♥ November Favourites

I ended up being far too busy to blog for the majority of October and November. I've recently kicked my butt into shape (again) and written and scheduled a load of posts to ensure I don't fall behind and neglect my blog, and as I didn't post an October favourites, this one is rather large!

My Estee Lauder Double Wear has been a god send. My skin just won't clear up and for those days I'm at university all day and just don't fancy looking red, blotchy and spotty this is my ultimate go to. It's such a saviour for bad skin days and lasts all day long. You can read my review on it here. In a desperate bid to try and clear up my skin I repurchased some Sudocreme. It's a bit harsh on the skin if you use it too much, but every couple of days I'll pop it on my skin overnight to calm down red patches and it does make my skin look much better come morning. For my face wash, I've been using the Garnier Fresh Clarifying Wash for a couple of months now. It's gentle on the skin and really affordable and I'm on my fourth bottle of the stuff now. It leaves the skin feeling super clean and it helps to reduce shine so skin looks nice and matte after using it. As I've mentioned before, I never blow dry my hair and for those mornings when I don't have the time to let my hair dry naturally, I skip a wash and use my Colab Dry Shampoo instead. I actually prefer this to Batiste dry shampoo as it's colourless and it makes all the difference - no struggling with white/grey patches. I recently had the chance to upgrade my phone contract and I, of course, opted for the Rose Gold iPhone 6s. It's absolutely beautiful and I think it's a well deserved investment, as I kept my pink iPhone 5c for almost two years without breaking it. I can let you know what apps I use and stuff like that in a 'Whats on my iPhone' post if you're interested - let me know in the comments! I bought Maybelline's Lash Sensational when it was new to the drugstore and everybody was raving over it. I didn't open it until recently, when the mascara I had been using was all empty, and I don't think I could use anything else now - it makes my lashes look that good. Another thing I've been using none stop this month is my MAC Fix +, I've been using it before makeup, after makeup, to dampen my Beauty Blender and to intensify eyeshadows. It's a great multipurpose product and so worth the money. My final favourite is Game of Thrones. I hesitated getting into the series for such a long time as I never seem to buy into the hype around certain things and this was one of those things. I had to read the book for a module at university and it's so, so long so I still haven't finished it but I have watched the first few episodes of the first series and I'm loving it! I never thought I would, as I love the Lord of the Rings series so much, but it's totally different and not like anything else I've seen.

Link your November favourites down below and let me know whether my favourites are something you love too!

Em x

tumblr | twitter | instagram | pinterest

♥ My Five Favourite Makeup Brushes

Make up brushes are something I've only recently invested in. When I first started using makeup I applied my foundation with my fingers, didn't really use eyeshadow at all and used a liner that came with a brush. Brushes weren't something I wanted to spend my money on but now I'm so obsessed. Zoeva are my weakness. Real Techniques are the best of the bunch on the high street and MAC are the ultimate luxury, but I feel very easily duplicated by the likes of Zoeva and Sigma. Here are my top five make up brushes currently in my collection:


Sephora Multitasker #45
I wanted this for quite a while and when I was on holiday in Rome I managed to pop into Sephora and pick it up. I'm obsessed with buffing in liquid foundation and though the Real Techniques Buffing Brush is brilliant, this one does it better for me. I find it's not a fluffy and packs more punch into my application and the design is so, so sleek.

Zoeva Luxe Petit Crease
This is kind of similar to the MAC 217, but much, much smaller. It ensures a precise application, under the lower lash line, in the crease, or is really helpful to create a cut crease look. The size really helps to get colour just where you want it and the density is perfect.

MAC 217
This is the makeup brush that started it all. I've been watching the likes of Tanya Burr and Vivianna does makeup on youtube for years now and this little 217 is something all the best seem to use. It blends out crease colours on the eyes perfectly and it washes amazingly. It's the most expensive brush I own, and it's got me obsessed with MAC brushes. For what you pay they really are incredible.

Zoeva Luxe Brow Light
This large shader brush is perfect for applying colour all over the lids. It's quite big in size so that makes it super easy to get all the lids done in just a few swipes and the shape makes application really easy, too. I use this after I've put on a transition shade in the crease and press shadows right over the lid.

