NOTD Free Ciate Paint Pot with Marie Claire Magazine

I'm a sucker for a freebie and picked up Marie Claire magazine at the weekend (November 2010 edition with Lea Michele on the cover) for£3.50 and it had a choice of 2 free Ciate paint pots worth £9 included!

I don't own any of these polishes so was intrigued to have a go. I got the red "Dangerous Affair" pot which looks beautiful in the bottle - a real rich red which would I thought would be great for Halloween or Christmas (as if it needed a special occasion!!)

A clear base coat, and two coats of the Dangerous Affair later, I have lovely warm red nails. As the photo suggests I was in a bit of a rush but overall I'm really impressed. The colour is warm and it went on easily. A third coat might have helped but I think you could get away with two. The colour is a warm winter berry sort of offering and I really like it. The only down side is it seems to be wearing down a little at the tips already. I don't think I'd pay £9 for it if I'm honest though the shade is a welcome addition to my collection and for £3.50 I can't complain.

Have you got either of the freebie colours? Is it worth buying a second Marie Claire for the other one?

LoubouLush x

MAC Pressed Blot Powder

Hi lovelies, today I bring to you the wonder of blot powder. I love blotting paper but wanted a nice pressed powder I could use to blot as well as set my make up. I tried the Sleek Luminous Powder for setting my make up which I'll do a post about and found it uber shimmery so wanted something nice and matte that I could use for setting and blotting if possible.

I headed to the MAC counter and ended up with MAC Pressed Blot Powder. It costs £17 so isn't particularly cheap. The packaging is simple and the powder itself is very fine. The girl at the counter explained that the colour choice isn't too important and as it's so light and see through. I'm pale and was recommended the medium which I was a little dubious about but it turns out I have no problems with it. Also available is light, medium/dark, dark and deep dark.

According to the MAC website this powder is A unique pressed powder designed primarily to provide shine control without adding any noticeable colour or texture. Sets foundation, finishes faces. For use in professional situations and for frequent touch-ups. Blot Powder contains Mica and Silica to adsorb excess oils and reduce shine on the skin's surface. Can be applied with the puff that comes in the compact or with a powder brush like #129 Powder/Blush Brush. Perfect for touching up Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation throughout the day.

So far I have used with a large brush to set my make up and bring the compact with powder puff to blot with.

All in all I love it!

My one little gripe is I'm not sure how long it will last so I'm trying to restrict myself to only using it to blot on nights out.

Have you tried it or do you have any recommendations for something else cheaper? I don't think I'll ditch my cheapie blotting paper for it but I'm always on the look out for a cheaper matte setting powder alternative...


LoubouLush xx

Some Budget Brushes

I have a slowly increasing collection of make up brushes. I don't discriminate. I have some fab fairly cheap brushes (mainly GOSH ones) and some fab more expensive ones (mainly MAC and Illamasqua). An Avon foundation brush I had fell apart recently and I have a new found curiosity for loose powder so thought it was time to make a couple of brush purchases.




Budgetary and time constraints meant Superdrug was my only real hope and there I picked up a QVS Compact Powder Brush for £3.99 and a random (think it was a Superdrug own brand?) unmarked foundation brush for a similar price.

So first of all, the powder brush. It's ok. The size makes it handy but to be honest the hairs are... a bit rough. There has been some fall out but the hairs' scratchiness is the most noticeable issue which is a common problem with "cheap" brushes. Now for the slightly weirder bit. The.Smell. There is a really odd and off putting smell from this brush. It is horrible and pretty strong and I don't know what it is. Possibly glue or the hair? Anyway I have washed it and it's still there. Ultimately I would like to try buy something of better quality but it'll do in the meantime.

Verdict - hold your breath when using it (not too long without medical advice ha) and be prepared for it to feel a little bit harsh.



I was wary of the foundation brush after smellybrushgate but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The hairs are soft although there was a little stray glue matting some of them together, but it came away easily. Foundation brushes seem to be really dear so I wasn't convinced this would be up to much but after dampening it a little it seemed to work well.

Verdict - it isn't the best foundation brush out there of course but for something to practice with or something relatively cheap I think it's pretty impressive.


So what are your make up brush best buys? Is budget as good as high end or is it the other way about?

LoubouLush x