CHARLOTTE TILBURY LIGHT WONDER FOUNDATION REVIEW

Left: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in 'Fair 1' blended into skin
Right: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in 'Fair 1' swatched on arm (Not blended)

As Charlotte Tilbury has released her new foundation, the Magic Foundation, which I am eager to get my hands on as soon as possible, I thought I would review her other foundation, the Light Wonder Foundation, which I already own and love. I own the lightest shade of this foundation, Fair 1. I bought this foundation about 6 months ago and it is one that I wear very frequently, as it is very natural looking on the skin.

I would say that this foundation has a light-to-medium coverage on the skin, as it does not cover blemishes very well, but it covers any redness that I may have. It also evens out my skin tone nicely, and it also gives my skin a nice, dewy glow that looks very natural, and not greasy. As I have combination skin, with an oily T Zone and dry skin everywhere else, this foundation is great, as it does not cling to dry patches, but it also doesn't make my T Zone look too shiny or greasy throughout the day. I also really like the consistency of this foundation, as it is a water based foundation, and it is quite runny and it blends into the skin extremely quickly. This foundation is also extremely lightweight, and once blended, you can't feel it or even see it on the skin. This foundation also has SPF15, which is good, as in countires such as Ireland where there isn't much sun, it is handy to have, as many people don't bother putting SPF on daily (Myself included!).

This foundation also lasts quite a while on my skin, and I can go for about 6 hours before having to powder my T Zone again. I usually apply this foundation using my Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush, which blends the foundation seamlessly into the skin. I also usually use the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Primer underneath the foundation, as it adds a nice glow to the skin while making the foundation last longer. I also set this foundation using my NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder, as it prevents my skin from looking too oily around my T Zone.

This foundation is definitely one of my favourites, and I used it most days during the summer and on holidays, as it gave my skin some extra coverage and it made my skin look more dewy and glowy, while still looking extremely natural on the skin. I would recommend this foundation to all skin types, except for maybe extremely oily skin. This foundation is quite expensive at €42, but there is a lot of product, and you only need to use a tiny amount to cover your whole face. Although I have used this foundation constantly, I still haven't even made a dent in the product yet, so I can see this foundation lasting me a long time! I would also recommend this foundation to mostly people with very pale and light-to-medium skin tones, as I don't think this foundation has many shades for darker skin tones. Although, you can go to your local Charlotte Tilbury counter and they will give you samples of a few shades to try out, so you can decide what shade you are.

URBAN DECAY NAKED BASICS PALETTE REVIEW

Since I have reviewed all four of the Urban Decay 'Naked' Palettes, it's time to move onto the 'Naked Basics' Palettes range. Today I will be reviewing the original Naked Basics Palette. This palette is definitely my most used palette out of all the Naked palettes, even the bigger ones, and it is so well loved that one or two of the shades are completely used up, so my friend kindly sent me pictures of her palette and swatches of the eyeshadows for this review!

Unlike the bigger Naked palettes, the Naked Basics palette only has six eyeshadows, rather than twelve. Also, all of the eyeshadows in this palette are matte, apart from 'Venus', which is a shimmery highlight shade that I love to use in the inner corners of the eyes. Like the other Naked palettes, the eyeshadows in the Naked Basics palette are amazing quality, and they are extremely pigmented, and although matte eyeshadows can sometimes be quite dry on the lids, these are extremely creamy and buttery. These eyeshadows are also extremely easy to blend, and there is never any fallout with any of the eyeshadows, even the darker ones, such as 'Crave'. These eyeshadows also last for quite a long time on my extremely oily eyelids, even without primer, as they last for around 6 hours before creasing and fading. With primer, however, they last for about 12 hours with no creasing or fading at all.

Although the shades in this palette may seem quite boring, they are extremely handy to have in my collection, and I use this palette whenever I want a soft, everyday eyeshadow look that isn't too noticeable. You could also use the darker shades to make a more daytime smokey eye look. I also love the size of this palette, as it is very small, so it is great for travelling. It is also great for throwing in your handbag for touching up throughout the day. This palette is extremely versatile, and although it is an eyeshadow palette, I have used the shades 'Naked 2' and 'Faint' on my eyebrows in the past and it has worked really well. The only downside about this palette to some people is that no brush is included with this palette, but as I never use the brushes that come with palettes anyway, I don't really mind, and I would rather have a smaller, thinner palette with no brush than have a much bigger, chunkier palette with a brush included.

