My favourites so far this year..

Here they are:

Holy over saturation of colours, Batman!

I use all these products on either a daily or weekly basis which is pretty rare for me as I have so much crap.

MAC 239 brush: I really don't know how I managed to get my eye makeup looking decent before I had this (I probably didn't).  With regards to brush hair density, it does very well.  They're tightly packed but you can get away with laying down and blending too.  It's not my blending brush, simply because it's not meant for blending.  If you're lazy/doing a look with bright colours, get this brush and you won't be sorry.  You can use it for crease work too, I switch it up between the 239 and the Revlon brush.

Maybelline Colossal mascara: This is probably my all time favourite High Street mascara.  I use this every day and it has been going strong for a long long time.  I love this and my Prestige mascara but I think this slightly has the edge as it's foolproof and I get the same results regardless of how I apply it.  Thick, long, black lashes.

YSL Teint Parfait: I blab on about this foundation a lot.  It was the first thing I ever reviewed on my blog but I'll give you a quick review of it now.  It's an oil free "foundation".  I say " " because you can use it as a primer if your skin is not behaving.  I like the fact that it has a dual personality like that because once I put it on, it doesn't come off unless you take it off.  If you have oily/combo skin and want a foundation which makes you look dewy, buy this and you won't be sorry.  The single best thing about this foundation is being photographed..you look airbrushed.

I've got a swatch for you and it's clear it doesn't match the skin on my hand but it blends in seamlessly on my face.

Dove Therapy Heat Defence spray: I really like this.  I feel that it does protect my hair from heat and it leaves my hair looking shiny after I've straightened it and it smells quite nice.  It makes my hair feel softer too so I've started using it even when I keep my hair curly.  The best thing about it is that you can be heavy handed and it won't grease your hair up which is brilliant.

The Body Shop Facial Massager: I was intrigued with this when I first saw it online and decided to buy it when I saw it in store.  I use this on a weekly basis.  It smoothes my skin out a treat.  I also find that after using it, my skin absorbs moisturiser a lot better and it feels clean, like it's been drained of toxins.  It leaves my skin nice and pink after using it so I can feel that there is some massagey benefit there.  There's a full review here.

Korres Zea Mays blusher: This has fast become my "brown girl's can blush too" blush.  When I wear it, it actually looks like I'm blushing which is brilliant.  It does contain glitter but use a light hand and you're good to go.  It looks practically untouched but I've been using it more often than not..  You can buy it here and read my review here.

YSL Palette Pop: I have had this for a long long time and it's a tester. I don't know why I'm always saying that..but it is.  I think it's because I'm in shock that a tester lasts so long.  I use this on a daily basis, it's my "no effort" blush.  It looks so natural on me that you can't even tell that I'm wearing it most of the time.  People only notice that I don't look so perky when I don't have it on.

See? You wouldn't think that was WOC friendly but it is brilliant for my skintone.  It also looks pretty chalky but applies like a dream.

I haven't had these brushes for too long but they have found their way into my makeup bag.

Revlon Foundation brush: There's a full review here.  It's all good.  The brush is totally foolproof and works brilliant when the operator is functioning on around 5 hours sleep.  It costs about a tenner from Superdrug.

Revlon Blusher brush: I'm sure this brush was made just for me.  It fits the cheek area perfectly, stays soft and yet is dense enough to pick up just enough product.  The full review is here.  I think this comes in at around a fiver or so..it's less than a tenner!

What have your favourites been so far this year?

My Summer Face Essentials

It's hot..hotter than we are used to in England.

I have normal/combo skin which means that heat and me don't mix.

This is what I'm using to keep my skin from looking a hot greasy mess and it's working brilliantly.

Surprised that you don't see a primer? So was I.

I used a primer when I went to the Body Shop bloggers event and it really highlighted dry patches that I didn't know I had.  Since that day, I've just been using my foundation alone and it's served me well.

