NEW IN MAKEUP: HIGH END & DRUGSTORE HAUL & FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I've been moaning lately that I never buy makeup anymore. This is obviously an overreaction and any normal person would surely show me a middle finger and told me off LOL! In all truth, I concentrated more on skincare lately and other than few palettes, I rarely wandered through makeup isles. Shopping makes for a great therapy and is still cheaper than paying for a good psychologist, so when I'm blue I treat myself and boy, did I do just that recently. Run credit card, run & hide! 

What inspired me to even go into Boots were various Instagram posts by my friends Siobhan (Check out her blog here) and Alina showcasing the new Benefit Galifornia blush. I knew I wanted it, so I thought payday was definitely a day to treat myself to it! In the end, I opted for the new Benefit Cheek Parade palette, as it comes with two bronzers and three blushes! And I love me a good palette! Truth be told, I don't have that many blushes and I haven't tried Benefit powders in years! Cheek Parade doesn't disappoint! It's perfect! Not only did my Galifornia dreaming came true but I also discovered the perfect pale bronzer shade ever! Yes, bronzer as it's slightly on a warmer side to anything I normally use. Being cool toned means I usually go for cool shades but Hoola Lite neutral to warm pale bronzer goodness overtook my whole morning routine! I contour/bronze with it first and then apply just the tiniest amount of Hoola to intensify the contour. Both shades are pigmented and just work on my skin! I also discovered Dandelion. I know I know, I'm sure late to the Dandelion party, but better late than never, right? It's a stunning light neutral nude pink. Perfect for those super pale who love a flush of colour without being overpowered by it! And the blush of the year goes to Galifornia! It is simply gorgeous medium coral-peach with gold flickers running through. It reminds me of Nars Orgasm if Orgasm was peachy in tone. This will take me through summer, as I never want to stop wearing it! Galifornia truly finishes any warm toned look and I love my warm tones! The least appealing to me personally is the Rockateur, I don't deny it's gorgeous but there's slightly too much shine for my taste right now. It'll work better in the summer when I plan on topping up my bronzer with it! Definitely worth the money spent and you can buy it HERE for £49.50

I recently spent an afternoon with two amazing polish bloggers and we went on a little window shopping spree! It ended with us shopping little too and me discovering the best new foundation! Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24hr Liquid Foundation joins the Teint Idole family I have used for years and also years ago last. I don't really know what made me stop, as I always loved the finish. It's supposed to offer 24hr finish and whilst I can't comment on full 24 hours, I have worn it for more than 12 hours and it looked incredible. It's quite matte when first applied, still soft though, velvet like. This change over the hours and foundation looks better and better the longer I wear it. It doesn't set in lines (not even my smile lines!!!), doesn't accentuate dehydrated patches and most importantly doesn't cake up during the day. Whilst this is not ultra full and more medium-high, it offers fabulous coverage all day long. It sits comfortably on the skin all day and once powdered down (only T-zone with RCMA No Color Powder in the morning) it stays put all day. I apply my makeup 6:30-7:00 am and wear it until minimum 7 pm and Whilst there's a little (truly from within!) glow, even the bridges of my nose and the inner cheeks are shine free! I haven't had a need for Blotterazzi since I got it! I feel this is a perfect offering for dry to combination types, maybe even oily, depending on the powder used. It truly is the one foundation for me right now! It offers a little SPF15 and I am yet to test it in the evening to see if there's any flashback, but I have huge hopes for this foundation. For makeup artists out there, I'd definitely add it to your wedding season wishlists as it looks beautiful. I'm in shade 005 and whilst it oxidises a little when first applied, it's nothing major and blends in beautifully with my skin. I apply it with my fingers onto the face and then blend in with the beauty blender for a flawless finish.

Benefit Cheek Parade swatched from left: Rockateur, Dandelion, Galifornia, Hoola Lite & Hoola

Talking about the afternoon with lovely Anna & Jola, we also got ourselves little gifts to remember us by and Jola (check out her Youtube channel here - in Polish) got me Beauty Blender's Bubble Sponge. Designed to commemorate brand's 15th (has it been that long?!?!) birthday, it's pale powder pink and it's gorgeous!!! I've tried many sponges and whilst I also enjoy the Real Techniques sponge (the original one) there's no other sponge just like the Beauty Blender. The open cell structure when dampened, prevents the sponge from 'eating up' the product and works tirelessly to blend in liquid and powder formulas like no other. What I also find, the Beauty Blenders just last better and I have had my previous sponge for nearly a year now and only recently it has shown the wear & tear signs. I use it to apply my foundation, cream contour, concealer and powder for the perfect finish. If you haven't tried applying powder with dampened beauty blender yet, you have no idea what you're missing out on! I honestly rarely use my face brushes other than to apply powder contour, blush and highlight as rest is done with my trusty Beauty Blender. And now with Bubble Sponge - it's also oh so pretty! LOL <3 

I didn't have high hopes for Laura Mercier Radiance Primer. In my head, I compared it to Becca Primer and when swatched it lost quite badly. Having said that, the good beauty blogger that I am (and oh so modest!) I decided to give it a go, despite my first impressions. I apply it all over my face and a pea size amount of product is all I use per application. It works beautifully under the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra and both together give me the glowing without shine kind of finish all day long! Radiance Primer is mainly water based which makes it perfect for dry skin types. It gives a subtle glow when first applied but also takes off the full matte effect from a foundation. It's been my go to for over a week now and I really enjoy using my deluxe sample. I feel a full-size product is on the cards here my Queens and I don't say that lightly. It also worked well with my Dior Star Foundation and Armani Luminous Silk but these are the only ones I've tried so far, so I'll report back if it works under my Chanel Les Beiges which is a foundation I usually base my Primer reviews on. If it works at making it wearable for me, it'll be up there with Becca Backlight Priming Filter! 

