MAC VELVET TEDDY

This is a post that I promised myself not to mention 'Kylie Jenner' in, but it seems to be the surrounding connotation to the shade and has been for quite some time, so I'll get it out the way nice and early to spare any eye rolls. Velvet Teddy has been on my wishlist for a while now, and when my dad went on a trip of course I jumped on the duty free opportunity for him to get me one on his travels.

This has become one of my most regularly used lipsticks in my collection, and definitely is my favourite by a mile. I think the perfect mix between brown/nude/pink (I could not possibly give more of a vague explanation) paired with the matte formula is what makes this perfect. I firmly believe that if this was not matte, the colour wouldn't work for me. Lasting time is pretty long, even without a liner, and although sometimes I get a line around the lips if I eat a full meal with it on, this is only faint and the majority of the pigment remains on my lips. I would suggest if you have dry lips to definitely opt for a balm underneath else you'll struggle with dryness.

Out of the three MAC Lipsticks I've owned, although I haven't had the widest range of options this is definitely my favourite formula and shade in my drawers overflowing with variations, and I think the countless compliments and constant 'oh thank you it's MAC Velvet Teddy' responses I've dished out, it is pretty clear that this gets a gold star from me.

SOAP AND GLORY GLOSS STICKS

Recently in Boots I was browsing the Soap and Glory stand and noticed that there were no longer the full size Sexy Mother Pucker balms and in their place were these Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks in mini sizes and new shades and of course I couldn't resist, especially on a buy one get one half price I'm surprised I'm not writing about the whole collection. I don't know whether it was just my particular store that didn't hold both the full and mini sizes or whether the bigger ones are gone for good, but I thought I'd draw up a comparison post nonetheless.

I picked up Nudist and Pinkaboo, and I already have Nudist from the original formula, however this one is definitely a different shade entirely and does stick to a more brown/neutral nude rather than the peachy hue the original has. Pinkaboo is a medium pink and although nothing stand out, something I thought would become a staple in my collection.

I think what I've noticed with these in comparison to the original formula is that they are a little less thick. I often found the original to be quite heavy feeling and although it still stands as one of my favourite lip products, I do like that these are slightly more lightweight, and a little bit closer to a 'gloss' formula. These are now £3.50, and although you don't get quite as much product, I'm near enough yet to finish any of the lip products I own, so not only is this perfect for handbag size it also helps me get through it a little better than other ones I'd pay more for.

Generally, although there isn't too much difference to the original, I really like the concept of these and I'll be taking them on holiday with me in my carry on as they are just the best size. I especially love wearing these with a matte strong lip liner just to give more of a youthful appearance to my look, and I kind of want to pick up the rest of the range, in particular Purple Rain as it draws closer to dark lip season.

DAILY GRUNGE - THE MAKEUP

Benefit PoreFessional // Rimmel Match Perfection // Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer // Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener // Sleek Face Form // Rimmel Stay Matte Powder // Avon Eye Primer // MAC Malt Eyeshadow // Kiko Shadow 137 // Maybelline Quad Coral Drama // Essence Waterproof Pen Liner // Maybelline the Falsies // Too Faced Perfect Nude Lip Liner // GOSH Soft n Shine Lip Balm Scarlet

Okay, this is a long awaited post, I know. I kind of forgot I posted a PART 1 to this 'daily grunge' title a while back and only noticed pictures when I was having a trawl because there was too little natural lighting to take any more pictures. But here it is anyway, and although perhaps not quite the look for the sunny days - maybe it'll come in handy when the colours change in the upcoming months. Quite frankly it was so long ago that I can't remember all the products to list them, but the picture I strategically took has helped me out a bit.

I really enjoyed this look because of how relaxed it was - I feel like with grungier looks you can make it slightly more rugged and casual, and I can't wait to try it out more.

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.

KIKO SMART LIPSTICKS

KIKO is a brand I don't own very much from, as I don't live in London, and I often don't want to make a full on order online, so KIKO products are very few and far between my ever growing makeup collection. I do own three of the Smart Lipsticks though, and I do love them.

