CURRENT BEAUTY FAVOURITES | #9

It only feels like a few days ago that I posted my last bunch of favourite beauty bits, but I think it's just because I have genuinely been loving so many different products lately - sorry to my bank balance for that but what can ya do! 

First things first, since the weather is very slowly improving and starting to act more spring-like, I have been reaching for the brilliant Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster.  This is a liquid facial tanner that you mix with your moisturiser (day or night).  It is easy to control how much you use - a couple of drops added to my night cream is enough to give me a natural looking glow - so you don't end up waking up to a nasty orange-faced surprise!  It is £19 and I recommend it both if you have fair skin, as you can apply as little as you like and if you just want a bit of colour whilst going to as little effort as possible.  

Next up is the beautiful YSL Volute Sheer Candy lipstick, £25, which is just one of the most beautifully packaged lip products I've ever come across.  Obviously I didn't just buy it for the silver and pink look, ahem, but I also got it because the pink is just so pretty and looks really juicy when applied.  Despite how bright it looks, on the lips it is much more like a sheer gloss and it leaves a gentle but bright pop of pink.  It is pretty similar in formula and finish to the Revlon Lip Butters in my opinion, it feels super moisturising on my lips too which is a bonus when mine are dry 90% of the time! 

My favourite facial oil that I have ever tried is the Balance Me Radiance Face Oil, which is made from natural based ingredients and is gentle on the skin - which makes it ideal for sensitive types like mine.  It is quite scary applying an oil to your skin when your skin type is pretty oily to start with; I was really worried about trying this as I was convinced it would break me out in spots and make my skin worse than it already was.  I was really pleasantly surprised though to find that a little of this used at night actually has helped improved my skin a hell of a lot.  It soaks in nicely so my skin doesn't feel greasy, and somehow (I don't know the science behind it) it tells my skin's oiliness 'don't worry, I got this' and it counteracts it, and magically no more spots appear.  I 100% recommend this, it makes for a better base for the rest of my make up, and my skin does seem to have more of a glow to it lately.  

Bargain time now, and it doesn't get much better than this £4 bargain eye shadow palette from Make Up Revolution.  It was also featured on my last favourites post, but it really does deserve to be here twice!  As you can see, the shades in this palette have a close resemblance to those in the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette, only for a fraction of the price.  For a budget brand, the eye shadows actually have pretty good pigmentation - especially the more matte shades, and you can create a whole load of different looks with them.  There are a lot of rose gold shades in there, one or two bronze toned colours and also some highlighting shades too, which are perfect for applying to the inner corners of your eyes to make them appear bigger. 

I realise I rambled on a bit there, but hopefully that just shows how in love I am with these gorgeous bits!  What have you been loving lately?  Do you have any of these products? xx

WEEKLY FAVOURITES #2

I’m not sure there is any actual weekly pattern to these posts, I guess structuring my blog isn’t my strongest point!  But these are the products that I have been loving most lately, most of which have probably popped up on here before at some point. 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation: Last week I had a bad breakout of spots all of a sudden, which wasn’t much fun and the worst part is not knowing what caused it.  I have been using Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation recently, it is an old favourite of mine but my breakout made me think that my skin should probably have a little more breathing space to help it clear.  Rimmel Match Perfection provides good coverage but also feels light on the skin, so it feels less like it is clogging the pores etc., and since the weather has been a little warmer lately a slightly lighter base is a good idea.  I also love the healthy dewy (not greasy!) finish that this base gives, matte finishes are great but I like a little more of a glow for springtime! 

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Unapologetic:  I love this shade, and it has been my go-to lately, the matte finish is perfect for day-to-night wear and it lasts a god few hours too.

Balance Me Facial Oil: This lay forgotten in a drawer for a long time, until I rediscovered it a few days ago!  I love using it to give my skin some much needed moisture, and it leaves it feeling so so soft and plump.  It is easy to assume that a breakout means that your skin doesn’t needed any moisture, but it is quite the opposite because drinking more water and moisturising well helps clear your skin problems up. 

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Green Berry: I love this colour so much!  It is a bright turquoise shade from my favourite nail polish brand, the gel effect is amazing: super shiny and unbeatable pigmentation.  One coat is enough to give your nail an opaque covering of colour, and the colour is perfect for summer.

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder:  I have been using this for a couple of months now, and it really is a lifesaver when it comes to brightening under my eyes – especially on my frequent early starts.  I apply it with a setting brush after using concealer, it seals it and the finely milled powder brightens the area and keeps it in place all day.  I can’t recommend this enough if like me you suffer with dark circles! 

Do you like any of these products?  What have you been loving this week? xx

 

 

Review | Benefit Rockateur

So this is what happens when I go to Westfield looking for a new jacket: I see too many, I can’t decide which to get, so I end up at the Benefit counter buying their latest blusher instead.  I do not know why, I do not know how, but that is how it was.  I have had my eye on Rockateur since it came out, and a while ago I hit pan with my beloved Sugarbomb so this was always going to happen sooner or later!  At £23.50, Rockateur is the same price as the other Benefit blushes, although when I got this one home I did notice that it has slightly less in it than the others – very sneaky!  Let’s just hope it lasts as long..

