Currently Loving #1

Despite the amount of makeup I own, I tend to go through phases of graviting towards certain products. I'm not one to do 'monthly favourites' because I find that I don't discover enough new products within 4 weeks to validate one post. 2015 brings exciting adventures for me, but also a spending ban as I need to spend the next few months saving up as much as I can. I'm shopping my own collection and rediscovering old treasures and falling in love with some products all over again.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer: I never brought into the primer hype and didn't tend to invest in them. It wasn't until I jumped on the bandwagon and tried the Veil Mineral Primer I realised just how amazing this product really is. Redness of the skin is my biggest problem area, and this primer completely evens it out which cuts down the amount of tinted moisturiser I need to use. Amongst concealing redness this oil free primer combats signs of again by softening the skin, smoothing out pores, adding a youthful glow and prolonging your makeup. Trust me when I say this primer is a miracle worker, and worth every penny. I will repurchase this over and over again.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisteriser: I couldn't put into words how much I loved this tinted moisturiser. If you have been a reader for a while you will probably have seen me raving about this product constantly. It gives you a perfect looking complexion with the added bonus of skincare qualities. It has a lightweight consistency with the perfect coverage while hydrating your skin - when I wear this I get so many compliments on how fresh and dewy my skin looks! If you haven't tried this yet, I highly recommend it.

Hourglass Ambient Palette: Hourglass blushes really are worth the hype. I have never tried a blush that is formulated like the hourglass products. They are so silky and soft which make them blend into the skin seamlessly, leaving a natural looking flush to the cheeks. They have a subtle, finely milled shimmer which prevents the shades looking dull on the skin and adds a healthy looking glow. The marbled texture through the shades means you get the perfect ratio of pigmentation to shimmer, leaving you with the perfect complexion and youthful glow. 

MAC Velvet Teddy: Im sure you have all heard of this shade since Kylie Jenner revealed this is the secret behind her famous lips. I had been after Velvet Teddy for a while, and finally managed to get my hands on it recently. I have a very large MAC lipstick collection, but I didn't have many brown-nudes so this was a nice one to add to my growing stash. Velvet Teddy is an unusual shade to explain - Its a brown nude with a pinky/mauve undertone which makes this a great everyday shade. Being matte it has a pretty good staying power and luckily it isn't as drying as Ruby Woo, which makes it very wearable. 

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow: Another cult favourite, but I had to mention this because I have been obsessed with this since Christmas. Charlotte Tilbury can do no wrong in my eyes, this is the perfect bronzing and highlighting palette. The formulation of the powders are so buttery and silky which makes blending stupidly simple. The bronze shade adds a healthy warmth to the skin, sculpting the contours of the face beautifully so slim and shape the face. The highlight shade is the perfect golden-champagne, adding a subtle radiance to the high points of the face which compliments the contour shade. Everything from this product screams perfection - from the rose gold packaging to the flawless application.

Lush Eau Roma Water: I think Lush aromatherapy waters don't get enough love from the blogosphere. Eau Roma Water is my favourite toning water, leaving my skin feeling hydrated and refreshed after every use. It has a combination of Rose Water and Lavender which helps calm redness and is gentle to the skin, leaving it soothed and hydrated. 

NARS Mie Kabuki Brush: I cannot say enough good things about this brush. It applies powder products beautifully to the skin as the dome shape helps deposit makeup evenly. It has a hand-spun black wisteria handle which adds a luxurious feel and texture to the brush while preserving it's Japanese heritage. 

Jo Malone Sea Salt and Wood Sage Cologne: I have been wearing this non stop since I purchased it back in October. I wrote a post on this body spray a few weeks ago which you can find here, and I still cannot get enough of it. Its a very easy fragrance to wear and I have been obsessed with it since day one.

