Holy Grail High Street/Drugstore Foundation

It's taken me a while to find a high street foundation that I actually love and would repurchase again and again. I've tried quite a few cheaper foundations over the years, and none have impressed me that much, until I tried the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation.

With no makeup (I have redness and spot scarring)

Wearing only Bourjois Healthy Mix

There's quite a lot of hype around this product, but I put off buying it for a while as it is on the pricer side of high street foundations….it's £9.99, which isn't expensive but considering I'd been using the Rimmel foundations which are £4 cheaper it did seem like a leap.
But I took the plunge and bought it back in the Spring, and I'm so glad I did!

I purchased the Healthy Mix foundation in the lightest shade of Light Vanilla, which actually isn't that pale….that's the only complaint I have about this line, the shade range isn't brilliant.
Light Vanilla is slightly yellow toned, which suits my skin as I have olive undertones, and it's light but not so light that it would work on a very pale skinned girl.
The packaging is great. Pump - check, proper lid - check, non-cheap feeling bottle - check. Winner.
The scent is fruity, but not artificial. Healthy Mix is enriched with fruit therapy formulas; apricot for radiance, melon for hydration and apple to 'protect your youth'.
The coverage is medium, in my opinion. I've seen that most people say it's a light coverage, which it can be if it's sheered down, but on me and the way I apply it (with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush) definitely gives me enough coverage for everyday wear. The finish it gives is natural, but glowing; not matte but not so dewy that you look sweaty either. I find it particularly great at minimising the appearance of pores and boosting complexion. It doesn't feel at all heavy or sticky on the skin either.
The consistency isn't runny like a quite a few lighter foundations, but it's not thick either. It's very easy to work into the skin, and blends seamlessly.
The wear Bourjois claim is up to 16 hours….who even wears their foundation for that long anyway?! 16 hours wear definitely is not the case on my skin - there's sure signs of fading away during the day, but not enough that it bothers me. By the end of the day (without any touch ups) the foundation is still there, it's just not as strong a coverage. Powdering obviously helps with the longevity.
The skin type Healthy Mix foundation would suit is probably anyone! A friend of mine with oily skin uses this and adores it, I have dry, sensitive skin and I adore it also.

I can't really fault it, and I can't see myself straying from it any time soon. It's a must-have for me!  

Well done, Bourjois. 

Best Bargain Eyeshadow Palette

One of the most asked questions I get is 'What's the best highstreet/drugstore eyeshadow?'. It seems most eyeshadows are either not good quality, have a rubbish shade range or are overpriced.
My favourite eyeshadow palettes you can get in high street shops are the Sleek palettes.

The Sleek eyeshadow palettes consist of 12 eyeshadows and are priced at £7.99 - BARGAIN!
My favourite of the selection is Storm (pictured). I use it often as most of the shades are natural and neutral, but there are some more daring shades in there like dark green or pink, and there's so many different looks you can get out of it. There's a mixture of light and dark colours, shimmery and matte. For the price I really don't think you can beat the quality of these shadows, they're so pigmented and you can really built them up to an intense colour. The wear of them isn't as long as high end shadows, that's expected, but they still last all day with a primer, without a primer they would last a good time still but just may crease a little - it's best to try and build them up to avoid this.

TOP ROW SWATCHES

BOTTOM ROW SWATCHES

Other than Storm there are 14 other palettes to choose from, so there'll be something to please everyone. There's some really bright and intense coloured palettes, some naturals palettes, matte palettes and of course palettes with a mixture.
The packaging is very sleek (yep) and doesn't feel too cheap. The lid on my palette has broken because I dropped it, but I think they're quite durable.

Sleek, in my opinion, do the best eyeshadows for such a barginous price. You can buy Sleek eyeshadow palettes on their website anywhere in the world and in Superdrug in the UK.
I've got my eye on the Oh So Special and the Au Naturals palettes next!

Beauty Bloggers Tag!

I've seen a few bloggers doing this 'Beauty Bloggers Tag' and always find reading them very interesting, so I thought I'd do it myself! I hope you enjoy this sort of post.

Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogger for?

I started blogging about a year ago, but started putting posts up regularly about 5 months ago. I started blogging for a few reasons - I had been reading beauty blogs for a while and was inspired by other bloggers to start, I was really starting to get into makeup, skincare, etc and wanted a way of sharing my experiences with everyone and getting to know other bloggers who had the same interests as me!

Who's blog did you fall in love with first?

Honestly? I can't remember. I'd say Zoella's was probably the first I found and read every single post, but Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup and Hannah from A Little Beauty Spot (who's new blog is here) were two of the others I remember reading at the beginning of discovering the beauty blogging world!

What was the first blogosphere hyped about product that you bought?

Was it worth the hype?

That would be Nars Luguna bronzer! Every blogger these is seems to adore this product, and I was so intrigued so I bought it and yes, it's definitely worth the hype. I love it and use it all the time! 

What are you five favourite things about blogging and being a beauty blogger?

1. Having my own little space on the internet to share my thoughts and views on different products.

2. Other bloggers! I love discovering new blogs, reading reviews, favourites, wish lists, etc (I could spend hours going through Bloglovin' looking at the new posts from that day), and getting to know people. I've actually made a good few friends from doing this!

