My Beauty Bay order

This week's post is back on the theme of beauty - yay! It feels like I haven't officially posted about beauty for so long but I'm sure there'll be quite a few in the next couple of months. Anyway, let's get on with it...

So recently, I placed an order on Beauty Bay; I love this website! I only came across it about 6 months ago and since then, I've been ordering all sorts like: Zoeva brushes, Louise Young products and other little bits and bobs. This time, I've ordered something from Kevin Aucoin. I don't normally like to spend a ridiculous amount of money makeup but sometimes, you just have to treat yourself. I always feel that little bit better when I have the products on me and that's why it's worth buying more luxury items every now and again. 

The products that I bought:

Zoeva eyelashes - I've never actually used false eyelashes before but I'm trusting Zoeva!

Zoeva 142 brush - The 142 Zoeva brush is a concealer brush and I'm sure I will like it. I love the other Zoeva brushes that I have and they still stay as good quality once they've been washed.

Zoeva Naturally Yours eyeshadow palette - The palette by Zoeva includes 5 mattes and 5 shimmers: Pure, Soft & Sexy, Smooth Harmony, Forever Yours, Slow Dance, First Love, Casual Elegance, Sweet Sound, Lovely Monday and Timeless Chic. All of the shades look incredible. However, I'm not too sure on the packaging. The price is so cheap for the amount of shades and the brand etc, but I do think the packaging could be so much better. It just seems to be rather messy and you can't really tell what the brand is or the name of the palette. 

Kevin Aucoin lip gloss in the shade Absinthia - Again, this is my first time trying a product from Kevin Aucoin so I'm sure it'll appear in another post if I end up liking it.

Louise Young highlighter -  I've been hesitating for a few weeks whether or not to get the Louise Young highlighter as I've been meaning to get one for a while. On the Beauty Bay website, the picture of it looks quite big so I thought it was a bargain for £14. However, when I opened my parcel, it was tiny! Even when you take it out of the box, it's small. So I checked the website to find the weight and it was 3.5g. I should've checked before I bought! It's just slightly bigger than an eyeshadow but I thought it would be slightly bigger as not many people, that I know, have even heard of the brand so I thought it would be cheaper for that weight or bigger for the same price. On the other hand, it is a very nice highlighter and I think I'm just going to try it out.

Overall though, I can't wait to try the products and if I like them then I'm sure you'll see them in a post again! 

These are all my opinions so please don't take it the wrong way. I'm just a big fan of packaging and the way things are presented as I love everything to look nice!

My Makeup Brush Collection

This post is basically just going to show you the makeup brushes that I own. There are quite a few from different brands and they're all used in different ways or to apply different products. There are a few of the brushes that have been apart of sets and there are a few that have been given to me as gifts etc. I am not being payed to advertise these brushes.

My brush collection:                     
MAC 129
MAC 266
MAC 217
(RT = Real Techniques)
RT MC Sponge
RT Silicone Liner
RT Expert Face
RT Contour
RT Shading
RT Pointed Foundation
RT Buffing
RT Lip
RT Setting
RT Blush
RT 201
RT 301
RT Duo-Fiber Face
RT Duo-Fiber Contour
RT Duo-Fiber Eye
Louise Young LY22
Louise Young LY34
Ecotools Eyeshadow
bareMinerals Full Flawless Face
bareMinerals Max Coverage Concealer
Zoeva 224
Zoeva 122
Zoeva 127

I also have 3 mini brushes and a blusher applicator from Benefit

Trying Lancôme products

Disclaimer: This post is out of my own discretion and I'm not being payed to advertise these products. They are all my own opinion.

Recently, Debenhams have been having all different types of sales and offers and the one that grabbed my attention the most was the Lancôme offer - Buy two products and get a free goody bag. Perfect, right? I've never actually purchased anything from Lancôme before but quite a few people that I know rave about it.

I bought the two perfumes La vie est belle and Hypnôse. My favourite one out of the two is La vie set belle and I think that it's my new favourite of all time! Closely followed by Elie Saab - La Parum of course...

Now, the goody bag...
Due to me never trying any Lancôme products at all, I was a bit hesitant when it came to the makeup but I have had no problems whatsoever and love all of the products. The goody bag included: A mini nail varnish, a mini mascara, a mini eye serum, a mini sample of La vie set belle, a mini lipstick, two eye creams and an eye makeup remover.

I have contact dermatitis and I struggle to find products that don't irritate my eyes when I remove eye makeup but Lancôme's Bi - Facil eye make up remover is perfect and it really does sooth my skin. There were also two eye creams in there. One being Hydra Zen Neurocalm and the other being the Hydra Zen Neurocalm Night Cream. Both are very easy to apply and not too creamy.

I'm very happy with the other products too and I will be purchasing the full sized versions when I have run out. The nail varnish that I got was a really nice rich pink colour and I think it will match anything that you wear; the lipstick corresponds too!

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