THE BEST FOUNDATIONS UK 2016

It's a fact universally acknowledged that foundation can make or break a makeup look. With the best smokey eye and brows in the world a dodgy foundation will ruin any look.

Here's a run down of the best 5 foundations I've used, both drug store and higher end.


1. Estèe Lauder Double Wear

 This foundation is undoubtedly the best I have ever used. I have slightly oily skin and this foundation works a treat, blended with a beauty blender gives an almost photoshopped finish.
It is full coverage and extremely long lasting, meaning I only wear it on nights out or to big events. If you're looking for a foundation that wont budge all night and give you a flawless finish, go for this one!
RRP £31

Coverage: *****
Price: ***
Shades: *****


2. L'oréal Infallible 24 Hour Matte 

I originally got this in a shade far too dark and hated it, but after persevering with the right shade I found this foundation worked a treat! If you're into a matte look it's worth trying out this foundation as it really leaves a matte finish. I would call it medium coverage easy to wear on a day to day basis. Not quite as long lasting as double wear but a great foundation none the less. RRP £7.99

Coverage: ***
Price: ****
Shades: **

3.  Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

The hype online over this foundation was what spurred me on to buying this, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. It has a lightweight feel on the skin, something that can't really be said for Double Wear, yet it can also be built quite easily to a medium/full coverage if required. Naked Skin is easily blendable and works a dream with the naked skin concealer too!

Coverage: ****
Price: ***
Shades: ****





4. Rimmel Wake Me Up 

I have loved this foundation for YEARS. Despite venturing out into the drugstore foundation market quite frequently I always seem to end up back with this foundation. It matches perfectly to my skin, isn't too heavy or thick and works perfectly on me for day to day wear.

Coverage: ***
Price: *****
Shades: **






5. Revlon Colour stay

This foundation is a new edition to my foundation collection, but a firm favourite none the less. If you have dry skin I wouldn't recommend this but for combination/oily this foundation is great. The bottle claims it lasts up to 24 hours, however I can't say I entirely agree with this, when I use it alone I notice it patching and rubbing off after about 8 hours wear which is still impressive with no base, but with primer and setting spray it potentially could live up to it's 24 hour promise!

Coverage: ***
Price: ***
Shades: ***







Thanks for reading! XO

Holy Grail: Mary Lou Manizer

My next few posts will be a number of holy grail products which are undeniably some of my favourite purchases - it will come as no surprise to many that I am kicking off my holy grail products with Mary Lou Manizer by 'The Balm'

I am a huge fan of the balm in general, in particular their eyeshadow pallets and over shadows - but without a doubt my favourite of their products is the famous Mary Lou Manizer.

Some have compared it to a 'drugstore' version of Jaclyn Hill's Becca highlighter in champagne pop, yet having tried both I have to say regardless of price Mary Lou takes the highlighting crown for me.

I know many people are unphased by packaging but personally for me it is a huge factor in if I pick up and purchase a product! Perhaps this is a judging a book by its cover approach but I can't help but be drawn in by intriguing stylish packaging, something the balm certianly achieves in. All their branding and packaging is to die for and certainly makes opening balm deliveries the extra bit exciting.

credit - beautynbest.com

The product itself does not disappoint either, its pigment and shimmer is outstanding and looks incredible on the top of cheek bones for a glam makeup look. For extra pigmentation I have also found that applying setting spray to either the upper cheek bone OR your highlight brush then applying mary lou works amazingly well, the highlight is extra strong and looks incredible when you apply it this way.

Mary Lou Manizer works amazingly as a highlight but it is also multi purpose - it can be used effectively as a gorgeous eyeshadow colour too. Birchbox.co.uk (which sells the product) describes it as a "Three-in-one highlighter, eyeshadow, and all-over shimmer" which is certainly true. Many beauty gurus over on youtube have amazing tutorials in how to use the product as not only a highlight but also a general shimmer and eyeshadow. 

Don't let the hype surrounding this product put you off - it really does live up to it's expectation!

You can purchase it on superdrug, feel unique and debenhams among other places. 

