August Favourites

This month I thought I'd combine all my favourites in one post. August hasn't really been a month full of new beauty discoveries.

NYX Blush in Mauve Review

Lately I have been varying the blush I use quite a lot and have discovered a new love for some old favourites. One in particular is the NYX powder blush in mauve which I think is actually now one of my favourite ever blushes. Swatches are listed at the end.

Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Peel and Reveal Revitalizing Face Mask Review

I have to say firstly that I would never have tried this product if I hadn't received samples of the Visible Difference line from GlossyBox. This face mask is amazing! It is definitely this best I have ever tried and this best part is that I received it as a free gift!

GlossyBox August 2012

Initially when I opened this month's box it didn't really excite me as much as last month's did. However, now that I've had a chance to properly check out the products there are a couple that I really like. This month's theme is products from all around the world. I received products from Germany, Japan, Spain and the UK.

Outfit of the Night

OUTFIT: Top - Topshop / Velvet Shorts - River Island / Shoes - New Look / Cross Necklace - Topshop / Black Ring - Accessorize  
MAKE-UP: Face - Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory / Eyes - Stila Into the Light Eyeshadow palette / Cheeks - 
Mac Mineralise Blush in Dainty / Lips - Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple / Nails - OPI Just Spotted the Lizard!

Hey
I was invited to an after exam party as in my country we had just sat our exams and results day was coming! Thankfully I was lucky enough to be celebrating great results at the party (yay!) 
For the outfit I had just got my pay so went up to Glasgow to have a spending splurge with my friends.

This outfit was perfect for the really hot weather we had this week and my favourite part was definitely the dark red velvet shorts. I wanted them for ages!

Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think of our blog.


Lauren xx

 

Emma's July Beauty Favourites

This month I've tried to included different products from the previous month. However, I think it's unlikely that something from my previous favourites wont slip onto the list, they are favourites for a reason after all!

GlossyBox July 2012

I think on the whole GlossyBox send me products that match me perfectly more and more each month. This month is no exception. I actually have to say that this is my favourite box ever! Much better, for me anyway, than last months. I love everything in it and will definitely use it all. Also did I mention there is a bonus product?!

What's in My Everyday Bag?

This will be part of a series I thought would be fun to do on what I take in my bags for various different occasions.

Bag

Contents

Bag I got the bag from Accessorize at Monsoon about a year ago so it is no long in stock. However, there are quite a few like it in stock there at the moment for a similar price of £35. I like it because it's a medium size which is perfect for everyday and it also comes with a detachable cross body strap. I also sometimes use it for uni if I don't have many books to take.

Purse  I love, love, love the colour of this purse. It's a sort of bright turquoise colour and is the perfect size to fit all my cards, cash and change. I got this purse as a present for Christmas but I know it was also from Accessorize where the purses often retail for about £15.


Makeup bag The bag itself is from The Body Shop and was limited edition. The contents always include a variety of lip balms, my Collection 2000 concealer, a mirror, and my favourite lip gloss or stick. At the moment they are a Rimmel Lipstick in Coral Queen, Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick in English Rose ( used for this look) and NYX Lipgloss in La La.


Bits and bobs

• Glasses from Jasper Conran since I am very short sighted
• Soap and Glory Hand Food moisturiser and Hand Maid Cleansing Gel - these both smell amazing and do not irritate my skin one bit which is great since I slightly obsessed with keeping my hands moisturised
• Ipod Classic 160GB in white which I cannot live without
• Samsung mobile
• Bus timetable and subway ticket holder
• Extra chewing gum
• Small box a Velvet tissues I randomly received with an ASOS order
• REN Tonic Moisture Mist which is an essential in humid conditions
• Finally, I have a whole random bunch of pens and highlighters
  

Next in the series will probably be what I take with me to university.

Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think of our blog.

Emma x 

Top 3 Drugstore/High Street Foundations

I have tried loads and I mean loads of drugstore foundations over the years and finally I have found 3 that really work for me. The main reason it has been so difficult is because I have quite pale and dry skin so it has been hard to find a foundation that isn't too orange while not giving a patchy finish at the same time.

Left to right: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 'Ivory', Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 'Light Vanilla, L'oreal Infallible Lasting Perfection Foundation 15 'Poreclain'

Summer Night Out Look

Since there was a party to go to and the weather was lovely my sister and I thought it would be fun to breakdown how we came up with the look.

Clothes

Leather jacket, Topshop / Floral play suit, River Island / Gold belt, River Island / Gold Sandals, Topshop

We sort of went for a 50's pinup style look with a modern edgy twist, which is evident in the pictures above. Jewellery seemed a little excessive with the busyness of the print so the belt is the only accessory we decided to use to complete the look.