Lately, I have been using this palette nearly every day. My favourite eyeshadow look using this palette is putting the shade 'W.O.S' all over my lid, as it is the same colour as my skin and it hides any veins on the eyelids, and then I blend the shade 'Naked 2' into my crease to define it. I usually stop here, but if you want to add more definition, then you can blend 'Faint' into the outer corners of the eyes and crease. After this, I usually apply black liquid liner to my lashline to define my eyes, and then I will apply lots of mascara.

I would recommend this palette to everyone. It is great for beginners as the eyeshadows are very easy to blend and the palette is easy to use, but I would also recommend it to people who are a bit more experienced in doing their makeup as it is very handy having a palette full of matte eyeshadows.

SEPTEMBER WISHLIST

All photos taken from www.brownthomas.ie

At the start of every new month, I have decided that I am going to post a 'Wishlist' of the products that I have my eye on to buy! As these are all quite expensive products, I will obviously not end up buying them all (or even any of them) in the coming month, but a girl can dream!

The first product that I would love to try in September is the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. I have heard so many amazing things about this foundation, and I am dying to finally try it! As school has started and so have my breakouts, I would love to have a full coverage foundation at hand, and apparently this one covers all redness and blemishes, but still looks extremely natural on the skin! I would also like to have this foundation during autumn and winter, as all of the foundations that I own are quite dewy, but this one has a more matte, but not completely matte, finish that I think would look nicer on my skin at this time of the year.

The second product on my wishlist this month is the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Soft and Gentle'. Although I don't really like MAC products that much, one of my friends has this and it looks really pretty! It is a shimmery peachy champagne highlighter and although I usually prefer less shimmery highlighters, this one would look amazing for the evening and going out. This product is also quite pricey for a highlighter, as it is €31, but there is a lot of product in it, and I can't imagine that I would ever finish it!

The third product on my wishlist this month is the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder in '1 Fair'. I have seen lots of great reviews on this powder on the Internet, as it is extremely finely milled, and although it is great at reducing shine, it does not cake or look and feel heavy on the skin. While at my local Charlotte Tilbury counter a while ago, I swatched this powder and I was amazed at how creamy and buttery it felt on my hand, as usually powders can feel quite dry and irritating on my skin sometimes. I would also love to use this powder during the winter time, as although my skin can get extremely dry at this time, I still have some unwanted shine around my T Zone, and I would like a powder that feels soft on the skin and doesn't cake.

The fourth product on my wishlist is the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara. In the past few weeks, I have been putting mascara on my lower lashes as well as my upper lashes, whereas before I didn't really like the way mascara on my bottom lashes looked before. The only problem with using a regular, non-waterproof, mascara on the bottom lashes is that it tends to smudge quite easily throughout the day. I can also find it quite hard to use a normal mascara wand to coat the lower lashes with mascara because they are so small. As I have seen many great reviews about this mascara for the bottom lashes, and as it is a mascara dedicated to using only on the bottom lashes so the wand is quite small, I would really like to try this!

The last (and most expensive and unreasonable!) product on my wishlist this month is the Tom Ford Lipstick in 'Pink Dusk'. At €48 (€15 more expensive than Chanel lipsticks!), I doubt that I will ever buy this lipstick, but it is one that I have wanted for over a year, and if I had to choose a makeup product that I would love to own the most, then this would be it. I have seen so many great reviews about the formula and pigmentation of Tom Ford lipsticks, and the shade range is also fantastic. The packaging is also very luxurious! That being said, I really don't think that I could ever justify spending this much on a lipstick or even expecting anyone else to spend this much on a lipstick for me, as I think paying this much money for one lipstick is crazy, and you're really just paying for the Tom Ford branding, as the formula and shade range is a lot like other high end brands, such as Chanel and YSL, and they are at least €15 cheaper! Although, I would still love to buy this lipstick, and I am saving my money to buy it eventually, so I am considering treating myself to it soon!

