MY SEPTEMBER BEAUTY FAVOURITES!

These are my September beauty favourites...they seem to have covered multiple areas of beauty too! YAY!

SKINCARE

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I used to spend aaaages taking my make-up off with a face wipe and always found that my skin felt tight and my eyes stung slightly. Despite the intense eye rubbing I still found residue make-up left around my eyes in the morning. This probably meaning I had also missed some facial make-up somewhere (my poor pores)! But since discovering this product it has made my night time routine a lot easier... and less painful! All I do is pour some on to a cotton wool ball (or pad) and press onto my eyes (closed of course) and leave it there to soak in a tad to loosen the make-up, then wipe. I repeat this until all of the make-up has gone. I then carry on with this method but wipe my face and neck. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean, without any irritation and also removes water proof make-up really easily.

MAKE-UP

'Chopper' - Urban Decay: Naked 2 Palette

I can't even describe how much I love this eyeshadow! It is a beautiful, shimmery, goldy-bronze shade. It is extremely versatile, I use it day and night. 

During the day time I apply a light wash all over my lid and then add a lighter, champagne shade into the inner corner of my eye and apply several layers of mascara. To bring the look into night time I add a dark brown to the outer corner and smoke it out, then apply some black eyeliner and create a  flick! It is perfect for clubbing...when the light hits it, it looks blummin' b-e-a-utiful! I also love this shade because it is perfect for the autumn season! I have paired this eye shadow with a warm, berry toned lipstick before and it looked awesome...so I'm sure I will be recreating that look in October and beyond! 

Benefit 'They're Real!' Push Up Gel Eyeliner

I won't write about this for too long as there is a more in-depth review in my previous post. I still thought it was worth a mention, because it really is AMAZING! I have used it almost every day since I bought it at the beginning of the month and it hasn't disappointed me once! It makes my life much easier in the mornings when I'm doing my makeup, a lot less faff basically! It hasn't dried out at all and I'm pretty sure that there is still a lot left in the container. Lovely jubbly! 

Maybelline New York: The Colossal- GO EXTREME VOLUME! Mascara

So, this is the mascara I mentioned earlier (the one I like to use when I wear 'Chopper'). Firstly, I curl my lashes... this makes a HUGE difference to my lashes and the effect that the mascara gives them at the end. What I like to do is to use my hair dryer to heat the eye lash curlers slightly before curling, like a hair curler, the heat will make the curl last longer. Once the curling is done I add one layer of the mascara, making sure i wiggle from the root. I then leave this to dry and then add another layer. This mascara has a massive wand, which helps create the volume. Although it is large, the product is still evenly distributed and therefore isn't clumpy on the lashes, which is where I've had issues with other volumising mascaras. I think the packaging is also pretty darn cool too!

HAIR

Schwarzkopf: got2b POWDER'ful (Volumising Styling Powder)

I stumbled across this product by accident and instantly fell in love with it. Long story short, my friend coloured my hair and the conditioner made my hair soooo soft that I couldn't do anything with it! So, she suggested I back comb my hair a little and then add this to the roots. I mean, I usually do this anyway when I want volume...but use hairspray instead. Ever since that day I haven't '

hair sprayed'! I do worry sometimes that I have missed a bit when I'm rubbing the powder in... my hair is dark and this product is white... not a good mix really! All I would say is that a little goes a long way... I found out the hard way when loooooads flew out the top and made my hair REALLY sticky! But still, I love it and it gives my hair the boost it needs on those 'newly washed hair' days.

FRAGRANCE 

Zara - 'Femme' Eau de toilette (100ml)

I have had this fragrance for a while, this one actually being a re-purchase. But as I have only been blogging this month, I thought it was still appropriate to include it, even if it has been a favourite for a few months! I have quite a few fragrances, most of which are quite sweet, with a couple more sophisticated scents, like my Roberto Cavalli (in the gold packaging) and Calvin Klein, Euphoria. This fragrance by Zara, I believe, sits in the middle. It is quite sweet, with a dominant vanilla scent. But some how it isn't sickly...? I would say it is my signature fragrance and I have had quite a few compliments when I'm wearing it. All I would say is that it doesn't last incredibly long on my skin, but for £10 or so I can deal with re-applying!  

Speak soon

Isabel x

PRODUCT REVIEW: Benefit 'They're Real!' Push-Up Gel Eyeliner

Liquid eyeliner is a pain in the derriere (to put it politely). No matter how many times I do it, something always goes wrong, whether that be smudging or a lack of symmetry...it just doesn't agree with me! I have been 'rocking' the cat-eye liner look for quite a few years now and have tried a few High Street liners.

