September Favourites!

This month I have been using my Mac eyeshadows everyday, I bought three new shades (Sketch, Woodwinked and Naked Lunch) I've mainly been using Woodwinked and Naked Lunch together, I have to say I absolutely adore Woodwinked, it's gorgeous and the two shadows together look beautiful! I still need two more shadows before I have completed my palette (leave recommendations in the comments please!) but I will do a post on it and include swatches of them all! For applying my foundation I have been using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, because my skin has been dryer than usual this month I have been dotting foundation around my face, then using this brush to stipple it in slightly and spread it around. Then using my Cosmopolitan Sponge (I run it under water and squeeze out the excess) I blend in the foundation by bouncing the sponge on my skin. I found that using the Buffing Brush to buff the foundation into my skin was accentuating the horrendous dryness of my skin, so prefer this way of applying it! I have to say my skin looks so much better since I've been applying it this way, I no longer have visible dry patches that are really obvious! Along with my skin being dry, it also broke out like crazy! So I have been relying on my Lush Grease Lightening to get rid of breakouts, this is my favourite product for dealing with spots! Finally I've been getting back into using liquid liner, I love the Soap and Glory Supercat liner, the tip is really precise and I like that it isn't glossy and shiny, like many other liners I have tried! 

What products have you been loving this month?

Highstreet Beauty Picks #2

Even though I love spending money on higher end products, I always find myself in Boots, browsing the aisles. When I was at school and didn't have a job, it was all I could afford and often times you can find products just as good as high end ones, sometimes even better. A brand that I think do foundations very well is Bourjois, I admit, I often overlook this brand for a reason I'm not entirely sure of. However I love the Healthy Mix foundation, I find it very similar to my YSL Touche Eclat Foundation, granted I don't like it as much but if you don't want to shell out for the YSL one, this is a great alternative! My favourite concealer is the Collection Lasting Perfection, a much raved about product by bloggers, youtubers and me as I go on about it all the god damn time. (sorry) A product I rely on so much is the Lush Grease Lightening, I prefer this to the Origins Spot Remover which is so much more expensive. I find this non drying on spots and it works so quickly compared to the Origins one! This is a must buy for those of you who have trouble with pesky spots! Essie nail polishes are some of my favourites, the colour range is amazing and I love all the shades, although they are on the more expensive side of "drugstore" nail polishes, I would really recommend them! I have mentioned these before but I adore the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's, my favourite shades are "On and on Bronze" and "Pink Gold" they last really well and are great if you want to quickly do your makeup. Finally, my favourite powder is the L'oreal True Match Powder, this is amazing! It doesn't make my skin look cakey like other powders often do and it doesn't accentuate dry patches on my face either!

What are your favourite highstreet products?

Pandora Rings

When family and friends started to ask me what I wanted for my birthday back in April I began circling rings in the Pandora catalogue, I had always seen them on people and thought they looked so beautiful, especially when they are stacked together. I've never really owned "nice" rings so thought my 18th birthday was the perfect opportunity to, I also love the fact that members of my family bought one ring and I then I stack them all together. The first one I added to my wish list was the Sterling Silver Heart Ring, this is so delicate, dainty and also really beautiful, it is definitely one of my favourites. I wear it on it's own quite a lot but it also looks lovely stacked. My sister and brother-in-law bought me the Twist Ring which is another simple one that I wear on it's own or with others. They also do a range of Birthstone rings which I think is a really lovely idea, I have the May Birthstone Ring, you may be thinking "wait, I thought you said your birthday was April?" Yes, I decided I didn't want my birthstone, which is diamond and the stone is just clear so chose the May stone, a stone called Chrysoprase, the cool thing about these rings is that because they are a natural stone, the colours vary. So even if you and a friend have the same stone, they will look slightly different from each other! The final one I have is the Chalcedony Ring. I generally call this my "moonstone ring" this is a great statement piece and I always get comments on it and it is one of my favourites! I have to say, I am addicted to Pandora rings, I already have some more that will probably make their way onto my Christmas list! Although some can be very pricey, some are more reasonable, I recently bought my friend a birthstone ring so they are perfect for gifts! I went into a store and got myself measured and it was really simple! I absolutely adore mine and would totally recommend them!

