Everyday Effortless Eye Looks

Long time, no posts. It has been a busy, busy week. In fact I cannot believe that it has only been a week since I last wrote in here. The past few days have really been non-stop and filled with 6am  starts that won't finish before bed time (mine is around 11pm - the latest! so we're all good). 

For days like these, all you want is long-lasting make up that can help you look a little more presentable for any occasion. Therefore, I rely on some beautiful everyday effortless smudge pots to get the job done. From just going to university, to meeting friends or even doing some volunteering, these will cover all situations.

For days when I want a very natural but bright make up look, I reach for my Stila Smudge pot in Kitten. A super hyped shade from the Stila eyeshadows. A very pretty shimmery nude/slightly pigmented champagne colour. I like to wear this on its own with some eyeliner. Your look bigger and it brightens up the whole complexion. This is also such a versatile smudge pot as it can be used as highlighter or eyeshadow base. 

If I want a bit of colour but still want to have a fairly natural overall look, I would reach to my ELF smudge pot in Ain't That Sweet. A pretty soft pink shade. The quality of this smudge pot is not as good as the other ones being mentioned but it's still a good low budget item. 

For the later hours of the day, I tend to go for the darker colours like the beautiful Maybelline Color Tattoo in the shade On and On Bronze. The name really says it all and there has been plenty of presentations to this holy grail. In a more coppery tone I love the Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Cream Eyeshadow. I've spoken a little more about it in my August Favourites. Last but not least, my Lord & Berry Velluto eye pencil and shadow in Samoa. This is a shimmery grey/metallic shade. 

These are such easy everyday options for eye make up and some of them make it look like you've put much more effort into your make up than you actually did. So small and compact which make them perfect to carry around too.

What are your favourite everyday effortless staples for eye make up?

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Make-up Haul And First Impressions

I was given a few store vouchers a couple of weeks ago and amongst the eligible stores to spend them on there was Boots and Superdrug so I decided to pick up a few things to try. A make-up was obviously a must alongside with some first impressions.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Concealer - this really is a mouthful! We all know everything about this holy grail, no presentations needed. I've used one before and decided it was time to stock up and bring this wonder back into my life. Still pretty damn good. Not really a fair first impression here. 

Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation - I absolutely adored the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation and this one is just as good. Gives you such a flawless glowing but yet natural finish and I love it. Great medium coverage; I barely conceal anything but my dark circles after applying this. I think someone has said that this is a dupe for the NARS Sheer Glow; you let me know as I've never tried the NARS one. 

L'oreal Color Riche Lipstick - pretty sure this is one of the satin from the range; I picked up the 266 shade which is Rose Saphir a very pretty slightly dark pink-mauve. Fairly long-lasting and nourishing. Comes in a very glam looking light gold packaging - very easy on the eyes.

Bourjois Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipstick - another lipstick crayon; got this in the shade Sweet Macchiato, a very pretty autumn shade - a dark red with brown hues. 

L'oreal Brow Artist Shaper - a duo precison pencil and setting wax which also comes with a brush for your brows. Not very happy with this, the pencil is far too soft and pigmented. I'll give it another try but so far, not impressed.

Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten - we all know this shade from the old Stila days and instead of the powder I got the hassle free smudge pot. Such a pretty colour; looks so beautiful on its own too. Love.

L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper - just a clear brow gel. I apply this very lightly as you don't want to get a wet effect on your brows. Does the job but no wow factor here. 

Bourjois Sun Cream to Powder Blush - I've been loving cream blushes lately and really want to get my hands on those convertibles that Stila does. Anyway, I was looking for something more brown but not a bronzer per se so I picked up this in the shade 05. It's a very pretty dark peachy shade and contains a tiny bit of shimmery to it. It's so easily to apply - swirl your fingers on the pot and blend it on your cheeks. 

Maybelline Brow Satin Eyebrow Pencil - more brow products - I'm on a roll here. I am so very pleased with purchase. The pencil harder than the L'oreal that I've mentioned above giving you a much more precise and in my opinion natural look to the brows. On the other tip there a smudge sponge with powder for a soft and easier application. 

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Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide

Foundations are one of my favourite beauty products to buy; that and skincare. Maybe because both are staples for a perfect base. Everything else is overrated but if you have a clear skin and a good foundation, what can go wrong? 

I've always loved the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser and it worked wonders until my skin became a little more problematic and lumps and bumps were getting a bit too obvious; a simple tinted moisturiser just didn't offer enough coverage. That's when I made my way to a counter and asked for something natural looking but buidable coverage, not cakey and also good for oily skin. I knew I was asking for an holy grail but my expectations were pretty low. 

