F/OOTN- Bird Is The Word

Morning!

I went out last week, and managed to get a few snaps in so I thought I'd share them :)

Excuse the moodyness of this pic, but you can see the shirt well!

 Admittedly, you can't really see my outfit, but I was wearing this Zara shirt, and these River Island tube pants that I posted about in a recent Wednesday Wants.

This shirt has a really cute collar, with gems on, but stupidly I forgot to photograph it!

I don't tend to wear shirts and tight trousers, but I actually really liked the look! I think it would be quite wearable during the day. This outfit looked nice with my ASOS chelsea boots, but as I was going to a club (and can't walk in heels!), I went for some Primark Vectra dupes, which I also forgot to photograph!

Eyes:

Collection 2000 24 Hour Extreme Felt Tip Liner

Fashionista shadow's in Foxy, Sweet kiss and Subtle glamour

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Benefit Brow Zings

Benefit High Brow Glow

Face:

MAC Studio Sculpt NC15

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC15

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

NO7 Translucent Powder

Lips:

MAC Heroine (all I wear these days!)

So that was FOTN and OOTN! Admittedly, you can't see the outfit very well, but I did do a video on it which I will post, as long as I can work out how to put music over it! 

Thanks for reading :)

FOTD- Shopping My Stash

Hello! 

Thought I'd do a quick FOTD- this was the makeup I wore the other day to meet a friend in town, browse round some shops and have a catch up :)

 I look totally miserable in the last one, but it was the only one I managed to take that actually showed my eyeshadow! I used a few things that were in my 'Shopping my Stash' post, and I've really been enjoying them, especially the Revlon eyeshadows.

Eyes:

Revlon Colorstay quad in Neutral Khakis

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner

Benefit They're Real!  & Bourjois Coup de Theatre

Face:

MAC Studio Sculpt NC15

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer 01 

MAC Melba

Lips:

Ben Nye LSP 2 Fashion Lip Colour Palette - Shy apricot

So that was my face!  A bit more effort than I usually make for the daytime, makeup-wise, but I just had the urge to pile on the makeup that day :) 

Thanks for reading!

P.S I took one of the earrings out after these pictures, and wore a plain stud in the other ear, not sure I can pull off wearing both of them!

P.P.S Please ignore my eyebrows! I am growing them out :)

Empties #2

Morning chicas!

So, I didn't actually do a post for my last empties,  but you can watch it here if you would like :)

This is my second lot of empties, there's quite a lot, and this is going to be a pretty lengthy, picture heavy post! Apologies in advance ;)


Little bubble co vanilla biscuit, Philosophy snow angel, Britney Spears cosmic radiance

1- I go through these allll the time! The little bubble co are my HG bath foam/shower gels, but I can't decide on  my number 1 fave out of vanilla biscuit, mint candy or ginger bread. Yum :)
Highly recommend, will repurchase.
2- My first ever Philosophy product! Expensive for what it is, but smelt divine. Very cool, crisp but also sweet. Not so great as a bubble bath, but lovely as a shower gel :)
Would recommend, and repurchase, but probably a bigger size.
3-Britney never fails me, in terms of music or perfume! With top notes of mandarin, litchi and pear, middle notes of peony and tuberose,  and base notes of amber and vanilla, this is a lovely daytime fragrance. To me, it smells comforting, and even homely?! 
Would recommend, and repurchase,  but I'm not in a rush to do so.
 

 Superdrug shampoo and conditioner, Superdrug dry shampoo
1, 2 & 3- Superdrug own brand shampoos and conditioners in Coconut and sweet almond, Tea tree and peppermint and Cherry and fig, These are amazing. Super cheap, and work just as well as any more expensive brand. They all smell amazing, and my whole family loves them :)
Would highly recommend, would repurchase, and I always have backups!
4&5-  For me, this is better than Batiste. It refreshes my hair, disguises grease, and gives it volume. 
Would recommend, and have repurchased many times!


Organix coconut serum, Percy and Reed hair mask, Lush Mint julips, Body Shop chocomania lip butter 
1- I've been through two bottles of this, and love it. Smells delicious, leaves hair soft and smooth, isn't expensive and lasts a long time. 
Would recommend, and repurchase.
2- Percy and Reed hydrating mask- This also smelt amazing, like fruit salad sweets!This left my hair smooth and silky, and smelling nice, but wasn't amazing, or better than any other mask. Full size is £20.
Wouldn't really recommend, and wouldn't repurchase at £20!
3-  Beautiful product! Smells (and tastes!) like after eight mints, leaves lips smooth and free of dry patches. The only down side is that I find it doesn't last very long.
Would recommend, and repurchase (but I am going to attempt to make my own first!)
4- Body shop chocomania lip butter- This is another fabulously smelling product! Really enjoyed using this, but it didn't give me the long term hydration that my dry lips need. Also, left a white cast on my lips.
Would recommend to those who don't have really dry lips, wouldn't repurchase but did enjoy.


