July Favourites

Hello everyone! 

I hope you guys are all enjoying the sun as much as me! I don't think I can count the sun as a July favourite, but if I could then I definitely would. This post was hard to write as I have had so many good things this month, but I had to narrow it down so you wouldn't end up being here all day. 

To kick things off I have been loving Alice in Wonderland retellings this month. I don't know what it is about that story that never fails to fascinate the world. Of course I love the original tales and they are unparalleled in the children's classics genre. However, I also love a good, dark retelling, the kind which the author could never have imagined. In July I read Alice by Christina Henry and loved it so much that I pretty much started Red Queen immediately afterwards. I will soon be putting up a full review of the series (when I finish it) so check that out :-) 

I have also been really enjoying the colour pink... not to wear as I am not a pinky girl, but I have been loving pinks in my makeup routine. All the rose gold eyeshadows, dusky pink lips and peachy blushers have been making an appearance! They are super pretty and feminine for summer. They also provide quite a fresh, barely there makeup look so you can feel a lot more natural without having totally naked skin. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I love a no makeup day as much as any girl! 

My final favourite is a scent, everyone needs a good summer scent. I have been reaching for this Ted Baker body spray a lot recently. It came as part of a set with bath foam and body lotion. The scent is lovely and fresh with hints of rose and raspberry, with an overtone of sandalwood to balance it. The floral notes mixed with the more woody scent is perfect to throw on in the summer. I just love it! I feel pretty when I wear it and almost like I could be in a surfing advert, that's how fresh it is :-) 

What have you guys been loving this month? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

P.S. Follow my Facebook here! 

Too Faced Trials

Hello everyone! 

Who loves Too Faced products? Aside from the obvious major plus of their cruelty free stance, they actually have consistently high quality products. I have been using them for years and somewhere in the depths of my makeup collection is a smokey eye palette which is probably looooong out of date… I’m not saying I love and must buy every product they bring out, I try to only buy what I think will suit my style. However, between my friends and myself we have probably tried a good majority of their stuff! It is always good, trust me. 

BUT, I do have a rather large bug bear with them not always releasing products in the UK, notably their recent Peanut Butter and Jelly palette. I had been coveting that palette since they announced it and I was so upset to find out it isn’t coming to the UK. I could, of course, buy it online and ship it from America, but the shipping is more than the product itself and I can’t justify it to myself. As a red head, this palette would be perfect for me, the purple berry tones, combined with the warm brown and umber shades would just look divine *sigh* and I love the smell of peanut butter. 

Look how cute it is! 

If you combined the original Chocolate Bar and Semi-Sweet palettes you could probably achieve almost identical looks, but they are much bulkier and less cute in my opinion! In the vague hope that they might yet release it I am going to hold off considering buying the chocolate palettes. Although, I have purchased the Chocolate Bon Bons palette as it is very different and is just all around stunning (she says whilst desperately trying to justify it!). 

First off, the packaging is very cute. I love the cardboard box the most, it reminds me of in the newer Charlie and the Chocolate factory with the Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight (Roald Dahl nerd in the house!) chocolate bars. You guys agree? When you get in there the packaging is this gorgeously girly pink tin with 16 matte and shimmer shades. Seriously, the smell of chocolate is insane! I can smell it all day, no kidding. Some of the shades look really strong, particularly Totally Fetch and Black Current, but they apply quite lightly so you can build them for a stronger look or incorporate them into a more natural look. The usual Too Faced triple cheat sheet for looks is present and correct, love those, they are super helpful for inspiration. The only small down side is the lack of a brush within the tin, but hey you can’t have everything! 

 In rows from left to right the colours are Almond Truffle, Satin Sheets, Sprinkles, Molasses Chip, Malted, Cashew Chew, Cotton Candy, Cafe au Lait, Bordeaux, Mocha, Black Currant, Dark Truffle, Pecan Praline, Totally Fetch, Eary Grey and Divinity. 

Gretchen Weiners finally made Fetch happen with the gorgeous hot pink shadow! 

I may have been a little bit naughty and also treated myself to a new blush, damn Sephora temptations! I have had my eye on the Sweethearts blushes for quite a while. I think the packaging is very sweet and was pleasantly surprised by the size of the product. I have a feeling this will last a while! So far the blush is gorgeous, as it has 3 shades, you can choose to apply one or mix them all together or even a combination 2, this gives you so many options for different looks and is perfect for spring. I chose the Candy Glow blush as it suits my skin tone the best. There are also 3 other shades, well two at the minute with a third to be released soon. These range from a strong coral palette, to a bronze and then a very gold shimmer palette. I do love the shimmer of these as it almost acts as a highlighter too. It applies and blends beautifully, my only fault being that isn’t very portable, but I can’t really complain about it being too big can I?! 

If you guys would like me to, I will do a couple of eyeshadow looks using this palette for you in a separate post. Let me know in the comments below if you’re keen :-) To take a peek at my Facebook page click here.

xoxo

Maybelline Makes a Move

Hello everyone! 

