The Friday Line up // Beauty

This months line up of must have beauty products. A slightly delayed post on my behalf.

This August i have accumulated quite a few new products that i have bought and ended up loving, in which i have probably spend alot of money but in my eyes it is totally worth it because i have discovered new products i may of not of used before. Although they are products that have been out for a while they are products that i have never ventured into trying.

 No7 Gel finish Nail colour- Ginger
I am not really a massive fan of No7 makeup, never the less I decided to try it as No7 is on offer a lot, this shade (Ginger)  is from the new collection that just came out, it is a lovely brick red/brown colour ready for the autumn season that's just around the corner. The gel colour lasts quite a while and doesn't start chipping after a day or two, the colours in the collection are very glossy and rarely need a top up.
MUA Trio eye shadow- Innocence-
Although they are quite small eye shadows they are definitely worth it, they are very pigmented for the price they are, the shimmers are lovely and iridescent, i didn't expect them to be as good as they are for the small price of £2.50, they also apply to the eye very easy and a dream too blend. It includes three shades a white/champagne colour that brightens the eye, a grey toned brown and a dark brown colour with blue flecks going through it: very similar to MAC's Blue Brown Pigment, all shimmer shades.

MUA Undress your skin- Pink Shimmer-
I can not rate this product enough, i didn't want to give in to the hype at first but i wanted a new highlighter and there is nothing better than having one that looks great with a great price tag too.
I finally gave in a bought it in the shade Pink shimmer, it can be a very subtle glow or you can build it up for a gleaming cheek bone, it doesn't leave streaks in your foundation and can look lovely and natural. it has undertones of blue and pink with a pearl base. I'm in love.

Got2Be Happy Hour 24 Hour hairspray
Having long hair is a pain when you have straight hair, i don't know about you but any time i try and curl it, the weight of my hair weighs it down and it stays curly for about 0.5 seconds or it drops as soon as i leave the house, which is quite frankly a pain and a waste of time. This hairspray is pretty much a cure for limp, flat hair without making it rock hard or sticky. It locks the volume and bounce in all day, i have finally found one.

Garnier Pure Active Intensive anti-spot exfoliator scrub
A great product that's made my skin as soft as silk, you only need a small amount to rub in to your face and leave for a few minutes and you feel a cool tingling sensation on your skin, it helps reduce my redness and my skin has never felt so soft, i use this every time i have a shower as the scrub is not too harsh for my face, but you could also use it weekly, a lovely, affordable product.

A few favourites i have been using in august.

Meg x

Liquid Lipstick Loving

                

Every girl has their favourite makeup item, one of mine is lipstick, i think because you can change it up as often as you want an it can create a totally different look.
Sometimes lipsticks can be a tad drying or hard to apply, depending on the formula.

The magic of liquid lipsticks have managed to hop into my favourites and are now one of the main things i use.
Here are some of the liquid lipsticks that are available on the high street and my opinions on which ones are worth buying.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet  Liquid Lipstick £8.99

These were one of the first lacquers that i bought and definitely in my top three. This collection has lots of lovely colours to choose from and they are all just as pigmented as each other, they have a very smooth, buttery formula which makes them super easy to apply with the angled sponge applicator. They last a reasonable amount of time but not the 24 hours they are advertised to. The brighter colours slightly tint your lips so the colours lasts longer.

Bourjois

Rimmel Provocalips £6.99

This double ended lip combo: both ends with an angled sponge, one to apply liquid lipstick and the other to apply the lip gloss. I have to say the staying power from this formula is surprisingly good however it does make it a little bit drying on the lips if you don't apply the lip gloss before hand to keep your lips moisturised. Again the colours are very vibrant and easy to apply.

L'Oreal infallible 24H Lip Colour £9.99

This lip products are very similar to the Rimmel ones, (it also comes with the lip colour one side and a lip balm the other) however i would choose the Provocalips over this one. as i find the L'Oreal one, although it is a thinner consistency, it tends to dry up slightly and feel a bit sticky.
Although i have not actually wore it for 24 hours i can say there is a chance that is right, as it is a pain to get off which is a blessing but also a curse. A little tip when applying both the L'Oreal and the Rimmel lacquer: if you apply a lip liner before hand i would stick to just lining your lips instead of filling them completely in because it can make the formula a bit thicker and peel off quicker. Also i would not apply a second coat if it starts to fade, unless you remove it first.

