Buying Drugstore Products

As much as I love wearing, applying and recommending makeup, I'm getting so sick of feeling the NEED to wear it. I really wish that people just didn't judge so people can be free to do what they want. Of course a big part of it is yourself and not listening to what other people think. Do more of what makes you happy; care less about other peoples irreverent comments!

Anyway, relating back to the picture, about makeup, I'm starting to get back into drugstore products and realising that you don't need to spend £30+ on a foundation.

Products in the photo:
They're Real mascara (brown) - £19.50
Bourjois Healthy Mix (53) - £9.99
Soap & Glory Archery (Hot Chocolate) - £8.00
Soap & Glory Supercat (black) - £6.00
Urban Decay Perversion - £17.50
Collection Lasting Perfection concealer (03) - £3.99
Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow - £4.99
the Pore fessional (free sample)

A Trip to the Hairdressers

Day 15 of blogmas and if you can't already tell by the title, today, I went to the hairdressers. I've been way overdue a cut, but I've been doing it by myself for a while 9I would not advise).

As you can probably see by the photo, my roots were growing through so I also went for a dye - dark brown. I normally go brown, but it tends to fade to an auburn shade. I am trying to grow my layers out and I really needed a trim so it's slightly annoying as I'm only just starting to feel comfortable with the length of my hair.

I can never seem to find I hairdresser that makes me think 'WOW' or 'I actually like my hair' even three months after. So what I tend to do is, go to different salons every time. It is a massive risk because when I've said just a trim, once they chopped 2 inches off and I was gutted! Also, I love meeting new people so it's nice to talk to others and get to know them.

This time, the: dye, wash, cut and blow dry cost £65. Obviously, due to me travelling to different places, the price varies, but this is normally the average price.

The pictures do not really show any improvement, but basically, my hair was auburn and it's now dark brown. It also is super glossy and has a much better shape as I've had quite a bit cut off.

Try Not To ... Blush!

It's a week into blogmas and time feels like it's going so fast! I cannot believe that I started this blog nearly 12 months ago! This is my 51st post and if you didn't get the pun, it's one about blusher. I'm not the world's biggest fan of blusher, but I do like to add a bit of colour to the apples of my cheeks every now and again. I like quite natural-looking blushers so it doesn't look too heavy or fake. I have two single blushers to talk to you about and then there are a few in some sets. Let's get to it...

Okay, first up is an oldie. It's 'thrrrol' from Benefit, but unfortunately, it got discontinued! Boo... There's nothing worse than a product that you love being discontinued. Anyway, when first looking at the product, it looks incredibly light and almost too unrealistic. It has quite a lot of pigment is so it sort of acts like a highlighter too. However, when applying on top of a BB cream or foundation, it looks really nice - almost giving the face a healthy glow.

Next up is one of my all time favourite brands for blush - Nars. The single blush that I own is called Gilda and it's just SO amazing. It is rather pricy for a blush - £23 - however, it has lasted me for nearly two years now and I'm no where near hitting pan. It's a deep pink and you only need the slightest amount on your brush when applying. The good thing about Nars blushers are that they leave you with hardly any fall-out, if any. It's going straight in my basket!

So the previous Christmas, I was very lucky in the sense that my Mother was able to get her hands on the limited edition Nars - Virtual Domination palette. What a babe. She gave it to me as a Christmas present and I was just so shocked! The palette contains: 3 blushers - Sex Fantasy, Deep Throat and Final Cut (the names are rather... let's say... unusual, but the quality of product is incredible), a bronzer - Laguna and a highlighter - Miss Liberty. I think this palette was around the £50 and that's such a bargain! The bronze is full-sized and the blushers and highlighter is half the usual size of the separate products.

The blusher inside the Naked - On The Run palette is a bit to much for me, however, the palette itself is very good and handy.

Last, but by no means least, is the Urban Decay - Naked Flushed palette. This contains a bronzer, highlight and blush and the finish from the blush just completes the face.

