My week in Photos

1. Treated myself to an ickle bottle of Moroccanoil, so far so good- review to follow

2. Mr Pipkin

3. Illamasqua speckled nail polish

4. Valentines Chocs my lovely other half got me (shame three were only about 4 in it)

5. Churro

6. How cute is Boo!

7. Home made choc chip cookies

8.The Jolly Postman, one of my

fave books as a child that i found up my loft

9. Rose gold Fossil watch

Whats in my make-up bag...

Hello lovelies,

So todays post is going to focus on my favourite make-up items that i'm using a lot of at the moment. I tend to go throuh phases, phases of wearing a pink or red lip, smokey eye or a paricular blusher.
However, some of these items below have stayed with me, for example Bella Bamba. I may mix it up a bit from time to time with matte blushers but i always go back to the trusty watermelon pink blush.

My favourites at the moment.

The primer that i'm using a lot of at the moment is Illamasqua's Matt Primer, it creates the perfect base for me to apply my make up and keeps the dreaded shine look at bay. This is around £19.50.
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My favourite foundation is Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation in the shade Ecru. I find that it goes on nice and smoothly and lasts a decent duration, i ususally get about 7 or 8 hours out of it. It costs around £26. I also recently purchased Chanel Perfection Lumiere, so i've been dabbling with that too. I'm going to do a seperate review about it soon.

I set my foundation with a little powder, i really like using Hello Flawless by Benefit. I find that it doesn't look cakey, just nice and natural, this is £24.50.

My blusher varies, im a huge fan of Bella Bamba- as i mentioned before. However, i have been using Sugerbomb a lot recently, it adds such a nice glow to my cheeks. I also use Hoola, a little sweep over my face and neck to add a some colour (without fake tan i look a bit like an extra from thriller), so Hoola is another essential for me. These cost around £23.50 each.

Top to Bottom: Bella Bamba, Sugerbomb, Hoola.

I love Urban Decay's Naked Palettes, they are a must have. I really love the pigmented colours, i find myself reaching for either one of them on a daily basis. They have everything to create a smokey eye to a soft natural eye, what more could a gal want? They cost around £36 each.

Top: Naked 2 Bottom: Original Naked

I adore They'e Real by Benefit, i was a huge fan of Badgal but i got this for my Christmas and i haven't looked back. It really exagerates my lashes and makes them look longer and fuller. The only downside it trying to get the darn stuff off at night, can be a bit of a pain to remove. This costs around £18.50

I always use a little Badgal Liner by Benefit on my water line, just to define my eyes a bit more. I received this in a set so i don't know about the price as it is no longer available on their site.

When it comes to my eyebrows, it has to be my Browzings kit by Benefit. I use this in medium and i find that it adds just enough definition without making them look too 'drawn in' or unatural. This costs £22.50.

My favourite lipsticks at the moment are Mac's Please me, Hue and Myth. Please Me is a really nice wearable nude pink, as is Hue. I have to be careful with Myth though, as if i add too much, it tends to look like the dreaded 'foundation lip' so more is less in this case. These cost around £13.50 each.

Sorry for the lack of pictures and swatches ladies, this is just a quick post as i'm away out on a cinema date soon. Going to see 'The women in Black' eeeek.

Whats your make up must- haves at the moment?

Illamasqua: Make-up for your alter ego

Todays post is about Illamasqua, a make-up brand, which has been on my radar since receiving a perfume sample (Freak) by the brand in my November's Glossybox.

"Illamasqua is for the bolder person hiding inside all of us. It is an act and an attitude. A symbol of tolerance. A celebration of idiosyncrasies. A confident statement of self-ownership"

After lusting over quite a few of their products, i managed to narrow it down to just two (i could have went crazy as all their products are gregeous). I decided on a powder blusher in the shade 'Excite' and their 'matt primer', i'm always on the search for a really good matt primer.

First of all the matt primer...
"An essential for any screen goddess, Illamasqua matt Primer helps create a flawless, shine-free base. For use under foundation or on its own, this professional cream formula offers UVA and UVB protection and gives skin an even, matt finish. Prepare to impress."

This primer is a white, creamy consistency and glides on nicely, its leaves you skin instantly shine free. You don't feel any of the 'tightness' you usually do from some matte primers. It kept my skin fresh looking for a good few hours, although by the end of the day though i did have some slight oil on my t-zone. But all in all, its excellent in my oppinion. Having used various matte primers this one has topped my list, was very impressed. At £19.50, it has a hefty price tag but if it's a miracle in a bottle... well, its worth every penny in my eyes, especially when it comes to the dreaded 'chip fat face' look i've been sporting for so long due to oily skin.

Next we have Illamasqua's podwer blusher in 'Excite'...

A vibrant apricot shade, i know many of you will be thinking "Yikes... its so bright" However, with proper application this leaves your cheeks with a goregeous peachy glow. The shade is described as 'vivid apricot, matt finish' on the website.

I quite like the matt finish, i've always been a 'Bella Bamba' gal - ever since it launched last february, i've rarely strayed from the Benefit Blush. However, in the words of Bob Dylan "The times they are a a-changin".

Excite also blends great aswell. The key rule with this blusher is that a little goes a long long way. Apply too much and you may run the risk of looking like a clown. Another great investment at £16.50. This is definitely a welcomed edition. 

Sorry for the poor quality swatch, had to take it on my iphone.

So there we have it, my first ever illamasqua purchase. I will definitely be buying from the brand again. I have my eye on a few of their lip glosses.

Do you own anything from Illamasqua?