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6 November 2013

October Beauty Favourites!

It's already the 6th of November and these days at this point it's SO LATE to do the previous month favourites, but I'm gonna do it ANYWAY ! I've got really awesome products I've been loving this October and I like to share them with you! (Pardon the quality of the photo - my camera's batteries are not charged and I really wanted to put this up today, I'll update it once I take close-up photos of the products)


1. L'OCCITANE Rose Tenderness Hand Cream. As the cold days hit in the one important thing many need is a good moisturising hand cream. Once my hands were frostbitten a couple of years ago when I wasn't being careful and was rocking out the 'no gloves' look in -20 Celsius like an idiot, my hands are now very sensitive to cold and immediately get red and the skin breaks very easily, so I have to moisturise them a lot and (DUH) wear gloves in the cold. But I really like this cream I've been using this month: it feels really nice and soaks into the hands well and does not leave any greasiness after you've applied them. And it smells so good. It smells like freaking ROSES!

2. Nail polishes: Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Color Care in 07 Sea and Maybelline New York my VARNISH in Jade Dusseldorf (I think). The Maybelline nail polish is such a lovely dark pearly jade colour for autumn and the Sally Hansen one is light mint colour and I just love mint green so much.

3. Nivea Pure and Natural Cleansing Toner. I've bought 2 toners by accident a couple of months ago, and I've been using this one way more often recently than the other one. It smells very nice, it has argan oil and aloe vera in it so that's what it probably smells like and I really like aloe vera smell, it just feels and smells so clean. It cleans my skin and it feels really fresh afterwards. I haven't experienced and irritation or anything using it, it's great.

4. MUA Smokin Palette. I've been basically using it every day I wear make-up. It has a white, skin-tone and brown matte eyeshadows for everyday neutral look if you like (the brown is great for my eyebrows too) and its matte black is so black that a badger's butt has a run for its money. It also has a shimmery grey, gold, purple, blue and green, that are very pigmented and includes a black eye pencil which is pretty great.

5. MILANI Glimmer Stripes All-Over Colour in 08 Bronze Glimmer. I pray that this never runs out because this has been my favourite thing of all. I literally put it ALL OVER MY FACE. I mean, it's just so nice. There's 5 strips of colours and I use all of them mixed together on my cheeks and cheekbones (sparingly of course, you don't want to look like a Christmas tree! Or do I...) and it has such a nice subtle shimmer to it -  haven't found another cheek colour that would look good and natural on me that I would feel comfortable wearing. I also use the lightest stripe as hightliter under my eyebrow and inner corner of my eye. However, I just noticed (cause I tried smelling it) that it smells a bit like old school makeup if you know what I mean.

6. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I know at first I was in love with the stippling brush for everything, but lately my favourite favourite is the expert face brush for my liquid foundation. It's just.. the best. I don't know. I've done a review on a lot of the Real Techniques brushes that you can check out HERE

7. TRESemme ULTIMATE HOLD Ultra Fine Hairspray (5 blobs). I've purchased it cause I run out of hairspray a lot and I wanted to try out the Tresemme maximum hold hairspray to see how it was. To be honest, I have not in my life found a hairspray that would hold my curled hair for longer than a couple hours, so I don't even expect that from hairsprays, and come on, I don't really want to spend loads of money on a super duper expensive cool hairspray that maybe does the trick because I style my hair a lot and I would just go broke. It holds a hairstyle well, (nothing spectacular about it) but it smells so nice (to me, at least) and it is really ultra fine as it says. I sprayed loads last night on my curls and this morning it doesn't feel like there's any hairspray in my hair at all (with others, if you put a lot in, you even have to put more effort in washing your hair) which is GREAT! It's also not sticky, wet or crusty on your hair. It's just great.

So these are my October favourites (Some of them September as well) and I hope you enjoyed it and it was useful! I might write up a favourites post every couple of months or even every month if I have enough things to talk about! Thanks for reading!

