Collection #FaceTheDay Palette | Review

On the go a lot? Want something handbag & travel friendly? Or simply just want to try something new without breaking the bank? This is the Collection #FaceTheDay Pro Palette which I think your all going to love and need!

For me Collection is a brand that I've never really delved into, yes I've tried the Lasting Perfection Concealer but thats all. When I had a few Boots points to spend I wanted to try something that was A, new. B, different and C, from a brand that I wanted to get to know more. 

I spotted this palette that retails at £6.99 (although it was on an introductory offer!) and thought why not give it a go! For £7 getting a highlighter, blusher, bronzer and 4 shadows is amazing I think! 

The packaging of this is absolutely fine and I wouldn't of expected any better or worse! Its sleek, black and you can see the products- what more could you want? I love that you can see in because it makes it easier to spot amongst other palettes, plus I feel like if I see the products I'm instantly inspired by what look I'm going to create. 

The packaging is also super light and slim making it really easy to take with you travelling or just to shot in your handbag if your wanting to touch up throughout the day or perhaps go from a day to night look. 

Whenever I stay at my boyfriends this is usually what comes along with me in my makeup bag. If I'm not sure what were going to be doing the next day this is perfect as I can create a really natural and toned down look or go for something abit more glamourous. Its also handy meaning I don't have to take individual face products as well as a big eyeshadow palette.

On to the actual products. 

Highlighter: This is so so stunning. Its a really natural champagne shade with a little bit of gold running throughout. This dusted lightly makes the perfect natural looking glowy base or you can wet your brush and go in for that 'wow' effect!

Bronzer: For me this is such a perfect bronzer colour; this isn't too warm nor too muddy its just like the perfect every day bronzer shade. If your dark haired and have a bit of a medium skin tone then this will work perfectly for you however if your really fair and pale I'm not too sure if this would come across a bit too umpa lumpa. 

Blusher: Again another stunning product. This is a very bright and girly pink however used with a light hand it can also be toned down. This reminds me a little bit of NARS Orgasm just less in your face. 

Top Row: The first shimmery neutral shade is more of a yellow based iridescent gold which is so pretty either all over the lid or for highlighting the brow bone. I've also used this as a highlighter too! The next shade being this shimmery mushroom brown shade is also just as lovely. This one isn't too pigmented as you can see from the swatch but I actually like that. I usually use this one all over the lid if I'm just having a 1 shade simple eye look kinda' day. 

Bottom Row: The lighter shade in this row is again a golden shimmery colour which is a bit less pigmented but in turn is also more glittery. This one I go in with a wet brush and use it in the centre of the lid if I'm creating a halo eye. It really stands out and looks so pretty! The darker shade is the darkest shade in the palette. This is a very true chocolatey brown which looks incredible in the outer v. 

All of the eyeshadows are shimmery however it makes for a very simple and pretty look. You could always use the matte bronzer as a crease or transitional shade too! 

Overall I'm super impressed by this palette and I definitely want to check out more of the Pro Palette range! 

Paige, x

Soap & Glory Peach Party Blush Brick

When it comes to Soap & Glory I'm going to be honest in the fact that nothing really appeals to me. I don't know wether its because I tend to go in Superdrug more and they don't sell it or because whenever I do visit a stand its always a mess. However when Katie was looking at the lip glosses I happened to head over and swatch this; this is the Peach Party Blush Brick. 

First of all I do really like the packaging- as much as I love sleek black packaging having quirky and cute packaging also really appeals to me too. I love how all of the S&G images are 50's inspired and are black and white themed. This also has a mirror too which is a bonus! 

This cost me a whopping £11 which I really do think is ridiculously steep. Although if your into that golden peachy look then this might me worth it for you! 

In terms of the product its a wheel made up of pink, copper, gold and a shimmery pearlised nude. You can either swirl your brush through all the colours or pick out a specific shade - I recommend the Real Techniques Fan Brush as it picks up just the right amount of product. Talking about product this is SO pigmented so going in with a regular highlighter brush may pick up too much product. 

With this you can use it as a blush, highlighter and bronzer depending on your skin tone. For me its a mix of both a blusher and bronzer. When I use this I use a cream contour and then go in with this on a fan brush dusting it all over my general cheek area. As this is so shimmery I tend not to wear any highlight with it either. 

I have to add that if you do have any facial texture this is sadly one of those products where it really shows it off so just be careful about that! 

Paige, x

4 Ways To Use A Facial Oil

While having dry and dehydrated skin I thought I would finally get round to buying a facial oil, not only do these provide moisture to the skin but also your favourite products! I have 4 ways in which you can use your facial oil to make life a bit easier!

1. General facial hydration - The first way is the sole purpose of the oil; to moisturise and hydrate the skin. I use a moisturiser but felt like it wasn't enough hence my reasoning behind buying an oil. 

2. Add it to any dry creams - For me theres nothing worse than trying to conceal, highlight or contour with a cream that drags across your skin. Add a bit of oil to it and it transforms it! On the swatches below the left shade has oil mixed to it whereas the right does not.. can you tell how drying that is?!

3. Use it with a beauty sponge - When you've got your cream highlight and contour all drawn out add some oil straight to your wet sponge and everything will literally melt into the skin and blend so dreamily together. 

4. Add it to foundation - This foundation really shows my dry patches and drags across the skin ever so slightly but when mixed with a facial oil it looks so much more glowy and healthier. It also works even better with a beauty sponge too! 

