Brand Spotlight : Catrice

I've been trying a few bits out from Catrice lately and have been so impressed that I went on a bit of a splurge and bought almost everything they make except of course for the really cool looking gel cushion eyeliner which I don't seem to be able to get anywhere! 

I'm focusing on just a small amount of what I bought today  I just couldn't post about it all and I didn't choose favourites just grabbed what was first to hand. I have the HD foundation but have it ear marked for another post and the other bits might feature at some point too. 

First up the prime & fine tub, this is a mousse type primer that really reminds me of the clarins perfecting touch which was the first primer I ever owned. It evens out my skin and acts like a filler in my wrinkles giving me a lovely smooth surface to start with. This was € 5.49

Next I got the make up lightening drops I haven't used these extensively yet but picked them up because I have a double wear that's a shade too dark. They lightened it great but changed the texture slightly so not sure if that would impact on the application but for €3.95 it's a brilliant way to avoid throwing away product. I had wanted to try the darkening too but they were out of stock. 

I've always used the camouflage concealer in the little tub from Catrice so I wanted to give the liquid camouflage a try. I absolutely love it, it's managed to get the same coverage as the tub with a great liquid texture that lets your foundation go on really easy over and it's only € 3.95

I got the precision brow pencil after seeing it on lovely girly bits snapchat. It's so teeny I can't believe how thin it is and it does a fantastic job at filling in brows. It's  going to be a staple for me and I am already onto my second one retails at € 2.99

No haul is complete without lipstick. Catrice are well on trend with these ombré lipsticks I got them in shade rockabilly rosewood and not expired yet  . The rockabily rosewood is really wearable for everyday and the not expired yet is a really dramatic pop of colour for an occasion. Retailing at €5.50 

Well done Catrice really good quality at such bargain prices I'm definitely hooked! 

I ordered all my Catrice products from Inish Pharmacy and they came so quickly and no delivery charge because I spent over €40 (I think) also got a 5% discount which popped up while I was shopping. 

No samples in post. 

Budget face in Products 4

Hi everyone I cant believe its Friday again already! That means its time for the fourth installment of Budget Face in Products todays offering features products from W7, Essence, Barry M, Wet n Wild and Catrice.
I have tried something a little different today, I am going slightly au naturel and I am not wearing any foundation. I did a post earlier this week on a Physician Formula lip stain (find it here) and in my pics I wore only the lip no other make up so It inspired me to do this with no base, see how you like it and let me know with a comment at the end. As always the entire look comes in at under €20

First up as I wasnt using any base was the *W7 tea tree concealer in shade light/medium. This is a stick concealer and did give fairly good coverage. It was a little thick feeling on my skin but I do put that completely down to the fact that I had no base over It. The shade matched perfect. This actually held up really well considering It was all that I had used and hadn't even been set with powder. For this look I just drew it on with the stick and blended a little with a real techniques sponge. This concealer comes in at €4.98.

Next up was my brows for them I have used Catrice Eyebrow Filler this is an eyebrow gel with fibres to fill in gaps. I bought this as I had wanted to try this type of product since I heard of Benefit gimme brow. I just didnt like this Its not for me I need to at least try to sculpt my brows but this is for a more au-naturel look. for anyone who is looking for that look this would probably be a good product. It retails for €3.99 but I only paid €2 for it as part of a promo.

For my eyeshadow I have used *Essence Matte Glam eyeshadow in Frosted Apple this isnt normally a colour I would wear but I gave It a go and It actually started to grow on me as the day went on. Its a pink colour with lots of sparkle, there is a good bit of fall out from the shadow but still a nice pigment and good staying power. The shadow retails at €3.09 and at that price I would definitely purchase in a different colour.

Next on my eyes I used Wet n Wild Mega Protein Mascara. This retails at €2.99 and what can I say its a bit meh, I wasnt impressed with It and wouldnt wear again. Somebody who has naturally long curly lashes might like this but its just not for me.

