Skincare favourites

Skincare is something I have a love hate relationship with, along with finding the perfect foundation I find it one of the hardest things to get right. From finding the right product for your skin type (especially hard when you have dry combination skin) to choosing which products work best. Saying all this, I feel as though after many years of searching, I finally have a skin care routine that works for me and keeps my skin clear.

The first favourite of mine is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, I love the simplicity of this product and how quick and easy it is. It does not irritate my sensitive skin in the slightest and it leaves my skin free from make up and feeling squeaky clean.
I like to use a toner after cleansing my skin and my favourite of all time is the L’Oreal Skin Perfection Velvety Soft toner. As the name suggests, this product is so soft on the skin and even if I felt as though it wasn’t doing anything for my skin, I’d continue to use it just because it feels so nice on my skin!
I have a few favourite moisturisers, my favourite being the Clinique. Moisture Surge , (I’ve currently run out :() this stuff is great for the winter months when your skin is extra dry! A cheaper alternative which I am currently using is the Garnier Moisture Match in dull skin , although this doesn’t give you as much hydration, it is the same consistency and really brightens up your face!

If I’m removing my make up in the shower I like to use the Soap & Glory Clean on Me 3 in 1 Cleanser, this stuff removes all my make up and leaves my skin feeling really soft and fresh! I follow this with a facial scrub once or twice a week, my favourites are the St Ives Apricot scrub, this stuff is amazing and I have been using it at least once a week for over a year now. It makes my skin feel like a baby’s bum (no joke). I’ve heard from a few bloggers that it’s really harsh on the skin but I’ve never had any problems with it, it’s made my pores nearly invisible and keeps my skin feeling alive and refreshed! I think the trick with this product is to only use it 1-2 times a week, that way it won’t cause any damage.
On the same topic of scrub products, another favourite of mine is the Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It face scrub and mask. I’ve only had this product for a few months but it’s fast become a firm favourite of mine, I mainly use this for the mask it has built in once or twice a week. Whilst in the bath I apply a small amount to my t-zone and leave it on for around 10 minutes, once it’s washed off my skin is left feeling a lot smoother and less oily. (be sure to follow up with a moisturiser though!)

Once my skin has been thoroughly cleaned and moustrized I like to use a hydrating lip balm, my favourite being either Carmex or the Estée Lauder 8 hour cream.

There you have it, my skincare favourites!
What are your holy grail skincare products?

Rimmel Apocalips Review

From left to right – Nude Eclipse, Luna, Apocoliptic and Galaxy

Now before I start I know that I’m way behind with the whole bandwagon of this product but I was sorting out my make up today and realised how much of a statement they are in my collection and thought why not do a review?

If you aren’t a bold lip person this product probably isn’t for you as the colour payoff from these things is amazing! Nude Eclipse is my go to everyday lip colour and goes amazingly with a smokey eye. Although the lighter colours I own are easy to wear, I wouldn’t say the same for the darker colours as they are insanely pigmented and opaque.
When using the bolder colours I recommend using the back side of the applicator so that you’re not getting as much colour and to blot your lips afterwards, especially with Apocoliptic!

The only fault I have with these is that they can be quite drying if you don’t prepare your lips beforehand and tend to seep into the cracks of your lips, this however can be easily avoided by using a lip scrub before hand.

These retail for £5.99 each which for a product of this type I think is a bargain!

Do you own any of the Apocalips? What’s your favourite colour?

FOTD: My Everyday College Make Up

Hey guys!
I don’t normally wear makeup on a Sunday as I typically don’t tend to go anywhere, today however I thought i’d recreate my ‘everyday make up look’ that I wear to college etc. for you guys. I always keep my eyes neutral using my naked pallets or even  just a bronzer through my crease and a bright inner corner highlight. My lip colour changes daily daily depending on my mood but I decided to go with a dark nude for this post as it was my most worn colour throughout the week.

Face

Foundation – During the weekdays I use a mix of Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation and the Bioderma Photoderm Tinted Cream. I first used the Bioderma tinted cream whilst on holiday in Egypt last year as a sunscreen but ended up loving the finish it gave my skin so much that I now mix a bit in with my foundation! I applied the mix of these two with a Real Techniques Buffing brush.

Concealer – I applied the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer under my eyes in a triangle shape to highlight and also along the bridge of my nose.

Powder – I powdered my t-zone with the Maybeline Fit Me Powder .

Bronzer – I applied the bronzer from the Sleek Contour Kit to my cheekbones, temples and jaw, and applied the highlight colour down the bridge of my nose and tops of my cheekbones.

Blush – To finish off my face I used my all time favorite blush from Sleek in Rose Gold.

Eyes and Eyebrows

Eyeshadow – I’ve slept late for college everyday this week (ooooops) and havent had much time to potch with eyeshadow so instead I simply used the same Sleek Contour Kit that I used on my face in my eyes. I applied the highlight shade all over my lid,  bronzer in the crease and Urban Decays Half Baked in the inner corner.

Eyeliner – Believe it or not I used Asda’s Liquid Eyeliner to make a small line just above my lash line. This stuff is actually really good and lasts around 8 hours without smudging.

Mascara – For mascara I used the Chanel Volume De Chanelone of my favourite mascaras ever!

