The Best Beauty Discoveries of 2016: Part 2

Being a lipstick hoarder, naturally I had to have a separate 2016 favourites post dedicated just to lip products. This is part two of my yearly favourites, so if you missed my first part then you can catch up here on all my other beauty favourites. Back to the the topic of lipstick however, my favourite, there is a few different products I want to discuss from liquid lipsticks, lipsticks and lip balms which have made my year. Honestly, I could’ve maybe added more options to this post but I thought I would keep it streamlined to mention my top ultimate lip products from the year so here we go..

Starting with liquid lipsticks, 2016 has officially been the year of liquid lipstick. It seems like every brand has their own version of a liquid lipstick with so many to choose from now. There were quite a few I tried this year and particularly ones I hadn’t previously tried out. Kat Von D finally came to the UK this year (finally!) and of course I had to nab a couple of her ever popular everlasting liquid lipsticks. I have a few shades from the range including both Lovesick and Mother (pictured) and they are so gorgeous. Lovesick in particular is such a great everyday shade but also super unique too as well as having a great wearable formula.

Another liquid lipstick that won me over is from the Mac Retro Matte range, in particular Lady Be Good. I heard a lot of mixed reviews regarding these matte liquid lipsticks however I am obsessed with this one. The formula is super comfortable as well as having an amazing doe foot applicator which is spongy and shaped perfectly to fit the lips. The colour is a beautiful peachy nude shade, perfect for everyday wear. With new shades of these being released, I definitely need to try more!

In terms of lipsticks, I fell in love with two new formulas. Firstly, lipstick queen Charlotte Tilbury when I finally tried her KISSING range out, in particular the shade Bitch Perfect. This is my perfect nude, a beautiful light peachy pink and the most comfortable creamy formula. Major Love! A new release this year came from Urban Decay when they revamped their lipstick range, introducing the vice collection of 100 lipsticks. With so many to choose from, I settled for the shade Backtalk which I am so glad I did. It is definitely one of my favourite lipstick shades, a beautiful cool toned rosy mauve shade in a comfortable matte formula. Definitely one I recommend!

Lastly, moving on to lip balm/glosses. I found a lip balm this year that I truly do not know what I would do without in my beauty stash! It is the Instant Light Lip Perfecting Base from Clarins. This works as a treat as my go-to lipstick base as it helps hydrate my lips before layering on the heavy liquid lipsticks. I honestly don’t find matte lipsticks uncomfortable at all, yes even the Mac Retro Matte range as this seems to work so well as if I am wearing nothing on my lips. A truly ground-breaking product in my stash!

Lastly, a newer product in my stash but still one I am already obsessed with. A lip gloss/balm hybrid. the By Terry Baume De Rose Lip Gloss. A special holiday release, this is essentially a pearly lip glossy version of their cult balm, except with a texture much like a balm in that it isn’t overly sticky like a gloss which I love. I always wanted to try the original so I am super excited to be able to try this and since I’ve been loving it, I desperately want the original in my stash! It is such a great minimal makeup option, a beautiful glossy nude pink shade.

What are your top lip products from 2016?

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The Best Beauty Discoveries of 2016: Part 1

The final fortnight of 2016 is upon us! So what better way to end the year than to discuss all of my favourite new beauty discoveries from the year. As of course there is many products to discuss, I have split this post into two so a lip product favourites will also follow this blog post on Friday!

Firstly, starting with face products I’ve been loving this year. The Mac Prep + Prime Highlighter in Light Boost has been my go-to for under eye concealing for its brightening properties. The twist pen style pen highlighter is super easy and convenient. In terms of bronzing and highlighting, I’ve found two products that I know will be long term favourites of mine! The first is the Too Faced Sweethearts bronzer which is only a fairly new addition to my stash but I am already obsessed with its glowy effect and pigmentation. Of course I also had to mention a Becca highlighter as they truly are incredible products. I love all the shades I’ve tried but in particular I am obsessed with Champagne Pop, the ultimate pigmented gold-y peachy glow.

In terms of tools, I had to mention the beauty blender. By far one of the best discoveries for me this year! I have became such a convert to the beauty blender and it is now my go-to for applying my base products. It creates the most flawless fresh base and makes even some of my poorer foundations sit better.

Moving on to eyes, for the brows there have been two products that I’ve been loving. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade has been a long year favourite of mine, it is super easy to use whilst creating defined and long lasting brows. More recently, I’ve been enjoying the newer release of the Goof Proof Brow Pencil from Benefit. The twist up pencil is super easy to use and creates a minimal soft brow.

