Keeping my Hair Healthy in Lockdown

A major first world problem I'm seeing mentioned over and over again on my socials is the inability to go and get our hair done. Don't get me wrong - I am 100% in the same boat. However, I wanted to share a haircare range I've been obsessed with lately and that's made the distance between me and my hairdresser that little bit easier.

L'Oreal Infallible Pro Glow Foundation - Worth the hype?

I always get really excited when I find a good foundation, one that I fall in love with. But I'm also always super cautious. A lot of drugstore foundations have a tendency to break me out, and I hate the idea of spending out on a high end foundation if it's not right for me. Therefore I rely really heavily on reviews of bloggers/YT that I trust and respect.

The Review | L'Oreal Infallible Matte Foundation

Finding the perfect base is always difficult, especially one from the cheaper end of the scale. Harder than that is finding the perfect colour match - but that's a tale for another day. Finding a base that ticks all your boxes is a great day, and this particular foundation seems to be having a major moment right now, but does it tick those boxes?

The How To | Stepping Aware from Liquid Liners

As you may know I'm a bit of a winged liner fan, I don't feel quite myself without that little solid black flick at the end of my eyes. However, one thing I know from experience is that liquid liners don't tend to fair brilliantly if hot weather and with summer coming up I thought I'd try some alternatives...

The Comparison | L'Oreal SuperLiner v Soap & Glory SuperCat

So it's not secret that I love eyeliners. Without it I feel a bit naked! For most of 2013 I was using L'Oreal SuperLiner, however I've discovered something new that I feel like I'm loving just as much so thought I would do a comparison between the two - mainly so I can figure out with is my fave and give you guys a bit of guidance. I've recently done a "How To" on how to do winged eyeliner so this comparison is paired with that. 

So lets start with where the liner comes from. With L'Oreal SuperLiner it has a little pot that's part of the product itself. For me this is amazing as I usually use liner with shadow so you can easily top up your liner on the nib but putting it back into the pot. Supercat from Soap & Glory is like a felt marker, the liner comes from the barrel itself. Having said that I have found it's not as bad as other nibs when it comes to fading with shadow. So far it's doing a very good job of staying a lovely glossy black.

The nib is so important. If you can't use a liner properly it's usually because the nib or applicator itself just isn't suited to you. For me that is brushes (shudder). SuperLiner is long and thin with a very fine tip. It's quite flexible so it does have the potential to wander if you don't have complete control. However if you are a beginner it's perfect as it is a fine liner. Supercat has a very thick base and then goes up to a fine line. Not as fine as SuperLiner so it does create a thicker line. It is a lot sturdier so definitely easier to control.

Longevity wise is again so important. So many liners end up on the top of my eyelids and it's just annoying. I'm happy to say neither of these do that. SuperLiner is long lasting, however it does tend to fade by the time I get home from work. SuperCat is actually amazing. It's even Zumba proof and that's after being on all day. It stays very glossy and very black.

Overall I'm very confused! I feel like I should stay loyal to my SuperLiner as it is a very good friend. However SuperCat has just pipped it to the post for me at the moment. After I've gotten used to using an entire pen as opposed to just a lid with a nib on it it's the perfect liner.

You can get both from your local Boots, Soap & Glory SuperCat for £6.00 here and L'Oreal SuperLiner for £7.99 here.

What's your favourite eyeliner? Have you tried either of these?

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?

Nails | Autumn Nudes

 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

For me autumns is all about the earth notes. All naturals and definitely full of browns. I'm one of those people that doesn't fine brown earthy tones boring, especially one nails and I full encourage all to embrace the brown and tan! Here is my top 5 autumn nudes from my collection.

1 | L'Oreal Color Riche Nails in Lady Chocolate

I bought this about two years ago on a whim when I decided I wanted chocolate nails. This is a teeny tiny pot of nail varnish, but to be honest when do you ever use up a full post? It's a thicker brush which is easier to apply and really nice, thick and creamy to apply.

