DRUGSTORE BEACH HOLIDAY MAKEUP

Hello everyone! So when we are on holiday sometimes we want to go makeup free (with sunscreen of course) but there also might be times when we might want that little something extra, whether that be for taking pictures at the beach or maybe from only getting a few hours sleep the nights before. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you the four beach/summer makeup products from the drugstore that are the perfect combination for a natural yet glowing base...

nip + fab makeup primer water | £9.95 |

Of course the most important step before applying any makeup whether you are at the beach or in the sun in general, is to make sure you prep your skin by doing your regular skincare routine and applying face SPF. The next step is preping/priming, creating a base for other products to be applied on top of and a primer water is the perfect beach ready product. Unlike a cream based primer, a primer water is going to sink into the skin quicker and leave your skin feeling/looking hydrated. This one from Nip + Fab is definitely one of my favourites i have tried from the drugstore and of course it comes in at just under £10.

bourjois radiance reveal concealer | £7.99 |

This look can be achieved with or without foundation but if you are going to be catching some rays, you don't really want to be sat with something heavy on the face. That is why this particular concealer from Bourjois comes in perfect, as it is going to give your that radiant coverage yet it is super lightweight on the skin. You could simply just apply this to the under-eye area, down the bridge of the nose, forehead as well as the chin area and blend out with either a damp beauty blender or brush for more coverage.

rimmel insta contour stick | £6.99 |

This is one of those products that i pretty much reach for every single time i want to go for a more cream bronzed look and it happens to be perfect, especially for adding a natural sun-kissed bronze to the face. I was always super scared to use cream bronzer/contour products until i tried this one out, as it is super creamy and easy to blend out. I usually opt for the shade medium but it also comes in a light shade, which i am having to use at the moment because i am all out of medium. If you wanted to keep this to a bare minimum you could keep it down to three items, as this contour stick is dual ended and comes with a cream highlight shade on the other side.  

maybelline x gigi hadid strobing liquid in the shade gold | £9.99 |

Moving onto the final product which is personally my favourite and the one that is going to pull the whole look together, giving you a natural yet dewy golden/bronzed beach look. This strobing cream can be used multiple ways, which is what i like so much about this style of product. You can either apply some of this to the face and blend it out for an all over dewy skin look, mixed in with foundations and also to selected areas of the face where the light would naturally hit. Another favourite of mine from the drugstore which is equally as beautiful, is the MUA prism strobe cream in the shade golden ray which is just £4 from Superdrug.

Catch up on my latest travel makeup post HERE...

xo.

QUICK, EASY + AFFORDABLE WEEKEND NO MAKEUP, MAKEUP

Hello everyone! I don't know about you but when the weekend rolls around, if i am not doing anything in-particular or nothing at all then i am all about that quick/easy no makeup, makeup life. That being said rather than wearing no makeup at all, it is still nice to look a little more human and put together (especially if we are stepping out of the house). You don't have to spend a small fortune to achieve this type of look either, as you can get a bunch of great products and also use multi-purpose products to save even more in the long run...

bourjois city radiance foundation in the shade beige 

This particular foundation was a huge favourite of mine a couple of summers back but after a while i stopped, until recently that is and i have completely fell back in love with it. This is that perfect no makeup, makeup foundation as it has great coverage yet your skin still looks like skin, with a beautiful radiant finish to it. As you are trying to achieve that no makeup, makeup look this foundation has enough coverage to get away without having to pack on the concealer and as i do have normal/dry skin i can get away without powdering. RRP £9.99

ps 3-in-1 brow pencil in the shade tobacco
If you read my recent updated brow products post, then you will probably already know that this brow pencil has pretty much my go-to brow product ever since picking it up. No matter how i am doing my makeup, brows is never a step i skip as i always finds it adds so much definition to the face and pulls everything together. This brow pencil is super easy to use, whether that be the pencil side, the powder side and even the spoolie side. RRP £2

mua amplify statement lash black mascara
Just like brows, mascara is also always an important step for me personally, as i find just by popping a little mascara on the tops and bottoms of your lashes really opens up the eyes making them appear bigger. I am such a creature of habit when it comes to mascara and i always pick up the same one, yet recently i tried this one out from MUA and i love how it lengthens, leaves a voluminous finish and separates without clumping. RRP £3

w7 hollywood bronze + glow duo bronzer/highlighter

You are probably thinking this product looks familiar? When i first saw this product i thought how similar to the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar bronze and glow duo this looked. W7 isn't a brand i have tried too many products from but i absolutely love this palette and whenever i reach for it, i always wonder why don't i reach for it more. Both the bronzer and highlighter sides are pigmented, apply evenly and the bronzer shade is also perfect to pop a little something on as an eyeshadow. The only slight difference between the two products is i feel like the bronzer in this palette is slightly warmer in tone, which i honestly prefer. RRP £3.32

maybelline x gigi east coast lip liner pencil in the shade mccall + 
nip+fab makeup matte liquid lipstick in the shade biscuit
If you are not feeling the lip, then this step can be skipped or replaced with some lip balm but i always like to finish it off with a nude lip as it just finishes it all off, especially if i am leaving the house. A favourite affordable nude lip combination i love is the Maybelline x GIGI lip liner, with the Nip+Fab liquid lipstick. I love these liquid lipsticks as they are super opaque with just one coat, long-wearing, comfortable to wear and come in the most beautiful range of nude/neutral shades. My favourites are Biscuit, Tart and Toffee.
Lip Liner RRP £5.99 | Liquid Lipstick RRP £7.95

Catch up on a similar post HERE...

xo.