Paige, x

Real Techniques Haul

I've been really getting more into general face products recently and after purchasing a few new powders, blushers and highlighters I needed some brushes to go along with them! I was going to get some Zoeva ones but in the end I just decided to stick with Real Techniques!

I picked up the powder brush and two blush brushes. 

Powder Brush:

This brush is huge and great for powder as I feel like it can cover the whole face in just a few seconds. I've been using this for bronzing and even contouring too and it creates such a flawless finish as it distributes product so evenly and creates such a flawless look. I love how soft this brush is, I almost didn't want to stop applying product because it felt that nice on my face. I've washed this a few times now and had no sign of shredding so I'm genuinely happy about that! 

Blush Brush:

I got two of these brushes- one for blush and then for highlighter. For highlighter this is my favourite brush I've ever used as a quick swipe across the top of my cheeks gives the most prettiest glow that isn't too much nor too little. Again like the Powder brush it's incredibly soft and so gentle on the face. I like this as it doesn't pick up too much product so you can build your look up- instead of applying way to much product and then trying to tone it down! It blends well too so if you do go in a little heavy handed don't worry! This also hasn't shed yet either.

I would recommend both of these brushes as they're so soft and give the most airbrushed, flawless finish! 

Paige, x

Cheap Treat Tuesday

When looking through my make up collection powder is something that is seriously lacking; I have the odd powder bronzer but no actual powder for all over the face.  As you all know I love the dewy look however sometimes I do over do it a little- i.e. getting too happy with MAC Strobe Cream!

I was originally just going to pick up a Rimmel one however I came across this palette and thought why not, it surely cant be that bad! I got this for just under £5 which is such a bargain especially as it comes with six different shades!

I like this because it has the really pale shades all the way up to bronzing and contouring colours. So far I'm really loving this palette. I use the white to set my under eye concealer, the two middle shades for all over my face and the warm shades for bronzing. I love going in with an over sized powder brush and just giving my face some colour! For the price I didn't expect much especially in terms of pigmentation- but as usual I was wrong. A light hand really takes the product far and seeing as the pans are huge this is going to last me so long! 

I think this is a great palette for beginners, people who don't usually wear powder or just anyone in general! I personally don't think its worth paying well over double the price of this for the likes of an Anastasia one as this is honestly amazing!

Paige, x

LA Girl Pro Concealer

After watching Chloe (Glitteralittle on Youtube) mention these concealers that she uses for contouring and highlighting I wanted to have a closer look! I picked these up on eBay for only £3 each! 

When it comes to contouring and highlighting I feel like you can never have too many products in your collection! They're all so different and create completely different looks. my favourite being a slightly bronzed dewy look. Therefore to create this I like to use cream products! I picked these up in the shades Porcelain and Toast, which is the shades Chloe uses. 

For highlighting I purchased the shade Porcelain; which is extremely light however it works as it blends like a dream and just really brightens up the whole under eye area. With this I'm not sure if its just a one off but I feel like its quite hard to get the product out but when it does eventually its so creamy and the fact that only a small amount comes out means its so easy to work with and you can build it up if you want! I especially love the way that its dispersed through a brush too which means its so easy to just 'draw' on your face. I also use this on my forehead, chin and down my nose which is so handy especially with the brush!

Toast is the shade that I picked up for contouring; its just the right colour and doesn't have any orange undertones or show a 'muddy' effect. This blends so beautifully and really does create a bronzed glow. I think this is definitely my favourite way of contouring, its quick and does the job perfectly!

 I really like these concealers and want to try the green one next!

Paige, x

The Balm Haul & Review ; Mary-Lou Manizer & Bahama Mama

The Balm is a company which I've seen, heard and read so much about and is a brand that is constantly raved about here in the beauty community. With brands that I cant get in person I tend to shy away from a little bit as there's only so much you can rely on the swatches on Google for however when it came down to The Balm I didn't hesitate. 

I'm obsessed with highlighters so that made the Mary-Lou Manizer first on my list and I also needed a new contour shade. I was originally going to repurchase Benefits Hoola however I noticed this was a dupe hence why I picked it up!

As for the packaging oh my god they're to die for; don't get me wrong the likes of MAC and KIKO are my favourite types of packaging but these are so cute. They really remind me of Soap and Glory with their play on words and vintage effect. Mary-Lou is a very sturdy compact and has such a huge mirror, Bahama Mama is cardboard and whereas I don't mind I think it would of been better in other packaging. 

The products themselves are stunning too and will definitely be a staple in my make up bag. The highlighter is a beautiful golden champagne colour which is my favourite colour for a highlight! It's shimmery but doesn't have huge chunks of glitter in either. I feel like this is such a natural shade and a little certainly does go a long way. Seeing as you only need a little amount of product I think its worth it for the money as it will take you ages to get through! It's also extremely blendable which is great for us heavy handed girls! This can also be used in different ways; such as on the eyes with Bahama Mama in the crease. I dont feel like this makes me look oily either which is a bonus and I actually prefer this over the MAC Soft & Gentle highlight!

As for the Bahama Mama Bronzer I personally wouldn't use it as a bronzer but more for contouring. It's quite sheer but buildable- I like this with a contour shade just in case you go in too dark to start with! On my skin tone this doesn't look muddy or have any orange undertones and is just the right 'tan' shade. I like to use this with a natural hair brush as I find that it picks up and transfers the product much more naturally and effortlessly. I don't particularly find that the staying power is that great but I don't mind touching it up throughout the day. 

All in all I love these two products and can't wait to try more from The Balm Cosmetics!

Paige, x