Current Favourites

Hey ladies!
For such a long time I've been trying to get back on track with my blogging. I still love make up and beauty just as much as I previously did, but there was just something about blogging that felt like an effort, so because of that I gave it a break for quite a long while. Oops!
Today I'm here to tell you about my current favourites. I have tried a fair bit during the Summer so my list could be huge, but I'll try and keep it short so you won't get bored! :)

Essence All About Matt Powder: I've always always always for as long as I can remember had dry and previously  super sensitive skin. But for whatever reason this Summer my skin turned more to the oily side of the scale, and no matter what primer or foundation I used, after a couple of hours my face was as shiny as a disco ball. I picked this up on a whim one day because it was cheap, and oh my god it is actually so good!I apply it after all my other make up is done, and it keeps me matt all day long. Now that the weather has slightly changed and gotten a bit cooler, I may not need to use it as much, but for anyone on a budget looking for a good mattifying powder, give this a go!


Covergirl 3 in 1 Outlast Foundation: I'm really trying to ration my use of this because I picked it up in the States back in April, and since I've no immediate plans to return for a while I don't know when I'll be able to pick it up again! Sad face! But anyway, this is the first foundation in quite a while that I've really loved. Its a medium/full coverage and it leaves the nicest finish on the skin. Not matte, but not particularly dewy either.  But it lasts ALL DAY. I put it on in the morning and when I'm taking my make up off at night it looks exactly the same as it had earlier. To me it just looks natural! I only got it back in April and I'm over half way in the bottle already, so that just shows how good it really is!

Benefit Dandelion Blush: This has been mentioned quite a few times before, but when you hit pan on something then you really know its a favourite! Its a beautiful natural shade of pink, with a very very subtle hint of shimmer. Its the perfect blush to wear if you want to go for a strong smokey eye, or a bright statement lip. I really can't wait to try more of the Benefit Box O Powders because I genuinely love this one!

MUA Undressed Palette: I'm a neutrals girl through and through. I don't know what it is but I'm just not adventurous when it comes to my eyes! This palette is MUA's version of the Naked Palette, and you can see how much I love it by just looking at the battered packaging and I've hit pan on a couple of them already!  I'm not too gone on the Matte shades so I don't use them that much, but I love the shimmers, and when I use them alongside a primer, they stay put all day!

Rimmel Colour Rush Balms: There was one particular shade that I wanted to tell you about, but typical when I went to photograph it, it seems to have disappeared! I'm really looking forward to trying some deeper shades when the weather gets a bit cooler! This is probably the most comfortable, pigmented lip crayon I've used so far, and trust me I've tried a lot of them! There's a newer pinky/purple shade that came out as part of the Rita Ora Collection that I can't wait to try! :)

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm: I was lucky enough that my mother gifted one of these to me when she purchased it herself of QVC a while back. I hadn't been using it because its so expensive, but I've been using it regularly the last while and I'm so impressed! I rub some onto my face and it sounds strange but you can feel it actually melting the make up away! I then rinse it off with a warm face cloth and all my make up is gone! I often use a micellar water to make sure, but there genuinely isn't a trace of make up left!

So that's it lads and ladies.. There's so much more I could list here, but for now I'll keep it short and sweet! :) I've really enjoyed writing this post, so here's hoping that this is the start of me getting my blogging mojo back!
Anything in particular that you've been loving lately?
Thanks for reading (if there's anyone still left out there)
Alisha xx

Whats in my make up bag!

So for any of you that don't know or aren't on Instagram, Cloud10Beauty are doing a 'beauty photo challenge for the month of October, and I've been dying to do one for ages so I decided I'd give it a lash! The reason I decided to do this post is because one of the challenges is a 'what's in your make up bag' post, so I figured I'd go one step further and do a blog post on it aswell! I have a large quantity of make up, which at the moment is stored in my wardrobe in various different vanity bags and cases, so this make up bag is the one I keep the products I use every day in, and I try to switch it up every so often.

So first of all, the actual make up bag itself is one I got when my parents were on holidays, and it came free with a fragrance purchase from Roger and Gallet. I've only started using it recently, but its a good size, and I can fit a good amount into it, a lot more than what I have in it at the moment! 

Now, onto the good stuff! :)

First up are my make up brushes, which as you can see is made up mainly of Real Techniques brushes! I'm in love with the blush brush, its so so soft, and applies just the right amount of product! The rest of the brushes are all eye brushes, and the long black handled one is a Kiko one I picked up last week, and the short silver handled one is a Sigma travel sized blending brush, and the other two are just ones I picked up cheap! But they do the job so I cant complain! :)

And onto the face!For my days off work, or when its really hot, (which isn't a whole lot in this lovely country), I opt for a BB cream. At the moment I'm using this one from Catrice, alongside the Maybelline Dream Fresh one, and if I'm honest I prefer this one! There's more coverage without it being too heavy, where as with  the Maybelline one, it doesn't cover up any redness or blemishes or anything which is disappointing for the price of it! And this Catrice one is only 6 euro! 

My go to foundation since the autumn crept in is  this Stay Matte foundation from Rimmel, and I love it! Its a mouse foundation, so the teeniest bit will do your whole face, and the coverage is amazing!

I always use a primer before applying my make up, and I've just recently finished a Smashbox one which I adored, but I won't pay 30ish euro just for a primer, to me its mental. So I'm trying to use what I have for now, and this My Base illuminating primer from Essence does the job of keeping my make up on all day, and is dirt cheap! 

For powder I use this much raved about Stay Matte powder from Rimmel. I don't use it when I'm wearing the Stay Matte foundation because that would be much too cakey for me, but I'm using more sheer products I'd always use this to mattify my face!

I'm currently using 2 concealers, the Maybelline Fit me for any blemishes or redness, and the Eraser Under Eye concealer also by Maybelline. Apologies for the grubbiness of the packaging, but both of these are on the go a while now! 

For eyes I have these 2 gel eyeliners by Catrice in both brown and black. I used to use these every single day but during the summer I just went with shadow and mascara, so now that the winter is back in I'm going to try and get a bit more use out of them, because they are actually really good! 

I've two mascaras on the go aswell at the minute, the Rimmel Scandalise, and a random one from NYC which I cant tell you the name of because the writing rubbed off! Both of these are coming near the end of there life, so I'm just trying to get a bit more use out of them before then! 

Also in here is my must have NYX eyeshadow primer. This stuff is amazing! It makes my eyeshadow last from for the full working day and a bit more, which is great! 

I currently only have 2 blushes in my bag, 'Flushed' from Sleek and I think this cream  MUA one is called Dolly, or something of the sort! Both of them have amazing pigment and are perfect colours for the transition into autumn/winter.

These are two of the most recent additions to my lipstick/gloss collection, a lipstick by Essence and this lip gloss from W7. Neither have been used yet, so I will have to test them out fairly soon! 

Lastly I just have a few random bits! An eye cream from Nivea, a tin of good old Vaseline, (aloe vera if you don't mind), and a tin of deodorant! 

So there you have it ladies, that's what's in my make up bag... For the moment!! 

Thanks for reading,

Alisha xxx