THE BEST OF: MAYBELLINE

Whilst having a look around my makeup drawers the other day, I seemed to notice I had a wide collection of Maybelline products; some that I use daily and some that I tend to push to the back. So, I thought it'd be a wise idea to do my take on a 'brand focus' esque post, and share what I think are the best bits of the brand.

LIPS: I have quite my fair share of lip products, but for when I'm on the go, I always seem to throw a Colorsensational lippy in my bag. I think it's because I can slap them on without a mirror and they just seem to work well. To show just how much I like them, I even had Coffee Craze as my prom lipstick shade.

EYES: I think everyone knows of the Colour Tattoos, and I have 6 of them myself. On and On Bronze is the classic shade, and mine has near enough completely run out (and I will definitely be buying another ASAP), and is the best option for when you want a look that seems as though you have put the effort in, but really it was a one sweep wonder. Maybelline also do pretty well with mascaras. the Lash Sensational is my personal favourite and I've repurchased this countless times, but the Collossal Go Extreme and the Rocket and pretty good options too. I love how waterproof Maybelline mascaras can be and I'm always safe from smudging.

BROWS: The Brow Drama is one of the best budget brow gels I have found, and also one of the only ones to actually sit on the aisles of the drugstore. I go for the transparent, but I have tried the tinted ones too and they do a pretty good job aswell - something a little extra for the brows. I also actually use the Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe for my brows, something I've now been doing for months and don't think I will actually move away from. Like a Dipbrow alternative, this pot of wonder costs just under a fiver and gives me the perfect shade of ashy brown for brows that could last for days.

NAILS: Maybelline nail polishes also aren't a bad option. The Super Stay options really wowed me when I first used them - they genuinely were ''super stay''. For something a little quicker, the Colour Show 60 Seconds polishes are quick drying, but also rather pigmented and some of them can actually work with a single coat.

So, pretty impressive overall. Although I don't tend to go for Maybelline for base products (I prefer Bourjois, Rimmel and L'Oreal), their product range is pretty solid with quite a few gems in there. Definitely one I wander towards each time I go into Boots...

ORLY VA VA VOOM

I think it's safe to say that in the summer, a lot of us enjoy a neon nail colour, whether just on the toes or the fingers as well, for that poolside looking pop of colour. When in TkMaxx recently I stumbled across the Orly Nail Lacquer in Va Va Voom for £2.99 and didn't even have to question whether or not to buy it.

It is a neon medium pink, as the picture would suggest, but isn't the most strikingly neon polish I have ever seen, so good for those who are undecided on the neon trend, but beware, it still it pretty bright. It has a semi matte finish as do the majority of neons do but with a topcoat you can't tell any difference (I find the slightly blue toned Ciaté Black Light Top Coat does the best job as it adds an intense glossy shine and the hint of blueness makes things look even more neon).

I can tell in Summers to come this will be a much loved polish in my collection, and will help me step away from the greige and pastel offerings I had been opting for beforehand...

THE MINT GREEN LOVE

I think the first time I ever fell in love with a nail polish was when GOSH Miss Minty* dropped through my letter box back in the days when I had my nail blog. I wore it almost every time I painted my nails, and due to that I needed a replacement as this one was getting a little gloopy.

The one I love the most, and is a new love is the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Sugar Apple, one from their latest pastel collection for Spring. It's the perfect mint, not too blue, not too green, and the glossy finish wins it for me. Definitely one to add to your shopping list.

One which I forgot about until having a hunt through my (overflowing) nail polish drawer was the Rimmel Salon Pro Lycra in Peppermint. This one is a little darker than the rest, but nothing to stop it fitting in the mint category. Also, the brush on this one is great, just a swipe over each nail is all you need, and only a couple of coats.

Last but not least is Ciaté Pepperminty, which is slightly more green than the rest, but nothing dramatic. I quite like the finish of this one too, as it doesn't seem to chip. My one peeve with this one is that it's pretty sheer and you have to build up the coats to get that perfect mint colour.

I think it is very 'blogger' of me to do a post entirely dedicated to mint green paints, and perhaps this has made me realise that I don't really need any more...

PASTEL PAINTS FROM BARRY M

If there was one thing I had to say about Spring beauty, I would probably express my love for the pretty pastel nail polishes, but when routing through my collection, I noticed that I was lacking in a powder blue colour, and so I was straight to the Barry M counter after hearing about their new pastels in the Gelly Hi-Shine collection.

