Everyday Make Up | Autumn

I don't tend to change up my make up that much according to the time of year, however I also thought it was a long time since I shared my current make up routine anyway so I thought it would be a perfect time. The only thing that majorly changes is my base/foundation and mainly the colour, due to living the cold UK.

My all time favourite foundation is Rimmel Wake Me Up, currently I'm still using my 'Summer' shade but it's very nearly out now so a new one will be purchased! If you've never tried this foundation then I recommend you do, it honestly makes me feel good in my skin - even on those bad days! Another staple for me in the colder months, is a bronzer. As mentioned, I need a lighter shade of foundation but I still like to add some colour to my face. This one from Bourjois is matte which is even better for Autumn. I don't like to over do the bronzer, for my every day make up, but I definitely like to put some life back into my place.

My last post was all about my recent purchases from L'Oreal, which you can read all about here. All the products mentioned have made it into my everyday make up routine now and I'm really enjoying all three of them. L'Oreal is definitely one of my favourite high street make up brands.

As I said, not much changes in my make up routine between seasons, but all of these products photographed are really great. They all work really well for me and this every day make up line up is my favourite. Let me know what your favourite everyday products are and whether or not they are featured in my routine.

L'Oreal Haul & Reviews

It had been a little while since I had purchased any new make up and I've been trying to 'shop my stash' a little bit more recently. However, I was in need of a new primer and mascara, as both of mine were shortly running out. So I headed to the Boots website and took advantage of the L'Oreal 3 for 2 offer. All of the products I picked up were new to me which got me excited to try them out.

Firstly I picked up, what I believe to be, their new Miss Hippie mega volume mascara. I love L'Oreal mascaras, that I have previously tried, so I had high hopes for this one also. The brush is big, which I personally like, as I feel it grabs more of your lashes in one stroke. I am enjoying using this mascara currently but it's definitely not one of my favourites from L'Oreal.

I then picked up their Infallible mattifying primer, which I had heard many good things about. I have a super oily t zone so anything that claims to mattify that is great, if it works of course. I do really like this primer and it does keep my face matte for a reasonable amount of time. However, after a few hours my t zone does become oily again and I do find the need to blot my face. This is obviously no fault of the primer, and I do really like it, I just maybe would like a primer to keep my skin matte for longer. Saying that, even though my t zone gets oily I find this primer to keep my make up in place.

Finally I picked up the True Match concealer, again as I had heard so many good things and in due course I knew I would need a new concealer. So I thought I would give this one a go. I've tested this on both my blemishes and under my eyes, and I can say that it works great on both areas. I believe I picked up the shade Vanilla, which is brightening for under my eyes and actually a good shade for my face as it's coming up to Winter. It's super blendable and lightweight which I like.

That's it for my little 3 for 2 L'Oreal haul. If I purchased any products which you have tried and tested, then let me know your thoughts on them. And also your favourite other L'Oreal products, as I love L'Oreal as a brand and would love to try different products from them.

Direct Cosmetics Haul & Reviews

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Direct Cosmetics and was able to choose some products to review for you guys. They offer a whole range of brands on their website, which is definitely worth checking out.

As I said, I was able to select which products I received which I was thrilled about. Firstly I picked up the Lacoste Touch of Pink solid perfume which is just a perfect size for your bag. I picked this because I remember my sister using this perfume when I was younger so it took me back. I actually really like the smell and it's perfect for those little touch ups on the go. I then picked the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream lip balm, which is something I've wanted to try for a while. It's a really thick balm but applies smoothly. I like to apply this before I go to sleep to keep my lips hydrated. I also think this product will be perfect for the coming Winter months. I then picked a NYC nail varnish in a deep coral shade, which I actually think will be great for the Autumnal months, as it's not too vibrant.

I then picked up the L'Oreal Youth Code Luminizer. This product intrigued me when I was browsing products and a serum is something I was missing from my skin care routine. I don't necessarily need this product for the 'youth' side, but there's nothing like starting early! I loved the illuminating aspect of this product as that's something that's difficult to get in the colder months. I then got another product from L'Oreal and it's their Triple Active day moisturiser. My current moisturiser is practically out so I was in need of a new one. Again as it's getting colder, my skin tends to get drier so I think this product will be a great match for my skin. It is a light moisturiser however, so if you need something heavier this one may not be for you.

