Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place foundation and Concealer.

I will never be without these two in my collection. I have oily/combination skin with quite a few blemishes and scars on my cheeks. I'm always trying out new foundation and concealers, but always come back to these.

Double Wear Foundation is a medium to full coverage foundation. It is quite a thick texture and a little goes along way. I apply this many different ways, I have used my fingers, a foundation brush, Sigma F80 and Sigma F15. I find all apply the foundation well. The best tip is to start with the smallest amount and build it up as it can look cakey.
It stays in place for 6-8 hours before I need to powder, this is a long time for my skin. I wear the colour shell which is the perfect match for my skin in the winter. It a little light in the summer but I just use bronzer to add some colour and it looks fine. The only thing I would change about this is I would put a pump on the bottle as I always tip out too much.

The Double Wear Concealer is a full coverage concealer that again stays in place for a good 6-8 hours. This has a doe foot applicator and a little goes a long way. I have the shade 01 Light which is the lightest shade in the range. This is a little dark for me in the winter months but a good match in the summer. The way I apply this is I dab a bit on the area I want it and just blend it with my finger. I use this under my eyes and on my blemishes.

If you have oily skin and like a medium/full coverage then I would definitely give this a try.

Retail Therapy

I have been a little stressed today so I thought I would treat myself and do little bit of beauty shopping. (clothes shopping always frustrates me, so I stick to makeup) I needed to get a new cleanser, I also had some Boots points and a No7 voucher so decided I would go to Boots and spend them.

First up I picked up the No7 makeup wipes. These are great at removing makeup and they never dry out. I also spotted this Vitamin E cleanser so thought I would give it a try, as I like just simple cream cleansers. I noticed it was 3 for 2 on skincare so I picked up Oilatum cream that Pixiwoo have been raving about. (I'm always following the hype, I think its a problem)

I also got Sally Hansen's Peachy Keen nail polish (NOTD to follow) and Lanolips Lemon lip aid. I have wanted the Lanolips since FleurDeForce spoke about it on YouTube. (see products with lots of hype is my weakness. haha.)

 

I was then having a look around the Clarins counter and got chatting to the sales assistant, I was talking about how I'm trying to find a new cleanser and she gave me some samples which was very exciting. I got two eye make up removers and two foaming cleansers. Looking forward to trying them out. 

And lastly I picked up Glamour magazine as it has free sample size Benefit makeup with it this month. I got two, High Beam and Posie Tint. If you have read my favourite highlighters post you will know that High Beam is one of them, so this is the perfect travel size. I have never tried Posie Tint so another thing I look forward to trying out.

Overall a good shop and I didn't spend any more than £14 as I had the voucher and spent my boots points.

Have you been doing any retail therapy recently? 

NARS Deep Throat

O how I love this blush but hate the name. It makes me cringe every time I say it.....

Anyway onto the actual product, this is the perfect shade for a blush (well i think so anyway) It gives you a nice flush of peachy pink colour with a slight shimmer (none of that chunky glitter you can sometimes find in NARS blushes) and it makes you look glowing. I find that it goes with most looks and lasts almost the whole day. It is 1000x better than NARS Orgasm. I really don't understand the hype on that one. It comes in the usual NARS rubber packaging, which is very sleek looking but it does attract the dirt very easily.
Overall this is a good everyday blush and a good one to go for if you are just starting to buy NARS products.

You can purchase this here for £20.50

My Mac Eyeshdow Palette

I'm just adding a quick post as I haven't done one in a few days. I have been super busy at work and just haven't had time to do anything. This is just a small post showing you my Mac eyeshadows.

Starting from the top row, going left to right.

Hypnotizing (LE), Smoke and Diamonds, Woodwinked, Era, Shroom.
Pink Freeze, Club, Sable, Grand Entrance, Nylon.
There is a gap here but i plan to depot Mystery that I purchased a couple of weeks ago, Contrast, Embark, Satin Taupe, Naked lunch.

Do excuse the swatches, I'm still trying to get the hang of this.

I have the next two days off, so my plan is to get lots of blogging done. So expect some more posts tomorrow.

Any other Mac eyeshadow's you think i should try?

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Carbon Gloss Review

Here

Just a quick review on one of my May favourites.

I have always been a gel eyeliner girl, my go to black eyeliner was Mac's Black Track Fluidline, but then my mum gave me this as a gift. Now this is my go to black liquid eyeliner.
This is a true black eyeliner that does not fade. It has a very thin sponge tip that makes it easy to apply a thin or thick line. Once applied it dries quickly, so you don't get any transfer onto the top of your lid. I have worn this from 6.30am till 10.30pm and this does not budge. It has fantastic staying power. 

This is has completely changed my mind on liquid liners and as I'm a complete makeup addicted I'm curious to try some others now.

 

May Favourites

I really enjoy reading other peoples monthly favourites. So I'm going to join in on the fun. Next month I am going to write them down as I go, as when I sat down to write this I went completely blank. May has been a good month, I have had 2 weeks off work, so I have had lots of time to catch up with friends I haven't seen for ages. Which has been lovely.

Right onto the products, first off we have ...

