face of the day: summer colour

Oh deary me, did you ever imagine a 'face of the day' where I'd be wearing colour on my eyes? I certainly didn't! Don't get too excited though as this is still pretty plain but for me, this is as colourful as it will get in terms of eye make up. I'm just too attached to my neutral eyeshadows.

The past few days this has been my go-to make up look. It's just so summery and fresh looking. I never thought I'd say this but I actually really like the little pop of the light bluey aqua liner on my eyes. The pencil I used was the Jack Wills Tyrell Eye Liner in Aqua. It's such a soft and creamy pencil and a bit of a bargain I think for £6. It's such a unique colour.

I then decided to choose another bright and slightly clashing colour for my lips and went for a bright pinky coral colour which was the 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Peace. Although this is a bright colour, as the finish of these lipsticks is so sheer and shiny and almost like a gloss, I don't think the colour looks too much and still allows the eye liner to remain the main focus. The only thing is about these lipsticks is that as they're so creamy they melt very easily so not the best to carry around in your bag for touch-ups when it's this hot...

Do you like to wear colour in the summer? I still don't think I'll be wearing bright eyeshadows any time soon but I might play around some more with coloured eye liners!

xx

favourite blushers for spring/summer

Left to right: Sleek Flamingo, 17 First Kiss, Topshop High Five, MUA English Rose, eBay Blush Palette Orangey Coral

Clockwise from top left: MUA English Rose, Topshop High Five, Sleek Flamingo, 17 First Kiss, eBay Blush Palette Orangey Coral

I love love love a good blush! They're definitely one of the bits of make up that I get most excited about. I think this might be as I'm so pale I feel that I need to add a bit of colour to my cheeks to make me look a little more alive. Anyway, enough rambling, I thought I'd show you the blushers that I love most for the spring and summer.

Sleek Blush in Flamingo
I know that this looks a terrifying colour in the pan and also on my arm as I've swatched it very heavily but on the cheeks (and used with a very light hand) it just gives such a pretty and feminine flush to the cheeks. I also know that Tanya Burr loves this blusher and I swear by her recommendations!
Sleek Blush in Flamingo is available from Superdrug for £4.30.


17 Blusher in First Kiss
I am OBSESSED with this blush at the moment - I've stopped even trying to restrain myself from using this blush every day - it's just so beautiful! It's a bright pinky coral which finishes with a subtle gold shimmer. It just gives your cheeks such a glowing and healthy look. Now I don't have it to compare, but I have read that this blush is very similar to the infamous Nars Orgasm (but obviously at a fraction of the price). From looking at swatches online it does look very similar hurrah! If you haven't got this blush then I URGE you to pick this up for the summer because I'm obsessed at the moment. I also think it would look brilliant on all skin tones!
17 Blusher in First Kiss is available from Boots for £3.49.


Topshop Cream Blush in High Five
This is a really bright almost neon pink which gives such a natural rosy glow to the cheeks. I love the Topshop cream blushers as they're so easy to blend and dry to a powder finish so your skin doesn't feel tacky all day long. My favourite way to apply these is with a stippling brush as this makes it even easier to evenly distribute the colour. Unfortunately I can't see High Five on the Topshop website any more but I have seen it in some shops still so have a look.
Topshop blushs are £6.00 from Topshop (and now the new John Lewis Beauty Hall on Oxford Street too!)

MUA Mosaic Blush in English Rose
I won't ramble on too much about this blusher as I've mentioned it before here where you can also see it on my cheeks! I think English Rose is such an appropriate name as this just gives you such a naturally pretty healthy glow. I love the shimmer in this blush as well as I feel it highlights my cheekbones so well to. For £2.50 I really can't fault it.
MUA Blush in English Rose is available from Superdrug for £2.50

eBay 10 Colour Blush Palette - shimmery orange coral (fourth on top row)
I picked up this ten piece blusher palette after seeing it on VIPXO (see Victoria's review here) and didn't have particularly high expectations as it was so cheap (it works out 44p a blusher!) However all of the colours are reasonably well pigmented and there's a great range of colours. My favourite at the moment is this bright shimmery coral. Corals and oranges are always so great for the summer and I love that these blushes are a little shimmery as I think that can make you look nice and glowy - and let you skip the highlighter!
This blush palette is available here from eBay for £4.46 - bargain!

