NARS HAULIN

I told myself I would be curbing my spending throughout January and trying to use up/rediscover old products, surprise surprise, I caved and went Selfridges shopping which we all know is never a good idea. In my defence I feel I was quite constrained and only had a quick browse of the Chanel and Tom Ford counters and then proceeded to purchase a few items from Nars. Looking back I’m thinking the browse was actually a bad idea because now I’m lusting over those Tom Ford Lipsticks and the Soleil Tan De Chanel.

So from Nars I picked up the very popular Radiant Creamy Concealer which is massively hyped, hopefully with good reason. I thought the shade selection was pretty good however I went in knowing pretty much what shade I wanted anyway. I think in the summer months or when I’m wearing tan I might need to pick up Custard but for now Vanilla seems to be the perfect match. I've been testing this out wearing it almost every day and so far so good! I like to trial things out for a few weeks before I give a full review but on first impressions the coverage is good, the shade works well with my skin tone and I’m yet to see any creasing!

Secondly, and for me the most exciting purchase the Satin Lip Pencil in the shade Biscayne Park. I cannot tell you how long I've wanted to try one of these lip pencils and I don’t really know why it’s taken me so long to get my hands on one. I chose a gorgeous peachy pink shade for my first one but I really want to try some of the darker colours too. I love how pigmented they are with just the right amount of gloss, so far I'm completely in love!

Have you been buying any new make up recently?

Jess  x 

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CHARLOTTE TILBURY LOVIN'

I posted my first review on a Charlotte Tilbury product a few months ago, my first purchase was the Cheek to Chic in Love Glow and I confessed my love for her products from the word go. Since then my obsession has only grown and I'm pretty much lusting over every single one of her products along with what seems like every other beauty blogger out there. However I've been controlling myself and I’m quite proud to say I've only picked up two more items (well three if you include the brush but shhhh).

All hail the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow, this was by far the most exciting purchase I made in 2014 and the only reason it didn't quite make my yearly favourites was because I didn't buy it until really late in the year. Its truly a beautiful product, the packaging, the shades, the consistency and the quality are all flawless and I can’t imagine finding a better contour kit. I also purchased the contour brush because obviously you can’t have one without the other. This is equally as luxurious and makes applying the contour (for dummies like me) so easy!

After purchasing the Lip Cheat in the shade Pillow Talk and absolutely loving it I was on the hunt for the lipstick to match so I when I went to Manchester I decided to quickly pop in to Selfridges. The girls recommended two shades and I chose Penelope Pink. It’s a gorgeous pinky/brown nude – the perfect Kylie Jenner shade which looks gorgeous with a smokey eye. The formula is of course flawless and I'm dying to get my hands on some darker shades!

What are your favourites from CT?

Jess  x 

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FACE OF THE DAY | THE EARLY RISER

I would say I have a fair bit of experience in getting up early and having to get ready in the shortest amount of time possible. My usual day consists of waking up at 6am and being out of the house and on my way to work for 7am, this requires a fast turnaround from messy hair and no make up to a face fit to be seen by my colleagues without giving them a fright. As I’m sure many beauty bloggers would agree I would love to be able to do flawless make up with highlighter, contour and a gorgeous eye look every day but when you wake up before 8am that is not realistic. So I have to settle for second best and make the most out of the time I have.

For my base I’ve been loving mixing my favourite foundation of the moment, the Laura Mercier Silk Cream (£34.00) with the Nars Copacabana Illuminator (£22.50) to create a natural glow to the skin. I usually apply it with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (£9.99) which makes it super quick and easy to blend. I've recently picked up the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (£22.00) and I now know what all the fuss was about, the coverage is amazing and so far it hasn't creased once!

I then move on to my chosen blush for the day which is really the only thing that changes day to day, whichever one I chose usually takes me the same amount of time to apply anyway - as long as I don't put too much on and have to go back in with my foundation brush! For a bit of warmth I like to take a big fluffy brush like the Real Techniques Powder Brush (£12.99) and swirl it over my chosen bronzer (usually the S&G Solar Powder). I usually attempt to apply it in the standard '3' shape very lightly focusing on my temples and 'contour-y area', making sure I run some down my neck.

