What's in my everyday makeup bag?

 

 

I have decided it's to do a what's in my makeup bag post, and whilst I have this chilly Friday evening off (and nothing to do - boohoo) I have decided that I shall do it now.
Here are all my favourite makeup products - my holy grails! The things I keep in my makeup bag and use everyday without a fail. Of course these products change from time to time depending on where I'm going or if I'm trying out a new product - but over the past 8 months or so these have been the products that I go back for every single time.
I have decided to leave lipsticks out of this as I change my lip colour daily and will always carry my current one in my handbag. Also the same for most makeup brushes as they have their own holders on my dressing table and I never carry them around in my makeup bag.
So without further ado here are the contents of my makeup bag...
(which is a black, sparkly bag from Urban Outfitters and I got it in the sale for £3 - wheheyyyy)

 

 

Starting with basics - Here's what I use on my face;
Mac Prep + Prime - Skin Base Visage Primer
YSL - Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation
YSL - Touche Éclat Radiant Touch Concealer
The Body Shop - Lightening Touch Concealer Pen
Real Techniques - Setting brush (which I use for my under-eye concealers)
Rimmel - Stay Matte Powder in Transparent
and last but certainly not least; NARS - Laguna Bronzer

 

 

For cheeks I use this beautiful highlighter by Mac and it really does give the most natural-radiant look and it is The Mac Mineralize Skin Finish in Perfect Topping and I am afraid to say this was limited addition so I'm not entirely sure if it's available anywhere anymore however - Soft and Gentle by Mac is very similar so if you are after one of these I would definitely suggest that.
Next for cheeks is the Mac Mineralize Blush in Dainty I have mentioned it before in blog posts so if you did want to see a picture then go check them out - very pretty pink and perfect for everyday use.

 Last I have all eye's and brow products and I use quite a few so I am going to run through these quickly. I haven't photographed all of these products but if you wanted a detailed review on any of these do let me know. Anyway, moving on they are;
YSL - Babydoll Mascara
Benefit - Bad Gal Lash Mini Mascara
Soap and Glory - Supercat Liquid Eyeliner Pen
Mac Pro Longwear Paintpot - Painterly
Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr - On and On Bronze
Mac eyeshadow quad - Nylon, Satin Taupe, Bronze and Cranberry
Mac eyeshadow x2 - Temping and Mystery (Mystery is my brow shadow)
Benefit Gimme Brow - Medium/Deep
Lastly the main three brushes I use for my eyes and brows are all by Real Techniques and they are;
The Shading brush (the single purple eyeshadow brush)
The Base Shadow Brush (from the Nicks Picks collection - perfect for blending out smoky eyes)
and for my eyebrows I use the Angled Eyeliner Brush (also from the Nicks Picks collection)

So here we have it - the products I've been using everyday for the last while.
Like I said - I haven't gone in to many details on products so if you did want any separate reviews do let me know.

                                                              Ayesha xo

Mini Superdrug Haul

Just a quick haul on a few bargains I picked up in the drugstore.
Was having a browse around Superdrug today and noticed they have a lot of good offers and deals on at the minute for makeup so (naturally) I had to get involved and buy a few things I've been wanting recently.
The first offer they had on was any 2 products by Maybelline for £10 - I think deals like this are excellent as many products singly are £8-£10 so it's definitely always worth doing (and I am a sucker for a barg).
I've been thinking about trying out some of their concealers for a while now as I've heard many good thing's about them so I decided to go for two of those. I went for the Maybelline Anti-Age "The Eraser Eye" Concealer and the Maybelline Dream Lumi-Touch Concealer.
I decided to go for these two because they are the one's that I have heard are the best for concealing the under-eye's as that is mainly what I use my concealers for. I got them both in the lightest shades available and they were both originally £7.99 each so I definitely got a bargain there!
The next brand I started looking at was Revolution - which I think is fairly new as I haven't seen it in any of my local drugstores before. I also believe it somehow linked to MUA because the packing is all very similar and they're both very very cheap. I noticed this beautiful Blush pallet and fell in love instantly. They have two different ones - one called Hot Spice which is all orangey shades and one called Sugar and Spice which are all pink and lighter shades. I went for hot spice because I don't have many orange blushers and I thought it was a bit more unique. Have I mentioned that this pallet is only £6???! Absolute bargain and I will most definitely go back and by the other one!
Last but not least I decided to buy something that's been on my wish list for a while now; which is the Bourjois Delice de Poudre Chocolate Bronzing Powder. I've wanted to try this for absolutely ages and I'm definitely excited to try this out. I've seen so many good reviews on this and it's the only drugstore branded bronzer that looks like it's going to be really good. I need something else to use other than my Nars Laguna and i'm really hoping this makes the cut.
Really excited to try out these products and I'm sure I'll let you know how I get on with them.