NARS And God Created The Women Palette: I have been loving this palette lately, not only because its convenient, but the shades are also stunning. I have been gravitating towards a brown smokey eye a lot over the last few weeks, and this palette makes it easy to achieve. You get a mixture of matte and shimmery shades which all blend together seamlessly, leaving you with the ideal, effortless smokey eye every time. 

OCC Lip Tar Annika: I have found my ideal peachy nude lip with the shade Annika. OCC Liptars are incredible products because they last forever on the lips and they are very highly pigmented. Even after a night of cocktails and eating, my lip colour looks just as perfect as when I applied it. When you first apply the product it has a very slight menthol flavour which I find really refreshing. My favourite combination lately is to mix equal parts of Annika with Ophelia.

Real Techniques 201 Pointed Crease: I have been after a brush like this for ages. I wanted a crease brush that would allow a more precise application, and the 201 brush is perfect for this because its very sturdy. The brush feels very luxurious to use and the weighted, silver plated handle allows  for more control. 

 Another lengthy post and I apologise for that! If you managed to make it to the end let me know what products you have been loving lately. 

NARS: The Standouts

NARS is one of those brands that continues to impress me with each purchase I make. I haven't found a fault in any of the products I have tried over the last few years, which is why I am very happy to keep going back for more. My makeup storage is over flowing with NARS products (amongst my ridiculous makeup collection) but there are a few standouts that I think deserve a mention. I love the NARS face products. Anything from their primer to their multiple, it has been tried and tested by yours truly and they all have my stamp of approval. 

NARS Sheer Glow is one of those foundations that is a cult favourite amongst beauty bloggers and vloggers. Everyone and their dog has raved about this foundation, and of course it deserves the love. It blends seamlessly into the skin, giving you perfect coverage that makes your skin look as if it is glowing from within. Did I mention that it is a dream to wear AND its long lasting? If you haven't tried it yet get your hands on this immediately. Other cult favourites are the Creamy Concealer and the Tinted Moisteriser, two products I will re-purchase over and over again. 

I couldn't write this post without mentioning the Contour Kit and blush could I? The contour duo was a new discovery for me a few months ago, and I don't know how I lived without this product. It makes contouring so unbelievably easy. Using the ITA brush and the powders I am able to contour my cheek bones and bring dimension to my face in seconds. The colour is spot on and has made contouring so simple for me. 

Everyone has heard about Orgasm and Deepthroat blush, but there are a few others that I think deserve a bit of love. Sex Appeal and Gaiety are beautiful pink blushes that I use on a daily basis. They are matte shades which make them very wearable during the day and add a flush of colour leaving a healthy looking glow on your cheeks. I have also been loving the Orgasm Multiple, which I think blows the powder blush out of the water. In the summer this goes perfectly with a tan, accentuating your natural glow and works wonderfully as a cream blush in the winter to make dry skin appear more dewy. The glow this gives your skin is like no other, and it works beautifully with all skin shades.

Copacabana illuminator is a staple in my everyday makeup routine. If I wear foundation, I mix a little in to make my skin look radiant and I always put a little of this on top of my cheek bones and under by brow bone. It leaves a beautiful pearl sheen on the skin and really illuminates your complexion. This stuff also lasts forever, I have used this nearly everyday since October last year and I still have most of the product left! For all these reasons and more this probably has to be my all time favourite NARS product. 

Lets talk about Tinted Moisturisers

When it comes to my everyday makeup, I will pick tinted moisturisers over liquid foundation any day. I love a full coverage look for a special occasion, but day-to-day I like to have naturally luminous looking skin with my freckles showing through. For me personally, a flawless face doesn't suit me all that well, I like to have a few imperfections showing through and I hate feeling like I'm wearing a mask. Honestly, I just prefer the way my skin looks when I'm wearing a tinted moisturiser most days.  Tinted moisturisers are the perfect balance for me between the right amount of coverage and a light constancy. Having a base for my makeup that evens out my skin tone, adds a slight glow and gives my skin added moister, for me, is an ideal product. I have found that there is definitely a big different between drugstore & high end tinted moisturisers, in my experience drug store products don't give me the right amount of coverage and I don't particularly like the consistency compared to the high end products I have tried. I would definitely prefer to spend a little more on a tinted moisturiser and have better results.

