I decided to go cruelty-free recently so I thought I should buy some replacements for my makeup - if I'm wrong about the cruelty-free status about any of these, please feel free to tell me but don't shout at me, cheers.
Another month has rolled past and I've fallen in love with a whole new bunch of favourites. In this month's favourites video, I discuss 'the Kylie Jenner lip trend' and how I don't like the phrase anymore, strobing and how I don't like how strobing has become a 'thing', and how I'm grumpy and generally dislike most things . . . Enjoy!
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation (review here) | I've probably raved on about this enough on both here in the review and on my YouTube channel but this foundation is the closest match to my skin I've ever found in a foundation, it's a medium coverage so even if I am a bit paler or darker on a certain day (my skin colour fluctuates tremendously) it still blends in and looks really natural. It also gives a semi-dewy finish which I really like especially around this time of year, in terms of longevity it really stays put if you powder (which I always do anyway to be safe). I also think the shade range of this foundation is pretty fab at least in terms of darker skinned people, like my friend has very dark skin and even she found a match with this foundation which is something that doesn't happen much with cheaper foundations . . . Revlon Colourstay Concealer | Again, a base product with a pretty decent shade range. This concealer matches my skin very well, has a medium-high coverage, is creamy, and it's pretty easy to blend, so it ticks a bunch of boxes. I like to use a lighter concealer mixed with this one for under the eyes, but this is generally a safe one all around the face and one I think would work on all skin types. eBay Brush Set | I mentioned this in this haul and I've basically been using it every single day. It has pretty much every brush you might ever need and it was really cheap, plus when you whip this out in front of your friends that's a conversation starter right there. In all seriousness, when I was on holiday with my friends and when I've stayed round at friends' houses since, this brush roll never fails to spark a conversation. Maybelline ColourSensational Lipstick in Velvet Beige | As you may have picked up on, I am a big nudes girl when it comes to lipstick. It's funny because I never used to be, I thought it was a bit of a waste of time to wear lipstick unless it was like a red or a pink, but I'm a changed woman, and this is now my favourite nude lipstick. It's the perfect mix of pink and brown, it's very a much a MLCBB shade, it's comfortable to wear on the lips and I've been reaching for it practically every day. Primark Egg Makeup Sponge | When YouTubers and bloggers alike started mentioning makeup sponges that were over £10, I immediately thought it was a ridiculous concept. I didn't understand why someone would spend nearly £20 on a sponge on all things, but after seeing them being used so much, I really wanted to try one and when I saw one in Primark for £1.50, I knew that was my opportunity. Now I can say, this has revolutionised my life . . . or at least my makeup base life. It blends in concealer and foundation like a dream, a well blended dream. It really gives you a flawless but natural looking skin like finish. I've never used it dry because anyone who's ever used one will emphasize how it must be used damp, it takes a bit longer to dampen a sponge and the whole process takes a little bit longer but it's really worth it for that flawless finish. Primark Eyelash Curlers | Up until the beginning of this month, I was terrified of eyelash curlers - genuinely terrified. I still look at them and think they look like glamorised torture machines, but they seem to make such a difference when I'm watching makeup tutorials or even watching my friends use them, so I decided I wanted to try out a pair and I remembered someone saying the Primark ones were pretty good for the price, at £1 I could hardly say no, and I'm so glad I picked these up. Firstly, they're pink and white so even if you're not into the whole curling-your-lashes-with-a-torture-machine vibe, it'll look pretty bomb with the rest of your makeup. Jokes aside, these curl my lashes so well, and the handle-lever-mabobby is quite firm so you're not going to slam down on your eyelids and injure them (as my friend did and she decided to tell me this story seconds before I curled my lashes for the first time, thanks for that one Ma'Suma . . .) - basically, these are chip as chips (quite literally), they look super cute, and they do a pretty decent job. Primark Facial Brush | As you can probably tell, I'm having a bit of a moment with Primark's makeup utensils. I picked these all these bits up at the Aisle of Doom in the Primark in Westfield, and I knew that Primark did both a makeup sponge and the eyelash curlers but I had no idea they did a facial brush, something I had been quite interested in since seeing the electronic Clarisonic ones. This one is manual (which I'm not too bothered about at all), pink and white again (important to maintain the #aesthetic in all areas of beauty utensils) and only cost £1. It's made such a difference to my skin, my skin is noticeably softer, smoother and I feel like my skin tone is more even. I only use the more abrasive brush side if I'm exfoliating my skin post-shower-lemon-sugar-scrub-time or if I'm putting on makeup (which is only a couple of times a week at the moment because in the summer people cut me off hence I leave the house less, I joke I joke, but seriously I haven't left the house in days), then I use the rubbery side everyday because it doesn't massively exfoliate, and this has just really improved my skin and it only cost £1 (and I've been using it in conjunction with the next product I'm going to mention . . .)
