Everyday Face: the Summer Edition

Having recently had a few questions about what I'm loving on my face at the moment, I thought I'd make it into a post. I never go too bold, but for an every day make up look that I like to think is relatively classy yet quick, this is what I go for.

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So, in chronological order. 

• For my base, I always opt for Mac Prep and Prime Skin . I find this sits really well underneath my makeup, gives me a radiant base, and also helps my makeup last throughout the day.

• For foundation, I always reach for my Chanel Vitalumière Aqua in shade 10, and have done for about the past 18 months. It's such a light weight foundation you can hardly feel it's there, and leaves such a natural finish on the skin. 

• For concealer, I've been a loyal user of the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer  in shade 1. It's the cheapest concealer I've ever found, yet the best. Only last week I was chatting to a Chanel rep in Boots about how much we both love it. 

• For my contour, I reach for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit and work it into my cheekbones and around my temples. This also comes in a cream form, but that scares me a little. 

• On my eyebrows I use the Soap and Glory Brow Archery in the shade hot chocolate. I was using the Anastasia Brow Wiz, but found this to be a much more affordable dupe!

• On my eyes I use the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette.  I use limit all over the lid, then work mooner into the crease. 

• For eyeliner,  I am a huge fan of felt tip liners. Again, I've found the Collection Felt Tip Liner to be the best! Sometimes 'you get what you pay for' isn't true. 

• Mascara wise, I tend to reach for Maybelline Lash Sensational , though I do switch up my mascara now and then. I find this one to have no fall down, and have enough volume yet it doesn't clump. 

• I use Mac's DollyMix for blush, though you only need a light dusting of this. 

• To highlight, I take Benefit's High Beam - the only highlighter I've ever found that I like. I hate looking gold, or sparkly. This one just gives a pearly shimmer to the cheekbones. 

• Finally, on my lips I've been using Mac's lipsitck in Mehr, and lipliner in Whirl, for a subtly bold yet summery lip. 

What are your favourite products this summer? 

India x

My Skin Saviour: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair has well and truly saved my skin. I was introduced to this product in mini form, within an Estée Lauder gift set. Though the serum is essentially marketed for older skin, claiming it reduces the signs of ageing and helps skin look younger, it has solved all my (21 year old) skin problems. 

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At a bit of a hefty price of £52 per 30ml bottle, I really do think it's worth the money. You need a small amount, and even my tiny bottle has lasted me 2 months - and I've been using it daily! The standard 30ml bottle comes with a pipette feature, making it super easy to use and limiting any mess. 

The serum has given my skin a lift, and made me look, what I can only describe as a little more alive. It's given my complexion an even tone which I never had before. I have had zero break outs in the two month period I've been using it - though I'm not sure I can claim that these two variables are 100% related. 

All in all, this is a beautiful product and I cannot recommend it enough. What are your skincare favourites and what is your go-to saviour? 

India x

Albums to ease your revision

It's exam season and that means one thing; revision. There's nothing worse than revising in silence, you go crazy. I find revising to albums I don't know too well (so can't sing along and get distracted) help me stay in the zone. It's nice to change things up every so often to keep it interesting!

So, here are my top albums to revise to at the moment:

1. Sept. 5th - dvsn. Turns out dvsn is signed to OVO (drake's label) so it's no wonder I'm enjoying this. It's a very slow and chilled album so easy to make notes to. 
2. Know-it-all - Alessia Cara. Her voice makes me feel really happy and positive, so maintains good vibes for revision. 
3. You Should Be Here - Kehlani. Kehlani's back story makes me feel a lot of things, and even that, the thought behind her album, is really good for keeping motivated. Her words often make me feel able to tackle any obstacle, so helps when studying and losing motivation. Plus, her voice is relaxing so is good when you're panicking. 
4. Views - Drake. I'm already overplaying this album so no doubt soon I'll have to stop revising to it. But drake's voice keeps me calm and this album is full of good songs - good for the boring revision topics. 
5. Beautiful Lies - Birdy. Not my usual taste in music but great for revision. I find this really nice background noise but not too distracting. 
6. Take me to the alley - Gregory Porter. Also not my usual kind of thing, but a really happy and soulful album which keeps you upbeat when doing work. Got lots of good instrumentals too. 
7. Souled Out - Jhene Aiko. Jhene Aiko is my go to artist if I need some soothing music - her voice is good for the soul. This album helps concentration and keeps you in the focused zone. 
8. Twenty88 - Twenty88. Jhene Aiko and Big Sean teamed up for this one and it really works. Some songs you need on a little quieter to stop distraction but overall it really works. Similar in a sense to souled out but a little more upbeat with the addition of Big Sean. 

Hope that's a little bit helpful and eases the bore of revision season. What are your favourite albums to revise to?

India x

Easy Interiors

I'm massively into interior design, so thought I'd show a few little, inexpensive touches you can add to your room. I tend to keep things monochrome and minimalist; enjoy! 

Lamp: IKEA 

Candle: H&M home 

Clay roses: Velvet 

Photo frames: IKEA 

Copper "I": Oliver Bonas 

Wooden "I": Velvet 

Lantern fairy lights: IKEA

Nude palettes: my top picks

As many know, I am a sucker for a nude palette and live by the rule that you can never have too many. So, I decided to post about my top 5. 

1.) NAKED - £38

I got my naked palette back in 2012 and it is definitely my most loved and most loved palette. It's looking a little worse for wear but I cannot emphasise enough how long lasting and pigmented the shades are; so easily blendable and so many different looks can be created with the 12 shades. 

2.) Soap and Glory's "lid stuff" - £10 

This palette looks similar to a Mac quad, but at just £10, is a steal. I've found the white to be perfect for the browbone, and I use the matte brown on my brows. Perfect if you've not got much room in your make up bag!

3.) "Natural Eyes" by Too Faced - £32 

Unfortunately I don't think this is available in the UK; I picked it up in Sephora in New York (Sephora do ship to the UK however, if you're interested). What I love about this palette is that it comes with a manual, so shows you exactly which colours to pick and where to put them in order to create different looks. I like that it's relatively small but still has an amazing range of colours. 

3.) "Eyes Uncovered" by Collection - £3.99

I have to say I was AMAZED when I saw this in boots - £3.99 for a palette which could be seen as a 'mini naked'! I admit I thought it was too good to be true and the actual eye shadows would be rubbish, but I was definitely mistaken. If you're on a budget, I'd honestly say it's just as good as Urban Decay!

5.) NAKED 3 - £38

And last but not least, naked 3. I think this palette really is beautiful, but I haven't found all that much use for it. It's all very pink toned, which doesn't suit me massively. However, as you can see, I fell in love with "dust" - a very similar colour to "silk teddy" in the too faced palette.

What are your favourite nude palettes? 

Love, India x