Peach and Coral Lips.

Following on from my Peachy Spring FOTD, I thought I'd put together a post showcasing my favourite corals and peaches for the lips - I've also thrown in a bright orange for good measure, but I think they're more suitable for summer (when the hot weather rolls around, I'll have a brights post heading your way!). Anyway, I think a coral of the right tone can do just enough to lift your face without being too much. Almost every lip product I'll be showing in this is a sheerer sort of offering, and they're all incredibly comfortable on the lips, something that's invaluable in things you're going to be wearing for a long time. So, if you're looking for something more peachy corally, look no further - here are six of the best.

Representing the peaches we have Barry M Lip Paint in 147 - A matte pink-leaning peach shade that lasts pretty well on the lips without drying them out. This shade can be a little difficult to wear if you're more on the pale side, so I tend to mix it with something else to get the best out of it. This is the one I've worn least out of all the ones I have, purely because I do have to combine it with something else and I'm a little bit lazy, but when I have worn it I really like how it looks, and on deeper skin tones I think it would look wonderful all by itself.

Secondly for the peaches, Bourjois Colour Boost Pencil in Peach on the Beach. This is similar in tone to the Barry M lipstick, but more glossy and ever so slightly more sheer (though this offers more opaque coverage than you'd expect from a glossy pencil). These smell a little funky, but it's not enough to put me off wearing them as you can't really smell it once it's on your lips.

I thought I'd kick of the corals with something a little more... orange. MUA Eyeliner in Bright Orange  first of all, can I just enquire as to why anyone would want a bright orange eyeliner? I'm all for colour on the eyes, but I don't think I've ever had a hankering for bright orange liner. Saying that though, regardless of the fact this liner is £1, the pigmentation is astounding. The texture is quite nice, it's not too dry and I've not found it uncomfortable to wear on the lips at all. I'd recommend this if you want a punchy, vivid orange lip - or just as a liner to make your reds more orange toned, it works nicely for that, too!

On to something a little more tame now, but no less orange. The Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Pencil in Orange Punch. This is the newest addition to my lipstick stash in the orange family, and is a testament to how much I'm willing to put up with the smell of these things. This is a pretty orange shade that I find to be very buildable. To begin with it's a sheer wash of colour across your lips, but you can build it up to get something more intense, should you so desire. It's likely to become one of my most worn lip products over spring and summer, because the colour is uplifting, and the texture so comfortable to wear. I'd absolutely recommend these pencils!

In the same sort of vein as the Bourjois pencils are the MUA Power Pouts, this one in Justify is almost the same colour as Orange Punch, but slightly more sheer. These pencils are true balms, with no staining power that I've noticed. They last well enough on the lips though, and are an utter bargain at £3. They smell like the Revlon Balm Stains, minty, but not overpowering. The scent is refreshing and doesn't irritate the lips like some menthol scented products can. The colour of this is pretty enough, but I don't find it to be as buildable as the Bourjois stick. These are still up there on my list of things I'd recommend, particularly if you're on a tight budget, or just want to try out coral shades without committing to something more expensive.

Finally, something more truly Coral. The Bourjois Rouge Edition Shine Lipstick in 1,2,3 Soleil  leans more pink than any of the other shades that I've shown, making it more of a true coral than an orange or a peach. This has a pretty balmy formula that gives a nice shine to the lips when its on, but isn't slippy enough to make it smear all over your face when you're wearing it. This is the lipstick I often pair with the Barry M Lip Paint to make it more wearable, and they combine into almost a neon peach shade which is absolutely beautiful if you want something in the same colour family that's a little more striking - try it, seriously, you won't be disappointed!

L-R Barry M Lip Paint in 147 - MUA Bright Orange Pencil - MUA Power Pout in Justify - Bourjois Peach on the Beach - Bourjois Orange Punch - Bottom Swatch, Bourjois 1,2,3 Soleil. 

Do you have any pretty coral or peach shades you particularly like? Share them with me if you do, I'm always interested in new shades :) 

FOTD | Peachy Spring.

