MY CURRENT FAVOURITES

Originally this was intended to be for my June favourites but I had a stage of not really feeling like blogging and then as we got further into the month it just seemed too late to post, so here we have it my current favourites instead as I couldn't ignore these products that have been doing me so well recently.

My absolute essential product over the summer months is self tan. With everyone jetting away and coming back so tanned, I just feel like I have to be tanned too. I can embrace the lighter natural skin during the winter but when I'm showing more skin I feel better when it's tanned. I recently posted my tanning routine which you can read if you want more detail, 'here'. I absolutely love Lauren's Way. I love all of the ones that I've tried but I discovered the spray formula during June and think that is makes the application much easier and quicker and doesn't feel heavy or sticky on the skin. I love the Rapid tan as it develops quickly, you don't need to make sue you've got over 8 hours for it to develop every time you want to apply self tan. Full review here.

Of course, with beautiful tanned skin, come the chore of exfoliating a lot!I can't believe during all of these years of wearing fake tan I have never bought exfoliating gloves; they're amazing! I bought these from Primark and I don't think they were more than a couple pound if that.

My next favourite is the Make Up Revolution Iconic Blush Bronze and Brighten palette in Smoulder. I recently did a post showing all four shades of this palettes but Smoulder is my absolute favourite and I have used it pretty much everyday this month. The other day I found MAC Peaches, which I loved last year, I tried wearing it and just didn't like how it made my make up look at all, I needed the pretty pink in Smoulder. I love the highlight in this palette too as it's just so pretty. I even got complimented on it from a very unlikely source at work - who knew men notice that pretty thing on your cheekbones?!

For ease in the mornings I always tend to opt for easy neutral brown eye shadows, but recently I have been branching out a little and I mean a little as it's only a small extension of the usual brown family. I've been enjoying using slight plum/purple toned shadows, like Quarry from MAC and the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay. It obviously still looks very neutral but it's a nice little change and I feel that the colours really brighten up my eyes and emphasis the green in them.

My go to lipstick lately has been MAC's Kinda Sexy; it's a gorgeous neutral nude shade, which leans more on the peachy tone making it really flattering and I find that is such an easy shade to pair with most make up looks.

Onto jewellery now. I always love the look of lots of cool and simple jewellery but I'm pretty rubbish at buying any. My money normally goes on make up then clothes and maybe shoes. I then struggle to justify more on jewellery and bags etc. While I was in Forever 21 a month or so ago I decided that I was definitely going to make the effort to chose a necklace that would go with lots of outfits and just make them look more stylish and like I've made more effort. I love how you can just wear very plain clothes but with the right accessories it looks so much more stylish. I picked up about five different necklaces as they were only a few pounds each, so hardly broke the bank. They are all gold, very simple and some quite unique and I've loved incorporating them into my outfits. 

A recent discovery, which I am blaming my mum for as she bought me it first is the Sweet & Salty Poshcorn. It seems a little odd really raving about a pop corn so much, but it's the best that I have ever had. It's the perfect combination between sweet and salty and is just so addictive!

My final addiction favourite recently has been the TV show Desperate Housewives. I watched the later seasons when they were originally on the TV and a couple of years ago I think they were all on Netflix, so I watched them all then. They have recently come onto the Sky boxsets so I've been watching them like crazy as they just don't ever get old. I've even managed to get my boyfriend Jamie into them, which is really funny as he was sure he wouldn't like it at first but now he sits and watches, asks questions and moans when he doesn't like certain characters. 

Those are all of the things that I have been loving recently, what have you been enjoying lately?

URBAN DECAY 24/7 GLIDE ON LIP PENCILS

I've always been one to focus more on my eye make up and neglect my lips on a day to day basis but I always feel a little un complete with my lips looking bare. Recently I've been branching out and filling the void in my make up routine with lots of neutral everyday shades. I love lipsticks but I feel that you can't beat the staying power of a good lip liner and the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencils are my absolute favourite lip liners. I discovered them when I worked on a make up counter; as you have so many make up items at your finger tips you do end up trying everything and realising what brands have the best products and Urban Decay definitely win with lip pencils and eye pencils while we're on the subject! 

I love the formula of these lip pencils as they are so creamy and as the name suggests, they literally do glide over the lips. I like to fill my whole lips in when I use these lip pencils and not just line the lips. They give a matte finish to the lips but it's still very comfortable and it doesn't feel drying at all. The staying powder is unbeatable and I even have an example of how good they are! One day I decided to use the red Urban Decay lip pencil, 69... this would be the day that one of the girls I worked with decided that we should get Burger King for lunch. Obviously eating with a bold lip is hard enough but red and eating a chicken royale, really isn't easy. I rushed straight back down to top up my lip liner as I was sure it would be in a right state by now, like wise to the other girls (I won't mention which brand doesn't have very good staying power)! To my surprise it was still absolutely perfect, so much so that I didn't even top up. 

