Bobbi Brown Rich Colour Lipstick: Miami Coral

I was given this lipstick by my friend and have now been introduced into the wonderful world of Bobbi Brown lipsticks! 

I am new to these but I have been so impressed! This new colour is from the Rose Gold Rich Lip collection and the shade is called Miami Coral. I love the creamy formula, however, I would advise having moisturized lips prior to application to give a lovely finish! The colour is really gorgeous - it is a great coral shade but is quite nude at the same time, just adding that bit of subtle colour to the lips. This lasts a while on my lips and the packaging is great! Overall, this is a lovely product and a really great everyday Spring/Summer colour! For £18.00 it is definitely at the more expensive end of the lipstick scale but definitely feels and looks gorgeous on the lips so its worth it if you want to splash out and treat yourself!

What are your thoughts on this product - have you tried it?

My Daily Make-up Essentials!

 Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer in shade 51, Rimmel Exxagrate Liquid Eye Liner, Bourjois Extreme Clubbing Mascara, Dior Forever Foundation, MAC Lipstick in shade Creme Cup, Clinique Loose Powder, L'oreal Studio Effects Primer, MAC Eyebrow Pencil in shade Lingering, Benefit High Brow, MAC Blush in shade Fleur Power, Laura Mercier Secret Camoflage Concealer, Urban Decay Naked2.

I love having a few select products which I go back to on a daily basis. I am always one for trying new products, but each time I do, I end up going back to the same selection. For the price, I find these the best products for me. 

I love the Bourjois Bronzer and think the shade is perfect for my face for both winter and summer as its not shimmery, which I like, but also adds that little bit of extra radiance! I use liquid eye liner on a daily basis and I much prefer this to gel liners. I love the brush on this product, the colour lasts all day on my eyes and doesn't run out quickly at all! For mascaras, I love so many high end versions but, with saving money in mind,  for the price this one by Bourjois matches up most closely to the likes of YSL and Dior, which I also love. I sometimes find this a little too thick so I use a mascara like L'oreal Million Lashes to separate my lashes a bit. I posted about this Dior foundation when I first got it a couple of months ago and I still abolutely love it! You can see my review of this here. I have also posted about the MAC lipstick. This has crept its way into my daily routine as I find it so easy to use and the light colour is perfect for everyday use whilst being quite moisturizing for my lips.  You can see my first review here.

I love using this loose powder by Clinique. It gives me a light and matte look but doesn't make my face look to make-up heavy. My two favourite brow products are the MAC pencil in the shade lingering,  and the Benefit High Brow. I have posted about the pencil here. The Urban Decay palette is quite new to me but I really like the shade range and it is perfect for daytime. My ultimate beauty must have, and one I could not live without is  my Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage concealer in the shade SC-3. I will be posting about this soon and you can see how much I love it and why!

What are your daily make-up essentials? Have you tried any of these products?

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

This may not be a brand new eye shadow palette, but it is new to me! I recently decided to treat myself and got this beautiful set for £36 from House of Fraser. I think this is such great value considering that the single urban decay eyeshadows are £13 and the same size! The brush included is great to, especially as it is double ended - with a one side to blend and the other to apply the colour. The shade range is beautiful and I definitely think I will be using every single one. I love the mix of matte, shimmer and micro glitter; they all go perfectly together and the variety of light and dark makes it great for a natural look for both day and night.

This also came with a mini Lip Junkie Lipgloss in the pinky-brown shade Naked, which I find a little strange but it adds quite a nice touch. I also love the casing of this product, and it definitely feels more sturdy compared with the Naked palette. I also love the huge mirror which makes it perfect for travel despite the size. I would love to try the eye shadow primers with these but at an extra £22 I think I might have to wait!

What do you think to this palette, have you tried it or do you have an alternative?

Recently...

 Krispy Kreme, Strawberry glaze, Getting in the way of blogging! Topshop NOTD, The gorgeous Pippa, Lovely tulips, New buys, Loads of uni work, Finishing the final episode, American sweeties, Hedge shaped like a snooker player, New Naked2 Palette

I love reading posts like this on other blogs so I thought I would share my recent pictures again! I have been so busy with work for University and work experience recently but here a a few snaps of everything I have managed to fit in between! 

I hope everyone has had a really lovely week!

My favourite eyebrow pencil: MAC Lingering

After trying numerous different pencils and products for defining my brows, the best I have tried has to be the MAC Lingering pencil.

This is the most natural a product has made my eyebrows look. It goes on so lightly and you can easily build the colour if you want your brows to be that bit darker whilst maintaining that natural effect.

I think it looks best when you apply with gentle light strokes against the hairs until you get the fullness and shape you want. This pencil is so easy to apply and glides on really well to create an even looking brow.

