Not For Me

I must say that I have bought my fair share of raved about products and non raved about products that I have used and not enjoyed but kept using them anyway! Sound familiar? Probably. Well I thought it was about time to share the products that I continue to use for the sake of having them but wouldn't rush back out to buy!

Probably the most expensive of the bunch and something that I hardly ever use is the Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner, and in a way I feel like this is a love it or loathe it product due to the many mixed reviews! And I have myself done a full review on this (read here) and my opinions haven't really changed too much, I just don't think this works well on my oliy lids as it tends to either spread and smudge or disappear completely! And I really can't get down with the technique of getting the 'perfect feline flick' with this either!

A truly raved about product from L'Oreal is there True Match foundation, and I honestly feel like the only person who doesn't like this and there were multiple reasons for this. The colours - despite their being a lot in the range - were all too dark for me and so whenever I wore it, the bronzer would come out to make my neck match my face! And not only does the colour not work for me but this foundation formula just doesn't work with my skin - it highlights dry patches that I didn't even know I had and just doesn't blend into the skin well so I was rather disappointed and have since given this product away to a friend who will get a lot more use than I ever I would from it!

A product that I have had since the launch of is the Maybelline Colour Tattoos and I remember going to pick almost every colour that they had at the time and one that I have barely ever used is the shape Eternal Gold. Now I'm not a massive fan of glitter and shimmer, so matte looks work for me but saying this some shades in the range such as On and On Bronze which is possibly my favourite, do contain some glitter but there is just something a bit too glitzy about Eternal Gold and I feel like I will only ever use it as some kind of fancy dress make up!

Miss Manga Mascara by L'Oreal? Possibly one of the most hyped up mascaras this year as far as the drugstore goes, and honestly it took me a while to purchase this but I did end up doing it! Now I have to say here is always something kind of disappointing about hyped products, as I seem to find flaws but in terms of this mascara, it just really does not work for me. The brush, in my opinion is far too big for my eyes and so I ended up smudging it around my eye but I also found that the more I tried to layer or separate my lashes with the wand, the clumpier it became and that's not enjoyable for anyone! However there is no fault with the formula, I just wish the wand was different but some you win, some you lose! 

In a previous post about blusher, I did mention that myself and cream blusher are not a good duo however I went against my better judgment and purchased the Topshop Cream Blush in Afternoon Tea a while back! Now the colour and pigmentation of the blush is something to be admired for a blusher that is so reasonably priced but cream formulas seem to just hate my skin! I honestly found no way of putting this on and making it look at least reasonable and so it has been thrown to the back of the drawer in hopes that one day, I will be brave and try it again, but for now, it's a no from me!  

Keeping in the line with the blisters, another one that I (stupidly) purchased online was from Sleek and I got the shade Pomegranate which in the pan is a beautiful deep autumnal shade that would perfect for the time of year (in the UK at least!) The only major problem I have with this blusher is that it is way to dark for my skin tone considering I may as well be a vampire and with the pigmentation being incredible there is no way of putting this on 'lightly' so with a heavy heart, I have to admit I probably won't be using this anytime soon! 

One thing that I really suffer from is redness - mainly on my nose - and for anyone who has this problem, you will know how annoying it is and on a whim I decided to pick up the L'Oreal Nude Magique CC Cream! Now the concept of this product is great, when applied the product is green therefore helping to neutralise the redness but when rubbed into the skin, it turns into the colour of foundation or at least someone's foundation colour! I wish this product came in a variety of shades because this is way too dark and honestly makes me look orange and so the only way I can wear this is by only applying it on the nose and then putting my normal foundation on top! 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Complex formally known as the lipstick you all need, didn't work for me as well as it did for everyone else! I love the Colorburst Balms because they are seriously pigmented and they stay on for as long as you need them too but there was something about the shade Complex that just didn't work with my skin tone and I think this is because I am far too pale for this 'nude' but for anyone who is slightly tanned or just more tanned than myself, this would work and not look foundation on lips!

Have any if you tired any of these products? Are there any products that you regret buying or just don't use anymore?

