Drugstore haul!

I had a splurge on high end products, so I decided to hit my local drugstore and stock up on some new products.

My first purchase was my holy grail foundation...Revlon Colorstay.  I got this in the shade Early Tan, in the Combination/Oily formula, as I still seem to have a bit of colour from my holiday & the 'better late than never' Summer we had in the UK.  This seems a lot thicker in consistency than my usual 'Sandy Beige' shade, however, this doesn't bother me as I know the product works well with my skin & lasts for ages!!

While I was there I was drawn to the Revlon 'Nearly Naked' powder'.  I got this in 'Medium', again because of my slight tan, but I must say I LOVE this! I'm not a huge fan of the liquid foundation purely because of the longevity on my skin, the finish is gorgeous though so I thought I would try it again with this powder & see if I have any luck because I really want to make it work.  The powder is almost creamy & has the consistency of a real high end product...definitely a must have powder!

I finally try out the Revlon Lip Butters.  I have always been reluctant to purchasing these purely because of the price....£7.99 for a glorified tinted lip balm always seemed steep, but I gave in as these 2 shades really stood out to me.  The first is 'Wild Watermelon' which is a newly released shade.  It's a sheer red/coral with just the right amount of colour pay off for it to be extremely wearable. The second is 'Juicy Papaya' which is a coral and a good dupe to Benefit's Hydra-Smooth Lipcolor in 'Lip Service'.  These are gorgeous!! The colour pay off is amazing & really pigmented.  They are so moisturising & it literally feels like your rubbing butter onto your lips.  I love the packaging as I do all of Revlon lip products.

I have been after a new translucent setting powder for a while.  I have always gravitated towards my trusty Rimmel Stay Matte which I love but I just felt like I wanted to try more which available on the market.  I done a bit of research and 'One Heck of a Blot' by Soap & Glory came out top. This pressed powder is completely translucent with no colour to it at all, just a finely milled & pressed white powder.  It comes with a powder puff, however, I use my Real Techniques Powder Brush to apply this to my T-Zone to set my foundation.  It's phenomenal.  Whether or not it replaces my Rimmel Stay Matte is yet to tell, but this product is well worth the hype.

Lastly is a skin care item...'L'Oreal Skin Perfection Advanced Correcting Serum'.  This is perfection in a bottle, literally! I apply this pink serum to my face morning & night and it has made my skin tone more even, reduced the appearance of my pores & has left my skin so soft! Its also a great base for make up if you don't need or don't like primers.  This is definitely a favourite in my skin care routine & I will definitely be re-purchasing this!

High end make up haul!!

I decided to have a splurge on some products I have been after for a while.  Debenhams had 10% off every item so I took full advantage!

I firstly hit MAC for two products which have been on my wish list for far too long...a loose pigment & a foundation.

MAC 'Tan' Pigment

I brought the loose pigment in 'Tan'.  This as I've said before has so many uses.  I love to sweep this all over the lid and use a soft/light brown in the crease as a transition color.  I will then add a small amount of pigment under the lower lash line and a light shimmery colour in the tear duct for a gorgeous subtle but glamourous eye look.  Another use for this pigment is to add a tiny amount to a few pumps of foundation to give a luminous look to your skin.  This wont change or alter the shade of the foundation, it simply adds a dewy effect which is perfect for the summer months.

The foundation I purchased was Studio Fix+ powder foundation.  I was undecided which to go for, the liquid form or the powder.  I went for the powder purely because of my oily skin & thought this could double up as a foundation on days where I don't want or need much coverage or use it over a liquid foundation to either add extra coverage or to set my foundation.  I got this in the shade NC35 as I still have a slight tan from the summer, however, I think I will go back and purchase this in the shade NC20 as so far I love it!!

The next concession I visited was Benefit. I absolutely LOVE this brand and it's the packaging that draws me in every time.

Benefit 'Rockateur'

I love the bronzer 'One Hot Minute' and couldn't believe it when a employee told me it was being discontinued! However, rather than stocking up on that I decided to try the new blush, 'Rockateur'.  This is simply beautiful.  It has the look of the perfect rose gold with lots of shimmer, however, the shimmer transfers onto the skin beautifully without making you look like a disco ball! I love applying this on the apples of my cheeks and slightly up along my cheek bones once I've applied bronzer, it looks amazing!  This blush, as always, comes with a mini brush which I usually dispose of, however, this one is slightly thicker & domed shaped which applies the product perfectly.

Benefit 'Lip Service'

The lipsticks have never caught my eye but while we were there my Mum picked up a 'Hydra-Smooth Lipcolor' in the shade 'Lip Service' which I just had to have! Was slightly in my comfort zone, and still in the summer trend, but it was a gorgeous wearable coral. The colour pay off is fabulous, but the finish is sheer & extremely moisturising, comparable to Revlon Lip Butters.  What is a little different though as like a foundation this can be built up to a medium-full lip coverage.  Again the packaging was spot on. It's a 'twist-up' bullet, like that of the Clinique Chubby Sticks.  The longevity isn't great and if you are on a budget then Juicy Papaya in the Revlon Lip Butter range is the one for you.

I have to use primers to keep my make up from slipping as the day goes on.  There are a few I like such as Garnier's 5 Second Miracle Blur, however, I don't find this minimises my large pores as much as I would like.  So, i purchased the UK's No.1 primer 'Porefessional'.  This silicone product is a flesh coloured formula which glides on beautifully and leaves the skin feeling smooth.  I am very impressed with is product & it's fast becoming a product I can no longer live without. 

Bare Minerals.  I have such a love hate relationship with this product.  I've tried both the original & matte formulas and always preferred the original.  However, since having the children & my oily complexion becoming so much worse, I decided to give the matte formula another go.  I got it in the shade 'Fairy Medium' which I always felt was too pink for my skin tone, however, this is the colour I have been matched too on various occasions.
The coverage is medium to full, but I find that a lot has to be applied if you are after a full coverage look.  With it being a mineral powder I don't find that it goes cakey on the skin or blotchy as the day goes on, but I do feel like it fades after a few hours.  I'm going to try using a new brush with it & see if my experience improves but right now I can still say that it's not a foundation I reach for as my 'go to' product.