Simple Facial Wash | I got this because my morning facial routine has been a little bit poor, like I used to use a facial soap and a moisturiser which is fine but now I've amped it up with this facial wash, the facial brush mentioned above, and a moisturiser. This facial wash, even without the facial brush, leaves my skin feeling so soft and smooth. It's not at all abrasive and I can imagine this would work on the most sensitive of skins, plus it only cost about £1.50 so it's not going to break the bank either. Rimmel Lipliner in Tiramisu | I think I first heard about this from velvetgh0st using it in a YouTube video and I really liked the look of it then but for some reason I didn't pick it up for ages, this is your standard brown/nude lip pencil. I really like Rimmel lip liners, I think they're creamy but not so creamy that you waste a ridiculous amount of the pencil in a short period of time, plus they're pretty cheap. I've been using this a lot with the Maybelline Lipstick I mentioned earlier but I just think this goes well with any nude sort of lipstick, and I've been wearing it every day I wear makeup. Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights | As I mentioned when I bought it, one of the reasons I bought this product was because The Smiths covered a song called Golden Lights and it's on their Louder Than Bombs album so I was interested just for that subtle reference (despite the fact, the song is not all that good . . .) but I love this highlighter so so much. I do have another Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter in Pink Lights but as the name would suggest, it's very pink and icy and it just didn't look great on my skin tone or at least nowhere near as great as this one does. This one is more of a yellow toned highlighter and it is quite pigmented but if you're using the right brush (I've been using a fan brush as of late) you get the perfect amount of glow (and not in an icky sweaty way), plus this only cost about £3 which is a bargain. Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara | I feel like 2015 so far has definitely been all about the tinted brow gels but I am a bit late to jumping on the bandwagon, I wasn't sure whether a tinted brow gel would be for me because my brows are far from sparse and they're not at all light, but this is really good for a more natural brow look. I like to run this through my brows and then add a bit of shape with eyeshadow, then use a spoolie to blend it all together. This gel does not budge until you use a makeup remover to get rid of it, and the tint isn't super strong so it's actually quite hard to go overboard on it. The brush is a bit weird because it has big ball at the top of it which did make me mess up the first time I used it, but once you've adjusted to the shape of the wand it's really not an issue, and this has really sped up my morning brow routine. MUA Pro-Base Prime & Conceal in Peach | I don't know if you remember but in my older YouTube videos (now unlisted) I used to use orange lipstick to correct my dark circles, this method works, but for only £2 you can get a proper corrector from MUA to do the same thing and it works much better. This is creamy and really does the job well, it's made it so much easier to correct my awful dark circles.
Recently I went on holiday with a bunch of friends to Lytham - a slightly different choice to your average Magaluf vacation but it was a lot of fun and the weather was great. I was going to do a travel makeup bag post before the holiday but I didn't really have time, and what I realised when I came back is that I packed a hell of a lot more than I needed, so this is present Bess telling past Bess what she should've taken.
Past Bess actually did pretty well on the base items and they all got used everyday. The only colour correcting item I brought and used was the MUA Pro-Base Prime & Conceal in Peach which I put under my eyes to cancel out dark circles, and believe me I didn't get a lot of sleep on this trip at all so it was definitely needed everyday. For foundation, we had the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 220 as it's the only foundation that matches my skin perfectly and it can be built up to a high coverage or left as a light one. For concealer, I brought the Collection Cover Stick in Natural Beige and the Revlon Colourstay Concealer in Medium Deep, Revlon's offering was a good all over face concealer because it's high in coverage whilst being creamy and it matches my skin pretty well, but for under the eyes I mixed it with the Collection Cover Stick as it's a bit lighter and helped brighten the undereye area. To set my under eyes, I used the MUA Matte Perfect Loose Powder in Translucent because cooking is the only method that works to stop my undereye concealer from creasing - how many 18 year olds have to deal with fine lines and dark circles? To set everything in place I used the Collection Pressed Powder in Translucent which is a pretty fine milled powder so you don't result in cake face but everything is set for quite a few hours, although it definitely disappeared a bit on my face when we went to Blackpool because the weather was scorching on that day.
In the brow department, past Bess probably bought a little bit more than was necessary as she packed both a brow pencil and a powder and a clear gel. All I actually used was Makeup Revolution's Mono Eyeshadow in Delicious and the Essence Clear Brow & Lash Gel, the brow pencil wasn't used once.
