The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil

I know I often talk about how I like to keep my face looking more on the matte side of things but that does not mean that I don't like to keep my skin hydrated. Even with cleansers I find some a little dehydrating, particularly foaming cleansers so I have always been on the hunt for a non-greasy oil based cleanser. One that locks in the moisture without making me look a shiny mess.

Admittedly, my skin does look a little sheeny when I use this, but if you just use this in the evenings to remove your makeup and then a cream or milky cleanser in the morning your skin feels a whole lot healthier than using a drying foamy cleanser. 

I think the reason I have been loving this so much is down to me using it with this little contraption. The Soap & Glory Mini Mitt is perfect at removing mascara and brow products gently with this cleansing oil. It stops you from having to rub your eyes vigorously and removes all product. I have always gone over my eyes in the morning with a little Bioderma but after using this little duo there is never any mascara on the cotton pad.

For £10 I would say this is a great little product to keep by the sink and I would highly recommend trying this if you have dry skin; this is a lot less harsh than regular facial cleansers. Buy here

Ciao
  xxx

High End Starter Kit

Before I start encouraging you to spend hundreds of pounds on high end make up, I would like to point out that I have tried to include some options for you and also these are the products I think are the best that I have tried. I haven't for example included an eyeliner because Maybelline got us covered (previous review), but if you have the cash and you fancy treating yourself here are my top picks.

I've chosen 3 completely different base options dependent on on how you like your foundation. If you like a good-low coverage natural finish Jouer is the way to go both the Matte an Luminizing moisture tints are perfect for a light feeling base. If you fancy a little more coverage but still want a natural glow you can't top YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat (review) and if you like things more on the matte side and your a full coverage girl Estée Lauder Double Wear is amazing (review). Give this a good blending in the morning and no matter what your skin type this will stay put and keep you looking flawless all day.

If I could only use one brand for base products Estee Lauder would be my pick, and their powders are just as amazing as their liquid foundations. The Double Wear Stay-In-Place Powder Makeup (review) is great at adding a little extra coverage and the Perfecting Loose Powder (review) makes your skin feel so incredibly smooth and makes your foundation last that bit longer and look a little more matte. 

If like me you want one mascara that can lengthen, curl, separate and volumise your lashes then Dior's Iconic Overcurl mascara cannot be beaten. For brows I personally love the YSL Eyebrow Pencil in shade 04 Ash, if your eyebrows are a similar colour to mine you will not find a better, more natural looking shade than this beauty. 

When it comes to concealer full coverage is the only thing I look for, and you don't get more full coverage than Kevyn Aucoins Sensual Skin Enhancer; if you have blemishes, dark circles or scaring ect. consider them gone (review).  

Contour I feel is an essential with my round football face, and the two I love the most are the Lancome Blush Subtil Palette in 01 Rose Flush (review) and the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder. I personally love the blush and highlight in the Blush Subtil palette, but if you want to do some hardcore chiseling of cheekbones then I would go for Kevyn Aucoin (review).

If the Blush Subtil palette doesn't cover your blusher needs then for me you have to go for the Nars Blushers. The single Blush compacts come in at £23 so I would suggest looking out for one of their palettes; this Virtual Domination Palette is no longer available but the NARSissist Blush, Contour, And Lip Palette looks a beauty and also comes with the coveted Laguna Bronzing Powder. 

If you decide Laguna is a little too dark looking for your skin tone the Jouer Mattifying Powder Bronzer is slightly more subtle looking and a little easier to build. The Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel is also quite a subtle, natural looking shade that can be built up but is in cream form (review). And if a liquid bronzer is more your thing then the Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint in Deep Bronzed blends and sets really nicely on the skin (review) 

For lip gloss my favourites are the mildly pigmented, my lips but better looking Laura Mercier Lip Glacés (review) and the more creamy, more pigmented Jouer moisturizing lip gloss. 

With Lipsticks MAC have pretty much got all of your needs catered for but I particularly like their matte lipsticks like this Honey Love shade. The only lipstick I have not found from MAC is a highly moisturising lip butter like the Jouer Lip Sheers which just feel lovely to wear and are pretty well pigmented for a sheer lipstick. 

Eye palettes was a hard one for me to narrow down, I have gone for neutral palettes because they are such a staple. Of course the Naked Palette had to get a mention for shimmers and mattes this is the perfect day to night palette. NARSs And God Created The Woman Palette (review) although has fewer shades has equally amazing pigment for the shimmers at matte colours, and it too comes with a primer and a brush. Estee Lauder's Pure Color 07 surreal skies palette has now been discontinued but the newer Pure Color Envy Palettes are exactly the same high quality with more shade options; they have some really lovely wedding appropriate palettes.

