December Beauty Favourites

L'Occitane En Provence Hand Cream

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Skin Protectant 

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Ivory

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Bourjois Liner Feutre Eyeliner Pen

The very cold winter has well and truly had a negative effect on my skin this year. My lips have been exceptionally chapped, my hands bone dry, my skin dry and flaky and my makeup has developed a disappearing act. 

Every year there are a handful of products I reach for to help me through the frosty months and the king of them all is the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Skin Protectant. This stuff saves my lips every time, a small amount on my lips left overnight works miracles. I have very very dry lips and a tendency to chew on them, so this makes sure I get the moisture I need and also helps with the healing of all those chew marks. 

My hands are another area that need a little TLC over winter. I cannot stand the feeling of dry hands and I've been keeping this Jasmine scented L'Occitane hand cream on my desk at all times. It soaks in super quickly so I can keep typing and working away without the usual greasy hands. 

As for my makeup, my foundation has been an absolute nightmare due to my dry and uneven skin. I wrote a review of the Benefit Porefessional a couple of months ago and I wasn't that impressed. In the summer, this did nothing but make my face feel dry and tight, but oddly enough, it works wonders in the winter. I notice a massive difference using this under my current favourite foundation, the L'Oreal True Match. The two together help to achieve a flawless base that covers my many imperfections and allows my makeup to stay in place for much longer. 

The final beauty favourite of the month is the Bourjois Liner Feutre Eyeliner pen. I can't even begin to describe how much I love these things. I recently saw them on offer in Superdrug and I ended up buying 3 different ones! They are so easy to use, don't drag on the eyelid and have amazing pigmentation. 

What beauty products have you been loving in December? Anything new in your collection that you think will become a firm favourite? 

5 Ways to warm up your winter makeup

It's well known that the lack of sun during the cold, winter months makes our complexions a little paler. If, like me, you're already paler than snow no matter the time of year, it can be beneficial to use products to warm up your skintone. 

Use a good bronzer. Bronzer doesn't just have to be for those summer months, I use bronzer all year round to add a bit of colour to my skin. I love the The Body Shop Honey Bronzer and the Benefit Hoola Bronzer to add a warmer tone to my cheeks and temple, they are also great for a light contour. 

Crack out the berry red blushers. I don't have that many, but the ones I do have tend to get a hammering during the winter. I always use them sparingly so that I don't look like I just ran a 3 minute mile, but they are great for adding a winter flush. 

Plumb lips. I like to stick to fairly neutral colours the majority of the time, but these past few months I've been really loving muted plumb shades. I find that the warmness of the plumb tone adds a bit more of a natural colour to the lips without being too overpowering. 

Warm toned eyeshadows. Of course cold and warm tones look good depending on your skin tone, but I can assure you there will be warm tones out there to suit everyone. My personal favourites are rich browns and golds, as I find no matter what my hair colour (it changes fairly often) they always make my eyes pop. 

Push aside the black and grab the brown mascara and eyeliner. Changing from the usual black mascara and eyeliner can help to not only soften your look, but also add a little more warmth to the eyes. 

Do you attempt to warm up your complexion during winter? What steps do you take to assure glowing winter skin?

New In: Skincare, Makeup & Hair

Whilst out getting some much needed Christmas shopping, I may have stumbled into Boots and The Body Shop and my debit card may have fallen out and into the card machine. I can't seem to buy presents for other people without buying something for myself, but I needed at least half of these things (so that's ok, right?). 

As I write this I'm waiting to head out and get my hair coloured and cut for the first time in forever. I used to get a bright red colour done at the hairdressers every 6-8 weeks, but then I became a student and the funds went a little downhill. Now I'm back in the working world and I want to get a bit more fun with my hair colour. However, with bright colour comes much responsibility, so I picked up one of my favourite hair masks, the Charles Worthington Melting Balm. This stuff is truly amazing and since I haven't had a cut for a while, my hair is in much need of some TLC.

Whilst perusing down the hair isle I picked up a small bottle of the Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray. With my hair being a bit shorter these days, I find that I turn to the messy look a lot in times of need. I've been wanting to try a sea salt spray for a while so thought I'd give Toni & Guy a shot.  

