High End Beauty Expectations

One of the reasons I changed the direction of my blog and started blogging about beauty was because I wanted to know what products were worth purchasing. Back in the day I didn't wear make up daily, I worshiped at the ground of Mac eyeshadows, lived for YSL mascaras and the only base product I wore was the now discontinued Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturiser.

Often I'd find myself in the local supermarket and think to myself I'd like to treat myself to something, just a 'cheap' lipstick or similar and would become blinded by choice and walk out empty handed and then there was the shopping trips with mum where we'd swoon at high end beauty counters and treat ourselves to whatever caught our eye. My obsession with Chanel Nail Polishes has already been well documented.

Nostalgic ramblings aside bring me to the point of today's post. High End expectations. I've certainly discovered a love for drugstore products in recent years and whatever your preferences it's safe to say there are some great products available for 'affordable' prices but that has led to my expectations of those more expensive luxe products being much higher.

Whilst I'm not against picking up a drugstore product or two when I treat myself to a new make up product it's often from a higher end brand, particularly when their limited edition collections can be so hard to come by.

Therein is the first problem. Chanel's Rouge Noir Collection for example, we're subjected to various images and reviews in advance of launch dates and being lusting over the the collection, mentally listing what pieces we want to purchase. Then launch date arrives and if you don't hit the store on opening there is a distinct possibility you will miss out. How often have you missed a Mac collection despite being online line at 10.01 and adding things into the basket.

After all that effort if you are lucky enough to nab the item you wanted there's a hit of euphoria. You post on instagram with a little smugness as others share their tale of woe that they missed out and if you're a blogger it'll remain untouched, stared at and stroked until you take the necessary photos and write a blog post.

Next you are finally about to add to your make up routine and after all that build up, effort you, or certainly I have some pretty high expectations. If you're anything like me you'll often have designed in your mind the perfect justification for why you 'needed' such a product. Take the NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette. When this was covered by bloggers I decided this palette would change my life despite not being that familiar with the Nars brand. A large selection of eyeshadows in neutral shades this would be my go to eyeshadow palette. All I would need. One step away from bringing peace to the world. It wasn't cheap but it was worth it, I just knew it. Unfortunately I dithered and missed out on it's first run which as is often the case when you can't have something, you want it more so when it's next release occurred I was ready.

I phoned Selfridges, had one put aside and dragged myself from bed and into London to purchase. I was happy. Euphoric. Life was good. But some time later would I purchase it again? I don't think so. Are the eyeshadows good, yes there are? But is the palette more loved than my Bourjois Smokey Eye Quad? Probably not.

It was a similar story with the Chanel Entrelacs Eyeshadow Palette, again it was going to change my life, all I would need but unfortunately the pigmentation was just a little off and it's paled in comparison to other products in my collection.

It's not all bad and you could argue I should research more, investigate the product at counters but as I've already mentioned sometimes you don't have the luxury of time. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette is a favourite amongst bloggers and I remember the high when I managed to purchase in the US, despite it not being on the counter at Sephora one of the assistants checked out back and they'd been released and then it fell to the back of my collection. Recently I've been using this product and starting to love it but it's definitely been a slow burn.

In contrast if I buy a lipstick from Collection or Rimmel and it doesn't favour well I'll happily cast aside without another thought but it's the high end items I have the higher expectations of. Do you think that's fair? What are your thoughts?

Morning Time Saving Tips

I'm not a morning person. And I don't mean the type who needs four cups of coffee before their brain is functioning. I mean the type that just does not want to get out of bed and loves the snooze button. For that reason I need to have a pretty quick morning regime to ensure I'm out the door and on the train before work sends out a search party. Today I thought I'd share some of the tips I have when I'm rushing out the door and I'm short on time.

