear on my lips in the daytime, and reminded me that a bold red lip doesn't have to be reserved for special occasions.

At the moment I am super pale and I still like the way this colour looks on me, but I think the colour will be most flattering once I've been on holiday and have my minuscule tan with some bronzer and gold highlighter on. I like to pair this colour with a nice thick line of black liner and strong brows, but the great thing about a colour like this is you can really let the lip do the talking and keep the rest of the makeup minimal if you want.

After a couple of minutes scouring the internet I discovered that Kourtney's orange-red lip product of choice is YSL's 'le orange'. I wasn't fussed about getting the exact product that she had, I just wanted to find my own version of this trend. So when I popped into Space NK and found myself hovering round the Hourglass stand, namely the 'opaque rouge' liquid lipsticks which are a formula I've heard raved about, the colour 'Raven' jumped out at me.

The Hourglass Opaque Rouge liquid lipsticks have a doe-foot applicator which makes for a precise application of a thin layer of the product, which is all you need. After a few seconds the formula dries into a comfortable matte finish. The formula is very long lasting on the lips and lasts through eating and drinking and you will have to scrub it off when you want it off. The only thing I will say is that if you are eating and drinking, the product does wear off slightly around the corners of the mouth, but I expect that of most lip products, and the applicator makes it easy to perform touch-ups. 

So what do you think, is a bold red daytime lip for you?

Have you tried any of the Hourglass Opaque Rouge's, and if so what do you think of the formula?

Let me know some of your favourite Orange-Red lip shades because I feel a new phase coming on!

Rachel xx

May Birchbox UK

My monthly Birchbox just arrived through the door this morning and after ripping it open with a slice of peanut butter on toast in one hand I have decided I am happy with the contents of this months box.

Each month there is generally a theme, and the May theme is 'red carpet ready' (am I the only one who wonders when they think us average Joe's will be hitting the red carpet?!) Along with that, and perhaps more relevantly, Birchbox has teamed up with 'Fashion Targets Breast Cancer' to create awareness and generate funds for the cause.

The contents of my May Birchbox:

 1. OPI nail lacquer mini- the shade name of this one isn't actually on the bottle or the information card but I was happy to see this in there as it's a very 'me' colour. A very pretty purple with gold/bronze shimmer running through it, unlike anything else in my collection.

2. B/Attitude body soufflé- The information card tells me that this product is from a brand who own a London restaurant and Paris Spa and the price tag suggests it to be a luxury brand. It will be interesting to try the soufflé texture and the product has a nice clean baby powder-ish smell.

3. Elemental Herbology Cell Plumping Facial Moisturiser Spf8 - This is a brand I've seen in Space NK and is probably the product I was happiest to see in this box. I've recently run out of moisturiser and have been putting off buying a new one so I'll be using this straight away. At 30ml it's a nice size sample for a luxury branded moisturiser. 

4. MakeBelieve 'enhance' cream highlighter - This product is from a brand of tanning experts so is presumably designed to enhance your skin to give it a healthy glow for the summer. I am a fan of cream highlights and only have one that I use regularly so I'll definitely be giving this one a try. My only concern is that the sheen looks to be quite a frosty one so perhaps this is one for the night time. 

Beauty Extra: Doctor Duve Anti-Aging & Firming eye cream sachets

Lifestyle Extra: Kushmi Detox Tea- I always find it quite random when they include food-y samples in the boxes but I do like trying new teas so this will get used up (if it's nice).

 Swatch of the nameless OPI polish:

All in all a decent box this month full of products that I'll be using straight away.

What do you think of this months Birchbox? 

Did you get similar contents in your box? 

If you're not already subscribed would this box persuade you?

Rachel x

Essie 'Cute as a Button' and 'Mint Candy Apple' dupes for £1.79

So Spring is here (debatable) and all of the drugstore brands are hitting us with their selection of spring shades for the nails. Pastels aren't usually something that particularly excite me, but when I spot a dupe for something as popular as one of Essie's cult shades for such a low price, I think it's worth picking up so at the very least I can let others know about it.

I have a few of the NYC quick dry polishes already as I think they have a really nice shade range and when I was a student, the £1.79 price tag was perfect for a quick nail fix on a budget. I also much prefer these polishes to the drugstore nail ambassadors Barry M. I'm not a huge fan of the Barry M formula or lasting power, so at around half the price I'm happy there's another budget brand with decent quality nail polishes.

