Two Stay-All-Day Cruelty Free Make-Up Products

I'm not the kind of girl who likes to carry around tubes of concealer, mascara, and pressed powder pallettes in my handbag. In fact, I barely ever touch up my makeup, unless I am going out for an evening do and I'm able to get home first. Make-up that lasts all day, however, is few and far between - especially since I have skin on the oiler end of the spectrum that literally eats make-up!

However, I have found two products that really do make a difference to the longevity of my make-up. I wouldn't recommend using them both every day, as I can't imagine that they do much good for your pores but, for those super intensive days when you want to look as good at 8pm as you do at 8am, these products are real holy grail items! One goes under your make-up, the other on top - and they are both cruelty free.

NYX HD Primer

This is a thick-ish, blue-ish primer that definitely doesn't give you skin that 'glide-right-off' feeling of traditional primers. It does help make-up stay firmly in place, however, and I've always been impressed about how much product is left on my cleanser pad at the end of a long day when I've worn this. It's worth noting that although NYX is a PETA certified cruelty free brand, they are owned by Loreal.


UR Cheeky Freeze Frame Setting Spray 

I've had this bottle for a couple of years now and truth be told it is probably time for me to throw it out and re-purchase it. This used to be my go-to at uni to keep my make-up on through a sweaty night of dancing and, when I've accidentally slept in makeup after spritzing with this, I've been complemented on how good it still looks the morning after!

What products do you use to keep your make-up in place from dusk till dawn? Tweet me your cruelty free suggestions @VickiMaitland or leave me a comment below!

Mini e.l.f Haul and #reviewsdaytuesday

 The other week I was reading one of my favourite cruelty free beauty blogs and it sent me into a panic with the news that e.l.f would no longer be distributing in the UK. e.l.f is one of my favourite budget cruelty free brands, and if you've read any of my make-up look posts then you'll have seen that e.l.f products are a huge part of my everyday make-up routine. I abandoned Gemima's blog post mid read and dashed (metaphorically) to their store to try and pick up some products before they were gone for good! Sadly my favourite pressed powder and liquid eyeliner were already out of stock, but I took the opportunity to treat my self to some cut price (up to 70% off!) cruelty free, vegan treats before e.l.f were gone forever (although in good news, they may be returning in the next couple of months).

I was a little disappointed with how slowly these items arrived (they took 10 days from order to delivery), and I know I've had slow orders from e.l.f before - however I did order them just before Easter bank holiday, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. It helped that they threw in a free tote bag too - what a lovely surprise! I won't be giving full reviews of these products as I've only had them since Saturday, but I've tried them all once so I'll try and give a bit of a feel to how they measure up to their claims.

Top to Bottom: Studio Cream Blush in Seductress, Studio Cream Blush in Flirt, HD Blush in Superstar, HD Blush in Headliner)

HD Blush in Headliner

HD Blush in Superstar

HD Blush (Headliner and Superstar) - 

The Claim: Naturally sculpts and highlights for a soft focus effect that is great for everyday use. The Vitamin E enriched formula conditions and hydrates the skin for a healthy glow. The velvety soft, lightweight and highly pigmented colour creates long lasting result for all day wear.

These HD Blushes pack a bunch of colour. They have a beautiful light creamy consistency (almost whipped) and are really blendable. Less is definitely more, and you barely need a pump of product. I was very nervous the first time I used it after pumping out a full squirt when I first opened the product - it stained the back of my hand for hours afterwards (which, I suppose is a testament to its longevity) - but it's a very buildable colour, so you won't lose anything by starting slowly. The end result is perfectly described on the packet as 'soft focus'. I apply this product to the back of my hand, then stipple it onto my cheeks with my finger before blending out the edges with a brush, but I think a beauty blender would be great with this product, or even just a stippling brush. So far Superstar is my favourite out of all the blushes - it's got a beautiful coral tone to it which is perfect for spring.

Studio Cream Blush in Flirt

Studio Cream Blush in Seductress

Studio Cream Blush (Flirt and Seductress) -

The Claim: Smooths on as a cream and finishes as a velvety soft powder for long lasting rich colour that's never greasy. Easy to blend for layering and building colour for sculpting, highlighting and adding dimension. Lightweight and refreshing formula looks natural and radiates a beautiful glow for all skin types.

