Neutral eyeshadow palettes are my weakness when it comes to makeup. I have so many piled up in my beauty drawers, but that never stops me adding more to my collection. Granted - I do love to splurge on luxury brands, but it's always much more exciting to come across more affordable products that impress and rival premium formulas. Just like the Collection Eyes Uncovered Palettes. At just £3.99 each, these palettes are an absolute bargain and give some premium palettes a run for their money!
After wearing thicker foundations, darker eyeshadows and berry lips for the past, six months, I'm so excited to pare my makeup back and give myself a fresher, glowing look. Spring makeup is all about radiant skin, rosy cheeks and some brighter hues and I've found a great selection of affordable products to deliver just that.
In my makeup routine, coverage tends to get ramped up in Autumn/Winter. But, when my skin is dried out from the bitter weather, I don't want to cover my whole face in layers of heavy foundation. It only ends up making me look about twenty years older than I am, by clinging to any rough areas and exaggerating an uneven texture. Instead, I like to use moisturising bases and choose thicker, full-coverage concealers to do the hard work, hiding any bits that need some extra help. There's a lot of options out there and I've been putting a selection to the test over the past couple of weeks. Bear in mind that I have dehydrated skin that can get quite dry, so if your skin-type is normal or oily, the products will probably perform very differently. But, I have mentioned which skin-types I feel each concealer will work best with and why. So, which do I rate and which do I slate?
I'm no makeup artist, but I've been addicted to and used makeup for a pretty lengthy amount of years and I don't think I'm too shabby at applying it. On my own face, anyway. Rather than just posting lots of same-y FOTDs, I thought it would be nice to simply post a couple of photos of some different looks, listing all the products used and a very brief snippet of what I think of them. This time round, I thought I'd use all drugstore/highstreet makeup brands to create a neutral, everyday look. If you're soon starting back at school or just want some cheaper alternatives, then I hope I can give you some inspiration. Some products I've rated highly for years and others are more recent additions to my makeup bag. So, here goes...
The Benefit Box Powders have been around since I can remember, with the original, Dandelion, featuring in the magazine beauty charts regularly, hailed as a celebrity favourite. Since then, there's been an influx of new shades for us to lust after. I may not have fallen for them all, but I have built up a modest collection and definitely get my moneys worth of use out of them. It's rather rare for me to actually finish an entire blush compact, but this has happened with a couple of the Benefit box powders and, yes, I did repurchase.
Blush has been making quite the comeback in my collection, recently. I tend to go through phases of going over the top and purchasing a few in one go and then having a dry spell whilst I lust after another makeup item. One brand that always reels me back in, though, is Nars Cosmetics. By far, Nars is my favourite for blushes. Passing a counter is dangerous for me - as soon my eyes are drawn to the plethora of beautiful compacts, I can basically forget whatever I'm on my way to do as I get lost in a frenzy of swatching for at least ten minutes. I don't think I've ever been to a Nars counter and not made a blush purchase. I just can't help it; they're like a glow-giving, buttery smooth, wonderfully pigmented drug. I am well and truly addicted.
Whilst many, many beauty products come and go, there are always some that we feel lost without. I know I have a selection that I must have a backup of, just in case that beloved 'long-lasting, dewy, but good coverage, that doesn't cake' foundation runs out unexpectedly, or that perfect bronzer that sculpts my cheekbones just that little bit better than any other, is dropped and smashes into irreparable oblivion. And don't even mention the nightmare of the dreaded D word. Yeah, those products.
I thought I'd give you a run down of the beauty items that consistently grace the chaos that is my staple stash, starting with the make-up base products (primer, foundation, concealer and powder), that I'm forever loyal to. As I'm just a tad obsessed with complexion products and I have so many that I regularly wear, I decided to split this post into two parts. This first edit features the more long lasting, heavier duty staples in my core makeup collection. Part two will consist of the lighter, sheerer, base products that make up my essentials inventory, so watch out for that coming up soon, too!
MAC is probably most famous for their eyeshadows, closely followed by their lipsticks. With such a huge, permanent selection of colours, finishes, textures and different forms of eyeshadow on offer, along with numerous limited edition collections regularly being released, there is always a new shade that I crave. I've built up quite the collection over the years, so here's a run down of them all.
MAC - With a vast array of makeup must-haves, the most extensive shade ranges, a constant stream of limited-edition collections and those futuristic, sleek stores full to the brim with hypnotising hues, it's enough to send any makeup lover into a frenzy. I've been there, constantly googling swatches, compiling most-wanted lists and lusting after anything and everything MAC. Like a moth to a flame, I was unable to innocently walk past a store without popping in.
Now that my whirlwind love affair with MAC has calmed down, I'm left with a MAC lipstick collection that I half adore and half regret because I struggle to wear them often enough to really get my moneys worth. Don't get me wrong, I still pick up a new purchase every once in a while, but now I'm much more clued up on what suits me and which lipsticks I know won't be abandoned at the back of my drawers.
