Space NK Haul + FOTD with new products

Hi everyone

I went to Space NK few weeks ago and picked up couple of items and I also made a cheeky little order online on Space NK. (since originally writing this post I have actually bought few other things at Space NK and Liberty so maybe I will do a little follow up) 

I went to Space Nk and picked up the new Nars foundation, it is the Nars Luminous Weightless Foundation. I love the Nars sheer Glow Foundation so I knew I had to try this one out, it is really good but I might be having some troubles with the shade, I did pick up the same shade as the one in Sheer Glow but the Luminous Wightless foundation is so pigmented that the shades are not excacly the same. While I was in the shop I swatched the new Nars eyeshadow duo from the Spring 2015 line. It is called St-Paul-De-Vence. 

Onto the Space NK online order... well for few months now I have been trying to buy the Nars Audacious Lipstick in Anna. It is not available on every Nars counter and when I go to the one that do carry the lipstick it has been sold out! Well the other day I was in Space NK in Covent Garden and I asked if they had it in stock, the sale person went to get it and walked towards me with a lipstick in her hand and I got all excited, finally! BUT NO she looked at it again and it was Anita not Anna that she had, and surprise surprise they were sold out. So when I got home I was fuming and I said for once and all just order the damn lipstick. Then the website said: You are 36 pounds away from a free delivery, HA well that was it. I knew I wanted to try the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light after I saw Katrín María (check her out here) talk about it. I actually had swatched it and thought that it could be similar to the Nars Light reflecting powder. Well I did order it. The weirdest thing is though that the products came in two parcels on two different days. (hmm)

 The Nars Luminous Weightless Foundation is fantastic, so far I have been using it for few weeks now and I am kinda in love, I have to do a post with like before and after pictures because it is just so nice. The coverage is medium to full coverage and the finish is a beautiful semi-matte/semi-satin. It comes with a pump and the packaging is gorgeous.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light is so pretty. First impressions were that I was not too impressed, but I kept on using it and now I use it almost everyday for a light dust around my face with a large brush or just under my eyes with a small brush. I did not think I would love this powder as much a I have.

The Nars Audacious Lipstick in Anna is a smokey rose shade, I feel like it has purple undertones and it is very cool toned shade. I actually think it actually gives the whole 90's lip trend a little twist. I don't think I have anything like this lipstick and that is why I just had to have it. 

I love the Nars eyeshadow duo's and the new one just caught my eyes. The Nars Eyeshadow Duo in St-Paul-De-Vence is a new product from the Spring 2015 line. The due is described as a nectarine and a chestnut shade. I would say that the left shade is definitely a shimmering nectarine shade with peachy hint to it and the right shade reminds me of caramel color. 

This is perfect for my pale green-ish eyes and the right chestnut-caramel shade is my current favourite blending shade. I love wearing that shade all over, it blends out so nicely and has dimension to it. I then take the left orangy-peachy shade and apply it to the inner part on my eyelids. it just gives such a lovely editorial look. A different from the brown everyday look. 

I used all four products on my face here:

I know I look extremely pale and to be honest these pictures are quite true in color, it was just so gray outside when I was taking them.

The rest of the products that I am wearing are: 

For my concealer I used the Nars Radiance Creamy concealer under my eyes and then the Benefit Rockateur blush. I used the Urban Decay Naked Basic 2 palette but only the lightest shade to highlight my brow bone and then MAC eyebrow pencil in Fling to fill in my eyebrows. My mascara is my favorite YSL and then I used MAC Kohl liner on my waterline and this time I skipped the liner on my upper lash line for a different look. 

I currently have really big problems with my laptop and it looks like the hardware is broken.If I leave the laptop for like a whole day it works for couple of hours and then it just breaks :(

I am also a bit down at the moment with my blog since I change my blog address to margretscorner my traffic has fallen down so much, down by 100 hits a day :(

It will take time to build it up again but like I have always said, if one person enjoys my content then I'm happy!

Thank you so much for reading :)

Margrét

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Two Dupes for the Hourglass Ambient Blush in Mood Exposure

Hi everyone

Today I am writing about two potential dupes for a really popular blush. Hourglass Ambient Blush in the shade Mood Exposure. It comes in the Hourglass blush palette and it is the one on the right end side.

