Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick | Review

I've wanted to try something by Charlotte Tilbury for a while, she's one of my favourite make up artists and I love her work with MAC (sounds cliché). I've known about her own make up line for a while now and have only just managed to get my hands on one of her lipsticks (Thanks to my brother's girlfriend).

Honestly I think the packaging is absolutely killer! I love the old Hollywood vibe mixed with the modern hint of rose gold in the packaging. I think everything about this packaging scream sophistication and elegance.

The shape of the bullet is completely unique to anything that I have ever seen, The square shaped top surprisingly makes it easier to create a defined lip. The lipsticks have that amazing vanilla smell as well which make me very happy.

This shade is called Bond Girl and it is absolutely gorgeous! I reminds me of a lighter version of MAC Diva which is ideal for those who don't want an ultra dark lip. I paired this up with MAC Burgundy Lip Liner and I think the match is outstanding. The formulation is also really creamy and smooth so that the matte finish isn't irritating or even drying to the lips, unlike so many matte formulas.


These lipsticks retail for £23 so this is definitely one of the more luxe products out there but I assure you that this is worth every single penny.


Have you tried Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick, what do you think?
Also, what other products would you recommend from Charlotte Tilbury?

Speak soon
Roo xx  

Anastasia Beverly Hills Fair Contour Kit | Review

A few weeks ago I read that ABH was releasing a Fair Cream Contour Kit to go alongside their existing shade collections Light, Medium and Deep. Obviously this was very exciting to me because it meant to say that I could try the kit out for myself because the new option is light enough for my complexion.

I really love their existing contour powders so now having a cream option is really quite exciting for me. I had been following the hype behind the cream kits for a while so I knew about the general consensus of them so I wasn't dissuaded in my want for this one.


The kits consist of 6 cream shades, 3 lighter shades for highlighting and 3 for contouring and bronzing. What I do like is that with the deeper bronzing shades they haven't added any shimmer or glow that you might find in powder bronzers.


The top row consists of (from left to right) Soft Light, Lustre and Fair

I typically use Soft light on areas of my face that need lightened but not specifically highlighted (i.e the space between my jaw and my cheek contour.

Lustre is a highlighter with a pearl finish, for fair skin tones this is ideal as the shimmer is white/ silver which will work well with cooler and paler skin tones. I will only ever use this on the tops of my cheek bones and my brow bone. I feel like the shimmer would be too intense to use anywhere else.

Fair is what I use as my main brightening shade that I will apply under the eyes, down the nose, on the forehead and on my chin. Out of all the shades in the palette, this one was what I wanted the most and it really lives up to my expectations.



The bottom contouring/bronzing shades are (again, left to right) Fawn, Shadow and Mink

Fawn is my main contouring shades as it's not too dark but it provides enough pigment to help define my cheekbones. This is  quite a cool tone shade and that is what you want for your contour because you want to create a realistic shadow, which a warm tone won't do.

Shadow is a bit confusing for me, only because of the name. I would use this for bronzing rather than contour because shade is warmer on me. Really I'll only apply this to the perimeters of my forehead and possible on top of my contour but only lightly.

Mink is the darkest of the shades and I haven't used this one so far because I thin it might be too dark for my skin on an every day basis. I will reserve this shade for more costumey make up where I really need to carve out my cheekbones.


Personally I really love this palette and I think it's helped me take my make up game to a whole new level. I would only suggest that you be careful of how you layer your products with this kit, I applied a eye primer first and it clung weirdly to the primer. I would also say that once you've blended out the areas that usually crease apply a powder directly after.

Another thing I really like about the ABH palettes is that it seems to give you the option of reordering a single shade so that you don't have to buy a whole new palette if you run out of your most used shade (genius!)


Have you tried these palettes? let me know what you think in the comments.

Speak soon

Roo xx

Smashbox #SHAPEMATTERS Palette | Review

Hi All!

