Saturday 31 May 2014

Current High Street/Drugstore Favourites

In my daily work makeup bag, there is an eclectic mix of both high end and high street makeup products, all of which I love. I'm not one to favour a particular price brand of makeup as I find that there are some real gems available which are very purse friendly, and some pricier products are pretty rubbish. In my new job, I am working with high end brands on a daily basis and so my makeup bag was starting to get full of their products, but I was concerned that I was forgetting some of my well loved high street favourites. For the past few weeks I have been rediscovering more and more of my beloved high street/drugstore favourite, and I thought that I would share them with you today...


First up we have Bourjois Happy Light Foundation which has been my go to base. This has been great at work as the strong artificial lighting used to wash me out or make my skin look dull and flat, but now it looks glowy and healthy when I use this. The coverage is medium but can be built up slowly to create the desired finish. Along with this, I have been loving the Seventeen Stay Time Concealer for my under eye circles and blemishes. This is such a lovely formula with a creamy and easy to blend texture. I use the shade medium but have just bought a slightly paler shade to use as a natural highlight.
Another Seventeen product in the form of the Brows That! brow kit. This features a tinted wax, brow powder and highlight, along with a small brush and brow pencil. I have quite a lot of brow products and this is one of my favourites, it's great for travelling and creates a really natural finish. For my eyes, I've been favouring something really simple, so have just been using a wash of Bootycall from Urban Decay N2 palette as my shadow and then adding a flick of Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner. This has been my favourite liquid liner for a very long time and will continue to be! To finish this off, I have been coating my lashes with a couple of coats of Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara. This really makes my lashes look long and full, all whilst being a true black shade.
On my face I use a few different bronzers and alternate them daily so I didn't include one in this selection but I have included my favourite summer blush which is Peachy Cheeky from ELF. This is really stunning rose gold shade which really warms up my complexion and looks great with a tan. It also pairs extremely well with Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Peach Lights. This very subtle highlighter looks as pretty on the skin as it does in the pan. It doesn't make me look like a disco ball at all but instead makes the high points of my face look glowing.

So there we have my current highstreet favourites. These have all made their way into my makeup bag for my weekend away, and will be staying in it for a while yet!
What is your favourite makeup products from the highstreet/drugstore?

Saturday 24 May 2014

Top 5 Nude Lip Products

First of all, let me start this blog post with a huge apology. This month, I have really neglected my blog which I really didn't want to do! I have mentioned before that I have just started a new job and it really has taken up a lot more of my time than I first thought even though it isn't quite full time. Now that I've got my self into a proper routine, blogging will resume! Yay!

Anyway, onto today's post. My last blog post was my Top 5 Coral Lip Products, which I posted after rediscovering my love for coral hues thanks to some much needed sunshine. However, as the weather as taken a turn for the worse, I've found myself wearing nude shades again. Nudes don't feature in my collection as much as other shades as a statement lip is more my thing, but the ones that I do have I am absolutely in love with, so I thought I would share them with you today :)





First up is the Sleek Lip4 Palette in Ballet. All four shades are stunning nudes, all with different finishes. I like to keep this in my handbag as it is so handy for touch ups during the day, due to the sturdy packaging, good sized mirror and fairly decent brush. It's also great for mixing different shades and creating your own custom lip colour. 

ELFs Matte Lip Colour in Nearly Nude is slightly more coral toned than most other nudes, but this is reason that I like it. Being a matte shade, I was worried that I would get concealer lips with it, but this is not the case. I like to apply this really lightly and then blend it out with my finger.

Next is my most used gloss. Ever. It's NYX Real Nude gloss which provides a perfect hint of colour and high shine. It's the ultimate my lips but better colour, and is one that I sport on a regular basis. This has been my go to nude gloss for some while now and will definitely be a repurchase.

MUAs Intense Kisses Lip Gloss is one of those little heard about product but they deserve a lot more recognition. Sealed With A Kiss is a beautiful milky nude shade which looks equally as stunning layered over another lipstick as it does on its own. The texture is to die for and for the bargain price of £2 they wont break the bank!

My final pick is Rimmel Apocalips in Nude Eclipse. I bought this, along with the rest of the original shades on a whim when they first came out and as soon as I got home I dismissed this shade as "too nude". I was so wrong. This looks lovely against my skin tone with a little bronzer and makes my lips look very natural and healthy. Admittedly, I don't layer this on for ear of it looking too much, but applied lightly and blotted it looks beautiful.

So there we have my pick of nudes for the lips. I'm also going to be a pink, red and alternative lip shades post so keep an eye for those too! Another thing that I'm going to be making a concious effort to do more of it YouTube videos. I really enjoyed doing it before and can't wait to start again with it all, if you want to see my previous videos, you can find my channel here. 
I hope you've enjoyed :)

Monday 19 May 2014

Five Coral Lip Products for Summer

I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say the weather that we have been having recently has been beautiful, and has only made me more excited for the hopefully warmer months ahead. Now that we have some decent sun, I've been switching up my makeup bag, swapping products that are destined for the colder months in favour of those with a pretty summer hue. One of my favourite shades to wear is coral. I love to wear this in a variety of ways throughout summer, as I think that it is just such a versatile and fun shade. With that in mind, I thought I would share with you my favourite coral lip products for the summer season...




