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.

 

 



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.



 

Sweet Peach Lip Oil

 

 When I first heard about Too Faced bringing out the Sweet Peach collection, I was absolutely over the moon, head over heels excited. They're one of my go-to brands, and I always give in to the hype with new releases. I gravitated towards the Sweet Peach Lip Oils since lip gloss is kind of my new obsession; I think I have a subconscious quest to source the least sticky glosses (because if a lip gloss is tacky in the slightest, then it ain't for me.) If you've read this blog before then you'll know that Too Faced lip products are my holy grail...until I met this lip oil.

 

It's not all negativity up in here, because I hate doing that and will avoid it at all costs. There are three things about this product that I completely love, and there's only one thing that I don't get on with. So there's that. Maybe I just got a bad batch?

 

 

I picked mine up in the shade 'Peach Fuzz', which is a beautiful baby peach colour that looks ever so pretty in its packaging - which actually happens to be one of my favourite parts, along with the cute names that all the shades have. I think the simple packaging is gorgeous, and I like that you can see the exact shade of the product through the transparent tube. There's also an adorable little peach on the end of each oil; I now consider peaches to be cute, which isn't something I thought I'd ever type but there we go. The lip oil itself also smells so flipping good, and if you hadn't guessed by now (really??), it's scented like peaches. Honestly, I can't think of anything better.

 

This product uses peach oil, which means ladies and gentlemen, it isn't sticky. I'm not even slightly exaggerating - I'm the Queen of rejecting glosses/oils due to stickiness, and I can hand on heart say that this is the least tacky formula I've ever come across. That's why I'm so sad that I've had to shove it in my Alex drawers in sadness, because for some reason, I'm not a fan of the way it looks on my lips. I don't know whether I picked too light of a shade, but the oil clumps on my lips and looks really odd for some reason, and although it can be salvaged when you apply it over a pink lipstick, I'm disappointed that I don't like this on its own. If these weren't £16 I'd like to try a darker shade like 'Papa Don't Peach' and see how that works out for me, but for now, I'm going to admit defeat. I hate giving negative make up reviews, especially for brands that I usually love, but I want to be honest and give this a 5/10. It baffles me considering the amount of positive response I've seen towards these oils, but my lips don't lie (oh hello Shakira), and they tell me that this product is a bit iffy.

 

Update: After watching swatch video after swatch video on Youtube, I have a feeling that this might just be a lighter-shade issue like I originally thought.

 

 

Have you tried these lip oils? I'd love to know how you got on with them!

 

February Lip Library || Valentine Kisses

 

The month of February is a bit meh for me. There's nothing particularly exciting going on, no promise of a New Year or anywhere near my April birthday, but it is the month of Valentines. Isn't a day dedicated to that warm fuzzy feeling just the cutest thing? And one thing is for sure, no matter who you celebrate it with, its the best day of the year to wear a stunning pink lip. Whether its a deep fuchsia or a nude pink, that's what this lip library is all about. If you've got a Valentine's date coming up, or a girls night out, then this is probably going to be the post for you. 

 

The Toofaced Melted Matte liquid lipstick in 'Bend and Snap' is up there with my top pink shades. Its a gorgeous deep raspberry colour (doesn't that description just sound dreamy?), and for a matte formula these lipsticks are no where near as drying as I thought that they would be. One thing is for sure though - these lipsticks are the slightest bit smudgy, so I wouldn't be putting my faith in them for a February 14th kiss. I definitely want to pick up some more shades in this formula, Queen B is next on my list!

 

 

The Bourjois liquid lipstick in the shade 'Don't Pink of it' is the prettiest nude pink, and this formula consistently impresses me since it doesn't budge unless you want it to. These apply similarly to the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, but I prefer these as I think they're much more comfortable to wear. Trust me when I say that if you tried these lipsticks without looking at the brand name, you would think it was a luxury product.

 

My YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipstick is pretty much my baby, and the formula is right up my street. I can't stand a drying matte lipstick, so the moisturising glossy finish of this range is 10/10. Shade 44 is a beautiful rosy pink colour that would look perfect any month, but particularly during Valentines (and moisturised lips are never a bad thing, wink wink.) If I was going to recommend a lipstick purchase to anyone, this range along with Toofaced Melted would be what would immediately pop into my head.