BarryM Gelly Nail Paints

For years I have been a fan BarryM nail paints, I own so many shades and they are one of the only brands (along with Essie) that I use to paint my nails! I was so excited when I found out they had brought out a line of "gelly" nail polishes and it seemed every blogger had tried them and loved them so I knew I had to buy them! I bought three shades, Blackberry, Papaya and Prickly Pear. They are all shades I wear a lot so I knew I would get use out of them. My favourite of the three is Prickly Pear, it's the perfect pastel purple and I wear this one all the time! I tend to wear Papaya on my toes and it was a great colour over summer as it is more bright and vibrant on the nails than it looks in the bottle! I personally love the look of glossy and shiny nails and the finish of these is exactly that, they are not streaky at all and are so easy to apply, only needing about two coats. I painted my nails with Prickly Pear a week ago and they are still going strong, no chips at all which is rare as I always manage to ruin my nails one way or another! I find them a lot easier to work with than the normal BarryM nails paints and much prefer that they are "hi-shine." They retail for £3.99 at Boots and Superdrug which is really affordable but also keep a look out as they always seem to have offers on! (At the moment Boots have them on buy one get the second half price!) When I bought these, they only had a few shades out, however now they have brought out so many more, I have my eye on Lychee, Dragon Fruit and Guava! 

Have you tried any of these nail paints?

Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mist

If you haven't been to the Victoria's Secret store in London, you definitely have to! I have never been into a shop where I have been as overwhelmed as I was when I visited the store just off of Oxford Street. I have been to a store while in Santa Barbara but it was NOTHING compared to the London store. It is four floors, with a winding staircase, photos of the Angels, videos of the catwalk shows. It is such a beautifully designed store and the amount of stock they have is incredible, we spent so long visiting each floor and trying to find our way around. I went in wanting to buy some tops to work out in but didn't end up purchasing any and I found some stunning bra's however the one I wanted wasn't available in my size *sadface* I had seen a few other people talk about the fragrance mists and so went to have a look at which ones they had, the first one I saw was the Coconut Passion scent, I immediately fell in love with the scent. It's a combination of coconut and "rich vanilla" which are two of my favourite scents so I knew this would be perfect for me. The smell is absolutely gorgeous, I love it. The staying power is good and I can already tell it is going to last a long time, I spray a generous amount on at the beginning of the day and the middle of the day yet when looking at the bottle, it's only gone down a tiny bit. I bought it at the Victoria's Secret store and it was £11 but I have found it here and here for cheaper so if you want to buy one check out those links! At first I did think it was slightly pricey for a body mist however I have been using it instead of my usual perfume and I can tell it is going to last me a long time! It is such a shame that you can't order to the UK on the Victoria's Secret Website!

Have you tried anything from Victoria's Secret?

Everyday Makeup

I feel like I haven't done on of these posts in ages! I am going to show you the makeup in my makeup bag and the products I've been using recently, just thought I would also point out how cute my makeup bag is, as soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it! Lately I've been using the Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation as I've had quite a few breakouts recently and this is my favourite for covering up those, I've written a full review which you can read here! I also use my favourite Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and then apply my YSL Touche Eclat on top of that, under my eyes, I love using this especially when I'm feeling a bit tired as it instantly brightens my eye area, it's also fab as a subtle highlight on the top of the cheekbones! Recently I've been back into using my L'oreal True Match Powder, I actually think I prefer it to my Mac MSF Natural. The packaging is nothing special but it is such a great product! For my brows I use Omega eyeshadow by Mac which is great for blondes as it matches my brows and isn't too dark like so many products I've used before! (Although I am looking into purchasing the Anastacia Brow Wiz, so if you've tried that, let me know what you think!) On my lids I've been using Jest eyeshadow by Mac, this is one of the first eyeshadows I bought from Mac, it was just a random impulse purchase and I hadn't really heard much about it, I still rarely hear anything about it! In the outer corner I have been using Cranberry by Mac, this is one of my favourite Mac shadows but for some reason I don't use it much, so lately I've been trying to use it more and I love it! I then use either Cranberry or Mulch on the lower lash line! Rather than using a gel or liquid liner, which I sometimes find to be quite harsh, I like using this eyeliner by L'oreal in the shade Pure Espresso on the upper lash line. I then either use my Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara or the Maybelline The Falsies, which I will admit that I hated at first but really like now!

What products do you use everyday?

