The Lip Product Addict Tag

If there is one beauty product I just cannot resist, it is lipstick, and when I saw Amelia Liana and Essie Button's tag video, it was right up my street. I have two embarrassingly full vanity cases full and yet continue to hoard. I adore lipstick because it is a fun way to completely switch up your make-up without changing things that are more difficult to get right. I change what lip products are in my make-up bag weekly as I find it fun to alternate and make sure I get use out of all of them, instead of buying more. However, I have tried enough to know what are permanent winners in my collection and which ones will never leave my make-up bag, so here we go!

1. Favourite balm/treatment
Nivea lip butter in Raspberry Rose. I love this lip butter because it is super buttery and thick which means it really moisturizes your lips. I use this all the time, especially before bed as it really nourishes and my lips never feel dry or chapped. I have gone through a few tins now and keep repurchasing as it works well for me. Other flavours are lovely too, but the smell of this is my favourite. 

2. Best eye-catching red
I don't often wear bright pillar-box red unless it is the festive season, but I love wearing dark shades of red veering on the purple side, such as the much loved Kate Moss 107. My favourite however is Prohibition from Collection's Deluxe range. This shade is a deep, red wine shade which really compliments my skin tone for a great dramatic look. Moreover, the formula of these Deluxe lipsticks are incredible, and are one of my favourite from the drugstore by far. They are super moisturising so would be great if your lips get chapped easily. They are also really pigmented, ridiculously inexpensive and they smell unbelievable. Not to mention the packaging is also super chic and looks a lot more expensive than its £3.99 price tag. 

3. Best luxury and best drugstore
My favourite luxury lipstick is my all-time favourite 'holy grail' lipstick (big claim for a lipstick hoarder I know!) It is Bobbi Brown's Wild Rose which is a mauve style pink. It is a really natural shade but is the nicest pink colour which really livens up a simple, everyday make-up look. I wear this all the time and it never veers too far from my make-up bag. I have to stop myself from using it too often as it is quickly running out. This is the kind of shade which if in doubt of what to wear, I will go to this as it fail-safe. The rich formula is wonderful as it lasts a long time and is incredibly pigmented. I think this kind of tone looks gorgeous with pale skin, although it is the kind of mid-pink which will look amazing on any skin type as it is not too pale. I often dab this on for a soft effect, but it builds up easily to a really nice deep pink which looks great for evening. Every time I wear this I just feel sophisticated, it is that type of elegant shade and is worth it's more expensive price tag.
As from the drugstore, it is another shade from Collection's Deluxe range. This shade Tallulah is a really soft, baby pink without looking too 'Barbie'. The creamy formula and beautiful shade is a winning combination. Again, this is another shade which you can slap on without thinking about as it always looks lovely. It looks great everyday or especially gorgeous paired with a really smoky eye to balance things out.

4. Best MAC lipstick
I only own one MAC lipstick so far but it is the most beautiful and unique shade, and that is Rebel. This is my favourite autumn/winter shade as it such a stand out one. It stays put for a stupidly long time- literally without budging until you decide it is coming off. It wins the award for most long lasting lipstick hands down, you can read my full post here. 

5. The most disappointing
In my opinion it has to be the Lancome Juicy Tubes. These are by far the stickiest gloss I have ever encountered. Granted, lip glosses are often slightly tacky that is just their formula, but these are a new level as it is literally like glue. If you smack your lips together they will pull apart with difficulty- yes that is how bad we are talking. It does leave a super glossy finish but the formula is not worth the hassle, and certainly not the price.

6. Liner- yes/no?
I don't wear liner on the regular but when I want my lipstick to last for a really long time, or if I am going for a super bold shade such as red, I will line my whole lips with this Illusion Nude Lip Liner from Model co. It is the perfect nude which looks great alone, but can be layered underneath any shade to really lock things in place. But for everyday, I would say if the lipstick has great staying power anyway, liner is non-essential. 

