A Very Late 13 Best of 2013!

Hey everyone, hope you're all well. You may or may not have noticed I haven't posted for a while which is down to a combination of things. Namely having a bad time at my job and having to quit, being a busy third year university student and some exciting goings on which have meant I haven't been able to blog as much as I'd like. I'm hoping now this will change as I've really missed posting and thought i'd start my return by doing my belated 13 favourites of 2013. As everyone says, it's so hard to narrow it down to just 13 products so I really tried to pick the ones that absolutely stood out over everything else and managed to eventually whittle it down to these!

1) Benefit Porefessional & MAC Refined Zone Primer (not pictured) - This may be cheating a bit but this combination of primers is my absolute favourite. I find the Porefessional is great at hiding any pesky visible pores around my nose whilst the MAC is amazing at reducing shine and mattifying any oily patches of skin for longer lasting make-up.

2) Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation - Sticking along the theme of long lasting make up, I adore this foundation! Not only does it stick around for hours but it contains SPF which is great for daytime, is a perfect colour match and gives great coverage without looking too unnatural. The only downside for me is that it's unavaliable in the UK but if I ever visit the US I'll definitely be stocking up!

3) Loreal Nude Magique BB Powder - I really like this powder for looking really natural whilst helping with any oil control on my face. It photographs nicely and sits well on the skin whilst not being too expensive or clogging my pores. The only negative is that the shade range is limited to around two. They are fairly adaptable but if you have a medium-dark skintone, I'm not 100% sure this could work for you.

4) Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder (White) - This is one of my favourite discoveries of the whole year. The perfect powder for under eyes as it not only sets the area beautifully to allow a crease-free finish but also further brightens any undereye dark circles left after concealer. I will definitely continue to repurchase this throughout 2014!

5) Illamasqua Blush in Tremble - I have to admit, I'm not someone who always wears blush but when I do, this is the one I reach for 90% of the time. It's such a pretty, wearable peachy pink that I can't imagine looking bad on anyone. When my face needs perking up it's the one i'll always choose. I love it because it's the most long lasting brand of blush I own and it's matte so doesn't leave too much shimmer on my face. Highly recommend this!

6) MAC Patisserie Lipstick - This is definitely my all-time favourite everyday shade. It's basically a much easier way of wearing nude as it's a pinky brown shade which doesn't wash me out or look too unnatural. It provides a bit of a sheen and a wash of colour and for someone who finds nudes just don't work for them I find this perfect.

7) MAC Sable Eyeshadow - The perfect plummy toned shimmery brown. It's a hard to describe shade but it's great all over the lid or in the crease and I find it works well with practically any colour I wear. Seriously beautiful and I use it quite a lot!

8) MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow - My favourite all over the lid, everyday colour. This is a colour I will always repurchase and that gets the most love from me! It's a really lovely pinky gold colour that is super flattering.

9) Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner - This year brought about a new love of liquid eyeliner that I'd never had before and it's all because of this baby! It's a really opaque, slightly glossy black and I find the thin nib of the felt tip applicator makes application so much easier. The only negative is it does take a minute or two to dry so I do tend to wait before curling my lashes.

10) Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil & Liner - Another one of my favourite discoveries of the year. I never really heard this talked about but I absolutely love it. I also own the Hourglass Brow Sculpter but find this so much better. You get a felt tip applicator on one end which is great for sparser areas of brow where I need to mimic hairs and then a really pigmented pencil which leaves an amazing finish on the brows. So, so good!

11) YSL Babydoll Mascara - Although expensive, this was definitely my favourite mascara of the year. I'm still not sure if this is 'the one' but it's one of the best ones I've used for creating a slight curl, adding length and volume. It leaves a really nice finish and has left me wanting to try every YSL mascara there is now too.

12) Bumble & Bumble Dryspun Finish Spray - I've gotten through around 3 cans of that this year as I just can't leave without big hair. This stuff is really good at just adding some texture and volume to the roots and ends and creating good bed hair. I'm not 100% sure I prefer this to the Oribe offering but at £17 cheaper it's definitely worth it!

13) Models Own Hedonist, Topshop Celestial & Barry M LE Holographic Silver Glitter - As you may be able to tell, I've massively cheated here. But who realistically can be just one nail polish for the whole year?! It was hard enough to get it to three.. But anyway! These were the three that stood out to me. Hedonist is an incredible neon red shade that I could barely take off all summer. Topshop Celestial is probably my joint favourite shade ever with it as an amazing cornflower blue shade that works any season. Finally, I picked up this Barry M LE Shade (with no name) towards the end of the year and it is THE most amazing glitter - it's like a silver toned rainbow on the nails! I must have stocked up on around five so if you can find it i'd definitely recommend it.

So that's my (sort of) 13 favourites of 2013. I'd love to know what you think of any of these products or what you're favourite products were and i'll hopefully be back soon with another post! Thanks for reading :)

My Favourite Long Lasting Foundations (Mainly Drugstore)

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to speak to you about a few foundations I've been loving lately. As someone with oily/combination skin, I'm constantly on the hunt for a long-lasting foundation. I'm really not one for touching up my make up so for me it's essential and anything that can last well on my oily nose goes down very well for me. I've tried a lot of foundations, both high end (such as EL Doublewear, MAC Studio Fix) and drugstore. I'd given up a lot of hope on ever finding any but this year, so many amazing foundations were released and now, I struggle to choose a favourite. The best part is, almost all of them are drugstore and I can honestly say I find the quality and lasting power is 10x better than any high end foundation I've used.

Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation £9.99 - I was pretty aprhensive about this foundation as the only similar foundation I've used was the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, which didn't work out too well. But this foundation is so lovely. The texture is really unique, but it makes it blend so effortlessly into the skin. It provides a medium matte coverage which can be built up but remains looking pretty natural and not at all cakey on the skin at all. You also don't need to use a lot of it because of it's blend-ability and it lasts about 6-7 hours on my skin without powdering. If you've been scared to try it, I would definitely suggest giving it a go. 

& Other Stories All Day Perfecting Foundation £15 - This foundation is a really nice, long lasting option for those of you who prefer more of a satin/dewy finish. Of the four I have to say this is probably the only one I wouldn't repurchase as it is a lot more expensive and isn't quite the finish I like the best. However, it's got a really good medium coverage with a wear time of around 6 hours and definitely my favourite of the high ends foundations I've tried.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation £4.80 - I absolutely adore this stuff. This is one of my all time favourite everyday foundations now alongside the last offering. It lasts amazingly well, we're talking around 8-9 hours without repowdering and is such a beautiful finish. It's more of a light matte finish but looks pretty natural, just like your skin but perfected. It's not avaliable in the UK but you can order it on ebay (for 3x the price, annoyingly). I'm definitely going to be picking up a few if I ever go back to America!

Barry M Flawless Matte Finish Oil-Free Foundation £5.99 - This is an equally amazing foundation that I really didn't expect to love as much as I do. I'd also definitely repurchase this foundation, I use it really regularly as I know I can rely on it to last me all day. The weartime is also around 8-9 hours on my skin and applies really evenly and easily. It offers a good medium, buildable coverage that remains natural on the skin.

So the two cheapest foundations are my favourite, who would have guessed! I'd definitely advice trying these before forking out double or triple the price for something that in my experience doesn't work or last nowhere near as well. I hope this helped some of you struggling to find something that works and those of you on a budget! Just for reference, I tend to use Benefit Porefessional or MAC Refined Zone Primer under them. Please let me know any posts you'd like to see :)

Favourite Spring/Summer Polishes

L-R Models Own Hedonist £5, Topshop AWOL £5, Barry M Pink Flamingo £2.99, Barry M Neon Pink £2.99, Essie Fiji £7.99, Essie Go Ginza £7.99, OPI Gargantuan Green Grape £7-9 & Topshop Celestial £5

Hi everyone, hope you're all well. Today I wanted to share my favourite spring/summer nail polishes. I was looking back through my old posts and one of my first posts was on colours for autumn/winter so I wanted to continue on with the seasonal polish post. Without further ado, here all my bright and pastel picks for this time of year! :)

First up a couple of bright polishes. Hedonist is a gorgeous red/orange neon shade that's particularly eye catching on the nails, I've done a full review here. Then we have Topshop AWOL. I was trying for a while to track this shade down and it was so worth it. It's a beautiful colbalt blue and as with all Topshop polishes, the formula is great. Then we have a couple of old Barry M favourites, Pink Flamingo which is actually a very pretty coral toned pink and neon pink which is exactly as the name suggests, a bright pink with a slightly blue duochrome to it which looks incredible in the sunshine when the light hits!

