Inspiration- Lisa Eldridge

One of my favourite things to do when i have abit of spare time is to catchup on on my favourite beauty guru's and makeup artists blogs and youtube channels, it's a great way to find out what new products are on the market, find out other peoples favourites and get inspiration from turorials. (I am planning to do a post on my favourite blogs and youtube channels soon!)

This week one of my favourite makeup artists posted a makeup tutorial that i found SO inspiring i was itching to re-create it myself!

Lisa Eldridge is one of my favourite makeup artists, I am an avid watcher of her youtube tutorials and blog. Lisa is one of the worlds top makeup artists within the fashion and beauty industry having worked on advertising campaigns with Chloe,PPQ ,Alberta Ferretti, and Prada as well as working with the likes of Cheryl Cole,Cameron Diaz,Mischa Barton, Kate Moss, Heidi Klum and most recently The Saturdays. The reason i find Lisa such an inspiration is that although she is so succesfull within the industry she still has time to regularly update her blog and youtube channel giving everyone access into her world with recent looks she has created, any updates to her favourite products and just general makeup and beauty tips.

This week Lisa updated her channel with a look she created on The Saturdays Una Healy for Glamour Magazine and i just fell in love with the whole look...from the perfect winged liner to the dewy bronzed finish, it is definitely one of my favourite to date!



P.S - How gorgeous/striking is the model!

Lisa's blog
Lisa's Youtube channel

Beauty Wish List April '11

1. Clarins delicious tanning cream £21
2. Clarins Lip Perfector £15
3. Chanel Ombres perlees eyeshadow £39
4. Laura Mercier Lip stain peach glaze £16.50
5. Nars Illuminator £21.50
6. SJP NYC Perfume £23.50 (I've just run out and neeeed this back for summer!)
7. Chanel Soleil tan de Chanel £28.60
8. Nars Medera pure matte lipstick Limited Edition SS11 £17.50
9. Chanel Rouge coco shine lipstick £22.50

Cheryl Cole's £2 beauty secret

It's always great hearing about other peoples favourite beauty secrets but it's even better when a celebrity reveals their most loved products. In a recent interview Cheryl Cole has revealed her favourite skin care product, and it's good news for us as it isnt anything super expensive it's actually a £2 tub of E45! Cheryl revealed 'You don't have to use mega-expensive products, you just need to find the right products for your skin type.' She removes her makeup with facial wipes and Loreal's Pure Zone cleanser which of course is representing the brand she is paid millions to endorse, but she then went on to say her skin can get very dry so she likes to cover her face in E45 to soak in over night and it leaves her skin very soft.

With many magazines now having plenty of beauty editorials I often find myself being drawn into trying those more expensive brands, but theres nothing out there that says just because it's an expensive product it's going to work. I wanted to know what are your favourite bargain beauty products, anything under £10 that you swear by!

Here are a few of mine..

Nivea Soft moisturising cream £2.13

This product is a great everyday moisturiser, it's lightweight meaning it doesnt leave your skin feeling greasy. My skin is always lefts feeling really soft and it works as a good primer before applying foundation.

Oilatum Cream £7.60

I often get really dry patches on my skin which my makeup can cling to and dry out even more. Oilatum cream is a life saver for soothing my skin, it hydrates and leave my skin feeling really nourished.

Boots Mango extracts body cream £5.28

This body butter smells incredible, it's great for an all over body moisturiser and leaves this skin feeling amazingly soft.

January Favourite's

Wow, how is it February already? Once again this month has flown by! This month i 'tried' a little spending ban, now while it didn't entirely work out i definitely haven't been shopping half as much as usual, and my purse has been loving this little challenge. I've really been enjoying using up products i had put to one side during 2010, it's amazing how many products you fall back in love with.

Here's a few of my January Favourite's..Enjoy!

1. A nude Lip - This month i have been reaching for the pink and brown nudes in my collection, I have been keeping my makeup fairly simple and focusing on the skin. My go-to nudes have been Mac's Creme D'Nude and YSL's Rouge Pur Couture in 06 ( Click here for a swatch of 06)

2. Winged Eyeliner- Now i have never been someone who wears eyeliner during the day, maybe a little gel eyeliner along the upper lash line blended, but never a full winged effect. I've always loved the look of a bare eye,winged eyeliner and a red lip, so this month i have been trying a few different winged effects and i have to say it's one of the easist things to do to create a completely different style to your makeup...maybe in February I'll brave the red lip!

