Saturday 31 December 2011

Frontcover Style Queen - picture heavy

This was a wonderful present from my mum. Got it 2 days ago as she found it hidden away in her caravan.

this is the inside that shows the make-up artist tips.

Layer one has 7 baked dome shadows, 6 satin shadows, 6 glosses, shadowline, cheekdomes, 2 pigment shadows and a mascara

The bottom layer has 6 brushes, a sharpener (for the vast numbers of pencils included, oh no wait, none!) and a mini eyelash curler - none of these have been tested yet.

This is a closer view of the shadows and glosses. Swatches will be from left to right following the box.

These are the baked shadows. I have these from some sets I got last Christmas, which are much better than these ones, these seem really pale in comparison. I will use these wet to intensify them or they just won't do it for me.

These are the satin swatches, much more depth of colour, but just basic shadows really.

The glosses helpfully came with a sticky tape type cover, which for now I am leaving on. Nowt worse with pallets and boxes like these than powder getting in the glosses! The glosses are a good consistency, but nothing really stands out colour wise.

These are the cheek domes, not quite a blush, not quite a bronzer, not quite a highlighter...

These are quite heavy swatches of the domes, I would use more of the reddish one and use the other more as a highlighter as otherwise you could risk looking like a robot!

Ah, the pigments, now these I like. Especially coal hoal!

These swatches show the pigments first dry and then used over the shadowline. Personally I would not dip shadowline in the pigments, I would draw my line and then go over with a thin brush with the loose pigment.

This picture is the pigments after I wiped my hand with a dry tissue, the dry has come right off but the pigment with the shadowline was harder to budge and I had to wash my hands with soap to get it off!

Finally we come to the brushes, this is where the value for money really comes in, the brushes are fabulous quality and I would use most of them. Minimal shedding, soft and nicely made.

Frontcover is one of Boots fastest selling make-up brands, now companies say that a lot, but honestly when this was Boots gift of the week they were flying off, empty shelves in 3 stores I visited within that week! Plus lots of the other sets were often sold out. They do have a range in larger Boots stores that have an empty pallet to which you add the single bits you want and sets are currently half price in Boots stores but be quick!

Monday 26 December 2011

How was your Christmas? Update and a review inside!




Hope you all got spoilt and had a wonderful time!

I got mostly beauty gifts, of course! Including 3 BareMinerals sets, Soap and Glory's Hey Big Splendour, Stila Blockbuster colour palette, some funky kitchen tins, a make-up bag and mirror, slippers, a dress, a new charm for my bracelet, a cupcake shaped cookie jar, a Willow Tree trinket box, a photo canvas, and a Mandara Spa ultimate getaway pamper bag which I will be part reviewing today.

Now this I was looking forward to getting! I haven't had a bath in about 6 months, I just prefer the speed of showers! But today I had a nice bath using my Amber Heaven products from my Mandara spa collection, which I love so much I have just bought more stuff in the sales on Sainsbury's! Anyhoo, back to the review!
I used the Amber Heaven Indulging bath and the shower cream and the smell is divine! Quite strong but very relaxing, and the shower cream is delicious feeling, soft and very foamy even though it is free from SLS, SLES, parabens, mineral oil and DEA.
The smell didn't last particularly long on the skin, but am getting the body lotion soon to layer it up.

Mandara Spa products are a sister brand to Elemis, but more affordable and the quality, naturalness and environmental goodness shows through.
Available at larger Sainsbury's store and from www.timetospa.co.uk