April Favourites

April Favourites already?!

I can't believe we are already coming to the end of April, Its May next week. Holy moly! 

Additionally, I'm officially on my summer break, I know I have a VERY early summer but I'm certainly not complaining - so technically speaking that is my first favourite - YAY! 

But now onto my actual April favourites...These are the products that I have been loving during the month of April!

Lets start with the bloggers favourite, Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. Now obviously there has been a lot of hype over this product over the last few years, with people saying that it really is everything you need in a concealer..and then some. It certainly doesn't disappoint! Not only does it provide excellent dark circle coverage, (cancelling out my deep purple bags) its also adds a highlighting effect that when paired with a matte - semi matte foundation it looks beyond beautiful! I'm in the shade Honey, but as we get further into summer I imagine I will need a darker shade, so I will certainly not hesitate in purchasing this again! 

My second is another make-up item, this time its from MAC. This past month or so, i've been cutting out foundation. I feel like i'm at a point in my life where  finally i'm comfortable with my skin, its been a long journey but i'm finally there. I still get blemishes, but no where near as bad as I used to. So I think why wear foundation everyday, when really I don't need to be using it on a daily basis. I want to let my skin breathe. So i've been heading towards this Mineralize Skinfinish power in the colour Medium just to sweep over my face to help set my concealer, and also to help with any shine throughout the day *oily gal here* Unlike other powders i've tried this doesn't look cakey on this skin and leaves my skin feeling silky smooth! 

As I said, I feel happy about my skin at the moment. I had acne, and now it has left me with a scarring. I find my skin, scars very easily and a spot can take up to 8-10 weeks for it to fade completely. Which can be a right pain in the bum. When it was first suggested that I try Bio-Oil, I had a mini panic.."I already have oily skin, why would I put more oil onto my face." Boy was I wrong, not only does this provide moisture it's doing wonderful things to my scars! I'm not completely happy with them yet but I feel that this is 100% making a difference to my acne scars.

Multi-Vitamins + Iron, a little unconventional for a favourites..Perhaps..But something I'd recommend to anyone without question.  I have never reaaally been a tablet kinda girl, I kinda just ate what I wanted, didn't really think too much about the consequences. Since taking these I have found an improvement in a number of aspects of my life. I wake up refreshed rather than STILL tired, my skin has more of a glow, my under eye circles are less prominent, and my hair is growing a lot faster too! I don't know why I didn't start taking these earlier!

Dr Paw Paw is the balm of all balms! It's multifunctional, it doesn't leave a slimy feeling, soaking in to leave silky smooth feeling. I only really tend to use this of an evening, focusing on my lips and on any dry patches. It can be used on nails and cuticles too. 

Finally, is this Zara perfume in Oriental. I've kinda always turned a blind eye to the Zara perfume range, I guess I always just assumed they'd smell a bit cheap and overpowering but I was very wrong! This one is the perfect light spring/summer scent. I have been using the My Burberry perfume but I found it to be a too heavy scent with the warmer months rolling in. This has a light and fruity scent which is exactly what I was looking for so, needless to say this has fast become my statement smell and for only £5.99 - bargain!!

What are your April favourites!?

Boots 3 for 2!

Just a quick one today, as deadlines are getting crazy. 

I have a week and a half left, then i'm FREE...until september.

I really want to have an amazing summer, this academic year has been incredibly stressful for a number of reasons, so giving the elbow to Uni for 5 months on the 23rd will be the dream.

I have a few plans for this summer, I'm going to Florida for a month to visit famalam which I am incredibly excited about..SEPHORA ANYONE?!

Also, there has been word of a potential explore of Europe for a couple of weeks with my chummy which gets me incredibly excited. 

                                          But onto the post eh?

I was back in the 'Shire last week for Easter and my attention may have diverted into Boots, and the 3 for 2 offer may have caught me out. I was having one of those days where everything went wrong, including smashing my phone screen..so the 3 for 2 purchase was obviously justified..

I've been using the MUA eyebrow palette for about 2 years now, but due to re-shaping my eyebrows I've began filling them out slightly differently. The colour in the MUA palette was WAAAY to red-ish and my eyebrows just looked a hot mess. So I Picked up Soap and Glory Archery in the colour "Hot Chocolate." I've used a similar product before, the MAC eyebrow twist pencil but it just ran out so fast that I couldn't justify paying that amount of money to repurchase it. So far I am loving the Archery product, the colour is almost a perfect match for my brows and the spooley on the other end is incredibly useful for those times when you have a bit of a heavy hand and need a bit of a blend.