I hope you enjoyed reading my makeup wishlist, and what beauty products are on your wishlist at the moment?

AUGUST BEAUTY FAVOURITES

As it is the end of August, it is time for another monthly beauty favourites! I have had a bit of an obsession with lip liners over the past month, as I love how precise the application is and how long they last on the lips. I also rediscovered an old favourite eyeshadow palette of mine this month, and I have been using it most days since! I also discovered my perfect mascara in the last few months, and I have decided to include it in this month's favourites as I have nearly used it up, and it is one that I will definitely be repurchasing!

My first beauty favourite this month is the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Liner in the shade 'Pillow Talk'. This is an amazing neutral pink shade that I love to use both on its own and underneath other pinky-nude lipsticks. I love the formula of this, as it lasts all day long, but it isn't too drying on the lips as some other ones I've tried from other brands such as MAC can be. I also love the colour, as it is the perfect pinky-nude shade for me, and it also gives the illusion of fuller and plumper lips! You can only use this to outline the lips, but I love filling in the entire lip with this pencil.

My second beauty favourite this month is another lip liner, but this time it's the Bobbi Brown Lip Pencil in 'Ballet Pink'. I only got this last week, but I have been wearing it every day since! This lip pencil is nearly the exact same colour as my lips, so I love using this to outline and fill in my lips to wear on its own, or under nude lipsticks. It is less pink than the Charlotte Tilbury lip liner, and it is more of a nude shade on me, but as it is the same colour as my lips, it does not wash me out at all. I don't like the formula of this pencil as much as the Charlotte Tilbury one, as it does feel quite drying when applying it to the lips, but it lasts all day long without fading or smudging, so I can't really complain!

My third beauty favourite this month is the Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette. This was one of the first eyeshadow palettes that I bought when I first started wearing makeup about two years ago, and even though I have bought plenty of neutral eyeshadow palettes since, this is still one of my absolute favourites. I don't want to go into too much detail about this palette now as I have a review of this palette coming up on Friday, but I love this palette because there are five matte shades in it, and one shimmer shade to highlight, and it is just the perfect neutral palette for everyday!

My last favourite this month is another Charlotte Tilbury product, and it is the Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara. I got this mascara back in June, and it quickly became my favourite mascara of all time. I love this mascara because with one coat, it can look nice and natural on the lashes, but with two or three coats it can look like I am wearing fake eyelashes, as it gives so much volume and length to the lashes. I also love this mascara because it is the first mascara that I have ever tried that never clumps, no matter how many coats of it you apply onto the lashes. The only thing I don't like about it is that it can smudge on the lower lashes, but all mascaras do that to me anyway, unless they are waterproof.

MY SCHOOL MAKEUP ROUTINE

As I am finally officially allowed to wear makeup to school this year (although I have worn tinted moisturiser, mascara, concealer and powder to school in previous years), I have come up with a 10 minute makeup routine that I can  do before school every day, that is quick, easy and long-lasting, especially as I will not really have any time to touch up my makeup throughout the school day. Before I start, I would like to say that although we are now allowed to wear makeup to school, I am not saying that this means that everyone MUST wear makeup. I am going to wear a light amount of makeup as I feel more confident and prepared for the day when I do, and as I enjoy doing my makeup every day, it is not a chore to me. I have many friends who do not enjoy doing their makeup, so they probably will not wear makeup to school, or if they do, maybe wear very little of it. There are also people I know who will probably wear a lot more makeup than me to school, and if that makes them feel more confident and ready for the day, then I don't see any problem with it! I just thought that I would do this post to help anyone who does want to start wearing makeup to school and would like some inspiration. I would also like to say that most of the products that I am using are quite high-end and quite expensive, but these are the products that work best for me, and there are some products that I have been using almost daily for the past year, and I still have not had to purchase a new one. You also do not need to buy the exact same products as I am using, you can obviously use your own versions of the same product as they are the ones that work for you. You also do not have to do the exact same amount of steps as me, you could apply less or more makeup if you wanted to. 

