ILLAMASQUA Online Sale Haul

As the Illamasqua online sale comes to an end today I thought I'd better speedily write my reviews up so you guys can see what an amazing sale they have!

I have never bought anything from Illamasqua before but as their sale looked so fantastic I thought it'd be rude not to, right?

Firstly I love Illamasqua's brand and packaging! Their ethos 'Make Up for your alter ego' is so unique it makes you want to experiment with colour more!

So I'll tell you what I got (with so many items it was difficult to decide) and do a quick review!

Blending Brush #2 - £10 - This brush is my new fave! It is the perfect size for blending eyeshadow, concealer or cheek products! It is lovely and soft and feels amazing on the skin!

Under eye Concealer in 105 - £5 -This is a white concealer with pink undertones, I am quite pale so this is perfect for me even though it looks bright! It blends perfectly and I'll probably mix it with foundation if I've hit the fake tan! They do lots of other shades and its a lovely texture!

Lipgloss in Artifice - £5 - I'm very impressed with this! It's a pretty beautiful nude pink colour and lasts on the lips for ages! The swatch doesn't do it justice!

Liquid Metal in Stoic - £5 - This is a cream pigment which blends amazingly! Can apply easily with a finger on its own or with a brush with other shades! You can build up the intensity as well for a more dramatic look!

Nail Varnish in Stagnate - £5 - I've found my new favourite nail brand! This grey mushroom colour looks great for a simple flash of sophistication to your look! Very wearable and lasts for days!

All in all I love my purchases! They were all half price or even less so it really is a steal!! With free delivery on orders over £35 as well you can't go wrong!! I also ordered a loose pigment to make it up to the £35 but that hasn't come yet.

Illamasqua I love you! Have you tried any of their products? What's your favourite?

Benefit FINE ONE ONE Launch

I was invited by the lovely Benebabes to the launch of Benefit's new cheek product Fine One One in Leeds Debenhams! The night was full of amazing demonstrations from the Benebabes and champagne and sweeties (I know, win - win!)

First of all the name it's self is amazing! Like all Benefit products it has a catchy clever name and the name is true to the product it really is a life saver and can rescue you from any beauty emergency!

It's in the form of a roll on stick (a bit like a deodorant) it's in beautiful rose gold packaging and is a super handy size- fits perfectly in your makeup bag!
Now the technical bit - what it does! The stick consists of three shades, a pinky highlighter (pink champagne), a pink blush (sheer watermelon) and a coral (soft coral). For a flush of perfect colour you just sweep the stick across the cheek bone with the highlight colour at the top and then blend! You can apply as many layers as you want for your perfect pretty pop of colour! Mixed with High Beam and Coralista blush you get a perfect glowy look! Or use with Sunbeam and Hooler bronzer for a beautiful bronzed glow!
The 'Tip of the Day' in my eyes was the trick to get definition AND colour on the cheeks just by using one product - Fine One One! By applying the stick (highlighter at the top) to the apple of the cheek, turning the stick 360 degrees and then up to the temple in a zig zag shape instantly creates definition and a perfect amount of colour! Don't ask me how Benefit HQ worked out how that worked but it does work! Amazing!!
You can use the pink champagne end of the stick to highlight under the brow bone and cupids bow too! Or use your finger to apply each colour individually to build the exact colour you desire! It also gives a pretty beautiful flush of colour when applied to the lips! It is just SO versatile and this is why I LOVE it!!
Seriously you must go to a Benefit counter near you to try it for yourselves!! Let me know if you liked it as much as I did!!

P.S. Check out my Instagram for instant beauty pics! @fionabarbs!

Ombré Lips

So today I bought four new lippies and a lip liner! All drug store brands; Collection 2000, Miss Sporty, No17 and Rimmel and I must say I'm impressed at the quality and pigmentation of them all!
I've wanted to try the ombré lip trend ever since I first saw it in the pages of my Elle mag so these are the results.
I started with a red lip liner to line my lips, then continued to blot bright pink inside, then a paler pink in the middle! I love how bright it looks!
In contrast I tried a black and white theme, I lined the lips with a black lipstick and then blotted a pale pink/almost white shade in the center of the lips. In future I'd definitely line the lips first with a black pencil as I've soon realised a lip liner adds a bold intensity to the shape of the lips!

My Dressing Table: Bridie Heywood

My friend Bridie is just as much of a product junkie as me! In fact, shopping together should be approached with extreme caution as we don't stop each other from spending in excess of our means. We are both Bad Influences.
So it only seemed right to interview her for my blog as she is amazing at knowing exactly what looks to go for and always looks amazing.

Bridie's Faves....

Skincare: Darphin Moisturiser - Super moisturising and leaves skin feeling soft.

Fake tan: Xen Tan Everyday Moisturiser -Great as it leaves a glowy colour to your skin without being orange.

Foundation: YSL Touché Éclat - Gives a dewy finish and a perfect colour match.

Concealer: YSL Touché Éclat - Amazing reflective quality for under eye circles. The original reflective concealer.

Eye Shadow: MAC Mulch - Natural brown shimmery shade, wearable by its self or with other shades.

Mascara: Benefit They're Real - Really works to lengthen lashes, separates with no clumps.

Lipstick: MAC Ruby Woo - A perfect red for when you want to be fancy.

Cheeks: NARS Laguna Bronzer - Gives a natural glow, fakes a bit of sun.

Brush: MAC 224 - The perfect eye shadow/ blending brush.

Luxury Brand Product: Viktor & Rolf Flower Bomb - It's the prettiest fragrance.

Budget Brand Product: Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil - Good colour and easy to use.

Hair Product: Moroccan Oil: Repairs hair after dyeing and amazing for dry split ends.

Bridie's Fave Look...you will agree she IS pretty beautiful...