FOTD || EVERYDAY AUTUMNAL EASY GLAM MAKEUP LOOK

Autumn is definitely my favourite season of the year, even though I love Summer because it usually means that I get to travel somewhere nice, but Autumn is the season of cosy clothes and nice smelling candles. What I'm looking forward to the most is being able to wear dark lipstick and dark eyeshadow without getting judged by people - no, I am not a goth.

I don't necessarily think that this is a very dark or gothic look, but for me, this is the perfect Autumnal makeup look for my skin tone and hair colour. It is very flattering and easy to create, and here are the items I had used to create it:

The eyeshadows I had used include: NYX shadow in the shade Immaculate, and MUG shadows in shades Grandstand, Morocco, and Bitten. I wanted to wear a bit of eyeliner to make this look a bit more glam, but I'm out of practice and found this look glam enough to leave it as it is! The magic mascara that I've been obsessing over since the first use is the Lancome Hypnose Mascara. I love this one for elongating and volumising my lashes, it's got amazing coverage to it and I find that only one coat is enough for a full look.

If you've been after a full coverage foundation that isn't extortionate, then you need to try the L'Oreal Total Cover foundation, like, now. It glides on very smoothly and feels like velvet on my skin which is always a plus because who wouldn't want baby-soft skin? I find that the coverage of this product is very high - but I won't get into it too much as I'd like to save it for a full review. Of course, I had to use my current favourite concealer and contour shade, both by L.A. Girl as these work amazingly and the price is very much affordable! To set my foundation in place, I used the Collection Primed & Ready Invisible Setting Powder which works wonders for my combination skin, especially the oily t-zone. My favourite bronzer since 2015 has to be Hoola by Benefit which has actually lasted me nearly 2 years when I've been using it every day, so it's definitely worth the high price tag. To brighten up my face, I use my favourite Milani blusher in shade Tea Rose and Sleek highlighter in Midas Touch - I mix the pink and the white together for a blinding, yet natural highlight. My current go-to lipstick is the Colourpop Ultra Matte Lipstick in shade LAX, which was obviously applied over my favourite lip balm from Carmex.

As you can see, the majority of tools I had used to create this makeup look are by Real Techniques as they truly do amazing brushes, and I cannot wait to complete my collection! I also really want to try the Bold Metals collection, but because they're quite pricey I think I'll wait until Father Christmas pays a visit to my house! I also included a brush from MAC and Colourpop which are some of my all-time favourites.

*This post includes gifted items - all opinions are my own and are in no way influenced at all.

Have you caught up with my monthly favourites post? What's your favourite autumnal makeup look? Would you try this one out?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

FOTD || Summer Glam Glow

Hey Everyone!

I've recently been loving wearing lots of highlighter and creating glowy-glam looks. Today I'll share my most recent one with you and I hope you all enjoy it!

So here's the look, quite simple yet classy, still glowy and glam.

These are the products I had used for this look:

-Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Palette

-Benefit Porefessional License To Blot Stick

-Benefit Porefessional Primer

-Collection Liquid Eyeliner

-Loreal Infallible Matte Foundation

-MAC Painterly Paint Pot

-MAC Brow Fluidline

-MAC Whirl Lipliner

-MAC Whirl Lipstick

-Makeup Revolution I Heart Chocolate Palette

-Makeup Revolution Contour Palette

-Maybelline Sensational Mascara

-Primark Contour Sticks

-Primark Eyebrow Gel

-Primark Black Kohl Liner

-Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

I hope you all enjoyed this look. Let me know if you have recreated it or have done some fun FOTD posts too!

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Drugstore Beauty Haul

So, yesterday I went a bit mad at Boots and bought a few beauty items - even though I was only after a foundation! I grabbed myself a basket and started shoving everything I liked in it. I did save a lot of money as most the items I purchased were on offer.

So as you can see, I bought L'oreal's Line Studio Hair products, foundation and primer. Then from Rimmel I got a foundation and powder, and from Seventeen (One of my all-time favourite high street brands) I got a brow kit, bronzer, mascara and lipstick.

