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.

Cosmetics Collection: Soap and Glory Make Up

I'm back again with another Cosmetics Collection for you! This time it's about another favourite drugstore Make Up brand of mine, Soap and Glory. With it's stand out packaging that's cute, quirky and slightly pin-up, this really is a great brand that takes quality and appearance into a lot of consideration. I thought I would focus this post mainly on the make up side of S&G even though I know they're best known for their incredible bath and body products as well as their excellent skincare but don't worry I will be doing another post all about the products I own from their other collections too because I love it all. 

1. Lid Stuff Flawless Finish Eyeshadow in What's Nude £10 

For the incredible price, this beautiful eyeshadow quad is an absolute steal. I love the fact that it's made up mainly of mattes with only one shimmer shade as pretty much everyone other palette I own is glitter galore. The shadows are creamy and apply beautifully with an acclaimed eight hour wear which I don't think I could argue with. This is a great nudes palette which would be perfect for travel considering it has the four main neutral shades you'd ideally want. 

2. Kick Ass Concealer in Light £10 (full review here) 

A lovely concealer made up of three combat shades that are great for concealing those under eye circles and pesky blemishes. With a salmon pink cream that works a treat for brightening up dark under eyes, a yellow toned complexion concealer that covers up spots completely along with counteracting redness and a translucent powder that works great when setting the creams to ensure they won't budge. All of this is then efficiently fitted into a nifty looking compact that you could throw into your bag and be ready to face the day. 

3. Archery Eyebrow Pencil in Brownie Points £10 (full review here)

One of S&G most talked about Cosmetic products. This intuitive product combines both a wax crayon and a subtle coloured tint that are the perfect pair for creating either the natural brow or big bold bushy show stoppers that even Cara Delevigne would be jealous of. The felt-tip end means you can effectively brush on tiny little hairs to both add volume but still ensure your brows still look like, well brows. Then this is when the crayon comes in. A great consistency and excellent pigmentation which fills in the brows perfectly so you're all good to go! 

4. Peach Party Multi-Colour Blush Brick £11

A brilliant and beautiful product. A mix of bronze, peach and gold hues that when swirled together on a fluffy brush creates the most gorgeous illuminated, pretty in peach colour that's perfect for Summer. The different segments look pretty in the pan and even prettier on the skin and you have the power to create any look you want. You decide what shades you'd like to be more predominant by focusing your brush on individual segments to achieve either a more bronzed, blushed or highlighted effect or if you'd prefer the wild card, like myself, just go to town on the colour wheel and see what gorgeous, pearlescent shade comes up. 

5. A Great Kisser Juicy Peach Lip Balm  £5

A lovely, moisturising lip balm that smells so much like peaches, I'm tempted to eat it. This literally melts on your mouth during application and is so nourishing once on thanks to the Mango Butter in the ingredients. The main thing I love about this balm is the sheer add of peachy colour that although is simple, acts as a gorgeous shade for an everyday Make Up look. 

6. Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick  in Nudist £8

A super glossy, lip lacquer in a stick form that gives Clinique's Chubby Sticks a run for their money. This is moisturising, perfectly pigmented and lasts well on the lips. Not to mention the gorgeous shade Nudist that although appears slightly brown in the bullet, is actually a beige-toned peach when applied. Think MAC's Shy Girl but glossier. I feel like everyone should have this in their collection so go and get it!

7. Super-Colour FabuLipstick in The Missing Pink £9 (full review here)

The perfect pinky-nude that plumps up the lips as well as giving a lovely finish. This really is a gorgeous colour which, along with the great limp pumping technology, nourishing Shea Butter and ultra-shine qualities, makes the perfect pout in one easy swipe. 

So that's a full run down of my Soap and Glory Collection! Hope you enjoyed it.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

What's your favourite Soap and Glory product?

Beauty| Born Pretty Store Product Review

Born Pretty Store, an American based online cosmetics website, was not a company I was familiar with until I was contacted by a lovely lady, Alicia, asking if I would be willing to review a couple of products from their store. Of course, I accepted and was delighted to pick from a massive selection of products on their website, ranging from eyeliners, make up brushes and eyeshadow palettes to name a few. I decided to try two products that I found to be unique to the Born Pretty company as both of these items I have not found anything similar elsewhere.

XXL Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Blue 

The first product I had chosen was the Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in the shade blue. The thing that drew me the most towards this product was the unique packaging and the beautiful, bold colour, a shade that would be perfect for these brighter months. I would say that the formula of the liner was more waxy then gel but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The product didn't create too much of a colour payoff in my waterline due to the waxy texture but worked nicely once applied to my bottom lash line and blended across my top lashes for a colourful, smokey eye effect. If you're someone who loves a pop of colour in the Summer season definitely give this a go and for only £2.72 it's hard to find a reason not to. 

