Review: Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Edition!

Hey everyone, this is just a quick review about a new lip product that I've recently discovered and fallen completely head over heels in love with. The lip product in question is Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Edition (such a mouthful). I was just browsing through Space NK's selection of beauty products when this liquid lipstick caught my eye. I will admit that I'm a complete lip balm/stick/gloss addict and have a huge collection that is constantly growing, so after a little while researching this product I decided it would be wise to invest. The Liquid Lipstick is essentially a lipgloss that dries to create a matte lipstick that apparently lasts for 14 hours without flaking or drying out your lips. An amazing claim I'm sure you'll agree.

The packaging pleases me greatly, it's a dark grey colour with a transparent panel, and tapered ends - I can't explain why I like it other than it's nice to hold, is that weird?

The lipstick is a coral pink with tiny pieces of gold shimmer, it's so beautiful and is highly pigmented I only needed one coat until it was opaque (as the name suggests). The lipstick comes in 9 different shades and I want every single one! As that's probably not going to happen, I do have my eye on the shades Muse and Ballet.

The lipstick is easy to apply with its doe-foot applicator, just like a lipgloss, and within seconds it starts drying to create a matte lipstick effect. Even though it is matte it's not drying, and still makes the lips look nourished and moisturised although I would suggest applying a lip balm before you apply this lipstick.

I guess it's a bit of a novelty, having a lipgloss that's technically a lipstick but even so, it's an amazing lip product! I haven't worn it for 14 hours, and I probably never will, but I did wear it for a good few hours, ate my lunch, drank some drinks and it was still perfect!

You can buy Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick from Space NK for £23.

Rachael Amy x

My Skincare Routine!

Hey everyone! I thought I'd write a quick post about my skincare routine, seeing as it's now quite an important part of my day. About a year ago I'll admit that my skin was lucky if it even got a quick wipe of a face wipe off me, but these days I'm taking a lot more care of my skin. I guess it's starting to write a blog that has made me more aware of the benefits of a good skincare routine. I've always been very fortunate to always have very clear skin, suffering from a spot/blemish once every few months if I'm unlucky so cleansing/toning/moisturising has never been high on my to-do list. Then I started getting a bit older, my skin started to get oilier, wrinklier, I got more bags under my eyes and it was just looking dull. This was the point I decided to invest in some good quality skincare.

So, the products I use are pictured above and these are, in order: Taaj Micellar Water Make Up Remover, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Alpha H Liquid Gold, Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion, Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic and Yon Ka Pamplemousse Cream for Normal to Oily Skin.

The Taaj Micellar Water was introduced to me in one of the JolieBoxes I subscribe to. Taaj is a French brand, and I'd honestly never heard of it before JolieBox featured it. It's essentially an anti-oxidant and tonic make up remover that is great for sensitive skin. It's also a miracle in a bottle. Imagine a water that can get rid of make-up in just one swipe, well this is it! I use these cotton pads, pour a tiny bit on, wipe all over my face and neck and voila! Make up removed - including my mascara! It also smells really fresh, but not too overpowering and leaves my skin feeling so soft. It's the perfect first step to a skincare routine! It is a little hard to find in the UK but I bought mine from the JolieBox website (I think it's sold out now). If anyone knows anywhere I can buy it from, let me know below?
I really like using this as it's so convenient, feels great and to be honest, removing my make up with the Liz Earle C&P just felt weird!

