The confessions of a highlight addict

Happy Sunday! Hope you are all well! A short and sweet post today as you guessed all about my favourite highlighters!

Left to Right: MAC Mineralise Skinfinish- Soft and gentle, Benefit- Watts Up, No'7 Natural Radience Highlighter, MAC Mineralise Skinfinish- Fairly Precious

I would say that highlighters are my favourite thing in my make up bag and any make up look of mine would not feel complete without using a highlight. The aim of a highlight is to add dimension to the face and give you a glow and dewiness that can make even the most dull and drab of skin look fabulous if applied correctly! I would recommend to place all of the mentioned products on the top of the cheekbones, temples, cupids bow, bridge of the nose, inner corners of the eyes and brow bone. The trick with highlighters are to make them look as natural as possible so less is definitely more- start off applying lightly and then build if required!

Over the years I have managed to get together quite a collection of highlighters and I am definitely a little magpie when it comes to anything shiny but here are some of my favourites!..

The first little pot of gorgeousness is No’7s ‘Natural Radiance Highlighter’ which is unfortunately now not available but I had to mention it! This is the first highlighter I ever bought and is probably my favourite however since hearing it was discontinued it has become something I rarely ever use in fear of one day running out so I occasionally just open the lid, stare in awe and put it straight back. This highlighter is a pearlescent shade and is packed full of tiny, mineralised pigments that go on so fine and feel super lightweight on the skin. I apply this with a fan brush that I found on beauty bay by the brand Zoeva (£9.50).   

Next up is MAC’s Mineralise Skinfinish in ‘Soft and Gentle’ (£23.00)- This is one of MAC’s biggest cult products that is raved about my all beauty addicts like myself and it is easy to see why. This marbleised little beauty has a very fine shimmer with no big chunks of glitter and I would say is a peachy/ bronze colour yet there is a slightly champagne colour running through. I have had this for a while now which is why it is looking a bit battered (also note the packaging has in fact changed since I bought this). It is pricey at £23 however I really cannot see me ever reaching pan...it just seems to go on and on and even the tiniest amount can give you the desired effect so it is great value for money! I apply with a fan brush after my normal face routine.

My third favourite is another MAC Mineralise Skinfinish from the limited edition Nude Extra Dimension range and is in the shade ‘Fairly Precious’ (£23.00). This is a very warm rose gold/ peachy shade that I would imagine would suit all. It is extremely fine which makes it incredibly bendable. When paired with a peachy/ coral blush the combination of the two is beautiful.

Last up comes from Benefit and is called ‘Watts Up’ (£24.50). I have been using ‘Watts Up’ for around 4 years now and I am only on my second purchase so although kind of expensive you could use this every day and it would last at least a year! It is obviously very different the other highlighters mentioned on this post as it is a cream- stick formula. The shade is no doubt champagne. What I love about this product is that it blends so beautifully as it contains no large chunks of glitter and can really be worked into the shin to give the most natural look! I have used this under my foundation blended in well before to give my skin a gorgeous glow.

TOP- No'7 Natural Radience Highlighter
SECOND- MAC Mineralise Skinfinish- Fairly Precious
THIRD- MAC Mineralise Skinfinish- Soft and gentle
BOTTOM- Benefit- Watts Up

TOP- No'7 Natural Radience Highlighter
SECOND- MAC Mineralise Skinfinish- Fairly Precious
THIRD- MAC Mineralise Skinfinish- Soft and gentle
BOTTOM- Benefit- Watts Up

I am hoping to get my hands on the ‘Mary Lou Manizer’ by theBalm (£14.40) when payday finally comes around (it’s been a loonnng month hasn’t it!?) also if my bonus is good to me the Charlotte Tilbury ‘Filmstar Bronze and Glow’ (£49.00) may finally be in my possession so I will definitely do a little review. 

