Empties.

I thought i'd do an 'empties' post as it's something I've not done on my blog before! Apologies for the bad quality photo.. Obviously some of the packaging has worn away as they have been used for quite a while! And i finally managed to quickly snap a few photos whilst I wasn't working and there was actually daylight! These are just four items i have used up within the past couple of weeks (I can finally throw them out now that I've photographed them..#bloggerproblems!). All of these products are fairly cheap, all under £10. the links to the products are provided below.

vo5 High volume extra strong hold hairspray - to be honest this was nothing special at all. I think i picked it up as it was on some kind of offer in superdrug. I never stick to any one hairspray I usually just go for the cheapest but i always go for the strongest hold as I have thick hair! this claims to be 'extra strong hold' but I don't think it was at all. this reminded me more of the 'natural hold' type hairsprays you can get. It didn't really feel like it was doing much, and it definitely wasn't a good hold. I was really unimpressed with it and definitely wouldn't repurchase. Anyone else tried this? I'd be interested to know if people like this hairspray. Pretty much the only thing i like is the packaging.

L'Oreal nude magique BB cream - I can't rave about this enough. It's one of my favourite products EVER, i honestly love it! I think i've spoken about this previously in my daily makeup routine post (which you can check out here if you like). I use this every single day without fail, I barely ever wear foundation any more as this does a good enough job alone (I use concealer and powder with it though). I'm quite lucky to have pretty clear skin so i don't need a heavy coverage foundation. i love the way this product leaves my skin - it's always matte without being too dry, which is absolutely perfect for me! Seriously, anyone with oily / combo skin needs to try this! definitely one of my holy grail products. 

Maybelline Dream nude airfoam foundation - like I've just mentioned above, I rarely wear foundation any more. i will only tend to wear it for a night out now (which isn't that often these days!). So i've had this for quite a while now.. over 6 months. But only use it occasionally. I don't dislike this foundation but it's not anything special in my opinion.. It isn't too oily which i like, with it being a foam. Generally i don't like heavy coverage foundations at all and this is quite light on the skin. I don't think i will repurchase it, I want to try and find a foundation I love and stick with it.. so i will have to test a few. If anyone has any recommendations for combination skin, please let me know!

Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara - again this was just a mascara I picked up because it was either on offer / one of the cheapest ones (there seems to be a reoccurring pattern here..). I don't really tend to stick to one mascara.. i've also tried the extreme black version of this. I think they're fine, but nothing special. They do the job but there are much better mascaras out there. I generally prefer mascaras with a plastic wand rather than bristles. Despite it having bristles i did quite enjoy using this mascara. I think it's one of those cheap and cheerful ones. I'd probably repurchase it again if it was on offer or something! 

Rimmel stay matte foundation.

I've been using this Rimmel stay matte mousse foundation for a while now on and off with other foundations. I tend to reach for this if my skin is feeling particularly oily that day, or if I know I will be out for a long time. I think this foundation is really effective, it minimises shine and it actually stays matte for a long time. However it doesn't dry out my skin too much, which is great, although i think it probably would if someone who was prone to dry skin used it. I tend to just apply it with my fingers as I feel it goes on better with it being quite a creamy consistency, and once its on my skin it dries in really fast which is perfect.. then it's not greasy! I think it retails at around £6? But i got mine from ebay for about £3.50 I think (I always turn to ebay it's the best!). I've almost ran out of this product and i will definitely be purchasing it again on friday when i get paid! I know it's a cheap product but I find it definitely works for me so why pay more for essentially the same thing? I love finding a bargain!

 I have also been using this pressed powder by Rimmel too (shown above), and it is pretty effective. I think the 'matte' look is an essential for me I cannot stand looking shiny at all! I never really thought of using Rimmel products before as it seemed like a sort of 'cheap' make to me, but I am impressed with this foundation so i will probably try more of their products now! Does anyone else have a favourite product by Rimmel?

My daily makeup routine.

I thought I would do a little post with all the makeup I'm currently using and do a little review of each product all in one post! 

Mua makeup academy Matte Foundation: Shade 1 soft sand - I bought this last week as I just needed a cheap foundation to keep me going until I got paid. I usually tend to go for matte foundations as I have combination oily skin. When I first used this, even after moisturising before, I found it really dry and almost like glue when I tried to blend it. The next time i used it i tried mixing it with my Clinique Dramatically different moisturising gel (half and half of each), and I found this works really well with my skin so I've been using them together everyday now. I think the foundation works well as a matte foundation, but without mixing with moisturiser it was too dry for my skin. I think it's definitely worth it for the price though, it only cost me around £2.00 from Superdrug.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 01 light - I have previously done a review on this concealer so i won't go into too much detail, I will just reiterate the fact I absolutely love it and don't know how i would live without it now! It's definitely the best concealer I've tried and I'd recommend it.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection ultimate wear powder: 1 fair - Again, this was just another cheap product I picked up to keep me going for a while. I usually swear by Max Factor Creme Puff but I thought I'd give this one a try as a slightly cheaper option, I think it was only about £2.49. It seems to prevent my skin from getting too oily / shiny, especially when I use it with the matte foundation. I don't think there's anything special about it as there are a lot of similar powders but i can't complain for the price!

MAC Sheertone blush in Pink Swoon - I have reviewed this product before, so you can check out that post here if you like. I do love the colour of this blush, however I do think it's overpriced and i seem to have to use a lot every time I apply it!

17 Glam rocks eye palette - I love this smoky eye palette by 17, i got it as a free gift when they had an offer on a couple of years ago. I tend to use the cream colour as a base for my eyes and then use one of the darker colours towards the outer corners. 

Excellence Eyebrow pencil in Brown - I've been using this for a few months however I've only just started doing my eyebrows properly so I've ordered an eyebrow kit to make it easier. This pencil works well but it goes blunt really easily so I have to constantly sharpen it. But it comes with a sharpener built into the lid which is quite useful! 

Max Factor Kohl Pencil: 020 Black - I got this as part of a gift set from Max Factor so I'm currently using this, although it will probably run out soon with it being so small. It is one of the best pencil eyeliners I've used, it stays on all day and doesn't smudge easily. So i will consider buying the full size version when this one runs out!

Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara in Black - This was also part of a gift set so is only small in size. I do like this mascara and it helps to lengthen my lashes however I wouldn't say i'm totally overwhelmed with it; I have tried better mascaras. 

Sally Hansen Diamond 12 hour lip treatment in Solitaire - I bought this lip gloss as I spotted it in a factory outlet type shop for around £1.99 so I decided to try it! It's quite tingly when you apply it although it doesn't claim to be a 'plumping' lip gloss. It's a nice colour as it contains sparkly / shimmery bits within the pink colour, although I tend to wear it over lipstick for a night out.

Anyway, there you go, that's the majority of my daily makeup. I do obviously use different / more makeup when I go out. I tend to use darker makeup for a night out too as I'll usually be wearing fake tan. I plan on doing another post soon about my daily skincare routine :) thanks for reading!