3. 2011 Diary - Apologies..but yes i am one of those rather annoying people that loves getting a new diary/notebook and gets excited about writing all neat in it at the beginning of the year.

4. Long waves - So what if it's not summer yet, there's nothing i adore more than long glossy waves. If i could just have Kim Kardashians hair for one day I'd be ever so gratefull..please!

5. Kimono's - I've been favouring my floral print kimono's this month over cardigans and blazers, there comfortable, stylish and so easy to jazz up a plain tee.

Got my eye on you..

OK so I know this post is my first wish list of 2011 but I am seriously thinking of putting myself on a spending ban! I have sooo many things to save for this year:
Car, university house, travelling (maybe Thailand), and a Mulberry bayswater (yes that is a necessity)... Oh my poor poor bank balance! Maybe I should give myself a trial first..a month? God that would be hard! Anywayyy I'm not starting yet, maybe after I go to London in Feb..we'll see!

Here's a few beauties I'm lusting over till then!

1. Topshop oversize stone clutch £40
2. Dermologica clean start bedtime for breakouts £14
3. YSL iconic arty oval ring £115
4. Liz Earlie Cleanse and polish £13.25
5. Studded boots.. if anyone knows where the ones in the photo are from..please tell!
6. Alexander Mcqueen classic skull scarf £140
7. Bobbi Brown pot rouge in Calypso Coral £17
8. Lulu Guinness studded lips clutch £450 (maybe when i win the lottery?)
9. Mac fix plus £12.50
10. Alexander McQueen skull ring £150

Purr!

U.S singing sensation Katy Perry is joining her celeb peers and becoming what feels like the millionth Celebrity to launch her own perfume. Purr by Katy Perry launches November 12th, in which Katy Perry will be doing a personal appearance at Selfridges Oxford Street, including signing bottles. Katy confessed she's a huge fan of fragrances, and that she owns up to 50. The starlet stated she's up to the challenge of competing against other female stars and admitted she's previously bought perfumes by Kim Kardashian and Beyonce. Katy stated ' There are amazing fragrances backed by other celebrities, but what I’m bringing is not like any other! I really wanted to develop a scent that was completely unlike anything I’d smelled before and not one that smelled like a knockoff of another scent.'
Having not smelt this perfume i cannot comment on it's scent and whether it matches up to fellow competitors, but it is said to have 'top notes of peach nectar, forbidden apple and green bamboo; a heart of jasmine blossom, pink freesia and Bulgarian rose, and a dry down of vanilla orchid, white amber, creamy sandalwood and musk.' For me packaging is a huge part of buying fragrances and cosmetics, and i absolutely LOVE this cat shaped bottle with jewelled eyes, and i have a feeling fellow cat lovers and fans of the singer will too!

Will you be trying Purr?

O.P.I Gets Bieber Fever!

Justin Bieber certainly knows what he's doing when it comes to giving his millions of fans exactly what they want,every teenage girl can now have a part of him...on their fingernails???
The 16 year old mega star has designed his own range, Nicole for O.P.I 'One less lonely girl' range . The collection includes six brand new shades, One Less Lonely Girl a purple glitter, Give me the first dance a bright metallic silver, Prized Possession Purple a grape purple, Me + Blue a metallic blue, Step 2 the Beat of my Heart a purple sparkly varnish made with heart specks and OMB! a deep metallic red.

Sadly for any UK Bieber lovers the collection will be available from December at Walmart in the U.S followed by Target and Sears in February 2011, although I'm sure it will be available for us lot online!

So what do you think? Has Bieber fever for beauty gone too far? Or are you loving these girly metallic shades?

September favourites

Sorry I'm a tad late on this.. but better late than never, here's my September favourites!

1. MAC Cremesheen lipstick - Jubilee
Jubilee is a great lipstick if your a nude lover. It is a darker shade of nude for anyone wanting to stay clear of the 'concealer lip'. I love macs cremesheen lipsticks,there slightly glossy but still moisturise your lips so the colour doesn't crack or look dry

2. MAC Eyeshadow - Woodwinked
First time I wore woodwinked I decided it was my favourite eyeshadow ever! Woodwinked is an 'antique gold' that blends into a gorgeous warm brown/red. It works for any smoky eye look, especially when blended with a deep brown or with a tear-duct highlighter such as Mac's Nylon.

3. Glitter nails
This month when I went in for my acrylic infill's I spotted some amazing glitter nail varnishes in the salon, and opted for the pink one. At first I worried that it could look really cheap and tacky but when applied it didn't at all, they really remind me of Katy Perry nails! I already have my eye on an emerald green glitter varnish!

4. SJP NYC
I LOVE everything about this perfume! The smell, the bottle... and SJP of course. The perfume is very sweet and suits summer perfectly although I think I will still be using it throughout the winter as it's now one of my favourites! Although I am hoping to find a stronger/more winter suitable perfume during October..maybe Tom Ford White Patchouli?

5. Florals
As you can see on my recent Topshop splurge I went a little floral crazy. Although you immediately think of summer for florals there's ways to adapt a cute print for winter. Pair with chunky knit cardigans,biker boots and leather jackets.

6. Neutrogena deep clean invigorating daily wash
This daily wash is great for removing every last bit of makeup. It has a slightly tingling effect which I love because it feels like the product is definitely doing something to clear my pores and it always leaves my skin feeling and looking fresh.

7. St Ives Apricot scrub
I have been using the exfoliating scrub 1-2 times a week, as it is the 'invigorating' scrub it really works to lift away any dead skin and oils .I mainly use this midweek and on a Sunday to get rid of any false tan on my face and neck before I re-apply it.

8. Max Factor false lash effect
I have been loving this mascara this month, but there are good and bad factors about this product. The good.. It does exactly what it says, it lengthens and thickens the lashes without clumping giving that false lash effect. The bad.. this product only lasted about a month, although it wasnt expensive, around £10.99 i think I still expect a mascara to last slightly longer than that!

9. Treseme thermal recovery
This product is a god-send! I would recommend it to anyone who's hair is slightly dry/dull and well just looking a bit lifeless. Treseme claim this product is 'specially developed to lock in moisture and restore strength and shine, for those who frequently use blow dryers, curling and straightening irons,' which is so perfect for me, and best of all it really does everything it claims to do. The thermal recovery leaves my hair soft, shiny and well nourished. I leave this product on for around 5 minutes and use it twice a week.

10. Good Things face the day moisturiser
One of the things I love about the 'Good Things' range is that it is created by Award winning beauty writer Alice Davis, someone who has tried every new up and coming beauty products and knows exactly what the younger market want, which is who this range is specifically aimed at.
This product smells amazing, it contains Antioxidant goji berry and Papaya which are said to 'help soothe the skin and improve the skins radiance.' I have been using this product every morning before applying my makeup and I love that it isn't greasy or too oily which a lot of moisturiser are, mostly expensive ones too and often make me break out. At £7.99 I think this product is very reasonably priced and would recommend it to anyone who needs a light daily moisturiser.

One for the wish list!

Just when you were thinking Urban Decay couldn't do any better than the Alice book of eyeshadows, they go and create this fabulous New York city inspired set..that even lights up!

The set includes 16 eyeshadows which includes 7 new shades and ranges from mattes to full on shimmer and glitter, along with urban decays famous primer potion and 2 eye pencils. The set will be available from September, at Debenhams for £30, which may sound expensive but if your going to be logical buying the eyeshadows alone would come up to £200!! making this book of eye shadows a complete must have!

I love the quirky pop up features which include a ghetto girl, coffee guy and of course a fashionista, as well as the famous landmarks the statue of liberty and empire state building.

Is this going to be one of your winter must haves?

Kim Kardashian : Reality star to style icon?

Kim Kardashian, socialite? TV personality? Business Woman? Model? ...Style Icon?

