What's in my makeup bag? // February

Base:

Too Faced // Hangover Primer

Mac // Studio Fix Foundation 

Urban Decay // All Nighter Concealer 

Laura Mercier // Setting Powder 

NYX // Taupe Blush (contour) 

Tanya Burr // Face Palette

The Balm // Mary Lou Manizer

Eyes:

Benefit // Roller Lash Mascara 

Eyebrows:

Fleur De Force // Brow Palette 

Lips:

Mac // Velvet Teddy

So those are the products I'm reaching for this month, simple, quick and easy. I've been loving that no-makeup-makeup recently. 

Skincare Saviours // The Body Shop

Our Tea Tree Mattifying Lotion is a lightweight daytime moisturiser suitable for blemished skin. Infused with our organic pure tea tree oil, this easily absorbed lotion provides hydration, without clogging the pores or leaving skin feeling greasy. Use daily for matte, shine-free results.

Our Tea Tree Night Lotion has a gel-lotion texture that provides light hydration for blemished skin throughout the night, whilst controlling excess oil and sebum. Infused with our organic pure tea tree oil, this lotion will help to keep blemished skin under control and help fade the appearance of blemishes.

(above) as described by thebodyshop.co.uk 

My skin has not been playing fair recently. A mix of laziness and stress has proved to be a lethal cocktail for my temperamental skin. On a mission to fix my face I made the most out of one of The Body Shops offers and picked myself up one of everything that claimed to fight blemishes. The two products that came out on top and have *touch wood* solved my skin issues are the Mattifying Lotion and the Night Lotion. I use the Mattifying Lotion under makeup each morning and cover my face and neck with the Night Lotion after cleansing, before my moisturiser before bed. Both products have a high percentage of tea tree oil which means that each product comes with strong smell and that nice 'I can feel it burning - therefore it must be working feeling' (don't pretend you don't know what I mean, ha).

These may not be miracle, quick fix products but I'm not convinced one of those exists! These certainly do a whole lot of good and are certainly worth a try!

Pick them up and see the whole of The Body Shop's Tea Tree range here.

New OBSESSION: Modern Renaissance

Anastasia Beverly Hills are killing it this year. With nearly 15 million Instagram followers they are close behind MAC in the race to be crowned most followed beauty brand. These 15 million followers have been hit with killer release after killer release this year, with many of these products becoming cult products quite literally seconds after their release. 

I spent a fair few months eyeing up this beauty from afar, watching friends cave in and purchase and I was remaining strong... after all I didn't 'need' another autumnal eyeshadow palette. Here we are a couple of months later and look what I've bought *slaps hands*. One thing I've learnt over the years is if fall for a product, no matter how long I can hold out or how much my sad little bank balance doesn't want me to, I'll cave and buy it. 

Anyway, no regrets, I love the Modern Renaissance palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills. First off the pigmentation is INSANE. You have to be very light handed with application and you need next to nothing on the brush. FYI the brush that comes with this palette is super usable and makes blending a dream. Fall out is minimal - slightly more of a problem with the shimmer shades but still the bare minimum. 

The only downfall, in my opinion, is the packaging design. I love the muted pink shade and the super simplistic design but how impractical is a velvet cover?! I have been very careful with this palette since purchasing, leaving it out of my makeup bag and keeping it far away from foundation, yet still stains keep appearing. Yes, it may look adorable but for the price point of this product I would expect it to be more durable!

TEMPERA: velvety beige with an ultra-matte finish

GOLDEN OCHRE: earthy yellow with an ultra-matte finish

VERMEER: iridescent shell with a metallic finish

BUON FRESCO: antique lavender with an ultra-matte finish

ANTIQUE BRONZE: metallic sable with a satin finish

LOVE LETTER: raspberry with an ultra-matte finish

CYPRUS UMBER: dark coffee with an ultra-matte finish

RAW SIENNA: neutral amber with an ultra-matte finish

BURNT ORANGE: deep orange with an ultra-matte finish

PRIMAVERA: shimmery gold dust with a metallic finish

RED OCHRE: sienna with an ultra-matte finish

VENETIAN RED: crimson with an ultra-matte finish

WARM TAUPE: earthy gray with an ultra-matte finish
REALGAR: brick with an ultra-matte finish

(from the ABH website)

Pick up yours here!