Other eye product shout-outs go to the Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara which has became a big favourite of mine this year. It has been my go-to mascara for creating voluminous and lengthened lashes. I’ve also got back into rocking eyeliner recently since I discovered the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner which is worth all the praise and hype it gets! It is incredibly pigmented and the fine nib makes it super easy to use. Lastly, the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette (which is back in stock!!) also deserves a lot of love. The Too Faced shadows are amazing quality but this palette also offers a dreamy and unique shade range!

What are your top products from 2016?

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The Christmas Party Makeup

It’s the season of red lips and glitter, my favourite! I had a Christmas party last weekend so thought I was the perfect excuse to show some of my top picks for the party season. Expect the standard cliché red lips, glitter and lots of highlighter!

In terms of base, I like to go for something I can trust to be long wearing and provide the coverage! Of course I opted for my trusty Nars Sheer Glow along with my usual concealer combo of the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and Mac Prep + Prime highlighter in Light Boost. To top it off, I applied a light layer of the Chanel Les Beiges powder to keep things in place!

To add more warmth to my skin, I bronzed up with the Too Faced Sweethearts bronzer which I love! I then added more definition with the Kevin Aucoin sculpting powder and topped it off with a lot of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed highlighter in Pearl because if you can’t have go overboard with highlighter at Christmas, when can you!?

For eyes, the Mac pigments came out to play! I picked up the Bronze set from holiday collection, using the a combination of both Stardream and Handsome Prince. Of course I added some liner using my favourite Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. I finished my eyes with the Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara.

Finally, I obviously finished with some red lips for the ultimate Christmas party look using Mac Russian Red.

What are your party picks?

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October Favourites

This month, I definitely got my makeup mojo back! I picked up a few new goodies this month as well as finding great gems within my stash. So without further ado, here is my favourite products of the month..

Starting with base, I have three base product loves. I mentioned this in my Becca post but I am loving the Becca Backlight Priming Perfector for under makeup. It adds the most gorgeous luminosity to the skin and it’s just a great starting base for applying foundation on to. In terms of one of my go-to foundation products I’ve been using lately, it comes from an old favourite; Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue. Again, another glow giver product that makes my skin look beautifully fresh and dewy! Love it! It has light coverage but applies beautifully and the finish is so worth it!

To finish off my base, I also have a concealer love. I’ve had the Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter Pen in Light Boost for a while now but after getting into the habit of using it daily I am obsessed! It adds just the right amount of coverage and the yellow toned shade works perfectly to lighten my under-eyes. It has also lasted me so long despite the small amount of product!

Another love this month has came from Kat Von D and surprisingly is an eyeliner! I say surprisingly as I haven’t been wearing eyeliner for such a long time however when I got my hands on the Tattoo Liner I was desperate to start giving it a go again! Whilst it will take a bit of time to gain some courage to wing it out, I am loving using this as it is super easy to use. The pen style liner has a brush tip which makes it easy to glide on the eye without pulling and tugging which makes it a dream for an eyeliner noob like me. Definitely the best eyeliner I’ve ever used, this will definitely be getting a full size purchase!

Of course I couldn’t have a favourites post without a lip product, right!? Naturally I have more than one in this post! The first is from Urban Decay and was mentioned in my UD lipstick dedicated post here. I have been obsessed with the shade Backtalk, a gorgeous cool toned nude mauve pink in a comfortable creamy matte formula. I can tell it will be a long term favourite of mine!

The second and last product of this round-up is from Mac and one of their Retro Matte liquid lipsticks in the shade Lady Be Good. I am a huge lover of liquid lipsticks but it took me a while to finally get my hands on one of these from Mac however a little price decrease gave me the perfect reason to try one out! They recieved a bit of stick for these in reviews for the formula however I have to say I have been so impressed. The formula is comfortable enough and doesn’t feel overly drying. The applicator is also one of the best I’ve tried as it’s pretty wide so fits the shape of your lips much better than the standard doe foot applicator. The shade is a peachy nude which is super pretty and wearable!

What have you been loving recently?

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July Favourites

If you read my latest Life Lately post then you may know that this month wasn’t my strongest beauty-wise. I kept to a low-buy all month and the majority of it was spent makeup-free. Since I haven’t bought many new things either, when I have been wearing makeup it has been sticking mostly to my known favourites from my stash. So, in terms of favourites this month it has been pretty short and sweet and more skincare focused.

