August Makeup and Skincare Empties!

I've used up so many things recently, and here I'm going to give a brief review/thoughts on each of them. I think seeing what products people actually use up is the most interesting thing ever.

Here's an overview!

Now I'll deal with the products in smaller sections.

Skincare:

First on the left are the Simply Gentle organic Cotton Pads. Sorry, this is really boring but these are what I use to remove my makeup every evening and cleanse in the morning. These ones are alright, to me it doesn't really matter which cotton pads I buy, I either buy the cheapest ones or just ask my mum to get some for me.

Top middle is the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Stress Control 3 in 1 daily cleansing lotion. I use this not to remove my makeup, but after removing my makeup to just make it even cleaner and fresh. I don't know, it just makes my skin feel really very chemically clean, and I like having one product in my skincare routine that does this. The Garnier pure active pore purifying toner next to it is a very similar sort of deal. I didn't use them both in conjunction with each other, just switched up which one of these I used. I would repurchase both of them, I really liked them. I'd like to think they've been keeping my skin good and spots under control.

Underneath is the Witch naturally clear 25 cleansing and toning wipes. You may have seen these in a very recent haul of mine, they were gone within about three weeks which really isn't long. I used these not to fully remove my makeup, but after using a more effective makeup remover to take off the brunt of my makeup, I'd use one of these and swipe it over the face just to make it feel more clean. I did like these, and it's been nice to rediscover makeup wipes after over half a year of not using them at all, but in terms of makeup wipes I do prefer the other two ones I featured in that haul, the Neutrogena spot treatment ones, and the Simple ones. Those are amazing.

Bodycare:

These products are all from The Body Shop! Their bodycare products are obviously amazing and I love everything I have from them.

The two body butters are in Spiced Vanilla and Spa Widsom Polynesia (which I'm pretty sure is a really old-school one, I seem to have had it for absolutely ages and only just used it up.) In terms of formula, I think I prefered the Monoi Body Balm one, maybe because it's a balm rather than a butter it implies it's going to be more moisturising and sink into the skin better? Because that's what I found it did. I don't know if they even do this stuff anymore, but it was very nice. The scent was really subtle but fresh, and the spiced vanilla one was sweet and strong with vanilla, as I'm sure you can imagine. I have so many body butters that I'm not sure I'll be repurchasing any time soon, but I do trust the Body Shop heavily for body butters so if I ever run out I'll probably continue to buy from there.

Next is the Moringa shower gel, and I love their shower gels. The scents are, as always, absolutely divine and I just really like using these body washes in the shower as they leave a slight scent and make me feel fresh and clean. I will 100% repurchase, they're not even expensive or anything, I think usually about £2.50 for a massive tub like that.

Hair and Nailcare:

In terms of haircare, I used up a product I've had for so so long, the much raved about Macadamia Natural Oil Deep repair Masque. It's an in-shower 10 minute hair mask. It's one of those products that you buy and it's so expensive that you're scared to use it, and very rarely do. I don't normally buy things this expensive, I normally just stick to drugstore, so purchasing this, especially as it's a haircare product, was very out of character for me. It is a haircare miracle. As mentioned, I used it very rarely on special occasions, and it really helped when my hair was feeling a bit dry and completely revitalised it, since my hair is naturally blonde and I dye it frequently dark brown. It immediately and in the short term (a few days) gave my hair new life, making it feel soft and smooth, but still workable. If I can find it within me to spend the money on this again, or if I can find it discounted at TK Maxx again, perhaps I will end up repurchasing this.

I also finished the Burt's Bees cuticle balm, and the sweet lemon scent is the most amazing thing ever, it's beautiful, if a scent can be. You may have seen it mentioned in my nailcare megapost, I swear by this stuff. I don't need to repuchase it as I already have a backup, a slightly bigger size too, but after that runs out I probably will. It basically just smooths down my cuticles and moisturises them, and I like to use this a few hours before painting my nails if I can be bothered. It's not a cream but more of a thick, moisturising paste. And yeah, I really liked this product.

Makeup:

It's hard to tell what the two powders even are because they're so grubby and worn down!

The top product is the Natural Collection pressed powder in the shade 01, cool. This was a really nice powder for the drugstore, as with the one under it which i'll talk about next.

