Make Up Revolution.

Make Up Revoltuion is BIG news right now, an affordable, easily accessible make up brand that delivers excellent products. Perfect for every budget. I invested in the Cover & Conceal palette, now this is perfect for light contouring and concealing a multitude of sins we may have committed over the weekend. This little palette is my Monday morning go-to hiding my "I wish I was still in bed" look and those dark circles that have appeared since I gave up one nights sleep to dance into the wee hours. 

The Creamy consitancy of the palette screams expense and at only £6 is a steal. The variety of colours is perfect for me, usually the lightest in foundation shades, if I can find my shade at all. The palette makes it easy to mix colours to build the perfect coverage. The combination of shades in the bronzer which can be mixed for all over glow, or be used separately to build up the higtligher more if you need or want to. I also invested in a liquid blusher, another thing ive always wanted to try but not wanting to give up my perfect shade by Laura Mercier. I have it in Vivid, a little really does go along way, when applied with a stippling brush you can achieved a lightweight healthy glow. 

BROWS. 

The whole world is BROW crazy right now, are they big enough? not big enough? Did someone say you can hide over plucking with careful colouring it? MUR's palette features a highligher, two shades of brown and a wax to keep the wild ones tamed. The cute angled brush is perfect for creating smooth lines and a nice arch, the tweezers are an added bonus, nothing worse than getting ready in a hurry to find out at lunch time one hair escaped your notice! A perfect on-the-go collection. 

I honestly couldn't recommend this brand enough. They offer an array of brightly coloured eyeshadows, lipsticks and nail polishes. check out www.makeuprevolutionstore.com for the full range! These 4 products cover all my essentials without breaking the bank, leaving more budget for fun activities, rock climbing anyone? 

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Products from £1. 

New August Beauty Launches

Introducing this months must haves from a series of our much loved brands... 

Sanctuary Spa launches Wonder Oil Serum, designed for all skin types with a hydrating and anti-ageing formula, launching just before winter is the perfect must buy and will also be the perfect gift for someone who takes care of their skin! RRP £19.50

If you haven’t heard of So Susan Cosmetics, take yourself over to www.sosusan.com and check it out, the grown up girly brand is full of make-up wonders designed to help you look and feel your best. This august they’re launching Flutter Mascara and a Dual Brow Powder, with brows and lashes still set to be a big focus this A/W they will definitely be two products you will need to hand.  The Dual Brow Powder is a game changer with a powder-to-gel formula, set to camouflage any gaps in your brows, perfect for when growing a new shape! Prices from £12.

Beauty classic brand Clarins, launches True Radiance Foundation with SPF 15 this month. A foundation that features an SPF is an absolute MUST in my box, I don’t understand any foundations or day creams that don’t include and SPF. This foundation is set to enhance rather than cover-up with skin nourishing ingredients. Including an Anti-Pollution Complex, perfect for us city dwellers! RRP £27, I will definitely be testing this out! .. I am still hunting down my perfect foundation partner..

Elemis has 3 new skincare launches this month, introducing a Hydra-Boost Day Cream for dry skin, built to strengthen the moisture barrier and stimulate water channels. The Hydra-Balance Day Cream, an ultra-light day cream which is the perfect balance for combination skin, which reduces pore size and rebalances the complexion. The Hydra-Nourish Night Cream which helps repair the skin overnight helping to rid the skin of toxins, ensuring you wake up re-energised. RRP £38-£42

Marks & Spencer is growing their beauty offering with a limited edition A/W, and offers one of the best own label beauty collections for a department store. Launching Face palette, Eye shadows, Bronzers and new twist up lip colour in a nude pink (I love their lip colours, I will be first in line for this one!) Prices from £10

NovaLash Lash Extension are launching into the UK market and bringing a few heroes with them, just like semi-permanent eye shadows which can last up to 24hrs. Prices TBC

Super sleek make up brand Urban Decay, renowned for their eye shadow primer launches the Perversion Mascara (LOVE the name) rumour has it boasts triple black pigment and a twisted trim on the brush. It is also has a partner in crime called the Subversion Lash Primer to add weight to thinning lashes, partner these with the Perversion False Lashes (latex free) and you’ve got a show stopping evening look to make everyone envious. Prices from £11.50-£17

DKNY is adding another must have fragrance to its resume with the launch of MYNY backed by Rita Ora in the cutest heart shaped bottle. Launching early august prices from £37.

Fashion designer Phillip Lim and ulitmate beauty brand NARS have teamed up to bring us 9 brand new nail polish shades for AW14, all of which are limited edition and will be ready to be yours on August 1st. Prices start at £14.50. Follow Nars @NARSissist on twitter to keep up to date on launches availbale from narscosmetics.co.uk and selfridges.

If, like me carrying brushes and powder takes up more space than you care to admit, then Jane Iredale has come to the rescue. revealing a refillable loose powder brush, i think it's the refillable bit that really captures me here, sold empty so you can really talior the colour of the powder, now that is a make up must have if ever I have heard one! RRP £28, available at Jane Iredale salons nationwide. Launches August 1st.

With a little help from Dairy Directory.

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Original Beauty Blender

If you wear foundation, you NEED one of these!

This Latex free little miracle leaves you airbrushed and line free when applying foundation, making it almost effortless to blend, and to over up any blemishes should you want to. I have always used my pinky finger to blend in the past until using the beauty blender. It also comes with a handy little Solid Cleanser for easy cleaning. I'm a bit of freak when it comes to brush cleansing (I keep my beauty blender still in the tube it came in). The Lavender scent of the cleanser is so much nicer, some cleansers can smell a bit to clinical or overly perfumed, a calming lavender is always pleasant. 

I would recommend getting the sponge / soild cleanser combo just purely for ease, its much easier and you can use the solid cleanser with other make up brushes too. With it being summer as well, if you needed to take your Beauty Blender on holiday, the solid cleanser would be one less liquid in your case! 

The blender allows you to really get the best of your foundation, I had never really considered that it was the tools and not the method or product that was not right with my made up face, (4 foundations later, I've discovered they're all perfect, it was just the brush that needed to be changed). You are able to blend the corners of your nose without going to cakey and even gently go quite close to the eye without causing future wrinkle damage as it really is gentle. Product wise you SAVE product, using less foundation per application because it really helps cover a large surface area with such a small amount - we're talking pea sized rather than 50p sized. 

A worth while beauty investment. Available on Beauty Bay RRP £26 (for the sponge and cleanser duo) HERE

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Becca - Shimmering skin perfector

Becca's skin perfector can be used all over the body, from cheekbone, to collorbone to adding a little contour to the calves. This is a summer time MUST. 

A versatile product that goes a little further than adding a little sparkle, I have the perfector in Opal because it it also adds a little bronze on top of highlighting. The lightly bronzed effect of the Opal colour is perfect for Spring / Summer.

Shimmering Skin Perfector reflects the natural light, so isn't just full of glitter, and also contains SPF 20+ which is an added skincare bonus!

A beach side must! Perfect for highlighting, or dabbing a little on bare faced skin for a little sunkissed glow.

Available from Space NK HERE RRP £33

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KIKO - Soft Focus Concealer

When it says soft focus, it means it, the concealer blenders into the skin camouflaging blemishes. This pen comes with a button end which means you can control the amount you put on and conceal benefits and literally a click of a button. 

I use shade 01 - it comes in 5 shades which are blendable, I also use a darker shade when contouring as they are so easy to apply. This soft formula glides on the skin and melts into your foundation base, or blends with a natural skin tone when going (almost) bare faced meaning it doesn't look to obvious.

I would recommend this to use alone beach side, or as part of an every day, or evening look. 

At the bargain price of £7.50 from KIKO stores or online HERE  

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Mary Kay Lengthening Mascara

The perfect mascara should makes me look like a fluttery temptress that 1) Lasts 2) doesn't flake off and make me look like an extra from the band KISS.

This is beautifully created mascara, and really does ad length to my lashes, doesn't clump and so far, doesn't dry up after only a few weeks use. I'm a firm believer that the brush of the mascara plays a HUGE part in the application, The thicker end is great for building a but of volume and thickness to the outer corners and the carefully curved brush helps to lengthen lashes for a subtle flutter. 

I have tried many a mascara, from many budgets and this one is one of my favorites! I'd definitely recommend to anyone wanting a mascara that does what it says on the tin. 

Priced at £16, found HERE

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I've Been Practicing...

I invested in a Liquid Eyeliner as practice before i move onto gel. I do love this one from Collection, its on the bargain end of my budget in comparisons to others, but with my lack of know-how when it comes to the eye flick i thought go bargain before i splurge and realise i can't get a grips with it.

I love this, because you can control how thick you go, and you can really build it up, it dries quickly, so you do have to move slightly quickly, but it comes off quite easy with a bit of eye make up remover, so if you do make a mistake there's no dark grey smudge giving you away. 

Here's my finished result - not bad for a rookie! The way im getting used to it is practicing every day and working into an every day look - I cant wait to go more dramatic for a night time look.

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Stay Matte Mousse - Rimmel

I can't live without foundation, its such a part of my routine, and it helps me feel normal. We put so much trust in a product to enhance ourselves, to enable us to feel ready to face the day, so why not research it? 

Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse Foundation is a lightweight creamy foundation that gives excellent coverage and has excellent staying power. I haven't been a fan of mousse like foundations in the past because the texture just doesn't feel right to me, (unless im eating it) My skin can also be oily in places one minute and dry the next so the Matte element did make me wary. Pleasantly surprised this foundation is quite hydrating.

