SLEEK BLUSH HAUL

I ordered a couple of blushes from Sleek because I was dying to try them since 'Pixiwoo' said one was a dupe for Nars Orgasm blush (Rose gold). They were €6.00 each plus €6 shipping to Ireland and I got a free mini lipgloss for spending over a certain amount.

I got above top L-R: Pomegranate and Rose gold
bottom R-L: Scandalous and Sunrise

Above L-R: Scandalous, Sunrise, Pomegranate, Rose gold.

Above L-R: Pomegranate and Rose gold

Above L-R: Scandalous and Sunrise

I tried these out during the week and though I really like them there are a couple of things I wanted to say.
Firstly I thought they would be bigger?... It states that they are 8g on the website but that means nothing to me unless I see it infront of me. That said they are only €6 which is cheap in comparison to most blushes so I got over the size thing pretty fast.
The other thing was, with the exception of 'Scandalous', these weren't the most pigmented either, though the colours are gorgeous, shimmery goodness you do have to apply with a heavier hand than say 'La Femme' blushes. They are really buildable though which I suppose is really a good thing seeing that alot of people don't like a lot of blush.
'Scandalous' on the other hand I was a bit scared to use because of the vivid red colour but I actually loved it!, use a light hand though!!. It gives a lovely naturally flushed look.

All in all these are great value for money and are really nice texture and colour-wise.

MissKC
xxXxx

PHARMACY HAUL

This is what I got from my local pharmacy the other day. I've blogged about the Neutrogena multi-defense day cream before and because there was an offer I decided to pick up a backup and try some of the other products in the line. Both creams were only €6.34 and the scrub was just €3.36! Bargain!!
The night cream is for all skin types and is surprisingly light in texture but makes your skin feel really smooth and soft, so far so good.
The scrub is gentle with small exfoliating beads, I have sensitive skin so scrubs usually leave me red and raw, but my skin was unusually calm after this, sure there was a bit of redness but nothing major. My skin felt so smooth after too!.
I'm really impressed with these products for the price. I can't say if they do what they claim in the adverts as far as defense is concerned but they seem to fulfill their basic purpose pretty well regardless. So if you're looking for skincare on a budget I'd definitely reccomend these products.




VICHY DERMABLEND FOUNDATION

I knew I'd have to try this sooner or later because I adore 'Juicytuesday', as does most of the makeup community on youtube I'm sure, and she's been raving about thhis for quite a while now.
I've only used this once so I can only give you my initial reactions.
Firstly I was shocked at how light and easily blendable it was. Don't get me wrong there is good coverage with this but it doesn't feel at all heavy or cakey. Also the longevity is good, I only set my t-zone and it lasted very well throught out the day.
I got 15 opal and 45 golden beacause I thought I could mix for shades in between. I use false tan all th time so I change shades on a daily basis haha :)
It cost €21 in my local pharmacy so its average in price I suppose.
Definitely worth a try but I'll update you if I have any other opinions on it after using it more.


MissKC
xxXxx

Brush Comparison

I thought I'd do a quick brush comparison as I ordered a couple of brushes recently

Firstly I got the new, what was SS224 now the E40 from Sigma, a version of MAC's 224. The SS224 was really nothing like the MAC one as it's bristles were shorter, it was denser, it was just... different!. Don't get me wrong I loved this brush because it was more precise for blending etc. but I did prefer the MAC. Now the new E40 is alot more similar to MAC, same size bristles but denser and slightly stiffer, which in my opinion makes it a better brush. Thats just my view. Also the price difference ($9 V $29) makes the Sigma brush a clear winner!.

L-R: MAC 224, Sigma E40 and Sigma 224

Next I got the 'pro blending fluff brush' from coastalscents which looked like a good dupe for MAC's 217 brush, I have a dupe from Sigma which is great but I just thought I'd try this out. Only difference between this and MAC is it is slightly stiffer, but only slightly and it isn't a bad thing. So both Sigma and C/S are great dupes and obviously alot cheaper!.
MAC= $22.50
Sigma= $9.00
C/S= $4.95

L-R: MAC 217, Sigma E25, Coastalscents

Hoped this helped someone out, cheaper is better somtimes, it's a recession after all!!

MissKC xxXxx

Collective Haul

This is a collective haul, accumulated over a number of weeks from various websites, all with my own money!

Covergirl Lash blast

Bought from Ebay, each came in a twin pack special offer thingy and cost, including shipping, €3.50 approx per mascara which is great!! I got these because my all time favourite mascara is Max Factor false lash effect and this is a carbon copy (as they are made by the same company) but we cannot get Covergirl in Ireland and I think the last time I purchased a Max Factor one it cost me €17 as far as I can remember! Crazy!! So to say I was excited was an understatement. Love this mascara because of its HUGE wand and great formula.

NYX from www.makeupgeek.com

If you haven't checked out 'makeupgeek' on youtube a.k.a. Marlena please do! Not only is she an amazing makeup guru but she is an absolute sweetheart to boot! So I decided to check out her online store. She stocks NYX, palladio, Ardell, MAC samples amongst other things.

