FAVOURITE NUDE NAIL POLISHES

L to R: Maybelline Flesh Tone, China Glaze What’s She Dune?, Next Nudist Beach, Nails Inc Bond Street Mews, Barry M Tiki Hut, Rimmel Soul Session

Personally painting my nails is something I hate doing, I just don’t have the patience to be waiting around for them to dry. And yes, I have Seche Vite and it doesn’t work! They do feel dry to the touch, but if you do the nail-to-nail test, they stick to each other after almost 2h! So as you can imagine, painting my nails isn’t something I do often, however, lately I have been completely obsessed with nude nails and I love how my nails look so much, that I paint them all the time now, even though it means sitting around for a couple of hours waiting for them to dry. These nail polishes have converted me, so they deserve to be shown off in a little post. 

I think there’s something so chic and effortless about nude nails. It’s something that will never look wrong and will never go out of fashion, they’re in the whole year and will always make you look like you have your shizz together. I’ve been loving brown-y nudes, some with a hint of beige, some with a bit of lilac, others with a peach undertone, but they all look incredible, and the best thing is, when they start to chip, it never looks bad because they almost blend in with your skin colour. My six chosen nail polishes all last incredibly long on the nails before they start to chip, their colour payoff is great, they all look good with one coat but of course, two coats always looks better and I’m 100% sure that there is a shade in the lineup for every skin tone. 

What are your favourite nude nail polishes?

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Lots of love, SFS.

DRUGSTORE WEEK - FAVOURITE LIP PRODUCTS

The thing about lipstick is that no matter how many you have you will always want more. Am I right? There are so many different undertones, different finishes, different brands, different shades, that it’s hard to choose between them. I’m really not picky when it comes to lipsticks, as long as they’re comfortable to wear, have good colour payoff and suit my skin tone, I’m down. Considering how many high street lipsticks I have, it was surprisingly easy to pick my favourites. Lip liners was easy too because I don’t own many in general, I just never got into them until recently, but there are a couple that I use quite frequently. 

So let’s start with those, the Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Liner in the shade Hollywood Red and Topshop's Deception are my go-to during the autumn/winter months. They’re the perfect accompaniment to a berry or dark red lipstick and always make fading less noticeable and my lipstick last longer. On to something more everyday-esque, the Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliner in 011 Spice is a shade that will suit many. It’s a pink with a hint of brown and it’s quite a warm shade. I sometimes wear it on its own with lip balm on top or other times I’ll pair it with a nude lippie.

My most used lipsticks are hands down the Maybelline Matte Colour Sensational lipsticks in the shades Divine Wine (the most gorgeous burgundy colour) and Nude Embrace which is one of my favourite nudes ever. It’s a beige with warm brown undertones, perfect for those with darker skin that struggle to find nudes that don’t completely conceal their lips. The consistency of these is very smooth and doesn’t drag when applying. As the name would suggest they offer a matte finish but I don’t find them drying at all. A lipstick that couldn’t not be in this post is the Rimmel Kate Moss 107. This was the one that started my whole love affair with dark lips, it’s so cheap and cheerful and a real dupe for the Burberry Lip Velvet in Bright Poppy. You're welcome.

The Barry M Lip Paint in the shade 150 was something I wore constantly last year. I was and still am completely obsessed with The Vampire Diaries and after watching a Elena Gilbert: Get The Look video where they used this lipstick, I went ahead and bought it. It’s a gorgeous pinky brown that looks natural on the lips. It’s one of those you don’t need a mirror for and will definitely suit many skin tones.

Lastly on to glosses, I have to mention the Maybelline Color Sensational Shine Gloss in the shade Pink Shock. Pink isn’t something I wear very often, especially something so barbie-esque, but the formula of this lipgloss is what makes me love it so much, it reminds me a lot of the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfectors. It’s not drying, it isn’t sticky and has good colour payoff which is kind of rare for lip glosses. Speaking of glosses with good colour payoff, the L’oreal Color Riche Extraordinaire lip glosses are amazing! Seriously, if you haven’t tried them yet, you have to! The shade Nude Vibrato is quite possibly my favourite, however Nude Ballet is also high on my favourites list. They’re so glossy, creamy and hydrating, a real pleasure to have on my lips. They also smell really sweet which I personally love.

