Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation review

I'll start off with the bad-It doesn't smell great. At all. Kinda like wall paint to be honest but I put up with that because I actually do quite like this foundation. It's not perfect, it can be quite hard to blend, so can appear slightly patchy unless you put the effort in to fully buff it into the skin. But on the plus side it gives great coverage and evens out the skin tone so well. It covers blemishes and even under eye circles, so much so that I can go without concealer. It also works excellently on oily skin like mine at mattifying the skin. I would go as far as saying that I could wear this without powder, however if I do wear it with powder it can easily last all day. This means it's great to use on a night out because it gives such good coverage and I know it's gonna stay in place all night. It also doesn't break out my skin really bad like some other heavier foundations do and doesn't feel thick or heavy on my skin so that I constantly just want to wipe it off therefore it can also be worn as a day time foundation if I feel like my skin needs some extra coverage. Considering I picked this foundation up on a whim out of the bargain basket at boots for like £3 I'm actually really happy with it!

Bourjois Liner Feutre Review

After my L'oreal superliner ran out I was in the market for a new felt pen liner, enter Bourjois Liner Feutre. It seemed very similar to  the l'oreal one and since Bourjois was on 3 for 2 I picked it up. The first thing I'm going to say though, is that I prefer the L'oreal one. For only one reason, which is that the actual nib of the pen is so much thinner. The formula is good and dries fast on the eye so it doesn't smudge and once it's on it stays on too, my eyeliner will be exactly the same after I get home at the end of the day as it was when I left the house in the morning. It's a true black formula and glides on smoothly, the nib, whilst a nice size isnt quite thin enough to do wings, I often use a gel liner and brush for the wings and do the rest of my eye in this. As it's starting to run out now I've also realised that if I store it upside down it makes it so much easier to use as it's much wetter, so it glides on smoother.

Have you tried this eyeliner or a similar one? What liner would you recommend? 

Bourjois Effect Smoky Eyeliner Review

I've never really been a fan of pencil liner, I've used liquid since I first started wearing makeup and have never really been interested in it. However lately I've decided I wanted to go for a softer look on the eyes so decided to pick up a pencil liner. I got this on one of Boots trusty old 3 for 2 offers and am amazed at the quality of it. It is the softest pencil I have ever used, it glides on so smoothly and easily and is a really dark, true black. It's smudgeable so that it can be softened but once it 'sets' so to speak it doesn't budge and stays in place all day, It even comes with a handy brush to smudge with, though it's not amazing. At £5.49 I think it really is great value for money and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

What's your opinion on liquid vs. pencil?

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon Review: Red Island

Good job Katie getting those focused photos.

Why oh why did I wait so long to try out the colour boost lip crayons? People have been raving about these since they were released and quite possibly even before, yet still I waited and I waited. But when I was due a new eyeliner I found that Bourjois was on 3 for 2 and since this also coincided with the release of the Rouge Edition Lipsticks (Review here) I decided to pick up one of each.

I chose Red Island which is a gorgeous true red with just the right about of gloss. It's moisturising and non drying, long lasting and fade resistant, so all in all pretty perfect all round. Definitely one of my favourite lip products, as you will know if you read this recent post.

So what colour do I try next?

My Top 3 Lip Products

6 days is rather a long break between posts for Beauty By A Geek of late, but since I haven't actually wrote any posts since August (My September posts were all scheduled since I knew I'd be so busy starting sixth form) I kinda forgot. I probably will be posting less frequently now because A-Levels are rather freaking hard anyway.

My collection currently stands at 9 lipsticks, 2 lip crayons, 3 liquid lipsticks and 1 lip gloss so it was no mean feat whittling it down to my top 3 lip products. However, the final contestants are- Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayon in 05 Red Island, Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in 05 Ole Flamingo and Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivid in 910 Shocking Coral.

The first is a true cherry red, the second is a bright but dark pink and the final is a slightly neon bright pink. Whilst I don't wear the maybelline one all that often due to its brightness, it's still one of my favourite lipsticks formula wise so I knew I had to include it. 

The lip crayon and lipstick both have a gorgeous glossy finish whilst the liquid lipstick dries matte on the lips. All three are incredibly long lasting so need minimal touch ups and are beautifully pigmented so stay the same colour and don't tend to fade.

Although they're probably not the most wearable, neutral colours, they probably are my most worn colours of all I own partly because I'm a lover of bright lipstick and partly because they just have such excellent formulas.

