April 2015 Favourites

It's been a slow month for me, you may have noticed, but suffice to say my favourites are a little small. I am really excited about these products that I have been trying this month, they have been serious game changers to my make up routine. 

YSL TOUCHE ECLAT RADIANT TOUCH - £25

I actually have a review about this coming up tomorrow so you will have to keep an eye out for my more in depth review of this. I have been absolutely loving this product though, it looks so natural on my skin and really brightens my under eye and helps to make me look more awake. It is a little bit of a splurge item but I believe in treating myself every so often. 

BARE MINERALS NEUTRALISING PRIME TIME - £22

I actually nicked this one from my mum (sorry, you're not getting it back!), reason being is that I needed a primer with an SPF, something I didn't own. This bad boy has a whopping SPF of 30 and also helps to neutralise redness and I'm in plenty supply of redness. It is quite a runny product so you'll have to excuse the messy bottle but it does smooth over really nicely. I would suggest that this would be good for dry skin but exfoliating before would be advised as the yellow pigment might cling to flaky skin. I do couple this with my Embryolisse moisturiser and I just find that my make up sticks around for a lot longer. Thankfully bareMinerals do have a nice offering of primers including an oil controlling one and also a BB primer for those who want to go super minimalist. 

MAC PAINT IN BARE CANVAS - £15.50

I went into MAC the other day with the intention of buying a Paint Pot but somehow left with one of their Paints. I went for a Paint instead because I wanted something close to my skin tone so that I could cover imperfections without the use of concealer which, for me, can sometimes feel a little too heavy. This has got a slight pearl finish to it so it works really well as a brow bone highlight but it also works as a shadow base and really helps colours to look more intense. 

So that was my short but sweet April favourites. I do have a few product posts coming up so keep an eye out for that and I will speak to you all soon.

Roo xx

March 2015 Favourites

Strangely this month I thought to myself  'Oh dear! I have virtually no favourites for the month.'. I was actually totally wrong, whilst I haven't been focusing so much on my favourites there were products creeping in that have totally blown my mind.

Actually I found this month I had more favourites than I usually do. I try to make my favourite up to about 5 products per month but I'm feeling generous this month. I have been doing a lot more MUA work this month so I really feel like I have found products that I would never have used for myself that to be honest are actually amazing.

I'm starting off with the obvious big one here. I've already done a review on this so if you want to read a nice in depth post about it then you can click here. But to keep a story short then all you really need to know is that these contour powders are totally legit. If you are a make up artist then I would really recommend getting these for your kit, I have both the Light/Medium and the Medium/Tan and what I have found with both palettes is that they cater for both cool and warm undertones which can sometimes be hard to find. They really blend out beautifully and help give that finished and polished look to your make up.

 Ok so some of you know that I am not a fan of the Maybelline Brow Drama Gel, I found that it did nothing for me and the applicator bothered me to no end. So you may be wondering 'What on earth is this doing in your favourites?!', well I have actually found a good use for it believe it or not. Whilst I never likes this for my own brows I think that it is excellent for drawing brows on face charts, I have been using the Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush with this because obviously the wand wouldn't really do what I need. The RT brush is able to make good looking brow hairs on paper and it has just taken my face charts to the next level.

Again with my face charts, I bought this with the actual charts because I was running into a dilemma - If I use my eyeliners they will probably dry out faster and that is just too expensive! Thankfully ProChart who sell this particular pen recommend it for creating lashes and eyeliner which has been a massive time/money saver for me. The pigment is super black so it will do exactly what you want and the nib itself is super fine making it really easy to control.

Apologies in advance for the dirty brush, I had just finished my makeup! This is one of the new Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes, this is the 201 Pointed Crease Brush and actually the only one I own. I was completely drawn to this over the rest of the collection because it looks absolutely amazing for getting right into the crease with precision and also looks great for blending out colour too. This holds it's shape really well when using so you really do have maximum control over application. Another feature of the brush it the weight being carried at the ferrule (the metal band that holds the brush) instead of the handle, in this case it's super light, personally I like this because I find it easier to control.

The Bold Metals brushes are a bit up there in price in comparison to the standard line as some of the brushes can set you back £20+ which is a bit much for most of us. This one I believe was £12 so it was a nice little starter to see if I would like the collection and I do feel it's worth investing in good brushes as they tend to last a lot longer and provide better application though it doesn't go with out saying that you also need to care for your brushes with regular cleaning (again excuse the photo) and proper storage.

