Barry M Sunset nail varnish

I absolutely love Barry M. They're cruelty free and most their products are vegan. I came across their sunset nail varnish last Saturday, and was really excited. I love Barry M nail varnish, and their sunset 'daylight curing' range promises a "long lasting pro mani efffect". 

 As you can see, the colours are nice and bright

Excited, I splashed out £15 purchasing Make Me Teal, Out Of My Red, and they daylight curing top coat.  The colours were all lovely. You're supposed to apply a thin coat of colour and allow it to dry, apply another thin coat, and once that's dry apply a thin coat of top coat.  

 Blurry instructions, sorry! 

To be honest it's hard to apply a thin coat, as this nail polish seems to dry really fast and kept smudging if you apply it too thinly so I may have applied it thicker than necessary. I also wasn't sure how to dry them - as they're sunlight curing, you're advised to "cure naturally in daylight" and there's a photo of a nail under a sun.  I don't know if this meant outside, if it has to be sunny, etc, and feeling a bit of a fool I let mine dry next to a window that the sunw as shining through!

 

Also when I removed the polish my nails were stained blue! I wasn't sure if usign a base coat was allowed!  

 

The results were a bit dissapointing. Within an hour the polish had chipped. It didn't last any longer than any other polish I've had, and to be honest I think the finish of Barry M's Gelly polish looks more professional, lasts longer, and is cheaper too! In the end my advice is, avoid these and go for their Gelly range, which is amazing! Let me know if you've tried these and what you thought!

Supercat eyeliner by Soap & Glory

Like a lot of people, I began a quest long ago for the much sought-after holy grail - amazing black eyeliner!

I can now say I have found The One! Meet Supercat, by Soap & Glory

This eyeliner is actually black. None of this really dark gray, sort of fading, nearly black business. On top of that the felt tip like brush is capable of both really fine and really thick lines, and unlike many of the felt tip style eyeliners I've tried, this one doesn't smudge and blend out as you use it.

I even managed my first ever winged eyeliner (more or less)

Soap & Glory's animal testing policy is really clear and I will certainly be trying more of their makeup range!

Products of the month - February

Happy St David's day, everybody!

Here are the proucts I loved in February

NYX in Rose is keeping my lips bright while the weather dulls around me.

Elemis Cleanser is keeping my skin fresh and smooth while winter does it's best to destroy it!

PHB ethical beauty moisturiser has been essential as my poor dry skin tries it's best to cope with winter.

Barry M eyeliner, which I need to review. So sparkly and bright!

What products have you been enjoying?

Makeup Revolution - The One Foundation

Look at how well this matches my skin tone!!!  This is Makeup Revolution's The One foundation in shade 02!  I usually HAVE to get shade 1 for everything and even then it's too dark, but the 1 shade seems actually white. The 2 has pink undertones and matched perfectly!

 

 

It's a surprisingly small pot but is only £4, and is also available at Superdrug.  The foundation is very very watery so I was expecting very poor coverage, but that isn't the case at all. I did need to use more than I thought, but only because my sponge kept soaking it up. I think I will use a brush with it or even my fingers. The coverage itself is medium, but I think could be built up, and it looks really really natural.  My dry and sensitive skin is so far not reacting badly to it! If you want a cheap foundation, I would look no further!

NYX HD eye shadow base

I purchased this for £7 from topshop on a whim.  I've tried e.l.f's eyeshadow primer before and been disappointed, so since then haven't tried any! 

I'm glad I tried this one.  It looks peachy but when you put it on it disappears, and after a few seconds you can apply your eyeshadow. I tend to find my eyeshadow creases a lot by the end of the day, sometimes even disappearing pretty much. I tested this on a bit night out and it gave a smooth and long lasting eyeshadow finish! 

You actually need to use makeup remover on the eyeshadow, which I rarely have to do. The only down side is that if you don't get a thin even coverage, it can make blending your eyeshadow a little bit of a chore, as it's almost too sticky! 

All in all, thumbs up.  However, I realised that it says in French that NYX products are made in the republic of China.  They also seem to be owned by L'Oreal.  Further investigation showed that they still don't sell in China, and don't test their products on animals. L'Oreal also haven't tested on animals since 1991, and so to myself as a 'beginner' of going CF who is trying to promote it as a do-able lifestyle, I'm going to stick with NYX. However, I'll leave you to make your own decisions.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all, and see you in 2015!

Emily x

Almost dupe for Mac Snob - NYX macaron in Rose

I've almost done it. I've nearly got a dupe for Mac Snob! Meet Rose from NYX's Macaron range - matte pastels in really unusual vibrant colours! I got mine at Topshop

Looking at them here they look drastically different. However, they both have a matte finish and white pigments. So when you put them on...

The first is snob and the second rose. Although Snob is a little darker and so perhaps a little more wearable for the day than Rose, they both have a really similar quality. I was actually surprised but how similar they look on considering the big difference when in the pots!

NYX doesn't last as long as Mac, but it's only £8 so is half the price!  NYX don't sell to China so are completely cruelty free! I'm happy enough with this dupe for now!!

Elemis cleanser

I purchased this cleanser a while ago on a whim, having only just come across the brand Elemis. I got mine from Debenhams online, and was surprised by how much you get in a bottle for £22. 

It's got a handy pump top, and dispenses just the right amount of cleanser. Several times I used two pumps, and that's way too much! This bottle had lasted months and as you can see, it's got a long way to go!

It smells fresh, feels a little cool, and leaves my skin feeling really soft - I hardly ever use moisturiser after it! All you do is put it on your face, and wipe with a cotton wool. It removes most makeup, I've found, except for tough eyeliner and water proof mascara.

I've never found a cleanser I really enjoy and purchase regularly, but I think I might have hit the jackpot. I want to try more Elemis products. Let me know if you use them!