Awesome Autumn: Shoe Trends!

Awesome Autumn by trialandtest featuring platform high heels

Jemma Kid

 So, where I live a TK MAXX has recently opened and I went in to check it out today and found this product. I love it.. It's like the perfect little kit and it's Jemma Kid! I've wanted to try Jemma Kid for so long and now I have the chance. The RRP for this was £17.00 (or that's what TK MAXX says) and I got it for £7.99.

So in this kit you get two shadows, a black glitter liner and two glosses.

 It has a little mirror on the top hald of the pack and then it has some 'instructions' on what to do with the palette.

The two shadows are the perfect colour. You get a beige colour and a dark brown colour. I would do swatches but my camera is rubbish and the swatches do not show up real to colour.  I can get an everyday eye look out of these two colours and it looks nice.

The liner is not that great. It pulls my skin when I try to put it on and it's not very soft when you do apply it. I don't really use black liner so it's not a great loss. The two glosses are really nice. They are great colours. As you can see from the image below I messed up one of them. I thought they would be harder than they are. They are really soft glosses, maybe a little to soft. I dont really know that i'll use the glosses that much because I dont really want to take this thing for me during the day.
  

Overall I like this, even if it's just for the shadows. I think you get a good sized shadow and glosses are nice even if I wont get that much use out of them. The products, bar the liner, are good quality and it has made me consider looking into more Jemma Kid cosmetics.

Fall Fashion Must Haves!!

molten metals by trialandtest featuring a short sleeve sequin dress

HAULAGE!!!

So, when I was out the other day I decided to pick up a few bits that I needed. 

 I popped into my local superdrug and grabbed what I needed and a few more bits as well. I picked up 2 moisturisers. One for night and one for day. They were in the offer this month and were half off so it was bargin (in my opinion). They are part of the Superdrug Viamin E line. It says that the line is for normal to dry skin, which is what mine is. It's recently been repackaged but it's meant to have the same formula so thats a plus. I have used some of the Vitamin E produts before and they are great on my skin so I hope these ones are as well.

The Night Cream:
Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream. It's meant to have 12 hours moisturisation and it's said to defend against environmental damage. (That makes it sound like global warming is happing on my face if you ask me but oh well.) Even thought it's in the Vitamin E line it also contains vitamins a, b, f and h. It also contains horse chestnut extract. (Good? I don't know, never seen it used before.) It's dermatologically approved, good times.
The Day Cream:
SPF 15 Moisturising Day Cream
This too it meant to provide 12 hours of moisturisation. It protects against UVA and UVB rays  and contains the vitamins that the night cream does. It's suggested that it's used with the Vitamin E range as a whole but I don't think it would hurt not to. (Maybe it would?) They are both 100ml products.

 The next thing I got was makeup remover. I usually use wipes but I seem to find it hard to get my mascara off with them so I thought I would give the remover and cotton pads a try. I got the Garnier Fresh Essentials. It says that it's grape water and that it's suitable for sensitive eyes (I assumed all eyes were sensitive but what do I know?). The bottle says and I quote "gently removes all makeup, even waterproof", so we will see if it does that. It says it;s good for removing make up quickly and easily, which is what I was looking for and it says it's gentle, which is great for eyes. Let's hope it works.

 
 

The next thing is a Niva cleasing toner. It ws part of their pure and natural range. It's for all skin types which is great and apparently it's 95% of natural origin. It does NOT contain any parabens, silicones, colourant or mineral oils (thought they were good but obviously not??) We will see if it's good won't we! 

Next is from a Superdrug Teen Skin range. It's from the Tea Tree range. I normally avoid this because just the smell makes my eyes stream but I'm going to give it a go. It's a Foaming Facial Wash, which has an incredibly strong smell but I hope it works. It says that it has natural tee tree and peppermint oils. It says that it leaves the skin feeling clean, smooth and refereshed and it has a cooling sensation (good? I dont know sounds quite nice though) .

