My Holiday Make-Up Essentials

This is year is the year I pack 'light'. I've been trying for a while to whittle down my makeup choices and it's something I've been struggling with for this years sunny, tropical, bikini-clad holiday! Now the majority of the day I'll be mainly makeup free, in other words bare faced with a quick slick of mascara... waterproof of course... but in the evenings I'll ramp it up with a full face of makeup - nothing too extravagant, more like a day to day look I'd normally wear at home. When I first grabbed what I thought I wanted to take I had to seriously re-evaluate, would I really wear everything I was going to take... probably not! So this is my very basic, minimal make up collection that will be accompanying me on holiday!

I'm going to be taking a rather large selection of lip products (woops!), but in all fairness they're all different types of lip products. First up is the No7 BB Lips in the shade Blush Coral. Now I know a lot of people say not to wear paler colours on holiday... but that is because those people tan, a lot, I on the other hand don't tan a lot, therefore it's okay! The darkest shade I'm taking is another No7 product, their High Shine Lip Crayon in the shade Tropical Beach, which is a really nice pinky/coraly colour. I've also decided to bring along one of my favourite duos, MACs lipstick in Pure Zen, paired with Sexy Mother Pucker by Soap and Glory in the shade Pink Apricot... Can you see a theme here? I like nude shades! I'm also bringing along the Carmex lip balm in Jasmine and Green Tea as well as a Nivea Hydra Care Lip Balm with SPF 15.

For face I've *tried* to keep it simple; just two foundations, one with slightly more coverage - L'oreal's True Match in Rose Beige and then a much lighter alternative, Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua, both have SPF15 which is always a positive when going on holiday. For concealer I'm bringing along my trusty Maybelline's Eraser Eye Concealer. To take the shine away I've chosen MACs Mineralise Skin Finish Natural and to add definition to my cheek bones I'm bringing the Body Shop's Honey Bronzer in shade 2, and No7's Natural Blush Tint Powder in Coral Flush. I've also decided to bring a base, keeping it a light with Benefit's Porefessional, just because I want to make sure I have primed my skin before I put my makeup on, especially since I'll be covered in suncream all day.

Then for eyes, I'm trying out the No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define shadow sticks. There are so many of these kind of products available but these are a great dupe at half the price of other options such as the By Terry Ombre Blackstick which is £29, while the No7 version is only £8! The shades I have opted for are Glistening Ray - a beautiful golden shimmery shade, Coffee Bean - a rich brown shade, and Cool Mink - a soft bronze based brown.

 

I think I'll also bring along the Naked 2 Palette just so I have some powder based alternatives. As well as these bases I'll bring along my liquid eyeliner of choice, Rimmel's Glam Eye's Liner and then Benefit's Roller Lash which I am completely obsessed with! I've also got a waterproof mascara for the day time - No7's Intense Volume.

And that's it! I swear this is a basic version for me, it was extremely difficult to cut it down and it was a lot bigger before, I promise!! Do you have anything you love to take away with you?

Emma xx

Hauling #2

So this week I headed to Boots for some cotton wool pads, toothpaste and shower gel, however somehow I left with a lot more than that! I picked up quite a few new purchases, and  of course  the essentials mentioned above! I've also realised there are loads of new products coming out at the moment... so I'm sure another trip will be happening very soon!

I think my favourite item out of this lot has to be the Maxfactor Creme Puff Blush. This is a new product launched by the company and is said to be a really good dupe of the Hourglass version at a fraction of the cost! There are six shades to choose from - which was a very tough decision (I was standing in the aisle for ages until I decided!!), however I chose to go with Lovely Pink. Now in general me and baked blushes get on like a house on fire, and from what I've seen so far, the Maxfactor version is no exception. It's lasting power is strong and the formula is beautiful - soft, buttery and goes on perfectly.

Next up is another recent addition to Boots and many other drugstores - the Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude. This is another budget buy dupe - a water based foundation - not dissimilar to the L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint or the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. The product is air whipped with the same velvety, feather-like texture of the Dream Matte Mousse and claims to be 12 times thinner than your average foundation. It's got great buildability and offers a flawless, natural looking finish and also has SPF20 in - which isn't a bad thing!

A few repurchases included my trusty Stay Matte Powder by Rimmel in Translucent, the Maybelline Instant Anti Age Eraser and the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray from This Works. I only discovered the eye eraser this year but I absolutely love it! I'm already running low on my first tube so a repurchase was definitely necessary. As for the Deep Sleep Spray, this is another product I first purchased towards the back end of 2014 and again, fell in love and wanted to get the full size version as soon as I could. I know it's just a spray but it honestly helps me relax, so something I will be taking away with me next month, especially on the plane!

A new discovery for me -- yes, I've probably been hiding in a hole to have missed this -- is the Brow Drama from Maybelline. This 'sculpting brow mascara' has been the perfect addition to my make up bag. I have quite big eyebrows -- kind of Cara Delevingne/Tanya Burr-esque -- they're a statement piece and I use them to sculpt my face so this product is doing a good job so far for me, however I have heard negative reviews, especially over the round brush, which doesn't seem to a hit with those girls who have smaller eyebrows. So something to have in mind if you're thinking of purchasing!

Next I found Soap and Glory's Bright Here Bright Now Instant Energy Balm. I've heard mixed reviews on this so was a bit cautious to try it, but it's been a few days and I haven't seen any negative side effects! It's meant to give you a nice glow and works sort of as a moisturiser for when your skin needs that extra pick me up, like mine has this week while I've been suffering from a cold (boo!).

Finally, a little treat for my nails from Sally Hansen -- The Complete Care extra moisturising 4 in 1 nail treatment. You can use this as a ridge filling base, strengthener, growth treatment and glossy top coat. It's a little on the pricey side but for all of that I'm not going to complain!

There were of course a few other items including the bog standard cotton wool but also a few holiday products which I kind of hinted at a bit in the post... more details on that very soon!!

Emma xx