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Hey loves!

I'm back with a review for you guys.  I have been meaning to work on this one for quite some time now, and I'm finally getting around to it.  I have put myself right on a low buy list, so pretty much everything I'm going to be reviewing on here will be things that are already in my collection.  My plan is to get back into project panning that way I can work through my massive stash (only to go on another spree around Christmas).  I know I can't resist all the releases that happen around Christmas, but until then I'm going to shop my stash as much as I can.  Of course I'll still be keeping up with new releases, and if something really catches my eye I might just go for it.



Like I mentioned above, I have had this post on my list for quite some time.  I actually placed my order from Bleach London last summer, in June I believe, when the brand launched their makeup line.  I heard about the brand launching the makeup line prior to the launch since I follow Lou Teasdale, the celebrity hair and makeup artist, behind the launch of the makeup side of Bleach.  If that name sounds familiar, the you may be a fan of One Direction.  Lou was the hair and makeup artist for the boys through the entirety of the band, and she will occasionally work with Harry Styles these days.  Her sister Sam Teasdale, and friend Alex Brownsell founded Bleach London with their focus on hair color, and if you check out their website you will definitely see their adventurous color line. 

Quickly I'm going to mention a few things I remember about the launch of the makeup line.  I definitely recall the website taking quite a bit to load, but once I was able to get through things ran fine until I went to check out.  I was able to add everything I wanted to my cart; however, once I got to the point where I would need to put in my card information nothing would load so I just quit trying after a few attempts.  At the time, international shipping from the UK to the states £20, so I went ahead and added a bunch of different items so I would be able to get a good handle on the brand.  Not to mention their prices are rather affordable.  I was able to get through on the check out the next day without any issues.  The other thing I remember about the website was how confusing it was to order their eyeshadows.  Since the website was being rather glitchy, and images and descriptions weren't quite showing up correctly I was having to guess on colors I wanted which isn't exactly the worst thing in the world.  In the end I ordered two matte shadows, one metallic eyeshadow, three highlighters, and two lip kits.

Remember how I mentioned that I ordered in the summer?  I knew shipping would take a bit since the items were coming from London, and since the brand was new; however, I never imagined how long it was actually going to take.  I received the two lip kits in August after I received an email from the brand needing my address because of a system error.  After that, I had to wait around another month for the rest of my order to arrive; however, I am happy to state that everything I ordered arrived in once piece.

Let's talk about the lip kits first, shall we?  You can see the packaging of both of the kits above.  I have to say that I love this packaging the most from the brand.  Each box has an image of lips that are wearing the color of the kit.  The lip kits are currently available in 8 colors for £12 each, and each of those kits come with a small lip pencil and a liquid lipstick which match.

As you can see to the left, the two kits I purchased were "I Saw Red", and "Rosé".  "I Saw Red" is a vibrant warm red that I saw on Lou Teasdale and immediately wanted it on my lips.  That is such a strange statement for me since I really don't reach for bright reds very often, but when I do I want one that is going to stay in place.  As for Rosé, I was expecting to be a little less pink, but regardless I wanted to try out a color I would be more likely to reach for on the daily.  The formula is far from the worst I have tried; however, the pencil is definitely on the stiff side and the liquid lipstick can lean a bit on the dry side.  I wasn't really surprised by any of these things, since liquid lipsticks always dry my lips out.  I'm also terrible about exfoliating my lips before wearing them so they will definitely show every flaky bit on my lips.  One thing I realized while I was looking around the website to write this post is that Bleach London also offers hair dyes in some of the same shades, such as "I See Red".


As I mentioned above, I also grabbed three of the four highlighters offered by Bleach London.  The highlighters, or "Legal High Lights", from left to right in the above photo are Blullini, Rose, and Berwick Street Floor.  As you can see Blullini looks white in the pan, but when it is applied to the skin it is actually a pink highlighter.  Of the three highlighters Blullini is definitely my favorite because the other two are full of a chunkier glitter.  I believe the fourth highlighter offered is a gold version that is similar to the other two I purchased, and Blullini is the only one offered by the brand that is a finer powder.

