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.

FLAWLESS + GLOWING NO MAKEUP, MAKEUP FOR SPRING/SUMMER

Hello everyone! Over the past week or so i have been reaching for the same makeup products, for a quick and easy no makeup, makeup look but still keeping that flawless finish to it. I am so obsessed with the way all of these products work together and it literally takes me around 15 minutes in total to create. I have noticed ever since i have been using the Revolution brow tint for my eyebrows, it has cut my makeup routine right now and it was probably taking me the longest to do my brows but this stuff it fuss free and easy...

mario badescu facial spray with aloe, herbs + rosewater

First things first before i apply any form of makeup, i have been obsessed with using this spray every single day before i apply my foundation and after i have applied my NUXE dry facial oil. This spray can be used in so many different ways but my favourite way to use it, is before makeup and then afterwards to set it all in place and it leaves your skin looking/feeling super hydrated.

l.a girl pro.coverage hd illuminating foundation in the shade beige

As this is a "no makeup, makeup" look i am going for i have actually been reaching for this foundation and even though it is a HD foundation, it is still light-weight feeling. The trick is to use a lot less than you normally would go far, just so you get that flawless/even base but your skin still looks like skin. This foundation is great for spring/summer or warmer weather, as it is super long-wearing and pretty sweat-proof too.

estée lauder double wear bb brush on glow highlighter

So this product is a way back when holy grail item that i always used to reach for, which i have recently re-discovered and i forgot how much i love this product. This is such a great light-weight product to pop under the eyes when you want a medium coverage with a highlighted finish, for a bright more awake under-eye.

ps bronze dewy glow face + body butter in the shade golden

I actually featured this particular product in a first impressions post last week, which you can catch up on here if you didn't catch it the first time. This is one of those products that you don't expect to be very good, but it is honestly one of the most beautiful items that you could have in your collection and especially for spring/summer. This gives your skin the most beautiful and healthy looking almost dewy/sunkissed glow, when applied with a damp beauty blender. I honestly can't put this product down at the moment for all of those reasons, as well as the fact it smells like coconut.

art deco limited edition bronzing powder

I have mentioned before how much i love reaching for this bronzer, especially in the summer months as it gives you the most beautiful sunkissed bronzed finish. The brand always release different limited edition versions of this bronzer every year, in a similar way to what Estée Lauder do. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative the bronzer i featured in that first impression i mentioned above, is super similar.

ps pro hd mascara + mac pro longwear waterproof brow set

For eyes i keep things super simple, as it is still pretty much a no makeup, makeup look and a lot of the products are focused on the skin. That being said i still like to apply some mascara to my top and bottom lashes, i really like this ps pro mascara at the moment as you can achieve super long yet clump-free lashes really quickly and you don't have to apply in layers to build it up. Then i like to set my brows in place, even though i already have the brow tint on my brows.

abh liquid lipstick in the shade naked + ps nude metallic nude gloss

Even though this is suppose to be "no makeup, makeup" i still like to go in with a nude lip combination of some kind and this particular one has been my one of choice just recently. I have mentioned in a couple of posts now how much i love this gloss, it looks super glossy yet not sticky and you can wear it alone, simply with a lip liner or lipstick/liquid lipstick as a topper.

Catch up on a similar blog 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.

HIGH-END VS DRUGSTORE: NO MAKEUP, MAKEUP PRODUCTS

Hello everyone! Ever since Kim Kardashian posted a tutorial of her doing her "no makeup makeup" look using her KKW contour stick, along side a couple of people re-creating her look. Watching these types of videos made me feel super inspired to try something similar out for myself, which is odd because it is a look without using foundation but is still something you can achieve by using foundation if you want to. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you some products great for achieving that "no makeup makeup" look and even better, in the form of a high-end vs drugstore and comparing the cost.

mac cosmetics studio moisture cream vs. nip+fab primer water

Whether you decide to opt for foundation or no foundation for a no makeup makeup look, you are going to want to prime/hydrate your skin to prep it for the other products you are going to apply on top. Both of these products are super similar even though one is a cream and the other is a spray, both sink into the skin quickly and leave your skin hydrated/moisturised. (price difference 5p).

estée lauder double wear bb brush-on glow vs. collection lemon lasting perfection

If you are skipping foundation then concealer is going to be the next step, using a brightening concealer like one of these two are great for making you look super awake, i just like to apply this to the areas where i would usually highlight with concealer such as my under-eye area, bridge of my nose, centre of my forehead and chin area. I must say if you want a super full coverage than actually out of the two go for the collection lasting perfection concealer. (price difference £20.81).

clinique curvy contour chubby stick vs. nyx almond/light face sculpt & highlight duo

Moving onto the products that are going to be the key thing to re-create a Kim K "no makeup, makeup look" and that is cream contour. Both of these products are favourites of mine and both are going to add colour, coverage and dimension to the face, it just comes down to personal preference over a cream or liquid formula. You could also save on concealer and use the highlight side of the NYX duo, as it has amazing coverage and is light-weight/crease-proof. (price difference £10).

laura mercier translucent setting powder vs. rimmel insta fix & matte translucent powder

Once you have applied both highlight and contour products, the next step you are going to want to do naturally is set them in place, first up with powder. As i have normal to dry skin i can get away with not setting all of my face, instead i just set the areas i applied concealer. Both of these powders are go to's for me at the moment, so i couldn't actually pick one over the other they are that good. This yet again comes down to price/loose/pressed preference. (price difference £24.01).

 artdeco limited edition beach bag bronzer vs. nyc sun 2 sun bronzer

So next once you have set the highlighted areas, you are going to want to set the areas you contoured using a powder also. I always opt for a bronzer and both of these are perfect for summer, as they are going to add some warmth/natural tan-look to the face. (price difference £30.50).

mac cosmetics peaches powder blush vs. makeup revolution the matte blush

If you are doing a no makeup makeup look you could quite simply skip on the blush, but sometimes it is nice and natural looking to add a flush of colour to the cheeks. These two particular blushes are super similar in both shade and super pigmented yet soft in texture. (price difference £18).

topshop gleam glow pot vs. elf highlighting dewy drops

Makeup or no makeup, it would simply be a crime in my opinion to skip on some form of highlighter. Using a cream highlight or liquid highlight (yet again all depending on your personal preference), will give a natural/healthy looking glow to the skin. I am completely obsessed with both of these products at the moment, the Topshop glow pot gives you that wow in your face glow and the ELF dewy drops give you a healthy sheen-like glow, both products are super easy to blend out either with a beauty blender or your fingers. (price difference £5).

anastasia beverly hills dipbrow pomade vs. freedom duo eyebrow powder

One of the key products that i am never going to skip out on as well as highlight, is brows as simply filling in your brows a little shape the way your whole face looks. I have been giving this Freedom duo brow powder a go recently and i am really enjoying using it, it looks super natural so perfect for no makeup makeup days. That being said with a light hand brow pomade can look just as natural, Freedom also do an amazing dupe for the ABH one and not to mention a third of the price. (price difference £12).

mac cosmetics extended play mascara vs. l'oréal miss baby roll mascara

If you aren't going for anything on the eyes, it is still always good to apply a light coating of your favourite mascara just to open up your eyes and look a little more awake. If i wear makeup and don't apply mascara, i always feel like my eyes go all pea sized ha. High-end mascaras aren't usually my thing, i would much rather opt for a drugstore mascara over anything (L'Oréal and Maybelline are my favourites) but if i am going for a high-end one it would either be this one by MAC or the false lash extreme also by MAC. (price difference £7.71).

anastasia beverly hills naked liquid lipstick vs. mua luxe harmony lip lacquer

Finally this step can be one missed completely and replaced with a simple lip balm, but still i like to be a little extra and feel myself. These particular liquid lipsticks are complete dupes for each other, i even put it to the test and applied one to one half of my lips and one to the other. Picking a classic nude colour, looks more natural and gives you that "your lips but better look". (price difference £17).

high-end look price total: £195.50 vs. drugstore look price total: £50.62