in my makeup bag #2

I have bought quite a few new makeup items recently which has led to many changes in my makeup bag so I thought I would do an update.

Face makeup

The Clinique Superprimer Universal (£20), Superdefense CC Cream (£28, Light) and the Stay Matte Clear Pressed Powder (£23.50, 02) have been working great as a trio for me recently. I have especially been loving the primer which gives a lovely smooth base for the CC cream. My concealers of choice have been the Benefit Erase Paste (£20.50, 01) and, of course, the Seventeen Stay Time Concealer (£4.49, Medium) along with the Smashbox Under Eye Primer to help the coverage last on my under eyes. I have rediscovered the Seventeen Skin Wow Highlighter (£5.99) which gives a lovely subtle glow to the skin. The matte side of the Soap and Glory Solar Powder (£11) is great for a light contour and the Zoeva Luxe Colour Blush (£6.95, Gentle Touch) I have been loving too.

Eye makeup

I have been loving placing the Maybelline Colour Tattoo (£4.99, On and on Bronze) all over my lid with a some shades from the Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 (£23) to complete the look. The shade Primal is the perfect brow shade for me too and I keep this in place using the Eylure Brow Control and Shape Gel (£7.45). I'd heard rave reviews about the Collection 24 Hour Extreme Felt Tip Liner (£2.99) so I decided to get it but recently mine has been leaking really badly so I think I must have got a dodgy one :(. The MAC Paint Pot (£16, Painterly) creates a great canvas for my eyeshadow and really evens out discolouration in my eyelids - I am in love with this product! Finally for mascara I took the plunge and bought the YSL Babydoll Mascara (£25) which I'd had my eye on for ages. I loved it from the first time I used it so it went straight in my makeup bag! As for my bottom lashes it's an old favourite - the Natural Collection WaterGuard (£1.99).

Lip makeup

I'm still struggling to be brave with lip colours so it's another subtle colour in my makeup bag at the moment - No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick (£9.95, Mulberry). This has been working really well with my slightly tanned skin but to be honest I'm more likely to just leave my lips completely bare. If any of you have any nice natural lipsticks you recommend please let me know! :)

Thank you for reading!

Lily :)x

MAC All That Glitters Dupe

Seventeen Eyshadow trio in 'Nude Smoke' (left) and MAC eyeshadow in 'All That Glitters (right)

'Nude Smoke' (left) and 'All That Glitters' (right)

I feel like I'm on a roll with blog posts at the moment after not posting for a couple of weeks - long may this continue!

If you've read my post 'Little High End Beauty Haul' you'll know I recently made my first ever purchases from MAC, and one of these was their eyeshadow in 'All That Glitters' (£10 - pan form). When I got it home and swatched it I realised it was amazingly similar to one of my Seventeen Eyeshadow Trios in 'Nude Smoke' (£5.49). As I'm sure you can tell from the above photos, they both look identical in the pan with the Seventeen eyeshadow translating slightly darker in tone onto the skin. They are both beautiful though, worn alone or with any other eyeshadow colour it would seem! The other two shades in the trio are beautifully pigmented as well so I would highly recommend purchasing this trio whether you own 'All That Glitters' or not.

Thank you for reading!

Lily :)x

High Street Makeup Haul

I have been buying a few bits and bobs from Boots and Beauty Bay over the past few weeks so I thought I'd do a little haul :)

The Zoeva Luxe Colour Blush in Gentle Touch (£6.95) has been my go-to for blusher ever since I got it. It's a satin finish I think but the shimmer doesn't really translate onto the skin. It's a perfect pale pink colour but I still think it would suit darker skin tones.

I definitely fell for the hype of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze and it's everything I hoped it would be. It's beautifully pigmented, lasts forever and can be used either as a sheer wash of colour for the daytime or built up for a more intense look. One of my favourite ways to wear it is with Urban Decay Sin over the top.

I decided it was time to invest in a new bronzer because all I'd been using was my Soap & Glory Solar Powder. I chose this one from Rimmel - Sun Shimmer Compact Bronzing Powder in Light Matte (£5.61). So far it's been good but not great. It's not actually matte - there is a light shimmer running through it which I was disappointed with and it's a little too pale for me really because I'm slightly tanned from holiday. Definitely a great one for those of you with paler complexions though.

Two products which I bought which don't really need expanding on are the Seventeen Stay Time Concealer (£4.49) and the Natural Collection Water Guard Mascara (£1.99). If you've read my review on the concealer you'll know I'm a massive fan but I decided to pick up the shade Medium so I had something to match my tan. As for the mascara, it's all I wear on my bottom lashes as it never flakes and is fully waterproof so perfect for holidays.

There's been huge hype over the past year or so about the Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner (£2.99) and (from my experience so far) rightly so. It's so easy to use, fully opaque, dries really quickly and DOES NOT BUDGE until you remove it at the end of the day.

When I first purchased the Revlon ColorBurst Balm Stain in Honey (£7.99) I really loved it because it is the perfect shade to just enhance my natural lip colour whilst still remaning subtle for an every day look. However since I have tanned a bit it looks purple on my lips for some reason! I will definitely be using in regularly again though once my tan fades.

Finally I bought the Eylure Brow Control and Shape Gel (£7.45). Since I found my perfect (I think) eyeshadow to fill in my brows (UD Primal), I decided I needed to invest in a clear brow gel to try and keep the colour in place all day. I haven't tried it out yet but I'm a big fan of the packaging - navy's quite an unusual colour for makeup packaging!

If you would like to see in-depth review of any of these products please let me know!

Thank you for reading!

Lily :)x

Little High End Makeup Haul

I've collected a couple of bits from the high end world of makeup over the past few weeks so I thought I'd share them with you :)

I'd had my eye on the Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette (£23) for quite a while and when I saw Feel Unique had 15% off I decided now was the time to get it. It quickly made its way into my daily makeup bag because it's just so perfect for creating a subtle neutral eye for the day time. The colours are all matte except the highlight shade, which initially I was a bit concerned about because matte eyeshadows are notoriously hard to work with but thankfully the formula of these makes blending a dream. My go-to look is Skimp all over the lid, with Frisk and Cover in the crease, Skimp as an inner corner and brow bone highlight and a tiny bit of cover on my lash line. Primal is the perfect eyebrow shade for me as well!

Today I finally made my first ever MAC purchases. I'd heard many good things about their eyeshadows and after looking through many swatches I decided All that Glitters and Satin Taupe (£10) as a duo would be perfect for me. I bought them in pan form and bought a duo palette (£5) because it worked out slightly (£1!) cheaper and I thought this would be perfect for travelling. £25 for two eyeshadows does seem quite expensive (it's the same price as the Stila In the Light palette) but the quality is incredible and they're so pigmented so I'm sure they'll last me a long time. The palette has a magnetic closure which is really secure and the pans are held with a magnet so shouldn't fall out! The two colours can be worn alone but also look really pretty together, with All that Glitters all over the lid and Satin Taupe in the crease and outer corner. I think soon I will be purchasing two more pan shadows and a quad palette so let me know which shades you think would complement these two well :)

I have quite obvious veins on my eyelid which can make it look as if I haven't blended my eyeshadow properly - not a good look! Painterly Paint Pot (£16) is raved about on the blogosphere and there doesn't seem to be a drugstore dupe for it so I went and bought it. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet but so far the colour seems like just the right shade for me to even out my eyelids and help my shadows stay on a bit better. I can't wait to try it out with some of my new eyeshadows and see how well it performs!

Thank you for reading!

Lily :)x