Ask me at any other time of the year and I'll tell you I'm not all that in to peach makeup. I often find that corals and peaches come up far too orange against my skin which doesn't suit my generally cool complexion, but I think I've found some corally peaches now that look quite pretty, and are so fitting for spring I couldn't help but to share them.
I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to reattempt gel eyeliner this morning which utterly failed, so please excuse the questionable eyeliner. I'd also like to point out that there's more pink and warmth in my eyeshadow than the pictures are showing - I think the sun washed it out a bit too much but there's no more appropriate light in which I can capture the proper colours so this will have to do.

Products Used. 

Base.

FashionistA Mattifying Primer | Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream | NYX HD Concealer | MUR The One Concealer | NYC Translucent Loose Powder.

Eyes & Brows.

NYX Eye Base | Sleek Oh So Special Palette | MUR Essential Mattes Palette | Manhattan Pastell Pretties Eyeliner in Chic-a-Dahlia | 17 Superlash Mascara | Maybelline Gel Eyeliner | Jordana Continuous Almond Eyeshadow Pencil | MUA Power Brow | MUA Clear Mascara.

Cheeks & Lips.

MUR Cream Blush in Peach Cream | MUA Mosaic Bronzer | MUA Highlighter in Peach Lights | Bourjois Colour Boost Pencil in Orange Punch

Obviously, not all the products I used are in the image - some of them it just wasn't worth taking photos of, really, and the eyeshadow palettes are too big! I tried to keep my base pretty light, using two fairly light coverage products (the CC Cream and The One Concealer) and one with a bit more oomph to make my skin look fairly decent. Having oily skin I always use primer and powder on my skin, and a good eye base under my eyeshadows otherwise things don't last five minutes. The coloured products I kept in the peachy/coral family, for the most part, and opted for a winged liner, just because I felt like it.

I have to say, the pictures don't really show the colours I used up properly - may have to try finding a different source of light or try a different camera or something, but you get the general idea of what I was doing. Making something light and pretty-ish to suit the warmer weather.

I generally find that more warm toned colours suit deeper skin tones a bit better, though as I said earlier that might just be because I have pink undertones, but I do quite like how this came out overall. I don't find the peaches to be too overbearing, and I think it makes me look ready to get a burn  tan! 

Do you find you switch up the colours you use in your makeup when the weather gets a bit warmer? I didn't think I did, but it's pretty clear that I definitely do! 

Review | Make Up Revolution Essential Mattes Palette.

Matte eyeshadows are my favourite for everyday wear, finding decent matte eyeshadows can be something of a issue though, but this palette completely rectifies that! The packaging isn't anything astounding, just plastic casing that feels relatively sturdy to the touch. The clear window is useful in that you can tell which palette it is (I have three of these, so it comes in handy), but I do foresee it getting scratched quite easily. These palettes hold 14g of product and have a little sponge applicator tucked into them. 

As the name of the palette suggests, these eyeshadows are all matte. I find the colour range to be satisfactory for a neutral palette, but a lot of the lighter colours are quite similar, the inclusion of the purples on the end is a nice plus though, particularly for someone with a love of purple!

With regards to texture, I don't find these to be too bad! They're a little powdery, but they're certainly not the worst they could be. They apply nice and evenly, and they're easy enough to blend when on the lids.  I don't find they look muddy when blended together either. The pigmentation is nice, particularly on the darker shades. As I said, a lot of the lighter shades are quite similar, only the undertones differing very slightly - this might seem a waste to some people, but I use that sort of shade as a base, for blending out, for highlighting, plenty of uses for a light matte shade! 

As you can see, the pigmentation isn't too bad at all. Particularly for such a budget brand! The only thing I'm not too happy about is the lack of truly warm shades in this palette. I've been looking for a replacement for the warm tannish brown shade in my Sleek Oh So Special palette for a while and nothing quite fits the bill :( This is a nice palette in its own right though, and I'm really pleased with it, especially for the price.

