Festive Gift Ideas for Lamey McLate Shoppers!

There are those people in life that are super organised, do all their Christmas shopping in the previous year's boxing day sales and have it wrapped by mid june.

I'm not one of them.

If like me you've just realised you have less than 2 weeks until the day itself and you haven't done any shopping yet and are dreading facing the crowds of the high street, you are not alone.

Here's some options for gifts that you can buy online and still get delivered before Chrimbo!

Lush 
An obvious one but a good one. Lush always have a tonne of awesome product releases for the holiday season (check out my post about it HERE) and they also, very handily, do a tonne of gift sets that are already beautifully wrapped and loads of them are vegan.

Check out their selection of gift sets HERE.

Food Hampers
If you don't fancy making your own, you could order one of these awesome raw food hampers from Nama! You need to leave a few days for posting as they make the contents fresh.

Certain areas within London, the delivery is free but they do ship outside of London too. Order by 22nd December for one of these hampers,

Nama recently sent me a selection of some of the items you can find in their hampers and I made a little taste test video:

Vegan Tuck Box
You can order a subscription or a single box for someone HERE. There are a bunch of boxes, including a gluten free one for the GF people in your life. Psst, you need to order by the 18th December from this site to get it before Christmas.

Vegan Kind Box
Are a subscription service that do a monthly food box and a quarterly beauty box. I have a beauty subscription with them that is totally worth it, in my opinion. You can buy past boxes as gifts, or they also have a whole page dedicated to gifts and gift sets HERE.

Real Techniques
RT often have gift sets out at this time of year and I think this one is pretty awesome. Good selection of brushes (I am a HUGE fan of RT's brushes) and a carry case too. Available from Superdrug.

Tanya Burr Beauty Box
The TB line is carried at Superdrug also and the bits I have tried have been lovely for the price. The range is cruelty free and they advised me it's vegan friendly. I did find a palette (limited edition) at this time last year that had carmine in, so now I always check through the ingredients and they seem fine on this. Available HERE.

In this box it looks like you get a trio of eyeshadows, a lip gloss, liquid highlighter, a mirror, some eyelashes and a couple of nail files. It looks pretty nice and I do like the formula of the TB eyeshadows.

Eden Perfumes

Most high end perfumes are NOT cruelty free. But if you have a favourite designer scent, chances are Eden makes a cruelty free, vegan dupe for it. I have the J'adore copy (Dior) and it is amazing!

Eden have a shop in Brighton but ship as well from their website.

Ethical Superstore

The Ethical Superstore has a section for gifts and you can filter vegan items - last posting day is 19 December on this site. 

They have booja booja truffles. Just sayin'!

Violent Veg Desk Calendar 2017

Because who doesn't want a desk calendar? I buy the Violent Veg one every year, have for at least the last 3 or 4 years now and I've already ordered next year's too. I normally buy it from one of the Calendar Club shops or stalls that always pops up in one of my local towns but as I'm avoiding the high street like the plague right now, I got it from amazon. You can also buy it from HERE (along with a tonne of other options, if hilarious veg are not for you!) for less than I paid for it from amazon. DAMMIT!

Fancypants Makeup from Charlotte Tilbury

For the fancy lady in your life - why not get her some highfalutin* makeup from Charlotte Tilbury! (*Word of the day toilet paper?)

CT is one of the only luxury makeup brands that is actually cruelty free and they have lots of vegan options (Logical Harmony has a list HERE). Also, if you go onto her site, one of the changing stories on her front page tells you how long you've got left to order in time for Christmas (8 days at the time of writing this on 14 December!!)

Personally, I've been eyeing the Filmstar Bronze and Glow kit for a LONG time. In my mind it is going to be part of my wedding makeup next year hahaha

Also, hardly any high end eyeshadow palettes are vegan, but CT has a few and I think this Golden Goddess palette looks beautiful!

