May Birchbox

I might have been initially reeled in to buy this month's Birchbox by the beautiful marble design - I am a sucker for it! However, before actually going ahead and purchasing the box I took a look at what was actually going to be inside and was pleasantly surprised by what was on offer for this month. 

I have been so excited all week ever since I ordered the box and it finally arrived and yes it looks beautiful on the outside and the pink pull out draw insert is so cute that I will definitely be displaying this box on my vanity, but I was so delighted to receive the products inside. There is a range of different items inside, including a full size product and I am actually excited to try out every single one of them. I also love that this month, Birchbox is all about little changes that can make a big difference to your daily routine, and I have been wanting to change up my rituals and what products I use as of late. 

Marsk-Mineral Eyshadow 'Vanilla Frosting' Full Size RRP £14.49

This is a pigmented powder eyeshadow that can be used as a wash of colour over the lid or as part of an intense smokey look. I gently coated a brush in the powder and then swept it over my eyelid; it's soft and made from natural ingredients which makes it perfect for my sensitive eyes, and it is super glittery and sparkly. Before checking out, you can choose from the shade 'Fifty Shades' or 'Vanilla Frosting' and I chose the latter as I can create more versatile looks with this shimmery white shadow. 

Doucce-Punk Volumizer Mascara RRP £18

I am currently on a lash extensions hype so at the moment I have no need for mascaras, however soon I want to give my lashes a break from the extensions and head back into using mascaras, and this one is going to be the first one I grab for. This is described as a volumising mascara and I love big lashes and I hope this is exactly the look I will achieve when using it. There is a jumbo fibre mascara wand which looks perfect for grabbing every single lash. 

Laura Mercier-Foundation Primer Radiance RRP £29

I have actually been wanting to try this out for a long time, and this is also a big reason as to why I chose to buy the May Birchbox edit this month. I have heard great things about this from Youtubers and bloggers and went straight ahead and used this the very next time I went to do my make up. This made my skin smooth and left it with a radiant glow, preparing my skin for foundation. I am also happy to say that this made my make up last throughout my working day, so basically if this is everything you want in a primer then definitely try this out. 

Whish-Firming Body Cream Rice Milk RRP £27
This is something I am curious to try out as I am always sceptical as to how much these types of products work. The cream is described as being able to firm and smooth your skin for a toned and even result by stimulating blood flow and reducing inflammation, so I am excited to start using it. It contains organic ingredients; shea butter, cocoa seed butter and green tea.

Beauty Protector-Protect & Volume RRP £18.50
I love the smell of this, it smells fresh and clean and you can slightly smell the product in your hair during the day but you can't tell that your hair has any of the product in apart from the scent giving it away as it light and non sticky. This added a slight lift and volume to my hair as well as making it look shiny and healthy. 

I am really impressed with this months Birchbox and have already determined that I will definitely be repurchasing the Laura Mercier primer. 

H&M Beauty Blender

I have never tried the original beauty blender but I hope to in the future, the one sponge I choose to use and rarely stray from is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. However, recently on a complete whim whilst I was browsing the make up section in H&M I came across a black beauty blender type sponge for £1.99 and decided to buy it, with honestly not much hope for it and I ended up being pleasantly surprised. So impressed with it I was that I have not stopped using it since I bought it. 

It has a tapered tip so it is easy to use around the nose and under the eyes and blends out my foundation so well that it leaves my skin looking flawless and evenly covered. I have tried it with a number of different foundations and it does just as good a job as the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. For the price of this one over the Real Techniques one I will definitely be repurchasing this more often! 

What do you use to apply your foundation? 

Three High Quality Highlighters

Make Up Revolution I Heart Make Up 'Goddess of Love' Highlighter - £5.99
Urban Decay Afterglow Highlighter in 'Sin' - £19
Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream 'Iced Bronze' - £4.49

I have put together three great highlighters that differ in price, formula and brand. I was first attracted to the heart boxes from Make Up Revolution as they looked like amazing dupes of the blushes from Too Faced, and I am a sucker for such cute packaging. At first I tried the blushes from Make Up Revolution and after being very impressed with them I decided to try one of their highlighters. This also turned out to be a great product, not particularly as pigmented as the other two highlighters I have picked out but a good product for only £4.99. It gives a natural and subtle glow to the skin, and it has a pink sheen to it, not my favourite in a highlighter but as it is not strongly pigmented it does not show up on the skin with too much of a pink shine. 