Real Techniques Brushes

As soon as Real Techniques brushes were released I knew I had to get my hands on them and promptly picked up two of the sets, since then whenever I saw one I didn't own, I bought it. I now have about 90% of the brushes and absolutely love them, before I used them I didn't own too many brushes but after using them I have realised how important they are when applying makeup, they can change how a foundation looks and are essential for all the eye looks I do. The quality on these brushes is phenomenal, especially for the price, they are so affordable compared to Mac brushes and I think the quality is just as good, if not better! All the brushes are ridiculously soft and a joy to use. My favourites are the Buffing Brush, which I use for my foundation, it isn't as dense as the Expert Face Brush however I find it easier to blend foundation in as it isn't as firm. The Contour Brush is perfect for contouring as it is a great size, I often find that contour brushes are way too large to get into the hollows of cheeks but this one is brilliant! The Base Shadow Brush is awesome for blending, it is a lot softer than the Mac 217, I also use the Deluxe Crease Brush to blend eyeshadow in the crease, however it is also fab for applying concealer both under the eyes and on the face. I think one of the best things about these brushes is that although they have specific names like the "Contour Brush" they can be used for so many different things. The Expert Face Brush could be used for foundation, or for mousse bronzer like the Soleil Tan de Chanel. The Contour Brush could be used to contour, to set powder under the eyes or to apply highlighter, the Blush Brush could be used to apply blusher, bronzer or powder. They are great to travel with as they can be used for so many different uses and the kits come with a great holder for them. I genuinely cannot fault these, they are the best quality brushes I have tried, they are so affordable and I use all of them, usually in kits there are one or two brushes I never use but not with these!

Have you tried any of the Real Techniques Brushes?

Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation

I've had this foundation for quite a while but have never reviewed it, it's one of my all times favourites and one I always come back to. The consistency is unlike any other foundation I have tried, it's a mixture of liquid, mousse and gel. It does feel quite thick and does take quite a bit of working into the skin, I find that the Real Techniques Buffing Brush is the perfect brush! I tend to use this foundation on my 'bad skin days' as the coverage is medium to full so it covers any uneven skin tone and redness perfectly, if light foundations are your thing, I would steer clear of this foundation. It is definitely for those people who need/want more coverage and like a "flawless" base as that's exactly what it does! It also lasts all day, even when I've been busy at work. I think this foundation would be great for oily skins but the formula also means it works great for normal to dry skin. However if you have extremely dry skin I don't think this is the best foundation you could try. I have the shade NC20 which is the perfect match to my skin, in the tube and when I squeeze it out, it does look a tiny bit orange however once buffed into the skin it matches exactly! I love the packaging of this foundation, as I've mentioned before I am quite clumsy so glass bottles are not always great for me. The tube means that I never accidentally squeeze out too much product and it's great to travel with. For £25 you get 40ml of product which is good value as usually you get 30ml! 

Have you ever tried this foundation?

Products I've Repurchased

I think it's a good indicator of how much you like a product, if you repurchase it. I'm constantly trying out new products so only really repurchase products I genuinely adore, so I thought I would share a few of them with you! I recently wrote a full review of the Origins Mega-Mushroom which you can read here, it is the only cleanser I have repurchased and the only one I think I will continue to repurchase. I love the way it feels on my skin, it doesn't dry it out or break out my skin. Another skincare product I love is the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturizer, I have repurchased this so many times I can't even remember the exact amount! I love this so much it is rich but without feeling heavy or thick on the skin,  it's also super affordable! I've always suffered with spots and acne, one of my holy grail items is the Lush Grease Lightening, this product is amazing, I cannot recommend it enough! I usually use this at night on any spots I have and it really reduces and calms them down. I also have the Origins Super Spot Remover and if you were thinking of buying it, check this one out as I prefer it and it is so much cheaper! Finally onto two products I always talk about, my beloved Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and my Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara. The concealer is amazing, I prefer it to every single other concealer I have tried, including Mac! The mascara is brilliant too, it adds volume and length to my lashes without being clumpy either!

Which products do you repurchase?

Origins Mega Mushroom Cleanser

Origins Mega-Mushroom Cleanser £26

Cleansers had always been products that had never interested me, I used them and didn’t really notice any difference in my skin. One time at work someone mentioned the Origins Mega-Mushroom cleanser and suggested I should try it out, at the time I had quite bad skin and was fed up! Before this I had tried the Spot Remover from Origins which I loved, when I bought that I was given three samples of other products that were so lovely. All their products smell amazing which is always a plus! When I ran out of the cleanser I was using at the time, I picked up the Mega Mushroom Cleanser and decided to give it a go. Firstly I should mention that I hate mushrooms however the product doesn’t really smell of them, although it doesn’t have the same fruity, citrusy scent that a lot of their other products have. 

