Today is my first official day at Uni in Falmouth and I'm so excited to meet everyone on my course and in my halls! The last time I was in education was over a year ago and since then I've accumulated quite a few new makeup bits and pieces.  With a hangover and lecture in five minutes this is what I'll be slapping on my face over the next little while. 

To prep, nothing works like SMAHSBOX'S PHOTO FINISH FOUNDATION PRIMER, which I rub in all over my face after moisturiser and allow to absorb. ESTÉE LAUDER DOUBLE WEAR will be buffed in using the Zoeva Silk Finish brush, and I think I'll be skipping the concealer because Double Wear erases pretty much everything in one application. It also doesn't cling to dry patches which is such a plus because my skin has generally gets quite dehydrated in the Winter months. Just to brighten up under the eyes, BARRY M FLAWLESS CONCEALER in Ivory will be making an appearance and although its not pictured I'll be using RIMMEL LONDON UNDERCOVER SHADOW PRIMER to prep my eyelids. 
I've been reaching for my NAKED 3 palette a lot recently, something about the rose gold, pinky hues keeps me coming back to it. The matte options have been getting the most love recently, as crease shades, lower eye shades and along the upper lash line- Limit and Nooner are my go-tos. That being said, I have serious hang-ups with the name Nooner. For lashes, I will be using my new Love (note the capitalised L, I mean business); MAC's FALSE LASHES mascara. This is such a gem, it makes my lashes so long and defined and curly- expect a review soon. 

 

Onto brows, I'll most probably be using the L'OREAL PARIS PERFECTION BROW ARTIST PLUMPER and if thats not enough of a mouthful for you, I'm defining them with SOAP & GLORY BROW ARCHERY 2-IN-1 BROW FILLING PENCIL AND BRUSH. I'm loving this Brow Wiz dupe, it honestly has upped my eyebrow game tenfold and if you haven't got this in your stash I would seriously recommend it. To highlight the brow bone and top of my cheek, I'll be reaching for SOFT AND GENTLE, which I picked up in duty free and I'm so pleased I did! Its so highly pigmented all it takes is a quick sweep to get this gorgeous, radiant glow. 
 To set everything in place, I use HOURGLASS' AMBIENT LIGHTING POWDER in Luminous light (review HERE) which keeps everything looking fresh but also preserves any semblance of  Summer glow I have left. I'll be keeping my lips simple and low-maintenance, as I don't think they approve of re-applying lipstick during lectures.  MAC'S JAPANESE MAPLE fits the bill as a nudey-peachy pink in a  shiny, moisturising formula. Finishing the look, I'm not slapping it on my face but I am spritzing it everywhere and its Zara's ORIENTAL FRAGRANCE. This is a potential dupe for Giorgio Armani's Si, which unfortunately got stolen out of my luggage on a flight last year, but for 5.99 GBP you can't go really far wrong with this. 
Have you tried any of these products? My pick of the bunch is probably the False Lash mascara, I tried the Max Factor Clump Defy Lash Extensions but it's just not doing it for me. Let me know what you're wearing back to school/ Uni/ college and wish me luck in my first week of  Uni!

I finally bit the bullet and popped this in my online Beautybay basket. The price tag is eye-watering considering the size; I think for 34 GBP you should be getting a little more than the size of a single eyeshadow pan, and its a very shallow, slim product. Since buying it, I've actually only used it a handful of times which is a shame as I was hoping I could whip it out every day to fake killer cheekbones- unfortunately I find it quite harsh and unforgiving. Maybe I need time to nail the application or maybe its my brush selection, which isn't all that great. So far, I've used a NARS Ita Kabuki brush dupe from eBay, MAC's I28 Split Fibre Cheek brush, and a Real Techniques duo. The Real Techniques serve me best, which is odd, given that I'm applying the powder with their slanted FOUNDATION BRUSH, and blending out with their  SCULPTING BRUSH. 
 That being said, I find Kevyn Aucoin's sculpting powder quite tricky to blend and more often than not I'm left with an unnatural, severe line, no matter what brush I've used. The only way I can make it work for me is by applying bronzer over the top using the sculpting brush and even then I tend to reach for this sculpting powder almost exclusively for nights out. The carved and chiselled cheekbones you can achieve with this powder don't make for a  very wearable, everyday look and the blending process is too time-consuming every morning, even for someone who takes an upwards of an hour to apply makeup. 
As you can see, the packaging is gorgeous. The powder itself sits in a beautifully sleek, compact pan with a magnetic closing with gold detailing and an almost ombré effect on the lid. It comes in a gold box with a velvet pouch embossed with Kevyn Aucoin's name, which is a really nice touch and makes the product feel a little more luxe. 





