Current Everyday Makeup Staples

I thought I would do an updated makeup staples featuring everything in the top drawer of my new Muji drawers. These are products which I have been grabbing for on a daily basis and I would recommend to all, many of these have featured in many of my posts mostly within favourites posts over the past few months.

First up, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Blusher in Stereo Rose, this unfortunately was a special edition in one of MAC's many collections. I featured it as it does pop up every now and again in new collections and it is always a best seller, they should really just include it in their regular line. Many bloggers have compared this to Nars' bestseller blush in Orgasm, and my sister actually owns it herself and I can safely say they are practically the same. It's a great pinky toned blush with some glitter running through the pigments, it is great to wear any day of the week and for any occasion.

Next up, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette, since this landed in my possession last November after my sister picked it up in NYC for me I have been in love. I always take this with me whenever I am travelling because it contains three beautiful shades, if you want the full low down then there is a post fully dedicated to this beautiful palette here. The good news is SpaceNK now stock Hourglass yeh! but they do not stock this palette as it was bought from Sephora. The good news it you can buy the blushes individually if there is one particularly that you have your eye on.

A bold statement but it has to be made, my favourite ever mascara is the Maxfactor False Lash Effect. I think this must be at least my tenth one of these no joke, I have been wearing it since high school so at least five years if not longer. It is probably my most staple item that I own, due to how reliable it is. I think that I have quite short, stubby lashes but with this they look so much longer. It is an all round mascara and also adds volume which is exactly what I want. Every time I see a new mascara advertised I always want to try them, however they just seem to be as good as this one. Whilst writing this post I have just realised I have never done an individual post on this mascara, and just do not why so expect that to be coming your way very soon!

Lastly, is my MAC palette which I put together myself and I just could not be happier with it. You will be able to see that the eyeshadows are running very low. I am seriously considering venturing into a 12 pan palette as I always see so many shadows that I want, but I always convince myself not to go for it when it comes to making a purchase. I use thispalette on a daily basis and I am in a routine of how I apply them. Firstly I take Naked Lunch which is a beautiful highly pigmented pink which I use all over the lid to brighten everything up. Next I take Woodwinked which I think may be my favourite eyeshadow to have ever been created. It is just a great warm gold with shimmery tones running through it which adds an extra dimension to the overall look. Finally I take Satin Taupe and apply this through the crease and to the outer section of my eyelid to add a little smokiness. It is a dark grey rather than black which is what I like the most about this shade as I am pale skinned it adds just the right amount of darkness. They all blend super easy which is just what you want when you are in a rush which is almost everyday for me!

Is there anything you think I should add to my everyday staples?

Lucy
xoxo

MAC Cinderella

The highly anticipated Cinderella collection finally hit MAC stores last week, and I don't think they have anticipated for it being as popular as it has been. For me I was definitely in the right place, at the right time. I had already pre-planned to go shopping in Manchester last Friday, which in fact was the launch date of the collection within Selfridges. I got there at about ten o'clock so the store had been open an hour and surprisingly there was still the majority of the range left. One of the girls said that they had 6 full drawers at 9, and by 10 they had half a drawer left! l I managed to get the Royal Ballet lipstick for myself and my sister which is what we wanted. I had also seen the Cinderella Beauty Powder in Mystery Princess which look very beautiful and was wanting to pick it up but that had unfortunately already sold out.

So to the lipstick and my verdict, it is a lovely spring nude colour with shimmer running through it which is what you would expect from a Cinderella inspired lipstick. It is smooth on the lips as it is from the Lustre range.Yesterday me and my sister both had it on and the first thing she said to me was that it looked different on me and she was right. It looked very nude on me, and more pinky toned on her which was quite strange as we are very similar in skin tone. I like it and I will be able to get a lot of use of it, but unfortunately it is not very long wearing. I also expected more of a darker pink colour like the colour which she wears to the ball, to be within the collection. The two lipsticks which they realised are nudes and are very similar in colour, and Royal Ballet was the more darker and pinker of the two. I think that MAC can be cheeky when it comes to the price point of their collections as it was £17 per lipstick which to me is expensive. On a brighter note the packaging is delightful and just as I would imagine it to be, and looks lovely placed on your dressing table.

