The Favourites | Comeback Kids

We all have those products, the ones we forget we have that we once loved, replaced by a newer more exciting product - only exciting because it's new. Yup, everyone does. I have a bucket load (curse of the beauty blogger). Recently I cleaned out my bathroom and rediscovered some delights... 

#1 | Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Why did I ever stop using this? The perfect under eye concealer, it lightens and brightens so my now constant dark circles (curse of the communter) are disguised mwaha. Cheap and cheerful it's a winner. It stays for a good few hours and doesn't slip or crease. I pop this on top of my foundation/tinted moisturiser and blend with my buffing brush. On top of blemishes it's not quite as amazing - it's definitely one for under eyes - it highlighters more than hides in this case. Otherwise, total winner winner, chicken dinner.

#2 | 17 Instant Glow Gold Bronze Shimmer Brick
I gave this up a little while ago in favour of a more matte bronzer. I went off shimmer for a while, however my matte bronzer died (long story) so I picked this back up. I've been using the darkest shade for contour, which I didn't before, and the middle two colours for added colour in my cheeks. I've fallen back in love with this product and I love how the tones match my face and the glow it gives. It's a beaut of a product and I can't believe I ever stopped using it.

#3 | Origins Zero Oil Cleanser
This somehow got lost and I was devastated. I didn't want to fork out for another so I thought it'd be the perfect time to try something new, which I did and I did fall in love with it. However, I recently refound this and have been using it again ever since. Nothing cleans my skin like this and nothing sorts my skin out as much as this as well. It's the perfect cleanser for oily, blemish prone skin and well, it just works.

#4 | Gosh Intense Eye Liner Pen in Brown
This was one of the first things I was ever sent to review on the blog and I loved it from the off. I put it away to play with some newbies which was pretty much all black. Some I loved, some were a bit meh. I decided to try again with this when I was using a lot of nude and brown shadows to create a brown everyday smokey eye and this looked amazing as opposed to black liner with this and this has become my everyday look.

#5 | Nivea Daily Essential Express Hydration Primer
Last, but definitely not least, is this beauty of a day moisturiser/primer. I don't really see it as a primer but as a very light gellish moisturiser that I use every morning. I'm not even entierly sure why i stopped using this as it is amazing, not gonna lie. It's super super nourishing for my skin and is the perfect pre make up moisturiser as it really smooths the skin and isn't too heavy (hello primer properties). This isn't leaving my side again, like, ever.

I do think it's so much fun going back through your collection and finding old products you've forgotten. Love it.

What are your favourite comeback products?

The Favourites | May Beauty Picks

May has been one of the best months I've had for a long time. I left my job in retail, got my first tattoo, went on holiday and started a new career in London. In terms of favourites, I've been using a lot of new stuff towards the end of the month so there aren't many for May! Click here to see the video and all the details - don't forget to subscribe!

The How To | New Year Face

Happy New Year everyone! As promised a new post on the first day of 2014 - eek! Over the next couple of weeks I'll be popping up some "Best of" posts as well as the usual resolution bits and bobs.

I am working today so couldn't do too much of a heavy New Years. I just went round to the besties house with the boyf and her boyf and we had a nice evening of games and drink. Perfect way to bring in the New Year with my two favourite people in the world!

I wanted to show you my New Years face. It occured to me I do a lot of reviews, but it might be nice to see some of these products in action so I'm starting a new feature. First up - New Years! Even though I was staying in I still wanted to make an effort and look that little bit glam.

Products used:

Clinique Stay Matte Foundation | Soap & Glory Kiss Ass Concealer | Nars Deep Throat Blusher | MAC Adored MSF | Estee Lauder Pure Colour Eyeshadow Duo in Raisins | L'Oreal SuperLiner in Black | No7 Extreme Lashes Mascara | 17 Deluxe Lipstick in Prohibition

What was your New Years face? Did you have a good evening?

The Favourites | 5 under £5

A few weeks ago I did a 10 products under £10 and really enjoyed doing it - and got a great reaction from your guys as well about it. So, I thought I would do the same for under £5. For those who read T&M you may know I am saving for a house this year so bargain products are a must for me, and these are my top 5...