2 | Barry M High Shine Gelly in Lychee

I'm a big fan of the Gelly versions of Barry M's nail paints, they are really long lasting and good quality at such a budget price. I love Lychee as it's a lovely caramel colour so a bit more subtle for the nude season and perfect as a base coat for glitter top coats.

3 | Essie in Glamour Purse

Not entierly sure if you can get this in Boots, but one of the older collections I got it off Fragrance Direct a while back now. It's a gorgeous almond type taupe. Unfortunately it has the old thin brush (ick) so not as nice and the newer colours, but still a lovely autumn shade (currently wearing it as I type)

4 | Bourjois Paris 1 Second Nail Varnish in Beige Distinction

More of a pinky nude, it's definitely the more girly of the five and one I really love. Again it's the perfect shade for a base coat for glitter/sequin top coats. These have a large brush so are super super easy to apply and a gel formula so really long lasting.

5 | Bourjois Paris 1 Second Nail Varnish in Taupe Classy

Very similar to the Essie shade it's a almond taupe but a little bit darker, more brown in it I think as well. This is incredibly long lasting. I can't fault these polish's at all. I'm not 100% sure if this shade is still available but there are some similar ones in the collection.

My favourites are probably Glamour Purse and Beige Distinction. Lychee I wear all the time as well as it's very understated so perfect for the work place.

What's your favourite autumn nude?

Gateway Trends | Red Lips

 

If you're like me, when a trend comes a knocking you like to dip a toe as opposed to dive right in. Not entirely sure how many metaphors I used in the sentence but hey. So I've decided to do a little series showing how to "gateway" into these trends... Basically, how to ease yourself in. 

For the first go I thought I'd go for my first experience of doing a gateway trend... Red Lips! A classic, yet incredibly scary, trend. If you haven't done a red lip before it can be terrifying... So ease yourself in with my top gateway reds!

Clinique Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato
Let's go with the higher end version first. This is a beautiful toned down red. More of a tinted balm than anything it's moisturising but toned enough that you get a distinct colour. I wear this quite a lot for day time wear. It's incredibly buildable so the braver you get the more "red" you can go.

L'Oreal Caresse in Rebel Red

Now the drug store version. Another tinted balm classification, it's a bit more pigmented than the Clinique version and a lot sheerer as well so not quite as long lasting or buildable. I do love the colour though and it's perfect for a quick slick of red tone across the lips.

Once you're a bit braver you can get yourself a proper red, like Mac Ruby Woo or Rimmel's Kate Moss lipsticks (in either 01 or 107). All are fab options for when you get the courage to try them. Even when you do get them, a top tip for me would be if you're not 100% confident still, use a brush to apply them and the colour won't seem quite as intense.

What's your current gateway trends? Are there any trends you'd like me to feature in the gateway series?

Make Up | Eau De Teint Foundation

L'OREAL NUDEMAGIQUE EAU DE TEINT FOUNDATION IN WARM IVORY £9.99

I always feel like I should be reviewing L'Oreal products in French. If only I could remember much of my high school GCSE... Let's try this...

J'ADORE EAU DE TEINT!!!! 

Honestly, this is such a lovely foundation. It's incredibly lightweight, you don't even know you're wearing it and you only need a small bit. Basically shake (with the lid on) then tip onto your index finger and apply. I find I only need about three goes to cover my whole face. Although it is very lightweight it gives really good, natural coverage. I'd say around medium which is what I like. It has a very matte finish which I wasn't expecting at all. It's all very very natural which I love. It's very long wearing as well and doesn't upset my oily skin.

Overall I cannot rate this little drug store beauty enough. You do only get 20ml in a bottle, which is about 10ml less than the usual foundation. However you only have to use so little that I think it will last as long as any others. I've seen many reviews comparing it to Nars Sheer Glow, I've never tried this but always wanted to, now I don't really feel the need to as this is such a little gem.

The packaging is so nice as well, I am a bit scared it will break as it is glass, and where it's a shake and tip one it's already so grubby but I don't really mind at all.

