The Best, Most Unexpected Primer Ever

As I mentioned in my previous post on long-lasting makeup, I've found that primer extends the wear time of my foundation and base makeup dramatically. I was quite content with my Max Factor Facefinity Primer and the effects it had on my makeup application. However, this very quickly changed as soon as I discovered Nivea for Men's Sensitive Post Shave Balm.

Whilst watching a NikkieTutorials video one day, I was stunned when she pulled this out and said she was going to use it to prime her face. However, it all became clear when she explained that the second most used ingredient in the balm is glycerin. Glycerin is known in the makeup industry for adhering any makeup placed on top to it, and helps to maintain the outer barrier of the skin and prevent dryness or scaling - things that are guaranteed to make your foundation wear off faster.

There's no getting away from the fact that this product smells 'manly'. It's a man's product. However, when applied to the skin, it blends in really effortlessly and the smell disappears after just a couple of minutes. Not only is it great for helping to create a bullet proof base, but it also soothes any skin irritation you may have too. At such a small price (I paid the full price of £5.35, but it is regularly on offer), you'd be silly not to give it a go.

My Long-Lasting Hero Products

I'm that girl who will apply a decent face of makeup in the morning and by lunch time, I'll stare into the mirror to see cakey skin, creased eyeshadow and a patchy lip. As I'm sure you'll agree, this is never pleasant. However, as I've suffered with it for years, it's meant that I've tested a whole host of products that have helped keep it at bay. I recently visited Disneyland Paris (blog post coming very soon!), and really put these products to the ultimate long-lasting test. I applied them at 7am, and by the time the fireworks finished at 11:30pm, my makeup was still in place.

KIKO LONG-LASTING STICK EYESHADOW (06):
I am such a fan of these eyeshadow sticks from Kiko. I can't sing their praises enough. Simply apply over the lid like a crayon, and blend out the edges with a clean finger or brush. Because of how long-lasting they are, you have a few seconds playing time with them until they're completely dry, so I usually apply one eye at a time for this reason. Once they're set, they're not going anywhere.

TOO FACED PERFECT LIPS LIP LINER (Perfect Nude):
I'm a big nude lip wearer and very rarely venture out into the typical long-lasting brighter colours. However, I've found the only way of wearing a nude lip without having to reapply regularly, is by wearing a nude liner all over the lip. I love the creamy formula and colour of this Too Faced one, but any neutral liner will do the job.

MAX FACTOR FACEFINITY ALL DAY PRIMER:
I've found that primer makes a massive difference to the wear-time of your foundation, and this one from Max Factor is great for the price. It's got SPF 20 in it, so great for general everyday wear, and contains silicone so creates a smooth surface barrier between your skin and your foundation. The real selling point of this for me is that it never alters the finish of my foundation, which is unusual for a primer of this kind.

NARS ALL DAY LUMINOUS WEIGHTLESS FOUNDATION:
I won't beat around the bush with this one. It is a faff and a half to apply, but if you can get the application right, and find a way to get it to work for you, it is a really great long-lasting foundation. I have quite dehydrated skin, so applied on its own, this foundation clings to every dry patch on my face. However, if I mix it with a drop of something more moisturising (I like mixing it with No7 Instant Illusions Rapid Radiance Balm for an illuminating finish), it tends to look much better. You do get a more lightweight coverage this way, but I like that you can have a long-lasting, fresh base.

AVON MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY:
I've been a big fan of the Urban Decay All-Nighter Spray for a long time, but this one from Avon blows that out of the water for me. I don't know what's in this stuff, but I've noticed such a massive difference in how my foundation wears when I apply this over the top. It leaves your skin looking luminous, but really dries your makeup down. I'm in love with it. (Ps. It's also currently on sale for £2.50, so go and stock up while you can)

Do you have any tips to keep your makeup lasting all day?

Makeup Inspiration #1: Elizabeth Olsen

Since I'm constantly browsing Pinterest for makeup inspiration and looks, I thought it would be a nice idea to every so often share my favourites and make it a feature on my blog.

