cruelty free

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter

/ Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 2 Comments

What the brand says….

‘The ultimate high gloss, high glow celebrity-skin-filter-in-a-bottle! This was born on the red carpet makeup, inspired by technology, for real life, in real time that looks amazing on-screen or off.

Smoothing airbrush polymers roll over your complexion for a poreless-looking, creamy finish.

Glossy Oil is a lightweight moisturising oil that reflects and adds light to your face where you need it.

Finely milled powders soft focus, makes lines and pores appear smoother which means it only ever looks as amazing in real life, as it does on camera.

Porcelain Flower Extract is a brightening ingredient derived from a Thai flower with natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatories to enhance microcirculation and brighten skin. 

Ideal for superstar-lit skin whether you want a subtle glow or a mega-watt complexion.’

What I want this for…

As you probably know, I have uneven skin texture thanks to having bad skin into my early twenties and I easily get bags (from dehydration/gluten indulgence) so big they carve two lines into my cheeks. I’m proud of how clear and fairly even toned my complexion is these days but I still need a hand with the overall texture and a little redness sometimes. I like CC and BB creams but find they can either be too pale, making me go from tomato red to an eerie green-yellow or they are too transparent and shiny. I chose Flawless Filter as it offers medium coverage, is available in a surprising amount of shades, and then there’s the whole ‘flawless filter’ part.

Before purchasing Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter £30 I read a lot of reviews; a huge amount said it very good but a few said it was awful but unlike me, they had dry skin.

The packaging…

I love the recyclable glass bottle but would prefer a pump rather than the doe foot applicator as it totally fails at applying this type of product and leaves a massive amount in the bottom, which you’d have to tip onto the back of your hand like 1990’s foundations.

The bigger problem with it…

Above; before using the product, makeup free in dim afternoon sunlight. Not too bad but not great either. Much worse, in fact when there’s a lot of contrasting light and shadow.

Here’s me wearing the product. Talk about unflattering – contrasting light! I’ve taken the photo in the same dull afternoon light but it’s still managed to highlight all of my pores, lines and the orange peel effect on my cheeks and even eye bags. Thanks for that Tilbury. I can see how it might work on me in blindingly bright California sunshine but even then, as soon as I went indoors it wouldn’t.

My conclusion….

I have to say the coverage is surprisingly good and the realistic skin tone shades meant that number 3 Light/Medium was perfect for me – not usually an easy thing.

If you have smooth skin but slight redness or dark circles this could be great for medium coverage and added radiance.

If you are older but have been lucky in the genes lottery this might be incredibly flattering for you.

If you are like me you really want avoid it, unless you want to use it as a very expensive highlighter.

On days where I’m very red, I use a full coverage foundation from ELF and I’ve started mixing a teeny-tiny bit Flawless Filter in with it, so my skin doesn’t look as matte and flat with just the foundation. I also use it very sparingly as a realistic looking highlighter on my cheek bones, collar bone and down the front of my shins.

Rating 2/3

🖤Chrissie🖤

September – Monthly Round-up

/ Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 2 Comments

Food & Drink

My Bloke got me these posh teas from Twinings so I can have hot drinks that aren’t builders tea (strong, milk, two sugars) which I’m not overly fond of. I can’t attest to their waking and sleeping powers as my brain seems to function in any other way possible, than what’s expected; I can say they both taste lovely though. Fairly subtle and fresh in flavour and not too perfumy.

We are successfully growing chillies! The plant is both male and female so you get a really soft and narrow makeup brush and act like a bee and go around all of the flowers pollinating it. We planted it at the start of summer and now have seven decent sized chillies, with lots of tiny little green globes that will hopefully grow bigger.

I’ve figured out the perfect way of making a vegetarian Roast ‘Chicken’ Salad & Fahita Filling.

Style

This is the one of my trusty styles for autumn, along with a more dressy look I’ll post next month.

Of course there had to be something Halloween related as we near October. Unbelievably some of the things I wanted to include in Halloween Fashion were already sold out!

I’ve never been a big Disney Princess fan, in fact the words used to make me shudder as a kid BUT I’ve always loved a good baddie. Perfect for Halloween Disney Style.

Beauty

Here’s why this GOSH BB Cream was both a hit and a miss.

