Just A Teeny Update :)

Sooo... I'm going on holiday tomorrow!? You can probably tell that I'm really excited about it :) I'm going to be in Houston for the next two weeks so I won't be able to write any more posts during that time - just in case some of you start wondering why I've dropped off the face of the planet! I'm staying with my cousins who are equally as obsessed with make up as I am so hopefully I'll come back with some American drugstore goodies to share :)

MAC // Rebel Lipstick Review

MAC | Rebel | £15.00 | Buy Here

Rebel is my absolute favourite lipstick ever, I literally can't go a few days without wearing it. I first saw this colour on Sammi from Beauty Crush and it was love at first sight ;) Normally I wouldn't be able to bring myself to spend £14 on a lipstick, but once I'd tried it on I knew I wouldn't be able to leave the store without it.. and so my MAC lipstick collection had begun!

It's a gorgeous deep pinky plum colour which goes on quite dark but fades to give a beautiful bright berry pink. It's so pigmented that it lasts on your lips for ages and it only take one swipe for me to get opaque colour, even though my lips are quite pigmented. I usually line my lips with a Natural Collection lip liner in Mulberry because it helps me to define the edges of my lips, which is pretty hard to do with the bullet unless you have a super steady hand! Since it's Satin finish it applies really smoothly and has a slight shimmer to it. It also smells like vanilla - this lipstick really can do no wrong!?

I tried to capture the colour as accurately as I could but honestly the swatches don't do Rebel much justice :(

Top: Rebel | Bottom: Mulberry Lip Liner | With Flash

Top: Rebel | Bottom: Mulberry Lip Liner | Without Flash

SLEEK MAKEUP WISHLIST // Face, Lips and Eyes

I think it's about time for another wish list! This time the spotlight's on Sleek Makeup which is one of my favourite brands, since their makeup is both affordable and great quality. I only own a couple of palettes from them and their Face Form Kit [review here] at the moment but I've had my eye on a few pieces for a while now.. if only my local Superdrug would actually start ordering more stock in! :(

Anyways, here are my top picks from their online store :) What I love most about their website is the fact that for most products they do swatches on fair, medium and dark skin which is unbelievably useful - it makes shopping online so much easier!

Left to Right:

i-Divine | Au Naturel | £7.99 | Buy Here

i-Divine | Ultra Matte V2 | £7.99 | Buy Here

i-Divine | Sunset | £7.99 | Buy Here

Brow Kit | Dark | £8.50 | Buy Here

Left to Right:

Pout Paint | Cloud 9 | £4.99 | Buy Here
Pout Paint | Mauve Over | £4.99 | Buy Here
Pout Paint | Milkshake | £4.99 | Buy Here
Pout Paint | Pinkini | £4.99 | Buy Here
True Colour Lipstick | Smother | £4.99 | Buy Here
True Colour Lipstick | Papaya Punch | £4.99 | Buy Here
True Colour Lipstick | Exxxagerate | £4.99 | Buy Here
True Colour Lipstick | Heartbreaker | £4.99 | Buy Here

Blush By 3 | Lace | £10.00 | Buy Here

Blush By 3 | Pumpkin | £10.00 | Buy Here

Blusher | Coral | £4.49 | Buy Here

Blusher | Flamingo | £4.49 | Buy Here

The Sunset eyeshadow palette and Pout Paints are definitely at the top of my list right now, especially after seeing so many lucky people receive them in their Glossyboxes! Sorry I went a bit blusher mad, they look really bright in the picture above but I promise you the swatches on their website were gorgeous :)

ART // Francisco Lachowski Drawing

So I thought I'd finally throw an art post onto my blog since I haven't done one yet. Drawing is one of my biggest passions and I love drawing people in particular.. as you'll probably soon come to see! I thought it would be quite nice to share some of my art with the internet, instead of them being hidden away in sketch books collecting dust under my bed ;) I'll admit that I haven't done very much art at all this year, so this should hopefully inspire me to start sketching again before I start university!

I'll kick it off with a drawing of one of my favourite male models - Francisco Lachowski [look him up if you want.. but be warned your ovaries may explode!]

