The Affordable Make Up Post

Over the past couple of months, I've found some amazing products from the drugstore that are such an incredible price. Whilst I still love my high-end brands, there have been options in the drugstore that have been excelling and putting the high-end ones to the test. With the launch of NYX in boots I've found some beautiful products from there and a number of different brands. Therefore, I have decided to do a full face of make up using only drugstore items. 

The Body Shop Insta Blur Primer £14.00

I am going to class the body shop as drugstore make up as they're so affordable. Therefore, for my primer I am going to use the Insta Blur, I love this as it blurs any of my large pours and creates a smooth layer for my foundation to go onto. 

Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation £8.99

I love this one in particular as it provides a lovely glow and feels hydrating on the face. If you want a foundation with slightly more coverage, then the Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation is also an excellent alternative – it's not a matte finish but doesn't have as much of a glow as the Wake Me Up one does. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19

The cult favourite concealer is my favourite from the drugstore, it has amazing coverage and the lightest colour is perfect for under my eyes. 

Collection Loose Powder £2.99

The Collection Loose Powder in the colour Translucent is perfect for setting. I find it difficult to find powders which can set and also provide a little bit of coverage. I like the collection one as doesn’t make my make-up look cakey but instead helps it to last. 

Revolution Contour Palette £8.00

For bronzer and contour I love the revolution Contour Palette, this palette is an amazing price at only £8.00. And comes with 8 different shades, there are three contour/bronzer colours. Two powder colours, a light shade and banana shade. And then finally there are 3 highlighting shades. The third shade on the top row is my favourite highlighter shade, it’s super beautiful and looks amazing on the high points of my face. 

Revolution Flawless Matte Palette £8.00

Another Revolution palette for my eyeshadow and it’s the Ultra Eyeshadows Flawless Matte. There are 32 colours and varying shades to pick from, whilst some of the shades are very similar I love that there are so many to choose from. The way they are situated in a row links each colour together to provide the best eye look. However, you can definitely mix it up! 

Revolution Ultra Blush Palette in Sugar & Spice £6.00

I’m going to stick to the Revolution brand for blush and I am in love with their Ultra Blush Palette in the shade Sugar and Spice. Again there are 8 different shades with two highlighter blushes at the end. My favourite shade from the palette is a peachy shade. I don’t like bright blushes, but instead like subtle colours that give a nice little pop of colour. 

NYX Sculpt & Highlighter Brow Contour £8.00

This NYX product is again super affordable and comes with a brow pencil and also a highlighter end. I don’t really like the highlighter shade but love the brow shade, it’s super easy to apply and feels very creamy on the face. 

L’Oreal Mega Volume Miss Hippie Mascara £7.99

Mascara is one of my biggest enemies, I find it so difficult to find one that lengthens and thickens my lashes whilst also keeping them curled. I do love my Dior one but I have wanted to find a cheaper alternative. I picked this one up on whim and really liked it! 

NYX Nude Suede Shoes Lip Liner & NYX Liquid Suede Lipstick in Soft-Spoken both £5.50

Finally lips. These two products have fast become a favourite of mine and once again they are so affordable. I’ve not used any liquid lipsticks before and whilst the Kylie Lip kits are tempting I think I am going to stick to these little favourites for a while! 

 What are your favourite products from the drugstore? I’d love to know! 

0

The Product Empties 4.0

So this is the final product empties post in the series. I hope you have enjoyed them all and you can take quick look at part one here, if you would like to. Let's jump into the last five now: 

1. Number one is, as always, an Una Brennan product and it's the Vitamin C+ Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. I've got through a few bottles of this, I use this every morning as my daily cleanser and think it's brilliant. I was sceptical at first for using an oil on my face but it really works in getting rid of any excess make up and grime. 

2. The second product is the Anastasia Brow Wiz, I liked this product I did not love it. Unfortunately, my brush broke off which was extremely disappointing as it meant my brows just looked unruly. I didn't want to buy another one as I felt that it would be a waste of money to replace it for this reason. I liked the product and I thought it was easy to use, but I do think the tip is way too small. For the amount I paid I would say there are better ones out there that are much more affordable such as the Revolution one. 