The way this product turns from cream to powder is staggering, and it honestly does feel velvet soft - I wanted to stroke my cheeks all day after applying it! I think it's actually a little more difficult to blend out than the HD Blush, mostly due to the differing consistencies of the products, but the colour is a less powerful so requires a little less blending anyway. This is not to say that this blush is delicate - you still get a lot of colour for the amount of product you use! I've been applying this product with my fingers and blending with a brush, but I might try applying it directly from the pot with a brush to see if that helps it blend any easier. I'm very impressed with the wear of this product - it's definitely long lasting!

Left to Right: Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Coco Loco, Sangria Starters and Tiki Torches

Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Coco Loco

Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Sangria Starters

Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Tiki Torches

Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick (Tiki Torches, Sangria Starters and Coco Loco) -

The Claim: This long wearing tinted lip colour glides on like a lip stick but looks like a gloss. With nourishing Jojoba, Soybean and Vitamin E ingredients it conditions and moisturises the lips. The twist up component and smooth glide formula is easy to use for on the go comfort.

I don't think this product applies like a lipstick or looks like a lip gloss, but I love it anyway! It feels, applies, and looks more like a tinted balm than anything else, and it doesn't dry out the lips at all. It isn't a pigmented as the Barry M Cor Balmy lip balms, but the delicate colours (particularly in Sangria Starters and Coco Loco) are very flattering. They really give a 'your lips but better' look, and would be perfect for a natural make-up look. Tiki Torches is a lovely colour but the flakes of glitter in it are slightly too big for my liking, but I bet it would look great at a spring/summer party. I love the smell of these Lip Gloss Sticks - they smell like minty crayons (which is lovely). Sangria Starters is definitely my favourite so far as I really think it brings out my natural lip colour, but that being said Coco Loco is a great brown tinted nude too. I've just had a look on the website but it looks like all the Jumbo Lip Gloss Sticks have sold out - sorry if any of these took your fancy, hopefully e.l.f will be back soon!

All of these products totaled in at just over £12, shipping included, which I think was a real bargain. I'll be so sad to see e.l.f go and I really hope they manage to set up a new UK distribution service soon!

If you're sad to see e.l.f go, or can recommend another cheap cruelty free brand, please Tweet me @Vicki Maitland or leave a comment below, or tag me (@vickimaitland) in your Instagram pics showing off your favourite e.l.f products!

Top Non-Beauty Beauty Essentials

1) Cotton Buds/Q-Tips. These things are great for removing little bits of makeup when you go wrong/sneeze and cover your face in mascara (it's happened to the best of us).

2) Cotton Pads. Again great for removing make-up.

3) SudoCream. This is an antiseptic cream. It's sold on the baby aisle as a nappy rash cream, but it's great for cuts, burns and acne! (This is the only product not pictured as it was in my sisters room when I took the picture - sorry!)

4) Baby Shampoo. I use this as a cheap alternative to brush cleaner. It's super sensitive and contains no dodgy parabens etc so it's safe for your skin. Mine currently isn't cruelty free, but I'm sure you can get one from Superdrug which is.

5) Bongella. This technically isn't a beauty item, but I always ahve a tube of it around the house. It's great for mouth sores (a savoir for brace-days) or ulcers when you have a cold.

6) Tweezers. A decent pair is a must have, especially for us blessed with thick eyebrows.

7) Emery Board. If I get a snag on my nail I pick at it and normally end up making it so much worse and painful. Emery boards are a real life saver in these situations, and I always try to have one on me.

I've probably forgotten loads, but these are definitely my top items, and I can't go long without any of them!

What are your top non-beauty beauty essentials? Tweet me @VickiMaitland or tag me in your Instagram @vickimaitland

Day to Night Kylie Jenner Inspired Make Up Look (Cruelty Free, Drugstore)

As the title of this post suggests, today I'm going to show you my take on Kylie Jenner's make-up look - using only cruelty free and drugstore products. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I wear this look loads, and it's a great transition from day to night. If you want to make it completely day wear, skip on the foundation and go a little easier on the contour. The great thing about this look is that you can skip out steps and mix up products and still get a great look. I decided to show two different lips with this look as they both work really well and are classic Kylie. 

