Review: Katy Perry Killer Queen Oh So Sheer

Hey all, today we are taking a look at the newest perfume release from Katy Perry called "Oh So Sheer", it's a limited edition variant of Killer Queen (which I do not own). Oh So Sheer is described as a blend of wild berries (including mulberry, elderberry and blackberry), and dark plum. Meanwhile it's middlet notes are composed of velvet red flower, lilac, freesia and rainbow plumeria, and its base notes are cashmeran, liquid praline and patchouli. It's a pretty sweet and light scent that then builds into a more subtle and earthy scent.

It comes in a purple box which incorporates the "royal" theme with an ermine pattern and a crown motif, the bottle itself id very similar to Killer Queen a diamond shaped bottle lavender tinted bottle with a golden top that resembles a scepter.It's a gorgeous design and i'm a big fan of it. It's quite ornamental and will brighten up any makeup table or shelf. It might frustrate some that the bottle doesn't stand up like a traditional bottle and i think this is a feature you will either love or hate as it makes it unique and doesn't hurt the perfume inside in any way.

I like the scent specifically the almost ethereal or celestial quality of it with it's mix of sweetness, freshness and earthiness. The only downside is it only last 3-4 hours at most though it goes on quite strong, I would be very happy if this lasted much longer. It's quite lovely though and a great scent for spring and winter as it's freshness can be a little icy and reminds me of icy poles. More of a daytime scent then a evening scent though.

What's your fav "celebrity" perfume?

Review: L'Oreal Color Riche Moisture Matte Lipstick

Ah before last week I didn't own a single L'Oreal lipstick, now I have three, and I love them so much. I was a bad shopper when I saw Spring Rosette at Target i immediately picked it up without a second thought, even though in hindsight it would have been much smarter to go to Priceline and the the 2 for 1 deal, which is how i picked up the other two shades.

Completing a week of all matte products these are probably the ones that have given me the biggest makeup thrill, they are as the name suggests both rich, pigmented and moisturizing, they contain both Argan and Jojoba oil to help combat dryness, are long-wearing and leaves a stain/tint on your lips as it fades away.

The packaging looks lovely, rich and luxe, with a small acrylic square to indicate the color. There are 8 shades and almost all are incredibly wearable and most could be very work safe too, I'm blown away by the colors and it's entirely possible I'm going to go pick up more.

The shades  i currently own are Flaming Kiss, Spring Rosette, and Cherry Kiss all of which are amazing, though my first shade Spring Rosette is by far my favorite. The lipsticks are super soft and you really feel like quality products, the intense pigmentation and moisturizing feel combined with the amazing color selection make these completely worthwhile. With the current 2 for 1 deal at Priceline they also could not be more affordable as your essentially getting each lipstick for around $10.

Cherry Crush is a pale slightly milky pink, it;s very smooth and despite being the lightest of the three is still very pigmented and is a great work shade.

The shade unlike the other two, has a almost incandescent quality where you can see a almost blue/purple reflection in the color that doesn't quite show up on camera. It's a slightly darker and more plum toned version of Cherry Crush.

Flaming Kiss is an orange based red with the most perfect texture I have ever tried on a red matte lipstick.

I highly recommend these lipsticks, their pigmented and far more easy on the lips then even the Revlon Matte Balms and they have the added benefit of leaving a stain after they fade away. I'm so glad I tried a new line of lipsticks as they have far exceeded my expectations.

What's your favorite drugstore lipstick brand?

Review: Rimmel Stay Matte Primer

Browsing the isles at Priceline (as you do) I came across a stand displaying the new Stay Matte Primer from Rimmel, as I didn't currently have a primer after recently finishing up the MUA Matte Primer this one seemed like a good one to try. The product was advertised as "Ultra lightweight formula that minimizes pore appearance.  Controls shine for up to 8 hours.  Won't feel heavy or greasy".

This sounded promising, also since Rimmel has a big focus on matte products I figured they would probably know their stuff when it comes to mattifying skin. My first impressions however were not too favorable, it's a thick lotion like consistency and when applied it felt a bit sticky and quite heavy/thick. The squeeze tube packaging is quite nice though and makes it easy and clean to get the amount of product you want.

The mattifying aspect of it worked for only a few hours and by lunch time the effect was wholly worn off, it did keep my foundation on so in that respect it worked fine, but I honestly prefer a more matte look  and this certainly did not live up to that claim.

As you can see from these photos it is incredibly thick and if you do pick it up I recommend using as little of it as you can otherwise you will feel like there is a thick waxy layer between your skin and makeup which to me felt very uncomfortable. I will use this product up but will not be repurchasing. If you have a suggestion for a better primer below please leave a comment!

Review: Bourjois RougeEdition Velvet in Nude-is

As some regular readers may recall, once upon a time in a world before I had a make up obsession my go to lip product for about three years was the Bourjois Matte Lip Creme, this meant that the moment I saw these at Priceline (while buying other lip products anyway) there was no way I could say no to at least one of these. 

It's a small bottle, and for $24 it's on the pricey side, however Priceline currently has a spend over $25 deal and get a free makeup bag, mascara and eyeliner pen, so that might make it a bit easier.It's a very interesting product, I have always been a fan of matte lip products (See Lime Crime Velvetines & Revlon Matte Lip Balm) and this one is no exception although it's texture makes it that little bit more special.

There are around 8 shades available, I picked the most neutral and wearable shade names Nude-is, although it's not really a nude more like a nude with a browny/pink based and very suitable as a My Lips But Better shade. It's very lightweight and feels like it glides onto the lips. It has a doe foot applicator and you have about 30-45 seconds or so to fix it up before it settles and dries down but because the texture is almost silicon like it really makes application a breeze.

