Boots Haul ft L'oreal & Collection

I'm With working a lot  lately, I've not been able to take my time and enjoy perusing the aisles of Boots and Superdrug as much as I'd like, in fact I've built up quite an extensive wishlist so goodness help me and my bank balance when I finally do have the time. I did manage to sneak in one evening this week for like 10 minutes whilst waiting for my bus and when I say 10 minutes, it really was just that so I managed to quickly pick up a few things just.  

The first thing I was dying to pick up and have wanted for ages is the L'oreal True Match foundation, I was always a bit wary whether to order it online because of the undertones but whenever I saw the paler shades in store, I got swatching and found the 'perfect match'for my skin in N1. At the time Boots was having a bit of an offer spree and the one that naturally caught my eye was the 2 for £14 one on L'oreal makeup products, now the foundation usually retails around £9.99 so for £4 more I saw no harm in picking up an additional thing. 

After being torn between so many beaut products, I opted for the L'oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara, I'd recently ran out of mascara and I remember hearing lots of good things about this one so killing two birds with one stone for £4 seemed worth it. After that I stopped by the Collection stand and picked up another lasting perfection concealer, you can never have too many sitting about and realised that there was a foundation alongside it. Now I've heard plenty about the concealer, the foundation not so much and as it was reduced I thought I'd give it a whirl and see if the foundation is just as magical as the concealer so be sure to keep an eye out for that post. 

As I said I managed to pick up these four in the space of ten minutes and althought it's not a massive haul it's big enough for a ten minute stop off and surprisingly, or not so surprisingly I've bought a few more things since writing this post but I might just save that for an extra long haul post at some point. I'm just eager to start using them all :) 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

P.s what drugstore items have you been loving/buying lately? & what else from L'oreal is a must have for the makeup bag? I need to branch out more 

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December Beauty Favourites

Its hard to believe this is my last beauty favourites of the year so I thought I'd try and end on a high, it's also the most colourful bunch of favourites I think I've shown in the one post, what a joke. All of my favourites are actually old beauty products that I've fallen back in love with, there's absolutely no new things, I think thats also due to the fact I tried to save my money for Christmas presents and parties and the like and not on me - I couldn't justify the spend so yeah heres my December faves... 

My ultimate favourite which will be probably featured in every favourites post I write for the next year (well, maybe not a year but you get the picture) is my personal MAC quad - I'm actually going to write up an individual post about this but I really wanted to stick to neutral colours because lets face it thats as experimental as I get and I love all four of these shades to bits. Another thing that I'd forgotten about was my Collection concealer and I didn't even think that could happen, I lost my old tube and bought a replacement and lost that too so I was making do with lighter coverage concealers I had but it just wasn't the same so when I found it, eventually, you can imagine how happy I was!

Rebel is another firm favourite of the month, red lips definitely scream Christmas so for the days when I wanted a bold lip but not too bold I was reaching for this - nothing beats a berry shade and I'm so glad that I have this as a go to! I've also more recently been reaching for a lighter base - this is more for work when I really can't be bothered but don't want a full face of makeup and no matter how many times I'd tried it in the past the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation just didn't give me the coverage I needed but I tried using a different foundation brush and it just seemed to work so I've been applying this to my face at every opportunity since.

This sort of ties in with my last favourite and if you read my post a while back you'll know I ordered a bunch of brushes off Ebay and I haven't been using anything else since, no joke. They're mainly for applying foundation but even still, I might just have to buy a few more. So there's my beauty favourites over with for 2014, hope you enjoyed them :)  

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
P.s what beauty things have you loved this month?

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August Beauty Favourites

Although I'm upset about summer coming to an end & all that, I can't help but be excited for the Autumn months right around the corner, one of my favourite times of year! It seems crazy that another month has flew in again but after posting my non beauty favourites throughout the week (link here) I realised that I hadn't posted my beauty favourites - probably the more important of the two, so here's my august beauty favourites! 

My all time favourite this month has to be my MAC studio fix, now I know I'm seriously late to the party with this one but now I'm hooked. I usually tend to wear more drugstore foundations on a day to day basis because let's face it, there a lot easier to replace but with the studio fix I can't help myself, I look at all my foundations to choose one and this still comes up top. I'm also posting a review about this next week (that's why I'm trying not to go into too much detail). With any foundation you need a good concealer and for this month I've been using my 17 phwoarrr paint, so much so that I've hit pan! It's much easier to use in the summer months because the heat melts it slightly and makes it easier to apply, compared to normal when to you have to melt it yourself.

