Orange & Coral Lipsticks for Summer

So this week we had one day of sun (yay!) and hopefully this will be the start of more to come. Like I said before, when the warmer weather comes I like to switch up my makeup routine and this usually starts with my lipstick. In the Autumn/Winter I tend to go for dark berry colours but in the Summer my favourite colour to wear on my lips is Coral so I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you.

I'm a big fan of Topshop lipsticks and last Summer I picked up both Infrared and Ohh La La. Infrared is a deep orange that looks amazing with bronzed, sun-kissed skin. In Ibiza last year I wore this on my lips almost every night. Oh La La is a pale coral colour and the lightest shade of the bunch which is perfect for every day wear, especially if you're not a bold lipstick kinda girl. I find Topshop lipsticks really good quality for the price (£8) and I definitely need to buy some more shades, they're all so pretty! The only downside is that the packaging gets super dirty.

If I had wrote an April favourites post (I took the pictures and just didn't get round to it) then Vegas Volt would have been in it. It's a bright coral with an amplified finish which is one of my favourites as the pigment is amazing. I've been wearing this non-stop on my lips the last couple of weeks and it's definitely a MAC lipstick I suggest you add to your collection.

If you prefer lip butters to lipsticks, my favourite shade at the moment is Juicy Papaya. The Revlon lip butters are so moisturising and a great alternative to lipstick as they're really natural for every day wear.

Now the prettiest of the bunch, YSL Rouge Volupte in Rose Paris. This is a more pinky/coral that the rest of them and probably one of my favoutites. I absolutely adore the colour of this and the gorgeous packaging is an added bonus. I don't think my Summer lipstick selection would be complete without one of these beauties and another Rouge Volupte shade I think would look gorgeous for Summer is #13 Peach Passion...maybe I'll treat myself soon!

What are your favourite Coral lipsticks?

Summer Makeup Bag Essentials

Since it's now May and Summer's (hopefully) on it's way, I wanted to do a post on some of my Summer makeup bag essentials. I like to switch up my normal routine quite a bit when the Summer comes and go for a more natural, dewy look. I don't like my makeup to be as heavy and tend to go for brighter colours on my cheeks and lips. Here are some of the products I'll be using this year...

So when the warmer weather comes around I'll be swapping my full coverage foundation for a lighter CC cream. I usually swap between Laura Mercier Silk Creme and Armani Luminous Silk on a daily basis but I think I'll be keeping these for night time during the Summer. This month I've been loving L'Oreal Nude Magique Anti-Redness CC Cream which neutralises the redness I get on my cheeks and nose. I started off using it as a base but now I use it on it's own because I find it makes my skin look even and natural. I did a full post on this here if you'd like to see it in action. When this runs out I'll definitely be repurchasing it because for under a tenner it's a bargain compared to other CC creams on the market.

I've always been a powder blush kinda girl and avoided cream blushers because I wasn't sure about them. However, recently I've purchased my first couple and have been converted! I'm in love with my Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Blush (and can't wait to buy more) and have also been using the Revlon Photo Ready Blush in the shade Pinched. This gives my cheeks a really dewy, natural look as it's quite subtle and perfect for every day wear. I find it harder to work with than my Kevyn Aucoin one but that's to be expected.

Two products I can't live without are bronzer and highlighter to achieve that Summer glow. I switch between my NARS Laguna and my Chanel Tan De Soleil but I think I'll be using my Chanel one more this year as it'll go well with the cream blushers. Still straying from the powders, I love Benefit Sun Beam to give me a gorgeous golden glow. I either mix a little bit of this into my foundation for a luminous base or use it as a highlight on my cheek bones, the bridge of my nose and my brow bone. I prefer gold toned highlighter's in summer because they look amazing with a tan.

I'll also be ditching the lipstick (sometimes) during the day and switching back to my lip butters for a more subtle, natural look. One of my favourite Lip Butters at the minute is Revlon's Juicy Papaya. There are so many shades in this range that I want to get my hands on!

So that's some of the products I like to switch to during the Summer months and I'm praying we get a hot one this year (not holding my breath, I live in Scotland). What products do you switch to in the Summer?

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick: Plum

When I was in work one day before Christmas, one of the girls was wearing this lipstick and I had to ask her what it was - it was gorgeous! I've also been loving dark, berry lips this Autumn/Winter, so I went straight to Boots on my lunch break in search of it.

First of all, I absolutely love the black quilted packaging. Black has always been my favourite colour of cosmetics packaging, its just so simple and chic. I also like the fact that the top shows an indication of what colour the lipstick is.

The pigmentation of this lipstick is really strong, one swipe across the lips and its completely opaque with a lovely glossy finish. It's also really moisturising and comfortable to wear throughout the day as it contains moisturisers and antioxidants such as almond oil. When I wear this to work for a full day I'd say I only need to top it up every 3/4 hours, so really once on my lunch break then again before I go home.

I'd definitely say this is one of the best drugstore lipsticks I've purchased and will be buying more shades, especially when it's only £7.99 (almost half the price of a MAC lipstick). Have you tried any of the Revlon ColorBurst lipsticks? What colours do you recommend I try next?

