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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Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette

There is no denying that Urban Decay are the queen of eyeshadow palettes! The quality and shade range is quite frankly unbeatable which makes those beautiful palettes well worth the splurge! Whenever a new palette is added to the range particularly amongst the cult ‘Naked’ series, my eyes pretty much pop out my head! That was indeed what happened when my eyes met with the newly launched Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics palette.

The ‘Basics’ range from Urban Decay is an all matte collection and one that I’ve previously not tried before. This time however they have launched an ‘Ultimate’ edition in a bigger palette with 12 shades. The palette is encased beautifully in gold square packaging that is pretty sturdy, in fact probably the most heaviest and sturdiest packaging from the Naked range! Inside, it has a large mirror which is of a great size and the usual double ended brush. The palette retails for £38.50 which is the standard price now for all the bigger Naked palettes which is pretty reasonable considering the amazing quality you can expect.

The palette contains 12 shades that are all matte (although I believe one shade is more ‘satin’) ranging from cool toned shades to warm tones. As you would expect from Urban Decay, the shades are beautifully pigmented and blend beautifully. Mattes can be tricky to master but as always Urban Decay get it spot on! The shade range is also beautiful with every possible matte shade you could need! Some of my favourite shades include those gorgeous stand out browns on the bottom row Extra Bitter, Faith and Lookout. In particular, the warm reddy brown tones of Extra Bitter is truly to die for! As a mauve plum lover, I also love the last three on the top row which are Tempted, Instinct and Lethal which are all so pretty and work wonderfully together! Although all in all I love all the shades as every shade is so wearable and it is great to have it in the one palette and in a reliable great formula!

(L to R) Bottom row, Top Row. (Apologies for poor swatch image, they were difficult to capture)

What do you think of this palette?

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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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Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks

As a lipstick hoarder, nothing is more exciting than getting my hands on a new lippy to add to my stash! Even better however is trying out a new lipstick formula for the first time and that is the case with these newbies from Urban Decay. Urban Decay have launched a new 100 collection lipstick range entitled Vice, yes a whopping 100 lipsticks with six different finishes so there is something out there for everyone. I picked up a couple of shades from the range and I am already obsessed!

The first shade I picked up is Backtalk, the one shade I had my eye on from the first launch. Backtalk is definitely one of my kinda shades, a pretty cool toned pink that works perfectly as an everyday lip colour. The shade comes in the Comfort Matte formula which again was made for me, as it says really, a comfortable and non-drying matte finish. I am truly in love with this shade and this is definitely a formula I will be picking more shades up from!

 

From the swatches, the two shades look incredibly similar, very much like most of my lipsticks but I swear they are different! Rapture leans more into warmer tones being a rosy plum-y shade. The formula is also different in that this shade is a cream finish. Obviously it means that the shade doesn’t wear for as long and it also is sheerer in pigmentation to Backtalk. Although with a cream formula, it offers a creamy, comfortable and easy-wearing formula. A great pick for people who aren’t a fan of matte finishes!

(L to R) Backtalk, Rapture.

Have you tried these lipsticks?

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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?

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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?

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Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer vs Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

If there is a question that most beauty lovers want to know, it is what is better; the Nars Radiant Creamy  Concealer or the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. I have been lucky enough to try both so I thought I would share my thoughts on what I think really is the better concealer. The Nars one has remained my ‘holy-grail’ concealer for a long time now for covering blemishes yet when I reached the near end of the product I was desperate to try the newly cult UD concealer. So after giving both a good try, here is my run-down on the two cult concealers…

PACKAGING 

Starting with the exterior and look of the actual concealers. They are both fairly similar and what you would expect, the usual concealer wand with a doe foot applicator. The Nars one is packaged within a square style tube with a matte black lid which can get messy with fingerprints but that doesn’t personally bother me. Whereas the UD one is in a cylinder style tube with a metallic lid and is slightly shorter than the Nars tube. The UD applicator is also a lot more sponge-y than the Nars one and it carries more product too. The only issue with the UD applicator is that if you pull it out the tube too quickly some of the product may splash out. The Nars concealer contains slightly more product with 6ml compared to UD having 5ml.

PRICE

In terms of the price, there is a clear winner. The Nars concealer retails for £22.50 and the UD concealer for £17.50. It is also quite easy to nab a little discount on these prices too if you use online retailers like Feel Unique and ASOS. Obviously with the UD concealer being much cheaper it does make it that little more attractive.

SHADE

Both concealers have a very decent shade range so there should be something for everyone. For the Nars concealer, I have the shade Vanilla which is Shade 2 which is the perfect match for me. Unfortunately, I don’t quite have the right shading when it comes to UD as I picked up the wrong shade! I have the shade Light Neutral which is just a bit too dark for me. I did stupidly order this one online instead of being colour matched so my fault there but I do find the UD range quite confusing to understand so I would definitely recommend going to a counter!

COVERAGE & FORMULA 

Both concealers are very similar but the formula differs a little. The Nars one has a very thick consistency which personally I find too heavy for under the eyes but it works a dream for covering large and hard to cover blemishes. I know that a lot of people have an issue with the consistency of the Nars one but personally I find it very creamy (as the name would suggest) and also not drying on the skin. The coverage of this one is also superb and what makes it my holy grail, it definitely excels in that department. On to the UD one, as the name for this one suggests it is pretty weightless. The consistency is a lot more lightweight and thinner which I am sure many people will prefer. Yet it still offers very decent coverage although I would probably say the Nars one just pips it to the post on that. The UD concealer also has a slight scent to it which personally doesn’t bother me but is something to take note of.