New Routine with Old Products

Entering the colder months can only mean one thing, a bit of mix up in the make up department and lately I have found myself reaching for the same products when it comes to my eye make up! And with only three staples (sometimes four, depending on laziness levels), it's becoming a quick and easy routine!

Remember when the Maybelline 24 hour Colour Tattoos made first made their appearance, well I was one of those who went and bought one in almost every colour and then forgot to use them as they got thrown to the back of drawers! But alas, I have found a use for them, and I'm beginning to wonder why I waited this long to start wearing them. The shade I have been wearing pretty much everyday (what a creature of habit I am) is On and On Bronze which yes, you guessed it, is a bronze!

Before I use the Colour Tattoo, I prime my eyes with the MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre, which I know seems crazy, using two cream shadows but I feel like these paints pots really do help keep eye shadow in any format in place, which is great for people like me with oily lids! But back to the contender of this post, I then put the colour tattoo all over the lid with a finger and then use a clean finger to blend out all the edges before adding any more to the lid if I feel like the colour isn't opaque enough.

After the shadow is how I want it to look, I use mascara and I haven't had a particular mascara that I've been using at the moment, instead of being using a variety but I am enjoying the Rimmel Wonderfull Mascara and the Maybelline Falsies Volume Express Mascara but those are the three main products that I have been using on a day to day basis. However, I have decided to add in a little bit of colour with the Urban Decay Naked palette on rare days, I have been taking the shade Half Baked and just placing that on the centre of the lid and blending out and this adds a lovely golden shimmer to the already bronze tones that are there!

This make up look is so quick and easy to achieve, I would suggest it to those of you who don't like to spend too much time of eye make up, or simply don't have enough time to spend on it because this is something that can be worn for pretty much anything!

How many of you have been hoarding the Colour Tattoo's in the back of the make up stash? Time to dig them out and start using them!

Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Set

After seeing so many reviews on the Zoeva brushes, I decided it was time to just order a set and see what all the raving was about! Admittedly, I'm a little late jumping on this bandwagon but I had been placing these brushes in my basket and then never ordering them - living the life of indecision. 

But I have them and now I can see what all the fuss was about, these brushes are the softest, I can't even express how soft they are. And I think we all fell for the packaging, I mean who can resist the lovely rose gold handles. The answer is no one can. 

I haven't had the chance to use all of the brushes yet but I can see them all being very good to use and with a couple of dupes in there, this set is one to buy if you haven't already! The best dupe in the set is probably the 227 brush which unsurprisingly is pretty much the same as the MAC 127 - if not softer! 

Anyone looking for reasonably priced brush sets (or just single brushes) should look into getting Zoeva brushes because not only is the price cheap enough for people on budget, but the quality of the brushes doesn't drop because of the price! And I would like to try some of their make up products after hearing some good things about them!

Have any of you tried any of the Zoeva products? Or been lusting over this set just like I had been?

Autumn Preparations

September is upon us and that means Autumn is coming and for anyone else like me, this is exciting. I've always been someone who enjoys the colder months and so knowing that winter is coming, I cannot wait! Not only am I excited because it's getting colder, but it means I can change what I'm wearing both make up wise and clothing wise.

With all the AW14 previews making an appearance, I've spotted a few things I'd like to pick up and it's also given me the chance to sort through my make up and pick out some items that are more suited to the upcoming months.

Blog Post ~ Autumn Preparations by abigailwilliams95 featuring black high waisted jeans

Blog Post ~ Autumn Preparations #2 by abigailwilliams95 featuring Miss Selfridge

The Brow Game

When it comes to eyebrows I never went down the route of filling them in, until about a year ago and to start with, I just used the good old MAC Omega eye shadow which I have to admit on lazy days, I still go for. It does the job! That was before trying out Benefit's Brow Zings which is again a do it all product - quick and easy - but I found that the colour was too dark even in the lightest shade, so I tend to use the powder side of this and leave the wax side!

