Guest Post: Winter Makeup Essentials

Hey guys, today I have a guest post for you from the lovely Emily, from One Way Beauty. I personally have the Rimmel blush and the Maybelline eyeliner and would definitely recommend them! Enjoy reading!!!

Hi Passion For Makeup readers, I'm Emily from One Way Beauty and today I am going to be sharing my winter make up essentials with you all. I tend to find myself reaching for different products in the summer and winter, and now that we're entering the colder months my winter products have come out in full swing.

MAC Pro Longwear SPF 10 Foundation in NC15 - £24.00 from MAC

17 Instant Glow in Medium Bronze - £4.59 from Boots

Rimmel London Powder Blush in 001 Santa Rose - £3.99 from Boots

In the summer, you'll rarely see me wearing a foundation with medium to high coverage, however in the winter I prefer to cover my face a little more and make the most of foundation staying on my face rather than melting and slipping off. MAC Pro Longwear is my foundation of choice for a medium yet buildable coverage because it stays all day, hence the name, and keeps oil at bay.

If your summer glow faded as fast as mine then a bronzer is your best friend this winter! I envy those who have a tan all year round although unfortunately by September my glow has virtually disappeared and my skin is often left looking dull. I love the 17 Instant Glow bronzer for adding some colour to your face. It is matte so great for contouring too.

My third and final essential for the face this winter in the Rimmel London powder blush in 001 Santa Rose. Rosy cheeks are set to be very on trend this winter, and this Rimmel blush is perfect for creating that 'pinched' look. The small amount of shimmer will also perk your skin up on those dull winter days!

Urban Decay Lipstick in Wanted - £13.00 from Debenhams

Clarins Gloss Prodige in 04 Candy - £15.50 from Clarins

Berry/dark lips are set to be everywhere this autumn/winter. I love Urban Decay's lipstick in Wanted because it is so moisturising and gives the 'just bitten' look without making you look overdone because it is slightly sheer, so it's perfect for the daytime. Clarins Gloss Prodige in 04 Candy is a personal favourite of mine when I want a gloss rather than a lipstick. I love the subtle gold shimmer within the gloss, although this will not be for everyone.  You can see a swatch of Wanted here and a swatch of Candy here.

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in 01 Black - £7.99 from Boots

Figs & Rouge Balm in Pomegranate - £4.99 from Boots

I have one more winter trend to mention, and that is eyeliner. Eyeliner has always been popular, but this season it's taken a new turn with all sorts of creative looks such as dots, cut out liner and other crazy designs! My favourite eyeliner is Maybelline's Lasting Drama gel eyeliner. This eyeliner is so soft and creamy. It comes with a brush too which is surprisingly a nice brush! 

My last product is not technically makeup however it is an essential for me and I just had to include it! This product is a Figs & Rouge balm in Pomegranate. Indoor heating and cold weather contribute to sore, dry lips in the winter and I usually hear most people I know complaining about dry lips when it's really cold! I am no different and my lips always become sore. However, this Figs & Rouge balm quickly sorts out any dryness whilst tasting and smelling delicious at the same time! This balm is a multi purpose product, and can also be used on the face, hands or body, saving precious handbag space!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my winter makeup essentials! Thank you so much to Hattie for letting me guest post on her blog. Don't forget you can check out my blog here.

You're very welcome Emily, thank you for taking the time to write a post! I hope all of you enjoyed this post - I sure did :)

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Urban Decay 'Naked Palette' - Review and Swatches

Urban Decay 'Naked Palette' - £36 from House of Fraser

The palette came with a mini 'Eyeshadow Primer Potion' (in the old packaging) and a 'Good Karma Shadow Brush'. I really like this brush as the bristles are really soft and it is good for packing shadow onto the lid. I also love the Primer Potion. I bought a full size of this in the new packaging and I prefer that packaging but they both work!

The palette consists of 12 warm neutral shades. There are 2 matte shades in the palette.

Left to Right - Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked.

Virgin - Frosty creamy beige - This makes a beautiful inner corner colour. Not as harsh as white.

Sin - Metallic light pink - More cool than the other shadows.

Naked - Matte light nude/brown - for darker skin tones, this would be a good brow bone highlight.

Sidecar - Metallic pink toned brown - This is one of my favourite colours to sweep over the lid.

Buck - Matte darker brown, slightly red toned - Nice, natural crease colour.

Half Baked - Metallic yellow gold - This is super buttery and applies like a dream.

Left to Right - Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal.

Smog - Metallic deeper golden bronze - This looks so pretty in the outer corner.

Darkhorse - Frosty dark brown with gold sheen - Great outer corner colour or liner colour.

