The 'Go-With-Anything' blush shade.

I believe that every girl - makeup lover or not - can honestly, hand on heart say that blush is probably one of the most exciting aspects of cosmetics. There are so many different shades and formulas designed to go with different makeup looks and skintones. You have your tawny/brown shades to balance out more daring eye looks, your pinky shades for everyday, redder shades to go with a bold lip...the list is endless, and so are blush colours.

My blush collection isn't extensive, I went through a phase last year where I just didn't wear it because I thought it look crappy on me - nowadays, I can't leave it out of my makeup routine. Blush really knows how to brighten up your whole complexion.

My favourite go-to shade is NYX's Angel blush - a beautiful, light peachy pink offering that adds a lovely rosy glow with the most subtle of sheens to the apples of your cheeks. It goes with any makeup look I come up with - bold lip, bold eye, you name it. 

NYX have a vast array of blush shades for seriously reasonable prices, and the formulation and pigmentation is great for a drugstore brand. 

Taupe is also another favourite of mine - it's the perfect contour shade for fair skinned girls and I'm already on my third. 

NYX isn't the easiest brand to get a hold of here in the UK, but it is possible. NYX do have a UK website (here), also Ebay and Amazon sell certain NYX products. 

I'd highly recommend giving NYX blushes ago if you haven't already, Angel has definitely reached holy grail status for me, I can't be without it in my collection.

Lauren

xo 

Also my blog officially became 1 year old two days ago and I stupidly forgot to do a post. Doh. 

Happy 1st birthday to The Beauty Ideal and thank you for reading my rambly posts about my ridiculous love for makeup. 

The most beautiful highlighter ever?

I can't even put into words how much I freakin love this highlighter.

It gives the most beautiful champagne'y sheen to the cheekbones, cupid's bow, bridge of the nose - wherever you want to whack this baby.

I honestly can't believe that Makeup Revolution's Radiant Light Highlighters are only £5.00 each - they're a complete steal for how pigmented and brilliant they are. 

I have mine in the shade Exhale - perfect for you fair-skinned girls out there. However, the other two shades (Breathe & Glow) are also extremely beautiful.

If you're on a budget and looking to extend your makeup collection or you're just a serious highlighter junkie, BUY THIS. 

It's amazing. 

Lauren

xo

January Favourites.

Ok, is it just me that thinks it's actually scary that there's only 4 days left of January? Seriously, where does the time go?! it feels like only yesterday I was ringing in the New Year. Deary me. 

Anyway, whilst I've got a bit of time on my hands today - Lord knows I haven't for the next week or so - I thought I'd do my January Favourites.

I've never brought monthly favourites to The Beauty Ideal before, simply because it was a new post idea for the new year - and here they are.

First off I'd just like to reiterate my love for the Makeup Revolution Naked Chocolate Palette one more time, this little guy has become my everyday staple. The perfect palette for the neutral lovers of the makeup world. Each shadow is creamy, blendable and highly pigmented, and they all compliment each other so well. For £7.99 guys, it's a complete steal. 

Two more Makeup Revolution favourites this month have been the Vivid Blush Lacquer in Rush and the Pro F103 Stippling Brush. The blush colour is stunning and literally the tiniest amount (not even a full pump) is needed to give a rosy glow to both cheeks - and they're still half price on the website at the moment. One of the best blushes I've used for staying power too. 

I actually use the F103 to apply this blush, it disperses the product and blends it so darn well it looks like I've just been out frolicking in the snow rather than sat at my makeup desk. I love the combination of these two.

Of course my NARS Sheer Glow has made it into my January Favourites. I can't say it's my all time favourite foundation (that title belongs solely to my Bourjois Healthy Mix) but I can say it's a close second. A beautiful, blendable formulation that makes even my crappy skin look flawless. See this post here for more.

My last favourite for January 2015 has been the Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Lip Pencil in Spice. I love wearing lip liner by itself and that whole pinky/browny nude lip will be a lasting trend for me. This one lasts ages and I love the colour.

And with this post I'm saying a slightly premature bon voyage to January - jeez, it'll be April and I'll be turning 22 before I know it.

Of course, I can't wait as it gives me the excuse to play Taylor Swift all day...

Lauren

xo

The Game Changers.

Beauty, for me, can be a very cruel mistress indeed. There's plenty of her everywhere all with different reviews and opinions - and there's so many branches of her it can be next to impossible to keep up. 

Enter the Game Changers. 

The products/tools that make you see beauty in a whole different light, and maybe enjoy the aspects you never used to before.

