My Festival Beauty Survival Kit

Summer brings about sunshine, cocktails, floaty dresses, great music and festivals. Festival season will soon be upon us and us girls want to look good whilst rocking out in our shorts and face paint! Festivals can have the tendency to be a bit dirty (I don't even want to think about the festival toilets I have seen in the past), so I have compiled my ultimate beauty survival kit for the girls who want to look and feet great when you're slumming it in a tent but having the best weekend with your friends.

1. Dove Summer Glow Tanning Lotion - Tan yourself up and get those pins out

2. NIVEA Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose - Smother your lips with lip butter to get them looking and feeling soft ready for your bright lippy

3. Garnier BB cream for oily skin - Give your skin a glowing look with a BB cream whilst providing great coverage for the summer months 

4. Sure Mineral Roll-on Deodorant - Small and compact providing freshness without taking up too much space reserved for alcohol

5. Packed Tissues - When you forget your toilet roll on the way to the loo in the middle of the night.

6. Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick - A bright lippy that stays on from night to day

7. Rimmel Moisture Renew Lippy in 'In Love With Ginger' - When isn't it more appropriate to wear a bright red lipstick?

8. L'oreal Texturising Spray - Give your hair an instant refresh and lift with this non-sticky texturisng spray/dry shampoo

9. Maybelline 24h colour Tattoo - Make eyeshadow application super easy with this cream eyeshadow in On and On Bronze

10. Soap and Glory Off Your Face Facewipes - Use on your face and body to make you feel fresher (3 days without a shower is torture)

11. Vera Wang Lovestruck Perfume - Make yourself smell great with a quick spritz of perfume before you hit up the fields

12. Rimmel Lasting Finish Nail Polish in 504 It's a Scorcher! and 500 Glitter Ball - Everyone loves a bright nail and some glitter at festivals right?!

What are your favourite beauty products to take to festivals?

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How to create a flawless face

Most of us have suffered from spots at some point in our life. Now that I'm a little older, I'm lucky that my skin has really cleared up and I feel confident in wearing no make-up. However, when I'm going out I like the 'flawless face' look where I have a sort of blank canvas to build up a look. In order to create a flawless face, I like to conceal blemishes and use a light or yellow based concealer under the my eyes to hide any dark circles I may have. These are the few products I use to create a flawless look ready to apply the rest of my make-up.

First off I like to apply a moisturiser all over my face to make my foundation glide across my skin more easily and provide a base for my foundation. I then use The Body Shop's Pore Minimiser to close/fill any open pores to make my foundation look even more flawless.

As I suffer from oily skin, I usually stick to matte foundations which have a medium to full coverage such as Revlon's Colourstay Foundation for oily/combination skin (I use shade 'Sand Beige'). I use a stippling or buffing brush to blend my foundation such as Real Techniques Stippling Brush. 

I then apply a light or yellow based concealer under my eyes to high any dark circles. If the dark circles won't cover, I'll apply YSL Touche eclat in 1.5 over the top as it is a very yellow based concealer it will counteract the darkness under my eyes. I often blend my concealer with a beauty blender or my fingers depending on how I'm feeling that day. I will then apply concealer to any blemishes I may have. I often find using a concealer which is the same colour as my foundation works best to hide blemishes. I use Maybelline's FIT ME concealer in '10' and I will blend with my finger or the pointed end of a beauty blender.

I will then finish off by using a big fluffy brush to sweep a powder over my face. I use Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 'Transparent' as it sets my foundation and keeps my face matte all day. I also find it helps reduce the transfer of my foundation to clothes. 

What products are your favourite to use to create a 'flawless face'?

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Three Spring Favourites

When spring arrives I like to change up my make-up products to softer pastels, peaches and pinks. When I popped into Boots the other week Max Factor's new launch caught my eye. I picked up their new Creme Puff Blush in '15 Seductive Pink'. I'd heard it was a budget dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush but since I'm not prepared to spend £30 odd pound on a blush at the moment, I can't pass comment. However, this blush has a marbled effect which is combined with a lovely soft pink colour and a light helping of glitter to help make your cheeks glow when applied. You can also use this blush as a highlight if used with a light hand. For a fraction of the price (£8.99) of the Hourglass blush, this blush provides a beautiful soft look for springtime.

