2011 Favorites

So another year is nearly down (cries!) and many products have been used. Here are the ones I have discovered, rediscovered and adored!

Make Up

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC15 - This lives in my handbag. Perfect for touch ups!

MAC Powder Blush in Coygirl - In my make up bag all year. Perfect subtle pink for day and night.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation (Combination/Oily) in Ivory - The foundation I have been searching for all my life! Perfect colour match.

ELF Studio Powder Brush - Used for applying my foundation leaving a flawless finish.

Rimmel Matte White eyeshadow - Everyone needs a matte white eyeshadow and this is as good as any I have used.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black - Claims it lasts 15hrs without smudging...it does last 15hrs and I love it!

Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus - Improved my lashes no end and adds mucho volume!

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Creme Cup - Glides on and looks so pretty. My 'Go to' MAC lipstick.

ELF Mineral Lipstick in Runway Pink - MAC Creme Cup dupe if you ask me! This usually finds itself in my handbag in case I forget my Creme Cup!

Skin Care

Liz Earle Smoothing Line Serum - As I am in my late 20's now I am thinking of lines! I'm not sure if this is helping but it feels nice!

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser in Dry/Sensitive - I use this as a night cream after my serum. Skin soaks it in and feels super smooth in the morning.

Elemis Sensitive Cleansing Wash - Replaced my Cleanse and Polish and I love it so!

Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner - Replaced my Liz Earle Skin Tonic...Sorry Liz! But Elemis seems to suit me so well.

The Body Shop Coconut Milk Body Lotion - I hate thick greasy mosturisers for my body. I have dry itchy legs and cannot stand emollients. I have fallen for this product so hard! It is light, milky and soaks in so quickly. Smooth, silky, gorgeous smelling legs!

Ultrasun Face SPF 30 - Just to reassure me I am doing everything I can not to go wrinkly! Great base for my everyday make up too!

Liz Earle Muslin Cloths - Now Liz says they don't work well with other products...I use them with my Elemis and they work better with that! I couldn't live without them!

 Hair

Umberto Giannini Backcomb In A Bottle - Some people really don't like this but when you get it right...its fabulous!

Umberto Giannini Volumising Blow Drying Spray - Not sure they still sell this now or they have repackaged it but it gives an extra lift and protection.

Bed Head Hard Head Hairspray - Shine and hold...perfect :)

VO5 Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder - Gives my hair a sexy oomph indeed! Seeing these powders a lot in salons now too.

Batiste Dry Shampoo - A Classic!

Goody Cushion Brush - I got a Tangle Teezer for Christmas and must admit I love it but this is a pretty good brush. I use it every time I blow dry and since I'v started using it haven't had to use straighteners which is very impressive if you ask me!

Nails

OPI Nail Varnish Remover - Super fast acting and has helped me keep my nails somewhat healthier this year.

Nails inc. Polish in Victoria - I have had this for a number of years but this year I got A LOT of use!

Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File - I wouldn't ever think of using a bog standard file ever again.

Leighton Denny Precision Corrector Liquid and Brush - You know those corrector pens you get? Well this is 10x better than those!

OPI Original Nail Envy - Has saved my nails in 2011 without a doubt. On it's own, base coat and top... definitely worth the price.

Randoms!

H&M brown across the body bag - I bought this in August and have worn it every day since (well nearly every day!).

DAB Radio Alarm Clock - Great alarm! It is usually tuned into BBC Radio 5 Live...Yeah I like my talk radio!

Filofax Personal Organiser - This was a Christmas present in 2010 and it has my life in it!

ASOS Silver retro digital watch - Got this for £7 in an ASOS sale. Love it for casual outfits and it was a bargain!

Look Magazine - Bought every week in 2011, my bf is sick of seeing them laying around!

Well that's it...

HAPPY 2011 AND BRING ON A HAPPY 2012!


Loves xxx

New Start...Make-up Bag Favorites!

So there once used to be a blog here but it was generally me moaning about life! Well now I am back (even though I have no followers!) and I promise it to be a happier place! 

While I have been away I have been reading and watching a lot of beauty bloggers. So I thought I would have a go myself. I will definitely NOT be putting myself on YouTube because I am too scared of the haters out there! But I will however be blogging once more. 

So here is my first post and I decided to empty my big heavy make up bag and pick out the things that never leave it. Many things come and go but a few staples in there are here to stay.

Firstly...

