ABY BEAUTY: CURRENT BEAUTY & SKINCARE FAVOURITES

I have never done a beauty update but I realised that I spend as much on makeup, skincare and beauty products as I do on clothing that I thought, hell they do deserve a spot on the good ole blog! Let’s get into it:

First up is foundation rave. Foundations are just what they are: the base of everything. That’s why it’s super important to pick one that absolutely matches and highlights your skin. I have been a fan of the Armani Luminous Silk (I used shade 11.5) for years. The first time I tried it, it was the lightest and smoothest potion I had ever applied to my face and just stuck to it. Before that I had tested Mac and I know the world raves about Mac but I’ve just never loved their foundation on my skin at all unfortunately. It’s just never worked out between me and Mac in that sector. Now, their lipsticks are something else…

Well, I have used Armani Luminous Silk for 3 years now. At £37 it’s definitely on the pricey side; but for the results it gave me, I was ready to pay the price.

I was an Armani girl until I realised when I was unpacking after we returned from our holiday to Spain that my precious silky smooth flawless foundation had spilled in our luggage.

Oh, the heartbreak.

I was deadbeat I tell you. I hadn’t even used this for up to a month so I was proper mad. I managed to salvage what I could to no avail. I even used a Q-tip to try and scrape out the last few remnants which to be honest was useful for a fair few days…

And then I finally ran out and decided it was time to hit House of Fraser and grab a new bottle. Fortunately they had a store event but the lady at the Armani stand said they only sold their foundations online. Bullocks. I NEEDED my FACE BACK!

The sweetheart on the Estee Lauder concession managed to sway me with her marketing spiel. Surprising because I never have time for them. I had never given Estee Lauder the time of day before this. I had always assumed (wrongly) that they were one of those brands that produced 30 odd shades for fair-skinned girls and 2 very generic shades for darker skin tones… I was so wrong. Before I knew knew it, she had lined up bottle after bottle of medium  to very dark brown foundations and we got to testing. After 5 tries, we found my shade. Rich Cocoa.

Coverage was the bomb, staying power was on the money and price was £7 cheaper than Luminous Silk. I was sold!

The Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF 10 is worth the rave. Plus it’s got SPF which my last foundation didn’t have, so yay!

I was so happy I also got the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in new Medium Deep. Another worthy product.

This is the first time I tried my new foundation and concealer together.

I’m such a lipstick collector and I’m a sucker for Mac collaborations. So I was heartbroken when the Mac Giambattista Valli lipsticks sold out before I could lay my hands on them:(

But guess what I stumbled on at the Mac airport concession in Birmingham? These baddies! Plus they were duty free too. Hoooohoooo. So I paid about £14 each for them and they’re normally £17. Score!

Tats is this very bright pink and y’all know I treasure my pinks. Can you tell I’ve worn it already? 🙂

Margherita is a persimmon orange colour. I’ve always wanted Morange but never got around to buying it. So this is a great substitute.

Charlotte is a true red. Your lipstick collection ain’t shit without one true red.

Eugenie is the mother of all 4. A very bomb dark wine burgundy colour. It’s my absolute favourite. Peep her.

Which lipstick is your fave?

A quick once over of some of my skin care products:

This Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer is really a favourite. I have oily skin and even though it doesn’t completely get rid of the oils, there’s a difference when I use it. Keeper!

Same with Mac’s Prep + Prime Fix +. It sets makeup beautifully and is a must have.

I am really into natural oils. Rosehip oil, tea tree oil, almond oil, coconut oil, olive oil, calendula oil. As long as it’s natural and good for my skin, I’ll have it.

I used to spend loads on scented body butters and lush creams but apart from the lovely smells they weren’t doing too much for me. I haven’t used body butters or creams in a while. My go to oil is this Organic Virgin Coconut Oil by Fushi. I use it on my skin daily, on my natural hair, as a lip balm…it’s just perfect. If your coconut oil melts in the sun and goes solid in the cold, it’s legit. If I do run out, I fall back on good old virgin olive oil from the kitchen.

While I was at Uni I moved into a house that later got infested with bed bugs. I’ve never been so miserable in my life. I used to wake up every day with scars all over my hands and feet. I now understand why people say don’t let the bed bugs bite. They are a NIGHTMARE! I’d wake up at 3am crying from all the bites. I looked up how to get rid of insect bites and redness on the internet and tea tree oil was a constant in most of the responses.  I equipped myself with several bottles of Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil and lathered myself in it before I went to bed every night. That kept the bugs away. The tea tree helped a lot and I was shocked at how repelled the bugs were by the smell. But some of them still managed to bite me on areas I had missed. Blood hungry muthaSUCKAS! I was able to catch some shut eye at least. My landlord paid for all of belongings to be professionally laundered by pest control but I was so done with that house. Even after I moved out, I still had so many scars from the bug bites and yes I used to have nightmares about bed bugs! That’s how I built a long-lasting relating relationship with tea tree. I continued using it daily. I wanted to get rid of my scars without using any lightening or brightening lotions. Contrary to popular they actually make things worse. I was #TeamEverythingTeaTree. I got the body wash, face wash, oil, face scrub, toner, face cream and even blotter. I was bent on getting rid of those insect bites.

And to my surprise, they did! Since 2011, I’ve sworn by tea tree. It’s a holiday must-pack. My husband got really bad sunburns on holiday one time, he used tea tree oil on his burns and it helped to soothe them 🙂

Oooh fragrances! I’m currently loving this Marks and Spencer Butterfly Garden and Pull & Bear’s Phyllis EDT. Why? Well because they are super cheap (M&S is £14 and P&B is £15.99) and they smell absolutely lovely. I haven’t even looked at high end fragrances since I nabbed these. Plus I got the P&B fragrance from Spain so it only cost me about a tenner (£10). Bwahahaha! I wish I could go back there to shop. The bargains I got were so amazingly real, it would actually hurt when I run out and have to buy another in the UK 🙁

Wow, I didn’t mean to rant this much about my beauty buys. LMAO. I looked back up at what I’d written so far and went; OH-KAY, she’s written a novel about buying foundation…

And to think I had a story about lip gloss to rival that.

Never mind. What are your favourite beauty or skin care go-to products?

Have a flaw-free day!

Xx

Lydie