Illamasqua Lipstick Review: Fable

Hi everyone! So today I am going to be reviewing the Illamasqua lipstick in Fable. The lipstick retails for £18.50 in the UK and is a matte lipstick.

I love the packaging! Very sleek and high end feeling.

In my opinion, I think the lipstick is OK, and I only say OK because of the formula. I have very dry lips and even though I have moisturized and used an intensive cream on my lips to prep them for the lipstick, the lipstick still accentuated all the dry skin and patches that were on my lips. So, with the lipstick on, I didn't like the look of it. It made my lips look cracked and patchy which is a shame because I LOVE the colour! Therefore, I had to add a gloss on top to moisturize my lips. If I had used a MAC cremesheen lipstick, this wouldn't have happened. The lasting time of the lipstick is not incredible either. It lasted only 3-4 hours with no eating and from a matte lipstick, I would've expected it to last longer.

Overall, I think the lipstick is very drying , however then again it is a matte finish and I do have dry lips. I think this would work for someone who loves the matte finish, and doesn't suffer from dry lips, but if you do, I would suggest staying away from this. Any opinions? Katie x

Product Rave: Seventeen Instant Glow Shimmer Brick in Gold Bronze!

For my first blog post, I thought I would review and rave about a product I purchased recently called  Instant Glow Shimmer Brick in the shade Gold Bronze by Seventeen cosmetics, a Boots own brand. I love, love, love highlighters and bought this as it looked pretty, however I did not expect much from it only being £4.99. I couldn't have been more wrong. This product in one word is amazing!

Above I have attached two pictures of the product. As you can see the packaging appears to be semi-matte with a clear front allowing us to see the shimmery goodness inside. The product has 4 different shades: a very light pink, slightly darker beige-ish colour, a true bronze colour and a dark bronze reddy colour. As the product has four different shades ranging from light to dark it makes it very versatile, therefore perfect for highlighting all skin tones. For my light olive complexion, I usually mix the first three with the Elf Studio Fan Brush and apply to my cheekbones. It gives the most gorgeous, pigmented, shimmery glow and with layering, you can build up the intensity. (At first application, it gives a lot of shimmer to the cheekbones, so if you are not a fan of a lot of shimmer or have oily skin, I don't think this product would be right for you.) I find that if I use the darkest colour, it becomes a bit too dark for me as a highlight. Therefore, I think the last colour would be great for anyone with darker skin looking for a bronzey highlight.

As there is such a nice range of shades in this shimmer brick, it can easily double up as an eye shadow quad. The lighter shades are great to use for an all over colour wash on the lid and in the inner corner to brighten up the eyes. The bronze shades are also nice for the lids and the lower lash line to add a slightly darker colour which is great for the summer day time.

The swatches above show the lightest colour on the right to the darkest on the left. I have swatched the two lightest colours twice and the gold colours once. Overall,  I am very happy with this product. I love the super shimmery highlight it gives and the array of different colours. At £4.99, I highly recommend Instant Glow Shimmer Brick and is available in two colours 'Gold Bronze' and 'Pink Bronze'.