6 Lipsticks: Lip Gloss

The final installment of this series is all about lip gloss. Some high street, some high end (Benefit, I'm looking at you) and some to just plain avoid. I'd also like to add I wrote this before receiving my Tanya Burr gloss and so a bonus product to try; Tanya Burr lip gloss. 

Beginning with the brightest of them all, Rimmel Apocalips are fantastic. They were hyped up so much around their release but I feel like the hype has died down so much so that I never see them around on blogs anymore. Give this product more love guys! Buy here.

Model co Strip Tease is a lip gloss my friend got free in a magazine and gave to me because she's not a makeup type of girl. Although usually I'm begging her to let me do her makeup, this one time I was grateful she wasn't bothered because I love this gloss! As far as freebies go, this one is a good one. I even wore it to my prom!

Benefit Life On The A List is a very pigmented nude gloss that can easily be worn alone or on top of a product. I have the mini which came in this set I was gifted, I do like it a lot but not to the extent that I would buy the full size.

Revlon Cherries In The Glow is my all time favourite gloss, I love it, you will love it, everyone loves it. If you don't own it, buy it. It suits everybody and it goes with most lipsticks. It even has an SPF of 15. BUY IT. 

A while ago my nearest chemist had a clear out of Collection 2000 Love your lips lip glosses, you know when they throw everything in a box on the counter each for 99p? I picked up a bunch, the one photographed 'Passion' is the brightest pink gloss I own. It's a little sticky and not as opaque as I'd like but it's a great for the price, you can get it here for just 39p. 

Anatomicals is a brand I've not heard much about but my nearest high end shop stocks an amount of their products so I thought I'd try some. I love the quirky packaging, similar to Soap & Glory. The Super Randy Cherry Brandy lip gloss was a let down though, I hate it! It's practically clear, super sticky and gets everywhere. Eughh. I'm hoping other products are much better though. Shop Anatomicals at ASOS here.

What are your favourite lip glosses? Do you even wear lip gloss? 

Until next time

xx

Current 'Go-To' Make Up

Hello

I have been LOVING Yankee candles if you didn't know already...

Today I'd like to talk you through my current go to make up look. I call it a 'go to' look because it is what I've been wearing on the days I have actually worn makeup. A lot of the time I've just been embracing the facial nakedness on a mission to restore my skin to it's Summer goodness. Right now I'm failing that mission :(

So first lets talk about the base; I have returned to my Rimmel Wake Me Up duo because I do love it so much and at the moment the foundation coverage is perfect for me - not too full on but heavier than my Bourjois Health Mix. As for the concealer it helps conceal my horrible bags but brightens the under eye area too without creasing. Yayy for non-creasing concealers.

For cheeks I have been using the usual Sleek contour kit to contour my cheekbones and create a pretty little highlight on occasion but I have also been switching things up a bit by sometimes using my Bourjois chocolate bronzer (I love the smell of this) alone partially to contour and partially as a bronzer blush. I like both.

I've been rocking the simple but gorgeous Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless mascara in brown. Together with my eye lash curlers I could be wearing more natural, pretty looking falsies. Who would know?! I LOVE this mascara and recommend it to you all.

Finally, on the lips, I have been wearing my bold and bright Calvin Klein 'Mesmerize' lipstick with pride. I love this colour all year round but to me it is an Autumn shade. What do you think?

So that is all from me this week, I'll be back next week with my last post of November. Not long until Christmas now, eh? Eeek!!

Until next time

xx

Stop! You're Making Me Blush

Hello

A bit of a quirky title today, non? Well if you couldn't guess today I am talking about blush and how to find the best one for you. Are you a pink or a nude kinda girl? Matte or shimmer? Cream or powder? Gel or Mousse? 

I'm basically going to talk about the variety of blush products I own and their pros and cons for different skin types. So if that sounds good to you, read on!

Let's start with with the basic of basics; just a powder matte blush. I have a bunch of these. My favourites include Sleek Flamingo and Life's A Peach and No7 Honey. If you've read any of the numerous posts in which I've talked about my Honey blush you will know just how much I love it and that I have majorly hit pan and need to repurchase!

Powder blushes are good for women with normal to oily skin types because they do a good job of absorbing oil and so wont slip around your face therefore turning you into a lop-sided clown. Nobody wants that. The benefits of powder blushes are that they give a more natural look - a subtle tint shall we say - and they are easy to apply to the skin so you are a lot less likely to go over board and again end up looking like a clown (no offence to the clowns of this world).

Cons, however, are that the colour doesn't last as long as say, a cream or liquid formula and if it does last, it may change slightly depending on the oiliness of your skin. 

You can pretty much get hold of most colour blushes but the main shades are pinky/peachy/rosy colours and a good all round palette for those with a budget I find, is the Body Collection Dusy Pink blush set (see below). I really like this and I picked it up in Scotland for less than £5 - bargain. 

You can also pick up shimmery powder compacts such as my MUA blush in shade 5. 

(on my nails I am wearing Bourjois gel polish in beige distinction with a London cosmetics clear glitter top coat)

If you are going to wear a shimmer on your cheeks it is best if you do not have oily skin or else you will just highlight the oiliness and it, uh, wont look good to say the least. Each to their own however and if you think you can pull it off then go for it. 

Next up is one of the most popular blush types these days and that is acream formula, for this I only have the one product which is Romancefrom No7. I'll admit that I am fairly new to creamy products and I haven't used this too much but I really do like the application and how easily you can blend. So far so good. 

A cream blush is best for women with normal to dry skin due to its hydrating qualities and it will also stick better to a non-oily skin type. 

Benefits are of course the hydration, the easiness of blending, long lasting and the pretty glowing finish. 

The disadvantage is that it is slightly less easy to apply subtly. 

Now lets combine the two and discuss Bourjois's cream to powder blush.  

I really like the packaging of this and the shades are super cute. The product itself is just like a cream blush in the container but once it's on the skin it is a lot more powdery and therefore carries the qualities of a powder. My only advice for this product is be accurate with your application because once it's on it is hard to blend out. All in all, though, this is a very good product which would suit normal/combination skin.

With only two remaining categories (for me anyhow since I have no experience with liquid tints or cheek stains) I would like to talk about my favourite. The mousse blush. I am a big fan of the Maybelline DreamMousse range, particularly their blush and foundation. I do, however, currently only own the blush which is fantastic. 

A mousse blush is similar to a cream but a lot lighter and very easy to blend. You definitely do not need a lot of product on your brush or finger to get noticeable coverage. I would recommend this to women with normal/dry skin because on an oily surface this would melt away and look terrible. 

Pros are definitely blending, lightness and lasting power but cons are that it is too easy to go OTT and it doesn't work for oily skin. 

I forgot to take this one on my little trip to the outdoors for photographing. Oops!

Anndddd finally we have the gel formula. Everything seems to have a gel version these days; eye liner, foundation, eye shadow, blush, lip products. The whole darn lot. I guess it must be pretty good, eh? 

Well I think so anyway. 

I do love my gel blush from coty (which I cannot seem to find anywhere on the internet or in town so where did my auntie find this for me?!) in shade 01 Highlighter. Most gel blushers come in little tubes where you just squirt some onto your hand and blend onto the skin using your finger. It looks radiant and glowing. Beautiful! It is off course suitable for normal and dry skin but I think it could work on oily skin too so long as your skin is not overly oily. 

The pros are that is looks good and is easy to apply and the only con I can think of is that it may not work well on oily skin types. 

So which blush is for you? Which is your favourite? I hope this helped you decide. 

Until next time
xx 

My Lipstick Collection

Since I posted this last February, my collection has of course grown so if you would like to see an updated collection please let me know. 

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Hello

Today I have for you my lipstick collection

Lets begin!

First of all, I have six Calvin Klein creme lipsticks which you can find out more about in my CK review.

I then have two lovely shimmery lipsticks from Marks & Spencer in shades 'Coral' and 'Very Pink'. Both of these feature in my favourites at the end of this post.

I have two lipsticks from MUA at Superdrug. 

These are shades 7 and 12. I did own shade 13 (a lovely, dark red) until my six year old cousin snapped it while giving me a  makeover. Sob. I would also love to add shades 16 & 8 to my collection because I loves them!

I have three lipsticks from 'Evie Mai'. I had six but threw some away. If i'm completely honest, these lipsticks are from a set sold in a charity fundraising catalogue and the quality is appalling. Yes, granted, they have lasted me a long time but the colour takes layers and LAYERS to even show a hint of colour, the packing is cheapy and well, they are just poor. 

Finally, I have several lipsticks from a variety of brands so I will show you these all together. 

As you can see the packing and brands are all different and the shades go from deep reds through natural pinks and bright shades too.

The lipsticks shown in these pictures are:

• Wet'n'Wild Silk Finish lipstick in shade 40
• Zafi Lipstick shade 1645 (I THINK - I don't know for sure as i'm only going by the internet)
• L'oreal Paris Intense lipstick for brunettes in shade 371 'Pink Passion'
• Avon Cosmetics lipstick  in shade R426 'Berry Berry'
• Wilkinson lipstick (no shade)

Not shown in the pictures but also in my collection is the vital radiance colour stick in shade 18 'Pomegranite'. This lipstick is not in too good a condition so I decided not to photograph it. I can't find it online but I got it from eBay in a set.  It is, however, the bottom colour in the swatches (above).

Now for my favourites!

My favourites are...

• Calvin Klein 'Mesmerize' because I love how it looks on me. Find out more in my CK review linked near the top of this post.
• M&S 'Coral' because I think it's a stunning colour.
• M&S 'Very Pink' because it is a subtle but shimmery, bold colour and very pigmented.
• Wet'n'Wild Silky Finish shade 40 because this is my everyday school/work lipstick when I do the natural look. 

So there we go, I hope you enjoyed getting a look into my collection and like I mentioned before, if you'd like a full review of any of the products mentioned, do let me know in the comments.

Until next time

xx