Liquid Lip Week | Day #2 | Sleek Matte Me Lip Gloss

Welcome to Day 3 of Liquid Lip Week! The stars of todays show are the Sleek Matte Me Lip Gloss' which I didn't really know a lot about until I saw them in boots whilst perusing the sleek stand. The only thing I had heard was from the lovely sophdoesnails who used the shade 'petal' in a video and I can't remember whether it was Sophie or Shaaanxo who said that the shade 'birthday suit' was a dupe for Candy K by Kylie Jenner but I am yet to put that to the test!

The formula of these are mostly pigmented but I find each shade differs (this is a common trait among most makeup products). The shades velvet slippers and shabby chic are very pigmented and opaque and really only require one coat, Velvet slippers requiring a slightly thicker coat than shabby chic. Petal, as you can probably tell from the swatch is very sheer and goes on extremely patchy. I tried this with two coats and it just felt way too thick and like my lips were shrivelling up so this isn't a shade I get a lot of use out of on its own. However, I bought a lip liner from sleek (which is actually fab) which matches perfectly, so if I line and fill in my lips first and then apply one thin coat of petal, it works a lot better.  The formula is quite thick in consistency, not watery and runny like the Kylie one. They do dry down completely matte, they don't transfer at all once they are completely dry. It does feel comfortable to wear, sometimes I get a bit of flaking if I rub my lips together or apply too much, but I never feel like its a massive problem. The longevity isn't bad, but I find after about 5 hours they've worn off from the inside of my lips outwards, leaving a weird looking line round the edge of my lips which can be a little annoying. If I am eating, drinking and talking, then I usually need to retouch after about 2 hours which is a little inconvenient if I'm out, but I'll allow it because these colours are beautiful! The applicators on shabby chic and velvet slippers are very small and allow a precise application, however the applicator on petal is completely different! It's really long which makes application even more difficult, I'm not sure if petal is maybe in old packaging as I did buy them in different boots stores.

Apart from petal being a little bit iffy, these are a really great drugstore alternative to some of the more expensive liquid lipsticks. I would recommend shabby chic and velvet slippers to anyone, but petal does require a lot of extra effort but it is a beautiful shade if you are willing to experiment with it and find a way to wear it that works.

Have you tried these? What other shades do I need to pick up?

Emily xx

Liquid Lip Week | Day #1 | Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color

Welcome to Day 1 of liquid lip week! Now before I jump into rambling about these beauties, I thought I would give you a little introduction to what this week is going to consist of. To cut a long story short, I am obsessed with matte liquid lipsticks, so I thought I would do a review on a different liquid lip every day for a week, and then at the end of the week give you a little round up and tell you which one is the 'winner' if you like, the best of the bunch.

As you can see by the title, today we are kickstarting liquid lip week with the Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color's which are a fairly recent launch from Revlon. This line has 7 shades, 3 of which I own and 4 of which I am aiming to own! It's not the most extensive colour range and a lot of them are fairly similar, however, the shades that are on offer suit me down to the ground.  The shades are all amazingly pigmented as you can see from the swatches above, and I can guarantee you there is at least 1 shade to suit everyone. The packaging looks very chic, with the rather expensive-looking frosted glass bottle and the simple silver lid. The doe-foot applicator is a little on the large side so I'd recommend using a lip liner to make application that little bit easier and precise.

The formula of these is quite a unique one compared to the majority of liquid lipsticks I have tried. I find these don't really dry down like your average liquid lipstick, they stay tacky and feel just like a regular lipstick, but they give the appearance of a liquid lipstick because they look matte (after a good 10 minutes of drying time that is). They first apply like a lip lacquer and have a similar texture to a gloss, but then dry matte which did take me a while to get used to, because to me thats a little weird! They are extremely long lasting and I find I can go a good 5 hours of eating and drinking before needing a touch up, however, these are NOT transfer proof. This doesn't dry down to a point where you can wipe your lips and nothing comes of. This transfers just like a regular lipstick, meaning glasses, cups and straws will be covered in this stuff. However, this is probably one of the best liquid lipsticks that the drugstore has to offer and probably one of the cheapest options on the market. These are great for anyone who hates the feeling of wearing a liquid lipstick but loves the look of them, as they look like a liquid lipstick but feel very comfortable to wear.

