Three Make-Up Must Haves

We all know that Monday morning feeling, forcefully dragging yourself out of bed as soon as your alarm goes of for the tenth time, attempting to make yourself look presentable even though you are half asleep. We all have been there. But getting ready in the morning doesn’t need to be such a chore, cut yourself down to a limited amount of trustee products, whack them on your face, grab a coffee and you’re good to go. I have (somehow) narrowed my morning weekday routine down to just three products, one base, one for those brows of mine and lastly one for the eyes.

Base | bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream 

I never used to be the biggest fan of light bases, I used to love to concept, but unfortunately my temperamental skin never agreed with them. But now my skin is sorted, I am a complete convert. There is nothing better than your skin looking natural, fresh, healthy and full of a glow, and that is all this product does. BareMinerals claim this product to be that of a tinted moisturiser, BB and CC cream all in one, but I think it provides more coverage than all of those put together. The formula is similar to that of a mousse, it appears quite thick, but once applied on to the skin it transforms into a lightweight, dewy second skin that provides a radiant, soft and smooth finish. Applied with fingertips provides a sheer coverage to the skin, whereas using a brush you can achieve a much fuller medium coverage, which can be buildable. I was quite sceptical when I first bought this product though, as it boasts about it’s hydrating factors, perfect for those with normal to dry skin, but what about us oily/combination skinned guys and gals? Somehow I think this product may adapt to each individual skin type, as it claims to be so hydrating, however it definitely doesn’t over hydrate my oily/combination skin and leave me with the sweaty/wet skin look, yet it doesn’t dry my skin out either. I am truly amazed by this product (even now after my fourth tube) as it is just so long-wearing, light-weight and it is free of all the crap our skin hates, silicone, oil, parabens and fragrance. Definitely worth taking a look at. 

Brows | Benefit Gimme Brow 

Since it’s release many years ago Gimme Brow has become a cult-favourite, award winning product. For a good reason too. Gimme Brow is a waterproof tinted brow gel that contains tiny microfibers that upon application, adhere to skin and hairs, creating natural fullness and definition, filling in any sparse gaps and locking those brows in place all day. The tapered brush is a lot like a mascara brush, although just absolutely tiny, which for me, is perfect for accuracy and definition. All I can say about this product is that I just bloody love it. It is all us girls and guys could want, full, volumized, tinted and defined brows without the faff of using ten different products. I actually bought this for my mum for her birthday, as she always questions what’s the best products for thin and sparse brows, as with maturity, brings brows that aren’t as Cara Delevingne-esque as they were back in the day. Safe to say she has fallen in love, and genuinely think it’s a ‘magic wonder’ product. This is definitely a must have for anyone's make-up bag.

Eyes | Estée Lauder Sumptuous Knockout Mascara 

Mascara is a must for me, it just adds that little bit of extra something when you are wearing little or no make-up. I just look a heck of a lot more awake, which I need on a daily basis. Mascara's are one of those products that it takes a while to find one that ticks all of your boxes, as we all have different lashes and want to achieve different looks. For me, I am lucky enough to have long and reasonably curled lashes, although I do have a few odd ones that point in all sorts of directions. So, all I strive for in a mascara is one that fans, separates, doesn't clump and definitely doesn't smudge, as my eyes are like fountains, constantly watering for whatever reason. Sumptuous Knockout is Estée Lauder's latest release to their mascara line-up and it's definitely a good'un. The plastic comb wand evenly coats lashes from root to tip with it's VERY black fibre rich formula, it lifts, separates and fans lashes out exceptionally well. Even after one coat, that is enough for a 'no make-up, make-up look' kind of day. I also don't need to use eyelash curlers with this as it does the job exceedingly well. I am an unfortunate sufferer of watery eyes, and this is not waterproof, so I was worried about it smudging, but there was none at all, no flaking or clumping either. It does claim to be sweat and humidity resistant, humidity, yes I agree, but definitely not sweat, I wore this working out once and never again. It welcomed the unfortunate panda eyes. Hopefully they'll release a waterproof formula soon. Besides this minor problem, this mascara is definitely worth the £25 price tag and a gorgeous release from Estée Lauder. 

There you have it. Three simple steps to speed up your mornings, yet still achieve a fresh and healthy face.

What are your make-up must haves?

How To Colour Correct With Urban Decay Naked Skin Colour Correcting Fluids

It appears the latest trend taking over the beauty industry this year is colour correcting. Whether you are strolling through Selfridges, or browsing the latest releases on Cult Beauty, a new colour correcting product always seems to make an appearance. Like the strobing trend that dominated the beginning of the year, the colour correcting trend should be embraced in moderation. For everyday routines, colour correcting really isn’t necessary, as not everyone can invest their time in it, but if you do have the time then it really can make all the difference to your complexion. Done correctly, colour correcting can make the majority of our skin transgressions disappear without any need of caking on that concealer or layering on foundation.

The all-new Urban Decay Naked Skin Colour Correcting Fluids are a great way to embrace the colour correcting trend, because they have the same texture and formula as the hugely successful Naked Skin Concealers. They are weightless on the skin, blend out seamlessly for a natural, flawless finish and contain pearlescent pigments to diffuse light, along with anti-oxidant rich vitamins C and E that condition and protect.

There are five shades of Urban Decay's Naked Skin Colour Correcting Fluids available. These shades address most colour correcting needs for the majority of skin tones.

Lavender - Balances out sallowness and helps neutralize skin with a yellow undertone.

Pink - Disguises dark circles particularly on fair skin tones and also works as a highlighter creating a lifted appearance.

Yellow - Perfect for concealing purple-hued dark circles, correcting dullness, reducing the appearance of mild redness and brightening lacklustre complexions.

Green - Counteracts redness on all skin tones.

Peach - Masks blue-hued dark circles, dark spots, veins and deep discoloration, ideal for those with medium to deeper skin tones.

Here is how I utilize the four shades I picked up on my fair skin. I apply the green shade on my most prominent red areas, around my nose and on any blemishes I may have. The yellow shade I use to neutralize more moderate areas of redness, on my chin, my cheeks and I have also used this to brighten under my eyes, which works like magic. I apply the lavender shade to areas that are dull and lacklustre and just need brightening up, across my forehead and along the tops of my cheeks. The pink shade works amazingly well as an under eye brightener, it lifts and illuminates flawlessly. I apply directly from the doe foot applicator and then blend out with my damp beauty blender, they do dry very fast, so I focus one shade on one area at a time. Once blended completely you can't see any multi-coloured tones on your face, which is what I was worried about, in fact, my skin looked flawless and you could even use these without applying your base on top. 

I am so impressed with all of these colour correctors, they do exactly as stated and simply are amazing. Also I am so in love with the packaging, they are lovely to display with their pastel hues and the doe foot applicator makes application easy and convenient.

Have you tried any colour correcting products?