Organic Beauty You'll Fall In Love With || Tropic

As anyone who has stumbled across this blog before will know, when it comes to Tropic, I'm a hard core fan. They may be a company that I partner with for reviews, but I truly use the products on a daily basis and will rave about them until the cows come home (whenever that is).

This time around the lovely team sent over some of their make up items - I know, squeeee. I think I might have shed a tear when I unpackaged all of this. 



By far, the most exciting item I tried out was the ColourClick Lipstick Collection*, of which I trialled three shades (in order of swatches down below, 'In Bloom', 'Dragonfruit' and 'Poppy'). The packaging of these lipsticks is totally unique to me, in that they literally click open and the lipstick shoots out - I think my Mum and I spent about ten minutes when I unboxed them, just clicking and unclicking. Its addictive, you've been warned. Kind of like a beauty fidget spinner.

In Bloom - a subtle peach

Dragonfruit - a fresh, pink coral

Poppy - a vibrant 1950s red

As for the formula, the word 'buttery' comes to mind; fitting, since they're enriched with oils such as avocado, jojoba and argan. I particularly like the two darker shades, if only because they have more of an impact than the nude, which is a given. The colour just glides on, and stays put for hours without clumping or fading in the centre of the lips. £14 is definitely reasonable for these little beauties, and the shade range is beautiful! I had a hard time picking out some colours to try.

The Lip Glaze* in 'Pink Champagne' is another hit - I tend to be pretty picky with glosses, but this formula is just creamy enough to avoid the tackiness that I dislike. As for the colour pay off, this isn't a gloss with a high pigmentation (like the Bare Minerals Buttercream Glosses), but it is a lovely shimmer that would work well alone or on top of a lipstick, and has the texture of my favourite glosses. Again, £14 for a quality and versatile lip product is reasonable; you can't go wrong by adding one to your basket. 

Last but not least, the Correcting Cream Concealer* (£22). This product knows how to cover blemishes, let me tell you. The idea of a face product made from 100% natural ingredients appeals to me on a high level; it's so nice to not have to worry what you might be putting on your face. The texture is creamy and blendable, and considering I'm a liquid concealer girl, this went down a treat. On the website the description mentions "oat oil, zinc oxide and arnica extract" to fight blemishes and redness. I didn't even know that oats could produce oil, but if they do I definitely want to be a part of the action. A pot of this would last a long time, even with daily use. Similar to a pot of Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade, you pay a lot on the spot, but the product lasts long term. An investment make up item!

 

*These products were sent to me to review, but all opinions are my own.

A million thanks to the wonderful team at Tropic for reaching out again and sending these to me to trial. I had a lot of fun testing shades and adding to my Tropic collection. 

A Summer Makeup Menu

 

In theory, summer is palm trees and mojitos in the sunshine. In reality, its a full time job and juggling a million projects, am I right? That shouldn't stop us though, from living vicariously through our makeup routine, and switching out the winter products for a bit of sunshine-proof glam.

 

The main product I'm excited to crack out in the next couple of months is the Urban Decay Full Spectrum palette, because if there was ever a time to try out some bold colours, its now. Trying out the shade Calavera is definitely next on the agenda, mainly because it reminds me of a shade in the 'Yes Please' palette by Colourpop, that I am desperate to get my hands on. Even though this isn't the most compact product, I think I might have to sneak it into my Madrid suitcase later in the summer. Another bold shadow I'm gravitating towards lately is 'Flipper' by Colourpop, a beautiful orange shimmer.

 

Over the past few months, a strong highlight has really disappeared from my routine, but during the July/August months a golden shade is ideal. 'Gleam' by Topshop is my go-to for when I have a slight tan (emphasis on the slight, since I pretty much only burn). To complete the bronzed look, I obviously have to pull out my beloved Laguna from Nars. From the formula of the powder to the perfect bronze shade for my skintone, this powder has everything. On the sad day that I do eventually run out of this, I know I'll splurge and repurchase. It's that kind of product. A holy grail.

 

The Better Than Sex mascara is legendary, enough said. TooFaced have killed it with this product, and I think the majority of the beauty community knows it. For volume and length sans clumps, this is your gal. And who can resist metallic ballet slipper pink packaging? I know I can't. For me, mascara is one of the most important components of a holiday makeup look, because a lot of the time it's all that you're wearing on your face. I'm also planning on reaching for my Urban Decay setting spray a lot this summer; I know it can handle the heat and stop my foundation from melting.

