Too Faced Sweethearts

I feel like a missed an opportunity here to review these products around Valentine's Day because nothing really says love much like receiving a heart shaped blush from your partner, right? However, Too Faced Sweetheart Blushers (£24) are for life, not just for Valentines Day hence why I am still choosing to review these now. These blushers were one of those items that I have lusted after for YEARS but I had never rushed to purchase them as I knew they would not be disappearing off the market anytime soon so there was no haste on my behalf.

The moral of this story is if a brand makes a product limited edition, as much as I will curse them for disallowing me from taking my time to make a good, rational decision, I will no doubt buy it with sweaty palms and a ravenous look in my eye due to the fear of it selling out and the possibility that I may never own that product in the pretty limited edition packaging. 

Anyway, back to the blushers that also feature gorgeous, sightly-gimmicky heart shaped packaging that replicates the pan within the cardboard box of joy. The main convention of these blushes that originally caught my attention is the subtle shimmer that adorns the gradient hues thus offering a healthy, radiant glow to the cheeks which is always welcome in my eyes. I also love the range of colours that Too Faced have featured and it took a lot of deliberation on my end to finally make the decision to pick up the shades Peach Bellini and Peach Beach. Peach Bellini offers a true peach glow that will be incredibly relevant for Spring/ Summer as orange is most definitely the new black in 2017. I love how the pan includes a deep pink to counteract the stronger orange tones which I am sure was to spare anyone from walking around with cheeks that look like they have been dusted with the remnants of a Wotsit. Ultimately, it emits a warm coral shade on the skin with a subtle golden undertone that would be perfect for those who are looking to skip a step in the morning and would rather trade in their highlighter for a highlighting blush (I mean...that would offer you at least another sixty seconds in bed). Peach Beach, on the other hand, is my personal favourite as it applies a pretty, natural pink to the skin and compliments my pale complexion perfectly. I tend to opt for muted toned blushers as I always go slightly overboard on my eyes and need a natural cheek to counteract this extremity. However, the subtly is no reflection on the pigmentation as each of these blushers requires a light hand during application so I would recommend to apply a small amount at a time and build the colour up to ensure everything is just peachy (get it). If you are looking for a new blush and are a sucker for pretty packaging like myself, check these out online (linked above) or in most Debenhams stores - I promise you will not be disappointed.

I would love to know your thoughts in the comments.

What blushers are you loving at the moment?

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Mascara is one product that I absolutely love experimenting with and I find that I am always on the hunt for a new thickening and lengthening mascara that packs a punch when it comes to bold, black lashes. I am lucky enough to have fairly long natural lashes but I still find myself obsessively layering product partly because I find it strangely therapeutic and partly because your lashes can never be too long, surely? I find that I never stay faithful to any one mascara but I think that is maybe about to change. I picked up the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (yeah, let's ignore the hyperbolic name) in a Canadian Sephora. Although don't worry my fellow Brits, you can also pick this up in the UK  either online or in select Debenhams stores. First of all, I love the weighty, pink packaging that adds a twist of luxury to the aesthetics. The formula is super intense but surprisingly build-able and did not clump easily, an absolute dream quality. The formula contains collagen which explains the plumping effects which combined with the hourglass shaped, bristle brush, make for a dream paring. The formula didn't transfer at all, a usual pet hate of mine when it comes to eye products. In the words of the brand themselves, 'you'll believe in magic' after one use of this miracle product. Priced at £19, it fits snuggly into the higher end price tag but is extremely worth the money. If you are after a new mascara that focuses on more volume than length but still performs well in both, then check this one out.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

What is your favourite mascara? 

July Beauty Favourites

Another month is over and already we are in August. If I blink again, I am scared that it will suddenly be Christmas! July seemed to fly by and considering I spent the first half of it loving life in Toronto, Canada, I say it has been a pretty good month also. I made a lot of new discoveries beauty wise as I finally visited my first every Sephora and most likely spent a combined total of three hours raiding each stand, swatching highlighters and lusting over a million of their rollerball fragrances. Thank the heavens each product I purchased made it on the journey home back to England where they take front stage in my collection. The majority of the favourites pictured above were purchased in Canada but nevertheless, most of them are available to purchase in certain stores and online for any UK readers out there. 