B. Pure Micellar Water £4.99

I am a micellar water addict and this is the cheapest one I've tried, and also one of the best. It's a great little make up remover - probably not the best if you have sensitive skin as it is a little harsher than others I've tried - but it works perfectly for me.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow £4.99

The best eyeshadow I use in the entire world. It's a cream one, but not greasy and doesn't crease. Incredibly long lasting a large range of colours. I would recommend these shadows to anyone who asked and insist that you go and buy one now if you don't already have one - go go go!

Maybelline Baby Lips £2.99

Another Maybelline product and another cult product. These are basically just lip balms, three of the collections clear and the others tinted. I love the tinted ones and how moisturising they feel. Not 8 hours as promised but for £2.99 what do you expect. I love Pink Punch, fab little lip product.

17 Instant Glow Shimmer Brick £4.99

Bronzer and highlighter all in one, this is such good value for money this product. I love the way it brightens the skin and helps to subtly contour as well, a dupe for Bobbi Brown's shimmer brick and long lasting. I've used this everyday since New Years Eve and it's still going - so much product for your money!

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19

Another cult favourite. A really brilliant little concealer. It's thick enough to cover blemishes, but not too thick to be cakey (we don't do cakiness!). Only three shades available, but it blends very easily and quickly. Really easy to apply and just a great product for the price. 

So yes, I know a lot of these are cult classics and probably expected - but they are cult classics for a reason. These are my top 5 for under a fiver and I love them.

What's your top 5 under £5?

The Favourites | My Lips but Better

I work in retail, to be specific a stationary shop, which means that make up wise I can't be too adventurous, which is no fun. This also means that I have acquired a ridiculous amount of lip products that all look like my own lips, just that bit nicer. So I thought I'd pop my top five up on here to show you all. Now, in no particular order...

17 MIRROR SHINE ON LIPSTICK IN BELLE £4.79

I love this lipstick. It's completely natural, the perfect neutral shade with enough gloss within the stick to forgo added gloss, but not too much that it looks over ick. It's so affordable and really long lasting. Definitely one of my faves and I would recommend any of the mirror shine on lipsticks.

BOURJOIS ROUGE EDITION LIPSTICK IN SHADE 04 ROSE TWEED £7.99

More of a matte everyday shade, a yellow toned pink that applies gorgeously, lovely coverage and really good lasting time. This is definitely in my top two I think. It has quite a chalky finish, so alone or with a slick of gloss it's perfect for work.

RIMMEL APOCALIPS IN CELESTIAL £5.99

The toast of the blogging world this year, Apocalips are incredibly pigmented and glossy, long lasting lip lacquers that are affordable and actually great. This colour is probably the most neautral out of the lot and great for a long day at work if you don't have the chance to top it up.

MAC CREMESHEEN LIPSTICK IN FAN FARE £14.00

The priciest of the five, and probably my favourite. A truly gorgeous yellow toned pink that lasts for hours, has a lovely natural sheen to it. This is currently my most worn and recommend it to everyone who wants a natural colour for Mac. Go buy now!

L'OREAL GLAMSHINE SPLASH STAIN IN LOLITA £7.99

Definitely a gloss as opposed to a stain, and one I wear a lot with the Bourjois beauty above. Not a huge fan of the wand by the gloss itself is very comfortable and long lasting, not too sticky thankfully. For a natural gloss, this is perfect.

Looking through all these it has occured to me that they all start to look identical. Opps. This is definitely my most worn colour and I think it's the perfect way to get into lipsticks if you're not brave enough to try the bold colours. Hope you enjoyed!

What's your favourite lips but better product? Have you tried any of the above?

The How To | Five Item Face

So, the other day I moved in with my boyfriend for 5 days. Why 5 days? Well, because his parents went away so we had to house sit. Everything was going well (well, okayish - when told to get chicken he got turkey and was promptly sent to Sainsburys) on the first night. All was good. Wake up the next day, go to get ready for work and here comes my issue - I forgot my make up.

No, how a beauty blogger FORGETS to pack her beauty items is beyond me. So, I had to drive home quickly put on a very quick face of make up and head to work - making it with about 30 seconds to spare. This gave me the idea to do a post on quick make up - and then I saw others named the "5 item face" so I thought I would combine to two...

