Decluttering my Makeup Basket

I have this basket on top of my beauty chest of drawers, and it's supposed to hold my most used makeup (with the rest going in the top drawer). This just makes things easier to find and saves time in the morning. However, over time, more and more products are added to it, making it a cluttered mess! If I buy a new product, it'll end up in the basket. If I take something out of the top drawer, it'll end up in the basket. And yes, even hair ties end up in the basket.  So, after being strict with myself and having a good sort out, what has made the cut? 

No lip products have because they live in a lipstick container next to the basket. 

My MUA Cover & Conceal Concealer has, as well as a tube of Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer for blemishes. On a side note, how rubbish is the packaging of this? It's a new tube, and yet the black writing has already rubbed off! 

My chosen powder is The Body Shop's All-in-One Face Base in 02 because it gives a little coverage and a silky, matte finish. 

Moving on to cheek products (I'm going through this in the order I do my makeup!). I've decided to have NYX's Cream Blush in Natural in there, as well as two Dainty Doll Powder Blushes in You Are My Sunshine and Money Talks. You Are My Sunshine is a pinky peach with golden shimmer (it looks nothing like it does in the photo), and Money Talks is a cool toned brown. It's shimmery, so I don't use it as a bronzer, but it's a nice alternative shade for blush. 

ELF's Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light has also made the cut, which is no surprise! It's all I use on my brows. 

For lining my lower lash line, I've chosen a few products. NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha is very well loved, as you can see! And I've also chosen Maybelline's Colour Tattoos in On & On Bronze and Permanent Taupe. Permanent Taupe is matte, so I use this when I'm not in the mood for shimmer. 

I've chosen Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude for when I wish to line my waterline. I don't do this every day because it hasn't lasted well the last few times I've used it, but it's supposed to make your eyes appear bigger and brighter, and I'm all for that! 

Then, when I have the patience, I'll use L'Oreal's Perfect Slim Super Liner. I'm too lazy to use it on a day to day basis, though! 

Lastly, Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara is my current everyday mascara. I think I ended up with 6 in my basket! And although I used them all, I've decided to use one up at a time.

Do you keep your everyday makeup separate from the rest? If so, do you slowly add other products to the mix so it gradually becomes cluttered like mine?

Cream Blush Collection, Reviews and Swatches

 

Top row: NYX Natural, NYX Glow, Look Beauty Guava and Look Beauty Melon

Bottom row: MUA Blossom, Natural Collection Rosy Pink, ELF Headliner, Revlon Flushed and ELF Heart Breaker

 

NYX Natural, NYX Glow, Look Beauty Guava and Look Beauty Melon

MUA Blossom, Natural Collection Rosy Pink, ELF Headliner, Revlon Flushed and ELF Heart Breaker

I've really started to love cream blushes in the last year or so. I think they give a natural, radiant finish. My favourites are definitely the NYX ones. They're so creamy and pigmented! For my cheeks, I only need 1-2 light dabs with the stipple brush. The other cream blushes I own, especially the Look Beauty and MUA ones, require warming up with my finger to get to the pigmentation. Because of this, they're harder to use with a stipple brush, which is what I prefer to apply cream blushes with. The next two blushes have a liquid formulation, rather than a cream one, but thought I'd include them anyway. They're closer to cream than powder! The Natural Collection Rosy Pink blush is my least favourite out of the ones I own. It takes a lot of product to even show up on the skin. The ELF Headliner blush is a beautiful colour and extremely pigmented. I don't use it very often though because I'm too lazy to put the product on the back of my hand and then apply! Revlon's Flushed looks scary in the pan, but it's not that pigmented, making it very wearable. I do like it, but it's not as creamy or pigmented as my NYX ones, so don't tend to reach for it regularly. Lastly is ELF's Heart Breaker. It's a beautiful shade, but the formula lets it down. It's like molding clay, and all my finger and brush do is move it around instead of picking anything up. Therefore, it's incredibly hard to build up. The swatch above required a dense brush and heavy hand. I also have the Topshop cream blush in High Five, which I forgot to photograph. Again, I like it, but don't love it. And I hate the white packaging. It gets so dirty!

