REVIEW: Topshop "Infrared" Lipstick

Hello lovelies, I hope you are all well! I love all things orange, and I wear orange lipstick on a day-to-day basis, so when I saw this colour in Topshop I had to pick it up and buy it. I have never before owned a Topshop lipstick but have always wanted to try one and I must say, I am quite impressed. "Infrared" is a beautiful bright orange shade, it looks just as bright on the lips which I love. It is a lovely texture and does not feel at all drying (and my lips have the tendency to be rather on the dry side) and the colour lasts really well. This colour has definitely made me want to try more Topshop lipsticks, if there are any colours you would recommend be sure to let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading! :)

REVIEW: Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15

Hello lovelies, I hope you are all well! Since suffering badly with teenage-acne a year or two ago my skin has been left horribly red and scarred. So with my love for Clinique foundations in mind, I was super interested in trying this too see if it really could make a difference.

This foundation really does work, usually I will put on foundation then cover up any visible redness with concealer but when I use this foundation, the only place I need to put concealer is under my eyes - amazing! This foundation gives a really good coverage, it will literally camouflage any imperfections. However, whilst giving such a full-on coverage, this foundation does not fail to give the skin a beautiful, natural glow.

My only dislike towards this foundation is that I find it's not brilliantly suited to my oily skin-type, I find myself getting shiner than usual throughout the day and having to powder more often. 

My mum and auntie both suffer with rosacea and use this foundation. It really does cover the redness in their cheeks and would honestly leave someone with no knowledge of their skin condition completely unaware. It is impressive stuff!

Thank you for reading!! :)

FOTD: Everyday Make-up

Hello lovelies, I hope you are all well! This make-up is what I turn to pretty much every day so I thought it was worth sharing with you all!

FACE:
bareMinerals Original SPF 15 Foundation in 'Fairly Light'
bareMinerals Warmth All-Over Face Colour
bareMinerals Mineral Veil
Dainty Doll Cream Blush in 'Billion Dollar Babies'
Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer in 'Ivory'

EYEBROWS:
Natural Collection eyeshadow in 'Crushed Walnut'

EYES:
Natural Collecion 'Sea Shell' across the lid with 'Crushed Walnut' blended into the crease
Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in 'Black'
No 7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in 'Brown' blended under the eye
Benefit They're Real Mascara

LIPS:
Revlon Lip Butter in 'Tutti Fruiti'

I love the bareMinerals foundation/bronzer/mineral veil combination on my face, it leaves my skin looking so healthy and glowy but still completely natural and not too shiny. I reviewed the Dainty Doll Cream Blush in my previous post so you can read more on that there. The Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer really does brighten up underneath the eyes, I also find it works fine on any blemishes too.
I like a strong brow and 'Crushed Walnut' makes it so easy to achieve. It also creates the perfect shadow when blended through the crease over 'Sea Shell'. I don't feel myself without black eyeliner and the Maybelline Gel eyeliner has always been my favourite for this. I like to put a little brown eyeliner underneath the eye then blend it in with my finger to create a subtle smoky effect. Then when it comes to mascara, Benefit's 'They're Real' is famously brilliant.
I wear Revlon's 'Tutti Fruiti' Lip Butter near enough everyday, it's perfect because it is a lovely colour but is not too heavy and is  moisturising on the lips.

Thank you for reading!! :)

REVIEW: Dainty Doll Blushers

Hello lovelies! Sorry the posts haven't been so regular recently, I've been revising non-stop for my soon approaching AS Level exams!! Anyway, a little while back I was reading Bell-aimie's review on these lovely little blushers, after learning that they are currently just £1.99 (as opposed to the RRP £13.50 price tag) on Fragrance Direct I could not resist ordering a couple to try out for myself! I picked up a powder blusher in the shade 'You Are My Sunshine' along with a cream blusher in the shade 'Billion Dollar Babies'.

