Best of Collection Makeup (Brand Focus)

Collection was formerly called Collection 2000 a few years ago before it was changed to just Collection. I still like both names and I sometimes still refer to them as Collection 200 (silly me). I am just used to calling them that and saying just Collection sometimes sounds incomplete. Anyway, they are one drug store brand that has made many improvements to their brand and products. They now churn out some really amazing products and I feel they are little underestimated in the drug store. I always check their counter in-store to see if they have any new releases because they have been bringing it on lately. I have to say they don’t really cater to a wide variety of skin tones which is why I have never tried their bases or concealers. Well, I purchased their best selling Lasting Perfection Concealer in shade 4 which was way too beigey for me and made my skin look incredibly dull. Other than that, I like majority of their products.

Collection Extreme 24HR Eyeliner//£2.99//Link

I still have a very soft spot for this eye liner because it was the first tip eyeliner I ever tried. It is perfect for beginners because its felt tip is easy to control and it creates a mean cat flick. I know it is still many people’s favourite eyeliner form the drug store but mine is the L’Oreal range. However, this is my second favourite and I always make sure I have one in my stash. I think it may be one of my favourite products from Collection and at the price, it is very difficult to beat. I still reach for this every now and again. 

Collection Pressed Powders (Translucent and Warm Bronze)//£1.99//Link

I always find it difficult finding the right shade powders for my complexion in the drug store. They always seem to show up ashy or too dark on my but the lovely Collection Pressed Powders are just right. They don’t have a wide range of powders but the ones available are really versatile. I love the Warm Bronze (which is slightly too dark for me) as a nice bronzing powder to warm up my complexion especially if my foundation looks dodgy. It is really finely milled and I have already hit pan as you can see. My all time favourite is the Collection Translucent Pressed Powder which is amazing at keeping my foundation set and matte. I adore this powder and I have hit pan (and purchased a back up). I also use this to set my under eye concealer and I have no idea why I discovered this so late in the day. I highly recommend it.

Collection Deluxe Lipstick in Charleston (03)//£3.99//Link

I am not sure if I have tried any other Collection Lipstick but the Deluxe versions are amazing. The only one I own is Charleston 03 which is allegedly a dupe for MAC Velvet Teddy. I have a review showing a comparison of these lipsticks. It is really similar to MAC Velvet Teddy but with its own spin. It is an ideal everyday lipstick and looks incredible on any skin tone. I really like the way it looks on my skin and it lasts really well. I still have to reapply but I don’t mind at all. The packaging is also rather cute for a drug store brand. I love it!

Collection Work the Colour Brow Kit//£3.99//Link

I read quite a few reviews on this brow kit and I just had to get it. It is such a lovely brow kit because it comes with three powders and a brow setting gel/mascara. It is really compact and portable making it ideal for travelling. I love the mix of brow powders in this kit because you can customise your brow shade if you wish. I use the darkest shade in the outer section of my brow and the middle shade towards the beginning. The brow setting gel really works well in keeping my brow hairs in place and helping the brow powders last longer. I really enjoy using this. It also doubles as an eyeshadow and the good thing is it has minimal fall outs so it’s not a pain to use.

Collection All About the Eyes Eyeshadow Palette (Little Mix)//£3.19//Link

This eyeshadow palette completely blew me away because I did not expect much from it at all. I read a few reviews online and decided to try it out myself. I was impressed by how buttery the eyeshadows felt in texture and how pigmented they looked on application. I am not a huge fan of the packaging but the quality of the eyeshadows make it seem okay. To be fair, I have not had any problems with the packaging at all and I have travelled a few times with it. It is the perfect neutral eyeshadow with warm bronze, gold and brown shades. It also has a black eyeshadow at the end which can be used to transform any eyeshadow look to a sultry smokey eye look. They have also released three other versions of this eyeshadow palette but this is my all time favourite one and I still reach for it every now and then.

