So it's that time again to give my final thoughts on a whole load of product empties! This time around I've made it my mission to use up makeup that maybe I've previously put to one side for a while and others that I have constantly used, loved and would purchase again. So here's the round up of what's hot and what's not!
Well 2015 has been an amazing year of discoveries and new launches, so I thought I would share with you a round-up of my most loved beauty products from 2015. I also wanted to wish everyone a wonderful, happy and healthy 2016, thank you for all your support in 2015.
1. YSL Black Opium Perfume: The NOTES - Black Opium has a stunning woody, seductive smell, it also lasts all day and comes in the most beautiful packaging.
3. O.P.I Tinted Nail Envy in Bubble Bath - O.P.I Original Nail Envy has been my holy grail treatment base coat for years now, so I was even more excited to hear that O.P.I had bought out a tinted version. This is perfect if you want to get your nails in good working order, but you still like a bit of colour on while your treating them.
5. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - This beautiful palette from Urban Decay is full of gorgeous rose gold and bronze shades, as well as three matte shadows. I bought this for my Wedding as I thought it was Bridal appropriate, but I have continued to wear this palette almost daily as you can create so many different looks with it.
7. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Soft Brown - I'm already a big fan of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomades and so I was keen to try out the Brow Wiz. This convenient brow pencil comes in an excellent selection of colours, has a fab retractable fine nibbed pencil and a small spoolie which really helps to blend out the colour.
8. Benefit They're Real Mascara in Brown - I'm already a big fan of the original black They're Real Mascara, so when I discovered there was now a brown version, I was thrilled! The brown option is perfect for a more neutral everyday make-up look, it's also a really true chestnut brown which is rare to come across when hunting for a brown mascara.
9. NYC Sunny Bronzer - At only £1.99 this drugstore bronzer is matte, non orange and also comes with a useful mirror for on the go touch ups.
10. Benefit Rockateur Blusher - This blush is the most stunning rose gold shade, it also doubles up as a highlighter too.
11. Becca Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop Skin Perfector - Champagne Pop for me was one of the best launches from 2015. Having never tried any of Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector's before, I really was impressed by not only the shade, but the stunning consistency and longevity.
12.Barry M Lip Liner in No5 Russet - If you'd seen my Kylie Jenner MAC Dupes post, you'll know I found this amazing dupe for MAC Spice Lip Pencil in the form of Barry M Russet. This particular lip liner is a lovely wearable, affordable and versatile shade.
13. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencil in Native - This 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencil has a superb buttery texture, that lasts all day and this colour in particular is a great match for MAC Angel Lipstick.
14. MAC Lipsticks in Brave and Velvet Teddy - Over the past couple of months I've been obsessed with nude and taupe lips shades from MAC. My most worn have been Velvet Teddy and Brave.
15. MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer - Liquid Lipsticks have been everywhere and some of my favourites so far have been from the drugstore brand MUA. These Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers are a steel at £3 and some of my favourites have been Dare, Reckless and Halcyon.
A few months back I did a review on the Soap and Glory Archery pencil as it was very similar to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. As promised I said I would review the Brow Wiz to give you an overall comparison between the drugstore version and the original, so here's my thoughts.
When it comes to brows are you a pomade, powder, pencil or gel kind of girl? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me.
Price
Brow Wiz retails for £15.50 hear in the UK and can be found on Cult Beauty and Beauty Bay. There is also a great selection of 9 shades to choose from to suit every hair colour. I picked this up in Soft Brown.
Packaging
This also comes boxed like the Archery brow pencil, which is what I would expect to see from a premium branded product. I also love the fact it has pretty rose gold accents on the box and pencil itself too. The pencil is double ended with a convenient spoolie to groom the brows on one end and a retractable pencil on the other.
Application
This is super easy to use as it has an ultra fine nib that helps you get in between the sparse areas of the brows without difficulty. It also has a convenient spoolie that helps not only groom the brows into place, but blend the pencil in so it looks lovely and natural.