Do you like cream blushes? Are there any you would recommend me trying?

My Current, Daily Beauty Routine (Morning)

Good evening, everyone! Here are the products I am currently using every morning. They are mostly make-up items because I shower and use my body products in the evenings. A post for my evening beauty routine will be up shortly.

Before I apply my make-up, I quickly wipe my face with a facial wipe to get rid of any excess oil and then use a light moisturiser. I'm currently using the Nelsons Pure & Clear Purifying Daily Facial Wipes* (Boots, £5.49) and Nelsons Pure & Clear Balancing Moisturiser* (Boots, £8.49). The moisturiser is light and absorbs into my skin well, which is just what I need before I apply my make-up. The facial wipes have a plastic lid on them - I wish more brands did this! Before I started using the Nelsons products, I was using Skin Therapy's Facial Wipes (Wilkinson, 2 for £1) and The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Cream (The Body Shop, £9).  Once I've finished using my current face wipes, I'm going to buy a big packet of baby wipes because you get more for your money.

Once my moisturiser has sunk in, I apply my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (Boots, £4.19) to any blemishes. Before applying it around my eyes, I use Witch's Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer (It's not showing up on Boots' or Superdrug's websites, but I know they stock it. I think it's around £5) because I have oily eyelids. I also sometimes use ELF's Eyelid Primer (ELF, £1.50). My skin normally looks quite even by this stage, so I just use ELF's Mineral Booster (ELF, £5) to keep any shine at bay. I then use my trusty ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium (ELF, £3.75) (Review can be found here) to fill in my eyebrows.

Blusher is one of the only products that I change daily. Above is some of my most used. At the back, you have Sleek's Pixie Pink, Flamingo and Rose Gold (Superdrug, £4.49), Natural Collection's Pink Cloud and Peach Melba (Boots, £1.99), 17's First Kiss (Boots, £3.49), Revlon's PhotoReady Cream Blush in Flushed (Boots, £5.99) and NYX's Cream Blush in Glow (Joy017, £6-7, including P&P). As you can see, most of them are warm toned. They look the most natural with my freckles and ginger hair.

For months and months now, I've lined my eyes with NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha (Joy017, £4-5, including P&P) (Review can be found here). Recently, I've been using the NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Campo de' Fiori* (NARS, £17), which is a beautiful gold. It is strongly pigmented and lasts for hours. This is great for someone like me who cannot be bothered to touch up my make-up throughout the day. I then curl my lashes with ELF's Eyelash Curlers (ELF, £1.50) and use Maybelline's One by One Mascara (Boots, £8.49). I've repurchased this mascara so many times. It has a plastic brush, so I was sceptical at first, but I was pleasantly surprised and haven't looked back since. I love it because it separates every last eyelash, making them look natural. If I want to wear an eyeshadow, I've recently been opting for Maybelline's 24HR Colour Tattoo Gel Cream Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze (Boots, £4.99), and if I want to use a liquid eyeliner, I've been using Collection 2000's Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in Black (Boots, £2.99). Both the eyeshadow and felt tip liner do not budge once dry - I love them.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced mocha, NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Campo de' Fiori and Maybelline 24HR Colour Tattoo Gel Cream Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze

Like the rest of my make-up, I like my lip products to be fuss free and last most of the day. The shades I've been wearing the most are Collection 2000's Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Creams in Fairy Cake and Cotton Candy (Boots, £2.99) (Review can be found here), NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan (Joy017, £5-6, including P&P) and Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart. Sweetheart is not available in the UK, but you can buy other shades in Superdrug and Boots for £5.99 at the moment (Normally £7.99). The Balm Stain is quite bright, so I like to sheer it out with my finger.

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Fairy Cake, Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Cotton Candy, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart

That's it for my make-up! I'm left with a natural look. The brushes I use are by ELF Studio and Ecotools.

I don't use any products on my hair in the mornings. I just straighten or curl my hair using my Remington Pearl appliances. The Remington Pearl Curling Wand (Review can be found here) makes the curls in your hair last for days, so I don't need to use any hairspray to keep them in place.

And that's me ready for the day! Holy Moly, this post is long. It's because of the make-up products. My evening routine post shouldn't be as long!

