My Current Makeup Menu

It’s been a while since I last shared my current makeup routine so it makes sense to post a little update. Having got back into wearing makeup again on a daily basis, I have been sticking pretty much to a solid consistent routine using the same products again and again and rarely changing it up. For someone who adores Autumn and particularly the makeup trends at this time of year, surprisingly I haven’t turned to dark lips and eyes, instead I’ve been loving a more Summer appropriate look with dewy skin, a peachy eye look and nude lips.

My base is the one area I’ve been sticking to a constant routine and hardly changing up. I start by priming with the Jouer Anti-Blemish Matte Primer which feels nice and calming on the skin but I can’t say it’s helped improve my skin long term. I then go in with my trusty Nars Sheer Glow foundation and top it off with the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer on any blemishes, again another favourite of mine! I then conceal under the eyes with the Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter in Light Boost with the yellow toned liquid working to highlight under my eyes and discard any darkness.

Before setting my base with the Chanel Les Beiges Powder, I use the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter in Opal across my cheekbones and blend it out with my Beauty Blender. Before finishing off my face with a bit of bronzer to warm up my skin a little. Of course I am still obsessed with my favourite Honey Bronzer from The Body Shop.

Moving onto eyes, I start with my eyebrows and keep it fairly simple by running the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil through them to add a little more definition. I then move onto eyeshadow using the beautiful Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette which is full of gorgeous peachy and brown warm tones. I like to create a simple shimmery golden-y peachy look using mainly Nectar, Luscious, Cobbler and Caramelized which creates a gorgeous ‘golden goddess’ look that gives off extreme VS Angel vibes! Damn yeah! To finish off my eyes I coat on my favourite Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara which leaves my lashes looking thick and full.

To finish off my look, I like to dabble in a few different lip shades since lipstick is my thing, if you haven’t noticed all ready! Currently though, I am loving one of the new Urban Decay Vice lipsticks in the shade Backtalk. A gorgeous cool toned pink with a comfortable matte finish. LOVE!

 What makeup have you been reaching for lately?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

High-end Products Worth The Splurge

I love a good splurge. I think we have all gathered that by now. As a lover of high-end and luxury beauty products I thought I would share some products that I believe to be worth the splurge. Spending your precious pennies on a beauty product can be risky business not knowing if it will perform to your expectations or not. So if you are somebody who doesn’t buy a lot of high end products or if you are hoping to make a little splurge soon then hopefully my picks can give you a little reassurance. Even if you are a luxury fiend then maybe my picks will also offer a little push to go splurge some more, sorry!

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I couldn’t not mention one of the most hyped up high end products! The Urban Decay Naked palettes are hugely popular and for good reason. Having built up my collection of them all, I can definitely say that they are truly worth the hype and the splurge. Whilst all of them may not be necessary, I think the original palette is a great all-rounder. Full of warm bronze-y neutral tones, its a palette for everyone. Whilst the shade range is great, the quality of the shadows is also incredible. Urban Decay have really nailed a great buttery long lasting eyeshadow formula that every beauty lover needs to try! My full review of this palette here.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipsticks

I love a good lipstick especially a luxurious one. It’s always nice to treat yo’ self to nice new lipstick and what better than the queen herself Charlotte Tilbury. Her makeup line is truly exquisite and her lipsticks are no exception. Both her matte and moisturising creamy lipstick range are incredibly impressive. The matte formula is one of the best matte formulas I’ve ever tried with a seriously comfortable application and finish. Perfect for people who aren’t particularly fond of the feeling of many matte lipsticks. Her K.I.S.S.I.N.G range is also really nice offering a moisturising formula that is pretty impressive in terms of longevity! They are pricey but so worth it in mu opinion! My favourites include Bitch Perfect and Lost Cherry.

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

I always struggle with drugstore foundations and I truly believe that splurging on a base product is so worth it! High end foundations tend to offer a much better formula in terms of how it applies and also the lasting power which is very important in a foundation. My particular favourite is Nars Sheer Glow, a great all round base. It offers a satin buildable finish that doesn’t cling to dry patches or look cakey on the skin. It also has impressive longevity making it a great reliable foundation. Definitely one to try! My full review is here.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighters 

Highlighters are just everything, right? For me, nothing quite beats the Becca formulation. Their highlighters are like no other. I have two of the pressed highlighters in Opal and Champagne Pop and my goodness are they beautiful! The give off a serious killer glow to the skin with incredible pigmentation. Although the creamy buttery texture is what makes these even more amazing. They glide on so beautifully on the skin without looking powdery or with chunks of glitter, just like smooth gold!