First up, we've got the Seventeen products. So, I've never used these but have heard great things about those products. The Brow's That kit was on my wishlist for quite a while now, especially as I've seen how amazing it looks on my mum as she has one. I really enjoyed using it and it's a fantastic dupe for Benefit's BrowZings but comes with a brow pencil and a highlighter for the brow bone instead of the tweezers. a small brow brush is also included, however, I prefer to use an angled brush for my brows.

The Instant Glow Bronzing Powder in Medium caught my eye as I was looking at powders in the 17 section. It is very pigmented and looks natural at the same time. It's matte so it gave me a nice subtle and natural-looking contour. I will definitely repurchase this product when (or shall I say IF) I run out of it, as it's very pigmented and you don't need a lot of the product for the desired look. I would say it's very good for beginners as is a much cheaper option than opting for Benefit's Hoola.

The Supreme Shine Lipstick in shade Bon Bon is a great dupe for Ellie Goulding's MAC lipstick in shade 'Only You'. The finish is lustre but is quite pigmented and looks natural - my new go-to lipstick for a natural look!

Right, moving onto the mascara - I didn't realise that I picked out the colour Brown/Black, therefore, I can't say much about it as I will be exchanging it for a black one, but I really like the slim packaging of it!

I've wanted to try L'oreal's Infallible products for quite a while now and was stuck between the matte and satin finish foundations. As you can see, I decided to go for the Matte finish as it provides full coverage - and I have enough light to medium coverage foundations so thought I'll try this one out. I really like the primer, it has a gel texture and glides on beautifully onto my skin, filling out all the pores and imperfections. The foundation is also a very good buy, YAY! It does not look drying when it comes out of the tube and is very easy to apply. It does not dry as soon as in contact with skin which makes it really easy to blend. I would say I prefer this foundation to MAC's Studio Fix, but I need to wear it for a few days before making my mind up completely.

If there is anyone who hasn't yet tried Rimmel's Stay Matte powder then you really need to reconsider whether you really are into make-up or not. It is my holy grail and for only £3.99 I don't see why you wouldn't have it in your make-up bag already. I always choose the shade 'transparent' to set my foundation. It does not dry out my skin and makes it look natural as well as mattifying.

I've not tried the foundation yet, but I've heard many good things about it. I am slightly concerned about the shade though as it has a yellow undertone and looks like it would suit someone with olive skin, rather than pale me. However, it is the lightest shade from the collection and I am willing to try it even if I have to apply fake tan beforehand.

Last but not least, a few non-beauty products. I don't know about you, but I always have a body spray in my handbag to use throughout the day - it's a necessity if you're always busy and on the go. This one was actually reduced to 43 pence I think, total bargain!

I do like L'oreal's hair products and I've used the hair mousse before and loved it, therefore repurchased it for the first time. On the other hand, the Sculpting Spritz is a new addition to my hair products and I am hoping it will keep my hair in place! I do love a sleek ponytail or hair swept back and straight. I will do a full review of it once I start using it.

Have you used any of those products? If so, did you like them? What other high street products do you recommend?

Lots of love,

Maya xo 

2015 || October Favourites

Hi beauties!

So I know I've been lazy again not sticking to my blogging schedule, but I have many great posts for you guys coming soon!

I know I've bombarded you with monthly favourites last week which I had to catch up on, and they have been rushed, but let's hope you guys enjoy this post!

So, last month favourites are all beauty related. There's the FATHAIR dry shampoo, L'oreal's Sublime Bronze moisturising oil, Superdrug's own brand Tea Tree Skincare, Rimmel's Stay Matte powder, and MAC's Studio Sculpt foundation and Fluidline brow gelcreme.

The first product I am going to talk to you guys about is the FATHAIR dry shampoo. It was a great find as me and my mum found it in Poundworld so quickly grabbed one each to try it out, especially as it retails at £5.99 in superdrug. I was disappointed with this product at first as I didn't think it gave my hair much volume, nor the 'cleaninless' if that's even a word? I thought it was really bad compared to my all time favourite Batiste, however I started using it more to see if maybe it was a bad hair day I experienced, and I was right. This product is amazing, it lifted my roots up and made my hair look 3 times bigger than normal. It also made my hair look less greasy after not washing it for 1-2 days. I highly recommend it, and hope you guys can find it in Poundworld like I have!