First up, is a product from a brand that I haven't ever tried but has always caught my attention. The Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Poured is a cream version of their renowned Opal pressed highlighter. The colour is a beautiful pale gold that gives a natural, glowy look to the skin without emphasising pores. The thing that I love the most about this product is the wear time. This lasts pretty much all day and doesn't eat away at your foundation leaving the base patchy, much like other similar cream highlighters. I apply this to the tops of my cheek bones and down the bridge of my nose using my ring finger and am always surprised about how beautiful it looks. The formula is easily bendable and looks far from cake-y. If you are after that instant J-Lo look, seriously track this down!

The Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushers are the best formulas of blush out there. Seriously, I would happily own all of these and never buy another blusher again. The product claims 12 hours of wear which is no lie. After application, that flush of colour is here to stay. I purchased a number of these from Sephora and already want to buy more. I have been wearing the shade Glisten throughout July and seriously cannot get enough of the perfect dusty-pink with a ever-so-slight shimmer dressing my cheeks. You can actually purchase a few of the shades from the UK QVC so I seriously recommend checking that out. I have got a blog post coming soon which focuses on my Tarte blush collection so watch this space. 

I have another fragrance favourite this month which I already regret not purchasing the larger size of. The Elizabeth and James Nirvana White fragrance was created by none ever than Mary-Kate and Ashley. I am not sure if I love it so much purely for that reason or wether it's because it has a perfect blend of musk and peony which are two of my favourite ingredients in scent. I love the sleek Gold and White packaging twinned with the easy rollerball applicator making it perfect for travel. Although the scent is heavy, I would happily wear this all year round and may have to make a cheeky online order for the biggest bottle they do and pay the ghastly oversea delivery charges, as honestly it is worth it. If you are heading to a Sephora soon, please pick this or the black version up as you really do need it in your life.

I have also been loving the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Luminous Bronze, a brand that are always killing it in regards to their cheek products. I barely even looked at this product before purchasing it as I knew I would love it, just the same as their blushers and powders. The beautiful mix of highlighting powder and deep bronze is perfect for warming up the complexion and giving a subtle and healthy glow. Don't let the powder in the pan deceive you, it may look like their is barely any bronzer in there but trust me, this is seriously pigmented. The trick is to go in with a light hand and a large fluffy brush  and dust the product all over the high points of the face for the perfect bronzey-glow. The shade range is limited as there are only two to choose from but luckily this isn't too dark for my pale skin.

Finally, is a mascara that has potentially reached holy grail status. The Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara (weird, I know but I won't go on about it) is one of those products that has you hooked from the first use. I seriously could not get over how much length this gave me with serious volume. I have been using it everyday for the past month and it still continues to create long, black, thick lashes all day, everyday. The thing that I love the absolute most is that it does not shed in the slightest. I have had way too many love affairs with mascaras in the past that always end with me being fed up of having to remove little balls of black off my cheeks that just isn't worth the decent volume. If you are after a new mascara that will possibly change your life then please do give this a go.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my monthly favourites.

What has been a favourite product of yours from July? 

The Perfect Palette Tag

First: Urban Decay Naked 2 & 3. Second: Too Faced Chocolate Bar & Natural Eyes. Third: MAC Pro Palette & Warm Neutrals. Fourth: Urban Decay Naked Basic & Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita. 

I've been tagged by a number of people to do the The Perfect Palette Tag and I apologise that the reply has been slightly delayed and I am probably the last person to jump on this beauty bandwagon. Even so, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to discuss my favourite palettes with you as they are easily my most favourite purchases and the one I get the most satisfaction from - as sad as that sounds! 