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Oh how I love a good primer. From what I’ve tried, I’ve never actually found a good drugstore primer that works and none that can beat my love for the Smashbox one. I feel like this primer is a bit of a love or a hate thing but what it achieves is so impressive. The texture is probably the thing that bothers most people out of preference but for me I quite like it. It doesn’t feel greasy or slippy on the skin and leaves a smoothing effect perfecting for starting makeup. The longevity powers it has though is what makes this. Paired under foundation it takes my makeup lasting hours longer than it would have without. It is basically magic!

Nars Creamy Concealer

Another incredibly hyped product but for good reason. This concealer is well worth the extra pennies. The thick but creamy formula works wonders on blemishes and spots offering full coverage that isn’t cakey or clingy. It also wears well throughout the day unlike many other concealers that get a little drying as the day goes on. Despite the thickness, I don’t find this drying at all although I personally don’t like the texture for under the eyes however on blemishes it is a dream! Full review here.

What are your favourite high end products?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

My Current Spring Glowy Makeup Menu

I would always think of myself being more into Fall makeup preferring bold lips and a semi-matte complexion however as of lately I am all over the fresh glowy bronzed look perfect for Spring. I have to blame the sudden summery weather that has hit the UK recently making me go all heart-eyed emoji over all the highlighters and shimmery bronzers! I also picked up a swoon-worthy peach-y toned palette that has Summer written all over it and I thought I would share my current favourite picks for a glowy, bronzed, looks-like-I’ve-been-on-holiday look. P.S Happy 500 posts to me 🙂

BASE

To start, I’ve been loving mixing in my Nars Sheer Glow foundation with the Nars Copacabana Illuminator . The foundation offers a long lasting satin base which offers a great build-able coverage. Teamed with the liquid highlighter, it adds a glowy effect to the base. I then as normal go in with concealer on any blemishes, I am currently using the NYX Concealer. I then use the Mac Prep and Prime highlighter in Light Boost to highlight under my eyes.  To finish, I then set my base with the Chanel Les Beiges powder to slightly mattify but still allow a a bit of shine to come through.

CHEEKS

To amp up the bronze-y glowy look, it’s all about the cheek products. Instead of my usual matte bronzer, I’ve been all over shimmery bronzers lately. I have been obsessed with the Soap and Glory Wonderbronze Shimmer Brick that I couldn’t wait to dig out again! This bronzer just adds a gorgeous sun-kissed look to the face. On top, the Tarte blush in Exposed acts well to compliment the bronzed look by adding a little more warmth and definition to the face. To achieve that overall glowy look, the Becca highlighter in Champagne Pop is the perfect addition. The formula is super buttery and smooth and the shade is just perfect.

EYES AND LIPS 

A very exciting new addition to my makeup collection and that has sparked my love for all the spring makeup lately is the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette. Unfortunately this is a limited edition product and I believe no longer available so apologies for mentioning it but damn is it beautiful! The shade range is perfect and great for creating a light shimmery peach-y bronzed eye. After adding some mascara, I then move on to lips and I am loving a peach-y combination. I’ve loved mixing a bit of Charlotte Tilbury Sexy Sienna with Bitch Perfect for the perfect mix of coral-y peach and a light glossy nude.

What have you been loving for Spring?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

The 5 Product Face

Now and again when I do not have much time on my hands, I like to adopt a quick and easy makeup routine that is not only convenient but also reliable. I thought I would share my 5 product face selection that are my go-to products if I am ever in a rush but also those products that I couldn’t live without which make such a difference to my face.

Firstly, base. This is one of the most crucial steps and probably the one that will take the most time to apply. I opted for Nars Sheer Glow, my still all-time favourite base. The great thing with this foundation is that it offers superb coverage so you can easily miss out on the concealer for this one which is why I have not included any. The satin finish makes my skin look and feel much healthier and it applies well and also lasts well too.

If you asked me about a year ago if I was a blush or bronzer gal, I would’ve said blush all day any day. However whilst blush is still one of my favourite products, bronzer comes first for me these days. I never really understood the need for bronzer but now I can’t go without my added warmth to my pale face! The Body Shop Honey Bronzer is another all-time favourite for me with the light shade working perfectly with my pale skin.