More recently, I've been on the hunt for different products and have a few that I have been enjoying using, and for people like me who have to find brow colours for blonde hair, I've been searching for brow colours that match my hair! The first one I tried out, courtesy of Zoe and Gabby who both raved about it, is the Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil which I have in the shade Love is Blonde. At one end is a felt tip type nib which produces a tint and the other end is a waxy crayon which is the end I use because I find that the colour is a great match for lighter hair.

The next two products come from Anastasia Beverly Hills - who we all know, know brows pretty well and so I felt as though I didn't need any convincing when it came to buying these two things. The first one I bought was the BrowWiz in the shade Ash Blonde and this is handy because not only is the pencil amazing in terms of the colour and texture, the other end of this a spoolie and so it saves taking a spoolie and a brow pencil around. But the actual product itself is amazing and I love that the pencil is thin and so it makes it a lot easier to fill in the thinner areas without overfilling the brows. 

The second and final product that I have been using religiously since I got it is the DipBrow Pomade in the shade Blonde which I have to admit is darker than the pencil but nothing too different from my hair colour. But I feel I can't rave enough about this product, it's one of those products that you can put on at 8am and not worry about for the rest of the day because by the time its 8pm everything is still there; I honestly think this stuff is one of the best brow products I have ever used. I especially love that this is not anything like the texture of a pencil and so I find that this almost glides on exactly how you want it to and still looks natural!

There are a few more products such as the Gimme Brow that I want to try out, are there any products you think I should try? Have you tried any of the ones I've mentioned?

A Different Type of Eye Liner

I jumped on the bandwagon and purchased Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner admittedly I'm a little late on it, but I am there none the less. And in all honesty, I had set my expectations pretty high for this product and I am someone who will always choose gel liner over liquid liner even if it does take a little longer to apply. With this is in mind, I was super excited to try this out and I was kind of disappointed.

The concept of this eye liner is great, a gel liner in pen form, fool proof right? Not for me. I couldn't get the hang of using this at all, and I don't know if it's because I avert from using liquid liner pens and so I'm used to the old brush and pot of gel liner which I find a lot easier! But it's not just the application of this of this liner, I found that the formula wasn't what I expected it to be. For someone that has oily lids, I went through all the processes of primer, shadow and the liner, but it still dried out and smudged/rubbed off in areas! 

I still went on to use this liner to see if different techniques or application would help the overall hold of this on the eyelid, but alas it didn't. I tried a thin line which admittedly seems to be the best way to go with this because there isn't as much there to rub away, but as soon as you want to use this for a more dramatic look with a thicker liner and winged out end, it just doesn't work; well at least not for me.

I will continue to use however, just for thin lines because the applicator does mean that the liner is as close to the lash liner as possible which is amazing for definition, but one think I do truly love about this liner is the colour, it is a true black. I have plenty of black eye liners and I must say that the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Liner in carbon black is another that is truly black but for a pen applicator liner, I think Benefit have done well with this colour! 

Overall, I would probably recommend this to people who don't have such oily lids because the potential of this eye liner is great, but I just feel like I won't reach for it as often as I will my other eye liners. If you are looking for something that is truly black and are into the pen application style then I would say this definitely is for you!

Have any of you tried this eye liner? What do you think of it?

Blush For Me

I feel like I've been M.I.A recently, who knew that having no laptop could be such a pain - I do now! So for that, I'm sorry! And I wish I could promise more regular posts but my phone is not the place to typing up a lot of blog posts unfortunately! I will try my hardest though and whenever I can get a post up, I will!

I've decided to talk about a make up product that for me has always been a tricky one and that is blush... I don't know what it is about blusher, but we just don't get on that well! Never have and I feel like we never will and trust me, I've tried different formulas but no luck! Is it something I'm doing wrong? Am I not picking the right formula or colour? I'll never know!

Having a problem with redness is where I always thought I was going wrong because I could never conceal it well and putting more colour on top of that... just no! But alas, I still try with blushers and I think I've found myself some pretty foolproof ones that work work for me (or, work as well as they can for me!)

