Beauty // NYC Tarte Haul

Finally, I'm back on the blog. I've majorly slacked over the last few months because of various reasons, mainly university. But that's all out the way now and I'll be back to my weekly blogging - which I've missed so much!

On the 21st of May, me and two of my friends went to New York for 5 days. Yes the sightseeing and general buzz of NYC is beyond amazing, but so is the shopping. The first place I had to hit up was Sephora, a beauty junkies heaven! Tarte makeup is pretty hard to come by in the UK, so it was at the top of my 'To Buy' list - mainly the Tartelette palette.

Tarte Showstopper Palette $38.

This wasn't the palette I wanted originally. After visiting about 5 different Sephoras, all sold out of the infamous Tartelette palette, I admitted defeat and found what I thought was the next best thing. I've heard so much about the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushers and also their Park Ave Princess bronzer, so I opted for a palette with both of them in, along with a beautiful selection of eye shadows and a gorgeous highlighter. This palette is definitely a travel must-have.

Tarte Tartelette Palette £30.

I arrived home from New York still longing for the Tartelette palette, so I managed to find it on eBay for £30 - which wasn't too bad considering it would have converted to around £27 after tax in NYC. Good matte eye shadows are hard to come by, and this palette is matte and matte only.

Tarte The Sculptor in '2' Park Ave Princess $24.

There are a million and one of these contour sticks on the market at the moment, but I opted for Tarte as I knew I wouldn't be able to get it back at home. I saved most of the makeup I hauled so that I could take photos first, but this contour stick is something I've used on a daily basis since I bought it. It's super creamy and blends like a dream. I never imagined using a contour product on a daily basis, but it creates a natural yet noticeable contour to slim and sculpt my face.

Beauty // New in for L'Oreal

L'Oreal Paris Brow Artist Plumper - £5.99

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Smokissime in 'Brown Smoke' - £5.99 [on offer]

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Smokissime in 'Black Smoke' - £5.99 [on offer]

Finally a high street brow product that I really love! For a while I liked the Maybelline Brow Drama, but a round applicator for your eyebrows was just odd and quite messy. However, with the L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper it has a thin wand and a small precise applicator to give colour and to easily shape and hold your brows in place. I use this in conjunction with my Anastasia Dip Brow and my brows have never looked so good.

I've seen a mixed bag of reviews about the Smokissime liners, but the negative reviewers seem to be using the product wrong. To me this is not an eyeliner, and don't think L'Oreal should have even branded it as any sort of 'liner' - they also mention it has a 'precision tip', as you can see, there's nothing precise about it! However, they are essentially a one product way to a smokey eye and I absolutely love them. It's only when I was taking photos of them that I realised the product is actually in the lid and not the tube - idiot. For a daytime smokey eye, I like to use 'Brown Smoke' and apply to the lower half of my eyelid and carefully line the outer half of my lower lash line, then BLEND BLEND BLEND. This is another aspect where a lot of people are getting this wrong, because it will look horrendous if not blended well. 

Have you tried any of these new-ish L'Oreal bits?

Beauty // MAC Haul

[Left] MAC Lipstick in Brave - £15.50

[Right] MAC Lipstick in Taupe - £15.50

I've been massively into lipsticks recently, in particular the Kylie Jenner-esque shades. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a massive sheep when it comes to trends and hyped products. Although, I never really cared for Brave when I saw it talked about on Kylie Jenner, but I had to have it when I saw Amelia Liana wearing it in one of her vlogs. Brave is a pinky-nude-your-lips-but-better shade with a satin finish. Taupe is a brown toned dark nude with a matte finish.

What nude lipsticks are you loving at the moment?

Beauty // Products I Think Are Absolutely Sh*t

Some of these products have been hyped in the bloggersphere and sometimes I think bloggers can get caught up in what other people think of something and just follow the crowd. I rarely buy a product that I completely don't get on with, so I thought I'd show you the few products that I've found totally useless.

Garnier Ultimate Blends, The Sleek Restorer Conditioner - This condition goes down as the ultimate worst hair product that I have ever ever ever used. I've seen bloggers rave about it, it has 4.5 stars on Boots.com and I just cant understand why. It must have a high water content because it doesn't actually condition my hair at all, I massage it into my hair and it just disappears. I've given it half the bottle of chances to change my mind but it's just down right crap. The shampoo is okay as shampoos go, it makes my hair feel very soft afterwards which makes me think its packed to the brim with silicone and not one to use if you want a deep cleanse. The deep conditioner on the other hand is worth while, although I think it just does what I expected the conditioner to do. 

