I Love Drugstore Makeup TAG

 hello, my lovelies! 

something a little different for you today, but it's something i've wanted to do for a while. i read/watch a lot of tags on blogs and youtube channels, but i've never actually done one myself even though i find them really interesting to read. today i'll be doing the 'I love drugstore makeup' tag, and for people outside of the UK this is stores like Boots, Superdrug etc... which i'm sure you all well acquainted with if you read British blogs. 

on no accounts do i see myself as a beauty 'expert' or 'guru', make up is just something i love and enjoy reading & writing about and this is just to share my thought on some products with you.

soooo.... let's go!

 1. What is your favourite drugstore brand overall?

in all honesty, this totally depends on which product i'm looking for - i have favourite brands for different things, so i'll do a top 3. Maybelline for their foundation, Rimmel for their lip products (i NEED to get my hands on an Apocalips, damn my poorness) and Barry M for nails.

 

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

Face - Maybelline's 'Fit Me' foundation. it has taken me forever and a day to finally find a foundation which matches my skin tone and hallelujah for this range.

Lip - Either the Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks, or MUA's Lip Booms. they're both great if you're looking for strong, pigmented, long-lasting colour. 

Cheek - Collection 2000's Powder Blushes. they have such a subtle shimmer to them and are really naturally pigmented shades. 

3. What is your least favourite high street product?

i really didn't like MUA's original face primer. i think they have since bought out a new one, but the original in a black tube i would steer well clear of - the consistency is far too wet and thin for a primer and the little stopper in the bottle doesn't stay put and you end up with product everywhere.

4. What is your favourite make-up bargain?

i will stop talking about MUA soon, i promise, but their pro-brow palette has been a life saver. i bought this when it released a few months ago, and before this i had never filled in my eyebrows or really paid much attention to them if i'm honest, but since i started using this i have realised that they definitely needed some attention. it's just £3.50 and has three shades to suit all hair colours and a fixing gel. if you're looking for a new eyebrow product, i highly reccomend this, and even if you're not then you need one of these in your life! 

5. What is your favourite underdog product (something you love, but often gets overlooked)?

Collection 2000's Skyscraper Mascara. this is my staple mascara, and i literally will not use anything else. it's just £4.99 and aswell as being waterproof, it really accentuates my lashes. i have naturally quite short lashes, so this mascara is perfect for anyone else in the same situation. 

6. What product do you find overpriced?

Apart from the one mentioned above, drugstore mascaras in general are far too overpriced for what they are. nowadays you could spend just £5 more and be able to get yourself a higher end mascara, so why bother with the drugstore? i also think that foundation prices are slowly creeping up and i have paid around £12 for a bottle in the past. it's understandably why girls are now paying a little more and ending up with higher end pieces in their make-up bags.

7. Your best bargain dupe?

lipstick dupes are everywhere if you have a proper look - i don't have any in particular, but i'll often pick up a drugstore lipstick and find a really similar colour whilst i'm lusting over on the MAC website. the MUA Heaven & Earth eyeshadow palette is one of the best dupes for Urban Decay's Naked palette too and costs just £4! 

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

all the recent lip butter hype has gone straight over my head, whether it be from revlon, maybelline, anyone. whenever i've swatched in store, there's just never been enough colour and substance to the product, it's always just been a bit of a sheen. i know these aren't meant to be pigmented like lipsticks, but i'm just not impressed. 

i tag anyone who reads this to also take part, and if you do just comment below with the link to your post - i love reading everyone elses opinions on the UK high street brands.

New Years Resolutions - January Update

as if it's February on Friday already?! i can't believe how quickly this month has gone, so i thought i'd update you all on how i'm getting on with the New Years Resolutions i made this year (see the original post here). I'll do a post like this towards the end of each month until it's time to make some new ones! 

1. Try some Soap & Glory products

i have stuck to this one! i treated myself to a few bits before i moved back to university this term and whilst boots were offering upto £5 off. i snapped up 'No Clogs Allowed' the 'Deep Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser' and 'Purifying Face Wipes'. I use the 'No Clogs Allowed' once a week and the other two products at least once a week in an attempt to look after my skin more this year. I've already reviewed 'No Clogs Allowed' here if you want to check it out for yourself. I'm definitely keen to add to this little collection throughout the year, and will of course keep you updated!

