July Favourites

Sleek Precious Metals Highlighting Palette*
Highlighting is my favourite step in the makeup application process. It instantly brings life to dull, tired skin & generally makes your face look more beautiful. I don't think anything will ever come close to theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer but I have been loving the Precious Metals Highlighting Palette from Sleek. I received this in my Cohorted Beauty Box & I think it's a fantastic piece of kit. It contains three cream highlighting shades & golden shimmery powder bronzer. Creams tend to look a bit more natural than powders so they're a better choice if you're after that 'lit from within' look. The creams blend in beautifully & add a gorgeous sheen to the skin. I'm a little bit obsessed with the Renaissance Gold shade, it's just so pretty!

Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm
This might seem like an odd product for a woman to like but hear me out. One of my favourite YouTubers to watch is NikkieTutorials & she mentioned that she uses this aftershave balm as a primer. It has a high glycerin content which is something that is often used as the main ingredient in many primers. Glycerin is a humectant meaning that it draws moisture from the air onto your skin. It is also makes whatever you apply on top of it stay in place all day long. My makeup tends to slide off my face in the Summer so I needed something that could make it stick around longer. A lot of the primers I already own are pore filling or smoothing ones & don't make a huge difference to the longevity of my makeup. I tried this stuff out & I think it's utterly fantastic as a primer! The product itself is a very thin & watery liquid but it dries down quite quickly. It feels cooling & refreshing on the skin. It does have a strong manly scent but this soon goes away after application so you don't have to worry about smelling like a guy. Since I started using this as a primer I've noticed that my foundation goes on a lot smoother & looks really seamless on the skin. My base actually stays put in the heat & looks flawless for hours on end. It gets extra points for being incredibly cheap too!

Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel SPF 50+ PA++++
At long last I have finally found my holy grail sunscreen! I'm a bit of a Japanophile so it was only a matter of time before I started using Asian beauty products. Although we do have Bioré in the UK, we only get a select few of their products. Over here they're probably best known for those godawful nose pore strips that you should avoid like the plague. This sunscreen is part of a line made specifically for their Japanese market. Asian sunscreens are generally acknowledged to be superior to the ones we get over here. They're lower in price & better in quality. They tend to have higher SPF & PA ratings without the greasiness or white cast. After reading many glowing reviews on /r/AsianBeauty I decided to order the Aqua Rich Watery Gel from eBay. I've linked the seller I used as I had no problems at all with my order. Delivery from Japan took two weeks but it was totally worth the wait! This sunscreen is simply amazing. It uses a combination of chemical & physical UV filters to provide unrivalled daily UVA & UVB protection. The milky liquid feels so light & comfortable to wear. This product is ideal to use under your makeup as it gives a silky feel to the skin & doesn't pill at all. It absorbs super fast & dries to an invisible finish without any shine or white cast. Alcohol is one of the main ingredients but the addition of royal jelly & hyaluronic acid prevent it from drying out the skin. It's not heavy, greasy or sticky plus it has a lovely fresh lemony scent. It's perfection in a bottle!

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Celebrity Skin
I've been wanting to try the Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks for so long! A little while ago Cocktail Cosmetics starting stocking them in the UK so I'm glad that I waited patiently instead of ordering them from America. These liquid lipsticks are extremely pigmented & matte but they don't dry out your lips. They're so long lasting & you can even eat or kiss with them on without wrecking your lippie. The colour range is definitely a little more out there than most lipsticks but they're such good quality that they make it easy to pull off such bold shades. I kinda want to buy them all, even the black & blue ones! The shade that I was most looking forward to trying is Celebrity Skin & I really love this colour even though it looks very different to what I was expecting. On most people this looks like a nude lipstick but because I'm so pale it leans very brown & dark. It literally looks different on everyone! The lipstick formula is everything I could've hoped for & I definitely need to add a few more of these to my collection.