Hit or Miss: New in... Tanya Burr Cosmetics

Tanya Burr has recently stepped up her game (once more) by introducing a long awaited mascara, eyeliner and brow pencil to her already amazing beauty brand. It's fair to say she did not disappoint. The most noticeable change with the new additions is the packaging. I've always been a fan of the original, cardboard packaging but the gold with black detailing is a welcomed upgrade.

Eyeliner is without a doubt the most testing part of my daily makeup application. Getting those flicks symmetrical takes more time and patience than I possess. This eyeliner might not be a miracle worker or the easiest eyeliner to use but the flexible brush applicator and great pigmentation does make the pain-staking task a little more bearable. This eyeliner is now a firm favourite and holds a place in my makeup bag.

When it comes to eyebrow products I am extremely loyal to my trusty Fleur De Force X Eyelure powders, so the fact that the Tanya Burr brow pencil in Medium now lives alongside it in my makeup bag speaks volumes. I may not be able to replace my trusty powder just yet but I love the finish this brow pencil gives. The angular shape of the tip makes for easy, fast application and the colour is the perfect shade of ashy brown for my hair colour. 

Drugstore mascaras are always hit or miss. I am yet to find an affordable alternative that lives up to the amazingness that is Benefit They're Real. That being said this mascara is pretty damn good. The wand is allows each and every lash to be coated which creates lengthened lashes. As I'm a fan of super voluminous lashes I do two or three coats of this mascara to create my desired look which is something I would also do with They're Real. Tanya Burr has done an amazing job at creating a mascara that holds lashes in place all day without any transferring onto the upper or lower lid (and without taking a whole pot of cleanser to remove). Love this. 

Overall: HIT

YSL // EYEBROW WARDROBE*

My eyebrows and I have been on a journey. From the days of over-plucking, over-drawing and even the odd 'I tried to neaten them up but ended up shaving off half' incident. We've come a long way. Now once a month, the lovely ladies at Benefit work their magic and I can finally say my eyebrows suit my face and are relatively easy to upkeep. Unfortunately, the Benefit eyebrow tint only lasts a few days before I'm back to relying on my makeup collection to tame my brows. This is where the YSL brow wardrobe comes in! YSL have 4 products that can tame even the most unruly brows. Whether you need a quick layer of brow gel to set some flyaways or are in need of some serious colour to make those brows visible, YSL have got you covered.

Couture Brow Marker - £21.00 - This felt tip brow marker is great for applying an all over brow colour. The shape of the nib is much bigger than any brow marker I already own which put me off at first. However on application, the shape of the nib allows for precise application where needed and is also ideal for creating a block of colour quickly.

Couture Brow Palette - £35.00 - This little kit is the perfect travel essential to keep your brows looking tidy on-the-go. It comes with 3 powders that I love to use to create an ombre brow, along with an angled brush and tiny tweezers. The powders are not too pigmented, yet pigmented enough for a brow powder, it creates really natural brows.

Couture Brow - £22.00 - This is my most loved product from the whole wardrobe. The Couture Brow allows you to fix, structure and intensify your eyebrows and keeps flyaways in place for up to 24 hours. The pigment is buildable so you really can make your brows as dramatic as you like. I love to layer this on top of a powder product to ensure all day hold.

Dessin Des Sourcils - £21.00 - A brow pencil is a staple in anyone's makeup collection and YSL have created the perfect duel ended precision pencil to create a natural brow. The formula is super creamy which makes for super quick and easy application. Plus having the spoolie on the reverse is really handy to neaten those unruly hairs when out and about.

Here I have used the Couture Brow Palette, Dessin Des Sourcils and Couture Brow to create my ideal brow look:

*these products were gifted but all opinions are my own*

Full Face of Favourites: January

As I'm writing this I am currently at home on Christmas break and that means I only have a makeup bag's worth of makeup. Being the addict that I am it takes me a while to pick and chose what few products are coming home with me. Despite squeezing in enough makeup to last a few years into my poor bag, I have ended up wearing pretty much the same makeup look everyday made up of all of my current favourites. See what I'm loving in this Full Face of Favourites!

