Everyday makeup routine // current favourites

It's been a while since I've had a proper chat about my current makeup routine and my favourites, so I decided to combine the two and discuss what I've been loving so much, that I've been using them all on the regular. It is officially the summer holidays!! So I've spent the last couple of days either shopping for my first ever classroom, or just lounging about and relaxing at long last. So this makeup routine is more what I was doing in the final weeks of term, whist I was supply teaching (more on that in an update post!).

Starting with the base, I have been LOVING using the Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow (£38.50) after applying my favourite moisturiser. As I have been so exhausted since way Easter time - really there has been SO much going on, I feel like my skin really has suffered the consequences 😪. Late nights, stress, dehydration, you all know the drill and my skin will need a good amount of pampering this summer to get back on track. As a little cheat, I've been using the wonder glow to add some glow and not only does my foundation look better over the top, but it just adds a gorgeous sheen to the skin. On no makeup days I like mixing a little in with my moisturiser too. I think there are better liquid lighters out there in terms of intensity, but this is a beautiful before foundation step. The base of choice, has been the Wet'n'wild photo foundation in golden beige ($5.99) . I've linked the site where I purchased mine from, and if you don't spend over £15 you won't be charged customs. Anyways this foundation is gorgeous, I love it and I can't believe it's so incredibly affordable! I definitely will be repurchasing it - the shade match is amaaaazing, the coverage is medium and the finish is pretty natural. Let me know if you'd like a full review.

Also it's not often that I talk about foundation brushes, because I am a HUGE beauty blender fan...but I have just gone about 3 months without using one. I really couldn't justify picking another one up whilst I was training and not earning a penny, so I decided to use face brushes and fingers. Don't get me wrong, beauty blenders are still the one and only tool for me if I HAD to pick, but actually the Morphe E6 brush (£15.00) is brilliant. I felt like I was using less product with this brush and with a stippling motion, the size of the brush meant my face was blended in next to no time - perfect for anyone with a busy morning routine. I used to adore the RT buffing brush, but I've literally chucked those out since I've had this in my collection, cause they just do not compare!

Moving on to concealer, old habits die hard here! Well, actually in the last couple of months I did try this phase of going for a lighter coverage undereye, but nothing would work as well as my beloved Kevyn Aucoin Sensual skin enhancer in SX07 (£38.00) reviewed here.  And what I love most about this pot of goodness is that you can actually adjust the coverage if need be. It's my tried and tested and has definitely earned the title of H.G. And to set it, as you can tell from the photo I have been loving yet another U.S drugtore product - the wet'n'wild contouring powder in caramel toffee ($5.99). Majorly hit pan and I will be ordering another one soon, because I love it, the yellow powder is so brightening and its really comparable to more high end powders. I also still do my 'light bake' with whatever loose powder I am using, I don't have a particular favourite at the moment, but just search loose powder in the side bar if you want to know my thoughts on the ones I've used.

Brows...really not much has changed here either! I am still smitten with the ABH dip brow in chocolate (£15.00) and in total shock that it has lasted this long. I have often added a couple of drops of the kiko mixing solution (not on the website for some strange reason!) which works really well at reviving it. The brush I've been obsessed with for the last few months is actually the primark brow brush (£2.50), it honestly rivals brushes that are 4-5X the price, I highly recommend you picking it up.

The eyeshadow palette of choice has been the Zoeva Cocoa blend (£18.00), which is genuinely one of the best palette out there right now. The mattes are creamy enough and have good pigment and the shimmer shades are beautiful on the lid. Colourwise, it is just perfection - with all the shades I need for a basic look. Don't get me wrong, my single shadows palette is still my all time favourite because of the amazing variety and formula - but I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone looking for a daily palette with the basics you need if you're a warm toned lover! The mascara of choice has been the Essence rock n doll (£2.80) because it adds a lovely amount of volume - not the most length, but its a goodie!

Moving on to the face powders, it has been a bit of a Narssist party! The laguna-orgasm duo (which you can get an adorable mini version of for just £15!!), is something I kept with my throughout my time in Pakistan, partly for the mirror but also because laguna is a must have for me. As for that iconic blush shade, I certainly don't mind it, but its not something I would purchase the full size of. That mini size is literally perfection, I mean I've not had the chance to see it in person yet, but what an affordable and great way to try some NARS iconics! The second NARS product is the One shocking moment palette (limited edition). I have loved using the various shades in this and I'm so pleased I picked it up, because again it was a very affordable way to try several of their products in one go! To be honest it was tucked away, for far too long, so I've ensured I'm using it on a regular basis and I've got a really good feel for those, so keep an eye out. And finally a non-nars product! The Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in that glow (£40) reviewed here is just my favourite for everyday, its beautiful and if you don't own a glow kit yet....YA NEED ONE OKAY.

