Rosewood;

Two of my favourite things to watch are Pretty Little Liars and Velvetgh0st. So when this lipstick named Rosewood (where PLL is set) from Max Factor was given Gabby Lindley's seal of approval I knew I had to have it.

The packaging alone is gorgeous, its made from metal. The lid is a frosted gold colour, with the inside being a shinier gold. This is easily one of the most luxurious lipsticks from the drugstore. There's also a clear panel at the bottom which we all know is super handy when you're rummaging around your lipstick collection. The colour of this a pretty natural lip colour, with a reddish tint. This goes on really smoothly, and feels moisturising on the lips. It has a shiny finish, but isn't glossy or sticky. The colour also stays on your lips for a really long time. I think both the consistency and longevity of this lipstick make it feel more high-end than drugstore and I really want to get my hands on some more Max Factor lippies!

August... & September Beauty Favourites;

I've had a couple of super busy months, and finally broke my chain of favourites. I've been away twice and spent a lot of time with my friends before going back to my studies. I also celebrated my results, which I am really proud of. As well as attending my first festival and getting a new job. Unfortunately that means my blog has been a little quiet, so I've compiled everything that I've loved over the 2 months for a super favourites!

My only skincare favourite is this moisturiser from Natural Collection at Boots. I put another scent of this in another favourites post and this one is just as good. This is thicker than your average daily moisturiser, but no so thick that it's hard to rub in. It makes your skin feel so much softer and I can still feel the effect of this the day after use.

Moving onto makeup I have to mention this Smashbox Eye Primer again. This stuff doesn't budge or crease and is festival tried and tested. I applied this at 10am and my eyeshadow was still perfect when I stumbled back to my tent at 3am and it even kept loose glitter on my lids!

I also picked up this Rimmel Liquid Liner a little while ago. I tend to prefer potted liner over pen as I find its blacker and lasts so much longer. This is pure black and doesn't dry too matte but also isn't super shiny which is great. The brush on this is super thin making it great for precision and you can create thin lines or build it up. I still don't always get it right but it's easy to remove when wet but will not budge when it has dried.

When I'm not using liquid liner I like to use this Brown Avon Glimmerstick smudged across my lash line for a softer look. I really like these as they're the longest lasting liners I've ever tried.

My favourite palette this month has been my Makeup Revolution Iconic 2 Palette as its so versatile. The deep and shimmery browns are great to create smokier looks for daytime. There are also some cool-toned shadows which aren't usually my cup of tea, but the taupes and greys look lovely for nights out! All of the shades are pigmented and last all day and night with a good primer!
My next favourite is from a Ted Baker makeup set that I was bought for Christmas last year and while most of it was pretty crap I've actually been reaching for the brow pencil a lot recently. I've got to admit that it's not the best I've ever tried, however it isn't too waxy and is a nice cool toned medium brown. It's about the only thing that matches my 'I'm too lazy to dye my hair'.

The last makeup item that I've been loving over the past 2 months has been my Mac Lipstick in Pink Plaid. This is an all-time favourite of mine. Its a middle-of-the-range shade of pink, with cool, grey undertones that makes it understated as well as unique.  I've been reaching for it a lot lately because I think it really offsets the smokier eye looks that I've been going for.

My last favourite is the handbag I bought last month, I had to mention it because I love it and it only cost me just over £20. I live close to Clark's Village which is home to a lot of retail outlets, so I managed to get this heavily reduced from £60. I love it because the darker blue it makes it perfect for Autumn and the snakeskin is unique. Its also the perfect size, large enough to fit alot in it. But not quite enough for the kitchen sink.

What have you been loving lately?

My One Product Brows;

Brow products have taken the beauty world by storm in the last year, yet due to a recent buy I have simplified my brow routine completely. That product is MUA's Brow Define Tinted Brow Mascara (wow that was long winded).

