Maybelline Tattoo - and Go!

Hi Tory,

When I reviewed the Maybelline Color Tattoos, I mentioned that On & On Bronze had become my Go To shadow of the moment, and how easy it was to get a look together using just that and a gel liner. I figured rather than just tell you that, I'd show you... with a little twist of a bold red lipstick to vamp it up.

the key is in the blending

My main tip for this seemingly effortless but sultry look is to layer the gel liner - a strong blended line first, then the colour, and then strengthen the black line again. If you want a softer look, dial the gel liner down to a brown. The key is in the blending.

costs
£13.49

In terms of staying power, you've got a gel liner and a gel-based cream shadow, so this look is not budging! You can even build on it with some additional smoky shadow around the outer V to take it into the evening, or add some false lashes for drama.

It's a good little neutral look with some depth that'll last you all day, takes minutes to create, and gives good payoff. Work that lipstick shade too!

Products Used

• Maybelline Color Tattoo in On & On Bronze
• Sleek In Pot Eyeliner in Dominatrix
• MUA Mascara in Black
• MUA Blusher in Shade 6
• MUA Lipstick in Shade 1
• Prices based on what I paid for the whole look from scratch, and correct at the time of posting

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Throwback Thursday: Bobbie Gentry

Hi Tory,

The first thing that you need to know is that I am a huge fan of Bobbie Gentry. She's most well-known for her breakthrough 60s song Ode to Billy Joe, an amazing exercise in storytelling, and credited with kick starting the whole Southern Gothic genre. I totally recommend that you check out Fancy as well - she's just incredible.

put on mississippi delta, turn up the volume, pile on the lashes!

The next thing is that it's really struck me how you can instantly know what A Sixties Eye means (high contrast, thick black eye liner, big eye lashes), but that the more I research into different women's takes on it, the more variation I see. Raquel Welch's 60s eye was very straight across and fantastically feline. This week, with Bobbie Gentry, her 60s eye is slightly down turned and sad, which fits her music perfectly.

costs
£20.56

She also has a healthier, more peach coloured look - less of the nudes and the stark black and whites of the era - so I tried to get as much of that into this as possible. Big eye lashes, of course, and big hair, but with a kind of sexy country feel - all peach pie and sexy secrets in the hay but in a high glam way.

Bobbie was very high glam, and naturally she ended up doing shows in Vegas, and then just as glamorously vanished from the scene where she now lives in happy obscurity. Put on Mississippi Delta, turn up the volume, pile on the lashes!

Products Used

• Sleek iDivine Palette in Oh So Special
• Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash in Black
• Barry M Blink Precision Eye Liner in Black
• MUA Lipstick in Shade 11
• 2true Fake Lashes in Glamour
• Prices based on what I paid for the whole look from scratch (including palettes and lashes) and correct at the time of posting

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Bold Double Liner With Glitter

Hi Tory,

Once you've mastered the art of doing your eye liner and a flick, you're limited only by your imagination. The great thing about the double liner technique is that it's a handy way to introduce a pop of colour or sparkle into your makeup, or maybe try out a new, bold liner colour that you might feel a bit shy using all over.

you could also ring the changes by using a bold metallic liner or a colourful gel liner

I've talked about the Collection 2000 Glam Crystals before. You get a selection of highly pigmented, super sparkly colours in a wand that are infinitely versatile - I've used them in nail art before - and so couldn't wait to use them in the double liner.

costs
£19.57

Because the eye part is so bold, you'll want to keep everything as neutral and polished as possible - tidy your eye brows, do a flush of subtle colour on the cheeks, and have a slick of a neutral sheen on your lips so that the eyes remain the stars. I kept the eye base neutral as well, with a wash of a pale nude all over the lid, and a slightly darker neutral in the crease to define it.

Take your time with the eye liner using small strokes and using the side of the brush or felt pen (I really do recommend felt pen liners as they're so easy to use). You could also ring the changes by using a bold metallic liner or a colourful gel liner - a splash of violet or teal would look amazing. Let your imagination run wild!

