November 2014 Favourites

I'm back!

It's been a while since I last posted, but I have a good excuse (I think so, anyway) - I started University!  I'm studying Journalism & English and I've been busy learning and filling my head with all sorts of knowledge etc.

But that doesn't mean I haven't been spending my student loan on new products to try...

I thought I'd try something new, and attempt a 'favourites' blog.  Some of the things I mention may get their own, more in-depth blog posts, but this is what's happening right now, and I'm ok with that!

There were a WHOLE heap of things I was loving in November, and it definitely helped that it was my birthday on the 1st, and my lovely and amazing fiance took me into Boots and told me, basically, to choose my weapon.

I chose the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay.

I haven't tried a Naked palette before, shocking I know.  But I was just ready.  I was ready to try out these shadows that everyone just KEPT banging on about on YouTube and blogs and in my actual IRL life.

I'm now one of those people.  It's Christmas soon and the other two palettes are on my list for Santa (aka Chris).

The shadows are super pigmented, last all day with a primer, and most of the day without.  The colours in Naked 3 are beautiful pink and brown tones, and it's perfect for creating a more natural smokey eye look.

The brush that comes with it is okay, but I prefer using my Real Techniques brushes to apply and blend.

My typical everyday eye look is Limit in the crease, Nooner on the outer corner, Strange and Dust as an inner corner highlight and Trick on the lid.  I might add in some Darkside or Blackheart on the upper lash line if I want a more defined/dramatic look.  

I love it, I'm not sure how I lived without it, and I recommend that everyone read the rest of this post and then go out and buy it.

The Naked 3 Palette retails at £37, and despite searching far and wide, I haven't managed to find it any cheaper.

Next up on my Oh-My-God-How-Did-I-Live-Without-This list is the 1995 lipstick by Jaclyn Hill for Gerard Cosmetics.

Holy crap, did I even have a mouth before I bought this lipstick?  If yes, why wasn't I wearing this lipstick sooner?

I'm not even slightly exaggerating when I say that this is the best lipstick in the world and you need to own it.

Again, I'd seen it reviewed over and over on YouTube and figured it was just being hyped up because they were sponsored posts etc.  It wasn't until my friend Jess reviewed it that I even considered getting it.

I ordered it through the Gerard Cosmetics website, and it arrived from the US within about 10 days, which is pretty good going, I think.  Most things I order from the UK take about that long to get to me.

I tried it on and fell in love.  It's a matte shade, but it's creamy and moisturising and doesn't make my mouth feel all weird and gross like some others have in the past.  It's the most beautiful shade, and whilst I admit I expected it to be lighter, I really love that it's a few shades darker than my natural lip colour.

It has pretty good staying power if I wear it alone, but it's better if I line my lips with the Topshop lip liner in the shade Ceramic.  If I want really long wear from it, I'll put a bit of LipCote on top.

I've ordered two more of the exact same shade, to make sure I don't run out, and I'm 99% sure that it won't be my last order.

It retails at around £12 + P&P, but if you want to get free international delivery and 20% off to make it £9 total (who wouldn't?) just use the code FREEDELI at the checkout :)

Those are the two things I've loved the most for the past month, but there are a few other things that have definitely been up there on my list of things that made my life even better than it was. (They aren't beauty related, but they are great).

Prison Break.

I've been re-watching Prison Break with Chris, and I know I said I want the other two Naked Palettes for Christmas, but Santa, if you're reading this, I would gladly accept either Wentworth Miller or Dominic Purcell as an alternative.  Both if you think I've been really good this year.

The show is fantastic, it has a great concept, excellent actors and just... I mean, Prison Break!

10/10, all the awards, do watch.

Emma by Jane Austen

I've always thought about reading those Classic novels everyone always mentions, and never had the will-power to do it.  

Then, when Emma was on my assigned reading list for uni, I didn't have a choice not to read it (well, I did, but I would fail my course).  

Emma is perfect.  The story, not the character. 

Emma herself is full of imperfections and has an ego the size of the moon, and once I got past the 18th century language, I really enjoyed the book.  It was well written (obviously), interesting and funny.  I never expected it to be funny, I'm not sure why.

If you're ever thinking of reading this, don't put it off, you can pick it up for literally about 10p on amazon or eBay.

I may have saved the best 'till last here.  

Myself and Chris would like to announce that we have added two new members to our family...