Makeup and Skincare Haul

I feel like my last few posts have all been about hauls and yet again, I have another for you. Recently, I've just been obsessed with trying new products and re-purchasing others. Last week I did two orderers online - Debenhams and Beauty Bay.

Debenhams order -
With the Debenhams order, if you ordered two Lancôme products, you got a load of free goodies and everyone loves free goodies, right? Also, if you bought the La vie est belle perfume, you got a free body lotion (which I love!). I'll link everything below and I'll state with were the products that I got for free; there's a lot that were free! To top that off too, there was 10% off on all beauty and fragrance.

Beauty Bay order -
I've never tried anything from the Anastasia Beverly Hills range and I've see that their products are very highly rated. I thought I'd give an eyebrow products for a go as I feel like that's the thing I lack the most in my collection. I've also never tried anything from Shavata before. I normally get the Brow Enhancing Serum from Boots but paying £38 to see a slight improvement is a little bit disheartening - especially when you've bought 3! So I thought I'd give this ago; so far, so good. I do realise that this order was slightly risky in the sense that I'd never tried any of these things, but you never know unless you try.

Debenhams order -
Lancôme - La vie est belle - 100ml perfume x2
Lancôme - La vie est belle - body lotion (free)
Lancôme - Brush (free)
Lancôme - Lip gloss - Glow in Love (free)
Lancôme - Hypnôse Mascara - Black (free)
Lancôme - Eyeliner - Black (free)
Lancôme - Moisturiser - Hydra Zen (free)
Lancôme - Blusher (free)
Lancôme - Makeup bag (free)
MAC - Cremesheen Glass - Double Dare
Clinique - Bottom Lash Mascara - Black

Beauty Bay order -
Anastasia Brow Wiz - Auborn
Shavata - Brow Strengthener

You can see this post on my Instagram page - jodiemoon__

A Make Up Menu

It's been a while since I've last done one of these posts so I thought it was about time I show you my changes and keeps. If you follow me on Instagram, jodiemoon__ , you'll have seen this post. I've actually restarted my feed and I'm trying to post things more beauty related photographs.

I'd say that this look is perfect for an evening as it's quite heavy around the eyes and lips.

If you want to see an autumn lip then keep following for a post in the next few weeks!

Disclaimer: All these products are paid for by myself and I've not been paid to talk to you about them.



Benefit's Porefessional for my nose
Smashbox Primer all over the face
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser
Urban Decay's Creamy Concealer
Real Technique's Miracle Completion Sponge to blend in the concealer
MAC powder
MAC 129 powder brush
MAC Bronzer
Real Technique Contour brush
Urban Decay's Brow Box
Soap and Glory Archery Eyebrow pencil
MAC 266 angled brush
Louise Young Brow brush LY34
Urban Decay eyeshadow - Tease
MAC 217 brush
Soap and Glory Supercat eyeliner
MAC Superbold mascara
Urban Decay Pervision mascara
Clinque Bottom Lash mascara
MAC Odessey lipstick

Skincare Routine

This post is just going to go through the steps you should think about when doing your morning and evening routine. Depending on your age, not every step is recommended. For instance, there's a 'serum' step in both routines. I would only really recommend using a serum if you're over the age of 25. I hope this post helps and gives you a clearer understanding of how to take care of you skin.

Skincare Routine:

- Cleanser

- Exfoliate

- Serum

- Day cream / Night cream

* Extras

- Makeup remover

- A face mask (recommended 1-2 times a week)

- Creams for sensitive or dry skin

- Spot treatment

A recommended Morning + Evening routine:

                       Morning:                                                            Evening:

                             - Cleanser                                                              - Eye makeup remover

                             - Toner                                                                   - Cleanser

                             - Moisturiser                                                          - Exfoliant 3 times a week

                             - Serum                                                                  - Serum

                             - Eye cream                                                           - Eye cream

                             - Day cream                                                           - A face mask (optional)

                             - Primer                                                                  - Spot treatment

                             - Make up 

Disclaimer: All products bought by myself.