So overall, two very good performing concealers which both feel comfortable on the skin and still offer good coverage. The UD one has been slightly more difficult to test due to my shade being wrong but I still really like it and I will definitely be picking up the right shade in the future! I do prefer the Nars one for coverage but the price for the UD one makes it a lot more appealing and I wouldn’t be surprised if it replaced my coveted Nars one!

Are you a fan of these concealers?

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Autumnal Eyes

The part of my makeup routine that I enjoy most is doing my eyes. Especially since Autumn came into play, I have been loving a little more dramatic eye makeup look. When I first got into makeup, eye makeup was always the scary part for me and looking back now I do slightly worry what I looked like when I left the house! Although I would like to think that I have upped my skills since then! Anyway over the last while I have been reaching for a variety of eyeshadows from singles to palettes all in my usual brown, warm toned shades so I thought I would share my top picks for the season.

The Palettes 

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette – This was an obvious one. I raved about this last week here if you missed it. This is such a perfect Autumnal eye palette with more dark and smoky shades fit for a more dramatic look. Who would have thought I would be rocking a smoky eye but this palette makes it easier and more wearable to create something a little smoky even if its just for everyday wear. The palette also has a mix of both cool toned and warm toned shades so its super versatile and the looks are endless.

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette – Another highly raved about palette from moi, check my full review here. This is Autumn in an eyeshadow palette. I believe this palette can be a little tricky to get a hold of sometimes but I so recommend this to anyone. The quality of the shadows are fantastic with a good mix of shimmers and mattes and the shades are super beautiful too. Ooo and did I mention its a complete bargain too!

The Creams 

Maybelline Colour Tattoos (On and On Bronze/ Metallic Pomegranate) – One of my favourite drugstore eyeshadow formulas has to be these cream shadows from Maybelline. The formula is a dream to work with, they are super easy to apply with a smooth creamy formula that applies so evenly. The colour options are also gorgeous, in particular the bronze and plum-y red shade which are ever so fit for the Autumn months!

Max Factor Excess Shimmer (Bronze) – Another fabulous drugstore cream formulation comes from Max Factor. These differ slightly from the Maybelline shadows as the Excess Shimmers have a more mousse cream like formula. I find these eyeshadows completely underrated as they are truly a unique product to the drugstore that could be worth so much more. The mousse-y formula is so lovely and the shades are gorgeous especially Bronze which is a perfect warm toasty brown with incredible pigmentation that is basically Autumn in a jar.

The Powders 

H&M Eyeshadow (Robusta) – I spoke about the highly raved H&M beauty line here and mentioned my love for this eyeshadow.  The colour Robusta is a shimmery gold-y bronze shade that would look gorgeous as the festive season creeps in. The quality of these are great too and super impressive for such a budget line.

Burberry Wet & Dry Silk Shadow (Midnight Brown) – Are these not the most beautiful looking eyeshadows you have ever seen!? I sadly only have one shade (not for long I imagine!) although it’s such a gorgeous colour. I have the shade Midnight Brown which is a lovely soft shimmery brown which can be worn sheerly or built to be more intense. The formula is great too and blends really nicely on the lid.

What is your go-to eye looks for Autumn?

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Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

When I first started getting into makeup, one of my first high end makeup products was the original Urban Decay Naked palette, a palette I still adore to this day. Since then, I have grown my little collection of Naked palettes to complete status well that was until a newbie arrived on the scene. Enter the Naked Smoky palette, the newest addition to the Naked range. Obviously I couldn’t let my collection down and had to purchase this. The palette is complete of dark and smoky shades all fit for the perfect smoky eye whether it be an everyday look or a full on night time smoky eye. Compared to the other Naked palettes, this is up there as one of my favourites and a palette I know I will get a lot of use out of.

First things first, we have to mention the gorgeous packaging. Without a doubt this is by far the best packaging of all the Naked palettes. The exterior packaging has a hard casing and feels pretty sturdy especially in comparison to the packaging of the original palette. The palette also features a magnetic closure making it easy to open and close as well as an improved top lid which makes the palette open further. The packaging design is also super beautiful, a grey and black smoked out pattern matching the smoky theme of the palette. Also, you can expect to find the usual decent sized mirror inside and also a double ended brush which is actually different to the brush included in the earlier palettes. I tend to stick with using my own brushes but it is nice to find a decent enough brush in a palette that doesn’t include spongy applicators!

I’ve heard a lot of people saying that the quality of this palette doesn’t live up to the other Naked palettes although I can’t really say that I agree. I find the quality of these eyeshadows superb as you would expect. The pigmentation is there, they are super blend-able and they are also pretty long wearing too! I never really found any application problems as the eyeshadows are all a dream to work with. In terms of the shades included in this palette, there is a mix of finishes. With 12 shadows in total, the palette is arranged by finish starting with four shimmers, four satins and four mattes. Rather than arranging the shades by colour I actually prefer the layout in this palette by finish. The shimmer shades are probably my favourites as they are all so gorgeous. A beautiful inner corner highlight followed by warmer toned bronze-y shades which then leads into a selection of cooler toned shades. Whilst I always tend to go for my usual warm shades of browns I have been really liking the cooler toned options in this palette. Despite the intimidation of the smoky eye, all these shades are super wearable which I love and they all don’t have to be reserved for a full blown smoky look. Following the cool toned options are some more smokier dark shades that work a treat at smoking things out a little for a more night time appropriate look. Finally the addition of two lighter toned matte shades which are perfect as a base shade or for highlighting the brow bone. Overall this is gorgeous palette and whilst the smoky eye look isn’t for everyone I do find that this palette offers a full collection of wearable shades that can work from day to night. Another big thumbs up to Urban Decay!

Check out my other Naked palette reviews:

Original Naked palette review

Naked 2 review

Naked 3 review 

Are you a fan of the Naked palettes?

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