 I also grabbed a new facial scrub. It's from the Superdrug Deep Action teen skin range and its a daily facial scrub. It's antibactiral and is said to minimise the appearnace of black heads and it's meant to gently exfoliate and purify.
Results are meant to be seen from day one but I think it's BS when brands say that so I'm not holding out any hopes for that but I hope it does work. It does contain Salicylic acid which is a well known acne treatment or acne fighting ingredient. Use everyday is meant to prevent further breakouts. It was tested on spot prone skin so if thats the case it should work... will it? I will let you know.

MUA Professional

MUA have somewhat recently launched the professional line. It has some really great items in it (I have yet to try them all but it's my mission for now). I have picked up some things and some are brilliant and some are okay. There isn't anything bad in it to be honest. It's a bit more expensive than the £1 line but the quality if just that little but higher and there are brilliant ideas in the line. As far as I know there are two mascaras (curling and volumizing - dont quote me), a eyeliner felt tip, some eyeshadow trios, some eyeshadow palette, nail quakes (shatter polishes). That is what is stocked in my superdrug, I think in bigger stores they have a mosaic blush (I think there is a bronzer too). I really want to say they have liquid foundation but I'm not sure at all. They also have metalic eyeshadows but I'm clueless about them.

So I have picked up the curling masacra, the primer, the Heaven and Earth Palette and a trio (I have no idea what the name is). I got the curling mascara in brown (or brown-black), the heaven and earth palette is a collection of browns and neutrals and the trio I have is also two browns and a ivory(ish) highlight colour. I want to say innocene but I could just be thinking random words right now.

I love love love love love what I have so far, bar the mascara. The masacara is good, don't get me wrong, but I just find it super hard to use the curved wand without getting it on every single but of my eye. It's just me, I'm a bit useless with things like that. The packaging really reminds me of the Loreal Lash Archietect (spelling is so not my thing) D mascara. I think it's one of the newest mascara's from Loreal. In fact when I picked it up I thought someone had dumped it on the stand and it was in the wrong place. The product itself isn't really compariable but the packaging is super super super similar.
 

The primer is good, I can't say that it's the best I've ever had (GOSH primer is the best by the way) but it most certainly not the worst (no7 Shine free primer is the worst). It's creamy unlike the gosh one and runny unlike the no 7 one. It's kind of what I wanted the no 7 primer to be like. If I had to compare it to any primer I would say it's the Witch blemish fighting primer (the name is something like that). It dont test it out for lenght of wear with other primers but it kept my make up on just fine through out the day. It's super good and I would recommend it to any one. It was also only £4.00 which is considerably cheaper than the GOSH primer at £13.99 and the No7 primer at £11.00 (I did get it for £6 with the voucher they give out to eveyone).

I think that this primer is the only thing that hasn't sold out stupidly on the MUA professional stand I just can't understand why. It's a good price and it's a good product. People, sort it out and go buy this! It's worth it (or it is to me). The MUA professional stand in my superdrug it some silly cardboard thing that needs to be replaced and I wish it was bigger and stocked more things like the blush and things like that. The stand is always empty because of the brilliant quality and the small stand and the amazing price.

I'm going to do a whole seperate post on the Heaven and Earth palette because it's that freaking awesome. Enough said for now.

The trio is what I reach for every single day. It's had the three perfect colours for everyday and they can be made more intense by using them wet (they look soo good when they are applied wet). They are very very shimmery but when they are blended nicely and applied in moderation they work for school/work/everyday. I love love love love this. This is my second fave MUA professional product that I have. The palette being the first, then the primer, then the mascara. The trio's are really compariable to the Boujouis Trio's accept I think they are much better (in quality and price). I have one of the Boujouis Trio's and I hate it. I love the colours it just dont think  the colour pay off is good and I find it really hard to work with.