When I received the blush palette for last Christmas after I asked for it, I was super excited. These blushes are high quality and the shades are just beautiful. I have always been a big fan of a neutral/mauve/rose kind of blush, kinda difficult to explain... like Benefit's Dallas and Rockateur. Not super pink, just a blush that works with almost everything... and Hourglass Mood Exposure is just like that. 

I posted the other day about the new Max Factor Creme Puff blushes and wrote there that they might be a dupe for the Hourglass blushes, and guess what, one of those shades is quite similar to Mood Exposure.

I also bought few items from the new KIKO spring line, and while I was swatching the blushes the other day I found again, that one blush from the mosaic line is very similar to Mood Exposure. 

From left to right 

Hourglass Mood Exposure - Max Factor Nude Mauve - KIKO Santa Rose

There are however few differences between these formulas, 

Hourglass Mood Exposure is the smoothest and has the most pigmentation, still it is not going to be too much on your cheeks so you don't have to worry about having too much blush on. It definitely is a glowing blush that blends seemingless into the skin.

I am not the best with describing colors, but I would say it’s a dusky rose nude with a little plum/mauve undertones. It has an amazing finish, satin and very glowing. 

Max factor in Nude Mauve has a little more shine to it than the hourglass one, it is also a little bit more nude and has more mauve undertones than the hourglass.

I would actually say that it is very similar in texture and blends just as well into the skin (maybe a little bit better actually). 

The KIKO blush in Sand Rose is the least pigmented and not as soft as the other ones to the touch. It would be more suited for someone that is hard handed with their blush.

It is called sand rose and i would say it has more rose tone than the hourglass one but it is very close in shade, it is just a different texture and less pigmented. it is not as soft to blend out as the hourglass. However today I just wanted to wear minimum makeup and I grabbed this blush and it was perfect. since it is a little less pigmented than the other ones it is easy to use when you are in a hurry because it is difficult to make mistakes. 

Comparing these three is very difficult, the all look amazing on the skin. I would just recommend you go for the one that is more available to you and the one that is in your budget. 

I think the way I would rate them is the Tourglass, Max Factor and KIKO. I still love the KIKO one I just prefer how smooth the texture is of the other ones. I would refer the Hourglass over the Max Factor because it is more pigmented and is not as shiny as the max factor one, just really glowing.

The big diffrence is the price, the Hourglass blush palette is £56 and induvidually the blush is £28 (link here), the Max Factor blush is £8,99 (link here) and the KIKO blush is £11,90 (link here)

All these blushes are beautiful and I think that finding a dupe for something is not necessarily the same shade or texture, just how it ends up looking on the skin. These all look really similar on the skin and I am just obsessed with glowing nude-ish blush at the moment.

What is your favorite blush at the moment?

I posted a photo on Insagram/FB earlier today of some healthy Almond and Blueberries muffins, I asked of you wanted a post about them but since I forgot to take pictures while baking, I will just post it on Margretscorner on Facebook with the recipe :)

Definetly check it out here :)

Thank you for reading 

Margrét 

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Sunday's FOTD ft. Stila in The Light palette

Hi Everyone

The weather here in London was horrible today, rainy and windy. My umbrella ripped and then just broke haha!. I had no special plans today but in Iceland there is Konudagur which is a day where we celebrate women so it is kinda like wives day, but for example my dad used to buy something for me and my sister as well. It is kinda like celebrate the woman in your life. 

In Iceland we don't traditionally celebrate Valentine's day but we have Bóndadagur (husband's day) and Konudagur (Wives's day), Valentine's day is actually in between these days. There is a long story about these days but basically the Konudagur marks the end of the month of Þorri. I am not going to go into Icelandic traditions but this all makes sense if you're Icelandic haha.

Anyway what I was trying to say, since it was Konudagur I wanted to do my makeup a little bit more than a normal Sunday and go out and buy myself something from Space NK. I actually bought the new foundation from Nars and a new eyeshadow duo. If I have time tomorrow I want to use them and take some pictures of both products :)

So here is everything I used today

I have been obsessed with the new Rimmel products, especially the Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer and the Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation. The primer is very long lasting. I have been using it for few weeks now and it is really good. I definitely feel like the foundation goes on more smoothly and lasts longer with the primer. The foundation is definitely medium coverage but it does look like your skin. The shade is a good match for my skin tone and I am in love with these two products. 

