The Perfect Nude Nail

When I realised I didn't own the perfect nude nail colour, I went on a hunt. Luckily, my favourite nail range, the Barry M quick dry, had a couple of nude selections  and it was 3 for 2 soo...

This is the first one I tried out of the three I bought yesterday and I feel like it can't get better than this, this is the perfect nudey- beigey- pink colour, and because it's my favourite quick-dry formula I love it even more. The shade name is Winning Streak - all of the quick dry range have racing- related names which is pretty cool. I use two coats to make sure it's super opaque, over the Iron-Mani base coat, also from Barry M, and under the Seche Vite top coat, which is life.

Basically this is a staple, nude polish for a bargain at £3? £4? Less if you're me and you never just get one. Love it, over and out.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Base routine/ favourite base products

Oh hi! Welcome to my morning face, and my amazing mug which I got literally ten years ago. Welcome.

It's been a while, sorry about that, life got in the way.

Anyway, hopefully as  you can see from the title, this post is all about base (buttery biscuit base)..if you don't know what that means I don't think we can be friends. Look it up.

So for this, I used all (very almost) highstreet, or drugstore products to achieve a natural looking base which just needed topping up with whatever eye and lip look I fancied.
I won't say this is an everyday look - I tend not to have time to do a few of these steps- but this probably only took 15-20 minutes tops.

For foundation, my favourite at the moment is Rimmel Match Perfection in a mix of Porcelain and Ivory to get my colour. I love this stuff, even though I have pretty oily skin, and I think it might be better suited to normal to dry skin as it has a really natural/dewy finish. I do get oily on my T Zone during the day, but I prefer that to the foundation breaking down into patches which looks awful with foundations like the L'Oreal True Match. Anyway, I digress.

For concealer, a mix of my Bobbi Brown Corrector, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and the L'Oreal True Match clicky highlight pen thing. Love all these, great cocktail of concealers. Speaking of the Collection concealer, I used a little of Shade 4 to warm up my face just around the edges and on my cheeks. This isn't a cream contour, it's a pretty warm shade, but it works really nicely as a cream bronzer.

For powder (which isn't in the photo, sorry, it was 7am) I use my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Difused Light, as well as my Fit Me Powder to set oilier areas.

I like to cancel out discolouration on my eyelids every day, it just makes your eyes look so much more awake. I was using the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Creme de Rose, but I have this sample of Benefit's Stay Don't Stray so I've been using that for a while now - it's lasting forever!

For my brows, I am looving my Anastasia Dip Brow in Soft Brown at the moment, I think it's dried out a little and I'm finding it a lot easier to not over- load. I top this off with the L'Oreal Brow Plumper. 

Somehow, for the rest of my face, I accidentally used three Revolution Products. Firstly, this huge Bronze/Shimmer/Highlight pan and then the blush in Love. Really like both of these, especially the bronzer which I always go back to. For highlight, which I basically put all over my face, I used the Revolution Radiant Lights palette which is amazing if you're looking for a budget highlight, really long lasting, and a great selection of three shades for all skin tones. Ah-maze.

So yeah! Think that's it. As I said, not something I have time for every morning, but definitely nice when I have a little more time in the mornings and I want a little extra bronze 'n' glow.

Thanks for reading!

Side note, I have child hair. Yep. 

Current Cleansers

I definitely haven't got to the high- end cleanser point in my life yet. To me, if I'm washing it off my face, I don't really want to spend a lot of money, and I'll stick to drugstore options.

These are the two I'm using at the moment; I've definitely  spoken about the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil before, and to be honest even though this is probably my third bottle, I'm not really sure that I love it. It definitely gets my make up off, and feels a lot nicer than a stripping/foaming cleanser. As price goes, it's fairly up there for drugstore, but the Body Shop constantly has a 30 or 40% discount, so never buy anything full price.

Secondly, the Boots Botanics Hydration Burst Triple Action Cleanser has quickly become a real favourite of mine, after I purchased it on impulse a few weeks back. When I bought it, it was half price at around £2.70 (?) so I'm guessing at full price it'd be around the £5 mark. This is really nice for morning cleansing, which is what I've been using it for. It's a gel-like texture, really light and a little goes a long way.  No offensive smell and I'm hoping that the whole "botanics" thing means it has nice ingredients.

