Primark Velvet Matte Lipstick Crayon VS NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

On 17th May 2017

I just wanted to share these truly gorgeous lip crayons from Primark (I don’t say that lightly I’m turning into a total cynic when it comes to beauty products) that cost me the grand total of £4! As the name would suggest these are comparable to the NARS velvet matte lip pencils. At a 5th of the price!

Comparing them to the NARS pencils, which I am doing from memory as I sold my NARS VMLP a while ago (telling in itself!) I find the Primark crayons so much more comfortable to wear. As they don’t exactly dry down fully without being blotted. So while that means that the lasting power isn’t quite as long as the NARS pencil which sets fully but feels too drying for my liking. I personally appreciate the comfort over the longevity… I also appreciate the extra £18 in my pocket.

The shades that I have are ‘Ballerina’ which is a warm, Pinky nude….just gorgeous! And the other shade has no name printed on it so no points to Primark for consistency! I have a feeling it is called ‘Mushroom’ and if it wasn’t before then it is now!’Mushroom’ is a stunning Mauve/Pink. If you are after a total Kylie Jenner colour this is the perfect shade!

Swatches

Top- Mushroom
Bottom-Ballerina

Shade range wise NARS wins here with 33 shades. I believe there are around 6 shades of Primark crayons, correct me if I’m wrong though.

The packaging is similar, obviously, the NARS is sleeker feeling and without the essay printed on it that Primark favour. This isn’t something that bothers me.

Lastly, NARS VMLP costs £20 for 2.4g product while the Primark VMLC is just £2 for 3.5g

So while, brand wise NARS will always be a firm favourite of mine. I really do prefer the Primark version of a matte lip crayon.

I’m definitely going to be picking up the rest of the shades!

Have you tried either of these pencils? What do you think about them?

Morphe 12NB Palette- Review, Swatches, and an EOTD

By Natalie

On 15th May 2017

In Beauty, Reviews

I noticed this palette while shopping on Beauty Bay the other week and decided to order it as an addition to my kit. I thought it looked to have potential as a fab neutral palette for my bridal clients.

For £13 you get 12 eyeshadows. Encased in a perfect for travel/pro kit sized palette. Which I appreciate, I’m really not a fan of the over facing 35 palettes. I’ve been curious about the hype over Morphe shadows for a while though so I am happy they have these smaller palettes as an option.

I was drawn straight away to the 8th shade in the palette. A warm Bronze/Brown and the swatch really made a great first impression. It felt buttery soft and the pigmentation packed a punch! The same can be said for shades 6, 7, 11, and 12. For me, these are the standout shades in the 12NB.

The lighter shades on the top row are less impressive. They take quite a bit of building up to get the colour payoff. As well as that they are chalkier than the other shades in the palette but it’s not something that bothers me especially considering how much the palette cost.

Easy on the eye?

I really love the terracotta shade (7) for a transition shade.With the warm plummy Brown (12) in the crease. And shade 8 on the outer ‘V’ and under the lower lash line which is what I used here.

Other products used-

MAC Solar Bits pigment (lid)

*Ardell Demi wispies (lashes)

Zoeva black eyeshadow from the nude spectrum palette (top lash line)

MAC Feline eyeliner (waterline)

Overall I’m really happy to have the 12NB.

The shades I mentioned as the stand outs would be worth the £13 alone. And I have a feeling that it will be one that I will use a lot both personally and professionally. I’d definitely recommend checking it out if you are after an affordable compact neutral palette. One with the potential to create many different looks. You can get this palette here

My only real issue is the lack of shade names. That comes from a professional point of view. It’s so much easier to remember a shade I’ve used by name on a job. So if by any chance Morphe reads this and would like to hire somebody to name their shades I am so available for that position!

In fact, I’d go as far as saying that would be my dream, job!

What are your thoughts on Morphe eyeshadows?

*Affiliate link

Review- Rubis Red Gold Tweezers. The Ferrari of Tweezers?

By Natalie

On 14th May 2017

In Beauty, Reviews

A good pair of tweezers are essential to keep me looking more human than Gruffalo,

and when I was offered a pair of what Bobbi Brown called the “Ferrari of tweezers” to review. Of course, I wanted to try them out!

Rapid hair growth can work to my advantage, for example, if I was going to a fancy dress party as Helga from ‘Hey Arnold‘ and wanted to perfectly replicate her look, boom, my own personal hair gene-ie will grant that wish in approximately 1 millisecond, on the flip side said gene-ie decides to take himself off on a long holiday from his duties when I decide to get 8 inches cut off my hair and regret it the following day.

So the ‘Ferrari of tweezers?’

Review- Rubis Red Gold Tweezers. The Ferrari of Tweezers?

Firstly, I’ve never seen a better-looking pair of tweezers, have you??

And while the aesthetics don’t really matter of course it is appreciated!

Swiss company Rubis originally crafted precision tweezers exclusively for the Swiss watch industry. They were used to make and set Rubies into the movements of Patek Philipe, Cartier and Rolex watches.

Of course, this plus the reassuringly expensive (£29) price tag set my expectations higher than Cheech and Chong in a hot air balloon.

Initial impressions were good. They do indeed grip even the tiny just grown through hairs and remove them with ease!

However… those minuscule hairs that are basically black dots. Sadly the above-mentioned blurb does not reflect their ability to get those little fuckers out!

Overall they are a fantastic pair of tweezers, personally, I wouldn’t exactly go as far as calling them the Ferrari of tweezers, (the Porsche Boxter maybe) or be willing to pay £29 for them because performance wise they are exactly on par with my *mini tweezerman’s which cost less than a tenner.

Of course as mentioned the design of this pair are very very pretty, however, the only stockist I could find for the 6 star design was *ebay. The entire Rubis range which has considerably cheaper, plain designs that presumably perform the same can be found on *Amazon Cult beauty and Beauty Bay