What are your favourite highlighters or do you have any dupes for any I’ve mentioned? Comment below x

   

My Avon Lipstick Collection

It was only when I came to start this post that I realised how many lipsticks I have actually come to acquire over my 2 years at Avon. Let me start by saying; it is a myth that when you work for a beauty company you get lots of free make up. Yes, sometimes we do but I would say at least 95% of these I have purchased myself with my own money and that’s because I honestly believe that Avon do offer great products and at really great prices! This is especially true when it comes to their lip products which is why I almost always chose to wear Avon over my high end  lipsticks which have cost me almost 3 or 4 times the price!

As I have so many I have chosen my favourites and broken them down into categories by shade starting with brights, then nudes and then dark plums. Please bare in mind these have been applied alone, with no liner or filters to show the true colour of the product. I also tried 21 lipsticks in the space of around an hour so please excuse the shabby application (don’t judge me!!); this is just for an idea of what the colours look like when applied.

I will start with the brights. To be honest these are probably my least favourite of the groups.. I’m a nude girl through and through however when it hits June and I’ve got a tan my nudes start to gather dust while I reach for bright corals and peaches paired with a peachy blush..Beautiful! My favourites are the gorgeous ‘Ripe papaya’, ‘Bright nectar’ and the intense pink shade ‘Matte ruby’.  

The Brights: Top row (left to right) Pink renewal, Proper pink, Scenic Peony, Pink truffles, Matte ruby
Bottom row: Wild ginger, Caring coral, Caressing coral, Bright nectar, Ripe papaya, Carefree coral

Next are the nudes...my favourites! I love the deep brown ‘Rich rum’ and my perfect nude shade for a ‘your lips but better look’... ‘Matte nude’! These are perfect for everyday and look effortlessly glamorous. I love a nude paired with a smoky eye for a night out!

The Nudes: (left to right) Rich rum, Naughty and nude, Demure, Matte peach, Sparkling Nude, Matte nude

The last group are the deep plums which I have been dabbling with recently. I must admit they are hard to pull off and you do have to be quite brave- the ‘Deep orchid’ is almost black but I kinda like that! My favourite is the ‘Matte grape’ as I think its the most wearable.

The Plums: (left to right) Matte grape, Plum intrigue, Bold Bordeaux, Deep orchid

Let me know what your favourites are and if you have any recommendations for me :) x

Avon FOTD

I was feeling inspired by Avon’s campaign 3 brochure which landed on my desk last week to create a look using only Avon products for an ‘everyday affordable’ look. Most of the products featured I already use every day but some I purchased in our staff shop after looking through the brochure.

This is my face of the day using Avon products (lashes are house of lashes and brows courtesy of Anastasia's dip brow)

The first product is an all time favourite of mine and anyone who knows me will know I can’t get enough of this stuff! It’s Avon’s wonderful BB cream! When I am having a bad skin day this is the first thing I reach for! It provides a great base, leaves my skin looking fresh and dewy and considering it is not a foundation it is great at providing buildable coverage! The beauty balm comes in a great range of colours; everything from Ivory (for very fair tones) to Nutmeg (for very dark skin tones). I usually go between medium beige in the summer and natural beige which is what I am wearing now (above).

The next is another product which since trying around 2 months ago has become a firm staple in my make up bag. The ‘MagiX Multi- Benefit Illuminator’ is brilliant for hiding any dark circles, to highlight the cupids bow for fuller looking lips and I usually apply down the bridge of my nose too. It contains light- diffusing technology which is why I find it so great for combating under the eye circles. It comes in a handy pen and is so easy to use, just twist and click and the product is released into the brush. I wear the ‘light’ shade but it is also available in beige and caramel.  I have recommended this to all my friends in the office who I am sure will love it as much as me!

To finish the base off I use my ‘Colour Trend Final touch pressed powder’ in areas prone to shine such as the chin and forehead. I was using this powder during the summer when my skin was more oil prone. I would recommend this for anyone who suffers from oily skin as when I apply this I feel like my skin will stay matte all day long and it is actually much better than many of the high end powders I’ve tried! As you can see from the pictures this is a much loved product of mine as I need to repurchase!