Without further ado, here are the two polishes which could be considered dupes for the notorious Essie 'mint candy apple' and 'cute as a button'.

 NYC quick dry nail polish: 320 Blue Sky, 300 Spring Tulip.

I don't actually own Essie's 'mint candy apple' myself but have seen enough pictures of it online for the colour to be permanently fixed in my imaginary colour palette. From what I can tell, NYC's '320 Blue Sky' is not an exact dupe for Mint candy apple, because as the name would suggest, it leans more blue than mint. If you are a fan of light blue/minty shades this is a really pretty one that you may enjoy.

NYC 'Spring Tulip' and Essie's 'Cute as a button' without flash

As for NYC's 'Spring Tulip' you can see for yourself what a close dupe it is for Essie's 'cute as a button'. The Essie polish is SLIGHTLY darker in the bottle but they look like the same colour on the nails. 

NYC 'spring tulip' and Essie's 'Cute as a button' with flash:

And as if the price of these polishes isn't low enough, they are currently on offer in Superdrug on 2 for £2.99.

Hopefully this post will be useful if you are looking for some pretty spring nail polishes on a budget.

Rachel x

L'oreal Confetti Top Coat

A little while ago Illamasqua came out with their 'speckle' polishes from the Im-perfection collection which seem to have captured the eyes and hearts of beauty-junkie's everywhere. I have to admit I was amongst this gaggle googling swatches to salivate over, but with so many nail polishes already in my collection I found it hard to pay out the hefty Illamasqua price tag for one more polish.

Cue L'oreal saving the day with their dupe, the 'Confetti' topcoat. For those of us not willing to part with £14.50 for one of the Illamasqua polishes, at around £5 this topcoat serves as a purse-friendly alternative. Of course the two polishes are not exactly same, the Illamasqua option has a built in base colour and and the Loreal topcoat has the addition of white speckles as well as black. The absence of a base colour with the Confetti top coat could be seen as a pro or a con depending on how you look at it, whilst there is one extra step to the process you also have your choice of any colour to pair it with.

So although the two are not exactly twins (they could be cousins), for a 1/3 of the price I am very happy with my choice to go for the Loreal Confetti top coat. 

As a base I used O.P.I Nail Envy and as a base colour I used this lilac KIKO polish (it doesn't have a shade name)

So with a couple of coats of colour and one coat of the Confetti top coat, here's what my nails look like:

I really like this Top Coat and find that as well as adding a pretty effect to any colour on your nails, it makes them feel sturdy and chip-resistant.

What are your opinions on the L'oreal Confetti topcoat?

Did you opt for the Illamasqua speckles, the cheap and cheerful L'oreal option, or could you not help yourself and went for both? ;)

Rachel x

March 2013 Birchbox UK

Today marks the second month for Birchbox UK and my first month as a Birchbox subscriber! My year-long Glossybox subscription has just ended, and in it's place I now have a 12 month subscription to Birchbox. Coming from the other side of the pond I'll find it hard not to make comparisons between the two camps but for now I'll just focus on what I got in my first box. 

There were no full size products in this box, only sample sizes. I have written the cost of the full sizes next to the product names.

A nice little addition to the boxes is the Birchbox magazine. I was always slightly envious when subscribed to Glossybox seeing the Joliebox subscribers get their Jolie mag every month so I'm happy to finally be part of the gang and look forward to having a flick through the glossy mag later.

Inside the box you get a little draw string bag containing the products and a couple of information cards with the products and brief descriptions written on them.

 A Sneak peek inside the draw string bag

And here are the Sample's that I received in my box:

1. RMK cleansing balm (full size costs £29) - This cleansing balm has a heavy rose scent to it which might not be to everyone's taste but I've had good experiences with skincare containing rose so have positive associations with the smell. I have heard a little about RMK before and from what I gather it is quite a luxury brand. I've been loving using my Emma Hardie cleansing balm for a while now so look forward to giving this one a try and seeing how it compares.

2. La Sultane De Saba body lotion with Argan Oil (full size £26.50) - This body lotion has a gentle, clean smell and it will be nice to try a body product with Argan Oil in it as I am so used to only using Argan Oil in my hair. The problem with body products this size is that you can't really get a good enough trial out of them to see if they are worth buying.

3. Laura Geller Inkwell Waterproof Gel Liner - I love my black gel liners and have been pretty faithful to the Maybelline one for a good year now. Laura Geller is an intriguing brand that I've seen pop up on QVC before (they are famous for their baked blushers) so I look forward to giving this liner a good test when my Maybelline one is on its last legs.

