The Cosmetics Company Store haul 2

I worked a lot of extra hours all over Christmas so decided to spend some of my overtime money in The Cosmetics Company Store. I'm supposed to be saving but that hasn't really gone to plan. :P

 

 L-R:

• Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in 'Sand'. I bought this product last time too (link) & am very impressed with how it helps to conceal undereye dark circles & corrects. Not a big fan of the powder it comes with below it though - it seems to ruin its effect :-S
• MAC Cremesheen Glass in 'Right Image'. A pretty bubblegum pink gloss with a hint of sparkle.
• Estee Lauder Pure Color gloss in 'Pink Shine'. Actually more coral than pink & this feels SO moisturising on the lips.
• MAC Select Moisture Coverup in 'NC23'. When i tried out the tester of this in the shop I thought the colour and consistency would be good for undereye circles, and so far so good :)
• MAC Greasepain Stick in 'GreenGrease'. I love this as an eyeliner and it stays put for ages.
• MAC Beauty Powder in 'Briar Rose' (see below) A fairly bright blue-toned pink & I look forward to trying this out tonight. Also love the packaging.

Artwork by Steve Smith

UK based artist.

Incredible use of light in his acrylic paintings, & I love how fresh, bold & colourful each of his paintings are - they are full of sunlight (unlike this country).

More images can be found on his website but there is little info on this artist, I only discovered him on MySpace when I had an account for my art years ago.

EOTD - smokey eye using various palettes

Base & inner eye: Pink shade of 17's 'Peep Show' eyeshadow palette

Crease: mixture of the two purple shades in Topshop's 'Smouldering' eyeshadow palette

Outer corner/wing & under-eye: charcoal brown shade of Elizabeth Arden's 'Sueded Browns' palette

Pressed lightly over the top to give depth: Urban Decay's 'Half Baked' shadow from their 'NAKED' palette.

Eyeliner: Prestige black waterproof kohl liner

Liquid eyeliner: Collection 2000 24 hr stay liquid liner

Mascara: Dior Iconic layered with Lancome Hypnose Drama (both in Black)

Laura Mercier Christmas Sets

Laura Mercier Travel Brush Kit

Contains:

• Double-ended Secret Camouflage/Camouflage Powder Brush
• Double-ended Flat Eyeliner/Smudge Brush
• Double-ended Brow Definer/Brow Grooming Brush
• Double-ended All over Eye Color/Pony Tail
• Full-size Finishing Brush

My favourite brushes from this set are the Finishing Brush as it's so so soft & perfect for use of loose powder, & the Double-ended Brow Definer/Brow Grooming Brush - since using this I've not looked back at any of the other brushes I used to use for my brows, the slanted end of this brush helps shape them accurately & perfectly.

For a more in-depth review with better quality images, view this post.

Crème Brûlée Trio

 

 This set is extremely cute..It includes a Body Cream, Body Scrub & Bath cream. So far I've used mostly the scrub, and a hell of a lot of the Bath cream (think I go a bit overboard & probably shouldn't use quite as much as I do for one bath.) 

In hindsight I wish I'd purchased one of the other sets in this range, as for me the Creme Brulee scent is just too strong & using the scrub I actually feel sick. (Sorry but it's true.) A little of the body cream I can handle, but I mean a LITTLE, as again the smell of it is quite strong.

The 'mini honey dipper' it comes with is a nice touch & obviously great for stirring in the Honey Bath. The glass jar trio looks lovely in your room or bathroom,

& this set is currently on sale in Space NK. 

Barry M - Rasberry (classic)

I love wearing this shade. The slight pink to it makes it different to my other red nailpolishes & it looks great when my nails have grown to a longer length.

The only problem I've found, with wearing all reds actually, is the damage it does to my nails in the end. I find reds make them peel, split, & just generally feel a bit damaged :(

But 10/10 for this polish - classic shade & the application, as always with Barry M polishes, was great. Only needed 1 coat.

Free 17 Peep Show Eyeshadow Palette

...With the purchase of 17's Peep Show mascara (introductory price £5.29, usually £6.29)

This palette is ALOT better than I originally thought/expected - the colours are highly pigmented & you need just the tiniest amount so it'll last a fair while. (Currently skint but if I wasn't I'd definitely purchase the mascara again just for a backup of this palette before they stop the offer!)

Top left is a slightly matte ashy-brown, top right is a matte charcoal black, bottom left is a shimmery pink (great for opening up the eyes) & bottom right is a shimmery paler beige.

I've found myself reaching for this every morning because practically all the colours I'd need for an everyday smokey-eye are in there, so it saves me a lot of time in the morning as I don't need to rummage through my collection for individual shades. 

The mascara is pretty good. It's an intense black (which I like), which you need quite a few coats off to get a volumised look but it does the job - it separates & lengthens, and to be honest I tried this on one eye & Dior's Iconic on the other - & there wasn't much difference. Wearing this mascara I also got a few comments during the day on how long my lashes looked. So for £5.29 for this, AND the palette, it's a complete bargain & thumbs up from me.

17 is sold at Boots stores.