5 Must-have makeup products!

I’m an avid makeup and beauty product collector and have been for a long time. Ever since I realised the power of makeup, how it can enhance your best features and hide the not so great features, it can change the way you look at yourself and completely transform yourself. 

As my love for makeup has grown and grown over the years, I’ve had my fair share of makeup mistakes and mishaps. But I’ve also quickly become very knowledgeable on what works and what doesn’t. This is what inspired me to write this blog post, I wanted to share five of my favourite makeup products that haven’t failed me once. 

To me, complexion products are the most important when it comes to creating an amazing makeup look. It creates a flawless canvas, brightens, conceals, and structures the face.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation: This has been a staple for me for years! I have diverted from this foundation a few times but I’ve always come back to this one. Why? Because I can always rely on it to give me a flawless complexion without caking my face with a heavy foundation. It’s full coverage but is still buildable, and leaves a “barely there” feeling on the skin. P.s. It smells amazing! 

Rimmel Stay-Matte Pressed Powder: This is a well-known staple product for many makeup enthusiasts, and if you’ve tried it I’m sure you’ll understand why! It’s affordable, it’s translucent, it’s not messy or cakey and perfect for setting foundation and concealer. I personally love the matte look so this is without a doubt always in my makeup bag! 

 NARS “orgasm” blush: Again, this product is a cult favourite and I’m sure you’ve at least heard of it! Known as the “authority” of blushes, it’s an iconic peachy pink shade with a hint of shimmer. It’s a universal shade that compliments any skin tone, highly pigmented while leaving a natural finish on the cheeks.

Eyes and brows are also important to me when creating my makeup look for the day. Eyes can complete the look in ways that other facial features can’t, and the brows can beautifully frame the face. So to me finding products that worked well to help these stand out was crucial. 

Chanel Inimitable Intense Volume Length Curl Separation: I’ve tried many mascaras, both high end and high street, and I’ve never tried anything like this. It’s easy to be a bit sceptical about a product that claims to achieve everything you would want, like this one does. But it really does do everything it says on the box. I love the brush; it’s a plastic brush with flexible elastomer which evenly coasts even those hard to get lashes. It’s not one of those mascaras that dry out after two months; it lasts a long time which is very useful to me. It’s one of my absolute favourite mascaras and it’s always in my makeup bag. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade (Chocolate Brown): I’ve already written and raved about this particular product, and I have to say if I was stranded on a deserted island this is definitely something I would need to bring! If you’re anything like me you’re obsessed with eyebrows, and to me the ABH Dip Brow Pomade is perfect for both beginners and experts. It’s a perfect smudge proof creamy formula which will completely transform the look of your brows. 

So those are just five of my must-have makeup products that I absolutely cannot live without! There are so many more must-have products that I’d love to share with you, so if you like these kind of blog posts please let me know and I’ll write some more for you! 

Thanks for reading!  

Alice D 

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Review

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all well. 

Today I was really in the mood to write another blog post about one of my favourite brow products. 

If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts you’ll know how much I love shaping and filling in my eyebrows. Eyebrows are definitely a trend right now that I can’t see going away anytime soon. 

 

Brows really do make or break your makeup look; they can completely transform your appearance and perfectly frame your face. Once you learn how to fill in your eyebrows right, you’ll never want to go back to anything you’ve previously tried. This is why I wanted to tell you about the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. 

I heard about this product the same way you’ve probably heard about it, through the beauty community – beauty blogs and YouTube videos. Everyone either has it or wants it, and I can see why! 

 

The shade I purchased this product in is “Medium Brown”, which I felt was the perfect shade to match my hair colour. My eyebrows are actually blonde, but I fill them into a medium, chocolate brown shade so my makeup looks more enhanced. 

It’s essentially a brow pencil that comes in heaps of different shades with a little brush at the other end of the product to brush them out before applying any product. 

What’s so special about the Brow Wiz is that it can easily fill in sparse brows which naturally makes them appear fuller. It’s not massively pigmented, which I think is intentional, because it’s much easier to build up the colour and shape, rather than it looking a bit over the top. 

 

So the way I like to use this product is to precisely draw the outline of my brows by following its natural shape. Then I go in with my Anastasia Beverly Hills in Chocolate Brown to fill them in. 

 To complete my brows I then (of course) apply some concealer both under and over my brows which beautifully highlights my brows, it’s honestly one of my favourite makeup tips. 

