February Favourites

Welcome to my first favourites post!
... and it seems I have lost the ability to spell February correctly, thank god for auto-correct (sometimes)

I know it's late, but come on, it's my first time, cut me some slack okay!

Starting with the face products, from left to right: 

Body Shop's Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder at £13.00

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Power at £29.00

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation at £9.00

Body Shop's Tea Tree Pore Minimiser Primer at £7.50

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush at £10.00

This honey bronzer has been an absolute dream this month, with the cold, frosty weather I am paler than ever, and am constantly on the hunt for a contouring bronzer that doesn't look muddy and orange on me- and I have found the one. Using the lightest shade in 01, I have found the perfect colour, amazing for contouring due to its shimmerless formulation, so I have been able to really find my ideal contour. This compact also comes with the most handy mirror ready for on the go make up, and the honeycomb printing on the product adds a cute touch. Would really really recommend this for any one with pale skin, and even if you don't... basically everybody...

The powder has been a god send this month, for some reason my oily skin is producing a ridiculous amount of oil in this cold weather, and although I'm not a powder gall, I've been really needing this. This is so great as it's translucent and so so fine, so doesn't set heavily on the skin and also does not affect the colour, ensuring you don't end up looking cakey. Although it's a bit pricey, a little really does go a long way, so it will last for ever!

Now I haven't been using this foundation for long at all, but after all the great reviews I just had to get it and I haven't been disappointed. But I will be doing a blog post soon on a few foundations so remember to keep on the look out if you'd like to hear more.

Primer is a must in my make up bag, and after I finished my POREfessional, I couldn't justify buying another pot for £25.00 even though I do really love it. I have already written a review of this gorgeous product here so go check it out.

I can't even explain my love for Real Technique Brushes, they are just FAB-U-LOUS. I use the expert face brush to apply my foundation, and I think it gives a great flawless but natural finish, helping to buffer in the product, leaving no brush lines and just being generally everything a foundation brush needs to be! 

From left to right:

L'Orèal Extraordinary Oil at (around) £7.00

LUSH Love Lettuce Facemask at £5.95

L'Orèal TXT supersizing spray at £4.50

In the dry, cold winter months a hair oil is a must have item. I'm really liking this one from L'Orèal, it just does the job well, hydrating the ends of my hair, keeping them from splitting and keeping the appearance healthy by adding a perfect shine, this oil is totally un-greasy and much better price than some of the more well known and loves oils, however I feel it performs just as well.

This Facemask is great for people with spot prone skin it removes all the dirt, brightens the completion and even has gentle exfoliating agents in, so when you rub this off, you're getting a nice exfoliating treatment too! Even though it's deeply cleaning it does not make my skin dry in the slightest, one of my all time favourite masks and a great Sunday treat.

I am a huge hater for flat, lifeless hair. I have a rounded face shape that needs a lifted hair style, and as I have very very long hair which I refuse to cut, getting some oomph can be quite tricky. This spray is really great. I really don't enjoy volumising products that leave your hair feeling a horrible texture, so this is perfect, this can just be sprayed on dry sections of your hair, giving an instant boost and smelling gorgeous, with a purse friendly price tag I really can't fault this!

Finally for my new babies:

Nike Free Run 5.0 at £85.00

Ouch, look at the price tag! They may seem pretty expensive but boy these trainers are so worth it. I gym regularly, and these really do make such a difference in my performance, I can run longer, train harder and feel no discomfort in the slightest (in the foot area). I also wear these around college with leggings or black jeans and really like the look they give off. I get compliments on them everyday and they are just SO SO SO COMFY. The slits on the sole make them very flexible, so perfect for running and all other sports really, I can't recommend these enough. If you would like a full review with more pictures of them in action please leave a comment below.

Thank you for reading, 

Hope you've enjoyed my first favourites blog

See you soon,

Zoe xx

My Foundation Wishlist

Hello All,

It's been such a long time, been so so busy recently. Hasn't February just flown by!

I am a foundation obsessor, having perfect, flawless skin is something am always looking to get after recently recovering from Acne after my journey through Roaccutane.

Anyway, after many hours of research and videos I have narrowed my Foundation Wishlist down to 6 products, 5 luxury and 1 highstreet.

1.

Nars Sheer Glow. £31.00
I think every single beauty interested person out there will have heard/wanted/tried this product. Said to brighten and hydrate skin to give a radiant and glowing, satin-finish. Minimising skin discolouration, this 'sheer' (but said to be medium) but build-able coverage is suitable for normal and dry skin types. Although I personally have combination to oily skin, I will be trying this cult product out soon! And lets be honest, most Nars products are faultless! Would be great for a light summer foundation I think.

2.

Illamasqua Skin Base. £27.00 

Another classic, I have never tried an Illimasqua face product before, only eye and nail items, so I would be really interested to try this out having heard great things. It is said to be very easily blend able, creating the perfect undetectable HD completion, suitable for all skin types (BONUS) and smooths and softens skin. This is a natural, build-able coverage.

