Forever Repurchases

It's not often that I'll fall head over heels with a makeup product but when I do, I fall hard. Over the past few years of writing this blog I've been through hundreds of lipsticks, foundations and even brow products but there's a few that have truly found a place in my heart and I'll continue to repurchase over and over again.

The first one is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. My love for this has been well documented over here because I have been using it for the past 2 years. It's my daily foundation due to the light coverage, dewy finish and the shade range. It's usually hard to find a drugstore foundation that caters to extremely pale skin like mine, but this one suits me perfectly. On a similar note is the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. I won't ramble too much about this because I feel like I've talked it to death but it still surprises me how this will be the only thing to cover mega-spots!

For brows, Anastasia Beverly Hills is the only way to go. I bought their DipBrow just before Christmas last year and I've used it everyday since. It took me a while to get used to the consistency of it because I've never used a gel-like formula for my brows, but now I won't be without it. Mascara-wise, Maybelline's Lash Sensational is the only thing I'll use for my lashes. It's surprisingly good for the price and it seperates my lashes perfectly whilst still adding volume.

Lastly is my ultimate favourite favourite lipstick, MAC's Patisserie. Again, I've had this years and been through countless tubes but it still holds the spot of 'best nude lipstick' in my heart. I did a full review of this last year and mentioned that if you have fair skin and struggle to find a nude lip that doesn't wash you out, you need to try this. I still whole-heartedly stand by that and I wouldn't be without it now!

What's your favourite makeup product?

Favourites From January

Today's post is coming to you in video-form! You may know that I've been getting back into filming regular videos over on my YouTube channel but if you didn't... Now you do. Anyway, instead of writing up my monthly favourites (which seems like it takes FOREVER!), I've decided to film them and just share them on here. So if you'd like to see some of my favourites from January, just click above :)

I'd also really appreciate if you'd subscribe to my channel, if you like my videos. If you don't, I won't be offended! :)

Favourites From This Month

Another month, another favourites post. Another month that we all complain how fast it's gone but look on the bright side - it's another month closer to Christmas! Can you believe it's only 54 days? I still can't believe how fast this year has gone in general, it only feels like yesterday that I was writing out my New Years resolutions! I always find that the transitional months are the best for makeup and it's also when I tend to splurge a little. This month saw lots of new makeup goodies and I've loved trying them out - so much so that I have a few for this month's favourites post!

The first product I've fallen in love with this month is the Revlon Photoready foundation. I have an upcoming review of this but it's honestly such a refreshing change for me to use this. I tend to stick to the same things when it comes to foundations - matte, thick and full coverage. I bought this on a whim and had no clue what the formulation or the effect was like. Quite risky, hey? Anyway it worked for me. This is a lightweight, dewy foundation that's so easy to apply and makes my skin look much healthier and glowy. I've also been loving MAC's Sumptuous Olive after reminding myself that I actually owned it when I wrote up my MAC eyeshadow collection. This is stunning for green eyes but isn't very pigmented. To pack more colour onto my lids I just wet the brush slightly and the green & gold then really shows on your eyes.

This favourites post may as well be titles "Revlon favourites with a MAC product chucked in" but Revlon are killing it for me at the moment! I also picked up the Revlon cream blush in Pinched for a bargain £3 and again, I couldn't be happier with it. It's so natural looking and gives me that flushed glow which I love to wear in the Winter time. A favourite lip look for this month is a mixture of the Revlon Matte Balm in Elusive topped with the Revlon Lip Gloss in Papaya. This is a summery kind of shade but I love to switch my makeup up by wearing it not according to the season.

September Favourites

September is always a good makeup month; it's the transition from Summer to Autumn, meaning the lipsticks can be cracked out & it's beginning to become acceptable to be as pale as I am. Bold lips are out in full force in September and it's pretty noticeable when you count at least 6 people sporting some sort of bold lip when you venture into town. This is the time of year when I have a huge makeup clear out & pick out some key items that I'll be attempting to pull off over the Autumn/Winter months. This is so much fun for me as Fall is my favourite time for makeup!

The first favourite of this month is the NARS Sheer Glow foundation. Where would I be without this? I don't even want to contemplate the answer. Although this is a pretty heavy duty foundation and covers everything from spots to under eye circles, it still feels weightless on the skin. Amazing, right? Another product I've been using on my face is the MAC eye shadow in Omega. Us pale-skinned girls can find contouring a difficult lesson and I've almost abandoned hope altogether until I came across this. The grey tones in this eyeshadow are great for carving out some cheekbones as opposed to bronzier shades as they don't look muddy on the skin. How many times have you seen mud-like smeared marks across the cheekbones? Not a good look!

