Best Products of 2013

Hello Readers!

Today I will be doing a round up of my favourite products that I've used throughout 2013. 2013 has been a year that has just simply flown by and during this year I've found some products that I really do swear by. I'll just say now as a little disclaimer that actually a lot of these products are ones that I seemed to have picked up towards the end of 2012, however they have been consistently used throughout 2013 which is why I included them in this post. The title may be slightly misleading but basically this post is just me showing you my favourite products that I used throughout last year.

 

 My first favourite product of 2013 is the Real Techniques buffing brush. I'm pretty sure I got this in the core collection towards the end of 2012, however it wasn't really until 2013 that I really realised just how good this brush is and I've not used another brush to apply my foundation since. I use this pretty much everyday and no other brush compares. It applies my foundation really evenly, quickly and just overall helps to create a flawless finish. I've never experienced any problems with it shedding, even after being washed multiple times. It's a fantastic brush and has truly revolutionized my make-up routine forever.

Next up is a product that really surprised me with just how much I grew to like it and it's this ELF Lipstick in the shade Gypsy. I ordered this lipstick on a whim back in November when ELF reached 20,000 followers on twitter and gave everyone a 50% off code with all orders over £10. I ordered a bunch of stuff and decided whilst I was at it, I would pick up my first ever ELF lipstick. It was only £1.50 so I thought I might as well pick up a colour I wouldn't typically go for and if I didn't like it then ultimately it wouldn't matter as it was so cheap. Gypsy is a slightly pinky / purple raspberry colour - although in the photos it doesn't look like that at all. I typically go for nudes, reds, orange shades or burgundy so this really isn't something I would go for, however it's actually become one of my favourite and most reached for lipsticks! The colour is really flattering on my skin tone and I just feel like it compliments a lot of the clothes I wear also. It just seems to go with everything I put on and is a lipstick that isn't too bright and in your face so it's appropriate for everyday use. It has a slight shine to it however I don't mind as this makes it feel more comfortable to wear on the lips, the only negative thing I could possibly say about this lipstick is that it's not as long lasting as some of my other lipsticks but other than that it's amazing, and for £1.50 you really can't complain!

 Next up is Sleeks face contour kit in Light. This is a fantastic little palette which I love to bits! I picked this up whilst I was in London in December 2012, and since then I've used it a multitude of times however I'm yet to even make a dent in it! This is the perfect bronzer for my skin tone, it's easy to work with, it's not orangey at all, it's really blendable and best of all can be easily layered. I love using this all year round as it helps to add a bit of colour to my otherwise very pale face. I also really love the highlight as it too is really buildable, blendable and suits my skin perfectly. I love using this to highlight my cupids bow in particular as it just looks so pretty! This compact can easily be used on the go due to the large mirror inside and it's small and sleek packaging. I love this duo and highly recommend it to everyone!

 Next up is a product that I rarely ever seem to shut up about but it's just so good so you'll have to forgive me! Surprise, surprise it's the GOSH BB Cream in the shade Sand. This is now my second tube of this product and I absolutely swear by it! I use it everyday and prefer it over any foundation I've ever used. Let me start off by saying that the colour is the perfect match for my skin tone, which I really didn't expect considering the name of the shade. I find it really difficult finding products that match my skin tone as I'm so incredibly pale so it was really did surprise me. This product has a really light, creamy texture which blends into the skin beautifully. It has a light to medium coverage, as you would expect from a BB cream. It sits lovely on my skin, not drying, cakey, or greasy at all. This product is also quite long lasting, I find that I can put it on in the morning, go work a 9 hour shift and come back with it still on, looking more or less the same as it did in the morning. This product just creates a your skin but better look, which I really like. GOSH is a brand that I so regularly overlook as I thought it was so overpriced however I really need to give more of the products a go if this is anything to go by!

Next up is a skincare product, now I'm not exactly the best person when it comes to skincare, I don't really know a lot about it and I don't really have a routine. Whenever I do have one I actually seem to find that my skin gets worse so I just use whatever and hope for the best. (Bad blogger alert) This is a product that I really love using when my skin isn't doing too well. I've been using it for about 2 years now and have gone through many tubes of it now. This is Simples Spotless Skin Spot Zapper. It's basically a roll on Spot Zapper which is really kind and gentle to the skin and helps to gradually get rid of any spots that you may have. It contains Zinc, Chamomile, Witch Hazel and Lavender. Zinc PCA absorbs excess oils and helps to heal wounds, Chamomile acts as an anti inflammatory, Witch Hazel helps to tone and tighten pores and Lavender calms and soothes redness. This doesn't dry your skin out like some other spot treatments do and it also doesn't have any off putting scent to it. Simple is a skincare brand that I really trust, I do really like the idea behind their products and haven't disliked a single product that I've tried from them. At first glance you wouldn't expect this product to last you a long time, however just one of these tubes lasts me for months! I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I picked one of these up as it was so long ago. This product has a roll on applicator which means application is simple (no pun intended) easy and clean.

 

That's it for this post, I hope you have enjoyed.
If you haven't tried any of these products then I highly recommend giving them a go!

I hope you're all well.

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July Favourites

 

 

Hello Readers!

 

Today I will be doing my July Favourites post. I will just say now that I haven't featured many products in this favourites post as It's been so hot and I just haven't been using that many products or wearing that much make-up for that matter. However when I have been wearing make-up, these are the products that I've been reaching for and have been enjoying using during this incredibly hot weather we're having. In my favourites this month, I have a lipstick, a blush, a face contour kit and a BB cream. So enough chatting and on with the post!

