Beauty and Bentley

Today I have another round up of some empty beauty products, my last post was two months ago which I will link here. If you didn't know an 'empties' post is exactly what it sounds like, a post dedicated to products that have been used up, giving you a brief review and my opinion on whether or not I will be repurchasing. This month I have six products to talk about, some of which I may have spoken about before in previous blog posts (if so I will link these posts below)

Simple Micellar Water

I believe I have spoken about this product previously and while I don't generally have loyalty to one brand when buying micellar water, this is a good one. This costs £6.59 and contains 400ml of product, this is a decent price for how much product you get but I tend to wait till this is on a promotion to get it at an even better price. I love to use micellar water as a first cleanse to remove make-up before using a cream cleanser or alone on those lazy nights when I don't want to spend too much time on my skincare. This is a great product as it quickly and easily removes make-up whilst being very gentle on the skin and if like me you get a little lazy it's great as there's no need to rinse this product off. I can say for sure that this is something that I would repurchase as I already have although usually, I will pick up whichever one is on offer.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

I love Liz Earle products and have a full review here, this particular cleanse and polish was a limited edition scent so it is no longer available but the product itself is just as good as the original. This is a lovely rich cleanser that melts down all your make-up so you can easily remove it with a muslin cloth, I love this because the muslin cloth provides gentle daily exfoliation. You can pick up different 'kits' on the Liz Earle website with/without muslin cloths and various bottle sizes depending on your budget or needs. This is another product that I have already repurchased been given as a gift in the original scent and packaging but if you wanted to get your hands on a limited edition bottle keep an eye on the website as these are usually released in the run-up to Christmas.

NYX Micro Brow Pencil 

I had this pencil in the shade Espresso which is a cool dark brown colour, it costs around £8 and is a twist up pencil. It has a fine tip that's great for detailed work on the brows, it has just the right amount of pigmentation and perfect consistency. I really enjoyed using this pencil and it was a great colour for me, I could really take the time to make my brows look perfected or quickly fill in gaps on more casual days. This is a product that I would definitely repurchase in the future, currently, I'm trying out a different pencil that I don't like as much as I enjoyed this NYX one.

Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer

I originally picked this up as I had heard so many good things from other bloggers/youtubers and I must say I don't regret it. This costs £8.99, contains 6.8ml of product and has an unusual sponge tip applicator. The packaging on the concealer is worn so I can't tell what shade I have been using. This concealer applies smoothly and blends easily, it is pigmented enough to cover dark circles and doesn't look dry or cakey. It wears well throughout the day and is a great all-around concealer for anyone on a budget. I've used up two of these now and will definitely repurchase.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

I love a budget mascara, high-street brands produce some really great quality ones which is perfect because mascara tends to dry out and should be replaced frequently for hygiene reasons. This mascara has a curved brush with small spiked bristles, the two different sides of the brush make it good for working the mascara into lashes even little hard to reach ones. When I first picked this up I wasn't in love with the formula as it was very wet but after a couple of weeks when it had dried out slightly the application was much better and I enjoyed using this product. This is a good black mascara that makes your lashes look pretty and holds up well throughout the day. I don't think I will repurchase this as I like the L'Oreal Lash Paradise better but it's definitely not a bad mascara.

Burt's Bees Lipbalm
I am always putting on lip balm throughout the day, it's an absolute essential in my beauty collection. This Burt's Bees one costs £3.99 and contains beeswax, vitamin E, peppermint and is 100% natural. This was a good lip balm, it has a nice moisturising formula that stays put and doesn't feel waxy. This stopped my lips from drying out and getting chapped, it had that tingly minty feel that was nice and refreshing. There's not much more I can say about a lip balm other than this was good quality and I will probably be repurchasing this again to get me through the winter.


So there you have it, everything I've used up over the last two months, luckily these all worked well for me and most are products that I would repurchase.

What products have you been loving recently?

Today I'm reviewing the
new liquid highlighter from Make Up Revolution which was recently released and is available in Superdrug. Highlighting products have exploded in the make-up industry, everyone's obsessed and liquid highlighters have become increasingly more popular. As usual the high-end brands brought these products to market first, some of the most popular being Cover FX Custom Enhancer drops and the Iconic London Illuminator Drops. Now the high-street have caught up and brands like Make Up Revolution and Barry M are releasing their own budget friendly options, I have had my eye on the Iconic London Drops but never took the plunge and been willing to pay the price so when I spotted the Make Up Revolution Liquid Highlighter in my local Superdrug I immediately snapped it up!