These are available from the Make Up Revolution Store, and Superdrug online. I think they'll eventually be available in store in Superdrug, but I'm not entirely sure. These palettes cost £4 each, which is so ridiculously cheap and such good value! I'd absolutely recommend picking one of these up if you like matte neutral shades, I love mine.

My Spring Reds

To know me is to know that I love me some red lipstick. I also like switching things up for the warmer months, though, and recently made the discovery that orange toned reds do suit me, much to my surprise! I've always stuck to more neutral or blue base reds, the classic reds, if you will. However, after trying a more orange red, I found I really liked how it looked against my skin, and these are three of my favourites.

L-R - Wet n Wild Megalast Matte Lip Cover: Purty Persimmon - Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet: Hot Pepper - Revlon Matte Balm: Striking.

It's no mere coincidence that these shades are all matte - although how matte they are does vary! - Matte lips are my absolute favourite. I rarely wear anything different, and red mattes are a must for me. The shades of these three products are very similar, but the finishes are ever so slightly different, and I'd wear all of them at different times. 

Excuse my less than perfect lips, but this is probably my overall favourite out of the three. It's got the perfect matte-but-balmy texture which is impeccably comfortable on the lips. The scent is minty, which is rather nice and refreshing on the lips and the colour itself is gorgeous. It's got just the right amount of orange in it to make it more spring-summerlike, but not so much as to look like you've slapped yourself in the face with a satsuma.

The colour of this lipstick is beautiful. It's slightly brighter than either of the other two, and the texture is ever so slightly less matte, making it more prone to transfer. Although I do love this one, I wear it less often because of this tendency to transfer. I think this is the most summery of the three colours, though, and I hope to wear it lots more when the weather heats up properly. This is the cheapest of the three lipsticks, although the least widely available in the UK.

As you can see, this is the most matte of the three lipsticks, and has a colour very similar to that of the Revlon Matte Balm. Despite being incredibly matte, this lipstick isn't uncomfortable in the slightest. This is more new to me, but I think it's the one I'll be getting the most use out of due to its not really being prone to transferring at all. I'd recommend any of these three to anyone wanting to try a pretty summery red, they're all lovely!

Have you tried any of these lipsticks? What summery red shades would you recommend?

Get To Know Me: Beauty Blogger Edition.

There'll be some more specific posts going up next week, pertaining to actual makeup items, but I thought for a nice, relaxed Sunday post it might be nice to do something to help anyone who might stumble across the blog get to know me a little bit better. With that in mind, I set out in search of a tag that would help me do just that - although, obviously I've not been tagged, there's nothing to stop anyone just taking the questions from wherever you find them (Emily's blog, Beauty Broadcast) and answering away. 

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

My hair is naturally somewhere in between, a little bit wavy. It is predominantly straight though, and a bit flat. Something I'm never quite satisfied with!

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I dye it myself - I've never had my hair coloured at the hairdressers, and only had it cut there once or twice! My mum usually cuts my hair for me, and I do the colouring :)

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I usually just have it up in a ponytail or a bun for work, sometimes I'll straighten it if I have a bit of extra time, but I don't really curl it unless I'm doing something a bit more special. I guess I am a bit samey with regards to styling my hair, I'll have to find new things to do with it!

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

Again, never had my nails done in a salon either. I had acrylics done once by my mum when I was still at school and couldn't get on with them so I just painted them myself. I got an at-home gel system a few weeks back though that I've been playing with. I'll be looking into getting some better quality polishes to use with it on pay day too :)

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

It used to be everyday when I was using regular polish, it chips so quickly on me! But it's less often when I'm using the gels, will be even less often when I figure out how to do it properly :D

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter, or just in the summer?

To be honest, I never paint my toenails. I never have my feet out so I don't really see the point. I might do it this summer, though, see if it makes a difference to how I feel about my feet, haha.

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

Much like anyone else I imagine, it entirely depends on what I'm doing and how much time I have. If I have half an hour, I'll take half an hour, but if I only have ten minutes, I can get did what needs to be done in those ten minutes. So yeah, it all depends I guess!

