Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

The Nars Sheer Glow Foundation has been a blogger favourite for years, so you can definitely consider me late to the party on this one. I did actually try this years and years ago, when I was seriously misguided in shade selection and ended up picking up the shade Barcelona - which of course was completely unusable. Years later and I was looking for a foundation more matte in finish (which despite the name, this is) and decided to give the Sheer Glow another go.

This time I picked up the shade Fiji which is a perfect match. As I am pretty much always fake tanned, I tend to match my foundations to my tanned shade instead of my natural skin tone. Fiji is just slightly lighter than the shade I am after tanning, meaning with bronzer it matches perfectly but also continues to be wearable as my tan fades. The coverage is medium but definitely can be built up to full and while its not typically 'glowy' like the name suggests, it offers a radiant looking, velvety finish. One thing I will say about this foundation is that it does cling slightly to any dry patches, so if your someone that suffers with any flakiness then this may not be the best option for you. Luckily this isn't a problem for me as although my skin is dehydrated, I don't have any patches of rough or dry skin. This foundation provides a good days wear on me with a light dusting of setting powder, although I don't have particularly oily skin so longevity isn't usually a huge issue for me. My one issue is the need to buy a pump for the bottle separately, when this is something that most foundations come with and would be very easy for Nars to provide.

I've been wearing this foundation almost exclusively for the last month and it is up there with my all time favourites (Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk and Loreal True Match). However, both of those offer quite a dewy finish, so i've really been enjoying this more mattefying option for the Winter months. I love trying out different foundations so if you've got any recommendations, leave a comment to let me know!

5 things to buy at the Drugstore

While I love my high end products, my bank balance most certainly does not so its great when I find affordable products that I really, really love. Some cosmetics, such as Mascara make far more sense to get cheaply, especially as they dry out within a couple of weeks. I love Maybelline's Mascara offerings, they have such a huge range now and while I'm not one for excessive marketing and brightly coloured, garish packaging - they really do get the job done. My pick would be the Volum' Express The Collossal Mascara, although targeted at volumizing the lashes this formula is a great all rounder, lenghening lashes and holding curl. I currently have the waterproof version, which really doesn't budge until it meets a balm cleanser or oil based make up remover.

The Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation has been a solid favourite of mine since its release years ago, I love a glowy finish and the light reflecting particles in this base lift your complexion creating the look of really healthy skin. I find this quite comparable to my much loved Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, it offers the same sort of finish but with a little more coverage.
One thing that I hate spending money on is expensive hair styling products especially as I get through them so quickly. The Charles Worthington Texturising Spray is a pretty good dupe for the renowned Oribe Dry Texturising Spray, but for a fraction of the price. This adds volume and texture to freshly washed, uncooperative hair and helps to keep your style in place as well.
I love my Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils but the Maybelline Colour Drama Lip Pencils are a great alternative. These pencils are creamy, pigmented and long lasting and come in some lovely shades. I can't live without Fab Orange - a bright orange red, or Nude Perfection which is a Tawny Nude shade.
Great skincare can be difficult to find on a budget, but one brand that has always impressed me has been the Superfacialist by Una Brennan range at boots. I have been using the Vitamin C+ Glow Boost Serum every morning for the last few months and my skin looks noticeably brighter and happier. I've tried a few other bits from the range as well like the Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil which is a lovely first cleanse, and my Mum swears by the Super Lift Night Cream.

January

 January is such a dull month, its cold, Christmas is over and getting up in the mornings is a constant challenge until the weather starts warming up. Luckily, there have been some amazing products this month to help perk me up and make me actually look forward to doing my make up each morning!

Starting with the one skincare item this month, the Estēe Lauder Advanced Night Repair. I have been using this light, refreshing serum every night for the last month and have noticed an unbelievable change in my skin. It looks clear, bright and even in tone. I suffer with a lot of redness around my cheeks and nose this serum has really changed that. Can't see this leaving my skincare routine any time soon!

I love the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light, but its its Bronzy sibling Radiant Light that had my attention this month. With the same glowy, photogenic finish as Diffused Light, Radiant Light looks gorgeous to warm up your skin for a night out. What I love about it is that its subtle enough to use everywhere for an all over glow, or just on the cheekbones as a natural highlight. 

I've been experimenting with wearing slightly smokier eye looks recently, which has led me to completely fall in love with the M.A.C Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Uninterrupted. A warm, mid brown shade - this is absolutely perfect for blending out darker colours, creating the perfect transition shade and giving the impression you have flawless blending skills... (I don't). This is also a really pretty shade worn in the crease or all over the lid for an easy day look that looks particularly lovely with Green eyes. 

A favourite I didn't expect to love quite as much as I do is the Nars Audacious Lipstick in Anna. A muted, mauve pink that is super brightening and suits me both when I'm tanned and pale. Theres just something about this shade that is so wearable but yet delivers the perfect pop of colour. The formula of the Audacious Lipsticks is also beautiful, really pigmented and they feel so creamy and nourishing!

