August Favourites

First things first; where on Earth has August gone?! I feel like I have blinked and here we are on the cusp of September, nearing Autumn and saying goodbye to another summer again, way to soon for my liking. 

My august favourites are very brief, but they have been the products I have been applying everyday I have worn make up during August and tools I have used to do so, and while the UK hasn't had the best weather this summer, with these products I have been able to achieve  bronzed and glowy skin, making it look like I have been on a tropical escape to the Caribbean!

Also, all the products are super affordable but do just as an amazing job as high street brands would do. 

Make Up Revolution Baked Bronzer Really easy to blend, buildable and has some glitter in it, I like to add this to certain areas of my face to add a bronzed glow. 

Make Up Revolution Golden Lights Highlighter Super pigmented, a white-golden shimmery shade, perfect for cheekbones as well as eye brow highlight. 

W7 Make Up and Glow Bronzing Base Easily blendable, gel based bronzer, isn't too orangey, perfect dupe for Soleil Tan De Chanel. Great for contour, all over bronzer or under foundation to even skin tone and add a bronzed base.  

Real Techniques Stippling Brush Versatile brush, love using it to apply the W7 Bronzing Base, it helps to distribute and blend the product. 

Ebay Fan Shape Make Up Brush Also in last months favourites, this brush is soft, really affordable but good quality and is the perfect shape for applying highlighter. 

What have you been loving this month?

Laur Elizabeth xo 

Favourite Concealers

Concealers are literally my life savers when it comes to make up. I have always struggled with dark circles and now I even know which ones work best for me when paired with a particular foundation. Some I prefer to use as under eye coverage and others for any blemishes or red areas. 

NYX HD Photogenic Concealer - Great for under eye brightening and concealing. It doesn't crease or go cakey, it blends beautifully, particularly with a damp beauty blender and is a great price! 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - This concealer is also good for tired eyes, but I think it works best to cover any red areas and when set with a powder it stays in place all day. 

LA Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer - These concealers blend really well, and I also use a darker shade as a contour at times. I love using this one under my eyes, and it also works well as a highlight for different areas of the face. I just wish they would change the packaging!

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer - One of my favourites. Although it is on the pricier side I think it is well worth every penny, light, creamy and easily blended, this one also works lovely with a beauty blender. 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - Another great one from the drugstore. I don't find that this one covers any blemishes as well as the Collection concealer, but I do enjoy using this one for under my eyes when I'm going for a lighter make up look. I also love pairing it with the Wake Me Up foundation. 

MAC Studio Finish Concealer - A thick consistency, works well to cover blemishes and also is good for under eye coverage. I always use it with a small brush though, as I find when blended with fingers it takes away the coverage. 

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer - I like using this to cover my dark circles, it blends well and although it doesn't give as much coverage as some other concealers in my collection, it does do the job of covering up my under eye circles and any problem areas. 


What are your favourite concealers?

Laura Elizabeth xo

No Make Up Make Up Necessities

My preferred make up look as of late has been the 'no make up' make up look. Particularly during the summer months when ideally I want to be wearing less on my face, and long and sometimes early hours at work means I don't want to have to keep checking my make up during the day, or that I just want longer in bed, and so a simple and easily achievable look is much more desirable than a full face! 

I've discovered products that help me to achieve this minimal 'no make up' look, and get longer in bed!

After cleaning my face, I will apply a moisturiser, ideally one with an SPF, I like the Garnier Moisture Match Illuminating Lotion, as it adds a subtle glow to my skin but it doesn't feel too heavy once applied. I then apply the body shop primer as it helps my make up stay in place all day, and creates a nice base to apply my foundation over. Additionally, I sometimes use the L'oreal Skin Perfection cream which when squeezed out of the tube is a white colour but applies to the skin with a brown tint, this evens the colouration of my skin. I then bronze up my face with a perfect Soleil Tan De Chanel dupe by W7. This product is much cheaper and blends perfectly. I then comb through my brows, and when I'm in a rush I will skip my full brow routine and apply some of the Maybelline Brow Drama; combing my brows into place as well as adding just a hint of colour to them to make them look a little bit more filled in. 