7. Best Gloss
My favourite comes from Revlon in the shade Bellini, a lovely peach toned nude which has a really subtle shimmer running through. It looks great alone to create a really natural, glamorous look a la Kim K. This is my favourite to wear with a really smoky evening eye as it really softens things and ties the look together. The formula is slightly sticky but is one of the better ones I have found- more than bearable put it that way and nothing akin to Lancome's juicy tubes.

8. Something Extra
Finally, I couldn't do a lip product post without mentioning that of Revlon Lip Butters- a great moisturising formula that remains pigmented and adds a subtle pop of colour- a perfect way to get into more adventurous shades without being too dramatic. They have a great colour range too to experiment with, and is the perfect easy option which can be thrown on like a balm. My favourite shade is Raspberry Pie, fairly similar to MAC's Rebel if you really build it up. What's great is that they are surprisingly pigmented which allows you to achieve that full lipstick effect with a slightly glossy finish, or else you can softly dab it on to create a really pretty and natural flush. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this tag, be sure to link me if you have done it too!

xox

My Summer Make-Up Essentials

So seen as it is summer I thought I would create a post on all my summer beauty must haves, especially products that are bullet proof/heatproof as there is absolutely nothing worse than heavy make-up slipping and sliding all over your face in the heat. I personally love wearing less make-up in summer as I prefer the more natural look and usually with a tan, I don't feel the need to wear nothing more than the basics. But at the same time, a lot of people still like to wear their usual make-up but just change to products which are much more long lasting and will keep your make-up looking fresh all day long. 

Base:

In the summertime I usually still like to wear a foundation, purely because I have a bit of hyper-pigmentation from acne scarring which I prefer to cover up, but if your have near enough perfect skin I would totally skip wearing foundation; a bit of concealer will have you set perfectly. I like to switch to something that is quite light in texture so it doesn't feel like I have make-up on, but at the same time, something that gives me decent coverage and generally makes my skin look better. I love wearing my good old trusty Rimmel Match Perfection foundation; this is my go-to foundation and I wear this on a daily basis purely because I trust that it will look good without being heavy. This is perfect for the summer too because it is light and can be applied sparingly using a buffing brush for an almost sheer, tinted moisturiser finish, but is also very build-able and provides a good amount of coverage. What makes it ideal for summer is that is has SPF in it of 18 which is perfect; it means you can skip the sunscreen step on your face which is a lot more convenient. 

An alternative to wearing foundation is a BB cream; I have recently started testing this one from Rimmel which is better if you have near-perfect skin as it doesn't provide a great amount of coverage, which is why I prefer the foundation. This is perfect for holidays though when I don't like to wear a lot of make-up; it has SPF 30 which is fantastic, and is super lightweight so it doesn't feel like you have anything on your skin other than moisturiser. This product claims that it has 9 steps in one, including primer, concealer etc, which makes it the perfect one step product for holidays to stop you carrying around heaps of make-up. 

On top of this I've also been testing the Wake Me Up concealer, also from Rimmel, which I have seriously been loving. I think this is the best concealer for summer because it is super light yet still covers dark circles and blemishes, without creasing which makes this an essential in my summer make-up bag.

Also, If you are going on holiday and you know that your skin will most definitely change colour, I would advise getting hold of your foundation/BB cream one/two shades darker depending on how much you tan, that you can mix into your regular shade in order to adjust to your new skin tone. 

Bronzer:

In the summer I would absolutely not be without bronzer. It accentuates your already fabulous tan and if you haven't got a tan, it is all the more believable that your bronzed glow is real purely because it is summertime! My favourite one at the moment is the one from Bourjois; I have used this for a few months now and I think it is the most natural looking one I have used. Dust the bronzer on anywhere on your face that you would usually tan the most; the bridge of the nose, the temples, and highest points of your cheeks. Then blend down into the jawline and neck in order to match and create a flawless finish. Not only does this bronzer smell unbelievable, but it is perfect for me because it is matte, with a very slight soft shimmer which makes it more natural looking. When I am tanned on holiday, one of my favourite looks is to just wear bronzer all over for a tanned glow, with a bright coral lip to bring some fun and colour to the face.