I am not a great fan of mascaras as I tend to stick to wearing false lashes however I do wear mascara on the bottom and I recently purchased the ‘Big and Daring’ mascara by Avon. This mascara is the best dupe for the Maybelline ‘Falsies’ mascara I have found and I absolutely love it! I paired this with Avons famous ‘Glimmerstick eyeliner’ in blackest black. Avon sells one of these eyeliners every 5 seconds and I know why! The liner is super black and lasts for up to 12 hours (I wouldn’t agree with 12 hours but it does last an impressive amount of time!).  

To finish I used an Ultra Colour Matte Lipstick in ‘Matte Nude’ which, although matte is super velvety and doesn’t dry your lips out like mattes often do. For me, Avons lipsticks deserve much more credit than some of the high end lipsticks I’ve tried in the past; they offer such a huge range of shades in various finishes. ‘Matte Nude’ is the perfect nude for me however I also love another shade called Demure from the Ultra Colour range. I will be doing a post soon featuring my favourite Avon lipsticks so stay tuned! 

If you would like to try these products and would like to know how then head over to www.avon.uk.com to find your local representative alternatively you can shop online x

My 24th Birthday- Amsterdam and Gifts

For those who don’t know I was whisked off to Amsterdam to celebrate my 24^th birthday at the end of November/ December. I’ll add some pictures however they do not do the city any justice, it was honestly one of the most beautiful cities I have visited with so much history and is most certainly unique and I am sure there is nowhere else like it. The shopping was brilliant (of course I had to mention that!), food- great and people some of the friendliest I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. 

If I could recommend anything it would be the Anne Frank museum which honestly left you walking around with a lump in your throat the whole time. I won’t tell you too much because if you haven’t been already it is definitely something you should experience firsthand.  

When in Amsterdam I caught up with some old friends who saw my face light up when I saw some NYX products in their version of Boots, Douglas. Many of you will know how hard NYX is to get your hands on here in the UK and the novelty of being able to try some out when I was there left me in my absolute element. My cheeky friend went to the till and got one of the palettes I’d been eyeing up gift wrapped and gave it to me on my birthday. The palette 'Nude on Nude' features 20 ‘neutral’ shades some matte and some with shimmer. Under the shadows are 10 lip shades which again follow the same neutral theme. I couldn’t have wished for a better present as it gave me a chance to try out a whole load of colours from NYX all in one go and experience both their shadows and lip products. Thank you Ikram x

Whilst visiting another Douglas I picked up a great lipstick from the NYX 'Matte' range in 'MLS 15- Whipped Caviar' (I seriously can’t get enough of mattes at the moment!). It matches really well with MAC’s Soar lip liner which I finally managed to get my hands on in the airport after months of searching thanks to the whole Kylie Jenner hype only to lose it a week later-devastated. However I have since found a dupe- stay tuned! If you don’t want to use pencil liner for your whole lips a la’ Kylie this lipstick is a great accompaniment for the liner however it is more of a plum colour worn alone. 

I also picked up one of the NYX HD photogenic concealers (mines in CW04- Beige) which has since replaced all of my other concealers. I haven't experienced any product sitting in the creases like others I've tried and it is super creamy so blends well. I use this wand for under my eyes, between my eyebrows/ lower forehead and chin as it is a lighter shade than my foundation so provides a great highlight for contouring whilst concealing dark circles. 