And finally, this month I tried out the Benefit Gimme Brow - a product I was totally sure I didn't need. I use this over my Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade, I have to alter my brow shape far to much to ever be able to just use a Gel. Never the less, this product is addictive... I have the shade Blonde which sets my brows perfectly, keeping the hairs and colour in place for hours and just makes me feel done. This may be an unnecessary step to my routine, but definitely one I now can't live without. 

The Festive Face

Personally I'm the type that wears some kind of glorified pyjama set for the majority of Christmas day - but I love doing my make up in the morning, particularly when I may have a few new bits to test out. I have been loving Cranberry tones this winter, and Sable by MAC is a gorgeous reddish brown that really brings out Green eyes.  It is beautiful blended all over the lid for a smokier effect, or in the crease with a pale lid to contrast. The festive season brings with it a lot of eating and drinking, so you really a lip colour that won't leave you worrying that its half way down your face! I am definitely a lover of matte lip colours, and particularly the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. The shade Train Bleu might not be best if your shy of a bold lip, but the deep berry shade is perfect for dark lip lovers like me! When it comes to nails, I don't often go for a glitter as I just can't stand the hassle of removing them, but this year I will be braving it for the sake of Beyond Cozy by Essie. Somewhere between Silver and Gold, this polish is solid glitter particles, and is opaque in two coats. 

I hope you have a lovely Christmas, I will be back with a post on my favourite discoveries of 2014 in the new year! 

♥

Weekend Away Make up Bag

My boyfriend and I have just gotten back from spending the weekend in London, and I thought I would share the 'capsule' make up items that I chose to bring. I love reading these types of posts, its so interesting to see which products really make the cut when you have limited space.

My current make up bag is this Flat Scuba and leather pouch from & Other Stories. I would normally be one to bring a massive make up bag and then fill it with six lip options (for a three day trip) but this time I set myself the challenge of actually packing light. I really like the simple design of this pouch, and the easily cleanable scuba fabric.

Base wise, it has to be the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. This product just ticks all the boxes, its easily buildable, offers flawless coverage and a radiant finish... and it stays that way for a really long time.  The only issue with this one is the packaging isn't exactly travel friendly, so I de-potted enough for the trip into a old tester container. For concealer, my favourite all rounder is the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. Creamy enough for under the eyes and covering enough to deal with any blemishes that may pop up.

The powder I took is the Rimmel London Stay Matte - cheap, cheerful and keeps any shine at bay.

For the eyes, the Illamasqua Neutral Palette really has it covered. It contains three matte neutrals for the daytime, while the fourth shade is a beautiful metallic bronze. All of the shades are soft and pigmented, and I also doubled up and used the black as a liner. 

The Lancome Hypnose Mascara has always been a favourite of mine as it delivers long, fluttery lashes, but can also be built up to get a really intense look.

The Contour and Highlight I chose to bring were both from Kevin Aucoin. The Sculpting Powder is a soft brown shade that somehow adds some shape to my face, and The Celestial Powder in Candlelight leaves the prettiest glow across the cheekbones. One of my most used blushes is the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Exposed, a dusky rose shade that works with any lip or eye colour. These blushes last really well on the skin and Exposed is such a versatile shade, so its perfect for a weekend away.

I love using lip pencils, they define your lip shape and are really long lasting. MAC's Spice is a dark, brownish nude that gives you that whole Kylie Jenner thing going on. I wore this alone in the day time, but it also works really well as a base for lots of other lip colours. The shade I packed for the weekend is a new purchace, Amorous by MAC. Its a gorgeous cranberry shade, that I found to be really wearable, so I know this is one I'll be getting a lot of use out of.

The Winter Glow Givers

Winter is coming and for me I know that means saying hello to a dull, grey, ghoulish complexion. I love dewy skin all year round, I feel a glow can really make you look so much more alive, even if your wearing barely any make up. So I thought I would share some of my favourite products for helping your skin to look radiant through the colder months. Two of these products are more of a primer type thing, where as the other two I would call a typical cream highlighter formula. Though personally, I would use most of these products over or under make up. 

The first is the M.A.C Strobe Cream. This is a product which used to be talked about frequently online, but I haven't really heard anyone mention it in years. It has always remained one of my favourites, a creamy formula which feels moisturising on the skin and leaves an amazing dewy glow. This product really is a multi-tasker, you can use it under, over or mixed in to your base and it never fails to inject some life into your skin! A great cheaper alternative is Hocus Focus by Soap and Glory. Personally I find this a more subtle illuminator, which makes it great for day time. I can imagine this would look lovely on darker skins, as it has a more golden tone to the highlight. Soap and Glory products are reasonably priced and really easy to get hold of in Boots stores too. 

Next up is the NARS Multiple in Copacabana. This is a cream highlighter which is really pretty dabbed onto the tops of the cheekbones, it has a slight shimmer to it that makes it the perfect highlighter for evenings. This product is the only one out of the four that I wouldn't recommend using under your base, as you don't want any shimmer to travel to unwanted parts of your face whilst applying your foundation! 

I have repurchaced the M.A.C Cream Colour Base in Pearl so many times, it is such a perfect all round highlighter for my skin tone. I use this in so many ways... under or over my foundation, mixed with cream blushers, or even as an eye base. The formula is creamy and easily blended, and I find the end finish I get much more natural than a powder highlight.