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...

ONE SWEEP WONDERS

Do you ever have those days where you have left your makeup until the last minute, should be working, or need to leave the door in 20 minutes and when it comes to eyes you're not sure where to turn? Today I will be serving up my dose of 'one sweep wonders' - shadows that you can pack on, blend the edges and add a slick of liner/lashings of mascara and be good to go.

The one I'm sure you were all anticipating being in this post was the Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze, the perfect cream shadow that when smoothed over the lids looks like you have put a ton of effort into your look.

Another cult one is MAC Woodwinked, a bronzey sheen of colour which looks good on almost all eye colours. If you have a spare few seconds, pack this on top of the Maybelline offering, take it on the lower lashline, and you have got the perfect bronze eye.

One that won't be for everyone, but one that I think looks really chic with a small liner wing is the Dainty Doll Shadow in Treat Her Like A Lady, a slightly taupe toned pale grey which seems to glow from my lids. I'm not sure where you can get this from any more after the line being discontinued but places like Fragrance Direct seem to have you covered.

Last but not least is something a little more catered for you pink-toned lovers. It goes by the name of Fine Wine by Wet 'n' Wild, and is a stunning shimmery rose (almost leaning on rose gold when you sweep it on lightly) which back in the day I used to wear almost daily.

What are your hacks for the quick fix eye looks?

MINIMALIST BLUSH

When it comes to the spring, I either go to the bright blushes (which I already posted about here), or the natural looking, barely there shades that I can sweep on in a matter of seconds, and those are what I'll be sharing today, featuring an old favourite and a new addition.

The golden oldie is the Dainty Doll Cream Blush in Paper Roses, a pale pink with a hint of silver shimmer, and whenever I slap this one on my cheeks (read: gently tap on and blend with a brush), I always seem to get compliments and questions on my cheek colour, which makes this one an instant winner.

The new love is the Rimmel Mono Blush in Santa Rose, which is slightly more peachy so is less noticeable on the cheeks. This is a firm blogger favourite, and I can tell why. Its slightly shimmery, natural toned, and adds a light flush to the cheeks, and using the contour brush to just focus is on certain areas of the cheeks is my way to go about using this one.

2 blushes, 2 brushes, and the perfect no frills cheeks...

THE EYE PRIMER PARTY

As much as I don't get along with many face primers, not a day goes by without me using an eye primer. No-one likes a creased eye look, nor a liner wing that's halfway down the lashline.I have 4 in my collection, all of which I find work for different things.

My favourite of the bunch is the Avon Eye Shadow Primer in Light Beige which is slightly tinted so it colour corrects the eye and mattifies (without drying whatsoever) the entire lid and preps it for anything you are putting on top - shadow, cream products, or just liner. It's great.

The next offering is the MUA Pro Base Eye Primer, which was actually my very first post on this blog. I raved about it then, and although this is still great and extremely budget based, I feel like the Avon one just beats it for me. But, this one still does the job well and if I didn't have the Avon one in my life I would still be using this daily.

When I am doing a dramatic eye, or anything involving a touch of colour, I reach for the Dainty Doll Frankie Girl Eye Base as it is so pale that it totally blanks out the lid with a creamy coloured layer, which makes any colour stand out more and mattifies so there is no creasing.

Finally, the Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer (mini) has been in my collection for a short while now. I did rave about this originally, but the last time I used this I had a bit of creasing going on. I'm hoping it was a one off because I really liked this one beforehand.

What are your favourite eye primers?

THE BEST OF 2013 - BLOG POSTS

It is very quickly coming to the end of what was a great year for myself and especially my blog. Today, I will be going through the 5 most popular posts from this year here on my blog, and do not fret, I have some beauty installments of this coming soon too. 

So, please beware of the awful photography (maybe this was a bad idea), I mean the 3rd most popular post on here was the first post I wrote on this blog, so that could be embarrassing. 

