EMPTIES #1

I love trying out new products all the time; however, that usually comes with the cost of having a lot of half finished products. Being a relatively new blogger, I sometimes forget and throw something out before thinking about whether to save it for a post or not. That being said, here are a few empties I've remembered to keep, and what I thought about them.

1. BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX FOUNDATION (£9.99) 

This is EASILY my favorite drugstore foundation ever. It's basically been the foundation I've worn 90% of the time since buying it, and rivals many of my other high-end bases. I love that it has medium coverage, but still looks like skin and wears really well throughout the day. It would be my no.1 base if it weren't for these two things: I got the color 54 Beige, which is a close match but a tad dark and on the pinky side, I wish they made more yellow based shades; and although I love the finish, after a few hours I can look greasy even when I use a primer and powder. It's an easy fix, but I wish it came in slightly less dewy finish. I would definitely repurchase this again though, maybe try shade 53?

2. MAYBELLINE ERASER EYE CONCEALER (£7.99) 

Once again, a favorite. This alone with the foundation above has been by base of choice over the past year or so. It doesn't crease, lasts pretty much all day, and I love the twisting mechanism and applicator. It comes as a close second to my beloved Nars creamy concealer, but doesn't quite make it. The downfall is that I can only use this concealer for under the eyes and not for blemishes, so it's not very multi-purpose, but I'd still repurchase it nevertheless.

3. ANASTASIA BROW WIZ (£15.50) 

I know, I know, everyone and their mother has raved about this so I'm not going to go on about it for too long. Tiny nib to draw in hair-like strokes? Check. Range of colors? Check (I use Brunette). Spoolie? Check (and the best spoolie i've ever had, btw). There's not much else I need from a brow pencil. I will say that before repurchasing, I will be testing out Soap & Glory's version as many people say they're pretty much identical.

4. FIRST AID BEAUTY DEEP CLEANSER WITH RED CLAY (£18.00) 

This will be the only product in this post that I don't rave about. Did I like it? Yes. But did I love it? No. I think it did a pretty good job at cleansing my face, it didn't dry it out in any way and left my skin feeling clean. However, it didn't do anything special. My pores and oiliness remained the same throughout using it, and I found it a little difficult to wash off after massaging it into my skin (I'm still not on board with the whole use a flannel thing on the daily). If you have very oily skin it may be worth checking out I suppose, but I'd definitely recommend the mask from this range over the cleanser. Verdict? No repurchase.

I hope my opinions were somewhat helpful, and I'd love to know what you think of these products or what products you always repurchase. Leave a comment below!

5 PRODUCT FACE

Although I love having my me time and applying makeup in the morning, sometimes I want a more minimal look that doesn't call for a lot of products or time. On a day where I'm rushing, don't feel like having stuff on my face, this is what I usually go for:

1. Undereye concealer

I'm not the kind of person that stays up late at all. I'm usually in bed by 10/11 and asleep by 12. For some reason though, I have really dark under eyes that no amount of sleep or hydration can fix. This can easily make me look tired/sick when I'm not so i usually like to cover those babies up. My current favorite product for this is the Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer (£7.99). It's light, doesn't crease, and has good coverage - all the things I look for. I also dot it between/around my eyebrows and down my nose as that's where I get redness. Another favorite of mine is the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (£22.00), but I've run out and I'm trying to use up other ones I have around to justify my repurchase.

2. Brows

I feel (as a lot of people do) that my face looks odd if I have any kind of makeup on with no brows. Mine aren't super sparse or thin or anything, but they're quite patchy so when I'm going for a natural look I like to fill them in with a light powder to make them full but natural. This means I go for non other than my Anastasia Brow Duo (£17.00). I find a powder to work best for this as pencils or pomades can look too strong and drawn on.

3. Mascara

I love me some mascara. After lipstick, this is probably my favorite makeup product. It can seriously make you look a lot more awake and alert than you really are - something we all need in the morning. I don't have any I'm really loving right now, just alternating between what I have open to finish them up.

4. Blush

I never thought this would be in my minimal look, as although it's something I use everyday, I didn't think it essential. However, I find that a nice blush can really perk up your skin and add diminution, especially if you're looking a bit tired. With a minimal look I like to use a one with a shimmer running through it to add a nice glow to the cheeks. My go-to is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (£56.00) as the three colors are all lovely, easy to blend and stay put.

