Tarte Rainforest Of The Sea Foundation | Review

When it comes to makeup, my foundation is definitely something I'm not as experimental with. I tend to stick to the ones I know and love (shoutout to Makeup Forever Ultra HD aka my bae) and it's rare that I'll stray away from them until something really exciting comes along. A lot of bloggers are big fans of the Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation but as Tarte is pretty difficult to get ahold of in the UK, I never managed to jump on the bandwagon. So when I visited the States in December, I decided to pick up their newest offering, the Rainforest Of The Sea Foundation. (Kinda wish I'd also picked up the super hyped up Tape Shape concealer while I was there but hindsight is a wonderful thing).

Brand Focus: MAC

If you're anything like me then your first dive into high-end or expensive makeup will have been with MAC Cosmetics. I still remember the rush getting my first lipstick, carrying around the little yellow Selfridges bag feeling fancy af, posting pictures all over Instagram like new lipstick, who dis? I also remember the slight heartbreak at spending £15 on one lipstick, HOW MUCH!? Little did I know a couple of years later I'd be spending twice that and then some with a makeup collection worth more than my car. After this time I've managed to accumulate a nice little collection of MAC product so I thought I'd take a post to talk you through the good, bad and ugly.

3 Products I've Panned

It' really not often that I hit pan on a product, I have so many blushers, bronzers and highlighters that I'm constantly flicking between that the end is never really in sight for most of them. That is until you find a ride or die product, one you just keep coming back to because it just works so well. Whether that be the shade, formula or staying power, these are the ones you'll always find in your makeup bag or not far from it. And before you know it, as heartbreaking as it is, you've hit pan. That small silver circle in the centre slowly starts getting bigger and bigger and the end is inevitable. But think of it this way, once it's finished, you get to buy a pretty new one. Here's three products I've recently hit pan on:

March Beauty Favourites

I've officially made it my mission this year to get more old and neglected products back into rotation and daily use and although I'll always be trying out new brands, it's been nice pulling out old favourites that I had long forgotten about. I've picked out four products that I've been using regularly and particularly enjoying throughout the month of March.

Bright Lips For a Dull Day

One of my goals or resolutions if you will for this year was to start rocking bright lips more often and though I absolutely love my nude shades from day to night, it's been a lot of fun pulling out a few old favourites of mine that have been far too neglected for far too long. For bright shades, it's all about Mac for me. They have such a wide range of colours in all different finishes that it's so easy to find something for everyone. Recently though I have been venturing into brighter liquid lipsticks, purely for their staying power, pigmentation and matte finish. (This girl loves a matte).

Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation | Review

This year I've made it one of my missions to experiment more with different foundation brands and formulas, having stuck pretty religiously to the Makeup Forever Ultra HD for quite some time now. (Don't worry, you'll always be bae.) And one of the most exciting and possibly different types of foundation for me to try, is the stick foundation. For me it was a toss up between trying the stick version of Ultra HD or this, the Anastasia Beverly Hills stick foundation, I actually had quite a lengthy chat with a lovely girl who worked in Sephora about which she would recommend before I made my purchase. I decided to go with ABH, mainly because it's slightly more difficult to get ahold of over here and it didn't work out any cheaper to buy the MUFE over in America, (boo you exchange rates). So now I've had a good month or so to trial this, I'm going to share my thoughts with you, all the pros and all the cons.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lips | Review

*sighs* Can we all just take a moment to appreciate how dreamy the Anastasia Liquid Lipsticks are? They're just so pretty to look at and photograph. I recently picked up these beauties while on holiday in Florida, as up until recently they've been pretty difficult to get ahold of in the UK without forking out ridiculous custom fees. (Anastasia do now have their own UK site, so getting these should now be far easier!) And now I've had enough time to road test the shades, I wanted to share my thoughts with anyone who may be considering ordering a few.

US Beauty Haul | First Impressions

Y'all know that the first thing on my mind when I landed in Florida in December was "oh my days imagine all the things I can buy in Sephora and Ulta" swiftly followed by the idea pancakes and maple bacon.  The black and white stripes were calling my name. Unfortunately due to a poor exchange rate, it actually didn't work out much cheaper to buy certain products abroad like it has in previous years so I tried to stick to things we can't necessarily get over here, haven't been released yet or are a little harder to access. This post will be a quick run down of everything with a few initial impressions, the real juicy stuff will come in the reviews to follow over the next few weeks. Ooooh the anticipation.

Latest Beauty Favourites

It's been a while since I've shared a few of the products I've been loving recently, in fact, I can't even remember if I ever had done a monthly favourites post. So here you go! I've been making it my mission recently to not only try some new bits and pieces but to also start looking into my stash and using things that have been a little bit unloved for a while. You'd be surprised at just how much neglected makeup I have, especially things like bronzer, blush and eyeshadow that take a lot longer to use up compared to foundations and mascaras.

The Festive Makeup Menu

I just love makeup at this time of year, the colours, sparkles, reds, deep berries and dark smoky eyes. Everything screams Winter and festive, I mean, just looking at this picture I get some serious party vibes. Throughout the year generally my base remains pretty consistent. Primer, foundation, concealer and powder all stay very similar month in, month out, even in the Summer months I tend to opt for a medium buildable coverage with serious staying power. But my eyes, lips and cheeks are a completely different story. I've pulled together a few of my picks for this season that are sure to glam up any Winter/Christmas Party look.

December Beauty Haul

Tis officially the season to treat yo' self and after trying somewhat successfully to be good and save money, I caved when Black Friday hit. There's only so many emails, offers and discounts that a girl can resist. But you know what the best part is? None of these things were actually bought in the sales.