You can see the swatches of the three "Legal High Lights" I purchased to the right, and yes I know I spelled Blullini wrong in the photo.  As you can see in the swatches, and like I mentioned above, Blullini is a color shifting highlighter that appears white in the pan, and pink when the light hits it.  Rosé is by far the most wearable shade for me since it is a beautiful rose shade that has a golden shift with the glitter, and Berwick Street Floor is an orange tone with a golden shift with the glitter in it.  I love to use Berwick Street Floor as an eyeshadow for myself; however, I feel that if you have deeper skin than me I think that it would look fantastic as a highlighter.  All three of these highlighters along with one other shade, Golden Shower (appears to be a gold highlighter similar in texture to Berwick Street Floor, and Rosé) are all available on the Bleach London website for £4.50 each.


Above you can see the three eyeshadows or "Louder Powders" I ended up purchasing in my little haul from Bleach.  Two matte shadows, and one metallic.  Overall I'm incredibly happy with the three shades I ended up with considering I was essentially shooting blind on what I was going to end up with.  The matte brown eyeshadow on the far left is "B 3ma" which is a shade I personally love to use as a transition shadow, or even by itself when I am having a particularly lazy day.  The second shadow is "ISR4sh" which is a color I don't have a ton of in my collection.  I don't really wear red eyeshadows very often, but I do like to have a pigmented red when I go for it and this one definitely fits that bill.  This shadow, and all other products from Bleach London, is a vegan eyeshadow.  Now if you know anything about red eyeshadows, typically the red pigment comes from carmine which is not a vegan product.  Sometimes it is hard to find a pigmented, vegan red eyeshadow so it is great that this is an option on the market. 

The last eyeshadow I purchased was "GP4me" which is a metallic "Louder Powder".  You cans see in the swatch to the side that it is a deep taupe-grey that has a multicolored shimmer through the shadow.  I love the look of this shadow all over the lid with just a bit of the brown shade through my crease for a quick look that really looks like I tried harder than I did.  The fallout from this shadow is really just upon initial application for me, so I pack a little bit more powder under my eyes before I apply the shadow and wipe away the fallout with the excess powder.  As for the other two shadows, they are densely packed in the pan and don't have much fallout, or powder kickup when you run your brush around the pan but pick up just fine and apply well and blend easily.

Bleach London Small BYO Palette £8 holds 9 eyeshadows
(photo: Bleach London's website)
The "Louder Powders" are available in 33 different shades for £3 each, and the "Metallic Louder Powders" are available in 6 shades for £5 each.  You can purchase a magnetic palette from Bleach London's website as well, and fill it with the shadows.  The large BYO Palette is £10 and fits 28 eyeshadows, or the small BYO Palette is £8 and fits 9 shadows. 

Overall I love my products from Bleach London, and love the branding of the company.  Even with the crazy shipping time, and wondering if my order had gotten lost I completely understand since it was an initial launch of this branch of the brand and there had been a ton of build up and excitement leading up to the launch.  I eventually received all of my products and they were all in one piece so I am completely happy.  Bleach London sent out the products as they were available, so I received my products in two different shipments a few months apart.  Be sure to check out Bleach London's website for some really great, affordable products for hair and makeup.  If you are in the UK you can book an appointment right from their website, and check to see if their products are in a shop near you. 

I hope you guys found this useful.  Like I mentioned above, I have placed myself on a low buy for this year because I went so crazy buying things around Christmas last year, so many of my reviews on this blog are going to be of products I have hanging around (if I'm honest it's products I have been meaning to review for a long time).  Have you tried anything from Bleach London?  If so let me know your favorites! 




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Hey guys,


My oh my it has been quite a while since I have posted on here!  I started a new job at the end of April and I have been incredibly busy since that time.  (I know this is an excuse you have heard before!)  I honestly haven't had the time to keep up with product launches in a while; however, I was scrolling YouTube several weeks ago now and I saw a review of these Maybelline Color Jolt lip paints, and I knew I needed to try them out for myself.


When I saw the packaging Maybelline used for the product I immediately thought of the Too Faced Melted lipsticks.  As it turns out the product is incredibly similar, and I found three dupes in my collection.  The Maybelline Color Jolts have the same applicator as the Too Faced lipsticks, and apply in a very similar fashion.   The Maybelline product contains 0.21 ounces of product and retail for $9.99 at Ulta while the full sized Too Faced Melted lipsticks contain 0.4 ounces and retail for $21.   It is clear that the Maybelline ones are not a steal; however, it is nice to see an alternative being sold in drug stores.


