Maybelline Color Tattoo

I really do love a good cream eye shadow. They are quick and easy to work with, are (usually) long wearing, and can be worn alone or as a base to enhance shadows. So, when a great affordable option is put on the market, I'm the first to get my paws on them. Maybelline color tattoos are available in a variety of shades including mattes and shimmers. I love these because they are cheap and just as good as high end alternatives. They are best applied with fingers to warm up the product and make it easier to work with. They give you just enough blending time before they set, after which they won't budge. These little pots will actually last you a hell of a long time as well. Anyway, enough gushing, here are a few of my favourite shades from the range.

My most loved/dented pot is the shade Creme De Rose. It's a creamy matte shade and, as the name would suggest, is a pink based nude that is the perfect everyday eyelid colour either as a base or on it's own. I'm very fair so this is a great shade for my skin tone which gives my eye a subtle and natural definition. Creme De Rose is an amazing dupe for the MAC Pro long Wear Paint Pot in Painterly which I used for years and since switching to the Maybelline I haven't been disappointed. There is a yellow based shade in the range which looks like a good match for the MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. 

The most recent addition to my collection, and probably the most versatile, is Creamy Beige (another shade from the creamy matte line which was added to the range fairly recently). I pop this on when I want a slightly more defined and dramatic eye that is still wearable for daytime. Worn alone it really warms up my eye but not in an overpowering way. For a much more dramatic look I apply this shadow as a base for a matte brown smoky eye. It deepens any powder shadows I put on top and helps them to stay in place.

Metallic Pomegranate is a rich berry shade that I usually find myself reaching for in the Winter. Although it might seem a bit intimidating at first, once blended it's a very wearable and flattering shade. I would say this colour is much more appropriate for an evening look. It looks great paired simply with some black liner and tonnes of black mascara.

A much raved about product, the Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze really does live up to the hype. It's a gorgeous warm bronze shade that is universally flattering. That said, this colour will especially make blue or green eyes pop. I particularly love this cream shadow for doing a bronzed smoky eye. I take it all over the lid, buff it out, then take some down onto my bottom lash line for a more dramatic eye. It's really quick and easy to achieve an evening look with just this one product.

Feelunique Beauty Haul

With Summer just around the corner, I decided it was time to bring in the big guns and make an order on feelunique - my favourite online beauty store. This haul features an oldie but a goodie as well as some skincare and make up essentials for warmer weather.

Sun Protection

For some time now I have been on the hunt for a day cream with a decent sunscreen factor that also doesn't leave my skin like a grease ball (I am so low maintenance, I know). I stumbled upon this one from Avène, a brand I already really admire. Their hydrating cream with SPF 20 is available in light for those of us who fall into the oil/combination category and rich for dryer skins. I have been using this for a week now and I am a huge fan. It has a beautiful, light texture that sinks in quickly, moisturises enough (for me anyhow) and leaves a matte/demi-matte finish. I feel now I've killed two birds with one stone so I can rest assured my skin is moisturised and protected from the sun everyday. In hot climates, however, when I know my skin will be exposed to the sun more, I will bump up the SPF and go for something like the Avène Very High Protection Cream SPF 50. Nonetheless, I'm pretty chuffed with this new discovery.

Lashes

I purchased Maybelline Lash Sensational a while ago and haven't been reaching for anything else since. I love how it gives tonnes of volume without clumping your lashes together. I buy the waterproof version because my lashes get easily weighed down by regular mascaras and end up falling flat. This definitely holds a curl really well, plus, I don't have to worry about any smudging. Like most mascaras currently on the market, however, it's certainly not without pitfalls. I find it dries out quite quickly which is rather frustrating, but, I guess that's just because it's waterproof and to be expected. I'll just have to let that one slide.

Flush

If you read my fresh Spring make up look you will know I am having a bit of a love affair with cream blushes. This watercolour blush in Cherub by Daniel Sandler is the perfect blush for a natural, healthy-looking flush of colour for that just-back-from-a-brisk-morning-walk look. Although the liquid formula looks intimidating, it is really easy and quick to use. Simply shake the dinky little bottle, pour about two drops onto the back of your hand then use a brush (I use the real techniques stippling brush) or even your fingers to dab it onto the cheeks. Et voilà! You've got pretty pink cheeks that will stay put all day. I'm now itching to try the other colours in the range.

Self-tan

Lastly, we have a safe and reliable way to bronze up your skin - the ever-evolving self-tanning cream. Caudalie is such a great brand for high quality skincare for all skin types, but, unlike it's French pharmacy counterparts, it has a sense of luxury about it. I really like the Clarins Liquid Bronze for the face, however, even on my pale skin I feel it is a bit too gradual. When I put a self tanner on my face I want to wake up and look like my head has been to the Bahamas for a week. It's worth noting that my skin is extremely sensitive especially to false tanners and I have endured some traumatic mornings, waking up and looking like the elephant man after taking an allergic reaction to a fake tanning product. Thankfully, when I used Caudalie Soleil Divine I had no such reaction and woke up with a natural and evenly bronzed complexion. It made my skin look so much better that the next day I even skipped foundation (gasp!) and just used concealer (I'm only human). I have to admit there is the dreaded self tan biscuity smell but I personally don't see the issue because it doesn't hang around for long and I'm asleep while it develops.

Before you go

 Avène is currently on offer at Boots and feelunique ships worldwide. Now I'm done.

Maybelline Lash Sensational

Before you roll your eyes at yet another Maybelline Lash Sensational review clogging up the internet, listen up cause this stuff really is good.

I read a few reviews before purchasing and the general consensus seems to be that this is primarily a volumising mascara. Personally, I tend to gravitate towards more lengthening and separating mascaras. I cannot stand the spidery lash look so I wasn’t all aboard this beauty band wagon just yet.

I always thought that you had to choose between a mascara that separates and elongates and one that gives volume and body. Turns out, I was wrong. Maybeline’s Lash Sensational does all of the above. It’s not clumpy yet still gives your lashes tones of oomph. Most importantly, I find it separates lashes making it look much more natural than most volumising mascaras.

I prefer the waterproof version because it holds a curl really well however, it is a bit of a pain to remove. I’ve actually had to try a few different waterproof eye make-up removers in order to find one that does the trick (Sephora and Garnier make good ones).

All in all I really love this mascara, especially for a more dramatic make up look that doesn’t end up a clumpy mess.