My Top 5: Foundations

Finally I think I've got them, my top 5 favourite foundations.I've tried and tested a lot of foundations the past year or so, but I finally think I've narrowed down the ones that I love and the ones I don't really love as much.

NARS SHEER GLOW
Selfridges | £30.50
I've mentioned this quite a lot because it's been very well loved since I bought it in October. It literally is perfect. The name, I do have to say is very misleading. It does have a certain glow to it, however generally it is rather matte (I suppose a satin finish rather than saying matte?). It literally looks beautiful on the skin though.

RIMMEL MATCH PERFECTION FOUNDATION
Boots.com | £6.99
This foundation, for the price, is amazing. This is make my skin look so flawless and radiant. It's a decent coverage and needs a light powdering to keep it to stay put all day long (I love using the matching powder).

MAX FACTOR FACEFINITY ALL DAY FLAWLESS 3-in-1 FOUNDATION
Boots.com | £11.99
I hated this so much when I first got it, literally it was the worst thing in my eyes. After a break from using it, I tried it again and fell in love. It's a medium coverage and is so long lasting.

BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX FOUNDATION
Boots.com | £9.99
The apparent Chanel Vitalumiere (or possibly Pro Lumiere) dupe, I had high hopes of this, however thought it would be a lot lighter coverage than it is. Don't get me wrong, it's not full on heavy full coverage, but it covers everything it needs to whilst feeling like there's nothing on the skin. Most possibly my favourite of them all. For the time being.

MAC FACE AND BODY FOUNDATION
Maccosmetics.co.uk | £21.50
The makeup artist favourite. With its ability to go from a tinted moisturiser coverage up to full coverage, Face and Body is the perfect day to night foundation due its amazing buildabilty. It makes the skin look great because it perfects imperfections but still lets the skin show through so it's not masking it away. I didn't think I'd love this as much as I do at all but it's absolutely amazing.

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Revlon ColorStay Shadow Links

I was having a look around Boots a couple of weeks ago and came across these at the Revlon Counter. One of their newest releases, it seems, are their ColourStay Shadow Links. 

These single eyeshadows slide together to enable to you to create your own palette, so it be, but you're not restricted to how many shadows you put together because realistically you can do as many as you like. 
I have the shades Bone, Melon and Onyx.

I've seen Jouer do a similar kind of thing, however these retailing at £2.99 each make them a fraction of the price of theirs.

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March Favourites

Before my last favourites post in January (HERE), it'd been months since I'd done a favourites post before. I didn't do one last month due to the fact that I hadn't really gained anymore new favourites, however this month I have and there's rather a lot of them if i'm honest.

Givenchy Le Rouge Lipsticks (Debenhams, £25 each) - My dad recently went on holiday and brought me back these lipsticks from duty free. Oh my gosh. They're just gorgeous. I've got the shades Rose Boudoir, Beige Plume and Rose Taffetas. I've not really worn Rose Boudoir much, i've actually probably worn Beige Plume the most because it goes literally with anything! All three colours are colours that I probably wouldn't usually go for but I love them anyway.


Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (Boots, £5.99) - If I was paid for the amount of times I've mentioned this brand on this blog, i would be ever so rich. Since buying the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, I've not touched a sponge for foundation application once. I really like this. It works best with my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, and I love it for concealer because I can really push it into the skin, making every use of the coverage of the concealer, plus no brush marks!


Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (Boots £9.99) - Before buying this I'd heard so much about this foundation; it's apparently a dupe of Chanel Vitalumiere, or Pro Lumiere? Which are typically quite sheer foundations, so I wasn't really too sure what I'd think of it. Well, honestly, I didn't think I'd like it at all. I'm more a fan of a fuller coverage rather than a 'barely there' sheer kind of coverage. But this is the exception. Don't get me wrong, it's not a full coverage by any means, but it covers what it needs to cover but still looks, and feels, so light on the skin. You know, I think this may even have overtaken my Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in terms of my favourite foundation.


Clinique SuperPrimer (Boots, £20) - Clinique is a brand that I'm definitely coming to love. The first thing I tried was their cleansing balm, and since then I've tried quite a few things and I've loved everything. This range of primers have been out for a while now and I've been meaning to buy one and I'm so glad I did. Some primers, I've found, can sit too much on your skin and then after you've applied your foundation and powder you feel like your makeup is about three inches thick on your face because your primer is so heavy (and yes, this has happened with me!), but this just feels like a moisturiser, yet creates a great canvas for my makeup to grip on to, plus keeps it there all day long.

