£20 Makeup Challenge! | Drugstore/ High Street Makeup Look

A lot of my makeup products are drugstore. I've seen the $20 Makeup Challenge videos and blog posts circling around the internet for a while now and I thought i'd adapt it slightly as i'm from the UK and make it the £20 Makeup Challenge. I know i'm not the first to do this and i'm sure I won't be the last but I thought it was time to shop my stash to see what products can make up a full face for £20 or less- definitely a challenge but not impossible!

Foundation was the hardest for me. I love the L'Oreal True Match but that would've been nearly half the budget gone as it comes in at £9.99. Instead I opted for another foundation that I love but unfortunately is too dark for me, however I thought I could make it work, if I was very light handed. It's the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation in the shade 200- Soft Beige, this comes in at £7.99 but it's on offer regularly at £4.99 in places like Boots, Superdrug and Wilko. I admit, I cheated a little.
This foundation is medium to high coverage and offers a dewy base to last a long while. 25 hours? I don't know who wears makeup that long anyway?

Next up is concealer, I chose the Seventeen Phwoarr Paint in Fair which is £5.49. I've used the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer for a while now and although it's good, I just fancied a change. I heard this one is great(it is) for under-eyes especially to cover up those pesky bags, apparently it's also a dupe for the Bobbi Brown Corrector Concealer so i'm not complaining there. My skin has been quite good recently, i'm touching wood as I say this...so I've not yet had to use it on blemishes or redness but i'm sure it'll do the job just fine!

Now onto contour/bronzer. I'm fairly new to this step but with practice I love how it can add so much dimension and shape to the face, as well as giving my very pale face a bit of colour. In order to practice I picked up a bargain which I absolutely love, its an MUA Pressed Powder in the shade 04- as it's not actually a bronzer and is a face powder this is matte which is perfect for contouring. This was only £1, MUA is so affordable!

This Sleek Blush in Rose Gold is a beautiful pinky coral shade with a gorgeous shimmer running through. This could also act as a highlight as well as adding colour to your cheeks. These blushes are so pigmented and are only £4.49, I must go and look at the other shades to see what they offer ready for Autumn/Winter.

For mascara I've gone for the Collection Lengthening Mascara in Ultra Black. I've not had the best experience with collection mascaras before, they seem to have gone very dry and flaky quite quickly but this one is different. I received this in a beauty box and sort of wrote it off to begin with, I wanted to mix it up a little and try something else instead of Benefit's Roller Lash- I'm so glad I gave this one a go. On my lashes I found this creates a look very similar to the Roller Lash and this is only £2.99! What!? I know!

Last but not least is lips, I used the Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Pencil in Rose Quartz which I found in the pound shop, I believe it was Poundland so yes- this was only £1. If you didn't know Poundland often have Rimmel, Sally Hansen and a few more well-known brands so if you have a look i'm sure you'll find some hidden gems that are worth a go for a pound!

I'm afraid I haven't got a picture of what the finish look as I'm not yet comfortable with posting pictures of myself on here, apologies for that! However, these products created a lovely natural look that is perfect for summer!

This look came in at £19.96, so yes it was actually under budget.

I know, I didn't include something for eyes in terms of eye shadow. However, you could switch out the Sleek Blush for an MUA or Makeup Revolution palette/eye shadows as most of them are £4 or less.

I also didn't include something for brows as I use the Soap and Glory Brow Archery which would've taken up half of the budget. I don't do my brows everyday but if you wanted something to tidy them up a little and set them in place you could use a clear mascara which I know you can pick up in Boots and Superdrug for £1-3.

I'm so impressed I was able to do a full-face of makeup for under £20. You can definitely find some bargains in the drugstore that compare to high end products so you don't have to blow the budget!

What's your favourite drugstore/high street makeup brand/product?

Please let me know in the comments!

♥   ♥   ♥

My Most Used | Face, Eyes and Lip Products

Myself and a few lovely bloggers have been planning this post for a short while and here is the result of it. Today myself and the others will be showing you our favourite Face, Eye and Lip product- the majority of mine will be drugstore so at more affordable prices, though if you're in the market for some higher end pieces be sure to check out the other girls blogs to see what they love!