For my eyes I've been loving the Mally eyeliner. This is actually my mums but after using it on a whim in this tutorial, I've been using it ever since. I usually steer clear of liner in the waterline as it irritates my eyes and makes them appear much smaller, but this one is a revelation. It's so easy to smudge out - amazing if you're doing a smokey lower lash line! - doesn't irritate my eyes whatsoever and doesn't smudge all over the area around your eye.... Bonus! My brows have been going through a rough time lately; they live by the term 'eyebrows are sisters, not twins' yet look like long lost cousins. To reshape them into something slightly similar I've been using the Soap and Glory Brow Archery, a product I only discovered at the start of the month. I've been loving how natural and defined it makes my uneven brows look and has quickly become a staple in my makeup bag.

My makeup motto for this month (other than the drama with brows) has been "lips and lashes". I love how a full lash set goes so nicely with a bold lip, so that's what I've been sporting this month. For lashes I use a generous coating of the Rimmel Wonderfull mascara and the most exciting part, it contains Argan Oil. Crazy right? I have no idea how or why it works, but it does. It's an amazing mascara. Russian Red from MAC has been on my lips constantly after I found it under my bed and is my all-time, classic, staple red lip. It's matte, teeth-whitening and easy to apply. What more could a girl want?

What've you been loving this month?

August Favourites

Can we just notice how this time last year I was doing one of my first ever monthly favourites? If you want to see how my writing has changed, photography has changed or just a major flashback (Throwback Sunday, maybe?) then click here and it'll take you through. This month has been very good makeup-wise, with a few new additions and some forgotten gems.

The first thing I've been loving this month has been the Rimmel Wonderfull mascara. This is brand new at the moment and I love how it makes my lashes look so full and fluttery without feeling crispy. I've also been loving the Anastasia Brow Wiz, which I've now run out of. I hated this at first but since I started over with it again, it's been my eyebrow's best friend. 

For skin I've been loving the Simple moisturiser. I've been camping this week so I needed a quick & easy product that could put all of the moisture back into my skin. This is cheap and cheerful and makes my skin feeling so soft, plumped & fresh. Benefit's That Gal primer was a product that I reviewed here and I can safely say I'm still as in love with it now as I was then. I won't ramble on about this too much because I've already done that but if you're looking for a primer that makes your skin look radiant, this would be my choice.

I've been wearing two lip options this month, with one being MAC's Patisserie. This is my go-to everyday lipstick that is so easy to wear and apply. I pop this on in the morning and although it does require frequent top-ups, it makes my lips look fuller and my makeup pulled together. The other lip option I've loved is the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper. I also reviewed this and said its' staying power was incredible. It's so difficult to remove but looks gorgeous on the lips!

June Favourites

Makeup-wise, June has been a good month for me. I managed to grab some of my ultimate makeup products in a Post-Exam mini haul and have had a bit of time to try them out, as well as still getting to know the products from when I Shopped My Stash. This month I've been loving neutral makeup as well as embracing a new-found love for a purple smokey eye.

For the new smokey eye I like to use MAC's Smut eye shadow. I bought this around 8 months ago and hadn't touched it. Since going through and trialing all of the shades in my MAC palette that I'd never used, it struck a chord with me that it'd be gorgeous with Shadow Lady for a purple smokey eye. I was right. I love to wear this with my Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy with Omega, Carbon and a winged liner to create such gorgeous look that I did a tutorial on my YouTube channel. I've been attempting to get away with this look for nipping to Tesco's... I don't think it's working.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I've also been loving natural makeup. After shopping my stash I re-kindled my love for MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle. I've had a serious love-hate relationship with this but found that it's best used with a light hand. The Nivea Raspberry Rose lip butter has been my savior for those times when you crawl into bed and need some last minute intensive lip moisture. Cheap and cheerful and does the job perfectly!

May Favourites

It's that time of the month again where I round up my beauty favourites of the month, and also the time of the month where I say that this month has passed to quickly. Did I say "month" enough in that sentence? Month. Anyway, I have a few favourites this month from new brow products to a new foundation obsession and even a new brush. 

