Desk to Dancefloor

This is going to be my first video post so please excuse the quality. This is one of my go-to daytime looks and I'll be posting Part 2 very soon, detailing how to transform it to this

in just a few simple steps. 

Let me know if you prefer the video format in the comments below or if you'd prefer to stick to standard blogging. 

If you recreate this look don't forget to post it to the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/queenoftartanblog

and tag me on twitter: https://twitter.com/KateMRay

Kate xxx. 

Another Day, Another Boots Haul

So it's now May and Summer is officially upon us, not that we would know it by the weather. It's also exam season in UCC, which has led to me being inexcusably inactive here. That will all change in the next week or so, with frequent updates and more interaction via. Social Media. It's always great to find out what people think so I will be looking to get more feedback from people regarding what you'd like to see and if there are any particular products you'd like reviewed. What can I say? I'm a people pleaser!

I've finally got around to doing a boots haul and I've picked up some pieces I'm sure I'll love. The haul may seem small because I also had my birthday recently and got a lot of new makeup there also, which will be featured in their own posts. 

I've been waiting since my March Wishlist to invest in Essie in the shade a cut above. This shade is not available on Boots.ie but retails in store for €10.99. While the colour does look amazing, I feel this is a little pricey for a brand I've not tried before. If anyone can offer any guidance on Essies' nail polishes I'd really appreciate it. 

While shopping around the makeup aisles I came across this excellent Sally Hansen equivalent which I know will be good quality. It comes from their Gem Crush range and is in the shade Razzle Dazzler. I have only used it once and forgot to take a picture before it began to chip so I've used this one to show you exactly what it looks like. 

I really liked how there is a mixed selection of glitter. It makes it look really 3D on your nail. It also can be used over other nail polishes and provides a professional finish. 

I have been looking for a nude lipliner for a while for under some of my paler lipsticks, simply to increase their staying power. I was considering the L'Oreal Infallible Lipliner  but I just felt that the packaging was really flimsy. I don't like lip/eye liners that are in plastic casing. I find that they break and I never end up using them until they run out. I instead fell head over heels in love with MaxFactor Colour Elixir Lipliner in Pink Petal. It comes out really smoothly and isn't drying or rough at all. It also matches all my pink lipsticks well. 

This brings me to my next purchase,  L'Oreal Color Riche Collection Privee in Juliannes Nude. It was a little expensive for a high-street brand lipstick but I do love the colour and it's really moisturising. 

As mentioned in my April Wishlist, I have invested in some of the Barry M. Gelly Nail Polishes. I bought them in the shades Greenberry and Blueberry, but haven't got around to trying them yet.  I'm dying to see what they are like on. They claim to give the shine synonymous with a gel manicure. I have found Barry M nail polishes to be a bargain in the past, as they are always at a reasonable price point. 

I did also buy another Sally Hansen nail polish in the shade Frutti Petutie, which is a really vibrant Coral based pink. 

The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick has been on my list for quite a while, but the price is just too much for me to justify. So imagine how delighted I was to discover that Seventeen have produced an almost identical dupe. 

This is the shade pink bronze, but I will definitely be investing in Gold Bronze for the Summer.

Another item which has been on my list for quite a while is the Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush. This was recommended to me when I had my Smashbox Makeover. It allows you to apply gel eyeliner without the bristles from the brush moving and messing up your work.

See how neatly the eyeliner went on? This brush is a lifesaver.

Last, but certainly not least, I invested in Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink gold which is the most divine pink/champagne colour. Definitely worth an investment for summer. I have been using it with a champagne all over my lid, pink gold on the outer half of the lid and a taupe in my crease for every day use.

There is currently 3 for 2 in Boots Stores and on Boots.ie, including all cosmetics and makeup tools and accessories. Let me know if anything takes your fancy or if you have found any hidden gems this month. 

Smashbox Makeup Review

Although some products mentioned in this post were provided to me courtesy of Smashbox, the views expressed in the following post are entirely my own.

