UK Colourpop Haul & Review

Hello guys!

Sorry I've been MIA for so long :( but I recently started university and the workload has been crazy! However I will now be blogging more regularly.

I have been dying to try some Colourpop items for so long but they previously didn't ship to the UK. However, they recently started shipping to more countries internationally, including the UK so I picked up a few items. I didn't get everything I wanted as I was wary that the more you spend, the higher the custom charges would be. 
In total I spent just over $50, which made me eligible for free international shipping which I thought was amazing! I then had to pay around £17 for custom charges when my items arrived so in total my order came to around £57 which for 4 liquid lipsticks, a lip gloss, 4 shadows and a highlighter is not bad at all!!

Here is what I purchased:

Ultra matte liquid lipsticks

Swatches whilst still wet

Dry swatches

L-R: Love bug, Tulle, Bumble & Notion

I love how creamy the lipsticks feel when you first apply them, however when dry they can be quite drying, settling into any lines in the lips - exfoliation beforehand is certainly key. However the colours are beautiful, pigmented and not at all streaky.


I also purchased one ultra glossy lip colour in the shade 'Weho' which is a super glossy nude.

The lip gloss formula is a tad sticky -however it is not unbearable. This shade is a bit light for my skin tone so I pair it with a brown lip liner and over a nude lipstick for a perfect glossy nude look.

Eye shadows

Although I had high hopes for these Colourpop shadows - I had heard how pigmented they can be, especially the metallic shades - I must say I was disappointed with the pigmentation, and blendability of these shadows as I thought they were a bit chalky (especially the mattes). However the shade 'Nillionaire' (a blogger favourite) is a stunning shadow and with some Fix+ hopefully the metallic shades could pop some more.

L-R: Drift, Seeker, Nillionaire, Paradox

Highlighter

When I saw the swatches on Colourpop's website I HAD to pick up one of their 'pearlized highlighters' and I chose the shade 'Might Be'. As you can see below - the highlighters look very smooth, buttery and pigmented on Colourpop's website.

Pearlized Highlighter swatches on Colourpop's website.

And at first when I finger swatched I was very impressed.

'Might be' highlighter finger swatch

However when swatched on my arm, as shown above, the highlighter is not as pigmented as it first appears and is quite glittery as opposed to a buttery smooth glow that I was hopig for. I tried this highlighter on my cheek bones, applied with a fan brush and it was very glittery and sheer - not what I was hoping for. However I will try to add a bit of Fix+ from Mac on my brush next time and maybe even try a different brush to see if I can make it work.

Final Verdict

I must commend Colourpop for the colour range of their liquid lipsticks and eye shadows, however I was slightly unimpressed by their formulas I think the lipsticks are slightly too drying, the lip gloss is sticky and the highlighter and eye shadows are chalky. The products are not terrible, they certainly can be used however I was hoping that Colourpop could be my new go to brand for affordable, good quality makeup however the quality was slightly disappointing.

My first attempt at a glitter cutcrease

As I was attending a wedding this weekend I wanted my makeup to look super glam as it was a special occasion. I love the look of glitter cut creases so I thought this was the perfect occasion to try one on myself and I think I did ok!!

For this eye look I used my holy grail OPV cosmetics gorgeous palette with Morphe blending brushes and cosmetic grade glitter from Ebay. It is important when using glitter for eye looks that you ensure the glitter you use is cosmetic grade otherwise the glitter can scratch the corneas causing eye damage.

Firstly, I used a light orange shade as my initial transition shade, followed by a light brown shade. I then gradually darkened the crease to build dimension by using darker and darker shades of brown from the same palette.
Next, I used my LA Pro Girl Concealer and a Real Technique Detail Brush to 'cut' the crease. I found this part the most difficult and I did get a little messy, but practice makes perfect! 

I then placed a gold shadow over the concealer as I wanted to use a

gold glitter and the shadow underneath will make the glitter appear more opaque.

Now for the fun part!! I placed a glitter adhesive above the gold shadow and then used a flat eyeshadow brush to apply the gold glitter.

Finally I added NYC Black Liquid Eyeliner, followed by Red Cherry 43 Eyelashes and added the same brown shadows I used in my crease on my lower lash line.

I then did my base makeup. I recommend doing eye makeup before base makeup, especially when using glitter as otherwise the eyeshadow can fallout and ruin your base.

For my base I used:

♥ Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

♥ LA Pro Girl Concealer in Medium Beige to highlight the under eye area.

♥ LA Pro Girl Concealer in Dark Cocoa to contour, I then set this with Sleek's Contour Kit in Dark.

♥ MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Global Glow to highlight the cheekbones, nose and cupid's bow.

♥ MAC Translucent Powder to set my makeup - an essential step if you're going to be dancing to keep that makeup in place!

