Rediscovering Some Long Lost Treasures...

So you may of heard of the phrase "shopping my stash" which is where you dig out any, unloved make-up in a bid to save yourself from spending all that hard earned money on more make-up, simples! I had a quick look through one of my, erm... many make-up storage places (really need to sort this out...) and found a few hidden treasures that I've loved in the past but don't regularly use these days.

 ELF Studio Blush
Candid Coral

This is such a wearable, rosey peach toned blusher. I've been enjoying getting back into make-up again and love incorporating this into a simple daytime look.

ELF Studio Blush
Pink Passion

I was pretty worried about how vibrant this would look when applied but it's actually very buildable and can look really subtle if you have a light hand applying it. I dab a swirl of this onto the apples of my cheeks with a small blusher brush and buff out with my ELF Studio Powder Brush.

 MAC Studio Fix Fluid
NC25

I think this is probably my favourite foundation, although, Double Wear is slowly creeping up the ranks. I've literally been using the absolute dregs of this because it is the closest match to my skin colour, it creates a flawless finish and is so, so easy to blend. It's not as long lasting as my Revlon and Estee Lauder foundations and it can break me out if I don't cleanse my face properly....so, it's not without its flaws but what foundation is?

  
Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick
020 Shake Up Pink  

With all the snowy weather goings on, I decided to go for a bright lip for a change. I don't think my camera reflects the brightness of this lipstick as it's actually more of a vivid pink shade. This is quite creamy textured when you apply it but leaves a semi-matte finish, it's highly pigmented and doesn't dry out my lips too much, I've noticed it has quite a strong smell to it which is unexpectedly nice...almost like a sweet, fruity smell. I'm always really impressed with Rimmel lip products; the lip glosses I've owned don't leave a sticky feeling, there's an array of beautiful colours to suit all skin tones and they're not expensive to own (collect), winning.

  FOTD
Face: MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC25
Mac Studio Finish Concealer in NC20
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium
ELF High Definition Powder
 ELF Studio Blush in Pink Passion 

Eyes: HD Brows Eye & Brow Palette in Foxy
Maybelline the Colossal Volum Express in 100% Black
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black 

Lips: Rimmel Show Off Colour Lipstick in 020 Shake Up Pink 


Have you been shopping your stash?
 

2012 Favourites...Reloaded

So I actually posted a favourites post a few weeks ago but as I was pottering around the house and tidying up, I kept finding myself thinking like this product should of soo been in there and why didn't I put this in?! I think I must of really rushed the post as it didn't 100% represent ALL of my favourites from last year....so I decided to do the whole post again! Here we go...

Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash

My favourite cleanser to date although I think if I owned a full sized bottle of the Dermal Clay Cleanser I would love that just as much! This is quite pricey but trust me it is worth it if you suffer from acne. A little goes a long way and I think I have had this around 6 months (could be longer?!) and it feels like I still have about a third of the bottle left.

Clinique All About Eyes

This literally makes my eyes feel instantly more awake, refreshed and brighter. I requested this as a sample when placing a Clinique order and this little tub lasted me quite a while considering. The drawbacks of this are that it is quite expensive for a full size tub and I'm currently using a much cheaper Avon eye cream which works just as well if not better.

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution

I first heard about this through watching Lisa Eldridge on Youtube and I'm sure most of you reading will of heard all about this product either from blogs or Youtube as it has built up such a cult beauty product status. All the hype is completely deserved in my opinion, this is fantastic at taking every single bit of make-up off your face whilst not irritating the skin at all. It is hard to find  in the UK though so I do try and use sparingly and mostly for taking lots of eye make-up off.

Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer

I haven't tried many primers to be totally honest but this does pretty much everything I would want a primer to do regardless. It makes my skin look completely matte, provides a nice smooth base to apply makeup, helps my make-up last longer than it would without and all whilst helping to fight blemishes.

Clarisonic Mia

I couldn't imagine not having one of these in my life now after using it for a year. It has made such a difference to my skincare routine. I use it every other day just to give my skin a good clean and to thoroughly exfoliate it. It foams up most cleansers so much better than just using your hands which for me makes it feel like it's doing a much better job at cleansing your skin already.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

