February 2018 Beauty Favourites

February Beauty Favourites

February Beauty Favourites

INGLOT 10 Pan Freedom System Palette

I have spoken about my love of INGLOT quite a few times and featured this palette a lot on my blog over the past couple of years, I really do use it all the time so it is only right that I keep putting it in my favourites. The shadows are fantastic quality and the range of colours and finishes is almost overwhelming, it took me ages to finally decide on the 10 shadows to put into my palette but the process was a lot of fun.

I love the palette itself, the magnetic lid which does not budge or come off in your makeup bag, and it is also actually quite slim. The pans are a very decent size and I pretty much have all of my favourite shadows with me in one cute palette. Let me know if you have tried INGLOT eyeshadows & if you have built your own palette too.

Essence Fresh & Fit Foundation

I can’t believe I haven’t spoken about this foundation sooner, I bought it whilst in Amsterdam last September (you can get it in the UK) and it has become one of my most used foundations. It’s a nice creamy consistency, it’s easy to blend and buff into your skin. I’d say it gives a nice even medium coverage, it covers imperfections and blemishes but still feels lightweight on my skin. Which is everything I look for in a base – decent coverage but that feeling that my skin can still breath!

This foundation is enriched with a complex of vitamin b3, e, pro-vitamin b5 and cranberry water, it is fantastic to see a budget-friendly foundation with such fantastic skincare benefits added to their formula. These ingredients are going to help your skin glow, look refreshed and awake.

The staying power of this foundation was for sure better when I used a primer but that is true for most foundations on my skin as I tend to get an oily t-zone. I would say this gave my skin a natural radiance and didn’t settle into my pores. It looks fresh, as the name would suggest and it’s just am easy to wear medium coverage base! I love it.

It comes packaged in a lovely glass bottle with a handy pump, the only drawback is the shade range, although I managed to find a good match for my skin tone this foundation only comes in 4 shades which isn’t so great. I hope they add more options in the future. Overall if you’re looking for a new cruelty-free, vegan foundation then I highly recommend checking out this Essence offering and it is only £5!

Essence Cosmetics Fresh and Fit Foundation

NIOD Photography Fluid Opacity 12%*

This is nothing short of liquid magic! It has been dubbed airbrush in a bottle – so what is it I hear you cry? It is a skin perfecting serum which uses refracting prism technology to even out all skin tone and gives you the most amazing natural healthy glow. It is flipping amazing.

This is a highlighter, primer and serum in one, it instantly blurs imperfections and gives a healthy dewy, even-toned radiance. Designed to create a photo-ready finish on all skin types, this complexion perfector creates a lit-from-within glow in seconds with a wide variety of light-refracting prisms, tone and hue correctors, and photo-finishing technologies.

Apply to your skin alone or under foundation to add sheer radiance and correct discolouration. It can also be mixed with other products for subtle radiance. Used under, over, or mixed with liquid foundation if you prefer more coverage.  It’s such an easy product to incorporate into your makeup routine. I haven’t ever used a product quite like this & I just can’t get across to you just how incredible it is, although I am trying.  I should do a whole post on this one product!

It is also vegan, cruelty-free and alcohol-free.

INGLOT Eyeshadow Palette Makeup

Benefit Dandelion Shy Beam Liquid Highlight

If you’re looking for a subtle more natural highlight then this is the one. It is a nude, pink semi-matte liquid highlight that gives your skin a refreshed, healthy radiance. It is easy to apply, I just use the brush to place the product on the tops of my cheeks and down the centre of my nose – it also looks pretty on your brow bones and I blend it is either with my beauty blender or just my finger. It looks pretty when the light hits it and what I really like is the fact there is no glitter or shimmer. It is a great everyday radiance booster and also looks pretty mixed with your foundation. These little Benefit liquid products last forever and are so easy to throw in your handbag, I often like to reapply throughout the day to refresh my makeup.