2. Try some Lush products

I haven't actually got round to trying anything yet, but I have got my hands on a couple of pieces. I went in to store to get a birthday present for one of my friends and picked up the 'Butter Ball' bath bomb for myself, but we're deprived of a bath at the uni house so I'll have to wait until i go home to test this out, but the smell is to die for. My friend Becky from work also gave me a little bottle of 'Snow Fairy' after she saw my resolutions post as she got well stocked up with it as christmas presents. I will review both of these when i get round to using them, promise! 

3. Do 20 sit-ups every morning and night.

okay, i admit - i haven't done this. why? out of laziness. i just haven't had time in the mornings, and i always end up lounging in bed hours before i actually go to sleep and can never be bothered to get out again to do this. i am determined to start when February comes round and i'm also thinking of going swimming every other week too. 

4. ALWAYS walk to work. unless it's raining.

i have actually stuck to this, even in all the snow we had! so now there is no reason why i can't keep this up!

5. Eat more healthily.

i have 100% failed at this, i've been awful. James came up to visit me for the weekend and i ended up buying so much junk food that i've only just got rid of it after a week and a half of him going home again! i am going to try harder with this though from now on and start eating breakfast again to see if it helps stop me from snacking. i now vow that there will always be some fruit in my house!

6. Try and save £1000.

i can't see this happening as i need to pay out for my car insurance in April! but i have applied for a summer internship which will earn me £2400, so if i get that then this might be on the cards!

7. Don't attempt a spending ban.

i haven't attempted one, but i might aswell be on one with how little money i have this term. i'm finding myself lusting over so much stuff - it's killing me inside that if i go and buy a Rimmel Apocalips (which i am lusting over soooo bad) that it'll will be nearly half my weeks money allowance. sob. 

8. Book a holiday.

Not yet. hopefully by June?

9. Purchase a brush cleaner for my make-up brushes.

i haven't got round to this due to my tight budget, but in the meantime i will be cleaning them more often with shampoo and other homemade concoctions.

10.  Jar project.

this is now my favourite of the resolutions and the easiest to stick to! I've decorated two jars and think i have around 10 things in there so far. i make sure i write down even the littlest things that make me happy, even if it's just a text message - i definitely reccomend everyone does this, i can't wait to open it up at the end of the year already! 

11. Watch as many films off my list of 'Films I Should Have Seen But Haven't'.

the list is officially finished since the initial post and made it past the 100 mark somehow....