Today I've got my coffee by my side and a great new palette that everyone needs to get their hands on. I've been a fan of Smashbox for a fair while now and whilst I don't make it my objective to buy everything and anything they have ever made, there was an offer that I could not resist in the form of the new Shape Matters palette.

Strange lighting, horrible white cast :/ 

I feel relatively lucky as I was able to get this palette for only £30 from Boots, unfortunately I don't know of internationally offers and this price has since ended and is now back to full retail. I would recommend that if you are in the UK, and have a Boots Advantage Card, that you wait until one of their point events to buy it, that way you will at least get a lot more points for it.

Even at the full £60 price mark I think that this is one of the most worthwhile products I have seen in a while and I think it is truly worth investing in. This palette also includes their existing contour kit, albeit downsized slightly, with an added highlight shade. It also features a brow kit (with a cleverly included lid for the wax), a whopping 9 eye shadows and also a high quality, dual ended brush that caters for both the brows and the eyes.

The Brow Kit

I've only just started to stray away from my usual brow pencil to experiment with powders, so I am a bit of a novice when it comes to this. The brow kit includes a light shade (Taupe) and a darker shade (Soft Brown),

Speaking to others who use this palette I know that they tend to use either the Taupe or the Soft Brown but I think I am able to fall into the category where I can use both. I start by filling in the brow with the lighter shade and then I add dimension with the darker shade on the tail of my brow. I really like the fact that they have included 2 shades to make it more versatile but even if you only use one the other will make for a nice eyeshadow. I also love that there has been a wax included with this as it means there is more control over the shape of your brows.


The Contour Kit

I wouldn't got out of my way to buy the full size Smashbox Contour Kit and that's down the the fact that I am highly unlikely to use two thirds of the kit considering my fair complexion. despite this I still think it is an excellent kit for those with a slightly darker skin tone than I have. This kit includes Contour, Bronze, Highlight and Glow. Typically I will only use Contour and Glow because I think they work well with my skin tone but because the shades are so easy to manipulate I tend to toss Bronze and Highlight on the lids instead as they are another product that work extremely well as eye shadows, so the options aren't too limited.


The Eye Kit

This set of shadows is beyond unbelievable! 9 shadows, 6 of which I would say are matte and the other 3 are outstanding shimmer shades. I really feel like the shades have had a lot of thought behind them as it would have been easy enough to keep it as a very neutral selection but they have thrown in a few unexpected colours whilst keeping it very inoffensive.

The top row includes;

- Vanilla: Matte off-white/ cream (Almost doesn't show up on my arm due to it being close to my skin tone)
- Totally Nude: A medium rose pink neutral matte shade
- Champagne: Light golden shade with high shimmer

The middle row includes;

- Stripped: A warm light matte brown
- Posh: Pink with a hint of purple with intense shimmer
- Platinum: Warm silver shade with high shimmer

The bottom row includes:

- Sumatra: Rich deep brown matte shade
- Aubergine: Deep plum matte shade
- Blackout: Intense matte black


These shadows are fantastic and whilst I would say that the shimmers shades are far more pigmented, I think that the mattes are easier to control making them user friendly for less experienced make up users.

This palette really offers diverse usage and allows you to change up your look without changing your products.

What are your opinions on this palette, do you think it's worth the price tag? Let me know.

Speak soon

Roo xx

September 2015 Birchbox

It's here! My favourite day of the month, after pay day and that is when my Birchbox arrives and I get to find out what goodies I have received.

This month Birchbox are turning five and this months theme is all centred around their 'Birchday'.
Honestly I think this has been my favourite out of the 4 boxes I have had so far - not a lot really but I really like this box.

So here's the low down on the treats inside this month's box,


BLISS FOOT PATROL - £18.50
I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to buy a foot treatment unless I really needed it despite knowing that I should take more care of my feet considering how important they are.

This contains aloe leaf and peppermint so is bound to be really refreshing. I am really excited to try this and it will no doubt be tonight's treat.