Garnier 2 in 1 makeup remover, Soap and Glory peaches and clean, Boots double faced oval pads.
1-  My  HG eye makeup remover! Doesn't sting at all, takes of waterproof makeup really quickly and is just amazing! 
Would really recommend, and will definitely repurchase!
2-  Used this to take of my makeup before my cleanser, but didn't find it took off all my foundation easily. This smell was overpowering, sometimes I liked it, but mostly I found it too much. This can also cause photo-sensitivity, which isn't great!
Wouldn't recommend, wouldn't repurchase.
3- Boots oval pads- Not much to say on these! They're really big, and I find one is enough for both of my eyes. They never fall apart like some cotton pads!
Would recommend, and repurchase, have 3 backup packets at the moment! 


Effaclar duo, Freederm fast track, Revlon colorstay, St Ives scrub.
1- La Roche Posay Effaclar duo. This is basically a fancy spot cream. It's pretty expensive, I didn't notice it to stop any spots or unclog my pores. It also felt quite uncomfortable on my skin, and balled up underneath foundation or moisturiser. 
Wouldn't recommend (but everyone's skin is different!), and I wouldn't repurchase.
2-  Didn't notice this took away redness, reduced my spots or unclogged my pores. This wasn't expensive though.
Wouldn't recommend (but everyone's skin is different!), and wouldn't repurchase.
3- Revlon colorstay foundation in Ivory. This is my dream foundation. Flawless coverage, matte but not mask like, and lasts alllll day! Unfortunately, this is nowhere near pale enough for me: :(
Would recommend for those not as pale as me, wouldn't repurchase unless they brought out lighter shades!
4- I tried this out recently, as I remembered loving it when I was a teen. I'm not sure if my skin has changed, or if the formula has changed, but this is way too harsh for my skin now. Smells nice though.
Would recommend if you want a heavy duty scrub, but wouldn't repurchase.

Feel free to link to me to empties posts, anyone use any of these up?
Thanks for reading! :)

Shopping My Stash #1- Makeup

Howdy partners! 

I love reading these types of posts on other people's blogs- especially the Sunday Girl's. 

ShadesOfKassie also does a 'Weekly Makeup Basket' video, which is a similar idea, and great to watch. 

As I am on a spending ban, I thought it would be fun to do this type of post, as it means I can focus on particular products I have, and try to use them up. Not only will this encourage me to switch up my skincare and makeup, it will also (hopefully!) mean I'll get through some products, so that I don't have such a ridiculous amount of stuff that I don't use!

Anyway, rant over...

I will be trying to use- MAC Melba blush, which is such a good, easy to wear every day shade that I am slightly ashamed to say I find a bit boring...

Topshop cream Blush in Flush, which is a lovely colour but I don't know how to wear it! Anyone have any tips on application?

Then Revlon quad in Neutral Khakis, which I have forgotten about since I got my MUA Heaven and Earth Palette.

Lastly Ben Nye LSP 2 Fashion Lip Colour Palette which is full of creamy, pigmented, beautiful lip shades that I'd forgotten I owned!

So, I will be trying to use these a bit more :) I've also got some skincare/bath stuff that I'm trying to use more of, but I though I'd split up the posts so that they weren't too long :)

Anyone else do these types of posts? Feel free to link me :) 

Are we all guilty of having far too many products, and forgetting what we own, or is it just me?!

Thanks for reading! 

P.S- I did a video on this,  with some more bath/skincare shiz which you can find here :)

Current Loves #2

Hello!

It's been less than a week since I did my last Current Loves, but I've got more things that I am obsessed with at the mo!

1- Gorgeous by Gok shower scrub

This is my favourite body scrub. Not only does this smell delicious, but it's also more of a shower gel, with some scrubby bits in it, as opposed to scrubs that are a thick, paste-like consistency. As this is pretty much a 2 in 1 shower gel/scrub product, it's alot easier and quicker than using two separate products. This is very gentle on my skin, can be used daily, and leaves my skin super smooth and lightly scented.

2- Revlon Colorstay 12hr eyeshadow in Neutral Khakis 

Now, I'm not going to lie, I'm still not an eyeshadow everyday kinda girl, but when I go out, or for special occasions, these are the eye shadows I tend to reach for. Although it looks like a really dark purple in this purple in this pic, they're actually all really wearable shades. The formula of these is great, they're easy to use and long lasting, but I'm not sure I've ever worn them for 12 hours!