During summer everyone has the bronzed and glowing look (whether it be real or fake) and so bronzers are a girls best friend. I've been alternating between two depending on whether I want a subtle or more noticeable look. The first bronzer is The Body Shops Honey Bronzer in the shade light, for once I'm not the lightest shade! And it's wonderful, I love the packaging, the detail on the bronzer itself and of course the product - it provides a very natural bronzed look to my cheeks, just what I need for days I don't feel awake yet. The second bronzer was one that had been lying in the back of my makeup drawer, the Natural Collection Bronzing Pearls but I've found that these act as a bronzer/highlighter in one and a light swirl of this just finishes off my look perfectly.

As you know I've an on/off relationship with the Maybelline Brow Drama but this month we've been getting along and instead of stressing over what way my eyebrows look I've just been using this and I don't have that worry - it sorts them right out. I also repurchased my Collection felt eyeliner and because I can apply it without looking like a panda I've been opting for this a lot on my eyes as it makes them look bigger and more awake. Lastly I've been loving my Kate Moss lipstick in 03, I'm not usually a nude lip sort of person but this lipstick is just a really nice colour and I don't have to panic about it going anywhere through the day - amazing! So that's my beauty favourites done, hope you enjoyed it :) 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

P.s What've you been loving throughout August? 

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June Beauty Favourites

Its a cliche statement I know but I can't understand where the month of June went, it seemed like yesterday I was writing my May favourites! June was such a busy month and honestly my favourite of 2014 so far, (maybe turning 20 wasn't as bad as I thought it would be) it was filled with lovely weather which is completely rare and wonderful memories. I even attempted daily blogging which although I didn't make 30 posts exactly, I didn't post that little either, 20 something I think? which is still a massive achievement and this will be my last of the month so I thought it was only fitting to do my June beauty faves post.   

If you read my whats in my makeup bag post (link here) you'll probably recognise most of these products, if not all, but they're items that probably haven't shown their face on my blog enough. Since its been so sunny I haven't been wearing that much makeup and therefore I've had less favourites in June, who in their right mind would put makeup on to lounge around the garden (ahem, my neighbour) 

When I have ventured outside with friends and family however I've been sticking with a light emphasis on the light base which is quite unlike me but touch wood, I've been having clear skin lately and I hope its here to stay. Therefore the Maybelline BB cream (which has SPF 15) is the answer. I think this was the first BB cream I bought and its still a firm favourite, when it was released everyone complained that the ordinary bb cream was too dark so I picked up the oily skin version which is at least 2 shades lighter and when paired with my Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer they create the perfect light and glowy base. 

As for cheeks I've been reaching for my Sleek face form palette as its the perfect trio - contour, blush and highlighter and is a lot easier to carry around with me for touch ups throughout the day. I've been using it on and off for a year nearly and there's barely a dent - definitely worth it! As for eyes I've been getting into using eyeliner again (I will perfect it at some point) to give my eyes a bit of definition and throughout June my favourite lip product style has been nudes, this is an unusual one for me since I usually like a statement lip but I've really been loving the nude lip and bronzed complexion look especially shade 3 from the Rimmel Kate Moss collection. 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo  

P.s what beauty products have you been loving through June? 

Drugstore Concealer Post

I've never really been a concealer kind of girl until about a year or so ago, I luckily didn't wear makeup on a daily basis to school (which I think saved my skin), didn't suffer from any bags under my eyes or mass breakouts and honestly I didn't think it made much of a difference if I had a high enough coverage foundation on my face. Oh how wrong was I?

Most University students suffer from a lack of sleep, although you'd think it would be the opposite... mine usually stemming from the early morning lectures, others usually because they were enjoying themselves far too much the night before but still, concealer has became a miracle cure to help me some how not look like death warmed up in the mornings. As of yet I haven't tried any high end concealers as I find these do the trick just fine and are super affordable for all budgets so I thought I'd compile a few of my favourites at the moment.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer: If you haven't heard practically everyone and their mother raving about this, I don't know where you've been. This concealer is raved about all the time and for good reason, before I even started reading blogs this was my concealer of choice mainly because it did the trick and was so budget friendly but I'd no idea everyone felt the same way. It provides the best coverage and the shade 'fair' is a perfect match for my skin, it doesn't emphasis any dry patches and lasts throughout the day. It hands down is my favourite concealer I've tried to date, the only downside being that the packaging rubs off and is left a bit unsightly as you can see in the pictures, or you could say well loved.

