Beauty Trends - Glossy Lips

A few months ago, I started a series on my blog called 'Beauty Trends', where as the title states, I talk about a current beauty trend, and share some products related to it! Trends in make-up are something that's ever-changing, so I created this series as a way to share my thoughts on them.

Today, I wanted to discuss 'glossy lips'. You're probably thinking, 'How is this a trend? They've been around forever?'. True! But we can all agree they're fast emerging from all beauty brands, both high-end and drugstore, and matte lips are beginning to take a back-seat. (Our dry lips are jumping for joy!). Never in a million years did I think I'd be a 'gloss gal' since the mere thought of a lip gloss makes my hair stick to my face. With that being said, I'm incredibly picky when it comes to which ones I'm prepared to leave the house wearing, so I thought I'd share a variety of ones that have made my collection. (Ps, I'm kind of into my nudes!).

Bare Minerals Gen Nude Buttercream Lip Gloss in Flirt

Jouer High Pigment Lip Gloss in Fifth Ave

Kylie Cosmetics Gloss in Like

I thought I'd start by sharing my favourite high-end glosses. I have a lot more from the Kylie Cosmetics range, but 'Like' is such a 'me' shade, a classic brown nude! Besides the shades, another huge similarity with these glosses is that they're all super pigmented. The Jouer gloss in particular is almost like a super shiny lipstick, it's divine. I'm not a huge fan of a sheer slick of gloss on my complexion as it seems to wash me out, so opting for glosses with a strong pigment are the perfect way for me to dip into the trend, without compromising on my overall look!

Bare Minerals do a huge range of non-sticky nude glosses to suit all skin-tones and tastes. I picked up 'Flirt' as it leans towards the mauve-y tones that I'm totally obsessed with.

Max Factor Colour Elixir Honey Lacquer in Honey Nude

Max Factor Colour Elixir Honey Lacquer in Chocolate Nectar

Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivid Hot Lacquer Liquid Lipstick in Unreal

3INA Lip Gloss in 112 Nude

Colour Pop Ultra Glossy Lip in Finders Keepers

Here is a drugstrore/affordable selection of my favourite lip glosses! Again, super similar shades, but I just can't run the risk of a bold glossy lip, it's mayhem. 

I found that I steered clear of the drugstore when it came to my quest for the perfect gloss, and it's probably because of all of those childhood experiences, y'know, Barry M candy flavoured glosses, Bourjois 3D glosses in sparkling reds.. don't get me wrong, they were the business back in the day, but totally not my vibe now.. anyway, I digress! To my pleasant surprise, I picked up some REAL gems in the drugstore, some I even wear more than the high-end ones. The Maybelline Vivid Hot Lacquers are not something you want to sleep on, run and check them out, they're seriously a handbag staple of mine!

Huda Beauty Lip Strobe in Enchanting

Colour Pop Ultra Glossy Lip in Super Cute

Colour Pop Ultra Glossy Lip in Nonsense

Huda Beauty Lip Strobe in Shameless

Finally, I wanted to go on to glittery lips! I love to pair a liquid matte with a glittery gloss, it transforms any lipstick into a show-stopping disco ball, and who doesn't want that?

I don't have a huge amount of these in my collection, but I wanted to share some that are worth checking out!

Huda Beauty lip strobes are new on the scene, and they are stunning. I've never seen glosses that have such dimension and colour shift. There's a huge colour range in this buttery smooth formula, from glistening golds and holographics, to glitterball pinks and enchanting purples. I picked up these two first, but I'm already itching to pick up my next lip strobe!

The other two I swatched are no longer on sale, so I won't tease you with them too much, but a classic clear gloss laced with flecks of glitter is a total must in my collection these days. I'm constantly being mesmerised by insta-girls with multi-dimensional lips, and if chucking a slick of glitter gloss into my make-up routine is going to make me look half as good, I'll definitely be doing it!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and you found a gloss or two to add to your make-up bags! Leave me any suggestions of glosses you guys like below so I can check them out too! <3

Summer Face Essentials

As the weather is rapidly getting warmer, and the sun is shining, our makeup/beauty routine tends to adjust accordingly. I love my makeup to reflect the weather, and nothing screams summer more than a glowy base!

KIKO Glowing Potion - (linked similar)

I discovered this product around a year ago when it was released in a beautiful summer range that KIKO created. At the time, I was a little dubious about slathering this over my already oily skin, but I've very much embraced my more 'radiant' complexion, (probably a nicer way to word it?), and I adore using this as a makeup base! It's a milky white consistency, and adds a gorgeous subtle glow to my skin. This would be a dream for those with dry skin. As this was a limited edition product, I've linked the updated version for you to check out!

Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue

As for getting your complexion in check, I've found I've been reaching for my Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue for those days that I don't want a thick, heavy foundation on my skin. I'm somebody who needs my skin to breathe, and I'm not particularly fond of full coverage foundations, (regardless of whether my skin requires it or not!), so this is my best friend at the moment! It's not actually marketed as a foundation, but instead a 'tinted hydrating gel cream'. It does still provide a nice amount of coverage, so don't be put off by that. I find this to be very dewy, and I can often find myself needing to blot down my t-zone, but as I mentioned before, I don't mind a bit of extra 'glow'. Now, I'm not a girl who likes to apply foundation with my fingers, and I'm always straight in there with a buffing brush or beauty blender, but this really does require finger application. The only other option, which I'll be exploring in the next week is the dual-fibre brush that's designed for it. I applied the complexion rescue with it in the store a couple of days ago, and the result was beautiful!

Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer

I guess concealer is a pretty basic face product, but it's something I definitely avoid skipping! This doesn't necessarily apply to everybody, but I have fairly dark circles, or at least dark enough that when I don't wear concealer, I could easily be mistaken for a convict on the run.. so concealer is a must for me! I have a whole host of concealers that I love and would recommend, but I selected this one as it's the one I find I can wear without having the put the rest of my base on. It's lightweight, blend-able, and offers a natural glow to the skin.

Loreal Glam Bronze Cushion Bronzer

This could possibly be favourite product out of the whole bunch, and I've had it for under a week! Some might say that's too soon to make a judgement on a product, but when you know, you know. Since purchasing this, I've used it every day. I'm confident that most of us had been awaiting the highly coveted 'cushion' products from L'oreal to land in the UK, and the minute I spotted them on the shelf at Boots, it was straight into the basket! I actually hadn't intended on purchasing the bronzer as I'm not really a 'bronzer girl', but when I swatched it on my hand, it was so natural and beautiful, I had to give it a go. I don't use the sponge applicator that comes with it, I use a dual-fibre stippling brush to buff it into the areas I'd usually contour to give some natural definition. I feel like I'm fully converted to this product, the fact that it's a cream/liquid consistency and gives my skin extra glow is a winner! 

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso

I first heard of this blusher from Kathleen Lights, who raved about how beautiful this pot of peachy goodness was. Since we can't purchase Milani in the UK, I took to Amazon to pick up this gem for around £5! The price does vary as it's on Amazon, but either way I highly recommend picking this up when you can! It gives the softest peach glow to the cheeks, and I find myself reaching for this all the time in the warmer months.

Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam

I'm a huge fan of highlighters all year round, but there's something about a golden glow in the summer that really appeals to me! This is such a unique highlighter in my opinion as it has a beautiful sunny yellow undertone to it, it almost looks like the sun is beaming from your skin, (hence the name!). I'd have never thought to pick up a holy grain highlighter from a high street clothing store, but it's a winner for the warmer months. Perhaps this is more suited to those with a yellow undertone, but they do have other shades that might be worth checking out. The formula is buttery soft, and you get so much product for the mere £10 you pay. 

What is your makeup base routine in the summer? Comment below!

INTERGALACTIC EYE MAKEUP LOOK

Quite an impromptu post today! I hadn't intended on taking pictures of my look today, but as I had plenty of time to get ready before work, I began experimenting! 

I'm a huge fan of Shaaanxo, and her make-up looks always inspire me, and I learn so much from them, so I decided to create a similar look to one of her own tutorials. I rarely experiment with colour, but I am trying to branch out, so I went for her 'Purple and Blue' eye look. 

I started with my Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, and placed that all over my lid, up to my brow bone.

I then took my Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush from the 'Nic's Picks' collection, and put 'Shade 24' from the MUA 24 Shade Immaculate Collection Palette into my crease, and slightly over the outer corner of my eye. 

From the same palette, I took 'Shade 10', and patted it on my eyelid using the brush that came with the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. 

I then took the same brush, and to add some glitter/highlight, I patted on Bare Minerals Glimmer Eyecolour in 'Chameleon' in the centre of my lid.

Using my other Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush, I dampened it with some water, and applied the Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadow in 'Intergalactic' into the outer corner of my eye.

I then highlighted the inner corners of my eyes with 'Shade 1' from the same MUA palette with my Elf 'Eye Crease Brush'.

Going back to 'Shade 24' which I used in my crease, I then took my Real Techniques 'Eyeliner Brush', (again, from the Nic's Picks collection), and lined my lower lash line, also joining it together with my outer corner. 

To do my winged liner, I used the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in 'Black', and applied that with the Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush.

I hope you enjoy this make-up look, and let me know if you try it yourself! Should I do more make-up tutorials?