The Kardashian family rose to fame when they began their own reality television series 'Keeping up with the Kardashians.' The family's controversial attitudes made the show a huge success, and it wasn't long until Kim, Khloe,Kourtney and the gang became America's most watched. Once hitting the spotlight Kim became one of the most photographed Hollywood celebrities, and her revealing style was soon picked up on by the media.

The thing I love the most about Kim's style is how well put together her look is. I've never been a fan of the 'I've just rolled out of bed and thrown on the closest item of clothing' that celebrities like Alexa Chung, Peaches Geldof, and Taylor Momsen go for. Kim's outfits look like they been well thought out, and her hair and makeup is always immaculate ... who she admittedly says is all down to makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic. Kim's beauty regime as changed drastically since becoming a celebrity, before Kim would often overdo the bronzer and go for a very dark eye, now Kim's skin is flawless, brows are perfectly kept and she mostly goes for natural gold/brown eyes.

Kim has never been shy about showing some skin and is a great role model for curvy girls. She accentuates her amazing figure with boydcon dresses,skintight jeans, figure hugging blazers and skyscraper heels. Kim's a label lover as well as highstreet, favouring Herve Leger, Manolo Blahnik, and H&M and has recently been spotted in Christian Louboutin's clou noeud's.

How much would you die for them!!

As Kim is becoming more and more well known her style is becoming more sophisticated and her overall look a lot more well groomed, I know a lot of people will instantly think it's because of the money/hiring a stylist etc but whatever the reason there's no doubt about it I would KILL for her wardrobe.

Whether your a fan of the kardashians of not..there's no denying the girls have style!

Then

Now

Day

Evening

August Wish List

Want, Want,Want!

1. Topshop short sleeve tee £12
2. Topshop velocity heavy studded pumps £22
3. MAC Mineralize eyeshadow trio Blue my mind £15
4. Topshop chain shouldered mesh tee £32
5. Mulberrys Bayswater £595
6. Topshop leopard box tassel bag £30
7. River Island Ballerina bow pumps £24.99
8. Topshop sheepskin jacket £58
9.Topshop Wisteria chiffon tie wedges £70
10. MAC Plushglass- Florabundance £14.50
11. Nars blush Orgasm £19.50
12. Kerastase Masque £34.99

Birthday Haul- Beauty products part 2

Lips

1. YSL laurent rouge volupte lipstick - Shade 1 £21

I am SO happy with this product, it is my favourite lipstick everr! I actually could go on about it all day! First of all the packaging is absolutely gorgeous, and really does reflect the high end brand. This cream based lipstick softens the lips, and the colour still lasts. I bought this product in No.1 'Nude.' It's called Nude but it's actually the prettiest pink colour, the only way I can describe it is as a light berry pink. I love that this lipstick suits both a really natural look as well as a more dramatic look. I originally went to YSL to buy Tenderpeach, which I have heard about on youtube literally a million times, it is a coral colour, but the shade of coral just really didn't suit me, so I chose Nude instead, and this colour is perfect. The lipstick also comes with a tiny mirror on the circular top, which is a nice bonus!

2. MAC Cremesheen lipstick - Creme d'Nude £12.50

Creme D'Nude is from MAC's latest range 'In the groove'.It is a really nice everyday lipstick. It's completely nude but doesn't leave you with that awful 'concealer lips' look, the cremesheen allows the lips to still look slightly glossy. Like the YSL lipstick it suits a natural look really well, and if you want to go for a really dramatic eye, a softer lip can often look better to tone down the overall look. I would recommend this to anyone who prefers a more natural lip. Cremesheen lipsticks are my new favourite!

3. MAC Cremesheen lipstick - Creme in your coffee £12.50

So I bought Creme d'nude first..loved it..went back and bought Creme in your coffee, and I am so glad I did, because this colour is now sold out. This colour is huge for summer 2010, it is a mid tone pink/brown (it looks a lot redder in this image). Again with it being a cremesheen lipstick is gives a really nice glossy look. I always wanted to try a darker more purple lip (often seen on Daisy Lowe and Lilly Allen) but was really unsure to whether it would suit me, so I decided to go for a slightly lighter colour. This colour really suits being worn with a dramatic smokey eye. I know a lot of people are like me and are more afraid to go for a dramatic lip, but it's bang on trend for summer, and has been seen on many Autumn/Winter 10 catwalk collections.

