♥ My March Favourites! ♥

Hey dolls! Spring is finally here! (As well as my first proper blog post finally, woo). March has been an exciting month which has seen the birth of this blog as well as discovering so many (trust me, there are quite a few listed no matter what you’re looking for!) products which will last me through both winter and spring and since my allergies can be such a nuisance, this is essential as well as finding products which don’t break the bank. No matter what the weather, my combination skin can either hate or fall in love with products leading to me breaking out or glowing however despite being skeptical about trying new products from drugstore to high end, I’ve found makeup products and skin care essentials which have worked wonders for me and I’ve been desperate to share them with you all. I’ve also found the best prices for you all so you can save a few £££ so read on to find out where you can get these must-haves from for the cheapest price on the market, and now that I’ve blabbed on enough, let’s just get right into it (it’s going to be quite a long post)…

P.S. Since this post was getting waaay too long, I have cut some stuff out and will be posting more detailed blog posts on them very soon so keep a look out and don’t forget to subscribe! x

Base:

Favourite Primers

Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm – £2.50 (Originally £5, half price until 11/4/2016)

Okay, I know it might feel a bit weird taking a men’s after shave balm product to the till but for £3, I couldn’t help but try this out as a primer. My friends were giving me weird looks for even mentioning it but when I heard Nikkie Tutorials say this was a must have, I did not doubt her. This product does what any primer should do and keeps my makeup on perfectly for around 8 hours due to the high levels of glycerin in it (which acts like a glue). It has a distinguishable manly scent from when you open it but by the time you get to applying your foundation, the smell has completely gone, so don’t worry you won’t be smelling like a man all day. The product itself is quite runny and white in colour which becomes translucent when applied to the skin, so i try not to pour too much out when using this as you won’t need much and it contains quite a lot of product in the tub so it will last you a while. When we’ve had the longest day, with my friends looking at us in the elevator mirror and my make ups still in place with one of them asking “you have the shave balm on don’t you?”, I knew this was a good find. And for only £3, why not try it out?

L’oréal Infallible Mattifying Base Primer – £7.99

This primer does exactly what it says and gives you the perfect mattifying base for your foundation, however it didn’t keep me matte all day. Now for a girl who loves a glow, I wasn’t too fussed but my skin has become more oily in my t-zone areas lately and I noticed that this primer didn’t keep me matte where I’d like it to. That being said, it does exactly what it says it does: “Prepares and smoothes skin by minimising imperfections, pores and shine, gives a mattifying effect, instantly transforms skins texture for an even surface with velvet-soft touch and foundation glides seamlessly across it.” I really do love the base that this gives me for my foundation and how soft it makes my face feel with the application of my makeup going on so smoothly that with my satin finish foundation I really did have a smooth glowing face (quoted by my friends who couldn’t stop staring at my makeup and the only different thing i’d used that day was this primer). Just to be sure it was the primer, I tried it again the next day and instantly noticed the smooth base it gives my face straight away. It kept my makeup on for maybe an hour longer than the Nivea Shave Balm and isn’t the most pricey primer either. The product is a translucent gel which for me was quite difficult to work with at first using the technique recommended of applying dots onto my face and then rubbing it in considering i’m not a fan of gel formulas however it’s become quite quick to use if i squeeze quite a bit onto my fingertips on both hands and then massage it outwards into my skin. If you try this one out, let me know if you like it!

Makeup:

My Favourite Foundation

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid – £6.98

For all my sensitive skin, acne prone beauties out there, this is for you! I have fallen head over heels for this foundation because HALLELUJAH not only does it it match my skin perfectly and actually blend to look like my skin, it is also oil-free, fragrance-free, dermatologist-tested, allergy-tested and non-comedogenic! With it being oil free, i can put this where I usually get acne due to oil clogging  up my pores and not worry about this foundation making it worse. Ever since I broke out worse than ever, finding non-comedogenic products i loved to use whilst treating my acne was a tough one as well as finding one to  match my olive-toned skin. I am guilty of using foundations which have made it look like I’m wearing a mask too light for my face no matter how much I blend onto my neck so I wanted to find a light/medium coverage foundation. I didn’t actually mean to buy this product since I was looking for another Maybelline foundation to try but since it was there I grabbed it and I am so glad I did.

It is a lightweight, lovely smelling foundation and with one layer I can’t even feel it on my face. The coverage is light to medium but enough to cover any marks and pores which I find amazing. If I want higher coverage on any acne scars or my pores, this is definitely buildable and unlike with others I’ve tried, building this up only makes it look better for me! The finish is a satin dewy poreless finish which I love especially when the suns out so I can feel like I’m glowing (although sun in England is rare), I just make sure to set any oily areas with powder as it can budge around my nose however with a primer this foundation stays perfect for me for at least 8 hours. I wouldn’t recommend this for my oily girls out there however for anyone that wants that glow from within without breaking the bank, I’d definitely try this out. I’ll also be picking up another bottle when I can especially since it’s so affordable 🙂

My Favourite Mascaras (I’ve listed a few depending on whether you want a natural lash look or full on falsies effect  however i’ll be making a more detailed post on them with many more favourites and photos soon)

Seventeen Doll’d Up Mascara gives you curled, non clumped doll like lashes. You can add more coats whether you want a complete natural look or a full on doll look- £6.29

No7 Extreme Length Mascara gives you the long long long eyelashes we all dream of having! Wearing it alone gives beautiful results as well applying a coat on top of another mascara just to add that extra length as it makes all the difference, im hooked! – £12.50

L’oréal Volume Million Lashes So Couture and Volume Million Lashes Excess – £9.99 each. I cannot live without these babies, these were the first mascaras i ever used since they were my mums holy grail and i see why! So Couture gives you the perfect curled lashes and Excess literally does make it look like you have a million lashes! These are a must-have for me, even when empty I use the wand to de-clump my lashes and separate them all for that perfect finish.

