UK Brands I'm Glad We Have

1. Sleek MakeUP

2. Barry M

3. Makeup Academy (a.k.a MUA) 

4. Collection 

Okay, so in THIS post I spoke about the brands which we couldn't get in the UK which I wished we had. These are the brands I see in Non-Uk blogs and on youtube which are raved about, and I wish we could get hold of their products.

This got me thinking though, it isn't all doom and gloom for us here in the UK. We actually have quite a few UK-only (I think they are UK-only, if not they certainly aren't widely available outside the UK) that I suspect others wish they could get a hold of in their country. I chose four of the most popular UK brands which I would want if I wasn't from the UK. This post is both to help cheer up us UK Folk who are still upset that Tarte still haven't bought their blushes to the UK or for those of you who may be visiting the UK and wondering which brands to check out.

1. Sleek MakeUP
If you've read my blog for a while, you'll know how much I love Sleek. They are one of the best highstreet brands available. Their blush by 3 palettes offer 3 great quality blushes for only £10, and they also offer brilliant eyeshadow palettes at only £7.99. I love all the Sleek products I own, and have never been disappointing by a product of theirs. I'd say they are my favourite high street brand for sure, and much of my daily makeup is from them.

If you are new to Sleek the products I recommend checking out first are their Blush by 3 Palettes, their iDivine Eyeshadow Palettes and their gel eyeliner in Dominatrix.

2. Barry M
From a young age Barry M has always been the brand you go to for your nail polish. They offer such a huge range of colours, including different finishes and effects. They are also really affordable and the quality is great. However, they also do makeup such as the infamous dazzle dusts. I don't own as much from them as some of the other brands, but still highly recommend them.

If you are new to Barry M the first thing I would check out is their huge nail polish range. It's what they are best known for, and they do it well.

3. MUA
MUA is one of the cheapest brands in the UK, but that doesn't mean it compromises on quality. Most of it's items are below £4 with many products only £1. Some of it's best known products are the Undressed and Undressed Too Eyeshadow Palettes which are said to be exact dupes for the Urban Decay Naked and Naked 2 Palettes. They have also recently released a collection with One Direction which was actually a huge hit among quite a few bloggers.

If you are new to MUA I'd suggest checking out the Undressed and Undressed Too palettes as they are great eyeshadows for neutral-lovers. For those who prefer a bit of colour, there are many other palettes available.

4. Collection
Finally we have Collection. I think the best known product from this range has got to be the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer which seems to be every beauty bloggers go-to concealer and it has countless rave reviews. I too love this concealer and it is one of the best I've tried. It offers great coverage and doesn't look cakey or dry.

If you are new to Collection I'd 100% recommend checking out the Lasting Perfection Concealer, and also the Work the Colour Eyeshadow Pencils.

So that's it for my favourite UK Brands. Are there any I've missed out that you love? And to all those who aren't from the UK who can't get these, don't despair. Read my Brands I wish we had in the UK post to cheer yourself up!

Makeup Through the Ages | 1990s

I've recently become really interested in how makeup trends have changed over time. As a result, I've decided to start a blog series on makeup trends in different eras. I thought about doing it chronologically, but instead decided to do it in which was easiest. I decided to start with my favourite - the 1990s.

I grew up in the 90s (born in 1993) and it's weird looking back on my childhood and seeing how things changed. For me the 90s meant the Spice Girls and watching Friends on TV. Watching these old programmes back, it's amazing how different the makeup is.

The 1990s saw the trend of 'no makeup makeup' which has recently started to be seen back on the catwalks. It's the idea of wearing makeup so it appears that you are barely wearing any - that you just woke up looking that good. If you look at all the 90s pictures above, they aren't wearing any noticeable eyeshadow, not much eyeliner (maybe some kohl pencil), no false lashes and just a bit of lipgloss. There's none of the heavy contouring or fake eyelashes that we see today. The 90s also saw groomed brows. These were well kept and filled in, but not deliberate made thicker or plucked to and inch of their lives as you see today.

Get the Look

In order to get the look, it's important to have the skin looking as natural as possible. Use a tinted moisturiser or a BB Cream in order to allow your real skintone to show through, including slight rosey cheeks and freckles. To tidy up the brows use a brow pencil with a brush on it to comb through them and gently fill in with the pencil. To get the 90s look make sure it looks very natural and doesn't look drawn on. Don't alter the shape of them either, or try to give your brows a huge arch, just follow the natural line. If you want to use an eyeliner on the eyes use a soft brown kohl eyeliner this will create a soft effect that will give the eyes a bit of definition without looking unnatural. Finally, for a bit of colour on the lips using a tinted lip balm to give your lips a bit of colour and a glossy shine that looks like 'your lips but better'.