I then got a Sally Hansen product which I've never seen before and it's the Colour Quick Dry brush nail varnish. This really intrigued me as I've never seen a nail varnish like this before, as I mentioned. It has a brush on the end of it and therefore makes application simple. I picked this lovely truffle shade too which again will be great for Autumn, which I know I keep saying! Finally I picked the Matrix Total Results Heat Resist Conditioner. I'm really trying to not apply too much hear onto my hair currently and I'm doing pretty well! However, when I do use heat I can really feel the affect on my hair. This conditioner is great at making my hair feel smooth and like I've never put heat onto it.

That's it for my Direct Cosmetics haul and first impressions reviews! I was super impressed with all the products I picked and have now tested out. I'm grateful to the lovely people at Direct Cosmetics and I would definitely recommend you check out their website :)

Current Hair Care Favourites

Since recently braving the chop, I've also recently been trying out some new hair care products which have been in my stash for a little while. I love trying out new hair products as I do have my staples however, it is nice to delve into something new. These three products photographed have been staples in my hair care routine recently, some new and some old.

Firstly the Mark Hill Bedazzled Anti-Humidity Shine Spray (what a mouthful). I've had this in my stash for a little while now but had never really tried and tested it out properly. So recently I pulled it out and gave it a good old bashing for a period of time and guess what? Yes, you guessed it, I love it! It's such a simple product to use, I simply spray it all over my hair with literally no care in the world. Once I've covered all my hair, I just run my fingers through it and voila, finished. It smells divine, which is such a bonus, and just keeps all those fly aways in place with added shine. It's great for those "can't be bothered hair days" when it's freshly washed and I can't be bothered to style it - this spray just makes my hair look like I've actually made a little effort. It's also great for those "sleek hairstyles" as it puts all hairs back in their right place.

Next the L'Oreal Elvive Colour Protect Conditioning Protect Spray, another great mouthful. This product is a firm staple for me and for any of you who also suffer with knotty hair. This is a God send and just makes my hair so much more manageable. I simply spray this all over my hair, after washing, and my tangle teezer just glides through effortlessly. It also leaves my hair feeling extra soft due to the conditioning elements in this spray. I struggled to find the perfect detangling spray but this one definitely ticks all the boxes.

Finally the Avon Advance Techniques Moroccan Argan Oil which I have used before but that was a long time ago. My mum actually got this free with an order she placed recently however, she passed it along to me and I took it with open arms. I remember loving this product in the past and my love for it remains. I simply use 1-2 pumps of this product, again after washing my hair, and apply it just to my roots. It really does help keep the ends of my hair in tact and not split. Again, this product also helps keep my hair super soft in between washes.

Overall these three products are firmly stapled into my current hair care routine and really seem to be working well for me and my newly, short hair. If you also love any of these products then let me know but I'd also love to hear your hair care favourites which I may not have previously tried :-)

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Clay Re-Balancing Collection

As soon as I heard about this new range of products I knew that I wanted to try them out. I do suffer with oily roots and dry ends which is exactly what this range is aimed at. Boots were doing these three products which are; the shampoo, conditioner and mask, all for £10. I thought this was a great introductory offer however I'm not sure if Boots are still doing it. I've been using these three products together now for a few weeks so feel I can tell you all about my results using them.

So first things first you apply the mask onto dry roots and massage it in. At first I was a bit like what? But I guess it's to prep and get rid of as much oil from those roots as possible. It states to apply this relatively heavily so I do that all round my head and down my main parting. I then go round and massage it all in, you then have to leave it for 5 minutes. The first thing I noticed, and you will notice if you have used or are going to use this mask, is that it stains your fingers blue! Yes it's such a pain and it doesn't come off if you wash them straight after applying the mask. When I've been using these products it's when I've been in the bath and when I get out, my fingers have returned to normal colour, so I think they just need a good old soak.

You then go on to use the shampoo and conditioner as normal, after washing the mask out of course, and you have to make sure you thoroughly remove all traces of the mask from your hair. The shampoo and conditioner are pretty standard, they smell fresh and do the job. My hair does feel particularly soft after using this three step routine and I have really been enjoying doing so.

