New Purchases: Lipsticks

 As you may know, I love nude lips.  Because I have become so obsessed with my Creme Brulee lip butter (read my blog post on it here), I thought I would pick up a couple of other nude lipsticks to add to my collect.

The first one I picked up was the L'Oreal Rouge Caresse lipstick in the colour 501 'Nude Ingenue'.  I had heard pretty positive things about the Caresse range, with some comparing them to the Revlon lip butters.

This lip stick, although creamy, is not as moisturising at the lip butters, but I do really like it.  It is a browny nude and it smells lovely.  I really like the packaging to and I think the way the lid clicks back on makes it feel more expensive than it is.

Secondly, I got Maybelline's Colorsensational Pearl in 842 'Rosewood Pearl'.  This lipstick is more of a frosted finish (being a pearl) and looks slightly metalic on the lips.  It is a pinky nude with purple undertones.  A lovely colour but the smell of this one is not as nice as the L'Oreal (or the Revlon lip butter).  Again, the packaging is lovely.  I like how they have matched the colour of the lipstick to the colour of the packaging.

All in all, these are both nice products but they have not replaced Creme Brulee as my go-to lip colour of the moment.

Left - Maybelline, Right - L'Oreal

Left - Maybelline, Right - L'Oreal

Colours swatched on my hand.  Top - L'Oreal, Botton - Maybelline

Personally, I would say go straight for the lip butters but if you do prefer a more traditional lip stick you may disagree.

The L'Oreal Rouge Caresse is available from Boots, priced at £7.99 (Get it here) and Maybelline's Colorsensational Pearl £7.19 (Get it here).

What do you guys think? Have you got any recommendations?

Much love,

Nikki

Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Gel-Cream Eyeshadow

As much as I love the look of MAC Paint Pots, I do not own any.  There isn't really any reason for this, other than I've never really paid much attention to them when I have been at the MAC counter.  Only when I watch beauty gurus on YouTube do I see the products being used and think 'Ooh I fancy one of those!'

When I heard about the new Maybelline Color Tattoos and people compared them to MACs Paint Pots, I was keen to try one out.  I don't live near a MAC store so the idea of nipping to my local Boots was much more appealing.

The colour range stocked at my nearest Boots was pretty poor, with only 3 colours.  I plumped for 35 On and On Bronze.  It is a gorgeous metalic bronze colour with a hint of copper.

I am actually really impressed with the texture, quality and pigmentation of the product.  It is super creamy and therefore it glides on really smoothly, with a finger or a brush.  It is also really easy to blend.  The colour is also highly pigmented.  This is great as it means that it can be worn on it's own for a quick sweep of colour or as a base for other shadows.

In terms of it's longevity, I am not sure if it does last for 24 hours or not.  This is because I wash my face at least twice a day! But I wore it for a night out last night and not only did it stay put, it didn't crease and it held my other eyeshadows on too.

I really recommend this product, and although I cannot comment on the other colours, I highly suggest you check these out.  I have my eyes on 'Permanent Taupe', 'Eternal Silver' and 'Endless Purple'.

Have any of you tried these out? Can you recommend any colours?

Much love,

Nikki

Absence makes the heart grow stonger...

The time has come..... It is the end of the Easter Holidays! *booooo*

That means I am back to school and to my lovely Year 2 class to finish my final ever placement as a trainee teacher. Yipee!

It also means that I will be super busy for the next 5 weeks.  I will try my upmost to not neglect my little blog baby as I am loving seeing it grow, but I thought I should warn you that things will quieten down (a little bit!).

If you click the 'follow' button (up there, on the left), you will be notified when a new post goes live, so you won't miss out.

Thanks for your support.

Much love,

Nikki

Nail Obsession: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

For the last several years, I have had acrylic nails.  I love them because I never have to worry about my nails looking neat and presentable for work or a night out, as they are permantly french manicured and glossy.  I know they are not the best things for your nails but my natural nails are pretty terrible and are always breaking, so for me, acrylics are something I could not (and would not) go without.

For this reason, I rarely paint my finger nails.  On the other hand, my toe nails are always painted and presentable, but generally due to a quick sweep of polish an hour before I go to my yoga class!  This generally limits the colours I choose to use as I look for a quick drying nail varnish that I can brush on and forget about.

