Face of the Day #07

This has probably got to be my favourite go-to look ever. I'm always one for experimenting with lots of different make-up looks, but this is the one I always feel drawn to when I just want to look like myself. A thin, winged flick at the top of the lash line looks made up, put together, but still natural. And when I feel like going out then all I have to do is slick on a nice lip stick and I'm ready to go.

FACE/BASE

I've been trying my hardest to like the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 115 Ivory, but after taking these pictures I have finally given up and went out to buy myself a new foundation. It's not the worst foundation in the world - the finish is quite nice, but it just has a tendency to slide around on the face. I used the Seventeen Stay Time Concealer under my eyes and dabbed it under the eye area with my finger tips. I set the whole lot with the Seventeen Stay Time Pressed Powder (Seventeen make some really rather fantastic base products). On the cheeks I used one of my all time favourite blushers - the MUA Blusher in 01. It's an absolute bargain at £1 and as you can see it's been through quite a bit, but I just keep coming back to it for a natural, luminous glow on the cheeks.

EYES

Obviously the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly had to come out again - I don't think I've used a different primer in about two years and as soon as I hit pan on this one I'm going to run to get another one straight away. I blended a bit of Tease from my Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallette into the outer corner and the crease with a big fluffy brush. I then used the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner to line very closely at the upper lash line, flicking it out at the outer corner and making sure to take it quite far into the inner corner of the eye as well. I really like the elongated cat eye effect you get from taking the liner quite far either way. To top it off, I used the L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagene Mascara on top lashes, and as the brush is quite bulky I switched to the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara for bottom lashes.

LIPS

I left my lips completely bare for this look with only a little hint of lip balm. As the rest of the look is so neutral, pretty much any shade of lipstick goes well, but I just didn't feel like any colour on my lips that particular day.

Review: Seventeen Phwoarr Paint

After mentioning this concealer at every given opportunity for the past six months or so, I think it's about time it finally got its very own review. To cut a long story short, I absolutely love this stuff. So much so, I actually think it's better than the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, as far as drugstore products are concerned - whoa, big statement there, I know.

This stuff will literally cover everything. I have hereditary dark circles, so even though lifestyle choices do make a difference (getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water, yada yada...), nothing seems to make them go away entirely. Even most concealers fail miserably at covering them up and stopping me from looking like something that's just crawled out of a cave. Save this.

This is exactly what it says on the tin: A thick, heavy duty concealer that stays put pretty much all day. Now, I definitely wouldn't recommend this for the undereye area if you find that you already get quite a lot of dryness there, as something as thick and heavy as this will only cling to dry patches. On my combination skin, however, this stays exactly where I applied it without sliding off and I only see a little bit of creasing in the inner corners at the end of a long day - a price I will happily pay in return for the amazing coverage this concealer offers.

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint in Fair - swatched in natural light

Other than under the eyes, this also does a phenomenal job at covering up any blemishes or red patches. I find that a lot of thick, heavy concealers can emphasise the area more than they cover it by clinging to the dry skin around a blemish, but not so with this. I'd say it's almost like a cream to powder consistency, which allows you enough time to blend things in properly before it sets.
As you can see above, the shade fair is pretty much a perfect match for me, but as with most drugstore products, the shade range is very limited and there are currently only two colours available: Fair (great for pale girls like me!) and Medium.

Face of the Day #06

A very short time before doing this face of the day post I received a new eye shadow palette in my monthly Love Me Beauty box, so I was dying to try it out and see if it would do any better on the lid than it did in my less than impressive swatches. I think this is probably the last time I'll be using my Rimmel powder, as I've seriously hit pan on it now and I've already got a different replacement powder waiting to be used in my make-up drawer/box.

FACE/BASE

I've been using a new foundation lately, namely the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in Shade 115 Ivory and I'm not particularly sold. Even though it's the lightest shade in the line up, it's still too dark for me by about two or three tones, but hopefully now that the sun's out I'll be able to pick up a bit of a tan and it will be a better match. I've stuck to my old faithfuls when it comes to concealer, namely the Seventeen Phwoarr Paint in Fair and the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 004 Sandstorm (also a shade too dark, I've got no idea why I picked it up in the shop). The powder is literally on its last legs right now, so I'll be replacing it with a different one very, very soon. For cheeks, I dug out what used to be my favourite blusher ever, the MAC Powder Blush in Mocha. I don't think there's a skin tone in this world that wouldn't be able to pull off this soft, dusky pink shade. I've treated myself to a new Real Techniques Blush Brush and it's made application so much easier!