It was 3 for 2 in Boots so I spent an extremely long time having a look for something else to add to my shopping basket. Finally I settled on a Sleek Eau La La Liner in Venom. I seem to be collecting a lot of lip liners recently and I find the Sleek liners really buttery and pigmented, so I can't wait to give this a good test run. 

Finally I picked up the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter after hearing nothing but good reviews about it. I've recently run out of my Neutrogena Grapefruit wash and I had a lovely O2 code for The Body Shop, so I thought I'd finally pick it up. 

I'm now on a bit of a spending ban till payday but with my birthday coming up and half my Christmas presents already bought, I'm hoping to do a bit more 'me' shopping. 

Have you bought anything shiny and new recently? Do you have trouble shopping for other people without spending money on yourself? 

Current Base Favourites

I like to have a few options when it comes to bases, as my skin changes from day to day. At the moment I have extremely oily patches with extremely dry patches, not the easiest skin type to match to a foundation. These past couple of weeks I've been pairing the YSL Fusion Ink Foundation with the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and they have become a match made in heaven. 

On those days when I'm rushing out the door, I always reach for the NARS concealer, apply it to my blemishes and redness and I'm done. The shade Chantilly matches my winter skin tone so well it blends like a dream and eliminates further need for coverage. The formula is creamy (hence the name) and doesn't feel too heavy, especially under the eyes. You can get a little carried away though so I always make sure I apply it little by little so it doesn't end up looking cakey. 

On the days when I have a little more time to prepare my face, I like to have a bit more coverage just to get that flawless looking skin. When I first got a sample of the YSL Fusion Foundation I did worry how it would hold up on the drier areas of my skin. The finish is a semi-matte/satin finish so I was a little wary of it clinging to any dry patches. However, I've been very impressed at how well it evens everything out, it works just as well on my oily t-zone as it does on my dry cheeks and nose. 

The two together make the perfect team and give me the exact coverage and finish that I want out of my base. I honestly don't know what I'd do without them. 

Have you found the perfect match between concealer and foundation yet? Do you sometimes use your concealer on its own like I do?

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation Review

The YSL Fusion Ink foundation was released over the summer and I was right there, front and centre to get my hand on a little sample. Since then I've been scraping away at that little plastic bottle, trying to get every last drop. 

I've never been one to splash out on foundations but this was one I knew I needed in my collection at all times, despite the hefty £30.50 price tag. Not only is the packaging beautiful to look at, but it's a nice size and weight, not too bulky and easy to hold. 

It doesn't come with a pump, instead it comes with a little spatula, similar to that given to you with the sample but much, much bigger. Some people will really hate the spatula application but I love it! I always find that I can never get the right amount when I use a pump, it's either too much or not enough. Then when they don't have a pump you always get too much or you slip and it goes everywhere. The little spatula allows me to apply just the right amount, however it could be argued that it isn't the most hygienic method of application. 

The finish is a satin finish, it's not completely matte but also isn't a glowy foundation. It adds a sense of luminosity without being too shiny and is thin enough to let your natural skin shine through. It melts away as you blend it out and feels a lot like water on the skin without being overly runny. It also gives amazing coverage (light/medium), manages to cover all of my discolouration and blemishes and lasts all day.

I can rave about this product until the cows come home, but at the end of the day it all comes down to what your skin likes. I've known a fair amount of people who, like me, are completely in love with this product, but I also know people who didn't get on with it. I have combination/oily skin, my dry patches are very dry and my oily areas are very oily and this product seems to balance them out perfectly. For me, this is definitely one of my holy grail foundations (high praise indeed!).

Have you tried the YSL Fusion Ink foundation? What are your thoughts on it? Love it or hate it?

You can see the YSL Fusion Ink in action, in my GRWM: Work Makeup video or you can purchase it right here (UK) or here (US)

GRWM: Everyday Work Makeup

First of all, a big SORRY for being MIA this week. I've been lying on the sofa dying of the flu so I've been a little un productive in all aspects of life. To get me back into the swing of things I thought I'd do a little post about my new video that just went live.

These past couple of months I've had a pretty solid makeup routine for work. I work in retail so it's important to not go OTT with the makeup. I like to keep it simple and classic and I've been loving a nice cat eye with natural eyes and lips. Once you've got the eyeliner pen down it's surprisingly quick and easy to do.

So go ahead and give it a little watch if you want to see how I do my makeup before running out of the door to get to work! Once again, sorry for the absence, regularly program will continue from Wednesday!

