MOTD | Makeup of the Day

Just a quick post today to ease my self back into this blogging malarkey and there's nothing easier than a makeup of the day with a rundown of the products I used. I'm really not doing anything special today so I purely did my makeup both to kill time but also for a little pick-me-up, hence the lack of lip product. Any else only ever wear lip product when you are actually intended on leaving the house? 

Face

Foundation: Clinique Beyond Perfecting in Ivory

Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 01

Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light and a Look Fantastic Banana Powder

Bronzer: Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer 

Blusher: MAC Pro Longwear Blush in Desert Rose

Highlighter: Anastasia x Amrezy Highlight and Charlotte Tilbury Bar of Gold

Eyes

Brows: NYX Tame & Frame Pomade in Espresso

Eyeshadow: NYX Lid Lingerie Metallic Liquid Eyeshadow in Gold Standard 

Huda Beauty Rose Gold Palette (Henna as a transition colour, 24k on inner third, Maneater through the crease and under the eye

Eyeliner: Dolce & Gabanna Kohl Liner in White

Mascara: Estée Lauder Sumptuous Mascara

I would love to hear what products you've been using every day!

Leave a comment below.

Clinique Lip Pops

These new lipsticks released this Summer from award-winning beauty brand Clinique, are everything you need for the brighter months. No matter what colour you are after, the Clinique Lip Pop collection is guaranteed to have it amongst their 16 available shades. Packaged in perfect prisms that are each colour-coded depending on their shade and name, these lippies are a beauty collectors dream. As I am such a huge fan of their Cheek Pops that I had been obsessed with the previous Summer, I could not wait to get my hands on these as I was sure the quality would be outstanding. I was not wrong. Each shade is unique and beautiful, some neutral and muted for day-to-day wear, others bold and bright for a pop of confidence. The pigmentation for each lipstick is incredible, all of which are opaque but creamy, with a demi-matte finish that is completely perfect for Summer. Beige Pop has become my new everyday lipstick due to its hydrating formula and nicely, neutral colour. I have also been loving Poppy Pop despite the fact that it is a colour I would usually avoid due to its bright hue, yet I find the yellow undertones compliment my complexion. The only downside to this shade is that it will also highlight any yellowness in your teeth, so be aware! The other shades also offer a lot of option for any occasion and their sturdy and suitable packaging means they are perfect to pop in your handbag for on-the-go. At £16 a pop, they are a reasonably priced lip product that fits nicely between high street and high end. I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the collection.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Have you tried the new Clinique Lip Pops?

Clinique's Cheek Pops

With Clinique's new launch of their Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm's hitting the market, which introduce their great shade range and formulas but in a much more handy, on-the-go bullet packaging. I thought I'd do a little throwback to their pass blush launch which bought us cute little, floral blushers labelled with an even sweeter name - Cheek Pops. I don't think it's much of a surprise when I say it was the appearance of these that drew me over originally. Engraved beautifully with flowers that are still very much visible through the clear packaging meaning nothing quite looks prettier in my collection than these. With four available shades - Ginger Pop, Berry Pop, Peach Pop and Plum Pop, all of which are incredibly wearable, mean that these little beauties resemble more of a collectors item to me. If you have one, you have got to get them all! They're ultra pigmented, easily blended but still look natural - a perfect dash of colour for Spring/Summer. I chose mine in the shades Berry Pop (a deeper, purpley-pink that would look pretty on the cheeks all year round) and Peach Pop (a sweet, peachy-pink that looks natural yet flattering for an array of skin tones). The wear time of these blushers is a decent six-eight hours, a quality that I always love to see in high end products. At only £16.50 a pop (see what I did there?) they're on the much more affordable end of the scale when it comes to higher ended branded products.

Let me know what you think!

Have you tried the Clinique Cheek Pops?

HUGE Beauty Wish List Drugstore & High End!

                 

 
1) Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette 2014 (£32)
2) Mac Pedro Lourenco Nude Eyeshadow x 4 (£33)
3) Mac Eyeshadow Pan in Nylon (£10)
4) By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Blond Opal (£28)

1) Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette (£37)
2) Smashbox Full Exposure Palette (£36)
3) L'Oreal Colour Riche L'Ombre Pure Mono Eyeshadows 
in the shades 107, 200, 201, 204, 205 (£5.49)
4) By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock (£28) 

1) Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Golden Goddess (£38)

2) By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Brown Perfection (£28)

3) Mac Sharon Osbourne Duchess Eyeshadow Palette x 4 (£33)

4) Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara in Extreme Black (£17)

1) The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in 01 (£13)
2) Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade (£23)
3) Eve Lom Flawless Radiance Primer (£40)
4) Mac Lipstick in Kinda Sexy (£15)

1) Mac Lipstick Playland Collection in Sweet Experience (£15)
2) Mac Lipstick in Costa Chic (£15)
3) Mac Lipstick in Flamingo (£15)
4) Mac Kelly Lipstick in Strip Poker (£16.50) 

Are any of these products on your Wish List?
Let me know what they are in the comments below!

