Mid-Week Beauty Masterclass: Make-Up Fixers

Just like we use a base and top-coats on our nails to achieve a perfect manicure that lasts, we use a primer and fixer for our make-up for the same reasons... create a smooth canvas to work on and make the make-up last longer! You can read more about make-up primers here.  This week's post will focus on make-up fixers.

Basically, as they name suggests, a make-up fixer fixes your make-up so it lasts longer.  Since they usually come in spray bottles, people also tend to carry them around to refresh their faces if needed especially in the hotter months.  Personally, I skip using a fixer more often than not as I do not wear a lot of make-up everyday but I do use it at weekends to keep my make-up looking fresh all night.

As I said before, make-up fixers are usually supplied in spray bottles so you just have to keep them around 15cm away from your face and spray just once (keep your eyes closed!).  Alternatively, you can spray a little in the air and walk into it.  Apart for keeping your make-up on for longer, fixers also give a nice dewy finish to your face.

There are different fixers available on the market to suit all budgets but if you don't want to spend money on one, just remember to apply a good base for your make-up and take care of your skin the proper way :)

Top-Ten Tuesdays ~ Make-Up Products I have repurchased/Will definitely repurchase

Good morning my lovelies! I'm up early today as I have a lot of things to do so I'm getting today's post up and ready.  This week, I decided to share my top ten make-up products that I have found to be so awesome, I have re-purchased/will definitely re-purchase them; next week, I will share with you another 10 products that are not make-up but still beauty related :) So here goes!

10. Inglot Under Make-Up Base

9. NYX HD Foundation in HDF02 Soft Beige

8. e.l.f. Studio Complexion Perfection

7. Rimmel Powder Blush in 004 Pink Rose

6. e.l.f. Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Tan

5. e.l.f. Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 in Rosy Beige

4. essence stay natural concealer in 01 Soft Beige

3. Maybelline Water Shine Lipstick in 02 Beige Glace

2. e.l.f. Eyelid Primer

1. e.l.f. Lengthening and Defining Mascara

Have you tried any of these products ladies? Do you think they are amazing just as much as I think they are?

NOTW: Duochrome!

Happy Sunday everyone! This week's mani is a bit particular in my opinion as we have a lot of duochromes going on. See what I mean...

It is a very fun look though so if you want to see how to do it yourselves, just read on! All you need are some polishes that are on the same colour scheme.

1. Start with a clear base coat on all the nails and proceed with two coats of a duchrome nail polish of your choice on the ring fingers.  I used Florelle Laque Plus no.70.

2. On the other nails, paint two coats of a nude beige polish.  I used e.l.f. Desert Haze.  When this dries, apply a thin coat of the duochrome polish. Don't worry if it is streaky as you want the base colour to show.

3. Take a darker brown polish and paint half of the ring finger nails with it and let dry. Here I chose e.l.f. Smoky Brown.

4. Now, take a dotting tool and dot sets of three dots with the nude and darker polishes on all the nails except the ring fingers.  I chose to dot mine in the corners and applied the colours opposite each other as shown in the pictures.

5. For the ring fingers, place dots in an 'S' shape across the nail, using the darker polish on the duochrome part and the nude one on the darker part.

6. Finish with a clear top coat and you're done!

Initial Thoughts: Lepo Skin Care and Cosmetics

Last weekend I received a few samples of Lepo products to try before I decide to purchase anything from a new local online shop.  I used all the samples during this week and here are my initial thoughts on all of them.  I will focus mostly on the skin care range as the foundations didn't match my skin tone so I cannot comment on their performance.  I will however describe the texture and consistency as best I can.  Oh and by the way, you maybe aware that I was looking for new skin care products... I think the search is over ;)  So, let's get started!

All the sachets contained 2ml of product but I will state how many applications I got out of each one.  Since I only had a little product, this is not going to be a full review, hence the title, 'Initial thoughts'.  However, for me, it is enough to see whether they worked or not!

