Review: L'Oréal Infallible Shaping Stick Foundation & L'Oréal Infallible Highlighter Stick

My blog can get a little high-end heavy but I can assure you, I love a good mooch down the make up aisles in Boots and Superdrug to keep an eye on any new releases or must-have products!

I was really looking forward to trying out the foundation stick from L'Oréal when I first saw the adverts on Instagram. I'm quite fussy when it comes to foundation but I was intrigued how this would look used as a cream contour. I don't really contour to be honest, I just use bronzer for an all over bronzed look and to warm up my skin but I haven't really dabbled with the whole cream contour thing and I felt like I was missing out a little!

What's In My Everyday Make Up Bag?

A while ago I asked by poll on Insta Stories what you would most like my next blog post to be - favourite winter lipsticks or a what's in my make up bag? You can guess which one was a winner!

Life has changed a lot since having a baby, as has my make up routine. Unless hubby is at home to watch munchkin whilst I get ready, I don't have an awful lot of time to spend doing my make up. Actually, I don't tend to wear any make up at all 90% of the time but the 10% of the time that I do, these products are what I reach for.

The make up products I have in my bag at the moment have been my go to products for the past couple of months. I do switch them up every now and then but these are the ones I am loving for my everyday make up lately...

Review: Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette

Back in June, Urban Decay had an early pre-sale for the palette before the general release towards the end of July. I was lucky enough to grab one of the 5,000 palettes available in the pre-sale and was so excited try out the colours in this palette since none of the palettes in my collection have the warm, red tones found in the Naked Heat Palette.

The packaging is one of my favourites from the Naked palettes I own. The palette comes housed in a matchstick-style box where the bottom can be slid out. Once the palette is removed from the box, there are 12 matchsticks symbolising the colours getting warmer/hotter from left to right in the palette. I love this little detail!

The palette itself is made from a sturdy plastic and has a magnetic closure which makes opening and closing the palette easier. The warm colours of the packaging complement the tones found in the palette.

Like all the Naked palettes, the palette features 12 colours and features a double-ended eyeshadow brush. The colours range from a pale, highlighter pink called Ounce to a dark, plummy bronze colour called Ember. The colours are stunning and so different compared to the other Naked palettes. I love the terracotta hues and the selection of warm browns and deep plum colours to use as transition colours and to darken the outer eye area. 

Ounce is a great eyebrow and inner corner highlighter with a satin finish. Lumbre, Dirty Talk, Scorched and Ember are shimmer shades to be used all over the lid. The shimmer shades are all creamy and apply well over a primed eyelid. I found the matte shades to be slightly powdery (as often is the case with matte shadows) but blend together really well and complement each other when building depth in the crease and outer eye area. 

L-R: Ounce, Chaser, Sauced, Low Blow, Lumbre, He Devil

Chaser is a great nude, matte pink that looks really natural on the eyelid as an all-over wash of colour. This can be used along with warm browns such as Sauced and Low Blow for a natural, daytime look. 

Lumbre is a gorgeous rose gold shimmer shade that looks amazing either on its own or with the deeper matte colours to create a soft, smokey eye.

L-R: Dirty Talk, Scorched, Cayenne, En Fuego, Ashes, Ember

I found Dirty Talk and Scorched to be very similar, with the only noticeable difference for me being that Dirty Talk leans slightly warmer than Scorched. I love Cayenne and En Fuego to smoke out the outer edge of the eye. 

My favourite colours overall from this palette are Lumbre, Cayenne, En Fuego and Ember. 

I'm looking forward to using Dirty Talk and Scorched as these are definitely out of my comfort zone but are so pretty.

This palette will be great for the autumn months paired with a mauve or nude lip. The colours in the palette have been compared to those in the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette, however, I feel the colours in the ABH palette are not as warm and lean more pink whereas the colours in the Naked Heat palette definitely lean more red.

I do wish there was a gold/bronze colour included in this palette as that would make it a little more versatile, however, I guess this just makes the palette a little more unique. 

Overall, I love this palette and cannot wait to create more looks with it. I will be uploading a MOTD using this palette soon. 😇

Will you be buying this?

P x

My Current Favourite Drugstore/High Street Make Up

It's been a busy few weeks and therefore I've seriously slacked on the blogging front but I'm back and wanted to share my current drugstore/high street make up favourites!

I tend to invest mostly in high end make up and even that is after extensive research online and reading review upon review (I'm only human though so I'm obviously guilty of an odd impulse purchase here or there!) until I pluck up the courage to splash my cash. However, with make up brands bringing out new releases every week, it's often tempting to pick up a few bits when I pop in to Boots or Superdrug.

It's not so much that I'm a make up snob (who doesn't like a bit of luxury?) but sometimes I feel disappointed with drugstore/high street make up when the colour pay off, longevity etc. doesn't live up to my expectations. These products, however, are currently floating my boat...

Kiko Water Eyeshadow in 208

Ok, so technically this is an eyeshadow that can be used wet or dry, however, this has been raved about online as making a fabulous highlighter. I was dubious until I went in to my local Kiko and had a swatch. It is a beautiful gold highlighter (think TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer but more gold). It's pretty pigmented so I'm light handed with it but it's definitely one of the best highlighters I've ever used and at a reasonable price!

NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator in Gleam

I originally had my heart set on the Nars Orgasm Illuminator, however, after researching online, found this was supposed to be a good dupe. I wasn't disappointed. Having swatched both - they are pretty much identical and at a fraction of the price, you cannot go wrong. I dab this with my fingers above my cheekbones for a fresh look. If I really want to amp it up, I go over it with powder highlight. FYI - I love pairing it with Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop.

  

Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream in Bittersweet

Sleek is one of my favourite drugstore/high street make up brands. The colour payoff, pigmentation and longevity of their products never fails to amaze me and at super affordable prices. The formula of these liquid lipsticks is reminiscent of Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks. No dryness and opaque coverage. I would say in terms of longevity, perhaps not the longest lasting liquid lipstick but the pigmentation and formula outweigh this! A subtle rose pink that would look good with almost any make up look and suit all complexions. For a darker complexion, this could be a fabulous nude!

L'Oreal Infallible Waterproof Gel Crayon Eyeliner in Back to Black

I picked this up initially as it had the word "waterproof" on it. None of my current eyeliners are waterproof and I wanted to see how this held up through the sweaty summer days. It is an intense black with a matte finish. I love using this on my upper and lower waterline (these days there is often no time for a winged eyeliner) and also looks great on my upper lash line smudged in for a smokey look. In terms of longevity, perhaps not as great as some of my high end eyeliners but still a great eyeliner to add to any make up collection.

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Pencil in Dark Chocolate

I've actually used this eyebrow pencil in Hot Chocolate for years as it is a great dupe for one of my favourites - Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Dark Brown. However, Soap and Glory have recently changed the formula on these and the names so I picked up Dark Chocolate on my latest Boots run. They were on 3 for 2 so I made sure to stock up. At £8, it's probably not the cheapest brow pencil on the high street but it looks amazingly natural and I love that the formula isn't crazy pigmented so there is no chance of over-filling my brows. I love that there is a spoolie on the other end to brush my brows in to place.

I'm always on the look out for recommendations - which drugstore/high street make up products do you swear by?

P x