*PR samples

Shop!

I only bought my sister's birthday present and a few essentials but I thought I'd show you anyway. I personally find it quite useful when people show what essentials they've bought.

Boots:

17 blush in First Flush - £3.49

17 blush in China Pink - £3.49

Natural Collection WaterGuard mascara - 3 for £5

Natural Collection LashLength mascara - 3 for £5

Natural Collection LashCurl mascara - 3 for £5

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection foundation in Ivory - £5.99

17 Nail Bar in a Bag - Free when you purchase 2 or more 17 products

My sister's make up 'collection' consists of a foundation (Collection 2000), a very well used blush, a scratchy blush brush, a dried up mascara and a few lip balms. It saddens me when I look at the state of it! That is why I've bought her a load of make up for her birthday.

Wilkinsons and Poundland:

Wikinsons - Dove deodorant stick - £1.94

Wilkinsons - Germolene - £1.24

Poundland - Eucryl teeth whitening powder - £1

Poundland - Airwick squidgy air freshener thing in Country Berries - £1

Poundland - Dog rope toy - £1

I'm looking forward to using the teeth whitening powder; I'll let you know how it goes!

The air freshener smells so good!

And of course, I had to get Jessie another toy :)

x

Playing around

Last night I was incredibly bored so what better way to kill some time than to paint your face with pretty colours?

What I used:

• Beauty UK eyeshadow palette number 2. I used the green across the lid and the light pearly blue in the inner corner.
• Barry M Dazzle Dust in Teal for the outer edge and lower lash line.
• Old eye-shadow as a highlighter (Very useful for you I know :P)
• NYC Liquid Liner in Black.
• Natural Collection's Lash Length Mascara in Black.

I know it's not very good but I was just playing around. I also don't like to create make-up looks because for them to look good, you need a 'good shaped/normal' face; as you can see, I have hugeee cheeks haha

x

Yesterdays and Todays OOTDs and Plymouth University's Open Day and Today's Purchases

Grey vest: Primark

White board shorts: Primark

Navy cardigan: Primark

Gold bangle: Primark

'L' pendant: Accessorize

T-shirt: Republic

Denim shorts: Primark

Wooden bangle: Chinese hotel in Holland haha

(also wore white dolly shoes)

And I wore no tights today! I'm so proud of myself :D

So today I went to Plymouth University's Open Day! It was pretty good. As were on the coast, there are loads of water sports to do. They also have a four floor library with a cafe at the top and the student union was just voted best the student union in the country. It looks amazing, but then again, any university will look amazing compared to secondary school!

A girl said that she comes from Manchester and in the three years she's studied at Plymouth, she went back home to see her parents for a total of two weeks haha

The students were really nice! We went to a Psychology drop in session for my friend but I came out wanting to do it too haha

I wanted to go to an English drop in session but it didn't start till 2 and that's when we had to leave so I'm going back in September for their other open day.

One of the girls said she has friends who study at Brighton and Falmouth who love it there and they're the other two places I want to go :)

She now has a Psychology degree but is going to London to work on Media and filming and she also said she knows someone at the BBC who has a geography degree so degrees can be flexible to many jobs.

Hmm Psychology or English? I don't know!

I didn't like any of Primark's bikinis. I'm quite fussy when it comes to bikinis I've discovered. I don't like triangle shaped ones and would like support so my boobs don't look small!

They also didn't do any nice summer dresses :/

And their gladiator sandals were ok, but not enough for me to want to buy them.

There was a pair which were really nice though and I don't know why I didn't buy them. They were a goldish/creamy colour but not tacky looking and had three chains going across the top (ankle part) and a normal flip flop type bottom. Haha I am so good at describing! Don't ya think?!

They were £8 anyhow.. I'll get them when I go into town to buy some birthday presents.

Popped into Boots and got two boring items:

Natural Collection: Pink cloud blush and Waterguard mascara, both £1.99

I reaaaalllly wanted some 17 nail polishes but I have so many already. I wanted Parma Violet as I don't yet have a Lilac in my collection (I know I can't believe it either!) but I wasn't sure whether it would be streaky or not.