That concludes my top picks for those of you starting to build up your high end kit. I  tried to choose things I think everyone would love and get a lot of use of rather than just my favourite products, but I would love to know your picks in the comments below!

Ciao

  xxx

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner

I'm not really sure why I have not got around to reviewing this earlier, I have been using it for about 3 years on an almost daily basis, but truth is, this is a really underrated product and if you are looking for a gel eyeliner that is easy to apply, stays put all day but isn't a bugger to get off in the evening then it would appear Maybelline are doing it better than most of the high end brands. 

I will not ramble on all I will say is that the liner is really smooth in texture allowing it to glide on to your lid without dragging, and preventing it from drying out on your lid and crumbling *cough like Benefit They're Real Liner* . The product remains fairly creamy for about a minute allowing you to smudge it if you like, but it sets fairly well, so unless you full on rub your eyes you will not look like a panda. Two final pros to mention; this is a true black shade and it has a waterproof formula, again don't rub your eyes, but if you were to swim in this then it has always stayed put for me. 

At just £7.99 and the endless 3 for 2 promotions Superdrug and Boots offer this is an absolute steal; buy here. And if you are looking for a really good gel liner brush this Lancome Double Ended Liner and Smudge Brush is amazing! I can't apply liner without it to be honest, and if you can then hats off to you. 

Ciao

  xxx

Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder

Every now and then there is a product that has packaging just as good as the product itself, and this sculpting powder is the finest example of that. Anyone else just love when products come in sleeves, it is so impractical but you just have to keep it in the sleeve right? 

Packaging aside I have wanted to buy this powder for about a year, it is raved about as the best cool toned contour powder out there and it has not disappointed my high expectations.

The ashy undertones of the powder create a perfect shadow making the contour appear perfectly natural. And while I realise this looks like a bruise on my arm, when applied more sparingly and blended well this does look really nice on your face; promise! I just don't photograph well enough to show you on my face.

At £33 for just 3.1g this is a luxury product and perhaps not for everyday use, but I have never found a more natural toned contour product that can chisel in some cheek bones no matter how round your face. 

I apply this using the Lancome number 17 Blending Shadow Brush and  25 Cheek and Contour Brush. The 17 brush is great at defining your nose and applying a little product on your jaw line and cheek bones before blending with the larger side of the 25 brush. 

There are plenty of great drugstore bronzers out there but if it is just a contour you are after then I would definitely pop into Space NK and give this a go; buy here.

Ciao
  xxx

NARS And God Created The Woman

Although named slightly strangely this is a great little set perfect for anyone starting out their high end makeup collection. It retails at £35 for the 6x Eyeshadow palette, mini lid primer and surprisingly good blending brush, which I know to a drugstore lover does not sound cheap but in comparison to £18 for one of their single shadows or £25 for their duo eyeshadows I think this is a really good price.

First of all the colour pay of all of the shades is amazing, it is exactly true to colour as it appears in the palette. The texture is nice and buttery and there is very little fall down on application. The shimmers are so intense you can create some really dramatic evening looks, but because all six shades are neutral you can equally create some lovely day looks; making it the perfect travel palette.

The Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base costs £19.50 for the full size product and works really well. Personally I prefer a more tinted lid primer (Estee Lauder Shadow Base) to cover my lids pigmentation but if that is not a problem for you then this is really good at keeping your shadow put and crease free.

Is anyone else with me, when you saw the shape of this brush did you think it would be awful? It isn't shaped like any other blending brush I have seen and the hairs are really dense, but it is really soft and it has some serious blending skills. The regular size Wide Contour Eyeshadow brush costs £26 which you can buy here; but you have to be crazy not to spend another £9 and get a little primer and palette with it just for the length of the handle.  

Basically, if you like to wear browns and golds you need this palette in your life; buy here.

Caio

  xxx

C'est la vie #1

You know I like to keep my blog predominantly reviews, just on the basis I don't think I am a particularly interesting person; I like neutral make up, I usually wear 50 shades of black, and although I would love to have this glam student life the older generation talk about, I spend all my time at university or work or travelling to them. 

That being said, you probably can see I love a good ramble, and although I spend a good amount of time in the library, 30% of that is probably spent daydreaming. So here is a little insight into my recent ponders...