Lastly I went with a bold lip in the form of *BarryM Loud Mouth. This is a lip gloss/stain and has a very bold colour. the shade I used was Diva. It looked a really dark maroon colour in the tube but was actually a lot more wearable while on the lip. Its not sticky which is nice but is a bit messy so I used a lip brush to apply and would reccommend to do the same. This retails at €5.99.

Todays look came in at the budget friendly price of €19.05! 

As always here is my before and after shots. I love when readers leave me comments and always read and reply to all.
*PR samples.

Makeup facts about me!

I've seen this post on a few blogs recently and thought it was a really fun way to let my blog readers know a little more about me.

What foundation do you use? 

Estée Lauder Double Wear is my go to foundation. 

What concealer? 

Right now I'm using and loving make up revolutions concealer palette. 

What do you think of fake lashes? 

Love them! I always wear them for special occasions. 

What brand of mascara do you use? 

Benefit They're Real! 

Sephora or Mac? 

No sephora here so I'll go mac. 

What makeup tools do you use? 

Brushes ( is that the right way to answer that?) 

Do you use primer for eyes? 

Sometimes. 

Primer for face? 

Sometimes. 

Favourite eyeshadow? 

Urban Decay Naked 1. 

Pencil or liquid eyeliner? 

Liquid. 

Favourite Lipstick? 

Mac creme sheen in speed dial.

Favourite Lipgloss? 

Clinique long last gloss in kissy fit. A lovely shiny girly pink! 

Favourite Blush? 

Hands down NARS Orgasm perfect blush for me! Strong colour with shimmer. 

Do you like drugstore make up? 

Yes! 

Consider taking makeup classes? 

Yes, I'd love to! 

Are you clumsy applying makeup? 

I'm not clumsy but I stick to what I know I'd love to be more adventurous. 

Colourful or Neutral? 

Both it depends on my mood I could be wearing brown one day and neon orange the next! 

Choose one makeup item? 

Mascara!!!!!

Best makeup line? 

For me this has been the toughest I love so many products from so many different lines that I'm cheating because I actually couldn't choose just one! 

I hope you guys enjoyed getting to know my makeup choices a little better! 

Why don't you take the quiz and share your answers it's all very fun! 

Face in Products 5 THE FINAL!!

Welcome to my final face in products post for this series!
I have really enjoyed doing these 5 posts I've learned how to apply some completely new to me products and have added some permanently to my makeup bag!

First up for the last post I decided to mix in some of my series favorites with some new products.

I'll start with concealer, Make up Revolution Concealer Palette, this is my favourite from the series by far. Its got so many different shades that you can cover up but also do a little contouring and highlighting with it. It is also a massive bargain. Its especially great for me in summer because I don't like to wear a heavy base so I can conceal and then use a light base :)

For my base I used EyesLipsFace Mineral Foundation, Ive really liked using this It was a great first experience of Mineral foundation. As the series went on I got more used to using this and more confident with it. Its perfect foundation for sunny summer days.

On my cheeks I used EyesLipsFace Blush & Contour. This was my first time to use both together and the colours really do compliment each other, shade I used was St.Lucia. I used the bronzer to contour cheekbones and the blush on apples of my cheeks for a flush of colour.

Today's eye make up used Urban Decay Naked2, I tried to do a little bit more of a dramatic eye without going overboard as It was still a daytime look. The Naked palettes are my go to for eyeshadow and Id very happily never use anything else forever, I can create such different looks from them :)

I used EyesLipsFace Liquid Eyeliner, to add some drama to my eye look. Its a great budget liner but can be a little hard to apply you need a very steady hand!

For my brows I used MakeUp Revolution Brow Kit. Its a great kit for the price, it has everything for a quick brow look and would make a great travel kit as it includes a mini tweezers too.

Finally for mascara I tested a new one here Clinique high impact mascara, its easy to apply and gave my lashes length good for a day look but didn't give me the fullness i usually look for in a mascara.

