FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

I've not actually done a favourites post before so I figured February was the perfect month to start as there are quite a few products i've fallen in love with this month.

Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter has to be my favourite body moisturiser its extremely moisturising leaves my skin feeling super soft and it smells amazing, I personally think it smells like coconut others may disagree but either way I love it it's my go to body moisturiser when it's cold and my skin is dry and in need of a little love.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream I love this face moisturiser because it's so hydrating and while its cold my face gets really dry and this helps to keep that dryness at bay, I love using it just before bed and I always wake up with my skin feeling super soft each morning.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara this was a freebie with the March edition of Elle magazine and even though i've had a love/hate relationship with this mascara I thought I'd add it to my favourites, what I liked about it was how easy it was to remove, it didn't make my lashes clumpy or crispy and it did indeed curl and add volume them so it does what the package says. But what I didn't like was the fact that it is also suppose to be lengthening and I didn't see much improvement in that department, but because it didn't make my lashes crispy I was able to layer it on which I really liked so it may well be a mascara I do purchase in the near future.

Burt's Bees Replenishing LipBalm with Pomegranate Oil Im a lipbalm fanatic so when I find a 100% natural lipbalm that works for me I'm really happy and this one definitely works, It smells yummy and stops my lips peeling which they often do when its cold.

Sephora Eyeshadow Pallet 4 I pretty much use this pallet for everything, Eyeliner, Eyebrows, Contouring and of course as an eyeshadow, nude pallets are a must for everyones make up kit and I like this one so much because its not to big so it fits in my bag and I can take it with me. Also because it was part of a prezzie from my boyfriend when he came back from holiday and in London we don't have a Sephora. 

Lancome Advanced Genifique has become a part of my skincare routine and I like it because I actually feel like its doing something I skin feels firmer and more hydrated since i've started using it and because its such a simple step it doesn't feel like a chore or an added part of my routine the bottle is also self loading so you get the perfect amount each time which is so handy.

Lush Dirty Shower Gel has become one of my favourite shower gels because I am not a morning person but the smell of this Shower gel wakes me up in the morning it smells like spearmint and is so refreshing it wakes me up.

Illamasqua Translucent Loose Powder has been my go to finishing powder recently, I have a few that I like but I think this one will always be my first love because it doesn't change the colour of my foundation in any way where as other powders that are coloured darken my foundation or make me go a redish colour which I don't like. 

Illamasqua Blush Up Brush Is my favourite make up tool this month it makes applying blush and contouring so easy and because its so soft I figured I'd try using it to apply my foundation and it gave me a flawless finish I was so impressed, because it has sharp edges i found that it applied my foundation so much better than a stippling brush or a foundation brush.

What are some of your favourite products this month?

Until next time xx

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ILLAMASQUA LIGHT LIQUID FOUNDATION

The Illamasqua Light Liquid foundation is another one of my favourites, it gives you a lighter coverage than the Rich liquid foundation that I did a review on a little while ago, if you haven't seen that yet you can click here.
Wierdly I buy my foundation in bulk and I order it online, I get 3-4 bottles at a time so I don't run out because I just hate running low. I brought this foundation when Illamasqua was last on sale and I actually got them for £5 a bottle which is what I love about Illamasqua, their products are absolutely amazing but that doesn't stop them going on sale but to be fair I am so addicted to their products I would keep buying it even if they didn't go on sale.

Depending on how you apply this foundation will determine the coverage you get, applied with the fingers gives you that light "no make up" make up look that is always good for those days when you want to keep it natural, if you want a light-medium coverage applying it with a stippling brush allows you to build up to the desired coverage.

This foundation goes on so smoothly and blends in effortlessly and flawlessly, it gives my skin glow and when I have it on I totally forget that I'm wearing any foundation it's so light but I would definitely say it's a satin finish and doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy or tacky.

