The Ouija Board reviews I Haven't Lived At All.

Photo by Victoria O'Rourke

Check out a review of my book! 

Sounds Like Noise

Hi lovelies!

I'm back with a quick sort-of review. I previously mentioned my excitement at the announcement of Hayley William's MAC range, and after (a very small small) debate I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the 'Sounds Like Noise' lipstick.
I was going into this completely blinded to be honest, as I've never purchased a MAC lipstick before and I've very quickly fallen in love with orange, so this could either have been the greatest purchase or a complete waste of money.
I have to say, I'm very happy I bought it- and though orange lipstick doesn't appeal to everybody, I'm a complete fan!

It appears quite a lot darker in this photo, lighting was not in my favour as I've just sat through a freak storm of thunder and hale (my favourite!) You can see in this swatch just how vibrant it really is, 

It's most definitely a very true orange, so it might not compliment all skin tones but as I'm the kind of pale that has no tone to it, I think I can just about pull it off...hopefully, maybe. 

It's a matte formula, so if you suffer from dry or chapped lips it's not at all forgiving. I've since purchased a Lip Scrub from Lush in order to combat this issue, and it works like a charm!
As far as longevity goes, I find it hard to comment on. I'd say you can get a good 5-6 hours of wear if you're just going about daily business, perhaps knock a couple of hours off that if you're drinking. I don't use Lipcote or anything like that so I'd say that's really not too bad. I'm so used to topping up lipstick regardless of if it needs it that much, and as long as it doesn't smudge all over the place (this doesn't!) I'm happy with it. 

Now, on to how it actually looks!

I love that it's bright and vibrant but not too garish. 

I find it important to see how it looks whilst smiling, this is a huge debate I had with myself over black lipstick, but I'm fairly certain the orange doesn't look completely awful. Some times, things look great for the purpose of a photo, but I want it to look good for the purpose of day-to-day wear, makes sense I think. 

(I love that I constantly have a vague looking head tilt going on. ahem.) 

For today, I thought I'd go one step further by adding some further orange, in the form of nail varnish. I've been wearing this colour a lot, but as I'm wearing orange lipstick too I thought I'd tone it down by going for that 'Accent Nail' look. 

Maybelline Color Show- 182 Solar Flare

Also wearing:
Barry M Hi-Shine Gelly- Lychee

(Can we ignore how badly painted my nails are, it's a skill I don't possess, especially after the copious amounts of coffee I've consumed today!) 

So, what do we think? Am I alone in my love of all things orange? What other MAC lipsticks would recommend as a must-have in my lipstick collection?

-K

x

I Haven't Lived At All pt 3.

Hi Lovelies,

I'm back with another off topic post (because would you expect anything less of me!?)
If you've seen my previous couple of posts, I'm in the process of self-publishing my first book and I'm so happy to share that my kickstarter project target has been met- with 3 days to go! (so, if you wanted to pledge...there's time left!)

Anyway, thats not really what I wanted to speak about!
As I'm now gearing up to go full throttle with this, and I won't even go into how many mixed emotions this gives me, I wanted to put a call out to any bloggers who post book reviews.
As many of you know, blogging is a great way of networking, so if there are any bloggers out there who would be interested in posting a review of my book before the release please get in touch.  Or if any of you would be interested in this, I'd be equally as interested to here from you.
Please do feel free to spread the word of this. I need your support now more than ever.

You can email me at: contact@evelynknightley.co.uk  Find out more about this book at: evelynknightley.co.uk  Like my page on facebook: facebook.com/evelynknightleywriter I'd also like to apologise for being an awful blogger recently, if there are any posts you want me to take a look at please do leave a link in the comments section and I'll take a look. I've just been super busy, working full time and then coming home to work on this book, it's leaving me little time for anything else so blogging has kind of fallen behind. This makes me very sad but sometimes you've just gotta prioritise :(  - K x

Urban Decay Ammo Eyeshadow Box *Review*

Hi Guys!

