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

FOTD: Wet'n'Wild We're Blasting Off

I feel like rubbish today  - I've got some kind of cold/flu thing. Boo! Why I decided to take photos of my face is beyond me but I wanted to share what I did with my make up today because I like it! I usually go for golds/bronzes on my eyes and during the day I try not to wear too much eyeliner and so on.

I started by applying my L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer (not pictured) to my t-zone with my fingers. I then applied Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in Natural Beige (still a bit too light for me if I'm honest!) with an ELF Powder Brush. I used Milani HD Concealer in Shade 03 and blended it in with a MAC 224. I topped my base off with my Physicians Formula Happy Booster Powder in Translucent and used a Crown Brush Flat Bronzer Brush for that. On my cheeks I applied a light dusting of MAC's blush in Notable with a MAC 168 and added some MAC MSF in Soft & Gentle as a highlight with a MAC 188.

I ran some MUA Clear Mascara through my brows and applied some ELF Eyelid Primer to my lids. I then used the lid shade from the Wet'n'Wild We're Blasting Off trio (the bottom one) all over the lid. I applied this with a Revlon Eyeshadow Brush. I took the same brush and a teeny, tiny bit of the middle crease shade from the trio which I applied to the crease and blended in. Then I added a slick of Bobbi Brown Longwear Gel Liner in Black Ink to my upper lashline and lined my waterline with a Milani Liquif'Eye Pencil in Black. I finished it off with a couple of coats of MAC Haute & Naughty Mascara.

I prepped my lips with my EOS Lip Sphere in Summer Fruit and added some of my favourite lip gloss; Barry M's Toffee. 

I hope you like it! For some reason my camera always makes me look shinier than I actually am...grr! If you'd like any reviews on anything I've used, let me know as I've been planning to review some of these products but don't know where to start!

Have a lovely weekend!

Stace xx

Review: EOS Lip Balm Smooth Sphere in Lemon Drop

I received this in a swap back in July. I've completely flattened the dome on mine now so I thought it was about time I shared my rave review of these beauties!

Product: EOS Lip Balm Smooth Sphere in Lemon Drop

Price: Around $3.49 in the States. You can get them in the UK from EBay (prices vary) and NatruallyFabulous.co.uk for £4.75

Description: "eos lip balm is 95% organic, 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum free. Packed with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, soothing shea butter and jojoba oil, eos keeps your lips moist, soft and sensationally smooth."

What's Good About It?

The packaging is really cute, it smells great and it works. I am addicted to this stuff! I apply it several times a day and put on a thick layer at night. This is a good base for lipstick because it's not as slippery as something like Vaseline. The scent is obviously lemon but it's a nice lemon scent - it's not too sweet or too strong.

What's Disappointing?

I don't have a lot to complain about with this. I do find that if I use it too much and then stop using it, my lips become drier more quickly. The packaging may also seem bulky to some people. My cat likes stealing it to play with too which can be a little annoying!

Overall Score/Comment: 9/10 - this is a nice lip balm and it looks cute. The fact I've almost finished this balm is pretty amazing - I'm terrible at finishing up products!

Have you tried any of these? I think I'm going to try Summer Fruit next!

Stace xx

American Swap Goodies & Swatches!

I just got back from a trip back home to Northern Ireland and waiting for me was a huge box of goodies from the lovely Michele. She's from the US and we arranged to do a swap. I sent her some UK things she was after and she sent me things from the US that we can't get here. She was really generous and sent lots of cute extras (including some cute little toys for our cat!). The whole experience was great and I'm sure we'll swap again in the future! 


So, to the fun bit! Here are some photos and swatches of what I received:

Bath & Body Works Pocket Bacs

I love these! They all smell amazing and the formula of these anti bacterial gels isn't as drying as other similar products.

Corallina

Rose D'Oro

L-R: Corallina, Rose D'Oro

L-R: Rose D'Oro, Corallina

L-R: Rose D'Oro, Corallina

Milani Baked Blushes in Rose D'Oro & Corallina

I've been lemming these ever since I swapped for another blush in this range called Luminoso. The pigmentation is lovely! I think Rose D'Oro is my new favourite. 

Milani HD Advanced Concealer in Medium

I've been wanting to try this for a long time too after hearing some good reviews on YouTube. I think I'll only be using this as an under eye concealer as it's quite pink-toned so it wouldn't work on my yellow-toned skin. It's a nice texture though. I've only tried it once and it worked pretty well - I do prefer concealers with a more liquid texture for the under eye texture so this is great as it covers well but doesn't look cakey.

Honeysuckle Honeydew

Top L-R: Honeysuckle Honeydew, Lemon Drop

Bottom L-R: Lemon Drop, Summer Fruit

Summer Fruit

EOS Lip Balms

I love these! The Lemon Drop is my favourite so I'm glad I have two of them! They are easy to apply and pretty moisturizing. I love the packaging!

NYC Blushable Creme Stick in South St Sea Shell

I initially wasn't going to request this but now I'm so glad I did! It's a lovely colour and the texture is really nice. It's easy to apply and dries down to a powder finish so it's not sticky at all.

NYX Soft Matte Cream in San Paulo

This was another product I was unsure of but I really like it! The colour is nothing like how it's shown on the NYX site but that's what I love most about it: it's a vibrant deep pink. The texture is also much nicer than I expected. It feels like velvet and lasts forever. I tried putting a gloss on top too and that didn't effect the product already on my lips. I want more of these now!

Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume Waterproof in Very Black

I can't wait to try this once I've gotten through all the other open mascaras I have! I've heard good things. I'm sure there will be a review in the future!

NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose

I used to own this but swapped it away and then regretted it! I love these lipsticks and this colour is very pretty. It's a nice natural looking lipstick which goes well with lots of different looks.

That's everything! As I said, she sent lots of lovely extras too.

Have you done any swapping recently? Do you have any recommendations for great US drugstore products?

Stace xx