Top to Bottom: Nyx, Maybelline, MUA, L'oreal & Rimmel

MUA Luxe Velvet Liquid Lacquer £3.00

The cheapest one of the bunch (price wise). This is the first Liquid Lippy i bought as this combo of lip gloss and lipstick was new to the makeup world so i thought i would just buy a cheap-ish one to see what they were all about. Although it was a low price it isn't a bad quality product as most people would tend to expect. It has a smooth matte texture and a thick consistency, which can be a little drying without a lip balm underneath which can cause it to flake, other than that it last a lot longer than you would think and they're very opaque.

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick £6.99

A very good second! Maybelline has bought out a range of very vivid matte colours. This has now been a very favourite lip colour for me, A thick, velvety texture but still very light weight, very moisturising and doesn't dry out like some of the others. It doesn't last quite as long but it doesn't crease on the lips.
So over all i would recommend this one as i love nearly everything about it, although it could have a better applicator as its straight so its a little harder to apply.


Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream £5.50

Lastly my favourite Liquid Lipstick, A great range of different colours, all matte. A lot like the Maybelline ones, these are very creamy, moisturising and pigmented. You get a great shape with the angled applicator and a lovely sleek look that lasts nearly all day. Great quality for a great price. definitely my favourite high street liquid lipstick.

Whats your favourite liquid lipstick? (highend/highstreet)

Megan x

17

After buying multiple eye-shadow palletes and singles i have realised you don't have to spend loads of money to find a good quality product, yes alot of higher end brands do sell alot of better quality products but that doesn't mean all of them and that also doesn't mean you cant find a very good product or better one in high street stores.

I picked up a few Seventeen single eye-shadows (mainly because i liked the colours) expecting them to be just 'ok' but i can honestly say they are now the main colours that i use.

They don't have many colours in the collection but the ones they do have are lovely shimmery colours, they are so pigmented and last a very long time on the eye.

For a great price of £3.49 i decided to pick up a couple and then after falling in love i went back to buy three more. The shades are very pigmented and bold with some lovely natural shades too.

The colours i picked up are:
Statuesque - a shimmery rose silver shade
Funfair- Baby pink with iridescent shimmers of gold
Rose Quartz- A deep mauve shade (shimmer)
Regal- A deep royal blue with glitter chunks running through
Walnut pearl (my favourite)- Bronze/orange shade that glistens on the lid when the light hits it.

Left to right: Statuesque, funfair, Rose Quartz

Regal and walnut Pearl

They have a really nice texture, the lighter shades have a very smooth texture, where as the brighter colours are a bit more powdery, they are all very easy to blend and do not crease.


If you are starting out with makeup or if you want to find some cheaper eye shadows for an alternative to higher end brands, i would really recommend Seventeen as a brand specially for their single eye shadows.

Whats your favourite high street eye shadow?

Meg x

L'Oreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation

After debating whether to buy the Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation at £30, when it was first launched, then re-debating it after deciding i wanted to try it out first as £30 is a fair amount of money for something i may or may not like, i decided to try a sample and then never got around to purchasing it. Around two months ago L'Oreal Launched their own version: L'Oreal Nude Magique Cushion at half the price of the Lancome one.
I bought it straight away at the introductory price of £7.99 and i can honestly say i am glad i chose this one instead, i am so pleased with it.
Coming into summer i wanted a lightweight base but still a high enough coverage, this foundation gives me both. You can apply it once for a sheer, even base or you can layer it for a flawless, high coverage base but still looks very natural. I have been applying this with my Real Techniques sponge as im not too keen on the one that you get with the foundation. So far i am loving this foundation as it lasts a very long time through out the day and is so easy to blend.

The only thing i am a bit skeptical about is how much you get in the tub as the sponge soaks up some of the foundation so im not too sure how long it will last me.

I would say any skin type could wear this as its not drying on the skin at all it just gives you a nice dewy finish, if you do have oily skin i would recommend a powder on top as it can get a bit shiny throughout the day.

In the range they do also have a bronzing cushion which i am yet to try, so if you have used it before please let me know your thoughts as i am very intrigued to see what its like.

have you tried any type of foundation cushion?

Meg x

So, what's going on?

This is just a short post to let you know whats going on.

