March Beauty Haul

Hello again guys; it feels like it’s been a while since I’ve blogged a beauty related haul, most of my recent hauls have been book related as you’ll have probably noticed. This is a fairly small haul, but a one with some amazing products, some of which have already started making their way into my everyday make up routine! The Maybelline Rocket Volum’ Express mascara in the shade Very Black is a repurchase for me; I absolutely love this mascara for the way that it volumises, lengthens and separates my lashes for the incredible price of £7.99. I’m a sucker for very dark lashes, I love how this mascara instantly looks dramatic because of how pigmented it is, plus it doesn’t clump much, so it’s great for everyday wear. Another product in this haul that I’ve repurchased is the L’Oréal Paris True Match Concealer in the shade Ivory Rose. I’m lucky in that my skin is fairly clear, other than the odd blemish and dark circles, so generally I prefer to wear concealer rather than going all over with foundation for everyday. This concealer is a lovely consistency, not too thick or thin but nicely buildable; for £7.99 I’m satisfied as it lasts me over a month with regular use so it’s good value for money. It’s one of the only drugstore concealers that I’ve found to be pale enough for my skin with a pink tone, so I feel like this will be a favourite of mine for a long time. Similarly, the Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Latte To Go is now my fourth lipstick from the same range; I love the lightweight formula and the reasonable price of £5.99. I’ve also been impressed with this range of lipsticks because I’ve found it stays on even after eating and drinking for a good few hours, which is always a bonus.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been searching for a drugstore eyebrow gel, as I’ve been using a more mid range one but I do tend to stick to a budget a lot of the time so I wanted one that I could repurchase cheaply if necessary. After reading some good reviews about the NYX Control Freak Eyebrow Gel I decided to take a risk for the bargain price of £6! I like my brows to look natural but neat, so having a good gel is a necessity; I’ve got really high hopes for this gel as fingers crossed it’ll last the whole day and have a nice smooth formula. I’ve definitely become a bit addicted to highlighters recently, as I ended up with the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter in the shade Pearlescent Sheen in my basket, too! I’ve used so many of these highlighters in various shades and they never disappoint; in fairness, for £3 you can’t really go wrong. It’s a pretty sizeable pan and very pigmented, adding a nice shimmer to create some cheekbones (something I wish I had, haha). I’ve also ended up with highlighter palette, oops. Definitely spent too much on make up this month! However I have been lusting after the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Highlighter Palette for what feels like forever. It’s got a variety of shades and in all honestly it’ll be great for any occasion because you can mix up the make up look you’re going for by using any of the shades in the palette. The price of £8 is reasonable when you consider that there’s 8 shades, so it’s essentially £1 a pan; excellent value for money, although I’ll likely only use the 4 shades that are light enough for my skin tone.

I also ended up with the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Eyeshadow Palette a couple of days later. As much as I was wary about spending another £10 on make up, I’d been tempted by this palette for a while. There are 24 different shades, even mixtures of shades and shimmers and I didn’t have another palette like it, so I feel like I’ll get good use out of it. I doubt that I’ll use every single one of the shades on a regular basis, but there’s plenty of shades that I will use regularly enough to make the money worth it; plus I love the sturdy feel of the palette, it feels like it’ll travel well. Lastly, I purchased the Anna Sui Fantasia 50ml EDT and it feels like forever since I last splurged on a perfume! For £45, it wasnt the cheapest of purchases, but unfortunately perfume is one of those things that I just can’t resist, I wear a bit of perfume every day and I own far too many perfumes. I couldn’t resist the gorgeous bottle of this one; the delicate gold, the unicorn... All of it! I haven’t used it properly yet, but I have smelt the perfume and as I love floral and fruity smells this one was going to be a new love of mine. I do feel a little guilty as I’ve spent a fairy amount of money on beauty related items this month, but I’m hoping that each item will last a while so I can go back to my usual budget for now. Let me know in the comments what you think of these kinds of posts as I love getting feedback! :)

2018 Favourites // Beauty

Hello again guys; I’m aware that I’m super behind with this post as it’s now mid January (already!) but in my defence, I do have a full time job and sometimes it’s good to just chill out and not constantly force yourself to write, write, write. I’ve already posted about my favourite books of 2017 and honestly, my other love in life is beauty products and I used a lot of those in 2017 so it made sense to start a post purely about what I loved so much I’ll definitely be repurchasing and reusing for 2018. Honestly, I cannot believe how quickly the month of January is flying by, without me even realising, oops. So far, 2018 has been treating me rather well and that’s always a good thing. I’m actually loving to simply live my life and not stress anymore about making this blog ‘successful’; I’ve remembered why I started blogging. I wanted a hobby and so for 2018 I’m going to blog because I enjoy it; not because I want to pressure myself. It feels great to be at a place in my life where I feel content enough to share my life and not worry about views and numbers; instead I’m focusing on the creative side of blogging and so I’m planning to improve my content over the next year. Please let me know in the comments if you like this kind of post as it’s always good to know! :)

BRUSHES

In all honesty, I’m not very experimental when it comes to choice of brushes. For the past couple of years I’ve only used the Real Techniques brand for brushes and I genuinely do love them. One of the reasons why I like them so much is that I love that you can buy multiple different brush types in sets for good prices. I currently own the Core Collection, Your Picks Berlin and Enhanced Eye sets and each set was under £25 for 4 or 5 brushes in the set. I decided to invest in the sets because it’s cheaper than buying the brushes individually, plus you get a variety of different brushes that can do different things. I’ve had some of these brushes over over a year and they still work perfectly with no shedding, so I don’t regret the investment and I’ll definitely get more brushes from the range over time.

