Officially Spring doesn't begin for another couple of weeks, but the weather is getting a bit sunnier and there's a definite feeling of Spring in the air. I feel like Spring is the season for pink blush, I tend to go for more coral or peach in the summer but pink is the perfect transition for Spring.
NYX do some really brilliant and affordable blushes in a huge shade range, I thought I'd share two of them with you that I'll be using this season.
Cream blush in Natural
Powder blush in Peach
The first is a cream blush in the shade 'Natural' (£5.50). I nearly always opt for powder blushes, I just prefer them a lot more but this blush is really gorgeous. It's a really natural colour like the name suggests, it looks darker in the pan than it is when it's all blended into the skin, and it gives a beautiful glow. I thought this might be difficult to apply but I found it surprisingly easy - the best way is to blend it in with your fingers. As it's a cream formula it isn't super long lasting, I'd say it lasts for around 4 hours on it's on, but if you powder a bit over the top it'll last that bit longer.
The second blush is a powder in the shade 'Peach' (£6)….I have no idea what NYX were thinking when they named this product as it's not a peach shade at all, it's a cool toned medium baby pink. Normally cool toned blushes don't look good on me at all, but I find Peach really suits me and gives me a natural glow without any shimmer. It can be sheered out for a subtle wash of colour, or built up for a more intense look. The formulation of this blush is amazing, very pigmented, easy to blend, feels nice and silky and lasts a good 7 hours on the cheeks. Both blushes are packaged well, nothing outstanding but for the price I didn't expect anything fancy.
Cream blush in Natural (LEFT)
Powder blush in Peach (RIGHT)
I'd highly recommend checking NYX blushes out! They're brilliant quality for the money and the shade range is so vast there'll be something for everyone.
Unfortunately they're a US brand but you can buy them from their UK website or Amazon.
MAC, as they so often do, are re-releasing one of their most popular limited edition products into a new limited edition collection, and it's the much talked about Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose.
If you've been an avid beauty blog follower for a while you'll have no doubt heard about this product before. It was first released years ago, then re-released last year, and will again be rereleased this year into the forthcoming Fantasy Of Flowers collection - which will be available 6th March (write it in your diary).
Stereo Rose is a gorgeous coral blush, with hints of pink and golden shimmer running through it - much like Nars Orgasm blush, and there are many other dupes out there. The shade itself looks very much like it would suit and compliment any skin tone. The golden shimmer running through will help highlight, so if you're in a rush there's no need to do both, and the colour will really help warm up your complexion.
Mineralize Skinfinishe's are really soft powders with a metallic finish to them, they're great for giving a healthy glow and a gorgeous sheen to the skin.
Stereo Rose will be ready for you to buy on 6th March this year, priced at £22.
Be quick, this will undoubtably sell out fast!
The Real Techniques range is my favourite brand of makeup brushes. There are so many to choose from, they're affordable, they look pretty, they're easy to clean, they dry quickly and I love the way they make my makeup look.
Two of the brushes I own are the Brush Blush and the Contour Brush which is part of the Core Collections kit. I adore both of these brushes and use them daily, however I do use them for different things. The blush brush I find is best for contouring, and the contour brush is brilliant for applying blush, so there's a role reversal going on!
The blush brush is practically just a larger version of the contour brush. They both have those tapered bristles which make them great for blending in your product. You apply the powder to the top bristles and then the bristles on the outer part of the brush will help to blend it all in, so you're not left with an awful harsh line.
The reason I prefer to use the blush brush to contour is because it is larger and has more bristles to help blend my bronzer. Although the contour brush is perfectly great at doing it's job I found I was sometimes left with too harsh a line, it was too precise for a daytime look, so I'd always go in afterwards trying to blend it out…but I don't need to do that with the blush brush!
The contour brush is amazing for applying blush though, it's the perfect size! It's also a dream to apply highlighter with and even help to blend in concealer.
If you have both of these brushes I suggest swapping the uses around and seeing how you get on!
If you don't have these brushes I highly recommend them…and any of the others from the Real Techniques range!