Chloe from Chloe Paigee 

Megan from Secretly Megan

Jess from Hey It Is Jess

and Nicole from Thrifty Vintage Fashion

Without further-ado i'll just get straight into it..

L'Oreal True Match foundation in N1 Ivory-

I'm sure you will have heard lots about this foundation before, I've actually done a review here. This is the only foundation I've been using since so it'd obviously have to be my favourite! I look for something medium-high coverage when buying foundation and this definitely fits into that category as it's medium coverage with one application but is very buildable to a higher coverage. I find this lasts on my skin all day which is a bonus as my face apparently eats my foundation, not cool! This retails at £9.99 in Boots and Superdrug so not the cheapest nor most expensive so is really reasonable as it lasts me a long while!

MUA eye shadow palette in Heaven and Earth-

I really love experimenting with eye shadows even though i'm not the best at applying them. Unfortunately that was put on hold as I had extremely dry eyelids that I could not shift, thankfully that's been sorted now so I can finally wear a subtle smokey eye or pretty shimmer!
I bought this palette a long while ago now and it's been quite well loved yet I still haven't hit pan on any of the colours. I find they are well pigmented and last a long length of time on the lid which is amazing as this palette only cost £4.
If I've not got the effort to apply eye shadow I usually go for a quick flick of the Benefit Roller Lash mascara, you can see what I thought of it here.

No. 7 lipstick in the shade Vanity-

This is my go-to if i'm wanting a pink lip, I love it! This is a really old No. 7 and I probably shouldn't still have it but i'm on the hunt to find the perfect match for it. I haven't found an exact match but I also really like the Natural Collection lipstick in Rose Bud.
Both are perfect for everyday wear, although I find the No. 7 lipstick lasts longer on the lips but I can't fault Natural Collection as they're so affordable.

And that's a round up of my favourite Face, Eyes and Lips products, don't forget to check out the other girls blog posts linked at the beginning of this post.

What are yours? 

Leave them in the comments below!

♥   ♥   ♥

July Favourites

Hello!
I honestly cannot believe how fast July has gone by, I feel like I say this each month but July has come by and gone in a flash! I didn't even get around to doing my June monthly favourites, but here I am back with with things I've been loving this July, as the title states!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser- £8.50 here.

First up is The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser(hoping this hasn't been mentioned in a favourites before). I purchased the smaller sized bottle of this to try it out before I spent £8.50 on the larger bottle and then find out I don't actually like it. I'm glad I did although after a few uses I realised I loved it, it's so gentle and makes my skin feel so clean and soft! I've also experienced less breakouts as a result of using just 2 cleansers, one in the morning and this in the night after removing my makeup! I've also tried the moisturiser from the same range and really like that too, so I think i'm definitely going to try more!

L'Oreal True Match and Rimmel Lasting Finish- here and here.

I had a Rimmel foundation sitting in my makeup storage that I haven't used in a while as I'm not too keen on the foundation on it's own- it's the shade up from what i'd usually get too. I thought rather than not waste it i'd mix a little with my current L'Oreal True Match foundation for the summer, believe it or not I do get a little colour on my face rather than being the palest of pales. The L'Oreal True Match offers a satin to matte finish but mixed with the Rimmel 25 hour foundation offers a dewy finish which I love in the summer, without looking oily! I love the colour and finish it gives on my skin so will definitely continue to use this combination throughout the summer!

Tea Tree Water (Toner Water)- £3.95 for 100ml here.

Eu Natural!

The last beauty related item i've been loving this month is the Lush Tea Tree Toner Water, again I purchased this in the smaller bottle to see if I liked it, i'm so pleased as the bottle isn't even that small- I think it's the perfect size to use within the use-by-date. I bought this as my skin can be quite oily so I thought i'd give this ago to combat the oils and keep my skin clean throughout the day and after cleansing. Tea Tree has anti-bacterial properties so is perfect to keep your skin at it's cleanest and prevent spots, i'd definitely give this a go if you have oily skin- it's also super refreshing in the warmer months!