I ordered above top L-R: 'Glow', 'Golden' and 'Natural' cream blushes (which I adore) and bottom L-R: 'Taupe' blush and 'Natural', 'Smokey look' and 'Sweetheart' gloss.
I love the cream blushes, I would go as far as to say more than my Illamasqua ones at the moment.
The taupe blush makes a great contour colour, its cool toned and not muddy at all, really like so far.
The glosses have been a favourite for a while because of their value in comparison to higher end ones and they are not sticky at all.
All in all my experience of the site was really positive, prices are good, international shipping is reasonable, I will be going back soon!!! :)

Laura Mercier oil free primer and 'Lush Nectarine' blush

I got the primer from strawberry.net because I wanted a primer for my kit without SPF that I could use for brides. I've used it a couple of times before a night on the town and I like it alot, it isn't to slimey like silicone based ones and not too heavy like mousse type ones eg. Clarins/L'oreal (even though I don't mind these as I have dry skin). Happy to have this in my kit, at €33.50 its a bit pricey but worth it in my opinion.
The blush is 'Lush Nectarine' and I wanted to try it after seeing 'Pixi2woo' using it in one of her videos, that was all I needed. I got it on Ebay for €19.50 including shipping. Its a gorgeous, peachy coral and is going to be great for summer and for brides. Happy.

Neutrogena daily defense moisturiser and L'oreal Studio Secrets primer

Neutrogena multi-defence was purchased because I needed a new day moisturiser and this popped out at me in Boots so I said I'd give it a whirl. It sounds like everything you'd want from a day cream, protection basically! Been using it for a week now and so far so good, its light, sinks in quickly and has SPF, a must!. There are three types one for dry/sensitive (which I got), normal/combination and one for all skin types which has a higher SPF of 25 (others have 15). It was just over €10 which is very affordable and I have seen it since in a local pharmacy on special for €6.50 so I may get a backup. I don't break out easily so I can't say if it would do so on other people, so I can't see a down side. Ok its not a miracle cream but if' "it does what it says on the tin" I'm happy, especially for the price.
L'oreal studio secrets primer I wanted to try for a while so I picked it up in Boots that day with the above because there was extra points going with it. Haven't tried it yet but it seems like it will be similar to the Clarins one which I like, but cheaper!

MAC Champale and Peacocky collection

You would not believe how proud I am of myself that this is all I've got from MAC in nearly 3 months at least. A major deal for me because I'm a MAC addict, but hey it a recession! The 'dangerous cuvee' paintpot from the 'Champale' collection is lovely, I heard someone in a video describe it like a cream version of 'hypnotizing' eyeshadow from MAC and it was a very true statement. Perfect for under that or satin taupe or purples even.
From the 'Peacocky' collection, hard as it was believe me, I just got 'unflappable' and 'paparazz-she' (swatches at the bottom). I'm sure you know all about these by now and yes they are lovely, so smooth. Ok enough or I'll be tempted to go back and get more :)

Coastalscents and Catrice eyeshadows

I don't know if it's just me but I go through phases of wanting a particular colour... So... purples!
The first L-R is from coastalscents, hotpot CM07, its so vibrant, kinda like MUFE no. 97 but more blue toned and alot cheaper!!
The others are from Catrice, I believe a German brand? (correct me if I'm wrong) Available in alot of Dunnes stores and some pharmacies, it's reminiscent of Essence pricewise but the quality is so much better. You would not believe the colour payoff for €3.39 yup €3.39!! (swatches below). L-R 'violent violet', 'heidi plum' and 'the queen is amused' (love the names too).
'MissChievous' on youtube has used the heidi plum in a tutorial so check her out.

Urban Decay 24/7 set

This is the 15th anniversary set from Urban Decay and its great value for what you get (€75 in Ireland) All full size and the middle black pencil... OMG it is so dark, even more so than Stila onyx!. Check out Temptalia's review for this because I haven't really played with it yet, its too pretty in its nice packaging :)

Inglot Shadows and sharpener

First time purchasing from Inglot. Its a bit of a dose to get there as it's in Dublin and kinda in awkward places there too. Anyway I made it and I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing :/ I fear an obsession coming on!! The value is the first thing, the large was €50 and the small €28 and for the size of the shadow and the UNBELIEVABLE colour payoff this is well worth the journey. There are so many colours to choose from (I already have a huge wishlist Uh Oh!) and I am so impressed with the quality. So I got.....



Top L-R: AMC shine 26, 493, 429, AMC shine 24 and 473
Bottom L-R: AMC shine 07, 402, 421, 423, 53

L-R: AMC shine 27, 467, 361, 450, 420.

Can do swatches if wanted but my camera quality is so poor for swatches it wouldn't do them justice :(
Also got large sharpener for NYx jumbo pencils €2= bargain!!

Swatches
Top: MAC dangerous cuvee, unflappable, paparazz-she.
Bottom: Catrice heidi plum, violent violet and the queen is amused
and Coastalscents CM07

Hope all this was helpful to somebody, as I said all this was purchased with my own money and my opinions are honest.

Thanks,
MissKc xxXxx