♥ Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray - I am not too fond of this spray but still on the hunt for the perfect product for my oily skin (any recommendations would be greatly appreciated).

The final look:

I really enjoyed creating this makeup look as I love to experiment  with makeup but I am far from perfect so would really appreciate any feedback on how I could improve.

Thank you once again for reading, Chantel x

July Payday Haul/ product review!!

After a long and very poor month, payday finally arrived so I thought I'd treat myself to a few things. I thought I'd try the new products out before making this post so I could also let you guys know what I think about them.

♥ Makeup Products ♥

1. Urban Decay De-slick Setting Spray - I have super oily skin so I've been searching for a product to control my oil as there is nothing worse than spending ages on your makeup only to look super shiny 3 hours later. I decided to try the travel size of the setting spray to see how it worked for my skin and I picked this up from the Urban Decay counter in Debenhams for £9. However I don't think I'll be purchasing the full size version of this product as it didn't do anything to extend the longevity of my makeup and I would not recommend it to all the oily girls out there.

2. Kiss Ritzy Lashes - These are my favourite lashes, they're glam yet they look natural and I reach for them for most of my neutral/ everyday looks. I needed to repurchase these so I picked up a two pack for just over £7 from Boots which I think is a really good price for 2 sets of lashes.

♥ Hair products ♥

1. Gorilla Snot Hair Gel - As my natural hair transition has progressed, I have found it harder and harder to get my hair slick which is a look I love. This gel works really well to do so, even better than Olive Oil Eco Styler Gel and I would definitely recommend it as it only costs £3.99.

2. Bootleg Denman Brush - I've seen a lot of natural hair bloggers talking about Denman Brushes and how good they are for natural hair, so I really wanted to try one out for myself. However, I refused to pay £8-£10 for a hair brush. So when I saw this brush that looked very similar in the Afro hair shop I had to try it as it is a fraction of the price at £2.99. This brush is very effective at detangling, however I would not recommend it for very damaged hair as it could worsen breakage.

♥ Fashion ♥

1. River Island Sweatshirt - As Autumn/Winter clothing is finally hitting the shelves, a few pieces have caught my eye. The first being this grey sweatshirt with badges on the arm from River Island's men collection. I really liked this sweatshirt as I got army/ military vibes from it and I really like the oversized fit. I got this for £26.99. 

2. Quilted Bomber Jacket - When I first saw this bomber jacket my boyfriend tried to convince me that I don't need it and so I left it. But when I got home I instantly regretted the decision and so I had to go back and get this beauty. This jacket cost £18 from Primark and although I don't typically like quilted bombers I absolutely loved the colour of this one so I had to get it!!

3. Holographic Clutch Bag - Last but not least is this pretty holographic clutch with a chain strap from Primark. I think this bag would be perfect for a night out or even in the day time when you're trying to go for a more glam look. This bag was only £10 which I think is a bargain.

That concludes my payday haul/ review, thank you so much for reading!!
Chantel x

 

Summer strolls around London

In the UK we haven't had much of a summer so far this year (as usual), however this week the rain has kept at bay so my boyfriend and I decided to do some sightseeing around London. We often overlook and take for granted some of the beautiful sights and things to do in the countries we live in; however even a simple stroll around some famous landmarks on a sunny day can be a nice day out.

♥OOTD

Although the sun is currently nowhere to be found, it is still very warm and humid in London at the moment so I opted for a light and airy crochet top with ripped knee jeans and heeled sandals. The top is actually a bikini cover up from Primark last year but there are no rules in fashion! My jeans are from Boohoo.com and my sandals are from Primark also (I love a bargain).

♥WHAT WE GOT UP TO

These heels certainly weren't made for walkin' so I swapped them for some flip flops LOL. Flip flops on, we travelled to South Bank which is one of my favourite places in London. There is the beautiful view of the River Thames, restaurants galore and City Hall is also located there, in case you wanted to meet Boris Johnson. We also visited the London Eye which is surrounded by lovely green areas where you can stop to have a picnic after taking in the scenery. All in all, it was a lovely day out and it didn't cost much money at all! I would definitely recommend a bit of sightseeing or just visiting somewhere different in your city if you're bored and don't want to be stuck indoors, especially during the summertime.

Thank you for reading,

Chantel x

My natural hair transition tips

Transitioning from chemically altered hair back to your own natural hair state can be a very empowering process, but it can also be extremely difficult as I have found out from my own transitioning experience. As of October 10th 2015, I stopped relaxing my hair. Before this I had tried to make this change on numerous occasions but buckled around the 3 month mark due to not knowing how to style my hair, however this is the longest I've ever transitioned and I am hoping to big chop in around 3 months time. In this post I am going to share some tricks that have helped me during my transition.

