Carnival Fancy Dress with Eylure and Collection!

Hi guys! I'm Lucy from LucyLovesBeauty and I can't wait to share my first Beauty Hot Squad post with you all! Recently, I went to a Carnival themed fancy dress party and so of course I wanted to create the perfect makeup look for the occasion!

Carnival makeup is all about being bright, bold and fun. My dress was kind of a pink/coral colour, and so I wanted to make sure my look was kind of tropical without looking too trashy. For the lips, I knew that the Collection Colour Pro Lip Lacquer in Rebel would be the perfect product! Rebel is a super bright pink colour which is super glossy and perfect for summer. The formula is really thick and so it stays on the lips really well. I was impressed to find that it lasted all night! And even better, I got a few great compliments on the colour. This will definitely be coming out again on my next night out!

After browsing the Internet for Carnival makeup inspiration, I found a recurring theme; lashes! The bigger the better! I found that Eylure Naturalites Triple Lashes 301 were absolutely amazing for the look I wanted to achieve. These lashes are three times bigger than average false lashes, and so not only did they save me time applying loads of different lashes to achieve the desired look, I found that they looked really lovely. The winged effect was amazing and they really do make a statement! Perfect for fancy dress or just a special night out. You might have to be brave to wear these, but once I had them on I found them totally wearable and they stayed put all night! Application was really easy too, and I didn't smudge my eye makeup trying to apply them either - I'm so glad of this because I spent a LOT of time perfecting my look!

My other makeup was quite simple, with my cheekbones contoured and highlighted to make them pop, and my eyebrows dark. I really enjoyed dressing up, and I think the lashes and lip lacquer were really the focal point of my look! I would definitely recommend them for luscious lips and fluttery lashes! To see all the products I used for my look, see this post.

Collection Lasting Gel Polish –My Thoughts

When I was around 13 I used to adore all the Collection (then Collection 2000) nail polishes. I particularly used to love a certain neon blue which I wore to death however as I grew up my tastes grew with me and I stopped using my collection polishes (I do still love a blue nail though!) When I was sent the new Lasting Gel Polish I was cautious as to whether it would just be the same as whatever £1.99 stuff I used years ago but I was pleasantly surprised. 

The formula is perfect, thick enough to give almost opaque coverage with the first coat but not so thick that it’s all gloopy and takes forever to dry. I’d say it takes about 10 minutes for each coat to be properly dry and you only need two coats for it to be totally opaque.

Durability wise I got a good 3 days wear out of it before it started to chip slightly around my index fingers, which for me is actually really good. 

I have the colour Almost Nude and for only £3.19 from Boots I actually think they’re a real bargain and I’ll probably pick up a few more in some summery shades.

Let me know if you’ve tried them and what you think.

Rach xx

Bronzed and glossy!

 Hey Sweeties, I am super excited to write this review for you as I  think I may have found a new love for this brand.
I've been using all 3 of these products on a daily basis and definitely recommend them all!

I've never been drawn to W7 before, but I can tell you, hand on heart, I am now IN LOVE with it.  I was lucky enough to be sent these 3 items to try and I am so pleased with them.

Rock 'n' Roll eye shadow - Bronze age. £1.99
This rock 'n' roll eye shadow is of course a roller ball eye shadow  I was unsure how I was going to work with this so just went with it... I applied it with the roller straight onto my eyelid and then used a fluffy blending brush to blend upwards and slightly outwards to create a smoky look. Initially it applies quite dark but being a big fan of dramatic eyes I loved it, once blended you are left with a gorgeous shimmery/glittery smoky effect that is perfectly okay to leave as it is, however I applied a golden/pink to my inner corners for that little extra something and it looked stunning!
This shadow applies beautifully, the pigment is amazing and it lasts a good 8 hours before I noticed any fading. I have the colour 'bronze age' which I think is a perfect colour for both subtle bronzed goddess looks or a sultry dark smoky eye depending on how you use it.

Get Glossed - Fantasy. £3.99

Again, I love this product! First off I would like to mention the absolutely amazing staying power of this gloss. The colour pay off is very true to what you see in the bottle and even after an hour or so when the colour has faded slightly (mostly due to my constant sipping on pop) you are still left with the most gorgeous subtle stain. W7 don't mention anything about the gloss leaving a stain but personally I think it's a huge plus for the product as I know glosses don't tend to last long in general. It's not sticky and has a pleasant smell and I would also like to point out that the packaging is lovely as well. I will definitely be purchasing the other colours!