Until I discovered Insta-Dri! This clear, anti-chip top coat not only helps my varnish to stay glossy and chip-free, but it also dries any nail varnish in 30 seconds. Fab news!

Directions for use: Paint your nails with a nail varnish of your choice.  I usually apply two coats, depending on the one I choose.  After 2 minutes apply 1 coat of the Insta-Dri top coat and within 30 seconds any nail varnish will be dry to touch.

Since finding this top coat, I have not stopped painting my nails! I love that I can have two coats and a top coat done within 15 minutes or so.  I don't think I could do without this product now.

There are some more top coats available in the Sally Hansen range, that I'd really like to try, namely 'Mega Shine' which is an ultra glossy top coat.

I got my Insta-Dri for free when I purchased a couple of other products from Boots a few weeks ago.  It retails at £5.99 and you can buy it here.

Are there any nail products that you couldn't live without?

Much love,

Nikki

Review: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Creme Brulee

There has been a lot of hype over the Revlon Lip Butters for some time now.  It seemed to take forever for them to finally arrive in the UK and make it to Boots but they are now here.

So many people have reviewed the full collection but I just picked up one colour to see if the products lived up to the hype and they are indeed fab.

I picked up Creme Brulee which, in the tube, looks to be a nudey brown colour - right up my street! I am a sucker for nude lips and no matter how hard I try, I cannot pull myself away from nude lip sticks and lip glosses.

When on the lips, Creme Brulee is a very subtle but lovely nude.  I have naturally quite dark lips and this colour just tones them down slightly and adds a lovely glossy finish.

The most unexpected and perhaps impressive thing about this lip butter, aside from how moisturising it is, is the staying power.  I put this on in the morning and my lips still feel 'balmy' and glossy hours (and several cups of tea!) later.

I will definitely pick up some more of these as they are great for throwing in your hand bag and complimenting any face of make-up.

I got mine from Boots where everything is currently 3 for 2.  They retail at £7.99 and you can pick them up here.

Have you tried the lip butters yet?  Which colours can you recommend?

Much love,

Nikki

Contact Me

I thought it would be nice to set up an e-mail address so that you lovely readers have a way of contacting me if you need to :)

This is for any questions, queries or requests...

obsessionsofagirlygirl@hotmail.co.uk

I look forward to hearing from some of you soon!

You can also follow me on Twitter: @nikkilovesroxy

If you do start to follow me then send me a tweet to say 'hello'! 

In the meantime, thanks for your support so far.

Don't forget to comment and follow.

Much love,

Nikki

Forever Make-up Obsessions: Top 5 Make-Up Products of All Time

I thought I would share with you my favourite make-up products of all time.

Some of these products I wear on a daily basis but a couple of them are used less frequently (trust me, if I could wear a sparkly pigment every day to work then I would!). So here goes...

Foundation: Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in '2N2 Fresco'

I am not going to talk about this too much as I have already blogged about it here.  I absolutely love this foundation and I have worn it for years.  Nothing else I have tried has come close and so I have no intention on changing to anything else.  I wear this every day.

Blush: MAC Powder Blush in 'Mocha' (Matte)

I got this blush whilst I was in the states and I adore it.  It's a dusky, rosy pink with almost browny/purple tones to it.  It looked lovely with a tan whilst I was away and still looks good with my pale, winter skin.  I use it on the apples of my cheeks and it really warms up my skin tone and gives my cheeks a natural flush.

Mascara: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

I have always been a fan of Estee Lauder's Sumptuous Mascara so when I heard that they were bringing out Sumptuous Extreme I was very excited.  A lot of people don't like the big brush that comes with this mascara but I have never found it a problem.  The great thing about this product is that it doesn't dry on the lashes and leave that awful powerdy black dust under your eyes.  It makes my lashes look full and thick without being clumpy.

I use the colour 01 Extreme Black.