The only downside about this product is the pencil itself. I find that it is impossible to know when it is nearing the end so I have to have a back up pencil incase it runs out with no warning! Once the mechanism is twisted, you are unable to wind the pencil back in which means it sometimes breaks off.

Regardless of this, this is one of my beauty essentials and I wouldn't use anything different! You can see and buy the product here!

Have you tried the MAC eyebrow pencil? What are your favourite brow products?

MAC: Creme Cup Lipstick

 As a lover of bargains, when I browsed the MAC counter at the airport I caved in and bought myself a few products! One of these products was a MAC Creamsheen Lipstick in the colour 'Creme Cup'.

Perfectly priced between drugstore and premium brands, at £13.50, I think they definitely contenders for the best value for money in a lipstick.

I wanted to get a shade which was nude and natural looking and came out with something a bit different! Initially I thought this might have been a wrong choice as it was a bit too blue-toned for my skin and quite lilac looking in some lights. After a few wears I have really grown to love it. I find it is a nice natural looking pink; nude but with a bit of a difference. It is so easily wearable as it goes with a variety of make-up looks. I like to wear it a bit bolder with minimal eye make-up as it really makes your lips stand out; with heavier eye make-up, a simple coat of this can give your lips a subtle boost! I have found this to quickly become a staple in my handbag for a quick touch-up!

The formula itself is great - I can never complain with cremesheens. It glides over any dry parts of the lips and gives you that bit of needed moisture!

Have you bouught any new great lip products?

Topshop Nail Varnish: Milkshake

Nail varnish has always been one of those things I buy more on impulse, as a treat to myself and I love browsing the different ranges, picking my favourite shades.

This is the first nail varnish I have purchased from Topshop, and surprisingly it is my the first piece of Topshop make up in general. I was so impressed with the shade range in Topshop's flagship store on Oxford Street in London. So many beautiful shades, varying from bright, pastel, metallic and dark. Initially, I wanted to get a nude colour but I have always been a sucker for pink nail varnish and loved the look of this pale pastel pink - 'Milkshake'.

After having such high hopes for this, I was disappointed when I put it on my nails. I found that the colour was a bit too baby pink for me - but maybe this was a lack of judgement from me when looking in the shop. I wore it for a couple of days and it chipped almost straight away even with my usual base and top coat applied. One good thing about this product is that I found it didn't need many coats to get the desired coverage. I do think that the packaging is quite cute, as with the other products, but I don't think you get that much varnish in each pot.

I am still really tempted to try out a few more of the shades as I think this is their major strength which differentiates them from other brands and there are some really lovely ones that I have my eye on.

These are a few of the shades I would still like to try.

What do you think to Topshop nail varnish, have you tried it?

L'oreal Lumi Magique: Highlighing Pen

After toying with the idea of splashing out on a YSL Touche Eclat to cover my under eye circles, I went into Boots to make up my mind. I decided to check out what similar products were avaliable in the cheaper, high street brands. At £25, I thought that, although YSL Touche Eclat it is such a popular product and works wonders, it is a little out of my price range for what it is. After trying out all of the concealer pens, this was the one that stood out to me the most! In my opinion, a lot of the other products were too heavy for under the eye, with the consistency of a heavy foundation rather than a highlighting concealer.

The L'oreal Lumi Magique highlighting pen helps to brighten the appearance of eyes, cover any imperfections and highlight cheekbones, brow bones and the cupid's bow. I have really got on well with this product. It comes in three shades, light medium and dark - I went for the medium. It may seem that the shade range is quite small but I think as they are easily blend-able, there will be a shade for everyone! I have found it to be great under my eyes as it is light and easy to use. The applicator is really gentle which is what you need in the delicate under-eye area. I don't tend to use it on my brow bones or cheeks because I go for a highlighter instead but I am sure it would work great there too! It does last a while but I do like to re-apply a couple of time throughout the day. As you can see from the swatch on the bottom picture, it does reflect the light really well and highlights the applied area. The packaging is also great with a secure lid, great twisting mechanism and expensive-looking gold appearance.

I am sure that from my previous experience, it doesn't match up to the Touche Eclat, however, it comes a close second and at only £8.49 it is worth a try. After trying out the similar products I think that if I had not come across this, I would have been much more tempted to get the  more expensive Touche Eclat.

What do you think - Are there any other products that come close to the more expensive versions and what do you think of this if you have tried it?

The Key to Strong Nails!

After a long period of getting acrylic nails on a monthly basis, the strength and healthiness of my nails has been utterly ruined!! I tend to keep my nails short at the moment as I find they are much easier to look after, but they hardly ever break and keep strong (which used to be rare for me!) due to one amazing product - OPI Nail Envy!!