Then onto the more pastel shades! First is a cult favourite, Essie Fiji. As much work as this polish takes to get perfect (usually around 3 coats) the colour is definitely worth it. It's so unique and so pretty. Also on the off-white theme we have my latest addition, Essie Go Ginza from their new collection. I actually haven't heard anything about this shade from any bloggers but it is absolutely incredible! It's a slightly off white purple and is so stunning, definitely going to pick up some back ups when this collection goes! Next is OPI Gargantuan Green Grape which I find to be the perfect shade of mint green. The formula is really nice, I do find OPI a bit hit and miss but I have absolutely no gripes with this one. Finally, my all time favourite polish Topshop Celestial. The perfect cornflower blue that actually looks flattering against my pale skin and a nice glossy, long lasting finish.

I'd love to know your favourite spring/summer shades as well as whether your team pastels or team brights. I have to say, I'm totally undecided!

Favourite products under £5!

I wanted to do something a bit different today and speak about my favourite bargain products. My blog has covered a lot of my most loved expensive items so it's easy for the cheaper repurchases to get overlooked. These are all things I've either already repurchased or would repurchase when they run out and thought it would be a bit of a different, hopefully interesting post! 

Radox Spa Smoothie Bath Soak Fig and Neroli Oil (£2.20) - This is a bit of a random one but this product is something I always pick up as soon as it runs out. The scent is absolutely incredible and it leaves my skin soft after use.

Elf Wet Gloss and Brow Clear Mascara (£1.50) - I already spoke about this in my 2012 favourites but I absolutely adore this stuff. It is so so cheap (but do bare in mind I have to order this online so always do in bulk to save in postage costs!) and I honestly feel it does a just as good if not better job than any more expensive brow product and sets my brows all day. I use this purely for brow setting so can't comment on it as a mascara but a definite staple in my makeup bag I'd never, ever be without. 

Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage Cream (£4.35) - Another apricot scented product! I only started using this a few months ago and it's just amazing. It makes the process of sorting out any dryness or cuticles around my nails so easy and works within a couple of minutes. It's also not too drying on my skin. You can get this cheaper if you look around but I did mine for the price I bought it for in Boots!

St Ives Apricot Scrub Invigorating (£4.29 but currently £2.86 from Boots!) - This scrub is really good and such a good price for the results it gives. I have to be honest and say I'm not mad on the apricot scent as it is very strong, something to be aware of if you like unscented products but it does a lovely job of leaving my skin soft, smooth and brightened. They also do a sensitive one and a blemish prone but I find this one fine for my sensitive, oilyish skin.

Rimmel Stronger Base Coat (£4.59) - I've used this for years and it's a really great base coat. Dries quickly, stops my nails from breaking and does the job perfectly. I've never felt the need to try any other base coat, though I do sometimes use Nail Envy if my nails are particularly weak.

Barry M Polishes (Coral Pictured) (£2.99) - I'm sure everyone is getting sick to death of my raving about these polishes so all I will say is they last ages, have an amazing colour range and are super easy to apply. They're on offer a lot too! My favourite nail polish brand.

Topshop Polishes (£5.00) - Another amazing makeup/nail brand is Topshop. Their nail varnish is really glossy, opaque and long lasting and I'd really recommend this also. They also do my all time favourite polish, Topshop Celestial!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude (£3.99) - This stuff is the best for making your eyes instantly brightened and awake. I use this most days, particularly on those early mornings and wouldn't be without it now. I'll be honest and say something controversial though! For me personally, this is the only one I've tried that I love.. the Taupe shade did not show up on my waterline however much I tried and the black one really smudged under my eyes!

