What's In My Make Up Bag? ♥

 I love, love, looove this make up bag from Primark. It's actually meant to be a toiletries bag that you hang on the back of your door, but I thought it would be perfect as a make up bag. Only costing £4.00 from Primark and being an excellent Cath Kidston dupe, well, I had to have it! 

 All of these products are my must-go-to items in my make up bag at the moment. I'm loving Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, and it is so beautiful mixed with Mac Strobe Cream...perfect duo. I find that as my foundation is so long lasting, I'm not really having to use my L'oreal Studio Secrets Primer, but It's such a lovely product that I always pop it in my make up bag just in case. My favourite concealers are Benefit Erase Paste and Collection Long Lasting Concealer. I never used to be a big fan of the Erase Paste- I didn't feel it did anything for me...ah, so wrong I was! I suffer from terrible red/blueish bags under my eyes, and I find that this product really diminishes the blue and red tones. I then blob a little Collection Concealer on, and I look awake and bright eyed. My favourite highlighters are Estee Lauder Double Wear Highlighter, perfect for above the eyebrows, and Me Me Me highlighter, which looks a real treat on the cheek bones. I always finish the look with a touch of Rimmel Stay Matte Powder as I have oily skin occasionally, and a little Rimmel Sun Shimmer in the Summer- it's also perfect for contouring as it has very little shimmer to it. 

On my eyes I am loving Estee Lauder Double Wear creamy eye shadow pots in Ivory Lace. It stays put all day, and has such a natural, beautiful shimmer. I also enjoy L'oreal Colour Appeal Star Secret Trio eyeshadows (what a mouthful!) when I fancy a smokey eye. Favourite mascaras are L'oreal Telescopic mascara for super curled and separated lashes, and L'oreal Double Extension Renewal Mascara for extra length. I also really love my H&M Light Brown Eyebrow Pencil....an absolute bargain, lovely colour and stays put all day. I always curl my lashes with Primark lash curlers...absolute bargain at £2.00. 

I am currently using Real Techniques brushes; the Buffing Brush and Contour Brush being my favourite. I recently bought some Italian Brushes from a Company called Kubo Beauty. They retail around the £13 mark, but I know are also available in TkMaxx at the moment for a little cheaper. I'm not sure how I feel about them yet- the concealer brush is lovely, but I find the powder brush is a little dry and irritates my skin at times...shame, because they look pretty impressive. 

I've also been trying Seventeen Shimmer Palettes which are new to the collection- I'm not really that impressed. It has little colour pay off and the pigmentation is really pants. I am however loving the Estee Lauder Double Wear blusher....it is such a gorgeous colour, but I think it was limited edition because I can't find it to be available anywhere!

What are your favourite things in your make up bag? I'd love to know!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation Review ♥

I am so happy with my new foundation. I have always sworn by Dior Forever foundation. It suited my skin tone perfectly, but I found that it needed touching up after around five hours. This isn't ideal with my job, as I never get a minute spare. I needed a foundation that had amazing, long-lasting coverage. I instantly thought of Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. I've heard so many great reviews, so I knew I had to try it!

I went to the Estee Lauder counter for a little makeover. I really do have to rave a little about how lovely the girls were. They were so friendly, and offered great tips and advice. They picked the perfect shade for me and gave me an amazing make over. I really couldn't believe how flawless my skin was since I suffer from large pores.

I couldn't wait to use it the next day. Now, it definitely didn't look quite as good as when the Estee Lauder ladies applied it, but it definitely looked impressive. The coverage is amazing. It really does take a small amount of foundation to cover the whole face. The only problems I struggled with at first, is that it's so thick that you have to be careful how much you apply. I applied mine with a foundation brush, and applied just a little too much and looked very made up. It's quite easy to make this mistake, so be careful! It definitely is worth every penny though. Although rather expensive, I can believe that a little goes a long way, and the bottle will last me a very long time. My mum is a big fan of this foundation, and still has half a bottle left after using every day for the last six months!

I've found that the foundation lasts all day, and by all day, I mean literally 24 hours! I was so, so impressed. This did mean that it was very difficult to get off. I found that I had to use a lot more cleanser than usual, which was a bit of a pain. My pores get easily clogged, so I did suffer a few breakouts at the beginning. Since I've worked a little harder at removing every scrap of it, my skin has been fine.

I've heard Estee Luader Double Wear looks lovely when combined with Mac Strobe Cream, so I'm going to have a go at this. This should make the foundation look dewy, as double wear is quite matte on the skin.

Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation retails for £27.50, and can be bought from Boots.

 I am so pleased I bought this product...have you tried it before? What's your favourite foundation? 

Updated- What's in my make-up bag? ♥

I'm still using many of the same products from my last make-up bag post, which means they must be really good because I love to try new products. There are a few new products that have crept into my everyday make-up routine recently however, and I'm really impressed by their quality.

 Make-up bag- Topshop

I love this make-up bag, bought for me by my lovely friend, Joanna for my birthday. It's really spacious but still small enough to pop into my handbag. I love the vibrant colour, the gold zip, and especially the polka dot interior. 

Products, from left-right; Eco tool powder brush, Dior Forever 020 foundation (review available HERE), Estee Lauder Advanced Nigh Repair sample, Benefit High Beam sample, Estee Lauder Double Wear powder in Fresco 01 (review available HERE), Estee Lauder Signature Powder Blush (review available HERE), Rimmel Glam Eyes 180 Gold Rush, Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer 261 Noir, Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara (review available HERE), Lumi Magique Primer (review available HERE), L'oreal Made For Naturals  235 Lipstick, Burberry Lipstick sample No. 04.

                     As you can see, I'm still using many of the same products- click on the links to review.

Some of the new products that have made it into my make up bag include the L'oreal lipstick. It is the most gorgeous colour, and has the most beautiful scent. The aim of the lip stick is to compliment your hair colour, and I definitely think it does. I've had so many compliments since wearing it- many people saying I look tanned? It must compliment my skin tone too!

I tend to wear a lot of gold or neutral eye shadows, and I received the most lovely Estee Lauder sample as part of a gift set. It has four colours, all so beautiful and shimmery. I actually think the colours are very Spring, although I received the sample in June. My favourite colour is 10 Ivory Slipper Satin. It's so pretty, and the pigmentation is amazing, and it last for hours without creasing or moving. 

I bought Rimmel Glam Eyes 180 Gold Rush on a complete whim. I thought the colour look alright, and I'd just see if it was any good. Well it was better then alright. The pigmentation is so good, and it looks really beautiful. I really think it compliments my green eyes, and makes them stand out. It's quite shimmery so I've been using it for evenings. I also find it makes a fantastic highlighter or great for a little bit of shimmer. 

What's your favourite product from your make-up bag this month?

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Estee Lauder 16 Candy Shimmer Long Lasting Lipstick review ♥

I love lipsticks, especially pink lipsticks...the brighter the better! I received this Estee Lauder lipstick as part of a promotion, therefore I didn't select the colour myself. I find that this usually means that you get a real awful shade like purple or black....but this is such a lovely shade of pink.

 I think it's a perfect shade for summer. It has a slight shimmer to it, but it's still wearable in the daytime without looking too overpowering. It glides onto my lips really well, and lasts for a few hours before I need to reapply. This is always after eating/ drinking etc, so I'm quite impressed with its wear ability. The only thing I'm not so keen on is its smell, which sounds a little strange. It actually reminds me of a scent of very cheap make up, for example free make up you'd receive in a child's magazine when you're little- I don't know if that's just me that thinks it has a smell? That's what it reminds me off though, and unfortunately takes the feeling away of the lipstick being a high end, luxury item.

 I actually really love the simplicity of the packaging, although I think it only looks this way as it was a sort of "freebie". I can't say I've seen any other Estee Lauder lipsticks in the same packaging, however Estee Lauder lipsticks always looks very chic and high end in their usual packaging, which I much prefer. Estee Lauder lipsticks usually range from £19.00 onwards, which I guess is a little pricey, however I think their products are amazing and justifies the price tag.

The lipstick is quite moisturising, so it glides on really well and is lovely and smooth. It's easy to build the colour up if you want a darker pink, which I've liked doing for nights out. I'm not sure if I'd pay the full retail price, but I'm really impressed with the product overall.

                                                         What's your favourite lipstick?

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place powder review ♥

Recently, my love for Estee Lauder products has been massive- I just can't get enough! I recenty bought their Double Wear Stay-in-place powder make up, and am really impressed! I bought it in the shade Fresco 01 as I have a pale-medium complexion.

 I've been using this everyday for the last month, and I'm so impressed. Although I don't use the product with Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation (I use Dior Forever), I've found that it really does last all day. Although I've heard amazing thngs about Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation, I found it was too cakey, and my skin looked very made up. I was worried this would have the same effect, but it's more than impressed! It looks lovely on my skin- really natural, and not too cakey.