Real Techniques Cheek Brush
I got this last Christmas in a set the Chapman sisters released. It's limited edition to that set, but if you ever come across it I would highly recommend you snatch it up. The shape of it and the density of the brushes are exactly what you need to hollow out cheek bones with a contour or to add colour to the apples of your cheeks. I love going a bit darker with blush and putting it where some girls would put contour, and this gets the product right where I want it.


So, there you have my top five favourite brushes. If I were to include anything else it would be my Beauty Blender. I've got a review coming on it, but if you use a make up sponge like the Real Techniques one and love the results, the Beauty Blender is something you should be popping at the top of your Christmas wish list. It's the best of the bunch! Let me know what your favourite brushes are in the comments below, or if there's a certain brush brand I just need to try!

Em x

tumblr | twitter | instagram | pinterest

♥ How Much Does My Face Cost? | Beauty Blogger Tag

This is my favourite tag post I've seen in my time as a blogger. It's the one that really intrigues me. I love knowing what other girls use on a day to day basis - because they're bound to be products we've tried and tested and given the stamp of approval and sometimes, they're products we just won't switch around, ever. So here are the items I use on a pretty much every day basis. Excuse the multiple mascaras - I use one dried out mascara as a primer to separate my lashes! The reality of this post is that I probably bought most of the stuff on three for two offers or something similar... but to shock myself at how much it costs collectively is going to be fun anyway!

Base:
Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser - £4.27
L'Oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream Primer in Light to Medium - £9.99
L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Rose Ivory - £9.99
Natural Collection Cover-up Cream in Fair - £1.99
Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Lavish Mauve - £8.99

Eyes:
Mac Paintpot in Painterly - £16
Naked Basics 2 palette - £23
Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless mascara - £7.99
Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara - £7.99
Rimmel Glam Eyes liner - £5.29
Maybelline Brow Drama in Transparent - £4.99

Lips:
Halzephron Lip Salve - £3.25

There are a few things I didn't include here like powder and blush, but for the most part I forget to use them anyway. The total cost of my face is a whopping £103.74. While these products do change up from day to day these are the ones I go for most and is the most accurate I could get this tag done. If you haven't done this tag, please do and pop the link in a comment below because like I said, I love these posts and it's always worth knowing what people use on an everyday basis.

Em x

tumblr | twitter | instagram | pinterest

♥ Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation | Review

I very rarely try samples that come in magazines. I feel like I'll never get around to purchasing the real deal and I don't believe they're big enough to give you a good enough idea of what the product is actually like... But when an Estee Lauder sample pops up, for a foundation that's so raved about, you kind of have to try it out. It turned out to be worth it. Very worth it. The sample went a long way. I used it sparingly over a couple of days and I was out and about in typical, wet, Cornish weather and it held up really well. I was intrigued. More and more people told me of how incredible it was and I had been after a more luxurious foundation for so long that in September, before moving back to university, I bit the bullet and bought it.

It's good. Really good. It stays put all day and the girls at the counter in Boots Birmingham did a really good job of colour matching my skin to the shade Desert Beige. It suits my skin tone perfectly and I usually apply it with a finger all over my face and then gently buff it in with my Sephora Multitasker brush. It gives such good coverage and I'd say it's medium to high coverage and you can build it up easily. It stays put all day, with or without primer, though I feel primer does encourage it to stay that little bit longer and prevents it settling into pores as it is such a heavy consistency. It has a natural and flawless looking matte finish on the skin and it still blows me away after a few months of having it.

All in all, Double Wear is a seriously good foundation and I'm so glad it's the high end foundation I ended up going with, because it hasn't disappointed me at all. At £30, it's not the cheapest of its kind and it isn't the most expensive, either. It's a good middle ground for a high end product. I opted to get my bottle at Boots, so I could collect points on my purchase and I also got gifted two sample products: the Advanced Night Repair serum and the Little Black Primer mascara primer. I don't feel I've noticed much difference in my skin from the serum, but I'm not using it consistently and the mascara primer is nothing rave about... I don't believe I'd purchase either product, but it was a nice touch to have two decent sized samples thrown in.

The foundation doesn't come with a pump but the one I've attached is a MAC foundation pump that cost around £5.

A great first encounter with Estee Lauder make up though, and I'm excited to eventually try some more of their stuff.

Em x

tumblr | twitter | instagram | pinterest