Products Used

• Sleek i Divine Palette in Oh So Special
• Barry M Precision Eyeliner in Blink
• Collection 2000 Glam Crystal Eye Liner in Le Freak
• MUA Mascara in Black
• MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blusher in Blossom
• MUA Lipstick in Shade 14
• Prices based on what I paid for the whole look from scratch (including palettes), and correct at the time of posting

PHOTO

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Throwback Thursday: Raquel Welch

Hi Tory,

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't know who Raquel Welch is. Her legend certainly loomed large throughout my 60s childhood and 70s adolescence and even at the age of 70something she shows no signs of either slowing down or letting go of the Sex Goddess mantle.

you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't know who raquel welch is

I like the fact that she has linebacker shoulders like me and yet still manages to look uber-feminine and glamorous (and appearing in a totally kick ass roller derby movie before roller derby movies were totally kick ass doesn't hurt either). Her makeup style - something she's stuck with but updated as she's gone along - is sculpted and neutral, so perfect for just about anyone.

costs
£27.47

She was never ultra matte 60s or super shiny 70s, but managed to straddle a line halfway between the two, and has a really interesting modification on the kitten flick where the line is pretty much straight and yet still manages to make her eyes look curved and feline.

That's a heck of a makeup artist there! I put a bit of sheen in with a base shadow and a lipgloss but kept everything else matte and blended. It's a timeless look!

Products Used

• MUA Professional Palette in Dusk Til Dawn
• Sleek i-Divine Palette in Oh So Special
• Collection 2000 Eye Definer in Brown
• Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash Mascara in Black
• MUA Pro-Brow Kit
• MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blusher in Blossom
• MUA Lipstick in Shade 14 Bare
• MUA Out There Plumping Lip Gloss in Nude
• Elite Lip Pencil in 06 Brown (no longer available)
• Prices based on what I paid for the whole look from scratch (and includes full price of any palettes used), and correct at the time of posting

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Chickpea Review: Sleek True Colour Sheen

Hi Tory,

I'm a huge lover of Sleek Cosmetics, particularly their i-Divine palettes, which you really can't beat for pigmentation, range of colours and affordability (a palette of ten intense colours for just £7.99). Sold online and at Superdrug in the UK, Sleek are at the high end of drugstore brands, so I was really excited to try one of their range of True Colour lipsticks.

would I use it on its own in one application? no.

I chose Liqueur, a flat 60s nude in a sheen formulation - love the appropriately sleek black packaging, and the colour looks lovely in the bullet. This is when things started to go downhill... the colour is sheer. Really quite sheer. I was half afraid that it wouldn't make it to the end of the pitta bread, in fact.

The colour is gorgeous, but one application really doesn't cut it - I'm thinking that you'd need to build it up for a good payoff and to enhance its staying power. Its number one plus point is that it's incredibly comfortable to wear - maybe a tiny bit tacky on first application - but it feels relatively creamy on the lips.

costs
£4.99

Would I use it on its own in one application? No. Would I perhaps layer it over a base coat like a lip liner or toned lip shade? Yes. Would I build it up to give greater coverage? Possibly. All in all it was a disappointment, particularly as the colour is so nice, and especially as this is a brand that I really do love and hold in my Top Three of best drugstore products. I'm keen to try one of the matte shades tho, thinking that slightly drier formula might enhance the staying power - does anyone have experience of this?

• Comfort: 4/5
• Longevity: 1/5
• Pigment: 3/5
• Two Chickpeas out of Five!

One More Thing...

• Comes in two different finishes - sheen and matte - in a total of 30 colours
• Available on the Sleek website here
• Sleek do three different kinds of lip liner, four separate types of lip gloss, their True Colour lipstick range, and a range of Pout Paints
• Their Pout Paints are an affordable alternative to OCC's Lip Tars at only £4.99 a tube.