LIP PRODUCTS

In 2017 I discovered the power of liquid lipsticks; I love that they dry matte and stay put for so long, plus it also means that my poor boyfriend doesn’t have lipstick smudged all over his cheeks like he has had in the past, haha. At the beginning of 2017 I would’ve sworn by any liquid lipstick from NYX, but towards the end of the year I became obsessed with the Rimmel versions. My favourite shades are London from the Soft Matte Lip Cream range by NYX and Moca, Fire Starter from the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip range. London is by far my favourite ever nude lip shade, but I prefer the formula of the Rimmel versions as they feel thicker and less drying on the lips. Both priced at £6, these lipsticks are amazingly purse friendly and I’m sure I’ll be purchasing many more shades to experiment with over the coming year.

FACE PRODUCTS

A fairly recent discovery for me is the L’Oréal Paris 24hr Infallible Foundation in the shade Porcelain. Honestly, I don’t know how many years I’ve been searching for a foundation that feels light on the skin, has good coverage and most importantly, matches my ghostly skin tone. Priced at £10.99, it’s not the cheapest foundation on the market but it does a fantastic job for a reasonable price. It’s likely to sit in my make up bag for a seriously long time. Likewise, I’ve recently discovered an excellent concealer, again by L’Oréal Paris, it’s the True Match Concealer in the shade Rose Ivory. The reason why I like it so much is that the range allows you to choose not only by your flat skin tone, it also allows you to choose whether you have cool or warm toned skin. For £7.99, it is rather pricey but it lasts a long time and it has a really easy to use applicator that works seamlessly to cover even the nastiest of nasty dark under eye circles.

In terms of eyebrow products, my holy grail products are the L’Oréal Paris Artist Xpert in the shade Cool Blond and the Benefit Ready, Set Brow! Which I use every single day. The eyebrow pencil is super easy to use and reasonably priced at £6.99. I love it because it thickens and defines my brows whilst keeping them looking natural; I don’t like to look super groomed. The cool tone of the product works well for me as my natural eyebrow colour is a dark blonde and once the brows are brushed through I’m always ready for the day ahead. I do like to set my brows in place because I like them to stay in position throughout the day. The Benefit product does cost £20 which does seem extortionate for a clear brow gel but honestly it’s the best one that I’ve tried, it stays put for at least 12 hours and so my brows look naturally perfect, rather than overdone. My other face love is the MakeUp Revolution Vivid Baked Highlight in the shade Ever Glow Lights which is absolute steal for £3; it gives a lovely glow with just a small sweep of product and I’ve genuinely hit pan... Time for a new one, I think!

EYE PRODUCTS

My stand out eyeshadow palette of the year has got to be the Sleek MakeUp iDivine Palette in the shade All Night Long. For the £8.99 you get a decently sized palette with a large mirror and twelve different shades with a good mixture of matte and shimmer shades. The shades are so, so pigmented and last really well on the eyelids. Since discovering this palette I’ve had so many compliments on the eye looks I’ve been creating and I love how versatile this palette is. There are some stunning copper and bronze shimmers that make up the perfect smoky but subtle blend of shadows. In terms of mascaras, I have three that I constantly reach for. Firstly, the Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express in Very Black has been a favourite of mine for the majority of 2017. I find that plastic bristles work really well to enlongate, volumise and fan out the individual lashes to create a false lash effect whilst using my natural lashes. For £7.99, this mascara is both affordable and can be used for a day time or night time eye look as I used it everyday for quite a few months for a variety of situations and I was always satisfied with it. I actually purchased it at least three times during 2017, which is the sign of a winner.

There are two other mascaras that I’ve truly loved during 2017. The Maybelline Colossal Big Shot mascara is absolutely amazing and a case in point that sometimes what you wouldn’t usually like can be a great discovery. The brush does have wavy fibre bristles, which is something that I wouldn’t usually go for. That said, I love how this mascara does everything; it curls, it volumises and it lengthens all for the price of £7.99 although admittedly I do tend to apply three coats to reach the desired false lash effect. The final mascara that I loved last year was the L’Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll which has the most bizarrely shaped plastic bristled brush I’ve ever seen and yet it is honestly my favourite mascara of all time, for now. I’ve never found another mascara with a similar brush style, yet it creates the most incredible volume and curl with only one coat. If I want to make super dramatic, individually fanned lashes then a second coat takes the look from day to night and I’m obsessed, I cannot rave about this mascara enough, particularly as it’s so affordable.