My first Game Changer has to be the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. This brush honestly changed my life. It made blending my foundation hassle-free and miles quicker than any of your other bog standard foundation brushes - not to mention giving a way better finish. Now the Buffing Brush does come in the Core Collection, so it can't be purchased alone which sucks yes, but the other brushes are worth it too.

Also, honourable mentions go out to the Contour Brush and the Duo-Fiber Face Brush.

Now as a huge lover of eyeshadow, I've got to mention the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots. Don't get me wrong, my eyelids don't get particularly oily - my eyeshadow just tends to crease a little towards the end of the day, but not when I'm wearing a paint pot as a base underneath. These things are the shizznay. A little pricey at £15.50 yes, but well worth the splurge. My favourite shade is Groundwork since I tend to wear alot of brown-based eyeshadows but if you're more into colour, they have a huge range of shades for all different skintones.

Skincare wasn't something I was particularly into over the years, it's only really in the past 7/8 months I've really started thinking about what lotions and potions I'm putting on my face. Enter The Body Shop's Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter - a complete mouthful, but my favourite ever cleansing balm. It makes easy work of removing makeup and leaves my skin feeling soft, fresh and most importantly - clean. If there's one thing The Body Shop does right, it's skincare.

A second love of mine and has really stepped it up for me in the whole toner category is LaRoche-Posay's Serozinc. A 3 ingredient water formulation aimed at oily/blemish prone skin that helps combat spots, keep them at bay and control shine. This stuff is amazing, my skin's cleared up significantly since incorporating this into my every day skincare routine - I just mist a little all over my face morning and night and it absorbs almost instantly. A great find for combination skin. 

I love products than end up having an actual significance in my life - it makes me feel like I don't just flit all of my money away on useless stuff (which I probably do way more often than not).

Lauren

xo

When a Drugstore brand are killing it...

Let's face it, there's been one high street brand that has catapulted over the blogosphere in recent months for it's fabulous products at bargain prices and that's Makeup Revolution.

And for good reason.

I've been loving them over the past few weeks since receiving my Naked Chocolate palette in the post - I've loved it so much I thought I'd have another look on their website and see what else Makeup Revolution had to offer. It's safe to say I wasn't disappointed.

I first picked up their Pro Hygiene Anti-bacterial brush cleaner. Now, I currently don't have a brush cleaner and I needed one since I've been wearing alot more eyeshadow in recent weeks and nobody got time for the full on deep clean every other day. For £5.00, I didn't expect much but I'm glad to say I'm pleasantly surprised - it doesn't get rid of every trace but it does the job well enough. And it smells lovely too.

A girl can never have too many makeup brushes so naturally, I picked up a couple. I thought it'd be a good idea to pick up their Pro Eyeshadow E103 blending brush because you can't have too many of those either - I've yet to use it on my actual face but it feels lovely and soft and doesn't feel like it'll shed - all for £1.95. Winner. 

I also picked up their Pro Stippling F103 brush since I needed a smaller stippling brush for my new found love of cream blush. This one feels great too and really good value for money at £3.00. 

On to actual makeup bits, I've fell in love with their Vivid Blush Lacquer in Rush - this is amazing. I was a little sceptical at first when I read 'blush lacquer' but this stuff is fab. A little goes a seriously long way and I find applying this with a stippling brush works best. It creates such a beautiful flush of colour to the cheeks and lasts much longer than any powder blush I've tried in the past. Definitely going to be picking up some more of these - they're also on half price on their website at the moment.

Now, their highlighters were something else I'd heard alot of rave reviews about so I popped their Radiant Light Highlighter in Exhale into my basket. 

Oh. My. Gosh.

This is one of the most stunning highlighters I've ever laid eyes on - watch this space for a review. It's a beautiful champagne colour that swatches like a dream. I can't wait to use it. 

Probably my most boring (but still pretty exciting to me) purchases was their nail polish in Luxury Cream 03 (just a plain white nail polish since my Rimmel one had gotten too gloopy to bring back to life) and their Focus & Fix eye primer in Brighten. I do enjoy this eye primer, it's aimed at metallic eyeshadows and since I've been wearing alot of shimmers of late it's been perfect for intensifying the colour and prolonging the wear of my eyeshadows. 

All in all, I'm extremely happy with my purchases from Makeup Revolution and I'll definitely be making many more in the future. They may just become my favourite drugstore brand.

Lauren

xo

The best Bang-for-your-Buck Primers.

Primers, to some people, can seem a total waste of time, money and effort - I wish I had that luxury. As a girl with oily skin, a primer is a must in my everyday makeup routine otherwise my foundation would look like a hot mess by noon. Not fun. 

