AN ODE TO COLOUR TATTOS

If there is one thing that rules my makeup collection, it's my vast collection of cream shadows, from MAC to Smashbox, but more commonly, the Maybelline Colour Tattoos - a drugstore alternative and some of the best I've found to date.

On and On Bronze stands as my favourite for the 'one sweep wonder' eye look I tend to go for on pretty much every day with school or work, to maximise the amount of time I get in my bed. It's a shimmery, mid brown/bronze that just looks incredible however you wear it - I like to put it down to magic. Permanent Taupe still stands as my brow product of choice since I pretty much praised it a long while back as my new budget breakthrough as a gel brow product, and I still love it just as much. It is ashy and long wearing, and literally looks amazing even when my brows need a tweeze.

Pink gold is perhaps a less used one, maybe because I'm a little scared that my green eyes won't go with the pretty pink shimmer hue and instead will leave me looking like I've got an infection, but if I'm feeling brave I will reach for it here and there. Another less used one is the Leather Effect Chocolate Suede, a deep smoky brown which I only use for serious occasions because quite frankly in natural light I can't quite rock a smokey eye. Then there is Timeless Black, an offering I tend to go for as a gel liner substitute, as the colour is so jet black and it is pretty malleable on the lid to get a good wing, although saying that if you were more daring than I am you could go for a major smokey eye with this as your intense base.

What colour tattoos have you tried, and do they live up to the hype that many (including myself) have created?

PROM 2015 JEWELLERY PICKS

My Year 11 prom is swiftly approaching and the preparation is in full swing. Until recently, I had the dress, shoes and bag all at reasonable prices and I was just waiting to see what jewellery to buy. I knew I wanted gold as my dress is a pale blush nude colour and silver washed it out a lot (despite it being my favourite for jewellery I had to make the compromise), and I got quite a few good picks.

The chunky chain you see is actually a head chain/hair chain. This was from ASOS and is the Flat Curb Chain Hair Crown and although I'm still not quite certain I can rock it I will be giving it an attempt on the night with some beachy curls. The necklace you see is from ASOS too, and is the Mini Shard Necklace and I really liked the small clear crystal-esque detailing it had and was super dainty too (my dress is strapless so it looks rather nice on).

That necklace then inspired my next purchase which were the earrings from New Look. These were a mere £2.99 and have the same sort of hanging clear crystal on them, so they look like they are literally made for the necklace. The ring was a bit of an impulse buy in a pack in Primark, but I realised that the stone in it looked very similar to the colour of my dress too, so it might be an addition on the night.

If you are interested, I could do a complete post on my look (dress, jewellery and makeup etc.) after the night as I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to spare.

TODAY'S FACE #2 - ALL MATTE

Rimmel Match Perfection / Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer / ELF Pebble Shadow / MUA Brow Pencil (Blonde) / NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (Milk) / MAC Malt Shadow / Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Shadow (Truffle) / Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Liner Trio for Brown Eyes (Brown Shade) / Avon Glimmerstick (Blackest Black) / Benefit They're Real / Proactiv Pressed Powder / Sleek Blush (Crochet) / NYC Sunny Bronzer / Soap and Glory Eyeshadow in Vanilla ( - highlight) / Too Faced Perfect Lips Perfect Nude Lip Liner

The other day, I was feeling a simple, matte almost Kylie Jenner inspired face, and so I got to work and had a root around my stash and I was really happy with the finished look, and it's a little odd but I think the blue shirt (post here) and the lightly curled hair really complemented the look too. I liked the brown gel liner as it made things seem less harsh, and surprisingly it actually turned out decent looking, and being someone who swears by a felt tip application that is an achievement.

I don't usually go for a full out matte look because I think it looks rather flat on my face but I really liked the lip colour against the bronzed skin, and it has almost a grey tone to it which I really like. This lip liner really is perfect as the name suggests and is a daily go to. I would have paired it with MAC Faux Lipstick but I've lost it somewhere *sobs*. I really like the simple eyes and I really recommend MAC Malt for either a transition colour or a natural all over the lid shade.

What look have you been wearing this week?

THE EVERYDAY EYE

As I'm sure most of you fellow beauty bloggers know, when you have masses of eye products in so many shades getting ready in the morning can become quite a lengthy process, and my strict schedule before school just simply won't allow for me to be rummaging around the depths of my IKEA Alex for that long, so I've found a good little routine (which I picked up in America) that's keeping me going.

Since I started wearing eyeshadow I never really stopped. My eyes seem to look bare without it and so finding time to slap some on is always a must. I draw on a little of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt and blend with a finger, then apply with a fluffy brush some of Milani Beach Sand on top. If I need a little matte crease, I simply take the same brush in my bronzer or contour colour and apply that.