So with my base perfected, the next step is eyes and an area that I particularly like to pay the most attention to. Since I wear glasses and my eyes appear smaller, I always can’t go without mascara. For me, mascara is the one product that I rely on the most. I basically want the most out there lashes going and right now I am enjoying the Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant which adds enough length and volume to create impact.

Continuing on with the eye area, eyebrows are another important step in my routine. It is weird to think how I never did anything with my eyebrows a good couple of years ago but now I can’t have a face of makeup without those eyebrows on fleek (sorry). Eyebrows frame your face so much so it is so important to pay attention to them. I am currently enjoying using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade which seems intimidating at first but is actually a super easy to use and long wearing product! My pot has definitely seen better days though…

Last up is lips. One of my favourite parts of my makeup routine is switching up my lipstick and it really finishes off the look. Whilst for quickness and if I am just running some errands, I like to apply the Clarins Instant Lip Balm Perfector however I love a good lipstick particularly those mauve-y dusky rose shades that are my favourites. The likes of Mac Mehr is one of those shades I can always rely on and wear constantly.

What is your go-to 5 product face?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

2015 Beauty Favourites: Base & Cheek Products

It’s that time for a mammoth of a favourites post! With 2015 over and done with, it’s time to look back at some of my top beauty products from the year. If you are a regular reader around these parts then most of the products may not be a big surprise to you! This is actually the first time I have ever done a whole yearly favourites so as I have so many products and didn’t want to bore you all with an essay of a blog post I have split this in to two parts. Today’s post will look into my favourite base/cheek products so foundation, concealer, blush etc. Then on Wednesday I will be rounding up my favourite eye/lip products. So I will stop blabbing on now and get on with my 2015 favourites…

Primer

There is only one primer that has ever really done it for me. That is without a doubt the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. I mentioned this already just last week in my December Favourites but this is holy grail level for me. I tried out a sample of this at either the end of 2014/start of 2015 and in one try I was completely blown away! I was of course also super happy to pick it up during a flight this summer were I got it for a pretty bargain! This primer creates such a velvety soft finish to my skin which lets my foundation slip on top super easily. It makes my makeup last super long like crazy and it still manages to keep my base looking fresh and flawless. Couldn’t recommend it enough!

Foundation/ Base products 

There is three base products that I truly fell for this year. All of which will be no surprise to you! Weirdly enough each one has a completely different finish from one another but it means I’ve got something good to cover all bases. First up, the tinted moisturiser lightweight base. BareMinerals Complexion Rescue stole my heart during the year with its flawless skin in a bottle formula. This is one for a good skin day as it does have a much lighter coverage. Although it basically gives you better skin, it is super glowy and fresh and makes you feel like a VS Angel, pretty much! Check my review for that one here.

For a more fuller coverage, night out option and just overall incredible foundation, Nars Sheer Glow wins hands down! I had been desperate to try this foundation for far too long and finally took the plunge earlier in 2015 and I am ever so glad I did! The shade Mont Blanc is the perfect fit for my skin and coverage is super buildable. It also doesn’t include SPF so is perfect for nights out! Just a perfect foundation in my books, check my full review here.

Lastly, a surprise new favourite came my way from the drugstore not too long ago. I don’t usually get on well with drugstore foundations although this seemed to work a dream with my skin. The L’Oreal Infallible 24h-Matte is the foundation in question. I never ever swayed towards matte foundations, with glowy and satin finishes more up my street but this formula is just great, it’s not too matte and has a nice natural look whilst still providing good coverage. At an affordable price, it’s such a great everyday option, check my review here.

Conceal & Correct

Concealer is always something I had been on the hunt for, something that provided good long lasting coverage without caking. The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer seemed to fit the bill. This is just the perfect concealer for me when covering blemishes, it offers great coverage and is super blendable with a thick consistency. The fact I am now running out makes me feel pretty darn sad! I don’t know how to deal without my Nars concealer! Check my full review here.

At the start of the year, corrector is something I would never have considered. Not just because I wouldn’t have needed it but also because I probably never knew what it was. That was until the Bobbi Brown corrector made its way into my life. I get discoloration under my eyes and I turned to trying the cult BB corrector in a bid to fix up my blue under eyes. This product works wonders on me, the creamy formula is super easy to work with and blends in nicely on the skin without caking or creasing. It offers really great coverage too and hides any noticeable discoloration.