Swatch for Ivory 100.

Rimmel is an excellent on budget brand which delivers its promises. Excellent value, only a small range of colours available, but they cover the basics. 

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M.A.C BB Cream

When iIm in M.A.C I almost feel like I've been dropped into a see of cosmetics and I don't know whether to run out the door, purchase everything or where to start. 

Wondering around the store, glancing at foundations, winter's almost here and my summery glow is mere weeks from disappearing for another few months (unless someone wants to take me on a winter sun getaway?)

I never know whether to go slightly thicker with my foundation in winter to hide from the harsh winds or to go slightly more dewy to avoid my skin being suffocated. This year, im going Back To BB.

With SPF35, if anyone does take me away this winter, I wont have to pack another SPF containing foundation. Sun protection is SO important in skincare and in foundations, our faces are constantly exposed to UVA and UVB rays (yes even in winter!)

What i love most about MAC foundations, and why I constantly go back, is the range of colours, for pinky tones, yellow tones and tanned tones - I'm sort of in the middle of pink/yellow. This is MAC BB in Extra Light, which is perfect, light sometimes can be slightly to dark for me sometimes. This is a really lightweight BB Cream, blends nicely, and can be layered up if you wanted a more doll like appearance, quite natural at the same time as having quite good coverage and long lasting.

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Seeing RED.

Let me introduce my two favorite REDs, with autumn approaching, i feel its almost time to start ditching the balm and sparkly gloss and get back to embracing the power lip. 

Mac Red (Left) and Ruby Woo (Right).

I am SUCH a MAC addict, their lipsticks are second to none for staying power, variety and colour power.

These two are my favorites for such contrasting reasons on one hand i want moisturising but not glossy, long lasting and non fading but i also want it to come off easy when its time for it to come off. (don't ask for much do i?) Enter MAC Red, a lightweight, so light I've forgotten im wearing it on several occasions and smudged it across my face. Rookie error i know, but you'd be surprised how often this happens.

Then, I want a powerful, statement lip. Then i turn to Ruby Woo, a classic in the red lip world. I feel applying a balm and letting it dry before applying it as because its matte it can be a bit drying and on colder evenings a pre-balm can be the difference between a powerful statement and cracks in the colour. 

Again MAC Red (left) and Ruby Woo (Right) Swatches:

Also recent invested a deeper, darker red for Autumn. Russian Red

Swatch:

Bring on Autumn,  my lipstick collection is ready!

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Dior BB Cream Review

Im currently on the hunt for my perfect fit cover up, whether is a BB, a CC or a foundation. Colour matching is so important, its tiresome but its ulitmately going to stop me looking like an oompa loompa. 

Dior recently caught my eye, and i'd never considered them for make up before and i was pleasently surprised. The Dior Skin Nude BB Creme is just such a fantastic product and at the higher end of my budget .(i am turning into an investor tho, so maybe this is a middle band budget product considering the results) 

Dior really delivers with this BB cream, its so lightweat, it lets my skinbreath, i have found that most foundations can be a bit stuffy. It glides on nicely, gives a nice amount of coverage and lasts. 

Its tube but its got a pump, no squeezing needed! Whoever had that decision in the creation process did good, i much prefer a pump based foundation.

I used Dior Nude Skin in Light. 

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Benefit Brow Zings

Benefit Brow Zings

Absolute brow saviour.

This double whammy product has a crayon like side and a powder side. To create the shape and colour i like i mix both sides together which is different to my usual pencil and liquid to tame the wild ones routine i have stuck to for a while.This product is definitely a revolutionary in the brow world and i can totally understand why it sells.

With brows being such an accessory in today's beauty world its important to find a shape and product that help to create your perfect brow shape and enhance natural colouring. I'm not brave enough to dive into tinting and too be honest i barely pluck my eyebrows, i was blessed with a natural arched shape and their mousy blonde in colour so a little bit of make up trickery can make them thicker and more defined in colour. This is not saying that I'm not a slave to plucking the strays cos there are a few but i am doing it less and less.

Brow Zing comes in different colours which is a huge help, i have found it difficult on my hunt for the perfect brow product to find one that comes in different colours, which is odd as their isn't a standard brow colour! I'm stickler for perfection to and when it comes to committing to a product it needs to survive a few tests, so off to Fenwicks i popped to torture the poor girls at the counter.

So they did my bros and me and brows carried on with my day. I wanna know how long it lasts, does it smudge and most importantly will anyone comment on my brow-do. I'll admit my fringe hinders the complimenting but i still hope... So how did it do?

Well, i really went all out and took myself to the gym (yes the gym) I did get a few puzzled looks (jealousy obvs) So post gym? well it was running down my face and the powder hadn't flaked anywhere, so congrats Brow Zing, onto my wish list you go!

I used Brow Zings in light :)

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