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser

Definitely on the pricey side at $42, but the Nars tinted moisturiser has to be my all time favourite. I will repurchase this again and again with out thinking about the price because I love it that much. It gives me the perfect coverage, just enough to cover up my redness and even out my skin tone, but it lets my freckles show through. It has a very natural, dewy finish and it feels incredibly light on the skin. Another thing I really like about this product is that its so quick and easy to apply, it works great with a brush or beauty blender, but strangely for me, I like to use my fingers to apply this - and I typically hate to use my fingers to apply makeup. Its so easy to blend and gives such a beautiful finish that lasts all day. Enough raving now, the bottom line is, you need this product. 

Dr Jart + Platinum BB Cream 

Technically this product is a BB cream and not a tinted moisturiser, but in my eyes it doesn't matter if its called a BB, CC (apparently theres a DD cream now?!) they all do the same thing - for the sake of this post, today its a tinted moisturiser. I really like the Dr Jart + range, I have used the Dr Jart + Water Fuse Beauty Balm as well as the Platinum products, I have been impressed by both. Although they have a thicker constancy to most tinted moisturisers, I have found that Dr Jart + products work really well in the summer. They work well to control the oils on my face, they have long lasting wear, they feel light on the skin, and they have the added SPF 30, which is a really nice bonus. They are very easy to get a hold of in the UK as they are stocked in Boots stores and I'm pretty sure that Sephora stocks Dr Jart + products. Prices range from £18-£24 with a variety of products aimed for different skin types and ages, so there is something for everyone. 

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12 - Hour Primer

I have been using the Tarte BB Tinted Treatment for nearly a year now and I was surprised at how much I liked this product. I normally don't buy into the whole '12 hour wear' or 'treatment' aspect of a product, as most brands use it as an advertising ploy, but Tarte products really do live up to the names on their packaging. Technically a BB cream and technically a primer, I like to use this on its own most days. As it is a primer it has a silicone like consistency, like most primers, but I like the way it feels on my skin. It smooths out the texture of my skin, covers any redness or blemishes and it lasts all day long. If I want a fuller coverage I will use this under a foundation as a primer, with its coverage it helps me use less product and I have found that it does pro-long the wear of my foundation. This is a great multipurpose product in that aspect, it works as a great tinted moisturiser for day to day wear, but also doubles as my favourite primer. 

Lets talk about highlighters

If I had to pick 5 beauty products, highlighter would definitely be at the top of my list. If I'm wearing makeup, I never skip highlighter. I love a dewy, glowing finish to my skin all year around, and I feel that using any of these products can make a huge difference to the overall look of my makeup. I didn't start using highlighter in my makeup routine until about a year ago, and I am kicking myself that I didn't discover them sooner! 

If you are new to makeup or you don't tend to wear a lot of different products, highlighter can be a bit of a daunting step. Many people ask themselves what shades suit my skin tone the best? Do I use a powder or a cream? WHERE do I put this stuff?! Trust me, I had those questions too. Highlighters are designed to brighten up the highest points of your face to add dimension and make them stand out. I like to apply highlighter to the very tops of my cheek bones, my brow bone, down the centre of my nose, my forehead, my chin, my cupids bow and on the inner corners of my eyes to brighten - basically everywhere. A lot of beauty bloggers say 'don't use too much or you'll look oily/like a disco ball', 1. I have never had a problem with my highlighter making my skin look greasy, so don't let that put you off. & 2. Most highlighters don't have massive chunks of glitter, they add a glow to your face not sparkle. If you feel like you want to add a little more, do it. Some may think I over do my highlighter a little, but thats the way I like it!

