Products worth the hype

I buy so much make up and a lot of the time its products that have been heavily advertised and talked about in the beauty community, both on blog posts and YouTube. However there's nothing worse than when you pay a lot for something that's quite frankly rubbish.

Here are some of my favourite products that I genuinely do believe are worth the purchase.

Urban Decay Naked 2

I really love Urban Decay shadows and think they really are such a nice product to work with. The reason I think this palette is worth the hype is not only because of the amazing quality and pigmentation of the shaddows but also because you're really getting a lot for your money. These eyeshadows never seem to hit pan either, apart from that sneaky Booty call so your going to have this for quite some time. You can also create so many different looks and there is something for everyone with this. 

MAC Fix +

You can read my post I did about this here. This has so many purposes and can be used for any of your make up needs!

MAC Lipsticks

These are so worth the money; the colour selection is incredible and again has something for everyone. 

MAC Soft and Gentle Highlighter

Commonly in my monthly favourites this will always be a repurchase. The glitter is just enough and isn't chunky and can be used on the brow bone, inner eye corner or even as an eyeshadow! This is also a product that will last you forever.

Roller Lash Mascara

There's a reason as to why everyone uses this, it is amazing! You wouldn't be disappointed if you purchased this because it gives length and lift like no other mascara. Plus the packaging is just too cute!

Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter

This is more of a champagne colour compared to the MAC one which is gold. I'm not saying you need both but this is just as stunning. You really only need the tiniest bit and this too can be used as eyeshaddow!

Dip Brow Pomade

An eyebrow game changer. This gives such a prominent sleek look and really makes your eyebrows on point! (Laughs) With this less is more hence why I've included a picture to show how much I've used over the many months I've been using this. 

MAC in comparison to Mary-Lou

Do you agree? Which products do you think are worth it?

Paige, x

August Favourites

I feel like I rarely do monthly favourites any more so here's what I've been loving in August!

Tangle Attack

I did a full blogpost on this (here) so you can give that a read for a proper review! What I've been loving so much about this is the fact its so much easier than using a brush, its travel friendly and does an amazing job at de-tangling my hair. I like to take this with my when I go swimming after the gym so I can brush through my hair straight away, just after I've done that I then apply my heat protect spray and leave in conditioner. After this routine I find that when I dry my hair that its super smooth and sleek looking.

Roller Lash Mascara

I'm surprised at myself that I haven't blogged about this until now but bare with me there will be a post solely dedicated to this soon. This is probably one of the best mascaras I have ever used. I was reluctant to try it at first thinking that nothing could beat the They're Real mascara however I was really surprised! The lift and curl this gives is amazing, this lengthens my eyelashes so much that people often ask me if I have falsies on.. its that good!

Bahama Mama Bronzer

I seem to be coming back to this bronzer the most out of everything in my collection, its such a gorgeous colour that isn't too muddy or too dark. On my skin tone I think this is great for generally just bronzing up but it even suits me to contour with. I think this is a perfect colour match to Benefits Hoola and this is cheaper too! I've even used this as a crease colour, very multi-purpose!

Whirl Lipstick

I still love the whole Kylie Jenner lip colour that's still going around so when I heard that MAC was releasing a new Matte collection and Whirl was now going to be an actual lipstick I knew I had to get it. Its a very mauve brown shade and looks gorgeous on the lips. If you follow me on snapchat (thefashionwayx) then you'll have seen me wearing it to death!

Stripdown Lip Liner

I've never tried a MAC lip liner before this so I thought I may as well get one while I'm getting a new lipstick and Stripdown to me looked like something I would use a lot. It's a nude/ brown shade with more of a chestnut tinge. This looks lovely on the lips and tones down a bit to give you that 'your lips but better' effect. I've worn this with nude lipsticks/ sheer lipsticks and even dark lipsticks like whirl and it makes the lips just look flawless. I can't wait to try more liners from MAC.

What were your monthly faves?