Starting with the one makeup item however that I have been obsessed with for the past couple of weeks. Not a newbie by any means and one I have mentioned plenty of times before, in fact it may have been in a previous favourites? It is the cult favourite Mac Velvet Teddy lipstick. Now it really took me a while to truly love this shade. I have a lot of Mac lipsticks in a similar colour family with others that I prefer more like Mehr and Twig for being that bit more pink and flattering. Velvet Teddy lies to the browner toned side of things with a hint of peachy tones. I always liked it but it never blew me away until recently. I strangely was desperate to wear it one day and I have been wearing it constantly recently. It is just a perfect nude that isn’t too brown and basically the whole my lips but better. So worth the hype!

Moving on to skincare bits, I have been trying a few new things recently skincare-wise and have been sticking to a much better routine now especially since I have had so many makeup-free days. First up is another cult product, this time the Pixi Glow Tonic. I had been desperate to try this exfoliating toner for so long cause if Caroline Hirons approves then it has to be a winner, right!? This is the first product I’ve tried from the Pixi brand but I am already thinking of many more products I want to try out. I have always been pretty poor and irregular in using toners/exfoliators in my routine but since I picked this up I have been trying to make sure I am getting my regular use. At first use it is quite difficult to understand what the product is doing but after a good few weeks I can definitely see a difference in my skin. Scarring from blemishes have been massively reduced and that is always my biggest concern as well my skin appearing fresher and smoother. I think I’ve found myself a great staple now in my routine!

If you recall my Origins beauty box post, then it will be no surprise that I am mentioning a product included in that post. I finally got to try the Origins VitaZing SPF 15 Moisturiser and I have been loving it from my first use. I do find moisturisers can be quite tricky to get right, many are pretty basic but not this. The consistency isn’t too thin yet it isn’t too thick and heavy, it feels moisturising and firming on the skin without feeling tacky. It also has a very sheer tint and delivers the most beautiful radiance which just makes this moisturiser so worthy of the pennies. It adds a lovely glow to the skin that looks flawless and healthy. Oh and did I mention it also has SPF included, winner! Again, this could be another long time skincare favourite of mine!

What have you been loving lately?

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June Favourites

I would say Summer has finally arrived although looking outside doesn’t really confirm that. Weather woes aside, I have got a mix of beauty favourites that I have been loving all month long. Of course as I was soaking up the sun this month, I have a few favourites that helped prep me for my time in the sun and embrace the summer vibes.

Starting with the makeup bits I have been loving, as you can see that beauty of a palette in the corner; the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit (Now Back in Stock!!), it was actually the addition of the Ambient Lighting Bronzer that I have been obsessed with! With the arrival of Summer, I have been ditching my matte bronzers in exchange for something more shimmery. This one fits the bill perfectly as it definitely packs the glow factor. I never got the most wear out of this shade as it has always been that bit too dark on my skin but right now with a light hand, it adds a gorgeous luminosity and basically makes me feel like a bronze goddess, what is not to love!?

I can never have a monthly favourites without a lip product and this month I have two loves. The first is Mac Flat Out Fabulous, a gorgeous bold fuchsia plum shade that I mentioned in my Summer lip picks post. It is such a unique shade and is super flattering on as well as having a really comfortable yet long wearing finish. The other is The Balm Meet Matte Hughes Liquid Lipstick in Committed. I basically want all the liquid lipsticks at the moment and this one had been on my list for a while. The shade is just everything I had been looking for, a deep pink nude that isn’t too dark. The formula feels super comfortable and is long wearing as well as leaving a nice stain on the lips once it wears down. I definitely need to try more of these!

Other bits and pieces that I have been loving will come as no surprise as I have mentioned all of these products this month on the blog. The first is a nail polish from Essie in the shade Sunshine State of Mind. This shade is a gorgeous vivid orange-y coral shade that is part of the Essie Summer 2016 collection. I wore this for the majority of the month when I was away and it looks pretty damn awesome with a tan!

Lastly, come summer I am all about those fresh and fruity scents and my last two favourites are the perfect examples! The first is the ck2 fragrance which I mentioned more in detail in this post. I love this fresh and woody scent, it will definitely be a long time everyday favourite of mine. Of course as well I have been obsessed with the Body Shop Pinita Colada range. I dedicated a whole post to it here, I have been loving everything that I’ve tried and the coconut-pineapple scent is so dreamy!