Toasted - Frosty medium pinky brown - This is another one of my favourites. So pretty!

Hustle - Metallic purple toned brown - Great crease colour


Here come the swatches!!

Top Row: Virgin, Sin, Naked (matte)
2nd Row: Sidecar, Buck (matte), Half Baked
3rd Row: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted
Bottom Row: Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

Pros:
- Quality. The shadows are all really pigmented and buttery. They blend really well too!!
-Wearability. These shadows are all really wearable. I don't use Creep or Gunmetal as much as the other colours but that's just personal preference.
- Packaging. Magnetic flip-up lid with a mirror. Sturdy - Good for travelling.

Cons:
- Price. £36 is quite a lot to pay for some eyeshadow. However, that makes it £3 per shadow so it is good value for money if you look at it like that.

Overall
Packaging: 5/5
Feels really sturdy but is still easy to open.

Product: 5/5
I seem to reach for this all the time when applying eyeshadow. The shade selection is amazing. Perfect for everyday and special occasions. Shadows are good quality. Blend easily and are the perfect texture.

Price: 3/5
It is a lot of money for a one off purchase but if you think about it, it is really good value for money. It is just a lot of money to be paying at one time...


Tell me what you think of the Naked Palette in the comments!
Thanks for reading. xoxo

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Going for Gold - Olympic Special

I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts inspired by the London 2012 Olympics and the medals they are handing out (gold, silver and bronze). So, first off, lets start with some awesome gold beauty and fashion items!

Beauty:

Barry M 'Gold Foil Nail Effects' - Available from Superdrug for £3.99.
I have this polish in silver and it is opaque in just one coat. I think this would be the perfect gold polish to be sporting during the olympics.

Nails Inc 'The Medal Collection' - Available from ASOS for £15.50

Well, you can't get more perfect than this can you! This is also pretty good value as you get 3 full size Nails Inc polishes for £15.50 (£5.16 each). As you can tell by the name, this set was created in honour of the Olympics so it could be a souvenir or keepsake right?!?!

Urban Decay 'Half Baked' - Available from Beauty Bay for £14.00 

This eyeshadow is the perfect gold to sweep across your lids. It is perfect for Summer and for supporting whichever team you're routing for (Team GB!!) I have this in my Urban Decay 'Naked Palette' which I am reviewing and swatching in tomorrow's post!

MAC's 'Supernova Blush' - Available from MAC for £19.00 (limited edition)

I know it's not entirely gold but this blush has beautiful swirls of gold running through the hot pink. This looks absolutely amazing but I don't know if I can justify spending that much when I have too much makeup already... If you are thinking of picking this up, it is limited edition so better hurry!

Fashion & Accessories:

TFNC Sequin Prom Dress - Available from ASOS for £45.50 (on sale from £65)

This dress is so pretty. I'm not sure I could pull it off but it would look amazing on the right person! If I was to wear this, I would pair it with all black accessories.

Micheal Kors Gold Chronograph Watch - Available from ASOS for £199
If you fancy splurging on a gorgeous, classic watch then this MK watch is perfect. Personally, if I were to spend this much on a watch it would be the Rose Gold MK Watch because it is so pretty!!

River Island Gold Glitter Platform Heels - Available from ASOS for £31.50
These gold heels would look amazing with a little black dress! They would add just the right amount of glitz and glamour to an outfit. They only have a limited number of sizes left so get in there quick!

Hope you liked my take on GOLD coloured pretty things!! Stay tuned for silver - that will be up soon - after my Naked Palette Review & Swatches!

Thanks for reading. xoxo

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Current Morning Face Routine - Skincare and Foundation

I have been using this morning skincare routine for around 3 months now and I like it, it's easy, however, I can't help but feel that it could be better. If anybody has any suggestions for oily/ combination skin, please comment!

Cleanser - Clinique's 'Liquid Facial Soap - Mild' - Buy here

This cleanser is actually the dry skin formula because I had a sample of this one and really liked it as it didn't dry out my skin like some cleansers do. I have acne prone skin so some cleansers tend to dry out any acne I have and makes it more noticeable and more difficult to cover up. 

Anyway, this cleanser lathers really nicely and is fragrance-free which is something I like in a cleanser. Also, the 200ml bottle has lasted me a very long time which makes the £14.00 price tag seem reasonable. However, it is a very gentle cleanser and I'm not sure it really does anything to combat my acne. I think I may try a different cleanser when I run out of this one. 