3- Boots tea tree and witch hazel foaming face wash

I've already raved about this product here, so I wont talk about it too much, but I have recently repurchased it and am so glad to have it back! It's already made my skin quite alot better, and I just can't recommend it enough.

4- Real Techniques stippling brush

There's not too much to say about this, and everyone and their cats loves it, but I've been using it for my blusher recently and it's fab! I can be a bit heavy handed with blusher, but with this I never get that 'stripe of blusher' look, which is good!

5- Superdrug dry shampoo in Floating on a Breeze

This is amazing. Super cheap, quite often on offer, and the best dry shampoo I've ever tried! Nice scent, although the smell doesn't last long in your hair, which personally I think is a good thing as it doesn't interfere with any perfume.

What is everyone else loving at the moment? Any essentials that you've re-discovered due to the hot weather?

Thanks for reading! :)

Review- Revlon Lip Butters

Afternoon :)

The Revlon lip butters have probably been the most talked about product since I started blogging. I didn't buy them when they first came out, because I found £7.99 a bit steep, but when they went into the 3 for 2 offer at Boots, I picked up Tutti Frutti (a bright coral/orange), Lollipop (bright pink with a strong blue undertone) and Candy Apple (a red with an orange tinge).

Tutti Frutti, Lollipop, Candy Apple

I've had these for about a month, and have worn them a fair bit. The colour pay off is really good, you can build them up to be quite intense, or put them on lightly and blend into the lips with your finger to give a more subtle wash of colour. 

In terms of pigmentation, I really can't fault these. They're opaque in a few strokes, and last around 3- 4 hours on the lips. They feel nice on the lips, not sticky or drying, and have a nice shiny finish. They also don't feel heavy, or like you're wearing too much, which I expect will be a bonus in the hotter months.

Although some people have said they think they look tacky, I love how these look!

 I think the quilting design is really cute, and It's so handy that the outside matches the colour of the product. When you're fishing around in a sea of black lipstick cases, these are so easy to find!

Tutti Frutti

On the negative side, these do bleed and feather quite alot around the lips. It could probably be sorted using a lipliner, but if I'm going to the trouble of using lipliner, I might as well put on a lipstick that will stay on longer. I bought these thinking they would be really easy to use, not even using a mirror to apply, but that's not really the case. 

Another problem is how these fade. Rather than fading evenly, on my lips these tend to fade quite patchy, often leaving product around the edges, making me look as though I've applied lipliner but nothing else! This means that when I wear these, I have to check it quite regularly, to make sure it still looks okay, which is a bit annoying. If you have dry patches on your lips (like I have in the photos!), the formula of these really clings to them, and makes it obvious.

 My last negative point is the price. Having tried these, I definitely think £7.99 is too expensive for what these are, especially as you have to reapply quite frequently, meaning that they wont last very long.

Lollipop

I like all three of the colours I have, but Lollipop is definitely my favourite, which is strange for me as I'm not much of a pink lips girl! I just love the blue, almost purple undertone to it, and how bright it is!

Tutti Frutti is really great for when you want a more subtle lip look, as it's not actually that bright on, although I've found it to be the worst for clinging to dry patches. 

Lastly, Candy apple, which I thought would have been my most used as it is red. This is actually my least used, mainly because, as much as I love glossy reds on others, I much prefer them matte on myself. I also tend to favour true reds, and this is quite and orange red when it's on.

Candy Apple

Phew, that was a bit of an essay wasn't it!? Well done if you've got this far ;)

So overall, I like these, but I don't love them. I don't think they're worth the money, and I would only repurchase if they were on offer (and probably only Lollipop!). 

You can buy these from Boots here, for £7.99 (currently on offer at £5.99!), and they come in fourteen shades (20 in the US!).

Thanks for reading! :)

Haulin' #1

Bonjour!

I've been buying bits and bobs here and there for a while, thinking I would put it all together for a big collective haul. I have since realised that would be waay too much for one post, so I will be separating it out!

Models Own Aqua violet Beetlejuice nail varnish

Revlon Lip Butters in Lollipop, Candy apple and Tutti fruitti

Models own nail art pens in yellow, blue and pink

I'd been checking out the Revlon lip butters for a while, after hearing all the hype on youtube/blogs. For summer, I still like to wear lip colour, but my usual lipsticks can feel a bit heavy, and make me feel like I look a bit too made up. After swatching the colours, I decided that I wanted to try Candy apple, a lovely red, Lollipop, a nice bright pink with cool blue/purple undertones, and Tutti frutti, a bold orange. Now all I had to do was wait for the day when my Boots would have them all in stock! This never happened, so in the end, I managed to nab the last Candy apple from Superdrug. I then got the other two shades, and the beautiful beetlejuice nail varnish in Boots with their 3 for 2 offer. 