Base:

E45 // Moisturising Lotion

NYX // Mineral Stick Foundation

Soap and Glory // Solar Powder

NYX // Taupe Blush (contour)

Mac // Soft and Gentle Highlight

Nars // Deep Throat Blush

Eyes:

Urban Decay // Sin Primer Potion

Maybelline // On and On Bronze Colour Tattoo

Morphe // 350 Palette

Maybelline // Lash Sensational Mascara

Eyebrows:

Soap and Glory // Brow Archery

Benefit // 5 Gimme Brow

Lips:

Mac // Modesty Lipstick

The Body Shop // The Butter Of All Butters*

When it comes to body butters no brand does it quite like The Body Shop. Whether your a fan of floral, fruity or creamy they've got it all. Since 1992 The Body Shop have revolutionised how we take care of our skin, growing their range from 3 to 17 different fragrances. You may well be, just like me, a massive fan of the Body Shop body butters (quite frankly, you would be silly not to be) but are you aware of how much your individual purchases are helping to change the lives of communities? Your love for beautiful skin has helped fund clean water pipes and wells in Ghana, provide better housing and education and even provided the women of Morocco with a fair and regular income. 

So from now on NEVER underestimate the power of your beauty cabinet - try to source your beauty products from brands that are not only good but that DO good, just like The Body Shop.

My aim for this weeks post is to spread the world about The Body Shop's new movement: #INOURHANDS and their goal to ENRICH NOT EXPLOIT... and to encourage their customers to play their part to help make the world a better place for all.

Making the smallest changes to our lives can have a massive impact on the world we live in. We, like them, can impact others lives for the better. Whether it be trying meat free Mondays or having 3 minute showers - it can all help! Share what you are changing with The Body Shop on Twitter @TheBodyShopUK using #INOURHANDS and you will be entered into a prize draw to win the trip of a lifetime to see first hand just how The Body Shop are enriching lives plus a donation will be made to the World Land Trust to protect 1x1m of endangered rain forest. Find out more at: www.inourhands.help.

TO GET A £50 FOR SHOP FOR JUST £25 CLICK THE LINK IN THE SIDEBAR!

 *products were gifted for the purpose of this post: all opinions are my own*

£20 Makeup Challenge! 💰

I spend a lot of money on makeup. Probably too much. My day to day face is worth £205.67 Working that out really shocked me, it's crazy how fast it all adds up and how many products I put on my face every morning. I've seen the £20 face challenge all over the beauty corner of the internet recently and I really wanted to give it a go. Armed with just £20 I searched Superdrug.com and attempted to pick out some items. My oh my, it was a challenge.

 Base:

Miss Sporty // Insta Glow Foundation // 3 for £5 (Superdrug)
Miss Sporty // Perfect Stay Concealer // 3 for £5 - love love love this (Superdrug)
Miss Sporty // Insta Glow Bronzer // Brunette // 3 for £5 (Superdrug)
MUA // Blusher // Bon Bon // £1 (Superdrug)
MUA // Undress Your Skin Highlight // £3 (Superdrug)
 
Eyes:
Calvin Klein // Eyeshadow // £1 Each (Poundland)
MUA // Eye Define // £1.50 (Superdrug)
Primark // Mascara // £1.99 (Superdrug)
 
Eyebrows:
Same as eyes: Calvin Klein // Eyeshadow // £1 (Poundland)
 
Lips:
Collection // Lasting Colour Lipstick // £2.99 (Superdrug)

Total: £17.48
Difference: £190.17

This challenge was way more difficult than I first thought! £20 really doesn't go that far (especially when the average drugstore foundation is £9.99!). That being said, I think I did pretty well here (with the help of superdrug's offers!). Maybe you can make a decent face of makeup with a LOT less money. I can't say that I will be suddenly changing how much money I spend on makeup but it's showed me that you don't necessarily need to splash the cash to get a pretty everyday look.

Have a go yourself!

NEW IN // LANCOME JUICY SHAKERS*

I've been super intrigued by the Juicy Shakers by Lancome ever since I spotted them in Boots. They are nothing like anything I've ever tried before (and I've tried a LOT of lip products!). After swatching a few of the shades I knew I needed to give them a test, hence why I was more than excited when these two arrived at my door for me to test out. The original release featured 14 shades and as of August 31st these two little beauties will be joining them. These are very 'me' colours and in my opinion are much more wearable than for instance the blue shade (Mint to Be) found in the original line up! 

Lancome inform me that this is the 'ultimate lip gloss' due to its bi-phased formula (a mix of nourishing oils and pigment) and I can't really argue. You can really feel them working their magic on your lips as well as looking gorgeous. The pigment is certainly subtle and doesn't last a massively long time on your lips - but really what lip gloss can withstand eating and drinking ect? The oils mean these lip glosses are not sticky in the slightest, a massive plus. Nobody likes the hair sticking to the lips scenario! 