Longevity
This pencil for me had great longevity that lasted from early in the morning till late at night, it's also small enough to fit into your bag, if you did want to have it to hand for on the go touch ups.
Overall Thoughts
Overall this is a great pencil for even the beginner, as not only does it have an easy to use fine nib pencil, it also comes with a spoolie to help groom your brows into place, so you can trace in your shape with ease.
Comparing this with the Soap and Glory Archery drugstore version, there really isn't much in it with regards to the price, packaging, application and longevity, the only thing that swings it for me is the amazing selection of colours Anastasia Beverly Hills has to offer which makes it worth spending that extra £5.50 for a more personalised colour match. So if your on a budget and you really can't stretch the extra few pounds, then Soap and Glory Archery is a great alternative, but if you are willing to pay a little more then I would opt for the Brow Wiz, after all brows play a big part nowadays in framing your face.
I award the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz 4.9 out of 5
It's nearly that time of the year, where we can let our hair down and get our party shoes on! December is my favourite month as not only is it festive, it's the month where it's acceptable to wear a bit of glitter, go all out with a smokey eye or rock a festive red lip.
I wanted to share with you a few of my favourite easy go to looks for the party season, so here's Look No1. What's your favourite make-up item to use over the festive period?
Products used:
1. Urban Decay Primer Potion
2. Benefit Porefessional
3. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean blended out all over the lid and crease.
4. Bare Minerals Eye Color in Rock Star packed on all over the lid.
5. Laura Gellar Mystic Sea Eye Rimz foiled with fix plus and patted over the Bare Minerals Shadow.
6. MAC Dazzlelight in the inner corners of the eyes.
7. Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Sand Beige
8. Urban Decay Naked Concealer in Light Warm
9. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
10. Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder
11. Benefit Hervana Blusher
12. Becca Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop to highlight
13. Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade in Soft Brown
14. Soap and Glory Archery in Hot Chocolate
15. MAC Wedge Shadow for Brows
16. MAC Clear Brow Gel
17. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Black Velvet in the upper and lower waterline.
18. Benefit They're Real Mascara in Black.
19. MAC Lip Pencil in Naked Liner
20. MAC Lipstick in Hue
I think I'm in the majority vote when I say Sephora is my happy place, it's also somewhere I don't get to go very often. Unfortunately we don't have a Sephora in the UK (which I'm baffled by!) so my only opportunity to ever go is when I visit the US. I recently came back from Vegas and off course while I was out there I did many trips to my happy place, armed with a list of products that where on my Pinterest wishlist, so here's what I picked up.
Reviews on all the products mentioned will be coming soon, so don't forget to keep posted.
Wow where has the Summer gone, I cannot believe we are now into September! Now August has been a little bit of a crazy month for me as the Wedding has kind of taken over my life, it's been a stressful month and I don't think I can bear looking at a glue gun for a while! Now we are finally into September and the month I get married, so I will be sharing a lot more Wedding posts and hopefully it will help some of you out if your getting married in the near future!
I have a few favourites from last month, mostly make-up, so here's the line up. What have been some of your favourites for August? Let me know in the comments down below or tweet me.
1. Elemis Rehydrating Ginseng Toner - If you've been following me for a while now then you'll know I'm a big fan of Elemis. For years I have been using the Apricot toner, but recently I decided it was time for a change, so I switched to this Ginseng version and oh my is this beautiful. It smells so fresh and is a pleasure to use in the morning as it's so refreshing.
2. Real Techniques Duo-Fibre Contour Brush - I had never really had a proper use for this brush until recently I re-discovered it to apply my concealer and powder. It's the perfect dome sized brush to get right under the eye area and is great for blending as well as contouring too.
3. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 - I recently reviewed this concealer and loved it, the only thing I didn't like was the very small colour selection Maybelline have to offer here in the UK. I picked up number 10 the lightest shade, but I did think this was a little yellow in tone for the lightest shade. Anyway the more I have got to use this the more I have loved the yellow tone, as it's perfect for covering the redness under my eyes and it also has a beautiful creamy, easy to blend consistency.
