Vanilla Beauty x

Sorry for the lack of posts - I came home from university on Friday (a bit earlier than I was supposed to) and have been so ill since I've been back. I didn't want to miss another Monday Must-Have so made a special effort! I know I have spoken about L'Oreal True Match before, but I have never actually shown it in action! I thought for today's post, I would show you why I love it as much as I do.

 First things first, the packaging. I actually really love it compared to most drug store foundations. It's a glass bottle with a silver pump and clear lid. The only problem I have is the mess that ends up in the lid as I feel like I'm wasting so much product. This is a bottle that you know isn't going to break and cover the contents of your make up bag in foundation.

The shade range of True Match is out of this world. With 18 different shades, it already stands out from other drugstore foundations. They have a shade for all skin colours (1-8), including neutral (N), warm (W) and cool (C). As a very fair skinned girl, this is amazing because so many pale foundations have pink undertones and look ridiculous on me. I'm W1 Golden Ivory and although being a tiny bit too dark, blends perfectly to match my neck. I do also have N1 Ivory but left it at home when I went to university as I lost the lid! This is the same as W1 but slightly more pink.

This is my face moisturised and primed and as you can see it's quite blemished and scarred. It's looking particularly bad at the moment because I'm unwell. The left side of my face is the worst for scarring so I think it works quite well as a test.

These pictures are one layer of True Match which is really all you need. My blemishes and scars are covered and some of the discolouration has been covered. For people with clearer skin, you could easily wear this foundation and not need any concealer. I'd say it's medium coverage but could definitely be built up to full coverage. The foundation sets matte but doesn't leave your face looking two-dimensional. I can actually get away without powder on top which is really saying something for my skin!

At £9.99, this is definitely a foundation that you need to check out. It's perfect for everyday wear and for nights out too. It does have SPF17 but there's hardly any bounce back from flash photography. With a shade range rivalling high end foundations, you'll definitely be able to find a shade to suit your skin tone. 

Since discovering primers I have become a huge fan and now don't go a day without wearing one. I do have quite a large collection, as I'm sure most beauty addicts do, but there's two that really stand out to me as amazing. Both of these primers have made quite a fuss in the beauty world but which one to buy?!

Benefit Porefessional

"Quickly minimise the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother-than-smooth skin! Apply this silky, lightweight balm alone, under or over makeup. Translucent, oil-free formula complements all skintones and helps makeup stay put. Contains a Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals."

Porefessional is probably the Holy Grail of primers in the beauty world. Everyone has been raving about it and it's the UK's top selling primer for the past 3 years. Impressive right? Retailing for £24.50 for 22ml, it's quite pricey and, I don't know about you, but I would definitely struggle justifying the spend. That being said, mine is a tester size and has lasted me a pretty long time as you only need a tiny amount.

The packaging is so cute, as with all Benefit packaging (although mine is covered in liquid eyeliner). This product is so creamy and a dream to apply as long as you've moisturised your skin. I find that if my skin is at all dry then this can be quite difficult to apply and doesn't blend out that well. It sinks into your skin amazingly well and you wouldn't even know it was there. The formula has a beigey tint but it blends out to colourless on your skin.

I'm not sure I'd agree that it minimises the appearance of my pores but my make up goes on so smoothly and blends out really well. My foundation definitely lasts better throughout the day and the shine is kept at bay for longer (something I really struggle with).

The Body Shop Instablur

I think this is my favourite ever primer (a bold claim I know). Instablur is the cheaper of the two at £14 for 25ml and, in my opinion, the better. I actually think I prefer the packaging of this one but that wouldn't affect which one I buy!

The texture is much more siliconey than Porefessional and can feel slightly greasy on the skin until it has sunk in, but after your skin is amazingly smooth. It's a translucent formula which I personally prefer and feels a lot more velvety on the skin. If I compare the two, my make up definitely looks best at the end of the day with this one although I might be a bit shinier. The same as Porefessional, you only need a tiny amount so the tube goes a long way.

 Which one is for you?

After convincing a couple of the girls to buy Instablur and try it out, I was discussing which they preferred and we agreed this sums it up in one - Instablur is best for the day time, it prolongs the wear of your make up and smooths out your complexion without making you look too matte. Porefessional is fantastic for nights out because it really mattifies your skin and helps to control shine.

If you're on a budget or have dry skin, I'd definitely try the Instablur first to see how it works for you. Personally, I don't think I will ever purchase a full size of Porefessional but I will definitely repurchase Instablur.

If you haven't heard about these before you must have been hiding under a rock for the last year or so. The Rimmel Last Finish lipsticks by Kate Moss are an absolute favourite of the blogging world and if you've tried them out then you'll definitely understand why. These retail for £5.49 which is an amazing price considering the quality, especially if you can get them on some kind of offer!

There's two lines of the Lasting Finish set - matte (4 shades ranging from red to pink) and normal (15 shades from nude to red to pink!). I definitely prefer the original range to the matte range simply because I think they look nicer on the lips. I have the shades 30, which is a gorgeous raspberry red colour, 107, a matte red with slightly brown undertone, and 22, a bright red with orange undertones (see me wearing it here). These are the perfect colour for winter and brilliant if you're just starting out with bold lips because there's such a wide shade range and they're so inexpensive. The lipsticks are really pigmented, don't slide off your lips and last for absolutely ages (I normally have to scrub mine off my lips). Once I have money again after Christmas I'm definitely going to go and pick some more up.

On the downside, I also have the shade 113 which is a true nude and is really drying (may have been discontinued). It sets into all the cracks in my lips and makes me look like my body hasn't ever had water.

Any shades to recommend for my next spree?!

I decided it was finally time for this little beauty to get a shout out. I am a big fan of MUA products (available in Superdrug) as they are so affordable and still really good quality. You can get lipsticks for £1 and eyeshadow palettes start at £4.

I've had this palette for almost a year now but it spent quite a long time sitting at the back of my drawer as I go through phases with eyeshadow and a lot of the time never wear it. I pulled this out the other day because, now it's autumn, I figure it's the perfect time to start playing around with heavier eye looks. The Heaven and Earth palette has 12 neutral shades in it ranging from light to darker and all are shimmery. There's some colours that are really quite similar but that doesn't really bother me.

The colour pay off of these is really good considering the price of the palette. They last really well on the eye and are quite easy to blend out. You can tell they're not high quality shadows but for the price you can't complain! I'm obsessed with the colour 2nd from the top right at the moment, it's a gorgeous brown with a hint of bluey shimmer and just looks amazing. If you're just starting out in make up or want a cheap palette to play around with you should definitely take a look at the MUA palettes. There's both coloured and neutral palettes and if the others are as good as this one, they're an offer you can't turn down!