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.

August Favourites

Hi everyone, favourites time once again. This year has seriously been the quickest year ever!! I can't quite believe there is only a few months left til Christmas. But enough of that here's what I was loving in the month of August!

 

Yankee Candles - Strawberry Buttercream and Black Cherry

 

 

My non beauty favourites this month have been these two gorgeous Yankee Candles. I absolutely love the scent these give off when burnt together. Strawberry Buttercream smells very sweet, almost like the smell of baking cakes and Black Cherry is just a strong cherry scent. The two together fill my room with a sweet and fruity scent that is absolutely delicious. Neither one overpowers the other and I don't find the scent to be too sickly sweet. Strawberry Buttercream can get a bit much when burnt alone but Black Cherry cancels that out and burning together they are an absolute dream.

 

Essie Eternal Optimist and Barry M Princess

 

 

Another duo I have been loving are these two polishes I mentioned a few weeks ago. Essie's 'Eternal Optimist' is a gorgeous dusky rose colour that is fully opaque with two coats. Its a really lovely subtle colour that would be perfect for an occasion like a wedding or christening. Or even just for work when you don't want something that stands out too much, but still want a nice wash of colour. I have been pairing it with Barry M's baby pink glitter 'Princess' from their Royal Collection using this on just my ring fingers for a glitter accent. The glitters in this are not at all chunky and glide on the nails perfectly. I absolutely love these kind of glitters and would love some more, If you know of any I might like please comment below. All I seem to find are horrible chunky ones that go on the nails in patches. I've been switching up my nail colours a lot recently but throughout August I kept coming back to these two because I think they look so chic and classy together.

 

MUA Undress Me Too Palette

 



Again another product you have seen recently. My apologies but as you know I am at the minute out of a job and looking for work, so I have had to make deal with my current beauty stash because I can't afford any new products. I also think this featured in a favourites way back but that just goes to show how much I do really love it. I reach for this palette every single time I put make up on weather that's for, the eyebrow colour Lavish, a mixture a of a few shades for a complete eye look or just a highlight colour. I always go back to this palette because its just a perfect everyday palette that can be used for so many different looks. There isn't one colour I don't use in here. I have a lot of other palettes and this is not my favourite of the bunch buts its definitely the most used.

 

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

 

 

Last but not least, and the only product that has not yet been featured on my blog is my first ever cleansing oil. I got this in the Summer edition of the Latest In Beauty Glamour Beauty Edit box a few months back. And I have been loving it ever since, although dispensing the oil has been a pain (there's a only a tiny hole for the product to come through when you un screw the white lid) this really is an excellent product. When massaged into a dry face, then wiped away with a muslin cloth soaked in warm water, it really does remove every scrap of makeup without irritating my skin or leaving it oily. The only problem I have with this product, except the dispenser, is the fact it can not be used on the eyes. Let me tell you if you put this on yours eyes it will temporarily blind you! In the products defence it does state to not use it on eyes but I tried it anyway, and although it removes eye makeup like a dream the momentary blindness and fuzzy film it leaves over the eyes is just not worth it!! So all in all a great product that I absolutely love I just wish it was friendly on the eyes. I am wanting to purchase an oil that can be used all over the face so let me know any suggestions you may have.

 

That's it for another month. What were you loving in August?

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.



MUA Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette

Hi Girls, once again my apologies for not posting anything for such a long time! I still haven't got a new laptop charger so can only get on my laptop when I can get hold of my brothers charger!

Today I'm going to show you the ever so popular MUA Undress Me Too Palette. That I picked up sometime last month.

This palette is famous for being an amazing dupe for the Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay, having never owned a UD palette I was really excited to try out this much cheaper alternative. After looking in Superdrug countless amounts of times and not coming across it I gave up hope of ever finding this beauty in town. Then one day I found the whole Undress Me collection tucked away on the side of one of the aisles! WHY have you done this Superdrug?! Instead of putting the collection with the rest of the MUA  make up its hidden away! I just do not understand it. Anyway enough whinging and on to the actual product! I was over the moon to eventually get my hands on this product and couldn't wait to try it out (not before I had took pictures of course! brownie points for being a good beauty blogger for once :P I resisted using this for days so I could get you guys some nice clean pictures!) I haven't got any swatches but here are some pictures to give you an idea of the shades.

