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. 

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest | Fashion Blog

What products do you like for spring?

TOP 5 OF 2013

Can you believe that 2013 is over in less than 24 hours?! Crazy isn't it!

It's fair to say that this year I've trialled and tested A LOT of beauty products this year, but I've managed to cut it down to the top 5 that have stood out from the rest. So in no particular order...

CLINIQUE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT MOISTURISING LOTION +
Clinique.com | £17-£28.50
Firstly starting off with a skincare love. I hardly mention skincare on my blog, mainly because I'm so lazy with skincare, and I'm only just getting into a proper regime. My skin gets quite dehydrated and this is a perfect pick-me-up.
First mentioned here

RIMMEL MATCH PERFECTION FOUNDATION
Boots.com | £6.99
Being one of my most recent purchases, this is by far one of my favourite products; it's such a lovely foundation and leaves my skin looking so luminescent. You can read more about it in THIS post.
First mentioned here

MAC LIPSTICK IN LADY DANGER
Maccosmetics.com | £15
I bought this lipstick at the beginning of April shortly after my operation (needed a bit of cheering up), and its perfect for daytime, nighttime, summer, winter. It's basically just the perfect lipstick!! The bright orange-red shade is definitely not one for the faint hearted as it is super super bright, which I love. Because of it's matte finish, it stays put all day.
First mentioned here (this is from the time where I was obsessed with over using snapsneed on EVERY picture... apologies)

LADY GAGA FAME EAU DE PARFUM
Boots.com | £31 (for 50ml)
I originally got this fragrance in about March or April and I instantly loved it (that much that I'm on my second bottle). It's the perfect scent for both daytime and evening.
First mentioned here 

MAYBELLINE THE ROCKET VOLUME EXPRESS MASCARA
Boots.com | £7.99
My trusty mascara of the year. I've mentioned this countless times, as you'll know, for reasons that you'll probably know too. It's by far the best mascara I've ever used.
First mentioned here

FOLLOW ME ON:

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

Illamasqua Skin Trio + Topshop Wicked | FOTN

I went to the theatre last night to see ‘Wicked’ in Manchester, and I thought that I would just do a little “face of the night” post telling you what I wore on my face and so letting you know some of my favourite products at the moment, as so to speak.

I started off by applying the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion + all over my face (I mentioned it in THIS haul post). I've been using this mainly as a nighttime moisturiser, however I've used it when my skin feels like it needs a little bit more moisture!

I then used my favourite skin trio of the moment, starting with the Illamasqua Hydra Veil primer - I am absolutely loving this as I have very  dehydrated skin, and this gives my skin a real boost whilst providing a great base for my makeup. Sticking with Illamasqua, I used their Skin Base Foundation in the shade 4. This applies perfectly over the Hydra Veil, using a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. To get rid of my terrible dark circles, I used my Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer and applied this under my eyes and across my eyelids, and also on the redness around my nose and any little blemishes.

MAC Eyeshadows; Clockwise - Omega, Brule, Handwritten, Era

At this point I then move onto my eyes, and I started off with doing my eyebrows, using Omega eyeshadow (top left) from MAC on a small angled brush.  

Using a MAC 217, I applied the shade Brule (top right), a matte skin colour shade also by MAC, all over the lid, just to set the foundation and concealer across my lids. 

I then applied MAC eyeshadow in Era (bottom left) all across the lid, again with my 217, and then I used my Real Techniques Duo Fibre Eye Brush to apply MAC Handwritten (bottom right), a gorgeous matte chocolate brown, through the crease. I also took this on a small angled brush on the lower lash line. 

I lined my top lashline with the Illamasqua Precision Gel Liner and my top waterline with the Bourjois Queen Attitude Khol Kajal Liner, finishing off the eyes with a few coats of my favourite mascara ever, the Maybelline The Rocket Mascara.