What blushers are you loving at the moment?

xx

current favourite lip products

Now beauty-wise I'm guessing that we all have certain items that we get more excited about than others. For me it's usually blushers and eyeshadows but at the moment I can't stop dreaming about different lip products! I think this might be because during revision period I tend just to wear a little mascara and a lipstick to get ready quickly, so I've been playing around more with lip products. Anyway, I thought I'd show you what I've been enjoying using at the moment!

MUA Sugar Lips Lip Balm, Revlon Black Cherry, Clinique Watermelon, Collection 2000 Break Dance Lip Gloss, 17 Belle, YSL Rose Stiletto, Topshop Ooh La La

MUA Love Hearts Lip Balm in Sugar Lips

This is so moisturising but has a gorgeous shine at the same time. I love to put a little on when I'm wearing no make up at all just to moisturise my lips or over lipsticks if I want a bit of a glossy look without it feeling sticky. Mm, it smells great too!

MUA Love Hearts Lip Balms are £2 from Superdrug or online here.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry

I know I should probably be thinking about more spring appropriate colours now but I can't say the weather is really convincing me... What I love about this lipstick is how versatile it is. The colour is so beautiful and can be built up from a very subtle stain to a really dramatic vampy lip. It doesn't dry your lips at all but due to this if you're going full on then I would recommend using a lip liner.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks are £7.49 from Boots and online here.

Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Watermelon

Now this is probably a better colour for this time of year! It's such a fun bright shade that I've especially enjoyed recently while I've had a bit of a tan. As I've said before, when I'm at work staying power is really important to me when it comes to lip products and as the name claims this lipstick really does last well and needs minimum touch ups throughout the day - fab!

Clinique Long Last Lipsticks are £16 from Clinique counters and online here. 

Collection 2000 Lock N Hold Lip Gloss in Break Dance

I won't go on about this too much as I've done a full review of this gloss which you can read here. What I really love about this product, as with the Clinique lipstick, is that it lasts really well on the lips without feeling sticky and the colour is such a gorgeous coral which again looks brilliant with a bit of a tan.

Collection 2000 Lock N Hold Lip Glosses are £2.99 from Boots and online here.

17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Belle

I love the Mirror Shine range of lipsticks! They are such a great affordable product which leave your lips super moisturised with a reasonable colour pay off - to be honest they're everything I wanted the Revlon Lip Butters to be! I actually did a post where I sort of compare the two which you can read here. I have quite a few colours now but I can't get enough of Belle especially at the moment. It's my perfect 'my lips but better' shade.

17 Mirror Shine Lipsticks are £4.59 from Boots and online here.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in 9, Rose Stiletto

(Now let's all admit that the packaging is half the beauty of this product...) I wanted a great everyday lipstick that I would get a lot of wear out of, so I thought I'd splash out and get something nice as I knew it would be worth it as I'd use it quite a bit. When I saw Rose Stiletto in Selfridges I knew I'd found the right one - not too much of a nude and not too dark to not be perfect for everyday. Yes, it was pricey but the quality is incredible. It lasts on the lips so well without drying them out and when it does fade, it fades evenly without looking horrible and patchy. I can't wait until next payday to pick up another!

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipsticks are £23.50 from YSL counters and online here.

Topshop Lipstick in Ooh La La

Again here's another lipstick that I've been loving while I've had a bit of a tan! Ooh La La (I love the name) is such a lovely bright coral, which looks great with a little pink blusher and a tiny bit of mascara. It's such a great colour for the spring and summer and is also brilliant quality - I love Topshop lipsticks! The only thing is that I'm not sure if it's available any more but if not they do have some other great colours. It's not online but I've seen it recently instore so do have a look!

Topshop Lipsticks are £8 from Topshop and online here.

What lip products are you loving at the moment? Tempt me!

Can I also just say a huge thank you once again to all of you lovely people who read my little blog as I now have 200 followers! I love writing it so it feels even better to know that people actually read my silly ramblings! ♥

xx

five empties!

Hello!