Like the Rich Liquid Foundation this one also comes with a nozzle opening which I like but I'd probably say my only issues with the packaging is because it's such a fluid foundation having it stood upside down when I do open it the foundation sometimes tends to come out faster than I want it to.
This doesn't happen extremely often but when it does i just put any excess into a tester pot and take it with me for if I need reapplying later.

This foundation was in no way made to cover imperfections but if you want to use it and still need imperfections covered I have found that it can be used with the Rich Liquid Foundation and I don't mean mixing the two, I have tried and it doesn't work the consistencies of the two foundations are not compatible and don't blend well! If you use the Rich Liquid as a concealer on any imperfections and blend out and then apply the Light Liquid anywhere you haven't put the Rich Liquid and use a stippling brush to blend out any edged it gives you a flawless finish topped off with a little of the Illamasqua Loose Translucent Powder and you set for the day.

 
I could talk about Illamasqua foundations for hours that's how much I love them, they on your face over 8 hours without needing a touchup. This foundation lasts due to you needing the smallest amount so regardless of the price it is a must have.
What's your favourite foundation? as you can probably tell by now mine is Illamasqua

Until next time xx

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ILLAMASQUA RICH LIQUID FOUNDATION REVIEW

For ages I have been trying to find a foundation that was full coverage but didn't look too heavy once applied and it's safe to say I've found it.!
Illamasqua's Rich Liquid foundation is absolutely amazing just like it stated in the name it is Rich in pigment, texture and moisture and since finding this product I use it religiously, I am so hooked I refuse to let it run out and always have two and three spares in my make up collection.

Like everyone I have imperfections that I want covered and I have tried several different brands but couldn't find a product with the desired coverage and the perfect finish I wanted all in one product until I came across Illamasqua one day I was at a photo shoot. The make up artist was using Illamasqua on the models so I tried a bit of the foundation on my tattoo I have on my wrist, thats generally where I test my foundation to see how pigmented they actually are, I took the smallest amount thinking it would only cover a section of the tattoo and it covered the whole thing. You couldn't even tell I had a tattoo to begin with and from that moment I was sold. I searched for an Illamasqua store and went the following day to get colour matched and I haven't looked back ever since.

I have tried several foundations and this one has to be the fullest coverage foundation I have come across, it has a creamy paste like consistency, from my experience using it I have found that if I apply a pea sized amount on the back of my hand and warm it up slightly I end up using less but still get that perfectly defined coverage. I generally use my fingers once its warm to get it on and then blend it in with a Real Techniques stippling brush and when I'm done a still have a reasonable amount left over.
In the photo above I have done a swatch of both the colours I have and I took the smallest blob of each. I used this wrist because I have pigmentation and I wanted to show you just how good the coverage is.
In the photo below I blended the two colours together and as you can see the pigmentation is totally covered you wouldn't even know it's there

The foundation comes in transparent plastic packaging that helps you see when you're about to run out which I love, it has a tiny nozzle, which makes it easy to use you don't squeeze out too much and it's more hygienic compared to other foundations that open fully and it comes with a black screw on lid which keeps the nozzle clean and it helps you to stand the foundation up nozzle downwards so you don't need to shake the foundation before use its ready to squeeze.  

The finish is semi-matte which is perfect for all skin types and because it is so moisturising you don't need to worry about you're skin drying out like you would with other full coverage foundations I have tried in the past.

I recommend this foundation to everyone because it literally comes in every shade and if they can't find your shade they show you how to mix to find your perfect shade, which is what they did for me because my shade was sold old because it is such a popular colour this is why I have two shades pictured above at the time when I was colour matched they were out of stock of my colour so I got matched with two shades and I stuck with it, mostly due to the fact that during the winter I'm lighter so I use more of the light shade than the darker one, and then in the summer I'm obviously darker so I vary it according to the seasons.

For those who are a little weary of the full coverage foundations I will be doing a review of the Light Liquid Foundation very soon.
Thanks for reading, let me know if you've tried any of the Illamasqua foundations and what you think of them...

Until next time xx

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