I have to say it’s not my favourite product from Anastasia Beverly Hills product, and if I had to choose between this and the Dip Brow Pomade, I would definitely choose the latter. But it’s great for creating a stunning outline for your brows so I couldn’t recommend this enough! 

Thanks for reading! 

Alice D  

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Summer scents! Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume Review

“Let’s do what we love and do a lot of it.” – Marc Jacobs 

Hey everyone! I hope you’re all well! 

Since summer is well and truly here (if you’re in the UK, I get it, the weather still isn’t great), I wanted to talk about one of my all-time favourite scents in the world! Marc Jacobs Daisy is amazing, but it really is a distinctive summer scent, so I wanted to write a little review for those of you who still haven’t tried it out. 

I’ve been using this particular perfume for years (I was definitely one of those girls that jumped onto the Daisy bandwagon). I have to say it’s become my signature scent. Marc Jacobs have since expanded their “Daisy” perfume line with a wider selection of different versions of this scent. Unfortunately I’m yet to try out these new scents, but I think I’ll always love the original Daisy perfume. It’s been around for a while, but it will always be a staple scent for me. 

 

It’s a warm, feminine scent that really reminds me of summer, like freshly cut grass and fresh flowers. Its top notes are Violet leaves and strawberry, with Violet petals and jasmine as the heart notes. It does also have a musky undertone to it as well, with a hint of vanilla which I think is what makes this perfume such a feminine scent. 

It’s definitely a classic to wear during the spring and summertime. I really want to try out the Daisy perfumes to add to my collection. Let me know if you’ve tried any of the Marc Jacobs scents and what you think of them. 

Thanks for reading! 

Alice D 

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How to make your eyes pop!

Hey everyone! Hope you’re all well. 

Just a quick little post today, I wanted to talk about quick little tips to make your eyes completely stand out! 

This is always a good idea if you’re going to a special event; like a party or a wedding. You’re eyes are probably the most important feature of your face, so adding a few little details to make them stand out really makes all the difference to your look! 

So first off, I’ve been obsessed with false eyelashes recently. They’re the quickest and most effective way (in my personal opinion) to make your eyes pop! There’s a ton of different brands to try out, some cheap, some expensive. There are so many other brands I’m yet to try out, but recently I’ve been obsessed with Eylure false lashes (I’m sure you’ve heard of them!) 

 

Anything you could dream of, from lengthening, volume, or definition, Eylure has it! I’ve recently been obsessed with the Cheryl Cole so I wanted to show you what I’ve been wearing on my eyes recently. 

These are the “Belle of the Ball” lashes. For me they feel like a combination of lengthening and voluminous, but also natural looking at the same time. So they’re not only great for a special event, they’re amazing for everyday looks! They’re so easy to apply (this is coming from someone who can’t put falsies on to save their life!) and they feel very lightweight. 

 

Another little trick to making your eyes pop is of course eyeliner!  I decided to get my hands on the NYX pencil “Slide on, glide on, stay on & definitely a turn on, water proof, extreme shine eye liner” I know it’s a mouth full! NYX go on the say “This eyeliner is so good, the name had to be this long!”  

 

This eyeliner is in the shade “Jet Black”, but there are so many others to choose from. But if you want your eyes to really pop, go for the blackest shade you can find! This eyeliner is particularly incredible for a special occasion because it literally lasts all day! It doesn’t smear or smudge so you’re safe with this one. 

There are so many other ways to help make your eyes pop which I will talk about in upcoming blog posts, but for now I wanted to share a few products that have really been working out for me. Thanks for reading! 

Alice D 

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French finds! Bioderma Solution Michellaire review!

“Paris is always a good idea” – Audrey Hepburn 

Paris has always fascinated me, it’s one of my favourite cities! It’s architecture, its atmosphere, it’s shopping and of course it’s fashion! 

I’m in love with just about anything to do with it, which includes French pharmacy products! French skincare is notorious for amazing quality, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Bioderma Solution Michellaire.

As soon as I heard about it I wanted to try it out. I get excited over just about anything beauty related, but this caught my eye for other reasons. It seemed different to anything else on the market. Sure there’s tons of makeup removers out there to try, but this seemed like a rare find, an all-purpose product let’s say. I was intrigued, it seemed like it would be money well spend if it lived up to its blown up hype. 

