MY TOP TEN LIP PRODUCTS

Lip products are something that I absolutely obsess about and I can't stop buying them! From lip primers to lip sticks and lip glosses I have an ever growing collection of them all.

I thought I would start a sort of series on my favourite products and I may even do a video but I am unsure yet... watch this space.

1. I have to start with Lime Crime's Velvetines. There is massive hype around the brand Lime Crime and especially the Velvetine collection and I can understand why! These are a liquid formula lipstick which goes on wet and dries completely matte. They are smudge proof, kiss proof, touch proof and very long lasting! Perfect.

They currently have 7 shades: suede berry, pink velvet, red velvet, black velvet, salem, wicked and utopia. I personally only own 4 of the shades (from left to right), being: Suede berry - an orange/red toned, coral shade. Black velvet - what it says in the title! Smooth black. Wicked - burgundy red. And finally; Salem - chocolate brown.

I love these because the colour pay off is incredibly intense and I love matte lipsticks. You don't have to top these up often and is therefore perfect if you just need a quick lipstick fix and you don't want to worry about reapplying. My favourite shades are suede berry and salem. Although I wear all of them! £13.50

2. Kiko smart lip pencil. This is my all time favourite lip pencil, and really the only ones I use! It has a really creamy texture and lines the lip perfectly. It is also blendable when needed. This pencil is available in 16 colours varying from nudes to reds, pinks and purples. I currently only have two colours to swatch, sorry! £2.50 (right)

3. Inglot sleeks lipgloss. This is one of the only actual lip glosses that I would use for every day use. They are just so beautiful and non sticky! The one thing I hate about lip glosses is that they can be ultra sticky and your hair is constantly stuck to your lips but I never have this problem with this gloss.  I love the clear glittery gloss as its perfect by itself or over any shade of lipstick. I'll swatch this one for you. £9 (left)

4. Illamasqua matte lipstick's. I love a matte lipstick, infact it's my favourite type just because you can do so much with it and it always looks good and I have to say illamasqua have quite a selection! Although I do not own them all, although I wish I did, I can only speak for the ones that I currently own which are... Posture - a light purple/mauve colour, Resist - a deep rose pink colour, Kontrol - a blue violet colour, Salacious - a raspberry red, Apocolips - a teal colour, Disciple - deep navy colour and Shard - a red violet colour. As you can see I own a mixture of colours from every day shades to the more daring. These lipsticks are just amazing and can be worn by anyone. They are an essential in my kit and I think they should be in yours. £18.50

5. MUA luxe velvet lips.  There are currently 9 shades in this collection but I only have 5 of them - although I plan on getting them all! I own (from left to right): Reckless - a gorgeous blue toned red, the perfect red. Criminal - a bright fuchsia pink. Funk - a deep pink. Tranquillity - dusty, natural brown shade. Serene - dusty rose pink. These are really a dupe of the velvetines but they are incredible! The colour pay off is amazing, just like the velvetines and they are smudge proof, kiss proof, touch proof and long lasting. Again, they are a liquid formula which dries completely matte, pretty much a much cheaper version of the velvetines. £3, yes I know, £3.

6. MAC lipsticks. I used to have a bit of an obsession with MAC products and I therefore have a fair few items! Although I don't buy it as much anymore, I am still a huge fan of their entire lipstick range from mattes to creams I love them all. Some of my favourite shades are: So Chaud - a reddish orange matte shade. The classic Ruby Woo - the best matte red. Diva - reddish burgundy matte shade. Myth - natural nude tone. Cyber - black/purple satin shade. Flat out fabulous - plum matte. Bronze Shimmer - golden bronze with shimmer frost. All fired up - fuchsia matte. 

Pro longwear shades: Love Forever! - bright blue pink. Soulfully Rich - dirty purple with red pearl. 

Rihanna - Who's that chick? (Limited edition) - mid toned orange with frost. 

7. OCC lip tars. Again this is another product that has received a lot of hype within the beauty world, and I have to say I see why! This is such an amazing, versatile product! The lip tar itself comes in a little pouch with its own mini lip brush, great for travel. A tiny bit goes such a long way and the pigmentation is incredible. They come in a matte, stained gloss or metallic finish and there are loads of shades to choose from to every day shades to outrageous shades. I currently own (all matte shades): Black Dahlia - blackened red, very dark. Strumpet - grape red. Traffic - primary yellow. Anime - very neon pink. Divine - pink flamingo. ChaCha - pale tangerine. Pool Boy - sky blue. Clear. £11.50