Big Beauty Haul

I thought I'd do a post on all the beauty products I've picked up over the last few weeks. I'm not going to go into much detail on some of the products though as I'll be doing full reviews on them soon. As you can see I think I've got a slight shopping problem...

• Real Techniques Core Collection: I've already got a few of the Real Techniques brushes and absolutely love them but the Core Collection has been on my wishlist from the start, mainly because of the Buffing Brush! The set comes with four face brushes; Detailer Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush, Buffing Brush and Contour Brush. I'll be using the Detailer brush for my concealer and the Countour Brush for powder highlighter. I'm not too sure whether or not I'll use the Foundation Brush as I've already got the Stippling Brush and Expert Face Brush for my foundation, however I can't wait to use the Buffing Brush to apply my foundation as I've heard its a favourite and gives you the most flawless finish. Any tips on what to use the Pointed Foundation brush for? This set costs £21.99.

• Armani Luminous Silk Foundation 6,5: When a couple of my friends from my old work tried this foundation and gave it such an amazing review, I decided I needed it. I also heard Kim Kardashian uses it and her skin always looks amazing. When I went to my local Armani counter and asked for it the girl looked at me for about 5 seconds before suggesting I go for the shade 6,5. She tried a bit on my jaw line and it blended in perfectly. This really is the perfect colour for my skin so I was really impressed with how good the girl on the counter was as I don't usually trust them and like to pick my own shade. I've only used this a couple of times and love it so far, I'll be doing a full review on it soon. It is a bit pricey at £34 but I got my friends House of Fraser discount on it.

• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer Medium 3: I buy a lot of products because my sister has them and has either used them on me or raved about how good they are and this is one of them. I find it hard to find a good concealer and don't usually go for a liquid but I love this. It brightens up my dark circles and hides any blemishes I have. It also lasts all day which is perfect for when I'm at work. It's also a bargain at £4.19.

• Rimmel Stay Matte Powder 001 Transparent: This is another product my sister uses on me and I've also seen Tanya Burr use it a lot in her video tutorials. I always powder my foundation once I've applied it (one thing that's stuck with me from my Makeup Artist training) as it helps it last longer and I tend to get shiny during the day. I was running out of my Chanel Universal translucent powder but couldn't afford to spend £30 on a powder right now so I decided to pick this up. I usually use a loose powder but surprisingly I'm really liking this pressed powder and it doesn't go cakey when I touch it up during the day. Also a bargain at £3.99

• Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara Blackest Black: Another product I'm not going to go into much detail with as I'll do a full review on it. My sister uses this mascara and I also seen a review of it on Kayleigh's blog. I always use up my mascaras so quickly and wanted to try something different as I usually always go for Dior Show or Benefit They're Real. I've not used it much yet but I'll let you know what I think when I do my review. It only cost £9.99 as well which is a bonus.

• Benefit Brow Zings Dark: I've used my sisters one of this for months now and always love my eyebrows when she's used this on me. My eyebrows are so sparse with no shape if I don't fill them in and I'm such a fan of bold, statement brows so I thought it was about time to buy one of these for myself. Brow Zings costs £22.50 and I'll also be doing a full review on it soon.

• Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Eye Pencil 005 Nude:  I've seen this liner on a few beauty blogs recently and decided to pick one up when Boots 3 for 2 was on.  I use this on my waterline and it really brightens up my eyes, especially when I haven't had much sleep. 

• MAC Kohl Eye Pencil Feline: I've always got a black kohl liner in my makeup bag and usually reach for Rimmel Jet Black, but yet again my sister used this product on me and it lasted all night! I love finishing off a smokey eye with a kohl liner and this one's perfect, I can't wait to use it tonight. It's a bit pricey for an eyeliner, it costs around £15 but it's totally worth it. 

• MAC Lipstick Pink Nouveau and Creme D'Nude: I've now purchased my 11th and 12th MAC lipsticks and was thinking about what colours are missing from my collection. I didn't have a light pink or a true nude so decided to go with both of these. These are great everyday colours that can be worn all year round and Creme D'Nude will look great with a dark smokey eye on a night out, I love dark eyes and nude lips! These cost £14 each.

As you can see I've spent far too much money on beauty products lately but I just can't help myself. I think I need to go on a beauty spending ban!

Revlon Lip Butter: Lollipop

I thought I'd do a little post on my favourite lipstick at the moment. I had been wanting to try the Revlon Lip Butters for a while so I was so grateful when then the lovely Daniella kindly send me one after winning the full range in a Twitter competition. The one Daniella sent me is called Lollipop, which is a lovely dark pink. I didn't have a lipstick this colour so was very happy when I saw how gorgeous the shade was. I usually find lipsticks quite drying on my lips but the lip butters have a creamy formula so are very moisturising, just like a lip balm. I' am finding myself  using this more than any of my other lipsticks at the moment. I wear it all day at work and only have to top it up a couple of times a day. It's also a great shade for night time! The only downside is that you don't get much in it and it will probably run out quite quickly. However, I will be purchasing this product again and trying some of the other shades. They cost £7.99 and can be purchased here.
What's your opinion on the hyped-up Revlon Lip Butters?
Melissa
xxx