I may be guilty of not using this as suggested i.e. with the muslin cloth but I find that it works well for me regardless. This is one of those products I never really rated but when it ran out I really noticed the difference it made! It is my go to cleanser on days when my skin is looking a bit red and sensitive as it literally just calms everything down and somehow restores the pH levels.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo
Probably my favourite product of the year, this has helped my skin no end and it is an amazing base for make-up. In a desperate attempt to see if there was a smidgen of it left to use before a night out, I cut the packaging open (hence the stock photo) but no, literally every morsel was gone which is actually a good thing really. I get so fed up of throwing away products where I haven't used every single last bit because the packaging hasn't enabled me to. If you have combination to oily skin and are prone to breakouts, seriously consider trying this out....it is A-mazing.
DHC Cleansing Oil
I received this sample in a Glossybox a while back and I was so happy when I first saw it as I'd been wanting to try a cleansing oil for a while. It works really well at breaking down the first layer of make-up but I would always recommend using a regular face wash afterwards. I was dubious about using oil on my face as my skin is combination to oily but I didn't find that I had any problems with this as long as I cleansed my face afterwards aswell.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover
I raved about this in last years post so I'm not going to drone on again. This is great to use as a concealer or if your having a particularly bad skin day this provides the best coverage I've found from a foundation to date and I've tried A LOT. Be wary of finding a shade that suits you though as the shade range isn't exactly vast and everytime I've had a sales assistant match me they've matched me up either too dark or with a shade that is too peach toned.
MAC Studio Finish Concealer
This is so creamy in texture, easy to blend, long lasting and it covers really well on redness and dark areas. I use this everytime I'm wearing make-up and it's perfect for under my eyes where I have dark shadows and dry skin.
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
There's not really much more I can add to describe how good this foundation is as there are sooo many reviews about it. As it is more of a medium coverage, I like to add a few drops of my Estee Lauder Double Wear Max Cover Foundation and I think they work perfect together...the Bourjois gives your skin a nice, healthy glow and the EL foundation evens out any imperfections.
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
I absolutely love this for concealing blemishes, the coverage is amazing for such a cheap concealer. I just wish there was a little more variety to the shade range as I think there are currently only 3 shades and the one I have (Medium) can look slightly too orange on me initially. Once blended in though you cannot tell at all.
E.L.F. High Definition Powder
I know this doesn't work for some people and other people love it, for me personally it is great for setting my make-up and getting rid of any shine in my t-zone. I think there is definitely a method to applying it however. If you swirl a brush in the powder then apply it to your face, you can really see that I have white powder on my face which obviously doesn't look good. I tend to apply it, tap the brush I'm using a few times till I'm sure most of the product has gone and then buff all that chalky residue away.
NYC Color Sun 2 Sun Bronzing Powder
I'm definitely keen to try a new bronzer as this one has a bit of a glimmer to it and I'd prefer something more matte. I have the shade Terracotta Tan and it can be quite orange on me during winter when I'm a bit paler, I'm usually around an NC25 MAC shade during winter. I have enjoyed using this despite my less than glowing review, the glimmer I was talking about isn't overbearing and one thing I actually only noticed the other day is that this is oil-free so would be great for any oilies.
Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush
I cannot imagine how my foundation would like without using this brush to apply and blend everything in. It literally makes my foundation flawless with no effort at all. The only drawback is that if you use thicker or higher coverage foundations it can be a complete pain to clean!!

Sleek Oh So Special Eyeshadow Pallette
I reviewed this nearly two years ago and it's still going strong. Super pigmented, really affordable and has some nice muted shades to create neutral daytime and smokey nighttime looks. There are loads of matte shades in there too which I love.
Maybelline The Colossal Volum Express Mascara
My current holygrail mascara, it makes my lashes look so thick and volumised. I have gotten through quite a few of these but I would be interested to try something different now as there are so many new formulas and interesting products out there to try. If you want to read my review on it click here.
Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
I'd never tried gel liner until I bought this and it has totally improved my eyeliner skills. I was pretty awful at trying to do cat eyes or even just applying along the lashline but this is so easy to apply, as you can control how much product your applying and build it up as you please. It glides on smoothly and lasts literally all day and night (I'm guilty of falling asleep after a few too many drinks with all of my make-up on and this looked exactly the same when I woke up!).
HD Brows Eye & Brow Pallette
There isn't much I can add to how much I love this as I've raved about it so much in the past. Whenever I've done friend's make-up they always comment on how good this is. I have my eyebrows threaded normally as I feel like this really minimises the need to maintain your eyebrows i.e. not much plucking needed between having them threaded. This looks so natural for filling in any sparse areas.
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Another product that works overnight (oops), my eyeshadow looked almost perfect after sleeping and it was all down to this. This was in last year's favourites post and for a very good reason. This makes blending eyeshadow a doddle and the lasting power it gives eye make-up is proven, by myself, to be impressive.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector
My lip product of the year and I'm seriously hoping to collect the rest of the shade range because I love it that much.  In a nutshell it's like a lipgloss & balm in one so basically a perfect everyday lip product and for those reasons it's thrown into my bag every single day.

I hope I've not droned on too much and if you'd like to see my "2011 Favourites" then click here. Please feel free to post a link to your favourites from last year, I love to see what other people loved and used.

Thanks for visiting! 

Beating the January Blues

January is renowned to be the most depressing month in the year so I took preventative measures and made a few little purchases to cheer myself up (just in case), plus I had saved a Debenhams giftcard from my birthday so that came in useful finally!