I was recently in Boots and they had a 3 for 2 deal on…that's just asking for money to be spent!
One of the things I looked for was an Autumn blush, and I came across this one by L'Oreal in the colour Rosewood.
Rosewood is a gorgeous dark pinky brown with a slight shimmer running through it…so slight I'd call it a sheen rather than a shimmer. In the pan the colour looks very strong and I was almost worried about how dark it would be on my pale skin but I went for it.
When this blush is applied it looks nowhere near as dark as in the pan, because it's quite sheer. If you want a really bold colour you'd have to use a heavy hand and go back in a few times.
I do like the packaging of this, although it is plastic it doesn't feel cheap or flimsy and the blush itself is in a metal pan inside, which flips up and underneath is a mirror and a little brush…which to be honest I will never use, it's very scratchy and just no where near as good as proper brushes like Real Techniques. I don't like that the pan isn't fixed down though, so if you turned it upside down or something when it was open the brush would fall out from underneath.
I tried to get a swatch of this but it was so sheer you couldn't really see, the camera wasn't picking it up. You'll just have to take my word for it that this blush is really gorgeous, I love the shade for a subtle bit of colour during this season.
L'Oreal True Match Blush in Rosewood retails for £7.69 here, and Boots still have their 3 for 2 on!
Have you tried this blush?
What's your 'go to' everyday blush for Autumn/Winter?
Something I'm dying to get this month is Hydraluron, it's a serum that you apply before your moisturiser and it basically helps the moisturiser to sink in a lot more than it normally would. It's supposed to be a miracle worker, and as I suffer from dehydrated skin in the winter this would be amazing.
I really want a tartan scarf! I've been after one for a while, I've tried everywhere to get one - Topshop, New Look, Primark, H&M, River Island, Zara, etc. I might have to resort to eBay! Origins Drink Up Overnight Intensive Maskis something that's raved about in the blogging world, I'm yet to try it, purely because of the hefty price tag, but I'm hoping this winter I can.
It might be hard to believe because everyone has one but I don't own a Onesie! This year I'll change that. The one pictured above is from ASOS.
Autumn lip colours are my favourite, when I saw the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Grandest Grape I fell in love, it's the most gorgeous plum colour.
I love wearing dresses in the Autumn and Winter, I hate wearing them at any other time of year but especially in December I love them - they make me feel Christmassy for some reason. I like them quite basic so I can layer them up with chunky cardigans, scarves and jackets. The one above is from ASOS.
I'm seriously lacking in Autumn blushes,Nars Blush in Douceurlooks so nice, it's a soft pink-brown and I want it!
Lastly is slipper boots! Last year I had some really comfy ones but they're falling apart now, so a pair of new ones is a must. They're so warm and snuggly for winter time. The ones above are from Next.
As it's now Autumn I'm swapping in my peach and coral blushes for more pink and mauve toned blushes, and the one I've been wearing the last week is Rimmel's Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in Pink Rose (what a mouthful!).
I've had this blush for about a year but haven't actually worn it that much because I wasn't at all impressed when I first got it.
Rimmel are my favourite high street/drugstore brand for makeup, they're very affordable and do brilliant lipsticks, lip glosses, foundation, concealer, I even love their nail varnishes, but I think they slack when it comes to blushes.
The packaging is shockingly bad, it's flimsy plastic, the lid always falls off yet it's hard to open and it just feels tacky!
However, the blush inside isn't as bad as the packaging (thank goodness).
Pink Rose is a rosy darkish pink (hence the name) colour, with a slight bit of silver shimmer in it - just enough to brighten up the face on these cold, dark Autumn days.
I find the texture of this blush isn't amazing, it's quite soft but still rather powdery but very pigmented! You really do only need a bit on your brush, and when applied like that it looks very natural and just brings a bit of colour and glow to your face.
Rimmel say it glides on smoothly, but I found it quite difficult to blend…maybe I've just been spoilt with Sleek.