Underneath is the Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 01 Transparent. This is the second one of these I've used up completely, and I have a newer one I've just started using. I think that says quite a lot about my feelings towards this powder. It's the only one I've ever repurchased I think, I have so many powders but this one works fine for me. It does keep me matte and sets my makeup in place. I'm sure there's loads of better powders (I do prefer my Mac Mineralize Skin Finish natural), but this one is so cheap and convenient, and like I said, it does the job. So I will continue to repurchase.

The final product is the L'Oreal Super Liner Black Lacquer. This is hands down my favourite eyeliner ever. I repurchased it as soon as I got signs of it starting to dry up because I was devastated. Saying that though, this has lasted me for an eternity. Literally ages and I always use it when I go out (which you'll probably know if you've been reading my new set of posts I've been doing showing you some fun eye makeup looks I've been experimenting with because it features in every single one). It lasts all night, and trust me I've put this to the test, it's an intense deep black and it's so easy to use because it's somewhere in between a thin flexible liner and a stiff one- it bends amazingly and allows you to pretty much do a whole wing in one swipe. If you haven't already, I implore you to try this product, you won't go back.

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So there are all my empties! I really hope you enjoyed this, let me know your thoughts below in the comments.

June Superdrug Haul!

A little present to myself for finishing exams...

I really haven't bought much makeup recently, because I'm well aware that I already own way too much. But there have been a few things I've really wanted recently and after much thought decided to finally pick up from Superdrug.

I have tried some of these products already, so I'll let you guys know a few first impressions.

Makeup

Ignore the moisturiser, I'll deal with that in the skincare section!

I picked up some really exciting makeup bits.

Firstly is something I've been so excited to pick up, but at first I was hesitant as I do own many foundations, a lot of which I don't currently use because even though I buy the lightest shade every time sometimes it's still not light enough for my winter colour skin!

This is the Max Factor Face Finity all day flawless 3 in 1 foundation which was £11.99, supposedly a primer, concealer and foundation all in one (which is a claim that really annoys me). I got it in the lightest shade, light ivory 40. The match is perfect for me, thankfully. I still have used a primer with it, just to make the application more smooth. But I did find amazingly that I didn't need to use concealer when I used this! It gave me the medium plus coverage I needed.

I wanted to buy this because Max Factor and Covergirl have many of the same products just repackaged and under different brand names, and I felt like I was missing out every time someone raved about the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation, which is clearly the same product as this Facefinity foundation. So I thought I would never get to try this product out, but thankfully it recently got released under the Max Factor umbrella very recently this 2014 Summer.

And yeah, I love it so far. The first time I tried a bit of this on my skin, applying it with the Real Techniques Essential Foundation Brush (not something I normally use), the brush and the foundation together was an amazing match and gave a phenomenal effect.

This reminds me of my favourite foundation ever, the L'Oreal True Match which I actually am in love with... But I think this Max Factor one might actually be a little better! It's early days, I tried it on briefly and I've worn it out once all night,was impressed with the results both times, but only time will tell.

The only downer is that it has SPF! I guess it's good for summer, but not those nights where you know you'll be getting photographed with flash photography, as it might cause flashback- a white cast.

It was three for two on L'Oreal, so naturally I obliged and picked up three things because I've been wanting to try the L'Oreal Paris Glamshine Stain Splash's especially the purple shade, and I thought I would buy two to test out the shade range.

They retail for £7.99 each, and I got the shades Marilyn (lighter one, on the right above, and left below), and Milady (the deeper purple pictured above left and below right).

The idea between these is that they have high pigmentation but stain your lips and so have a better staying power, and they're good.

The scent is fruity and sweet, it's beautiful, and undoubtedly the colours are beautiful. I do find they work even better on top of a lipstick (nude for the light pink one, or a deep purple for the purple one) because they enhance the colour of the lipstick and kind of seal in the lipstick because of their staining power.

And of course there are naturally comparisons to the YSL alternative, because L'Oreal and YSL are owned by the same umbrella brand.

Marilyn, Milady

Everyone always mentions this, but it really is annoying that they don't have the product name on the outsides. The packaging is beautiful though, and the applicator is sort of heart-shaped and applies quite well, although not as well as the Rimmel Apocalips applicator which is the best lipgloss applicator EVER.