Now, I'm sure you've read ALL about Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, and you're probably all sick to death of reading reviews, I know I am! But, there's no denying it is a chuffing brilliant product. For those of you that maybe don't know about it, it's a light cream that you rub on to your dry face, leave for a bit and then rub it off with a muslin cloth that's been soaked in hot water. It's also ideal to then rinse your face in cold water. I absolutely love this product! It's amazing, how have I coped without this next to my bathroom sink? I really don't know. You can use this without make up remover, but when you're rubbing it into your skin your make up smudges all over and creates huge panda eyes, hence why I prefer to use the Micellar Water first - it just makes me feel cleaner! This cleanser makes my skin feel so incredibly soft, fresh and awakened. I hated cleansing my face with liquid cleansers or face washes because I hate getting my face wet, this is the perfect solution! The hot cloth opens your pores to cleanse them and the cloth itself exfoliates the top layer of your skin. It is lightly scented, but smells really fresh and natural. You really have to try it to see the hype, although I know it doesn't suit everyone's skin. You can buy the cleanser here, a 100ml bottle with a pump and starter kit for £14.25. However, I like to purchase their monthly skincare essentials regime here (scroll down a bit). In September, you can buy the Hot Cloth Cleanser (larger size) in either original or Rose and Lavender (limited edition), the Instant Boost Skin Tonic and the Skin Repair Moisturiser for £41. But keep an eye out because they do monthly offers, I got the Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion for free along with the whole three step regime for £41, bargain!

Alpha H Liquid Gold is yet another product that has had so much blogger hype. I'd heard so much about it before I ever even discovered what it was it actually did! Liquid Gold is a powerful overnight resurfacing and firming lotion, it's enriched with silk proteins and liquorice extract. It apparently jump starts the skin's metabolism, tightening enlarged pores and giving a clearer complexion (ok I copied that from here). It is basically a chemical exfoliator. I use this every-other night (otherwise it would be too harsh on my skin) by pouring a tiny bit on a cotton pad after I've cleansed, wiping it over my face and neck. I then make sure I use a moisturiser afterwards, or if I feel my skin is looking particularly dull I'll skip using the moisturiser for a stronger effect. I have no idea if what it claims is true, all I know is my skin looks amazing the next morning. Maybe it's a mental thing, maybe it's not but all I know is my skin looks great! I was a bit nervous about using it incase it just took all my skin off but it was surprisingly gentle, although I wouldn't recommend if you have especially sensitive skin. You can buy a 100ml bottle for about £31 on lots of online shops, but I bought my 200ml bottle from QVC online for £36.

The Liz Earle Eyebright Lotion and the Skin Tonic are products that I sometimes skip when I'm feeling especially lazy. The Eyebright Lotion is for use in the mornings and aims to awaken, brighten and reduce any puffiness you may have around your eyes. I often have dark, puffy rings around my eyes on a morning and quite often I notice that my eyes aren't as bright as they could be. I really enjoy this step as it helps me feel more awake on a morning - at 5.30am you need all the help you can get. I usually just pour a little bit on a cotton pad and rub it gently over my eyes, but if you need more of a boost on a morning pour it on two cotton pads, lie back and hold these over your eyes, just make sure you don't fall back to sleep! I definitely notice my eyes are brighter after I've used this. The Skin Tonic aims to soothe, revitalise and brighten the skin. It's gentle and alcohol-free so suitable for people with sensitive skin. I like using this after I've cleansed, I know some people think it's a little pointless but after I've swept this over my skin with a cotton pad it always comes back dirty! It soothes my skin after cleansing with the muslin cloth and just generally makes it feel cleaner. You can buy the Eyebright Lotion and Skin Tonic from here and here, for £10.25 and £12.50 respectively.

Yon-Ka is also another brand I'd never heard of until my JolieBox arrived on my doorstep one month. It's another French brand, and the Pamplemousse moisturiser is a lightweight cream enriched with a scent of citrus fruits that apparently alleviates dullness, brightens, protects from the environment, regulates moisture levels and if you get the version suitable for oily skin, it helps to tighten the pores. It smells so amazing, the scent of grapefruit is mouthwatering. I love using this moisturiser as it sinks in to the skin rapidly, smells amazing, makes my skin feel so soft and helps with the oily skin on my forehead! You can buy it here for £35.

