Summer Make-up Bag

So it's not news I haven't written a post in a while. Okay, I haven't since February.

Since then there's been so many things I've found and have loved that I could write about. Rather than writing lots of reviews I thought I'd give you a peak into my make-up bag from the last couple of months.

Lots of things I've found and loved bundled into one!

The Base

So I've never spoken about the Dr.Jart BB cream before but it's incredible. It feels like it does wonders for your skin, it has a beautiful glow to it with a dewy finish and it's SPF 25. It just makes you look instantly healthy. Annoyingly it only comes in one shade so it's more of a summer product for me as I'm usually super duper pale. But don't get me wrong, it's not dark and will work for most people, I'm just the whitest person ever. It's often on offer so I'd suggest waiting to get the best price.

I've been wearing this just with the Collection concealer and sometimes a dusting of MAC Mineralize SkinFinish (which I couldn't find to photograph).

As for the All Nighter Setting Spray, you need this in summer. My skin used to eat make-up.

Cheeks

Mary-Lou Manizer is a bit of a full on highlighter. You need the smallest amount but it's stunning.

NARS Laguna is just, well, a classic bronzer. Love it.

Eyes

I was looking for a highstreet eye primer and came across the Soap and Glory one which definitely makes a difference. I put my most used MAC shades in quad and recently the look I go for is Naked Lunch all over, Charcoal Brown and Soba in the crease and Mulch for a smokey look in the evenings.

Lips

The YSL in Peach Passion is my go to summer shade. I think it's definitely worth the money. Recently I've found Macaroon by Topshop which is a pink shade with a bit of peach to it which I think is lovely too!

Dr.Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Soap & Glory It's About Prime

NARS Laguna Bronzer

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof

Topshop Macaroon Lipstick

YSL Rouge Volupte Peach Passion

MAC Quad inc. Charcoal Brown, Naked Lunch, Soba & Mulch

Real Techniques Blusher Brush

Real Techniques Contour Brush

Zoeva 104 Buffer

Zoeva 227 Soft Definer (x2)

Zoeva 231 Petit Crease

MAC 266

xox

January Favourites

Why have I always felt the need to write an intro for these?
It's my favourite beauty items from January.. 

MAC Lipstick in Chatterbox (Amplified) - £15

This was in my stocking at Christmas (thanks Santa!) and although I'd seen the colour in pictures and wanted to try it, I had no idea how beautiful it really was. It might even be my favourite lipstick ever, it's definitely up there. It's creamy and a fantastic lipstick, as always from MAC, but oh my the colour! It's a bright colour but I think incredibly wearable even for the day.

I am sorry, but you need this.

Zoeva Brushes Starting at around £5

So these are a German brand and because they were so cheap I didn't mind getting them direct and paying for the shipping. Seriously they're worth it and arrived so quick! They're such good quality for the price and I'm so impressed with them. They don't shed any hairs and withhold their shape (and I'm talking seriously, I clean my brushes in IPA). They've just released new sets so worth checking those out. I personally love 104 Buffer (as you can tell by the colour of it, gross), the 227 Soft Definer and the 102 Silk Finish.

Clinique City Block Sheer SPF 25 - £17

Yes, I moved to London and immediately bought this. And yes, I'm a complete sucker and the beauty industry makes a fortune from me. I'd heard good things and was looking for a daily SPF to put under foundation. I'm a really pale skin and should always wear an SPF despite the weather, which I never used to do. This also comes in SPF 40 and it's beautifully lightweight. It has a sheer tint, but it's honestly sheer that even men could use this. However for very dark skins I'd say to try it first as it may give a grey look. I love it and think it actually works well as a primer or by itself to brighten the face.

Jessica Quick Dry Oil - £9.55 

Bought this on a whim because I hate waiting for my nails to dry and now I can't paint them without it. There's other products out there that claim the same thing but this is the first I've tried. It's revolutionary.  Well, it dries your nails super quick. I don't know how I lived without it.

All new finds this month and I'm pleasantly surprised.

Have you tried any new products that you've loved?

The Wedding Guest

So I haven't written a post in almost a month, partly because so much has been happening but also because I've been suffering "bloggers block".

Similar to writers block, except I'm in no way a writer.

I will be doing an update post soon to fill you all in but thought I'd jump straight back into it with a make-up look for you all.

The Wedding Guest

Slasssssshhh Prom/Ball/Anything a little swish.

Meet my friend Sarah, isn't she gorgeous? Make-up, Hair and Photography is all my own.
Jewellery: Debenhams, Dress: H&M

So this is a look that I created for a college assesment that I thought I'd share with you all as it's so easy to achieve but perfect for special events!