I used to wear Manic all the time as it's such a great everyday, pretty rose pink shade. I like it because you can tell that you are wearing something on your lips but it isn't so extreme that it steals the show. I found it easy to pair with most eye looks and even some heavier looks suited Manic still. I think it's the kind of shade that you could use with so many different lipsticks. 

For a perfect lighter nude lip, I love the lip pencil Naked. It's a light pinky beige which is very flattering without being too light and 'concealer' like on the lips. It does look good alone but my favourite way to use this is all over the lips with either a pink or coral coloured lip gloss over the top. I think it gives the most gorgeous and easy to wear nude lip. 

Naked 2 is still a nude but it has a lot more brown in it. It looks nice all over the lips but also looks really pretty paired with a pink lipstick, as it's then the perfect mix between being a brown nude and a pink nude lip colour. If you're embracing the slightly more brown tones it does look really nice with a pinky brown lip gloss over the top too, like Urban Decay's Nooner lip gloss. 

I think I may end up purchasing at least a couple more shades as they're just so good! I love low maintenance lip options and these are just that as you apply and they stay forever! Have you tried any of the Urban Decay lip pencils?

REVIEW: MAKE UP REVOLUTION ICONIC BLUSH BRONZE & BRIGHTEN PALETTES

L-R: Golden Hot, Smoulder, Rave, Flush. 

When I first saw the Blush Bronze and Brighten palettes by Make up Revolution I immediately thought they looked identical to the Urban Decay Flushed palettes. I love those palettes, so to potentially find a dupe for them at a very affordable price was very exciting - so much so, that I obviously needed all four shades. I really like how compact these palettes are as they are slim and lightweight, yet also contain a large mirror, which makes them great for taking out and about. I also like the idea of having a bronzer, blusher and highlight all in one palette as it's very travel friendly and even if using it at home, it comes in handy if you're running out of time and need to be as quick as possible, without having to hunt out each product. 

The shades Golden Hot and Smoulder are the closest matches to the Urban Decay Strip and Native Flushed palettes - the colours really are identical. I find Flush and Rave to be very similar to each other; you definitely don't need to own both. Rave's highlight shade is a touch more golden than Flushed, making it similar to Urban Decay's Streak Flushed Palette. The Make up Revolution palette which is least similar to the Flushed palettes is ironically the shade Flush. The Urban version is a lot more of a rosy pink blush shade, where as Flush is a lot more coral. 

My favourite is Smoulder, which was also my favourite in the Urban Decay equivalent - Native as I just love pink blush. Golden Hot would look really great on darker, more tanned or olive skin complexions as it has the darkest bronzer and a pretty golden highlight. I think Rave would be great for lighter skin tones as it has the lightest bronzer, closely followed by Flush. 

The formulation of these palettes is really good; they're very pigmented, blend well and last all day on me. They have a silky smooth texture, so much so that I was able to mould my Rave palette back together as sadly it was delivered smashed. The only thing I will say is I don't find the highlighter shades as pigmented as the bronzer or blush shades, but sometimes this isn't always a bad thing if you just want a subtle glow. Formulation wise they are good and especially amazing for the price but they don't beat the Flushed palettes. However, if you want to have a choice of four shades for less than the price of one Flushed palette then these are a great idea and I would really recommend them. 

Have you tried these palettes or any other Make up Revolution products, What are your favourites?! 

SAMPLING MY SAMPLES

While perusing my make up and skincare collection I noticed that I have accumulated quite a few product samples, either from purchases I've made or as part of sets, where you just get a little sample of a few products. I thought that these little jems seem to go un noticed so I wanted to write a post giving my first impressions of some of these samples that I have tried as I think samples are a great way of trying the product and finding out if it will work for you before buying the real deal. 

 The sample that most stood out to me is actually missing from this post, as I used it up and now can't find it - so maybe I was actually a normal person and chucked the empty product away, instead of hoarding it up! It was the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel with Marula Oil, which left my skin feeling so soft and nourished that I bought the full size after only using the sample a few times. Likewise, with the REN Vita Mineral Daily Supplement Moisturising Cream. I had only tried one thing from REN but I needed a new moisturiser and after trying this sample it seemed to work really well, so I bought the full size product. It's really hydrating and a great consistency, without being too heavy. Even though I don't have dry skin, I do sometimes find some moisturisers aren't hydrating enough but I have never had any issues with this one. I also liked REN's EverCalm Cleansing Milk, I have the Evercalm Clay Cleanser and really like it so I was excited to try the milk. It's a good cleanser and I probably would purchase the full size when I've used up the many I already have, as I do like milk cleansers and really like REN as a brand. 

