What's in my make up bag? [Using my Naked palette]

Everytime I look through my eye make up I spot my Urban Decay Naked palette and quietly scold myself for not using it more. I'm determined to make good use of it over the next couple of weeks!

I'm mixing up the base products I'm using (with the exception of concealers) to incorporate my new bottle of NARS Sheer Glow. I don't normally use a setting powder with this foundation but if I need one I've included LUSH's Emotional Brilliance loose powder. If I want to use a primer I have a little Murad primer sample to use up. For concealer, I'm sticking with my trusty duo of Collection Lasting Perfection and Rimmel Wake Me Up. I've also thrown in a BeneFit Sunbeam highlighter sample which I used for the first time today; I like it!

For blush I'm giving myself a bright shimmery coral option with S.O.P.H.I.E. from Illamasqua and a natural satin option in NARS Madly. Madly is definitely my most used blush and has been for about six months now whereas S.O.P.H.I.E. is brand new and crying out to be used for the first time. Both shades should work fairly well with the Naked palette's shadows. 

For eyes I have, of course, my Naked palette; I plan on wearing at least one eyeshadow every day! I'm going to use NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base underneath the shadows and LUSH's Eyes Right mascara. I've added a couple of Milani Liquf'Eye liners in black and brown in case I fancy using one. For my brows I have Smashbox Brow Tech but I realised this morning that I've lost (for the second time!) the brush I love to use with this so I may have to switch it out and use my Lancome brow pencil instead.

For lips I have two neutral shades; 17's Mirror Shine lipstick in Beehive and Rimmel by Kate Moss in 19. Beehive is lighter and glossier whereas 19 is a rosier shade with great staying power. If I want to wear a bolder colour it's going to be either Rimmel by Kate Moss Matte in 107 which is a medium berry shade or a warm toned pink in the form of Illamasqua's medium pencil in Titivate.

What's in your make up bag this week?

Stace xx

This Week's Make Up Bag

I got out of the habit of posting my weekly make up bags a while back. It was because I'd sort of given up having a make up bag. I need to start some serious exam revision this week so I'm going back to having a little stash of make up to choose from in the mornings rather than several boxes full. I'm trying out some new things and trying to use some old favourites. I've stuck to warmer shades this week.

MUA BB Cream (Medium) & Primer - I'm so impressed with both these products so far. I need to test them out a little longer before posting reviews but hopefully my opinion won't change!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Soft Beige - my current concealer of choice, I reviewed it recently if you fancy scrolling down.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere sample - I just want to use this up, really.

NARS Taj Mahal - I love this blush but I don't use it often because it takes a bit of effort to make sure I don't end up looking like a clown. I will try to do a Face of the Day post when wearing this because I had someone ask me to recently.

MAC Soft & Gentle MSF - I've been neglecting this recently so I've dug it out again. It makes a really pretty eyeshadow too.

MAC Peaches - One of my all time favourite blushes!

Clarins Ever Matte Face Powder - This has replaced my MSF Natural as my every day powder. It's much lighter but still offers a little coverage. I'm quite heavy handed with it but it never looks cakey and it does control oil pretty well.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Do I need to explain this one? This is another product I've been neglecting a lot so I'm hoping to get back into using it more often. 

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Liner in Black Ink - I've had this for a really long time and it's still as creamy as when I first bought it. I do want to use it up soon-ish, though.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance - This is another product I've had for such a long time. It's running out right now so hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to try a new eyeshadow primer. This is my favourite right now but I've not tried the NARS base, yet!

Clinique High Impact Mascara - I got this little sample in a gift with purchase and since I'm on a bit of a mascara rampage right now, I thought it wouldn't do any harm to try another. I've bought this in full size a few times in the past but I've not used it in about two years.

MAC Teddy Eye Kohl - Okay, so I only own this because my cat is called Teddy and I can't resist anything with his name...but I do like the colour. I don't find the staying power to be too great, though.

Smashbox Brow Tech in Soft Brown/Taupe - I used this for my brows all the time until last summer when I stopped for some reason. It's a really nice brow product for natural, groomed looking brows.

MUA Love Hearts Lip Balm in Great Lips - This is another new product to me. It's a nude shade and smells delicious.

MUA Lipstick in Shade 16 Nectar - I can't wait to try this out - the orange/peach shade is right up my street.

17 Mirror Shine in Beehive - This is one of my most loved lipsticks; it's subtle and glossy.

Jack Black Lip Balm - This didn't live up to the hype for me at all. It's just okay so I'm working on using it up.

Clinique Super Balm in Rootbeer - This is on it's last legs right now so I'm hoping to finish it up this week.

Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in 02 - I always seem to have this in my make up bag, it's one of my favourite make up products, ever.

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

Weekly Make Up: Something Old, Something New

Face

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

Clarins Ever Matte Foundation in 109 Wheat

Clarins Ever Matte Mineral Powder Compact in 02 Transparent Medium

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in 3 Medium

Eyes

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Black

Milani Liquif'Eye Liners in Black and Brown

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Shadows in Bold Gold and Bad To The Bronze

Bobbi Brown in Sepia Ink

Chanel Eyeshadow in Beige Lame

Cosmetics A La Carte Brow Ink in Taupe

MUA Clear Mascara 

Soap & Glory Supercat Liner in Black

Cheeks

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

TheBalm Mary Lou-Manizer Highlight Powder

NARS Blush in Luster

Lips

Stila Lip Glaze in Apricot

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in Gothic

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Lip Gloss in Electric Cherry

Soap & Glory Lipstick in Naked Beige

NARS Lipstick in Honolulu Honey

Elemis Fresh Skin Loving Lips Lip Quenching Balm

I went for a mixture of old favourites and new products I want to try out this week - I've been enjoying it so far! I'm sorry this post is so late!

Stace xx

An All-Over-The-Place Tin of Make Up!

This week's make up is a bit all over the place! I've still not got a lot of time in the mornings to get ready so I'm trying to keep it simple but I've got a few new lip products I want to try out so I've tried to choose products which cover all bases.

Lips:

Dior Lip Polish in 001

MAC Cut A Caper Lipstick 

(picked this up from a blog sale after wanting it for ages!)

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

MAC Quad with Satin Taupe, Patina, Woodwinked & Twinks

Eyes:

MAC Teddy Eye Kohl

Cosmetics A La Carte Brow Ink in Taupe

MUA Clear Mascara (which is no longer clear! Yuck!)

Milani Liquif'Eye in Black

MAC Vintage Selection Paint Pot

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Face:

MAC Redhead MSF

MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus

NARS Orgasm

MUFE HD Primer

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection in Medium 3

Chanel Perfection Lumiere in B30 sample

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in 3.5 Warm Beige

Stace xx

This Week's Make Up Tin

 

Face:

MUFE HD Primer

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in Warm Beige

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3

MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus

Tarte Exposed Amazonian Clay Blush

NARS Copacabana Multiple

I've kept the same primer as last week because aside from Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, it's the only primer I have. I'm trying to use it up so that I can try something new! The Collection 2000 concealer and MAC powder are staying because they're both working well for me right now. I'll have a review of the Bobbi Brown Skin foundation up soon for anyone who's interested. Tarte Exposed is a beautiful neutral blush which will work nicely with the eye and lip products I've chosen. I'm trying to use up NARS Copacabana whilst I'm still quite pale - BeneFit Watt's Up works much better for me.

 

Eyes:

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

MAC Morning Frost Paint Pot

Milani Liquif'Eye Pencils in Black and Brown

Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara

Cosmetics A La Carte Brow Ink in Taupe

(not pictured are Too Faced Shadow Insurance and MUA Clear Mascara/Brow Gel)

Naked2 is growing on me - I like that a lot of the shades are good every day shades for me right now. Morning Frost Paint Pot looks lovely on its own or under several of the Naked2 shadows. The Milani eyeliners are a given with me, as are the Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MUA 'brow gel' and Cosmetics A La Carte Brow Ink. I'm using the Bobbi Brown mascara this week because it's nice for everyday looks.

 

Lips:

L'Oreal HiP Jelly Balm in Luscious

MAC Pro Longwear Lipstick in Red Dwarf

MAC Viva Glam V

Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee

Jack Black Lip Balm in Black Tea & Blackberry

Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Wallflower

The HiP Jelly Balm is to go over Red Dwarf (it feels weirdly sticky on it's own), my Viva Glam V is almost finished so I'm using that up. Creme Brulee is a nice sheer creamy shade (I'm wearing it today). I really like this Jack Black lip balm; I don't think it's the best lip balm ever but I've been enjoying it. The Urban Decay Lip Junkie smells amazing so I had to include it!

I'm spending this week writing my dissertation...I say as I type a blog post or two instead! 

Stace xx

Make Up I'm Using Right Now

I used to have a make up bag of products which I switched up every week but over Christmas I got back into lugging out all my make up in the morning (it's in one big drawer). I'm on the hunt for new storage since I've downsized my collection considerably so I want to get back into having a weekly make up bag. By the way, if anyone has any suggestions regarding where I can pick up a small set of drawers for storage, leave them in the comments!

Did I say I'm going to have a make up bag? I meant a tin. A Burt's Bees tin, to be precise. Not that that matters at all! Here's what's inside...

MUFE HD Primer - I'm just trying to use this up. It's okay but it's nothing special.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3 - I like this because it's so quick and easy to use!

NARS Sheer Glow in Santa Fe - This is my current favourite foundation. It's easy to apply and leaves a nice finish.

MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus - I got this recently since my Medium Dark was too dark. I love using these as setting powders or on their own on lazy days.

TheBalm Mary Lou-Manizer - I've been enjoying this highlighting powder so much recently. It's always the first one I reach for.

NARS Gina Blush - I picked this up in a blog sale last week and I've not had a chance to try it out yet so I'm going to spend all week wearing it!

BeneFit They're Real Mascara - This little guy is on his last legs so I imagine I'll only get another week or two from this tube. Best mascara I've ever used, though.

Cosmetics A La Carte Brow Ink - I got this in a Carmine box and it's been a revelation!

Milani Liquif'Eye Liners in Black and Brown - I think I have two back ups of the black...so I feel the need to use them up.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance - Does this product require an explanation? 

Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette

I've had this for a while but I've barely used it. My favourite shades are the ones on the bottom row. Green eyeshadow, anyone?

Elemis Fresh Skin Loving Lips Lip Balm - I've lost my 8 Hour Cream so this is my go to lip balm. It's light but moisturising at the same time.

Clinique Superbalm in Rootbeer - I'll be working on using this up this week. I like it but I've got so many glosses...

MAC Mattene in Delectable - When I got this I wore it a lot but I've not touched it since so I thought it was time to rediscover it.

Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in 02 Apricot Shimmer - This smells amazing! It's one of my favourite glosses right now.

Do you do something similar to this? Or do you give yourself plenty of choice every day?

Stace xx

Weekly Make Up Challenge #3 - Real Techniques Brushes - My Thoughts

So my netbook is working again! But after using a laptop for the past week, I'm finding it difficult to get back to typing on such a small keyboard.


Anyway, here are my thoughts on the Real Techniques brushes I've been testing out this week. All of these can be purchased in the UK on love-makeup.com or cocktailcosmetics.com. 


I apologise that I've not had the time to clean these - I didn't want to wait until I'd washed them and let them dry before talking about them. 

The Winners!

I honestly don't know how I did my make up without these two brushes. The Stippling Brush and Deluxe Crease Brush (part of the Eye Starter Kit) are excellent brushes for foundation and concealer respectively. I've tried several brushes for foundation and always reverted back to using my fingers as I felt the coverage was often too cakey when using a brush and that I wasted a lot of product. With the Stippling Brush, I just put some dots of foundation on my face and buff in with this. I don't get the cakey. The Deluxe Crease Brush should have just been called Amazing Concealer Brush. I love this for blending concealer under my eyes. I was using a MAC 224 but this is much shorter and more dense which I think works better. I'm very impressed by both these brushes.

These brushes are the other four in the Eye Starter Kit, they are, from left to right: Base Shadow Brush, Brow  Brush, Accent Brush and Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush. I've yet to use the Accent Brush so can't pass comment on that just yet. I'm not sure what I'll use it for other than highlighting the inner corner. The Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush is a bit disappointing as I think it's much too thick to be used for gel liner. I'd possibly use it to conceal blemishes. The Brow Brush is nice - it's large so I can do my brows pretty quickly with it. The Base Shadow Brush is a bit more difficult to work with than other similar brushes I've used. Overall, I have mixed feelings about these four, I don't think I needed any of them but they're nice to have. 

The other two brushes I have are the Powder Brush and the Blush Brush. I like them both. The Powder Brush does exactly what it's supposed to and it's the largest brush I own so I like it for quick application of powder. The Blush Brush is a bit odd - it's very soft and not very precise. I wouldn't use this for very pigmented blushes as I'd be worried about getting them all over the place. It's okay for more subtle blushes, though.

So overall, I think these are pretty good quality for the price. I don't like the handles - I don't need my brushes to be able to stand up as I store them all in a tin so the handles actually put me off buying these for a while. The writing comes off the handles too. For synthetic brushes, the bristles are pretty soft. 

If you have any questions, please let me know! I hope this was useful!

Stace xx

Weekly Make Up Challenge #3 - Real Techniques By Samantha Chapman Brushes

I've had the Powder and Stippling brushes for a while now but last week I got the Blush brush and today I received the Eye Starter Kit. I reckon these are all the brushes I'll need so I'm going to test them all out and see what I think! I'll let you know at the weekend! :)

Have you tried any of these brushes? How do you feel about them?

Stace xx

Weekly Make Up Challenge #2 - Lip Gloss - My Thoughts

This past week I've been wearing a different one of my favourite lip glosses each day. When it comes to gloss I prefer something with a little bit of colour but nothing with lots of pigmentation because I find it ends up all over my face. I'm not a huge fan of very sticky glosses but don't like it if they're very watery either. I realised that I've not been wearing gloss much over the past few months and since it's one of the products that goes off a bit more quickly, I want to get back into using them more often. Here's what I've been wearing:

L-R: NYX, 2true, E.L.F., No7., Estee Lauder

Monday - NYX Mega Shine in Beige - $3.99 (Cherry Culture) or £7 (Love Make Up) for 11ml


I really like these glosses. I have another in Smokey Look and want to get my hands on Natural and Tea Rose at some point! You get so much product for your money. I think Love Make Up keeps pushing up the price of these; I'm pretty sure a month ago they were £4.99. This smells like cherries so may not be for everyone but it doesn't bother me. The wand is pretty big so I find you only need one swipe per use. This shade has no shimmer, which I like and is pretty pigmented. This isn't sticky but does last a good three to four hours on my lips (without eating or drinking).


Tuesday - 2true in Shade 1 - £1.99 


I've had this one for a while. I picked it up along with a two other 2true products because of the 3 for £4.99 deal on 2true in Superdrug. This is a pretty colour on me - it's a nice dusty rose sort of shade. I like the smell - it's a coconut scent. This one is probably the stickiest gloss I'm trying this week so it lasts a bit longer on me. I'd say I get a good five hours out of this. The main issue I have with it is that only a very small amount of product comes out on the wand so I need to dip it back in quite a few times to get enough gloss out.


Wednesday - E.L.F. Mineral in Bare - £3 for 6.5ml


I like this gloss. It's a nice neutral shade and really suits me. It's sticky but not too sticky and the pigmentation is good enough to wear it alone. It looks like a really teeny tube but you actually get more product in this than the Estee Lauder one I used (see below!). Again I found I needed to dip the wand in several times to get enough product out.


Thursday - Poppy King for No 7 in Allure - £11


I think this is a bit expensive sounding for what it is - a drugstore lipgloss. BUT I really like this. The colour is lovely on my olive-ish skin and it lasts pretty well too. It's very creamy feeling and not sticky at all. 


Friday - Estee Lauder Pure Colour Gloss in Electric Cherry - £16 for 6ml


Okay so this is pretty pricey for a gloss but I really like it. It's not sticky at all, which means you do need to reapply quite a lot. Also, the name 'pure colour' is a bit deceptive as this is pretty sheer. It smells pretty strongly of marzipan or something like that. This only lasts an hour or so on me. It's good for topping off red lipsticks but I like it on it's own too. So, not the best value for money but still a decent gloss in my book.


I didn't wear anything other than lip balm over the weekend so only managed five this week! 




Overall...


I don't have any hits or misses as such because I like all of these glosses. The NYX is definitely the best value for money if you can get it in the US. The Estee Lauder is a nice gloss for a treat. 

Do you own any of these? What do you think?

Stace xx

PS - I'm sorry I don't have more photos - my "lovely" boyfriend spilt coke all over my laptop and now I'm using his which has some weird operating system which I can't figure out how to rotate photos on...EEP! 

Weekly Make Up Challenge #2 - Lip Gloss!

I'm a bit late in posting this - I've been busy :(


This week I decided to make the challenge a bit easier for myself because I got a bit bored using one bag of products last week. I'm going to be using a different lip gloss each day. This is because I've got a lot of glosses which never get worn so I've had a clear out and picked out my top seven glosses. I'm going to do little mini reviews of them on Sunday!

I'm hoping this will get me back into wearing lip gloss!

Stace xx

Weekly Make Up Challenge #1 - MAC - My Thoughts

Monday - I was in uni today and managed to get my make up done so quickly that I had time to watch a few youtube videos before I left! I went for a neutral eye with Patina and Satin Taupe in the crease. On the lips I just used the Lip Conditioner (which I love). I'd forgotten about my Studio Sculpt concealer and how it was a bit of a pain to work with but it did last all day. I used Notable on my cheeks.


Tuesday - I didn't put make up on until the evening because I had a few friends round. I used my Groundwork Paint Pot and lots of Haute & Naughty Lash mascara; the more I use this, the more I like it. I went for Soothing Beige on the lips and Warm Soul on the cheeks. I seem to have a weird spot on my upper lip which just won't be concealed. Oh dear!


Wednesday - In love with Warm Soul again today! I used Rebel on the lips. I love the colour but it's a bit messy to apply and goes everywhere if you eat or drink anything. Since I was wearing a bold lip, I used a bit more concealer than I normally would and concealed the blemishes I get on my chin (damn hormonal things!) as well as the newly formed spot on my upper lip. I can safely conclude that I hate the Studio Sculpt concealer. It looked disgusting. I applied it so thinly and blended it really well but still it went patchy and looked all waxy and gross. Ick!


Thursday - I went for Satin Taupe on the eyes today - I really like the colour. I think it's universally flattering so it's a great shadow to own. I stuck with my Warm Soul blush and added a bit of Soothing Beige TLC to the lips. I'm going concealer-less today thanks to yesterday's disaster!


Friday - Did I mention how much I enjoy using the Face & Body foundation? Well, I like it very much. I'm not going anywhere today either so I've just added some Blondes Gold pressed pigment to my lids, Warm Soul on the cheeks and Soothing Beige on the lips. I cheated a bit by using my Milani HD Concealer under my eyes because I needed to conceal there and I'm never using the Studio Sculpt again.


Saturday - I only put make up on to go and babysit. It was very quick and simple again but this time I used Tempting eyeshadow all over the lid.


Sunday - I went for Satin Taupe on the eyes today and just some lip conditioner. I'm getting a bit bored with a lot of these items now so I guess it makes me feel a bit better about having so much make up since I clearly like to switch things up!




Overall...




HITS: Face & Body foundation, Warm Soul mineralize blush, Soothing Beige tinted lip conditoner, Satin Taupe and Patina eyeshadows


MISSES: Studio Sculpt concealer

What do you think my challenge for this week should be? There'll be a post up tomorrow!

Stace xx

Weekly Make Up Challenge #1 - MAC

I'm so sorry for being rubbish at posting this past few days, I've just been so busy! The fact I have less free time has inspired this little make up challenge. I was watching a youtuber who has been giving herself a basket of make up to use each week rather than having to go through her entire collection. She has been doing it mostly to decide whether she wants to keep the items in her collection whereas I'm doing it mostly to reduce the time I take putting on my make up in the mornings! I'm only in university one day a week but I need to spend every other day doing work too. I'm the queen of procrastination when I want to be and since I enjoy putting on make up so much, I'll spend ages doing it to avoid reading about Puritans or whatever...


So! I wasn't sure whether to go with a colour theme or a category (i.e. high end, drugstore etc.) but this week I thought I'd go for the brand I have the most of; MAC. Here's what I've given myself for the week:

Face & Body Foundation in C3 

Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC30

Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark

Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle

Notable Blush

Warm Soul Mineralize Blush

Groundwork, Vintage Selection & Soft Ochre Paint Pots

(all eyeshadows are the round pans)

Top Row: Blondes Gold Pressed Pigment, Antique Gold Pressed Pigment (almost done!), Tempting, Patina

Bottom Row: Blondes Gold Pressed Pigment, Spiritualize Pressed Pigment, Amber Lights, Satin Taupe

Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara

Lipsticks in Rebel and Shy Girl

Lip Conditioner

Soothing Beige Tinted Lip Conditioner

The only products I don't have from MAC are a primer and brow gel so I'm using Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer and a clear mascara from MUA. Other than that, these are the only products I can use for the week.

I'm excited to see how I feel on Sunday! I'll go over the list and give you my thoughts then.

Stace xx