5. Tinted balm/Sheer Lipstick/Lipgloss

My final step is always lips. No matter how minimal the look I like to have a sheer color on my lips be it from a gloss, balm or lipstick. Nothing too bright or bold though, as it can look imbalanced if the look is very minimal. Something like the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments ($22.50), Jouer Sheer Lipsticks (£18.00), or Maybelline Color Elixirs (£6.99) are great for this, but the options are endless really.

I also usually do a quick translucent powder down my T-zone to decrease oiliness throughout the day, but that's totally optional if you don't usually powder, or don't live in a super hot country like me. Let me know what some of your 5 product face essentials are, I'd love to hear.

TOP 5 SPRING LIPSTICKS

Lip products, by far, are my favorite makeup items to buy and wear. There are so many options, with colors and finishes, I can never get enough. As we leave Winter and enter Spring, I tend to shift from deep berries and reds into all kinds of pinks. Here are some of my favorite picks for the upcoming months.

First, I have the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (£7.99) in the shade 10 Darling (Which may have been renamed to Cherish). Revlon do some of my favorite lip crayon formulas in all kinds of finishes, thoughI like the original ones best. This is a beautiful pinky lilac color that's a little unusual, but still very flattering to wear. If you're scared of purple lipstick but want to give it a go, I think this is a great one to start with.

Next up is another Revlon product. Their Lip Butters (£7.99) are definitely in my top five favorite lipstick formulas, as they are very comfortable and hydrating, yet pack a punch of color. I love Wild Watermelon for the Spring, and it's perfectly named as I can't find any other way to describe the color than Watermelon.

For my only more expensive option, I've chosen Mac's See Sheer (£15.50). I usually find peaches and colors a bit difficult to wear as they can wash me out, but this one lovely and compliments my skin tone well. I picked this shade up through their back to Mac program which I wrote about here.

Back to drugstore, I have this Burt's Bees lip crayon ($9.00) in Hawaiian Smolder. I got this when I was in the US because I love their lip balms, but have never seen or tried any colored ones. I'm not sure if they've made their way over to the UK yet or not, but if they have they're definitely worth a try. It feels exactly like applying one of their lip balms, but you get a nice wash of color that can be layered up to quite an opaque finish, or swept on to stay sheer. Of course, the one I picked up is a nice everyday pink, but i definitely need to get my hands on some more colors.

Finally I have a gorgeous bright pink Maybelline Color Elixir (£6.99) in the color Hibiscus Haven. I'm not the biggest lipgloss fan, but recently I've been loving this formula. It's super pigmented and hydrating, and leaves behind a wash of color once the gloss has faded. It's quite thick, which I don't mind as it increases the longevity, and has a really nice doe foot applicator. I definitely recommend picking up one of these colors even if you're not a lipgloss lover.

Let me know what some of you're favorite lip products are for Spring in the comments below!

NINETIES NUDE LIP

Maybelline Lip Liner in Velvet Beige (£3.99)
Wet'n'Wild Lipstick in Think Pink (£2.30)

As you all may have noticed, the whole 90s nude lip has been a big thing lately thanks to celebs like Kylie Jenner. If you've been trying to find your perfect shade but have had no luck, or don't want to splurge on a Mac lippy, I may have found the solution for you. Ultimately, nude's can be more on the pink, brown, or concealer-y side depending on personal preference and what you think suits your skin tone more. 

I found my perfect 90s combo by mixing a more browny nude lip liner, with a pale pink lipstick. I wasn't trying to find this combo in particular, but on my last trip to the US I bought this Wet'n'Wild lipstick thinking it would be a nice light pink shade, but it ended up looking WAY too pale and weird on me. Instead of throwing it away, I rummaged through my stash to see what I could mix it with to tone down the pale-ness, when I saw that Maybelline lip liner and thought I'd give it a go. Lo and behold I found my perfect nude lip. 

I usually fill in my whole lip with the liner, then go on top with the lipstick, and then blend it out with my fingers a bit. Both formulas are quite matte, but still quite creamy to apply and comfortable to wear. What I love about this is it's totally customizable. You can apply more of the browny lip liner, or more of the pinky lipstick depending on what you're feeling that day.

I'd love to know if any of you guys try out this combo, or if you've found another color or combo that works for you.