It's a beauty thing: July 2015

July Favourites

I have quite a lot of products this month. Some new goodies and some that you've seen round these parts before. We've got a l...

A Beauty Essential - 08:00

IABT Quick Tip - Save Yourself Some Money

I like online shopping way too much, seriously it's a problem, but I never pay full price for beauty products, whether they're ...

A Review - 15:34

Too Faced Bronzer Wardrobe

You guys seem to be pretty excited about this Too Faced A Little Black Book of Bronzers so I thought I would get this review up for you ...

A Haul - 08:00

A Drugstore Haul

A trip to the drugstore to get some coloured liners turned into a full on shopping spree. There are some online purchases that I will b...

A Beauty Essential - 08:00

Drugstore Recommendations #9 Top 10 Drugstore Beauty Buys

Following on from my Top 10 Luxury Beauty Buys , I thought I would give you a few budget options too.

A Feature - 08:00

The Weekly Round Up #85

This week has been a pretty rough week, I had an injection into my hip again which hurt like a biatch which made work, driving and walki...

Can I have 5 minutes on the clock please?

1. Starting off with my disgusting dark circles, the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer is my current go to. I love that it conceals, counteracts and brightens all from this one little tube of dark circle banishing goodness.

2. Sticking with the complexion, my next product is the MeMeMe Cherubs Blush which is a multi purpose product, a cheek and lip duo. Blend with a stippling brush on the cheeks and lightly dab onto the lips wth your finger and you have a natural flush and a light stain to the lips, perfect for a quick and easy look. A bright lip does wonderful things to a simple and minimal makeup look.

3. Now for brows and the Maybelline Brow Drama is my brow gel of choice when it comes to a light tint and some subtle grooming. Nothing too heavy, sets everything in place without feeling crispy or disappearing through the day.

4. I've mentioned this next product quite a few times on my blog but I just cannot get over how beautiful it is. The Kiko Cream Shadow in 01 is perfect as a shimmery champagne shade all over the lid. It can also be used as a cheek highlight and brow bone highlight, and as you probably know, I am all about the glow.

5. Finally is mascara. No look is complete with lashings of mascara and I apply to top and bottom using the Maxfactor Clump Defy Mascara. It separates, defines and holds a curl. Because I cannot live without black eyeliner, I like to take a small amount of my mascara on a brush and apply to the top waterline, and roughly along the top lash line and smudge it out slightly. You can easily wing it out too if you fancy a bit extra.

I hope you liked this super quick makeup routine for when I need to venture outside my house to go to the shop or doctors or wherever. I love these products and they are so easy to apply

What are your super speedy makeup products that you can whack on in less than 5 minutes?

Disclaimer: I am not being sponsored by any brands mentioned, and there are no affiliate links included so I do not get any commission from you clicking on the links.

A Beauty Chat - 08:00

5 Products, 5 Minutes...

Can I have 5 minutes on the clock please? 1. Starting off with my disgusting dark circles, the Maybelline Instan...

A Review - 08:00

L'Oreal Setting Spray

I haven't really tried any makeup setting sprays, in fact I have only tried the NYX Dewey Finish Setting Spray which I liked but d...

A Feature - 08:00

The Best Concealer For...

My The Best Foundation For post went down really well so I thought it was about time I got another one up and today it's all about...

Don't fret, the weekend is only 2 days away people and I am still uploading everyday on here and my Instagram so go over to there and check that out too. Anywho, onto today's post...

I thought it was time to give you a run down of why these new blushers from Bourjois, they're the Aqua Blushers are so incredible and show you the shades I picked up.

I have't seen anything like this in the drugstore. I know ELF have some HD blushers in very similar packaging to these, but they aren't easily accessible in the UK so these were very much welcomed. You may be thinking that these are strange and look difficult to apply but trust me when I say they're not.

I'm not one for coral products, be it lipsticks or blushers, but somehow this is the perfect amount of pink and coral to work for my complexion. It's a great summer shade and works great with a simple eye look and a coral lip.

This tends to be the shades of blushes I gravitate towards as I know they work well with my skin. This was the first one I picked up, and clearly I loved it as I went out and bought 2 more shades. I found this one to be quite a mousse-y type texture rather than the gel it claims on the products but it still blends out really well and maybe I just need to shake it up or something as I have had them laying on their side in my Muji storage.

More of a deeper pink berry shade, I really do love this shade, it's my favourite from the entire line and I highly recommend picking this one up. I found this shade in particular to be a lot sheerer and watery than the others, but again, like the others it still works great, stays on the cheeks the same length of time it just requires another layer to build up the pigment.

How to apply:
All you have to do is pump a little bit out and rub between your fingertips and then pat onto your cheeks. You can use a brush but I find fingers work best as they blend it in naturally whilst still keeping the pigment there. Simple as that.