3 Colour Eyebrow Powder Compact with Applicator  

This has come to be my favourite product from the package. A trio of powders that make up the perfect team for big, beautiful, bold brows. I was a bit hesitant at first when I saw the black powder in the palette as even though I do have very dark brown brows, I was worried that the use of this could end up with me sporting the dreaded 'scouse' brow, a look I most definitely could not pull off. Yet, to my relief and surprise I found that when using the brown shade with a hint of the black, the colour matched my brows perfectly and has quickly become one of my 'go-to' brow products. I think the specific element that I love about this product the most is the white powder that acts as the perfect matte brow bone highlight and really is a pleasure to use, I've even opted to use this over some of my other more high end products. The long wear of these powders is what really impressed me as even after a full day at work, the products didn't budge and my brows still looked groomed and filled, exactly how I like them.  There's no reason for why you shouldn't give this a go, especially for all you brow beginners as for only £2.58 a palette, which come in a variety of shades, there really is little to be argued with. 

If you have enjoyed reading this post and would like to try out some products from the Born Pretty Store, head on over to their website and make sure to enter the discount code below to get 10% off your shop. 

What product do you like best from their website?

(This post was created in cooperation with Born Pretty Store but all views and opinions are my own)

Beauty| Benefit Highbrow

Benefit's High Brow (£15.50) has been around for a good while now but has seemingly gone unnoticed being a simple, slightly unnecessary product when comparing to their liquid tints or flash BB creams. I've never find a brow bone highlighter a necessity as one can easily create such a product with likes of a light, nude-y eyeshadow, be it matte or iridescent. Yet, after a while I found myself in need of a staple, brow product that was natural enough to wear on a day-today basis or complete a smokey eye. 

After reading many mixed reviews on such a product I was hesitant to try it on first application. Luckily my expectations were exceeded and the product worked beautifully, lifting the natural shape of my brows and making my overall eye area appear younger, awake and rejuvenated. The subtle, Linen Pink hue means that when blended correctly, the colour is perfect for all shades of skin, a bonus in my eyes.

The key to getting the best out of this product is blending. This chubby pencil is ultra-pigmented and looks very unsubtle when first applied. This issue can be easily fixed with a detailed eyeshadow brush that can blend out the colour in every which way. Luckily the consistency of the product is extra creamy making it a dream to blend. Once applied seamlessly, the overall product appears faultless and fulfil's its 'high' brow claim. The only negative to this product arises when not blended properly. The product can then appear cheap and chalky and lasts clumsily on the eyebrows meaning all the attention is taken away from those beautifully, groomed brows. Luckily, this is a negative by application though, not the actual product so don't let this put you off buying said item and seeing for yourself if it will become a new staple in your cosmetics collection. Especially with the new release of Benefit's Speed Brow, you may find these two products becoming your very own brow 'dream team'. 

All in all, a lovely product that has definitely been a wonderful addition to my everyday make up routine.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

What's your favourite brow product?

Make Up| Anastasia Beverly Hill Dipbrow Pomade

Filling in my brows has become a necessity in my make up routine and I honestly hate leaving the house without something on them. Having quite dark, semi-thick brows I'm always on the hunt for something that can keep them tamed but appear natural as I'm not one for the 'scouse' brow. Brow pencils were a short-lived hype for me, I pretty much used them when I was first starting out to try and learn where to fill in but since then I have been using the Benefit Browzing Palette and have been for over two years. Being someone with such a flakey personality, I always want to mix up my everyday make up products and so it comes at no surprise that I've been on the hunt for a new brow product to fuel my cosmetic obsession.

Enter the Anastasia Beverly Hill Dipbrow Pomade, a tinted creamy, gel-like formula that creates the perfect looking brows! I bought mine in the colour Dark Brown from Cult Beauty, an online website that is literally like heaven. It cost only £15 which I thought was amazing as I would consider this brand to be high end minus the pricing. They also stock the matching Anastasia Brow Brush which would go hand in hand with this product to create beautiful brows but as this cost just as much as the actual product I managed to convince myself that I didn't need it (for now). 

It's definitely an easy-to-use product but it does take slightly longer to apply and perfect then your typical eyebrow pencil but the end result is worth it. It literally lasts all day, with a great colour hold and keeps any brow in place. It claims to be waterproof which I haven't put to the test yet but with the 'no-budge' formula I can imagine this to be true. Another great quality of this product is that it can double up to be a long-lasting brown eyeliner for above or below the lash line. Nothing better then a multi-use cosmetics item. 

Another great bonus to the product is the lovely packaging. It looks luxurious and expensive yet small and perfect for travel. I love the gold detailing on the lid displaying the Anastasia logo and their stamp on the side as well. The fact that the bottom is also glass and so therefore see-through is always something that I look for in cosmetic products and this definitely disappoint. 

A little bit definitely does go along way with the creamy consistency, meaning that although the packaging is small, I can see it lasting me ages much like a gel eyeliner. I honestly can not recommend this product highly enough. It literally won't budge once applied and considering the cheap(ish) price tag there really is no reason to snap this up right now.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

What's your favourite brow product?

xx