Onto the real deal, do it make my hair last longer in between washes? The answer is yes, I do get another day out of my hair when using these products. I can guarantee that I will have to use dry shampoo on the third day but that's no biggy as I would normally have to do that on the second day if I hadn't used these products. The only other downside to getting blue fingers is the slightly longer time period you need to do this. Obviously it's only 5 minutes but if you plan on doing this in the shower in the morning before work then you'll have to get in a bit earlier. I know it's not a huge difference but it's something to consider.

Overall I'm really impressed with these products and love that they do actually work in prolonging my hair washes. I've tried a couple of other products which claim to do this but they haven't worked so I'm glad these do. I would definitely recommend these products if you're hair type is like mine, I know hair types are different and these might not work for everyone but I can say they really do work for me. I'd love to hear your reviews if you've tried these products, let me know in the comments.

My Work Face

Working with children definitely isn't one of the most glamorous jobs therefore minimal make up is 100% acceptable. Also having to be up early and late home means there's not much time to apply any decent make up. Therefore minimal is better especially for my job role and to be fair that's fine with me! It can only be a slight problem when my skin decides to play up and this light base is not enough to cover my spots.

I've been using these four products for work for the past month or so and it hasn't totally failed me yet. Yes I've had those days when spots aren't fully covered and a spot gets bigger throughout the day but it's been a pretty fool proof make up routine. I moisturise my skin first so balance out my oily parts and dry parts of my skin. Then I go on and apply the L'Oreal CC Cream for Anti-Redness using my fingers. This comes out pretty dark but I simply just keep blending it in with my fingers until it's all blended and looks ok. If I have any spots or areas I want to cover more then I just apply a small amount more on those and blend it in again. This is such an easy product to use which means quick application which is just what I'm after.

Next I will set that into place using my Bourjois Healthy Balance powder which is one of my all time favourite powders. It doesn't leave your skin looking cakey or powdery which is always a winner. I then go onto brows and use the Rimmel Brow This Way brow gel. This isn't my favourite brow gel I've ever used simply because of the large brush but the actual product inside is good. A brow gel for me is the quickest way to fill in my brows, a few brushes through and you're done, it really is that simple.

The final step is to curl my lashes, I don't bother with mascara on a work day as I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to my eyelashes. It can take me a long time to be ok with how my eyelashes look so on a work day I simply just curl them with this heated eyelash curler from eBay and be done with it. I have quite long eyelashes but they are quite straight so curling them just opens up my eyes a little more.

There you have it, my simple four product work face when you literally have no time and don't have to look glamorous. Let me know your simple work face routine if you're in the same boat as me with time etc. and leave a link if you've posted about it on your blog below, I'd love to have a read :-)

L'Oreal Facial Cleansing Oil

I've become a lover of cleansing oils recently and it all started with The Body Shop's Camomile oil cleanser. There don't seem to be many out on the high street but recently I spotted this one on the Boots website. My Body Shop one ran out so I was in need of a new one and wanted to try a different one simply just to see how it differs.

This one really doesn't differ much at all from The Body Shop one and I am also really enjoying this one too. Firstly the packaging works really well, the pump makes it super easy to get the product out and use. It allows you to know how much product you are using and I normally use around four pumps of the oil which covers my whole face. Four pumps sounds like a lot but I feel like this one doesn't give out as much product on each pump.

This product easily dissolves my make up from the day and doesn't irritate my skin or my eyes. It leaves my skin feeling really clean and I feel like it's the perfect start to my evening routine. I find using a cleansing oil is such a quick and easy way to remove my make up that it has now become normal to me. I couldn't think of using a different method to remove my make up now as I'm really enjoying using an oil. I find that it also really helps with my dry patches and doesn't affect my oily t zone.

Overall this is another great cleansing oil, alike to The Body Shop offering, and I'm really enjoying using it. This is also slightly cheaper and is currently on offer at Boots so if this is interesting you then now's the time to buy it. I really cannot say which I prefer between the two I've tried which is great. Both work really well for my skin type which I am really pleased about. Let me know if you've tried this product and you're thoughts on cleansing oils in general!

