Current Favourites | July 2015

From the dry shampoo that delivers oomph, to the perfect brown lip duo. These favourites have very quickly worked their way into my everyday routine, and will happily remain there. July along with its' temperamental weather has overall been a delightful month. Working IMATS left me fragile on my feet, and just that bit poorer than usual. On an even higher note, the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser (what a mouthful aye?) has been working wonders for my combination/ dry skin. The formula itself is creamy, nourishing and soothing, but then when used with the hot cloth, slightly exfoliates and removes all nasties from the skin's surface. Who would have thought it, cloth and cleanser- the dynamic duo of the skincare world. Superdrug's Naturally Radiant line is almost always on offer, but even at its' standard price it's still only £5.99 and claims to 'Awaken skins natural glow'- who wouldn't want that? Another product that has been fabulously contributing to my complexion, is the brand spanking new Makeup Forever Ultra HD Foundation. With supposed 'Invisible Cover', this foundation is as light as a feather on the skin and blends beautifully. A battle commenced when trying to get this product at IMATS, but after a lot of dedication and shuffling, I got my hands on it. The packaging is sleek, and classic of course, and the 'ultra' formulation has a medium to build-able coverage. When applied to the skin it 100% has a more natural, sheer finish in comparison to the HD Original. Great product for those of us who don't like a lot of foundation on the skin.

 Having not really been a fan of cat-eye glasses, these Topshop Sadie Cateye Sunglasses have not left my side. They're my personal Summer essential, and really frame my face well. Despite being a controversial pair for some, there's no denying that they instantly add class to any outfit. Speaking of Summer... oily hair is always a no, but with all this heat and sweat sometimes it's inevitable. The Batiste Dry Shampoo has been in every magazine, blog and favourites- and for good reason. It's not only a quick solution for those of us on a busy schedule, but is also great for adding instant volume to flat and dull hair. For hair that gets really oily really quickly, this is a can sent from heaven. For those who don't know, I am the real brown lips queen- not Kylie. A fellow friend and MUA recently recommended 'Cappucino' Lip Pencil by Rimmel, and in her words..."It's like Wonderbra for lips". The colour is brown with an ever so slight warm tone to it, making it fab for plumping your lips without all that shot glass business. It works well when used to define the natural lip line, and is perfect when married with MAC 'Taupe' Lipstick- yes, another brown. This typically creamy and pigmented lipstick by MAC, has just the right amount of warm undertone to make your lips look and feel fuller. 

How To Get Perfectly Glowing Skin

Glowing, dewy and radiant looking makeup has been an on-going trend for what seems like forever. This sort of finish, when done correctly can add a natural glow to the skin, making it celeb worthy and summer ready. Hydration, amongst a solid skincare routine will contribute more to this look, than that shimmery highlighter you bought, and hoped would give you a fresh, radiant appearance. The concerns of, is there a fine line between dewy and oily, are always lurking near, but whether you have oily, combination or dry skin. Here's how to achieve radiant, J-LO skin with simple products, and time on your side.

Start by brightening the darker points of your face. Use concealer a few shades lighter than your actual skin tone, and apply to the center of the forehead, bridge of your nose, the cupid's bow and finally, under those little bags of doom. Pinky/ peach under-toned concealers work fabulously to achieve a brighter face, and can be found in the form of both drugstore, and high-end products. The Maybelline Instant Anti-age Concealer is light, blend-able and perfect for creating a radiant base. If you would prefer to correct then conceal, that is completely up to you, but the idea and focus of this whole makeup look is minimalism. We don't want layers of concealer bunching between every wrinkle, or patches of cakey and dry product. With this in mind, it's time to get that glow. Choose a foundation that again, is light and promotes a dewy finish. Apply sparingly and only in the places that you really need it. Aim to blend everything together- as apposed to creating too much coverage. The Bourjois Healthy Mix range, is outstanding for radiant skin at an affordable price. MAC Face & Body, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk and Rimmel Wake Me Up, are all foundations that also help to achieve a dewy, flawless and radiant skin finish at varied prices.