Introducing Lumos and Knox, our incredibly adorable chinese dwarf hamsters, whom I love more than life itself, even when they pee on me.

They are tiny and cute and I just want to spend all my day watching them stuffing food into their faces and running through tubes and on wheels and up and down ladders.  They are perfect and I love them :)

Feel free to share your favourite things from the past month in the comments below, let me know the things you love, and tell me new things to try out.

Thanks for being patient with me whilst I've been MIA, and I'll try and keep up with the posts from now on :)

Rach xo

If you haven't liked my Facebook page, head on over and get updates on new blog posts and some extra mini-reviews etc. Click Here!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Previous Post: Mooncup: This will change your life

Next Post: Coming Soon...

Review: Elf Mineral Lipstick - Cool Coral

Elf Mineral Lipstick in Cool Coral
RRP £5.00/3.8g

Now you can hydrate your lips and get a lasting soft colour naturally! This nourishing blend of exotic oils, natural waxes, vitamins and plant extracts create the perfect moisturising formula. The sleek lipstick has superior colour payoff, glides easily onto lips, and is long wearing. Lips stay perfectly hydrated and soft throughout the day for no fuss, lip loving happiness. 

100% Mineral based lipstick with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes.



Ingredients: 

Jojoba Seed Oil - Soothes, moisturizes and softens the skin. 
Coconut Oil - A moisturizing remedy to prevent wrinkles and sagging 
Candelilla Wax - Protects the skin against moisture loss
Ceresin Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Caranauba Wax, Paraffin Wax
Castor Seed Oil - Soothing and rich in antioxidants - helps to prevent aging
Shea Butter - Deep penetrating, long acting - restores moisture balance & prevents visible aging
Olive Oil - Combats aging and locks in moisture
Tocopherol (Ve) - A Vitamin E derivative and a powerful antioxidant - helps skin healing
Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vc) - A Vitamin C derivative that promotes healthy skin
Retinyl Palmitate (Va) - A Vitamin A derivative and powerful antioxidant which increases skin elasticity
Mica - Imparts a soft focus effect
Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891) - Provides sun protection
Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)
Manganese Violet (CI 77742).


Colour:

So this is the colour I expected to receive when I ordered Cool Coral (6704), and below is the picture of the actual colour.  I MUCH prefer the actual colour to the photo on the website.  The photo online does the lipstick no justice whatsoever, it's just a stock lipstick photoshopped a bit to slightly resemble the colour you might imagine the lipstick to maybe be.







The actual colour of the lipstick is a lovely shimmery orange/red.
It has a great payoff, not too overwhelming but definitely the same colour that it is in the tube - it doesn't take 2 or 3 coats to build up, it's just there instantly and it's so pretty!

It's very multi-dimensional and depending on where the light hits it, you'll see a different colour, which I love.

I've never found that I had to wear lip-liner with this, it doesn't seem to smudge or bleed or wear thin, it's fine just on it's own - great for quick touch ups and not having to re-paint your whole mouth!



Texture:

It also has a kind of rough texture to it, probably because it's a mineral lipstick? but I just like to pretend that's exfoliating my lips.  It's actually really hydrating and makes my lips feel so soft.
 (no surprise when you see the ingredients list below) 

Longevity:

It has quite good lasting power, doesn't clump together in cracks in dry lips, and it doesn't smudge really easily - I can eat and this will stay on, but I'll touch it up anyway just because I love the colour.

Packaging:

The packaging has held up well, for all the knocking about in my coat pocket, being man-handled and bashed, it's still in near-perfect condition.  No cracks or splits in the plastic, and the eyes lips face hasn't rubbed off the side yet either.


Value:

It's my go-to lipstick, you know the one you keep in your coat pocket rather than your handbag?  It's that one.  It will sit forever in my coat pocket for those moments when I need shimmery orange lips.

It doesn't seem to be wearing down very quickly either, which is great.  You can tell from the photo that it has softened a bit around the edges, but considering my almost daily usage, I still have most of it left - I bought it around 7/8 months ago, maybe more?  So that's pretty good going.


Rating:

This is my favourite lipstick, and considering all points - Value for money, lovely colour and excellent payoff. I'm giving it 5/5.



Please leave comments below to let me know anything you'd like to see!

Previous Post: Everyday Makeup Products: Primers
Next Post: Dermalogica Deals