I really love reading people's posts about products they've used up and their opinions on them, so I thought I'd jump on the band wagon and have a go myself. After all, using up all the products I have gathering dust is a fab idea! I very rarely actually finish beauty products as I always get bored and buy new things to try, so I have lots of half-used bits and bobs sitting around and waiting to be used up. Here are the last five things which I've finished.

Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish

My boyfriend bought me this exfoliator as part of a set from Benefit for my birthday last year. It was such a brilliant present and I loved both this Facial Polish and the moisturiser that came with it. The exfoliator is a thick white cream with very exfoliating particles in it which feel almost like sand. Due to the roughness of these bits, it is quite a powerful exfoliator but used sparingly once a week it made my skin feel so smooth and glowy and kept blemishes at bay. I also just looked up the Facial Polish on the Benefit website and it claims that it reduces the size of your pores too. Recently I have noticed that my pores are looking quite large so I'm now thinking that perhaps this exfoliator was tightening them. If you're after a really efficient facial polish to brighten up dull skin and make it silky smooth then I'd definitely try this. I think that I will pick it up again at some point, especially as now I'm intrigued to see whether it makes my pores smaller!

The Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish is £17.50 and can be bought at Benefit counters or online here.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Wild

I suffer a lot more with my hair being dry than greasy so I don't use dry shampoo that much. However, sometimes I do spray a little in to my hair if it's looking a bit flat in an attempt to liven it up a bit. I have no real qualms with Batiste but I do know what people mean when they say it can make your hair feel even more dirty. I also hate the whiteness that it can give as on my bright auburn hair as it can look very noticeable! As for the scent of this particular version, 'Wild' - I'm really not keen on the smell at all. It's not that I mind the actual scent particularly, it's more that it hangs around in your hair all day. I've already repurchased another can as for £2.99 you can't really complain and as I don't use dry shampoo very often it's good enough for me!

Batiste Dry Shampoo is available from most high street chemists etc/drug stores, but I picked my latest can up in Sainsburys!

17 Falsifeye Mascara

This product might be cheating a little as I didn't use this mascara up, it just dried out. However, I have bought Falsifeye a few times before so I can give you my thoughts on it. It's a great high street mascara that does give you volume to your lashes, although it can clump quite easily and definitely doesn't give you a truly false effect. Saying that, I do love the large brush as it's brilliant for grabbing all your lashes and making sure that it's applied evenly. As I said, there's nothing really wrong with this mascara - it's perfectly fine. However, I'm just not blown away by it and although it does the job there are definitely better mascaras on the high street.

17 Falsifeye Mascara is currently on offer for £4.00 at Boots.

Charlie Body Spray in Spirit

I almost feel a little embarrassed to admit I buy these cheapy body sprays, but there you go, it's out there: I do! I just find that they're great for slinging in your bag to freshen up a little at work or to take with you on a night out when you don't want to risk losing your perfume. They're also readily available in supermarkets so are so easy to grab when you're doing the food shopping. However, despite singing their praises the scent 'Spirit' isn't actually my favourite as it's a bit sweet and sickly. My favourite is actually 'Black' but I don't have any at the moment sob! I'll definitely continue to buy them as for £1.70 I think they're such good value and there is a wide range of scents available.

Charlie body sprays are £1.70 from Boots.

Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Gel

The bottle is so big that it was hard to photograph!

Oh my! I can't actually believe that I've finished this. It was honestly getting to the point where I thought this shower gel would never end! It's not that I'm not a huge fan of this product as I love the scent (typical Soap and Glory) so much and how moisturising it feels on my skin, it's just that I'd bought another yummy smelling shower gel a few months ago and couldn't wait to get stuck in haha (perhaps a little sad). 500ml of this has lasted me four months which I think makes it such fab value for money. I love that it's a pump bottle too as it just makes the shower gel so much easier to dispense. I will definitely buy this again at some point, but I'll perhaps take a little break as I know that starting another bottle is such a commitment!

Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Gel is £5.50 from Boots.

I'm going to try and work my way through lots of my half used products and try not to buy so many bits and bobs that I don't really need! Not sure how long this idea will last...

xx

face of the day: glow!