I hope you enjoyed today's post, and if you are also a nineties child, thinking back to your childhood. I really enjoyed writing this post and it's interesting how makeup trends change so much in a few years.

Brands I Wish Would Come to the UK

LORAC Unzipped Palette - $40 | LORAC PRO Palette - $42 | Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush - $26 | Sephora Collection IT Palette - Nude - $32 | Sephora Collection Moonshadow Baked Palette - In the Nude -$26 | Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush - $11.95 | Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Baked Bronzer - $13.95

1. LORAC
This is a brand I've discovered recently, but I wish we could get them in the UK. In particular, I really want to try their eyeshadows. There is nothing I love more than a good eyeshadow palette, and Lorac's look incredible. In particular, I really want to try the Lorac Unzipped Palette (which looks like an amazing neutral palette) and the PRO palette. I saw a video featuring the Unzipped Palette and it looks ideal for me, I love those champagne eyeshadow colours for netural daytime looks.

2. Tarte Cosmetics
This, this, this. If you've read a few of my blog posts you may know that I'm a blush lover. I love all different shades, different finishes and different brands. One of the brands that bloggers always praise for their blushes are Tarte. I've looked high and low on the internet and can't find anywhere that stocks it in the UK. They have the most amazing shade selection, and if I ever go to the US they will be the number 1 brand I check out.  

3. Sephora Collection
From what I've gathered, Sephora is similar to stores like Debenhams or House of Fraser. They sell a lot of high-end brands, but also sell their own line of makeup. I've seen quite a few reviews on their makeup, and they all are positive. They are also well priced and it seems like you get a lot for your money.

4. Physicians Formula
At the time of writing (September 2013) there has been some rumours that Physicians Formula is coming to the UK, so I'm not sure if by the time this is published it will be here or not. But anyway, I really love the look of the Physicians formula. They have some really unique designs and their blushes and bronzers have amazing reviews. They are also pretty cheap too (on the level of the likes of Bourjois).

So that's it for the makeup brands that I wish would come to the UK. Are there any non-UK brands that you really wish you could get a hold of but can't? Let me know in the comments.

Wishlist | Hair

1. Moroccanoil Oil Treatment(25ml) - £12.85 | 2. Tangle Teezer Compact Styler - £11.99 | 3. Label.M Resurrection Style Dust (3g) - £10.95 |  

4. TIGI Bed Head Ego Boost Split End Mender 200ml - £11.50 |  5. GHD Gold Classics Styler - £109 |
6. L'oreal Elnett Satin Lumiere Hairspray 400ml - £6.49 |  7. TIGI Bed Head Small Talk 200ml - £15.50

I'm back with another wishlist! I have a bit of a beauty confession. I neglect my hair far too much. I mean, I do take care of it, but when it comes to making the most of it, I really don't do much. A lot of the time I leave my hair natural, or will curl it using my curling wand but that's about it. My sister on the other hand, is obsessed with her hair. She likes makeup but isn't too fussed, but when it comes to hair she seems to have every product ever made. I really want to start taking better care of my hair so have put together a wishlist of products I think would help me make the most of my hair.

I've really want to try the Moroccanoil Oil Treatment for ages. I have read countless rave reviews about it on blogs, and about how it's a life changer. I've never actually used a hair oil, but would love to see if it actually makes a difference to my hair. The price isn't as high as I was expecting either. I have also seen so much hype about the Tangle Teezer Compact Styler, my sister has one of these and loves it. I have really thick hair, and it's getting quite long now, so my hair can get knotty and difficult to manage. I really think this would be great for taming my wild hair. I've also heard these are great to use on fresher curled hair to soften the curls a bit.

I'm still not even completely sure what the Label.M Ressurection Style Dust is, but when I read the description I knew I wanted it. It's supposed to add volume to your hair and make backcombing effortless. I'm a fan of big hair, so think this would be great in my collection. TIGI are my favourite brand for haircare, their hairspray (reviewed here) is my all time favourite. I really want to try the TIGI Bed Head Ego Boost Split End Mender for a while. I'm always growing my hair as I love my hair long - the longer the better. Unfortunately, I'm also prone to getting a few split ends as a result of this. I really want to try this and see if it works, and I think it would make my hair look so much better - especially when I straighten it.