LAQA & CO CHEEKY LIP PENCIL IN HUMBLE BRAG - £17
I've seen this brand floating around on other blogs but I'd never tried it for myself. I'm always a sucker for a good lip product so seeing this in the box made me quite happy. The shade Humble Brag is a matte shade that I would liken very much to MACs Snob. I did find that this, despite being matte, was really comfortable on the lip and didn't dry them out at all. This also has absolutely no fragrances which is neither here nor there for me but if you aren't a fan of smell then this is a great product to try.

JOHN MASTERS ORGANICS CITRUS AND NEROLI DETANGLER - £16
I was really excited when I saw this because I recently had my hair done and whilst I was there the hairdresser put a leave in conditioner/ detangler in my hair and I thought I should get one. Seen as it's in the box then it means that I don't have to go out and buy one. Seriously though, this smells so amazing and makes my hair feel clean and soft.


PAULA'S CHOICE SKIN PERFECTING LIQUID EXFOLIANT - £23.50
I genuinely believe that this is pretty much the same as Alpha-H Liquid Gold (correct me if I'm wrong). It's the only sort of product that I can compare this to, It's pretty much a toner but this one contains 2% BHA which will help combat oily, irritated and blemish prone skin. I can't say I see the effects of this just yet but given that it takes often months to see any differences then I may just have to wait and update you on this one.

BENEFIT THE POREFESSIONAL: LICENCE TO BLOT - £15.50
I'm sure I am not alone in thinking that this would be the stand out product for this month's box. I'm still dubious about this product and so it has been sat on my vanity for longer than I would like to admit without being used. I'm not sure I even fully understand it. I get that it is supposed to be a stick alternative to blotting papers but I don't want to risk it in case it wipes away my make up. I'm going to look into this a bit more but feel free to leave some pointers in the comments.


THE BIRCHBRUSH - £5.99
We all know that this is essentially the Tangle Teaser and having actually used one before I can give you a comparison based on that. If I am truly honest I don't think there is an ounce of difference between the two. I like the Tangler Teaser and I like the Birchbrush. I would highly recommend using a detangler before attempting to use them, it allows you to appreciate the brush far more.


I am really into this month's box and I think there is an excellent selection of products with great value. I'm really looking forward to what next month's box has in store and I will try my best to keep you up to date with my opinions on these products.

Let me know your thoughts on the box!

Speak soon
Roo xx

Have I Finally Met My (Drugstore Foundation) Match?

We all know that drugstore foundation can be a bit of a minefield, it certainly is for me. Too many times I've gone in with high hopes expecting to find a great foundation and then left either with a slightly off colour or with nothing at all. I really do enjoy the feeling of spending loads on a high end foundation but they really aren't everything and I feel like I was missing out on the opportunity to try some of the amazing drugstore foundations out there. So is it true? Have I finally met my match?

It's quite strange, I've hovered about the L'Oreal True Match section for years, thinking one day either they'll change or I will and truth be told I'm not sure which one it was. I'm convinced that I have looked at the shade C1 Beige Rose a thousand times and it's never matched my skintone but on my most recent visit it just seemed to work (Chorus of angels singing Hallelujah in the background). So I nabbed it before I changed my mind.

Key Points:
- Light/ Medium coverage
- Matte finish
- Lightweight feel
- Good shade selection
- SPF 17

I apply this with my beautyblender because personally I think it gives the most even and natural finish. This is definitely a good match for me, whilst I still blend down the neck I almost find little need to because the colour is so spot on. I do think this is a good foundation, especially for make up newbies but I did find that after a couple of hours the make up began to separate and disappear despite using a setting powder and a good primer. The foundation does blend excellently so I think it's pretty difficult to mess this one up. I'll definitely keep using this but I think I'm still in search of my holy grail foundation.


Have you tried L'Oreal True Match Foundation?

Speak soon
Roo xx