Ciara Sims

Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick in Electric Orange



*No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Delicate Pink


Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick in Neon Red


Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious




Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Mischievous


Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

I love a bright lip for the summer I think they brighten up a makeup look and just look lovely and fresh. I like to keep my makeup quite natural in the summer but I then tend to go for a bright pop of colour on the lips to bring it all together. Recently I have been particularly loving orange lips. I know many people are scared of orange lipstick but I actually find it much more flattering than red. Orange seems to work on everybody and it's much more summery. You can go sheer with something like the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti (£7.99) or bold with the Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick in Electric Orange (£6.99). Or if mattes are more your thing then the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms (£7.99) in Mischievous and Audacious are fab. Audacious has more coral undertones than Mischievous which makes it a little safer but I personally love Mischievous. However, if reds are your thing then I think the perfect red lipstick for summer is the Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick in Neon Red (£6.99). This is such a pretty classic pillar box red and goes on quite glossy so it's really flattering and vibrant. I don't tend to go for pinks that much as most bright pinks tend to have blue undertones which just doesn't seem to suit me but when I am in the mood for a pinker lip I love the *No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Delicate Pink (£9). This is such a pretty colour that can be worn sheer or built up into a not so delicate but very feminine pop of colour.

What's your favourite lip colour for summer?

Ciara x

*This post contains items which were gifted to me. Full disclaimer.

My recent trip to Ireland has definitely left me with the travel bug and I would do anything to go on another adventure to an entirely new country. I don't actually go on that many holidays and so there are still plenty of destinations left for me to dream about. I would love to travel the world one day and I have world maps and postcards from friends and family covering my bedroom walls that feed my wanderlust. So I thought I would round up 10 places that I would do anything to travel to. A girl can dream can't she?

• Peru
• Norway
• Budapest (Hungary)
• New York
• Copenhagen (Denmark)
• Australia
• Thailand
• Mexico
• Sweden
• Jinju (South Korea)

Where is on your travel bucket list?

Ciara x

So as you know, I've been in Ireland for the past week and I could only take hand luggage so it meant I really had to cut down on what I was taking. I thought I would take this opportunity to show you what I took with my in my makeup bag. Now this might be a little different to typical holiday makeup bags as I haven't been sunning my self in the Bahamas so I haven't got loads of bright lips, but it is still quite summery.

Base:

L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Matte Foundation in 11 Vanilla (£7.99). This stuff is amazing. If you've got oily skin but like a perfectly matte base then this is the stuff for you. The L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Matte Foundation is such a dream to apply with or without a brush. It blends seamlessly into the skin and doesn't cake so it leaves your skin actually looking like skin which is always a good thing. L'Oreal describe this as a high coverage foundation but I would say it's pretty buildable. It's a good all rounder foundation because it feels so light on the skin yet covers everything you want it to cover. Saying that a foundation will last for 24 hours is a huge claim and I don't actually know anyone who wears their foundation for 24 hours but I can say that the L'Oreal Infallible 24 hour matte foundation really does last hours without needing to be touched up even on hot days. Great for the summer months.

Welcome the new love of my life - the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair (£4.19). I have heared over and over how great this concealer is but have never been able to get my hands on it. Finally my local boots decided to stock up and I am able to say that you must believe the hype over this concealer. It is amazing. By far one of the best concealers I've ever tried and I don't think I'll be trying a new one any time soon. The colour match is perfect for me and the creamy consistency covers all blemishes and dark circles without feeling heavy. The wear time is great although not the 16 hours which Collection claims however, that doesn't bother me because I never wear my makeup for that long.

The lid on my beloved Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder broke and so couldn't be taken on holiday with me so I bought the Bourjois Java Rice Powder (£9.99) as a replacement without realising it was glittery. I probably should have paid attention to the word 'illuminating' but the packaging was too pretty so I got a bit side tracked. However, I powdered on against my fear of glitter and it turns out the Bourjois Java Rice Powder isn't half bad. Although the glitter can be clearly seen in the pot, it's so finely milled that it's almost invisible on the skin and just creates a nice healthy glow rather than a glittery mess. The Bourjois Java Rice powder is really good at setting the makeup and smells nicely of roses without being too perfumed.