For the eyes I brought quite a few unnecessary things when really I could've just gone for the Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr in On and On Bronze which is basically the easiest eye product to use ever, the Collection Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner which is my all time favourite liquid liner and was used basically everyday (so it was a little bit pointless bringing a gel liner as well), Maybelline's The Colossal Volume Express Mascara which is without a doubt the best mascara I've ever tried as it ensures volume and length, and the Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliners in Nude and Black.
For contouring, I should've just brought the Makeup Revolution Mono Eyeshadow in Mmmm and the Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights - when you're travelling, it's definitely not the time to experiment with a cream contour stick that you've barely used before.
For lips, I brought an abundance of lipsticks as well as buying two more while we were there. I brought three nudes and a red, I didn't use the red once but I did use the Collection Lasting Colour Lipstick in China Rose nearly everyday and then I purchased Maybelline's Colour Sensational Lipstick in Velvet Beige and I wore that a lot too - I just can't be bothered with red lips in the summer, and I don't know why I thought the holiday would be an exception.
Over to you, what are your travel makeup bag essentials?
It's been a long time since I did a big splurge on makeup, but as my exams have now finished I figured it was a good time to go out with my friends and buy some more. I had one of those situations where everything runs out at once, y'know how hard it is going into an exam with a weak eyeliner game because your holy grail ran out? Pretty damn hard I tell you, so it was time for a spree.
Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights - £3.00
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 220 - £7.99
Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Mascara Cat Eye - £7.99
Revlon Colourstay Concealer in Medium Deep - £6.99
Collection Pressed Powder in Translucent - £1.99
Makeup Revolution The One Blush Stick in Matte Malibu - £5.00
Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black - £2.99
Maybelline Forever Strong Nail Polish in Mint for Life - £4.49
Collection Lasting Colour Lipstick in China Rose - £2.99
MUA Matte Perfect Loose Powder - £2.50
MUA Pro-Base Prime and Conceal in Peach - £2.00
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lip Balm - £1.89
Simple Kind to Skin Moisturising Face Wash - £1.75
Simple Kind to Skin Soothing Facial Toner - £1.59
It's been a heck of a long time since I did a makeup tutorial (I already specified previously that when I say makeup tutorial, I'm not saying I'm a makeup artist or I have any idea what I'm doing, but for the sake of shorter post/YouTube video titles, I have called it a tutorial - #dealwithit) and I quite fancied doing the somewhat summery look I've been wearing recently. When I say summery, I mean as summery as it gets for me. I actually decided to do this tutorial different to my other makeup videos (which you may or may not have realised are now mostly unlisted) so this isn't a chatty one, let me know what you think! I really fancied shaking things up and I think I prefer these sorts of videos at the moment. Also, big change - the lighting is actually pretty good in this video and I actually look mixed race, amen!
Products Used:
Rimmel 25hr Nude Foundation in 400
Collection Cover Stick in Natural Beige
L'Oreal True Match Concealer in Sable/Sand 5
Collection Sheer Loose Powder in Translucent (Review here)
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent
Essence Brow and Lash Gel
Makeup Revolution Mono Eyeshadow in Delicious
Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 200 Soft Beige
Makeup Revolution Mono Eyeshadow in MMMM (Review here)
Colours by Technic Complete Makeup Palette
Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Pencil in Nude
Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Pencil in Black
Essence Lip Liner in Satin Mauve
Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Natural Mauve
How do you shake up your makeup for summer? (If at all, I evidently don't change up mine that much!)
As I said in this video I don't really want to do seasonal favourites anymore. Whilst I love long chatty videos, I feel like I've gotten to a point where they're way too long but not in a nice way, so I thought short, snappy monthly favourites would be a better alternative, at least for now. I just think long chatty videos are really time consuming to film, really time consuming to edit, and they're really time consuming for you to watch so y'know I've got to do what's best for all of us here in the family of fashion, beauty and an existential crisis. So, as I said I'd do, it's the first Wednesday of the month so 'tis favourites time y'all.
1. L'Oreal True Match Foundation
I know this has been raved on and on about in the beauty world but I do always convince myself I won't like over-hyped products (and I always come to the conclusion that over-hyped products are over-hyped for a reason, damn me and my hipster tendencies). First of all, the shade range in the True Match Foundation is one of the best on the markets covering all undertones and many different skin colours, which for me is already a pretty big selling point. Secondly, the coverage is medium but can be built up to a full coverage, and it's quite hard to find a foundation with a good shade range and medium-full coverage. Thirdly, it's pretty easy to blend so you don't get any strange lines on your face from using a brush.