I no people have been very disappointed with MAC and how they have realised this range especially in regards to the stock level. Distributors have also not had the best success when realising the range especially Debenhams, unfortunately I don't think they quite anticipated the amount of people wanting the products. I can not attach any links are it is sold out literally everywhere.

Did anyone manage to pick up anything from the range? If so what is your thoughts?

Lucy
xoxo

L'Oreal True Match Foundation

I have been meaning to pop up a post about this for a while now about this little gem from L'Oreal which is featured in our drugstores. I have seen a few different bloggers pop up posts about it recently, but I am actually on to my second bottle. I saw it featured in one of Vivianna Does Makeup YouTube videos at some point last year, and then Amelia Liana also recommended it. In my recent The Boots Shop post I featured this as I had repurchased it on my last trip to Boots. I mentioned that I had originally bought the True Match foundation in the Golden Ivory shade as I had originally thought that it was a perfect match for my skin. This time I tried out the Rose Ivory shade and realised that it actually did match my skin perfectly, and I did in fact have a pink undertone to my skin. This for me is the drugstore version of Nars Sheer Glow, I would not go as far as to say that it is a dupe as it does have it differences. I find the texture is soft and smooth, and is very easy to blend leaving a great even look to the skin . It is a medium coverage which is buildable but with just two pumps I have the right amount of coverage for my desired look. The main difference between this and the Sheer Glow is that this does not last as long on the skin and it does not quite have as much 'glow'. But all in all, for the price of £9.99 is something which I would definitely recommend to those wanted to try a new foundation which you can pick up on the high street. It has 20 different colour shades to the range so hopefully there will be one that matches everyone!

Lucy
xoxo

Spring Primark Haul

I took a trip to the big Primark in Manchester city centre last week and picked up a few bits for Spring. Primark is so good at picking up the basics and new essentials when moving into a new season.

I was debating on picking up the shoes as it is only the start of March, but you can never be too early and in Primark you have to pick it up when you see it as the stock changes so frequently. I can report that they are majorly comfy and the heel is just the right height. These will be great going into summer especially if you are jetting off to somewhere sunny this year. I can see myself matching these with a cute little summers dress or a short and tee combo. They also had these in black which I was debating on picking up. However, I thought the white is a much more spring/summer colour and all my shoes all winter have been black and I wanted to venture out. These were £12 which is such a steal and I am really hoping to get a lot of wear out of them.

Accessories in all shapes and sorts are known for being cheap in Primark. Saying that the jewellery is always so on trend and they have such a vast variation. The silver flower and gem necklace is really dainty, I thought this would be great to dress a simple outfit up taking it from day to night, and it was just £2! I love statement necklaces and the five different coloured flower necklace was right up my street, I would also wear this to add an emphasis to an outfit and was once again a steal at £3. As an avid headband lover I just could not leave this cute flower and pearl combination on the shelf, I love the stretchy style as they do not hurt or dig into your head. This was just £3 which I love, as in Topshop this would cost at least £10.

Have you picked anything up from Primark recently?

Lucy
xoxo

The Boots Shop

Boots is essentially the best drugstore within the UK hands down. It contains all of the best beauty brands at budget friendly prices. I had ran out of my trustworthy L'Oreal True Match Foundation so I took a little trip and came out with some other bits and bobs.

I had previously picked up the L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Golden Ivory and I thought that it had been a really good match to my skin. After taking a trip to Nars though and picking up the Sheer Glow Foundation which features in my February Favourites post, the makeup assistant told me that I have more of a pink undertone to my skin which I had never previously realised. Therefore, when I went to pick up a restock I reached for the Rose Ivory colour and realised that it actually did match my undertone more. I love this foundation so much and I have never found a foundation with the £9.99 price tag attached to it which is as good as this. The formula is great and creates a lovely glowing effect to the skin, it is super blendable and is a medium coverage. It has SPF17 which is always a hidden bonus and helps keeps your skin protected even in the winter months. You get 30ml and my last bottle lasted me three months, which is excellent value for money. The colour range is huge and caters from pale to dark skin as well as different colours of undertones.