The formula is quite creamy, and by no means matte on the lips, so not majorly long lasting, although for a slightly sheen-y product they do have pretty good staying power. I seem to have accumulated colours across the spectrum, and I'm fairly sure they are cheap (I'm talking around the £3 mark from what I remember).

908 is the true red, and surprisingly one of the only reds I have ever found to suit me. It's so so pigmented, and one coat has the lips ready to go almost, and I think the fact that it's slightly more glossy than a matte means I find it a little less 'bold' if you will.

912 is a medium pink, that has a slight red tone to it, so it isn't anything fuchsia here, and is one of the first bold lip colours I actually felt comfortable wearing. I'll also add, these smell pretty good, as I find a lot of lipsticks to smell too plasticy, whereas these are slightly sweet.

Finally 901, that I'd describe as a brown nude that is slightly peachy (quite a throwback shade I guess) and I really enjoy wearing this one on a daily basis, as the consistency and the colour is so wearable.

I hope to grow my collection of the KIKO Smart Lipsticks, but I don't know where to start! Do you have any colours from the collection?

KYLIE JENNER ESQUE LIPS #2

Whether Kylie's lips are a thing of the past or a still circulating in the media, the Jenner sister's lips are a long lasting favourite to me. I did one post a while back on my recreation of the overdrawn, brown-pink nude lip and it still stands as my post popular post, and you can view that here. It focused on high end products, and the lip liner is now a stub and I've lost the lipstick, so I've been searching for a drugstore alternative for quite some time now, and I think I've got it.

While at the Essence counter I was overwhelmed by the cheap pricing, as well as the range of products, and began to hunt through the lip products immediately (I also got a rather good liner pen). The first is the Lipliner in 11 In The Nude, a creamy yet matte liner that is not drying but long lasting. The best part? It cost £1.00 and is pretty much the Kylie Jenner lip shade, I recon you could rock this alone and have the look nailed for a quid.

For a lipstick, this isn't as matte as I wanted but it isn't glossy by any means, and is the shade 05 Cool Nude - rather self explanatory in colour. I think alone is is slightly too pink for the Kylie look, but because the lip liner is quite brown it seems to level out and give a pretty good colour.

I can tell this is going to be my new lip combination for everyday wear, and it's such a universal look it goes with pretty much any look.

MAC MALT EYESHADOW

Back when I started blogging, I was all about the shimmer eyeshadows, and my Naked 2 palette was the one thing I swore by for looks (I still love it to this day), but I've started to delve more into the matte side of things, yet still being able to get some killer looks going on.

MAC Malt was a shadow my mum chose for me for Christmas, and wasn't one I had asked for nor considered before at the stands, but she chose well. The picture doesn't show it too well, but it's quite a pink fleshy nude, that when built up has a taupe/mauve sort of look to it. I really like the colour despite it being really simple, and it's become a stand out in my collection.

I like to use this in the crease for some slight crease definition or as a transition shade, but it also works really well all over the lid with a slick of black liner for a really simple eye, kind of reminding me of something Kylie Jenner would go for.

This shadow may be what is getting me so into mattes now, and I've got an itching to buy more...

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?

FAKING IT

After a recent nail break, I decided I needed immediate action and rather than having painted stubs, I decided to locate the fake nails section in Superdrug. I had a £5 Love to Shop voucher from a survey I did a while back, and decided that in an emergency I should use it and get something good for my money.

These are the Elegant Touch Totally Bare Nails in 001 Square and cost £4.65. I filed them down a little, made the the shape I wanted and then painted them in Nails Inc Porchester Square to make them look really chic and something that matches with any outfit so I can reuse these multiple times. They look really natural and with the filing they don't restrict me in any way.

You get 48 nails of 10 sizes in each pack, so you get around 2 uses from each, unless you file the edges down to make them fit a little better and you could squeeze for 3. But I really like the fit and you also get a decent sized glue that is rather strong and quick drying, that claims to last for 10 days if used properly.

