Favourite Cheek Products

I'm a bit of a blush hoarder, I would like to say I have a huge range of cheek colours but I honestly don't, I like pale pink blushers which aid in giving me that 'English Rose' look. I'm really pale so they are the easiest to apply, it's pretty hard to overload. 

These three products are ones I find myself going back to again and again, they also happen to be a brilliant mix of textures and finishes.

Illamasqua cream blush is possible the best blusher I've ever used, it's just perfect when applied using a stippling brush. In the pan it looks scary but when applied to the cheeks it's actually very fresh looking and soft.I really want some more Illamasqua cream blushes but as I don't actually need them I'll hold off for now. 

A very old favourite here too, Ruby and Millie face gloss has been in my makeup bag a long time. The whole line went into administration a few years ago but I stocked up so I wouldn't run out for a while. Sadly I'm on my last one now and I'm looking for a replacement. It barely gives any colour just a subtle dewy glow, the colour can be built up but I find this makes my face too glossy. It's great in the summer as it doesn't feel or look heavy, it just gives a really natural flush.
 I'm sure going to miss this product so if any of you know a good dupe I'm all ears

Benetint is my final favourite, I was always a bit scared of using this but I took the plunge and have never looked back. It's perfect for creating that soft glow under foundation or creating more depth on top of foundation. This is the least dewy of the cheek products and really lasts the whole day, I usually use a light pink blush on top of this, that way there's no need to touch up my makeup throughout the day.

An honourable mention also goes to Benefit Dandelion but I'm out atm and can't really afford the £20+ price tag.

Shopping my Stash

Filling four Muji drawers to the brim was my first sign I needed to limit my spending, the second tip off was discovering I owned several back ups of the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and I'm not even that big a fan.

Whilst I was condensing my collection I found and rediscovered some amazing products I usually overlook. I decided to shop within my stash rather than John Lewis or Boots. 

First up is the Philosophy the Present, I much prefer Philosophy's old primer 'Supernatural' but they discontinued it. This one requires a two minute settling time but I find it needs closer to ten, so it's a no go on those rush mornings. When given the time this is an amazing product but I'm usually in a rush to get ready so it's not ideal.

Next is the bareMinerals blusher in pink petal, which I love I just sort of forgot about for the longest time. Now I've rediscovered it and can see it becoming my daily blusher once more. As the name suggests it's a real soft petal pink and is very build-able. Another bareMinerals product is great worn with this blush and that's their lipgloss in ambrosia which is a lovely soft pink and not too sticky or shiny which is perfect for me as I'm not really a gloss person.

I'm also giving Bourjois Healthy Mix another go, I liked it when I first picked this up but I just couldn't see the hype. I only fond the coverage okay and thought it wore off pretty quickly, this actually brings me to another product I've rediscovered the Elf Mineral Concealer which is great to set liquid or cream concealers. It also seems to stop the creasing under the eyes that the healthy mix creates.

Finally I'm currently using benefit's Total Moisture face cream  at night, it's too thick for me to use during the day. I'm not really sure of the skin benefits(ha) but it makes my skin nice and soft so it's good for now. I got this in a trial kit a while back and didn't really fall for the skincare range so never bothered with this until now, when I actually need a night cream. 

Escentual Micellar Water Blind Trial

Someone tweeted about this trial the other day and as I'm just getting into the world of micellar water I thought this would be perfect.

I'll be testing these samples out over the next two weeks along with a whole bunch of bloggers/beauty lovers.

I'll be back with this in 2 weeks to give a round up of how they worked out for me. 

Anyone else taking part in this?

A pinky plum lip

MAC- Quite the Thing, Illamasqua- Magnetism, Elf Liquid Lipstick, MUA- Stolen Kisses, Revlon-Crush, Elf-Gypsy, Clinque-Berry, Topshop- Cherry Picker

I realised I perhaps should venture into a different lip colour when 4 of these products ended up in my handbag but then again if it ain't broke why fix it. 

This was once my go to colour in winter opting for a nude/pink in the summer months but I kept finding myself returning to this colour time after time. I usually wear this products pressed into the lips to appear as a matte stain for daytime then gloss it up for evening or special occasions. A few years ago I never would have gone for anything this dark with my super pale complexion but I risked it with this Mac lipstick because I fell in love with the shade and since then the pinky plums have been rolling in. 

Is there a lipstick shade you can't get enough of or are the rest of you slightly sane when it comes to lip products? 

B.Pure Micellar Water Review

I've not used Bioderma or any other cleansing waters but when this one popped up in Superdrug I had to have it. B. Pure is quite a new addition to Superdrug and as it is their own brand it's cruelty free, they have a lot of products on offer including a makeup range- I picked up a blush from there today.

First timed I used this I wasn't sure, it kinda stung my eyes and I wasn't sure if it was doing more than a cleansing wipe but I wanted to give it a proper go and not give up after one use. It didn't irritate my skin at all or leave me with any dry patches which tends to be a huge problem with non-wash off cleansers so I stuck with it.

After a week I realised it was taking off all my makeup- just not as well as my Emma Hardie balm does or as relaxing for that matter but it was getting my foundation off better and I don't wake up with panda eyes.

This is good for late night cleanses and only takes about 30 seconds more than a trusty cleansing wipe, so when I'm just too tired or don't feel great I love using this. Obviously I can't compare this to Bioderma but it appears to do the same job but I've heard people say a little goes a long way, this product however I need to use a lot of this to fully get my face clean.