BEAUTY HACKS I SWEAR BY | PART ONE: MAKEUP + SKIN

Hello everyone! Through-out the years we have all discovered a hack or two that comes in handy and we have also learnt the hard way, that some don't work as well if not at all. That being said, after trying so many different hacks/tricks myself, i have found the ones that work well for me personally and i swear by using them on an everyday basis because they actually can make a huge difference. So for today's post i thought i would share part one to a little "beauty hacks i swear by" series, kicking things off with makeup and skin...

1. LINE UPPER LASH LINE TO MAKE LASHES APPEAR THICKER

If you are having one of those days where you either can't be bothered, don't have the time or don't want to wear false lashes but you still want your lashes to stand out. You can still achieve this quick and easily by simply applying some eyeliner or eyeshadow with an angled brush close to your upper lash line, it not only makes the lashes appear thicker but also makes your eyes pop more.

2. USE POWDER FOR A FAUX LASH EFFECT
Another great tip for creating that false lash look without actually wearing falsies, is to firstly curl your lashes before applying one coat of mascara. Next you are going to want to apply some translucent powder to your lashes before going in with another coat of mascara, by doing this is creates  thicker, fuller and longer looking lashes. I don't know how but i just know that this works so well!

3. DO YOUR EYESHADOW BEFORE YOUR CONCEALER

I have always done my makeup in a specific order, i like to do my foundation first before i do my eyeshadow, rather than going straight in with concealer and finishing my base before moving onto my eyes. By doing this you have created an even base but you can still go in with concealer to fix any mistakes or fall-out that might of occurred, as you haven't placed any powder yet on your face and therefore your makeup won't appear cake-y from placing a liquid on-top of a powder.

4. USE BRONZER FOR A QUICK EYESHADOW LOOK
Talking of eyeshadow a great alternative to applying eyeshadow, especially if you want a quick and easy eye look is to use your bronzer what you plan on using as part of your base makeup. I do this all the time, even more so if i am travelling that way you don't have to pack a ton of products. I always tend to take a bronze, blush and highlighter palette, this way everything is in one place and a lot more compact.

5. HOW TO GET GLOWING SKIN
Towards the end of last year i posted a similar type of post in the form of a beauty tricks that actually make a difference and in that post i touched on how to fake glowing skin. Through out the years we have probably all needed a helping hand with this now and again, me included and liquid highlighters, facial oils and strobe creams will definitely be your best friends. That being said you can also achieve glowing skin naturally, by following a few easy steps that i swear has helped for me. First of all make sure you are drinking 2+ litres of water a day, if you aren't a huge fan of plain water switch things up and add a little non sugar squash to the water. Next of all getting vitamins into your system is key, whether that be in tablet form, from fruits and vegetables. You could even kill two birds with one stone by getting your water intake and vitamins in one, in the form of a berocca which is full of b vitamins and folic acid.

6. CREATE A THERMAL FACE MASK IN SECONDS

Always heard that the benefits for your skin from a thermal face mask are amazing? but don't have a thermal designed mask in your collection or price range. You can create your own in seconds with one you already have, simply place the amount of product you would normally use into a microwave proof bowl and heat for 20-30 seconds making sure it doesn't over-heat or dry-out. Apply the now thermal face mask with an old yet clean foundation brush, sit back/relax and feel like you have taken a trip to the spa from home. 

Catch up on my previous blog post HERE...

xo.

HIGHEND VS DRUGSTORE: BRONZERS

Hey guys, i hope you are all having a great day whatever you are up to! I have had this idea to share with you all a new mini series of blog posts i am planning on doing; high-end products verses drugstore products. I want to share with you that sometimes you don't have to spend a ton of money of certain items when there is a lot of "dupe" type products available but also sometimes it is nice to splurge on one or two items (only if they are worth it). So first up is bronzers...

1. NARS bronzing powder in the shade Laguna - £26 (high-end).

As i mentioned above it is good to splurge on one or two things if they are worth it and let me start off by saying this is worth it! I think if i had to go without all my makeup collection except for a couple of things this would be the first and then probably concealer after that. This bronzer gives you a really beautiful healthy glow as it contains a slight shimmer but nothing too harsh and still makes the skin looking natural.

http://www.hqhair.com/nars-cosmetics-bronzing-powder-various-shades/10449302.html

2. Bourjois Delice de Poudre bronzing powder in the shade Medium/Dark - £7.99 (drugstore).

This particular bronzer by Bourjois is the perfect "dupe" for the NARS Laguna but obviously costs around a third of the price. Like the NARS bronzer this gives you a really healthy glow with a slight shimmer but not at all shiny. Another bonus to this bronzer as it smells like chocolate and who doesn't love chocolate right?

http://www.boots.com/en/Bourjois-Delice-de-Poudre-Bronzing-Powder-Medium-Dark_35023/ 

♥