What have you been loving this month?

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The Summer Lip Edit

When it comes to lip products I am always more of a neutral kinda gal. I have my go-to shades which usually consist of every variation of nude going (I swear they are different, really!). However when Summer comes around I am all for something that little bit bolder. Bright corals and fuchsia shades are all that I crave in Summer time and just look great alongside a tan and my Summer attire. I left out my lip choices in my Travel Makeup Bag post so I thought today I would share my go-to lip picks for the sunny season. I did have a couple more shades however they are very similar to a few that I am going to mention anyway!

Starting with the lightest shades from the bunch. I got my first use out of the Illamasqua Matte Lip Liquid in Surrender. I picked this up way back at the start of the year and mentioned it in this haul. The shade is a bright pink-y peach that basically has Summer all over it. This is the first I’ve tried one of these Illamasqua liquid lipsticks however the formula applied quite streaky on me at first and the colour looked a bit odd on my appearance. However when I patted it down, it revealed a nice softer nude peach colour, perfect for a more toned down look. The formula ovbiously requires a bit of work but the finished result is worth it!

Keeping with the lighter options but moving on to the coral-y shades, I love Charlotte Tilbury Sexy Sienna. This is a beautiful peachy coral shade which can be worn toned down or more vibrantly. The CT formula is also worth a shout for being super creamy and comfortable to wear. To amp it up even more, Mac Tropic Tonic is pretty much like the bolder sister with a vivid pink-y coral colour that is definitely one for the tanned.

To the more bolder picks now, Relentlessly Red is much like a more pinker toned Tropic Tonic. The name is rather misleading, it is definitely not red but more of a bright fuchsia pink. The Retro Matte formula is also super long wearing. Moving on to a more redder toned option, I have also got my first wear out of the Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Soaked which is a gorgeous orange-y red shade. I love these kind of shades, more summery than a typical red with the orange undertones yet still so wearable. Lastly, is my latest new lip addition that I picked up at duty free, Mac Flat Out Fabulous. I had wanted this shade for so long and I am so glad I picked it up! It’s a beautiful plum-y fuchsia shade that looks so flattering and such a wearable way to venture into purple tones. Love it!

What is your top Summer lip pick?

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Summer Beauty Essentials

When a sight of sun is in the sky, my beauty priorities take a change from fuller coverage bases and sculpted, neutral looks to embrace the Summer vibes with bronzed skin and bright shades. As well as my makeup choices, my skincare also changes up slightly. With Summer in full swing, I thought I would share my top beauty essentials for dealing with the summer heat.

MAKEUP/NAILS

In terms of base, I love a lightweight glowy base for Summer. When the sun is shining, the last thing I want is a fuller coverage thick foundation so instead I love a light and comfortable tinted moisturiser/bb cream. My favourite is the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue which gives enough coverage for a light base and also provides a fresh glowy look to the skin all whilst remaining comfortable and moisturising on the skin. To add some extra glow to my skin, I love the look of liquid highlighters. They look soft and natural on the skin and can be worked in with foundation too. I am currently loving the Nars illuminator in Copacabana which blends into the skin beautifully.

To amp up the warmth in my skin, bronzer is such a must in Summer. It helps add a little definition to my face whilst giving me a little colour too. I am currently all for shimmery bronzers to add even more glow in my skin such as the Soap and Glory Wonderbronze which I have been loving. To add even more colour, I love bright lip shades at this time of year. There is nothing better than a bright coral or orange-y red to brighten things up. I will share some of my favourites later but I am loving Mac Relentlessly Red.

I also love bright nails as well, something I will also cover in another post. They look summery and great for enhancing a tan. I have so many Essie shades that I am loving but I am currently all for their new Summer shade Sunshine State of Mind.

SKINCARE

Obviously when the sun is out in full force, it is important to protect your skin. Having light skin, I need high protection for my skin in the sun so SPF is so important. I am currently using the Clarins Sun Cream for Very High Protection which offers UVB/UVA 50+ to help my skin stay safe in the sun. So having light skin means that tanning just doesn’t happen for me and I have to turn to self-tanning products. I am not much a tanning person anyway so a gradual tanner is all I need for a subtle bronzed glow. I am currently using the Clarins Golden Glow Booster to add in to my moisturiser for an extra glow.