Rimmel also claim the blush lasts 6 hours, which it might do…until it completely disappears, but it fades on me after about 3 hours.
Overall though, aside from the very poor packaging and not amazing texture, I do like this blush.
The colour is gorgeous, and it's great for an everyday look and if you don't need the makeup to last for ages!
For £3.99 I'd say this product is worth a buy, just don't carry it around loose in your handbag or it won't last long! Buy here.
Sleek, by far my favourite high street/drugstore brand for blushes - pigmented, great range of colours, inexpensive, nicely packaged and just brilliant. As it's now summer time I wanted a peachy coloured blush, something you can't really get away with in winter but a colour that I find suits my complexion well, so the first place I looked was Sleek as I didn't want to spend too much money and lo and behold I find the most beautiful peach blush that goes by the name of Life's a Peach (thumbs up for the name, Sleek!).
When I saw it I thought "wow, that's bright" but actually when I swatched it, even though it was highly pigmented, the colour was nowhere near as bright as it looks in the pan - it's very subtle and in my opinion the perfect summer daytime blush (as you can see in the swatch below).
It's the most gorgeous orangey peach, it's completely matte which I love, it blends beautifully, and lasts a good amount of time, and all for £4.49 - I really cannot complain!
The packaging is just like all the Sleek packaging, thin, black, sleek (hence the name) but definitely difficult to open! But that's a small price to pay, as when you do get inside the product is fabulous.
I have been wearing this every single time I've worn makeup over the last month, I adore it, so if you're looking for a good subtle, but buildable, summer blush this is definitely one to consider.
I'd recommend this for people with fairer complexions, I feel like if your skin is dark it may not show up very well.
On to my cheeks, I contoured with Nars Luguna Bronzer, put some Rose Gold blush on from Sleek (I have this in the Face Form palette but you can get it individually here) - it's by far my favourite blush at the moment - such a gorgeous peachy shade with shimmer - it's a dupe for the famous Nars Orgasm blush. Then highlighted from the same palette.
Lastly, and the best part in my opinion, is lips - Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Kiss Me Coral.
As it was the first official day of summer yesterday, I thought I would share you with some products I think are essential for summer!
1. A light coverage foundation with an SPF, if it has no SPF then make sure you get a moisturiser with an SPF in it, BUT don't wear both an SPF foundation and an SPF moisturiser, as layering them cancels them out. My foundation of choice is Rimmel Wake Me Up (surprise surprise). I love this foundation a lot, when applied with fingers you can create such a lovely light coverage but it still makes your skin look really great, and as it creates radiance it is perfect for summer. You can buy it here for £8.99.
2. A cream blush. Cream blushes make the skin look a lot more radiant and glowy than powder blushes do, and I've found they feel lighter as well. My favourite is NYX cream blush in Natural. I did a more in depth review of this blush here in my May Favourites, and you can buy it cheapest from Amazon here for £4.99.
3. A bronzer, I think in the summer if you look pale it is more noticeable, so a bronzer to create a 'bronzed' look is essential for me. The bronzer I love most is Nars Luguna, it's amazing. I love it both for conturing, as it's only got a very very slight shimmer that doesn't really show on the face, and also just to bring a bit of colour to my complexion as the colour isn't orange at all and it lasts a long time. This is quite pricey at £26 but if you want to treat yourself then you can buy it here!
4. A brown eyeliner. I think in the summer a black eyeliner can look way too harsh, dark and wintery, so I like to use a brown, I used to hate brown eyeliner but now I think it looks so pretty - especially darker browns - it just gives a much more subtle look. The one I am currently using is Stila Smudge Stick in Damsel, which you can buy here.
5. A lighter, glossier lip colour. I don't know about you, but sometimes I find a proper lipstick too much in summer as they can often look matte or feel heavy, so I opt for either the Revlon lip butters (the one in the photo is strawberry shortcake, but I adore them all) or a lipgloss, this one is Revlon colour burst in Pink Ice which is a lovely light pink with shimmer. You can buy these both from here.
