Beauty Haul: Recent Additions

I was on a clothes spending ban during January but I seem to have picked up more beauty items to make up for that...oops. To be fair, most of these products were on offer and I did purchase most of them with a gift voucher and my Boots points. So the damage isn't as bad as it looks. I'm also really pleased with everything that I bought, especially the Revlon Colourburst Matte and Lacquer Balms.

I've been using the Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser for about two weeks and I am already starting to see a difference to my skin. I've also already incorporated the L'Oreal Cleansing Oil into my routine and it really helps to budge that last bit of eye make up. I haven't used the La Roche Possay Effaclar Duo Plus yet but I love using the Effaclar Duo twice a day and have a feeling this one might be even better. 

The little purple lipstick is from the Littlemix range by Collection. I don't normally pay much attention to lines like this but my friend was wearing Perrie's shade the other week and I thought it looked lovely so got one for myself. At £2.99 you can't really go wrong with Collection lipsticks. The Maybelline Colour Tattoos are amazing, so I finally added the shade 'Pomegranate' to my collection and find that it's great for creating a quick and easy smokey eye. I also picked up the MUA LUXE Power Brow and I'm liking that so far, however the colour range wasn't that great when I was trying to decide which one to get and I'm worried that it might be a bit too dark. What I do like about this brow pencil is that there's a highlighter at the other end. 

Lastly, we have the L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint. I love the formulation of this foundation and think it will be great for spring and summer time when you want less coverage and something less heavy. But I found it very difficult to pick a shade as the range isn't great so ended up choosing 110 Warm Ivory. I'm a bit worried that in the summer this might be too light, but all of the other shades were way too orange. Did anyone else find this?

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts? Or have you picked up anything new recently that you would recommend? 

Hello Autumn

If I haven't made this clear already, I love Autumn time. The colours, the weather, the clothes. Anyone agree with me?

One of my favourite things about this time of year is the fact that I can start burning candles again. Not just any old scents either. Autumn means one thing...cinnamon. This one is from Ikea and I wish I'd bought a few more because I'm sure I'll be burning it every day for the next couple of months. 

Another thing that I use a lot of during the colder months is hand cream. I've been using one by Burt's Bees which of course, smells like honey and has a nice thick consistency but isn't too greasy.

Every time I've been to Primark recently at least one pair of socks has ended up in my basket. They've got some really cute frilly ones in so many different colours which I've been wearing with a pair of ankle boots.

One of my favourite lip products right now is Revlon's Balm Stain in 005 Crush. It looks quite dark in the tube but if you don't want to go for too much of a dark lip then it's lovely when applied once and not built up too much.

I realised recently that I didn't own a red tartan scarf. I have a neutral coloured one somewhere and got a lovely bright green one from H&M last year, but I thought it was time to get a red version as it's a great staple to have in your wardrobe for Autumn/Winter. I found this one in Primark.

What's in my Make up Bag?

I'm so nosy and love seeing what other people have in their make up bags, so here's a peek at all of the products (I know it looks like a lot) that I like to take with me if I'm going away for the weekend. These are products that I enjoy using on a regular basis to create an everyday make up look and I was visiting Ben the weekend I took this lot with me so thought it would be the perfect opportunity to put this post together. 

Starting with face products, my favourite foundation is the Bourjois Healthy Mix. I love everything about it, the way I can apply it so easily with a Real Techniques Buffing Brush, the way the shade is such a good match to my skin and the great amount of coverage that it gives. For concealer I use either Rimmel Wake Me Up (I'm also a big fan of the foundation) or the Maybelline Dream Touch Lumi. Both of these are great highlighters for using under your eyes. I also take my Revlon Nearly Naked powder with me, although I haven't really been using powder recently. There's also a Soap and Glory pen liner that I used to create a winged effect.

I'll usually take one or two of my favourite lipsticks of the moment. I've really been enjoying using the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in shade 03.

