Seventeen Phwoarr-Paint Concealer

Budget beauty doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality for the saving of a few quid here and there. Sometimes, a budget beauty offering, like this Seventeen Phwoarr-Paint Concealer, is so impressive, you feel like telling people about it would be ruining it's cult status. 

Marketed as a "Heavy Duty Under Eye Concealer", this little round compact houses a thick, creamy, blendable concealer and a mirror in the lid. I wouldn't dream of putting this anywhere near my eyes. It's so thick it creases and you spend half your time touching it up, blending with your ring finger to keep it in check. It's meant to set, but I haven't found it to do that.

Image: PaperBlog.com

But for spots? Phwoarr-Paint is your only man!! It covers not only redness, but the thick, creamy nature of it hides the texture of the spot too. I've never enjoyed a budget concealer like this, ever. It's earned Holy Grail status in my stash, and it has never been put in my foundation drawer since the day it was lovingly brought home from Boots. 

For 6.99 I think this concealer could take on the likes of MAC and Benefit and live to tell the tale. 
Phwoarr-Paint comes in Fair and Medium and is stocked in Boots nationwide. 

Have you tried any concealers from Seventeen?

Amy

xx

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Seventeen Define and Conquer Palette

Contouring has become one of those things that every girl wants to be the master of! When you look at Kim Kardashian, all you see are those amazing cheekbones and her slim lovely nose.

Oustide

She truly has conquering down to a fine art, and a lust worthy one at that! 

I picked this compact contour and highlight kit up in Boots and I'm very impressed. Seventeen has always been hit and miss for me, but this is a hit. 

Inside

The casing is a Nars-esque, very neat and tidy black compact with clear labelling and a big mirror in the lid (tastefully hidden behind the guide sheet in the photo). It clicks closed really nicely and it houses two large pans, one a matte, or very slightly sheen-y highlight, and a warm-toned contour. The contour powder is less pigmented and has more fallout than my Sleek compact, which makes it perfect for more subtle and natural looks, because you can really tap away the excess and blend it out to a lovely finish!

The powders themselves are so soft and silky, blending really well for a flawless look. The shades are spot-on for us paler girls, Now if you're alabaster or totally see-through I might be inclined to lean you away from this but for someone who has a freckle-ridden face, it's just fine! 

Inside the kit you will find a short 4-step contouring guide and a picture to help you along. This makes this kit absolutely perfect for anyone out there who may be a bit unsure of the steps involved in order to contour. 

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up from this blogger, thats for sure!!! And for €7.49, you cannot fault this in the slightest! I'm delighted with this purchase and by the looks of things will be re-purchasing in the future! 

Have you tried this palette? 

Let me know what you thought!

Amy 

xx

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17 WOW! Skin 3 Way Highlighter

You know how they say that the more you build something up, the greater the chance of being disappointed? That's one of these times. 

I passed over this 17 WOW! Skin 3 Way Highlighter in Boots the length and breadth of the country. Every time I was tempted, I decided to get something else. It's probably why I have a mountain of powder highlighters. Eventually, I decided to pick it up, when I went birthday shopping with Kayliegh a couple of weeks back. I've tried it in all its uses and I've some things to say. 

As A Primer:
This claims to be an illuminating primer, and I was hoping it would be a cheaper alternative to Loreal Lumi Magique, but it did not even vaguely come up to it. The illumination that it gives on the face when you apply it is all but overwhelmed by your foundation. 

It doesn't lengthen the time my foundation lasts, in fact I've found it shortened the life of it. I felt my base slipped and moved and eventually, I had to just strip it off. I set it, I tried different foundations and nothing seemed to help.


As A Highligher:
Worn alone, with no foundation, or as a liquid highlight on your base, this is lovely. It gives a dewy finish without being too overpowering. When it's on its own it gives your skin a radiant glow that looks beautiful. 

For a pared back, natural look, just use this over your moisturiser, do your brows, add a swipe of mascara and a slick of a tinted lipbalm and you're gorgeous!! 

Mixed With Foundation:
If you mix this with your foundation, it gives a dewy finish. However I found that some foundations work better than others. It didn't bode well with my Loreal Infallible, but it was nice with Revlon Nearly Naked, sheer and glowy... 

You could also mix this with your moisturiser for a more toned down glow. 

Verdict? It's not a primer, but it's not a total write off, just disappointing... Especially when you have such high hopes. It's peddled primarily as a primer but I assure you, there are better ones out there. Save youself the 7.49 or so that it costs in Boots. 