Body lotion is probably the first step I'd skip if I was short of time but with the current introduction of spray moisturisers I don't have to. Vaseline have recently reformulated their Spray Moisturiser and I've been using them as part of my morning routine - even when I have time to spare. It'll be no surprise that Cocoa Radiant* is my favourite, the scent is delicious. Aloe Soothe* is perfect for applying if you've hastily shaved your legs (and works amazingly if you're really short for time and need to 'dry' shave) and Essential Healing* is a good old rounder so whatever your preference there is certainly something for everyone in the Vaseline Spray Moisturiser range. I'm sure it doesn't need saying but you simple spray, rub and go. It absorbs quickly enough to put on clothes seconds afterward and doesn't leave any greasy residue. Even as I'm writing this post I'm spraying them on arms and legs to familarise myself and am still able to type without fingers sliding off the keyboard. My only criticism is that my enthusiastic spraying does seem to use them up quite quickly.

Many of you I'm sure are lucky enough to goes days without washing your hair, I'm not so lucky and will where possible always wash my hair through traditional methods during the week. At weekends if I'm simply pottering about at home or running errands I do try and give hair a break and reach for the dry shampoo instead. Battling against my usual Batiste and Collab is TRESemme Instant Refresh Cleansing Dry Shampoo*. I really love the smell of this dry shampoo and that's surprising as it's not something I usually notice or factor in when purchasing or reviewing even but this has a fruity scent I enjoy. I was ready to be extremely critical and see powder in my hair but there was none to be found. I'm definitely happy having this in my line up.

If the reason for your late start is lack of sleep them may I suggest Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Pencil in Nude*. This is one of my holy grail products and I gave a little jump for joy when I received this as I've managed to lose mine and hadn't managed to replace yet. White eyeliners are too stark for me but this nude liner manages to give the appearance of eight hours sleep even when I've had much less. Add some mascara and you're good to go.

I'm a fan of putting my make up on whilst travelling into work by train. Frowned on by some but for me it's essential for those precious extra minutes in bed. Whilst I'm not against getting out a big blusher brush on the train cream blush is much less likely to get glares from your fellow commuters. The Nars Multiples* are perfect for this job and I much prefer the shade Orgasm in cream form than it's powder original. It has enough of a shimmer to save time on highlighters and leave skin look fresh but no excessive sparkle that the powder left me with. You can use the Nars Multiples on your lips and eyes, the former I found too drying but quite liked the subtle tone on my eyelids. Not something for every day but in a pinch works a treat.

Finally we turn to nails. An important date, meeting or event and you need to paint your nails? Typically I would turn to a stash of press on nails in a pinch but as happened to me last week sometimes that stash can run out. Thankfully many brands have brought ranges such as Barry M's Quick Dry*. I have the shade Pit Stop which is a perfect grey nude which will work for any occasion. I put my door keys and train pass on the side, paint my nails and then walk out the door.  By the time I'm sitting on the train my nails touch dry and I can begin scrolling through my Twitter feed.

There you have some of my time saving tips, what are yours?

*This post contains press samples

It's Not You It's Me

Nars Laguna Bronzer / Orgasm Blush Duo link
Laura Geller Eyeshadow link

No one likes to hear those five words 'It's not you, it's me' but unfortunately they are the most appropriate for the products I'm going to talk about today, and I'm sure in the case of the Nars' duo that will be surprising to some.

I picked up the Nars Blush and Bronze Duo from Sephora last year as both had been on my list to try due to numerous posts from fellow bloggers of the holy grail status of Laguna Bronzer and Orgasm Blusher. This nifty duo was the perfect way to give them a try. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that I wasn't a fan of the Orgasm Blush as I didn't have much love for the drugstore dupe, Sleek Rose Gold either. I'm not a fan of blushes that are too shimmery as they quite frankly do little for my older skin or appearance of my pores. Nars Orgasm was slightly better than it's drugstore equivalent and it didn't look dreadful on me but it was just never something I would reach for out of choice. 