PERFUME

I have a massive collection of perfumes, but over the last year my favourites were actually gifts. The Britney Spears Maui Fantasy was given to me by my Nana and I’ve been wearing it regularly since April; it comes in a beautiful blue bottle with floral decoration and smells so tropical, it’s very unusual. It feels light on the skin and reminds me a lot of long summer days and holidays with the lovely notes of orange blossom, coconut and hibiscus amongst many others. The second perfume that I’ve loved was a gift from my boyfriend, the Vera Wang Princess of Hearts is a beautiful scent with a gorgeous pink heart shaped bottle with little pink hearts all over it. It’s a lovely feminine scent, with notes of watermelon, lily of the valley and jasmine. I love this so much, I wore it more or less every day during spring and summer and because it was a gift it makes it even more enjoyable to wear. 

Festive Playlist!

Hello again guys; it’s the fifteenth day of Blogmas and I’m definitely struggling a little with the whole blogging every day idea. I’m one of those bloggers that’s genuinely so bloody disorganised, I never schedule posts and I rarely plan posts in advance so I’m literally writing a post a day and posting it on the same day, oops. This month I posted a stereotypical version of my monthly playlists, but I decided to wait until I had started to feel the Christmas spirit before posting a more festive version. Today, is the day for the festive version of a monthly playlist at last, as over the past week I’ve started listening to Christmas songs. I like a mixture of the older Christmas songs and the newer ones, for example the covers of traditional songs from Christmas adverts over the past few years and  Disney’s Frozen alongside the legendary Band Aid and The Pogues. I’m one of those people that enjoys Christmas but I have to feel it getting slowly closer before joining in with any festivities, haha. Are there any songs on this list that you love? Or have I missed off your favourite? Let me know in the comments! :)

1. The First Noel - Annie Lennox

2. Last Christmas - Wham!

3. Stay Another Day - East 17

4. All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

5. Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) - The Darkness

6. Your Song - Ellie Goulding

7. Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant - Annie Lennox

8. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl

9. Let It Go - Idina Menzel

10. Somewhere Only We Know - Lily Allen

11. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

12. Stop The Calvary - Jona Lewie 

13. The Power of Love - Gabrielle Aplin

14. Let It Go - Demi Lovato

15. Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin’ Stevens

MOTD: Autumnal Berry Lips

Hello again guys; it’s been months since I did a proper Make Up of the Day post on my blog, so I decided that it was time to do another! Somehow over the past few weeks, England has gotten extremely cold so I’m definitely feeling more autumn and winter beauty looks at the moment. Recently I’ve been a bit more minimal with my everyday make up routine, but I today I decided to go all out and do a full face. Starting primer, I used the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser (£7.99)  all over my face before beginning to apply concealer. I applied the Rimmel Wake Me Up (£6.49) in the shade ivory using a Real Techniques beauty blender around the eyes, nose and any blemishes. Overall, it covers all blemishes and dark circles well, but it is definitely too dark and yellow toned for me, as I’m more pink toned and pale so I wish they would make a porcelain shade too. 

I prefer to do my brows next, using the L’Oréal Paris Brow Artist Xpert (£7.99) in the shade Cool Blond. It is one of the products in my make up bag that I literally use every time I apply make up; it gives a very natural effect to filling the sparse parts of my brows (oops to the occasional overpluck by mistake) and matches my natural eyebrow shade perfectly. I then use the spooly end to brush out the excess product and frame the brows with concealer. My holy grail brow product is the Benefit Ready, Set, Brow! Which for £20 is definitely one of the more expensive items in my make up bag, but I love that the clear gel glides over my brow and sets them in place all day without the need for reapplication. I like my brows to be natural but tame and this really helps me to achieve that look.

I didn’t want to use foundation as I wanted something lighter on my skin; the Bourjois Paris 123 Perfect CC Cream (£9.99) is a great alternative to foundation as it does cover all skin sins whilst allowing your skin to breathe. Sadly, it is a little too dark for me at the moment (the autumn and winter months literally drain all of the colour from my face haha) but I use the shade ivory and as it is pink toned, it does work into my natural skin tone well once it’s blended out a bit using a beauty blender. For Contour, I used the bronze shade from the trusty Rimmel Kate Moss Sculpting Palette #002 (£6.99) and a Real Techniques brush across my cheekbones and across the temples of my forehead. It’s more of a bronzer, but as my skin is so pale, that does work better for me anyway, before applying the blush from the same palette with a different Real Techniques brush across the apples of my cheeks to add a natural flush. 

For my eyes, I wanted to create a glowy, sparkly bronze look that swept across the whole of my eyelid. I’m definitely getting in the mood for festive make up and recently I’ve been loving the Sleek Make Up iDivine Eyeshadow Palette - All Night Long. For £8.99 you definitely get your money’s worth as it contains twelve different shadows and the packaging includes a large mirror which is great for travelling. There’s a mix of vibrant shimmers and neutral matte shades which are excellent to use as a base. I started off by using a Real Techniques brush and a neutral light brown all across my eyelid as a good base for the shimmer shadows that I planned to use. I then applied a coppery bronze shade across the outer corners of my eyes before adding a gold shimmer across my inner corners. Once that was done I then blended out any harsh edges using a clean brush and added some of the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter across my browbones, cheekbones and cupid’s bow in the shade Pink Shimmer. The highlight is so pretty and stands out nicely against the rest of the skin but I could’ve built the highlight up a little more to make it blinding; that’s something I’ll definitely do come Christmas time. It’s also super affordable at £3, it’s such good value for money and lasts for a long time too.

