Dupe alert! Mac and No7

Ciao belles,

I hope you've all had a wonderful day!

I thought I'd share with you a couple of dupes I recently spotted. I bought these two eyeliners a while ago from No7 using the £5 off vouchers. I really like these colours in fact, when I got them home I realised why. In true make up addict fashion, I already had them!

Check out the photos above. To my eye, there is really no difference between these and the MAC versions. Both brands are great quality and give great colour pay off. In addition, both are very long lasting.

Both brands do not test on animals. To find out more click here and here.

The only difference it would seem, is the price. Boots No7's version costs £8.30 and MAC's version costs £12.72.

Have you tried these? What did you think?

Lottie x x x

Tip of the day - condition your brushes

Hey everyone,

I hope you are having a lovely day.

The tip for today is:

After shampooing your brushes also condition them. I tried this out the other day using regular Pantene conditioner and the difference was incredible, especially with my newer brushes. It also made the lower quality brushes far more soft.

Let me know what you think if you already do this or you decide to try this out.

Lottie x x x

Making use of.....foundations!

Ciao!

Have you got so many foundations you don't know what to do with them? Do you like them but they aren't quite perfect?

Here are some handy tips:

Too thin/ not enough coverage? How about just keeping in your drawer at work for top ups during the day (if required) with a sponge?

Too thick/heavy? Try mixing it in with your usual mosituriser to get a more balanced coverage.

Too dark? You could try using it as a cream based contour colour.

Too light? Try mixing it with your usual foundation and using it on highlight areas. Or mix it in with your under eye concealer to help reduce the appearance of dark circles.

Too drying? Again, try mixing it in with your moisturiser to make a tinted moisturiser.

Too oily? Try using it mixed with a primer for added staying power.

Mineral make up which doesn't give enough coverage? Use it as setting powder.

What do you do to make the most of your foundations? I would love to hear your tips.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Lottie x x x

Tip of the day

Hey everyone,

Thought I'd do a quick tip:

To help create seemless blending, apply tinted moisturiser to your neck and a tiny bit on your ears.

This will help your foundation look more natural when you blend it all in with a brush/sponge/fingers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lottie x x x

CelebrityCircus

All celebrity gossip lovers out there should check out my friend Charlie's blog here! This girl is a star and a star in the making :)

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone has had a great day!

So, yesterday the postman arrived with my Secret Santa Summer Make up Swap and I was so happy and excited to get the parcel! The idea was all kindly organised and administrated by Panda Does Makeup, whose blog you can find here.

My camera has been sent away to be fixed so unfortunately I couldn't take any photos of all the beautiful wrapping, Christmas charms and cute little card included. Thank you so much to my swapper who went to this effort. It was very gratefully received :)

This is what I got:

Revlon Nail Enamel in 093. Unfortunately I can't find a picture of this online. However, luckily, the lovely Talluluh Bella has recently done a post about this so you can check out the colour here. My secret swapper knows I love coral! This is such a lovely colour for summer and I really like the quality of Revlon nail polishes. Thank you!

Next opened was a prestige Skin Loving Minerals Sun Baked mineral Bronzing Powder which I've been lusting after for quite a while. I was SO pleased to open this up! itsliz89 on Make Up has a review and pictures here. I really like it, I normally find bronzers to dark but this one is very subtle and gives a gorgeous glow. I like mineral products too so that is another bonus! Thank you! Thank you!

Unfortunately I can't find any pictures on the web but my swapper also got me a gorgeous beaded bracelet from Evolution. We don't have this on the Isle of Man, it says it's fair trade and was handmade in Bali. It's gorgeous and so colourful. I really like wearing bright accessories so, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Also included was a chocolate face mask (YUM) and a spa hair mask with mandarin and grapefruit oil. I can't wait to relax and enjoy these at the weekend!

THANK YOU SO MUCH to the person who sent me these! All of the gifts were so thoughtful and really "me". They really brightened my day :) I can't wait to find out who it was!

Many thanks again to Panda Does Makeup for organising this and watch out, my parcel with be delivered soon - hope you'll love it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lottie xxxx

Hot tip of the day - long lasting curled eyelashes!

Ciao belles,

Hope everyone has had a great day!

How did I not know about this? Anyway, I thought I pass it forward. I read this tip in amongst the blogsphere last week but can't find the link grrrr!

Anyway, the tip is, instead of splashing out on expensive heated eyelash curlers or salon treatments simply heat your eyelash curler up with a hair dryer for about 30 seconds.