To add a bit of colour back into my face I use *Benefit's Hoola Bronzer (£23.50) which looks so natural and heavenly. The colour is buildable so it's really hard to go overboard and it lasts all day. I then took my MUA Blusher in Bon Bon (£1) mainly because the packaging is small and it does the job. This blush creates a really nice healthy flush that doesn't fade however be careful because a little goes a long way.

Eyes:

As I only took hand luggage away with me my choice of makeup which I was allowed to bring was fairly limited but I didn't want to just wear the same makeup every single day. I chose to bring the Maybelline The Nudes eyeshadow palette (£9.99) with me because it contains every shade a neutral lover could possibly want and doesn't take up a huge amount of space. I think the colours in this palette are so beautiful and there is a good range of matte and shimmer and light and dark shades so you can create any look you want and transition from day to night. The lasting time isn't fantastic and I do tend to find that the colours have faded a bit by the end of the day but for a budget palette its pretty impressive. My personal favourites are the three metallic shades in the middle. They will look just stunning with every eye colour.

I used to be obsessed with eyeliner. Every makeup look I did included a thick helping of black winged eyeliner. I loved the drama of it. I've sort of gone off it a bit more recently as I feel that it can sometimes make my eyes look a bit dull as the jet black can be a bit harsh on my skin but I still don't want to be too far away from my favourite Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner (£12) just in case the urge reappears. Anybody who believes they aren't very good at eyeliner needs the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner in their life. This pen applies like a dream and lasts on the skin until you remove it yourself. The felt tip nip just glides along the eyelid and the colour doesn't fade at all. It really is a beautiful eyeliner and one that I want in my life forever.

Speaking of eyeliner I also took the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in 001 Black (£3.99) with me because this is perfect for tight lining the upper lash line. This is a step that I always do no matter what because it's almost like hidden eyeliner and makes your lashes look thicker and fuller. This is just a pretty basic eyeliner, nothing amazing, but does the job.

When choosing what mascara to pack Benefit Roller Lash (£19.50) was the only contender. I've raved about the mascara to everybody I know and I think they're a bit sick of it by now. This mascara seems to divide people but I love it and I will probably buy another one when my little one runs out. This mascara curls and lengthens the lashes giving them a really lovely fluttery look that looks almost natural. Roller Lash has never smudged or flaked on me and I find the brush really good at getting all of those lashes you didn't even know you had.






Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette.

Lips:

I love lip products and they are the one thing that I can't skip. Even if I have no other makeup on my face I will always wear a lipstick or lip gloss to help me feel a bit more together and alive. L'Oreal Colour Riche Eva's Nude (£6.99) is the perfect lipstick for those kind of days where you want a hint of colour but nothing that screams look at my lips or no makeup makeup. It's a really nice warm, peachy nude that has bronzy undertones that helps to give you a sun kissed glow. This a my lips but WAY better colour, it lasts for hours but fades evenly with eating and drinking. This is also quite a moisturising lipstick so doesn't cling to any dry patches.

I couldn't go on holiday without a bright lip or two so I packed the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in 015 Tutti Frutti (£7.99) and the *No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Delicate Pink (£9). Tutti Frutti is a really nice vibrant but sheer orange that is so lovely for the summer. It creates that just bitten look that is oh so lovely and because it is sheer but buildable it's incredibly versatile. It's also really moisturising. *Delicate Pink is similar but just a bright blue toned pink version. When applied lightly it's really subtle but add a couple more coats and you get a bright pop of colour that boosts any makeup look.



From left to right: MUA Blush in Bon Bon, *Benefit Hoola, Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, *No7 Lip Crayon in Delicate Pink, L'Oreal Color Riche Eva's Nude, Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner, Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner

Although I had to pack light makeup wise I packed versatile products that allowed me to create a range of looks for whatever the weather and mood and I had everything I needed.

What's one makeup product that you couldn't live without?

Ciara x

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*This post contains items which were gifted to me. Full disclaimer.