What's in my make up bag? [10-Minute Face Edition]

Hello!

I've not posted a 'what's in my make up bag?' post for a while; partly because I've not posted anything for a while and partly because I've not been organised enough to have a make up bag. I've just been reaching for the same few products over and over again but this week I've decided to give myself a few more options in the mornings. 

Lip products are one of my biggest weaknesses; I have lots of beautiful shades but find myself sticking to the same safe neutrals on a daily basis. With that in mind I've given myself three different colours this week. A bright berry pink in the form of Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush, a glossy orange YSL Glossy Stain in #6 and a neutral pink Rimmel by Kate Moss lipstick in 19. The two stains are firm favourites of mine; they're both easy to apply quickly and last amazingly well throughout the day. The Rimmel lipstick is quite new but I've been enjoying using it over the past little while so it's my neutral of choice this week; expect to see a blog post on a couple of the Kate Moss lipsticks very soon. I've also put an EOS lip balm in Tangerine in there.

I like to keep eye make up to a minimum when I'm in a rush; I can easily spend twenty minutes messing around with several different shades and liners if I have the time. I'm going to try using YSL Shocking mascara this week and I'm a tiny bit worried about it smudging, if I'm honest. If I do fancy wearing a lid colour I'll use my NARS Smudgeproof Shadow Base underneath either LUSH's Sophisticated cream eye shadow or MAC's Pro Longwear shadow in Sweet Satisfaction. I have the Lancome Le Crayon Sourcils in 030 Brun and a brow gel (not included in the photo because it looks disgusting!) for my brows. 

The most important part of my make up routine involves these four products. I've been skipping a primer recently but I've yet to use my repurchased Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro primer so I've added it to my make up bag this week. My foundation of choice is the L'Oreal True Match (I wish I could tell you which shade I have but I can't find it on the packaging anywhere). It's so quick and easy to apply; I use my fingers. For concealer I have the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Medium 3 for any blemishes or discolouration and Rimmel's Wake Me Up concealer for underneath my eyes. Drugstore base products are definitely growing on me, it seems!

I won three powder products in a Famous giveaway hosted by Cherry a while back and whilst I've used the No Shine Face Powder in The One and Only regularly, I've only used the Shining Star Shimmer Brick in Rihanna Shimmer and the First Date Blush in Scarlett a couple of times. The shimmer brick doubles as an eyeshadow palette and the blush is a gorgeous dark rose shade. I've thrown in a Dior blush in Peachy Keen because it's one of my favourite winter blushes. 

So, there you have it.

What's in your make up bag right now? If you've posted something similar, leave me a link in the comments.

Stace xx

My Travel Make Up Bag

Okay, so I brought far too much make up on holiday. I hardly wore any of it but I wanted to cover all bases and I could fit it all into a small make up bag. We went to Crete for a week and had a very relaxing time, hence why I didn't wear much make up. If we'd been going out every night, I would have probably made more effort.

For face products I brought my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B40 as it's the darkest foundation I own. Sadly it's a touch too light for me now so I only wore it once, the same goes for my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3. If anyone has any recommendations for darker concealers in the drugstore, please let me know as I need one to fill the gap until I'm pale enough to wear what I already have. I brought my Illamasqua cream blush in Rude in case I wanted to wear blush but I ended up not using it. I brought the Illamasqua Highlighter brush to use with the blush and/or the foundation but again I didn't use it.

For lips I brought two balms - one from Yves Rocher which a lovely girl sent me in a swap. It's the best stick lip balm I've ever tried and I wish it was sold here in the UK. The other is just a Boots Soltan SPF 30 balm and I used both balms, obviously! I brought two Revlon lip butters; Tutti Frutti which I didn't use and Fig Jam which I did use because it's one of the five lip products I'm trying to use up. The two glosses I brought are also in my lip product challenge and I used both the Dior Lip Polish in 001 and Estee Lauder Pure Color gloss in Electric Cherry. I added the Sleek Eau La La liner in Moulin Rouge in case I fancied a red lip but of course, I was too lazy to use it!

For eyes I brought my NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base which I used a couple of times under shadows from the Wet'n'Wild The Gilded Age trio (sadly this is was limited edition but if you can ever get your hands on it, BUY IT!!) that I applied with the only eye brush I brought; the ELF Eyeshadow brush. I also brought an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Shadow Pencil in Rehab but didn't use it. I used BeneFit's They're Real mascara a few times - it's not waterproof so I didn't wear it during the day but it was fine in the evenings. The only brow product I brought was some MUA clear mascara.

I went a bit overboard with nail polish and brought five Essie minis. I ended up putting Fishnet Stockings on my toes halfway through the holiday and Lady Like on my nails but I didn't use Size Matters, Very Structured or Bangle Jangle but that was mostly due to the nasty nail polish remover pads I brought with me and because I forgot my top coat.

So there you go, that's what was in my travel make up bag and what I actually used. I hope that was useful! Let me know what your travel make up essentials are.

Stace xx

Wishlist Wednesday: Nail Polishes

Nails Inc Wellington Square & Porchester Square

YSL Beige Leger & Rose Abstrait

Dior Waterlily


Stace xx

A Little Lip Product Challenge

I'm really enjoying actually being able to finish up products. As you may have noticed, I've been gradually downsizing my make up collection so that I'm left with only the products I want to use regularly. Lip products are a huge weakness of mine so in order to keep my lipstick spending under control I've set myself a little challenge.

I've picked out five lipsticks and glosses that are on their way out and I'm not allowed to buy another lip product until I've used these five up. They are:

Revlon Lip Butter in Fig Jam

I love this! I've been using it to death and I'm kind of annoyed that it's not available here but I'm sure I'll manage to get my hands on this if I want to repurchase.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Electric Cherry

This gloss smells delicious and the texture is lovely; it's not sticky at all. It leaves a sheer hint of cherry red on the lips. I've got about 1/5 left.

Dior Lip Polish in Radiance Expert (?)

I'm not 100% sure that this is the shade name as it doesn't say on the packaging. This is the oddest lip gloss I've never used because of  the unusual rolling applicator. It's fun to apply but it doesn't have a great scent so I'll be pleased when I've used it up. I've got around 1/3 left.

17 Mirror Shine in Beehive

I'm not typically a fan of 17 products but I caved and bought three mirror shines back before Christmas because I kept hearing about this shade in particular. I've enjoyed using it but I don't like the packaging and wish it had a less plastic-esque scent.

Clinique Superbalm in Root Beer

This little thing has been 'almost finished' for the longest time! I like the Superbalms from Clinique and have several other mini ones from a set which are handy for popping into my bag. They are really moisturising, as the name would suggest. I think they're one of those sort of 'under-hyped' products, actually. 

Watch out for some of these in my May empties post in a few weeks! I hope I can control the urge to buy a new lipstick at duty free when going on holiday...expect a Wishlist Wednesday post full of lip products!

Stace xx

FOTD: MAC Chatterbox & Maybelline Tough As Taupe

I wore this to the library because I wanted to try out Chatterbox before wearing it out and about. Plus, the library is so dull, this lipstick totally brightened my day! Please ignore my eyebrows (euuuugh! I will pluck them soon, I promise...) and the fact nothing looks perfect - I did this in about ten minutes because I was so keen to get to the library (hmm.)

Products Used:

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

Clinique Even Better Foundation in 05

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3

Clarins Ever Matte Face Powder in 02 Transparent Medium

Dior Glowing Colour Blush in Strawberry Sorbet

MUA Clear Mascara (as brow gel, not that you'd be able to tell!)

Too Faced Shadow Insurance 

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough As Taupe

Milani Liquf'Eye liner in Black

Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara

Jack Black Lip Balm in Black Tea and Blackberry

MAC Chatterbox

(Angry weird pose!)

I think I like Chatterbox. I'm not usually into pinks, especially bright pinks but this lipstick may have changed my mind. Tough As Taupe was pretty difficult to work with in comparison to the more shimmery shades from the Color Tattoo line so I'm not entirely sure if I love it or not. 

Stace xx

Weekly Make Up: Pink?!

I decided to go for slightly cooler toned products this week so stuck to pink blushes rather than my usual peachy tones. However, looking at the swatches...I might not be branching out as much as I thought! As a highlighter I've got my favourite, TheBalm's Mary Lou-Manizer and for blush I'm going to be using Dior's Strawberry Sorbet or NARS Orgasm. 

 L-R: TheBalm Mary Lou-Manizer, Dior Strawberry Sorbet, NARS Orgasm

For my eyes I've dug out my Urban Decay Naked2 palette and a couple of the Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadows in Tough As Taupe and Audacious Asphalt. For liners I've got the Soap & Glory Supercat black liner which I didn't use last week (oops!) and my usual Milani Liquif'Eye in Black. I'm trying to use up my Bobbi Brown Everything mascara before it dries up so I've opted for that mascara this week.

For my base, I'll be using the Clarins Ever Matte foundation (although I do have a sample of Clinique's Even Better which I've been loving too!) I've got my Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach and Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in Medium 3. My setting powder is the Clarins Ever Matte in 02 Tranparent Medium. This has been working really well for me as a setting powder - it may have overtaken my MAC MSF Natural!

For primer, I'll be using my trusty Too Faced Shadow Insurance on my eyes and I've gone for Clarins Beauty Flash Balm for my face. I had mixed feelings about this product when I first used it but I've been really enjoying it for the past week or so. Expect a review soon!

For lips I've included a Jack Black lip balm in Black Tea and Blackberry, a 17 Mirror Shine lipstick in Beehive, a Clinique Superbalm mini in Currant, my Red Dwarf Pro Longwear lipstick from MAC and MAC Chatterbox. I have a feeling that this week is going to be all about the lips!

 L-R: 17 Beehive, MAC Red Dwarf, MAC Chatterbox

C'est tout!

Stace xx

My Go To Blush: Dior Glowing Colour Powder Blush in Peachy Keen

When you see the state of this blush, you'll be able to see how well loved it is! I've had this for a year or so now and I seem to keep going back to it. It might not look like much but it's just the perfect colour for my skintone and it goes with most of the eye and lip colours I usually use. 

Product: Diorblush Glowing Color Powder Blush in Peachy Keen

Price: £28 from Dior counters

What's Good About It? 

The shade is perfect for me, it's not so pigmented that it's difficult to apply and I can use the matte side, the shimmer side or the two mixed together. In short, I love this! The packaging is nice, too. It's got a nice big mirror and the compact is pretty sturdy. I typically wear this swirled together but sometimes I use the matte side on my cheeks and the shimmery side as a highlight.

Both sides swirled together

What's Disappointing?

Whilst I enjoy the fact this blush isn't super pigmented, that means it probably won't show up on dark skin tones. It is pricey - I don't think you need to spend *** much on blush to find a nice one.

Overall Score & Comment: 9/10 - I really love this blush, it might be expensive but it's been totally worth it for me! I think if you can find a shade in this range which suits you, you will use it all the time.

Do you have a go to blush?

Stace xx

PS - Happy Christmas Eve!

Review: Dior Diorshow Black Out Mascara

I've held on to this mascara for much longer than I should have so I'm forcing myself to throw it out. Before I do, I thought I'd share my thoughts on it with you!

Brush Close Up

The Wand

Product: Diorshow Black Out Mascara

Price: £22 at Debenhams

Description: "Dior reinvents mascara by incorporating pro techniques into one ingenious product. Courtesy of Black Fix Complex - a unique blend of deeply saturated pigments - this creamy formula is the first to reproduce the intensity of kohl. Thickening powder adds staying power, while an Arabic gum extract provides a perfect charcoal-like finish and adds to its incredible resistance. Spectacularly intense!"

What's Good About It?

I do like how it makes my lashes look. This mascara definitely makes them look super black and gives them plenty of extra volume. The packaging is nice and the wand, although pretty large, wasn't difficult for me to use. Some people complain about the brush but I didn't have any problems with it.

What's Disappointing?

I have to say, I was disappointed with this mascara. Despite liking the look it gave my lashes, I found it smudged *so* much. Considering it's supposed to have great staying power, this is my main criticism of this product. I liked the look this gave me for nights out but always ended up coming home with mascara half way down my face. I thought it was just because nights out tend to be more sweaty but I tried this mascara several times during the day too and still had lots of smudging. This is the worst mascara I've used in terms of smudging so I was pretty miffed considering it was also the most expensive mascara I've ever bought. 

Overall Score & Comment: 5/10 - I love the effect but I can't deal with the smudging issue! If you want to try this mascara, I'd definitely suggest seeking out a sample size first so you can see if it smudges badly for you.

Have you tried this mascara? Did you love it? Hate it?

Stace xx