A few weeks ago Smashbox sent me some products to review including their Try-it Kit and a tester of their new Full Exposure Palette.

 I also had my makeup done by their makeup artist, which I have already reviewed in my Smashbox Makeover Post.

The Try-it Kit contains a travel size primer, 

lid primer, 

eyeliner

mascara

and lipgloss

I already owned the concealer  in fair/light and foundation in shade 1.

I started todays look by applying a pea-sized amount of primer all over my face.

The primer glided on really easily and wasn't oily or greasy on my face. I have been considering investing in a Smashbox primer for some time, but the price was always a major deterrent for me. Having tried it, I do quite like the formula and for someone with oily skin who really needs a primer it would be perfect, however my skin being normal/combination doesn't really need a heavy duty primer. 

After applying the primer I applied my concealer in any areas I felt needed a little help. I don't usually use the smashbox concealer for blemishes; I mainly keep it for my undereye area, however as this post is predominantly for Smashbox products I decided to try it out as a blemish cover also. I didn't really like it that much as a blemish cover. It was fine to cover redness but it didn't really do much to cover the spot on my forehead.

After blending out my concealer I applied some lid primer all over my lid up to my browbone. Since my Smashbox makeover I have been applying my eyeshadow before my foundation in order to stop fallout affecting the rest of my face.

The top row of shadows in the palette are shimmery

and the bottom row are matte. 

I used the matte cream colour all over my lid up as far as my browbone, before applying the matte beige on it's left all over the lid. I used the matte taupe colour on the right of the cream on the outer half of the eye and used the matte chocolate brown on the very left hand side to contour my eye. The finished blended look was this. 

I then used my Real Techniques Stippling Brush to buff on my foundation. I found that I used more foundation than usual due to it sticking to the primer more than it would to bare skin. I suppose this is really a testament to the quality of the primer. After applying I used my normal No7 Concealer to cover up any areas I felt weren't properly covered by the Smashbox Concealer. I then applied my Urban Decay Liquid Liner. 

I used the Smashbox pencil liner along my upper waterline. There was no transfer to my bottom waterline whatsoever. It also didn't spread throughout the day. I used my Rimmel Pressed Powder on my T-zone and chin. I filled in my eyebrows and applied my bronzer and highlighter to minimally contour my face. I used Bourjois Blusher in Jasper Rose on my cheeks. 

Before applying the Smashbox Gloss, I applied Benefit lip plump on my cupids bow and in the middle of my bottom lip. I used my Kate Moss lipstick in 03 under the gloss. The gloss didn't feel sticky when I applied it but it did leave a sticky residue after it had been on for a few minutes. It didn't last more than a half hour and was totally gone after I had eaten. 

The finished look: 

How Cruelty Free is Your Makeup Bag?

Its obvious to anyone that knows me, that I am totally and utterly addicted to all things makeup. What is often not as obvious is that there are some issues I feel strongly about when it comes to makeup products I will use. Over the years, in the process of brands testing their products before placing them on the market, many animals have been subject to what can only be described as torture.

Living in Ireland, a member of the European union, bound by EU law, there is zero tolerance for animal testing. An EU directive provides the framework for the phasing out of animal testing for cosmetic purposes. It is prohibited to test finished products on animals, and prohibited to market in the EU, finished cosmetic products and their ingredients which were tested on animals. The testing ban has been in place since 2004 and the marketing ban since 2009. 

I am no political activist but it seems ridiculous to me that in 2014, when Europe can find alternative methods of testing cosmetics that larger, more powerful countries such as the US cannot make more of an effort to put an end to animal testing. The US are by no means the biggest culprit when it comes to this issue, having outlawed the testing of cosmetics on mammals. In China, local laws require animal testing on cosmetic products to demonstrate consumer safety as part of the product registration process. This is a mandatory legal requirement applicable to all cosmetic products sold in china. This has caused many large cosmetic companies such as Urban Decay not to enter the Chinese market despite it being potentially highly lucrative.