Oh and I had £7ish on my advantage card so the Natural Collection items were free. I wish I remembered I had that much on my card because I would of bought some 17 nail polishes. I wouldn't of felt as guilty buying them if I knew I would only of had to pay a few extra pounds on top of my advantage points. Ahh next time!

x

Natural Collection Lash Length Mascara

When I first started wearing make-up, the two brands I used were Miss Sporty and Natural Collection. I used to wear Natural Collection mascara all the time but as my 'income' increased, I started to look at other brands.

Recently, mascara has become my most used product and I didn't want to keep spending the amount of money I did on it (Wasn't a great deal, around £6 per tube, but still, I wanted something cheaper).

I love Natural Collection and use most of their products everyday (Bronzer, bronzing pearls and blushes are great!) so I thought I'd try one of their mascaras again. I didn't have any expectations because I really can not remember what I used to think about it (Probably nothing because I wasn't into make-up back then and really didn't care)

For £1.99, it didn't matter if it was pants.

Natural Collection Lash Length Mascara in Black. Left: no mascara, Right: one coat.

As you can see, there is a difference but your probably thinking it's not a huge amount. Well to me it is. When looking in the mirror I can see quite a big difference but then, you always notice the slightest things about yourself don't you?

This mascara does not clump my eyelashes together, not at all. And as for giving my lashes length? Well yes it does, but doesn't every mascara make a difference in the length?

This is a standard everyday mascara: lengthens and doesn't clump.

I am really impressed as it does the same as my Maybelline mascaras but it is under £2!

Plus, with the offer Natural Collection have all year round, you can buy three for £5. I'm going to try out their Curl and Waterproof mascaras as well to see if they are any good.

Love Natural Collection ♥

x

Small Shop

Thortons: Chocolate blocks (For a friend) 3 for £5, Boots: Natural Collection: Lash Length Mascara, Cool Translucent Loose Powder and Blush in Peach Melba 3 for £5, Natural Collection Body Scrubs £2.99 each, Natural Collection Body Sprays £1.99 each.

At the moment, if you spend over £5 on the Natural Collection body range in Boots, you get 250 points on your advantage card. I now have £8 on it woo!

I also got a £5 off No7/Millie & Ruby voucher :)

+ I bought a chew rope for my dog from the pound store aha. These keep my dog happy and entertained for ages. The last one lasted around 5 months and in actual fact, it's still in the garden.

Primark:

Sometimes I love it, sometimes I can not stand it. Today was a 'can not stand it' day. There were four different pairs of shoes I really liked and there were no 7's left for any! This was extremely annoying because I am in desperate need for some shoes as I am currently wearing one pair day in, day out. I have boots but it's too hot for them.

I also bought a really nice top for £5, the coat hanger saying it was a size 8. Got home and it was in actual fact a size 12. Now this was my fault as I should of checked but I'm still annoyed about it.

Next week I shall be buying some shoes for the wedding (Found some from Newlook, black rock chick like with studs. I think these will have a nice contrast against my pastel blue ruffle dress), loads of pairs of dolly shoes, pumps, summer clothes and Republic jeans :)

The shoes from Newlook. Look soooo much better in real life. I'll probably change my mind by next week aha.

x

Nail Polish Collection Including Names- 6th April 2010.

This is my current nail polish collection, on a towel ;) The crazy living room carpet pattern would of distracted you ha

Asda:

Close up:

From top left to bottom right: No7 Golden Sands, No5 Under The Sea, No8 Blue Lagoon, No22 Ultra Violet, No41 Mysterious, No10 I Dazzle, No26 Mocha Ice, No3 Pink Glitz, No33 Sherbet Fizz, No31 Groove, No38 Blush, No6 Hot Pink.

Collection 2000:

2in1 Top coat, Sparkle Top Coat, 2in1 Base Coat, 246 Latin love, 59 Icy Pink, 32 BMX Bandit, 23 Show Off, 324 Hello Sailor.

Miss Sporty:

(Names are not on the bottles, only the numbers are. Names found on the stands in stores and on the website.) French Tip Whitener, 203 Zodiac, 251 Electric Beige, 30 Peachy, 106 (Not sure of the name, but it's a twinkle shine polish.), 303 Manga, 406 Red Tango, 220 Miss Red.