Charles Worthington Texturising Spray - This is another massively hyped product apparently comparable to the Oribe texturising spray. I do like the effects this product straight after I've used it - it gives amazing volume and texture to the hair. HOWEVER, I have personally found that this isn't a brush out product. My hair the day after using this was like I'd been dragged through a bush backwards. It felt gross, sticky, coarse and only a good shampoo would restore my normally shiny-tangle-free hair. My hair is lucky if it gets 2-3 washes a week and using this product means I'd have to wash it every day. 

Fake Duo Clear Eyelash Glue - This is a warning more than a 'Product I Think is Absolutely Sh*t', because the real-deal Duo eyelash glue is my holy grail. I usually find eBay quite a reliable source to buy from, however recently I bought a tube and from the get go I knew it was a fake. Firstly, you had to cut off the end of the tube to get the product out - with real Duo this is not the case. Secondly, the product inside was thin, watery and smelt like false nail adhesive which is quite worrying. And lastly, the overall packaging was reminiscent of the crappy lash glue you get free with eyelashes. It was only £2.69 and I insisted that the seller give my money back, despite the fact they still claimed it was real - clearly not.

[I purchased a genuine 14g tube from Feel Unique and thought I'd show you a comparison to the fake]

Do you agree with any of my disappointing products?

Wishlist // November Beauty

My car broke down a few weeks ago, it was worst case scenario and it's cost me a bomb. Ever since I've been super sensible and restrained when it comes to shopping. Because of this, there's only a few things I really want this month when it comes to beauty.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Nude-ist - This is provoked by my love of the Kylie Jenner 90's nude trend at the moment. This shade 'Nude-ist' looks just that, but in a long-lasting lip lacquer [what a mouthful].

Eylure Brow Palette in Dark - I'm fast running out of my eyebrow shade in my HD Brows palette and I don't really want to spend £25 on another when I only use 1 out of 4 shades. This brow palette from Eylure looks like a good alternative and it's only £10.

Bourjois Smokey Eyes Palette in Bleu Rock - I've gone from never wearing eyeshadow, to being an eyeshadow palette fiend in the space of a year. Now I'm getting better at creating different eye makeup looks, I've also been braver with the colours I've been using. I bought this amazing turquoise/emerald green sequin skirt from Miss Selfridge recently and I can just imagine creating a mermaid green smokey eye to go with it. And this little palette from Bourjois seems perfect.

Eylure Brow Tame & Define Wax - I do love my Maybelline Brow Drama to keep my brows in place throughout the day. However, it makes my eyebrows so hard and I get conscious that they look a bit crispy. This looks easy to use and hopefully won't make my eyebrows crispy!

Whats on your beauty wishlist this November?

Beauty // Kylie Jenner 90's Nude Lip

Rimmel Lip Liner in Spice - £2.99

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 08 - £5.49

L'Oreal Color Riche Lipstick in 320 - £6.99
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Asia - £4.99
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey - £6.99

Natural Collection Lipstick in Biscuit - £1.99

I just couldn't help but jump on the Kylie-Jenner-90's-nude-lip bandwagon. The controversy/buzz around Kylie Jenner's lips has been everywhere recently. I love the Kardashians, so I'd like to hope that Kris Jenner hasn't allowed her 17 year old daughter to get lip fillers, but to be honest I think she probably has. However, despite it being revealed that Kylie uses Mac's Soar lip pencil and Velvet Teddy lipstick to achieve the illusion of fuller lips, I was determined to dodge the high-end prices and search for some high-street equivalents.

Rimmel Lip Liner in Spice - This product has been the key to achieving this look. It's compatible with all of the lipsticks and can be worn alone for as a long lasting matte lipstick. After watching Pixiwoo's video, the way to over line your lips to make them look fuller - without looking like a clown or a drag queen - is to slightly over line the center of the bottom and top only. I have found that this technique really does work!