4. Benefit High Beam - I've really been enjoying it to strobe and also mix with my foundation for a subtle dewy glow.
5. Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown - I'm a big fan of a strong brow game and I have been using this Dipbrow Pomade to shape the outer part of my brow with a liner brush. I love these pomades as they have the most amazing staying power.
6. Benefit They're Real Mascara in Brown - I absolutely love the original black They're Real version and much to my excitement I was thrilled to hear they had released a brown version! This brown mascara is the most beautifully pigmented, chestnut brown shade, that compliments green or blue eyes perfectly.
7. MAC Hue Lipstick - I've really been into nude lips lately and especially love the look of all the taupe shades trending right now. I do want to pick up a few darker taupe lipsticks, but for now I have been rocking MAC Hue, which is a lovely subtle nude. This is a great shade if your keen to try nude lips but don't feel confident enough to go all out with one of the darker shades.
8. O.P.I Original Nail Envy - O.P.I Nail Envy has been my go to base coat for years now. Just lately I have been sporting bare nails and using this as a treatment to grow my nails a little longer. The Original formula is the best and should be used by applying two coats at the start of the week and then applying one coat every other day.
9. Converse All Star - Just recently it has been a bit chilly here in the UK, so I have been loving wearing my comfy white Converse as they go with everything and are just a great staple to have in your wardrobe.
10. Orange is the New Black on Netflix - Ok so I'm probably the last person on earth to get into this series, but now I'm hooked! This really is a great easy watch comedy, mixed with a sprinkle of darkness.
11. Desi Perkins - I love discovering new YouTubers and although Desi Perkins is not new on YouTube, she is new to me. I recently discovered her through an interview she did on the Video Influences channel and she seem like the most loveliest, genuine lady ever, she also does the most amazing make-up tutorials, that are beautifully edited and put together. If you don't know about her already, you have to check her out!
Desi Perkins Interview - https://youtu.be/2SyHp6tgT1A
A few weeks back I posted about my amazing day at the races to celebrate my Hen Do, in that I post I promised I would share what make-up I wore and where my outfit was from. I had planned my outfit a few months in advance, but didn't really have a clue how I would do my make-up until the day before my Hen Party. Nevertherless here's the final look I went with!
What's your go to favourite long-lasting make-up products, tweet me a picture or leave a comment down below.
Dress - Boohoo.com
1. Dress - Boohoo.com
2. Bag - Coach
3. Earrings - Old
4. Bracelets - Old
5. Shoes - Next
Face of the Day
Products used:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin all over eye lids.
- Benefit Porefessional on t-zone.
- HD Brows Pencil to outline the bottom of the brows.
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade in Medium Brown to outline the outer ends of the brows.
- Soap and Glory Archery Dual Ended Pencil to fill in any gaps.
- MAC Eyeshadows in Concrete and Wedge to fill in brows.
- Maybelline Color Tattoo in Eternal Gold all over lid.
- Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette in Half Baked over the lid and Smog in the crease.
- NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Sparkle Nude on the lower lash line.
- Maybelline Gel Liner in Brown in waterline and along the lash line.
- MAC Eye Pencil in Stubborn Brown use dover th etop of the gel liner.
- MAC Pro Longwear Concealer
- Make Up For Ever HD Foundation used with a damp Beauty Blender.
- Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
- Rimmel Stay Matte Powder to set my foundation.
- MAC MSF Natural in Medium Deep to contour.
- NYC Sunny Bronzer to contour.
- Benefit Rockateur Blusher
- Benefit Roller Lash on upper lashes.
- Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara on the lower lashes.
- NYX Lip Pencil in Rose
- MAC Lipstick in Hue
- Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
- Model Own Mint Icing Nail Polish
- YSL Manifesto Perfume
