Current Favourites

Hello Blogger. Long time no see. It's fair to say that managing my time is not my best attribute but studying and working at the same time doesn't give me much time to myself to manage! However, I am back and I can't wait to see what I've missed in the blogging world.

I'd love to check out your recent posts - Leave your links below!

Without further ado...

Smashbox - Studio Skin Foundation 

I had never ventured to the smashbox counter until a few weeks ago, seeking a new foundation I decided to give it a shot! The lady working there greeted me and asked what I was looking for, she showed me two best selling foundations, this one and 'Liquid Halo HD Foundation'. Both foundations were appealing in different ways but I decided to go with the Studio Skin Foundation as I prefer a medium buildable coverage to a light one. 

I'm in love already. This foundation does what it says and stays put for definitely close to 15 hours, without much fading or transfer. (My pet hate,  finishing on the phone to realise you a bang slap faceprint on your phone screen, not cool) Hydrating and oil free? Yes guys, we have finally a good foundation for multiple skin types, perfect for combination.  I own this foundation in the shade 1.1, which is the lightest shade that Smashbox make. At first I thought this was a little dark due to it being quite yellow toned but once blended well with a buffering brush, it looks flawless. 

Mac Lipstick - Lovelorn 

I admit it I have a lipstick obsession, I just can't stop buying them. Mac seem to make up the majority of my collection due to their many colours and formulas.  Lovelorn isn't a lipstick I would normally go for, as i'm not really a bright pink girl. However, this beauty was an unexpected christmas present which now happens to me a new favourite of mine. Mac describe Lovelorn as an 'emotive blue pink' with a lustre finish. This formula gives sheer coverage, with a sheen. Glossy, so not the most long-wearing. For a lustre this lipstick is very pigmented which I love. I feel this would be suitable on any skin tone and any for occasion day or night. Just Beautiful. 

Mac Pro longwear Paintpot - Vintage Selection 

This is a dirty rose/peach colour with a pearlescent glow. Looks stunning on the eyelid alone or great to build eyeshadow onto. I think this would look great as a base for a rose gold look. Comment if you'd like to see this!  This product is extremely long lasting, without a doubt lasts all day without moving. Highly pigmented, creamy at first, dries fast leaving an intense and vibrant finish. 

Remember to leave me a link to your blog!

HolleyMarie

All Things Lush

Granny Takes a Dip bath bomb - The Sacred Truth face mask - Phoenix Rising bath bomb 

Before busy September comes along and we say goodbye to the summer holiday I'm taking very opportunity to relax as much as possible! In my opinion there's nothing better than relaxing with a Lush product or two after a long week. Its true, I'm a Lush addicted, I also wrote a post recently about my Top Five Lush Products go check it out!

Lush - Granny Takes a Dip £3.25 

When wondering around Lush I noticed this little beauty that I'd never seen before.I believe that Granny Takes a Dip is one of their newbies, always wanting to try something new I had to buy it. I'm so glad I did, this bath bomb is probably one of the biggest I've seen, the colours pink, blue, red and green just slowly melt and bubble into each other which is so relaxing to watch.  Leaving your bath water a gorgeous baby pink colour

This bath bomb has a lemon scent which helps you feel refreshed. Lemon oil is known to boast your mood while ginger oil is antibacterial and refreshing. Black pepper is also an ingredient which is warming, making your bath even more relaxing. After soaking with this bomb in your tub your skin will feel soft, silky and moisturised. I would definitely repurchase and recommended this.


Lush - Phoenix Rising  £3.25

Phoenix Rising is one of my favourite bath bombs because its packed with colour leaving your bath water a bright purple-y fuchsia which is just gorgeous. This bath bomb has a lot of fizz making it spin around like crazy making pretty patterns in the tub. After the purple layer an unexpected minty green layer appears which you can see in the second picture (kind of).

Fair trade shea butter makes the skin feel nourished while organic jojoba oil naturally moisturises. Similarly to Granny Takes a Dip, this bath bomb will also make you feel uplifted and refreshed due to its ingredient bergamot oil which is in the citrus family. The thing I love the most about this one is its rich fragrance, it smells like cinnamon and other exotic spices. Just lovely and also well recommended to all of the Lush fans out there!


