I am a big fan of liquid eyeliner and have been using different ones for years. My favourite kinds are the ones with felt tip pen-style brushes as I find you have better control over the line as you use them just like normal pens. Today I'm reviewing a couple of low-price ones, compared to say, brands like L'Oreal or Bourjois.

 The blurb: "A water-resistant felt tip eyeliner that defines and accentuates eyes when precision is required!"

- It has a very fine nib

- It dries quickly so no smudging

- It is difficult to remove, leaves a grey line that takes a while to wash off, not a great look!

- May be a bit too fine, but good for thin, everyday lines, not so good for flicks as it's slightly too thin

Swatches: Now I was going to take a picture of this one because I was really impressed when I swatched it in the shop, however, when I got my one out and drew a line down my hand, it was all grey and smudged, uneven, thick and basically completely different to what I thought I'd bought! It might just be I picked up a faulty one, but I can't understand how it's gone from being such a promising precise liner to this grey mess! Very disappointed.

3/10

This retails for £4.99 in Superdrug

Collection 2000 Extreme 24hour Felt Tip liner - New

After the disappointment that was MeMeMe this liner has really impressed me over the last couple of weeks since I bought it.

- It dries quickly

- Has a thicker nib than the MeMeMe one.

- It's super easy to draw equal cat-eye flicks (and I'm not exactly an expert so imagine that!)

- It comes in several different colours:  black, purple, teal and blue, so if you fancy a bit of colour then it's great (wish it came in brown as well though!)

Swatches:

Essentially, this is one of the best liquid liners I've used. It's quite similar to Bourjois Liner Feutre, but a lot cheaper, and it's quite easy to use so I'd recommend it for liquid liner beginners!

10/10

This retails for £2.99 in Boots or Superdrug

xoxo

This is my basic FOTD that I've been wearing for the last few weeks. Admittedly I've been in two minds about posting this, mainly because it's so...boring. However it does showcase a few of my favourite products at the moment and gives me another chance to wax lyrical about said products.

Once more, my awkward face... I'm wearing my usual No7 mousse foundation with MeMeMe concealer to try (and fail) to conceal my undereye circles, then MeMeMe Pussycat Tint on cheeks and lips.

On my eyes I have an unnamed shimmery beige shade from my Too Faced palette (which I shall post about at some point as I use it all the time) all over, then a dark brown from the same palette in the crease, finished off with a bit of Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon on the lower lashline and absolute buckets of mascara (L'Oreal Volume Millions).

Another close-up of the eye make-up! I feel my blending has got slightly better since my sister gave me that blending brush...whatever did I do without it! (Erm, not very much, actually.)

So there's my terribly boring normal look, I like it though as it's quite quick and easy to do and I don't look too 'done', which was always an issue with the liquid liner!

What's your usual make-up routine? 

xoxo

I'd like to start this by declaring I really ought to be working on my crime fiction essay, but got bored and decided to play around with make-up for a bit instead. The result is totally different to anything I usually do and more than a little bit scary, but Halloween is looming so I hope you understand!

I have the Sleek gel liner just sitting in my make-up box doing nothing as I am quite useless at using it, so in a brief essay break I decided to dig it out and give it a go. I always, ALWAYS mess up the flick with this liner, so I figured I'd just keep extending it...and extending it...until it started to look quite scary...then I added some Barry M dazzle dust and it turned out like this:

Apologies for the abysmal lighting, there's no daylight (duh) and the lighting in my uni room is terrible! I'm still not sure this is a look I'd wear out, EVER, but it was fun to mess around with the gel liner and if nothing else I've learned what a task it is to get it off! It's seriously durable, but still smudges? How bizarre! Anyway, hope my awful make-up application won't give anyone bad dreams tonight! I think I need quite a bit more practice before I can do any more outlandish looks!

xoxo

Hello peoples!

Sorry I've been absent these past few days, I've been up at my fiance's to see the Train concert (AMAZING!) and then recuperating from a virus. I'm sick of feeling so weak, dizzy and headachey all the time! Grr! As I'm ill my skin's also decided to break out so of course I'm looking terribly attractive at the moment (ahem) so no FOTDs for now, but I will post a photo of my make-up from last Friday as I was quite happy with how the liner flicks turned out:

I'm wearing No7 Intelligent Balance foundation in Buff, Models Own Lip&Cheek Tint, Collection 2000 liner (review to follow shortly!) and L'Oreal Volume Millions mascara, which I'll be featuring in a massive mascara review that I've been putting together for a while! I just can't do a normal face for these things, I always seem to be doing a kind of hamster-does-the-pout look. Or something. My face just looks weirder the more I look at it so I'm going to stop looking at it and start Googling vitamins and supplements, anything to get me healthy again as reading week is fast approaching and I really need to get my essays done!