As if that wasn't enough plus points, the whole range also smells amazing which is probably due to one of the oils being cranberry oil (alongside almond and omega 3).

On first impressions I thought the applicator was a bit gimmicky, so many brands have been jumping on the 'sponge product' applicator bandwagon, but I stand corrected. The applicator is not only super soft on the lips but it also allows just the right amount of product to be dispersed onto the lips. Obviously, as the name suggests before application you need to shake the bottle which allows the product to be soaked into the sponge - then you can apply away.  

112 // Show Me The Honey

201 // Piece of Cake

As for these two new shades, 201 // Piece of Cake and 112 // Show Me The Honey (how adorable are those names!) there is a true coral and a dusky pink. Piece of Cake, the  dusky pink, is much more pigmented than it's coral sister, Show me The Honey, but each are perfect day time shades that I know I'll be getting an insane amount of wear out of!

So #BANTHEBORING and pick up a Juicy Shaker for yourself HERE. Piece of Cake and Show Me The Honey launch nationwide on 31st August available from Boots.  Retail price £18.00 each.

*Products were gifted but all opinions are my own*

Summer Wallpapers

Summer calls for a shake up of our phone backgrounds, we all need a bit more colour in our lives. So I took it upon myself to search pinterest and pick out a few of my faves. I'm always here to help a gal out, take ya pick.

Links: Top (L-R): 1 // 2 // 3. Bottom (L-R): 4 // 5 // 6

Links: Top (L-R): 1 // 2 // 3. Bottom (L-R): 4 // 5 // 6

Let me know if you used any of these. You can find more backgrounds that I've been loving here!

The Body Shop // Shade Adjusting Drops + Fresh Nude Foundation*

Summer is the perfect time to put away the heavily contoured face and bring out the fresh glowy skin; so I've been on the lookout for the perfect foundation to give me just that. The Body Shop is quickly becoming one of my favourite makeup brands with a massive range of products, with none that have disappointed. That's one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to try a couple of their new(ish) products - the Fresh Nude Foundation and Shade Adjusting Drops. Read on to see what I think of them...

The Power of Makeup

Makeup is amazing. I love how I can wake up everyday and layer the stuff on and create what's practically a completely different face.  Obviously there is nothing wrong with going au natural but hey, if I can add an eyeshadow to make those green eyes pop or a lipliner to fill out my lips, why the hell not?! For this weeks post I wanted to make up just half of my face to see how much I choose to adapt on a day to day basis - yanno I was just curious.

What I'm Wearing:

Base: 

L'Oreal // Infallible Mattifying Base

L'Oreal // Infallible Matte Foundation

Kiko // Dark Circle Concealer // 02 Peach

Nars // Radiant Creamy Concealer // Light 02 Vanilla

HD Brows // Powder Base // 2

Chanel // Blush // 70 Tumulte

Benefit // Watt's up Highlighter

L'Oreal // Infallible Sculpt // Bronzer

Eyes:

The Balm // Put a lid on it Primer

Maybelline // Color Tattoo // On and On Bronze

CoverGirl // Lash Blast Volume Mascara 

Primark // Eyeliner Pen

Eyebrows:

Anastasia Beverly Hills // Dip Brow Pomade // Soft Brown

Benefit // Gimme Brow // Medium/Deep

Lips: 

Mac // Taupe

Have you done a blog post similar to this? Please link them bellow, I would love to see them!

FOTD // Double Flick Eyeliner and Purple Eyes

What I'm Wearing:

Base:

Max Factor // Facefinity Primer

Urban Decay // Naked Skin Foundation

Collection // Lasting Perfection Concealer

Maybelline // Matte Maker Powder

Bourjois // Chocolate Bronzer and Highlight

Chanel // Blush in 70 Tumulte

Eyes:

The Balm // Put a lid on it Primer

Elf // Party Purple Quad

ColourPop // I <3 This Eyeshadow

L'Oreal // So Couture Eyeliner

Maybelline // Lash Sensesional Mascara

Eyebrows:

Anastasia Beverly Hills // Dipbrow Pomade // Soft Brown

Lips:

Mac // Mehr

Forever Favourties

There are so many products that I love and use all the time but they rarely appear in favourites because I just feel like I would just be repeating myself every month. I spend a little more than too much money on makeup, so that means more than often something I once loved can very easily be pushed to the back of my makeup draws and forgot about until my next clear out. These 5 little beauties have never been pushed to the back of those draws - they have never even known life outside of my makeup bag, hence why these are my Forever Favourites.