I'm not sure if it's to do with the fact that her sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley are two of my favourite people EVER (6 year old Alice never did let that obsession go), or the fact that we have very similar taste in makeup, but I'm so obsessed with Elizabeth Olsen. I always think she looks so stunning and her makeup always looks so put together.

It seems to me as if she has a very set taste in her makeup. She either goes for very little blusher, or quite a lot of blusher. Not too much bronzer and she certainly isn't one for contouring. Groomed but still soft eyebrows. Either a brown toned pink lipstick, or a nude pink lip. Something quite red toned bronze or gold on the eyes. Rarely any liner, but plenty of mascara. I really want to try and recreate some of these looks on myself as they're all so natural and would be great for every day.

Whose makeup inspires you?

Bedside Beauty

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a lazy mare at times. I like to take my makeup off and cleanse pretty much as soon as I get in the house, so then I'm ready to just do the rest of my skincare routine at night. However, I often leave it a little too long and end up laying in bed slapping serum on my face. This is why I like to keep most of my current skincare products by my bedside, so I'm fully prepared for those 'I-can't-be-bothered-to-move-I'm-already-warm-and-cosy' moments.

I wanted a tray that was big enough to hold plenty of products, but not so big that I'm tempted to overfill it and clutter my bedside table up. This handmade one is from Oliver Bonas, and since I'm addicted to all things copper at the minute, I'm a little bit in love.

On to products, I keep my trusty REN Clarifying Toner and some cotton pads to apply it by my side at all times. This toner mildly exfoliates so is really nice for everyday use to encourage glowing skin.
I then use my favourite serum, Advanced Night Repair by Estée Lauder which I've spoken about on here before and follow up with REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream. This is really good for use in the day but due to the cold weather in the UK at the moment, my skin is getting really dry and I'm in the market for a new, slightly more hydrating moisturiser for night. So, if you have any recommendations please comment or tweet me!

Night time is where I like to do most of my lip pampering, so I have a little arsenal of products by my bedside to enable me to do so. I recently invested in a new Lush lip scrub and went for their new Valentine's Day offering. I'm not too keen on this one (the little hearts inside may be cute but really are annoying!), so I'd probably opt for one of their permanent ones if you're looking for one. I then have my favourite Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm which I slather on before bed. For a little more intense hydration I use Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream. This is a great product if you can stand the smell! It's a great multipurpose product which is why I like to keep it beside my bed so much. I use it on my facial eczema, my elbows, my hands, my eyebrows and any really dry areas over my body.

What are some of your favourite skincare products for night time? Anything I need to be checking out?

The Prettiest Palette Of Them All

Okay, I'll admit it. I had a weak moment. After a good couple of months of talking myself out of buying the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette because I 'didn't need any more blushers', I bought three more blushers. I have an excuse though... Ish. Whenever a product is limited edition, it always draws me in, I just can't explain it. You know that old saying, you always want what you can't have? It's like that. So, when browsing Space NK's website and I saw it was no longer on there, I went onto Liberty (the only place I could find it stocked, so hurry!) and made a massive impulse buy. Absolutely no regrets whatsoever here. It's b e a u tiful. Not to mention the gold mirrored packaging. Swoon.

It includes the three most amazing shades, Luminous Flush / Incandescent Electra and Mood Exposure. They all look absolutely beautiful on the skin and because they're veined with the brand's Ambient Lighting Powders, they look so natural and luminous swept across the cheeks. Fun fact for you, they actually make a really nice colour when mixed altogether (yes, I had a bit of a mad moment when I first got it and couldn't decide what colour I wanted to use. We've all been there).

I know it's pricey, but I genuinely do think of it as an investment as they're powders so if you keep your brushes clean will last a good few years and are colours that you can wear with most makeup looks. My favourite shade is Incandescent Electra which is the only limited edition shade from the palette, but all the rest are from the permanent line, which I'm dying to try more of. Grab one while you can, your cheeks will thank you for it!