Have you tried this foundation? What do you think?

Trends | Micellar Waters

Micellar waters seem to be everywhere at the moment, wherever you go you hear about them. Any skin care posts they seem to pop up. So are they worth the hype and what do they actually do? Now, I am not going to pretend to be an expert but I'll do what I can...

When I first heard of Bioderma it was described to me as a "chemical cleanser", so instead of wiping the make up off and around your face the water breaks the make up down as much as possible to take it off. Sounds a bit scary doesn't it. Basically it's a water based cleanser, so less nasty things inside and less harsh on your skin. Of course it depends on the product as to how effective they are for you and how harsh they are on the skin. 

The idea behind these is that they are a cleanser, however I wouldn't use them as your only cleanser. I would pop these in as part of your double cleanse routine. Micellar water, then cleanser. Removes most of the make up so you can let your cleanser do more of the deep clean it needs to. Then again in the morning for a quick cleanse to remove any over night dirt.

For me, this is definitely worth the hype. I couldn't live without mine. Most make up removers for me just tend to be oil based - so just don't agree with my oily skin, but these just seem to strip the oil with the make up and do a fab job. If you're like me and have oily skin then I would definitely recommend the above micellars. If you're wondering if Bioderma is worth the hype... Yes, it really is. It is still my favourite that I've tried and definitely the best at removing make up. But if you can't get hold of it, the other two are great as well.

If you have more sensitive skin I would steer clear from B.Pure as I've found this to be slightly harsher than the other two. The L'Oreal version is perfect for more sensitive skin as it is really gentle and easy to use. It's a lot more viscous than the other two as well (basically more watery).

As I said, I'm not an expert and I don't want to pretend to be (so if you hear professor voice in there just virtually poke me), but personally I love micellar waters. They do exactly what I need them to do and have filled a hole in my skincare routine that really needed filling. I definitely have my eye on a couple of others so I will keep you posted...

Do you think micellar waters are worth the hype?

Favourites | July

Where the hell did July go?! Seriously, it's like I blinked and it's disappeared. Scary. Anywho, it's that time of year again so here we go - this months favourites! I have some oldies and some newies.. and most are due to my holiday - enjoy!

Mac Eyeshadow is Copperplate

This eyeshadow helps to create the most simple, yet gorgeous smokey eye. I love this colour and it's perfect for everyday. I love the matte finish as well. This has been gracing my eyes everyday along with another of my faves...

L'Oreal Super Liner Ultra Precision

Oh my god. This wins favourite of the month. Maybe even the year. It's the most incredible liner I have ever tried and I would highly recommend it to anyone who was looking for an easy, precise, bold liner. It's perfect, long wearing and my ultimate accessory.

Bourjois Cream Blush in Rose Tender

I wore this for the whole of my holiday. It seemed to be completely heat proof, and matched perfectly with my new tan. So easy to apply it was perfect for holidays and long lasting. The perfect summer blush.

Mac Coral Bliss Lipstick

I bought this at the duty free and then wore it every evening of the holiday. It's a gorgeous peach coral, cremesheen so not the longest lasting, but it's so pretty. The perfect summer colour and goes gorgeous with a tan.

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

One I've had for a little while, but it's really come into its own in the hot weather. It seems to survive the hot sweats and oily patches of the face. It's also a little darker than my usual tone so it's perfect for a tanned face. It seems to survive the sticky heat better than most BB creams and other foundations I have.

L'Oreal LumiMagique Primer

Again, an oldie and one I hadn't used for a while, but it's graced my cheeks and nose as a highlighter for the past few weeks and it's made a huge difference in terms of longevity of my make up as well.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

And not for the reason you think. On holiday I forgot to take powder. So I tried this instead, close eyes and a quick spritz on the face after make up and instantly dried up any sweaty/oily patches and took away all shininess. Was actually perfect for this.

Piz Buin After Sun

A complete god send on holiday. I popped this on every evening and morning and any red bits soon disappeared into a gorgeous golden brown, and with minimal soreness as well. I also LOVE the smell. It's a great dupe for Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess if you're on a bit of a budget!

