My April Favourites!

There are not many of these this month.

Lily Lolo Foundation – I love this foundation – I don’t think I can say that enough. It works really well with my skin, this is the foundation I now go to everyday.

MAC Satin Taupe eye shadow – This is the eye shadow I have been picking up when I want to feel good, it really suits me and I love it! I've had this a little while but I've suddenly realised how much I love it!

Urban Decay Shakedown eye shadow – This is not an eye shadow that I thought would have suited me as it’s a green eye shadow with a dark undertone. I wear this as a daytime shadow and it really makes my eyes stand out.

MSF in Perfect Topping – I have been using this as a highlight and it looks fantastic, high lights the cheeks and the cheek bones really well and doesn’t show up my pores or my fine lines. This is perhaps my favourite highlighter.

The £20 challenge

I was inspired by Kelanjo's YouTube video and Panda Does Makeup's blog post to do Kelanjo's idea of the £20 Challenge. The challenge is having just £20 to spend on cosmetics and seeing how much you can buy with that amount of money. I think I did this at the wrong time because there are not many offers on at the moment (there is a 3 for 2 on Revlon and Prestige have an offer on some of their bronzers but that's about it) so all the things I brought were all things I wanted without any offers attached (apart from the 10% Superdrug discount). Anyway, today I got things that I would normally look at and put back but this gave me the "excuse" to buy a few things that I wanted. Anyway here's what I got:

Sleek's The Original eyeshadow palette (£4.87)

Sleek - Ink Pot in Dominatrix (£3.91)

Eyeko Beauty - Eyeko cream (£4.88)

Eyeko Beauty - Pretty Polish for neat nails (£1.94)

Eyeko Beauty - Pink Polish for neon nails (£1.94)

Collection 2000 Shimmer & Shade in No3 Just Peachy (£3.91)

This little lot came to £19.69 because I got a 10% discount on the items I brought from Superdrug. I was very pleased with everything I got, there was something very satisfying about getting a few things that I wanted without it costing a fortune and it was a really enjoyable thing to do.

My recent pick-me-ups!

I thought I would do a post on the items I have brought over the last month and what I thought to them. Bobbi Brown Platinum Pink Shimmer brick - I really like this, it look fab on the cheek bones and cheeks either over or under your blusher, worn alone it a very soft subtle pink. I am really pleased because it really enhances your cheeks and am debating to go out and buy another shimmer brick from the permanent range because I am so pleased with it. Any recommendations?

Mac's Peppermint Patti Nail Lacquer- I was really disappointed with this, it took three coats to get a half decent finish, that in my book does not make a good nail varnish. I only brought this because I couldn't find the Barry M 304 and it felt like I had looked in every Superdrug and Boots across the West Midlands. I still look when I go into either of these, just in case...

Mac's Perfect Topping MSF - This is a lovely, it makes the top of my cheek bones look great! I am really pleased with this, it is not too glittery and working really well as a highlight. This and the Bobbi Brown shimmer brick has given me a bit of a fetish for highlighters!

Mac's 109 brush -I use this to buff in my mineral foundation (another one of my new loves) and love it! This is a great brush and by the sounds of it, a multifunctional one!

Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Foundation - I brought a little pot of this because I was loving wearing mineral foundation. It was like I was just browsing one minute, being colour matched the next and then coming away with this lovely little pot. I had actually gone there the previous Saturday and they were giving away samples as a one off offer and because my skin didn't react and break out when I tried out the sample, I think I knew this would happen on some unconscious level...

Mac lipstick in Bubbles - I brought Bubbles because it can be used to tone down my deeper colours (it's a white glaze) and also I found myself thinking that maybe lipsticks like Barry M's 101 and 100 would work on me with this as a base. I looked at it as a really 'useful' product to own.

Mac lipstick in Angel - I had wanted Angel for a while, when I first thought about buying Angel, I brought Snob instead and I wished I had brought Angel because Snob is OK but Angel is nicer on me. I think that Angel is very similar to Mac's Creme Cup, Creme Cup is from the cremesheen range but Angel is a frost.

Mac lipstick in Lollipop Loving - What can I say about Lollipop Loving? It's gorgeous and it looks gorgeous on, even my hubby agreed with that!

Gosh Velvet Touch Eyeliner pencil in Silver Screen - These are great, they last all day and they have some great shades. I love this, I am wearing it today with a neutral eyeshadow and mascara and it looks fab.

Batiste Dry Shampoo - I wish someone had told me about this years ago. I have really greasy hair and I was washing my hair everyday but now I use this in between days. This really helps because now I can use this rather than feeling greasy all day and my hair feels fine, it doesn't feel greasy like I would have expected. This is probably one of the best inventions ever!

Rimmel Lipstick in Foxy - I brought this because dollyisglitter mentioned this in one of her videos (when she was still making videos) and made a comparison with a lipstick by Yves Saint Laurent so I thought I'll go buy the cheap version instead. It is a lovely colour, a pink nude and I love pink nudes. I'm wearing this at the moment.

Cath Kidston bag, a compact mirror and L'occitane Hand Cream - I thought I would include these because I picked them up when I went away over the Easter break and thought I would share them with you guys. I haven't used any of these yet.

I also have Mac's Love Rock on my desk because I ordered it online and it came today. I brought Grand Duo when they came out, I had two others in mind that I wanted - this one and Moon River. They are really well pigmented and I find I only need a tiny bit and because I was pleased with Grand Duo I decided to order my second favourite. I think I have a thing about blushers at the moment too. Is there anything I don't have a thing about?

A Few of My February Favourites!

I thought I would do a post on the make up products I have been using and loving in February.

MaxFactor False Lash Effect - I have been swapping between mascaras at the moment, I have been swapping between Maybelline The Colossal, Clinique's High Impact mascara (which I remember it being one of my favorites but when I brought this recently and used it, it didn't give the results I thought I remembered) and my newest buy Maybelline Define-a-lash, the pink one. I tried my MaxFactor mascara again on Thursday and because I had been changing my mascara around, I realised this this was the best mascara for me, giving my lashes lots of volume and really making them stand out.

MeMeMe Beat the Blues in Sun Beam - I have been using this since I brought it (I brought it a week ago) and love it as a highlighter, I think I actually prefer this to my Benefit High Beam. I am going to buy the MeMeMe pink one so I can make a like for like judgement.

Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser - I have been wearing this a lot for work lately and really like it, it gives a sheer coverage and my skin doesn't react to it, I don't get any break outs with this and my skin feels comfortable.

Nars Oil Free Foundation - I have been wearing this as well and again I love this because it works well with my skin and I don't break out with this foundation. I guess I have worked out that even with acne prone skin, I can find products that don't necessarily lead to me breaking out in spots.

MAC Technakohl Liner - I love using this on my waterline, it's quick and easy to use and lasts for ages. Since I have discovered this, I have been lining my waterline everyday.

Nars Laguna and Deep Throat - I use both of these together and I love the way they look. Deep Throat is a gorgeous colour and looks great on my cheeks, when I pair this with Laguna, my face looks healthy and vibrant.

On another note, I finally got Bobbi Brown: The Make Up Manual through the post on Saturday which I had been waiting for for a month and I have to say my first impression is that it looks like it's going to be a really good book. It looks like it going to cover a whole range of areas from basics to complicated skills. I can't wait to get stuck in.

What are your favourites at the moment?