Collection Gorgeous Glow Bronzing Block//£4.19//Link

This was launched with their recent Spring Collection and I had to grab it off the counters when Superdrug had their 3 for 2 offer. I swatched it in-store and it had such an amazing highlight glow. I like the packaging and the mix of colours. I love that drug store products are really imitating high end products. I feel this Bronzing Block will suit people with lighter or paler complexions as it tends to look borderline ashy/beigey if I make a mistake of going overboard. I still really light it though and I use it with my Real Techniques Collector's Edition Fan Brush. It picks up the product really lightly and it looks much better than when I use any other brush.



Collection Gorgeous Glow Blush Block//£4.19//Link
This is my latest addition to my Collection (collection/stash; no pun intended). It was the first product that caught my eye when I was browsing in-store for their Spring Collection. It is a warm blush block which make sit ideal for a variety of skin tones. There is no chance of looking ashy or beigey which is amazing. The pink colour makes it so pretty when it is applied on the cheeks or high points of my cheeks and it infuses such a nice glow to my skin. I really enjoy using it and I always go in with a very light hand because it is well pigmented. I particularly like that it does not have a lot of glitter because that can look very messy and annoying on the face. I really enjoy using this.


Collection Field Day Nail Polish in Heather//£1.99//Link
I no longer buy nail polishes because I definitely have a whole lot in my collection (I still buy Barry M nail polishes because they are amazing). Anyway, I picked up this beautiful nail polish because it was under £2 and I needed something to complete my purchase for a 3 for 2 offer. I am so glad I got this nail polish because it has a great formula and I did not expect it at all. It applies really well and the nail brush is just perfect for beginners and experts. It's really difficult to make a mistake with this nail polish. The one thing I am most impressed with is the lasting power. My nail polishes (drug store brands) usually chip within 3-4 days with or without a top coat. However, the Collection Field Day Nail polish actually lasted much longer. I would say around a week although I used a top coat. I did not experience any streaking and it looked so pretty that I am tempted to buy a few more colours from this range.


Overall Thoughts
What can I say? I am so pleased that Collection has really improved their range and they now release such amazing products. I did not realise I even had enough products to even write a brand focus at all. The products I have within my collection are products I reach for really frequently. The Collection Translucent Powder is just one of the best setting powders I have ever tried and I am so impressed with it. I can't be without it at all and I am so glad that it's so affordable. That's all folks! Have you tried any products from Collection? If so, What's your favourite Collection makeup product?...xx
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Top 5 Eye Liners including Gel and Felt Tip Pens

Hi Lovelies,

I hope everyone has been well. I have a couple of drafts which I would be releasing (sounds like I am releasing an album or sumfin)  over the next few days because I could not post them last week. Today's blog post will feature my favourite liquid and gel eye liners. I haven't always been an eye liner girl because I hadn't mastered the art or skill of applying it without looking like a drag queen. I started off with pencil eye liners which I only used on my bottom eye lid (water line to be precise). Then, I slowly progressed to liquid eye liner starting off with the eye liner pen, moving on to felt tip eye liners and finally the skinny precision tips. 

I think applying eye liner is an art or skill that deserves to be mastered by all because eye liners give your face a defined look. It can awaken tired eyes and give your face a put together look. You can drift from Sophisticated to Dramatic to Gothic to Cat eyes all in several swipes. My favourite way to apply eye liner is with a slight wing towards the end of my lids. I tend to extend that wing depending on how intense I want the "cat eyes" to look. It's just one of the few make up items I feel naked if I don't have it on. I usually don't apply eye shadows or mascaras on a daily basis so my eye liner is pretty much my basic eye make up which is why I'm dedicating a blog post to it. So, let's get started.

The Eye Liner Pens

As I mentioned earlier, this was the first product I consistently applied and mastered the winged eye liner with. It is very easy to use and beginner friendly. It gives you better control when applying it over your eyes which is perfect as you all know applying eye liners can be a lil' bit tricky. 

