MY FAVE FIVE: NUDE LIPSTICKS.

Lipsticks are huge business - just think of Urban Decay who released 100 shades of lipstick in their Vice Collection, and Smashbox who topped that earlier this year! I love experimenting with different colours, I love dark reds and purples as well as nudes but when it comes to wearing lipstick in public it's either a very sheer wash of colour or a nude. I'd love to be braver in terms of colour!

MAC Mehr is one of my go to colours - a pink tone, very similar to MAC Soar lip liner (to be quite honest, they're usually applied together) - I love the MAC Lipsticks though, and that's obvious even down to the fact that there are two MAC Lipsticks in my top five. I love the creamy consistency and the longevity, not to mention the sleek packaging of them . MAC Velvet Teddy is the second nude I was going to mention which is a light brown tone, I pretty much always pair this with Subculture lip liner.

Urban Decays range of lipsticks is crazy, 100 colours and a variety of finishes - I have two, and Stark Naked is a gorgeous nude shade. Stark Naked is a comfort matte, a brown toned nude that I feel would match everything and anything. I really like the consistency of the lipsticks, not too hard that you have to put a lot of pressure on to apply (yes I have come across lipsticks like that). I have the matching lip liner and they create the perfect lip combo.

Estee Lauder's Dynamic is a gorgeous pink toned lipstick, not as matte as the MAC lipsticks, yet not a satin finish either. It's a beautiful colour, and these kinds of darker, nude pink shades are my favourite to wear. Again, just like the others, it applies so easily to the lip and it's comfortable too.

Benefit Cosmetics are releasing some new lipsticks next year (keep your eyes peeled), and one of my favourites is Lusty Rose, released as part of the They're Real Big Sexy Lip Kit. These are a combined lipstick and lip liner and you can read more about them here. The minute I saw Lusty Rose I knew it would become a staple colour for me as it's so similar to the colours I already lean towards.

MY FAVE FIVE: FOUNDATIONS.

Foundation is a huge staple in someones make up bag - it can completely change the way someone looks through creating a flawless base for the beginning of your makeup. I have quite a few favourites, and they are all completely different - from dewy and brightening, to matte and full coverage. At the moment, a foundation is probably my favourite part of my make up routine, it makes me feel much more confident in covering all flaws and redness. I have many favourites but I managed to narrow it down to my five favourites.

My go to staple foundation is Estee Lauder's Double Wear. It's full coverage, and wears for hours which is exactly what I need for long days. It doesn't necessarily have a dewy finish (which is my preference over matte) however I choose to use an illuminating primer in order to create that finish. I apply this with a flat concealer brush and then blend with a beauty blender due to the fact that the bottle doesn't have a pump. A little goes a long long way with this foundation and the bottle has lasted me ages.

Another one of my favourites is Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow by Benefit Cosmetics. Hello Flawless is lightweight and hydrating. It's a buildable, breathable foundation which is one of the many things I like about it - and besides that, gives a dewy finish! Despite the finish, I'll still use a brightening primer (specifically Benefit's That Gal) to give the perfect base to start on. I like to apply this, like all foundations, with a beauty blender however it applies beautifully with a flat foundation brush or buffing brush.

Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction has made an appearance on my blog before (here) but it's great for acne/blemish prone skin. It's a full coverage foundation but definitely doesn't feel that way; it covers, smooths and improves skins texture in one application. The ingredients in this foundation unfold like a second skin, blurring imperfections and create a much more even skin tone and texture.

My last two favourites are from MAC. The first MAC foundation that I tried was the Studio Fix Fluid which I really liked, but once I branched out I found two that I absolutely love! The Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof is exactly that - longwearing and waterproof. I've seen that this has been used by Olympic swimmers, further confirming the fact that the foundation is highly waterproof. I like that it's in a tube that you can squeeze out and due to the full coverage of this foundation (can we tell I like my full coverage?) a little bit goes a really really long way. My second foundation from MAC is the Studio Waterweight which is water based and feels amazing on the skin. It has a dropper in the bottle which you apply directly to the face and blend. The Studio Waterweight is lightweight and buildable - reminding me ever so slightly of a fuller coverage Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow.