Overall the colors apply smoothly much like the Too Faced ones.   In my opinion the Maybelline ones remain more comfortable on the lips, and wear off fairly evenly.   You will have to be careful because the product does wear off in a ring on the inside of the lip; however, I found that with the light colors it isn't too big of an issue.  There are eight colors in the line; however, I only purchased six because the purple and orange I would never use.  The first color I bought was Stripped Down which is the brown toned nude in the collection.  This is the type of color I reach for on a daily basis and can wear with nearly everything.  


The first lip swatch is #10 Never Bare.  This is the pink toned nude of the collection, and honestly I am not a huge fan of how it looks on my lips.    I found it to be a tad on the streaky side, and I also feel that it is just a little too pink and not enough nude for my tastes.  However, if you are a fan of Too Faced's Peony this is nearly identical.  



The next swatch I have is #05 Stripped Down.  As I mentioned above, this is the first one I purchased from the collection.  I tested it out at work for nearly a week before I even decided to buy the rest of these.   If you like the brown toned lipstick trend, you will like this one as well.   I found that it lasted nearly half the work day and my lips never felt dry or cracked.  I don't have a dupe for this one in my collection; however, I'm sure it is similar to one of the other colors in the Too Faced collection.


The next swatch is #15 Fight Me Fuchsia (does anyone else have trouble spelling that color).  This one is obviously the hot pink of the collection, and it is very bold.  If you are a fan of Too Faced's Fuchsia, you will love this one since it is nearly identical.


The next swatch is #25 Talk Back Red.  This color is a classic warm toned red that is opaque and vibrant in one swipe.


The next color I have is #30 Red-dy Or Not.  Of the two classic reds in this collection this one is my favorite.   I tend to gravitate toward more blue toned red shades for my lips because my teeth are yellowed from coffee.


The final color I have is #35 Berry Naughty.  This is a typical berry color that will be great for fall and winter.  This color is almost identical to Berry by Too Faced.  This is a color that will need to be babied carefully if you don't use a lip liner.  As you can see in the above photo the color is bleeding outside the lip line slightly.

Overall the Color Jolt lip colors are comfortable to wear, and the two lighter colors are great to wear without having to worry about the color getting everywhere.   The color lasts even after the gloss wears off, and remains comfortable for hours.  My only complaint with the product is the price.  In my opinion these are priced very high for the drug store.

Have you tried the Maybelline Color Jolts yet?  If so what is your opinion?


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Hey guys!


Today I have a quick review of a couple MAKE Beauty products that were set to me to try out.  MAKE Beauty is a new brand to me, and I know I love discovering different brands.  MAKE Beauty is a brand that believes there are no beauty rules, and is dedicated to self expression.  All of their products are produced in New York City and all products are hypoallergenic, manufactured without parabens, and never tested on animals.  The best part of MAKE Beauty is 10% of every sale supports women-led, worker-owned businesses in at-need communities through their non-profit partner, We See Beauty Foundation.


The first thing we are going to talk about is the Matte Finish Eyeshadow in Alabaster which is described as a soft eggshell with peach undertones on the MAKE Beauty website.  At first glance I thought this shadow would just be another cream shadow in my collection; however, this shadow has a slight bit of a peach undertone to it.  The shadow itself is very soft and doesn't have tons of powder that gets kicked up with a brush.  


You can barely see the shadow in the above photo, but I have been using this shadow as a base shadow from my lash line to my brow bone.  The shadow itself is so close to my skin tone that it just doesn't show up on me, and typically I use shadows like this to set my shadow primer.


MAKE Beauty has 35 colors of the Matte Finish Eyeshadows that retail for $25 each.  I really like how the website is laid out.  In my opinion it is extremely helpful for a product to have the color description with it when you can't pick it up and see for yourself.  I know Sephora has the same thing with the products listed on their website.



Next let's talk about the lipstick I was sent.  This is one of my go to colors of lipstick, and I have no doubt that I will reach for this one often.  This is the Silk Cream Lipstick in Taffy which is described as a medium pink with purple undertones.


Again this is one of my favorite colors of lipstick.  The color is actually really close to my natural lip color, so it isn't too bold but it just evens out the color of my lips and provides a bit of moisture.  This lipstick formula is really creamy and it tends to be a bit sheer.  The lipstick is really comfortable and lasts a decent amount of time for a cream finish lipstick.   The reapplication of the lipstick over itself is really smooth.


The MAKE Beauty Silk Cream Lipsticks come in 16 shades and also retail for $25.