So yeah, so far I quite like them, they really do stain well, I couldn't get the last of the stains of these off my swatched hand 24+ hours after and using much makeup remover! But I shall let you know how my thoughts change or develop and perhaps do a full review.

Finally for makeup, I got this single eyeshadow from the Color Riche L'Ombre Pure range in 307 Smokey. This is really hard to track down online, but I'm pretty sure this was between £3-6.

L'Oreal have some amazing eyeshadows, and this is another one. It says it's 'gel infused', and I'm not really sure what that means but I think it contributes to how super creamy, blendable and buttery this product is. The colour is also a beautiful silver shade.

I did really get this because I had already got two L'oreal products, so picking out one for free, but I do actually love this product. The pigmentation is amazing, as you'll see from the swatches below.

Single eyeshadows are something I rarely get, but this colour was so beautiful and it's something I always wear as my standard eyemakeup look for a night out, so it'll be perfect for summer. I haven't worn it on the eyes yet but I know I'll get a lot of use out of it.

However I have realised that it's almost identical to another L'Oreal silver I own, the Colour Appeal (another amazing L'Oreal eyeshadow range) in 150 'Real Silver'. The only thing that's slightly different is the texture, this one having a drier texture in comparison to the one I picked up here.

Skincare

Witch naturally clear cleansing and toning wipes, £1.99, Simple kind to skin cleansing wipes, £1.48, Freederm deep pore cleansing wipes, £1.99. They all have 25 wipes in each packet. The Witch ones I haven't tried yet, but the Simple and Freederm ones I have. This may seem an excessive number of face wipes to buy, but I'm going to use them one at a time (I've started with the Witch ones), and they'll last me for ages. 

You'll see empty-reviews of these as I finish them, letting you know my thoughts on them. I know I love the Simple ones and Freederm ones for different reasons; the Simple ones are very gentle and do clean the skin, but the Freederm ones, my personal favourites of all time, I have noticed really do make a difference to my spots, and make them a lot less horrible to go through! Seriously try these if you haven't already.

By the way, I don't souly use makeup wipes to remove my makeup. I use the Bioderma and Nivea double effects to remove my eye and face makeup. I haven't been using makeup wipes at all for probably up to a year now, but I decided to try them again just to use for a final cleanse of my skin and make sure all the last bits of face makeup are removed. I've missed having makeup remover wipes!

The Clean and Clear Dual Action moisturiser, £3.59, is a repurchase for me. I finished it back in April after it being one of my first moisturisers ever (and wrote an empty-review of it), and when I saw it I felt like I wanted to try it out again. It actually did help with spots and sank into the skin so nicely, making it feel refreshed and, well, clean. It's also oil-free so it kept my oily t-zone under control.

So those are the things I picked up!

What have you most recently bought from the shops? What makeup are you currently loving? Let me know in the comments below.

Eye Makeup: Gold and Blue Smokey Eye

Friday 20th June Eye Makeup Look

As I mentioned in the last eye makeup look I posted, which was very similar to this just using purple and silver, I know I'm going to be going out quite a lot in the coming months so I've decided to document each funky eye makeup look I do and give a quick description of what I did. It all stems from the conscious decision I've made to branch out with my eye looks and add pops of colour to make them more artistic and adventurous.

So for this party on friday I did something I've done once before, using a gold shadow all over the lid and a bright blue in the corners and under the eye for a pop of colour.

I hope the picture quality is okay, I know it's not as good as last time because I was getting ready at a friends and didn't have my huge Canon camera.

I know this look may not seem that adventurous, and it's not pretending to be, I just have recently liked doing a tiny addition of colour to amp up the drama in my eye makeup for a night out.

For anyone interested, now I'm going to describe what I did.

I used a matte white as a browbone highlight and then a medium cool-toned brown just above the crease and into it as a transition colour. I then used a pigmented gold shadow from the innermost part of the eye even using it as a highlight there also, and carrying it across 3//4 of the eyelid, but not dragging it much into the crease. I mirrored this placement under the lower lash line too. Then I placed a bright blue shade on the remaining part of the eye and blended it into the gold to make a smooth even transition from gold to blue. Again I mirrored this on the lashline by placing blue 1/4 of the way across and blending it into the gold underneath. I finished it off with black eyeliner into a wing on the upper lashline, and a few coats of mascara.