I finally managed to get my hands on an Urban Decay Palette, and I can't believe it took me so long! I know most people usually recommend the Naked palettes, but I already have so many neutral eyeshadows and I was drawn to the colours in the Ammo Palette. So that was my mind made up, I had to own the beautifully shimmered Urban Decay eyeshadows.

Excuse the slightly dirty box, I've only had it for a couple of weeks and I've already had a lot of use out of it!

You can buy this here

If you're not one for shimmered eyeshadows, this might not be the box for you, but I'm a sucker for a bit of a shimmer and these are subtle enough to be suitable for everyday wear! I seem to be wearing 'Smog,' 'Maui Wowie' and 'Polyester Bridge'  a lot, but I'm also really loving 'Mildew' and 'Last Call.' I love that this is quite a versatile range of colours, so you can go for a natural colour or if you're feeling experimental, it's easy enough to use the same palette for a more vibrant look!

(L-R)

Smog, Mildew, Oil Slick, Last Call, Chopper. 

(L-R)

Maui Wowie, Shattered, Polyester Bridge, Grifter, Sin. 

As you can see, once swatched the colours really aren't that intimidating! The colours are also very buildable, so you can decide how strong you want them. They also last all day, or at least for me they have, and thats without eyeshadow primer. Pretty impressed with that! 

I'm really enjoying experimenting with the different colours in this palette, so expect a few eyeshadow tutorials in the future...maybe. Don't hold me to that ;) 

Do you own any Urban Decay products, and now I've entered the world of Urban Decay, what would you recommend I try next?

-K 

x

As a side note (always with the side notes!) I've had a bit of a play around with my layout, again, what do you guys think? You may notice I have an 'About' page but it is bare for the time being! If there's anything you think I should write about, any questions you have etc, please do let me know and I shall include them in the page...possibly in video form! 

Illamasqua Liquid Metal *Review*

Today has been a day of firsts for me, as I was surprised by a late delivery of a second parcel containing the Illamasqua Liquid Metal eyeshadow. I bought this after a friend informed me that Illamasqua had a sale on their website and I'd been desperate to give this brand a try! After loading my basket with 10 different items, I reigned myself in and settled on this one product.

At only £5 (down from £17.50,) I figured I had nothing to lose even if I didn't like this product!

I opted for the colour 'surge' as the current snowy weather brings out my love of all things shiny and silver!

Unfortunately this colour is now out of stock on the Illamasqua website, but it's always worth having a look around the internet to see if it's available elsewhere! 

Just a quick swatch of the colour here. As you can here, it's a slight off-silver colour, not quite pure silver so it's an interesting colour to own! 

Now the application of it, it's incredibly easy to use and build up. When I first touched it I thought it felt incredibly similar to the 'Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo' eyeshadow, and whilst I do love the colour tattoo products, this is one is much nicer to apply and to get a completely smooth finish across the lid of your eye. 

That's the product on it's own, as you can see it's very subtle but still adds that extra dimension to an otherwise simple make up look. 

Now, this is me so I can't go without my winged eyeliner, but instead of thick black I opted for the slightly more subtle 'L'Oreal Super Liner in Golden Black.'

 

 This is where I become slightly disappointed. Really, I should have known to put primer on before applying the 'Liquid Metal,' but as I'd already applied it to my eyelids before applying my foundation it just completely split my mind! 

The colour wears off more or less straight away. I've had it on for about an hour so far, and it's not so much the fact that it's started to smudge (I actually quite like the look of it,) it's more that it's pretty much worn off on my eyelids and has transferred itself to the crease above my eyelid. 

In all honesty, I'm completely torn over this product. I love the colour, I love the shimmer, I love the idea of what I could use it for. I just don't love that it doesn't last longer than a few minutes. 

Would I pay £17.50 for it...no. 

Will I try and buy a couple more colours on pay day? Yes, probably! 

I'm determined to find a way to make this work for me because I so badly want to fall in love with this product. 