I know Nailene have a 200 pack similar that I might be getting my hands on soon as I think as long as you take care of your natural nails before and after application, you can have some really effortless perfected manicures that don't cause any damage like acrylics might.

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...

GETTING INTO GLOSSES

I have never been a gloss kind of girl, I prefer lipsticks all the way. But, recently layering a gloss on top of a matte lipstick, or even alone is becoming my new thing and I am loving it, and apparently the ones I have been liking come in pairs in my collection.

The first duo are from the Tanya Burr Lips and Nails collection which is really exciting. I have Afternoon Tea* and Champagne Toast*, a bubblegum pink and an orange-y shimmery nude. For me, none of these two colours suit me alone, but I have realised that putting them both on makes for the perfect shade.

I also have been really enjoying the Revlon ColourBurst Lip Glosses, in Crystal Water and Bellini. Crystal Water is a clear gloss with almost duo-chome shimmer particles that sometimes look blue, other times purple. Over a fuchsia pink lipstick this looks awesome. Bellini is a milky peach gloss, which over my MAC Faux Lipstick looks lush.

I also have been enjoying the GOSH Volume Shine offerings, in 04 and 07. 04 is the red, which I like to wear alone on the lips as a muted red with a slight orange tint to it in some lights. 07 is a brownish plum, which when in the tube I didn't think I would like, but on the lips (especially over nudes) it is a really nice colour.

What are your current gloss favourites?

POST-SPENDING BAN BUYS

As my spending ban came to a close, I was browsing the aisles like no other. Luckily my ban ended just before the Boots 3 for 2 came to an end so I managed to get in on the deals, which I can't complain about. I definitely enjoyed spending some money on what I love after having such a break.

In the clearance of my local Boots, I spotted the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Timeless Black for £2 and I thought it would be a good choice for a gel liner-esque product. For another small £2 I found the Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Bellini which is a milky peach-nude. The other 2 items on the makeup front were a repurchase of the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, and a Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush in Santa Rose as a lot of people rave about this guy, and the colour is stunning and natural, perhaps a new everyday favourite?

Onto skincare, I got another Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser as it was on offer for £2.98 and I love this as my go-to cleanser. To prove my love for it, how about I tell you that this is my third bottle of the stuff. On the radiance path, I got 2 items from the Boots Botanics All Bright range. The first was the Cleansing Toner, as the whole 'chemical exfoliant' thang interested me and I thought I would start at the budget side of things. As well as this I got the Night Cream, and on first impressions this looks to me really hydrating as it is so thick, so I cannot wait to incorporate this into my routine properly.

Finally, I got the L'Oréal Studio Line #TXT Volume Supersizing Spray, as I am practically begging for some texture and volume in my hair, and from the first use I really like this, and for a budget price of £3.79 I don't think I could choose any better way to start getting into these products.

It's typical for me to have only just gotten off my spending ban and have a nice shop/splurge in Boots. Well... there isn't much that can separate a blogger from buying products...

MY PERFECT LIP COLOUR

If there's one product in my collection that I was so excited about on the day of purchase, but never actually posted about it until now, make it MAC's Faux Lipstick. I think I put off posting this as it is one I have never heard bloggers talking about, and because I didn't choose one of the most coveted offering out there, I didn't believe anyone would want to see a post about it. But, I'm not one for following all the crowds and I have decided to give it some internet-loving.

Faux is a satin finish, so it is matte, but not drying. It seems a touch more matte than the other satin finish lipsticks I swatched in the store, but I have no problem with that. I was going to go for one of the more popular nudes that they sell, but they all looked to pale, whereas this is a 'my lips but better' shade if you will.

The colour is a plummy, pinky brown natural colour which personally, I think is one of the colours that suits me best. I was going to go for Impasssioned at first, but then decided against that as if I am going to splurge on a lipstick, I want to make it something I can wear every day, even for school.

This purchase, and writing this post has given me an urge for buying some more MAC Lipsticks. What are your favourites?

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.