And finally on to the lips, I have been obsessed with my oldschool jordana lip liner in tawny ($),which I saw years ago on Carli Bybel's channel. It is perfect, the ideal MLBB shade and great for slightly over lining. The formula is fantastic too, so much so that I had to pick up a back up last month. The Huda Beauty Liquid Lipstick in bombshell (£18.00) and The Balm Meet Matte Hughes in committed (£15.00) reviewed here are the two liquid lippies that have been used the most recently. They're both beautiful pink shades, with fairly similar formulas actually - neither are too thick or heavy and to be honest they don't have the best longevity, but they're lovely! That colourpop lippie is actually their ultra glossy lip in weho (I think!), because I've been loving to switch it up with a different finish. YES, colourpop is a pain in the butt to ship over, but I am soooo impressed with weho, because it's such a comfortable creamy, non-sticky gloss - big big fan.


And that is just about it everybody! Those are my current favourites and go-to products, a mix of high end and low, U.S and UK.

What have you been loving recently? 

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Everyday makeup routine // current favourites

Colourpop spring haul | Trying pressed shadows and glossy lips

Well hello lovely people! It feels wonderful to be writing an actual beauty post again and this one has been a long time coming. Whilst I was drowning in the intense pressure of teacher training, I had a cheeky splurge on colourpop thinking I was going to avoid customs...but sadly it was quite the spectacular fail, I can tell you that much! 🤦🏽‍♀️ I don't really want to go too much into the ins and outs but it was a huge error on colourpop's behalf as they didn't bother to change the prices on the customs label, meaning it looked like I had spent a lot more than I actually did - which, yep you guessed it, customs GALOR 🙄. Its a jolly good thing that I actually like most of what I ordered, since I ended up paying a lot extra for it...and hey, the day colourpop comes to beautybay will be a wonderful one haha!

Starting off with what I was most excited for, their new(ish!) single pressed shadows. I did always wonder if colourpop would release their own because their super shock versions are pretty much what they started with. Personally I'm not a huge fan of the super shock, I do own around 12 shades, but I don't think they're the best value for money since they do dry out within a year - especially the mattes. So when I saw the pressed powder versions I was really looking forwards to giving them a go. I purchased a palette and then six single shadows cause there was some sort of deal on with them.

It's been a good few weeks since I've had these in my stash and although I am currently trying to review all my single shadows from ABH and MUG together, I've decided to keep the colourpop one separate. A full review for each of this shades'll be up very soon because I've tested them quite a bit. I'm going to run through the shades I picked up now, but if you're impatient for the review I'll give you the bottomline now: these shadows are not as good as ABH or MUG but they're decent shadows to own and the shade range already is beautiful. Now that I've had a good chance to try out the different formulas, I don't think I'll be rushing to pick up their newer shades. Don't get me wrong, they're great if you're in America and can order them with no customs or excessive shipping fees - even better if you can get them on sale for like $3 each! However if you're like me, from the U.K and you HAVE to go through customs etc. I personally don't think they're worth the extra amount of money. If there is a shade or two that I really love (and knowing colourpop's amazing shade range, there will be), and I'm placing an order anyway then I'll probably pick it up and let you guys know about it too haha. For the most part though, I feel pretty 'ehhh' about them - they're good, but they're not on the same level as MUG or ABH, which you can get for a cheaper price point in the U.K if you combine the customs that are added to the colourpop price tag. (To read about my MUG shadows click here and to read about ABH click here).

This palette is called heavy hitter, and it has a nice range of warm toned shades. I have been loving the matte ivory shade as well as that deep red. The shades in order left-right: Full-Zip, Ringer, Side Tracked, Top Notch. My palette doesn't look like this anymore though, because I have done what many other have done, I've ripped the inside of it out! Which means I can now hold all of my 10 shadows comfortably inside, which is awesome ^_^ I highly recommend you do the same if you own any of these palettes because it's so good for travelling. The actual palette itself is made out of cardboard, but its sturdy and will last a decent amount of time. The only complain I have is that white colour, combined with the matte - it's already so grubby which was inevitable.

I also purchased the following 6 shades: Labyrinth, High-strung, Boxer, Paper tiger, I owe you and cut-outs. I have definitely spent long enough chatting about these shadows for one post, but if you're interested on a full review of the shades, watch this space! And for now, enjoy some swatches below. I will say though that paper tiger wasn't the colour I had hoped it would be, I've just had a look on their site and a newbie which is already sold out -  'tiki' is definitely the colour I was hoping for!

Some VERY pretty colours there, like that yellow is nice and I have to say I was kinda lacking on just matte light shades for the brow bone (check out my single shadow series here for the brow shades I already own). I think you can see some of them are kinda lacking though, so I wouldn't recommend them all.

Okay moving on to some lip products, I was VERY excited to get my hands on both of these! The first thing I wanted to try out was one of their ultra glossy lips, and I went for weho, which is a very opaque nude shade. I LOVE it. So so much, and I think its particularly because I have been so obsessed with liquid lipsticks for the longest time, so to go completely the other way is probably what I've needed for a while. Especially for spring, throwing on some gloss is just the perfect thing with a glowy base and light eyes! I then had to pick up another ultra satin lip in strip. I own a couple of these and have reviewed half of them here, so I thought picking strip up would mean I'd have that perfect wearable nude....and it's not bad! I wouldn't wear it without a deeper lipliner, cause it can appear a little too chalky, but it's definitely more wearable than some of the shades I own and I do reach for it to add some lightness.