First up is MUA's lipstick in Nectar. This is a really soft orange shade which looks lovely as a statement lip. It has a very soft, creamy and pigmented formula which is absolutely incredible for £1!! This is actually my second one of this now as I wore it continually last summer.
Another bargain coral is Tangtastic matte lipstick from Vivo. This is a milky orange soda type shade which is just stunning. It looks just beautiful with minimal makeup and bronzed skin. It's also not too matte that it looks like war paint, which is a bonus in the heat.
My next pick is ELFs Studio Matte Lip Colour in Coral. This is slightly more pink on the lips than in the swatch but it is still pretty stunning. I love how easy this is to wear and it has been my go to lipstick for work these past few weeks.
The only gloss that I have picked is Benefits Ultra Plush Gloss in A-Lister. This is described as a bubble gum pink on the Benefit website, but I would definitely call it coral. This makes my lips look really full and healthy and the best thing is that the consistency is incredible. It isn't to thick or sticky, but in fact glides on like a dream and lasts for a long time on the lips.
The final shade is by far my favourite, but is sadly limited edition. I know, I know, it's such a pain when you can no longer get a product but this one was just too pretty to leave out. That particular product is MACs Cut a Caper lipstick. I bought this when the Heavenly Creatures collection was released and have loved it ever since. It's a lovely strong coral shade that adds a pop of colour to any look. It does have a shiny finish due to it's lustre formula which goes perfectly with a cocktail!

I'm pretty sure that I'll be wearing coral all summer long! What shade is your summer staple?

Tuesday 13 May 2014

The Wedding Series #3: Wedding Fairs

It's been a while since any blog posts have appeared here on RL, let's all blame my new job which has been great, but really tiring. So, I thought that I would spend my day off catching up on the lovely blogging community and writing a few posts. It's also been a while since my last wedding planning post, so it's the perfect time to fill you in on ha plans we have been making...

This instalment has to be my favourite one to date as it has been one the aspects of wedding planning that I was most looking forward to, and that is going to Wedding Fairs. I had been to them before with my Auntie when I was a bridesmaid for her, but it was so much different this time, with me being the bride and going along with the man who will soon become my husband. I thought that I would put together some of the tips and tricks that I thought would be useful to other Brides and Grooms To Be.



My biggest bit of advice would be to go with an open mind. You might have an idea in your head of everything that you want, but if you go there expecting everything to be exactly how you want it then it's likely that you will be walking away very disappointed. It's completely fine to have some ideas in your head but the companies who will be exhibiting there, will show you the products/offers that they feel showcase their company in the best way possible to as many people on that given day. With this in mind, their products might not seem to your taste or to your scheme, but have a quick chat with them and let them know what it is that you have in mind and they will tell you if it is something that they can accommodate. They will also try to showcase the products that they have that are 'on trend', so even though they may seem limited with the products that they have that day, but in reality they are likely to offer so much more.

Don't be afraid to tell suppliers exactly what you want. After all, it is your and your partners day. If you have a set idea in mind then tell every detail possible. If you have any questions at all, then a wedding fair is the perfect time to ask them. I asked so many different things that I wanted to make sure I was absolutely clear on, from anything to prices to availability.

My final tip would be to take someone with you. Both Olly and I went together but for the next one, I'm going with my Mum and my bridesmaid. I think it just helps to have a second opinion and someone else there for support.

I hope that you have enjoyed this instalment, I think as a Bride to Be attending a wedding fair is a really exciting part of wedding planning. Have you been to a wedding fair?

Saturday 3 May 2014

Makeup Revolution Vamp Collection Lipsticks

If you haven't heard of revolution by now then where have you been? This new, purse-friendly company have been making quite the impression on Twitter amongst us beauty bloggers, and for good reason! They have a range of products that rival high end brands, all starting from just £1! What's not to love?  I recently placed an order with them and couldn't resist some of the more unusual items. I thought that I would share with you one part of that order by showing you the Vamp Collection of lipsticks.

Although totally season inappropriate, I am a sucker for darker shades come autumn and winter. Right now, I'm all about the brights but I really couldn't resist these stunning shades. As you might have guessed from the name, this small collection features three "vampy" shades of lipstick, from an almost black to a deep berry shade. The packaging is very similar to that from MUA with a plastic casing and a cap of colour on the lid. I love this little idea as it makes it so easy to find amongst my sea of lip products. The plastic casing is little wobbly and prone to the lid coming loose in your makeup, but for the price it really isn't something to complain about!

The formula of the lipsticks is pretty incredible. They are so creamy pigmented, so much so that I was genuinely shocked when I first tried them. For the £1 price tag I really wasn't expecting much from them, but I have happily eaten my words! Definitely up there with some of my more expensive lipsticks!

Onto the shades.


Black Heart: The name pretty much says it all! An almost  black lipstick which isn't as scary as it sounds. It has a deep purple undertone to it which catches the light beautifully. This will be the one that I mix with other shades to vamp them up!

Rebel With Cause: A MAC Rebel dupe anyone! MACs Rebel is one of my all time favourite lipsticks, but this one is definitely on par. It's deep berry tones will be perfect for a statement lip in the autumn winter.

100% Vamp: This is another very deep dark shade, but one that is surprisingly wearable. This can be worn full on for a deep purple shade, or sheered out for a just bitten berry look. Love, love love!

Have you tried anything from Makeup Revolution yet? I can't wait to share their blue lipstick with you all!

You can purchase from them here.