My Everyday Makeup

On this gloomy Monday I thought I would look out my favourite makeup products which I use on a daily basis and hardly ever change.

I'm just going to go through the products as they appear above (left to right; top to bottom) so here we go:


Elf Makeup Mist & Set - This product is £3.75 from Elf and is the final step in applying my make up, which I never miss out. Although there are much more expensive variations on this product from Mac and Urban Decay this ELF product does the job just as well and is much kinder on the bank account! I do not have particularly oily skin, apart from my chin in the summer, so i don't know how well this would work on more oily skin but for my dry skin it works great. All I need is a couple of mists to set my makeup for the rest of my day. It can also be used through out the day to refreshen your makeup but I tend to use my REN Tonic Moisture Mist for that purpose.

Urban Decay Naked Palette 1 - Love, love, love this but I have a more detail opinion here.One of my favourite daily looks consists of Toasted all over the lid and sometimes on the bottom lash line, Naked in the crease and Virgin as a highlight

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick - This costs about £7.99 but I got it as part of a 3 for 2 offer in Boots a couple of months ago. I got the shade Aphrodite Scarlet which looks a little scary until you apply it on your lips. This shade is just a more subtle brightish pink which is perfect for summer. I got this because I'd heard the product was similar to the Revlon Lip Butters. I would say that it is quite different from the Butters because it has much more of a colour pay off and is not as moisturising. I think it is more like a lipstick, as the title implies, but not quite the finish you would expect from a lipstick, if you not what I mean!


VIVO Ultimate Base Concealer - Again I love this and have already reviewed it here.


Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - This was £4.19 from Boots and I have it in the shade Light.  This product is excellent and is one I have been using religiously for years. The price is great, it covers blemishes really well and it has a lovely thick creamy consistency which allows the product to last for ages.


POP Beauty Beam Base Primer - Reviewed here.

L'oreal Paris Infallible Lasting Perfection Foundation - Also reviewed here.

Soap and Glory It's About Prime Eyeshadow Base - This retails for £8 at Boots but again I got it cheaper as part of a 3 for 2 promotion. There are 2 shades so I got the shade Bright Light which is a lovely pearly white shade. This product keeps my shadows on all day without any creasing. I have dry eyelids so I cannot comment on whether it would work as well for those with more oily ones. Basically it has a fun name and really eye catching packaging, like all Soap and Glory products, and has lasted me for months, though I am now sadly running out.


Max Factor Liquid Effect Pencil - I purchased this in the shade Brown Blaze for £6.99. I love brown eyeliner as it really brings out the green in my eyes. I love the soft creamy texture of this product and it reminds me of the Urban Decay Glide On eyeliners. I normally use it to line my upper and lower lash lines and it gives a much less dramatic effect than black eyeliner which is much more appropriate for the daytime.

Korres Lip Butter - This retails for £4 and I have it in the shade pomegranate. I alternate this with the L'Oreal lip product mentioned above for days when I want a slightly more red toned lip colour. The shade is very subtle which is again perfect for daytime and work. The butter feels very nourishing and moisturising, much more so than some of the Revlon Lip Butters.


Bourjois Lash Liner Effect Mascara - This costs £8.99 in Boots. I have been using this mascara on and off for years now. I just love the doe eyed effect this mascara gives my eyes without making them look too dramatic for only daytime. At night I'll more often used a more volumizing mascara as this one give me a more lengthening effect. It is important to me that I use very black mascaras because my eyelashes are naturally very fair (which I hate!) and this is most certainly is that.

Sigma Round Kabuki Brush F82 - Now although this isn't makeup I use it every day to buff in my foundation and it gives me such a flawless finish that I had to mention it! This is quite difficult to find in the UK (but not in the US for example) and since I purchased it quite a while ago I can't remember exactly where I got it from.


MAC Paint Pot in Painterly - This retails at £14.50 but is well worth the price because it literally lasts forever! This shade is a perfect nude beige which I love to use after my primer as an even base of colour for my everyday looks.

NYX Blush in Angel - This retails at about £5.50 This is a lovely light peach shade which is perfect for giving my pale skin a subtle glow in the summer time. It has great pigmentation and blends easily. I do change my blusher quite a lot depending on the season but this is definitely my most used at the moment.

 Thanks for reading! We'd love to know what you think of our blog.

Emma x

GlossyBox June 2012

This is possibly the 6th GlossyBox I have received so far and funnily enough (since I've chosen to write my first post on it) it is probably one of my least favourite boxes. This most likely isn't helped by the fact that last month's 1st birthday box was my definite favourite so far though...
Also the products this month are supposed to be all suitable to achieve your desired summer style but in all honesty the products I received do not do that for me. This is unfortunate since I could do with something that gives me "that summer feeling" considering the terrible weather we're having at the moment.

Anyway, inside the box there is: