SPACE NK: Make Up Brushes

Hasn't it been an age since I last blogged?

Moving house was hectic and renovations even more so.  I am living with only a livingroom and bedroom and teeny en-suite at the moment so taking any blogworthy photos has been a little difficult as well as having little to no time to sit down with the laptop.

Anyway, I have wanted to blog about these make up brushes for a LONG time so with a spare 10 minutes this evening, here goes ....

I got to try out some Space NK brushes, which led to me purchasing some Space NK brushes.  Their quality is comparable to high end make up brands and unfortunately so is their price.

I have the blush brush (RRP £28 - my own purchase), the eyeshadow brush (RRP £18 - PR item for review), and the foundation brush (RRP £25 - PR item for review).

The blush brush is large, dense and squared off in shape.  It is actually quite different from blush brushes I have used in the past which have been softer, fluffier and rounder but I have to say this is working well for me.  It gives good placement of the blush and covers a larger area of the cheek, which dependant on the overall finish you want may not always be a good thing.  It has made it into my everyday make up bag so it is a thumbs up purchase.  It's biggest flaw is its price ... for £28 I would rather buy from a major brand ... however, I managed to purchase in the January sales but would never repurchase at full price i'm afraid.

A closer look 

As far as the eyeshadow brush goes, it is great for placement of shadow on the lid, I also use to blend as the brush is quite fluffy despite being densely packed. Again, the price tag lets me down but this is probably because I expect cheaper as it isn't branded MAC, Space NK, Bobbi Brown etc.

Space NK brush on left, MAC 190 on left 

The foundation brush is my favourite of the 3 with it being comparable to the MAC 190 but with only £1 price difference I would personally go for the MAC brush everytime.

Space NK left, MAC right

Although the Space NK foundation brush is a little bit wider, it makes little difference to make up application and these 2 brushes are near enough like for like.

As much as I really really like Space NK brushes, I wouldn't purchase them over branded make up brushes like MAC unless I picked them up for half the price on sale.  With so many similarities to their more popular competition and very little in the way of price comparison, I can't see these brushes standing out in the market place.

Have you tried Space NK brushes? What are your thoughts on quality and price?

x

BY TERRY LIGNE BLACKSTAR

I rarely leave the house without eyeliner, preferably of the black kind.  I sometimes venture into navy or deep browns but most days black is my friend.

My eye seems to look naked without liner but my problem with black is that it doesn't do the 'natural' look very well.  And sometimes, just sometimes, I would like a less made up look.

This brings me to By Terry's liquid liner Ligne Blackstar.  I was sent this to review and although excited by the fact I was getting to try out some By Terry for the first time, the fact I was sent a liner in the shade 'GREY MOTION' severely disappointed.

When was I ever going to wear grey eyeliner, I thought to myself.  This product lay for weeks and weeks before I even picked it up to try out.  I was convinced it wasn't for me but then I put my colour reservations aside and decided to go ahead and review anyway.  Of course, I would still be able to critique it's pigmentation, application and lasting abilities despite my hatred of how it might look on me.

Using fountain pen technology, with a slim brush shaped like a felt tip and housed in a sleek silver packaging, By Terry Ligne Blackstar doesn't necessarily stand out from other liquid tip liners.  Where it differs is not in it's smooth and easy application made so by it's design or that it lasts the full day (that's 8 hours of a work day to you and me) without requiring a touch up but it's the fact that after daily use of it in the last 2 weeks, it still hasn't dried out.  Every day I expect to have to apply a little more pressure to see the end result but no, it's going strong.  I realise it's only a couple of weeks but I literally expected it to dry up within days.

Now lets discuss 'Grey Motion'.  Applied to the eye this shade of grey gives a subtle definition that maintains the glam factor without looking too 'done'.  It's the type of liner I could apply to go to the gym, climb a hill or catch the red eye without looking like I had spent hours in front of the mirror.  There really is nothing worse when people give disapproving looks at your made up face will slogging out a 5k round the block 10 times with a MAC Fluidline Winehouse flick!

Still visible and creating definition to the eye after 8+hours of wear

So too, I have found this a perfect option for work.  I still look polished and presentable without having my eyes appear heavily made up with black liner.  This means I can save my dark liner for occasions where I like my make up to pack a real punch! In fact, this liner is so easy to use, I think I will probably ending up buying it in black too.

It looks like I am convert, grey is definitely a winner for a natural, sophisticated look without always having to look like the make up junkie I actually am!  By Terry Ligne Blackstar is available in 5 shades, including black, at Space NK. RRP £25.

Could grey be the new black?

x

Lipstick Queen

I have always walked past the Lipstick Queen display at Space NK, showing little regard for it. As a brand, I had always thought it was a bit gimmicky and over-priced so simply ignored it. However, when I noticed these little sets were on sale for £11 I thought it was a good time to try it out!