There are many brands out there but I have only tried Collection 2000 brand (or are they just called Collection now?). It was my eye liner for a long time until I started experimenting with other kinds of eye liners. It is fairly pigmented and lasts for a moderate amount of time in a day provided you do not rub your eyes.

 I think the tip is really good and looks like a little marker which it kind of is. It is best to give it a little shake before application as this brings more product to the top and allows ease of application. I think they are great quality for an affordable price. L'Oreal has its own kind of pen eye liners which I have not tried but I have seen many good reviews about it. 

The pen eye liners are very good for winged eye liners because they are precise and easy to use. I am not sure if many of the pen eye liners are water proof; as far as I know, the Collection 2000 one is not. Waterproof eye liners may be good for longevity but a pain to take off completely. All in all, I think the Collection 2000 eye liner pen is a great start for beginners and the pen lasts for a good while even with every day use.

The Felt Tip Eye Liners

I think these are my favourite kind eye liners because I love the finished look they give and how versatile looks can be achieved with this. Felt tips are like a cross between the eye liner pens and skinny precision tip eye liners. They are perfect for beginners who want to transition from eye liner pens to more advanced ways of applying eye liner. 

The Felt Tip as the name suggests is made of felt tips which are more like flexible marker tips. It allows moderate control of application. It is wonderful for "cat eye" looks and dramatic looks because they are usually very pigmented. My favourite brand has to be L'Oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss (I have a sinking feeling they are being discontinued) which has different sub groups such as Black Lacquer and Black Crystals which has some gold specks which I don't like.

To be honest, I just prefer the simple and original Super liner because I love simple looks on my eyes. I love how long they last on me all day, even when all my other make up is wearing off, this still stays faithful to me. Taking it off has not presented as much as hassles as I envisaged which is why it is my favourite brand; it is very pigmented and lasts all day with ease of removal. Another good point is the fact that the tube lasts for a really long time.

 I got my Super Liner in October of last year and it only got finished last week which is why I got the black gold crystals. Honestly, I do not like the gold crystal brand at all because it has these specks of light gold crystals which are not attractive to me at all. I guess it's perfect for parties. All in all, the felt tip eye liners are my favourite of the lot.

The Skinny Precision Tips

I have only tried about two brands which are Rimmel and Urban Decay. There are pretty tricky to use. In fact, when I first experimented with eye liner (I was much younger), I picked up my sister's eye liner which had very skinny tips and tried to apply it; it was absolutely horrendous. It just went all over my eyes and face because I kept blinking and could not keep still. I looked a super hot mess and this encounter really discouraged me.

 However, after mastering the art of eye liner application with other eye liners from above, I bravely ventured into this category again.  I dare say it has been a wonderful experience. They are indeed very precise and I love how sharp and precise the wings look when I apply it especially getting into some corners of my eyes which other eye liners may prove difficult to get into.

With precision skinny tips as I call them, you can have different gradients on your eye for example I prefer to start off with a very thin line from my inner eye lid and gradually thicken the lines towards the end with a nice wing for a finish. I find that with this category of eye liners, it is very easy to achieve this graduated look. 

My favourite brand is Urban Decay 24 hr Precision Tip Eye liner. I love this brand because it has quite a pretty long applicator to which the wand is attachedwhich means you have a longer wand to grasp and easy control over application. It is a waterproof eye liner which is heavily pigmented and lasts all day like it implies on its packaging. The only down side is you need to make sure you own an eye make up remover or be prepared to continuously rub this off with a normal make up wipe because it won't budge easily. All in all, I think it is a fantastic product.

The Gel Eye Liner
This is not really a liquid eye liner which is why it is at this little corner. However, it is not a pencil eye liner either. Gel eye liners are made up of gel as the name implies which gives a matte finish when applied to the eyes.

 I think a lot of people favour the gel eye liner more because they can pretty much apply as much or as little as they want since it is not liquid. There are so many popular brands out there such as The MAC fluidline eye liner and the Bobbi Brown version which are all very pricey. However, the only brand I have tried is the Maybelline 24H Eye Studio Gel Liner which is a dream.