2015: What's in store?

January 2015 is well underway and I feel like I have already made it as productive as possible. Firstly, I reached my "saving goal" which was the amount of money I wanted to have saved by the first week of January. This in itself was a massive achievement considering I am the worst saver EVER. The minute I get paid I tend to blow the entire lot on rubbish I don't need or even more so... food (my bad.) Anyway, reaching my money goal meant I could finally pay for the makeup course I had been wanting to take all of last year. (I could have got a loan or borrowed money but I really didn't want to have to go down that road and also - patience is key.)

I am ridiculously excited and this means I will officially be a qualified makeup artist by March 29th 2015 - eeeek!

 

I have decided to go with celebrity makeup artist Louise Constad at her makeup school in London.  I have done a lot of research and from what I have found out she really is the best person to learn from. It's a week intensive course and on the last day we do a professional photo shoot and get to keep all of the photos of our different looks for our portfolios. It really does sound amazing and I will definitely take a lot of pictures and a do a whole blog post on my experience once I have completed it.
Makeup is a profession I have wanted to be in for a long time but I have never had the money or the right knowledge to get into it with so it's definitely an achievement to finally have both elements of this on my side this year.
Once qualifying, my overall plan is to get a part time job on a makeup counter, so I can build up my skills and also try and build my clientele. Whilst doing this my plan is to start going freelance and set up my own business. The dream really is to be successful in my own business as I have worked in retail all my life and can safely say I never want to work for a hospitality company ever again!

 

My last big plan for the end of this year is to be either moved out, or looking to move out with my boyfriend. If I am lucky enough to have my own business by then and him still be able to be in his stable job then I definitely think we'll be financially ready to do so - which is another exciting thing in itself.
We'll probably stay local to where we live as we both want to stay close to our families. I am so excited to think about decorating and planning my own home. I can already imagine exactly how I want my own place to look - and it's another excuse to spend money and go shopping right?

2014 for me was a very good year; I got to meet some amazing new people, started the job that I am currently in (which has its ups and downs but over all I am very happy with,) got to go on two beautiful holidays abroad and just generally got to go out a lot and visit different places.
 I really hope I am lucky enough to have an another amazing year and hopefully I can make 2015 even bigger and better for myself (cheesy and cliché I know - but true nonetheless)

So there we go - here are my 2015 plans in a nutshell.

What do you have in store for 2015? I hope you can make it all as good as I plan too

Ayesha x

 

 

 

 



2014 Beauty Favorites

2014 has come to an end so I thought I would look back on all my stand out products of the last year. These are all the products I have used over anything else and ones that I have, or would  repurchase time and time again. For someone like me who has tonnes and tonnes of makeup it was definitely a real challenge hand picking out only a few from each category, however I think I have done very well. I have tried to choose at least one item from each category so I have covered a full face of makeup. I haven't featured a primer because I really didn't enjoy any of the ones I tried out last year. Anyway, here are the products from 2014 that did make the cut.....

 

 Hair Products:

It's safe to say that I tried many different hair products last year. I am very particular with what I use because my hair (no matter what I do) gets ridiculously knotty and it dries out very easily too. This means I am forever trying out different conditioning and leave-in products. Since buying these, I have used them every single time I've washed my hair and I really have become dependant on them. They are amazing and I'm not sure I could use or switch to any other hair products now. These are;
Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-in Treatment For Distressed Hair - It retails from £17 but is completely worth every penny if you have dry, damaged or naturally knotty hair.
Umberto Giannini "Mend My Hair" Intensive Damage Repair Oil - Retails from £8 but boots always have deals on the Umberto Giannini brands. Perfect for leaving in the tips of your hair after washing and brushing in. Leaves your hair feeling and smelling amazing.
Umberto Giannini Instant Beauty Leave-in Conditioner - Retails from £9 but again boots do deals on the brand. This works perfectly as a detangling spray into wet hair and also acts as heat protection too. Gives you hair all the moisture and protection it needs.

