BOURJOIS ROUGE EDITION VELVET IN NUDE-IST #30LipsIn30

I haven't quite found the right occasion to wear this Bourjois offering out of the house yet but if you haven't been living under a beauty-deprived rock then you've heard of the Rouge Edition Velvets. They apply as a liquid but dry to a very matte finish. My lips don't always agree with matte textures but I've worn this formula for a full day and not had any problems. The colour really lasts all day, and doesn't settle into the lips or crack.

Nude-ist isn't the most nude shade, but in fact has some red tones in there and I would class it as more of a bold than a nude. In comparison to some of the other velvet shades though, it is less bright. The range is full of bright pinks and reds. As a nude-lip lover, this is reserved for special occasions but I can't say I don't love the product.

If you love mattes and bright colours, then this line is the perfect choice for you. Have you tried any of the rouge edition velvets yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

FOTD: BROW POWDER FOR EYESHADOW?

Today's look is a pretty simple one. I started off by priming with Dr Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner and Maybelline Dream Smooth Primer. These two are going to get a lot of love in the next month if I'm going to complete my Over by October challenge. I'm still holding on to the last few drops of my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53 Light Beige. I am amazed that there is any product left. I have run this bottle dry. My concealers of choice were Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 2 just in the places where I needed some extra coverage and then Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 15 to brighten under the eyes.

To set everything I used my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Silky Beige. A new favourite of mine; the Bourjois Délice de Poudre Bronzing and Highlighter Duo was used to warm up the face and add a subtle highlight to the high points. I then added a little natural flush with Essence Silky Touch Blush in 4 Natural Beauty. 

For the eyes I did something a little different using my Sigma brow powders sample I received as a free gift. I previously have only been using one powder in my brows but thought I would give the others a try as an eyeshadow. The warmer powder in the Auburn duo is a gorgeous warm brown that is perfect for the crease when blended out. Another free gift was put to use, as I took a shadow from my Estee Lauder quad in Tempting Mocha which is a gorgeous bronze shade perfect for sweeping across the lid. The usual liners and mascaras were used: Rimmel Scandaleyes in Black, Urban Decay in Demolition, Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara and No7 Stay Perfect Mascara.

Finally for my lips I went with my new MakeUp Revolution The One Lipstick topped with Maybelline Colorsensational Gloss in Cashmere Rose.

FOTD: UNDER-EYE HIGHLIGHT

The Kim Kardashian look is one that is difficult to transition onto an average person. The average person in question today is none other than myself. I've watched probably hundreds of videos and read umpteen blog posts on highlighting and contouring. There's always a huge emphasis on getting the right shade of bronzer/contour but not so much on the highlighting part.

Today's face of the day is one I'm quite fond of because of that bright under-eye highlight. It's taken me a while to practise getting the under-eye area highlighted enough to be noticeable but not too much that it's stark white and painfully obvious. A little mixing and matching and it's all gone a bit right today.

Base: Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer; I have a small sample of this and I've really been loving it. I've never found a primer that I've loved before but I think this may be my favourite I've tried. Works best if your skin is on the oilier side of the spectrum.
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53 Light Beige; It's on its last legs but I haven't given up on the bottle yet. Love this stuff.

Concealer: MAC Prolongwear in NC20; you can't go wrong with this stuff. It's my favourite concealer for the lasting power alone; not even mentioning the coverage.
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly; I mixed in a dab of this and I mean a dab. This is the lightest shade and it is light. I bought this when the shade I wanted was out of stock and it is a bit much alone but mixed in with the prolongwear it proved to be a winning combination. Really good for those of us with pale skin.

Powders: NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder; A touch of this powder and you have a flawless finish. It's a staple of mine.
NARS Laguna; another favourite; perfect for bronzing up the skin in no time.
Sleek Face Form Palette in Fair; used the contour shade in this to, well, contour. Just a little.
Milani Blush in Luminoso; adds a little peachy-pink sheen to the cheeks.

Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base; an eyeshadow primer is essential for my oily lids.
Rimmel Eyeshadow Paint in Rich Russet; I kept things simple with this long lasting liquid eyeshadow all over the lid.
Make-Up Revolution Iconic 1 Palette; I added a touch of the darker matte brown in this palette through the crease just for some added definition.
L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim; this is my favourite liquid liner in pen form that I've tried. It's very easy to use as it's flexible enough, but not too flexible that it's uncontrollable. I only took this about halfway onto my lid for a subtle wing.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero & Demolition; Zero to tightline and Demoltion for the waterline. They do not budge.
Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara + Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara; one layer of The Rocket makes sure my curl holds all day and then the Estee Lauder mascara adds some extra volume.

Lips: MAC Viva Glam V Lipstick; I picked up a couple of new MAC lipsticks recently and this is the perfect everyday shade.

THE MAKEUP TIMER TEST TAG

As soon as I saw this over on Lily Pebbles' blog, I knew I had to do it. The tag involves timing yourself putting on your make-up and I took Lily's advice to not feel rushed and took my time (ha). My time ended up being quite a bit longer than hers. I did however include the time it took to choose a product, and then the time added on when I changed my mind.

