Saturday 24 October 2015

October Empties!

Hey everyone, 
I asked everyone on Instagram (@Piperbeauty) what they wanted to see from myself today and October empties was the first choice. This really helped me out actually as my box at the end of the bed was really getting full! If you don't know how I do my empties, I write down in my little book the empty and the value of the item and pop them in a box. At the end of each month I total up all of the empties amounts to see how much the total empties are worth. This month is shocking! 
(Sorry for the blurry photo! It's very dark and raining a lot in Oxfordshire) 

I used up a total of:
2 Haircare
21 Skincare
8 Bodycare
12 Samples
14 Makeup items 
2 eyeshadows (in a palette) 
3 Mics items

My total for this month equals a massive £250 exactly! For the total to be this high I noticed I used a lot of deluxe sized items and finished off a lot of more expendsive items that I receive in my boxes. I also managed to finish a massive 14 makeup items off this month due to project panning and various other projects! I do believe that if I carry on the way I am going (and with a new job and lots of new goodies to use) I can carry on using what I buy and making a good dent in my collection. Here's to next month! 
Emma 

Thursday 22 October 2015

Cohorted- My little Treat Beauty Box

Hey everyone, 
I really didn't expect to be blogging today but guess what finally turned up? My Cohorted My little Treat box. If many of you have seen my recent twitter posts (@BeautifulBeads1), I was having trouble contacting Cohorted about the where abouts of this box for the last week. It's original dispatch day was supposed to be 15th October but it only arrived today due to asking where it was. I am not normally one to slash a company like this but the customer service was really poor considering the prices and items toy receive in the boxes from them. However the boxes themselves are amazing! 
On October 1st, Cohorted came out with 4 new beauty boxes which were one off purchases and this box caught my eye straight away. The my little treat box is £19.99 + postage and packaging (which now come via Royal Mail in the Uk) and considering one of these products is £24 normally, I was jumping on the confirm button straight away. As usual I will unbox this going from my favourite item to least favourite item. 
Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light Plus
I'm a sucker for a Mac product however I do not have the disposable income to keep buying their products so that's why you don't see many Mac products around my blog. An MSF (Mineralize Skin Finish) is £24 retail price and much more on ebay however they have been on my wish list for a while. So of corse I was going to purchase this box for this product alone! This product is a domed face powder (which matches me perfectly) infused with minerals that blends in seamlessly to the skin. Reviews of this product will follow in the future. 
Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Walkyrie 
My first Nars product! I've been eyeing up these lip pencils for a while (not necessarily the matte ones) especially the colour Rekugian and this pencil is pretty darn close! After first application (as soon as this came it was on!) I found it to glide on just like a normal bullet lipstick however after a few minutes, it dried down to a really matte formula. I love the colour, I love the idea, unfortunately I just found it so drying on the lips. The colour stayed on for a really long time, but as soon as I ate food and drank the colour was gone. Just something to think about for the future. 
Ciate Nail Varnish in serendipity 
As I said in my post yesterday, I have a love/hate relationship with Ciate and I was a little disappointed seeing them in this box. I can find Ciate at my local Tk Maxx for less than £3 so to me this is not an expensive brand. The colour is a beautiful red glitter on a clear base, a perfect topper for Christmas or the coming winter months. 
BareMinerals Soft Focus Face Brush
This product only came last because I have had it in a Cohorted box before. I do love the brush itself, very soft with a perfect length handle however I do not need two. I have found that this brush works perfectly with the Benefit sample blushes or even their box blushes. This brush will be passed on to another family member. 

As you can see I neither loved nor hated this box as it had its good and bad bits and with Mac and Nars featuring I can see why they say the boxes value is £81.50. However because I have bad such a poor experience with their company both times I have had their boxes, I will not be ordering from Cohorted again. Personal experience that is all. 
Emma 