At the Models Own section, I saw that they finally had some other colours of my beloved nail art pen, so I added them to my basket as well!

I haven't had much chance to try out the lip butters yet, but when I do, I'll make sure to do a review. This is the first time I've tried a Models Own nail varnish, and I'm not very impressed with the formula, although the colour is lovely.

I can't wait to try and create some really bright nail designs with my new colours, I may attempt something easter-y!

Anyone else bought anything in the Boots 3 for 2? I'm not sure how long it's on for, but it's still on now :)

150 Followers Giveway! CLOSED!

Hiiii guys :)

I recently noticed that I'd reached the 150 GFC followers mark! I'm so thankful to everyone who follows and comments on my posts, I'm so in love with blogging! It's been amazing to finally find people that I can waffle on about makeup, and skincare, I think my family and friends are glad that I get all my beauty related chat without them! So basically, thanks everyone! 

Anywayy, on to the fun part! I decided to do a giveaway, here's what one person will win!

• Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean wash off deep cleansing milk
• MUA Heaven and Earth eyeshadow pallette
• MUA Love Hearts 'Kiss me' Lipbalm
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry
• Models Own nail art pen in black

The winner will also be able to choose one of these keyrings, whichever they prefer :) Both made by my lovely mum!

So, to win! First a few rules:

• If under 16 please get permission from your parents because I will need your address!
• Open internationally :)
• Giveaway will end Monday 26th March at 6pm GMT
• Winner will be picked using random.org

To enter-

• Mandatory- Be a follower of this blog with GFC or Hellocotton, leave a comment below saying what type of posts you'd like to see more of on this blog and your email address so I can contact you (one entry) 

For extra entries-

• Follow me on twitter @RubesScoobs (one entry)
• Follow my mum's blog  (one entry)
• Tweet about my giveaway!(one entry)
• Write a post about my giveaway (one entry)

Make sure you write in the comments how many (if any!) extra entries you have done so that I can count them all up :)

Good luck everyone!

FOTD- Wild Orchid

Hallo guys!

I wore a new lipstick today, and thought it deserved a Face Of The Day post!

I'd originally bought the lippy for a night out, but then got too scared to wear it! Red lipstick is such a security blanket to me, I need to branch out more often!

Excuse the messy hair!

Face:

MAC Studio Sculpt NC15

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC15

Topshop blush in Powdered

Eyes:

Maybelline Volum' Express One By One mascara

Lips:

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick 457 Wild Orchid

So, it's not showing up well, but this lipstick is pretty bright! I kept the rest of my makeup quite subtle, and let the lips do the talking!

The colour is a bright fuschia pink, with purple/blue undertones. It's a Pearl formula, so it's got quite a sheen, which isn't a finish I tend to like, but I think it works really well with this colour.

I applied, blotted and added some Lipcote, then re-applied. I found this gave me a good four hours wear before I needed to top up the colour. I've been so impressed with every Revlon lipstick I've tried! I think this  may be my summer lippy :)

 

Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks are £7.49 (now on offer at two for a tenner! Bargain!) from Boots.com.

Anyone else tried this? Or have any recommendations for Revlon lippys I should try?

Thanks for reading! :)

Farewell Friday #4

Hello guys :)

This weeks Farewell Friday is a bit of shame. It's a foundation which, formula wise, I love, but it's just not pale enough for me! I'm giving it to my friend, so at least it's not going to be wasted!

This foundation is quite talked about in the blogging/youtube world, with alot of people comparing it favourably to Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation. The foundation is Revlon Colorstay in 110 Ivory.

Pic from Boots.com

Sorry for the stock pic, my camera is broken(boo!). 

Just to give you an idea of the colouring of Revlon Colorstay in Ivory, it is the third foundation on the top row of this picture. From L-R,  Rimmel Stay matte in Ivory, Mac studio fix fluid in NW15, Revlon Colorstay in Ivory, Clarins Truly Matte in Pale Ivory, MAC studio sculpt in NC15, Bobbi Brown foundation stick in Alabaster, and Benefit Playstick in Jax(discontinued).