 The compact has a sponge applictaor under the powder (the sponge looks really dirty in this photo, but I swear it's the lighting!) , but I've found that I much prefer to use a powder brush to apply it, as this makes the powder look much more natural. The sponge has been really great when I've had some horrible blemishes, as I've found that it helps to hide them much better.

Although the powder is highly priced at £25.00 (13g) I've used this product continuousy for the last month and it looks hardly touched. I would definitely recommend this product if you want to treat yourself to an expensive powder as you won't be dissapointed.

Have you tried this powder before? What's your favourite?

Estee Lauder Signature Silky Powder Blush ♥

I love Estee Lauder products. I recently purchased Estee Lauder's Silky Powder Blush in 14 Rose Nuance. The colour is beautiful. 

 I love the packaging. It looks expensive and sophisticated. I love the gold rim around the outside too...simple but elegant! I think the blue and gold is a signature Estee Lauder product. It's even more beautiful inside.

 The range of pinks is just beautiful. The product is definitely silky. So smooth to apply, and sits very easily. The colours blends beautifully, and my cheeks look so natural and rosey. I love that it has a slight shimmer to it. It's not too shimmery however, it just highlights the cheekbones. The complimentary blusher brush is lovely too. It's so soft, and works so well in applying the blusher. It stays put for a good eight hours until I would even think about reapplying, which I think justifies the price of the product.

It retails at £24.00 and Boots are currently offering the free Estee Lauder goodie bag when you purchase     any two Estee Lauder products.

                                                       What's your favourite blusher?

Oooh dahling, you smell gorgeous...

Firstly, before I begin the post, I just want to apologise for my terrible photography! If you follow me on twitter, you'll know that I've just began a placement. This means I leave early in the morning, and get back late in the evening...this means I won't get to take photos in natural day light until the weekend. This is a real pain, because I think photographs looks so much better in natural light. Anyway, I just had to do a post on my new perfume, because I just love it...

Estee Lauder Sensuous Eau De Parfum Spray.

"Estee Lauder Sensuous was created to evoke the warmest most feminine side of a woman. A warm, woody fragrance surrounded by atmospheric florals, Pepper, Mandarin Orange Pulp and Honey". 

 This perfume is just beautiful. I enjoy wearing quite sweet smelling perfumes, particularly Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle, so if you have a similar preferences then I definitely recommend this perfume. I don't like an overpowering scent, as it can be quite sickly, but this has just a touch of sweetness to it. What annoys me about some perfumes, is they can smell beautiful in the bottle and when first applied on the skin, but within an hour you can no longer smell it. This perfume however, seems to just sink into the skin really well, and lasts most of the day. I'm really impressed. I've had some lovely compliments too, which I've never had with previous perfumes.

Hope everybody is having a lovely day. I've just got back from my second day of placement and am absolutely exhausted! I also got soaked walking home in the massive storm that seems to have taken over Lancashire!

eye eye, what's this?

I absolutely love mascara, and I try different ones pretty much every week because I love to experiment with my lashes! Today I woke up looking beyond tired, with just horrible, big bags under my eyes, so my eye makeup routine needed a little more applying than usual. Here's a sneaky peek...

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place ShadowCreme in 06 Ivory Lace is literally one of my favourite make-up products at the moment. It retailed at £15, and at first I thought this was overly expensive for such a small pot, but I've had it for over four months now and it looks near enough untouched. It's such a beautiful colour, and the best thing is that that it doesn't crease like most creme shadows. It stays in place the whole day. I like to put a few coats of it on in the evening for a more shimmery look, buts it's lovely in the daytime.

I seem to have the worst red eye bags at the moment too, as I'm sure you can see! I have no idea where they came from, but I'm guessing late night dissertation work! I was after a concealer for ages, and had been using a Jelly Pong Pong product which was beyond amazing, but when it ran out I thought I'd try another product, which was L'oreal infallible 16 hours concealer.

It is literally, amazing. The consistency of it is so good. It's thick but not doesn't give that horrible, caked look appearance. It blends lovely, and sits perfectly all day. I like to use it under the arch of my eyebrows too. Retailing at around £8.

I'm also enjoying Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping mascara. I don't tend to use many Revlon products, besides their lovely nail varnishes, and I was quite surprised by this mascara. I wasn't keen at first, but the thick wand is great at creating thick lashes, almost a Twiggy look...not every bodies taste, but I love wow lashes!

...and these are the results. So much better after a bit of magic. My eyes never looked so tired as they did this morning, but hopefully nobody can tell now!

Love, Sophie Olivia x x