Do you ever have one of those months where you cannot stop buying new make-up? Well, you are not alone! With exam stress, the changing season, and the final instalment of my student loan coming in, it is only natural that I have not stopped watching make-up hauls on YouTube and beautybay.com is my most searched website.
This month I have some golden oldies, alongside some new impulse buys which have changed up my make-up routine completely. So, lets get started..
10) Nyx HD Photogenic Concealer Wand, £6
I discovered this concealer randomly one day in my local Boots when they had run out of my colour in the cult favourite:
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. I bought this on a whim, as it was cheap (student budget) and they had a large colour range which is ideal for my tan but yellow toned skin. I picked up the colour "CW04 Beige". This works perfectly as an under-eye concealer when going for the Kim K contoured look (although definitely too light for spot correcting). The coverage and staying power of this concealer is amazing and has trumped my previous favourite - the Wake Me Up. I find it easy to blend without swiping and moving the product around on the face and will be purchasing a colour that matches my base make-up to test this out as a spot corrector.
9) OPI Nail Varnish in "Don't Bossa Nova Me Around", £9.50
If you know me, you know I love acrylic nails. Despite knowing that they destroy the health and beauty of my own natural nails, I can't help being obsessed with the variety and extravagance of wearing acrylic nails. The whole process of going to the nail bar to get a new set of acrylics is so relaxing and makes me feel fabulous! So last week, (after giving my nails a month break from acrylics and using A LOT of nail strengthening products) I returned to my local nail bar, opted for coffin shaped acrylics, and selected a nude lacquer; knowing that next time I go I will be choosing a bright colour ready for the summer. This colour is just what I was looking for: the perfect "pinky-nude", noticeable enough to be worth the money spent at the salon, but not too dramatic! I have always loved the professional quality of OPI polishes and this just reinforced that feeling even more... Even the girl in the nail bar commented that this was an amazing colour.
8) Estêe Lauder Double Wear, £32.50
One of the more pricy products on this list, but still my favourite foundation of all time. I have never found another foundation which works with my combination skin, is high coverage, and really does stay all day! Especially with the added help of my
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (mentioned below) and my
Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray. At the moment I am in-between shades because my tan has faded, so I am mixing the shades "3N1 Ivory Beige" and "3W1 Tawny" to produce a colour which matches my skin tone. However, Estêe Lauder have recently developed a lot more shades so I should really go to be colour matched again. The only draw back to this foundation is that there is no pump so I have to pour it out of the bottle which can sometimes cause me to waste some product. Nevertheless, this is my all time favourite foundation which I have used religiously for over a year now: I just blend it in with a damp beauty blender and I am good to go for the whole day!
7) Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow Volumizing Eyebrow Gel, £20
This was another impulse buy for me a couple of weeks ago. Under the pressure of exam stress I decided to go shopping in my local Boots (which is MASSIVE) for some retail therapy, and I stumbled upon this. I picked up the shade 03 as I don't like my brows super dark and I fell in love straight away. Basically a brow mascara, this product is perfect for two things: either brushing on for a natural look just to fill in the brows and make them more prominent; or the other way I make use of this fabulous product is to loosely comb it through my brows just to set them in shape and keep the long stragglers down, and then I go and precisely draw on my brows with the
Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in "Medium Brown". Whichever look you're going for, this product is perfect for accentuating the brows and keeping the hairs in place.
6) Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette, £41
This product is an absolute must-have despite the price tag! For my birthday (at the beginning of May) I asked my sister for the
Huda Beauty Rose Gold Textured Shadows Palette. However, at the time when she tried to order it, it was sold out everywhere and so she settled on the cheaper but equally beautiful alternative: The Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette. I am obsessed with every single colour in this palette and there has not been a day since I have received it where I have not turned to this palette for at least one of the shadows. The formula of the shadows are so creamy and pigmented and I find they last a long time despite me having slightly oily eyelids. My three favourite shades are "Raw Sienna" (a perfect base colour for a warm brown matte eye), "Red Ochre" (which is stunning on the lower waterline as a pop of colour or in the crease for a red/pink smokey eye), and finally "Primavera" (my go to look is has always been a matte brown crease with a gold lid and this shade has the perfect amount of shimmer and glitter without being grainy).
5) Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre, £39
Although I have had this product since Christmas, it has only been in the last few weeks that I have discovered its greatness! After asking my mum for the Chanel translucent powder, she came back with this (no way am I complaining, any Chanel make-up is a blessing), but it just meant that for a while I didn't know what to do with it as it wasn't what I had anticipated. However, after I ran out of one of my other bronzers, I decided to test this out and it is fair to say I haven't looked back since. I wear shade "40 Doré" as a bronzer (although I am sure this product is meant to be a setting powder), and it gives me the most amazing glow, as if I have just come back from holiday! I must admit that I do not use the sponge applicator, but instead apply this with my
Real Techniques Multi Task Brush. This is because I prefer to use a lighter hand when it comes to bronzer, but I am sure when using this as a setting powder the sponge applicator would be ideal.
4) Bobbi Brown Lip Pencil in "Burnt Orange", £17.50
This product was a complete first for me in the sense that I have never owned a Bobbi Brown lip liner before (strictly MAC), nor do I ever go for anything quite this bright. However, this is the perfect colour to start a transition into wearing brighter lips: especially with the summer fast approaching. I am in love with the colour of this liner which swatches exactly as the name suggests; a "burnt orange", but even more than that, the formula of this liner is incredible! As someone who is completely stuck in my ways, I only wear a matte lip, and while being matte, this is in no way drying and does not cling to any loose bits of skin on the lips: my lips feel hydrated all day. I think I love this product even more due to the fact that it was a surprise discovery for me and completely out of my comfort zone for lip colours. (Pair with a nude lipstick in the centre of the lips for an ombre pout.)
3) Anastasia Beverly Hills Ultimate Glow Kit, £44
You know those days where nothing is going right? And the only thing that will make you feel better is glowing like a golden goddess? Queue the Anastasia Glow Kit. I bought this palette after seeing its cult following on Instagram and NEEDING to try it for myself. Despite costing around half of my food budget for the week, the joy and radiance that this product has given me is so worth it! I am in love with all of these highlighters (although I do blame this palette for my newfound highlighter obsession). My favourite shade would have to be "Amber Gold" due to its pinky-gold hue which gives it a more unique and unusual look. There is one tiny drawback which is that these highlighters do come out a little bit powdery and grainy, however this is due to the high sparkle that they have, but as soon as they are applied to the face this quality is unnoticeable and you just glow all day!
2) Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, £26
As mentioned previously, this primer is amazing! I can only describe its effects as blurring. I apply a pea sized amount after moisturiser and before foundation and it completely blurs all of my blemishes and creates a flawless base to apply the rest of my make-up. This product is rather pricey so I do only use it on special occasions when I need my make-up to last and look extra flawless. As a result, when I do use this primer I notice a massive difference in how smoothly my make-up applies and how long it lasts. I am intrigued to try some of the other Smashbox primers and make-up as this is the only product of theirs which I own and it has seriously impressed me.
1) Bobbi Brown Skin Salve Restoring Treatment, £29.50
I never knew Bobbi Brown did skincare until last week when I was shopping in my local high street which has recently acquired a new Bobbi Brown store. I went in just to browse the make-up, but upon noticing the skin care range I ended up asking for advice: I had a large crack in the corner of my mouth which was stress-induced from my exams but I couldn't seem to get rid of it no matter what balm, cream or oil I applied. The staff in there immediately suggested this Skin Salve which is made from a combination of some of their natural oils. Unlike Vaseline, this product doesn't leave your lips shiny, but it is extremely healing and moisturising. I found that within two days the crack had almost completely healed after more than two weeks of struggling to get rid of it! The assistant in the shop also informed me that this is perfect if you have a spot or large blemish which will not cover - you just pop a tiny bit of the Skin Salve on the blemish, meaning that the concealing product will stick and not slide away, allowing you to hide and cover it. I cannot rate this product enough.
Thanks for reading if you made it to the end! I know this was a long one but I am in love with all of these products so I got a bit over-excited. I had the intention of a having a mix of both drugstore and high-end products although I realise now that this post has ended up being almost completely high-end. I will do a "drugstore favourites" post later on after I have shopped around and experimented a bit more. Similarly, let me know if there are any products which I could test out as I am always looking for new brands and new products to fuel my make-up addiction.
Lots of Love xx
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