Where to Save: Makeup Edition

I love a bargain. It's the best feeling when you can find a product where the quality vastly outshines the price. I own a mixture of luxury and affordable makeup and I have tried and tested all different categories of makeup to give you my picks on what makeup items are worth heading to your local high street for.

Mascara

I have tried my hardest to find a high-end mascara that curls my eyelashes, makes them thicker and fuller without weighing them down and I have not found one yet. Thing is, you can't trial a mascara out properly before purchasing it and so whenever I have purchased one from a luxury brand that claims to be the holy grail of mascaras, I'm always disappointed with the end result.
With mascara that is more affordable, I find that I can trial more out without spending a fortune, and so I do have a few go-to favourites that give me the results that I want - I will list and link them below!
-  Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara (£8.99/9ml)
- Kiko Unforgettable WP Mascara (£7.20/9ml)
- L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara (£10.99/9ml)

Eyeliner
I think it's so easy to find a brilliant eyeliner without spending too much. Eyeliner only lasts a few months, so I think if you can find something you like for under a tenner then you are definitely winning. From liquids to pencils - the high street has so much variety that I don't feel the need to look elsewhere! I've now found my holy grail liquid eyeliner for under £3, which I can create a thin and defined line, to a more bolder statement look:

- Collection Fast Stroke Eye Liner (£2.99/3.8g) 
- L'Oreal Paris Super Slim Eyeliner (£6.99)
- Rimmel London Scandal'Eyes WP Eyeliner  (£4.49)

Nails

If you are like me, and like to chop and change your nail colour weekly, then the high street can provide a variety of colours, textures and formulas to please anyone. I love finding the needle in the haystack when it comes to shopping for nail polishes, because I think every brand can vary so much (luxury polishes included!). Just because you might pay over £15 for a nail polish, doesn't mean that it's less likely to chip - nails are one thing that is affected by general wear and tear of your daily living. I've found some formulas in the high street that I would wholly recommend to anyone looking for nail polishes that can last for up to week without chipping. 

- Maybelline Forever Strong Gel Nail Polish (£4.49/10ml)

- Kiko Perfect Gel Duo (£7.99/2 polishes)

Lips

Similar to nail polishes, I think you can find a really nice selection of lip products on the high street, again with different textures, formulas and colours. I think because lip products are something that you will tend to reapply throughout the day, regardless of the price, you don't need to spend too much cash, whether you want to is a different story! I'm a massive fan of nude lip colours, and I'll list a few of my favourites below: 

- Nip and Fab Makeup Matte Liquid Lipstick (£7.95/2.6ml)

- Revlon Ultra HD Gel Lipcolour (£7.99)

Brushes 
No matter what makeup you purchase, it's so important to ensure that your tools are just as good as the products. In the last decade, we can see a massive increase of affordable but high quality makeup tools. I believe makeup tools are worth investing in, and finding the right ones for the right price can be difficult, but not impossible. Anything by Real Techniques is an automatic win - I've never been disappointed  in their products and they are so multi-purpose, sometimes I use them for what works for me, rather than what they are meant to be used for!
- Real Techniques Blush Brush (£9.99)
- Real Techniques Sculpting Set (£19.99)

- Kiko Blending Brush 200 (discontinued)
- The Body Shop Eyeshadow Brush (£9.00)

So that is my round up on all the makeup products that I think is worth getting for an affordable price tag. I would love to know if this is something you agree with, or whether there is something else you think is worth sticking on this list.
If you would like to read more posts then be sure to follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date!

5 make-up pieces I struggle to let go of.

When rooting through my mini makeup collection to swap out items, I noticed that I had a few products which probably should be in the bin by now but I can't seem to let go of it. I wondered if anyone else did the same, and the idea for this post came about! It's just a bit of fun, but here are the products that I can't seem to let go of!

I have about a few mascaras that have product still in them, however the Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof (£7.99/9.5ml) ran out a while ago, but I just keep holding on to it. I don't know what I think is going to happen- a national crisis where I will absolutely need this mascara. It's ridiculous. I did really enjoy this mascara though, it held up my lashes and just was reliable, so that's probably why it's hard to let go of! Also it looks an absolute wreck, so that's another reason to let it go!

The next item I wanted to mention was my Kiko Milano Highlighting Effect Fluid Concealer (£7.90/2ml). For brightening the undereye, this is one of the best concealers I have used, it's light on the skin, easy to blend out, has a bit of coverage and just looks great too. This ran out a few months ago, and I really need to get a new one, but I am trying to use up some other concealers first before buying this again. I think I'm holding on to this because it was just really good, however I do think it's time to throw it out just because there is no product left!

I've been talking a lot about products, however I wanted to mention a make-up tool. I have had these brushes with the red handle for around 6-7 years. It was the first makeup brush set I bought from Amazon when I wanted to experiment with makeup. I still use some of the brushes from that set to this day, the blush brush and their eyebrow brush I use on a daily basis. However this eyeshadow brush is just terrible, it's one of those that will take half of your eyeshadow off when you try to apply more product. The bristles are slightly scratchy and I never reach for it. I think I'm holding onto to this brush just because in the past I never had an excess amount of brushes, and now that has changed so I don't need this anymore and I never really thought of throwing it out until now. It's terrible so I just really need to start decluttering my collection. 

Eyeliner -  am I the only one who keeps a few? Does this happen to anyone else when your eyeliner runs out and a week later it magically has some products left in it? I think this is the reason I hang onto eyeliner, just incase I can get some more product out, especially if I really liked using a particular one. The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner (£14.50/0.55ml) was one of the eyeliners that was easy to apply and stayed put. I had both a full sized and a mini one, which has ran out however I just need to bite the bullet and throw it away since I have repurchased a new eyeliner recently! 

The last product I wanted to talk about was primers, I feel like I have a primer for every occasion, I have one for dehydrated skin, one to make my skin glowy, one to minimise pores, and the Sephora Collection Smoothing Primer (€12.00/15ml) to even out any texture on my skin which is more of a silicone primer. I'm a massive fan of primers, I think they are a barrier between skincare and makeup which is good to help stop things like pollution from reaching your skin. I like how different primers can change the finish of makeup or help with its longevity. Okay, I need to stop talking about the pro's of primer because this might end up in me buying more. I just need to finish this Sephora one, because it is actually really good but I got side tracked by my Two Faced Hangover Primer  (£27.00/38ml)...which probably isn't too surprising! 

I just think I am one of those people who buys and opens products for no reason, so I really should wait until I finish products properly. Does this post resonate with anyone else, because I hope I'm not alone in my hoarding ways. So please let me know through the comments whether there is anything you struggle to let go of - if you want to make this into a tag, feel free to have a go, I would love to have a read!
Follow me on Bloglovin to have a browse through all my other posts and to be kept up to date with my latest content! 

My 3 go-to Summer Makeup essentials

Now that summer is in full swing, I've noticed that I reach for certain pieces of makeup that just encapsulate the summer vibe....

When I think of summer makeup, I think of a lighter more glowy base. The Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter (30ml/£30.00) is a product I use daily, I find that it just gives that 'lit from within' look, and even makes bare skin look at its optimum health. If you haven't tried it, I would really urge you to. I've written a full review here. The reason why it's in this little edit is because it adds the glow without overtly adding shimmer and shine to the cheeks - this is why it's an essential, it's something you can pop under makeup, over makeup, mix in with foundation, or with no makeup at all. I use the shade '5 Tan' this under my foundation, and just use a half pump of foundation, and just let this product do all the work. The result is basically a Victoria's Secret version of yourself - what's not to like? Scroll to the end to see swatches!

Like I've said earlier, when I think of summer makeup, I think more about skin and a healthy tan. I'm already tan all year round, but what I have been reaching for is my NARS 'Liberté' blush (£24.00/4.8g). I love NARS blushes, they have the right about of pigment and blendability, which means you can see them on the skin but they don't look crazily out of place either. This shade in particular is that mix between orange and peach, and so really emphasise a tan, giving you that healthy vibe. I just think this shade is extremely flattering, and so even if you aren't as tan, maybe looking for a more peachy shade of blush would be equally as flattering, as it adds some colour and depth to the face without being a heavy or unnatural layer.

The amount of times I have probably said healthy is probably too much, so luckily my next item is an eyeliner, so the word healthy wouldn't really work in this context! I've been reaching for the Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner (£2.99/3.8g) to complete my look as it just finishes my summer makeup off. I feel like without this I look like I have just woken up, eyeliner just has the ability to define the eye in such a way that you can notice it without  it overshadowing the entire look. I've just used this Collection one for the past week or so, but I quite like it, it's super black and the brush is easy to control too. I might do a more in-depth review of this product in a few weeks after it's had more of a road test! Another reason black liquid liner is a staple is because as it is a liquid, it doesn't tend to move around too much, and as it is black too it doesn't fade away as much as my brown pencil eyeliners and so it's become a summer necessity for me.

I've swatched the Flawless Filter on the right, the Collection Fast Stroke Liner in the middle and the NARS blush on the left. All the three products are pigmented and so are long lasting on the skin - perfect for summer!