3. Next is the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation. I've raved about this foundation so many times. I love the consistency and the coverage of the product is perfect. It's not too heavy but covers everything that I want it to. I have a review for this foundation which you can find here. 

4. The fourth product empty is the L'Oreal False Lash Superstar Mascara, I don't normally waste products but I really did not like this mascara. My problem was that I really enjoyed the white/primer side, I thought it curled and lengthened my lashes perfectly. But when I came to apply the black side it just made my lashes super clumpy. The wand for the white side is perfect, whereas the black side is very different. I feel that if both wands were the same shape then it would be a great product. 

5. The final product empty of the series is the Percy & Reed Dry Shampoo. I have this in a travel size and I wanted to test the product before I bought the large one. I love it. It's amazing at refreshing the hair, it doesn't leave any white marks and is completely invisible. A lot of dry shampoos make my hair feel really weighted and limp but this one definitely doesn't do this! 

That is everything that I have collected. I hope you have enjoyed the series. 

I would love to know what product empty you get a lot. Do you throw them away immediately? Or do you save them to remind you to purchase another? 

0

The L'Oreal Hair Routine

Haircare was something I struggled with for a long, long time. I'd found it incredibly difficult to find a product that would help with greasiness and at the same time damaged hair. But also something my hair did not instantly get used to. I have a common problem with products, whereby if I use them too much my face/ hair will instantly start to reject it - this can be a right pain in the backside. 

Luckily, I came across the L'Oreal Extraordinary Clay collection and was instantly intrigued. The idea that I had found a product to help combat the grease in my hair but also protect the dry ends was something I needed in my life. I had seen a few reviews on these products and at first was sceptical as I knew they had been promoted by the company. 

I have to say upon using these products I was instantly surprised and thrilled. The clay in the products really helps to soak up any of the unwanted oils in my hair, whilst at the same time, making sure to leave the natural ones. 

There are four different products in the range that I know of and have used. There is a routine to using them and it suggests how to correctly use the product on the back. The first item it states to use a few times a week. Or in my case, every few washes. Is the Clay Masque, this was a very strange consistency as it felt as if I were rubbing a body butter into my hair, but at the same time it had a slight jelly texture. At first I was slightly horrified as it left a tinge of blue on my fingertips – however, this is removed as soon as you get into the shower. I like to apply it to the roots of my hair before brushing it backwards with my hands and waiting for around 5-10 minutes. 

After washing this out, I move onto the shampoo and conditioner, again these are beautiful products – but they do not come out blue. Woohoo! They feel very luxurious when applying them and when stepping out of the shower and drying my hair, it feels silky smooth to touch. 

I have repurchased these items a number of times and am sure I will continue to love them, 

the one product in the range I am not a fan of is the Dry Shampoo, whilst I was sure I would like it I felt as if I were apply a weight to my hair. The dry shampoo was not clear and did leave a white mark – so be sure to rub it into the roots of the hair. I like my dry shampoo to feel light and natural, but this one just left me feeling more dirty than when I applied it. 

I would not repurchase the dry shampoo, but as I said I love all of the other products. The great thing about them as well, is they always seem to be on offer and I know currently they are on 3 for £10.00 in my local boots. 

What is your favourite haircare products?   

0

The First Impressions Post – L’Oreal Foundation Edition

I recently purchased the L'Oreal Nude Magique Cushion foundation on a trip to Spain. I hadn't seen this foundation in the UK, so when I was out there I wanted to give it a test. It claims to be a dewy foundation and this, along with the shape of the product, is what attracted me to it. I've been really into dewey foundations and especially for the summertime. 

The packaging of the product is also unique as it opens as if it is a powder, it them has a sponge under the lift up cover. Inside the sponge is the foundation which you can dab straight onto your face. I like to apply it with a wet beauty blender and dap it straight into the product before applying onto my skin. I really like this method as it allows me to concentrate the product on any of my 'problem areas'  and keep a lighter coverage to the other places. 