As well as bronzer, powder and highlighter are also essential for summer. For me, there is only one powder I turn to all year round, but for summer especially I use none other than Rimmel Stay Matte powder. There is a reason that this powder is a firm favourite in so many beauty guru's kits; it is fantastic. For somebody who has oily skin, I can vouch that this powder will keep your make-up in place and keep you looking matte and shine free all day! 

For highlighter I have been drifting between my all time favourite Benefit High Beam which is amazing as it provides such a pigmented glow to the cheeks, perfect for summer as it makes you look radiant and luminous. I have also been trying out MUA's Undress Your Skin shimmer highlighter, which is great for the price and I absolutely love the marble effect finish of the packaging. It is not as long lasting as Benefit's High Beam, and at times it can be somewhat chalky, but it does have strong pigmentation and if you apply just a little bit, it gives a lovely shimmery finish which is perfect for summer.

In the summertime, although I still wear powder blush most of the time, there is something about cream blush which makes them perfect and much more suitable for summer. Lately I got hold of Revlon's Photoready cream blush in the shade Pinched, which is a beautiful peach, natural toned blush. It has a lovely texture and finish on the skin, and if you set this with powder it will stay put for ages! A much more natural, 'barely there' make-up look for summer.

Eyes:
Like with the cream blush, cream shadow is so much better for summertime because it has stronger staying power; powder has a greater tendency to melt off the skin, especially if you have oily eyelids like me! I have therefore been gravitating towards my favourite shades of Maybelline Color 24HR Tattoo cream shadows, in 'On and on Bronze' and 'Pink Gold'. The pigmentation in these is unbelievable and they look amazing on the eyes alone, or you can use these underneath eye shadow which will really help keep it in place all day long. Another I have been loving is the Rimmel Scandaleyes eye shadow stick in 'Bulletproof Beige'. This colour is so gorgeous because it is a super subtle beige, gold colour with soft shimmer, which makes this perfect for a natural look and also as a base for shadow. These are really easy to blend out with your fingers, and once in place they set and stay place for absolutely ages.
Another essential for summer in my opinion is waterproof mascara. This will ensure if you are swimming or just in the heat and you find that your eye make-up smudges, that this will stay put.  Although I absolutely adore Maybelline's The Falsies, I couldn't find a waterproof formula, but I have been loving Max Factor's Clump Defy waterproof version. This is super bulletproof, but it also gives a natural looking effect and is true to its name as being non clumpy which I think is perfect for summer because it doesn't actually look like you have loads of mascara on; just that you have lovely long lashes. 

Lips:

Bold lips is probably my favourite  trend for summer because I think it can transform a look and make it fun and edgy which is perfect for the laid-back style summer look which I love. I don't like super matte lips in the summer because it can be quite drying; I much prefer lips that are soft and moisturized with colour, hence Revlon's Lip Butters are perfect. They are super moisturising so you don't need balm, but I would advise wearing a lip balm with SPF because burning your lips is horrible. My favourite shades of the lip butters are 'Wild Watermelon' which is a beautiful red, coral tone with bright pink undertones, and 'Raspberry Pie' which is a pink fuchsia with a hint of purple if you build it up. What I love about these is that you can apply only a  bit and blend it out with your fingers to create a soft stain and hint of colour, or you can build them up to create the same effect as a bold lipstick, but with these you have the benefit of having soft, hydrated lips too. 

Summer is probably the only time of year when I wear lip gloss  I'm much more of a lipstick girl, but in summer I think gloss is beautiful. I have been using this gorgeous pink gloss with hints of gold shimmer from Model co, courtesy of Glamour magazine this month, so get your hands on it because it is such a steal! It is not too sticky; one of the reasons I dislike gloss most of the time is because of the glossy texture that always sticks to my hair!

What have your been loving for summer?

xox