 

Skincare| Clinique 'take the day off' Cleansing Balm

A good cleanser is exactly what the skin needs on a day-to-day basis to thoroughly clean the skin and make it appear refreshed and renewed. I have tried my fair share of cleansers from waters, gels, hot cloth creams and milks but this has definitely taken the lead as the most effective and luxurious cleanser I've probably ever had. The Clinique 'take the day off' Cleansing Balm has made a massive impact in the Beauty World and I believe it's been sold out in many stores across the country. (I, myself have had no problems locating this which I suppose is the one positive of living in a small town.) This fact comes at no surprise when considering the quality of this miracle product. 

It's a light-weight cleansing balm that appears to be a hard, solid texture in the pot but once on the fingers melts to a silky, oil-like consistency and glides onto the skin beautifully. You can see it removing skin make up instantly as well as the fact that it breaks down tough eye makeup efficiently including most waterproof Mascaras! Once washed off, the skin is left feeling soft and smooth after just the one use.

I usually apply this with my fingertips and massage it onto my dry skin using circular motions. I start with my face make-up and then work into that of the eyes breaking it down until I'm left looking slightly like a Panda - not a great look! I then rinse it off with warm water, I prefer to use a clean muslin cloth to help with this step but it works just as well with your hands but does take slightly longer. Once my face has dried I then go on to use my typical toner or moisturiser to complete my skincare routine. 

Although the consistency of this balm does feel slightly oily, it still works beautifully for oily skin with a non-greasy as well as non-drying effect. This benefit makes it appropriate for all skin types which probably explains why it is so popular.  Priced at £21, it's expensive but because of the balm-like formula, a little bit does go a long way making it quite cost effective. I can definitely see myself repurchasing this once this tub is empty as I really do think this has cleared my skin impeccably, improved scarring and tamed red patches, maybe not a certified benefit but has definitely worked its wonders for me! 

Let me know what you think in the comments.

What's your favourite cleanser?

Make Up| Everyday Make Up Look

Hi everyone! 

This is just a quick photo post on my usual everyday make up!

I'm currently loving a eyeshadow combo of Half Baked and Chopper from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (review coming soon!)

Liquid or gel eyeliner is a must in my everyday make up routine. I feel naked without something lining my eyes! 

I like to go for a dewey finish which is usually achieved with the help of my Urban Decay Illuminator (review here) and Clarins primer (review here).

Let me know what you guys think!

What product do you wear everyday without fail? 

\

Make Up| FOTD Amateur

Hi everyone!

Thought I would do a quick face of the day with some shameless selfies. This is just a really simple eye look with a nudey-pink lip. I'll put all details on what I'm wearing below! 

Face

Clarins Eclat Minute Instant Light Complexion Perfector in 00 Rose Shimmer

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in Shade 2.0

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02 

Mac Mineralize Skin finish in Light

Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light

Accessorize Baked Blusher in 5 Sensation

Urban Decay Illuminated Powder (review here)

Eyes

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Half Baked, Snake Bite, Busted

Benefit Browzings in Medium

Benefit They're Real Mascara

Lips

Bourjois Rouge Edition in 06 Rose Coquette 

I'm aware I am no professional, I thought I'd just put this on for an extra bonus post for today!

Let me know what you think?

What can't you leave the house without? 

Make Up| Mini Cosmetics Haul

Hello again!

I accidentally did a bit of shopping today (which of course was necessary) and I thought I would do a quick post on what I bought. Obviously I won't be reviewing the products as such because I haven't properly tried them yet but watch this space as there probably will be comments on all of them in the near future!!

My first and favourite product from today is the Clinique 'take the day off' Cleansing Balm. I've seen loads of reviews for this and I was stuck between this or the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Balm but I felt for almost £8 cheaper and it being my first time even using one, I thought this would be a good place to start. I love the packaging, it feels luxurious and expensive and I'm a sucker for the colour purple. I can only describe the consistency of the product as 'magical', is that sad? It's a solid balm that dissolves quickly into a silky, oil thats perfect for taking off foundation and hard-to-budge eye makeup. I can't wait to try it! 

I also picked up 3 face mask from Superdrug's own brand. There's no particular reason why I chose these specific ones but I felt they looked interesting and priced at only 99p I felt it would be silly not too try! Each mask does a different job as one purifies, another's cooling and the other is a heating one - my favourite! I really want to incorporate face masks into my skin care routine as I feel they're an affordable way to make you feel pampered and give you that post-facial feeling.  