Urban Decay is just one company out of many to be awarded the ‘leaping bunny’ logo.

If you see the ‘leaping bunny’ on a cosmetic or website, you can be confident in the fact that the company has committed to the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals, a voluntary pledge that companies make not to test on animals during any stage of product development. The ingredient suppliers make the same pledge and the result is a product which is 100% free from animal testing.

Urban Decay, which has recently been bought out by L’Oreal, made the following statement via email:

"We are under new ownership but they basically only own us. We still use the same animal and cruelty free companies we use to make our products. We hope to lead the way for L’Oreal and show them they do not need to test on any animals."

L’Oreal claim to no longer test any of its products or ingredients on animals, but as is the case with so many companies I emailed, they do make the exception if regulatory authorities demand they do so. This basically means that when they sell in places like China, they do allow the testing of their products on animals. Many companies sent me full details of their animal testing policy and the mention of this exception was always buried somewhere mid-paragraph. It seemed to me that most companies were aware that what they were doing would make people unhappy and they were doing their best to hide it.

When I sent emails to companies I always asked specifically if they sold in Countries such as China, where animal testing is mandatory, and though I found that many companies were attempting to hide their involvement in the Chinese market, most were willing to disclose it.

Real Techniques emailed me to say that their brushes are 100% synthetic, so they are all cruelty free. They did however choose not to comment on whether they sell in markets where animal testing is mandatory. Benefit told me that they have not been carrying out animal testing since long before the ban came into effect in 2004. They also did not comment on whether they sell their products in the Chinese market.

Boots provided the following statement:

“Boots and its subsidiary businesses do not test any products or ingredients on animals, and do not commission others to do so on our behalf. In fact in March 2013 it became illegal for any company to test cosmetic products or ingredients on animals in Europe.  We realise that until satisfactory replacements are available, other businesses around the world will carry out some tests for their own particular products and ingredients to meet regulatory requirements.  These safety tests may sometimes involve ingredients of the type used in products which we manufacture and sell.”

I started off by going through my makeup and emailed all of the companies. From the statements they sent me I made this little table. When I started the research for this post I thought it would be really easy to find products that are ethical. It's actually a lot harder. A lot of brands will put the profits they can gain ahead of the welfare of the animals they are testing their products on. From now on I will be trying my very best not to buy products which have possibly been animal tested. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or if there are any brands you would like checked out.

Brands 100% free from animal testing	Brands not free from animal testing
NO.7	Rimmel
Urban Decay	Sleek
Philosophy	Real Techniques
Body Shop	MaxFactor
	MAC
	Bobbi Brown
	Maybelline
	Lancome

I was unclear when it came to certain companies such as Benefit and Bourjois, so I felt it best to leave them out of the running altogether, rather than give false/misleading information. All of these companies would be required not to perform animal testing within the EU but if they sell their products in the Chinese market I included them in the Not Cruelty Free bracket. 

All Time MakeUp Favourites

These are what I consider to be the best of the best of my makeup collection. Compiling this list was no easy feat. Do you know how much makeup it is possible to love?  In my case rather a lot. I've done the best I can to whittle it down to one or two from every category. So here goes.

Lipstick

Daywear
Winner: MaxFactor Colour Perfection in Ultrasuede (Discontinued)
Runner Up: Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 03 (Boots, €6.99)

For daywear I have used MaxFactor Colour Perfection in Ultrasuede for a long time but this line of lipsticks have been discontinued and I can't quite seem to find something the same.

When this runs out I will probably use my Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 03 but it's not the same.

On the top is the Rimmel 03 and and on the bottom is Ultrasuede.

Nightwear
Winner: Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 01 (Boots, €6.99)
Runner Up: No.7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Berry (Boots, €11.75)

These are really great affordable lipsticks, but I do usually need a lipiner under this deep red colour to stop it from moving. I use my No.7 Precision Lips Pencil in Fire.

