WHAT’S UP IN BEAUTY: MY SUMMER FAVES

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Beauty favourites: summer 2020

Beauty favourites. It’s been a while. Remember the good old days of monthly favourites? I don’t want to commit to that, but there’s been a few bits I’ve been using EVERY SINGLE DAY lately and that must count for something. Welcome to (not) monthly favourites reimagined.

DREAM KIT & WHY I STOPPED BUYING MAKEUP BRUSHES

Dream brush kit

In a life of every beauty enthusiast, there's time for obsessive spending and time to reflect on your collection. I sat down recently doing my makeup and realized I haven't bought a single makeup brush in a long time. I came to realize that I don't buy any because simply I don't need anymore. We are constantly marketed with new brands launching new fancy kits, but are they truly worth your time? I'd rather buy single brushes, than kits simply because, I want quality and not quantity. Doing makeup, be that as an amateur or professional, you quickly come to a realization that quality matter here more than anywhere else. You can do as good a look given a skill using a £10.00 eyeshadow palette and £50.00 one. Sure the quality eyeshadow will make the process easier and quicker, but the final result is obtainable with both. Not so easy with bad quality brushes. The cut of individual bristles as well as a shape matter so much in getting that quality final look. I also find that with quality brushes, you are less likely to need to replace them often. I have had some of my brushes for years and they haven't lost the shape or too many bristles. Given a right treatment, this is one investment you can count as long term. Over the years I collected a great bunch, which I now call a dream brush kit. These are the only brushes I'd ever need if I was able to wash them every day. If you fancy a look at which ones made a cut, grab yourself a cup of tea and let me tell you all about them.

FAKE A HOLIDAY GLOW

Fake a holiday glow

I almost forgot what summer feels like now. I was lucky enough to spend 10 glorious days on the coast of Spain and then top it all up during a beautiful sunny wedding away in Poland. I like having a little colour to me, so I decided to share with you my ways of keeping summer alive: by faking it of course! 

JUNE EDIT: HEATWAVE BRACING, HAIR CARING, THE RETURN OF MOTIVATED BLOGGER

June... Summer has come, can you believe it? In a true fashion, it hit us with a heatwave.Not that I remember it anymore, 10 degrees yesterday!  It's been another busy month. Work's been crazy, again but I'm proud to say that it didn't have much effect on my blogging this month. I still managed to blog at least twice a week, but mostly three times. I am more on top of my social media too and I plan on going back to posting twice a day on Instagram. It's been difficult with the workload, but getting definitely better now.

I have had different priorities beauty wise too, keeping my nose shine free being one ;) Kidding aside, it was a month of one sweep shadows, tons of highlight and super light bases. In the heat of 25C and more, there was no way I'd be spending more than 15 mins on my routine, so quick routine came into play.  It felt as if my blog's finally going in the direction I wanted it to and the hard work being recognised. It means the world to me, to have you visiting more, being more engaged and happy! Without further 500 words epilogue, let's see what I've been loving in June! 

LIPSTICK HOARDER GETTING READY FOR FALL: VAMPY LIPS PART 1

Fall is nearly upon us and I, for one, couldn't be happier! I love autumn with its colours, fashion and makeup! There's something magical in changing seasons and autumn makeup is normally the one, we get to experiment in. The looks get darker, more complicated and it means the return of a classic dark berry/purple lip! I tend to rock a vampy lip all year round, but in fall, I feel like it's my god given right to step out with a statement lip.

When I looked through my autumn choices, I knew I'll have to divide this post in two to accommodate all my faves! There's just so many! If you'd like to update your makeup look this fall, have a look with me at the most coveted shades of Autumn '16.

I thought we start with my drugstore options. If you're  unsure if this almost goth chic suits you and your personality, it'a probably the best to start with more affordable choices. I have three here, that won't  break the bank, but offer all the dark berry and purple goodness, you'll want!

Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte in 975 Divine Wine / POST

This is a deep burgundy shade. It's super pigmented and creamy and it applies well on the lips. You may want to clean up the lines with the lip liner or the brush due to the bullet shape. It stays on for good 3 hours, even longer depending on your snacks/drinks etc. I have a whole post about the Creamy Matte range and it includes the lip swatches if you're interested. At £6.99 it's a great drugstore option.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 477 Black Cherry / POST

I'/ a super deep burgundy with a satin finish. The pigmentation is truly amazing and it stays out for 2-4 hours! It's a true stunner and it'll suit any complexion, but it works so beautifully on super pale skin! There's some lip swatches in the post so go check it out! Another great and affordable choice and at £7.99 it won't break the bank either!

Rimmel Long Lasting Lipstick in 128 Starry-eyed

It's a great dark red with lots of berry and brown tones. It's satin finish and stays on for good 2-4 hours. Great pigmentation and an easy daytime berry lip choice, as it'all suit most complexions. It's also the most affordable option and at £4.99 guaranteed drugstore hit!

From left: Black Cherry, Divine Wine, Inglot 438, Eugene, Glaston-Berry, Starry-Eyed, Inglot 20

From left: Black Cherry, Divine Wine, Inglot 438, Eugene, Glaston-Berry, Starry-Eyed, Inglot 20

It won't be me, if I also didn't have some more pro and luxury brands for you to choose from and I think I came up with great selection here, including one liquid lipstick. I will focus more on liquid lips and high end in general in part two, but I couldn't not mention these 4 great choices!

Inglot Matte Lipstick in 438

Formula reminds me of MAC Retro Mattes and from the swatches you can see why! It's a drag to apply! I didn't use lip brush and couldn't get an opaque finish. However with the lip liner and a brush it works great! The dark red shade is just so pretty and the most vibrant of the choices today. It's super Matte so it wears well too! It's also little cheaper than MAC! Inglot is a professional makeup brand and the prices reflect that. At £13 it': still not too expensive so I recommend trying a shade or two and see what you think!

Inglot HD Lip Tint Matte in 20

It's the deepest berry shade I'm showing you today and with hints of purple! Absolutely stunning on the lips! Formula is very long lasting and it applies well on the lips! Super Matte finish will guarantee you questions and looks about your statement lip! It costs £14 a pop so it's quite a standard price point for liquid lips!

MAC Giambattista Valli in Eugene

Ok, so it's little unfair to show you a limited edition MAC that's not available to buy, but the shade's so gorgeous I couldn't leave it out! It' super rich berry purple with Matte finish and superb pigmentation! It stays well on the lips and it just screams fall to me! As per usual with MAC formula is just great, the scent super pleasant and LE packaging also very pleasing! Love it!

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Glastonbury-Berry

The most expensive of the bunch, this dark purple with berry hints has a great pigmentation and creamy formula. I must admit, I didn't like it when I bought it late last year. MY lips weren't in perfect condition then and it looked patchy and awful. However now I learnt to care for my lips, this is a completely different story. It applies well and stays put for up to 3-4 hours (without food) and it's comfortable on the lips. It's still not my ideal formula but for die hard Charlotte's fans out there - it's already a cult autumn shade.

What are your fave autumn lip choices? Do you go mauve or opt in for dark berries and purples? What shades can you recommend? I'll have part two for you very soon (hopefully next week) with more liquid lips choices and different finishes (hello metallic!). I hope you'll have an amazing weekend. I'll be living it up in London with some lovely blogger friends at Smashbox event, so don't forget to check out my Snapchat (i.dorottka) and Insta Stories for live coverage :)

Thank You For Reading,

Love