My Pinterest Winter Inpsirations

Something I'm really obsessed with doing is browsing through a little gem called pinterest. I hardly save things to boards, yet I'm oddly obsessed with just searching for pretty things on that website. My account is called izzyk1998 (in case you're wondering) #shamelesspromo

Whatever you're looking for, pinterest has a picture of it. And when I'm in need of Winter aesthetic inspiration, you know where I go to. I just get inspiration for everything in my life through this method, so here are my top winter pinterest pics:

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So this post was very short and sweet, but I'm gonna be honest, I haven't got long to finish this post before it needs to go up. I hope I've given you a little inspiration for Winter aesthetics, because, if you didn't already know Winter is without a doubt the best time of year. Thanks for reading,

Izzy K xxx

Top 5 Winter Makeup Items

Hi guys,

Today I'll be starting my Winter series here on this blog. And what better way to get started than talking about makeup, one of my true passions in life! One thing I simply adore doing is matching my makeup to the season. And here are the makeup items which, in my opinion, complete my winter glam look.

Revolution Iconic 1 Palette

This is my absolute go to palette all year round, yet alone in the winter. It's got a mixture of natural colours for an everyday look. And it also has shimmery colours, including my personal favourite gold shadow, which are perfect for that Christmas party look.
Retails for £4

Barry M Natural Glow 2 palette

I can't even begin to tell you how much use I've got out of this palette. The pigmentation and lasting power of these palettes are incredible. This has a little mixture of matte and shimmery shades, and they are definitely the shades for everyone's skin tone.
Retails for £6.49

Revolution Golden Lights Highlighter

For that Winter glow, I find a highly pigmented white highlighter is the perfect thing. And honestly, nothing gives a stronger glow than this product!
Retails for £3

Sleek Old Hollywood

What did I even do with my life before I discovered liquid lipstick? This shade is the classic red matte shade, and when you layer it up it goes into a dark cherry colour. This is absolutely perfect for late Autumn through to Winter.
Retails for £4.99

Charlotte Tilbury Glastonberry

(The bottom swatch is Glastonberry)

If you haven't heard me talk about this lipstick then hi, you must be new here. This is my ultimate favourite berry lipstick and really does the trick to complete your look. It's such an elegant colour and the formula will last for hours and hours. Absolutely ideal for any Christmas do's you might have coming up!
Retails for £23

So here were my absolute makeup essentials for Winter, and there is no doubt that you'll see me rocking these products. What are your makeup must-haves for this Winter? Let me know in the comments,

Izzy K xxx 

Buy Or Boycott? #1

Welcome to my new series "Buy Or Boycott" where I talk about 3 brands every month and discuss whether I'll continue to buy from them, or boycott them for now. As you may know if you've been reading my blog, I'm giving my absolute best efforts to consider the brands I use and whether or not they are cruelty free. If you want to know what I class as cruelty free then you can check out my cruelty free beauty standards, and every brand that I have investigated will be linked in the tab above under "Brands I Buy Or Boycott"

So this is the email I've sent out to various different companies that I wanted to research:

Let's take a look at the companies that I'll be talking about this month...

Rimmel:

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

Coty, Inc

How I Respond:

At first glance this seems good, but you do have to continue to do your research. I do have to credit the fact that they seem to acknowledge the topic of animal testing, and their parent company has been working hard to find alternatives to animal testing. However, I am disappointed that despite knowing that China, a country in which they sell in, requires animal testing they still continue to sell there. And nowhere in their answer do they say whether they sell in China, hence avoiding my question about it. Still, I hope they one day manage to convince the Chinese authorities to look at alternatives to animal testing.

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Boycott.
Why? - They sell in China

TAM Beauty

 (Makeup Revolution, Freedom Makeup, I <3  Makeup):

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

They are not owned by a parent company.