2. L'Oreal True Match Concealer
To go with the foundation, I have the concealer. I've heard mixed opinions on this but I personally really like it. Again, the shade range is pretty good for such a full coverage concealer. I find this pretty good at covering up both spots and under eyes, but it can crease under the eyes if you don't set it with powder pretty quickly.
3. Collection Cover Stick
I never used to like cover sticks, I used to find them drying and just generally not great, but I decided to pick this one after I couldn't find my beloved Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in my shade (seriously, I went on several occasions and Warm Medium is always sold out) so I gave this a swatch and was immediately baffled at how creamy this was for a concealer stick, plus it's a lot more yellow in tone than the Lasting Perfection concealer which for me is a plus. I do find that the way this best works is if I mix it with the L'Oreal True Match concealer and warm it up between my fingers then swipe it under my eyes and powder, I've never tried a better combination to cover up my dark circles.
4. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
Ah, another blogger favourite. I haven't much to say about this except that it's pretty finely milled so it doesn't make your skin look powdered, but it does keep my oil at bay for a good 5 hours before needing to touch up. I just use the transparent shade to set my makeup, but I do recommend it if you're on the lookout for a powder.
5. Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Mascara
I've wanted to try this for so so long because Maddie used to talk about it all the time before discovering a new favourite (which like every other blogger at the moment is the Lash Sensational mascara, I refuse to try it until the hype dies down a little bit) so I thought I'd give this a go. I'm not sure if it beats the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara yet but I've only been using it for a week so perhaps it needs to dry up a bit more, I do really love it though as it volumizes your lashes without looking super clumpy, the formula is great and doesn't transfer, it's also pretty easy to do your bottom lashes with it.
6. Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 Palette
I've had this for a while, and if you remember in my Full Face of First Impressions: Makeup Revolution video I wasn't thoroughly impressed with this palette. I liked it, but I didn't think it was as good as the Iconic 2 Palette regarding pigmentation. I think it was also because the shades in it are quite warm toned and those aren't usually the tones I reach for, but now that it's coming up to Spring I'm loving using the paler shades, and I think now it's been worn in a bit, the pigmentation is better.
When I was about 12 and started building up my makeup collection, I had a massive eyeshadow palette from Claire's Accessories, one mascara and a few lip glosses. This probably wasn't the best set for a rambunctious tween to start with, this resulted in heavy black eyeshadow to try and represent my adoration for My Chemical Romance (no mascara, no blending, yep I'm talking straight up panda eyes). So, here I am now telling you my favourite drugstore and high street makeup options to start up your own kit. If you're well experienced in the world of makeup, this is essentially just my best picks if you will.
FOUNDATION:
First of all, the low coverage low budget option is Makeup Revolution's The Matte Effect foundation. This costs a mere £2 and gives you a tiny bit of coverage, and it works as a nice base to put makeup on top of. This doesn't live up to the claim of being matte and it actually applies very much like a moisturiser (so do not fear my dry skinned chums) - so it doesn't live up to its claim of being matte but this isn't a problem if you use a powder.
Second of all, the medium-high coverage which is slightly more expensive but well worth the price is L'Oreal's True Match foundation which pretty much everyone in the bloggersphere loves, and for good reason. There's such a wide shade range suiting all undertones which was important for me, I find it ridiculously hard to find a match for my peculiarly undertoned mixed race skin but this fits the bill pretty darn well. It blends really nicely but gives you a fair bit of coverage, this is £9.99 but that's pretty average for a foundation and for a foundation this good it is well worth it.
CONCEALER:
I really struggled picking just one for this one because there are some that I like that I know a lot of people will hate or the shade range is really bad, and frankly I don't want to recommend to anyone who, like me, isn't white or orange a concealer that won't work for them. So a nice creamy, medium coverage concealer with a pretty decent shade range is the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, I think this is just a good all rounder.
POWDER:
My absolute favourite powder, which is probably not a complete surprise given how many people love it, is the Rimmel Stay Matte powder. This doesn't mattify you to the point where you're 2D but it does help to keep your makeup in place and keep your skin looking like skin, I use the transparent shade because I only use it to set my makeup but they do other shades so you can use it for a light coverage.
Another powder I quite like is the Collection Sheer Loose Powder, this is good if you have to majorly mattify your face. I stopped using this because I felt like I was looking 2D but if you have oily skin this is definitely one to give a go because it really helps keep oil at bay.