More makeup

Also, you have until 19th December to order from Makeup Without Malice, which is a website that sells only vegan and cruelty free makeup!! Like this awesome VE Cosmetics eyeshadow palette!

Not really vegan related, but I found this awesome Dinosaur play doh (ish) set, for any of you that, like me, have a little family member who is obsessed with dinosaurs. If you have prime you will get this in a couple of days!

And lastly, if you really wanna get someone to sleep with love you, get them an Amazon Echo Dot! Simon got one from his friends for his birthday last month and it is AWESOME. I just kind of like bossing Alexa around. What? Don't judge me. "Alexa, play the Backstreet Boys. Erm, I mean Led Zep, play Led Zeppelin!!"

Happy shopping!
Sal xXx

Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette

Afternoon everyone! It's Friday YAY!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, Mr A & I have been sick and I haven't really been up to posting. However, I'm feeling a bit better so I edited a video I filmed just as a I was started to get sick (hence the loud breathing! haha).

It's a review of the new Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette.

If you don't wanna watch the video, basically I like it a lot. If you do, crack on ....

Once again, thanks for THAT thumbnail youtube! hahahaha

Whatever you're up to this weekend, hope you have a great one. Speak to yas next week!

Sal xXx

Dupes for the Beauty Blender

The beauty blender is one of my absolute, all time favourite tools. I have several in my personal kit and my pro kit. However, although they're vegan, they're not cheap! 

There's quite a few dupes kicking around now, so I thought I'd talk about a couple that I've tried. The B. Blending Sponge and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.

Here they are dry and in their packaging.

And out of their packaging - still dry

And here they are, wet. I'm not sure if these comparison pics really show how much they expand, but they do. Especially the beauty blender. This expands the most out of the 3.

On the left is the B. sponge and the origingal BB is on the right. Shape wise they are VERY similar and colour wise too - the BB is a little brighter pink.

And here is the Real Techniques sponge, which has the pointed top, but has a flat edge instead of a rounded bottom.

My thoughts:

The B. sponge and the Real Techniques ones are fantastic sponges and they are way cheaper than a beauty blender which is £16 (the B. sponge is £4.99 and the RT sponge is £5.99 - although both are reduced on Superdrug right now!).

The B. and the RT sponges are a very similar to each other in texture but different to the original Beauty Blender. The RT and B. sponges are denser, firmer sponges. The Beauty Blender is softer and springier and expands way more.

My overall favourite is the Beauty Blender. I love the texture of it and I love the overall effect it gives me on my makeup. However, the other 2 sponges are also fantastic and I rotate all 3. I also prefer the shape of the BB/B. sponge, as I like the rounded bottom for finishing my foundation, rather than the flat edge.

Have you tried the Beauty Blender or any dupes? I'd love to know what you think.

Have an awesome weekend. I'm off to an 80s weekend with my girlies, so expect some brightly coloured makeup next week! :)

Sal xXx

MAC 217 - Cruelty Free & Vegan Dupes

Way back when I first trained in makeup, I was all about the MAC products. I trained in London and it was mostly MAC we used. I had a pro card so I got a discount and I basically built my pro kit of makeup and brushes using it. Spent a fortune too.

I was fairly newly veggie back then, although I'd gone cruelty free with my makeup a year or so before that. So I loved that MAC were cruelty free. As I went vegan and started phasing out non vegan makeup, I was super glad that they had vegan options too! But then it all went tits up and they stopped being cruelty free! Which meant a huge percentage of my pro kit was made up of products that I didn't want to recommend to clients! Hence I still have a bunch of MAC stuff gathering dust.

Anyway I am rambling. What this preamble is leading to is that the MAC 217 (or at least something similar) is a must have in most makeup artists' kits and I still have 3 of them (although they are now dusty and unused and sitting on top of my wardrobe for the day that I get round to putting them on ebay or something). It's a great brush for picking up colour, packing it on and for blending. It's also more precise that a larger/softer fluffy brush.