What's your July Favourites?

Make Up | Super Eye Team

Step forward my super eye team. I don't know about you, but when I find products that just work perfectly together I just have to rave about it. Maybe it's the blogger in me... Or I just like to talk who knows?!

Anyway, I've been using the L'Oreal Telescopic for a few months now and it is my go to mascara - whenever I want an extra little pop or to feel that little bit special I pop this on. It lengthens, thickens and just adds that little something extra.

Very recently I have found the perfect pairing to this super mascara. The L'Oreal Ultra Precision SuperLiner is my new baby. It creates a dramatic, yet wearable, line that stays all day along with the mascara and I think the two together just create that perfect pairing of mascara and liner.

L'Oreal win in terms of eyes for me - these two are my everyday eye make up at the moment, added with a bit of eyeshadow for colour but ultimately - these are my heroes.

What's your super eye team?

Skin Care | L'Oreal Micellar Solution

L'OREAL 3 IN 1 PURIFYING MICELLAR SOLUTION £3.33

I seem to be developing an addiction to micellar waters. I blame Bioderma, I really do. Bad French skin care brand! Now another French brand have done it again. I saw this on Estee's blog (www.essiebutton.com - go see it) and was intrigued. So off I went, and luckily it was in Sainsburys in a 3 for 2 deal. Yay!

So anywho, was it worth it? I find this a lot more watery - or viscous to be more scientific - than the others. It literally pours out the bottle, so it does have some wastage.  It's a very gentle cleanser, that removes foundation, power and blusher very easily. It's not as great on eye make up or bright lipstick, but for light make up it's perfect. Also for those with more sensitive skin it's gentle enough to work. 

Overall I do like this, for me it's not as tough on make up as others like B.Pure or Bioderma, but it's perfect for light and sensitive skin.

What's your favourite micellar water?

Trends | Pink Lips

Continuing the exploration of my lip drawer this week I have decided to focus on pink lips. Bright loud pinks, to pale baby pinks. I love pink lips - any kind of pink. I don't wear pink anywhere else so I like to make the exception somewhere - and that would be my lips. Mwah!

RIMMEL MOISTURE RENEW LILY EXTASE

Loving this range of lipsticks from Rimmel, it's incredibly moisturising and pigmented. This colour is a beautiful blue toned bright pink and I love it. It's very bright, long lasting and incredibly comfortable to wear. I've done a full review here so check it out, but this is definitely one of my faves.

L'OREAL CARESSE IN LOVELY ROSE

A pale baby pink balm that sits on the lips perfectly and comfortably. It feels like a balm more than a lipstick and it lasts on the lips for a good couple of hours. It is a very pale pink so not brilliant for those with a pale complexion already, but very pretty. 

RIMMEL APOCALIPS IN NOVA

Apocalips were everywhere when they were released, and I still love them. This is one of the four shades I have and it's incredibly pinky. It's another blue toned bright pink, that is very wearable for everyday situations and incredibly long lasting and pigments.

MAC LIPSTICK IN PINK NOUVEAU

The newest addition to my Mac lipstick collection is this gorgeous, yellow toned pink. Bright and very 80s in my opinion. Not a colour I've used before but I really like it. It's very different, long lasting and comfortable. Definitely a favourite for me, even if it is on the pricier side.

REVLON LIP BUTTER IN SWEET TART

Very similar formula to the L'Oreal Caresse, but a bit more balmy and pigmented. This is more of a deep blue toned pink, less heavy than a lipstick so quite light and perfect for the summer. A gorgeous summer shade as well. Bright, but subtle enough to be everyday.

What's your favourite pink lip?

Make Up | L'Oreal Super Liner

L'OREAL SUPER LINER ULTRA PRECISION in BLACK

Okay, so looking through Sainsbury's 3 for 2 offer I found this little liner. I believe it's an older one of L'Oreal's as it's no longer on the Boots website (sob). Anywho, I got this from Sainsburys and my eyes have been married every since.

