February Makeup Wishlist

1) Manny MUA x Makeup Geek Palette

2) Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette

3) Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder

4) Zoeva Rose Gold Eye Brush Set

5) MAC Melba Blush

6) Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

7) Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Sugar

How is it that every time a Limited Edition palette is released payday is so so far away! The Manny MUA X Makeup Geek palette is positively flawless and contains 9 gorgeous summery shades. Unfortunately I think I've missed out on this palette but will be sure to pick up the non exclusive to the palette single pans! Not forgetting to mention the shimmery holographic packaging....dreamy! The Zoeva Cocoa blend palette is another Instagram Makeup Scene's favourite, the matte colours look so versatile and the packaging looks great for travelling, cardboard is much easier to travel with than a tin-y Naked Palette. The Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder is supposed to be amazing to help with that baking technique, I haven't tried much from the brand but according to articles this is a must have which is top of my list. Another Zoeva must have which I have been meaning to purchase for the longest time is the eye brush set, I think they speak for themselves they are just incredible to look at (and you can't have too many blending brushes right?). Mac Melba Blush is supposed to be great for those times where you don't want to wear a blush but also don't want to look ghostly! After lusting over the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation for so long I've heard that it is pretty much L'Oreal True Match repackaged? I'm unsure what to think but they are both owned by L'Oreal, will have to swatch it in store I think before I fully make up my mind, but it would look sooo pretty on my dressing table! 

xxx

Some Recent Skincare Buys

My skin hasn't been too happy as of late, a mixture of wearing heavy make-up, using cheaper skincare and eating rubbish has meant it has not looked so bad in a while so when I got paid this month I promised I'd be picking up a few products to help saviour it on the outside whilst upping my intake of good foods and drink to work from within.

Firstly I wanted to repurchase my most favourite skin products in the world Clarins of course. I'm not too sure why I decided to purchase some Body Shop products shortly after Christmas but they have just ruined my skin as they are very harsh. This Cleanser & Toner duo works very well on my combination skin, it soothes and smells amazing! I like to couple these with the Ultra Matte Moisturiser to keep my skin hydrated, this also works very well as primer to keep my skin matte all day.

Whilst browsing the aisles of Boots this weekend I found an old favourite the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, I used to use this a lot before applying foundation to create a 'barrier' so when I was wearing heavy foundations (Such as Studio Fix or Double Wear) to would do less damage to the skin. I saw that it was on offer in a set with a couple of other products from the brand the Purifying Gel Cleanser & the Clarifying Toner. First impressions of using both of these my skin has never felt so fresh and clean! They are quite unscented which is great as the less nasties the better in my opinion. This set is currently on offer for £24.50 whereas the Effaclar Duo on it's own is already £15 so if you are thinking of purchasing it I would get it quick.

If I get on with these new products I'm sure you will be hearing of them again, I feel much more on track and in control of my skin now as good makeup starts with skincare!

xxx

My Makeup Geek Eyeshadows So Far...

If you haven't heard of MakeUp Geek yet then I am severely disappointed in you! Created my YouTube Beauty Guru Marlena they have quickly become one of the most coveted brands around.

Until last month the only way to purchase them was to get them sent over from the US with some annoying customs charges but due to their demand they are now able to purchase on BeautyBay.com!

The idea is that you can purchase whatever pans you like and add them to something like a Z-Palette so they are customisable and you don't have to spend money on shadows you won't use. I'm going to cut straight to the point and say that this post is pretty much just going to be me raving about them as the pigmentation and blend-ability of every shade I have so far is incredible and far surpasses any other more expensive shadows I have purchased in the past.

My eyeshadows;

Peach Smoothie, Whimsical (foiled), Americano, Typhoon (Duochrome), Envy & Latte

 & here is a little look I did using Americano, Typhoon & Envy

I can't wait to build my collection in the future and try the new sparklers pigments! Have you tried any Make Up Geek products?

xxx

MAC X Ellie Goulding Collection

I'm never usually one to go mad for a MAC limited edition collection it has to be something special to catch my eye but when the images for the recent Ellie Goulding collection were released in the summer I knew I had to get my hands on one of the lipsticks!

I bought the shade 'without your love' and its a gorgeous pink tone (not that I needed another pink lipstick did i??) and very similar to the pink hues that Ellie is pictured wearing a lot.

It is a cremesheen formula which in MAC terms means that it's moisturising and not very pigmented but perfect for a little swipe of colour on the lips.

I'm unsure why but I feel like the Ellie Goulding collection has been no where near as popular as more recent MAC collections but maybe it's to do with the January/Post Christmas blues/poor-ness!?

Did you pick anything up from this collection? If so, what?

xxx

An Old Favourite: MAC Studio Fix Foundation

I feel like most of my posts so far have been about foundations, but when you think about it as they are the base of your face they can be very important to get right! I have tried so many foundations from so many brands and this one from MAC is one I always go back to. With a huge shade range and cool and warm tones I find that it's really easy to find what a shade to suit you.

This foundation is also extremely long-wearing on oily skin, I remember when I worked in a cinema and I would sometimes do a 10/12 hour shift I would come home and my foundation would not have even budged and still matte which can be a god send when you have oily skin!

I personally like to apply it using a slightly damp beauty blender (I cringe at how I ever used to apply foundation with my fingers years ago!) as it gives a flawless finish and blends easily into the skin.

It has an SPF of 15 which unfortunately means that it will give you a flashback in photos (see my last post) but means it's amazing for day wear as it will give you some extra protection from the elements.

Have you tried this foundation too? what did you think?

xxx

Christmas Night Out Makeup

When it comes to night out make up I like it to be long lasting and emphasize my eyes as much as possible! Unfortunately this time I didn't have that long to get ready so relied on the shades from the trusty MAC palette to achieve this look! 

Products used:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

MAC Studio Fix Concealer

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural 

TheBalm Mary Lou Manizer Highlighter

MAC Prep & Prime pen in light boost

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer in 

Makeup Geek Latte Eyeshadow

MAC Ginger Snap Eyeshadow

MAC Black Tied Eyeshadow

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow in Soft Brown

MAC Hue Lipstick

Eylure 116 lashes

How do you like to do your make up on a night out?

xxx

Foundations Without Flashback

Have you ever had a photo taken of you with the flash on, looked back at it and thought I swear I'm not THAT white in real life?

It's happened to me so much, it's especially worse when you've fake tanned, and end up with a lovely photo of a dark neck and a white face!

The reason why this is happening is due to there being SPF or Titanium dioxide in either your foundation or powder but no worries there are lots of products you can use instead to keep away from this effect, perfect for the upcoming party season.

Illamasqua Skinbase £32.50 

Make Up Forever HD £29

Make Up Forever Ultra HD £29

NARS Sheer Glow £31

Any Kryolan Foundation 

MAC Face & Body £22

xxx