Question Wednesday: Holy Grail Products

I've missed writing the Question Wednesday posts, so was very pleased when I woke up yesterday to see there was a new one to get involved with. Unfortunately I haven't got back into the swing of it by posting this a day late but it was getting I really love topic of holy grail products and so better late than never! (Posting these a day late seems to be happening too frequently for my liking and I vow to not be late for the next one!)

1. What is your go-to eye makeup look? What products do you use to achieve this look?

   I'm definitely a neutral eye kind of girl with lots of eyeliner and mascara. For a quick everyday eye makeup I start with MAC groundwork paintpot all over the lid, then apply MAC summerhaze mineral eyeshadow all over the lid followed by Maybelline 24hr Studio gel eyeliner on the upper lash line and my Look Eyeliner pencil in No 6, which is flesh coloured, on the water line. Lastly I put on lashings of black mascara.  

2. What are your top 3 favourite lip products for summer?

   I've been loving really moisturising lip products, such as the Revlon Lip butters, Burts Bees Lip Shimmers and my Carmex Moisture Plus lip tint.

3. What is your favourite liquid face product?

   I haven't found a liquid foundation that I have loved and would call holy grail yet. I really love my Nature Republic By Flower BB cream, especially in the hot weather as it doesn't tend to slide off my face in the same way as my liquid foundations do.

4. What is your favourite eyebrow product?

   To be honest I don't really do anything with my eyebrows. My eyebrows are kind of gingery and I have yet to find a colour that doesn't make them look odd. At most I just run some clear mascara through them. If anyone has any suggestions they would be welcome!

5. Lastly, what are some of your holy grail makeup items?

   I really love my MAC paintpots and haven't manged to find anything better. I adore my Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara, which I have a post on here. I would have to say the Revlon Lip butters which are a great alternative and more hydrating then lipsticks and aren't sticky like a lipgloss. The Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer is great for covering blemishes and stays put and my flesh toned Look eyeliner is fantastic for making me look bright eyed in the mornings!

So that's the round up for this weeks Question Wednesday post. What are some of your holy grail products? I'd love to hear about them and maybe check out a few :)

Rae xxx

April Favourites

Hi everyone!

I can’t believe how quickly this year is going. April has flown by and now my birthday is just around the corner and I only have 4 more weeks left of my degree. In April I discovered a few new pieces which I’ve really been enjoying using. So here’s everything I’ve enjoyed this month:

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

While Boots were having their 3 for 2 offer I picked up quite a few of these brushes. This is definitely one of the stars and makes applying foundation so much easier to create such a flawless base. It is also super soft and feels amazing against the skin. I love it and can’t imaging using anything else for applying my foundation now.

Revlon Lip Butters in Sugar Frosting and Candy Apple

I’ve never really been a lip product person, but these have definitely sparked an interest. I love the feel of these on the lips and the colour pay off these have. I’ve been reaching for Sugar Frosting on an almost daily basis to add a pretty pearly sheen.

No 7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter Power

Highlighter is one of those products which I’ve never owned until now as I’ve never had the desire to. However I had a No 7 voucher and this looked so pretty so I thought I would give it a shot. I’m a complete highlighter convert now and love the natural glow this gives so much that I’ve been reaching for this every day.

The Balm Frat Boy Blush

I received this is my first Carmine box back in October. I had used it every now and again but it wasn’t until this month that I’ve been reaching for it on a regular basis. This blush is beautifully pigmented, giving a matte pinky coral flush to the cheeks, and lasts really well too. Plus the retro packaging is really fun.

Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream

Jeannette sent this to me after her trip to Korea and I was so excited to receive this in my package. This BB cream has a gorgeous rose scent, applies wonderfully with a fairly good amount of coverage. I’ve been reaching for this a lot, particularly on days when I don’t want a full face of makeup. I think I will reaching for this when (or if) the warmer weather appears over standard foundation.

Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner

I have a whole new skincare routine thanks to the lovely ladies in Lush and I have been so impressed with this toner. I love this toner, it leaves my skin feeling refreshed without drying it out. I’ll keep my comments short as I’m planning on doing a full review of this soon so look out for that!

The Body Shop Jasmine and Frangipani Body, Room and Linen Spray

I’m a bit obsessed with scented candles, room sprays, incense sticks, basically anything that will leave my room smelling good. This is the newest spray I’ve added to my collection and has such a fresh floral scent. I love spraying it on my bed sheets before I go to bed at night.

So here is everything that I’ve loved in the month of April. Do you share any of my favourites or have any suggestions for products for me to try out in May?

Love R xxx

Review: Revlon Lip Butters

Hi Everyone,

This post isn’t going to be anything new and has been sat in my drafts for a while. However as I love the Revlon Lip Butters so much I thought it was about time I did a little review of them. 

There has been so much hype surrounding the Revlon Lip Butters that I was over the moon when Jeanette kindly sent me one in the shade Sweet Tart. As soon as I opened the package I put it on my lips and fell in love. I wanted to try out a few more of the shades and after a few trips to Boots searching for them I managed to pick up three more in the shades Candy Apple, Macaroon and Sugar Frosting. Lip products are something which I’ve only recently developed a real interest in and I’m slowly becoming a bit more daring in the colours I’m choosing to wear. I think these Lip Butters are perfect for anyone who’s wanting to experiment with brighter colours as there are such a range of gorgeous colours which, while being pigmented, aren’t too dramatic due to the formulation.

The packaging of the Lip Butters is stylish and study. I think Revlon’s quilted design is so classic and gives a high end feel to the product. The colour coordinated lids with the shade of lip butter is a great idea and means I don’t have to rummage through my makeup bag to find the shade I’m after. It also makes my makeup bag look lovely and colourful, which is always a bonus.

