Mini make-up haul

Over the past couple of weeks, I've purchased a few make-up products which I've really enjoyed using! I've wanted a few of the products for a while now so when payday arrived, I couldn't resist the splurge! Make-up is definitely the way to my heart! 

MAC mineral powder / loose foundation in Light Plus

 

To set my foundation in place, I prefer to use a mineral based powder foundation hybrid as opposed to a pressed powder. I feel they react with my skin type better and are easier to apply - they also don't leave my face looking powdery! For years, I've used the No.7 mineral powder foundation but recently found it a bit too dark for my skin tone. For some reason No.7 only sell this powder in one shade so I had to look about elsewhere! I looked at various ones but settled on this one by MAC and I'm so pleased with it. It was £25 but it is worth the money as it's really light weight with good coverage and you also get a lot of product within the tub! This will last me a very long time but I'm 100% sure I will repurchase it! 

MAC mineralise skin finish in Soft & Gentle 

I do love a pretty highlight so I don't know why it's never occurred to me before to purchase one of MAC's mineralise skin finishes! Soft & Gentle seems to be one that everyone steers towards so it was a safe but rewarding bet! It is the most gorgeous bronze toned highlighter with flecks of rose gold shimmering through it - it catches the light beautifully especially when used on your cheek bones! Since this arrived on my doorstop, I've been using it everyday and it's quickly become a staple item in my make-up collection! I've already chosen the next shade to purchase, I love it!! 

NARS blush and bronzer duo in Orgasm & Laguna

 

Recently, I have been the queen of finding amazing things on Amazon!! When it comes to products by NARS, I've only tried their lipsticks, primers and eye shadows but I'm constantly lusting over their gorgeous blushers and bronzers! I've never tried a blush/bronze from them before but when I stumbled over this gift set on Amazon, I knew it had to be mine! 'Wicked Attraction' is quite an old limited edition got set which is discountinued but what made me want it was the fact it had a blush / bronzer duo in the shades Orgasm and Laguna which are the iconic blush / bronzer shades! I can definitely tell why everyone raves on about these, they're so well pigmented and are just the most prettiest, flattering shades! I am now eager to purchase the full size and some of the other shades! In the 'Wicked Attraction' gift set you also get an eyeshadow, eye primer and a lipgloss! Such a lovely treat! 

Rimmel lasting finish soft colour blush in Pink Rose & Santa Rose

When it comes to blushes, I tend to go for peachy tones but lately I've been loving the look of fresh pinks! These two Rimmel ones were only about £3 each which is great considering how lovely they look on! They're both very similar shades, both light shimmery pinks which I feel would compliment almost every skin tone! They are also amazing for highlighting too! Love a multi-purpose product!

Benefit erase paste in Light

 

Late nights definitely seem to catch up on me as I constantly have dark circles under my eyes which is horrible! I already use a Soap & Glory and Rimmel concealer combo which is great but when I read that erase paste 'camouflages' dark circles, I knew I had to have it! It literally is camouflage for your eyes! It is by far the best under eye concealer I have ever tried and I would highly recommend it!! Benefit's products never fail to let down, they always do what it says on the packaging! Perfect! 

Benefit ultra plush lipgloss in Dandelion

 

I already have the Benefit ultra plush lip gloss in Coralista and I love it! It's such a smooth gloss, not sticky in the slightest! I was in need of a nude gloss and Dandelion is the perfect nude with a slight shimmer in it - really pretty! I love all the colours and names of the ultra plush lipglosses, there really does seem to be one for everyone! They also smell good enough to eat! Kudos to Benefit! 

Katie x

Lipstick favourites 💄

In the last year or so, I have worn lipstick near enough every day! It really can complete a look and create a statement! I feel that as a female, it is essential to have a high quality variety of lipsticks in different shades and finishes in your collection! Here I have chosen 2 of my favourite lipsticks belonging to each colour category that I have gone back to time and time again! 

Nudes

MAC - Taupe (matte finish) 

MAC -  Velvet Teddy (matte finish)

Natural pink 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Pink Truffle 

Kiko - 612 (matte finish) 

Pink 

MAC - See Sheer (lustre finish)

MAC - Lustering (lustre finish) 

Red (I had to choose 3, I was torn!!) 

Chanel Rouge Allure - Coromandel 98

MAC - Viva Glam I (matte finish) 

NARS - Shanghai Express

Purple 

YSL Rouge Pur Couture - Prune Avenue 54

MAC - Diva (matte finish) 

Who else is a major lipstick junkie?! 

Katie x

Breakfast OOTD

This morning I was up early, ready to go out for some breakfast and I really loved the outfit I was wearing so I thought I'd share it with you! 