Make sure the curler is just warm and not too hot (you can test it on your arm) and curl the lashes as normal.

I tried this out yesterday and it really made such a difference. My lashes were much more curled than usual and the curl lasted all day.

I urge everyone to try it out if they haven't already :)

Take care,

LottieB x x x

Product love - an oldie but a goodie Clarins Double Fix' Mascara

Ciao belles,

Hope you have all had a lovely day.

I just thought I'd do another quick product love post about a product which I'm not sure is very well known across the beauty blogsphere.

It is Clarins Double Fix' Mascara and it retails at £13.21.

It makes any mascara waterproof with one coat. I really like it because it means waterproof mascara doesn't need to be worn everyday which is pretty hard to cleanse off and therefore not good for the delicate skin around the eyes.

It can also be worn as a clear mascara or brow groomer if preferred.

It's not a gimmick product; it actually works! I probably wouldn't have tried it if I hadn't worked for Clarins but I have since repurchased many times which I think is always a good test for a product.

Has anyone else tried this? What did they think?

Are there any alternatives out there?

For anyone who is interested, Clarins does not test on animals. Find out more here.

Take care,

Lottie x x x :)

Product love - L'Oreal De-maq expert Elixir Concentrate Ultra Make-Up Remover

Ciao belles,

I hope you're having a happy, peaceful and blessed Easter weekend!

A while ago I read a blog post on He1e says about this product and having run out of my Dermalogica Pre Cleanse I started searching for a new make up remover. The reason I didn't return to this was because I didn't really feel it removed my make up. It did "melt" it under a hot shower but it felt a greasy residue which was harder to remove than the actual make up itself!

I spotted this in the Superdrug aisle a few weeks ago and am impressed. It's great for dissolving and removing your make up leaving the skin nice and clean to use your cleanser to remove any excess impurities.

Only a small amount is needed and you just need to rub it into the skin and then dampen it. It feels light and not at all greasy. I think it was about £5 at Superdrug.

As an added bonus my skin is looking a lot healthier. Now I am resolved to drinking lots of water to really clear it up!

For anyone who is interested, L'Oreal's stance on animal testing can be found here.

Has anyone else used this product? What did they think?

Did you enjoy reading 'Product love'?

Stay fabulous!

Lottie x

Tip of the day!

Don't throw away old mascaras before washing the wands thoroughly with shampoo and water. They can then be kept and used for either combing unruly eyebrows into place or for combing through mascara to get rid of any clumps! :)

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Lottie X

Bobbi Bright Eye Palette

Ciao belles,

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Hurray for a very long weekend!

My lovely big/little (she is smaller than me!) sister came over last weekend with a super lovely pressie in tow.

*******The Bobbi Brown Bobbi Bright Eye Palette*********

It is so cute and I am having a lot of fun playing with the colours everyday! The are all matte apart from one Shimmer Wash Eye in Ultra Violet and there are 36 colours in total.

I've previously steered away from palettes as I find there are always colours I never use but I can see myself getting good use out of all of these. In any case, each colour is very small! However, most of my eye shadow brushes are small which means the shadows are easy to pick up and product isn't wasted.

I have been experimenting by wearing the darker colours on the outer edge and crease and going lighter towards the inner corner of the eye. I sometimes add some shimmer using say a GOSH or Barry M pigment to enhance the colours.

This would be the perfect little palette to take on holiday as you would have every colour you needed. There are also some lighter nude colours in there if you wanted something more subtle.

I've not used Bobbi Brown eyeshadows before I got this but I'm very impressed with the quality as the products are long wearing and also are suitable for sensitive eyes/contact lense wearers like me.

Has anyone else tried out the palette? What do you think?

If you are reading this Pippa - THANK YOU!!!

Lottie xxx :)

Beauty crunch - drugstore versus high end

Ciao belles,

I hope you've had a great day. Nearly Easter now!

I thought I'd start my first tag since my camera is broken and is going to be sent away so no more artistic/FOTD blog posts for a while :(

I wanted to see if all the beauty bloggers could pull together to help each other save money. The concept is simple, what is your favourite drugstore and high end version of each item and which do you think is better? If you don't have a favourite for either one maybe you could just describe something from that category which you have tried.

Here's my list. Please feel free to add more categories if you do the tag. :) Alternatively if you only want to do cosmetics or only make up please do.

For some of them I don't have a verdict because I don't have anything to compare the product to.

