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Summer Makeup Essentials!

Since the sun is shining, don’t say that too loud, we might spook it! But, since it is, I thought I would put together some of my summer makeup essentials. This isn’t so much about the products, just dive into your collection and see what you have already to play with.

These are products I have in my stash right now. I love shopping my stash, especially when a new season begins.

Summer makeup for me, is about a light base and having fun with everything else.

My skin tends to behave itself a little bit more in the summer months so I can spend less time on my base. It still needs help though!

My Summer makeup will always consist of primers. I have oily skin.

I just find adding a few dabs of it to the t zone and blending it out over my whole face, really helps with the longevity of anything I put on top of it. Eyeshadow primer is another must for me. All year round, but particularly in the warmer months. Oily lids are no joke! I am really enjoying The Ordinary High Adherence Silicone Primer (you can buy it here) and Benefit Porefessional has always been a holy grail for me.

Because I use a more mattifying primer, I find I can go a little bit more dewy and light with the foundation.

If I know I am going to be out in the sun for a long period of time, I will of course use sun protection on my face. However, it does tend to melt my makeup. So, if I am going somewhere that is more shaded, I’ll use a foundation with SPF.

One very important Summer makeup essential for me, is coloured eye liners.

Whether it be liquid, gel, waterproof pencil, or pencil with eyeshadow over top, this is something I cannot get enough of in Summer. It is just such a fun way to add something to your makeup without trying too hard. I love applying a slick of it across the lash line. If I am feeling extra daring, I’ll even attempt to wing it out. Adding a pop of colour to your water line too is a lovely way to incorporate a hint of colour to a makeup look aswell. I used the Nyx Vivid Brights Liner here in a makeup look last Summer.

Without waterproof mascara, I am a basic lash person.

My lashes are straight and need waterproof mascara to hold a curl. It is imperative in the Summer time too though. It is a bitch to get off, but a decent waterproof mascara means you don’t have to worry about panda eyes behind your sunglasses. Or if you suffer with watery eyes, you are less inclined to have black marks down your cheeks. I talk about two of my favourites pictured here and here.

My last Summer makeup essential is a glossy lip. I never thought I would say those words, but glossy lip products have come such a long way.

They don’t have to be sticky and they can be super long wearing and colourful too. Products like the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors are great. They add shine with a hint of colour as well as nourish the lips. So handy to throw in your bag for top ups throughout the day.

Shout out to Rosie for helping me take the photos!

And, I will stop rambling 🙂 Have you any Summer makeup essentials?

xxx

May 26, 2017/by Gem

Skincare

Night Time Skin Care Routine Currently

I already spoke about my current day time routine here. It’s only fair that I throw my night time skin care routine into the mix too 🙂

I am very proud of being someone who removes their makeup every night before sleep. No matter how tired (or typsy) I might be. For me, it’s like brushing your teeth, it just has to be done! I am not really one for makeup wipes. If I am feeling really lazy, I’ll use eye makeup remover and micellar water and call it a day. But for the most part, I like to actually wash my face.

This for me, is my current night time skin care routine. I do change up products every now and then. It’s of course part of what I do. I don’t have majorly sensitive skin either so it usually doesn’t affect my skin too radically.

I do like to extra exfoliate a couple of times each week. I’ll usually use the Waxperts Wonder Pads (which I reviewed ages ago here), or the Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer Pads. These contain AHA’s so I stick to using them at night.

If I have a breakout I use the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, which I have a review of here. It’s a bit gimmicky, but it seems to do the job. And it dries down on the skin, so you don’t get it all over your pillow which is a bonus in my book 🙂

I wear waterproof mascara on the daily, so before I wash my face I usually remove my eye makeup with an oil based cleanser.

I have been using the Botanics All Bright one for literally years. It does a great job at getting even gel liner off without too much rubbing. It doesn’t irritate my eyes and it’s as cheap as chips. You can buy it from Boots here.

For cleansing, at the moment. I have two in my bathroom. The Garnier Pure Active 3 in 1.

This can be used as a face wash, to exfoliate or a mask. I usually use this in the shower. I can wash my face with it and then pop some on as a mask while I go about my business. It is kaolin based so it dries on the skin like a clay mask. It’s been working really well for my oily skin.

If I am just washing my face and not showering I have been using the Yonka Cleansing Gel. This feels really gentle on my skin.

It is also like a spa in a plastic bottle, it smells bloody amazing.

For toner, it’s generally just the La Roche Posay Serozinc which I speak more about here. I always have a bottle of it in my skincare stash.

I use the same eye cream both day and night. My go to one over the past year or so is the La Roche Posay Ultra Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour.

I really like this stuff and it’s not super expensive either. I have a full review of it here.