BROWS:
Very politician-like of me, I have a tendency to flip flop regarding my brow routine. When I want to go for a pencil, I love the P.S Love Brow Pencil which I own in both Medium and Dark (depending on whether I want a strong Delevigne-esque brow or just a nice natural look). This has the perfect degree of waxiness so it's not so pigmented to the point where your brows are heavier than my sense of shame (and that's pretty heavy bro), but it's also not at all scratchy.
For powder, at the moment I'm been loving using Makeup Revolution's mono eyeshadow in the shade Delicious - this is a lovely ashy, almost grey-brown-taupe shade that blends in with my eyebrows really well. Although, I also love Makeup Revolution's mono eyeshadow in the shade Mmmm although this is a little bit more warm toned than Delicious. Basically, the Makeup Revolution mono eyeshadows are pretty good anyway so you should have a look and see if you can find a shade to suit your brows.
EYESHADOWS:
My favourite eyeshadows ever are the Maybelline Colour Tattoos, they're super pigmented, long lasting, work as a base, work alone - generally the dog's bollocks.
If you prefer powdered eyeshadow, I love Makeup Revolution's Iconic 2 Palette as it offers cool-toned brownish-neutral-you-get-the-drill shades and when I'm not using the Colour Tattoos, I'm using this. The other palettes and mono eyeshadows by Makeup Revolution are great too, but I just think this specific palette is the most wearable of them all.
EYELINER:
I don't think I've gone a makeup-wearing day without liquid eyeliner in the past two years, so I've tried out a fair few, but my favourite without a doubt is the Collection Fast Stroke Liquid Liner - this is super super black, I'm talking black hole black, I'm talking the prospect of my future black... Okay, you get the point. It's also super long lasting and fairly easy to use, and although it's not waterproof, it generally doesn't budge.
Without a doubt, the Rimmel Scandaleyes kohl pencils are the best pencils on the market. They're creamy, pigmented and fairly long lasting. I've found that they do fade if you use them in the waterline but it's barely noticable and they're just generally good pencils, and very affordable too.
MASCARA:
My favourite mascara is L'Oreal's Miss Manga Mascara. It lengthens, volumizes and doesn't flake off throughout the day. It's just a darn amazing all rounder.
LIPS:
If you're not sure what kind of colour lipstick you want, I would definitely recommend Makeup Revolution's range. There's a massive shade range, plus they're only £1 so you can find out what kind of shades suit you.
For lip gloss, I would recommend the Max Factor Colour Elixir Lip Gloss. These aren't the cheapest, but I do really like them despite the fact I don't really wear lip gloss anymore. These aren't at all sticky but in spite of that, they're fairly long lasting, plus there's a nice range of shades from nude to bright.
BLUSH:
I'm not a massive blush wearer and this isn't strictly a blush, but the Maybelline Baby Lips range work really nicely as a subtle blush/highlighter combination. I remember reading that Lily Melrose saw that behind the scenes at a runway, baby lips was being used as a highlighter and blush behind the scenes, and it does help create a very subtle blush which is great if you're starting out and don't want anything too harsh.
BRONZER:
Okay this isn't technically a bronzer, but I love the Makeup Revolution eyeshadows in the shade Delicious and Mmmm (yes, the ones I mentioned in the Brows section) but these are fairly cool toned and work for contouring or warming up the face, plus they're only £1 so they're very good at least to start out on.
HIGHLIGHTER:
My favourite highlighter currently is the Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter, these come in a few different shades, they're so pigmented and only cost £3, plus they double up as eyeshadows, so if you're starting out on contouring and highlighting and all that face-sculpting jazz, this is a nice inexpensive one.
I've been trying not to spend too much money for the past couple of months because a bunch of my acquaintances had birthdays which I had to buy presents for, and what kind of acquaintance would I be if I spent money on myself rather than them*? Especially as they're all turning 18 so it's a special birthday of sorts. Anyway, I still have racked up a wishlist of things I would like to purchase in April.
I know what you're thinking, and yes I do accessorise like a 7 year old, but y'know what I'm still 18 and able to pull it off as some sort of ironic statement so it's all good. I saw Ciara Baxendale (she's Izzy in My Mad, Fat Diary if you don't know, and she's just the most adorable person) post a picture of this on her Instagram and I knew I had to have it because it's just really cute, then I found it on Amazon. I love backpacks anyway and I own a few, but this looks bigger than any of the ones I own, plus because it's plastic it'll be waterproof which is necessary when you're living in London.
