The Touch Up Kit

To start I'm going to give you guys a summary of what my skin is like. I have oily, acne prone skin with scarring around my cheek area and a VERY dark eye area, and although there are products I use and steps I take to make my makeup last as long as it possibly can and look as good as when I first applied it (more on that in an upcoming post), a touch up once throughout the day is a must for me.

So around 6-7 hours after first application I do get quite shiny, particularly through my T-zone and I've often gotten the "You're looking sweaty" comments from people whose skin is a lot better than mine and are not above judging (you know the ones). So I get my travel mirror out and I'll use blotting tissues to remove the layer of oil thats sitting on top of my makeup. This does sound a bit disgusting but trust me when I tell you it's well worth it and will stop any possible caking that can happen when you go in with your powder. They're fairly cheap and any will do the job, I'm currently using the Swisspers ones.
After that I'll take my Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair and swipe this under my eyes and around my nose and mouth which are typically where my makeup tends to disappear. I like this one because its great coverage, easy to apply on the go and easy to blend out with fingers.
To lock that all in and get rid of any shine that the blotting tissues didn't take care of I use the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder in 52 Vanille, which is one of my favourite powders I have ever tried. It locks my makeup in place without making me look too flat and absolutely never cakes up. I apply this with a Real Techniques Retractable Kabuki Brush because again its easy to use on the go and comes with a lid to keep it clean.

Finally I tackle lips and if I'm not using lip balm I go for the NYX Butter Gloss in Vanilla Cream Pie, its a beautiful warm pink shade that is seriously creamy and makes your lips look nice and full. If I'm not feeling that one then I go for MAC Patisserie lipstick which is my favourite pinky nude in the world. 

Top 5 Summer Nail Polishes

When Summer rolls around, I can't wait to get some bright colours on my nails. I think they make your hands look really feminine and pretty and when it comes to polish, drugstore brands are the way to go. Most high end polishes are not worth the hype and end up chipping after about three hours, while you come to the realisation you've just spent half your weekly food budget on a dud.

The Salon Pro line from Rimmel is a serious winner. They have so many different shades to choose from but the most summery in my opinion and my go to is their polish in Hip Hop, which is a very bright orangey red.The formula is extremely opaque and they have a handy rounded brush which makes it so easy to cover your entire nail in one swipe. 

For something with a little bit more punch I like the Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Full House, a very bright sky blue, which leaves your nails super shiny (without a topcoat), and lasts ages.

Purple nails will always have a special place in my heart, and I find myself wearing some variation of purple for most of the year. Essie is one of my favourite nail brands, and this one in Play Date is seriously dreamy. Its a beautiful bright lilac thats not too pastel or neon, and probably my fave of the bunch.

Now the Maybelline SuperStay 7 Day Gel Nail polishes I think I have in every shade. They are so good! For a polish thats more on the cheaper side of things, you'd expect it to be mediocre at best, right? Wrong! The colour above is called Rose Poudre, it has that mauve-y pinky brown thing down pat and makes your hands look very royal family-esque.

Lastly, I've thrown in an amazing travel friendly nail option and this is the L'oreal Infallible Gel Nail Polish in Fuchsia For Life, it's again bright and a really opaque formula. The top coat and the individual colour separate from the middle making it perfect for the girl who is always late (me).

Beach party nails- sorted.

#strictlydrugstore

Hey Everyone! 
I know its a bit late in the month and I do apologise, sometimes life gets in the way of the awesome plans you make at the start of the year. This month I'm featuring only products that are from the drugstore and affordable using the hashtag #strictlydrugstore. So everyday, until the end of January there will be a post everyday at 9am, on everything from makeup, skincare and haircare. 

The first post will be up later today, in the mean time please comment and tell me what your holy grail products are from the drugstore, Im always open to enabling!

Makeup Menu: Saturday Night

I'm not at all seasoned in the art of walking in high heels anymore. The 7pm-12pm slot of my saturday night usually consists of eating a rather large dinner, bath time. a sneaky purchase online and then bed. However, the last few months of the year are always filled with birthdays and parties and so I thought Id share my go to products for a night out. 

Firstly, my main concern for nightly outings is skin and the best evening foundation I have tried is the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk which I wear in the shade 4. I dub this 'perfect skin in a bottle', blends like a dream and sits nicely between a matte and dewy finish. Another base perfecting product I am obsessed with is the Hourglass Ambient lighting Powder in Diffused Heat. I don't know how it does it but this powder completely blurs all imperfections in the skin while giving you an amazing glow. I also like to add a subtle sheen to the tops of my cheekbones and cupid's bow the the Benefit Watt's Up highlighter stick.

Next comes eyes, and although I like to keep it neutral most of the time I do like to add shimmer in the evenings. Firstly I apply a sticky note from the outside corner of my eye to the end of my brow just to keep everything in a nice feline shape, and also make winged eyeliner SO easy. I add a base shadow and define my crease using my trusty Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette and then I spritz a flat brush with this cute bottle of Fix+ from MAC and go in with the most exciting thing about my night out makeup, a pigment. This Makeup Geek pigment in Nightlife is a beautiful bronze colour and gives your eyes the most amazing pop and with a primer it last all night without flaking away or smudging. To finish eyes, I give them a quick curl with the Shu Umerua Eyelash Curlers and add false lashes, the ones Ive used twice now are the Ardell Glamour Wispies which I apply with a little Duo glue. 

Finally, were on to lips and on nights out I do enjoy giving my bold colours a dust off because thats the only time I really get to wear them. The two Ive been obsessing over recently are the Dior Addict Fluid Stick in the shade Wonderland, which goes on the lips very wet and then dries to a beautiful satin finish and is so comfortable on the lips. My second favourite is the Nars Audacious Lipstick in Grace which is a similar colour but dries a little more matte and rarely needs a touch up. 

Everyday Makeup Routine