Have any of you ever had any experience with Illamasqua products, and have you been pleasantly surprised or been left a bit disappointed?

If you want me to write a review of any of the products I've mentioned, just let me know!

-K

x

Shop @ Illamasqua

As a side note, let me know if you'd be interested in seeing posts of 'Make up of the day' or something along those lines. Every so often I end up particularly pleased with my make up, so it'd be useful for me to remember what works and what doesn't, but what's more important is if it's beneficial to you guys!

Too Faced Candlelight Glow *review*

I have made my first step away from the world of blusher and into the land of highlighter.
I was a little dubious about how well I'd get on with a highlighter as I suffer from what I lovingly call 'moon face syndrome,' by this I mean I have a round face and pale skin yet my cheekbones are quite high (that is...once you get through my hamster like cheeks.) So, I wasn't sure if a highlighter would be of any benefit to me.
This is the first time I've used a highlighter, so I still have to figure out which technique will suit me most. (If anybody could help me without with that...that'd be great!) But as this is my first highlighter, I thought I'd go all the way and invest in the 'Too Faced Candlelight Glow Highlighting Power.' 

You can buy it here :)

I purchased mine from escentual.com as I had a 10% off code for my birthday. 

At £25, I think it's fair to say I was expecting an almost-miracle. 

This is also my first Too Faced product, I've heard many good things about the brand but I still wasn't too sure what to expect! 

The main thing that stands out to me about this product is the overall look of it, it's incredibly feminine with a romantic feel about it, and that sucks in the girl in me. 

The product is bigger than I expected, although I think this is mostly due to the packaging rather than the amount of actual highlighter inside. 

What I do love about this is that there are two shades, and you can use them either individually or blend them together with your brush. I opted to blend them together so I still had a bit of colour on my cheeks as opposed to just highlighter. 

On the left you have the highlighting powder with the pink tone, and on the right is the golden tone. On the swatch they look very shimmery, but once it's blended in I've found I've been left with a small amount of shimmer and a nice, natural looking glow. 

As I said before, I think it's going to take some time before I really get the hang of how I can get the most out of this, but for my first highlighter- I'm pretty happy with it! 

Would I say it's worth the money? Eh...perhaps not! But then this is the only one I've tried so perhaps this is as good as it gets. I'm eager to try some more just so I can really compare the results! 

I've applied this down from my temples and onto my cheek bones, and added a small amount down the sides of my nose. 

Overall, I really do feel like I'll benefit from this! As I'm so pale (and I now have black hair again,) I can always use the extra lift on my skin to make look less like the living dead. Anything that can add a bit of life into my skin is always welcome! 

Unfortunately you can't really see it in the photo... but I think that just goes to show how the swatch really amplifies the colour and that it really is nice to blend in order to achieve a natural look. 

Have you tried any highlighters? If you've had any great success with one, please do let me know! I feel like this may be my new obsession...for a short while at least! 

Do you find one product reviews like this helpful? I have a few products that I've been thinking about reviewing, but then I don't want to bore everyone! 

On that note...my new Illamasqua eye shadow has just arrived, so keep an eye out for a review on that! I'm very excited to give it a try.

-K

x

Beauty Blender

I had heard Essie talk about this item a couple of times, and I'm always searching for anything that makes the whole 'make up application' thing a lot quicker. 

I finally purchased this on Friday, and it arrived today! 

I got mine from Amazon for £12.80+1.25 p&p. 

HD Brow Palette

I briefly wrote about the HD Brow Palette in my Glossybox post , and I basically said I wasn't sure if it was something I'd actually use/like. 

I finally had the time to practice with it this morning, and I actually really love it! 

When I say I had 'time to practice,' I anticipated having to try it out a few times before getting it right but the photos below are of the first (and so far, only) attempt. 

It's a lot easier than I expected it to be. 

For the past couple of weeks I have been using a Benefit eyebrow palette. It's something that I have quite liked using, but sometimes it's a bit too harsh when you just want a natural look. The HD brow palette is perfect for achieving this. 