I really need some more makeup storage, I absolutely love my two wide Muji drawers and I have a small acrylic makeup-holder-type-thing from Tiger but this only has space for 6 lipsticks and since Christmas, lipstick has become something that I can't leave a beauty shop without picking up. It's terrible I know, but this means I need more space because they're all a bit cluttered all over the place right now. I think this one from Amazon is a really good price and I saw someone else talk about this specific one in a blog post, so I'm pretty certain the quality will be alright. As long as it provides some storage I don't mind too much, plus I'm loving having a clear acrylic theme in my makeup storage.
I think I spoke about how much I loved the Essence Colour and Go Nail Polish in 113 in this post (in fact I know I did because I just linked you to the post, look at me acting like I don't know stuff). I loved the formula of these nail polishes and I really want some more pastel type shades in my nail polish collection for Spring/Summer. These nail polishes are so cheap and give you a gel effect without taking ages to dry (like a certain other nail polish brand I know..) so I just generally want a lot more of these in my life.
If you remember from my Spending Ban wishlist post I said that I wanted to try out the Naked Basics 2 palette, but at that time there wasn't a dupe for it so it was merely a dream that I would one day own those pretty taupe-toned shades. However, Makeup Revolution have done a palette that's allegedly a dupe of both Naked Basics palettes so I think I may as well buy that seeming as it's only £4.00. Plus, funnily enough I don't have anything quite like it in my collection even though I own quite a lot of eyeshadow. I don't own loads of matte shades even though I think those are the best for everyday, so I'll have to buy this and give it a go even though I've never ordered from the Makeup Revolution website (I tend to wait until everything comes into Superdrug!)
I don't own as many makeup brushes as a lot of the people on here, I think I own a total of 12 but in that 12 I don't have a nice slanted eyebrow brush. At the moment I use a dense flat thin (I think it's an eyeliner brush) to do my brows, and it works but I do really wanted a slanted one to be able to do them more effectively, and I wanted an opportunity to try out Makeup Revolution's range of brushes. Plus it's only £1.50 and I'm not sure where else I'm going to get a good quality brush for a cheaper price.
I said in a video a while ago that I was a bit bored of doing Get Ready With Me videos.. I think that may have been an understatement. I was ridiculously bored with doing Get Ready With Me videos. Don't get me wrong, they're some of my favourite to watch, but I just felt all my looks were looking the same and I couldn't be bothered to go through the process of filming and editing them anymore. That being said, I decided to film my everyday makeup because that is something that I like to change up a bit through the time of year and I quite liked filming this one so I hope you enjoy watching it!
I hate to use the term but it's slightly Kylie Jenner inspired. Honestly, any time I use that phrase I want to slap myself over the head for being so goddamn generic but is there a better way to phrase it? Until there is, I'm damned to a life of following the flock of sheep in the farm that is the bloggersphere.. yeah I got metaphorical.
PRODUCTS USED:
No7 Colour Lock Lipstick in Sweet Mango (discontinued, sorry)
L'Oreal True Match Foundation in N5
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 25
L'Oreal True Match Concealer in Sable Sand
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Warm Medium
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent
Essence Brow and Lash Gel
P.S Love Brow Pencil in Dark
Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Pencil in Nude
Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Pencil in Black
Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo Leather Effect in Creamy Beige
Makeup Revolution Iconic 2 Palette
Collection Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner in Black
L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara in Black Angel
Makeup Revolution Amazing Volume Mascara
Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara
Collection Sheer Loose Powder in Translucent (Review here)
Makeup Revolution Mono Eyeshadow in Mmmm (Review here)
Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter in Pink Lights
Essence Lipliner in Satin Mauve
MAC Lipstick in Taupe (Review here)
I honestly didn't realise how many products I used on a daily basis until writing it down just now.. I don't always use so many concealers and mascaras but sometimes I start using one and change it so that'll account for some of the long list of products.. I guess.. I don't know man, this is a makeup-buying judgement-free zone.
What products do use without fail when doing your makeup?
When it comes to contouring, I'm no expert. In fact, I'm extremely amateur. I don't have many bronzing products to attempt to sculpt my potato-resembling face, and until about this time last year, I had never even attempted to contour. This sentence doesn't have a 'but', I'm still an amateur, but after trying out a few products to contour, I think I have found a super good, but unlikely, product to do it.
As you can see in the picture above, I am not the most amazing contourer* but I still think the product I used is worth a mention here on 'fashion, beauty and an existential crisis'. Enter Makeup Revolution's Mono Eyeshadow in Mmmm (which I reviewed here). Crappy name, I know. Like seriously crappy, but crappy shade names aside, this stuff is ideal for contouring.