(naked, devotion, tranquil, exposed)

 (shy, fiery, reveal, wink)

(lavish, dreamy, obsessed, corrupt)

In all honesty I haven't used every single shadow in the palette, but the ones I have used I am really impressed with. The pigmentation is exceptional for a £4 palette, if you do the maths that comes to just over 33p per shadow, amazing huh?! The staying power is also really good, weather I use these for during the day or a night out I never have to re apply and that's without using a primer! So I imagine with one they will be even better. The palette has a mix of both matte and shimmer shades, which is perfect for me because I love to use both finishes depending on my mood and the make up look I am wanting to achieve. I believe this is the first MUA palette that has named shadows, which I really like, there's nothing worse than trying to explain a product to someone when said product doesn't have a name! The shades I reach for most within in this palette are - Naked and Lavish for a soft matte smokey eye for a neutral day time look, and Fiery, Obsessed and Corrupt for a more dark smokey eye for a night out, I have also used Devotion in the inner corners of my eyes for a lovely pop of golden highlight. If I ever get the confidence and camera skills to show you any of my make up looks I will definitely use this to paint you a better picture of this amazing product. But for the time being a hope this post has given you a nice insight into this much loved product. If you haven't got it already and have £4 going spare, I strongly suggest you go and pick it up. It really is brilliant value for money! Weather it's as good as Urban Decay Naked 2, I obviously can't comment but it's a fabulous palette all the same!

Much Love Gemma xo.

February Favourites

Hi Beauties, Sorry for the lateness of this favourites post but I just couldn't decide what to feature in it. So here's 5 of my most reached for products in the month of February!

First up a skincare product -

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic - I bought this way back in September (i think) and I have been using it every single day since and I love it. Some people don't use a toner at all and think its a pointless step in their skincare routine. I on the other hand have been using them everyday since doing Beauty Therapy in college. I'm not sure if my skin actually benefits from it, because I haven't stopped using toners at all for the past 5 or 6 years, but I really enjoy using them, they really freshen up the skin and make it feel really clean and clear. I use this after cleansing. I spray it 4 times on a cotton pad and sweep it across my face, to make sure my face is completely clean and make up free. The smell of this toner is absolutely gorgeous and it really wakes my skin up, once I finish this I will definitely be repurchasing it.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Deep Nourishing Intensive Mask - I've been really looking after my hair recently and I think this has really helped. Since using it my hair has been really lovely and smooth. I use this at least once a week and I really like it. I reviewed it here if you would like to take a look.

MAC Girl About Town - This was my first MAC lipstick that I bought back in January. It's a gorgeous bright fuscia pink and I fell in love with it as soon as I laid eyes on it. Whenever I go out I use either this or the Rimmel Apocalips I'm about to talk about.

Rimmel Apocalips Big Bang - As you may know from reading this review I went out and bought 2 Rimmel Apocalips' the day they came out. I thought the bright pink I bought would be my favourite but in actual fact Big Bang is, this bright true red has been my most reached for since purchasing them. I've never owned such a red before, its really lovely and bright. The Apocalips themselves are really good too. They feel like a gloss when applied but dry to a beautiful matte finish. With the amazing pigmentation of a high end lipstick. I'm sure a well be extending my collection of colours very soon.

MUA Blusher Shade 2 -  I've been using MUA's blusher in shade 2 everyday I've wore make up in February. Its a lovely light dusky pink colour with ever so slight shimmer in it. The pigmentation is actually rather good for a product costing just £1, one quick swirl in the pan is enough to give my cheeks a lovely flush of colour. For only £1 I will definitely pick this up again, I have 3 of the 6 shades but this one is the one I use most. (As you may be able to tell the blusher in the very first picture in this post isn't actually shade 2, because the writing on the front of the packaging has completely faded and I wanted you to be able to see what the blushes look like, so I used another one of the colours in my collection so sorry if that causes confusion, also apologies for the messy packaging, I forgot to clean it before photographing)

Hope you enjoyed this most, and maybe have a few ideas of new products you would like to try out. What were your most reached for products in February? Be sure to let me know.

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.