Four Products That Have Reignited My Love For Makeup

 

This year, shortly after I uploaded this post, I began to wear less and less makeup, to the point where I was really only putting foundation on and making an effort once every couple of weeks. Considering I buy so much makeup to review, it seemed like such a waste - over the past month I've been using products that make me feel excited to wear make up again, and they have reminded me why I love the creativity of beauty products. I would consider these to be more than monthly favourites, and would definitely add them into the 'holy grail' category. I thought it would be interesting to dedicate a post to these, and see if you guys love these products like I do, or any other items for that matter. 

 

The first thing I've been using absolutely non-stop is the MAC blush in 'Harmony', which I've talked about before on my blog. I use this as a contour product since its more of a brown toned blush, and I love the smooth formula and blendability (I've literally just made that word up. Who do I think I am?) of the product. MAC packaging is gorgeous as well; I feel so sassy just opening up that black compact. When I did a post a while back all about my favourite bronzers, I said that this one didn't compare to my NARS Laguna in terms of favouritism. I was very wrong - this is a million percent up there with my most loved and used products, and considering that its cheaper than Laguna by a fair amount, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a new contour powder.

 

In duty free this year I picked up the NARS Multiple in the shade 'Orgasm' (I can't not cringe when I type that, I just can't.) I find pink powder blushes quite hard to work with; I don't think they suit me and I've always steered clear of that category in beauty because of it. This product is a cream blush/highlight, and oh boy, I am convinced that this is the perfect beauty creation. Pop it on your cheekbones and you are so good to go. Yay for time saving products that tick multiple boxes off the beauty checklist.

 



The Bourjois 'Radiance Reveal' concealer in Ivory has been mentioned several times recently over here, but I can't not include it since it was the start of a revamp within my make up routine. Changing up my concealer (I've been using Rimmel Match Perfection for yonks) has inspired me to constantly try new products, purely as this change in routine was such a success. I genuinely do not know how I lived without this before the last couple of months, its a wonder product for brightening and covering those pesky dark circles.

 

Finally, the Melted Lipstick in 'Chocolate Honey', has been a go-to for me lately, partially down to the formula and the beautiful shade, but mainly because of the scent. Who wouldn't get excited about applying a product that smells exactly like a bar of Dairy Milk to their lips? I'm obsessed with these lipsticks, and can't wait to add more to my collection (I reckon I spend 10% of every day watching swatch videos of these on Youtube.) I also own the shade 'Ruby', which is less of an everyday shade, but has the same seamless formula and staying power.

 

What products make you excited to put your make up on?



3 Sweet Treat Lip Products || A Wishlist

 

Despite the fact that I never judge other bloggers in this way, I tend to veer away from writing wish lists on my blog here, in fear that people will take one glance and think that I decided to be lazy and stay in bed instead of taking some photos. It did however occur to me, as I added yet another item to the beauty wish list that I store on my virtual sticky notes (if you don't have virtual sticky notes covering every inch of your laptop home screen, I have to say you're missing out), that people might actually be interested in this stuff. I love reading wish lists, so why not bite the bullet and finally return to the occasional post of this nature; so here we are. I also thought it was hella funny that the three products I am currently lusting after, all have sweet names - God help me but I think I've acquired a sweet tooth in beauty as well as actual life.

 

Too Faced Melted Lipstick in 'Sugar':

Oh goodness these products are amazing. I use my chocolate melted so often that I think soon I'm going to need to make my melted collection bigger, and I can't think of anywhere better to start than with a light nude, a shade I very rarely purchase. Plus, and I know I need to calm down here and think about other things, have you seen how pretty this lip product looks on blog photos?! I see it on my Bloglovin' timeline and automatically click onto the post, it's basically the beauty product version of clickbait.

 

MAC Lipstick in 'Syrup':

Due to the fact that I went crazy and purchased quite a few of these in the last year, I've been slowing down on the MAC lipstick front. The shade Syrup on the other hand always catches my eye, and the lustre finish is absolutely one of my favourites (along with satin if you were interested.) Now that I'm one-foot-immersed into the world of high end, I can see that the price of a MAC lipstick isn't half bad for the quality, so I wouldn't feel too guilty for splashing out and adding this gorgeous cloudy pink shade to my make up drawer. Plus, no one can resist that typical MAC lipstick vanilla scent.

