"Beat the Winter Blues" Makeup Look

Hello lovely people!

I absolutely LOVE this kind of look for when I'm feeling down and need a little pick-me-up (this happens frequently in winter because I can't stand the cold!).  So this is what I like to wear to beat the winter blues:

• Catrice Re-touch Light-reflecting Concealer in light beige on any spots or scars
• Beauty Treats Love Crush Bronzer in 02 on the cheeks and eyes
• Ralo Jumbo Eyeliner Pencil in Cocoa along the upper lash-line
• Ralo Brilliant Lash Mascara
• Wet n Wild MegaLast Lipstick in Sugar Plum Fairy with a bit of clear or pink gloss over the top.

So for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, just hang on a little longer! Spring is around the corner :)

Does anyone else love a bright lipstick to perk up their mood? Let me know!

Until next time xx

Easter Weekend Makeup

I had some fun creating simple looks over the Easter weekend. I really like how they turned out, so I thought I'd share them with you.

 

Good Friday also happened to be my mom's birthday, so we ended up going out for lunch. I was having a pretty good skin day, so I skipped the foundation, put on some of Ralo's Brilliant Lash Mascara, and swiped a bit of the purply-berry Jay Jay's POUTMECRAZY lipgloss onto my lips (the colours of these glosses don't have names! Grr. See the image on the left for this look).

 

Saturday was a chilled day at home (I did lots of applied maths assigments), so I thought to try the red POUTMECRAZY gloss to see how it lasted over a whole day. Once again, no foundation and a bit of mascara (the Wet n Wild Megaimpact this time); this look is pictured on the top right.

We had some guests over on Easter Sunday, so my look was slightly more complicated: I wore a thin layer of Ralo's Long Lasting Liquid Foundation, some of the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder, the purply-berry POUTMECRAZY, two coats of the Brilliant Lash Mascara, and then I layered some eyeshadows from Wet n Wild's Comfort Zone Palette. I started with the bronze crease shade on the lid and a little under the eye, then added the blue-brown definer shade on top of the bronze on the lid (this look is on the bottom right).

Until next time xx

Jay Jays Haul

 

I saw on Facebook that Jay Jays had launched a very reasonably priced cosmetics line, so I simply had to check it out (typical me!). The range includes glosses, what looks like liquid lipsticks, thin and chubby eye pencils, mascaras of varying colours (even a glittery purple one!), little eye shadow duos and a vast range of nail polishes.

From the cosmetics line, I picked up three of the POUTMECRAZY Intense Colour Lipglosses (they look super pigmented, so I think they are lipstick/gloss combination) for R25 each. The classic red and dark pink ones say "matt finish" and look totally opaque, while the purple one looks slightly more sheer and has a little bit of sparkle. I'm really excited to try these out, especially the pruple one, since winter is coming (insert cheeky Game of Thrones reference).

While checking out the Jay Jays Facebook page, I also happened to notice a really cute winter sweat shirt. I'm quite obsessed with anything French, and this shirt is so so soft and comfortable. It's loose and baggy, so I can't wait to wear it with a pair of jeans and some boots for a casual, chic look.

I might do a little review on the lipglosses sometime soon.

Until next time xx

Today's Picks: Favouite Makeup Items

These are my favourite makeup items of the moment! I feel like these products work well together and alone, so let's get down to the details.

This is my Long Lasting Liquid Foundation by Ralo. Ralo is a South African cosmetics company that make really high quality, affordable (and I mean super affordable) products. I have to rave about this product! It's quite a light-weight, medium coverage foundation that comes in a plastic bottle with a pump, and it lasts on the skin absolutely all day! It's really easy to blend into the skin with fingers or a brush and leaves a beautiful, natural finish. It also has a really lovely, light scent. I have oily skin and I find that I hardly ever have to touch up this product. The shade range is awesome for darker skin tones (seeing as Ralo is a South African company, the foundations cater well for African skin). However, people with fair skin my struggle to find a match - I wear the Ivory shade, but my skin tone is more of a Mediterranean light olive. I will point out that not all of the shades are available online. Anyway, some shades can be found here.

This little trooper is my Catrice Cover Stick in the shade 020 Natural Beige. This product has a thick, creamy consistency and is great for covering spots, scars and redness. I would not use this under the eyes, as it creases quite badly. Click here to see Catrice products online.

Two of my more recent purchases! When I saw that Clicks was now stocking Wet 'n' Wild products, I had to try some! First on my list was the Color Icon Petal Pusher Palette. This stuff is gorgeous! Going from top to bottom on the left and then the right, the colours are a slightly pink-toned matte white, a matte lilac, a matte darker purple, a sparkly blue-toned purple, a super shimmery pale pink, a beautiful nude-ish mauve, a glittery deep plum, and a sparkly black. So many looks can be completed with this product! I love wearing the mauve all over my lid, and the plum and black shades work wonderfully as liners as well.

Next we have the Wet 'n' Wild MegaImpact Mascara. This mascara is simply gorgeous! While it's not the blackest mascara, it coats each lash evenly, adds length and volume, and (best of all) it separates the lashes like no other mascara I've tried. I love how full and defined my lashes look when I use this. The wand is quite fat, but the formula is pretty dry, so I don't have any trouble when applying the mascara. For an every-day, all-purpose mascara, this one is fabulous! Check out Wet 'n' Wild products here.

Ralo again! Need I mention how much I love this brand? This is the 5 Colour Eye Shadow in number 20. Ralo's eye shadows are absolutely amazing! I've tried so many of them, and they are all creamy, blendable, pigmented and long-lasting. I like this little palette the most because it has great every-day colours and can also be used for a more dramatic, colourful look. From left to right, we have a white, baby pink, taupe, dark grey, and cool-toned dark pink, all of which are shimmery. I specifically bought this palette to replicate a look by Kayleigh Noelle on YouTube! Here are links to Kayleigh's channel and her makeup look. This Ralo palette can be found here. I'm also going to mention that ALL of Ralo's 5 Colour palettes have beautifully coordinated colous.

This next friend of mine is my absolute staple, every-day favourite lip gloss. Meet the Woolworths Lips Plump & Pout Gloss in the colour Apricot Smoothie. This shiny gloss has a thick consistency and the colour is a lovely nude-peach with a little bit of gold sparkle. It's one of those tingly glosses with a menthol type of feel and a pleasantly sweet scent. Most (if not all) of Woolworths beauty products are approved by Beauty without Cruelty. Product info on this gloss can be found here.

This product I have dubbed the "Queen of the Lipsticks"; I don't think I can express in words how much I love it! This is the Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in number 01. The colour is a lovely, cool-toned dark red that, in my opinion, is perfect for any season. The product is creamy and ultra long-lasting with a pleasant scent. I've worn this lipstick through meals and it only had to be ever so slightly touched up. Also, the packaging is gorgeous! A sleek, black, sturdy tube with a little pop of red, who wouldn't love that?

Out of all of my blushes, I think this one is the most versatile. This is the Ralo Blusher in number 6. It's a classic pink colour that can be built up from a slight, rosy flush to a dramatic, dark pink. This is my favourite blush for stage (I dance) because I can get that great, dark colour out of it. I can't help but appreciate this beautiful packaging! The little black strip with silver writing and snowflake detail is so pretty, and the pan makes a very satisfying "snap!" when closed. I don't think this particular blush is available online, but check out some of the others here.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my favourite makeup products. I'd really like to know if anyone has tried these items! Leave me a comment telling me what you think of them if you have. Until next time!