March Beauty Favourites

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation // Illamasqua Cream Blush in 'Rude'// LORAC Pro Palette // Revlon Matte Balm Stain in 'Elusive'// MAC Blush in 'Harmony' // Rimmel Lash Accelerator // MAC Zoom Lash //

Here are a few of the makeup products I have been LOVING throughout the month of March, some have been featured quite a lot on my blog, mainly because I am obsessed with them, and don't get me started on that LORAC Pro Palette, my god.

For foundation I've mainly been using my Laura Mercier foundation, as recently my skin hasn't been too good whilst i've been in the process of clearing it up and this has been perfect to cover those annoying blemishes!

For cheeks i've really been liking the Illamasqua blush in the shade 'Rude', to give a natural flush to the cheeks, but it also adds a subtle glow, it's also really nice for on the lips too weirdly enough! Another cheek product i've been using frequently has been the MAC blush in 'Harmony', which I've been using for contouring, as I may of said before, it's a great colour as it's got a hint 'grey' in it to create a natural shadow.

A lip product that everyone and their grandma has tried are the Revlon Matte balm stains, they definitely live up to the hype, they're long wearing, pigmented and moisturising. I really need to get a few more shades that's for sure!!

Now, prepare yourselves ladies and gentlemen, cause I am CRAZY about the LORAC Pro Palette, and I mean crazy. I wrote a whole post about this beauty so I won't ramble on too much, basically they're super pigmented and blendable and just the best eyeshadows ever used!

Two mascaras I have been using together as a little duo, are the Rimmel Lash Accelerator and the MAC Zoom Lash, the Rimmel one is gives length and the MAC gives volume, which creates the perfect full looking lashes! 

Spring Beauty Edit

Here are a few things I think i'll be using a hell of a lot this Spring! Firstly for base makeup Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua is a great lightweight foundation that feels like heaven on the skin, but leaves a nice amount of coverage too. For cheeks the Illamasqua Cream Blush in 'Rude' is the perfect peachy-pink that gives your cheeks that subtle natural flush colour but with a dewy finish. For eyes a lovely hint of bronze is always a must when it comes to my eye makeup so I think my Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow in 'Beach Bronze' will get a lot of use over the next few months, especially as it has great lasting power on it's own and as a base for other eyeshadows.

Another eyeshadow base / cream eyeshadow that i've been loving but is also cheaper than the Bobbi Brown is Rimmel's Eyeshadow Paint in 'Rich Russet' which I like to use mainly as a base as it makes your eyeshadow really last the whole day and adds a subtle shimmer. (unless you use a lot of shimmery eyeshadow on top, which is what I do!) Moving on to eyeshadow palettes I think these two will get a lot of use, the Stila In the Light Palette has a perfect mixture of mattes and shimmery eyeshadows, and the shade Kitten is to die for! All the shadows are perfectly pigmented and buttery, I could go on and on about this palette, I just love it!

The other palette that I foresee will get a HELL of a lot of use and I mean A LOT, is the LORAC Pro Palette, I love it so much already! Again it has the perfect mix of mattes and shimmers (one row of each) all are equally as pigmented, and it has those all important matte black and white eyeshadows perfect for highlighting and lining the lash line!

Moving on to lip products, aka my ultimate weakness! I've picked a few out to vary it a bit, firstly one of my favourites at the moment is the Revlon Matte Balm Stain in 'Elusive', these balm stains are amazing, the lasting power is ridiculous and they are super opaque, i'd say there a must for everyone this Spring! Another lip product i've been loving and I think so has everyone else, is the Maybelline Baby Lips in the shade 'Cherry' (i think), perfect for days when you can't be bothered with makeup as it adds the perfect hint of colour to the lips. I've also been liking this Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in the shade '05 Rosetto', which is a really nice rosy shade that goes really well with bronzey eye makeup. And finally the MAC lipstick of my choice is the fabulous 'Crosswires', which is the prettiest pinky-coraly-peach and screams spring to me!

Beauty & Fashion Haul

Hi again! I've recorded another video, this time it's a haul! These are all things i've bought in the past two months-ish, notice that there's a lot more makeup than clothes, WOOPS.

