What’s in my makeup bag..

It’s Wednesday again and time to blog! As I am saving for my, now confirmed, holiday to Europe in June, I have not been spending money on new beauty products unless they are staples in my collection that need replacing. This has led me to write today about the essential pieces that I take with me no matter where I go.

There are 3 items that never change, my favourite powder that I have honestly never deviated from; Rimmel Londons Stay Matte Powder. I have talked about this before in many other posts but once again I’ll quickly say that this powder is amazing for giving a powder finish that allows dewy foundations to still look incredible under. It also helps to keep my makeup on all day which is a godsend when I have University days like today, 9am till 5pm, then my part time job 5:30pm till 9pm! Ugh! I do touch up in the middle of the day just in my T zone to keep shine and oiliness under control. The powder is usually about $10-15 from places like Chemist Warehouse and Priceline. I use a mixture of fluffy brushes and makeup sponges to apply this powder.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Power- a well loved everyday essential!

Now we’ve all had moments out and about when we’ve spilt some form of liquid down our faces and it’s managed to affect the finish of our foundation or powder. For these emergencies and also touch ups, I carry with me at all time the Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer. I trust this concealer with my life! It does miracles with the dark circles under my eyes, any spots I have and also any blemishes I just want to cover up. I use the shade 15 Fair and I really can’t stress to you all how incredible it is as blending in over other foundations for touch ups and highlights. This is usually again around $10-15 from Priceline and Chemist Warehouse.

Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer- another item used everyday

The third regular staple in my makeup bag is the Rimmel London ScandalEyes Rockin’Curves Mascara. I have also been using this mascara for over 6 months now, I feel it’s the best one of its kind (massive brush) in applying thick coats of mascara without making my lashes look clumpy and gross! I love the lift an volume this gives my eyelashes along with the added length I can achieve if I spend some time applying it. Once again this product is about $10-15 from Priceline or Chemist Warehouse.

Rimmel London Rockin’Curves Mascara

This next product is one that varies depending on what I’m wearing that day but I’ll usually have some form of lipstick/lip product. For that matter I’m not going to include a lipstick product in this blog but instead something that never changes, my Burt’s Bees Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter. My boyfriend seriously thinks I have a major problem when it comes to this product, I have to buy about 3 every time we go shopping because I am addicted to it! If my lips need hydration and care this is the lip balm I reach for instantly! It’s incredible, it has such a moisturising formula with beautiful mango butter in it that smells and taste amazing! I always seem to loose the product as well so Burt’s Bees if your listening, please create a bigger version of this that will be harder for me to loose! This is usually about $5-10 depending on where you get it from, I try to restock my supplies at Big W because it’s only about $7 there.

Burt’s Bees Nourishing Mango Lip Balm

If I know that I am going to be out for the whole day then because of my oily skin I will need to powder my entire face at around about 5:00pm again. This then ruins all my work with bronzer, blush etc. Therefore I always make sure to chuck in my favourite bronzer/contour and brush so that I am never to pale or chubby looking! As I’m definitely more of a bronzer and contour girl over blush, I never really worry about taking extra blush or highlight with me. The bronzer I take with me is my beloved Bourjois Paris Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder. I will now refer to it as the chocolate bronzer because that is basically what it is. I love the sweet smell of this powder although I don’t think it stays when actually applied onto my face, however, I use this everyday for a contour and bronze. It gives me such a natural looking healthy glow with a bit of highlight in it but not too much that I sparkle. It’s also a great contour which is definitely what I love it for. This can only be found from Priceline for about $30. I apply this with my Avon All Over Face Brush. This brush is incredible actually, it’s very similar to the Real Techniques new Metallic Brush range, it features the pointed triangular handle thats weighted and has the same ombre detailing in the brush head. It’s shape it very unusual as it can fan out to be used as a powder brush and then be shaped into a thinner contour brush. This is why it’s such a great multi-tool and I got this in an Avon sale for $4.99!

Bourjois Delice de Poudre

Avon All Over Face Brush

I then also keep a few makeup kit essentials in there as well for when I’m out including a mini Avon perfume in the fragrance Only Imagine… which I adore! I was also really surprised with this products staying power, the scent is quite strong and lasts and good while! I also have an Avon Naturals Vanilla Antibacterial Hand Gel. These are so handy and also smell really good! I high recommend the Pomegranate one as well! I then also keep a mini L’Occitane En Provence Creme Mains Delightful Rose Hand Cream handy (ha) to help hydrate my hands if they get worn during the day which is often. I love the smell of this hand cream, it’s a very sweet scent of rose not like an overpowering old lady kind of rose scent which is preferable! I can’t tell you how much this mini version is because it was a freebie with a magazine once but I do know that a bigger version of these hand creams are around $17 from Strawberry net.com.