Overall, while the colour is pretty spot-on, I find the texture a bit drying and hard to blend and it takes a while to get a natural-looking finish. Perhaps this shade is too dark for me, or maybe there's a learning curve or a perfect brush out there that will work like a dream to apply but at the moment, I'm slightly disappointed. I also can't ignore the price; as you can see from the above picture, the size in comparison to a 2 pence is pretty paltry for 34 pounds.  You can buy it HERE.

I'll keep you posted on whether or not I start to like this contouring powder a bit more. I hope you've all got a fun week ahead, are you going back to school or college or anything? I personally have finished my stint as an au pair and am back in France where my parents live. However, next week I am officially staring Uni! So exciting! If you've written any posts on stationery or room decor or back to school tips please leave a comment below!

Today saw a low-mood induced shopping spree, and while my bank balance has taken a pretty serious hit, I'm in much higher spirits now. Disgusting amounts of peanut M&M's probably helped as well. I picked up some bits from Topshop, Primark and this SUPER CUTE TOP from Urban Outfitters, but most of the damage came from makeup. 

Something I've wanted for absolutely ages is ESTEÉ LAUDER DOUBLE WEAR, and I finally got my hands on it in Debenhams. I always find the women who work on the counters in Debenhams so much kinder and friendlier than the ladies in Boots, but thats just me. Today was no exception, the lady was so helpful and lovely and she colour matched me perfectly (2NI, Desert Beige, if you're interested). So far, I love this foundation, as I knew I would. It's very high coverage, concealing pretty close to everything without looking caked-on and, as the name suggests, it lasts an impressively long time without transferring onto anything. Considering doing a full review soon so keep your eyes peeled like onions. 
The other thing I bought in Debenhams was the small version of the ALL NIGHTER SETTING SPRAY from Urban Decay. This is actually a repurchase, I finished my bottle of this a couple of years ago and never got round to getting it again, until today. Whether it keeps your makeup fresh and in place through dancing and sweating all night long is up for debate but it definitely works better than a dusting of powder. 
I felt like if I stayed near the Urban Decay counter any longer the Naked Smokey palette might somehow end up in my basket so I headed to Superdrug. My Smashbox primer is running low, and being the broke bitch I am at the mo, I picked up the RIMMEL LASTING FINISH PRIMER, and will probably reserve Smashbox for special occasions. This isn't a primer I've used before and I haven't actually got round to trying it out yet; but I've seen Anna from viviannadoesmakeup mention it before, and if it's good enough for her, then it's definitely good enough for me. The other budget priming option I grabbed was the RIMMEL EXAGGERATE SHADOW PRIMER.  Eyeshadow primer is not something I've used before, but something inside compelled me to get this to see if it does improve the application of my eyeshadow. The texture is quite gloopy and its alarmingly white on the applicator, but after you blend it onto the lid it absorbs quite nicely and leaves no trace of colour,  so I'm quite excited to start using this everyday. And for 4.99 GBP you can hardly go wrong!


I went a bit concealer-crazy next, getting the COLLECTION LASTING PERFECTION CONCEALER, which in hindsight was a pretty poor choice after getting such a high coverage foundation, and the BARRY M FLAWLESS CONCEALER. I got the latter in the shade Ivory, which was their lightest as I plan to use this light-reflecting concealer under my eyes to hide dark circles and generally look a little bit more human. Collection's concealer was a repurchase, and I got it in 2, Cool Medium (I forgot to picture this, sorry guys!). 
I rounded off my shopping trip by popping into H&M, where I got this cute makeup bag, which unfortunately I can't find online (I swear H&M just randomly decide what goes on their website and what doesn't?). As well as that, I got a load of GOLD RINGS which were cheap as chips and their matte nail polish, which doubles a chip-proof, peel-proof topcoat as well. 
I hope you enjoyed reading this slightly lengthy post. I always feel so much less guilty about spending all my money if I can somehow compose a post out of it! Are any of these items on your wishlist, or have you tried any of them? Let me know in the comments below, and please feel free to catch up with me on INSTAGRAM + TWITTER.