I still don't know why I don't own a pair of GHD Stylers. For ages I've wanted a pair, as they are supposed to be the bee's knees of hair straighteners. I've had my hair straightened once using my friends GHDS, and it just looked so much better than when I use my normal straighteners. I have really thick hair, so most straightening irons don't manage to straighten it very well. I really need to invest in a pair of these as I know I'll use them a lot. L'oreal Elnett Hairspray has become a little bit of a legend. Wheneve I ask anybody their favourite hairspray - this is it. I need a new hairspray and it's quite hard to find my beloved TIGI hairspray in stores.

Finally, I really want the TIGI Bed Head Small Talk. It's supposed to add shine, body and volume. 3 things which I love in my hair. I also love the packaging of this - how cute does it look?

So that's it for my current hair wishlist. Do you have any must-have products for your hair that I need to try?

Yakee Candle | Wishlist

1. Chocolate Bunnies | 2. Christmas Cookie | 3. Fruit Fusion | 4. Lemon Lavender | 5. Mango Peach Salsa |

 6. Pineapple Cilantro | 7. Pink Dragon Fruit | 8. Red Velvet | 9. Sicilian Lemon | 10. Strawberry Buttercream |

 11. Summer Scoop | 12. Sweet Strawberry | 13. Waikiki Melon | 14. Merry Marshmallow | 15. Bahama Breeze

Okay, so I have a bit of a confession. I didn't used to see the obsession with candles at all. I mean, I like makeup and clothes and nail polish, but the whole candle hype just went over my head. I think it was made worse by the fact by sister always used to burn Cinnamon candles, and I can't stand the smell of Cinnamon. Everytime she burnt it, I thought the house was on fire!

Recently, I've actually begun to really like candles and I love how they can make a room smell. I've smelt quite a few types of candles but the main ones I'm impressed with are Yankee Candle. I love the huge variety they have on offer. I think I've got quite a particular taste in candle scents. As you may be able to tell, I love fruity scents and sweet scents. I'm not sure why, I quite like the floral ones but sometimes they're a bit much for me. I'm not a fan of the spicy ones either.

I really love all these scents and would love all of them. Let me know if any of the ones on my lists are ones you also love or if you have any suggestions for me.

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Illamasqua Loose Powder - Translucent | Review

Powder is one of the more boring things to repurchase, but it's also one of the most important. I have really dry skin, but I still need to make sure that I powder my skin to make sure I don't get any unwanted shine and that my makeup stays on my face. I've tried quite a few powders, but the one I always go back to is Illamasqua's. It has everything I would need from a powder.

The Claim:

'Express who you are through the way you look, then give it the perfect finish. Finely milled and perfectly matt, Illamasqua Loose Powder is soft and light, and fixes your make-up flawlessly, holding it in place while you hold everyone’s attention. A must in the kits of the Illamasqua Art Team when working on set.' 

My Thoughts:
I have this powder in translucent (it's not white - it doesn't show up as any colour on your face so don't worry about it making you look like Caspar the friendly ghost). I always get my powder in traslucent if I can, as I'm pretty pale and find that a lot of powders just look awful on me, by using translucent this combats the problem. I wouldn't recommend this is your skin is darker than medium though, it may look a bit ashy on your skintone.

Illamasqua's claim that this is finely milled is spot on, this dissappears into the skin and doesn't leave your skin looking cakey. It's also brilliant for removing shine. I use this on the center of my cheeks (where I get the most shine) and it completely mattifies it, and I'll have no shine on my face all day.

It also keeps your makeup in place all day, combined with a good primer and your makeup won't shift. I wear this everyday and find that my makeup will last until the end of the day. I don't have oily skin so I can't say for sure how it will hold up, but my sister has combination/oily skin and she loves it.

I have it in the loose powder format, which I do like but I think when I need to repurchase it I will go for the pressed powder version. The only reason for this is that I travel quite a bit (to and from uni - 4 hour journey) and I always worry when taking my powder as I don't want it to accidentally open and spill. This has never happened to me and the lid does fasten securely on. However, I think the pressed powder version is more travel friendly. This powder lasts for ever though, I think I've had this very tub for nearly 2 years now, and you can see I've still got loads left.

I really recommend this powder, I've already got my sister hooked on it and I don't see a need for me to ever try a new brand of powder.

Availability & Pricing:
Illamasqua Loose Powder is £23 and available to buy from Illamasqua.