july favourites ♥

Can you believe this is the first favourites post I have posted in... ahem, a while (the start of this year to be precise!) and I have a million and one products to rave about...

Mac Face & Body Foundation in N1

Originally bought as a 'prom picture' foundation, I have grown to love my little bottle of F&B and its beautiful light and dewy coverage! It is the perfect tone for my skin, not too orange or too pink, and leaves me glowing... although not in a bad way like I've just run for the bus; always a good thing in my books!

Avon Super Shock Gel Liners in Black and Bronze

The black version of this eyeliner has been a much raved about product in the blogging community because of it's amazing opaque, 'stay in the waterline forever' talents! I too am a sucker for a long lasting jet black liner, and have also fallen for the bronzey-er version of this, which is perfect for smudging along the lash line, but not quite as opaque in the waterline.

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara

I actually received this for my birthday this year (February) but decided to save opening it until May this year, as punishment for being a total mascara whore and accidentally having about 7 on the go at once! However when I did eventually succumb to opening this mascara, I was more than a little disappointed. It had a wet formula which did not hold the curl at all in my stupidly straight lashes, the brush was so pointed it scraped my eyelids and it smelled of flowers and fields... a complete no-go for a hayfever sufferer! However, after a couple of months of being opened, the mascara has dried up slightly and now gives me lovely, dark black lashes in a couple of swipes each morning!

Batiste XXL Volume Big & Bouncy Dry Shampoo

This little gem really is just volume in a bottle, with added hair refreshing features thrown in! Not only do you get a massive bottle that revives limp and lifeless hair, but this also is my new favourite, quick and easy route to big, voluminous hair. The only downside I find to this product is the 'grey' tint it can leave you with if not rubbed in correctly, and I would love to see the colour ranges (Blonde, Brunette and Redhead) come out with a volumising aspect added too them!

NYX Megashine Lipgloss in Smokey Look

This is officially my favourite lipgloss in the world, hands down! I am by no means a 'lipgloss girl', preferring to stick to my trusty lipsticks for everyday wear, but upon discovering this gloss I was partially converted! It is not sticky, gloopy, heavy or overly glittery, it smells like sweets and it is the warmest coral colour, which looks perfect paired with Mac's Shy Girl Lipstick! I need more of these NYX lipglosses in my life!

Urban Decay Half Baked Eyeshadow

The UD Naked Palette is forever in my favourite products but this particular golden eyeshadow is my absolute perfect colour. I wear this with every eyeshadow combination I wear, whether its pressed into the inner corner, under my eyes or just patted over the lid, its looks simply gorgeous, and is the perfect texture for blending... what more could you ask of an eyeshadow?!

So that's my round up of all things amazing this month, what where your favourites of July?!

cream blush obsession!

Lately, the one and only type of product that is allowed to colour my cheeks this summer has been cream blush, no matter the weather. Cream blush is my ultimate makeup weakness... as well as lipsticks and eyeshadows, ahem. I don't know what it is about the standard cream blush that makes it so superior to the bland and boring powder version. Maybe it's the dewy finish? The soft texture? Or maybe its the amazing pigmentation of colour in just one dab and then blend blend blend? But whatever the reason, cream blush is a daily necessity for me and I will not go without...

clockwise from top- Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels; MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush; Topshop Cream Blush in Neon Rose; NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Rose Petal

Topshop Cream Blush in Head Over Heels & Neon Rose

Head Over Heels is the most beautiful, natural and buildable colour in blush that I own, and is an everyday staple for me in my makeup kit. Similarly, Neon Rose is also a beautiful colour although its excessive brightness means that I only pull it out of my collection on a daring day! The Topshop Cream Blushes dry to a powder finish so are not as dewy as others on the market however they last forever and look great with lip balm on the lips!

MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush

This is the perfect highlighter/subtle cheek colour on its own or can be layered with other blushes to give it a little more umph. I have already posted about this particular cream here and I am still very much in love with it.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Rose Petal

By far my favourite in my little cream blush collection, this has the perfect consistency for glowing, dewy cheeks and looks amazing on the cheeks everyday. Its blends perfectly, lasts ages and I cannot fault it! I am desperate to get more of these NYX Cream Blushes!

right to left- NYX; Topshop HOH; Topshop NR; MAC

There are a million and one more cream blushes that I still need to buy, such as MAC Something Special and NYX Glow, but hopefully they will all come in good time!