I have a new love in the form of Kiko's long lasting eyeshadow sticks. Buy HERE for 6.90 GBP. 

Being the lazy person that I am, cream eyeshadows are a makeup bag staple because no matter how little time I have to apply my eye makeup or how little will I have to faff about with complimenting colours, cream eyeshadows always deliver a polished, I-put-in-the-effort look. I'm really impressed with Kiko's latest eyeshadow offering so far. They're very highly pigmented and blendable, have the right amount of shimmer without being sparkly and have a creamy consistency when applied that dries down to a crease-proof non-budge wash of colour. Best of all, the applicator serves as brush and my finger serves as a blending tool; laziness doesn't come much easier. Will the phrase one-swipe wonder ever catch on? Should I copyright it now?  

 The two shades I picked up are 38, Golden Taupe which is a shimmery brown with a hints of lilac and grey and 07, Golden Beige which is like a slightly darker take on a champagne highlighter. Inevitably, I spent ages deliberating on which colours to plump for because the shade range is absolutely spot-on. I was itching to grab 34, Pearly Rose Quartz which is such a unique dusky-candy pink; I've actually included a picture of the swatch below and the more I look at it the more I want to head back to Kiko and get it!

From the packaging to the range of neutral, brown-toned shades, all finished with a metallic sheen, Kiko's eyeshadow sticks look very similar to Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Cream Shadow Sticks. I feel they might be a potential dupe? Let me know if you've tried either the Bobbi Brown or the Kiko eyeshadow sticks and if you think they're dupe-worthy.

34, Pearly Rose Quartz at the bottom.                                                                                         38, Golden Taupe on the top &                                                                                                                                                            07, Golden Beige on the bottom.

On a side note, anyone who's read any of my older posts might know that I've been taking roaccutane  for my skin and I'm just coming up to my final few weeks. How time flies! I'm thinking about writing a post on it soon so keep your eyes peeled. Hope you've had a fab weekend and you're all relaxing in PJ's watching Disney movies.  

I can't be the only die-hard KUWTK fan who spends the majority of episodes drooling over the Kardashian/Jenner highlight? Their cheekbones are always immaculately illuminated and I've been desperately trying to recreate that glow with my own makeup stash. I feel like I've pretty much got the look down and I've been using a blend of strobing and highlighting products to get that Summery luminescence. 


Although I only have a vague understanding of the whole strobing / highlighting trend, I thought I'd try to recap the main differences;
HIGHLIGHT-                                                                    STROBE-                ☆ Shimmery, glittery, glinting                                           ☆ Products with a shine, like Vaseline that products.                                                                              catch the light. ☆ A variety of different shades,                                        ☆ Normally don't have that much pigment  although normally are champagne,                                    to them.  pearly pink or bronze tones.                                             ☆ Can be more extreme than highlighting. ☆ Is normally paired with a                                             ☆ Can be worn alone. contour or bronzing product.  ☆ Can be cream or powder.                                             ☆Are normally cream-based.
To get my cheekbones, cupids bow, forehead and bridge of my nose all glowed up, I use two products; NARS ILLUMINATOR & MAC STROBE CREAM (pictured is the travel size version). A tiny blob of each on the back of my hand is all I generally need, a little goes such a long way with both, and I mix them together with my finger to get my wonder-product. The NARS shade I use is Copacabana, which looks very pink the tube but when squeezed out becomes almost whitey-blue and works beautifully with the moisturiser-ish consistency of Strobe Cream. I actually bought Strobe Cream with the intention of using it as a primer and while I was in love with the dewy finish it left, it didn't match the staying power of Smashbox and so it found another use. I'm so happy I've discovered this duo, it honestly does nail the illuminated look that I covet and while I usually apply with my fingers, often Zoeva's LUXE HIGHLIGHT brush makes an appearance; its so fluffy and soft.
Let me know if you've tried either of these products and if you have any recommendations on highlighting powders please leave a comment or hit me up on TWITTER- I feel like I haven't found any highlighting powders I've really liked yet. Are you highlighting / strobing this Summer ?