I hope you found this post interesting, I'm a little bit of a newbie to skincare so if you have any recommendations (that aren't too expensive) please let me know.
Rachael Amy x

No Hope: Monday's Face 2

Face:
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 200 Soft Beige

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Beige

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in 010 Ivory

NARS Bronzer in Laguna

NARS Blusher in Orgasm

NARS Highlighter in Albatross

Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder in 021 Transparent

2true Expert Eyebrow Pencil in Shade No. 1

Eyes:
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Sin)

Chanel Le Crayon Kohl in Noir

Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara in 01 Noir

Yves Rocher 3 in 1 Eye Pencil in 08 Blanc

Lips:
Topshop Lipstick in Innocent

Rachael Amy x

Throwing My Arms Around Paris

Hey everyone! At the end of August my boyfriend and I had planned to take a very romantic long weekend trip to Paris. I've always had a little obsession with France ever since my first French lesson at school so visiting Paris has always been a dream of mine. And wow, it did not let me down! It was the most beautiful, romantic and just amazing weekend I've ever had. It was definitely the best holiday/city break I've ever been on. I was in awe at how beautiful the city was and definitely got a little tear in my eye when I got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower!
We stayed in the Montparnasse area, and I'll admit I was a little bit worried about finding our way there from the Airport/getting in to the city centre (public transport scares me a little) but it was so simple! We landed at CDG Terminal 3, got on a tram to Terminal 1 and got on the Air France 4 coach which took us to Gare Montparnasse! Our hotel was so comfortable, we stayed in the Novotel Paris Gare Montparnasse if you're interested. I'd recommend it. The metro is so simple to use, although reading the maps was so confusing for me so I let my boyfriend figure that one out. Even though we used the Metro a lot, we still ended up doing a crazy amount of walking - if you're planning on going TAKE COMFY SHOES. I was in tears one evening it hurt that much!
I could talk about our trip for hours, but instead I'll just let the photographs do the talking. :)

Rachael Amy x

Five Friday Faves: Nail Polish!

Hey everyone! This week I'm blogging about my five favourite nail polishes - this relates to the brand as well as the colour. As you can see I've painted each of my nails a different colour, it's just by chance that they all see to co-ordinate with each other pretty well.

So, the five nail polishes that I prefer to paint my nails with are: Ciate in Jelly Bean, OPI in Pinking of You, Barry M in Mint Green, Essie in Lilacism and China Glaze in Material Girl. This is in no order of preference, these are just the five that stand out to me in my huge collection of nail polishes.

Jelly Bean is such a lovely bright pink polish that has tiny flecks of blue shimmer inside it, on the nail it looks like such a deep yet vibrant pink colour. Ciate nail polishes are great because the brush helps to apply the polish so precisely, and the pigmentation is great meaning you only need one or two coats for full opacity. I wore this nail colour when I went to Cuba for a week and it hardly chipped, I was amazed. Ciate polishes retail for £9 on their website which is a lot more expensive than some brands that make great nail polish but a few pounds cheaper than OPI. I actually got this specific polish free with a magazine (I think it was Marie Claire?) so keep a look out for any other magazine giveaways.

I recently bought Pinking Of You when I took a trip to Paris, and I think the Euro-Pounds conversion rate meant the polish was around 10p cheaper than it would be to buy over here? (They're around £11). So not exactly worth a trip over there just for nail polish. I actually bought it for my sister but as I feel in love with it she's kindly let me include it in this post. The colour is a lovely pale, Barbie-ish pink that's been perfect in the very few sunny days we've had this summer. You do need a few coats before this is fully opaque which is a bit of a let down with OPI but I've worn a few different colours and neither of them have really chipped, which is amazing! ASOS have a great OPI selection, I have my eyes on some of the Minnie Mouse collection.

I own a lot of Barry M nail polishes - I actually think they take up the majority of my collection. They're so easy to get your hands on, any Boots shop will stock at least a small selection priced at £2.99 AND have an offer on them. Right now, Boots are offering "Save £1 when you buy 2 or more selected Barry M" which is great although I have seen a few buy two get one free offers. Mint Green is my all time favourite Barry M colour and it's actually running out - I will purchase this again. Barry M nail polishes do chip very easily, but I've found that for some reason this one lasts a little longer than others. The colour is basically the same as Essie's Mint Candy Apple which is so much more expensive! This polish takes a few coats but surprisingly, not as many as the OPI nail polish needed.

Lilacism was one of the first Essie nail polishes I ever bought, and I was so impressed. I'd heard a lot of good things about the quality of their nail polishes and after having this on my nails for a week without one single chip I was blown away. It was still perfect when I took it off! It applies so opaquely with one coat and the polish actually smells quite nice, definitely not as bad as Model's Own smells - that stuff honks! I really like the brush, it's nice and thick and even curves at the sides so it's easier to avoid painting on your cuticles. If you buy one brand of nail polish I'd recommend Essie. You can buy them in Superdrug or Boots (for any Advantage Card holders you can get 28 points) for around £7.99, but look out for any offers on them!

I'd actually never heard of China Glaze nail polishes until I received one inside a beauty box one month (I'm pretty sure it was JolieBox). Now, this is a glitter nail polish and I haven't tried their regular polishes so I have no idea what they're like - all I know is I bloody love this one! Material Girl is a pale pink glitter polish, it contains a mixture of all sized pieces of glitter and it's AMAZING there is so much glitter packed in to that little bottle that you only need one coat until it's completely opaque, no need for a coat of coloured nail polish underneath either! I know glitter nail polishes are notorious for chipping but I've noticed this one lasts a surprisingly long time. I would recommend their glitter nail colours! I think they're a little hard to find in the UK, although research tells me you can buy them from Beauty Bay for £6.95 with free worldwide delivery! Bargain.

Thanks for reading!
Rachael Amy x
P.S. I know it's Saturday but I fell asleep before I could post this last night, oops!

Wednesday Wishlist 3

Topshop Fur Collar Quilted Biker Jacket - £58
Marc Jacobs Dot Eau de Parfum 50ml - £47
French Connection Shanghai Dream Tie Trousers - £77
Zara Studded Moccasin - £59.99

Rachael Amy x

Review: Louise Gray for Topshop Makeup

Hey everyone! I told you I'd be back to regular blogging from now on! Anyway, this post is all about the new beautiful make up collaboration between Topshop and Louise Gray (she's also done a clothing line but it's way out of my price range even though it's fantastic).

Topshop make up is quickly becoming one of my favourite make up brands - it's such good quality and you can't really complain about the prices either. They do a great range of amazing out-there colours too (Brighton Rock lipstick is so bright)! I ordered three items from the Louise Gray collection, but Topshop currently have an offer where if you buy two items or more you receive a free Louise Gray compact mirror - very handy. You can see which items I ordered in the very first photo: Cheek Duo in Up In The Air, Lipstick in Legend, Nail Polish in Pinch Punch and the free mirror.

The cheek duo is one of the items that really surprised me - I ordered it purely because blushers are becoming a new obsession of mine and I wasn't sure if I would like the peachy-toned colour or the cream consistency. I was wrong, I've been reaching for this duo almost everyday now since I bought it, alternating between the two shades but the peach has to be my favourite of the two. They look very bright and intimidating in the pan/swatch but when they're blended in (with my fingertips) they look so subtle and just give you a lovely bit of colour to your cheeks. The consistency isn't so thick either so it warms up quickly and doesn't take long to blend in.

I knew I needed the lipstick as soon as I saw it on the website - neon pink, it's amazing! So much brighter than Brighton Rock and I thought that would be hard to beat. It's the usual lipstick consistency that you can expect from Topshop - very pigmented and long-lasting but creamy and moisturising too. I  would highly recommend these lipsticks, I think they're better than MAC! The lipstick is very bright but I think it's very wearable too. I wouldn't necessarily wear it for work but on a shopping trip or a night out I think it would look amazing. I'm interested in purchasing the other lipstick shade she brought out too. The packaging is cute too, although more plastic than their usual metal lipstick cases.