4. MAC Cremesheen glass - Fashion Whim £14.50

I LOVE this lipgloss...finally a gloss that doesn't leave your leaves with that horrible sticky feel. This creamy sheen-filled lipstick is so soft, and is available in so many gorgeous colours. Each cremesheen glass is matched to a cremesheen lipstick making it either wearable on it's own or over it's namesake. Fashion Whim is a nude gloss matched to Creme d'Nude (mentioned above).

5. Revlon Super lustrous lipgloss - Lilac Pastelle

Another lipgloss which doesn't leave your lips too sticky, this lipgloss adds just the right amount of moisture to your lips. I'd like to thing I was a bit daring with this product because the colour is definitely not something I would normally go for, or that I've tried before. The colour I chose was a soft lilac colour. If applied heavily the colour can get quite bright, but if applied lightly and blended it changes to more of a clear gloss with a lilac shimmer, which is seen in the image above, and which is great because you can choose whether to wear it more dramatic or not. When I buy glosses I always go for clear or different shades of pink, so I though I would try something different from the new Revlon range. I'm loving pastelle colours at the moment, both in clothing, nail varnish and now makeup.

6. Revlon Super lustrous lipstick - Pearl

Why can I never just buy one product from each range, when buying the super lustrous lipgloss I had to buy the super lustrous lipstick! Unlike mac I decided not to go for the similar matching colour, for the lipstick I chose Pearl. Pearl is a very shimmery pink with a lilac undertone. It is such a pretty colour, very soft with the right amount of shimmer. After using the MAC cremesheen lipsticks I didn't expect Revlon's lipstick to have the same creamy texture, but I am very impressed with the super lustrous range, both the glosses and lipstick have a really nice cream base.

7. Revlon colorburst - Peach

After finding out I didn't suit 'tenderpeach' by YSL I really wanted to find a shade of coral lipstick which did suit my skin tone, as it's one of my favourite colours and makeup looks for this summer. Colorburst is Revlon's latest lipstick range, and is fronted by Jessica Alba. The packaging of the product is a lot more luxurious than any other Revlon lipstick, it is in a quilted black packaging resembling the 'chanel' trademark. The range is said to be 'Luxurious, rich colour that feels virtually weightless' and after trying the product I can say that is absolutely true. These lipsticks are so pigmented but dot feel like you have caked on the colour. The coral I found is called 'peach' on the second picture this product looks slightly red, however it is a really strong coral. In the day I prefer to apply a small amount of product ( seen on the picture above) and then at night I would fully apply the colour for a stronger look.

8. ELF Mineral lipstick - Rosy Raisin £3.50

I bought this product online, and thought it was going to be a nude/brown toned lipstick. I know I should of realised by the name, but I just looked at the picture! This lipstick is actually a pink with a brown undertone. Its a really natural colour, and at only £3.50, I wont need to use this product sparingly and will probably permanently keep this in my makeup bag to use whenever/wherever.

Cheeks

9. MAC Cream colour base - Improper Copper £13

I bought this product as an impulse buy, whilst I was shopping for products I knew I wanted I spotted this multi purpose cream colour base. I love that you can use this product for so many different things, multi-purpose products are great to take on holiday or to festivals etc if you don't want to be carrying a lot of products. It can be layered over foundation and powder, and used as a blush, highlighter and eyeshadow. Improper Copper is a pinky copper colour with a very high gold frost. With the gold frost containing some shimmer I have been using this product as a highlighter or as an eyeshadow for a very natural look. This product is the prettiest colour and looks great when worn with dewy skin.

10. MAC Cream blush- Posey £16.50

I am becoming cream blush obsessed at the moment, after watching a lot of Pixi2woo's videos on youtube (I highly recommend watching her tutorials and hauls) she is often mentioning cream blushes and how great they are, so I decided to try one out for myself. Posey is described by MAC as a 'dewy fresh rosey pink' and that's exactly how I would describe the colour myself. If you like your foundation to have that really dewy look and then find using powder blushes can take the 'dewy' look away then I highly recommend cream blushes. They allow the skin to stay dewy and are just as pigmented as powder blushes. I am LOVING posey!