Now I've tried alot of primers in my makeup lifetime and I've got to say that most of my favourites come from the drugstore - winner - so here are some of my much loved, low-end primers.

Max Factor Face Finity All Day Primer - This one is my all time favourite drugstore primer, it works so darn well. I first heard The Sunday Girl rave about this one so I had to pick it up to see what all the fuss was about - it just makes your base stick around all day. I still get a bit oily on my forehead, nose and chin but nothing compared to what could happen without it.

Retail Price: £10.99.

The Body Shop's All-In-One InstaBlur - A great one for shine control and glazing over those complexion imperfections. It just blurs everything you'd like covered and prolongs the wear of foundation - it's a keeper in my collection. A little pricier than the others but definitely worth it. 

Retail Price: £14.00.

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer - This one would be great for those girls who don't suffer from terribly oily skin and just want to make their makeup last all day. I love this one for the smell (it smells delightful) and how smooth it makes my skin feel, it makes applying foundation a doddle. 

Retail Price: £6.99.

Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer - This one's the best for girls with dry skin. It's a serum, so simultaneously adds hydration to the skin whilst extending the wear of your makeup - what's not to love about it? This is great for adding radiance to dull complexions too. I love using this in the Winter time and it's sister - the matte version - in the Summer.

Retail Price: £10.99.

Primers are quite literally my best friend in the makeup world, without them I'd truly be lost.

Lauren

xo

Grey Hair, Don't Care.

So yesterday I decided to fully dye my hair grey. 

Like I'd previously stated in this post here, I was loving Kylie Jenner's grey ombre look late last year and I did dye my own ombre grey but it just didn't work out like I'd hoped.

Anyway, my hairdresser came round yesterday and we just went for it. 

It's a total shock to my system every time I look in a mirror (I've never had hair this light before, let alone an unusual colour) but so far, I'm loving it.

It took 5 hours to take me from darkish brown/blonde ombre to my current - as I like to call it - granny grey and the bleach hurt like no one's business but I'd say it was definitely worth it. 

2015 is my year for taking the plunge and this is one of them.

I'll probably do a post on how I keep it in good condition since there was a hella lot of bleach involved in this process - my hair is quite literally white underneath the grey toner.

So far, I'm happy with my new do and I'm hoping I can keep it in pretty good nick until I can get it re-done - toners tend to fade pretty darn quickly. I will say I'm definitely not looking forward to getting my roots re-done though - the things us girls do for beauty eh?

Lauren

xo

The Neutral Gal's Dream Palette.

So over the past couple of weeks or so, every time I was reading through blogs this little baby kept popping up. It was getting raving reviews and bloggers were just loving it. Naturally, I decided I had to have it - and I wasn't disappointed. 

Seriously guys, when this bad boy came in the post and I started using it yesterday I was ridiculously shocked that Makeup Revolution's Naked Chocolate palette only checks in at £7.99. It's insanely pigmented with really creamy eyeshadows and hardly - if any - fallout. Not to mention the lasting power of these shadows is on point.

Amazing. 

I'll be honest, when it comes to palettes it's rare that I find one where I like every shade - but there isn't a shadow in this palette that I dislike. They all work well in conjunction with one another and so many looks can be created from this one palette. Some of my favourites include Frosted Choc, Mocha Lover, Sweet Shop and Double Dip - both the shimmers and the mattes are fabulous. I bloody love the packaging too, bulky yes but anything that's associated with chocolate gets a thumbs up in my books. 

I will say one negative thing though - for an English obsessive like myself the misspelled 'Suger' did rattle my cage a little. But I'm a weirdo.

Lauren

xo

When you love a lipstick so much...

We all have that one lipstick that we consistently go back to right? Well this little baby is mine. You can see my love for it - I've worked it right down into a tiny nub I've used it that often. 

It's my favourite throw-on-with-anything lipstick.

The Loreal Collection Privee in Cheryl's Nude is quite literally the best nude lipstick I've ever come across that works well for me and my skintone. I actually think they've changed it's name to JLo's Nude now, correct me if I'm wrong but I'll definitely be picking up a replacement when this one's out. It goes with any makeup look I create and just makes me feel that little more polished on days where I don't maybe feel so. 

And cashing in at £6.99, what's not to love?

Lauren

xo

Beat the Winter skin blues.

I know it can't be just me that suffers from chronically dry skin during Winter. When taking a shower feels like it's taking the top layer off and hands start to resemble scales rather than skin. It ain't pretty nor is it fun.

I've made a pact to myself to start focusing more on body hydration and spending that little bit extra on bodycare this year so The Body Shop for me is always a good place to start. Their body butters are second to none when it comes to body moisturisers and even though pricey, you do get alot of bang for your buck. My faves at the moment have been the Vanilla Brulee body butter and the Wild Argan Oil body butter. Both smell amazing and keep my skin soft for days afterwards.

