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Summer Beauty Essentials
February 2015 Favourites | Makeup, Skincare, Haircare & Body
When I was considering writing a favourites post for this month, I honestly didn’t think that there would be many products worth mentioning. It wasn’t until I sat at my dressing table and was looking through my drawers that I realised that this month was a great beauty month for me – I even got more into hair products! Who would have thought? This month’s favourites is a nice mix of all things makeup, skincare, haircare and bodycare…
I had a bit of a rediscovery this month in the form of the Bourjous 123 Perfect CC Cream which I actually have a full post on here. This has been collecting dust in my collection and I forgot how much I love it. Despite it being a CC cream, the coverage is incredible and I love this for days when I’m in a hurry as this blends seamlessly and quickly. I’ve also been loving a glowy cheek this month, and two products that stand out are the Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso and the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beige. The blush is a gorgeous peachy coral shade (can you tell I’m excited for summer) and surprising the Shimmer Brick is not the most shimmery highlighter I own – it gives a stunning glowy highlight without looking like a disco ball. Love. The final makeup products I want to share today are all to do with eyes. If you read my last post, you’ll know that I recently got the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and this has been my go-to for eyeshadow recently. It’s great for the more natural everyday looks I want to achieve and also has some smokey and colourful shades to take me through to the night. Finally, the Mac Tan Pigment had to get a mention. If I had a perfect eyeshadow colour, this would be it. It is a highly shimmery, rose gold-esque shade, and it is beautiful.
Hair
Usually when it comes to hair, I don’t really bother doing much with it. I have naturally straight hair and while I don’t love the flatness of it, it looks good enough for me to get away with its natural texture. A product I used to use all the time was the Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Body Booster Mousse (post on the whole line here) and since I have recently been craving some more volume in my hair, I pulled this out of my stash and started using it again. I have been using this every time I blow dry my hair and I have fallen back in love with it. It provides a lift at the roots but doesn’t leave my hair feeling gunked up with product which is something that I hate when it comes to mousses. This is some great, and affordable, stuff. I have also got into using the Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer as a hair mask about once a week. This leaves my hair looking so full and healthy, and my hair honestly looks at its best just after I have used this on it.
Skincare/Body
This month seems to be filled with rediscoveries – I recently repurchased the balance Me Radiance Face Oil (full review here) and it has been doing my skin wonders. For those of you who have oily/blemish-prone skin and are scared of putting oils on the skin, don’t be. This really helps to clear any blemishes I have without drying them out. It nourishes and balances my skin and is overall a great product. For the body, I have been loving the Rituals Fortune Scrub. It is a really effective exfoliator without been too harsh and scratchy on the skin. It has a citrus scent which is very invigorating and fresh in the shower which I love. A rather random favourite this month has been the LaVanilla The Healthy Deodorant in Pure Vanilla. I picked this up while I was in New York as I was looking for a more natural deodorant and I have to say this stuff actually works wonders. It keeps my underarms dry all day and it smells really sweet but isn’t so strong that it competes with your perfume. Speaking of, my favourite scent of the month has definitely been Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium. I received this a christmas present and it is one of the most unique and interesting perfumes I own. It has a combination of vanilla and coffee notes which results in a sweet, rich yet dark and sultry scent.
I feel like favourites posts are meant to be fairly text heavy, so I hope you find these mini reviews useful! I didn’t include any lip products in this post as I always have so many favourites that this may have turned into a dissertation… Let me know your current favourite products below!
–RachelElizabeth
This month seems to be filled with rediscoveries – I recently repurchased the balance Me Radiance Face Oil (full review here) and it has been doing my skin wonders. For those of you who have oily/blemish-prone skin and are scared of putting oils on the skin, don’t be. This really helps to clear any blemishes I have without drying them out. It nourishes and balances my skin and is overall a great product. For the body, I have been loving the Rituals Fortune Scrub. It is a really effective exfoliator without been too harsh and scratchy on the skin. It has a citrus scent which is very invigorating and fresh in the shower which I love. A rather random favourite this month has been the LaVanilla The Healthy Deodorant in Pure Vanilla. I picked this up while I was in New York as I was looking for a more natural deodorant and I have to say this stuff actually works wonders. It keeps my underarms dry all day and it smells really sweet but isn’t so strong that it competes with your perfume. Speaking of, my favourite scent of the month has definitely been Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium. I received this a christmas present and it is one of the most unique and interesting perfumes I own. It has a combination of vanilla and coffee notes which results in a sweet, rich yet dark and sultry scent.