As with any matte lip product you will need a bit of TLC on your lips, but I find this product is much more forgiving them most mattes and one of the reasons is because it's so richly pigmented.

Layering is also not a problem, while some products make it difficult because a second coat will get rid of the previous one, the Rouge Velvet can be layers as much as you like/need but I personally didn't need more then one coat with a few touch ups. They last very well I was able to get a good 6 hours and that included a lunch and several coffees. 

 I really love this lipstick, the texture is really what sells it for me, I'm not sure if I will pick up any other colors as the rest are all very bright colors but I will seriously consider it, and if they bring out any more neutrals then I will be 100% sold.

What's your favorite type of lip product?

Review: Too Faced Shadow Insurence

As I have mentioned earlier, a new job has meant that I have had to reassess some of my makeup needs, mostly the need for things to not fade away or crease by the end of the work day. In addition I received  the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette as a new job present and really wanted to get the most out of it. To this end I purchased the Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye shadow primer and I am so glad I did! This is possible the best makeup purchase I have made in the past 3 years, it's phenomenal how well it keeps eye shadow on, I can apply a full eye shadow look at 7am and have it looks flawless at 8pm when I get home! 

You only need the tiniest amount, less then half a pea size. It comes out as a clear somewhat oily looking nude foundation type cream but soothes out over your eye very quickly and dried down very fast too. It's great that you don't have to rush to apply it as as it works fine slightly wet or dry and it's just as powerful  either way.

Here you can see that is has a great enhancing effect on the color of the actual eye shadows themselves, it really boosts up the color and concentration of the product, this was just a no name brown eyeshadow that I had lying around, i think it was a Rimmel one but it's all faded so I'm not sure. Either way I'm not going back to no eye shadow primer, silly silly me!

Review: NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker

I recently finished up my Maybelline master precise liquid eyeliner and wanted to try something new in terms of eyeliner, I'm a big fan of the felt tip pen type as I just find it the easiest to use, largely due to the fact that it doesn't get gunky, it's easier to control the line weight and if you do mess up it's easier to fix up. So since I didn't seem to have many options I had not tried before (my fav is the Physician's Formula booster one) I decided to check out the NYX counter and ended up picking this one.

The NYX super skinny maker looks pretty good, it very much looks like a felt tip marker and has a nice thin tip, the ink flows very smoothly without problem and there is a great deal of variation you can do in terms of line weight as you can see below.

The biggest problem I had with this, which is my own fault for not clearly reading the packaging, is that this is not waterproof at all, as such it is smudgy as hell. Touching it at all will cause it to smudge, even excess heat will do it, it just seems to want to come off and Panda eyes are a constant concern. On the upside even a little bit of water will get this off, no need for any oil based make up remover, possibly looking at it funny m might be enough to get this stuff off.

This is a fine marker if your just trying out felt liners as it's sturdy and has good ink flow, the tip could stand to be a tad longer but it's stiff enough that it's not a huge issue. If you aren't concerned about smudging or only need to wear it for a short time, or hate removing eye makeup then this is fine, but otherwise steer clear.

Review: Lush Big Shampoo

Hey all, this week I'm brining to you the famous Big shampoo from Lush. I've never been really satisfied with any shampoo I used except maybe the Body Shop's Banana Shampoo & Conditioner (but that was more a scent thing then actual performance). The problem is my hair is very fine and straight but sheds like crazy, but I also tend to get annoying dandruff every other month or so and the oily quality tends to weigh down my hair, on top of all that it's also colored (black) .

What I wanted (needed) was a clarifying and voluming shampoo and having largely failed in the department store variety, I did some research and as usual my first port of call when I have a skincare or haircare issue I think of Lush and after perusing their collection I picked up Big. A sea salt based shampoo that promises Big hair. 

I've since been using this for a week and a half and gotten my partner to try it too, and I'm very satisfied with it, it will be a clear and obvious repurchase. Depending on how long the tub lasts it might even reach HG status. Here is why; it cleans your hair exceptionally well (as in your hair will squeek, weird!), it get's rid of any build up from hair products including silicones and such from other shampoo that you might use, and it makes my hair fluffy, not huge and frizzy but full and healthy.

I was initially concerned about the sea salt, thinking it might too abrasive, too drying, or the texture would just be too uncomfortable or perhaps it might strip or ruin my hair color. Turns out that non of that was true, yes the texture was weird but not in a way that made it bad to use it just took a little getting used too.

I believe my boyfriend summed it up for us very nicely, here was his description when I asked him about it:

1.At first I was concerned with texture, felt like pointy bits covered in goo

2. Then it felt like shampoo with rocks it in...

3. then after scrubbing it felt like regular shampoo

4. then after washing it out my hair was crazy squeeky clean, which was weird because it's never that clean, and it felt really soft.

5. I also didn't have to wash it again as soon because it stayed clean longer.

My partner washed his hair with this and after one use it bubbled and foamed like crazy, where as for my longer color treated hair it took two washes to get the same effect, which is what to bottle suggests. He also didn't need any conditioner because his hair is short where as my hair was so clean that it stuck together so I required a small amount of conditioner to smooth it out. It's true though that I didn't need to wash my hair as often and it felt like first day clean hair for for an extra day and it didn't seem to get the same build up as quickly. I'm overall very happy with it but it's quite strong so some people will only need to use this one a week or less but personally I think I could be happy using it everyday without issue.

What's your favorite shampoo?