If you want to try out some MAKE Beauty products for yourself, they offer a sampler set for $10.  The sampler kit includes a mini Silk Cream Lipstick in Maraschino Cherry, this will be the same size as the sample I have photos of in this post.  It also includes a Nude Satin Eye Shadow in Bentonite Clay, and a Matte Eyeshadow in Cement, both of these will be the same size as the sample I have photos of in this post.   The kit will also include a travel size makeup remover, and a sample of their silky liquid foundation.  The foundation may not be your color, but you will be able to test the quality and wearability of the foundation.   I will likely order the sampler set myself to try out more products from this brand myself.

If you want to see more of MAKE Beauty you can follow them on Instagram at @makebeautyofficial and on Facebook here.   Remember if you purchase anything from MAKE Beauty that 10% of the sale will go to the We See Beauty Foundation!













The products mentioned in the above post were sent to me for review through the company and BrandBacker.  All opinions are 100% my own. 
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Hey guys!

After reading Into the Gloss's article about their favorite concealers, I was inspired to share some of my own concealing secrets. My skin is tricky, and it seems I have tried nearly every trick in the book to conceal blemishes and dark circles.  We all want to look like a porcelain doll; however, very few of us are blessed with that skin, so I am here to share some of the tricks I have been using!


My first tip will be for concealing those dark circles under the eyes.  Many years ago when I first started wearing makeup, and really up until this past year I would ignore the importance of using eye creams prior to concealer.  I never used an eye cream until after college, and even then I really only used them at night.  However, it is important to use an eye cream to provide moisture to your eye area.  This alone will help with any creasing you may have under the eye, and it will also help your concealer apply easily.

The eye creams I have in my collection:

  • Valentia True Glow Eye Cream - $25
  • Garnier Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Firming Eye Cream - $14.99
  • E.L.F. Illuminating Eye Cream - $10


The next thing I want to talk about are the tools I use to apply my concealers.  (Ignore how dirty these brushes are! Wash day is coming soon!) You can use your fingers, brushes, or sponges to apply your concealer.  Anything that makes you happy!  I have used all of these options, and after lots of trial, these are the brushes that I use the most often.  The bottom two I only use to get the product out of jars because I don't like dipping my grubby fingers into those pots.  The top brush is obviously much rounder and I use this one to buff in all my concealers.  Should you have areas that need to be heavily concealed, acne spots, age spots, or really dark circles, you should pat the concealer in with your fingers.  Patting the concealer in with your finger will provide a higher coverage, and the warmth from your finger will help to spread that concealer out.  

Some brushes and tools I suggest: 
  • The Beauty Blender - $20
  • Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge - 2 for $10.99 
  • EcoTools Correcting Concealer Brush - $5.99 
  • A small concealer brush like this one from Ulta - $10
  • Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - $8.99
  • Your fingers - free! 

Top left: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in Brightener, Top Middle: Almay Wake Up Concealer in Light, Top Right: Maybelline Corrector Concealer (green), Bottom: Sonia Kashuk All Covered Up Concealer in Porcelain
My next step for concealing is always correcting.  There are several different tones of concealers in the market, and each of the colors will provide a different type of correction.  As you can see above I have two yellow toned concealers, one green, and a peach.  In the market I have also seen purple correctors.  If you use correctors you need to use these under your foundation.  Typically I will use these and my concealers under my foundation because I find with my light skin tone any slight variations in my concealer and foundation will show up like a spotlight.  However, occasionally if I feel like I need a little more brightness under my eyes after foundation I will use the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer in the brightening shade.

The secret to knowing what your skin needs lies within the color wheel just like the one you used in art class!