Now, on to highlighting. An essential ingredient that can either make or break your final look. Some say cream, others say powder- I say both! Liquid/ cream highlighters are great combined with other liquids, so to really get that radiant outer-glow mix in with your moisturizer or foundation. The Body Shop Radiant Highlighter (shade unknown), is a handy tube of goodness that proves very versatile when it comes to makeup application. Mix in with your favorite liquid foundation, or even dab it on the higher points of your face, and you will achieve a fabulously fresh face. Oilier skin types should then use a translucent powder to set only the t-zone, Illamasqua Loose Powder in '010' smells lovely and tames oil perfectly. If you feel like you need some extra oomph, go over the places where you applied the cream highlighter very lightly, with a large fluffy, and your chosen powder highlighter. Set it and protect- my favourite step (especially with the 35°C  weather). Setting Sprays are sometimes cliche and there's always this question of 'do they actually work', but products like the Avene Eau Thermale Spring Water and MAC Fix+, are all the rage and help to finish off your look. The Avene product is like a light mist of heaven that helps to add radiance to your skin, it moisturizes and sets the work you have just created.

My advice from this point is to steer clear of glittery products that will result in you looking like a Las Vegas Showgirl. Use a light hand, and of course- less is more. 

Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser Review

It's no secret that under-eye circles are the bain of every woman's life- along with large pores and grey hair. It's so important to not pack on, and over-apply product under the eyes, as the skin is very thin and sensitive in that area. If there's too much going on, the skin will generally crease, cake and look like crap. If you are tired of those stubborn dark circles, and need a little pick me up- look no further.

Despite this product having different names, it is in fact an all-time favourite as far as drugstore concealers go. It works perfectly for tired, dry and dark under-eye imperfections, AND retails for a cheap and cheerful £7.99. The formulation of this little gem is light but in no way sheer. The coverage is build-able making it brill for all your skin's desires and most importantly, blends like a dream. This is in no shape or form, a correcting concealer, if you are looking to correct dark tones under the eyes, this isn't what you're looking for. It does however, work well to brighten under the eyes and helps with uneven tones and shades around the eye area. Not only is it creamy, but also is long-lasting and gentle for your delicate little peepers. Maybelline claim that this "next generation of concealer" is formulated to reduce fine lines in appearance, and cover your dark circles flawlessly. The recipe to this product calls for Goji Berries, which apparently enrich the formula and hydrate your eyes- who knew? I can't disagree with any of this, it keeps my under-eyes hydrated and bright for hours, and also is great for popping into your purse. My product has seen better days and isn't exactly brand new, but over the last couple of months, this 6.8ml baby bottle has lasted me months with so much product left in it! 

Lets talk about the applicator...The only two faults I have on this bad boy is 1) the lack in shade range, and 2) the bloody applicator. Now in Maybelline's defense the sponge/ foam applicator is so soft upon the skin, and comes with a trusty plastic lid, BUT it's just so unhygienic. When I think about all the germs that this innocent sponge picks up, I cringe but it does in fact distribute the product evenly and well. Although this concealer is not freelance friendly, (unless you use a brush) it is outstanding for the price, available in your local drugstore and highly recommended by bloggers and product experts. If you're yet to find an affordable concealer that you adore, definitely try this!

Pros 

-  Brightens your under-eyes & perks up your whole face.

-  Blends flawlessly, helping to reduce fine lines.

-  Long-wearing and light.

-  Build-able coverage, ranging from light to medium.

-  Perfect for on the go makeup application (tote touch-ups).

Cons

-  Lack of shades, doesn't cater to darker skin tones.

-  Unhygienic applicator, collects germs and product build-up.

Lee Stafford Chopstick Styler Review + Demo

Lee Stafford CHoPstick STYLER 

Price: £19.99

Stockist: Argos 

Whilst Kim K goes from long and luscious to short and defined, I've been experimenting between straight and mega curly styled hair. For thin spiral, Afro-tastic curls I have found the most perfect styling tool that creates Foxy Cleopatra hair. Firstly, no matter how resistant your hair is to heated curling tools, this bad boy will guarantee you the big hair you've always wanted. There are no heat settings on this tool, just your bog standard on/off switch, however the temperature of this baby is quite high, so make sure to prep your hair with a decent heat protectant. The chopstick styler provides instant volume with it's stick thin, slightly squared wand- it really is a chopstick I guess? Depending on how small the sections you take are, the tighter the curl. By taking larger and thicker sections of hair you can create looser type curls. The only niggle with this wonder wand is that sometimes the wand itself, can almost stick to the hair making it quite difficult to unravel the curls.