I no this range ins't avaliable world wide but if you can get your hands on it, do it right now! (well wait till the shops open)

(Disclaimer - Yes, I'm trying to be witty. Yes, I am aware that it's not funny and No, I don't care so I thought I would let y'all know that)

Work Wear

work wear! by trialandtest featuring leather shoulder handbags

Sleek Nude Collection

 

I recently purchased the nude collection from Sleek Makeup at my local superdrug store. I think the offer was something to do with the new Beauty Card that they have launced so effectivly you do save a little money. The collection looks amazing!!! It's all the colours I love and all the colours that most people would wear for that everyday work/school/wearable look. Sleek it a great line and the shadows are known for their amazing quality. This collection isn't any different. The quality if still there and I love it. LOVE IT! Most of the swatches come up ture to colour and there is a good range from light to dark colours that most people can make work for them. I have swatched every colour in the Nude palette and the blush (I believe it's called Suede). This blush works so well for me and I think it would work well for most people. The packaging is mostly the same as others from the Sleek line. There is a difference in the blush packaging but not much difference. It just stands out as a limited edition rather than a permenant line. So here are my pics that I managed to take. Once again, most of the colours do show up true to reality.

Here are the swatches of the palette:

The blush images can be seen here:

 I also purchased a pout polish but it seem pointless to show you. It appears nude in the packaging but just looks like a clear gloss on the lips. It's called Bare Minimum and it really in the minimum. You can't see a colour at all on the lips.

Fall (Autumn) Nails!!!

I'm not the biggest nail fan ever (I bite mine.... I know, it's like a beauty sin or something but I can't help it). I did a little research and now I bring you Fall Nail Trends (some will be cheap and some from the more expensive lines).

My inspiration for this post came from Missglamorazzi's video on Fall Nails. Check out her video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1iSnMiBwTA&feature=feedu  

Here are my favourites of  her picks:

Essie Lady Like:

Miss Glamorazzi suggested wearing this under Deborah Lippmann's Some Enchanted Evening, which is a great pinky glitter polish.

On the Essie website the colour is descirbes as an elegant soft mauve colour, but it's currently unavalible for purchase online (on their website at least)

The second of my favourites from her selection is:  Zoya Jem.
The zoya website definatly gives more information about the polish than the essie site.  So here's what the site said:
It's described as a "dark red toned puple base with metallic dark pink highlights and subtle gold duochrome flecks. It's said to be a bold colour with vampy drama with bright sparkle and a glam rock persona. It's in the red and purple colour family and the finsih is most definatly metalic. The colour intensity is 5. The site five a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is sheer and 5 is opaque. The colour tone is listed as cool and the polish came out in the mirrors collection.

OPI (as im sure most nail brands are doing) are releasing a fall collection this year and obviously these colours are going to be bang on trend. Check out the art work and the whole collection at this link (here) The collection is called "Touring America" and here are  some of my favourites:

Color To Diner For:

 This colour is inspired by Tucson, Arizona. The OPI site says "Rain? What's that? Boasting an average of 350 sunshine filled days a year, Tucson epitonmizes the warmth and beauty of the American Southwest..."

The colour is said to be "rosy red with a side of awesome".

Honk If You Love OPI:

This colour is inspired by Baltiore, MD. The site says "Theres something eternally nostalgic about a good ol' American roadside diner. We say skip the fast food when Touring America, and opt for some countertop dining instead. This is your time to indulge, so try the grilled cheese or a slice of pie. but dress sexy (just in case).  The colour is descirbed as "delicious dark grape".


Road House Blues:

This colour is inspired by Jackson Hole, WY.  It says "These jaw dropping peaks have been called the most spectacular and awe-inspiring mountain ranges in America. with heights reaching over 7000 feet into the sky, the Teton Range is something you have to see when Touring American. This colour is said to be "R&B", OPI stating that it now stands for "Really Blue".

French Quater For Your Thoughts:

Inspired by New Oreleans, LA. The OPI site says "Also known as Vieux Carre, the French Quarter is New Orleans' oldestande most famous neighbourhood. Touring America wouldn't be complete without surrounding yourself in its elegant mix of Spanish, French, Creole and American architechture. It's enough to take your breath away. This colour gives you those "sexy grey nails".

Some of the colours in this collection don't scream fall to me but most of them do. The colours that seem sort of lost in here would have to be:

• Are We There Yet? 
• I Eat Mainly Lobster
• My Address is "Hollywood"

These colours are quite bright and for fall I would stick to the darker, more "vampy" shades that always seem a staple in any fall collections. 