As my day yesterday simply consisted of getting my shoes reheeled, buying some new Biros and revision (wild), I wanted really neutral and natural looking make up - nothing over the top or too heavy. For me, this means getting my skin looking as glowing and flawless as possible because I think radiant cheeks and just mascara on the eyes is such a great combination.

After moisturising I applied some of the Rimmel Fix and Protect Pro Primer on and around my nose and on my chin. I don't know what's happened but recently my pores around my nose have been looking HUGE and so I picked this up yesterday in a bid to shrink those horrid craters in my face a little bit. So far so good but I'll test it out a bit more thoroughly before giving a full review. In the bid for glowing skin I also applied some L'Oreal Lumi Magique Base Concentre de Lumiere (the French name sounds so much more glamorous haha) to my cheeks and then after letting it sink it added another layer to my temples and cheekbones. While this definitely does not perfect your skin or give any coverage, the healthy glow that it gives when worn under foundation is just fab!

On to the foundation! Last Monday I picked up a sample of the Nars Sheer Glow from Selfridges and I am absolutely loving it. I only have about one application left in my little sample pot eek! I'm definitely going to go and repurchase it as I love the way it makes my skin look and feel. It makes my skin looking totally even and flawless but not flat and overly matte - I hate it when foundation takes away any natural glow. When I first applied this foundation I thought it looked really obvious, but after a couple of minutes and it's settled on to my skin it looks almost undetectable. I can't wait to get the full size! I also used a little of the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair under my eyes and anywhere where I needed any extra coverage (always the chin!), as well as using my UNE Skin Glow Pencil in G01 to take away any redness from my lower water line.

Next I applied some Soleil Tan de Chanel to the hollows of my cheeks and to the sides of my forehead with a stippling brush. Being quite pale I love the dimension this adds to my face and the sunkissed look it gives. I know that people say it can look orange and I do agree, which is why you have to be very careful to apply a little at a time to get the colour you're after. For blush I chose a 17 Blusher in First Kiss. Again this is a really glowy product and the pretty pink colour is so girly and gives a great flush to the cheeks. I think this blush and the Chanel bronzer are a fab team! I've also read that some people have said that First Kiss gives a similar effect to Nars Orgasm but obviously at a fraction of the price. After finishing my cheeks I put on a very small amount of Collection 2000 Pressed Powder in Candlelight just to my nose and chin to set my foundation. I never apply powder to anywhere else on my face as I want to keep my skin looking glowing.

I then pencilled in my eyebrows with Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Soft Blonde which is my go-to eyebrow pencil at the moment. I included it in my recent Current Favourites post so if you want to know more of my thoughts on it then click here! On my eyes I simply curled my lashes and then used the Clinique High Impact Mascara. I just have a little sample size of this from a magazine and while there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the product, I don't think I'd purchase it again as it far from blew me away and there are definitely cheaper mascaras that perform better. To highlight the inner corners of my eye and brow bone I then used an MUA Eyeshadow in Shade 1. I thought this was such a pretty highlight colour that I actually also dabbed a little on to my cheekbones.

Lastly I kept my lips very simple and used a Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick in Shade 3. Although I do like the colour of this lipstick it's perhaps a little light for me as I have quite naturally pigmented lips so I warmed it up a little with an MUA Love Hearts Lip Balm in Sugar Lips which is a really pretty pink and smells incredible!

So that was my make up for the day! I'd love to know any products you use to make your skin look dewy and glowy!

xx

an every day make up look #2

First of all, I have to say thank you so much to all of you because I've reached 100 followers! This makes me feel so happy, as it's fab to know that people actually read my silly ramblings and it just makes it all feel a bit more worth while! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Anyway, to today's post!

You know when you do your make up and then feel really happy with it all day? Well that was me on Thursday. I don't know what it exactly was about my make up, because as you can see it was very plain and neutral, but it just made me feel really feminine and pretty. (Most of you will probably be wondering what all the fuss is about haha.) In fact, I liked Thursday's make up so much that even though I wasn't going anywhere, I recreated the same look again on Friday just so I could take a picture. I'm definitely losing it.