In the collection there are 7 different shades to choose from, they cost £6 and contain 18ml of product. I picked up the shade Liquid Luminous Gold which is a beautiful light champagne gold.

These drops come in a glass bottle covered in rose gold packaging which is really pretty. The packaging most closely resembles the Cover FX bottle and is great quality for the price. This highlighter is super intense, when you first drop it onto the skin it resembles liquid metal. It has a very liquidy consistency that blends beautifully into the skin, a little goes a long way so you barely need a drop to completely illuminate the face.


 I apply this to the back of my hand first then use my fingers to blend onto the face, you can also use a sponge but I don't recommend dropping this directly onto the skin as the product dries very quickly. Once applied this highlighter gives a stunning and intense luminous glow to the skin, it does have small shimmering particles but doesn't show up very glittery, this creates more of a 'wet' highlight to the face which I love. These drops can be used in different ways, you can apply this directly to the high points of the face or mix a little in with your moisturiser or foundation to create an all over glow. This can also be used on the body, again either directly or mixed with a moisturiser. I absolutely love this product and think it's a total bargain, this is a beautiful pigmented liquid highlight that looks great on the skin and lasts all day, I think it'll take me a long time to work my way through this bottle but I will definitely repurchase again in the future and I think I may even pick up a few more shades!

Today I'm reviewing the Matte Liquid Liner from NYX, I am always on the lookout for a new black liner to create a crisp perfect wing and I heard great things about this particular one so why not share my opinion. This is a matte black liquid liner with a brush tip that costs £6.00 and contains 2ml of product.

Over the years I have realised that I prefer liquid eyeliner with a brush tip as opposed to a felt tip liner, I struggle to get as much control and smooth lines with a felt tip applicator. This was one of the main reasons I decided to give this particular eyeliner a try. This eyeliner is richly pigmented and gives a strong black line which dries down to a matte finish (this does also come in a vinyl formula if you prefer a more glossy look), it has a very liquidy formula so just make sure you take any excess product off the brush to avoid applying too much. The eyeliner applies easily and gives a very smooth line, you have a few seconds to work with the product before it dries down to get the perfect look. One of the things I love most about this eyeliner is just how much use you can get out of this liner, a little goes a long way and the product doesn't dry out, I bought this months ago and I still haven't had to repurchase a new one but I can confirm I will definitely be repurchasing in the future!

The eyeliner also lasts really well on the eyes, it does sometimes fade on the liner corner of the eyes which is probably the only comment I can make against this product but it's not a major issue, if I am perhaps going out for the night and need it to last I will just make sure I pack it in my bag for any touch-ups.

 I have been creating winged eyeliner looks for years and have no trouble with this eyeliner but if you are a beginner or struggle with liquid eyeliners you may need to put in a little practice before you get the hang of using this product. Liquid eyeliners are intimidating but this product is such a great price that I think it's a great option for anyone just starting out. 

I have tried out a few products from NYX and this is one of my absolute favourites, I highly recommend this to anyone who, like me, loves a liner with a brush tip applicator (if you prefer a felt tip I think you may struggle a little).


Overall I think this is a great product that's worth every penny, it has become a new staple in my make-up collection and I will 100% be repurchasing in the future!

What are your favourite liquid liners on a budget?

Today I'm reviewing the Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme Mascara (as you probably guessed from the title). I have recently ordered some new make-up drawers and while I'm waiting for them to be delivered I thought I would have a bit of a clear out. I have another post coming up with all the make-up I'm getting rid of and one of those items was the Tom Ford mascara, as I've had it for quite some time. This is a luxury item so I thought it would be helpful to create a full review on this product in order to give you my full opinion.

Claims

Tom Ford's luscious, deep black mascara magnifies the eyes and intensifies your look. The combination of darkest black carbon and lash-filling powder works to transform lashes with optimal glamour and drama.

Review
This is the only item I have tried from the Tome Ford collection to date which was given to me as a gift, I would love to try more in the future (particularly the lipsticks) but the price tag always makes me think twice. This comes in a standard mascara tube but it does look very sleek and feels expensive, it has very simple black sophisticated packaging. This mascara costs £36 and contains 8ml of product, for me personally this is very expensive for a mascara especially as you want to replace these kinds of items every 3-6months. This has a traditional mascara wand which I like, sometimes I think cosmetics companies like to create the most insane, unusual brush purely as a selling point so it was nice to see this classic wand that makes application very easy and pain-free. This has a nice creamy formula that applies smoothly without looking clumpy and makes your lashes look good...........good, not magical! The name extreme implies this mascara will give you something very intense but I found it was a nice everyday mascara but it didn't do anything special for length or volume. Usually, I wouldn't purchase a waterproof mascara but as this was given to me as a gift I gave it a try and it was very long lasting which is great but also makes it very difficult to remove (typical of most waterproof mascaras). My overall opinion is that this is a nice product but not worth the high price tag, if you have plenty of money and want a good waterproof mascara for every day then this is nice but personally I don't have that kind of money to spend on mascara so I won't be repurchasing this particular item.