The next product is L'oreal's Sublime Bronzing oil. It was also a great find in Poundworld (honestly, it is probably one of my favourite shops now!). It made my skin feel very soft and not at all greasy. It's a great tan enhancer as it moisturises the skin and preps it in order to keep fake tan on for longer. I combined it with my MakeBelieve fake tan and the results were fantastic. I felt really good about how my skin looked, especially as I'm naturally very pale, it was a nice feeling!

I walked into Superdrug to find myself surrounded by lots of offers and I came upon this great Tea Tree range with the products being on offer 2 for £4. I've never tried Superdrug's own brand skincare products so thought I'll give it a go, especially as I was in need of some new spot treatment products. The cleanser/toner is very gentle on my skin and makes it feel soft and fresh - exactly what I was looking for. It cleanses spots and blackheads well getting rid of excess oils, leaving the skin feeling tight and smooth. On the other hand, the foaming facial wash was trickier to use as the foam started evaporating as soon as I put it on my hand and felt quite odd putting it on my face, but the results were unexpectedly good. It made my skin feel very clean and fresh, but I did have to use it twice in one wash in order to get rid of all oils and dead skin cells. I would definitely recommend both of the products to anyone who's suffering with bad skin, as they are affordable and good value for money.

Rimmel's Stay Matte powder was something I wasn't too sure about buying as I've had it before when I first started wearing make-up 5-6 years ago and I didn't like it very much, however I recently repurchased this item as it was on offer in Boots for 3 for 2 and because I needed a spare powder to keep in my bag rather than having to take my huge Chanel loose powder as it goes everywhere if I keep it in my bag! I chose the transparent shade as I don't like high coverage powders and only wanted to use it on my T-zone to reduce the appearance of oil on my skin and it does a pretty good job. It retails at only £3.99 and is totally worth getting as it makes my foundation stay on for longer and reduces the appearance of oil on skin.

I recently ran out of my BrowZings from Benefit and I was really upset! Even though it lasted me for nearly 2 years  and was an amazing product, I decided to go for something new just to try it out. I went into my local MAC store and asked for help with my brows and got told that the shade 'Dirty Blonde' would suit me best. I agreed with them at the time but now that I've changed my hair colour back to grey I don't think it suits me that much so I go over it with an ashy eye shadow. However, It is very easy to apply and lasts forever once it's been applied properly. I do like to go over my eyebrows throughout the day to make them appear slightly darker and neater if I've had the same make-up on for a whole day. I would recommend this product for people who know how to apply gel products with a brush and have a steady hand as I struggled with the application for the first few days of having this products until I watched a couple of YouTube tutorials.

Last but not least, MAC's Studio Sculpt foundation in NW15. I have always been a big fan of MAC's foundations and this time I wanted to go for something moisturising rather than mattifying and was advised to go for Studio Sculpt. I was very excited to try this foundation but once I got home I thought I made a terrible decision as it didn't sit well on my face and kept smudging in places and didn't cover any redness etc. I was very disappointed with it until I started using a different technique while applying this product. I use a different foundation brush and then dab powder onto my skin and add a bit of Fix Plus spray to keep my face looking fresh and make-up last longer. I would recommend this foundation for people who have normal to dry skin and mostly with 'perfect' skin aka zero spots as it doesn't look great on my skin (I have many post acne scars).

Have you tried any of these products? What are your October Favourites?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

BEAUTY || FACE OF THE DAY USING LUXURY AND DRUGSTORE PRODUCTS

Today I wanted to share with you my top beauty products for an every-day look. They are mostly high-end products, however, they can be easily replaced by more affordable alternatives on the high street.

I never thought that I'd find a primer that's nearly half as good as Benefit's Porefessional, however, the Clinique's colour correcting super primer is amazing. It glides onto my face making it look and feel velvet smooth and on top of that it tones down the redness of my cheeks. It's a perfect base for anyone who suffers from rosacea or any type of redness on their face.