Ooh pretty! See what I thought of the Barry M Holographic Eye Toppers and what look I created using the green one.

If you want an everyday mascara which will be kind to your lashes and the environment then PHB Natural Mascara is the one you need.

Random

Even though my Bloke has never watched friends he has somehow picked up on the recent resurgence of it and has started saying Joey’s expression “How you doin’?” to me. He started off enthusiastically (and hilariously) saying “How ya doing!!!” while wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Bahahaa! Nope. I told him it’s “How you doin’?” with one eyebrow raise to accent the word ‘you’, that makes ALL the difference. He is now utterly and disarmingly brilliant at it! I seem to have subconsciously picked up on the Joey look too.

Squirrels hate me. Yup. On three separate occasions I have been screamed at by a squirrel. Walking by one on a footpath, walking under a low hanging branch and yesterday one was on a tree, next to the window and I was inside the flat! I’m starting to agree with Carrie Bradshaw that they are indeed ‘Just rats in cute outfits.’ Although, that may be an injustice to rats.

Here’s an honest and lighthearted list of 15 Relatable Ways Brain Fog Effects People. You might think of someone or even yourself as rather ‘ditzy’ or sort of ‘head in the clouds’ but it could be brain fog if they/you have chronic fatigue or various other conditions. I’ve come out with some great one-linners and wonderings while feeling brain-fogged however.

 

❤ Chrissie ❤

PHB All In One Natural Mascara Review

/ Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 4 Comments

natural mascara

PHB All In One Natural Mascara (15.95) is made with natural ingredients hence the word ‘natural’ in the tittle. It does not refer to the effect it gives lashes, which I’m glad about as I need all of the help I can get in that department.

  • Gluten free
  • Paraben free
  • Palm oil free
  • Mineral oil free
  • GM ingredient free
  • Organic
  • Buav approved
  • Certified vegan

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I have very long but very sparse eyelashes so I need a mascara which will easily build volume but also keep lashes separate, rather than spiky. That is exactly what this mascara does. It also glides on really easily without any clumps, no matter how many layers you add and gives lashes a slight glossy look. There is always a big blob of mascara on the end of the wand so I use it to add depth to the roots of my lashes. I haven’t even used eyelash curlers here – impressive result!

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As much as I love this mascara, it’s not very water proof so no going out in torrential rain or swimming.

The formula is increadibly gentle as I found out when I rubbed my eyes vigorously when really tired and managed to spread it all over my face and eyeballs. It didn’t irritate at all and I was oblivious until someone gleefully pointed out that I looked like Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max.

I’ve worn it a lot since and every time I’ve been too tired to take my makeup off before bed, I’ve woken up with lovely soft lashes that weren’t dry or broken. So I’d say this mascara actually cares for lashes too.

Rating 5/5

Which are you favourite cruelty free mascara’s? 

❤ Chrissie ❤

August Monthly Round-up

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Well this is a bit late as the very end of August caught me by surprise for some reason.

Style

I bought this Rick & Morty tee from EMP and it’s a slim but flattering fit, soft material and a good length for tall gals.

I reviewed some gorgeous iridescent trainers by Hype.

I was prepared for the weather changing (before the resurgence of the British heat wave) and picked out some easy Autumn fashion ideas.

Food

As a vegetarian with a wheat and dairy intolerance, I often get asked “Then what do you eat?” I decided to show everyone what’s in my fridge (items in door included).

Beauty

I bought two two products from two different ranges by Nip and Fab, that compliment each other really well. They also look a little different too! Here’s my review.

It took me a long time to realise I was defeating my hair just by washing it the wrong way, before I even started styling it! Here are my tips for turninig thick frizz into shiny waves.

I think this is fairly self explanatory, here it is.

Random

The Bloke mentioned that I tend to look very serious in a lot of my selfies so I took some silly one’s when we were having a laugh.

❤Chrissie❤

Gosh BB Cream

/ Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 1 Comment

Lately I’ve wanted something lighter than foundation that still gives subtle coverage, without making my skin matte. I decided on Gosh BB Cream (£9.99, 10ml) as I’d read a lot of good reviews.