MUA LUXE Glow Beam Cushion Highlighter

Not quite as subtle as the Benefit highlighter, this MUA Cushion highlight offers more of a peachy – golden, warm-toned glow. The packaging is pretty although a little bulky and the puff is handy, but I just don’t reach for it. I prefer to use my beauty blender to ensure I apply it evenly. It is a liquid cushion product and I am waiting to see just how long it stays moist as I have a feeling it will dry out pretty quickly, that being said I do love using this as an evening highlight and it can look quite subtle or if you want more on an intense look you can build up the colour & effect to be more intense.

It is always nice to see affordable brands releasing on-trend products so we can all try them and Cushion makeup was certainly popular last year. Have you tried any cushion products, if so are you sold on them or think they’re too much faff.

MUA LUXE Glow Beam Liquid Highlighter

Benefit Dandelion Shy Beam Liquid Highlighter

Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner

When it comes to drugstore liquid liner Soap & Glory take the top prize, their Supercat liner ticks all of the boxes. It’s pigmented, sets down the perfect amount of product, doesn’t drag and the fine nib allows you to apply either a neat line or build it up to be more bold and thick.

This is a liner that would allow even the most self-confessed eyeliner novice to create the perfect winged liner. The nib gives you full control and isn’t too firm so you can create smooth lines without having to keep going over the same spot which often leads to the product bleeding into fine lines and getting very messy. This is one product everyone needs in their makeup bag (although I am sure most of you already own it). It’s pigmented, easy to use and long wearing.

Soap & Glory Gloss Stick in Nudist

Lip crayons are my goto lip product of choice, I find them so easy to use and this Soap and Glory one is a stunning everyday shade. It is in the colour Nudist and it enhances your lip colour giving them a pretty glossy finish. It’s a natural, subtle shade which has been living in my handbag – I apply it even when I’m wearing no other makeup, it makes me feel somewhat put together. Not only do they give your lips a subtle wash of colour but the formula is also very moisturising, oh & they smell so good too – I think it is a vanilla scent.

Current Makeup Favourites

Real Techniques PowderBleu Soft Complexion Brush*

I mostly use this brush for applying powder foundation but it also works well for blush too. This Soft Complexion Brush has a small, dense head which makes buffing in the powder so much more effective. I also love the long slim handle which feels nice in your hand makes applying my makeup really easy. This collection is stunning and incredible quality, it looks and feels luxurious and that deep blue colour is gorgeous and makes me want to use them all the time.

Let me know what you have been loving this past month & if you’ve discovered anything new that I need to try. I am on the hunt for a new mascara, I’d love it if you’d leave me suggestions in the comments.

Shopping My Stash Summer Edition

Shopping My Stash Summer Products

Shopping My Stash Summer Products

If you have read my blog for a while now you will know that I’ve been on a bit of a mission to use the products I already have and not spend as much money on makeup (the struggle is real). That way I get to shop my stash which is always fun and it leads me to rediscover so many lovely products. I like to rotate my everyday makeup at least once a month so I thought I would share a few of the products I’m using at the moment.

W7 The Naughty Nine : Mid Summer Nights Palette

I bought this last year and I love it, it might be more of an Autumnal palette but this is such a fantastic budget friendly selection of eyeshadows. The quality is very good and much better that you might expect from such an affordable brand. It’s dubbed as a dupe for the MAC Burgundy Times Nine Palette. I can’t comment on that but the colours do look quite similar. You get 9 shadows in the palette and I like the range of nude toned neutrals & the fact you get a good selection of coppers, cranberries and a few nude pink tones. There is a nice mix of mattes, satin finishes and shimmers all of which are pigmented and blend well. It’s unusual to find good affordable matte shadows but these are very good quality, in fact regardless of price this is an outstanding palette and one I highly recommend checking out. I like this palette a lot!

W7 Eyeshadow Palette

NYX Vivid Brights Liner

These came out last Summer and would be ideal for a cute Festival look, I have the violet shade which isn’t as bright as some of the other shades in the range but it is still a pretty colour. This has a very fine brush which makes it easy and fuss free to apply, it gives you a very clean, precise line. The colour is quite bold but not overly bright and it lasts all day without smudging. I like wearing this violet shade in the warmer months it is a nice change from my usual black or brown liner.