4. Molten Brown Navigations Through Scent - Valbonne (full size £65) - As far as perfume samples go, I am very happy to see this one appear in my box. I am a big fan of the Molten Brown Navigations through Scent range and already have the full sizes of two perfumes from the line. I love the descriptive story behind the notes in each perfume and how those notes correlate to the destination the perfume is named after. This must be a new fragrance in the line as I've not seen it before, and I can tell you that from one spray I am slightly in Love. With notes of bergamot, orange flower, mimosa, rose, vetiver and leather this fragrance is described as 'Spontaneous. Elegant. Chic.'

5. Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream (full size £19.50) - This is one of those cult multi-purpose products than can be used as a moisturiser, a lip balm or a balm for chapped and dry skin. I have been given a couple of samples of this in the past from Space NK and I have to say, it boggles my mind a little. As a lip balm I found it has too much slip to it and seems to disappear almost instantly. I am yet to find my use for this but if anything I think I will end up using it on my hands.

And these are the two 'Beauty Extra's' that came in the box.

1. Sanctuary 30 day Thermal Transformation Mask

2. Lindt heart filled with Chocolate truffles (Don't mind if I do!)

All in all I am very happy with my first box from Birchbox and think is has a nice array of products. I was particularly excited to see the RMK cleansing balm in there and am really happy that the perfume sample included was one I turned out to really like (I usually hate receiving perfume samples as they are never to my taste).

I was a little heartbroken when I checked the Birchbox hashtag on Instagram and saw that some boxes contained beauty blenders, but a little disappointment comes with the beauty box territory sometimes if you go hunting for spoilers like me!

Did any of you get the March Birchbox?

What do you think of the contents this month?

Rachel x

Discount Dainty Doll Haul

It came to my attention a few days ago that there were Dainty Doll products being sold extremely cheaply on Amazon (we're talking MUA prices), and after blasting out a sceptical tweet it emerged that fragrancedirect were also selling the products for dirt cheap. 

Having previously tried a blush from this brand I was familiar with the product quality and jumped at the chance to grab a few discounted items. After frantically googling swatches of a few products, I settled for one powder blush, the notorious pale girl contour shade 'money talks', two cream blushers and a lipstick. With the prices being around £1.99 all of this came to under £10 including P&P. Considering the Dainty Doll blush I already own cost me £13.50 from boots I think this was a bloody good deal!

So here is what I got...

If you don't know much about the brand Dainty Doll I'll give you a quick briefing: It was a brand developed by Nicola Roberts (a very pale red-head) from the British girl group Girls Aloud to provide makeup suitable for paler-skinned ladies. The price range is mid-high end and the products can be found in selected Boots stores.

The cardboard packaging for Dainty doll products has a really pretty illustration and gold embossed 'Dainty Doll'. 

The Product packing is a sleek matte black design (matte plastic not rubberised like Nars packing) with gold writing. I am a big fan of the packaging and because of how compact the blush packaging is I find I am more likely to pick these out of my collection over other bulkier blushers for taking on a weekend away or holiday. This is no hinderance on how much product you get as the powder blush contains 7g of product compared to the 6g of a standard sized Mac Blush.

The only issue I have with the product packaging is that the actual product name isn't on it, only a number.  You have to check the side of the cardboard packaging to see the shade names.

L to R: Powder blush in '003 Money Talks', Cream blush/bronzer in '003 Billion Dollar Babies', Cream blush in '002 Orange County Girl'.

'Money Talks' Powder Blush: After hearing so much about this shade being dubbed the ultimate pale girl contour shade by Daisy of DaisyNation, this was the first product I knew I had to have. I previously held off on buying this because of the price and being a little unsure, but after nabbing it for £1.99 I'm convinced I've got myself the deal of the century. The shade is an extremely cool toned taupe-y brown with fine shimmer. When swatched the shimmer doesn't translate too much and instead gives more of a satin effect making it perfect for a contour shade. 

'Billion Dollar Babies' cream bronzer/blush: This blush was a bit of a gamble as I couldn't tell the colour clearly from online swatches, but after seeing it described as a cream bronzer shade I couldn't resist for the price. Now I have it, this is the product I am probably most excited about. I have been so into cream cheek products at the moment and as it gets closer to spring/summer a cream bronzer is exactly what I was after! Similar to 'Money talks' this is a very cool toned almost taupe-brown shade making it perfect for contour.