Shampoo: If you're looking for something that's gentle and good for coloured hair a friend of mine's hairdresser recommended Baby Shampoo. I've tried the TIGI hair line which does great conditioners but the shampoos left my hair greasy.

Verdict: Maybe I haven't tried enough high end shampoos but I'm not entirely convinced they are worth it. However, in a recent blog post BUBBLEGARM recommends the Naked Line at Boots which is free from nasty chemicals so I will definitely be trying the range out after I've used up what I already have.

Conditioner: I love my Pantene "Layers" conditioner. For high end I've used the TiGI OATMEAL & HONEY CONDITIONER Comfort Food For Damaged Hair which smells divine.

Verdict: There is quite a difference in price but not much difference in quality so I'll be sticking with the cheaper stuff for now.

Deep Conditioner: My favourite drug store version would be TreSemme. You get a huge pot for about £4. However, I also LOVE the Kerastase mask which you can buy in salons. A little really goes a long way.

Verdict: If I could afford Kerastase every time I would but there are some great options in Boots/Superdrug etc.

Shower gel: Aveeno Oil Shower Gel. I suffer from eczema and haven't been able to find anything else which doesn't break me out. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Verdict: N/A

Body moisturiser: Aveeno Oil Body Lotion or Clarins Moisture Rich Body Lotion

Verdict: For a little bit of luxury now and again I'll keep a bottle of the Clarins handy.

Deodrant: Marks and Spencers Rose range is very gentle and smells lovely. For after shaving though, I always use Clarins Gentle Care Stick Deodorant as it doesn't sting at all.

Verdict: M&S is great for everyday. If anyone can recommend a cheaper stick deodorant which doesn't sting after shaving that would be great.

Fake tan: I am very fair skinned and love the Johnson's Gradual Self Tanner, however, I am get to find a drugstore fake tan which doesn't leave me streaky and orange I'm afraid. Shiseido Self- Tanning Brilliant Bronze Quick Self Tanning, however, is fabulous.

Verdict: Drugstore for gradual tanners and Shiseido otherwise. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Cleanser: I suffer from acne and have found APt Radical Clean to really help reduce it. It is however, very expensive. I have started using the Neurogena wave once or twice a week which is great and I thoroughly recommend, however, if I use it anymore in a week it over exfoliates my skin and makes it break out.

Verdict: A combination of the two.

Toner: APt Radical Spin this is a brilliant product used with the Radical Clean. My favourite from drugstore would be Clean and Clear.

Verdict: APt is superior. I know I spend a lot on skincare at the moment but you can't put a price on confidence which anyone who is/has suffered from acne will know.

Moisturiser: APt HydroPlenish for high end, this is amazingly light weight but leaves the skin feeling beautifully hydrated. For drugstore, I went through a period of having extremely dry skin and found PONDs to be amazingly effective at treating it.

Verdict: I think it depends what kind of skin you have. However, if you have dry skin, I cannot recommend POND's highly enough.

Blemish Treatment: Tea tree oil is fairly inexpensive and very effective on occasional spots. However, if, like me, you have constant acne I really recommend APt AcnoBan. This is different to traditional spot treatments because it only reduces excess oil rather than drying everything out. If the skin becomes to dry the oil glands will over compensate creating more oil, and then more spots. Ever noticed how spots come in pairs?

Verdict: For me, I am so happy I found Acnoban and tried it, it's amazing!

Eye makeup remover: Boots No7 is almost just as good as Lancome Bi Facial. The added bonus is that it is only about £1.50 when Boots do the vouchers so I stock up.

Verdict: Boots No7 all the way.

Exfoliator: The trouble with working for Clarins is that I got all these things for free. I adore its Smoothing Body Scrub For a New Skin which is gentle enough for my very sensitive skin, leaving it smooth and soft. Unfortunately at £24 a bottle I can't justify buying this all the time. Everything else I've tried makes my eczema break out though.

Verdict: If anyone has any cheaper suggestions please can they let me know?

Foundation: Giorgio Armarni lasting silk UV foundation is the best foundation in the world! Unfortunately it comes with a price tag and is hard to get hold of. My favourite drugstore foundation is Rimmel Recover in 100 Ivory. It gives good but light-feeling coverage. It also smells really nice!

Verdict: I am still in search of my Holy Grail foundation.

Concealer: Bourjois imperfection concealer is very good my you can't beat any of the MAC concealers. The have all of them in my shade (NC20).