Eyebrows – I used the Benefit Brows A Go Go which I’ve used for the past 2 years now.

Lips

I used Loreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Sweet Lychee it’s a darker nude that’s perfect for everyday!

What does your everyday makeup consist of?

  

MAC Retro Matte Lipstick: All Fired Up

The lipstick:

Swatches

Verdict
Can I just start by saying I LOVE the smell of this lipstick, it’s like walking into a sweet shop!

Anyway..Mac All Fired Up is a part of the retro matte range which I have personally never tried anything from up until now. The lipstick itself is a deep fuchsia pink, this colour is rather bold on my skin (Mac NW20) and would probably appear a lot less out there on darker skin tones. However saying this I do believe that this shade would suit all skin shades!

I find the lasting power of it to be insane! I wore this lipstick out recently for my birthday and it lasted a good 8 hours without being reapplied.

The only dislike I have about this lipstick is how drying it is on the lips but that’s down to matteness of it. I find that a good solution to this is by using a hydrating lip balm before applying so that the lipstick is not going on to dry skin.

The lipstick retails at £15 and you can buy it here

What is your opinion on this lipstick?

L’Oreal Paris True Match Foundation

I bought this item from Bootslast week on a 3 for 2 offer at £9.99, and couldn’t wait to get home and try it! It’s safe to say though that I was highly disappointed!

The bottle:

Swatch:

Verdict:
Firstly the colour I picked up (w4)was horrendous, I usually get a yellow toned foundation to counteract the redness in my skin which usually works wonderfully! This one however was the strongest yellow in a foundation I have ever seen, it made me look like I was suffering with kidney problems!

The product itself is a very fine, watery consistency which I’m not too keen on, when applying to my face with a real techniques buffing brush I found it was easy to blend, but made my face not only extrmeley patchy but it also stuck to the dry patches under my eyes and around my nose area. As well as this it made my small pores appear much larger than they are, which I never usually have a problem with! I honestly wanted to remove the whole entire product from my face and start again with my trusty Match Perfection foundation, but seeing as I had college in less than 20 minutes I didn’t have time. After powdering my face I moved onto my contour and blush, these products usually glide onto my face no problem, but with this foundation I felt as though they weren’t sitting right and again made my pores look even larger again!

After returning from college 6 hours later I checked my face in my mirror to not only realise that it had oxidised throughout the day and made my face appear rather orange, but also to find a patchy, oily mess! My t zone was extremely oily and most of the product had disappeared and the rest of my face was dry and scaly!

The one good point I do have about this foundation is that I loved the glow it gave my skin when I first applied it and maybe if unlike me you have a normal skin type then it may work well for you.

Have you tried this foundation,
what are your thoughts on it?

March Wishlist

March Wishlist by xcourtneypaige 

1. Zara City Bag – I’ve wanted this bag for around a year now but there’s always a little voice inside my head telling me not to spend £50 on a plain black bag. The simplicity of the design is so me and it literally would go with everything!

2. H&M Croc Sneakers – These may not be to everyones taste but I personally love them and for £19.99 you can’t go wrong! I am desperate for new shoes and I think these would take me from the end of the winter right through to the upcoming summer season. Definitely on my to buy list!

3. Urban Outfitters Globe Face Leather Watch – This watch has been in my bookmarks for around 3 months now ans i’ve never got around to buying it due to always spending the remainder of my money on make up (oops!) I’m currently studying travel and tourism in college and anything with a globe or map on it I instantly want, so this is a must buy!

4. Nars Laguna Bronzer – I’ve been lusting after this bronzer for over a year and I honestly have no idea why I haven’t bought it yet. I am bronzer obsessed as I love the contoured look and think it completley frames a face so after spending the best part of a day reading and watching reviews on this product It has been on my wishlist ever since.

5. Mac Pro Longwear Concealer – I have been using the mac studio fix fluid foundation for nearly six months now (I really need to get a new bottle!) and it’s safe to say that I’ve fallen in love with it and mac in general to be perfectly honest. I’ve been wanting to try this product after watching a highlighting tutorial on YouTube, I love the full coverage matte finisn it gives and can’t wait to try it out.

6. Babyliss Boutique Soft Waves Tong – I’ve been curling my hair with my trusty mark hill raw hair curler for around two years now, and being a lover of soft wavy hair this product looks a perfect one for me try out and say goodbye to my old one.

What products are you wanting to try out this month?

Hello World Of Blogging!

Welcome! This is my first blog post and to say I’m nervous about posting this would be an understatement. I’ve been meaning to get around to creating a place where I can share my thoughts on beauty and fashion for a while now, so I thought what better time to do it than on one of the most boring Saturdays I’ve ever experienced?

Seeing as this is my very first post I guess I should tell you what you should be expecting from this blog and when I’ll be posting. I am aiming to get a new post up once a week, (eeeek I may be setting myself up to fail here!) with the content being mainly based around make up, beauty and the occasional fashion post. You’ll have to bare with the low quality images for my first handful of posts too as I currently don’t own a professional camera, therefore the images will be taken from my IPhone, but hey we all have to start somewhere right? 

So this is me signing out on my first official blog post, i can’t wait to start the journey!