Whats your favourite cream blush!?

prom practice makeup 1.0

Coastal Scents 88 Colour Palette, UD Naked Palette (Creep & Gunmetal), L'oreal Carbon Black Voluminous Mascara, Avon Supershock Gel Liner, NYX Peach Blush, Gosh Darling

With prom night looming ever nearer (30th June to be precise), I'm starting to panic about what makeup I'll be wearing on the all-important night! My dress is a dark purple-y colour with silver beading so I'm looking for something soft and shiny with accents of purple, a flawless base and nude-ish lips.

The look above was just a practise piece and is a little too blue-toned for my liking, although I'm hoping to do something reasonably similar but with more purple and mahoooosive false lashes... you know, for that 'natural' look ;)

I also really want to get MAC Face & Body foundation as a base for the event, however I'm hesitant to buy  as I will be getting a major spray tan a few days before prom- pale child that I am! But the downside is that I have no idea how tanned I will be so cannot predict the colour I will need for my base.

But in regards to being ready for prom, which is scarily only one month away... eeeek, I am feeling pretty damn ready! Dress- check, shoes- check, makeup- almost check, limo- check. The only things left on the to-do list are to alter the length of my dress (at the moment its about a mile long), figure out what exactly I'm doing for my hair and finally find a matching bag! Not much then...

hauling from across the pond.

 NYX products have been on my 'beauty radar' ever since I've gotten into the whole beauty blogging/vlogging world, however, living in England, it's very difficult to get hold of. After endless searching and lusting after products, I finally came across Cherry Culture, an American website which does ship to the UK. It stocked all of the products I had been searching for and the shipping was only $8- WIN! :)

The postage took a little over 2 weeks, and for around £24 I got all of these...
 

Mega Shine Lipgloss in Smokey Look

I love love love love love this! The gorgeous, sweet smell reminds me of childhood holidays and much to my surprise, this lipgloss is not sticky at all, which is the best part for me, I hate stick lipglosses! The colour is beautiful and looks amazing paired with MAC Shy Girl lipstick, a winning combination:)

Round Lipstick in Margarita

I must admit, this was a disappointment for me. Don't get me wrong, the formula is beautiful- creamy and soft, however I hate the colour. It just does not suit my skin tone, and I look slightly crazy when I put it on, but I will definitely be considering buying more of these, in different shades.

Jumbo Eye Pencils in Milk & Dark Brown

I adore these, just adore. The brown is dark and pigmented, perfect for smudging into the lashes and the milk is the perfect base for other eyeshadows.

Powder Blush in Peach

This, as you may think from the name, is not a peach. It was the colour shade which initially drew me in, however it turns out to be a soft, very light pink, which is beautiful, however I was disappointed when I didn't open it up to being a beautiful glowing peach. But hey, the pigmentation is lovely and its really glowey and pretty on the cheeks.

Rouge Cream Blush in Rose Petal

This miracle product is really the reason I was interested in NYX in the first place. I'm a huge creme blush fan and this definitely fulfilled my high expectations. Its beautiful and dewy, perfect for a 'no makeup-makeup' look and is such a dream to blend I can't wait to put it on every morning.

Lip Lacquer Pot in Georgia Peach

This colour is just divine, a milky, shiny pink which looks beautiful on the lips, without being sticky at all. Love love love.

I also received the Bubblegum Lipbalm above as a free gift with purchase, which is also lovely and moisturising and the smell just reminds me of my old bubblegum obsession - nomnomnom!

Top - Bottom; Lipgloss in Smokey Look, Lip Lacquer in Georgia Peach, Lipstick in Margarita, Jumbo Eye Pencil in Dark Brown & Milk, Rouge Creme Blush in Rose Petal, Powder Blush in Peach

I'm loving all my new bits and bobs from NYX and I'm on the hunt for new things to try, any suggestions? :)