May Favourites

We are entering the half way point to the year, where has time gone!? As Summer approaches now I am all about the summery bronzey makeup look which I covered in this post. I haven’t been wearing much makeup this month and instead letting my skin breathe but when I have been opting for a little makeup, I have been going for a similar look and these products are ones that I have been loving lately.

In terms of base and application, I have loved a soft glowy look. To achieve that, I have been enjoying using the Nars Illuminator in the shade Copacabana which is a gorgeous pearl-y highlight. This can be used on top of foundation, under or mixed in. I have loved mixing it in with my foundation to create a gorgeous fresh glowy base. To apply my base, I have became a lover of the Beauty Blender. I am a total sponge convert. I spoke in this post about why I think this is worth the hype, it is super easy to apply and blend product particularly liquid based products like the Nars highlighter or foundation. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without this!

To amp up the warmth in my skin, I have been loving two cheek products. The first is the Soap and Glory Wonderbronze Shimmer Brick bronzer. I always prefer matte bronzers to shimmery formulations however with Summer in the air, I am all about the bronze-y glowing look. I basically want all the shimmery bronzers and I turned to an old product in my stash and regained my love. I like to swirl my brush in this and apply in a three shape to the sides of my face and to add a gorgeous glow. Some of the shades can be quite dark so I like to take this lightly for a soft glowy look. How many more times will I say glowy, sorry!

To finish the cheeks, I am also loving the Tarte blush in Exposed which is a gorgeous matte mauve, neutral pink shade that is super flattering. The shade adds a nice level of warmth to the skin without being overpowering and also adds definition and sculpts the face. Lastly, I also have been loving a coral-pink lip combo, perfect for summer. My Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks all seem to work well with my Summer beauty stash and I have been loving a combo of two. A light layer of Sexy Sienna, a gorgeous bright coral shade teamed with a topping of Bitch Perfect, a soft pink nude makes the perfect light everyday Summer lip.

What have you been loving lately?

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The Blush Tag

Blush is without a doubt one of my favourite makeup items. I love buying new blushes to add to my collection and throughout have discovered some real gems. I have seen this tag floating around blogs for a long while now and I thought I would give my input into some of my favourite and not so favourite blush picks!

1. What blush color suits you the most?

I am definitely a lover of nude-rosy mauve toned shades (you will soon grasp that!). I love the subtle look but warmth that they add and also the structural effect that many of those shades tend to offer. I find bolder shades can look a little too much on my pale complexion.

2. Pressed, cream or loose blush?

I am definitely all for pressed! I am not the biggest cream fan and I haven’t actually tried any loose powder blushes but that seems a little messy!

3. Favourite shimmery blush?

Most of my blushes are shimmery so this is a difficult one! The hourglass blushes are beautiful though! They are not overly shimmery or intense but offer more of a soft highlight effect on the cheeks. Totally gorgeous! My favourites are Diffused Heat and Mood Exposure.

4. Favourite matte blush?

As I said most of my blushes are shimmery so I don’t have many matte options to choose from however I recently got my hands on two shades from Tarte. The shade Exposed is totally beautiful and flattering on my skin. The mauve-plum shade adds the perfect amount of colour as well as adding a sculpted effect to the cheeks.

5. Favourite cream blush?

I am not the biggest fan of cream formulas however the Illamasqua blushes never fail to disappoint and I am truly obsessed with their cream blush in the shade Zygomatic. I picked this up at a bargain price but I absolutely love it, again a pretty soft nude shade that is uber flattering. The formula is perfect however and doesn’t feel slippy or greasy on the skin.

6. Favourite drugstore blush?

I tend to go for higher end options particularly for blush as the drugstore never really interests me in terms of blush however there is one blush I love. The Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes has to be the best drugstore blush range around. They are beautiful and the marble-y highlighting effect makes them great dupes of the Hourglass options. The shade Lavish Mauve is super beautiful and a great dupe for Hourglass Mood Exposure.

