Daily Makeup #3

In celebration of finally finding a drugstore foundation that not only matches my skin tone but actually looks good on me, I decided to do a makeup look using mainly drugstore products. I say mainly because I had to cheat with my powder but everything else I used can be found in Boots or Superdrug & is very affordable. The foundation I'm referring to is none other than the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation which really illuminates the skin whilst giving medium coverage. I use the shade 010 Light Porcelain which is very pale & pink toned. I applied it using an Illamasqua Highlighter Brush which can make any foundation look amazing. For concealer I went with an old favourite, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. This product works brilliantly both under the eyes & on blemishes so it has earned a permanent place in my makeup bag. To set my base I used Illamasqua Translucent Loose Setting Powder. Obviously it's not a drugstore item but for the price you get a ton of product & it gives you a flawless matte finish. I can't really wear the Rimmel foundation without powder because the staying power isn't that great & it transfers like hell!

Sleek do the best drugstore cheek products in my opinion. I used their Face Contour Kit in Light to add some definition to my cheekbones & highlight the high points of my face. I don't really like the highlighter that much because it's practically invisible on the skin but the contour shade is fab. I also used their Rose Gold Blush which is a beautiful peachy pink with golden shimmer. It's basically the same colour as NARS Orgasm. The pigmentation isn't as good but that often works out well for me because I tend to be quite heavy handed with my blusher. Next I moved onto my eye makeup & I started by using the SEVENTEEN Trio Eyeshadow in Enraged. These colours are a lot warmer than they look in the pan so I don't like them as much as I thought I would. The gold works nicely as a pop colour in the middle of the eye but I'll definitely be avoiding the peachy shade in future. I applied a couple of coats of the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara to my top & bottom lashes before lining them with the Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner Pen. I use those two on a regular basis & I think they make a great combo. It feels weird now to use anything other than Anastasia DipBrow Pomade on my eyebrows but I filled them in with the Collection Eyebrow Kit. These powders are really good quality & can be mixed to create your own custom brow shade.

The bright red lips are the focal point of this look & I thought I would try one of the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipsticks. This is the shade 03 Hot Pepper which is a vibrant orangey red. I've heard so many good things about these matte finish liquid lipsticks so I wanted to see if they lived up to the hype. I love the colour but the formula, not so much. Sure it lasts for hours without requiring reapplication but it was a bit of a faff to apply in the first place. I thought it would be opaque in one swipe but I had to keep layering it up which meant it took forever to dry down. It still feels slightly tacky hours later & transfers if you eat something or kiss someone. I think I just need to be patient & wait for Jeffree Star's Velour Liquid Lipsticks to be restocked. They're completely kissproof & come in some even prettier colours! I do appreciate how long lasting this Bourjois one is though & it's rare for such a bright lipstick to not end up all over my wonky teeth! Are you a fan of any of the products I used?

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August Favourites

Bourjois Instant Dry Nail Drops
The last time I went to the hairdressers I discovered that they had set up a DIY nail bar so that you could spruce up your nails whilst waiting for your colour to develop. It's such a genius idea & I had a lot of fun playing with all the products. I'd never tried nail drying drops before but one use was enough to convert me. At the salon I used the Essie Quick-E Fast Drying Drops but when I went to Boots afterwards I spotted this Bourjois version which was a bit cheaper. This product is basically a clear liquid that you drip onto your nail beds with the pipette to dry them off in a matter of seconds. I never have time to sit around waiting for my nails to dry properly so products like this are essential to me. I use a couple of drops per nail to make sure that everything has been covered & my polish dries off super fast. The oily texture also nourishes your nails & cuticles so it's a brilliant way to finish off your manicure.

Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer
I absolutely adore Bumble & Bumble's Hairdressing Invisible Oil. It makes such a difference to my damaged hair. That magical blend of coconut, sweet almond, grapeseed, safflower seed, macadamia nut & argan oils literally works miracles. Bumble & Bumble recently expanded this line by bringing out three new products. I think that their shampoos & conditioners are way too expensive but their styling products are little bit more affordable. I recently got the new Invisible Oil Primer for my birthday and I was instantly wowed by how much softer, shinier & generally more amazing it made my hair. This product has such a huge list of benefits, it basically does it all! It's main use is to offer protection against heat & UV damage, thus reducing breakage. A few spritzes of this lovely light mist all over my hair helps to detangle, soften, defrizz & tame flyaways. My hair is so much more manageable & easy to style. It totally transforms dry & dull hair and I don't think I could give up using this product anytime soon. I'm not sure whether I prefer this or the original oil but you'll probably get on better with the primer if you have very fine or greasy hair.