The Autumn Makeup Change Over

Can you believe that we are already half way through September? The leaves are already starting to turn brown and cover the roads and I am very excited. Autumn (or Fall depending on your geographical location) is my favourite time of year, not only is it my birthday but it means I can wear cozy jumpers, drink lots of salted caramel hot chocolates and go mad buying chunky boots. 

Autumn also means that you can finally fish out those berry shades and plaster them all over your face without judgement. Usually around this time I take a good hard look at what I've squashed into my makeup bag and have a much needed change over. Some things stay the same, mostly bases as I'm pale all year round, but there are some major change ups that happen every September. 

The first thing I do is change over the eyeshadows in my MAC quad. Over the summer I will usually stick some neutral, matte shades in, that are perfect for a bright and natural summer look. Once the colder weather starts setting in, it's time to crack out the coppers and reds. My all time favourite autumn shadows are Cranberry and Sketch so they make the cut every time autumn rolls around. This year I've also decided to have a bit of Woodwinked in there as well as a Brule, as it's a great base no matter what the season. 

Other than the quad change I like to use darker more vampy lipsticks, my most used being MAC's Hang-Up. Hang-Up is a deep berry red in the Cremesheen formula so it's super moisturising and amazingly pigmented, one of my absolute favourites. I've also got a few Rimmel lipsticks that get taken out, Dark Night Water-loops! being the most popular. 

I'm not one for following trends either in fashion or beauty, but the berry trend that appears every year is one I always get on board with. I love a bit of an edge to my look no matter what the weather, but autumn just makes it even more acceptable for me to really explore the slightly gothic look my very pale skin offers me. Are you one for the dark vamp look around autumn/fall? Or do you like to keep it neutral and fresh all year round? 

How To Get Strated With MAC

There was a time, a very very long time ago, when there was not a tiny bit of MAC in my collection. When you first start to dabble in the world of high-end makeup, the feeling that you have absolutely no idea what your talking about is ever present. Sales assistants will approach you and ask you what kind of 'finish' you would like or what 'formula' you prefer. Maybe to some, these questions would seem like simple, common sense type questions, but for a makeup newbie it's like asking someone to multiply 3457 by 2884.

MAC is one of the most renowned makeup brands of the high-end world, they are known for their amazing quality and accessibility to both the professionals and the regular Joe. So on your first trip to a MAC counter, what do you look for? What products should you start your new MAC collection with?

I started off with a 15x palette and 1 eyeshadow and I've never looked back. If you are looking to just dabble a bit, start off with eye shadows, you can never have too many eyeshadows. MAC offer a huge range of different shades ranging from matte neutrals to shimmery brights so there's bound to be a shade that catches your eye. If you're still a tad bit apprehensive, aim to build up a solid neutral palette filled with great everyday shades you know you'll get use out of.

If your more of a skin person than an eye makeup person, start off with some of their highlighters or blushers. I wouldn't recommend diving straight into the foundations as that's where the scary words like 'formula' and 'finish' come in and you have to stand there and nod like you know what your doing. That isn't to say you cant try them, have a mooch around and test a few on your hand, then when you think you might have found one you like, ask for a sample and take it home to give it a good test run.

The MAC counters are always a scary place, there's usually a few girls wearing a mountain of makeup and it's always super crowded. Don't be afraid to ask question, don't be afraid to give things a good swatching and don't be afraid to ask for samples, it's usually the only way to find out if a product will work for you before buying it. Once you feel confident enough you can really get stuck in and try out a few lipsticks, cream products or finally buy a foundation you've been testing. 

Let me know in the comments below how your first MAC visit went, what products did you buy? And what would you recommend to a MAC newbie? 

What's In My Tiny Makeup Bag

Around the same time I hosted my 1000 subs YouTube giveaway, I went and made a sneaky purchase for myself. If you remember or if you took part you will know I gave away the black and gold version of this amazing Art Deco style Ted Baker makeup bag. Despite it being extremely beautiful (I'm a little in love with anything Art Deco) it is a little on the tiny side. 

I like to keep this little bag on my shelves filled with the makeup that I use every day. It never ever gets completely zipped up and there are always various items poking out at all angles. Even though it is small it can actually fit a fair amount of stuff inside it, as you can see above. 