Clarins Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel 

 This was a bit of an impulse purchase and I hadn't done much research into this, as I would normally with skincare products. My skin type is quite high maintenance so I have to be really careful with what I use on it otherwise it can become really dehydrated and breakout prone. As my skin is looking very pale and dull maybe due to all the rainy, the name gave me the impression it would give my skin a bit of a glowy boost. Whilst it didn't exactly make my skin beam and appear magically radiant, it is a fantastic cleanser nonetheless. A small amount foams up nicely and it feels like it's cleansing my skin thoroughly but gently, the smell is also rather nice. If I'm honest though, I doubt I will repurchase basically because I already have a better cleanser for my skin type than this and I do tend to dabble with different face washes unless I'm completely wowed.

Available from Debenhams. Price: £11.00.

MAC Shy Girl Lipstick

Before I start raving on, this photo does not do it justice at all! I'm not sure why but it photographs sooooo dark, could be the crappy light though. This is without a doubt, one of my favourite lipsticks to date. Just a perfect everyday, peachy nude colour and as always, the cremesheen formula doesn't let me down. It glides on so smoothly and doesn't dry out the lips at all. I get serious anxiety if I'm wearing anything darker than a light pink or peachy colour so I love the fact I can literally throw this on and not feel like I'm wearing it.

Also available from Debenhams. Price: £14.00

I'm sure I'm not alone in stating that I wish I had so many more MAC lipstick shades! At £14.00 a pop though, they are not exactly purse friendly. I would love to try out some more budget and drugstore lipsticks as I haven't really tried out many at all and the ones I have tried are either really drying or I just haven't ended up liking the colour. 

As always, I'd love to hear from you so drop me a comment in the box below, thanks for visiting!

Do you have a favourite brand for lipsticks?

Spring 2013 Favourites

Beauty Wishlist

1. Real Techniques Brushes

These are used and raved about by most of my favourite Youtubers and bloggers. All that hype has literally left me craving a few of these brushes and considering I only have one decent brush (the Sigma F80, in case your wondering), I think it's safe to say I need some of these babies in my make-up bag.

2. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation

I'm a complete newbie to Laura Mercier products but this foundation kept popping up over and over again when I was searching around for a full coverage foundation. As far as I'm aware this doesn't contain SPF either so hopefully this will banish the dreaded pasty face on photographs.

3. Vichy Thermal Spa Water Spray

Thermal water sprays are supposed to soothe any sensitive or inflamed areas of skin so I'm hoping this will be a little skin saviour for me as I tend to get a lot of redness on my cheeks.

4. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo

I cannot put into words how much I love this, I ran out of this quite a while ago and my skin just hasn't been the same since. It's funny how when you appreciate something so much more when you don't have it! I will definitely do a review of this once it has been repurchased as it is pretty amazing!

5.theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

This is a brand that I honestly know nothing about but I am so excited to try this out. The bronzer I have is okay but it has shimmer in it which I hate as I want a matte bronzer for contouring. I was having a browse on FeelUnique.com and this stood out to me, it's a matte bronzer which was obviously a must and the packaging is very cute.

6. Benefit They're Real Mascara

I first heard about this mascara from a relative who loves it and since then I've seen and heard about it pretty much everywhere. So many people love this mascara and whilst I love the effect it seems to have on other people's lashes, I'm still really on the fence about purchasing it as it is quite expensive for a mascara.

7. MAC Powder Blush Melba

The past few years I haven't really been into wearing blusher unless I was going on a night out but this is such a gorgeous colour that I have been wanting to try for so long that I couldn't not put it on my wish list.

8. MAC Lipstick Creme Cup

You may have seen my review on this lipstick quite a while back, well since then I think I got about 4 or 5 uses out of it then it went on the missing list :-( I was absolutely gutted as it's probably my favourite lipstick ever and I cannot wait to have it back.

9. Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Another much raved about product but again it's quite affordable so I'd love to try it out and see what all the fuss is about.

10. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat
I have never really got on with face moisturisers until I found Effaclar Duo so I'd be really interested to see how this performs.

11. Caudalie S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum
So it might be pretty apparent now that I'm quite a fan of French skincare products! I received a sample of this in a Glossybox ages ago and I absolutely loved it, I had terrible skin at the time and was in the midst or writing a review of it so rather than blab on I will give you a full lowdown on this soon.

12. Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector

My fave lip product from last year but I only have the apricot shade so I would love to get my hands on the nude shade. I've been getting back into wearing eyeshadow more and I do prefer a nude lip with strong eyeshadow looks so this would be perfect.

And that concludes my long and rather expensive (woops) beauty wishlist! I'd also love to try the MAC Full Coverage Foundation but I have no idea where I can get this as I'm sure it's a pro product and there are no pro stores near me...as far as I'm aware anyways?? If you have any suggestions for a good full coverage foundation please do leave your recommendations below as I am on the hunt for one and as always if you have any other comments please feel free to drop me a message in the box below.