I feel like favourites posts are meant to be fairly text heavy, so I hope you find these mini reviews useful! I didn’t include any lip products in this post as I always have so many favourites that this may have turned into a dissertation… Let me know your current favourite products below!
–RachelElizabeth
Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Grand Cru Review and Swatches | Blogmas Day #7
You may remember, that I have already tried one of these. I have the shade Hot Pepper and I am in love – read my full review here. I had been meaning to pick up another shade for a while now, and on a trip to Boots, I was browsing the Bourjois stand and I decided to pick up one that really caught my eye. It’s safe to say that this was definitely disappointing.
The Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Grand Cru in the packaging looks like the most stunning deep red, which is one of my favourite types of shade to wear. So you can imagine my disappointment when applying this, to be left with quite a streaky, sheer finish. Hot Pepper was bright, opaque and looked so smooth on the lips, but unfortunately this was the complete opposite. It clung to dry patches and just generally looked quite bad. However, I did find when I used light layers of it and worked it into the lips it could be a nice stain on the lips, and in the picture below, I had applied several layers to even get that finish. Whilst I can still wear it in that way, I don’t think I will find myself reaching for this over any other dark reds I have, as it wasn’t the dark matte red I was hoping for.
It’s not nice giving a bad review of a product, but sometimes it just has to be done. What has upset me the most about this is that I love another shade in the range, and have heard so many people praise the rest of it. There are still some shades that I have my eye on, and I won’t (and neither should you) be put off by one dud shade. Have you tried any from this line?
–RachelElizabeth
FOTD | Halloween Edition – Pop Art
I know Halloween has been and gone, but I still thought it would be fun to share with you what I wore. I had a lot of fun creating this pop art inspired look, and although it took me a long time, I definitely think that the end result was worth it. If you’re interested in how I did this look, keep reading…
I started with my standard foundation routine – the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer to ensure extra longevity, my L’Oreal True Match in W4 followed by the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard under my eyes and on any blemishes. I then set this all in place with the Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus.
Now onto the fun part. I primed the eyes using my standard Nars Smudgeproof Pro Prime Eyeshadow Primer. I then used the hot pink out of the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette (no longer available but any pink would work) all over my eye lid, and created a winged out effect using an angled brush. I then lined my eyes using the Mac Blacktrack Fluidline and extended the line to reach where I had winged the eyeshadow to. With the same liner, I outlined the shape of the eyeshadow, to create a slight cut crease look, and connected it to the inner corner. I lined the waterline with the Nyx Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk to create a bright eyed cartoon effect, then lined under the lashline with the fluidline. Next up was the eyebrows. I started by creating the basic shape with a black eyeliner and then went back over that with the fluidline to make sure it was really dark. I created the expression marks in the crease and in between the eyebrows by making a sad expression and following my natural lines.
The tear was pretty simple – I drew the basic shape with a bright blue eyeliner pencil and then set it in place with a corresponding eyeshadow. I then lined that again with the fluidline. Next up was the lips – I started by lining and filling in my lips with my trusty Kiko Precision Lip Pencil in 306 and topped it with the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper to create a vibrant and long lasting lip shade. I then lined the lips with the fluidline. Next up was the dots – the part I was worried about the most. I used my favourite Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Red Essential as the tip was a bit thicker than a regular pencil which actually made drawing on the dots quite easy. They may not have been the neatest – I struggled on my cheeks where my skin was slightly more squidgy – but I think it worked for the overall effect. The finishing touches were to line the perimeter of my face with the gel liner and then spray my hair yellow with coloured hairspray (link here).
So I hope you enjoyed this post. If you were interested in what outfit I wore, it was an aztec style dress from Missguided – but I think any bright dress could have worked for this look. What did you go as for halloween?
Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream | Review
I never got excited by the BB/CC cream trend when it really boomed a couple of years ago. I had much oilier skin back then, and I honestly saw them as glorified tinted moisturisers, which some probably are. I was much more into matte finish, higher coverage foundations. However, recently my skin has become much more manageable and also slightly clearer, I have become more interested in dewy and light coverage bases. There has been a fair amount of hype around this one – I mean, Lisa Eldridge likes it so obviously I had to try it…
The Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream retails at £9.99 and is available in 4 shades. All Bourjois bases are very limited on their shade range, but comparing this to other BB and CC creams which sometimes only have one or two shades, this is actually quite good. I picked up the shade 32 Light Beige, which I find works well for when my skin is on the more tanned side (roughly Mac NC30). It claims to have 3 pigments of colour correction: apricot for anti-fatigue, green for anti-redness and white for anti-dark spots. It also claims to be extremely hydrating and contains SPF 15.