Just as with eyeshadow, I can't miss a slick of liner and a little wing each day and I feel like I look as if I have no eyes whatsoever. This one is the Milani Eye Tech Perfection Pen which has taken a little while for me to get used to, but it seems to get the job done quickly with immense pigmentation so only one coat is needed.

For lashes, my new favourite mascara goes by the name of Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion Waterproof. Length, volume and a nice curl all in one is the only thing I need, and a coat or three of this leaves beautiful lashes without a clump in sight.

What is your go to look at the moment?

MINIMALIST BLUSH PART 2

You may remember a while back I did a post on 'Minimalist Blush', where I featured two of my natural blush picks that I can sweep on, on a daily basis. Today it's time for part two, focusing on the extremely natural, almost nude shades which are both relatively new to my routine (well, the L'Oreal offering actually belongs to my mum, but I'll be borrowing it rather frequently).

Both blushes are actually designed for pale skin which is a huge plus for me as it doesn't seem I will be tanning all that much this year. The same as last time, there is a cream, and a powder offering to suit either end of the spectrum blush-wise.

For a cream, it's Billion Dollar Babies by Dainty Doll, a heavily brown toned pink which I can almost get away with as a blush/contour in one by applying it a little lower than usual and blending a little, which makes it even more minimalist for the rushed mornings I generally face.

For powder, the offering is in the form of the L'Oreal Le Blush in 125 Rose Nude/Nude Pink and although the texture isn't the best I've tried of cream blushes it is a stunning natural nude pink colour that stays put for hours - I went out in the morning and when I came home early afternoon my foundation was starting to fade and go patchy around the nose etc., but this blush was still standing strong on my cheeks, making it an instant winner.

I think I will be making this 'Minimalist Blush' thing more regular if I manage to seek out some more offerings from the high street, as everyone loves budget - leave suggestions below if you have any...

A WEARABLE SMOKEY

The whole smokey eye look is something I tend to avoid, especially when it comes to the grey, silver and black looks because they basically make me look like a panda. But, I have recently been experimenting with browns and found a few shades which still give you the sultry effect but a little more neutral.

This MUA Pearl Shadow in Shade 11 gives an amazing sheen to the lids, making them almost look wet in some lights. But, I would say to watch out for quite a bit of fall down and do the eyes first with this one, but for £1 it's hardly going to be MAC quality.

Another shadow I really like to warm things up a little more is the Kiko Eye Shadow in 133 because it has that red/burgundy tint to it which looks amazing in the outer area of the eye when you have used some cooler toned shadows.

For a matte offering, the Maybelline Eye Studio Mono in Chocolate Chic is slowly becoming a favourite of mine for crease work. It blends well, defines the eye, and doesn't really crease either. It's a winner for this one.

To get some of that brown smokey-ness on the lower lashline, or even smudged along the top lashes, the Stila Smude Stick in Oscar Fish is incredible. Its creamy, but once set stays put on the eye all day, and the coppery shimmer in it makes it a perfect partner for the warmer Kiko Shadow.

Do you have any smokey-eye hacks?

STILA SMUDGESTICKS REVISITED

It's been a while since I have done a full review of a product, and even longer since I have revisited a product and done another review. I forgot about the Stila Smudgestick Liners for a while, and after having a route around in my eye drawer a few weeks ago I rediscovered them and thought they deserved a feature.

The one I rekindled my love for first was the one you see on the far end of the swatches - Angelfish. Its a champagne, slightly lilac-grey toned colour and I love this all over the lid and sheered out along with a slick of liner and lashings of mascara.

Another one which I have been loving smudged along the upper and lower lashline is Oscar Fish, a warm deep brown with coppery shimmer through it which just seems to glow. I seriously love this one.

The final one that I have been enjoying is Moray, a golden olive colour. I actually went a little cray and did a large winged liner look with this one, and it was so easy and quick because this is so creamy, and it didn't budge once set. I had never, ever done coloured liner before this and it's definitely something I want to continue in the future.

I can tell that I will be getting a lot more use out of these in the upcoming weeks, and hopefully for the other two colours aswell (Tetra and Stargazer).

Have you rediscovered an old love recently?

THE BUDGET BUY: MUA UNDRESSED PALETTE

I'm sure we have all heard of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, but the question is, have you heard of the £4 supposed dupes? The MUA Undressed Palette is rumoured to be a dupe for the first installment in Urban Decay's range of palettes, and if the Undress Me Too and Naked 2 comparison of mine is anything to go by, this is a pretty darn good dupe.