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24 October 2013

Make Up Academy Pro-Base Fixing Mist: Fix Your Makeup!

We all love applying our makeup and how fresh and pretty it looks right after we're done, but what if at the end of the day it looks like your whole face moved downwards a few inches! A fixing spray is a great solution to this problem if you have oily skin and your makeup just doesn't stay in place all day, or if you want to refresh your face during  the day without needing to fix or reapply your makeup.

There are great fixing sprays on the market, the most popular one probably being MAC Fix +, but it is a bit pricey and not everyone can afford to spend those amounts of money for a spray. I've tried out a nice alternative for finishing up your make-up: MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist.


I wouldn't dare to say it makes your makeup last flawless ALL DAY LONG, but for a reasonable amount of time. I can definitely say it keeps your makeup in place from morning to afternoon. It is going to move eventually, but it's 1/3 the price of the MAC Fix +.

If you are on a budget (like me) and you need something to help your makeup stay on your face where you put it, then I would recommend trying the MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist. If you need something that will make hart even to remove your makeup, then maybe you're better off with a more expensive product.

Hope this has been helpful! Thank you for reading!
Until next time,
waigaw

Please join me on the social networks:
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Email: capturingbeautyblog@gmail.com

11 October 2013

BH Cosmetics 120 Colour Palette: Review of the 3rd Edition!

BH Cosmetics is a make-up brand famous for their great eyeshadow palettes of many colours. I have finally purchased the 120 colour eyeshadow palette and have chosen the 3rd edition. 


It contains shimmer and matte eyshadows, pastel, bright, neutral and smokey eyeshadows of various shades to create any look you can think of. I found this palette to be limitless so far! 


Of course you cannot put all the different colours in one palette, so it has more shades of some colours than the others, but the 3rd edition is nicely balanced, and other editions have different things to offer! I love the deep reddish shades, they are so pigmented, and it is not easy to find such eyeshadow colours for a reasonable price.


The eyeshadows are very pigmented, both matte and shimmer shades. There's quite a bit of product in each pot, and 120 colours for its price is a bargain! Check out BH Cosmetics website for more information.

There is a little bit of fallout, so I would recommend applying your under-eye concealer after you've finished your eye make-up, but most eyeshadows have some fallout anyway. Overall, I am very happy with the purchase and I'm in love with this palette. The only problem is deciding which colours to use when doing my make-up, so many to choose from! Check out this [VIDEO] by SashaJ for all 120 swatches of this 3rd edition!


It's a lovely affordable eyeshadow palette, recommended to everyone! Especially if you want to expand the range of colours in your eyeshadow collection, definitely check it out!

Thank you for reading!
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Until next time,
waigaw

4 October 2013

Real Techniques Make Up Brushes: Review + Photos


 The popular brushes by Real Techniques from Samantha Chapman of the best make-up artist duo of YouTube Pixiwoo has finally reached my doorstep. I have never been so excited as to finally try them out myself. I have purchased The Core Collection, the Starter Kit, and the separately sold Stippling brush, Expert face brush, Setting brush, Blush brush, Shading brush and Fine liner brush.


If I could describe them in short: I wish I could keep on doing my make-up all day long just so I could feel the soft brushes on my face all the time! They are so soft and lovely, I would not want to use any other brushes ever again. I will go through my thoughts about them one by one.

  • The Core Collection Kit
    Contour brush: great for contouring or bronzing, or putting a bit of blush on your cheeks. Doesn't leave streaks of colour but rather blends it out nicely.
    Pointed foundation brush: if you like applying your foundation with a flat brush like that, then it's really great. It's not too big so it gives precision. Also lovely for blending out your undereye concealer.
    Detailer brush: great for covering up spots and blemishes with your concealer. Also makes an excellent lip brush.
    Buffing brush: my favourite to apply foundation, of any consistency. It blends everything out so nicely, it makes a difference even with cheaper foundations. Also great to blend out your contour and blush after their application for smoother finish.


