KIKO Jelly Jungle Collection - Highlighter & Liquid Lipsticks Reviewed!

Hey beaut's!

If your holding onto Summer for that little bit longer then the KIKO Jelly Jungle Collection is where the parties at! This collection is super fun and playful, full of colour and super affordable, I even think a couple of products I've been trying out could definitely transition through to Autumn and Christmas too!

Firstly I've been trying out three of the KIKO Jelly Jungle Liquid Lipsticks* (£8.90 each), I have the shades Hypnotic Fuchsia which is cool toned hot pink shade, Hefty Red which is honestly the most Christmassy red I've ever seen, I'm quite shook that it's within the summer collection to be honest because it's so festive! Finally I have Vibrant Burgundy which is a grundy - very autumnal looking - deep burgundy and I love it! The formula of these liquid lippies is lovely, their weightless and smooth on the lips, their extremely opaque and pigmented after one quick swipe, they smell of tropical Papaya which is divine and they all have the most amazing metallic sheen to them which is so eye catching! The only tiny negative I have about these liquid lippies is that they do take a little while to set and remain on the tacky side for a while so that's something to bare in mind, other than that they are awesome and the quality is amazing!  

Of course me being the highlighter addict that I am I just HAD to try a highlighter from this collection (I honestly have problems y'all), I opted for the Liquid Highlighter in the shade Flawless Gold (£8.90) which is bright, light gold that honestly looks like gold foil, it's stunning! The highlighter itself comes in a gloss-like tube with a doe-foot applicator which makes it easier to apply if your after control and precision! What I absolutely love about liquid highlighters is just how versatile they are and KIKO's offering certainly doesn't disappoint, you can literally use this bad boy in all the usual places you'd normally highlight like the cheekbones, down the nose and on the brow bone but you can also use this one across the eyelids, on your body and you could even mix it with your foundation if you'd like! The light liquid texture of this highlighter is so soft and velvety on the skin and blends out like a dream, it even has a tropical fruity scent which is just lush, and fear not it isn't super glittery, it contains minute gold flecks within it which are so pretty without leaving you looking like a disco ball he he!

You can find the KIKO Jelly Jungle Collection online HERE or in KIKO stores!

Glowing Skin On A Budget With Essence!

Hey beaut's!

It's Summer, it's super hot and it's time to ready, set glowww! You cant beat glowy makeup during the Summer months can you and Essence have made it very easy for us to glow this season with their super affordable glow-worthy products!

Glow To Go Highlighter Palette* £4.50

If your after a radiant sun-kissed look then look no further because this little palette has two highlighting shades and two bronzer shades that will do just that! All four powders within the palette are metallics, the first two are highlighting shades going from a yellow gold to a classic champagne then theres two bronzer shades the first being a warm toned glowy bronze and then the second is a stunning rose gold which I think works better as an eyeshadow or highlighter personally! The texture of the shades is slightly firmer than I'm used to with a metallic but they all pick up on the brush well and blend with ease revealed a blinding glow, all of the shades do contain some ever so slight shimmers but nothing too OTT! If you want to be a bronzed goddess then this palette will definitely be for you, if I was going on holiday this would be a definite 'must pack' for me because using these shades on freshly tanned skin would look so beaut!

Glow To Go Illuminating Setting Spray* £3.30

Setting spray is pretty much a makeup essential especially during these super hot summer days that we are having in the UK right now, and when I saw that Essence had launched an illuminating setting spray I was chuffed to bits, I just love to glow! The spray itself is really good and does keep my makeup set into place a lot longer than if I didn't use it at all, it leaves a pinky radiant finish to the skin which isn't glittery more holographic which I'm obsessed with! The only thing I will say is you must give the bottle a very good shake before use and hold it at arms length as you spray, if you don't your left with highlighter splats across your face rather than a radiant mist! The spray also smells divine, really fresh and light! 

Holo Wow! Dewy Lip Shine in Scarab Wings* £2.80

The Essence Dewy Lip Shines can literally transform any lip look, they have a glossy 

 light-reflecting, holographic shine which look awesome worn on it's own or over your favourite lippie! The shade I have is Scarab Wings which is a translucent purple with thousands of blue, green and yellow glitters suspended within it, it's so pretty!

Holo Wow! Prisma Jumbo Eye Pencil in My Little Fairy* £2.80

I have so much love for eyeshadow sticks because their so quick and easy to use, you can simply scribble the colour on your eyelids and either use your finger or a brush to blend the colour out and your ready to go! Essence have a new selection of jumbo eyeshadow sticks in their Holo Wow collection, I have the shade My Little Fairy which is a baby blue shade with a holographic pink shift to it, it's so nice! These work well as an eyeshadow base, as eyeliner liner or as I said before you can just wear them alone to as a pop of colour to your lids! One major plus I noticed with this was just how well it lasted, it doesn't claim to be waterproof but it doesn't budge with water or soap and it takes a good makeup remover to get this bad boy off so bare that in mind!