Another Boots Haul

This haul happened as there were a couple of necessity products I needed to purchase but of course as usual other products happened to fall into my basket. All of these products are new to me and things I haven't tried before so I'm excited to try them. If you've tried anything I've purchased then you'll have to let me know what you think of them in the comments.

Firstly I needed a new micellar water and I opted for this Boots Botanics one simply because it was on offer. Also the reviews of this one on the actual Boots website were all positive so I thought I would give it a go. It was really affordable and has brightening factors which I like in products especially during the summer months. The next product I made this order for is the L'Oreal facial cleansing oil as my current one is now all gone and I wanted to try something different. There were only two options I could see on the Boots website so I opted for this one, no particular reason why. It claims all the right things so I'm looking forward to see if it lives up to my current Body Shop one.

I then picked up a new Boots tea tree spot stick which has two ends; one for the day time and one for night time. I thought this might be a bit gimmicky and there's potential I used to use this when I was younger so I thought I would try it again. It was also on offer so was super cheap and I'm looking forward to see if it actually works. Next another product to help blemishes as I used up my recent face wash so I saw this one from Clean & Clear. Again a really affordable product and claims to see results after three days. My face is having a bad moment with spots at the moment so I'm hoping this helps to calm them down.

Finally two beauty items from Rimmel and one that I'm super excited about is the Kate Moss nude lip stick. I picked this up in the shade 42 and it's a great nude colour. There are definitely other shades that I would like to try and the formula of these lip sticks are perfect. I do love a nude lip stick for everyday so this one is perfect. Next I picked up a nail varnish from Rimmel's Rita Ora range in this teal green colour. I don't think I own a nail varnish in this shade so thought I would pick this one and there was an offer on Rimmel lip stick and nail varnish. I believe it was buy one get one half price so I couldn't not pick something else up.

That's it for this Boots haul so I hope you enjoyed it and potentially found something you like the look of. Let me know if you've tried anything and expect to see full reviews of these products in the future :-)

L'Oreal Glam Bronze Eau De Soleil

I do love using a bronzer especially in the summer months and even more so before I've been on my summer holiday. I normally never stray far from my favourite Bourjois bronzer but recently I was sent this one from L'Oreal so of course I was going to give it a go.

At first I was slightly scared of a liquid bronzer, I've never really seen any on the high street and if I have then they haven't appealed to me. Although I love to experiment with my make up, sometimes when I'm stuck in my ways it can take a lot to get me out of them. A big thing that swayed me was that with this being a liquid product it will last a lot longer in the heat throughout the summer months.

This product has various ways to use it and they are:

1. Applied before your base makeup to create a soft tan

2. Mixed into your current foundation to warm up the colour

3. Applied as a contour product using your fingers

 

You simply just have to make sure you give this product a shake before you use it, not too sure what the main reason for this is but it tells you to so I do as I'm told. To begin with I found this quite tricky to get out of the bottle and apply. I've now learnt that holding a finger over the top of the bottle and tipping it works best for when you only need a small amount of product. I can tell you that a small amount of this product really does go a long way. I then apply this to the hollows of my cheeks and simply blend it in with my fingers. I prefer to apply little and often because as I mentioned a little goes a long way.

 

Once applied as contour the look is very natural and leaves my skin looking glowing. It doesn't feel heavy, as some liquid products can, and feels velvet to touch on the skin. This dries evenly and smoothly on the skin which is perfect. I find the colour of this bronzer perfect for my skin tone as it can be difficult to find one that suits a paler skin tone. This one is not orange and leaves the skin looking sun kissed.

 

Overall I've been loving using this bronzer when the days have been much warmer than normal in the UK. I think this will come in really handy when I'm heading on holiday this weekend! Let me know your thoughts on liquid bronzers and if you've tried one before :-)

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Primer

I found it super hard to locate a good primer that I hadn't tried before from the high street, has anyone else had this problem or is it just me? I had tried many before but none that I wanted to repurchase and was after something new. In the end I purchased this one from L'Oreal called Lumi Magique. I'd heard good things about this so thought I would give it a go and share my thoughts with you.