This looks exactly like the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz, thought I can't compare the two because I haven't tried it yet. I initially bought this for a photoshoot I was doing because I needed something similar to my Kevyn Aucoin Precision Brow but not costing quite so much. This is in the shade Hot Chocolate and what I love about this shade is that it isn't too orangey or too ashy so it is quite universal. The actual product is quite solid so I was able to make really controlled marks with it but not only that, the spoolie is also of good quality so blending out the colour where necessary and also brushing the hairs into place is super easy.

It took me a while to get round to the Perversion bandwagon but I honestly now see why people rave on about it. I decided to go for the waterproof liquid liner formula because I think that you get an amazing amount of precision and sharpness from the lines you create with this style of liner. The black is super intense which is amazing because it doesn't require you going over with a second layer, The only bad thing I will say for this is that it is a pain to get off, you'll need a heavy duty make up remover for this one. I'm probably going to buy more colours of this formula because it is so good.


I know I'm posting this fairly late on into the month but oh well, at least I posted it! What are your favourites from March? Link your posts below and I'll definitely give them a read.

Speak soon,
Roo xx

Maybelline Blush Studio Jelly Glow Blush Review

Ok, so this one is a bit of an odd one. Recently I went along to one of the local shopping outlet centres near my house, they've recently just opened a shop called The Beauty Outlet. It's one of those shops which stocks W7, really discounted big brands and also some brands you may never have heard of. Personally I love these types of shops, they may not have what you want by a certain brand but they are amazing for going 'treasure hunting'. 

Anyway, I managed to pick up a blush by Maybelline that I have never seen or heard of before. I believe this is a Japanese import down to the writing on the packaging. It is pretty unusual to find imports outside of these types of shops which make them all the more interesting.

Excusing the blurry photo, let's talk about the packaging. This thing is pretty small so I'm not too sure how that will affect the products lifespan, it did seem to go down quite a lot when I first used it so either it was just compressing or it's going to run out super quick. It is pretty cute but I some how get the impression that it's cheap because of the white and clear plastic packaging despite the fact of it feeling quite sturdy, granted I did only spend £1.99 on this so I'm not expecting the packaging to be top notch.

The texture is quite weird in that it's somewhere between a mousse and a cream and it's definitely something I've not come across before. I chose the shade '02' which is a fairly rosy pink which generally suits cool pale complexions but I personally think its a universal shade. They did one other shade in the shop I bought it from but a little research told me that there were a few other shades available. 

The picture hasn't quite captured the pigment so well but my general feeling about it is that it's easy to apply a nice natural sheer layer but tread with caution as it gets really intense with layering. I also found that this was super blendable and really easy to use. Specifically I like to use my BeautyBlender micro.mini because personally I just feel it give a more natural finish and also blends the colour evenly across my cheek. 

I'm definitely feeling this one and I think I love it even more because of how inexpensive it is! If you happen to come across this then I would advise picking it up without hesitation. I totally encourage you all to go for a little hunt around these types of shops because you really never know what you are going to find. 

Have you been in one of these shops? What did you find?

Speak soon

Roo xx

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation Review

I'm not usually one to go for Maybelline foundations because they all seem to draw memories of the girls in my high school using the Dream Mousse Foundation and all looking completely orange and cakey. Sorry Maybelline, I know it's not your fault that young girls abused your products but ever since it's left a bad taste in my mouth. Suffice to say, I wanted to give them another chance and given their newest foundation release looks so interesting I just couldn't resist giving it a go. 

It's definitely unique in appearance. The tear-drop shaped bottle is something I haven't seen before in any company so it really feels like there has been a lot of thought that has gone into this. It also feels like quite a high quality product as the bottle is glass and generally feels quite sturdy. 

 One massive uniqueness is the wand. A lot of foundations don't bother with a wand but favour either no wand or a pump. Personally I don't really see the point in a wand as I much prefer a pump for sanitation purposes so there is that downside. According to Maybelline the wand is designed to deliver the right amount of product for a 'fuss-free' application. Personally I thought that coverage was too light and though it would work for others who have better skin to begin with I feel like I needed much more. I seriously recommend applying this to the back of your sanitised hand or to a palette before applying to the face.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this foundation but I actually really like it. The coverage is nice and lightweight and I prefer something like this for days when I don't need the extra coverage. It applies quite smoothly and really sits on the skin well. I do apply foundation with a BeautyBlender and I feel that it really helps to make the product look more natural. I did also find that the formula has a slight liquid to powder feel about it which I also like because it didn't leave my skin feeling sticky.