Recently, where I live it has been really sunny yet still quite cold which is annoying but it's so lovely to know that we are finally heading towards Spring! I tend to steer towards monotonous outfits with greys, dark greens, blue shades and deep reds but I really wanted to start injecting some pastel colours into my wardrobe! I'm not one to shop in Select but whilst feeding my boredom before work, I spotted this little petite dainty dress and I fell in love. It has a gorgeous oriental floral print which has pops of colour in pastel blue, pale pink, light green, bright orange and a dusky grey which compliment each other so well and really stand out on the plain black background of the dress. I'm not one to wear dresses often during the daytime but I love the femininity of this which is emphasised through the scalloped neck and hemline. I have been wearing my knee high boots to death so I knew I'd pair them with this dress! To finish off this outfit I chucked on my beige mac - I love this coat as it's so versatile and adds a bit of sophistication - and a classic big black structured bag. 

Dress - Select £14.99

Tights - Topshop £6.00 

Boots - New Look £34.99

Coat - TU @ Sainsbury's £30.00

Bag - Clarks £44.99 

How yummy did my breakfast look btw?! 😍

Hope you're having a lovely weekend! 

Katie x 

Drugstore/high end foundation review

At the moment, I am loving two foundations - one drugstore and one high end - so I thought I'd do a little review on them as they're both so amazing and really worth having! I have quite sensitive oily skin so I struggle with finding a suitable foundation but these two really cater for my needs! 

Drugstore - Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude 

Maybelline is one of my favourite drugstore make-up brands, I used to use one of their foundations years ago and I really enjoyed using it. This foundation is fairly new and after seeing Youtuber Barbara's review on it (YouTube: ThePersianBabe) I knew had to purchase! It is quite tiny little bottle but it holds a lot of product in it! Instead of having a pump, it has a sort of pipette shaped applicator which gives you a great, appropriate amount of foundation to use each time. I apply it by using the pipette to drop a suitable amount onto the Real Techniques buffing brush (I use this brush as it's quite dense so holds more product) and then apply it to my face in circular motions. The foundation itself is liquid and has quite a thin consistency which makes it feel light, weightless and soft on your skin. As it's so lightweight, the coverage is light to medium but it is very easy to build up if you need a more intense coverage and doesn't clog up your skin and weigh you down. At £8.99, I'd highly recommend it as it's so worth the try and really doesn't disappoint. 

High end - Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup 

I've wanted to try Estée Lauder's foundation for soooo long as I've heard so many great things about it but the price tag of £29.50 always made me hesisitate a bit. Because I have sensitive skin, I didn't want to splurge on a foundation that could potentially aggravate my skin. My friend also wanted to purchase this so we went into House of Fraser and she got colour matched.. And eventually I gave in too, got colour matched and purchased it! I'm so glad I did, it's the best foundation I have ever tried on my skin - I've been using it for a few weeks now and it hasn't disrupted my skin at all! Again, this bottle doesn't have a pump or anything to help apply it with so I use a cotton bud to get the appropriate amount of foundation and apply it to the back of my hand. As this foundation is thicker than the Maybelline one, I find this goes best onto my face with a Real Technique stippling brush as it's softer. This foundation also feels quite lightweight when on the skin but has definitely more of a fuller, thicker coverage which is great for someone like me who does need quite a lot of cover. The lady on the counter told me that this foundation lasts for 16 hours and I'm not going to argue with that! It literally doesn't budge all day and I find all I need is a tiny bit of powder on my T-Zone half way through the day just to take away the shine (it does dry semi-matte though which is great). With this foundation, a little really does go a long way which makes it worth the money! Definitely a holy grail product for me!! 

I hope this gave you some insight on some amazing foundations which you might be willing to try! 

Have a lovely day! 

Katie x

February favourites

I know we are a week into March already but last month I discovered quite a few products which I've absolutely been loving so I thought I'd share them with you in my February favourites! 

Make-up: 

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer

I've heard so many good things about this Collection concealer so when I ran out of the one I was previously using, I purchased it straight away! It really is amazing at covering blemishes and pigmentation. I apply and blend the concealer with either the Real Techniques setting brush or a beauty blender and it literally makes them disappear. For less than £5.00 it's worth the steal!

Soap & Glory Kick Ass concealer 

As well as a blemish covering concealer, I've also been looking for a new concealer that will brighten my face and cover the dark circles under my eyes. Kick Ass is a little compact which has 2 layers - the bottom section has a brightening concealer and blemish covering concealer and the top section has a powder to set it into place. The blemish covering concealer is a bit too dark for me so I don't use it but the brightening concealer works wonders! The coverage is very good and it doesn't leave yellow undertones which is something that doesn't flatter my skin tone. 

