Controlling Oily Skin

Generally I have quite oily skin around my t-zone and especially with summer on its way, I'm always looking for products that will help stop my makeup completely sliding off my face mid-way through the day. After searching for some time and trying out a a lot of things I think I've finally got my oily skin under control using just two (or sometimes three) products!

If you have oily skin you generally want to stay away from dewy foundations as these tend to just slide right off the face and with having oily skin to begin with, you shouldn't really find the need to add more dewiness anyway. I find that mattifying foundations work best and I'm currently using the L'Oreal Infallible 24hr Matte as this gives my skin a nice coverage but because it's matte, it doesn't make my skin look oily throughout the day. With this particular foundation I don't ever feel the need to use a powder over the top but if I'm using a slightly less matte foundation then I will apply a dusting of Rimmel's Stay Matte powder to keep my base in place without making my skins look cakey. 

To finish up my make-upend keep everything in place all day, I like to use Mac Fix+ as a makeup setting spray. This helps my makeup settle and gives a natural glow without the excess oils that I don't want. I like to use this spray pretty much everyday and with a good skincare routine underneath, my make-up stays put pretty much all day.

Do you have oily skin? What products do you use to help your make-up stay in place?

Mani Monday | Blues

This week unfortunately there won't be any outfit posts up as the weather has been a bit rubbish this weekend (and I work late during the week) so I haven't had a chance to take any, hopefully next week will return to my usual scheduling but to fill in, I'm bringing you 'Mani Monday' and in honour of spring/summer, my favourite blue polishes. 

I love wearing pale/bright blue shades on my nails - I tend to steer clear of deeper blues - as they really brighten up an outfit and are much more of a colourful colour than my go-to nudes or pinks. My all-time favourite blue shade is Essie's Lapis of Luxury, which is a dusky blue with slight grey tones to it. This one is great for any season as it isn't too neon or pastel and this is one I find myself reaching for a lot. Essie polishes in general apply early nicely and this one is no exception and I find it lasts a good week before I feel the need to touch-up or reapply. 

Next up is the brightest of the three shades and that's Model's Own Hyper Gel in Blue Glint. The formula of these polishes is great and the hyper-gel claims really are true, I still like to apply a top coat but in the case of this polish, one really isn't needed. This is a very vibrant and somewhat neon shade so it's definitely not one I'd wear in the colder months but on holiday or during summer, I find myself reaching for this one. 

Finally, what nail post would be complete without a pastel shade and my blue choice for this is  from the Rita Ora for Rimmel collection in Pillow Talk. This is a slightly shimmery (the shimmer is barely noticeable on the nails) pale blue shade that can be built up to full opacity with two to three coats. The formula of these polishes is okay, they don't wear as well as Essie but still last a few days before chipping and this shade is a great alternative to wearing a tipex-esque white polish.

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? 

Spring Nail Edit | Neutrals

And we're back with the second part to my spring nails edit. This week it's onto the neutrals, those shades you reach for when you want something simple on your nails or even if you're heading off to a spring wedding etc. These shades are some of my favourite barely there polishes and I've been reaching for them surprisingly more than I have my bright shades. 

First up in the neutrals edit are two Rita Ora for Rimmel polishes in the shades Lose Your Lingerie and Rain Rain Go Away. My go-to of the two has to be the newest addition and that's Rain Rain Go Away as it is the perfect mauve nude that I feel will suit so many different skin tones as it has a grey hint to it. I actually have this on my nails currently and it has lasted a week so far without any chips so it's a great one! Lose Your Lingerie is the perfect pale pink shade that has the tiniest hint of shimmer but nothing that is really noticeable on the nails. This also applies well and lasts a long time - this would be great for occasions like weddings or prom etc. 

Another from Rimmel is Mary Mary Quite Contrary and this is from the standard polish line and is a barely-there lilac shade. I love how subtle this one is and it's perfect for everyday wear if you don't want to go bold and bright. I'm not normally one for garish lilac/purple shades but this one is so feminine and is definitely one of my favourites.

Next up is L'Oreal's Lemon Meringue and this is such a fresh pastel shade and really follows the current not-quite-white nail trend that seems to be appearing right now. These polishes apply probably the best of the lot and the staying power is great, the only downside is that this usually requires three coats for me to be happy with the opacity as it can end up looking slightly streaky otherwise. Not a huge blow but something to consider. 

Finally there's my least favourite of the bunch but one that will most definitely work for a lot of you out there. It's from the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine range in 'Lychee' and it is a really brown nude that just clashes with my skin tone horribly. The formula however is great, as expected fro Barry M, and I'm a huge fan of the hi-shine appearance so it gets plus points in that department for sure. 

Well there you have my spring neutrals nail edit. Don't forget to check out last weeks edit if you're more of a brights girl as I give you a run down through all the rainbow coloured shades I love! 

Don't forget to let me know your favourite spring nail shades! 

Spring Nail Edit | Brights

The clocks have gone forward, the sun is shining and the UK seems to be experiencing the first hints of Spring. Now with a new season comes a whole array of new nail polish shades to break out of the dark depths of my cupboard and for me, it's often a decision between bright and neutral shades, with pastels usually coming somewhere in between the two. I thought I'd put together two little edits of my favourite spring nail shades covering bights and neutrals and everything in between! 

First up this week is the brights edit and I've tried to pick something to cover every colour give or take, some being my absolute staples and others being ones that I wear occasionally. Lets start with the newbies to my collection and they are the new Rita Ora for Rimmel shades in Port-a-loo-blue and Glaston-berry. I love the names of all these polishes and you probably guessed, they are all festival inspired. There is a great mix of bolds, neutrals and darks in the collection but I chose these two as they are perfect spring shades in my opinion. The formula is great, two coats and you're good to go, and they seem to last a good while before showing any signs of chipping. 

Next are from my old favourite brand, Barry M and they are part of the Gelly Hi Shine collection and for me, these work great and require no topcoat, which is a bonus for me, anything to cut down the time it takes! The shade Prickly Pear is the perfect mid-pastel lilac that can be build up to be a bold and this is one of my go-to shades during spring. Key Lime is one that in the bottle and swatches I love but against my skin tone it just doesn't work. I do however think this one would be great with a super pale or dark skin tone but unfortunately I seem to sit in between the two.

If you follow me on Instagram then you may have seen that I had the ever popular Ciate advent calendar on the lead up to Christmas and one of the more unexpected shades I got was Big Yellow Taxi, ironically in the tiniest bottle ever! This is your typical sunshine yellow shade and so would work perfectly as a spring/summer transitional shade. The formula is great and after two coats it is opaque enough for me. I would recommend Ciate if you're looking to splurge slightly more on your nails. 

Finally we have one of my favourites of the bunch and that's Lovie Dovie by Essie. I'm definitely a pink nails kind of girl (let me know if you want to see a pink edit) and this shade is just the perfect barbie pink bright. I absolutely love the formula of all Essie polishes and they last an unbelievably long time before chipping. I have several shades but this is up there with my all-time favourites. 

Well there you have my spring brights nail edit. As mentioned, I love to wear a mix of brights and neutrals throughout spring so if you're more of a neutrals kind of person, next week I'll have another edit up running through my picks. 

Don't forget to let me know your favourite spring nail shades! 

Yet to find a holy grail

If there's one make-up item that I'm constantly striving to find that holy grail moment with, it' is mascara. I've never been particularly faithful to just one and I'm starting to think that maybe my ideal mascara just doesn't really exist as one product. 

Summer Nails Edit | Beauty

Summer came shining in (pun well and truly intended) at the weekend and I just love this time of year because it means I can break out some of my 'reserved solely for summer' nail polishes. Now I do mix up my nail colour a lot all year round but in the Autumn/Winter months darker, berry hues are what I reach for most so now summer is here, I'm finally able to reach for the bolder, almost neon shades and of course, pastels.

As mentioned, I'm really loving pastel shades at the moment as they give my nails a much softer, more girly look that is perfect for the warmer months. Two of my favourites have been from the Rita Ora for Rimmel collection in the shades Pillow Talk - a pale powder blue - and Lose Your Lingerie - a soft pearly pink. both of these shades have a slight shimmer to them in the bottle but this doesn't really translate on the nails, which I'm quite happy about. They are the perfect pastel shades in my eyes and the formula is also really great, they have a large brush for easy application and I find they become opaque after just two coats.

Sticking along the pastel lines (sort of), I've also been really enjoy the L'Oreal Color Riche nail polishes, in particular the shade Lemon Meringue, which as the name would suggest, is a pale, almost white lemon colour. This ones great if you want a more subtle n ail colour. I also really like the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polishes as I love my nails to be as shiny as possible. The pastel shade I like is Prickly Pear, a slightly darker than pastel, lilac shade. I'm really wanting to try the new spring/summer collection though, there's so many lovely pastels. Again, these both have a wide brush and also only require two coats.