This lipliner also works with my MAC Russian Red and Miss Sporty Perfect Colour in Dream.

On the top is a swatch of the Rimmel in 01 and on the bottom you can see the colour of the liner.

Close behind but not quite there is my No.7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Berry. This does not quite have the depth in colour that I would need it to if it were to be my favourite. You  can see more information on this product in my Make Up Haul Blog Post. 

Eyeliner

Winner: Mac Dupe Eye/Lip liner with aloe vera & vitamin E
Runner Up:Maybelline New York EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 01 Black (Boots, €11.99)

My favourite eyeliner of the moment is a MAC dupe which I acquired some time back. I'm not sure where exactly I got it from but I am aware that it is not a genuine MAC eyeliner.

Although I am aware that it is a fake, that doesn't stop it being a quality eye pencil. It lasts and doesn't move if I wear it all day, and it doesn't irritate my eyes like a lot of other liners do. 

I have had Maybelline New York EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 01 Black since it first came out in 2010 and I'm still not even close to running out. 

I realise that makeup goes off but I haven't had any problems yet and I can't afford to be throwing out makeup willy nilly. 

This liner is much darker and thicker than a pencil and I only really use it for going out at night. I think it would be too much for daywear. I don't rate the brush that comes with it and prefer to use my Louise Walsh Angled Eye Brush to apply the gel. 

Mascara

Winner: Estée Lauder Magnascopic Maximum Volume Mascara (Debenhams, €25)

Runner Up: Mac Zoomlash (Brown Thomas, €18)

I don't own either of my favourite mascaras at the moment as I love trying out new brands and I have lots of other mascaras at the moment to use but none of them measure up to these. 

Estée Lauder Magnascopic Maximum Volume Mascara is the best mascara I have ever used. It creates full voluminous lashes without causing spider legs. I cannot rate this highly enough and I can't wait to repurchase it. 

Mascara is one of the places in my makeup bag that I won't hesitate to spend money because where I'm concerned you get what you pay for. The only problem with MAC Zoomlash for me is that, at the beginning of the bottle before you use it for a while, too much comes out on the brush and it is so easy to end up with spider legs. Once you use it a bit, it evens out and it is much easier to use. 

Blush

Winner: Nars in Orgasm (www.brownthomas.ie, €29)

Runner Up: Sephora Dupe (Not Available in Ireland)

My favourite blush is Nars in Orgasm 

but as this is not readily available to me in Ireland, when I ran out I never repurchased it. While on holiday in France two years ago I found a gem in a Sephora store. 

This set comes as six shelves, each with 4 shadows, 2 lipglosses and a blush and each shelf has a colour scheme, green, brown, blue, pink, purple and black. These shelves all slot into a drawer unit which also comes with a hollow compact to slot your favourite shelf into when you are on the go.
In the green shelf there is a blush which is very similar to the Nars blush I love so much.

As you can see it is almost gone and then I will be on the hunt for a new blush. If you have any suggestions please leave them in the comments below.

Bronzer

Winner: Strictly Come Dancing Bronzing Set (Discontinued) 

Runner Up: Benefit Hoola (Boots, €34)

Last year after Christmas I picked up a Strictly Come Dancing Bronzing Set in the Boots sale for less than €15 and little did I know what a gem I had acquired. 

The bronzer has three shades in it, a shimmery white, a shimmery beige and a darker brown colour. I used the white alone as a highlighter, with the beige for a daytime bronzer and mixed all three together for a night bronzer. Unfortunately mine has broken and I can't find anywhere to repurchase this. 

I like Benefit Hoola but I find Benefit's products to be very overpriced and it kills me to repurchase them. Recently a friend of mine gave me the Sleek Face Contour Kit in light. 

The bronzer in this is quite similar to Hoola and much more reasonably priced. I will definitely repurchase this. 