The Balm, Mary-Lou Manizer 

This is definitely a cult beauty product, but this has to be my all time favourite highlighter. Mary-Lou Manizer is one of three very well known highlighters, the other two that I have not yet bought are Betty-Lou Mangier, a bronze highlighter & Cindy-Lou Manizer, a peach highlighter. Mary-Lou Manizer of course is my favourite out of the three, a champagne highlighter with the most incredible colour pay off. Its such a pigmented product, just a tap of your brush and you have the most beautiful glow on your cheek bones. I discovered this product mainly through Australian beauty bloggers as The Balm wasn't very easy to get a hold of in the UK, although now you can get it online through Feel Unique. If you are in the market for a new highlighter, I really recommend this one. 

(quick tip, this works as a beautiful eye shadow too!) 

Nars Copacabana 

Copacabana is a pink toned, illuminating liquid that has two great uses. It can be worn over foundation, used as a traditional highlighter or you can mix it in with your foundation to create a dewy look - this is my favourite way to use it. In the summer this is a great alternative to using a powder highlighter as I feel like it sits better on my skin during the warmer months. I will typically mix 1 part highlighter with two parts tinted moisturiser on a day-to-day basis and if I feel like I need a little more glow, i'll pat this into my skin were I want to be highlighted. I love this shade on tanned skin the most, it compliments warmer skin tones perfectly, which is why this is my go-to summer highlighter.

Bare Minerals, Montana

Im not to sure if this was intended to be used as a highlighter, but thats what I use it for. Montana is a golden toned highlighter which helps me fake a sun kissed glow all year round. I wouldn't have thought that gold highlighters would work for me, but used lightly over bronzer it creates a beautiful look on even pale skin tones. Again, this is a product I love to use in the summer to accentuate my tan, but I like to use it now and then during the winter months too. This is by far my favourite radiance product from Bare Minerals, and I am savouring every last bit of this product as it was limited edition, but here is a similar one

MAC, Soft & Gentle 

This is a mineralise skin finish that again, seems to be one of those cult products that every beauty blogger raves about, but this is an amazing highlighter. Soft & Gentle is a champagne highlighter with pink and gold undertones which leaves a subtle, rosy glow on your cheeks. Its a never ending product as you use so little of it, i've had mine for over a year and as you can see from the picture, it looks as if i've barely used any. This is a great product to travel with as you can use your fingers to dust it on your cheek bones and also sweep it across your eyelids to add a wash of colour. If you are a MAC lover and you don't have this in your collection, I suggest you purchase this next. I promise you will not be disappointed. 

Benefit, Watts Up

Another Champagne highlighter (Are you noticing a pattern here?) Except this one works a little differently to the others. Watts Up is a cream to powder highlighter in a stick form, its super easy to apply and once its blended in, it give your cheek bones a gorgeous glow. I had always have my eye on this product, but for some reason I never got around to trying it untill I received a travel sized version, and then I fell in love with it. I seem to get a lot of compliments when I wear Watts Up, I think because I blend it in with my fingers, the warmth helps it blend into my skin and gives a really natural looking finish. 

Bobbi Brown, Nude Glow Shimmer Brick

I had never tried any of the Bobbi Brown shimmer bricks until I received this one for my birthday last year. I love the look my skin gets when I swirl all of the colours together and lightly dust it along my cheek bones. I find this highlighter more subtle than my other ones, so I use this if I have heavy eye makeup on so my cheek bones don't look too over powering. This is a great multipurpose product as you could use all the colours together, separately and its another one of those products that works great as an eye shadow because it has the different shades in. 

What are your favourite highlighters? 

New York Haul

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Loving Lately #1

I tried doing the popular post 'Monthly Favourites', but I found I don't have enough different 'favourites' to talk about each month. Instead, I have decided to start doing 'Loving Lately' posts, where I post my latest favourite products when I decide I have enough to write about. Otherwise I would just be writing the same post over and over, which is no fun for any of us. 