Paige, x

Cheap Treat Tuesday - Essence Jumbo Pencil

Essence are known for their cheap but good quality make up and all their dupes that they provide! I already own a blusher/bronzer, lip liner and a eyebrow fibre gel which you can check out that post here - but I wanted to try something else. I opted for a product I normally wouldn't go for, an eye brightener pencil, which is generally used to make the eyes appear bigger and more awake. I intended to use this for a different purpose as with my eye shape my eyes actually look better the smaller they are.. if that makes sense! 

So this is the Big Bright eyes jumbo pencil, this is a highlighter to place in the inner corners of the eyes or even along the water line to make them appear larger and like I said more awake! The way I actually use it is just under my brow bone to finish off my brows and make them look more put together and neater. I find that this opens up the area more and makes my eyebrows stand out a lot more, especially if I'm wearing heavy eye make up, its as if it lifts them up. I prefer using this highlighter which is matte and more subtle than a regular glittery face highlighter. This also comes in 3 different shades to suit everyone's preference! 

What I love about this product is the texture of it, its the creamiest thing I think I've ever felt and it glides on so easily to the skin. It blends out like a dream with a brush or even your fingers and doesn't sink into any dry patches either. It gives an instant brightness to the area whilst also appearing that you have nothing on at all which I really love. If you like the whole matte look then this will be a godsend to finish off your face, I like this way better than concealer and at £2 for one of these then it's perfect. You can also use this for highlighting anywhere else too, not just your eyes. This is great for down the centre of your nose and your cupids bow as its just the right shape!

Did I mention this is also a dupe for Benefits High Brow and Benefits Eye Bright? Not forgetting its also a dupe for Soap & Glory's Arch De Triumph!

Paige, x

Beauty by Benefit

 I'm a huge lover of Benefit make up, it was my first ever high end beauty brand that I first tried and also fell in love with. There's not much from the Benefit range that I don't have or haven't used before! However I thought these three deserved a blog post all on their own as their my most loved and used so I hope you like them just as much!

I would list these three as "the Benefit beams" but Benetint isn't actually a beam so I'm stuck on a savvy title to call the trio! I feel like sometimes these products lack the attention they deserve as they are a staple in any make up kit. If you go past a counter I really recommend you have a little peak at these and test them out, you'll be amazed!

Sun beam: A golden shimmer, perfect to bronze up the skin. This is the perfect highlighter, especially in the summer. If you dab this along your cheekbones this will honestly make you look like some sort of bronzed goddess. You can also put this under your foundation to give that glowy iridescence to your complexion.

 

Benetint: The first one that was released is in fact a lip and cheek stain. This is such a beautiful berry pink/ red colour and is buildable! You can create really intense and dramatic looks or on the opposing end of the scale- something really delicate and pretty looking. The great thing about this is that the brush is soft, imagine the pain rubbing a hard stick onto your cheeks and lips.. ouch! Its just like a big nail varnish really!

High beam; Pretty similar to Sun beam however a light pink shimmery colour. This again is also the perfect highlighter, you may have seen this mentioned in my top 5 favourite highlighters post where this was one of my favourites. I feel like this is suitable for anytime of year, it looks so pretty in spring though! I really suggest this for your brow bone, it works like nothing other!

Paige, x

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Dipbrow Pomade

Anastasia Beverley Hills is a brand that every girls wants in their collection and now and behold I have my first ABH product! I really really want the cream contour kit but sadly being in the UK its not as easily available. I've really been struggling with my brows recently and they were really uneven when applying product so I thought I'd try something new and go for the Dipbrow Pomade.

I've previously always used Benefits Brow-zings however I feel like I've grown out of it and its making my eyebrows look a little gingery where they first start which is an odd look! I'd seen a few reviews on this so after looking into it some more I picked my shade and it was on its way! I ordered it from Cult Beauty at £15 and it didn't take long to arrive. 