                   Camera Ready anti-redness primer. £3.99
Being an unfortunate sufferer of rather red, uneven skin, I was more than thrilled to get this primer! This primer is green which of course is used to combat redness and although I didn't notice much difference in the redness of my skin when applied, I did notice that my skin felt silky smooth and my foundation applied like a dream over the top, which made covering my redness much easier, I also felt like my foundation looked much nicer after an 8 hour day at work compared to without the primer. The tiny tip that the product comes out of is a big selling point for me with this primer as it allows good control over how much product you use.

You can buy all these products and more here : http://www.xtras.co.uk/w7.html

First Day of Work Make-Up Look

Yesterday I had my first day in a new job and in the morning I found myself struggling to decide what make-up to wear. Obviously I want to make a good impression and I think it’s important for make-up to look light and fresh while still looking quite polished. There’s a very fine line between showing you've made an effort and completely overdoing it. So after making quite a mess on my bed pulling out all my make-up I finally decided on what products I needed to create my desired look…

Am I the only one this messy when doing make-up?

I obviously wanted my make-up to look fresh throughout the day so decided the best thing to use would be my Benefit Stay Flawless 15 hour primer (full review here). I then went on to use my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation (in shade 51 – light vanilla) which gives medium coverage and leaves a lovely natural looking dewy finish. I’d also had a very early start and not had much sleep the night before so was a little worried about dark circles under my eyes. To combat this problem I used Benefit’s Fake Up concealer (in 01 light) which is the creamiest most nourishing concealer I've ever used. If you ever have an issue with concealer creasing around your eyes, you need to try Fake Up!

I then very lightly powdered through the centre of my face using Rimmel’s Stay Matte powder (in 001 transparent) which is my favourite powder and probably the cheapest one I've ever used so that’s pretty amazing!

Base complete I then wanted to add a little colour to my cheeks – enter Benefit’s Fine One One a creamy brightening cheek colour made up of three gorgeous shades: pink champagne, watermelon and coral. I just glide this over my cheeks and then blend the colours together and it gives such a beautiful flush of colour that looks really natural and bright.

I was unsure what to do with my eyes, I thought about simply just wearing mascara because full on eye make-up would definitely be too much but I instead decided to give a light dusting of Mac’s All That Glitters eye shadow all over the lid. This is a really soft shimmery nude colour with a subtle hint of gold which makes it perfect for everyday use. I then applied my MaxFactor Clump Defy mascara (in black) on my top and bottom lashes.

To complete the look I wanted something on my lips to add a subtle hint of colour and give a lovely light glossy finish and I had the perfect item for the job. Benefit’s silky finish lipstick in the shade ‘Skinny Dip’ the perfect ‘my lips but better shade’. 

And here is the finished look...

What do you think of my work make-up? Let me know...

Linda x

W7 Honolulu Bronzer vs Benefit's Hoola

If you have been wanting to try out Benefit's Hoola Bronzer but can't afford it or maybe you just don't want to spend the amount that it is then this product may be for you.

Yesterday I received W7's Honolulu Bronzer to try out, I knew by the packaging and name that is was going to be similar to Benefit's Hoola, so to see if it was I got out my Hoola and put them both together first to see what the colour difference was in pan and to see what the difference and similarities where.

On the left is Benefit's Hoola and on the right is W7's Honolulu, now as you can tell straight away the Honolulu is a lot darker than Hoola in pan. Hoola is more orange toned whereas Honolulu is more of a brown. 

Swatched you can also see that Honolulu (on the right) is a lot darker than Hoola (on the left). Honolulu has more of a red undertone to it but that doesn't seem show up on the swatches. I find that Honolulu is a lot easier to use than Hoola, it is more powdery and even more pigmented than Hoola is, not a lot is needed. With Hoola I find that it is highly pigmented but it can look muddy on the face and is quite hard to blend in whereas Honolulu doesn't look muddy and blends very easily. 

Both come with these small brushes which I do actually like for if I'm contouring, they are good for making a line with the bronzer where your cheek bones are then I just blend the colour out with another brush. Honolulu's brush is a lot softer than Hoola's but they do both work well. 

Here is me with both of the Bronzer's on. I have Honolulu on the left side of my face and Hoola on the right, you probably can't tell but I have contoured with them and also used them both on my cheeks. On the face they do look similar apart from Honolulu does look slightly darker. They are both great products I suppose it just depends on which one that you personally prefer. 

I would recommend that you try out W7's Honolulu as it is quite similar to Benefit's Hoola, there isn't a major difference. They would both suit any skin colour I think, as long as with pale skin that you use it light handed and don't overload your brush with product then you should be fine. 

You can purchase W7's Honolulu and more of there products from Xtras - link

and Benefit's Hoola you can purchase from Benefit and any Benefit counter. 