3D Dewy Look Stick £3.50* and Holo Wow Sparkle Stick* £3.50

The 3D Dewy Look Stick is unlike anything I've ever tried before, it's a wet-look balm that emphasis's the cheekbones without any glitter or shimmer particles, instead you just look naturally dewy! The balm itself is enriched shea butter which pampers the skin whilst you wear it and it isn't heavy, thick or sticky in the slightest, I think it looks great on the eyes too if your going for that super trendy wet look to the eye. The Holo Wow Sparkle Stick is literally my new favourite thing to highlight with, it has a cream formulation which blends in beautifully and again isn't sticky at all. What I love the most is how pretty it looks on the skin, it has a glowy pink shift with minute gold sparkles - perfect for jazzing up those cheekbones on the daily or for festivals, my swatch does it no justice at all! 

All Essence products are available from Wilko stores or online HERE.

New Releases From Technic Cosmetics!

Hey beaut's!

If you've read my blog for a while now you will know I'm a HUGE Technic Cosmetics fan, not only is their makeup super affordable but it's really good too. Something else I love about Technic is that their always working on new projects and releasing some amazing new collections and I've been testing out a few brand new products by Technic over the last month or so that I just have to share with you!

Technic Colour Max Face And Eyes Palette In Show Stopper* £6.00

This little palette is perfect if your going off on your holidays or if you like your makeup bag to be quite lightweight, it's a multi-use palette that contains four eyeshadows, a blusher, a highlighter and a bronzer! The four eyeshadows within the palette are all warm toned - super wearable shades for day or night, theres two matte shades and two metallic's which all blend easily with only a little fall out and they look so nice on the eyes around this time of the year! The blush, bronzer and highlighter all work beautifully, their well pigmented and blend with ease and I have to say the highlighter is absolutely blinding, I love it!

Technic Mega Blush Quad* £4.00

Another great little palette if your on your travels or if you like a nice selection of shades all in one place is this little Mega Blush Quad, it contains four all matte shades in different tones of pink to add a nice pinky flush to the cheeks! Again these pick up on the brush well, they blend really easily with very little fall out, they are buildable which I like because if you have an over pigmented blush you can end up looking like a clown and ruining your base makeup but these shades aren't like that at all, and for £4.00 you really cant go wrong,  

Technic Shade Adjusting Highlighter Drops* £5.50 + Get Gorgeous Liquid Highlighter in Bloom* £4.50

These little highlighting drops have to be my favourite things, I'm all glowy skin and a few drops of this gorgeous stuff mixed in with my foundation creates the perfect dewy, radiant skin, ahh its lovely! You can also use them alone as a liquid highlighter and at the moment I've been loving mixing them in with my body moisturiser or sun cream to give my body that all over Summer glow! Honestly beaut's if you don't have any liquid highlighter drops in your collection you need some pronto!

Technic Prism Luna Rocks*

The Luna Rocks are a brand new addiction to Technic's popular Prism range, their essentially individual little square rocks of pale lilac, baby pink and white highlighter! They remind me on bronzing pearls my mum used to have when I was little, I used to be totally obsessed with them and now I can get them in highlighter form I'm pretty shook!! To use the Luna Rocks all you have to do is simply swirl a damp or dry brush around the rocks and then go to town on your face and body and get that glow going, these rocks look particularly good dusted on your shoulders and collar bone! 

Technic Lip Primer* £4.00

This lip primer is an essential for me, I pop it on my lips whilst I apply my makeup and it preps my lips to perfection ready for me to pop on my chosen lip colour. The primer itself contains aloe vera and vitamin e which really softens and nourishes the lips and creates the perfect canvas for any lip product but especially dryer formula's like liquid lipsticks and matte lippies!

Technic Get Gorgeous Highlighting Powders* £4.50 each

Oh my, I think I've saved the best until last, how frickin' stunning are these highlighters! If you know me you'll know I'm not happy unless I am laced in highlighter and these really don't disappoint! Theres four shades to collect...Canary Diamond - this one looks icy white in the pan but when applied it has a beautiful golden shift to it, Perwinkle - a stunning violet highlighter with a pink shift to it, Virtuoso - this one is a super intense silver it almost looks like a foil sheen and lastly theres Galaxy Girl - this one is a cross between a galactic blue but with a lilac shift! Each highlighter comes in a sturdy plastic compact with the cutest star and moon raised design within the pan, they certainly look pretty cool. They have a super blendable formula which glows on the cheeks so nicely, theres a tiny amount of shimmer within each highlighter but nothing crazy, I love them!

