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. 

Malaga Haul

I have recently got back from a trip to Malaga and I may have possibly brought a few makeup products ... Okay, I brought a lot! Malaga is surprisingly good for shopping, I did not expect to come back with this many products and I managed to get my hands on a lot of things I've wanted to try for a long time. A little tip for anyone who is travelling to Malaga in the future, there is a huge department store right next to the train station which has every brand you could possibly ask for. They have a counter for High end brands and lower end brands, so there is something for everyone. Its called 'Court De Anglaise' (The spelling maybe wrong but the store is easily found) and you can save 10% off all of your purchases if you have your British passport on you. Don't ask me how my mother found this out - she can find a deal no matter where she is! So I managed to get a little discount on a lot of the makeup I brought, I am I very happy girl! 

I have no idea where to start with this post, so lets just start with mascaras as they are my favourite makeup product. I had been eyeing up the Yves Saint Laurent Shocking mascara for a few months now after reading many reviews on it and figured it was time to see for myself just how good this mascara is - and its okay. Its not brilliant, but its a nice mascara. I like products that do what they say on the tin and it definitely does what its advertised for, its a volumising mascara which it does a good job at. The formula is very black and has a wet constancy, it also has a hint of fragrance which is noticeable at first  but if that is something that usually bothers you then keep this in mind if you buy this product. 

I also picked up the Dior Show mascara after remembering this used to be a huge favourite of mine when I was younger. Again this mascara has a wet formula which I find harder to work with as it clumps my lashes up easily, but once this product dries up a little I know i'm going to enjoy it a lot more. These products paired together do a lovely job. I have to wait in between applications for each coat to dry, but together these mascaras give my lashes volume and length which is a combination I am loving lately.

I'm pretty sure I was at the MAC cosmetics counter for at least an hour touching and trying everything in sight. I am a huge fan of MAC but there isn't a counter near me, so when I do come across one its a huge treat for me. I knew I wanted the strobe cream as I have seen various youtubers and bloggers rave about this stuff but sadly they where out of stock. However the sales girl told me that the Strobe liquid lotion is pretty much the same thing so I brought that instead and it is beautiful! Its much lighter constancy than the strobe cream and I am much happier with this product because I don't use it as skincare. Instead I mix a few pumps with my foundation and it gives my skin the most gorgeous dewy glow which I am loving. 

I didn't intend on buying the Prep and Prime translucent setting powder and I am so grateful that I did. This powder helps to set my foundation all day long AND it stops my under eye concealer from creasing. Well it doesn't stop every tiny crease from appearing but this is a miracle product for me because I used to hate my concealer creasing. 

(l-r) Morange, Candy Yum Yum, Sunny Seoul, Pure Zen, Pink Nouveau

I also picked up 1 or 2 lipsticks from MAC. Okay I brought 5. But I couldn't help myself, i'm obsessed with lipsticks at the moment. I walked up to the counter knowing two shades I definitely wanted but a few others caught my eye and I have to take them home with me. I have wanted Morange for the longest time and finally had the chance to try it on. Its the most pigmented, fluorescent orange I have ever tried and its amazing. I am a sucker for an orange lipstick, so this is was a no brainer for me. I also knew I wanted to buy Pure Zen as I needed a nude shade but the popular shades from MAC like Myth and Hue just make me look washed out. Pure Zen is more of a pinky nude, so its the perfect shade for me. I use this if I am wearing a heavier eye makeup look and I pair it with other lipsticks to tone them down. 

Candy Yum-Yum was a colour I never thought I would wear, I quickly assumed it wouldn't suit me and moved on to the other shades. I kept going back to this colour, 'uming' and 'ahhing' over it until I decided to try it on. To my surprise this colour actually suited me and its now one of my favourite lipsticks! I also picked up Sunny Seoul and Pink Nouveau as I needed a few more 'day time' pinks in my collection. 

I needed to re-purchase a MAC mineralise skin finish and also some eye shadows. Omega and Brule are staple colours I think every makeup lover should have in their collection. They are pretty versatile shades that can be used on their on, together for a natural look or with any eye shadow combination with Brule as a highlight and Omega in the crease. I also use Omega to fill in my eyebrows which shows how many different ways you can use these shadows. I also picked up Mulch as its a colour I haven't owned yet.

 Probably my favourite purchase from Malaga is The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer highlighter. I'll review this product in a separate post as it is my new favourite highlighter and I can't stop raving about it. I had never seen this brand in England and I have heard so much about this highlighter from youtubers but I hadn't been able to get my hands on it. When I walked into a tiny pharmacy and spotted this I freaked out, a few other customers stared at me and gave me weird looks, but I was just so happy to finally add this to my collection. 

I know i'm pretty late on the bandwagon with these but I finally brought some Real Techniques brushes. I have quite a few Sigma brushes already in my collection from my makeup course I completed a few weeks ago, and I love them. I didn't think I needed anymore but after every other beauty blogger raving about these I thought it was time to find out for myself just how good these brushes are. And they are fantastic. I don't know why I waited so long for to buy these, I was so impressed that when I got back to England I brought more! I still love my Sigma brushes, but if you want high quality brushes but don't want to break the bank, then these are perfect for you. The quality of the makeup brush you use makes such a difference to the overall application. I have used these everyday since I purchased them and I am very impressed so far.