Left to Right:
Sugar Frosting, Candy Apple, Sweet Tart, Macaroon

The formulation of these lip butters is amazing. I find them to glide on the lips like a lip balm, with the pigmentation of a sheer lipstick. The pigmentation of these is actually pretty impressive for the most part and adds a real pop of colour, while the balmy nature of these also gives a glossy look. I find the colour to last around 2 hours on my lips. The only downside is that the product can smush a little on around the edges of the case as you twist the lip butter down after use. I guess this is because the product is quite balmy and so I wouldn’t advise keeping these in a warm place for too long as the product is likely to melt.

Swatches, Left to Right:
Sugar Frosting, Candy Apple, Sweet Tart, Macaroon

I think my favourite out of the Lip Butters I have picked up is Candy Apple. I never thought I would be drawn to a red lip product but I’ve fallen in love with the yellow toned red shade. I find it to be a very wearable colour and giving a gorgeous glossy red lip without it being too loud or make me feel like my mum. Sweet Tart is a gorgeous bright yellow toned pink colour, perfect for the spring and summer. I can see myself wearing this a lot over the coming months. Macaroon is a reddish dusky pink with gold shimmer. It is the kind of colour that I’m normally drawn to in a lip stick. Candy Apple, Sweet Tart and Macaroon are very pigmented and apply to give colour more like a lipstick than a tinted lip balm. The final colour I picked up is Sugar Frosting which is the least pigmented out of all of the ones I own. It gives a pearlesent baby pink sheen to the lips which I think suits my pale skin tone. 

Clockwise From Top Left:
Sugar Frosting, Candy Apple, Sweet Tart, Macaroon

Overall I really love the Revlon Lip Butters. I’m becoming a bit obsessed and have my eye on a couple more shades. Have you tried any of the Lip Butters? Are you hooked too or did you find they didn’t live up to the hype?

Love 

Rae 

xxx

International Goodies and Makeup Swap with Jeanette No. 2

I really enjoyed my first swap with Jeanette back in February. Not only have I discovered some really great makeup products but I feel like I’ve made a new friend as well. Cheesy I know, but true. She took a trip to South Korea and kindly got me a few pieces while she was out there. I had been picking up a few pieces for her too whenever I saw something I thought she would like and so sent her a small package too. If you would like to see what I sent Jeanette then do go and check out her blog post. This wasn’t a makeup swap as such as neither of us requested anything and there was no arranged shipping date or budget, it was more of a care package full of I-saw-this-and-thought-of-you items.

My parcel arrived a few weeks ago now and I’ve had a chance to try a few pieces out. Jeanette shared with me a few samples she received. I love getting samples and so I’m really excited to try all of these out. Here is everything she sent me:

Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream

I really loved the sample of Skin 79 BB cream I received in the last swap and so was so happy to get this full sized bottle of BB cream. I’ve been wearing this a lot and I’m definitely starting to reach for it over foundation. It has a slight rose scent to it, which is quite subtle but lovely.

Cezanne Eyeshadow Quad

This is such a pretty quad and I really love the colours. The formulation is so soft and buttery. I haven’t used this one yet but I can’t wait to try it.

The Face Shop Lovely Me:ex Auto Eyeliner in 02 Black Brown

This is a lovely eyeliner which glides on smoothly, smudges out well and stays on all day. I love the deep brown colour, which is great for everyday use. 

The Face Shop Lovely Me:ex Nail Polish in WH003

This nail varnish is so cute, with pink glitter and pink shimmery hearts. I have really been enjoying glitter nail varnishes recently and so I was so happy to see this in my parcel.

Etude House Nail Varnish in Shade No 6

I was looking for a peach coloured nail varnish and it was as if Jeanette read my mind when she sent this to me! It is a matte nail varnish which I had never tried before so this was doubly exciting for me. 

Etude House Apricot Stick in Shade No 3

I think the best way to describe this is as a lip butter. It is so soft, buttery and hydrating like a lip balm but had great pigmentation like a lipstick. Plus it smells so good, just like apricots. The colour is great too, an everyday pink colour.

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

When Jeanette said she had sent me a Revlon Lip Butter I was so happy. They had just been released over here yet I couldn’t find them anywhere and with all the hype surrounding them I had such an urge to try them. This is one of the more popular colours from what I can tell – it seems to be sold out in many of the Boots Stores I’ve been in. I really like the Lip Butters and there will be more in a blog post soon.

Green Tea, Avocado and Caviar Sheet Masks

I was very pleased to see some more Sheet Masks as these are great and I have no idea where to get these in the UK. I’m rationing out my sheet masks at the moment for that reason.

The samples I were sent are as follows:

The Face Shop Natural Sun Power Long Lasting Sun Cream in SPF 45

Holika Holika HD Skinny Primer Base

Holika Holika Aquah Splash Emulsion

The Saem Ylang Ylang Multi Cleanser

Face It Power Perfection BB Cream

Tony Moly Tomato Magic White Massage Pack

Baviphat Apple Sample (I’m not quite sure what this one is as the packet is entirely in Korean but some googling seems to show it could be a Peeling Gel Mask??)

Finally Jeanette also sent me a bookmark which is so beautiful. I love receiving little tokens which tell you something about the place they come from and so I really appreciated this!

So there is everything that came in my parcel. There will definitely be doing so more indepth reviews of some of the items so look out for those. A big thank you to Jeanette for sending me everything :). Have you taken part in a makeup swap? How did you find the experience?

Love Rae xxx