6. A summer colour nail varnish, summer is not the time for dark colours on the nails like black, dark blue or purple, etc. Although I HATE Barry M nail varnish this colour has to be one of my favourite summer shades, it's a lovely light, kind of duck egg, blue called Blue Moon, which you can buy here for £2.99.
7. My last summer beauty essential is a summery scented body moisturiser. I love this spray on one from Soap & Glory, it is called Girligo Body Moisturising Mist, it smells so lovely, of peach, strawberry, jasmine, mandarin and musk. It is such a summery, light scent and it works so well at making the skin softer, it also feels really refreshing when you spray it on and sinks in so fast. You can buy that here for £6.50.
It is the beginning of June, which means May has just passed (obviously) so I thought I would tell you about the things I have been loving a lot through the month of May.
I actually already have done a YouTube video this that you can watch here if you wish, as there are more things featured on there.
I shall start with skincare. I have been absolutely loving the Garnier Moisture Match for Dull Skin.
I love Garnier skincare because I have quite sensitive skin and garnier never makes my skin dry, never breaks me out and it's also so affordable.
Moisture Match is a range of moisturisers garnier have brought out for all different skin types, they have one for oily skin, one for dry skin, for combination skin, etc. I got the Dull skin one because I do sometimes feel as if my skin needs a bit of a 'wake me up'....which this moisturiser does SO well.
It is gel formula, that glides onto the skin and makes me feel all refreshed, it also sinks in quickly which is handy if you're then going on to apply make-up (for which this makes a great base).
If you haven't already then do go and look at the whole range, that can be found here.
They all retail for £5.99, which I think is brilliant for the quality of them.
Couldn't recommend them more!
My next 2 favourites are both blushes from NYX, the first being a powder blush in the colour Peach....I have absolutely NO idea why they called it Peach as it's a pink blush.
This blush is a lovely matte, baby pink colour that I think works best on pale skin like mine, as it quite light, however I'm sure the colour can be built up more if you wish. It's extremely pigmented and so easy to blend, it doesn't break apart on my skin like I find a lot of blushes seem to.
This blush literally lasts all day on my cheeks as well, it fades ever so slightly by the end of the day but the colour will still be here.
The next blush I got from NYX was a cream blush in the colour Natural.
This is the first cream blush I used, I'd never delved into it before because I thought a cream cheek product would be hard to work with and may look greasy. But I was so wrong.
This blush is amazing, the colour is gorgeous, really natural, so perfect for those 'no makeup' makeup days or if you just want a little wash of colour. It also makes you look so healthy, as it's cream it creates a really lovely dewy/glowy look - but not at all greasy, watery or oily. It's much easier to apply than I thought as well, it's extremely easy to blend - I do this with a Real Techniques contour brush.
I definitely want to purchase more of these, I love them. The only downside is they don't last especially long because it is cream, however, if you were to find a powder blush in the same sort of colour and apply a tiny bit of that over the top it would stay put a lot longer.
I purchased both of these NYX blushes from Amazon, you can get the powder one here and the cream one here.
My last favourite's are the Revlon lip butters. Oh my gosh, they are the best lip products. My favourite.
I have these in the colours Peach Parfait, Juicy Papaya, Strawberry Shortcake and Berry Smoothie (Left to Right). I just love these so much. (Amazing names aren't they!....AND the packaging makes me love them even more)
My favourite thing about these is the fact they feel so light on the lips. In the summer I find lipsticks can feel too heavy, and look too heavy but these don't at all. They are a cross between lip sticks and lip balms, they have amazing colour payoff but feel super light and look glossy on the lips - absolutely perfect for summer. The colours are amazing too, they do SUCH a range, so they'll be something for everyone. My personal favourite is Juicy Papaya, which is a gorgeous orange/coral colour.
They don't last an amazingly long time, a couple of hours, but I didn't really expect them to...when everything else is that great you have to compromise somewhere. These retail for £7.99 and you can buy them here.
There ya go, a few things I have been loving throughout May!
I'm a nosey parker, so leave me a comment telling me what you've been loving the last month :)