As you can probably gather, this is a tinted mascara for your brows, mine is in the shade Dark. Benefit and Maybelline among other brands also sell these, but MUA's version is just £2. To apply this I just comb it through my brows. I'd be careful to use a light hand, as if you smudge any it can tint the skin which is a nightmare to clean up. Luckily the brush is fairly small which adds to precision. The tint defines your brows, which is plenty enough for me. If you have sparse brows this might be more of a product to layer with others. The brush it also helps to groom my eyebrows into the perfect shape, and keeps them there all day just like a clear mascara. This product does pretty much everything I want to my eyebrows in one, other than pluck them!

Before                                                                        After

September Primark Haul;

So, yeah... Primark happened, again. I've said it many times but I think Primark has become my favourite store. I seem to be going in more and more and not coming out with clothes, so I thought I'd show you what I picked up this time.

Up first is this PS Makeup Fixing Spray. For me, fixing spray is an essential. With it you can afford to wear a  foundation that isn't so long lasting and for £2 I couldn't not pick this up. This really is like hairspray for your face as its in an aerosol can. When applying this I felt like it was going on uneven and as its aerosol its not nice to breathe in. But it did lengthen the wear-time of my base and keep it looking fresher, and really it worked just as well as any other I've used.
I also picked up a Make-Up Brush Cleanser, this is the kind of product that you spray directly onto your brushes. I'd use this as a spot cleaner and still give my brushes a good shampoo once a fortnight (ok maybe once a month). When spraying this it smells like synthetic fruit and a little chemically if I'm honest. But it did do a good job of removing the visible product on my brushes, as well as cleansing away the germs from my face, even my foundation brush looked almost as good as new! And if you use this in the evening your brushes will be dry and ready to go by morning.
Moving onto makeup I got a PS Lip Liner Pencil, with no actual shade name. This is a gorgeous deeper pink with grey-ish undertones. This was only £1 and it applies easily as its quite a creamy feeling liner. As it has a matte finish it lasts quite a while on the lips too, and I think shade will be lovely for Autumn.
The last thing I got from the ever-expanding beauty section was this deep cleansing pad. Its basically a rubber pad with soft, flexible bristles. It also had a suction pad onto back to stick to your shower. I thought this would be great to work cleansers deeper into my skin, as well as exfoliate. It beats using your hands, right?

I also picked up yet another candle from Primark, The Orange Sunshine Soda jar candle. I really love their jar candles as their only £3, they smell gorgeous, and you can reuse the jar. As you can guess by its name, this smells really fresh and just like oranges. This was probably more suited for summer but I couldn't resist it, and its a lovely, light scent for any room at any time of year.

Have you picked up any goodies from Primark recently?

Rock It!

Today I want to talk about a product that I've been having a long-term love affair with.

Benefit's boxed blushes are iconic in my opinion, yet Rockateur is the only one I own. I pretty much fell in love with it from the first promo photo I saw.

 This is my favourite blush (so far) I think the shade is perfect. Rockateur is a warm toned peachy and pink blusher, it's pretty much everything rolled into one which is why I think it would suit most skintones. It looks great with warm toned eyeshadow and a red lip, I also love wearing this in the colder months to warm my pale complexion. Oh my, the shimmer in this. It's not full of chunky glitter but there's no need for highlighter after.

The only thing I thought let this down at first was the pigmentation. For around £30 I expected this have pack a little more punch, I've definitely tried drugstore blushers that are a lot more pigmented than this. However I've grown to love that about Rockateur. It's great for those of us with a heavy hand, or pale skin as you can't really overdo it. You can pop just a little on, or you can really build this up. But when it is one it definitely stays put a lot longer than drugstore blushes.

The packaging is another thing that makes these blushes so iconic. Of course the hint is in the name, as they come in a little box. The packaging is cardboard but surprisingly durable, it closes with a magnet and even has a small mirror on the inside. Rockateur is golden snakeskin with black and pink lace and chain detailing. It is literally a rockstar looking blush. I know its not all about the packaging but this does look great on a vanity or in your makeup bag. Its just another addition to Rockateur being fantastic.