Summer Lip Essentials | Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayons

Spring is in full swing so it's definitely time to ditch the deep red and purple lip colours for more bright and light colours!  There's so many amazing lip products on the market right now but my favourites right now are the Bourjois Color Boost lip crayons!  They're my latest obsession and I really want every colour.

I have the colours Red Sunrise, Peach On The Beach and Orange Punch and plan to collect them all as I just think they're so handy to carry in your makeup bag.

The lip crayons are really smooth to apply, and leave a really nice colour with shine to the lips and moisturises them at the same time.  The pigmentation of each colour is great, and at the moment my favourite is Orange Punch - the bright orange packaging may be offputting to a lot of people but the colour is a more toned down orange with hints of pink I think.  The crayons are great for the brighter weather as they have SPF15.  They also twist meaning there is no need to sharpen these.

One thing I will say is that they do not last 10 hours like they claim to, I have to reapply maybe every hour or so just to keep the colour really radiant.

I think that these are definitely every day essentials because although the colours are bright and true to their names, they're lovely alternatives to a bold lipstick this Spring.  These lip crayons are priced at £7.99, but I do believe there is a 3 for 2 deal on at Boots right now meaning you can grab three of these for just £16! Highly, highly recommend these lip products.

Zoë x

ARTDECO Bronzing Glow Blusher | Review

A few weeks ago, Devon and I attended the Scottish Beauty Show through in Edinburgh.  I didn't purchase a lot, but one thing I did buy was the ARTDECO Bronzing Glow Blusher.  This is usually £20, but at the event it was on sale for £10 and also came with a free brush.

The blusher and brush were packaged in a box so I didn't actually know what either were going to look like, but I really wanted to give ARTDECO a try seeing as it is the makeup brand used at the likes of the National Television Awards, Emmerdale and Coronation Street.  I am so glad that I picked up this product, because it's AMAZING!

Firstly, let's appreciate how gorgeous the packaging is.  The design is so pretty and came as a lovely surprise because as mentioned, I had no idea what this was going to look like.  I know packaging doesn't have anything to do with what the actual product is like, but it does make for brightening up what's in your make up bag.  I do love nice packaging on beauty products.

The blusher comes with a mirror which makes it a great product to take on the go or when travelling.

The majority of the blusher is taken up by the coral colour, which has a shimmery golden tone to it as described in the name.  The colour makes for a really natural, healthy glow on the face with just enough radiance without being over the top.  The product allows you to enhance your cheek colour by adding either the fuchsia or rosewood colour depending on what look you are going for or how you feel on a particular day.  I enjoy mixing all three colours together to create a soft yet luminous look on the apples of my cheeks.

So preeeetty!

The product itself contains three colours - which are described by ARTDECO as being 'golden shimmering coral, fuchsia, and rosewood'.  A pattern similar to the one on the outer packaging is engraved into the product and the detailing just adds another thing to love about this product.

As for the brush, it does the job.  It's really just your standard blush brush but nothing to rave about - I actually prefer using a contour brush to apply this.

I've attached some photos of the three colours swatched and what they look like on my cheeks.  Enlarge them by clicking on them.

This blush is definitely worth a buy to add to your spring/summer make up collection!  

From L-R, Fuchsia, Coral, Rosewood

Zoë x

My Neutral MAC Palette | Perfect For Blue Eyes

 Very recently I bought my final two MAC eyeshadows to complete my 15 Pan Pro Refill Palette that I started last December.  The plan was to collect them over time, but it does get really addictive and I ended up buying one or two here, then another three there...or four...

Opalesse

Joy and Laughter

MAC eyeshadows are definitely my favourite brand, and before I started my palette I had one mineralized eyeshadow duo in 'Joy and Laughter' (which is brilliant) and an extra dimension eyeshadow which was limited edition last year, in 'Opalesse' (which I used non-stop last Summer).  I completely loved those two so it was only a matter of time until I started my own palette.

The Pro Palette shadows are priced at £10 each, which I think is a very fair price.  Some drugstore brands are very close to this price, and definitely don't match the quality of MAC eyeshadows.  Bourjois and L'oreal eyeshadows are priced at £7, so I for one don't mind paying that extra £3 for an eyeshadow that I know will be amazing.  The palette itself is £14 and the insert is £6.50.

Apart from the two I bought rather recently (which were 'Sketch' and 'Mythology'), I use all of the eyeshadows really frequently.  I find that some eyeshadows can look different when blended out into the crease and some can look different completely when adding another eyeshadow to it, allowing you to create a lot of different and beautiful looks.