How I Respond:

I am very pleased that they answered all my questions from my email, and mentioned the fact they are not owned by anyone. They got to the point, and China is the only country that requires animal testing by law. Hence, if they do not sell they they have no reason to test on animals.

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Buy. Check out their website here!

Lush:

Their Reply:

Who Is Their Parent Company?

They are not owned by a parent company.

How I Respond:

I am very satisfied with Lush's response, and fighting against animal testing is something that Lush feels very passionate about. They answered all my questions from my email, and linked me to pages upon pages of information about their ethics and animal testing policies. Not only am I happy that they in fact keep their word and don't sell in China due to their policies, but they have an active approach in trying to stop animal testing on a global scale. It's clear to see that stopping cruelty to animals is a genuine lifetime goal of this company. 

Buy or Boycott this brand?

Buy. Check out their website here!

So there are the three brands I decided to discuss in this post. I've done my best to research these brands to the best of my ability, but please let me know if you have any research or evidence that contradicts what I stated. I will be sure to correct myself if you do. If you have any requests for companies that you'd like me to research than I will most definitely look into them. Thank you for reading, and I hope you've learned something and wish to take part in the cruelty free movement too,

Izzy K xxx

Makeup Revolution Atomic Lipstick

As a bit of a lipstick addict I was desperately looking for a new shade to add to my collection. So how could I resist Makeup Revolution's Atomic Lipstick for only £1?! Yes that's right, ONE POUND! I think it goes without saying that I added it to my shopping bag, and the shade I picked was Make Me Tonight. But is this lipstick too good to be true?

The first thing I'll talk about is the colour. As far as colour goes, this lipstick is pretty pigmented and true to the colour on the packaging. The initial colour is quite opaque which means you can apply an even colour in just one swipe. However, after a little while the colour can begin to fade.

The formula of this lipstick is admittedly pretty good for the price. I mean it definitely doesn't match the quality of more high-end lippies, but I would definitely say it was worth more than £1. I don't find the colour drying at all, however I find that the lasting power isn't the best. But on the bright side it means you can easily wipe the colour off when you're done for the day, instead of desperately spending days trying to scrub the colour off, like you have to do with some lipsticks. 

One layer of this lipcolour

The taste of this product is pretty average. I mean it's not flavoured like some more expensive lipsticks are. However, it doesn't taste cheap either, so again that's quite impressive for a very affordable lipstick.

So overall would I recommend it? If you're on a budget or need to pick out a certain colour and you don't want to splurge out on an expensive lippie, this is definitely for you. If I'm dressing up and I need a certain colour that I won't often wear, I will definitely be turning to this make. However, I would rate this lipstick a 6/10. I would say it's definitely worth more than the price, but it's not something I'm desperate to repurchase immediately. But I seriously have to say this lipstick definitely does the job and I still can't believe the bargain you get for it. Have you ever tried this lipstick before, if so what did you think?

Izzy K xxx

ABH eyebrow pencil

For my birthday in January (let's just ignore how long it took me to write this post!) my friends were kind enough to get me the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz eyebrow pencil. The shade that they chose was Auburn and it retails for $21. 

This pencil comes with an eyebrow pencil on one end, and a brush at the other. Both sides come with a lid which prevents damage. The first thing I want to mention about this product is the size of it. The actual applicator itself is very defined, which allows you to perfectly recreate the look of actual eyebrow hairs. And it is very buildable so you can create brows of your ideal thickness.

The formula of this product is something I'm very impressed with. I find the colour glides on effortlessly and looks very natural when applied. And I have absolutely no problem with getting this product to last all day long.

On their website, ABH sells this particular eyebrow pencil in 11 different shades, and there is the perfect shade for anyone (yes even for redheads which not many brands cater for!) At the moment my hair colour is a kind of Auburn shade so my eyebrows match perfectly with my hair colour now. But when I switch up my hair colour I think I'll be experimenting with different shades in their range. 

