Current Beauty Favourites

I'll be the first to admit that I normally have trouble getting Monthly Favourites posts written in time, what can I say, I don't like deadlines. I'm a rebel :) I much prefer the idea of 'current' favourites, sharing with you some products I've had a recent love affair with. So that's what I'll be doing today! Even though it kind of does tie in with the end of the month...

 It wasn't difficult to select these little gems because they've really stood out to me in recent weeks and I love raving about new, exciting beauty finds.

 

 

 

 

 

John Frieda 'Frizz-Ease' Miraculous Recovery Intensive Masque

 

What a mouthful! To be honest I don't really care what it's called, all I know is that I love it :) I use this hair mask twice a week and try to leave it on for at least 10-15 minutes. A little goes a long way with this and I apply it only to my mid-lengths and ends where my hair suffers with dryness the most. This honestly leaves my hair so soft. It claims to fortify the hair to resist breakage and it definitely smoothes my locks too! I've always been a fan of the Frizz-Ease serum which I use regularly and this doesn't disappoint either. I'll definitely be repurchasing this at some point but I actually want to try a few different masks, particularly the Macadamia mask, but if you have any other suggestions please leave them in the comments!

 

Link to buy here - £5.69

 

 

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash

 

I know everyone has gone mad for the Sugar Crush range in recent months and I have to say I resisted it for a while! But I eventually caved whilst browsing the S&G stand in Boots and treated myself to this and the body scrub :) I adore it. The smell is to die for, I'd recommend having a sniff of this next time you're in Boots! It smells of sugar and limes, yum! I love citrus scents so it's right up my street. This comes in a huge bottle with a pump and I know it's going to last me for ages. It lathers up nicely and leaves the gorgeous scent on your skin after you've showered. The scrub is equally as fabulous and I have to admit to opening it up and smelling it whenever I'm in the bathroom, ha!

 

Link to buy here - £6.50

 

 

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

 

I've had this for a year or so, but I've recently rediscovered it. I have a bit of a foundation brush addiction (I'll add that to the list of my numerous other beauty addictions...) so I tend to discover something new, use it for a while and then remember another brush I've got. But this range as a whole are brilliant. The quality is on par with high end brushes, no matter how much use you get out of them and how many times they're washed, they still stay as good as new! I've never had any problem with shedding and they look pretty too :) This brush in particular I use for applying liquid foundation by (as the name suggests) buffing the product into my skin. It creates a flawless finish and it's a staple in my brush collection.

 

Link to buy here - £21.99 comes as part of the 'Core Collection'

 

 

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan in Medium Matte

 

This is quite a nostalgic product for me. My friends and I used this to death about 5 or 6 years ago, during the height of our partying days (god that makes me sound old!). It's perfect if you're in need of a quick fix as it's an instant tan, so no waiting for 5 hours for the colour to develop. They do a shimmery version but I prefer the matte formula as it's more natural. I apply it with a mitt in the morning if I need a bit of colour and then it washes off in the shower that night. It's super cheap and like I said it's been a favourite of mine for years! I have other tanning products that I prefer but I always make sure I have a tube of this in the cupboard, just in case.

 

Link to buy here - £5.99

 

 

Barry M Gelly Polish in Greenberry

 

If you're looking for the perfect mint nail polish, then look no further! Barry M's Gelly range are some of my all time favourite polishes, the formula is brilliant, it's the perfect consistency, applies so evenly and with 2 coats of this I look like I've just had gel polish applied. I love this mint colour in particular because unlike other well known mint green shades, this is really vibrant and summery :) I have loads of compliments when I wear it so that must mean something!

 

Link to buy here - £3.99

 

 

Topshop Nail Polish in Adrenaline

 

My local Topshop only recently started stocking makeup, so as you can imagine when I waltzed in there a couple of months ago and was greeted with the shiny new makeup stand, I almost yelped with joy! I made a beeline for the nail polishes and honestly I found it hard to choose just a couple (damn budget...) but this was one of the lucky picks! It stood out for 2 reasons. 1 - It's pink and 2 - it has holographic glitter in it. Sold! It looks beautiful on an accent nail with a couple of coats, or it could be used as a top coat over another colour.

 

Link to buy here - £6.00

 

 

Hope you liked reading about my recent beauty favourites! Please leave any suggestions in the comments below, I'd love to hear what products you've been enjoying :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

eBay Blush & Concealer Palettes

I've been meaning to do this post for about a year but for some reason I just never got around to it. Well the day has finally come for me to review two of my best beauty finds of last year :)

 

 

 

I remember reading blog post after blog post about the infamous eBay blush palette for £4 and I knew I had to try it. So I ordered one from (China I believe?) and waited patiently for a couple of weeks until it finally arrived. I was instantly pleased with the sleek black packaging, the fact that I had 10 different blush shades for £4 and the fact that it hadn't been damaged in transit :) I immediately swatched the blushes and couldn't believe how heavily pigmented they were! Particularly the brighter shades, one swipe on the cheek and a bit of blending and I had the perfect flush of colour.

 

 

 

 

I've had the palette for over a year now and admittedly the blushes are turning slightly chalky but they've lasted well for the price and I would definitely repurchase! I haven't got as much use out of it as I'd have liked to due to developing a slight blush obsession and getting distracted by other products but I wore a couple of the shades constantly when I first bought it and I've also used it on brides.

