Matte Lips

Hi gorgeous,

I haven't written in a while because of the amount of busyness that took over, some of those things were good and some were bad, but we all go through our ups and downs and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel-remember that. But I am happy to be back! I hope you are well :)

Moving on, I wanted to write about a little trick that I have discovered about two weeks ago, which has been driving me insane as I get bored of glossy lips and this method really mattifies them:

All I do is apply some lipstick (any lipstick will do) then I take a small fluffy brush, mix it in some face powder and dab it onto my lips.

Red lips before this method

Dab on the powder, then blend slightly into the lips

This will be the end result!

Excuse the college uniform, this is the purple lipstick before

This is the purple lips after

Another picture of purple lips after-please ignore the mess!

The colour looks so much more natural and I love how mattifyng it is, it also helps it stay on for everrr!


Hope you enjoyed this little blog post and liked this little trick.

P.S. I hope you like my new blog layout! Took me a while to pick something that I love, simple and pastel- definitely my fave.

Hugs and kisses, Marta xo

AUTUMN

Autumn is literally right round the corner and I am so so excited that I can't even contain it! For a few years now, Autumn has been my favorite time of year. It's not too hot or cold, Halloween and Christmas are slowly arriving, candles finally start to show up, dresses and skirts with tights, boots and scarfs float around and obviously THE PURPLE LIPS AND NAILS. All these thoughts excite me. Extremely. What's your favorite time of year and why? I'd love to know!

As the purple lips excite me the most, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite lipsticks I enjoy using in the Autumn.

Topshop Lipstick 'Black Widow'
This lipstick is the most dramatic, darkest purple that I own. It has a matte finish so looks amazing on the lips during autumn and winter. If your lips tend to be dry, I would advise you to moisturize your lips well before wearing this lipstick because throughout the day your lips may crack. The shade 'Black Widow' is not on the website right now.

Topshop Lips- similar shade

Collection Lip Butter 4 'Perfect Plum'

The collection Lip Butter is a more creamy consistency and has a very glossy finish, which is the opposite to the Topshop lipstick. The colour of this purple lip crayon has a red/pinky undertone which will suit most skin tones. Also the price of this is incredible! (£2.99!) 

Collection Lip Butter- 4 'Perfect Plum'

L'Oreal 401 'Fuschia Drama'

The last of my favorite purple lipsticks is the L'Oreal Color Riche extraordinaire, which believe it or not, is actually a lipstick. It's classed as a lipstick because of the amount of pigmentation it has in it, however the texture of it is like a lip gloss as it is very soft and creamy. (£8.99)

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Extraordinaire- 401 'Fuschia Drama'

Martaxo

The easiest way to clean your brushes

I don't know about you... But I hate the thought of having to clean my brushes at least once every two weeks, so the last thing I want to do is spend loads of time on it. So I have searched and searched through the world of the internet and I think I have finally found the least time consuming, cheap and healthy way to wash my brushes.

All you need is conditioner. Doesn't everyone have some lying around somewhere? Cause' I know I ALWAYS do. Oh and you probably need your positive cleaning mood on.

First of all, put on some music.
Then grab the brushes that need cleaning.
Squeeze out some conditioner onto your clean hand and wet the brush.
Using circular motions, rub the brush onto your hand and mix it with the conditioner- you will probably see all the disgusting old foundation that has been sitting in the brush for a while- yuck.
You want to do this for about a good three minutes until the brush is completely clean.
Lastly just wash out the excess conditioner and rub the brush on a towel- when you leave it out to dry over night, do not leave it standing up as this will ruin the bristles. Instead, just leave it flat against a towel or the best way, leave it hanging upside down.

Marta xo

Garnier BB Cream review

Good evening ladies,
                             
I am finally back from my holiday, I hope you had a great summer too and got up to loads of amazing things!
I thought it would be about time for another foundation review as when I was on my holiday, the only base make up I had were foundations- which is obviously not ideal for the hot weather.. which by the way was 40 degrees ;) So I went on a hunt to find a BB cream and stumbled across this Garnier BB cream. I thought the brand only did hair and skincare products so I thought I'd give it a go. I picked up the shade Light/Claire- there were only two shades and the other was for medium skin tones. I bought this in Poland for 19.99 zloty (which is only less than £4!)

Garnier BB Skin Perfector Oil Free - Light

The BB cream claims to mattify, blur pores and imperfections, even skin tone, moisturize and provides SPF 20. After testing it out for about a week, it definitely did do all of these things, it even had really good coverage which is unusual for a BB cream. It kept my face hydrated but matte at the same time, and I didn't need to even set it with a powder. However, it was disappointing that there were only two shades and the lightest isn't even that light because it oxidized on my skin and I could see that dreaded 'slag' line. Which is a shame because apart from the colour range, the BB cream is amazing.

Product rate: **** out of 5
Thank you for reading!

Marta xo

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation Review

So I was shopping and had some money spare, I decided to visit John Lewis to look for a foundation. I tried to look for the Nars sheer glow foundation because of the amount of good reviews but it was not there. In the end I decided to splurge on this Giorgio Armani one. I have the shade number 4, the lady matched me well and gave me a tester of the highlighter (which was cute.)

