Mermaid's Makeup

I had a rare day off from my new placement and decided I would venture into town to pick up some essentials I had run out of and I also got myself a few treats!

Firstly, something not so interesting. I've been really enjoying the Colgate Max White One range recently. I usually use the Optic version of the toothpaste but as it wasn't on offer this time and I wasn't prepared to pay £4.50 for a tube of toothpaste, so I picked up the standard one instead. I like the cool mint flavour of the mouthwash but if you keep it in your mouth for too long it can burn as it's fairly strong! I haven't noticed an extreme difference in the colour of my teeth but they have become more white, to an extent, since I started using this range.

If you read my skincare routine post then you'll know that these face wipes are my favourite and are about the only ones I can use on my face. I use one at the end of every day to take off my makeup and remove all the dirt from the day. They're so gentle and I love the subtle and fresh scent of them too. 

The Maybelline Creamy Mattes have finally come to the UK! As two of these lipsticks were mentioned in my Top Ten Lipsticks For Autumn/Fall post it's no surprise that I was very excited to see this collection in my local drugstore. The range is quite limited in its colours and not all of them are shades I'd reach for this season, but I picked up Divine Wine, a lovely deep red colour. As far as I can remember from what I saw whilst in Canada last Christmas, none of the colours in the UK are the same as what they had available there but fingers crossed they'll bring out more shades over time. 

Being on placement and doing 12.5 hour shifts calls for relaxing baths on your days off and what better way to make them more exciting and luxurious than with a Lush bath bomb? After seeing the new ones all over social media with their beautiful bold colours all swirling around in the bath I had to grab The Experimenter as soon as I saw it. I'm not completely sold on the smell but maybe it will smell better once it's in the bath.

I've recently only just gotten into using eye shadow and have seen a lot of people raving about the Maybelline Colour Tattoos. As I'm very inexperienced and hopeless at doing my eyeshadow, the ease of these eyeshadow creams are what drew me in (that and the fact that Maybelline products were buy one get one half price at Superdrug and I'd already put the lipstick in my basket). This "On and On Bronze" shade is really pretty for the Autumn time and really brings out the green of my eyes.

I never usually wear jewelry on a daily basis apart from my Pandora bracelet and a ring my cousin gave me a few years ago, but I thought it was time to start buying some. These pieces from Primark were the perfect place to start as they're very cheap and cheerful!

As a lot of my clothes are pretty basic, plain pieces so I thought I would jump on the pendent necklace band wagon to liven up my outfits a little. I used to only stick to silver but I'm into gold pieces these days as they look that bit more sophisticated in my opinion. This double-layered necklace is simple but pretty and dresses up my boring clothes!

With wrists on the slightly skinny side, I tend to steer clear of cuffed bracelets as they usually just slip right off, but this set of three are open so I can pinch the ends to make them smaller. They look great on their own or put on all at once.

Herbal Essences are my favourite brand of hair care products at the drug store. They have so many different ranges for the various needs and they all smell amazing! I don't have any particular specific need for my hair, it's not dry or overly split so I stick to the Moroccan My Shine because it smells so lovely and really does add  lot of shine.

 I can never go into Lush and get just one bath bomb, it's a serious problem and I always spend way too much money than I can justify! Intergalactic is another one I've seen a lot of and it looks so pretty with all the colours mixing in the bath. It has peppermint oil in it so the mint scent will be perfect to use in these colder months to decongest my sinuses.

These Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads are probably my favourite skincare product ever! For a more detailed description and my thoughts on these check out my Skincare Routine post. I've never used anything with such immediate and lasting results so as I'm nearing the end of my first pot of them I had to buy another lot as I can't go without them now!

I love wearing dresses no matter what the season and it's a running joke that I'm not ever allowed to buy anymore dresses in my life because I have a whole wardrobe full! In the colder months I particularly like wearing checked dresses with boots and opaque black tights are a must to keep my legs toasty. I'm always ripping and losing them so £3 for 3 pairs from Primark is perfect for me.

I know there's some theories about dry shampoo drying out your scalp and causing bad dandruff but I only use it in desperate times when I really can't be bothered to wash my hair or when I'm trying to prolong my curls. Batiste is always on offer and works great on my hair to keep it looking fresh on those greasy hair days! This Eden scent smells lovely and fresh with a hint of sweet melon.

I'm on the lookout for some new boots and jumpers so look out for a clothing haul!

Talk soon, 

Mercedes

I'm definitely a self-professed lipstick addict and Autumn/Fall has got to be my favourite season for lipsticks. I only really got into wearing lipstick about a year ago and last year was the first time I braved the bold lip colours and there was no turning back! I'm one to go for a natural make up look pretty much every day, even on special occasions, but last year I thought it would be fun to try out something a little bit more daring and finally plucked up the confidence to wear a dark colour on my lips out in public and not just around the house. I loved it so much that I had to restrain myself from wearing them as the darker lip transitioned out when Spring came around. A bold lip is such an easy way to add a little something to simple make up looks but they can be a bit of a pain to maintain throughout the day if they're especially dark. 

1. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anita

This colour isn't really a dark lip but the nude-pink colour of it makes it perfect when transitioning from the brighter colours of summer. It is definitely a more everyday colour compared to some of the others I'm going to talk about and lasts a long time throughout the day. NARS describe it as an antique rose colour and I love the formula of it; it's so creamy yet still pigmented. Their packaging is always on point and the magnetised lid is something I wish all lipsticks had. 

2. Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Mattes in Touch of Spice

I bought this lipstick while I was in Canada over the Christmas time after seeing a few YouTubers raving about this line. As far as I know they're not available in the UK yet but I remember seeing them advertised somewhere so I assume they're going to be coming here soon. Similarly to the NARS one, this lipstick isn't a bold colour, it is more of a nude but it is more brown toned compared to the last one. As a lot of reviews say, this formula is so nice! It's creamy even though it's a matte lipstick and doesn't dry out your lips at all. It's pigmented and has great staying power.

3. Gerard Cosmetics 1995

Another nude matte lipstick that is much more brown than the Maybelline one. This is a lipstick that Jaclyn Hill came up with in collaboration with Gerard Cosmetics back last year and I had to order it immediately as the "Kylie Jenner" lip and 90's trend was going around. I'm always impressed with the service from Gerard Cosmetics as an international buyer. The delivery is fairly quick and there's always deals on that offer free worldwide shipping and discounts off of their products. Great formula and easy to apply. Their gold packaging makes it look so classy and sophisticated!

4. Aveda Nourish-Mint Sheer Mineral Lip Colour in Sheer Rhubarb 

I think this is the first product I've ever owned from Aveda and I really like it. Some people may be put off by the mint in this lipstick but I quite like the subtle tingling sensation. Weirdly I don't find that it smells like mint but more like cinnamon, though that may just be my strange sense of smell! It's a pretty berry-brown type colour with a bit of shimmer. Although it's a sheer lipstick is still has amazing pigmentation and feels really nice on the lips.

5. Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Mauve Mania

The lipsticks in the ColorSensational range are known for their incredible pigmentation and this shade is no exception. It's a pretty purple-berry colour and one that you can build up from a subtle wash of colour to a deeper shade. Again, this lipstick lasts really well and glides onto your lips so easily. 

6. Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Mattes in Mesmerizing Magenta

This is another one that I picked up whilst I was in Canada. Although it's quite a bright colour, I still like it for the Autumn/Fall time because it's more of a berry-pink rather than a bright, hot pink that you'd usually wear in summer. It's a very bold, bright colour and so you have to be careful when putting it on that you don't end up with smudges around your lip line!

7. Collection Deluxe Lipstick in 01 Prohibition 

I'm starting off the bolder colours with this shade. It's a cherry red colour with amazing pigmentation and lasts such a long time. I would use a lip liner if you have one because it's such a bright colour that it can bleed out of the lip line easily. As it's quite dark you do have to spend a bit more time putting it on than you do with the other lipsticks I've mentioned. This was one of the first really dark colours I purchased and I picked it up because it was quite cheap and I didn't want to pay a lot of money on something I wasn't sure I'd use. Even though it's so inexpensive it's still a great lipstick formula.

8. E.L.F Studio Matte Lip Color in Wine 

This was another purchase I made after seeing a lot of people talking about the range. I initially bought the shade Cranberry from this collection which is probably my favourite but I couldn't include it as I've lost it. This is still a lovely colour though! It's a red with a bit of a pink/berry undertone as opposed to being a true  blue-toned red. The fact that these are in a pencil/crayon form makes them so easy to put on even though it's such a dark colour as you can literally just draw it around your lip line and then fill it in. Even though it's marketed as a matte colour I wouldn't say it's a true matte as it does leave a little bit of a sheen. Again, very creamy for a matte lipstick and the colour will last all day.

9. Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick in 3 Revenge

Unfortunately I can't seem to find it on the drugstore websites so I'm not sure if this shade has been discontinued but I did include an amazon link I found. This is one of my favourite lipsticks of all time! It's a very deep, burgandy red that makes you stand out from miles away. As it's so dark it's probably best to use a lip brush to apply it because once it's on your skin it stains it, which I found out the hard way! This isn't a matte formula but I like to blot my lips on a tissue when I apply this to get any extra off and this also makes it more of a matte lipstick. 

10. Makeup Revolution Vamp Collection Lipstick in 100% Vamp

This is the most daring colour I think I've ever seen and I'm not sure you can get much darker than this except for black! As the name suggests, this is an extremely vampy colour that's an almost-black purple shade. As with the last one, I would definitely suggest using a lip brush and taking your time when putting this on. Going around your lips with a thin layer of concealer after you've applied the lipstick will clean up any smudges around the edge. This lipstick is quite hard to maintain and so you have to keep it handy to reapply and avoid having patchy lips. If you're going to be eating (or kissing) I wouldn't recommend wearing this shade because it will probably end up smudged around your face!

So far I've managed to stop myself buying new lipsticks but I'm sure that won't last for long! If you have any fall, bold lipstick recommendations I would love to hear about what you've been loving this season and what I should pick up next.

Talk soon,

Mercedes