And the title of the most expensive concealer I've ever purchased goes to... Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer. At £28 a pop and not able to avoid £3.95 P&P from QVC UK it takes the title for sure! Easy payment option makes it slightly less painful (first payment of £7 +£3.95 and then three payments of £7 for three months) but still doesn't change the fact you are paying almost £32 for a concealer! Yes, it is £19 on the Tarte website but you open yourself to customs charges + VAT and on QVC you also get a Tarte Beauty Sponge included in this ridiculously priced set! Having said all of that and I do sound like 'oh my god I never spend this much on makeup' drama queen (yes you do, stop lying to yourself Dorota!!!) the concealer is definitely worth the steep price point! The tube offers 10ml of product and looks fairly bulky. It's got the biggest doe applicator too but applies product well and one coat is all I need to cover both under eyes and nose bridge plus a little on forehead and chin. The shade Fair is also light enough (does a little victory dance!) and works beautifully at both covering and light contouring! It is surely high coverage too, as advertised but also light. Light enough to use under eyes where when set it does not budge, it does not settle in lines, it does not look cakey and dry, it just works all day long!!! What's amazing about it, it doesn't oxidise, not even a little throughout the day and I finally have a concealer that brightens my under eyes! That's a massive compliment from someone as pale as me as finding a concealer lighter than my foundation is a dream come through! I only wore it twice so far and I'm firmly on the hype bandwagon! Yes, it is worth the hype, the money, the little cry to myself that I spent £32 on a concealer! I will not comment on the quality of the sponge as I simply haven't used it yet but it got thumbs up from Dagmara (check out her blog here) and I always listen to her reviews so high hopes here! 

When your girl Leanne (check out her blog here) recommends you a lip gloss you shut up and take her for her word! That's how I came to the Too Faced counter during my recent Debenhams visit and picked up Too Faced Sweet Peach Creamy Peach Oil Lip Gloss in Peach-sickle. It's creamy and feels ultra moisturising on the lip, the feeling stays on way longer than the gloss does and I re-apply every couple of hours. It gives a beautiful shine to your lips and I use it on top of lip liner or a lipstick. Peach-sickle is a warm medium peach shade and works wonderfully against my complexion and peachy/warm shades I usually prefer to wear. Comfy to wear doesn't dry out my lips. It's not sticky and it smells (and tastes!) exactly the same as my favourite Sweet Peach Palette - POST. I love wearing it and haven't stopped since I got it. It made me reconsider glossy finishes! I have recently preferred creamy finishes to those matte ones and I have forgotten what liquid lipstick feels like lately. Yes, it still annoys me when my hair sticks to it, but with shade so light, there are virtually no maintenance issues like smudged red all over your face kinda look. So I'm back to my lipgloss roots and let me tell you, I never thought the day will come! 

Let's bring this back to more affordable options and talk mascaras. I rarely do, I know but I feel like none truly work for me so I tend to avoid dragging all mascaras down! I recently discovered L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Baby Roll mascaras and I'm in love!!! Thanks, Beth (check out her blog here) for a recommendation! I couldn't say no to a little colour mascara at this time of year so other than Black, I also picked up Lilac and Teal. Whilst the brush applies the mascara well, it's still little clumping, which I really don't mind, I prefer it actually. The reason I'd like to give it a shoutout is a lasting power! It doesn't smudge crumble all day long! At £8.99 a piece that is a statement to make and for me, most important after the volumised lashes, which does too! I like the fun, almost vintage packaging, the brush is surprisingly comfortable and applies it well. Two coats are what I use on a daily basis but more can be added for more clumpy, high fashion looks! If you're on a lookout for a new black mascara or would love to try the unicorn lashes trend, I'd highly recommend the new offering from L'Oreal! 

No beauty blogger can walk around Birmingham's Bullring, find themselves outside of Topshop and walks past it. It's a mecca for clothes, accessories and makeup! Makeup counter I hit and found myself gravitated (hate you, Anna - check out her Youtube channel here - in Polish) towards Topshop Chameleon Glow Eyeshadow in U-Turn (RPR £9.50). I am stuck for words here trying to describe how beautiful it is. One swipe of colour can look like a whole mermaid tail, shimmering in so many finishes! I wore it to work once and everyone noticed and commented how pretty my eye makeup looked! And I only had a peachy base shade all over and this shadow applied via finger (2-minute look to end all one swipe shadows!)z there are flickers of green, yellow, gold and peach in this shade and it's full on glow and metallic. Depending on the base shadows this will also flicker in different shades as it's also duo-chrome. I'm in awe and quite surprised I haven't tried it yet. Still quite pricey given its one shadow only, but worth every penny here! 

Swatched from left: Topshop U-Turn, Too Faced Lip Oil in Peach-sickle

In overview, I really enjoyed myself shopping in makeup aisles lately. It's been a while since I found so many products that just work. Don't worry I also found some flops and I'm a couple of products away from publishing my Disappointed Products part 2 ;) But given the weather's so nice and sunny, I wanted to concentrate all the amazing makeup I found and not care about others! 

Have you tried any of the makeup and accessories I mentioned? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Are there any new releases I missed and you'd like me to try? Let me know! Also, do tell me if this haul/first impressions posts are of interest to you? I always look for your feedback! I hope you'll have a lovely Monday and the rest of the week! Enjoy the sunshine my lovelies <3

Thank You For Reading,

Love