What's in my on-the-go make-up bag?

That girl curling her eyelashes on the train? Yep, that's me. I've mentioned before that I often find myself doing my make-up on my thirty five minute commute, and I know from personal experience that I'm normally one of a few ladies applying their blusher while whizzing through the English countryside.
I thought I'd share an everyday make-up bag for me- basically what I'm throwing in my bag after I've sorted out my base and my eyebrows before I leave the house.
Here's a sneak peak in order of how I do my face-

Mac Cinderella Palette
I might have mentioned before how happy I am that I bought this, and not the lipstick from the MAC Cinderella release back in Spring. It's just so handy! Definitely an everyday palette, I tend to use Quarry in the crease, Phloof on the lid and Satin Taupe on the outer edge and lower lash. It's also great to use the black shade, Stroke of Midnight, along the upper lashline like a smudgey liner.

Clinique Full Impact Mascara
This really is on it's last legs, but I'm struggling to find something to replace this mascara. It's separating, lengthening, and just generally a great all-rounder. No complaints here.

Clinique Cheek Pop in Melon Pop
I apply this with my H&M blush brush, which is great by the way- but I bought it yonks ago, and this is just a really nice colour to brighten up your face. These blushes are also quite sheer, which is great for on-the-go, as you don't end up elbowing the guy next to you while you're feverishly blending your blush into your cheeks. None of that, just peachy goodness.

Revlon Balm Stain in Honey
A classic. A soft, warm pink with great staying power and a natural sheen, perfect for the office.

Other Stuff
Although I've already sorted my base by the time I get on the train, I  always carry my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair  with me to retouch during the day, as well as my Maybelline Fit Me powder in 120 Classic Ivory for that lunch-time shiny forehead fix.
Brush wise, I've got ma blush brush, as mentioned, and a great stippling brush from Wilkos which I love for powder. There's also my eyelash curler in there cause, y'know, nobody likes a droopy lash.

So yeah! I hope that was interesting, thanks for reading! :)

Lou xx

Clinique High Impact Mascara | Review

I know mascara reviews aren't the most fun, so I'll just be throwing some pictures at you and moving along, m'k? 

I am definitely against the principal of high-end mascaras. It's such a boring make-up item, and yet something which makes such a difference to your face.

I got this Clinique High Impact mascara by accident really- it came as part of a Clinique skin care beauty box I got myself, and I hadn't been excited to try it. I basically had to because my Maybelline one ran out. 

I have to say though, I was pleasantly surprised, and if you're into high end mascaras, this is definitely a good one. It does all the right stuff- lengthens, curls, holds, separates, doesn't flake etc.

Well, the proof is in the pudding.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Clinique Cheek Pop | Melon Pop

These have had a fair amount of hype over the last few months, and I've been very slow to invest in one. The £16 price tag on such a small product can seem a bit steep, but the quality makes it worth it.

I chose Melon Pop because I love a peachy blush, especially in the summer. The finish of this blush is matte, without shimmer or glitter, but it still looks natural and pretty on the cheeks. It's definitely a buildable product rather than being super pigmented, which I actually prefer in a blusher, because blending scary clown cheeks is my least favourite thing. I apply this with the Real Techniques Multi Tasker and the lasting power is 6hours +.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

5 Beauty Things I Learnt This Week | A bit of a ramble

1. I do need the Naked One Palette. And I did buy it. OOPs.

I love my Naked 2 palette, but I do tend to lean to warm tones a lot of the time, and the Naked 2 just wasn't doing it for me in the Summer sun, ya know? So I was morally obligated to buy it.

2. Tan is the new Tan.

I have spent so long (my whole life, lol), telling myself it's okay to be pale, and to embrace the natural colour of my skin. Well, I've decided that the natural colour of my skin is pretty sucky. I've always struggled with skin issues on my face, and skinniness issues on my body, despite the hefty pasta portions and chocolate bars I'm constantly shoving down my throat (nice), and I feel like being the colour of paper makes everything look worse than it is. comment on my sticky out collar bones, because they see that my skin isn't ghostly white and so they think, hey, she must be healthy, she's been running around in the sun. Or something. (I don't know?)

3. Something is breaking me the fuck out.

I had perfect skin for about 3 to 4 weeks, which hasn't happened since I was 15. I'm serious, it was a glorious time for me. I'd awaken every morning, and poke my face, stunned at my good luck. Unfortunately, now the spots are back, I'm even more sour about them than I was before. Fuck off, I'm 21 already, aren't I done with the wacky hormones?

4. I bought MAC Creme Cup

...and it's completely identical to Clinique Beige Pop. Well, about 95% identical,  which is defintiely too similar to justify owing both. I'm annoyed because I spent ages researching a nice pinky nude from MAC, settled on Creme Cup, and when it arrived, realised that I pretty much don't need it. Bummer.