List of items: All clothing from Urban Outfitters, Bare Minerals Original Foundation in 'Fairly light', Benefit 'Rockateur' blush, Illamasqua Pigment in 'Furore', Illamasqua Cream Blush in 'Rude', Sleek Matte Me in 'Petal', Tanya Burr Lip Glosses in 'Afternoon Tea' and 'Just Peachy', Sigma E40 Brush, MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick, Sally Hansen Nail Polish in 'Scarlet' 

FOTD: #1

No7 Beautifully Matte foundation in shade 'Calico'// Maybelline ColorTattoo in 'On & On Bronze//  MAC eyeshadows: 'All That Glitters' 'Tempting' 'Cork' 'Brun'// L'Oreal Super Liner// MAC Pencil Eyeliner in 'Teddy"// Chanel Eye Kohl Pencil in Black// Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara // NARS 'Dolce Vita' Blush// MAC Lipstick in 'Plumful' // 

I'd thought i'd share my makeup for the day for this post, as i'm going out for dinner tonight as it's mine and Elliott's three year anniversary woohoo! I went for for simple face makeup and lips paired with strong eye makeup.

My Favourite Recent Makeup:

Oops long time no speak! A lot has happened in the past month with going on holiday and getting a job so i hadn't really had any time to blog anything unfortunately, but i am back!! It was my 19th birthday last weekend which was fabulous (even though i was working) and was lucky enough to get a Macbook Pro from my lovely boyfriend Elliott, although i am paying him back about £700 of it with wages etc.

Anyway recently i've been doing my makeup slightly differently, with more simple eye makeup and darker lips and i've been absolutely loving it!

I use the Bourjois healthy mix foundation & concealer to cover redness and imperfections and powder over with Rimmel Stay Matte as usual. Then i contour my cheeks with a bit of Sleek contour kit in shade medium and add a bit of colour with a Bourjois cream blush to the cheeks with a stippling brush. I then move onto the eyes and apply MAC's Cork all over the lid with the RT brush, and then blend in Tempting by MAC with the 217 brush in the outer corner of the eye and work it into the crease as well, and finally to add a bit more i finish off with Brun by MAC blended into the crease and lower lash line to make it a bit more 'smokey'. Next i apply a black Chanel kohl eyeliner in my top waterline (not the bottom as it makes my eyes look smaller) and also smudge it into the top lash line as well to create a bit of definition. Then top it off with a bit of mascara! (Maybelline Falsies)
For the lips i used Plumful by MAC which is a beautiful, well, plum shade, that looks great on just about anyone (so i've heard) and it's a great all year round kinda colour, it just about suits the summer but i think it's going to look even better in the Autumn and Winter!

current nail polish i've been loving

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in 'Lychee' & 17 High Shine Nail Polish in 'Mink'

I've been loving this nail combo recently, with 'Lychee' on most of the nails and adding a bit of colour with 'Mink' on the ring finger of each hand. The muted colours just work so well together, and look very clean and put together, the best thing of all is it matches every outfit yay!

Updated every day makeup routine

Foundation: Normally every day i use No7's Beautifully Matte foundation in the shade 'Calico' and apply it with a Real Techniques Expert Face brush, which gives a natural looking flawless finish to the skin. Somtimes i'll use the Revlon ColorStay foundation in 'Ivory' or the Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream in 'Pale' depending on what kind of finish and coverage i want.

Concealer: For concealing redness or those pesky spots i use the well known Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in 'Fair' and i pat/stipple the R.T Buffing brush on top to blend it in, but not smudge it off.

Under eye concealer: I use the same concealer and dot it under the eyes and blend out with R.T deluxe crease brush.

Powder: Yes, i use the Rimmel stay matte as it really is the best powder at such a low cost, i use the R.T contour brush to apply it round the centre of the face to get rid of shine and set the concealer.

Eyebrows: I brush through my brows with the spoolly (sp?) side of my No7 eyebrow pencil, and then lightly apply a dark brown matte eyeshadow (i'm using the dark brown from a Benefit palette) using an angled brush and with little strokes fill in my brows to make them less sparse but still looking natural, we don't want no scouse brow, am i right?

Priming/eyeshadow base: To start off the eyes i'll either apply a primer such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion (i'm using the one in the shade 'Sin') or the Maybelline ColorTattoo in 'On and On Bronze' which is perfect as a base to really amplify the eyeshadows used on top. 

Eyeshadow: Finally we've made it to eyeshadow! First i take MAC's 'All That Glitters' all over the lid with the RT base shadow brush to set the base, then with the same brush i apply 'Cork' on the outer half of the lid and blend. Then i take 'Tempting' on a MAC 217 brush and apply to the crease and blend out, and then take the same shadow on the E.L.F crease brush and apply to lower lash line. Next to highlight the inner corner of the eye and to brighten my eyes a bit more i take 'Virgin' from the Naked palette in a R.T Accent brush and apply around the inner corner area. Recently i've been loving using black eyeshadow as liner, so i next take the R.T Angled brush and line my top lash line, for a softer look than using liquid liner.