The last 2 items I picked up were one of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's in the colour Pink Gold and a Max Factor Miracle Touch Cream Blush in 03 Soft Copper. I already own 3 other colours in the Maybelline Colour Tattoo range and I absolutely love them for a quick and easy yet effective eye make up look. I haven't had a cream blush in my makeup collection for years and I liked the look of the Max Factor ones and priced at only £6.99 I was easily convinced. I chose this colour as I feel like it's more of a bronzed blush meaning when I'm feeling lazy I can just apply this without having to worrying about my usual contouring along with blusher. 

Have you tried this products? How did you find them?

Comment below!

xx

Fragrance| Marc Jacobs Daisy

Hello!

As one of my first fragrance related posts I thought I would do a quick rave and review about one of my favourite fragrances which is Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs. Now, I don't know about you guys but for starters I find all of the bottle designs beautiful and definitely eye catching . The particular one I have is in this pretty and attractive flower shape as its only a squidly 20ml where as the 75ml bottle (which I went out and bought not long after this one had ran out) is a much more of a generous sized bottle with the usual abundance of flowers on the lid.

Now the fragrance scent can only be described as floral with a hint of fruit thrown in there. It's definitely a light fragrance and is perfect for the summer but I've still found pleasure in wearing it through out these wintery days. This is definitely one of those fragrances which smells different on every person. I often find myself saying to a friend 'mmm I love your perfume what is that?!' And it in actual fact being the same one as I'm wearing. But I find this as more of a bonus as it means it's more personal. The main ingredients in the fragrance are grapefruit, pear and raspberry with a hint of jasmine and apple blossom in there too making it an abundance of fruity and floral favours which make it a nice fresh girly scent. AND the bottle pictured above only cost me £25(!) which I feel is quite a generous amount considering. 

Let me know some of your favourite fragrances in the comment section as I'm always on the hunt for something new :)

Make Up| Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Shimmering Powder for Face and Body

Hello!

Today I'm going to be reviewing a new addition to my make up bag which is the Naked illuminator by Urban Decay. I've tried many variations of illuminating/highlighting products before ranging from creams to powders and this is definitely one of my favourites. 

First of all, I think the packaging is gorgeous and the shimmer on the box really foreshadows what the product will be like inside. I can appreciate its quite a chunky box and it is a pain to fit into a Make Up bag so it may not necessarily be perfect for travel. 

I don't think it's any surprise that I was drawn to this product as soon as I saw it. I have magpie like tendencies when it comes to shiny, glittery things and this just suited me right done to the ground. It's a powdered highlighter that has microfine shimmery particles to allow the light to reflect upon it to create a healthy and dewey finish.  Even though it is beautiful, I can understand that the glitter may be too much for people and some may prefer to use it just for evenings as opposed to the daytime. It's also great for your body too, allowing you to add an extra bit of shimmer before a night out. 

As you can see it's quite pigmented but applying this with a Kabuki brush or a large powder brush allows the product to apply sparingly as so not to overdo it. It's light and beautiful and along with the pretty packaging, I feel this product is definitely something I'll be reaching for all year round.

It even has a hidden compartment underneath the powder that has a mini applicator. I personally never find much use for these but if you do it's definitely and added bonus!

Priced at £20, it definitely fits in to the high end market but what can we expect from Urban Decay? I like to think we are paying more for quality, don't you think?

What's your favourite highlighter? 

Skincare| Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser

Hello again!

Today I will be reviewing the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser which is definitely a revolutionary product, I would say, in the skincare world. Perfect for all ages and skin types, it's the perfect cleanser that actually seems to make a visible difference.

It's a plant-based creamy cleanser that is perfect for taking off all types of make up including waterproof mascara (yay!). It works in two phases: cleansing and polishing. The polishing is done with a muslin cloth that actually comes with the cleanser (bigger ones can be bought from the baby section in Boots!) this, in effect, exfoliates your skin and removes all the dead skin cells that may have been lodging there.

What I like most about this product is that you're always guaranteed to be left with smooth and clean-looking skin. I owe the disappearance of many spots to this bottle. There's also the added bonus that it smells great too!

Have you tried it? What cleansers do you like it?

Make Up| Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Hello again! 

Today I'm reviewing a makeup product that has taken the beauty world by storm... the Clinique bottom lash mascara. This Clinique mascara is here too.. well it's in the name really. The idea of this cosmetic product is to eliminate clumps and smudges that would usually be the case when using a full size mascara wand. Gone are the days of lashes like spiders legs. 

Armed with a tiny wand, this mascara is perfect for getting in all the hard to get to places including the tiniest little lashes in the corners of your eyes! The packaging is super pretty with the silver detailed floral pattern and the size is perfect for travel! But with all the positives with a good product there is usually one or two negatives. The formula of the mascara seemed to dry out quickly for me meaning if you were to be a lover of this bottom lash mascara you may find yourself buying it sooner then you hoped.

Priced at £12 for a 2ml bottle, it does fit it in to the high end side of the spectrum as products go. But I think the price tag is only a minor problem for such a unique product. All in all it's definitely one to try. 

Have you tried it? If so what did you think?