1. Revlon ColorStay Foundation

Combination/Oily Skin

110 Ivory

I have used many foundations over the years and thought I had found the best when I started to used Mayballine Dream Matte Mousse. It was matte but never made me look flakey or dry like some other matte products. But when I suddenly stopped being able to get the really pale colour in it i was lost. I tried all different products including most MAC foundation but I didn't really like any of them. So after doing some research I finally tried this. I was aware that it could look a bit cakey and the first time I wore it it definitely did! Though I found with a light hand and my ELF Powder Brush this can look really natural...and the best bit? They do an exact match for my pale skin! Bonus!

2. MAC Studio Finish Concealer

NC15

£13.50

This is my all time favorite concealer. It is so creamy and I find it easy to blend. I only need a small about to cover up the red areas around my nose and can build up the coverage for and suborn obvious blemishes. The one downside to this product is that i find it slips and sits in any creases if used to cover under eye discoloration. So unfortunately I never used it under my eyes, for that I use Estee Lauder Double Wear Flawless Wear Concealer which stays put all day long but is a little pricier than MAC at £19.00.

3. Even-Smoother Eye Base 

Barbara Daly for Tesco

£3.75

My mum dragged me to Tesco one day to do the weekly shop a few years ago and as always I was drawn to the little cosmetic stands they have. I had never used an eye primer before and thought for £3.75 I would give it a go...I have used this primer nearly every day since! I have other primers in my collection but nothing seems to compare to this. It never creases and keeps my make up looking just the same as when I first did it all day long. Would definitely recommend this to those on a budget and even those who aren't!

4. No. 7 Eyelash Curlers

£7.25

Eyelash curlers are something I just could not be without. If i leave them at my boyfriends house I am not ashamed to admit that I get a little upset! They are just as important as defining your brows if you ask me! They open your eyes and create a perfect finish to any look. Having said that I don't think you need to spend a fortune on them. I think one pair of metal curlers are the same as the next but I would worn anyone away from plastic ones! I bought a pair and the first time I used them they cut off my lashes where they should have been curling them! Not what a girl wants!

5. Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara - Black

£19.50

No other mascara has lived up to this one since I tried it...well maybe the Double Wear Curling Mascara but that about it! Before I started using this I used a lot of drug store brand but ever one of them used to fall and leave me with big panda eyes by the end of the day. My mum bought me this one Christmas and I have never looked back. It lengthens and defines and holds a curl pretty well. It does not budge at all but is easy to remove when you want it off. It is not overly volumising because that isn't what it is designed to do. If i want more volume i just pop the primer on below!

6. Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus

£17.00

 Treats the lashes and adds oomph at the same time!

7. MAC Powder Blush - Coy Girl

£17.00

This is my everyday colour. It just adds a flush of colour if used with a light hand. I like to put a little more on  in an evening for a more dramatic effect. This is my only MAC blush though I have just ordered Loverush so we shall see if that replaces this as my make up bag must have! 

 8. George Precision Brow Pencil - 01 Blondes

£2.75

9. George Satin Soft Khol Pencil - 01 Black

£2.75

Both of these little beauties entered my make up bag as I had gone to visit my friend for a night out and forgot to take a brow and eyeliner pencil! So for £2.75 each I thought they would probably do just for one night. Well these babies have never left my make up bag! Granted my MAC Smolder is still in my bag too but I use this Khol on days where I feel if i use my MAC I'm just wasting it (days in front of the tv mainly!). And as for the brow pencil...this has replaced my Benefit Browzing...enough said?

The Khol comes with a handy smudger on the other end and the Brow Pencil comes with a brow brush.

10. Small Z Palette 

£8.99 from http://www.love-makeup.co.uk

I couldn't live with out this. It is small enough to carry every where when travelling. Not all the shadows in here have stood the test of time but the palette have been in my bag since I bough it! I have just ordered a custom palette from MAC though so we shall see if that takes the Z Palettes place but I don't think it will because I can fit such a range of colours and brand in here. I think I may invest in a large oe too...Christmas present maybe?!

11. POP Bare Texture Eye Shadow Palette

£21.00

So this doesn't technically comply with my make up bag favorites because it doesn't actually fit in my make up bag but i'm putting it up here anyway! I was distraught when the Urban Decay Naked palette first came out and I could not get hold of it. I was watching YouTubers and bloggers bang on about it all the time and I was filled with a lot of rage. One day I was on ASOS.com and stumbled across this in a sale. I didn't think for a minute that it would live up to the hype of the naked palette but it was worth a try. At the time I was buying it it was around £13.00 (It is still selling now at £21.00!) so I wasn't losing a huge amount if it turned out to be rubbish. Well I love it! The quality of the shadows are really good and £13.00 for a mixture of 39 matte, shimmer and glitter shadows and a primer was well worth it!

Well that is it!

My first post.

I'm sure people can pick at my grammar and my opinions but hey ho! I enjoyed it!

xxx