'You Are My Sunshine' is a beautiful pink shade with lots of gold glitter running through it. It looks so lovely and glowy on the cheeks and would be perfect for a night out or healthy, glowing makeup in the summertime! It blends onto the skin nicely and lasts really well, I am definitely thinking of buying some more powder blushes in different colours.

'Billion Dollar Babies' is much more subtle, it is completely matte and just adds a little 'something' to the cheeks during the day. I've been wearing this blusher to work and school constantly since I've had it, similarly the powder blush it blends onto the skin really well and has great staying power.

Overall I am very impressed with these blushers and would definitely like to pick up a few more colours - any you would recommend? Thank you for reading!

bareMinerals Original Foundation

Hello lovelies, I hope you are all well! I was talked into purchasing this foundation recently but, my gosh, am I glad I did! Usually I rarely step away from Clinique in terms of foundation, but I knew mineral foundations are so much more beneficial to the skin so I thought I may as well give this a go.

After using this foundation just once I absolutely fell in love and literally haven't stopped using it since! After a few weeks of experimenting I've learnt that you can apply the tiniest amount to make your skin look even and flawless but like you're wearing no makeup at all, or, it can be built up to cover absolutely anything but still look like you're wearing little or no makeup! It is amazing. When buying this my main worry was that I wouldn't be able to achieve a full enough coverage, but trust me on this one, you definitely can!

I did consider buying the matte version of this foundation as my skin has the tendency to get rather oily throughout the day, however I didn't because I like glowy-looking skin and worried the matte foundation would look too matte or too cakey. With the Original foundation, I get very little excess shine throughout the day and my skin looks healthy, dewy and glowy - so I think I made the right choice there!

I use the Full Flawless Application Face Brush by bareMinerals (pictured above) to apply the foundation, it just buffs the makeup into the skin so perfectly. However, the Real Techniques Buffing Brush also works a treat!

Have you tried any mineral foundations? What are your thoughts? Thank you for reading!! :)

Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

Hi guys, hope you're all well! I'm a big fan of the Revlon Lip Butters, they are so creamy and moisturising and add just the right amount of colour for a relaxed day-to-day makeup. I have had my eyes on 'Tutti Frutti' for a while now, so whilst in Boots the other day, I picked it up.
This Lip Butter did not fail to disappoint, as with all of Revlon's Lip Butters, it is perfectly moisturising and just lovely. This Lip Butter in particular, however, I am a little obsessed with the colour of. The orange is just a little more exciting and fun than some of the other colours in Revlon's Lip Butters range. Because of it's formula, this product isn't as bright as it looks in the bullet. So it's perfect for someone like me who is too scared to wear a bright orange but would just like a wash of colour on my lips to wear throughout the daytime.

Thank you for reading! Have you tried any of the Revlon Lip Butters, which is your favourite?

LUSH Mint Julips Lip Scrub

Hello guys! Please tell me I am not the only one who suffers with unbearable dry lips during the cold winter months? During this time of the year, this lip scrub is like a life saver to me! I use it every morning (and sometimes in the evening if my lips are extra dry and flaky - ew!) to get rid of any dead or dry skin and leave my lips feeling softer and a bit more normal. Using this then a little lip balm really does set your lips up for a lipstick, lipstain or whatever you like to wear on your lips no matter how dry and horrible they felt before!

The other amazing thing about this lip scrub is the smell, it smells literally identical to mint chocolate-chip ice cream! LUSH do say you can lick this off of your lips after use to clean it away because it is perfectly edible, however I don't really find the idea of licking all the dead skin off my lips too appealing! However, when the odd bit of this has ended up in my mouth it did taste pretty good!

If you want to find out a few of my favourite lip balms to put on after using this scrub you can read my Let's Talk: Lip Balm post here.

Thanks for reading! What are your essential lip care products for these cold months?

REVIEW: Urban Decay Half Baked Eyeshadow

Hey guys!