Also, I have changed my blog URL from all-unicorns.blogspot.com to :

http://polkadani.blogspot.com ! It now matches my Twitter.

How's your week going? Not long till the weekend now!

Excuse the rather ridiculous title, I just happen to be a fan of alliteration...there are no actual seaside photos in this post as it was very windy and cold! My fiance and I, however, were determined to go to Whitstable today so we got on a bus and off we went. I quite liked my outfit, so I got him to take a photo (as you can tell by his shadow on the ground)...

As you can see, I've gone for the, er, windswept look... I'm wearing my all-time favourite tea dress from Dorothy Perkins, under a C&A cardigan to combat the cold, with my trusty black tights/overknee socks/brogues combo to keep my feet warm! The bag is from New Look, I think, and I used it today because I quite fancied a satchel instead of my usual shoulder-breaking bag.

 This was just before we ambled into town to get chips, which we then ate on the bus...

Aren't we attractive eaters? Ahem...

We enjoyed a (brief) wander along Whitstable beach, then after a hasty walk to the High Street (as it was getting a bit nippy and the clouds were gathering ominously) stumbled across a used bookshop, where I bought Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (as we keep discussing Bladerunner on my course!) and a handy detective fiction criticism book, as well as a French language book so I can teach my fiance French! All for a very reasonable price too, I do love second-hand bookshops, I could actually live in one...

Now for the most exciting part of the day! (Not that eating chips wasn't exciting...) We continued with our ambling until we saw a sign for Whitstable Castle. Now, neither of us even knew Whitstable HAD a castle, so naturally we had to investigate. And I'm so glad we did, because the first thing both of us thought of once we'd made our way up there was how perfect it would be for a wedding...not just any wedding, but OUR wedding. Behold!

It's BEAUTIFUL. And it has a TEA ROOM. And a ROSE GARDEN. It even managed to look majestic and elegant despite the heavy rain that followed seconds after taking this picture. In the rose garden there was a board with an illustration of the dances they used to have out there in the 40s. We were sold.

I'm actually ridiculously excited now, even though our wedding is quite a long way off (we haven't even set a date yet!) because now we have a concrete idea of where it might be. Needless to say, I spent the whole bus journey back home visualising us posing for photos in the gardens, and elegantly twirling around the dancefloor, fairy lights sparkling in the trees...

All in all, it was a lovely and totally unexpectedly exciting day! What have you been up to this weekend? (Yes I know it's not over yet...)

xoxo

And yes, that is my recommendation for this week. Her photos are beautiful, she's inspired me to go back to playing with Photoshop effects; her dresses are beautiful, I have serious wardrobe and bag envy; basically I want to be her. That is all.

Next on my list is my most recent acquisition which is a foundation recommended by my best friend Stephie. Her skin always looks flawless so I was eager to learn her secret! She has been using this particular foundation for a while (one pot lasted her a year...wow!) so, suitably impressed, I trotted off to Boots to find it.

Foundation #4: Boots No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation

The blurb: "Light as air. Give your skin a powder-soft finish with this dreamy soft mousse colour." 
It's a very light, very soft mousse formulation that later dries to a powder. It comes with a handy little spatula you can use to dig the foundation out, and I imagine that if you clean the spatula after each use this is more hygienic than digging your fingers in (and potentially getting it under your nails...).

Swatch:

(You can't see where I've blended it out, that's how good this is!)

What I like about this foundation:

* It looks natural (several people asked if I was even wearing foundation, and were pretty surprised when I said yes!) which is always a bonus!

* The colour adapts well to your skin tone. I was initially nervous it might be too light/too orange, but it really works well on my skin.

* It's super easy to blend due to the formulation.

* You get a LOT of product (30g) for the price, and it does last a long time because you don't need a lot to cover your face.

* It has good coverage, and you can build it if needs be.

* It hides shiny bits, so doesn't need powder, and in some reviews I read before I heard it doesn't cling to dry patches either (sadly I will never know what it is to have dry skin!), hence the 'intelligent balance' moniker.

* It's also hypo-allergenic, so won't irritate sensitive skin, yay! I must say I haven't broken out or had any kind of reaction since buying this 2 weeks ago, and my skin is super-sensitive.

