The Origins Duo

Over the years my skincare routine has become very repetitive and mundane, nonetheless in a good way. I've pretty much streamlined my products down to three simple ones that I know work for me (more on that beautiful trio in another post), however when I receive some products for special occasions such as a birthday or Christmas, there's obviously no doubt that I'll give them a whirl. I've had these two moisturizers in my collection for a while, but due to my aforementioned routine, I never got round to trying them out until recently.

The Summer of Red

Do ignore my chubby hands, but look at that vieeew!

If you would have told me a few months ago that I'd be sporting this vibrant shade on my lips, nails and body, I would have laughed you straight in the face. To me, red was always a no-go. I was always too afraid it would look too Taylor Swift and make my skin look paler than it already is. However, summer is the time to experiment and try something new, and so perusing the Boots aisles on holiday, I picked up a red nail polish.

Rimmel Do Foundations

When it comes to foundations, the Rimmel Wake Me Up is my go-to, especially during the summer season when I'm looking for a little more dew. I've talked about it loads and would recommend it to pretty much everyone who's skin sits somewhere in-between the oily and the dry region. It works perfectly with my combination skin, as it is both moisturizing but long lasting, and gives a reasonable amount of coverage. It's also under a tenner at £8.99 and I do find a little goes a long way with this. However, I was searching for a little more coverage and so I thought I'd try another one from their foundation range. 

• Three Step Face •

In general, I like taking my time with my makeup, however, when it comes to everyday when I have an option between doing my makeup nicely or having an extra ten minutes of sleep I usually go for the latter. This is my three product routine that I like to slap on that doesn't make me look like I've fallen out of bed and had a zombie attack on my way to school.

• Another One Wash Shade •

Some of you old readers might remember my first post like this talking about the NARS Mykonos Cream Eyeshadows. To quickly summarise, I talked about how easy it was to just wash across the lid and make it look like a complete look, and since then I've been looking for a shade like it.

• The Sponge vs. The Brush •

When it comes to base application, I like having my choices. I have a variety of different brands and formulas of brushes that all help my foundation to look a certain way I like. I've always been a buffingbrush-esque girl and haven't ever tried anything else, but I decided to give something new a try.

• A Different Take On A Festive Nail •

The one colour that I just don't like wearing is red. Whether it's on my lips or my tips I just don't feel comfortable as I think the colour doesn't suit me and seems to wash me out a bit. So when it comes to the festive season I do find it hard to add a festive touch to a look, as most humans would lean towards a red shade. However, a colour that I've found to suit me a lot is a dark plum shade. I've been looking for a dark nail polish after my Jack Wills Limited Edition one from a few years ago ran out - and I think I've found the one.

• Nars Brush Dupes •

I'm sure we all dreaming of owning Nars brushes, but a lot of us simply can't afford to splurge 30-something pounds on one brush. This is where bornpretty comes in. When they initally contacted me for review, I was a little hesitant as scrolling through their website the significantly cheap prices did make me question to quality of their products. But, as a self-professed risk taker, I decided to choose a few products to try.

• The Mascara Dilemma •

I'll save all my apologies for not posting as you've heard my excuses a few too many times, but I'm back - and that's all that matters right? I've been wanting to talk about a new mascara I've been using for a while, because it's definitely become one of my favourites.

• The Crease Combo •

Most of us have a signature eye look, and although I thought I didn't have one, there is one step that I never miss out - whether I'm going for a full on smokey eye, or keeping it very "au naturel".

• Out Of Trouble? •

I've talked about a couple of spot treatments here before, but I wanted to invest in a good face mask to get rid of all the nasties. While browsing through the duty free at the airport, a long with buying MAC's Omega, I spotted the Origins masks, all at a considerably lower price. I decided to go for it and pick up the Origins Out Of Trouble Mask, a 10 minute mask that claims to rescue problem skin.

• Two Spring Loves •

Sorry i haven't been blogging that enthusiastically recently, but i just didn't really have much motivation, but a new week, a new start right? Today I wanted to share with you two things that i've been LOVING recently, and let me tell you - they're good. 

• Radiant, Creamy and Dreamy •

In my recent Sunday Post i mentioned that i made a little purchase at the NARS store, and i love it so much, i think it deserves a post of it's own.

• The Multiple Use Products •

Finding different uses for products is really good, especially if it's a product i already love for it's actual use. These three makeup items are really great for just that, so here they are.

• The One-Wash Shade •

Although i do like taking my time when doing my makeup, there's just something about quick and easy products that just satisfy me. This is one of them.

• The 'Orange' Lip •

I've never been much of an orange lip kind of person, but i feel like a peach or a coral orange are so perfect for spring time, so here are a few i will most probably be wearing throughout the following months.

• My Top 3 Liquid Liners •

I've never really been much of a liquid-liner type of person. A lot of the times liquid eyeliners are either far too hard to handle (ie. flimsy tips) or don't last very long on me. These three however, definitely make the cut for me.

• The Brush: Urban Decay vs. Real Techniques •

I've never really done a comparison post before, but i guess there is a first to everything! Today i'm going to be comparing two brushes, one drugstore and one high end. Both of these are great foundation brushes, especially good for buffing in. The first one is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, which comes in the Real Techniques Core Collection. I must admit that this is pretty much the only brush from the collection that i get really good use out of. They do have another similar brush in the line, the Expert Face Brush, but it is quite different. The Buffing Brush is a wide circular brush that widens at the end. It has a slight dome edge which really helps to buff in your foundation. This is great for powder aswell, as the top of the bristles are quite flat. The other brush is the Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush. The first thing i notice about this brush is the weight of the handle, which is pretty heavy. To be honest i like this, because it feels like you have a lot more grip and control when you're using it. The actual brush is a lot more dense than the Real Techniques one, so you get a lot more coverage from it too. 

• Mini Sleek Makeup Haul •

Recently i went to this  little shop i found that sells NYX and Sleek makeup, so i decided to buy some Sleek products, as you don't usually get them in Singapore.