So there it is, my last post in this little series. Let me know if you enjoyed this and if you would like to see a high end version.

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Lots of love, SFS.

DRUGSTORE WEEK - FAVOURITE HIGHLIGHTER, POWDER & BLUSHERS

Blush is something I don’t usually spend a lot of money on. There are so many cheaper brands that do great quality and highly pigmented blushes that I don’t see the need to splash out. 

If you read my previous post where I talk about my favourite high street eye products and how much I love Sleek makeup, it won’t come as a surprise that they’re also one of my favourite brands when it comes to blushers. Once again they have an array of colours to choose from, from pinks, to corals, mattes and shimmers, individual blushes and they also have their Blush By 3 palettes which are really convenient for travel. I’ve had some of their blushes for a couple of years now because a little goes such a long way, they’re really pigmented so you only need the smallest amount to get a nice flush of colour. Rimmel also have great blushers that are perfect to carry around with you on an everyday basis because of how small they are. My personal favourite is the shade Santa Rose, it’s a subtle pink that adds a healthy glow to the cheeks without look like I have too much on.

I have raved about this product before, but I had to mentioned it in this little series because it’s definitely my favourite powder ever, not just high street, but in general. I use the Soap & Glory Kick Ass powder to set my concealer and the effect it gives is so, so beautiful, it makes my skin look airbrushed and flawless in photography. Seriously! 

Lastly, I finally picked up the NEXT Highlighting Chubby Stick in Stardust Glow and haven’t stopped using it since. Now, I know that you can’t get this in Boots or Superdrug, but it’s only £8 and it’s one of my favourite highlighters ever! Bold statement considering I haven’t had it for that long, but some products you just fall in love with immediately and this was one of them. It has a rose gold tint and the tiniest amount of shimmer, I mean tiny, but somehow makes the cheekbones look ‘wet’ almost, and really adds a lot of light to the face.

Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate that I finally posted on Friday? I’ve been quite good at sticking to my blogging schedule, but somehow I always miss Friday’s post. Well, not this week, ha! :)

Catch up on my previous posts on the Drugstore Week series;

Favourite Foundations & Concealers

Favourite Eye Products

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Lots of love, SFS.

DRUGSTORE WEEK - FAVOURITE EYE PRODUCTS

Welcome to post number two in the Drugstore Week series! If you missed the first post where I talk about my favourite foundations and concealers, you can catch up on it here. In today’s post I am taking about one of my favourite things, eye products! I feel like my makeup is never complete until I have something on my eyes, be it eyeshadow, smudged liner, winged liner or mascara. Here are some products that I love and use almost everyday that don’t break the bank.

Sleek have some of the best makeup going and their eyeshadows are of such high quality, I don’t understand why they’re not talked about more. Their colour selection is great, they have loads of eyeshadow palettes to choose from ranging from matte eyeshadow palettes, neutral palettes, a really colourful one which is great for Halloween and they’re all so highly pigmented, buttery and easy to blend. Honestly, they’re right up there with MAC eyeshadows in my eyes and they’re only £8.99, 12 eyeshadows that cost less than one single MAC eyeshadow, wow!