8. Inglot freedom system colour play lipstick. I am personally a huge fan of the Inglot freedom system and I own many palettes from them but my favourite being my colour play lipstick palette. These colours aren't your average colours, hence the name, but they are great fun. My palette consist of: 91 - bright yellow, 92 - grass green, 93 - teal, 96 - bright pink, 95 - grape purple. I love experimenting with the palette and the quality of the product is so good! Great, intense pay off and interesting colours. £4.50

9. Mehron L.I.P. night palette. This is something that I purchased at IMATs this year after hearing lots of good things about it. The colours are absolutely gorgeous, and as it says, perfect for night! (Although I wear them in the day all the time!). The colours in this palette are: Poppy, Valentine, Raspberry, Big Apple, Wild Plum, Velvet Rose, Cherrywood, Cherry Chocolate. This product is so creamy and feel lovely on the lips while offering amazing pigmentation and longevity, the perfect product. You can also purchase the shades individually if you only like one or two. £36.56 

10. Illamasqua Intense lipgloss. I'm going to end with one for the more creative type! I love these lip glosses for much more creative looks and lip art as the shades are a bit more crazy (although there are some everyday ones). They are also a bit stickier and thicker than normal lipgloss and therefore perfect for photography work. If you want something a bit lighter try the sheer formula of these glosses, which are also lovely. I currently own: Belladonna - a deep pink (my favourite), Temper - tangerine orange, Gender - sky blue, Fierce - blue purple shade and Wanderlust - golden green. £16.50

There you have it! My top 10 favourite lip products at the moment. I use these products a lot, but I am always trying new things and updating my favourite items to use so this could change for me. I think that these are products everyone needs to try! 

Please feel free to suggest anything and comment :).

Michaella xo

INGLOT COSMETICS LIPSTICKS AND EYELINERS

Hey guys! So I officially think I have an obsession with the amazing Inglot! I discovered inglot at IMATs London last year when I first purchased a couple of eyeshadows from the freedom system and a matte nail varnish top coat. I was so impressed with the nail varnish and there are sooo many colours for you to choose from it is unreal! Most of the nail varnishes are £8 and there are so many different collections from neon, colour play, matte, sparkling etc etc. 

INGLOT MATTE TOP COAT

Although I was so impressed by the quality, range and price at IMATs, I didn't purchase anything else from them until recently when I took a trip to westfields London. I was amazed when I walked in as there was so much too look at; I wasn't sure what to try first! There was such an array of eyeshadows, blushers, lipsticks, foundations, eyeliners, everything you could imagine! A make-up artists heaven. I really like the idea of the freedom system and the fact that you can mix a variety of products all in one palette. The palettes themselves can fit either 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20 or 40 different eyeshadows or lipsticks in, and you can also get palettes to fit powders, blushers or a mixture of all 4. The palettes have a magnetic base to hold the product in and have a magnetised lid which snaps on and off. You can also use the lid to remove the products from the palette. I wanted to create a couple of eyeshadow palettes and a lipstick palette and so I began swatching various colours which caught my eye. In the end I came out the shop with palettes of 10 and 5 eyeshadows, palettes of 5 and 3 lipsticks, 1 lipgloss and 6 matte gel eyeliners. 

Here is one of my lipstick palettes, made up from the colour play collection. This is personally one of my favourites because it is so fun and playful! These colour's are not matte colours and the picture to the right has been taken with the flash on. They have a slight sheen to them and are SO beautiful on the lips! There are 10 colours in this collection and all are £4.50 each. 
Yellow: 91, Green: 92, Blue: 93, Pink: 96, Purple: 95.






I wish I had bought more of these lipsticks! They are just so beautiful and pigmented. They also have a gorgeous glittery shimmer to them! Definitely something I need to get more of! Inglot have a HUGE array of different lipsticks, with 89 in the classic collection, 5 in the gloss collection, 20 in the NEW matte collection (something I must get my hands on); plus 10 in the colour play collection. So much for you to choose from!
Dark Brown: 76, Chocolate Brown: 57, Raspberry: 87.

One item which I didn't intend of buying was any kind of eyeliner, but here I am with 6 AMC matte gel eyeliners. These are probably the best eyeliners I have ever used! As you can see they are super pigmented and you only need one application, because they do not budge! They are definitely water proof and smudge proof! There are 20 shades to choose from and cost £10 each. I purchased Baby Blue: 88, Deep Purple: 75, Teal: 86, Orange: 81, Hot Pink: 72 and Brown: 89. 

I honestly could not recommend Inglot enough! I just can't stop buying their products.

To get your hands on these amazing products click the link below:

http://www.inglotuk.com

Michaella xo

SKIN CARE

Hey guys! So my new thing is most definitely skin care, I think I have an obsession with cleansers, toners, moisturisers, make-up remover, primer, face masks, lip scrubs... you name it. Below is my list of top 10 skin care items that I just love. I think that skin care is so important as it keeps your skin looking fresh and youthful and will help you in later life. It is definitely best to start taking good care of your skin as early as possible as it will set you up for when you start to age. You will be thankful, trust me!