The foundation felt really soft and creamy when applying but it also felt super lightweight and made me feel as if I was not wearing anything. It does leave a really nice glow to the skin, but nothing that appears too oily. Sometimes I am reluctant to buy drugstore foundations as many I have tried have oxidised throughout the day leaving me looking slightly more orange than I would have liked. Another problem I can find with foundations from the drugstore is the colour range, I find it difficult to match my skin tone as I am very very pale and tend to use the lightest shade possible and. However, I managed to find it in the colour Porcelain which is the perfect match for me. 

On a day to day basis I tend to opt for a CC Cream, but when I want a little bit more coverage this foundation is perfect. It lasts throughout the day before I feel that it starts to get a little bit patchy. 

Have you ever tried this foundation? What were your thoughts on it? 

0

The May Primor Haul

As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts I went on a little trip to Spain, during this time I made sure to visit the local Primor's. I love this particular drugstore as there are so many different brands which I cannot get in the UK. Primor houses both high-end make up and the low-end make up. I have yet to buy any of their high end range but I always pick up something from the low-end. One of my favourite brands from Primor is Wet N Wild, this particular brand as far as I am aware, cannot be purchased in the UK. I have actually only seen the brand on American Youtubers videos and whenever I am able to purchase something I always grasp the opportunity. For this particular trip to Primor I actually only purchased one lipstick and this was one of their cheaper ones, in the colour Blind Date and was extremely affordable at €1.99. 

 The next product I picked up was from L'Oreal and it's their Nude Magique Cushion Foundation, I have not seen the product in any of the UK drugstores and I have actually only ever seen it on a few bloggers posts. I picked up the foundation in that colour porcelain and it is a perfect match for myself and I'm excited to see how it works. 

The brand Catrice was the reason I went into Primor in the first place. I firstly picked up the All Round Concealer Palette which contains five different shades, two light shades, a darker shade and then also a salmon colour and a green colour. I also purchased the All Round Contouring Palette, this also contains five shades; two darker ones for contouring and three lighter shades for highlighting. The final item that I picked up from Catrice is the Nude Illusion Loose Powder. 

Esscence was my next stop where I purchased three affordable lip liners. I picked up a nude lip liner in the colour In The Nude, a slightly darker nude in the colour Satin Mauve and finally a red in the colour Femme Fatale. 

Finally I purchased a contour and highlighter kit from W7 as it reminded me of the Charlotte Tilbury one I owned and wanted to see if this would be a good dupe. Finally from W7 I purchased a new mascara, this one is called Argan Eyes and claims to make the lashes healthier. 

What is your favourite drugstore brand? 

0

Get Ready With Me | Current Make Up Routine

Get Ready With Me | Current Make Up Routine 

Very recently I have been loving my Bourjois CC Cream, the coverage is amazing and it feels incredibly light on my skin. I love this product as it lasts for a very long time before I feel the need to reapply. Next I will take my Lasting Perfecting Concealer by Collection and touch up any places I feel I need more coverage – under the eyes, down my nose and over any blemishes I have at the time. 

To set my make up I like to use the MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation with a large powder brush and I swipe this over my T zone. I then use the Hoola Bronzer by Benefit to contour and create definition on my face. Next I us any blush that takes my fancy; currently I have been using the blush inside my Urban Decay On the Run Palette, it looks like it would be very bright but it actually appears quite natural. 

For my eyes I use the Urban Decay On the Run Palette, as I base I will take the Urban Decay primer to ensure that my eyeshadow lasts all day. I then take the lighter matte colours for an everyday look. To finish I will add my Revlon liner, this eyeliner is a felt liner so make it very easy to line the eyes. I will then curl my lashes and apply my mascara, the mascara I am currently using is the Benefit Roller Lash. A while ago I did a review on the Roller Lash mascara, I was not impressed with it as I felt it would clump my lashes. However, when I came to use this mascara a couple of weeks ago I loved it! 

Finally my favourite lip combination at the moment is the L’Oreal Lip Liner in the colour Bois de Rose, my MAC Lipstick in the colour Viva Glam II and then finally I will take my Urban Decay Lipgloss in the colour Sesso.  

