2021 || APRIL FAVOURITES

In April my favourite thing was the weather :)  the end. Jokes aside, I must say that Spring is in full bloom this year and I cannot wait for hotter days to come our way soon! After last year's first lockdown it will be very difficult to beat the weather but please let the sunshine continue throughout the rest of SS21!! 

April 2021 has been a month of trying out lots of new products - some I've loved and others maybe not so much. Either way, I will be focusing on the items that I really enjoyed using throughout the month. Let's get into it!

2016 || OCTOBER FAVOURITES

October is the month of Halloween, so everything I've been loving last month was super vampy.
First up, I've been a huge fan of Mac lipliners for ages now and keep constantly buying new shades to add to my collection. My recent addition was the shade 'Plum' which is beyond beautiful. It's perfect for the Autumn/Winter time as a dark and bold lip is everything at this time of the year!

Next up, is the Makeup Revolution Light & Shade eyeshadow palette, which is a dupe for the Kat Von D Shade and Light palette. The pigmentation is amazing, the shadows are creamy and easy to blend, however the only issue I have with this is the fallout!

Rimmel lipsticks were a massive craze for me when I was younger, and when I purchased one of their darker shades I remembered just how good they are! I feel like I have to get the full collection now, but I need to calm down with all the spending, especially with Christmas coming up! I bought the shade 'Starry Eyed' and it's a perfect Autumn shade, paired up with a gold eyeshadow and ta-dah! You've got the perfect look for this time of year.

Who doesn't love a bit of new stationary, especially when it's from Tiger! I love these thin felt pens, they're so easy to work with and don't smudge - which is vital for bloggers (we tend to be fast writers). I mainly use these for writing up blog post ideas, making lists and notes for revision.

What did you love in October? Have you tried any of the products I mentioned above?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2016 || March Favourites

Hi Everyone!

I know, it's sooo late to do a March Favourites post but it's better to post late than never! I've been loving drugstore products lately and thought I'd share the most used ones with you today.

l-r : Makeup Revolution Contour Palette (£3.50), Sleek Highlightinh Palette (£9.99), Maybelline Great Lash Mascara (£4.99), Maybelline Colour Tattoo (£4.99 each), Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (£5.49) and Extreme Felt Tip Liner (£2.50).

You can read a full review of the Sleek Palette here, and the Maybelline Mascara here.

I have especially been loving Makeup Revolution as a brand for the past few weeks. They are so affordable and the new items they keep coming up with are to die for! For instance, this contour palette only cost me £3.50 from superdrug and it comes with a matte bronzer (very similar to Benefit's Hoola), a soft highlighter and a peachy blush. 3 in 1! It's quite small as well which makes it perfect size for your makeup bag to keep it with you on the go.

The two Maybelline Colour Tattoo cream Eyeshadows will take over my life - I swear! I adore MaC's Paint Pots, but these are the next best thing and for such a low price compared to MAC's pricey £16 per pot you can't go wrong. I am looking forward to expanding my collection as they are so easy to blend and wear that I need more colours!

I'm not the biggest concealer user, however this one has taken my breath away with its coverage and luminosity in one! I love to use it under my eyes to brighten up my face, however the only issue I have with this concealer is that I use the lightest shade and it's still not as light as I'd like it to be :(

I picked up Collection's Extreme Liner as I wanted to try out a new felt tip liner because I'm getting bored of my MAC Blacktrack gel liner. This one is really dark and long lasting,however I've noticed that it smudges easily. If I find one that's waterproof I'd definitely buy it, but for not this one does the job just fine as long as I don't touch my eyes or let them water!

What have you loved last month? Have you tried any of the products I mentioned above? If so, how did you get on with them?

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

Eye Make-up of the Day EMOTD

Hey there lovelies!

In today's post I'm going to show you a fee pics of my eye make-up from the other day. I was inspired by MUA's make-up artist and because I do not own the make-up items that she's used, I had to improvise with what I already have.

I used Era by MAC as an all over base. Then i drew the shadow outline with a navy eye liner from L A Colours, and filled it in with Steamy by MAC and blended it with Deep Truth also by MAC. I used my 194se blending brush by MAC and a cheap blending brush for all of the shadows and the eye liner. I also used 368 Tempo by Dior which is actually my sister's eye shadow and I used it for the inner corners of my eyes.

I used Natural Collection's liquid eye liner to define my lash line, and the Scandaleyes mascara in black to define my lashes. I also applied false eye lashes by Eylure To make my eyes pop out even more. 

From top - Deep Truth and Steamy by MAC.

Eyelure eye lashes and the blending brushes that I've used to create this look.

Tempo by Dior.

And here is the finished look. Sorry the quality of the pictures is really bad, I've taken them on my phone baring in mind it makes my skin look worse than it actually is haha!

Lots of love,

Maya xo 

Review || Rimmel 60 Seconds nail varnish in 410 I Lilac You

Hi guys!

Today I'm going to review Rimmel's 60 seconds nail varnish in I Lilac You. I bought this nail polish today and wanted to use it as soon as I got home! I'm really obsessed with pastel colours at the moment, and needed a lilac nail varnish to add to my collection! I don't think I've tried any of Rimmel's 60 seconds nail polishes so thought, why not try this one out!