I haven't splashed out on either of Urban Decay's Naked Pallette's. However, this eyeshadow has definitely tempted me. 

Urban Decay's Half Baked is a beautiful bronze/gold colour with shimmer running through it. It's one of those versatile eyeshadows that look gorgeous during the day or night. This eyeshadow was a staple in my make-up bag over the Christmas period, paired with a red lip and some dramatic lashes it looked wonderfully festive. But, now the holidays are over, I still get plenty of wear out of it. During the day it looks lovely with just a nude lip, or it is easily dressed up for the evening. This product is the perfect texture for an eyeshadow, it can be easily built up and is perfectly blend-able.

If all Urban Decay eyeshadows are as lovely as this, I am tempted to purchase one (or even both) of the Naked Pallette's - what do you think? 

Thank you for reading!

No. 7 Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser.

Hello guys! I got this sample of No. 7's Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser a couple of months ago when I bought a couple of other products from No. 7. I thought I would like this product as this has been a staple in my mums makeup bag for a long time, so I was excited to try it out.
  I wasn't let down, this tinted moisturiser is really nice. It has quite a sheer coverage but it still evens out the skin tone and gives your skin a lovely, healthy glow. Because my skin is oily, I have to powder my skin quite frequently during the day when I wear this but it doesn't make my skin look super, super shiny which is good!
  This tinted moisturiser has an SPF 15, which always really appeals to me when I buy makeup as I like my skin to be well protected against the sun!
  I am definitely considering buying the full sized tube of this when I am out of the sample tube, I think I would wear it a lot!

REVIEW: Clinique Stay-Matte Foundation.

Hello guys! So I have oily skin and I'm a complete sucker for a Clinique foundation so when I saw this at my local Clinique counter I almost jumped with joy, it sounded just perfect for me!
   I have been wearing this foundation non-stop since I bought it, it really does stay matte all day! Usually I have to powder my skin every few hours, but since I have been wearing this I have literally only needed to powder my skin once during the day.
   This foundation is a gel formula, which I quite like, so when I apply it I pat it into my skin using my fingers then blend it into the skin with a brush - the first time I used it I just used a brush and it looked so streaky! On the box for this foundation it says it has a sheer-moderate coverage, I think it is definitely more on the moderate side, it still covers where I need it too. Because this foundation isn't full coverage I think it is lovely for these summer months.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer.

Hey guys! So for a while I had been hearing quite a lot about this concealer, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I went out and bought it so I could see for myself. The only thing I can really say about this concealer is 'WOW... Coverage!' The coverage it gives is just so amazing, within two days of having this it replaced my old concealer in my everyday makeup bag. It covers up both dark circles and blemishes really nicely and leaves the skin looking flawless. It claims to last up to 16 hours, I can't tell you if this is true or not as I haven't worn it for that length of time, but it does last really well on the skin.

What's in my weekend away make-up bag?

Hi guys! So the week before last I went on a little adventure for the weekend, and I thought I would show you what I took with me in my make-up bag!

Simple Sun Sensitive Protecting Facial Lotion SPF 50 - I wear this underneath my make-up, just for an extra layer of protection from the sun, the foundation I used on this weekend has SPF 15, that wouldn't do much to prevent sunburn on my skin so I wore this higher SPF underneath.

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturiser - I took this moisturiser from Clinique with me purely because it was a sample size so it didn't take up too much room in my make-up bag, I hadn't used it before my weekend away but I actually really liked it, and I have used it a few times since!

Clinique Even Better Foundation - I find that when I'm tired, this foundation can make me look a bit more awake, so I thought this was quite essential. Read about my three favourite Clinique foundations here.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (review for this coming soon!) - I love this concealer, it is fairly new to me but it really does just conceal everything I need it too nicely.

Rimmel Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder - This is essential for me as I have oily skin, and this keeps shine at bay!

Natural Collection Eyeshadow 'Crushed Walnut' - I use this to fill in my rather sparse eyebrows, I couldn't be without it!

Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl - This is another product I couldn't be without, I simply look scary with no eyeliner!

Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara - Again, I brought this with me because it is a sample size, it is the sample that I received in Glamour Magazine a couple of months ago, when I first reviewed this (read my review here) I didn't really rate it, but I have warmed to it a lot since then.

Revlon Lip Butter 'Pink Truffle' - I brought this with me as it is bang in the middle of a lip balm and a lip stick, so I knew that it would keep my lips moisturised, add a little colour and wear away nicely!

Vaseline - I used this overnight to make sure my lips were nicely moisturised when I got up in the mornings.

Barry M Magic Lipstick!

Hey guys! I bought this lipstick ages ago and have been meaning to blog about it for ages because it is just so cool! I was hesitant to buy it at first, because all of the Barry M lipsticks that I have bought in the past I found very drying, but I looked past that and bought this anyway - just because it looked cool.

So as you can see, in bullet form this lipstick looks quite scary, but when you put it onto the lips it changes to suit your skin tone (although - when I bought this, two of my friends bought it too, and all our lips ended up a very similar colour) it goes from quite a sheer pink at first to a bright, vibrant pink within about ten minutes.

I didn't have a problem with this lipstick being very drying at all and, my gosh, it lasts a long time! Even after eating and drinking, it barely budges - so it would be brilliant for a night out! - if I ever find my lips drying out whilst wearing this I will just apply a lip balm over the top and it's fine.

The 'magic' lipstick immediately after applying.

Roughly ten minutes after application (it doesn't look particularly
bright here, it comes out brighter on the lip!) 

Nivea Tinted Moisturiser Day Cream.

Hello guys! I have quite oily skin and usually steer clear of tinted moisturisers but as it is now summer I haven't wanted to wear something as heavy as a foundation, so a few weeks ago I picked up this tinted moisturiser by Nivea in Boots, just too see how if I like it or not - it was only £3.66 so a complete bargain!

When I tried it out the next morning I was surprised about the coverage it gave, it isn't at all completely sheer which is half what I expect from a tinted moisturiser, it still gives a fairly light coverage but at the same time covers any imperfections, I also find it to be quite build-able, so if I am having a 'bad skin' day, I can just apply another layer of this and it's fine.

Because my skin is rather oily, I was worried that this would leave me looking super shiny, but as long as I powder my skin after I have applied this it's fine, it leaves me looking like I have a healthy glow with shine in all the right places.

My only problem with this product is that it only comes in one colour 'Natural' this matches my skin quite well at the moment, but it would be too dark for me if I wasn't tanned.

To conclude, I think for £3.66 this is a great product, it has encouraged me to want to try out some higher end tinted moisturisers and see how I get on with those... Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks for reading!

REVIEW: Bourjois Volumizer Mascara

Hello guys! When I finish a mascara, I very rarely go back and re-purchase the same one, simply because I like to try different mascaras. Just over a month ago I bought Bourjois Volumizer Mascara and it is amazing, I have used it almost every day since!
  This mascara has two different steps, step one is good enough to be used alone if you don't like really voluminous lashes, it simply lengthens and separates your lashes, then when you apply step two... WOW! A lot more mascara comes onto the brush and allows you to get a really, really full voluminous look.
  I have long lashes naturally, so I often find myself brushing through my lashes after using step two wish an empty mascara wand because my lashes can look a bit "OTT", but even after doing this my lashes still look gorgeous! I like this mascara so much I can definitely see myself re-purchasing it when I have finished this one!

How much does your face cost?

After reading Describing Beauty's post on how much does your face cost? I was instantly curious about the cost of my own face, if not a little nervous! I decided to find out anyhow and share it with you all!