It's got the felt tip precision, but the base is like a bottle so even if you use it over a shadow you can still get the pigmentation without the fade. It's a little thicker than others I've used like Pixi Lash Line, but it's still incredibly easy to use. It's so long lasting as well, lasting all through work and not even transferring onto my upper lid. Which is really what bugged me about the Pixi Lash Line, it always transferred but this just stays put. It really is a love.

I would definitelely recommend you checking it out. Maybe not if you're a total novice with liquid eyeliner as like I said, it's a bit thicker than others I've tried, but once you're a dab hand definitely snatch this up. It's my favourite and I couldn't be without it now!

Which is your fave eye liner?

Trends | Top 10 under £10

I got the idea for this from Fleur's channel (video here). I loved the idea of this and considering most of my make up is drugstore this would be fab to try and do. I have tried not to use any of there Top 10 to create a big of variety! I actually found it really really hard to whittle some of these products down. I've tried to use products for every kinda face part as well (if that makes sense...) so let's take a peek!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation £9.99

A cult classic really, or it's turned into one anyway. I really love this foundation. It's a medium weight foundation that has fantastic coverage and is really long lasting. For me as well it doesn't clash with my oily skin which is always going to get a thumbs up in my book.

Max Factor Miracle Touch Cream Blush in Soft Pink £4.99

A gorgeous cream blush, incredibly easy and quick to apply. Small packaging so perfect for travelling, yet lasts for a while. Again, really good quality and very long lasting and I love the colour of this. It looks really natural on and as it doesn't go powdery on application it's great for lips as well.

Essie Mini Collections £9.99

Essie polishes are normally £7.99 from Boots, so these mini collections are a great way to nab three of the current collection and work out at around £3.34 each - so not bad at all! Yes they are mini, so not as much product, but they still have the same Essie quality and the ones I have so far are fab.

Bourjois Bronzing Powder £6.99

A bronzer I've had for about a year now and still not touched the pan. It's a gorgeous subtle matte bronze that's perfect for us paler types, but helps to warm up the complexion and is a dab hand for contouring as well. Great price and it smells like chocolate. They know how to market to us girlies!

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks £6.29

Probably one of the best quality high street lipsticks I've ever tried. Really pigments, great coverge and good longevity and a wide range of colours. I love these and I'm always reaching for them. A really good price and something I think is quite overlooked in drugstores - needs much more hype then it currently has!

L'Oreal Micellar Water £3.33

A really fab drugstore version that I've been reaching for continually. It's calming on the skin and amazing at removing make up. It's a very watery version compared to Bioderma, but it's such a good price for the quality of product that you get. I've fallen head over heels for it. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Pencil £4.49

I love these crayons. So so easy to use and apply and really long lasting as well. Great product for such a small price, and a fab dupe for the Clinique Chubby Sticks. Not a huge range of colours, but I love the champagne and bronze colours - great for everyday wear. 

Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter £8.00

My ultimate favourite shower cream/gel/wash ever. It's amazing as a shaving cream - it keeps the legs moisturised instead of dry and flaky and is actually just amazing on the skin. Pricey for a shower product, but definitely worth it for me as I really struggling after shaving.

L'Oreal SuperLiner in Black £6.49

My perfect eyeliner. It's got the easy to use felt tip applicator and fantastic pigmentation. It's really easy to apply over eye shadow and doesn't transfer onto the top of the lid, and is really long lasting. A great price as well for a liquid liner.

No7 BB Lips £8.50

A new addition to my routine but one I absolutely love. They are so comfortable on the lips and also protect really well against the sun. I love the subtly of the colours as they are perfect for everyday wear at work as well and they are just altogether fab to me.

I have literally rewritten this so many times. I did notice that there isn't a lot of skincare on this... Unfortunately I tend to go for the higher end bits for skin care - make up however I have found you can get some amazing bits for a low price. I'm sure I've forgotten something... O well, here is my top 10!

What's your top 10 under £10?

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?