8. What do you do first, face or eyes?

I do it a bit awkwardly - Primer, foundation and concealer, then eyes, then powder and coloured face products, then brows and lips. I don't know why I do it in that order but I've got myself into a habit that I can't break now! 

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

Awkward question, that. I don't buy things I don't think I'll use, but not everything I buy I necessarily need (I bought a set of  Make Up Revolution lipsticks the other day that included a yellow and a blue, can't say I really needed those, can I?) but...yeah. I know I technically have "too much" makeup, but I wouldn't call it a collection because it all gets used.

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

I don't, really. I have some, but I only really use them to play with and never to go out with. I find them quite uncomfortable and awkward to apply if I'm honest.

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

Erm, most days I do. Not everyday though, and it varies as to how much I'll actually use :)

12. Do you wear makeup when home alone or with family?

I do, yes! I enjoy playing with makeup, trying out silly things and I genuinely enjoy the process of putting it on, so I'll wear it whenever I feel like it. There are some days where I just can't be bothered though, and those days I'll not put anything at all on.

13. Will you go out without makeup on?

Absolutely. I don't do it very often, because as I said, I do enjoy putting makeup on, but I'm not afraid of leaving the house without it. I usually put at least mascara on though, just out of habit I guess.

14. How many high end products do you have?

Zero. Absolutely none! Unless you count a sample of The Porefessional I got in a Birchbox? I haven't actively bought any though... yet. :P

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or just pick it out as you get dressed?

I have a general idea of what I'm going to wear on work days, but on weekends I just wear whatever, really. 

16. How often do you change your handbag?

I only really have black ones, so I just change it as and when I have more or less stuff I need to fit in a bag. Hardly ever, really. 

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

I'm usually asleep ridiculously early, I have no idea why but I'll lay down and just fall straight asleep! I get up around 6.30, not too bad :)

18. How often or when do you work out?

Not very often at all, unfortunately. Such a lack of motivation!

19. Left handed or right handed?

Left handed, though I'm capable or writing with my right hand and I do most things other than writing with my right :)

20. How tall are you?

Around 5'4", average, not short! haha.

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

I don't :( I keep meaning to start learning German, but not getting around to doing it. 

22. How many pets do you have?

In the house, we have 2 snakes, 3 cats and a puppy. Personally, I have one cat. Her name is Amie :)

23. How often are you on Blogger?

Most days. I read blogs through Bloglovin' though, so I'm on there more often.

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

I do! I'm quite nosey and enjoy seeing what other people have to say about things. 

25. Do you keep a list of products you'd like to try as you see other posts?

Not really. I have some things that I'm interested in trying stored away in my mind, though. I've kind of exhausted high street things that I actually want to try though, so it's psyching myself up to part with high-end prices to try things I'm especially interested in now! 

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

From the phrase "the world is your oyster" and my love of blusher :)

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

Sometimes my mums, I don't know what it is exactly but it's a Fuji something or other! Sometimes just my iPhone, depending on the light that I've got available :)

28. How often do you clean your house?

What an odd question! I still live at home with my family, so I just clean my room fairly regularly and help out with other bits as and when they're needed.

29. What's your favourite colour?

Generally, purple. I love me some purple!

30. Do you swear?

Unfortunately, I do. I try not to, but it doesn't work.

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Writing up a few more posts for next week, watching a film with my mama and doing some washing. What a glamorous Saturday night! 

That's a fair bit of information there! Congratulations if you made it this far though haha. Answer some of these questions in the comments so I can get to know you too? :)

The Alternative Everyday Makeup

I went out for my 21st birthday last Saturday and took all the makeup I usually use on a daily basis with me. I've worked late a fair few days this week so didn't want to bother her so late in the evening to pick it up. Cue the alternative everyday makeup.

I've been using powder products for the most part of late, but my substitutes have, oddly, all been cream based. It's not that I'm lacking powder products to replace my usuals with (I'm definitely not!) but I seem to have been gravitating towards the creams - particularly for my colours. The Bourjois Bronzing Primer has been my bronzer of choice for the last week - it looks horrifically orange in the pot, and on the skin for  that matter, but give it a little blend and you have yourself a nice bronzey hue that wasn't there before.
For blush, I've been sporting the Make Up Revolution cream blush in Peach Cream. Rose Cream has been my usual since I got it a few weeks ago, but Peach Cream is a nice change. It definitely seems more spring-like to me, and the texture is just as pleasing as that of Rose Cream. I'd recommend them if you've not tried them already :)
My highlight has been the Along Came Betty Starlight Shine stick - I think this product has been discontinued as I got it on clearance from Tesco for £1.50, which is a shame because this may well be the nicest highlighter I've ever tried. It gives a pretty bronze sheen on the skin, not looking too shimmery and unnatural looking, but giving enough of an effect to make your face look alive.
My base changes pretty much daily depending on how my skin has been feeling, but for the last week I've been using the Maybelline Super Stay Better Skin foundation religiously. I'm not quite sure why it didn't come with me for my birthday evening, but I'm glad it didn't if I'm honest!
For eyeshadows, I've been going for the Sleek Au Naturel palette of late, but since that's away elsewhere, I've made use of my Oh So Special palette significantly more. I really do love this palette, and I'm not too sure why I stopped using it so often. I've hit pan on one of the shades, though, and am having serious trouble finding a replacement for it! (I don't want to buy the whole palette again for one shade, that's senseless, right?) but yeah, Oh So Special is rather lovely. My lashes have been lengthened and oomphed up by the 17 Superlash mascara of late, and brows taken care of by the MUA Power Brow in Fair.

Obviously, there are other products I'm using to fill in the gaps left by others that I've left at my friends house, but they're not interesting enough to mention, really. Saying that, though, I think I've found a whole other "everyday routine" in my replacement bits. They're certainly a nice change, anyway :)

Have you ever left everything you usually use where you can't get it? What things did you use to replace them?

A Quick Hello.

As you can likely see from this being the first post, Oyster and Blush is but half formed and not quite ready to go, but I wanted to get my introduction post up as soon as possible, and I'll crack on with the rest of it tomorrow when I'm slightly more awake! To begin with, I'll introduce myself (although I'll be adding an "about me" page at some point to offer something more stationary). My name is Charlotte, I'm 21 and from the South East of England. Oyster and Blush will predominantly be a beauty blog, with some lifestyle and hobby posts thrown in.

I've blogged before, most recently over on Make Up Natters, a blog I made around a year ago to have a place to rant about my obsession with all things makeup related. Since then, though, I've found I've outgrown Make Up Natters a little - I kind of pigeon-holed myself with the name of the blog, I haven't been happy with the content I'd been posting for quite a long time and felt that the time had long passed where I could make MUN something I was truly proud of, although I only arrived at that conclusion today after thinking about it for a long time. I'm hoping that Oyster and Blush can be what Make Up Natters never quite managed for me, something I can be proud to show off to family and friends, and a place that people who stumble over here looking for something will want to stay and be a part of.

So, what can you expect from Oyster and Blush in terms of content?
As I said, this will predominantly be a beauty blog, as that's one of my most prominent interests and passions, however I'd like to post some lifestyle features once in a while, and during the month of November when NaNoWriMo hits, I'll likely be posting things to do with my writing also - but since I find I don't have a whole lot of time to do much writing these days, it is probably only going to be November I'll be posting about that.
I've tried blogging without a schedule, and I've tried every-day blogging, neither of which are really for me. So, the sort of schedule I'm going to be going for with this is Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday posts. This week will likely be a bit shaky, what with still having to set everything up (I also want to find a dedicated photography spot so I can set it up nicely and ensure my picture quality is consistent, that might take a while!), but I'm hoping from next week each of those days will have a post up and that post will be something worth reading. I'm not going to have a set theme for each of the days, it'll just be an as it comes sort of thing!

So, that's myself and Oyster and Blush introduced. I will put together a proper "about me" page and set up my social networking links and all that malarkey, probably tomorrow morning, but I have work in the morning and these eyes need to shut!