  • Green - Use to help correct redness such as acne or rashes.  
  • Yellow - Used as an equalizer and also used to correct purple and blue bruises and dark circles under the eyes. 
  • Peach/ Salmon - Used to correct blue tones in the dark circles under the eyes.  
  • Purple - Will correct any yellow tones in the skin.  
  • Orange - These colors are excellent for deep skin tones and will work like yellow and peach to correct dark circles under the eyes.
  • White - These are used for highlighting the face.
 Some correctors I suggest: 
  • Maybelline Corrector Concealer - Green - $5.99
  • Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Anti-Dark Circle Eraser - Brightener - $8.99
  • Sonia Kashuk All Covered Up Concealer - (for me the shade Porcelain is a yellow corrector for others this may be a concealer) - $9.99
  • Pixi Correction Concentrate - $12
  • NYX Above and Beyond Concealers - $4.99
Milani Secret Cover Concealer Cream in Natural Beige, Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer in Ultra Light (left) and Medium Light (right)
The next step is to actually conceal those blemishes.  I only use concealer on the areas that I used the green corrector or any other blemishes around my face.  Generally I use a peach tone under my eyes, and all of the concealers shown in the photo above are too thick to use on my under eye area. Depending on my needs I will pick different concealers.  If I have a really nasty blemish I will use a thick concealer like Hard Candy Glamoflauge.  Anytime I just need to conceal some redness I will reach for a concealer that is less thick like the Maybelline Fit Me concealer, NYX Above and Beyond Full Coverage, or the Milani Secret Cover Concealer.  I always use my concealer under foundation because I find that my concealers don't always match; however, if you still need coverage after your foundation you can always touch up as needed.  

Concealers I recommend: 
  • Maybelline Fit Me - $6.99
  • NYX Above and Beyond Full Coverage - $4.99
  • Hard Candy Glamoflauge - $5.54
  • Sephora 8 Hour Wear Perfect Concealer - $15

After applying my foundation the final step in my routine is to set my concealer and my face.  Depending on my mood I will either reach for loose powders or pressed powders.  Sometimes I use separate powders to set my under eye area and my face, other times I just use my face powder to set everything.  Setting your concealer will help it last longer and prevent creasing.  


First we are going to talk about loose powders.  I almost always set my under eye concealers using loose powders.  If I have enough time I will use the baking method on my concealer.  If you are unfamiliar, the baking method is where you pile on extra powder over the areas you wish to set and leave that extra powder on your face for several minutes.  Typically when I use the baking method I will pile the powder on my under eye concealer and move on to working on my eyeshadow.  This excess powder under the eye will also catch the fall out from your eyeshadow.  

The loose powder I reach for the most in my collection is the one in the top left of the picture.  I mixed the LA Colors Loose Powder in Light with Coty Airspun Powder in Naturally Neutral.  In the above photo the bottom two powders are the Coty Airspun powder (bottom left) and the LA Colors loose powder (bottom right) on their own.  For my skin tone the LA Colors powder is entirely too yellow; however, I wanted to add a little of that yellow tone to my under eye area, so I mixed one entire container of the Coty Airspun powder with approximately half of the container of the LA Colors powder.  If you have a deeper skin tone you should be able to get away with using the LA Colors powder on its own.  

Loose powders I suggest: 
  • Coty Airspun Loose Powder - $6.79
  • Maybelline Master Fix Setting + Perfecting Loose Powder - $9.99
  • Flower Beauty Powder Up Loose Powder - $8.48
  • Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder - $38 


The other option for powders are pressed powders.  I will typically reach for these if I don't have the time to use the baking method.  All of the powders shown above I use on my eye area.  The top two powders are included in the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit.  Each of those powders can be purchased individually, and there are many other shades to choose from for different skin tones.  The other two powders are both from Wet 'n Wild.  The powder on the bottom left is Wet 'n Wild Coloricon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana.  This particular powder has a very light amount of sheen which I love for the under eye area.  The powder on the bottom right is the highlighting shade from the Wet 'n Wild Coloricon Contour Palette in Dulce de Leche.  Wet 'n Wild also offers a second contour palette where the highlighting shade is more similar to a banana shade.  If you don't want to use a different powder to set your under eye concealer, you can always use your regular powder to set everything.  Just remember it is important to set everything! 

Pressed powders I recommend:
  • Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Refills- Colors I use Banana and Vanilla - $14 each 
  • Wet 'n Wild Coloricon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana - $3.99
  • Wet 'n Wild Coloricon Contour Palettes - $4.99
  • Milani Multitasker Face Powder - $6.99
  • L'Oreal Pro Matte 16 Hour Powder - $12.99
  • NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder - $9.99
As you can see my tips and tricks for concealer are fairly straightforward.  My most important tips for the under eye area are to moisturize before you conceal, use a peach or salmon toned concealer to achieve a fresh and awake look, finally set the concealer to make it last all day long.  



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Hello loves! My name is Pam, and I am an Engineer by trade that lives off of coffee and Mexican food. I fell in love with makeup during my time in college, and enjoy discovering new products every day! I hope you will follow along on the journey as I discover more!

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