My go to bronzer is the Bourjois Delice de Poudre, but I am looking for another one to try so if anyone can recommend a good bronzer that would be great! I use the MUA Pro-Brow kit every day to fill in my eyebrows and the white coloured powder from the Collection Shimmer Shades to highlight my cheekbones. A blush I've really been enjoying recently is a  No7 Powder in Cool Pink. It's such a pretty, rosy pink with the tiniest bit of shimmer.
I probably mention the Maybelline Colour Tattoos way too often, but I just love them...a lot. I usually wear the shade Pink Gold with some shades from the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

As for brushes, I've really been enjoying using the Real Techniques Core Collection. I also have a couple of trusty elf brushes, which aren't amazing but do the job nicely and a DirtyWorks brush for my eyebrows which I picked up in Sainsbury's. I probably could get away with taking less brushes and would if I was just packing up my make up bag for the day, but it's nice to have the choice if you are away for a weekend or longer.
As well as using the MUA Pro-Brow kit I also like to use the Rimmel brow pencil in 002 Hazel, which I will either use alone or with a powder. I highly recommend this, it's great if you are doing your make up in a hurry.

I change my mascara a lot but have been using this travel size Benefit Bad Gal Lash recently...I'd forgotten how brilliant this mascara is. I also have my much loved MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study which I would say is my holy grail product. It's brilliant and I often use it over an eye primer before I apply powder or cream eyeshadow. Last but not least is an eye crayon from Topshop in the shade Equinox, which I purchased a while ago. It's a beautiful gold and I like to use it in the inner corners of my eyes to make them look a bit brighter. 

So there you have it, that is everything in my make up bag. I know it looks like a lot but I really do use every single product if I'm applying a full face of make up. I feel like all of the things I take are really versatile and can be worn throughout the day but also used to create a different look in the evening.

What's always in your make up bag?

Spring Things: Beauty Picks

This is my first post so here goes, I hope you like it!

It’s finally beginning to feel like spring, so I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some of my favourite spring appropriate beauty products.

Left to right: Revlon Lip Butter £7.99, L'Oreal Stain Splash £7.99, YSL Rouge Pur Couture £23.00

Firstly, I have chosen three lip products that I have been reaching for a lot lately. Each one has a different formulation and overall look. On the left we have a Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in the shade Tutti Frutti (015) which is a gorgeous bright orange when applied. I love the formulation of this product because it gives quite a glossy finish as well as a pop of colour, making it perfect for spring. I have a few of these in my collection and I’m sure that I will be purchasing some of the new shades. I suffer from dry lips and love just how moisturising these are! Overall probably my favourite lip product to use throughout spring and summer.

In the centre is a new Glamshine Stain Splash from L’Oreal in the shade Romy (102). When they say stain they are not kidding, this stuff stays on your lips for hours. The shade that I have is a really pretty natural pink with a hint of shimmer and I can see myself wearing it a lot during the daytime.

The product on the right is a YSL Rouge Pur Couture Golden Lustre lipstick in the shade 109. When on the lips this product is a peachy pink with a very subtle hint of gold glimmer. The gold doesn’t show up too much on my lips, which is why I like it and the formulation is creamy but not too thick. This is probably my least favourite product out of the three as it doesn’t seem to last very long on my lips!  However, the packaging is beautiful and it’s a nice lipstick to carry in my handbag.

Left to right: No7 Blush Tint Powder £8.00, Maybelline Color Tattoo £4.99

Next up are two of my favourite products for my face. The first is a No7 Natural Blush Tint Powder in the shade Cool Pink. This is a recent purchase but since I bought it I have worn it every day. I think that bright pink is great for spring and could be used on any skin tone. It’s quite bright for a blusher but you can build it up how you want it on your own cheeks.

Another spring favourite is the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24Hr Eyeshadow in the shade Pink Gold (65). I am also planning on getting my hands on a few more shades as I am really enjoying using this eye shadow as a base. The staying power is amazing and it works great alone but also underneath powder eye shadows as a primer.

What would your spring beauty essentials be?

Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.