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliners (Indian Pink pictured) (£2.99) - These and the Topshop lip liners are the only ones I will use. I've never felt the need to buy a high end lip liner as I find these work so well and have a great range of colours. They don't drag, they aren't too drying considering they're a lip liner and do the job perfectly.

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadows (£7.00) - Right, this is a cheat one because these are £7.00 if you buy them full price but I always get mine when I get the £5 off vouchers, making them £2.00 so please forgive me! These are something I recently tried and I have the shades Wheatsheaf and Yellowshine. I'm so so impressed with these, they are buttery soft and lovely shades that definitely rival my MAC shadows, my favourite drugstore eyeshadows for sure.

Soap and Glory Hand Food (£5.00) - Aah my favourite hand cream. It smells of marshmellows, moisturizes without being greasy and is super cheap for the results it gives. I use this so much in Winter and it works wonderfully.

So there you have it! Just an honorable mention, Collection's Lasting Perfection is an amazing concealer but I don't really use it as I find it a bit too much under the eyes. However, if ever my skin gets a rash from a product or if I've had dairy I love it for more coverage!

What's your favourite product for under £5?

Review: Barry M Pink Silver Polish, Sophisticated Glitter!

Hi everyone! As you can probably tell if you were a follower of mine before my blog has had a total makeover thanks to the lovely Ana @ Peaches and Cream designs. I would highly recommend using her design service if you're looking to revamp your blog, she honestly works wonders! Second thing, if anyone knows of a good, free editing program for photos I would really appreciate it as the lighting in my uni room is atrocious and I want the best quality pictures possible with would probably involve some tweaking! 

That aside, I thought today I would show you what I'd call my sophisticated glitter polish :)

The nail polish in question is Barry M's Pink Silver Glitter. Weirdly enough, I don't think I would have picked out this shade myself. It was actually a Christmas present from my lovely housemates (they know me so well) but after trying it on, it's absolutely beautiful.

As always, the formulation is great. I find Barry M to last longer on my nails than most higher end brands which is great considering they're only £2.99 each! It's lasted around 4 days before chipping and was opaque within two coats on me, even better considering how impatient I get painting my nails which often ends in my trying to multi-task and smudging polish all over myself. Not great!

The shade is perfect for being a neutralish glitter as I'm not often a fan of the really in your face ones, I'm much more of a plain creamy colour kind of girl but for this polish, I can definitely make an exception.

Have you tried this shade? What's your favourite glitter? 

2012 Favourites: Nails

Barry M Berry Ice Cream - You probably can't tell because I've shaken up the bottle so much, but this is one of my most used nail varnishes. It's one of the only ones I've ever used up completely and repurchased (something that needs to happen again soon!). It's a beautiful light, bright lavender with a hint of greyish undertones in my opinion and a colour that I find goes with pretty much anything.

Jessica Brilliance Top Coat - I NEVER hear anyone speak about this top coat but it's been my favourite forever. It leaves such a beautiful shiney finish and allows my nail varnish to last so much longer, I've never felt the need to try any other top coat because I don't feel like anything could work as well as this.

OPI Nail Envy - A blogger favourite this product definitely deserves all the hype it gets. First of all, it's lasted me for ages despite using it most weeks as a treatment before painting my nails. It's just done wonders to my nails and I really notice when I haven't used this for a while how much weaker my nails become and how prone they are to breaking. 

Topshop Celestial - I've already done a full review of this here but this is literally the most perfect nail varnish I've ever come across. It stands out beautifully and I just find myself reaching for it so much because when I have it on I literally cannot stop staring at my nails (does anyone else do this?!). Definitely an all time favourite and one I will purchase over and over, the formula is also great!

Barry M Pink Flamingo - Another polish from my favourite nail polish brand! This is my favourite pink to wear, I just find it's so flattering and pretty and I love that it leans slightly coral. It's really a stunning pink if you want something that goes with anything you wear

& if you'd like to see my Barry M polish collection with swatches of both the polishes mentioned, please go here :)