Monday 28 January 2013

Some Bargain O.P.I and Butter London

I popped into TKMaxx last week and picked up two things that I really didn’t need – more nail varnish and more lip gloss! They looked pretty and sparkly though so I decided to treat myself. I haven’t worn the nail varnishes yet but I thought I would posts some pics of the products anyway in case anybody is interested in checking out their local TKMaxx to see if they have them in stock.

I picked up an OPI duo with full sized bottles of the shades Pirouette My Whistle (silver glitter) and Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (multi-shimmer charcoal), with a diamante encrusted pen thrown in for good measure. I have to admit that the pen is quite fetching if you like your bling!

According to TKMaxx’s price sticker the RRP of this set is £17.50 but I picked it up for £12.99. I was just thinking that the last (and only) time I bought a full priced OPI nail polish it cost me around £11 so since I really like both these shades this was certainly a bargain.

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They also had quite a few nail varnish and lipgloss sets by Butter London. It’s a brand that I’d heard of but never tried before. I know that they are primarily known for their nail varnishes but I thought I’d branch out and pick up this gloss trio, which at £9.99 (RRP £21 according to the price sticker) worked out at £3.33 per gloss which I thought was OK.

The colours are quite sheer but are nice and shimmery. They’re quite sticky but I don’t mind sticky gloss as I find it tends to last a wee bit longer on my lips. The colours offer a lovely selection for daytime wear – I think they’re a bit too sheer and subtle for evening. I wouldn’t pay £21 for this set but at £9.99 it’s OK.

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Here are a couple of shots of swatches on my arm so you can appreciate the sparkle a bit.

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Left to right: Frilly Knickers (white-blue shimmer), West End Wonderland, Rosie Lee

Sunday 27 January 2013

Winter Party Look

All I need is a ton of eyeliner and a quirky leopard print hat and I’m all set to go!

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My hat’s from Claire’s Accessories and I’m wearing Gosh Long Lasting Eyeliner Pen in Black Brass which is an excellent liquid eyeliner over a shimmery pink eyeshadow. My cheeks are also looking peachy thanks to MAC blusher in Supercontinental.

Friday 25 January 2013

And now for something cute

The packaging and unusual flavour of this H&M lipbalm were too cute to resist. Tea and Mint Chocolate? Yum!

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This cost £2.99 and was available in another flavour at the store I got this one in. I think it was tea and toffee, and had a picture of a squirrel on the lid instead of a bunny rabbit.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Best Brightening Eyeshadows

My absolute favourite eyeshadow look this winter has been a light reflecting shimmery shade across my entire lid, sometimes coupled with some eyeliner. I find it really refreshing amongst all the darkness that wintery weather and early sunsets bring, and I love the way it wakes my whole face up.

Here are my favourite brightening eyeshadows from my stash.

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Clockwise from top: B. Complete Eyeshadow Palette in 179 English Rose; MUA Trio Eyeshadow in Pink Sorbet; Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Synth; The Body Shop Eyecolour in 26 Shell Pink; Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Static.

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Above: Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Static. This looks white in the packaging, but it has a lilac/pink cast to it. You can see this much more clearly in the pigment that is sitting on the black lid. This is what the pigment looks like if worn over dark eyeliner, making it a very versatile eyeshadow. It can also be worn as a highlighter on cheekbones or lips.

Here are a couple of very blue toned swatch photos – sorry for the poor winter daylight, but these eyeshadows are very light anyway so I find it difficult to photograph them to show them at their best.

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From left to right: Illamasqua powder eyeshadow in Synth, Illamasqua pure pigment in Static, Body Shop Eyecolour in 26 Shell Pink

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From left to right: two lightest shades from MUA trio; two lightest shades from B.Complete Eyeshadow Palette

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In the photo above I’m wearing a mixture of the two lightest shades from the MUA palette. Along with my grown-out eyebrows I think this makes me look quite young and refreshed. I like it!

Saturday 19 January 2013

Happy January!

Hello and welcome to my first post of 2013! I’ve been having a bit of a break from blogging as I had such a crazy December and I needed some time to recuperate from Christmas! I’m back now though and have plenty of inspiration for posts so you’ll be seeing a lot more activity on Chilled Pink Grapefruit soon.

Did you make any beauty resolutions for 2013? I have a few general aspirations:

  • Simplify  - use fewer products, and be more faithful to old favourites instead of introducing a load of new products into my regime. Also, stress less about trying to look perfectly polished – just as long as I’m happy with the way I look, that’s good enough for me. It’s also useful to remember that even when you are interacting with someone closely they’re probably still going to be at least a metre away from your face, so there’s no sense in even thinking about how something looks in a magnifying mirror – it’s more realistic to examine how you look by standing slightly back from a normal mirror.
  • DIY – I’d like to have a go at creating some products at home.
  • Use up – I’m going to try to use up more products to clear up a bit of room in my stash. I’m not going to go on any “no buy” periods though, but instead just try to buy only those products that I know I will use and love and indulge a bit less in impulse shopping.

In line with my first resolution, I have a few photos to share today of my make-up looking less than perfect – and with that being absolutely fine by me. I popped some eyeshadow and eyeliner on this morning before heading out to meet a friend. It was a bit blustery today though so I ended up looking quite wind-swept by the time I got home, and only about half of my make-up actually had survived the afternoon. However, it was fine – it just looked a bit “lived in”, which I actually don’t mind.

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My eyeliner flick was all but gone, my eyeshadow had creased right off my eyelid, and as you can of course see, I’ve stopped plucking my eyebrows so there are several stray hairs growing underneath my arches.

However, the overall effect, windswept hair included, was fine, I think – evidence below!

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I think I look nice and chilled out – which is what this blog is all about, after all!