Shopping My Stash September 2017

Shopping my Makeup Stash Sept-2017

Shopping my Makeup Stash Sept-2017

I have been reducing down my makeup collection for a good few months now & have found a good way to weed out products you don’t enjoy anymore is to rotate your makeup & shop your stash each month. That way you get to use more of what you have, discover products you may have forgotten about & also reaffirm why you might not reach for a particular product anymore & pass it on to free up space!

Doing this each month has helped me no end and it means at the end of the month I have condensed my collection down even further and It is becoming more manageable. I’m aiming to be left with only products I really love. #makeupgoals

Current Makeup Bag Contents

Mii Power Matte Lip Creme in Eternity

I think I will just have to accept that 9/10 matte lip products are just not going to be comfortable on the lips. This one from Mii Cosmetics isn’t too bad if I put a crap tonne of lip balm underneath to lessen the blow. I suffer through (slightly dramatic) because this shade is just beautiful and it is such an easy shade to wear. I love it and I am willing put up with the tight, dry feeling on my lips. I am sure that most people wouldn’t find it that bad but I don’t often opt for a matte lip, however I have fallen for this nude shade in a big way.

Essence Blush Palette in Play it Peach

I adore this cheek trio but it has found it’s way to the back of my drawer, so I am excited to use it more. The shades are nice and subtle and you get two beautiful blush colours and a highlight shade. I often use the highlight shade as an eyeshadow too – I just sweep it all over the lid to brighten up my eye look and it works a treat.

 Rosie for Autograph Cream Shadow Sticks in Feline Fox

I am going to be bold and say this cream shadow stick is my all time favourite and I don’t say that lightly. I have quite a few brands and shades in my collection but I always reach for this one. I took it away with me on my recent trip to Amsterdam and I wore it on a night out & my eyemakeup stayed in place all night long. This shade is a stunning deep bronze brown shade and you can either blend it out really well so it is quite light or go bold and wear it quite dark. Either way it doesn’t crease and it looks so good either on its own, under a powder shadow as base or worn as liner.

What Is In My Makeup Bag

Primer Plus Skin Adaptor Anti Pollution

This is a base that transforms to your skin colour to give you that fresh, even skintone. It isn’t going to give you the same coverage as a foundation but I like to wear this either under my base or alone as a lighter coverage. I would compare it too a tinted moisturiser, it gives you a nice amount of coverage whilst feeling hydrating and lightweight on the skin and it also leaves your skin looking smooth & beautifully radiant. I loved using it over the Summer so I am going to carry on using it as my everyday base. I love that it has helps protect my skin from the effects of pollution and free radicals.

Rimmel Brow This Way Styling Gel

This is the only brow product I have been using these past few months so it is no surprise that I am keeping it in my everyday makeup bag again this month. The brush is small enough that you don’t get product all over the place and are able to be quite precise with where you place the gel. It tames, enhances and keeps my brows in place all day so that ticks all the boxes for me.

Rimmel Wonderfull Mascara

Rimmel Wonderfull Mascara

This mascara helps to keep your lashes looking and feeling their best – it contains Argan Oil which is nourishing for your lashes and stops your mascara from going crispy and flaking. I have recommended this product to so many people this year and love how long and fluttery it makes my eyelashes look! My tube is almost finished so I wanted to keep it on rotation this month so I could use it up but spoiler, I am going to repurchase ASAP!

Current Daily Makeup

Essence The Cushion Eyeliner

I stopped wearing eyeliner earlier this year mostly because I am lazy but I think the colder months call for darker eye makeup so it is the perfect excuse to get my winged liner on! This Essence Cushion Liner is jet black and applies very smoothly, it isn’t as much of a phaff as you’d think, just make sure you have yourself a decent angled brush and take it slowly. Do not apply too much at once & I find I get the pointiest wings using this liner and it doesn’t bleed at all.

Rimmel Radiance Brick in Medium

I love these kind of multi-tonal powders & have a few in my collection from different brands and they are such so easy & effortless to use. I just swirl my brush through all the shades and sweep it across my cheeks & you get a lovely glowing, bronzed look. Think sunkissed & fresh faced rather than disco ball. I am not too sure how much I will use this in the colder months but I will apply it with a light hand – oh & I have used it as eyeshadow too, it works really well!

makeup swatches

Essence Blush / Rimmel / Rosie / Mii Matte

What products have you switched in & out of your makeup bag this month? I bought a new foundation whilst I was in Amsterdam so I have been using that all the time this past couple of weeks. I will be spilling the beans on what it is in the coming weeks so keep an eye out for that. Al I will tell you is it was under £5.