Urban Decay // Naked 3: This was the first piece of highend makeup I ever bought. It killed me to hand over that £38 for an eyeshadow pallette, little did I know that that little spend would lead me here 100's of pounds later... Ever since purchasing this little beauty I have loved the heck out of it. I have green eyes which means pink and purple tones are just perfect for me. This palette really does have it all, perfect for day to night. And as for the quality (I'm sure everyone and their mother has tried out Urban Decay eyeshadows by now but if you haven't) they're amazing, so pigmented and blendable. I would however never wear them without an eyeshadow primer (preferably Put a Lid on it by The Balm). Love, love, love.

The Body Shop: British Rose*

When it comes to skincare the Body Shop can really do no wrong! So, of course, I jumped at the chance to try out their new British Rose range - who could turn down the promise of 'petal-soft skin'? As the name suggests everything in this range is rose scented but of course the Body Shop had to go one step further and use only the essence organic roses grown in Herefordshire (how fancy?). I've never been a massive lover of rose scented beauty products as the old school scent is very 'grandma-esk' but the Body Shop have created a very light, fresh scent that's not at all over-powering.  

Bedside Beauty

FOTD // Glitter A Little

 What I'm Wearing:

Eyes

The Balm // Put a Lid on it Primer

Makeup Revolution // Ultra Flawless Eyeshadow Palette // Flawless Matte (no idea of the shade names but I used the purple ones!)

ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadow // I Heart This (This is gorgeous!)

L'Oréal // Super Liner

Too Faced // Better than Sex Mascara

Eyebrows

Anastasia Beverly Hills // Dipbrow Pomade // Soft Brown

Face

Stila // Stay all Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm

L'Oréal // True Match Foundation // Rose Ivory

Nars // Radiant Creamy Concealer // Vanilla

Maybelline // Matte Maker // Classic Ivory

Benefit // Hoola Bronzer

Kiko // Soft Touch Blush // 109

Tarte // Amazonian Clay Blush // Enthused (as a highlight)

Lips

ColourPop // Ultra Matte Lip // Lumiere 2

Mac Lipstick Collection // 2016

It's been a little while since my last Mac lipstick collection post and it's fair to say it has grown in size... When it comes to lipsticks no one does it better than Mac. With so many different shades and formulae it's obvious why I can never resist, right?! Some people collect stamps, I like Mac lipsticks. 

FOTD // Makeup for Green Eyes

My University Makeup Collection!

In two weeks I will be in University. Honestly, I am petrified but this has given me the perfect excuse to go through my makeup collection and pick out the pieces to take with me. To be honest, I wasn't able to narrow down my collection too much...



At home I like to store my makeup in a set of draws but dragging a huge piece of furniture to a tiny university room just isn't sensible so I purchased these storage boxes from Homebase. Not only will the grey and white compliment my choice of room decoration but the cute font adds a vintage feel. The top of the boxes are glass which makes it so easy to see what's in each box and they were reasonably priced too.
The first of the boxes holds my foundations, blushers and other face products. Although I tend to reach for my MAC Studio Sculpt everyday it's nice to have a few back up foundations. My favourite drugstore foundation is Rimmel's Wake Me Up. It contains bighting particles - perfect to create a summer glow even in winter. The story is similar with blushers, every morning I reach for my NYX blusher but I will be taking a few more with me in case a miracle happens and I change it up.
Next up is my eye box. I love buying single eye shadows as I know that when I buy a palette there will always be those few shades that you never use even though you've paid for them. A personal favourite are the Maybelline New York Colour Tattoos. The longevity and the pigmentation of these are second to none! I only own 3 shades but I can't wait to add a few more to my collection. Benefit also does amazing cream eye shadows if you want to splash out!
My palette section is by far my favourite. My Naked 3 palette is one of my favourite belongings (sillily I didn't add a picture but you can read my review HERE). Closely followed by my newest addition my Stila in The Light palette. Nevertheless there are also some amazing palettes available for a fraction of the price of these in the drugstore. Two of my favourites are MUA's Undress Me 2 and Sleek's Storm Palette.

Keep tuned to see my lipstick collection... coming very soon!