30 Tips To Show-Stopping MakeUp: Tip 4 - Make Up? What Make Up?

 So sorry I haven't blogged in a while, I've been ill and had to work through it 11 hours a day so not had much time to blog :( This post is about makeup removal! The 4th instalment of my 30 Tips posts.

To be honest, I'm rather bored of having to apply makeup every morning, and wish I had nice enough skin naturally to go out without any on! But alas.. too many late nights and long days at work leave me too tired to take my mask off. I'm going to start taking my own advice from now on as my skin is never usually this bad. Here's a useful tip on how to remove your makeup....

REVIEW: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

After writing a foundation wishlist a couple of weeks ago I became a bit obsessed with getting a new one. I didn't actually bring any foundation with me to Kosovo because I'm an idiot and i've been making do with Dr. Jart+ Beauty Balm and a REN satin perfection BB cream sample. All the brands I was lusting after are sadly not available here and I don't have the patience to order anything online- Post takes a month to get here from the UK!-

REVIEW: Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact in Bronze

 Today I thought I'd review my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact because I'm trying to cling onto the Autumn sun and get the most out of my tan whilst I still have it. Bronzer is a fantastic way to add a little extra colour and shimmer to your cheeks. I chose the Bronze Compact because it best suits my olive skin tone and the warm colours are really complementary to the other products I use. 

30 Tips To Show-Stopping MakeUp - Tip 3: Tangerine Orange or Ghostly White?

 Ever apply foundation thats either way too light or way too dark for your skin tone and you either look like a ghost or an oompah loompah? Well here's a tip on how to get your foundation colour right first time!

A/W 13 LFW: Maybelline Beauty Boxes

 My mum is such a babe. She got invited to LFW through a networking group and brought me (and herself) a goodie box! Such a sweetie! She bought two boxes, both £10 each and both full of full size samples worth over £25! bargain!

Here's a look at what's inside:

GIVEAWAY: Topshop Lipstick In A Colour Of Your Choice

We have something exciting to share today...we are running our first ever giveaway! The prize is a fabulous Topshop Lipstick in a colour of your choice.

30 Tips To Show-Stopping MakeUp: Tip 2 - Day To Night Refresher

-       going out straight from work? Only have the bare essentials with you? No problem. Here's a tip that'll get you from Day to Night in 4 easy steps!

What's In My Makeup Bag

 Thought I'd update you on what makeup I'm using nowadays as I haven't blogged about them in a while!

As you probably already know, I don't usually go for the expensive brands due to my budget, but there are certain things I'll splash out for; mascara, foundation and brushes!

Take a look at what is always in my makeup bag...

30 Tips to Show-Stopping MakeUp : Tip 1 - Long Lashes Without Inserts

 for the next 30 days I will be giving you daily tips and tricks on show-stopping makeup! For the first post I have come across a common complaint amongst women; short eyelashes. Many girls cake on mascara in the hope that their lashes look fuller, thicker and longer the more mascara that's applied... WRONG! Please don't do this, it makes your lashes look like thick spiders legs! Yuck! 

Here's a little tip to get those lashes looking naturally long, thick and full!

NOTD: Neutral Chevron

 I bought a new nail polish a couple of days ago which finally allowed me to do a bit of nail art. I only took 5 polishes with me from the UK and none of them go together nicely which has been pretty frustrating as I like nothing better than spending a few hours in front of a film faffing about with my nails.

Review: Cargo Cheek Activator Blush in Rose Flush

 

This blush is a little special so I thought i'd share it with you today, plus for some bizarre reason Cargo doesn't seem that popular in the UK. They have some really cool stuff so it's such a shame. I bought the Cheek Activator in Rose Flush in Boots many months ago as it was reduced from £18.50 to £5. I knew how much i'd liked Cargo products in the past to I went for it. 

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Nude Shimmer

 I bought this Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector a fair few months ago and I wanted to get some use out of it before I wrote a review. Beauty bloggers had been going on about this lip gloss for a while so I thought it was probably worth a try. I went for shade 3, Nude Shimmer because I thought it complemented my lips the best. I wanted to have as neutral a colour as possible so that it wouldn't distract from my eye make up.

September: What's In My Make Up Bag

 I try and rotate the contents of my make up bag every month so that I don't forget about a product or neglect a lip colour. Make up doesn't last forever and it seems silly to hoard for the sake of hoarding. I'd much rather get as much use as possible out of my make up. Obviously if i'm going for a certain look ill swap out a few products but these are pretty much the basics.

September Picks: Zara

I've been trawling the Zara site a lot recently and there is so much that I want. I need a completely new winter wardrobe and I find that Zara is great for staples. I really like h&m and Topshop for wardrobe basics but I find that the quality at h&m leaves a lot to be desired and Topshop is so overpriced. Zara is a bit hit and miss in terms of both quality and price but these items seem perfect for A/W. 

Desert Island Products: Skincare

Yes, I know I've not quite mastered the knack of photo composition

Now, I know what you must be thinking; How big is the suitcase you get to take to a desert island?? In an ideal world i'd get away with using a minimal amount of products, but as an evil consumerist at heart I love stuff, especially skin care. I've tried to narrow it down as much as possible and you may note that i've left out any sort of 'normal' face wash- I think it was too boring to include!

Showdown: MAC Fluidline vs Illamasqua Precision Gel Liner

I'm a huge fan of gel eyeliner, it's so much easier to work with than liquid or pencil and really gives a little something extra to a smokey eye look. I've tried lots of different brands over the years including both drugstore and more high end gels. I'd like to start by saying that price rarely comes into it for gel liners. Maybelline has done an astounding job and its less than £10. I have very high expectations from a gel liner- it has to be easy to apply and work with and be very durable. 

Foundation Conundrum

 I'm desperately in need of a new foundation because I cleverly left mine back in the UK in June and have used a BB cream all summer. This is the shortlist for my next one.

Desert Island Products: Make Up

  Quite frankly I can live without make up- for an extended period of time but not indefinitely and if I could only choose 4 products then I would go for these.

Korean Cosmetics: TONYMOLY

These are literally the cutest things I have ever come across that aren't intended for use by children. Sandra at The Puzzle Of Sandra's Life blogged about some adorable things she had

tried so I trawled eBay to see what they had to offer.

August Favourites

This is a little late but I was struggling to really choose products that i've adored this month. I've spent most of the summer barefaced in attempt to do my skin some good and as a result my make up has been neglected. These have really been my go-to products when I have worn make up.

Review: Gillette Venus & Olay Razor

This is another post I cleverly forgot to write at the beginning of summer- better late than never!

I bought these when they were buy-one-get-theother-free in Boots back in June. The benefit of my forgetfulness is that I can now give a thorough review, having used these properly. 

Summer Empties: Body & Hair

Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Scrub-Le Petit Marseillais Raspberry & Peony Shower Gel-Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair

  This is the second lot of empties of stuff I managed to use up before the move.

Summer Empties: Face

I've split this post into two, otherwise it would get far too long and ramble-y. They are roughly divided Face-Body/Hair just to give you an idea of what's coming tomorrow. All of these empties are technically from the very end of June when I was leaving my flat in York. There I was, packing boxes, when I realised I still hadn't photographed the empties i'd been hoarding. That's my excuse for the dodgy pictures at any rate, I was in a mad rush and just wanted to put it all in the bin. 

September Wishlist

There are quite a few things that have caught my eye recently and because i've been on a spending ban of sorts (There are basically zero shops here) I'm thinking that I can justify treating myself to a few things.