These are a water-light gel consistency which leaves a sheer wash of colour, whilst looking radiant and giving you the appearance of naturally healthy, bare skin. They claim to last 12 hours and I've never really worn it for that long but it certainly does last a while, and for £8.99 each and with the amount of product you get they're going to last forever and are well worth it.
There's 4 colours in the collection, and the only one I don't have is the more nude of the bunch which is called Inge-Nude. However I wasn't really keen on this shade - I may get it just to try it out but it just didn't look like a shade I would wear as I tend to use cream or liquid blushers more in the Spring and Summer and I like bright pinks.

The packaging is easy and effective, although it is difficult to know how much to use (I think it's about half a pump to a full pump depending on how pigmented you want it, but once you have the hang of it they're super quick and easy to apply.
I have found that if you try and layer these too much it can break down the makeup underneath which I assume is to the watery texture but with two thin layers the pigmentation is there so you shouldn't need any more.

I hope this has shed some light onto these fairly new releases into the drugstores and that you give them a try. I have become very fond of blushers in the recent months and these are definitely the most unique products in my collection.

Have you tried these Aqua Blushes from Bourjois?

A Review - 08:00

Bourjois Aqua Blushes

Don't fret, the weekend is only 2 days away people and I am still uploading everyday on here and my Instagram so go over to there an...

It's been a while since I've mentioned Makeup Revolution so I wanted to get up this introduction to the brand up so I can show you just how amazing they are and the products I've tried and recommend.

I first started off by picking up the Urban Decay Naked 1 and 2 dupes, which are known by Makeup Revolution as the Iconic 1 and 2 Palettes. They each have 3 matte shades and 9 shimmery shades, and they're slightly powdery yes, but ridiculously pigmented. Even more pigmented than some of the higher end shadows I've tried before. I have since picked up the Iconic 3 palette as I wanted to see how the rosey, purple shades would look on my eyes. Check out these swatches...

4, 8 & 11 - Iconic 1

3. 5 & 11 - Iconic 2

3, 7 & 12 - Iconic 3

As you can see they're very similar to the Urban Decay Naked Palettes...

Sidecar, Toasted, Gunmetal

Snakebite, YDK, Busted

Onto the Iconic Pro Palettes...

Because I love the Lorac Pro Palette so much when I saw the Iconic Pro Palettes from Makeup Revolution I just had to pick them up. I've been keen to get the Lorac Pro 2 Palette so I'm glad I can try the shades out and see if I like them. Whats incredible about these is that they're identical to their higher end counterparts in that they have the same amount of matte to shimmers, the shades are 95% accurate and they're just as pigmented if not more. It's insane.
As soon as I swatched the shadows it's like they lit up and angels started singing (I've been watching too much supernatural) and I realised I was incredibly wrong - yes I can admit when I'm wrong, it's rare but it can happen.

Must, Fade & Pitch - Iconic Pro 1

Dawn, Too grey & Addicted

New-tral, New Ways & Grey Day - Iconic Pro 2

Awaken, Steal-er & Faith

The palettes also comes with pretty decent dual ended brushes too which I do actually use on a daily basis.

When I saw the Ultra Matte Flawless Palette I was sold instantly. What's great is they have all the names of the shades on a little film which is what really annoyed me about the Iconic palettes as they don't have any shade names or numbers. The shadows themselves are quite small, no where near the size of the other palettes but there's other shades in the same colour family so there's other options if you do run out.

Sand, Bark, Rosewood, Rust, Earth, Charcoal,

MR do dupes for a lot of different products from lots of different brands. There's some Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder type things as well as some Too Faced style heart boxed blushers and Chocolate Bar Palettes. They do palettes really well and they have some great Cover & Conceal palettes, blush palettes, contour and blush palettes.

Speaking of the Cover & Concealer Palette, this is the lightest palette in the range and the palest shade in the top left corner is perfect for my skin. Can't believe it actually matches to be perfectly honest. But I was really impressed with this concealer palette as I've tried others which are way too drying on the skin but this is on a whole other level. It's so creamy, yet pigmented, so it covers decently and can be used under the eyes or on blemishes or as a foundation as there is quite a lot of product - although you would need to set it with either of these uses. It's also great to contour (I would need the next palette up I think, as the darker shades in this are just way too warm and orange on my skin).

Top row - 1 & 2, Bottom row - 3

There you have it. My introduction to Makeup Revolution. As I've said, they do palettes really well and I am really keen to pick up some of their other products like their blushes and bronzers and even a few of their highlighters. Don't get me wrong these products are by no means perfect, but they are great for beginners and for a makeup kit if you do freelance makeup or something.

Have you tried anything from makeup Revolution?

A Beauty Chat - 08:00

An Introduction to: Makeup Revolution

It's been a while since I've mentioned Makeup Revolution so I wanted to get up this introduction to the brand up so I can sh...

A Beauty Chat - 08:00

July Glossybox

This months theme is Vive La France created by Jamie Lee Reardin and it's very skincare heavy which is fine by me, I love trying n...

A Feature - 08:00

The Weekly Round Up #84

This week has gone super fast and I can't believe its the past middle of July already. It's weekly round up time today and I'...