Other than these two, I still love the Superdrug Hot Cloth Cleanser which I keep a couple of under my sink as back ups - you just can't go wrong with that one.

Thanks for reading! x

Essence Lip Liners | Review & Swatches

If you love a good lip liner, and especially if you're on a budget, look no further.

These are the £1 (yes one English pound) each, and I have four here to show you.

Here's a lovely close up of my dry lips. From top left we have Satin Mauve, In The Nude, Honey Berry & Soft Berry.

Satin Mauve has quickly become an every day staple for me, it's just a really mauvey (hence the name, duh), soft pink, and works really nicely alone, over a lip balm or with a lipstick over top.

In The Nude is quite an orange - based nude, which I don't think is particularly flattering by itself on my skin as I have quite yellow undertones.

Honey Berry is a bright, blue-based pink/berry. I love this colour, and I think it will be so lovely in the Spring/Summer

Soft Berry is more of a brown based pinky/berry, which I love, and is really nice for this time of year.

I know the photos aren't the best, as I did them this morning, in my onesie with no other make up on, and dry, horrible lips.

But, I absolutely promise you that they are totally lovely, longwearing and obviously, very cheap.

Would definitely recommend :)

Thanks for reading!

Lou x



2 Budget Liquid Blushes

Oh hi!

Now I know a lot of people aren't very keen on cream blushes but bear (bare?) with me here, these two are worth a couple of minutes of your time.

As you can see from the swatches above, these are two completely different products, both in colour and consistency, and I love them both. 

If you are a cream blush fan- or even if you're not, but you're still a teeny bit curious- these are a couple of really good options at really low prices.

Firstly, we have the Make Up Revolution 'Vivid Blush Lacquer'  in Rush  which is this really really bright barbie pink here in the foreground. This is a very different product, and the blush actually gets squeezed out of the tube via a foundation- like pump. The consistency is fairly thick, quite moussey, but really easy to blend out - and you definitely need to blend this product as the pigment is really strong.

The second product is by Rimmel, it's their Stay Blushed Liquid Cheek Tint in 005 Apricot Glow. Compared to the MUR offering, this is a much thinner, more watery consistancy, much like a cream cleanser or something like that. Again, this is fairly pigmented, but easy to blend into the skin. I would say out of the two, this one may be slightly easier to blend.

Both products come in under £3 (I think I paid £1.50 for the MUR and £2.50 for the Rimmel), and wear-time is good on both.

I hope this was useful to all you cream blush novices out there - I know these are really summer-y colours but I have actually yet to find a winter-y shade of cream blush. Any reco's would be appreciated :)

Thanks for reading, over and out!

Lou xxx

H&M Lipstick | Review

So if you haven't heard the buzz about H&M Beauty...where have you been?
My local store has recently started stocking what I assume is the whole line which is really impressive - everything from eyeshadow to lipstains, brushes, cream blushes and nail varnishes.

I've had a good swatchy swatch and spent a very fair amount of time mooching around the testers, striping them up my arm. In the end, the lipsticks intrigued me the most, and there were so many amazing colours. If they weren't eight pound a pop I would definitely have got a fair few -not that I'm complaining, but normally when a drugstore lipstick is up there in price it normally comes with a 3 for 2 deal (eg. L'Oreal), which persuades me to buy more.

Aaanyway, after much deliberation I went for this shade, Brunette Ambition, a straight up mauve-y brown, unlike anything I own, but still neutral enough to wear during the day.

Even those these are really creamy, they wear for a good amount of time and wear off gracefully rather than flaking or patching.

I would definitely recommend the H&M lipsticks, and I will for sure be having a look at the other shades.

Thanks for reading :)

Lou

Collection Lasting Colour Lipsticks

We all know how great the Lasting Perfection Concealer from Collection is- but what about their lipsticks? As it turns out, I have three, so I must like them enough to buy more, right?

From left to right I've got Scorned, Tea Rose and Sweet Tart.

I've had Sweet Tart the longest, hence why the bullet is all beaten up and gross, and I used to love this for a bright night-out lip back in the uni days. I haven't worn it so much recently, and I don't even know why- it's probably the melted shape of it that puts me off whenever I consider it.

