A Mascara For All Occasions

There's certain beauty products out there that lend themselves to serious OCD tendencies and for me, that's both foundation and mascara. For this post let's address mascara, more specifically those three fail-safe options that I've kept in my make-up stash for their own special reasons. Now on the grand scheme of things, mascaras don't really differ all that much from tube to tube but there are ever so slight differences that I like to think lend themselves to different 'occasions' or make-up looks. I do tend to switch up mascaras depending on what I'm doing, so I wouldn't usually wear my 'everyday' mascara for going out in the evening and visa versa. 

For everyday swipe-and-go purposes, I use my trusty Eyeko Black Magic Mascara as despite the rather misleading name, it isn't all that dramatic and lends itself far more to a natural, daytime look. This is a super black formula and so is perfect for when there's not much else going on in the eye area and I like to wiggle it through my lashes to get a good coating, leaving me with lengthened and somewhat volumes lashes that still look natural. This is a good'un, but don't be fooled by the dramatic name connotations...

For the evening or occasions that demand a more dramatic look, I reach for the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara (I'm keen to try the waterproof version of this!) as it is the most build able mascara I own. I tend to apply two coats of this and it gives both volume and length, which is basically all I want from a mascara. That and the ability to hold a curl which this does too - I can't really fault this mascara and it's definitely my go-to option for the evening.

And finally, for those in-between moments that require both length and volume but not such a dramatic look, I opt for YSL's Baby Doll Mascara. This is a mascara that for a long time I didn't like but I have since grown to love it for its lengthening abilities - it really does give you that doll-like look without being crazy dramatic for the daytime. As well as length, it does hold a curl well and adds some lift to the lashes, plus the formula is blacker than black so that's an added bonus! 

Do you have favourite mascaras for different occasions? Let me know what you use! 

Five Under £5

Beauty products are one of the things I will quite happily spend quite a bit of money on to find what works for me but there are some key make-up bits in my stash that I use on a daily basis which are at the more affordable end of the scale, they are the drugstore at it's finest and so I thought I'd give you a little run down on five of the best for under £5 - I may have slightly cheated on one!

I have quite oily skin and even with a mattifying foundation, I still find my t-zone tends to get shiny throughout the day unless I use a powder to set it. I go from one extreme to the other with my powder choices, opting for Chanel on some days and the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent on others. Obviously the budget option is from Rimmel and this is a great all-round powder that doesn't leave that dreaded cake appearance. I opt for the transparent shade so it doesn't interfere with my foundation and I just love the overall finish when using this. And for £3.99, you can't really complain.

This is a relatively new addition to my makeup collection but it is one I've found myself reaching for most days since buying it and that's the Maybelline Brow Drama in Medium Brown. This is perfect if you have relatively fuller brows already (like myself) but just want to tame them and add a slight tint as it sets your brows in place for the whole day and leaves them looking much more defined. I have blonde hair and I use the medium brown shade in this, though I am keen to get my hands on the deep blonde as I think this will be a better match for me and for £4.99, it isn't exactly a splurge!

Now for the cult favourite and the one product that has probably been mentioned more times than any other across the blogasphere, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and I'm in the shade Warm Medium. This is one of those cheap and cheerful products that just works. It's great for concealing blemishes, redness and under eye circles and it only costs £4.19. 

When it comes to eyeshadow, I'm all for the all over the lid kind of product as I find it way too much on a day-to-day basis to worry about blending etc and that's where the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze comes in. These are great to blend all over the lids for a subtle or smokey eye look that takes no effort at all and they stick around all day so no worries about creasing. They cost £4.99 and there's a good colour selection available.

Okay so this is the one that I cheated on, it is affordable but it comes in at slightly over £5 but I really wanted to include a lip product I love so I thought I'd mention it anyway. I'm all for a matte lip and the Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107 is the perfect formula and shade if you are looking for a comfortable wear lipstick that lasts all day. I have this berry toned shade but there are also some lovely reds and neutrals depending on what you are looking for. It is priced at £5.49 but I have seen it less than that in some stores! 

What are you best drugstore finds for under £5? 

February Beauty Favourites '15

Happy March everyone! I'm pretty glad to see February go as it always seems like such a filler month for me. That being said, it did fly by and we're now already on March, where has this year gone already! 

This month I've sat down with an accumulation of January/February favourites (I explain in the video my filming schedule) and I have honestly loved using each and every one of these products. I hope you enjoy the video and don't forget to let me know what your beauty favourites have been this month! 