However the reason I love this product is because  my skin doesn't love being cleansed with the same cleanser day and night, this is quick and means I can get straight on with applying my makeup so no getting up early just to wash my face. I probably would purchase this product again as it's only £4.99 and cleanses better than a wipe but maybe I'll give Bioderma a go now it's becoming easier to pick up in the UK.

Beauty Audit

This blog post is inspired by an article I saw in InStyle way back in January, where the staff spoke about the products they'd used that morning with a little bit of info on their routine, so here is my beauty audit. 

To start my daily routine I also used an Origins foaming cleanser but it finished so I binned it in slightly unblogger like behaviour, then an Origins eyecream and day cream.

I went for simple makeup as I'm not up to much today, just lightly covered skin with dewy blush and highlight, a slight smokey eye created with a Rimmel Taupe pencil then heavily curled lashes with tons of mascara followed by a lipstain with a bit of gloss.

  

I'm fairly low maintenance when it comes to my hair, I love curling it or making it perfectly straight but as my hair can't hold a curl and frizzes at the first sign of moisture most days I tend to just mess it up a bit with texture spray and a detangler of some kind to soften the ends and add a bit of shine- this morning it was Ojon moisture mist. I just got my hair cut the other day so my hair is easier to work with now all my damaged hair has gone- it's strange working with roughly 3 inches less hair than I'm used to.

In total I used 15 products (14 pictured), that's a hell of a lot more than I expected as today I probably used half what I normally would in my makeup routine- eek maybe we've found where my spending ban should lie.

Make Up Rotation

 Benefit They're Real- This has been in my daily routine for a while a now, it's very popular in the beauty world and I love it because it really opens my eyes on those early mornings. 

Topshop Felt Liner- I love a good felt liner and I keep coming back to this one, sometimes it randomly goes a bit dry but other than that it's easy to use and doesn't end up halfway across my face, I'm looking at you Collection 2000. My usual routine will just be a fine line across the lashline, occasionally adding a little wing.

Topshop Skin Glow- I'll be the first to admit I'm a highlight addict, I especially like the ones Topshop has to offer for both quality and price.

Bobbi Brown Corrector- I don't really have bad skin but I have terrible undereye circles and this is only thing that makes a difference, I team it with a concealer which atm is Collection 2000 illuminating touch to really help brighten the area.

Korres Lipbalm in Rose-I'm so in love with this lipbalm, it's the perfect bitten lip red and in colder months the beauty look I get obsessed with is flawless skin with very plain eye makeup and stained lips. Probably due to how easy it is to create on cold mornings when I'd rather still be in bed.

Illamasqua Liquid Light Foundation- Nearly at the end of this now, which is a real shame as I really loved using this foundation. It doesn't have much coverage as the name suggests but it evens my skintone and doesn't look cakey, so it's perfect for day to day use.

MAC Creme Colour Base and Benefit Dandelion- These are my current go to cheek combo, both are pretty subtle but together they build up a soft rosey colour which is pretty similar to the colour my cheeks go when I've been outside too long. 

 

MUA Kissproof Lipstain- I tend to throw this on just before I leave the house if it's windy or I have to eat my breakfast on the move. It doesn't really budge foe the whole day but rather gets lighter, still leaving a little bit of colour on my lips so I don't look too ghost like. 

2013 Style Resolutions

A new year is as good a time as any to change the way you shop or the way you style yourself, I'm happy with my personal style so there's no big overhaul planned just a few simple changes to the way I shop and work with the clothes I do own.

1. Shop Within My Own Wardrobe

The fact my wardrobe is overflowing probably tells me I own too much stuff but like most, I probably only wear about half of it. As you will see later on one of my resolutions is to spend less so shopping within my own stuff is probably the easiest way to do that. My plan to make this happen is to regularly reorganise my wardrobe, rotate garments around so that I style new things together and in turn help me create a new wardrobe without spending a penny.

2. No Reckless Spending

Last year I spent a lot of money on clothes, I just bought 95% of things I liked and whilst a lot of it I will wear again this year I also need to start saving money. A result of this is probably why my wardrobe is overflowing and how I forget exactly what I own, my rule this year for shopping is going to be if I want something, it has to work with 50% of my current wardrobe.

3. Stop Shopping in Cheap Places for Stuff That Only Gets Worn Once

I like Primark as much as the next person but as it's so cheap I think 'Oh it doesn't matter that I'll wear it once' well eventually that builds up to big money. In the past few years I've gone off most of Primark's clothing, as I think the quality has gone down but the prices have risen, still a huge fan of pyjamas, tights and accessories. My plan this year is to buy fewer but more expensive items, so they continue to be part of my wardrobe for years to come-style over fashion.

4. Invest in Good Shoes

I literally own no shoes I can wear with trousers in the winter and most of shoes are the £4 ones from primark which last well in the summer but as soon as they get wet their life is as good as over. I find boots and many shoes on the high street are too chunky for my liking, as a five foot person with size six feet it's hard to not look a bit clown like with most shoes. This year I plan to invest in some ankle boots which can handle the rain and a pair of shoes which can be worn with most of my wardrobe.

5. Get Rid of Anything That Makes Me Unhappy.

Probably the most important resolution here, I sometimes take about an hour to get dressed because I don't like the way something makes me feel.I know my body shape and I know what suits me, so anything which doesn't fit the category needs to go, no matter how much I love it on the hanger.