MUA Hide & Conceal: This is an old concealer that I had lying around in my makeup stash but its well loved nonetheless as its almost empty, I think I picked it up on a whim one day in Superdrug. Its a close match to my skin tone and I used it not as a concealer as you might think but rather a highlight around my eyebrows and above my eyes in case I needed to fix something or brighten it up a little. Its slightly drying but I didn't use it all over my face so I guess thats a good thing, honestly for a £1 you can't really expect it to be faultless but who knows it might work better on others than it did for me.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer: This concealer is slightly darker than my skin tone, similar to its foundation but its ever so creamy in formula. As strange as this seems I don't actually like covering blemishes with it as similar to the foundation it provides a 'radiant glow' and emphasis them rather than hiding them. Therefore it is now my beloved under eye concealer/highlighter and it makes all the difference in the mornings giving the impression that I'm wide awake and got a whole 8 hours sleep instead of 5.

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint: I popped this concealer into my basket mainly because the packaging intrigued me, until recently I'd only used concealers that had a wand and this was something completely different. At first I wasn't really fussed with it because I couldn't for the life of me work out how to get it to sit right but after some playing about and a little warming of the product it is now my go to blemish concealer. It states that its 'heavy duty' and originally for under the eyes but I don't like anything too heavy under my eyes so this works just fine. I thought it would be a little drying but its sooo creamy and lasts all through the day, a lovely surprise! :)

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

Tag // I heart drugstore makeup

I think I may have mentioned in a post before how often I'm drawn to tag videos on YouTube and the same goes for blog posts, I see the word tag and I'm a goner. This being said, I shock horror, haven't wrote any tag posts of my own in the whole 4 odd months of blogging which is crazy. Since it's so overdue and I'm midst revision stress I thought it seemed fitting. The one for today as you may have guessed from the title is the 'I heart makeup' tag.
  

1. What is your favourite high street brand over all? 
This is a tough one, my favourite brands usually depend on who has the best releases and how much I've fallen in love with their new products which ranges from practically anyone but overall I'd have to say Rimmel, everything I own of theirs is wonderful.

2. What are your favourite face, cheeky and lip products? 

My go to foundations would surprise surprise be either the Rimmel Match Perfection or the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, just depending on what type of coverage I'm in the mood for or more importantly how generous my skin is being that day. Any drugstore makeup for your face wouldn't be complete without the use of the famous Collection concealer as well.

For cheeks I'm not really the biggest fan, I could easily go out with just foundation or concealer on but lately I've been making a conscious effort to try and my blush collection has seriously expanded! The MUA mosaic blush on one end of the drugstore scale is lovely and poses as a shimmery highlight too.

As for lips, I'm soo torn between the Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks both matte and normal and the new Revlon Matte colourburst balms, can you tell I like matte? and crayons? Both are unbelievable and if I had to narrow it down even further the Revlon crayon Sultry is my absolute favourite.

3. What is your least favourite high street product? 

In general lipglosses, I'm just not a lipgloss kind of girl, I have a couple that I've purchased from different brands but again none of them have seemed to change my opinion.

4. What is your favourite makeup bargain?

Although I rarely venture into Superdrug anymore, curse my lack of free time MUA is still the cheapest and has the most surprising quality products. Overall my favourite would be the mua eyeshadow palettes or my trusty eyebrow pencil which is only £1, crazy I know! Also it'd be silly of me not to mention my baby lips in cherry me, I feel lost if I leave the house without it.

5. What is your favourite underdog product? something you love that often gets overlooked

I know that they were released absolute years ago but the Collection cream puff is a firm favourite of mine in the shade Fairy Cake, its matte and a little drying but if you prep your lips with some vaseline just before its not a problem. Its the absolute perfect colour and rarely needs a top up, even after eating.

6. What product do you find overpriced? 

Mascaras! In the drugstore you're lucky if you find one under £7 that actually does what its meant to do, its frustrating really because I don't have dark lashes and can't get away without wearing it. That and I haven't found my perfect mascara yet so please feel free to leave recommendations.