Scorned was part of the Gothic Glam collection, which I'm not sure is still around, However, if it is, it's perfect for this time of year, especially for Halloween; a really deep dark aubergine purple.

The middle shade, Tea Rose, is a beautiful, wearable, warm pink which I bought most recently.
All three are creamy and pigmented, and I have to say I'm impressed with their lasting power. They aren't matte, so its not a stick-to-your-mouth job, but they definitely do a few hours nicely.
I'd recommend using a lip brush with these, especially the bright, bold shades as they can be messy to apply.

Overall, these are a steal at around £3 a pop, and a great formula to get a few more fun colours from, like Scorned and Sweet Tart. Check 'em out! :)


Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Sunday Chat | My face powder story

I have never been a huge face powder fan; I've had far too many horrific cake-face incidents as a teen to make me trust the stuff. But recently, especially since working in a hot office, I have realised that my skin can get a tad, erm, oily.
I love a bit of dewy-ness regardless of season, but what I mean by oily is a world away from a healthy glow, so, I started hunting for a powder.
One of my friends almost convinced me to buy one of the Hourglass powders over the summer. But, after wearing it for a few hours, I found that I wasn't as impressed as I had hoped to be for forty quid, so I gave that a pass.
For a while, I dabbled in Rimmel Stay Matte - a classic - which I found, repeatedly, was just way, way too heavy on my skin. I also have experience with the Soup&Glory One Heck of a Blot which is fairly good, but still quite matte.
It wasn't until I watched some random KatheleenLights video recently and she mentioned the Maybelline Fit Me, that I scooped this beauty out of my collection and started to use it again.
I don't know why I ever stopped using this powder, but I definitely owned it for around a year during Uni, and my compact was fairly busted, but this is hands-down the best powder I have used to date.
It isn't matte, it  definitely doesn't have sheen, it just looks how you want it to look - like your face.

If you're hunting for a new powder I would absolutely recommend giving this one a go- especially if you're on a budget. I haven't had enough experience dabbling with higher end powders, but when I do, I'll be sure to report back!

Thanks for reading :)
Lou xxx

The £1.50 brush you all need

You would never think to look in Primark for make-up brushes, would you? However, having previously had a lot of luck with a mini powder brush back in my teenage days, I took a chance with this £1.50 small flat-topped stippling brush and I'm actually really impressed with it.
To give you an idea of size, here is my face:

It's absolutely perfect for blending cream blushes, bronzers or highlighters, and is soft and wash-able at the same time.
I love it so much that I might have to buy (a few) more.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

2 Budget Gloss options

I am having a real lip gloss moment at the moment, which is inconvenient, because most of the world seems obsessed with the matte-est of matte lips. 

I just find gloss really easy to wack on and trust that it won't crack or crumble off in a really really unattractive way, which is my main fear with anything matte.

I also don't really have it in me to buy a high-end lipgloss (except the Clarins Lip Perfecters which are the bomb.com), so I set about finding a couple of bargain-ous highstreet options. These are the two I have been using over the last few weeks, both with a ridiculous price tag, so I thought Id share them with you.

First of all, this is the XXL nude (??) Lipgloss from Essence in the shade Soft Almond. This was something amazing like £1.90 from Wilko's, and I really like the formula, which is more wet gel rather than sticky? If ya know what I mean. Lovely stuff. Lasting power isn't great, but its lipgloss, what do you expect? It's not pigmented either, just adding a gloss of nude to the lips, really easy for every day. I personally think this a great find, and such a bargain. I do remember looking at the other colours and seeing a lot of glitter, so I'm not sure if I'll be going back for seconds, but it depends on the shades.

Lip Boss from Barry M. First of all, I think I love the name? I started off thinking it was a bit stupid, but I think I've warmed to the idea. I also think the packaging is really quite nice, its pretty solid and hefty. The colour looks neon- bright in the tube but it really isn't all that bad.

As you can see here, its more a wash of warm peach. Pretty inoffensive and pretty, probably more suited for summer but oh well. I remember this being £3.50, which is a pretty good deal. The downside to this product is the smell- which is something like really cheap oranges. I really hate it.

