Two Hidden Blushes

 

When I was packing up my make up to take to university (and believe me, a LOT came with me) I kept coming across products that I completely forgot I owned. It's the curse of the beauty blogger/ make up hoarder, so I decided to pull out a few of the forgotten favourites to try again in my Autumn routine. Two that I've learned to love again are blushes, a beauty category that as a rule I generally stay clear from; but its Autumn, and I'm arguably the palest I've ever been. Girl gotta get some colour.

 

 

The first blush, and I'll be first to admit this, looks a little scary. It's coming up as an overwhelmingly red shade, but when you dust this over your cheeks (Sleek blush in 'Flushed') it comes across as a gorgeous deep plum shade. A bit too much and you're set for Halloween though, so when it comes to shades like this you've got to have good lighting for application and a crazy steady hand. Blushes like this are often such a beauty risk, but you've got to take it sometimes, right? These blushes retail at £4.99 and even though I bought this way back when, its still available along with some other amazing tones.

The second blush is a No7 powder blush in 'Soft Damson', which is basically the other end of the spectrum and is a dusty rose shade that looks beautiful if you pair it with a lip colour of the same type. I've tried a lot of No7 products over the years as its a favourite of my Mum, and I'm always taken aback by the quality of the items. Although this brand is slightly more expensive than most in the drugstore (£9.00 for this blush), you get what you pay for and there's always deals and free gifts on offer.

 

One of my beauty goals this year was to branch out and try categories of make up that I don't gravitate towards, and with these two and the Nars blush in 'Orgasm', I feel like I'm making progress in the world of blusher.



The Loveliest Warm Toned Palette

 

Lately I've been feeling myself fall a bit off the blogging train; its a big change to go from writing posts up in my bedroom at home to finding the time at university to sit down and take photos (never mind finding a lighting spot that works!) Anyway, this palette by Morphe landed on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't resist writing about it, because isn't it just the prettiest range of colours you ever did see?

 

I've never tried out any eye shadows from Morphe before, and the bigger palettes just seemed too daunting to go for as an introduction, so I settled on adding the 12NB to my basket. I always gravitate towards palettes that I can easily reach for when I'm in a rush in the morning, instead of single eye shadows that consistently seem to wander off in the same way that hair ties do.  The 12NB palette costs £11.95, which is basically £1 a shadow - I know, pretty darn good value for money. 



 

As for shades, this beauty is all about the warm browns and autumnal shimmers. Ever since an incident in my early make up days where I attempted a smoky eye and came out looking like I'd been punched in the face, I've steered clear of cool tones when it comes to make up. The golden rule of warm browns is (obviously) that you can never have enough, and there are so many shades in this palette that I just don't have anything like them in my collection okay? It's the phrase we all use to justify beauty buying, no secrets here.

 

The only thing that I struggle to get on with is the lack of shadow names, which I'm guessing is only really an issue if you're attempting to write about it, like I currently am. My go-to overall lid shade to set any eye look using this palette is the second shade in from the left on the top row, a pale nude that just evens out colouring. The shadows are almost buttery, is that a word that fits here? I love the formula, there's something about creamy powdered eye shadows that is just so much more preferable to powdery textures that never seem to blend the way you want them to. Another couple of shades I've completely fallen in love with are the first shade on the middle row (a gorgeous warm brown matte that works well as a transition shade) and the third shadow on the middle row that's basically a slightly darker, shimmery version. I can see myself at least trying every shade in this palette, which is always a bonus when it comes to beauty products like this.



 

The last thing I wanted to mention about this product is the packaging; who doesn't love a good matte black case? It clicks shut so there's no chance of any mishaps happening when you travel with the palette, and the compact-ness (is that a word?) is brilliant for the price that you pay. Credit to Morphe, you can consider me impressed!

 



Where I Splurge And Where I Save

 

For the longest time now, make up has been the one thing that I really don't mind splashing out on, no matter what the price tag is. There are however, some things that I hold back on and always stick with drugstore, and some products that I don't think you can get the best quality with when paying a minimum price.

 

Starting with foundation, I've never purchased one that's high end. In all fairness, I'm sure I could do better than Rimmel Wake Me Up if I wanted to, but I don't wear foundation enough to make it worth it. I hear a lot about Urban Decay, Charlotte Tilbury, and MAC foundations, and although it would be tempting I think the drugstore have a lot to offer in terms of a base. I like to splurge on make up that excites me, and foundation is just never something that has.

 

I have tried high end concealer, and I always come back to the gems I picked up in my local Boots (Bourjois you know I'm looking at you.) Concealer is so hit and miss; I think its more a case of finding something that works for your skin rather than going for a product specifically high or low end. There are definitely a heck of a lot of drugstore alternatives to high end though, so don't dive straight into the deep end unless your have a money tree lying around somewhere.

 

One item that I love going hardcore with and giving up all my money for is bronzer - I just flipping adore it and I don't think you get the same quality with drugstore brands (I don't think the market for it has been maximised yet.) My favourites are MAC Harmony, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil and NARS Laguna, and I will repurchase expensive bronzer until the day I die. There are some beauty bits that really do get better with price, although there is a couple by Bourjois that I would recommend.

 



 

 

Highlight is another great one to splash out on, because you can never go wrong with spending your pay check on some shimmer, right? Until the introduction of strobe creams, I would have said it was extremely slim pickings in my Boots to find a drugstore highlight. Now, the offerings are good, and I love the Barry M highlight, but if you want it to stand out I think you have to turn to the more expensive alternatives. My favourite high end splurges are Watt's Up and High Beam by Benefit, who absolutely slay the highlight game in every situation and are a constant member of my make up bag.

