September's Makeup Haul
Two-Faced
I don’t know what your thoughts are on Too Faced products, and though some may find it too gimmicky, I personally love their signature cutesy product packaging and design. The only factor I’m not too keen on is their product scent as fragrance can have an impact on sensitive skin. Too Faced brushes continue the cute theme and since I own every brush I could ever want, I now buy brushes that tend to be aesthetically pleasing. This Highlighting Brush £25 is perfect for exactly that and even powdering smaller areas of the face.
L: In the Flesh. R: Stoked
I tend to prefer matte formulas, because let’s face it…the English weather + gloss is not a pretty combo! I came across this “diffused” matte lip colour Peach Puff in shades ‘In The Flesh’ (nude peach) and ‘Stoked’ (bluey pink) £17 each. Unlike a lot of nudes that make me look like a dead carcass, these nudes are the perfect pinky and peachy nudes, that are so easy to apply (ala sponge applicator) and leave your lips matte but not DRY. Hallelujah! There are 12 shades in total and I’ll definitely repurchase!
MAC
Hate it or love it, MAC has great selection of quality eyeshadows in a wide variety of colours and finishes. They also sell the eyeshadow shades in single packaging or in refillable versions; perfect for building your own palette or adding to your existing one. I came across the shade ‘Oh So Glitzy’ £16.50 which caught my eye as it’s so sparkly. It is a gold sparkle, with lilac speckles and looks super pretty on it’s own or as a spotlight shadow.
https://www.johnlewis.com/mac-dazzleshow-eyeshadow/oh-so-gilty/p3440282
I used to own ‘Paradisco’ £10 but unfortunately it shattered in my palette which was a bloody nightmare to clear out (FYI)! Paradisco is such an interesting shade as it’s not your usual pink eyeshadow. It’s a warm shimmery pink, with a golden undertone. I refer to it as the ‘Orgasm’ for your eyes….I don’t mean an actual one, I’m referring to Nars’ best-selling Orgasm blush. This is a shade that would suit anyone that likes their pinky toned eyeshadows and would suit literally anyone!
https://www.johnlewis.com/mac-eyeshadow-pro-palette-refill-pan/paradisco/p595051
Guru Emporium
If you’re a make-up artist based in London, you would have heard of Guru Emporium which is a niche makeup shop in High Street Kensington that sells makeup products you’d find difficult to purchase elsewhere. It’s also where you can buy the famous ZUCA makeup case. I recently purchased a couple of items on their website, including this cute Weleda Skin Food Lip Balm £7.95. I absolutely love Weleda’s Skin Food cream for dry skin and therefore thought I’d be equally impressed with this lip balm. I’m not. It’s not as hydrating as I thought it would be, considering Weleda pride themselves on dry skin concerns. I tested this when I suffered from dry lips and it was very much “wah wah wah wahhhhhhhh…”
https://www.gurumakeupemporium.com/skincare-c7/weleda-skin-food-lip-balm-p3392
Makeup Forever products are sold at Guru Emporium, and were stocked there even before they were placed in Debenhams. To be honest, I’m not a huge MF fan even though I’ve heard wonderful things about their HD foundation. I guess its because I have dry skin and therefore I’m SUPER fussy about what products go on my face. I however heard about their multi-purpose pencil liners, with Katie Jane Hughes being a massive fan. In a recent video, she wore the Multi Use Matte Pencil in colour ‘Wherever Walnut’ £15 on her lips and it was the prettiest, nude, browny-pink toned colour. As a result, I purchased this and the colour in ‘Dimensional Dark Brown’ £15. Since it is described as a “multi use” pencil, I should have known it would be softer and therefore not long-wearing. BIG MISTAKE when I decided to wear it on my eyes as the MF (in this case, muthafucker) smudged on my eyes all day *sigh… Anyway, I highly recommend the liners for lip pencils and smudgey rock chick looks but not if you want a long lasting, defined eyeliner!
Have you ever heard of the brand Embryolisse? I hadn’t until I came across it on the Guru Emporium website. I needed a new micellar cleanser and came across the Micellaire Lotion Cleansing Water £16.95. I decided to purchase it after reading that it’s suitable for sensitive skin, with ingredients such as chamomile, witch hazel water and Glycerin. I’ve used it a couple of times now and it really does cleanse the skin of any dirt, grime and pollution from the day, and soothes the skin due it’s skin calming ingredients. I much prefer this to Bioderma which (though cleanses well), makes my skin feel tight and dehydrated after use.