ShannonKims 

0

Spring Make Up Haul

With the sun slowly starting to emerge and the daffodils in full bloom I thought it was time I found a few new make up pieces from the drugstore. I hadn’t been drugstore shopping in months as recently I have been opting for the higher end make up stores. After watching EssieButton there were a few products I wanted to pick up and try for myself! 

Starting in Superdrug I needed to pick up a new tub of the E45 cream, they had an amazing offer on and I managed to get the biggest tub for only £4.00 a bargain and I will definitely be making my way through this for a good while. The only other thing in Superdrug I got was from Make Up Revolution and it is the Iconic’s 2 palette, this palette is a dupe for the Naked 2 Palette. I have the Naked 3 and also the Naked Basics 2 Palettes and I absolutely love them, but I wanted to see if this palette would live up to the hype it had been receiving – expect a full review soon! 

I then travelled on down to Boots, now I much prefer to shop at boots, partly because they always seem to be more stocked up and also because they have amazing deals. Their 3 for 2 deals come around every few weeks and it is definitely worth the opportunity to purchase a few things. Also the points in boots are much better than in Superdrug so it is much more beneficial to shop in there. 

The first thing I picked up in boots was the Bourjois CC Cream, I had seen Essie Button rave about this product and I wanted to put it to the test. I wanted something lighter on my skin for Spring, but also something that would provide a bit of coverage. Next up I went to the Soap and Glory section and picked up the Archery brow pencil, now they have two different types and I have used the one with the felt tip pen and then the large pencil but I wasn’t too keen on this one. Therefore I picked up the pencil with a very fine end and a spolly, I love my Benefit Brow Zings but I wanted something that was very quick and easy to apply! 

I then stopped by the Max Factor counter and picked up one of the new Crème Puff Blushes in the colour Nude Mauve, the blush is a beautiful natural colour that highlights the cheek bones perfectly. 

The final place I stopped by was the L’Oreal Stand where I purchased three products. The first was the Lumi Magique Highlighter pen, I had used the true match one before and thought the colour was way too yellow, the lady at the till said she uses it everyday, I thought that this product would be better than buying a very expensive one such as the Touche Ecliat. I love the L’Oreal Lip Liners and I use them everyday, therefore I wanted to pick up another one in a slightly brighter colour for spring, it is a lovely rose colour. The final product I picked up was one of the new Nude colours, I decided on Eva’s Nude as the colour was nothing to bland as I have the tendency to look really stupid in nudes! 

Have you purchased anything new from the Drugstore recently? If so what was your favourite item?

ShannonKims 

0

A Refreshed Spring Look

The sun is weirdly shining; I’m not wearing a coat for the first time in months, and the birds singing indicates to me that spring has finally arrived! Hurray!! Because of this wonderful morning I thought it would only be best to share with you my current favourite minimal make up look. EssieButton inspired some of these products; I love the majority of her looks, as they are so pretty and natural. 

Starting with a moisturiser I always opt for E45 cream, I have very sensitive and sometimes dry skin and this really helps to protect my face whilst at the same time thoroughly moisturising it. Next onto primer, I always use the Benefit POREfessional primer, as it is a staple in my make up bag, it provides a flawless base to apply anything on top. 

I then take a new product I have been loving which is the Bourjois CC Cream, I use a brush to blend into my face and it provides a lovely coverage; much more than what you would expect from a cc cream. I then take either my MAC Pro Longwear Concealer or my new L’Oreal Lumi Highlighter pen underneath my eyes and down my nose, to highlight and brighten under the eyes. 

Next as always, I will take a light dusting of the MAC Studio Fix Powder, to make sure everything stays in place. I then take the Seventeen Contour palette and create a very light contour to define my face slightly and I will also add the new Max Factor Crème Puff Blush in the colour Nude Mauve, this blush is very natural and pretty, nothing too heavy that will over power the natural look. 

The look for my eyes is the same as the one I use everyday. I take the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer first; this allows the eyes shadows to last throughout the day and also intensifies the colour. Next from the Naked Basics 2 palette I take the colour Stark all over the eyelid and apply Skimp in the corner of my eye and along the brow bone. Finally I take the colour Cover and work this in to the crease. After using the Archery Brow Pencil from Soap and Glory I apply my Perversion Mascara from Urban Decay to my lashes. 