Here is my completed MAC palette -

It was quite hard to arrange the colours into some sort of order seeing as there is no set theme for this palette, it's a complete mixture of cool and warm tones with some colours being more A/W and some very summery.  I'm still not entirely happy with the setup and can see myself depotting and repotting until I'm 100% happy with it!

Just for reference -

Frost finish eyeshadows:  White Frost, Phloof!, Nylon, Jest,  Amber Lights, Satin Taupe and Cranberry.  I do love me a frost eyeshadow.

Matte finish eyeshadows: Omega and Charcoal Brown.

Matte 2 finish eyeshadow: Blanc Type.

Velvet finish eyeshadows: Sketch and Smut

Veluxe pearl finish eyeshadows: All That Glitters and Woodwinked

Lustre finish eyeshadow: Mythology

Some of my most used are -

Phloof! (frost) which is an amazing all over lid colour with something a little darker on the outer corner, it's also a great inner eye corner highlighter.

Blanc Type (matte 2) which is the perfect all over lid colour paired with the likes of Charcoal Brown for a simple matte eye look.

Nylon (frost) which is my go to highlighter as it is just perfect.

All That Glitters (veluxe pearl) which is great when you want to look like you've made a lot of effort, when really you've only blended it out for a super smouldering look!

Omega (matte) which is the perfect eyebrow colour for blondies.  Looks great as a soft contour on the eyelid too.

Satin Taupe (frost) which is the most beautiful all over lid colour, outer corner colour, slightly blended through the crease.  This colour is just incredible.

The eyeshadows that I've picked really complement my blue eyes, and I think that the entire palette is blue eye perfect, as it were.  I wear MAC NC20.  Obviously they would look great on other eye colours too, but if you have blue eyes and were wondering what MAC eyeshadows would definitely suit you - here are my perfect 15!

 White Frost is just as it says in the name, a white eyeshadow with a frost finish.  It's a really intense white that can be used to highlight inner eye corner, the browbone, the cupids bow etc.  It's also great to brighten up an eye look by building it up from the inner eye corner.  White Frost is very buildable, so you can end up with a very intense white finish.

Phloof! is a brilliant shimmery pearly colour with subtle pinky tones that again, make for an amazing highlighter!  As well as a highlighter, this is a really good all over lid colour, and my personal favourite shadows to combine this with are All That Glitters and Satin Taupe.  I find that Phloof! looks different when paired with each of them, complementing them both perfectly but in different ways.  I use this eyeshadow nearly everyday and it will definitely remain a staple in my collection.

 Blanc Type is one of my three matte shades in the palette.  It's actually a 'Matte 2' finish meaning that it is more smooth than just a Matte finish.  It has such a creamy formula that makes for such soft application and easy blending.  I use this eyeshadow a lot paired with Charcoal Brown, Omega, or basically just any colour I want in the outer corner as I can't imagine what colour won't go with this perfectly neutral colour.  I would definitely recommend this in anyone's collection because it's the perfect base that everyone needs.

Although this looks like a mega shimmery gold shade in the pan, it isn't at all when swatched.  Nylon is the perfect highlighter for any look, and I think I prefer this to White Frost.  Nylon adds the perfect amount of brightness to the inner eye corner, and can also brighten up an eye look by applying it to the middle of the eyelid.  The warm and highly pigmented nature of this eyeshadow makes it a bit too much for a brow bone highlight, but this is a definite must have in a MAC eyeshadow collection.  The ultimate inner eye corner shadow.

 I bought Jest because it is a favourite of my mum and sister, and they both highly recommended it.  It reminds me of one of my favourite eyeshadows ever, Urban Decay's 'Sin'.  Jest is a beautiful soft pink colour that is subtly shimmery.  A fantastic all over lid colour that looks great on it's own, or with something like Satin Taupe blended in the outer corner.  Personally, I wouldn't use this as a highlighter because I find it too pinky.  Jest is great for those days when you want a quick but gorgeous looking eye look.

The famous All That Glitters.  The best thing about this shadow is that it is SUPER versatile.  You can wear it all over the lid and blended out which looks so pretty; you can pair it with so many different colours; it looks gorgeous when blended into the crease paired with something lighter like Phloof! or Jest, and it looks great when brought underneath the eye too. The beautiful rose gold tone that it has makes my blue eyes pop, and the veluxe pearl finish that it has means that it has quite a glowing finish, and when built up it can go a different and more instense colour.  Perfect for every occasion, a must have MAC eyeshadow!

