October Favourites

I know everyone has said it, but I literally cannot believe how quickly this year is flying by! The only positive to that is that Christmas is nearly here - I'm obsessed with Christmas and have been going on for about 3 months already (sorry family). Anyway, here are my October favourites, I could have included more as I've been loving so much stuff recently but I didn't want this post to last a million years!

Firstly, I've fallen in love with the Sleek Contour Kit in Light, which I featured in a haul at the end of summer. It's literally the perfect contour shade for me, whether I'm pale or tanned. A little goes a long way with this so it's lasting me forever and it's definitely top of my list to repurchase when I run out! I also love the highlighter, it's a nice champagne shade and has a really pretty colour pay off without being too overpowering. I love to team this with my Real Techniques Contour Brush which is the best brush ever for contouring, plus it's super soft - I wouldn't be without these two now!

Another thing I've been loving is the Sukin Sensitive Facial Moisturiser. I've discovered recently that I do actually have sensitive skin after years of wondering. Since working at bareMinerals I've really appreciated the benefits of natural skincare, and so when I found this discounted I thought I'd try it out! It leaves my skin really smooth and soft and never breaks me out, plus it's packed with loads of lovely essential oils.

I'm late on the band wagon with this one, but I absolutely adore MAC's Soft & Gentle, it's the prettiest highlighter ever - a warm champagne with just the right amount of shimmer. It's beautiful applied lightly for a soft glow or packed onto the cheekbones for a dramatic highlight. I'm so happy I have it in my life now - only thing I'm not a fan of is the packaging, I think the old style looked a lot more expensive, whereas the new style just looks a bit cheap.

For eyes, I've been loving the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Creamy Beige. I actually picked this up fairly recently but have been using it ever since. I adore the formulation and pigmentation of all of the colour tattoos (review coming soon!) and this one did not disappoint; it's an affordable dupe for MAC's quite natural or groundwork paintpots, giving a nice subtle smokey warm brown effect on the eyes. The staying power is fantastic too.

Lastly, two nude products I can't get enough of - I'm definitely someone who gravitates towards nudes wherever possible. I picked up this Sally Hansen Nail Polish in Cafe Au Lait recently as I already had 'I pink I can' and loved the formulation - this is the perfect everyday nude, plus I love that it goes with any colour scheme - life's too short to worry about matching your outfit to your nail polish! For everyday I've also been loving my Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Tantalising Taupe, it's a really pretty creamy nude that doesn't make you look dead. It's a good dupe for MAC's blankety (which I own) but in my opinion is a little bit more wearable as it has a touch more pink to it.

Let me know what you've been loving

Fern

Summer Makeup Favourites

St.Tropez Skin Illuminator 'Gold' : I love love love this stuff, it's perfect for bringing out a tan and making it pop. It's a gold tone which I love as I tend to steer away from anything with a pink tone to it; I love to mix this with my foundation to add a little bit more glow to my base - or it can be used on the legs and arms to get a gorgeous glow

Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Tinted Moisturiser 'light 02' : I picked this up not so long ago from tk maxx. I felt like I really needed to get something that was lighter coverage - I always tend to go for a medium to full coverage but it's just not practical when it's hot and humid, so I opted for this! I was actually really surprised by this, it's a great alternative to foundation and gives more coverage than expected, plus it feels lightweight and moisturising on the skin - only con is this 'light' colour is not very light at all, not a problem for me as I'm a fake tan junkie, but something to note!

Benefit They're Real Mascara : Another tk maxx buy - they have so much good discounted makeup in there! At first it felt a bit wet and clumpy but after a week or two it applies so nicely, literally making my eyelashes look fake. It's a smudgeproof lengthening formula and one coat looks amazing alone - just be careful of layering it too much as it does clump!

Revlon Quad 'Brazen' : I love this quad for  summer as I tend to always wear less eyeshadow in these months - I always opt for smokier eyes in the winter on the whole. It has a nice mixture of bronze, brown and gold and can be applied really subtley for an everyday look. Plus the pigmentation is really good.

Mac Lipstick 'Shy Girl' : I've had this for ages but forever love it - it's the perfect summer nude (especially with a tan) plus it's so moisturising - great for, if like me, you get dry lips in the summer due to lack of moisture. It's nice compromise between a coral and nude and goes with basically any makeup look.

Soap & Glory Glow All Out Highlighter : Never thought I would say this, but I actually like this more than my MUA undress your skin highlighter simply because it's more finely milled, a little bit more natural and has a bit more of a peachy tone as appose to a bluey/pink one. It's adds such a soft highlight, I absolutely love it for a summer glow.