Verdict: MAC or Giorgio Armarni

Illuminating/under eye concealer: Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch is a good alternative to YSL Touche Eclat

Verdict: Although the Collection 2000 one is good, if anyone can recommend a drug store one with more coverage I'd be glad to hear it.

Make up brushes: I have in my collection a combination of Clarins, MAC, Body Shop, No7, Ruby and Millie, GOSH and Marks and Spencers.

Verdict: I think that the Body Shop and/or Marks and Spencers are great places to start for good quality brushes at affordable prices. For more specific brushes you can then add MAC and other brushes as you need them.

Powder: For drugstore the Bourjouis compact powder is great I also like the Blended Face Powder and Brush set by Clinique for a really natural finish. However, it can be messy to apply.

Powder blusher: I love MAc blushes but have recently discovered Maybelline Pure Blush Mineral Powder Blush in 40 Quartz Peach which I this is blooming marvelous, try it if you haven't already :)

Liquid blusher: ME ME ME Pussy Cat Cheek & Lip Tint I haven't tried any other liquid blushers, if anyone has any recommendations please let me know.

Cream blusher: Clarins Multi Blush in Tender Lichee 01 is gorgeous! I also haven't tried any other cream blushers, if anyone has any recommendations please let me know.

Highlighter: MAC Skinfinish in blonde, I also haven't tried any drugstore highlighters, if anyone has any recommendations please let me know.

Bronzer: Revlon Bronzer in 02 Sunkissed Bronze is really natural and good value for money. I haven't tried many high end bronzers but Clarins is very nice.

Verdict: I really want to try the Prestige bronzer next!

Eyeshadows: You can't beat MAC for pigmentation and range of colours, however, the Barry M Dazzle Dusts come in at a close second.

Kohl eyeliner: Bourjois Kohl & Contour in 01 Noir Expert is good choice but Lacome's version does blend slightly easier.

Gel eyeliner: Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner

Liquid eyeliner: MAC fluid line

Mascara: I think Max Factor Masterpiece Max is fantastic and as mascaras only last 6 months why pay more? It is just as good, if not better than any high end versions I have tried.

Lipstick: Again Max Factor comes up trumps here. Its lipsticks are long wearing and non drying and it has a good range of colours. For high end MAC are fantastic and are worth trying out with the Back 2 MAC scheme I wrote about in an earlier post.

Lipgloss: I have a whole range from L'Oreal, Clarins, Barry M, MEMEME, Estee Lauder etc and honestly can't say I have a favourite. I like to mix it up depending on my mood.

Nail Varnish: Nails Inc varnishes are, in my opinion worth the extra price. Rimmel do a good range too though which dry quickly - bonus!

Well done for reading if you got this far!

I tag everyone to do this post, hope we all learn something!

LottieB xxx

P.S I've added a very old photo of me wearing ALL Clarins make up if anyone is interested in the looks you can create. I think it's an amazing brand which often gets overlooked.

If anyone has any questions or would like a more detailed review of any of the products just ask!

My art

"Wild Sunflowers" using oil paints with chalk and oil pastels on top

"Ceramic Kandinsky Inspired Piece" using clay and acrylic paints

Different view

Another view

"Lily 1" using watercolour printing techniques and pen

"Lily 2" using watercolour printing techniques and pen

"Lilies" using fabric and printing techniques

"The Forest" using oil paints with chalk and oil pastels on top

"Untitled A" using silk paints

"Untitled B" using silk paints

"Castletown Harbour" using mixed media

I've already added some of my pieces around the edge of my blog but I thought I'd include some larger photos for anyone who is interested.

Please let me know if you have any questions about how I created these pieces. There is a story behind all of them and they mean a lot to me. I only wish I had the time and money to do more.

I hope you like them :)

LottieB xxx

P.S Please do not steal them. Thank you!

FOTD Gold and Turquoise

Ciao belles!

Hope you're having a great weekend.

This is my look for today for a lovely family meal. I'm not sure why my camera is suddenly taking such bad quality though? If anyone can advise please do, it is a Fujifilm J100 10.00 Mega Pixels.

Anyway, on to the fun part!

