My new favourite mascara combo!

I love the pink and gold accents on the packaging
- which is usually just black all over!

On my last trip to Superdrug, I picked up a tube of Max Factor's False Lash Effect mascara.  Over the last couple of weeks I've absolutely fallen in love with the beautiful fluttery lashes it gives - the picture below is after almost 12 hours of wear, and you can still see the curl!  It's not massively volumising unless you start to build it up, which I actually rather like (as most of the time I like to keep my makeup natural looking!) but as I said before it really does hold the curl despite the fact it isn't the waterproof version.  It doesn't crumble or smudge at all, even with my super watery eyes and at the end of the day it washes off nicely with my usual cleansing oil.

After using the dinky little wand on Benefit's Roller Lash it did take a while to get used to the mahoossive wand on Max Factor's - but I quickly got the hang of it and now really appreciate how the larger wand allows for faster and easier application.  I do use a separate mascara for my lower lashes though (Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara), as even with the smallest of regular mascara wands I tend to make a mess!  

Overall, I'm really pleased I picked this one up and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting super long curly lashes that are still natural looking.

xxx

Huge drugstore makeup haul!

This time last week, I decided I'd head into town for a little shopping pick-me-up.  And ended up going a little bonkers in the aisles of Boots and Superdrug!  I thought It'd be fun to share them with you, as I don't often purchase this many items in one go - oops...

It's been at least a couple of months since I purchased any lip products, and since I absolutely love the Revlon Balm Stain in 'Honey' I thought I'd try out some other shades from the range.  In a post last week I mentioned I had a gap in my lipstick stash for a bright pink and an orange lip colour - so when I was in Boots I picked out 'Lovesick' and 'Rendezvous'.  They both look gorgeous, so fingers crossed the wear time is just as good as 'Honey'!  I also happened to wander past the Barry M stand, and I ended up grabbing a couple of their polishes - who can resist, right?  'Eat my dust' is a gorgeous pale, pastel blue that pulls a tiny bit lilac, and it's from their Speedy Quick Dry range which I was curious to try.  'Damson' is the most stunning bright blue shade, from the Gelly Hi-Shine range (which I've been super impressed with before).  Plus, they were buy one get one half price, so it was a win-win situation!

In Superdrug, there's also a 3 for 2 on currently but across all brands.  I'd heard a lot about the Max Factor Creme Puff blushes, and how they have a very similar glow-y effect to the Hourglass ones but at a fraction of the price.  Since I love Rimmel 'Santa Rose' as it's the perfect natural blush for my skintone, I thought I'd give '10 Nude Mauve' a go - which is very similar but adds a little more dimension to the face as it's not totally matte (I've already tried this out aswell, and it's super soft with very little fallout so applies like a dream!)  I also decided to try out Rimmel's (relatively new) foundation, which is the Nude version of their Lasting Finish formulation.  As I have a tiny bit more colour in my skin post-holiday, I think '010 Light Porcelain' should be a pretty good shade match - thankyou drugstore brands for finally catering to us super pale people!  Finally, I knew that my Benefit Roller Lash was on it's last legs so I was on the market for a new mascara.  In the end, the lovely counter staff pointed out that Max Factor's False Lash Effect had several pounds off, making it cheaper than the other two products which meant I got it for free!  I'd seen Suzie from Hello October talk about this, and since her lashes always look amazing I thought it was definitely worth a go.  Plus, the packaging is super pretty (I think part of the profits go to the Marie Curie trust, which is awesome too).

And just as a little add on at the end, whilst I was in Wilko (getting ice cube trays if you must know!) I stopped off at the Essence stand and chose one of their Longlasting Lipsticks in the shade '01 Coral Calling' It's a lovely, bright peachy coral and was only a couple of pounds.  It has a similar scent to their lipliners - slightly chemically woody cherry but isn't strong at all (or that offensive to be honest!)

xxx

September favourites!

All through the month, I usually compile a list of the things I've been loving so far in preparation for the end of month favourite post.   But for some reason, as the end of September approached I completely forgot to write up that list  *oops*!  Anyway, here it is now and hopefully I won't be typing up next months halfway through October...


Makeup...

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in 'Ethereal Light' £38, Space.nk

This powder was the result of one of those £10 off Space.nk coupons, and although I winced at the dent it made in my student loan it has been amazing.  'Ethereal Light' is an almost pure-white powder, with microfine shimmer - and it's just perfect at the moment along with a little concealer.  It's also an excellent setting powder, and controls the oil on my skin enough that I rarely need to use blotting powder.

Benefit Gimme Brow in 'Light/Medium' £17.50, LookFantastic (but there's almost always a 15% off coupon available)

My brows are practically blonde, so the concept of a tinted brow gel with a little more oomph intrigued me.  Even though you still have to be careful applying the product (it's not just "brush-and-go") I haven't picked up a shadow to fill in my brows once this month, this is just so much more convenient.






Max Factor Colour Corrector Stick 'Green' £8.99, Boots

For the last couple of years, I have been a faithful user of the Natural Collection Corrector Stick as the green is brilliant at cancelling out any redness from blemishes (or just the naturally overly rosy areas of my face!)  Time after time though the packaging and product crumbled, and when I spotted Max Factor's equivalent I popped it in my Boots basket.   It is several pounds more expensive, but the product is a lot more long wearing (doesn't make the concealer over the top wander around) and then packaging is much sturdier.  A great product, that's an everyday staple in my makeup bag.





Clothing...