5. I'm so not about that full coverage life.

Despite the skin problems, I can't seem to find a foundation which doesn't make my skin look like cake face at the moment. Everytime I commit to a 'foundation day' I instantly regret it, and spend the day wishing I had stuck to my BareMinerals Complexion Rescue (the love of my life). Everything makes me look the wrong colour, the wrong texture, and the wrong amount of wrinkly. Which is very wrinkly. Come on, wrinkles and spots? Why.


Hope you enjoyed this rambly post, thanks for reading!
Lou x

Travel Make - Up

When I visited Morocco recently, my make- up selection  proved surprisingly successful while I was away- so, I thought I would share it with you in a video! 

Go check it out on:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCECys22qgk3G01ozysH6rcA

I hope you enjoy it, please subscribe!

Thanks for reading

Lou x

Travel Skincare | Morocco

Travelling with only hand luggage is a struggle, and I was forced to summarise my normal skin routine for this four day trip to Morocco. I was unable to take my Serozinc from La Roche Posay because it's too big, and that's definitely the product I miss the most, and my face mask was confiscated at baggage check in Bristol Airport. So this is my selection of skincare, comprising of a few minis which I've been able to test out during my break.
(I'd like to apologise for the state of my photos- I forgot to bring my SD card converter so I'm relying on my phone camera for the minute)
So, in order of the day-
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
This came from a one-off beauty box months ago, and I've been saving it because of it's handy size. I'm definitely more of a cleansing balm-rather-than-oil girl, so I wouldn't say this is my favourite cleanser of all time. It's definitely more oil-y than the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil if you know what I mean; it doesn't quite lather up and melt off my make- up like that one does. Not a huge disappointment, but not great.
Clinique Take the Day off make-up Remover
Again- what a handy travel size. This was the biggest surprise of the whole lot. It's a heck more oily than I thought it would be, I expected a more water-y consistency, but it's a definite oil-based remover. It gets make-up off pretty well, but when used all over the face to remove base products, it leaves a kind-of film on the skin which needs to be cleansed with another round of the DHC stuff. I'm not sure about this one, I'll definitely be sticking to Micellar water when I get back home.
La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +
My tried and true skin saviour. This and the Serozinc I swear are responsible for keeping my skin under control. It fades my pigmentation/ scars from spots around my chin and jawline, and prevents new ones from popping up. I use it day and night after cleansing, and maybe dotted on any blemishes I can feel arising to keep them at bay. I love this stuff.
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser SPF 30
I wanted to bring a really nice facial moisturiser with a high SPF, and after doing my research, I purchased this beauty. It was definitely worth my money, and is definitely a new summer favourite. It's quite a thick consistency, but I like that as I have dehydrated skin and I like to slather on the moisture wherever possible. Definitely keeps sunburn at bay, and sits nicely under make- up. Love it.
The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Balm SPF 15
Pretty much just your basic lip balm, quite a thick consistency so it stays nicely on the lips. It has a strange matte-like finish to it, rather than the gloss of most lip balms, and works well under lipstick. I would have preferred to find a balm with a higher SPF, but I hadn't managed to before I came on holiday- but this is definitely a good one.
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avacado
Again, another tried and true. Really moisturising and rich, I recommend this to anyone as it has everything I could want from a night- time eye cream.
Clinique Moisture Surge 
I brought this along as my night moisturiser, and I've been really pleasantly surprised with it. The cream has a really light texture, but it is definitely a 'surge' of moisture. Definitely enough for my dehydrated skin, even after a day in the sun, and sinks into the skin really quickly after application.

Hope you enjoyed this little run-down of my travel skincare for a short break in Morocco, thanks for reading!
Lou x

Latest in Beauty - Clinique & British Beauty Blogger Edit

Ooh- look at this box of goodies. (spot the rest of the fragrance sample!)
If you've been keeping on top of the beauty box world recently (which is hard, there are so many), you'll know that the British Beauty Blogger (Jane Cunningham) has curated this Latest in Beauty Box in collaboration with Clinique.
I'm currently on a skincare hunt to try to sort out my skin, which has gone CRAZY, and who knows why. Anyway, this seemed like a bargain for £18, and includes four skincare samples, two full size (!) make up products and a tiny sample of the Happy Fragrance.

The two moisturisers included are the Dramatically Different + and Moisture Surge. Having reactive, acne- prone skin, I like to read reviews and ingredients lists before I put anything on my face. I did a bit of googling on these both, and the Dramatically Different moisturiser has a fair few negative reviews, and seems generally not to be very popular. Furthermore (ooh, fancy), it has mineral oil in, which, according to Caroline Hirons- who I trust with my face- is a no-no for acne-prone skin. So, I think I'm probably going to give this to a friend or a sister because I do not want to risk it. The Moisture Surge moisturiser looks really exciting, however. The reviews look good, the ingredients look mineral oil-less, so I'm saving that one for Summer when I need a bit of extra nourishing.

