I am interrupting my series of interrailing posts to do a few different posts in between just so that they don’t get boring. I’ve also been wanting to write a post about some new makeup that I’ve been using recently for a while, so that’s what I’m going to do today.
The beauty industry is such a big thing now, it can be hard to keep up with all the new products being released and know what’s good and what’s not. I love watching YouTube, and I am planning on doing a post at some point in the future recommending some beauty YouTubers who I use to watch reviews and updates of new products.
Especially being a student and not having the most money, it’s even more difficult to know what’s worth spending money on. I only really spend money on makeup that I absolutely need if I run out of something, and I always try to stick to more affordable products. However, it was recently my birthday and I got quite a bit of new makeup as well as buying some for myself with my birthday money. So I thought I’d do a post just to let you guys know some beauty products I have recently purchased, and what I think of them so that you can decide whether they are worth buying or not.
P.S. my new room at uni does not have the best lighting so sorry my pictures aren’t the best!
The first products I want to talk about are actually skincare products. My Auntie and Uncle and cousins recently went to Florida and so they got me some beauty products from Sephora, including a few items in a gift set from First Aid Beauty. This brand isn’t the easiest to get hold of in the UK, but it is available at Sephora and you can also order it online. The set contained three products and I have been using all of them religiously for almost a month now and they make my skin glow. I use the facial radiance pads after my cleanser as a toner, and not only do they remove excess dirt but they make my skin feel so fresh. In the mornings, I follow this with the coconut skin smoothie priming moisturiser. The scent of this is amazing and it is so moisturising. However, I have quite oily skin and large pores so I have to use another primer after I use this just as a heads up. At night time, I use the ultra repair cream as a moisturiser. This is a much thicker, heavy duty moisturiser, which can be used to help eczema and other skin conditions. I really like how hydrating it is and leaving it on over night I wake up with glowing skin. All the products are sensitive skin safe, my skin gets irritated really easily so this is a must for me. I would really recommend all of these products!
Now onto the makeup, and I’m going to start with a product that has actually really disappointed me. I was in need of a new bronzer so for my birthday I decided to ask for the Anastasia Beverly Hills powder bronzer, as it had good reviews on Beauty Bay. I chose the shade Mahogany as it seemed closest to my usual shade. Firstly, this shade is a little too dark which obviously is the down side to ordering online and especially once my summer tan fades I think I am going to struggle to make the colour worse. Apart from this, I really don’t like the formula of this bronzer. For an expensive bronzer, it really doesn’t blend easily and I find myself having to go over top of it with my foundation brush to buff it out. It also applies quite patchy, and looks muddy on the skin when you first apply it. Although once its blended it does look nice and last a long time, for me when spending this much on a product I want it to be easy and I just feel like this bronzer takes a lot to make it work. I’ve also tried better ones for cheaper, so I would not re-purchase this item.
Staying on the theme of Anastasia Beverly Hills, I also purchased their clear brow gel with my birthday money as my brow gel had ran out and I’ve wanted to try theirs for a while. I always use a clear brow gel when doing my brows as it helps make them last all day and look really natural and fluffy which is how I like my brows to look. I do really like the Anastasia brow gel as it keeps my brows in place and isn’t sticky, however I can’t tell much difference between the formula of it and the one I was using before which was the NYX control freak brow gel. The NYX one is much cheaper so I think in future I would just purchase that one.
Another Anastasia Beverly Hills product I received as a gift came in another set from Sephora from my family. This was a five set of lipsticks from five different brands and it was one of my favourite presents. I love mini lipsticks as I like to switch up my lip colours a lot, so I never really use up a full lipstick, and this set is really good as it lets you try five different brands’ formulas and five different shades and they are a good size. The Anastasia lipstick is their matte lipstick in the shade ‘dead roses’. I really like the formula of this as it’s long lasting and not drying, and the shade is a really pretty dark mauve-nude. The set also came with a Tarte quench lip rescue in the shade berry, which is actually a lip balm but I really like it. It’s really hydrating and the berry colour makes the lips look really healthy, and it also has a lovely mint scent. There is also a Laura Mercier silky crème lipstick in the shade ‘Rouge Ultime’, which is just a classic red you can’t go wrong with. The next lipstick is the Bite Beauty amuse bouche lipstick in the shade ‘chai’, which is a similar shade to the Anastasia one but a bit more of a berry undertone rather than mauve. The final lipstick is the Urban Decay comfort matte lipstick, which is the only one I had actually tried before. I was really happy as well because it seems to be a full size one whereas all the others are minis, as I compared it to the one I already had. The one in the set was in the shade ‘backtalk’ which is a pinky nude and is my favourite of all five. If you are in Sephora, I would really recommend this set or even buying any of the lipsticks in it as they are all really great formulas.
While I am on the topic of lip products, I wanted to shout out two other lip products I have bought recently that I love. The first is another lipstick, and although it was limited edition I just love it so much I can’t not mention it and that’s the Disney Aladdin x MAC lipstick in the shade ‘princess incognito’. I absolutely love Disney and Aladdin is one of my favourites and I was so excited about the new film, and this lipstick is just my perfect nude in the most beautiful limited edition packaging. The other product which is not limited edition and I got in Sephora in Bologna over the summer is the Fenty Beauty universal lip luminizer in the shade ‘diamond milk’. This is the most beautiful, sparkly gloss and it just makes your lips look so juicy and healthy. It’s amazing alone or on top of any lipstick I love it.
The final product I got for my birthday which is what I’ve been most excited to mention was the Morphe X Jeffree Star palette! I love Morphe palettes and I am absolutely obsessed with Jeffree so I was so excited to see this palette be launched. Jeffree always has amazing palettes, but his own brand is a bit above my price range so I actually have never bought one of his palettes. But when I saw this collaboration, I knew I just had to had it. It just has every shade you could imagine, neutrals, pops of colour, shimmers etc. It’s perfect for any occasion and I honestly think it has everything you need in it. When coming back to uni it is literally the only palette I’ve brought with me, that’s how much I love it! The shades are so pigmented and blend so easily and I just love everything about it. I also really like how the shade names are personal to Jeffree as a fan of his, as his own palettes usually have a theme which the shade names etc will be based on- but this one is all about him!
I finally wanted to mention a few products I have purchased since my birthday, although I haven’t had a chance to try some of them out as they have literally been delivered while I’ve been writing this post! The first product, which I have tried (and loved) is the Gerard Cosmetics ‘slay all day’ setting spray. I saw this on Beauty Bay and one of my favourite YouTubers Nikkia Joy always talks about it so I decided to try it. There are loads of different scents, but I chose the rose one which I think actually is a scent Nikkia created which is really cool. The setting spray makes my makeup last all day and is definitely okay with oily skin, I love it! The only thing is the scent is quite overwhelming, I would love it if they had a scentless version but I haven’t been able to find one anywhere. Finally, the products that came today which I wanted to mention but I will have to review at a later date are the Wet n Wild photofocus foundation and a BH cosmetics sponge. I have tried the Wet n Wild photofocus concealer and I really liked it, so I am excited to try the foundation and I have been after a new beauty sponge for a while so I will keep you guys updated on those.
For now, that’s everything! I hope you enjoyed this post and it has given you a bit of help with some tried and tested beauty products, and what is worth your money.
Emily Ashton 