'Orange County Girl' cream blush: Not much to say about this shade other than it's a pretty peachy pink with gold shimmer. It is pretty much an exact colour match of the Dainty Doll powder blush I already have called '004 you are my sunshine', so if you prefer powder blushers go for that one and vice versa.  

L to R: 'Money Talks' powder blush, 'Billion Dollar Babies' cream blush, 'Orange County Girl' cream blush.

'003 It's My Party' Lipstick: The lipstick is (quite obviously) a bright pink. The colour is not particularly unique but it is a really fun shade. I Imagine this colour would look stunning on all skin tones as well as pale skinned girls. As far as the formula goes, I have only tried it on once but from that application I can tell you that it is very pigmented. I would compare it to a Mac Amplified finish in pigmentation but it is slightly drier to apply than amplified so probably more like the satin-finish texture.

Lip swatchy swatch of 'It's my Party'.

So that brings me to the end of my bargain Dainty Doll haul and all the products that I got for under £10. 

I hope you found this post useful if you were considering a dainty doll purchase, and if you didn't already know about the cheap deals for this brand floating around the web, then what are you waiting for...go shop!

Any Questions, please ask :)

Rachel x

International ladies night - FOTN

What better way to celebrate International Women's Day than by getting together with your best girlfriends for a few drinks!

So this is just another quick FOTD post (I will supply something of more substance soon, I promise) to show you what was on my face last night.

Face: Bourjois Healthy Mix serum foundation - 51 light vanilla

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer- 1 fair

Rimmel match perfection powder- transparent

Bobbi brown bronzer - Golden Light

Mac Blush - Style

Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter

Eyes: Mac Charcoal brown eyeshadow (brows)

Mac eyeshadow - Nylon (inner corner/brow bone highlight)

Burberry eyeshadow - Chestnut (lid/lower lash line)

Mac eyeshadow - Woodwinked (centre lid/ lower lash line)

Maybelline gel liner- black

Loreal volume million waterproof mascara

Lips: Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil - Dolce Vita

Rachel xx

Face and Nails of the day 05/03/13

If there is anyone still reading, I know I have been off of the blogging radar for a LONG time and I can only apologise for that. I have no real excuses to offer but you could say I lost my blogging mojo. Whilst at university last year I found myself more motivated to make videos for my Youtube channel, and any extra writing was starting to feel like a chore for me.

Skip to now... It's been a few months, I finished my degree and I have no excuses anymore.  I'm trying to get my life sorted out (call it a late new years resolution) and a large part of that is self-motivation. I am hoping that if I throw myself back into a hobby that I used to really enjoy, then the rest will follow.

I'm not making any promises of regular posts every day and I can't say that I won't drop off the radar again, but I am going to try.

So here I am, easing myself back in with a good old Face of the day. All products listed at the end.

Before I show you my mug here's whats on my nails:

I painted my nails with my Red Carpet gel manicure kit, using the colour 'Ooo La liscious'. The colour looks a bit more red on the camera but in real life it is a gorgeous coral and I can't wait to wear this shade in the summer.

 I am fixated on trying to bring out any hint of green eyes lately (I should just give in and admit that my eyes are actually more brown than green) so today I went for a bronze cream base and warm brown eyeshadow to try and bring out that 'green'. 

 Once I had created the brown eye look I added a touch of Mac 'Woodwinked' eyeshadow to the centre of the lids to add a bit more dimension.

And this picture with flash is just to show the glow that the cream cheek products add.

Products used:

Nails: Red Carpet Manicure gel polish 'Ooo La Liscious'

Face: Bourjois Healthy mix serum foundation - 52 light vanilla

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer - 01 fair

Rimmel stay matte powder - Translucent

Bobbi Brown Pot rouge - Powder Pink

Jemma Kidd dewy glow radiance cream - Rose Gold

Eyes: Mac 'Charcoal brown' eyeshadow (brows)

Maybelline creaseless cream shadow 'Bad to the bronze' (base)

Burberry eyeshadow 'Chestnut' (lid & lower lash line)

Mac eyeshadow 'Woodwinked' (centre of lid)

Inika organic eyeliner - Coco (waterline)

Loreal Volume million lashes waterproof mascara

Lips: Nars Velvet matte lip pencil - Dolce Vita

And there you have it! 

Thanks for reading xx