This month I've been switching between just using the MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC15 and the Revlon BB Cream in Light, depending on whether my skin is particularly oily that day. Both products give me a medium coverage and the BB cream fits perfectly inside the bag, the MAC not so much. 

Then we have the absolute staples, the products that never ever leave my makeup bag. The Maxfactor Liquid Effect Eyeliner, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, Urban Decay Primer Potion, L'Oreal Gel Liner and the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. No matter what other products I have in my collection, these will always be present in any makeup bag I use. I would say that these products make up my 'If I was stranded on a desert island' makeup bag, all extremely reliable and good quality. 

Some new additions are the L'Oreal Brow Artist Pencil, which I recently talked about in my Current Eyebrow Routine post. Its red tones and excellent pigmentation is perfect for matching my brows to my hair (I'm not a natural redhead, I'm actually blonde *gasp*). Another new-ish addition is the Bourjois Liner Feutre Pen Eyeliner, which I think I've spoken about too much now, but it is amazing and I'm happy to report that I'm still in love with it. 

As for the remaining items, I've had these guys for a while and I've allowed them to join the guys of the makeup bag big league for a limited period. The Barry M Liquid Eyeliner is one of the older products I'm currently using, I like to have options when it comes to doing my cat flicks. Then we have a few Benefit products making an appearance. I'm not going to lie, Benefit isn't my favourite makeup brand and I've been attempting to love their Porefessional Primer, but I just can't seem to find the feelings for it. The Hoola Bronzing Powder on the other hand, I do love, unconditionally. The tiny Benetint also sneaked in but yet again I can't seem to find the love for it. 

Finally, we have the last little bits, a sample of Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Foundation and two mascaras. Again, I like to have options when it comes to mascaras. Currently I'm switching between the Soap and Glory Thick & Fast mascara for super volumisation and the Rituals Volumising mascara, which gives amazing length. 

So as you can see, despite its small exterior, it can hold a pretty good number of products. It's a bit like the Tardis of the makeup bag world. Let me know in the comments what products never ever leave your makeup bag and if you can zip yours closed or like to leave it open and free like me!

Shopaholic?

One of the major stereotypes of a beauty blogger/vlogger is that we are all Shopaholics. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I am often bitten by the shopping bug. Over the years I've collected a small mountain of products that I was enticed by at the time, but never actually ended up using. 

Makeup, for me, is always a bottomless pit, it doesn't matter if I have 100 eyeshadows in similar shades, if they catch my eye on the day then they're going in my basket. I recently had a clear out of all the makeup I hardly ever use and I decided to show you guys a few of the items that just never made it off the bench. 

As mentioned in the video, I will be doing a blog sale with the items shown and a few others. Once I've taken lots of appealing pictures of all the goodies for sale I'll set up a page on my nav bar so you guys can see if there's anything you'd like to get your hands on. 

Let me know in the comments what items have muscled their way into your collection, only to be left gathering dust in the back of a draw. 

Key Items of July

Every month I have products sneak into my makeup bag and make a nice cozy little home, these products also like to outshine all the other products inside the bag and this month I have a good handful that have really come through.

The first is my MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC15, I bought this a couple of months ago to set my makeup, but I actually find it way too heavy for a setting powder. These days I use it as a powder foundation. When the weather heats up I get an extremely oily face so this has been saving my bacon for the last few weeks. If you are more of an oily person I would definitely recommend investing in this, the coverage is amazing, the shade range is huge and the lasting power is excellent. 

Another product I've fished out from the back of the makeup draw is the Rituals Perfection Volume Mascara. I got this as a sample a while ago now and I always forget just how much I love it. Not only does it not move an inch all day, it is also amazingly lengthening and separating. This is now pretty difficult to get hold of in a full size, but after a bit of internet digging, I found a few sites that sell it. 

On the eyeliner front I have the Bourjois Liner Feutre Eyeliner Pen. I did both a written and video review for this so I won't blab on about it too much, but as someone who hates eyeliner pens, this one has definitely made an impression.  

Finally, we have the L'Oreal Brow Artist Superliner Pencil in Brunette. I'm not usually one for pencils when it comes to brows, but after using shadow for so long I wanted to try something a bit different. There's nothing overly special about this, pencil wise, it's nicely pigmented and soft enough to blend out etc. The main thing I like about this is that it does everything I would need to do with my brows in one handy pencil. The brush attached to the lid is great for grooming the brows and the best thing is the wax pencil on the opposite end to set everything into place. 

