6 Summer Essentials: Beauty

        

1. Essie Nail Lacquer 99 Mint Candy Apple - £7.99

2. Rimmel BB Cream - £6.99

3. L'Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Primer - £9.99

4. Soap and Glory Solar Powder Bronzer - £11

5. Maybelline Super Stay 14 Hour Lipstick - £6.99

6. Maybelline Colossal Black Waterproof Mascara - £7.19

As summer has finally arrived (although the weather in the UK begs to differ) I thought I would share my 6 Summer Beauty Essentials with you. During the summer, no one likes to apply heaps and heaps of make-up onto their faces due to the hot weather and it can start to feel cakey on the face. However, most people don't like to leave the house without any make-up whatsoever. Therefore, by using simple and key products, you can create a natural and summer ready look. 

Above, I have picked out my key beauty items from the drugstore, but you can easily switch and choose your 6 beauty products that suits you. 

Personally, a nail polish is key as this is my favourite beauty item. I love experimenting with my nails and I love picking more pastel shades for the spring/summer time. I think a mint green is perfect for the summer as it is simple, cute and adds a splash of colour to any outfit. 

Instead of a heavy-duty foundation, I prefer to use a BB cream in the summer time. It isn't as cakey and heavy on the skin, like a foundation can be, but it also covers and gives the skin a summer glow. 

A primer is also very important for the summer-time. No one wants their make-up falling down their faces by the end of the day due to the hot, humid weather. 

If you are not going away on holiday this year, you may not be getting a serious tan, so by adding a little bit of bronzer and highlighter to the skin can really lift your face and add some colour onto those cheekbones, giving the illusion of a sun-kissed tan. 

Add a pop of colour onto the lips with a summery coral or pink!

Finally, swapping your normal, everyday mascara for a waterproof. This means your lashes can still look defined and long without transfer or the risk of your mascara sweating off. 

So, these are some of my summer beauty essentials. Hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let me know your summer beauty essentials in the comments as well. 

I will be doing a summer hair and fashion essentials soon, so keep your eyes peeled for those coming soon! 

First Impressions #1: Rimmel Stay Matte Primer

I have bought a few new beauty bits over the last couple of months and I thought I would share my 'first impression' of each product. However, instead of doing a haul blog post that I have previously done before, I thought it would be a good idea to do one separate blog post for each product, showing you photos of each product and my honest opinion of each one. In this way, it might help some of you who have wanted to try out these products or want an honest opinion before buying it for yourself.

I always find 'first impression' videos and blog posts really helpful, as it allows me to hear other people's thoughts on these products and whether they are worth spending my precious pennies on.

Before I begin talking about the product, I will say that all opinions are my own and it is my honest opinion. Some products I may like and others I might not, so before making your own decision maybe look at other reviews before forming your overall opinion. As always, feel free to leave your own opinion below on each product and let me know of any other similar products that you love using as I am always looking for new products to try out and test.

                          

So, I recently bought the Rimmel Stay Matte Primer from Boots. I had heard a lot about primers and how they keep your make-up lasting all day and night, without needing to touch up in places. I know there are the more expensive primers from Benefit that a lot of people love, however that product was out of my price range, so I opted for a primer from the drugstore instead. I have never owned a primer before so I can't judge this primer against a previous one unfortunately. Also, I haven't heard anybody talk about this primer before either so I didn't have a opinion to follow. 

Packaging: The packaging is okay. It doesn't stand out to me or look expensive. It is a very simple design and doesn't have any other colours, apart from purple. If I'm honest, I don't really like the packaging. It doesn't look engaging or stand out on the shelf and if anything, looks a little bit cheap. 

Description: The description at the back of the tube states: 'Skin-perfecting primer can be worn alone, under makeup or on top to create a perfect matte complexion. Controls shine for up to 8 hours. Ultra lightweight formula minimises the appearance of pores.' The primer is not skin-perfecting for a start. It doesn't perfect my skin in any way. I still have the appearance of spots, blemishes and scars and doesn't perfect anything. My skin looks the same with or without the product on. 

Next, I have only tried this primer under makeup so I can only judge it on that. I feel like you shouldn't put primer on top of makeup as I would worry that it would move the makeup when applying it and make it feel heavy on the skin. I also haven't tried it on its own and I don't think I would ever do that either. As I have previously said, it doesn't do anything if I left it on its own and no one would be able to tell if I had primer on or not. 

The primer does not create a 'perfect matte complexion' either, instead it leaves my skin with a glow, which I don't have a problem with but it doesn't show up as 'matte' on my skin. 

The primer does control shine for a while. I haven't tried it for 8 hours but it is good at keeping my makeup on for a long time and also at controlling the shine on my face. 

I find the product quite thick and therefore you only need to apply a small amount to your face. As the description says, it does feel lightweight on the skin which I am very happy about. However, the primer does not minimise the appearance of any pores. 

Consistency: As shown in the picture above, the product comes out white, almost like a cream. It is very thick so you only need to apply a little bit to your face, otherwise it can become heavy on your skin.

Price (reasonable or overpriced): £5.99. I would say it is a little overpriced for this product as you only get a small tube, however you only need a little bit of product so it would last you a long time.

Would I recommend it to a friend?: Probably not, although this product does have some highlights, it has a lot of flaws. It does manage to keep my makeup on but apart from that, it doesn't do much else.

Would I repurchase it?: No, I will be looking for a different primer in the future. But, for now, I will keep using up this product as I don't want to waste it.

Verdict: 2/5

Hope you enjoyed this blog post. It is a little bit different from my usual fashion and style posts. I hope some of you found this post helpful and let me know in the comments of your favourite primers to use.

*All opinions are my own and all photos are taken by me.