Cheek Products

At the start of the year I never cared so much for bronzer. I never really seen the need for it although that was until I tried The Body Shop Honey Bronzer. This is hands down one of my best makeup discoveries ever. The shade is just so perfect for my fair skin and isn’t too warm at all. As well as giving my skin a bit of warmth, it also adds shape and definition which I just love. It is also a complete bargain!

This year also saw my love for blush grow. I don’t know why I love it so much but I have always been forever looking for more blush to add to my collection. In 2015, I finally tried out the well hyped Hourglass brand. After getting my hands on the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit, I got to try out a couple more blushes and other products in their powder range. The one that I truly fell for though was Mood Exposure, a gorgeous mauve plum shade which looks super natural on the skin. The formula for these are also unbeatable! Check my review of the palette here.

What was your favourite base products from 2015?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

 

The Going Out Makeup Look

Despite still being in my teen years I have a rather poor social life. I rarely venture out for nights out on the town instead favoring staying in to watch a load of crap weekend TV. Since it’s such a rare occasion I do step out I do like to up my makeup game and put in the effort. All my favourite and top makeup picks come out to play in being those trustworthy products that I know will stick around for a long night. There is no surprise really that it’s all high end products that made the cut as I do like to make good use of my investment pieces that I know work well for me. I did surprisingly head out last weekend although for a very special occasion as I headed to see One Direction in concert so obviously I wanted to look my best. There is a mix of newbies and old favourites that I have put together to form a killer night out look.

Starting with base, this is really were I put a lot of trust in my products to be long lasting and work for my skin. As always I start with primer and of course my holy grail Smashbox Photo Finish Primer excels in helping makeup last longer and still looks fresh throughout the night. I’ve never found as good a foundation as Nars Sheer Glow. It provides a buildable satin finish and blends beautifully into the skin. Another favourite from Nars is their Creamy Radiant Concealer which does the best job at concealing blemishes and redness. Mine is currently running low which does make me panic cause pricey repurchase may be necessary! In terms of concealing eyes, I start with my Bobbi Brown corrector to cancel out any discoloration under the eyes then use my Clarins Instant Concealer over the top.

On to the more exciting products to give my complexion a little bit of life. I am so excited to say that I finally own the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Palette. This palette is what dreams are made of. It is so gorgeous. I firstly use the sculpt shade to warm up my complexion and give my cheekbones a little definition. Then I like to go a little crazy with highlighter by patting it on to the tops of my cheekbones for that intense glow. To perk up the cheeks you can never go wrong with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes in particular the shade Diffused Heat. With highlighting properties these blushes really light up the skin and don’t appear flat.

Onto the eyes. As usual my Benefit Gimme Brow for a little sweep through the brows to make them a little fuller. In terms of eyeshadow, I have been going a little palette crazy recently. I finally picked up the Urban Decay Smoky palette cause obviously I had to, right? With deep intense shades it works perfectly at creating more full on night out looks. The shimmer shades in particular in this palette are truly stunning and the shade Radar is one I am forever reaching for. For the full on dramatic eye look I like to finish by curling my eyelashes with the Shu Uemera eyelash curlers and many coats of the Benefit They’re Real mascara.

To finish off, I like to add something a little bold to the lips. I find going out gives me the perfect opportunity to crack out the bold dark shades. One shade I have been reaching for recently has been Mac D For Danger, a bold berry red shade in a matte finish that sticks around from dinner to drinks to home time.

What products do you reach for on a night out?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

I gave you the review of my perfect foundation from the makeup gods that is Nars, now it is time to give you my lowdown on the concealer. Similarly to Sheer Glow, I lusted over the Nars Creamy Concealer for so long before biting the bullet and finally picking it up. Likewise, I think I have found another winner.

At £22 it’s a pricey little tube but by far the best I’ve tried (yet). I picked up the shade Vanilla which is the perfect match for me. As suggested by the name, this concealer is super creamy and quite a thick consistency. It offers a really high coverage making it great for blemishes and imperfections. To get the best results for really any concealer you need to have a good base underneath to get that flawless skin result. This concealer works perfectly alongside Sheer Glow, dream duo over here! One thing I always struggle with when it comes to concealer is dealing with the drier areas of my skin. This concealer is just so well suited to my skin, it doesn’t cling on to any dry patches and it doesn’t appear cakey. As I said before the coverage is great and therefore works a dream for me when covering spots and redness. I like to use a sponge with this concealer and it works great by simply patting it onto the skin. I have also found that the concealer lasts pretty good too especially if I do have a good trusty base underneath!