1. 500 Days of Summer

2. New Year's Eve

3. The Time Travellers Wife

4. Bambi

5. The Lucky One

6. Keith Lemon: The Movie

7. American Beauty 

8. 127 Hours

9. Dirty Dancing

10. Friends With Benefits

11. Knocked Up

12. Alot Like Love

13. Taken

14. 13 Going On 30

15. About a Boy

16. Fame

17. Green Mile

18. Mamma Mia

19. Music & Lyrics

20. Sex and the City 2

21. Slumdog Millionaire

22. The Kings Speech

23. Snow White & The Hunstman

24. Tangled

25. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

26. Ice Age 2

27. Ice Age 3

28. Ice Age 4

29. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

30. 21 Jump Street

31. What to Expect when You're Expecting

32. Fight Club

33. Grown Ups

34. Saving Private Ryan

35. Romeo & Juliet

36. Batman Begins

37. The Dark Knight

38. The Dark Knight Rises

39. Inception - i've actually already seen it but was so confused!

40. Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl

41. Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest

42. Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds End

43. Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

44. I am Legend

45. James Bond Quantum of Solace

46. The Butterfly Effect

47. Breakfast at Tiffany's

48. LOL

49. Atonement

50. The Devil Wears Prada

51. Pride & Prejudice
52. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
53. Clueless
54. When Harry Met Sally
55. Serendipity
56. Back to the Future
57. Wild Child
58. A Walk to Remember
59. Oceans 11
60. Oceans 12
61. Oceans 13
62. Forrest Gump
63. Hitch
64. The Pursuit of Happiness
65. What Happens in Vegas
66. The Blind Side
67. The Bucket List
68. Easy A
69. Over Her Dead Body
70. White Chicks
71. 50 First Dates
72. The 5 Year Engagement
73. Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
74. Me & Orson Welles
75. Savages
76. Breaking Dawn Part 2
77. So Undercover
78. Aladdin
79. The Little Mermaid
80. Confessions of a Shopaholic
81. Love & Other Drugs
82. Limitless
83. The Parent Trap
84. Chicken Run
85. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
86. Crazy Beautiful
87. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
88. Chalet Girl
89. Lost In Translation
90. Phonebooth
91. Collateral
92. Big
93. Crash
94. Crazy Stupid Love
95. War Horse
96. Step Brothers
97. Brothers
98. Shawshank Redemption
99. Seven Pounds
100. The Roommate

101. Eat. Pray. Love

102. Bad Teacher

103. P.S. I Love You

104. Definitely Maybe

105. Little Miss Sunshine

106. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

107. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

There's also a seperate list of films that are out throughout the year so i'll be hitting the cinema quite a bit!
1. Skyfall  
2. Taken 2
3. Iron Man 3
4. The Hangover Part III
5. One Direction 3D Concert Movie
6. Paranormal Activity 5
7. Hunger Games - Catching Fire
8. Pitch Perfect
9. Spring Breakers
10. Movie 43

so there we have it, update #1!

how is everyone else getting on with their 2013 resolutions?

everyday make-up #2

someone who reads my blog via. twitter asked me recently if i'd ever do this kind of post. i actually did one back in the summer but when i went back to find it, i realised my routine and the products i use for an everyday look are now completely different, so here's an updated version for you all.

STEP ONE - PREP

1 Wilkinsons Skin Therapy 2-in-1 Cleaner & Toner. 

Just a cheap 99p product to give my skin a quick cleanse every morning and to remove any makeup i might have missed in a tired state!

2 Wilkinsons Skin Therapy Moisturiser

To hydrate my skin before i bury it under a mountain of products. 

3 Benefit 'That Gal' Face Primer

This is a travel sample which is easy to get hold of on Ebay if, like me, you can't afford to go and buy a full bottle from the counter. I just smooth this across the whole of my face to provide a base for my makeup.

STEP 2 - BASE

1 Benefit Erase Paste in Shade 2 and e.l.f Essentials Concealer Brush

I just apply this over spots or any red/blemish areas to provide a more even base for my foundation. I also apply this around my eyes to brighten the area. 

2 Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 115 and 120 and e.l.f Studio Stipple Brush

I originally bought this foundation in 120 but recently found that it looked too dark on me so i searched high and low for the lightest shade in the collection and snapped it up. 115 has pigments for pink toned skin, and i have no idea why i ever chose 120 which is more for yellow tones, but so my initial purchase wasn't a total waste, i'm currently mixing the two together with a little of the moisturiser above and applying with the stippling brush and it leaves my foundation looking flawless.

STEP 3 - HIGHLIGHTING

1 MUA Pro Brow Kit

I mix the two darkest shades of this to get the right colour for me and just fill in m natural brow shape to make them look a little more healthy.

2 Benefit High Beam

I dot this along my cheekbones and under my brow bone to highlight these areas.

STEP 4 - FACE

1 e.l.f Clarifying Pressed Powder and Superdrug Powder Brush

I dust this across the whole of the face just to eliminate any shine throughout the day.

2 Famous by Sue Moxley Baked Bronzer in Miami and e.l.f Essentials Blush, Bronze & Contour Brush

i brush this across my cheekbones to add a little colour and more of a glow to my complexion.

3 e.l.f Baked Blush in Passion Pink 

I use the same brush as for the bronzer and apply this just below the bronzer so it slightly overlaps and blends together. 

STEP 5 - SETTING

1 MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist

Just a couple of sprays will cover my face to help fix my makeup for the majority of the day.

2 Urban Beauty United Lasharazzi Eyelash Curlers

To add some shape and volume to my lashes

STEP 6 - EYES

1 MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder

i just apply this to my upper and lower lash lines to outline my eyes and give them a little more definition

2 17 Falsifeye Mascara in Black

do i really need to explain how i apply mascara?!