Perfect Palette Tag Questions:

1. Best Packaging 

Even though there are so many palettes out there, that are dressed in gorgeous packaging with rose gold accents (*ahem* Charlotte Tilbury), I actually decided to choose MAC for this answer. I like the ultras slim feel of their palettes and the clear tops, that allow for you to see every colour you own without having to open the actual palette. They are perfect for display purposes and are ultra-versatile due to their removable pans thus allowing you to mix and match your shades and build your perfect palette. 

2. Best Colour Payoff

This has taken me a lot of thought to decide as I usually dabble in the likes of MAC and Urban Decay and both, as you most probably know, have great pigmentation. Yet, I decided to choose the palettes from Charlotte Tilbury mainly due to the loose pigment shade that features in each of her quads. Although, they're glitter pigments the colour pay-off is insane and seriously completes any smokey-eye. Admittedly, I actually purchased both my Tilbury palettes because of this little pan of glitter. There is all review of this palette on my blog which you can check out here. 

3. Most Versatile

Urban Decay are probably one of the most talked about brands when it comes to their eyeshadows. I can guarantee that the majority of the beauty fanatics out there own at least one of their Naked palettes. For most versatile I opted for the Naked 2 as the range of shades allow for a beautiful but simple daytime look yet but also caters for an amped-up evening look due to it's deeper hues, ranging from matte to iridescent formulas. I seriously love this palette.

4. Best for Travelling

Again, from Urban Decay comes the Naked Basics 2. A teeny-tiny all matte palette, that although has only a few shades, can easily cater for pretty much all neutral looks. The cool-toned shadows are incredibly buttery, blend beautifully and last perfectly. If you're just getting in to makeup and want something that's easy to use and easy to wear, I highly recommend this one, or its just as beautiful twin - the original Naked Basics palette. 

5. Biggest Regret

I really struggled with this question as I don't really regret any of my purchases. I obviously have palettes that I don't reach for as much but I don't necessarily regret them. I'm sure there are palettes or shades that I'm not thinking of but for now I'm going to have say none for this question.

6. Best Colour Names

The answer to this question was easily going to be a product from Too Faced as although some of their names can be a little risqué, I love the creativeness behind them. If you own any of the Too Faced palettes, you will know what I mean. The Chocolate Bar palette in particular, I felt really in-cooperated the theme into all the shade names eg. Black Forest Truffle, Milk Chocolate, Amaretto, Salted Caramel etc. Plus the fact that it actually smells of chocolate due to cocoa powder being one of the ingredients, is a serious added bonus! 

7. Least Used

As much as I love my MAC Warm Neutrals palette, I really do not get enough use out of it! I think the range of shades and formulas, is just slightly overwhelming and I never know what shades to pair with what. Nevertheless, I am making a subconscious effort to reach for this palette more as it really is beautiful. 

8. Most Used

This question was easy and the appearance of this palette proves that. My MAC Pro Palette contains shades I picked myself and I have used at least one of these colours almost everyday since purchasing them. The shades featured are probably my all time favourite eyeshadows ever and the ones I find myself reaching for when I want something simple and easy but still pretty. The shades are Naked Lunch, Nylon, Charcoal Brown and Mythology. Review of some of the shades are on my blog here. 

9. Most Loved

Other than the MAC palette I previously mentioned, my other most loved palette has to be the Urban Decay Naked 3 (yes I know, another one from UD). This palette was an unexpected love of mine as admittedly I got this purely because of the hype surrounding it when it was first released. Yet, since then I have found this palette to be amazing when it comes to creating pretty, pink-gold makeup looks that always seem to be the ones I get the most compliments on! 

10. Desert Island

I always find these questions kind of strange as realistically if I was stuck on a Desert Island, makeup would be the last thing I need but I'm probably being really boring! Yet, if for some reason I felt compelled to take one, I would definitely take the Too Faced Natural Eyes palette as I feel the range of shades can be used to create unlimited makeup looks that are more-than-easy to apply. I also love the petite, tin packaging thats surprisingly quite slim. The only thing this palette lacks is a decent mirror!

I tag anyone who wants to answer these questions and let me know below so I can check out your answers!

Let me know what you think.

What are some of your favourite palettes?