Moving back to the skin, I powdered through the centre of the face with the last of the Illamasqua face trio, the Illamasqua Powder Foundation (I think I’m using shade 135? - it’s a tad too light for me though). 

I am a huge huge fan of contouring, and recently I have been loving using my Benefit Hoola bronzer and the Real Techniques Contour Brush. 

The final touch for the face was using the gorgeous MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft And Gentle on the tops of my cheekbones.

Bringing the whole look together, I finished it off by using Topshop’s Lipstick in Wicked, a lovely burgundy shade.

YouTube |  Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

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.

YouTube |  Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

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!

YouTube |  Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

The Best Mascara EVER

"The best mascara ever" is probably a very big claim to make, but I stand with my vote to say that this is the best mascara I have ever used. 

Unless this is the first post from my blog that you have read, you won't be unfamiliar with this. It is the Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Mascara. 

Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Mascara, £7.99

As you'll know, I'm a big fan of Maybelline's volume express mascaras; I've been using them for years, and I've tried out nearly all of them. Despite being impressed I've never ended up repurchasing the same one. I decided to try this just as a change and I noticed in the shop that the wand looked very similar to that of the Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara which I loved but haven't used in years. As this was cheaper, I decided to give it a try. WOW. 

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara wand

 

My lashes naturally are very short (weeps), this gives them SO MUCH length and volume. It is also very long lasting too. As I right this, last night I naughtily forget to take my makeup off (slaps wrist), but when I woke up the next morning, 50%, or more even, of the product was still on my lashes. I still looked like I actually had eyelashes in comparison to no mascara. 

Would I recommend this to you? Of course. Is this something I will repurchase? DEFINITELY.

  YouTube | Bloglovin | Fashion Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Recent Purchases #2

Following last months very many purchases (oops...), I accidentally followed suit this month and did the same. However I've ended up buying even more. My bad. 

Here are a few of MANY of my July/August purchases - ENJOY! 

So from good old trusty MAC I purchased the ever-loved Face and Body Foundation (50ml version) in the shade C3. 

MAC Face and Body Foundation 50ml, £21.50

This shade is a tad too dark for me, however you can really get away with this with face and body because it is so light. I quite like this foundation - it's great for days when my skin is feeling quite good and I have one or no blemishes. 

Moving on, I went to Boots and bought two of the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers as there was a 2-for-£10 offer on Rimmel, and I got the shades 'Apocaliptic' (bright fuchsia pink) and 'Luna' (soft peach-pink).

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers in Apocaliptic (top) and Luna (bottom), £5.99 each

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Apocaliptic, £5.99

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Luna, £5.99

 

I love how pigmented and long-lasting these are for the price - they retail for usually £5.99, but there's nearly always some sort of offer on at Boots or Superdrug where you can get them from. 

Ordering online from Boots next I got quite a lot, but to stop this post taking you hours to read, I'm just going to mention a couple of the things I got. 

Firstly is the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm... 

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, £21

Now I don't want to give too much away about this product as I do have a review of it coming up for you in the next two weeks, but it is used to take your makeup off and I really love it - that's all I'm saying! 

I then purchased a 'cult' product that has only just come over here to the UK from the States, and is the Maybelline Baby Lips. 

Maybelline Baby Lips: 'Hydrate', 'Pink Punch' and 'Cherry Me'; £2.99 each

These are lip balms which does baffle me why everyone gets so excited about them, but I do have to admit they are VERY good. I'm not much of a lip balm person, but I definitely am for these! I got three in 'Hydrate', 'Cherry Me' and 'Pink Punch'. 

A couple of items I then ordered from Superdrug were two Real Techniques brushes, which were the blush brush and the stippling brush. 

Real Techniques Blush Brush and Stippling Brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush, £9.99

Real Techniques Stippling Brush, £10.99

I LOVE the Real Techniques brush line because they are super affordable but AMAZING quality. There was an offer online too a Superdrug which was buy one get one half price, which gave me that extra push to buy both! 