After testing this foundation for a few months now, it is the best foundation I have ever tried. It literally feels like there is nothing on your skin at all but it still gives medium coverage. It does not go cakey at all but I have noticed that by the end of the day I do need to blot my t-zone with some powder as it does get a little oily. I have combination skin and it has never clinged onto any dry patches and has not clogged my pores. I like to use the Real techniques expert face brush with this foundation as it does not leave any lines and buffs it well into the skin.

Also, how cute is the bottle? It is made out of glass, (kinda screwed if I drop it) it has a pump and the lid has the Giorgio Armani logo on it. It looks so classy and I love it.

This is more of a pricey foundation, It costs £36.50 in John Lewis oops.. However, there was a 10% off sale when I was there. The money is definitely worth it. There are also some amazing drugstore foundations out there like the L'Oreal true match or Rimmel wake me up but I find the money is worth it and I will definitely be purchasing it again!

Product rate: ***** out of 5

Thank you for reading the blog, I hope it was helpful.

Marta xo

Everyday Make-Up Routine

I always find it interesting to discover what make-up people use because I'm really nosey and I'm constantly looking for new make-up with good reviews. Therefore, I thought I'd show you my own everyday make up routine for you nosey people.

I don't wear make up every single day but I wear it most days when I am going to college or for a day out with my friends or family.

This is the result of my make up routine:

I also thought I'd let you know about my skin type. I used to suffer with really dry, flaky skin and was finding it really hard to wear any kind of foundation. So, I changed up my skincare routine (now use a few simple products) and it's really made a difference. My skin is now combination so sometimes it is a little dry but gets oily later on in the day.

The first product I use is primer- I don't always use a primer but for long days I would recommend it as it will help your make up last that extra bit longer. The primer that I would reach out to first would be The Body Shop Instablur primer.  It is silicone based which means it will fill in any imperfections and will help the foundation to glide on smoother.

Body Shop Instablur £14

I change up my foundation on a day to day basis depending on how my skin is feeling. Usually, I go for Revlon Nearly Naked foundation when I'm a bit more tanned or use the Giorgio Armani Luminous silk foundation when my skin is slightly dehydrated and I'm at my usual skin tone.

Revlon Nearly Naked £8.99

Giorgio Armani Luminous silk £36.50

I use either my No7 foundation brush or Real Techniques Expert Face brush depending on how dry my skin is, if it feels fairly dry I will use the fountion brush as it will not cause my skin to flake. But, if it feels slightly more oily, I will use the Expert Face brush as this will buff the product into my skin.

No7 Foundation brush (similar) £14

Real Techniques Expert Face brush £9.99

In this step, I would usually apply concealer but lately I've been leaving it out as my under-eye does not crease without any product and still looks OK, so for me it is unnecessary! If I were to use a concealer, I would use the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer.

Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer £7.99

As I leave my foundation to set into my skin, I will move onto my eyebrows. I love using the Maybelline Brow Satin pencil, but it is slowly running out :(

Tip: wash an old mascara wand properly and use it to brush through your brows! I use the Benefit They're real mascara wand and it works amazingly.

Maybelline Brow Satin Eyebrow pencil £5.99

After my foundation has set into my skin, I powder my face. I usually use the Rimmel Stay Matte powder but need to invest in a new one as it is starting to disagree with my skin (please leave me any suggestions for good powders if you know of any!)

I use an eco tools brush that came in a set and just dust then press some powder into my skin.

Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder £3.99

Eco Tools brush (similar) £11.99

It's time to give the face a little definition. The skin may look a little flat with no colour, so a nice contour will give the skin a little boost- it can also transform the shape of the face. I use the Barry M Chisel cheeks contour kit, putting the bronzer (middle colour) onto my temples, cheekbones and the bottom of my neck (sort of recreating the number 3 on the face). Then using the contour colour (right) I put it just in the hollows of my cheeks and buff it in with any fluffy face brush.

Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit £6.49

I sometimes apply blush, but not everyday. I love the colour of the Revlon PhotoReady cream blush in the colour 'Charmed'. All I do, is dab my brush into the blush and then pat it onto my cheeks.

Revlon PhotoReady Cream blush £7.99

Mascara, personally, is one of the most important steps as without it I look so tired. I have recently purchased the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara and have been in loveeee, the results are crazy! On a day to day basis I apply one coat but if I'm going out with friends or family I do two to three and it literally looks like I'm wearing fake lashes.

Tip: Apply the mascara to the top lashes but actually on the top (the side that is on the eyelid) and then continue normally and you will see even better results!

Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying mascara £7.99

And finally, the last step. Lips! I recently love the combination of my new kiko lip liner and a lipstick from Manhattan (purchased in Poland)

Manhattan Perfect Creamy & Care 95D Lipstick £4.99

Kiko smart lip pencil 712 Rose Mauve was £2.50 now £1.70!

That's it for my everyday make-up routine! Hope you enjoyed reading this very long blog post and until next time!

Marta xo