My First Christmas in Manchester

A couple of months ago I took the big step of finally moving out of my parents house and into rented accommodation. (Bonus points if you recognise the Jack Whitehall reference there). And though I will be spending actual Christmas Day and the various other days surrounding it with my family and loved ones, this will be my first ever festive season living entirely away from home, not just at university. And with this comes changes, new experiences, new purchases and of course new wish lists. So as part of the Debenhams Win Your Wishlist Competition, I thought I'd share a few of the things I will be doing this year and a few things on my wishlist to make my new apartment a home away from home.

My Night Out Essentials

I'm a sucker for a night out. There, I said it. As much as I love a good night in complete with takeaway curry and a good film or two, as soon as I get that "you coming out?" text, I'm straight in the shower and throwing back a rum and coke. Whether it's a case of FOMO or just being a weak ass bitch, I just can't resist getting dolled up, having a good old dance and doing one two many shots of vodka. And since moving from my tiny little hometown with one nightclub to Manchester, I've loved going out and trying out all the different clubs and bars, as well as really switching up my look. It's almost as if I have an alter ego some nights. Seriously, last weekend I was 26 year old Isla from London who'd been married for 6 years. Don't ask. So why not share with you some of my recent night out essentials...

Send Me Nudes

Let's face it, for some of us, these are the only kinds of nudes we really want to be receiving. From pale peachy pinks, to dark dusty mauves, browns and everything in between, there's a shade for everyone, even if you wouldn't necessarily deem it a nude. For this post I've rounded up pretty much every remotely close to nude shade that I could find in all sorts of formulas and finishes, to really give you an idea of just what options you have and this isn't even a fraction of what's out there. For me, a nude lip is an absolute staple in my makeup collection. It's a look that can take you from subtle daytime to a sultry night look when paired with something like an intense smoky eye and long lashes. They're understated, chic and subtle or slightly more bold, whatever takes your fancy.

You're so Too Faced!

Of all the high end beauty brands, one that never fails to let me down and keeps me coming back, is Too Faced. After seeing countless beauty bloggers and vloggers using their makeup and being desperate to try out some of their products, I managed to grab a few while Stateside in December 2014 and have not looked back since. Especially now they're so easily accessible from Debenhams, the Too Faced website and a few other places. They're a brand that are instantly eye catching from the get go with packaging on point and the product to match. I never feel like I'm getting less than what I've paid for and let's me honest, they make pretty adorable additions to any makeup bag.

Huge Beauty Haul

As most of you will know I was lucky enough to attend the Debenhams SS16 Beauty Press Show last month in London and after looking at all the latest releases I couldn't help but treat myself to a few (ok more than a few) new purchases. I did some serious damage to my student loan, in fact it's times like these when I'm glad that I don't live in the city as I know I'd soon be well into my overdraft. A fair few of these are products that I was introduced to at the event and just couldn't wait to get my hands on afterwards, as well as a couple I'd been lusting after. Part of the reason for waiting so long before writing up this post was that I wanted to give as many of these a try as possible, so I could give a proper opinion of them as opposed to just a first impression. Not to mention I finish uni in a week so life is pretty manic right now. (I don't want to enter the real world yet, I'm not ready.)

Debenhams SS16 Beauty Press Show

As I sit writing this on a Saturday afternoon the sun is positively beaming through the window, the birds are singing and I've got two days off to celebrate my birthday with friends, so all in all it's a pretty good weekend so far! And this weekend started off in the best way it possibly could, spending a day in London looking at all the latest beauty releases with Debenhams. In all honesty, I was completely shocked and massively grateful to be invited to an event like this, especially after only about 6 short months of blogging. I'd really like to thank Rebecca and Vanessa over at Debenhams and all the girls involved with the event for inviting me and making me feel so welcome and at ease. I guess there was a part of me that felt like I didn't deserve to be there or wasn't good enough, I was massively nervous in the days leading up to it but everyone was so lovely and it made my first blogging event one to remember. Warning, this post is going to be very photo heavy but I simply couldn't cut it down any more.

"On Wednesdays We Wear Pink"

 It's officially Spring here in the UK and though that would normally bring to mind images of bunny rabbits, daffodils and sunshine, it appears that we have been blessed with nothing but rain, hail and storms. I guess there's a reason they call them April Showers! But just because the world around me isn't exactly screaming Spring, doesn't mean my makeup can't and for me no other colour gets as much wear at this time of year as a good old pink. Whether it be on my lips, eyes, cheeks or nails, pink for me just screams Spring. It's the perfect transition shade between the Winter reds and Summer corals and there really is a pink for everyone, whether you want to go full on bubblegum Barbie, pastel or muted baby pink.

The False Lashes Showdown

I'm a serial false lash wearer. I've tried to go without but I just can't, my real lashes just look terrible in comparison. And as a serial lash wearer, I am constantly on the hunt for a good set of lashes at a reasonable price, I want something that adds volume and length while still looking somewhat "natural" or as natural as they can look while still being ridiculously long. Hopefully those of you who wear lashes or are looking into trying falsies will find this helpful and maybe discover some new ones to try. All are high street prices, I've seen gorgeous lashes for £25 but would I really spend that much on something I might just rip off drunk at the end of the night and drop in my cheesy chips? No, not really.

En Taupe Of The World with Zoeva

I would apologise for that terrible pun but I'm really not sorry. If someone had said the word taupe to me this time last year, I'd have no idea what they were talking about. I certainly wouldn't have imagined it would be a colour and a colour I would seriously grow to love. (Seriously, I want my bridesmaids in taupe dresses and as I type this I currently have taupe nails). So no palette currently speaks to me more than the Zoeva En Taupe eyeshadow palette.