Maxfactor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow

Are you sitting comfortably? News of the season; I have finally put away my Naked palette! I know, I never thought that would happen either but after finally catching on to the whole cream eye shadow thing I just haven't had the time for all the blending powder shadows require.

I am sure you have all read about them before if not tried them yourselves so I will not ramble on, but these are such a lovely, light weight, easy to apply product I just had to give it a mention. 

I apply this on top of the Estee Lauder Stay-In-Place Shadow Base as that helps to cover the pigmentation on my lids, but you don't actually need a primer at all. Whether you apply with your fingertips or with a blending brush, if you aim to use a couple of layers of this, letting each set before applying more, it keeps crease free all day. 

Admittedly this is still a neutral shadow, but the shimmer that the creams provide is lovely and dewy looking which you just can't get from a powder shadow. These are perfect for creating effortless but beautiful eyes for spring and summer, and they retail at just £7.99 a pot which you can buy here. 

Ciao
  xxx

Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Foam Cleanser

I received this free as part of a promotion early this year and while I would never claim to be a skincare expert, I know what I like and as I have been enjoying this recently I thought I would share it with you.

I still like using the Lancome cleanser which I mentioned in My Evening Skincare Routine post, but I have now taken up to using this as part of my morning routine. 

The reason I choose this in the mornings is because it is really good at getting rid of that film like oily layer that makes my face shine every morning. No one is a fan of dehydrated looking skin but I do like to keep things nice and matte, and this just does the trick.

As you can see this lathers really well, it is very gentle on the skin and leaves it feeling lovely and soft. It also has a nice fresh scent, as with most Estée Lauder skincare products I have used.

This retails at £22 for 150ml of product which you can purchase here. Let me know what cleansers you are enjoying at the moment, I am still trying to love skincare more but I think I will forever magpie make up.

Ciao

  xxx

Bioderma Solution Micellaire

We all know this is no replacement for your cleanser, but if it's a quick refresher you're after micellair waters are great, and although there are cheaper alternatives I still love Bioderma. I use this on a cotton bud to remove foundation from my brows, lips and any eye liner mistakes I (always) make, but I also think they are really good at prepping your skin.

Our skin produces natural oils all the time but if you have oily or combination skin removing the excess prior to foundation application allows it to cling onto your skin, giving it more longevity and a nicer looking finish.

The (pink) Sensibio I have found to be a little drying on my skin so I tend to use this to make my skin appear more matte. I use it before my foundation, concentrated more on my Tzone where my skin is a little more oily. I find my make up sits better when I have used this, and more slippy foundations stay put that bit longer.

YSL Fusion Foundation normally needs retouching by lunch time but when applied after using Sensibio it seams the last all day even without applying a powder.

The (blue) Hydrabio is for dry skin types so I just use this all over my face before applying my foundation. I use this in place of a toner as I just rather use something that cleanses the skin than a toner that often has perfumes in that can cause irritation. I'm not a scientist or a skincare expert but toner has always been a product that does nothing for my skin where as these seam to work really well.

You can purchase Bioderma products at Lloyds Pharmacy online, the 100ml bottles are £4.50 and the 250ml bottles are £10. Let me know your thoughts, particularly if you have used the green Sebium one for combination skin, I am yet to try it so if you think it is better than these for any reason I would love your opinion. 

Ciao
  xxx

e.l.f Mineral Foundation

If you have been round these parts before you will probably know by now I am a firm lover of full coverage foundations; namely Estée Lauder's Double Wear Stay-In-Place foundation (review). Having said that, my love for all things matte and my combination skin sometimes begs for a less heavy foundation and more heavy duty powder. 

I'm going to be honest, the main reason I turned to e.l.f for a mineral foundation is because it costs just £5.95 and I wasn't sure I was going to like how it sat over liquid foundation. Turns out I love the finish and coverage this provides.

I use this over MAC Face and Body (review) granted this has a decent light coverage, but if your skin is remotely oily this does not wear amazingly well throughout the day. To be honest I only use this as a body foundation normally, but with a small layer of this powder it becomes the perfect base with medium coverage and great staying power. 

The finish looks better when the product is shaken and excess is removed from your brush before application. It can look blotchy and cakey if too much is applied on top of the liquid foundation. I use the Real Techniques buffing brush to create a nicely blended, even finish. 

Like I said, I only tend to use this duo when my combination skin is more on the oily side, I just think the finish and coverage are perfect and it looks just as good in the evening as when applied.

If you would like to try this mineral foundation you can purchase it here, and I would love to know your thoughts if you try these two products together.

Ciao

  xxx