What are your favourite high-end mascaras?

I recently picked up a few new items from Superdrug and Aldi and thought you might like to know my first impressions. During the week I was out in town and stopped into my local Superdrug, I needed to pick up some new skincare items and noticed that many of the Nip and Fab products were on a half price offer so I picked up the Dragons Blood Hyaluronic Shot. I also decided to try out one of the MUA Luxe Matte Lipsticks, I reviewed the original formula a while back (click here to read that review) and have wanted to try out the luxe matte formula ever since. After Superdrug, I stopped into Aldi as I really wanted to try out the new candles that everyone has been raving about that are apparently a great dupe for the much more expensive Jo Malone candles. I have also heard good things about the skincare products from Aldi so I grabbed a night cream to try out.

Nip and Fab Dragons Blood Fix Hyaluronic Shot

This was the item I was most excited to try out, I've wanted to try out products from this range for a while now and when I was in store this was on promotion for £12.45, half its usual price! This dragons blood fix came in a large cardboard box, too large for the size of the bottle inside. That being said the packaging is pretty and it comes in a glass bottle with a clickable dropper, this does have a scent but I'm not 100% sure if I like it or not but it's nothing too offensive. This product claims to rescue dehydrated, thirsty skin by providing a shot of intense hydration. My first impressions are very positive, I have used this a few times by adding a few drops into my morning and evening moisturiser and my skin is looking good. This initially looks like a thin peach gel once applied to skin it feels like water and absorbs quickly into the skin. So far I'm really enjoying using this product and I do think it's helping to give an extra boost of hydration to my skin.


MUA Luxe Velvet Matte Lipstick #1
This lipstick costs only £3 and the packaging is beautiful! This lipstick is weighted and feels much more luxurious than its price tag would suggest. The outer case is a gold colour with black and gold geometric print on the bottom, the lipstick bullet itself is also unusually shaped with a geometric feel. Initially, I thought the shape of this lipstick might make it more awkward to apply but the thin tip made it easier to almost line the lips and be more precise. This is a stunning very dark brown shade that looks great on the lips, I was surprised at just how pigmented this lipstick was and how smooth and evenly it applied. This doesn't feel drying on the lips, it actually feels quite weightless. I haven't worn this lipstick for any length of time so I can't give details on how long this wears just yet but so far I am in love with how this looks and I definitely want to buy more colours!


Luxury No 2 Blackberry Bay Candle
I had seen and heard so many good things about these dupe candles from Aldi so naturally I wanted to try them out for myself and I picked up the scent Blackberry Bay. The other scents weren't really for me and this was my favourite from the three they seemed to have in store. This is a really nice quality large candle with a double wick that looks good in a room as home decor. I think the packaging overall is simple and sophisticated and the scent so far is very nice, I haven't tried the Jo Malone candles so I can't comment on the similarities between the two or if it's a dupe or not. This candle burns very evenly and gives off a moderately strong scent of blackberry, in my opinion, it's not super strong but you can definitely pick up on it particularly when you first enter/return to the room. For £3.99 I have no complaints, this is a pretty candle that looks good sitting in a room and adds a nice subtle scent to your home.


Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream

This is probably the product I can't give as much detail on as it is designed to target ageing I won't be able to see any results after one or two uses. This cream contains 50ml of product and comes in a glass jar all of which is very good for the £1.69 price tag. I've actually only just realised how little I paid when checking my receipt for this post, I think this may have been on an offer but even still that is a shockingly low price! Anyway back to the packaging, this does come in a glass jar but it doesn't look particularly luxurious (for the price who cares), a bottle with a pump would also be more hygienic but that's just me being fussy. The cream itself is quite fragranced which I'm not keen on as this isn't great for the skin but it's not awful (if you have very sensitive skin that could be an issue), it smells like a face cream....if that makes any sense. It has a thick texture that is quite typical of a night cream and works smoothly into the skin and leaves you feeling hydrated without an overly greasy feeling, a little of this will go along way and I look forward to seeing how this works out long term but I think it's worth a try, for the price that you pay you can't go wrong.