How I Use It:

• I start with lightly drawing strands of eyebrows on my inner eyebrow, where the hairs are a bit more sparse. 
• I then build my arch up, drawing hairs on in sideways sweeps
• I run through the entire brow with short strokes to fill the brow and make it even
• Using the brush on the other end, I brush through the product to make my brows bushy and natural looking. 

Would I recommend it?

Yes definitely, I for one will definitely be repurchasing this eyebrow pencil. I'd rate it a 9/10 and the only reason why it's not a 10 is because you do tend to use the product up quickly for the price. This is absolutely ideal for natural looking eyebrows and is bound to suit anyone's brows. If you're looking for a product that fills your brows in more heavily, ABH do a range of different brow products on their website, and I definitely recommend you check them out. 

Thank you so much for reading, have you ever tried this product before? If so let me know what you thought about it in the comments,

Izzy K xx

Makeup Revolution Highlighter Golden Lights

Well I think it goes without saying that I'm a crazy highlighter addict. So when I saw that Makeup Revolution were selling their Golden Lights highlighter for just £3 I couldn't resist, could I?

So the first thing to mention about this product is the colour. I would class this as a white and bright highlighter with a gold shimmer running all the way through it. When light shines on this highlighter it really reflects the gold pigments. I really like that it gives off a healthy looking glow.

This is definitely a product that you can make look somewhat natural. Don't get me wrong, it's a very glittery highlighter but when you really blend it out it can give off a natural glow to your skin. But when you really love it when highlighter calls out to the aliens (like I do) then you can definitely layer it up.

And the last thing I'll mention is the lasting power of this product. Although this product is initially very pigmented, I find it gets absorbed after a couple of hours so the effect of this product does fade throughout the day. And I do have to say this product is the tiniest bit chalky, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with reapplying it. 

Now for the summary, would I recommend this product? Definitely! For £3 you really can't go wrong with this, and it doesn't really matter to me that you might have to reapply it after a bit. I just love the overall finish of this product and what the colour looks like with my makeup looks. I would rate this product a 8/10 and I will definitely be repurchasing it. Have you ever tried this highlighter before? If so let me know in the comments,

Izzy K xxx

Sleek Matte Me Lipstick

The liquid lipstick craze has taken 2016 by storm, and as a lippie lover myself I simply had to get on board with this trend. A little while ago I purchased the Sleek Matte Me lipstick in Birthday Suit for just £4.99, which I thought was a pretty good price. Liquid lipsticks are so different from anything I've ever tried so here are my thoughts on it:

Formula

The novelty of liquid lipsticks is something that really intrigues me, since I love the idea of just painting on your lipstick! This lipstick is really quick to dry, which means it doesn't smudge easily. The only thing I will say about this formula is that it's pretty drying on the lips, so I'd advise wearing a lip balm underneath and you'll be good to go!

This is what the colour looks like on my skin tone

Colour

I've tried a couple of Matte Me lipsticks now, and the ones I've tried are all super pigmented. You seriously only need to apply one layer to get a full coverage. Which, for wearing liquid lipsticks, is a good think because applying more than one layer can give a cakey patchy effect. The colour really impressed me and Birthday Suit is the ideal "your lips but better" shade. I think I've finally found my perfect everyday colour. 

Lasting Power

Compared to other drugstore lipsticks I've tried, the lasting power of this particular product is nothing to boast about. I will admit that it survives eating and drinking with it on for the first hour or so. But after that it does begin to peel, and as I said before, reapplying liquid lipstick can sorta mess with the texture of the lipstick if you apply too many layers at once. 

Feel & Taste

In just a quick summary, I really like the feel and taste of this lipstick. I've tried some lipsticks that are really over-scented and this one isn't at all. And although I mentioned that this lipstick can leave your lips feeling kinda dry, they do feel velvety and smooth at the same time. Throughout the day I do find myself rubbing my lips together just because I like the finish of the lipstick. Is that really weird lol?!