I decided against applying eyeliner as I’m not the best at it; I hate it when I have a perfect base then mess it all up when mismatched eyeliner so it wasn’t an eyeliner day. In fact, the eyeshadow was fairly bold and shimmery so eyeliner wasn’t really necessary anyway. However, one thing that I love is volumised, bold, spidery lashes and to create that without using false eyelashes I use two mascaras. I start off by using the Maybelline Volum’ Rocket Express from the roots of my lashes to the tips and it really volumises and lengthens the lashes well. It’s my favourite drugstore mascara and really worth the £7.99 that it costs. To complete my eyes, I used the L’Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll mascara to make my lashes more thick and curly; it’s actually the same price point, £7.99 and is equally amazing, although I find it works best on top of another mascara, rather than on its own (excessive, I know ahaha) overall, I love the effect that these mascaras give my lashes without the need to apply false lashes, which is amazing. It’s much easier to use your natural lashes and mascara.

Lastly, I applied the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Plum This Show all over my lips; it does take two or three coats to become full opaque, but that’s not a massive surprise for such a dark lip. Priced at £5.99 it’s great value as it is affordable and the formula of the lipstick is actually really nice, it’s not drying on the lips which is a nice touch. I wanted a berry lip as I feel like the darker toned lip suits the change in the weather; I always associate darker lip colours with winter and the festive season. I’m really happy with how this look turned out and I’ll definitely be recreating it for nights out with friends over the coming months. Let me know in the comments if there’s any make up looks that you’re loving for autumn and winter as I’d love to hear; until next time :)

Makeup Review: L'Oréal Miss Baby Roll Mascara

Hello again guys; this post going to be about a mascara that everyone seems to be loving at the moment! The L'Oréal Miss Baby Roll mascara. In all honesty, I definitely gave into the hype surrounding it after seeing countless make up tutorials including it on YouTube. Firstly, the packaging is so pretty with the black body of the mascara against the mint green and pale pink of the lid that contrasts really nicely against the black and pink typeography across the centre of the outer packaging. The packaging was definitely designed with instagram and blogger potential in mind as it is so photogenic. In terms of price I'd definitely rate it as a mid-range mascara at a reasonable £7.99 and its available in various shops, although I managed to snap mine up for £5.99 on an offer, which was even better. I chose the non waterproof version as I generally don't have any issues with mascara wiping off my lashes onto my face. I was super excited to see if this mascara kept its promises of mega volume, length and curling lashes.

The wand of the mascara is unlike any I've ever seen before, however I was happy to see a plastic wand as I feel like (for me) the thick bristles of plastic brushes work well on my lashes. The wand is very thick, with an incredibly defined spiral shape along the length of the wand. The wand would fit any kind of mascara routine, for example whether you blink mascara on your eyelashes, wriggle it on or stroke it on, the brush will pick up any lash, however large or little. It is a very black mascara, which I love as I'm the kind of person who wants to have mascara really make their eyes pop and I generally buy the 'Very Black' or '100% Black' options wherever possible, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this mascara to be such a good shade for a regular black option. I do own a few mascaras from L'Oréal and I have found them to be very drying on the lashes; if you want to add a few coats you have to work quickly to reach your desired effect. I tend to work on my lashes a side at a time; right first and then left, adding roughly three coats to each upper eye lash and one coat to my bottom lashes.

I like how the lid has a satisfying 'click' shut so I always know if I've successfully closed it to stop it dying out, which is a nice, useful touch. Generally I do prefer a more 'wet' mascara as I find it easier to build up my lashes. My preferred lash style is definitely quite long, thick and spidery. I don't like wearing false lashes as I'm allergic to the glue so I'm always on a mission to find a mascara that will achieve a false lash effect whilst at a reasonable price. Although this is a 'dry' mascara, I was pleased to find that it is fairly easy to use, as long as you work on each eye at a time. The wand picked up my lashes so easily and coated them accordingly; the unusual spiral design of the wand seems to work wonders for curling the lashes and I'm the first to admit that I never use eyelash curlers as I'm too clumsy and too lazy; I don't even own any curlers, oops. I would say that it did live up to my expectations, but it exceeded my expectations in terms of volumisation as I've never used such a volumising mascara before! It is a fantastic mascara for curling lashes too, although I wish it gave a little more length but as my lashes are naturally quite long that's not a dealbreaker for me.