My skin has been feeling like its in need of a good moisture boost, working long shifts is not the best for your skin and I often feel like I need cleanse more thoroughly. I have previously used Sanctuary Spa's 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask and got great results as it draws everything out of your pores and really gives you a deep cleanse. However, this time the Moisture Boosting Mask sachet caught my attention and when I read the words "ultimate moisture boost to revive thirsty skin for glowing finish" it eagerly took a place in my shopping basket. These are not cheap as they are £2.50 for 15ml but I wanted to try it out before I bought a bigger version, and they are so convenient for a one stop fix.

Amelia Liana is always mentioning how good the Maybelline Super Stay 7 days Gel Nail Colours are. At just £4.49 I was intrigued to see how good they really are. One of Amelia's go to colours is Divine Wine which is a beautiful grape coloured, vibrant purple. The other one which I picked up was Hot Salsa which is a beautiful bright pink (looks more orange in the photo!), this is just a classic colour for me to be attracted to, as I love a pop of pink on my nails. They have a great flat brush which makes application so much easily, the colour range us huge making choosing a colour so much harder. They also have a high shine finish which makes the colour look more glossy.

Lastly, on my way to the tills I reached for my ever so reliable Blistex Relief Cream. My lips have been so chapped and I needed to move from a lip barrier balm to a lip treatment. I pile this on to my lips as often as it is needed to help to instantly repair my lips. My most sore and cracked area at the moment is the top of my lips and it can great incredibly sore. I should have bought this earlier to help it prevent it getting to this stage, but I no that it quickly works it wonder and I can not recommend it enough. You get 5ml for £2.65 which is a fab price considering how great the product is.

Have you picked up anything new and great from Boots recently?

Lucy
xoxo

February Favourites

This post is actually on time! I always aim for it to be on time but I always seem to be a couple of days later into the next month. I have done individual posts on four out of five of those items which shows that they really have impressed me within February.

If you read my recent Top 5 MAC Nudes post which you can see here this lipstick will look familiar - yes it is the lipstick that had no name and I have now identified it as Cosmo. I popped into MAC over the weekend, me and the makeup assistant searched the stands and managed to match it perfectly. My mind is now at ease for when I need to repurchase it as I was worried it had been discontinued. It is the perfect colour for day to night and is my reach for lipstick when I am in a rush.

Garnier Micellar Water Cleansing Wipes, there is also a post on the wipes here. But since that post I can confirm that they have continued to do the job perfectly, I have used them most nights when you want to quickly remove your makeup. They are so gentle over the face and eyes and remove all stubborn makeup easily. To me there is really nothing else I would expect a facial wipe to do, and have been recommending these to everyone and I do the same to all of you!

Charlotte Tilsbury Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil this is a beautifully pigmented pencil which contains glittery pigments which glisten on the eyelids. It is a thick formula which can crease if you do not blend quickly all the details are here . I have been using this on a daily basis as it adds a quick pop of colour to the eyelid and when I have time it looks perfect with a thin line of eyeliner and lashings of mascara.

Real Techniques 201 Crease Brush has been used on a daily basis this month in order to apply my eyeshadow. The name applies that it is a crease brush but it actually does a great job at applying eyeshadow all over the eyelid as the bristles are packed tightly and pick up the product perfectly, more details here . This however does works equally as well as a crease brush as it blends together different colours perfectly,

Finally Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, so there is currently no individual post on this as I only purchased it last weekend so it is currently under review. But I included it in my favourites as I have been using it everyday this week since I purchased it and I have been absolutely loving it! It differently lives up to it's expectations and has a huge price tag attached to it at £31, and I kind of didn't want to fall in love with it but I have done and I don't want to stop using it. It creates such a beautiful dewy, glowing effect on the skin and is long lasting throughout that day. A post will be up soon and I am expecting rave reviews.

What have you been loving in February?

Lucy
xoxo