 

Skincare:As I have mentioned in a previous post; I really am not one for skincare. I know a lot of people frown upon this in the beauty world but it has never been something I have needed (touch wood.) Last year I definitely came out of my comfort zone (or laziness shall we say) and experimented more with skincare. My skin can get very dry (especially in winter) so I have found all these products to be very useful towards that. Here are the products that made it into my routine;
NARS Skin Aqua Gel Luminous Mask: This has definitely become my holy grail and something I recommend to anyone who has dry skin. It acts as a kind of- primer and soaks into your skin, leaving it feeling and looking hydrated and luminous. It really does make all the difference to your foundation and makes it apply so much more even and smooth. Worth the £30 I paid for it.
The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist - What an absolute Gem for only £8. Perfect in the summer for quick spritz to cool you down and perfect in the winter as a quick hydrator if you're getting a bit dry. Also works brilliantly as a primer, make up setting spray and is good to spray on your makeup brushes before use. A good dupe for the Mac fix plus.
Soap And Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser - My third bottle of the year! Not only does this smell absolutely yummy but it also works like a dream too. Removes makeup perfectly and leaves your skin feeling fresh, clean and soft all day long. Retails at £10.
 

Foundations: I am always trying out new foundations and tinted moisturisers but these were definitely the crème de le crème last year. I always go for a light coverage and dewy finish (but try and find ones that are buildable if needed) and these 3 foundations are definitely perfect for my preference. These are;
Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in Light 3 - Started using this shortly after I was given a small free sample in Selfridges and haven't stopped using it since. The colour match is perfect for me, it's a light to medium coverage, and leaves my skin looking and feeling luminous and smooth. Perfect for the Summer if you don't want anything too heavy. Retails at £30
Mac Face and Body Foundation in N3 - This is every make up artists favourite and I can see why. Very buildable coverage but brilliant as a light foundation. Colour match is perfect and this foundation is also good to mix with other ones to find the right colour or consistency. Retails from £22 for 50mls.
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum - This is by far my favourite drugstore foundation. I chose the serum as it was a lighter/more dewy consistency than the foundation but I like that there is a choice of both. Beautiful in the summer or for those days when you don't want to wear too much on your skin. It comes in many shades and it really does look so natural and healthy. Retails from £11 - cheap and cheerful!

 
Lipsticks;
I decided to be'ave myself and only choose two, otherwise I would have been here all night talking about thousands of lipsticks. I've narrowed it down to a summer favourite and a winter favourite (but there were definitely more contenders.) Both lipsticks are from Mac - which is my favourite brand of lipstick ever ever evurrrr and they all retail at £15.50. You can decide on whether they are cheap or expensive!
Mac Morange (or Neon Orange) - A vibrant and bright Orange lipstick with an Amplified finish. Very opaque colouring but still a creamy consistency. Perfect colour for summer.
Mac Rebel - A beautiful deep purple with a satin finish. Very matte and opaque on the lips but not drying - definitely my favourite winter shade (or night out colour if you want something more daring than red)

Face/Contour Products;

This was definitely the hardest category for me as there are hundreds of bronzers, highlights and blushers I loved last year. These definitely however have to be my top picks of last year...

Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna - The most natural looking - yet pigmented bronzer I have ever used. Absolutely perfect for contouring your face (and for contouring your eyes if you want a subtle look.) It's neither too orangery or too muddy which is something I always look for in a bronzer as I do not fake tan and I am quite pale skinned. I was lucky enough to get this as a birthday present but I do recommend spending the £27 it retails at if you want a luxurious bronzer.
Mac Mineralize Blush in Dainty - A very pretty and easy to wear pink. It's quite shimmery so it could be used as both a blusher and a highlighter. Not too bright or dark and very natural looking. Retails at £21.
Mac Cream Colour Base in Pearl - A beautiful cream highlight for both contouring and eyes. Wasn't sure on this when I first purchased because I've always been a powder-highlight person but the consistency and the shimmer of this product is absolutely beautiful. Also very buildable so it can be as subtle or opaque as you like! £15.50 and you get so much product for the price.
Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette -  The most perfect contour palette I have ever tried! The quality, the pigment and the colours in this palette are amazing and it is so versatile and easy to wear. The highlight is my favourite with its very unique champagne colour and it also looks beautiful in the tear duct of your eye with a Smokey look. Completely worth the money and yet another amazing product by Urban Decay. Prices range from £22-£25
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - An oldie but a goodie! So cheap and cheerful at £3.99 and I have never found the need to use any other face powders. Very matte formula and has excellent staying power.


All About Eyes;Last but certainly not least i'm going to share all of my favourite eye products of 2014. I've been loving so many by different brands lately  so this definitely became a slight challenge.
YSL Baby Doll Mascara - Definitely my most luxurious mascara. This is now my second in only a few months and I absolutely love it. It gives the most amazing volume and also gives thickness without any clumping. No fall out and the applicator gives amazing precision. Ranges from £17 but often in sets or deals
Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara - This makes my eye lashes really stand out and give that "false" look. Perfect for nights out or when you really want your eye makeup to last. Definitely the mascara I wore the most in 2014. It is £19.50 which is on the pricier side for a mascara, but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative then the Maybelline The Falsies Mascara is fantastic.
Soap And Glory SuperCat Liner - In my eyes the best eye liner out there. It's in pen form which means it's very easy to apply and gives amazing precision. It lasts all day long and will not smudge or dry out until removed. It's only £6 so you really cannot go wrong.
Mac Paint Pot In Painterly - One of my most favourite products ever! The best eye primer/base I have ever used. It really does hide all of the dark shadows/imperfections on your eyes and it'll hold your eye shadow in place literally all day long. No fall out and no cracking. I 100% recommend this product to anywhere who wears eyeshadow.
Mac Eyeshadow in Tempting - The most beautiful shimmery gold. Can be worn as a casual everyday colour or with a smokey golden eye. So highly pigmented and bendable  Definitely my favourite eyeshadow of 2014, I went through a stage of wearing this everyday. One for every eyeshadow lovers collection. Only £10.00 which is brilliant for the quality of Macs eyeshadows.
Mac eyeshadow in Mystery - This is my perfect brow colour. It's a very dark matte brown and works so well as an eyebrow powder. I use this almost everyday with a small angled brush by real techniques and it just looks so natural. Definitely one to try if you're a brunette.
Finally for eye products we have the 24 Hour Colour Tattoo By Maybelline - The quality and pigment of these creams are absolutely amazing. Really good as bases or just on their own. My two favourite colours are On and On bronze and Pomegranate. These are also so affordable at only £4.99 each and the amount of product you get for that is amazing. I've had mine for about 6 months and used them not far off daily and there is barely any dent in the pot at all.

So there we have it - my 2014 beauty favourites. There were so many more products I could have featured but A. I didn't want to make this any longer than it already is and B. It definitely would have got too boring for you all to read. I hope you have enjoyed reading about all my favourites as I have with everybody else's these past few weeks and I definitely hope this gives you a few ideas if you're looking for some new products to try.

Ayesha x

 

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation

 

So excited to have finally purchased the Touche Éclat Foundation! I have wanted this foundation for absolutely ages but I was always a bit too stingey to look into actually buying it (I always put it on Christmas/Birthday lists and just hoped someone would buy it for me.) Alas, I now have it and I am absolutely thrilled with it. It is £31.00 and I bought mine from the counter in Boots (collecting points and all that.)

Touche Éclat like all other YSL products has beautiful packaging and looks very luxurious. It is a light to medium coverage - but buildable and it illuminates and highlights the skin without making you look sweaty/shiny. It's very natural looking and gives almost a satin finish. If you're like me and love a light/dewey look then you will love this foundation (especially if you are someone who uses BB creams/tinted moisturiser or likes the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation.) It makes your skin look so beautiful and healthy!  I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who likes a heavy coverage or matte finish. At first I wasn't quite sure which brush to apply this with. I first considered a stippling brush but I think this foundation is just slightly too heavy for it. I've found that my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush applies this like a dream and so far the two combined have worked really well for me. I also use the Touche Éclat concealer pen and with the foundation and the concealer combined your skin really does look flawless.