 

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in 'Honey':

I have wanted one of these lip balms for the longest time, ever since I saw it all over Bloglovin (you can see a theme of where I find my next make up purchases) a few months back. I'm a lip balm hoarder, particularly of the tinted kind, so these were obviously going to make it on to my hit list. I'm a bit terrified to go for it and pay such a high amount (£19 eek) for this, but eventually I'm sure I'll order one in the shade Honey, which looks like the nude-ist version of the bunch. Every review I see of these say that they perfectly balance moisture and colour, which is the exact harmony a tinted lip balm should achieve - I'm already won over and I haven't even tried it yet!

 

Clearly by the look of Sugar, Syrup and Honey, subconsciously I search for lip products that sound good enough to eat!

LA Girl Glazed Lip Paints || Swatches and Review

 

A few weeks back I went for it and ordered from Beauty Bay, and the item I was most excited to try was the 'Glazed Lip Paints' from LA Girl, which at only £4 seemed like something to take a gamble on. Beauty Bay describes these as 'a decadent lip stain that combines the texture of a gloss with the colour-payoff of a liquid lipstick', so as a beauty blogger who hates the drying effect of a liquid lipstick, and loves the look of a gloss, this seemed like the perfect combo.

 

I only ever pick one shade when I try a product for the first time, just in case I hate the formula, so I looked at swatch videos on Youtube and chose the shade 'Elude', which is a beautiful pink nude. I was also tempted by 'Whisper', a light nude, but wimped out and went for the comfortable 'your lips but better' colour. I love the packaging of the product, I think its similar enough to the TooFaced Melted lipsticks to realise that this is a product of the same kind, but the font and overall shape is unique enough to make its own mark on the beauty industry. A lot of brands have tried to emulate the TooFaced product (ahem, Make Up Revolution Lip Lavas), and as they're one of my favourites, I'm always excited to try out similar lip formulas.

 

What I will say that I don't like too much is the design of the applicator - the plastic nozzle makes it a lot harder to control than a sponge applicator would, and often when you only want a little of the product, you're left with a massive glob to try and shift. It reminds me of the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer situation; too much product comes out in one go. I can look past this though, as it's only a minor design flaw and the actual product is stunning. 

 

 

As you can see from the swatch, Elude is a beautiful pink nude, that settles on the lips to a comfortable gloss/ liquid lipstick harmony. I'm all about soft pinks for everyday wear, and this is a perfect shade for that, and also to balance out a harsh smokey eye. I put the product to a test and wore it all day, and apart from a need for reapplication half way through, the lip glaze stood the test of time and wore well. I'm impressed that a product that can be bought so cheaply (less expensive than even most drugstore liquid lipsticks) can prove itself to be such a contender in the lip product world. The shade range within this collection is very varied, and some other shades I think are gorgeous are 'Blushing', which is a pink-plum, and 'Gleam', which is such a unique bronze shade. I'm 100% going to consider buying more of these from Beauty Bay, and for £4 you just can't go wrong.

 

 

Have you ever tried the Lip Glazes?

Some Seventeen Products To Try Out

 

I'm genuinely excited for this post to go live, since Seventeen sent me some make up items to try out and review for you guys, and so far I've been loving them. Seventeen is another brand that I worshipped in my early teens, but in previous years have drifted away from and over into luxury and high end beauty. I feel like the brand has had a major comeback within the past couple of years, with stunning products like the contour kit and the ranges of lipsticks. This blogger mail came just in time with my recent drugstore make up binge, and I've used these products enough times now to let you know what I think.  It's also nice to know that whilst I'm a poor university student I can rely on the cheaper brands to provide products that won't let me down. 

 

 

The first product I got sent was the 'Mega Matte' Lipsticks*, in the shades 'Lava you a lot' and 'Pinking out loud'. Lava you a lot is a gorgeous orange-red, a shade which I don't tend to wear a lot, but have done several times since receiving this lip product. I always got the impression that orange lipsticks make your teeth look less white, but this one doesn't and so opens a new horizon of lipstick shades. I'll always be loyal to my blue-reds, but I can definitely see myself using this one a lot in Summer and Autumn. Pinking out loud is a true pale bubblegum pink, the kind of colour I absolutely adore, just not usually on my lips. It's a beautiful shade, but until I'm brave enough to wear this and switch up my usual nude lipstick routine, my sister I'm sure will gladly wear it instead.

 

The formula of the lipsticks is to die for, I love a creamy matte that isn't drying, and actually has a bit of a satin sheen to it. The formula reminds me a lot actually of the MAC Satin finish; a blessing since matte lip products can often be uncomfortable to wear. For £4.49 these products are a steal, and I'm definitely going to be picking up a couple more shades ('Roses are red' seems like a beautiful nude pink that I can't wait to try.)