I have already done a post on the 3 products that I use to Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise so make sure to check that out. Also, I've been using the Liz Earle muslin cloths for removing my cleanser and cash wash and they're really great!

 If you have any questions, just leave a comment below. I'm going to be doing a Q&A post soon so I need as many questions as possible please! 

A Personal Thing - Brows

Normally, I would never let people see my eyebrows without there being some product on them. However, recently, I purchased a product that I've been using since January. It is a little pricy and I have gone through 2 but it's the best thing I've ever invested in. Disclaimer: Product has been purchased by me or has been a gift. (Basically, I haven't been payed to talk to you about this)

Right okay, this is the product - RapidBrow Eyebrow Enhancement Serum. This is probably a purchase that I have benefitted from and finally regained confidence in my face. After all, eyebrows make or break your face. I still fill my eyebrows in but I never go OTT or anything. Just for you lovely bunch, I will insert some before and after pictures. The before picture is horrendous so please excuse them.

Plucking, Waxing or Threading?
Before I did any, my eyebrows were brushy, tatty and needed tiding up. I got to the stage where I found my Mum's tweezers and plucked them until they were just a thing patch; not even a line. Stupid right? So since then, my eyebrows just didn't seem to want to grow back and treatment was the only option for me. In between all the plucking, I had waxing (which I found was terrible) and threading (I think this is the best out of all of them, but is very painful). No pain, no gain!

TIP: If you want to grow your eyebrows, LEAVE THEM! The best way to let them grow is by simply letting them grow. Don't 'just pluck that hair because it's messy', leave it. You will see some sort of result if you do. If you don't, get the treatment! It's the best thing I've ever bought!!

Okay, so my eyebrows are still growing and I'm still using the treatment because I would like them just a little bit bushier/ thicker. Excuse the fact that I have no make up on but I thought the results would be clearer if you could actually see my face properly.


The product I currently use to fill in my eyebrows - UD Brow Box with a MAC 266 brush.

P.S. Make sure to comment with some questions for a Q&A post which will be coming when enough questions have been asked. Thank you!

Makeup Menu (Including me!)

This week's post is heading back onto beauty and it feels like it's been so long since I've posted about something actually beauty related. This week's post is going to be about my makeup during the weekends - afternoon and evening. ALSO, I've changed my address to www.jodiemoonblogs.blogspot.co.uk (sorry for any confusion).

So basically, this is my afternoon look. The picture is quite hard to see my eyeshadow etc, but I'll give you a run through...
Base:
To start with, I use the MAC Prep + Prime Skin as a primer. Then I use the Chanel Vitalumière Aqua foundation. To cover up spots or hide blemishes, I use the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I then go on to fill in my eyebrows with the Soap and Glory Archery 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil and Brush. Now this is the part where I kind of take my own path and go on to do my eyeshadow: Foxy and Tease from the Urban Decay 2 Palette and Fix from the Urban Decay Naked On The Run Palette. After eyeshadow, I like to use the Soap and Glory Supercat eyeliner for my lid; followed by MAC Eye Kohl in the shade Smolder. Mascara is next and I love using the Clinique High Impact Mascara with the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara; both being in the colour black. If I think my face needs a bit of bronzer or a slight attempt to contour, I will build up a suitable amount of the Chanel Bronze Universal on the sides of my face and done either sides of my nose. I love this product because you don't need a lot on your brush and it's easy to apply. To finish my makeup, I will apply a MAC lipstick in the shade Patisserie or Modesty.


For my evening approach, I like to pretty much have a similar look, however, I go a bit heavy on the eyeshadow and do a full on contour. Also, depending on my outfit, I like to go bold on my lips and not so harsh on the blush. Again, I like to use the shades from the Urban Decay 2 Palette and for my evening look, I use Half Baked, Snakebite and Busted (all of which are pigmented... shimmayyy). Then when I use the Chanel Bronze Universal, I like to apply this a bit heavier and define my nose. I only tend to us highlighter during the evening because I like to have a more natural look in the afternoon. So for highlighter in the evening, I like to use the 5050 from the Urban Decay Naked On The Run Palette.