And a product I HAD to repurchase is the colourpop brow pencil, absolutely love this thing. Now I am definitely a brow pomade fan, especially cause I don't remove the hair from my brows and like to go for that super au natural look, but this brow pencil is fantastic. It reminds me a lot of the ABH brow wiz, which I also liked but wouldn't pay that price tag for again. This time I picked up bangin brunette AND dope taupe, which I've not had the chance to try yet, but I shall keep you posted. They also threw in a cute little ultra satin lip, which is perfect for the handbag and luckily in a shade I don't own - dopey (which was hugely popular after it released some time last year). I like it, a little darker than I imagined but still, it's a shade I'd reach for often so I cannot complain #FREEBEZ.

And that is my final colourpop haul for a long time, because let me be real frank, my cheeks are still stinging after being slapped with those custom charges 😭. Have you picked up any of that new new from colourpop lately? What do you recommend?

Thank-you for reading ♥
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Colourpop spring haul | Trying pressed shadows and glossy lips

Well hello lovely people! It feels wonderful to be writing an actual beauty post again and this one has been a long time coming. Whilst I was drowning in the intense pressure of teacher training, I had a cheeky splurge on colourpop thinking I was going to avoid customs...but sadly it was quite the spectacular fail, I can tell you that much! 🤦🏽‍♀️ I don't really want to go too much into the ins and outs but it was a huge error on colourpop's behalf as they didn't bother to change the prices on the customs label, meaning it looked like I had spent a lot more than I actually did - which, yep you guessed it, customs GALOR 🙄. Its a jolly good thing that I actually like most of what I ordered, since I ended up paying a lot extra for it...and hey, the day colourpop comes to beautybay will be a wonderful one haha!

Colourpop Series | Just Peachy Trio Review

Hello everyone! Back with another colourpop post, and this time I'm focusing on one of their cute value trios - Just Peachy ($15.00). They currently have free international delivery over $50 - check out this post if you're interested in the ordering process and customs. If you were to buy this kit, you'd save a total of $3, which isn't much..but savings when you're already having to pay customs, well every little helps haha. Now when they launched all their peachy shades, I was glued to their website with this emoji reflecting back at the screen: 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍. BUT I had JUST ordered a bunch of things in the haul I linked above, so could I justify another $50 order, jobless, as a trainee teacher? Nooooope. I refrained with a heavy heart and left it be, till a couple of weeks later when they had the free international delivery offer on again and lo and behold they had just put together this trio...so it was just meant to be hehe.

In the just peachy trio, you get two ultra matte lips and one ultra satin. I was sure that I wanted their deeper shades, but I do find their swatches to be quite hit and miss. Getting a range of peachy colours was definitely part of the appeal with this set and I have to say, it was a fantastic decision over all. Now lets get into za reviews!

Colourpop Screenshot | $6  | Ultra Satin Lip

The first shade in the kit that I tried was the ultra satin - and I LOVE this formula so much! It's super comfortable to wear and although it doesn't last quite as long as the matte lips, I really enjoy it enough for me to reapply as and when I need to (which isn't as often as a regular lipstick). Screenshot is the most flattering peachy nude for an olive skintone, that I have ever come across. Whilst the swatch comes out a lot darker, because my lips are quite pigmented it appears lights and I really like it. At first I was like no no nooo way too light! But I think thats because my comfort zone is definitely more into the deeper mauve shades, so once I got used to it I really liked it.  Screenshot is definitely a beautiful spring shade and I feel like as long as my makeup isn't too over the top I can pull it off nicely.

Favourite way to wear it: I like to line my lips with any neutral liner, usually I'll go for Rimmel Tiramisu, and then I'll apply this over the top. I find with any nudeish shade, a defined lip is essential for balancing it out, cause otherwise it'll look messy.

Repurchase: I like it, I'm not totally obsessed because it is a little out of my comfort zone, however its a gorgeous nude shade which actually works with my skintone so yeah I'd pick it up again in the future.

Overall Rating: 5/5

Colourpop Instigator | $6  | Ultra Matte Lip

This is a matte formula and again the swatch on the website is NOTHING like how it appears in real life, which is honestly a little irritating ._. I will say though that it is a hard shade to photograph! When you first apply it, it looks a lot brighter and a little intimating, but it dries down to a more wearable shade. Because I have a very olive skintone, it pulls coral on me, however its the only coral that I don't mind too much. That bright shade will never be my favourite because it does clash again yellow undertones, however I feel like I can just about pull it off, JUST ABOUT. It is a lot more out of my comfort zone than the shade above though. Also once again, the swatch below isn't very accurate to how it appears on the lips unfortunately :( You can check out my IG (@theblushinggiraffe) for a swatch video, which'll give you a more accurate idea.