Makeup Revolution Ultra Cream Contour Palette – £8

This is my first cream contour i have ever tried since i was so used to powder however for only £8 i knew i had to step over to the other side. In the palette, you get 8 different shades which can be used on different skin tones – that’s only £1 for each! I became obsessed with the banana shade and hit the pan on it first which lead to me investing in a banana powder (i highly recommend the NYX one i just bought, it’s amazing) to stop me from overusing the cream. They can be a little stiff at first as can many creams however once you swirl your brush around, you can get more than enough product. It also comes with a nice wide mirror so you can use this on the go.

The contour shades range from very light to a darker bronzey shade. I like to use the lightest to contour my nose as it creates a shadow look rather than a warmed up look and the darkest underneath my cheekbones before applying powder. The highlighting shades range from a pinky shade to a olive concealer shade, however I have been able to use them all just by playing around and mixing them so you can definitely get your moneys worth. The glitter highlighter is also a cream and gives a lovely shimmer to the skin however it can appear quite white, it all depends on how much you use, how you apply it and how much you blend. Overall, i am very pleased with this palette and so glad i purchased it.

Sleek Face Form Palette – £10

My love affair with Sleek started a few years ago with this baby. This palette is still (only just) going strong after over two years now. My highlighter has pretty much gone (💔), my bronzer has just hit the pan and I don’t really use the blush often since it’s too glittery and light pink for me (the fair shade comes with a blush, the medium and dark come with a shimmery bronzer). But the bronzer and highlight shades are definitely my favourites ever since I first got into makeup.

I’ll start with the highlighter – it’s a white shimmery highlighter with a pink undertone however once on the skin it appears as the perfect natural light-catching glow instead of just glitter.

I’ve yet to find a highlighter which gives me that perfect natural highlight for an every day wear however if any of you have any drugstore highlights you love, please let me know
since I really need a new one, I can’t scrape at the edges of the pan forever (sadly).

The contour shade is perfect for creating that shadow under the cheekbones and jawline making the chiselled look so easy to create when I’m rushing around in the morning but also a lovely colour for warming up the forehead and perimeters of my face. Since I don’t use the blush as much, I’m thinking of purchasing the contour kit next time instead of the face form kit on my next trip into town for my two favourite products in one palette.

Makeup Revolution Blush in Treat – £1

This was the first product I ever purchased from MUR and it was back when they were just first coming about as a brand, so everything was fully stocked up and in true MUR style, very cheap and affordable. Of course, i didn’t expect much out of a smaller, cheaper brand but finding the perfect shade of blush that i’d been searching for everywhere for only £1 felt like a dream. I regret abandoning this for a while because it really is my dream shade. It is a lovely peachy-pink shade called Treat and my packaging of course looks different to how it looks now on the site, i haven’t seen it in stores but i’m guessing it is the same one. One swirl of a blush  brush picks enough product for me for a natural look however i like to build this up if i’m going out and is the perfect natural shade to not make me look like a clown. And come on, £1 for a blush?! I’ll definitely be stocking up

Kiko Smart Lip Liners – £2.50 

When I heard these were only £1.20 for the time being, I couldn’t help but buy almost every shade along with my friends however I’m glad I got quite a few because i can definitely use these everyday. They’re matte yet super creamy so don’t dry your lips out, have a good staying power and you can use them all over your lips instead of just lining them if you wish as the liners are pigmented and have a high coverage. I tend to use them all over my lips, and sometimes apply one colour on top of another to get my dream shade. You can sharpen these with a cosmetics sharpener however be gentle as they can be quite soft due to their creamy formula. My favourite has to be 704 which is the brick red shade – I didn’t think it’d suit me but now i just wish i’d ordered another since it’s a minimum spend of £25 to order online, please change that Kiko!

Skincare:

Simple Kind To Skin Deep Cleansing Face Mask – £2.65

For anyone who loves a quick pamper here and there whilst wanting clean, fresh skin, this ones for you! I love face masks but finding the time to use them means that they end up going off before I’ve used all of it up. I’ve always wanted a face mask that will get rid of the dirt in my face deep down so my pores won’t clog up and i’ll end up with clearer skin, and this face mask is everything I’ve been looking for! You leave it on for 3 minutes on dry skin, let it work its magic and then wash it off with water and ta da – your skin will feel smoother than a baby’s freshly moisturized skin before you’ve even put any moisturiser on your face as well as leaving it feeling so clean. I definitely recommend this one, i find that when i apply it to my face it thins out quite a bit but less is more. I’ve used this around 4 times now and i still have quite a bit left. For oily skin, only use it once a week and for dry and combination, twice a week. Pair this with my favourite moisturiser – the Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Moisturiser and you’ve got yourself a win. I love that the products contain vitamins which are amazing for your skin and no harsh fragrances or chemicals. Trust me team, this is definitely one you want to try!

Clean and Clear Spot Gel – £3.94

I just had to throw this one in as it is nothing short of a miracle worker for my spots. My mum had one brewing on her face, put this on at night and by morning it had completely vanished. On tougher spots, after applying this for a few days they had completely dried up and gone and i could definitely see the shrink in size after using this for the first time. It cleared up most of the spots on my forehead and hopefully it continues to work for me, let me know which other spot treatments you like!

So if you’ve made it to the end of this post, you’re definitely one of my favourites since i know this was quite a lengthy first blog post. I hope you try out some of the products and make sure to let me know if you do! What were some of your March favourites? Make sure to let me know in the comments and i hope you all have an amazing April!

See you soon,

Zahra xxx