 

Lastly, in terms of lips, as y'all probably know by now, I'm not much of a matte lip product girl. It's all about the glosses and the balms, especially in summer. But for days when a lipstick is called for, a sheer formula is just what the doctor (beauty blogger) ordered. My favourites are 'Patisserie' by MAC, a beautiful rose in the lustre formula, and my YSL lippie in the shade 44 is of the same ilk. I completely forgot the word ilk existed? What a lovely word.

 

 



The 'Fit Me' Translucent Powder

 

If I haven't mentioned before how I'm kinda in a love affair with the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, then the secrets out now. I'm not sure I'll ever become as emotionally attached to a man as I am to that product. Like, dang, I'm pretty sure you could party all night, get one hour of sleep, and the concealer would still manage to cover the dark circles. Boom.

 

So naturally, when I was browsing Amazon after repurchasing the concealer (you really do have to go to those lengths to get the pale shades, which are ALWAYS out of stock in Boots) and saw that there is a translucent 'Fit Me' powder, I had to have it. Literally had to have. To make everything even more exciting, it was advertised as a powder to make your skin look 'matte and poreless'. Squeeeee. And like the face product maniac I have become lately, I got on that Amazon Prime train and boarded the land to Maybelline Fit Me. I was not disappointed.

 

 

When it comes to powders, I'm pretty picky. Obviously, the risk that you take with a white translucent powder is white-cast, and I'm glad to announce that thankfully, you don't get any of that with this product. I'm going through a phase at the moment, whilst I nurse my dry skin back to health, of not using foundation, and when you layer the powder over only the concealer you can hardly tell that I've skipped that step. Being the sceptic that I am, I didn't think that the powder would deliver when it came to making your skin look 'poreless', but it does indeed. This is definitely up there with my Soap&Glory face powder, which isn't a title given lightly. In terms of matte-ness (is that even a word?), despite the fact that you need a top up a few hours after application, its a good egg. A really good egg. For £5.99, I can't believe the quality.



 

The only downside to this glorious purchase, is that I've noticed that it can slightly lighten some foundations that I do wear (on the few occasions that I've paired it with them). It seems different to white-cast, because it doesn't make your skin look white, it just alters one or two of my other skin products. And it isn't drastic. In my case, that's a bonus, considering I don't imagine I'll ever find a light enough shade, but for some of you I know that that might be an issue. So be wary, and not too heavy handed.

 

The product comes in a cute little compact, and although I don't think I'll ever use the sponge that's included, it would be a good way for someone to apply the powder if they're just building up a make up collection. I definitely relied on sponges like that before I got into make up brushes, and they worked well for me! Last but not least...that mirror is 10/10. I used it to touch up my face on a train the other day, and it worked a dream. Gotta love a handy mirror. 



 

Have you ever tried the 'Fit Me' collection?





What I've Been Reaching For Lately

 

I struggled immensely to narrow down this list of favourites; April and May were great for discovering gems. Side note: aren't these flowers gorgeous? Got to love some summer blooms.

 

When it came to renewing my faith in favourites of months gone by, I picked up MAC Harmony Blush a lot. I don't think I'm saying anything you haven't already heard if I tell you that this is my favourite contour shade of all time. This past couple of months I put down the others that I was trialling to embrace this ash brown contour again.  No regrets.

 

Another love I wasn't anticipating, was to bring back Maybelline Lash Sensational. My Mum tried the mascara once, hated it, so passed it along to me, and I've been loving it for my first coat of mascara on my top lashes (before I go in heavy with the Better Than Sex), and as a bottom lash mascara. Staying with the Maybelline trend, I couldn't not include the Fit Me concealer in 'Fair', which I have completely used up in the couple of months I've owned it. I posted a whole review of that baby over here.

 

 

Lately, I've developed texture on my skin around my chin and nose - the kind of texture that doesn't look great underneath foundation, and just generally lowers your overall mood. I have a feeling that it might be linked to hay fever, since its more of a rash than acne, but I've been using E45 cream twice a day and the texture has cleared right up. In a matter of days. I had to include it in this favourites, because I'm now convinced that E45 is a lifesaver.