Eyes I keep very simple. I run a tinted brow gel through my brows like the Maybelline one or the Benefit Gimme Brow (£17.50) which usually suffices for a day in the office and for the days I have a bit of extra time I like to take a cream eye shadow such as the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock (£29.00) for a quick dash of colour. They are so easy to blend and require minimal effort so I just have enough time in my routine to include this step. I finish off with lashings of mascara which is usually the part that takes me the longest as I’m a complete perfectionist when it comes to eyelashes.

Like I said, a very simple make up look which can be done in 10 minutes (even half asleep). What does your go to quick make up look entail?

Jess  x 

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INGREDIENTS FOR THE PERFECT BASE

I've been focusing a lot on my base recently as my beloved Nars Sheer Glow just didn't seem to be working for me anymore. I was finding after a 9 hour day my foundation was going terribly patchy and I couldn't control the shine so something had to be done. I've found a new love in the form of a foundation, the Laura Mercier Silk Cream (£34.00) and have been wearing that none stop. However as a little extra I've been experimenting with primers and illuminators to give me that added bit of glow and last-ability I love in my base.

Firstly the The Body Shop All In One Instablur (£14.00) primer, when I first tried this I thought it was very similar to the Benefit Pore Professional only for half the price! It smooths the skin once applied, filling up any lumps and bumps and allows the foundation to sit comfortably on the skin with immaculate blending! I have definitely found a difference in the lasting power of my foundation, shine control and even my skin as a whole in regards to blemishes. I’m not sure if my logic is in any way correct but I’m sure the improvement in my skin is down to the fact that the primer is acting as a base between my skin and the foundation meaning the foundation nastiness doesn't block my pores as much. For this reason I've been thinking, can anyone recommend any primers sold by skincare brands which have skincare benefits?

I've always been a lover of glowy skin and even though throughout Winter I find I have to tone it down slightly I have been enjoying adding the Nars Copacabana Illuminator (£22.50) to my foundation to give it some extra luminosity. I got given the illuminator for Christmas and haven’t stopped using it yet, there's just the right amount of shimmer which doesn't at all look greasy like some highlighters = winner. I stole the idea of mixing a tiny bit in with my foundation from HannahMaggs and the overall look it creates is incredible! 

Have you ever tried these products?

Jess  x 

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BEATING THOSE JANUARY BLUES

The first week back at work/school after the Christmas break for many people, is torture. Not only have you had a considerable amount of time off, doing what you want, eating what you want and getting up when you want you are also faced with the thought of a long stretch until your next break and possibly the worst weather of the year ahead of you. So understandably many people experience what I call the January blues, that time throughout January when you’re cold, bored and in need of a shake up. Because of this I thought I would put together my top tips for beating those January blues and what I like to do to get me through those dull winter months.

Reorganise/De-clutter – One of my favourite things to do its organise what ever time of year (yes I am that sad). So I think in January its good to bring in the New Year with fresh organised surroundings whether that means reorganising your house, room or even make up stash. I've decided I'm going to try to be more organised with my blog this year so I've made a blogging schedule and so far its going great. You feel so much better for de-cluttering and you never know you might even find something you forgot you had but once loved.

New stationary – This is a definite favourite of mine as I'm complete a self-confessed stationary addict. Getting a nice new diary alone is enough to put me in a good mood but you can also revamp your blogging notebooks etc. If you’re a student you have an excuse to go the whole hog and buy pens, pencils, books, rubbers maybe even new school books if you're going to really push the boat out! 

Start a new hobby – Whether you want to join a gym to lose weight, start something crafty or take up photography, starting something new in January is always a good idea and you never know what it will lead to. One of my main hobbies is obviously my blog but this year I want to improve my photography skills so I've recently bought a DSLR to help me with this.

Change something - I always say I I'm going to do this and never pluck up the courage but I think a new hair cut is always nice at the start of a New Year. You could always change up your style or make up if you don't fancy do anything so drastic. It makes you feel so refreshed and its always nice to have a change.

Set your goals for the year - I like to write down my goals for the year, its kinda like writing your New Years Resolutions but in a more positive way. This year I've written mine all neat in my diary and I've tried to make really realistic ones, it means that you can then start planning around them so if its to travel more you can go ahead and book a weekend away. They can be really small things or big things, I like to do a mixture just so I'm not sat on New Years Eve looking at all the things I didn't achieve throughout the year! 