Although when it comes to concealing under the eyes I am afraid this concealer isn’t what I am looking for. As it is really thick and creamy I find it too heavy for under the eyes. I don’t suffer from bad dark circles or discolouration under the eyes so I don’t require as much coverage as some people might. Although I know a lot of people use this for under the eyes so I am sure it is something people will like with this product although just personally not for me.

While the coverage might be too much for my under eyes, it really is the perfect match when it comes to concealing blemishes. The thick and creamy consistency is just what I’ve been looking for to gain the look of flawless skin.

Are you a fan of this concealer?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

It’s been a long time coming. For pretty much every wishlist I have created on this blog, most of them have contained the Nars Sheer Glow and it looks like I have finally checked it off! When it comes to foundation I’ve always had a bit of a struggle. A lot of drugstore foundations don’t sit right with my skin, they are either cakey, not long lasting or stick to dry patches. So being a lover of Nars and with a well hyped reputation I had to make the splurge and I had pretty high expectations to say the least. After trying this out, I can definitely say it lived up to the expectations!

I picked this up from Space NK after gaining a little £5 reward on my card making the scary price a little less scary. The shade matching was a pretty easy job, I spotted my shade a mile away and the shop assistant was definitely in agreement. I tend to have a thing with the second lightest shade of foundations and it was no surprise after picking up the shade Mont Blanc (Light 2) to which the shop assistant also told me was the most popular shade in the store.

Now back to the foundation itself. The name ‘Sheer glow’ is a bit of a weird one. This foundation is anything but sheer, it does give the impression that it is very light coverage however it has a very buildable coverage. The foundation blends really easily too and creates such a flawless base that hardly needs concealer (for me anyway). The foundation is more of a dewy base but isn’t overly glowy, it makes the skin look naturally radiant and brighter.

The longevity is a major plus point when it comes to buying foundation. I really don’t want to come home with half my foundation worn away, lets be honest its not pretty! Nars Sheer Glow definitely offers a long lasting base. It lasts really well on my skin and after a full day away I always come home to a base that still looks super flawless! The only issue I have with this foundation is the pump problem. You may be aware that the Nars Sheer Glow doesn’t come with a pump and you have to buy it separately. However thats a whole other problem itself as no where seems to stock a pump! So for the time being I have to dip my brush in the bottle and hope for the best really!

Overall though, an amazing foundation. For the time being I can sacrifice the pump-less bottle for the guarantee of a flawless base. Without a doubt, the best foundation I have ever used (so far).

Have you tried the Nars Sheer Glow?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin

 

May Favourites

It’s monthly favourites time again! As my Summer holidays begin I haven’t been wearing makeup on a daily basis but I did find some new gems this month that I have just fell in love with! Without further ado here are some of my much loved beauty bits from the month of May.

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation – Nars has finally answered my foundation prayers. When it came to foundation I always struggled to find ‘the one’ but since this beauty came along my hunt may be over. I lusted over this for so long since its well and truly hyped and worth the hype it is! It blends like a dream, gives flawless coverage and has pretty good staying power too. The perfect foundation, more of my raves later though!

Essie Maximillian Strasse Her – This nail polish may come at no surprise after seeing my blog post in which I shared my love for it.  This minty-blue-grey hued shade is what I have had on my nails constantly over the month and I am obsessed. Like other Essie shades, its a great formula with pretty decent lasting power too. Love it!

Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush – Again this may have been another predictable option after I raved about it here. This brush also had a lot of hype surrounding it and I really wanted to pick it up for so long. It is just the perfect size for applying foundation and helps create such a flawless finish. As much as I loved my Real Techniques Buffing brush for foundation there is no going back now!

MAC Creme Cup – I’m so predictable. This month I really got drawn into the look of nude pink lips and this lipstick made a great addition to my collection. The cremesheen formula is smooth and creamy on the lips while the shade is the perfect soft pink great for everyday wear. Keep an eye on my blog next week, another nude lip is coming you way… surprising, not really! (Check my Creme Cup review here)

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish – This month I have really started to have a proper skincare routine after fumbling around with different products ever so often. One product I really wanted to try and pretty much needed was the ever so popular Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. As you will hear more about my love on this later this month I won’t go into too much detail but I do really like this. It makes my skin feel super soft and my skin hasn’t been this clear in ages!

What have you been loving this month?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin