Empties - Products I've Used Up #4 Cosmetics

My last post was also an Empties, but as I had managed to get through so many products I split them into skin, hair and body products & just cosmetics. This is the makeup post - all the products I have used up recently and what I think of them.

Empties posts do what they say on the tin - literally empty products. The beauty of a post like this is that being as I've used these items in their entirety I can give an honest opinion on what I thought and whether or not I would buy them again. 

So, let's get on with it! Here are the cosmetics products I have used up recently: 

bareMinerals Original Foundation 16g in 'Fairly Light' 

Over the past 7 or 8 years I've gone through countless pots of this. Perfect colour match, great blendable coverage. A product that I'll reach for and repurchase time and time again.

bareMinerals 'Touch Up Veil' in Translucent - £22

Oh yes, another bareMinerals product! Can you tell I'm a huge fan? I absolutely love the loose Mineral Veil but it's not the ideal product to pop in your bag, so I was super excited with they released a pressed compact version a few years ago. Unfortunately for me I just didn't love it as much as the traditional powder. Applied with the puff it was just too thick and left my face looking too chalky and pale - which, being as it was supposed to be translucent, was annoying. I instead used this with a fluffy brush which gave a much better application. I used it up eventually but I'll be sticking to the older version in future! 

bareMinerals 'Prime Time' Foundation Primer - £21

This was a super old bottle. I forgot I had it and then rediscovered it a few months ago. I probably should have chucked it as it was well past is recommended use by once opened date but I threw caution to the wind and used it anyway. A really great clear primer with a nice silicone feel. Something I would be temped to buy again but I do have another to use up beforehand. 

Nars 'Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base' - £19.50

Two words. Holy Grail. This stuff is just amazing. I was gutted when this ran out. It makes your eyeshadow last all day and all night! If your eyeshadow creases or slides off your face after only a few hours you NEED this! Worth every penny and I'll absolutely be repurchasing if. 

Color Your Smile Gerard Cosmetics Lipgloss in Nude - $24

I love a nude gloss & this one was especially nice. I bought this while I was purchasing my youTube Vlogger fave Dial-A-Smile teeth whitening kit from the U.S. I stumbled across their glosses, which I think are formulated to make your teeth look whiter, & I couldn't resist. Perfect nude colour, not at all sticky. There's a mirror on the side which is handy but the light in the lid which illuminates when you open it is actually pretty pointless verging on annoying. I might purchase again but I think I may have found the ultimate nude gloss which is cheaper! Watch this space. 

Soap & Glory 'Archery 2 in 1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush' in Blondeshell - £8

I did an entire Tried & Tested post (here) on these great double ended eyebrow pencils. With a super fine twist up pencil at one end and a great little spooly at the other, this pencil in the light brown colour is superb value for money. A product I will definitely buy again for sure. 

Lo'real 'La Touche Magique Perfect Match' Concealer -  £8.19

This was actually a really nice product. Just the right level of illuminating highlight with great undereye coverage without being too heavy or cakey. I used it up pretty quickly. I would buy again but after I've tried out another few.

That's it for another empties post! I hope you've found this helpful! Which one cosmetic product do you repurchase time and time again? 

Read my last body, face & hair empties post here. 

I'm off to use up some more makeup!!

Love Emma 

XOXO 

Blogger Tag!

Hello you beauties. Today's post is the Blogger Tag. A huge big thank you to the lovely Brenda from Brenda BusyBee for tagging me. (Brenda writes an incredible Beauty & Lifestyle blog so go check her out.)

So, let's just jump straight in. 

1. What is your favourite beauty product?

This is actually a toughy. At the moment it has to be a toss up between the Original Foundation from bareMinerals & Nars Pro Prime Eyeshadow Base. 

The bareMinerals foundation is one I've been using for over 7 years & will continue to do so. 

As a person with oily eyelids the Nars Pro Prime has changed my eyeshadow game. This bad boy keeps my eye shadow on all day & night. When I go to take it off in the evening it still looks exactly as it did when I applied it. 

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

Right now with all this rain I'd have to say back to The Body Holiday Le Sport in St Lucia. We had our honeymoon here and it was incredible. Elemis Spa treatments every single day? Yes please. (The pic above is of the spa.... *sigh*.)

3. What is your all time favourite brand?

I first read this as band & started writing about my love for New Kids On The Block. Thank god I read back the question! 

Anyway, bareMinerals has to be my all time fave. Their foundation was one of the only products I could get back in the day that actually matched my super pale skintone. It's a product I still love and use now which is saying something. My obsession now includes their blushers and eyeshadows too. 

4. Do you collect anything, if so what is it?

Makeup, nail varnishes, body products.... No surprises there. Oh, & pretty stationery. 

5. Early bird or night owl?

As a mum of two I'm an early bird. If I have a late night my little bubba's will be up at the crack of dawn anyway so in normally tucked up by 11pm. 

6. Tea or coffee?

Oh coffee, coffee, coffee. Cappuccino, Latte, Americano, I love them all. I'm that person that will eat the coffee chocolate in a selection box first. I might have a decaf tea in the afternoon but coffee rules my world. 

7. What is your favourite TV show?

This is another tricky one. I'm currently loving True Blood (I'm quite behind but after reading all the books I just had to watch it). All time fave has to be Friends. Timeless comedy right there. Oh & what about Dawson's Creek.... 

8. If you could travel to any era what would it be?

It's got to be the 40's. For the outfits, the hair, the makeup... stylish, chic and classy. 

So, there you have my Blogger Tag! 

I now tag: 

Angela from Chocolate & Lipstick  & Helen from Loves & Loathes. Your questions are the same as above! 

I'm off to buy some more makeup! 

Love Emma 

XOXO 

What's in my travel makeup bag?

When you go away you're faced with a number of stresses. Have you booked the right kind of accommodation? Will the weather be what you were hoping for? And the most stressful of all; what makeup will fit in my travel makeup bag *gulp*. 

Seriously though, when you go away, whether it be for the weekend or two weeks, it's not practical to take your entire cosmetics collection. Choices have to be made. You need to pick products that will take you through from day to night and give you an assortment of different looks, all whilst keeping your luggage under 22kg. 

I recently I went to Center Parcs for a week. I needed make-up that would hold up through sun & rain, bike riding and tree top climbing.... all whilst looking semi-pulled together but not too done-up. Here's what I took with me.

My travel makeup bag:

Kipling Kari Purse in Celo grey.

Love this bag, super lightweight and holds surprisingly quite a lot. You can bung it in the washing machine if it gets grubby or something leaks. 

Base/skin:

bareMinerals Prime Time Daily Defense Neutralizing Foundation Primer SPF 30. 

Lovely product. Evens out skin tone, keeps oil at bay & helps my foundation last so much longer. 

bareMinerals Original Foundation in Fairly Light. 

All time favourite. Great coverage, 'my skin but better' look. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Cool Medium. 

Amazing drugstore find. Budget product that covers brilliantly and lasts all day. 

L'Oreal The Touche Magique True Match Anti-Fatigue Illuminating Concealer in Ivory Beige. 

Perfect under-eye dark circle cover-upper and highlighter in one. 

bareMinerals Mineral Veil in Perfect Light. 

Gorgeous lightweight setting powder. Sets makeup and gives an airbrushed finish. 

Colour:

Body Shop Bronzing Powder in Light Matte.

Really lovely light shade bronzer for my super pale skin. Enough colour to contour and warm my face without looking orange or too tanned. 

bareMinerals Blush in Sorbet.

Great all round blusher. Buildable colour. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow. 

Another all time fave. Gorgeous colour with lighting powder, two products in one. 

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter.

Another 2 in 1, a stunning golden highlighter but can also be used as an eyeshadow. 

Eyes:

Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base.

The ultimate eyeshadow primer. Using this bad boy makes my eyeshadow last all day & night. Couldn't be without it. When I go to take my makeup off of an evening my eyeshadow is still perfect as when it was first applied when I use this. 

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr eyeshadows in Pink Gold & Permanent Taupe. 

Amazing eyeshadows. These two look lovely together. 

bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 pallet in The Possibilities. 

4 beautiful shades for countless combinations. Great daytime and evening looks from one pallet. 

Y.E.T Catgirl Waterproof Pen Liner in Black. 

Super fine brush tip. Really easy to use and long wearing. 

Soap & Glory Archery 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush in Blondeshell & Hot Chocolate. 

Great pencils. I used both colours to get the perfect shade for me. 

L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga Waterproof Mascara in Black.

One of the very few waterproof mascara I actually like. Doesn't flake and gives great volume. 

Lips:

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Future Star. 

Beautiful peachy pink colour, not at all sticky, great shine. 

Maybelline 14hr Superstay Megawatt Lipstick in Burst Of Coral.

My current favourite lipstick. Neon bright and lasts amazingly well. 

So, there you go. The contents of my travel makeup bag (along with eyelash curlers & an assortment of makeup brushes). I guess for a lot of people this would be a lot of products but for me it's just right! 

Check out why I can't stop buying bareMinerals blushers' here & a full review of the Soap & Glory Archery Pencils here. 

I'm off to reorganise my makeup bag, 

Love Emma 

XOXO