Lily Lolo Shimmer Stripes

Lily Lolo Rose Glow Shimmer Stripes - £19.99*

I'm always on the hunt for products which promise to give my skin a healthy glow, especially now that summer is over and my skin is suffering from some cold weather dullness. Lily Lolo is a mineral cosmetics brand which offer a whole host of beauty products with one thing in common - natural. I've become a little bit of a convert to natural products recently, so this brand seems right up my street. All of their products are free from parabens, perfumes and dyes and what's even better is they're cruelty free! Lily Lolo's Shimmer Stripes are part of their new Classic and Metallics Collection, alongside some gorgeous eyeshadow palettes. The shade Rose Glow contains 5 stripes of various shades, all centred around providing a rosy, pink-toned glow to the cheeks - the clue is in the name!

Packaging wise, the compact looks pretty slick and contains a decent sized mirror. It feels quite heavy and luxe, so I reckon it'll be pretty sturdy for carrying around. The consistency felt a little strange to me. It wasn't soft and buttery, and I had to work my brush a little more to get a decent pay-off but that might be due to my inexperience of working with mineral products perhaps? The product also has an odd scent, but again that might just be me. It's not hugely pigmented, but with a product like this you don't really need it to be. I use this on top of my regular blusher to give an added dimension of rosy glow-y goodness. It did take me a little while to work out how to use this, I must admit! I guess you could call it a hybrid between a blusher and a highlighter, but once you've gotten your head around that, it's a little gem.

Shimmer Stripes also come in the shade Honey Glow which is a more bronze-toned palette.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - £21

I'm sure we've all heard the hype surrounding this little tube of concealing goodness, and I'm no exception. I had never intended to spend £21 on concealer, as my favourite Collection number was doing a more than fine job, but I spied this at duty free on my way home from New York last month and as I had some spare dollars left, I decided to treat myself. I picked up the shade 'Vanilla' which is ever so slightly too light for my post-America skin at the moment, but it'll be the perfect shade as my tan fades over the winter-y months. As usual, the typical NARS packaging is gorgeous. The rubbery black end does get a little mucky looking, but it's easily wiped clean. Offering high coverage with no caking and a super lightweight feel, this concealer is pretty much a winner. The consistency is perfect for the under-eye area as it isn't heavy at all, but the high coverage also makes it great for use on blemishes or, in my case, any red areas or scars. I use this alone with a little powder on lazy days and I find it gives the perfect amount of coverage for me.

So, is it worth the hype? Definitely. Am I willing to shell out £21 when this runs out? Maybe not. I'm sure there are drugstore alternatives which are just a fraction of the price, and as a skint student I am making it my mission to find one before this runs out... Challenge accepted!

MAC RiRi Woo

I need to pay homage to my perfect red lipstick. MAC Riri Woo - I have finally found you, and I shall never let you go. I purchased this on a whim back when the first Riri for MAC collection was released, and I'll admit I was sucked in by the hype and I was determined to get this lipstick before it sold out (which only took a couple of hours, I might add). I wasn't looking for love, I was merely curious about what was out there but what I found has blown me away. Riri Woo is a variation of MAC's classic Ruby Woo lipstick. It's a retro matte formula so it's not the creamiest of lipsticks and it does drag when applying. However, it's the perfect red shade and it lasts forever. I swear. I hate wearing lipsticks on nights out because I'm terribly messy when I drink, so my lipstick is usually off within an hour of sloppily drinking out of a mug and having a social cigarette or 10. But with Riri Woo, I wake up after a night out with no money, no dignity, sometimes no shoes but I always have Riri Woo left on my lips. It takes a good scrub to get this stuff off!

This is just my ultimate go-to lipstick for a night out when I want to make a bold statement with my lip colour. My search for the perfect red is over, ladies and gentlemen, this love affair is truly for keeps.