Anyway, we'll forget about my insanity. Here's what I used:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - 51

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (under my eyes) - Ivory

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (on any blemishes) - Fair

NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder (on my t-zone) - Translucent

Clinique Instant Lift for Brows - Soft Blonde

17 Blusher - Damson Wine

E.L.F. Shimmering Facial Whip (on my non-existent cheekbones) - Lilac Petal

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Sin (all over my eye lid), Hustle (in my crease and outer corner)

No 7 Smoky Rose Quad - Shimmery cream colour in bottom left (to highlight my inner corner and brow bone)

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo - On and On Bronze (to line my upper lash line and smudged a little under my eye)

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mascara - Black 

Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Tint - Nothing but Nude

I absolutely love liquid eye liner, and up until about a year ago I would wear it with a little flick every day without fail. However, I also love shimmery neutral eyeshadows and I began to feel that the two together looked a bit over the top for the day time. Especially for the spring, I'm now really enjoying simply wearing pretty shimmery neutral shadows, which has also given me a bit more freedom to wear a darker or brighter coloured lip - win win!

What kind of make up are you enjoying wearing at the moment? And if any of you want reviews of any of these products then let me know!

xx

a true lip butter?

The other day I gave in and finally purchased one of the new Revlon Lip Butters that we've been hearing so much about. I must admit that when they finally hit the shops I was actually a bit disappointed in the range of colours and found them a bit, well... boring. (Just me?) There wasn't a shade that instantly jumped out at me. Anyway, as I said I picked one up on a whim and went eventually for Macaroon, a subtle brown toned reddish shade.

As quite a few people have said now, the formula was not what I was expecting at all. When I heard about the Lip Butters I was expecting a very sheer and soft texture which was moisturising on the lip. In fact, they're really very pigmented and not sheer in the slightest. Also, as for the feel of them on the lip - dare I say it - I've actually found them to be quite drying. I have other lipsticks which don't claim to have moisturising properties which are less drying than this! Despite these criticisms, I do love the colour of Macaroon for everyday wear but I have taken to applying a lip balm first as I tend to do with all my other lipsticks. The colour lasts on my lips for three ish hours before I feel that it needs to be reapplied, which is about standard for me. I also like the sleek packaging which feels sturdy and well made. I love being able to see the colour through the top of the lid too!

In a totally unrelated incident (I get pulled in by the Boots 3 for 2 offer far too regularly...) I picked up a Mirror Shine lipstick by 17 in the colour Purple Haze. This is a gorgeous purpley berry shade, as the name suggests, and looks like you've been gobbling blackberries - just the kind of colour I love! Anyway, when I wore this for the first time yesterday, I realised that this was actually far more how I had expected the Lip Butters to be. The colour is incredibly sheer and I find the Mirror Shine lipsticks to actually be a lot more moisturising than the Revlon Lip Butters - I don't feel the need to apply lip balm before at all. The colour definitely doesn't last as long but that can often be the case with more glossy and moisturising lip products, and having to reapply regularly doesn't bother me particularly. I'm also not really a fan of the packaging; the blue metallic bullet doesn't really do much for me and looks a bit cheap.

Left: 17 Mirror Shine, Right: Revlon Lip Butter

Top: Revlon Lip Butter in Macaroon (slightly smudged... oops!), Bottom: 17 Mirror Shine in Purple Haze

I have other 17 lipsticks but this was my first from the Mirror Shine range, and I will definitely be picking up more as I love the formula. As for the Revlon Lip Butters? I don't think I'll necessarily get another one, not because of the texture but because of the colour range. One product that I hear has a similar feel to it are the L'Oreal Caresse lipsticks, which are meant to be very sheer. Also, the range of colours looks far more exciting than the Lip Butters so watch this space!

I picked both the Revlon Lip Butter and the 17 Moisture Shine Lipstick up from Boots. The Lip Butter was £7.99 and the Mirror Shine Lipstick was £4.59.

Have you tried either of these products? What did you think? If you've tried one of the L'Oreal Caresse lipsticks, did you like it?

PS. Today is my birthday! I'd like to pretend it's by eighteenth again, but the truth is I'm now twenty. Still young, but too old for my liking! Another trip to Boots for the 3 for 2 may therefore be appropriate as a little treat...

xx