Firstly the packaging I love, it has a pump so you know exactly how much you need and I find that one pump is enough to cover my whole face. This primer is aimed to illuminate the skin whilst providing a base ready for your foundation. When I first pumped this out of the tube I was slightly in shock of the colour of this product. If you're after a highlighting primer then this is your guy. It is a bright white/pearl colour and has quite a runny consistency. But it honestly works wonders on my skin. Once applied it does brighten up my skin tone which I love to see especially when I've just woken up and my skin doesn't look it's best. I didn't think I would be able to see as much of a difference as I can with this product but it really does show.

I was slightly worried about using this product as I do have an oily t zone as some of you may know already. I thought I don't want to draw even more attention to my forehead especially by illuminating it and then it becoming oily. I can assure you that this is not the case which is just great. It illuminates my forehead as I do still apply it there but it doesn't make me look like a light bulb. I do however find that this primer doesn't hold my foundation in place for the longest amount of time especially in my t zone. I wasn't expecting it to be the best in that particular area so I can't say that I was completely disappointed. I do find that this product stays nicely in place around my cheek bones and jaw line which is an added bonus. It's basically like I've highlighted those areas but with a primer and then applied make up over the top yet it still illuminates through.

Overall I am enjoying using this product although it's not the best for my oily t zone I find that it does look good on my skin in other areas. Therefore I'm still on a hunt for an alternative high street primer so leave a comment below if you have any suggestions. Also let me know if you've tried this product and your thoughts on it :-)

L'Oreal False Lash Superstar Mascara

This mascara definitely released with a bang recently and being a fan of other L'Oreal mascaras, I couldn't help but pick this one up. When I was younger I used to own a mascara like this one in the way that it had a primer and a mascara end. I remember thinking I was so cool and when I went to school that day wearing it, my friends said to me "do you have silver mascara on?". This baffled me as I couldn't really see it but in the sun light the black mascara clearly hadn't covered the white primer enough and had made them look silver - disaster hey. But moving on and I can tell you that this mascara does not give you silver eye lashes.

I picked this up recently from Boots when they had a 2 for £12 on L'Oreal cosmetics offer on. I had seen this mascara everywhere from the TV to Instagram to all over the blogging community. The pictures I had seen looked amazing but you can never tell what a mascara is going to look like on you without trying it as they can all work differently for different people. I can say that I have loved using this mascara and can agree with all the positivity around this product. I love the unique primer and black mascara end of this product as there really aren't that many out there like this, that I know of.

I still curl my eye lashes before using this product but they go straight in to using the primer and then onto the black mascara. After applying the primer I can already see a difference in my eye lashes, even though I look slightly scary with white eye lashes I must say. I then move quickly onto applying the black mascara over the top where again I can see a difference. The length of my eye lashes has increased visibly and they also look much more voluminous.

I don't find that this mascara drops down under my eyes at all throughout the day and really does last. It holds the curl, length and volume as well which is perfect when working a long day or going out for the evening.

I would definitely recommend giving this mascara a go as it's unique and something you can easily find on your local high street. It is the higher end of the high street budget but I think it's definitely worth it and even better if you can grab it whilst it's on offer. If you've tried this mascara already then leave your thoughts below :-)

L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara

A mascara with a crazy looking wand, I had to try it of course. I've had this for a little while now and only in the past few weeks have I actually taken it out of it's packaging. I spotted this whilst browsing TK Maxx beauty and knew I had seen it on a few blog reviews, all raving about it. I believe I paid around £6 for this which was an absolute bargain. I'm not even sure this is available in Boots anymore which is a shame and I'm not even sure where else you can find it to purchase. But I will tell you all and you can decide whether to scour the internet to try and find a stockist.

Firstly the wand as it's incredible, I'm pretty sure there's no other mascara out there with a wand like this and that's what drew me to this product. It's effectively a spikey ball and it does work wonders on my eye lashes. Due to the wand I find it super easy to get right into the roots of my lashes but also right into the corners of my eyes. It just makes it simple and also the length of the wand is slightly longer which really helps. The ball is also really easy to rotate and roll into your lashes which makes sure that every single lash is covered.

