My Christmas Haul!

Here’s a few bits and pieces that I got for Christmas from my fantastic parents and family.

It’s all beauty products (as expected), I hope you all had wonderful holiday celebrations and are totally overindulging on all the good stuff in life.

Firstly I got this Smashbox Full Exposure Palette, this palette is so beautiful, buttery, and pigmented.  No pictures fully captured the beauty of both the mattes and the shimmer shadows.  It’s also worth mentioning that the brush that comes with the product actually a really great and of great quality.

Next is this NYX glitter glue, I’ve heard fantastic reviews of this product and I’ve found that it really does make a HUGE difference in the life span of glitter staying wherever it’s required and doesn’t leave much fall out.

To go with the glitter glue I got this great multidimensional glitter (Also from NYX) which gives lots of different colour reflects and is super pretty!

The final two eye products are the NYX eye lingerie which is a metallic cream eyeshadow with a lovely rose gold colour.  I have worn this every single day since getting it, super easy to apply with a doe-foot applicator and stays ALL day on the lids.  Secondly is a single eyeshadow (which I have since de-potted into a Z-palette) in a bright white and a blue-purple reflective undertone, I have been using this as a brow bone and inner corner highlight and also once or twice as a highlight on the cheek bones.

The final NYX product is this individual highlight single which is in a pure matte white.  I use this for setting the concealer under my eyes and as a brightener to the face if I’ve got any dark or discoloured patches that need extra setting.

The final makeup product is the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup setting spray.  I’ve had the all nighter setting spray in the past but as an oily skinned person I’ve been recommended the De-Slick many times.  I have to say that already I am finding it much better than the All Nighter for my skin type.

The final item I am writing about today is this lovely perfume from Next.  It’s a lovely light and floral scent, is perfect for everyday wear, and is super affordable for when I need to repurchase.

I hope you all got all that you wanted and have had some time off from work or studies!

Love

Rhia xo

My Product Wishlist // July 2015

Hi Guys!

I thought i’d do a different type of post today, this is my product wishlist for July 2015 🙂

The first item is a mascara, the Benefit Roller Lash (here).

I’ve gotten to the bottom of my trusty they’re real mascara by benefit which has been my favorite since I first purchased it, I’ve really wanted to try this one for a while now as the reviews are amazing!

Next is an eyeshadow palette, the Smashbox Travel Size Full Exposure Palette. (here!)

I’ve never tried any of the Smashbox eyeshadows but this one looks like it ticks all the right boxes for me! A bit of shimmer, a bit of glitter and most importantly… MATTE shadows.  I love the Naked Palettes by Urban Decay but they need more matte shadows for sure!

The next product is another version of one i’ve got, the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. (here)

I’ve already got this product in the Moonstone shade which is the most gorgeous colour but I’d love the have the Opal (and all the rest of them!!) because it just looks stunning on every shade of skin tone.

This next item is the one I want the most… the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette (here)

As you may have gathered, I love matte eyeshadow shades… and to make a whole palette of them, well it gets me very excited!!!! I love how there is a whole range of different colours in all different undertone to suit so many different looks.

Finally is an item rather than a product – Two Easy Lash Applicator (here)

I’ve never been one for applying falsies with anything but my fingers but these look like they would be a help opposed to a hinderance.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, I left out most of my wants as the list would be waaaay too long!

Are there any of these products that people already own and have an opinion on?

Love

Rhia xo

p.s None of the images are mine, they’re off the websites for the products 🙂

Makeup of the Day // Dark Glittery Eye

Hi Guys!

I know it’s been a while since I posted one of these but at the moment my phone is broken (boohoo!) so the phone i’m using currently is terrible for selfies!

Today’s makeup look is cool toned eyeshadow look with a pop of golden glitter.

• Foundation – Estee Lauder Double Wear
• Primer – L’Oreal Infallible Matte Primer and Smashbox Photofinish Primer Water
• Concealer – Mac Pro Longwear
• Bronzer – Benefit Perfect 10 and Benefit Hoola
• Blush – Benefit Dandelion
• Highligher – Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone and MUA Undressed Highlighter (never enough highlight!)
• Eyeshadows – Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, MAC Reflects Gold Glitter, MAC Frost Pigment and MAC Painterly Paintpot
• Eyeliner – Benefit BAD GAL eyeliner, Maybelline Express Liner and Lancome Art Liner
• Mascara – MAC Studio Sculpt Lash and Benefit they’re real
• Lashes – DUO dark lash adhesive and Red Cherry WSP lashes
• Brows – MUA Brow Mascara in Midbrown
• Lips – MAC Whirl liner and MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick

This look is inspired by me finding my MAC reflects gold glitter recently at the back of my draws as I wanted to try it out with a darker makeup look.  I also did a makeup trial on one of my gorgeous friends for her wedding next week which was really exciting!!

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! Again sorry for the picture quality! 😦

Love

Rhia xo

First Impression // Review // Budget Makeup Brushes

Hi Guys!

So this is the first post in a series of budget makeup and accessories!  This first post is a set of makeup brushes which are supposed to be good dupes for the sigma brushes, from an eBay seller in the UK.  They were £5.99 including postage for 10 brushes which in my opinion is a good bargain.

This is them as they came packaged up, I took great self restraint to take photos before I got stuck in and started using them.

As you can see there are various different sizes of kabuki brushes, including flat and round topped.  My favorite is the flat topped one which is a dupe of the sigma F80, I’ve been using this nonstop since I got it to apply my foundation with an amazing airbrushed finish.

Next are the eye brushes, they again are in various different kabuki styles including fluffy, flat and round topped.  They are really good at blending out eyeshadow especially in the crease for a flawless makeup look.

