My Everyday Make up Routine FOTD using Naked 3

Hey All

As you read this L and I will hopefully have arrived at Glastonbury and be in the queue. We will stop speaking about it soon but we are just sooooo excited to go to our first festival!

Today I wanted to share with you my everyday go to make up look. This is one I do if I have enough time to tackle the dreaded cat eye in the morning. I tend to go for the liner if I'm meeting someone or doing something after work. Please ignore my brows they were being grown out pre wax!

Since I got naked 3 I use it almost everyday. I wasn't sure about the pinky tones to it at first but I really love the way they look on my skin tone and think they'd suit many tones. They also have some amazing matte neutrals that are so easy to use everyday.

I tend to go with a matte crease colour then shimmer colours over the lid and deeper colour through my outer v. For this look I used limit and nooner mixed and blended out through the crease with a bit of dust and liar on the lid and the used factory and blackheart and add some darkness to the corner.

As always for me the gel liner is maybeline. I'm on my third little pot of it. I just can't find another to compare. For mascara it's my ever faithful maybeline colossal volume. Another old faithful! And on the brows is my eylure brow pencil. 

For skin I'm loving using Illamasqua skin base. It gives such a light flawless finish and lasts all day.     

The cheek combination is one I've not been able to find a better mix of. My Liz Earle healthy glow bronzer and Benefit dandelion blush. For highlighter I'm loving the one from the naked flushed palette as it's a bit better for day time than Mac MSF as it's less sparkly.                

For concealer I'm still loving my Nars Radient Creamy Concealer. It offers amazing coverage, lasts all day and my little tube is still going since before Christmas. I think it's running low now but seen as it gets used a lot I'm impressed it's last so long.

On the lips is Mac Brick o la. This is one of my favourite all time lipsticks. It's an amazing soft red and not so in your face if you don't want to wear a bright red to work (personally I love bright reds but I know some people find them OTT for work!). It is an amplifed formula so lasts really well and is opaque in one coat.

What are your everyday favourites? Do you get stuck in a make up rut? I'm definitely in one at the moment! I think I need to take my naked palettes off myself for a bit!

Love M

xxx

Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Mascara 100% Black

Morning All

I'm currently very tired post gig last night. I'm regretting changing my day off but I'm sure a 5 day weekend is better than having today off.

This is a review I've been meaning to write for a while. I've mentioned this mascara in numerous posts on the blog and it's been a firm high street favourite of mine for almost 6 years!

It's the Maybelline Colossal Volume in 100% black. I'm a mascara junkie. I love the stuff and I'm always after the next amazing mascara for full volume lashes and love trying new ones. I always come back to Colossal Volume though.

I love the bright yellow packaging. It means it stands out easily in my ridiculously large stash of make up. The big bristle brush is my favourite type of brush. I prefer these as I find they grab onto the lashes and sseparate better. I find I love this mascara from the get go. It's not one of those you need to leave open for a week. It also doesn't dry up and the brush doesn't get overloaded with product so you aren't left with clumpy lashes. It lasts all day and doesn't flake off leaving panda eyes!

My bare lashes

With one coat my lashes have natural volume, good separation and look black.

With two coats the volume starts to build up without clumping so my lashes look thicker. It adds some length and curl but on my lashes this mascara is best for volume. I do normally curl my lashes but for mascara reviews I don't so you can see the full effect.

With three coats the lashes get thicker and still stay clump free.

I personally find four coats is the maximum my lashes can have. It leaves them with full volume and clump free. It's quite a dramatic look but I love my mascara like this. I find anymore coats and the separation is lost.

I've recommended this mascara to so many people and most have fallen in love too. It really will always be a firm favourite for me. Have you tried it?

Love M

xxx

Review: Maybelline Volume Express Colossal Smoky Eyes Mascara

Today's review is on a product M has been bugging me to buy for ages.

She's been using the Colossal Volume mascara from Maybelline for 4 years now and has been trying to get me to try it but I just haven't got round to it.

I saw this new Smokey Eyes version in Boots the other day so have finally picked it up!

First off I love that it's individually packaged and you know for sure that no one has been sticking their fingers in it and trying it on their own eyes.

M knows me and my sensitive eyes, after 3 months every mascara is in the bin because of the rate of bacteria growth inside the tube and so it's rare that I buy an expensive mascara because I just don't see the benefits.

This version of Colossal Volume claims that it also creates a smokey eye effect at the same time as coating your lashes without clumping them together for a sultry eye.

This instantly wins me over!

I do love a smokey eye and have just finished working on my dissertation which was on fire and accelerants.

