So my first proper blog post. I've decided to go with an easy one - my beauty favorites.
I'm splitting my beauty favorites into separate blog posts, as it would be waaaay too long if I put them all in one - I have too many favorites! I'm gonna start off with makeup. Enjoy!
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| GOSH - Classic Velvet Touch Foundation Primer RRP £12.99/ /Maybelline - Baby Skin (Warm Apricot) RRP £7.99 |
I'll kick it off with primer. I've always been a massive fan of Benefit's The POREfessional (who isn't?) - but at £24.50 for a 22ml tube... I thought I might as well look for some cheaper alternatives, and lo and behold - I managed to find some ones that I prefer to POREfessional, for half the price!
For the day, I'll use the Baby Skin Instant Fatigue Blur in warm apricot. The apricot tones brighten up a tired looking face and it definitely helps correct my dark circles (I have really bad ones!) At £7.99, it's a massive steal! It's quite a small tube, but it goes a long way! One thing to bear in mind is that it doesn't actually claim to be a primer as such, but it doesn't really claim to be anything aside from an 'instant fatigue blur'. I took that as 'primer' - and it does the bloody job, so try it out! At £7.99, you can afford to, surely?!
The GOSH primer (available at selected Superdrugs and Superdrug.com) is what I tend to use when I'm wearing heaving makeup/going out. In my opinion, it's very similar to the POREfessional in terms of how long it makes your makeup last, and how it works with my skin, but not in its general texture/colour. It's half the price of its Benefit twin, and does the exact same job. Job being that I will usually wake up hanging out my arse the next morning but with my skin looking exactly as it did when I headed out the night before. My foundation etc literally will not budge.
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| MAC - Studio Fix Fluid RRP £21.50 in NC15// NW18// NC20// NC25 |
Quite a well-known high-end foundation. The Studio Fix Fluid by MAC is a good entry-level foundation if you're looking to start investing in more high-end designer/semi-designer makeup. It's medium/full coverage according to the website, which is normally what people will wear for a night out, but I use it as an everyday foundation as I prefer fuller coverage stuff. It's nowhere near as full coverage as the Estee Lauder foundation though... That stuff is cement. But good cement. It has mixed reviews from what I know, but I definitely favour it over a lot of other foundations. It's blendable, you get a lot of bang for your buck, great colour selections, lasts pretty much all day... It's a solid 7.5/10.
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| Estee Lauder - Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup RRP 29.50 in 1W2 |
I don't care what anybody says about this one, it's my baby! When they say double wear.. They do not lie!! Put this on your face at 5pm before going out.... and I guarantee it will all still be looking as fresh as it did the night before at 4pm the next day (although you probably won't be feeling very fresh!). It's quite thick, but I don't find it a problem to blend at all, although it can make cleaning your foundation brushes a little harder than normal! It's as if once this has dried.. It won't come off unless it's scrubbed for a while! I don't recommend it as an everyday foundation - it's waaaay too thick, and it's a tad expensive to be using every day! (If you can afford to use it every day.. then be my guest, but buy me a bottle too please?)
A good recipe for an ideal cake-face (just the base) to wear on a night out is as goes;
GOSH primer
Double Wear foundation
MAC Pro Longwear concealer
Too Faced loose powder
MAC Fix+
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| MAC - Pro Longwear Concealer RRP £15.50 in NC15 |
MAC's Pro Longwear concealer - I think I'm on my 15th or something?! I absolutely fly through this! It's a tiny little tube but oh my lord it's amazing! I probably use more than I should do on an everyday basis, but as I previously mentioned - I like my makeup full coverage, and that it does! I have quite good skin in terms of spots and stuff, but when I do get blemishes, this covers them up no problem! I will just use it as a highlighter normally though, applying it above/inbetween my eyebrows, down my nose, above my cheekbones/under my eyes, and on my chin. It's a brilliant product, and it's going to be hard for me to find a concealer that beats it. I will literally use this with any foundation I put on, and sometimes I'll use it by itself as a foundation when I'm not feeling like putting a lot of makeup on (doesn't happen often). If you haven't already tried this - DO IT!!!!!!!! It'll be a £15.50 well spent! Try not to get addicted.
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| Maybelline - The Rocket Volum Express RRP £7.99 |
Buy it. But it now. But about 20 of them and just don't look back. You will not regret it!! I don't understand why this hasn't blown up in the 'MAC's Velvet Teddy' style. It should be sold out everywhere. It is amazing!! Do you get it yet? I really like this mascara. Without blowing my own trumpet I do get a lot of compliments on how long my eyelashes look, I've had a few people that I don't know come up to me and ask me what mascara I use or if they're just falsies! Well this is my holy grail - Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express. It's £7.99!!!!!! BUY IT.
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| Anastasia Beverly Hills - Beauty Express Palette in Blonde RRP $39.99 |
If you're in desperate need of some brow lovin' and have £30-odd quid going spare, then definitely give this a try! I got mine off an American website, as I found it hard to find on any UK sites. I wanted this one specifically as it had everything you needed (minus tweezers) to create perfect ABH style brows, and who wouldn't want ABH brows?! It includes 2 shades of powder (I use the lighter shade on the inside and darkest on the outside), a highlighter/eyeshadow, a wax, an AAAAAAAAAAMAZING brush, and 5 AAAAAAAAAMAZING stencils.
The brush and the stencils are 100% percent my favorite part, The brush is perfect for creative perfect, precise eyebrows, and makes lining the 'tail' etc. a breeze!
The stencils range from 'full arch' to 'slim high arch' and 'petite arch' - there's literally an eyebrow shape for any face type. This is an ideal beginners kit for someone who needs a good eyebrow re-vamp and isn't sure where to start. A lot of people still use just pencil, and want to start investing in some better products - if that sounds like you...Think about this!
But for those who aren't so keen to be making the jump from a £3.99 Rimmel London eyebrow pencil to a $39.99 kit.. the next palette may be a better one for you...
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| MUA - Pro Brow Kit in Fair RRP £3.50 This is the first powder/gel combination I bought and completely loved. It's just WOW. It's also £3.50 which makes it double WOW. The pictures aren't the best (I'm sorry) cause I've completely trashed it, but that's utter proof of how much I use it, I like to use my ABH stencils with the powder from that, and then go over it and finish it off/fill in gaps with this - with the ABH brush. You can get brushes like that pretty much anywhere for really low prices though, or just use an angled eyeliner brush - it'll do the same job!
PHEW! Okay that took me ages! I hope everyone who's managed to reach here has enjoyed my first proper blog post, and I'd appreciate any comments that you have! Pt 2 will be up soon!
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