Empty Products

I always feel a great deal of accomplishment when I use up a product. For me, knowing that I've used up a product means I'll 100% repurchase because I obviously loved it!

My first empty is my beloved Benefit Rollerlash. This is hands down my favourite mascara of all time. It's black, it curls, it stays all day, it doesn't transfer onto my skin midday and it's easy to remove. I need to repurchase another one of these ASAP, I don't know how long I can be without it!

Up next is MAC Strobe Cream. I'm not surprised this is empty as I've been using it as a primer underneath my foundation near enough everyday. Will definitely repurchase this as it makes my foundation look super glowy. 

If you read my skincare post (click here if you haven't) you'll know how much I love the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo[+] and I'm so gutted that it's empty so I will definitely be picking up another one.

Last but not least is the Benefit Stay Don't Stray. I ran out of this a while ago and I've been using a concealer in replacement of this as an eyeshadow primer and although a concealer works well, nothing works as good as this. 

Have you finished off any products recently? Will you repurchase? Let me know in the comments below! See you soon!

Rebecca x

Highlight Collection Plus Swatches

If you know me you know I'm all about the glow. I love a popping highlight bright enough to be seen from the other side of the country. I have a small bundle of highlighters, some I use everyday and some I use very rarely.

From left to right the products are (Benefit Watts Up, MAC Strobe Cream, Benefit High Beam, MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Lightscapade, theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer and MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Global Glow).

Benefit Watts Up. This is a cream highlighter. Whenever I want a super strong highlight after I've applied my foundation I take this on my middle finger and tap it on the areas where I would usually apply a powder highlighter (tops of the cheekbones, tip of the nose, cupids bow) and then set it with a powder highlighter. I find that this creates a more intense highlight as it is using a cream and a powder highlight. It's important not to use the cream product when you've already set your foundation as the product will not blend properly and will look cakey. 

MAC Strobe Cream. I'll not go into detail too much about this one as I did talk about it in my last post. However, I love using this under my foundation to make my skin look more radiant.

Benefit High Beam. I've never actually owned this as a full sized product I've always had samples of it or a minature and to be honest I don't think I use it enough to buy the full sized. I don't really favour pink toned highlighters however I do sometimes mix this with my foundation in the spring time just to give my foundation a bit of radiance. 

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Lightscapade. This was the first powder highlighter I bought and I used to use it day in day out. However, I don't tend to reach for it as much any more as I do think it is a little too light for me now. But it's perfect for paler skin tones!

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer. My holy grail. My baby. This has been my favourite highlighter for over a year now and I've used it pretty much everyday and I'm still on my first batch. This is the most beautiful, intense, champagne, popping highlight and I have no words to say other than you need this. 

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Global Glow. This is a lot deeper than the rest of my highlighters but I love mixing it with the Mary-Lou Manizer just to create a more bronzed highlight. It's also great used on its own, lightly dusted on my temples on top of my bronzer on those days where I want a bronzed glow. I wouldn't recommend this to people with paler skintones as it could look quite muddy. 

That wraps up my little bundle of happiness that of course is - highlighters! Let me know what your favourite highlighting/strobing products are! See you soon!

Rebecca x

How To: Flawless Base

I love a flawless, bronzey, full coverage base for any makeup look! I've tried and tested so many products over the years and these are the best that I've tried so far.

So I'll take it step by step and explain the products and how I apply them. So get yourself a cup of tea and some munch because it's going to be a long one!

PRIMER

Most of the time I use a primer just to make my makeup last longer and to make my skin look more awake. After moisturising I mix MAC Prep+Prime Skin Base Visage and a small amount of MAC Strobe Cream between my fingertips, smooth it all over my face and leave it for 5-10 minutes before applying my foundation. The Skin Base has a slight radiance to it which brightens my skin but I add a small amount of Strobe Cream to give my skin that extra glow (definitely something I need on a Monday morning).

FOUNDATION AND CONCEALER

I then apply MAC Studio Fix with a MAC 188 brush in circular motions and then take a damp Beauty Blender to blend all the foundation together and remove any excess to avoid any areas looking cakey. It's important to use the same area of the Beauty Blender so that product is picked up and deposited evenly on the face. I have used so many foundations and I always come back to this one, I find that the coverage is full enough without being too thick. I used to use Estée Lauder Double Wear but it was so full coverage and so thick that it made my skin bad.

I then use Maybelline Instant Age Eraser Eye underneath my eyes and blend it out with the same Beauty Blender. This concealer is truly amazing it's so lightweight with a great coverage. 

POWDER

The first thing I do after blending out my concealer is set my undereyes using the Laura Mercier Loose Translucent Setting Powder with a Real Techniques Setting Brush. This powder is flawless as I've mentioned before, it's so silky and I've never seen a crease under my eye since using this. 

I then set the rest of my face using the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural with a MAC 129 brush. This powder has a slight radiance to it which makes it look natural on the skin (do not worry this is not like putting a highlighter all over your face!). I always set my foundation with a powder but I still want my skin to look like skin and this powder is perfect for that as it doesn't make me look cakey at all.

BRONZER 

After setting my face I use the NARS Bronzer in the shade Laguna with a MAC 168 brush just under my cheekbones as a contour then up to my temples and blend it into my hairline for bronzed skin. This bronzer is my absolute holy grail, I'm on my second batch already and will definitely repurchase when I've finished this one! It's a beautiful warm brown but it doesn't look orange on my skin which is what I love about it. 

HIGHLIGHT

This is probably my favourite part of my makeup because I love a strong, popping highlight! First I mix MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Global Glow with theBalm Mary-lou Manizer with another MAC 188 brush (not the one used for foundation as this could end in disaster!) on the tops of my cheekbones and just above my eyebrows. Then for a more intense highlight I take a fan brush (the one in the picture is just a cheap one - you can use any fan brush!) and take the Mary-lou Manizer alone and apply it to my cheekbones, tip of the nose and on my cupids bow. 

So that concludes my flawless, bronzey, glowy base routine! Let me know if you enjoyed reading this as I could do more "How To" posts (I have a lot of tips to share!) also let me know what your favourite base products are as I am nosey and I would love to know! See you soon!

Rebecca x