Have you tried out Mary Lou Manizer? Let me know if you liked it as much as I did :)

L x 

Mac Lipstick Review | Sheen Supreme Bare Again

picture - dollspark

I'm not a fan of airports and traveling, but one thing that I always look forward too when flying is browsing the duty free for bargains, and luckily for me (not so lucky for my bank balance) when I was last at an airport I found myself in MAC,and so I finally decided to pick up one of the 'Sheen Supreme' collection - Bare Again.

The feel of the lipstick is creamy but not overly so, and I didn't feel the dry effect that regular mac lipsticks can be known for. 

The sheen supreme collection is described as a combination between lipgloss and lipstick and I couldn't really put it better myself, it has an undertone of gloss but plenty of pigmentation to make it a lipstick.

I can't wait to venture out more with mac lipsticks and go for some braver autumn/winter shades :)

L x

Soap and Glory Makeup Review

Hi guys, sorry for the lack of posts recently I have been extremely busy with work and exams but i'm now very much free so have lots of time to blog!

I thought today I would review some items of makeup from possibly one of my favourite brands, soap and glory! Although famously known for their bath and shower smellies and lotions, they also have a pretty extensive range of makeup available too. 

Around a month ago now, I picked up some makeup from soap and glory and thought now was a good time to give an honest review of what I bought. 

The first thing I picked up was the 'Sexy Mother Pucker Extreme Plump Lip Gloss' which is available in three colours:

Left to right:
Pink out Loud,  Very Berry, How Nude

I chose the 'Pink out Loud' gloss, as I felt it was most wearable for my skin tone. Although the price was £10 which may be considered dear just for a gloss, it is one of the most effective, smooth lip glosses i've ever used. It gives a perfect shine to the lips and is wearable alone or on top of a lipstick colour. When applied it gives the lips a tingly sensation and a much plumper feel to the lips. I would most definitely recommend this lipgloss to anyone who was thinking about purchasing it as it feels very smooth and hydrating on the lips, and I also love the smell of the product. If you'd like to purchase online you can click here to do so.

The second thing I purchased was the famous, or not so famous 'Thick and Fast' mascara, don't you just love the soap and glory product names?! I have to say I can co-operate with most mascaras due to my gift of naturally long lashes, but this mascara for me is outstanding. The brush is quite big but you only need one or perhaps 2 coats to achieve a full looking, long set of lashes. I have read some reviews that this mascara isn't so great for people with short stumpy lashes, but if you have longer lashes and are thinking of purchasing I can certainly recommend you do so by clicking here :-)

As far as I'm aware, this mascara is only available in one colour which is a dark thick black, so if you're blonde and looking for a more subtle eye look, I would avoid this mascara! It retails at £10, but is also included in many of the soap and glory gift sets which include shower gels, body butters, and makeup items too for a cheaper price than it would cost to purchase everything separately. Not sure which sets this mascara appears in, but you can browse the sets here :)

The final product I picked out was another lip product,  the website puts in under the 'gloss' category but I honestly think its more of a pigmented colour stick than a gloss, but hey ho! I purchased the 'nudist' colour (far left) and it is perfect for my skin tone, again it feels smooth and soft but unlike the extreme plump gloss which is hydrating, I found this one slightly drying on the lips and after continually using it for 3 days I was in serious need of some nivea lip butter! However, its RRP is £8 so slightly cheaper, and most definitely worth a purchase as the colour is subtle but enough to add something to your look :) this lip gloss stick is available here

Sorry for the long post, and i apologies for the lack of own pictures used and the fact i've stolen these ones from the soap and glory website, haha. 

What do you think of the soap and glory makeup range? :)

Love, 

L  x

Wreck This Journal Review

Hey Guys,

I am well aware that this isn't beauty or fashion related but on this occasion I thought this could be something you're interested in :)

So a couple of weeks ago I ordered myself copy of 'Wreck this journal' by Keri Smith to keep me occupied throughout the summer. I have to say i'm not the most creative person in the world, so when it first arrived and I flicked through I felt a little deflated with a lack of ideas to bring the journal to life, but I soon found myself scribbling away and completing the pages quickly doing all different kinds of things on each page. I've always had trouble with keeping a diary or journal, and sticking with anything creative such as completing a sketch book in general really, so I decided to give wreck this journal a go and to be fair so far, so good! It asks you to make a complete mess of the pages by poking holes, staining pages with coffee, gluing in leaves, colouring outside the lines, and hundreds of other bizarre requests in order to bring the journal to life, and truly 'wreck it!'