So, first of all is your base. For me the idea before the five item face is that i won't be using moisturiser or primer, so on goes the BB cream - in this case it is La Roche Posay Hydreane BB Cream in Light. It's thick enough to be mistaken for foundation, but light to wear so it's a win all round. Next up is my 17 Glow Shimmer Brick - this is a highlighter/bronzer in one and I cannot live without this, and in this case it takes care of two areas in one product. Next I go to the eyes... Some sort of eyeliner is a must for me, and recently I've been reaching for Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Crayon in Black. I use it as a liner on my waterline and with a quick smudge you have some colour (well, black). Then I pop on the mascara - I do not leave the house without this on, it's just a golden rule for me. Lately I've been loving L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in black. It's long lasting and lengthens fantastically. Then I finish off the look with my lips. Here I've used Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Shade 4. Long lasting, moisturising and the perfecct everyday colour.

This is pretty much my everyday work face - just minus the primer, moisturiser, blusher, eyeshadow, concealer, lip scrub and gloss... So actually quite a lot. But I have to say, this five item face doesn't do too badly!

What's you five item face?

The Review | 17 Instant Glow

17 Instant Glow Gold Bronze Shimmer Brick £4.80

This is meant to be a near dupe for Bobbi Brown's shimmer brick, now I haven't used the Bobbi Brown one so I can't compare buuut I do quite like this little product.

I used the middle two colours to contour my cheeks or to create the above look, and the top one to do a bit of highlighting. I found the bottom colour a bit too dark so haven't really used that one much. I will say the top two together are a bit too shimmery for everyday use (for me) but the middle two are perfect. As you can see above, it's still quite shimmery, but it's bearable!

It lasts a couple of hours, nothing incredibly long, but as long as you'd expect with a cheaper brand like 17. It's a nice product and I have been using it everyday, it's nice to add a bit of tan to the face with this awful weather!

I would buy this again, it's a really nice cheap product, and a lot better quality then I expected so well done 17!

Have you tried the Bobbi Brown version? How does it compare?

The Favourites | Best of 2012... Make Up

Welcome to the first in a little mini series of the Best of 2012! The first is make up, as that seems to be the product I talk about the most of here and probably the hardest category to fill... So let's give it a go!

Clinique Stay Matte Oil Free Make Up
My favourite foundation of all time. The perfect partner to my oily skin and complexion. It lasts for a good few hours and is the closest colour match I've ever had. Bit pricey but worth it for me!

Mac Mineralize Eyeshadow in Smutty Green
The perfect colour for the Christmas season, long lasting and ridiculously easy to apply. I would love to try this in other colours as well to see how they all come out!

17 Mirror Shine On Lipstick in Belle
Under a fiver and literally the perfect everyday lipstick. It's a nude pink, with a tint of gloss and really long lasting. It's recently been repackaged and some new lines added, definitely check it out.

Pixi Lash Line Ink
The easiest and longest lasting eyeliner I have ever used. Glides on with a very crisp and clean line, it's a very solid black - not a namby pamby black and the packaging is o so cute!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface
All the way from the US, this blush is the most incredible blush I have ever used. Lasts longer than my foundation and is the perfect flushed pink colour. Magic!

What's your top 5 make up picks on 2012?

The Review | 17 Mirror Shine On Lipstick

17 Mirror Shine On Lipstick in Belle

I have a serious lipstick problem. It's getting a tad out of hand. I went and bought ANOTHER one. Opps. Luckily this is on the cheaper side, a bargain at under £5. I saw this product on Kat's blog a little while a go and I've been thinking about giving it go.
I decided to give Belle a go - mainly just because I love the name, but also because I fell in love with the colour. It's a natural deep pink and looks so natural when it's applied on my lips.
It has the normal lipstick feel to it and it glides on so easily. I'm more than comfortable popping it on without a mirror which is handy and my lips feel moisturized when it's on.
It's not the longest lasting lipstick. About 45 minutes and the feeling has gone, about 2 hours in and so has the colour.
It's a perfect everyday drugstore lipstick. I would recommend and am looking forward to picking up another shade. I think I have a new addiction.

I would like to apologize about my awful complexion in this photo. I did think about a little airbrushing but I think it's so important for your readers to see you exactly as you are. So here you go you lucky things you.

This lipstick is available from Boots for a lovely £4.59

Have you tried 17 lipsticks? Any shades you'd recommend?