Current Beauty Favourites

I seem to have again been neglecting my blog, I feel like once I start posting regularly something comes along such as an assignment, or an exam or in this case an Easter holiday where I was working a lot whilst I was back home. I seem to have missed April favourites by a long shot, so I thought I'd share some of my favourites for the past couple of months.


For my base I've been loving two new additions to my collection, the Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation and Revlon Colorstay Concealer. I've loved the Revlon Colorstay foundation for around two years now so I don't know why it took me so long to pick up the concealer, but I'm so glad I did. It's medium coverage and blends to a really nice finish on the skin, it has a really creamy and moisturising formula that lasts all day - think Collection Lasting Perfection but not as drying. The foundation is also a medium coverage - my skin hasn't been the best it could be recently - that blends really easy in to the skin to give a flawless complexion and lasts all day. I've had some dryness recently and this hasn't worked too well on that, so this is defiantly one for normal to oily skin.

Another base product I've been loving is the Benefit Watt's Up highlighter. I've always preferred pinky highlighters so when I got this in the Benefit blush palette I originally had no care for it, but I have been loving the gorgeous natural glow it gives to the skin. It's a cream highlighter that's slightly golden and just blends out to a lovely sheen on the cheekbones. I'm a total cream highlighter convert now, and would go as far to say this is my favourite Benefit product ever! I've also been loving an oldie in the form of the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner, an amazing eyeliner that once it's set does not budge. The formulation is super black and long lasting, and the actual pot itself lasts a really long time, I've had mine over a year and it's still creamy and going strong.

Finally are two Bourjois products, I spoke about these in my Everyday Makeup Routine back in February and I'm still loving them now. The Bourjois Colorband 2-in-1 Eyeshadow and Liner in Rose Fauviste is a really pretty shimmery pink for the lids, the perfect sweep of colour if you're in a rush, but also the perfect base. Finally the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Ole Flamingo, is still a lip product I'm having a bit of a love affair with. It's a bright pink matte lip that lasts well over 6 hours even through eating and drinking, and just looks simply stunning on the lips. The camera never seems to pick up the real colour, so you'll just have to trust me that this is a colour you need. Both of these Bourjois products are the two I would recommend the most, they're amazing!

What have been your current favourites?

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The Pinks To Make You Spring Ready

Despite it still being freezing cold outside and the rain doesn't seem to want to budge, Spring has apparently sprung. This means the dark vampy purples are being put in to hiding for another 8 months and the fresh girly pinks are making a come back - although I love pink all year round, I just love it that bit more in Spring.


You can't really talk about pink makeup without giving a shoutout to the Urban Decay Naked 3, the twelve shade palette containing mauvey and rose gold pink shades, some mattes, some shimmers and two very glittery shades. I only really use this in the Spring and Summer months because I prefer a more deeper eye in Winter, but it's already started to make a return this month and I can see it creeping back even more in the coming months. It's the perfect palette for any pink lover and complete makeup addict this season. An alternative palette if you're on a bit of a budget, or you're just not massively in to pinks to make the commitment to a £38 palette then the L'Oreal Color Riche Quad in Smokey Eau de Rose is for you. They're all shimmery shades which are perfect for adding a shine to the eyes and they blend and last on the eyes wonderfully. They're slightly less pigmented than the Naked 3 and a bit more peachy pink than golden pink, but if you're after a condensed Naked 3 this is the way to go.

In terms of lipstick Rimmel's Kate Moss Matte lipstick in 101 is a staple all year round for me, it's a pretty muted blue toned pink which matches well with any makeup, but looks especially gorgeous paired with glowy cheeks and pink eyes in the Spring. If you're going to buy one new pink lipstick this season I'd make it this! However, if you're feeling spendy and you're going to invest in a second lipstick I'd make it MAC's Pink Nouveau, a bright barbie pink lipstick which is sure to turn heads. It doesn't seem to appear as bright in the summer, presumably because I tone the rest of my makeup down, so it's the perfect bright pink and a lipstick I found myself wearing on a daily basis last summer. If I'm ever wanting to feel a bit brave or need some confidence for the day I wear this, it sounds silly but if I can have enough confidence to wear a colour this bright, I can have the confidence to know I can pass an exam.