After watching Manny MUA rave about the Urban Decay highlighter in 'Sin' I was easily persuaded and went and bought it when it was finally back in stock! It is super pigmented and I always get comments whenever I am wearing it. If you are looking for a higher end product for highlight then this one should definitely be the top of your list! 

If you are looking to try a cream product, the the Barry M strobe stick is great and really affordable. It is easy to apply and blend, without smudging or moving your foundation and although there are only two shades to choose from, I am really pleased with the champagne shade of Iced Bronze. 

Highlighter is by far my favourite make up product and so my collection is always growing and very varied. What are your favourite highlighters? 

Clinique Free Gift with House of Fraser

Until the 21st May House of Fraser are exclusively giving away the perfect Clinique summer chic gift bag with purchases of any 2 or more Clinique items, one being skincare or foundation. 

I have not had one bad experience with any Clinique products I have tried, however for some reason the amount I have tried is a rather low number, and so I was very excited to receive this adorable bag of minis to review for you! You can receive the bag with any purchase online or in store and each bag contains six mini version of full sized products for you to try out. 

Follow the link for more information: here 

All About Eyes 7ml: This is a multi tasking cream that is designed to reduce the appearance of dark circles, puffiness and fine lines. This is a fragrance free hydrating cream that feels a bit like a gel, and I have been applying this twice daily, with my routine in the morning before applying my make up, and during my skin care routine at night. I have no noticed a reduction in lines as of yet, however this has definitely improved the texture and skin around my eyes, and when I awake in the morning my eyes are not puffy and my dark circles are a lot brighter. This also helps to keep my concealer on throughout the day and overall improves the way my concealer sits on my skin. 

Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion 30ml: I was so glad to see that this was a product included in this bag as I have been wanting to dry out this product for so long now after reading great things about it. This has been perfect on my dry skin and has helped it to appear much brighter and fresher, particularly when I wake up in the morning after applying it the night before. It states that it delivers all day hydration and improve barrier strength as it contains skin strengthening ingredients. I find that when applying make up afterwards it allows for a smooth application and my make up doesn't budge all day, and when I have used it on no make up days, my skin hasn't dried out but it also doesn't leave your skin feeling sticky afterwards, so it sinks into the skin nicely. 

Superdefense SPF20 Daily Defense Moisturizer 15ml: This includes antioxidants along with an SPF to protect your skin throughout the day. I found that this one left more of a sticky feeling to my skin after I had applied it in comparison to the dramatically different lotion, however after putting on make up I can no longer feel it and it helps to keep my make up in place as well as providing me with sun care throughout the day, plus it doesn't smell like suncare creams at all.

Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick in Matte Magenta 4g: This claims to be a long lasting lipstick with a creamy matte formula. After applying it in the early morning, it was still in place by lunchtime however throughout my meal it did suffer a little and I found that I had to reapply it afterwards. As it is a matte lipstick I was interested to see how it would feel on the lips and after making sure mine were well moisturised it did not make them feel dry at all despite the matte formula. The lipstick is pigmented and I would recommend lining your lips when wearing a bright shade like this. Unfortunately the colour is not one I would wear on a daily basis, it is a bright pink shade, but it is perfect for Spring and Summer and the packaging is super pretty. 

High Impact Mascara in Black 3.5ml: I enjoy trying out new mascaras but very often I am left disappointed as not many work well with my uncooperative eyelashes despite curling them beforehand. I have always struggled to get on with many mascaras and so I only stick with the few that I know work well for me. Despite this, I do like trying out new mascaras to see if they will get on with my troublesome lashes. Unfortunately this mascara does nothing for lashes and I did not find that it was black enough to make a 'high impact'. I do not think however that this mascara is a bad product, many mascaras that work well for people do not work for me, which sucks! This did make my lashes appear long and I like the brush, but apart from that, unfortunately this mascara didn't do much for my lashes. If you like natural looking lashes then this is perfect for you. 

Beyond Perfecting Foundation and Concealer 6ml: This is also a two in one product, which unfortunately I cannot give a true review for as the neutral shade 09 is way too dark for my skin tone and so I had to mix this with a lighter foundation to be able to wear it. This is fragrance free and left my skin looking natural but with a flawless finish and it did not feel heavy on my skin either. This contains a rich pigment level, and so when first applied to the skin it appears a lot darker when first applied but once it has settled for a bit it adapts to your skin tone. With this in mind I used it on it's own on my skin but still found the neutral shade way too dark for me, the good thing though is that there are many shades to choose from if you were to buy the full version of this foundation. When my skin was primed well, and set with a finishing spray, this lasted all day on my skin and did not show any lines or move throughout the day. 