 



In terms of lip products, three stood out as the only picks I'm really using at the moment. 'Cool Girl' by TooFaced is a matte liquid lipstick that I won in a giveaway hosted by Alice, and I'm so grateful since this formula is the only matte liquid lip formula I will use. I don't find it drying in the slightest, and this cool brown nude shade is right up my alley. The other Liquid Lip I've gravitated towards (and by gravitated, I mean I wear it literally every time I go on a night out), is Alyssa from Colourpop. A beautiful baby/medium pink satin shade that I die over every time. I'm not going to elaborate much on the fact that I included the Bare Minerals Gloss in 'Flirt', because y'all know how my heart beats for that gloss. Enough said. 

 

 

When I haven't been wearing acrylics, I've been wearing a Morgan Taylor nail polish in the shade 'Watch your step, sister!' (I can't say that out loud and take myself seriously at the same time). It's a pretty neon pink, that doesn't chip easily and applies like a dream. As for perfume, I've been wearing Accord No1 Floral by Zara which, as you can probably imagine, is a strong floral, feminine scent.

 

Finally, my Z palette has been my best pal. I even left it at home by accident when I went back to university and had to ask my Mum to send it over in the first class post. The two additions to my palette that I've used non-stop however are 'Issues', a peach nude by Colourpop that works beautifully as a crease colour, and 'Grandstand' by Make up Geek, a foiled copper/red brown that is a stunning lid shade. I'm such a convert to the single shadow lifestyle, let me tell you.



 

A Limited Edition Morphe Treat

 

When Beauty Bay announced that this palette was back in stock, I think I might have squealed. I've been on a beauty spending ban during the last couple of months, and considering I didn't buy a single item during that time I thought it was justifiable to pop onto BB and buy the Limited Edition Morphe 25B Bronzed Mocha Eyeshadow Palette (£19).

 

I was drawn into this palette mainly because I think the style and packaging of the product is gorgeous; the transparent lid means that you can easily see the shades inside, something that I also love about my holy grail Z Palette. There's just something undeniably jazzy about transparent packaging, am I right? I would however be a bit wary of travelling with such a heavily plastic product - the thought of a suitcase disaster like that practically brings a tear to my eye.

 

The square layout of the 25B is different to the usual large Morphe palettes and more compact, which I think I prefer - 25 shadows for under £20 is a bargain that I just couldn't pass up! Particularly now that its Summer, and I get the opportunity to wear make up more often since I'm not stuck inside a room revising (hallelujah).

 

This isn't a Beauty Bay review, but I couldn't not mention that this arrived the morning after I clicked 'order', despite only selecting standard delivery. Now THAT is customer service.

 

The other option for these limited edition palettes is Copper Spice, and I may have to pop back online to pick those copper shades up later in the Summer, but for now I just couldn't resist this collection of deep browns and purples. When I was swatching the shadows for this post, I think I sat there for a good two minutes just staring at the pigmentation. Hooooly moly does this palette have pigment. (And I'm talking opaque colour pigment. Swatches at the bottom of the post!)

 

As always when it comes to these kind of palettes, the shimmer shades are the goldmine in terms of colour payoff, but I was pleasantly surprised by the range of mattes. The only way I can think of describing the formula is buttery, as the shadows are smooth to the point of just gliding onto the eyelid. Morphe consistently impress me with the quality of their palettes; I've never tried one of the larger products, but everyone raves about them and if they're up to the standard of this 25B, I can see why.

 

I can't wait to play around with this and see what looks I can create - my only qualm is that the shades don't have names, so I can't show you my current favourites (but think all of the shimmers and brown mattes). I've been waiting months to get my hands on this, and I'm pleased to say that it does not disappoint in the slightest. 

 

The High End Products I Have No Trouble Justifying

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

I'm currently writing this in my dressing gown with a huge mug of mocha, watching Leeds from my window on the 17th floor. Isn't life peachy?

 

There are some products that I turn to time and time again when it comes to High End, and even though they don't always make it into my ride or die everyday makeup bag, I have no trouble justifying the $$$ I spend on them. Sure, the drugstore has a lot of gems that I would never stray away from (maybe that can be a future post, who knows), but isn't it a lovely feeling walking away from the luxury counters with a spontaneous purchase? I know this can't just be me.

 



 

My NARS Multiple in 'Orgasm' is immediately what I think of when I try and list my favourite high end products. I use this as a duo cream blush/highlight combo, and the "sheer warm pink with golden shimmer" is absolutely gorgeous in summer, let me tell you. Nothing beats that sleek matte black packaging; gimme all that NARS lovin'. This is £29, but if you're feeling spendy and you want a memorable product, this is your one.