So over the last 8 years, I've been searching for a good synthetic alternative; there's loads of cruelty free / cheaper dupes of this brush but they are usually still goat hair. But now... I have found 4 synthetic brushes to talk to you about, that I think are pretty good dupes for the 217.

I have taken side by side pics of all these brushes with the 217, in all of these photos the 217 is the white haired brush on the right. Also, bear in mind my 217 is quite old and a bit fluffed out, if that makes sense, whereas my synthetic ones are all newer and not as used, so they haven't expanded much yet.

Crown Infinity C460 Blending Fluff Brush: £4.99 from Crown's website

I talked about this in my October favourites last week, but I think this one is a great dupe for the 217.

Size wise, it's a little wider than the 217, but the shape is very similar.

Side view, also very similar and the Crown brush is just as fluffy and great for blending.

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush: £21.99 from Boots or Superdrug (I know it sounds pricey but it's because you can only buy it as part of a set, but all the brushes in the set are worth having, in my opinion).

side by side comparison

And turned sideways

Bdellium Tools 776: £7.50 from Lovemakeup
I love Bdellium brushes, they are so awesome. They're really affordable and ALL of the bambu brushes are vegan (and the whole range comes in about 4 different colours).

 

Side by side

Turned sideways

(it's a little flatter, but that is probably due to the age of my 217 more than anything)

Zoeva 227V Soft Definer: £5.95 from Lovemakeup
Firstly, this (and the bamboo winged liner brush) was the first Zoeva brush I've bought, so I thought it was super cute when I saw that it came in a little ziploc wallet. I think this will be brilliant for taking a few brushes with you when you're travelling.

Side by side

sideways

All of these are great alternatives and work just as the 217 does. The major upsides of synthetic brushes vs animal hair, in my opinion are:

1. Obviously - 100% cruelty free and vegan
2. They do not absorb as much product so they are perfect for creams as well as powders
3. They wash up better than real hair brushes
4. They do not shed like animal hair brushes, which is something that used to drive me nuts.

Also, the MAC 217 retails for £20 in the UK, so all of these are MUCH cheaper options, except of course the Real Techniques Base Shaow Brush, but as I mentioned, it's because it's only available as part of a set of 4 brushes.

Did I convince you yet? ;o)

Do you know of any 217 dupes I've missed? Or there any other brushes you need a dupe for?

Sal xXx

Party Makeup Series - Purple & Pink 'Halo' Eyes

So today I'm bringing you my first party makeup pic tutorial.  I was fighting a losing battle against getting this done before the sun set, so the light does change in the pics.  But hopefully you'll get the idea.

I started with something a bit more colourful, as there'll no doubt be a few sparkly / neutral ones in this series.  This method is super easy and can be done with any colours you like; I picked purple & pinks.

 Here is the overall look

 

And here's how I did it...

When using bright colours, I think it's best to put down a light base (white works well) so I used the lightest concealer I could find (in this case, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Shade 1 - CV).  I patted this all over the lid and blended it in with my finger. Don't add too much or it'll crease.

The eyeshadows I used from this palette mostly came from the Revolution Matte Brights Palette.... ooooh see how pretty....

I started by picking up the lightest pink

With a fluffy blending brush (I used a bdellium 785), put this colour in the crease. This won't really show and so doesn't need to be neat. Just go back and forward really roughly in the crease.  This is our transition shade. 

Then with a flat brush (I used a Furless PM2), pick up some of your bright purple.

Pack this on the inner and outer 1/3 or so of the lid

I switched to a pencil brush (Furless PRO3M) as I wanted something that would the colour packed on a bit more.

Then join up the inner and outer corner by using windscreen wiper motions with the pencil brush in the crease

It should look something like this

Then go back to the blending brush you used for the light pink and blend so there's no harsh edges. Repeat these steps (packing on purple, blending out edges) until you're happy with the colour intensity.

With a clean blending brush (this is an Illamasqua blending brush), pick a small amount of up the dark pink. 