The next product which I am obsessed with is the Esteé Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover foundation in shade 'Creamy Vanilla'. The current price of this product is £29.50 from what I can remember, but I have actually bought it for just under £15 on feelunique.com back in March when it was on offer. It is very thick and creamy in consistency but very easy to blend. You also don't need a lot of product for your whole face which is always a plus as it will last you longer. The only downside of this product is that it doesn't come in a lot of shades and the one that I use is the lightest shade that I usually wear when I fake tan or mix it with another product.

MAC's Studio Fix seems to be everyone's favourite foundation, however, I am not the biggest fan of it myself. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good foundation and it is affordable as it can last up to a year for only £21.50 that's only £1.80 per month, however, I find it too mattifying and drying for my skin type. BUT when I mix it with my Esteé Lauder foundation to create a lighter shade it works perfectly well and gives my skin a flawless finish. This way my face doesn't appear dry nor oily. I use the shade NW10 which I find slightly too pale for myself, however last time I purchased the NW15 and that was too warm for my skin tone! Maybe next time I will try the NW13 or continue to mix two shades together.

After applying the base I set it with a Chanel loose powder for extra coverage and to make my make-up last longer. I swear by this product and it lasts forever, I have over half of it left and I've already had it for over a year. I'd love to recommend this product to you all but sadly it was a limited edition item and is no longer available to buy.

So, the next step I applied my Bourjois bronzer. Loads of people boast about this product saying how good it is - I won't disagree with them as I do really like it but I wouldn't call it my favourite just yet (I haven't found my favourite bronzer yet, so if you have any suggestions please note them in the comment section below!). I usually apply bronzer under my cheek bones to make them look slimmer and when I've acquired my desired look I then apply some bronzer to the sides of my forehead to further contour my face. I then apply my favourite highlighter to the apple of my cheeks for a nice natural glow.  The product I have used to highlight is by MUA and I think the shade is called 'Iridescent Glow'.

For my eye look, I used MAC's Brûlée, Era and Naked Lunch. Firstly, I applied Brûlée across my eyelid and under my brow, then I blended in Era in my crease to add a bit of colour to my eyes. Era is an earthy brown shade which makes blue eyes pop out more, hence why it's one of my favourite colours! After I've blended in Era with Brûlée in my crease, I applied Naked Lunch across the to give my shadow that extra shimmer and make it look more glamorous! This is definitely one of my favourite looks to do as it is super simple and only takes a couple of minutes.

Of course for my eyebrows, I used one of my favourite compacts from Benefit. I have been using this product for nearly two years now and I still have plenty left. It is one of the best beauty purchases I have made and I must say that Benefit have smashed it with this product! I have tried a few different types of brow powders, but this one is my ultimate favourite.

I received a sample of MAC's new mascara with my recent order and I am in love with it! It's the False Lash Mascara in Extreme Black (Sadly it is not discontinued). It covers my lashes perfectly well, and as most of you know I have really fair lashes so it makes my eyes look bigger and there's no need for falsies as you can actually see the definition on my real lashes which look super long and thick! When I went into MAC's pro store in Nottingham last week to pick up a few things, the full-size mascara was on my list and I was very upset to find out that it was out of stock! :( To add more volume I applied a coat of Zoom Lash (also by MAC) which I wasn't so keen on when I first got it but it's grown on me a bit now.

I don't really like this eyeliner but it was the only one I had at the time - it's the Loreal's Super Liner Blackbuster. The brush applicator is too thick to handle with ease, which makes it harder to draw flicks to suit my eye shape. However, it's a good product but not my favourite. It's long-lasting, so would be perfect if it had a slimmer applicator.

For my lips, I used MAC's Cremesheen lip liner in shade 80% (discontinued) and Brave lipstick on top for an ombré nude lip. This is my favourite lip look which I find looks really good with most eye looks. I recommend this combo to everyone who loves a 90's lip - a darker liner with a pale middle. 

Do you own any of these products? What is your daily go-to makeup look?

*This post contains affiliate links.

Lots of love,

Maya xo