This is how I achieve my 'no make' make up look for the skin. If I am leaving the house I will almost definitely apply some mascara to make myself look more awake and then I'm set to go! 

Let me know if you have any preferences to products that help to create the perfect 'no make up' make up look!

Until next time, 

Laura Elizabeth xo

Brush Edit: Ebay

I'm fairly fussy when it comes to make up tools and in particular brushes. My idea was to browse ebay for some 'back up brushes' for when my Real Techniques brushes are either drying after being cleaned, or when they are in desperate need of being cleaned. I was also rather short on smaller, eye shadow brushes so when I cam across this 10 piece collection for just £4.95 (price may vary) I went ahead and bought them. Not only did the price attract me, but the different styles and shapes of the brushes that were in the collection. 

1) Precision Angled

2) Precision Flat Angled

3) Precision Flat 

4) Precision Round

 5) Precision Tapered

1) Flat Kabuki
2) Angled Kabuki
3) Flat Angled Kabuki
4) Round Kabuki
5) Tapered Kabuki 

I bought this collection from here and was really impressed with the quality of the brushes and how well each one works for different purposes. In my opinion there are a number of different brushes on ebay that are worth purchasing as they are cheap and really great quality!  

Laura Elizabeth xo 

Red Lip Winners

Red Lipstick is a shade I take very seriously in my make up collection. It has to be non-drying and long lasting. A bold red lip is such a classic look and sometimes it is difficult to find a shade that flatters your complexion well. This can usually be solved, I find, by finding a specific eye look that compliments that particular shade. These five are the red lipsticks I cannot live without. 

 1) Rouge Edition Velvet in '08 Grand Cru' - Bourjois Paris 

2) Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in '01' - Rimmel London 

3) Colorburst Lip Butter in '035 Candy Apple' - Revlon 

4) Shade '13' -Make Up Academy

5) Ruby Woo - Mac 

   

Left to right - Revlon Lip Butter, Kate Moss Rimmel, Ruby Woo Mac, MUA, Bourjois Rouge Edition. 

Each shade varies in texture, finish and pigmentation. The Revlon lip butter is a lot sheerer than the other shades and is glossier in finish, but it is still a pigmented shade. The Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick is long lasting and non drying with a matte finish, just like Ruby Woo from Mac. The MUA lipstick is also similar in texture to the Mac and Rimmel lipsticks, but I find it is a slightly lighter shade. The Bourjois lipstick is a matte finish but it is different from other matte lipsticks I own. This feels like a mix between a cream and a mousse and although the product dries very quickly it is really soft to apply. It is a deep red/burgundy shade but is also quite sheer and so a few coats are needed, and once applied this product does not move. 

What are your holy grail red lipsticks?

Laura Elizabeth xo 

Dupe: W7 Make Up and Glow Bronzing Base

I'm definitely one for a bargain, who isnt?! Unfortunately, not all make up bargains have been that successful, in my opinion, but this product is definitely a winner! I have been aware of W7 for a long time, but I think they have only just come into their own and really upped their game. They seem to be the copycat brand for beauty products and this dupe attracted my attention as a much cheaper alternative to Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel. 

Just like Soleil Tan De Chanel, this product is cream based, easily blended and lasts for a long time on the skin. Rather than the steep £32 price tag for the Chanel product, the W7 one comes in at just under £5 and in my opinion, you get just as good a product, with the only difference being that you don't get the more fancy Chanel packaging, or the famous Chanel scent. In fact the ingredients are super similar in both products, with the W7 bronzer containing less ingredients, but still giving a matte bronzed look to the skin. 

The creme dries like a powder and doesn't budge all day, it is perfect for matching your face with your body in the summer, but as it is not too orangey on the skin, it can be worn all year round. Another quality this product has in common with the Soleil Tan De Chanel is that it is highly pigmented, so be light handed - a little goes a long way! 

This product is great as a contour or just an all over bronzer, I find it works best with a buffing or stippling brush as I can apply the product with a light hand more easily. It doesn't just stick to the skin like some creme products, it blends out beautifully, and as it is not too orangey I find that it works well with my fair skin tone. 