Products used were (NB for base only cream based products were used):

Base: Natural Collection Tinted Moisturiser in Natural with APt Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation SPF 15 in Porcelain where required

Contour: APt Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation SPF 15 in Cream Beige where required

Highlight: Clinque Up - Lighting in 01 Natural on the top of the cheek bone

Blush: Clarins Multi Blush in Tender Lichee 01

Concealer: No7 Instance Radiance Concealer underneath the eyes and MAC Select Cover-Up in NC20 where required

Eye shadow base: Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Eyebrows: Nina Ricci Exact Finish Eyebrow Pencil No4

Eye shadows: MAC Frost Phloof!, MAC Veluxe Jewel Blue, MAC Metal -X Cream Shadow Pure Ore (limited edition), Clarins bright blue colour in Colour Quartet For Eyes Blue Shimmers 03 (not discontinued but they have some great alternatives on the website)

Eye liner: Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in 01 Black Ink

Mascara Primer: Shu Uemura Lash Repair

Mascara: Lancome Definicils and L'Oreal Voluminous both in black

Lipliner: Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner in 063 Eastend Snob

Lipgloss: Too Faced Lip Injection

Tools of the trade for eyes: Shu Uemura eyelash curler, MAC 230 shader brush, MAC 224 blending brush, MAC 208 small angled brush, MAC 209 eyeliner brush

Tools of the trade for face: Marks and Spencers Autograph foundation brush

Have a great evening everyone and thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you're interested in any of the above products and would like a review.

Let me know what you think.

LottieB x

FOTD Spring time blue, purple and pink look

Ciao!

Hope you're having a great weekend.

This is my look for today inspired by flowers such as bluebells and irises with an added shot of pink. Let me know what you think.

Products used were:

Base: Rimmel Recover Foundation 100 Ivory

Contour: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Blonde

Highlight: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Blonde

Blush: MAC Love Rock Mineralize Blush

Concealer: Collection 200 Illuminating Touch in 1 Naked and MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20

Powder: MAX Factor Natural Minerals Foundation 40 Creamy Ivory

Eye shadow base: Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Eyebrows: Nina Ricci Exact Finish Eyebrow Pencil No4

Eye shadows: MAC Frost Phloof!, Barry M Dazzle Dust in 86, MAC colour pigment in Violet, MAC colour pigment in Cornflower

Eye liner: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack and Clarins eyeliner in Blue Shimmer 04

Mascara: Lancome Definicils and L'Oreal Voluminous both in black

Lipstick: Lancome Juicy Rogue 332

Lipgloss: Clarins lipgloss 08 (discontinued)

Tools of the trade for eyes: Shu Uemura eyelash curler, MAC 230 shader brush, MAC 224 blending brush, MAC 208 small angled brush, MAC 275 contour blending brush,

Tools of the trade for face: MAC 168 blush and contour brush, MAC 161 fan brush, Clarins buffer brush (limited edition)

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by!

LottieB x

FOTD Neutral everyday work look

Hi ladies,

Hope you've had a great day. This is one of my general everyday looks using neutral colours. I really cut down on products to try and save time.

Products used were:

Base: APt Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation SPF15 in Porcelain

Contour and highlight: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Blonde

Blush: Maybelline Pure Blush Mineral in 40 Quartz Peach

Concealer: Collection 200 Illuminating Touch in 1 Naked under the eyes and MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20 for blemishes

Powder: MAX Factor Natural Minerals Foundation 40 Creamy Ivory

Eye shadow base: Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Clarins Soft Cream Eye Colour in 01

Eyebrows: Nina Ricci Exact Finish Eyebrow Pencil No4

Eye shadows: MAC Frost Phloof!, MAC Soft Brown Matte, MAC Bronze Frost, APt Simply Minerals Rocks in gold

Eye liner: Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in black

Mascara: Lancome Definicils in black

Lipgloss: Too Faced Extreme Lip Pumping Treatment

Lipliner: Rimmel East End Snob

Tools of the trade for eyes: Shu Uemura eyelash curler, MAC 230 shader brush, MAC 224 blending brush, MAC 209 liner brush

Tools of the trade for face: MAC 168 blush and contour brush

What do you think?

Have a lovely evening!

LottieB xxx :)

My first set on Polyvore

Hey everyone,

I hope you've all had a great day and haven't been tricked too much!

A huge thank you to Bubblegarm as through her blog I discovered a fantastic website called polyvore. If you're into colour combinations, fashion, beauty and generally being creative you should definitely check it out.

I've made my first set and it's called "Princess". Please let me know what you think.

Today I have also been brave enough to add some of my art work around the blog. I really hope you like it.

Have a great evening everyone. I'm off to attempt a french manicure!

LottieB xxx