EYES

I've dug out my old HD Brows Palette in Foxy again to do my brows, but this time I used the ashy brown shade instead of the reddish one. You can't see it in the picture, but there's hardly any of it left in the pan, so I'll be on the lookout for a replacement shortly, as well. I needed a tried and trusted base for my eye shadows to adhere to, so out came the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, which makes literally any eye shadow stay on my lids all day long. I then got to work with my new Beauty UK Eye Shadow Palette in Earth Child, using the golden bronze colour in the top row all over the lid and blending the reddish brown to the left of it into the crease and outer corner. I used just a touch of the green in the top row along the bottom lash line and lined the water line with a Sephora Eye Pencil in Brown (which I forgot to include in the picture, whoops!) On my lashes I used just one coat of my new favourite drugstore mascara, the Bourjois 1 Seconde Volume Mascara in Black.

LIPS

For my lips I reached for another old favourite, the MAC lipstick in Please Me. I used to wear this one religiously until one day I decided that the colour and the matte finish just don't suit me at all. Lately, however, I've been enjoying using it again and for a matte formula it really doesn't feel drying at all, which I love.

Face of the Day #05

I used to hardly ever wear lipstick, especially any loud, bright shades. They're just such high maintenance and not only do I end up with lipstick marks everywhere, the constant reapplication needed to keep bright lipstick looking good is just too much of a faff. However, my recent purchase of the bright orange L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire has changed everything (at least for now). I've never had so many compliments on my make-up as when I wear this lipstick. So I thought, sod it, if I have to deal with orange marks on my straws and more frequent trips to the bathroom to reapply, that's just a sacrifice I'm going to have to make. To balance out the bright lips I've kept it a bit more plain on the eyes with another new purchase, the much hyped up Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet.

FACE/BASE

As you can see by the severely squished tube of Laura Mercier oil-free Tinted Moisturizer, there really wasn't much left when I did this look and by the time I'm typing up this post, it's sadly served its purpose and there's not another drop that I can squeeze out. For concealer I stuck with my trusted Seventeen phwoarr Paint - I don't think I'll ever buy any other concealer again (yes, that's a big, big statement right there). For cheeks I stippled on some Bourjois Cream Blush in 03 Rose Tendre - for a drugstore formula, this blush is pretty much unbeatable, even though the packaging does get a bit manky with time and almost all the writing wore off on mine already. For setting, I stuck with another old faithful, the Rimmel Stay Matte powder, dusted just along the T-Zone.

EYES

As my lips were pretty bright with this look, I kept the eye make-up a bit more simple with a slick of the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet. I just applied it straight to the lids with the wand, then waited for it to dry for a few seconds and eventually just smudged out the edges with my finger. You can use a brush for that if you want, but I find that fingers work just as well, if not better, as they don't absorb any product. While the Shadow Paint sets, I topped up my brows a little with my recent re-discovery, the Benefit Brow Zings in Medium. To top it all off, I applied one coat of the Bourjois Elastic Mascara on top and bottom lashes. I really love this mascara, but sadly it's starting to run a little low now, so it's going to be time to move on to a different one, soon.

LIPS

On to the star of the show, the L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire by Color Riche in Tangerine Sonate. The main reason I don't mind faffing about with topping up my lip colour all the time is because this gloss/balm/lipstick hybrid does it all in one go for you. One slick and you've got colour and shine right on your lips - no need for two or three different products. At the same time it somehow manages not to be sticky at all, so no awkward hair in mouth situations there.

Monthly Favourites: February 2014

1) Fudge Urban Sea Salt Spray

It never occurred to me to get a salt spray for my hair. When I'm on a beach holiday the salt doesn't make my hair look good in any way - it tends to resemble a tangled up pile of seaweed! I was gifted this to try and I've been in love since the first application. To start off with it's got an amazing coconut scent that smells good enough to eat. It doesn't really do that much to your hair, but it adds just that little bit of texture, a touch of volume and encourages my hair to go into its natural wavy state without getting all tangled up. It's just a perfect little boost for second day hair.

2) Marc Jacobs Honey Perfume

This perfume was a late Christmas gift and I've shamelessly been wearing it almost every day. It's a wonderfully uplifting and happy scent that's not too overpowering. I won't waffle on about it too much as I've done a full review on it just a few days ago. You can find it here.

3) Seventeen Phwoarr Paint

This is a typical case of "the blogger made me buy it". After seeing this on loads of my favourite beauty blogs I nipped into my local Boots and got myself a pot of Phwoarr Paint and I'm so glad I did! This is the concealer I've been waiting for all my life. It's thick enough to seamlessly cover even stubborn blemishes and my serious dark circles, but doesn't crease or cake at all. And it's from the highstreet and a complete bargain! What's not to love?

4) Pro:Voke Touch of Silver Shampoo

As my hair is bleached I have to treat it with purple shampoo and conditioner every other wash to prevent it from going brassy. I've been on the hunt for the perfect one for ages and certainly didn't think I'd finally find it in this £2 bottle from a brand I'd never heard of. But not only does it have the perfect strength to get rid of any yellow or orange undertones but without causing any dodgy purple patches where my hair is a bit lighter. Most of all, it leaves my hair really healthy, smooth and soft. This is definitely a repurchase!