I have another W7 product which will be in my next post and I know you will all love it for sure! 

Don't forget to follow us on Bloglovin, we really do appreciate it a lot and also be sure to give W7 a little follow on twitter too.

If you do try Honolulu do let me know in a comment below, I'd love to know how you get on with it :)

Chantelle

x

* I was sent the W7 Honolulu Bronzer for review

W7 Product Review and a Look for Pale Skin

I was recently sent some lovely W7 makeup to review, comprising of:

The 12 Piece Professional Brush Set in Faux Leather Wallet: £8.99

The Silky Eyes Baked Shadows - Shades of Brown: £2.99

and The Just Brows Waterproof Brow Pen - in Brown: £2.99

(prices from xtras.co.uk)

Using these products I am going to create a versatile look for pale skin and blue/green eyes.

This impressive set contains all the makeup brushes you would ever need, including ones for powder, blush, foundation, concealer, angled eyeshadow, pointed liner, flat eyeliner, eyebrow, lip and lash definer.

As you can see above there is a handy plastic shield you can fold over to protect the brushes when you close the wallet.

The brushes are well shaped, soft and are of a nice quality.

I am also very pleased with the colours of the eyeshadows (pictured below) and even more impressed with the brow pen...

This is why: below are my natural eyebrows - very pale and thin. I was worried that the brow pen would make my eyebrows too dark and unnatural looking, but I was pleasantly surprised!

My eyebrows look defined, natural and are a nice colour! Also the pen was so quick and easy to apply.

Using the medium sized eyeshadow brush from the set, I applied the white eyeshadow which gives a nice glow, perfect for hightlighting the inner corners of the eyes and underneath the eyebrows. The two different eyeshadow shades of brown are great for the eye sockets - I used the darker brown on the outer corners, then blended it into the lighter brown in the middle of the eyelid. The pink eyeshadow is the only one which doesn't really show up and is quite unnoticeable - so maybe could be used for a barely-there makeup look.

This is a very wearable look for either day or night and makes blue/green or grey eyes really stand out.

Below is the finished look. I used the lip brush in the set to paint on a light pink lipstick and the blusher to add a very subtle hint of colour to my cheeks. I am really pleased with how natural my eyebrows look and love the fact that they stayed on all day without smudging - unlike when I use an eyebrow pencil which often starts to rub off.

This look is great for pale skin - it accentuates your features and by subtle use of makeup and making the colour in your eyes pop you avoid a washed-out appearance. I will definitely be using these W7 products regularly! :)

To find out more about the brilliant and affordable W7 cosmetics head to:

http://w7makeup.wordpress.com/
and https://www.facebook.com/W7makeup

Have you used any W7 products before? What did you think of them?

10 Random Facts - Fay

Hey lovelies,
keeping in trend with the other girls, here are my 10 random facts!

1. I am Mum to a beautiful 2 year old girl, called Mia. (pronounced My-a!)

2. I also have a fur baby, called Branty. He's a 4 year old black labrador.

3. I can't sleep without reading first. I'm a sucker for a good bit of romance!

4. I drink TOO much Pepsi.

5. I ALWAYS have my nails done. Chipped nail varnish makes me cringe. Weird, I know.

6. I am currently learning to drive....again!

7. I already have my dream wedding dress picked. I'm not even engaged! (Ssshh!)

8. Geordie shore & The valleys are my guilty pleasure.

9. My main ambition in life is to become a Midwife.

10. I can't go by a McDonalds without buying a Mango & Pineapple Smoothie!

Do you have a 10 random facts post on your blog? Post it below and we'll be sure to check it out!

Fay

xx

Red Hot Buffet - Blog and Social Media 7 Course Bonanza!

Yesterday (25/06/13) I attended a Chef's Table event in Liverpool ONE's fabulous Red Hot World Buffet. This consisted of 7 YES 7! courses brought out by the head chef and a little explanation about it. As this is a beauty blog I am also going to say what I thought would be the perfect look for this type of soiree. 

My prep began about 3pm - I had washed my hair earlier and just let it dry naturally, my plan was some extravagant plait, but I saw how glorious the weather was and opted for an up-do. I give you, "The Messy Ballerina Bun":

My reasoning behind this was, it was warm so it kept my hair off my neck, I'd be walking in the wind so having my hair down would have meant DISASTER and it looked pretty cute. To do this I put my hair into a high ponytail and wrapped sections around and pinning the hair into place with bobbypins I got about 500 of from B&M. 

