Beauty Things I Don't Like (which I probably should)

Last week I posted about Beauty Things I Like (which I probably shouldn't) and today I'm posting about the flipside and will be talking all about the beauty things that I just don't really like. I'm not slating any of the products in the photo above but each of these products (or collection of products) represent a beauty 'chore' that I really don't like! I'm going to be talking about five examples so I hope you're nice and comfy because this post is going to be on the long side.

My Brow Basics

HD Brow Palette in Foxy and the Real Techniques Brow Brush.

Sometimes the everyday staples can get a little bit overlooked. To me they sometimes don't seem all that exciting because I reach for them everyday, but they are absolute staples and these sorts of products are the bread and butter of my beauty collection. Last year, in probably the best beauty box of my life, I received an Eye Brow kit from HD Brows (in the shade Foxy). I used this every single day for months and months and it is still only one of two eye brow products that I use (I alternate between this and my Body Shop Brow Definer which I use on my very lazy days because it is a pencil).

This post isn't only an ode to HD Brow's Foxy Palette though, it is also an ode to the Real Techniques Brow Brush (part of their Starter Set) which is the brush I use to apply product to my eyebrows. I really love it and the pair come in super handy for travelling with because they are so multi-purpose. First off, the palette has a big mirror in it so more often than not I carry this just for the mirror (dangerous for the powder perhaps). In addition, the HD Brows Palette has a very intimidated black shade that will never in this lifetime grace my eyebrows, but it does make for a great powder liner. I usually use this alone for a softer looking liner look and the Real Techniques Brow Brush actually does a terrific job of applying it!

As to the colour that I do use on my brows, well, the name has long worn off but it is the lighter of the two browns and I've swatched it on my hand so you can get a sense of the colour. It's a good match but sometimes I mix a tiny bit of the darker brown into it when I want a stronger brow look (usually only in the evenings). The other brush in my pictures is from No. 7 and it is just for brushing through your eyebrows in order to shape them. I bought this from a blog sale so can't comment much about it other than to say that it does it's job well enough! 

All in all, if you've ever considered getting an HD Brow Palette I'd strongly support the choice! I'm also a big fan of the Real Techniques Starter Kit, I don't think the eye brushes are as amazing as some of their face brushes but the angled Brow Brush is a big favourite of mine and I do use the others a lot too. Although both of these products are expensive they're definitely investments as they're going to last you years if you look after them, and beauty investments are my favourite sort. 

Do you have any staple eyebrow products?

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On My Nails This Week: MUA's Frozen Yogurt with L'Oreal's Confetti Topcoat

In keeping with the promise that I made to myself to tackle some of the beauty products lurking in my stash I added L'Oreal Paris' Confetti Top Coat to my nail polish choice for the week, Make Up Academy's Frozen Yoghurt. After last week's dalliance with an Essie nail polish (link) I am really feeling the low quality of this polish formula. MUA nail polishes are (I think) a bargain at just £1 but the brushes are thin and the polish is thin too, meaning I had to use three coats before it became opaque and even. Also, the final finish isn't very shiny which didn't affect me as I knew I was going to add a top coat but it is worth bearing in mind if you love shiny nails. 

I personally love the shade of MUA's Frozen Yogurt, it is a mid-purple so it isn't too pastel-y for mid-summer but it is still oh so pretty (purple is my favourite colour so it isn't hard to woo me). The L'Oreal Paris Confetti Top Coat isn't exactly a dream to use (the brush has gone cray-cray, like, bristles all over the place) and I personally find it a little bit thick. I like one coat of it for a subtle speckle but I prefer two to three coats for a more in your face effect, I find it gets noticed more often and I get more compliments. Vanity drives this nail choice. Anyway, together I find it to be a very pretty combination and I'll definitely be wearing these two together again!

Do you like these two polishes together? What have you been wearing on your nails this week?

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Oriflame Ever Lasting Foundation and Perfect Blush (review and swatches)

Oriflame is a new brand on my radar this month. There have been a few reviews of some of their products (most notably some very favourable reviews of their lipsticks) popping up on a number of blogs over the last few weeks and I have been keeping my eye on them! I was sent Oriflame's Ever Lasting Foundation in Porcelain* and Oriflame's Perfect Blush in Classic Rose*. 

Initially, I worried that the Oriflame foundation might be too light now that I've achieved a bit of a summer tan but lightly applied it actually looks fine and it is definitely the right shade for me for the winter. The Ever Lasting Foundation range is supposed to offer medium to full coverage and I think that if you used more of it (I used it lightly due to colour matching issues) it would definitely offer quite full coverage. But the magic is in the feel of the product, it feels pretty weightless to be honest. I really enjoyed having this on my face, which in summer isn't exactly the norm when it comes to fuller-coverage products. However, when worn without a primer it does sink into my pores and really highlight them so a primer is a must! As I'm now in the habit of wearing a primer anyway this isn't such a concern for me and I don't think it should put you off using this foundation. The coverage coupled with the weightless texture makes it a unique addition to my collection - you can see how it looks on me in my FOTD below (I'm only wearing foundation on my skin, no concealer).

Oriflame's Blush in Classic Rose is a truly perfect my cheeks but better colour (I don't think this is a thing but it should be). Dusted on lightly with my Real Techniques Blusher Brush it was really easy to lightly build this up until I reached the perfect 'natural glow'. It layers really well so it's a great 'beginner's blush' as you can really play around with it quite a lot without looking like a badly painted china doll! The colour 'Classic Rose' is perfect for me- it is definitely a pink but it isn't too rosy. Anything super pink does something slightly unpleasant to my colouring, this pink is edged with coral (as you can see in my swatch above) and it makes it really very flattering and easy to wear. I put together a super natural make-up look using both the Oriflame products and I'm personally really happy with how it looks.

The foundation comes in at £11.45* and the Blush costs £8.95* and I think perhaps this is a little steep when you compare them to drugstore prices, however, the quality is definitely there and I think that choice pieces would be worth investing in. The foundation has a lovely feel to it and I prefer it to my Bourjois Healthy Mix which offers a similar coverage but feels a lot heavier! I also have my eye on another shade of the Perfect Blush in the shade Glowing Peach - I can just imagine the colour and it makes me shiver in delight at the thought. TMI? You can find all of Oriflame's beauty range on their website here.

What do you think of  how these products look? Have you tried anything from Oriflame before?

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