JN Beauty

We were recently sent some pieces from JN Beauty for review. We had never heard of this brand before and I couldn't find any info about the company on their website so I can't really give you any background info I'm afraid. They do have some nice pieces though which we thought we would share.

Sheer Glo in Glo Pink
In a nail varnish style container with a pump application this is a liquid highlighter. This is available in 4 colours of pearl, gold, pink and apricot. These are £14.00 each.
 Half a pump is more than enough to either mix with your foundation or to use on the high points of the face.
 I really like the sheen this gave. An illuminating finish that is shot with tiny flecks of glittery pigments. A good dupe for Benefit High Beam.
 Quite pigmented so it will tint the skin slightly as well as giving a sheen.
 We tested the colour Glo Pink. It lasted well on the skin and would be a beautiful highlighter on a darker skin.

Stars in your eyes Eye Shadow Palette

 JN Beauty have 4 different eye shadow palettes but we took a peek at the bronze set of 5 eye shadows. High metallic finish with a strong glitter pigment.

 These have a really great colour pay off and they blend into each other superbly.
 Each of the five colours have a gold glitter which runs all the way through not just on the surface. The three browns are all warm toned and the two lighter highlighters are in a warm gold and a cool toned pink.
 These do drop slightly so use a Shadow Shield if you're messy. Each palette is £20.00.

JN Beauty Mascara

If you loved MAC Pro Lash this is a fab dupe and only £10.00. The brush head is identical to Pro lash.

 The bristles are nicely spaced out helping to define the lashes and it has quite wet texture which is great to build up layers.

Check out what JN Beauty has to offer over at http://jnbeauty.com//index.php

Which MAC Glitter?

There are a few MAC loose glitter pigments out there and it can be confusing which one to go for to suit your sparkly needs.
 Often you will see an ATTENTION sticker on pots of glitter saying "DO NOT USE AROUND THE EYES". Well if we are honest, as makeup artists this is often the first place we are going to put it. Brands have to cover themselves and advise not to use it here just in case a piece goes into your eye and scratches it. This of course can happen so do be careful and if you have sensitive eyes don't use them.
 Use a good base under the glitter to grip it and hold in place and use a flat firm brush to apply it and push it onto the skin rather than dusting it over causing drop down.
MAC do some mixing mediums which are good to mix with the glitter to help blend it onto the skin.
 You can of course use a cream eye shadow as a base and push the glitter into it.
 Also glitter is messy so do your eye makeup before you do your base. It's always better to apply a slick of moisturiser to the face and then go on to do the messy eye work. This way any glitter drop down can easily be wiped of the damp moisturised skin.
 You can also use shadow shields to catch fall out.

MAC have a few types of glitter (of course they would).

These come in a variety of colours

 Their standard MAC glitter is made up of chunky shards of glitter. They give a solid wash of wet look shimmering glitter. These are good used on top of a cream or gel base to make sure they adhere well.  They look beautiful, come in 6 shades and are also really good used on the body when body painting or for creative work.

MAC 3D Glitter is the same chunky formula as the standard glitter although each shard of glitter gives out a rainbow holographic finish. Impossible to photograph well due to the reflection of light bouncing off however in real life looks amazing. As you turn the face or body it catches the light and looks a different colour at each angle.

MAC Reflects Glitter is our favourite. It's much finer and rather than a strong wet look it gives a beautiful shimmer. Each colour contains a mix of a colour blended into a pearl pigment. It will look like a flat pearl glitter in the pot but depending on the colour you go for (the one in the picture is reflects red) it will have a glitter tint of colour.
 Because it is finer it takes a lot to build up a solid block of colour but looks beautiful pressed on top of an eye shadow.

You can also mix all of these glitters with a mixing medium and use as eye liner or for use on the body.

Now the massive downside of MAC glitter is that they are tricky devils to get your hands on. Here in the UK they are only sold in the MAC PRO store in Carnaby Street, London. They are not for sale on the regular MAC UK website but you can purchase them through MAC mail order by calling 0800 054 6076. Hard to purchase colours over the phone but you can view the different glitters on the MAC USA website  http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/793/505/Products/Multi-Use/Glitter/index.tmpl and then call the mail order UK to purchase. Jeez they don't make it easy to get hold of them here in the UK. If you are in the states it's much easier, you can just buy online from the previous link.
 By the way, any one can go into a MAC Pro store, you don't have to be a makeup artist.