What I don't like about this foundation:

* This wasn't an issue for me, but the colours in the pots are much darker than the foundation turns out on your skin, so I can see how it would put potential buyers off. Basically, this is a must-swatch-before-buying product!

* This may highlight very fine facial hair. Fine if you don't have any, but it'll pick up any stray eyebrow hairs!
* For those of you who may want to hide freckles, it will not hide them at all (but weirdly it still covers blemishes...)

*It does, maybe due to the mousse formulation, slide off eventually, so it's worth checking up on. Overall the longevity is okay though, not as good as some products, but better than a lot of others!
* It doesn't really hide my dark circles, and settles into the fine wrinkles I have under my eyes. I've never really had this with any other foundation, so either I've just aged A LOT or this is not great for wrinkles!
* It does still kind of irk me that my skin lacks dewiness using this foundation, even though most foundations meant for the 'dewy' look are often too shiny for me! I'm just fussy, I suppose...

9.5/10 simply because it isn't quite perfect enough to get that elusive 10/10! I doubt any foundation will ever get that high a mark, though :)

This costs £11 from Boots, so it's worth using those £5 No7 vouchers when you can.

xoxo

I'm not usually one for outfit of the day posts because I'm not terribly trendy and most of the time I don't think my outfits are worth photographing (also I am a bad one for picking on myself and end up thinking every photo of me is disgusting and needs deleting, like, IMMEDIATELY).

However, the other day I quite liked my outfit, so I snapped it. (Not literally) so cue badly taken mirror-picture with standard quizzical expression.

In it I'm wearing my new coat from Next (I adore it because it reminds me of Paddington Bear...), a polka dot top from H&M (I have a thing about polka dots), a high-waisted black skirt with lace trim, also from H&M, bog-standard tights and my New Look brogues which haven't left my feet since I bought them (well, almost).

The skirt is a funny old thing, I bought it two years ago, wore it once and since then it's kind of been languishing in my wardrobe, waiting for me to realise that high-waisted isn't just a good thing, but a VERY VERY good thing, especially for the er, larger hipped/chested girls (i.e ME) as it makes the waist look teeny. I've found it goes quite well with most tops so of course in true Dani style (titter) I've been wearing it with all my polka dots (there are a LOT of those).

Now I actually have to dash as I have a lecture to get to and instead of preparing myself for that, I've been....what have I been doing...I can't even remember! Does anyone else's morning just vanish in a haze of teeny inconsequential doings? Or am I the only one who can happily waste hours doing, well, nothing...?

xoxo

Stole this from Nat's blog and as X Factor is boring me I decided I may as well do this instead...

Eyeliner:
Love it: Collection 2000 Extreme 24/7 liner, cheap as chips but loving it so far! I have a post planned for liquid eyeliner so I shall leave it at that!
Leave it: Sleek Ink Pot Gel liner, but this is mainly due to my inability to apply it properly...everytime I've used it, it's failed massively.

Mascara:
Love it: Chanel Inimitable Intense or L'Oreal Volume Millions, both have a similar effect!
Leave it: L'Oreal Voluminous. There, I said it.

Eyeshadow:
Love it: Urban Decay "Half Baked" because it is beautiful and I still love it! Also, anything by Barry M
Leave it: Manhattan eyeshadows, just a bit....bleh.

Brow Pencil:
Love it: I don't use eyebrow products, so nada.
Leave it: See above!

Foundation:
Love it: Using No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse at the moment and I am liking it muchly!
Leave it:  Maybelline Dream Mousse/ L'Oreal Mineral powder foundation, just, why did I buy these?

Powder:
Love it: NYC Smooth Skin loose powder, does the job perfectly and is CHEAP, LIKE TOTALLY CHEAP.
Leave it: A cheapy one I got in Luxembourg, it's very orange and basically rubbish.

Concealer:
Love it: For under-eyes Touche Eclat is unbeatable, but for blemishes I find Boots Natural Collection works just as well as any other, and it's under £2! Stephie recommends No7 illuminating concealer, which I have yet to use, but am thinking of buying it with one of my Boots vouchers.
Leave it: Anything trying to be Touche Eclat really, although I'm now trialling one by MeMeMe...

Blush:
Love it: MeMeMe Pussycat Tint/ Models Own Lip&Cheek Tint, they're both amazing, I'm absolutely addicted to tints at the moment!
Leave it: Maybelline Dream Mousse blusher, just did not work for me, ever.
 