Finally for a lovely bit of colour I take whatever lipstick comes to hand! 

I hope you enjoyed this look, what has been your favourite product for spring? 

ShannonKims 

0

Lip Liner Saviour!

My favourite lip routine has changed since I have found the L’Oreal Lip liner Couture in the colour Bois de Rose, the colour is very beautiful; reminding me of the Kylie Jenner look, it has rose undertones and is perfect for everyday use. I use the liner to fill in all of my lips, this way the colour last for hours without smudging and when lipstick fades the liner is still there. 

The liner is extremely creamy and glides effortlessly onto the lips, it does not feel like it is causing my lips to drag or crack. It also keeps my lips moisturised throughout the day as I have the tendency to get extremely dry lips causing lipstick to set into the cracks. I have yet to try any other colour in the range but I would love to see how they live up to this colour! 

What is your favourite lip liner? 

ShannonKims

0

New Video! Get Ready With Me | Featuring Gold Eyes

New Video! ‘Get Ready with Me | Gold Eyes 

What Products I Used! 

Smashbox Photo Ready Primer 

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation ‘Gobi’ 

MAC's Pro Longwear Concealer ‘NW15’

MAC's Studio Fix Powder Foundation ‘NW15’

Urban Decays Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Benefit’s Brow Zings ‘Medium’  

Urban Decays Naked 2 Basics

L’Oreal’s Colour Riche Eyeshadow ‘Lumiere’ 

Benefits Hoola Bronzer 

MAC's Blush in 'Dollymix'

L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara 

Nar’s Lipstick ‘Red Lizard’ 

Make sure to subscribe for new videos and to like the video. 

ShannonKims 

0

A Wonderful Time of the Year: Four Favourite Lips of 2014

A Wonderful Time of the Year: Four Favourite Lips of 2014 

To say this year was exciting for new beauty products for me would most definitely be an understatement. Whilst I will be happy to see this year over, I am extremely happy about the wonderful gift I have received throughout the year and truly grateful for all the lovely things I own. 

Therefore, I have decided to choose Four Favourite Lip Products of 2014:

From right to left: MAC Russian Red, MAC Speed Dial, L'Oreal Colour Riche in 'Blake's Pure Red' and Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker in 'Nudist. 

4. Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker in the colour ‘Nudist’ a very creamy lip product and a personal day favourite of mine as it does not only give excellent colour pay off it also moisturises the lips. 

3. MAC Lipstick in the colour ‘Speed Dial,’ I love this lipstick, it is a pretty pink shade and has become a regular in many of my previous posts and daytime looks. 

2. L’Oreal Colour Riche in the shade ‘Blake’s Pure Red.’ This colour is a true pillar box red, perfect for day and night looks. It is semi matte and I have been loving using matte red lipstick as an occurance in my make up routine. 

1. MAC Matte Lipstick in ‘Russian Red,’ by far my favourite lip product of the year. I was very anxious about Matte lip products before this one, I thought they would leave my lips very dry and cracked, a problem I get a lot. However, I am in love with MAC matte lipsticks (try saying that 5 times fast) the matteness does not dry out my lips and instead helps the product in lasting longer. 

0

A Wonderful Time of the Year: Christmas Party Make up & Outfit

A Wonderful Time of the Year: Christmas Party Make up & Outfit

For a Christmas Party this year everyone decided that rather than having a meal we were going to paint the town red, and show everyone what we got. Which, if you live in a tiny place like I do, is not a lot. 

But since moving to Bath I decided it was only fitting, that now I am home, I would show them how to dress! 

I opted for this off the shoulder top, which I got in River Island, paring it with my ever trusty Disco Pants from Primark. It therefore becomes the perfect ‘Sandy from Grease’ look. Then adding some Black Wedges I was good to go in the outfit department. 

