Makeup Haul | Cult Beauty + Boots

A guilty online shop and in-store spree has led to a building collection of newly purchased beauty products that I've decided to throw together into this one haul. I am excited to share with you all the new makeup that I haven't been able to resist parting with my cash for. 

The first purchase I made was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Pro Series Cream Contour Kit; the cream version of the highly coveted palette of professional sculpting powders. This has only recently been made available over here in the UK thanks to the online, high-end beauty seller Cult Beauty. When I saw that the palette had landed online, I eagerly hopped over to the site to place my order and I am excited to finally add this to my collection. 

An innocent trip to Boots led to several unexpected purchases as I am always powerless to resist new products when they are right in front of my eyes. 

Starting at the Smashbox counter, I picked up the Photo Finish Primer Water; a product I had been desperate to get my hands on yet had constantly found to be out of stock both online and in store. This water claims to hydrate and refresh your skin, create a sheer canvas for makeup and leave you with a vibrant complexion.

The newly released Step-By-Step Contour Stick Trio also caught my attention and, although a seemingly futile purchase considering the recent addition of the ABH palette to my collection, I easily convinced myself that this was a necessity. 

These pencils are in universal contour, bronze and highlight shades for defining and sculpting all face shapes. They are easy to apply, blend seamlessly and are perfect for a quick contour when in a rush.

Lastly I stopped by the Sleek MakeUp display, which I am rarely able to indulge in as my local store doesn't stock their products. I picked up the Face Form palette in ‘Light’, which contains a matte, ashy-toned contouring powder, an illuminating highlighter and a blush. The blush in this palette stands out the most as it is a pigmented rosy pink with flecks of gorgeous gold shimmer. 

I also bought the Blush By 3 Palette in the shade 'Californ.I.A', a trio of peach-toned cream blushers. I love using cream blushes to add a natural, dewy flush and I know that I will use this palette endlessly throughout the summer. Inside are the shades Newport Peach, The Surf and OC; all of which are amazingly pigmented, buildable and easy to blend. 

That’s all for this mix and match makeup haul and I hope that you enjoyed hearing about the most recent additions to my collection. I would love to hear all about your recent purchases as well as your current go-to products.

Devon

xoxo

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Mini M.A.C Haul + Review

A recent trip to Nottingham, a spare twenty minutes in the city centre and the excitement of pay-day, resulted in me wandering into the MAC store before my better judgement could direct me otherwise. Unaccompanied and armed with a fresh stocked bank account, it's safe to say I was entering dangerous territory. Fortunately I did manage to reign in my spending to only two purchases; a new foundation and a setting powder. I have been testing these out for the last week and I am here to share my thoughts.

1. MAC Studio Sculpt - NW15 (£25.00)

As someone who is constantly on the hunt for and testing out new foundations; I am always reluctant to invest the price of a high end brand incase it fails to live up to my expectations. However, desperate for a foundation that would improve the appearance of my problematic skin, I decided to invest the pretty price of a MAC base. As someone who prefers a full coverage, but without the flat look of a completely matted out complexion, I was recommended to try out Studio Sculpt.

Studio Sculpt is a gel-based foundation and provides a medium, buildable coverage. It blends seamlessly into my skin to camouflage imperfections and leaves my complexion looking plump and smooth with a natural satin finish. I love the formula of this, it is creamy yet long-wearing and it instantly adds life back into my tired, dehydrated looking skin. It provides a full coverage without leaving my face looking flat, cakey or unnatural. 

I have loved using this foundation and I am happy that I made the investment. It provides the perfect amount of coverage, revitalises my complexion and lasts all day.

2. MAC Natural Mineralise Skin Finish - Light (£23.00)

As I was already investing in a new foundation, I thought I might as well pick up a setting powder to go with it. When wearing a heavy foundation, I prefer a powder with a matte finish that is going to set my makeup in place rather than add extra colour or coverage. The natural mineralise skin finish provides a light coverage with a matte finish, perfecting for setting your foundation in place.

This domed powder is encased inside a handy compact and accompanied with its own mirror. It is perfect for touching up throughout the day and it has become a permanent addition to my handbag. It sets my foundation in place, mattes out my oily t-zone and leaves my skin looking naturally shine-free. 

To see this dynamic duo in action, then watch my recent High Coverage Foundation Routine. It is perfect for covering up acne, blemishes or for a long-wearing coverage that will last long into the evening.

I hope you enjoyed this mini haul and review; I would love to know what your current favourite foundation is? Leave comments down below or you can message me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Devon

xoxo

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High End Haul | Cult Beauty and MAC

Ever since I first stumbled across the amazing Cult Beauty site, browsing the online array of high end, high performing makeup has become my new favourite past time. Although I wish my bank balance stretched to cover my entire wish list, in reality I have to restrict my spending to only a handful of luxury indulgences a month. Today I have my latest Cult Beauty splurges as well as a new MAC goodie wrapped up in one high end haul to share with you all. 

