Lightweight Summer Base

I've been switching up my base products a lot more recently, with lightweight, tinted moisturisers coming into the rotation a bit more in favour of my usual foundations. It's as a result of two things, the weather, which has finally warmed up properly, meaning the last thing I want is a face caked in foundation. Secondly, my skin has been looking a lot better recently (fingers crossed it stays that way!) I haven't had a breakout in quite a while and the pigmentation I have from old ones are fading rapidly thanks to my arsenal of skincare products.

I mentioned the Laura Mercier Radiance Primer in my Everyday Spring Makeup Video but since then I've switched to their Radiance Bronze version, which is a much better fit for my skintone as well as giving me a sun kissed summery glow. I've been applying it all over with my fingers and then following with the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in Annapurna which gives a decent amount of coverage, enough to even out the skin. It does still leave the darker pigmentation marks and the dark circles under my eyes visible so to conceal those I go in with the MAC Select Cover Up in NC45 which looks very natural and skin-like. Not the highest coverage concealer in town but it definitely packs enough pigment to cover my everyday needs! 

What base products have you been using recently?

Follow me on bloglovin' for more posts!

September Favourites

The products I've been loving the most this month, alongside old favourites, are all relatively new additions to my stash. For skincare I've been loving IndeedLabs Pepta-Bright, I don't think a single skincare product has ever made more of a difference to my skin. It really is the best product for fading marks and evening out skin tone. Another skincare product I've been loving is the Good Things Manuka Honey Radiance Face Mask, you can see my full review on it here. It's a great 3-in-1, it draws out impurities, exfoliates and hydrates skin and has quickly become my go to mask. I've been using it about twice a week and my skin has been feeling really fresh!

With makeup it's been all about complexion this month. I always think if you get your complexion looking good the rest doesn't really matter too much! I've been using the Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in Bronze Light under foundation to give my skin a bit more of a glow and the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Caramel (full review here) under my eyes and on any blemishes. It's heavy enough in coverage to cover anything but still manages to feel really lightweight on the skin. My new favourite concealer for sure! I've been using the Real Techniques Large Shading Brush to buff it into the skin and I find this works really well, it blends the product right in and looks so natural. 

What have you been loving this month?

Follow me on bloglovin' for more posts!

April Favourites

This month's favourites are a combination of new discoveries and golden oldies. The first product I've been loving is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water which I spoke about in more detail a few days ago here. It's a brilliant makeup remover that removes even mascara in a single swipe, doesn't irritate the skin at all and just feels like water. I'm converted.

Next is the long since discontinued Sweet Lemon Shower Gel from The Body Shop (full review here) it has the most delicious, citrusy scent that has been extremely uplifting on these dull spring mornings. I really hope they bring this scent back!

Soap & Glory Hand Food is by far my favourite hand cream of all time, it's extremely moisturising yet non greasy and sinks into the skin straight away. It also smells really good, I stocked up this month while it was on 3 for 2, you can see my full review here.

I'm not usually one for primers but the Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch has surprised me, I seem to me using it more and more often. It feels velvety on the skin, makes sure that makeup lasts all day and keeps and oiliness at bay. Full review here.  

The concealer that I've been reaching for pretty much daily as of late is the Clinique Even Better Concealer in Honeycomb. It a shade lighter than my skin tone so I've been using it under the eyes to hide dark circles and brighten up my face. It's really high coverage but also really blendable. Full review here. 

I'm not an everyday eyeshadow wearer but the Avon SuperShock Vivid Liquid Eyeshadow is so easy to use! Mine's in the shade Chromed Cocoa. I just shake it, dab a bit onto my eyelid with the applicator and then blend it in with my finger. It sets and just doesn't budge. 

What products have you been loving this month?  

REVIEW: Make Up For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream

Most people think of concealers as a bit of a boring makeup category, and I guess compared to lipsticks and eyeshades I can see why. Not me though, I always seem to be drawn to concealers when I'm browsing beauty counters. My quest for for 'the one' continues!

I've tested more than my fair share of concealers in my time and the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream is definitely my favourite in the high coverage category. The thick formula is really densely pigmented and can cover absolutely anything, it also layers really well with out looking at all cakey so if need be, you can keep piling it on! Another great advantage is that it's waterproof, so perfect for hot sweaty summers, rainy weather or by the pool on holiday. 

