I've been lacking colour in my make up recently and I'm really starting to miss it. The 23rd March feels like the right time to inject some fun into my looks and use some of the products that I used to know and love. I've spent the past week rummaging through my make up bag and finding the products that I always reach for during the Spring months that I just seem to forget about throughout the rest of the year. One reason for this post is that I'm trying to force myself into using up some of the make up which I already own instead of buying more and more and more...if you're an avid reader of my blog, you'll know that I do love my
hauls and I've been on one too many recently, encouraging me to use what I already have lying around. And since I'm on a spending ban, it's nice to get excited about things you haven't used in a while - it's as if I've just been shopping and I'm using lots of new things!
This post is a collab with Molly from
mollyox, a gorgeous little blog that I always turn to for reviews. Molly and I purchase quite different items and products so it's really interesting to find out what I'm missing out on! I really recommend checking out her blog - her layout is gorgeous and she takes the clearest, most beautiful photos...if you head over there, tell her I said hi!
Ah, my trust old
MUA Undress Your Skin Primer. I used this in the days where I had more time in the mornings and when my skin was more oily. As we're approaching the warmer months, I can already feel that my t-zone is starting to look a little less matte, so I'll be reaching for this a lot more. At £4, it does the job really well and I can't fault it - I need a minuscule amount, which is usually half a pump/a pump, to cover my t-zone and my make-up stays put all day, without slipping and sliding off half way down my neck. The
Garnier BB Cream in Light/Clair isn't something I got on with to begin with, but I soon realised that this product works best when used with fingers. Applying it with a brush just doesn't work for me as I feel like any brush I use just swipes it across my face without it actually sinking into my skin. It provides a very light coverage which is perfect for me as I tend to go a lot lighter with my bases as it progresses towards Summer. It is fragranced which doesn't bother me as I actually quite like the scent and it's a thick BB cream which can be sheered out or built up.
Out with the Benefit Hoola, in with the
Benefit Sugarbomb! I miss this product so much and I'm now asking myself why I ever stopped using it. I like to switch up my blushes and bronzers quite regularly and I think this one just got lost at the bottom of the pile. It's a stunning rosy/bright pinky colour with tiny little shimmers, it's really gorgeous for this time of year. I tend to go for matte blushes in Winter and this little guy always makes an appearance in my Spring make up bag. As I mentioned previously, my t-zone can always do with a little mattifying so I'm going to start using my
L'oreal Paris True Match Powder to balance things out again. It's a very finely milled powder which doesn't provide a lot of coverage, but sets everything in place. As a highlighter, my
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade is so so stunning and always completes any look I go for. It is quite subtle when applied with a brush but I tend to use two fingers to dab it onto my cheek bones. It catches the light beautifully and I like that it's a unique product in my collection, as many of my highlighters are a goldy/champagne colour. Silver/pearl makes a change and I'll definitely be using this for a subtle Spring glow.
The
No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow Palette in Rainforest was one of the first beauty products I owned. I used to wear it all the time, especially the copper colour, just swiped over the lids with a little mascara. The quality of the eye shadow is great and the colours are really lovely together; I'm definitely going to try and incorporate this palette into some Spring eye looks. I also enjoy a light wash of champagne across my lids to keep things fresh and simple in Spring, and the
Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin used to be my most-worn eyeshadow from about the age of 16 until I was around 19 (this is my third pot!). At that time, I didn't experiment with makeup a whole lot, so this colour was a really easy one to wear. It's a gorgeous shimmery champagne which catches the light beautifully and I can't wait to start using this again. In terms of eyeliner, I really like the look of applying a thin line of colour to my upper lash line and applying mascara to only my top lashes. I think it really brightens up the eyes and adds a pop of colour in a subtle way. Because I have dark brown eyes, I feel like purple and teal compliment them really well, so I'm going to start wearing more of my
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Lust and my
Bourjois Khol & Contour Eye Pencil in Blue Virtuose.
Finally, the products that I switch up alllll the time are lip colours. I'm a massive fan of orange and I go for both sheer and full-on lip products when it comes to Spring. For a subtle sheen of colour, the
Revlon Colour Burst Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya is perfect. If you're afraid of wearing bright oranges, I recommend going for something like this, as it adds colour but can be sheered out to suit your preference. Everything about this product makes me happy; the fact that it moisturises my lips, it's so easy to wear, is the perfect shade of peach/orange. I'm really looking forward to wearing this again as it's a lovely colour to wear for work when I wan't to add a little something Springy to my look, but don't want to add too much. One that I wouldn't wear to work, however, is the
Topshop Lipstick in Infrared, purely because it is so so pigmented and a very statement colour. It's a vibrant, gorgeous, in-your-face, look-at-me orange and my most-worn colour of Summer 2013. I just didn't leave the house without this lipstick on. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted and probably not suitable for work (especially in a teaching profession!) but the creaminess of it, the pigmentation of it, the pure amazingness of the colour is enough to wow me every single time I put it on. It just brightens up my whole face and is very on trend for Spring/Summer 2014 (not that I follow the trends - I'm usually a year or two late!) If there's one thing I recommend from this whole post, it's this lipstick and I really can't wait til it gets sunny enough for me to wear this one again!
It was fun rummaging through my make up collection and reminding myself why I loved these products once upon a time. Sometimes, when you buy new things constantly, it's easy to forget about amazing items that you already own - and since I'm on a spending ban indefinitely, I'll be picking out my old beauty products more frequently than I have been recently!
What were your most-loved products that you've forgotten about? Do you also get wrapped up in all the new launches, sometimes forgetting about perfectly usable products that you already own? (I'm guilty of this and I'm definitely going to avoid Boots, John Lewis and Debenhams for a while!)
Daniela