Overall, these are a fabulous starting point for someone eager to dive into the world of liquid lipsticks and I would definitely consider purchasing some more shades!

Have you tried these? if so, what do you think?

Emily xx

The Sunday Edit #81

At long last, a Sunday Post! I think the last time I did a Sunday post was just after Christmas so it's been a while.

This week has been quite a busy one! I met up with some really good friends of mine, Meg and Charleigh on Monday and spent an entire day with them, just chatting and eating Mexican food which was fab! Tuesday I spent all day working on bloggy things, and I went to see Finding Dory with my best friend Evie after dancing, which was absolutely amazing, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I am so glad that I wasn't disappointed. On Wednesday I did a spot of shopping in the morning, and then another friend of mine, Chloe, came round to film a video with me for her youtube channel which you can find here, which will be up Wednesday next week as well as the blog she did when she spent the day with me which should be up the Wednesday after. Go and subscribe to Chloe so you will see our video once she has uploaded it, and go and leave some comments and let her know that I sent you! Then on Thursday, I went into Town with Meg and Charleigh to do some makeup shopping, and we had some amazing burgers in the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and had a really lovely day! Then Friday I spent most of the day doing even more bloggy things, so you all have a lot of exciting things to look forward to! Yesterday I did a little more shopping, and I also went and got henna done for the very first time which was so exciting. I have been wanting it done for so long and I finally found a lady to do it. You can see a photo of it on my instagram which is linked in the little button at the top of my blog, or you can just search up my username 'its_little_em'.

For anyone wondering, the amazing pieces of wall art in the above photo are from Coconut Lane which are an amazing site that sell everything you can possibly imagine! Wall art, stationary, homeware, sunglasses, socks, jewellery, phone and laptop cases and so much more! So many beautiful girly designs, you can definitely rely on them to have something to suit your taste. I absolutely love their sassy quotes, and I think they will look amazing all around my room. You can use my discount code 'littleem20' to get 20% off your order, so treat yourself to some of their amazing goodies. I have my eye on some of their amazing sunglasses, I particularly like the Luxe Marble Tropez Sunglasses which you can see on the stunning Melia May in the photo below! *Inserts all of the heart eyed emojis* Click the photo to see her Instagram (it's so beautiful!) and be sure to check out her blog!

If you would like to keep up to date with what I'm up to on a daily basis, be sure to follow me on snapchat! My username is emilyfaye1998, and make sure you leave a comment letting me know what your username is so I can add you back!

What have you been up to this week and have you enjoyed it? I would love to know!

Emily xx

My Skincare Routine | August 2016

It's been a very long time since I posted a skincare routine, purely for the fact I can't stick to a proper routine. Being a blogger, I am constantly getting new products to try and my routine is constantly changing so it is obviously pointless me writing a post on something which could be completely different in a weeks time. With that being said, I have finally found a routine that I have been using for about a month, some products I've been using for a bit longer, some I have recently added in.

Firstly, I always try to use my Magnitone Lucid Cleansing Brush* at least every other day. (You can find a full post on this here.) This is a gentle cleansing brush that deep cleans your pores without being too harsh on the skin. It really gets into every nook and cranny, and its timer allows you to make sure each area of your face is given an equal amount of love for just the right amount of time. This quickly became a holy grail skincare product after magnitone kindly gifted it to me last year, and it is definitely a staple product in any skincare routine. The one I have linked is actually a new one from Magnitone, as I am not sure the lucid is still available any more. The Barefaced! cleansing brush also tones the skin with the toning mode called Pulselift Toning. This new and improved version is the same price as the old lucid, and you can 20% off of all magnitone products when using my code 'EmilyR20' or clicking on the link that can be found at the bottom of my Affiliate Links page (though this isnt an affiliate link, I don't gain anything from the link and discount code, they are just for your enjoyment!).