MY EYELINER HISTORY

If I cast my mind back to 2008, my first liquid eyeliner was one by 'Miss Sporty', it had a light blue lid and a thin brush to apply a slim line (not that I really achieved this 'slim' and streamline look- it was more like a Sharpie attack!) Although it was troublesome, I proceeded to use it for a couple more years. There was then the release of  'felt tip liners'... this is just what I needed...something simple, quick with great precision. Of course, being a full time student I didn't really have the disposable income to branch out into the wonderful world of high end make up and stuck to the good ol' High Street, repurchasing  the Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner time and time again... I loved this product. Despite this, it did have the tendency to fade and/or transfer into the crease of my eye throughout the day, so I was constantly checking and wiping that away.
After reading a lot online I discovered the craze of gel eyeliner and bought myself a pot, Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Gel Liner. It definitely had longevity in comparison to the other products I had used previously but I still found it quite fiddly. So, you can imagine the excitement (and relief) when I heard about Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner! I had put off buying it for a while because of the price, but then I just said to myself, "Foooock it!" and took the plunge and treated myself. HALLELUJAH!

The Review:

LONGEVITY

It has a waterproof formular which means it won't budge easily. I put it on at 9am and it lasts all day until I take it off at 11pm, or even later if I've been out and about, with my Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. Even when its been humid it hardly fades, yes there have been points where it has but it is still pretty much in tact and waaaaay better than the other eyeliners in those sweaty conditions (kinda gross...sorry).

Tip: You're eyes are delicate (captain obvious strikes again) so I would advise not using a face wipe to take this product off! If you do, you'll be scrubbing for a while and quite aggressively... OUCHIES!

APPLICATION

To access the product you have to twist the bottom section of the packaging and the product comes out of the soft, silicon nib. The first time I used this product it was quite blobby, so I would advice wiping any excess off before applying to the eyelid. I love the angle of the nib as it is already pointed and gives a good guide line to create a flick on the outer corner of the eye, which is my preferred look on myself as it gives an elongated effect to the eye area, making them look more awake and larger. As I've previously mentioned, in the past I have had trouble with symmetry when applying eyeliner, but this product works like a dream! The nib is soft and flexes with application, allowing fluency to the line.

PACKAGING

The packaging is very sophisticated. It is curvaceous, black with orange and white writing. It is a wider cylinder than my previous Collection felt tip liner, it's easier to hold and therefore makes my hand steadier when applying. I love the way you have to twist the product out, it means that the product doesn't dry out, which is what I've found with the pot of gel eyeliner.

PRICE

Yes, this is quite expensive, retailing at £18.50. However, because I use it pretty much everyday and it lasts all day long it is worth the money. I completely understand that quite a lot of people may not be able to afford this product but like the majority of High End products, a cheaper version becomes available on the High Street. Maybelline have just brought out a product which is very similar called 'Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner Pen' which is significantly cheaper, £8.99 in Boots.

Overall, as you can probably tell... I LOVE THIS EYELINER!!! Once this one has finished I will be trying the Maybelline one (saves me some pennies) and I will let you know how I get on with it! Please let me know your opinion on this product and similar ones... I am intrigued!
Speak soon
Isabel x

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WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

This is just a quick introductory post to welcome you to my blog. As you can probably infer from my blog title 'Isabel's Insight'... my posts will reflect the goings on in my head, an 'insight' into my opinions, interests, likes and dislikes.

I will be focusing on beauty, health, food, fashion and lifestyle...anything that intrigues me! I will display these in a variety of ways, for example, through product reviews, tutorials and look books.

So, this is me...

I'm 18 years old and finished sixth form a few months ago. 

I have always been creative... with a particular passion for writing. From a young age I drew pictures and verbally told stories to my family and friends, as I grew older and my writing became more legible and fluent I would write short stories including events that had happened to me in the past. I've always found comfort in writing, especially in primary and the earlier stages of secondary school where I had friendship issues. I would consume myself into an imaginary world full of positivity which would immediately lift my mood. You could say it helps me get through the tough times.

This is my aim: to intrigue you, make you laugh and smile, teach you something (and just have a good time)! But not only is this blog to benefit others, I am doing it for myself. Writing makes me happy, being creative makes me happy and contributing positively to other people's lives makes me happy (funnily enough)! 

I hope you enjoy my content!

Speak soon

Isabel x