7. Your best bargain dupe? 
Either the MUA eyeshadow palette in heaven and earth for the naked palette or else the Rimmel Kate Moss Matte lipstick in 107 for Macs Rebel. Both amazing dupes!

8. What high street beauty product do you think isn't worth the hype? 

This is probably going to be an unpopular one but the Barry M Gelly nail polishes did absolutely nothing for me at all, there was so much hype that I left it a while and when Boots had a cheeky 3 for 2 on I picked one up. I thought they would be amazing but it was probably one of the worst polishes for staying on my nails, I think it chipped within 2 days and it had like 3 coats or something. Dissappointing because I'd tried their normal range of polishes and loved them, weird!

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
p.s feel free to do this tag yourselves or let me know what your drugstore favourites are! 

Empties #1

This is a short post for a change and my first time doing an empties or products I've used up post, mainly because I never usually use products fully which is a really bad thing to admit but so true. Instead of waiting for something to run out, I'll just get a replacement and use it instead - a habit I should probably change.  

Most of these are just day to day essentials that I've used up over the past month, since it's coming in to the Spring weather and my skin hasn't been acting up I've been reaching for a lighter coverage foundation, that being the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in the shade '010' which is surprisingly pale enough for my skin tone. I've already repurchased a new one whilst it was on offer so I'm all stocked up again.   

As well as this I've finally used up my 'the Falsies' Mascara, my all time favourite drugstore mascara to date. This is a product I can always rely on, it gives just the right amount of length and volume that I need without going overboard - perfect for wearing throughout the day. The last makeup empty of the month is my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer which has been a blogging fave for years creating a well deserved buzz about it. After it disappearing from my local stores for a bit I began to worry as other drugstore concealers just don't do it for me but luckily enough the packaging was only being altered and this is the newly packaged collection concealer that I've used up. I'm still having doubts as to whether its the same formula or not but regardless it still manages to cover all my blemishes perfectly.

Another thing that I've managed to finish is my Batiste Dry Shampoo in 'floral and flirty blush', I'd heard so much praise about the Batiste range throughout the blogging community and this was my first product of theirs I'd tried. As far as a dry shampoo goes it does all the things it needs to do and is definitely a blessing on a bad or lazy hair day, for that reason I'll probably pick up a replacement but maybe in another type, I keep going to say shade silly me lol! Lastly I'm nearly finished, (that still counts right?) my L'oreal Micellar Water something I've been using up over the past few months. Since makeup wipes are so bad and all that I've been trying to make a conscious effort to use this instead and its worked well so far - eye makeup that usually would have been a hassle to get off now wipes off in an instance making my bedtime routine a lot quicker and me a lot happier. I now want to try other Micellar Waters to see which one works the best for me.  

So that's my empties for March/April I guess.... if you enjoyed this type of post be sure to let me know. It was a lovely change to write rather than my usual posts. Feel free to let me know what products you've used up lately. Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

FOTD;

I thought I'd share with you lovely readers my FOTD, I was only popping into town for a few things and it was just one of those days when I had little time and didn't want to spend hours doing a full face of makeup. It also seemed a bit wasteful and for this reason I opted for a fairly quick and natural look. 

For my base I experimented a little and mixed together my Wake Me Up Foundation in shade 100 - Ivory and my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in the shade 51 to create a flawless base (I'll definitely be using this duo again in the future). I then used my Real Techniques powder brush to apply my Stay Matte powder just to make sure everything would stay in place and after that used the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Bronzer on my cheeks to give them a pop of colour. I then used my MUA brow pencil in blonde to fill in my brows and after touched them up with the darkest shade of eyeshadow in my MUA heaven and earth palette - I cannot express just how handy this little palette is. I usually just apply eyeshadow and mascara in the mornings and eyeliner on a special occasion but strangely enough today I decided to go without eyeshadow and apply eyeliner instead, weird right. The one I applied along my upper lash line was my Collection 24 hour felt tip liner in black and then I applied a black pencil along my lower lash instead. Then for mascara I used the new L'oreal Miss Manga mascara which really makes all the difference to my natural lashes. And for lips I used my Babylips in Hydrate to ensure my lips were moisturised and then my Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in Shade 101 - definitely keeping the neutral theme going on. (oh and I apologise for the topsy turvy photos but the landscape photos of my face just didn't show the make up at all).  

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

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