 

 

 

The other product I was sent is the 'Brows That' Brow Kit*, which I was intrigued by since I love the Barry M Brow Kit so much. Usually I just go for the NYX Brow Pomade, but if  I want to be sure that my brows will stay put throughout the day, using kits like these is a good way to go. Fortunately, the shade of this is exactly the right dark brown colour that I need to not look a bit odd (tried the black brow thing, and let me tell that that doesn't look hot in the slightest with my pale skin.) The brilliant thing about this kit is that it comes with a pencil, powder and a wax, which is definitely more than enough to sort those brows out. The kit stands the test of time; I wore this for ten hours and my eyebrow make up just didn't budge. I will say that the mini brush that you get isn't my favourite, but its easy to switch it out with a brush that you prefer (the No7 lip brush in my case, however weird that sounds), without detracting from the overall product.

 

Thankyou so much to Seventeen for sending me these goodies; its always a nice surprise to get make up in the post to review, especially when they're as good as these ones.

 

Secret Scenta || The New Zoella Range

 

As a blogger, I absolutely love celebrating the achievements of people who started out the exact same way, and so when I saw the new ranges that Zoella is bringing out this Christmas, I knew I had to review it on my blog. I'm not the biggest fan of lotions and scrubs, but I tried the 'Let's Spritz' body mist last summer and was definitely excited to order the 'Secret Scenta' selection of mini body spritzes this time around. I love perfumes and anything slightly similar, and to have some now that are perfectly handbag size is ideal for taking on a night out, or just to freshen up during the day. I've seen a lot of negativity surrounding Zoe's new products, but I just can't get on board with it and I know that if I was ever offered the chance to create products like this, I wouldn't pass up the offer either. We're all just humans here people!

 

 

Obviously, the main feature of this set is the new fragrance, called 'Bake My Day'. I was extremely happy when the scent of the Christmas collection was announced; gingerbread is one of my all time favourite scents, and I bake it every Christmas mostly for the way it makes the whole house smell festive. The fragrance is described as having notes of ginger, vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon - doesn't that just sound like the most gorgeous combination? I was quite sceptical about actually wearing these scents, but it totally works, and I can't wait to cover myself in this during December. Plus, the bottle has mini gingerbread men on and I just think that's completely adorable.

 

The other recent addition to the fragrance line is 'Sweet Inspirations', which I was over the moon to hear about when it was released, as my favourite food is macarons and this smells exactly like the macaron shop in my village. Its very sweet, with almond, creamy vanilla and honey, but its not too sickly sweet that it becomes overpowering. This one is my second favourite out of the collection, and I do think I'm going to purchase the full size bottle later on this year. The whole design and look of the Sweet Inspirations collection is my favourite; it looks so pretty and mature that I can't help but fawn all over it.

 

 

'Let's Spritz' is my all time favourite, and just getting this bottle immediately transported me back to last summer, when I wore it every day and finished the full size within a couple of months. The notes in this are raspberry and cassis, and honestly I just find this scent the most wearable and delicate out of the range. It's my perfect body mist, and although I adore the macaron scent, this combination slightly beats it into the number one position. I do prefer the Sweet Inspirations packaging though, so not all is lost in terms of that collection. I can't actually remember whether you can get this fragrance separately anymore, but if you can then I think I might have to repurchase, since I've already used a fair bit of the mini size.

 

The last scent is 'Blissful Mistful', which was the fragrance that started it all. I have to say that although this one also smells lovely, it isn't my go-to; it has combinations of strawberry, jasmine, grapefruit, violet and gardenia (I think a lot of grapefruit comes through in this.) Perfume is such a personal thing however, that I can imagine that for a lot of people this would be a favourite, feminine everyday scent, but I just don't reach for this as much as the others.

 

 

The set costs £16, which I think is a reasonable price for four fragrances, and if you order on FeelUnique then its quite easy to find a code and get money off. This would make a gorgeous gift for a friend at Christmas, and I can't wait to see what else Zoe comes up with - I don't see how this collection could be topped!

August Favourites

 

It's been a good while since I posted a lil round up of my monthly favourites, but August has definitely been a month of trying out new products and seeing what works for me. Oddly and out of the blue, I seem to have got my mojo back with drugstore products, so I've been using a lot of those - I didn't include any Bourjois items in this bunch of faves because I already posted about them this week, but you can bet your bottom dollar that they have been my stars of the month alongside these pals.

 

I've loved reaching for my custom single eye shadow palette this month, but the particular shadow to constantly catch my eye has to be 'Homecoming' by Makeup Geek, which is a gorgeous shimmery brown that is extremely pigmented and goes perfectly with my other favourite MUG shadow, Barcelona Beach (everyday crease brown come at me.) I am blown away by the quality of the shadows that you can pick up for £4.95; I need to invest in more shades because honestly, I can't see myself buying single shadows from any other company anymore.