3.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk. £35.50

Now were talking. This is what luxe would feel like. Apparently you are able to capture the "perfect glow" in this oil-free hydrating fluid. Being light weight giving a silky texture that gilded seamlessly with it's micro-fil technology. A build able coverage foundation. A definite check for the birthday list!

4.

Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Éclat. £30.50

Anyone who's anyone knows of the world famous Touche éclat highlighter pen, and if you're anything like me you love it! Such a brilliant undetectable highlighter, making you able to get the perfect contour. Well this new(ish) product does just that... as a foundation! It targets shadowy areas and defines contours, enhancing the face's natural features by this lightweight, non-cakey feeling fluid, giving the ultimate radiance. 

5.

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. £34.00

Now I have been pining over this lil' beauty for ages, each time I have gone into the department store to buy this, they have been out of stock of my colour (soft ivory) gah, the limits of pale skin 'ey. Anyway, I will be getting my paws on this soon! However it is a full coverage foundation, so will I get much use in the summer?  Anyway, this rich and luminous foundation offers full coverage while hydrating and protecting the skin. Perfect for covering dark areas and hyper-pigmentation.

6. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. £9.99

Finally for my highstreet pick. I have only heard great things about this foundation, many beauty guru's have actually compared this to many-a luxury foundations and have actually preferred this! Giving a radiant and flawless completion for up to 16 hours, this fluid includes apricot for radiance, melon for hydration and apple to protect youthful skin, it evens out skin colour but still lets the naturalness shine through. The soft, fresh, easily blend-able texture leaves a radiant finish. I think this is a must for the summer. 

Thank you so much for reading, let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these foundations and tell me what you think of them! 

bye

xx

My Cosy Night In Natural MakeUp Look

Wow, what a crazy week!
Had such a busy time, with loads of exams and other bits and bobs on too, so I've only just found time to sit down and blog!

I went out on friday night, so this saturday I just had a quiet night in at the boyfriends house, so I thought I'd show you how I did my very natural, quick, not a lot of effort needed make up look

ENJOY 

So first off I prepped my skin with my all time favourite moisturiser, the AVEDA botanical kinetics hydrating lotion 

I then used the SEVENTEEN phwoarr paint in the colour fair and applied this under my eyes and on any blemishes, also over my cheeks as they were very red, so it evened the colour, and i blended this out with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, which I absolutely love for concealer and foundation.

I then used a small amount of my Estèe Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation in the colour INTENSITY 1, and used the same Real Techniques brush to buff this in... I spent a long time buffing to really get a natural finish. This foundation is great medium, buildable coverage, so I just blended for a while to get a natural finish.

Here you can see that my under eye bags are nicely covered and my colour has been nicely evened out and blemishes covered. 

I then moved onto brows, one of the most important steps for me, as I am naturally blonde, I have very very light eyebrows so I tint them this colour you see above or they would be invisible. To fill in any sparse areas I use my very well loved Urban Decay Naked Palette. For the brows i use the colour 'NAKED', the brush I use is the Urban Decay 'Good Karma' brush as I find this applies the product on really naturally, I use a spoolie to comb through then first, then push the product up rather than across to get a bolder effect.

As you can see this palette is very messy, and well loved...

I then took my MAC eyeshadow in 'SHROOM' which is a gorgeous pale creamy colour, absolutely wonderful at highlighting brow bones, and took this on a fluffy brush and applied all over my lid to even out and discolouration and on my brow bone to highlight.

I then took DARKHORSE from the same Urban Decay palette and on an angled brush applies a thin layer to the top of my lash line, I used a pressing technique to make sure the shadow would stay, this was to produce a natural eyeliner without the harshness of a black liquid liner.

After curling my eyelashes with my NO.7 curlers, I applied my Elizabeth Arden Maximum Volume Mascara in Black. It gives a full but not too overpowering look, keeping the lashes separate and looking longer.

Next onto Blusher, I wanted a natural flush so used my NARS Blush in DEEP THROAT, for that natural winter pinched look. I applied a small amount with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.

After I used my extremely old Dream Terra Sun by Maybelline, because it's great for contouring subtly, and then I dust it over the whole of my face for more of a glow. However it isn't very well pigmented, so even with extremely pale skin its very subtle! 

Then I used the same Blush Brush to apply a minimal amount of the Laura Mercier Translucent powder which i absolutely love for setting my make up!

Then possibly my favourite step is highlighting, on cosy nights in I just wanted a minimal highlight, so used one of my favourite products, the Yves Saint Laurent Touche èclait radiant touch in shade 2.

I apply this under my eye to cover any fall down and brighten and on the tops of my cheek bone, and down the centre of my nose. I JUST LOVE IT.

Lastly I wanted a simple colour and moisturising lip product so went for my Clinique Chubby Stick in 04 mega melon, which gives a lovely colour while being really hydrating for the winter time. 

and here is the finished look...

So I took some photos in different lights so you could see properly!

I really hope you like this look, I thought it was just right for a cosy night in, I apologise for the comfy hoody and terrible hair, I forgot to fix those before... oops

See you soon

Love Zoe xx