I know I'm going to have to buy the full size of the Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion as it keeps my eye make up on all day. I tried doing my eye make up without but regardless of what eye shadow I was wearing, it would crease throughout the day, which doesn't happen with this. You also only need the tiniest amount, so I'm happy to purchase the full size as I'm sure it'll last ages. 

I found myself with what once seemed an endless supply of Benefit's Porefessional samples as they seemed to come with every Benefit set. There is so much product in them that they last for ages. We all know it's a good primer, but I haven't actually had to buy it due to still surviving on the samples! 

I've been enjoying using the Clarins Eye Contour Gel, as it's really hydrating and refreshing, perfect to use in the morning or to add some hydration throughout the day. I'm not sure if I would buy the full size, as I've got my eye on the Clarins Eye Contour Balm, which seems more suited for night time use. I think I've got morning eye creams sorted but maybe in the future. 

I really liked using the Clarins Water Comfort One Step Cleanser, for quick make up removal, it felt really refreshing and smelt amazing but I don't feel like I need to spend a lot of money on a product like this, when I've got the Garnier Micellar water which is a similar concept. Similarly, the Lancome Bi-facil Eye Make up Remover was a good product but it's not a product I'd want to splurge on.

 I've got the full size versions of the Clarins Facial Treatment Oils for oily/combo skin and dehydrated skin and I don't often have dry skin, so I wont be purchasing the full size of the Santal version but it has been handy to have as a sample for occasions when my skin is playing up and feeling particularly in need of moisture and as you only need a tiny amount it's lasting very well. 

I've heard good things about the Urban Decay Beauty Balm and similar products but I just can't get into the such low coverage products. I don't feel like I need a huge amount of coverage normally nor do I like a really heavy base, but these bb cream/tinted moisturiser type products just don't do anything for me, so I definitely wont be repurchasing. It has got good ingredients and an spf so I may just use this as a primer or a on holiday type of product when you don't really want make up but just the tiniest amount of coverage. The Bare Minereals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Cream Eyeshadow is another product that's one of those that I wouldn't get much use out of as it's just not something I would use. I think to make use of the sample I will use it likewise to the Urban Beauty Balm, as this too has spf so it would be good to just even out the eye lid for a no make up day when you're out in the sun. 

THE QUICK WEEKEND MAKEUP

I used to happily spend hours getting ready when I had the time to on days off; applying every product I could and trying out eye looks better suited for a night out than a chilled weekend. Lately, I've been embracing the much quicker routine and even skipping make up all together quite often on Sundays, if I'm just staying at home. I don't think I'll ever be the type of girl to go out happily without make up, not because I can't stand myself completely naked faced, but I just like to make an effort. These products are my go to items for achieving a very quick, fresh, pretty make up look, that still looks like you've made an effort but doesn't waste any valuable weekend time! 

First I apply the MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose under my eyes. I don't bother with an actual concealer as this product counteracts the darkness and brightens up the under eye well enough. I then go in with the Bare Minerals Original Foundation as you can just buff it onto the skin really quickly, without any careful blending, like liquid foundations. It evens out the complexion and adds a really radiant, fresh glow to the skin. If I feel like I need more coverage I can also buff a little more on. I love using the Bare Minerals Warmth to obviously warm up the complexion; it's the most gorgeous shade and makes such a difference to your base. You could just use the Warmth as a blush too but I'm a sucker for a pink blush, so I love using the Benefit Hervana Blush. It's a really pretty shade, that would probably suit a lot of skin tones. For my eyes, I blend a little of the two brown shades from the Naked Basics palette by Urban Decay through the crease, the outer corner and the lower lash line. I then take the black shade form the palette and just blend it along my upper lash line, so it looks like a blended out liner. I also take a little under the eye to add some definition . I then use the highlight shade from the palette to highlight under the brow, the inner corner of my eye and as a cheek highlight. I also use this palette for my brows all of the time. (I LOVE this palette)! I then apply mascara to my lashes, Lash Domination by Bare minerals is a favourite of mine. I finish by putting on a little lipstick, as I think lipstick is so easy to chuck on, yet makes your look so much more complete and like you've spent a lot more time on it, when really you were spending time still in bed or making time for a proper weekend breakfast! I love the Revlon Lip Butters as they're pigmented enough to give a good colour pay off but not as dramatic as a bright lipstick if you want something a little more subtle. This shade is Sweet Tart. 