3. Discovering products. I find that unless you read beauty blogs really amazing products can pass you by! I'm also someone who does research before I buy anything, so finding out how people got on with things is great before I go out and buy it myself.

4. The creative side. I feel like since I left school I don't do anything creative, but having this blog enables me to take photographs, decide how to lay things out and also experiment with different products, which I find a great way be creative. 

5. Comments! I love getting comments on my blog posts from all of you, it really makes my day.

What have you learnt from being a beauty blogger?

When I first started blogging I didn't realise that writing blog posts can be quite hard work, a lot of thought goes into every part of a post and also design and layout of the website itself. I learnt never to compare yourself to other bloggers…if I did that I'd feel like a failure, because I don't have the largest amount of followers, but that doesn't matter! It's all about enjoying what you do.

What have you changed since becoming a beauty blogger?

Makeup storage…I've got a lot more makeup now, so I had to invest in some proper storage. I've also changed the way I do my makeup - I've picked up a lot of tips and tricks along the way.

What advice would you give to a beauty blogger starting out?

Don't do this just to get free products! That won't happen straight away, if ever, and you need to put a lot of work in before so. Also, if you don't have a passion for what you're doing it will come across in the posts. Don't write unless you really want to - again, it comes across in the posts, I've read a lot of blogposts that lack so much because the blogger obviously 'couldn't be bothered' on that day. Make good use of social media - twitter, Facebook, instagram, etc - it will really help your blog to grow.

What are your top 5 makeup brands?

This is no particular order!  MAC - I think I had to say that, it's surely in every beauty bloggers top 5, I just wish they were a tad cheaper. Rimmel - I think they're the best high street makeup brand, they do great and affordable foundations, lipsticks (especially the Kate Moss range), blushes, eyeshadows, eyeliners (the best), concealer, etc. Revlon - mainly for their lip products. Nars - ohhh their packaging and pigmentation makes me adore them. Soap & Glory - I haven't tried many things from their makeup range yet, but what I have tried, swatched and looked at has been amazing quality.

Recommend your top 5 beauty products

(reviews linked)

Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipsticks - I think these are the best highstreet/drugstore lipsticks out there, the price is so affordable, the colour range is fantastic, the lasting power is long, the packaging is great and the feel and finish is up there with the high end brands.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate - A night time oil that you apply post toner and pre moisturiser, it adds moisture to the skin, doesn't break me out, and helps fight against imperfections.

Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer - beauty blogger favourite and lives up to the hype - high coverage, non-drying, cheap and lasts all day.

MAC Mineralize Skinfish in Soft & Gentle - the most beautiful highlighter there is. 

Sleek Contour/Face Form Palette -  the contour palette consists of bronzer and highlighter, and the face form has a blush included as well. All highly pigmented, well packaged, and very affordable. A really great product if you're just getting into makeup. 

My Favourite 3 Eyeliners

Finding a good eyeliner can be quite tricky. You want one that's a good colour, easy to apply, easy to blend, isn't expensive, is nicely packaged and lasts all day. I've tried a lot of eyeliners, and these are my top 3 that I reach for most often and absolutely love.

The first one and the one I use most often is the Maybelline gel eyeliner in black. I use this all the time! It's amazing, it comes with a little brush which makes it easy to apply, it creates a lovely look and it lasts for as long as you need it to! For £7.99 I think it's a bargain.

Next up is Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl liner in black. This eyeliner is waterproof so I mostly use it on my waterline. It doesn't budge all day, it's easy to apply and blend and the colour is jet black. Sometimes I find black eyeliners come out almost grey, but that's not the case with this. It retails for £3.99!

My last favourite is a liner I actually only really use around Winter time because it's slightly festive I think. It's the Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds Eyeliner in black ice. This is a twist up creamy pencil liner  (yay for no sharpening!) that has slight specks of glitter running through it, it's super pretty and would be perfect for Christmassy parties! This is only £6!

Top to Bottom -
Maybelline Gel Eyeliner
Rimmel Kohl Liner
Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds

What's your most used eyeliner?

Rimmel Glam Eyes HD 5-Colour Eye Shadow in Brixton Brown

It's no secret that I'm a huge Rimmel fan. They're my favourite highstreet makeup brand, their lipsticks are my favourite, as are their foundations.
I was in Boots the other day and I saw this eyeshadow palette, the Glam Eyes HD 5 Colour Eyeshadow palette in Brixton Brown. I hadn't seen it before (it launched early October) and I thought the colours looked right up my street and super Autumnal, so I bought it.

In this 5 shadow palette you got a very dark shimmery grey, a super shimmery champagne colour, a dark brown that looks ever so slightly purply, a soft earthy green that is matte, and in the middle is a gorgeous coppery red with not too much shimmer. Beautiful.

What I love about this palette is you can create a really subtle daytime look with it, but also a super smoky nighttime look, and that red in the middle makes it perfect for this season.

The colours are well pigmented…not amazing, but good for the price, apart from the green which is shockingly badly pigmented, I can't seem to even see it once applied and is quite chalky..but the other 4 are great.

They also surprisingly didn't crease on my eyes! I wore the copper/red all over my lid and the dark grey just on the outer part of my eye for about 6 hours with no primer and they hadn't creased at all. 

L-R Top 2 shades and middle shade

Bottom 2 shades

This palette is £6.99 and there are 3 different ones in the collection.

Purchase here.

What's your favourite shade out of the 5?