Soap and Glory Love at First Blush

I first bought this blush and used it a few times but I was never really a fan of shimmer, so I rarely used it and become one of those things that sat in one of my drawers and in all honestly, I kind of forgot about it! But I found it whilst clearing out and decided to put it in my make up so that I'd use it, and I'm so glad that I did! This blush is built up of different colour blocks that all hold a lot of shimmer and so I tend to find that less is more where this is concerned, but the colour is so subtle and just makes the face glow, I feel like this has opened me up to a world of dewy looking skin!

MAC Blush in Fleur Power

I think this was one of the first MAC products I ever bought and to this day, it's still the only blush I own from there (even though I have quite an extensive wishlist going on) and I love this colour! I have previously raved about it but this is a blush that I use all of the time, it doesn't even matter what time of year, I can wear this! Its one of those blushes that you just need to gently swipe on for colour that is noticeable, but I must say this is one of the longer lasting blushes that I own and use!

Seventeen Cheek Stamp Blush in Blushing

This blush was a kind of spontaneous buy and I bought two shades, one of which being blushing and although I'm not completely sold on the idea of stamping it onto your cheek and blending it out, I do like the colour and so I'll continue to use it! It's a very light pink and so it doesn't look harsh at all and I don't feel like you have to put a lot for the blush to take affect. It's one of those blushes that works with pretty much any make up look but it would probably look best of pale complexions because it is so light! 

Have any of you tried these blushes? Do any of you have holy grail blushes? I would love try some new ones out!

A Mini MAC Haul

I'm not sure what classifies as a 'mini' haul but for the purpose of the title, we will say that this is a mini haul! Just recently, I've fallen in love with MAC all over again (not that anybody doesn't love it) and this saw me purchasing some new things that I've had my eye on for some time and other things that were rather spontaneous! 

When I was recently browsing the MAC website, I found myself adding lot's of new products to my favourites but there was one product that I had been thinking of purchasing for quite some time now! And this product is the MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Natural which I have seen so many bloggers rave about at the moment and I think this is what finally made me decide to buy it, unfortunately I couldn't order from the website (as it was out of stock) but I managed to pick up from the nearest counter! However, I did end up ordering more products from the website and I've been waiting to try out these products because I wanted to get this post up! Which means I'll probably be back with some kind of review of the products mentioned!

The first thing I bought is rather boring but I feel it's going to become a staple for me as I'm doing a lot of travelling to London in the upcoming weeks and this is the Pro Palette Eye Shadow x 4 and this just means that I can pop my eyebrow colour in there along with three other shadows and that's all I have to take with me instead of taking any of my larger palettes with me! But even for home use, I can keep the colours I use most in this palette which is easier for access. Speaking of eyeshadows, I decided to order another pan for my current palette and decided on the shade Shroom which is a very neutral shade that I will most likely wear all over my lid with a brown shade going through the crease! I like this shade though as it's one of those that isn't too matte nor too frosty, a win win situation!

There's seems to be a running theme with my online purchases so far, because yet again I have something that is for the eyes. Now this product is a holy grail for most but I have seen some people who don't like it, but it's something I've wanted since I first started buying from MAC and this is the 217 Blending Brush and finally I have it! It is the brush that is able to blend eyeshadow even if it's owner can't, or so it's been said! I am very excited to use this and see whether to the hype has been worth it and maybe buy more..!

I'm one of these unfortunate ones that has very obvious dark circles under my eyes so I'm always searching for a concealer that not only hides the circles but keeps them concealed for quite a while! And after searching through endless reviews on different concealers, I ended up ordering a blogger favourite and that is the Pro Longwear Concealer. And I have to admit that I was so eager to try this, that I did end up using it the day it arrived and then I placed it back in the box ready for writing this post! It did impress me though, covered up what I needed covering and looked very natural and not at all cakey on top of my foundation, I think I've found a winner!

Along with these purchases, when I opened the box, I also found two samples and these were the Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara and the Prep + Prime Skin, and I haven't thought about ordering either of these products before, so I will give them a go and see how I get on with them!

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