As you can see in the first photo, my eyebrow is still pretty well defined but in the 2nd photo you can see that it's not just a blocked out eyebrow, it's still very natural looking!

shopdixi.com

I try to tame my internet spending habits, I really do. I'm uncontrollable though.
It's worth it though, because the postman delivered some items that made me very, very happy :) 

I grabbed myself a couple of goodies from ebay, courtesy of shopdixi.com 

My items were sent in this box and the small bag (nice little touch!) 

Items up close

I'd never even heard of an 'over knuckle ring' but I think I might actually like it! 

I usually only wear small rings as I hate the ones that are so big you stuggle to close your fingers together...but this is the perfect size so that isn't an issue! 

The prices are so good (especially if you manage to get lucky on their ebay items, like I did!) so if you like vintage and unique jewellery, accessories and clothing, you should definitely check out Dixi. 

Check them out at: 

www.shopdixi.com

Dixi @ Ebay

Glossy Box International Month

It's that time of the month where I've been sat waiting for the postman to deliver this month's Glossybox.

This month, Glossybox dedicated their items to all things international, spreading the beauty secrets of various countries all around the world. Once again, instead of receiving the 5 items you're supposed to, I received 6 which is always an added bonus!!

In this month's box I received: 

"Alessandro Pro White Nail Varnish" (Germany) RRP £7.85

"DHC Deep Cleansing Oil" (Japan) RRP £18.50

"All for Eve- Eve's Balm" (Charity Organisation) RRP £4.95

"Vera Valenti Eyeshadow Palette" (Spain) RRP £3.85

"Lipcote" (United Kingdom) RRP £3.99

"Glossy Box lipstick" RRP £9.50

Lush.

I've always tended to avoid Lush, despite my friends insisting that I turn into a fellow 'Lushie' and despite the huge temptation that is caused by the idea of 'almost every product is Vegan.'
But, I never have the time to pamper myself and I never have spare money.

However, since my friend bagged a job in Lush, I have fallen to peer pressure. Sad, but true.
I'm not a 'review'-ing type of person, but as I am someone who is always poor yet loves expensive, earth friendly products; I figured I'd make an exception for the few products I have tried!!

Before I start, I will state that this only the reaction on MY skin. That really is something to bare in mind, as I have very very pale and sensitive skin. And I am allergic to most products and have been known to hide for days after my face has swollen up and turned the colour of a lobster. (True story.)
I will also state, so far, NONE of the products I have tried have caused this. Instant win for me.

The Comforter

£3.99 

Described as a 'fruity bubbly bar.' 

Basically, you break a bit off and crumble it under hot water. It turns your bath into a lovely pink bubble bath! 

I LOVE this product, it is probably my favourite smell out of all of the bath products I've tested/used. I wouldn't say it was particularly fruity, I can't put my finger on the exact smell. But it definitely is comforting (hence the name?) and I love using this product in my bath. I end up feeling a lot more relaxed, and it's just fun to use!! It seems to make the water feel 'softer,' and therefore your skin feels soft too!!

It's a fair size too, so I tend to get about 10 uses out of it. Pretty good I think!! 

And, this product is Vegan friendly. 

Two thumbs up for 'The Comforter.' :D 

Herbalism

£5.95

"Purifying and exfoliating herbal cleansing roll wash. Best used on oily and problem skin."
This product is a facial toner. It comes in a small black tub as a solid product, and you mix it with water to make it into a sort of paste before slapping it onto your face. (Not literally, that would hurt.)
The smell leaves a lot to be desired, and I personally thing it smells a bit like Hemp. But you get used to it and begin to strangely like it. It's also quite fun to use, although a little time consuming!
The first time I used this, the first thing I thought was 'oooh my skin is soooft!'
However, as stated before I have very sensitive skin. Not helped by the fact that I tend to suffer with pretty bad acne. (apparently my skin is allergic to air.) I would have thought that considering all of the natural products, I would have been okay. Apparently not. It's too harsh for my skin :( After 3 weeks I've had to stop using it. I started off using it daily, before changing to every 2/3 days to see if 'overusing' was a problem!
So, I have just given the rest of this to my Mum so I can see if it's good on her skin or not. I'm a bit sad, because I really wanted to have found a product that worked well on me :(
Alas, no this does not.