My lipstick in this look is seventeen stay pout in shade its a kiss off.
I've been really loving bold lipstick lately it completely changes a whole look and takes a natural look to dramatic :)

here are my selfies, this series has me wanting to never leave my bedroom without makeup, but all in the name of blogging!
I really hope you enjoyed this face in products series, I have really enjoyed testing and writing it.
I am working on a similar series so would love to hear your thoughts on this one.

you can find me on twitter @clareken86
Instagram: sparkleblossombeauty

Haul from Make Up Revolution

I placed my first order with www.makeuprevolutionstore.com last week and spent all of this week waiting excitedly and praying for the postman to bring it to me quickly.
I got my package yesterday and eeekkkk was I so excited I couldn't wait to get testing.

My haul included Concealer Palette in light, kajal, cream blush, blush, eyebrow kit, bronzer and 2lipsticks.
First of all I'm very impressed with all the packaging the concealer especially screams high-end and the kajal has a really cool design that I thought was really fun.
Now to investigate each product a little closer ......

First up is Cover & Conceal the concealer palette. I bought this in light and there is a really good variety of shades. There is also the bonus of having a really good sized mirror for application.
I'm 28 so have a lot of use for concealer as my face is not as fresh as it once was boo!! I have pretty dark bags under my eyes, red patches and despite my age still get breakouts on my chin.
I messed around to get the shades right and then applied my make up at 8am, It is now 5:30 and after a hectic day I still look fresh faced woohoo! so It definitely has staying power. The coverage is as good as any concealer I have ever used texture is beautifully creamy not stiff and hard like a lot of these palettes can be. I also tried out (bear in mind I'm a normal person not a make-up artist!) some contouring on my cheeks and It really did work. I'm sure someone who actually knows how to contour properly would be able to do even more amazing things with this palette. This is a definite thumbs up from me.

Next up is the Kajal. Now I have to admit I bought this because I was intrigued by its looks rather than any real intention to use day to day. So when It arrived I was pleased to find It was cooler than I originally thought! It kind of looks like a mix of a lipstick and a crayon fun eh! So when It came to testing It stayed just as good as It looked, the colour transfer was instant very easy to apply and I created a lovely smudged eye line with it which would look fab as part of a smokey eye.

This is the Focus & Fix EYEBROW SHAPING KIT.
I find It hard to get a brow powder in the right shade for my blond brows but the top right colour is perfect for me. This brow kit has all the basics with the addition of a little tweezers for strays. The price is great and its a definite contender to become a staple.

Next up I tested powder Blush in Treat. Its a coral/peachy colour and the packaging is tidy and functional. The colour is a lot stronger than It appears to be so Id advise to use sparingly and build the colour. That makes it my type of blush as I love strong blush and hate when I buy one that has a very light colour. I'd definitely repurchase and try other shades too.

I also got 2 lipsticks one for me and one for an upcoming giveaway Ill be running. The one for me is lipstick in shade dare. This has a slight candy lipstick scent to It when you open It which made me a little unsure. Once I did apply I found this was the most beautiful shade of red and made me feel like a classic Hollywood movie star! The colour was strong and vibrant and It was easy enough to put on though it did drag my lips a little. While It was on my lips felt dry as If the lipstick was sucking all the moisture from them. Considering the cost and how amazing my lips looked I overlooked the dry feeling, which btw was just that once it was off they felt fine again so it did not in fact suck the moisture from my lips!!

Finally my absolute favourite from the haul, the holy grail if you will, Cream Blush in Peach Cream.
Wowzer forget anti-ageing creams this is (in my opinion of course!) youth in a pot. This colour, the texture....... there are no words, but I am a blogger so there are always words! This is the colour I imagine a cherubs cheeks to be, when I put it on my face just glowed and looked so radiant. I honestly think It erased about 5 years off me! The texture is slightly stiff I'd like it to be a little creamier to send It over the edge of perfection.It lasts pretty much all day 8-5:30 and It goes on easily with both fingers and a duo fibre stipple brush, although I preferred the colour my fingers gave. This has made it into my permanent make-up bag and will be making it in to my cart in multiple numbers and a few other shades in my next make up revolution order because there will certainly be a next order. Thank you make-up revolution!