Step one is, as always, applying a nice moisturiser. Currently mine isn't cruelty free, but as soon as I run out I'm picking up B. Ready Day Cream. I let that soak into my skin before starting on the rest of my makeup.

Next I exfoliate my lips using Lush's Mint Julips exfoliator. It's made from sugar and oils, so it tastes great too! If I'm doing a heavy lip look (and we know that Kylie's lips are pretty intense) then I always exfoliate first.

The lip liners I'm using apply best on balmed lips, but I don't want them to slip off straight away so I apply the balm at this stage. I'm using Palmer's Cocoa Butter lip balm.

As I want this look to last me through the day, I'm applying B. Radiant Illuminating Primer. I like the fresh, dewy look this primer gives, although if you're going to be having your photo taken with the flash on I'd stay away from it.

Concealer time! I'm using Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in the shade 02 Cool Medium. Collection has a somewhat dubious cruelty free status (the company is cruelty free, but the parent company is somewhat ambiguous), but I've decided to give it the benefit of the doubt. I really like this concealer, although I find if I apply it without a primer it can look a little cakey.

I put a good layer of my M&S Limited Collection foundation in Nude on to try and achieve Kylie's flawless complexion.

I buff all of that in with E.L.F Pressed Powder in Sand. If I was wearing this look purely for the daytime, I would skip the foundation but keep this step in order to give me some light coverage and to blend in my concealer.

Kylie doesn't have a very blusher intensive look, but for my complexion I think it adds another dimension to my face so I add a little M&S Limited Collection blush in the shade Cinnamon.

Using my contour brush I suck in my cheeks and run E.L.F Pressed Powder in Buff in the hollows of my cheeks, down the sides of my nose, around the edges of my forehead, and under my chin. I focus my work at the very back of my cheekbones (where your sideburns would curve round) to give a chiseled look.

I keep in one palette for my eyes - Collection Eyes Uncovered Nude Palette. Beginning with the lightest shade, I place this in the inner corners of my eyes to brighten them. Next I move on to the sandy shade (third from bottom in the image below) for the rest of my lid. I take a mix of the two taupe shades (forth and fifth from bottom) and work them along my crease, building up the colour very slowly. Kylie rarely wears eyeliner in her every day look, so all the work is coming from the crease and the mascara. To give the crease a touch more definition I take the darkest colour and work on the outer corner of my eye. I blend it all together so none of the lines are harsh.

Although Kylie doesn't really wear eyeliner, I've decided to line my tight line in order to make my lashes appear fuller. Sadly I don't have a picture for this as it takes two hands! I used E.L.F Cream Eyeliner in Black.

Lashes! I curl them (sorry for the state of my curler) before applying mascara to make my eyes look extra wide. I've been loving M&S Limited Collection All-In-One mascara in Black. It's a little clumpy, but I quite like that in a mascara as you can work with the clumps to give the illusion of fuller lashes. 

The Kardashian-Jenner family have pretty killer brows, so I fill mine in with Collection Brow Kit, using the middle shade and their excellent brow gel.

Kylie takes after her older siblings and highlights to the max. As a nod to her I'm going back in with my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, this time in the shade 01 Fair. I've dotted this under my eyes, down the bridge of my nose, on my forehead, my cupids bow and my chin.

Last but not least, lips. For look one, I used Barry M lip liner in 9 (Mulberry). Kylie has quite a full lip (I actually think the amount she pencils over her natural lip line is a little excessive, and she definitely shouldn't be heralded as bringing the full lip into fashion, but each to their own) so I pencil mine a little bigger.

For look two I pair up Barry M lip liner in 11 (Wine) with M&S Limited Collection Matte lipstick in Mulberry. When I originally bought the lipstick I thought it was going to be a lot more purple than it is, but pairing with this purple lip liner give a beautiful colour. I get tonnes of compliments when I wear this duo so I'd definitely recommend giving it a go if you're not afraid of a vampy lip!

Since I want this look to last day to night, I spritz my face with UR CHEEKY Freeze Frame makeup setting spray. I love this stuff and it really works at holding everything in place, particularly if you're going on a night out to a warm, sweaty club!

I said that Kylie rarely wears eyeliner, but when she does it's just on the outer corners of her eye. I use E.L.F Cream Eyeliner to achieve this - here's a picture from a few weeks back.