Mascara: Lastly for the eyes, i curl my lashes and apply the ever famous Maybelline 'The Falsies' mascara, and for the lower lashes i use No7's Extreme Length as the wand is the perfect size. If i want more added to the liner, i'll use the Collection Extreme 24 liner but only a really small amount.

Blush: For blush it varies day to day, if i use a cream blush i'll use the R.T Stippling brush, and if i use powder i use the R.T Blush brush. The few blushes i have are: Revlon Cream blush in 'Pinched', Dainty Doll powder blush in 'You Are My Sunshine', Natural Collection 'Sweet Cheeks', Sleek Contour kit 'medium', E.L.F 'Merry Berry'.

Lips: Again my the lip product i'll use will vary day to day, most of the time i go for a pinky-mauve shade that are more on the cool toned side rather than warm. A few that i have are: No7's 'Mulberry', Maxfactor 'Rosewood', Revlon 'Crush', Rimmel Apocalips 'Galaxy', Revlon 'Smoked Peach', Rimmel 'Vintage Pink'.

Sometimes if i want more precision with application i'll use a lip brush, or if i want more of a stain rather than a full on lip colour i'll apply a lip balm and then lightly apply lipstick on top and blend out with a lip brush.

a little spring/summer clothing/beauty haul! (H&M, Topshop, MAC)

weaved sandals - Topshop // chunky peep toe heels - H&M // suede flip flops - H&M // knitted vest - H&M // patterned 'ombre' trousers - H&M // MAC 217 brush - Revlon BB cream - Collection liquid eyeliner pen - Barry M gelly nail paint in 'Lychee' // 

Yesterday i finally went summer shopping (for holiday as well) and i kind of didn't go as overboard as i thought i would, but i bought a few things that i had been wanting for a while anyway. 

Firstly i purchased the Topshop sandals which i think will be so perfect for summer and for when i go on holiday, they can pretty much be paired with anything and it'll look great! I'm thinking they'll look good with rolled up jeans and a slouchy top for the last few weeks i have left at uni!

I also bought my evening shoes that i'll be wearing a lot on holiday, i was originally planning on getting some shoes from New Look but when i got there they didn't have any in my size! So i ran back to H&M and found these beauty's! I can imagine they'll go great with the two clothing items i bought, to dress up a semi-casual outfit. The heel is quite chunky so they're easier to walk in than you think especially with the added support of the platform as well, and the ankle strap supports my foot very nicely so hopefully i won't have any trip ups!

I managed to find some comfy looking flipflops, as planned from H&M, my previous material flipflops were also from H&M and they lasted me about 4 years so i'm hoping these will last me just as long.

I didn't really buy much in the way of clothing, as i already have A LOT of clothes that'll be suitable for spring/summer and also on holiday. I'm talking about the 7 pairs of shorts hidden in a drawer and the billions of t-shirts i already have stuffed in my wardrobe. So i only resorted in buying this cute almost 'knitted' style vest top that'll be great for casual days with shorts and sandals, or dressed up with a skirt and heels. And the smart looking light weight trousers that'll match well with the top, but can be dressed down with sandals and a baggy t-shirt. I think the 'ombre' edging is kind of surprising and give the trousers an interesting twist.

Lastly i bought a few makeup items, a BB cream to protect my face from the sun when i'm on holiday (which i'd reapply throughout the day) and with the added 'concealing' element adds a bit of coverage to my not so perfect skin! I also finally bought the MAC 217 brush which i've been wanting for absolutely ages, it's a really great brush for anything to do with eyeshadow: application, blending, crease etc. And i can't wait to start using it! I also wanted to try out the 'Gelly' nail polishes by Barry M and i thought this colour was a nice take on the 'nude shade' and it can pretty much match with anything which will be great for spring/summer when i'm feeling lazy. I wanted to finally try one of those felt tip liners as well, and i saw Collection had one that was only £2.99 so i thought that would be a good buy incase it turns out that i don't like it!

I also re-purchased Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer (as mine has almost run out) and Maybelline the Falsies Flared mascara to save in case it runs out before holiday!