 The Core Collection Kit is great for getting the main brushes for your face make-up application. I purchased it first to try out the quality of the Real Techniques brushes before deciding if to purchase other brushes.
  • The Starter Kit
Deluxe crease brush: a round dense brush great for using in your crease if you have larger eyelids. Also very nice for applying your concealer both under the eyes and on your blemishes, it blends the concealer out perfectly.
Base shadow brush: very soft and fluffy, so blends the eyeshadows like a dream, also nice to apply a wash of colour over your eyelid since it's not completely round.
Accent brush: small, short and flat - great for smudging!
Pixel-point eyeliner brush: I would agree with the opinion of the most that it is too thick for gel or liquid eyeliner. However I found use of it when applying highlighter around your tear duct or under your brows. Also, if you want to conceal some pixel point blemishes, it's great too.
Brow brush: thicker than most angled brushes, but still great for eyebrows, it takes less time to fill them in, but you get less precision, especially if your eyebrows are really thin.


Overall, the Starter Kit is a great selection of eye brushes. However, a brush thin enough for eyeliner and one for packing on an eyeshadow colour on the lid are sold separately and are not included in this set.

  • Separate brushes


Fine liner brush: thin enough for precise application of gel or liquid eyeliner.
Shading brush: flat and dense, great for applying colour all over the eyelids or in the outer corner.


Blush brush: big and fluffy, a great face brush. Nice for applying powder blush, bronzer or just powdering your whole face.
Setting brush: similar to contour brush but less dense and more narrow, it's great to just set your foundation with powder when you want precision, like only powdering your nose, forehead or setting that concealer under your eyes.
Expert face brush: similar to buffing brush but smaller and flatter, also great for foundation.
Stippling brush: my favourite Real Techniques brush. Great for any foundation, cream or powder blush, highlighter, blending in your face make-up together, and just feels so nice when touching your face!


My collection is not complete, but from the brushes I've tried, I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for brushes of professional quality and reasonable price. Good brushes do make a difference!

Thank you for reading and I hope it has been helpful!

Until next time,
waigaw




18 September 2013

Graze Box: Get Your First Box Free! Review and Photos

Graze.com is a lovely subscription box of a variety of healthy snacks: seeds, nuts, bread, flapjacks, pudding, mixtures of dried berries and chocolate buttons and so on, you can eve try out some beef jerky if you like!

I've stumbled upon a coupon code to try out the first graze box for free, and I thought I'd give it a go. I could cancel my subscription after the first free box,so there was no harm in trying it out, but after a couple of boxes, I think I'm keeping with it for a while! 

In your box, you get four packets of different snacks. The lids are see-through and also indicate all the ingredients. You also get a booklet in every box, describing the nutritional values of your snacks. After you try your snacks out, you can go on the website and rate your graze box: which snacks you liked and which you didn't enjoy. Also, you can browse through their selection of snacks and mark whether you never want them sent, you're happy to try them, you want them to be sent occasionally or regularly and if you want something sent as soon as possible.



Graze.com also offers a lighbox, a boostbox and an eatwellbox, depending on a nutrition plan you would like to choose (only if you want to, you don't have to) as well as the graze goodybox for children, customised with their name on the box and lovely snacks that kids enjoy. Unfortunately, as many snacks have nuts in them or can have nut residue, the graze box is not suitable for those with nut allergy :( 



Under the trays of tasty goodies you can find a recycled napkin and spoon (if your graze box contains a treat that requires cutlery), so you may order your box to be delivered to your work and treat yourself during lunch! The box delivered anywhere where the post comes and fits through the letterbox in your door, so you don't have to be home to receive it! You can choose one box a fortnight, a weekly box or twice a week!