11. MAC Mineralize blush duo - Happy together £17.50

Happy together is from MAC's latest collection 'In the groove' and is a limited edition product. The duo contains a caramel colour and a darker tan colour, and I love that this mineralize blush leaves a beautiful pearl finish. The picture I've taken shows the two colours separately then how they blend together. When blended they create a really pretty pearl colour, but you can add more of the tanned colour and that will make the colour a lot stronger.

12. Laura Mercier Mosaic block - Peach £30

Ok so this product is pretty expensive ..but this shimmer block can be used as 4 separate eyeshadows, combined as one eyeshadow or as a highlighter, so when you think of it like that..it's really not that bad. Another thing that makes me accept the price is that I absolutely love it! The colours in this block are so so gorgeous. It contains a bright bronzy gold which makes such a gorgeous eyeshadow, a peachy coral colour, a pink and a champagne/white frosty colour.

13.Benefit blush - Coralista £23.50

I have been wanting a coral blush for so long, and when Coralista came out I wanted it so bad, but kinda forgot about it! Until I recently went into boots and stumbled across it again. I swatched it in the shop and it's the most perfect coral blush,and it has a gorgeous slightly gold shimmer undertone. I've always been a fan of Benefit's Hoola, the products are pretty expensive but they last forever and come in such fun and bright packaging which is always a bonus! I've had my Hoola for so long now, so hopefully Coralista should last me a while too!

Brushes

14. MAC 187 Duo fibre brush £29.50


I bought this brush to replace my Mac 190 foundation brush that I lost, this brush is used for blending face powder and pigments. I have been using this brush to apply my bronzer (Hoola by Benefit) and I really prefer it to using a normal powder brush. Mac brushes are expensive but there such good quality it's worth the money.

15. Elf complexion brush £3.50


This complexion brush is from ELF's studio range and can be used with wet and dry products, specifically pressed, loose, or translucent powders,blush or bronzer. For the price this brush is really good, and I have been using it for contouring,or for my overall face powder. The only brushes I have tried before from Elf are the blusher brush, kabuki brush and the concealer brush. The concealer brush was the only brush that wasn't a very good quality, but I would recommend all the others.

Part 3 clothing & shoes will be posted later this week.

Birthday Haul- Beauty products Part 1

Ok so this month I have done ALOT of shopping. For my birthday I went to Liverpool and bought all my birthday presents, and then I found out I had been successful with my interview for an internship on a fashion buying department, so I bought some new clothes for that. When I first wrote this post about the beauty products and clothing it turned into wayyy to much of an essay so I have decided to do this post in 3 separate entries, two parts for beauty products (1 for face and eyes and one for lips and cheeks) and then one for clothes and shoes.

So here's some of the make-up/beauty products I bought this month/for my birthday. It wasn't till I'd written this blog post that I realised just how much I've recently bought, I really need to ban myself for the next month!

Face

1. Laura Mercier foundation primer £27

This product is a creamy gel formula, as is used to prep your skin for foundation.It contains Vitamins A,B, C which act as antioxidants to protect the skin from any harmful ageing affects from the environment. I love this product, I saw so many positive reviews about it, but I just wasn't sure if primers really worked. I know this product is expensive for a small tube but it really does work! It makes my skin so even and smooth, and makes my foundation look really fresh. Most people buy primers to help make their foundation last all day, and this product really does do that, I apply my makeup at 6.45am and it lasts till around 6-7pm when I normally take it off. I'm guessing this is a mix of this primer and the new foundation I'm using (which is mentioned underneath) because before I used a primer and was using Chanel's pro lumiere my foundation looked fresh for a few hours then would gradually wear off, but I am amazed with these new results.

2. Estee Lauder Double wear foundation £25

I bought this product after hearing everyone go on about how it really does last all day. To be completely honest I didn't believe anybody, I've used so many different foundations and none of them were lasting, so I decided to just give double wear a go! I am absolutely amazed by the results of this foundation,it blends so easily, leaves my skin looking flawless and actually lasts all day! Like I said previously from starting a new job I really needed a product that would last from first thing in the morning to tea-time, and this foundation literally doesn't budge! I would really recommend anyone to try this product. I am using double wear in Desert Beige.