Bobbi Brown bronzing powder in Natural 

I love to have a bit of healthy colour to my skin but my usual bronzing power is a little too dark for my skin tone at the moment. I was originally planning on trying out Estée Lauders Bronze Goddess but when I saw the colour of this Bobbi Brown one I I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. It gives my skin a healthy, bronze glow without me looking too dark for this cold weather. 

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette 

For a day to day make-up look, I enjoy having a subtle taupe based eye just to add a bit of colour. This palette consists of 5 gorgeous taupe-hued shades which compliment each other very well and are so pigmented. They are easy to apply and blend and I love that they're a matte finish as it makes the colours look more natural. The palette itself is quite tiny which makes it perfect for when you're on the go! 

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Raw Sugar 

I love doing a shimmery smokey eye for nights out but I steer towards a brown/bronze eye rather than black as it compliments my skin tone more. I've been after this Bobbi Brown palette for so long so I was so excited to finally get my hands on it! Each colour is gorgeously shimmery and pigmented and very easy to apply! I think this may be a discontinued limited edition product as I could only find this on Amazon but it's worth the purchase if you ever come across it! 

Clothes, shoes & accessories: 

Boots - Marks & Spencer's 

I am a sucker for boots and I fell in love with this pair straight away! They have quite a high heel which I love as you can easily dress them up or down and have padding inside the shoe so they're very comfortable to walk in (perfect for a night out)! At first I wasn't sure if I liked how round the toe was but after a while I got used to it and I've been wearing them to death. I'm not 100% sure what the original price was but they were reduced down to £15 which is a ridiculous price concidering they are real leather. When it comes to shoes, I'd definitely recommend Marks & Spencer's as they do some gorgeous styles and are great quality. 

Bag - Clarks 

I've recently been loving bags a whole lot more but I realised the only black bag I owned was my Ted Baker one and I didn't want it to start getting worn out so I thought I'd purchase a new one. I looked at various different ones from places like Dune and Radley but out of the blue I spotted this one! I work opposite a Clarks store and they had this bag in there window display and found myself looking at it for a good week or so! When payday arrived I went straight there to look at it properly and I knew I had to have it! It's a really classic looking bag and it has a designer feel to it. It also has gunmetal hardware which sealed the deal for me! It's very spacious which lots of compartments which makes it perfect for me because I tend to carry quite a lot during the day! They also sell this bag in a gorgeous pink blush colour which I'm tempted to get myself to see in Spring with! I can definitely justify paying £45 for a real leather bag - so cheap!! 

Ring - Pandora 

When it comes to jewellery, I'm quite basic and I only wear silver/white gold. During the day I only wear a watch, small sentimental necklace and 2 sets of studs and in the evening I might wear a statement necklace. My obsession is rings though! I never leave the house with out wearing some rings and I've recently added a new one to my collection. A Pandora store opened up in the shopping centre I work at and I found myself browsing in there quite frequently before my shifts at work. I've got 2 rings from Pandora already and I adore their style and quality. Their designs are so basic, simple and pretty. I had been looking for a ring with a large stone for quite a while now so finding this was a god send! I love how the stone is black, it gives the ring a mystic feel to it and doesn't clash with the emerald ring which I wear every day! Around the outside of the stone, it has this gorgeous swirled pattern which adds another dimension and makes it look really interesting. The stone is quite raised which I wasn't sure about at first but once on it looks gorgeous! It was £50 which was a bit of a spontaneous splurge but I've worn it every day since I've brought it so it's definitely worth the money! 

Books & TV: 

I am definitely a book and Netflix junkie! This month I've loved reading Tanya Burr's new book 'Love Tanya'. It isn't a story or novel or anything - it's literally a lifestyle and beauty guide with a bit of Tanya's background thrown into it. She covers everything from confidence, make-up, fashion and love! It's like a little feel good bible and I adore it! It's something every girl needs and it is a great pleasure to look at - I know I'll flick through it hundreds of times! I'm a massive fan of Tanya and have been for years and this was such a great achievement for her, she's an inspiration! 

There's also nothing better than settling down at night to watch a good TV series. I finished a Gossip Girl a month or so ago and I started on Suits straight away. I wasn't sure if I'd like it at first as it's based around a law firm in New York but I love it! I won't give too much away but it's so easy to watch, really warm hearted, funny and sweet yet you also find yourself getting really into the law cases! Unfortunately only season 1 & 2 are on Netflix so I need to find away to watch season 3 & 4! 😁

So that's what I had been loving in February! What have you been a fan of? 

Katie x