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

I ♥ Drugstore

Hi Tory,

The wonderful Emily of Beauty Broadcast fame did this fun tag video about drugstore brands, likes and dislikes - what we'd call the High Street or the chemist - and I thought I'd join. The whole point of this blog is to get fabulous looks on a bargain, so it's what we know, right?

the whole point of this blog is to get fabulous looks on a bargain, so it's what we know, right?

I'd love to know what everything else thinks too - what are your star products or the ones that you thought were complete duds? As always, you can comment below, do a response video on YouTube or leave a message on the Facebook Page - all the links are in the menu bar above!

The Tag Questions

• What is your favourite drugstore makeup brand?
• What are your favourite face, cheek and lip products?
• Your least favourite product?
• What is the best makeup bargain?
• What is your favourite underdog product - something you love that often gets overlooked?
• Show your best drugstore dupes.
• Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Morning After Makeup

Hi Tory,

there have been girlie nights with wine and movies, numerous parties, and the occasional missed train

I will confess. I have not always been the pink-cheeked Paragon of Virtue you see before you. (hem hem)

Several years as a journalist, staying up 'til all hours and interviewing drunk rock bands has prevented me from ever joining a nunnery. And, there have been girlie nights with wine and movies, numerous parties, and the occasional missed train. The end result is always the same - wake up on the couch with a crick in my neck and makeup that is a cross between a panda and Alice Cooper.

This is never a good look.

I don't advocate carrying a trunk of cosmetics around with you, particularly not in your neck of the woods of Central London. And although it would be nice to have the Pixiwoo sisters on call for such emergencies, real life isn't like that. (Sam! Nic! Help!) What I tend to do - after a lifetime of practice - is take a small but strategically stocked cosmetics bag with me so that I can fix what needs to be fixed, cover up the results of a hangover, and get myself to the bus stop looking like a human. It's what they now refer to rather euphemistically as The Stride of Pride. ;)

Products Used

• ELF Complete Coverage Concealer in Medium
• MUA Professional Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit
• Sleek Luminous Pressed Powder in LPP01
• MUA Professional Every Lash Mascara in black
• MUA Professional Mosaic Bronzer in Natural Glow
• Collection 2000 Eye Definer in black
• Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Setting Brush
• Boots No 7 Contour Brush
• MAC Lustre Lipstick in Hug Me

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Beat the Blues!

Hi Tory,

Despite some bits of bright, sunny weather here and there, the autumn is definitely starting to close in, so I thought I'd do a look with a splash of pretty blue in with the stormier navy skies along with some sparkle to take us into the slightly more chilly days.

Products Used

beat those oncoming winter blues!

• MUA Professional Palette in Dusk Til Dawn
• MUA Professional Palette in Glamour Nights
• Collection 2000 Eye Definer in Black
• MUA Glitter Eyeliner in Shade 1
• MUA Professional Every Lash in Black
• MUA Bronzer in Shade 2
• Sleek Sheen in Liqueur
• MUA Professional Out There Plumping Lip Gloss in Nude

Beat those oncoming winter blues!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

The Lipstick Series - 20s Vampirella

Hi Tory,

Here's the next tutorial in my Lipstick Series - this time we're going all vampy and 20s with a smoky dark eye and matte burgundy lips for a close-up worthy of Valentino!

this time we're going all vampy and 20s with a smoky dark eye and matte burgundy lips

Products Used

• Bourjois Healthy Mix Gel Foundation in 52
• ELF Complete Coverage Concealer in Medium
• Miss Sporty So Clear Powder 4
• MUA Brow Pencil in Brunette
• Sleek Ink Pot Gel Liner in Dominatrix
• Sleek iDivine Palette in Bad Girl
• Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash in Black
• MUA Blusher in #2
• MUA Lip Boom in LMK

Hugs and kisses,
xx

The Lipstick Series - 60s Bardot Jet Set Thing

Hi Tory,

beautiful people who trotted about the globe having a marvellous time and looking terribly glamorous without appearing to spend much effort

Not so long ago, I bought an assortment of lipsticks and glosses, and realised on closer inspection that each one sparked off a particular decade in my head. This is how The Lipstick Series was born! So, today I'm starting with a 60s nude one that I'm calling That Bardot Jet Set Thing - a look inspired by those St. Tropez beautiful people who trotted about the globe having a marvellous time and looking terribly glamorous without appearing to spend much effort. It's like the earlier structured Mod look of the decade with a slightly slapdash sex kitten, devil-may-care twist.