The packaging: It's a pretty basic and rounded glass bottle of 8ml. It has a Union Jack sticker on the handle. It is quite small and handy, unlike some large bottles, and it holds a lot of product.
The application: It is very easy to apply as the brush is quite thick and stiff. You need about two coats of the product to have perfect coverage around the nail, so not only it's easy to apply but you save a lot of product by not layering the nail like a cake. Because the nail varnish is one of the 60 seconds edition, it dries really quick. I was actually shocked by how fast my nails have dried!
Overall opinion: I really like this nail polish, and will definitely buy other colours from the 60 seconds range. I don't think there is much else to say about this product other than every girl has to own one, because it's great quality for the value!!

Lots of love,

Maya

What's in my make-up bag

Today I wanted to show you guys what make up I use on a daily basis. My make up bag is very tiny but oh so heavy! I don't wear much make up every day, however I do like a bit of heavy eye make up from time to time! ;) I feel like a better person when my lips look good as they are rather large and the scar on my top lip bugs me so I try to wear lipstick or lipgloss as often as I can!

The Primer: I use Benefit's the POREfessional. I bought it, because I got told by a few people that it's really good and I was desperate to try it out, especially as I needed a new primer! I bought the large 44ml primer as it's better value for money, and I have been very pleased with this product since day 1. The texture of it is very velvety and it makes my skin very smooth. It reduced the appearance of my pores and fine lines. IT also makes my make-up stay on for longer. I am very pleased with this product and it is very important for me to use it every day before applying my foundation, because it gives me the soft and air brushed look.

The Foundation: This foundation might be the best one I have every bought. It gives full coverage without the caked up look. It's soft in touch and thick in texture. It feels very light when I wear it, and I don't have to keep on re-applying it for ages, until about 6-7 hours after the first application. I bought Maxfactor's lasting performance in the shade ivory. I highly recommend this foundation for anyone who has acne or suffers from redness, as the coverage is very good and there are many shades to choose from, which make life easier for pale girls like me!

The Concealer: I use Rimmel's hide the blemish concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes from staying up too late! It's a good concealer and has very good coverage, however I don't like the texture of it as it's really thick and matte, and makes my skin look dry.

The Powder: This pressed powder was the first MUA item I have ever purchased. I have no words. It's is beyond amazing. Incredible value for your money, fantastic bargain for £1.00. It gives good coverage and a natural matte finish. I chose shade 1 which is the lightest shade, but I was originally looking for a translucent shade, but they only do a limited amount of shades.

The BB Cream: Personally I think that Garnier do the best BB creams, however the shades are very limited. I chose the lightest shade and it is still too dark for me to wear without a tan. Therefore, I only use it to add some shadow to my face during contouring. It's good to wear in the Summer, but it's definitely a no-no from me to wear in Winter with my complexions.

The Bronzer: I discovered Bourjois Delice de Poudre bronzing powder through my mother as she bought one of them a while back. What drew me to it the most was the amazing scent, as it smells of chocolate! IKR CHOCOLATE. I mainly use this bronzer for contouring my face as it's a matte shade with a tiny amount of shimmer added to it. It's very pigmented and the smell of it transfers onto my face during application which makes me even happier, just because it smells like the best thin in the world.

The Blush: I use Bourjois scented blush, because I absolutely love the smell of it. I chose the shade 95 Rose de Jaspe as I am rather pale and this shade is bright pink, but not too dark so I don't look like a Barbie doll when I apply it. This blush comes with a little brush and a compact mirror, which makes it even better! This blush is easy to apply and doesn't come off easily as it is very pigmented.

The Mascara: I bought this mascara when it first came out as I've seen it being advertised on TV and around town. I got it on offer with gel eye-liner so I was very pleased with that bargain. I really like 17's beauty products and have purchased many before, but I have never bought any of their mascaras for some reason. So trying this one was a little challenge for me, as I usually stick to Maybelline mascaras. Anyway, the packaging of this mascara is so cute and chic, I love it. It's simple but glamorous. The coverage of the mascara on the eyelash is very good. I chose the extreme black shade and am very pleased with the results as my eyelashes are naturally very fair (almost white). However, I do like to have big eye lashes and because they're already long and thick, this mascara makes them look very natural and I guess that is a good thing, but I do like to put many layers of it on and it just doesn't work.

The Eyebrow Pencil: I have been using Rimmel's professional eyebrow pencil for about 4 years now, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I use the hazel shade because my hair colour is very light and it would look weird if I had thick black eyebrows and white hair haha. It's easy to apply as the pencil lead is very soft and pigmented so you don't have to go over your eyebrows multiple times to get your desired look. This eyebrow pencil also comes with a brush, which is better value for money as you don't have to buy an extra brush to put those caterpillars in place!

The Eye-liner: MAC make up usually has very good products, however I must say that I am quite disappointed this their liquid eye-liner. It smudges and doesn't last too long so I keep having to re-apply it every few hours to get the wow effect. Overall, it is a good product, but it's definitely not worth the amount of money you have to pay to get this, as it's not long lasting and rubs off very easily.

The Lipstick: I adore MAC lipsticks. The shades are gorgeous and the texture of the lipstick make me want to keep on re-applying it because of how soft it feels on my lips. I don't really like the scent of it as it. smells like acrylic paint haha. I currently use the shade Brave, which is a nude colour and makes my lips look plump. The texture is satin and it gives a matte effect with a bit of gloss. I really like this lipstick and use it nearly every day as the neutral colour goes with all sorts of eye make up that I wear.

I hope you enjoyed this post! :)

I will try and post more often ASAP.

Maya xox