The word 'soap' with 'face' just scares me a little bit, so I'm a bit apprehensive about using the Liquid Facial Soap, but we'll see when I give it a go. The Make- Up Remover looks promising, even if it is in a weird medicine- like push down bottle thing. Good description. Definitely keeping these for travelling, so handy!

The make- up products are a High Impact Mascara and a Chubby Stick in Plumping up Pink. I've never tried either of these before- I have plenty of the Revlon lip pens which I love a lot, so I'm excited to try the original. I did wack a bit on, but I have no make- up on today so I just looked really weird. I will reserve judgement to another day. It's a fresh, mid pink and a lot more sheer than I expected, but I like that, especially in the summer time. The mascara will remain a mystery until I have finished the other four I have on the go at the moment.

Clinique Happy just reminds me of that bit in the film Juno, but that's probably just me. It smells citrus-y and fresh, but I'm not totally in love yet.


Overall, I think beauty boxes like this are a great way of trying out a brand, and a really budget- friendly way to stock up on some sample sizes for holidays!
I did get this on the first day it came out, and I have since seen it has been out of stock, but keep your eyes peeled if you're after it because it might be restocked!
Thanks for reading!
Lou x

3 Products Worth the Hype

 Beauty can be expensive, and in the world of YouTube and Blogging, there are so many products which get hundreds, even thousands, of mentions. So, it's very hard to know- especially when you can't afford to throw your money around and not get results- what is worth your money. All three of these products are fairly 'hyped' in the internet beauty world, and I have to admit I bought them all a little bit because of bloggers/ youtubers recommending them, but have found that all three are totally worth the splurge.

1. Naked 2 Basics palette. Urban Decay eyeshadows in general are the best I've ever tried. I also own the regular Naked 2 palette, but I feel that the Basics 2 is such a staple in any make- up lover's collection.
Skimp and Stark are perfect base and highlight colours. Skimp is more shimmery, and Stark is a little darker and more matte. (Skimp is pretty invisible in this swatch picture, because it's the same colour as my skin.) Frisk is the perfect eyebrow colour for me, but also is a lovely cool-shade taupe for the crease, or even all over the lid. Cover is a beautiful neutral/ warm mid brown. Primal is a darker, more chocolate brown, and Undone is a deep, pigmented black.
So, you can do everything with this palette. Aside from Skimp, they are all matte shades, so you can do everything from eyebrows, highlight and eyeliner, from anywhere between natural to smokey. I can't recommend this palette enough, I've never seen anything as compact and matte- heavy on the highstreet, so I definitely think this is worth the £23 pricetag.

2. Clinique Pop Lip in Beige Pop
First of all, the formula is like nothing I've ever tried before. Creamy, comfortable and moisturising, but still pigmented and beautiful on the lips. Secondly, this colour is my perfect nude.

It's peachy, nudey, and beautiful. Perfect for everyday, or to balance out a smokey eye in the evenings. I have tried a couple of the others in a shop and they feel the same as this one, so I'm definitely looking to pick up a couple of different colours, probably Grape or Melon Pop, and at £16 they aren't as painful as a lot of high-end lipsticks.

3. Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado.
This seems to be a lot of people's favourite eye cream. At 21, I'm just starting to notice my eyes getting a little bit worn, obviously I'm not ageing dramatically, but I like to keep my eyes moisturised so they don't age prematurely, and so that my make- up sits a little nicer. This is thick and nourishing, but sinks in after 10 or so minutes, and just feels so lovely on the skin. It does nothing for blueness under the eyes, so if  that's what you're looking for, this isn't for you. BUT if you want nourishing, creamy goodness- even if it is a strange shade of green- then look no further.  This is £18 so it's not too bad as far as eye-creams go, and definitely a good one to start with.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

We be Haulin'

So I've been buying stuff again...

Head over to my YouTube channel to watch my new haul video :)

http://youtu.be/fgYOUfniK6s

Make sure to subscribe and follow the blog to keep up- to -date 

Thanks reading!

Lou x

Top 5 ~ Spring Lust List

1. Benefit Roller Lash

The hype around this product has been on another level. However, since it's release, pretty much everyone has been praising it as a fantastic new mascara. I've watched my fair share of reviews, and I have to say I think it looks pretty good. Holding a curl is my number one problem with my lashes, so I am really excited about getting my hands on this (but maybe in a few paycheques time...)

2. Clinique Colour Pop Lipstick

I'm really really excited about these. Pigmented, moisturising, long wearing...isn't that the ultimate lipstick?! The colour range looks incredible, I've got my eye on Grape pop as a really fun, lilac colour for Spring.

