Purple Reign, Purple Reign!

Goooood evening!!

Now as much as I love summer (and all that warm sunshine when we actually get it!) Autumn is definitely my favourite time of year. The cold, crisp days with crunchy leaves on the ground & snuggly layers make me so happy! One of my favourite things about this time of year is the change in make up palette, with much darker yet warmer shades being used. Because of this, I thought it would be a good time to discuss some of my favourite purple products, as this is a colour that I shall be using a lot over the next few months.

I'll start with the lips, and there are 2 products in my collection which stand out the most to me. Firstly is the Revlon ColourBurst Balm Stain in the shade 005 (Crush). 

This is a product which I purchased a little while ago in anticipation of Autumn starting! It's priced at £7.99 in Boots but I purchased it during a 3 for 2 offer across Revlon product, which they have started again now so it's a good time to go and get it! The lip stain has a beautiful gloss to it and applies very smoothly to the lips. The pointed crayon shape is ideal for getting into the corners of the lips so I don't require lip liner when wearing it. I find that the colour does need to be reapplied after eating, drinking etc but it does not wear off as quickly as other products that I've tried, so really not a bad choice if you're looking for something a bit less maintenance. It also isn't as drastic in colour as some of the other purples on the market, so if you are unsure about trying out darker shades this could be a good staring point. 

The second lip product is the Rimmel London Lasting Finish lipstick in shade 128 (Starry Eyed). 

As you can see, this is slightly more darker than the Revlon crayon but I'm all for dark purple lips! I purchased this for £4.99 from Boots and actually bought it because I had a MAC Creme Sheen shade (A23-Dare You) that I was really disappointed with & they were similar colours! Unlike the MAC lipstick, this one did not dry out my lips and was also much longer lasting. The lipstick itself is really creamy so applies nice & evenly, and I just love the colour! I do use a lip liner with this one (Rimmel London Lasting Finish- 1000 Kisses) to keep my lines neat & tidy. A good product with a very reasonable price tag!

Next up we move to the eyes, and this is quite a new purchase for me but one that I have used a lot already! It is the MAC Pro Palette refill pan eyeshadow in the shade Sketch, which was £10 (to be used in the Pro Palette).

I hadn't heard of this colour before, but since using it (and loving it!) I have had many compliments, and strangely enough the assistant that served me in MAC was actually wearing it herself when I purchased. It does look slightly brown in the picture which is annoying as in reality it is a beautiful deep shade of purple. The colour blends so well due to the high pigmentation and applies so evenly. It is the perfect shade for the A/W smokey eye and I can't recommend it enough! It's one that I will certainly be repurchasing throughout the season!

Finally I have chosen one for the nails, and this is a polish from Barry M in the shade RedBlack. 

If you have read any of my other posts you may have worked out by now that I'm a bit of a Barry M fan! Of all the colours I own (and believe me, there are quite a lot!) this has to be one of my favourites. It's an absolute steal at only £2.99 from Boots or Superdrug and there's normally always a 3 for 2 offer or similar as well. The colour is PERFECT for A/W, I'm just sad that I only tend to wear it in the colder months before swapping it for brighter shades in the Spring. I would say that you definitely need to apply 2 layers, as the first cost is a bit patchy & thin looking and is mainly a red tone. Once you have applied the second coat though you get the gorgeous dark colours coming through and achieve the result above. I adore the glossiness which really compliments the colour, and provided that you use a top coat the varnish does stay on for a very respectable amount of time. It really is a great product! 

That's it for my purple faves, I hope you enjoyed reading about them and maybe even try some yourself. Comment below with your favourite purple coloured products that you feel are missing, I'm very keen to try out some more!

Until next time xo

July Beauty Favourites!

Hello!

So as it is still early(ish) in August, I thought the best place to start with my beauty product reviews would be with a post about my July favourites!

July was a very good month for product purchases, I think I was pleased with everything that I bought. Here is a round up of my thoughts…

From top left: Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub, Barry M Gelly Polish in Rosehip, Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Santa Fe, Bourjois Volumizer Mascara, Revlon Colourburst in Demure, MAC eye kohl in Fascinating, and Real Techniques Powder Brush

Now, I just want to mention that I wouldn't normally have this many products in my favourite list, but as I said before it was a good month for shopping! So on to the item breakdowns:

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub- £5.50 from Lush stores

This does exactly what it says on the pot! Essentially it's sugar and oil mixed together with colouring (so may seem overpriced) but it is done oh-so-well! There are a range of 'flavours' to choose from, but I opted for the bubblegum as personally I think it had the nicest smell. I certainly wasn't disappointed. You just rub the scrub across your lips and it seems to do the trick. If like me you suffer from dry lips, this is a great product to use. They felt much plumper afterwards too, and tasted incredibly sweet. The only downside is that this definitely needs to be done in front of a mirror, as even when you may think you have licked away all of the sugar granules there may be some left! I would definitely recommend though, I was very pleased with this buy.

Barry M Gelly polish in Rosehip- £3.99 (and part of a 3 for 2 deal) from Boots

I am already a big fan of Barry M nail polishes as I think they are hugely affordable and of rather high quality, I can usually get at least a week's wear before I start to see any signs of chipping. I also tend to buy them in 3's as Boots almost always has an offer on them. The Gelly range always exceeds my expectations, and in particular this colour has been a dream! Not only does it go on so evenly, but the colour is beautiful! I had at least 4 people asking me if I had Shellac on my nails when wearing this as the quality of it seems so high. I did use 2 layers of colour but feel one would probably be enough if you used a generous amount (and weren't such a perfectionist like me!). I am totally in love with this product and shall be repurchasing shortly in case Barry M decide to discontinue. Perfect for Spring and Summer, a massive thumbs up from me!

Nars Sheer Glow in Santa Fe- £31 from Space NK

This has to be the BEST foundation I have ever purchased! I do tend to jump from brand to brand when it comes to foundations as I have found they all tend to be of a similar quality…until now! I can safely say that this will forever be in my make up bag. The coverage is fantastic, the colour is a perfect match for my skin and despite the fact my face can sometimes be dry, it still manages to give me a dewey effect which I have struggled to achieve in the past. I know at £31 it is quite expensive, but in my opinion completely worth it as a little does go a long way with this product. I shall be recommending this to anyone who listens in the future! I only wish I had tried this foundation sooner instead of the Rimmel's, Maybelline's and MACs etc that I was purchasing.

Bourjois Volumizer Mascara- £10.99 from Boots

In the past I have had mixed opinions about Bourjois product, a lot of it has seemed overpriced for the quality that you get. However, this is a product that has pleasantly surprised me. I actually heard about it watching one of Tanya Burr's tutorials as she referred to it as one of her old favourites that she had rediscovered. I trust her judgement and needed a new mascara so decided to give it a go and I'm glad I did. The mascara has 2 'steps' involving 2 different wands. The first brush separates the lashes and gives some volume, the second wand has a thicker brush which builds up the volume without clumping. It is also sensitive to contact wearers, so perfect for me!

Revlon Colourburst Laquer Balm in Demure- £7.99 from Boots

This is a great take on Clinique's chubby stick, I just love Revlon's version! The colour that I purchased (Demure) has a beautiful gloss to it, and can be worn both during the day and at night. Unlike other lip crayons that I have tried, this does not dry out your lips and in fact has been infused with ingredients such as shea butter to keep your lips moisturised when wearing it. My only concern with this is that I did seem to have to reapply quite a lot, but this has been during times when I have been eating and drinking so for the price this isn't too much of a worry. 

MAC eye kohl in Fascinating- £14 from MAC Stores

I was looking for a way to make my eyes look brighter and slightly wider as I feel they can get a bit lost under heavy eye make up, so thought I would try this. It's one of the products that I decided to try before hearing anything about it, and much to my delight have seen it cropping up in tutorials and blogs since then, so I must have done something right! The kohl certainly opens my eyes up when applied to my waterline and disguises any redness that may be there. I am happy on the whole, the only slight disappointment is that it does seem to cling to my lower lashes if I apply 2 or so layers so I have to be cautious not to build the kohl up too much on my eyes.

Real Techniques Powder Brush- £10.99 from Superdrug

I have to confess, I am a bit of a Real Techniques geek! I LOVE their brushes, I purchased my first set early last year and haven't used another brand since (but am open to suggestion if you guys have any!). I haven't bought the powder brush until now as it is quite large for my face and I wasn't sure that I would get much use out of it. As you can probably tell from the colour in the photo though (sorry!) I actually think it's great for applying setting powder and find that when sweeping it across my face the size is perfect. They are so easy to clean and stay incredibly soft for so long that I continue to be impressed by their product.

And that's it…PHEW. Sorry for the essay, I promise to keep it shorter next time. I hope you enjoyed reading, please feel free to leave your feedback and I would love to hear about your experiences with these products :)

Thanks for reading, until next time! xo <3