Barry M, No7 and NYC:

296 Coral, 305 Pink Flamingo, 279 Bright Pink, NPP1 Limited Edition Pink, 20 Clear, 105 Damson Dream, 216B Central Park, 206B East Village.

Star Gazer and Revlon:

104, 133, Goldfinger, Blackberry, Autumn Berry, Plum Attraction.

Others: (Natural Collection, random and Avon)

Clear, Random, Random, Classic Fit.

Phew! It took a longgggg time to hunt down all those names.

Hope you're having a good day :)

x

Natural Collection Lipstick in Pink Mallow

This lipstick is £1.95 and is a standard pretty pink :)

The colour below is a little brighter/lighter than the lipstick actually is because of the light setting.

The second swatch from the top is the true colour of this lipstick.

x

Natural Collection Lipstick in Candy Mist

This lipstick is £1.95 which is great value. It reminds me of Nivea's Pearl and Shine lip balm as its a pretty pearly pink which is sheer. (Out of the two I prefer Pearl and Shine as it conditions and protects your lips at the same time.)

Bare lips: (Camera has really picked up those freckles on my lips!)

Candy Mist:

x

Natural Collection Haul & Reviews

A few months ago I purchased 6 products from Natural Collection. 3 for £5 - cheap as chips!

From left to right: Nail Polish 'Crystal Clear', Moisture Shine Lipstick 'Candy Mist', Moisture Shine Lipstick 'Pink Mallow', Cream Blusher 'Rosy Pink', Bronzing Pearls 'Sahara Sun' & Bronzing Powder 'Golden Glow'.

Here are the swatches. From top to bottom: 'Candy Mist' Lipstick, 'Pink Mallow' Lipstick, 'Rosy Pink' Cream Blusher, 'Sahara Sun' Bronzing Pearls & 'Golden Glow' Bronzing Powder.

Lipsticks:
The lipsticks go on smoothly and don't dry your lips out. The colour pay off is quite good but the staying power isn't the best - I'm not too fussed about this because its easy to re apply and I don't mind for the price.

Cream Blusher:
I love this and want to purchase some other colours. Its so easy to apply and takes seconds - Squeeze a small amount onto your finger and then rub into cheeks like you would with a lotion. The finished result is really good, giving you that natural 'pinched cheeks' look.

Bronzing Pearls:
These give a gorgeous shimmering glow effect. This shade contains pink, yellow and purple bronzing pearls. I think the pink and yellow create the bronze colour and the purple tones it down. These are also nice for a wash of colour on the lids - very subtle but still beautiful.

Bronzing Powder:
Some bronzers can be too shimmery but I think this bronzer is just right for me. It does have some shimmer in it but I think this gives the overall effect a pearly glow. I will defiantly stick to this bronzer in the future.

I've also tried their mascara, concealer & lip gloss which again, are all great products.

Packaging: I really like the packaging, its simple and doesn't look tacky.

Would I recommend Natural Collection products?
100% yes! Each product is under £2 and is really good quality.

:)
x

Nail Varnish Collection- 18th September

Miss Sporty:

Collection 2000:

Barry M:

Asda:

Close up:

Others: (Star Gazer, Natural Collection, No7 & Random)

If you would like all the names then please leave a comment. I haven't added them in because it will take ages hunting them down but I will be happy to if wanted :)

Review: Natural Collection Body Sprays

Boots, Natural Collection, £1.99
I own:
Vanilla
Wild Strawberry
Mango & Papaya

I love these, they are a few of my favourite smells ever (Apart from fresh bread - Mmmm)
Vanilla and Wild Strawberry are super sweet smelling, that's why I love them (+ I get quite a few compliments when wearing them!)

I also have Body Shops Vanilla perfume and this Vanilla spray smells exactly like it. The differences are that the spray is a lot cheaper and has 120mls more product! (150ml)
Don't get me wrong, I love my Body Shop perfume but why pay more when you can have a cheaper dupe? Who's going to tell the difference?

Lots of love x