3 Collection 2000 Skylash in Waterproof Black

the 17 mascara isn't waterproof, but is my all time favourite, so i just add a coat of Skylash over the top for a waterproof mask

STEP 7 - LIPS

Obviously lip colour depends on outfit/mood/occasion etc, but my go-to lipsticks are usually...

Barry M in Shade 160

Louise Gray for Topshop in Mexican Wave

MAC Cremesheen in Peach Blossom 

if i'm not feeling lipstick it will be a simple gloss like Soap & Glory's 'A Great Kisser' as it has a nice shimmer to it.

I will add a photo to this very soon, i'm just having a bad skin week and don't want to put you all through that pain! 

Voila!

free blog button swap, anyone?

hello everyone, 

just a quick little post today, i'm wondering if any of you would like to do a free blog button swap?

if you do, just drop me a comment below or click one of the links on the right for my twitter/email/facebook and we can arrange something so i'll feature you on the blog for the next month.

e.l.f Cosmetics Baked Blush in Passion Pink

this is the first baked blush that i've purchased - i've always gone for a pressed powder consistency in the past, but the mineralized, marble-like effect caught my eye when i was browsing the e.l.f. site. i have a very pale complexion so don't like anything that is too overly pigmented, and i love this shade. it just adds a rosy-like glow to my cheekbones and brightens up my face a little more. i think the hues of brown and taupe also help it look much more natural than an artifical pink shade - it's just very natural looking. i really like the baked formula - some other cheek and face powders that i own seem to be very flaky, i'm not sure that's the right word, but when i swirl my brush around the pot there's clouds of product all over the place and loads of it ends up getting wasted. with the baked formula it goes on the brush and nowhere else. this has instantly become a make-up bag staple for me.

this is available from the e.l.f website for £3.75 and it comes in 4 different shades.

MUA Lip Boom in Bring It - Review & Swatches

this is my second Lip Boom (i also have 'It's A Situation') and i simply bought it because i don't own a bright, vibrant red lipstick. i can't say that i'm a huge fan of the gloss that comes with this shade - i don't think a red lip needs to be spoiled with a shimmer and if anything, just a slick coat of clear gloss is enough. i really like the smell of these lipsticks, and i don't know about anyone else but i can't stand putting a product on my lips if it doesn't have a nice scent. i haven't quite had the occasion to wear this yet - it's definitely more of a night time colour than an everyday shade, but when i get round to wearing it properly i'll do a post on it. i find that the Lip Boom lipsticks also don't go all cracked on chapped lips which is my pet hate with some other brands, so if you suffer from dry lips, these are the lipsticks for you! 

MUA do advertise these as a 4-in-1, but basically option 1 is just the lipstick, option 2 is just the gloss, option 3 is both all over the lips and the final option is all over lipstick and the gloss just in the centre of the lips. in my swatches, you can see what the gloss looks like over the lipstick on the far right. 

the Lip Boom's are available from the MUA website in 8 shades for just £3 each.

Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed Super Self Heating Deep Pore Detox Mask

if any of you are regular readers of my blog, you might have seen that one of my 2013 New Years resolutions was to start trying Soap & Glory products as i see so many other beauty bloggers rave over it and just wanted to jump on the bandwagon. i thought i'd actually go for products that i'll use and will benefit me rather than just a nice smelling shower gel, so i bought the No Clogs Allowed Deep Pore Mask. i quite often get breakouts and i don't know if anyone will know what i mean when i say this, but my skin quite often looks uneven in appearance where there's tiny little blackheads and whatnot that i can never seem to get rid of, so i bought this with the promise of 'so long blackheads'.

with this product, you more or less initially apply it like a regular facemask with the pads of your fingers. once you've done this, you wet your hands and start scrubbing - you can feel the little exfoliating beads doing their work and the product actually turns blue the more you scrub at it, i should have taken a picture, i know! i applied this after a shower so left it on whilst i put my PJ's etc on and went back to rinse it off after. this doesn't stay like a cream on the face, it does dry if you go for the 3-5 minute option.

what i have come to love about Soap & Glory is that they provide you with something to get the product off your face - there is nothing i detest more than having to fill the sink up with water and try and wash and scrub it all off with your hands and just making a huge mess - and this tiny little sponge is amazing. literally just wet it and wipe across the face and all the mask is gone.

and oh my, did it leave my skin feeling soft! i have only used it once so can't comment on a long-term effect, but i'm going to start pampering myself on a Sunday and use this and a few other bits and pieces and if it's left my skin this soft after one use, the i can't want to see what it does once i've used it a few times!

if you wanted to try this out, you can purchase from the Soap & Glory or Boots websites for £11. i actually purchased from Boots when they had an offer on for up to £5 off S&G, so keep an eye out for more offers like this as it cost me just £9.