Favourite way to wear it: So far I have been wearing this alone and it wears well nicely without the need for a liner. I don't think I have one that would match with this shade anyway! 

Repurchase: No I wouldn't, if it came out how it swatches or even how it looks in the tube then of couseeeee. But the coral tones...I mean I'm gonna wear this tube and hopefully finish it at some point, but I won't buy another one.

Overall Rating: 3/5 

Colourpop Speed Dial | $6  | Ultra Matte Lip

And finally on to my all time favourite shade from the trio - speed dial! First of all, I don't know why exactly but the formula for this shade is soooo lovely, light weight, thinner than usual and hardly drying at all...I'm not sure why it's different but I'm not complaining at all! Secondly this is the most gorgeous dark peachy/burnt orange/terracotta shade ever. It's very very flattering against olive skintones and its one of those shades that you can wear with minimal makeup and it'll be the focal point, or you can wear it with a heavier glittery eye and still look fabulous. If you are a WOC, you NEED to add this shade to your basket, it's so unique and so stunning, the swatch below doesn't do it enough justice.

Favourite way to wear it: like I said the formula for this is so fab, that I don't even go in with a lip liner, despite the fact that it is a darker lip shade. 

Repurchase: YESSSSS, definitely need me some back ups on speed dial!

Overall Rating: 5/5 🙌🏽

And here are the swatches, but like I said its hard to judge shades by arm swatches because they do look so different on the lips. I recommend searching youtube, google images and my IG ;D before purchasing.

Have you tried any of the shades from their peachy collection?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Colourpop Series | Just Peachy Trio Review

Hello everyone! Back with another colourpop post, and this time I'm focusing on one of their cute value trios - Just Peachy ($15.00). They currently have free international delivery over $50 - check out this post if you're interested in the ordering process and customs. If you were to buy this kit, you'd save a total of $3, which isn't much..but savings when you're already having to pay customs, well every little helps haha. Now when they launched all their peachy shades, I was glued to their website with this emoji reflecting back at the screen: 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍. BUT I had JUST ordered a bunch of things in the haul I linked above, so could I justify another $50 order, jobless, as a trainee teacher? Nooooope. I refrained with a heavy heart and left it be, till a couple of weeks later when they had the free international delivery offer on again and lo and behold they had just put together this trio...so it was just meant to be hehe.

Collective Haul | Typo, Colourpop and Illamasqua

Hello hello, welcome back to the blog! Today I'm sharing the stuff I've purchased over the last few weeks. I've been a bit too spendy because theres yet another haul coming up after this tsk._.  Also I just wanna say I HATE the way these photos came out, hate hate hate them cause the lighting was so awful and although they looked alright on screen, on the laptop....a different story!


Right starting with the only non-beauty items, that marble mug that you see camouflaging was something I couldn't say no to when stepping into the store Typo, for the very first time. When you work in a school, usually you aren't allowed to carry cups of tea around for obvious reasons. However my DIY caramel lattes are usually what gets me through the morning, so not being able to have them was a problem and a half! Luckily this mug is now in my life and I L  OVE IT. Its a really huge size, you could fit two mugs of tea in there no problem, but also it has a secure lid which stops any liquid from getting out and is easy to remove and clean too. Plus you don't get the tiniest amount to sip from, its a large enough size - love it! I also couldn't help but pick up this set of tiny pegs and try and make my own lil polaroid wall. BTW TYPO have a random flash sale for TODAY only, srsly check it out if you want the quirkiest and cutest stationary/items/gifts.

It had been a while since I had shopped from the essence range, because its not the most easy brand available. However you can find essence at your local Wilko store if you're from the U.K (I tend to order them online though!). I picked up a couple of mascaras, which I have now given as part of gifts because they're the BEST mascaras from the highstreet! Nothing compares. I especially love this one, but I wanted to try some others from their range, so I purchased a topcoat mascara this time called forbidden volume (£2.80). It has lash fibres in it and I'm so excited to try it out and see if its as good as my favourite! I also repurchased one of their matte lip things, no idea why they call them lip glosses because they clearly aren't...but this is the shade 3 and its stunning! One of my favourite everyday shades, very comfortable more of a cream that dries down a little matte and it's just super effortless.

This haul post photography wise is such a fail, but I also picked up the make me brow (£2.50) in shade 3, which is an exact dupe for the Benefit one...honestly idk why anyone would actually pay a silly amount for a brow mascara - BUY THIS ONE. It's great, my brows stay in place all day and the colour helps to tone them down, which really is always a good thing haha.