Avon Only Imagine… Perfume

L’Occitane Delightful Rose Hand Cream

Avon All Naturals Vanilla Hand Sanitiser

Well there you have it, you all now know whats in my makeup bag, I hope you enjoyed this and that it will help you decide what you need in your own bags!

I’ll leave links to all the products mentioned in this post and where you can buy them below

https://www.priceline.com.au/cosmetics/face/powder/stay-matte-pressed-powder-1.0-ea

https://www.priceline.com.au/cosmetics/face/concealer/fit-me-concealer-1.0-ea

https://www.priceline.com.au/index.php/cosmetics/eyes/mascara/scandal-eyes-rockin-curves-mascara-12.0-ml

http://www.burtsbees.com.au/natural-products/lips-lip-care-lip-balm/

https://www.priceline.com.au/cosmetics/cheeks/bronzer/maxi-delight-bronzer-18.0-g

http://avonshop.co.uk/product/make-up/concealer/avon-all-over-face-brush.html

http://avonshop.co.uk/beauty/b/bath-and-body/naturals.html

http://au.strawberrynet.com/skincare/l-occitane/delightful-rose-hand-cream/176678/?langBox=au

Please comment below and let me know what is in your makeup bags! I’m interested to hear everyone else’s essentials and needs!

Thank you Everybody!

Love Bee ❤

When Rimmel met Mac…

Welcome back!

A few posts ago I blogged about my top 3 foundations, whilst deciding which foundations to blog about I tossed and turned over my choices and in the end did not include my Rimmel London Stay Matte foundation. As it is also one of my most reached for foundations I thought today I would talk about why I use it and how.

Rimmel’s “older” version of the Stay Matte foundation (shown below), which is also part of my makeup collection, did not impress me at all, I found it didn’t give much coverage, easily rubbed off and did not do much to control shine. When I saw that a new version of this foundation had been produced I wearily bought it thinking I could try it.

The “old” version of Rimmel Londons Stay Matte Foundation

Honestly it’s the best long wear foundation I’ve ever used. I can put it on at 8:00am in the morning and it will last all the way through until 10:00pm. I do touch up slightly at midday but that’s a personal choice. As I have oily skin the shine control is always incredibly good with this foundation, it has a thick mousse like formula. When I put it on the back of my hand before applying it, it doesn’t run like a liquid foundation. I did find when I started using this foundation it was slightly drying on my skin and the intense thickness of the mousse meant it sometimes looked a little bit “cakey” on my skin. That’s where Mac comes in. Before application I mix in a little bit of the Mac Strobe cream, this is an illuminating moisturiser. Not only does this stop the foundation from looking too thick, it stops the foundation from drying out my skin without making it go oily, as the shine control is still effective. This is why the foundation did not make the top 3 cut as I do have to make a small alteration to it.

The “new” Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation $14.95

Rimmel London Stay Matte foundation is also so so cheap, given that the packaging is not quite as classy as some other foundations, it has so many applications from the one bottle. This makes it the perfect budget every day foundation. Even when aiming to get medium-heavy coverage you only need a small amount of foundation mixed in with an even smaller amount of strobe cream. The foundation can be bought from Priceline for $14.95 although I always try and get it from Chemist Warehouse as it is only around $12 on special there. Mac Strobe cream is of course on the more expensive side, you can find it in places like Myer and David Jones along with the Mac Stores. It does cost a hefty $55 which is a lot, I know, for a moisturiser but I love the effect it has on my skin and think it is extremely worth it.

Mac Strobe Cream $55

I’m sure that many people love the Stay Matte foundation by itself so try it out without the strobe cream first to be certain the Mac purchase is worth it for you personally. I love the effect these products together have on my skin, I get a natural dewy finish but without a disgusting oily shine. I have a fairly pale skin complexion so the shade of foundation I get is 100-Ivory. To mix the products together I use a Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush, swirling it all on the back of my hand. I then apply strips or dabs of the mixed products all over my face and switch to the Buffing Brush to blend it all in. If you would like me to do a review on my Real Techniques brushes, let me know in the comments. I also find that pairing this foundation with the Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder helps to control the shine during the day.

Thank you so much for reading this and I really hope it has helped you fall in love with your own Stay Matte foundation or shown you which foundation you want next! Also I’d just like to apologise for the photos in this post, I’m having to upload this from my university and I didn’t get to photograph the products before making this post. All opinions expressed and products mentioned are my own and have been bought by me.

Here are the links to websites from which you can buy these products for if you are interested in finding out more:

http://www.maccosmetics.com.au/product/178/364/Products/Skincare/Moisturizers/Strobe-Cream/index.tmpl

https://www.priceline.com.au/cosmetics/face/foundation/stay-matte-liquid-mousse-foundation-30.0-ml

https://www.priceline.com.au/cosmetics/cosmetic-gift-sets/cosmetic-gift-sets/your-base-flawless-core-collection-1.0-pack

Let me know in the comments if you use this foundation and if you like it or not?