If you want a good primer, you should check out my review of the W7 Prime Magic Camera Ready Primers. 

What do you think of this? 

Have you tried a decent illuminating primer that you think I should try?

Let me know!

Amy 

xx

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Holy Grail Products

Watch any beauty guru on YouTube and you will inevitably hear the phrase "Holy Grail". Yes, it is a Monty Python movie, but today that's not what we're going to talk about. Holy grail products, are, for the uninitiated, the products you would invariably die without. That one shampoo you keep repurchaing? Holy Grail. That lipstick you bought 3 back up tubes of? Holy. Grail.

So today I'm going to take you through my HG products.

First, we have powder. My HG in this department would have to be the Catrice Prime and Fine Translucent Loose Powder. This stuff is the miracle product your mother always told you existed. It's THAT good. I have back ups of this stuff, and I repurchase it to death. It sets your foundation without any extra tint and leaves you velvety smooth and matte. Catrice, please don't ever stop making this stuff, or I'll be all over you like a flannel. 

For €5.49, you too can use my fantastic miracle powder... Just leave some for me, kay?



Secondly, I want to talk about Chocolate Whip. This stuff is the amazing lotion brought to you by the good ladies of Cocoa Brown. I will be waxing lyrical about them further on down this post but can I just take a minute to talk about the absolutely glorious, wonderous gem that is Chocolate Whip? An OIL FREE body moisturiser, which (if you're a tanner) prolongs the life of your tan, helps it fade evenly and smells incredible. Oh my god this stuff was really needed in my life and I wont be straying from it any time soon. Cocoa Brown, will you marry me?

Next up, I'm going to bleat on tirelessly about my new favorite eyebrow powder. Step on up to the plate 17 Brows That!! This powder literally makes my brows look perfect. The compact comes with a brow pencil, a wax, a powder, a highlight and a tiny brush. I will admit the brush is kind of useless but the powder was MADE to go with my Real Techniques Brow Brush. This stuff is pretty new to the market but mother of god, it's perfection in a slick black case.

Cocoa Brown, what can I say, you just make my life complete. 1 Hour Tan hit the market about 1 year ago and I remember it took the blogging world by storm, yet I dismissed it straight off because "it's just tan". It's much more than "just tan" let me tell you. It's "bronze goddess" in a can. 

It's a golden, cocoa shade that makes even the palest (that's me), most ginger (hi, me again!) Irish chick look like she grew up on a beach in Zanzibar. I literally have nothing bad to say about it, or the company (all the girls are fantastic, very chatty on their Twitter, and always there to help). You need this tan in your life. Go now, and never look back!

Finally, I have a product combo for you. I have been blessed with relatively well behaved skin all my life, but to keep it in line, I am hopelessly addicted to Garnier Pure Active Foaming Facial Wash, coupled with my mini Body Shop Facial Brush. It's been keeping my skin soft and clear for 6 months now and I could not be happier with the results. The facial brush is gentle enough not to inspire break outs but tough enough to help the foaming wash take down any spots or blackheads before they peek out to say hi. A must for any girl looking to keep her face free of any nasties.

Those are my Holy Grail products of the moment, a select few of the myriad of bottles, cans and tubes of things I would easily fall apart without. What are your holy grail products? 

Amy 
xx

Liquid & Pen Liner Collection Overview

When it comes to liquid liner, I'm not particularly obsessed; Definitely not as much as I am with lipstick. I own five different eyeliners (not counting pencil liners) and today I want to talk about why I like them so much.

E.L.F Liquid Liner:

My lovely (and super generous) friend from Florida, Kayleigh (who you can find here), sent this as part of our swap. I don't think I have ever loved an eyeliner as much as this. That would be because it has a very very fine brush applicator, which make my limited eyeliner skills look brilliant!

My only problem with this liner, would be the wear time. I have a tendency to use this liner just as a guide-liner for my Loreal Super Liner. If the wear time were improved, I'd have no problem going to the nearest rooftop and shouting "Holy Grail, huzzah!!"

According to eyeslipsface.co.uk this eyeliner retails for €1.73. 

17 Liquid Liner

This liner came as part of a Christmas gift from my cousin Maria last year.

This has a really nice brush, though its not as thin as the E.L.F brush. The wear time, however, really makes up for the brush. It will NOT budge unless you take oil-based eye makeup remover to it.

I swiped this on my arm to figure out how to describe the formulas, and all I can say is, after 3 days of scrubbing its finally faded. That says it all!