One final colour screams fall to me from what I've seen and that is not just in nail polishes but in clothes and just general fall colours. That colour is Mustard.

Two polishes that stand out to me personally are Butter London in shade Bumster. The images can be seen below with the China Glaze polish in Trend Setter. These are what I call "Marmite" colour and you either love them or hate them. On the right skin tone... I love them!

Everyday Makeup

So, this is the look that I wear on my eyes everyday for college and work. Hope this helps you discover your everyday look.

So, first up this is the look, the picture quality isn't great but hopefully it will give you an idea.

I applied this using a foundation brush that I  brought from Primark. This foundation brush is actually better than the brush that I got a superdrug, even if it is Primark.

 

Next up I applied concealer to the areas that I want to cover up, to my under eye and my eyelids. I apply it to my eyelids because I have veiny eyelids that look better when covered up.  I used Rimmel Match Perfection Concealor. It says that it's a skin tone adapting product that is also a 2 in 1 concealoer and highlighter. I have this in the sahde ivory which is 010. It comes in a tude that has a brush applicator attached but I till used the product on the back of my hand and applied it with a separate brush, also a brush from Primark. 

 

Newxt I applied my eyeshaow. This isn't essential to the look but I like a little colour on my lids. I used 3 shaodws for this look. First I applied MUA shade 17.  It's a matt colour, and it's a very light brown colour. It's barely visable on the lids but it does even the lids out and provides a great base for any other colours. I applied this with my fingers, just for quickness. 

 After I applied this all over the lid and up to the brow bone I took my eyeshadow quad from Avon. It's called colour trend and it's in the set Flirty Eyes: Bashful  Browns. the quad is made up of 4 cream shadows that would can create simple and dramatic looks. It comes in a round tube with a hidden compartment for a sponge applicator. I always find it best to apply cream shadows with my fingers so I've used the applicator for other powder shadows that I have. I used two colours from this quad. I used the first two colours that are cream and light brown. I took the cream colour and applied it to the inner corner of my eyes, just so they looked more awake and wider. I also applied a very sheer coat as a highlight below my brow bone. I used the brown to provide sheer colour to my lid. I just used this up to the cream and it gave my eyes some shimmer and a little bit more colour.

I added a little gloss to my lips just so they weren't nude but I didn't want to much colour. I used sally hansen's diamond 12 hrs lip treatment in the shade honeymoon. I applied a very sheer layer.  It's a good colour to make your lips a pop.

PIGMENTS!!

I wanted to try some pigment loose eyeshadows and I didn't want to pay stupid money for it so I got some of eBay. They were really cheap and they are good, well I think they are. They are Korean and are labelled Qiaoyan (I assume that's the brand??). They aren't the biggest pots but for the price they are great. I've got some pictures and swatches to post but the colours sometimes dont come off as they are in reality.



As you can see from the picture the pots aren't that big but they are quite full. I did have a bit of a problem getting some of the lids off and I have two colours that I couldn't swatch because I couldn't get them open.  The picture to the right is just to give you an idea about the size and look of the pigments. The top image is more the real colour of the pigment, the bottom one is much more pink than reality.


The three pictures below are the pigment colour ranges. The first one is all the colours and the other two are closer images of the colours so you can see them a little better.

Below this bit of text are the swatches of the colours. There aren't any names so here they are: 

The colours are nice, maybe a little glittery for everyday. The bright pink is kinda scary but I'd love to be brave enough to ware it. I love the pale colours, they would be great highlights and the browns are brilliant colours that I will defiantly be using for my next night out. 

The blues and the greens are nice but don't really suit me but I will give them a try. I cannot pull the black off because it's far to dark for me. I think I could get use out of most of these pigments and it's nice to have some variety to my collection. 

These two pigments are the ones that I couldn't open. I will swatch them when I can.
If anyone is looking to test out pigment use then I suggest the ebay pigments as a good cheap way to test if you like them.