Overall I would rate this lipstick a 7.5/10. The pigmentation of these lipsticks are absolutely gorgeous and I have already picked up a few more from this brand to build up my colour collection. However, the lasting power is a bit of a let down for me and I don't find myself reaching for this lipstick when I know I'll be going out for a long time. I would definitely recommend this lipstick though, just remember to always keep it in your makeup bag to reapply it after a little while ;)

Izzy K xxx

QuickMax Eyelash Growth Enhancer

Recently I've been trying the QuickMax eyelash growth enhancer by StyleLux. This serum retails for £49.00. To be honest I was skeptical about this product, since eyelash length is mostly genetic and I didn't really think there would be a magic product that could actually grow your lashes. So did this product work or not? Here's how I found it:

I thought the packaging was really cute. I'm a huge fan of gold because I feel like it makes the product look really classy and professional. The contents of the box is the actual eyelash enhancer and the instructions.

The application of this enhancer is fairly simple. The instructions say to simply apply this product like an everyday eyeliner in the evening, and then wash your face as normal in the morning. 

Before with 1 layer of mascara (only so my lashes showed up on camera)

After with 1 layer of mascara 

Btw I'm literally wetting myself looking at the selfies I took,

I'm so unphotogenic it's actually a joke lmao! 

I applied this every evening, and even after just 2 weeks I was able to see results. It was nothing major at first, but it definitely made a difference. The length had improved slightly, like before my natural lashes wouldn't show up over my eyeliner (if that makes sense) but you can see them peeping over the line. But for me the biggest difference wasn't the length, it was the thickness of my lashes. For the first time I actually feel like I have eyelashes, because the fullness has improved so much. When I pop my mascara on, I really like the look of them now. 

Would I say that this product was effective? Let's just say I haven't suddenly got meter long eyelashes, yet I have found myself reaching for my falsies a lot less over the last couple of months because I'm more confident in my natural lashes. Would I recommend this product? Since this is a pricey product, I would say if you do have the money to splash out then do, it's really helped me grow my eyelashes out. However, if you don't have this sort of money to be spending on anything that isn't essential, then well life goes on without long eyelashes. But overall I would rate this product a 7/10, and I'm glad I did give this product a go. Thanks for reading,

Izzy K xxx

Barry M Genie

I've never really been the biggest fan ever of pink lipsticks on me, because I can never really pull them off. Every pink shade I've tried has never really suited me, so I was so intrigued to try the Genie lipstick from Barry M when I heard that it adapts to each individual person to find a unique shade that suits them. I managed to pick this lipstick up for just £4.99, which I thought was pretty affordable.

The first thing I have to talk about is the packaging. With it's bright green tube, and pink lid this product definitely stands out from the rest of the lipsticks in the Barry M range, and indeed from any other brand.

Second of all, I'll have to talk about the application. I find that this has a very smooth consistency and is able to apply an even coat in just one layer.

Here's a very simple video of me applying it 

and the colour change occurring

This is a lil swatch of the colour once it's applied

Even though the bullet of this lipstick is bright green, it's not green at all when you apply it. The colour of this particular lipstick appears pretty sheer at first, but it darkens within minutes of application. I find it goes a nice dark, but also natural(ish) pink to the lips. This is part of their "lip paint" range, and as well as being an initial lipstick it also adds a stain to the lips. This really helps add to the lasting power of this lipstick.

The only thing I do have to say is that it's not my favourite flavour of lipstick. I don't really think it's been flavoured and I think it just tastes of whatever the combinations of ingredients are. Therefore, it's not a bad lipstick taste and it's definitely bearable, it's just not my favourite flavour of lipsticks in my collection.

Overall I would rate this lipstick an 8/10 and I simply adore the novelty of this item. I'm chuffed to pieces that I've finally managed to find a pink lipstick shade that actually suits me! Have you ever tried a Barry M lipstick before? If so let me know in the comments,

Izzy K xxx