Lipstick:
Love it: Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle, it's not bright but very creamy and soft.
Leave it: I only own a few other lippies and I quite like them all, but I'm not a fan of pale or nude lipsticks so I'll leave them.

Lipbalm:
Love it: Any by Vaseline, or Labello as they all actually work, unlike...
Leave it: Benefit Benetint lipbalm, it's just sticky and not pigmented at all, I just keep using it so I can justify spending £13 on it really...

Like Nat I've left out bronzers because I don't like them, and lipglosses because, um, I hate lipgloss. Sorry!

I tag everyone who has a few minutes to spare, as I love reading posts like this!

xoxo

I haven't done a recommendation post in ages, not because I don't have anyone to recommend (I have LOADS of blogs I adore, I'll be recommending them for years to come) but because I am so rubbish at sticking to regular things...boo! Anyway, the amazing gemfatale alerted me on Twitter to a giveaway on a blog I hadn't heard of before, so I clicked on the link...and a few hours later am still reading through her posts! The blog in question is

I'm really enjoying going through her archives, she talks about clothes (LOVE), make-up (ALSO LOVE) and food (TRIPLE LOVE) so I'm more than happy! If any of the above interest you, I suggest clicking the link so you too can discover this lovely blog :) She's running a giveaway at the moment as well, if you fancy joining :)

xoxo

Last week I purchased the new foundation by Bourjois as part of my ongoing quest for the perfect foundation. I've been using it religiously since and I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it!

The bottle says it will give you a "fresh and even complexion; detoxified skin; brings oxygen and filters pollution". It also says (in tiny print, on the side) that 98% of the ingredients are of natural origin and 21.9% are from organic farming. Sounds all good and healthy right? After having a nosy at the ingredient list it does have some things in there that sound good, all seed oils and soybeans (soybeans??) and the second most important ingredient is "camellia sinensis leaf water" which is basically tea. Yes, tea. 

Swatch:

What I like about this foundation:

* The coverage is EXCELLENT. I will enclose a (rather horrific) picture of me with my face only half made-up so you can appreciate how good this coverage is. For those of you wondering why my face is bright pink on one side, I had applied a good deal of cheek stain underneath the foundation (for reasons why keep reading). I am also quite spotty at the moment (as you can see), yet on my right cheek the blemishes are completely covered up and my under-eye-bag looks much better, no? You can layer this as well, although I'd advise against caking it on.

* The colour, like Healthy Mix, is spot on. I bought this in the same shade as my Healthy Mix one, in shade 53 (Light Beige) and it really blends in with my skin tone.

* The consistency is good, and it dries to a matte finish, which for shiny people like me, is a good thing!

* I also really like the smell; again, like Healthy Mix, it smells...well, healthy. Fruity. But it doesn't linger, which is good!

* I really loved this upon first application. Honestly, I told my sister it was my HG foundation. But over the last five days of using it, I have encountered problems of the blending variety. Do NOT put this on with a brush. It dries super quickly and leaves nice little tidemarks. I've found the best way to use it is to put some on my hand then rub it into my skin. Also, because it is matte, it can make your skin look TOO matte and thus even my oily skin looks really dry (as evidenced in this also rather horrific photo)

* It does need a powder over the top as it is very easily transferable. It also tends to settle into fine lines around the eyes, into fine hairs, and in the corners of the mouth, so requires constant attention so as to not look weird.

* For some reason it just will not take to my cheek stain! The only way I can apply my cheek stain is by loading a massive amount onto my cheeks before putting this foundation on, because putting it on over the top just makes a mess, the foundation becomes liquid again and moves all round my face, so I end up having to put more on... I imagine it would be fine with powder blushes though.

To conclude, I have on and off days with this product. Sometimes I'm ecstatic with the way it looks on my skin, others, not so much. I find it needs constant attention and when I'm out and about I just cannot be bothered to keep checking my reflection. However, when it's good, it's very very good, and it does even out my skintone nicely. I haven't yet had a reaction to it (despite all the spots, they're from another product, grrr) so it's a good product for sensitive, easily irritated skin. I really wanted to love this, though, and it's not quite done enough to make it my HG foundation.

8/10 (How I would have loved to have given it a 10)

Just a teeny tiny post to say how THRILLED I am to have thirteen followers! When I started the blog I thought I would count myself happy if I reached 5 followers :) So I want to say a big thank you to the 13 of you who read my blog (and to Martha too, of course!) and here are some (virtual) cupcakes!