Claudia Louch Concealer Trio*
Sometimes concealer alone just isn't enough to cover all of my imperfections. If you struggle with hyperpigmentation or dark circles underneath your eyes then colour correcting those areas beforehand can make all the difference. This concealer palette is a fab little product that allows you to mix & match the shades to create your own custom colour. By layering the different shades you can hide a multitude of sins. I really struggle with dark circles & no amount of eye cream or beauty sleep will ever work quite as well as correcting & concealing. The medium shade is slightly orange toned & works well to correct any discolouration. Then I like to apply the lightest shade over the top to match the rest of my foundation. They also cover any active spots or post-blemish scarring really well. The creamy consistency of these concealers makes them easy to blend & layer without looking cakey. This product is very similar to the Bobbi Brown Corrector & Concealer but this palette works out to be much better value for money.

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Cohorted Beauty Box

Cohorted Beauty Box* - £19.99

The Cohorted website is one of my favourite places to shop for beauty products. They offer some amazing discounts on a huge range of popular brands including MAC, Bobbi Brown, NARS & Dior. A little while ago they started up their very own beauty box service & it is incredibly good value for money! The Cohorted beauty box will always feature at least four different items with a variety of skin, hair, cosmetic & body products. Unlike many other beauty box services, Cohorted have made these boxes available for purchase on a monthly basis only. The box that I'm reviewing is from March 2015 which should give you an indication of how far behind I get with blogging sometimes! Even though this particular box is no longer available, I would consider it to be one of the best beauty boxes that I've ever received & the products are well worth writing about.




Bare Minerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment
The most intriguing product from this box has to be the Bare Minerals Pure Transformation Night Treatment. I've tried the regular Bare Minerals powder foundations before but beyond that I have little experience with them as a brand. Products that blur the lines between makeup & skincare are becoming increasingly popular. This is a treatment powder that you apply to your skin before going to bed. It features the RareMinerals ActiveSoil Complex which is supposed to reduce the appearance of pores, increase luminosity & speed up the skin renewal process. The powder is available in Light, Medium, Tan & Clear. Here I have the Light version which is slightly too yellow/dark for my skin but a good colour match isn't too important when you're in a dimly lit bedroom. Removing your makeup at night & then reapplying a powder feels a little odd, I have to admit. I was worried about making my bed dirty but luckily the product doesn't come off on my pillow despite how much I move about during the night! This product looks really gorgeous on the skin. It makes my face look like it's been airbrushed & adds plenty of radiance to my complexion. Best of all it doesn't clog my pores in any way. I don't think it really adds anything to my regular skincare routine but it definitely has it's uses. If you're staying over at a guy's house for the first time & aren't quite ready to let him see you without makeup then this would be a fab skin-friendly way of covering up your imperfections.






Sleek Precious Metals Highlighting Palette
My heart practically skipped a beat when I set eyes on this beautiful palette from Sleek. Highlighters are my main makeup obsession. I can't go a single day without adding some form of illumination to my skin. The Precious Metals palette features three cream highlighters & a powder bronzer. My favourite shade is Renaissance Gold which is what I'm wearing in the above picture. I like to use it on the top of my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose & over my cupid's bow. It adds such a wonderful sheen to my skin. Royal Gold is quite similar in colour but has a few more glitter particles. The formula of the creams is really lovely. They blend into the skin easily & have some real staying power. The brush that comes with the set is a bit useless, you can achieve a much better finish just by using your fingers. The bronzer has beautiful golden tone to it & adds a Summery glow to the complexion. I absolutely love this little set! There's a nice mix of colours here & the four pans are all very high quality.





Too Faced Exotic Color Eye Shadow in Copper Peony
I don't think I have ever tried a Too Faced product before! Everything in their lineup just looks so pretty & I had no idea where to start. I've been meaning to check out their eyeshadow palettes as I see a lot of people on YouTube going on about the Chocolate Bar one so a single eyeshadow is a good way to try out the formula. This is the shade Copper Peony & it looks totally stunning! I never go for warm eyeshadows like this as I don't think they suit my colouring very well but this blends out into a shimmery golden peach & I'm kinda liking it. The quality is outstanding. Normally with shimmery shadows like this you tend to get a lot of fallout & end up with glitter all over your face. This stays exactly where you apply it. The colour is highly pigmented & the texture is so smooth. I feel like this is better quality than a lot of the shadows in the Urban Decay Naked palettes. Too Faced, you've got a new fan!





Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
Speaking of Urban Decay, the final product in the box was their Perversion mascara. I've been a fan of Urban Decay for many years & I remember how different their products were when they first launched in Boots. They used to have loads of amazing mascaras & although I don't love the brand as much as I used to as a teenager, I was excited to give Perversion a try. This mascara is super black & looks quite dramatic on the eyes. The formula is just the right consistency, not too wet or dry & it doesn't smudge or flake throughout the day. My lashes still feel fairly soft after applying a couple of layers. It provides both decent volume & length but can get a bit clumpy. The brush really gets into the roots of your lashes which in turn makes them look thicker. However it is quite large & I kept blobbing this mascara on my top & bottom lids no matter how carefully I tried to apply it. Not sure if it's just me being cack-handed but I don't really have this problem with other mascaras. In my opinion it's a good all-rounder mascara, just not quite as good as what I normally use.

Overall I was very impressed with this Cohorted beauty box. My favourite product was the Sleek Highlighting Palette & I've already gotten a lot of use out of it. I really liked that there was loads of makeup in this box with a good mix of full sized products & generous samples. The total value comes to £74.99 so you're definitely getting your money's worth here! The main reason I stopped reviewing other beauty boxes was because the products & brands in them had started to get far too repetitive for my liking. All of the brands featured in this box are incredibly well known but luckily I hadn't tried any of these products before. For me that is the main appeal of beauty boxes in general so Cohorted have certainly delivered in that respect. If you're interested in trying the Cohorted beauty box then you can pre-order next month's by clicking here.

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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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October Favourites

Sleek Face Contour Kit
As someone who normally has no interest whatsoever in the Kardashian clan, for some reason I've been coveting Kylie Jenner's mad makeup skillz lately. I've even started overdrawing my lips again with MAC Subculture lip pencil. Of course no Kardashian style makeup look would be complete without some extreme contouring and this Contour Kit from Sleek is something I always come back to. I have it in Light which is still a fairly dark & warm toned shade but with a lot of blending it works really well for me. I've been going to town with this and a MAC 109 brush along my cheekbones & under my jaw. I tend to leave my forehead alone as mine is narrow enough as it is. It helps to slim down my chubby cheeks & hide my many chins whilst adding a touch of warmth to my complexion. The highlighter pan will never take the place of my beloved Mary-Lou Manizer but that contour powder is excellent stuff.

TRESemmé Renewal Hair & Scalp Tonic
Dandruff generally isn't a problem for me but whenever I get my hair bleached my scalp always gets a bit sensitive & flaky. A coconut hair mask normally sorts it out just fine but the idea of this scalp tonic was rather intriguing. Plus it was only £2.50 in Boots! This product is a light clear liquid that you squeeze onto your roots using the nozzle applicator before combing it through the lengths of your hair. It immediately feels very cooling on the scalp as it contains tea tree extract. It also features sunflower seed oil, biotin, vitamin C & vitamin E which together help to prevent breakage and promote healthy hair growth. The tonic feels completely weightless on your hair so you won't even notice it's presence but it'll be working to repair & nourish your scalp on a cellular level. A healthy scalp means healthier hair so I really like the concept of this range. Since trying out the tonic I've invested in the Renewal shampoo & conditioner which I also love. The tonic is definitely the star of the show though. It's a lovely soothing treat before blowdrying that will leave your hair & scalp feeling really refreshed & rebalanced. A bit of extra hair growth is always welcome too!

Claudia Louch Protective Jojoba Day Moisturiser*
The Claudia Louch Natural Skin Clinic products are some of the loveliest I've ever tried. This Jojoba Day Moisturiser is certainly no exception. This product is intended for those with combination to oily skin types. It feels weightless on the skin yet it features an abundance of deeply hydrating & nourishing oils. The key active ingredient here is jojoba oil which acts as an anti-inflammatory & actually helps to dissolve excess sebum. It has definitely helped to reduce the amount of blocked pores & breakouts I get and as a result my complexion looks very clear & even toned. It really pampers your skin, protecting it whilst leaving it feeling silky smooth. It sinks in quickly & makes a wonderful base for makeup. The rich & velvety texture makes this my perfect Autumn moisturiser.