About one year ago, maybe nearly two, i decided to start this blog.. it has gone through many issues and been known as many different names. Life got busy and i just became unmotivated even though i still really wanted to write.

I am now back and hopefully better than before, i will be consistent this time and i am actually really excited to get blogging again.

What you might see on my page:

Make up based posts

Beauty

lifestyle posts

Out and about posts

Fashion

Let me know of any posts you are interested in seeing, i am going to commit to it this time and it may take some time but hopefully you will all really enjoy it and it will turn out how i want.

Meg x

No7 Perfectly Bronzed 360 Self Tan

Now we're in to summer and the legs are coming out, despite the fact the weather hasn't been great (hence the reason for fake tan) here where i live i thought it would be a good opportunity to try a few new tans, Although i didn't end up trying as many as i'd planned after finding this one.

I picked this tan up in boots for a crazy price of £4 as it was on offer at the time from £12.75. Not knowing what to expect from a spray tan as i have always used a mousse formula but because of  the really low price i couldn't miss the chance, as No7 is usually a very good brand.

I picked up the light/medium spray because i am fairly pale, i would recommend picking up the medium/dark if you prefer a darker tan as the lighter shade is very natural, however saying that with my ghostly skin it made my legs look very glowy and naturally more tanned without being orange and leaving no streaks at all because of the aresol holes being more spaced out, giving it an even finish. With it being a spray formula i felt like i didn't need to moisturise as much as i normally would because its very hydrating itself.
Personally i would still use a mitt to rub it in with as it suggests on the box just so you know you are definitely streak safe. This No7 develops in a couple hours (although you can see it lightly straight away) and washes off, o it would be a great one to use for an occasion or if you were going out.

One more plus i have to add, is that i finally found a self tan with a great smell which is rare!

What tan would you recommend?

Meg x

The face changers

We all know how drastically make up can change someones face, some more than others and obviously depending on how much you apply.

I have picked out a few products and reasons to why i think these can transform your face the most. Every item of makeup plays their part and products such as eye shadow or lipstick can change your look but it is not necessarily something everyone wears.

The first product i picked out was probably an obvious one because of the whole brow hype at the moment and big brows have never been loved more! We all go through fazes of trying to find the best type of products to fit your brow- pencil, powder, cream and now there is so much more to choose from. I am one for a bold but natural brow because my eyebrows are quite dark and have got shape anyway they just need a bit more volume (do brows have volume?), I have been loving the Illamasqua Brow Cake recently in Gaze, its quite dark so i don't need a lot of product and i just roughly run the creamy powder through them with a Laura Geller angled brush to add a bit more definition. Some times less is more with brows.

I think mascara is a product that makes a massive difference and most make up looks just doesn't look 100% complete with out a coat or two. I did not want to give into the hype and buy the Benefit They're Real mascara but when i got sent it i thought i had to give it a go and.. well I love it! If you were thinking the same as i was, do not hold back go and buy it, my lashes have never looked longer, although i have quite long lashes anyway it just gives it a false lashes effect and you only really need one coat. I am very happy to just wear this by its self when it comes to wearing no makeup.

When i am not wearing a base like foundation or a BB cream i tend to stay away from bronzer/contour as i feel it doesn't have as much to cling on to and doesn't make as big of a impact, although it still works. However with a good base this product transforms your face and works really well on my pale skin as it is quite a light contour, Maybelline Master Sculpt also have a slightly darker shade for you darker skinned guys and gals out there. I was mainly concentrating on the bronzer in this product but i have to give some love to the highlighter side too as it is such a pigmented glowy powder, fab if you are on a budget.

Lastly, I picked concealer(s), you don't always need a foundation to create a flawless base, concealer is just as good and slightly more natural, or if you don't intend on wearing any makeup but feel you look slightly zombie-fied from your sleepless night like me, it works for that too.
Do i need to even tell you what the first concealer is? Collection Lasting Perfection a great must have to cover those imperfections, a slightly less coverage concealer but still one of my favourites is Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer, very creamy light weight concealer that brightens your under eyes from all the moisture.

These are the products i turn to everyday as part of my daily face but also work very well on their own when i only want to wear one product or i am having a good skin day i'll just pop one of these on to give more of a model off duty kind of look.

What face changers do you have in your makeup bag?

Meg x