Lush - The Scared Truth £6.25

Basically Lush face masks are probably the best you'll ever use, if you haven't tried one, you need to! This one is called The Sacred Truth and its the first time I've ever used it. I actually received this face mask as a freebie for returning 5 black plastic tubs with the Lush recycling scheme, check it out here. This one was recommend by a Lush staff member for dry skin and it worked absolute wonders!

 The application was easy, the formula was thick but smooth and really soothing on the skin, I placed a thick layer on my face for 5 - 10 minutes then washed it off. I was really happy with the results, my complexion was brighter, very moisturised and smooth. Lush face masks are recommend twice a week and have a use by date of three weeks due to fresh ingredients. 

 This face mask uses 99% natural ingredients such as fresh papaya to stimulate and brighten skin, shea butter making skin nourished and hydrated, honey which as an antiseptic ingredient and ginseng root for skin conditioning.   

Whats's your favourite bath bomb or face mask? 

HolleyMarie

'Back to' Picks

Well the end of the summer is definitely looming, with only a few weeks until the schools, colleges, universities are open again for the autumn term, I thought it would be a great time to share with you my 'Back to' picks. With the aim of creating an everyday look that is light, quick to apply and suitable for all ages.

Max Factor Face Finity All Day Flawless Foundation - £11.99 & Natural Collection Corrector Stick £1.99

Being a student I know what them rushed mornings can be like. The Max Factor Face Finity is a great 3 in 1 primer, concealer and foundation and is brilliant for them mornings when you are in a bit of a hurry!
Before using this product I do like use a moisturising primer because I have dry skin but if you don't have this problem the foundation may be fine without as it has a build it primer.

When applying this foundation, I firstly apply it like a concealer to the under eyes and any imperfections I may have on that day. This is quite a thick foundation which means that it does make a reasonable concealer. If not, the Natural Collection Corrector Stick may be for you.  This was  a godsend when I was at school as it removes any redness on the skin. This works as the creamy green colour of the concealer contouracts the red, colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel neutralise each other.

 After that I use a brush and buff the liquid into my whole face. This foundation leaves you will a beautiful matte finish which is really long lasting. Again, great as you probably don't have time to be topping up your make up during your school or college day.

The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara - £10 & Bourjois Liner Feutre £6.99

Next up is eyes, when I was at school I could never be bothered to get up and spend time on eye shadow, I basically only put on the bare essentials. If you like an eyeshadow add this is here.

The Mascara I have chosen is The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara, I originally bought this as a night time mascara but it surprising looks really natural on the eye lashes. This is a great quality leaving lashes looking lovely but not over done, there is no clumps after use and isn't at all messy. When I use this product it never takes much mascara to get the desired look meaning one tube will last you a long time.

If I decide not to wear eyeshadow I feel that my eyelids look to bare so I like to quickly put on a bit of eyeliner. This Bourjois liquid felt-tip like liner is perfect for this as it glides on nice and easy. As I'm going for an everyday look I only add a thin line but I feel this finishes the eyes off. This is probably my favourite liquid eyeliner of this style, its a one I'd recommend to anybody.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush in Santa Rose - £3.99 & MAC Lipstick in Hug Me £15.50

I've gone for subtle pink shade for both lips and cheeks, this will add a everyday amount of colour to the face, perfect for school.

This blush by Rimmel is probably one of my favourite drugstore blushers, its perfectly everyday and a gorgeous smokey rose colour. I'd say this is a great blush for anybody with fair skin but it would suit all skin colours due to the colour being buildable. The only disadvantage to this product is that it is a small size, making it hard to get an even spread on a brush. If you like a less subtle look add a darker blush or a bronzer here!

Last but definitely not least is the MAC lipstick in Hug me. If you have been reading my blog recently you will know that I've have quite an obsession with lipsticks, especially MAC ones. This one being my most recent purchase I had to give it mention as its a perfect match to the blush in my opinion! Hug Me is a darker smokey rose colour with a lustre finish meaning the formula gives a sheer coverage with a sheen. 