If you're interested to try out the graze box but do not want to pay for it before you know whether you like it or not you can get your first box free! In fact, you can get your first, fifth and tenth box free if you use these friendcodes: DAVIDM64B or VAIGAV4YB while visiting http://www.graze.com/friend . Be quick, as each of those codes have only 4 uses! Remember, your first box is free and you can ccancel your subscription if you don't want to continue with it!

17 September 2013

Make Up Academy (MUA) New Matte Range: Eyeshadow Palette and Lipsticks Swatches and Review

As soon as Make Up Academy (a great affordable cosmetics brand) released their new matte range of products, I was chuffed. It includes a great-looking matte eyeshadow palette, and one cannot have too many matte eyeshadows! So I picked up the aforementioned palette and five matte lipsticks online. I photographed and swatched the products immediately, but I wanted to use them a few times before I gave an eligible review.

New MUA Matte Eyeshadow Palette, £4

To begin with, the matte eyeshadow palette looks really attractive, however, I must have expected a little bit more out of it. It is not as pigmented as any other MUA eyeshadow palette, especially the top row of the lighter colours. The darker colours are alright, easy enough to work with, but the lighter colours are just too sheer and you most definitely need a good primer or some light creamy base for it. However, the range of colours for the palette is great and suitable for both natural and more dramatic looks. The browns serve as great colours for lighter or darker eyebrows as well. Despite the lack of expected pigmentation, I still like this palette very much, as there aren’t an abundance of affordable matte eyeshadow palettes out there.

There are five colours of matte lipsticks to choose from: Pouty Pink, Peachy Keen, Totally Nude, Scarlet Red and Wild Berry. I’ve tried out cheap/affordable matte lipsticks before and I must say I was slightly disappointed in MUA’s range, especially since their other lipsticks are great. It is well known that any matte lipsticks are a bit more difficult to apply and can be well drying on the lips, but these ones are the most difficult ones.

New MUA Matte Lipsticks, £1

 Firstly, the pigmentation in them is definitely not good enough: Scarlet Letter is the only one pigmented enough for an easy application. The others are not as pigmented, but still possible to work with. The hardest and sheerest one I found was Pouty Pink. It feels like rubbing a wax crayon on my lips and putting no colour on. Moreover, Wild Berry looks like a deep aubergine colour in the tube, but it is nothing like it once you put it on your lips because you just don’t get that colour out.  By the time I have enough colour on my lips, they are sore and very dry. So secondly, they are the driest matte lipsticks I’ve ever used, except Scarlet Red. It was easy to swatch them on the skin of my hand, but once you try t wear them on your lips, they are just too drying. However, they are only a pound each and if you’re willing to try them out as well, then give it a go!

I would recommend the matte eyeshadow palette for the price but I might look for other matte lipstick ranges out there as I found it really hard to work with them.

Until next time,
waigaw

11 September 2013

Review: Bourjois Paris Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara

Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara has been my favourite for a few years already.

Firstly, for a good mascara, it is fairly affordable (~£7.99). It doesn't dry out fast after a couple of months, but stays a great consistency till the day you run out or you have to throw it out (six months after you opened a mascara you should replace it). I try out different mascaras on the side, but I have not stopped using the Bourjois one continuously for around 2,5-3 years. I have not yet found a mascara in that price range that I would like better.



Secondly, it doesn't make my eyes feel like they're carrying bricks on their eyelashes, as some mascaras do. One coat for a natural long eyelashes finish, two coats for a full eyelash explosion. The wand is not too big so you don't smear mascara all over your eyes. It is not waterproof, but it doesn't run under the eyes , but is removed easily with any eye make-up remover. Here is the before and after (one good coat):

There is an enormous variety of amazing mascaras on the market, Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara is a favourite of mine. What is yours?


Until next time,
waigaw
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28 August 2013

DIY / Homemade Dotting Tools for Nail Art!