Sorry for the selfies but hopefully, you've enjoyed my makeup menu and like the fact that it's finally a beauty related post again. Next week's blog is going to be something fashion related... Off the topic of beauty again... Whoops. Have a good Easter term if you're off!

Perfect Palettes

Perfect Palettes...
Back on to the beauty topic this week and I felt like I should talk about palettes.

There's nothing better than buying something for a new palette or getting a completely new one with gorgeous shades and pigments.

For my choice, I've chosen 2 face palettes and 3 eyeshadow palettes.

Disclaimer - Please realise that these are all my opinion and I do purchase them all or have been given them as a gift from family. I do spend quite a lot of money on make up, but that's what I enjoy spending my money on so why not?

Let's get started...
Urban Decay Naked Flushed - £22.50
Urban Decay are really doing well with their products recently. I love pretty much everything in their range and this is my favourite face palette out of it. It's not too pricy and the highlight has a slight pigment. The blush is gorgeous and the bronzer is great. I'm sure you can get other shades for different skin tones?

Benefit Peek-a-Bright Eyes - £25.50
Benefit is a bit hit and miss for me... I love their Porefessional and They're Real mascara but I'm not too keen on the Lolli Balm (total rip off for £14.50!) However, I love this eyeshadow palette. It comes with 2 small brushes, 3 eyeshadows and an eye brightener. The shades are very similar to the eyeshadows in my MAC quad...

My MAC Pro Palette - £45
The refillable compact is 4x4 and was £5; it's also available in different sizes. The 4 Pro Palette shades that I have put in are: White Frost, Girly, Woodwinked and Embarked. These are definitely my favourite shades and my Mum pretty much has the same shades as me in hers! Each Pro Palette Refill Pan eyeshadow is £10

NARS Virtual Domination Cheek Palette - £45 - £55
For £45 I think this palette is amazing. I think NARS was selling them for £45 originally but they sold out super quick! So Selfridges brought it out for £55. You get 3 blushers, a highlighter and a bronzer. Great for £55 right?! (some of the names of the blushers are rude so I'll leave you to see if you click on the link!) Amazingly, the palette contains the Laguna bronzer in it's full size! This is normally £27.50!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - £38
You can't go wrong for 12 shades for £38. This is my favourite eyeshadow palette that I've ever use before; trust me, there's been a few. I'm thinking about purchasing the Naked 3 but I don't think I'd use all the shades. Whereas with the Naked 2 palette, I use them all!! Amazing value for money!

Top left - Naked Basics - Urban Decay
Top right - Peek-a-Bright eyes... - Benefit
Left middle - My 'build your own' Pro Palette - MAC
Right middle - Virtual Domination Cheek Palette - NARS
Bottom - Naked 2 - Urban Decay

Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise

Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise 
For my CTM routine, I use products from the Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare range. Previously, I have used more affordable products from Simple and Olay but since Christmas, I've fallen in love with these.

If you seriously want to enhance your skin and make it feel replenished then using a cleanser, toner and moisturiser, twice a day, will improve your skin short term and long term. I've done some research and they say you should start as young as possible; this can apparently reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

These Liz Earle products are pricy but you're paying for good quality - not just the brand. I have found that in the past month, my skin has started to feel great. I use these twice a day and you only need a small amount of both. There are definitely more affordable drugstore products in Boots etc, but sometimes, you just have to treat your skin. I do think that they are reasonably priced for the quality and I've already repurchased the toner.

Products mentioned:
Liz Earle Cleanser
Liz Earle Toner
Liz Earle Moisturiser

All About That Base

In this post, I'm not going to be singing or participating in Meghan Trainor's 'All About That Base' video... but I am going to be telling you about my go-to base products. I've tried to pick one from each of these categories: BB Cream, CC Cream, Tinted Moisturiser and Foundation.

Okay, so for those who aren't too sure what each of the products do, keep reading!