Marks and Spencer Jaquard Striped Top £9.99 (reduced from £19.50)


This is the most comfortable, lazy-day-but-smart top ever.  Even though it's got a zip up the back, it's not one that you have to contort yourself to get in and out of (to be honest, the material is stretchy enough that I never use it!) and it is so soft and breathable.  I spotted it whilst jean-hunting with my mother and hunted it down online in the right size - I actually got it a size up because I prefer a slightly baggier look on more cropped tops, and it also washes beautifully.  It's currently on sale, but hopefully they bring out this style again in more colours!




Topshop Viscose Slubby Tee £16

When I started sifting through my wardrobe for winter basics, I realised that there was not one single black shirt to be found.  After a toddle around my local Topshop, I found this shirt and fell in love.  It is very lightweight, but not at all see through and the batwings combined with cropped fitted sleeves are super flattering.  I love pairing it with ripped light wash jeans and ballet pumps, and now that it's getting colder - a huge fluffy Zara scarf!




Food...

I've loved Victoria Plums for years, and my memories of summer are filled with stuffing our faces with the ones from my Grandad's trees.  Unfortunately, they only appear once in a blue moon nowadays so we have to go elsewhere for our fix!  In place of home picked ones, I've found that the best ones come from Asda at a couple of pounds a tray (but make sure you let them ripen at home for a little while or they're a little crunchy!)






xxx

The perfect coral nails.

Coral lovin' 

When Bobbi Brown came out with her 'Nectar and Nude' Collection, I was all over it.  Everything was b-e-a-utiful, and I immediately wanted to go have an accident in the John Lewis beauty hall (I mean a purse related accident - not the other sort - haha!)

As it usually goes though, by the time I'd gotten around to visiting the Bobbi Brown counter the items I'd specifically wanted had all sold out.  This happened too with the Dior spring collection, where I desperately wanted the coral coloured 'Lip Glow' - but that's another story...

Anyway, the one thing I'd really had my eye on was her nail polish in 'Nectar' - the perfect reddy-pinky-orangey coral.  I ended up keeping an eye out for it on Ebay - eventually I found someone who was selling one!  I'd wondered whether it was worth doing a post on a limited edition product, but if (like me!) you were hunting for it online and were unsure if you should bother - this might be of some use.

The bottle is lovely, Bobbi Brown's packaging is always very chic and sleek.  The colour really does translate beautifully to the nails, although it can be a little streaky to apply.  I'd also prefer a slightly larger brush, like the ones on Essie polishes (especially since it's rather pricey!)  As I'm very messy painting my nails, I knew I'd probably run out of it quickly so I've been hunting around Boots for a close enough, budget-friendly dupe.  Max Factor do a shade in their 'Glossfinity' line called 'Cute Coral', which seems to be pretty much identical.  Thank goodness for that!

The picture online looks much more orange -
but it really does look like 'Nectar' in reality!

Max Factor 'Cute Coral' is £5.99 from Boots (a bargain considering Bobbi Brown polishes are £11!)

xxx

July Favourites!

Since July has been my first full month of Blogging, I thought I might do a monthly favourites before August kicks off!

Makeup...

Daniel Sandler's Watercolour Blush in Cherub £15.50

This stuff is absolutely wonderful.  It leaves the skin dewy and fresh, and the colour sticks around all day long.  It takes a while to get the hang of applying it - I now put a couple of drops on the back of my hand, work it into my RT Expert Face brush equivalent (it's got the same shape and is so soft!) and then stipple it along my cheekbones.  Perfect for the warm summer months.



Max Factor Eyeshadow in 'Burnt Bark' £4.99

I rediscovered this at the bottom of my makeup drawer a few weeks ago, and out of curiosity swatched it on my arm.  At that point aswell, I was considering purchasing 'Satin Taupe' by MAC as I'd fallen back in love with taupe-brown shades - but once I saw this on my arm I knew I didn't need the MAC shadow any more!





Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in 'Nudist' £8

I originally purchased this at around Christmas time, and wore it obsessively. These chubby lip crayons smell like MAC lipsticks on steroids, and are super shiny - like a liquid gloss!  'Nudist' is an almost browny-nude, which translates to a slight coral sheen on my lips.  Recently I've been using it instead of my usual reds and pinks to balance out a smokier liquid-lined eye.



Clothing...

I've pretty much covered my recent clothing staples in the 'Wears of the week' post I did a few days back.  I did go and purchase two more of the ASOS tee-shirts though...*oops*
Also, my old saggy Levis have come back out to play due to the warmer weather - they're worn out, rolled up cutoffs and I love them to bits.


Shoes...

Keds Trainers £40

Mine are pretty old and battered, as I'd been using them as work shoes.  They're so comfortable though, that I've been wearing them all the time now - the black goes with everything and you can cutesy them up with a pair of coloured trainer socks.



Accessories...


Sterling silver dreamcatcher earrings

I bought these earlier this year from an independent shop - they're about an inch and a half long, very lightweight and quirky.  They also match my new Nails Inc. polish, hence why i've been wearing them constantly the past week or so!  I don't have a link for the store I got them from but if you're in the UK they're available here, and from the States here.



Reading...


'Will We Ever Speak Dolphin?'  £5.59

If you've ever wondered about the history of the '10 second rule', or why us ladies wear makeup, look no further.  People's questions, answered in the 'Last Word' column of New Scientist have all been compiled into a series of books - this one being the latest.  The answers can be from anyone, and often include hilarious anecdotes!






xxx