*This Post contains PR samples

Amsterdam Travel Makeup Essentials

My Travel Makeup Bag Essentials

My Travel Makeup Bag Essentials

Every trip I say ‘I’m going to pack light this time’ but I always end up taking products I never use, So I’ve tried hard (very hard) to be ruthless with what I take on my city break to Amsterdam. I will be decanting the foundations into little pots so I don’t have to take the big bottles. I do that with most of my skincare too – it saves so much space & the little travel bottles & pots are super easy to get hold of. I get mine in Wilko & The Poundshop. So let’s take a look at what I am taking with me.

Travel Makeup Essentials Amsterdam

I’m taking two base products one for the day & a more high coverage option for the evening. I like to wear a base during the day that provides a good amount of protection from the sun. So I’ve opted for my beloved Tropic Tinted Skin Shade as this has SPF50 and it gives a nice light coverage too. It looks natural but gives my skin a nice even, healthy colour. This has been my go to base all Summer and I am excited to take it away with me.

For my evening foundation I have to take my Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear as this makes my skin look flawless without having to build up the coverage. It is a decent medium coverage and has serious staying power. I always feel really confident with my skin when I wear this, it is that mix of good coverage but still lightweight enough that you don’t feel caked in makeup!

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup

For concealer I’m taking one that does it all and that is the I.T Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eyethis stuff is wonderful. It covers blemishes, redness and even hides dark circles and when I tell you you need the tiniest amount of product I am not exaggerating. It comes out quite thick but if you warm it up in between your fingers and take your time to blend it out, this concealer with work miracles. I have been recommending it to everyone.

I’m only taking one brow product with me and it is the Rimmel Brow This Way Styling Gel, It’s a nice dark brown shade so matches my brows perfectly. It gives them a good amount of colour & helps cover any sparse areas and I like that it keeps those unruly brow hairs in place too. Such a fuss free product to use.

Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Quad

I don’t wear too much eyeshadow these days (lazy beauty blogger) so I am taking one of the Rosie for Autograph Cream Shadow Sticks. I have the shade Feline Fox which is a gorgeous metallic mauve bronze and it looks great on its own all over the lid or as a base for eyeshadow. It is creamy and I just blend it out with my finger, makes doing my makeup in the morning quick and easy.

Also in my travel makeup bag is the Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita Eyeshadow Quad which is my goto for an evening smokey eye. I love the shade Pop which is a stunning copper pressed pigment with a pop of sparkle. You just press this on top of the finished eye look with your finger to make it look extra special. All the colours in this quad are beautiful and pigmented & I love it when I get chance to use it. I have to be careful with it though as a couple of the pans are loose and tend to fall out in my bag! Must remember to fix them at some point before I lose them altogether.

Travel Makeup Essentials

I’m not one to wear blusher too often so I have packed my Soap & Glory Wonderbronze which is a multi shade mix of blush, bronzer and highlighter. It is pretty swept across my cheekbones for a nice daytime glow. The shades in this also make nice eyeshadows too!

I’m also taking my new delilah Cosmetics Illuminating Powder which is just gorgeous and more of an evening highlighter. It is a really nice mix rose gold, soft peach and lavender pink – so you just swirl your brush and add it to your cheekbones, brow bones and I like to sweep a little down my nose too. It just brightens dull looking skin, giving it an illuminating glow.

For an all over face powder I have opted for my bareMinerals Perfecting Veil, this adds a touch of coverage whilst helping to minimise shine and keep my makeup in place and looking flawless for longer. This is a firm favourite of mine because you can wear it alone for a very light coverage or over your foundation for that soft focus finish.

Travel Makeup City Break

The Rimmel Wonder’full Mascara looks nice with just one coat for a subtle everyday look but you can layer it up for more va va voom lashes so that is why I have to take this with me. It works for both day & night. I like how nice and long it makes my lashes look but it is also very quick and easy to remove.

Lips, now this is always hard but I have been beyond ruthless and have only packed 3 options (who even am I?) This Essence Matte Long Lasting Lip Gloss only landed on my desk this week but as soon as I tested it it went straight into my travel makeup bag. OMG the colour is a dusky matte pink and it looks fab on the lips and feels pretty comfortable for a matte finish. I would say it is a nice velvet matte finish and I am in love with the sweet vanilla scent of these too. So excited to wear this.

I never travel without my Urban Decay Lipstick in Backtalk – It is my favourite lipcolour and always makes me look awake and pulled together. It is a nude toned pink and I just take it everywhere with me! Although it is another matte option it dries down to have a satin finish.

The third lip option is my favourite Clinique Chubby Stick in Roundest Raspberry which is one of the intense shades. It is a nice lipgloss, lipstick hybrid and It gives me a nice amount of colour and they’re so easy to apply on the go. They nourish your lips as the formula contains Vitamin E so that is a plus too.

