The Answer To My Liquid-Liner Prayers

Now I'm a self-confessed liquid eyeliner rookie. I've always been the girl who opts for a smokey eye for a night out because I just couldn't get the hang of eye liner, and I'd tried so many products and techniques. However recently I found something that has me on board with the winged liner: the Stile Stay-All-Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner.

It's one of those felt-tip style eyeliners and the nib is a little longer than some and comes to a really nice sharp point that makes doing liquid liner a breeze. The formula is great too, it's super black and smooth so it aids the application. I also find that when it dries down it's not too shiny so it gives amazing definition to the eyes. The waterproof claim seems to be pretty fair too, I haven't noticed any smudging with the formula and it doesn't flake off either so really long-wearing.

To apply the liner, I just lay the nib along my lash-line and press it down, then draw a little triangle flick on the end and colour it in if needed. Being an eyeliner novice I must admit I generally just do a three-quarter line (rather than starting the line from the very inner corner of my eye, I usually start it from where my iris starts if I'm looking straight forward. Generally I find the smaller you make the flick, the easier it is to keep both eyes relatively symmetrical. And trust me, If I can do it, anyone can.

Some Bits From The Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Collection

So when I heard that Gwen Stefani was collaborating with Urban Decay to bring out a whole collection of products, I got a little giddy. I have a whole review on the Eyeshadow Palette from the collection here and while I wasn’t sure how much I’d like it just looking at the shades, it’s landed straight in my favourites list. So here’s my thought on the rest of the bits I picked up from the collection.

The Gwen Stefani Lipsticks were just one of those things that I had to have. There wasn’t a singe shade in the lineup that I wasn’t interested in so narrowing it down to a non-outrageous number was difficult and after trying the two I picked up I’m pretty sure I’ll be going back for more. In the end I picked up shades “714” (the Mega-Matte red) and “Firebird” (the vibrant blue toned pink). I love both of the shades and they’re colours I’ll get a lot of wear out of.

Out of the two I’d say the “Firebird” is my favourite, the texture is really comfortable with it being a creamy finish and the micro-shimmer is really pretty without being OTT or at all garish. I love the shade of “714” and the mega-matte finish is lovely and long-lasting but the comfort factor lets it down a little bit. I really like both though and I think I need to go back for “Rock Steady” and “Wonderland” in particular. The other stand-out quality to these is the packaging. While it can feel a little bit flimsy as it’s just plastic, the black and gold graphic print is really lovely.

When I picked up my first pieces from the collection I didn’t think I needed the Gwen Stefani 24.7 Glide On Lip Pencils and that I’d have stuff in my collection that would work. For some of the shades in the collection that’s definitely the case but there some do seem to be a bit more unique. I have MAC’s Lip Pencil in “Redd” and that’s a near dead-on match for “714” but “Firebird” is a bit more unique and I'm considering picking up the matching lip liner. The packaging is beautiful. You can really tell that Gwen had an input into every aspect of these products.

Finally we have the Gwen Stefani Blush Palette. XSparkage’s review on this piece sparked my interest in this (no pun intended - honest). The rest of collection came out in America before it hit the UK so when she said it was perfect for pale skin tones I figured I needed to at least give it a go and it IS pretty. After having actually used it, I’m not sure it’s exactly what I wanted it to be. The matte-bronzer shade is really warm so it’s no good for contouring, you’d need a separate contouring product. Then there's a shimmery bronze-y shade that’s really pretty to add a sun-lit glow. The highlight shade is really lovely too, a very intense highlight that’s great for pale-ys, and the 3 blush shades are really great but you need to be so carful with them because they’re really pigmented. Really I just wanted to see something that would work as a contour in here, that’s the thing that really lets it down because for me it’s not an “all you need for cheeks” palette without one. That being said, if you’re pale and not fussed with contouring, I can imagine you’d think this was pretty perfect.

Top 10 Under £10 - Lips

As promised, this is the second installment of my top 1- under £10 posts here in Skint-tember, and this time we're focusing on lip products, I have a good range of products here from glosses to stains and hopefully everything in between, so lets get started.

So in my opinion, the absolute créme-de-la-créme of matte lip products is the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, they're a super long-lasting, matte lip product that come in a variety of shades so there's bound to be one that tickles your fancy in the range. They're thin in consistancy which makes the matte formula relatively comfortable but they're  really pigmented too. Love.