On first application, I was pleasantly surprised. I was mostly impressed with the colour correcting aspect as it seemed to even out my skin tone incredibly, particularly in terms of redness. It covers well but doesn’t look like you have a whole load of coverage. With other tinted moisturisers or BB creams I’ve tried, they’ve tended just to add a tint to the skin but did nothing in terms of coverage, but this really lives up to its claims of colour correction. I found that it was definitely enough coverage for me for day to day wear, with a little added concealer when I needed it. I also really enjoy it for using underneath other foundations as it creates a really nice smooth and even base.
In terms of wear, I found this to wear reasonably well on the skin. Seeing as it claims to be a hydrating base, I wasn’t expecting too much in terms of longevity but I found that it hadn’t faded or creased throughout the day, although it does tend to get a little shiny in places. My skin does still get slightly oily, but is dehydrated around the nose, but I didn’t find that it got patchy in those dehydrated areas like a lot of other foundations. Setting this with a powder and/or setting spray seemed to fix the oiliness.
All in all, I can’t say enough good things about this CC cream. The coverage, the wear and the SPF makes me think that this will be my go-to summer base, and I may even be tempted to buy a lighter shade for the colder months. I really love Bourjois bases and they haven’t disappointed, so if you are on the lookout for your perfect summer base, maybe this is a good option for you.
–RachelElizabeth
Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Hot Pepper | Review
Liquid lipsticks are having their moment right now and it seems that everyone is lusting over these Bourjois versions. I’m a big fan of liquid lipsticks in general – I usually opt for a matte finish and a long-lasting formulas and liquid lipsticks always seem to be the best option. So, does this live up to its hype?
The Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipsticks retail at £8.99. I picked up the shade Hot Pepper which is a bright slightly orangey-toned red, a very typical me shade. The shade range is a little limited but there does seem to be some incredible bold colours on offer. The formulation of this lipstick is incredible, and is potentially one of the best liquid lipsticks that I have come across. It applies slightly sheer, but unlike many others (i.e. Hourglass Opaque Rouge) you can actually build up layers with this. I am all for layering lip products as this does wonders for the longevity and also means that you can actually touch up throughout the day without it getting cakey and feeling really gloopy on your lips.
However, I actually didn’t need to touch up this lipstick. This lasted so long on the lips, and the only way to remove it is with some sort of makeup remover or cleanser. It wore impeccably through eating and drinking and managed to look fresh all day long. It is matte so does feel slightly drying but it is by no means as drying as other formulas out there.
So if you can’t tell by my gushing for this product, I am completely in love with this lipstick. If you love your bold colours like me, then these are an absolute must have. This is potentially the perfect long-lasting formula, and I will be very surprised if I don’t ‘accidentally’ pop a few more of these in my basket on my next trip to Boots…
Inside My Sister’s Makeup Bag
Introducing to RachelElizabeth, fellow beauty addict and my older sister Charli. We both started watching YouTube at around the same time (a long long time ago), and she, much like myself, has a rather large beauty stash. I’ve wanted to include her on the blog for a while, and as she often travels back home to visit I thought there was no better introduction than having a nose in her makeup bag. She is a Physiotherapist, so I asked her if she could explain the makeup that she wears on an everyday basis, and, of course, the fun things she adds to spruce it up on the weekends.
“Working in a hospital means I don’t get the chance to top up my makeup throughout the day, and as I have oily skin I like to use products that keep me as matte as possible. On a daily basis, I start by prepping the skin – firstly, I use the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray and then prime with the Rimmel Stay Matte Primer. I find the combination of these products has been the best base to apply makeup on top of. For foundation, I use the Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC15, followed by concealing under the eyes and any blemishes with the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer also in NC15. This concealer is the only concealer I have tried that doesn’t crease under my eyes, and it stays put on my skin even at its oiliest. To set this all in place and to add a bit more coverage, I use the Mac Studio Fix Powder, again in NC15. To bring a bit of colour and subtle contouring to the face, I switch between the Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in Shade 03 and Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna (not pictured above). My favourite everyday blush is the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed as I find it is natural enough for daytime when used with a light hand. To fill in my brows, I use the MUA Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit – the medium brown (top right) is the perfect shade for my brows. I used to use Mac Eyeshadow in Omega but I find the MUA option much more pigmented. I then set my brows with the Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Blond. Finally, I curl my lashes and apply mascara. I use two different ones because most mascaras smudge on my lower lash line. My favourites are the Chanel Volume De Chanel Mascara for my upper lashes and the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara as it doesn’t smudge or transfer throughout the day. As a final step, I like to use the setting spray once more, just to lock in all the makeup.
