Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation Review

                                                                            Hey Dolls,

Today I am reviewing Illamasqua's most famous product: Skin Base Foundation. I picked this up from Selfridges in London for £27. You can buy it from an Illamasqua counter or online. 

I have wanted to try this product for SUCH a long time, I am still unsure why it has taken me so long to finally try it. I settled into a patch of only using MAC's Face & Body which I still love dearly but had a tendency to come off throughout the day so because of that I decided to take the plunge and purchase this.

Illamasqua's description of Skin Base Foundation is as follows:

"Inspired by the cult Asian market Beauty Balm creams, Skin Base Foundation is a brand new, refined formula unlike anything on the UK market. Easily blendable, it effortlessly creates a perfect complexion, and like the entire Illamasqua foundation range, is undetectable in a professional HD environment. Suitable for all skin types, it smoothes, softens and conditions your skin whilst providing natural, buildable coverage.

The Ultimate 'Skin Realism' Foundation."

I love Ilamasqua products and especially their foundations as they have SUCH a huge range of shades including pure white or jet black, no matter how pale or dark you are you will find a shade. They also have an amazing shade comparison chart (available HERE) 

I was also given a product called Skin Base Mixer which is a highly pigmented cream product, I chose a shade in a dark brown which is PERFECT to contour with. They also had them in pure white and corrective shades. This was free although I am not sure if you get these when you buy online. 

I love the packaging, it is a very thick plastic bottle, although once it starts to run low I am unsure how easy it will be to get the last of the product out. 

It has a medium buildable coverage which NEVER looks cakey on my combination skin. I love how effortless the coverage is and how natural it looks. This foundation covers amazingly but lets your skin shine through. 

Here I am wearing shade 7 which is a PERFECT match for my pale skin. 

Vampfangs Immortal Scents Reviewed

Hey Dolls,
So unsurprisingly as I am a GOTHinista I like heavy, unusual and distinctive scents. It was only when I was scouring the web looking for one last year that I discovered Vampfangs' website. The second I saw a scent called Salem Witch Shoppe I bought it! And boy oh boy am I glad I did! It is still my favourite scent and my boyfriend loves it on me too so I recently added another of their collection "Funeral Parlour" to my stash and I thought it time to share my thoughts on them both with you.

They come in clear perspex boxers which are clearly labelled, very sturdy and whilst not the prettiest packaging in the world, it is far from horrific. 

The actual bottle of fragrance is housed in a cool black coffin shaped box, filled with white padding to keep the glass bottle safe.

These scents are concentrated oils, the bottle may look small but they last a LONG time and you need a tiny amount. My bottle of Salem Witch Shoppe has been used nearly every day since July last year and the bottle looks just as full as it did when I bought it! 

Salem Witch Shoppe:

Vampfangs describes the scent like this: 

"As a tribute to Salem, as well as a commemoration of the start of Vampfangs, we are releasing a new scent. "Salem Witch Shop" is an aroma combining such fragrances as incense, old books, herbs and musk. A limited edition, "Salem Witch Shop" is an uncanny and nostalgic replica.

Simply spell-binding. This scent was designed for both men and women".

This scent is GORGEOUS! And their description is perfect. If you have ever been to an old wicca shop or similar this will be instantly familiar. It smells quite strong and you only need a tiny ammount but it smells wonderful! Old herbs, books, incense and other warm and homely smells. This smells totally unique and lasts forever on the skin. I can't rave about this scent enough. It is perfect.

Funeral Parlour: 

"Hand created and poured right here at Vampfangs! The most unique body scent you will every find! LIMITED EDITION! Designed to smell like an actual funeral parlor! This scent was created for both men and women.

After the overwhelming success of the scent "Funeral Linen," some pleased customers urged the owner of Vampfangs to release a "Funeral Parlor" scent, to which he simply said "...EWW." The difficulty that came along with perfecting such a delicate and bone-chilling fragrance seemed far too time-consuming. Till now..... 

Thus, the scent Funeral Parlor was born. We cannot tell you how we made it or why we can only sell small quantities of it. But, be advised that this is a limited edition for a good reason. There is no more and there will be no more after these bottles are gone. Poured and packaged, by hand, by Mercy Parker and the owner of Vampfangs, we bring you the one and only scent "Funeral Parlor". Simply to die for."