Let's start off with cheap and cheerful with Loreal's Micellar Water. A popular product among beauty bloggers alike and a great dupe for the Bioderma Micellar Water. I really liked Bioderma for removing my makeup, but its not the easiest to get a hold of in England. When I found this gem in Boots for a steal at £3 I had to try it - and it's just as good as everyone says it is. It dissolves all of my makeup and leaves my skin feeling cleansed and refreshed. It's a great alternative for Bioderma, it works just as well for a fraction of the price. 

I have been after some more Autumnal nail polish shades recently as most of my collection is full of pale pink shades (This is not my doing, blame my sister). Superdrug has had a 3 for 2 offer on lately, so I couldn't resist picking up some new Essie nail polishes to add to our ridiculously large collection. The shade I have been wearing the most lately is Cocktail Bling which is one of their newest shades. Its a lovely grey shade with a blueish hue which I feel is perfect for the winter season. I plan on pairing this with Nails Inc's Snowflake effect polish when it gets colder as an 'icey' looking base. 

I finally jumped on the bandwagon and got myself a Caudalie Beauty Elixir. This is one of the beauty cult products that every other beauty blogger has raved about, and of course it lived up to the hype. It's a very refreshing mist that gives you a glowing complexion. Apparently Victoria Beckham uses this to give her that dewy glow. I spray this before and after I apply my makeup to give my skin a boost of brightness. 

Also a word to the wise - Don't be an idiot like me and order it off of Net-A-Porter. The black box is pretty, but I paid £18 for the 30ml bottle when you can get it on Feel Unique for a tenner. I feel slightly cheated, but it is a great product. I just know where to shop next time! 

As I am slightly obsessed with makeup, I tend to buy products without using up the old ones I own first. This typically happens with foundation and mascara, I can't help myself. I don't tend to repurchase many of the same foundations because I go through so many I forget how good some of my favourites are. I have been using the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua as a lot recently and I think it may be my all time favourite foundation. I know myself, Im still going to end up trying out more foundations, but I know that this is one I am going to repurchase again and again. It has the most amazing, dewy finish on the skin and it lasts all day. I will do a full review on this soon, but I am absolutely in love with this product and I don't know why I went so long without trying it. It works great with the Nars Copacabana Illuminator (I always end up with the song Copacabana by Barry Manilow stuck in my head whenever I read of the name of this, please tell me i'm not alone?) I apply it to my cheekbones and wherever else I feel I need highlighting to add a subtle iridescent glow. 

When I was in Chicago a few weeks ago I ordered myself the Premium Brush Kit from Sigma as a treat for becoming qualified in Makeup Artistry. Sigma brushes are by far the best I have ever tried and at the moment my favourite is the F-20 Large Face brush. Its super soft, its big and it applies powder like a dream. It seems like a pretty basic brush to have in a favourites post, but for some reason this one has impressed me the most so far. I like the size of it, it applies a good amount of powder all over the face in seconds without disturbing the foundation underneath because its so soft. 

If you follow me on twitter you would have already heard me rave about this lipstick. 'Shy Girl' from MAC had been a love of mine for years. It's my perfect nude as I love peach toned shades. However, I recently discovered 'Peach Blossom' and now i'm in love. Its more pink toned than 'Shy Girl' but still has a peachy tone to it which makes it the perfect lipstick for me. Its a very wearable shade and compliments a brown smokey eye look perfectly! 

Finally, my MAC Pro Palette which I wrote a lot about this in my Birthday Haul post a little while ago. I have been using it every single day and it didn't take me long to fill it up. I added the shades Honey Lust, Scene and Blackberry so I can create some versatile looks with just the one palette. I am going to New York next Friday, and even though I intend to start another Pro palette, I think this will be the only one I will be taking with me as it has all of the colours I need to create most of my favourite eye looks.  

What products are you loving lately?