I use this product morning and night to cleanse my skin, the consistency is slightly thicker than a cleansing milk but it’s still quite liquidy which makes it feel very moisturizing on my skin. This is important to me as I suffer from dry skin on certain sections of my face and have used products in the past that are so thick and dry that they feel like they are taking a layer of my skin off! As I said before I was never that bothered by cleansers and they never seemed to do anything, well this was the first one I used where I really felt a difference. My skin felt baby smooth and like every part of my skin had been thoroughly cleansed! The best part is that this didn’t react to my skin at all, I’m pretty sure I breakout to 99% of products but my skin was absolutely fine with this! I feel like it actually improved my skin after the breakouts I had been having before I began using this! I bought this from John Lewis and it retails at £26, this could be quite steep for some people but I highly recommend it as it’s the only cleanser I have repurchased and will definitely carry on repurchasing! I also definitely want to try more Origins products so if you have any recommendations, leave them in the comments! 

If All My Makeup Disappeared!

I recently watched Estee's video titled "If All My Makeup Disappeared." It is basically a run down of the ten products you would repurchase if all your makeup disappeared! The foundation I would definitely repurchase is the Yves Saint Lauren Touche Eclat Foundation, I feel like I've talked about this foundation way too much lately but I've been absolutely loving it so so much! Another products I always go on about it the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, this beats any other concealer I have tried and works fabulously on both under eye circles and blemishes, it is only around the £4 mark so it is so affordable! Over the top of my under eye concealer I love to use the YSL Touche Eclat, this is such a great product, I also use it on the tops of my cheekbones to highlight. It's such a great product to have in your makeup bag. For my brows I absolutely love the Sleek Brow Kit, it's also affordable and I find that using the wax and the powder together really makes a difference and looks so much better compared to just using a powder.

The Maybelline Colour Tattoo's are great products, my favourite is the shade "On and On Bronze" it is so pretty, but I also love "Pink Gold" they stay on all day and are really handy if I need to do my makeup quickly! The mascara I would have to repurchase is the Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara, it makes my lashes look absolutely amazing and so much thicker and fuller than they usually are. I would also have to repurchase my Mac shadows, I'm kind of cheating as I would repurchase more than one shadow! I love Jest for all over the lid and putting Mulch on the outer corner and blending it out looks amazing! My favourite lip balm of all time is from Carmex, I have very dry lips and this is one of the only lip balms that really moisturises them, in terms of lipsticks the Revlon Lip Butters are amazing, they are super moisturising so perfect on my dry lips. They are great to just throw in your bag and apply on the go and the colour range is amazing! Finally I would repurchase Essie Nail Polishes, although these are a bit pricey, I love the formula more than any other nail polish I have tried, the brush is the perfect size for my nails, the colours are all beautiful..and they all have adorable names!

What products would you buy again if all your makeup disappeared?

St Ives Apricot Scrub

St Ives Naturally Clear Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub £4.29*

Face scrubs have always been a key part of my skincare routine, I suffer quite badly with blackheads and because my skin can get quite dry, they are vital for getting rid of any dead skin cells on the surface of my skin. St Ives is a brand that I am quite familiar with and they have been voted the "UK's Number 1 Scrub Brand" which just shows how popular the brand is. The great thing about these scrubs is that they have different formula's depending on what you are looking for, if you suffer from breakouts like me, the Blemish fighting scrub is perfect! However they also have one for sensitive skin, mature skin and one for skin that simply needs invigorating! Personally I love when brands have different products to choose from as it is difficult to produce one product that caters for all the different skin types. This scrub is gentle on my sensitive skin, it doesn't feel scratchy like a lot of other scrubs do but it also doesn't feel like it isn't doing anything, which I've experienced before. 

After using it my skin feels so soft, it genuinely hasn't felt that soft ever! I am quite cautious with scrubs as I don't want them to aggravate my skin because of how sensitive it is, some products can make it quite red and I frequently break out when using new products. However I did not experience this at all with this scrub, I think you could use this scrub about 3 times a week rather than once a week like I usually do with scrubs, as it is more gentle on the skin. I've experienced my skin drying out a lot when using other products and having quite dry parts on my skin naturally, it wasn't nice at all! But even when using this product more than once a week I haven't noticed my skin being any more dry, which is a plus! I have really been looking forward to using this product as after using it I have noticed my pores look a lot less noticeable, especially around my nose where they are very obvious! My blackheads are also so much better which is amazing as they really bug me! I recently broke out after using Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and my skin has gradually been getting back to normal, I used Cleanse and Polish just under a year ago and it took ages for all the spots to go away, however it hasn't taken long at all for them to go this time! I'm not sure if it is this product of another one (blog post coming later in the week) however either way, for the price of £4.29 you really cannot go wrong! It is so affordable and definitely staying in my skincare routine! Make sure to check out their website here to have a look at all the scrubs they have to offer, they also do products for your body! 

Have you ever tried St Ives?