The next product goes hand in hand with the cleansing brush, the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk has been a fond favourite of mine for a good few years now (and its on offer in boots at the minute, go get you some). It is gentle on the skin and leaves it soft and supple, as well as being powerful enough to really clean out any impurities and leave my face feeling squeaky clean. This is one of the very few cleansers that I really do get on with, you can tell I love it because this is my third bottle! You also get a whole lot of product for your money, you get 350 ml which is going to last you one hell of a long time!

If I don't feel as though I have got enough exfoliation from my cleansing brush, I will go in with another exfoliator. I am currently trying the Biore Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub which is a veru unique product. It's a powder, which you mix with water and it forms a paste which you then massage into your skin and then rinse off. It does a really good job of scrubbing and brightening the skin without being too rough and harsh, I don't find that it makes my skin red and irritated and I definitely think it's doing my skin some good. My skin is alot less bumpy and alot more radiant than it was before I started using this product, but I will definitely keep you updated as time goes on.

Next up is toner. I have two toners that I alternate between, my tried and trusted Sebamed Clear Face Toner* which I have written about this and the rest of the range here (the links in this post no longer work as Sebamed moved sites, so you can find all of the products through the toner link above) and the La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray which I have been using for a few weeks. I am really loving this  product, the cool mist has been a dream in this horrifically hot weather we have been having here in the UK (that's all gone down the toilet now, currently looking outside to black skies and pouring rain). I also find it really calms the redness down in my skin and really soothes it, as well as making it feel plump and hydrated. I completely drench my face in this at least three times a day, it really helps to wake me up and make me feel refreshed, so I absolutley love it! I actually meant to include it in my monthly favourites but completely forgot about it, so maybe it'll make an appearance next month!

Lastly for moisturising, I use quite a few products that I chop and change, but my most used is the Safa Skincare Daily Moisturiser* which is a lovely, all natural and vegan moisturiser that works perfectly on my oily skin. It is very light and doesnt feel heavy and greasy, and with its main ingredient being Shea Butter, it leaves your skin feeling hydrated and velvety soft. If my skin is being particularly problematic, I will mix a few drops of tea trea oil in with this, and it works perfectly at calming my skin and restoring some order back into my face. For under and around my eyes, I use the Kiko Eye Potion which has sadly been discontinued, but I find this really brightens and eliminates dark circles and really hydrates the area, so that my makeup goes on and blends smoothly and doesnt look caked up. This is perfect on a no-makeup day just to brighten up those dark eyes a little bit, or under makeup as a great base for eyeshadow and concealer. Before I discovered this product I used to use the Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream which I absolutely loved, but couldnt replace because it was so expensive!

What are your skincare must-haves? Do you have any recommendations for me?

Emily xx

*After writing this post, I now realise that quite a few products mentioned were sent to me as PR Samples. I have put an asterisk next to the ones that were sent to me, and my opinions are completely honest and this wasnt sponsored at all! If I didnt like them, I wouldnt have featured them again after they had already been reviewed! :)

July Favourites | 2016

Alas, my very long awaited July favourites! It seems like its been forever since I last posted a monthly favourites.... well to be honest it feels like it's been forever since I've posted at all! Alot of techonological issues have stopped me in my tracks when it comes to blogging - all will be revealed in The Sunday Edit, which you might have guessed will be up on Sunday. Anyways, I'm back again, and hopefully for good this time! Now I'm going to stop talking rubbish and get on with it!

First up is the Kylie Lip Kit in Candy K which you may have seen me post about a few weeks ago. I did a first impressions which you can find here and I have been raving about it on social media quite a bit. In my first impressions, I mentioned that it was comparable to the Sleek Matte Me Lipgloss which I've now discovered is actually not the case now I have had more chance to trial both products out. I think the liquid lipstick is definitley more comparable to the Matte Liquid Paints which are from a brand that is new to me - Coloured Raine (More on these very soon). I find the Sleek ones are a little thicker in texture and wear very differently to the Kylie ones, more on those very soon as well! I would say that the liner is definitely comparable to the Essence ones, very creamy, extremely pigmented and glide on very smoothly. I think this is pretty much my most worn lip product this month, there certainly weren't many days where you wont have seen me wearing this! The formula is a dream, the colour is the perfect pinky nude and it pretty much goes with whatever outfit or makeup look I choose for that day, whatever I might be doing.