Overall this is an amazing gift bag to receive with orders, the make up bag is spacious and has a cute summer design with a beach scene and sun umbrellas. The skin care I will definitely be repurchasing in full sizes and the lipstick and foundation are going to be products I will hopefully try out in different shades in the future. Remember the deal ends 21st May so click this link to make your purchases! LINK

Gerard Cosmetics Lip Products

Top-Bottom- Serenity, Invasion and Underground 

I have had my eye on Gerard Cosmetics products for a while and after seeing so many lovely images on Instagram, and reading great reviews, I finally made an order on Beauty Bay and it was the best decision I have made this last week. 

Liquid lipsticks are usually a hit or miss with me, I have fairly thin lips, and if I don't have a suitable lip liner then I might as well just not bother wearing them. I had heard great things about the Hydra Matte liquid lipsticks though, and really liked the look of the shades and so I chose 'Serenity' and 'Invasion' after doing some internet research. They are creamy when applied, and then dry matte, but give you enough time before they dry to apply the product perfectly.  They are opaque and long lasting which is all you want in a liquid lipstick.

I also bought a lipstick in the shade 'Underground' which I think is a lipstick version of the shade 'Cashmere' from Lime Crime's Velvetines. This product is a lot sheerer than the Hydra Matte products and I had to apply it a number times to build it up to the amount I wanted and the colour I was happy with, but they are nice and creamy and I will definitely be purchasing more. 

Also, I absolutely adore the packaging of these products! Gerard Cosmetics gets an A+ from me! 

Freedom Make Up Review

Recently Freedom Make Up has found its way into my local Superdrug and I was immediately drawn in, due to the large variety of products they had and the affordable price tags for what looked like really good quality products. 

I picked up the Pro Powder Strobe Palette which came with a flat edge contour brush (£10), the Pro Studio Strobe Cream (£8) and the Pro Brow Pomade (£5). 

The Pro Strobe Palette is a powder palette and contains a top row of highlighters, two matte and one shimmery, and a bottom row of three matte contour shades. All powders are easy to blend and pigmented. I like to use the yellow shade powder to brighten under my eyes. The brush that comes with it is also nice, with a flat edge it is perfect for contouring and using to define your cheekbones.  

The strobe cream when blended out is a pinky shimmer, and as I haven't tried a strobe cream before such as the Mac one, I don't have anything to compare it to. As far as liquid highlights go, it's good, not my favourite but offers a lovely shimmer to the skin for a natural looking highlight. At 50ml the tube is a decent size for £8. 

My favourite of the three I picked is the brow pomade. I haven't tried the Anastasia one, so once again I can not compare this to anything, but I was really pleasantly surprised with how good this product is. It's creamy and easy to use and work with, and has a great colour pay off. It doesn't seem to be drying out at all, and so overall I am really impressed with this product and this is all I am currently using to define my brows. There are eleven shades to choose from, but the only downside is that I have mid-dark brown eyebrows and the colour shade I had to choose for me was 'blonde' as it seemed to match me perfectly, so the shade range seems to be quite dark and not suitable for people with light eyebrows. 

I would really recommend this brand, it's affordable and great quality and has a good range of products to choose from. 

Lauta Elizabeth xo 

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

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

My Current Favourite Blush Products

I never used to wear blusher often at all, it was definitely not something I grabbed for when applying my make up on a daily basis, but this year, and this summer in particular I have been loving wearing blusher to add some natural colour to my face. I now own a number of blush products but these five are my top favourites at the moment. 

Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow | Too Faced - I best like to use this product by swirling a brush in all three colours for a really pretty, girly pink shade. 
Ultra Blush Palette in Golden Sugar | Make Up Revolution - The blushers in this palette are such pretty, light colours and so they are perfect for summer. 
Baked Blush in Luminoso | Milani - A lovely peachy shade which looks nice with a bronzer and highlighter. 
Blush in Pomegranate 923 | Sleek - A darker colour, maybe not one you would initially reach for in the summer, but I like to wear it with a minimal eye look, or in the evening. 
Blush in Rose Gold 926 | Sleek - A dupe for the Nars blush in Orgasm, this is my favourite of them all, it gives a peachy pink colour to the cheeks that looks really natural.