Finally we've got blushes and one of the easiest ways to make the transition from Winter to Spring is to add a bit of cream to your makeup, one of my favourite blushes for this time of year is the Max Factor Miracle Creamy Touch Blusher in Soft Pink. It is a real cream blush - none of this cream to powder - that blends like a dream on the skin and leaves a gorgeous healthy glow to the skin. It can be easy to go a bit overboard but it's easy to just blend it out with your foundation brush. The blogging world had a bit of a moment with this blush a few summers ago and I'm still having that moment, it's one of my favourite blushes of all time! Despite saying that creams are the easiest way to transfer to Spring I still love the Sleek Blusher in Pixie Pink which is a completely matte blue toned pink. A little really does go a long way with this one, it's super pigmented so you just need to dab your brush lightly, it can be a bit of a struggle to blend but I like to use a slightly fluffier brush rather than your standard dense blush brush and this sorts the problem. It really brightens up the face and is the cheapest product mentioned here so it's the perfect colour for Spring!

What are your favourite makeup items for Spring?

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Don't forget I have a MAC giveaway up here

The One Sweep Wonders

When it comes to eyeshadow a lot of the time I find it impossible to just leave it at one shade on the lid, I always feel like it needs the extra crease definition or just deepening up on the outer corners, it's probably down to having that many eyeshadows that I just want to play with them all in the morning. But in the past couple of months I've been putting the blending brush down and realising that some eyeshadows can work wonders just swept over the lid on their own, meaning they're the perfect shades for when you hit the snooze button one too many times leaving you 10 minutes to get ready.

The Urban Decay Naked Palette is 100% my favourite palette, it's my go to palette for every occasion because I just know it's never going to fail me, whether I want a girly daytime look or a deeper smokier look. If I'm in a serious rush my favourite from the palette to reach for is Toasted, a gorgeous warm bronze toned pink with an almost metallic finish. It's the most amazing shade on the eyes, it blends out beautifully and is an amazing colour for the winter months. It's my most used shade with a serious dent in it, I can feel the pan getting worryingly closer every time I use it.

An amazing alternative to Toasted, just slightly less warm toned and a bit more silver, is the L'Oreal Color Riche in 201 Cafe Saint Germain. The product looks a bit bruised and battered because the eyeshadow is essentially a pressed pigment, so after getting it home when I bought it the shadow had completely smashed in the bag. Partly my fault, but on closer inspection I think it was partly the manufacturers fault. However, this wasn't going to stop me trying it, so I pressed it back in to the compact and have been reaching for it a lot recently. It has an amazing wet look about it, and even has a wet but creamy feel to it on the fingers. It isn't the easiest shadow to blend out because of it's texture, but the colour is simply gorgeous.

I imagine by the end of February people will be bored out of their brains hearing me talk about this one, but it really is that good! The Bourjois Colorband in 04 Rose Fauviste is a golden beigey pink, after doing some online searches it's very MAC All That Glitter's esque. I mentioned this in my Everyday Makeup post, so I won't go on too much. But it's just an amazing cream eyeshadow stick,all it requires is a few swipes across the eye, a quick bit of blending with your finger and it sets like paint, this seriously isn't budging for anyone!

The next two I'm going to speak of in a more broad term, because they were both limited edition shades that I got in Christmas sets last year. The pink glittery shade is from Soap and Glory, and I have an inkling that you can get it in their Off The Wallflowers palette, but this style of shade is one which I feel everyone needs, it's a frosty pink with glitter running all through it, similar to MAC's Naked Lunch. The next is a simple champagne shade, this one is from No7 but I have no idea what shade it is, but not only are these shades great for your base, but they work perfect for just swiping over the lids to cancel out any redness or veins on the lids. Both of these style of shades are perfect for if you're just starting out with makeup, because they're so simple and easy to pull of.

What are your favourite 'one sweep wonders'?

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Boxing Day Sale Haul

I feel like I'm slightly late with this one, but I know that a some of these products will still be available in Boots, especially bigger Boots stores. The Manchester one still had loads of stock, including the big Soap and Glory gift, they had hundreds of them last time I was in. I also placed a massive Lush order, but you defiantly won't be able to get the stuff now, so I don't know if there would be much point?

Top 15 Discoveries of 2014

My initial intention for this was to do my top 14 of 2014, but when I was taking the pictures and writing down my choices I couldn't kick one out, because they're all amazing products, and whilst I feel I'm a bit late to the 2014 favourites I still want to do one. Exam revision is slightly taking over my life but I've been thinking and planning this post for a few weeks now. Instead of doing top products I've decided to do my top discoveries, because I don't think I could whittle down my top products in to a select number and I wouldn't have a favourite for every category. Some of these products are new to the market this year and some are just new to me, but hopefully you'll find something you'll want to try this year!

Beauty Gift Guide: £10 and under

Review | Urban Decay Naked Basics 2

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 - £22.00

There's nothing quite like a new Naked palette to create hysteria in the beauty world is there? So when Urban Decay announced they were releasing a new Naked Basics palette, just like a lot of people, I was excited by it. I don't actually own the original because I thought the shades were a bit too warm and basic? Yes they're called Naked Basics, but the original shades just weren't unique or interesting enough for me to get use out of them. When I saw pictures of this version, I was interested and was keen to snap it up.