3. Estee Lauder Double wear powder £25

I bought this powder because when using Chanel's pro lumiere I found the foundation was wearing off to easily, and I was needing to touch it up a lot during the day. Now I know the double wear foundation lasts all day I don't need to use this product everyday, however I have been using it very lightly on top of the foundation just to set the foundation, and I think the combination of both is what is making my skin stay flawless all day. I was going to go for the Estee Lauder translucent powder but thought that if some days I didn't want a full face of makeup then I could just use this powder without any foundation and it would still give me a good cover. Again I would really recommend this product, if you have a foundation you like but that isn't lasting as long as you would like, use this product to set the foundation. I am using this product in Desert Beige.

4. MAC mineralize skin finish - Comfort £19.50

This product is a soft powder with a high frost finish,and can be used all over the face and body or as a highlighter. MAC has 6 MSF's and after finding out Stereo Rose and Petticoat were both completely sold out I decided to go for Comfort which is still a newer one from MAC's recent range 'In the groove.' I use this product either very lightly as a bronzer for all over the face or just on my cheeks as a highlighter. Comfort is a golden bronze colour with veins of a brighter champagne gold. Each msf has a different amount of veins, I chose one with with less amount of veins as in comfort the gold veins are the bit that adds a brighter high frost finish. High frost is perfect for a highlighter but when using all over the face you don't want too much. I really like this product, more as a highlighter than a bronzer, as I prefer my bronzer to be completely matte, but as a highlighter it adds the nicest bit of bronzy shimmer to your cheeks.

Eyes

5. MAC Eyeshadow- Satin Taupe £11

I love MAC's eyeshadows because their so pigmented, and so easy to blend. Satin Taupe is a taupe brown with a silvery bronze shimmer frost, which makes it look taupe/slightly purple. A lot of my favourite youtube tutorial looks have been created by using this product, which is what made me want to get it. Satin Taupe is great on it's own, or blended with browns or black to created a really nice smokey eye, it also really suits a pink lip.

6. MAC Eyeshadow - Nylon £11

I bought Nylon to use as a brow highlighter and for around the tear duct area. It's a gorgeous champagne/pale gold colour with a metallic shimmer. When I use this product as a brow highlighter it will last all day! It is perfect for creating the 'prom look' I previously posted, it looks so nice blended with bronzy golds and browns.

7. MAC Mineralize eyeshadow trio - In the groove £15

I haven't yet used this product but have swatched it and the colours are so so pretty! From the In the groove collection this trio (also called in the groove) contains 3 colours perfect for creating a summery smokey eye. The 3 colours are a light champagny colour with a very light green undertone, a dark burgandy colour and a shimmery coral. I think these colours will look so pretty when blended together but also used separately and mixed with other colours. I love mineralize products, there so pigmented but still have a velvety-matte finish. There are a few other eyeshadow trio's from MAC I am hoping to get.

8. ELF Duo eyeshadow cream- Butter Pecan £1.50

Ok so unfortunately I am very disappointed with this product. The colours are so perfect, Butter Pecan has the nicest shimmery nude/slightly coral colour with a shimmery bronze, BUT Elf claims the product is 'crease resistant'... this is definitely not the case. I applied this product first thing in the morning and by late morning all of my eyeshadow had creased. I was really disappointed with this product, I think if applied with the tiniest amount as a base this could be ok, but not as an eyeshadow on it's own. I suppose at £1.50 I can't really complain,and it definitely proved to me the reason why I always prefer expensive makeup!

9. Elf Duo eyeshadow cream - Berry Mix £1.50

(Read product above) Exactly the same case with this colour too, the product creased very badly, but again the colours are so pretty, Berry mix has a very light lilac and a darker burgandy/purple colour. Next time I will learn my lesson and only buy one of any product I haven't tried before.