The sandals I've been wearing, they're well worn in from H&M about 2 years ago.

Mentioning the warmer months there, Wales is actually experiencing 'Summer'. This is rare as normally we get the odd few days then the weathers back to its usual self, grey and dreary! The weather has been so nice recently, it's actually warm enough to go without a jacket and wear sandals..although that's not a favourite of mine, people with their feet out- not the prettiest sight! I've loved being out in the garden in the Sun to get my daily dose of Vitamin D, like we all should be! I hope the weather sticks around especially when I'm off on my travels to the South of England.

You may of seen me mention a few times that my sisters moving out, and that she has now! Although that's not what I've been enjoying but I have been enjoying shopping with her. We've been quite often recently and although I do like shopping on my own, I don't mind accompanying her when she wants to do some shopping. After all, who would say no to shopping? Not me! Keep an eye out, you'll see a haul here very soon!

Lemon Ice Tea in the sun.

Last but not least, I've been loving drinking Lemon Ice Tea- so refreshing in the summer! I only actually tried it a month or 2 ago but I actually love it! I'm so glad I ventured out to try something new as I don't do that often. I do enjoy the Lipton Ice Tea(only the lemon flavour) when i'm out and about, but my Mum also buys a big bottle from I think it's Lidl as she spotted it in there when buying our fruit!

That's it for this months favourites, what have you been enjoying this month? Let me know!

Amy X

L'Oreal True Match Foundation- My Thoughts

Hello guys!
Today I thought I'd get up a review and my opinions on the much loved L'Oreal True Match Foundation.
This was a foundation I was eager to try after hearing so many good reviews and bloggers stating it was very similar to the MAC Studio Fix fluid, this sold me! So quickly I got down to Boots and the lovely lady matched me up, I was the shade I though I was- N1 Ivory. I loved the look this foundation gave, she applied a primer underneath although I'm not too sure which but I really liked the finish it gave.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation- N1 Ivory
(Please ignore my extremely red hand, I had just washed my face with warm water, so maybe that's why)

Anyway off I went, very pleased with my purchase at only £9.99. I rushed home quickly after doing a tad more shopping and took the makeup off and applied the foundation myself, using the Real Techniques Buffing brush from the Core Collection. My initial thoughts were that I really liked the foundation, the formula, the colour, the coverage and the finish. I'll explain a little why-

(Please ignore the photo quality, apprently this one didn't want to go larger)

• The formula is perfect for me, a light liquid that blends really easily so is perfect for makeup newbies!
• The colour matched perfectly just as I expected it too, seeing as the name of it is 'True Match' and also being a vast range of colours to suit all skin and undertones. 
• As the lady explained the foundation offers a medium coverage that is buildable and I definitely agree with that. I think it's perfect for more minimal days and those days where you want a little more coverage, it also doesn't cake!
• And last but not least the finish, I'd say it was a matte/satin finish. I love the finish it gives as it looks so natural and sinks into the skin so nicely.

I've been using the foundation consecutively for about 3 weeks now and I can honestly say I love it! I definitely think i'll be repurchasing this, although I would also like to try the MAC Studio Fix too. I cannot say it's a dupe or very similar to the MAC foundation myself as I have not tried it yet, but when I do I will obviously let you know, although so many beauty bloggers and vloggers have confirmed this!
I'd recommend this for those with normal/oily or even dry skin, as I've not experienced the foundation clinging to any of my drier areas, so an all-rounder really!

I hope you've enjoyed this review, I've tried to keep it as short as possible but there's so much to say about this foundation!
Have you tried this foundation, what are your thoughts? Would you try this foundation based on this review? Let me know!

Until next time,

Amy X

A few beauty buys!

Hello!