Brows

Winner: Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel (Boots, €4.75)

 I like the Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel because it works just fine and is as cheap as chips. 10/10 in my book. Will definitely repurchase. 

Concealer

Winner: Benefit Boiing in 02 (Boots, €24.00)
Runner Up: No.7 Match Made Concealer in Cool Ivory (Boots, €9.75)

This is one of the few Benefit products that I rate at all. The concealer is brilliant!  It really is industrial strength. Usually I will use it only at night but on the odd occasion if I am having a particularly bad skin day I will pop it on with my regular daytime foundation and it does the job. I am on my second tub of this and I will definitely repurchase. 

At the moment I am down to the last bit of my No.7 Stay Perfect Blemish Cover in Medium. I have already repurchased but what I didn't realise when I was in the store is that they have rearranged the line and now No.7 Match Made Concealer comes in the same shades as the No.7 Stay Perfect Foundation. This suits me perfectly as I now own the matching concealer and foundation in the shade Cool Ivory. The reason this concealer is not my winner is that it just doesn't have the same coverage as the Boiing but on a normal day it does just fine. 

Powder

Winner: Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent (Boots, €5.99)

Runner Up: No.7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in Light (Boots, €14.95)

I don't really have a problem with oily skin so I don't have a huge grá for powder. I use it most of the time to be safe but the only time I really need it is in the Summer when I'm away in a hot climate. I find Rimmel London Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in Translucent does the trick for me at home. I've never taken it away with me to comment on it but if I'm still using it in the summer I will find out then. I have used this before and recently repurchased it. I have also turned other people onto it and they've been happy with the results. 

I also really like the No.7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in light. 

It does the same job for me as its Rimmel counterpart and I just don't really feel like paying the difference. 

Bases

Winner: MAC Mineralize Satinfinish SPF15 Foundation in NC25 (Discontinued)
Runner Up: Rimmel London BB Cream 9in1 (Boots, €8.95)

My favourite foundation is MAC Mineralize Satinfinish SPF15 Foundation in NC25. It gives a lovely even coverage with a nice glow. I am almost out of it at the moment but it makes me want to cry that it has been discontinued. 

Recently while trawling through Boots in Limerick's Crescent Shopping Center I came across what I think is a real gem, Rimmel London BB Cream. I wrote more about this in my Make Up Haul Blog Post. 

Palettes

Winner: Urban Decay Naked Palette (Debenhams, €44)

There is only one real winner where I am concerned when it comes to Palettes and there standing above the crowd is the Urban Decay Naked Palette. Admittedly it is expensive but in my opinion, worth every penny. I have used every colour in it some stage, some more than others, and I love it. Recently I have been forcing myself to use other products when I am doing my eye makeup. 

Tools

Winner: No.7 Eyeshadow Blend and Contour Brush (Boots, €9.50)

Runner Up: Real Techniques Buffing Brush (Available in Core Collections set €28.99)

I absolutely adore this brush. I bought it with a voucher as an impulse buy in Boots so it cost around €5, which is an absolute bargain. I don't use it to apply my contour eyeshadow as I use an angled eyeshadow brush for that but I always use it to blend my shadows after I put them on. As far as I am concerned EVERYONE needs this brush.  

I bought this brush in Boots and fell instantly in love with it. I wrote more about this brush in my Make Up Haul Blog Post. 

Highlighter

Winner: Benefit Watts Up (Boots, €35)
Runner Up: Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light (www.sleekmakeup.com €7.99)

I really like the pearly dewy look this highlighter gives. I usually apply it on the cheekbones, down the center of the nose, on the brow bone and on the cupid's bow. It is a tad pricey so I try to save it for night time and use my Sleek Face Contour Kit for daywear. 

So those are my makeup favourites. Do you have any that I've missed or maybe we have some of the same favourites. Please let me know in the comments below. My next post will be addressing the makeup trends for spring which emerged at LFW.