 Which style of glitter do you prefer?

Christmas makeup montage time!

Check out this compilation of our favourite Christmas looks....

What will you be wearing to your Christmas party this year?

Waxperts Ingrown Hair Pads

I feel like I should be talking about this in the summer months when we are exposing our skin however with Christmas parties coming up you may want a little help from Waxperts.
 This little pot contains 40 thin cotton pads that are infused with Salicylic acid, Rosemary and Benzioc acid.

 The pads are designed to be easily wiped over shaven or waxed areas of skin to prevent ingrowing hairs from forming and to also treat areas that are affected by these troublesome hairs already.

How do the ingredients work...
 Salicylic acid is a great friend of ours! It helps keep spots at bay and removes dead skin cells from deep in the pores.It causes the skin cells to shed more frequently therefore preventing the pores getting clogged up and also neutralises the bacteria within the skin.
The Rosemary extract is the soothing ingredient. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and helps reduce down redness and swelling.

Sometimes after tweezing my eye brows I get little pimples come up and found by wiping a pad over the area afterwards it soothed it and hurrah no bumpy spots!

These are safe enough to use on any area of the face or body and don't sting on application.

This little pot is £7.99 and as you only really need to get waxed every 4-6 weeks these will last you ages.
 The small pot fits nicely into your travel bag also so you can maintain a smooth looking bikini line on the beach.

Waxperts have some other fab products also to cater for all your waxing needs so be sure to check them out http://www.waxpertswax.com

Ritual Spice Trail Fragrance Sticks

The Pixiwoo studio is smelling pretty festive thanks to our new Spices from the East fragrance sticks from Rituals.

The 230ml tinted glass bottle looks very chic sitting on the shelf. There is a mahogany coloured wooden surround that sits over the cap to hold the reeds in place. 10 sticks absorb the scent and diffuse it into the air.

This is a limited edition scent especially created for the festive time of the year. Smells just like mulled wine infused with warm spices.

The fragrance lingers for up to to 3 months but you will need to flip the sticks over regularly to keep the scent strong.

This would be nice sat by the door to welcome all your guests with a nice christmassy aroma.

This is £24.50 from http://uk.rituals.com/en-gb/fragrance-sticks/spice-trail-fragrance-sticks-9340.html#

Bubble T Bath and Body products

I had my first Bubble T in Australia and found it quite a strange experience drinking a slushy beverage filled with tapioca pearls.
This fruit based tea originates from Taiwan and that is where the inspiration comes from for these products.

The products in this bath range are a combination of a tea infusion mixed with fruit essence.
 There are three fragrances used in the collection including Moroccan Mint tea, Lemongrass and green tea and Hibiscus and acai berry tea.
 The three fragrances are available in body lotion, bath bombs, hand cream, hand wash and shower gel.

The bath bombs look like strawberry bonbons (don't eat these!)

Plop one into the bath under running water. It will dissolve pretty quickly and leaves your bath water scented with a fruity cranberry and strawberry sweet fragrance.This is £6.00 for 7 bombs.

Lemongrass and green tea hand wash smells divine! Fresh and zingy and leaves your hands clean and soft. I also like the zesty yellow packaging. This £8 for a massive 300ml.

The Moroccan mint tea body lotion comes in a massive 300ml bottle and is £10.00. Obviously smells minty but the infusion of white jasmine takes the edge of the mint so it doesn't smell too much like a foot cream!
Even though it is a lotion its actually really thick and rich and feels tingly on the skin when massaging in.

These make lovely fruity scented Christmas treats and are available from http://www.bubbletcosmetics.com

Urban Decay Naked 3

We've had the bronze hues of Naked 1 and the taupe tones of Naked 2 but drum roll please.......
enter the rose tones of Naked 3.
 I know what you're thinking, hmm pink is not my thing. Don't panic, there is something for everyone here and although the pink tones in here are much warmer rose tones there are also some bronzes and dark colours to blend in.
First things first the case. It's a tin style much the same as Naked 2. Rose Gold tin embossed with antique gold lettering.

Inside are 12 brand new shades that haven't been seen before. Textures are a mix of matte, pearl and metallic and the formula of these shadows feels the same as the previous two Naked palettes.

