Winter Nails

L-R: OPI Malaga Wine, OPI Suzi & the 7 Dusseldorfs, Nails inc. Holland Park Avenue, Kate Spade Nails inc. Soho Silver, Revlon Moon Candy Orbit, Essie Aruba Blue, Urban Decay Creep

Now that it's winter not only has my clothes wardrobe changed, but so has my nail wardrobe! It's all about the deeper, darker colours during the day, like OPI Malaga Wine and Suzi & the 7 Dusseldorfs. They're beautiful shades that, to me, seem to exude warmth and cosiness.
If you're not wanting to go for as much colour, you could always pop a bit of Nails inc. Holland Park Avenue on, being a rich taupe-y colour that you can't go wrong with.

For the evening parties, maybe you're feeling a bit of glitz and glamour, and these four picks are definitely good for that! Kate Spade for Nails inc. Soho Silver is a lovely opaque silver and Essie Aruba Blue is a metallic electric blue, but is not once that would necessarily match everything you wear. 

For those feeling a bit more adventurous, Revlon Moon Candy in Orbit is the way to go, with a purple on one side and a glittery top coat on the other side, making for effortless but gorgeous nails. 

A bit more classic, Urban Decay Creep is a glittery black, which looks lovely when layered on but otherwise is a bit sheer, needing at least 3 coats before looking opaque. 

Just remember to pop on a good top coat before you go out- nobody likes chipped nails!

The Lust List #2

It seems odd that my last 'The Lust List' was in May when all I do is browse online, looking for my next purchases! If I'm honest, generally my 'The Lust List' is a list of products which I want to get, and I would like to try but around half of them are products that will probably have to stay as an image on the list, rather than as an actual item I own!

These are my 5 most-wanted items as of this minute (I say minute because I am prone to changing/adding more items to the list as time goes on!). 

1- Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter- I've heard so much about these but I've never tried them. Every time I go to Boots the testers are broken/melted and so I've never had the chance to find a colour I really like, however they seem like my cup of tea- moisturising but with a hint of colour.

2- Moroccanoil Frizz Control- I'm always on the hunt for that perfect frizz controlling product, so far I've found things that work really well, but they don't go all the way. Morocccanoil, famed for their original treatment, seems like a brand which could possibly offer that kind of product for me.

3- Benefit Whole Lotta Lovin'!- I know, I know, do I really need any more Benefit? My head (and bank account!) say no but my heart cries 'YES!'. It has a mini They're Real, three eyeshadows, a mini Hoola, a mini cream eyeshadow and a mini Boi-ing. This is just £25- yes, you read that right!- and there's many-a 10% off sale, which is made even more tempting by the fact that I have a 10% off voucher too. Somebody keep me away from Debenhams.

4- REN Clearcalm3 Clay Cleanser- My Origins Clear Improvement Mask is dangerously close to finishing and I wanted to try a new clay-based product. From reviews I've read this REN offering seems to be great so I'll have to go and have a look in Space.NK.

5- Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub- I bought a body scrub this summer from Sabon, in Italy, but it seems to have migrated to my parent's bathroom. Mum, Dad- I see you. I really want to try this, smelling amazing and supposedly doing amazing too! Side note: You can always count on Soap & Glory for their punny names- The Breakfast Club fans, anyone?

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. 

May Favourites

While a bit late, May is over so that means...May favourites! The following are all of the products that have been my saviours this month, during the stressful exam period, and even when I've had little breaks..
So, without further ado, here are my favourites!