I hope you all have an amazing weekend! 

JUST ANOTHER HAUL POST...

I don't know what it is about this time of year but it's always the time when I come down with a very strong case of the 'feeling spendy' flu. As much as I try to avoid it, I can't help myself. Normally I'm very good with money but this time of year just kills me and I end up wanting everything and some how justifying it (as you will see if you've seen my previous posts recently). I think this year is probably worse as I've now finished education (for now) so I don't have anything serious to focus on, so my mind is filled with pretty make up. The biggest stress in my life at the moment is deliberating over which lip liner colour I want to buy... seriously - not as easy as you'd think!

I justified all of these products on the fact I'd planned to buy them prior to going shopping, therefore there was no impulse buying, which I guess is a positive. Superdrug had a 3 for 2 offer on and I knew I really wanted to try Make up Revolution and especially their blush palettes. There is so much more from the brand that I want to try but it was too busy to really look so I just grabbed what I originally planned for. I chose Sugar and Spice as I love pink blush on myself. I'd also been planning on getting the new Sleek Del Mar Volume II eye shadow palette; I bought the first Del Mar palette last year and really liked it so I'm excited to use this one in the summer months. For my final product in the 3 for 2 offer I picked up the Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour Powder. I knew I needed to buy a powder but hadn't decided on which one. I have never tried this one before and haven't actually heard anything about it so I'm intrigued to see how well it works. 

The next product needed no justification as I was able to use my loyalty points for the whole payment, which always feels so good. I chose to buy Urban Decay's Lip Liner in Manic. They are the best lip liners I have ever tried; they're so creamy and just glide over the lips so easily, sit well all day and still feel comfortable used all over the lips. Manic is a pretty rosy pink shade, that's just a richer shade of a natural lip colour so it's really complimentary and easy to wear. 

I also bought the Clarins Instant Concealer after hearing so many good things about it and the Clarins Aquatic Treasures Bronzing Compact. I loved the bronzer last year but didn't get round to buying it so I just had to this year as it is so beautiful! 

I'm looking forward to trying all of these products and I'm sure they will be featuring more on the blog, once I've had a chance to play with them. Have you used any of these?

EMPTIES: MAKE UP ITEMS I'VE USED UP

 As you can see, I nearly had a concealer crisis as I managed to use up every concealer that I owned, not too far from each other. I now feel that buying in excess is completely justified as that was a scary time, when I didn't know if I'd be able to cover those dreaded dark circles and blemishes. Luckily, we can all sleep easy again as I am now back to being well stocked and ready for anything - phew!

While on the topic of concealer, I ran out of an old favourite - MAC Pro Longwear. A really great concealer for under the eyes and other imperfections that lasted for ages! I did repurchase this concealer and it's one that I like to have in my collection, although the Urban Decay Concealer (review here), has now taken the favourite spot. Another good concealer was the Maybelline Eraser concealer in shade light; it's a really good product for brightening under the eyes as it's quite yellow toned. My issues with this concealer are that it didn't seem to last long at all and I am now left with what appears to be a lot of product in the tube that I cannot get out. One that I wasn't so keen on was the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer; I bought the lightest shade but it still wasn't very light at all and quite orange toned. It was disappointing as others seem to love this concealer. The MAC Prep & Prime brightener in Radiant Rose and Bare Minerals Stroke of light 1 products are both very similar. They are light pink in colour and are great for counteracting darkness and brightening the under eye area. I have repurchased the MAC one over the Bare Minerals, as it lasted so long with me using it every day. The Bare Minerals product seemed to run out a lot quicker. It must be something to do with the packaging as the MAC one only has 3ml of product, while Bare Minerals is 5.5ml. I trust the ingredients of Bare Minerals more but for how much longer the MAC one seemed to last, I have to favour it.

On to foundations both by Bourjois. I managed to use both of these foundations up as it was when I first started abandoning fake tan and gradually getting lighter and these two were the lightest ones I owned at that time. I think they are fairly similar in terms of coverage and longevity. I would say they are a light-medium coverage that evens out the skin tone completely, yet you would still need more coverage for bigger imperfections if you wanted it. They both feel and look very light on the skin. The only different that I can really think of is that the Happy Light foundation is obviously a lot more dewy and radiant looking than the Healthy Mix Serum. 