This is the Five Minutes of Fame Pop Art Lipgloss collection, in particular the 'Berries' collection, I do believe there is also a 'Nudes' collection. The Berries collection contains 5 mini lipglosses with combined brush applicator.




From left to right; shades 2(watermelon pink), 5(pale peach), 11(vibrant purple), 14(gorgeous grape) and 15(sexy wine).

The Positive: The colour selection is lovely, although the pale peach is almost invisible on the lip. The rest of the colours are lovely and vibrant without being too sheer for a gloss but also not so intense. As a gloss it isn't too sticky although my hair would still be attached to my lips if it was a windy day so it's not completely void of stick. The formulation is quite thick which for me is a good thing, i like to feel my lipgloss on my lips.

The Negative: I hate the brush applicator. The consistency of the product is quite thick so I find the brush on applicator creates streaks so you don't get a clean, polished finish. I also always manage to go outside my lip line and make a mess of my face with this brush - this never happens to me!

I also find the product really drying on my lips and after about 20 minutes or so the gloss seems to have disappeared so I do feel the need to keep re-applying. After trying these glosses out my lips became chapped and very dehydrated so I have had to avoid using them too often.

So was I right when I initially dismissed this brand? I think I probably was. I still find it gimmicky and for the quality of product you receive, it is definitely overpriced. I will continue to walk on by the Lipstick Queen displays and I won't be in a hurry to repurchase.

Keep in mind, this is my own opinion and experience with this brand.

x

House of Fraser - Horrendous Staff/Customer Service!

Warning: this is a minor rant.

A little while ago my husband bought me a Nars candle. I love Nars candles. Where we live there is only one place we can buy Nars candles and that is House of Fraser. He asked for Nars Oban and off he toddled home to give me my gift, however, inside the box was Nars Jaipur. The sales assistant had given him the wrong candle. Not a problem we thought, just take it back and exchange. So, a few weeks later I head into town with candle and ask for an exchange. I had forgotten the receipt but didn't think this would be a problem. They refused to exchange. I spoke to a Manager who still refused to exchange as I had no receipt. I told her it was their mistake but still she refused to do anything without a receipt, claiming that I could have bought the candle from Space NK which also stocks Nars. She failed to take onboard that Space NK only stock Nars cosmetics and NOT candles. I got to the point I was so frustrated that I stormed out of the shop ... i know, not the most mature way to deal with it but i was on the verge of exploding.

Fast forward a few weeks later and I go back in with the receipt and toddle down to the Nars counter... only to find an empty space! I thought they must have moved it to another area so I asked a girl nearby where it was. At this point I was informed Nars no longer trades within House of Fraser. (I later learned this was a fact the Manager I had dealt with previously knew about when I tried to exchange the first time). I explained to the girl my situation and she agreed that I should have been given the exchange in the first place, I asked to speak to a Manager to make sure my money was refunded. No Manager was available so a Supervisor of sorts came to deal with us.

Ok, this is where it gets infuriating ... I explained the situation to the Supervisor. 1st example of bad customer service - she told me Nars was no longer part of House of Fraser so could not help me. Told me to contact Nars!!! Obviously I point blank refused to do this and told her that it was House of Fraser responsibility to ensure that I was rightfully refunded.
2nd example of bad customer service - she then told me to take the candle over to Space NK and pretend I had bought it from there and have them exchange it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was this woman out of her mind? I just looked at her in sheer disbelief and advised if House of Fraser would not exchange without a receipt why on earth did she think Space NK would? Again, she persisted and tried to convince me to go to Space NK, this is when I had to explain that Space NK do not stock the candles therefore I would have looked a complete lying fool trying to exchange at their store. So then she walked away in a huff, rolling her eyes and said she would call for a Manager again.
She came back and said that the Manager told her she could take the candle back in exchange for gift vouchers. I informed the Supervisor that this was no good as we had specifically wanted the Nars Oban candle and if they no longer stock it then a gift voucher would be no good. I advised it had been their mistakes that got us to this point so they would have to rectify with a full refund.
3rd example of bad customer service - At this point she said but with a gift voucher you can buy any candle you want from House of Fraser?!! I swear she must have been on acid ... This is when i looked her in the eye and said 'I want a Nars candle!!', she then turned her back on me and said 'OH DEAR' in the sarciest, rudest manner. I had caused this woman no grief other than informing her of my situation and asking for what i was rightfully due. She then called her Manager
4th example of bad customer service - She came back and said her Manager had authorised a full refund as she couldn't be bothered and didn't have the time to deal with this kind of hassle. I smiled sweetly and replied 'Thank You'!

What a complete idiot of a woman. She was so rude, I wonder how she would deal with an awkward customer as we were more than pleasant to her. Even the girl who I initially spoke was rolling her eyes in disgust at the comments this woman was making.

Absolutely shocking.

Rant over.