Recent favourites

There have been a few products that I have been using lately that I wanted to blog about, and I decided the best way was to do a bit of a 'recent favourites' type post.  I do sometimes worry my reviews get a little long winded anyway, so I figured that by doing several in one go, it will (hopefully) make me get to the point a bit quicker!

So here they are..ta-dahhhh.  What a good looking little bunch.  I'll start with a few products I've 'rediscovered' lately...

MAC Studio Sculpt in NC25 £25.00

I can't remember if I have reviewed this before on my blog, but I have owned this foundation for literally years.  I bought it from Macy's in New York about 5 years ago (and yes, I know you aren't meant to keep foundations that long).  I bought it because it was hailed as MAC's dry-skin foundation, and if there's one thing I have in spades, it's dry skin.

When I first used this I hated it.  I found it cakey and it sat on top of my skin like a mask.  It  cracked and looked chalky and dry and I was so disappointed in it.  So to the bottom of my make-up bag it went.

It wasn't until I was watching some old Zoella youtube videos, I noticed that back in the day, she literally swore by this foundation.  I was so surprised, especially as her make-up always looks flawless.  One thing she did say was that you barely need any of this.  *hello lightbulb moment*.  So I gave it another try, with literally the teeniest amount of product, and used my Real Techniques expert face brush, and the difference was unreal!!  I still do find this to err a little on the side of drying - it gives quite a matte finish and it looks very 'make-uppy' - it definitely isn't a 'second skin' type foundation.  It has a nice creamy, almost mousse-like consistency though, and for these winter months I've been loving the coverage and the flawless finish it gives.  Not sure I would repurchase due to the price, but I totally take back my previous negative reviews of this.  Just use it sparingly and you'll get the right result.

Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black £7.99

 I love, love, love this gel eyeliner.  I finally ran out of my first pot after using it practically everyday for easily over a year (such good value for money).  I own the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner as well, and in my opinion, this is way superior.  The Bobbi Brown one is too soft for my liking.  It doesn't last as long and smudges around my eye much more.  Whereas this one, ah I love it.  It's such a dark, pigmented, inky black and the formula is just the right balance between stiff-thick and creamy-soft.  The balance makes it so much easier to apply, and if you're new to gel eyeliners I would definitely recommend it.  I also think the consistency contributes to how long lasting it is.  I wear this quite happily all day and it's still intact by the end of the evening, with minimal smudging.  It comes with a brush which is a decent eyeliner brush, but I much prefer the Zoeva Fine Liner brush.  I swear by this eyeliner.  It is my make-up bag staple.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundations in 51 and 53 £9.99

I've been a fan of this foundation for a while, but recently I have noticed it has been gathering steam in the blogging world as a high street dupe for foundations such as Nars Sheer Glow, Chanel Vitalumiere and Giorgio Armani's Luminous Silk.  They're some big old names to be touted next to. But I can see where the hype comes from.  For a third of the price of the big-hitters, this is such a good performer.  I'd say it is medium coverage, and you'd probably need a decent concealer for any blemishes, but it gives such a nice dewy finish.  I have very dry skin and this doesn't tend to cling too much to my dry patches and it keeps my face looking plump and hydrated.  I always end up coming back to this foundation, it is such a staple product for me.  I also like the colour range as they tend to err on the yellow-based side and I am obsessed with yellow-based foundations.  I mix 51 and 53 together to get my ideal colour. I use either my beauty blender or my RT Expert Face brush, and both of them give a nice coverage and finish.  Seriously if you have been tempted by the higher end hydrating foundations, I'd give this a try first.  I've only owned the Chanel one before, but there's barely any difference between the finish of the Chanel one and the Bourjois one.

 Tangle Teezer Compact £11.95 and Tresemme Deep Cleansing shampoo £3.79

 Regular followers of my blog will know my hair regularly causes a hole in my bank balance, mainly because it has been bleached heavily and so needs a lot of tender loving care.

A couple of products I have been loving using lately are the Compact Tangle Teezer and the Tresemme Deep Cleansing shampoo.

I've owned the original tangle teezer for some time and would never go back to using a regular brush on my hair.  It gets through my knotty, thick hair so much easier, and the reduction in breakage is obvious.  I used to have so much hair wrapped round my regular brush, and although I do still get hair on my tangle teezer, it is so much less.  I've got all my girly friends into using these - they really are such a revolutionary product for long, knotty hair.  I got the compact one for Christmas, and I much prefer it to the original.  It fits in my hand much better which means I fling it across the room much less (I'm a vigorous hair brusher) and it comes with a 'lid' to protect the bristles.  If you're looking to buy one, I'd definitely say go for a compact over the original.