 

When it comes to liquid lips, I am unbelievably picky. If it isn't comfortable, or even slightly drying, then its out of the equation. The Jouer liquid lips are stunning when it comes to formula and shade range - I own two of the metallic shades in 'Snapdragon', which has a whole post over here, and 'Citronade Rose', a beautiful ballet slipper pink. These feel as soft as a cloud (lets just pretend I do actually know what that feels like) and stay put for a good few hours. And £15 is not astronomical for a good quality liquid lip.

 

 

Preeetty sure you've heard me bang on about the MAC Mineralise Skinfinish a couple of times already, but if you haven't heard me say it, listen closely. I know this is typically a face powder, but the medium/dark shade is a lovely light warm bronze for pale skin. £24.50 is a lot to pay for a bronzer, but this is a high end product post, and I wouldn't hesitate to repurchase this. I find that MAC products are usually my favourites when it comes to bronzer/contour *cough* Harmony blusher *cough*.

 

The Urban Decay De Slick setting spray has been a regular in my collection since day one, the early makeup years. I literally wore this in a desert and my foundation didn't slide. Urban Decay, you the real MVP. I bought this mini version recently for £10 and it is the cutest size to pop in your handbag to top up throughout the day.

 

Last but not least, my top find of 2017. Bare Minerals Buttercream Glosses, ILY hunnies. £17 is pricey but believe me, I cannot stress enough the perfection in this formula. I did a whole post about these a couple of weeks back that you can read here, where I sing their praises on a whole new level. I would buy so many of these if money would allow, and have not a single regret. 100% justified, all day every day. 

 

Scentered || A Natural Remedy*

 

I feel invested in every collaboration I choose to partake in, but this one guys, this one is pretty close to my heart. This post contains anxiety-related content: trigger warning.

 

For me, the first sign that the day is going to take an unwanted turn in terms of my anxiety, is a heavy feeling in my chest that I can't seem to shift. This is usually accompanied by a fast heartbeat and a click in my mind that begins to tell me that its going to be difficult to continue to breathe. Although panic attacks rarely affect me as much as they did when I was sixteen, feeling it creeping up on me every now and again is still one of the scariest moments I find myself encountering. I'm pretty good at breathing exercises (you can find a lot of these online!), but I've found a natural remedy that instantly helps to soothe me and clear my airways - even if they were most likely clear already, it eases my mind.

 

 

When I attended #CarnLIVal a while back, I received a 'Scentered' therapy balm; you apply this product to pulse points in times of stress, inhale, and hopefully the scent will bring you back to a calmer reality. I have to admit I'm a cynic, and I was unconvinced that a 100% natural balm had the ability to do, well, anything. Determined to persevere with the product, I used the 'Love' balm (Rose, Patchouli and Cedarwood) in the middle of the night when I woke feeling anxious, and holy moly this stuff is incredible. I am unbelievably impressed with these balms - regardless of whether the effect is psychological or physical, I continue to be amazed when these calm my mind.

 

Obviously, this doesn't promise to immediately and consistently rescue you. It would be a miracle if it did, and if the antidote to panic did actually exist, I'm sure I wouldn't be first to discover it.  However, focusing on such a strong scent manages to detract focus away from other thought processes, and anything that might help a little is worth looking at, right? I contacted the team at Scentered after keeping the 'Love' balm in my handbag for a couple of weeks, to let them know how much I appreciated the product, and they were kind enough to send over two other balms for review. The 'Be Happy' balm (Grapefruit, Lemon Myrtle and Spearmint)* is described as 'sunshine in a stick', which I think is adorable. The 'Stress Less' balm (Chamomile, Neroli and Mandarin)* is definitely a balm I was grateful for in the last week during my first year university exams. 

 

The balms retail at £14.50, and you can browse the range of natural remedies here, and over on their twitter. If you have a friend or family member with anxiety it can be really tough to know how to help them; mental illness leaves a lot of people feeling powerless. I think this could be a lovely pick me up to give someone to help them through a tough period of life; I wouldn't recommend a product that I don't truly believe in, particularly when it relates to issues like this.

 

Thank you to the team at Scentered for such a comforting product, and I hope some of you benefit like I do from this natural anxiety aid.

 

 

*These products were sent to me to review, but all opinions are my own.

The Bare Minerals Buttercream Lip Glosses || Lip Swatches

 

If there's one beauty find that I've been ecstatic about in the past few months, its definitely the Buttercream Lip Glosses by Bare Minerals. I know what you're probably thinking; there is no way that she can be devoting yet another post to glosses. But here we are, and yes I am. Believe me when I say that these glosses? Life changing.