Done on normal printer paper using a soft carbon pencil and pure graphite stick :)

Let me know what you think of it.. also is there anything you used to love that you want to take up again? :)

NATURAL COLLECTION // Moisture Shine Lipstick In Rose Bud

I love affordable make up.. being a poor student and all - one of my favourite brands for cheaper make up is the Natural Collection line from Boots. Everything in their collection is under £2 - amazing or what?! Plus it's not all terrible quality either which makes it even better!

Natural Collection | Moisture Shine Lipstick | Rose Bud | £1.99

I don't even remember buying this lipstick so was surprised to find it in the bottom of my make up case. It's a moisture shine lipstick in the shade Rose Bud, which is a dusky rose pink colour - perfect for everyday wear. It applies so smoothly and has a really creamy formula that I do find nourishes and moisturises my lips. Its finish is more matte than it is glossy, it's kind of in between the two so it's quite hard to describe! I would say it lasts a good three to four hours - even longer when I use a bit of concealer on my lips as a base, plus it makes the colour more intense :)

Swatch Without Flash

Woahh.. so I just checked the Boots website and all Natural Collection products are 3 for £5! Sadly though, for some strange reason I can't find a link to their lipsticks online :(

THE HAIR DESIGN STUDIO LONDON // Argan Gold Hair Vitality Oil Review

I just realised I haven't posted about any hair products yet, so I decided to do a review on my current favourite hair serum which is Argan Gold by The Hair Design Studio London. I'd never heard of this brand before trying this product, but I spotted it in Asda for a few quid and decided to give it a go. I was originally planning on getting pure Argan oil, but had a mini heart attack when I saw how expensive they were! Instead I settled on this serum, since it was affordable and you got a good amount of product - nearly double the amount that was in the teeny Tresemme Salon Smooth Serum I was using before!

The Hair Design Studio | Argan Gold Hair Vitality Oil | £3.98

I love the packaging because it stood out a mile away [okay I may be exaggerating a tad] from all the other products on the shelves. Although it's described as an oil on the packaging, I would definitely say it was more of a serum as it's quite gloopy.

This product has a pump dispenser and for me a little under one pump is the perfect amount for my hair, which is is down to my hips.. a little bit of this goes a really long way! I usually either use this on my hair when it's damp to help untangle all those pesky knots or after I've styled my hair to keep all the frizz and fly aways flattened.

What I adore about this product is the fact that you're not left with any oily residue on your hair. I hate it when my hair feels even slightly greasy, but this serum is very lightweight and doesn't make your hair feel heavy at all!

My hair after  using a pump of Argan Gold!

SOAP & GLORY // Butter Yourself Body Cream Review

Hands up if you're dying in the Great British heatwave ;) It's not as bad as yesterday but I was pretty much melting in bed last night, even with the fan on full blast!

Today I'm going to review Soap & Glory's relatively new body cream; Butter Yourself. I actually got this free in Boots a couple of months ago but put it aside and forgot about it for a while. Luckily I rediscovered it a few weeks ago and have been using it non stop ever since.

Soap & Glory | Butter Yourself | £10.50 | Buy Here

The best thing about this cream is that it smells absolutely DIVINE [it's so good it has to be capitalised.. guys trust me on this one!] It's got S&G's 'Fruitigo Fragrance' - a very fresh fruity scent with a slight hint of citrus which is also in products like Pulp Friction, Foam Call and Endless Glove. They describe the scent as having 'notes of frozen yuzu, orange oil, green fig and jungle pomelo essence'. Not going to lie.. I have no idea what frozen yuzu is or if it's even a real thing so I can't say if it smells like one or not! [Update: yuzu is a citrus fruit apparently.. who knew?]

You get loads of product in this tub - you only need to use a tiny bit since it's so thick so I can be sure it will last me ages. I've been using it every other day for two weeks and I've still barely made a dent in it. I choose to apply it to damp skin after showers and it leaves my skin so smooth and silky it's unbelievable. I love how it sinks straight in so you don't get that horrible sticky feeling and can get changed straight away without fuss.

