My Every Day High Street Face ...

So I thought I would write a blog post on an every day face with products from just the high street. I personally love the high street for make up, especially because I live in Manchester city centre so there is a really big Boots on my way home from uni (very dangerous) so they have a really good range of everything. Although the branch of Boots closest to me has high end brands available as well, I thought it would make sense to only include the brands you would normally find in a high street shop. 

Well that's attractive! Haha 

In the picture above I had just cleansed using a face oil, toner and moisturiser. I started off using the L'Oreal  Lumi Magique Primer, which I have really enjoyed using. It's the second time I have bought it now and I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for glowing skin. I used it under my foundation here but it is nice mixed in with foundation as well. I then used the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in 52 (Vanilla). Foundation colour range is probably where I struggle most with high street foundations. I am just too pale! However, I really like this foundation. It is really lovely to apply, and blends well. It provides light-medium coverage, and leaves a funnily enough really healthy finish to the skin with, in my opinion, a moderately dewy finish (although it says semi-matte on the packaging). I then used the Maybelline, Browdrama, scuplting brow mascara in Medium Brown, lightly through my eyebrows. I haven't used many eyebrow gels so I can't really say if this is amazing or not, but it does the job quite nicely for me. 

I then moved onto my eyes, and as I don't have a high street eye primer, I jumped straight into the eyeshadow. I used a recent purchase, the Revlon quad in Moonlit Clair de Lune, which is a lovely combination of browns in a satin finish. I have to admit that eyeshadows are generally things that I tend to stick to high end brands with because the quality and the lasting power just seem to be so much better, even if they are more expensive. However, I was really impressed with this quad, and even though they might not have as much pigmentation as say the Urban Decay or Mac eyeshadows they were still good. I used the lightest shade all over my eyelid, and then used the shade below it over the 
 rest of the eyelid, with the darker two blended into the outer corner and underneath the eye. I then used my Rimmel Scandaleyes precision micro eyeliner in black on my top waterline and eyelid. I really like this eyeliner, and find it really easy to use and manipulate. I then used my Masterpiece Max mascara from MaxFactor, which I have loved for a really long time and is especially good if you want a heavier mascara look. I then used my No7 Natural Blush in Honey (I'm hoping that No7 count as high street but sorry if you feel it doesn't) for a subtle contour, followed by the L'Oreal blush in True Rose on my cheeks. I love this shade! It is a really lovely subtle colour and is great for a naturally flushed look. I then used my Soap & Glory Glow All Out face powder to set my face, and then another new addition to my make up collection, Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipstick in 010 Womenswear, which I really love! It stayed on for so long, and was really creamy but slightly matte as well.
 I think I will definitely be looking at more of their range! 

Although it sounds like a lot of products, the finished look isn't too heavy because I have used most things sparingly! In some cases, it is definitely worth spending the money on higher end products, but the high street has some fantastic products too!

xxxx

Clinique Chubby Stick ...

I have to admit that this is my first ever Clinique product, and I'm not even really sure why. I've always been attracted towards the Chanel stands and more recently Mac as well, and consequently other make up counters get neglected. My mum really loves their skincare, and rarely buys her high range products from anywhere else, so I thought I would have a quick browse when I was last in a department store. I was initially interested in their moisturisers, but quickly got distracted by their chubby sticks. I have heard quite a lot about these and I really like a sheer, subtle red lip. I have also seen the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains, but none of the colours piqued my interest so I didn't pick any of them up. However, I loved so many colours in the Clinique range that I couldn't resist temptation any longer, and I bought 05 Chunky Cherry. 

The Revlon Balm Stains cost £7.99 in Boots, but seem to be on an introductory offer of £5.99 in  most shops, whereas the Clinique Chubby Sticks cost £16. Although there is quite a price difference, I'm perfectly happy that I bought the more expensive one because I really like the colour I chose, and I didn't find one I liked in the Revlon range. Personally, I would rather spend £16 on something I liked, than £5.99/£7.99 on something I wasn't that bothered about. Well, that's my logic anyway. I'm not sure my boyfriend would agree though. :)

At first I wasn't overly keen on how bulky the Chubby Sticks are, but it has grown on me, and I quite like how substantial they are now. Another thing I was concerned about was how big the end used for applying was, and if it would be accurate, but I've found that as long as I have a mirror I can apply it with no real problems. However, I did try to do it without a mirror once, and it may be due to my inadequate make up expertise, but I resembled a five year old that had stolen their mum's lipstick. 

Another thing to add is that you don't sharpen the end (this would result in a chubby stick related disaster), you twist the other end to move up the amount of product. You also need to take care to keep some sort of pointed end, because I imagine if that goes completely it would be really hard to apply accurately. 

It has shown up more golden in this photo, but in real life and on my lips it actually appears more red. I really like this colour, and I think the colour pay off is pretty good, although they aren't super long lasting. I also like how moisturising the chubby stick is, and really leaves my lips feeling soft. Overall, I will definitely be looking at the range again to see if any other colours catch my eye, as Clinique do a huge range from nudes to purple, and I would recommend these to anyone looking for a quick and easy to use lip product. I'm also really interested to hear what people think about the Revlon Balm Stains, and I might buy one to compare with the Chubby Sticks if I see a shade I like.

xxx