My concealer is the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and my skin is bad right now so I need to cover my spots, for a highlight under my eyes I used MAC Prep+Prime highlighting pen, I have been using this daily and playing around with the whole v-shape highlight. To set everything I used Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder and this powder is fast becoming my favorite setting powder. 

I contoured with my Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit, I will do a full review on this kit soon but I have to play around with it for a little bit longer. I used the middle bottom shade to contour and the top right as my highlighter. My blush is a new addition to my collection and that is MAC Warm Soul. 

I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pompeii in Blonde and I am still looking for the best brush to apply this product. It is easy to use too much but when you get used to this product it is amazing,

On my eyes I used the Stila in the light palette. I love this palette, I used to have it couple of years ago and got rid of it but I ended up repurchase it. I have Kitten all over the lid with a mixture of both matte browns in the crease. I just think this palette has it all. My liner is the Seventeen Make your Mark and that is on my top lash line and on my waterline I have the Makeup Revolution Inner Brigthner which is a light peach shade that brightens up your eyes. My mascara is the YSL Volume Effect Faux Waterproof Mascara, it is still my current favorite. 

On my lips I have the Revlon matte balm in Sultry, the Revlon matte balm are one of my favortie lip products ever. 

That was my FOTD ! 

I am currently on the Makeup Geek website trying to pick out eye shadows to order, if you have any recommendations let me know, I currently have a list of 12 and I am only ordering 9 haha!

Hope you enjoyed this little post :)

If you have any questions about the products that I used just leave them down in the comments.

Thank you so much for reading!

Margrét

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FOTD - Easy & Quick products ft. Kiko eyeshadow stick & Clinique Chubby Stick

Hi Everyone :) 

I really enjoy dark berry lips with smokey eyes but let's be honest, it takes a bit of time. I think during the colder months, bold brows, smokey eyes with lots of mascara, flawless base and a dark lip is just perfect. However it takes a little longer til put all this makeup on my face. I found few products that are quick and easy to use and give that 'pull together' look within minutes. 

I used the Chanel Perfection Lumére Velvet Foundation and the Nars Raidiance Creamy Concealer for a good and natural coverage. I have been enjoying the Chanel foundation alot recently, I should definitely do a little post about it.

For bold brows I used the Rimmel Brow This Way, wax and powder duo. I am really liking this so far. It is in the shade Medium brown, it is a little to dark for me but I could not find a lighter shade in the store. I think bolder and darker brows are great for autumn/winter. This brow duo is good, I prefer a pencil to be honest but with the right tools this is great. 

I always have to use a eyeshadow primer and today I used the Too Faced Shadow Insurance. 

The quick fix for eyeshadow is the shadow stick. I used KIKO Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick in number 38 Golden Taupe. In my last post I spoke about a different KIKO shadow stick. They are just so easy to blend out and last all day!

I used a L'Oréal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure Eyeshadow in my inner corner as a highlighter. I don't have the name of the color in front of  me right now but like I said in my last post, you should be expecting a post with all the shadows I have :)

I used the MAC eyeliner on the waterline to make it a little darker and then applied loads of mascara. 

The mascara I am using is the Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Waterproof. I was going to do a separate post on this mascara because last year I was obsessed over another Dior mascara so I decided to try this one out. It is rubbish, for the price, no good. It crumbles down all over my face and just looks bad. It does not hold curl at all like most waterproof mascaras. It does not apply nicely and just don't bother buying this! (haha I just had to be brutally honest here!)

Anyway...

The second quick fix product is the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense moisturising lip color balm (omg long name) in 09 Roundest Raspberry. It is a beautiful raspberry shade that is so flattering.

I used the Benefit Christmas Set for my cheeks (Hoola bronzer and Dandelion blush) You can find a little review and pictures about that here.

The two products that really make the look are the KIKO eyeshadow stick and the Clinique Chubby Stick. Both these products are quick, easy and very convenience for everyday use. I just apply the KIKO stick and blend it out with my fingers. The lipstick is very winter appropriated and since it is a chubby stick it goes on really easily. the shade is such a beautiful raspberry color. I love both products and the KIKO shadow is called Golden Taupe on the website. It is a taupe shade with gold shimmer, the shimmer is not super obvious but it does give it a great dimension. 

What are your favorite easy and quick products?