Love Bee ❤

Do you think it needs the Strobe cream?

Love Bee ❤

My Most Reached For Foundations

Welcome back!

Post number 4 and I can honestly say I’ve been looking forward to it all day, I had a horrible shift and on the bus home from work I was itching to be sat where I am now with a good cuppa talking about the only thing I can do reasonably well! MAKEUP!

This post is about my favourite (in the whole wide world) type of makeup, foundations.

In my opinion these are the most important part of every girls makeup collection, they provide exactly what I want, perfectly clear gorgeously healthy looking skin, in a liquid form!

Whilst being a uni student struggling to save for my big european holiday in the middle of the year has stopped me from being able to purchase high end makeup I have tried a range of drugstore foundations and managed to save up enough spare pennies to make purchases from brands like mac, bobbi brown and NARS.

Surprisingly enough for me the top 3 foundations that I reach for the most in terms of daily wear come from NARS, Rimmel and Bourjois. I have and will be forever a fan of Rimmel as it was from them that my obsession with makeup (and Kate Moss) began!

Foundation Number 1

The one and only Wake Me Up Foundation by Rimmel London

Rimmel Londons Wake Me Up Foundation $16.69 from Chemist Warehouse

This is the perfect dewy moisturising foundation. The coverage is suitable for many different skin types as you don’t have to use a lot of the product to cover your entire face allowing it to be build-able for people who want extra coverage. The effect this foundation has on the skin is brilliant! It does have the tiniest bit of glittery pigmentation within the liquid which adds to the glowing brilliance of this foundation. For an every day foundation this is reasonably priced, suits many different skin types and looks so good on the skin! I am a rather pale skinned person so my shade of choice is 100 Ivory. The foundation also has an anti-fatigue effect and SPF 15 which is also another reason why I reach for it on a daily basis! The foundation is supposed to “wake up” your skin and leave it looking refreshed, glowing and healthy, this is exactly what it does for me. I often purchase this product from Chemist Warehouse as it is generally cheaper there but you can also find it in places like K-mart, Priceline, Target, anywhere that sells Rimmel products.

Foundation Number 2

The wonderful Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation by Bourjois Paris

Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation by Boujois Paris $32 at Priceline

This foundation boasts that it is a product that makes your skin look healthy, hydrated and luminous and honestly thats exactly what it does. It gives your skin that coverage it needs to look perfectly flawless but naturally. I love this foundation completely. I stays in place all day and never goes patchy. Applying it is effortless and the amount needed to cover your skin is fairly minimal. I reached for the colour 52 Vanilla but may be needing a slightly darker one as this one can sometimes come across as a little too white even under transparent powder. I also feel like this is such a good winter product compared to the Wake Me Up foundation, I feel like it would be better for my skin to reach for this moisturising foundation in winter and the Rimmel one in summer. It is on the more expensive side of drugstore makeup but for the product that you get I wouldn’t be surprised if it was from a high end brand. Bourjois have really made a great solid everyday foundation here. I have only ever been able to find it at Priceline and the price varies depending on if it is on special but it’s usually $30ish.

Foundation Number 3

The brilliant Sheer Glow Foundation by NARS

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation $59 at MECCA Cosmetics

This foundation really deserves its own blog post, I can’t even describe how amazing it is without sounding insane. The texture of the foundation is even enough for me to snatch it up! The thick creaminess of it is incredible which corresponds to the amazing coverage this gives which is so easily build-able but you don’t really need to because one layer of this bad boy evens out your skin tone perfectly without making it look like you’ve caked your face in makeup because of its incredible glowiness (I don’t think that’s a word, told you I’d sound insane!)! Yes this is an incredibly expensive foundation but really truly it is worth it, I would put this before my mac foundation and many many other really good quality brands! The staying power of this foundation is something that pleasantly shocked me as well, the foundation lasts all day without smearing or looking worn out. It truly is (deep breath) the perfect foundation! I have it in the generic colour light 2, Mont Blanc, which I got from the wonderful MECCA Cosmetics store.

Well then, I would just like to point out that not everybody needs foundation as well! Everybody is beautiful in there own skin! For the people who do love foundation as much as I do I hope you enjoyed this post and for anybody looking for a new one I hope this helped you choose! This was also completely unsponsored by anyone and all opinions and views expressed are my own!

Do let me know if you use these products in the comments below! What is is your favourite foundation? I’d love to know and try them out myself! 

I will leave links to all the websites in which I buy these foundations off below!

http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/product.asp?id=68379&pname=Rimmel+Wake+me+Up+Foundation+Ivory

https://www.priceline.com.au/cosmetics/face/foundation/healthy-mix-foundation-30.0-ml

http://mecca.com.au/nars/sheer-glow-foundation/V-006868.html

Love Bee ❤