7. Favourite high end blush?

Such a tricky one since this basically equates to what is my favourite blush! I probably have to go with the Hourglass blushes as they feel like such a good investment however I love the Nars blushes particularly Sin!

8. Favourite bright blush?

Since I opt more for nude shades I don’t really have a lot of bold bright shades. Not necessarily a bright shade but Mac Breezy is much bolder in comparison to my other offerings and I totally adore it. The berry shade is perfect for the colder months for adding a perfect pop of colour!

9. Biggest blush disappointment/regret?

Sadly after having my heart on the Mac Ripe Peach Ombre Blush I was a little disappointed. FYI I spoke about it in detail here. The ombre design is so gorgeous but sadly the pigmentation was a real let down! It is so sheer but still workable, just not as I would have hoped for!

10. Best blush packaging?

The hourglass ones are super gorgeous but the monochromatic Nars design will always steal my heart!

11. What’s on your blush wish list?

Definitely one of the Charlotte Tilbury blushes, I actually nearly bought one recently but after already splurging on a few other blushes I held back but it is definitely still on my radar! I would also like to explore the Nars and Mac range more, any recommendations?

12. Number 1 Holy Grail Blush?

I would probably say Hourglass Mood Exposure (not surprising eh!), the shimmery finish and the flattering mauve tone is just perfect! I only have a miniature in my Hourglass palette but I can so see myself picking up the full size! Also shoutout to Nars Orgasm which is just a perfect all round blush too!

 

What is your favourite blush?

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In Review: Tarte Tartelette Palette

I’ve already covered the Tartelette 2 palette (here) and it is clearly about time that I reviewed the original Tarte Tartelette palette. Also, having tried the two editions of the popular palette I can also lend a hand in comparisons behind the two, so does this one beat my beloved Tartelette 2?

AVAILABILITY/PRICE

Starting with the general info on the palette. As I have covered before, Tarte is pretty difficult to get a hold of outwith countries that (luckily) have a Sephora store. In the UK, Tarte is only available via QVC so annoyingly it is an online only brand. I believe their own Tarte website also offers international shipping however this may come at a high cost. In the UK at the moment (QVC’s prices can vary now and again) it retails for £35 and £33 on the own brand Tarte website which are fairly standard for the price of a high end eyeshadow palette.

PACKAGING

Yup, a whole section dedicated to the packaging. It is important, okay. Both of the palettes have a similar outer sturdy encasing which is in an eye catching gold with a purple ombre top. The second palette is nicer looking with the floral design but it isn’t necessarily a big deal! Again, this palette features a full lid length mirror inside which I know many people will appreciate. Also, the palette comes with a double-sided brush, if you have bought from Tarte before you may be aware of their much generosity when it comes to added on brushes!

SHADES

Compared to the Tartelette 2, this palette is much more cooler in tone. If you are into cooler shades then this might be more suited to your tastes. Again there is 12 shades in this palette with all 12 being matte compared to the Tartelette 2 that features a few shimmery shades. What I really like about these palettes is the layout of the shades with each row corresponding to a different look with the light shades first working up to the darker shades. The good thing here is that it also means you can create a full look with this palette with great light shades, transition colours and darker crease colours too. Looking at the colour range in the palette, the first row is the warmest you will get with more brown-y toned shades. The next two are much cooler in tone with the second having a lilac-y purple tone to it and the last a more grey smoke-y vibe.

FORMULA

 The most important part and sadly the part were this palette disappoints. Starting with the pigmentation, the colour pay off varies which you may be able to see from the swatches. A couple of shades such as the last shade has pretty decent pigmentation but others fall short. The lightest shades are pretty sheer and didn’t swatch well but that is usually expected. The real issue I had however with the formula was the blend-ability. I felt like many of the shades were hard to work with, they just didn’t blend well and they also were a little tricky to pick up on a brush. It is a strong contrast from the Tartelette 2 palette which I actually believe to have an incredible buttery smooth formula. The lasting power is also pretty poor as the colour seems to slide off my lids and crease in no time.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

What is a beautifully presented palette with a good range of neutral shades falls short when it comes to the formula. For any eyeshadow beginners out there, I wouldn’t recommend this palette as it definitely requires much extra effort in the blending department. However if you are eager to try the Tarte eyeshadow range then I cannot recommend the Tartelette 2 palette enough. Probably one of my favourite ever palettes, the shade range is more appealing and the formula is much superior and longer lasting.