I'm a bit of a professional when it comes to fairly natural looks using about a gazillon products. Just the average day in my world of make-up. Here's what I used:

Primer/Foundation: No7 Beautifully Matte Make Up Base / Benefit the Porefessional / Rimmel Match Perfection in Ivory & Soft Beige
Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 2 / MAC Prolongwear in NC20
Bronzer/Blush: Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer / Sleek Face and Contour Kit in Fair / Rimmel Powder Blush in Santa Rose
Brows/Eyes: Rimmel Brow Pencil in Black/Brown / Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette / Cargo Vintage Escape Palette / Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara / Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara / Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in Black & Brown / No7 Stay Perfect Mascara
Lips: Modelco Lipstick in Get Naked / NARS Pirée Lipgloss

Just a few bits then. Part of me wants to see how quickly I could do a full face of make-up if I tried. Maybe another day. Clearly, I take my eyeshadow blending oh so very seriously. I feel like I should throw in a few disclaimers for certain times but I'll just leave that to your imagination (aren't you lucky?).

Have you tried this tag? I tag you if you haven't done it yet!

GAME CHANGER: A LIGHT-SPEED MANICURE BY BOURJOIS

When you try a lot of different beauty products many go unused and forgotten, but there are some which immediately become indispensable in your routine. I call these game changers. I have been religiously using two Bourjois nail products for the last few months which attained this status right from the first use. They both provided something I didn't know I was missing until I had it.

Let me introduce the first one in a story. For my graduation ball, I spent far too long working on my eye make-up that I left next to no time to do my nails #firstworldproblems, eh? Pictures were being snapped, and I umm-ed and ahh-ed over even possibly leaving my nails bare, but I remembered that I had picked up the highly recommended Bourjois Instant Dry Nail Drops earlier so thought I would put them to the ultimate test. I messily applied a couple coats of my thankfully nude nail polish completely skipping the top coat step, quickly squeezed a couple drops (possibly excessive in hindsight) and ran out the door.

The polish set almost immediately. I wouldn't recommend leaving it so last minute, as I was left with a few small marks and smudges but only when looked at closely. The polish held up, and dried so super quickly that every nail painting session is now consistently concluded with a small drop squeezed from the easy-to-use (and kind of fun) Bourjois pippet. From further use, I've realised that one drop per nail should suffice.

After the grad ball success, I've been using this every time I paint my nails after my top coat. The formula dries the polish so quickly, that the days of blowing my nails for half an hour and running them under cold water (I'm still not sure that actually helps) are gone. This really is a life-changing product. I'm sure there are others like this out there which I haven't tried, but this one is simple to use, and so effective that I'm sold. Oh, and it's only £5.99.

This is a must-have product for any nail painter; enthusiast or part-timer.

The second product comes in for under a fiver and is one that I used, most recently, just last night. The Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover is probably the reason I have been so much more consistent in painting my nails over the last 4 or 5 months. I have become so accustomed to its use that while watching TV last night, I absent-mindedly removed my nail polish to prep for a fresh coat. The pot of practically nail gold removes the polish in seconds. You dip your finger into the sponge, give it a little wiggle and it dissolves all polish on the nail. There's no messy bottle of remover you might tip over (at least if you knock this over you have a bit of extra time before it starts spilling) and no dreaded cotton wool. Unfortunately, the nail polish remover smell is not lost, but once the lid is shut your nails are left with a sweet red fruit and vanilla scent. It also has benefits for your nails - bonus.

There's a new addition to the line which includes an extra handy pull-out sponge for your feet which I've yet to try but it's next on the list. You can get it on ASOS for £5.99.

This dynamic duo from Bourjois is exactly what this post said at the start - a game changer. Both are so affordable and long-lasting (neither of mine have run out yet!). There's really no reason that you don't own them already. Get down to your local drugstore... now! I promise you won't regret it.

Bourjois Instant Dry Nail Drops here, £5.99

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover here, £4.99

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover - Hands & Feet here, £5.99

FOTD: A NATURAL LOOK USING FAR TOO MANY PRODUCTS

I can admit that I'm often guilty of going overboard on my make-up when occasion doesn't call for it. A quick week day lunchtime catch-up with a friend probably doesn't lend to a dark smokey eye but sometimes I can get a tad carried away.

Today I found myself on the other end of the scale, with a very natural look. And when I say natural, I really mean it. But I stayed true to myself, and the list of products used is just as long as usual. This is a look I don't wear often, but probably should. I've kept the eyes very simple leaving the lower lashline completely bare (previously unheard of in my case!) and went for a slight flush in the cheeks and a berry-toned lip.

I started off with my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53 Light Beige blended out with my beautyblender. This is really the only base I've been consistently grabbing for over a month now. It's a nice light-medium coverage and leaves a dewy finish on the skin; so it's perfect for summer. There was a slight peak in the product count due to the number of concealers used. I had a pesky blemish that just wouldn't play nice so I ended up layering my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 3 Warm Medium and my Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach. I got there in the end. I used my ever faithful MAC Prolongwear Concealer in NC20 under the eyes and a touch down the centre of the face for a slight highlighting effect. I set everything with a light dusting of my Maybelline Fit Me Powder in 120 Classic Ivory which is one step I maybe could have skipped. The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in 03 Medium Matte and my Natural Collection Blush in Peach Melba were my choices to bring some colour back to the face.

For the eyes it really was simple. I primed with my NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (skip if your eyes don't crease everything that touches them after 10 seconds), and then just dusted a bit of the Maybelline powder over the top to even things out and give more of a polished look. One layer of L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Extra Black on the top lashes and the eyes are done!

I almost forgot my brows (it happens quite a lot) but ended up just putting a touch of powder from my Whitening Lightning Brow Bar to Go through them and was happy.

Finally, for the lips, I dabbed on a fairly new purchase of MAC Syrup.

What products have you been using recently to create your every day natural make-up look? Leave them below...