 It is a cream and gel-like consistency which is easily picked up by the applicator brush.  It is smudge and waterproof which makes it a very good choice for an eye liner. As common with all water proof eye liners, it is a bit tricky to remove. Other than that, I think it is very pigmented and provides a fluid and smooth application without any apparent creases and the best thing of all,  it comes with its own cute little applicator brush.

 I am not sure many gel eye liners come with a brush but this Maybelline brand does. I think it also comes in other colours/shades but I have only tried the black one because I think other colours may look a bit silly on me. It also lasts all day, almost 24hr,  as the name implies on the bottle. I love this gel liner but I am not very good with applying this as quick as the liquid eye liners which is why I reserve it specifically for weekends when I have more time on my hands.

I am sure you can tell I love Eye Liners be it Liquid or Gel (especially my favourite brand of all time L'Oreal Super Liner) and I think they definitely give my face a very defined and sophisticated look due to how many versatile looks can be created with a quick swipe. I hope you all enjoyed this post and I had so much fun writing it up.. See you in my next post.

Collection 2000 "Primed and Ready" Smoothing Make-Up Primer Review

Hi Lovelies,

I hope you have been enjoying my regular posts this week. Most of the posts this past week has been beauty and make up reviews but I have more varied posts up next week so stay tuned :-)

Today, I am going to be reviewing the Collection 2000 Primed and Ready Smoothing Makeup Primer(Phew! that was quite a mouthful!). A primer acts like a base for your face before application of foundation or any other facial makeup. It basically acts like a barrier between your foundation and the oils from your skin to prevent your foundation from sliding off your face and promoting longevity of your overall face makeup. Primers generally :

1. Allow foundation to "stay put" in hot weather.
2. Help prevent skin from absorbing talc and pigment from your foundation as well as preventing talc from drawing oil from the skin.
3. Diminish the appearance of pores and prevent foundation from seeping into these pores or fine lines on the face

I have not tried many primers, in fact, I have only tried one which is the L'Oreal one. Anyways, back to this review. I caught sight of this primer on Youtube and I quickly checked it out online for any reviews. To my delight, the reviews were good so I went ahead to get it.

Packaging
It comes in a Black tube with dark pink inscriptions which actually caught my eyes. Pink against black definitely looks good. There is not much to say about the packaging. It is pretty basic. It has a nice lid on the tube which allows a sizable amount of product to be dispensed. I hate products which let out more product than you need. 

           
 
Formula
Although, there is not much details about its formula on the packaging, i have a feeling it is a silicone based primer because it has the smooth texture of a silicone based formula. It is in a clear gel-like form which appears clear and almost invisible when applied on the skin. It dries clear.

         

Application: 
Normally, the steps I take are as follows; I moisturize my face and wait for a few seconds for it to get absorbed before applying the primer. I focus the primer to my T-zone which is where i get really shiny towards the end of the day. I actually think I may have combination skin which is having both normal/dry skin and oily skin in different areas of your face. I actually only get shiny around my T-zones. Foundation glides across my face easily after using my primer. Asides that, my foundation and all other make up actually last longer on my face especially around the T-zones which is amazing for my skin.

Cost
This bottle retails for £5.99 in any local beauty and drug store. However, you guys know i love deals. I got mine from Tesco for £4.00 which i think is a bargain compared to its normal price. Although, it is appears to be cheap, it is very good quality for a drug store brand. For £5.99(or £4 in my case), you  get 18 ml of Primer which I think is very good value compared to a high end primer e.g. Benefit's Porefessional Primer retails for about £24.50 for 22 ml tube. 



Overall, I have to say it is a good primer but i have not used any high end primer brands yet so I can't compare it with any. I think it's good quality for the price..

Hope you enjoyed this post...more posts coming up soon!!!

xxx

*DISCLOSURE: I have no material relationship to any brand or person mentioned in this post. All Opinions are mine and the products were bought and paid for by me.