You can find all of Technic's new launches along with the rest of their products on their website HERE. Also look out for full reviews and swatches on each product coming on my blog soon!

The £2.50 Highlighter From Primark You Need!

Hey beaut's!

I bloody love Primark, whether its watching someones haul on YouTube or toddling off to the shops myself and getting my own haul, I love it! One thing that I have never really dabbled in - in Primark was their makeup, mainly because my Primark never had a huge selection until recently! I always hear good things about Primarks makeup and dupes so when I saw their Mink Pink Highlighter it went straight in my basket for me to try!

The Primark Mink Pink Highlighter is a mere £2.50 making it super affordable and a right  beauty bargain! The highlighter itself sits in a large square pan with a thick cardboard style packaging with a flip up lid, it's not the most amazing packaging I've ever seen but hey for £2.50 who cares! The shade I opted for was Mink Pink, there was a couple of other shades to choose from but I thought Mink Pink looked right up my street, it's a stunning champagne-baby pink shade which is so metallic it looks like foil on your skin, it does contain some minute glitter particles within it but it's not too 'discoball-esk' or chunky, it's more of an intense sheen with a few twinkly shimmers within it, it's so blinding!

The formula of the highlighter is really nice, it feels similar to a baked highlighter when you swatch it and kind of picks up on the brush like a baked powder too. A little bit really goes a long way with this highlighter though, it's quite intense so if you like a subtle highlight then use a light hand however if you want to be seen in outta space then go for it like I do he he! The lasting power is actually very good and what I've noticed is just how well this highlighter picks up in a selfie, I've taken a few on my Instagram stories since having the highlighter and each time my highlight has really stood out and I love that!

Overall I so impressed with this little beauty, it looks so pretty on, blends well and doesn't make my pores look big, it's buildable, it lasts well and its such a good price, I definitely want to go back into Primark and try a few other makeup bit's and pieces from them now! If you haven't tried this highlighter yet beaut's I'd urge you to nip down to Primark and grab one, it's the best £2.50 I've spent in a while I tell ya!

Get Glowing Skin On A Budget!

Hey beaut's!

I bloody LOVE glowy, dewy, luminous skin especially in the Spring/Summer months, so recently I had a good ole rummage through my makeup collection and got some of my favourite glowing makeup products out ready to get my skin looking like a golden goddess he he!

I think the easiest and quickest way to get some luminosity into your skin is by using a type of liquid illuminator or liquid highlighter, you can easily mix these into your favourite foundation or facial moisturiser for a more dewy and luminous look, they can also be mixed into your body lotion and creams for a gorgeous all over glow, or you can use them alone just how you would normally highlight with a brush or sponge on your cheekbones, nose and cupids bow. My three favourites for doing this are the Technic Shade Adjustment Highlighting Drops which are £2.99 for a 30ml bottle, Revolutions Liquid Highlighter in Starlight which is £6.00 and finally the NYX Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator in Gleam which is £8.00. These are all different tones of liquid highlight which is perfect for me and means I can mix which ever one I like depending on the look I'm going for, for reference the Technic drops are more champagne toned, Revolutions drops are a shimmering baby pink and the NYX Illuminator is and really warm bronze. 

To achieve the golden goddess/glazed donut stage I then go in with a powder highlight, oh you've just got to love the glazed donut stage gals! My two favourites for this are the Sleek Highlighting Palette in Cleopatra's Kiss and the Technic Colour Wave in Bronzed Bae. My favourite highlighters ever from the high street are the Sleek highlighting palettes, they are seriously incredible and even top some of my high end highlighters, I use the Solstice Palette a lot but during the Summer I love a sun kissed glow and Cleopatra's Kiss does just that, you get four stunning shades - two powder, two cream- and all for just £9.99, you really cant go wrong! The Technic Colour Wave in Bronzed Bae is so, so good, it contains five little wave segments of soft, baked colour which double up as eye shadows if you use each little segment separately, or you can do what I love to do and swirl a brush through all of the colours and use them as pretty epic highlighters. The fact that this little wave is £6.99 blows my mind because it's so versatile and the formula is lush!

What sun kissed highlighters do you like using during the Spring/Summer months beaut's? I'd love to know!

Unicorn Beauty - Because Everyone Want's To Sparkle Like A Unicorn!

Hey beaut's!

Everyone is going slightly gaga over Unicorns right now, you literally cant go into a shop without seeing something Unicorn themed whether it be clothes, makeup, skincare, body care and I for one am loving it! The bright colours, the shimmer, the glitter, arhhh it's all so pretty! This whole unicorn craze is actually quite nostalgic for me, it really reminds me of the 'My Little Pony' days when I was little, I think that's why I'm drawn to it all so much. Anyway here's just a few unicorn themed things in the beauty world right now that I think are pretty awesome!