I've tried this foundation before, managing to get through a whole bottle. I'm hoping that my skin was a little bit darker then, but I think what actually happened was that I was walking around with foundation that was too dark for me! Slightly embarrasing, but what can ya do?!

So anyway, as I was rummaging through my makeup stash the other day, I found I had a full bottle hidden away at the bottom! I tried it on for a day, hoping that it would miraculously match my skin, but it didn't. What it did do, however, was remind me just how bloomin' good it is!

The formula is absolutely perfect! I have the foundation in dry/normal skin, but it also comes in a oily/combination formula.

I'ts quite a runny liquid, so it can be a tad messy, but it blends into the skin really easily. It dries quite quickly, but not so quickly that you have to rush to blend it in! 

It dries quite matte, but not so much that it looks too flat or fake, something I found when I tried Estee Lauder Double Wear. 

The coverage is flawless, I would say full coverage, and for me it was a foundation that you could feel was on, it wasn't particularly lightweight, but that's not something I mind. 

Revlon claim that this foundation lasts up to 16 hours. I don't think I've ever actually worn foundation for that long, but I can confirm it lasts all day without needing to be touched up. 

Pros:

Lasts all day 

Full coverage, hides any flaws/discolouration

Dries matt, but not too matt

Easy and quick to apply

One bottle lasts a long time

Comes in different formulas for different skin types

Cons:

Not pale enough for me, slightly too orange

Quite pricey at12.49 from Boots.

As it's quite a runny formula, it could maybe benefit from a pump, instead of a pour top

You can feel it on your skin. Not a con for me, but could be for other people!

Would I buy it again? If they brought out a paler shade, then definitely. The formula is an absolute dream, is just a shame there isn't one to match me. It does seem slightly pricey for a drugstore/highstreet foundation,  but I would say it is as good, if not better, than Estee Lauder Double Wear which would set you back about £26.

I would really recommend this foundation.

Thanks for reading :)

First Impressions- Revlon Super Lustrous 663 Va Va Violet.

Hey guys!

A while ago, I did a post here about buying a few bits from Revlon and getting a free 'Little Box Of Glamour'. As well as the products inside, it also came with a £3 off voucher to use on any Revlon products. I decided that I wanted a lipstick, (as they are my main love in life!), and fell in love with a shade called 'Va Va Violet'.

Typically the shade I wanted was never in stock, every time I was in town I would try to find it, and eventually this week I found it! I snapped it up quickly, haven't worn it out yet, but thought I would show you a quick pic :)

Sorry for the scary close up, but it does give quite a good idea of the lipstick! I'm also wearing MAC studio sculpt, Collection 2000 concealer and Coralista, but it had been on about 7 hours by the time of this photo, so it's not looking very fresh!

Now, don't get me wrong, I really like this colour, but I'm a bit disappointed that it's not more purpley, and I can't help but think it looks the same as alot of my other lipsticks!

Pic taken with flash

From Left to Right, Ruby and Millie Purple Matte, Revlon Super Lustrous Creme 663 Va Va Violet, MAC Satin Cyber, Revlon Super Lustrous Creme 477 Black Cherry, 17 Lasting fix New Black, Benefit Espionage.

So, as you can see, I probably didn't need to add this lipstick to my collection! It seems particularly like MAC's Cyber, in real life it's hard to tell the difference!

It is a very nice colour though, and I can't wait to play around with it a bit more. I tend to prefer matt lipsticks, so I'm excited to see how it will look blotted- maybe it will show up a bit more purpley then! :)

Anyone got this lipstick? Or got any nice purple recommendations?!

Thanks for reading, hope everyone is well! :)

Collective Haulage.

Hey guys!

So I've picked up a few bits recently, even though I was supposed to be shopping for other people!, and thought I would share them with you :) 

They're pretty much all from Boots because I work there, so it's where I spend most of my money! 

First up, Revlon Super Lusterous lipstick in Black Cherry and Colorstay 12hr eye shadow in Neutral Khakis. I actually meant to get the eyeshadows in the shades 'Coffee Bean',  but I must have picked up the wrong one! 

The colours still look pretty nice though, I'm trying to get into wearing eyeshadows day to day, as I only tend to wear them when I'm out. I'm not usually a fan of lipsticks that aren't matte, but I'm going to try with this one because the colour is gorgeous!

The fairest of them all...

Hey guys,

I thought I would do a post about something that I've found really hard to come across, pale foundations. I am really quite ghostly pale, (I prefer the term 'english rose', sounds alot nicer!), and I like to embrace my natural colour. Having worn makeup for about 6 years now, I've tried a fair few, (no pun intended!), foundations, most of which are too yellow, orange, or just dark for my skin.