#1: ELLE MAGAZINE FREE BENEFIT LIP GLOSS MINI
So, this was a post where I got a little excited that in ELLE Magazine you got a free Benefit lipgloss, and you lot seemed to enjoy that post thoroughly too, coming in at the most popular post of all time on this blog.

#2: URBAN DECAY NAKED 2 PALETTE
You all just seemed to love this post, and it comes in at the second most popular post here on the blog. I still cringe at the fact that I put 'Ooh, Eyeshadows' as the caption on one of the pictures, but lets pretend that isn't there.

#3 MUA PRO BASE EYE PRIMER REVIEW
This was a bad idea, the centred writing and the small picture makes me want to vomit. But, we can accept that this was my first ever post, and since it was posted, I have realised how large pictures, and left-aligned writing really polish off the post.  

#4: DAINTY DOLL CONCEALER - ABRACADABRA (03)
When I posted this, I wasn't expecting it to be in the top 5 of my posts, but apparently so. Just to let you know, I never use this concealer, but somehow I was singing its praises in the post. Maybe I hadn't realised that radiance existed...

#5: PRIMARK DISCO PANTS
This was one of those posts that I thought a lot of you would enjoy reading, because who would pass up a pair of disco pants for £16?! Since this post, I have bought a pair of burgundy disco pants from TkMaxx, and they are a lot softer and less baggy, but these Primark ones still have a good place in my wardrobe. 

Those were the most popular posts on the blog this year (which I started on March 4th, and I cannot believe how fast it has grown!). If you are interested, coming in a 6th place is the AUTUMNAL OUTFIT post. Keep your eyes peeled for the skin, nails, and makeup versions of this post in the next few days. 

 

Dainty Doll Frankie Girl Eyeshadow Base | Review

Hi guys!

Dainty Doll is a brand created by the Girls Aloud star, Nicola Roberts, and I love it. I had my eye on this eyeshadow base, which I have spotted on the likes of Fragrance Direct and other discount places, but...I found this little guy in a POUND SHOP! What?! I nearly jumped around on the spot. I also got an eyeshadow, which will be shown soon in the next few weeks.

This eyeshadow base is a very pale white-beige, which and is a semi-matte, but still has a slightly sticky texture on the eyes, to help the shadow cling to it. Because it is so pale, it really helps the colour intesity too.

I used this the other day, and noticed hardly any creasing with my eyeshadow, and that is an achievement, as normally mine slides off during the day - not a good look. But this really helps that, so I am pretty happy with it!

Have you tried this? Try having a browse in any discount shops or maybe in pound stores, I keep seeing some good bargains in there!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to follow, and comment!

Lauren x

Dainty Doll Concealer - Abracadabra (003)

Hi everyone. My oh-so-kind bestfriend was nice enough to give me this concealer, as she ordered it for me after spotting the biggest bargain on Fragrance Direct, check it out! I'm hoping to order in a week or so, lets hope not everything is out of stock haha!

They are selling Dainty Doll products (by Nicola Roberts) for less than £3! The majority is £1.99 but there are a couple of items that give or take on this amount.

This concealer has a slight cream to powder finish, so it's lovely if you have a slightly oily skin.

This is the shade 003, and when it came it was literally orange (as you may see slightly below), as I think that the cream to powder had made it oxidize, but with a bit of rubbing it has reached the colour of my skintone.

Product Shot of the slightly oversized box and the actual concealer. It looks expensive!

Another Product Shot. £1.99

Still looks a little orange. I didn't want to rub it too much as I wanted a good picture! :)

This is a really nice product. It is pretty thick and the coverage is slightly better than average. It doesn't live up to me holy grail Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, but it does it's job!

Are you planning on trying out any Dainty Doll products. Check in your local tkmaxx too, I have heard that some items are popping up in there!

Thanks for reading, I would love for you to comment and some followers would be lovely too, hehe :)

Lauren x