I just love the gold-blue eyeshaodow colour combination! I really didn't think I would be able to wear gold shadow because I'm so so pale, and it generally looks better if its not a stark darker contrast to your skin colour! But I really like wearing it in this look and I'm going to branch out and maybe try some gold-based smokey eyes in the future.

Here are the products I used:

I used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk for the eyeshadow base/primer. As you can see, it's my favourite one and I've used it loads.

For the lid colours, the gold and blue, I used two colours from the Urban Decay sustainable Palette which is really old now- it was my first palette! And I'm trying to use it again as the colours are amazing (just a bit chunky on glitter, and not as smooth in texture as their more recent eyeshadow additions). The colours were Half Baked (a huge favourite of many, and in many Urban Decay palettes, and Kiddie Pool (which I just think is the best name ever, especially for this shade). They're next to each other in the bottom right of the palette.

For the browbone highlight and matte brown transition shade I used the Soap and Glory Lid Stuff quad in the shade What's Nude, (for the browbone I used the lightest shade, and for the transition a mixture of the two other matte colours (so the only one I did not use was the 4th colour, the sheeny dark brown)).

For mascara I used the Maybelline One By One and Clinique bottom lash mascara.

And for eyeliner I used the L'Oreal Linear Intense eyeliner in Carbon black which is my favourite eyeliner by far and lasts for ages- I will never find an eyeliner I love this much.

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That's it! I hope you enjoyed reading about this look, it's so simple but looks amazing. I'll be posting another one of these looks very shortly so hope you guys love reading that one too!

Would you wear this eyeshadow look? What's your go-to slightly different eye look? Let me know in the comments below.

Eye Makeup: Silver and Purple Smokey Eye

Thursday 19th June Eye Makeup Look

Recently I've made the conscious decision to amp up my eye makeup looks. I always do a standard silver eye with a brown crease when I go out, but I decided to branch out and start doing some different looks. I realised I have so many beautiful colourful eyeshadows, and I love experimenting so am really trying to wear some different and interesting eyeshadow looks out- the best time to try something a little bit crazy is when going out at night! 

I'm going to post pictures of these eye looks when I do them. Some might not necessarily be looks suitable for daytime, but hopefully will give you guys some nighttime inspiration, an insight into what products I use when I go out, and inspire me too to keep up the "branching out" style. 

I'm going to be going out quite a lot in the coming months as exams are over- woooo! So these posts might become a regular thing. Let me know if you like them!

I used mainly the colours from the Lime Crime Palette d'antoinette (at the end there will be a picture of the products used and a full list), which I featured in a haul and did some up close swatches of each colour, so check that out if you're interested.

Basically I love this palette, and I plan on doing a green-orange look with it soon. The colours are creamy and apply beautifully, easy to blend and super pigmented. And surprisingly, there really isn't much fall out at all.

As you can see, the look is quite subtle and super wearable! But the pop of colour slightly adds to your usual eye look and gives it a little bit of something extra. You could definitely put the purple into the crease below the brown if you wanted even more drama, I might try that out next time.

I used a matte white as a browbone highlight (under the brow), then brushed a matte brown shade into the crease as a transition colour to really pull the look together. I then placed the silver from the palette from the very inner part of the eye from an inner corner highlight right to about 3/4 of the way across the lid. Then I placed the pink, overlapping it slightly and adding a few layers to intensify the colour, and right at outer edge of the eye I placed the purple, again blending them all together. I repeated the silver-pink-purple structure under the eye, as well as smudging a bit of brown on the outer 1/4 of the lower lash line.

Here are the products I used.

For the lid colours, the silver, pink and purple, I used the Lime Crime Palette d'antoinette (top left).

For the transition crease shade I used the top right shade from the Soap and Glory Lid Stuff quad in 'What's Nude' (the middle product).

For the browbone highlight I used the white (bottom row, three from right and well loved, as you can see, I've hit pan) from the Coastal Scents Smokey Eyes palette you'll see on the right of the picture, which is really great for colourful looks.

For eyeliner I used the L'Oreal super liner slim, and the normal super liner, both in black, and my mascara was The Rocket by Maybelline.

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This is a new thing for me to try so I would really love to hear your feedback, let me know in the comments below if you like this format and also of course if you like this look!