There will never be a time where we don't want to treat ourselves to a new beauty product, it would be a crime to not purchase a few items for our make-up bags every now and then. This last month we have bought ourselves quite a few new must-haves and since trying them out we can now share with you our review of each item.
Firstly lets tell you about the blushers we have purchased. This first blusher I bought is because I asked a complete stranger in a shop which blusher she used because I loved the colour of her peachy cheeks. It was Lancome Nectar Lace Subtil Blush Palette:
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| Blush Subtil Palette in Nectar Lace, £28 |
All of the images of this blusher palette online do not convey the true colours. The low lighter, the blusher and the highlighter look completely different shades to the above image. For me this blusher has great lasting power, I never have to reapply hours later. However, the low lighter is not very impressive and I still use my Benefits Hoola bronzing powder to define my cheekbones. The highlighter isn't very good at all and I use my Bobbi Brown shimmer brick instead.
For this reason when I bought Sam a new blusher, as part of her gift box when she gave birth to Leo, I decided to do some research and find a peach hue blusher which had received rave reviews. I purchased the Clarins Cream Peach Blush:
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| Clarins Cream Blush in Peach, £18 |
I really wish I had bought this cream blusher for myself, Sam absolutely loves it and is truly impressed with the pretty colour and creaminess of this blusher; it comes in four different shades - Peach, Candy, Grenadine and Rosewood. So ladies, for £10 less than the Lancome blusher then definitely buy this blusher. I certainly will be next time I need to replenish my blusher supplies.
MUST-HAVE MASCARA
Mascaras for me have been pretty blah over the last five years, none of them seem to be as good as they were many years ago. Maybe this is because my eyelashes are not as long and as thick as they used to be (old age is a bugger). I have purchased a lot of mascaras in my hunt to find one which doesn't flake or clump and actually does what is says - lengthens and/or thickens. During my mascara hunt I have never found the more expensive designer brands to be any better than much cheaper brands.
Last week whilst flicking through the latest pics on Instagram the fab beauty expert Caroline Hirons posted an image of a new Estee Lauder mascara which she referred to as the "dogs bollocks". I always trust her reviews and within minutes I was online buying the mascara she recommended. It arrived on Saturday morning and I LOVE IT!!!
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| Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinte Mascara, £21 |
Even though this new mascara came highly recommended I was a bit worried because usually the comb style brushes do not work well with my lashes. However, this one does. In fact, it works very well indeed. No clumps, no flakiness and no rubbing off on my hooded eye skin. It is certainly well worth every penny and I am so pleased with it. Several hours after application it still looks as good as it did when I first applied it in the morning. A definite must-have!
LONGLASTING EYESHADOW
I get extremely envious of ladies whose eyeshadow stay on all day. I have used every eye primer known to man and still my eyeshadow slides off after an hour or so. My mum suffers the same problem of oily eyelids and since I discovered Kiko cosmetics I have shared the eyeshadow sticks with my Mum too. They work for both of us!
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| KIKO Longlasting Stick Eyeshadow, £6.90 |
With over 30 eyeshadow colours to choose from you will definitely find a shade to suit you. I highly recommend the light cream one for when you want to apply a lighter shade. I have also used many of the other colours and each one has been very vibrant, stayed on for hours and works really well with a blending brush. You cannot tell they are any different to using a normal eyeshadow.
I was hesitant about using these stick eyeshadows at first, they didn't look much different to a Crayola crayon. But boy, these work and stay on for hours. My mum has had the same results as me and we are converted to Kiko cosmetics. Not only are they kind on the purse they really have staying power.
Now, onto my favourite eyeshadow palette which Sam bought me for my birthday, Urban Decay's Naked Basic Palette:
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| Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette, £22 |
I have already used the Naked 2 eyeshadow palette but it doesn't have these gorgeous taupe, cream and brown shades like the basic palette has. I was chuffed to bits when I opened this gift from Sam, the shades were exactly what I needed in my ever growing make-up collection. These are the colours I wear most often, especially the taupe and deep brown shades. They don't have any glittery bits in them and they have a good pigment which gives a stronger colour on my eyelids. If you are looking for a new eyeshadow palette then THIS is the one to buy!
LIP TASTIC
Again, I like my lipsticks like my eyeshadows - long-lasting! I have got two lip products which I have fell in love with. Firstly, here is a terrific lipgloss by Bare Minerals:
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| Bare Minerals Moxie Lip Gloss, £16 |
I adore the tingling after applying this lip gloss and I believe it does plump my thinning lips. Not only that but I love the pink colour of this Bare Minerals product, it stays on even after sipping on a drink and more importantly, it isn't horribly sticky.
Next is a lipstick by Kiko Cosmetics which has legendary staying power.
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| KIKO Lipstick Pencil in Beat Magenta, £7.90 |
Again, another KIKO item which is very competitive on price. It stays on for hours and the Beat Magenta shade is magnificent. I would not say it is very magenta, it is more of a pinky red which will suit most skin tones. It is so easy to apply and is always in my handbag. I do love a striking lip colour, mainly because it detracts attention from the dark rings around my eyes but I adore a pop of brightness.
This Lipstick Pencil glides on exactly the same as a normal lipstick but doesn't slide off as soon as you've taken your first sip of coffee in the morning. In fact, this KIKO lipstick will survive a drink, a bite to eat or even a good old snog. It locks on like glue and it will be quite some time before I need to re-apply another coat.
POWDER YOUR NOSE
As much as I like to glow and retain moisture on my face I do have to use a powder for the oil slick in my T-zone. I have found so many powders, whether loose or pressed, do not sit very well on my skin. I don't want a powder to be seen on my skin, I just need some mattifying power, that's all.
The only powder which works for me is from Boots own range No7.
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| No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in Translucent, £11.50 |
I find instead of buying a pressed powder in a shade to suit your skin tone I prefer to opt for the translucent shade. This pressed powder from Boots No 7 collection is very fine so it doesn't sit in any open pores, it doesn't clog up or sit on top of my skin adding an unwanted powdery look to my skin. It basically does what I need it to do, mattify my skin perfectly.
Have you got any beauty must-haves which you would recommend? Please let us know which ones you love.
Teresa x