Since the launch of Maybelline's Colour Drama Velvet Lip Pencils, they have been one of my favourite lip products as they are so versatile and easy to use.  They are creamy and apply to the lips so easily. As a result of them being in pencil form, I have found the application of bright/darker red colours in the collection much easier to apply than a lipstick. My favourites are 'Minimalist' and 'Red Essential'. They are £4.99 each and an absolute steal compared to their supposed high-end dupes - The NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils which are more than double the price. 

Last but not least as it's genuinely my favourite product at the moment. Bourjois recently launched some new, more pinky toned additions to their famous Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick range which are amazing. They released 3 new shades and I picked up 'So Hap' Pink' - a beautiful soft rose colour. At first I was a bit taken aback by their formula. They looked like a lipgloss but didn't even feel like a lipstick, but had the lasting power of a stain. They're very hard to describe, however I have come to adore these. My favourite thing about these lipsticks is the fact you can wear as much or as little as you like and build up the lipstick from a stain to create a full on matte lip. These retail at £8.99 currently.

What are some of your favourite spring products?

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Lovely Lip Butters

It's not often I use lip butter but when I do I always wonder why I haven't been using it more because they are extremely moisturising and these two from NIVEA smell amazing. I picked up Raspberry Rose and Vanilla and Macadamia scents. They're both slightly tinted to differentiate between the flavours but they don't affect your natural lip colour. They add a light sheen to your lips when applied. They're so buttery and make applying them to your lips a dream. The packaging of these butters are really nice - I love the fact they have the picture of what flavour they are on the front of the tin so you can grab the right one when you're in a rush. Costing only £2.10 (Boots), they're a bargain. Ideal handbag staples. Go grab yourself one! 

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Prepped and Primed

Only until recently did I really begin using primers. Mainly because I didn't really believe they did anything and whilst I'd tried a few in the past, I never found them to bring about good results - I'd always end up with an oily face (which no-one wants). I was first properly introduced to primer after I bought 'The Best of Benefit' gift set at Christmas. I'd heard good things about Benefit 'Porefessional Primer' but never thought it would be worth the money picking it up. I tested it for a few days under my foundation and began to realise how great it was. It provided a smooth finish to my skin which made foundation application a dream. After attending a blogger event with Smashbox, I was lucky to receive a few products in a goody bag which included their notorious Photo Finish Primer. It is oil free and once applied to the skin also provides a smooth base for foundation application. I really started to like using primers as I felt they were improving the lasting power of my foundation during really long days and prevented my t-zone from getting too oily during the day. Hearing raves about The Body Shop's Pore Minimiser which also acts as a primer, I rushed out and grabbed it and it has proved to be one of my favourite products of spring so far. If you're on the fence about whether you should try using primer, I would definitely say give it a go and persevere because they really do make make up application easier and leave your skin looking flawless. 

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Neutral Lipsticks for Daytime

Nudes and Pinks are my favourite lip colours to wear as they are so versatile. They are the ideal shades for daytime and work wear they are subtle yet very pretty. Two of my favourite pink/neutral lipsticks are two from MAC. First is Pink Plaid, a rose, pink shade with a matte finish and my beloved Patisserie, a light pink/peach, lustre lipstick. Both are beautiful lipsticks which are subtle enough that you can wear them to work without being to 'full on'. Pink Plaid has a very matte formula which wears extremely well and lasts hours before you have to top up. On the other hand, Patisserie is one of those 'your lips but better' shades. It is a lustre formula which does mean it doesn't last as long as a matte formulas on the lips. However, it provides a beautiful light wash of pink colour with a beautiful sheen. Pick these lipsticks up if you're looking for two beautiful, more high end lipsticks you can wear everyday. 

What are your favourite daytime lipstick colours from MAC?

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