L-R Maybelline Colour Sensational, Bourjois Colour Boost Crayon, Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick

So there's my recommendations, please give me yours!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Ole Flamingo

I think I may have found my Holy Grail Lipstick. I know that this is rather a brave claim but I really think I may have. Remember how much I raved about the Rimmel Apocalips?  Try here, here, here and here to say the least. Well these new Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipsticks have knocked them out the park. 

They glide on like a lipgloss but dry matte and are literally the most long lasting lip product I have ever tried! It stayed on for a good 6+ hours the first time I used it even through eating and drinking. The only downside of this product is getting it off in all honesty, particularly if you're trying to put it on in a rush and miss your lips, the only thing I have found that removes it is the Loreal Micellar Water.

I have the shade Ole Flamingo which is a gorgeous bright pink colour which I have been wearing non stop since buying it! I am so in love with it, the photos just dont do it justice. I would love to go out and buy every singe shade they sell but at £8.99 they aren't exactly cheap, plus I am challenging myself to not buy any more makeup products till Christmas! I know its brave but I have so many products that I have used/use but not reviewed so it will not only save me a lot of money but also give me a chance to catch up.

So basically if you buy one more product this year, make it the Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipsticks!

August Favourites

1.Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Ole Flamingo-I have a review of this going up in a couple of days, but in short, these are incredible and you should immediately go and buy one. They seriously are Holy Grail material.

2.Orphan Black- I have been obsessed with this show and actually watched both seasons in 6 days. I know, I have some serious issues. Cosima is my fave clone I think and I love her and Delphine together, they make such a cute couple.

3.Five Guys Food-A Five Guys just recently opened up in Touchwood Solihull and although I have only been once, it has made it on to my Favourites because it was just so damn good. Though I would not recommend a date there, its kinda hard to eat a bacon cheeseburger with all the trimmings gracefully. The prices are also not as bad as I thought, they are about the same as a Nandos.

4.Costa Coffee Caffe Caramella- I have officially found my favourite hot drink ever, this beats the Greggs Caramel Latte and the Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. Plus it is way cheaper as it is only £2.20. Though its not quite as good as a Caramel Frappuccino I'd have to say. I'm not actually a huge coffee drinker and actually only drink it when I go out, because I don't really like it if its not caramel flavoured, but this is perfect.

5.Golden Compass Book-I really enjoyed the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy which is The Golden Compass. My friend had recommended it to me and I loved the movie so thought I'd give it a try and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. However I think that the trilogy just goes downhill from the first one and I wasn't actually a fan of the second or third.

6.Barry M Matte Nail paint in Crush- I bought this last winter when they first launched and wasn't really a fan but with the autumnal weather approaching I decided to give it another try and fell in love. I really love the matte effect as well as the colour.

7. HeyItsRae on Youtube-Over the summer, I decided to try watching some new youtubers and fell in love with HeyItsRae. She's soo funny and her videos are interesting and unique, you should really go and watch some!

New York City: Holiday Makeup Bag

Having a rather large makeup collection kinda comes with being a beauty blogger, so when it's time for a trip, it's always hard to dwindle it down to a few key products, but this is what I have tried to do. Trust me, it was hard. Some people may say that 4 lipsticks for a six day trip is excessive but I'm sure if you're reading this you know it's important to have choices, so read on to see my holiday makeup, the products below are the exact ones I'm taking to New York but one or two are in the wrong shades as I couldn't find a good photo of them.

Holiday Makeup Bag by frankenwhale featuring lips makeup

So in the face category we have my favourite everyday concealer, foundation, bronzer, blush and powder, pretty simple really. I also have the Benefit Porefessional primer because I recently got it free in the Elle magazine (I may have spent £4 on a magazine which I personally thought was just adverts for the free gift. Oops.)

For eyes I'm taking a pencil and felt tip liner, I would have prefered a good gel one, but my Collection Gel Liner isn't very long lasting at all. Obviously I also need mascara and my MUA eyebrow kit, then I'm taking the MUA Undressed palette as it's a good neutral palette with a good range of colours and my maybelline colour tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' to use as a base/primer.

Then, for lips I'm taking Rimmel Kate Moss 110, Rimmel Apocalips in Eclipse, Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids lipstick in Shocking Coral and Natural Collection Lipstick in Crimson. That way I have an orange, purple, pink and red and cover all my bases.

Finally I am also taking some of my Real Techniques brushes which aren't pictured. I think I'll take the Buffing Brush for foundation, Contour Brush for bronzer and blush, Brow Brush for brows, Deluxe Crease Brush for concealer and the Base Shadow Brush for my eyeshadow. Plus my good old primark powder brush to finish it of.

This is actually what I would take on a two week trip to be honest and I'm only going for 6 days...Oops...