I've been hectically rushing around this month and that has meant that makeup application time has been extremely short. All of these products are super quick to use and have amazing staying power, something that myself, working two jobs (sometimes on the same day) definitely needs in their makeup bag. 

What products have you been loving in June? Does your makeup bag evolve according to your daily routine? 

The Nudes

Nudes are a 'must-have' in any makeup collection and it can be a complete mission to find the right shades for your skin tone. In my opinion, it is important to get a pinky tone that compliments your skin rather than going for the completely erased lips look. A good nude should enhance the colour you have naturally and allow any other bold makeup choices to shine through.

I very rarely go for a really bold makeup look, I like to keep my tones quite earthy and natural so nudes are a very large part of my lipstick collection. My top two most used nudes have to be from Rimmel, the first one, Rimmel Kate 03, is one of the oldest lipsticks I own and it has made me proud on many occasions. The 03 is the most peachy toned of my nudes and I prefer to use this one when I have a really bold eye as it mutes out my lips enough to let the eyes pop. 

The second of the amazing Rimmel nudes is my most recent purchase, Rimmel Asia. This one is a more muted rose shade and is great if you want to go for that slightly darker 90's nude that seems to be fairly popular at the moment. 

When I'm looking something a little warmer I reach for my only Maybelline lipstick, the Color Sensational lipstick in Velvet Beige. I bought this when I had chocolate brown hair and wanted something to compliment my new hue. It is very similar to Asia, but with a stronger pink undertone, which also makes it a little lighter. 

Finally, we have the MAC lipstick, a lipstick collection post just isn't the same without a cameo from MAC. This was the first ever MAC lipstick I bought and we had a bump start. At first I didn't like how it applied and clung to the dry patches on my lips, but now we've established a rhythm and it has become one of my favourite nudes. Definitely a more pink toned nude, I prefer to apply this and blend it out with my finger to give it a more natural look. 

All of my nudes have a very creamy moisturising texture as I have dry lips and nothing makes a lipstick look un-natural like when it is clinging to all your dry parts. I have a range of tones to suit any hair colour as I'm a bit of a hair dye fiend, which you might have noticed if you watch my YouTube videos. It really is important for a nude lipstick to enhance what you already have, I'm all about the natural beauty. 

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Addiction

I've never been much of a fan of lip pencils, I've never really been able to get the hang of them. I've tried a few from Rimmel, Maybelline, MUA and Barry M but all of them seemed to be too hard and didn't give much colour pay off. However, since the makeup revolution of Kylie Jenner and her big lips hit the internet, I thought I'd give lip pencils one last shot. 

After much swatching and debating I decided to get the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Addiction. The Exaggerate lip pencils are a lot softer than the normal pencils and they also look a bit more high tech. Instead of being your normal pencil that you sharpen, the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners are twist up. I definitely love the twist up pencils more than the ones you have to sharpen as I find a lot of the actual liner breaks off in the sharpener. This prevents any breakages and allows you to use as much of the product as possible. 

The colour payoff is amazing and because the pencil is smooth and creamy, it is really easy to apply. My only issue with it, and my issue with lip pencils in general, is that when I use it all over the lip for a base or a solid matte colour, it is super drying. You may be able to notice in the image above that my lips look a bit prueny. I don't think that's because this is a bad product, I think for my lips (which are naturally quite dry anyway) applying a pencil all over just isn't the way to go. 

If you are looking for a drugstore lip liner, then I would definitely recommend the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners. I would prefer them to be in a few more shades, but I can't fault the ease of application, pigmentation and staying power. 

Benefit Porefessional Primer Review

Whenever you read an article about the best primers going, Benefit Porefessional makes the cut every time. When I first heard about this product I thought 'ooo my pores are huge! I'll take some of that' so I rushed (well, I drove at a leisurely pace) down to my local department store to purchase it. When I got there, however I found that it was ridiculously tiny. This little guy is only a mere 22ml of nude coloured creamy gel, all for a whopping £24.50.

Now I'm not a snob when it comes to high-end makeup, I don't mind paying the money if it gives me flawless results, but this just didn't live up to the hype. I haven't noticed it making my pores small and unnoticeable, in fact, I haven't even noticed it making my makeup stay on longer. 