Louise Gray brought out four shades of glitter nail polishes, but the one that appealed the most to me was Pinch Punch - a pink polish with large hexagonal pieces of gold glitter mixed with smaller pieces of glitter. It's just so pretty! The polish itself is very sheer when on its own - around 4 coats will create a build up of the pink colour but I loved the way it looked over two of my Essie nail polishes, in the pictures above: the first one is on top of Jamaica Me Crazy and the bottom one is on top of Lilacism.

Overall, I love the items in this collection and the price doesn't brake the bank either. I'm excited to see if Topshop bring out any other make up collections - I hope so.

I'm also really looking forward to J W Anderson's clothing collaboration.

Rachael Amy x

August JolieBox: FULL Review!

Hey everyone who may or may not be reading this! I wasn't too sure whether to post about beauty boxes anymore, until my monthly JolieBox arrived in the post. Now, I know a lot of people maybe aren't interested in beauty boxes or too many people post about their initial thoughts on the contents but don't actually go into any depth on the quality of the products over time. That's why I don't intend to blog about JolieBox every month because you can find at least 20 reactions just from Google - I'm going to post about any products I particularly love or hate that are featured within the box AFTER I have properly tested them. Who cares about initial thoughts if you're not going to back it up with long-term opinions.

ANYWAY, I am going to fully review this whole box because at first it was one of my favourite ever boxes and I thought I would love every single product inside. I was a little bit wrong. I also love writing reviews.

August's JolieBox was specially themed around the British summer holidays - whether you went abroad or went on a staycation. The one thing I love about this box is that even though it's themed around 'summer saviours' it's not all bronzer, fake tan and other various tanning products. It's a well known fact that summer in the UK usually only lasts a few days so good thinking JolieBox!

The box itself excites me greatly, the usual black box is too plain and boring but this month they teamed up with Timai Hua to create amazing colourful boxes. I received the one called 'Road Trip' which is shades of pink, purple and orange. This is definitely a box to keep for storage. I like to keep my perfume samples/beauty box sample sachets in them.
This box contained 6 exciting products inside:
Phil Smith Be Gorgeous Dry Clean Revitalising Dry Shampoo - £2.99 for 75ml
So Susan Lip Cushion - £6
JolieBox Leather Hair Styling Lace
Dr. Bronner's Magic All-One Pure-Castile Soap Pillows - $2.99 for 2oz
So Susan Wide Awake Palette - £15
Song: The Nodz - Holidays

Phil Smith Dry Shampoo - I was so happy when I saw this in my box. Dry shampoo is a massive staple in my beauty collection due to me only washing my hair once every three days. I've only ever tried Batiste before because it's cheap and you just always know it's going to do the job. Anyway, the packaging just makes me happy, bright pink with a simple front although the lid is a bit loose and comes off so easily. Does anyone else get frustrated when you lose the lid to sprays or is it just me? I tried this pretty much straight away as my hair needed a little freshening up. You use it just the same as you'd use any other dry shampoo, although you may need to spray a little bit more than Batiste as it's not as heavy or thick. The spray smells so lovely, it's fresh and feminine and honestly smells like you've just washed your hair! It got rid of any oils almost immediately and all day long I was touching my hair it just felt so silky and soft! I will admit that maybe I needed to reapply some later on in the day but I think that's just the case with any dry shampoo. I will definitely be repurchasing this because it's just so much better than Batiste in my opinion, and £2.99 for a can you can't really complain too much.

So Susan Lip Cushion - So Susan is actually the same brand as Jelly Pong Pong (their lip frosting featured in another of JolieBox's boxes). I was so intrigued by this little pot of lip gloss - lip balms and glosses are my addiction. I'm not sure what colour it is on the website but I'm pretty convinced I got Crush. The packaging is so cute and round, not too bulky to carry around in your bag or your make up bag if it's too full like mine. The scent of the gloss is mouthwatering - think Calpol but a lot more fruitier! Yum. The product appears very pink and shimmery in the pot, but it's actually very sheer when it's on the lips and the shimmer doesn't really translate. I actually like this about it, it means you can apply it as a balm and then apply a lipstick over the top of it without a weird mash-up of colour. It doesn't feel sticky on the lips but makes them feel so soft and moisturised. It's so lovely! So Susan has three commitments: cruelty-free, green (recyclable paper packaging) and integrity (paraben, gluten, sulfates and animal by-product free). I think £6 for a pot is a really good price to pay, especially as the product is 100% conscience free!

