Laura Mercier | Styled By Lauren

So I mentioned briefly in my June Monthly Roundup that I am going away on holiday this month. So I thought I would share with you all some of the makeup pieces that have made the cut in my makeup bag. I am going with a streamlined approach, as I like to think anyway by only taking essentials and pretty much one of each beauty product except for lips (obviously, gal needs choices!). So here is what is in my travel makeup bag…

Starting with the makeup bag itself. It deserves its own mention alone because of course its from Charlotte Tilbury. I did a little CT splurge last month and since I never had a decent makeup bag and I was going away I thought I needed this beauty in my life. I love it but I will talk about it all in a little more detail another time…

Onto the makeup. Firstly, base. I have packed my trusty Laura Mercier foundation primer to help pro-long the wear of my makeup in the heat. Not as good as the Smashbox primer in my opinion but it’s still one of the best ones I’ve tried. I also picked up a new base in the form of the Topshop BB cream. I wanted something lightweight for Summer and so far so good with this one, the coverage is actually pretty decent! On top of that of course my favourite Nars Creamy concealer (review here) and the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer for under the eyes which truthfully I am still a bit iffy about.

Then to give my complexion a bit of a boost. I have also added in my Rimmel Stay Blushed liquid blush in Sunkissed Cherry which is super lightweight but offers such a nice colour to the cheeks. For a little added warmth and glow the Soap and Glory Wonderbronze is a fab bronzer for the Summer months. Also, the Topshop Glow stick highlighter in Play Up makes an addition for an easy swipe of glow and radiance.

Then, in terms of eyes I’ve stuck with two reliable Benefit products. Firstly, the Rollerlash mascara (review here) which lengthens and curls the lashes super well and the Benefit Gimme Brow (review here) to give my eyebrows a little colour and definition. Of course I’ve also got the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze which is one of my favourites, great formula and perfect bronze-y gold colour.

Then I have all the choices when it comes to lips! As I am out and about for once I’ve added in some bright bold shades that deserve a little loving. I love the Nars Lip Pencils, super long lasting formula and super creamy and smooth to apply. I have Yu which I mentioned in my June Favourites, a bold fuschia pink and Iberico (LE) a stunning orange-y red that I am so excited to wear (swatches for both here). I’ve also got my two new Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks in Sexy Sienna and Lost Cherry, both perfect for Summer! Lastly, I also had to get one of the Clinique Lip Pop lipsticks and chose Melon Pop, a beautiful coral-y peach perfect for everyday wear and a little lower key than my other choices.

If you have succeeded to this line then well done, sorry for the uber long post!

What makeup will you be wearing this Summer?

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Apologies for the longest blog post name ever. I am not going to lie, I am not the biggest fan of beauty boxes. I just don’t like the idea of spending money on a box of products that I never wanted in the first place and from brands I had never heard of but I guess I slightly caved when I seen this one from Latest in Beauty. Packed full of well known branded goodies, some of which I had been lusting over for ages I just couldn’t say no. The best bit of course being the price at only £19 (excl. p&p) with the whole box being worth a jawdropping £116.

There is a good mix of products in the box from skincare to beauty. Starting with the Therapie Roques Oneil Cherish Skin Repair Serum (30ml). This is my first encounter with this brand and I’ve been loving giving this a try. The body serum firstly smells amazing and is for helping to heal the skin especially during the harsh winter. The Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate (10ml) comes next and is the serum in need of tackling signs of aging. It is a pricey one though if you were to get the full size! The James Read Sleep Mask Tan (25ml) is also included which is a brand I’ve never heard of. I am really not a fan of any tanning products but I will give this a little go despite being a little worried about the whole overnight thing, waking up looking like an oompa loompa is a terrifying thought! I do love a good oil product so I was quite happy to see an appearance of the Balance Me Radiance Face Oil (10ml). It comes in a handy rollerball and creates such a radiance on the skin. Finally, probably the most exciting skincare product is the GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment (10g). I’ve heard a lot about this brand and was super excited to see it included. I have tried this out, it does smell horrible but that aside I do really like it. It made my skin feel so incredibly soft, shame there isn’t a lot of product.

On to beauty products. The Daniel Sandler Concealer Brush was included in the box and is quite a thin and dainty brush. I have tried this and I am not the biggest fan, it is too small for my liking as I prefer a slightly larger brush for concealer. Two Essie Nail polishes (5ml) made their way in too in the shades Shearling Darling and Parka Perfect , a dark maroon and a grey shade. They are so up my street! Moving on to the product that made me purchase the box altogether; the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer (30ml). This primer alone retails for £19, the price of the box and after lusting over it for so long this was the prime reason for picking up this box. I haven’t fully tried this yet but I like it so far and it is quite different from any other primer I have used. It is a very lightweight gel texture and glides smoothly on the skin. Last but not least the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner (2g, full-size). Being a huge eyeliner fan I had been dying to try this for ages and couldn’t believe my luck at seeing a full sized product in this box. Sadly though it didn’t quite live up to expectation. It has such a fine nib but unfortunately I found it hard to work with and it felt like it was dragging my skin rather than gliding on like my Soap and Glory one does. A no-no from me on that one.

While there was a couple of no-go’s I did find some gems and I can’t wait to start using them properly.

Unfortunately this box is now sold out.

Are you a fan of beauty boxes? Are you a fan of any of these products?