Although I love this cream, I'd think twice about buying it again since it costs £10.50, which is a little too pricey for me! I would definitely rather get it as part of a deal again and save my pennies in the process. Luckily at the moment all Soap & Glory products are 3 for 2 at Boots so grab it while you can here.

ELF // Studio Matte Lip Color

ELF is one of my favourite make up brands - they have an amazing range of products at prices you just can't say no to.. especially when there's 50% off which is when I go mental I buy loads guilt free! A couple of products I bought in my last spending spree are the Studio Matte Lip Colours. I love a matte lip more than anything, so was really excited to try these out.

ELF | Matte Lip Colour | £3.75 | Buy Here

The two colours I chose are Coral which is a very soft nude toned coral and Rich Red which is a bright blue based red. You can't argue with how great the pigmentation of both these are, one layer is all you need for opaque colour, and Rich Red can be blotted down to give a lovely red tint to your lips. They're not as matte as I'd expected them to be, as they have a slight sheen when applied on the lips but it's still a pretty finish which lasts around 4 hours.

Top: Coral
Bottom: Rich Red

I really like that these are screw up, because it saves me having to sharpen them which lets be honest, is just a hassle and a waste! There's a sharpener at the bottom where the coloured tab is, but since the product is so soft and flimsy I'm too scared to use it in case I smush it all! The packaging is very sleek like most thing in the ELF Studio line and they're very easy to slip into your bag or purse. Just a warning though - I took the coral one out with me once and came back to find the stick of lipstick inside had snapped making it pretty impossible to use now :(

Although both colours are thick and creamy to apply, I find the Coral one looks terrible on my lips unless I add lashings of lipgloss on top, because it looks chalky and weird. Rich Red however applies like a dream! I do find these to be quite drying, so I can't wear them as much as I'd like to. They're 'enriched with Vitamin A, C and E' but my lips certainly aren't feeling it!

Rich Red

Coral

I would definitely buy Rich Red again as it's my go to red lipstick. Although I adore the colour of Coral, it just doesn't seem to work for me as well as Rich Red :(

RIMMEL // Wake Me Up Foundation Review

How's it going guys? I'm sure you've all heard a lot about Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation before, but I thought I'd share my own thoughts on it with you. I originally bought this from Asda [the makeup aisle is always the highlight of my Asda trips!] as everything on the Rimmel stand was under a fiver. I've had this foundation on my wish list for a while and lo and behold there was only one left and it just happened to be in my exact shade!

 Rimmel | Wake Me Up Foundation | Buy Here

This foundation claims it 'visibly reawakens and illuminates skin with a radiant glow' and for me this is definitely true. It contains teeny glitter particles which give it a shimmer which has been the subject of much debate in the beauty blogosphere! I personally love the healthy dewy glow it give me and think it's the perfect summer foundation - especially since it contains SPF 15. Just be careful because you do end up with shimmer all over your hands after applying this which does look a little strange :S

I would say Wake Me Up provides medium coverage, but it can be built up easily. It has a very silky consistency and feels super lightweight and refreshing on your skin. I only ever have to use one or one and a half pumps so I'm sure this will last me a while!

One Pump Of Foundation

My shade is number 201, Classic Beige - I'm quite lucky in that since my skin is fair to medium, colour selection wasn't a problem. However the biggest issue with this foundation is that the range of colours available are pretty rubbish - if you're very fair or medium to dark skinned you might have a bit of trouble finding your perfect shade since they're all a bit samey and beigey.

My favourite thing about this foundation is the smell - oh gosh I could sniff it all day if it wasn't such a weird thing to do ;) I can only describe it as a fresh citrus scent which may not be to everyone's taste but is definitely a plus for me!

The foundation does last all day, I would say you could get a good 8 hours out of it but after that it starts to look slightly oily. I understand that this happens with quite a few foundations, but I think in this case the shimmer definitely makes the problem worse!

So I've been talking about this foundation so much lately even my lovely mumma went out and bought one! Overall, a summer favourite and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants something light but with more coverage than a BB cream.