Russell Organics Vitamin C Serum*
I'm really loving luxury natural skincare brands at the minute. I've tried a whole host of products that claim to lighten post-blemish scarring but none have worked quite so quickly or effectively as this Vitamin C Serum from Russell Organics. Vitamin C is an important ingredient to look for when choosing an anti-ageing product as it helps to plump up the skin, reducing fine lines & wrinkles. It's one of the few things that can fade and actually stop the formation of freckles & age spots. The antioxidant properties of vitamin C have been shown to increase the efficacy of sunscreens too. This light serum feels very silky & moisturising on the skin. It makes my whole face look really bright & radiant. If you want younger or healthier looking skin then you really should try adding a vitamin C serum into your skincare routine. The orangey scent is pretty gross but if you can get over that it'll work absolute wonders on your skin.

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation
I've been extra cautious with sunscreen this year and as a result my skin is currently looking paler than ever. Quite a few of my regular base products just haven't been looking quite right on me especially when compared to my neck & chest. A few weeks ago I went back to using what is quite possibly the palest foundation ever apart from pure white - Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 02. The price of this product has gone up quite a lot over the years. It was only £25 when I bought it & now it costs a whopping £32! Not good news if you need to mix a couple of shades. That gorgeous skin-like finish is well worth it though. It photographs beautifully with or without flash so it's great choice for special occasions like weddings. The coverage is great without completely masking your skin. Some people have struggled to get it work for them so if you want to try this foundation I would highly recommend buying a couple of other Illamasqua bits for application perfection. Firstly their Hydra Veil or Matte Veil primers are a must-have. Skin Base can cling to drier areas so good prep is essential. The next thing to bear in mind is that you only need a tiny amount of product so squeeze a little dot onto the back of your hand rather than blobbing it straight onto your face. The Illamasqua Highlighter brush is truly fantastic & is the perfect tool to apply it with. If you go to an Illamasqua counter they do pretty much everything with that brush. It really buffs in the product giving it a seamless finish & it feels incredibly soft. With those products in my arsenal Skin Base has become one of my favourite foundations ever as it just looks totally amazing on my skin.

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Easy Contouring Products

Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment - £17 / Sleek Face Contour Kit - £6.49 / MAC Harmony Blusher - £17.50
NARS Douceur Blusher - £21 / Louise Young LY20 Super Fan Brush - £26

As the not so proud owner of a big roundy moon face I do like to contour my cheekbones now and then. I've always longed for a makeup technique that could slim my face down a tad (or to just have a less round face!) and it was only when I started watching YouTube makeup tutorials a few years ago that I discovered contouring. I find it fascinating to watch people's face shape change just by adding some brown powder underneath their cheekbones & jawline. Its something I've always struggled with though as it can be hard to find a contour colour that isn't too orange & a brush that doesn't make me look like I have an orange beard. I love Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow because it solves both of those problems in one go. Its the perfect colour for my skin & a quick swipe with my fingers allows for precise application. Its easily blended out and has superb staying power for a cream product. If you like the texture of Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel but find the colour too warm for you then Hollow Cream Pigment is a fab cool toned alternative.

If I'm going for a powder contour product then I really like the Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light. Light is quite a deceptive name as it is still a fairly dark colour but with enough blending it can look great. It is slightly warm in tone but most people would probably welcome the effect that gives. Sleek also make a Face Form Contour Kit which includes a blusher for just £10. I also like MAC's Harmony Blusher for a matter product but with the same warmth. It can be a bit dark on me so again lots of blending is key here. A lot of people rave about the Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer but that was far too dark, orange & glittery for me. Same goes for NARS Laguna Bronzer. A NARS product that I do think works for contouring is their Douceur Blusher. It offers subtle colour and definition to the cheeks in one. Use it to sculpt the sides of your face rather than applying it to the apples of your cheeks. Its also very sheer so its hard to overdo it. The amount of pink in this product makes it look very natural, almost as if you were born with those cheekbones!