As this is such a high coverage concealer, I tend to use it more for evenings out or for special occasions when I know pictures will probably be taken! For day to day I tend to prefer more medium coverage concealers like the Revlon Colourstay Concealer so I can allow my skin to 'breathe'. If I happen to be traveling and just want to take one with me I tend to go for this one and it's easy to thin out with some moisturiser into a lighter coverage concealer, a foundation or even a tinted moisturiser. There's nothing I love more than a versatile, multi use product. 

Make Up For Ever wasn't the easiest brand to get hold of over here in the UK but now that Sephora US ships to us you can just order it online.  

Winter Makeup Bag

If ever there's a time to go a bit crazy with your makeup, the lead up to Christmas and New Years Eve is definitely it, it's definitely not the time for minimalism! I definitely like to take a more is more approach, especially when it comes to sparkle! Here's what I'll be stashing in my makeup bag!

I'll be using my Clinique Even Better Concealer in Honeycomb and Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in Nude to brighten up the eye area as well as disguise any seasonally induced under eye circles. 

I find a good contour is essential with heavy eye makeup or a bold lip and Nars Bronzer Multiple in Malaysia is super easy to use, just swipe on and blend in. For highlighter I'll be upping the ante with my Sephora Illuminating Highlighting Powder in Golden, which is definitely one for the evenings.

For eyes I've dug out my Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette in In the Dark which I picked up in America over the summer. It's full of shimmer packed shades that build up really well, the mix of darks, lights and brights means all outfits will be covered. I also couldn't resist the temptation to throw in L'Oreal Colour Infaillible Eyeshadow in Goldmine, purely for being the most shimmery gold shadow ever to have been created.

Everyone needs a red lipstick over christmas and mine is an ever so slightly darker than pillarbox red. It's Avon Colour Lipstick in Chilli which I'll be sporting with a slick of black gel eyeliner. 

What makeup will you be wearing this winter?

Highend Beauty Wishlist

Stila Convertible Colour in Poppy 

Moroccanoil Hair Repair & Moisture Trio

Clinique - Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

Bioderma - Photoderm MAX Cream SPF50+ 

Nars - One Night Stand Palette 

Ren - Radiance Kit

Mac - Pro Longwear Concealer in NC35

Stila - Colour Me Glossy Lip Glaze Set

Revlon Colourstay Concealer Review

I seem to have accumulated quite the collection of concealers but the one I seem to reach for everyday is Revlon Colourstay Concealer in 06 Deep. Surprising considering most of my concealers are from high end brands. Unfortunately it doesn't come in a huge range of shades but I managed to find one that's perfect for me, just one shade lighter than my skin tone, it really brightens up the under eye area. It also works really well on blemishes, on no-foundation days, I dab it wherever I need it and quickly blend it in with my fingers, of course it works just as well over foundation.

It comes with a doe foot applicator which makes it really easy to use, and I find it never creases in the fine lines under my eyes, something that I often struggle with when it comes to concealers. It's also really creamy and blendable, and doesn't dry out the skin or cling to any dry patches. I'll definitely buy this concealer again and again!  

What's in my Makeup Bag?

I've recently changed up what's in my everyday makeup bag so I thought I'd share what I've been using. Base starts with L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer and MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC45, both of which I mentioned in my Project Use Up post. The foundation is a bit on the matte and heavy side for my liking at the moment so I've been mixing it with a bit of my daily moisturiser. 

To bring a bit of warmth to the skin I dust on Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder, and pat in a bit of Revlon Photoready Cream Blush in Flushed. I've also been reaching for Benefit Sun Beam, my favourite highlighter at the moment which gives skin a soft glow. 

For eyes I've mostly been keeping things pretty simple, a swipe of Avon SuperShock Eyeliner in Black, which is completely foolproof, and a quick curl and swipe of mascara on the lashes. For days when I want to put in a bit more effort, I've been using my Avon 8 in 1 eye palette in In The Nudes, which has some lovely neutral shades that I've been experimenting with. 

For lips I've been using Clinique Almost Lipstick in Luscious Honey, which is a tinted balm that leaves lips with a subtle stain or Avon Ultra Colour Rich Mega Impact Lipstick in Divine Wine (see it in action here) for when I want full on colour!

Also in my makeup bag I have Avon Glimmersticks Brow Definer in Soft Black, Sephora Eyelash Curlers and Avon SuperExtend Extreme Mascara. 

What's in your Makeup Bag?

FOTD #1

I've always loved reading Face of the Day posts but never felt quite brave enough to do one. Today I felt a bit brave so I said, why not? bit the bullet, and went for it! I thought for my first one I'd keep it simple and show you a look I've been wearing a lot lately. It's my version of an autumnal look with berry lips and cheeks.  