Summed up in a sentence, this is a bargain palette of 12 neutral, warm shadows which are perfect for every day looks, but the darker shades allow for something a little more sumptuous and smokey on the lids, with 2 matte shades and the rest shimmery, this is multiple eye looks in one place.

There are no shade names, just numbers in the order that you go along from left to right. My particular favourites are; Shade 2 which is a pale shimmery champagne toned pink, Shade 4 which is a light brown shimmer, Shade 5 which is a warm medium brown matte (perfect for warming up the crease and defining), Shade 7 which is a super pigmented, slightly gold and coppery brown shimmer, Shade 8 which is a stunning olive-brown, and Shade 9 eased me into the red shadow look at the end of last year.

You can see by the swatch just how pigmented these shadows are, and it is especially impressive when you realise that these shadows come to under 35p a pan - bargainous or what?

Maybe not as great quality as the official Naked palettes, but the colours are almost identical from what I know, and the quality is outstanding for the price. When is the Naked 3 dupe coming out then MUA?

THE BEST OF THE NEUTRAL LIP COLOURS

Every since I got into beauty, I have always been drawn to neutrals, (except from the blue eyeshadow phase I'm sure we all had when we were too young to know that golds and browns existed). It's time to take a tour of the best neutral lip colours I have in my collection - varying in price and formula. 

First on the menu is the Gosh Soft and Shine Lip Balm in Scarlet - nowhere near anything scarlet, but a neutral worth getting if you can locate these anywhere, I found mine a long time ago in a clearance. This gives just the right amount of nude, with a hint of pinkish plum, all in a balmy, comfortable formula, still giving good pigmentation. Love.

Up next is the Maybelline Baby Lips in Peach Kiss which is just a lipbalm with a hint of tint, of a peachy, shimmery, nude, which is my go to, when I am just slathering something on without a mirror, as you can't really go wrong. 

The Natural Collection Autumn Sunset Sheer Natural Lip Colour and being the cheapest of the bunch, is actually pretty darn good. It is a perfect nude, and I don't look washed out at all, as it is slightly pinky, and is sheer too, as the name suggests, and so gives a slightly glossy, nude wash to the lips. 

Opposite to the above, this is the most pricey. MAC Faux, which isn't one I hear about all that often if I am honest, but I'm not one of the bloggers who gets a product because everyone else has it. This is high end, an investment, so I make it suited to me, not everyone else. For me, this is the your lips but better shade, and I just blimming love it. 

Back to the high street, we have the Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 101 which is a pale pinky pink, but this is slightly too baby pink for me, because those types of colours don't suit me, but I know what lots people love this (as do I with the rest of the Kate Lipsticks), and so I included it anyway. 

Finally, a lip liner. This is the Too Faced Perfect Nude Perfect Lip Liner which is an incredible lip liner. It is 100% matte, and does not budge, and I love this paired with any of the above lip colours, and it literally lasts hours. It needs a sharpen, and I can imagine that in the future there will be a stump left of this...

Lip products are my weakness, and so are neutrals. Put them together, and I go a little cray cray. 

THE NATURAL BLUSHES

I spotted in Bazaar Magazine whilst flicking through (believe me, it's hard to find a page without adverts, but I got to the beauty bit with no issues), that the 'natural blush' look is becoming more popular; from the wise words of Charlotte Tilbury, so I had a root around in my stash, and found a trio that slot into the 'natural' category to create my own version of the look of being out for a walk on a chilly day...

One that has been featured in my posts quite a lot recently, is the Dainty Doll Cream Blush in Paper Roses 001 - A pale pink with a hint of silver shimmer, which allows you to create a delicate flush to the cheeks, with the swipe of your finger. My favourite for the no makeup, makeup days. This often pops up on Fragrance Direct, so be sure to have a stop by to get your mitts on this beauty.
Next up, is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush in Smoked Oyster, a peachy/brown which isn't quite the pink shown in the magazine, but nonetheless, it gives that very natural apporach to the cheeks. I even like to place this one on the brink between the cheek, and my contour line as an all-in-one product to look even more natural.
Finally, the Milani Sunset Duos in 01 Sunset City. I featured this one mainly for the blush section, which is stunning, a more natural and toned down version of the Sleek Rose Gold offering, if you will, this one being more pink than the red in the Sleek one. Swept lightly over the cheek, this gives a subtle hint of a flush to the apples.

I think a natural blush should be a staple in everyone's collection, and I have my fair share of them, with 75% of my blush collection being pale pinks, peach tones, or brown nudes, with the odd few being more stand-out, but I am still on the lookout for more.