Overall, the Miss Baby Roll mascara has become my current go to mascara; I've actually been really impressed by it as I like the volumising effect in particular. Whenever there is a lot of hype surround any product there will always be those that love or hate it and in this instance I've been one of the lucky ones in that I love it. However there are a few things that irritate me slightly; I wish I'd bought the waterproof version as it does tend to smudge a little throughout daily wear, which is a shame (I've never had this issue before) and I also wish that the formula was a little more wet so that I could take more time to apply it. But those are quite trivial issues I do feel like the mascara works well on my lashes as they stay curled and volumised all day and it does add length although it does the other effects better. I would recommend this mascara to anyone who likes thick, fanned out lashes but be aware that it is a clumpy mascara. I personally like clumpiness as if I wear make up I want people to see it but I know some people hate clumps around their eyes! This mascara gives a beautiful bold effect and definitely makes eyes stand out from the rest of the face. For the quality, this mascara is definitely in competition with more high end mascaras such as the Benefit Roller Lash for less than half of the price. Let me know what you thought of this post down in the comments! :)

MOTD: Smoky Eyes feat. Nude Lips

Hello again, sorry for the delay in posting this as this was actually a post that I meant to upload during my holiday in Poland but somehow it never really happened, oops. I actually have been wearing less make up recently, but when I really want to make an effort and look nice I do wear quite a bit. During the time spent in Poland with Piotr and his family, I wanted to look and feel nice so make up definitely made my skin look a lot nicer. I don't suffer with very spotty skin but it's not a flat colours, there's a lot of dry red patches which I like to colour correct whenever I want to look and feel flawless. None of the images below have been edited, so to show the power of the make up worn. To start I use the Maybelline Baby Skin Primer to prep the skin for the make up. Priced at £7.99, it's not only good value it makes my skin look poreless and smooth. After, I use the Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in the shade ivory, which priced at £2.99 is very cheap but it's concealing power is fairly basic. I use this concealer as a base on top of the primer around my eyes and nose to set on top of the primer and preps for the bb cream I put on next.

My preferred base is the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC cream in the shade ivory which I love. It feels super light coverage wise, and does an excellent job of covering my uneven skin tone. I literally pour some into my palms and rub it on top of my skin with clean hands. The next step I take is using the Maybelline Age Rewind Eye Concealer in shade light (which is £7.99) I press the concealer into each of my under eye bags in a triangle shape and press into my nose and brow bone, as well as any spots. I use the Real Techniques concealer brush to blend it into my skin before using a RT expert face brush to set my full base with the Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying Power in shade ivory all over my skin. It's my favourite powder and reasonably priced at £3.99 too. The next step I take is to contour my face using the Kate Moss for Rimmel Sculpting Palette in shade #002. (Priced at £6.99) I start by using the bronzing powder using a RT setting brush to place some colour under my cheekbones, along my jawline and across my forehead. I use a small brush as where I'm so pale I try not to over contour my face. Next, I use the blush from the same palette and another RT setting brush to gently brush it along the apples of my cheeks. Then, I blend in using an RT powder brush so that it looks more natural on the skin. The next step I take is to use the Sleek MakeUp Brow Kit in the shade light, using the powder to fill in my brows (with one of the brushes provided in the kit, which is £8.49) which are naturally quite thick and dark. 

 

 

 

 

I then use the L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche La Palette Rose 2 to blend a natural pink matte shade into my crease before a shimmery pink toned eyeshadow over my lids as my skin is pink toned, so the pink complement the look well. The palette is £14.99 for 10 different shades, so extremely good value for money as they're super pigmented. Next, I use an MUA highlighter in the shade iridescent gold swept on my brow bone and on the tops of my cheeks, my Cupid's bow and along the bridge of my nose, using a RT setting brush. For £3, it's highlight is super blinding and packs in a lot of glitter onto my face. I do blend it in using a RT powder brush to make the glow look far more natural. I then go back in with the Sleek Brow Kit to fix my brows with the wax using a brush provided in the kit. This means the brows won't move and will look flawless throughout the day. I then use the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade London (priced at £5.50) and put it onto my lips. It's such a gorgeous nude shade and makes the whole base of my face look much more natural and I adore this lip product so much, it glides on my lips.

Finally, I wanted to create a smoky eye but as I'm so pale, it made more sense to create a smoky eye using eyeliner. My preferred eyeliner is the L'Oreal Paris Super Slim Eyeliner in intense black and it's so easy to use, it's pen style nib flows along the lid and creates a lovely line. (It's the best I've used and only £6.99) It's blackness makes up for the light eyeshadow that creates a nice contrast to the nude lips. I used a black eyeliner pencil by MUA to fill in my waterline and pushed it a little underneath to add an extra smokiness for the bargain price of £1! Finally, I used the Maybelline Rocket Volum' Express mascara in very black which was £7.99 and it is an amazing mascara, it lengthens, separates and volumises my lashes so much and it really finished the whole look off nicely. This was my go to make up look throughout the holiday and I felt so feminine but fierce.

 

What's in my (everyday) make-up bag?