Clearly this was a sign I needed to buy this product with its wispy smoke in the packaging background.... (I'm such a sucker!)

This mascara goes perfectly with our blog theme, yellow and black CSI style tape ha.

If truth be told I'm not a huge fan of yellow but this is so much easier to find in my bag than darker packaged products!

You can see the big brush below and can clearly see how many of your lashes it will grab on the way through.

I find bigger brushes mean fluffier and less clumpy lashes, nobody likes a spider eye!

The photos below show the effects of the mascara on my lashes.

I'm lucky enough to have really long lashes, but they're really straight and refuse to curl!

It really does pick up every little lash on the way through!

It does also help to curl them slightly, but not much.

You can see the comparison between the left and right eye, without and with the mascara.

And with both eyelashes coated.

I actually really like this mascara and although I might be better off with a curling mascara and think this one makes my lashes look great.

It's great for day and night wear and not at one point has it smudged down my face or flaked off, bonus points for Maybelline!

As for the smokey eye effect, I can agree with the more matte effect the mascara leaves behind but it makes no difference in terms of a smokey eye.

However this doesn't bother me in the slightest!

Thumbs up from me, maybe I'll have to listen to M more often.....or just annoy her and not ha!

I'm sure next time she'll sneak it into my basket when were shopping.

What do you think of Maybelline's Colossal Volume? Have you tried it?

Do you listen to recommendations from friends or ignore them?

I'm 50/50 ;)

L xxx

10 Things I would Repurchase

I've been meaning to do a post like this for a while. I wanted to do a post on all the products I love so when Lauren from All things beauty, make up and shopping tagged us in this I was pleased.

I think there is a big difference between liking a product and going out and repurchasing a product repeatedly. These are my top 10 products I'd go and re buy at the moment.

1. Revlon ColorStay Foundation in shade 220 natural beige. 

If you have pale skin I cannot recommend this enough. They have such variety for pale shades. I'm the fourth shade in this range and for comparison Mac NW20 is too dark for me. This blends beautifully into the skin and really does last. Perfect for oily/combination skin types.

2. Origins Super Spot Remover

This deserves all the raves it has gotten. It really does shrink and heal spots quicker. It's worth every penny and I can see it lasting a while.

3. Mac large contour brush 168 and Real Techniques Stippling brush.

These are the two brushes I couldn't do without. I probably prefer the Mac one more but purely because if needed I could apply my foundation with fingers. As you can see they need washing (bad blogger). They are used most days and I love them. 

4. Sleek blush by 3 palette in Lace, No7 blush in Honey and Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle. Technically three items but these three products make up my daily cheeks. The No7 blush is the perfect contour shade!

All three of these are amazing, I use the No7 under my cheek bone, One of my sleek blushers on the apples of the cheeks and my Mac MSF to highlight. They look amazing together.

5. Rimmel Match Perfection 2 in 1 concealer and highlighter.

I prefer this to the cult blogger fave collection 2000 one, I really like how it can be used to cover blemishes and how it brightens my under eye area. It lasts all day. The only down side is it has a brush applicator so isn't great when being used on spots (hello bacteria) but it's easy to apply to the hand then on the face.

6. Lauren's Way Darker than Dark

I was very sceptical of this product. Could a celeb branded product beat St Tropez. After seeing so many positive reviews and the fact it's lots cheaper than St Tropez I had to try it. It really gives a lovely colour, fades well and best of all no fake tan smell. And don't worry it doesn't turn you Orange.7

7. Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb

This perfume is amazing and worth every pretty penny it costs. The smell is divine and really lasts all day. This had finally knocked Vera Wang Princess of my top spot.

8. No7 Top Coat

This top coat is very quick drying and leaves nails with such a glossy finish. It's amazing and has already been repurchased twice! I always use my boots vouchers to buy at least one bottle of this.

9.  Maybelline Colossal Volume 

No repurchase or love list would be complete without this product for me. I've been using it for 3-4 years now and while I've tried many others I always go back to this one. It gives amazing volume, doesn't flake off and just makes lashes look beautiful.

10. MUA Heaven and Earth Palette

As you can see, well loved and well used. I love this, I use it most days. I love that it also contains a colour perfect for my eyebrows and the shadows are long lasting and don't leave you with tons of fall out down your face.

That's my list. I haven't included skin care or lipsticks as I love so many lipsticks I couldn't put one and my tastes change a lot and while I love my Clinique and Origins moisturisers I'm not done trying out other.

Is any of the stuff on my list on yours?

I tag, but would love to see any of these anybody does. I think posts like this are so helpful to see what people really love

Love M

xxx