 

 

Since Summer calls for light lip colours and sheer formulas, I've been leaning towards a lustre finish rather than matte in terms of MAC lippies, and my favourite has been Patisserie, which I've talked about before on my blog, but is the prettiest neutral pink. Although a dark lip will always be a winner for me, I do like lipsticks which, if I'm in a hurry I can apply without a mirror. This shade is one of those, the 'quick, I need to doll up my lips' shade that I turn to time and time again.

 

During the past few months I've heard a lot of chat about W7, a make up brand that always seems to create dupes for the high end. The retail store I've worked in for two years always has some of their products in stock, but nothing has ever grabbed me as much as this Absolute Lashes Mascara, which looks uncannily similar to 'They're Real' by Benefit. I was talking to a lady at the till, who swore that this mascara was just as good, and for £3 I decided to try it - whoa. This is a serious dupe. Don't knock it till you've tried it; W7 are a serious dark horse in this beauty business. I'm desperate to get my hands on their dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury contour kit, and if I ever see it in person I won't be able to resist picking it up.

 

 

Tame and Frame by NYX has been my everyday brow product for months now, and only in August did I finally accept that this particular brow pomade is worth a mention. The packaging doesn't thrill me, which is possibly why I haven't featured it until now, but I can't ignore how good this stuff is. If you want an easy option to fill in your brows, with a brilliant colour selection, then this will be up your alley. I've fallen in love.

 

Lastly, and an unusual addition to my normal beauty stash, is a hair care product. I've gone through a dry shampoo evolution over the years and remained loyal to my favourites - the early teen years were an ode to Batiste, the past couple a diary of Urban Fudge, and now I've got a bottle of Philip Kingsley 'One more day' in my sights, I'm not sure I'll look back until the next chapter of my dry shampoo life walks in. I am obsessed with the fresh (slightly perfumed) scent to this, and the clean texture of my roots afterward. The ultimate test is whether it looks like you've dumped a bottle of talc on your head, and I'm happy to report no white hair with this one. 10/10.

Snapdragon

 

Isn't this the most beautiful liquid lipstick that you've ever laid eyes on? When I saw a Cult Beauty advert on Facebook advertising the new fall collection from Jouer, I knew I had to get my hands on Snapdragon, a totally unique colour to anything I'd usually go for. I'm a magpie, I really am - if it sparkles, it has my attention. And I haven't taken my attention off this lipstick since it arrived at my door.

 

I've never tried any products from Jouer before, but I have to say that after trying Snapdragon out (hella cute name by the way), I'm definitely on board with the brand. I like that the shades of these lipsticks are different to any that I've seen before; this particular shade is described as a 'metallic cool frosty plum', which does sound like the loveliest shade for a winter party, and I know that I'll never find another shade quite like it. As you can see from the photos, the lipstick looks very glittery in the bottle, but once you apply it to your lips it just has the most gorgeous metallic effect that looks bold, especially with a softer eye look. The colour looks extremely similar in the tube and on the lips, which is always a bonus when you order online and can't swatch the product in store. 

 

 

For £15, I think you get what you pay for - I can't believe that a product as luxurious as this costs less than a MAC lipstick, because the packaging makes the Jouer products look way more expensive than they're actually priced at. Plus, when I ordered from Cult Beauty I managed to find a code online to give me free delivery, so I skipped delivery charges (always a bonus, paying delivery is literally the bane of my existence.) I wasn't aware of this before I ordered it, but the lipstick bottles can actually slot together, to keep all your Jouer liquid lipsticks in the same place. Nifty trick right there. 

 

 

As for the actual formula, I'm completely in love. I always tend to put a thin layer of lip balm underneath any lip product, just as a safety net for dry lips, although with this product I'm not sue that the safety net is needed. Its a more comfortable liquid lipstick, and believe me when I say that the colour will not budge unless you want it to. The pigmentation is lovely; I did end up putting two layers on for this lip swatch, just so you could really see the colour, whereas in reality I would probably just stick to one. All in all I think this product is absolutely dreamy, and Jouer have hit it out of the park with their shade range - loads of unique shades that you couldn't find anywhere else. Their new fall collection also has a peachy nude, a brick red and a dusty mauve, but if I purchased again I'd go for 'Citronade Rose' from their original collection, described as a 'metallic ballet pink'. *sighs*

 

 

Have you ever tried a Jouer lip cream, and do you like the look of their fall collection?