A Beauty Essential - 08:00

Beauty Buys To Pick Up If You're Heading To The UK

If you're heading over here to the UK and you want to do some beauty shopping, here's a few brands and products I recommend ch...

A Beauty Essential - 08:00

Festival Essentials

I know I'm a bit late for Glastonbury but there's still more festivals this year like Leeds and Reading and I wanted to share w...

A Beauty Essential - 08:00

The IABT Guide To... Bronzers

I'm sure you're probably all sick of hearing about my recent obsession with bronzers but I am just loving the bronze glow look ...

A Beauty Essential - 08:00

Top 10 Luxury Beauty Buys

I am all for finding bargains when it comes to beauty products, and although I never pay full price, there's just some luxury produ...

I know I only posted one of these last week but I picked up some new things since then and I wanted to share these with you as they're pretty darn awesome. So this is my new at the drugstore part two.

Batiste Stylist Range

Batiste is known for it's large range of dry shampoos, so when I saw this Stylist range I had high hopes. All of these products have Keratin, and Inca Inchi Oil (which I've never heard of) and they all do different things.
Heat & Shine Spray aka Shield My Locks
Frizz Tamer aka Smooth It
XXL Volume Spray aka Oomph It - be careful as this leaves a white cast in your hair so spray it quite far away from your hair. But the volume it gives my hair is incredible, nothing has been able to keep my hair voluminous all day and for £2.99 I am so impressed with this.
Texturizing Spray aka Texture Me - this one can leave your hair feeling full of product if you go heavy handed, so I make sure to do short sprays. On the other hand, it makes my hair look fantastic.

They're all pretty self explanatory as to what they do so I don't need to go through that but they all smell really good, the packaging is awesome and I love the bright colours and the aerosol cans are the easiest and most effective packaging wise and you get a decent amount of product so they last quite a while. Plus, they're around the £2.99 price point which is awesome. I'm not that keen on the scents but I can look past that considering how great they work on my hair - like nothing I've used before.
I really love these and definitely think they're worth you checking out.

Real Techniques Sculpting Brush Set

My obsession with Real Techniques Brushes is a real problem, every time I see ones I don't have I have to get it and I don't have enough room for the brushes I currently have never mind for any more. To prove this I thought I would drop in here that U actually ended up purchasing two of this brush set. I just couldn't help myself and before I knew it I had two of everything. That's what I like, to get another one so I can use them for multiple different things and not have to clean them every 2 minutes to use it for something else. Plus, I love the sculpting brush, and the setting brush, and the fan brush, okay I love them all.
Sculpting Brush - is dense enough that can be used with cream products but also with powders. It doesn't pick up too much product although I do like to go over my cheeks with my powder brush to make sure there's no harsh lines and that it's blended seamlessly.
Fan Brush - it's duo fibre and the white tips are to pick up the product and the black hairs are to blend the product onto the skin. It doesn't pick up or apply too much product which is great as if you apply too much highlighter it's a bit of a pain to correct.
Setting Brush - I love this to set my under eyes and wherever I put the concealer. It's also great for applying highlighter. It can be used to apply concealer as it works well with cream and powder products. I have about 3 of these setting brushes now so I use them every day for different things.

Nair Argan Oil Shower Power Cream

Hair removal is a chore. I think we can all agree it takes up valuable time, especially in the summer. So something that can reduce that time and leaves my skin smooth and not irritated, I am all for. This hair removal cream has Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil and Cocoa Butter to leave your skin feeling soft and nourished, and you can leave it on whilst you wash your hair or something. It doesn't wash off, and I planned on using this on my legs, but I have to admit, on first use I wasn't impressed. Any hair removal cream like this that I've tried has never really worked well for me, no idea why, I follow the instructions and I was hoping this was different as I've heard some great things about it but first impressions, not so great. Will keep trying it though and keep you updated.

St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower

An in shower gradual self tanner? Ever heard of that? Me either. So when I saw this I was intrigued. Self tanner is the safest and quickest way to get that summer sun-kissed look, so if I can get that in the shower in just 3 minutes, heck, I would be happy to do it every day.

How to use:
Same as with regular self tanner, exfoliate and shave before you apply
Then turn the shower off and generously apply the lotion using circular motions over your wet skin
Wait for 3 minutes
Then rinse off with warm water only
Get out of the shower and pat your self dry

Great for a self tanning newbie, or as a top up tan. But if you're after a deep sun-kissed tan to your limbs then this isn't the one I would recommend, St Tropez's Express Tan fits that bill perfectly.

The faff of standing in the shower, freezing my butt off, whilst applying this is not my favourite part of this product.

I can see myself using this in the winter when I want to add a touch of colour but don't want to whack the big guys out, then this will be the one I reach for. I'll just have to learn to deal with the standing in the cold for 3 minutes. The main reason this isn't a 5 star first impression is because I have also noticed that it doesn't fade well when you stop using it. It looks blotchy and streaky and unnatural.

Have you seen anything new in the drugstore?

A Beauty Essential - 08:00