I've tried to contour my face with a lot of different brushes in the past. Various MAC MUA's had promised me that if I bought the rather expensive 138 or 168 brushes then my contouring troubles would be over but both left me with orange beard syndrome & a big hole in my bank account. I know a lot of people like it for contouring but I prefer to use the Real Techniques Contour Brush for blusher & concealer. I still really like the MAC 109 brush but no brush is as easy to use as the Louise Young LY20 Super Fan Brush. Seriously, it is an absolute dream! Its really well made & the bristles are so soft. The extreme width & fluffiness of this brush means that it is brilliant at blending. The shape allows you to follow the natural contours of your face with great ease. I just tap the very middle of the brush into my chosen contouring powder and the clean ends on either side blend it out perfectly. Using the LY20 is almost like Contouring For Dummies. I cannot emphasise enough just how foolproof this brush is. It can also be used to apply highlighter & setting powder so this brush is an absolute must have for me. If contouring is something you find difficult then this wonderful Louise Young brush could be the exact product you need in your arsenal.

June Favourites

Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Coral Reef
I recently bought a load of these True Colour lipsticks off the Sleek website but Coral Reef is definitely the best of the bunch. Its such a beautiful coral which is very red in tone. As this is one of the sheen formula lipsticks it is very moisturising and gives your lips a very slight gloss. The colour payoff on all these lipsticks is so impressive. They're dead cheap too, whats not to love? Heres a pic of me with Coral Reef on because the picture above gives you absolutely no indication of the lipstick's colour. Whoops, my bad.



Burt's Bees Beeswax & Banana Hand Cream
One of the best smelling hand creams ever! Theres some real treasures amongst the Burt's Bees range. I always keep this tub in my handbag because it is uber-softening and makes my hands smell delicious. The cream is quite thick but it really sinks into the skin very quickly. The only other hand cream that comes anywhere close to my love for this is Soap & Glory's Hand Food.

Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Ultra-Softening Lotion
This product has gotten a lot of love from bloggers recently, I have to admit I love it too. My skin doesn't feel soft 7 days after applying this lotion like it claims but it does feel very soft for at least a day afterwards. This is really great on your legs to give them a bit of a healthy shine in Summer.

Kerastase Elixir Ultime
I first got to try this out when I had my hair dyed blonde back in November as its one of the staple products used at my hairdressers. This is basically the most amazing hair serum. Its very similar to Moroccanoil but I just prefer this one. I run this through my ends throughout the week to keep them looking glossy and healthy. It makes my hair feel really soft and helps to seal my split ends. It contains maize, argan, camellia and pracaxi oils and you can use it before washing your hair as a pre-conditioning treatment as well as before & after blow drying. Its a pricey product but it lasts for absolutely ages so its well worth the investment.

V05 Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder
One of the few products that actually does give you tons and tons of volume in your hair. My hair is quite fine and limp so I find it hard to get it to do anything other than lay flat against my head. This powder poofs it up and keeps it up until you wash it out. Its dead cheap as well, I got 2 pots for about 4 quid in Superdrug. This stuff is essential for a night out.



Babyliss Big Hair Rotating Styler
This is hands down the best thing I have ever bought for my hair. I know I've featured a lot of hair products this month but this is the ultimate. My hair undergoes a lot of bleaching & general abuse to get it this colour meaning that it is incredibly damaged. It also means that its requires a lot of hard work to give it some shape and stop it looking like a scraggly mess. This does it in an instant. I tend to use it on my ends to give them shape rather than for volume at the roots. I do dry my hair with a normal hairdryer first and then just use this to finish. If you were to dry your whole head with this I imagine it would take a little while. It can be used in so many different ways to do exactly what needs doing to your hair. It would be difficult to use this and not end up with beautiful locks afterward. Seriously everyone needs to go and buy one of these. I cannot praise it enough.