The oil free formula just doesn't work for my skin, it makes my skin feel super duper soft, which is lovely, but it also makes my skin feel dry and parched. It feels uncomfortable to wear no matter how little or how much I put on and overall I'm just not really taken with it. If you're looking for a drugstore dupe I would definitely go for the GOSH Velvet Touch Primer, it's not the same nude colour, but to be honest that has no effect on the actual outcome of the product anyway. It makes your skin equally as silky smooth, but it's light and doesn't dry out my skin. 

So unfortunately I'm not a fan. I'm sure there will be many of you shouting at your computer screens, mobiles and tablets right now telling me I'm wrong, but this just isn't the primer for me. 

Have you tired Porefessional yet? Do you think it's worth the hype surrounding it?

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette Review

I have many a neutral palette, big ones, smallish ones, cheap ones, expensive ones, I wear neutrals all the time and I have an army of beige and browns in my MAC palettes. When Urban Decay released this handy little travel size neutral palette I took a step back, money in hand. So many questions I needed to ask myself, do I really need another neutral palette? Do I need one that small? Do I just want to buy it because its part of the Naked range and I'm like a Pokemon trainer when it comes to Naked palettes, I gotta catch em all? 

I avoided parting with my money for so long, but after testing it out I'm sad I didn't welcome it into my collection sooner. This little dynamo encumbers all of my most worn shades and into one easy to carry package. Yes, I have shades that are similar or in some cases the same, but this groups them all together in a palette that fits perfectly in your hand. No more routing through various palettes trying to find my perfect neutrals, here they are ready and waiting. 

The pigmentation, like all Urban Decay eye shadows, is spot on. I've also noticed that there seems to be less fall out then I've experienced with the bigger Naked palettes. Overall it's a handy little palette to have and I've been using it none stop since I bought it. It's easy to throw into your handbag or travel size makeup bag and it really is all you need if you love a good neutral eye. 

Have you caved in and purchased the Naked Basics palette yet? 

Benefit Hoola Bronzer Review

It took me a long time to cave in and buy Benefit Hoola Bronzer, partly because it is on the pricier side. I’d only ever tried the They’re Real mascara from Benefit so I was excited to see if their powders were as amazing as I’d heard.

Like I said in my 'The Best of The Bronzers' post, as a paler human being I’m not too fussed when it comes to bronzers. I have a select few that work for my skin tone but I tend to stay well away. My curiosity got the better of me however and after hearing that this was great for fair skin, I took the plunge and purchased it.

First impressions were that the box style packaging was a bit chunky and could be a bit sleeker to fit into any and all makeup bags (mines pretty tiny). Saying that it is unique, as far as I know no other brands have the same cardboard packaging and I definitely don’t have anything that looks similar in my collection.

The product itself is smooth, well packed and an amazing shade. This is not too dark, not too muddy and not too orange, perfect for the fairer skinned population. The unique selling point for me though, the thing that really makes it stand out from all my other bronzers is how it blends. I’ve never used a powder product that blends so seamlessly into the skin. I usually apply two strips along the hollows of my cheekbones with an angled face brush, then I blend it out with my Real Techniques buffing brush. It immediately blends away leaving a gorgeous bronze glow that isn’t too overpowering.

I would definitely recommend this if you were looking for a new bronzer, it is definitely worth the hype and the extra bit of cash you’ll have to splash.

Topshop Lip Bullet in Joyride

Red lipstick always scares me a little bit, there's always that constant feeling some has got on your teeth and I also have uneven lips, so it takes some careful application to get it to look right. Never the less, a good blue toned red always brings out my freckles and the red in my hair, making for a very good accessory to have in my arsenal. 

Many red lipsticks have been and gone, passing through my collection like smoke. I've always made the mistake of buying orange toned reds and every single one has looked horrendous, swiftly finding themselves in the bin or in the back of a draw. They say that there is a red out there to suit everyone, a bit like a lipstick soul mate. Mine found me through a Christmas blogger box swap and it was a much-welcomed gift. 

Immediately after applying I fell in love, not just the rich red shade but also the smoothness of the product. Topshop makeup is always something I want to dabble in but never seem to get around to. This Lip Bullet in Joyride is a gem that I would never have found on my own and is something I highly recommend. 