Cleanser for Oily Skin: I got 2 applications out of this sachet.  The consistency is rather runny but lathers up quickly on the face and the product has a greenish tinge to it.  It doesn't smell that nice but keep in mind most of the ingredients are naturally derived such as Rosemary essential oil, Burdock and Soya.  It rinses off quickly and didn't irritate my skin.  Furthermore, I didn't get any breakouts up to now.  I think this will be my new cleanser as soon as I finish the ones I'm using!

Face Mask for Oily Skin: I only managed to use this mask once but I was really pleased with how soft my skin felt afterwards. It resembles a mud mask but it is much lighter in colour and not as thick in consistency.  Again, it contains Burdock as well as Maize and unfortunately neither this does smell particularly nice. Having said that, I don't mind the smell though as long as the product does it's job. I don't think I will buy this mask though as the results are the same as with my beloved (much nicer smelling and cheaper) Montagne Jeunesse masques.

Moisturizer for Oily Skin: This is the product I got most applications out of - 4! I'm so glad I did as this smells nice compared to the others and I need a good moisturizer for my skin that I can use all year round.  The texture is very creamy and is rapidly absorbed through the skin.  I think this, together with the cleanser, are what really impressed me out of all the samples I was sent so I guess they are the two products I will eventually purchase.

Foundation for oily skin: I was also sent a foundation targeted for oily skin.  Sadly, the shade was too dark for me (I got shade no.21).  However, I swatched some on the back of my hand and the consistency is nice to work with but I found it is quite dry once set.  Unfortunately I cannot go any further on this one :(

Liquid foundation: Although this foundation was also a tad dark for me (shade no.6), it is the one I like most as if feels and smells very fresh and the consistency is just right!

Ultra soft mousse foundation: This foundation was also too dark for me (I got shade no.41) so I could only swatch it on the back of my hand.  Personally, I really dislike mousse foundations as to me, they look cakey so even if the tone matched, this would still be a no-no for me and the muddy scent is a contributing factor here.  The formula goes on a bit hard at first but then it softens.  It is a pain to take off though but with make-up remover wipes you should be ok.

Review: Viva La Nails Water Decals

Hey guys! By now you now how much I'm fond of nails and nail art and I like free-hand nail art most.  However, being busy does not always allow me the time it takes to achieve a perfect design so I sometimes opt for other ways to embellish my nails... stamping, stickers, glitter and flitter, etc... Today I will review another nail embellishing product, the Viva La Nails Water Decals.

I got these way back in October last year as part of the blogger/youtuber sample pack.  In the pack, there were three little sheets of water decals and I have already used a couple of designs from two of the sheets.  Here is a picture of each manicure I used them for:

The decals are packed in a nice silver cardboard sleeve all wrapped in a clear plastic pocket.  You get 20 designs in each pack and they are all covered with a thin protective film.

I thought that they are going to be difficult to handle but when I looked up instructions on the Viva La Nails website (as they are not supplied), I found a very helpful video that shows you step by step how to use them.

Basically, you just need some good tweezers (I use a rhinestone nipper I got from ebay), room temperature water and steady hands!

Here's a quick explanation...

1. Cut out the design of your choice and remove the protective film.

2. Float the design (facing upwards) on some room temperature water for a few seconds.

3. Pull out with a pair of tweezers and put face down on the opposing finger pad.

4. Slide off the backing and pick the design up with the tweezers.  If the backing doesn't come off immediately, float the design on water for some more time.

5. Choose which finger nail you want to place the design on and layer carefully, making sure there are no air bubbles.  Remember, you have one minute until the design dries so take your time to maneuver it in position.

6. Leave to dry and top-coat! Pretty easy huh?

There's a vast array of designs to choose from and they are all priced at £1.95 so it's a very good deal for those looking for an attractive and inexpensive way to jazz up their nails.  I found that with a good top coat, they last well over a week too!

These water decals are also suitable to use on artificial nail enhancements so I think I will be getting more soon :)

Have you ever tried any Viva La Nails products ladies?