Moving on to slightly more high end makeup, Illamasqua were one of the only stores this year to have a decent sale on (thankyou Illamasqua for understanding the word sale!). I didn't want to splurge on too much but honestly I could have easily spent £80+ because I know that what I'm getting is really fantastic quality makeup. I have a post coming up on my fave blushers from the brand, because they don't get as much love as they deserve! The first thing I picked up in the sale, was the Illamasqua precision liner in Wisdom (£20.50), which I got for less than half price! I purchased it because its a KHAKI eyeliner, and y'all may know that khaki is my all time favourite colour. Recently I've been wearing it instead of black and I LOVE how it looks! Still a sharp wing, but a lot less intense which is perfection for a normal school day. I also couldn't resist picking up their vintage cream shadow in bibelot, which is out of stock from their site but I've linked it from the selfridges site. This isn't quite as dark as it appears when first applied, but you can build it up and I love the soft golden shimmers too. Its been a while since I've purchased new Illamasqua products, so I'm really glad to have these two beauties to play with!

I did a lil shopping on beautyjoint.com, which is my go to site for U.S beauty items! I purchased two shades of the Wet n Wild come correct celebrity concealer ($4.99), because I heard its a dupe for the IT cosmetics one. I've not used it much so far, but of course I'll be sharing it with you all when I come to a verdict. I also picked up the L.A Girl Pro Primer ($2.00) which is skin coloured and is basically a matte pencil. So far so good with this, especially for that bargain of a price! A product that looks a lot nicer than it is, that glitter thing from wet'n'wild...awful. Don't bother purchasing this because its pretty much useless, I feel like they got vaseline and dunked a bunch of glitter in it and then pressed it down...nah certifeye glitter is a LOT better!

The eyeliner I've really been enjoying lately is one from boots, the collection extreme 24 hour liner (£3), which is super black and lasts really well throughout the day. I don't remember liking it this much last time I picked it up, which makes me wonder if they changed the formula? Either way, I'm a big fan. Ohhh and how could I not mention these primark NON-LATEX mini blender sponges?! They are fantastic, you get FOUR for only £2.50 and nothing blends in concealer better, ditch those brushes for the under eye cause this is what you need for flawless application. I love how easily they double in size and how super soft they feel on the skin - definitely giving the original beauty blender a run for their money haha.

And I also placed a cheeky colourpop order in the holidays - they always get me with their free shipping over $50! When they released their peachy collection, I was instantly drawn in (although I do think it was an odd time of the year to be doing so!). I was unsure about which ones to purchase, but then I saw this had put together a trio called Just Peachy ($15.00) which includes two mattes and a satin. You don't save a tonne, but its a lovely little kit and I have been obsessed with the shades, fingers crossed the review and swatches will be up tomorrow! I picked up a few bits for friends, and so I just had enough for one more eyeshadow...game face! It's a gorgeous metallic copper shade which is so easy to apply and beautifully pigmented. Game face all over the lid, blended out with warm mattes is going to look stunning. Finally they gave me a free liquid lip, in the shade wild nothing, which is a deeper mauvy rose colour and I LOVE the frosted packaging of this one! Not had too long to try the shade out, but I will be reporting back soon.

And here are some of the swatches! I'm so glad I've finally been able to publish this blog post, its literally been a draft for about 6 weeks ._. I hope you can take advantage of the Typo sale - if not today don't worry, if you sign up to their newsletter you get 20% off! And no this post isn't sponsored by them loool, I wish!! I just really enjoy the store and the quirky range of products they have, so I wanna share it with you all.

P.S I'm really sorry I didn't get this up in time for you to also take advantage of the sale, but please do follow me on social media for the best deals - especially twitter (@blushinggiraffe), because I can share things MUCH quicker on there!

Have you tried anything in my haul? What have you been buying recently? 

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Collective Haul | Typo, Colourpop and Illamasqua

Hello hello, welcome back to the blog! Today I'm sharing the stuff I've purchased over the last few weeks. I've been a bit too spendy because theres yet another haul coming up after this tsk._.  Also I just wanna say I HATE the way these photos came out, hate hate hate them cause the lighting was so awful and although they looked alright on screen, on the laptop....a different story!

Colourpop Series | 'out and about' trio

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing well on this chilly December evening! I am trying to blog every single day for the rest of the year, as it's finally the x-mas holidays wooo ^_^ Todays post is another addition to my colourpop series, focusing on one of their value kits called 'Out and About'. As I've not reviewed anothing from CP in a while, I'll quickly update you on my thoughts about ordering from the brand, before getting into the review.


I've written a couple of posts of how to get colourpop to the U.K, with my most recent one being here. I do still stand by that post and using that method IF they do not have their free international shipping deal on. The last two orders from colourpop I've made were mainly because they were offering free international shipping. The age old question of 'will I have to pay customs', has the same answer: YES yes you will. However it works out at around the same cost if you use a shipping company VS ordering directly from them only when they have their free international shipping offer on! If you were to order from them without that offer on, you're looking at paying around $25 in shipping costs, plus minimum £16 in customs, which means you'll be paying a total of £36 ON TOP of the cost of the makeup - an extortionate amount in my opinion. I don't mind paying the £16 customs charge as I think it's still a good deal, each product costs around £6 so still affordable. However I refuse to pay double that price, so if I have the urge to order from colourpop at any point in the year I'll use the same method as I shared in the post above, otherwise I'll wait for their free international shipping deals. 😊