Have you tried the Tartelette palettes?

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In Review: Tarte Tartelette 2 In Bloom Palette

Tarte are a brand I am still looking to explore. In the UK it is pretty difficult to get a hold of although nevertheless I have got my hands on their two Tartelette palettes so far. If you read my January Favourites, then you would have seen me mention the latest Tartelette palette, Tartelette 2 In Bloom. Essentially a newer update on the original Tartelette palette although this time featuring a few shimmer/metallic shades opposed to being all matte like the first edition. Whilst I have had the first Tartelette palette for a while I haven’t properly reviewed it, so if you would like to see that then let me know! However having tried this palette, I am totally obsessed and definitely prefer this latest one to the previous.

Starting with the packaging and the availability etc. The palette comes encased in a similar way to the original palette with a hard outer casing that is in a beautiful rose gold shade. As it does have the hard casing it does make it feel a lot more secure and sturdy. The design on the front features a very pretty spring appropriate pink/purple floral pattern which is ever so aesthetically pleasing. Inside the palette, it features a full mirror on one side which is pretty handy. I never really use compact/palette mirrors but if you do it is a pretty good size! Like the original, it also comes with a double-ended brush. I like using my own brushes although this one is pretty decent. It comes with a flatter blush at one side and then a fluffier brush which is angled to really help get into the crease. The brush comes alone rather than fitting in the palette but considering the value of a Tarte brush, it is a pretty good deal! In the UK, you can get Tarte via QVC and the prices vary quite often. At the time of writing, you are looking around the £30 mark which is pretty decent and a good bit cheaper than the UD and Too Faced palettes!

On to the actual contents of the palette. There is 12 eyeshadows inside, mostly matte besides the addition of three shimmery shades. The arrangement of the palette is also pretty helpful as there is three rows of shadows with each row sticking to a colour theme that can be used to create a full look with lighter base shades to darker crease colours. The first row follows a taupe, greige-y colour scheme and isn’t too far from the likes of the Naked 2 palette. The shade Jetsetter in this row is a standout for me, a really buttery smooth soft taupe matte shade which works great as a base. On to the next row, the shades are a little warmer with more brown-y tan shades. The shade Firecracker is probably my favourite from the whole palette. This is a bronze shimmer and is so incredibly pigmented, it applies like a wet loose pigment! It is just the most perfect bronze-y shade you will ever need! The last row is probably my favourite selection from the palette with more warm burgundy, rosy tones. There is a gorgeous champagne shade for the inner corner and then a couple of dark burgundy shades great for warming up the crease.

Thinking of the shadows as a whole, the mattes are incredibly buttery and smooth. For me it is a huge improvement on the original palette as I did struggle working with some shades in the previous palette. This palette in fact has pretty much drawn me to all matte eyeshadow looks which is something I wouldn’t have worn before. The shimmers are nice too with Firecracker performing the best with a super soft texture. All in all, these shadows are all really good quality and I’ve been getting a lot of wear out of them! The longevity is also much better than the original palette and these shadows are pretty long lasting on me. So overall, a pretty good purchase! Also, apologies for no swatches I had a little difficulty with that, but do check out Temptalia’s here!

Have you tried the Tartelette palettes?

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Monthly Roundup: October

With November days away it’s time to round up my month of October. Oh how scary that sounds! October has been a bit of a hectic month for me to say the least. With demanding uni deadlines and just not enough hours in the day unfortunately my blog came last in my list of priorities this month. Writing blog posts has been a bit of a rush this month and I did annoyingly miss a couple of posting days. I really do apologise for that, it is incredibly annoying and pretty difficult trying to keep everything in schedule. With a couple of assignments getting out the way I do hope that I can keep on top of things for next month and maybe get a little more organised (potential blog post right there?).