The Best Things In Life Aren't Always Free

When it comes to spending money, when I want to be, I can be really quite restrained. However, if you mention the latest luxury makeup release to me, my heart goes all into a flutter and that self-restraint goes straight out the window and into the pockets of a major department store. Now of course, this may seem like a bit of a shallow premise for a blog post. But hear me out. Of course, I don't think that the best things in life have to cost the earth. In fact, I'm a firm believer that one of the best things in life is waking up before your alarm and realising you still have hours left to sleep, but that's something for another day. What I'm talking about are some of my absolute favourite makeup products, and despite them costing the earth, they really do have a special place in my makeup loving heart.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve stopped needlessly spending money on drugstore makeup (except a few items – this girl ain’t spendin £20+ on a brow gel, nu uhh) and invested my money into more high end products. Putting my face on in the mornings is my favourite part of the day, and ultimately, my day is improved and I feel much better if I’m using nice products. Here are some of my favourite high end picks, for a day when you just want to indulge.

NARS RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER (£22):

I was really hoping that this would be a one-time purchase. £5 more for a lot less product than my previous love, MAC Prolongwear Concealer, I was just curious to give it a go and see what all the hype was about. If only I’d known just how much I’d fall in love with it. It matches my foundation shade perfectly, which is something I really struggle with being even paler than NW10 in MAC (I know. Bronzer is my best friend) and the consistency is something NARS described perfectly in the name. It’s radiant, so never looks cakey but is just so creamy and a dream to blend. I prefer it under the eyes but it’s fine over blemishes too.

NARS SHEER GLOW FOUNDATION (£31):

The reason I fell in love with this initially was because it was the only foundation I’ve ever found to match my skin tone. Despite being really pale, I actually have quite a yellow undertone, which not a lot of brands cater for. This, however, is perfect. It has just the right amount of yellow in it without making me look like I’m coming down with a stomach bug. Not only that, the formula and coverage of it is lovely. It was actually the formula that converted me from a strictly matte gal, to a full on glowy fiend. I even mix it most days with NARS’ Copacabana Illuminator for a fresher, healthier look. The only downside is that it does have a tendency to cling to dry patches, but this is rarely a problem for me. Just bear it in mind though if you do get dry skin.

ESTÉE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR (£69):

Although my skin still isn’t perfect (who doesn’t get breakouts?), going from having full-blown acne to the occasional spot, I attribute a lot of that to this product. I changed my skincare routine up quite a bit this year. No more overloading my skin with really hyped up, stripping products and focusing more on gentle skincare that wouldn’t make my sensitive skin flare up. This was the serum I chose to put into my routine, and I really do think it’s made the world of difference. It contains hyaluronic acid that makes any moisturiser you put on over it work 100 times better, and because of that it’s like having 12 hours sleep and 2 litres of water in a bottle. And above all of that good stuff, it has the most fun pipette dispenser, which makes it the best skincare product to apply ever. Enough said.

NUXE REVE DE MIEL LIP BALM (£9.50):

Now this certainly isn’t bank breaking, but it’s not your standard tin of Vaseline either. Coming in at just under £10 a pot, it’s worth each and every penny. The only part of my skin that really gets dry and sore are my lips, and this completely sorts out every problem with one application. I’m not too sure of the ingredients except honey, but I think they’ve been sent from the heavens above or something like that. If you’re in the market for a new lip balm, don’t go wasting your money on a tin of those amazing smelling Nivea lip butters that sit on your lips and give you no benefit whatsoever, get a tub of this.

CHANEL CREAM BLUSH (£28):

I wrote a post on mine quite a while ago, but these are just one of the nicest formulas of any cream product I’ve tried. My skin tends to play up with cream products and I struggle to find any that work on me, but this is a blusher I’ve recommended to people time and time again, whether they are a cream product lover or not. It feels like velvet to the touch and is blended out so easily but lasts all day. In terms of cream blushers, I would definitely say it’s one of the best. But, as with all Chanel products, they don’t come cheap.