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to hear what you think. 

HolleyMarie 

Brand Review: Seventeen

Seventeen is an area in makeup I've never really ventured too. Made by Boots in England I thought that this small cosmetics company may not be up to much to as much as other high street brands. Knowing that Boots are successful with their other cosmetics chain, No7, I thought I'd give their products a try.


Seventeen Eyes - Eyeshadows - £3.89 each

 Left to right:  Ivory coast -  Statuesque -  Mardi Gras

Firstly I picked up these single eyeshadows in three colours. The first is Ivory Coast, this is more of a transparent shimmer than an actual colour, as you can see from the picture it's not very pigmented. I find this can be good for a base or for in the tear duct.  Next is Statuesque which is a shimmery rose gold/bronze, I love this colour its my favourite out of the three. Finally, Mardi Gras is another metallic shade in a gold/brown. 

I must admit, I'm a new fan to eyeshadows and I still have to learn a lot. I used to just throw on some liquid eyeliner or something like the Maybelline Colour Tattoo cream eyeshadows, so I feel investing in some cheaper eyeshadows is a great idea before committing to a high end palette.

Overall, for the price of £3.89 each I feel these eyeshadows were a great purchase from the high street.

Seventeen - Faslifeye HD Mascara - £6.99

As soon as I saw this packaging I thought this mascara could be a possible dupe for the Benefit They're Real, being my curious self I had to buy it. So I've been using this mascara all week and I have to say I have mixed views, don't get me wrong this product is great for maximising the size of your lashes. I'm unlucky to have small eye lashes myself so products like this are my essential must haves  because of this I have tried quite a few from the hight street and this one is bare average. Although this mascara does increase the size of lashes it definitely  does not lengthen and add volume to the degree that is shown on the picture, or at least for me it doesn't. If you're looking for something new to try at an average price I'd say this would be a great to look into if you're looking for a Benefit Dupe, this is not your product. 

Seventeen Skin Wow Highlighter - £5.99 Seventeen Stay Time Concealer - £4.49

Leaving the best till last, I'd like to introduce you to my new favourite liquid highlighter and concealer. I couldn't be more impressed with these two products especially at small prices like they are. 

Firstly starting with the concealer, my go to concealer in the past has been the Collection Lasting Perfection because I love the formula and how long it lasts. I feel this Seventeen concealer is almost identical to the collection one with the only difference, that it is not as thick but provides the same coverage. This product covers spots effortlessly and is great under the eyes. This concealer feels more expensive than it is and smells like a Mac product. 

Now, on to the Wow 3 way highlighter from Seventeen. I prefer liquid highlighters to powder ones because I have very dry skin, this means there is less chance of my skin becoming flakey. It's called the 3 way highlighter because it states you can use it in three ways. You could use it as a primer for a highlighted base, add it to a matt foundation to make it more dewy or highlight the cheek bones. In reality this is not a great primer but is amazing for lightening foundations and making them less matt, if you like that look or just fancy a change. By far the best way to use this is as a highlight for the cheek bones, with bronzer this makes my cheek bones look more defined and adds a healthy shine to the face that doesn't look greasy.

Overall, I'd recommend these two products to anybody looking on the high street for a liquid  highlighter or concealer. 

Have you ever used cosmetics from Seventeen? If so, did you like them?

HolleyMarie

Top 5 Lush Loves

As you can see I'm a little obsessed with Lush and have been for a long time now. In my opinion there is nothing better than a colourful, good smelling, handmade product that you know includes natural or safe ingredients. From years of collecting I have to say there isn't many Lush products that I don't like, so picking my top 5 was definitely difficult. 

To make it easier I set myself the task of only choosing one product per purpose. So here we have it from left to right they are Vanilla Dee-Lite, Happy Hippy, Rub Rub Rub, Mask of Magnaminty and Bubblegum Lip Scrub. 

Vanilla Dee- Lite - £12.75 per 250g
This body lotion is a gorgeous light moisturiser that leaves the skin super soft with a long lasting vanilla scent. Surprising Vanilla Dee-Lite includes fresh kiwi fruit, which is a good product for removing dead skin, making this lotion great for use after a nice scrub. When I choose a body lotion I always go for one which includes cocoa butter, like Vanilla Dee-Lite does. This is because cocoa butter is extremely moisturising and is known for treating stretch marks, scars and burned or dry skin which is always useful to have around.  