 

This product has really impressed me, what I love most about it is that it’s both a makeup remover and a cleanser in one. I like the idea of using a water cleanser, it feels so clean and refreshing, and plus I don’t like using a ton of different creams on my face. 

For ages I would just use a regular makeup wipe to remove my makeup at the end of the day. If you’re doing this, please stop! It won’t get all that dirt that built up during the day. Using Bioderma makes me feel that I really have gotten everything off! It can also be used to remove eye makeup too, so don’t worry about rubbing it over your eyelids. 

The routine I use with this product is twice a day, once in the morning straight after my shower, and in the evening when removing my makeup. I then finish off with moisturizing cream. It makes me skin feel like a baby’s bottom, completely free from irritation and redness. It’s so good that I’ve even noticed other beauty companies try to replicate the success of this magic in a bottle! But this is the real deal! 

After using this for a good month now my skin feels and looks less irritated, my acne scars look improved, and I’ve even had compliments on how good my skin is looking without makeup (one friend even told me I don’t need to wear foundation!) 

French skincare has been really impressing me recently, it's a big thumbs up from me! 

Thanks for reading! 

Alice D 

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade Review!

Hey everyone hope you’re all well! 

If any of you have read my previous blog posts you’ll know that eyebrows (and eyebrow products) are a big priority for me when it comes to makeup. Eyebrows can beautifully frame your face, they can make or break your makeup look, and they can say a lot about how you look after yourself in terms of your appearance. 

I’m always on the lookout for new eyebrow products, and I’ve tried many different brands in the past. In my last eyebrow product blog post, I was using Mac products on my brows, which I still love and would definitely still use now! However I recently decided to try out the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade in chocolate brown, since I’ve heard so much about this brand I was curious to see what all the hype was about.

 

I’ve only ever used powder products or pencils on my brows before, so I wanted to try out something new. The Dipbrow Pomade is a cream product, which basically helps to achieve a more defined and precise look to the brows. 

I’ve been using this product for about a month now and I have to say I regret absolutely nothing! Seriously. I’ve never been more in love with a new found makeup brand than I have with Anastasia Beverly Hills. I want to try absolutely everything from them! 

 

The Dipbrow Pomade is so easy to use I’d even recommend this product for beginners! It glides onto the brows effortlessly and adheres to the brow hairs so you don’t need to worry about smudging throughout the day. 

However this product is a little on the pricy side, retailing at £15 on BeautyBay.co.uk. Don’t let the price put you off though, it’s seriously amazing! I feel like I’ve had enough experience experimenting with various brow products to know that this product is incredible! It’s extremely pigmented so a little goes a long way! I like to use this product with an angled 317 Zoeva brush. 

 

Quick tip with filling in your brows, go over them with concealer (preferably with a slightly lighter shade of concealer) to really define the brows, it makes all the difference! 

I know I sound like an advert, but I couldn’t recommend this product enough if you want beautifully sculpted brows! It’s definitely going under my “staple” list. 

Thanks for reading! 

Alice D 

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The Balm Cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer Review

I’m always on the lookout for staple products. Foundations, powders, shadows and liners, every girl should have a staple of each one. Of course my quest hasn’t finished, it’s a constant search for the perfect, irreplaceable products. 

For a long time I’ve been looking for the perfect highlighter for my cheek bones. I’ve wanted something that perfectly accentuates them without them looking extremely glittery.  Many of them don't had enough pigment, or they’re too glittery, too gold, too bronze, too silver, or too pink. The list goes on!

One day I came across The Balm Cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer. I had never tried anything from The Balm Cosmetics before, so it was exciting to not only try out a highlighter that was already extremely popular among the beauty community, but also a new cosmetic brand all together! 

 

I found it to be reasonably priced at £17.50, which I personally didn’t think was bad considering I’ve paid significantly more for highlighters that haven’t come close to this! 

What I love about this highlighter is that it’s the perfect highlighting shade for almost any skin tone. It’s a beautiful silver highlighter, but with the perfect amount of shimmer. The highlighter beautifully defuses light to make the skin appear softer and younger. 

 

This could be either a love or a hate depending on your preference, but this highlighter is massively pigmented, so be careful. A little can go an extremely long way so don’t go crazy with it! It’s perfect for both everyday use and for special occasions, and can also be used as an eye shadow to make your eyes pop. Please please try this out if you’re looking for a new highlighter, it’s so amazing and worth every penny! 

Thanks for reading! 

Alice D   

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