Moisturiser: Clinique Superdefence £37

Lip Balm: Blistex Intense Moisturiser £2.59

Primer: No. 7 Colour Calming Primer - £11

Foundation: Clinique Superbalanced £21.50

Concealer: Which (I don't think it has a name?!) £4.99

Powder: Rimmel Clear Complexion £3.99

Eyebrows: Natural Collection Eyeshadow 'Crushed Walut' £1.79

Eyeshadow: Natural Collection 'Sea Shell' £1.79

Eyeliner: Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl £5.00

Mascara: Bourjois Volumizer £10.49

Lipstick: MAC 'Patisserie' £13.50

Lipgloss: Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker 'Candy Gloss' £9.00

Total: £122.54 - eek!!

You may have noticed I haven't included blush or bronzer, this is because I only wear these products on special occasions or nights out because I have very red cheeks naturally so I don't feel like I need the extra products in the daytime.

I'd be interested to read your 'how much does my face cost?' posts too! Let me know below if you post one. Thanks for reading!

Glamour Magazine Benefit Sample Reviews #1: BADgal Lash Mascara

Hey guys! A little while I posted about Glamour Magazine's free sample of one of two Benefit primers and a Benefit mascara, I wrote about my first impressions and promised full reviews - well here is the first review!
  In my previous post I wrote about how I like the size of the wand on the mascara and the way the mascara smelt. I had high hopes for this mascara, I really wanted to like it but when I tried it out I can't say that I was wow-ed by it! I would describe the mascara as 'all right' - I would happily wear it out and it looked okay but I don't think I would go into a store and spend £16.50 of my money on the full sized product. I did try to really like this product, but I just found that it didn't do much for my lashes apart from maybe add a little bit of length. Although I have to say, it is not at all clumpy which I think is a definite up-side!
 

HAUL: Clutch Bag, Makeup, Nail Polish and Shoes!

Hey guys! I have been a busy little shopping bee this week, and I know my purse isn't thanking me for that, but I could not resist (some things we're essential, I promise!).

  My first two purchases were two cute Essie Nail Polishes which, when I saw them, I just had to buy them! The pink colour is called No Pre-Nup, it is a pretty sheer pink. The second colour I bought was called Mint Candy Apple, I think this will be a gorgeous colour for summer.

  I then went and bought Bourjois Volumizer Mascara after hearing Tanya Burr (pixi2woo) rave about this, and I can tell you, she's right! This mascara is amazing! I also bought a Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Crushed Walnut to wear through my brows, it was cheap (£1.79) but it does the job well. Also, in Boots, I bought the Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl Eyeliner in Cocoa Bean - this is a really nice eyeliner and it was only £5.00, very reasonable in my opinion!

  I also bought a clutch bag and a pair of shoes to wear out this Thursday night (see, I told you some things were essential buys. Haha!). The clutch bag was from New Look, it is called the Grey Envelope Clutch.

  The purchase I am most excited about, though, is this pair of shoes from Office, they are called 'A Starry Night Black Kid Suede' I ordered these on-line, luckily they still had my size left when I ordered them but they now only have sizes 7 and 8 left. I love these shoes! They remind me a little of Kurt Geiger's Gen Heels. I might post an OOTN with these shoes and my new bag on Thursday night, let me know if you would like to see that.

Thank you for reading! :) 

My Favourite Clinique Foundations!

It is no secret that Clinique is my all time favourite brand for foundations, I have worn Clinique foundations pretty much since I started wearing makeup, I just love them! Here I am going to talk about my three favourites.
  When reading this it may be useful to bear in mind that I have an oily skin type which is very much acne prone - thanks to this I do have some acne scarring on my skin so I like my foundation to have a full enough coverage to cover these, but I also need my foundation to stay as matte as it will on my skin - which does get oily throughout the day. I apply all my foundations with a No. 7 Foundation Brush.