♥ DETANGLING IN THE SHOWER  

 - detangling in the shower, when your hair is saturated with conditioner will make detangling much easier as your hair will have slip and your fingers or comb will be able to slide through it much more easily. Matting and knots have been the most frustrating part of transitioning for me but when I started finger detangling in the shower, I had far fewer knots and tangles. For more stubborn knots, I like to use a wide tooth shower comb to detangle.

  

♥ PROTECTIVE STYLING

- The less you have to style your hair during transitioning, the better. The line of demarcation (the point where your relaxed hair and natural hair meets) is especially susceptible to breakage and so excessive combing, and styling will eventually lead to your relaxed hair breaking off which defeats the purpose of transitioning.

My favourite protective styles during my transition have been:

Box braids

Buns, buns, buns

Full head weave with closure

Cornrows 

♥ MOISTURE & PROTEIN 

- A balance between moisture and protein in your routine is always important, but even more so during the transition to natural hair when your hair is particularly weak. For a light protein treatment I like to use ORS Hair Mayonnaise and for a moisturising deep conditioner I like to use Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration Intensive Mask.

Protein 

Moisture

♥ PATIENCE 
- Last but certainly not least, being patient with my hair has helped me greatly. Although it can be tempting to compare your hair growth, type and texture to other naturals this can make the transitioning process even more painstaking than it has to be. Everyone's hair grows at different rates and this is something that you cannot really change so its easiest just to accept, love and embrace your new growth however kinky, curly or coily it may be and the journey will fly by!

Happy transitioning :) 

Chantel x

JULY WISHLIST

Here is a list of beauty, fashion and other random items that I am currently dying to get my hands on..
♥ KIKO MILANO WATER SHADOW (SHADE 208) - I've swatched this shadow in the Kiko store and the pigmentation is to die for! This shadow can be used wet or dry and I can imagine the pigmentation if used wet would be crazy. Also this shadow can be used as a highlighter and is said to be a dupe for Mac's 'Soft and Gentle' mineralize skin finish which has been a blogger favourite for some time.

♥  ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS GLOW KIT - Yet another highlighter I am dying to get my hands on, but you can never have too many highlighters!! From the swatches I've seen this palette looks gorgeously pigmented, and although slightly pricey (£39 on beautybay.com) you do get 4 gorgeous shades so I believe the price can be justified.

♥ YOGA MAT - This has been something I've been meaning to get for a while. I really want to incorporate yoga into my daily routine because I've seen its numerous health benefits including; increased flexibility,improved posture and improved state of mind which was the most appealing benefit to me. I have been quite unhealthy with exam stress taking its toll and I want to get healthy. 

♥ KOKO LASHES (GODDESS) - I never used to wear lashes much, however recently I have become addicted; falsies are the perfect finishing touch to any eye look and can instantly transform your face. These Koko Lashes are so flirty and gorgeous and I definitely need them! I've seen so many eye looks on Instagram where I thought 'wow what are those lashes?' and it turns out to be these badboys.

♥ REEBOK CLASSIC NYLON - The traditional leather Reebok Classic's that have been a British favourite for many years now have had a stylish revamp and I am loving it! The slim trainer would look gorgeous with skinny jeans or even a skirt and the light nylon material is perfect for the Summertime.

Birthday weekend makeup

On the weekend of my birthday, I decided to celebrate; and with celebration, comes a glamorous makeup look. I decided to try my first ever glitter eye look because I wanted to look extra glam for the day and I definitely felt glam. 

As I knew I was using glitter, I decided to do my eye makeup first to avoid glitter fallout onto my base makeup.

Eye products used:

• To do my eyebrows I used Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown. I applied this with an angled brush from ELF.
• As an eyelid primer I used my LA Pro Concealer set with MUA Translucent Powder.
• I then used a light brown shade from Makeup Revolution's Flawless Matte Palette as my transition shade, next I added depth to the crease with a dark brown shade from the OPV Cosmetics Gorgeous Palette.
• I then used this same palette and added a copper shadow to the lid.
• I then added a glitter on top of this. The glitter used I purchased from Ebay, I ensured the glitter was cosmetically safe. This is important because if glitter isn't certified as cosmetically safe it can scratch the corneas and cause eye damage.
• I then placed the dark shadow on my lower lash line to balance the look.

Base products:

• I used Estee Lauder Double Wear as my foundation.
• I used LA Pro Concealer set with MUA Translucent Powder under my eyes also.
• I contoured my cheekbones and forehead with Sleek's Contour Kit.
• I used a tiny amount of Mac Raizin blush.
• Finally, I used Mac Mineralize Skin Finish in 'Global Glow'.