Lush African Paradise Body Conditioner
There's nothing better than a trip to Lush when you're in need of some quick pampering. One of my favourite treats are their body conditioners. I can hardly ever be bothered to moisturise my body when I get out of the shower so I prefer to rehydrate my skin when I'm still in the bathroom. After washing your body you simply massage this creamy concoction all over & then rinse it off. This conditioner is made from an indulgent blend of shea butter and cocoa butter along with almond oil, moringa oil & marula oil to deeply moisturise the skin. It feels so wonderfully hydrating without leaving any greasy residue. Lush have also included mango juice to brighten the skin and aloe vera to cool & soothe. It makes my skin feel softer than ever before & imparts a beautiful sheen that makes my limbs look nicely toned. Best of all this stuff smells absolutely incredible & the tropical scent stays on your skin all day long. African Paradise is probably one of Lush's most expensive products but by golly it's good!

Mavala Double-Lash
I'm forever trying out new lash growth products as I feel like my eyelashes aren't quite as long & lustrous as they once were. My mascara picking habit certainly doesn't help things as I often get unsightly gaps along my lashline. Some of the ingredients found in these kind of products can be quite scary & expensive to boot. I prefer to use things with natural active ingredients like Talika Lipocils & Indeed Labs Peptalash. I've always heard amazing things about this Mavala offering & it soon managed to find it's way into my shopping basket. I've been using this every morning before mascara & every night before bed for the past month. As a result my lashes are looking much fuller & thicker. They seem a bit stronger now too as I haven't had as many come out when picking off mascara. I wouldn't say they look much longer but I feel like their overall condition has definitely improved. The mascara wand style applicator is much better than those thin eyeliner brush style ones. It thoroughly coats each lash & can be used on eyebrows too.

Skinbreeze Blemish Fix*
I love dual-purpose products and that's why I can't get enough of this Blemish Fix serum from Skinbreeze. The combination of hyaluronic acid with salicylic acid is a dream come true for acne sufferers. This light watery serum will help to rehydrate your skin & fight blemishes at the same time. Salicylic acid exfoliates inside your pores, unclogging them to reveal clearer skin. It also has anti-inflammatory & mild antibacterial benefits. Regular use of a BHA product can reduce oil production but one downside is that it can also dry out the skin. That's why this serum is so lovely to use as the hyaluronic acid stops your skin from getting dry. Blemish Fix also contains seaweed extract to help soothe the skin. It's a very gentle yet incredibly effective way of clearing up blemishes. I normally use this serum in the morning before my moisturiser as I use an AHA in the evening. I like that I can use this under my makeup as way of fighting spots throughout the day. It's the kind of thing that would make a wonderful addition to any skincare routine.

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April Favourites

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover
I saw this product on quite a few blogs so I obviously couldn't resist trying it out for myself. Its basically a little pot that you put your finger into for a couple of seconds and it will take all of your nail polish off for you. I think this concept has existed in other forms before but this is only one that actually works and doesn't smell like death. Its acetone & paraben-free and is enriched with sweet almond oil to make your fingers feel & smell lovely. I was amazed at how quickly it took off my nail polish, it wasn't quite the 1 second it says on the pot but it was near enough. I really love this product and its so nice to be able to change my nail polish several times a week without removing the previous colour being a horrible chore.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir
Is there a beauty blogger around that hasn't featured this in their favourites this month?! As you can see I've nearly finished this 30ml bottle already so I just had to invest in the 100ml one when it was on BuyaPowa. I've been using this as a toner and it really is the most refreshing thing I've tried on my skin. The herbal scent is amazing and its great at perking me up when I'm feeling tired. I find that it has helped to tighten my pores & I've not had as many blemishes this month. You can also use it over your makeup to stop it from looking cakey so its excellent if you use powder foundations. At £30 for the big bottle I can tell that this is going to be an expensive addiction...