Lastly, to keep hydrated I love hydrating mists. In the heat there is nothing better than a boost of hydration to stay refreshed and cool in the heat. I am all for the Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist which is a bargain and super hydrating on the skin.

What are your Summer beauty essentials?

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Mac 90s Nude Lip Edit: Kylie Jenner Style

The whole Kylie Jenner, 90s nude lip trend might be one you are wishing to see the back off. If you are, I do apologise. I for one whilst am not a ‘fan’ of the Kardashian family, I do love the whole nude mauve lip thing. There is nothing wrong with a bit of a 90s throwback, right!? Anyway I’ve picked up quite a few nude shades from Mac in their lipsticks and liners and thought I would give you a little run down on my picks. A lot of the shades are quite similar to each other so I don’t recommend the need for all of them but hopefully if you are looking for a nude option then one of these might take your fancy!

MAC BRAVE (Satin Lipstick)

The lightest and most nude-ist of the bunch. As you can see I’ve had a lot of wear out of this one. This is a perfect everyday shade, perfect for going to work as it’s not too in your face. If you are not one for bold shades then this is a good shade to start with. If you do want to build it up, Soar lip liner underneath adds a little more oomph to it. The satin formula is one of my favourites from Mac, super creamy and comfortable to wear yet has a semi-matte finish on the lips. Some satin finishes are more long-wearing than others, this is a little on the shorter side for longevity but still not as bad as a more creamier lipsticks.

MAC FAUX (Satin Lipstick)

Essentially Brave but turned up a notch. This shade rocks up a little more deeper than Brave and is much more mauve-y and rosy in comparison. This is a perfect 90s nude shade and definitely one I recommend especially if you want a more creamier formula. Again this is in a satin finish with the same properties as Brave but I do find this a little more long wearing.

MAC VELVET TEDDY (Matte Lipstick)

Moving towards the browner tones. I couldn’t do this post without the cult favourite of them all, Velvet Teddy. This is probably the most popular from all the above due to all the KJ buzz. As you can see from the swatch below it is a lot more brown toned in comparison to the first two shades. Yet whilst I don’t really go for brown-y shades, this is still completely wearable as it does have rosy undertones to it so still is a really nice natural everyday shade. This shade comes in a matte finish so is more long wearing but still comfortable to wear since I haven’t found this drying at all on my lips.

MAC MEHR (Matte finish) 

Mehr is probably one of my favourite shades from the bunch. A gorgeous dusky rosy pink shade that is a little more bold than your everyday neutral but not too much. It feels creamy on the lips despite having a matte formula so is long wearing yet nice to wear. This shade also looks gorgeous over Mac Soar lipliner to deepen things a little more. A must have shade in my opinion!

MAC TWIG (Satin Lipstick)

I am going to try and refrain from raving too much about this one cause I love Twig so much! Probably my favourite Mac lipstick and probably even my favourite in general. Again from the picture above you can probably see the wear I’ve had out of it which is a lot! The shade is a gorgeous soft rosy brown-y colour which is super pigmented. The formula is satin again and this lipstick pretty much made me love satin finishes for being long wearing yet with such a creamy formula. I think this is such an underrated shade!

MAC WHIRL (Matte finish) 

A newer one in my collection, this is the deepest colour wise and is a dark rosy brown shade. This is a newer one in my collection and one I just had to have when I kept hearing about it. It is from the matte collection that Mac brought out last year and of course this shade being a lipstick version of the lipliner got people excited. Personally I struggle with this one. It is a lot more brown than I would usually go for, especially on my paler skin it doesn’t have enough pink in it to be overly wearable. It is still comfortable to wear and I do prefer to wear it a little more lightly. It does match up quite well with Whirl lipliner as you would expect but the combo is a little too dark for my liking but may appeal to others. If anyone has any tips for wearing this shade then let me know!

MAC WHIRL (Lip Liner) 

As I said above, essentially the lip pencil version of the lipstick. Again this is a deep rosy brown shade and works best with those with browner tones such as Whirl (obviously) and also Velvet Teddy if brown tones is more your thing!

MAC SOAR (Lip Liner) 

Probably my most used lip liner ever. This is a gorgeous mauve dusky pink shade and works as a great combo with the above lipsticks. The Mac lip pencils are super creamy to apply and by far my favourites. This shade is super wearable and adds a little more depth to shades. It also looks pretty on its own for a perfect mauve nude lip.

What is your favourite 90s nude lip?

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