The L'oreal Volume Million mascara was a repurchase as I used to love it but this time round it didn't impress me as much. The formula wasn't 'wet' enough for me to build the lashes well and get a lot of volume from it. I want to try other L'oreal mascara's as I have liked some of them but this one I wont be repurchasing. I now only use powder products for my eye brows as I don't actually own any pencils now that I have used up the Bare Minerals Frame & Define brow pencil. It's a very thin, twist up product so you only need to twist the tiniest amount up, otherwise the product snaps off pretty easily. It is a good product; great colour and really good at adding definition but it just seemed to run out too quickly for my liking. As I'm pretty happy with just powder products I don't feel that I need to repurchase this product but I'm definitely not ruling out brow pencils in the future! 

On the other hand, a product that lasted for so long was the MAC Prep & Prime Skin Base Visage. It's a cream formula face priming product, with little shimmer particles to make your skin look more radiant. I found it really great for when my skin felt a little drier as it is so hydrating, yet very light weight so works great as a base for foundation. I've got a full review of the product 'here.' At the moment I don't actually use any face primers any more so I don't need to repurchase this product but I would still recommend it. 

The final product is MAC's Give Me Sun, which I repurchased even before I had run out of this one. It's an amazing bronzer, with so much pigmentation. It's a lovely warm tone so really works for making your skin  look more healthy and warm very quickly. It works on my now very fair skin really well and also when I have a dark tan so I think it's a good all rounder - as long as a lighter hand is used in times of the fairer skin! The bronzer lasted so long, even though I used it every day that I actually started to wonder why it wasn't hitting pan and wishing it would, in a strange kind of way. 

A HIGH END WISHLIST

I thought that I was completely shopped out after my recent High End Haul but clearly I was wrong and now I just can't shift the spendy feeling. There were a few products that I knew I had been lusting after so I decided that I would compile together this post partly so I could see how much damage I wanted to do and also to share it with fellow beauty obsessives for some moral support. I didn't quite realise how many products were actually on my list... Oh dear.

First things first, Clarins. I definitely thought I had bought everything I possibly could from Clarins after my Skincare Haul but there's still a couple of things on the list. I did intent to get the Eye Contour Balm but it was out of stock at the time. I also wanted the Liquid Bronze Self Tan as I've heard such good things about it and think it will be great for the summer months. I've had a sample of the One-Step Cleanser and really liked it, for when I'm feeling lazy and want something quick, especially in the mornings. It smells amazing and feels so refreshing. I resisted temptation to buy the Clarins Bronzer last year when it came out but now that they've released it again for their summer collection I'm just not sure I can resist it this time round. 

I've never actually tried anything from Origins but it's always popping up on blogs. I currently don't have a back up product for a moisturiser so I've been eyeing up the Ginzing range and the eye cream also sound lovely. I've also put the Eye Doctor on there as the description sounded so nice. I'm starting to think I'm a bit of a sucker for eye creams...

I like the sound of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate as a good all rounder serum for overnight. I'm quite lacking in the serum department and only really have the Clarins Treatment Oils which are amazing but I tend to only really use them when my skin is feeling like it actually needs the treatment aspect, so it would be nice to have a good all rounder serum for most nights. Caroline Hirons has recently been raving about the Moisture Surge Face Spray by Clinique so obviously it's taken my fancy. I like using moisturising/hydrating sprays in my routine and this one seems like a good choice when my current one runs out. 

Time for lipsticks! I love the colour of the Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in Rapture. It's a perfect easy to wear everyday colour, that gives a plum-pink look to the lips. As it's sheer, it's so easy to just apply it quickly and it doesn't look too over done for everyday. I received a MAC voucher for Christmas that surprisingly is yet to be spent. I haven't decided which lipstick I want yet but I have been admiring Brave, Twig, Plumful and Syrup maybe..? Let me know your favourites! 

I'm a huge Bare Minerals foundation fan anyway but recently I'm also enjoying a lighter coverage of foundation, so I'm really interested in trying the Complexion Rescue. I swatched a tiny amount the other week and it did look really lovely, a decent amount of coverage and really radiant. Urban Decay's Summer launches includes the gorgeous Afterglow blushes; there are so many colours that look amazing so I know at least one will just have to go on the list. The final product on the list is the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. It's such a raved about product and although I do really like the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara I still don't think it's the one, so I'm still on the hunt for the perfect mascara. 

MY NEW FAVOURITE CONCEALER

If you've read any of my previous posts, it's quite likely that you will have come across me raving about MAC's Pro Long Wear concealer; I've repurchased it and loved it for the last 2 years at least, but I think I've found something I like a lot more, which is very exciting!

The Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer was released earlier this year and received pretty good reviews straight away. As soon as I tried it I knew I had to have it; it seemed a good coverage, good consistency and it also smells a lot like MAC's foundations and Pro Long Wear Concealer, so I was very intrigued. The first time I actually used it I liked it but it didn't wow me. I kept using it and then on one of the days that I did wear it, I looked in the mirror during the day and without specifically intending to, I noticed that my under eyes looked really brightened and concealed and remembered that it was this concealer that I used. I really like it as it is described as weightless, complete coverage and it is. It gives really good coverage, yet doesn't feel or look heavy on the skin, like the MAC concealer can. I find that it lasts all day and I never notice any creasing under my eyes when I use it. I find that you don't need much at all as it is such good coverage, so I think it'll last a long time. Although my complexion isn't perfect, I tend not to bother concealing on my face too much as no concealer ever completely covers spots and you can end up looking worse. I do however put a tiny bit around my nose to cover redness and I think it works really well and still doesn't look heavy on top of foundation. I think it would be really good for blemishes and other imperfections, if you get the right shade. I chose Light Warm which has a very yellow tone to it which makes it really good for brightening under the eye. If you have a light complexion and want something more neutral that will work under the eyes and on the face I would use the shade Light Neutral. The shades do go up in colour pretty quickly, so I wouldn't go any darker than Medium Light Neutral unless you have a very tanned or darker complexion. The concealer is designed to improve skin's youthful appearance and elasticy, radiance and reduce the appearance of fine lines with it's matrixyl 3000, green tea, sodium hyaluronate and Litchiderm ingredients. 

I haven't yet read or heard a negative review of this concealer and I couldn't fault it so far. I much prefer it to any other concealer that I've used but the deciding factor as to whether I repurchase it will be how long it lasts. It's £17.50, which for a high end concealer is pretty reasonable as long as it lasts well.  

Have you tried the Naked Skin Concealer? 

MARCH FAVOURITES

March has been a pretty exciting month for me as I started my new job and it also marked my 6 year anniversary with my boyfriend. Even so,I'm quite glad March is over now as I couldn't be more ready for the weather to start getting warmer, although ironically as I type this, I've just got in from nearly being blown away by the crazy wind. 

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter

I've had this cleansing butter for a while now and use it now and again, mostly when my skin is feeling like it needs a bit more nourishment when removing my make up. The next morning my skin felt so much better and this was the only product that I'd changed in my routine. I still don't use it everyday but I have been using it a lot this month. 

L'oreal True Match Foundation 

There is nothing that I don't like about this foundation. It applies well, it's the right amount of medium coverage to still look natural but flawless, it lasts really well throughout the day and you don't need much of it at all.  The shade is still slightly dark for me and it's N2 and I don't exactly have pale skin, so I'm not sure how it works for those with really fair skin but I know there are a lot of shades. 

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

I had high expectations for this concealer as I had heard a lot of good things about it yet when I first tried it, it didn't wow me. I liked it but it didn't seem anything special. I carried on using it here and there and on one of those days when I looked in the mirror, I thought how well concealed and brightened my under eyes looked. I'm thinking of doing a separate post about this concealer so I wont say too much now! 

Clarins Hydra Quench Intensive Serum

I got this a while ago as a free gift with some other Clarins purchases and was excited to use it, I just hadn't got round to trying it for one reason or another. Since starting my new job I've found a use for it in my routine. I now work in an office, which for the first couple of weeks had the heating cranked up, which  left my skin feeling very dehydrated. I've gone from being freezing cold in my old job, to overly hot, but thankfully I think that's sorted now. I loved the Clarins serum as it's really lightweight but feels so hydrating on the skin. It's perfect for people with normal and oily skin types, like myself who need the hydration but don't want the heavy feel. Although I loved it, Clarin's serums are expensive, so I'm not sure I want to purchase the full size just yet. 

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara

I've been using this mascara everyday for the last month maybe and have really enjoyed using it. I particularly love the brush as it's big enough to catch all the lashes easily, yet not too big that you can't control it and it ends up going everywhere. It builds up length and volume pretty quickly too. It does definitely work better with the Subversion primer, but it's still more than good enough for everyday wear alone. It's supposed to contain ultra black pigments, which really do show. When I use the mascara my lashes look so dark, which I really like as I feel like it makes my eyes look more awake and defined. It lasts all day and I've never had a problem with smudging and it also removes easily when I use a cleanser. I would probably repurchase this mascara! 

Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil 

If you've read my 'Everyday Make up' post you'll have seen this eye liner mentioned. I don't normally wear pencil liner and prefer to line my upper lash line with gel liner, yet since toning down my make up, as I mentioned in my 'Everyday Make up' post, I've been really liking using this eye liner and smudging it out across my upper lash line as it's really quick and easy. I can't use this eye liner on my water line as it makes my eyes water, but it's great anywhere else. 

Barry M Olive Nail Paint 

I think I bought this last year and never got around to using it as the green tone slightly scares me on the nails. I finally applied it last week and I really love it. It's a lovely shade, perfect for this time of year, as it's not quite a spring pastel shade, but a kind of just before the spring nails shade... if that makes any sense at all?! I like it because it's a really unique shade and moreover, it lasted on my nails amazingly well, in comparison to my normal nail varnishes. 

L'oreal Eva's Nude

Recently I've been reaching for this lipstick a lot as it's a really pretty and easy to wear nude shade. I like it as I often forget to put anything on my lips, so just having this in my bag is handy as it instantly completes the look and perks up your make up look, yet still looks really pretty and natural. 

There we have another bunch of favourites, all of which I think I'll be enjoying for a long time. 

What products have you been loving this month?

SHOPPING MY STASH

Isn't it funny how we get so excited about buying new make up and then often, not too many weeks or months later, we've sentenced it to a life of just sitting in our draws with all of our other neglected make up. We anticipate the arrival of bigger and better things and often forget about our once loved products.

After months of claiming that I need more blusher, as I don't own many (clearly owning nearly every Benefit blush doesn't qualify), I remembered that in actual fact, I have two Sleek blush palettes with a total of six different shades, surely that's more than enough?! A similar train of thought followed about neutral lip colours, somehow I forgot I have tonnes of lip glosses that fit the bill. 

Over the past week I've decided to start using more of these forgotten products and I'm really enjoying rediscovering items that I once loved. A couple of these products are ones that I never really used much but want to make more of an effort to use. So far I've been really enjoying using Tanya Burr's lip gloss in Chic as an everyday shade. I want to keep trying to use more of my lip glosses as they complete your look and are so quick and easy to use. Another that I used to love is the Bare Minerals lip gloss in Rebel; a natural 'your lips but better' colour.  I've said in previous posts that I'm not the biggest  pencil eye liner wearer, yet obviously I had to buy the Urban Decay eye liner set last Christmas (you can read my post here) I've recently started using Urban Decay's Perversion eye pencil, which you can see in my 'everyday make up post', but I still want to try and use more of the other colours that I got in the set. These three browns should be easy to use for everyday natural looks. The Bare Minerals Warmth is absolutely gorgeous as a bronzer; it's the perfect product to warm up the complexion, for so many skin tones. Even if you are really fair you just need a tiny amount of product and it makes your skin look so naturally fresh, radiant and bronzed. The only reason I don't use it much is because it's a little more time consuming, tipping out the required amount than your ordinary solid pan bronzer. Another Bare Minerals product that I want to use more of is the loose mineral eye shadows. Surprisingly they're really quick and easy to use and not at all messy. I used to just pat on  the shadows all over the lid and then blend a matte shade or the Bare Minerals Warmth through the crease. My favourite Bare Minerals loose shadows are Queen Tiffany, Tan Lines, Bare Skin and Queen Phyllis. Another eye shadow product that I need to make more use of are the Naked palettes, especially Naked 3. There was so much hype about this palette when it first came out that I just bought it because you feel like I should and when you've got 1 and 2, you obviously need 3... I really love the shades when I do use them, it's just one I forget to make use of. The LUSH Lip Scrubs are one of those things that seem cool, but rarely actually get used. I want to use it more often to exfoliate my lips, especially as I'll be applying more lip gloss now, so I need them to be smooth and a better base for lip products. The final product I have is the REN Clarimate Invisible Pores Detox Mask. I'm pretty good with my skincare but useless with masks, I can never be bothered. I think I may have to set myself a target of using a mask once a week.

What products have you rediscovered and love or which ones do you not use enough?

MY EVERYDAY MAKE UP

Since leaving my make up counter job, where it was actually written in my contract that I must wear a full face of make up, I've made some big changes to my make up routine. This probably still seems a lot for the everyday woman, but for us beauty obsessed this is pretty tame. I've been really enjoying not feeling like I need to layer every product I can onto my face and think up new and exciting eye looks everyday, in a minimal time. It's strange but I'm actually feeling a lot more confident with my face...? since cutting down on the products. I still wear more make up than pretty much everyone in the office, but it's a start. 

