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.