 

 

Last up is a bit of an odd one, since before receiving this MDM Flow lipstick in my Glossybox during December, I had never even heard of the brand. The shade 'Vamp' is one of the nicest pinky plum shades I've ever come across (and the perfect colour for a gals night out), and the formula of this lip product way surpassed my expectations. I have this habit of never expecting big things from items that I haven't seen before in the beauty blogosphere, but after trying this out I would definitely be interested in exploring the brand more. Beauty boxes may be on the decline, but they're still useful to discover some newbies!

Vamp, Bend and Snap, Don't Pink of it, 44

 

January Lip Library

 

For me, January is a month of the more subtle lip shades following the bold lips of Autumn and the festive season. Most of the reds and berries are left behind for a little while, and the nudes and pinks take the make up stage. I've recently received/bought quite a few that fit into this category, which made choosing my picks for this months lip library relatively easy.

 

The Jouer liquid lipstick in 'Citronade Rose' is such a unique metallic ballet slipper pink that it balances subtle and eye catching in the perfect quantities to wear on a January night out. Metallic lip colours are so different to a matte or satin finish that the finish alone is enough to make a statement, regardless of the actual shade. I've spoken about the formula of these lipsticks in the past; just moisturising enough to pass my comfort test and be separated from the dry, matte finishes.

 

The Colourpop liquid lipstick in the shade 'Point Zero' has a satin finish, and is from the Kathleen Lights collaboration. I see this shade as the ideal brown nude - its similar to Spirit by MAC (one of my all time favourites) and does not budge. Considering this beauty only set me back the dollar equivalent of £5, I'm a very happy bunny when it comes to the formula of this, and I think the brown tone gives it a good pop for this month.

 

 

The TooFaced Melted Lipstick in Chihuahua is quickly becoming my go-to lip product. Its a gorgeous deep nude pink, and the formula of these products is unbeatable (as I've said a million times on this blog). If you want a nude pink that applies easily and stays put for a good amount of time I couldn't think of a more fitting choice. This is constantly in my handbag for me to just reach in and grab, and its definitely my favourite lip product of the month/year. I talked about these in my beauty round up for 2016, so for a full review just visit here.

 

The Victoria's Secret Lip Silk in 'Victoria' is a pretty pink gloss that works well on its own or paired with one of the pink liquid lipsticks, and the best part? Not sticky at all. Hallelujah. I never would have thought to try out VS make up, but they've got this gloss so right that I'm definitely tempted to pick up some more. This would look beautiful on no-make up make up days, and it would definitely match with the TooFaced lipstick if you wanted it to appear a bit more bold.



 

My last choice for January is an unusual one for me, since I've never been a lip liner girl. I got the Loreal Lip Liner Couture in the shade 630 as part of a deal at Boots, and I was so impressed with the quality. I'm lazy when it comes to applying lipstick and hardly ever think to try a liner first, but this is such a brilliant base for nude lip colours that I know I'll reach for it a lot this month. It even works well on its own with a sheer gloss on top, a look that I've tried a few times already.

 

I hope you're having the best start to 2017, and that everything is beginning in the way that you wanted it to. Have a lovely Sunday!



 

Left to right: Chihuahua, Point Zero, 630, Citronade Rose, Victoria.

 



The Annual Product Round Up

 

2016 may not have been the best year to look back on in general, but it was a pretty darn good year for beauty products that were released/rediscovered. It took me an unreasonably long time to narrow this down; I think I had about five favourites in every category!

 

Hands down the first product I think of when I think 2016 is the TooFaced Melted Lipsticks, which I've talked about relentlessly in this space since April when I started collecting them. I currently have the shades Ruby, Chocolate Honey, Sugar and Chihuahua, and I can't get enough of the formula of these liquid lipsticks. Honestly, these may be slightly on the pricier side of things, but they are one of the high end products that I would wholeheartedly recommend. 

 

The other product in my top two is the MAC blush in the shade 'Harmony', which should also come as no surprise if you've been reading my blog throughout 2016. I use this blush as my go-to contour shade - MAC describe it as a 'muted rose-beige brown', and I would consider it the ultimate ash brown contour powder. 

 

Obviously I couldn't let this post pass me by without bringing up the MAC Sweet Copper Face Compact from the Nutcracker Sweet collection. I actually did a whole post on this that you can read here, but the highlight shade is what ultimately bought this into a ticket into my favourites collection. I love that the highlight is gold but not too yellow, you know? What a gem.