A Pink Lip Lineup | Beauty

I seem to have been purchasing lip products left right and centre recently, in particular, bold pink shades, which are normally so unlike me. I tend to stick to nude and mauve shades as I'm not quite daring enough to wear the neon pop shades that are often associated with the summer months. That being said, I have gone slightly crazy lately an bought several bold pink shades from matte crayons to liquid lipsticks - I've bought them all! These five bolds have been making up my summer 'lip wardrobe' as of late (with a few nudes thrown in for those lazy days) and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Unapologetic: I've been trying to get my hands on this aide for months now but I was starting to think that it had become extinct or something. That was until I spotted it last week while shopping in Manchester, it was a total 'ahhhhh' moment. All of the matte balms are extremely pigmented and the lasting power is superb, especially so for the neon pink shade Unapologetic, which is the perfect summer bold. These matte balms are surprisingly hydrating on the lips and they leave a lovely stain afterwards, so there's no real need to reapply throughout the day.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Pink Pong: If you are looking for a long lasting, creamy formulation that stays put on the lips for hours then the rouge edition velvets are the perfect option. I've been enjoying the deep pink shade Pink Pong for a less neon, and more rich look. These liquid lipsticks really do stick around for hours, they apply like a wet gloss almost but then dry to a velvet, almost matte look on the lips. Perfect!

MAC Retro Matte lipstick in Flat Out Fabulous: I suppose you could say that I'm a newbie to the world of MAC lipsticks, I haven't really explored the range much, or the types of finishes that are available. One finish that I've really been loving at the moment though is retro matte, specifically in the shade Flat Out Fabulous, which is a beautiful deep pink, almost magenta shade. I picked this up last week and I've found that the formula, although matte, isn't drying at all and of course, the colour sticks are all day. See me wearing it here.

L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick in 201 Rose Symphony: Sometimes if I'm having a dry lips day, pretty much every lip products I own ends up sitting in all of the dry patches. The L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire however, doesn't do this at all. It's very hydrating and very soft on the lips so perfect for everyday wear. The shade range isn't fantastic but Rose Symphony is a great muted pink shade that still packs a punch. On thing, these lipsticks do have a very fruity scent to them so this could be off putting for some people.

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Lipstick in 902 Fuchsia Flash: This is the only glossy lipstick in the bunch and also I think the most neon. The formula of these Color Sensational lipsticks is just so creamy and so smooth that they leave your lips feeling completely moisturised. The lasting power isn't as long as some because of the more glossy formula, but this doesn't really bother me because the shade Fuchsia Flash is a joy to apply anyway. This is the one that is definitely most out of my comfort zone but I'm getting there...slowly!

So there you have it, five bold lipsticks that I've really been enjoying wearing as of late. What are you favourite bold shades to wear? I'd love to check them out!

Maybelline Colour Show Nail Lacquer

I'm slightly late with this one, but I've actually been trying out the new colour show nail lacquers from Maybelline for a good few weeks now; I just haven't gotten around to writing this post what with exams and that. But I'm now finished with university for four months (a long time) and so hopefully my posts will be much more frequent! 

I spotted these nail polishes in Boots and instantly loved that there was such a vast and beautiful colour range (30 shades in total!), I found it difficult to choose just these ones! That being said I opted for four very (or somewhat) different shades and I definitely have mixed opinions. The shades I picked up are Urban Coral, which is a beautiful orangey-coral colour, Superpower Blue, which is a medium toned sea blue, Downtown Red, which is a very dark cherry red and finally Chalk Dust, which is a clear polish with black and white chunks suspended in it. My favourite of the four has to be Downtown Red, it's a stunning colour on the nails and I could honestly wear it everyday if I had to. 

The reason why I have mixed reviews on these polishes is that although they all apply really nicely  with a fair sized brush and only take two coats to become opaque - one or two for the clear over another polish - they leave your nails with a slight stain afterwards, even with a base coat applied first. With the red and coral shades this wasn't too noticeable and the stains disappeared but the blue shade, whilst one of my favourites on the nail, was an absolute nightmare to remove and has left my nails blue even after scrubbing at them for a good half an hour! It makes me sad to say this because I loved the blue, it is so vibrant and I got a fair few compliments wearing it but I cannot keep spending that much time trying to remove it to only be left with stained nails. 

Other than that I really would recommend these polishes, however maybe opt for the lighter shades over the darker ones to avoid the staining problem. As for the speckle effect polish, I think this looks great over a lot of different colours and I'm very keen to try out the other, coloured versions of this. 

Maybelline Colour Show nail lacquers are available in Boots and Superdrug and cost £2.99 each, which I feel is a bargain for the quality that you are getting. 

Have you tried the new Maybelline nail polishes? What are your thoughts?