Illamasqua 'Emerge' Cream Pigment Review

Hello my little muffins!

Yes I lost my Illamasqua virginity. It was difficult at first to give in but wow it felt good afterwards. Enough with the innuendos Emma...just get on with the review...sorry.

I have moaned and complained numerous times about my horrific dark circles under my eyes and have been desperate to try an orange-toned concealer to cancel this out. (Remember colour wheels in school art classes?) I know MAC is supposed to do an amazing one but I decided to finally bite the Illamasqua bullet.

Firstly, packaging. I love the quirky little shape to this and the sleek black lid. For a potted concealer (as opposed to a tube) there is actually quite a lot of product in this and I love how the bottom is clear so I know exactly what I'm taking out the drawer.

The texture is quite hard but goes incredibly creamy once worked slightly. However, the pigmentation is insane on this so the tiniest amount goes a long way! 

I layer this underneath my usual Collection Lasting Perfection concealer (sometimes a tiny bit over the top aswell if things are looking incredibly bad under there) and set with a bit of powder. It lasts pretty much all day with no creases and counteracts all my gross bluey tones fantastically!

I know £17.50 is a bit of a steep price tag but I've been using this looooads and have barely made a dent so it will last a long time. Plus you are paying for a high quality, pretty specific product. Personally, it's a must.

You can find Emerge here.

Wine? Check!

Hello my little muffins!

This week has been hectic. Moving back to uni, moving in with new people, freshers week blah blah. I have been out a lot this week so I thought I'd share my favourite outfit from my nights out.

Top - H&M £12.99

Skirt - H&M £14.99

Shoes - Topshop £40

Bag - Primark

Necklace - Primark £12

What do you guys think?

 

Fear

Hello my little muffins!

I know I've already posted today, I was all organised and had it scheduled a few days ago but I've been in an odd mood the last few days. Rather than bottle it all up I decided to write about it...and post it on the Internet...like a normal person. Bloggers logic!

Today I'm going to talk about something that I've not really seen much on this here blogosphere we call home. Fear. I apologise how truly awfully cheesy this post will be.

I'm not talking about being squealy when a spider runs across the bathtub or (if you're me) passing out when someone cuts themselves. I'm talking about the sort of gut-wrenching, panic-inducing, heart-racing kind of fear that plagues us all at one time or another. Sometimes it's serious things that create this kind of fear, sometimes it's just a little thing that completely freaks you out.

For me, it's been something that has been building all summer and has just taken over the last few days. 
The fear I'm not doing the right thing with my life.

It almost makes me feel silly to think this way. I am so driven and passionate about the fashion industry and have been from a young age so why should this fear even cross my mind? I work hard, I get good grades on a course I love and I surround myself with the industry I couldn't live without. It's the future that terrifies me. I know I want to be a designer but at the same time I love doing this. Writing, photographing, blogging. Can I fit both into my life and be successful? I don't even know what sort of designer I want to be yet, I have a few more years to go of my degree but I have to do a work placement next year and I couldn't even begin to come up with a brand I want to work for. I feel like time is ticking away all too fast.

So what do I do with these fears? Am I not meant to admit to them? Do I learn from them or let them consume me? I have no clue! Sometimes we can 'grow some balls' and just push past them; but sometimes there are days when we just can't. And there's nothing wrong or abnormal about that. Fear is one of the most powerful emotions we have as human beings, it's what we do with it that counts.

OOTD - Leather and Jeans, Garage Glamorous

Hello my little muffins!

Despite the weird weather the North West is experiencing the last couple of days (rain one minute then sun the next? Just decide!) I did want to share with you my favourite outfit from this week.

This top is super cute, the leather sleeves and collar give it a bit of an edge (I'm loving the punky grungy influences in the upcoming seasons trends) and the wine colour makes it a little bit brighter. I have a longer body and short legs so finding tops which come to a nice length on me is really difficult but I really like the length on this and how it goes slightly longer at the back.

I just put this on with my gap skinny jeans and my favourite DM shoes! Comfy, girly grunge! Teamed with a smudgy eye and a sheer colour on the lip, I think this is my favourite look for the current weather.

Top - Primark £10

Jeans - Gap £30

Shoes - Dr Martens £85

What do you think?

Sleek Face Form Kit Review

Hello my little muffins!

I have a very round face. And a big head. Problematic. I struggle to find contour bronzers to suit me because they're either really orange or muddy. I have lusted over Sleeks contour kit for aaages and finally decided to take the plunge.

What I didn't realise was that they do a Face Form Kit which includes their infamous Rose Gold blush (in the fair/light kits) and it works out cheaper to buy this than the contour kit and blush separately. Woo student logic!!

The packaging is usual Sleek: simple, sturdy and chic. It does tend to get a little dirty but I can forgive that for how sturdy and well-sized they are. You get a good sized mirror in there too so it is pretty much handbag perfect.

The kit includes a bronzer, highlight and blush. All 3 are so super soft and pigmented it is crazzzy. Their colour choices are really great too, the bronzer is a subtle matte brown which blends nicely so you don't get a weird stripey effect and actually looks good on my skin. The highlight is my least favourite of the 3; it is a little bit too subtle but if you layer it you start to just look sparkly. I like it but I do prefer my MUA highlight. The blush is so beautiful though, you need an incredibly light hand to apply the gold-flecked peachy pink colour and it just gives a healthy glow to the cheeks. 

This lasts all day easy and is amazing value for money. You can get it here for a steal at £9.99! 

Have you tried this product?

Revlon Nail Enamel 'Seductive' Review

Hello my little muffins!

I have been harping on about berry tones for a while now, they are perfect for the A/W season and I just feel like they suit me really well. I've been sticking them on my eyes and lips so why not nails too?

In the bottle this looks so gorgeous, really vampy and dark. Now I'm not usually one for negativity but I always promise honesty. I love Revlon nail varnishes, I have TONS and I've never had a problem with them. However, this shade is so disappointing it brought me down from my mega purple high.

I found it really thin in formula, meaning it took a good 3 coats to get it opaque and even then I've been left with streaky nails. Sad sad Emma. Also, the brush seems so much thinner than normal so it took forever to paint my nails. Noone wants that Revlon!

Having said that, I do still love the colour itself I just maybe need to go on the hunt for a better one. Also, it actually lasted around 5 days without chipping. Nice one!

Have you tried Revlon polishes?

Loves xxx

August Empties

Hello my little muffins!

There have only been a handful of products I've used up this month (other than toothpaste but who wants to see my empty toothpaste tube?) but I have really enjoyed using these products and I am sad to see them go.

1. Along Came Betty Clean Around the Clock (full review here)

This has taken me aages to use up, I've loved it so much I've been savouring it! It smells so invigorating and fresh it wakes me up of a morning....a tough task I must say. Plus it really hydrates my skin so I have baby soft skin mmm.

2. Toni & Guy Salt Spray

I have repurchased this a few times, I really like the smell and the hold it gives on the texture it gives. Not much more I can say really, it's a nice product but nothing exciting.

3. Crazy Colour Bleaching Kit

This has by far been the best bleaching kit I've used to create my ombre hair. It is really strong so I get a nice light blonde without the brassiness, plus it hasn't done as much damage to my hair as most kits I've tried. I will be using this for my next dye attempt!

4. Revlon Lip Butter in 'Tutti Fruitti'

Oh I'm so sad to see this go! I love the bright orange colour and lip butters are my fave!

5. Benefit Fake Up (full review here)

I have loved this, I found it really hydrating on my eye area and did brighten it but I think the price tag is a little steep for the actual product so I won't be repurchasing :(

Loves xxx