 

The Bourjois Radiance concealer is another find that I use religiously in my make up routine. 2016 was the year I fell in love with the brand as a whole. It's not the highest coverage I've ever tried, but this concealer is by far the best brightening product I've found for under the eyes. I literally have about four in my drawer as back ups just in case it gets discontinued.

 

The Primark contour brush (£1.50 like what the heck) is definitely my most used brush after the Real Techniques powder brush. I bought this kind of as a joke to myself because I was so unconvinced that such a cheap brush could be any good, but I was so wrong. It doesn't matter how often you wash it, it never loses its shape, and its the ideal brush for applying contour powder under your cheekbones. At such an affordable price this product is a god send, and if you don't have it then what's your excuse? It costs less than a Starbucks!

 

 

Make up geek eye shadows just had to make it in here, it would have been rude not to. Single pan eye shadows have changed the game for me, and for quality and formula you just can't beat MUG. My go-to shades are shimma shimma, barcelona beach (the only warm brown you'll ever need), and homecoming. Funnily enough, the three of them make such a pretty eye look all by themselves.

 

Last of all, I started trying out the Toofaced 'Better than Sex' mascara in November and its completely wiped the floor with any of my other favourite mascaras. I swear by the Bourjois offerings, but this Toofaced pick really is as good as they say. The curved brush gets to all of your lashes at once, and I am so impressed with how lengthening it is. I always said I wouldn't cave into luxury mascaras (which lets be honest, only ever last a few months), but I don't think I can go without repurchasing this!



December Lip Library || Christmas Reds Edition

 

Happy December 3rd!

 

Sadly I know I wouldn't be able to hack Blogmas (major bonus points to anyone tackling that this year), but I have got some Christmas posts lined up this month, beginning with a seasonal version of my lip library series. Red lips aren't something I wear often, although everyone knows that if you're going to bring em' out, its got to be during the holiday season.

 

I chose a selection of shades and finishes, to the point where I really do think I've cracked it - the perfect selection of festive reds to satisfy those December lipstick cravings.

 

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Dragon Girl':

To be quite honest, I bought this shade back in the day because it was Taylor Swift's go-to colour (and anyone that knows me knows that if Taylor has it, I've just gotta get my hands on it.) If you want a bright festive red that's going to be drop dead matte, this is the perfect choice. And who can resist a shade with a name as fierce as 'dragon girl'?

 

Too Faced Melted in 'Ruby':

Too Faced Melted lipsticks are without a doubt my favourite formula on the market; my collection is slowly growing and within it is a gorgeous red shade called Ruby. I was expecting this to be a deep red, but instead its vibrant, which is great for a Christmas party where you want to stand out. If you're looking for a comfortable red lip that sits for hours without drying out then I'd recommend this one, and there are also a couple more variations of red within this collection for if you want something a little less bright.

 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 'Grand Cru':

Hands down my perfect red, and ironically the only drugstore option in this library, Bourjois have nailed it with their deep red shade. I prefer darker reds with slight blue undertones for the maximum 'white teeth' effect, and this formula stays put on my lips all night, particularly with a bit of lip balm underneath. Not only is this shade 10/10, but there are so many other gorgeous shades in the range to try out as well. You guys know that my heart lies with Bourjois - they do everything right.



 

 

MAC 'On Hold':

Now we move onto the sheerer red shades; the subtle festive look without going totally bold. MAC is famous for its killer reds, but I never really hear much about On Hold, which is a pretty Cremesheen lipstick in a pink toned red. I love having a couple of slightly less wild reds in my Winter collection - sheer reds like this are ideal for work or school and have the added bonus of actually feeling very moisturising on your lips.

 

Benebalm:



Last but certainly not least is one of my favourite products of all time. Benefit's tinted lip balms are the best tinted balms that I've ever tried, and although they can be a bit pricey for what they are, you can never go wrong. The perfumed scent is right up my alley, and Benebalm is a go-to hint of red that makes a simple look tie together. I've not been wearing a lot of face makeup recently, and this has been a great addition to my easy make up routine.

I'm actually giving Benebalm (along with Benetint) away over on my Twitter, which you can enter by following this link and simply RT-ing my tweet. Good luck!

Left to right: Grand Cru, Ruby, Dragon Girl, On Hold, Benebalm

 

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. 

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!