Thank you for reading 

Margrét 

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Top 10 under £10 - Winter Edition

Hi Everyone

Just a quick update.... my blog address has changed! It happened really quickly but I know that my main traffic has completely disappeared :( but I will in the next few weeks get a new banner and a layout for my blog so I am super excited. 

Anyway I am very excited about a new 'series' here on my blog. Every season/few months, I am going to post my top 10 products under £10. These are some of my favourite and even though these are winter edition you can definitely find this post helpful all year around.

I decided to do a full face look with all the products, I love everything about this look. It is a bit heavy with the dark lips but you can always go for a nude shade instead. 

I really love how defined the cheeks are even without contour, the Sleek blush is so nice.

Here are all the products that I used:

Face:

For my base I used the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC cream (£9.99). I love this for my base. It is a CC cream so it has some color correction in it but it is also moisturising and that is good for me because my skin gets a bit dry in the winter. It is also great because it gives a medium coverage, you can build it up from light to medium. I know CC and BB creams are more popular in the summer but I really love using this CC cream all year around. It leaves a satin finish to the skin and the lightest shade is perfect for me.

Flawless base is something very popular in the winter time so to cover up my dark circles and lovely blemishes I like the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.49) It gives full coverage and lasts all day. I make sure to use a good eye cream before using the concealer under my eyes to help it blend. The formula is very thick but it is so good.

One blush that I discovered this winter is the Sleek blush (£4.99) in the shade Suede. It is a very natural shade that is perfect to wear when you are wearing a heavy lip. The blush looks a bit dull in the pan but it looks very nice on the skin, it adds so much definition to my cheeks. All the Sleek blushers are super pigmented and easy to blend.

To add a natural glow I use the I heart makeup Goddess of Love Triple Baked Highlighter (£4.99) I do mention this highlighter in my affordable highlighters that will be up soon. (In the next few days) This one is lovely because it gives more glow than sparkle. It has duo chrome sheen to it. I really like this product and I think I want to try the blushers from the same line.

Eyes:

For eyes I used the KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 505 (£6.90) The KIKO shadow sticks are one of my favourite eyeshadow stick formulas. The formula is so blendable but waterproof at the same time. I am currently obsessed with eyeshadow sticks and the Kiko sticks are really good. The shade that I used today all over the lid is so nice and most of the time I wear it all on its own or smudge on the lower lash line. Another affordable eyeshadow sticks are the Barbara Daily which I talked about before (link here) but I'm not sure they are available anymore.

Like I said, I love wearing the KIKO eyeshadow stick all over the eyelid but today I used the L'Oréal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure Eyeshadow in Lumiere 502 (£5.49) to darken up the outer corner and to add a little bit of depth to the look. 

It is a beautiful shade that can be build up to a very dark shade. The formula for these shadows are so buttery and blendable. I will post soon swatches of all the shadows that I own from this range. I was so surprised when I tried this shadow, it is amazing quality for a drugstore product.

I love a good felt tip liner and the Makeup Revolution Awesome Double Flick Eyeliner (£3.50) is just awesome. It is super easy to use because it offers two different size of felt tips on each end. One end is very skinny so its great for a natural thin line or just the inner corner and the other end is a bit thicker so great to get the feline flick. The formula is smudge proof on me but not waterproof. 

On my eyebrows I have the L'Oreal Paris Brow Artiste eyebrow Pencil (£5.49) It looks like most drugstore brands are bringing out new brow products at the moment. This pencil is great it has wax on one end and then the brow pencil itself on the other one. I find it very easy and quick to use it and the shade is a good match.

Lips: 

On my lips I went with a quite new lip product and that is the Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil (£4.99) In the shade 310 Berry Much. This lip pencil is so good. The Berry Much shade is very unique to the drugstore. The formula is nice, very long lasting but do not dry out my lips.

Another lip option that I am obsessed with is actually a shade dupe for MAC Ruby Woo but not the same formula just the shade. It is the L'Oréal Color Riche Collection Exclusive Pure Reds in the shade Blake's Red (£6.99). This range from L'Oréal is a great. There is a red for everyone but I honestly love this shade of Blake's red. It is so classic and the formula is very creamy but lasts for ages on the lips. 

Here are some swatches of the products that I have mentioned: 

The mascara I used I think is the Maybelline the rocket mascara which s under £10 as well and I love it.

What are your favourite products under a £10? Is there anything that I should try out?

Thank you so much for reading :D

Margrét 

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