What have you been loving for summer?

Fern

May Beauty Favourites

MUA Undress Me Too Palette : I've actually reviewed this palette more in depth here so go check that out if you're interested! It's a palette that I reach for every single day without fail - the combination of colours means you can create literally any kind of eye look from subtle to smokey and the pigmentation is amazing, so it's a winner for me.

The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter : I really love this lip butter, not only does it smell amazing but it does a great job of moisturising dry or chapped lips - perfect to chuck in my makeup bag, I like to apply it before doing my makeup

17 Shine Control Pressed Powder : I picked this up on a whim after my Rimmel Stay Matte had run out and it's surprisingly good! It does a great job of mattifying my makeup and keeping it in place but also gives a flawless lightweight coverage without looking cakey or clinging to dryness - definitely a hidden gem.

Revlon Nail Polish 'Sweet Tart' : Again, this was another product I picked up on a whim when lusting after pretty pink nails - this shade is perfect for pink lovers, it's bright but not a hot pink, there is a tiny bit of coral in there making it perfect for summer (plus it lasts for ages, no chipping for days which really impressed me!)

MUA Powder Blush 'Bon Bon' : I already knew the MUA blushes were amazing for pigmentation but then I found this shade - I've never had a more perfect blush. It's the right balance between coral, soft pink and plum and gives a lovely glowy blush to the cheeks, and for £1 it's really worth trying out

Ebay Stipple Fibre Powder Brush : I've reviewed these ebay brushes more in depth here . These have been hailed super cheap dupes for the Real Techniques brushes, and they do come very very close. This brush in particular is lovely as it's slightly angled meaning it's easy to get around the nose area and hairline. I love using it to apply foundation as it's a very lightweight brush - it blends out foundation seamlessly without picking up too much product at any time, giving an airbrushed effect

Yardley English Rose Eau De Toilette : I received this as a gift for Christmas, but it's become one of my favourite summer scents. Some rose perfumes smell a little sickly or fake but this smells exactly like roses, as if you've just walked into a garden full of them - it also has a slight warmth to it making it smell divine

What have you been loving this month?

Fern

current favourites #1

ebay 'real techniques' dupe stippling brush : I came across the real technique dupe brushes on Hannah's blog a few months back and couldn't believe how cheap these brushes were. They look practically the same (although I can't say they perform as well as I don't own the real thing!) but after searching around ebay for a bit I found a seller who was selling replica brushes for £1.79 a piece + free postage. I was really eager to try them out to see what all the hype was about so ordered the 'stippling' brush which I have loved ever since. I mostly use it for stippling in bronzer or highlight but it also works really well if you want to stipple on your foundation (just a bit time consuming for me personally!) I have ordered two more of these and cannot wait for them to come, would seriously recommend them + they're cheap as chips

maybelline 24 hr colour tattoo 'on and on bronze' : I picked this up just the other day but already love it; it's a beautiful slightly smokey brownish bronze colour that can basically be a foundation for any eyeshadow colours or worn alone. I was really impressed with how long lasting it is, proving to crease less than my benefit creaseless cream shadow. It's only £4.99 so really good value for what it does

topshop cream blush 'prime time' : This is a really vibrant blush so a little goes a really long way. I've just been getting into it more recently as it adds a bright pop of colour and doesn't look powdery or cakey on the skin. Works really well teamed with the stippling brush.

elf mineral lipstick 'runway pink' : I've has this for ages but it's only in recent months (where I've moved away from the reds and burgundies and been attracted to muted pinks and nudes) that I've been using this like crazy. It's such an easy to wear colour, looks good with all makeup looks and has a really nice consistency. I'm really sad it's nearly ran out and will definitely be buying it again asap

natural collection lipgloss 'fondant' : I was tempted by this after hearing Shari raving about it on her channel. As it's so cheap I thought I'd pick it up and I'm really impressed. It's a kind of milky pink colour yet surprisingly opaque and long lasting. It's not at all sticky and actually has no shimmer in at all which is usually hard to find with cheaper drugstore brands

soap + glory thick and fast mascara : I really like this as a basic everyday mascara as it lengthens and adds volume without being excessively clumpy or drying. I really like the brush as it's just simple and a decent size - not too big not too small!

garnier roll on concealer : This is an essential for me as I get up early nearly every morning looking a little worse for wear. I don't particularly suffer from really bad dark circles but this also has a kind of cooling and anti-puffiness agent in it and so really perks up the eye area which is good for me because I never get enough sleep!

What have you been loving recently?