Drugstore Make Up Look

I absolutely love drugstore make up so I thought I'd do a complete look using products that I've bought from Boots, Superdrug or Avon.

For foundation I used 17's Miracle Matte foundation which I bought the other day. I'm totally in love with this foundation. It's medium coverage, easy to apply, looks even and keeps my skin matte all day. To add more coverage I used my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer on my scars and spots and 17's Hide & Chic Brightening concealer underneath my eyes. I then went on to powder the skin with 17's Pressed Powder which is a lovely powder that keeps skin semi-matte and helps to hold make up in place. The highlight that I used was an Avon one in Moon Sand and I also contoured my cheekbones and nose with Sleek's Contour Kit. Finally, I used Barry M's blush in BL2 on my cheeks. It's a matte, bright pink so I added Accessorize's Merged Blush in Pretty Pink over the top to add shimmer and tone the pink down.

I used 17's Mardi Gras eye shadow all over the lid and in the crease to create a V shape which elongates the eyes. I then used 17's Glitter eye shadow in Chalice underneath the eyes to brighten them up. I then wanted to darken the look up so I used 17's Glitter eye shadow in Night Sky on the other corners of the eye. I love 17 eye shadows; they're cheap, buttery smooth and very pigmented. I also don't need to use a primer with them as they last a long time. I lined my upper lash line with 17's liquid liner and the tight line with Avon's Color Trend Kajal Stick in black. I then used GOSH's Kohl Eye Liner in white on my water line to brighten the eye area up. The mascara that I used was Revlon's Double Twist which is great for adding volume and length the lashes and on my brows I used Rimmel's Professional Eye Brow Pencil.

 17 Hide & Chic Eye Brightening Concealer, 17 Liquid Liner, Revlon Double Twist Mascara, 17 Miracle Matte Foundation, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 112 Ambre Rose.

Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick in Light Blue/Black, Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil in Brown/Black, GOSH Kohl Eye Liner in White, Barry M Blusher in BL2, Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light Brown, 17 Pressed Powder, Jillian Dempsey for Avon Highlight in Moon Sand, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink, 17 Glitter Eye Shadow in Chalice, 17 Eye Shadow in Mardi Gras, 17 Glitter Eye Shadow in Night Sky.

 17 Hide & Chic Eye Brightening Concealer, 17 Liquid Liner, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 112 Ambre Rose, Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick in Light Blue/Black, Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil in Brown/Black, GOSH Kohl Eye Liner in White.

17 Glitter Eye Shadow in Chalice, 17 Eye Shadow in Mardi Gras, 17 Glitter Eye Shadow in Night Sky, Jillian Dempsey for Avon Highlight in Moon Sand.

Barry M Blusher in BL2, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink, Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light Brown.

I really love this look. It's great for every day and can also be built up for going out. It's easy to recreate and because it's drug store, it's relatively cheap. What are your favourite lower end make up products?
xxx

Swatched - Favourite Blushers Part One

I'm a big, big blusher fan as I believe it can totally transform your face. A little bit of blush and instantly, you look refreshed, healthy and no longer tired. I have a variety of high end and drug store blushers and I thought I'd swatch them both for you. Later on today, my favourite blushers part two post will be up for you so keep an eye out and I hope you enjoy these! You can now view part two here.

L-R, Top to Bottom

Nars Blush in Deep Throat

This is such a beautiful coral colour that has the most gorgeous shimmer running throughout it. It's definitely my all time favourite blush and as soon as it's applied to my skin, I feel very pretty! It's easy to work with, pigmented and buttery soft.

MAC Sheer Tone Blush in Pink Swoon

This blush is perfect for every day wear. It's completely matte and although it looks a bit scary in the pan, it's a sheertone blush which means it's very sheer but easily buildable.

Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink

As the name describes, this really is a pretty pink. It has purple veins running throughout it that cancels out any tiredness in my skin and the silver shimmer running throughout it really perks up my cheeks.

Clinique Blushing Blush Powder in Iced Lotus

A stunning purple colour that is wonderful for nights out. I absolutely adore this blush and it's been in my collection for a really long time. The gold shimmer is beautiful and really highlights the skin.

L-R Accessorize Blush in Pretty Pink, MAC Blush in Pink Swoon, Clinique Blush in Iced Lotus, Nars Deep Throat.

Part two will be coming soon! What are your favourite blushers?

xxx

Current Favourites

I've missed so many monthly favourites so I thought I'd catch up a bit and do a 'current favourites' post. These are the products that I've been loving for a while now!

Clockwise from top.

Soap & Glory Breakfast Scrub

I've always loved this scrub however I find myself using it a lot more nowadays. With the weather in English slowly getting better (minus today) I'm wearing less clothing which means my skin needs to be as soft as possible. This smells delicious and also does the job. It's a bit expensive for a drugstore scrub but it's completely worth it.

 Avene Extremely Rich Compensating Cream

My skin has been a nightmare recently and at one point, it was completely dry. My make up wouldn't apply nice and I generally did not want to leave the house. Then this moisturiser came to the rescue. I'd always had it in my collection but I'd never really used it. It's a lovely moisturiser that smells fresh, sinks into the skin quickly and provides a gorgeous, supple base for make up. 

  Accessories Blush in Pretty Pink

This is lovely blush that can be used gently as a highlighter or full on a blush. There isn't much more that I can except for that I'll let the swatch do the talking.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

I've only just recently bought this after being a bit bored of my Collection 2000 concealer. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful full coverage concealer but I wanted to try something new. This appealed to me mainly because of the smell - it smells gorgeous and fruity! It's medium but buildable coverage and I find that with two coats, any blemishes are completely covered. It lasts throughout the day and it's also perfect for using underneath the eyes as it's anti fatigue.