Hello again; I've read so many blog posts and watched so many YouTube videos about what's in a persons make up bag that I finally decided to talk about mine... Except I thought that I'd detail what I carry around in a make up bag to work or just generally everyday. I have quite a lot of different make up products but for work and general use I do prefer to have a more minimal make up style for everyday wear. The make up bag that I use for carrying the basics in my bag is from Victoria's Secret and I actually got it in a sale (for a great price) as part of a set of three different sized bags and actually I use all three of them for different reasons and regularly. The striped one below I use the most as it's the largest so it holds the most, but at the same time it isn't so big that it won't fit into a lot of different bags. 

 

I have very pale, almost paler than ivory skin so all of these products are the kind that suit that; the reason that these items have been picked out for my everyday make up bag is because they're not only pale enough, but also feel light enough on my skin that I don't feel like I'm wearing too much make up. I'm become more confident in not wearing so much make up recently, which I think is a good thing as my skin is getting clearer. The Bourjois CC cream shown below is honestly my favourite everyday face product ever as it's not too heavy on the skin, it's more of a colour corrector which is what I need; I don't have problem skin but it's very discoloured in places and it doesn't stick to my dry patches. I've detailed the prices next to all of the items shown in the images below and put them into sections, for example base, eyes and lips as I feel that makes a lot more sense visually.

 

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in the shade ivory £9.99

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm £2.99

Maybelline Concealer Cover Stick in the shade ivory 01 £3.99

Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil in the shade Dark Blond £2.99

 

NYX Merci Beaucoup Love In Paris Eyeshadow Palette £7.99

Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying Powder 10 Classic Ivory £3.99

Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher Rose D'Or 34 £7.99

Sleek Makeup Brow Kit Light £8.49

 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shades London and São Paulo £7.99 each

Bourjois Rouge Edition 12 Hour Lipstick in the shade 35 Entry VIP £7.99

 

MUA Eyeliner Pencil in Black £1

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express mascara 100% black £6.99

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara £9.99

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Perfect Slim Intense Black £6.99

 

My Lipstick Collection

A few days ago I decided that it would be a good idea to have a sift through my lipstick collection to see what products I actually have, as well as to see which brands and colours actually suit my skin tone. To be honest, up to this point I had no idea about how many different shades of the same few colours I actually owned. I've touched on some beauty products before on my blog but on the whole it's always been more of a lifestyle based blog. However I do love beauty and make up so it makes sense to go more into beauty as I do own a lot of make up and it is something that I am interested in. I'm forever watching beauty gurus on YouTube so I have a definite case of 'social media made me buy it', oops. I don't have the largest collection in the world, but I definitely have more lipsticks than I'd realised!

 

I honestly never realised how many variations of pink and red lipsticks I own... I have 3 lipsticks by Bourjois, which is one of my favourite ever brands for make up. I've never bought a product from them that I've disliked. The first is a liquid lipstick, Rouge Edition Velvet in the shade Frambourjoise. Priced at £8.99, it's definitely a product to invest in only when you're certain but I personally love it. It applies really smoothly and doesn't feel drying on the lips, it's a strong red with a hint of blue tones. I'm a fan of the matte finish as I feel like that's why it lasts longer, it dries quickly and holds well on the lips. The other 2 are regular Rouge Edition lipsticks in the shades 13 Jet Set and 35 Entry VIP. Number 13 is much more of a dark red, it has a hint of a berry shade and looks lovely for more autumn based looks, whereas number 35 is literally my make up bag staple shade. It's more of a pinky raspberry red and I've had so many complements on this colour that I always feel really confident when I wear it. The lipsticks cost £7.99 which is reasonable as they're supposed to last 12 hours and I do think they last really well; I wear 35 for all occasions and have rarely reapplied it.

 

I also own 2 Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks in the shades 111 Kiss of Life and Lasting Finish 01. I had extremely high hopes for the Kate with Rimmel range and thus far I haven't been disappointed; both of these shades are incredibly pigmented for the bargainous price of £5.49 each. I feel like 01 suits my pale skin really well, it's a classic cherry red and has a slight shimmer which I'm not usually a fan of, but in this lipstick I'm definitely converted as it's super flattering. I don't know if it's supposed to have a slight blue tinge but on my skin it definitely does. 111 is much more of a warmer toned red and is equally as flattering on my skin. It's a matte shade which I do prefer and it does provide quite an intense colour especially for the price. I would say it's more of an orangey red, so it would suit more of a range of skin tones. Neither of these lipsticks last particuarly well, you do have to reapply quite consistently but that being said for the price you can afford to do so without complaint.

 

I've recently started using 2 lipsticks from Maybelline from the matte range. I do prefer a matte lip, I think because you can work the colour into the lips without it drying out. The shades I own are 882 Fiery Fuchsia and 965 Siren in Scarlet. Both lipsticks are £6.99 and feel fairly creamy on the lips; they dry completely Matte but feel creamy and apply well. 965 looks lovely against my skin as the creamy texture hides any dry lip patches. The best way to describe it is that's it's a classic Hollywood red; definitely a warmer toned red but unfortunately I've not found it to last well on the lips. It does leave a little stain, but it's not strong enough without reapplication but as the application is so buttery that's not a massive issue for me. 882 was a bit of a surprise buy for me, I swatched it in a Superdrug and instantly fell in love. I'm not usually a fan of pink on my skin tone as it's quite pinky anyway, but this one is definitely a vibrant pink, but somehow on my skin it has more of a red tone which I like. The buttery texture is nice and it feels like it glides on the lips. It doesn't have the longest staying power but it's not difficult to reapply the lipstick so I can live with that. 