Bioderma Sensibio AR BB Cream

This is a fantastic base if you suffer with redness or have acne scarring as this has amazing coverage without feeling heavy on the skin. It is a multi action skincare and makeup hybrid and gives you that perfect combination of dermatological care and a great tinted coverage. This will cover uneven skin tone, redness and give you a radiant, glowing finish without feeling heavy or greasy on the skin. It is a great Summer base because of its incredible skin loving ingredients – Ginkgo biloba, green tea and soy which help to inhibit the factors that cause persistent redness. The active ingredients also work to reduce inflammation and immediately soothe your skin. It is also feels very lightweight and comfortable on the skin but gives you great coverage and I love that it has SPF30 protection too.

Clinique Chubby Stick Super Strawberry

These crayon style lip products are some of my favourite to use and Clinique have some really lovely shades available. This strawberry one gives your lips a wash of hydrating colour. It has a fresh glossy finish and this light berry pink is very pretty and flattering, perfect Summer lip colour.

Summer Makeup Picks

Rimmel Super Gel Polish in Coral Queen*

I have all the shades from this new Super Gel Beach Ready Collection but I really like this bright orange shade the best. I have worn it on both my fingers and toes and it is a fun Summer shade. It is vibrant and looks great with a tan. Rimmel nail polishes are always very good quality and the formula is easy to apply, fast drying and pretty long wearing too, so for me they tick all the boxes!

Garnier BB Cream 5-in-1 Eye Roll-On Light

This Garnier BB Eye Cream has a roller ball applicator which makes it a great travel concealer – fuss free and no brush needed. It has quite a hydrating / liquid consistency which is what makes it perfect to use under my eyes. It feels refreshing and it perks up my skin and makes me look more awake. It’s that ideal shade which brightens but still provides good coverage for those pesky dark circles. I love that the product doesn’t sink into my fine lines which is often a problem for me. This little tube lasts me for months and as I said it is perfect to travel with or pop into your everyday makeup bag.

Essence Blush Up Powder Blusher

Essence Blush Up Powder Blush

How beautiful is this peachy pink blush from Essence – it screams Summer.I love that this blusher has a ombre gradient effect and you get 3 different shades going from a stunning orange to a pretty pink. You can either use the colours individually or sweep your brush across the shades and pick up a mix of all three colours. This is really pigmented and not too powdery or chalky. I like that all three colours are matte so no shimmer in this at all. I’m excited to use this over the Summer to create some pretty looks.

Essence Blush Up Swatches

Makeup for a Summer look

MUA Luxe Glow Beam Highlight Cushion in Gold

Over the past few years we’ve seen quite a few of the luxury high-end brands like YSL, Dior and Chanel bringing out cushion products inspired by the Korean beauty market and it’s never long before the high street follows suit. I love MUA as a brand and their product selection is fantastic and really good quality too, so when I saw that they had released a cushion highlighter I was very excited to try it out. It is a peachy gold highlight and it can look quite subtle or if you want more on an intense look you can build up the colour & effect to be more intense. I use it on the tops of my cheeks and under my brow bone and it applies so well to the skin, it doesn’t accentuate my fine lines and when it catches the light it looks so pretty

Favourite Summer Makeup Products

Urban Decay Beached Bronzer in Bronze* 

This is a really nice warming, matte bronzer, Its perfection. It doesn’t look muddy or orange, it warms up your skin so you look more sun-kissed and less like you’ve been tango’ed. I think for £20 that this is a great product to add to your makeup bag for Summer, especially if like me you like to avoid getting a tan but like to look bronzed and healthy. The packaging is adorable and the palm tree detail on the compact and the packaging is good quality, slim and you get a great sized mirror in the lid which is handy for reapplying your lipstick throughout the day.

What products have you added to your makeup bag for Summer?

*This post contains PR Samples and Affiliate Links