It's a matte, ashy brown which means it looks like shadow when used for contouring - it actually accentuates your cheek bones without a hint of orange in sight. It is super pigmented so I would go light handed or seriously blend this out otherwise you may look a little bit like you've been playing around with war paint. It is pretty blendable, but if you have dry patches on your cheeks you may find this clings a little bit to them so be wary and be sure to concentrate moisturiser on these areas before doing your makeup and using this to contour.
The best part about this product that it only costs £1 which is ridiculously cheap anyway, but especially for something you can use for contouring - regardless, you can't really go wrong for £1.
What's your favourite contouring product?
*And clearly not the best at using actual words in the actual dictionary that are actually in current use by the world's population Bloglovin | YouTube | Tumblr | Twitter | Instagram
Another season has passed - not going to lie, I'm going to miss being able to wear cardigans and thick tights and snuggle up in bed with a hot chocolate but I am looking forward to the weather not being freezing-my-tits-off cold. As the season ends, I have compiled a list of favourites - if you watch the video, you'll see non-beauty favourites as well as beauty favourites (cheeky plug, seriously though watch the video go on)
Essence Lip Liner in Satin Mauve
Essence are a brand that in the space of about half a year have become one of my favourite brands, they're inexpensive and amazing quality. I did an entire post of how to use this product to achieve Kylie Jenner lip status (I'm really going to try and stop talking about Kylie Jenner on here, it's becoming quite a problem) so if that's what you're after, this is a cheap way to get it. This pencil is super creamy and pigmented, only gripe I have with it being so creamy is that you have to sharpen it more often meaning you waste a lot more product than you would with a less creamy pencil, but y'know no pain no pain.
Soap & Glory Off Your Face wipes
Okay I know face wipes are like the antichrist of the beauty blogger world but desperate times call for desperate measures. Over the winter period, I've had a lot of late nights because I'll go round to a friend's for a meal and not leave until about midnight, and I've been to a couple of parties (ooh get me, Bess the socialite) so I've had a lot of times when I'll get home and just not have the energy to properly cleanse my face. Plus I got these wipes for Christmas in the Soap & Glory box set, so y'know I had to use them at some point. These have a good amount of product on them so it doesn't feel dry on your face, it smells of peach which is always a nice thing (unless you don't like peach, but if you don't like peach, don't buy peach scented face wipes...) and it leaves your skin feeling pretty soft. I usually put on moisturiser afterwards anyway because moisturiser is a skincare step that takes about two seconds, ain't nobody that lazy.
Soap & Glory Whipped Clean shower butter
This is quite possibly the nicest smelling thing in the history of scents, honestly, it's just nutty and vanilla-ry and good, gosh darn it. I like how this product is a body wash and a body butter in one, it means if you're an A level student like me who can't find time for a nice long bath, you can hop in and out of the shower without needing to stop for body butter.
Soap & Glory Hand Food
This isn't exactly a new favourite, but it is something I've been using a lot of over the winter period. My hands have a tendency to get dry in the morning and if I don't use a hand cream, my hands feel uncomfortable for most of the day, but I also don't like hand creams that take yonks to dry which is why this is a good'un. It's not super fast drying but it does dry within a minute and it leaves a subtle signature Soap & Glory scent on your hands which is pretty nice.
I did an entire post dedicated to the greatness that this is because it's that darn good. This is a basic black nail polish but it's opaque in one coat, fast drying, lasts a good five days, and the brush is pretty wide so it's practically fool proof.
P.S Love Brow Pencil in Medium
This is an oldie but a goodie. I used to use this all the time before I really understood how to fill in my brows properly (I'm saying that as if I know what I'm doing now, but y'know there was once a time when I was even less educated in the brow department) but I stopped using it and switched to powder. Now I've switched back to this over the past month and it's made filling in my brows so so easy, it's a bit waxy so a light hand is necessary, at least for me - but if you want super strong, defined brows, you do you honey.
The Vintage Cosmetics Dusting and Powder Brush* (Review here)
This brush was kindly sent to me by The Vintage Cosmetics but my opinions on it aren't at all biased because of it. This brush is mahoosive so it's pretty easy to dust all of your face with powder in one quick sweep, I've used it everyday since receiving it. It's not by any means cheap but if you want to invest in your brushes, it's definitely worth investing in this one.
This lipstick cost near to £16 so there was no way I wasn't going to include it in my favourites, y'know there are some amounts of money you can't spend without it becoming a favourite at the end of it. This is a brownish-nude with the tiniest bit of pink in it, I hate to say this because it's become the most generic blogger phrase, but it's a very Kylie Jenner type shade, your lips but better, it's become my everyday shade and I absolutely loooooove it.