 

Lastly, I have the perfect fiery red shade from MAC in Ruby Woo. I feel like everyone has a favourite classic MAC lipstick and this one is definitely mine. I've already mentioned that I love a matte lip and this is probably the most well known and hyped lipstick shade, ever. It's incredibly long lasting but I have to say I've found it quite drying on my lips which is a little disappointing. It's super pigmented, you literally only need to apply it once throughout the whole day and it seems to last forever. It's quite a cool, blue toned red; the kind that makes your teeth look seriously white, which is an added bonus. It's not a cheap option, priced at £16.50, but I would say it's worth it as it makes my face look put together with minimal effort. Another favourite of mine is Pure Red Blake by L'Oreal from the Paris Colour Riche Collection. I persuaded myself to buy this as Blake Lively has a similarly porcelain skin tone to mine and so I thought would be a great red. It's very bright and stands out really nicely against my skin with its matte finish. I'd describe it as a raspberry shade as it's slightly purple toned and it lasts amazingly considering it's bargain price of £6.99. It stains the lips well and it doesn't feel drying on the lips, this is probably my favourite of all of the lipsticks that I own but I do have to carry it around for reapplications whenever I wear it. I wasn't aware of how many red toned lipsticks I owned until I did this post... I love them all, but these last two are definitely my favourites, alongside the Bourjois Entry VIP. I don't know what it is about a red lip, I always feel so put together and classy whenever I want to feel confident. Do you have a favourite red lipstick?

 

A Mini Haul #4

I always find that January is a bit of a depressing month, as in the days are slowly getting longer but it's still super chilly and I seem to be constantly with a cold or cough throughout the whole of it. On a positive note, January sales are usually fairly amazing but when you're not made of money and in the middle of changing jobs there limited spare money available to spend. I hadn't really been spending much money on make up for a while as I've actually been wearing a lot less as I've somehow reached a point where I'm reasonably ok with how I look, but this month after watching a lot of YouTube videos and reading various blog posts, I decided to invest in some pieces I'd been lusting after for a few months.

 

I bought two highlighter palettes from Sleek after a lot of consideration as I've got really, really fair skin so I was concerned that highlighters and contouring would look ridiculous on me. After watching some videos from sophdoesnails I was feeling a little more confident that it could work for me if I purchased the right shades. The two palettes that I bought were Midas Touch and Solstice costing only £9.99 each, which I felt was a bargain considering you get four different shades in each palette. I was pleasantly surprised by how pigmented and light the shades are in both of the palettes which is a massive bonus if your skin is as light as mine. Another nice feature is that the palettes have a magnetic closure which limits the risk of the palettes braking. I love these and am definitely going to be using these regularly but I'm struggling with applying them to suit my face at the moment, I guess practice makes perfect.

 

I'd been looking at eyeshadow palettes for several months and there are so many that I would absolutely love to own from Too Faced or Urban Decay but ultimately they're way out of my current budget and so I've been looking at similar palettes that would suit my budget far more, which is how I then settled on the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Eyeshadow La Palette Nude Rose eyeshadow palette. Priced at £14.99, not only was it affordable but also very similar to shades available in the palettes I'd been lusting after previously. It's not as pigmented as I had hoped it would be, but the shades are very buildable and the range of warm pinks is lovely for any skin tone. The palette itself has a lovely big mirror too, which is great to use on the go or to top up make up throughout the day.

 

Ever since I bought London from the NYX soft matte lip cream collection I really loved the formula and how it felt on my lips, it wasn't drying at all and felt soft against the skin. I then bought three new shades that are each completely different but equally complementing to my skin tone. The three shades are Istanbul, Amsterdam and San Paulo. I'm literally in love with these liquid lipsticks and there are several more shades that I'd love to have in the coming months if my budget allows. For the moment I decided to invest in a nude shade, a pale pink shade, a vibrant red and a darker pink shade so that I have a shade to suit all looks and occasions. London is definitely still my favourite, but San Paulo is coming in a close second. 

 

I swatched each of the lipsticks on the back of my hand in the order (from the top) Amsterdam, San Paulo, Istanbul and London. With hindsight I wish that I'd made the swatches a little thicker as they're quite small so it's hard to see the shades. Unfortunately I have the kind of skin that is so pale that it goes pink when it's cold which is why my hand looks darker than what I've been describing my skin tone as. I really like the creaminess of these lipsticks and would recommend anyone to try these aas for £5 they're definitely priced very competitively and suit more or less all budgets. So this haul, however small has been great as a pick me up during a pretty rubbish month and I've definitely invested in a range of staple make up pieces for the next few months.