 For those of you regular Naked lovers you will know that the colour pay off is good, the colour tones are beautiful however the shadows do drop a little. This is mainly due to the super soft texture of the powder.I found the metallic finish colours are the main culprits for the drop down. The matte and pearl finish colours have a standard amount of fall down to be honest.
 To rectify this either do your base makeup second or use a shadow shield. Problem solved.
 Once on the eye the colour lasts and if you blend a base primer or cream eyeshadow under as a prep then they last even better.

The colours are very wearable for day or evening and as there are a mixture of cool and warm tones they would suit any skin tone although they look particularly amazing on a warmer skin tone or on a tanned skin.
There is also an included aluminium ferrule, dual ended brush. Hairs are synthetic and one end is firm and the other softer for a more blended finish.

You could wear any of them with each other for a seamless blend.

Our favourites are the colours Nooner which is similar to Quarry from MAC. It looks great in the socket line as a middle colour to help blend dark to light. Also Blackheart is a warm brown/black shot through with a rose gold sparkle pigment. Looks Beautiful on all eyes and helps to darken the look of all the colours for a more evening look.

Here are Urban Decay's breakdown of colour descriptions...
Strange - Pale, neutral pink matte-satin
Dust - Pale metallic pink shimmer with iridescent micro - glitter
Limit - Light dusty rose matte
Buzz - Metallic rose shimmer with silver micro- glitter
Trick - Light metallic pinky-copper shimmer with tonal nicro-sparkle
Nooner - Medium pinky-brown matte
Liar - Medium metallic mauve shimmer
Factory - Pinky-brown satin
Mugshot - Metallic taupe shimmer with slight pink shift
Darkside - Deep taupe-mauve satin
Blackheart - Smoky black matte with rosy red micro-sparkle

A great addition to any makeup artists kit or makeup fanatics collection that we are sure will fly off the shelf.
 Naked 3 is £37.00 and available from 16th December 2013 from Debenhams and House of Fraser UK and selected Debenhams in Ireland.

 Online you can get it from debenhams.com  http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/ beautybay.com hqhair.com

   lookfantastic.com

What do you think of Naked 3?

Illamasqua Christmas Collection

We don't often think about being selfish at Christmas but this years Illamasqua collection is all about indulging yourself in a little treat when you've spent all your money on everybody else!

Here is their little Christmas message.....

 This seasons eye shadow quad Fatale holds lovely rich, opulent powder colours.

 

Each colour has a metallic finish with a vibrant colour payoff. Typical soft texture of Illamasqua shadows.

The colours are quite contrasting and it can seem confusing at first glance how you would wear them. This palette is definitely for those who like to experiment and play with colour.

 The darkest colour is a taupe grey but has a slight purple pigment shot through it and blends easily with any of the other colours included in the palette.

 Each colour looks great worn on its own with a smudge of black kohl liner around the lash line for definition.

 This palette is £34.00.

Hurrah a sculpting powder for a fair skin. Often sculpting powders come up too orange however this one provides a very natural contour. The best tones for a natural contour have a slightly greyish tint, almost like the colour a real shadow would cast.This palette has exactly that.

 The included strip of highlighter is a shimmering buttermilk colour. Not glittery but more of a  metallic finish.

If you struggle to find a contour and highlight for your fair skin this would be a really good purchase. This is £26.00

Only down side to this sculpting powder is that it contains mineral oil so if you are someone who is prone to congested skin or breakouts just be aware of this.

Of course there is a set of lashes in the collection. Synthetic, hand made lashes that are very long, dramatic, thick and fluttery but surprisingly light on the eye.

 We really like the nail varnish in this collection. It's name is Blizzard which is the perfect name to describe how this looks. Fine hexagon shaped silvery white pieces set in a clear polish.

 

 Again they have more of a metallic finish rather than a glittery finish and look really natural and sweet rather than garish shards of glitter.

 You could of course wear this over a coloured nail polish if you would like more colour.

 This is £14.50.

Our most requested tutorials are smoky eyes with a nude lip and this gloss called Maiden is the perfect peachy nude.

 Quite a thick texture that gives an opaque finish. This wears off really nicely too, no dry scum like edge after a few hours! This is £14.50.

 Check out these pieces and other sets from Illamasqua here..http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/products/christmas-gifts-1/