NARS VELVET MATTE LIP PENCIL IN 'CRUELLA'

 

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Cruella' from ASOS

I am a part of the ASOS blogger programme called Access All ASOS, and for this Christmas they really kindly decided to host a secret santa with a load of bloggers and other ASOS insiders! We were given a £15 voucher code each and were challenged to pick out something for our secret santa from the whole ASOS site. I was sent the name of another blogger and had to put my stalking skills to good use to track them down and pick out a present for her, I hope she like it as much as I like this!

The Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade 'Cruella' is what I received as my secret santa present - I had wanted this since last year when Vivianna went on a Nars Lip Pencil craze but it was one of those things that I never quite got around to picking up. My secret santa Becky did really well to pick it out (despite seeing my tweet from earlier that day saying how much I wanted it!!) and it's safe to say it lives up to my expectations! It's got a super smooth consistency that lasts hours without you feeling as if you are wearing anything on your lips - perfect.

I got it a month or so ago, and I have been wearing it so much ever since - I really should of bought it ages ago as it has quickly become one of those lip products that makes me say "how on earth did I ever live without this before?!"

MY MAKEUP BAG ESSENTIALS

Mascara: L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes 
Foundation: Becca Radiant Skin Satin Finish
Lipstick: Tom Ford 'Cherry Lush'

Under eye concealer: YSL Touche Eclat

Eyeshaddow: MAC Cool Neutral Palette 

Makeup bag: Whistles


These products are a few of my makeup bag essentials - ones that I reach for on a daily basis and use time and time again. I chose ones for this post that can give you a bit of a pick me up, and you can rely on in the morning to take you from looking fresh faced, to feeling able to take on the world. A good mascara makes your eyes look a lot wider and can help you fake the appearance of having bigger and more awake eyes. A radiant foundation can make you appear as if you have actually been eating all your greens and drinking plenty of water, instead of the unhealthy ready meals and alcohol that I'm sure is a lot more realistic representation of most people's diets! A bright lipstick is my favourite way to make you look as if you have actually put in a lot more effort in the morning than you really have - when it really only takes two minutes to apply. A radiant under eye concealer is a great way to fake a good nights sleep and will cover up those dark circles by bringing light to that area instead of the natural dark shadow. I will never forgive myself for not getting into eyeshaddow earlier than I did - a couple of neutral colours blended together can really help to wing out your eye shape and draw more attention to your eyes, especially if you haven't had time to do the whole contour, blush and highlight thing. If I am in a rush, I will simply pat one one colour all over the lid and blend it out - faking the fact that it only took you 30 seconds to actually do.

HAIRCUT

I decided I was bored with my super long (belly button length) hair and decided to finally go for the chop, which I had been putting off for way too long. I went for something quite a lot shorter than what I had previously as I was sick of my hair getting in the way all the time and feeling pretty knotty and unmanageable so this is what I decided on! I'm really happy with the overall look of it, it feels so much healthier and it has a much nicer shape to it than it did before. On the other hand, my new fringe pieces are proving to be very annoying - does anyone have any suggestions on what texturising type products I can use to keep them out of my face?

Please let me know if you have any product suggestions!

HEAT WAVE HEROES

Inspired by Kat from Tales of a Pale Face, I have decided to share with you my heat wave hero beauty products. If you read my Marrakech Photo Diary blog post you will of seen I have just been away to Morocco and when this post goes up I will be in Berlin, followed by Barcelona. As I will be spending weeks in the sun, I needed to find a good selection of beauty products which work well in the heat and these are the top four which I have picked.

I bought the Mitchum for men advanced anti-perspirant deodorant on a bit of a whim whilst in the supermarket a couple of weeks ago, and I now own three as it's that good! I figured that as it was for men it would be extra strong and I already knew Mitchum deodorants were good anyway which is why I bought it, and I'm glad I did. This is probably TMI but this is the best anti-perspirant I have ever used, it really stops any odour and lasts all day and I can't see myself using anything different now! It does smell slightly manly but not in a bad way, so I'd say it was definitely suitable for women too.

After doing extensive research and endless blog post reading to find the the best facial SPF50 suncream, I ended up buying the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF50. I have problem skin so was skeptical at first about using this, however I had no problems at all. It just feels like a light weight moisturiser and sinks in to the skin almost instantly leaving no residue and acting as a great base for the rest of your makeup. It is lightweight enough to wear every day if you live in a sunny country or if you are just on holiday. I didn't need to touch up at all throughout the day and it really helped prevent me from getting even slightly sunburnt throughout the day whilst I was away.

The Vichy Eau Thermale mineral water facial spray is pretty much a life saver for me. It is just an aerosol can filled with mineral water but it acts as an instant refresher for using throughout the day. It is so cooling and Kat had a great tip of popping it in the fridge to keep it even cooler which I will be doing!

Last but not least is the Garnier dry mist aerosol SPF50 sun cream. This is probably the best sun cream I have ever used. It is so quick and easy to apply as it just sprays on and is very quick to rub in to your skin. The tempereature reached 47 degrees in Morocco and I didn't get even a single patch of sun burn and it's all down to this sun cream! I only applied it once in the morning each day and it helped to keep my skin protected all day long which is pretty impressive considering the intense heat which I was outside in for around ten hours each day. 

All of these products are available in Boots or your favourite drugstore and I highly recommend them if you are off anywhere this summer, or if you are staying in England in this mini heat wave we've been having! Let me know what your heat wave hero beauty products are!