Before applying any makeup, I make sure to cleanse and moisturise my face, as the makeup will go on better and last longer throughout the day. Once I have done this, I prime my face for makeup using the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Primer. This is my favourite primer as it gives my quite dry skin a glow, and it also helps the rest of the makeup to stay on longer throughout the day. This is quite pricey, but I share it with my mum, who also uses it every day. This product also lasts a long time as you don't need to use too much.

After priming, I apply my base. For school, I like quite a light, natural-looking base, so I prefer to use tinted moisturiser over foundation if I can help it. My favourite tinted moisturiser is the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, and I have been wearing this to school most days for the past year and I still have around half of the product left! I only use a small amount, and I buff it into my skin using a foundation buffing brush, such as the Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush or the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. If I am having a particularly bad skin day, I will use foundation, but I prefer using tinted moisturiser as it is much quicker to apply and has a more natural finish on the skin. 

After applying my tinted moisturiser, I like to apply concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes or redness I have. My favourite concealer to use for this is the Charlotte Tilbury Retoucher Concealer, as it is a liquid, and although it is feels quite light on the skin, it has a fair amount of coverage. I also love this as it is extremely easy to apply and it blends into the skin very quickly, making it the perfect concealer for when you are in a rush before school!

After concealing, I will set my makeup using my favourite translucent powder, the NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder. I love this powder as it doesn't cake on my dry skin, but it still sets my makeup and helps it to last longer. A great drugstore alternative is the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 'Transparent', as it also sets makeup and reduces shine, but doesn't look cakey on the skin!

After I have powdered, I will move onto eyebrows. As I have quite thick but uneven eyebrows naturally, it is essential that I fill them in slightly, and brush the hairs into shape. My favourite brow product for brushing the brow hairs and filling in my brows is the Charlotte Tilbury Brow Lift in 'Cara D'. If you would like to know more about this product, I also talked about it in my 'July Beauty Favourites' post!

After filling in my brows, I will move onto eye makeup, and the only eye makeup I apply for school is mascara. My favourite mascara to use for school is the Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara, as with just one coat, it makes my lashes look much longer, but it still looks quite natural. I also love this mascara because no matter how many coats of it I apply onto my lashes, it never clumps!

Next, I will apply a very small amount of a neutral blush to the apples of my cheeks. As I have very pale skin, my favourite blush for this is the Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush in 'First Love', which I posted a review on here. I love this blush because it is very natural looking on my skin, but it still adds a hint of colour to the cheeks.

The last step of my school makeup routine is lip balm. My favourite lip balm to use for school is the Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in 'Peach Kiss', as it hydrates the lips while adding a hint of colour and glossiness at the same time. It is also very affordable, and as I am constantly reapplying it throughout the day, I don't want to use an expensive product that I would have to replace frequently.

It may seem like I am applying quite a lot of makeup for school, but I am only using 8 products, and apart from the lip balm and maybe powder, I will not be reapplying any makeup throughout the day. I am also wearing very small amounts of each product, as I want to still look quite natural, but polished. As I said already, you can obviously wear more or less makeup than me to school if you want to, and use your own products that you already own that work for you.

CHANEL ROUGE COCO AND ROUGE COCO SHINE LIPSTICKS REVIEW

From left to right: Rouge Coco Lipstick in 'Adrienne', Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy'

From left to right: Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy', Rouge Coco Lipstick in 'Adrienne'

I have always been a huge fan of Chanel lipsticks, and even from a very young age, I would always steal my mum's Chanel lipsticks and try them on myself! Last Christmas, I was lucky enough to receive the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy', which is now one of my favourite lipsticks ever. I bought my second Chanel lipstick a few weeks ago, which is the Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in 'Adrienne', which is part of the new relaunched 'Rouge Coco Lipsticks' collection with an improved, more hydrating formula.

First up, the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy' is a pinky-nude shade. The formulas of the lipsticks in Rouge Coco Shine range are very sheer and hydrating. It is also quite glossy on the lips, which I really like, and it looks very natural on the lips. The wear time isn't very long on this lipstick, only maybe 2-3 hours, and if you have just been eating or drinking, this lipstick will need to be reapplied afterwards, but as it is so quick and easy to apply that you don't even need a mirror, I never mind too much. One of my favourite things about this lipstick is how versatile it is; you can wear it as part of a very natural looking, daytime look, but it also is a great lip colour to wear with a smokey eye.