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 08 - This has swiftly become one of my all time favourite lipsticks. I recently went clubbing where I lost this lipstick, my phone, my bag and my dignity consecutively throughout the night - and the first thing I did the next day was repurchase this lipstick [getting my priorities in order clearly haha]. This is more on the pinky scale of 90's nude, but is that perfect 'your lips but better' shade that you can throw on if you're in a rush. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Asia - I bought this after a Youtubers recommendation but I can't remember who. This is my least favourite, as I think it would suit paler skin tones or those with less pigmented lips. Because it's a lighter colour than my lips, I can make this work by covering my lips with the remainder of foundation on my brush and then applying it. 

L'Oreal Color Riche Lipstick in 320 - I recently had an interview in London for a luxury beauty brand recruiter and I'm proud to say I got the job! But after the interview I had 2 hours to kill before my new job's induction. I was in an area of London where there weren't any big shops to waste some time in, but I came across a little Boot's [possibly the oddest boots I've ever been in]. I couldn't work out whether this was a new shade or from a new collection because it was on offer, however it is the perfect 90's nude. It's very similar to the Kate Moss lipstick yet it's slightly more glossy.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey - If you aren't brave enough for the over-drawn lips, but love the 90's nude trend, then this product is for you. It's the perfect dark nude colour, but sheer, easy to apply and easy to maintain. This has been a firm favourite of mine over the last few years and it's soon to be the first lip product I have ever used up. 

Natural Collection Lipstick in Biscuit - Last but not least is this gem from Natural Collection. It's the cheapest by a long shot and my favourite 90's nude. It's a brown toned nude and is a match made in heaven with the Rimmel 'Spice' lip liner. They have a 2 for £2.50 offer on Natural Collection so me being me bought another 2 of this lipstick [you never know, they might discontinue it, or I might lose one on another embarrassingly drunken night out] 

[I'm aware in these photos all the lipsticks look very similar, but in real life I promise they aren't!]

Hopefully this post has inspired some of you to try out the 90's nude lip and shown you that it's achievable on a tighter budget. If you have any suggestions of some Kylie Jenner inspired lip products then please let me know! I'm always on the hunt for more lipsticks and liners. 

Beauty // New Real Techniques 'Nic's Picks' Limited Edition Brushes

Real Techniques 'Nic's Picks' Limited Edition Brushes - £20 Superdrug

A while ago I went to a student night at Lakeside shopping centre with my friends Aimee and Katie. We went into Boots and spotted these Limited Edition 'Nic's Picks' brushes from Real Techniques. I wanted to buy them SO bad, but the £29.99 price tag was just ridiculous considering I already own about 30 makeup brushes. A few days later, I went back to Lakeside with my friend Ruth and went for a browse round Superdrug and to my amazement they had piles of these brushes for £20! Knowing I'd get 10% discount with my NUS card I grabbed one without a second thought.

I'ts safe to say I love every single one of these brushes. I use the eyeliner brush for my eyebrows, it's so tiny and precise and even my 83 year old Nan commented how good my eyebrows looked after using it. I'm yet to own any Real Techniques eyeshadow brushes, [I'm saving my Boots points to buy the set and I'm only 42 points to go!] so these two fluffy shadow brushes are a welcome addition to my collection. The cheek brush has replaced my kabuki brush to apply my blush; it's literally the perfect size to apply blush in one swipe across the cheekbones. And finally the duo-fibre face brush was the one that I didn't think I'd get much use out of, however like the box describes, it's great for applying powder. I find that the Real Techniques Powder Brush applies my Mac Studio Fix Powder a little too heavily, but this applies the perfect amount without looking cakey.

Duo-Fibre Face Brush:

for lightweight application + blending of face powders or pigments.

Cheek Brush:

evenly applies makeup across cheekbone for a more dramatic finish.

Angled Shadow Brush:

perfectly cut for layering eye shadow in the crease.

Base Shadow Brush:
applies a smooth, flawless foundation of colour.

Eyeliner Brush:

firm, angled head for optimal control along lash line.

Riley, my little un-helper giving my brushes a little chew in between photos. 

I would really recommend these brushes to any Real Techniques lover, or even a makeup beginner who wants to start a brush collection. Definitely try to find them in Superdrug for £20, as I think the £29.99 price tag in Boots is a little extortionate.