 Omega has a dip in the middle of it because I use it every single day without fail to fill in my eyebrows.  I bought this on recommendation from one of Tanya Burr's YouTube videos, and I can confirm that this shade is PERFECT for any blondie's brows.  I used to use a pencil from Make Up Store and looking back, it was really harsh and didn't look nice at all.  This natural shade is faultless and can look great for a simple eye look paired with Blanc Type.  If you're a blonde having trouble with finding an eyebrow filler, look no further than Omega.

Woodwinked is another veluxe pearl finish, and the warm tones against blue eyes look just lovely.  I haven't had the chance to wear this with tanned skin yet which I've heard is what makes this eyeshadow look amazing.  However, when applied on the lids it looks different all over the lid than it does when blended into the crease which is just great - two eyeshadow shades in one!  Woodwinked manages to make you look like you've put in a lot of effort into your eye look which is something I love.  This classic MAC shade is a great summery one to have in your collection.

I bought Amber Lights as an impulse buy when I was through in Edinburgh.  I wasn't sure about how bright and orange it looked in the pan, but based on how much I love Urban Decay's 'Half Baked' in the summer, I bought it anyway and it definitely didn't disappoint.  It's such a shimmery and mega pigmented coppery gold shade that is the ultimate complement for blue eyes.  One way in which I would love to wear this is layered for a super shimmery effect with a dark brown in the outer V of the eye.  Every blue-eyed girl needs a warm gold eyeshadow, and Amber Lights in my opinion is a go-to.

Mythology is one of the two eyeshadows that I haven't had a lot of time to play around with.  It's a pinky bronze colour that is very glittery seeing as it has a Lustre finish.  From reading, I think it's another colour particularly suited to lighter eye colours to make them really stand out, and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this shade.  One swatch showed the shade was extremely pigmented.  I think that Mythology will look great blended with a gold shimmered colour, for a shimmery summer look that will look great against blue eyes.  Excited to get more use out of this eyeshadow!

One of my all time favourite eyeshadows, Satin Taupe.  It's a purpley/mauvey toned brown/grey colour with a subtle shimmer and although this is a blue eyed post, this colour will definitely look flattering on everyone.  I personally love this colour blended in the outer corner of my eyes with one of my lighter eyeshadows for a daytime look.  For evenings, I build it up more as well as bringing the colour underneath the eye.  Satin Taupe also makes for a great shade in a smokey eye look.  It makes my blue eyes look really bright, and sparked my love for purple toned eyeshadows.  I just love Satin Taupe and its wearability, a definite must have.

My only dark brown matte eyeshadow in the palette is Charcoal Brown.  I think that it is a brilliant crease colour that adds really natural definition to the eyes.  It really complements lighter eye colours when worn all over the lids as well.  Everyone needs a matte warm brown crease colour in their collection for those days when you want a simple but pretty make up look and for me, Charcoal Brown is that colour.  Again, another buildable eyeshadow allowing you to create different shades of brown.

Cranberry looks like quite an intimidating colour, and it's a colour that I would never usually go out specifically looking for.  But when I was at the MAC counter in London, it jumped out at me and I just had to purchase it.  It's great for adding a pop of warmth to any eye look, particularly in the outer corner and through the crease area.  I think this would look slightly scary all over the lid, but if you can find/have a way to make it work then please let me know!  Again, it's another great shade to make blue eyes pop.  If you're looking to add some different colour to a neutral palette, then look no further than Cranberry.

This is another one of my most recent purchases - Sketch.  It's one of my mum's favourite MAC eyeshadows so I bought it on her recommendation.  It's my only shadow with a 'Velvet' finish, which means it's a 'matte with infused glitter'.  Sketch is a plum colour with a very slight red shimmer to it, making it a great and different alternative to dark brown or black for a smokey eye outer corner colour.  It's a great and unique addition to my palette as a wearable colour verging slightly away from my safe browns.  I need to experiment a bit more with this eyeshadow but think it will look really pretty blended with the likes of Jest.

The last eyeshadow in my MAC palette is Smut.  Due to having light coloured eyes and hair, I often found that a matte black in my outer V of my eyes is slightly too harsh and didn't really do me any favours.  Smut has completely solved my problem, with it being a lighter and more complementary colour for me in a smokey eye look!  Another thing I love to use Smut for is smudging it into my upper and lower lash lines for a more smokey effect that is not achievable with eyeliner.  It's also a really good crease colour for somewhat dramatic definition.  I've heard from YouTube that this eyeshadow is inspired by Kate Moss' famous charcoal slightly dirty smokey eye, yet another reason to love it!  I would definitely recommend this if like me, you need a more toned down version of a black eyeshadow - Smut is fantastic.