My newest Chanel lipstick, the Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in 'Adrienne', is a more brown-toned nude with a hint of pink. This is a part of the new relaunched 'Rouge Coco Lipsticks' collection, and the formulation of this lipstick is quite sheer, but not as sheer as the Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks. It can also be built up for a more opaque coverage on the lips. This lipstick also feels quite moisturising on the lips, and it doesn't accentuate dry patches. This lipstick also feels quite light on the lips and it doesn't feel sticky at all. The wear time of this lipstick is about 4 hours, but it does come off quite easily when eating or drinking so you will need to reapply it, but again, I don't really mind because as it is quite sheer, I can apply it without a mirror if I need to. I absolutely love the colour of this lipstick, as although it is a nude, it does not wash my pale complexion out and it lets some of your natural lip colour shine through, which makes it the perfect nude lip for me.

I use both of these Chanel lipsticks very frequently since I got each of them, and they are definitely two of my favourite lipsticks in my collection! Although they are quite expensive, I think you really do get what you pay for, from the extremely luxurious black and gold packaging with the Chanel logo on the lid, to the fantastic shade range in each collection and formulation of the lipsticks. There is definitely the perfect lipstick colour for everyone in each collection, and if you are thinking about treating yourself or someone else to a luxury lipstick, these would be a great choice.

TWO WAYS TO CLEAN MAKEUP BRUSHES

Making sure to clean your makeup brushes regularly is very important, but as it can be very time consuming, especially if you have a lot of brushes, most people do it very infrequently, or with some, never at all. You must clean your makeup brushes as over time, lots of bacteria, skin cells and old makeup residue can build up on the bristles, and then this is then spread all over your face each time you use the brushes, which can cause breakouts. Although it is recommended that we give our brushes a deep clean once a week if we use them regularly, it does take quite a long time, so I like to give my brushes a deep clean once every two weeks, and then in between, spot clean them every other week, or with eye brushes that tend to get dirty quite quickly, maybe every three days.

To give my brushes a deep clean, I like to Johnson's Baby Shampoo (not shown), as it is very inexpensive at €4 for 500ml, and although it cleans my brushes really well, it is very gentle on the bristles. When cleaning my brushes, I like to pour a tiny amount of  baby shampoo and warm water into a bowl and mix them together. I then dip the head of my brush into the mixture and swirl it around until it is clean. I then rinse my brush under the sink with water to ensure that there is no baby shampoo left in the bristles, and I fix the shape of the brush with my hands. I then lay my brushes on a towel at the edge of my desk with the head of the brush hanging over the side to ensure that the shape of the brush doesn't change. When I am cleaning my brushes, I will usually change the mixture after every three or four brushes, so I usually wash all my foundation and concealer brushes together, then cheek brushes, and finally, eye and lip brushes, as I don't want to contaminate my brushes. I usually give my brushes a deep clean this way every second week, especially the ones that I use very frequently.

The second way that I clean my brushes is by spot cleaning them with MAC Brush Cleanser (as you can see in the photo, I need to buy a new one soon!). I use this every other week to spot clean my face brushes, and probably about twice a week to clean eye brushes, as I always like to use a clean blending brush to blend my eyeshadow. This brush cleanser is great, as it cleans the brushes really well, it doesn't take long, and it dries very quickly, so I can use my brushes about an hour after cleaning them. To use this product, you just pour a small amount of it onto a clean cotton pad, and then swirl the brush head around, and all the dirt comes off onto the cotton pad. Some people use a tissue with this product, but the girl at my local MAC counter said that cotton pads are better, as bits of tissue can sometimes get caught in the brush hairs. When I am finished cleaning my brushes with this product, I just hang the head of the brush over the edge of my desk, to keep the shape of it. Although the MAC brush cleanser is quite a lot more expensive than using baby shampoo, it is much quicker and easier, and it is especially much better to use for cleaning eye brushes, as I clean them so frequently, and they dry much faster.

Both of these methods work very well for me, and my makeup brushes have never looked cleaner!