I had come across the Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide on shopping websites but never really heard about it. I didn't think it was nothing that exceptional when the girl at the Laura Mercier counter was trying to match my colour however, I bought it and came home to give it another try; couldn't be any worse than my other foundations which obviously weren't doing the job.

Well, I love it. This is oil free, light to medium coverage but definitely buidable and very skin-like. I normally apply this with my Sigma F80 or the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge; or the brush and then the sponge just to perfect it and achieve that flawless finish. All around, it's so easy to blend and it doesn't stick to any dry patches or blemishes. Even though it's oil free, I always finish it off with a translucent powder as I tend to have an oily T-zone. Is worth to say that I conceal my spots as normally (nothing too heavy) and one application of the Flawless Fluide over my whole face is enough for an even skin tone and a brighter complexion.

The Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide (what a mouth full) is the best foundation I tried in the past few months. In fact, a couple of days ago I tried to use my Revlon Colorstay which I used to love and things didn't go as I expected; it just wasn't the same as this Laura Mercier beauty.  I wear the shade shell and for me, the best point about his foundation is how natural it looks but you can still buildable the coverage. 

What foundation are you raving about at the moment?

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August Favourites

This post was just going to be a round up of what I've been obsessing about for the past few weeks. However, since August has just finished (4 days ago already!), I guess an August Favourites would suit the purpose. Let's get cracking. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - No point going on about this as we all heard about this concealer. Some people even go to say this is a dupe for the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer which I never tried. For me, this is dreamy. It covers anything without looking cakey. I use it on blemishes, under eyes, dark spots and anything under the sun. Love. 

Stila One Step Correct - I wrote a more detailed review about it here. It is my all time favourite skin tone corrector. It brightens up your complexion, evens skin tone, helps with dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Holy grail. Couldn't recommend this enough.

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy - I've been loving two of their shades. I find Checkmate to be so far the best nude I've ever encountered. Still noticeable but very discreet. On the other end, Hold'em is such a beautiful autumn shade and summer in Scotland is gone anyway so, I think it's alright to start nailing those autumn colours. 

Essie Super Duper Top Coat - This top coat makes the whole process of painting your nails much quicker. It dries so fast and gives that beautiful shine to the nail polish making it look like gel. Very good at keeping the chipping to a minimum. 

Summer Sorbet Aftersun Body Gelee - This body moisturiser came in My Little Box two months ago and smells amazing. I've been obsessing over it just because of how good it smells. This is an aftersun so it gives you a really soothing cooling effect on the skin. The texture is very light and liquid making it very absorbent. Wish I had holidays coming up soon and I would be all over this after a day at the beach. 

ELF Matte Lip Color - For me, this is the best of two worlds. You have the matte colour without any shine or gloss and it feels so soft and nourishing on the lips. I have the shade cranberry which is a very pretty pinky-red. My lips are often dry and matter lips are normally a no go for me so I was so pleasantly surprised with this.

Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Cream Eyeshadow - This is very similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoo but much more creamier. It's so soft, long lasting and not very pigmented (at first) but is definitely buildable which is great. I have the shade Anchors Away, a very pretty shimmery coppery taupe. 

L'oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream - This is a great pore perfector. Leaves your skin feel so silky smooth and it's an excellent base for your foundation giving you the perfect flawless finish. The only point I would change is the packaging. For some reason, this squirts everywhere when you press the tube and product goes flying.  

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint - Heavy duty under eye concealer. I find that this works even better when applied after the L'oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream. Blends beautifully and hides those dark circles perfectly.

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide - Perfect. Skin looks so natural, light to medium coverage, not cakey at all and so long lasting. A more in depth review will be coming soon on the blog. In love with this.

Eve Lom Cleanser - I picked this up 2 weeks ago and been testing it out since. So far I am loving it. An oil based cleanser that removes all traces of make up leaving your skin brighter, smoother and clearer. A more detailed review is obviously on the cards for this one too. 

 

Have you tried any of these products?

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Cult Beauty Wishlist

Top: Oxygenating Foundation, Acne Control - Pixi Glow Tonic - Alpha-H Liquid Gold

Centre: Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel - Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment - Sunday Riley Good Genes Serum & Mask

Bottom: Stilla Stay All Day 10 in 1 HD Beauty Balm - Jouer Matte Moisture Tint - Aesop Parsley Seed Facial Cleansing Masque 

I have been lurking the pages of the Cult Beauty website a lot for the past few days. There are so many things which have been on my mental wishlist of products to try that a cheeky purchase might just have to be on the cards.