In Boots there was a buy one get one half price offer on, and I picked Huckleberry and Sugar Apple from the collection. There is also Rose Hip in the collection which is a pale pink, but they didn't have any left of those.

Huckleberry is literally my perfect powder blue shade, and is just what I was looking for. Something which was literally a slightly darker than off-white colour (you can barely see the swatch on the nail wheel), and this is that. As always with the Gelly Hi Shine Range, the formulation is incredible, thick and glossy which makes for the perfect speedy manicure.

Sugar Apple is a mint green, which a lot of people say is a good substitute for Essie Mint Candy Apple. This one looks like it'll be replacing my (rather stodgy, well loved) GOSH Miss Minty now, which I am very happy about as that one needed a replacement anyway.

I can tell that the two of these polishes will be ruling my collection in the upcoming months, so expect them to feature a few more times here...

PAMPER EVENING ESSENTIALS

I'm sure nearly all of us love to pamper ourselves, but a lot of us also don't have time to go for the full whammy on a regular basis. I like to dedicate my Sunday evenings to pampering myself, but it isn't a regime that takes hours away from you.

The first thing I do is paint my nails so they are ready for the week ahead (or the first half of it perhaps), and I do this in the late afternoon early evening so that they are dried before I have a bath/shower - trust me I have made the mistake before and they didn't look too great. I have currently been loving Greenberry from the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine range.

Having a bath is the next step, but if you want to shower (I often do when I'm washing my hair), use a nice shower gel so you feel like you are still being pampered - Soap & Glory rule for this. But, when you're bathing, Lush offer the best items, from bath bombs to bubble bars. I still have some of my Christmas Eve Bubble Bar left from when I got a bunch of products in the sale, so I'm using that up. For something a little more interesting, I love the FUN Range.

After a bath or shower, using a body butter is the best way to make your skin love you. My current favourite is the Soap & Glory Righteous Butter, but I also like to use the Sugar Crush offering. The Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream is also something I enjoy using, as my feet often go unloved (I hate feet, writing this is making me feel a little uncomfortable), but seriously this is a thick balm which massages in like a cream/oil - I love it.

Finally, what is a pamper evening without a face mask. For something cleansing, and the one featured in the image, I reach for the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Mask which really helps my skin and the difference is noticeable for me. Another one not shown is the Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Mask which hydrates my skin so well and allows it to look plump in the morning.

So, once I press 'publish' on this post, I think my evening will be dedicated to having a pamper...

THE SPRING POLISH PICKS

As Autumn and Winter leave us, and as Spring looks as if it is just around the corner, I have been ditching the vampy plums and reaching for the dainty pastels when it comes to polishes. There are definitely a few more types of colours I am looking to purchase, like pastel blues and pinks that are almost off whites - the L'Oreal new releases look promising. But, for now I have been enjoying using my current lineup.

An old favourite is the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Greenberry. If it was possible to have a pastel mint green, with a hint of neon about it, this would be it. The formula scores full marks from me too - glossy and opaque. Stunning.
Who can resist a bubblegum pink? I certainly can't and Ciaté Candyfloss is the one I am loving. There's something about this milky pink that stands out among the rest of my collection of polishes that makes me want to paint it on my nails every day.
Another offering from Ciaté is Chinchilla, a powdery pale blue which looks really nice on my skin tone. The formula of this one isn't quite as good as my other Ciaté polishes, but I still love it nonetheless.

One that I never stop banging on about is the Revlon Colourstay in Provence, a dusty, slightly grey pale lilac, which I slap on my nails if I can't decide what to wear - it's basically my go-to.
I don't really like how oranges look on my nails, but GOSH Peachy* is slightly more pastel and muted, so I feel like it is one of the only oranges I enjoy wearing. I'm not sure if this is still available anywhere, but if it is, I recommend picking it up.
Finally, what would this post be without a true mint. This is the Rimmel Salon Pro polish is Peppermint, and it is the perfect blue-mint which has a great thick formula and I seriously don't understand why I haven't purchased more from the line because they really to rule.

So, that's what my pointers have been loving, but leave your suggestions of what to get for when Spring hits hard so I have my fair share of pastel lacquers...

P.S - This is my 200th post! *applause*

REVLON GIRLY NAIL POLISH

Ever since I got into the whole world of nail polish, I was always intrigued by the Revlon Nail Polish in Girly, a jelly base, alongside an array of coloured glitter. I never got my hands on it, but when it was in a set with two Charlie body sprays for £4 in the sales, I literally jumped for joy.

So basically, this is a sheer pink base, which is accompanied with  blue, purple, pale pink, and a tiny, tiny hint of gold, rusty small glitter. It took me a good few coats to get this opaque which is a little annoying (we are looking at the 3+ mark here), so that is generally my only complaint.

Other than that, I love this, and I hope to wear it more often when I can be bothered with slapping on the coats, and maybe it'll open a new door for me to these jelly and glitter kind of nail polishes, because honestly, they do really interest me.

 

BLOGGING ESSENTIALS

Through personal preference, there are a lot of things that I like to have desk-side when I am writing a blog post, or planning one, which includes a few beauty bits, some stationery and the technology bits and bobs.

Technology: When I am writing a post, I will always use the laptop, as this is just easy to type on (I'm sure the space is running low with the amount of photos I have on there), and makes the whole process easy. This is a family laptop which we have had for a good possibly 5 years and I have kind of inherited it now as a new one entered the household. It has been through a lot; smashed screens, viruses, and some of the keys have even gone faulty, but for the time being it serves me well enough.
My iPad Mini is something I always have nearby in case I want to do some quick research, have an Instagram check-in, or watch all the videos from the current youtuber obession - this device comes in pretty handy.

Water, lots of the stuff. Remember my New Year's resolution to drink more of the stuff, well I have been sticking to it. A pen and my blogging book are always nearby, so that I can flick through the notes I have made for an upcoming edit, or just to write down my blog's current stats. Whichever it is, they are a must have for me.

Of course, being a beauty blogger and all, I like to have a few products nearby. Maybe the one I am reviewing at the time, or I like to have a lip balm, and some hand cream as recently my hands have been so dry. Also, I like to paint my nails whilst either typing, editing photos, or watching youtube videos. What you see here is the Burt's Bees Beeswax Lipbalm, the Rimmel 60Seconds Nail Polish in Rose Libertine, Burt's Bees Hand Salve, and my current obsession which is Soap & Glory Hand Food. 

What are your blogging essentials?

 

ON WEDNESDAYS WE WEAR PINK

Catch the Mean Girls reference there? 10 points to you. Recently I have been standing at my Muji drawers (soon to be an Ikea Alex - I am very excited) and staring at all things pink; perfumes, lips, nails, and even a brush. Am I going a little cray? I think so. But today I shall be sharing the love for the pretty shade and going through my picks from the categories.

Lips: The newest addition is the Kiko Smart Lipstick in 912. As soon as I set eyes on this I instantly thought that it was a possible dupe of MAC Impassioned and if so, that is another to add to my MAC Lipstick wishlist. For something a little more balmy, I always opt for the Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart which is the colour that really got me into wearing pinks. Another offering is the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Oxford Street Fuchsia which doesn't suit me all that well but the formula is amazing.

Cheeks: For a powder offering, the Stila Positively Pink Cheek Palette has recently made its way into my collection, at from a first impressions point of view, it is gorgeous, and I can't wait to use this more often. For a cream blush, the MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blusher in Bittersweet is a great one for a budget offering, coming in at only £2 a pop, so I assume more of these will soon enter my collection.

Nails: I rarely sport a pink polish because not many suit me, but these 3 are some of my favourites. Ciaté Candy Floss is a gorgeous bubblegum pink colour, and after I went through a similar Gosh one entirely, this is the next best thing, and I own 2 of them. On the theme of Gosh, we have Flamingo, a bright medium pink colour, which I adore as it reminds me of summer. Finally, we have Rimmel Strawberry Fizz which is another medium pink colour which looks pretty good on toes as well as fingers.

Miscellaneous: So, I couldn't write a post about pink products without including the Real Techniques Stippling Brush which is the perfect blush-buffer, foundation's best friend, and an all round multitasker and my face appreciates it greatly. Then for fragrance I have this mini of the Ted Baker Woman Pink scent, and I love this at the moment, as it smells exactly like the general Soap and Glory scent, and I adore that.

So, I have been thinking pink recently, and it probably won't be stopping for a while.
What colour is on your mind beauty-wise?