My other lovely friend knew I was interested in trying some more Make Up Revolution products so she kindly gifted me a palette with 8 blushers (however 1 of which I would say is more of a highlighter). The palette she gave me was called ‘Hot Spice’ which for my olive, yellow based skin I found all of the shades very wearable. I particularly love the bottom very left shade and the 3^rd shade in on the top row. They are super pigmented and I find a little goes a very long way. Monika also gave me a Make Up Revolution eyeshadow palette which also features a selection of nude/ naked style shades again like the NYX palette features mattes and shimmer shades from white to almost black and everything in between so it is wearable during the day for a subtle smoky eye but equally could be used to create a dramatic glittery going-out look as I did for New Years Eve (see below). I had so much fun over the Christmas period experimenting with these products. If you want to try them out they are available in Superdrug :). Thank you again Monika x

Thanks for all of my lovely Birthday wishes and for those who kindly bought me gifts. Here's being a year closer to 30... (weeps)

Leigh x

Ps please don't forget to leave me a comment below and let me know any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks lovelies x

Current hair favourites

Having been gifted some lovely products for my Birthday and Christmas and treating myself in the sale I thought I would share my current hair routine and favourite hair related products with you.

My mum kindly bought me some products from the Matrix ‘Oil Wonders Collection’. She gave me the Micro Oil Shampoo, Oil Conditioner and the ‘Indian Amla’ oil. My initial thoughts about an oil infused shampoo and conditioner were that my hair was going to look really greasy as I usually would only apply any kind of oil or serum to my mid- lengths and ends. Having naturally quite oily hair I was not sure about how well I would get on with these products however I was so wrong. The first thing I noticed in the shower was their lovely scent, I know that sounds silly but I just imagined that anything with oil would smell sickly-sweet however the scent is quite fresh and in some ways masculine which I like- when I wash my hair I want to feel really clean and refreshed! The shampoo looks clear and thick (not runny as I had assumed) when poured however I will say it doesn’t lather brilliantly. I use a small amount of product and shampoo twice, I again use a small amount of the conditioner, brush through with a Tangle Teezer and leave in for about 5 minutes and then rinse thoroughly.

On first use I imagined that my hair was going to take ages to dry and feel tacky because of the oils (like when you leave conditioner in your hair). But this was not the case. I use my tangle Teezer to brush my damp hair and then apply either some of my Matrix ‘ExquisiteOil’ or my new 'OilWonders' oil which when used in combination with the shampoo and conditioner Matrix claim provides 4 times the strength! I have honestly noticed that I am having less fall out, my hair is drying quicker and I am not needing to straighten my hair as often because it makes my hair look healthier and sleeker- I am in desperate need for a trim though and it is becoming impossible to disguise!

I was also given some TIGI Bed Head products for Christmas. I have always been a big fan of TIGI and Bed Head since working as a teenager in a salon which used their products. I was like a kid in a candy shop trying out all of the products on a Saturday. All smell divine and they offer such a wide range of unique products for all hair types and hair goals. My favourite product she gave me was the ‘Masterpiece Hairspray’. It claims to hold all day whilst providing ‘Massive’ shine and it seriously does! In my personal opinion this is for someone who likes a more structured hairstyle and wants super hold. If like me, you like a more natural un-done look when you curl your hair then this may be too much for you however if you like your curls to hold all day/night long then this is for you! I do use this for when I wear my hair up or when I want tighter curls or if I know I need my style to last all day.  I have a handbag sized version which is perfect to squeeze into your going out bag too! 

If I am going out and want volume I absolutely love Bumble and Bumbles ‘Thickening’ range. I love the ‘Full Form Mousse’ which I picked up in my local Boots (by the way has anyone been to Boots recently in Northampton- since when did they have a Benefit bar!?). I apply the product to my damp hair and then blow dry. The only thing I don’t like is that it is really heavy and I feel like I need to wash my hair again or at least the next day. The results are great though- my hair feels doubled in thickness and I can’t wait to try some more products from this range and Bumble and Bumble in general. I've now run out of this and will be repurchasing ASAP! 

Have you tried any of these products or do you have any you could recommend me? Please let me know in the comments below, I'd love to know your opinions :).

Thought I would include a picture of how long and healthy I have managed to get my hair through taking care and using the right products. And below a picture of my hair after sun damage, lightening and using too much heat in the summer. 

Thanks for reading, Leigh x