Garnier Micellar Water (Boots, £4.99) - I wrote about how I loved the L'Oreal Micellar Water for makeup removal in THIS post, but since running out of that (and trust me, it runs out fast) I picked up this Garnier equivalent. Firstly, for the Garnier one you're getting twice as much as the L'Oreal for the same price. It's no better or anything, but this lasts way longer because the dispenser is a lot smaller so you loose less. I'm a massive fan of these quick-fix makeup removers. Sometimes cleanser and water is too much.


Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (Boots £4.19) - Okay, this is generally a favourite every month, I know, but I've loved this more than normal this month. I've been using the shade 02 on blemishes, around my nose and under my eyes, and then the shade 01 in the inner corners of my eyes and under my brow to really sharpen it  for when my brow powder is applied. This literally is the best concealer ever and it's so great because of how cheap it is!



Rimmel ScandalEyes Rockin' Curves Mascara (Boots, £6.99) - As you well may know I'm a big fan of the Maybelline Volume Express Mascaras (The Rocket especially!) but I decided to branch out and try Rimmel's new mascara. I really really like it and it may in fact have taken over The Rocket as my new mascara. We shall see.


MAC Painterly Paint Pot (Maccosmetics.co.uk, £15) -  As a lover of both cream eyeshadows and MAC, it was inevitable that I would love this. I've literally been using this non-stop as a primer for my eyeshadow since i've had it. This keeps your eyeshadow on all day long (I swear it does not budge!). It's actually also really great to wear alone with just some winged liner and mascara. I'll definitely be buying more of these soon!

 L'Oreal Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo and Conditioner (Boots, £3.99 each for 400ml) - A HAIR CARE PRODUCT - what a rarity. This shampoo and conditioner, despite how cheap it is, it literally has been a miracle worker for my hair! Plus it smells divine.


The Body Shop Indian Night Jasmine Perfume (The Body Shop, £15 for 50ml) - My friend Alice wears this perfume and the first day I saw that it was this that she was using, I needed to buy it too! I'm not even going to attempt to describe its scent because I just cannot describe fragrances to save my life, but I absolutely love this and I think it's the perfect daytime fragrance.


Alrightyyyyy. There's rather a lot there I know, but I've loved a lot this month and I just wanted to share it all with you!

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The Spring Lip

MAC Lipstick in Morange, Revlon Colour Burst Lip Lacquer Balm in Whimsical, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wild Orchid, Collection Lasting Colour Lipstick in Bubblegum, MAC Lipstick in Girl About Town, No7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick in Blooming Pink, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in In Love With Ginger

Lip colours are a key feature for makeup for every fashion season, with certain hues coming in for this season especially, plus the ones that come round every year too.

Just a note, I have done a general spring edit, but it turned out that there were a lot of spring lipsticks that I really liked and I kinda thought there were too many for them all to go in one edit. Anywayyyyyyy...


I'm ever so obsessed with the Revlon Colour Burst Lacquer Balm in Whimsical because it's not your standard spring pastel colour and that's what I like about it i think. It's not really over powering and it's really long lasting.

The Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wild Orchid is a more intense version of the above product in terms of its pigmentation. It's a near identical match to the Whimsical Lacquer Balm but this isn't as glossy, making it better for daytime i think, and this lipstick better for the evening.

I bought the Collection Lasting Colour Lipstick in Bubblegum because it's literally exactly the same as MAC St Germain - I wasn't sure if this kind of colour would suit me, hence me buying the cheaper one. This I suppose is a stereotypical spring colour, a clean pastel pink. I really like this and I think it would suit most skin tones.

Going a bit brighter, I absolutely LOVE MAC's Lipstick in Girl About Town. Let's be honest, everyone that owns this (and I know so many people that do!) absolutely loves it.

For a less intense lip compared to Girl About Town, I really like No7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick in Blooming Pink. It's actually a really similar colour to Girl About Town but less pigmented so definitely more wearable for daytime (which isn't to say you can't wear Girl About Town in the daytime, because I do).

Orange lips are huge this season, as they always are for spring summer. I really like the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in In Love With Ginger because the formula is gorgeous and the pigmentation is fantastic.

An alternative orange lip is the ever loved MAC Lipstick in Morange. This is in their Amplified Creme formula, which means it literally stays put all day.