Then moving onto Make Up… 

POREfessional Primer by Benefit 

Beautifully Matte Foundation by No7 

True Match Concealer by L’Oreal 

Studio Fix Powder Foundation by MAC

Colour Tattoo 24 ‘On & On Bronze’by Maybelline 

Naked 3 Pallette by Urban Decay 

‘She So Jet Set Palette’ Gold shadow By Benefit 

Stay Precise Eye Liner by No7

Hoola Bronzer by Benefit 

‘Pinched’ blusher by NYX  

‘Glow all out’ luminising Powder by Soap and Glory 

Lip Pencil in ‘Brick’ by MAC 

‘Russian Red’ Lipstick by MAC

Fix Plus by MAC 

Telescopic Mascara by L’Oreal

What did you all wear for Christmas? 

ShannonKims 

0

A Wonderful Time of the Year: A Christmasy Outfit & Make Up

A Wonderful Time of the Year: A Christmasy Outfit & Make Up 

To kick off the 'Wonderful Time of the Year Series' I have decided to do from now until the 2nd of January, I thought it would be fitting to start on Chritmas Day itself. A Christmas tradition in the Barrett household is to have a new fantastic outfit for Christmas day. This year was no exception. From the brand Apricot I got this beautiful lace dress. It is black chiffon with a cream lace overlay at the top section. The tiny little sleeves give the dress the elegance it needs and it fits me like a second skin. I absolutely love this dress and know it will be a constant feature in my wardrobe. 

The dress was stunning and I wanted my make up to match, therefore I opted for a flawless base with Smokey Eyes and Vamp Red Lips. 

(got to love the 'Antique' Filter) 

Make Up 

POREfessional Primer by Benefit 

Beautifully Matte Foundation by No7 

True Match Concealer by L’Oreal 

Studio Fix Powder Foundation by MAC

Colour Tatoo 24 Hour by Maybelline 

Naked 3 Pallette by Urban Decay 

Stay Precise Eye Liner by No7

Brow Zings by Benefit 

Hoola Bronzer by Benefit 

‘Dollymix’ Blusher by MAC 

Lip Pencil in ‘Brick’ by MAC 

‘Russian Red’ Lipstick by MAC

Fix Plus by MAC 

Telescopic Mascara by L’Oreal

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! 

What did you all wear for Christmas? 

ShannonKims 

0

Get Ready With Me: Minimal Make Up | Featuring Naked 2 Basics Palette

New Video!

It’s been a while since I last uploaded a video! This is a Get Ready With Me video featuring the Naked 2 Basics Palette! 

ShannonKims

0

L'Oreal True Match Foundation

I know... it's been a while since I last updated anything. but I have a genuine excuse this time. My laptop broke, like literally finito! bye-bye, you can know longer use me... dead. It also contained all of my upcoming posts, pictures and new videos which I wanted to release on my Youtube channel.

I am currently typing on my boyfriends computer knowing that I cannot upload photos to go alongside this post - which is sad as I do love to take a good selfie, who doesn't? We are lying if we say we don't!


I always struggle to find a good foundation that matches my skin tone, lasts throughout the day and doesn't make me look patchy.

I love the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, but with going to Uni in only a few months time I realised this wasn't exactly practical due to the cost involved. Last summer I absolutely loved the L'Oreal True Match Foundation, but all through the winter it was way too dark for my skin tone. Now that we are having slightly warmer weather and the Sun is rearing its ugly(or beautiful) head - although today it is miserable as sin - therefore I have gotten a little darker in skin colour, allowing me to go back to this particular foundation.

The major thing I like about his foundation is the coverage,Ii would say it is medium to high - but at the same time could easily be light due to the consistency. It genuinely feels as if you have only applied moisturiser to your face. It doesn't feel heavy or thick and also has a lovely finish. It definitely is not matte, it has a slight dewey finish but nothing too execssive.

I also love to wear it with or without a powder as I think both gives a beautiful finish. I like to wear powder whilst working to ensure it lasts throughout the day or on days where the sun is shining and I am lazying outside I will go for the dewey look with a cream blush. 

Today I have applied the smallest amount of powder to m T-zone as that is my problem areas. everywhere else i want to give the impression the sun has made my face fresh and awake!

Managed to upload a sefie! Hell Yeah!  

Thanks For Reading 

ShannonKims! 

0