I imagine it would be pretty good for someone with average skin, as it does leave your skin feeling fresh and clean- always a bonus!!
For me, however, it was a waste of money and has resulted in my skin being far worse than it was to begin with. Silly sensitive skin!

This is also suitable for Vegans :)

Rockstar
£3.25

Possibly the best bar of soap, ever.
I don't own this, but my friend always has it at her house and I get excited every time I use it.
It.smells.DELICIOUS. Honestly, I with I could eat it.
...I miss this soap.
It is THAT good.
Oh, and hey, SUITABLE FOR VEGANS.
Perfection.
<3

Catastrophe Cosmetic
£5.50

Facemask :) Keep refrigerated and take it out every time you fancy giving your face a treat. Simples. 

I only bought this a few days ago, so I've only used it twice.

My skin reacts terribly to pretty much every face mask I've ever tried (yes, a face mask was to blame for the lobster looking incident!)

This has a rather faint, yet simple smell to it and it looks like it should be healthy. Both good factors to possess. 

As soon as I put this on my face, I instantly felt...refreshed. My skin instantly felt smooth and as I was putting it on I couldn't help but feel weirded out at how lovely this face mask felt. 

You leave this on for 10 minutes, and it dries off a bit so you get the funny 'cant.move.mouth' experience. I, personally, think a face mask that dries is the best kind. 

After I washed this off, both times, my skin looked so much less red and inflamed. 

I had used another face mask in between (I shall write about that next!) which had left my face in a horribly painful state , so the effect of this face mask was incredible!!

I would recommend this to anyone, whether you suffer with bad skin or not, I used this product on my Mum too and she agreed on the refreshed feeling!! I've already had 3 uses out of the pot and I think I have at least another 4 left. 

Cosmetic Warrior 

£5.50 

Another face mask here! 

I wish I could say nice things about this face mask, I really do. But I struggle.

Trying to ignore the fact that it left my skin very red and inflamed, I just didn't like it. It didn't give me the same 'Oooh I love this' feeling that I had with the previous face mask. And all you can smell is Tea Tree.

Now, I am allergic to Tea Tree. Well, I've had a bad reaction to it once so I figured I could give this a go because the other time might have been 'just a one off thing.' Apparently not. Me and tea tree are just never meant to be, hence the red and inflamed skin I was left with afterwards.

This is supposed to be for problem skin, however I tend to find that most people with problem skin tend to also have sensitive skin...in which case, tea tree oil is not the product for you. I imagine it's pretty good for people who get a spot every now and again, but if you really suffer with it I'd recommend the previous face mask far more over this! Don't for a minute kid yourself into believing that the tea tree will burn the spots off your face yet leave the rest of it intact, I made that mistake and I was left in a fair bit of pain :( 

Volcano Foot Mask 

£5.50 

This weirdy, snazzy product is a foot mask and scrub. You cover your feet in it, and then shove them in a carrier bag for 10 minutes, during which your feet begin to feel as though they are being set on fire. After 10 minutes, you then rub the (now dried) product to rub the dry skin off before washing it off in a nice, much needed bowl of cold water. 

I was pretty disappointed in this product. The smell is pretty nasty, too. So there's no compensation there :( 

I've used it twice, and my Mum has also used it. She said it made her feet feel nice and soft, but I'm sure there has been next to no impact on my feet. 

I'd recommend you skip past this product, and look for a better way to pamper your feet. 

(Sorry Lush!!!) 

I hope this has been of some use and very slightly informative!! 

If not, sorry for wasting your life... ;)

-K