Let me know what you think! Tag me on Twitter or Instagram if you try out either of these looks, I'm @vickimaitland everywhere.

EssieButton Inspired Every Day Make-up Look (High Street, Cruelty Free)

If you follow me on either Instagram or Twitter then you'll have seen my sneak peeks of this blog post. I have been a huge fan of EssieButton ever  since I discovered her channel at end of last year - Estee always looks so put together. Over the past week I've been trying out a few looks to emulate her neutral, clean style and I think I've finally cracked it. This is my cruelty free, high street tale on Estee's classic look.

Estee, if you're reading this, I love you girl and let me know what you think!

These are all the products and brushes I used.
My brushes are all from My Make Up Brush Set.

I'd already moisturised my face and allowed that to soak in before I started on this look, so I'm starting with a primer. As Estee mentioned in a recent video, she became a huge primer fan over 2014.

I'm using B. Illuminating Primer. You can see my review here.

I dot this over my face and them massage it in - focusing on areas which would naturally catch the light (forehead, bridge of the nose, under eye and cheek bones, chin).

                                   

Next up is concealer. Estee always looks bright-eyed and flawless, so I couldn't miss out this step.

I'm using the concealer palette from TopShop. This palette is great as you can really build the coverage up, although I find it does crease up by the time I've finished applying the rest of my make-up, so I have to buff that out with my finger. If you've got darker skin than me (mine is a light/medium with yellow/orange undertones) then you'll struggle with the palette, as even the darkest shade is still relatively light.

 

I start out with the yellow colour to neutralise any dark undereye circles. Then I go in with the lighest nude shade. I press this all under my eyes. This is where most of the brightening and concealing happens. Finally I use the darkest shade to even out my eye lids and the redness around my nose.

I'm just using a light pressed powder all over my face to stop any excess shine, even out my skin stone and to help my concealer stay in place. Estee raves about the Tarte amazonian clay powder, but as I'm working on a budget I'm just using my E.L.F Pressed Powder in the shade Sand.

As you can see, the sunlight came out to interrupt this action shot!

Estee had quite a pale complexion, so I'm skipping any bronzing or contouring. She always has rosy cheeks, though, so I'm going in with the blusher. This is M&S Limited Collection in Cinnamon. Estee would normally use a pinker blush than this, but this was the only shade I had to hand.

Estee's brows always look pretty perfect. She doesn't go too hard with the brow pencil, but does give them a little extra definition, so I'm going to do the same. I just fill the center of my brows at the height of the arch to give them more shape.

This is B. Brow Kit in the shade Dark Brown

On to the eyes! In her December Favourites video, she mentions how much she'd been loving the Charlotte Tilbury Fallen Angel Palette, and I think that TopShop's Smokey Eye Palette in Golden Aurora is a pretty good dupe. The lightest shade is a little pinker and the bronze is slightly browner than in Charlotte's palette, but the tones are all about right and they work really well together.

I start by applying the lighest shade in the corners of my eye and over my brow bone. I've worn this all over my eye in the past and it gives a really gorgeous neutral shimmer. If you want an even more neutral version of this look, you can apply this pink all over, use the taupe in the crease, and the brown as an eyeliner (so if you're in school and you have a no make-up policy by really want to wear make-up, this would be a pretty good way to get around that).

Estee loves a taupe eye, so I'm applying the satin taupe shade all over the lid.

Finally, I'm using the brown in the crease. I only apply this delicately, and just follow the shape of my eye.

To line my eyes, I use an angled brush in the black shadow shade. I start at the highest point of my lash line and draw a straight line out, then fill in till it meets my lash line.

Using a fluffy brush I blend all of this out. This give it a really flawless look, as well as softening and smudging the eye liner.

Estee's has quite a light mascara look, so I cover my top lashes and the outer corner of my bottom lashes. I use my E.L.F Waterproof, Lengthening and Volumising mascara.

Finally onto lips! Estee raves about the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, but as that isn't a cruelty free brand I'm going to use Barry M's Cor Balmy. As I'm loving purple at the moment, I'm using it in the shade Currant Bun.

Here's the finished look:

Let me know if you try it out! Tweet me @VickiMaitland, or tag me in your Instagram pics!