Take 3: Highstreet Concealers

Maybelline Eye Eraser in Light £7.99 - Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer in 52 Medium Radiance £7.99 - L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer in 1 Light £8.49

When it comes to drugstore concealers, I find it so hard to find the right shade and texture for my skin type. This means I tend to have to use different concealers for different needs and parts of my face, but I think with this trio I might have cracked it! I know 3 concealers seems a bit excessive but luckily these last for ages and they're all under the £10 mark and all have different uses.

Let's start with under eyes. Maybelline's Instant Anti-Age Eye Eraser in 'Light' totally lives up to the hype for me. Yes I might not need anti-aging underneath my peepers but the consistency, applicator and effect it gives is fabulous. You twist the product up so you can get the exact amount you need out the sponge as well as being able to see how much you have left which is a massive plus for me. The sponge applicator aids to softly pat the concealer into a V shape under my eyes and the texture is creamy yet light so gives great coverage without looking cakey at all. Blended in with a damp beauty blender this stuff looks airbrushed and skin like, whilst still covering dark circles effectively. My only niggle with this product is that I would like the shade 'Light' to be a tad lighter to give a more highlighting effect but in terms of coverage this is great and you could even use it on other parts of your face as a 2 in 1.

For all over concealing I've been using Bourjois Healthy Mix Correcting Concealer in '52 Medium Radiance'. I didn't get on with the foundation as it oxidised badly on me, but I really wanted to give the concealer a go after reading good things. You get so much product in this tube and the dispenser makes it easy to get just the right amount you need in a hygienic way. I tend to squeeze a little out and apply with my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and buff it over blemishes and any redness around my nose. It is relatively thick and quite creamy making it easy to blend and cover well. This lasts all day and I do not have to reapply at any point. I wish I had got a shade lighter as it can be a little dark depending on my base but with proper blending it isn't an issue and it doesn't oxidise like the foundation did.

Lastly the concealer I use for highlighting is L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Correcting Pen in '1 Light', which I have repurchased numerous times. This is basically a dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat, although the texture is more pigmented and thicker. I use this in the inner corners under my eyes most days to brighten the area up and if I'm going for a more sculpted or radiant look I will pat some in down the bridge of my nose, my brow bone, cupids bow and middle of my forehead. It is easily blendable with a light texture and although it is definitley highlighting it isn't stark or unnatural looking for every day.

I still want to try high end concealers but I'm pretty impressed with these 3 from the drugstore. What is your favourite concealer? Have you tried any of these? xxx

Review: Bourjois | Healthy Mix Foundation |

9.99 // 30ml // Shade 52 (Vanilla)

My box of bases has been steadily growing as I like to have one for every occasion (nights out, sunny days, bad skin days, oily days, dehydrated days....etc etc!) and this foundation is one that I had my eye on for a long time. There are two types of this foundation - this is not the serum version but the original one as based on the reviews I read it was more suitable for my skin type (oily/combo). 

Most of the reviews I have seen of this are very complimentary so I had high hopes. Although I think it has been rebranded and packaged since I bought it, it still features a see through body which I really like so you can see how much you've got left, has a decent pump and is lightweight for travel. I have the shade 52 (second lightest) which is too dark for me but a good match for a tan and is ok as long as I buff it in fully and blend. As you can see I've used it quite a lot before writing up this post as for a long time I was really on the fence about it.

On first application it is fantastic. It buffs in flawlessly to your skin (I use the RT buffing brush or fingers) with a very natural coverage which is buildable to medium and blurs pores and imperfections wonderfully. The foundation delivers a satin finish which I love as its not too dewy or flat looking. This is great for perking up your skin and definitely delivers radiance and hydration so no need to add liquid highlighter in with it like I normally do. On first impressions I thought this was HG ground!

But unfortunately things go down hill from there. After around 4 hours my skin is very greasy - and not just in the t zone which I'm used to. I also found it oxidises really badly which is terrible for oily girls like myself as it makes the foundation go quite orange and patchy - so in reference to its 16 hour claim it falls dramatically short! 

It is such a shame and I have really tried to persevere with it as on first application it is wonderful! I think it is better suited to dry/normal skin and is great for photos or a short amount of time. However, for long busy days which I normally have it falls short.

 Have you tried this foundation? What is your HG base? xxx

The Weekend Face #1

As you may or may not know, Matt and I met at Uni but he has since graduated and got a big boy job in London, meaning our relationship has gone from seeing each other every day to every weekend. We are quite lucky its not too far to travel, however I am an appalling packer and find it virtually impossible to pack light. I've been making a conscious effort therefore to try and squeeze down my make up bag for the weekend and plan ahead (although I am still terrible at this!) Among making my case a little lighter (the amount of skincare I take is not ok) trying to condense my make up bag has lead to me using well loved things I had forgotten about again and mixing up my make up routine. So I thought it might be interesting to show you what I take as a mini series on the weekends I go down to visit, but leaving out the standard staples as that would get boring!

Lets start with the base. I chose Healthy Mix as it gives light to medium coverage, which is buildable and also helps to perk up and hydrate my skin in this horrible weather (review soon) with the usual culprits of Benefit's Erasepaste for under eyes and Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer for any redness or blemishes. My new powder of choice - Rimmel's Stay Matte - was put to the test to set my foundation and keep oil at bay, but I'm not seeing much difference between this and my previous 17 Miracle Matte powder. Finally a dusting of 'London' from my Fashionista palette (amazing for travel) along my cheekbones combined a blush and highlight in one.

For my eyes, I chose to go for a natural look and began by lining the waterline with Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in 'Nude' and swept 'Naked' from my Urban Decay Naked palette all over the lid. This palette is amazing for travel as it has shades for every occasion so I take it with me everywhere as you can probably see from the battered packaging! I took 'Virgin' also from this palette as my brow highlight and used Bourjois Intuitive eyeliner to deepen my lash line - still not too sure on this one but a review will be coming soon. Lastly, lashings of my two favourite mascaras completed this look. 

For lips I took two lipsticks - Kate Moss for Rimmel 107, an amazing deep red which I have been obsessed with recently and wear for both the evening or day and Barry M lip paint in '101' - a milky nude shade. As my eyes were pared down I either went for a bright pop of red or combined both of these together in the style of Lisa Eldridge to brighten up 101 which can be a bit dead by itself.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Let me know what you think of these products xxx