Revlon Colour Burst Lacquer Balm in Whimsical

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wild Orchid

Collection Lasting Colour Lipstick in Bubblegum

MAC Lipstick in Girl About Town

No7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick in Blooming Pink

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in In Love With Ginger

MAC Lipstick in Morange

Orange Row:  MAC Lipstick in Morange, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in In Love With Ginger
Pink Row: Revlon Colour Burst Lacquer Balm in Whimsical, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wild Orchid, Collection Lasting Colour Lipstick in Bubblegum, MAC Lipstick in Girl About Town, No7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick in Blooming Pink

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The Spring Edit

Spring is officially here! And though the weather is ever so on and off and the moment, I'm still going to give a little round up of some great spring-time products.

When I think of spring makeup, I always think of rather neutral on the eyes, so I've included the Bourjois Colour Edition 24 eyeshadow; now i'm not too sure of the shade, mainly because I don't actually think it has it on there, but it's a light shimmery pink shade. I love cream eyeshadows. It's no mystery to you that I do, and though this one is a cream-to-powder formulation, I still love it because it requires the smallest amount of effort to apply, plus it multitasks as a base too. I also really like the L'Oreal Colour Appeal Solo Eyeshadow in the shade 152 Platinum Beige. You know those days where you can't be bothered doing anything special with eyeshadow but you still want a bit of something? This is perfect for that.

A softer alternative to black eyeliner is using brown instead; I really like the Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Liner in Sable Brown. Gives a certain definition to the lash line without the harshness of black. I also really like the Rimmel ScandalEyes Liner in Nude on the lower waterline to really brighten the eye up (rather than using white which can look so harsh and over-powering, especially on darker skin tones).

There's two big lip colours in at the moment, the infamous Radiant Orchid, a la Pantone, and orange, the standard that comes back around each year. I picked up two gorgeous orchid lip shades last week, first one is the new (ish) release of the Revlon Colour Burst Lip Lacquer Balms (shade 'Whimsical') - they're a new formula of the chubby-stick-dupes of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, but these new ones have a slight amount of shimmer to them (there's also a line of matte formulations too). I also really like the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Wild Orchid, which I do believe seems to be a dupe of MAC Show Orchid which I think is discontinued.

Keeping to the theme of lips, orange is huge in again this year, and I think the standard orange lipstick that springs to mind for a lot of people is Morange lipstick by MAC; I've not worn this much yet but I can't wait to get a lot of use out of this when the sun is out! A great dupe of MAC Morange that I picked up a few weeks ago is Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in In Love With Ginger. It's slightly more red than Morange however still is the fantastic on-trend bright shade for this season!

Onto skin... One of the big trends for this season is 'no makeup-makeup' - it's been seen at loads of catwalks for the SS14 season, and to achieve this look I really like the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, because it covers everything that it needs to be covered but still lets the skin show through and gives a radiant, bare-skinned look. I also really like MAC Face and Body Foundation for the same reason - also, Face and Body is so great in terms of its buildability; using one layer gives a really light finish but you can build it up to almost a full coverage (plus it's a perfect day to night foundation too). If you're wanting something lighter than a foundation, I love the Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream. Again, this covers everything it needs to, but is so light on the skin (literally just feels like you're wearing moisturiser).

A beautiful blush for spring is the Topshop Blush in Head Over Heels, which is a cream formula blush which doesn't necessarily set, but also doesn't stay shiny and sticky either - it's honestly the perfect in-between. (They do however describe it as cream to powder however it doesn't set a lot in my opinion, if that makes any sense).

And finally for nails. I've selected the stereotypical spring hue of mint in the form of Barry M Nail Paint in Blue Moon. This does need a good three coats, however it's such a gorgeous pastley springy colour and i love it. Matte finish for nails has been all the rage for probably about a year now. I really like Barry M's Matte Nail Paint in Vanilla - this is not too far from my skin tone, which is why I really like it for spring because it's toned down and very neutral. The matte finish makes it even more understated but still looks very chic and classic. I've also included two of the Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints, in some nice pastel shades, Light Blue and Lychee. 

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What products do you like for spring?

The Autumn Edit

Benefit Smokin' Eyes | NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Kuala Lumpur | NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick in Scarlett Empress | MAC Lipstick in Twig | Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate | Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush 

With cold mornings and winter coats coming out, autumn is definitely upon us. Here are a few of my top beauty picks for this autumn.

Benefit Smokin Eyes Palette, £28.50

The autumn/winter ’13 eye trend is all about soft smokey eyes, and this palette from Benefit is perfect for that. Sweep the pink shade all over the lid as a base, then blend the lighter grey all over the lid, avoiding the inner corner, and then the darker charcoal shade in the outer corner and outer crease to define.

NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Kuala Lumpur, £25

This gorgeous eyeshadow duo from NARS has perfect autumnal colours. Apply the lighter peachy shade all over the lid, then blend the darker aubergine shade through the crease.

NARS Lipstick in Scarlett Empress, £18.50

A berry or burgundy lip is a key staple of autumn/winter trends. This lipstick from NARS is described as “Perfect jewel toned blue-red”.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush, £7.99

An inexpensive burgundy lipstick is this Chubby Stick-dupe -- these can be sheered down or the colour can be built up for more of an intense look.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate, £4.99

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos - they stay-put all day, don’t crease and come in a ton of colours. I chose one of the newest shades, Metallic Pomegranate for this edit as it is a stereotypical autumn colour. Apply all over the lid and under the lower lash line, blend and add a bit of mascara. For a more dramatic look, blend a dark brown powder eyeshadow like MAC Handwritten through the crease.

MAC Lipstick in Twig, £15

For a more daytime shade, MACs lipstick in Twig is perfect - described as “soft muted brownish-pink”, the satin finish lipstick is a muted down version of the classic burgundy lip for autumn.

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Recently Purchased #3: Illamasqua, Clinique and L’Oreal

I have bought rather a lot these past couple of months, despite me saying that on each purchase post or what not, but anyway, I thought I’d show you some of my beauty purchases from September and October!

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation, £27

WHAT THEY SAY: “Inspired by the cult Asian market Beauty Balm creams, Skin Base Foundation is a brand new, refined formula unlike anything on the UK market. Easily blendable, it effortlessly creates a perfect complexion, and like the entire Illamasqua foundation range, is undetectable in a professional HD environment. Suitable for all skin types, it smoothes, softens and conditions your skin whilst providing natural, buildable coverage. The Ultimate ‘Skin Realism’ Foundation.”

I FINALLY bought Skin Base! I’ve heard so much about this foundation and I absolutely love it!! At first I wasn’t too in love with it, because it is a little bit tough, but when using a denser brush it blends in a lot easier. It has such a gorgeous finish, plus it smells absolutely gorgeous!

Illamasqua Precision Gel Eye Liner, £18

WHAT THEY SAY: “Soon to be the mainstay in the make-up bags of every beauty enthusiast, Precision Gel Liner recreates the fluidity of a liquid liner in the ease of a gel. Creating a smooth, rich black line from the first application, the long-lasting and water-resistant formula is guaranteed to stay in place all day.” 

Again from Illamasqua I got their Precision Gel Liner. Now I’ve been using the Maybelline Studio Gel Liner for about two years or so now, and I absolutely love it, but I ran out about a month back and instead of repurchasing that I thought I would branch out and try something different! 

After reading the reviews online on Illamasqua’s website it seemed very good and so far I’m really loving it! It’s super smooth to apply, even more so than Maybelline’s and, yeah, I’m loving it!

Illamasqua Hydra Veil, £27

WHAT THEY SAY: “Create a radiant finish with Hydra Veil's instantly rehydrating, gel formula, providing the optimal base for your make-up.” 

Another product that I’ve been wanting for so long too is the Hydra Veil primer. Though I have slightly oily skin, I am generally quite combination and have very dehydrated skin, so I thought that this would help with that. I’ve only use it a couple of times so far but I really like it!

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion +, £17

WHAT THEY SAY: “The big plus: Our new formula now helps strengthen skin's own moisture barrier. More moisture stays in. Skin feels soft, springy. Has a healthy-looking glow.” 

I tried this in Boots about two months ago and it left my hand feeling so so soft but I didn’t end up buying it then. I then did the Clinique skin consultation online and found that this is the moisturiser for my skin type, dry combination which is skin type 2 (it also works for very dry to dry, skin type 1). I’ve been using this the past couple of days as a nighttime moisturiser and I like it!

Clinique Brush On Cream Liner in Smoke Grey, £16

WHAT THEY SAY: “Creamy liner brushes on deep, smoky, eye-defining colour. Long-wearing, waterproof formula, comes complete with a mini Eye Liner Brush. Ophthalmologist tested.”

So I bought this after seeing it on one of Pixiwoo’s tutorials (THIS) and it is so smooth and easy to apply! Perfect for a smokey eye like in Sam’s tutorial!

I’ve bought rather a lot from Superdrug this month, but rather than showing you everything, I thought I would just show you the L’Oreal items I bought.