My first impressions of it are good; it is a soft peachy coral colour, with a soft sheen that looks really flattering and radiant on the cheeks.  When you first open it up, there is quite a heavy amount of shimmer on it, but I noticed that after one use, this had mostly gone so it seems to be just a top layer intended to make it look nice!  It does look cute, the box has a lace type pattern on it which I like, and there is a little mirror inside too which can come in handy.  The word ‘rock’ is stamped across the product, which is a nice little touch!  It also comes with a little blusher brush like the other Benefit blushes, which I have to say I used to enjoy using before I got my Real Techniques blush brush. 

The colour is not a strong one; having owned both Sugarbomb and Coralista by Benefit, I would say that Rockateur is the most subtle and gives a softer finish.  I personally really like it, and I think it gives a nice healthy and natural glow to my cheeks without being too OTT. 

Have you tried Rockateur?  What do you think of it? xx

Revlon 2 for £10 | Just Bitten lip stain & Lash Potion mascara

Hey!  So yes, the title says it all really!  I went into Boots knowing very well that I didn’t need anything, and the latest offer on Revlon products, 2 items for £10 caught my eye.  I thought it was a pretty good deal since the Lash Potion mascara was £9.99 on its own, so I picked up one of those and a Just Bitten Kissable lip stain. 

I haven’t tried the mascara yet, but I wore the lip stain today and I already love it!  The colour I bought ‘Rendezvous’ is similar to one of the Revlon Lip Butters I have, it’s a nice soft orange shade that is really moisturising and can be built up depending on how bold you like to wear it.  I think this will be my new favourite for a while, at least until the next new product comes along! 

Also, since taking the photos for this post, my latest foundation has arrived; I’ve bought Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation after hearing great reviews about it, and also seeing that they have a shade that might just be the right shade of pale for me, so fingers crossed!

 
Have you tried either of these products?  xx

p.s  For anyone that may have seen this post before… I made a boo boo and named it Bourjois rather than Revlon, being the wally that I am!  Sorry about that, it will teach me not to write posts too late at night when I’m half asleep/watching The Tudors ;) xx

Review | Topshop Lipstick in Rio Rio

 

Hey!  My posts have been a bit lacking lately due to working odd and different shifts every day, so here is a review of a new lipstick that I bought a couple of days ago. 

 

It is ‘Rio Rio’ by Topshop, and it’s a bright, bold, matte red with warm orange tones in it – I’m totally in love with it!  My usual colour of choice is coral, but I have a little collection of reds now and this one fits in nicely.

 

As always with Topshop’s lipsticks, the pigmentation is fab, it is a really rich colour and as soon as I apply it there is a good covering that doesn’t need a lot of building up (depending on how bold you like it). 

 

It is a matte colour, which looks nice and sleek.  I love both matte and glossy lips, but I would say that I probably own more glossy, high shine colours so this was a welcome addition.  I think that matte shades are a little more wearable for day time make up in general, so I think that this will definitely be worn a lot over the course of the summer! 

 

The name ‘Rio Rio’ is very apt for this lipstick – it is a bold shade that wouldn’t be out of place at a summer carnival, and wearing it with a lovely bright outfit is a must I feel!

 

Have you tried this lipstick?  What shades are you loving right now? xx

My Make Up Storage

Hey!  So I thought that I would share my make up storage with you today, I have seen a fair few blog posts like this but everyone else seems to keep their make up on dressing tables etc so I thought I would show mine which is all kept in the bottom of one of my wardrobes!  Until recently, all my make up was in a right mess, it was spread out all over the place and there was no order, just my every day make up shoved into a make up bag so I decided to get organised and this is the result.  I have got a dressing table but I have decided to display all my jewellery on there, which is a post for another day! 

The basket is something that I picked up in Wilkinsons.  It was cheap and it was a lovely bright blue colour so I thought it would be ideal for putting all my bottles in, e.g fake tan, hair care and body lotions.  The good thing about putting these things in there was that I found a lot of stuff that I either never used or had pretty much run out, so a lot got thrown out and suddenly I had a lot more space! 

The same goes for my make up.  I picked up this set of plastic drawers in a sale at Sainsburys, they were a bargain at £9.99 and ideal for organising all my different bits of make up.  I separated everything into drawers so there is a space for face, eyes, nails etc and again I found a LOT of stuff that I’ve had for such a long time that needed to go so I’ve found that my make up collection has shrunk a hell of a lot.  Maybe this is an ideal excuse to go out and buy some more?  Perhaps not, I’m actually really happy with the products I have right now and need to stop spending so much, so no more nice new things for me just yet! 

These two storage containers are both kept in one of my wardrobes, which is probably usually used for shoes, but my shoes are kept in another one so I made use of the spare space and I’m really rather pleased with myself..!

How do you store all of your make up? xx