1.  Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

After reading the endless reviews raving about the contouring powers of this palette, I was dying to get a hold of my very own. I bought the colour 'light' and encased inside are three warming shades and three highlighters. There is a matte yellow-toned and pink-toned highlighter as well as 'Sand' which has a shimmer finish. 

All three contouring powders are matte; two have a warm tone  whereas the colour ‘Fawn’ is the perfect ashy shade for adding a natural contour to a pale complexion. With an initial swatch all the shades appear smooth and blendable with a great colour pay off. This palette has definitely captured my attention and I can’t wait to see its contouring effects.

(Left to Right: Vanilla, Banana, Sand, Java, Fawn, Havana)

2. The Original Beautyblender

As a girl on a quest to find the foundation applicator for the ultimate flawless finish; I am excited to now possess my own Beauty Blender. I have always preferred the finish created by using a sponge over a brush, as it blends my foundation in seamlessly for a natural looking coverage. If you were ever to invest in only one high end item for improving the appearance and application of your makeup, I would suggest placing this at the top of your priorities.

3. MAC Pro Conceal and Correct Palette

My final high end makeup indulgence was bought on a whim. I had heard little about this palette before, however after eyeing it in the MAC store I immediately had to add it to my collection. I have the shade 'light' and inside are four concealers and two colour correctors. 

The shade ‘pale pink’ works amazingly well for correcting darkness under the eyes and ‘pale yellow’ is perfect for fading the redness of my acne scarring. I have loved testing out the shades in this palette and I now reach for it every time I apply my makeup. To see this palette in action, then have a look at my recent video dedicated to sharing my current Full Coverage Foundation Routine. 

I hope you enjoyed this mini haul and I would love to hear about your recent beauty purchases, whether they be high end or high street.

Devon

xoxo

Previous Hauls: 

Drugstore

Cult Beauty

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Cult Beauty Haul

I recently stumbled across the Cult Beauty website during a moment of weakness and an urge for new additions to my makeup collection. Whilst I promised myself a one purchase maximum followed by a quick beeline to the checkout, those sneaky sidebars caught my attention one too many times. My intention to buy one desperately required eyebrow pencil turned into a mini shopping spree and I am excited to share my impulse buys with you all. You can also hear about the guilty purchases I made on the high street in my recent Drugstore Haul.

This Cult Beauty shopping splurge featured two particular brands; the stunning Stila Cosmetics and the queen of all things brows, Anastasia Beverly Hills.

My initial reason for souring the Cult Beauty site was to source out the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. Since a pair of a good brows is increasingly becoming THE most important makeup ritual for any beauty addict in 2015; I felt obliged to finally purchase the product that has every beauty blogger recreating the coveted power brows of Cara Delevingne for themselves.

I hope that I am not alone in my love hate relationship and never ending battle to perfect my eyebrows. Although the situation has definitely improved since I decided to invest in monthly HD sessions, when left to my own devices things quickly go downhill. 

This double ended gadget has a spooly on one end for perfectly brushing out those unruly hairs and a retractable pencil on the other. I have the shade dark brown which matches my natural hair colour perfectly and the pencil itself is impeccably thin allowing for you to easily recreate the appearance of fine hairs.

After adding the Brow Wiz to my basket, I couldn’t resist clicking on the equally infamous DipBrow Pomade that was calling out to me in the sidebar. 

I also picked this up in the shade dark brown and this gel-like product works amazingly well with an angled brush to create waterproof, long-lasting and natural looking brows. I am confident that this dynamic duo will help my eyebrow nightmares become a thing of the past. 

(Left to right: Brow Wiz, DipBrow)

On a recent attempt to recreate a feline flick, I sadly discovered that all of my liquid liners had dried up. Is it just me, or does anyone else find themselves questioning whether their makeup conspires against them to all run out at the same time? 

I decided that whilst online to add the Stila Waterproof Liquid Liner in the shade 'intense black' to my basket. I had been desperately waiting to purchase this for a while as liner displaces so easily on my small, oily eyelids and I am eager to see whether this lives up to its ‘stay all day’ claim.

Before I could proceed to the checkout, the side bar caught my attention one last time and, as a self-confessed eyeshadow addict, I was powerless to resist clicking on the mini Stila In The Light icon. It took embarrassingly little convincing on my part to add this palette of ten dreamy nude shades to my basket. 