10. Laura Mercier Brilliant liquid eye liner - Onyx

I got the product free when buying two products from Laura Mercier, I think it's around £20 to buy but I'm not sure if it's actually available to buy in the UK yet. Onyx is a bronze colour with a shimmer gold undertone, it goes really well with a gold smokey eye, or is nice to use if you like using eyeliner to define your eyes, but find that sometimes black can be too harsh with more natural looks. I used this product for the first time yesterday, it is so easy to apply with an angled brush, and lasted all day. As I'm a huge fan of gel liner's at the moment I'm not too sure whether I would buy this product, but I really love the gold undertone.

July Favourites

So it's the last day of July today which means end of the month blog post! These are the products I've been loving this month and that I would recommend others to try! In a few days I will be doing a haul blog post on everything I got/or bought myself for my birthday which was at the end of July. So I am not going to include anything from that in this favourites blog post, because I haven't had too long to test the products properly and I'll just end up repeating myself in both posts.

So here's July's favourites!

1. 17 Lasting polish in 'Orange Soda'
I'm loving bright nail polish at the moment especially corals, pinks, yellow and blues. Only problem is I find they often don't go with what I'm wearing, meaning I have to change the colour a lot! This colour is a super bright coral, team it with natural make-up and nude and denim clothing to ensure you don't clash! The 17 collection is available at Boots with an offer for 2 for £5!

2. Good Things 'Face the day moisturiser'
After writing a blog post on this new skincare range I decided I definitely needed to try the products myself so I could review them for this blog. Later this week I will be writing a review on this moisturiser and another product from this range, so I wont go into detail now... but I absolutely LOVE this product and would recommend everyone to try products from this range!

3. Topshop Statement owl studs
For work I often prefer to wear my hair up in a loose bun or just clipped up, and a quick way to add an instant fashionable update is statement studs. If like me you can't really wear big dangly earrings for work, studs are a great if you feel your looking a little too plain without any in-your-face jewellery. This pair are from Topshop, and I think were around £6.99, but you can find statement studs in any high street store, try Primark if your on a budget.

4. MAC 'Studio sculpt concealer' in NW20
So originally I was after the Bobbi Brown creamy concealer after reading so many positive reviews on the product, but I was already shopping in the MAC store and figured MACs studio concealer would also be a suitable product. I wanted a concealer to hide blemishes and cover any dark circles my foundation couldn't hide. I really like this product it offers just the right amount of coverage and blends so easily, if you have the MAC 224 tapered blending brush, this is the perfect brush for blending concealer, if not it's just as easy to use your fingers to blend. I would still like to try Bobbi Brown's creamy concealer, just to compare against this product.

5. Loreal 'Nutri summer face'
I often find if I apply a little gradual self tan the night before my foundation will blend a lot easier into my skin the next day, and just generally my makeup will sit on my skin better. When I'm at my palest I find it really hard to blend my makeup as well as when I am tanned. If your going to use a self tan on your face always use one that is specifically just for your face! Any all over body self tanner will contain a lot of oil, as it is used to moisturise as well, and can bring you out in blemishes if used on the face. I really like this Loreal self tan, I have it in Medium and find it gives a really nice natural looking tan, which doesn't streak and doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy.

6. N.Y.C 'Smooth skin loose face powder'
This product is great if your on a budget, and is just £2.99. However I do not use it as a face powder, instead I use it for preventing any fall-out from eyeshadows ruining my face makeup. When applying dark eye makeup or any eyeshadows that are a loose powder, or contain glitter, I apply this translucent powder right under my eyes and just above my cheekbones, after finishing my eyes using a fan brush I sweep the powder away and any fall out from the eyeshadows will disappear with the powder.

7. WHSmith's cupcake storage
On an earlier blog post I showed my makeup storage, being the big quilted white makeup bag, but after buying quite a lot of new products this past month I needed a bigger storage space for my products. This storage box was in the sale at WHSmiths for £9.99, and is perfect for containing makeup, it has 6 different sized draws meaning you can separate your products into draws for Face,Eyes,Lips,Cheeks etc. I now keep all my makeup in this storage box, on top of my dressing table. As my room is decorated in a 'vintage style' there is a lot of light pinks, purples, beige and creams, so this storage box doesn't look too out of place. If you can't find one to match your decor, there are plenty of clear plastic storage boxes available.