Wednesday 21 October 2015

Keep or Donate: Nail polish, round 2

Hey everyone, 
Another week has passed so a few more nail polishes have been passing the test of keep or donate. If you didn't see my first Keep or Donate post, this project was inspired by PetitPearStyle on YouTube and the KonMari method of decluttering. The idea is to wear at least 6 polishes a week and decide during that week if I would like to keep them in my collection or donate them to family or charity. As always if you do not like feet, you may want to skip this post as my toe nails do feature. 
Models Own polish in Asscher Blue 
I do believe before this manicure I hadn't actually worn this polish! It is a beautiful pale blue (opaque with 2 coats) with tiny gold glitter which shine when you move. This polish didn't last well on my nails, probably only a few days without chips, however the beautiful gold glitter just made this a keep for the Christmas season! 
Rimmel London 413 Orangina 
Now I'm quite glad I painted this colour on my toes. As I live in England, it is getting rather chilly now and the socks are coming out, which means I could hide this polish. It became this horrible orange colour with two rather streaky coats and I could tell straight away it was a donate. I just don't like this colour on my skin tone. 
Ciate polish in the hamptons
I do have a love hate relationship with Ciate and so far (bar the grey polish in the last keep or donate) most colours have been a keep, including this one! This polish is a green and gold glitter with a clear base, perfect for a topper. I absolutely love the constancy of Ciate and have decided I want to try this polish on top of others in the future. 
O.P.I- Next stop..The Bikini Zone 
I don't know which year or collection this polish came out (sorry!) as I bought it from TK Maxx, however I do know this is a perfect polish for the fingers or toes. It's quite a pale polish and it takes a couple of layers to make it this colour but isn't it beautiful! I know this is going to be a lovely colour for work or in the summer so I am going to keep this one. 
Colour Couture Purple 
Straight away I can tell I don't like this polish at all. After two coats, it was still very streaky and my nails were still poking straight through. I'm not going to go anymore into it other than say donate (my sister already has it).
Barry M Socialite 
I love this polish so much! It's very opaque with one coat yet you can still see the polish under it too. It glitters very well and shines beautifully under light. With two coats, the polish stays well and doesn't chip. I've always loved Barry M so this one is defiantly a keep. 

Here's to another week of keep or donate. I'm going to keep doing these as I really feel I'm finding out which colours I enjoy wearing and what suits my skin colour. I hope your enjoying this series as much as I do! 
Emma 

Tuesday 20 October 2015

Review- Bourjois Air Mat Foundation

Hey everyone, 
Recently I popped this photo of myself up on Instagram (@Piperbeauty) of my first application of the new Bourjois Air Mat Foundation and I had a few people ask me to review it. After a few more days of trying the foundation out, I'm ready to give my thoughts and feelings. As you can see by the photo upon first application, I was really impressed with the coverage (the photo is with no concealer or powder) and texture. However I did find the colour was a little off even when blended down my neck. Unfortunaly Bourjois doesn't have a massive shade range and even though I bought 01 Rose Ivory (the lightest shade) it still wasn't light enough for me. I also found this with the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation too. 
I found that applied with a beauty sponge, it created a nice light texture, almost like your not wearing foundation at all. The bottle implies an undetectable matte finish which I believe was correct. However after I completed my makeup, I had noticed the colour had oxidised on me and I was now 2 shades darker than the above picture. This may not be a problem if you plan to wear the foundation for a short amount of time, however with the light feeling I was planning to wear it for a working day (8 hours). This then short listed the foundation to short wear for myself. 

However for review purposes, I continued to wear the foundation all day and let me tell you within 2 hours it had broken down on my skin. I have (unfortunately) very oily/combination skin so most foundations have to stand the test of time. This foundation did not. I blotted my skin with shine papers and half of the foundation came off with the oil (major brake down). Normally, if this was a working day I would not have any way of re-applying so I carried on with my day as if I were working. After another 2 hours, I came back to my skin and the foundation had completely gone. The oil in my skin had broken what was left of the Air Mat after blotting and just left my face with an oily shine. I blotted again, just to make sure and these were my findings (do not look at the next few photos if grossed out by oil). 
1) First blotting 2) Second blotting 
I tried to take a close up of my skin and as you can see my under eye bags, spots and acne scaring were all visible before blotting. Now as unfortunate as the wear time is on this foundation (for myself) it does claim to have 24 hour wear but I do believe that would be for dry skin. It's light texture and easy to wear would make it perfect for you, however not so much for oily skin like mine. I do like this foundation so I do plan to wear it for when I go out to town or short journeys as the initial coverage was amazing! However when it is finished, I do not plan to repurchase. 

I hope this was helpful to anyone trying to figure out whether they want to try it or not. If you have tried any foundations recently and have oily/combination skin like mine, please can you tweet me (@BeautifulBeads1) and let me know? I would love to try some more out. 
Emma 

*This product was bought with my own money*

Monday 19 October 2015

#14by14Feb- Intro

Hey everyone, 
Yes you must be thinking exactly what my parents and boyfriend think! Your taking on another project?! But this will mean three projects! I'm totally up for that challenge. I've been thinking about starting this project as soon as I saw @Glamourwithgrace and @KristenKay do their intro videos on YouTube. They came up with a seasonal project pan running just over 4 months called finish 14 by 14th February (to show their love for project pan). The idea being to use up some more older products in your collection and as I'm rotating quite well with my other projects at the moment, I just decided to use up or hit pan on some more full products. 
I actually had a different item in here last night when I posted on Instagram that I was going to start, however this morning I actually finished it! I didn't believe I was so close to finishing as it was an opaque tube. That item has now been subbed in with something else. Onto the items. 
Clinique Rinse Off Eye Makeup Solvent
Luckily I managed to buy this recently at a TK Maxx (so discounted price) and not the full price but I really want time to test it out. It is still relatively full (as you can see by the marking) so I can make a good dent and finish this one off by February. 
Simple Soothing Facial Toner
I've had this product for quite a while and started using it before an item came in a Glossybox that I wanted to use first. That product has now gone and although I like this product, I do find it drying on my skin. I want to have this product gone easily by next year. 
Garnier Miricle Sleeping Cream 
I recieved this in a Latest in beauty box recently and have been using it every night. I don't find it to have much benifit in my skincare routine so just want to move this product out. As you can see by the photo it already has a good dent. I also have no way of knowing how much is in this pot, so updates will just be photos like this. 
InstaNatural Retinol Serum 
If your an avid follower of my blog, you will recognise this product and know I already love it. I've made a good dent in this applying it every night, however knowing that it is a more natural product does mean it will go off quicker. I want to have some good use out of this before it goes off and what a better way than putting it in this project. 
Benefit Dandelion Blush- deluxe sample size- hit pan.
I've actually not had much luck putting blushes in projects like this but dandelion has been a recent go to blush for me and I'm already seeing a dent in the writing. I only want to hit pan on this blush, however if I manage that quite early on, I will carry on panning until the project is finished. 
W7 eyeshadow in Rose Gold- hit pan
This is a product which I must have had for a good 3 years or so now. I'm starting to see a little hard pan on it (I used to use my fingers instead of brushes) and I've decided it's time to use this up. My pan that palette is starting to have little colours in it now so others are needing to be subbed in. I decided in this project that I want to hit pan on this eyeshadow however if more is done, then I am happy! 
Natural Collection face powder
Some of you may be thinking why have you added in another face powder when you have one in another project? Well I have actually just finished that Revlon powder today! So this one is the last powder (loose or pressed) in my collection! I've decided to take the sifter out of this so it is easier to use with my Real Techniques face brush and more product is used that way. 
Soap and Glory Gloss Stick in Pink-a-boo 
I have recently finished another one of these gloss sticks in my #9bynewyears and loved the formulation and easy application. They don't come with much product so are an easy gimme product in a project like this. I got these from a friend on Instagram and I know she'd love to see me use them! 
Benefit Ooh La Lift deluxe sample size
I've had this in my collection now since my Italian holiday and I've never know how to use it. I recently read up that you can use it before or after foundation under the eyes for a brightener so that is how I will use it. I might need a brightening up in the winter months. I have used a benefit deluxe sample size up in a project before but I do know they take a long time, so we will see! 
So Susan Highlighting Pencil 
So as many of you may have seen I only recently recieved this in my Glossybox for October however I already know I love it and will use it everyday. I've been using it non-stop since recieving it so progress will be easy! I only use it in my corners of my eyes and under my brow bone as a highlight but progress is progress! 
Manna Kadar conditioning lash primer
Another product I have recieved in a Glossybox but use on the daily. I don't find much difference between having this on and not when using mascara but to have it in a project will make me continue to use it until it dries up or I finish it. It has a white milky colour and has no scent, a lovely bonus! 
Makeup Revolution Pro Setting Spray
I have only just recently purchased this and yes it was a repurchase. I love having this and knowing that my foundation will not move using this. As you can see I have only sprayed this a few times but I know progress will be made. 
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
You can't tell much from this photo, but this product is actually almost done. I've been using it for a while and although the colour isn't an exact match, I do like it for under my eyes. The writing on the packaging has all come off so you can tell this a well loved product. As for when the stopper comes out, I have no idea. It's still hanging on strong. 
Hit pan on Faint (Naked Basics Palette) 
This is the product which replaced my No7 Concealer originally in this project. I've been using faint in my brows for a week or so now and I love it. I already have quite a big dip and can see there will be considerable progress soon. I am also using this palette in my pan that palette challenge as the main palette has only 3 shadows left! Major progress has already happened on Foxy (which I hope to finish before 2016) and there are good dips in others. 