3. Bobbi Brown Colour Corrector

This is in no way a new product, but my under-eye circles can quite often be quite a deep blue/purple colour, and I've been doing a lot of research, and this seems to be a lot of people's favourite for sorting that out. Definitely on my shopping list.

4.Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

Who doesn't want this? The colours are amazing, the reviews are glowing, and it smells like chocolate. I think this looks perfect for summer, with the lovely warm browns, but a splash of colour with pinks and peaches which will look amazing with a tan. 

5. Zoeva Rose Gold Brushes

Oh. My god. So beautiful. Zoeva are some of the best brushes around, it seems, and the rose gold ones are just to die for. Sadly, they are so pricey that these will have to wait until this year's Christmas List...

Thanks for reading, 

Lou x

The Pale Skin Problem

Hello!

If, like me, you suffer from having  incredibly pale skin, you will know my pain. This is my foundation collection, and not one among them- even the high end 'colour matched' ones are okay on my skin. Until very very recently (details later on), I have not been able to find a foundation on the highstreet which is the right colour for my fair skin. Let's face, when it says 'Ivory' it's nearly always lying. 

So- here is a full review of ALL of my foundations, with swatches, starting from left to right.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, 0.5

I did SO much research on this foundation, which is something like £26, and which I bought with birthday money. To be fair, the lady who served me on the counter clearly did NOT know what she was doing, and I probably should have hesitated before I splurged on this. However, I really wanted a fairly full coverage foundation with good staying power, but nothing as heavy as the original Double Wear. I thought, for my skin, which is combination/ oily, something like this would stick to my skin and work amazingly. Unfortunately, I really don't think it has better staying power than my highstreet foundations, and the colour is slightly too dark for me. So disappointing. However, as it was so expensive, I WILL use it in the Summer when -hopefully- my face will be marginally darker. I am quite dry around my eye area, and this foundation tended to cling to those dry patches. Yum. I found that this did  work wonders when mixed with my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum- it was less cakey and a much more satin finish, but still too dark. This shade, 0.5 is the lightest, and still not light enough

Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions, 01 Alabaster

This is probably the second best match out of any of these foundations for my skin. Slightly lighter than the Estee Lauder, and I can just about get away with it. However, because it was expensive- for me- I only use it when I need the anti- blemish properties, i.e when I have bad skin. It is definitely matte, quite long-wearing, and does seem to be kind to my skin when it's playing up. However- still not pale enough. 

Maybelline Better Skin, Light Beige

When I bought this foundation, I was so excited that it wasn't called Ivory. Finally I had upgraded to beige, it was such an exciting day for me. This actually did work well for me in the Summer when I had been abroad a lot. It is quite pink- toned, but it really does stay very well. Lovely even finish which is between matte and brightening - probably Satin. I love this foundation, and I can't wait until my face is the right colour again. I've had a look at the lighter shades of this, and the lightest- which I think was called Ivory- was still too dark.

Rimmel Match Perfection, 101 Classic Ivory

Classic Ivory, what a joke. This is one of the two darkest of my foundations, and I'm actually not even sure what I think of it. Some days I would put it on and love it, some I would hate it. On me, it applied really dewy, but then throughout the day, I would find that it has faded to a matte- so strange. Really good staying power though, and does not cake at all on me. I'm not sure if I will be loving this in the summer as it feels quite heavy, and looks almost sweaty on my face just after it's gone on, which always puts me off

Rimmel Wake me Up, 100 Ivory

I love this foundation. It is so brightening, so longlasting and so...beautiful. However, when I wear this shade, I look like a sparkly orange. Lovely foundation, horrible colour. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

I bought this foundation after hearing Fleur de Force (youtube) rave about it on her channel. I really do actually love it. The texture is unlike any other of my foundations, it goes on so smoothly, and really does make your skin look healthy. Unfortunately, 51 is the lightest colour, and this is too dark for me, and I think slightly too yellow- toned. This is the foundation I am most disappointed about, if Bourjois released a lighter shade (PLEASE) I would be on that straight away. 

Miss Sporty So Matte, 001 Ivory

This is actually the best match, and the cheapest, of my foundations. It has amazing staying power, honestly for £3.50 you can't go wrong with this, and it really IS Ivory, would you believe. However, even though the texture is fairly light, and it doesn't cake, I do not want to have matte skin. Even over an illuminating primer, this is too matte for me. Unfortunate, but true. Or maybe I'm just being fussy...

So, after despairing over the number of non- match foundations I own, especially the two expensive ones- cry- I found out that Rimmel have actually released, typically, a lighter shade in their Wake me Up and Match Perfection ranges. BRILLIANT. After spending a couple of weeks sulking, and trying to wear my current foundations, I caved and bought the new Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude in 010 Light Porcelain, which I will be reviewing in a future post.

Thank you for reading!

Lou x