Next we have pretty much my favourite thing in the entire world, the Anastasia Glow Kit in Gleam+. I have never glowed so much in my life, the formula of these powders are so creamy, butter and pigmented, they are just a dream to work with. The glitter particles are so finely milled that you really do have a beautiful glowy sheen rather than sparkles, which in my opinion is the perfect formula for a highlighter. This kit contains 4 decently sized pans, each very pinky toned in colour and being fairly versatile for most skin tones. This palette comes in at £39, which is a little on the pricey side, but I do think for the size of the pans you are pretty much getting 4 full size highlighters for that money in one sleek and sturdy palette, and for the quality I think just under £10 each isnt to be sniffed out. If you want to see a full, in-depth review and swatches, then keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks!

As you can probably tell, I'm quite into Highlighter. My second favourite highlighting product of the month is the Sleek Highlighter Eye Palette in Solstice. So many people have raved about this product, and I can totally see why everyone loves it. The palette is very versatile, I use it as both eyeshadow and highlighter as the name would suggest and it is such a fabulous product to have in your collection. This again has 4 pans, a lot more compact and travel-friendly than the Anastasia Beverly Hills offering. In this kit, you get 3 powders and one cream. Sleek have absolutely nailedthe formula of these, they are very intense and pigmented, but you are able to apply a small amount if you prefer to go for a more subtle look. Again, if you want to see a full, in-depth review and swatches, keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of weeks!

The next product goes hand in hand with the Glow Kit and the Solstice Palette, the Morphe M501 Pro Pointed Blender Brush has swiftly replaced my Real Techniques Setting Brush to become my new favourite highlighter brush. After seeing Jaclyn Hill rave about this, I just knew it had to be mine. If it's good enough for Jaclyn, it's good enough for me! At £6.25, this brush is a total bargain. It is the perfect size to apply product precisely where you want it, whether that my highlighter, setting powder or maybe even contour. It gets into all those hard-to-reach places and blends product beautifully and seamlessly. The bristles are very soft for such an affordable brush, and I haven't notices any shedding at all! This one is definitely a winner.

Following the Contour and Highlighting theme, after hearing a whole lot about the L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer I decided to give it a whirl. I ordered two of them, one in the shade Classic Ivory (which is the lightest shade might I add) for highlighting and then the one I'm talking about today in Toast for contouring. The lightest shade is sooooooooo dark and orange, I used this when I was fake tanned af, and it was too dark to even use to cover up blemishes instead of highlighting, so I gave it to my sister who is alot darker than me, and even she says its a little dark! As I've already mentioned, I use the shade Toast to contour my face. This is also maybe a little dark and I couldve definitely got away with a lighter shade, but I can work with this. A little goes along way, one little squeeze will contour my entire face and still leave me with enough to use for next time. The tube is a squeezy one with a little brush on the end, making it so easy to draw in where you want your contour and making it as precise as possible. I draw some crosses in a line under my cheekbones, sweep a line down the sides of my nose, under my bottom lip, on the deepest part of my cupids bow and along my jawline. It blends beautifully, and looks like an almost airbrushed contour. I blend it in using the Seventeen cheek brush on my cheekbones and jawline and then I use the Real Techniques Base shadow brush for the sides of my nose and all of the smaller areas. I also make sure I go over this with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge to make sure everything is blended seamlessly.

Last but not least, I've been seriously impressed with the Essence Eyeliner Pen. This is definitely similar to the Soap and Glory Supercat Eyeliner Pen but for a third of the price. It's thin tip makes sharp wings and precise lines so much easier, and eases the struggle of winged liner quite a bit. It doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day, nor does it fade. The pigmentation is incredible and I don't find it to be too watery which is an issue I have with quite a few liquid liners. It is a brilliant product, my only issue being, it isn't the slightest bit waterproof so even the tiniest little splash adn it'll be all down your face. However, it doesn't claim to be waterproof and for £2, I can't really complain!

What have been your favourites throughout the month?

Emily xx

+ Cult beauty was down at the time of writing this post, so I was unable to link the Glow Kit, however I will add in a link as soon as it is back up and running!