All-Time Top 5 Concealers

5. Bobbi Brown Face Touch Up Stick in Porcelain 

This concealer is perfect for throwing in your handbag and using on-the-go, it is slim and compact but delivers a creamy, full coverage that lasts for hours. It covers imperfections, blemishes and redness and suitable for any skin type. I use it throughout the day to touch up where my foundation may have rubbed off, it comes in 19 shades (my shade is Porcelain) and retails at £20.

4. Benefit Boi-ing in 01 Light

My first ever blog post called 5 Beauty Products I Can't Live Without featured this concealer and although it has been pushed off the concealer top spot since last September I still like it very much. I find it a really good blemish concealer, especially as it has anti-bacterial properties. I apply a small amount to a spot with a traditional concealer brush then buff it out with a fluffy brush. It is long lasting and a little goes a long way. Although it looks quite dark in the picture, my shade is 01 Pale, I have had this one a while and think it has oxidised a bit so after I write this post I think I will have to throw it away. It comes in 5 different shades and costs £17.50.

3. Collection Lasting Perfection in Fair 

I have talked a lot about this concealer and you can read about it in more detail over on this post. This is a really good concealer for it price, at £4.19 you can't really go wrong. I like the coverage of this concealer and its lasting power (although I'm not sure I would agree with the 16 hours Collection claims it has). However, this one does have a couple of drawbacks, firstly the poor colour range means I can only use it as a brightening concealer under my eyes as it is too pale for blemishes but the next shade up is far too dark. Also, my shade (Fair) is such a pain to get hold of I usually end up giving up finding it.

2. Make Up Forever Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream in Pink Porcelain 

This is the newest concealer to my collection and featured recently in my June Favourites post. Often used by professional make up artists, it is one of the most full-coverage concealers on the market and can cover pretty much anything from spots and blemishes to scars and tattoos. It is a little more on the pricier side at $32 but you only need a teeny weeny amount and I only use it when i have some serious spots going on. My shade is Pink Porcelain and it can now be bought online in the UK from Sephora.com.

1. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla

Finally, my holy grail concealer, the concealer that is so hard to get hold of it literally took me months to repurchase (I was on the waiting list at 3 different SpaceNK's!). For some reason Nars have difficulty making enough of this concealer in my shade 'Vanilla' and there is always a shortage, but fear not - I got hold of one recently when I was down in London so I am ok for a while now. I've talked quite in depth about this concealer on a recent post which I will link here, where I compared the this concealer to the Collection one above. The main differences I find between them are that the Nars colour range is a million times better, I find it more long lasting and finally I find it a bit better at covering blemishes.

Are any of these concealers your favourite? If not, what is your fave? - I am always on the hunt for a good concealer!

Raiding My Sister's Make-Up Bag

 Don’t you just love going through other people’s make-up bags? This weekend I made a little spontaneous trip to London to see my sister and found myself riffling through her make-up bag to see what goodies I could find, the following are things that I would love to buy myself in my shade and other products I would like to sneak into my bag and take back with me…

1. Bobbi Brown Blush in Peony

This is the one I got most excited about as I had no idea she had it, it is Bobbi Brown’s much raved about blusher in the colour Peony. It looks a very scary bright pink in the compact but once applied it leaves a gorgeous, natural, healthy pink, matte finish.

2. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in B20

I would love to be able to use this foundation but none of the Chanel shades ever seem to match my skintone, they are all far too yellow based for my pale-pinky skin.  My sister, Charlotte describes it as having a dewy finish with light to medium coverage, she says it's quick and easy to blend and leaves a nice natural finish. However, she does also point out that her shade isn't quite the perfect match and would benefit from having the shade B10 to mix in.

3. Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer

This again is a very raved about product in the blogging world and I’m sure at some point in the near future I won’t be able to resist any longer and make the purchase. The unique product has two shades – one to match the skin’s depth of colour and the other to match the undertone. You can either mix the two shades together on the back of your hand to create your perfect shade or use the more pinky to counteract under eye dark circles and the more yellow-based one to hide any blemishes.  I think Charlotte uses her fingers to apply which is good as it warms the product up but I would then buff over with a fluffy brush to leave a super flawless finish

4. YSL Baby Doll Mascara

I actually recommended this to my sister after hearing Sophie’s great reviews about it and Charlotte loves it. It is quite a subtle, natural looking mascara perfect for everyday wear with a brush that easily coats every lash, making the more voluminous, longer and defined. Also – a mascara that actually smells nice, finally!

5. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact Highlighter in Pink Quartz

I am a big fan of these shimmer bricks even though I’ve never actually owned one myself, I’ve always just stolen a bit from my sister or Sophie! They are powder highlighters with 5 slightly different shades inside which when mixed together create a lovely natural looking pink highlighter – perfect for the top of cheek bones, on the brow bone and in the inner corner of the eye.

6. MAC Matte Lipstick in So Chaud

Now this is one statement lipstick! I’m surprised my sister has this as she is usually a very natural-looking-make up kind of girl. The best way to describe this colour is think of MAC’s famous Lady Danger Lipstick and add a bit more orange. MAC describe it as an intense reddish-orange, it also has the matte finish which I am really loving at the minute.

April Wishlist

This month's Wishlist has a bit on American theme going on, I'm going on holiday to the US for about 2 and half weeks in April and there a definitely a few bits and bobs I want to pick up when I'm there...

Rebecca Minkoff Hudson Moto Mini - $265.00

I really cannot decide whether to be naughty when I go on holiday and splash out on this gorgeous Rebecca Minkoff bag, I don't really have any small handbags so this would be perfect to carry around in the summer. I would get the black one as I could wear it with everything and I love the gold hardware on it too. What do you think - to buy or not to buy?

