Revlon Colourstay Concealer

I always wondered why my favourite Revlon Colourstay foundation didn't have a trusty concealer sidekick-well it does now! The Colourstay concealer is a new product, I spied it for the first time in Boots a couple of weeks ago and picked it up in 02 Light. I use the shade "Buff" in the foundation and was pleased when this perfectly matched it.
I've been using this the last few days in favour of the Collection lasting perfection concealer, and this may shock people(!) but I actually prefer it.
I find that any concealer I've tried in the past has a tendency to settle into that pesky crease under my eye during the day, but this really doesn't. It's got a more liquid consistency than the Collection concealer, but the coverage is as good-it covers the darkness under my eyes and it lasts from when I put it on til I take my makeup off at night. I apply mine using either the small end of a beauty blender or my Real Techniques deluxe crease brush. It blends really easily into the skin and then I set it with Revlon Nearly Naked powder. So now my whole base is Revlon-this pleases me as I'm a bit OCD matchy-matchy like that.
I can't tell you what this is like for concealing blemishes as I don't often get many but I'm really pleased I found this gem and will be using it from now on.
This costs £6.99 from Boots- they also have a 3 for 2 offer on Revlon at the minute.
Have you tried/will you be trying this concealer? Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx

MUA Lipstick Trio in Scarlet

Apologies for yet another post on a lip product, but this is a new release from MUA and I thought I'd share my first impressions. I picked this up as I had a few points on my Superdrug beauty card, but it retails for £2.50 from Superdrug or www.muastore.co.uk
As this is described as a lipstick trio I was excited to get it, I find it really hard to finish a full tube of lipstick as I have so many...I definitely have issues. However, I thought as this trio has three smaller pots itd be nice to travel with as well as giving 3 colour options. The packaging isn't the most sturdy but this is to be expected for the price you pay. Also the applicator is the same sponge tip as you get in many eyeshadow compacts, which is a tad confusing, I don't know why it's even included for lip products.
I haven't worn these colours yet, I've only swatched them. My trio is in the shade scarlet, although there's not a red in sight, what you get are three glossy colours- a pink, a darker pink and a very pale pink. I would describe these more as tinted lip balms or glosses, there's definitely not enough pigment for these to warrant the title "lipstick trio". That being said, there's still some payoff and if you're afraid of darker colours and getting them everywhere these are perfect. Because they are more balm/gloss-like they can easily be applied with your fingers on the go. I will chuck this in my handbag for top ups during the day or to apply over lipstick, so whilst the payoff isn't as strong as I had expected I will still use this little pallette. Have you tried these? Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx

Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick.

I'm back from my Easter holidays!! ;) I've noticed recently that Revlon have been bringing sooo many new products out, it's hard to keep up. It seems like every time I pass the stand there's a gazillion new products calling to me.(makeup talks to me. Yes it does yes it does yes it does).
One of the new products I wanted to pick up was the new Ultimate Suede lipstick, mainly because it forms part of their Colourstay line, which also contains my very favourite foundation. I opted for 010 Womenswear, which is a natural pink colour, and was £8.99 from Boots or Superdrug. These are meant to be long-wear, semi-matte(suede) lipsticks with added moisturising ingredients so I was excited to get my hands on one.
I really like the sturdy packaging, the lid is very secure and I also like that u can see the lipstick colour through the plastic.
I've worn this a few times now, and it pretty much delivers what it promises. The formula is very creamy and smooth to apply, and after about 10 mins it gets a little bit sticky, which I assume is what allows it to stay on the lips so well. This doesn't bother me but might irritate people who want to forget they're wearing a lip colour. I applied this in the morning and the colour lasted through 3 drinks and 2 meals before it started to fade a little. It does feel more moisturising than a matte lipstick, and isnt drying at all. At this point I reapplied but at a stretch you could get away without doing so, as I find the colour leaves a bit of a stain on the lips. The only odd thing I notice with the lipstick is that when I apply it I get a natural pink colour which gradually darkens a little bit over time. But maybe this is just me?!
Overall, this is nice and I would recommend it, however I don't love it enough to rush out and purchase any others...one last point to note is that there isnt a massive range of colours to choose from. Have you tried these?
Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx

Weight Loss

Today I'm writing a different kind of thing, away from beauty and makeup. This time last year I was bigger. 3 and a half stone bigger. I had had 3 children, youngest was 8 months. I had moved far away from my home and family, and so had lost my support network and my job. I was a bit down to say the least (not depressed). I had made 2( just 2 ) friends in my new home and I just didn't know what to focus on other than my children and school runs. I had up to this point always been unhappy with my weight but being in this new place by myself, even after having a baby and initially losing weight I eventually ended up heavier than ever before. So when my friend Steph(no.2) suggested joining Slimming World I jumped on that shit!! We started going to the gym 4/5 days a week. Between this and the slimming world plan I started to feel much more in control of my life. It's taken over a year but I am much more happy, confident and most importantly fitter. The weight loss is an extra special by-product. I don't want use this post to advise or inspire anyone to lose weight, just wanted to share the ways I've made my quality of life a bit better. For me it took being a bit smaller to make me happy, but I truly admire anyone who is happy no matter what their size. I think that fitness and health are the most important thing, but for me, losing a bit of weight has helped me in feeling less like the elephant in the room. I wouldn't have started blogging had I not embarked on a journey of change. I have shared a picture below of the years difference and I think in the after picture (I'm on the right) you can see much more self confidence in my face. Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx

Crown Brushes

I have heard LOADS about Crown Brushes from twitter, bloggers, celebs and makeup artists all seem to rave about them so I had a look on their website (crownbrush.co.uk) and placed a naughty order last week. The brushes and prices I got were
C139 Stiff Tapered Crease £3.09
This is similar to MAC 224 and you can never have enough crease brushes right? I have used this one and it blends shadow really well.
C217 Bent Liner £2.79
I haven't use this brush yet but I've never had a bent liner brush before and I figure anything that can help me with winged liner is a must have. The tip is really fine on this brush so I look forward to trying it.
C433 Pro Blending Fluff £6.09
This is crowns dupe for a MAC 217, it's one of their best sellers and its the one I was most excited to get. It's very soft and does the job perfectly, at a third of the cost of the MAC brush.
The final three brushes I got are all from the recently released infinity range.
C454 Angle Contouring £4.99
C456 Pointed Blender £5.99
C457 Round Blender £4.99
These brushes are beautiful! So soft, brilliant for concealer, applying eyeshadow base, cream blush, highlight, the list goes on. I'm definitely going to be getting the others from the Infinity range .
I ordered these on a Friday evening and they came on Tuesday, really well packaged and all for under £30. I can't believe the amazing quality of these brushes for the price and I would highly recommend checking their website! Do you have any favourites from crown brush?
Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx

NEW MUA Power Pout Intense Tint and Balm

I do love my Revlon version of these but at £7/8 they are pricey if you want them all! So when I saw the MUA Power Pouts had been released last week I ordered a couple online and they came this morning. I haven't tested wear time or anything yet but thought I do a kind of first impressions post.
MUA Power Pout Intense Tint and Balm are £3 each, and the packaging is identical to the Revlon and Clinique versions. It doesn't feel flimsy and the cap secures tightly so I won't be afraid to just throw one in my handbag. I bought shades "Irreplaceable" and "Broken Hearted" which are both pink shades.
Like the Revlon kissable balm stains these have a nice minty scent which disappears after application. The product screws up so no need to sharpen. The colours I have are nicely pigmented but I wouldn't use the word intense as the name suggests, however after trying to wash the swatches off my hand there was a stain left behind. All in all I'm glad I picked them up, £3 is a good price point for these and I look forward to wearing them.
Do you like the look of these? Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx

Superdrug Goodies

It's Sunday, it's snowing and I had to venture out to the butchers so I of course had to go to Superdrug for a nosy! Here's what I picked up
GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Renaissance Gold
This is a new shade released a couple of weeks ago and once I saw it swatched online, I wanted it. It's a brighter gold pencil than my favourite MAC powersurge and it's very creamy and soft to use.

Barry M Gel Eyeliner in Champagne.
I've never seen a gel liner this colour before, again it's a new shade released and comes with a handy brush in the lid. It's more like a platinum silvery pink colour to me than champagne but I love it!

NYC Appleicious Glossy Lip Balm in Appleicious Pink
Another new release, this has good colour payoff considering its a lip balm, and it smells like apple flavoured Hubba Bubba mmmmm!
The Gosh pencil was £4.99, Barry M liner was £4.49 and the NYC balm was £2.49, both liners claim to be waterproof and though I've not used them yet they refused to budge when I tried to wash the swatches off!
Have you tried any of these? Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx