Fancy a Splash of Grenadine With Your Tea...?

In today's little post I'm talking about two of my favourite things - Essie nail polish and tea. The colour in the spotlight today is Splash of Grenadine, and I have been itching to get my hands on this shade for the past year. Essie describe the shade as a playful magenta pink, and it's the perfect shade for spring and summer - but if you're anything like me you'll wear it all year round! I picked my bottle up from Priceline. 

The little tea cup that's featured alongside it is from Kikki K. I love Kikki K in general, but I do have a soft spot for their mugs. I just thought this one was not only super cute, but uplifting and positive as well. What better what to start the day than with an encouraging mug? 

If you have any Essie shade recommendations, be sure to let me know in the comments because I'm an absolute sucker for Essie...

Three Lip Balms For a Perfect Pout

I'll be the first to admit that I love a good lip balm. In all honesty, I'm a sucker for them! These three are the ones that take the cake in my opinion. The Vitamin E & Peppermint Beeswax Lip Balm from Burt's Bees is refreshing, cooling, soothing, and perfect to apply underneath lip gloss and lipstick. It's the perfect base because it has a natural finish, nothing shiny and nothing too matte. Rêve de Miel by Nuxe is such a cult product, and for good reason. If your lips are in need of some TLC, this is absolutely the one to use. It's thick and nourishing, and smells like lemon and honey. I pretty much use this every night, and have noticed such a difference in the texture of my lips. The Body Shop's Aloe Lip Care is kind of similar to the one from Nuxe, but in a tube form, making it perfect for your handbag. This one is thick and gel-like in texture, but works very well at repairing and soothing dry, chapped lips. 

5 Brushes You Need In Your Life

1. Real Techniques Duo-Fibre Face Brush

For anything related to your face, such as loose powder, pressed powder, blush, bronzer, this is your guy! I use this to apply my loose powder, and it works a dream. It blends perfectly and allows you to always apply the right amount. Duo-fibre brushes are the best for blending everything out. In the past I used to use this for bronzer, because it allows you to have so much control so that things don't end up looking too muddy. 

2. Zoeva 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush

For anything cheek-related, this is the one to use. I mainly use mine for blush, but it would also work great to contour, bronze, and highlight. It fits perfectly on the apples of my cheeks, picks up a good amount of product, and blends it out well. It's also great quality and feels so soft and lovely on your skin. 

3. Real Techniques Buffing Brush

This brush is probably no stranger to most of you reading this post. It is the queen of buffing brushes, and absolutely perfect for foundation. It just blends everything so well! I use this brush basically every time I apply foundation, though sometimes I will use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush which is very similar. I honestly think this is such a staple brush that everyone should have in their core collection. 

4. Real Techniques Duo-Fibre Eye Brush

The duo-fibre brush makes an appearance again. This is my go-to brush for when it comes to blending eyeshadows, because it just does it so well. It never leaves harsh lines, but instead everything is blended beautifully. Another absolute staple eye brush to have!

5. Zoeva 227 Luxe Soft Definer Brush

Last but not least, a MAC 217 dupe. The MAC 217 is essentially the queen of all eyeshadow brushes, and while I do not own it, everyone seems to be comparing this one from Zoeva to it. This brush is great for everything. Literally. It's great for packing on colour, blending, defining, you name it! It's pretty close to perfect...

So You Want a Light Coverage Base...

These days I've been opting for a more light-medium coverage base. I've been wanting to let my skin breathe, and I just don't feel the need for anything heavy duty, especially for the general everyday wear. I've been using these three foundations for a good few months now so I thought it was time I shared them with you. If you're after something not heavy or thick on your skin, something that lets your natural beauty shine through, then this post is for you!

Base 1: Bourjois Happy Light Foundation (shade 50 Porcelain)

I love this a lot! It's got no SPF in it, so it's perfect for the night, especially if you'll be using flash photography because there won't be any white cast on your face caused by the flash. The finish of this foundation is neither dewy nor matte, but somewhere in the middle. It almost reminds me of a less dewy version of the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation. I just love it because it has medium, but buildable, coverage. It never looks cakey and lasts a decent amount of time. It doesn't cling to dry patches either. The only downside is that this shade is the lightest shade that they carry, and it's even a little dark for me. So if you're quite pale, you may struggle to find a shade that suits you. 

Base 2: Rimmel Matte BB Cream (shade Light)

All you BB cream lovers out there, this one is for you! This has really lovely coverage, especially for a BB cream. This has an SPF of 15, which is perfect for the everyday gal who won't be spending too much time in the sun. Although it says matte, it's definitely not super matte. If you have extremely oily skin then you may find it won't work for you, but if you have dry skin don't be put off because it isn't drying. The packaging of this makes it very travel-friendly. 

Base 3: Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation (shade 110 Ivory)

This has been my current favourite, go-to, most used foundation. It is the perfect shade for me. And when I say perfect, I mean there are no visible lines on my neck or anything. It matches my skin tone to a tee! This is meant to look like your skin but better, and I definitely agree. It has SPF 20 and has a natural finish. If I set it with powder, and touch up when and if I need to, then it works fine for me. It also lasts well on the skin! If you're after something inoffensive that blends well, lasts a long time, and actually looks like skin, then this is the one for you. 

If you have any other recommendations of light-medium coverage bases, be sure to let me know in the comments below! They will be my staple during summer, so I need to be as prepared as possible with some more. 

If You're Fair-Skinned Then You Need This

If you happen to be a fair-skinned gal like me, then you will understand the struggle of trying to find a good bronzer. They're either too dark, too red, too pigmented, and just never right. Well girls, I've found a winner! The Honey Bronzer from The Body Shop ticks all the right boxes. It's not too pigmented, but easily buildable, so you won't ever apply too much. It never looks too red or muddy. I have the shade 01 and I find this to be perfect for my skin tone (I'm about NC15 in MAC foundations if that helps). It's a matte bronzer, which makes it perfect for both bronzing and contouring. 

I love to apply this with the Domed Bronzer brush from EcoTools. It just always applies the right amount and blends well. I went from absolutely hating bronzer, to not going a day without using it, all thanks to this glorious product.