The only real complaints I have about this are the colour selection - I think it's well known that drugstore brands don't really cater for exceptionally pale or really dark skin tones and also the product size, this is only 20ml which is far less that what you would usually receive but if they recommend you use less then it probably works out about right.

This is only £5.99 in Boots and Superdrug at the moment so I seriously recommend giving this a go, especially if you want coverage that looks ultra natural. 

Have you tried this foundation out yet? What do you think?

Speak soon

Roo xx

February Favourites 2015

February has been so good to me with some exciting products. I would have expected that as it's the shortest month I wouldn't have had such a good month with products but I was dead wrong.

A lot of this moth I have been really changing the way I apply make up and also the way I have been treating my skin. I've been taking a much more natural approach to my make up and going for a less is more sort of look.


BENEFIT ROLLERLASH
You may have already ready my full review on this (here), in which case you will already know how much I like this. It was a total pleasant surprise as I hadn't really had much nice to say about the They're Real mascara. What I love about this formula is that it promises to lift your lashes without use of a curler. The simple fact is, it delivers. Though I use a curler anyway out of habit, I promise you that your don't even need one with this mascara. I will be purchasing a full size as soon as this little one runs out.


LIZ EARLE CLEANSE & POLISH
This isn't a new thing. We've all seen it and we all know about the tremendous reviews. I am currently using a No7 Hot cloth cleanser (which I love) but as I was running out and this was on a deal I though, hey why not?! The main thing I love about this product is the scent, it's so soothing and makes it excellent for removing make up at night. I don't really have much to say about the make up removing capabilities because I think that it is about the same as the No7 one, so for me this is a nice little treat when I need a little relaxation.


LIZ EARLE INSTANT BOOST SKIN TONIC
This pretty much goes hand in hand with the Cleanse & Polish, but where's the surprise considering I bought them as a duo! I have really been loving this in the morning, there's something about it that really helps to wake you up and perk your skin up a little. Toners are something I am starting to see major importance in, they really help to remove any of the scraps of make up that decided to stick around. Personally I think it makes my skin feel extra clean.

NUXE REVE DE MIEL
This has been an absolute saviour this month. I don't know what's been happening but my lips have been feeling a little bit dry this month (probably because of the wind) and have really needed something intense to remedy the problem. Usually I would favour my Bite Agave Lip Mask but I felt like I had been neglecting Reve De Miel. I remembered why I love this so much. It probably matches up to Bite treatment wise but what is so unique about this is that it is so non sticky, it's very smooth and just glides on. I find it perfect when you want to do a matte lip as it doesn't interfere with the finish of the lipstick. The only downside is that if you don't like orange/honey scented things then you might want to steer clear, though it's a small price to pay for the other amazing qualities.


MAC ANGEL LIPSTICK
Finally I think this is the definitive YLBB (Your Lips But Better) shade. This is a frost shade so there is a little sparkle but really not even that much. I think this really does just even out lip tone and is so easy to just slap on and go if you're in a hurry. Obviously this is my own preference and you could have a totally different lip tone to me but if you are after an all rounder then this is definitely it.


ORIGINAL BEAUTYBLENDER
Was I cruel to leave this until last? I feel like I was but then again, the best things are always saved until last. I became hooked on BeautyBlenders around September last year when I bought the Micro Mini version, don't know why I chose to buy those ones first but I just did. I have really been umming and ahhing about buying the full size original because it was expensive (for me at least) and I didn't want to invest in it in case it didn't live up to the hype. So I did a bit of shopping around and finally took the plunge, go next day delivery too because I am so impatient. I honestly don't think I am ever going back to using a brush again. Ever. There is something about this which makes the make up sit on your skin better, in fact it's not even like the make up is a layer on top of your skin, it really blends it into your skin making it much more natural and effortless. I even think that it makes foundations better, there are some foundations that I have tried with a brush and then went back and tried again with the BB and found it infinitely better. I know I'm raving on a little here but this is some seriously good stuff that everyone needs to try! I'm tempted to do a full review with photos and comparisons but I think I'd end up writing an entire book on why this is such a great product.


What have been your loves for February? Let me know in the comments below,

Speak soon
Roo xx