This is the latest scent I have purchased from Vampfangs, I was intrigued by the description. It is MUCH softer than Salem Witch Shoppe which I like and it really does smell eerie and familiar. If you have been to a funeral you will recognize this scent immediately! It is soft, creepy and I really love it! 

These scents can be bought from www.vampfangs.com 

Sugarpill Heart Breaker Palette & Dollipop Reviewed

Hey Dolls,
Today I am reviewing both the Heart Breaker Palette and Dollipop by indie cosmetic brand Sugarpill.

Kryolan Products: Reviewed And Swatched!

Hey Dolls,
So today after a surprise visit in college today from Kryolan with a HUGE array of products for us to play with in tow, I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to take loads of pictures and share my thoughts on a load of their products with you.

This will be a MASSIVE post and very heavy on pictures, it is fair to say I got a little (VERY) over excited.

Looking at the piles of cosmetics and equipment stacked up on the tables I felt like a slightly more masculine Alice in a colourful, glittery, powdery Wonderland!

MAC Mineralize Moisture SPF15 Foundation

Hey Dolls,

Today I am reviewing the latest foundation by MAC Cosmetics. It is their Mineralize Moisture SPF15 Foundation.

Manic Panic Hot Hot Pink Review

Hey Dolls,

Today I am reviewing the classic formulation of Manic Panic's Hot Hot Pink. I purchased this dye from Blue Banana for £9.50p

1940's Burlesque Photoshoot.

                          

Hey Dolls, 

These are the images from my 1940's burlesque photoshoot, although some people wrongly assume the 1940's was the end of the burlesque era this is NOT true, it was one of the most popular eras for the art of burlesque and this shoot is my homage to that. A huge thank you to my stunning model. 

xoxo

Channel 4: The Hunted Reviewed

Hey Dolls,

Today I am writing a short piece about the Dispatches documentary The Hunted. Just from the trailer I knew this would open up all sorts of old wounds for two reasons, 1 I am a big campaigner for human rights and 2 I have known several people driven to drastic self destructive action after receiving abuse for their sexuality.

So it was with bated breath that on 10pm Wednesday night I sat down to watch the program whilst chatting to my boyfriend on Facebook. It is fair to say neither he nor I have ever been so appalled or shocked in our lives. It is by far the single most disturbing thing I have witnessed.

I really feel that everyone needs to see this masterpiece of a documentary before they die, it would change a lot of views about homophobia.

One of the most striking things is how grateful I feel after watching it. I am grateful that I can walk hand in hand with my boyfriend in relative safety where I live, and that, I feel, is something that will stay with me for a VERY long time.

I don't think I have cried as much or for as long as I did after watching The Hunted, neither my boyfriend or I could believe what we had witnessed. It was such a well presented, well conceived piece of journalism that it will stay with me for a very long time.

One of the things that saddens me most is that there is not more I could do right now to help the people affected in Russia, I can only imagine what it must be like to live in constant fear.

If you get the chance PLEASE watch and support this film, I guarantee it will change the way you see the world around you.  

New Years Resolutions A month latter...

Hey Dolls,
So I made my "New Year. New Me" post on the 5th of January and I thought I would share a little update with you all.

So whilst I set no massive resolutions for myself, there were some little things I wished to address and change, the first thing was to follow my own advice and improve my diet and the way I look after my body. I have to say I am already seeing a BIG difference in myself just by including more protein into my diet.

The biggest thing to happen already was me meeting someone! I have been on a couple of dates with someone recently and it is fair to say I am the happiest I have ever been right now. It is something I have never really expected to find and that makes it even sweeter. So in that aspect of my life I am on cloud fucking 9 right now.

I have also overcome one of my biggest demons, to get onto the course I have wanted to do since I was eight years old I needed to pass L2 maths, maths being something I have struggled with my whole life...I am pleased to say I passed my recent mock exams with 80% and I am in for my final exams in March!

My Blog keeps on growing more and more and it is only thanks to my beautiful readers and everyone that likes and shares my posts on Social Media. So thank you all for that, it is crazy to see something I created from scratch a few months back at nearly 5000 views!

I hope you are all having a wonderful 2014!
Until next time.

xoxo

How To Get BRIGHT, Unnaturally Coloured Hair

Hey Dolls,
So anyone who has been following me for awhile or anyone that knows anything about me personally will know that I have always wanted BRIGHT coloured hair. It is only recently that I have finally plucked up the courage to do it! So I thought I'd share with my beautiful readers some tips for keeping their new hair vibrant.