Skin

So here I went for a "dewy" finish because it's my preference, but if you want a matte finish or are going to be photographed lots use a powder! For the face I started with Benefit high beam and went over with Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. I used NARS Laguna Bronzer very lightly (this has strong pigmentation) as a subtle bronzer and the highlight from the Sleek Face Form contour kit. I also worked this over the neck and shoulders as it's a strapless dress.

 Highlighting the shoulders and collarbones is always beautiful on brides.

Eyes

I kept the eyes soft so that it's a really versatile look. It could go with so many different dresses and events. Pop on some individual lashes and this could be a bridal.

I used the Urban Decay naked pallete, Virgin under the brow, and Sin, Toasted blended over the eye with Hustle in the crease. Use a fluffy blending brush to blend this into a soft smokey eye.

I used a black eyeshadow along the lash line as it gives a softer look than a liquid eyeliner.

Lips

The lips are really simple, I'd definitely use a pink for this. I mixed a pink lip shade from my Kryolan lip pallete and used a clear MAC lipglass over the top. 

For a long day when you want your lipstick to last, apply your lipstick, then place a thin piece of tissue over your lips and powder through it to set it!

What do you guys think?

Sorry it's not beautifully worded, I'm getting back into the swing of blogging again.

Link me to your special event looks :)

Travel Beauty Bag!

So this is a really random thing to write about, so I'm sorry I'll keep it short, but this was just too cute!

Hanging Wash Bag, Primark £4.

See, cute right?
I saw this and couldn't stop myself from picking it up for my holiday to Greece (that's now only 3 weeks away!!). It's a folding wash bag that hangs on the back of doors, sounds boring but it would seem if you put a cute pattern on the front it turns into the best thing ever.

The hearts are like lattice cut outs with the pink material underneath showing through!

So I'll tell you about how very practical it is and what a sensible buy it was. It's great to keep things organised with four zip pockets including one that's removable. It hangs on the back of doors.. which is handy? Okay! Okay, so I bought it because it was pretty. 

 To make this post vaguely more interesting (for all of you who came to my blog hungry for a make-up post) I thought I'd include some travel size beauty products that I plan to take with me on my holiday.

So from top to bottom:

- MAC lipstick in Girl About Town
- NARS, Laguna Bronzer
- Aveda Botanical Kinetics Purifying Creme Cleanser, 40ml
- Soap & Glory, Flake Away 50ml

- Aveda Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant, 50ml

- Piz Buin Transparent Sun Spray SPF 30
- Phil Smith Colour Illuminating Conditioner, 50ml
- TRESemme Heat Defence, 60ml
TRESemme Extra Hold Hairspray 100ml

Let me know if you liked this post and what you take away with you for holidays!

May Favourites!

June is here and it brought the sunshine!

Which means it's about time I do another post on all the things I've had a little love affair with this month. You'll notice there was no April favourites, and that's because April was the worst.

Dove Summer Glow - £4.99

The packaging claims it's the UK's No.1 gradual self tanner and personally for me it is. The majority of May had awful weather and I was starting to think there would be no summer at all. I love this gradual tan as it's so easy and builds up to such a nice colour. It's also incredibly cheap, yay!

Perfect now the weathers picked up and I can show off my legs.

Use with...

Fake Bake Skin Smoothie, special dry-oil spray - £11.25

If you haven't tried this and always get horrible patches around your knees, elbows and ankles when you tan, go get this now! This isn't really essential for gradual tanning as they're moisturising and tend to avoid this problem, but I still use it every time. Because it's the best. Spritz over dry areas before tanning, then when applying tan just lightly drag it over these areas. 

I love these both just because of how beautiful they smell!

Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry & Vanilla Hair Spray - £4.99

That already sounds delicious right? Very good hairspray in "strong hold" but I feel I love it for the fragrance. I love fragranced hair sprays as that's so much better for you than actually spritzing a perfume through your hair which some people do. 

Just noticed Fudge do a styling mouse with the same scent, uhoh! This will quickly turn into an addiction.

The Body Shop, Vanilla Body Mist - £7.50

Massive "meh" to May Favourites, this would be in my yearly favourites. For the past two years and forever more. I love the smell of Vanilla, I just love it. I spray this all over my body and I smell of Vanilla all day. Even my boyfriends noticed and said he likes it, which in itself is mind blowing.

I also spray it on my clothes and pillow.. but that might just be me.

Boots Sun, Swim & Gym Shampoo and Conditioner for Coloured Hair - £3.05 each.

For over a month now I started swimming again and go twice a week. Since doing this I developed a slightly-irrational (but mostly rational) fear of chlorine. The chemicals in pools can be really bad for your hair but I also find them very drying to my skin. I got to the point where I'd text my friend right before a swim saying "What if it kills my hair!?" or "Will my tan come off!?". So I started the search for hair care products aimed for swimmers. I've started at the cheap end so I could work myself up if needed, but so far I like these. 

Boots Sun, Swim & Gym Protective Masque, £3.55

Another from the range that I like the idea of is a protective masque. I put it through dry hair, which I then tie back, before I swim to protect it from absorbing the chlorine.  It's also good to wet your hair before swimming as it will absorb that water rather than the pool water.

Bioderma, usually £9.99 for 250ml

Currently 1/3 off at escentual.com for the whole of June!

I'm sure you've heard enough about this product and how fantastic micellaire water is, so I won't go on! But this is my first bottle for myself and it truly is worth the hype. I use it just to remove heavy make-up and will continue to cleanse afterwards. I feel it's still important not to rush your skincare and use this as a cleanser, however fantastic it is. I do love it though and will stock up now it's on offer!

And just because I haven't included in any make-up yet, as nothing new has shook up my make-up routine. Here's some products I used this month and feel I'll use more together for a bronzed look!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, £10.99

NARS "Laguna" Bronzer, £26

MAC in "Bronze", £12

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "On and on Bronze", £4.99

What have you loved this month?

Natural Glow Make-Up

So as a part of college last week I did the hair, make-up and photography to produce a photo shoot on the theme of "No make-up, make-up". This is all about creating a natural look with flawless skin but so it appears the model isn't wearing make-up at all. It's commonly used in skincare adverts (sneaky). I thought I'd share with you the look I went for with a glow to the skin.

My beautiful friend Fen Barr was sweet enough to come model for me and how fantastic does she look?

skin 

I started with Benefit High Beam on her cheek bones, brow bone and her cupids bow. I also re-applied this over the foundation too to give a beautiful highlight to her skin. Fen naturally has such clear skin, so I blended two shades of Kryolan Ultra Fluid Foundation to give an even but not heavy coverage. I used Kryolan Derma Colour to cover any dark patches or blemishes and MAC Select MoistureCover concealer around the eyes.

I used the highlight from the Sleek Contour Kit to highlight areas of her face, although this has small glitter specks in so be careful when photographing this. I then used Nars Laguna bronzer to contour and add warmth back to her face.

Eyes

Keeping to the natural look I used natural matte eye shadows to add some colour and shape to her eyes and Urban Decay shadow in Virgin to highlight the inner corner and under the brow bone. I LOVE this shade.

I also took a natural matte shadow through her brows with a small angled brush and brushed a clear mascara through to hold them in place. I put some black eyeliner onto a very thin brush and painted inbetween her lashes to give a light natural defintion. To finish off the eyes I put a small amount of white eye pencil on the water line.

Lips

I used a lipstick in a natural shade that had a slight peach tone to go with her beautifully tanned skin and added a lttle MAC lipglass to the centre of her lips and blended out. This enlarges the look of the lips and a slight shine for a healthy look.

Products Used:

- Benefit High Beam

- Sleek Contour kit

- NARS Laguna bronzer

 - Urban Decay Naked pallet

- MAC Lip glass

- MAC Select MoistureCover Concealer

 - MUA White eyeliner pencil

So there you have it, who else loves this natural make-up look? I can't wait to try it on myself now.

March Favourites

I don't do favourites on a monthly basis but for once I'm sat at my laptop with free time!

Amazing.

I also have lots of new products that I've been taking full advantage of in March. So, why not?
Just please, do not expect this every month for the rest of time. 

Blush

Feel free to ignore me playing peek-a-boo in the mirror. 

 This is a Sleek blush in the shade Life's a Peach. It looks a little scary in the pan but a small amount goes a long way and it comes out softer! I love Sleek products and this is just the perfect shade for Spring!

Eye shadow

If I did a monthly favourites post, which I don't, this would probably be in it every month! I won't go on about it because every beauty blogger in the universe has posted about this, and probably done it better. But for those of you that live under rocks, this is the perfect neutral pallet that goes straight from day to night make-up. 

Eye Liner

Since getting a full fringe cut and crushing all over Zooey Deschanel, haha, I've started getting back into winged eyeliner. For this I'm using L'oreal Paris Super Liner, Perfect Slim. It's literally like a felt pen and makes it really easy to use. It lasts really well too.

Skin

I featured this in a blog post a while ago but didn't mention much about it. It's the MAC Select MoistureCover Concealer. It really is incredible for dry skin. I use it around my eyes and over redness and it brightens my skin and is really moisturising. I now use it every day and love it.

Lips

I've had this for a while and fallen back in love with it. It's a MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in the colour New Temptation. The picture isn't a really good representation of the colour, it's a bright blue-red, obviously with a sheen finish. I really love it because you can get different and still beautiful shades of colour depending on how much you apply. It's a really nice Raspberry Red if you apply a small amount with your finger. It's also incredibly moisturising. 

I've also really been liking the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain. It's a moisturising balm with a lovely colour that stains and lasts. Mine is in the shade Honey and I'm surprised by how often I wear it. I'm normally one for bright lips but this is a pinky nude and looks like my lips but better. It's quick and easy for on the go to so it's been in my handbag the whole of March.

What were your favourites this month?

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation

Whoopsie, I'm late to the party!

I've heard so many wonderful things about this product and how it's super duper for dry skin so I have finally gone out and bought it.

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation SPF 15 - £24, get it here.
MAC Select MoistureCover Concealer, £14.50, buy it here.

Where I have dry skin I often find with even foundations that I love, they become flaky on my skin quite quickly. This is a gel formula intended for dry skin to solve that very problem. I loved this product as soon as I apply it. It completely changes the appearence of your skin!
I also was a little naughty and bought the Select Moisturecover concealer to apply around my eyes, really loving this!

Packaging.

The packaging is simple but I like it that it's in a tube. It's not bulky or made from glass so it's great to just chuck in your handbag, and as you know I love handbag essentials! It's also a back to MAC product which if you're not familiar with is where you can save up 6 of your empty MAC products and return to the store for a lipstick of your choice. Love that. 

Coverage.

It's got a medium to high coverage and just instantly looks like you have a new skin. It's easily build able and covers redness and blemishes easily. It's also SPF 15 which is fantastic! 

I apply it with a stipple brush (recently I quite like the real techniques one). As it has such a high coverage a little goes a very long way. For an easy day time look I probably only use a pea sized amount before buffing it into my skin.I think this also justifies the amount I spent on it too. At £24 it's more than I'd usually spend on a foundation for myself but I'm hoping it will last me a long time.
Because it's quite a heavy foundation I use the Select Moisturecover concealer around and under my eyes rather than the foundation. It's wonderful for dry skin and I always find it brightens my eyes more.

Finish.

It has a dewy finish which I tend to go for anyway so that's a plus. It's definitely dewy rather than glittery which you sometimes find in cheaper products. It really does help to brighten the appearance of dry skin.

Overall!

This is so far the best foundation I've tried to solve my dry skin problems. However if I'm having a really dry skin day I need to have a good scrub with an exfoliator before applying make-up, but that's just life really. It lasts the majority of my day but not ALL day. However, I don't powder all over after applying which would set the make-up for longer so I can't really complain. Once my skin is prepped and moisturised this doesn't flake which is the reason I bought it so overall, fantastic. 

I bought this over a month ago and haven't used another foundation since, if you have dry skin go give this a try!

MAC Red Lips

Top to Bottom: MAC Viva Glam 1 (£14), MAC Cherry Lip Pencil (£11.50), MAC Russian Red  Tinted Lipglass (£13.50).

So I've been using this trio a lot lately, they're not all exact matching shades but I've fallen in love with each product and they work beautifully together! What you need to know about me is that I only wear bold lipstick and it's mostly reds. So for me I look for high pigmentation, clean lines and most importantly one that lasts!

Let's talk about the lipstick!

Firstly, I don't remember what my life was like before I started using MAC Lipsticks (dramatic, I know). But it's true, I will never buy another brand of lipsticks ever again. I used to use Maybelline 24 Hour Lipstick (I still highly recommend this, I've worn it before for a two day drinking bender and woke up with it still in tact) and although it lasts longer than a lipstick, it doesn't have the same texture and will dry out your lips. MAC lipsticks last better than any other lipstick I've used whilst still hydrating your lips -  what more could you want.

Viva Glam 1 is a matte deep red. This lipstick was actually part of my 18th birthday present from my gorgeous sister, she knows me too well! I'm pale skinned with dark hair, as is she, so she went into the store asking for a colour to suit our complexion and I think it just looks beautiful. - keep that in mind because that's a really good way of buying make-up as presents! 
I tend to apply it with a lip brush as I find it difficult to get a even line with just the lipstick however I invested in a Lip Pencil for when I'm on the go.

As you can tell, they are not all matching colours. The lip liner is close to Viva Glam 1 but a slightly lighter shade and I would say a slightly pinky red too. I bought this because it's a colour that goes well under ALL of my red lipsticks, bright or dark. It's also really smooth to apply. 

I'm not normally one to wear a lipgloss (they're sticky and annoying) but I thought I'd give it a go, make a change, be ambitious even. I can tell you now, it is sticky. I would not recommend this for an event where you are eating or even drinking much actually. It does transfer onto glasses, although magically stays on your lips too, and without a lip liner I suspect it's very likely to bleed. However they do a huge variety of lipglass so maybe a Pro Longwear might be the one for me! What I love about it is that it's extremely pigmented, as you can see on my hand swatch! So far I've only worn it over my lipstick but I'm sure you could wear it without too. What you see in the tube is what you get! It has a beautiful high shine too it and I find it's fantastic for parties.

All 3 of these shades are beautiful and I could not recommend MAC lipsticks enough to you!
What's your favourite MAC product? Let me know!