My first favourite of the month has to be my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. I mentioned this in last week's "This Week" post and said that I used to have a love-hate relationship with this product (mainly hate). After shopping my stash last week, I found this again and tried to work with it using a light hand and BAM, my brows were full and defined. Amazing.

Another favourite of mine this month is the L'Oreal True Match foundation. Being a really pale - pretty much white - skinned girl, it's hard to find drugstore foundations that cater to my skin tone. It's everything I love in a good foundation - not cakey, lightweight, full coverage and not too expensive! I've also been loving the Real Techniques Buffing Brush to apply it, which makes my skin look flawless. These brushes are also really easy to clean and keep the shape really nicely, which makes brush-washing less of a chore!

This month I've been loving to use the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Elusive as a cream blush. I find this shade a bit too doll-like on my pale skin for my lips but dabbed onto the cheeks and blended with the RT Buffing Brush makes a really nice, natural cheek colour. You should know me by now - never using a product the way it's intended to be used!

March Favourites

If you haven't noticed, I'm attempting to make more of an effort with my monthly favourites. I started this feature back in December of 2012 and have done about three ever since. Monthly favourites are actually one of my favourite posts to read, and I love writing them too so I can combine all of my favourite products of that month!

The first thing I've been loving is the Bourjois Colorboost in Red Sunshine. Now that Spring is almost here and corals are becoming slightly more seasonally appropriate, I've been loving wearing this on my lips as a little something with a gorgeous gloss. I also have been loving my MAC Studio Fix Fluid. If you've been reading my blog for some time, you'll know how much I love this. I'm still yet to find another foundation that I love as much as this.

I have also been enjoying using the Sugar Crush Body Scrub. Now that I find myself spending more time in the bath than I do in bed, a gorgeous scrub is an essential. The Sugar Crush scent is even one of my favourite ever scents that I'd happily wear it as a perfume! One of the best things in life is finding a hidden gem that you find in your makeup storage that you completely forget about. I found the Bourjois Intuitive Liner in my stash and when I first tried this, I really disliked it. I gave it a whirl at the start of the month and fell in love with it!

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january favourites

It's that time of the month again where January Favourites are on the agenda. This month was a good makeup month for me, what with all of the January sales and Christmas presents. I've been trialing out my fair share of new makeup products, skincare genius' and even candle scents. In the beauty world, it's been a good month.

First of all I have not one, not two, but three MAC products in the line up this month. I have included my Harmony blush as my perfect contour colour. I got this about three months ago and have been using it practically everyday for either a contoured, sculpted face or just an all-over bronzed glow. I mentioned in my New Years Resolutions post that I'm attempting to master the art of contouring and this little beauty is definitely helping me get there, slowly but surely!

The second and third products are both eyeshadows that if I saw them on the counter, I'd think "heck no, what are those colours about?!" but I gave them a whirl and look where they've ended up. Everyone recommended Sumptuous Olive and although it looks like a moudly green, it actually is a lovely golden shade that I've been loving to wear all over my lid. We also have Wedge, which I initially thought was a neither-here-nor-there shade but because I'm so pale, it looks amazing worked into my crease! This little trick has been my go-to makeup look throughout January. If you'd like to see what it looks like, give me a shout!

Next is my current go-to foundation. NARS Sheer Glow was a product that I reviewed here but in a nutshell, it's a gorgeous medium to full coverage that I've been enjoying wearing this month. Although the name is slightly misleading (it's not sheer and it has a tiny hint of glowiness!), I've also been getting compliments on how good my skin looks. It's brilliant! Finally is Beyonce's new album. My favourites on the album have to be Drunk in Love, Partition and Jealous. On second thought, they're all amazing.

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august favourites

I'm not usually fond of writing monthly favourites, probably because I struggle to photograph them. I've tried at least four times to photograph what I've been loving that month, but I've either not been happy with it or it was feeling forced. However, this month I've been getting my act together and using new products to finally do a monthly favourites post. So, here are my August favourites. :)

The first thing I've been loving this month is the Bourjois Healthy Mix serum and I use the shade Vanilla. This is quite dark for my pale skin, but I've been on holiday twice in these six weeks so I've got a tan on my arms and neck which means I can get away with wearing this! One of the things I love most about this product is the smell. It smells very fruity and summery, and I'm sat smelling this as we speak because it smells so good!