I couldn't find a price for this liner, and it was part of a discontinued kit, so I can't even give you the price of that, sorry! Boots do carry a wide array of 17 liners though, so check them out.

Loreal Super Liner Blackbuster

This has to be the most disappointing of the five liners. I had such high hopes for it, but it just didn't meet them. This liner would be better suited to someone who just wants a faint, deep grey liner, rather than a bold black line. The felt tip on this has so much potential too, though maybe my dislike of that could be attributed to my ham-fists... I would be keen to retry this is the formula ever changed.

Loreal Super Liner Blackbuster retails for €10.75 in Boots.

Loreal Super Liner - Black Crystals

This liner is amazing, and completely in a different league to its Blackbuster counterpart. I did not realize at the time of purchase that it was Black Crystals, rather, I just thought the sparkles on the packaging were for decoration. The "crystal" element is a very very fine silver glitter, which is only really noticeable if you go for a thick winged liner. I wear this liner almost every day, and I think that the glitter is a nice touch to add to a simple look.

Loreal Super Liner - Black Crystals retails for €15.29 in Boots.

Essence Eyeliner Pen

This one is a pure, unmitigated bargain! I purchased this when I was just getting used to applying liner, because I felt the felt-tip was the easiest to work with. It has a very fine, almost oriental-brush like tip, ideal for the unsure liner user. Its only downfall is that two coats are needed to make it truly opaque, but hey, you get what you pay for!

Essence Eyeliner Pen is available from Penneys and Pharmacies nationwide and will set you back €3.59. 

Overall, I am happy with my liner collection, though it may be paltry by many beauty bloggers standards. The only one of this collection that I would not recommend is the Super Liner Blackbuster.

What do you think of my collection? Are there any liners you feel I am missing?
Please let me know in the comments if there are, and don't forget to tell me why they rock! I may well pick them up...

xo
Amy

June BBC Day 6: Disappointing Buys.

As a recent convert to the way of the red lip, I have been spending a lot of time trying to figure out what products are best for various life situations. I would be lying if I said that I loved everything I've bought. I haven't.

17 Berry Crush Lip-Stain

My most disappointing buy in recent times was the "17 Berry Crush Lip-Stain" in the reddest shade. I can't remember the name, and sadly the name isn't on the tube, so I can't clarify. It doesn't apply very well, its patchy and sticky. That wouldnt be so bad but its bitter. Bitter. I have a nervous habit of licking my lips, and the taste of it is not pleasant at all.

It's alright, and maybe it would suit others, my lips may just be awkward, but I was really disappointed and I would not repurchase it.

I am on the market for a good red lip-stain though, so I would love some recommendations!

What are you're most recent purchase regrets? Do you suffer from buyers remorse? Have you tried this lip-stain and love it?! 

Let me know, so I can avoid future regrets!

Le Grá,
Amy
xoxox

JuneBBC Day 5: Favorite Foundation...

This is another tie between two. Happily, its between two very different types of base...

For a full coverage foundation, I will nearly always opt for Loréal Infallible 16hr. Its one of the very few that is pale enough for me. Everything else makes me look orangey-yellow and just...ick! My bottle of Infallible is ridiculously dinged up and grubby, so I shall once again let Google save my picture loving hiney!

Oh God, I've Become A Girly-Girl!!

Girls, we all love our beauty products and make up. Its just the way we are, and guys wont ever understand why we need 3 different mascaras, or 100 bottles of nail polish, but we do. Or at least, that's what we tell ourselves! 

We all have our favourites though, so here's mine. My favourites, for my face!

Skin Wisdom Youth Protect Facial Wipes.

Skin Wisdom Youth Protect

These bad boys are amazing! I stumbled across these when I finished my Simple Kind-To-Skin wipes. They have a "Recommended Age Group" on the side of the nice, shiny pink foil packet, saying you should use these between the ages of 20-35. I suppose, those are the years between which you'd wanna be protecting that youth of yours, missus! They smell lovely and they do a great job of stripping off makeup, mascara, everything! I will say that you need a good moisturiser for after them, because they can leave your skin a bit tight. Maybe that's the Youth Protect bit?!

They claim to cleanse, tone and moisturise in one easy step, and are enriched with rhodiola rosea and amino acids, as well as cranberry and white tea.

They also claim to be suitable for all skin types, but I would say if you have dry skin, either avoid them entirely, or use a damn good moisturiser after them!

At €1.69 (I think!), in Tesco, I'd recommend them, even just to see if they do anything for your skin, but personally, I love them and have already repurchased them, in case they ever disappear from the shelves!