Sigma Tapered Blending E40 Brush

I've always used a foundation brush to blend my concealer yet after 'discovering' Tanya Burr's tutorials I've been using this blending brush and it's amazing. It makes blending concealer so much easier, quicker and allows the concealer to look flawless.

Sleek Face Contour Kit Light

I bought this a while back but I didn't like it so I swapped it for something else. But I recently won it in Jess' giveaway and I haven't stopped using it since! I've been using it with a range of different brushes and I think that the brush you use makes a big difference to the product.

17 Photo Flawless Primer

The cheapest primer out there and I adore it. It fills in pores, makes make up last longer and provides a lovely, velvety base for make up. This is comparable to Gosh's Velvet Touch Primer yet it's just £4.99. A definite must have!

MAC Costa Chic

My current favourite lipstick! It's perfect dapped onto lips to create a stain or applied straight from the tube to create full on, powerful lips. You can view the swatch here and me wearing it here.

Trilogy Very Gentle Calming Fluid

As I mentioned earlier, my skin has been a nightmare recently and I've been finding it really hard to apply foundation without it sinking into my dry areas. This has been an absolute godsend. I pour my foundation out (Estee Lauder's Double Wear) and mix it in with this fluid and it waters down my foundation and makes the formula more like a tinted moisturiser - but with flawless, full coverage.

Lush Yummy Yummy Yummy Shower Cream

This has now been discontinued but before it was, I stocked up. I love the smell of this and I love the way that it lingers on your skin and in the bathroom after you've used it. It's also moisturising on the skin! The only problem is the consistency which is why it's been discontinued.

Britney Spears Radiance

As a big Britney fan I have all of her frangrances and this one is possibly my favourite. I'm no good at describing smells but it really is beautiful! I have 2 bottles of this perfume; one that I bought myself and another that I was sent by Britney's UK publicist for winning a competition - this is why I love the 100ml one more because it seems  much more special!

Amplex Natural Deodorant

I carry this with my everywhere because it's such a lovely deodorant. It's scentless, isn't sticky, doesn't leave marks and drys into the skin very quickly. Infact, I don't know why I carry it with me because I never need touch ups as it lasts all day.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

My skin staple. I just can't describe how flawless this cleanser is. You've probably heard about it a lot and it does not have one bad review written about it. It's completely changed my skin and I'm still in love with it - nearly a year on.

What products have you been loving recently? Have you tried any of my favourites?

xxx

January Favourites

Johnson's Baby Skincare Wipes, Tresemme 24 Hour Body Shampoo, Vichy Normaderm Moisturiser, Natural Collection Mango and Papaya Body Spray, Lush Bubblegum Lipscrub, 17 Wild Curls Mascara, Natural Collection Lip Liner in Almond, Bare Minerals High Shine Colour in Glisten, MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink, MAC Sheertone Blush in Pink Swoon.

I'm currently rediscovering Johnson's Baby Wipes after finding them on offer in Boots for just £1. They remove eye make up wonderfully and leave my skin feeling soft and soothed, they also smell beautiful - but remember, these aren't a substitute for cleanser! I love Tresemme hair care, it's my favourite and this shampoo never fails to impress me. My thin, flat hair always looks volumised after this has been used. I have a love/hate relationship with Vichy Normaderm moisturiser, some months I love it, others I hate it. But this month it's been a firm favourite of mine as it moisturises my skin but also controls shine and eliminates my pores. The Natural Collection body spray is something that I use every day - I've even had compliments on the way I smell. For just £1.99 it's a definite must have. And even if you don't like Mango and Papaya, they do a variety of different smells.

As for make up, Lush's Bubblegum lip scrub works wonders on my lips and leaves them feeling soft and ready for lipstick (especially as I've been wearing matte lipstick all month)! It also tastes yummy. I'm loving 17's Wild Curl mascara as it lengthens, defines, volumises and also curls my lashes, it's great for every day! Rimmel's Stay Matte powder is my all time favourite as it really does leave my skin completely matte and shine free - which is great for my horribly oily skin.

L-R Natural Collection Lip Liner in Almond, Bare Minerals High Shine Colour in Glisten, MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy, MAC Sheertone Blush in Pink Swoon, Accessorize Merged Blusher in Pretty Pink.

I've never owned a lip liner and I thought that it was about time that I did. So I decided to buy a Natural Collection one as it only cost me £1.99. It's a bit hard and not very nice to work with but it's practically the same colour as my lips and makes lipstick easier to apply and also lasts longer. I'm loving Bare Minerals eyeshadow in my crease for when I go out at night time, it's really vibrant and shiny and looks beautiful. Of course, MAC's Kinda Sexy lipstick is my all time favourite at the moment, it's great for day night and night time - so versatile. I love it! As for these two blushes, they pair very well together and can be built up depending on when they're being used!

What products have you been loving this month?

xxx

Accessorize Merged Blusher

When I went down to Epsom for my university interview on Sunday/Monday I went into Superdrug and saw that they had the new Accessorize make up range. I've been wanting to try out one of their blushes for a while now so I picked up one in 3-Pretty Pink.

I adore this packaging! Not only is it pretty and girly but it's also sturdy and feels very strong.

This colour is so beautiful. It's a pale pink that has shimmer running throughout it and also purple veins. I don't know what the purple veins add to the colour but it still looks pretty!

This colour can be built up to be used a blush or used lightly for a highlight. Personally, I like using it as a blush for day and then a highlight for night time. It's just so pretty!

I apologise for my horrible skin! It's getting better though :) You can't see it very well but you can see that the blush adds a touch of colour and really reflects the light! Lovely :)

What pieces would you recommend from this range?

xxx