 

Eye shadow is tricky, because I think it can go either way. Is MUG drugstore? Because those babies are all you really need in life when it comes to all things eye shadow. I also recently picked up a Morphe palette which was dirt cheap and is amazing, so I guess the verdict there is that you have to look outside the drugstore, but not necessarily for the most expensive brands.

 

High end mascara irks me on a huge level, purely because I don't think you can get much better than some of the products on offer in the drugstore (with the exception of Tarte mascaras.) It would break my heart to spend so much on something that will dry up within six months, which is why I always stick to my trusty Bourjois mascaras - I've mentioned them a million times but they are seriously still the ones to beat.

 

Lastly, lip products are just something I can't help but go all out for. MAC lipsticks? Gimme. Too Faced Melted? Hand it over. It's like I can't live without buying higher end lip products every time I get paid. I think when you pay more for lip products you get high quality formula, packaging, scent (don't try and tell me you don't smell your MAC lipsticks), and pretty much better quality in every category. 100% worth the splurge.

 

 

Where do you save, and where do you splurge?

 

Products On Trial #1

 

 

Lately, I've been picking up lots of new beauty items and keeping them in my current go-to make up bag, testing them out to review for you guys. Even though I'm a student now I can't stop myself from splashing out on make up every now and then (who cares if you don't eat for a day, a lipstick is better right?)

 

The first item I've been trialling and absolutely loving, probably my favourite out of the bunch, is the angled contour brush from the PS Pro Beauty Primark range. This cost me something ridiculous like £1.50 as a bit of a gamble, but I was so pleasantly surprised. The brush stays in shape and evenly distributes contour products, and I think the black and rose gold packaging is adorable. All in all I would give this a huge thumbs up; who knew Primani could do some killer brushes? I'm not even kidding when I say I like these more than Morphe, Blank Canvas or any of my go-to brushes.

 

Sugar by TooFaced is the one lip product that I have been wishing for consistently for the longest time. I hardly ever wear light nudes, but since the Melted formula is the lip formula I gravitate towards most of all, I decided it was time to go for it and step out of my nude comfort zone. Sugar is a gorgeous pale nude, but I do find that you have to moisturise your lips first before applying, as light shades like this can emphasise any cracks in your lips.

 

Plumful by MAC was such a spur of the moment purchase, a little 'welcome to Leeds' gift for myself from the House of Fraser counter. The lustre finish is typically the one that I go for, mattes are way too drying for my liking (although I wore 'Stone' the other night, and that's one heck of a comfortable matte let me tell you), and the shade Plumful is a pretty sheer plum colour that's perfect for Autumn, without going for a completely bold lip. This definitely would have made it into my October Lip Library had I bought it a couple of days sooner!

 

The last new product I've been trying out is a foiled eyeshadow from Make Up Geek in the shade 'Grandstand', a beautiful sparkly bronze colour that Beauty Bay describes as a 'pale chocolate shimmer'. The best thing about foiled eyeshadows is the crazy pigmentation of them, literally one swipe and you're ready to go. Mixing this with the shades 'Barcelona Beach' and 'Homecoming' gives an Autumnal look to die for, and I know I'll get a lot of use out of this shade in the next few months. 

October Lip Library

 

Happy annual Mean Girls day!

 

It's finally October, and I'm fully ready to immerse myself into Autumn, berry tones and hot chocolate by the bucket load (although lets by honest, that happens all year round.) Beauty-wise, I gravitate towards bolder lips during the colder months, as opposed to tinted lip balms and glosses throughout the Summer. I thought I'd start a new series on the blog; monthly lip libraries, starting with one of the most exciting make up months of all.

 

The lightest shade that I'm going to be wearing non-stop this month is 'Mehr' by MAC, which was the first ever shade that I purchased and obviously therefore one of my all time favourites. Its a deep dirty rose shade, a pink nude that's dark enough to qualify as a bold October lip. I don't think I could ever create a lip collection that doesn't include a MAC lipstick, it just wouldn't be right.

 



The second shade is the ever beautiful 'Snapdragon' that I bought last month and reviewed for you guys, my first splurge from Jouer and the perfect lip colour to stand out at a party. I feel like this would be a gorgeous colour to wear during Halloween weekend, since the metallic finish makes it look just that bit more unusual.  This is definitely up there with one of the best formulas for a liquid lipstick; a comfortable product that doesn't dry out your lips in the slightest.

 

For some reason I've drifted apart from the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams - at the time when they were in the spotlight I bought a ton of them and wore them constantly, but nowadays I only reach for them now and again. One of the shades that I've only worn a couple of times is 'Prague', a deep pink shade that I'm bringing out in October to fully get my wear out of it. You know those days where its cold but there's definitely some sunshine so a dark berry lip seems overkill? That's when I'll be reaching for this shade.

 

A surprisingly amazing product that I can't wait to wear this month is the plum lip crayon by French Connection, which doesn't have a shade name but comes in a twin pack with a bright red that I'll be honest, isn't the best shade for white teeth. I don't think I've ever tried a lip crayon that has a similar formula to a balm but a lot of colour payoff at the same time - definitely worth the purchase since it only cost about £5.

 

The final product that I can't wait to add to my everyday make up bag is Black Cherry by Revlon, the iconic Autumn shade that reminds me of being fifteen and running around Liverpool with my Mum desperately trying to find a Boots or Superdrug that stocked this lipstick. It is the best plum tone, and I've always loved Revlon lipsticks because they stay on so darn long. Black Cherry is quite simply October in a beauty product.