This mascara is amazing at lengthening my lashes and sometimes with this I don't even have to curl my eyelashes, it's that good. The wand really helps to separate lashes as well and being able to get right into the corners really helps completely open up your entire eyes. I also think this mascara is pretty great at volumising lashes. Using the rolling action with this wand you can really make the roots of your lashes look full and voluminous. One slight downfall to this mascara is that any more than 1 coat can sometimes really clump your lashes. But you don't always need anymore than that one coat due to the products formula. I would only tend to potentially need a little bit more mascara on my outer lashes when I haven't curled them.

Overall I adore this mascara and it's uniqueness with the different wand. I love not having to curl my lashes when using this especially when I'm in a rush with work in the mornings! If you can find anywhere that stocks this then let me know as I would definitely recommend it. Also let me know if you've tried this mascara :-)

My top 3 mascaras: L'Oreal, Benefit and Maybelline

Oh it's been a long day, completely dragged and as the day went on I slowly deteriorated with tiredness. But alas I am determined to finish this post tonight! I would also just like to mention that I recently just reached 300 followers on my blog!! Eeee, I was so excited and as cringe as it may sound, I am very happy about this so thank you to you all who follow and read my ramblings! :) Also this week I set up a facebook page for my blog so I would love if you would take the time to like it! https://www.facebook.com/SimplyjustnatalieBlog

Onto the post, basically I love mascara and unless I'm having a really bad day, I don't go a day without it. So what a better post for me to write than one all about mascaras! These are my 3 most favourite mascaras of all time and like I've said before it's very hard for a mascara to impress me so these bad boys have done extra well, round of applause. So without furthur ado...

1. L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes - I first purchased this mascara many moons ago and this is the only mascara that I've ever repurchased more than once! This means it has definitely served me well and well it has. The brush is plastic and super easy to apply. I love the formula of this mascara, it's completely clump free which I love. I know some mascara's which can be clumpy but can be managed to be brushed out when you apply more coats of mascara, but this one they just don't exist. It also completely volumises my lashes, as the name of the mascara would suggest, it covers all my lashes and makes them look thick and lengthened which I love. Basically I would say this mascara is an all rounder, it does pretty much everything you would want your perfect mascara to do! Hence why I've repurchased this so many times and it's definitely my go to mascara. It retails at £9.99 I believe so can be considered at the higher end of the drug store prices but I would 100% recommend this and it's totally worth the price tag.

2. Benefit They're Real - I received this mascara for Christmas and have been using it since then. It was one of those products that you apply and instantly love. This brush is also plastic but also has a rounded end of which you can use for your bottom lashes and/or your slightly smaller lashes on the inner and outer eye. I personally don't apply mascara to my bottom lashes but I used the rounded end on my normal lashes and thought it was a rather nice touch to the brush. It was easy to use and I also used it to separate some of my lashes if they ever got stuck together or to just reposition them. The straight part of the brush is also just as good, it gives you tips on the box to wiggle the brush from side to side to get extra volume and length and I really agree and think this works a treat! If there's ever a knack for a product then this is the one, it's brilliant! Slightly more clumpy but as I said can be worked out when more layers are applied. I have found that since using it from Christmas it is slightly drying out already which is a slight downside as I believe they're meant to last 6 months at least. The price tag on this one is slightly pricey at £18.50 but there's always time to treat yourself right?

3. Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express - I recently reviewed this mascara in full on my blog (you can read that here) This is a rather recent purchase but already has made it's way into my favourites! I absolutely love it, the brush rather scared me at first but it really is simple to use and extremely voluminous! It makes my lashes look super full at the roots and then flare out which is a look I personally love. It's super easy to work with and you barely need two coats, although this product is still relatively new which may be why I don't need so many coats! But nonetheless it's brilliant. This one is the cheapest of the lot retailing at £7.99 although when I purchased it it was on offer for £5.99 which is super worth the price tag.

I hope you enjoy this post and it gives you a little insight to my 3 favourite mascaras! And I hope it inspires you to spend some wonga and purchase one of these beauties, trust me you won't regret it :) I'd love to know if you've tried any of these mascaras and what you think and also what your favourite mascaras are! Have a lovely weekend xo