Top 5 Autumn/Winter Lipsticks

Today I thought I'd do my top five Autumn/Winter Lipsticks. I was originally going to do a top seven (as you can see from the top picture) because it was just too hard to choose between such a large amount that I've been using lately - however, I thought I would cheat slightly by sneaking an extra two in picture. These are Mac's Lip pencil in Auburn (which was in my what I got for Christmas haul) and a Topshop Lip Bullet in Get me Bodied. Both beautiful vampy colours for Autumn/Winter seasons. Anyway, we'll pretend I haven't snuck them in there.
For anyone who knows me, you'll know I am obsessed with collecting lipsticks. My collection over the past year has grown so much that I now need two entire draws to store them all in and there are so many more I still want to get my hands on. Oh well, we all have our passions and mine just happens to be lipstick! Anyway, here are some of the lipsticks I have been reaching for a lot over the past 3 months or so and I hope this helps anyone looking to buy a new winter lip colour!

 My first two favourites are these beautiful red shades by YSL and Estee Lauder. Both lipsticks are £25.00 and can be purchased in most concession stores. The YSL is from the Rouge Pur Couture range in number 35. It is a gorgeous deep red colour and I would say the formula is very similar to that of an amplified (by mac.) The colour is very opaque and long-lasting however it has a very creamy formula, so its easy to apply and just glides on the lips.  Beautiful for nights out or if you want that vampy-red look!
Next is the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy in 330 Impassioned and it is one of my favorite lipsticks. The packaging is very sophisticated and it has a magnetic lid which I think is an excellent touch. It's an orangrey-red colour and therefore beautifult for both winter and summer (I'm a sucker for an orange lip.) Again it's a very creamy consistency with an easy application. For me it's only downfall is that the colour isn't too pigmented as I find you have to re-apply this quite a lot. This is only a problem for me because I love matte lipsticks and very pigmented colours. However if you can look past that then you will love this lipstick.

 

My next three favourites are all Mac lipsticks and these are the colours I have definitely reached for the most this Autumn/Winter. Here in picture order are Mac - Rebel, Mac - Craving and Mac - Ruby Woo and as you can see these are all gorgeous dark/autumnal shades.

All Mac lipsticks are currently £15.50 and they have a huge range of colours and formulas so there really is something there for everyone. Rebel is a very dark purple/berry shade and it is in a Satin formula, which is just very slightly creamier than a Matte. Craving is a beautiful greyish purple which is more subtle than rebel yet still very noticeable and that is in an Amplified Formula, which like mentioned before has an opaque but creamy consistency.  Last but not least is Ruby Woo which is a very 1950's pin up-esq deep red shade. It is one of my favourite reds and because it's in a Matte formula it really does last for hours and hours and is perfect for a night out. Swatches are Ruby woo, Craving and then Rebel on the far right. 

What I got for Christmas 2014

My Christmas 2014

It is safe to say that this year I have been completely and utter spoilt and I am so so grateful to have such a wonderful family, boyfriend and friends who never fail to make every year just as fabulous as the last (however not so grateful for the amount of sweets and chocolate I've received as I am definitely going into next year chubbier than ever - boohoo.)
I am so happy with everything I received this year and thought it was only right that I started off with a what I got for Christmas haul. And before I start writing this I may aswell do the standard disclaimer that I am not bragging or showing off about anything I have, I am just doing a haul because I love seeing and reading about what other people have received too! Anyway, I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed their festivities just as much as I did :)

My first, and main present was my new and beautiful laptop (how else would I have finally started blogging?)  It is a Toshiba Satellite C500 and it is very sleek and compact. It is also by far the most "high tech" laptop I have ever used, with apps (just like IPhone ones) and built in Bluetooth and Watsapp. I'm still very much learning how to use everything but hopefully I'll get the hang of this technology malarkey in no time.