Now on to the review! Colourpop currently have a few value sets on and when I saw them, I couldn't resist picking up the one called Out and About which costs $15 (around £12). You save a total of $3 when you buy this over purchasing each shade individually, not a huge amount but when you're paying extra for shipping/customs it helps a girl out a tiny little bit! The packaging for the kit is very pretty, but I kinda wish it was an actual box. It's more of a cardboard wrap around with three separate boxes for each liquid lip, which I disposed of after taking these photos. What drew me to this set were the swatches of Times Square, and I didn't really think about the other two shades too deeply, but I gave it a shot and boy oh boy am I glad I did! The shades in this kit are absolute perfection for you olive skintonned beauties out there. I'm going to be reviewing each shade in detail, with a swatch below. If you'd like to see what they look like on me, I've got a swatch video on my instagram account @theblushinggiraffe.

Times Square

Pretty much is the near perfect matte liquid lipstick, I'm SO pleased with it! WOC will know the struggle of finding a good nude shade, if you're stromboli in NARS, I highly recommend times square, because it is wonderful. I have to say, the colour it first appears when you apply it before it dries down, would be absolute perfection. This shade is a tiny bit cooler than I'd like, but all in all its gorgeous, I can actually wear it alone with no other product to balance it out. I'll most definitely be repurchasing this and I don't find it to be too drying either! It applies nice and evenly - I do always say not to layer up colourpop liquid mattes, also to just apply one thin layer all over the lips and let it dry, et voila you have yourself a long lasting nude lip shade.  Rating: 5/5

Viper

The dark horse of the pack, I really did pay no attention to this shade when placing it in my cart, nor did I have any expectations for it..it has blown me away. Viper has been described on their site as a true dusty rose, however I disagree - it is much more of a magenta/purple mix with just the right amount of warmth. I cannot express how stunning this shade looks against olive skintones, its my all time favourite brighter shade of lipstick ever and it totally lifts my face up. Even if I was just wearing some concealer, a bit of liner and viper, I'd look super pulled together. Seriously I am super smitten and again I will for sure be repurchasing! Also again although it's an ultra matte, it really doesn't feel uncomfortable or too drying and it lasts well. Rating: 5/5

Baracuda

The only ultra satin in the pack and the deepest shade, Baracuda is a stunning deep purple with a brown mix and again it looks gorgeous on medium skintones. This is probably the deepest shade I'd feel comfortable wear out and about - haha, didn't even plan that ;D The satin formula is beautiful, very comfortable to wear and it lasts a decent amount of time on the lips. To me baracuda is the perfect A/W deep lip and I have really enjoyed wearing it. Sometimes I do find that I have to almost layer it up though as it's not quite as opaque as the matte formula for some reason. Also I tend to use a lip liner with it, mostly cause its so dark that I need to outline the lips for a bit of sharpness. The lip liner I turn to is the colourpops grunge. Rating: 4/5

And there are the swatches! Sorry the shades aren't totally dried, unfortunately the photos I took when they did dry, are too blurry to share. Anyway all in all I couldn't be happier that I purchased this set because honestly if I had just picked up times square, I wouldn't have the most beautiful bold shade or darker lip in my collection. Again if you're of an olive skintone, you gotta pick it up before they stop doing it, I know you won't regret it 😍

Have you tried any of these shades?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Colourpop Series | 'out and about' trio

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing well on this chilly December evening! I am trying to blog every single day for the rest of the year, as it's finally the x-mas holidays wooo ^_^ Todays post is another addition to my colourpop series, focusing on one of their value kits called 'Out and About'. As I've not reviewed anothing from CP in a while, I'll quickly update you on my thoughts about ordering from the brand, before getting into the review.

Autumn Colourpop Haul

Oppps...I accidently splashed a bunch of dollars because Colourpop hit us with that free international delivery and I caved in as soon as I saw their new 'fall edit' photos! Now this post has been sat in my drafts for 21 days, insane. I am finally getting around to editing the pictures and publishing it for you all - hopefully it's helpful. Plus colourpop have YET ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY OFFER ON RIGHT NOW, when you spend over $50! I placed a second order, but this time there were presents for friends and two products for one of you lovely readers, because its been a while since I've done a giveaway and I feel like I've been so busy, its only fair to plan lil treat for you all. Anyway onto za haul...

I purchased a gift set of three, which I'll be reviewing and swatching separately so look out for that soon. I also picked up three shades of ultra lips and four eyeshadows because the colours were calling my name.

Starting off with the three shades I picked up that aren't in a set, we have ultra satin lip in Calypso, ultra satin lip in Alyssa and ultra matte lip in Love bug. 

As it's been so long since I've had these products, I can tell you that I'm a HUGE fan of Calypso, its a lot lot lot darker than it appears in the tube which is a bit annoying, but I love the shade so I cannot complain. It's a slightly darker colour of my natural lips and although in the swatch below it looks like a warm terracotta shade, on my lips it appears like a wearable mauve. I can wear this colour every single day, its totally fine for work, not out there at all and as I'm typing this, I'm kicking myself for not picking up a back up 🙄.  The formula is beautiful, very comfy to wear, creamy and fairly long lasting for a product that isn't matte.