Eyeliner: Clinque Brush-On Cream Liner in '01 Black Honey'

This cream liner is fantastic.  It comes in a small glass pot, similar to MAC's fluid line, and I apply it with a MAC 266 liner brush.  Although it is called Black Honey, it is actually more of a reddish brown colour.  I have green eyes and I know that any eye products with a red tone make my eye colour really pop, so I was instantly drawn to this product when I spotted it at the Clinique counter.

The consistency is really creamy and a swoop of this across my lash line lasts all day.  Love it!

(Pictures taken with the flash on so you can see the colour a little bit better)

Eyeshadow/Pigment: Illamasqua Pure Pigment in 'Static'

I am a bit of a magpie when it comes to anything shiny, sparkly or glittery and so this pigment fills my heart with joy!  It is a shimmery white pigment with oodles of purple, pink and blue glitter running all the way through it.  It is absolutely stunning!  The pigment is very finely ground so the shimmer can be very subtle or built up for a beautiful hit of irredescent amazingness!

It is best to layer this up over another colour and I love teaming it with a lilac eyeshadow underneath and a flick of black liquid eyeliner.  Yum.

 

I hope you enjoyed this post!

What are your 5 must-have make-up products?

Much love,

Nikki

Fragrance Obsession: Thierry Mugler Angel EDT

Oh. My. Goodness.

I cannot put into words how much I love this perfume....but I will certainly try!



I was never a fan of the original Angel EDP, I just don't really like the smell.  I love sweet perfumes but for me that is too sweet.  So when I heard (way back at the end of 2011) that Thierry Mugler was releasing Angel in an Eau de Toilette, I wasn't really too bothered.... until I smelt it!

What they say...

Angel Eau de Toilette - a sparkling comet in the glamour galaxy. A new invitation to addictive dreams...

An Powdery Oriental Gourmand composed of three sensual waves that melt into one captivating harmony: the CELESTIAL WAVE with the soft notes of bergamot, the DELICIOUS WAVE with its delicately sweet notes of red fruits and praline and the SENSUAL WAVE with its unique blend of patchouli, vanilla, cedar wood and white musk.

This fragence is ultra sweet but light at the same time.  However, it has huge staying power and is the sort of smell that clings to your clothes, giving you a pleasuable waft of it the next time you put on the same coat or scarf!

The bottle, as you can see, is beautiful but is also refillable.  I think my bottle was around £45 (I got it as a gift for Christmas) but the refills only cost £33.50, which is great.

I am terrible for saving my favourite perfumes so that they last longer but with this I cannot stop wearing it.  I said to my mum a couple of days ago I am not bothered if it runs out because I will go out and buy a refill straight away.

If you haven't smelt it yet, get yourself down to a perfume counter NOW and give this a whiff.

What is your favourite perfume at the moment?

Much love,

Nikki

Review: Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector B.B Cream

As you may have guessed from reading my post about my favourite foundation (to read it click here), I love full-coverage foundation to achieve flawless-looking skin.  Because of this, and because I had not heard great things about B.B creams in the past, I was dubious to try Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector.

However...I love it!

The consistency is really smooth and silky and it definitely seems to glide onto my skin.  I would say it gives as much coverage as a tinted moisturiser or a very light foundation.  Some reviews I have read argue that it gives no coverage whatsoever but I haven't found this to be the case at all.  I use the 'light' colour and it evens out my skin tone without making my skin look cakey or orange.

A blob of product on my hand (it looks a bit gloopy but I promise you it isn't!)

My favourite thing about this cream is the smell.  It smells absolutely divine!

I have tried to take a couple of before and after pictures to show you how it looks on the skin but they aren't the best.

Before

After

As you can see, my skin tone definitely looks more even after just a thin coat of cream.  You can build this product for a fuller coverage but I prefer using it on days when I don't need to wear lots of make-up, but don't quite want to look like death!

You can buy Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector from Boots (here).  It retails at £9.99 but is currently on offer for £7.49.

I hope this was helpful.

Much love,

Nikki

Happy Easter!

It is (unfortunately) the end of the Easter weekend...

I have had a wonderful few days, filled with friends, family, food and shopping! What more could a girl ask for?!

I hope everybody has had a lovely Easter!

There are plenty of blog posts to come very soon and I apologise for my absence recently. Keep checking back!

Much love,

Nikki