Likewise with Nars Laguna I just didn't find it the amazing product that is so highly spoke of. Yes it was ok but it wasn't something I'd choose over my other offerings. Combine the two products being of blah status to me it was often left languishing in the back of my make up drawers. This past week I've brought it to the forefront in an effort to use on a daily basis and there's just no enjoyment for me and as I mentioned in yesterday's empties post it's time to pair back the stash and use the products I do use (of which there are still too many).  Not to fear it has gone to a friend who is a fan of these two Nars products and that's good enough for me.

I revisited my Laura Geller make up collection in this post and two particular old favourites were Pink Icing and Devils Food eyeshadows. Pink Icing was used in it's entirety from the duo and I'd subsequently repurchased a full size but as the make up collection grew they were forgotten. I tend to lean more towards palettes these days rather than singular eyeshadows, especially as I put my make up on during my train journey to work. For this reason I'm less likely to gather together multiple eyeshadows for the look I want and instead reach for the palette that has everything I need in one place so it's time for these to go on to a new home.

Are there any products you have in your collection that you feel like this about?

May Favourites

This month has been spent testing and trialling both new and existing items in my cupboards as I try and declutter the hoards of products filling cupboards and drawer space so today's favourites feature a mix from those. In the case of the products I'm talking about today they are the ones I reached for when I didn't want to risk trying something new and wanted something I could rely on or knew would be a hit.

Bare Minerals Original SPF 15 Foundation link
This was the first foundation I decided to use when I turned 30 and felt I needed more coverage but wasn't keen on the typical liquid alternatives. With a lax skincare regime at the time one of it's selling points was that if I did fail to remove it there was less damage being caused to my skin. I have repurchased this on a number of occasions and it's come in handy on the few hot days we've had when I didn't want to risk foundation slipping off my face.

Nars NARSissist Eye Palette link
Sold out in the UK but still available from Sephora if you're desperate to get your hands on this was my first Nars purchase and I'm more than happy I made the dash to Selfridges to pick it up. 15 eyeshadows in a sleek palette enabling multiple looks it has been thrown in my make up bag on many occasions this month. Despite buying on it's initial release I'd been reluctant to dive in  and do not know why I waited so long. This palette is perfect for travel and will certainly be accompanying me on my next holiday. 

Maybelline Master Glaze Cream Blush, Pink Fever link
I picked up three of these Maybelline cream blush sticks in the US last month and love how easy they are to use - literally swipe, blend and go. I will be popping a full review of these up very soon as whilst I appreciate they are not available in the UK they are well worth tracking down and are great for days when you don't want to think too much about putting on blush.

NYX Matte Lipstick, Shocking Pink link
Another US purchase I picked up as a dupe for Mac's Candy Yum Yum. Despite it's matte finish this has a creamy application and I don't find my lips dry out at all which is often the case with many matte lipsticks I wear. For day I dab this on the lips lightly and it lasts longer than many other lipsticks do on me. If I'm heading out after work I swipe more heavily and build it up for the brighter more 'shocking pink' tone.

Once Upon a Time link

This month has most definitely been dominated by the TV series Once Upon a Time. In just two weeks I managed to work my way through two series of the show having missed its initial airing. From creators of the series Lost, Once Upon a Time features our well known and loved fairy tale characters who due to a curse have had their memories wiped and now live in the present day in a town called Storybrook. Each episode has two stories, one in Storybrook and another from the past as their ‘real’ storybook character which provides us the history of who they are today. Spoiler Alert - By series two the curse has been lifted but not a return to the Enchanted Forest so again more trials and tribulations are ahead.

The series had a possibility that it could’ve been rather cheesy but that is not the case and I’m pleased to see the female characters are particularly dominating very much changing our Disney perceptions of Snow White. I especially loved the early episodes as you saw two versions of the same person and how they differ in their new world from the old and where there are some personality traits that won’t go away – I always think it’s testament to an actor when they can essentially play two parts in the same show and convince the actor of the differences, much like Elena and Catherine in The Vampire Diaries, which I despite being another show I love it’s nice to have one that isn’t about Vampires. 

What have you been loving this month, let me know in the comments. Now I'm off to try and track down where I can watch Series 3 of Once Upon a Time.