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

ARE COLOURPOP COSMETICS REALLY WORTH THE HYPE?

So, you're either wondering whether to try out some Colourpop products, want to see my collection, or are genuinely interested in what my thoughts are of this brand and their cosmetics. I have quite a big collection of Colourpop cosmetics for one main reason - I absolutely love the products and the brand and think they're very affordable even with customs charges.

If you've previously read my review of their liquid lipsticks, super shock shadows, or lippie stix then you will already know that I love all of their formulas and that they are very long-lasting. My collection has grown over the past year, and I believe I made my first order back in October 2016. You'll notice that some products are brand new and some have been loved very much, but now I have tried all of the products (the images were taken a while back) I can safely say that I have fallen in love with Colourpop even more than I already was from my very first review, and will continue to purchase their items whenever there are any offers!

My favourite products from Colourpop which I can't imagine doing makeup without would probably have to be the liquid lipsticks or lippie stix as they are the only lipsticks I've been using since last year. I'm not trying to exaggerate how good they are, but they're bloody amazing and you need them in your life NOW. I own 9 liquid lipsticks and 6 of the lippie stix, yet I still want more... I only buy Colourpop products when they are on offer to get my money's worth after I add the customs charges on top of my bill. The best offer I came across was the '3 for $10' which meant that I got the individual shadows and lipsticks which usually retail at $6, for $3.33 each - say no more.

Another great deal would be the 'value sets' which include 3 products for the price of $15 or 4 for $18, which is still a bargain especially if you live in the US and don't have to pay customs. There are usually good offers on delivery too, such as free worldwide shipping on orders over $50 - so imagine the 3 for $10 offer, you get 15 products for $50 and free delivery!!

The only eyeshadows I have tried are the super shock ones, and boy, was I shocked at how pigmented they were! All it took was a light swatch and I fell in love straight away. They're also very soft and buttery in touch which makes the application and the blending process a lot easier than most shadows. These also come in pans so you can create your own palette but I'm still yet to try them!

One of the orders I put through included a deal 'free eye makeup brush if you buy two eyeshadows' so (obviously) I got 4 shadows which were on offer for $18 for the set and was given two brushes. I picked the flat shadow brush and liner brush to try out, there was one more to try out but it was sold out :( better luck next time! I really enjoy using the angled liner brush for my brows, it makes filling them in a lot easier as it's very thin plus it works really well for outlining the perfect arch. The other brush, however, is quite hard to use. I don't use it for eyeshadow unless I create a halo eye look and add loose glitter to my lid, but I mainly use this brush for applying an eyeshadow primer to my lids.

So now that you've read what I think of Colourpop cosmetics, what are your opinions? Are you convinced that the products are good? Would you try them out for yourself?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || COLOURPOP ULTRA MATTE & ULTRA SATIN LIP

I feel like this whole Colourpop review thing is becoming a trend over on Vogue By Maya haha. I have already written full reviews of the Colour Shock Shadows and Lippie Stix, but now it's time to talk about the famous Ultra Matte and Satin lipsticks.

I'm a massive Colourpop fan in general. I love their prices and their products - especially the packaging! I recently placed 2 orders (naughty, I know) and will soon share with you my whole Colourpop makeup collection, so stay tuned for more!

First up, I bought this trio as a set for $15 on offer. I really like the shades as they're all pink toned natural(ish) shades which I love for an every-day look. I have the shades: Baracuda, Viper, and Times Square with Baracuda being a satin finish liquid lipstick.

The packaging is very pretty, it reminds me very much of the Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipsticks but with slightly different lids. To say these are only $6 each they look great, and I bet they would look even better stacked up in an acrylic stand! (I keep mine in their original boxes because I love the packaging so much, haha).

The formula is very thick, almost like the NYX Lip Lingerie lipsticks. I love that these lipsticks do not bleed. I find that many liquid lipsticks, including Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks, bleed a lot into fine lines in the skin around the mouth area.

The applicator is very simple, but effective. It does the job well however, I do feel like I need to line my lips before using these lipsticks as it's hard to stay in line without doing so!
The longevity is quite high as I usually wear these to work or uni and they stay on all day long, but I do feel the need to touch up a little bit after eating which isn't unusual.

Overall, I really love the formula of these. They don't feel sticky and glide on nicely, but if I had to choose I would probably pick the Lippie Stix over the liquid lipsticks as the formula of them is very unique which draws me to them.

Have you tried any of the Colourpop liquid lipsticks? If so, which ones?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || COLOURPOP EYESHADOWS

Who hasn't been lusting over Colourpop products yet? Not a lot I bet. As soon as I've heard of the brand sometime a year ago I've been wanting to try out their products, and when I finally got my hands on some I was very very happy.

I have written a full review of the Lippie Stix here. So, if you have already seen this post then you'd know that I absolutely love Colourpop lip products but let's talk about their eyeshadows!

I bought a set of 4 for only $18 instead of $20 which is how much they would cost me if I had bought them individually. I love warm tones and all four of these are right up my alley so I was very excited to try them out.

I have the shades (l-r) Jinxie, Elixir, Seeker and Paradox. I must say that Paradox is my favourite as it's a very deep burgundy shade and shows up great on my skin tone - I also tried it on a friend who has a deeper skin tone and it looked great on her!

To say that these are only $5 and the pigment is fantastic and shows up well on deeper skin tones as well as light, these are totally worth the price and YOU NEED IT in your collection!!

I love the packaging of these, the cute little pots look very expensive and are handy to whip out a couple of shades to create a full eye makeup look. I think that these would look great in Alex drawers (so fetch) but I know that many people prefer to have their eyeshadows in palettes rather than singles, but thankfully you can get Colourpop eyeshadow pans to put in a palette! Hooray! The only downside of these coming in pots is that it would be very difficult to depot these and unfortunately these shades aren't available in the single pans yet :(

I will expand my Colourpop eyeshadow collection soon enough, and you'll hear about it all over my social media platforms! - I've been trying really hard to take better pictures and create better content so head over to my Instagram for pretty pics and Twitter for latest post news!

Have you tried any Colourpop products? Have you got a favourite brand for eyeshadows?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || COLOURPOP PERSUEDE ME LIPPIE STIX COLLECTION

Ever since hearing about Colourpop I've been wanting to try out their products. I finally decided to make a big order back in October (I think) and bought a set of Lippie Stix along with other items and I must say that was one of the best decisions I ever made! Even though custom charges killed me after already spending around £50 on products D: - but when I think about MAC I usually spend the same amount on 2-3 things.

I don't really like the packaging that much. I mean, it is nice but nothing exceptional; it kind of looks like a jumbo eye crayon by NYX, but then again this is a drugstore product retailing at only $6 so the packaging isn't the post important.

They have a variety of lovely shades to choose from but because I chose a pre-packed set I was 'stuck' with all nudes. I'm not complaining though - they are lovely! My favourite shade has to be 'Le Freak'.

The consistency is very creamy and easy to apply, the lipstick literally glides on nicely and stay put all day. I do have to touch up after eating/drinking and it builds up quite easily so it's best to apply a thin layer with a lip brush to avoid it gathering.

Overall, I would rate these a solid 9/10 as the formula and price are amazing but the main issue for those who live outside the US is the VAT and custom fees :(

Have you tried any of the Colourpop products before? If so, which ones?

Lots of love,

Maya xo