For the So Susan Highlighting pencil and the Soap and Glory Gloss Stick I have marked in my book how much I am starting at and can continue to mark with every update. I plan to update once a month on or around the 14th so you guys have a few different updates during the beginning of the month with projects. I can't wait to start a third project! 
Emma 

Sunday 18 October 2015

Project 10 Pan- Update 1

Hey everyone, 
I can't believe 2 weeks has past since I started this project and although I haven't managed to finish or hit goals on anything yet, i am excited with my progress! 
I apologise for the dark photos, this was taken in the day however it is very very gloomy in Oxfordshire at the moment! 
Maybelline Baby Skin
I do expect this product to be gone very early on in the project, however I am using it in conjunction with another primer at the moment. I have used this product up 2 times before so I know this will definitely be loved! It's perfect for oily skin people and keeps your makeup on for a good 6-8 hours. 
YSL Tint-in-oil Lipgloss
I really have no idea how much I have used of this product but I do know it isn't much. I have been really sparse on how much I use this and focusing on using other products up first. I really don't want one of my only high end lip products going from my collection. 
Revlon Nearly Naked Powder
This is one of the products I've really done well on! Considering I had only hit pan on the centre 2 weeks ago, everyday use has allowed me to only have a small corner left. This means after drawing out my lines, I am going to have to re-press to allow for more application. This product should be done by next update. 
Revolution Vivid Highlighter (hit pan) 
I am actually surprised with how much progress I have made with this product. I did not expect by 2 weeks to see the design from the top rubbing down already. This is everyday use with a fluffy brush. 
No7 eyeshadow (hit pan) 
I can quite honestly say I didn't expect this progress either. I decided after numerous amount of swatching with other colours, that I am setting my eyeliner in my #9bynewyears to hit pan. The huge dent in the middle is how far I have come with everyday use. I also expect this product to have hit target by next update. 
Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake
This is the current lip product I am focusing on and so far I have made just under a cm worth of progress which is almost half! I plan to use this everyday until it is gone. 
Revlon Balm Stain in Honey
In the introduction I didn't realise how many Revlon products were actually in this project. At this current time I am focusing on using up the lip butter so this product got very little use from myself. This product is also in my use it up for 2015 but if not finished it will roll over to next year. 
Marsk eyeshadow dust
I can't really say much about this product except that I have used it a couple of times and found the stopper was letting to little of the product out. I decided to take it out and have used it a few more times (dusting it off after picking up product) for a smokey look. This will probably get used more in the winter months. 
Isa Dora Kajal in Icey Blue
Again this is a product I haven't really been focusing on as I've been using up an eyeliner in my #9bynewyears. I did find out though that this colour paired with my pan that palette dark eyeshadows on top allows for winter wear too! This will be my next go to when my other eyeliner is finished. 
ROLLOVER PRODUCT-Maybelline Galactic Mauve Lipstick
I have found myself reaching for this lipstick more and more between uses of my Lip butter. I do have to use a few coats to cover my pigmented lips which is why I have made half a cm worth progress. Again this is another product in my use it up for 2015 and will be focused on after the lip butter has gone. 

By next update I expect my powder, lip butter and my no7 eyeshadow to be gone and good progress to be made on the others. I have an open mind about this project. 
Emma 

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Keep or Donate: Nail Polish

Hey everyone! 
As you may all know, I've recently been on a decluttering kick with the Marie Kondo book. I have also been watching a lot of makeup declutter videos on YouTube which lead me to find PetitPearStyle. She is a beauty guru on YouTube who has also read the KonMari method and has been going on a major decluttering kick! One of her recent series has been called Keep or Donate and she has featured nail polish and different coloured lipsticks. The concept of this series is for her to try on different items of her collections and she is she wants to keep them or donate them to charity or friends and family. I just knew this is the way I wanted to go through my nail polish collection and so PetitPearStyle you inspired me! 
I have been trying on different polishes over the last two weeks (I paint my nails every two days or so) and the ones I want to keep I have placed a little white sticker on the top. I have taken a photo of each polish and will tell you why I'm keeping/not keeping it. I will also say now, sorry if your not a foot person, this post (or series) will include toe photos. 
Essance Gel Polish is 25 Prince Charming
Straight off the bat I knew this was a keep. The colour doesn't make my skin tone grey, it makes my nails stronger in the long run and I actually managed to wear this quite a few days without chipping. I also love the reflects of glitter in this one! 
Ciate Mini in Starlet
In the bottle this is a beautiful colour, however this polish took 4 (yes four!) coats to build up to the same colour. I am not a patient person when it comes to polish, so this is why I'm going to donate this. I do love the colour and it also has a duo-chrome effect to it when it is the light, I just can't wake that long for nails to dry! 
Revlon Polish in Gold Coast
According to the bottle this is a new shade, but I do remember picking this one up at a PoundWorld, so probably isn't by now. I had to really build up this shade and I only managed to create a gold shimmer when the light hits it. In normal light, this polish is barely seen. I'm sure over other polishes this would be great but I am looking for an opaque polish at this moment in time, so I shall be donating this one. 
Ciate Mini in Snow fall
A perfect top coat which looks amazing with one coat or built up. I have only tried this on pale base polishes but I'm sure it would look just as good on dark colours as well. I have this polish in mind for the winter so this one is a keep!
Nails Inc in The Tide Is High
I was actually swaying between keep and donating this polish as it took a long while to build up the colour (also why I put a top coat on too). However I did decide I want to keep this one as I do use it a lot and my sister (who also likes pale muted colours) uses it too. I'm pretty sure if I use this one more than once it will grow on me. If not I will donate to my sister. 
Colour Couture in Silver
I got a set of Colour Couture polishes for Christmas from a work friend and haven't really put them to the test yet (so you may see a few of these!). I must tell you now, they are totally opaque in one coat! I'm very impressed but because I project pan, I put two on just in case. This silver is unlike any I have in my collection and I'm sure to wear it in the party season. I am a little upset to take this off my toes and change to another but surely that means I love it and want to keep it. 