Also from Barry M, I've found myself reaching for a bolder shade, Guava, if I'm feel like pastels just aren't cutting it. I love how this applies and the shade is so bold that it really stands out. I always get so many compliments when I wear this nail polish. Last, but certainly not least, is an old favourite, Models Own Beach Party from the Hed Kandi range. This was a huge favourite of mine last year and it's back this year, it's one of those shades that unfortunately is only reserved for summer due to its neon brightness. And when I say neon, I mean get out the sunglasses, neon! The only issue I have with this polish is that it dries semi-matte so does require a good topcoat, a step that I try to avoid if I can!

So they are all my summer nail polish picks. I think I'm off to paint my nails in Beach Party now as it's a beautiful sunny day outside. What are your favourite summer nail shades? Do you go bold or pastel?

May Favourites '14 | Video

It's a video! Now isn't this a nice little surprise. I decided that I wanted to jump over to YouTube and see how I get on making videos and so far, I'm really enjoying it! My first video was a 25 facts which you can see over there in the side bar. But for my second video I thought I'd do a slightly late May Favourites. So for this month's favourites we have it all, from a nail polish that has been on my nails pretty much all month, to a cult favourite that I was a little late to the party with. It's a mixed beauty bag in all, with some added fashion favourites thrown in for good measure. Hope you enjoy! 

beauty | lipstick favourites

I see a pretty lipstick and I buy it. I see another and I buy that too. The only problem? I never actually seem to wear any of them; I seem to just swipe on a lip balm and rush out of the house. However, I've decided to make a sort of mid-year (plus two months) resolution to start wearing more lipsticks, which funnily enough started today with me sporting a new purchase by MAC called 'Syrup' - love it! Something I haven't used in a while is the Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial, I have however vowed to start using this more as it's such a great product, application wise, and the colour is the perfect musky pink!

Rimmel's 03 from the Kate Moss collection is the perfect lipstick if you really cannot be bothered but just want something other than a lip balm on your lips. I usually just dab it on the lips because it could give an extremely unflattering nude look if applied all over. How many times have Revlon Lip Butters been mentioned by pretty much everyone; they are just so incredibly easy to wear and I especially like Berry Smoothie for a 'your lips but better' look. As you can probably tell, I'm very much into nude/pinker shades when I wear lipstick but I do love Rimmel's 107 for the perfect autumn berry red shade, it's matte too which is even better! 

This is the shades I tend to go for all year round really, I don't really have set spring/summer and autumn/winter shades, I just stick to what I love! What are your favourite shades of lipstick?

RIMMEL LASH ACCELERATOR ENDLESS MASCARA

Boots - £7.99 (curently £5.99)

I want to start off by congratulating myself on managing to actually put a gif onto this post *pats back*. Self-congratulations over, I was browsing Boots at the weekend and noticed that the new Rimmel Accelerator Endless mascara was on offer and I thought what better opportunity to try it out then when it's £2 off!

Rimmel is by far one of my favourite drugstore brands, I loved the Wake Me Up foundation and Kate Moss lipstick range is just incredible so I had real high hopes for this mascara. I firstly want to say that Rimmel claims that this contains lash grow complex but judging by all other reviews I've read, and my own experience, I can't really say this is true. Overlooking that fact, as a normal mascara it really does do the job perfectly.

I would say I have generally quite short eyelashes and this really works to lengthen them considerably while doing a brilliant job of separating too. It also has a nicely sized applicator which really helps to get to the corners and roots of your lashes for a slight bit of volume. I am in no way an expert when it comes to mascaras but for me this does exactly what I want; lengthened, separated and clump-free lashes and for that reason I would definitely repurchase this again!

Emma xo

follow me on TWITTER and instagram at iamemmawilde

OUTFIT | ZEBRA ZEBRA ZEBRA

cardigan & dress: H&M, boots: topshop, watch: michael kors, nails: rimmel 'black cherry' 

H&M is definitely not a shop that I buy things from often. It tends to be a place I buy a lot of jewellery from, but only the odd piece of clothing here and there. That being said, when I do find those great things I snap them up, as with this cardigan, which I bought a few weeks ago while browsing the store. I love the texture of it more than anything else, but because it's quite a 'boxy' fit, I wore it with a dress to make it slightly more feminine. This dress I got quite a while ago actually, but this is the first time I've ever worn it for the simple reason that although I love it, I find it super hard to style; so black and white it is!

I'm really liking the whole monochrome trend at the moment and seeing as I wear black a lot anyway, it's not really all that difficult for me to achieve. However, making it a little more interesting is key I've found, so in this case, Zebras!

Emma xo

follow me on TWITTER and instagram at iamemmawilde