Products Used

• MUA Professional Beauty Balm in Shade 2 Medium
• ELF Complete Coverage Concealer in Medium
• MUA Professional Eye Primer
• MUA Brow Pencil in Brunette
• MUA Professional Palette in Glamour Nights
• Sleek Ink Pot Gel Liner in Dominatrix
• MUA Bronzer in Shade 2
• MUA Out There Lips Plumping Lipgloss in Nude

Hugs and kisses,
xx

Tutorial Annie Haul

Hi Tory,

Our local Superdrug was having an insane clearout this past week with a whole bargain bin full of products that I assume were part of a discontinued thing, and all at 49p each. I nearly fainted when I saw those prices, particularly when part of the haul were Sleek Ink Pots - oh yes! I already have their black Ink Pot, which is a gel liner (terrible little brush that comes with it, mind you) and love it, so was really excited that I managed to bag Denim (a lovely inky blue), Glacier (a flat white), and Stone Cold (a gorgeous metallic grey).

I'm especially excited about the white gel as this now means that I don't have to trawl eBay looking for a NYX Milk pencil. ;) Now, as you can see from the photos the gel liners, although brand new, have already started to dry out, but fear not! This week there is a tutorial on that very subject with tips on how to reanimate your crunchy, crispy gels.

Next up are a couple of lip pencils by a company called Elle, which I don't know much about - maybe something to do with the magazine? I'm not sure... I snagged a deep burgundy (which goes perfectly with the MUA Lip Boom I bought recently) and a chocolate brown. This got me thinking about more tutorials, which brings me on to my last purchases (although they weren't in the Bargain Bin of Joy).

I've had my eye on some MUA Out There plumping lip glosses for some time now and picked up two really lovely nude shades at £2 each - Nude and Buff. Really nice texture, good pigmentation, excellent price and they do plump up those lips. (Brace yourself for the sting which comes from the cinnamon oil. Oof. It's worth it tho, trust me.)

ALL of my purchases were geared around tutorials... between the Lip Booms and the Out There glosses I started hatching some ideas for retro looks which I'm going to call The Lipstick Series. They'll be coming next week. :) The gels get their own series, starting the week after, and I'll fit the lip pencils in hither and yon. If I tell myself that I'm buying makeup so I can make tutorials it staves off the pangs of buyer's guilt. That's my fiendish plan anyway. ;)

Hugs and kisses,
xx

Swatches from left to right: MUA Out There plumping lipgloss shades Buff and Nude, Elle Lip Pencils in shades Dark Brown and Fig, Sleek Ink Pots in Stone Cold, Glacier, and Denim.

June Makeup Haul!

Hi Tory,

I've been doing some digging in the mark down bins in Superdrug as well as regular shopping and came up with some tasty bargains for this month's haul!

So first off, I'm dyeing my hair - REALLY dyeing my hair! Bleaching underneath and then colouring it purple (hence this purchase), and then dark chocolate brown on the layer above so I get this funky, punky two tone thing going on. I'll be photographing the process as well, don't worry!

Collection 2000 have brought out four gel eyeliners at a really affordable price of £4.99 each. Along with the standard black and brown, they also do a pale gold, and this GORGEOUS teal which I just had to buy, a) because it's beautiful, and b) so that I can show you how to do a great smoky eye using a gel liner. ;) I'm really impressed with the texture of these gels, and the staying power is tremendous.

Again from Collection 2000, I got these twist up eye definers, which go on like a gel and last for a really long time - they are excellent for tight lining and highly pigmented - plus they're a bargain at only £1.99 each!