TOM FORD LIPSTICK (£37):
As I said, having dry lips means that wearing lipstick can often be a faff, as after a few hours my lips are even drier than when the lipstick was applied. This is one of the only exceptions I’ve found where the colour lasts a long time and continually moisturises my lips throughout the day. It’s not one of those lipsticks I’d apply on a ‘wasted makeup day’ (you know what I’m talking about) because of the hefty price tag, but I’m already eyeing up a few more shades despite this, so I think that’s a sign of a good product to me.

What are some of your favourite high end products? As if I need any more persuading to spend my money!

My Christmas Day Face

Products Used:
NYX Angel Veil Primer // Nars Sheer Glow Foundation // Nars Copacabana Illuminator // MAC Prolongwear Concealer // MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter (Light Boost) // Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (Banana & Fawn) // MAC Peaches Blush // MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (Lightscapade) // Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade (Taupe) // Urban Decay Primer Potion // Urban Decay Naked Palette (Virgin, Naked, Sin, Sidecar) // NYX Gel Liner & Smudger (Scarlette) // Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner (East End Snob) // Tom Ford Lipstick (Spanish Pink) // NYX Butter Gloss (Tirimasu) // Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray - phew!

Brace yourselves, because this is going to be one very text-heavy post with no pictures I'm afraid! *Slaps self on the wrist* bad blogger. Christmas Day is the only day of the year I find it appropriate to completely cover every inch of my face in as much makeup as I want and not feel any guilt whatsoever... So I did.

Firstly, I prepped my skin by priming with the NYX Angel Veil primer (Thank you, Kim!). This just helped to even out my skintone and smooth my skin over. In terms of increasing the life of my makeup, I do think it helped somewhat.

Next, I used my usual every-day base of Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, mixed in with a drop of their Copacabana Illuminator, but amped up the coverage by just applying more to the areas I needed it. That's the good thing about this combination, the dewiness allows you to layer it up without things getting too cakey. Then as usual, concealed under my eyes and on any blemishes using MAC Prolongwear Concealer and highlighted under my eyes, down the nose, on the cupid's bow, on my chin and the forehead using MAC's Prep + Prime Highlighter in Light Boost.

I then set any highlighted areas using the Banana shade from the ABH Contour Kit to brighten my face up further. I then set the remainder of my face, as usual, using Rimmel's Stay Matte translucent powder.

Since I'm so pale, bronzer is an absolute essential for me, especially when there may be any photos taken. I took the shade Fawn from the ABH Contour Kit to contour my face and then bronze in all the usual areas. Then to add more life to my face I used MAC Peaches blush on the apples of my cheeks, and MAC Lightscapade MSF on the tops of my cheekbones, on my brow bone, down the bridge of my nose and on my cupid's bow.

Moving onto the eyes, primer is essential for my hooded eyelids to keep everything in place with no creasing or smudging. I use Urban Decay Primer Potion to do the job. I went for a typical Alice neutral eye look using the Urban Decay Naked Palette. Naked in the crease, Sin all over the lid, Sidecar on the outer corner and Virgin in the inner corner. Then, to give my hooded eyes some definition, I used Topshop's liquid liner along my lash line without winging it out. Followed my lashings of mascara, my eyes were done. As for eyebrows, a bit of ABH Dipbrow Pomade through the tail of them and they were good to go. You know you're in need of an eyebrow threading when you don't even need to fill in your eyebrows because they're too thick as it is!

Finally, to complete my look, I lined my lips with the Rimmel lip liner that everyone seems to be going crazy over at the minute (Eastend Snob), went over them with Tom Ford's Spanish Pink Lipstick and topped it off with NYX Butter Gloss in Tirimasu.

Dear Santa, I'm A Poor Student...

TOM FORD LIPSTICK: SPANISH PINK //
I've been lusting after a lipstick from this luxury brand for a long, long time, but at nearly £40 a go, I thankfully have been resisting. I would like to think I am highly unlikely to spend this much money on a lipstick, so I've put this at the top of my Christmas list.

