Life with Lucy: makeup

Showing posts with label makeup. Show all posts

I'm back!!

It's been around a month since I did my last blogpost but I had such a busy June and July! I celebrated my 20th birthday, went to England to visit my boyfriend's family and celebrate his 21st and now I'm back in Northern Ireland where I'll be spending the rest of my summer until I move back to Manchester in September!

As I haven't posted in a while I thought I'd do a quick post on a few things I got for my birthday!

First of all, my new holy grail face palette - BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette!

At £48 this palette is by no means cheap, but as it was limited edition and my birthday I thought I'd treat myself! The palette consists of two highlighter - Champagne Pop and Prosecco Pop and also three blushers - Rose Spritz (a luminous blush), Amaretto and Pample-mousse. Each shade is SO pigmented and the highlighters are honestly some of my favourite! I would definitely recommend purchasing Champagne Pop as it is a permanent addition to BECCA's collection!

Also, I received a new Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in the colour 1993, a beautiful brown comfort matte lipstick. I have to say, I was worried about the finish being "comfort matte" as usually I ONLY get matte lipstick but I was pleasantly surprised! After falling in love with this finish I actually ended up purchasing another lipstick in the same collection called Hitch Hike, the most beautiful pink/red I've EVER worn. Costing £15 these lipsticks are super affordable and don't bleed into lines, and although you do need to reapply after eating the lipstick doesn't become super thick or streaky! I'll definitely be investing in a few more.

I also wanted to say a massive THANK YOU for 1000 pageviews! Never in a million years did I ever think anything I'd write would ever have 1000 views, I can't wait for the next 1000 and beyond.

I'll be doing a haul soon on some makeup pieces I picked up recently and also a few clothing items so stay tuned for that - let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see on my blog!

Please be sure to leave a comment, follow and share with your friends!

I recently received Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation for my birthday so I thought I'd do a review on one of my most wanted foundations!

Firstly, I got the shade 1 Fair - the palest shade possible! I was really impressed with the wide shade range, especially as I struggle to find a foundation that's pale enough for me and doesn't oxidise to make me look bright orange, this foundation succeeded in matching my skin perfectly.

Swatch without flash

At £29.50 - it certainly isn't cheap, however it's in the same range as my all time favourite foundation Estee Lauder Double Wear. I'm actually really pleased to say that a little of this foundation goes a long way, I believe it only took me two or three pumps to get two layers of foundation, for £29.50 this foundation really is good value for money.

Although Charlotte Tilbury claims for the foundation to be full coverage, I found that the coverage was a bit more sheer than that of Double Wear and found that I needed to apply another layer for full coverage - especially when using the Morphe M444 brush, this extra layer was still lightweight and didn't look cakey at all! Although this foundation is pretty much full coverage, it felt like I didn't have anything on my skin which is a refreshing change from Double Wear's heavy feel.

Swatch with flash

I first put this foundation on at 8am as I was heading out to get the BECCA x Jaclyn Hill palette (which I'll also be reviewing very soon!) and when I returned at around 2pm I noticed the makeup was a little oily looking on my skin, especially on my nose and cheeks. I had previously set the foundation with my MAC Studio Fix powder but it did look like I'd been out in the heat all day. I reapplied my powder and the foundation looked as good as new again. If you have really oily skin you may want to apply less and make sure you set your foundation with a loose powder, maybe consider carrying a pressed powder in your handbag for touch ups throughout the day.

I have literally the most sensitive, acne prone skin in the world and it's always a struggle to find foundation and concealer that doesn't break me out in really bad cystic acne *ahem* Nars Sheer Glow. However, I found that even after only a day of wearing this foundation my skin had actually improved and spots that were trying to form had disappeared overnight. Although I'm not sure if it was the foundation or just my skin, I'd like to believe that this foundation truly is magic!

Charlotte Tilbury packaging is probably one of my favourites! The foundation, in a frosted glass, white details and a gold lid (with a pump!!!!), came in a burgundy box with gold details. The bottle is such quite lightweight and the pump is such a beneficial addition as quite a few high end foundations require you to buy your own and fit it yourself - finally no more excess pouring!

For people looking to invest in a high end foundation, I would definitely recommend this. It's actually one of the more affordable high end foundations and you get a lot for what you pay. Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Foundation even seems to be okay on my super sensitive skin that I have as a result of a previous medical condition (NOTE: I'm not guaranteeing this will be suitable for ALL acne prone/sensitive skin!). I'm so happy to finally have a lightweight foundation that has build-able coverage and won't make me look like a tangerine!

Pros

- Great shade range - doesn't oxidise!

- Build-able coverage

- Applies well with a brush and with a beauty blender

- Doesn't break me out

- A little goes a long way

- Has a pump

- Pretty packaging

- Lightweight

Cons

- Quite an expensive foundation

- Required powder to be reapplied

Hopefully this review has given you a good idea of what this foundation is like! If you liked this/found this review useful, please leave a comment & share :) Also, I'll be doing more make-up reviews with (potentially) how the makeup looks on my face - if that's something that'd interest you, please let me know!

I recently saw an article by Buzzfeed about #TeamNoMakeup and it actually frustrated me. They discussed Alicia Keys and how she's chosen to not wear makeup anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy for her and the fact she's making decisions about herself rather than letting anyone tell her. But they also discussed how makeup can cover your identity and your thoughts and ideas, and quite frankly I think that's bullshit.

I'm all for people feeling empowered by their own natural skin, but that's not to say that people who wear makeup don't love their own skin. Makeup is an artistic outlet in which people can express their identity and creativity in a way that's unique to them. I love makeup and find the whole process of putting it on very therapeutic but I'm still comfortable with my own skin, I mean - I did grow it myself!

Dividing people by creating two "teams" isn't going to help anyone. Forget "#TeamMakeup" and "#TeamNoMakeup" and inst

ead focus on just being yourself and doing what you feel comfortable with. Neither choice makes you superior to the other. It's frustrating seeing media outlets pit the two against each other, especially as both are beautiful options.

Some people may use makeup as a way of covering things that make them self conscious and these people shouldn't be put down for wanting to make themselves feel better or for concealing things that they may view as imperfections. They may do it so other people don't notice things like spots, but 99% of the time they do it purely because they want to.

Aside from the makeup comments I also wanted to address cosmetic surgery, such as lip fillers. I'm sure you all know about Kylie Jenner's lip fillers and the criticism she faced because of them - quite frankly the criticism was completely uncalled for. Whether she's a "role model" for the younger generation or not, she shouldn't put what would make her feel better about herself in second place behind what others what her to do. Kylie's lips are her own lips, she can do whatever the hell she wants with them regardless of your opinion. Just like any cosmetic surgery, it is the person's own choice as to what they want to do with their body - whether it's bigger boobs or a boob reduction, let the person decide what is best for them - not what you prefer.

Whether you chose to wear makeup or not to wear makeup, whether you chose you want cosmetic surgery or not - you are amazing and beautiful. Chose to make decisions based on what you want and what would make you happy and not what the media tell/influence you to do. If you want to do full glam (including false eyelashes and wings bigger than life itself) during the day - YOU DO THAT! If you want to wear bold eyes with bold lips, GO AHEAD! If you want to rock no makeup on a night out, YAS, DO IT!

Just do more of what makes you happy :)

Let me know in the comments below about whether you feel like media has influenced you to either wear makeup or not wear it!