Marc Jacobs Beauty - The Lolita Palette - $59.00

Ever since Marc Jacobs launched his make-up collection last year, I have been dying to get my hands on some pieces- especially this palette called The Lolita. From all the reviews I've read they seem to be amazing quality eyeshadows with good pigmentation. Its has a mix if shimmery and matte neutral colours which I know I would get a lot of wear out of. $59.00 sounds like a lot but if you convert it into pounds it works out at being about £35 for 7 eyeshadows, in MAC the same amount of eyeshadows would be £70- that is my justification for buying it anyway!


Kate Spade New York Map Scarf - $128.00

This actually also featured on my December Fashion Wishlist but here it is again as I might get a chance to buy it this time. I love the bright yellow and contrasting black; I think it would be perfect for spring, and I also adore the detailed Manhatten map on the scarf as well. It's so unique, I've never seen anything like it before. As much as I love this scarf, I think this one will be staying as a wish- otherwise my America shopping list will be far too long and expensive!


Sophie Kinsella- Wedding Night - £5.99

It's time to stock up on some holiday reading books so I was really pleased when I saw Sophie Kinsella has released a new book. I love her books, the Shopaholic series where the first chick-lit books I read when I was 12 or 13 and I've loved all her books since. I know they are not the worlds most high-brow and intellectual books but they make really good holiday reading. 

New Look Black and Gold Cat Eye Sunglasses - £9.99

I want some cheap sunglasses to take on holiday as I don't like taking my expensive ones on the beach where I will most likely lose or sit on them. I love cat eye sunglasses at the minute, I think they look super chic and elegant and at £9.99 you can't really go wrong. 


Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturising Balm - £35.00

I am always on the hunt for a new moisturising foundation as I have never found one I have completely fallen in love with, I think this Bobbi Brown tinted moisturiser will be the next one to try. Again, I think this one will remain a wish this month as I have given up buying make-up for lent (this rule only applies on British soil - I can still buy make-up when I'm in America!) but I think I will definitely be buying it next month.

Emma Hardie Cleanser - £34.00

I keep hearing good things about this cleanser and I think it's only going to be a matter of time before I cave in and buy it, my Dermalogica cleanser has just about ran out too so April will be the perfect time to buy it. 

Sephora Classic Mineral Powder Brush #45 - $24.00

I saw this featured on a post by one of my favourite beauty bloggers ViviannaDoesMakeup. She describes it as a buffing brush that can be used for all different types of make-up, including liquids, powders and creams. I've had a few Sephora brushes before and they were all really good quality so I think this would be an all-round great brush to have in my make-up collection.

What is on your wishlist this month? Also, don't forget to check out Sophie's March Favourites here!

Jess's Favourite: Make-Up Brushes

Good quality make-up brushes are an essential tool to getting perfect looking make-up, it’s important to try and wash them with shampoo as often as possible so they deliver the best results and last for years (I do not practice what I preach and all my brushes are way overdue a wash!). Here are a few of my favourites which I always use in my make-up routine.

1. MAC 150 Large Powder Brush – I tend to use this brush for bronzer as it’s the perfect size to run along the temples and in the hollows of the cheeks to create that more contoured and defined look. I don’t use it for powder as I use a much smaller brush and just powder the t-zone area as I have really dry skin so don’t really need to powder all over. I have had this brush for a while now and it is still really soft, I was a little disappointed with it when I first bought it as it kept shedding hairs on my face but that stopped after a few uses. It’s not a cheap make-up brush at £33.50, but for me it really is an essential.

 2. Real Techniques Stippling Brush - I use the stippling brush to gently buff liquid or cream foundation into the skin to give a flawless and airbrushed finish. I use it in little circular motions until all the foundation is evenly blended into the skin, I also use it at the end of my make-up routine and buff out and harsh lines I may have from bronzer or blusher. The Real Techniques brushes all have synthetic bristles which makes them quick to clean as they don’t ‘hold on’ to the product and at around £10 the brush is really good value for money.

3. Bobbi Brown Foundation Brush – This is more of a traditional foundation brush and I use it if my skin is very dry (the buffing motion of the Stippling brush can often make my skin flaky if I’m having a very dry day!). I also use it to ‘clean up’ under my eyes if any shadow has dropped down. This brush also builds to a more full coverage foundation look whereas the Stippling brush is creates a sheer to moderate finish. This brush is not cheap at £32.00, however it is very good quality and should last a really long time.

 4. MAC 263 Small Angle Brush – This is the brush I use to fill in my eyebrows on a day to day basis, I gently brush through powder eyeshadow in small soft strokes; the angle in the brush really helps to make the brow as precise as possible. I also use it to line my top lash line with powder and gel eyeliner as I find an angled brush much easier to use than a traditional liner brush. It takes 20 seconds to clean as it’s so thin and can be thoroughly dry in 15 minutes.  The RRP of this brush is £16.50.

5. MAC 217 Blending Brush – If you want to achieve a perfect smokey eye, a good quality blending brush is essential. I use it to brush base eye colours all over the lid then blend darker colours through the crease to add shadow and definition. The bristles are soft and don’t shed and blend colours together effortlessly. I also have another blending brush which isn't MAC (it is a slightly cheaper N⁰7 one) and I can definitely tell the difference in quality, however if you are creating a dramatic smokey eye it is usually best to apply the product with one and blend with the other to make it looks as neat as possible. The MAC 217 is £18.00 and also MAC’s top selling brush. 

What are your favourite make-up brushes?