1.  BIODERMA - this is a new find of mine and it's only recently become available in the uk. It is the most amazing make-up remover and skin cleaners and they have several different solutions depending on your skin type. I use Sebium H2O micelle solution which is for oily skin and I have found it works wonders for my skin. I am prone to breakouts and this product has helped my skin a lot. I also have Sensibio H2O micelle solution in my kit as this is a sensitive product so works better on a wider range of people. I would 100% recommend this product to absolutely everyone. It comes in three different sizes: 100ml £4.50, 250ml £9.99 and 500ml 14.50. So you can sizes perfect for home use, use in your kit and travelling!

2. MAC GENTLY OFF EYE AND LIP REMOVER - this is a make-up remover which is water and oil based, you just shake the bottle and mix the two together for the perfect remover. This stuff works wonders when removing tough make-up such as mascara and lipstick, even face paint. You don't need much of the product and you're done! You would think that this product would be harsh on the skin but it is the extra opposite, its very gentle and soothing so it won't irritate. Because it is quite oily, it's probably best to rinse with some water after just to get rid of any extra oil from the skin. This product is £15.00 for 100ml. 

3. LUSH ANGELS ON BARE SKIN/ DARK ANGELS - these are both cleansing products, although dark angel is tailored to people with oilier skin. I am a real fan of lush products because they are so natural and are amazing for the skin, so when I found these products it was a must have for me. They help to reduce redness of the skin, even out skin tone and help with the appearance and general health of your skin. What more could you want? You need to add some water to the product to create a paste, then massage it onto your skin and rinse with warm water. It really does leave your skin feeling soft and clean. Dark angel really helps with problematic skin and people who are prone to blackheads/spots, definitely worth at try at £6.53 for 100g!

4. LUSH FRESH FACE MASKS - I love these as a face mask and there are so many to choose from! My favourites are Cupcake and Catastrophe cosmetic as they are amazing for reducing redness and spots and leaving your skin feeling fresh. They also smell amazing. Catastrophe cosmetic contains almond oil to moisturise, fresh blueberries to act as an antioxidant  chamomile to help reduce redness and iris moss gel to leave the skin feeling soft. Cupcake is one for teenagers but anyone can use it. Others in this range are love lettuce, oatifix, the sacred truth, cosmetic warrior, bb seaweed, brazened honey and ayesha. They are a very thick formula and should ideally be stored in the fridge. All of these cost £5.95 for 75g. 

5. ILLAMASUQA HYDRA VEIL - this is probably one of my favourite primers because it applies beautifully and leaves skin hydrated and creates a perfect base for foundation. This product is a gel and is just like putting water on your face, but better. It comes with a little spoon to transfer the gel and once you've used it, the gel will return to it's original smooth appearance, so it always looks brand new! Its perfect for any skin type, even sensitive skin so it's perfect for all you MUA's out there. It is a little pricey at £27.00 for 30 ml but a little goes a long way so it would take a lot to run out quickly!! Another must have. 

6. BENEFIT POREFESSIONAL - this is the other primer which I apply after the hydra veil. This is a balm formula and comes in a nice tube. It really does have a silky feel to it and helps minimise the appearance of pores, creating that flawless base. When you squeeze the product out it does look like it has a slight colour to it, almost like foundation, but once applied to the skin and blended you can see it has disappeared. This is an oil free product so can be used on people with oily skin, which is absolutely brilliant! I use this product on every job that I do and me and my clients love it! This product costs £24.50 for 22ml. 

7. LUSH LIP SCRUB - this is the perfect product for anyone with dry lips. It exfoliates the lips and softens them thanks to caster sugar and coconut oil. All you need to do it put some of the product on your finger and gently rub over your lips, you could use a babies toothbrush to do this but your finger works just as good. You can also eat this product as it is all natural, and trust me it's tempting. There are four different ones in the range: popcorn, mint julips, bubblegum and santa's lip scrub (christmas special). They all smell absolutely amazing, so much so I had to buy all four. Definitely a must have for this cold weather and only costing £5.50 for 25g, it's a bargain!

8. EOS LIP BALM - where do I start with the evolution of smooth lip balms. I have heard everyone raving about these for reviewers to celebrities so I just had to try them and I was not let down. For one they small gorgeous, but they feel so silky on your lips and leave them feeling smooth and hydrated. They also come in a cool container, which is round and the balm itself is also round. They come is several smells including: sweet mint, blueberry, strawberry, pomegranate, lemon, summer fruits and many more, it would be difficult to choose one. They are expensive at £5.99 for 7g but I would say they are worth it. No one it's got celebs raving. 