This gorgeous rose gold palette is filled with a selection of six shimmer and four nude shades as well as a handy smudge proof eyeliner in the shade 'chocolate'. The palette also has a large mirror inside and an inspirational quote that will put a smile on your face whilst you deliberate which stunning shades to adorn your eyes with that day. 

From an initial swatch of the shadows they look creamy, highly pigmented and my imagination is already running wild with the array of looks I can create. It looks like the perfect palette to transition you from day to night with light, warm-toned nudes as well as a couple darker cooler shades for a more dramatic finish. 

After this final addition, I made a swift exit to the checkout before any other gorgeous products could test my limited restraint and deplete my entire bank account. Although, I loved my first experience shopping on Cult Beauty and I will definitely be heading back there soon!

I hope you all enjoyed this mini high-end haul and I would love to hear what you think in the comments below or you can get in touch on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I read and appreciate all of your messages!

Devon 

xoxo

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Drugstore Makeup Haul

As a drugstore makeup fanatic, it seems to be impossible for me to ever walk past my local Boots without going in and picking up a few things. Somehow I always manage to find a way to justify buying three new blushes or my 10th red lipstick. My limited restraint coupled with Boots constant 3 for 2 offers and advantage card scheme means I am constantly tiring out my poor debit card at those tills.

These are my latest drugstore purchases and is the result of having twenty minutes to kill in town by myself before I was meeting my sister. I ended up ten minutes late, two hands covered in lipstick swatches and £99 lighter by the end of it.

I picked up two new blushes whilst I was there, as this seems to always be the area of my make-up collection that is lacking. Firstly, I picked up the Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher, I have been dying to try this out for a long time as I have heard such good reviews about it. I got the shade 14 'soft pink' which is a gorgeous light rose and adds the perfect natural glow to your cheeks. I also picked up the Revlon Powder Blush in the shade 003 'Marvelous'. This is a soft, silky powder that leaves a satin finish and is highly pigmented so that a little dusting goes a long way.

(Left to right: Revlon powder, Max Factor cream)

As a serious lipstick hoarder, it is no surprise that four new ones managed to find their way into my basket. I bought two new shades of the Revlon Matte Balm Stains, which I love and have been dying to add to my collection. I picked up the shades 205 'Elusive', a soft pink and 225 'Sultry', a darker mauve tone. I love these balm stains as they leave a matte, velvety finish and are not overly drying on the lips.

The other two lipsticks I chose were also by Revlon and from their Super Lustrous Lipstick range. These have a gorgeous creamy consistency, are moisturising and highly pigmented. I decided to buy the shades 028 'Cherry Blossom', an orange toned red and 460 'Blushing Mauve' a gorgeous pearly mauve shade. I adore this range, not only is the lipstick of a good quality but the packaging also looks expensive and luxurious. The shiny black and gold casing makes a beautiful edition to any makeup bag.

(Left to right: Blushing Mauve, Cherry Blossom, Sultry, Elusive)

I also bought two new concealers; the Max Factor Colour Corrector Stick in green to hide redness and the Revlon Colorstay in the shade 'light'. I suffer from mild acne as well as sensitive skin so I am excited to see how the green corrector works to counteract some of my redness. I am also exited to test out the Colorstay concealer considering how amazing the infamous Revlon foundation is from the same line is.

Whilst at the Revlon display, their Highlighting Palettes also caught my eye and I couldn't resist picking one up. I chose the bronze shade of the two and I can't wait to try this out. It seems to offer a delicate bronze shimmer that I think will look gorgeous dusted across the top of the cheekbones.

When it comes to washing makeup brushes, I think we are all guilty of being a tad too lazy and so I am always adding to my collection so that I can prolong the monotonous chore for as long as possible. EcoTools are not only affordable but surprisingly good quality; they do not shed, are soft and wash well. They are the perfect choice for anyone new to makeup and slowly building a collection or for those on a tight budget. I picked up the Eye Enhancing Duo Brush Set and cannot rate these brushes highly enough. For only £6.99 you essentially get four eye shadow brushes all of a good quality, made from entirely natural materials and a reusable pouch to store them in.

I have never been someone who remains loyal to the same mascara for too long as I love trying out new ones. Whilst I know I am way late on the bandwagon with this one, I finally got around to purchasing the Revlon Lash Potion Mascara as I just could not resist the gorgeous packaging a moment longer.

Finally, and a type of product that I have never tried before, I bought the Bourjois Paris BB Bronzing Cream 8-in-1. This claims to offer eight skin benefits and is a universal shade that blends into the skin to create a natural tan. I am excited to try this out as a contouring base and see how well it blends and wears on my skin.

That's it for this haul and I hope you enjoyed reading about the few purchases I made. I would love to hear all about your latest drugstore discoveries!

Devon

xoxo

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