“When I’m not working, I like to add a little more excitement to my makeup. In terms of eyeshadow, I like a light shimmery colour on the lids. For this, one of my favourite combinations is the Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Shade 13 as a base and the Bare Minerals Nude Beach Eyeshadow. For a little definition, I like to take the bronzer I’ve used that day and blend into the crease of my eye. All three naked palettes are also my go-to eyeshadows. I love winged eye liner and for this I like the Bourjois Liner Pinceau Liquid Eyeliner – it is a nice matte black shade and it doesn’t transfer onto your brow bone. I also like to brighten my waterline with the Mac Chromographic Pencil in NC15/NW20. One of my favourite steps is highlighter, and for this I use the Chanel Poudre Signee De Chanel Illuminating Powder which I think was limited edition, but I love it because it has a very fine golden shimmer running throughout. For a more natural lip, my favourite is the Mac Lipglass in Nymphette as my all time favourite shade in lip gloss is pink with gold shimmer. For a brighter lip for spring and summer, I recently bought the Mac Lipstick in Full Fuchsia. This is great as it is not too matte but not too glossy, it wears really nicely and isn’t too drying.”
–RachelElizabeth
–RachelElizabeth
Manicure Monday #10 | Bourjois Amande defile
Spring is officially here! At least on my nails anyway. The sun has decided to show its face a bit in England and it’s got me craving those pretty pastel colours that I love every year. Upsettingly, this should have been a post about Essie Mint Candy Apple – a cult favourite – but as I was just about to apply I noticed that it was all gloopy and I had barely any left! This could call for my first every nail polish repurchase…
Regardless, I decided to choose the Bourjois Paris So Laque Nail Enamel in Amande Defile, which is quite similar to the Essie option, but perhaps a smudge lighter – a pale duck egg blue shade. This formula really is gorgeous – it’s opaque (which can be an issue for pastel colours), long lasting and incredibly shiny. Bourjois is a slightly more expensive brand on the high street, this polish coming in at £5.99, but I think the formula is good enough to warrant that still affordable price tag. The rest of the shades also look gorgeous and I’m surprised I haven’t already picked more up! This is one of my favourite summer shades, and it was one of my most worn of last year.
I have yet to try Bourjois’ 1 Seconde formula, which is raved about a lot, but if it is anything like this formula then I’m sure I will love it! Have you tried any Bourjois nail polishes?
–RachelElizabeth
Festive Makeup #2 | Christmas Day FOTD
Firstly, for all of those who celebrate, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and ate your weight in gorgeous food – I sure did… Secondly, I really liked how my makeup turned out yesterday, and I used a few new beautiful products so I thought I would share with you my face of the day.
Face
Because I wanted my makeup to last all day I primed with the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and then used one of my favourite foundations of late – the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (the old formula – I can’t comment on the current formula!). I then concealed withe the Mac Studio Finish Concealer and set it all with my gorgeous new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light – will review this soon!
Eyes
I primed the eyes with the Urban Decay Primer Potion. I used the Charlotte Tilbury Colour-Coded Eyeshadow Palette in Dolce Vita on my eyes – I used the prime shade (a pale champagne) all over the lid, the smoke shade (a dark cool brown) on the outer corner and into the crease, and packed the pop shade (a gold glitter) on top on the prime shade. I then took a matte black, mine being from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, and lined the upper lash line and smoked it out a little. I then curled my lashes and applied the Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara.
Cheeks
I bronzed up the skin with Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna, then highlighted with the Kevin Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candlelight. For blush, I went for the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed (sadly not available in the UK!) to keep the cheeks neutral and so they didn’t compete with the red lip.
Lips
For lips I used the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in F-Bomb, which is my first venture into this line, which I’ve been dying to try. Spoiler alert: this may be the start of a new addiction…
Gold and red are a classic combination for this time of year, but one that I think can work all year round. There were a lot of luxury products in this look that are heavily coveted in the blogging world, and I will make sure to let you know what I think after I’ve had a chance to work with them a bit longer.
Seeing as it’s Christmas, I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported my blog in this first month, and I am very excited and motivated for the months to come!
–RachelElizabeth