Appearance and Texture

This was easy to spread and blend and I only needed to use a light moisturiser when my skin was dry. The coverage was surprisingly good and worked a little like a CC (colour correcting) cream, evening out slight redness. My skin still looked natural and when I applied a facial oil or a reflecting primer first, my skin looked naturally radiant, without being becoming a muddy, slippy mess. I would be happy to use this BB cream instead of foundation from now on.

Wear

It lasted for around eight hours and wore off evenly, without highlighting any dry patches or gathering in pores or around my nose.

Packaging

Yes, it’s plastic but it is widely recycled.  I found squeezing the tube easier to apply the product to a foundation brush or sponge, than if I had to knock it out of a glass bottle onto my hand. It’s also less wasteful than a pump dispenser as you can squeeze out every last bit.

Oops!

Unfortunately on the Superdrug website, there are only three shades to choose from Sand, Beige and Warm Beige. I ordered this online and the Beige sample looked close to my skin tone (if a little dark), with Warm Beige being way too dark and Sand looking oddly grey. Unfortunately Beige was too cool for my skin tone, with a pink undertone, rather than a warm yellow undertone. Sleek say there are five shades, which adapt to your skins natural tone so maybe I was asking a bit too much of this particular shade.

I’ve put a golden toned filter on the photo above and as you can see, it looks much more natural to my colouring.

Luckily, a few months ago I’d bought Nip+Fab CC Cream in – wait for it – ‘Banana’ (ha!) and the two mixed together create a really accurate shade match, exactly like the filter above – hurrah!

Rating 4/5

❤Chrissie❤

7 Beauty Products I Really Want to Try and Why

/ Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 3 Comments

I thought I’d share the products I’m excited to try with you and tell you why they got my attention. I say ‘try’ because I never say ‘I need to have’ something until I’ve used it before and know for sure that it’s awesome.

Ciate Mani Marker

I am stupidly excited to get my mitts on these or should I say; to get these on my mitts! I love the teal and hot pink colours and the idea of just colouring in my nails with a marker pen like I did as a kid. Far more accurate and less messy than polish and you can apply a glossy top coat if you want.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter 

Above my price range in such a way it makes me cringe slightly, this converts to 35 quid. I have spent more on a posh moisturiser (which turned out to be crap) but never on makeup before. However, this is meant to be illuminating, skin perfecting, magic in a bottle. My gosh does my skin need that in winter as I look like a Simpsons character: Flat and yellow. My Dad suggested that if I didn’t buy multiple cheaper items, then I’d be able to afford this in a month or two. Sounds fair, hehe!

e.l.f. Hydrating Face Primer

I’m going to ignore the ‘controversy’ surrounding the amount of product you get. If you ever had a Push-pop or a Push-up ice lolly as a kid, you will understand how this packaging works. Some people say this primer is perfect and some say it’s on the oilier side for a primer. As you probably know, I have combination skin that’s getting more prone to dryness as I go through my 30’s. The foundation I love isn’t exactly hydrating and doesn’t work at all with velvet finish type of primers. I tried a free sample of this and loved it!

M&S Decadent Shimmer Bath Cream

I really wanted to buy their Luxe Shimmer version which was all gold and sparkly but I waited too long and they’ve discontinued it. According to reviews, this one is still very pretty and pearlised though.

GOSH BB Cream, Beige 

This is coloured and from what I’ve seen, it’s a similar colour to my skin tone. On good skin days I still want something smoothing and perfecting but also light so it’s subtly flattering for my natural skin, rather than hiding it.

Barry M Holographic Eyeshadow Topper

My eyelids have a lot of natural oils so seamlessly blending several colours to create a look is pointless because after an hour it just merges into one overall colour anyway (even with primer and setting spray). I also have a skin tone that seems to overshadow any natural/subtle colours, so I love how pigmented this is and that I can quickly roll over a single base shade and go. I have green eyes so I either go with more green or I choose a totally contrasting shade like purple which makes them pop. Always thought that sentences sounded sort of gross tbh, ha! From the reviews I read, these are visible even if you wear glasses; are in low light or have hooded eyes.

Pixi Beauty Mattelast Liquid Lip

If you follow my Instagram or you’ve read this blog for a few years, you probably know my struggle with liquid matte lipsticks. They turn my lips into shrivelled prunes – sexy. But Mattelast has received amazing reviews and won a Cosmopolitan beauty award because of it’s staying power and hydration. I’m also thinking this might be fate as this shade matches my wildly flattering, go-to dusky pink lipstick which has no bullet left and needs a lip brush to use.

