A Little L'Oreal Haul

I don't often buy L'Oreal make up. If I'm going to buy something from the pricier end of the drugstore spectrum it's usually something from Revlon. However, I've tried a few L'Oreal products recently that I've really enjoyed (a Rouge Caresse lipstick and Telescopic mascara) so I wanted to try some more. Ideally I'd have picked up some more of the Rouge Caresse lipsticks but I'm on a lip product buying ban until I've completed the little challenge I set myself so I went for two eyeshadows and a nail polish.

There was a 3 for 2 offer on in Boots; does that offer ever end?! So even though I only went in for one product I ended up picking up another that I had my eye on and then added this little beauty to my basket. It's a Color Riche polish in the shade 204 Boudoir Rose and I've been pleasantly surprised by this dinky bottle of rosy pink delight. It's very small; only 5ml, but that's okay with me since I don't really use up entire bottles of nail polish. It's a great colour for me because it's a darker pink but it still looks quite neutral and much less offensive than my other pink polishes. My main complaint with this product is the brush. It's wide and flat which is great but the bristles are nasty so I needed three coats and a thick layer of top coat to combat the streaky-ness. This was £4.99 (well, it was 'free' for me).

I hadn't planned on buying the Color Infallible shadow in Sahara Treasure but I've never seen it in stock until now and I swatched it about four times before sticking it in my basket. It's beautiful. So pigmented and a brilliant taupe-gold-brown shade. I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of this and can completely understand why people have been raving about this. These shadows are priced at £6.99. 

Now, this was the product I was looking for when I went shopping. I'd seen a review of this on Adrienne's blog and just had to have it. I used to own MAC's Coral Crepe paint pot which was a similar colour to this Magnetic Coral shade from L'Oreal but I sold it in a blog sale because I wasn't using it enough and as it's a cream product it would only end up drying out. I don't have any other coral toned shadows in my collection so this is a welcome addition. The formula isn't as creamy as Sahara Treasure for some reason but it still seems relatively easy to work with. 

Have you bought anything from L'Oreal recently? If you have any product recommendations, I'd love to hear about them!

Stace xx

Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in 01 Rose Shimmer

I've noticed that these gorgeous Clarins lip products are popping up on blogs and in YouTube videos quite a bit recently and I'm glad they're getting a bit of attention because I think they're great. I've had the Apricot Shimmer shade for almost a year now and I picked up the Rose Shimmer around Christmas  time. I've only been using it in the past six weeks or so but it's quickly becoming one of my most reached for lip products.

These balm-gloss hybrids smell delicious; almost like caramel or something but they're not sickly at all. The applicator is a sort of foam doe-foot on the end of the tube which deposits the product nicely. The texture of this product will appeal to anyone who, like me, isn't a fan of sticky lip products. It's so creamy, light and hydrating. I can see why these are called 'lip perfectors' as I think they really do make my lips look 'perfect' in a natural sort of way. The colour is sheer when worn alone but it's great for pulling a look together and making you look a little more polished. I like using this over my Sleek Eau La La liner in Red Sky Night (which is a pink shade) too.

These are available wherever Clarins is sold and are priced at £16 which sounds pretty steep but I've had one of mine for a year and use it all the time but it's still almost half full.

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

How to Choose a High End Foundation

When I posted my foundation collection recently, I had someone on Twitter ask me for a post on how to choose a high end foundation. I find it quite difficult to recommend foundations a lot of the time because not everyone will like the same ones I do, even if we have the same skin type. 

As I mentioned, I struggle to find a drugstore foundation that works for me. I really enjoyed the Bourjois Healthy Mix and Healthy Mix Serum but both of those broke me out. So, this post is going to focus on choosing a high end foundation. I normally expect to pay between £20 and £30 for a foundation which seems excessive considering I could pick one up in Boots for around a tenner but for me, it's worth it.

If you've already got a collection of higher end foundations then you probably don't need to read this post as I'm writing this specifically for anyone who has been worried about spending lots of money on a foundation to find that it doesn't work for them. I apologise if it comes across as a little patronizing but I hope it helps someone! 

What's your skin type?

This is the first thing you should try to figure out as it determines what sort of foundation you'll need. If you have oily skin, I'd stick to oil free formulations whereas you might prefer a more hydrating formula if your skin is dry. If your skin is sensitive, be wary of foundations which are heavily fragranced. You can ask counter assistants to help determine your skin type if you're not sure but I've found that they often try to promote their newest foundations rather than what's best for your particular skin type so be aware of that.

What do you want your foundation to cover?

To me the point of foundation is to even out my skin tone and cover any minor imperfections whether it's a powder, a liquid or a cream. I'd say that unless you have a lot of acne scarring or other pigmentation to cover, you won't need a heavy coverage foundation. If your skin is already quite even and you're not prone to break outs, consider a tinted moisturiser or light coverage foundation. I like foundations with medium coverage myself because I can sheer it out by mixing it with moisturiser or I can add an extra layer on problem areas if I'm having a bad skin day. 

How do you want it to look/wear?
You have to consider is the finish you want and how long you'll need it to last. The finish of a foundation will vary somewhat depending on your skin type so be aware of that and if you have very oily skin, it's probably best to avoid anything which offers a very dewy finish and likewise someone with dry skin will probably struggle with very matte formulas. In terms of wear, I think you should expect to be able to get around eight hours of wear from any foundation for it to be worthwhile. I've tried a few that have disappeared in a couple of hours which is so disappointing! You can always aid the staying power of a foundation with a setting spray, primer or powder though.
 
 How're you going to apply it?
Think about the tools you may need to apply the foundation you end up with too. I like applying mine with a buffing style brush but some foundations work better with fingers (thankfully those are free!), sponges, stippling brushes or traditional foundation brushes. I don't think this is a huge consideration but it it worth thinking about since you don't want to end up with a foundation that looks lovely and wears well but only applies nicely with a £30 brush that you don't own.

Read Reviews

You can find foundation reviews in a variety of different ways. You can google the name of the foundation you're interested in and find some blog post reviews or you can check Makeupalley or YouTube. Ask friends what they use and recommend, especially if they have a similar skin type or tone to you and if you normally like their make up. The thing to bear in mind when reading reviews is that foundation is one of those products that really divides opinion so just because one is rated 3/5 doesn't mean it won't be the best one you'll try so take the scores with a pinch of salt and look out for reviewers who were looking for the same sort of foundation as you are.

Try a Sample 
(if you can!)

Once you have a little list of foundations you might like to try pop to your nearest department store and have a look at them. You can have a feel of the texture by swatching them and you can see what the finish is like by having it applied at the counter but don't buy anything until you've at least seen the colour and finish in natural light. I personally think it's a little bit tacky to go up to a counter and brazenly ask for a sample but if you can show that you've done a little bit of research on the particular foundation most counter staff will happily give you a sample to try. Chanel and Estee Lauder are, in my experience, the best for giving out decent sized samples which allow you to try the product at least four times. Obviously try to make sure the sample is the shade that you think will be the best for you; if you already think you know which shade you'll be, don't be forced into trying one you think will be too dark or too light. If you're not sure, just go with what the assistant gives you. Another tip I should include is that if you get the foundation sample in little sachets, grab a little empty pot and transfer the contents of the sachets into it, you'll get so many more uses out of it!


If you try a sample and don't like it, there's no harm done. If you like the product but think it's the wrong shade, try a different shade if that's possible. If you try it, love it and think it's the correct shade, go buy it!


Phew. If you've made it this far, congratulations! I hope this post was helpful and if you have any tips when it comes to high end foundation shopping, mention them in the comments.


Stace xx