BB Cream: BB creams are short for blemish base or beauty balm. They basically are like a lighter foundation with a few skin care benefits thrown in.
CC Cream: CC creams are short for colour correcting. The products are supposed to address issue like redness or sallowness (usually with light-diffusing particles).
Tinted Moisturiser: Tinted moisturisers are a moisturising cream or lotion that has a slight tint to it, allowing it to provide some skin coverage.
Foundation: Foundations are used to cover up un-even skin tones, blemishes and give a nice base to work on.

My go-to base products:
BB Cream - Garnier Pure Active BB Cream in Light.
CC Cream - Olay Total Effects CC Cream for Light - Medium Skin Tone. This is a great CC cream from Boots and is quite affordable; it's on offer now!
Tinted Moisturiser - Laura Mercier Tinter Moisturiser with SPF and Oil Free. I have it in the shade Sand. Next time I will be purchasing in a lighter shade as I ordered online (BIG mistake!)
Foundation - Prepare for a few goodies... From Boots again is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel foundation in the shade Vanille. The next is from Selfridges and it is the Chanel Vitalumière Aqua Ultra - Light foundation. It contains SPF 15 and really is light! It's such a great product. Last, but not least, is the MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NW20. This also has SPF 15 and has great coverage.

Mascara this, Mascara that...

The 3 must-have mascaras:

These mascaras are by far amazing. Either just by themselves or all at once, they give an extended look to your lashes.

From left to right:
Clinique - High impact mascara With this, you could just apply by it's self and get nice thick lashes, but when you apply the MAC mascara beforehand, it finishes the look beautifully. As you can see by the picture, I am way overdue a repurchases. This product has lasted me around 6 weeks. 

MAC -Studio Fix Boldblack Lash
As I said, applying this before the Clinique mascara, you will get a great set of lashes. Even just using this product alone, your eyelashes will look even and long without clumps of mascaras here and there! This product is still on the go after 8 weeks!

Clinique - Bottom Lash Mascara
By far my most favourite bottom lash mascara. In previous experiences, I've been left with panda eyes due to a bad formula, wearing my makeup all day, or being out in wild conditions. However, with this mascara you don't need to worry about that! It is literally perfect in the sense that it doesn't do any of the above. Got to love a great mascara that won't budge right? Currently on my second week of using this; it's staying strong.

Choosing the perfect MAC lipstick

 From Matte to Frost and red to pink, finding the perfect MAC lipstick can be hard. You don't want to be in stores or ordering online for hours trying to find the right shade for yourself and not getting anywhere. So this is when I come in to help you choose your favourite Mac lipstick instead of £15.50 going down the drain on a not-so-you lipstick.

My MAC lipstick collection:
Patisserie - Lustre
Chatterbox - Amplified
Snob - Satin
Ruby Woo - Matte
Hot Gossip - Cremesheen
Modesty - Cremesheen
Crème de la Femme - Frost
Odessey - Frost


We've all been there when you're in a MAC store and you just can't resist to buy another lipstick... With my help, I'm going to make sure that you choose the right one.

In need of a bright, bold red? Ruby Woo is your answer. If you ever run out of time while doing your makeup, fear not. Ruby Woo is great for finishing any look. Simply apply a gold eyeshadow all over the lid and be done with it. For even better results with this lipstick, apply MAC lip liner in the shade Cherry. This will enhance the look and make it long-lasting. Who doesn't love a Matte finish?

Searching for the perfect nude? Modesty will do the job. It's texture is smooth, but not overly creamy or pigmented. This means that they will not budge for a few hours. A lipstick which is similar to Modesty is Patisserie; might I add that this is my favourite MAC lipstick! Patisserie gives sheer coverage and appears to be a lot more pigmented. However, on the lips, it give a beige-pinky tone with a slight shimmer.

Around Autumn time you're dying to find the perfect plum-shade, right? Odessey is the one. Frost finishes tend to last for around 2 hours. They're slightly glossy, but not too much, and provide good coverage. If you're thinking about purchasing Odessey, it is a lipstick that you will have to reapply during the day. Definitely a goody though.