For me, Bourjois have been the brand I've been most impressed with so far this year. Everything from their foundations and bronzers to lip crayons and glosses have surprised me. To be honest, Bourjois was always a brand that I overlooked, but I think they're one of the best drugstore brands out there. Their Colorboost lip crayon in Fuschia Libre has been one of my makeup bag essentials for this summer. I did a full review on all of the shades in the collection here, but this has become one of my favourite shades.

I've been loving lip products this summer, and I find them more suited to summer than eye makeup is. My first and only Topshop lipstick has been one I've been loving this month. This one is in the shade Innocent, and is a beautiful baby, beachy pink which is so easy to wear! Nails Inc have also impressed me this month. Even though I only own two shades from their whole collection, I've fallen in love with Elizabeth Street. There is a (quite old) full review here.

I've also been using the St. Ives Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub, (that was a mouthful). I mentioned this in my skincare post here, and mentioned that it says on the tube to use it 3-4 times a week. However, this is quite a tough scrub and it could be very irrative on your skin if you used it too much. I use this 1-2 times a week and leaves my skin feeling very clean and fresh.

Finally, I've been loving my Yankee Candle in Midnight Jasmine. The scent is very floral-y, fresh and delicate. I've been burning this in my bedroom with all of the windows open in the blistering heat, and it fits in perfectly :)

december favourites

It's the end of December, which means it's time for another monthly favourites! Here I am, in my pyjamas with my hair in a little top knot, typing my little fingers off trying to get this post finally finished so I have time to get ready for tonight. I always seem to try less products during December, because I spend the majority of my money on other people's presents rather than on myself like almost every other month! So, without further ado, here are my December favourites! :)

Topshop Lips in Innocent. I bought this during the middle of this month as a little 'pick me up' and I've been wanting to try Topshop makeup for a while. I'm slowly become quite a huge fan, building up my own little collection. They are similar quality to MAC and they are a really good dupe, costing about £5 cheaper. The pigmentation of these lipsticks is very good, and it is a lovely colour. It's like a pinky coral colour, and if you don't suit darker lip colours (like me!) I would really recommend trying this. 

Models Own Nail Polish in Hedonist. I am a huge nail polish junkie. My mum even bought me 2 nail polish racks for Christmas because my wardrobes were overfilling with bottles! This is from the Hedkandi range and it's a bright, neon red with an orange undertone which makes your fingers really stand out. I only ever use 1 coat of this because it's very thick and it gives a really full colour in just 1 coat. It drys matte, so if you don't like matte colours on your nails you could cover it with a topcoat.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub. I absolutely adore this. I am completely and utterly obsessed. It's a little cute pot of bright pink sugar-like grains which you rub onto your lips and lick off. It gets off all of the dead skin on your lips ready to apply lip balm. I know, it sounds gross because in actual fact you practically licking off dead skin... Yuck. I must admit, the first time I bought this was for two very shallow reasons; the colour (who doesn't love a little pot of bright pink goodness?) and the smell. It smells like heaven! You should probably know by now that I'm absolutely terrible at describing scents, but this smells like bubblegum which you get at a fairground as soon as you open the lid. It works wonders on my lips and leaves them very smooth and smelling (and tasting) lovely.

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser. This is a complete God send in the winter months, where my skin gets very very dry and horrible. I use this every morning and night after I cleanse and tone my face, and it leaves my skin feeling very fresh, light, and nicer in general. It's so cheap and I prefer this to some of the dearer brands because it's such good quality for the price.

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel. I honestly don't think that I can rave about this product enough. It smells SO nice, like cupcakes, pear drops, candyfloss and marshmellows all thrown in one. I bought two 500g bottles of these last year because LUSH only sell them over the Christmas period. These will last me for ages, and I use this for my shower gel and occasionally as shampoo. It lathers really well, smells amazing and you can smell if for days afterwards. I can't tell you how nice this smells, but next Christmas I think I'm going to get maybe 3 or 4 big bottles because this is my holy grail for shower gels!

               

Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser. Again, I use this product everyday during my morning/night skincare routine. I don't really know what it smells of, although it says it is supposed to smell like peaches but I can't really seem to find that! It takes my makeup off very easily, and it has a little pump which I love because I can control very easily how much I am using. It's a good alternative to the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish which I'm sure you've heard bloggers rave about for months and months, and it's a lot cheaper.

What are your December favourites?