So that's it for this post! Don't worry, any if am donating will either go to friends and family or to the local charity that all my clothes and books went to the other day. Stay tuned for the next post with 6 polishes in. 
Emma 

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Glossybox- October!

Hey everyone, 
Wow this comes round fast doesn't it? I can't believe I've been getting Glossybox for 10 months now! Glossybox is a monthly subscription beauty box in which you get 5-6 products (most are full size, but some are sample size). Monthly subscription is £10 a month (plus p&p) and they do create boxes for all around the world, so check out if they can send one to you! 
This months box is an amazing one with all full size items! I was very shocked when I openned this months box. As always I will post my favourite item first going down towards my least favourite. 
Nicka K Airbrush Blending Sponge- full size- £6.50
As you can imagine I was pretty amazed by seeing a blending sponge in the mix! I've been wanting a new sponge to replace my Real Techniques blending sponge which is very old and well loved now and after trying this one this morning, I can tell you I am not a fan. I don't actually use sponges how they are meant to be used (damp as to not suck up all the product) however I found this sponge a lot more dense than the RT (real techniques) and it actually hurt my face. For now, it will do to apply my foundation but I will be repurchasing the RT.
Talika Photo-hydra Day- full size- £24.85
Oh Glossybox, how you cease to amaze me. As you all know I love a good skincare item and with this French brand I could not contain my excitement! This moisturiser is said to sooth and nourish all season long with hyaluronic acid to keep you feeling plump. There is no weird smell and the constancy is a little watery but I will give any skincare brand a try! 
So Susan Haute Light Highlighting Pencil- full size- £15.00
If you read my Instagram, you will already know I've tried this product out this morning and I do like it. Not a love as it is a peach coloured highlight and I would have preferred a white, however it will be used quite a lot for my inner corner and probably panned in the near future. I must admit, one thing I like about Glossybox popping in So Susan products is that the company is cruelty free and is also hypoallergenic, great pluses for the makeup industry. 
Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour SPF15 in Rhubarb- full size- £7.99
This again is another product I tried right away and I can tell you now, I don't like the taste. I don't know whether it is the SPF15 in it or the amount of moisturisation but I don't think this product will be used. I know there is a little bit of a cult following with this company, but not for me. Sorry Glossybox! 
Jelly Pong Pong Play Paint in Damson- full size- £8.95
I've never really had good luck with Jelly Pong Pong and when I had a product in one of my first Glossyboxes, it ended up going to my sister. I love the colour of this product and it has no smell to it, however there is no control to this item and a lot comes out on your hand straight away. For a cheek/lip product you really do have to be careful and in the mornings that is something I am not! Again another product that will stay in the draw...

I must admit overall I love the amount of full size items and variety of items Glossybox is giving it's subscribers at the moment! I can honestly say that I get more items I enjoy than items I don't. Next month they are giving subscribers the choice of Revlons best selling lip colours and I have already chosen mine. I think this is a perfect way for people to get exactly what they want and if know if I get the shade I picked out, I will defiantly use it. ALSO coming up soon Glossybox is releasing a collaborated box with Nars Cosmetics and as a makeup collector who doesn't own any Nars, you can bet I've jumped on that waiting list already. Any subscriber will be offered the box for £30 instead of the retail £35, an even better reason to subscribe to Glossybox! 
Emma