I once mentioned in a previous post that skincare is something that I am quite happy to splurge a little more hence why I will just leave you with these products which may include a future order coming through my letterbox. A few of them have been very hyped up and as per usual I am just late to the party. Worth to mention that this little wishlist amounts to over £300. One thing at a time, I suppose then ...

Have you tried any of this products? What did you think?

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Brand Focus: E.L.F.

Up until March I had never purchased anything from ELF. I was more than aware that the brand was highly affordable and people did enjoy some of their products. However, the idea of having to shop solely online without the possibility of physically seeing the foundation shades or feeling the brushes bristles always put me off of making an order.

It wasn't until I stumble upon Kathleen Lights videos that I really started to want to try a few things from the brand. As I had a trip to New York coming up I definitely thought it was the perfect excuse to pop into a store and see everything right there and then. By the time I went over to America my list of products to try was fairly big and useless to say I brought to this side of the Atlantic a pretty big bag of goodies.

The fact that everything is so inexpensive creates a great opportunity to try a lot of different things. I was very impressed with the quality of some of their products. I would highly recommend giving it a go if you're in searching to add a few items to your make up collection without leaving your bank account next to zero.

Here is a list of a few things I've tried and in my opinion are a really good quality for the value.

Brushes - the studio range is pretty good and they stock a good variety too. Some of my favourites include the Contouring Brush, Ultimate Blending Brush, Eyeshadow "C" Brush, Flawless Concealer Brush, Blending Brush. Some of them are even less than a fiver. Can't beat that. It's a good option if you are lazy when it comes to cleaning your brushes (like me) and want to have more options available. 

Eyeshadows - their baked eyeshadows (singles or trios) are very pigmented and they stock some pretty amazing. I have Toasted and Burnt Plum and their trio in Brown Bonanza and will definitely make a cheeky order soon to get my hands in a few more shades. 

Lipsticks - unfortunately the UK website doesn't stock the lipsticks I have and adore. I am a satin lover. A lipstick for me needs to be quite nourishing and I can only find that in most satin ranges. However, ELF stocks lipsticks which can be nourishing without being totally satin and definitely without being matte. My favourites and the ones I would like to try more shades from are, the Matte Lip Colour and I also got a tinted lip balm which couldn't be any more pigmented. Although I reckon this may have been discontinued as I can't locate it in any of their websites. Disappointing. 

Foundation - I actually fell in love with the foundation I bought and that's all I used for months. My bottle is about to finish. The Flawless Finish Foundation offers a medium coverage and definitely a flawless airbrushed finished. It last quite a good time although it doesn't work for me for warm environments as the shine starts to come through like there's no tomorrow. Still, highly recommended. For £7,50 it is definitely good for the price tag.

Blush/Bronzer Powder - the Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder is the only blush or bronzer I got at the time as I was curious to see if this was a dupe for any of NARS shades of blushes and bronzer. This little duo has a pretty good pigmentation and it is handy to carry around.  

 Have you tried any ELF products? What would you recommend?

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Bad Beauty Habits That Are Hard To Break

The beauty world isn't confined to make up alone. There's so much that you can do for your skin, hair, nails and everything in your body really. It's hard to make the time and hard to get into certain habits. Here is a list of good habits I should get into and other I definitely need to find a way to break. 

1. Take my make up off as soon as I get home

Sometimes I get so lazy that even after being at home for hours and hours, I still end up going to bed with make up. It's improving though. 

2. Skincare routine even on pyjama days 

We all have those days that we simply do not leave the house, right? The weather is not great and there are so many things to do, why bother? I tend to forget that I still should cleanse and moisturise my face as normally. Bad, bad me. 

3. Moisturise more 

Apart from my hands, face and neck I am pretty lazy when it comes to body moisturising. Luckily my skin is not dry and I can get away with not doing it during most of the year.

4. Do more face masks 

Definitely don't do them enough. Currently sitting at one face mask a month. Embarrassing. 

5. Have haircuts more often 

I am afraid of the hairdresser. Always end up shorter than what I asked for. 

6. Stop peeling nail polish 

As soon as it chips I start peeling it off as much as I can. 

7. Stop letting it be so long between brush cleaning

The target of cleaning my brushes on a weekly basis is a fail for me. 

8. Deep conditioning my hair more often

Do not remember the last time I did a hair mask. That says it all. 

9. Sleep with my hair tied up or in a bad

When I take it down in the morning, I often have half of my hair on my hand. It can be good. 

10. Switching up products in my skincare routine far too frequently 

Sometimes your skin won't be as good as there are a number of factors behind it. Not necessarily the product you are using. Well, as much as I know this, every now and again I am still guilty of not being consistent with a skincare routine. Although this has improved a lot. 

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