My make-up I wanted to keep fairly simple, I had to keep thinking about going to a restaurant where it is open plan kitchen where the chefs are doing show-cooking as well as normal preparing the glorious food so it is warm, didn't want to melt haha. I went for a natural base using Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer, Rimmel Match Perfection Powder Foundation. For a little colour I used Soap & Glory Solar Powder for an all over shimmer and for some colour and highlight in my cheeks I used Benefit's Posie Tint and That Gal. For my eyes I used a Collection Eyeliner, GOSH Growth Mascara and a Silver and a Blue from Soap & Glory's eyeshadow palette "Tricks of the Shade". I also used Soap & Glory's Archery Brow Crayon and Tint on my eyebrows, this is my new best friend because I didn't realise how much a difference filling my eyebrows in would make to my face. 

With my little red dress on, sunnies at the ready and a spritz of Katy Perry Meow, I was ready to start my eating bonanza. 

The Red Hot World Buffet began in Nottingham in 2004, the whole concept of the restaurant is that it is a buffet with tastes of the whole world with not only all you can eat but fantastic show cooking with the food freshly prepared before your eyes. In one sentence I would describe this as: "Around the World in 80 Meals". 

It is very luxurious inside with sleek blacks and red. Absolutely spotless, my type of place. The smells from the buffet aren't overwhelming each other and each section is perfectly spaced. I did not have to go up the buffet, I had the extraordinary experience of dining at the table with the chef's preparing a set menu which sampled the most diverse range of foods from sushi to pancakes.

I tweeted along with the tag @RedHotWldBuffet and the Hashtag #RedHotChefsTable. 

We started with some perfectly prepared Sushi. Hand Rolled Salmon Sushi with Avocado and Mango as a Vegetarian Option. It was delicious, much more luxurious than the sushi I had tasted before and presented beautifully.

This was then followed by one of my favourites Potato Tikki which is a traditional Indian street food dish. I love Indian food so this was right up my alley! Again presented beautifully with a small mixed salad and pomegranate. This definitely sent my tastebuds EXPLODING!

The next dish I wasn't fussy on, I'm not a huge seafood fan but I could think of a lot of people who would love this dish. Seafood Risotto with Salmon, if you love prawns then this is the dish for you. For the veggies, which was a dish I surprisingly enjoyed, was a rice bowl filled with an asparagus and sundried tomato salad, very yummy indeed!

After this was probably my favourite dish of the night and I will be going back for a lot more of this. Chicken Teppenyaki! Delicious, the sauce was fantastic and the chicken so moist. I highly recommend this dish, it's sweet but not sickly with glorious rich flavours that burst throughout the dish.

You'd think I would be full by now, you'd be wrong. A quick palate cleanser of delicious raspberry sorbet to get us ready for the desserts, yes plural! I'd never had a palate cleanser before but used my movie knowledge from Pretty Woman not to scoff it down.

The desserts! Oh the desserts! I had heard that the desserts in this place were phenomenal, they were not wrong at all. We got a choice of Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate pancakes and the sweet monster in me came out and I just said "Can I have all 3?". So I did, I had to have 2 plates to hold my order, god I'm greedy. Any way, the pancakes were delicious and light and the toppings not overbearing or sickly. 

After the dessert we had Petit Fours and what I had learned from all my years of watching food shows is that Petit Fours are basically bitesize desserts, there was 3 listed - Mini Créme Brulée, Chocolate Brownie and Cheesecake. The chefs at Red Hot must have massive bites because these were splendidly large for Petit Fours. An excellent surprise which I welcomed with my spoon in hand. The chocolate brownie with nuts and a slice of luxury chocolate, The creme brulee with the perfect crack on the top with a caramel toulle biscuit and the cheesecake with cherries and gold leaf, this felt like what kings and queens would order it was so delicious and so lovingly prepared it felt like completely luxury. Obviously one of my favourite courses. 

To wash it down I was allowed to order any drinks I wanted. The manager pointed out the Red Hot Signature Cocktail, with fresh peaches and schnapps and cointreau, oh I had to order not just one but a few. It was so delicious and like the desserts it wasn't overbearingly sweet and really quenched my thirst.

All these dishes mentioned are available on the Buffet and available to be prepared especially for you at Red Hot World Buffet's all over the country.  Red Hot World Buffet's can be found in: Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Nottingham. It's well worth a try. 

Until the end of June Red Hot have an exclusive offer for money off their fabulous menus. Just go to: http://www.redhot-worldbuffet.com/lpjune

Remember to follow Red Hot on Facebook and Twitter and check out their website for info on menus and special offers coming your way.

I want to thank Fiona White for inviting me to my first event and giving me the chance to talk with such lovely like-minded people. 

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