JolieBox Leather Hair Styling Lace - Ok, so I can't actually review this properly because JolieBox promised there would be video tutorials on how to create updos with this lace. And to be honest, there are two here on Cut By Fred's blog. There is one big problem with each of these tutorials: in the first tutorial you're required to wrap the lace twice around your head like a headband. Ok, easy enough - but no! Either I have a huge head or my lace is shorter than Fred's. I can't even get it round twice let alone tie it! The problem with the second tutorial is that my hair is not long enough to tie the lace up and down a ponytail. I'm intrigued to see any other tutorials he creates though. It's a great idea though, JolieBox it's just not for me.

Dr. Bronner's Soap Pillows - In the box were three tiny paper packages of liquid soap in three different scents: peppermint, unscented baby-mild and citrus orange. I love the packaging of these items, the colours are vibrant and the packaging looks sort of vintage and cute. I think they're great to take on holiday if you're running low on luggage space. I was utterly convinced I was going to love these soaps, and even researched buying some more before I'd even tried them. Thankfully I didn't buy any though because after I tried the orange scented one I was disappointed. They actually smell really nice and even though they're very very watery they lather up to such a fine, soft lather that feels great on your skin. However, after I rinsed all the soap off my skin was left feeling greasy - sort of if you rub your hand along your skin and it drags instead of glides. Does anyone know what I mean? I have seen some positive reviews of these though so don't let me put you off - it might just be me!

So Susan Wide Awake Palette - I love the look of this palette - featuring beautiful flowers and a cute little bird on the front! I hate waking up early on a morning for work so any products that help me to look more awake are always welcomed. The palette contains an illuminating cream, a highlighting cream, three eyebrow colours, a small brush and a pair of tweezers. I love the combination of products in this set as I believe eyebrows can change your face so much. I never leave the house without making sure I've filled in my eyebrows so I'm glad So Susan recognise this too. I love a highlighter and even though this one is a little thick, after warming it against your finger tips it's easy to apply. I love that it's not shimmery too - perfect for work. I'd use the illuminating cream to cover any blemishes or spots but I prefer a more yellow-toned concealer for my under-eye circles. The eyebrow colours are definitely tailored to brunettes but that's ok because I naturally have very dark hair.

JolieBox also included a free music download by The Nodz, I'm loving it. Go check out their YouTube in the link above!

Rachael Amyy x

TAG: How Much Is Your Face Worth?

Hey everyone! So I recently saw both the beautiful Louise and Lily post this tag and thought it was really interesting to see not only what makeup they wear on a regular occasion but how much of that makeup was actually high end/drugstore.

Here are the products I'm wearing in the picture above and how much they cost:

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - £8.99

Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder - £3.99

ELF Cover Everything Concealer - £2.50

NARS Laguna Bronzer - £25.00

Chanel Blush Duo Tweed Effect - £33.00

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Cheek Glow - £30.50

Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara - £16.90

2True Eyebrow Pencil - £1.99(ish)

Louise Gray for Topshop Lipstick - £10

Total = £132.87

I was surprised by my total, I was convinced it was going to be under £100 because I wear mainly drugstore makeup a lot of the time! I do love high end blushes/bronzers/highlighters, though! I even opted out of wearing eyeshadow and eyeliner in this post, even though most of the time I do wear them. This just shows that even though I wear mostly less expensive makeup, it still adds up to a hefty sum!
Rachael Amyy x
P.S. Sorry I haven't posted for a few weeks, I sort of didn't know whether I wanted a blog anymore or not, then decided to create a brand new one and then changed my mind again and now I'm back! So this is just copied from the other blog I created. Phew!