As you can see - I have been using this for a while and really would recommend it! To use, I apply one layer of this as a base coat underneath my nail varnish and then apply a new coat on top each day for about a week. I have to admit, I find it difficult to remember to paint it on top of my nails every day but even without doing this everyday, using this for a while really will dramatically improve your nails!  

I am planning on growing my nails soon, as part of my summer preparation, and I definitely would be able to do it without this product!

Have you tried this - What do you think? I would be interested to see if there were any other great products like this that people like to use!

   

The Secret to Volumised Hair!



Schwarzkpof Got2b Powder'ful volumizing styling powder, L'oreal Super Dust, John Frieda Luxurious Volume shampoo and conditoner, Lee Stafford Double Blow Volumizing Mousse



This is about the amount I use on my hair to give it loads of volume!

Most people love adding a bit of extra body and life to limp hair to create a more healthy look, especially in the summer months! Here is a selection of my favourite and most used products - my secret to volumised hair!

In my opinion, the most outstanding product from this selection has to be the Lee Stafford volumizing mousse. I have really long, heavy and limp hair and this works wonders! It leaves my hair soft without any stickiness or hardness, which I usually get from mousse, due to its light hold formula.

To use, I apply half a handful evenly onto wet hair concentrating it on my roots and spreading it through the rest of my hair. I then dry my hair as usual with a hairdryer (I find it is much more effective if I use a blow dry brush or turn my head upside down!). To add even more volume to my already bouncy locks, I add another half handful to my dry hair and give it a final blast with my hairdryer. Afterwards, my hair is left with natural body and bounce which lasts all day! It has quite a nice scent and it isn't too strong or overpowering.  I have found that the effect lasts quite a long time, I love the bright pink packaging and the pump works  really well.

This product has quickly become part of my daily hair styling routine as I use it before both straighening and curling -I definitely could not live without it and wouldn't change to any other mousse.


Back when I had blonde hair, John Frieda Blonde Shampoo used to be my saviour. When I reverted back to brunette, I also stopped using their shampoo and conditioners - until recently! This volume range is perfect to add that extra bounce to limp hair like mine. It smells lovely and also leaves my hair soft and nourished. I tend to change between colour protecting shampoo and the volume shampoo (Hence the smaller bottle) but I use the conditioner daily when I want volume! I only apply the conditioner to my hair from my ears downwards to stop my roots from becomng greasy and limp.

I have only recently become a fan of volumizing powder, as previously I have found them to be too sticky and stopped me being able to touch my hair at all after applying. After trying both of the above products I have found them to be much more manageable than others I have tried. I prefer the feel of the powder by L'oreal, but I like the application of the Schwarzkopf product as it dusts the powder over a larger area meaning that it doesn't concentrate in a particular place. I find these work best if a light dusting is applied to the roots underneath the top layer of hair, to prevent white patches on your head. I then rub it into my hair with my fingers, messing up the roots slightly. These are great products for instant style and volume. Even though I think they might be more suited to those with shorter styles, they are still effective on my long hair. For me, these products are perfect for a night out especially when teamed with the mousse, but in the day time I prefer my hair much softer so I tend to stick to my other favourites!

What are your favourite volumising products?

Sephora Foundation Brush

My old foundation brush from Stilla was in desperate need of replacing so I picked up this one in Spain from Sephora's Innovative Technology range. I was really tempted to get the stippling brush but after having a little try in the shop I went for this one instead.

The style and look of this brush is almost identical to the Real Techniques brushes. I quite like the pink packaging as it makes it different, I am not too fussy when it comes to my make-up brushes all looking the same! I absolutely love the fact it comes with a protective case which is great for when I want to travel with it in my make-up bag to keep it from getting dirty! The brush itself is really great quality and lightweight and I think it will last well. The only annoying thing is that it is really long and I have trouble squeezing it into my make-up bag when I want to travel!!

My choice to get this one over the Sephora or the Real Techniques stippling brush was a hard one. In the end I went for this one as I thought this would take less foundation to produce the same effect, however I think the stippling brush would produce a more natural looking effect. I used to use a mixture of foundation brush and make-up spounge but got a bit tired of swapping them around and I have found that this gives such a great effect when used alone. It is so easy to blend and buff the make-up into my skin. Compared with my previous experience of foundation brushes, this one doesn't just paint the foundation onto my skin. I think the price of the brush was reasonable, at around €17, it compares well to other brands.

I am definitely contemplating buying a few more of these brushes, or trying out the real techniques range.

I am interested in hearing other peoples views of the difference between this style of brush and the stippling brushes because I definitely found the choice a hard one! What do you prefer for foundation application? Are there any other great brushes I should try?