3 Mini Revelations

Today was a day of trying some new things - powder foundation, side buns and pale pink lips being three things I disregarded as not being very 'me' but I may, dare i say it, be a bit of a convert!

Sometimes I just can't be bothered to wash my hair, I know you have those days too so don't judge! And my usual coping mechanism is to throw it up in a top knot, and although I think they're pretty I don't think they necessarily suit my face - they always just look a little too harsh. 

So today, having been inspired by a random video from Meghan, I attempted a messy side bun thing - and I really like it! It keeps everything off my face without looking too sloppy, and I feel like its channelling the whole 'effortlessly stylish' look (I wish)

All the stuff I popped on my face: Vie One-Step-Face-Base in ivory, Maybelline master precise liquid liner, Maybelline fit concealer, Benefit they're real mascara, L'Oreal super liner brow artist, Mac viva glam gaga, Mac tempting, Mac brule, Urban Decay twice baked, Lancome tropiques minerale orche doree.

I've been interesting in giving powder foundations a whirl for a while now, and recently there's been a bit of a rise in my favourite bloggers recommending them, namely laura mercier's. But I just couldn't take the plunge since part of me was always convinced they'd just feel and look horrible not he skin, I had this image of dry flaky skin, probably because I've only ever used powder sparingly

 But while I was home I rummaged through some make up I left and rediscovered a powder by Vie which used to be my favourite for dusting over my foundation for nights out. Since I needed a powder for New Zealand I threw it in my suitcase, and yesterday I tried it all over with just a touch of concealer for some extra coverage under my eyes. And oh my gosh - it looks so natural! I don't think the vie powder itself is amazing, although I'll definitely use it up, but my interest in trying another powder foundation is well and truly renewed. It didn't sink into any pores, accentuate dry spots of make my face feel dry, was truly a doddle to apply with my ecotools kabuki, so I simply can't wait to branch into powder foundations

I picked up Mac's GaGa along with the powder while I was home hoping I'd manage to find a use for it. I pick it up when it first came up after hearing endless hype without considering the fact I rarely, if ever wear pink lipsticks. Spurred on by the successful powder foundation venture I gave it a whirl and I can't say I love it but I am definitely more of a fan now my skin is a little darker as it just suits my complexion a lot more.

Ignore the goosebumps, it's getting chilly down here. Tempting and Lancome's Tropiques Minerale.

Throwing in an honorary mention to Mac's tempting eyeshadow, this all over the lid with a little brule to blend it out and a touch of urban decays twice baked in the very outer corner is one of my favourite looks right now, which is surprising as prior to this week I think I'd actually used Tempting twice, possibly three times. I think it's been so neglected as it swatches quite poorly and it's a glittery mess in the crease. Tempting needs to be the centre piece of the look to work for me, the coppery tones and gold reflexes create a beautifully balanced look.

Do you ever have that, where you disregard a product only to use is again months down the line and have no idea why you weren't head over heels in love with it from the start? 

My Make Up Bag

Jack Wills Make Up Bag

Recently I've had a couple of emails asking me about what I carry in my 'every day make up bag' so, here's what you can normally find in my bag. I should quickly mention the make up bag itself  - it's not too big or too small, with a little compartment inside and a small zipped pocket on the front. It was a little pricey as it's Jack Wills and a limited edition print but I got it in the sale so its all good!

Dream Matte Powder - Maybelline

First up is my trusted Maybelline Dream Matte Powder. I'm sure you've already heard about this as it's got a loyal following but in short if you've oily skin this is amazing. I only use this to touch up and oiliness on my nose but it just absorbs oil like crazy! If you ever suffer with oiliness I can't recommend this enough and it's only £7.19 from Boots.

Cotton Candy Lip Butter - Revlon

This is another one you're probably fed up of hearing about as there are hundreds of revlon lip butter reviews out there. But this is super pretty and perfect for touching up on the go as you don't really need a mirror and it feels just like a lip balm.

Snow Fairy Lip Tint - Lush

This is lovely. If you get chance to buy it at christmas, it's limited edition, definitely try to pick it up. It smells divine, it adds a beautiful pink tint to your lips and it's not greasy on the lips. What more can you ask for? 

Peaches and Cream Blush - Vivo

Adding colour to my cheeks isn't something I usually need to worry about (naturally rosy cheeks) but sometimes after a long day my skin is just looking a little dull and I find a quick sweep of this on my apple makes the biggest difference! I'll review this separately as I could ramble on and on about this

Witch Stick

Kind of self explanatory really - If I get a blemish during the day I just pop some of this on it and it sorts it out. Simple. I don't carry this with me every day as I like to keep it with the rest of my skin care but it's a frequent visitor to my make up bag :) This is another one I'd recommend as for £2.89 you can't go too far wrong.

Witch Concealer Stick 01 & Mineral Cover Concealer 03 - Maybelline
Last up are the two concealers I cart about with me. The witch concealer is great for concealing spots - especially as it won't make them worse as it's got witch hazel in it. And then my mineral cover concealer I use solely for my under eyes as 03 it quite pink toned so it works amazingly a cancelling out any blue tones :) (There's talk of both being discontinued, which I hope isn't true. But I've seen both in stores so you should be able to find them)

After writing this I feel like I carry loads with me but I do genuinely use everything and it barely takes up any room. Let me know what you carry around with you on a daily basis!

Hope you've enjoyed!! xx

Semi - Precious

I’ll confess to being something of a MSF(Mineralize Skin Finish) addict. I love how the natural colours instantly warm your complexion and give you a healthy glow all year round – I just can’t resist the finish these give my cheeks!
So the Mac’s recent Semi Precious mineralize collection got my attention straight away as it had 4 MSFs. I had originally intended to get them all, as I really do love them but after reading one or two reviews I plucked for Pearl and Goldmine. I ordered them both online as although I didn’t expect this collection to sell out I didn’t want to take the risk.

The only problem with ordering online is can’t pick your own, and with mineralize products each one is slightly different. Some will have a bigger centre, others will have more gold than pink etc. but both are exactly what I would have picked (very lucky!)
Anyway onto Pearl… The outside is a warm champagne highlight with some golden reflexes while the centre is full of golden bronzes, plums and some white sections. Together the outside and the inside create a beautiful coral which doubles as a highlight.
(if you don’t like shimmery blush this may be one to avoid)
And Goldmine... This was maybe the one I was more excited about, although I think I love them both equally now, as it’s a warm golden highlight surrounded by a bronze tan shade which I know I’m going to get a ton of wear out of in summer to deepen my colour and to just give me that healthy radiant look.

Do I recommend? If you love your MSFs then definitely! I am completely in love. The size reduction is annoying, these are only 0.22g instead of the usual 0.35g, but even with that in mind baked products like this never seem to go down and last forever.

Have you picked up anything from the Semi-Precious collection?
Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

P.S I know 3 reviews in a row is a little much but I was just so excited to talk about these I couldn’t wait. NOTD coming up next though!