There are so many foundations that I love, including more from Illamasqua, Urban Decay and even high street brands such as Rimmel and Revlon, and so many more that I'd love to try! What are your favourites?

ESTEE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR.

So many women swear by Advanced Night Repair. The ladies from the Estee Lauder counter at work swear by Advanced Night Repair and I can certainly see why! 

At the moment, I won't lie, my skin is absolutely atrocious. Something unknown has caused my skin to break out horrifically and I'm absolutely heartbroken as I was just building a brilliant friendship with my skin and now I feel like I've been betrayed. I'd used Advanced Night Repair before and loved it, however that was only a sample and that sample is long gone. I got myself another sample, just to make sure I love it as much as I did the first time, and I do. 

Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair is advertised as an anti-aging serum, it's also advertised as something that gives you more beautiful looking skin every day - and that's something that I need most at this moment in time. It basically maximises the power of your skin's natural nighttime renewal and has been tried, tested and proven on over 500 women - that's really something!

I've been using it for a while now, and I can already see a difference! My skin looks smoother, more hydrated, and stronger - I can tell that it's repairing itself from my monster breakout! It's also been making my skin appear a lot less dry which is amazing as that's never something I'd really struggled with until lately, and it's really helping with that which is great.

The regular size bottles have a dropper so that you can apply a few drops to your fingertips and then apply to the face, but the travel size ones have a normal bottle so I've been pouring a small amount into my hands and then applying straight to my face. I love it - it's oil free, and fragrance free and it's amazing!

SUNDAY NIGHT TIME ROUTINE.

My nights are usually pretty chilled, but none more than a Sunday night. I really value my down time, which mostly consists of chilling in my room watching TV but there's something about a Sunday night - the night before a new week, that I just find much more chilled than any other night of the week.

I like to start off the night with a shower and facial wash - I like my showers hot so I really crank up the temperature. I've been using Soap and Glory Clean on Me Shower Gel and Soap and Glory Orangeasm Body Scrub in the shower, and a L'Oreal Elvive Shampoo to wash my hair - all out of conditioner, and I won't lie most of the time I just can't be bothered so I tend to leave conditioner altogether (naughty!)

When I get out of the shower I start a skincare routine - I use Benefit's Foamingly Clean Facial Wash to wash my face and remove any make up. I've been switching this out for the Nip + Fab Glycolic Scrub as it's a facial exfoliant and it's good to exfoliate a couple of times a week. I then use the La Roche Posay Serozinc which is a spray on toner which is good for oily or blemish prone skin. I quite like what this has been doing to my skin - it's become lots clearer after a short amount of time. I then go in with a Nip + Fab Dragons Blood Serum and the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Oil - the serum is a very old favourite of mine, at one point my entire skincare range was Nip + Fab as I absolutely love their products - I'm actually yet to find one that I don't like! The Estee Lauder Night Repair is a recent addition to my skincare routine, so I'm eager to see how that pans out and hopefully using an oil will begin to make such a difference to my skin. I tend to finish off with a night cream, which varies between Benefit Total Moisture which is a lovely, rich moisturiser - or the Nip + Fab Viper Venom Night Cream which I love the texture and the smell of.

I try my hardest to get a brush through my hair after adding a few drops of Garnier Hair Oil, and then just leave it to dry naturally - so many people berate me for this but it's something I've always done and find really comfortable. My hair is so thick, I hate sitting there for years with a hairdryer blasting my hair and making me boil on the spot - so I tend to let it air dry or sleep with wet hair.

I rarely fake tan - but I've been using a St Tropez Gradual Tanning Moisturiser - I can't really tell a difference but I don't really apply a lot as I hate that sticky feeling when you get into bed. I throw on some pyjamas, check my bag is packed for the morning and either get in my bed, or sit on top of my bed on my laptop, or watching TV.

I do the usual - checking social media, and checking my alarm is set and then it's bedtime for me! I really value my sleep so making sure I'm comfortable is really important to me. Fluff up the pillows, lights out - night night!