Jess  x 

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BARGAIN BLUSHERS

Everyone loves a good bargain, especially in the beauty world where we have to pay 30 odd pounds every time we need a new foundation and Nars are bringing out beautiful new products so often our wages disappear every month. MUA is a budget make up brand sold in Superdrug, despite speculation over their ridiculously cheap prices the quality of the make-up is excellent and you can find some real gems. 

My first purchase was one of their lipsticks which was great for the £1.00 price tag but soon after I looked into more of their products, I found their powder blushes which are amazing! The packaging lacks that luxury feel you get with high end brands but inside the quality does not lack in any sense of the word. The pigmentation is as good as any other blush I’ve used and they blend immaculately into the skin so much so they've even been compared to MAC blushes.  

The shades are gorgeous, I originally purchased the shades Lolly and Cupcake and became completely obsessed with Cupcake so much it made the cut for my chosen blush on my 21^st Birthday (massive achievement!). Recently I placed an order for the rest of the collection and for £6.00 for six different shades how can you go wrong? So far I’ve used two of the lighter shades which of course did not disappoint. There is however two very bright pink shades which I would usually stay well clear of, but as these blushes were only £1.00 each (have I mentioned that before?) you can afford to experiment a little.

Have you tried any MUA products, what did you think of them?

Jess  x 

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2014 BEAUTY FAVOURITES

One thing I absolutely love at the end of the year are the yearly beauty favourites posts. I enjoy reading any favourites because I think you get a good insight into a product and I trust that the bloggers I follow review the products honestly, however when something has made your YEARLY favourites then that really does mean business! So far I've read so many 2014 favourites and my wishlist has at least doubled with all the gorgeous things being recommended, so I thought I would share mine. 

First up a popular item in many girls make up bags this year, the Soap & Glory Solar Powder (£11.00). This is gorgeous bronzer that I've spoken about a few times on my blog this year, its a lovely shade which I think could work for any skin tone. One half is a lighter colour and one a more true bronze shade, I like to swirl my brush over both colours to create a gorgeous bronze shimmer. The packaging doesn't disappoint either with a handy compact mirror for on the go and a gorgeous vintage looking design. Another fave from S&G comes in much smaller packaging in the form of an eyebrow pencil. I'd been using powder to fill my eyebrows in for some time but when I saw that the Soap Glory Archery Brow Filling Pencil (£8.00) was being compared to the famous Anastasia Brow Wiz I had to give it a go. This product definitely did not disappoint and has changed my brows massively for the better, I don't even feel the need to look for new brow products because this does the job perfectly. NEVER discontinue this S&G. 

The Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr Cream Eye Shadows (£4.99) have been in my favourites for some years now, especially the shade On and On Bronze. I wear it most days for work, it requires minimal effort, minimal blending and lasts all day. The shade really complements blue eyes and I always get people asking what I'm wearing. I think its a staple for girls make up bags, something which you can quickly apply for an instant pick me up. 

I was recommended the Bourjois Volume 1 Second Mascara (£9.99) by a blogger on Twitter (I can't for the life of me remember who it was, sorry!) when I was on the hunt for a new mascara to replace my beloved Benefit They're Real. She claimed it created volume and lift, without the awful clumpy bits that usually comes hand in hand and that's exactly what it does! Its a really affordable mascara which suits me perfectly however I have decided that I need to branch out and try new ones this year as its something I never really experiment with. Any recommendations?

The Chanel Rouge Coco Shine (£25.00) in the shade Interlude has by far been my favourite lipstick of 2014. Its the most perfect 'your lips but better' nude with amazing hydrating properties and a long lasting formula. The only problem Is before I even knew it, it was 50% used so now I've told myself I need to use it sparingly! 

Charlotte Tilbury has become massive toward the end of 2014 and her products are truly beautiful. As I got more into lip liners I thought I would try the CT Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk (£16.00) its a gorgeous nude shade and the formula is incredibly velvety so it glides onto the lips effortlessly. I'm in love with so many CT products now but as this is one of my first purchased and most used it definitely deserves a place in my favourites.

Finally a foundation I've found myself reaching for more and more is the Laura Mercier Silk Cream Foundation (£34.00), I have two shades one for when I'm tanned (Cashew Beige) and one to match my natural skin colour (Rose Ivory). Its a full coverage, rich foundation which photographs perfectly and lasts for hours. I find it to be very moisturising on the skin even though its oil free and it leaves my skin with just the right amount of luminosity for a natural finish. 

What have been your stand out products in 2014?

Jess  x 

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