Next I went for the Seventeen Falsify HD! I have heard such great things about this product, giving natural lengthening with one coat but also with the ability to build for a more dramatic look. What can I say, I am IN LOVE with the product. It is so affordable and really does what it says on the tin! 

For my third item I went for the Rimmel BB Matte Cream in Medium. I'd seen Shani Grimmond on Youtube use this a few times and the coverage for a BB cream was amazing. I've not had the best of luck with BB creams if i'm honest, i've never found one that I love..so I'm hoping this will be the one! The light in this is very pink in its undertones so I had to go for the medium. At the moment this is too dark for me so I will have to wait a while to give it a try but I am excited to give it a whirl. 

Have you been suckered in by the Boots 3 for 2? What did you buy?

Also, do any of my fellow oily skinned ladies have any recommendations for a good BB/CC cream?

See you later...

My Lazy Red Lip Tutorial...

I love a good red as much as the next person, but it can be very fiddly and messy, getting on your teeth and even your face if you're lucky...and then after a few hours you find it pretty much all come off and you're left with is a faint reminder of what was..or maybe something less dramatic than that... haha! 

But nonetheless, its is a pain it the bootay to say the least, that is why lip stains are the way forward. I honestly don't know how I lived before this gem came into my life.. 

I've heard a lot of pretty great thing about Wet n' Wild but unfortunately its not stocked here in the UK.. so when my mum went to Florida last year I took good advantage of that and got her to pick me up some American drugstore goodies. One of the things she did bring back was this Megalast lip product in the shade Red my mind.  Its the perfect cool toned red, so not only is it a really lovely colour, but it also makes your teeth look whiter - Win! 

Enough blabbing from me, I'll give you my step by step guide to achieving this hassle free, long lasting lip look..

-Pre base application: apply a decent lip balm that is going to give your lips a quick nourish before we start applying product..Also lip stains do tend to be rather drying so we want to avoid cakey lips.

- Optional: Line your lips using a matte lip liner, I like to use Mac lip liner in the shade Cherry as it is a really versatile shade. Its also a gorgeous shade to wear alone. I often tend to slightly over draw my top lip as its is significantly smaller that my bottom. If you are looking to over draw I can't tell you how important it is to always use a matte shade.

- Once my liner is applied I apply my Megalast product, keeping it within the line you have created using your liner. Now you do have to work quite fast with this product, and trust me don't get it on your teeth i've made that mistake it is a right pain to get off! It has quite an odd feeling as its drying but once it is dry it is completely matte and doesn't really feel like you have anything on your lips at all. Which for me is perfect!

-Finally, I make those lines extra clean using a Concealer and a brush.

What is your go to red lip product? 

Leave a comment or tweet me, I'd love to know if there are any other reds I should look out for!!

Chloe xx

Recent Purchases - Thank The Lord For Student Loans.

Sorry for the absence, I've been settling into my new house and getting back into the swing of Uni. We've immediately been hit with an abundance of work so that hasn't exactly helped the lack of posts but hopefully i'll get into a nice little routine and be able to get at least a post up a week again!

Thank the lord for student loans! EVERYTHING has run out at once, I had to buy new concealer, new mascara, new micellar water, more of my clinique skincare so along with these I decided to pick up a few items that it'd been lusting over for a while now - why not....I've been working hard all summer and it's okay to treat yourself now and then...right?!

Lets start with the beyond gorgeous YSL lipstick - it is from the 'Rouge Pur Couture' collection and in the colour 01. Now this is in my opinion a gorgeous universally sexy red that will look beautiful on a range of skin colours. It is also that type of red that makes your teeth look nice and white - winner. I have only used this product once but the longevity is amazing, I reapplied once after I had eaten and that is it! It doesn't have that horrid tacky feeling that some semi-matte lipsticks have, but it is scented, I can't quite put my finger on the notes but there is definitely a floral scent to it.  

Whilst at the YSL counter I tried the new fusion foundation, and oh my it was something else. I was matched to being in between shades B40 and B50 but as my summer tan fades I will probably end up as a B40. Unfortunately, they didn't have any testers in that day so I couldn't take it home for a play but this foundation is definitely on my hit list for a future purchase. 