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So lovely people, if you’ve already used some of these items or can recommend something similar or just like the look of these, let me know in the comments.

❤Chrissie❤

Turning Coarse Frizz Into Shiny Waves In Just 4 Steps – Without Heat Styling

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Bit of a difference eh?

This is a great way to keep your hair healthy and natural looking, whilst weather-proofing it against wind, rain and humidity, even a fun night out!

Using these four products only and no heat styling tools.

1, Shampoo

If you find a shampoo and conditioner that are full of natural oils and butters then you shouldn’t need any hot oil pre-wash treatments. Choose products which are gentle and, ideally SLS free so they won’t strip your hair of it’s own natural oils. Use the mildest products first and then get tougher ones, only if your hair really needs it.

I add a blob of shampoo to a plastic beaker and then fill the rest with warm water and stir it with my finger. I then wet my hair through and poor it over the places I most need it. It’s a great way of spreading shampoo through thick hair without over-doing the amount you use.

I’m using Faith in Nature, Brave Botanicals Shampoo

2,  Condition

Very gently squeeze out any excess water and spread conditioner through hair from roots to tip. Rinse after a few minutes and then when hair is still very wet add a little more to mid-lengths and ends. Leave for a few minutes before gently squeezing out any excess water/conditioner residue.

I’m using Noughty, Intensive Care Leave-in Conditioner

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3, Oil

A lot of people think only people with afro hair really need to oil it or it’s only to be lightly used as a finishing product. Wrong. If you have thick hair that’s coarse or frizzy/fluffy this will be like a drink in the desert for it!

You want hair to be as wet as possible, without it actually dripping, so gently pat hair with a towel. Either poor hair oil onto palms, rub together and spread through hair or if that sounds scary, mist all over with a spray oil, paying special attention to the ends.

I’m using Pierre’s Apothecary, Argan Renewing Hair Treatment Mist or olive oil when my hair is freshly bleached or very fluffy as it has a thicker consistency.

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4, Style

Let hair absorb the oil for a moment but don’t let it get much dryer and then apply curl cream. If your hair is wavy – rather than curly – gently scrunch or twist to encourage shape and definition. If you only have very slight waves in your hair you might want to use a salt spray to encourage texture and movement instead. Remember, the more you faff about with hair as it gets dryer – the more it will freak out and frizz up.

I’m using Amika: Curl Defining Cream (since re-packaged) throughout my hair. 

Now just leave your hair alone to air dry! [If you absolutely have to use a hairdryer, use on it’s lowest and coolest setting with a diffuser and don’t completely dry the top few layers.]

…………

My hair journey

Between the ages of 13 and 18 I used to think my hair was wonkily wavy but mostly just unruly fluff. I couldn’t do anything with it. So I permed it to get it curlier (wow, did it take!) and then years later I used straighteners to get it straighter (which lasted a few hours at most). In my twenties I went to multiple hairdressers who would straighten it “‘To fry calm it” and then tong “Proper” waves back in!? When all that needed doing was looking after it by not using harsh generic shampoos; replenish it with oil and then gently style it in a way that encouraged – rather than ‘corrected’ it’s natural shape.

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I really hope this has helped some curly girlies and the wavy wenches out there to appreciate and style their natural hair. Let me know in the comments.

❤Chrissie❤

What’s In My Fridge

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Often when I explain to people that I’m veggie and have a gluten and dairy intolerance, they often ask “Then what do you eat then?”

Top shelf: Chilled Water; Burger Sauce (this is as close to prawn cocktail sauce I’ve found and I love it on salad); Spanish Tortilia.

Middle shelf: Giant Green Olives; Organic Humus; Quorn Smokey Ham Free Slices; Violife Block Original (dairy free cheese, which is great for gooey toasties).

Bottom Shelf: Humus, Artichoke hearts in oil, Sacla Free From Green Pesto, Tahini (perfect for making your own humus by adding the tahini with tinned chickpeas, garlic paste or fresh and olive oil and blending); Gosh! Veggie Moroccan Spiced Koftas.