So i'm aware the last post that went up was written before and was a tad out of date by a few days when it was finally posted, but this one won't be! Today I'm going to share with you a few beauty purchases that I've accumulated recently, as many bloggers explain 'these were collected over a few [insert length of time here]', and these very much were but I can't remember exactly when these few items were bought. So i'm gunna get right into it and try and present this is some kind of order.

Vitamin E Cream Cleanser- The Body Shop

First i'll start with skincare, now I only bought one item of skincare this time- it's the Vitamin E Cream Cleanser from The Body Shop. As you can see I purchased the smaller version of 60ml at £3.00, to try it out before I purchased the full size. I love the Vitamin E range from The Body Shop, it seems like just what my skin needs! I've tried both the moisturiser and eye cream, so definitely wanted to get my hands on the cleanser as I'm trying to get into a solid routine to sort my skin out. I'm hoping to give a more in-depth review on this in the near future and perhaps this may feature in my 'skincare routine' once I get it sorted.

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in shade N1 'Ivory'- Boots

Next i'll move onto makeup as the following 3 items are. First up here is the L'Oreal True Match foundation, I have this in shade Ivory which I do believe is a very good match for my skin tone. I've wanted to try this for a while now as I've seen many people rave about it, I felt like my previous foundation just wasn't doing it for me anymore so bit the bullet and got myself matched. I felt so pleased with myself, I told her that I thought I was shade Ivory but I wanted to be sure, so she went ahead and matched me- I was shade Ivory after all. I really like this foundation so far, but she used a primer before hand and I much preferred how it looked then, so I think I better get down and purchase a decent primer too!

MUA Lipstick in Shade 14 'Bare'- Superdrug

I purchased 2 lipsticks, one MUA and the other Maybelline. First I picked up the MUA lipstick in shade 14 'Bare'. This is just a really lovely nude in my opinion and I think it really suits my skin tone, 'Caitlynslifex' on YouTube recommended this and I loved the look of it, so for £1 I couldn't leave it.

Maybelline Color Sensational Popsticks- Tesco Direct

'Cherry Pop'

The second one I picked up, well I didn't actually pick up-

I ordered it from Tesco Direct, strange place huh? I can't remember which exactly but a blog I follow on bloglovin suggested looking at the offers on Tesco Direct in the makeup section, I saw she purchased this Maybelline Popstick in 'Cherry Pop' and I loved the look of it, and at £1.80(usually priced at around £7) again I could not leave it!

L'Oreal Prefernece Wild Ombre Kit in shade 'No. 1'- Boots

Last but certainly not least is this L'Oreal Preference Wild Ombre Dip Dye Hair Kit in shade No. 1. This dye is for light brown to dark brown so I'm pretty sure this will work on my hair as mine is more of a dark blonde to light brown currently. I didn't really purchase this to follow the trend of 'ombre/dip dyed' hair, I'm wanting to go lighter as before I was a mousy brown with lighter tones, so this will be a starting point for me. I'm planning to do from the middle of the ear down blonde, and then depending on the outcome will go from there, I don't really have a specific aim but I know I just want to end with a lightish ashy blonde colour as I originally was. I'll keep you updated once I pluck up the courage to go for it!

So that concludes this post of my recent beauty buys. I'm hoping to be blogging a lot more often then I have been the past few months, so keep your eyes peeled for reviews, wishlists and lifestyle posts to come very soon! Hope you've enjoyed this post, why not comment below some recent purchases of your own? I'd love to hear as I'm always on the look out for new things, the shopaholic in me screams.

Until next time,

Amy X

Recent Favourites

As its currently a Sunday, I thought i'd catch up on some blogging! I have completely neglected my blog recently but I am slowly but surely getting back into it, I have already written one review which is waiting to go up, so hopefully I can catch up today and perhaps schedule some posts. Anyway i'll stop blabbing and get on with what today's post is going to be about, my recent favourites as you can tell from the title! I decided not to do a monthly favourites as I have been using some of these products longer than a month!
I wrote this blog post a few weeks ago, I haven't had time to take photos as when I do have time the lighting isn't great, so apologies for these photos not being my own, credit to Google images.

I am going to try and be quick at explaining why these products are my favourites but that doesn't tend to happen a lot as I have so much to say about things! First of all is the Garnier Pure Foam Wash, this is a product I was excited to try as I had read nothing but good things about it and Garnier definitely didn't disappoint! I love this wash for every day use, it smells fresh, makes my skin feel at its cleanest and definitely helps with my oily T-zone. I say this as usually facial washes tend to make my skin 'too clean' and provokes it to produce more oils, but this wash definitely keeps the oils under control! I'm not going to say much about this as there already is or will be very soon a full review on this product!

My next favourite is the Rimmel London Stay Matte liquid mousse foundation. First of all I must say, I was confused as to what a 'liquid mousse' foundation looked and felt like and the only way I can describe it is a very light mousse. Awful description I know, it comes out like a blob of mousse then when I apply it using the Real Techniques Buffing brush it covers just like a liquid would. Now don't be fooled by this foundation being 'light', it gives absolutely amazing coverage! I love how light it feels on my skin and how it looks, covering all my imperfections and helping to control the oils- it definitely stays matte!

Another favourite of mine is quite unusual for me! It's the MUA Matte Lipstick in Wild Berry. I absolutely love dark vampy lipsticks, especially purples! I just never ever had the confidence to wear one, but as I follow MUA on instagram and saw how incredible it looks on the lip, for a £1 I just couldn't leave it! I wasn't fooled when I saw the colour in the bullet being so dark almost black, as I had seen how it looks on, but if you do see this lipstick in Superdrug definitely swatch it! It comes out very pigmented but sheer, but it is definitely buildable, usually 2 coats is enough for me! I love how the lipstick looks and for a pound you cant go wrong- I've definitely got my wear out of it this Autumn/Winter, I will continue to wear it until it becomes too Spring, haha!

I've also been loving the Skintruth Lavender and Chamomile soothing cleanser, this is from a 3 step kit but I only particularly like the cleanser. Now I hate Lavender but this cleanser really isn't that bad, I can't really smell the lavender when applying. This is just a slightly more expensive alternative to treat my skin a little usually once or twice a week, I only do not use this so often as this is a Salon brand so it's not quite as easy to get hold of- my sister is a qualified beauty therapist though, so that's the only reason I have it! This is as it states, very soothing and cleansing as it leaves my skin feeling lovely and makes me feel better about my self all round- that's quite cheesy but, I guess it really is soothing! If you happen to see this in a salon near you or would like to try it, I definitely wouldn't hesitate! I love it!

Last but not least beauty related product, its the Beyonce Heat perfume. I never thought I would be saying this as Beyonce is not a person who particularly interests me- but this perfume is amazing! I was looking for a cheaper alternative to my Giorgio Armani Si perfume, for every day use- as Si isn't quite as affordable! I'm not saying this perfume is a similar scent to Si but I saw a lot of people had it, so I thought it must be good! I finally went into town and gave this a whiff in Boots and I loved it instantly! I cannot explain the scent but its slightly sweet and spicy at the same time, perfect and affordable for every day wear! It's so affordable, I purchased the 100ml size for under £15!

My final favourite isn't beauty related, it's something I got for my Birthday. If you don't already know, I kind of have a thing for Olly Murs, like a big thing. I've seen him live 4 times and met him twice, once a competition I won to go to his book signing and the second time- me and my friend waited outside in the cold from 10 til around 4pm. Then after went to see him live! My most recent to date 'thing' is that I won a competition with Heart FM to ask him a question and got to say anything I wanted to him- I asked him to follow me on twitter ofc! He did on Boxing Day and it was the most amazing thing, I listened to him answer my other question and just cried. Probably very sad I know! So to highlight my thing for Olly, my parents got me this signed picture of him framed which is going to sit on my wall very happily!

I hope that wasn't too long and that you're still here! If you are then thank you so much! That's all for today's favourites post- what would you like to see? Please comment below your feedback and if you have tried any of these products and let me know what you think of them! If you have anything you'd like me to post then feel free to comment below and i'll try my best!

Talk soon my lovelies! X