The Tresemme Deep Cleansing shampoo is something I bought for a bit of a naughty reason.  I recently had my hair dyed a darker blonde, and I'm just not feeling it at all.  My hairdresser said that as my hair is bleached, the dark blonde will fade quickly.  Soooo.....I bought a deep cleansing shampoo to kind of help it along the way.  Naughty.  But I've fallen in love with this!!  It lathers up so nicely, and leaves my hair so clean and soft.  You'd expect a cleansing shampoo to strip the hair, but this definitely doesn't.  I've noticed my hair stays cleaner for longer too which is a bonus.  I got this on half-price offer for about £1.95 and it is SO worth it.  It's a little hair wonder bargain!

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold £4.49



Rose Gold blusher blended

I got this little Sleek blusher for Christmas, and I have been using it sooo much.  It is really pigmented and is a gorgeous bright rose pink with gold shimmer.  You can kind of see the gold shimmer in the photo above (by the way I had to enhance the contrast a bit to get a true reflection of the blush colour, but it has in the process, made my sister's arm look really weird!  Sorry about that Rachy!) 

For how cheap this is, it has a lot of colour depth and blends quite easily.  It looks so pretty paired with a nice bronzer, as it has almost mauve-y type undertones.  I've been loving wearing this with a basic, black feline eye, and leaving the blusher to be the focal point.  It's going to look really nice in spring/summer too.  It really 'pops' on your cheeks and is such a flattering shade.  I normally hate glittery-shimmer in cosmetics, but I like this because the gold shimmer is quite fine, and when you blend it out it doesn't just leave glitter on your face like some products too.  You keep the nice rose pink still.  

Maxfactor 2000 Calorie curved brush £7.99



Regular followers of my blog will know I am one loyal young lady when it comes to mascara, and I have been using Maxfactor's 2000 Calorie mascara for as long as I can remember.  Any time I have been tempted to stray from my old faithful, I've always found other mascaras to just not be up to the job.  But I did notice that Maxfactor had brought out a slight revision, with the 2000 Calorie Curved Brush mascara.  It intrigued me, so I thought I'd give it a try.  And I actually really like this.  I think the curved brush actually improves the 2000 Calorie design, for two reasons.  Number 1, the curve makes the brush sit easier around the lashes and also it seems to lift the lashes better, improving their curl.  I also think the curve makes the hump of the brush closer to the inside of the tube, so it picks up all that mascara that clings around the walls of the tube.  When you pull the wand out, the hump always has more product on it, so I use that to really ramp up the volume, and then use the inner curve to separate and lift the lashes.

If you're a fan of the original 2000 Calorie mascara then I'd definitely say this one is worth a look.  It's got everything the original one has, and then just that little bit more.

MAC Cremesheen Lipglass in Boy Bait £17.50

I got this lip gloss as a birthday present from my boyfriend, and it is definitely my go-to.  It is such a perfect pink-nude shade and makes a make-up look appear really polished.  It is a bit on the steep side, and I'm not going to lie, I'm glad I'm not the one who had to shell out for this.  But as a present..ah it was such a good present.  The applicator is a small plastic brush, about a centimetre or so in length, and it applies really easily.  I do tend to prefer sponge applicators for lipgloss, but this is MAC, and they don't tend to do a bad applicator - so the brush works.

 

The shine is good, but in all honesty I think high street lip glosses have evolved so much that you tend to get the same 'shininess' from a lot of glosses on the market.  This isn't too sticky though, which sets it apart a bit as a more high-end product.  You're aware if it on your lips for the first half an hour or so, but it isn't uncomfortable.

 

But it is the shade itself that makes this a winner for me.  It is such a gorgeous colour, and even when the shine wears off (which is inevitable with any lipgloss) it leaves your lips looking all hydrated and plump and a pretty nude colour.  Despite the price, I know I'll end up repurchasing this as I've never found a nude lipgloss that is the perfect shade for me.  They're always either too pale, or look a weird grey-based colour, or are too dark or pinky or orangey - you get the jist.  Ah but this is perfect.  It's the ideal shade to pull together a more classy or polished look and I love it.