 

I'd wanted to try these ever since Jaclyn Hill and Kathleen Lights started raving about the shade 'Groovy' (way too light for my liking, but I was obsessed with the idea of a non-sticky, pigmented formula. For those of you who've read my heartfelt dedications to the Colourpop Ultra Glossy Lips, you might recall that that particular formula is the definition of right up my street.) For £17, they aren't the cheapest product, but if you're someone like me who prefers gloss over any other lip category, its well worth a try. I liked the formula so much that I went back and purchased a second shade!



 

The first shade I picked up back in April was 'Flirt' - a beautiful mauve gloss with no shimmer, just high pigmentation and an unreal finish considering that these aren't sticky, at all. Obviously, the universal lip gloss rule still applies, if it's a windy day, don't wear your hair down and pop this on and hope to avoid chaos. It is a gloss, after all. The formula is thick and long wearing, and the colour pay off is so beautiful. I'm not sure how well the paler shades would look (I'm not a fan of the milky lip gloss look), but they've got rave reviews from high profile gurus, so I would probably be assured in the fact that they look just as lovely as the darker shades I chose.

 

The second shade I bought was a bit of a risk considering I usually stick to mauves and brown nudes; 'Heartbreaker' is a dark pink, a step up from the traditional mauve but not yet gravitating into hot pink territory. And surprisingly, its my favourite. It makes my lips look healthy and hydrated, whilst being one of the prettiest pink glosses I've ever laid eyes on. The only thing that doesn't deliver with this product is the "subtle vanilla scent", which must be hella subtle, because I'm just not getting it. It would have been nice to get a buttercream scent that lives up to the name, but we can't fight all battles at once.



 

I would highly recommend these, even when taking the price into consideration. As always, the quality of Bare Minerals packaging is 10/10, and if you leave the disappointing scent out of the equation, I'd give the glosses that score to match. They definitely rival my Colourpop favourites; currently on my makeup shelf at university I have all my essential glosses lined up, and the Bare Minerals/Colourpop combo is all that I need. I know without a doubt that these babies are going to make it into my 2017 roundup.

 



Flirt, Heartbreaker

 

Two New Concealer Picks

 

And I'm back!

 

Getting into the swing of things again at university has been time consuming and I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and write, but I thought that after trialling these two new concealers for about a month now, it was time to give them a review.

 

Concealer is my number one essential when it comes to make up, and whether you have blemished skin or not, its a lifesaver for those days when you wake up and those under eyes make it seem like you haven't slept in weeks. The new pick that I'm most excited about is definitely 'Fit Me' by Maybelline - a product I've heard lots about but never managed to pick up in my shade before this. I bought it from Amazon for around £5 in the shade 'fair', for porcelain skin.  I don't know if you've noticed, but my skintone is as pale as you can get, and this concealer does the job.

 

I absolutely adore this concealer. The coverage for such a simple product is incredible, I regularly skip foundation and just use this to even out my skin. It blends perfectly with a make up sponge (I'm honestly not sure what I did in my life prior to using a sponge to blend out concealer), and stays put all day long if you set it with a powder. My personal favourite combination is the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer and the Soap and Glory translucent powder, which is quickly becoming my all time go-to. £5 for a concealer that applies easily and covers any blemish is a win in my eyes, particularly when the finish is matte.

 

The Liquid Concealer from 3ina however (you can check it out here) is a different story entirely. When I took a trip to London I visited the store and the make up artist tried the concealer on my skin, and at the time I was completely convinced that it was a product that I had to have. I bought the shade 101, which is a light concealer with yellow undertones to counteract the redness in my skin, and although the shade is ideally matched, I'm not a fan of the consistency or formula of this product. The applicator applies the make up in a patchy, feathery way so that not enough concealer is transferred, and the finished look is rather cakey. I think we all know that that isn't quite what we're looking for when we cover up our dark circles. 

I'd be interested to try more from the brand regardless of this one minor fail, because you can't judge a new company based on one thick concealer - which reminds me, if you're a fan of thick and creamy concealers, you might actually be on the right track with this one.  The saving grace for this purchase is that the packaging is very simple and chic; matte black does things to me like no other make up design can.

 

Let me know what you thought if any of you have tried this, I'd be intrigued to know if anyone else felt the same about either of these concealers.