January Favourites

The first month of 2014 is already over and boy am I glad to see it go! It's been a slow and stressful month which has been filled with exams and rain- not a good combo- but these have been the products that I've been using all month!

Late night study sessions = dark under eye circles = Origins GinZing Refreshing eye cream to the rescue! Slightly tinted to counteract the darkness and then some, as well as feeling really refreshing and making my eyes look a lot more vibrant.
For that added coverage, I've been relying on the Make Up Forever Full Cover concealer which has really been the best thing to help me look presentable when I go out. I apply it with my fingers then blend it in with the EcoTools Airbrush Concealer brush, which makes it really look flawless.

I've been wearing the Urban Decay Eyeshadow in 'Sin' (the lighter pink shade) to add some brightness to my eyelids and give a bit of shimmer. It has a great formula and is just a dream to blend!
The Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in 'Black' has been great for adding a bit of a dramatic line when I've gone out this month, staying on the hole time without a smudge in sight.
To add some colour to my cheeks, I've loved applying the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in 'Thankful'. It's a beautiful shade which adds a flush to my face, with an instant healthy glow.

To keep my hands looking presentable, I've loved the Nails inc. nail polish in 'Old Bond Street' which is a lovely, deep violet colour. Battling against the cold has taken a toll on my hands, so this Nivea Smooth Nourishing hand cream has been a welcome visitor! It's so moisturising and rich but not greasy, making it easy to continue going about my everyday activities. 

November Favourites

Another month has gone by and these have been the hero products, getting me through the busy-ness (and the stress, coursework has been a killer..)

When going to the shops or just down the road, I didn't particularly want to go fully made-up, so I opted for Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, set with a power and lashings of The Rocket Volum' Express and that was it! Speaking of setting, I have loved the Real Techniques Setting Brush for setting under eye concealer, as well as just for concentrating powder on my oilier areas.

I went neutral on my nails, with Nails Inc. 'Holland Park Avenue' practically all month, it's such a beautiful colour I just couldn't resist not repainting in the same colour! The formulation is pretty chip-prone but paired with a good top coat and I was good to go.

I've been slathering the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturising Hand Treatment all over my hands this month, because the temperature in London has plummeted- it's freezing, to say the least! Although it's not a very wintery fragrance, I've loved spritzing the Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mist in 'Love Spell', as it has a beautiful cherry and peach scent. 

I can't believe it's almost December, I'm excited to visit Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park soon, that's when I know that Christmas is upon us!

Battle of the Bases

 

 For someone with a beauty blog, I would say that I have a relatively small amount of foundations, but for any normal person I have more than is needed. However, for me, I think that I have the right number to suit me!


I think I've got this balance right- 2 high end and 2 drugstore brands, good enough for me! I don't wear foundation every day, in fact, I only wear it about 1-2 times a week, and that's stretching it! But if I am going to buy a foundation, I usually do my research into it, which I did for the 2 high end foundations but not for the other 2.

 

I'll start with the Bobbi Brown BB Cream, this definitely does not have a matte finish, so I really need a powder on top so it doesn't prove to be too oily during the day. With my skin, it needs a primer underneath for most of the time but if I'm not really doing anything special then it's not essential. It has SPF 35 and is oil-free, really great for those days where you don't want to wear much but you want medium coverage. I don't consider this to be a BB Cream, because I haven't seen any changes in terms of my skin's quality. 

               

Next is my beloved Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation, the kind that is 'your skin but better'! It's lightweight and is very easy to build, it can be used just to look a little fresh-faced or to make yourself up for an event. The longevity is OK, but it works even better when paired with a primer, The POREfessional in particular. 

         

                                    

Now onto the drugstore brands, first is Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, which I bought a couple of years ago then completely forgot about. It is such an amazing product, with a matte finish to suit all oily skin types. On top of that, the coverage is fantastic and easy to blend as well as build. I use either my Real Technique's Stippling Brush or just my fingers, both work very well to get a flawless finish.

   

And lastly is my least favourite of the bunch, Revlon's Photoready BB Cream. First off (and I know this is my fault rather than Revlon's) I swatched it on my hand, like an idiot, and so I bought a shade that's darker than my face! And secondly, it's so greasy that it would just slip off my face. I can't imagine even somebody with normal skin could find this to work for them, because as soon as I put it on it just looked so shiny and oily. That could be down to the SPF 30 that's in it, but I would personally rather wear my own SPF and avoid the greasiness that is this product. So unfortunately, this is a big thumbs down product from me.

So those are my foundations, overall I think that it's actually a tie between the Benefit one and the Maybelline one! They do different things and I use them for different kinds of events, but I still really love them both. 

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoos

One of the most famous products from the high street, the Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoos are cream eyeshadows, often likened as being dupes to MAC Paint Pots. 

I only have 2 of the Colour Tattoos but they have certainly left an impression on me! As you can tell from the swatches, they are really pigmented. They last all day without a sign of smudging or creasing.

The shade On and On Bronze is a beautiful bronze colour, looking lovely alone or used to prolong and intensify the wear of an eyeshadow. 

Pink Gold is an unusual choice for me, an impulse purchase in the dangerous aisles of Boots! It is the single pink eyeshadow product I own, as it's a colour that doesn't usually suit me. This, however, looks really beautiful as a nice wash of colour on the lid and surprised me as a colour I'd never really used.

The 24 Hour Colour Tattoos retail at about £4.99 each, which is amazing value, but you can catch them when Boots are having their 3 for 2 offer!

October Favourites

 This month has been a busy one, although I usually feel that the month has gone by quickly I feel like it has just dragged on! I've opted for plainer looks, which I think is pretty obvious by my favourites this month and just really taking a simpler approach in terms of beauty.

Baby Lips Come To The UK!

It seems my blog post is quite a lot later than most others, but I'm not late to this one, I promise!

The Lipbalm Lowdown

One of my very many obsessions, as you'll come to find out, is lip balms. I really can't get enough of them. EOS, Nivea, Korres, Maybelline- you name it, I've got it. I love to have lip balms of all colours, at least 2 with me at all times! If anything, it's become quite bad now to the point that I have run out of place to put them!

Favourites

Since I've started to use make up more, I've come to love (and hate) lots of products, but I'll get to the "hate" ones in good time! This will show you all of the products that I love to use.