 First up for my base, I use the L'oreal True Match foundation in N2, which is still a little dark for my light, un-fake tanned skin. I use Urban Decay's new Naked Skin concealer under the eyes and set it with my trusty MAC Emphasize powder, which I will be repurchasing very soon by the looks of it. I did include Rimmel's Stay Matte powder in my 'Hyped products that I'm not in  love with' post, but I don't actually have many powders in my collection, so I'm just using it to set my foundation and use it up. I use MAC's Give me sun bronzer, as it's so pigmented that it takes no time at all to apply and gives a gorgeous warmth to the skin. I like to use Bare Minerals 'The One' blush, as it's a soft pink shade that gives a healthy flush to the cheeks, topped with MAC's Soft & Gentle on the cheekbones. For my eyes I still like to define my eyes, yet not so dark and the winged liner has definitely been got rid of. I use MAC's Wedge in the crease, Sable on the lid as it's a light slightly shimmery brown and Swiss Chocolate to slightly darken  up the outer corner and on the lower lash line. I use a little bit of Urban Decay's Perversion eye liner along my top lash line and smudge it out to give the definition and extra thickness to my lashes, but so it's quite soft. I then finish off with Urban Decay's Perversion mascara and a little bit of Soft & Gentle on the brow bone and inner corner. I fill in my brows slightly with the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. To finish off my look, I use L'oreal's Eva's Nude lipstick, as it's a gorgeous natural shade that you can just put on to complete the look. 

I'm really enjoying my new everyday make up routine as it's so much quicker and when I look in the mirror I feel more myself, instead of just looking at make up. Don't get me wrong, I haven't ditched the intense smokey eye for good, but it'll probably now just be a special occasion thing, like normal people do! What are your favourite products to use everyday?

HIGH END BEAUTY HAUL

I've been making the most of my staff discount before I leave my current job which is on a make up counter in a Department store. I couldn't be more excited to get weekends, bank holidays, Boxing Day and New Year's Day off, to not have to spend my day being bored out of my mind or dealing with rude and annoying customers... So yeah I'm pretty excited about leaving. One thing that I will be missing is my staff discount! I decided to stock up on things that I needed and some things that I just fancied treating myself to. I was slightly tame, well maybe that's not the word but I definitely could have bought more, but at the end of the day it's just make up and skincare *cries inside at calling makeup and skincare, 'just' makeup and skincare*. I've got another post coming from my haul, featuring just one brands worth of products as it was just too much to include with this one. 

First up, Urban Decay. I'd been eyeing up the Pulp Fiction palette since it was released last year, but come on, did I really need more neutral eyeshadows!? Obviously I did. Luckily, it was hugely reduced in a recent sale and with staff discount on top, it was only £9, which I could definitely justify. I've also loved Zodiac moondust eyeshadow for ages, I was just about convinced that although it's absolutely gorgeous, I wouldn't get much wear out of it. I then watched a recent tutorial by Pin up Beauty and knew that I needed it. It's a gorgeous shimmery green shade, with so much pigmentation and strong, but classy shimmer. I also had to pick up one of the new Naked Skin concealers. I've heard quite a lot of good things about this concealer lately and as my current collection actually only holds one concealer - my MAC Pro Longwear, I felt that it would be okay to purchase this one... like that really made a huge difference to this decision.  I also picked up a back up of my absolute favourite foundation ever, the Bare Minerals Ready foundation. I think I may even own a back up of this already, but it's the most amazing foundation, especially for the summer as the shade I wear (R330), is so warm and looks so fresh, radiant and glowy. I can't wear this until the summer as it's a good tanned shade and right now I'm pretty pasty, but it will sit patiently with it's other foundation friends in the mean time. 

 Like I said in my previous Clinique skincare post I haven't used much from the brand before. The foundation caught my eye as soon as I heard about its full coverage and long wear and then I saw it on one of the girls and liked the look of it and finally I read a review on Laura's blog, which was also very positive so I obviously had to get it. I've only used it once so far and on first impressions I really liked it. I will probably do a full review on it when I've had the chance to try it out a few more times. My second Clinique purchase was the Superdefense eye cream. I thought it would be a good lightweight eye cream to use daily under my make up, as it included spf 20, which seemed like a good idea, as the eye area is already sensitive enough to ageing. It's also quite brightening which can never be a bad thing. 

 As I write this my first day of my new job is tomorrow, so I'm currently having a little taster of what a weekend off is like, starting with just a Sunday and I'm already loving it. I'm happy with my purchases but can't help still wanting more but I know my bank is kind of thanking me for not putting it under any more pressure! 

Hope you've all had a good weekend and that you have a great week!