For skincare this Christmas, I got the Benefit Complexion Confections kit which includes a mini Porefessional Primer, a large bottle of  Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, It's Potent eye cream and a mini Age Defying Serum. Over all I don't really use a lot of skin care (naughty naughty) but I have tried out all of these products and I absolutely love them. They all smell amazing and make your skin feel so soft and fresh. The eye cream is with out a doubt my favourite as it helps fade dark circles underneath the eyes and I have definitely noticed a difference whilst using this already. Very nice if you want to try out luxury skin products but don't want to break the bank too much.





Next is makeup and I got quite a lot of it this year.
My most favourite is my new Mac eye shadow Quad with shades Nylon, Satin Taupe, Bronze and Cranberry. These are shades I have wanted for a long time so I was over the moon when I opened this.
Next is the Limited Edition Real Techniques Brushes - Nicks Picks another product I had been lusting over for a long time but hadn't got round to buying.
I also got the YSL BabyDoll Mascara which came with a free sample size of their eye makeup remover. This was the perfect present as I had previously been using a miniature version of the babydoll and was gutted when I had run out of it. It is my favourite mascara and definitely something I will forever repurchase. Another mascara I received was the L'oreal Volume Million Lash Mascara. Another product I'd been eyeing up for a while was the Benefit Highbeam Highlighter. I have always preferred powder highlights to creams but I must say this applies like a dream and looks so beautiful on the skin.
For lips this year I got two Mac Lip Pencils in Auburn and Spice and I have been switching between the two every day since Christmas. Spice looks beautiful with Mac's lipstick in Angel.
Last but not least I treated myself to the BodyShop Bronze Highlight in 02 it has
a very subtle shimmer and I would highly recommend if you prefer a natural looking highlight.


Next is Scents and this year I managed to get 3 new perfumes and a duplicate of an old favourite. Alien by Thierry Mugler is by far the one I am most excited about as it is a perfume I have lusted over for years. It smells amazing and it's one of those scents that if I'm at a perfume counter.. I will always spray it on myself before I leave.
J'adore Dior and LoverDose Diesel are also two new scents I am excited to try. I have often sampled them whilst at perfume counters and they both smell beautiful. I always go for very sweet and musky scents and these two fit into that category perfectly. Last but not least it wouldn't have been the same without another bottle of Fame by Lady Gaga. This for me is an all time favourite and very easy to wear. It's the perfect perfume for wearing to work.


I couldn't not feature my little
Christmas gift to myself which is this beautiful Michael Kors Watch. It has a large rose gold face and a thin Orange strap (I know orange is quite a bold colour to go for but I thought it  looked really good with grey, black or white outfits.) I also really liked it because it's unlike any other style I have seen by Michael Kors. I have been wanting an Olivia Burton watch for quite a while now and this watched reminded me of one the minute I saw it.  I absolutely love it and think its a perfect new addition to my little watch collection.

Last but not least no Christmas haul would be the same without featuring some products from Lush! They're Christmas range is always amazing and like many people, my favourite scent is Snow Fairy so I always like to stock up before they dis-continue it for another year.
This year I received both new products that I haven't tried before and of course some good oldies that I love to get every year!
A product that I haven't tried before is the Lush Santa's Lip Scrub which smells, feels and tastes (yep - tastes) amazing. The little crystal-like particles scrub off any dry parts of your lips and leave them feeling polished and smooth. Definitely a brilliant product for winter time. I got my yearly supply of their Candy Mountain Bubble Bar which smells of snow fairy and creates bubbles in your bath. I also got a Snow Fairy Star Soap Bar. I got the Space Girl Bathbomb which is also another favourite of mine. I also got a cute Christmas box which featured a gold soap bar (Which I cannot remember the name of but it smells of marzipan and leaves gold shimmer on the skin) and a miniature pot of Dream Cream Hand and Body Lotion which is so hydrating and soothing - An overall brilliant moisturizer. I have been trying out different lush products for about 2/3 years now and they are something I always go back too. They're fun, smell amazing and are made out of natural products so I find nothing ever irritates my skin from there.

What did you get for Christmas? I cannot wait to see what everyone else got this year. I hope you all had a brilliant one xo