 1. Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions.
I have this foundation in the colour 03 Fresh Neutral - this was my foundation last summer when I had a lot more colour in my face, so it is way to dark for me at the moment!
  I was recommended this foundation by a lady on the Clinique counter when I was going through a fairly bad breakout stage in about August last year. The name 'Anti-Blemish Solutions' immediately drew me in.
  This foundation almost immediately became my new every day foundation, it has a good coverage (I would say medium) and it isn't too dewy so my face never looked ridiculously shiny whilst wearing this. Obviously I am too pale to wear this foundation right now, but during the summer I will definitely start wearing it more often.

I know this foundation looks absolutely disgusting - sorry about
that - you can see it has been well worn by me!

2. Clinique Even Better.

I have this foundation in the colour 02 Fair (this colour suits be a lot better than the Anti-Blemish Solutions - ha!). I do really like this foundation, it gives a really good coverage - maybe slightly fuller than both of the other foundations in this post - but it still doesn't look at all cakey on my skin.

  I can only wear this foundation when my skin is having a bit of a drier day than usual - if I wear it on a 'normal' skin day it will make my skin look far too oily. I think this is a shame because it gives such a good coverage and it looks really nice on my skin (before it starts to get oily, obviously). If you have a drier skin type I would definitely try this foundation out! 

 3. Clinique Superbalanced Makeup.
I have this foundation in the colour 27 Alabaster. I love this foundation, it is my current everyday foundation. When I bought this the lady on the counter told me that this foundation has a fuller coverage than the Even Better, but I disagree, I think this is slightly more sheer and natural looking, but at the same time it still covers up everything that I want it too.
  This foundation controls my oily skin very well - I still have to powder and touch up during the day but I expected nothing less. Once I have finished this bottle I will definitely repurchase it. I think out of all the three foundations I have spoken about, this is my favourite! I have used this almost every day since I bought it. Even on a slightly warmer day when I want a more natural looking foundation, I will mix this with tinted moisturiser and it looks just lovely. And when I am having a slightly 'dry skin day' this looks really nice mixed with the Even Better foundation. It is just perfect!

If you have any recommendations for foundations that are or aren't from Clinique please leave a comment telling me about them below:). The next Clinique foundation that I plan to try out is their new Stay-Matte Oil Free Makeup - have you tried this?

Even Better, Superbalanced, Anti-Blemish Solutions.
(Some of these may look to dark for me, I was matched for all of them
 but some of them were purchased in warmer months when I was tanned.)

Benefit Freebies! Glamour Magazine.

(Sorry about the terrible lighting in this photo - there wasn't much natural light left when I took it!)

Hello all! I am not one to usually read magazines, but when I heard that Glamour (£2.00) were giving a free sample of either Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara, The PORE Fessional Primer or "That Gal" Brightening Primer I thought I better go and buy myself a copy, although, I ended up buying two copies because I simply could not decide on just one sample! I picked up a sample of the BADgal Mascara and the PORE Fessional Primer. I haven't tried these products out yet, but I thought I would write a post on my first impressions and then post a review on both products when I have tried them out!

 So, lets start with the mascara, I am interested to try this as I have heard mixed opinions on this product. Personally I really like the wand on this mascara, I like that it is quite thick and also that it is fibre not plastic as I do not get on with plastic wands! Another thing I quite like about this mascara is the smell - odd I know. I'm excited to use this product, I will post a review on my views once I have tried and tested it!


  The second sample was the PORE Fessional Primer. On Benefit's website they claim that this primer is the UK's best selling primer, so I have high hopes for this product! The reason I chose this primer and not the "That Gal" Brightening Primer is because I already have quite an oily skin type across my face so I don't feel I need anything that will brighten my complexion. After I had swatched this primer on my hand my hand was left feeling super soft and lovely, so I hope it will leave my face feeling the same way! This product, like the mascara has a lovely smell - my only worry with this is whether the scent will cause my skin to break out, but I will let you know how I get on in my review which will be coming soon!

Have you tried either of these Benefit products? What did you think? Tell me in the comments below!

Reviews coming soon :)