It asks you to do all kind of bizarre things and using your imagination you interpret it how you like. I've had a lot of spare time to sit in the garden in the sun and glue, tare, write, and cut in this journal, and personally I absolutely love mine. However, if you're the type of person that is constantly busy and doesn't get 5 minutes to sit down, or you just hate anything artistic and creative, i'd say you probably wouldn't enjoy the journal!  Other than that it really gets you thinking outside the box, and in the end you'll have a fabulous journal to be proud of!

If you like the sound of the journal, you can order online at amazon (it has raving reviews on there!)

Meanwhile, if you want to see a flick through of an (amazing) completed journal, click here to view a finished journal on youtube.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how my journal turns out, and i'll let you guys know if it's any good in the end :)

Have you got a wreck this journal? What do you think of it? Let me know :)

Hope everyones been enjoying the summer time,


l

MUA Lipstick Review Shade 7 & 8

At the same time that I picked up my new collection 2000 mascara I also lost my MUA lipstick virginity, and decided to buy two of the shades - 7 and 8. I'd always been a little sceptical of these lip sticks because of the price tag, I thought they would be awful, turns out i'd been missing out!

shade 7

shade 8

I have to say the pictures are very misleading as lipsticks are often so hard to photograph with out the light getting in the way!

Shade 7 - This shade is a cute pinky coral colour, perfect for every day use if you so wish. It's easy to wear as it just lifts and lightens lips without making a huge 'BAM LOOK AT MY LIPSTICK' statement! I found it easy to apply and surprisingly moisturising. There was no tug or pull on my lips, it just glided on smoothly. It's fairly pigmented, but those with pigmented lips may not get along well with this shade. It also has a slight hint of shimmer in the formula. Personally I like this shade, although i'm still unsure if it really suits my skin tone, but for £1 you really can't complain!

Shade 8 0 This shade really is the one that screams 'LOOK AT MY LIPS' although the photo perhaps doesn't. In my opinion it's a lot more sheer and also glittery than the previous shade. Again it goes on smoothly and without a problem, although it does feel a little drier than shade 7, nothing noticeable though. The beauty of this shade is you can make it as bold or light as you want. One shade will give you a more pinky read where as a couple of layers will give you a deep dark bold. Personally I wouldn't wear this full out in the day as it's a little dark for that, but on an evening it would certainly be a little £1 gem!

L

Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Range!

A couple of weeks ago I was in Boots picking up my contact lenses and noticed that there was an offer on the 'beautiful ends range by herbal essences. I hadn't read many reviews about the range but seeing as my hair had been feeling so limp and dry and my ends were in need of some TLC I decided to invest in a bottle of the shampoo, conditioner, and a hair mask! 

oops, used the product before taking pictures, naughty blogger!

The whole range smells lovely which in all honesty is hard to find in a good shampoo and conditioner. They either smell lovely and don't really work, or do a fantastic job and don't smell particularly good - but this does both! 

I use the shampoo and conditioner with every hair wash, but once a week instead of using the conditioner I replace it with the hair mask and leave it in for 5 or 10 minutes to do it's job. In all honesty the hair mask is just a stronger, deeper conditioner. I wouldn't recommend using any hair mask more than once a week though because it will begin to strip your hair of natural oils and just make it more greasy and flat - not good. I do love the way it's in a tub because it means you can reach each and every last little scrap unlike some squeezy conditioners which there's bits you can't reach!

I really love the whole range and glad that I purchased it :)

sorry for the lack of posts in the last couple of days, everything's getting back in to swing and i'm finding it really hard to fit blogging into my schedule. I've got another post coming up tomorrow though! 

Have you tried the 'beautiful ends' range, what did you think?

lots of love, 

~lizzo xxx