Anyway moving on from the negatives, whilst my month was consumed by work and more work I also had a few exciting things happen. Firstly, now If you recall my monthly roundup back in July here I spoke about how I passed my driving theory test. It’s been a few months since then but after booking my practical driving test, I passed first time! So I am now a legal driver, how exciting! I am so so happy! It’s just been so much more convenient now that I can drive! I also tried my hand at motorway driving last week which is very different but not too bad. Definitely something I will need to get used to though!

Also yet again something I will be mentioning for the billionth time but I finally had my One Direction concert this month. You may or may not know but I am a huge fan of the boys and have been waiting for months to see them on their UK tour. My show finally came around and it was truly amazing! It was also really nice to have something to look forward to and it was just an amazing night that I wish I could do all over again.

Lastly, an exciting and very well longed after purchase happened. You may recall way back in August I did a Birthday wishlist post and featured the Tarte Tartelette palette which of course was sold out for ages. After doing a little bit of browsing I found it in stock and of course had to pick it up! I am more of a shimmer gal than matte so it’s definitely a bit different for me but I am enjoying using it so far. I will give you all a more detailed review though later! Speaking of Tarte though, I would love to hear any recommendations from the brand, I am dying to try out more of their products! So please do let me know your favourite Tarte products! I was hoping that October would be a no spending month but of course that never happened so I did pick up a few other beauty bits that I am sure I will be mentioning over the course of the next month.

Catch up on October posts: Discovering Maple Holistics, Contouring & Highlighting with Seventeen, Four for Fall: Blush, When You’re Feeling Under The Weather and the Autumn Nails Edit.

What did you get up to during the month of October?

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Birthday Beauty Wishlist

So while August may mark the month of going back to school, the ending of summer it also marks something else special (for me anyway). August is my birthday month *celebration dance* So of course that means lots of cake and the perfect opportunity to have a little splurge on some of my wish list goodies. Like all us beauty junkies, the beauty wishlist is never ending but I thought I would share with you all some of the products at the top of my list that hopefully I will pick up during the month as a little birthday treat!

First up is a new lipstick from Charlotte Tilbury cause you can’t have a wishlist without CT and if you’re gonna treat yourself this is the definition of treat yo’ self. Now I do have a couple of CT lipsticks that I would love to get my hands on but Miss Kensington, a gorgeous nude pink makes top of the list as it is a limited edition release… even more reason to purchase! The formula of these are amazing and this colour is so up my street!

Now I constantly hear about how amazing Mac eyeshadows are yet I haven’t purchased a single one. I am so desperate to start my own palette and I want to make a little quad first. Two eyeshadows I would like to get my hands on are Blackberry and Cork which both look super pretty! What Mac eyeshadows do you recommend?

Now time for the ultimate lust worthy product. The gorgeous Tartelette palette. Now I have heard so much regarding the Tarte brand but I’ve still not made a purchase since its pretty tricky to get a hold of in the UK. Luckily though QVC are a UK stockist of Tarte and one item I am desperate to get a hold of is this gorgeous all matte palette. I was never much of a matte eyeshadow fan with my heart more towards shimmery finishes although the look of this palette completely changed my mind. I just need matte in my life. Annoyingly though this is now out of stock, please QVC I need this palette, its my birthday!

Of course I couldn’t just stick with one CT product! One product I’ve been dying to try for so long is of course the well hyped Pillow Talk lip liner. The formula of these are meant to be spot on and the colour looks gorgeous so why not! Also I love the look of her Colour Chameleon eyeshadow sticks! The shades are supposed work with your eye colour and make your eyes pop. Since I have blue eyes I would love to try Champagne Diamonds which is a beautiful champagne pearly shade that would lovely for both during the day and at night.

What’s on your beauty wishlist?

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