Alyssa is another ultra satin lip, which is a collab created by the gorgeous Kathleen Lights - its just the right shade to make me not look horrendously ill y'know? Nude shades against an olive skintone are always challenging, but I would definitely wear this alone if I wanted a nude colour. Again it swatches differently on my arm, to how it looks on my lips, but I may be doing some lip swatches on the gram, if I ever got over my cold and have time in the xmas hols! I also really like this shade for nuding up and lightening any other colour, its great and I highly recommend it!

Finally the only matte lip I picked up is Love Bug, which is SO beautiful! Not even gonna pretend, the model shots of them wearing this colour had me sold in a heartbeat. Plus seeing all the photos of people wearing it on twitter, I just knew it had to be mine. Now this one is an ultra matte and actually I do find the formula to be a tiny bit more drying than others in the range. If my lips are feeling sore and dry anyway I won't reach for this, because liquid lipsticks are going to be drying regardless of the brand. It's a deep deep red/terracotta, with brown undertones and if you can get past that drying feeling and you have an olive skintone...you NEED this shade!

Like I said I picked up one of their holiday gift sets, for only $15 which I thought was a good deal. The 'out and about' lip bundle contained two shades I had my eye on and I thought I'd take a risk with the third - cause money off! Like I said a whole separate post will be out on this bundle, but let me just say my perfect nude liquid lipstick might have been found! Shades in this kit: Viper, Times Square, Baracuda with the last being an ultra satin formula.

Moving on to the eyeshadows, I was so drawn into these four shades and I couldn't resist picking them up - don't they just scream autumn?! Now I had actually decided that I wasn't going to be picking up any more colourpop matte shadows, because the ones I purchased last year have become VERY dry, despite me tightly closing the lid after every use. The other formulas will last longer, but it's important to bear in mind that the mattes dry out quicker and I wish they wouldn't! Still like I said I was very very drawn into each of these shades, so instead of not adding them to my collection, I've just decided to keep the mattes close by and use them as often as I can so I am getting my moneys worth.

So sticking with the mattes, I purchased Elixir - which is a stunning burnt orange shade, Although it appears quite bright in the swatch, when blended into the eyelid I find it to be a bit more wearable and I have been loving placing this into my crease to warm up any makeup look. I've been on the hunt for a shade like this for a while, so when I saw it was part of colourpop's  fall collection I snapped it up. It blends really well and like I said, I'm going to keep it out and use it as much as I can before it starts drying out! The second and final matte shade I purchased is the colour brandy. It is like a dusty pink which again blends out darker on the lid and adds a beautiful bit of definition to any eye look. If I'm not using elixir, I'm blending brandy into my crease.

Now I LOVEEEE colourpop's metallic shades and I already have two I know I'll be repurchasing when I'm finished with. They are the perfect addition to a basic eyeshadow look and can take your makeup from day to night with a simple pat of colour. So when I spotted the next two shades I swoooooned. Hammered is an olive khaki green and if you know anything about me, you know thats my favourite colour of all time ever. I do obsess over khaki shades but I now need to practice actually wearing them haha. Anyway hammered is a really pretty shade with beautiful glitter in. No regrets here what so ever. I also spotted the gorgeous 8 track, which is a beautiful antique gold shade. When applied with a brush it appears darker than the swatch, but if you pack it on with the warmth of your finger it comes out more true to colour.

All colourpop shadows are $5 each and you definitely get different pay off when you use your finger, vs a brush. I think that has something to do with the formula. Anyway my advice is to skip the matte shades, unless you see a really unique or pretty colour  - just go for the metallics or shimmers or sheens, they last longer in the long run and give you better colour pay off!

And there is my colourpop haul lovely readers! Have you taken advantage of the free international shipping? By the way, it cost me £16 in customs to get this to me, which is not bad at all, seeing as I didn't pay anything for the shipping. So you can expect to pay around that much if you take advantage of the free international shipping over $50 deal they have on right now. No there is no way to avoid customs, you just have to accept it to be honest D: Waiting for that free international shipping deal is the way forwards, I mean forwarding companies are great too, but waiting for this means you save time and money. Plus the prices are so cheap anyway, that it's much more justifiable.

Have you ordered from colourpop recently? What are your standout products?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Autumn Colourpop Haul

Oppps...I accidently splashed a bunch of dollars because Colourpop hit us with that free international delivery and I caved in as soon as I saw their new 'fall edit' photos! Now this post has been sat in my drafts for 21 days, insane. I am finally getting around to editing the pictures and publishing it for you all - hopefully it's helpful. Plus colourpop have YET ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY OFFER ON RIGHT NOW, when you spend over $50! I placed a second order, but this time there were presents for friends and two products for one of you lovely readers, because its been a while since I've done a giveaway and I feel like I've been so busy, its only fair to plan lil treat for you all. Anyway onto za haul...

COLOURPOP SERIES #2 | Wearable Browns | FOR BROWN GALS

Hello lovely people! Sorry for the little in-pronto blogging break I took, the heat and recent events were to blame, but I am back again today with another colourpop lips post. This time with a darker more brown themed colour family. I am going to be copying and pasting the application tips from the last post, incase you've stumbled upon this one first (but you can read the 'light nude shades' post here). In this set of three I'm happy to say there aren't any that I disliked formula wise, they all applied well and lasted the same amount of time (around 5 hours before it started fading).


I like the packaging it's lightweight, and has silver detailing which makes it look a little more pricey than it is. All liquid lipsticks cost $6 by the way, VERY affordable! I also like how the doefoot applicator is pretty small! Personally I'll only use a lipliner with a liquid lipstick if the shade is a little too light and I need some more definition, otherwise I'll just line my lips with that liquid lipstick itself as they normally have more than enough opacity and longevity alone.

Its also important to note that all liquid lipsticks are a little drying and colourpop's are no exception. Some people find them to be a lot more drying, however you simply need to remember to apply them to DRY lips (which have been balmed up before and of course scrubbed too), and also you only should apply ONE layer. Avoid applying it to the bottom lip and pressing them together, it is better to put on a single layer on both lips and wait for the application to dry down. This way the liquid lipstick will set well and last too. I also find that the more dehydrated that I am, the more the formula sets into fine lines on my lips.

Now on to the review and swatches of each shade!

1. Chi

Colourpop describes this as a cool toned nude and I totally agree with that. As with the vast majority of liquid lipsticks, Chi dries deeper than it appears in the tube. I thought this would be my perfect nude liquid lipstick and it was actually one of the shades I was most excited for, however it is just a little bit too cool toned against my complexion. I can definitely make it work for me, but not when I use it alone. Chi is cool toned a very nude, so it can wash me out a little.

My favourite way to wear this is with a deeper lip liner first (Rimmel Tiramisu) and the apply a small amount of this, blend it out with my finger and basically wear it as a light wash of colour, rather than a full on liquid lipstick in all of its intensity. Sometimes it does need a little adjusting even after blending, so I'll go back in with the lip liner and straighten it up...a bit of a faff! Its a workable colour but I'm not crazy over it and I'll only reach for it when I have the time. My favourite nude liquid lipstick from Colourpop is Bianca (reviewed here) if you were curious!

Overall Rating (colour, longevity, comfortableness) : 4/5

2. Beeper

Colourpop describes this as a warm mid-toned taupe and I'd say thats a pretty accurate description. I do find beeper to be quite an odd shade, its one of those colours that pulls differently on different skintones. The swatch on their site isn't too accurate (probably because of this!). I picked it up for my best friend and on her it looks a lot more brown toned, whereas on me its much more of a mauve and definitely pulls purple.  If you read the reviews on the CP website under this shade you'll see a lot of different shade descriptions, and I'm sure you'd find the same if you google swatches too!

Although I wish it was more warm toned and brown on me, I do like the colour and I will wear it now and again. Again its not a favourite but it is a shade I can wear alone and it goes with most looks too - dressed up or casual. Beeper is a supposed dupe for Kylie Jenner's lipkit in Dulce K, I don't own any of the lipkits so I can't compare them myself, but I recommend watching this youtube video by Shaanxo, which is super helpful!

Overall Rating (colour, longevity, comfortableness) : 4/5

3. Tulle

Colourpop describes this as a dusty mauve burgundy and I'd say thats a pretty accurate description. Tulle is actually my favourite shade form this trio, not because it is the most wearable - more because it really really flatters my medium yellow-toned skin, I am obsessed with how it adds so much life to my face! It pretty much is my all time favourite bold shade and the formula, though a little streaky, is very easy to work with. When I say streaky, I mean I apply it a little slower than the other shades to ensure it is evenly coated on the lips and that it doesn't go out of the lines or smudge. With darker and deeper colours it is much harder to conceal any mistakes so thats kinda a given!

Back to the shade, Tulle is a very wearable burgundy/purple mix and it truly is a MUST have shade for medium skintones, I urge all my fellow brown gals to purchase it. I was a little unsure when I saw this in the tube, but it does dry down darker which I was really happy about. Again the swatch on the website isn't quite how it translates on the lips, but I'm so so happy that its a colour that I love. Will I get through it quickly? Definitely not. However I would totally repurchase whenever it runs out because its a shade that I really like...y'know if you hadn't figured this out already.

Overall Rating (colour, longevity, comfortableness) : 5/5

That is the end of second colourpop liquid lips post! I hope you found it helpful and do head over to my IG for more swatches. I also hope my blogging will get back to a more regular schedule, I have family over and a lot of change going on at the moment so I have given myself some guilt free time off ^_^ But having said that I am very excited to get back to the blogging world too!

Thank-you for reading ♥

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