Have you been doing any spring/summer shopping recently?

holiday wishlist #2

// MAC 217 brush £17 // chunky t-bar style heels - new look £20 // Maybelline BB cream £8 // cropped vests in mint & coral - H&M £1.99 ea // pineapple t-shirt - H&M £15 // Lace top - H&M £8 //

So i thought i'd do another holiday wishlist, as i'm doing my holiday shopping fairly early (in a few weeks) as me and Elliott are taking a trip, even though we live fairly near it, to Bluewater to do our summer shopping! Now as i said previously i don't want to get much, as i already have A LOT of clothes suitable for summer already e.g about 8 pairs of shorts, so i've listed off a few items that i need/want for this upcoming summer.

Firstly i've wanted to own the MAC 217 brush for absolutely ages, so i thought now was the time to buy it! It'll be the perfect little add to my daily brush collection, and i can't want to try it out with eye shadows etc.

Getting a BB cream is fairly self explanatory, it'll be hot in Tunisia so i won't really be wanting to wear heavy foundation particularly in the day, but with a BB cream it has high SPF meaning i can put it on and have some protection from the sun but also the coverage as well!

In the previous holiday wishlist i made i said that i was in look of some evening shoes, and i think these are the perfect pair, they have a chunky heel so they'll be easy and comfy to walk in and they're very 'open' so my feet won't get all hot in them, perfect!

H&M is the place to go for simple tops for the summer they're perfect for lounging around by the pool paired with some shorts, and at £1.99 each you can't really complain, i know i'll be picking up a few when i go shopping.I also saw the cute pineapple top on the H&M website and i kind of had a 'love at first site' moment with this top, i just think it's the cutest thing i've ever seen!!! I think priced at £15 is a bit steep, but i think i'll make an exception with this top.Lastly a simple black see-through lace top will be great for the holidays as a bikini cover-up, as you can just throw it on over the top of your swimsuit and be good to go for lunch after a morning by the pool, can't wait!

Have you found anything recently that'll be great for summer or vacation?

my new mac palette!

Recently my favourite shades from the Urban Decay Naked palette have run out/hit pan (Buck, Half Baked and Smog) so i was looking around for similar shades but in separate form. I looked at the Urban Decay section in Debenhams and it turned out it would cost a lot more than actually re-buying the whole Naked palette again!! So i eventually decided it was about time i bought some Mac eyeshadows instead as it would be nice to try something new, but also it was slightly cheaper than buying the U.D eyeshadows separately.

The shades i bought were 'All That Glitters', a shade that's always being raved about and it lovely as an all over lid shade, 'Cork', a fabulous shade for the crease or on the top lash line as a liner or also an eyebrow powder to shape and fill in, and finally 'Tempting' a lovely dark bronze-brown shade, similar to 'Smog' from U.D Naked palette, and is lovely for the outer corner of the lid and also the crease!

I am very happy with the shades i have picked, and it'll be great for every day use!

a spring time makeup look!

Start with your daily foundation and concealer, i use No7's Beautifully Matte foundation in 'Calico' and buff it in with a RT Buffing Brush, and for concealer i use the one and only Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in 'fair'.

Next fill in your eyebrows lightly, i use No7's Beautiful Eyebrow pencil in Dark Brown. Use tiny strokes to fill in and shape the eyebrows to mimic the look of hairs, then use the spool side to brush through the eyebrows afterwards.

Next set your foundation and concealer, i use Rimmel's Stay Matte powder (the best powder ever in my opinion) with a RT contour brush to fit in areas such as the under eye area perfectly! Then add some colour to your face with some blush, i'm using Natural Collections blush in 'Sweet Cheeks' applied with a RT Blush brush. Lightly place the blush on the high points of the cheeks for a natural looking flush!

Next it's time for eyes! I'm not using an eye primer for this look as it looks more natural and softer if you just use the shadows without a base. First i take 'Naked' all over the eye with a RT base shadow brush, then i take 'Sidecar' and place it on the outer half of the lid with the same brush. Next i take 'Buck' with the same brush again and place it on the very outer corner and in the crease, i then blend it out with the E.L.F Blending brush. Then i use a pencil brush and place 'Hustle' in the crease and on the lower lashline.

Finally for the lashes i use the Maybelline 'The Falsies Flared' to bump up the volume and length of my lashes, then i go over the top to comb through the lashes to get rid of clumps with 'No7's Extreme Length' on the top lashes and the bottom as well. Then for lips i use No7's 'Mulberry' to add a nice bit of colour on the lips, that is noticeable but not as crazy as a red lip!

And there have the results! I think it's a great look for spring and summer as it's quick and easy and looks lovely for day time wear, if you find the foundation and concealer combo to heavy you can always switch it out with a BB Cream or a tinted moisture riser for a lighter coverage!