5 Product Mummy/Maternity Face - AKA 'Lazy Make up'

Hi everyone, hope everyone is well.

Having been stuck at home for a few weeks now, I was beginnging to get fed up of looking in the mirror and seeing my non-make up, tired face everyday! So this week I decided to put on a bit of make up so that I don't cower behind my dressing gown when someone knocks on the door, or frantically throw on foundation when a visitor arrives. But I only wanted to use a few products that I would be able to whack on in about 5/10 minutes. I also feel like this will be a great, quick routine for when Baby J is here and I need to cover my bags under my eyes and perk up my tired skin. Here's what I used...

Pixi Beauty Illuminating Tint and Conceal (shade no 2 - bare glow): £21.50 from here
I absolutely LOVE this product!!! It is a tinted moisturiser with perfectly matching concealer in the cap. The base gives light coverage and has tiny speckles of shimmer in it to really lift your complexion. I start by rubbing this in with my fingers, then use the concealer anywhere I need to conceal as well as under my eyes and over my eye lids (as an eye shadow) to correct the colour. The concealer is so creamy, it's very easy to blend.

Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush (shade no1): £7.99 from here
A great little product, and I love the packaging - it even has a little mirror inside. I use my fingers to blend a small amount of this onto my cheeks and up my cheekbones. It gives a gorgeous rosy glow to my cheeks.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil (shade Perversion): £15.50 from here
This is a really good long lasting eyeliner that doesn't smudge, in a typical pencil style. I simply swipe this under my eye along my waterline just to make my eyes pop a bit.

Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara (shade Black): £19.50 from here
There is a reason this is the UK's best selling mascara. I absolutely LOVE this - and I'm a mascara junkie but am converted to this completely and have been for a year or so now. The formula is really black and the wand really grabs your lashes to lengthen and separate. It also lasts FOREVER even though it isn't waterproof (I have to really scrub to get it off). A little swipe of this on my lower and upper lashes - I simply can't go without mascara. This would be a desert island product for me.

L'Oreal Paris Brow Artist Eyebrow Pencil (shade blonde): £5.49 from here
This is a great travel product as it incorporates an eyebrow brush, pencil and wax in one pencil! I brush my eyebrows to shape them, then use the pencil to shade in any gaps, and finish with the wax to set. I feel it just really finishes off my face to have tidy eyebrows!

So that's my 5 product face - perfect for Mummies and Mummies-to-be or for when you just don't have time to put a full face on. Hope you enjoyed!

What would your 5 products be?
D x

My Make-Up Must Haves!

Hello... My name is Dani... and I am a Make-Up-aholic!!! I've always loved make-up but as I've grown *cough* older (sad face), I have found a select few items that will FOREVER grace my make-up bag. So I thought I'd write a blog about the make up that I will buy again and again.

Lancome Teint Miracle - For the last few months, I have been on the search for a new foundation. I dabbled with the mineral powders, the mousses and the compacts but just couldn't get on with them. I have fairly normal skin (please don't hurt me!) but sometimes have breakouts or dry patches, and was looking for something buildable and light. I fell head over heels in love with this foundation! It is A-MA-ZING! It gives medium to full coverage and leaves a dewy, fresh faced finish. The first time I wore it I got so many comments! Definitely my go-to foundation from now on. It has recently won a Beauty Bible award in the anti-aging category so it is also good for more mature skin. Priced at £28.50 (and available from here) it is mid ranged, but it's a beautiful, big, glass bottle and will last you a while.

Estee Lauder Double Wear All Day Glow BB Cream - On my hunt for the perfect foundation, I also wanted  new tinted moisturiser but didn't really get on with any I tried. I tried this because it is oil-free and because I suffer with milia, I didn't want any oils that would clog my pores and make matters worse. Like its Double Wear Foundation counterpart, it lasts all day and provides pretty good coverage (more than a tinted moisturiser) and lights my face up. It's a nice consistency too, quite creamy but not too thick. It's also loaded with SPF 30 so perfect for Summer Day wear. It is priced at £29 and available from here)

Benefit They're Real Mascara in Black - This is the UK's best selling mascara for a reason. It is friggin' AWESOME. I've been using this mascara ever since it came out, converted from Benefit's Bad Gal mascara. It separates, it lifts, it sticks around all day even though it isn't waterproof (Benefit - if you're reading - bring a waterproof formula out soon!!), it's just everything you want in a mascara. Priced at £19.50 and available from here.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Pink Quartz - I hadn't used my a shimmer brick for a while, but whilst having my make up trial for my wedding (Natasha Wiggins is an incredible make-up artist BTW - visit her here) she used one on my skin and I loved the finished look. I went straight out and bagged myself one. I chose Pink Quartz which I layer over a nude/pink blush, and it gives a lovely soft, warm glow. It's a little pricey for a blush/highlighter powder at £32 but its worth every penny and will last you FOREVER. Can be purchased here and is available in 5 shades.

Dior 3 Couleurs Smoky in 091 Smoky Black - This is a great little trio combining a base, a matte and  iridescent eyeshadows. I swipe the base all over my lids, use the matte black/dark grey in the socket line and corners and then BLEND BLEND BLEND (I don't particularly pull off the 'I've just been punched in the face' look), and then I sweep on some of the sparkly grey in the corners. As with all Dior shadows, they are a beautiful texture, uber-blendable, and come in a pretty swanky compact. Priced at £36 (but will last ages!) and available in 4 different shades from here.

L'oreal La Touche Magique Concealer in Ivory Beige - This is desperately trying to be YSL Touche Eclat and doesn't quite manage it, but it works pretty damn well as a spot covering/under eye concealer. It has quite a matte finish (despite claiming to be highlighting) and therefore covers blemishes well. It's a pretty nifty £8.19 and available (on a 3 for 2 offer ATM) from here.

No. 7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black - FINALLY! A pencil eyeliner that doesn't smudge during the course of the day! I have tried every pencil that claims to be 24hr or waterproof and this one knocks them out of the park in my opinion. It's got a lovely little smudger at the end too so you can achieve that smokey eye look. A bargain at £6.50 and available from here.

Bourjois Little Round Pot of Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet - This is quite a new addition to my make up collection, but I don't know how I did without it! It was recently a finalist in the Beauty Insider's Choice Awards. It goes on and blends in well, a nice matte but also sheer colour (not too heavy but buildable) and gives a great finish. I apply with my fingers to the apples of my cheeks and blend backwards. A great drug-store find and a bargainous £7.99 available from here in four shades.

So those are my make-up bag must haves, these are the items I will always select if I'm going away, for example and throw them into my kit. Absolutely love them!

Thanks for reading.
Dani x