There you have it, my completed MAC palette!

MAC palette in natural light - no flash.

MAC palette in natural light - flash on.

I would really like to do a post where I show you my favourite MAC eyeshadow looks, so leave a comment if you would like to see that.  Or comment for any looks you would like to see!  Also, let me know if this post has helped you, or if you have any other essential MAC eyeshadows for blue eyes.

This has been quite a long winded post but I wanted to give you guys the amount of detail I would like to find myself if I wanted to read about this.

Hope you enjoyed this and found it helpful!

Zoe x

Everyday Makeup Routine | MAC, Rimmel, Mally, Revlon, Urban Decay, NYC

Hi there! So I know Zoe has already done a Spring Time Makeup look, but I wanted to share my everyday routine with you all as I have recently changed a few products which I am now currently loving! Like Zoe, I will usually do a subtle bronzed/golden eye-shadow look if I have time, but recently due to work commitments I have just had a quick 10 minutes to do my makeup everyday meaning it has been simplified. So here it is...

After my shower, where I use my Sephora Cleanser to clean my face (I use a make up wipe - Simple Skin - before my shower as I am terrible for taking my make up off the night before!!) I will prime my skin using the Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer in 003. I have been using this for around 4 weeks now and have only used a quarter of the tube, but I definitely feel that my skin is much softer and although it says nothing about helping spots, I recently had a small break out and it has cleared it all up  so I feel that it definitely helped with that! 

This primer helps to control shine for up to 8 hours and helps minimise pores. I will just put around a 20p size on my middle fingers and then rub into my face in circular motions. I recommended this as it is great and just under £6! 

Once this has dried in, I will then do one of the following three steps depending on how my skin is looking. 

ONE ---- If I am having a good day, I will go straight to using my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder in Medium. I used to live by this powder until I found it was too much money, but due to a new job last summer I decided to repurchase as I had some more cash to spend! It is £20, but a dupe for it which I love as well is the Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder (I used the shade Sand) which is part of the same range as the primer and foundation which I sometimes use! 

TWO ---- If my skin is looking a bit dull if I have maybe had a bad sleep or just not been being very active or healthy recently, I will use the Rimmel London Wake Me Up foundation in shade True Ivory 103 (around £8.99). I am on my 6th bottle of this so I would definitely recommend this to everyone!!! I was wary of it at first due to the light reflecting particles in it, but after many YouTubers raving on about it I thought I would give it a go and I'm not going back!  It brightens my skin and just gives me an all over natural glow which I think looks fantastic at any time of the year, but especially in the winter months! I will apply this using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush (in the core set - £25). I follow this up with my MAC powder (see ONE).

THREE ---- If I have a long day at work or am not able to touch up my make up at all I will use the Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in True Ivory 103. I apply this again with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush after i have made around 20 dots of it around my face. The only problem I have with this foundation, is I would say it has to be blended in a lot to make sure there are no lines. Again I will then apply my MAC powder on top.

After choosing one of the above steps, I will use my Urban Decay Flushed Palette which I got from my "secret" santa from my friend (thanks zoe!!). I use my S.I.L.K PRO Contour BC120 brush to apply the bronzer to my hollows of my cheeks, my hairline on my forehead, my temples and also to define my nose. 

I then use the blush in this palette with my Real Techniques Blush brush. It is very pigmented on my skin tone so I always gradually build it up.

Next I fill in my brows (my favourite part) using my Sleek Duo Brow in Light. One side is a spooly which I use to brush my brows into place, which I follow up by using the waxy side to fill them in is small strokes and finally brush back through to remove excess! This step takes under a minute so at £7 I recommend this product!

For eyes, I use Creep in the Naked Basics palette (Urban Decay) to line my lash line which a Real Techniques Accent Brush, followed by using either NYC Big Curl (dupe for Falsies by Maybelline ) or NYC Big Bold Volume (dupe for Maybelline Rocket Volume) (£1.99 each).

Finally, last but not least, on my lips I use either Mally Pilar Pink (QVC), Rimmel London Kate Moss shade 16, Revlon 027 Juicy Papaya or Bourjois Rouge Edition 03 with a quick topping of Carmex to help it last.

L to R : Mally, Rimmel London, Revlon, Bourjois

Although this is a long post, it takes me the best part of ten minutes to do so is actually a very quick and simple everyday routine! Hope you all enjoyed it and will try some of the products!

Devon
x o x o