Makeup Swatches Travel Makeup

Essence Matte Lipgloss in Girl of Today // Urban Decay in Back Talk / Clinique Chubby Stick in Roundest Raspberry

My Travel Makeup Favourites

Lastly I am packing two black eyeliners. The first is my Essence Gel Eye Pencil, I use this on my lower lash line or to smudge out for a smokey eye. This stays put and for a pencil liner the shade is very intense black. The other is my favourite L’Oreal Superliner. I get the Black Lacquer option as I find when this dries down it still looks glossy and bold. I can get the more precise flicks with this and also right up close to my lashline. It is one of my Holy Grail products and this is a fresh one for going away and we all know how well a brand new liquid liner performs (bliss).

So there you have it, my travel makeup. I think I have managed to pack light this year?! Let me know if you struggle to pack light and what products you always take away with you.

*This post contains PR Samples

Shopping My Makeup Stash August 2015

Shopping My Stash August 2015

Shopping My Makeup Stash August 2015 –

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer £17.50

In truth this is never burried too deep in my collection but I have been getting a few blemishes during August (stress of moving house) and Benefit Boiing is such a good concealer for covering up angry blemishes or even the dark scars that get left behind. I swear by this concealer, it is heavy duty but not cakey and it covers the offending spot ALL day long.

bareMinerals Mineral Veil – Translucent* £21.00

I have had this since March and have only recently discovered how good of a powder it is. I haven’t tried that many mineral makeup brands and the fact that you’re dealing with loose powder can be a faff but this has a great open & closing cap that you don’t get any fall out & that panic of it ending up either all over the bottom of your makeup bag or on the floor aren’t justified. Its so clean and easy to use, the powder itself is one of the most lightweight powders I have ever used, it is so finely milled and feels soft and smooth on the skin. I have been using it as a setting powder and July & August were great months to put it to the test, my makeup looked fab all day even during the crazy heat wave (which is now a distant memory).

What I love about this powder is it keeps oil at bay and stops my makeup deteriorating too quickly throughout the day. It helps make my skin look silky smooth and doesn’t dull down my makeup instead it helps it look more radiant and fresh. I know that bareMinerals does a version of this with SPF25 in which I would love to try.

Shopping Makeup My Stash

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover £19.00

This lip crayon feels so comfortable on my lips, its glossy formula feels very hydrating. This is a dinky deluxe sample sized NARS Lip Pencil and its so cute. The colour is a deep rose pink with a slight hint of gold running through, its beautiful and it looks really flattering on the lips. I tend to gravitate towards lip pencils and find them easy to apply. I’m pleased to have rediscovered this and think I’m going to keep it in my handbag to use as my transition from day to night lip colour. I think it makes a pretty going out lip colour because of the gold shimmer. Now I need to go out more so I can get more wear out of it.

Rimmel Wonder’full Mascara £7.99

Its taken me months to open this new mascara, I am such a mascara hoarder and I have quite a few unopened tubes waiting to be tested. This was a new release from Rimmel either at the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015 and it caused quite a buzz as its key ingredient is Argan Oil. For me the formula of this mascara is too thin, it feels a little watery and I needed at least 3 coats to make my lashes look good and it wasn’t good at holding a curl. If you’re looking for a mascara that isn’t going to be overly dramatic but will make your lashes look defined and fluttery then this will be right up your street. The brush is quite big and very flexible and has plastic bristles which I don’t mind, and it was easier than I thought to use.

I’ve been using this more on low key makeup days, as it lasts well throughout the day and doesn’t make my lashes feel crispy (must be the argan oil keeping them feeling quite natural). I did like that this mascara doesn’t clump or have any crispy fall out, so thats a plus. Oh & the packaging is super cute – it comes in a shiny copper / bronze tube and looks very luxurious and stylish. I will use it all up but would’t repurchase, I prefer the Rimmel Accelerator Endless Mascara

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Gorgeous Berries £8.99

How beautiful is this blush – I love baked blushers and this beautiful Creme Puff one from Max Factor has to be the best I’ve tried. There are six Creme Puff Blushers to pick from & It took me quite a while to decide, In the end I went for Gorgeous Berries which is just beautiful, and it adds such a pretty warm rosy glow to your cheeks. I have read a few reviews comparing these blushes to the Hourglass Ambient Light Blushers which is exciting as I don’t think I could spend that kind of money on a blush.

The shade I have gives your cheeks a really pretty wash of colour along with a sheen like glow, making it a two in one product. I love using highlighters & this blush gives you such a pretty glow so its not OTT. I am impressed with the pigmentation and just how pretty this looks on my skin. I want to pop back & get a couple more shades.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.