Dotting tools to create various nail designs are not expensive, but quite difficult to get hold of if you're not buying them online. However, to create nail designs you can use various other things with a round end to serve you as dotting tools! Here are a few suggestions:

1. Hairpin: these hairpins used for up-do hairstyles are great to use for smaller size dots on your nail designs.









2. Bobby-pin: the pins used holding your hair in place are also great: larger pins will have bigger end tips to create slightly larger dots. Just bend the pin for an easier holding position.










3. Needle pins: use pins from a swing kit with a ball end for large dots. The more you dip the ball end into your nail polish, the larger dot you can get. Practice for the best results!










These are just a few suggestions of dotting tool substitutes if you don't have one of your own. Experiment and discover more!


Until next time,
waigaw
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9 August 2013

Castor oil – “Does it make my eyelashes grow longer?” What can you do with it?

Many ladies all over the world have heard of or used castor oil as a beauty product. But most people are first introduced to castor oil as a product in medicine. Indeed, castor oil has many uses. Hopefully, all the tips and tricks with castor oil will help you get the best use out of it!

Castor oil is a vegetable oil, obtained by pressing the seeds of the castor plant Ricinus communis. It is usually colourless or of very pale yellow colour and has no taste or odour. Most commonly, castor oil is used as a laxative and labor inducer. Castor oil is also used as an ingredient in medicine. However, remedial use is not the only one for castor oil! Its popularity has grown as a product making hair grow faster, therefore, castor oil is trending as an alternative to expensive lash and brow growth enhancers, such as DuLash, RapidLash and similar. But does it really work?

Firstly, castor oil is definitely beneficial for skin and hair. It gets absorbed quickly and provides moisturizing effects. It can be applied to the ends of dry hair to moisturize and prevent split ends, or massage it into your roots to enhance your hair growth (do it in the evening and wash it out the next day). Castor oil is definitely moisturizing to the skin and is said to have been used to prevent wrinkles! And, to answer the previous question, it helps your eyelashes and eyebrows grow, too.

Castor oil, 100ml - local pharmacy, ~£2.50

I have been using castor oil for my eyelashes and eyebrows for around 1.5 months, and I have definitely seen improvement (unfortunately I do not have comparison photos, because at that time I did not think  of it to be useful for me later). I wouldn’t say my eyelashes have grown longer; the main difference is that there are many more of them. They are definitely less sparse than before, and it shows especially when wearing mascara. Potentially after an even longer use, I will see more results. The effect on my eyebrows is similar, there is way more hair in them than before. Apply a drop of castor oil on clean eyelashes before night time with a clean mascara wand (a disposable one if you like) and wash it off in the morning, or wipe your eyelashes gently with a cotton pad before you wash your face. Make sure not to get any in your eyes!

Castor oil as more uses past the hair growth enhancement, thought! For example, it can be used as antimicrobial, to care for skin infections especially. Moreover, it can relieve pain of joints and increase circulation. Use castor oil in massages to alleviate constipation and decrease stress, too!
You can also use castor oil to soften your cuticles and improve the condition of brittle nails. Just massage a tiny amount into your cuticles and nails every day. Finally, along with using castor oil on your eyelashes to enhance their growth, massage it thinly and gently under your eyes to soothe your tired eyes and improve the dark circles under your eyes!

What do you use castor oil for? How does it work for you? Let me know!

Until next time,
waigaw
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More on castor oil (References):

6 August 2013

Quick Fix: Affordable Make-up – Great value for money: MUA and VIVO online sale!

Click [here] to go to MUA (Make Up Academy) website and check out their incredible summer sale! MUA cosmetics is great price for value! MUA products are available in Superdrug in the UK, but when you buy online, they ship internationally. I have tried MUA’s lipsticks, foundations, eyeshadow palettes, mascaras, nail varnishes, and some of the Fashionista line available on MUA’s website. I am highly impressed with the price and quality ratio of their products, therefore I recommend to check it out! Do not miss out on some great half-price (and more) summer essentials of MUA.