Too Faced Festival Rainbow Strobe Highlighter £25.00, Too Faced Magic Rainbow Strobing Brush £30.00, Colab dry shampoo spray unicorn £3.49, Imperial Leather Foamburst Unicorn Marshmallow Shower Gel £3.15, Nails Inc Face Inc Sparkle Like A Unicorn Illuminating Sheet Mask £5.00, Carmex Skinny Dip Limited Edition- Unicorn Sugar Plum £3.95, Elegant Touch Fantasy Nails - Unicorn Storm £9.95, Missguided Unicorn Dreams Body Mist £10.00, Nails Inc 'Sparkle Like A Unicorn' Nail Polish Duo 
Set £15.00, Too Faced - 'Life's A Festival' Eye Shadow Palette £35.00.

What do you think of the Unicorn love right now hun's? I'd love to know!

Shopping My Stash!

Hey beaut's!

If your saw my Money Saving Tips blogpost last week then you may have seen that one of my tips was to shop your stash more and make use of some old favourites within your makeup collection...Well I took my own advice and had a dig through my Alex drawers and popped a couple of oldies but goodies back into my makeup bag to get some use out of them again and I thought I'd share them with you today!

Firstly I knew I needed to take a look at my base makeup, for some reason my skin is really all over the place right now and my usual foundation and powder combination had started to look cakey and just wasn't lasting well like it usually does, so I decided to go back to my old faithful Rimmel Stay Matte Setting Powder and thought I'd try L'Oreal's Infallible Foundation again. The reason the L'Oreal Infallible Foundation was back in my makeup storage was because it was a smidge too dark for me however I got it back out again and tried it and actually it looks perfect especially when my whole base is done, and wow I'd forgotten what an amazing foundation it is, it's lightweight, long lasting, has great coverage and more importantly it doesn't make me look cakey, woohoo! As for the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder, I have no idea why I ever put in back in my makeup storage because I bloody love it, it's the best powder on the high street for sure!

I'm quite a creature of habit when it comes to my highlighter, when I find one that I love I tend to stick to it and don't reach for any of my other pretty highlighters and I'd totally forgotten about my beloved Mary Lou by the Balm...I know how could I, please to don't un-follow me now ha ha! I have been using my Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray for a while now and seeing as it's getting low I thought I'd get my Rimmel #Insta Fix & Go back out and I'm loving it, I forgot how refreshing it was and just how well it keeps my makeup set into place. Finally I knew I needed to switch up my eyeshadow palettes, I've literally used nothing but my Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette for the last couple of months because the formulation is just to die for so I knew I had to stick to Too Faced, so I got my Merry Maccarons Palette back out! I forgot how much I loved the shades in this palette, their so easy to work with and perfect for quick looks before I go to work!

What hidden gems have you rediscovered recently beaut's? I'd love to know!

MAC Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish Review

Hey beaut's!

Like most makeup and beauty lovers I'm obsessed with highlighter, it's my favourite part of applying my makeup and if I don't look like I'm a glazed donut I'm not a happy camper! I've got quite a few highlighters in my makeup collection now but one I was missing and constantly longing for was MAC's Soft and Gentle, I had swatched it in MAC numerous times but for some crazy reason never bought it but bless my lovely boyfriend who bought it for me for Christmas so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it finally!

 MAC's Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish is a velvety soft, slow-baked powder with a radiant, pearlised finish. The shade of this highlighter is lovely, MAC describe it as a gilded peach bronze and when its on the skin it definitely looks like a peach, champagne shade with subtle gold flecks within it which aren't chunky at all. 

The product itself is lovely to use, it's got a good amount of pigmentation when used dry and creates the most beautiful natural looking glow to the skin that I think would suit most skin types, if you really want to go all out you can wet the brush with some setting spray or MAC Fix+ which really intensifies the pigment a lot. 

The baked powder picks up well on the brush and blends onto the skin with ease, I find that my Real Techniques Setting Brush applies better than my fan brushes so I tend to stick with my small setting brush. The texture of the powder is super soft and isn't chalky at all, I also feel like Soft and Gentle is going to last me years and years because you don't need to use much during each application and I've used my pan quite a lot since I've had it and it still looks brand new!

Overall I think MAC's Soft and Gentle is the perfect everyday highlighter, it's naturally glowy when used dry and when it's used with a damp brush 'hello glazed donut'! The only negative I really have is that I do think it's a tad pricey at £24.50, but then I think I'm going to get years and years worth of use out of it so it will probably be worth it in the long run! If your looking for a nice everyday glow then I cant recommend this beauty enough, if your looking for something super intense when used dry then maybe this wont be for you!

You can find MAC's Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish HERE.