 

Put this just above the purple and blend it well, going back to your blending brush and adding a bit more light pink to blend out if needed.  The aim is to create a bit of a gradient.

Then pick up the white (I used a bdellium 776)

And put it under the eyebrow to highlight the brow bone

Then wipe off your flat brush (or use a clean one) and pick up some light cream eyeshadow.  You can skip this step if you have a really pigmented shade for the next step, but mine wasn't very pigmented so I did this to give the shimmer something to stick to and make it stand out more.  This is Superdrug's B. Cream Shadow in the shade Lizzie (V).

Pat this onto the space in the middle of the lid that we left free.

Then flip the brush around and pick up a light and shimmery eyeshadow or highlighter.  This is Revolution's Baked Highlighter in Peach Lights (AV)

Pat this over top, feathering out the edges to blend it into the purple.  If need be, add a touch more purple to blend it.

Then add some black eyeliner. This is optional but I like the way it looks with liner.  I didn't wing out the liner much, just finished it off at the edges.

Then line the waterline with a gold eyeliner. I used GOSH's Velvet Touch Liner in Renaissance Gold (CV). You could use black or silver if you prefer.

Then add plenty of mascara, I used my favourite, Barry M Lash Vegas + Fibres (V).

You can add lashes too at this point, but as this was just for Monday night salsa, I skipped them. However, at the end of this post is a similar look I did on a weekend away, that shows you how much more dramatic this will look with lashes! :)

Onto the face.  I mixed 2 pumps of B. Youthful Foundation (shade 10, Linen - V) with about half a pump of SEVENTEEN's Skin Wow! Highlighter (CV).

I buffed this onto my face with a bdellium 954 brush, which I've been loving for foundation lately.  

Then I added concealer under my eyes (Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, shade 2 - CV). I like to blend this out with a bdellium 949 brush.

Set under the eyes with powder - I used a Real Techniques Setting Brush and MUA's pressed powder in shade 1 (AV). I switched to a Barry M Kabuki brush to set the rest of the face. (Sexy powder face!!)

Then go back to the eyes.  Using your pencil brush again, pick up a tiny bit of the purple and blend it under the lower lashes, connecting the corner up to the purple on top.   I also filled in my brows with Anastasia Beverley Hills' Brow Wiz in Ash Blonde (AV) and added a bit of GOSH's Clear Brow Gel on top (CV).

This is where I'd totally lost the light so moved into another room! :)

For the face, I used my Revolution Sugar & Spice Ultra Blush Palette (AV).  I swirled my brush into the 2 bronze/contour shades on the top left.

And dusted it high on the cheeks, forehead and a bit over the bridge of the nose, to warm up the face. I used a Real Techniques Powder Brush.

Then I picked up this blush shade with a Real Techniques Blush Brush

This is one tiny tap!  It's SOOOO pigmented  (I REALLY love this palette!)

I tapped it off on the back of my hand then tapped the brush onto the apples of the cheeks, so as not to put too much colour on.

Then, I used a Real Techniques Contour Brush to add Revolution's Peach Lights highlighter, the same I used on the eyes, to my cheekbones, bridge of the nose and the cupid's bow.

I lined my lips thickly with OCC's pencil in Hoochie, but not fully.

Then filled in with Barry M's Gelly Hi Shine Lip Pencil in Electra (V)

So that's the final look.  The next one is going to be glittery, as I'll be wearing it to my work's Christmas do, so stay tuned! :)

As promised above too, here is another example of this look; I used a brighter shadow in the centre of the lid (although I can't for the life of me remember what it is!), used black in the waterline, a sparkly white on the inner corner AND I added lashes and gold eyebrows!  The brows are Sugarpill's Goldilux pigment (V) mixed with Illamasqua Sealing Gel (CV).

Happy Humpday all, what's left of it!

Love & Stuff
Sal xXx

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON LOVE-LIPSTICK.BLOGSPOT.COM