Daily Makeup ‘Can’t Live Withouts’

So I thought today, that I would share with you my basic daily makeup products. Some I have been using for years and have never come across anything that I like better and some are newer products that have sneaked their way into my makeup bag!

As I said these products are my absolute basics, yes, most of the time I wear eye shadows and a wing of eyeliner but my looks change from day to day, whereas these are the products I use every time.

First I will start with the product that for me, has been around the longest, the one and only, ColourStay by Revlon. I want to say that it was back in 2008 that I first tried this product. Obviously, I did not use it on a daily basis back then as I was still a bit young to be wearing a lot of makeup, but at home, I loved being creative.

Currently I am using the colour 150 Buff from the dry/combination range, I also have it in some darker shades, so that when I use faketan I can mix the perfect colour! I find the coverage of this foundation to be medium, but it is easy enough to build it to full coverage without it looking cakey, which is great! Its also affordable but maybe a little more expensive than other drugstore foundations. Depending on where you go a bottle of this stuff will cost you around £12, which personally I think is great value as it tends to last me at least 4 months! It lasts alllllllllll day long and is just incredible.

The Expert Face Brush by Real Techniques has been one of my most exciting purchases of 2013. These brushes are just incredible and such great value for money, this brush is about £11 and can be used for almost anything. I use it to buff in my foundation, and after using this brush I only use about two pea sized amounts for my whole face! If you haven’t already jumped on the Real Techniques band wagon, I would highly recommend it, and I haven’t heard a single bad review on this brush!

Now for the product that I never thought would live up to the hype, Collection’s Lasting Perfection Concealer this was every where and is still being raved about till this day! If you haven’t got it get it. For only £4 this concealer is amazing, bags gone, spots gone, scars gone and redness, gone, all in the matter of seconds. This beats any MAC or Benefit concealer that I have tried and I will never use anything else!

Staying on the topic of concealers, I still love to use MAC’s Studio Finish SPF 35 concealer. I like to use it mainly on breakouts as it is very lightweight and contains the vitamins A and E which help reduce redness and overall help to clear up the spot. I would suggest this concealer to those who are more prone to oiliness as it contains the ingredient Silica which helps absorb the skins natural oils, this also can aid with breakouts as it helps dry them up!

A new addition to my make up bag this year has been the Mineralize Skinfinish in Natural by MAC, I have it in medium and it is perfect for my skin tone! It is a baked powder full of great minerals for your skin. I use it to set my foundation (before I religiously used Max Factor’s Facefinity compact powder foundation and still love it to this day and perhaps is a little more affordable!) and I love how it keeps my skin moisturized, which I didn’t think was possible for a powder to do.  From other reviews that I read before buying this product, everyone seemed to agree on the fact that this powder lasts for ages, so the £23 that i spent on it somewhat seems a little easier to part with!

Next up is a product that I seem to go on about all the time! Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara, I absolutely love it! It’s incredible, it volumises and lengthens your lashes while still leaving them looking soo soo natural. The formula doesn’t allow it to clump no matter how many layers you apply. Usually I only use one layer for day time, and can build it up to three or four for a dramatic evening look!

Benefit’s BrowZings is the only eyebrow kit that I can ever see myself using. Before I used the one by e.l.f and coming in at only around £3 I thought it was amazing but after trying this a year ago, I will never go back! It matches the colour of my eyebrows perfectly and really keeps my eyebrows in place all day! It lasts me about 8 months, and I use it every single day, so the price of £23.50 is quite a good deal! (I use the shade medium)

Before I put on my makeup I like to apply a lipbalm to my lips to keep them nice and soft incase I decide to wear some lipstick. My favourite lipbalm has to be the one I received in my June GlossyBox, Figs & Rouge in the shade/scent of Cherry Blossom. (you can read my review and first impressions of it here.)

So just for fun and on my part all little bit of embarrassment, I thought it would be interesting for you all if I posted a ‘before/after’ picture of me using JUST these ‘can’t live without’ products, as I would like you to see what a difference they really make for me.

Thanks for reading.
LuLu
x

July Favourites

Using my iPhone to take pictures is really starting to take its toll.. then again I am no photographer, but I promise I will soon start to use my camera!

So, this month has been a very busy one, which shows in this months favourites.
First up is the Anatomicals ‘Spray Misty For Me’ Facial spritz, which I got in the July GlossyBox. As the weather seems to be getting increasingly hotter, this stuff has been used everyday whether it be refreshing my skin in the morning, setting my makeup or brightening my skin after washing my face, it just does everything!!
Next the Lancome ‘Hypnose Doll Eyes‘ Mascara, I bought this in a two pack after absolutely adoring, the original Hypnose, and this month I feel as if I have fallen in love all over again! Its quick and easy to apply, no lumps, no dusty fall aways, its blacker than black, and will never be leaving my makeup bag!  The wand is shaped like a pyramid, which lengthens the outer corner of your eye whilst giving them a good old lift and curl, this is what supposedly creates the ‘doll eye’ look.
I only bought the infamous, Real Techniques Core Collection along with the Expert Face Brush at the beginning of July, and I have to say that I am so gutted that I hadn’t bought them earlier. The Expert Face Brush allows me to apply my liquid foundation quickly and easily, while leaving it looking flawless. I love how dense this brush is, and how you can really buff it into the skin!  One thing i have always believed is that no matter how expensive and amazing your makeup is, it won’t look good if you don’t use the right ‘tools’, you will also be surprised how good you can make cheaper cosmetics look when they are used and applied properly!
Now for the products that I have been most excited about. The new, Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer. I currently have the colours ‘Galaxy’ and ‘Luna’. These are lipglosses with the colour of a highly pigmented lipstick! They have wonderful staying power, and also a wonderful collection of colours. I went quite ‘everyday’ with the colours that I purchased, Luna is nude with orangy undertones which really compliment a tan, and Galaxy is a deep purple with blue undertones which seem to suit all complexions. I would give this product a massive thumbs up!
Finally, this is a product that has been sitting in my cupboard for what feels like forever, I’m not even sure if it is still in the shops! (please let me know). Loreal De-maq expert ‘Cashmere Milk Expert Makeup Remover’, this stuff works like a charm. It is verrrrry gentle on the skin, it is also very concentrated, so a pea size amount for your whole face is all that you need! It takes away my hardest to remove mascaras in just one swipe!

So that is the end of this months faves!
I would love to know what you all have enjoyed using this month!