L’Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash, £7.99

WHAT THEY SAY: “New Glam Shine Stain Splash: it's a gloss that acts like a stain. Our first of its kind 30% water-based formula to finally quench your thirst for shine AND lasting colour! Application is easy with its unique feather soft wand that matches perfectly the contour of your lips.Shine feels fresh, barely there.Colour is easy with a stain finish that lasts up to 6 hours without drying out.”


I bought one of these a few months back and I love how soft they feel! This time I got the shades 102 Romy (light pink) and 200 Princess (reddish-coral).

Top - 102 Romy, Bottom - 200 Princess

L’Oreal Lumi Magique Pearl Powder, £8.99

 WHAT THEY SAY: “Capturing the natural radiance of pearls, this new powder defines and illuminates the face. Designed in the form of a ring of pearls. Available in 2 different shades for natural, glowing looking skin. Light-infused pearl powder technology.”

I haven’t yet tried this but it is super pearlescent and glowy-looking and looks lovely!

L’Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation, £6.99

WHAT THEY SAY: “Unveiling new Nude Magique Eau De Teint Foundation. Perfectly invisible, invisibly perfect. A new sensation with a lighter than water formula for non greasy zero make up feel. A new application with perfume-like bottle: shake, pour a drop on finger tip and apply. A new finish: perfect looking nude finish for even, smoother, healthier looking complexion and enhanced skin texture. Revolutionary formula: Evanescent texture thanks to volatile oils gradually evaporating as the formula is applied to the skin. Lighter than water. Ultra-light micro pigments. Non greasy feel. Just a few drops needed. Zero make-up feel.”

I’m not sure at the moment what I think about this foundation - I’m going to try it a few more times and then I’m going to write a review on it for you, hopefully uploading next week or the end of this week. 

So that is all! You can read my last ‘recently purchased’ post here.

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Maybelline Baby Lips - really worth the hype?

Possibly the most highly anticipated beauty product of the year, the Maybelline Baby Lips have been ever so sought after and have become a huge hype in the States before coming over the UK in August.

I’m honestly so disappointed. Now, I do really love the “Cherry Me” one, because it tastes so lovely, leaves a really nice colour and feels really hydrating. However, the other two that I own, “Hydrate” and “Pink Punch”, are not very moisturising at all, in fact after wearing them for a while, my lips actually feel drier than before I put it on - should that not be the opposite?! (“Pink Punch” however does have a really nice colour, I have to admit.)

Have the Maybelline Baby Lips lived up to the hype that came with them? No, I really don’t think so! It’s so disappointing because I was so excited for them. I do still love my Cherry Me Baby Lips though!

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October Wish List

It’s been a while since I’ve done a wish list, so I thought I would today and let you know what things I’ve been lusting over this month so far!

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

WHAT THEY SAY: “A glowing, natural radiant finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage that immaculately evens skin tone. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, it leaves skin hydrated, more luminous, softer and smoother. Used daily, Sheer Glow Foundation improves the skin's brightness and texture.”

I’ve seen a lot of YouTuber’s use this foundation and it looks really nice. They recommend it for normal to dry skin - I am normal/combination, but I have heard that it’s not great on dry skin as it clings to dry patches (not good!). Though rather pricey, I do really want to try it - plus the packaging looks ever so chic.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation retails for £30.50 and is available HERE

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly

WHAT THEY SAY: “A highly pigmented eye colour that goes on creamy but dries to an intense, vibrant finish. The next generation of a popular M·A·C formula, Paint Pots maintains all the intense traits of its inspiration. Long-wearing, colourfast. Creates seamless coverage without weight or caking. Blends smoothly over the lids. Cream-based, can be mixed with M·A·C shadows and liners. Available in satin, cream, frost, and pearl formulas.”

I’ve been wanting this for so long as it will be such a great neutral eyeshadow base, plus I’ve been absolutely loving cream shadows recently too! The shade "Painterly" is described as "nude beige".

MAC Paint Pots retail for £15 each and are available HERE

Illamasqua Neutral Palette

WHAT THEY SAY: "Create sculpted highlights and stark contours anywhere on your face and body with these four pivotal Powder Eye Shadows. From our new antique gold shade, Vintage - exclusive to this palette - and matt shades Stealth (creamy buttermilk) and Wolf (rich chocolate brown), to the smoky charcoal depths of new shade Obsidian (rich black), express your inner light and darkness with riotous glamour."

I am a huge fan of Illamasqua, and also a huge fan of neutral eyeshadow palettes! This palette looks so gorgeous and I can't wait to get one!

The Illamasqua Neutral Palette retails for £24 and is available HERE

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