Overall, a successful dupe from W7. I look forward to what this brand has to come in the future. 

Have you used any W7 products before? 

Laura Elizabeth xo

Models Own Festival Collection - Lipsticks and Polishes

Earlier in the year Models Own released a festival collection including polishes, lipsticks, face paint and colourful hairspray, perfect for the summer and for wearing to any of the festivals taking place around the country. 

Each lipstick is incredibly pigmented and long lasting with some having more of matte finish than others, and so it's important that your lips are moisturised and in top condition before applying them. The range consists of super bright, red, pink and orange shades, and so they are perfect for summer, or for applying to a minimal make up look at a festival. 

From left to right: 

Sunrise - A vibrant orange shade which can also be sheered out so its not so in your face. My favourite colour to wear in the summer and paired with a gorgeous glowing highlighter to the cheeks it's creates a beautiful summer goddess look. 

Daisy Chain - The most difficult shade to wear in my opinion as it's very light, and on my pale skin it completely washes me out! Despite that, after applying fake tan, and bronzing up my face I can get away with wearing this shade. The most matte out of them all, so make sure to moisturise!

Gone Glamping - The most intense pink in the collection, a slightly nicer formula than daisy chain as it is not quite as matte. This shade is a bright fuchsia pink with a blue undertone. 

Main Stage - This is a slightly darker bright pink, it reminds me of 'Girl About Town' by Mac. 

Headliner - This is a glossier finish, and a bit more sheer but still a bright red shade that I've enjoyed wearing with winged eyeliner. 

I've used each shade of these polishes on either my fingernails or my toenails and I have received compliments on every shade I've worn. They are bright, long lasting and you only really need one coat and you're ready to go! I also find that these polishes dry fairly quickly which is something I like in my nail polishes as I get bored easily waiting for them to dry! These glide on nicely, however they don't have the flat brush that many polishes are now using. 

From left to right: 
Blue Skies - This is a very rich, bright, cyan blue, when dry and after one/two coats you have the exact colour shown on the bottle. A fun summer colour. 
Pink Wellies - Is the perfect mix of a bright neon pink and barbie pink, it's very girly and I achieved perfectly painted nails with just one coat.
Colour Explosion - This polish looks great over every colour in the collection - it's a glitter topper. It has iridescent glitter and pastel matte glitters, and with this polish you will definitely need a few coats. 
Green Fields - This is a very grassy green, and I have never been a fan of green nails in the past but I loved wearing this colour! It is slightly more sheer than the others and so I used three coats. 
Purple Bandana - My personal favourite of the lot, it is a bright orchid shade and I achieved a perfect finish with just one coat. It is bright and stands out, and is like no other polish I own. 

Overall the festival range from Models Own is a great collection, I look forward to what they bring out next!

Laura Elizabeth xo 

July Favourites

Many of the products I have been enjoying using in July were the same products I was enjoying in June, so there aren't many items to talk about in my July favourites, however these items I have been reaching for continuously during July and I would like to share them with you. 

Rose Gold Aviator Sunglasses - Primark 

This year Primark have a great range of gorgeous sunglasses and I own a pair in nearly every colour, apart from rose gold, so when I spotted these I couldn't resist! Cheap, pretty and they do the job!

'Purple Bandana' Festival Collection Nail Polish - Models Own

Just one of five colours in this collection, Purple Bandana gives a bright orchid shade and I only need one coat! 

Fan Shape Make Up Brush - Ebay

Perfect for applying highlighter, ebay sell many great quality make up brushes for affordable prices, this one is soft and picks up just the right amount of product. 

'Golden Lights' Vivid Baked Highlighter - Make Up Revolution 

I don't need to go on about how great this brand is and this product is one of my favourites in their make up range. Golden lights is an opal gold highlighter and gives a small golden shimmer to the cheeks without making you look glittery. A little goes a long way as this product is very pigmented! At £3 its a steal. 

'Vanilla' Creamy Concealer - Nars 

Covers up any imperfections and dark circles perfectly, blends well, and this product also has a great colour range. 

What products have you been loving during July? Also, where has the past month gone?!

Laura Elizabeth xo