October Favourites

I feel like with it being the 8th November I'm probably a bit late for doing favourites, but I've had a few products that I've been loving in October so I wanted to get the post up anyway.

Starting with a couple of oldies, I'm back to loving my Revlon Colorstay Foundation in the shade Ivory. I've been using this for just over a year now and started using the Oily/Combination skin formula which I initially loved but I started to notice it separating after a few hours on my skin. I started using Rimmel's Match Perfection for a while, but have recently gone back to this but in the Normal/Dry skin formula and it really is the best. It has medium to buildable coverage, last all day on the skin and although it dries matte it's got a nice glow to it. I love it!

Another oldie is the Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner, this is my second one of these and I've recently rediscovered it and rekindled my love for it. It lasts all day without smudging and makes winged eyeliner so quick and easy to do. The best part is that it is only £2.99 and is always in some deal at Boots.

It was inevitable that the Benefit Box O' Blushes Set would end up in my favourites. I did a post on it last month when I first bought it and haven't used any other blushes since! They're creamy, blend easily and last for hours on the skin, the only problem is that I can't carry this around for when I do need to top up because of how big it is. My personal favourite has been Dandelion, it has always been a blush I was drawn to but I was never willing to pay £23.50, so I'm so happy to have it now.

Another product I've done a post on is the No7 Eyeshadow Duo in Iridescent Purple, which is just the most perfect eyeshadow duo for Autumn and Winter. I've already raved about it in that post, but the formula is the best for any budget brand, so I've been loving wearing this with the felt liner.

Finally are two skincare items - lip balm counts as skincare right? The first is the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Nourishing Lip Balm which I got in a set with the Original Eight Hour Skin Protectant from LookFantastic. I have been loving both but find this one is just easier to apply and easier to travel with, it isn't too heavy on the lips so other lips products apply nicely on top. I think in the coming colder months I'll probably reach for the original balm because it's a bit more nourishing.

Lastly is a product that people have been raving about for months. It's The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil which I have been using the remove my make up in the evenings. I've never been drawn to The Body Shop, instead I've always preferred Lush or Soap and Glory for body products. But I'll be heading back soon to check out more of their skincare because this is an amazing product! It melts away all of my make up and wipes away on a cloth in one swipe, sometimes if I'm tired I'll just use this and my skin still feels clean and fresh. If you've after a new cleanser I really recommend you give this a try.

Have you tried any of these, and what have you been loving this month?

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Review | No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow Duo in Iridescent Purple

Okay so last time I blogged I said I would try my best to keep at it. But it's just hard to get motivated at the moment, I feel like since being back at uni I'm tired 90% of the time. I keep coming up with ideas in my head for blog posts but just never get them started, but I'm hoping I can keep at it this time!

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow Duo in Iridescent Purple - £8.50

I've got a review of the No7 duo, which is my favourite eyeshadow at the moment and has quickly become my favourite budget eyeshadow. I bought this duo about a month ago when I was on the hunt for the perfect Autumn/Winter eyeshadow, I knew I wanted something slightly pink and berry because I just love them colours on my eyes. I discovered this duo after searching for a dupe for Estee Lauder's Raisin's duo which was popular with Zoella and Tanya Burr last year, but it was around £23 and I couldn't part with that much money for two eyeshadows. I've spent the last year hoping to find it in a blog sale, but after buying this beauty from No7 my craving has been cured.

The duo comes with a warm toned pink shade which has a slight golden undertone to it, making it the perfect all over the eye colour whether it's worn on its own or with other shadows. The second colour is a deep aubergine colour which adds a perfect pop of colour to the eye when applied to the crease and outer corners of the eye. This is perfect for those of you who want some colour on the eyes but still want to stay fairly neutral. The eyeshadows are super creamy so they apply like a dream and have a lasting power with a primer of at least 8 hours, which is the longest I have found for any budget eyeshadow. In my opinion these shadows are comparable to Urban Decay eyeshadows -  some of the best on the market - but for a fraction of the price.

The only problem is that a light hand is needed when applying the purple shade, if too much is added it can cause you to look tired or like you have some eye infection, neither of which are a good look and once too much is applied there's no going back. However when it's done correctly it really can look stunning on the eyes!

I purchased this at the full price of £8.50 which I think it is completely worth! However all beauty products are currently 3 for 2 in Boots and there is always a No7 voucher hanging around, so you could get this for a real bargain if you work the deals. I really recommend this duo and will be looking to pick up some more colours soon, so even if purple isn't your thing I'd check the other colours out just for the great formulation!

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