Eye Cream - Clinique 'All About Eyes' - buy here

After cleansing my face, I apply my eye cream by lightly tapping it under my eyes. This pot is actually a sample that I got in one of Clinique's gift offers that they frequently do - you had to buy two products, one being skincare, in order to get a free gift. This mini pot is 7ml so contains half the product of a full size tub which retails for £23.00 at Boots. This tub has lasted me for about 2 months and I am only around a third of the way through it. I have definitely noticed a difference when using it as it definitely reduces puffiness and minimises dark circles. Overall, a great product and I think I will repurchase it, although I do really want to try Bobbi Brown's 'Extra Repair Eye Cream' but it is £40 so I don't know if it's worth it. Leave a comment if you have tried it!!

Moisturiser - Kiehl's 'Ultra Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15' - buy here

After I apply my eye cream, I pat this moisturiser all over my face. It sinks in to my skin really nicely and quickly however does leave my face feeling kind of greasy but it doesn't bother me that much because I usually just apply makeup afterwards so it doesn't stay that way for long. I love that this has SPF15 in it for the Summer and I honestly don't mind the slight sunscreen scent of this product although I know some people can't stand that smell so I guess it's a matter of personal preference.. 

 Setting Spray / Primer - Urban Decay 'De Slick' - buy here

I use this religiously every morning that I apply makeup (because we all know sometimes you just can't be bothered!!) about 10 minutes after applying moisturiser and before applying my foundation or BB cream. I then use it after my foundation (but before my powder) as well to help me stay vaguely shine free and help my foundation last longer. I think this product is well worth the money because a bottle does last a really long time and also, the cooling effect of the spray really wakes you up in the morning!

Foundation - Revlon 'Colorstay' - buy here

Because it's Summer (not that you'd know it in the UK) I haven't really been wanting to wear a full coverage foundation every day so have generally been reaching for one of the two BB creams below. However, I have been wearing my trusty colorstay foundation when I want something that covers my blemishes fully or when I know I will be out all day and want my foundation to stay put! I do really like this foundation however I find that you have to blend it fairly quickly because it does dry pretty fast.. I have been through about 3 bottles of this foundation though and will definitely be repurchasing it when mine runs out. I apply this with my Sigma 'Flat Top Kabuki' brush which can be purchased from here.

BB Cream #1 - No7's 'Beautiful Skin BB Cream' - Buy here

I got this BB Cream in 'Light' however although it blends out to be fairly sheer, I would definitely say that this would not suit very pale girls. This BB cream has a medium to thick consistency but in my opinion is a light to medium coverage product. Therefore I feel the need to use quite a lot of concealer to cover up blemishes and acne scarring and this makes it feel slightly more cakey and thick than I would like. I bought this with a No7 £5 off voucher so it came to £7.95. I don't think I would repurchase this at £12.95 however I would repurchase if I had another £5 off voucher as unlike Dr Jart's BB cream (below), this BB cream doesn't tend to be as drying on the skin and does have a really nice natural finish when applied with your fingers.

BB Cream #2 - Dr Jart's 'Regenerating Beauty Balm' - Buy here

As I said above, I thought this BB cream tended to dry out my skin slightly however not so much that I don't love this product. For a BB cream this product has amazing coverage. The cream is very thick however blends like a dream. I'd say this product could be either light, medium or heavy coverage depending on how it is applied. I find that the highest coverage is achieved when applied with your fingers. I also use concealer and powder over the top and find that coverage is enough for me. It also doesn't feel heavy on my skin at all but I do find that I tend to get a little shiny throughout the day so you do need to add powder to combat that. This product was very pricey at £21.00 however I think it was worth it because a little really does go a long way!

Concealer - MAC 'Studio Finish Concealer' - Buy here

This concealer is very creamy and blends very well. However, it does tend to look a little cakey and make my makeup feel more heavy. I really don't like that feeling and feel like there must be better concealers out there so I won't be repurchasing this. However, it does it's job for now and it does cover blemishes and dark circles fairly well but I don't think it works for me personally...

Powder #1 - Maybelline's 'Dream Matte Powder' - Buy here

I use this powder over the one below when I am paler or when I haven't applied fake tan as it is lighter than the MAC powder. I love this powder and feel like it completely keeps shine at bay! I apply it with the powder puff that it came with and then brush off any excess powder with my Sigma 'F30 - Large Powder Brush' which can be purchased from here and it works a dream!!!!! Seriously, go get some!

 Powder #2 - MAC 'Mineralise Skinfinish Natural' - Buy here

This powder is the one I use when I am tanned and honestly I would say save your money and just get the 'Dream Matte Powder'. I wish I had just got Maybelline's powder in a darker colour because I don't feel that this does as good a job at keeping me shine free.

I will be posting my current nighttime skincare routine soon so stay tuned for that and leave any suggestions for products you think I might like!

Thanks for reading. xoxo

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