9. QUICK FIX FACIALS - this one of the products that I like to put on and just relax in the bath. These are face packs which come in a tube, it says they will last for 10 facials but I have used mine way more than that! I have only tried the anti-blemish mud mask and the exfoliating scrub so I can only comment on these but they are just wonderful. They also have a brightening peel mask, mega moisture gel mask and a calming clay mask. They are soo easy and effortless to apply, no trouble at all and are easy to get off. Just a great product if you love face masks (which I do) and they really do work! And they only cost £4.99 for 100ml! (They are normally on offer though). 

10. Last but not least - OLAY ESSENTIALS COMPLETE CARE DAY FLUID - this is such a lovely moisturiser and leaves your skin feeling and looking beautiful. This is one that you apply every day and massage into the skin promoting hydration and adds vitamins to the skin. They come in different formulars for different skins, from sensitive to oily, you will be able to find one that suits you. They also contain SPF 15 to help protect your skin from harsh rays from the sun. Such a gentle product which is perfect for everyone and its only £5.99 for 100ml! Another great buy!

There you have it, my 10 favourite skin care items which I think are definitely worth buying. I definitely haven't tried every product out there so if you have any suggestions I would love to know!

Michaella xo

SUPERSTAR FACE PAINTS

Second blog post! I'm getting into this. Superstar face paints is something that I have recently discovered after attending Karla Powell's pop art workshop. I have to say, these are the most amazing paints ever. They are incredibly pigmented and come in so many different colours and shades and two different size: 16g and 45g. I started off buying three colours to try out which were obviously line black, line white and popple (red). When I got home and tested them out I literally fell in love! I just had to buy more colours and I am still updating my collection. The texture of these paints are lovely, so creamy, and you don't need much water at all. One amazing thing is that you could use these paints pretty much dry, or really watery, depending on the look you are after. With the 16g pots costing £3.49 and the 45g costing £6.20 they are an absolute bargain! You can also purchase a lovely case to fit them all in! These paints are available from www.thefacepaintingshop.com  and this is currently the only place you can buy these paints in the UK. If you can get your hands on these it will definitely be worth it! Below are some swatches of the colours I currently have.

                                             

Shades: line white 161, baby pink shimmer 062, bubblegum 105, mid yellow 044, tiger orange 046, popple 035, stone red 103.

All of these shades blend together a-ma-zing-ly. So gorgeous. 

Shades: slyvia 109, lilac 037, forest green 106, matt blue 114, purple rain 238, dark green 241, chocolate brown 024, line black 163.

They are all just so pretty!! Get ordering!

Michaella x

STARS MAKEUP HAVEN

Hi guys, so I've been trying to get the first blog out the way for a while but truthfully, I just haven't had the time! In this blog I am going to be swatching and reviewing my two stars make-up haven palettes which I absolutely adore! I am from the Uk so I had to order these palettes from the USA, and although I had to pay shipping which was about $20, it was definitely worth it! The colour pay off on these eyeshadows is just amazing, and they are so cheap!!

I originally found this brand while looking at MAC cosmetic swatches and I just fell in love with some of the colours. I purchased two 15 pan palettes and separated them into yellows, oranges, pinks and reds in one and blues, greens and purples in the other. My package came surprisingly quickly and I was really pleased, the eyeshadows come in individual clear plastic packaging which is good and you also get a magnetised palette. You could actually fit more than 15 eyeshadows in the palette because as you can see, there isn't individual slots. I personally prefer to have slots which the eyeshadow fit into, such as the MAC pro palettes because it looks neater. If you wished you could depot these eyeshadows into a MAC palette. All of these eyeshadows have a smooth application and have great colour pay off! I have swatched the colours from left to right strating with the brighter palette, all the pictures are taken using a flash. 

 Shades: guilty as sin, sunshine girl, fireflies, cougar and over the moon.

 Shades: two to tango, peachy keen, flaming-o, aurora, cat's meow.

 Shades: V.I. Pink, euphoria, light my fire, flare for the dramatic, shimmerbrick. 

 Shade: steele away, dress blues, parakeet, 1492, walkin' after midnight.

Shade: foxy, wine not?, dominatrix, plum crazy, cocoa.

Shade: mermaid, regal, bondage, primal, smoke and mirrors.

It is safe to say that I love the quality of these eyeshadow's and there is so much choice! With 100 shades to choose from at the price of $6 each or 15 eyeshadows and palette for $60! 

I hope this review helps and I would definitely recommend these eyeshadows. 

Have fun shopping!

Michaella x