MAC Soft And Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish
I really do not understand how I didn't own this product before now! I just couldn't stop myself from buying more highlighters in my never-ending quest for glowing skin but I think I may have finally found what I've been looking for all this time. This highlighting powder has a really high sheen that gives your cheeks the best glow ever. I tend to use Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation most days of the week but the finish can be a bit too matte for my liking. It needs something extra to make my face look alive. As a super pale person I can't really wear bronzer without looking like I've not washed for a month so to perk up my skin I need to use highlighters instead. I find that this product makes my face look healthy and glowing and it looks fantastic when photographed using flash. I can't see myself buying any more highlighters after this one (although I did buy two others on the same day!) and I'm really glad about that because it was becoming stupidly expensive.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
I bought all three of the new Real Techniques brushes last month but the expert face brush is definitely my favourite one. Its a smaller version of the buffing brush from the Core Collection set but I think it works even better than that one. Its the perfect size & shape for foundation application and it just makes my skin look flawless. A lot of people want to try buffing brush but don't want to purchase that whole set so I'd recommend getting this one instead. Its only £10 and its the best foundation brush I've ever tried. If you want to know more about the other new brushes have a look at my review.

SUQQU Eyebrow Liquid Pen
Ever since I plucked my eyebrows into oblivion as a teenager I've been obsessed with getting the perfect shape. After years of growing them back I started filling them in to make them look as good as possible. I normally use powder and an angled brush to fill them in but sometimes I find that I can put too much powder on leaving them looking a bit too dark & heavy for my platinum hair. Last month I went to the Selfridges beauty hall in Manchester for a quick browse and one of the counters that caught my eye was the SUQQU one. I'd never really heard of this brand before but I liked the look of their products so I let the sales assistant try out some things on me. Their eyelash curlers are bloody amazing, they're used horizontally and they make your eyelashes look mahoosive, even better than with the Shu Uemura ones. But the only thing I decided to buy was this eyebrow pen. I'd wanted to try some of the GOSH eyebrow pens but none of the colours suited me & I think that colour match is one of the most important things to consider when filling in your brows. The pen cost me £20 and the shade 02 brown is a perfect match. The super fine tip of this brush means you can really control the shape of your eyebrows. It leaves my brows looking full but natural. It can also be layered up depending on how dark your natural hairs are. The pen is water & oil-resistant so it lasts all day long without any smudging. I totally recommend this if you're looking for an excellent eyebrow product.

Fitbit Ultra
I'm a bit of a gadget freak and I'm obsessed with calorie counting via MyFitnessPal. One of the things that always niggled me about that app is that its hard to tell exactly how many calories you're burning every day. I'm someone who walks everywhere so I just had to estimate how many calories I had burned from how long my walk had taken. I saw this little gadget on BuyaPowa and was immediately intrigued by the concept. Its basically a very cool pedometer with a calorie counter built into it. It is shaped like a clip so that it can hook onto your belt, your pocket or the middle of your bra. It wirelessly syncs with your laptop to give you an overview of how much exercise you've done each day. It can link up with MyFitnessPal and will automatically add your exercise entries so you know exactly how many more calories you can eat for the day. One of its most interesting features is that it can be used to track your sleep. Its so cool being able to see exactly how many minutes it took me to fall asleep, how many times I woke up in the night and how much sleep I've gotten over a week. Its really been helping me to keep track of my calorie intake and it has encouraged me to do more walking and exercise. Mine has been practically surgically attached to me since I got it. It almost pained me to take it off for this photo. At £79 they are pretty pricey for what is essentially a glorified pedometer but I really love mine & because I got it off BuyaPowa it was £10 cheaper.

Girls
My number one TV show of last month is obvs Game Of Thrones but on Sunday nights in America HBO also air this show called Girls. It follows the lives of four twenty-something girls living in Brooklyn. In terms of age group its almost the middle ground between Gossip Girl and Sex & The City. The show focuses on loads of different issues from trying to get your foot on the career ladder after finishing uni to relationships with shitty boyfriends but pretty much all of it is hilarious. I can definitely identify with the character of Hannah which is probably a bad thing haha. I think that one of the main strengths of the show is the fact that these are girls and situations that normal people can empathise with. Their characters are definitely not aspirational but they're enjoyable all the same and I just can't get enough of this show.