Happy Hippy - £3.50 per 100g / £6.96 per 250 g / £11.50 per 500g

Described by Lush as 'perfect for a morning shower' which I have to say I completely agree,  this product smells so citrus-y that it leaves you feeling awake and fresh. Happy Hippy is known for being great for sensitive skin and is 100% Vegan. 

Rub Rub Rub - £8.50 per 330g

This product (apart from always making me laugh because it sounds a bit rude in the 'how to use' section) is probably one of my all time favourite scrubs. I don't know about you but I'm often disapointed by body scrubs, you expect them to be rough but no in my experience they often have few exfoliating beads giving you an aching arm before a smooth leg. Rub Rub Rub is perfect for people who like a rougher experience. 

Mask of Magnaminty - £5.25 per 125g / £9.50 per 315g 

This product is without a doubt my all time favourite from Lush. I've been buying this for as long as I can remember, I've probably had 5 or 6 of the large tubs. This face mask has a beautiful pepperminty smell which gently exfoliates the skin leaving it feeling fresh and glowing. Mask of Magnaminty is my go to product if I have a break out due to honey being one of the main ingredients. Honey has been used as a skin ointment for over 2000 years due to its antiseptic nature. 

Bubblegum - £5.50 per 25g
The bubblegum  lip scrub was my first ever Lush purchase and has always been a favourite. This scrub is perfect for removing any dry skin from the lips before applying a lipstick, making  your favourite lip products last longer. Bubblegum is made from candy floss tasting caster sugar leaving you forever licking it off  your lips! 

What are your favourite Lush products? 

HolleyMarie

MAC had me at hello

Its true, MAC has well and truly stolen my high end virginity. I used to believe that high end makeup was nothing but a name on a bottle that you paid triple the high street price for. But it turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. 

After what feels like forever of trying to hunt down a foundation that suited my skin tone, didn't break me out or make my skin dry up a friend suggested that I tried MAC. Reluctant of wasting another £6-15 on foundation that would only be used once then sit in my bottom drawer, I took her advise and visited my local MAC counter.

I explained my skin type to the girl working there and she suggested I took a sample of the MAC studio fix fluid foundation in NW13 home with me before committing to the purchase, since I'd been having some problems in the past. I found this gesture very welcoming, I mean who doesn't like a tester or a freebie! Turns out this foundation formula and colour has been the best match I have found as of yet.  

The oil free foundation has a natural matte finish with a medium yet buildable coverage. I found this absolutely perfect for my pale skin, this will be great for other redheads out there, as it blends with freckles rather than giving a 'caked' face appearance. Embrace your features, never hide them away! This foundation claims to last 8 hours and I think it would be completely true in the winter months, lets just say humidity can put a downer your flawless finish in the summer! 

Since I intended to buy a MAC foundation there then I felt unsatisfied that I didn't have any goodies to take home with me, this left me starring at the lipstick section. You probably don't know this but I have a quite the lipstick obsession so finding out that MAC has one of the biggest lipstick collections I have ever seen was pretty dreamy. I bought both Viva Glam I and Spirit.

Viva Glam I is an absolute cult classic and a beautiful shade of red.  Its matt finish makes it long lasting, around 4-6 hours, my new favourite go to 'night out' lipstick. One downside is that because of the matt finish this lipstick can be drying on the lips, not to worry this can be quickly sorted by applying a lip balm before the lipstick. 

Spirit is not a shade I would usually go for but recently I've been craving new colours, I'm so happy I decided to buy it as it goes with my skin tone very well. I enjoy a darker lip that I can pull of in an everyday look. The satin finish is a lot like the matt but with an added small amount of sheen,  it is less drying however does not last as long (around 5 hours).

So whats next? I want to build my MAC lipstick collection,  I'd love to buy Plumful, Kinda Sexy and Russian Red. If you guys have any suggestions I'd love to hear! 

HolleyMarie