These three types of items are just what I have been reaching for lately. I would love to know your go-to summer makeup essentials in the comments below. If you like my content please subscribe on Bloglovin to keep up to date with any new content! 

My Eyeliner Experience

It feels weird to say that around two years ago I didn't wear eyeliner at all, and I was thinking about how the transformation occurred - from wearing no eyeliner at all to wearing a bold liquid liner. So I thought I would talk you through the 'stages' that I went through to having enough confidence to rock a liquid eyeliner. If any of you guys are stuck in-between stages, perhaps this can give you some guidance on how to progress. Going through stages 1, 2, 4 and 5, I think, is the the quickest route to wearing liquid liner on a daily basis. 

Stage 1) Brown Eyeliner

I didn't think eyeliner suited me at all when I was younger, however I still wanted to wear it, so when I saw my friend and roommate in my first year at university continuously rock a brown liner, I thought I would give it a go too. I think it's a good way to get used to adding something to your eyes without having them look too ostentatious to the casual observer. I started using the Rimmel London Soft Khol Kajal Eye Pencil (£2.99/1.2g) in Sable Brown before upgrading to my Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl Eyeliner (£17.00/1.8g) in 028 Brun. I love them both although I no longer own the former. 

Stage 2) Tight-lining 

Whenever there was a special occasion, I didn't feel like brown eyeliner would do the trick, especially if I was using colours as the brown didn't show up as much. I purchased the much raved about Scandal Eyes Waterproof Khol Liner (£3.99/1.2g) by Rimmel London to tightline my upper eye, so that my lashes looked thicker and more defined. I found that this is a fool proof way to wear eyeliner as you can't mess up as much and you don't have to worry about making any lines even, it's just a simple colouring in job. 

Stage 3) Coloured Eyeliner

This is a weird stage, but it's actually what happened last summer, I love coloured eyeliner because it adds definintion in a different and unique way, my favourite colour to wear is green and blue and I think they look nice with a simple wash of colour on the eye - like gold or light brown. Wearing it on my top lid got me used to applying a liner without having to worry about making a mistake that I couldn't remove easily. My  favourite colours is the Bourjois Contour Clubbing Eyeliner (£4.99/1.2g) in 05 Loving Green and the Laura Mercier Longwear Eye Pencil (£18.00/1.2g) in Violet because it lasts all day and is really simple to wear!

Stage 4) Grey Eyeliner

This is what got me used to wearing eyeliner in my day to day life, I brought the Essence Gel Eye Pencil (£2.30/0.57g) in the shade 05 Gunmetal in Milan and I loved it. It's grey so it's easier to get away with some mistakes because you can fake it and make it slightly smokey, and because this is a gel formula in a pencil it's super super easy to apply - I just run it through my lash line, making it slightly thicker towards the end of my eye and voila, defined eyes in under a minute. You can buy Essence in Wilkinsons!

Stage 5) Black Liquid Eyeliner

I did a beauty swap with Sakura and she gave me a few eyeliners from Japan and that's actually what got me into using a black liquid eyeliner, the Ettusais Liquid Eyeliner WP ($25.00/0.5ml) she gave was amazing, really pigmented and easy to apply because it was a felt tip eyeliner. Using a black liquid liner is more time consuming in the beginning because it's so precise, you can't really smoke it out because it's just a line and so if you make a mistake you can try to correct it or just remove it. However you will find that the more you practice, the easier it gets. For beginners, I would recommend going as close to the lash line as possible, I think the biggest problem that arises with liquid liner is making both eyes equal and so starting small is the key. Also as you can see in the picture above, the hairs get frayed from simply putting the lid back on, however it still works nicely and I think a liquid liner really suits both a statement and simple eye look.

 What I am currently using

I am back to using my Scandal Eyes! I like to smoke out my top liner by drawing a rough line and using a angled brush to smoke it out and make the line more even. I have been loving doing this recently because it adds definition without being so precise? It's the same kind of effect that the grey eyeliner gives but darker and smokier. Recently I have been adding eyeliner to my waterline too, because I'm so used to my top lid being done, it's less shocking for me to have it on. So I use Scandal Eyes to line my eyes on the top and bottom. 

It seems like I have so many eyeliners but they have been purchased slowly one by one. It's crazy that I went through this massive journey just to wear something that I think suits me now. It was a slow progression and that's what I think makes me feel normal in it now, if I just jumped to wearing liquid liner I would feel too weird to wear it every day.
What's your eyeliner experience? Did you just jump the gun or did you go in stages like me?? I would love to know!
Follow me on Bloglovin' if you would like to keep up to date with my posts!