The toner is one of my saving graces, I just whack it on..wait for it dry, put my moisturiser on, let it sink in and then apply my foundation.  It stays put all day, doesn't apply in a streaky manner and gives me a dewy finish without making me greasy.  The eye roll on is there simply to provide extra moisture as the air conditioning at work has a habit of drying my eyes out.

Review: Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse foundation

I kept telling everyone that I thought this was a tinted moisturiser when (if I'd read the packaging) it clearly says that it's foundation. Anyway, I didn't pay for it, Yinka had a giveaway on her blog and I won it..aren't I smart?

Here's the packaging:

That's the exact colour that Deep is. My camera did me well and picked it out as it should be.  I really like the packaging of this one, it looks really nice and sleek, I find it quite rare to have a liquid foundation/tinted moisturiser which comes in black casing.  I thought it would be a bit too dark for me but it's quite a good match really, as far as web swatches go, Revlon's are quite good compared to some other companies out there.

Ingredients...there are a fair few.

Swatchy swatcherson:
Flash, no blending:

No flash, no blending:

Blended and flashy:

Blended and no flash:

I have been testing it alongside my Korres moisturiser which, as you know, has totally eliminated the grease from my face.  My Korres finished the other day and I've been using a cheapo organic cream from Tescos which doesn't smell too pleasant and has done a satisfactory job at keeping the grease away.

So, what do Revlon say?
"A flawless matte finish in a refreshingly lightweight mousse.

Unique, air-whipped texture for a soft matte finish.
16-hour ColorStay Longwear for lasting perfection."

Does it hold up to the claims?
In a word, yes.  It makes your face feel soft and once you get over the dust-face, it's a really good foundation and you don't need to use too much initially and you need not touch it up for the whole day.

Consistency wise, it is a pretty thick foundation to use (compared to what I normally use) and you do have to work fast to get good results but that's not really a downside because your human instinct (as you can tell, I've never been one to trivialise a matter) tells you how best to blend it. 

I really like this as both a foundation and a tinted moisturiser (I tend to apply my foundation really sheer).

However, there are some issues which I found I had with it.

Revlon don't state that it is for greasy skin but I think the fact that it states that it gives you a "soft matte finish" speaks for itself.  Whilst I used Korres, my skin was more normal than combo and I found that it if you hadn't practiced before applying it, it would make you look a bit dusty.  I usually apply a bit of foundation on the back of my hand and pick it up with my brush and then "dispense" it all over my boat race.  I tried this with this foundation and it was kinda hard to blend as it had dried whilst travelling from my hand up to my face.  Then I dotted it on my face and used the brush, this too didn't give me the desired effect.  Finally, I decided to just use my fingers and that seemed to work pretty well.  I don't think the foundation will work too well with normal skin but you may have different application methods to the ones I mentioned above.

Another MASSIVE plus point is that it has SPF in it and not just some piddly SPF 1, it's got SPF 30 which is great. .

Purchase?
I don't think I will be buying this despite giving it such a positive review.  Had I used this without using Korres I would have said yes.  However, my skin care plan is to use Korres in the summer as it turns my skin into normal skin more than combo and so I don't need anything else to make me look matte. If I struggle with greasy skin in the winter/really hot summer days then I will definitely purchase this.  The product is very good but I don't think it will sit well with normal skin.

It's not out in the UK yet, it should be out at the end of the month and it will retail at £9.99.

Review: YSL Teint Parfait Shade 7

This is my current HG foundation as it works a charm on me.

I don't need a heavy foundation as my skin is in pretty good condition so this primer/foundation is just the ticket.

Pros:
Blends in very nicely
Easy to apply with fingers
Practically foolproof
Makes my skin look dewy without making me look greasy

Cons:
Expensive? Well it's £25 but it does last an AGE and actually matches my skin colour.
HARD TO FIND.

I would buy this foundation until the end of time but unfortunately I can't seem to find it anywhere! I've checked quite a few department stores and also online but they seem to have stopped making this particular shade which has upset me no end. This was my first high end foundation and I do love it, I may have to try out Bobbi Brown/MAC to see if they have anything this lightweight..