https://www.gurumakeupemporium.com/skincare-c7/embryolisse-micellar-lotion-p1276
Becca
After attending the Nikki x Becca event for the ‘Vogue 5 days of beauty’, I purchased Aqua Luminous Foundation in colour ‘Light’ £32 and Nikki’s most raved about Mineral Blush in ‘Flowerchild’ £24. Nikki’s collaboration with Becca is because she happened to be the Global Ambassador for the brand. I say ‘happened’ (past tense) because it’s no longer listed in her profile therefore maybe their collaboration has come to an end? The collaboration however made sense because she is the queen of glow and Becca’s products are famous for having glowy products. The foundation is beautiful, giving a decent amount of coverage whilst giving that ‘lit from within glow’. It’ll be perfect for the upcoming dull and dry winter months! My only bug bear is that they only have 9 shades which is quite sad for an international brand. If you compare it to ABH’s new drop of foundations which come in 55 shades, I mean….c’mon Becca, up your game!! The blush is that perfect pink that will suit every skin tone and I could see why Nikki is so obsessed with it. When I wear it, it gives me that pretty flushed look on my cheeks!
https://www.johnlewis.com/becca-aqua-luminous-perfecting-foundation/light/p3505371
https://www.johnlewis.com/becca-mineral-blush/p3513374?searchTerm=becca+flowerchild
Aerin
I recently came across Aerin’s new ‘Limone Di Sicilia’ fragrance £150 (50ml) and £240 (100ml). When there’s a new launch, unless I absolutely die (in a good way) over a fragrance, I don’t like to purchase the bigger size until I’ve tried wearing the smaller sister version a few times. But at £150 for just 50ml, excuse me Aerin, you ain’t no Tom Ford! Once I got past the price and mini heart-attack, I realised I liked the fragrance enough to purchase the 50ml version. Unlike normal lemon or citrusy scents (e.g. Bergamotto Di Calabria, Lime Basil and Mandarin or Neroli Portofino), Limone Di Sicilia is quite a bit sweeter in fragrance. I like and will definitely reach for it on a regular basis but it’s definitely not my bae just yet. I do love Aerin’s package for fragrances though, it’s so pretty to collect and display on your mantelpiece or makeup table.
Charlotte Tilbury
Love her or hate her, Charlotte comes out with some quality products. I particularly love her lipstick range and colours as they just work. I recently came across her new range of ‘Hot Lips’ collection and fell in love particularly with ‘Angel Alessandra’ and ‘Carina’s Star’; both £28 each. Each of her lipsticks in this collection have been named after people she finds inspiring, with Angel Alessandra being named after Victoria Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio and Carina’s Star after Carina Lau. Most people in the Western world have never heard of Carina Lau but it’s clever marketing on Charlotte’s end, making sure she is catering to the massive Chinese market; because that’s where the dollars are!! I love the colour AA as it’s that perfect peachy nude, perfectly paired with a smokey eye and CS is a warm orangey-bricky tone, perfect for autumn. CS is pretty as a lip stain or in it’s full glory of colour.
https://www.johnlewis.com/charlotte-tilbury-hot-lips-2-0/angel-alessandra/p4201643
https://www.johnlewis.com/charlotte-tilbury-hot-lips-2-0/carina%27s-star/p4201643
I’ve heard so many positive reviews about the Charlotte Tilbury Air Brush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder £35 each. I have it in both the ‘Medium’ and ‘Fair’ shade (there are only three tones in total), as I originally purchased the Medium which I found too be too warm on my skin. In the Bobbi Brown world, I am normally a Beige (3) and with the Medium tone, you could see the colour of the powder on my skin which is not a good thing when choosing a setting powder. I repurchased one in Fair which is perfect for winter (or since I live in England, most of the year) and I can use Medium when I am slightly tanned. I would recommend this powder which is perfect for setting your foundation at home or on the go, as it doesn’t leave a powdery residue. I just wish it came with a sponge to apply on the go. For £35 it should come with a sponge, but I have purchased my own (another brand) and managed to squeeze it in and shut.
Beauty Pie
Beauty Pie has fantastic ranges, and everyone I recommend Beauty Pie to, falls in love with their skincare line. One of them being the Plantastic range, and specifically the Apricot Butter Cleansing Balm £12.10 (originally £50). I love, love, LOVE this cleansing balm. Yes it’s thick, but amazing for getting stubborn makeup off and even safe to use on the eyes. It has this delicious scent which is exactly as described on the box, and upon contact with water, the formula turns milky. I love using this with the BP exfoliating cloth, as they work in harmony together like two peas in a pod!