Boss Orange For Women EDT

Ive used this perfume everyday this month. It is such a light summery smell. One or two sprays and it lasts all day. I'm completely useless at describing fragrance, so I had a google and here is a list of the notes that are in it.
Sweet apple, white flower, orange blossom, vanilla and sandalwood.

Soap and Glory Breakfast Scrub

This is such a lovely scrub, it contains oats, Shea butter, sugar and banana, almond and honey extracts. Its not too rough which i like, and your skin feels so smooth and moisturised after use. It has a maple fragrance, which is such a lovely sweet smell. I will defiantly repurchase this.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

A cult product but for a good reason. I have used this for a year now, but I've truly come to appreciate it this month. I use this at night on my lip's. I forgot to take it with me when i went away last week and how i missed it. My lips became so dry and chapped, no other lip balm could quite do what this does, smooths and protects your lips for hours. I will defiantly never be without this now.

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Carbon Gloss

A new discovery for the month. This has changed my mind about liquid liners and I never thought I would like anything better than gel liners. I was very wrong. This lasts all day and doesn't fade or smudge. I plan to do a review on this soon.


Estee Lauder Bronzing Brush 5F

I use this to apply face powder or bronzer. Its a fluffy, flat top brush. It is not the smoothest brush in the world, but it makes applying powder so quick and easy. Unfortunately this is limited edition, I found it at a CCO in January. If you do come across it though, I highly recommend you picking it up.

What have you been loving through the month of May?

Favourite Hightlighters.

I do like a good highlighter. I like my cheeks to look glowing. Here are my favourites.
Starting from the top we have...


MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl - This is a cream highlighter that is a very light gold colour. Its very smooth and easy to apply. I just dab it on with my finger under or over my foundation. I then like putting a peachy/pink blush over the top. It gives a lovely sheen.

The Body Shop Shimmer Waves 02 -  This is a very pink powder highlighter, it gives a very smooth shimmer on your cheeks, its not at all chunky. You can also use it as eyeshadow. I like the fact that it has 5 different colours as you can choose how dark you want the highlight. The only downside to this product is the packaging. The plastic case breaks easily, the lid has completely snapped off mine. Even with this fault it is still one of my favourites. I just don't travel with it.

Benefit High Beam - I love using this under The Body Shop Shimmer waves. It makes your cheeks super shiny. This is also good to use on its own under blush. You can also mix it with your foundation to give you an all over dewy look. This is probably my all time favourite highlighter as there is so many ways you can use it. The main way I use it is by dabbing 3 little dots along my cheek bones and blending with my finger. It also looks lovely on the brow bone. The packaging is a bit different on this, its like a nail varnish bottle, I do quite like it. I never end up using too much product.

Mac Powder Blush in Gana (unfortunately this is limited edition) - I can't remember what MAC collection this was from. This is the most subtle looking out of the four I've mentioned. I either use it on its own for a very slight highlighter or over Pearl Cream Colour Base for more dramatic look. Again its another very smooth powder. Its a very light gold colour. Its a shame that this was limited edition as this is a really nice everyday highlighter. 

What are your favourite highlighters?

Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder

This year I have fallen in love with bronzer. I have very pale skin (mac nc15 if that helps anyone) so I have always thought bronzer makes me look orange. While on holiday in Madrid back in April I decided to give Benefits Hoola a try as I was feeling very pale and I have it in a little set that also contains Dallas and Dandelion.

I haven't looked back since. This product gives you a lovely glow and a bit of colour where you need it, but not at all orange. It looks really natural. Its very smooth in texture, applies evenly and lasts all day. I usually use either the Sigma F25 brush or Estee Lauder 5F Bronzer brush. I find they both apply the bronzer well.
You get 5g of product in this palette and I have been using this pretty much everyday since the beginning of April and I've only made a slight dent. So I think this will last a very long time. When I have used this up I will defiantly be buying a full size.
This set is discontinued, I found it at TKMaxx. Benefit usually does similar sets every Christmas.

If you are pale and worried about using bronzer I defiantly recommend this.

You can purchase the full size here, here and here.

A few Thing From My Wish List.

I have an on going list of products I'm wanting to buy, I am a complete shopaholic so you can imagine the list is rather long. I thought i would share a few of the items that I'm currently lusting after....

1. Anything from the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Collection. The whole range just shouts out summer. I especially love the eyeshadow palette and the Shimmering Bronze nail polish. 

 

Here

2. Origins Vitazing. So many bloggers and YouTubers have spoke about this and I want to know what the hype is about.

Here

3. Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder. I first heard about this when watching Tanya burr's YouTube videos. Im looking for something that will set my make up and make it last longer as I have fairly oily skin. 

Here

4. Too Faced Natural eyes Palette. This seems like a perfect palette for a girl who loves neutral/brown eyeshadow. Not that I need anymore....

Here 

5.Clarins new Daily Energizer cream-gel moisturiser. I tried a sample of this and really liked it. It sank into the skin well and wasn't greasy. It smelt amazing as well, always a bonus. Here

As you can see I'm a girl that follows the hype. If I see someone raving about a product and I have been vaguely interested in it, I HAVE to have it.

Have you tried any of these products? Are they a must have?