Because I cannot get too heavy with moisturiser during the day because I am so oily. I usually make up for it in my night time skincare routine.

At the moment I am using (and really enjoying) the Hylamide Low Molecular HA Booster.

It’s basically a serum that contains hyaluronic acid. It helps hydrate without weighing down the skin. It’s an extra step in my routine but my skin is reacting well from it. My skin is feeling a little plumper and more hydrated without my pores being clogged up. You can buy it directly from the Deciem website here.

After that settles in, I apply a light layer of the Image Vital C Hydrating Facial Oil.

It just feels so nice. I pat a dropper amount into my face and neck. Although I am oily, I do have areas of dehydration so I use the serum and the oil in the evening to help with that. The Vital C is formulated for dull, tired skin but also suitable for acne prone skin that is healing. Image skincare is stocked in salons throughout the country including Millie’s here.

The final step in my night time skin care routine then is just lip balm. I usually just use some Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream.

I have a full review of this here.

And then my night time skin care routine is completed and I am ready for bed 🙂

xxx

March 27, 2017/by Gem

Makeup, Youtube Video

Makeup Favourites 2016

My first official video of 2017 comes in the form of my Makeup Favourites for the year gone by.

I thought rather than just show you my makeup favourites, I would show you them in action too. I picked my most used products and created a really simple ‘me’ look that I usually end up doing when I don’t know what to do. Some of the products were new in 2016, some were new to me for the year and then some are just favourites that I always gravitate towards because I know they work.

I’ve written blogposts for a hell of alot of these, so I’ll try list as many as I can in case you want to know more about a specific product.

Hylamide HA Blur Primer. Review here.
L’Oréal Infallible 24HR Matte Foundation. Review here.
Nyx Micro Brow Pencil. Review here.
theBalm Put A Lid On It Eyeshadow Primer. Review here.theBalm Put A Lid On It Eyelid Primer
Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette. Post here.
Sleek Diamond In The Rough Palette. Blog post about it here.
Catrice Glam & Doll Waterproof Mascara. Review here.
Too Faced Born This Way Concealer. I have a review here.
Wet n Wild Dual Ended Contour Stick. First impression video is here.
Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in ‘Nude Mauve’. I have a comparison post here.
Nyx Highlight and Contour Palette. First impressions and swatches here.
Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium. I have a really old review of it here.
L’Oréal Infallible Fixing Mist. Review here.

Phew, I think that’s everything 🙂

In the video here, you’ll see me using everything, but the finished look, looks a bit like this. I think it definitely sums up my go to makeup favourites for 2016. And, I do love a good before and after picture!

I say it in video form too, but just to write it down too. Thank you so much for everything over the year. Beautynook (and myself) grew up alot over 2016. I am excited to see what 2017 has in store. Thanks for sticking around.

Gemma

xxx

January 6, 2017/by Gem

Makeup, Skincare

Hylamide HA Blur Review

Hylamide is a fairly new brand to me. I’ve used a couple of products from them in the past few months and have been dipping in and out of using them. The Hylamide HA Blur has come out on top and so I wanted to share it with you.

I know silicone is not the best thing to be using on your skin. But for me, makeup primers that contain it tend to work the best. Silica does dry out your skin though and can absorb too much of the natural oils.

I need a barrier to not only help my makeup last longer, but to keep the natural oils at bay and make my pores less visible. The Hylamide does all of this, but in a different way to most. It uses Hylauronic Acid.

It comes out of the tube white and quite thick.

As you work it in to the skin, it starts to become more pliable and gel like.

It feels like skincare going on first and then it becomes more like a primer with a texture similar to the likes of Benefit’s Porefessional (which I love).

It doesn’t feel drying or uncomfortable on the skin. It does however, glide over enlarged pores and fine lines making them less noticeable. As well, as leaving a smoother, more matte base to apply your makeup on top of.

I use probably a double pea sized amount, what’s the next measurement after pea sized? Ha!

I pat it into my finger tips and them push it into my skin with both hands.

Before application:

After application:

I find my foundation glides really well over the top of the Hylamide HA Blur, and it does work well at keeping the shine at bay for my oilier skin. I think even if you have dry or more combination skin, it would work well for you too as Hyaluronic acid helps keep skin moisturised. So, using it won’t dry out your skin. I think this is a good point for all skin types really. Even though I have more oily skin, it can still get dehydrated and flaky. Hylamide say you can mix it with your foundation or use it on top too. I’ve yet to try that method of application myself.

Overall, I am a big fan of it! You can pick up Hylamide HA Blur from the Deciem website here for €19. Look Fantastic and Boots also sell the brand. This particular product is not in stock on the websites at this exact time though 🙁

So tell me, would you give it a go?

xxx

November 16, 2016/by Gem