If you're not into slathering up after a shower or you just don't have the time, Vaseline's Spray & Go is the one for you. They come in three scents - Essential Moisture, Cocoa Radiant and Aloe Fresh. I love the Essential Moisture one best. It's great because you can spray it on, rub it in a little and it soaks in instantly - no waiting around feeling sticky and being unable to touch anything. It's cheap as chips too.

As far as hands and face go, I love the Superdrug Vitamin E Moisture Mask for a quick dose of hydration on days where my skin just feels tight and uncomfortable and Soap & Glory's Endless Glove is the mother of all hand creams. As you may already know I work in retail, it's not fun at the best of times and worse in the Winter. Clothes hangers and hands just don't mix well and my left hand feels permanently rougher than my right - no joke. This stuff helps like a dream.

Great products to keep your skin looking and feeling baby soft in the Winter time.

Lauren

xo

Recent Skincare Loves.

Finding skincare that works for both you and your complexion is probably one of the hardest things to conquer in the beauty world. There's been many a time that I've wanted to love a product but it's either broke me out or sucked all the moisture out or done something that makes me need to toss it. Sad face.

However, I've recently incorporated a few newbies into my weekly rotation that both me and my skin have been getting along dandy with.

First up is The Body Shop's Vanilla Brulee body butter. I freakin' love this stuff. I bought the shower gel first and fell in love with the scent so naturally, I picked up the body butter. I don't feel this one is as stiff as some of the others but it just makes moisturising that little bit more enjoyable. I always feel that if I spend more on a body moisturiser I'm more inclined to use it and considering that body butters are usually around £13.00, they're pretty darn expensive. This guy is now in the sale on the website (for the full size guys) as it is one of their seasonal scents, so grab it while you can.

Secondly is the Una Brennan Tea Flower Clay Mask. I'd heard many youtubers talk about this one so I thought I'd give it a try myself. It's definitely one of the most gentle clay masks I've ever used and it tills in pretty cheap too. I do feel like my skin's better off after using this for a few weeks and I would even recommend it for sensitive skin.

Last but by no means least is a product that I have coveted for the longest time - but I didn't really fancy hopping on a plane to pick one up. Of course it's La-Roche Posay's Serozinc. This stuff has been hyped up immensely over the web and I've been dying to try it out. Amazingly, the team over at Escentual have managed to make it accessible in the UK for an extremely reasonable price of £8.50. Thank you Escentual - you life savers. It's basically a toning mist that contains only water, Sodium Chloride and Zinc Sulphate to help keep oily, blemish prone skin in check. It's definitely lived up to my expectations so far - I'm loving it. 

Maybe with a little more help from these three I'll be ready to mend my relationship with my skin and stop feeling so much hate towards it. Maybe, just maybe. 

Lauren

xo

Upping my Brow game.

Ask anyone who knows me, my brows are literally the bane of my makeup existence. I hate doing them - with a serious passion. I can never quite get them to look exactly how I want them to and one always looks ridiculously different to the other - I know, I know eyebrows are sisters and not twins but seriously, mine end up looking like distant cousins twice removed. 

In the past I would just whizz through them as quickly as possible and however they ended up is how I would leave the house. Enter the New Year and I'm looking to give my brows a little more lovin' - after all, it's not their fault they're crappy and uncooperative, it's mine. I wish I'd paid more attention to them in my teenage years.

I've picked up a handful of products over the past few months and for the first time in forever (has a little Frozen sing-along), I feel like they're actually going right.

I've been preferring the strong brow look of late - I like mine to look full, thick and dark. The Rimmel Brow This Way brow sculpting kit and the Brow This Way brow styling gel have been great for adding colour, texture and longevity to my brows. I know with the combination of these two the blighters won't be half way down my face by lunch. I like to apply the latter with the Real Techniques Brow Brush, never have I found a brush I like more for the job. It's just stiff enough that it makes doing your brows a doddle.

If I'm ever in a hurry or just want a quick brow then I'll reach for my Sleek Eyebrow Stylist - the best brow pencil I've come across in ages. It's waxy enough that the colour will stay in place all day but not too hard that it's a complete nightmare to work with. I love this.

I'm hoping that paying more attention to my brows will make me love them a little more - but I can only hope.

Lauren

xo

Getting way too excited about a parcel delivery...

The sheer elation I felt when I heard the doorbell ring this morning was quite frankly, a little embarrassing. So much so that I literally bounced down the stairs to open the front door.

I've been anticipating this parcel's arrival for the past 3/4 days. When I first heard about the Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection on twitter I practically fainted with delight. They are so gorgeous I can't even. 

To be honest, when I did look at the entire line up for the brushes only two really jumped out at me - one being the 101 Triangle Foundation brush. I can't even put into words how amazing this brush is. It has the softest bristles yet is stiff enough to apply foundation flawlessly. Sam and Nic say that this line is more aimed at the professionals which is why they're more expensive than the originals, but I'd still say they're great for amateurs. If you're willing to pay the prices than they're definitely worth having.

My other need from this line is the 301 Flat Contour brush - as a girl crazy about contour, this was kind of a given but unfortunately it's currently sold out on the Boots' website. 

Lauren

xo

3 Steps to plumper-looking skin.

Juicy skin is something that I look to acquire during the Winter months - especially since my skin can tend to become rather dry and tight when it's cold out. 

Recently, I've really been amping it up when it comes to adding hydration back into my skin - and this comes in the form of three separate products. 

First up being the Superdrug Vitamin E Moisture Mask. Amazing for quenching thirsty skin and adding a dose of hydration that lasts throughout the day. I prefer to apply this for a couple of minutes before bed, tissue-ing off any excess. I can't seem to find a link to this online but I'm pretty sure it's still available in store.

Next up is my facial oil of choice - Boots' Botanics Facial Oil. This locks in moisture and keeps my skin soft and supple all day without interfering with my makeup. I love it. A great starter oil if you're just getting into skincare. 

Lastly is the most hydrating moisturiser I've ever put on my face - The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Cream. Vitamin E is the ingredient to have in your skincare if you suffer from terribly dry skin - that's where this stuff comes in. Wave goodbye to dry patches and uncomfortable tightness, this moisturiser is the bomb diggity.

3 great products that I tend to swear by in the colder months and that keep my skin looking and feeling juicy.

Lauren

xo

Top 5 of the Moment.

This is probably one of my favourite posts to write - see my previous one here - because it makes me realise what products I actually have been loving and what products need loving more. 

As you've probably deduced from my latest post here, I recently purchased the NARS Sheer Glow foundation. Yes, ok, I've not had it for that long but it has become my true love of all the bases I currently own. It's a medium, buildable coverage that gives a light, dewy glow to the skin. This stuff doesn't come cheap but I'd say it's definitely worth the splurge.

Another high end favourite of late has been my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. The only days I don't use this is the days I decide to wear winged eyeliner - which isn't often. This is literally my go-to everyday palette. A bit of Naked 2 all over the lid and under the lower lash line and Faint blended softly into the crease and outer corner. The perfect eye look for everyday. Venus also makes a mint brow and inner corner highlight.

My primer of the moment - because a 'Top 5' post here at The Beauty Ideal isn't complete without a primer - is The Body Shop's Instablur. Genuinely blurs imperfections and fills pores, a great product to add to prevent the slipping and sliding of foundations.

My favourite mascara of the moment has come in the form of Maybelline's The Colossal Go Extreme! Volume Waterproof - that's a mouthful! I only ever wear waterproof mascara because for starters, my eyes tend to water alot, it doesn't transfer and they hold a curl miles better than non-waterproof versions. This mascara gives me lashes like no other - if you want volume and length then give this one a go.

This might be my favourite lip liner of all time - GOSH's Velvet Touch lip liner in Nougat Crisp. The perfect brown-pink that just melts into the lips and doesn't drag nor dry. I wear this on it's own because the colour's just so beautiful, and the staying power? don't even get me started!

I could quite happily live with just these 5 products for the rest of my life...well, maybe not the rest of my life.

Lauren

xo

A Match made in (makeup) Heaven?

I ventured into Selfridges yesterday for the first time in what feels like forever. I was actually visiting to purchase a gift when I noticed most of the counters were doing 10% off. Now, payday and discount just doesn't seem to be a great equation for my bank account, however, I did resist surprisingly well...*taps self on back*. 

I managed to get my gift and I was heading out when the NARS counter was doing that whole glowy background, angels singing thing and I found myself slinking over. Before I knew it, the assistant had joined me and we were testing all the different foundations.

I will hold my hands up and say - even with 10% off - this product was still pretty pricey, but I've been wanting to try the NARS Sheer Glow for sooooooo long. 

Long story short, I caved and bought it but to me it felt totally justified. I'd been umming and ahhing over it for quite literally months. 

I've yet to give it a proper test run but I tried a little last night and so far, so good. The colour match is spot on for starters. 

I'll keep you posted on how I get along with it.

Oh, and Happy New Year!

Lauren

xo