 

Okay so the first item I want to talk about in my July Favourites is this blush from the Dainty Doll range. This is a powder blush in the shade 001 Hippy Shake. I bought this blush many months back but never really used it because it's a odd dusky pinky, lilac colour with quite a bit of shimmer in it which I originally thought would look horrendous on my face. However after recently using it in a photoshoot on a model, I really liked the way it looked on her skin and I decided to start using it myself. This blush is a very light colour and therefore requires a little bit of building up however once it's on it's a lovely subtle flush of colour which looks very healthy on the skin. It's not a colour for everyone however, as Dainty Doll cosmetics are for pale skinned girls like myself. I picked this up from Fragrance Direct for £1.99.

 

The next product that I've been loving this month is Sleeks Face Contour Kit in Light. I picked this up back in April whilst I was in London and I have not regretted it in the slightest! This product is rather hyped up but it's definitely worth the hype. This handy little kit contains a matte bronzer on the left and a beautiful highlight on the right. The bronzer is buildable so you can control the intensity of the contouring and is also very easy to blend so if you've applied too much or have been a bit too heavy handed it can be fixed. The highlight is a lovely pearly iridescent shade which I actually prefer over Benefit's High Beam. Like the bronzer this is buildable, however it can be a little bit chalky but other than I adore it! The highlighter creates the perfect subtle healthy glow which is great for this time of year. I love this little kit and have been using it so much during the warmer weather for that perfect bronzed, glowy summer look.

Next product that I have been enjoying throughout July is this Gosh BB Cream in the shade Sand. I've done a blog review on this product before, so if any of you are interested in reading a more in depth description of this product then you can do so by clicking here.
This is the first BB cream I've ever used and it's honestly so good. I picked this up on a whim as I was really drawn to it for some reason. I picked up the lightest shade which is Sand and I doubted this would suit my skintone as sand is usually quite a dark beige shade in most foundations. However this suits my skintone perfectly! Not only that but it provides a really good coverage for a BB cream. It's light on the skin however it does do a good job covering any blemishes or discolouration. This is has been a lovely product to wear during the warmer weather as I feel comfortable with the coverage it gives and the way it feels on my skin.

The final product in my July Favourites round up is this lipstick by Maybelline. This is the Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in the shade Citrus Slice. I picked this up a while back from Fragrance Direct when I first started my obsession with orange lipsticks. When this arrived I was extremely disappointed with it as it's extremely sheer and has almost no colour payoff whatsoever, it's pretty much just a lip balm. However I've recently come to really love this product as it is such a nice, moisturising lip product. It's comfortable to wear and creates the most beautiful glossy shine on your lips. It's been nice wearing something so moisturising on my lips during this really hot weather we're having.

I hope you enjoy this post!
Let me know what you're favourite products have been for the month of July.

Hope you're all well.

Paige.



Dainty Doll Creme Blush Review.

Hello Everyone!

Today I'm going to be reviewing a piece of makeup from the Dainty Doll Range, created by Nicola Roberts. I've got a few pieces of makeup from this range and if I'm honest, I don't often use them. Not necessarily because I don't like them but because once I have a set everyday makeup routine, I rarely use any other products. That being said, I recently discovered a new found love for one of the Creme blushes from the range that I own. The product I'm talking about is the Dainty Doll Creme blush in 003, called Billion Dollar Babies.

 

This blush comes in a beautiful matte black compact with Dainty Doll printed in gold. The packaging looks incredibly high end due to the colours and I really like the simplicity of it. Inside is a small mirror which is really handy! However one thing that I don't like about the Dainty Doll Products is that they all have names, yet none of the names are printed on the product, just the product number. I personally like seeing the name of my product rather than just seeing a number as it helps me get a better idea of what kind of colour the product would be and in general I think it's just nice to know the name of your product!

Billion Dollar Babies is a muted pinky, taupe colour which at best can be described as a nude shade. When I first got this blush, I didn't think much of it and it wasn't until I saw Gabrielle Rose (a youtuber) use it for contouring in her Drugstore Makeup Tutorial video that I got the idea to use it to contour my face. I've been using it non stop for the past few days and I can honestly say that I really do love it. It's such a natural colour which goes on quite sheer but can easily be built up to create a nice natural pinky / brown colour which makes for a lovely contour. I really like how natural this looks on the skin, it suits me as a pale person much better then a normal bronzey colour. As you would expect from a Creme blush it wears nicely throughout the day and doesn't budge or slide so it's quite long lasting unlike some powder products.



I've included this image to show you what Billion Dollar Babies looks like as a contour. Here I've applied it to the hollows of my cheekbones using my Real Techniques Contour Brush to blend it in. As you can see from this image, it's a very natural and subtle colour but it does the job and contours my cheekbones nicely!

 

I think this blush originally retails for over £10, however as some of you may have noticed lately, all Dainty Doll products have dropped rapidly in price, what this means exactly I'm not sure. Hopefully this doesn't mean that it's being discontinued as a brand as I personally really like Dainty Doll! I got this from either Amazon or Fragrance Direct and payed somewhere between £2 - £3 odd for it which is amazing value.

 

So overall I'd have to say that I really do love this product and I highly recommend it to any pale girls out there who struggle to contour without looking too cakey or too dark!

Have you tried this product? What do you think?
Are there any Dainty Doll products you would recommend me to try out?

Paige.