I needed all my how to tips on repairing eyeshadows for these bad boys... but it was worth it! TWO Sleek palettes - Bad Girl, and Oh So Special - and ONE MUA Professional palette in Starry Night, and all of them half price. :: (I spent £8.98 on the three as opposed to £16.98.) I am currently OBSESSED with the Sleek Bad Girl palette - all these fab black black blacks shot through with intense colour. Tutorials ahoy!

And last, but by no mean least, I finally got the E.L.F. bug, and it was definitely worth it. :) Two wonderfully creamy concealer palettes (I got the medium and the dark, just waiting on the light to come back into stock), and two really nice brushes - the sponge smudger and their blending brush. All really affordable and pretty good quality, plus the delivery was quick! (I also bought an art brush, which I'm using for makeup and I'm doing a special tutorial on that later)

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

April/May Annie Haul!

Hi Tory,

It's time for a mini haul - and this time I thought I'd do it in a pictorial style with some quick notes and links - enjoy!

This is a before shot to show you the condition that some of the half-price, damaged palettes were in when I bought them... applied the surgical spirit trick and got myself several bargains. (Yes, some of the shadows are missing - but half price is half price!)

Here's the after shot of the MUA Professional Palette in Starry Night, Sleek i-Divine Palettes in 658 Oh So Special, and 596 Bad Girl. All half price!

Two Collection 2000 Eye Definer Lasting Colour wands in Black and Brown - both are fantastic for tight lining and waterlining as they go on smoothly and don't shift, smudge, smear or dissolve.

I'm a sucker for gel liners, particularly coloured ones, as you can do some really outstanding smoky eye work using a gel liner as a base, so I was pleased to find that Collection 2000 have started doing ones in gold and this gorgeous teal - expect some tutorials!

I also FINALLY succumbed to e.l.f. and got the medium and the dark Complete Coverage Concealer sets, the Professional Blending Eye Brush, and the Professional Smudge Eye Sponge (plus a Daler Rowney art brush for some push eyeliner work - another tutorial to follow...!).

And finally... I've decided to go back to purple with my hair again, so I got a streaking kit from Superdrug. After two weeks of persistent health issues, I figured it was groovy cheering up time. Yay!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx

Sleek and Peachy!

Hi Tory,

I live in the vain hope that the brief flash of warm weather we had a while ago might come back and turn into the Spring at last. Ever the optimist! With that in mind I had a play with the Sleek palette I picked up for the ever-so bargain price of just £3. Why so cheap? Someone had dropped it and smooshed a few of the shadows, but we know how to fix that!

There are some gorgeous peaches and champagne colours in the palette, with a nice 50/50 mix of matte and shimmer, so I went with a soft and subtle blended crease and wash of peach to give me a Springtime lift. Enjoy!

there are some gorgeous peaches and champagne colours in the palette

Products Used

• Sleek Palette in Oh So Special
• Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash in Black
• MUA Blush in Shade #2
• MUA Lip Gloss in Shade 4

Hugs and kisses,
xx

Colours and Brands!

Hi Tory!

After a good rummage through my makeup, quite a lot of it isn't massively expensive (although the massively expensive ones *are* lovely), so here's a few picks of cheaper brands that are still nice to work with and experiment with:

Good Cheap Brands

• The Beauty UK palettes are £3.99 for ten lovely shades per palette (I wouldn't bother with the little foam brush it comes with tho... it's not that great. These are from Superdrug.
cheaper brands that are still nice to work with and experiment with
• The Makeup Academy range - again from Superdrug - are just ridiculously brilliant and £1 each, and they also do a slightly more expensive range from £2.00.
• The Sleek palettes are pretty fab too. They're a bit more expensive (£6.49), but I've seen loads of tutorials that feature the colours and they are gorgeous.

I also mention the Urban Decay Primer Potion which you used to be able to get in Boots, but is available now at Debenhams, although try not to drool on the counter too much when you see all the palettes and colours. ; You can get the Primer Potion in different colours, but mine is the generic one. :)

Onwards to Part 3 soon!

Hugs and kisses,
xxx