The mascaras are probably what I was most excited/surprised about. I used to be a high end mascara girl through and through because I had never found a high street mascara that worked for me, this was until I came across Kaushal’s channel. She used the Maybelline Lash Sensational and L’oreal Miss Manga Punky mascara combo in her videos and her lashes looked insane! And even though I know not every mascara has the same effect on everyone, I wanted to try it anyway. It is honestly a match made in heaven! I was already a fan of the Lash Sensational, it’s such a fantastic mascara on its own, but pair it with Miss Manga Punky and you will have long, thick, full lashes. It’s definitely not a combo everyone will like, especially if you’re more into subtle looking lashes, but I am all about the va-va-voom and this combo definitely gives me what I’m looking for. Lastly on mascaras is probably my favourite of the three, the L’oreal False Lash Sculpt mascara. At first I thought I wouldn’t like it based on how the brush looks, I’m usually more into actual hairs rather than a plastic wand, but after using it only once I was converted. It gave me really long, fluttery lashes and even after applying a couple of coats it just doesn’t clump. Big, big fan!

Now let’s talk about the Maybelline 24h Color Tattoos. I use these little pots every single day, not both colours at the same time of course, but I’ll either use On and On Bronze for days where I’m going for a gold eye, or the Creamy Mattes in the shade Crème de Nude for days where I’m going quite minimal with my makeup or simply want to even out my lid colour. They prime my lids so well and I haven’t noticed any creasing in my eyeshadow since using them. They’re a huge staple in my makeup collection and something I will continuously purchase time and time again. Speaking of staples, another product I use every day is the Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Kohl Kajal in the shade Nude. Back when I was in school I used to use a black eyeliner to line my bottom waterline, no other makeup on my face, just that black liner... I know you did it too girl. How horrible did it look though? Jeez! I’m glad times have moved forward. Now I am more into keeping the drama all on my lid and upper lashline, and leave my bottom waterline as bare as possible. This eyeliner is the perfect shade, it looks natural and does a fab job at making my eyes look bigger and more awake.

Are any of these products some of your favourites too?

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Lots of love, SFS.

DRUGSTORE WEEK - FAVOURITE FOUNDATIONS & CONCEALERS

I often blog a lot about high-end makeup, because really, it’s what I use most frequently, but there are a few highstreet bits that I absolutely love and I’ll be sharing them with you throughout this week. Yeap, I am dedicating this week to drugstore makeup and to kick things off I wanted to start with base essentials. There are two staple pieces missing in this post because I left them at my parents last time I went to London, but I will also be talking about them in this post.

My absolute favourite drugstore base is the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation. This to me is the closest foundation I’ve found to the YSL Touche Éclat. It’s very creamy, leaves a gorgeous glow and offers a medium coverage that feels super light on the skin. I always pick up the shade True Beige during the summer as it’s a perfect match for me when I get a tan. The only downside is the packaging, I wish it came with a pump as it can get quite messy.

Another favourite of mine is the L’oreal Lumi Magique Light Infusing Foundation. This is perfect for no makeup, makeup days, it’s very lightweight so it’s almost undetectable on the skin. It’s also very radiant and hydrating making it the perfect match for someone with dry, dull skin like myself. I am also a massive fan of their True Match foundation but like I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I left it in London. True Match has a slightly more heavier coverage, but still looks natural. Many people say it's the perfect dupe for the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation, and I definitely agree!

Last but not least on the foundation topic, my newest acquisition, the L’oreal Nude Magique Cushion. Like I mentioned in my July Favourites post, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do. I thought it would be faffy to work it, but actually it’s so easy to apply. I like to use my beauty blender instead of the sponge that comes with it, and this covers any redness or imperfections that I want to conceal whilst looking natural and giving me a healthy glow. It feels quite wet at first but it dries down after a couple of minutes. I only wish I had gotten one shade darker as this is slightly too light for me. 

Now moving on to concealers, the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer just had to be here. It’s a perfect colour for me, it brightens underneath my eyes and hides my dark circles really well. I also really like the applicator because it’s of how convenient and easy it is to use. Another favourite that I definitely need to mention is the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer. Omg, how amazing is it?! Even my mum is hooked! The texture is so creamy and I actually really like the applicator, at first I thought I would hate it and that it would be very unhygienic, but I haven’t had any issues with it, in fact, it feels really soft and refreshing to run underneath the eyes. 

What are you favourite drugstore base essentials? 

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Lots of love, SFS.