June Favourites

1. L'oreal Telescopic Mascara- Definitely one of my all time favourite mascaras.
2. Heros Of Olympus Books- Finally got round to reading the second one and am loving it.
3. Vaseline- My lips have been so chapped at the moment and I tried using my Maybelline Baby Lips but they are seriously the most over-hyped product ever and I think that they are practically useless. So anyway I decided to try out the old classic and it has been working great especially since I have been flying.
4. Fringe Kimono-My current favourite piece of clothing, its the perfect summer piece and its so easy to just throw on and you instantly win in the style stakes. 
5. Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn- I saw this featured on A Yellow Brick Blog a couple weeks ago and really wanted to try it and I have to say it is delicious! I seriously can't believe how nice it tastes considering how few calories it has in it.
6. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation- My favourite foundation to date , it matches my skin tone well, is light but gives good coverage and looks dewy but not oily on my skin as most foundations do. I also got it for £6 at the Birmingham Rag Market rather than £11 in Boots so I was very happy!
7. Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturiser-I have been using this for a while now, I've gone through 2 tubes of it and it's really helping to make my skin look less oily.
8. Benefit Porefessional Primer- I recently brought Elle magazine because this primer came free with it, I was very disappointed with the mag but definitely not with the primer. It lived up to all my expectations.

Mini Makeup Haul and Review

All the cosmetics were on 3 for 2 at boots before Christmas, so I took the opportunity to stock up! :D

From left to right I brought Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder, Barry M Matte nail Varnish in crush, Rimmel London apocalips in Stellar and Maybelline the Falsies mascara.

Now for some mini little reviews...

This is how the matte nail varnish looks, personally I was a little disappointed as it didn't really seem all that matte to me. I prefer to wear it with a layer of clear nail varnish over it to make it normal and glossy because the colour is still absolutely gorgeous and the perfect wintery shade!

This is the first bronzer I have ever used and  to be honest I was a bit scared that it would make me look totally orange because I'm so pale thats why I picked up the lighter shade, though you can't really see much difference between  the two. I proceeded with caution and indeed ended up loving it! Its perfect to add a golden glow to my face especially during the winter and just generally stop me from looking so pale all the time.

This mascara has to be one of the best mascaras I have ever used. Before using this my favourite was probably l'oreal telescopic but after using this for a couple of weeks I believe I may have found my new favourite. It lengthens my eyelashes brilliantly and genuinely does make it look like I'm wearing false lashes if I curl my lashes and put on 2-3 coats.

This lip lacquer is absolutely brilliant! Its basically like a really pigmented lip gloss which stains your lips so even after the lipgloss wears off you are still left with a colour on your lips, thats not to say that the lip gloss isnt long lasting though. As a result I really do like it. It's also very  pigmented and they offer a great range of colours which made it rather hard to pick, I also really wanted Big Bang (The dark red) and phenomenon (The shimmerless nude). Although it looks quite orangey in this photo its more of a red-ish colour with a hint of pink I'd say.

I have also now brought Eclipse (plum colour) and Nude Eclipse (Nude Colour) because they are so brilliant! I'll post about them later too!

So what are your opinions on these products?

November Favourites

Well December is finally here, which means that christmas is here at last too, but more importantly November Favourites are here! 

But remember, December favourites will be over on my new site Beauty By a Geek!

1. Yankee Candles in Red Apple Wreath and Snowflake Cookie- I brought these at the beginning of November and I have been loving them! They make my bedroom smell so christmassy and delicious.

2.Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder- I love this new bronzer, its perfect for just adding a little colour to my face in the winter.

3. Lasting Perfection Concealer- One of my favourite youtubers, Zoella swears by this concealer so I thought I'd give it a try after the last couple I've tried weren't that great and I'm really loving it, it offers good but also long lasting coverage.

4. Maybelline Falsies Mascara- I am really loving this mascara, definitely one of the best Ive tried along with the loreal telescopic one.

5.James Blunt Bonfire Heart- This song is absolutely beautiful and I cant stop listening to it on repeat.

6.Chocolate Hobnobs-My nan brought me a packet last week and these are absolutely delicious, I could have eaten the whole packet in one sitting.

7. Katy Perry Legendary Lovers- This song is also brilliant, I love her whole album though!

8. Fox's Sleepy Hollow- Me and my sister have been loving this programme of late, though I cant watch it at night time ;)

9. Rimmel London Apocalips in Stellar-I brought this on 3 for 2 at boots and I love it! It glides on like a gloss but even after the gloss is gone your lips are still stained. It was really hard to pick a colour because I also really wanted big bang, phenomenon and apocalyptic, hopefully I'll be able to get a few more though!

So what have your November favourites been?