Overall these are fantastic brushes and I can’t sing their praises enough, I am definitely going to be ordering another set as you can never have enough blending brushes!

I hope you enjoyed this review and let me know your impressions if you end up buying some of these brushes!

Love

Rhia xo

p.s don’t forget to enter the competition that’s ending at the end of the month for a Mac Viva Glam Lipstick! https://catsandcontours.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/giveaway-mac-viva-glam-v-lipstick/

Review // Mac Rubenesque Paintpot // MOTD

Hi guys!

Just a quick post today as I’m not feeling too good! I had to have a play with my new Mac paintpot in the shade rubenesque, its so gorgeous!

I used it as a base for a golden shadow (Half-baked in Urban Decays Naked 2) and I can’t get over how beautiful it looks!

Sorry for how rough I look! I’ve got a migraine on the way bit I but I had to share how beautiful this combination looked!

I love the smooth texture of the paintpots and the way that they really give life to the shadows that you put on top.

What do you guys think?

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

Love

Rhia xo

Cult Beauty Product // Smashbox Primer Water Review

Hi Guys!

The post today is something that I am hoping that I will be making a feature to post one of these every week.  I am going to be going through all my products and reviewing all the ‘cult’ beauty products, giving my honest opinions on them.

The first cult beauty product is going to be the Smashbox Primer Water (as you would have guessed from the title!) This is something I picked up a week or so ago as I have been wanting it for MONTHS.  Literally every time I went near a Smashbox counter I would go and spray myself with this product to make sure that I wouldn’t have a reaction and that I would use it once I finally decided to purchase it.  

  
The price is the first and only negative about this product.  It is a little steep at the price of £20 but for that you get 116ml/3.9fl oz of ‘water’.  This is slightly more expensive than the Mac Fix+ which is £15.50 but you only get 100ml of product for that.  

The smell is really plesent, there isn’t really much of a smell but it is really light and refreshing what smell is there.  If I were to describe the smell I would say it was very lightly floral smelling but overall it is only a mist of floral.

Once spraying on the face (following instruction – Spray 8″-10″ away from the face and mist evenly) it feels wet for a few seconds (but doesn’t make the makeup move) but then quickly evaporates and doesn’t leave any sort of film on the face.

 
The action of the product is initially as a primer for the skin which can be used before the foundation to prime it.  It also suggests that you can use it to set the makeup on your face once you have finished applying it – this is what I’ve been using it for and I find that it is amazing at keeping the makeup feeling light and in place all day.  The final suggestion for this product is that you can use it for touching up your face throughout the day to keep your face looking refreshed.  This isn’t something that I am interested in using it for as it gives a very dewy look to the skin and that isn’t something that I am interested in as I am naturally oily (and I don’t want to emphysize that for sure!) 
I hope you enjoyed this review and I am looking forward to reviewing the next product for you!

 Bonus kitty picture of the day, Apollo helping me study for my exams 🙂
  
Love

Rhia xo

Makeup of the Day // First Impression on Lashes

Hi Guys!

Sorry I haven’t done a MOTD look in a few days, it’s been super busy at work and I’ve got a major exam coming up next month which is stressing me out to the max!

This look is just something I knocked together in a few minutes to go to dinner at my parents house this evening as I’ve been at work and revising all afternoon.  I used the Naked 3 palette to make a pinky-nudey look with a darker lip.  This is also the first time that I have used these new lashes from Red Cherry in the style WSP and I am in LOOOOOVE!! I am loving the natural but dramatic look of these lashes!!

• 
• Foundation – Estee Lauder Double Wear
• Concealer – Mac Pro Longwear Concealer
• Powder – Mac Prep and Prime Translucent Setting Powder
• Blusher – MUA Whipped Blush and Benefit Rockature
• Highligher – Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone
• Eyeshadow – Naked 3 Palette
• Eyeliner – Maybelline Liner Express in Black
• Eyebrows – MUA Brow Mascara in Mid Brown
• Lips – Mac Cyber mixed with Mac Velvet Teddy

I hope you enjoy this look and these lashes! They’re beeeeaut…. I’m not sure they’re going to over take my 43’s which are my all time favorite eyelashes but we shall see!

Bonus picture of me and my kitty Apollo!

Love

Rhia

Makeup of the Day – Work Style!

Hi Guys

So todays MOTD is a look that is usually my go-to look for work, some may call it my no makeup-makeup look! 

For this look I used two new products from my drug store haul the other day with amazing results.  Firstly the MUA baked highlighter, this highlighter is off the scale, its amazing, so cheap £3!  The next product was the MUA brow mascara in mid brown, this gave me a really full but natural brow look which is still on 12 hours later at 6pm.

   
Sorry for the bathroom shot, my husband was still asleep when I took this! 

Products Used

• Foundation – Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation
• Concealer – Mac Pro Longwear Concealer
• Powder – Mac Prep and Prime Translucent Setting Powder
• Blush – Benefit Dandelion
• Bronzer – Benefit Hoola
• Eyeshadow – Naked 2 Palette
• Brows – MUA Brow Mascara
• Mascara – Benefit They’re Real 
• Lips – Mac Whirl Lipliner and Mac Twig Lipstick
• Highligher – MUA Baked Highlighter

Brushes used are the Real Techniques brushes, the NARS Ita brush, and the Beauty Blender ❤

  
This is the product shot (Minus the Benefit Bronzer/Blush)! The only difference is that I changed the highlighter to the MUA one as the Revolution on wasn’t very pigmented.

Can we just take a minute to adore this highlight… £3 really.

  

 

Heres an out-take from yesterdays eyelash tutorial which includes lovely Apollo trying to eat the eyelashes! ❤ 

 

What’re your beauty essentials for a work day? 

Rhia xo