VIVO currently has “Everything Half Price and Free Shipping” sale! You can choose free shipping with a minimum spend of £20. VIVO also offer great cosmetics for extremely affordable price. Their eyeshadows, lipsticks and nail varnishes are definitely great value for money. VIVO is available in Tesco and ship internationally if you purchase online. Click [here] to go to their website and check it out before everything is out of stock!

Have you tried MUA or VIVO? What do you think about it? Let me know!

Disclaimer: The blogpost is not sponsored by any of the mentioned companies, it is my personal opinion and recommendation!

Until next time,
waigaw

4 August 2013

Review: Cleansing Balm – No7 Beautiful Skin

I’ve recently introduced a cleansing balm into my skincare routine, and I’ve chosen to try out the No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm for Dry to Very Dry Skin. I was a bit worried about that, as my skin type is normal to dry, but so far I haven’t noticed any difference to using products for normal skin. I much prefer using products for dry skin rather than normal skin. I have been using this cleansing balm for 2 months now and I am satisfied.

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm retails at £9.00 in Boots and is a 150ml tube. It is of cream consistency; you gently massage it into the skin and wipe off with a cotton pad. It removes any impurities and make-up residue. Honestly, I can say that it does its job just by looking at the cotton pad after wiping it off – I use it after I remove my make-up with water based make-up remover (I use Garnier Fresh Essentials Eye make-up remover, Enriched with Grape Extract, Normal to combination skin; it retails at £3.15 in Boots) and rinse my face with water, and it is still dirty and has tons of make-up leftovers (ew). My skin feels clean and fresh, it doesn’t leave any stickiness or oiliness. I continue with a toner and a moisturizer.
I use the No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm only on the days I wear make-up, in the evening, so the 150ml tube will last a long time. After a couple months I can’t even tell the difference in the amount in the tube! Eventually, I would like to try out the Emma Hardie Amazing Face cleansing balm (100ml ~ £34.00) but for a more affordable option – I highly recommend the No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm!

What is your favourite cleansing balm? Which ones have you tried? Let me know!

Until next time,
waigaw

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2 August 2013

Hello beautiful readers!

Hello beautiful readers!
This will be the first and introductory post to this newly created blog, my first attempt at writing and sharing my thoughts with those interested in all kinds of beauty stuffs. The blog is called “Capturing Beauty” because it always seemed to me that one can see beauty when one can feel it, in any moment that may pass in a blink of an eye, and capturing it in your mind is a beautiful feeling. I hope that makes sense, well, it did in my head when I was thinking of it, but it might not anymore!
I started loving beauty products a couple of years ago, because papmering myself and using them, applying makeup, doing my hair, putting thought into selecting outfits gave me more confidence in myself and the way I looked, because I lacked it during my years at school. And now, while on holiday, doing nothing, I thought of creating a writing space for myself and for everyone keen on similar things to share thoughts, information, and fun enjoyable things. I hope this will prove to be a great way to spend my time! And a great way for you to spend your time, too!
I will try to focus Capturing Beauty on reviews of beauty products, introducing items I love to someone who may not have heard of them, sharing experiences of different brands as well as ideas of make-up, hair, nail art, fashion outfits for inspiration to others and sharing what inspired me. I will try to track down sales on beauty products online that would ship internationally, so the information would be useful to everyone. Occasionally, randomness of photography might creep up into the blog, as I enjoy taking snapshots of life! Nonetheless, I hope there will be enjoyable reads for everyone and you will not be disappointed!

Until next time,
Waigaw/Vaiga

P.S. Don’t forget to join me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Links down below and on the right side of the webpage.

P.P.S. The outlook of the webpage is still in progress, so I apologise in advance for any technical issues on the page, because I’m not very experienced in these kinds of things. I hope everything works smoothly, and if not, please let me know in the comments or use the “Contact Me” bar on the right! Thank you!