Have any of you tried these products, what were your thoughts?

I have another autumn themed post for you all today, this time it's my top picks for fall lipsticks. I have a fair few lipsticks but of course, that's never enough and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for some new shades this year but I thought I'd show you the top three from my current collection.

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick - Androgyny

Currently, this is the only Jeffree Star liquid lipstick that I own but after purchasing Androgyny I will definitely pick up more shades! I love everything about this lipstick, the packaging is cute and the doe foot applicator perfectly applies the smooth and pigmented colour. This shade is really beautiful, it's a dark mauve that's perfect for this time of year. This doesn't feel drying on the lips, it's very comfortable and lasts all day.

MAC Lipstick - Ruby Woo 

This lipstick is a beautiful classic red with blue undertones, this comes in a retro matte formula which does feel quite dry so I would suggest exfoliating the lips and applying lip balm before using this lipstick. This shade is so bright and fun, I love to throw this on with a simple black liner and your make-up instantly looks more glam and put together. I like to wear these kinds of bright red shades as we move closer to Christmas (sorry if it's too early to mention the 'C' word) and the party season. 

MAC Lipstick - Ariana Grande (Original Viva Glam Shade)

I love this very dramatic dark purple shade that looks almost black on the lips but when I looked on the MAC website it seems to be no longer available so I would say a good alternative is the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry (I would have included this in the post instead but I need to repurchase this shade). Anyway back to MAC, this lipstick is a very pigmented and comfortable formula, you can also sheer it out if it's a bit too intense for you. I don't tend to wear this shade during the day as it is very dark but I absolutely love this for nights out, something about a dark lip just feels very glamorous.

As we head into September I can't help but get excited for Autumn, my favourite time of year. I love when the leaves start to change and the dark nights return and I can't wait to start wearing jumpers and cute ankle boots! So all this excitement got me thinking about what new make-up trends will be making an appearance this year, so I thought I would do some research and show you all the new looks we will be wearing for fall 2017.

Berry Red Lips

Seen at Giambattista Valli, Valentino and Alice and Olivia shows.

Dark red is always popular at this time of year, who doesn't love a vampy lip in winter? This year there are lots of dark cherry red tones in glossy finishes. This look is being paired with fresh minimal make-up letting the lips be the statement. To really follow this trend you should wear your lipstick in a very relaxed and undone way, don't apply lip liner and worry about making it look perfect. This year the look should be blended at the outer edges in a just kissed kind of way.

Lash Drama

Seen at Chanel, MSGM, Jeremy Scott and Topshop Unique shows.

This fall if you want to follow the trends you need to add some drama to your eyes, more specifically the lower lash line. You might call it clumpy lashes, spider or doll eyes but either way, there's a lot of focus being added to those bottom lashes which can often be forgotten. This trend has a very sixties vibe which I love and you can really decide yourself how dramatic you want to go. If you're feeling brave you can apply individual lashes and create something quite intense or for an easier, more relaxed look apply a generous coat of black mascara to the lower lashline and build up to create the desired effect.


Artistic Eyeliner
Seen at Chloe, Thierry Mugler, Balmain and Versace shows.
Eyeliner is always popular and this year we are seeing a few different looks from all around black to creative work on the upper eyelid. The Balmain and Chloe shows had black liner applied both top and bottom with a very smudged and blended look it was also slightly winged out but in a much more relaxed way to the strong precise winged looks we have had recently. If this look isn't for you but you feel daring you could try the 'banana' look that has also dominated the catwalks. This involves drawing a line above your crease which could be very curved or angular, this is almost a new take on the cut crease with a much more edgy feel. This isn't all that wearable in my opinion but if you created a beautiful sixties inspired look I think it could work.


Other Looks
Whilst looking through all the runway images I did notice a few other trends popping up which I will mention briefly.
Metallic -  I noticed a lot of simple metallic touches being used like a simple wash of gold shimmer being washed across the eyes.
Colour Block - This seemed particularly used in eye make-up, many shows featured bright colours blocked together on the eyes creating a very bold look.
Peachy Keen - This wasn't as obvious but there was definitely some looks featuring soft peach tones creating a very fresh look, as you would expect this was always paired with very natural make-up.
Natural Sheen - As you will often see on the runway many shows also opted for the classic fresh skin and minimal make-up look, this often included some sort of gloss on the face to give a beautiful sheen.


What are your favourite make-up trends for autumn/winter?
Will you be trying out any of these looks?