The product itself is just gorgeous, look at the packaging for a start, I love the rose gold detailing and the ABH logo! Dipbrow Pomade is basically just a tinted wax, a very very pigmented wax! I got this in the shade dark brown as I feel with my hair colour being dark this would suit me the post. The colour is very cool toned and makes my brows look more on the black side but I actually really like it! It doesn't give a "sharpie pen" look or anything. With the product being so pigmented light handed strokes are definitely suggested! I use a Real Techniques brush for this, one that came in the eye set just because its the perfect shape and size to quickly fill in your eyebrows! 

This is super easy to use and hardly takes any time to apply, it doesnt use much product to fill in your brows either which means this will last you for such a long time! I feel like this is a game changer in the eyebrow world and that nothing can compare or make my brows look this good! Another great thing is this stays all day, doesnt budge and is waterproof! I really cant express my love for this product enough! 

Paige, x

A product I regret - Urban Decay lip primer potion

Sadly there's always something in a girls make up collection that usually is a regret, this is mine. Make up isn't cheap and when you are really disappointed by a product its quite a kick in the stomach when you cant or don't want to use it again.

This was in a fall collection I believe and was £13. All my reasons as to why this product just isn't for me goes against the entire description of the product.  

"Our invisible primer lays a silky foundation for your favourite lipstick or gloss. Colour is truer, applies smoother, lasts longer, and will not fade or feather. The easy-glide formula feels velvety-soft, without the drying feeling often associated with long-lasting lip colour."

To start with it's so unbelievably drying, that dry you physically cant apply it on your lips. It drags across, not applying any of the product. So its pretty pointless when you cant even use it to begin with. I have to really press it into my lips and I'm not going to lie, it hurts! I've read other reviews and none of them have had this problem so it leads me to think I've just got a bad one from the batch. 

It does absolutely nothing, I've yet to see a difference this makes to my lipstick, if anything it makes it look even worse. My lipstick looks lovely on its own and then when I apply this beforehand it looks even sheerer and like as soon as I do anything with my lips, even speak, its going to come off. It also feels very waxy as if I've just put candle wax all over them which obviously isn't great. 

When it does apply its a thick gloopy wax like consistency, making my lipstick look all clumpy. My lips are made to look very uneven and very lumpy, which is really not a good look. I honestly have nothing good to say about this product, the packaging is nothing special and it doesn't smell or taste of anything.. other than wax.  I really, wouldn't recommend this. 

Paige, x

My top 5 highlighters

In one of my recent posts about contouring I mentioned that there would be a post dedicated to all things highlighting so here it is! With highlighting it comes hand in hand with contouring, giving that glow to your complexion and just making your make up look 100%. In this post I'm going to talk about all my favourite highlighters, both high end and drugstore!

MAC Soft and Gentle: This is just absolutely gorgeous, there aren't any other words to describe this. Its such a beautiful, pigmented powder and really gives you the glitter factor. It can be used as a subtle glow or built up for a really glittery glowing effect, great for a night out or if photos are going to be taken. I also really do think the price tag is well worth it, you get so much product for your money and it lasts forever! Definitely one for your collection. 

NARS Orgasm blush: I know this is a blush but I was so disappointed when this arrived, its really not pigmented at all and takes so much effort for it to be visible on your cheeks. I didn't want to waste it so I played around and discovered this works so well as a highlighter- its really shimmery and glittery and as the pinks not very visible it doesn't matter. On the swatch that took me a good few times to build it up so don't worry it wont apply like that.

MUA Undress your skin highlighter: Bargain!! Look at the pigmentation of this beauty, I honestly cant rave about MUA enough as you all probably know! For only £1 you cant go wrong. This is more white/gold toned than the others but its perfect. I loved using this on holiday and I got so many compliments on this! 

Urban Decay naked flushed: This is one of my most used palettes as its just so pigmented however the highlighter isn't one of my favourites. Its very similar to the MUA one above however takes a few goings over to build it up. Overall its a lovely colour and very handy to have 3 products in 1 if your ever travelling or need to minimise on space.

 L-R: UD Naked Flushed, High Beam, MAC, NARS, MUA

Paige, x

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