Salad Draw: Usually iceberg lettuce, rocket, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper; Mixed pickled veg which I love as it’s so crunchy!

Top door shelf: East End Very Hot Green Chilli; East End Hot Mango and Chilli (can’t taste any mango but it is very refreshing, used sparingly); Pitted Black Olives x2; East End Tamarind Sauce (sweeter than the original paste); Sriracha Hot Sauce (sweeter and less vinegary than Tabasco).

Bottom door shelf: Tyskie (not mine, I prefer Peroni – gluten free);OKF Farmer’s Aloe Vera with Water Melon (tasty and so hydrating); Vita Coconut Water (er, so hydrating); Alpro Almond Milk (great with coffee or for making ‘cheese’ sauce).

I’d love to hear if you have any questions or if there are other ways that you would use these items?

❤Chrissie❤

July Monthly Blog Round-up

/ Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 5 Comments

Turns out I’m still figuring out how to get my eye makeup to show up under my glasses. I’ve tried black eyeliner on the top and sparkly gold colours on my lids and lower lash line. This is the amazing result – oh. I’m going for masses of metallic blue and green liner next time, maybe a bit of pink!

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Ordered from Zad’s in Chorlton as I really fancied some veggie junk food. It did not disappoint – OMG it was lush!

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I reviewed the Pixi Strobe and Sculpt palette. It came out at just the right time when I needed to restock a few things, which all happened to be included in this palette! Read my review here.

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Not so great timing was finding this yellow colour corrector by Nip and Fab which you can mix with foundation that’s too orange – when I’d just thrown out three foundation which were, yup, too orange. Still, useful for that in the future and I can use it under lighter coverage foundation to tone down any redness I have.

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I found some really nice firm tofu called Toofoo. It’s great grilled with a coating of chilli oil or some BBQ sauce.

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When I heard that LUSH were releasing a solid foundation called Slap Stick and that it came in 40 shades with three undertones, I had to try it. See what I thought here.

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After half a year of summer I’d gotten a bit fed up coconut water or almond milk based smoothies. I chucked a load of blueberries and raspberries and water into a blender and blended thoroughly, then I added around 10 ice cubes and pulsed to create a slushy . It tasted wonderful!

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I bought some amazing unicorn inspired brushes and realised I couldn’t fit them into any makeup bags I own. I saw this sparkly pencil case in Tesco and they fit great…Now that I’ve sawn off the giant pointy bit at the end. I actually think they look better now and are easier to use.

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I have combination hair, y’know oily roots, meh mid-lengths and frizzy ends. I can’t tell you how many pre-wash treatments or overnight treatments I’ve used and two thirds of my hair LOVED them but my roots looked like I’d been at a festival – for a year. So I thought I’d share these two products that have solved the need for all of that, read the post here.

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This has been my fave outfit since the heatwave broke and I can stand to wear trainers – rather gladiator sandals – again. Doing outfit flatlays is hard! I miss Polyvore.

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❤Chrissie❤

 

 

The Perfect Shampoo & Conditioner For Combination Hair

/ Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie) / 5 Comments

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Everyone has heard of ‘combination skin’ but many people also have ‘combination hair’ too. Y’know, greasy at the roots, average or coarse in the mid-lengths and dry or fluffy toward the ends. Most generic shampoos for greasy hair strip roots of ANY oil but pre-shampoo conditioning masks or oil based leave-in-conditioners can often only be used on ends. It can feel like a crazy balancing act with too many specific products, time and money.

Here’s my hero duo…

Faith in Nature – Brave Botanicals, Shampoo (£4.50, 250ml) Shampoo which cleanses greasy roots, while Demask rose and Argan tame frizz and replenish important oils, to give hair strength and shine. Certified vegan and Cruelty Free Internal/BUAV approved. This also quite kind to coloured hair I’ve noticed.

Noughty Intensive Care, Leave-in Conditioner (£6.99, 150ml) One of the very few leave-in-conditioners which doesn’t leave roots feeling flat or heavy. Argan oil, Shea Butter and Natural Source Vitamin E leaves hair naturally balanced and healthy. Oh, and I’ve just noticed this conditioner has won multiple awards and is certified vegan.

If your hair is long and combination like mine, this duo will reduce your shower time dramatically and save the strength in your arms for styling!

❤Chrissie❤