A quick note before I get onto the post - I've been having some technical issues recently so blog posts might be a bit out of sync whilst I'm using a different computer. I've actually just purchased a Macbook Pro (so excited!) - I've been saving up for ages and was planning on getting it in the summer, but seeing as my old computer packed up I've dipped into some of my other savings and bought it now instead. Like I said, I'll try and upload as usual providing I can get this all sorted out!
Anyway, today I wanted to talk about mascara. Mascara is one of those products that when I don't have it on, my face of make-up just doesn't feel quite right. I tend to stick to drugstore ones, as there are some good options out there without having to spend lots of money - although I have included a really nice high end option for those of you who prefer premium brands.
Maybelline The Falsies - I spoke about this in one of my last posts so I won't ramble on about it too much, but to summarise, this mascara is basically great if you're looking for volume. I like to apply something more lengthening beforehand and then go back over the top with this to create a more dramatic effect.
Bobbi Brown No Smudge - Along with my Warm Eye palette that I received at Christmas, I also got this mascara. I was so excited to try this as it was my first high end mascara, and it definitely didn't disappoint! I would say this sits somewhere in between the other two mascaras that I've included - it lengthens whilst still providing quite a bit of volume. I find that it makes my lashes look super long and I really like the simple yet large bristle brush that it comes with. Also, one of its main perks is that it's waterproof so is long lasting and stays on all day without fail.
L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes - Lastly is my current favourite lengthening mascara. This comes with a plastic wand that is perfect for separating lashes. I tend to use this first in order to create super long, dramatic lashes and then go over the top with one of the other mascaras I've mentioned to add a bit more volume. I actually find it quite similar to the Maybelline Rocket mascara that I mentioned quite a while ago, so if you like that then you're probably going to like this one too.
What are your current favourite mascaras?
(To see all of my Brand of the Moment posts - click here).
I haven't done a Brand of the Moment post in quite a while, but I really love putting them together and you all seem to enjoy them so I thought I'd do another one - this time focusing on the brand Maybelline. Maybelline is a brand that I've always liked - it's affordable, has a great selection of products and just generally doesn't disappoint! I own quite a few things from them now, and for this post I've picked my favourites to share with you.
Fit Me Concealer - I've been using this concealer for a while now and I love it - it's the perfect consistency for using both under the eyes and on any blemishes, which makes it a good all rounder, and it's a good colour match for my skin too. I'd definitely recommend trying it - it's the only concealer I've used since buying it.
The Falsies Mascara - Maybelline mascaras are well known for being popular - I've tried a few now and this one is one of my favourites. It's very volumising so I like to apply a more lengthening mascara first before applying this over the top. I also like the curved shape of the brush as it helps the bristles really get into the lashes.
Colour Tattoos - Maybelline's eye products are definitely some of my favourites, and the Colour Tattoos in particular have been talked about a lot since they were released. I have two shades - On and On Bronze and Creamy Beige, which is a Leather Effect one. On and On Bronze is great as an eye look on its own, and I like to use Creamy Beige as a matte base to work on top of. Both of them are amazing products and work really well for improving the longevity of eye shadow.
Colour Elixirs - These have also been raved about recently, and I've done a blog post on them which you can see here. They're a lip gloss type formula, but still give a lot of colour and pigmentation which I like. Again I have a couple of colours, but my favourite is the one pictured above, Nude Illusion. It's the perfect everyday shade and a pretty, wearable nude.
Colour Sensational Shine Gloss - Lastly is another lip product, and probably one of my favourites that I own. I have the colour Cashmere Rose, which is an everyday pink, and I also really like that the formula isn't sticky like other lip glosses - it sits really nicely on the lips.
What have you tried from Maybelline?
Recently I've picked up a few new make-up items from the drugstore, and so I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you today.
The Body Shop InstaBlur Primer - I wasn't sure whether The Body Shop counted as drugstore, but I wouldn't class it as high end so I suppose it does! I've never been a massive primer user, however this one has completely converted me. At first, it comes out as a weird clear paste but when you apply it - it then turns into a silky smooth primer. Since using this, I have noticed a huge difference in the longevity of my make-up, meaning I no longer have to powder during the day which is amazing for me. The only thing I will say is my skin has been breaking out a little recently, and this is the only new face product that I've been using - it's nothing major but just a small warning for those of you with sensitive skin!
Revlon Lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon - This is my most recent purchase out of the four products, and I absolutely love it. I sometimes find it hard to wear lipsticks as they don't always suit me, but this one is so easy to wear - I wear it pretty much every day now! It's the perfect nude/pink colour - a 'your lips but better' shade.
Maybelline Colour Tattoo Leather Effect - These have been everywhere recently, and I can definitely see why - they're great! I was always a big fan of the original Colour Tattoos but I also really like these Leather Effect ones too. I picked up the shade Creamy Beige, which is a lovely everyday colour by itself or a good base to layer over too.
Bourjois Liner Pinceau - I've actually owned this for quite a while now - it was one of the products that Bourjois gave to me after I did work experience with them. At first, I just put it to one side as I never really wore eyeliner, but since having discovered the appeal of liquid/felt tip liner, I've become completely obsessed with it! It has a super thin brush which makes for easy application, and it sets really quickly as well which means it stays in place all day.
What are your favourite new products from the drugstore? Have you tried any of these?
As we're in Autumn now, I thought I would show you my favourite eye shadows for this time of year. I don't really wear that much in summer due to the hot weather, but in winter I definitely do, and as you can see - I love bronze!
Firstly, I like to start with a cream eye shadow as a base because I can get quite oily eyelids which means powder on its own doesn't last very long. My favourite would definitely be the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze - it's such a pretty brown colour and it lasts for ages too. If I want something with a bit less colour, I will go for the Bourjois Colour Edition, which is also a really nice base.