https://www.beautypie.com/all-skincare/cleansers/plantastic-apricot-butter-cleansing-balm
Continuing with the Plantastic range, I decided to give their Deep Nourishing Moisture Balm £9.36 (originally £55) a go, as I love the cleanser and hand cream in this range. It is definitely a thicker texture than that of the Japanfusion cream, but I wouldn’t describe it as a balm. It feels like a rich cream, but not a balm, versus the Extra range by Bobbi Brown; it’s not as heavy as the BB one. It’s the perfect transition cream from my summer one. I think this cream is my “autumn cream” because it’s thicker and more moisturising than my summer ones, and I can continue to use this until the hardcore winter wind kicks in, when I’ll switch to my Bobbi Brown Extra Balm for heavy duty moisture. Some people can’t understand the seasonal changes in makeup but your skin needs extra love when the season and temperature changes.
https://www.beautypie.com/all-skincare/moisturizer/plantastic-deep-nourishing-moisture-balm
Anastasia Beverley-Hills
I’ve known ABH to do makeup products but didn’t know she dabbled in skincare such as this Hydrating Oil 30ml £51; exclusive to Selfridges. This product has 11 oils in it, including Rosehip and Jojoba oil which is great for dehydrated and dry skin. It’s a non-heavy oil which sinks into the skin immediately, without leaving a sticky residue. I have started to apply it at nighttime, after cleansing skin, but as the winter months get colder, I would apply it during the day, especially if I’m at home relaxing for the day. On the Selfridges site, it recommends using the oil before applying the ABH foundation stick and this is something I may try, although I don’t normally like the idea of applying a face oil underneath foundation. There is a first time for everything though right? This oil promises to reduce lines and wrinkles, restore skin’s natural glow and even tighten pores!
The ABH shadows now also come in customisable refills, this not only helps to personalise your own palette but is a great marketing tool for reaching out to PRO makeup artists. I got shade ‘Venice’ (duo chrome turquoise) and ‘Rose Gold’ £12 each; although there are approximately a total of 49 refillable shades. All shades are available on the Cult Beauty website, whereas some shades were out of stock in Selfridges (and only 2 available on the Selfridges website). The shadows feel expensively pigmented (and creamy) as you get full colour pay off!
https://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/anastasia-beverly-hills-eye-shadow-single.html?variant_id=14268
Who doesn’t know and love ABH’s product Brow Wiz?! It’s available in 10 shades and I got mine in ‘Dark Brown’ (cool dark brown) £23. ABH is known as the brow queen and many people alternate between Brow Pomade and the Brow Wiz. The ABH artist interestingly told me that though Brow Pomade has now gotten a reputation for these drawn on and ‘on fleek’ designs, ABH originally designed it to be used as a natural brow product and to be able to replicate natural brow hair strokes. I have the brow pomade and use it for that purpose, especially if I have more time to do my brows, but if I want something quick and on the go, Brow Wiz is perfect as it’s thin and has a spoolie on the end.
The Duo Brush Eyebrow Brush £18 is perfect for if you want to really perfect your brows. If you’re not satisfied with the levels of fleekyness of your brows, you can use this brush to apply concealer around the brow area to really define and perfect. It is also great to use around the mouth area when wanting to perfect a statement lip colour. The other end of the brush has a spoolie. With all good brushes, my only one criticism is that I wish it had a cover or case that comes with it, because without, it makes travelling (travels or handbag life) a nightmare.
Pat McGrath
This is going to be controversial I know, but I’m not sure how I feel about this foundation and powder duo. The Sublime Perfection Foundation £60 (35ml) and Sublime Perfection Setting Powder £50 (5g) are not cheap as a £110 duo. Starting with the foundation, unless you live close to or are willing to travel to Selfridges, you will have to use their online shade matching tool to match your own shade. Based upon the pictures, and tools they provide as a guideline, I chose ‘Light Medium 8’. I would have been very surprised if the shade was spot on, which of course it wasn’t. I like the fact that the shade is neutral (not too pink or yellowy) but it is a tad too pale for me, which is a shame. I tried application with my fingers as suggested but I much prefer using a brush as it’s a smoother application. Though it’s a nice foundation, it is described as being ‘nourishing’ and ‘truly radiant’ which I wouldn’t say is the case. For my dry skin, I have used more suitable foundations or bases for around the same price or cheaper. I think this foundation is more suited to combination or oily skin. When it gets colder and my tan fades, I will definitely play with it more and make a final decision. The powder is a nice setting powder but definitely not worth the £50 price tag. For that amount of money, I much prefer the ByTerry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder (10g) which at £42 is £8 cheaper and double the amount of product. The foundation I can definitely try again over winter but won’t be going back for the powder.
Until next time xo
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All pictures on this post are my own.