JIMMY CHOO: STARS PERFUME //
I'm not a fan of the original Jimmy Choo fragrance, but there's something about their limited edition releases that always reel me in. Typical! I'm not good at describing scents so I'd just recommend going and giving this one a smell, because it really is lovely. I would never buy myself a perfume (unless it was my staple Zara one), so that's why I'm asking for this this year.

HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING POWDER: DIFFUSED LIGHT //
I've really been favouring a glow to my skin recently and word on the blogging street is that these powders are the perfect product for the job. If anything's going to blur my imperfections and set my makeup for the day too, sign me up.

MAC PREP + PRIME HIGHLIGHTER: LIGHT BOOST //
Since I get little sleep, I need some help in the under-eye department. I've heard that these MAC Prep & Prime ones are one of the best bag disguisers in the game and I've been dying to try this for ages.

MAC MINERALIZE SKINFINISH: LIGHTSCAPADE //
I'm addicted to highlighters and once again, this is another product I've wanted for a long time. I absolutely love Soft & Gentle, so I'm sure I'm going to love this one too.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS DIPBROW POMADE: TAUPE //
I may or may not have sneakily treated myself to this before I could publish this post, but it's just so perfect I couldn't wait! If you're looking for something that's going to last on your brows all day and give you a really defined shape, you can't get much better. The lighter shades aren't too warm toned either which is perfect for cool-toned blondes like myself.

CHANEL ROUGE COCO SHINE: INTIME //
I'm a big fan of the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks and this shade is just another pinky nude from the range that I've been lusting over.

The Perfect Travel Companion

The Shimmers L-R: Silk Teddy / Push-Up / Honey Pot / Erotica / Chocolate Martini

The Mattes L-R: Heaven / Nudie / Cashmere Bunny / Sexpresso

Whenever I have the excuse to pack a travel makeup bag, the Too Faced Natural Eyes palette is the first thing I always throw in. Perfectly small and compact, it fits in any makeup bag without being too bulky and because of it's metal casing, isn't easily damaged. It also contains a small mirror should you need one.

The palette contains 9 shades, 4 being matte and 5 being shimmer (although the shimmer in Erotica and Chocolate Martini doesn't really translate too much until the light hits) so is perfect for creating any neutral eye look, whether you want a simple everyday eye, or a full on gold smokey eye for night time.

As always with Too Faced products, the eyeshadows are excellent quality. My only complaint is that I don't think the matte cream shade should be so big. I think a shade like Push-Up or Honey Pot would be much better suited. Who uses that much matte white shade?!

Packing for going home for Christmas this year will be easy this year with this palette. A good all round palette for every occasion!

Naked 3 One Year On

As soon as I saw the first sneak peaks of the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette on their Instagram last year just before Christmas, I, along with many other Urban Decay fans put the palette right at the top of my Christmas list. I was so excited to receive the palette on Christmas day, but with all the hype surrounding it, I think I was a bit too quick to pass judgement. Which is why I want to share my thoughts on the offering, one year on.

Have I used the palette as often as I'd have liked to? No. I honestly don't think the shades in the palette are all that wearable at all. They're all beautiful shades, but probably not for every day. It could be down to my colouring, but I generally don't tend to ever reach for the pink shades in the palette as much as I'd have hoped.

This being said, the second half of the palette with the darker sides are absolutely beautiful and are the real redeeming factor for it. Generally, the first half up to the rose gold colour doesn't get touched much at all unless I feel like going for a really pretty eye look. I use the darker shades way more than the pink ones, but I definitely wouldn't say that they're worth buying the palette for.

Just to clear things up, I'm not saying that I hate this palette, because that isn't the case at all. I love the packaging and I think it's beautiful. The darker shades from the palette are stunning and I really do get the use out of them. And as for the pink shades, they are equally as lovely. I just really don't see why Urban Decay would create a palette for the 'Naked' range, which really isn't that neutral at all... I just don't think it really fits in with the 'family'. If you're looking to invest in a Naked palette that's going to work for you every day and in every situation, I'd definitely recommend going for one of its two predecessors.