Between the two, I would say the Essence one is my favourite, colour and formula wise, and for the price you really cant complain.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Nineties Nails

Oh hey! I am back. I have been away moving house, not having wi-fi, and generally doing adult things. BUT. I have returned, and I'm hoping to really crack out some posts over the next few weeks - I have a lot of stuff I want to review.

But first of all, here's a lovely well-lit shot of some really neat nails.
Okay, okay, my camera was running out of battery and I'm a horrible nail- painter but I just wanted to show you this beautiful Barry M Gelly Shine Polish in Coconut. Isn't it creamy deliciousness?
This will definitely look amazing on darker skin tones, and probably is a bit more summer than autumn, but hey, I'm rolling with it.

Anyway, I look forward to cramming some content on here, so look out for it, and I'll speak to you soon!

Thanks for reading,
Lou xo

3 Budget Lip Balm Reviews

Admittedly, lip balms aren't a super exciting beauty product, and certainly something I don't get incredibly excited about. However, finding a good one, or two, ensures your lips stay moisturised and plump looking- meaning your lipstick will go on a lot smoother (priorities). I currently have three hanging around in my room so I thought I'd do mini reviews to let you know which ones are worth grabbing.

Carmex. Where the hell was I before I had Carmex? Kidding myself with pots of Vaseline, probably. Carmex is the bomb, simply because it works. The smell of the original one is very recognisable, and I would recommend going for the mint version if you've a sensitive nose. Love it, and the SPF makes it perfect for day time wear.

Ah, the Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Balm. This is the most expensive of the three, I think, and my least favourite. It's quite a thin, waxy consistency which I don't particularly like, and it also has a very strange smell/ taste. I don't reach for this at all anymore, but it's going to stick around in case I ever run out of the other options.

This is my favourite night- time lip balm- the Nivea Essential Care. It's smooth, quite thick, and definitely nourishing- probably my favourite of the three. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, especially as it's only a couple of pounds.

So, this may have been a very boring post, but a good lip balm is just one of those things you always need.
Thanks for reading!
Lou x

Primark Does... Lips

The inner snob in me shivers a little a bit about putting something from Primark on my mouth. What if a small snotty child has sucked it or stuck it up it's nose or something? The grotesque possibilities are endless.
Snobbery aside, I bought these two lip products from Primark recently, and firstly, I'd like to comment that the packaging is actually fairly sleek looking. If you didn't know it was Primark, I think you'd be a little impressed, right?

Swatch- wise, this is the Matte Crayon in the shade 06. I have been pleasantly impressed with this product so far. I'm not hugely into matte lips at the moment, I'm more for the glossy, natural look as I have fairly small lips and I find the fresher- looking finishes just look...fresher on me. Ya get me? Anyway. It is smooth and thick feeling going onto the lips- not in a bad way- creamy drying down to a nice, even smooth finish. The key word here is 'dry', which is definitely does end up. BUT, not in an uncomfortable way. I found wear time to be surprisingly good on this, and instead of cracking or flaking (one reason I am wary of matte lips, even thought I love them), this tends to do a more stain-like fade on the lips.

The second swatch, and the photo below, is the lipliner used all over the lips.

It is a very creamy formula, really easy to apply, and definitely comparable to the Rimmel Exaggerate lip liners.

With the lip crayon added over the top, it makes the colour a little pinker and lighter, but the two definitely work colour-wise together. However, I'm not one for a thick, matte lip- as mentioned- so I don't think I would wear them together like this. Separately, they have a very similar creamy feeling which dries down to a comfortable matte.

The third swatch is Rimmel's East End Snob, which I added to compare the colours. It's pretty close to the lipliner, put a little pinker than the crayon, which is slightly more peach.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with these two products from Primark, you definitely can't go wrong for such a good price tag. Out of the two, I would recommend the lip liner, because it was £1 and a really nice staple pink/mauve colour.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

New Kids on the Block | Eyeliner and Mascara Review

I'm pretty fussy with mascara and eyeliner- eyeliner especially- and I find it hard to try new ones and like them. However, this Maybelline Falsies Volum Express Flared Mascara (long enough name?) has really impressed me recently, and I can see myself repurchasing it fo sho.
Black liquid eyeliner is a product I haven't switched up since the very beginning of my make-up journey. I've been using the Collection Liquid Liner for literally years, too scared to try anything different... until now. This L'Oreal Super Liner is the Bomb.Com I have to say. A super skinny nib, excellent staying power which definitely rivals my beloved Collection version, and very easy to apply. The only con to this product is the thickness of the liquid itself. It isn't quite as black as my Collection one, and needs a little layering to make it super intense. But, the precision you get with the super fine felt nib makes up for the slightly thinner consistency.

I didn't actually curl my lashes this morning when using the mascara, because I've been wearing make up quite regularly and I thought I'd give my lashes a break. Admittedly, it made building the product up a little harder, but I'm amazed with the results- this is probably 3/4 coats and it's not clumpy.
I've been wearing both for over a week now and I haven't noticed smudging or flaking as yet, so a big thumbs up for the wear-time.
Definitely two products I would recommend!
Thanks for reading
Lou x

June Faves

My June Favourites are up! Better late than never hey? Check it out on:

https://youtu.be/rAxWwq6nGj4   or search Lou'sBeautySpot on YouT'ube,

Hope you enjoy! :)
Lou x

A Budget Base

I really love a good cream eyeshadow base, and when it comes in at £1.99, it's even more exciting. This is the Miss Sporty Glossy Shadow in 160 Peanut Butter, and I think it is amazing and you need to go buy it right now.

You can see here that the colour is a beautiful, high- gloss, almost wet- look mauvey browny pink? Would you say? This is such a versatile colour, and can be used as a base for a bronzey brown eye look, a pink look, a purple look, or a peach look. Pretty much all the looks I regularly do, and I love the glossy finish so it looks great by itself too. Powder eyeshadow miraculously blend into the cream seamlessly, without setting it first, and I haven't noticed any creasing once I've layered other products over the top.

I finished my eyes off with these products (as well as liner and mascara, obviously). I used Kiko shadows in 233, which is a beautiful cranberry/ purple satin shadow, and 220, which is a really shimmery golden peach. I used 233 in the crease and on the outer half, and then dusted 220, which is fairly sheer, over the inner part. I then used this cream eyeshadow pencil from Collection on my inner corners.

I really love this look, and especially the Miss Sporty eyeshadow pencil, which I think is amazing quality and a beautiful colour for the price.

Hope you enjoyed this!
Thanks for reading,
Lou x

Worth the Hype? | Maybelline Lash Sensational

I must be the only person in the world who hates this mascara. I'm serious, I've tried it probably four times now, each time expecting the formula to have thickened, dried or changed in some way to make it USABLE.
I don't understand how people like this mascara. Maybe I have a dud, but the formula is so wet and clumpy, it makes my lashes look wet, but not in a good way. It is also so HARD to make it hold a curl on my lashes, even with  a lash curler- the formula is so wet that it drags my lashes down again.
The above photo is after two or three coats, a lot of finger-lash curling (pushing my lashes up like a madwoman), and a lot of anger.

I rest my case on this one, Ive had it for months and the formula hasn't got any better. I'm prepared to admit that I have fussy lashes, but I just can't be friends with this one, sorry Maybelline

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Gloss | Review & Swatch

I've had this product for a while, and I've been back and forth with my opinion on it. But, I'm afraid, I've finally decided that I really do not like it that much at all.
I have mine in the shade 420 Glorious Grapefruit, which looks completely gorgeous and summery swatched here - a really bright but sheer orangey peach. Amazing.

On the lips it is definitely a sheer wash of colour, which I am totally okay with, and it's definitely not the way it looks or wears which makes me dislike it. It looks juicy and fresh, wears pretty well, and fades gracefully rather than patchily. However, there are a couple of things which just make the experience of using this gloss completely unpleasant for me.
Firstly, the smell/taste.
-A really obnoxious fake orange, which you think is quite fun for the first ten minutes, but then it lingers and gets into your mouth and tastes like you've munched up an orange soap, or a bottle of the Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel. Not nice.
Secondly, the texture is just so SO odd.
- It feels kind of gritty? When applied, it glides on smoothly and evenly and you're like  yeah, look at my lips. But then, that inevitable moment comes when you press or rub your lips together and it feels horrible...like there is a bit of sand accidentally mixed in.
If I ever wanted to try out another colour to see if the texture is consistent across the line, I'm afraid I'm put off with the scent, so I'm closing the door on this product forever I'm afraid.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x