I'd love to try other shades in the Lip Bullets because this is fantastic! The lip crayon shape makes applying red lipstick super easy (something that applying red lipstick rarely is) and the formula is so smooth and creamy and doesn't seem to smudge too easily. 

Every girl needs a solid red lipstick to hand when things get tough or you need to impress, it will serve you well and fill you with confidence. I always feel like an old Hollywood star when I'm rocking this and I don't know what I'd do without it, I'm in love. 

What's your red lipstick of choice? Do you feel your confidence build when you apply your favourite lippy? 

Check out my May Favourites video to find out about all the products I've been loving in May!

The Best of The Bronzers

For many years I detested bronzers, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole because they always looked so orange. Other fair skinned ladies will understand that as someone of the paler variety, the task of finding a bronzer that doesn't look completely ridiculous on my skin was one I really couldn't be bothered tackling. This meant that I would walk past the most beautiful bronzers sitting on their shelves crying out to be bought, but I would turn my nose up at them and say "No Oompa Loompa face for me today thank you!" 

However since getting into the blogging world and finally learning where I'm supposed to put the bronzer on my face, I grew curious and dived in. The first one I ever bought was the Bourjois Delice De Poudre or Chocolate Bronzer as most people call it. I was pretty lucky with my first ever bronzer purchase, this is such a great affordable bronzer for any skin tone and it blends superbly. It is slightly more orange than my other two and has very subtle shimmer, but if you use it lightly it gives such a gorgeous colour. 

My next one was The Body Shop Honey Bronzer as recommended by the lovely Estee from Essie Button. If you have fair skin and you don't want to splash out on high end bronzer then this is a must have. The pigmentation is amazing and it comes in various different shades from Light Matte to Dark Matte. I have the Fair Matte shade, which is one up from the lightest, and I reckon I could go slightly darker and I'm very pale. This has a slight pink tone to it and is a bit ashier than the rest; it is perfect if you want to double it up as a contour as well as a bronzer! 

Finally we have the most expensive and most raved about over in the blogging community, Benefit Hoola Bronzer. Another matte bronzer, this has so much hype surrounding it I always stayed away, not to mention it is mighty expensive. After much deliberation I bought this and after one use I could see why people love it so much. It is an absolute dream to blend, I can apply two big stripes to contour my cheekbones and be able to blend it out seamlessly. This is a more taupe bronzer so like the honey bronzer; this can also be used as a great contouring product. 

If you have very fair skin I hope this little blog post has taken the mystery out of some of the bronzers on the market, and hopefully there is one out of these three that is in your budget! 

What is your all time favourite bronzer? Are you willing to pay a bit more to get one that really suits your skin?  

Spring Nail Polish Picks

Spring has finally sprung here in the sunny UK (or at least it was sunny yesterday) and now that it's official, it's time to crack out those bright nail polishes. I always like to wear my bright colours on my nails as some of you might know, I don't have a lot of colour in my wardrobe. Bright nails and bright handbags is how I display my springy/summery feelings so I've grouped together a collection of my all time favourite spring nail polishes for your pleasure. 

I'll start with the polish that I featured in my spring/summer essentials post (see here for that blogging bit of goodness) the Butter London nail polish in Jasper. If you are longing to rock those pastel yellow nails but find most yellow polishes look like you've dipped your fingers in mustard, then get your hands on this. I have to say not the greatest formula ever but the colour is flawless after about two maybe three coats. 

Next, let's get the Barry M's up in the spotlight. I'm no stranger to the Barry M polishes and the majority of my collection is Barry M. They do some really gorgeous pastel shades for spring so here are three of my faves. First we have an old friend, Barry M Mint Green, such a gorgeous mint shade and has amazing lasting power. Then we have a few newer additions, Blue Moon and the Gelly formula in Blueberry. Despite Blue Moon being a beautiful pale blue shade it is very sheer and needs a good few coats to make it opaque, but again the colour is so beautiful it is worth the effort. Then we have Blueberry in the Gelly formula, it took two coats to get this an amazing opaque shade and the colour is a really soft pastel blue. 

Finally we have Essie Tea and Crumpets, one of my all time favourite nude shades, this is a really nice dusty pink with a slight shimmer of gold. It looks so beautiful on the nails and if you fancy a nude with a twist it is perfect!

Do you like bright nails or are you more of a nude nail lover?