 

You can buy a similar one here for £4.79 and it's a UK seller so fast delivery too :)

 

So onto the concealer palette. Same concept, I found it on eBay and thought I'd give it a go, not really expecting great things. It arrived from Hong Kong about a fortnight after I ordered it and as with the blush palette, there were 10 different shades for around £5. Well as you can see in the photos, I've got a lot of use out of it! The pigmentation is great, the formula is creamy and thick enough to cover blemishes. The lighter colours work well for under eye concealing but do need to be set properly to ensure it lasts. I've used the darker shades for contouring and it's also a great product to have if you're starting out in freelance makeup as you have 10 shades to work with which you can mix when you need to. All in all a brilliant product and for a fiver you can't go wrong.

 

Again I found a UK seller, you can get it here for £5.69.

 

 

 

 

 

Have you tried these palettes? Let me know your thoughts!

 

 

Just A Little MAC Haul

This morning was a bit like Christmas for me because my MAC order arrived! I have a huge MAC wishlist as it's definitely my all time favourite makeup brand and I was so happy with my purchases so I thought I'd share them with you in this mini haul post :)

 

 

 

Woodwinked Eyeshadow

 

I've wanted this for quite a while after seeing Tanya Burr use it in a few of her videos. I love any kind of bronze/copper toned shimmery shadow and this is so stunning. I can't wait to use it!

 

 

 

Naked Lunch Eyeshadow

 

Another Tanya Burr favourite! It's such a versatile light creamy shade with a slight pink undertone. I've seen Tanya use this in so many different looks so I know I'll get a lot of use out of it.

 

 

 

With both the eyeshadows I chose to get them in pan form so that I can eventually get myself a MAC pro palette and build my collection :)

 

Left - Naked Lunch

Right - Woodwinked

 

 

Ruby Woo Lipstick

 

Another product I've wanted to try for so long. I've seen numerous celebrities wearing this (or at least something very similar!) It's a true red and it's matte which creates that stunning classic scarlet lip. Perfect paired with neutral eyes and winged liner a la Marilyn Monroe! I have a few reds in my collection but this is my first red lipstick from MAC so I'm really excited to use it! I've been obsessed with red lips recently.

 

 

 

 

That was all I bought, but I'm very happy to be able to tick off a few items from my every growing wishlist :) If you've tried any of these then let me know your thoughts!

 

 

Bourjois Colour Boost Glossy Lipsticks

I couldn't leave Boots the other day without picking up one of Bourjois's newest lip products, one of the Colour Boost lipsticks (well, they're actually lip crayons). I'd heard a few people raving about them and for £7.99 I thought why not give it a go. They claim to stay on the lips for 10 hours so I was intrigued to give it a go. I chose the shade Red Sunrise because quite frankly I've been obsessed with red lips lately :)

 

 

 

 

Well, what a gorgeous little product! First of all its glossy which I love. Don't get me wrong a matte red lip can be beautiful but for day time wear I like something shiny and moisturising. Red Sunrise is very heavily pigmented which is another bonus and it stays on FOREVER! Ok, maybe not forever, but 5 hours, 2 drinks and a lunch later and that bad boy was still on my lips.

 

 

 

So after wearing this to death for 3 days, I decided to swing by Superdrug on Saturday and pick up another shade. This time I went with Orange Punch, the coral shade in the range. They also have a light pink and a fuchsia. Anyway, I couldn't wait to try it so as soon as I got in the car I slapped it on and looked in the mirror. Hmm. It's definitely coral, although the photo below doesn't really do it justice. It's certainly glossy, but it's not as pigmented as Red Sunrise. In fact it's nowhere near as pigmented, which to be honest left me feeling a bit deflated. Don't get me wrong, I'll still use it but only if I want a very subtle orange lip. I actually did recommend this one to a friend today who asked for a good coral lip product, she's new to the shade and didn't want anything too daring so this would be perfect for her, but personally I was expecting much better colour payoff.

 

 

 

Orange Punch didn't last long on my lips, 5 hours and a Starbucks later and it had completely vanished. Hence why I haven't bothered to show you an 'after' photo because there simply wasn't anything to show you.

 

I'm definitely keen to try the other shades for extra comparisons but Red Sunrise is the winner so far. If you want a subtle day time coral then go for Orange Punch but be warned, if it's a statement lip you're after, this won't be for you. 

Makeup Wishlist - August

It's been a while since I posted a wishlist and lets face it, there's ALOT of makeup & skincare I need/crave at the moment. 

I've picked my top 5 to share with you and I really hope I can get my hands on all of them! 

1. Crown Brush concealer palette - I actually have a very similar palette but I still want this one :) it'll be great for contouring. 

2. Kiehls Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser - what a mouthful! My skin has been extremely oily of late so this will be great at getting rid of excess sebum and just generally giving my skin a good deep clean. I'm a huge fan of Kiehls for their gentle yet effective products. 

3. Nars limited edition blush palette in Soulshine - It's just so pretty. Need I say more? At £35 it's crazy expensive but I don't care, I'm saving up for this baby. 

4. Mac lipstick in Ruby Woo - A hugely popular lippy from MAC, it's famous for being worn by countless celebrities & as I've been obsessed with red lips lately I really want to try this one. 

5. Japonesque Safari brush set - such a glamourous & unique design, this set has been out for quite a while but I still haven't managed to grab it. I'm on the waiting list at Cult Beauty so as soon as it comes back in stock I'm hoping it'll finally be mine.

What's on your wishlist for August?