ILLAMASQUA CREAM BLUSHER IN ZYGOMATIC

Zygomatic is a blush I knew I would love even before purchase, or before I actually swatched it at the counter. It's a GORGEOUS pinkish beige, one of those shades that seems to suit any and every given occasion. It wears on the more natural side, and gives my skin a soft touch of colour without ever over doing it. I'm completely obsessed with how beautiful this is, but I'll let the swatches speak for themselves!

Illamasqua makes absolutely amazing blushers, and I'm especially a fan of their cream based products. Before stumbling upon this, I never really 'figured out' cream blush, all the other ones I've tried had a tendency to apply unevenly on my dry and dehydrated skin. But Illamasqua cream blusher applies like no other - it's ridiculously smooth and blends out effortlessly without looking patchy or uneven. I do generally use a stippling brush, but it wears just as well when applied with fingers.

BEST OF BEAUTY 2013

It's that time again for another 'best of beauty' yearly round up! I've really enjoyed reading what everyone has been posting, I love that I'm getting a quick rundown of the favourite of the most favorited, ultimate number one, beauty products of 2013 in one single blog entry. I have a good few products to go through on my list, but I'll try to keep it short and precise!

Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer & Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

Hands down my favourite primer and foundation combo. Hyda Veil is a great primer all-round, but the lightness of the formula works really well with the creaminess of the Skin Base foundation, creating a smooth finish that lasts all day. Illamasqua Skin Base is medium to high coverage, but it wears surprisingly natural whilst giving a flawless finish.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

Probably my most used foundation of 2013. I think this is the perfect everyday go-to foundation, it gives my skin that much needed boost in the morning without wearing oily during the day. I can't say that this foundation hydrates my skin, but it definitely gives the illusion that my dull skin is smooth and moisturised after application. Plus it's so affordable!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer & Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

Maybelline has won me over with their concealers this year, I've almost stopped using high-end concealers altogether! Instant Age Rewind is amazing for underneath the eyes, it wears a little thicker and creamier, so it's perfect for eliminating dark circles and smoothing out the skin. Maybelling Fit Me is thinner in consistency and coverage, but is great for anywhere on the face because it blends seamlessly and doesn't look too heavy.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

I've been really digging my drugstore products for face this year, and Rimmel Stay Matte is probably one of my favourite finds for 2013. I was actually given this after my friend who bought it swore it was the worst product ever, but luckily it wears very well on my combination/dry skin (my friend has oily skin). I only apply powder on the t-zone area which do tend to get oily very quickly, but this really sets everything in place making my foundation last a lot longer.

Benefit Hooler Bronzing Powder and Rockateur Blush

I've been wearing these two babies on an almost day-to-day basis, and they pair beautifully together. I tend to be super nitpicky when it comes to bronzers because a lot of them make me look orange, but Hoola is the perfect shade to compliment my skintone. I don't think I need to talk much about Rockateur, it's pretty much universally loved by the blogging community and I can't agree more - the shade is simply gorgeous!

Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Dixie

This shade looks a little intense in the swatch but it wears a soft pinky coral when blended out. The texture of Illamasqua Cream Blushers are top notch, they are super pigmented, very easy to blend out (whether using your fingers or a stippling brush) and give a lovely natural dewy finish. I've been eying a couple more of these to add to my collection in 2014!

Jump for the best of 2013 eye products!

MY TOP 5 FOUNDATIONS

Finding the right foundation can be a big challenge. Despite reading into the reviews and doing the research, I find that I can never really predict how a product will wear on me until I've tested it out on my skin. I've been on a bit of a foundation kick lately - I've read through my fair share of 'favourites' and 'top 5s' in the blogging world, and as a result my stash has grown significantly in the last few months. 

I generally jump between various foundations depending on the condition of my skin and the weather, which means sometimes I will use up to 5 different foundations over the course of one week! It is an essential product in my makeup routine, so I thought I would share some of my absolute favorites in this post. I'm going to try to keep things short by pining it down to the key factors, but don't hesitate to leave a comment if you have any questions. Also, I would love to know what some of your current favourite foundations are! :D

In no particular order…

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation (53)
Coverage: Light to medium
Longevity: 6-7 hours
Shade Range: 5 shades available
SPF: None
Primer I use with this foundation: Various (It's worked with pretty much all my primers!)

My current favourite drugstore foundation. I usually reach for this when my skin is looking a little dry and tired - I find that it gives my skin the boost it needs without making my face too 'shiny', which is often the case for me when it comes to illuminating products. I do point out that this foundation is not the longest wearing product (I have combination skin), but it stays put for most of the workday, so it is a great choice for a day-to-day foundation.

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation (5.5)
Coverage: Medium to full
Longevity: 9-10 hours
Shade Range: 26 shades available
SPF: None
Primer I use with this foundation: Illamasqua Hydra Veil

The wear of this foundation is fantastic, it lasts from day to night even around oilier areas of my face (mainly the T-zone area). The product blends seamlessly into the skin and is overall great to work with. This foundation can be easily built up to full coverage, but also wears quite natural if applied sparingly. Illamasqua Skin Base is a great choice for flash photography, it contains no SPF so there won't be any unwanted flash back.

Jump for more foundation love!