This liquid liner is super black, waterproof, and just darn easy to apply. If you like super thick cat eye flicks, this may not be for you, but I like this if I want a more subtle look or if I want a waterproof liquid liner. Good waterproof liquid liners are about as rare an occurrence as Noel Gallagher not saying something insulting about a popular celebrity, but this just hits the nail on the head and for only £1.50 you really can't go wrong. I found that this flaked on me once, but it wasn't particularly bad, but it's just something you should be wary of if you do purchase it.
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24hr in Chrome Black
This is the first gel eyeliner I've ever tried so maybe it doesn't mean much that I like it because I can't compare it to anything, but first of all, the packaging is just nice - frosted glass? Good decision Maybelline. I actually find this super easy to apply, and this shade is a dark grey rather than a jet black so it looks a lot more subtle which I've been liking at the moment. It's pretty long lasting too, so if you're a newbie to gel eyeliner like me, this may be worth a go.
Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Pencils
These have been raved about by everyone on here and once you try it, it's pretty clear to see why. They're super pigmented, long lasting, creamy but not so creamy you're constantly sharpening it, and pretty inexpensive too. I've opted for the black shade and the nude shade (tightline and waterline covered) and they've just become daily essentials for me.
Makeup Revolution Mono Eyeshadow in Mmmm (Review here)
I've already spoken about how the name of this shade is just absolutely ridiculous, but preposterous names aside, this is such a lovely eyeshadow and it's multi-purpose. I've used it on my brows, I use it as an eyeshadow, I've been using it for contouring - and this only cost £1 so it's not bad at all for the price. It's a buttery consistency and it's so pigmented, if Makeup Revolution could've picked a better name that would really sweeten the deal, but y'know the world's an imperfect place.
Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo Leather Effect in Creamy Beige
I raved about the ordinary Maybelline Colour Tattoo in my last favourites post, but this one is pretty awesome too and has become my everyday shade. Creamy beige is a very neutral almost nude colour that works as an eyeshadow base or on its own, I use it on its own because I'm liking the more neutral look at the moment but it works really well as a base too.
Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter in Pink Lights
This highlighter's an odd one, it's a pinky-lavender type of colour and doesn't look like it would work on anyone, but what you get is a pearlescent shade which, if used light-handedly, looks really nice and really lifts the cheekbones. It's so pigmented so a light hand is a must, believe me I learned the hard way. It also blends really easily so if you do apply too much, it's not the end of the world because you can blend it out a bit.
Makeup Revolution Matte Effect Foundation in Sand
This is the cheapest foundation I've ever used at only £2, but it's such a lovely consistency. It feels like a moisturiser and it's so blendable meaning it only provides a light coverage, but that's fine for me as I think light coverage looks better on me anyway. The shade range of this foundation is brilliant for such an inexpensive product. It's not in any way shape or form matte, but that doesn't particularly bother because I always powder anyway.
I'm eighteen years old and I am in possession of a Tumblr account making me pretty familiar with OTPs, for you oldies* OTP means one true pairing. Popular ships around the web include Johnlock, Jily, Romione, McLennon, Marrissey, Phan, Zalfie.. pretty much every pairing exists whether they be Canon** or not, and it just so happens that I have found my mascara OTP or MOTP if you will.
I couldn't possibly talk about OTPs and not include one of my first OTPs - Zanessa
I have spoken before about how much I love the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara, it's just the best affordable mascara I've ever tried, however all good things must come to an end and after a good run this mascara has begun to dry up to the point where it just doesn't perform as I might like it to which means I've been using my other mascaras until I go out and buy a new one.
If you saw my 'Full Face of First Impressions - Makeup Revolution' post, you may remember that I used the extremely inexpensive Amazing Volume mascara and I wasn't exactly disappointed, but I also wasn't majorly impressed. Although, I started using it again to see if after having a while to dry up a bit if it's any better and it is a little bit better but the actual wand just doesn't give me the lashes I require, but I do really like the formula - it doesn't dry super quickly so you have time to add several coats, and this stuff doesn't transfer or budge throughout the day so it's pretty darn good.
This is where I become the match maker in the cosmetic-themed fanfiction, I tried using the wand of the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara with the actual mascara formula of the Makeup Revolution Amazing Volume Mascara, and boy howdy I have created a love-child-mascara. I think I prefer the formulation of Makeup Revolution's offering, but with the combination of the L'Oreal wand you just get super long, voluminous lashes - to summarise, very much like Morrissey and Johnny Marr, this combination is the shiz.
What's your favourite mascara?
*Don't worry, I didn't know what OTP stood for for a very long time, you're not alone slang-newbies