A couple of matte-to-satin formulas I'd recommend would be the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks or the Maybelline Colour Drama Lip Crayons. These are both nice formulas that bring saturated colour but don't have such a drying effect on the lips. I like these two formulas for those "I want something bright but my lips aren't in the best condition" days.

If you want something even more comfortable but that still has a decent colour pay off I'd point you in the direct of the Revlon Lip Butters these are somewhat of an oldie but a goodie, and Revlon are always releasing new shades so there's something in this line for everyone. They were marketed as a sheer lip product with moisture but they definitely have a lot more colour than you'd be expecting from that description. They're really comfortable and come in a variety of shades and finishes.

And then for the straight-up lip balm lovers: the MUA Sweet Sheen Lip Balms are lovely. These are a comfortable balm with a sheer hint of tint to them and they're the perfect your-lips-but-better product. They'll obviously need to be reapplied if you want to keep up the finish but I love these.

My Favourite line of high-street lip glosses are the Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Glosses they offer that super shiny, almost vinyl finish but they have a nice tint to them and a super hint of shimmer and they're smooth on the lips rathe than thick and sticky. They also have a really pleasant sweet scent/flavour to them.

If you like the look of lipgloss but you just can't handle the sensation of them on the lips, I have two recommendations: the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks and the No7 High Shine Lip Crayons, these are very similar products that are basically the shiny finish of a lip gloss in a twist-up pencil format that feel more like a balm on the lips. These are great for entry-level lipgloss wearers who like shine but hate sticky.

And finally, lip liners. I have two recommendation for this category and they are the Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liners and the No7 Precision Lip Pencils the Rimmel option is slightly cheaper but the colour range isn't quite there for me, the only shade I like the look of is "East End Snob" the No7 are a little creamier and are a touch more expensive but the shade range is lovely, I have a few from the range already but the temptation to pick up more is there.

Brows on a Budget

This is a post that I've been working on for months. Mainly because brow products are kind of on the same level as mascara in that there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to the brow product problem. Everyone seems to like something different and the selection on the high-street is notoriously sparse. So I've tried to pick things that are a little bit different in the hopes that there's a bit of something for everyone. So here we go:

Firstly, if you like a classic, non-waxy pencil, I have 2 picks for you: the Soap & Glory Archery Eyebrow Pencil has reined supreme on this blog for a while now. It's an automatic pencil and the spool-y on the other end is lovely and it really is my personal favourite and I suggest you pick one up if you can find a Boots that has it in stock. However the one annoying thing about the S&G is that it only comes in 2 shades, so if there isn't a shade that suits you in that range I'd recommend the Kiko Precision Eyebrow Pencil. A little bit harder to find but you can pick it up online if you're struggling and they often have offers on their international shipping which is nice. This one isn't automatic and the brush on the end isn't a nice as the S&G, but the texture is lovely, it's a really fine nib and theres a decent shade selection.

If you like a pencil that's a bit waxier, again I have 2 picks. The Bourjois Sourcil Précision Eyebrow Pencil is my favourite waxier pencil, it's a manual pencil with a manageable nib but again, the brush is a bit pants. It's automatic partner would be the No7 Beautiful Eyebrow Sculpting Pencil. It has an angled nib which makes for a speedy application and the consistancy helps hold the brows in place so, again, a nice pick for those in a hurry.

For those in need of a brow gel, I like the ModelCo More Brows. It's a tinted gel that adds a nice hint of colour and holds the brows into shape. It also seems to have some of those fine fibres that the Benefit Gimme Brow has so it plumps up a sparse brow a little. Also, it plays nice with other products, I can layer this over a pencil product on days where I need my makeup to last without looking like I've gone overboard.

And the hardest thing to offer a review on when it comes to brows: a brow kit. Personally, I'm not a fan of them. The need for layering product is time consuming for me and I never really feel like I can achieve a natural looking brow from a brow kit. That being said, the L'Oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit is very comparable to the Benefit brow kit and so I think it must be a winner. The way I like to use this is to use an angled brush with the powder to fill in the brow, and then I roll the spool-y in the wax and brush them through to set and it's a look I can work with.