Another Obsession: Highlighters

If you looked at my makeup collection, you would see I have 3 main weakness, lipstick, eyeshadow palettes and highlighters. The most recent of them weaknesses would definitely be highlighters, I can't seem to stop buying them lately. And today I thought I'd share them all with you.

In the drugstore category I have one single highlight, MUA's Undress Your Skin and two palettes, the Sleek Solstice palette and Makeup Revolution's Highlight palette. I have to admit I very rarely reach for these as I tend to favour my high end ones. But after getting them out again and swatching them, I think I will be making an effort to use them more. All of them are really well pigmented for such affordable products, and look lovely when applied. The Sleek palette has four shades in it, a cream champagne pink shade, a pink/purple baked powder highlight, a yellow toned powder and a bronze baked powder. All of them are amazingly pigmented and look gorgeous on the skin. This palette is getting a lot of attention at the minute because Jaclyn Hill has recently talked about it, and I completely understand the hype. I've loved this palette ever since I bought it last year when it was released. My second palette is from Makeup Revolution and is the one that I very rarely reach for, although pigmented in my swatches these powders take a lot of building up on my face and I can never be bothered to use it. In it there is a pink a peach and a yellow/gold highlight. Lastly is the very first highlighter I bought, MUA's Undress your skin its a beautiful well pigmented pink toned highlight that I just don't reach for enough. I adored this when I first got it but like I've said these ones have unfortunately been neglected for my more expensive highlighters.

sleek solstice: ecliptic, hemisphere, sub solar, equinox, makeup revolution: golden lights, peach lights, pink lights, mua: undress your skin.

High end wise I have 5 single highlighters, my one cream highlighter is Benefits, Watts Up this one is a mini from a Benefit set I got, and if I'm honest I've only used it once, I don't really get a long with cream products. Next is the first high end highlighter that I got, which can also be used as a blusher. This is Dior's Rose Diamond and it is still one of my favourite products. This gradients from a lovely white pearly highlight to a pink blush, all the colours can be used separately or swirled together depending on what kind of look you are going for. It transfers onto the skin quite sheerly but leaves you with a lovely subtle glow. Another hyped up product is The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer, the pigment on this is amazing its a gorgeous champagne gold and it looks amazing on the skin, a little goes a long way with this so I can imagine it will last me a long time. Lastly I have two Becca highlights, and these were both 100% purchased because of Jaclyn Hill. First is her collaboration with Becca, Champagne Pop a gorgeous champagne highlight that shows up quite bronzey on me but still looks lovely. And secondly Pearl, this was released in the Christmas palette from Becca and I was devastated that I missed out on it. It's a pale girls dream highlight, a stunning white 'pearl' shade. Being the massive Jaclyn Hill fangirl that I am, I was over the moon when I found out these beauties were permanently being sold in the UK and I bought them both a few days after their releases. These highlighters are by far the best I own, extremely pigmented, long wearing and the softest powders I have ever come across, even my Real Techniques Duo Fibre brushes have made marks in these! Again a little goes a long with Pearl and Champagne Pop so they will last me forever (if they don't break beforehand with their amazing texture)

benefit watts up, dior rose diamond, the balm mary lou manizer, becca pearl, becca champagne pop

So thats my extensive highlighter collection, more shimmer and glow than any girl will need in a lifetime, but I can guarantee I will add plenty more to it. Next up on the hitlist is definitely Anastasia's Glow Kits they look amazing!
Have you got any must have highlighters for me to try, and what are your makeup weaknesses? Let me know :)
Much Love 

Gemma xo.

MAC Lipstick Collection

Hi everyone first things first, apologies for not blogging throughout my pregnancy as promised! The whole thing seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, and as usual life got on top of me and I never found the time to blog. But once again I'm back, this time with a brand new laptop and camera and I am raring to get my blogging game back on track. To ease myself back into this, I thought I'd start with a relatively simple one, and share with you my MAC Lipstick collection. I love reading this type of blogpost and although my collection is pretty small I hope you like reading about it none the less.

from top, left to right - new york apples, girl about town, lady danger, up the amp, candy yum yum, rebel, show orchid, high strung.

I think I bought my first MAC Lipstick about 4 years ago and my collection has slowly been growing ever since then. I love each and every one that I own and have many, many more on my 'to buy' list. I currently own 8 shades and have 4 different finishes, matte, satin, amplified and frost. I really like all the different finishes but 'amplified' is definitely my favourite, because they are so pigmented yet very creamy and easy to wear.

So onto the collection itself. First up is 'Show Orchid' which although isn't my most worn shade I think its my favourite. It's a gorgeous bright fuchsia pink with blue running through it with a lovely pearlescent finish to it making it slightly on the shimmery side. 

Girl About Town, was my first ever MAC lipstick and back then was the brightest lipstick I had, now however it seems quite dull in comparison to some of my other shades. Just like Show Orchid, Girl About Town is another bright fuchsia pink with blue undertones, but its slightly dark and less shimmery, still very beautiful and highly pigmented.

My last amplified lipstick is Up The Amp, a lovely pinky purple shade, which again has cool undertones, that make your teeth look nice and white. It is a very creamy lipstick that glides on easily and wears for a good 3 or 4 hours on me.

My only satin lipstick is the very well known and much loved Rebel, a deep violet colour that is very pinky on my lips. I always imagined Rebel to be a very deep purple, so I was quite disappointed when it turned out so pink on me, but to get that deep look I desired, I pair it with Sleeks lipliner in Venom, which makes it a gorgeous vampy plum colour.

Next are my two frost finishes, High Strung is definitely my most worn lipstick out of my collection, as it is so wearable for everyday. It is a gorgeous rosy pink with a silver shimmer to it, which makes it look slightly metallic which I love. For an everyday basis I pair this with Rimmels Eastend Snob lipliner, for a shimmery version of the cult 'Kylie Jenner lip'.

New York Apple is a gorgeous red with raspberry shimmer and it is another of my favourites. Although shimmery this is a very pigmented lipstick and lasts for around 4 to 5 hours. I wore this on Christmas Day and it was perfect for the festive season, although I do still put it on every now and again, now we are into the Spring/Summer season.

This next lipstick, Candy Yum Yum is one that I absolutely love but I haven't actually wore yet, as it is so matte it settles into every nook and cranny and my lips have just not been in the best condition for it as of late. Candy Yum Yum is another firm favourite with MAC lovers, it is a beautiful bright barbie pink that will look perfect in summer.

Finally I have Lady Danger and although this is another matte it doesn't settle into lines like Candy Yum Yum does and is very creamy, so I have worn this much more. Its is a beautiful orangey red which is again perfect for summer.

show orchid, girl about town, up the amp, rebel, high strung, candy yum yum, lady danger

So that's my MAC lipstick collection, sorry for the lack of lip swatches, but as I've said my lips aren't in a great condition at the minute so they would not be nice to look at, at all. Hopefully that nice arm shot is good enough for you and you can get a rough idea of what each shade looks like. Thank You for reading and I hope you enjoyed my first post back.

Much Love 

Gemma xo.

My Everyday Makeup Look

Today I have decided to share with you, what I put onto my face on a daily basis. I don't wear makeup every single day, but when I am going shopping, for a casual day with my friends or running other errands this is the look I will go for. It literally takes me about 10-15 minutes and is super simple to create.

 

  (Sorry I forgot to clean the products before photographing!!)

 

For my face I have recently been using Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless, which is a 3 in 1 primer foundation and concealer. The coverage is medium to full and lasts all day on me. My skin doesn't look at all cakey with this, and it blends in easily. I always spend the longest time blending in my foundation (anything up to 5 minutes) to make sure I have a smooth even finish with no harsh lines. I then dot the amazing Collection Lasting Perfection concealer on any blemishes or marks my foundation doesn't cover. After this I use my Sleek Face Form palette, to lightly contour and highlight my cheekbones and add a little bit of colour. This doesn't show up in these pictures because I do it so lightly, I only go for a heavy contour on nights out or other occasion where I like to look more 'done up'.

 

 For my eyes and brows I use the MUA Undress Me Too eyeshadow palette. On my brows I use the shade Lavish which is a perfect match for me. I have severely hit pan on this because I use this constantly instead of my HD Brow Palette that I save for special occasions. On my lids I sweep Wink all over this is a gorgeous shimmery rose gold/bronze colour. In the outer corner and crease I blend in Obsessed a deep brown with shimmer (that doesn't actually show in my swatch). I used to always use black eyeliner on my waterline but I've recently decided to stop doing that, as it can look a bit too heavy and I now just smudge a bit of Obsessed along my bottom lash line. I then use Devotion in the inner corners to make my eyes stand out.

 

 

For my lashes recently I have been swapping and changing the mascara I use on my top lashes to try and decrease the amount of drugstore mascaras I have in my collection. Today I have used the Maybelline Mega Plush Volume Express, which gives me some length and volume but it's not the best I've ever tried. And of course on my bottom lashes I have the Maybelline Big Eyes bottom lash mascara. On my lips I sometimes use a lip balm or gloss, but today I haven't bothered with anything.

 

 

Brush wise I use, Real Techniques Buffing Brush for my foundation, and the Deluxe Crease Brush for concealer. On my cheeks I use the Real Techniques Contour Brush for my contour and blush. And for highlighter I use a Fan Brush from my brush set from my college Beauty Therapy kit. For eyeshadow I use the Crown Brush C417 Chubby Shadow Brush to pack on the colour all over my lid. Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush for the crease and outer corner colour, then Crown Brush C441 Pro Blending Crease to blend the two colours together. For the gold inner corners I use the Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush bringing it down onto my bottom lash line and the Accent Brush for the darker colour on the rest of my lash line. And finally the Brow Brush again from Real Techniques to fill in my brows. Wow that's a lotta brushes for such a minimal makeup look!!

 

 

I hope you like my first ever post showing me actually wearing make up. Any feed back will be greatly appreciated. And next time I will let my hair down for the pictures instead of keeping it up away from my face! I can not believe I forgot my hair was up like that!!

Much Love

Gemma xo.



Tag: I Heart Drugstore MakeUp

Hiya Everyone, Sorry for my absence recently. I've been quite the busy bee over this past week or so. Today I thought I would do something nice and quick! The 'I Heart Drugstore MakeUp Tag' has been quite popular over the last few months, I'm sure your all familiar with it and have read countless different ones. But I thought I'd give it a go anyway.

some of my drugstore collection

1. What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand?

It has to be Rimmel. I've always owned a lot of Rimmel products and recently they have been bring out some absolute gems!

2. What are your favorite face, cheek and lip products?

Face has got to be Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. For cheeks I love MUA blushers and for lips the ever so famous Kate Moss Matte Lipsick for Rimmel in colour 107.

my favourites

3. Least favorite product?

I really don't get on with the Bourjois bronzer (the chocolate looking one!) I really wish I did and I'm trying all sorts but I just can't get it to work the way I want it to!

4. What is the best makeup bargain?

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, really cheap and works brilliantly.

5. What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)

I've never heard the MUA blushers being mentioned, but right now I'm loving them, I use 'shade 2' every day.

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?
Like everyone else from the UK has said, Mascaras! They seem to be getting dearer all the time.


7. Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!

I haven't actually come across any.

8. Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?
Probably the Bourjois bronzer I mentioned before.

another look at some of my collection

Thank you for reading, hope your all having a brilliant week.

Much Love Gemma xo.

January Favourites

Hi Everyone, As promised, my January Favourites at long last! Better late than never though ey? Lets get started..

 First up the make up I have been using on a daily basis this month.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - Ever since I bought 2 sets of Real Techniques brushes sometime last year, I have been absolutely loving them. I use this brush every single time I apply my make up. I will usually apply my foundation with my fingers then blend it in with this to give me a flawless finish, Then I will use it again to apply my powder over the top to set my foundation. I really do adore this brush, its the softest brush I have ever owned and I don't know how I managed without it!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - I have been using this concealer for well over a year now and have repurchased it countless times. I haven't even tried anything else because I like this so much. There's always been a huge hype on the blogosphere about this product and I 100% agree with it. This concealer does an amazing job at covering blemishes and dark circles and lasts all day. At less than £5 you really can't go wrong, I use the lightest shade, 01 Fair.

Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Eyeliner - As with all the other make up items in my favourites I love this and use it every single day. I got this not long after it first came out and haven't used any other pencil eyeliner since! The pigmentation of this is amazing and it doesn't budge all day. I have the black and nude versions and am extremely tempted to buy the other shades because I love them so much.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - Lastly for make up is the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, I can't honestly say when I first got this but since first buying it there has been alot of hype around it and again I can see why. It does a really good job at setting your make up and holding it in place. And also combats any shine through out the day. I really like a matte finish to my make up so this is perfect for me. I even swapped this for MAC's blotting powder but once that ran out I went straight back to this as I much preferred it to the MAC powder!

L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - Now onto haircare. Last year I purchased this hair oil and didn't really use it that much. This month however I have been using it religiously and I really like it. It smells lovely and makes my hair really soft and shiny. And I also feel it has done my hair a world of good since using it. For more info check out my review of it in this blog post.

Enrapture Totem Styler -  I came across this in November time after reading loads of reviews on it and really wanted to buy it for myself. So as you can imagine I was over the moon when I found it on offer in Argos and my brother said he would get it for me as a Christmas present. One of the first things I did on Christmas morning was try these out. You can heat the different sections of the styler to different temperatures to create a variety of looks. So far I have only tried out a few different temperature combinations but I love all of the styles I have managed to create. The curls/waves hold really well and look beautiful. All throughout January I have been picking these up in favour of my beloved GHD's for super quick and easy looks whenever I go out. Review and pictures coming soon!

Finally a miscellaneous favourite of this month has been Temple Run 2. As my iPhone 4s is long dead :( my boyfriend has this on his Kindle Fire HD and I have been playing it whenever I can prise it away from his hands. I was over the moon when I eventually hit 1million points for the very first time, sad I know! But I just had to tweet a picture - 

So that's it for my January Favourites, hope you enjoyed it and if you have done one please feel free to leave me a link to it below because I love reading them :) Hopefully the next one will appear before the 8th of the month!

Much Love Gemma xo.