I’ve never really been a massive Maybelline fan, I don’t know why, I guess beyond the Dream Matte Mousse nothing really caught my eye. I thought this should be rectified, as so many of you swear by their products! 

Maybelline have had a few new releases over the last couple of months, with mixed reviews. The original Baby Lips products were a big hit, so expanding the range seemed like the obvious thing to do next. Maybelline have released some of these teeny weeny balm and cream blush combos. There are 4 colours, but if I’m honest you really don’t need them all. The differences are really really subtle! I’m not dissing the products, the balm is wonderful on the lips, it feels like a much pricier treatment and does have some serious staying power for moisture, but the pigmentation is low. As a blush I’m not too much of a fan, it doesn’t last well. However, in the summer it will really come into it’s own, it is the perfect easy application of blush and balm on the move, ideal for a touch up post swim or beach day! I have the 01 Innocent Peach shade, the smell of peaches is really lovely and refreshing. 

Another new release is their Dream Blender aimed at easing the application of Dream Matte Mousse. Because I like to be a rebel I use mine to apply concealer instead of foundation. Yeah it does look a bit weird, it kind of reminds me of a temple in it’s shape, however, I quite like the handle. With the traditional blenders your fingers actually touch what you will be using to smooth in your foundation, and you end up with it everywhere! This way your fingers stay nice and clean. The shape of this is ideal for concealer as it has such a fine point you can be super precise, especially when smoothing over those pesky dark under-eye circles! 

My final Maybelline product is a concealer. I feel like the Super Stay 24hour concealer is a  bit of a cult product and I’m late to jump on the bandwagon yet again. I haven’t ever really been one of those people who holds much faith in concealer…I always thought it was a bit of wishful thinking. I have always preferred balancing with green tones and well-placed highlighters. However, I do like the concealer for under my eyes, it does help make me look more awake and alert, but for spots I’m not too sure. In case you were wondering I went for shade 2 light. It can dry out and leave you flaky, so I think I’ll try a different one for spots next time! 

Anyone have any good concealer suggestions? Or if you would like me to review a particular product let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo 

Making Me Blush

Hello everyone! 

With spring on the horizon it is time to start rocking that rosy glow. “How? Show me your blush wizardry!” I hear you all cry. So let’s go! 

Blush is very subjective, depending on your skin tone, hair colour and the look you are going for, you might want to try very different blushes. As I cannot change my appearance at will I can only really advise you on my tastes. I am very pale, with bright auburn hair to give you a rough idea. I’ll talk about powder blushes first and then move on to the cream blushes, so feel free to skip bits if you like!

For the daytime I like quite a delicate blush, I have been really loving the baby pinks recently, in case you hadn’t already noticed! My all time favourite will always be the Benefit Dandelion blush, it is so light, but so pigmented and really blends well. A total classic really. Another Benefit classic is the Coralista blush, the one I have is very very old, possibly even the first blush from my collection! Unfortunately they have since changed the formulation and it has a much more bronzy tone to it, it would go wonderfully if you have a nice tan, or with a bit of Hoola bronzer. The formulation I have is a very warm pinky-coral, with a terracotta undertone, I prefer this blush in the summer when I have a bit more colour or for an evening out when I would probably wear more makeup. 

Two recent additions to my collection, and probably many of yours too as they are relatively new, are from YSL and Too Faced. I wrote a full post about the YSL Gypsy Opale palette a while back, you can check that out here. This blush is a very light baby pink on the skin and has a gorgeous opalescent finish, if you like that ethereal lit from within look then this is the blush for you. It comes with all you need to finish off your face, with the purple and green sections for balancing and a pearly highlighter for your final touch. Sadly it is limited edition so I don’t know if you can get hold of it, if you can then it may be a little pricey! 

I have heard so many people rave about the Too Faced Sweetheart blushes, I couldn’t resist buying one. Available in multiple tones, they provide three different blushes in one super cute heart shaped palette to be used singularly or in combination. I went for Candy Glow and it is so pretty, I use it mainly for daytime as a light shimmer, but I can build the colour up for a night-time look. 

On to the cream blushes, I’m sorry to say I don’t have much experience with these having only two in my collection, but I will do my best. I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan as I don’t feel like the colour lasts as well throughout the day and does need multiple touch ups. This type of product would be good for if you were just popping out and wanted a light face of make-up or if you are having a beach or park day with friends. Who else can’t wait for picnic season to be back? 

Maybelline’s brand new Baby Lips balm and blush combos are a big hit with everyone already. I prefer them as a balm, but as a blush they do have a lovely shimmer finish. I have the 01 innocent peach shade, but to be honest there isn’t really much difference between the four shades so you really don’t need them all! My final product is another lips and cheeks duo product. It is the My Little Beauty lips and cheeks stick, providing a very matte finish, with a sunny, warm coral tone, with more orange pigment than pink. Perfect for the end of summer when you have a lovely glow from the sun! I prefer this one as a cheek colour than a lip balm, as it is quite drying. I also feel like I am too pale for this right now, so it will have to wait for better use later in the year. 

What is your favourite blush? If you would like me to walk you through a look incorporating one of these blushes, let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo