Beauty Products Not Hyped About Enough

Nyx Love in Paris 'Merci Beaucoup' Eyeshadow Palette

The 'Merci Beaucoup' palette from Nyx is one of my all time favourite eyeshadow products from the "drugstore". The main reason why I love this palette is the colour range. You can create a great basic look or by pulling in some of the beautiful pinks, you can also have a pop of colour. The one drawback of this palette is that it doesn't last all day. If you want these shadows to last longer than 4-5  hours you will need to use a primer. With a primer they last for ages.

Maybelline Master Hi-Light Blush in 'Pink Rose'

The Master Hi-Light blush from Maybelline in 'Pink Rose' is a gorgeous pink blush that will suit many people. The blush itself is quite illuminating however there are no visible chunky glitters which makes this blush foolproof. You can build up the pigmentation of the blush easily and the added glow it gives is gorgeous and natural.

Revlon Powder Blush on 'Melon-Drama' 

'Melon-drama'  from Revlon is a pinky peach powder blush. 'Melon-drama' gives my face a really good dose of healthy colour without looking over the top. The blush is very buildable pigmentation wise and lasts quite well.

Multi-task Real Techniques Brush

Every man and his dog raves about the Real Techniques brushes and there are genuine reasons why: they are great quality, last for years, don't shed and do a lovely job at getting the make-up where you want it! The Multi-task brush is my favourite make-up brush because it applies blush really well and can also be used for powder. I have had this brush for a minimum of 2 years and it still looks brand new, no shedding at all. The only negative thing I have to say about the multi-task brush is that it comes in a kit. I wish I had more than one of these brushes but I don't necessarily want to buy the whole kit everytime I want one of these. It comes in the Travel Essentials kit with a foundation brush and a domed shadow brush. Both of those brushes are great and the domed shadow brush is my favourite eye brush so if you want a couple of great basic brushes buy the kit.

Maybelline Colorshow Crayon Kohl Eyeliner in 'Black'

I'm not an eye-liner expert and I don't wear it every day so keep that in mind whilst I tell you why I love this eyeliner from Maybelline. As I said, I have zero eyeliner skills but because this eyeliner is quite dry and similar to your typical pencil I can get a decent line that is quite thin. Once applied it doesn't smudge or transfer and it lasts well. If you are wanting to do something more than a basic line, you might not love this one but if you are an eyeliner beginner, I highly recommend this. Talking about recommendations...leave a comment below if you want to tell me about an eyeliner you think I might love!

Essence Beach Cruisers 'Summer Break' Blush Review

A new limited edition range from Essence has hit the shelves at Priceline - Beach Cruisers. Today I will be reviewing the "I <3 Summer Break" blush from the collection. It is stunning!!!

The blush is housed in a clear, sturdy, plastic pan. Whilst the blush comes with no brush or mirror I think the packaging is pretty much perfect. I rarely use the brushes that come with blushes and I like how the packaging is clear - makes it easier to find!

I <3 Summer Break is a beautiful ombre brush, with the ombre ranging from a warm-toned hot pink to a light apricot colour. You can swirl the colour together and get a bold pink blush or be more selective with where you place your brush.

This blush is insanely pigmented. It is by far the most pigmented blush I have in my collection. And to think it only costs $5.35!!! Bargain!!! You definitely need to be light handed when you apply this blush. While we are talking about application...this blush is quite easy to apply. The blush also lasts a really long time. I put this on in the late afternoon and when I woke up the next morning I could still see the blush on my skin.

Top swatch:the pale apricot end of the blush 

Bottom left swatch: All colours blended

Bottom right swatch: the darkest hot-pink end of the blush 

Also in the collection are:

• Body Spray
• Nail Polish $3.65
• Mascara $4.25
• Lip gloss $3.50
• Bronzing Powder $5.35
• Liquid eyeliner $4.25
• Eyeshadow $4.25
• Wet bikini bag 

Overall I think that this blush is great quality, has great pigmentation and lasting power. However if you are only starting to use blush or have very fair skin this blush might not be perfect for you. Definitely an impressive product and I would absolutely recommend going to check out the collection at Priceline - it all looks amazing!

My everyday face

Don't get me wrong, I love to experiment with make-up and try out new products but most of the time  I rely on a handful of trusted products. Boring? Maybe. But lets be honest it is no fun sitting through a meeting wondering if that new foundation has oxidised and turned you orange, or if your new blush makes you look like a clown!

These are the four products I pretty much wear everyday. I do alternate between a couple of eye shadows and blushers but these are the #1's. If I'm in a rush or I just don't want to do anything different these are what I reach for.

1. Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Foundation in 'Natural Beige'.
This is my holy grail foundation. No matter how many different foundations I try, this is always the one I return to. I have probably gone through five jars of it and will always repurchase it. It's a lovely creamy formula that blends and smooths over your face easily; gives good coverage (I would say medium coverage) but is easily buildable, and; lasts for most of the day.

2. Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara
This mascara lengths your lashes like crazy and doesn't transfer anywhere despite not being waterproof.

3. Nyx Blush in 'Mocha'.
'Mocha' is a gorgeous warm pink. This is a very buildable blush but it is easy to apply without looking like a clown.

4. Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Inked in Pink'.
A sweep of this across my eyelids and that's it! The pure simplicity, foolproofness and longevity of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos make them perfect for your everyday look.

What products do you reach for on a  daily basis?

Face of the day #1

Yesterday morning I was in the mood for doing something a bit different with my make-up for the day.

As I was in the mood for experimentation I decided to use a combination of primer and bb cream, something I don' think I have done before. The primer I used was Revlon's Photoready Perfecting Primer. I haven't used this primer much so I don't really have a strong opinion of it (yet). But I do like how it feels on the skin. Wanting something foolproof (because I was doing my make-up in a rush and in bad lighting) and natural I used my Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in 'light'. This is the only bb cream I have ever loved using and will definitely repurchase it. I then used my holy grail blush, the Rimmel London Match Perfection Blush in 'light/medium'. Sadly I think this has recently been discontinued?! I've been on the hunt for a back-up but I can't find them anywhere! What I love about this blush is that it is foolproof, easily build-able and gives a lovely natural look.

On my eyes I used #2 from the Chi Chi Nudes Palette which is a pearl pinky nude. I don't have the Naked Palette but I believe this is similar to UD's 'Sin' colour. I also used my Rimmel London 'Endless Lash Accelerator' Mascara. This mascara makes my lashes look amazingly long and the brush is really good - very thin and long. 

On the lips I wore Maybelline Baby Lips and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Honey'. 

I was really happy with how this look came together which was nice as I often feel disgruntled with how things turn out! Usually things look better in my head than they do in real life. 

And now a question for you. I have never done a FOTD post before. I don't want to post photos of my face here on the blog. Would you prefer to see swatches on hands or cropped photos of my face? Cheers :)

January Favourites 2014

I cannot believe I'm sitting here writing my first "favourites" post of 2014. It feels like I haven't written one of these posts for ages since I skipped Decembers' because I was focused on getting up my 2013 yearly favourites. And, in some ways January seems to have lasted forever. But now it is the 30th of January and I really should get a move along and tell you all what I loved in January (and stop rambling).

• Chi Chi Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

I didn't use to wear much eyeshadow, but now that I have the Nudes palette I find myself reaching for it all the time. You can create so many different looks with this one palette from day to night time, plus the quality is great. For the daytime I love the matte browns and the rosey coppers for night.

• Rimmel London Match Perfection Blush in 002 Light/Medium 

I'm going to be honest, I never use to wear blush (strange for somebody who blogs beauty I know) because I didn't want to look like a clown but recently I have started dabbling in blush and have loved how it has looked.This match perfection blush is pretty perfect. It's nearly foolproof, lasts a decent amount of time and works well with my skintone. It's also super cheap so if you are thinking about giving blush a go, I definitely recommend this. 

• Maybelline Sea-quins Nail Polish ey

Sea-quins from Maybelline is a stunning teal glitter. Tricky to remove but it's worth it for the sparkles!I'm ashamed how long this sat in my polish drawer before I eventually got around to using it. Lovers of glitter and/or teal...you need this polish :)

• Nyx Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee 

I've raved about this before so I'm going to keep this short. Creme Brulee is the perfect pinky nude gloss. Not sticky, lasts well and feels really moisturising. 

• Nyx Lipstick in Tea Rose

If you after an opaque dusty pink lipstick this could be it! I fell in love with this lipstick after discovering it would last 2+ hours and my munching on snacks. Very impressed with this lipstick and can definitely see myself wearing this a lot in the coming weeks. 

• Nivea Pure & Natural Milk and Honey Lip Balm 

First up, it smells like honey. So I don't think I need another reason why it's in my favourites post but I do have some. This lip balm is very moisturising, lasts on lips for around 2 hours (which in my book is fantastic) and doesn't dry your lips out once it wears off unlike some other lip balms. 

• Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara

This mascara has appeared in so many of my favourites posts it is kind of ridiculous. But it never disappoints me so I'm going to say (for the 100th time) that I love this mascara. 

And now time for a short ramble. My final favourite for the month of January is that trolley I used in the photo. This stainless steel, exact replica of a shopping trolley (complete with plastic features, wheels and a fold out baby seat) was a gift from Mum for Christmas. Every time I see these at the shops I think they're great but it's not like you buy yourself a scaled replica of a shopping trolley when you are just out and about...anyway this now lives on my desk and I use it to keep whatever base coat and top coat I'm using plus any polishes I've swatched recently and want to write up a review of. I'm in awe okay? Love it!

Before I forget...sorry about the dodgy photo today. With this crazy heat wave this was all I managed before rushing back inside.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have had a great January. What products have you been loving this month?