My just below, should length hair curls in around 30 minutes; simply because I like to take smaller pieces. As you can see from the photographs below, I love creating a tighter curled look that contrasts with my waved everyday hair- it's fun and different! The different ways I like to wear this style is firstly, in a middle parting. It adds so much volume and makes my noticeably oblong shaped head, well less oblongy? For a quick but subtle change, I will often swoop my whole mop over to one side, with a side parting; this emphasises the curls, making them super wild. Finally, a style I like to wear that is slightly childish and reminiscent of Saved By The Bell days but nevertheless, still cute- the half up, half down look. This style is perfect for when your locks start to get a little greasier and is quick, cute and big! When curling my hair with this tool (which I've done a lot recently) it genuinely stays put for 2-3 days, and that's without hairspray!

What's your favourite styling tool at the moment?

Revlon Brow Fantasy Review + Eyebrow Routine

Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil & Brow 'Dark Brown' 

Over the years, eyebrows have slowly but effectively become an important trend for both the catwalk and at-home selfies. Cara Delevingne sent the media into a spiral with her thick and dark brows, and slowly after the beauty community was overwhelmed with new brow products. According to Cosmopolitan "Brows can totally make or break your beauty look", and I completely agree. Eyebrows have the power to frame your face, compliment your hair and often pull your whole make-up look together. There isn't really such thing as a 'Perfect Brow'- work with what you've got and avoid the scouse brow at all costs.

Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil & Brow 'Dark Brown', £5.00

This 2-in-1 product not only is on offer at the moment, but is everything you could possibly want in an eyebrow product. Let's start with the pencil side- a formula that isn't as pigmented as an eyeliner, therefore perfect for soft, natural application to the brows. This pencil makes replicating hairs a piss-easy job and glides on beautifully to fill sparse and imperfected areas. The gel side is really what makes this product- the formulation of the gel is nothing heavy, sticky or extremely pigmented. When it comes to gel brow brushes, this has to be one of my favourites, simply because it adds colour and structure to the brow hairs- and it's just the right size. Despite just sounding like your basic, standard brow product, this baby is long-lasting and doesn't give your brows that stiff finish that can often result from brow gels. Pencil and gel duos, in my opinion get no where near enough praise for their performance- and it's about time they did. For travel friendly purposes, and as a purse staple you can't really go wrong with a reasonable and affordable price of £5. Besides receiving numerous compliments on my brows since using this product, it has also helped to keep my long-haired brows tamed and in place all day-everyday. The only thing left to fault this brow-saver, is the lack of product you are actually getting. Revlon have been a tiny bit stingy, but how can you complain with such fabulous results?

MY BROW ROUTINE -

I was thankfully blessed with naturally good eyebrows but don't let this fool you, a lot of thread was sacrificed in the making of these bad boys. Threading was introduced to me at a fairly young age and is how I got the shape just right. Over the years I have over-plucked, needed to pluck and bodged them up on more than one occasion, but now I just let them blossom until they really need doing! When grooming them myself, I thread the area above the brow and then pluck stray hairs below. After this I use eyebrow scissors to trim any longer hairs, and then smother them in a moisturiser or serum of my choice- Cocoa Butter usually does the trick. You will see in an upcoming post what order I do each aspect of my face but for now, all you need to know is that my brows are done after my foundation. I begin by using the pencil side of the Revlon Brow Fantasy and lightly fill in sparse areas, and imitate hairs very softly to create a natural brow. I then follow this up with the gel side of the product, and run this through the whole of my brows to lock them in place and add a more brown tint to my nearly-black brows. If I've really messed up whilst plucking and need to fill them in a bit stronger, I will always use MAC 'Cork' eyeshadow with my Real Techniques Nic's Picks Eyeliner Brush.

So, as you can see the pencil really helps to add a fuller look to the brows- nothing over the top or rachet. I have focused product mainly on the outer part of the brow, if you add too much colour to the front of the brow, it will almost always look unnatural. Of course there are no rules to make-up, if you want scouse brows- you do it girl. What are your opinions on brows?

What are some of your favourite brow products?