So here's what I used! I started with L'Oreal's Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer which I spoke a bit about in my Project Use Up post. It takes a bit of working in with fingers but smoothes out the skin and makes makeup last all day. 

I then worked The Body Shop's Extra Virgin Minerals Cream Compact Foundation in 408 Rose Caramel into my skin using a Real Techniques Buffing Brush, this foundation is quite thick so I always remove any excess from the brush first. It gives a good finish and moisturises dry skin.

Next I hid dark under eye circles using the tiniest bit of MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC45, a little goes a long way with this concealer so use it sparingly under the eyes, too much and it will just crease. I apply it with the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush, which is perfect because you can really get into the corner under the eye where most of the darkness is. 

I then dusted on some of Benefit's Dallas Blusher onto cheeks and into the cheekbone hollows, it's a dusky plum colour so it really brightens up the face as well as bringing out cheekbones. I then added a bit of Sephora Highlighting Compact Powder in Golden onto the tops of cheekbones and along the centre on the nose, all using the Eco Tools Blusher Brush and that's face done!

I kept eyes simple by filling in any sparse areas of my brows in with Avon Glimmerstick Brow Definer in Soft Black. I then added a touch of the highlighter to my brow bone using the Sephora 27 Pro Blending Brush, put on a quick swipe of Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense in 01 Intense Black and lashings of Avon Superextend Extreme Mascara. 

To complete the look I applied Avon Ultra Colour Rich Mega Impact Lipstick in Divine Wine. I'm really loving this colour at the moment, I've been wearing it constantly as the formula is really comfortable to wear and it has good lasting power! 

What do you think of this look?

Review - Clinique Even Better Concealer

Clinique Even Better Concealer is more than just a concealer, it also has added skincare benefits. The concealer itself works really well, it's creamy, extremely blendable and doesn't crease into lines. The shape of the pot makes it a bit difficult to dip your finger in, especially if you have long nails, but I use a brush anyway. Something like the Real Techniques Shading Brush works really well. I dab the brush into the pot picking up a small amount and then dab the excess off onto the lid, it's pretty high coverage so you only need the tiniest bit.

I then dab it on wherever I need it and blend it into the skin, mostly under the eyes (it covers dark circles amazingly well) and onto any blemishes. At the moment I've just been using it under my eyes as the shade I have (honeycomb) is slightly on the light side for me as I've tanned a lot this summer, but I know come winter it will be the perfect shade! 

This concealer is part of Clinique's Even Better range, a range designed to target uneven skintone in the form of pigmentation from acne scars as well as sun damage while also preventing any new hyperpigmentation from forming. As I said I've only really been using this under my eyes so far, so I can't really comment on these claims yet, once my skin is back to it's 'winter shade' (or if I cave and buy the darker shade) I will be sure to give you an update of the progress! In the mean time all I can say is it's a brilliant concealer and even if it doesn't fade any marks I'll still repurchase it. Not that I'll need to anytime soon because a little goes a long way!

Have you tried any of the products from Clinique's Even Better Range? What did you think of them?

American Beauty Haul

When I went to America I, (naturally) did a bit of beauty shopping. In an attempt to not go too crazy I only bought things that aren't available over here, or are significantly cheaper (more on those ones later) 

I did most of said shopping in Sephora, but I did also pop into Walmart for a few high street/drugstore bits.

The first thing I got was the Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette in In the Dark, they have a few of these palettes in different shades but I went for this one because the blue looks amazing. I've tried this palette out a few times now and so far I love it! 

Make Up For Ever is a brand I've heard a lot about, but I've only tried one of their products. An eyeshadow crayon which I love. I was planning on getting a HD Microfinish Blush, but the store I went to only had 4 colours, none of which appealed to me. I then spotted their Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream concealer and picked up the shade 14 Fawn. This concealer is super heavy coverage and waterproof, it served me well mixed with my facial sunscreen poolside in Vegas. 

While browsing the high street (drugstore) makeup brands in Walmart, I spotted the ELF HD Blush, which you can get hold of online in the UK. It's a fairly obvious copy of the Make Up For Ever version  but much, much cheaper. I got the shade Superstar, but all the shades look really nice.  

Oh, and another thing about Sephora, they always throw a few free samples in the bag! I got a primer and an eye cream.

What are your favourite holiday beauty buys?