 

A Mini Haul

Hello again! Being the nosy person that I am, I genuinely love reading what other people have recently purchased, or what they're loving at the minute. After reading many, many blogs over the last few years I definitely have a preferred type of post to read; lifestyle and beauty tend to be my Favourites as if I see holiday or travel posts I get so much wanderlust it's ridiculous... After having a completely shitty year and barely spending any money on myself I decided it was finally the right time to have a little spend and make myself feel a bit more positive about life.

A couple of months ago I smashed my phone screen and a Cath Kidston iPhone case, which literally broke my heart as it wasn't exactly cheap. Since that time I've been somehow surviving using a bargainous 99p find from eBay, but I wanted something more substantial as I am a bit of a clumsy mess (already smashed the screen twice in a year) and I'd been literally looking through the internet for absolutely ages to find an iPhone case that would last. I did buy a Ted Baker one for a pretty high price but it actually wasn't that strong and cracked fairly quickly. For normal people it would probably be fine, but for someone like me... Not good! I've been debating between getting a Cath Kidston case or a Jack Wills one as the physical case quality is very similar. However, I settled for the Jack Wills one, mostly due to the much lower price of £14.50 (buy here) and I liked the subtle tartan pattern which looks so classic and seems to go well alongside the current winter weather and fashions.

 

Following on from my last post, I purchased a Vera Wang 50ml perfume, Hippie Princess. (Buy here) I absolutely love the heart shaped design of the bottle and the little princess tiara cap. I'm definitely a bit of a perfume addict and the Vera Wang princess line never fails to please me, visually as well as the scents themselves. I like how they have a specific theme. This scent is both fruity and floral, with a delightful mix of mango, freesia, apricot, lotus flower and vanilla. A new favourite in my collection. I also bought a range of make up items. I've actually started to wear much less make up than I used to around 9 months ago, partly due to having a confidence boost from my boyfriend, who insists that less is better. 

Now that my make up style has 'matured' (?) a little, I don't tend to wear much foundation so I instead opted for a CC cream as I do have quite an uneven tone across my skin as I have very dry patches. I want a light coverage that will hide blemishes but not look as though I have a mask on my face. I got it for the bargain price of £11.99 (buy here) which for a brand like Bourjois isn't much for the quality. I chose the shade ivory and I'm excited to try it out as it says it's a hydrating cream which should be great for my dry, eczema prone skin. To top off the skin products, I also bought the Maybelline Matte Maker powder. (Buy here) I actually swear by this product, you can either use it lightly or build it up for a full coverage. I tend to use it around my t-zone as it gets very patchy and red otherwise. For £4.49 it's definitely worth the money as it lasts for ages and lets your skin breathe. I bought it in ivory which is a perfect match for my incredibly pale skin.

 

I also purchased two eye based products, both of which are products which I've bought and used to death before. The L'Oreal superliner in perfect slim is the best felt tip pen style eyeliner that I've ever used. (Buy here) £7.99 is definitely a bargain as it lasts for a long time and doesn't dry out. It has a very thin tip which is great for everyday liner as well as cat eye flicks for special occasions, plus the intense black shade looks good, glides on well and dries quickly on the lid. I use this eyeliner everyday to awaken my eyes and brighten up my facial features. I always use the Sleek brow palette, but before I do so, I like to brush through and gently line my eyebrows using a lighter shade to get a perfect rounded arch shape. I always find that Maybelline match my pale skin and hair tones well. I love the Master Shape Brow Pencil (buy here) to achieve the perfect Brow shape. For £3.99 you can't go wrong. I actually have light brown eyebrows but I use the shade dark blond as it matches really well. This is one of those products that I buy again and again because I love how it works on my face. 

Lastly, I've been so tempted to try a NYX lip cream for absolutely ages; this is definitely a YouTube and blogger made me buy it purchase. I've watched so many videos and read so many posts that rave about these lip creams so I've finally bitten the bullet and bought one. (Buy here) Which at £7.99 seemed a little pricey but I can't wait to try it; if I like it then I'll definitely be buying more in different shades. I chose the shade London because I wanted a peachy brown nude shade to wear for everyday but I think it'll look good for more dressed up occasions too. I've wanted a nude lip shade for a while, and having seen bloggers with similar skin tones to me swatch this shade I'm sure it'll look really nice. I feel a little more positive now, let me know what new things you've bought recently or if I've persuaded you to buy anything! :)

Beauty Favourites - September

 

1. Bourjois 1 Seconde Mascara - £11.99

2. Rimmel Wake Me Up Radience BB Cream (Very Light) - £7.99

3. L'Oreal Paris True Match Le Crayon Concealer - £6.99

4. Sleek Brow Kit (Light) - £8.99

5. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact (Rose) - £30.50

6. Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick (965 Siren in Scarlet) - £6.99

A few months ago I used to literally cover my face in make up, to the extent that I would spend so much time and money on it and I felt disgusting if I didn't wear it. Now I wear much less and even leave my house and sometimes work without make up, which is a huge achievement for me (as pathetic as that sounds) but the products above are what I really feel are value for money; they last all day without reapplication, the lipstick survives eating and drinking and concealer and mascara just gives my natural face a little lift. Each of these products improves my confidence slightly, without making my face look caked in make up, which is why I've been loving them this month.