Next is the Laura Mercier oil free tinted moisturiser in the shade sand. I have been eyeing this product up for months, seen endless reviews about it but just couldn't decide because of the price. ( It retails at £34 Link here ) I'd popped into John Lewis, and luckily for me they had a student event on so I bought it for £27, which still isn't exactly cheap but I felt happier purchasing it at that price. So far so good, the coverage is light-medium, but is definitely buildable it matches fab against my Pro-longwear concealer in NC30. When wearing it with a primer I have no problems, but if I forget this step I have found that it does oxidise slightly, and comes off to the touch. I have just ordered the EX1 Cosmetics Liquid Foundation in F200, as I have heard great things about it and I do want a foundation with a slightly bit more coverage than the tinted moisturiser for those bad skin days. 

Can we please just have a moment for these badboys....Topshop and their shoes never EVER fail to amaze me for all the right reasons. I saw these and immediately fell in love! All my heels are very similar so I had wanted something that looked slightly different for some time. Now if you shop at Topshop regularly you know they're not the cheapest, but you are buying quality and craftsmanship within their designs. For £55 I think these shoes are a bit of a steal really, they are called The Roxy Heel. I just love the studded detail and the over the foot design - they reminded me very much of Kim K. 

Have you tried any of these products? Has anyone tried anything from the EX1 range, I would love to know your views?

My Small But Growing Lipstick Favourites...

I Really can't say that I'm the biggest user of lipsticks, and I often gravitate to a bit more of a 'gloss n' go' routine, but this doesn't mean I don't own and have favourites and of course, end up leaving boots without a billion swatches of lipsticks in shades I'm not near brave enough to try swatched up and down both arms...

As you can maybe see from the image about I'm a bit of a high end make-up fiend, I'm so attracted to the whole experience really, the lure of the beautiful  packaging, the counter ladies and their ever so perfect (but sometimes a little overdone) make-up, the multitude of choices, it really is a tailored-to-you shopping experience..A little sad for some, but for me I'd choose the experience of 'High-end' beauty shopping any day! 

And in no particular order - My favourites. 

Chanel -Rouge Allure - 217 Radieuse

This is one of those 'your lips but better' shades - very sheer giving a slight pink glow to the lips.

Mac - Pink Plaid - Matte

This is a lovely matte pink shade that is very build-able to create a more intense shade if that is the look that you're wanting to achieve. I prefer more of a subtle sweep of colour so with just one application it creates the perfect amount of pink for me!

Mac - Rebel - Satin

This was the outcome of my first ever Mac visit over 4 years ago, and I still love the it! As you can probably tell its a little different in comparison to the other lipsticks I own but this one is such a lovely shade. Again its very build-able and is my go to Winter lipstick.

Mac - Honeylove - Matte

I'm so in love with this shade, and looks so beautiful matched with a cream lipgloss. 

Clarins - 121 Rouge Prodige

My favourite red shade. it claims to be a long-lasting lipstick but I don't agree with the statement at all, it comes off like no ones business, I've had it on my teeth, clothes and even my leg!..I mean maybe that's a little harsh it is a great product that is semi-matte and has a lovely vanilla scent to it - I'm a sucker for sweet smelling lipsticks. 



What are you favourites? do you have any recommendations for me to try?


Until next time....

Chloe xx

What's On My Face - Dinner Out!

Last Night I went out for Dinner and thought it to be the perfect time to do a 'What's On My Face' Post - It's a really quick and simple look just adding a few extras to my everyday make-up look..

The Finished Look. 

I created this look by using the following products -

Face

SmashBox photofinish blemish control primer (bit of a mouthful there)

Revlon ColourStay Concealer in shade Medium

Estee Lauder DoubleWear foudation in shade desert beige (My holy grail product)

Guerlain Terracotta 4 seasons bronzer in 03-Brunettes

Rimmel Stay Matte powder in 006 Warm Beige

Bourjois Delice De Poudre in 52

Eyes

MUA Pro-Brow kit 

Soap and Glory Supercat liquid eyeliner pen

Naked Palette 

Maybelline Falsies Volum' Express

Lips

Modelco Nude lip liner

Mac Honeylove

SmashBox Lip enhancing lipgloss in Illumie

                                                       

                                                                                My Outfit..                                  

I Did have a few more pictures of the products I used but Blogger decided to be annoying and rotate my images - Urgh annoying..so instead I leave you with a little look at the outfit I wore. :)

Chloe xx

p.s In other news I've got myself a job - yayy