My last two products are from the Topshop makeup range. 

These are my first two products from the line - I don't know why I've never tried anything from there before as I love Topshop in terms of clothes and jewellery and things, but anyway... I bought a lipstick and a blusher. 

The lipstick, firstly, is in the shade "Innocent". 

Topshop Lipstick in "Innocent", £8

I find it to be quite similar to MAC Creme Cup (which I nearly bought one the same say!), but I honestly think this feels a lot nicer than the MAC lipsticks! They describe it as a 'velvet finish' which feels so soft and nourishing and nice. I REALLY love his and will definitely be purchasing more Topshop lipsticks in the future! 

The blusher I also got from Topshop is in the shade 'Head Over Heels', a soft pink-peachy-coral. 

Topshop Blush in "Head Over Heels", £6

This is a cream blush, however when blended into the skin it sets to a powder but still looks glowy and healthy-looking. This is so nice, I really like it! I love their packaging too, it's very simple but looks great. 

That is all I have for you today! I did buy a lot more but I have review and things coming up, and honestly there is just too much to squeeze into one post! If you want to see what I bought last month, you can do so by clicking HERE  

Toodlepip! xxx 

 YouTube | Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Do you want me to review any of these products? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me!

Beauty Products of the Day! -- Saturday 13th April 2013

Aloha lovelies! I thought I'd share with you the things that I've used on my hair/face/body today and I've decided I'm going to try and do this most days or at least a couple times a week!

TRESemme Heat Defence Spray Now I used this before I blow-dried my hair and before I straightened it. I also used the TRESemme Shampoo and Conditioner before but I'm not sure what they are called... But anyway, it stops my hair being extremely frizzy, makes it easier to handle and protects it from the nastiness of heat.

Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave In Conditioner My hair was really tangeled today when I got out of the shower, so it made it a lot easier to comb my hair through with this in it. It softens my hair and smells AMAZING.

Nivea Creme -- I used this as my moisturiser today as my skin was very dry this morning, however it has infact made it quite oily!

Revlon ColourStay Makeup for Combination/Oily Skin in Sand Beige -- my favourite foundation, you all know that (I mention it so much).

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in 02 Light -- my favourite concealer - you all know this too!

MUA Pro Base Concealer Palette in Natural -- I don't really like this palette much as a concealer, but I used the darkest shade as a slight contour because it is too dark.

MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel -- I used this as a highlight on the tops of my cheekbones - it's gorgeous.



Rimmel Stay Matte Powder -- now I don't have an image with this because 1. the writing has all came off and 2. It smashed so looks a tad messy!

MAC Fix+ Spray -- The usual makeup setter - I think everyone has this. I also use this on my hair too to make it feel softer.

MAC Eyeshadow in Brun -- Again, the usual. I use this all the time because it is a really great colour for me.

Sleek MakeUP Au Naturel Palette -- I used the shade 'Taupe' all over the lid, 'Toast' in the crease and 'Nougat' as an inner corner highlight. I then used 'Noir' over the black gel liner...

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black -- to create a cat eye. It is very smooth and easy to apply.

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara in Extra Black -- This mascara was used first to thicken my lashes.

Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama Mascara -- I then used this mascara to lengthen the lashes.

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in Red Dynamite -- You don't need to spend lots on lip liners - this one cost my £3 and it is very good, very pigmented.

MAC Lipstick in Lady Danger -- I think this has to be my new favourite lipstick... Sorry MAC Russian Red!

Marc Jacobs Oh Lola! Perfume -- I mentioned this in my disappointing products post, only because it doesn't have great longevity, however I still love the scent.

Soap & Glory The Daily Smooth Body Butter -- for the super duper dry skin on my poorly post-surgery hands.


Ooookaay! A slightly different post for you there -- hope you're all having a lovely day whatever you are doing!
Lots of love xx
Emily XO

Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram