Yesterday's Simple Neutral Make Up

I liked my make up yesterday but didn't have the time to take photos before I headed out so I thought I'd just share the products I used. I had to run errands all day so just went for a very simple, neutral look. My boyfriend thought it was pretty, too!

First up, EOS Lip Balm in Lemon Drop

I use this all the time, I'm really getting through it! This is great for priming lips for lipstick as it's not too thick or greasy.

Then I applied L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer to the areas of my face where I have larger pores.

This was a first for me, I just ran out of my POREFessional from BeneFit so I've moved on to this. The texture is so weird! I think it worked okay - I need to test it out some more before forming my opinion on it!

Next up is a layer of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B40.

I use my fingers to apply this and love it! Review coming soon.

I conceal with Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Concealer in Light/Medium.

This is a little too light but I only use it under my eyes at the moment and it looks fine there.

I used MAC Warm Soul on my cheeks and Improvise as a highlight.

L-R: Improvise, Warm Soul

I love this combination! It's really natural looking on my skin tone. These blushes are strange though, you'd think that Improvise would be the more pigmented of the two but in reality it's pretty sheer.

On my eyes I applied a layer of Indianwood Paint Pot from MAC (this is a DIY pot of Indianwood and Rubenesque) and two coats of Avon SuperShock mascara in Black. 

I'm not a huge fan of the Avon mascara so I'm trying to use it up!

On the lips I used a little bit of MAC Shy Girl and topped it off with a layer of the yummy smelling Toffee lipgloss from Barry M.

I love this combination! I was never a fan of nude lips really but I like this.

Here are some swatches:

Top L-R: EL Concealer, Chanel Vitalumiere, L'Oreal Primer

Bottom L-R: Indianwood PP, Shy Girl, Barry M Toffee

L-R: MAC Improvise, Warm Soul.

I think I'll be reaching for most of these products more often to recreate the look I did yesterday.

Do you like any of these products? What's your favourite simple make up look?

Stace xx

I Was Going To Do A July Favourites Post But...

I looked through my stash to see what I'd been using the most and there weren't a lot of things I've been using all the time. Due to running out foundations and trying one which broke me out I've been chopping and changing the foundation, concealer and powder I've been using. I've been reaching for all sorts of different eyeshadows and lip products too so I can't really choose definite favourites. 

Instead I thought I'd tell you about the two sorts of products I've been using almost every day; cream blush and cream/gel eyeliner.

Cream Blush:

L-R: Sonia Kashuk Creme Blush in Petal, Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Dixie

NYC Blushable Creme Stick in South St Seashell

Swatches: SK Petal, Illamasqua Dixie, NYC South St Seashell

I've been applying all three of these with my E.L.F. Studio Powder brush. Now, I bought a MAC 188 to use with cream blush and I do use it with my Rich Coral Cream Colour Base from MAC but when I tried to use it with these three, it wasn't picking up the right amount of colour or distributing it evenly. I didn't know what to do - I'd tried applying the blushes with my fingers (or directly to my face with the NYC) and it didn't look great. I either put on too much or rubbed it in to the point where it was barely visible. I had a look at my brushes and thought I'd give the E.L.F. a go - I have two of these, one which I used to use for foundation and one that I use occasionally for powder blush. I just dot the brush on the top of the product (or rub some of the NYC on top of the brush) and dab it on to my face. Then I blend it out. And it looks great! I've not touched a powder blush for a while now thanks to finally working out how to use cream blushes! 

The Sonia Kashuk blush dries down to a slightly more powdery finish than the Illamasaqua. The NYC leaves quite a nice sheen. I couldn't choose a favourite out of these three!

Cream/Gel Liners:

L-R: Bobbi Brown Sepia Ink Long Wear Cream Liner, Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Cream Liners for Brown Eyes (brown, black, purple)

BB Sepia Ink, PF Brown

PF Black, PF Purple

Sephora Bent Liner Brush

L-R: PF Purple, PF Black, PF Brown, BB Sepia Ink

I did a post recently about how much I love Bobbi Brown gel liners and Sepia Ink was the one I used most this month. I received the Physicians Formula trio in a swap with a lovely girl on Makeupalley this month and I think these are great quality! I love the purple on my brown eyes and I think the brown shade is very similar to Sepia Ink. They don't wear as long as the Bobbi Brown liners but they still last a good 6 hours on my eyes (this is good for me!) and are pretty good on the waterline too.

The brush is really what has made me gravitate towards these liners. It was a random addition to a blog sale purchase but it has made applying gel liners so easy! I tried a similar one from E.L.F. and it was rubbish. I don't think this one is anything special and I'm sure there are loads of similar versions here in the UK. You seriously need one in your collection!

So...are you a fan of cream blushes and liners? What are your favourites?

Stace xx

50% Off Models Own When They Reach 50,000 Likes!

I've never tried a Models Own polish before and since I'm on a no buy for the entire month of August, this offer will be useless to me but I thought I'd share it anyway because sometimes I'm nice like that.


The idea is that if they reach 50,000 likes on their Facebook page by the end of the month, they will have a 50% off sale. They currently have almost 29,000 so they've got a bit to go.


Click here to go to their page.

Are you a fan of Models Own? Looking forward to this potential sale?

Stace xx

Beauty Buying Ban - Day 2 - Empties #1

I'm going to try and keep track of the products I manage to use up this month. I don't have a lot of 'almost finished' products at the moment as I finished up quite a few last month but today I used the last of these two:

L-R: BeneFit POREFessional, Revlon PhotoReady in 005 Natural Beige

Swatches (the last remaining drops of both products - it look me ages to get the PhotoReady out!)

BeneFit POREFessional - £23.50 for 22ml from any BeneFit Stockist

I've had this since before Christmas so I've tried it in cold weather and warm weather. I find in the warm weather, it doesn't do much for my pores and sometimes makes me even oilier in the areas where my pores are larger. In the winter time, this product works much better; I definitely noticed that my pores were looking smaller when I was wearing this. I think it's quite expensive at over £1 per ml and it's not something I'll be repurchasing anytime soon (because I've put myself on a flipping ban...!). I have mixed feelings about this primer; it's not amazing but it's not awful either. I'd suggest trying a sample before buying and only applying the teeniest bit to the parts of your face which have enlarged pores.

Revlon PhotoReady in 005 Natural Beige - £12.99  for 30ml from any Revlon Stockists

I have mixed feelings about this too. I've had it since January but I got it in a swap and it was about 90% full. I used it a lot initially before it started looking cakey on me when I applied it with a brush. It was also a touch too dark for me. I moved on to something else and this was left to flounder in my make up drawer. However in the last month I've been using it mixed with a little Estee Lauder Nutritious in Intensity 2.0. I actually love the combination! The Nutritious makes the PhotoReady a better colour match and stops it from looking cakey. I apply it with my fingers now too which helps. I don't notice a huge amount of sparkle so that's not a problem for me. I probably would repurchase this either in the lighter shade however, I might consider repurchasing this shade too to use on my legs (I'm not kidding, the teeniest bit makes them look so much better!).

So there we go! Do you love/hate either of these products?

Stace xx

Beauty Buying Ban! Day 1

I've decided to ban myself from buying any make up for myself for the month of August. I know that might not sound like a very long time but recently we moved next to a Superdrug so I've been popping in there far too much. Also, I've been addicted to blog sales and buying online which is rubbish because I think I'm not really spending anything because I'm not handing over my card and typing in my pin. 


I've tried Project 10 Pan so many times and always failed because I'm rubbish at finishing products under pressure! I might see if I can keep track of what I manage to use up over the month.


Today I've been going through my stash and picking out some more things to go up for swap (I'm hoping the fact I'll still be swapping will put me off buying anything) so there should be a post up soon about the things I've rediscovered. 


I've also put a lot of new things I've bought or swapped for recently into a separate bag and plan on trying out one or two of those items as I go along. It'll be like shopping...only in my bedroom. 


Wish me luck! I'll need it.

Have you ever done P10P or gone on a No Buy? Let me know how you did!

Stace xx