To go on top of this, I've really been loving bronzed colours, especially warmer, gold-toned shades. I have a couple of options from Bourjois - their single eye shadow in 54 is stunning and super pigmented, and I also love their trio in Rosé Twisté which comes with a brown and a smokey purple, as well as a liner. Lastly is an eye shadow that I received in a Wantable box* recently, and it's from MUD - a brand that I hadn't tried before. However, I absolutely adore this shade called Bronzed - it's a warm gold colour and it's also very pigmented!
What is your favourite autumn eye look?
The other day I picked up some of the new Maybelline Colour Elixirs from Boots, and I was so excited to try them - it only seemed right to review them on my blog too. I ended up choosing two colours (three if you count the one that I bought to give away) - Nude Illusion and Blush Essence.
Hybrid lip products have been everywhere in the past couple of years, and these are Maybelline's latest take. They're supposed to give the coverage of a lipstick with the shine of a gloss, and they don't disappoint! These definitely give more of a glossy finish, and most of them are fairly sheer colours that can be built up. My favourite shade so far is the nude, as it's really wearable and is perfect for everyday.
The only downside is that they aren't super long lasting - you will need to touch them up! This doesn't really bother me too much though, as it's what you expect with glossier formulas. The range of colours that Maybelline offers is great, and there's definitely something for everyone, and I also love the applicator as it makes it so easy to apply the product. Another bonus is that they don't dry your lips out and they keep them fairly hydrated too. Overall, they get a thumbs up from me!
Have you tried the Maybelline Colour Elixirs? What did you think?
I've been meaning to do a giveaway ever since I hit 600 followers on Bloglovin - and finally, here it is! It's just a small one to say thank you to everyone who reads/comments/follows my blog - I appreciate all of you and it makes me really happy reading all of the lovely comments that you leave. Anyway, onto the giveaway...
I decided to include three nail polishes (you know I'm obsessed) - I picked up one of the new Barry M autumn/winter shades in Chilli, plus a couple from Bourjois as I absolutely love their formulas and thick brushes. Lastly, which is probably the most exciting thing, I've included one of the new Maybelline Elixirs in the shade Rose Redefined. I figured it was a safe colour that most people would like to win, and as it's new I'm hoping that most of you don't own it yet either! Just a few giveaway rules before you enter - this is open to people that live in the UK only (shipping nail polishes abroad is way too much fuss) and make sure you're over 16/have your parents' permission so that you can give me your address.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Before I start, I wanted to apologise for the lack of posts on here recently - I've been revising constantly for my a-level exams and so my blog has had to take a bit of a back seat, but hopefully you can all bear with me. Anyway, today I wanted to share with you my favourite concealer picks from the drugstore, as I can definitely be a bit of a concealer hoarder!
My oldest concealer from my picks is the blogger favourite - the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I do wish that I'd picked this up in a shade lighter, but I can still use it and get away with it. I mainly use this concealer on spots as it's quite heavy and thick in consistency, but it provides great, long-lasting coverage and I'd 100% recommend trying it.
Next is something which I've think I've spoken about quite a bit on my blog - the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. I use this only under the eyes due to its pale colour, but it's amazing and makes you look so awake. It's a lot thinner and sometimes needs topping up during the day, but overall I love it.
Next are a couple of new additions - firstly the Seventeen Phwoarr Paint. I picked this up a few months ago, in a shade that's a bit too light (the colour in the pot can be a bit deceiving) and have been using it quite a bit since then. For me, it's not as good as the previous two I've mentioned, but it works for everything and so you're really getting your money's worth! Also, it has great coverage and lasts a long time.
And finally is my most recent purchase - the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. Despite being the newest addition to my collection, this is actually my favourite concealer of the bunch! I can use it on everything - under my eyes and on spots - and it has such a nice consistency (I've heard that it's similar to the Nars Creamy Concealer). It doesn't crease on me at all, whereas some of the others can, and overall I just think it's perfect! The only thing I would say is be careful when choosing your colour - don't just base it off the numbers because they can be a bit confusing.
What is your favourite drugstore concealer?
As you may know, this Saturday is my birthday! I'm actually working all day, so last weekend my Dad took me shopping to pick out some things that I wanted. I didn't ask for anything in particular this year, so this was much easier!
The first place I went was Primark. Firstly I picked up a couple of vests - one yellow lace top and one thin navy top. I also bought some new pyjama bottoms as I absolutely love the Primark ones and definitely needed some new PJ's. I then chose a couple of cute gold necklaces, as I really wanted some new jewellery. And lastly, I got a 5 pack of ankle frilly socks along with some pretty black flats.
Next, I went to Boots - where I probably did the most damage! To start with, I bought a few nail polishes - I got one of the new Barry M Gelly's in Huckleberry, one of the new Models Own speckled polishes in Magpie and an Essie one in the shade Splash of Grenadine. I also got some lip products (a girl can never have too many) - I picked up the Maybelline Colour Sensational Gloss in Cashmere Rose, as I've heard so many good things about it recently. I also chose the Revlon Lacquer Balm in Demure which I've been eyeing up ever since they were released. Next, I bought the Soap & Glory Archery in Brownie Points, which again I've wanted for a long time, and the Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray. Lastly are a couple of boring bits - the Blistex Intense Moisture Lip Balm and the Blanx White Shock Treatment.
I then went to H&M and Topshop and got a couple of things. In H&M, I got a simple black bag as the one I use at the moment is really tatty and so I needed a new one. I also spotted this gorgeous white jumper with big black daisies on that I love, as well as a cute silver arrow necklace. In Topshop, I picked up a pair of thick leggings/trousers in a black and white checked print, and a dress that I've had saved to my favourites for way too long!
And that's everything I bought! What have you picked up from the shops recently?