Famous x No Shine Face Powder in The One And Only

i don't know if anybody else got a chance to take advantage of this offer because it seemed to be on the MUA website for only a couple of days, but when i ordered on Christmas Day they were offering £20 worth of Famous makeup with any MUA order of £8 and this is one of the products i recieved free. Famous weren't a brand i'd heard of before this but after browsing their website, it all looks pretty affordable. i really like the packaging of this - i'm not normally a fan of anything leopard print but this has been done without it looking tacky and i'm like a magpie with anything shiny. the mirror inside is great aswell and is really clear and crisp. the product itself, i'm not so impressed with. when i go to put it on my brush little particles fly absolutely everywhere and just make a mess, it's a nightmare and it has ended up in my makeup 'spares' box. it's just compared to the e.l.f one (read here) i recieved at around the same time, i just don't get on with this one aswell. it does eliminate shine and has a heavier coverage than the e.l.f powder, but it's just too messy for me! i also really like the names of the shades - 'The One and Only' is much more fun than the standard 'Ivory' or 'Beige'.

there seems to quite often be an offer on on the Famous website so keep an eye out as recently everything was half price over there. 

you can get this from the Famous website in 4 different shades at the regular price of £4.99

e.l.f Studio Stipple Brush

this is my life-changing makeup brush. santa was a meanie and didn't bring me the Real Techniques brushes i asked him for, so i bought myself the e.l.f version with my Christmas pennies and i am 100% in love. this just makes my foundation look flawless when i apply it. i don't know what it is that does it, maybe it's the 2 lengths of bristles, or maybe it's the face that when applying i dab it into my skin rather then spreading with a regular foundation brush, i just don't know. the bristles are SO soft aswell, i'm literally in love with this brush and i cannot rant and rave about it enough. if you want to try the Real Techniques brush but it's out of your budget like it was for me, then you need to get this. now. go on, click below and buy yourself one.

£3.75 from the e.l.f website

e.l.f Cosmetics Essentials Clarifying Pressed Powder in Ivory

i bought this on a bit of a whim - my previous face powder had just run out and this was just £1.50 so i added it to my basket. first impression was that the pot is very small, about 2/3's of the size of what i'd call a regular face powder size. what i do like about this is that it has very light coverage and doesn't leave my face looking heavily powdered - i don't use the puff that was provided with it, i just my normal powder brush and dust it over my whole face. it keeps the shine away and generally leaves my skin looking much more even in complexion. depending on how long this little pot lasts me, i probably will be repurchasing because it was such a bargain price and there's not any wastage in the form of clouds of the product flying out when i'm putting it onto my brush.

this is available from the e.l.f website for £1.50 in seven shades. 

MUA Undressed Eyeshadow Palette - Review & Swatches

i'll admit it, i've never really been a big fan of eyeshadow or been all that great at applying, but it's something i could really do with to change my everyday make-up look into something a little more dressy for nights out etc, so i've started myself off with this MUA 12 shade palette. i went for something that's got a natural hue running throughout as i'm definitely not brave enough to try anything too daring just yet. asyou can see from the swatches, there's some shades that are barely there, and some that gradually get more and more pigmented as you go throughout the palette (they're swatched L-R top row, then L-R bottom row). i love that they're more or less varying shades of the same colour as it makes it so much easier to build a natural looking colour on the eye with the lighter shades to highlight the inside of the eye and deeper shades to add a dramatic edge. there's some matte shades and other more shimmery/glittery shades too to mix it up a bit. i haven't actually used this yet, but when i get a spare afternoon i'll be sitting down and having a little play with it and working out which colours and combinations work best for me. these are so affordable, you'd be silly to not try one out.

the MUA eyeshadow palettes are available from the MUA website and most Superdrug stores for £4 and there's currently 9 different palettes for you to get your beauty hands on!