When it comes to trains, I’m well travelled. My commuting days stand me in good stead and I can recite the timetable home from work, along with never needing to peek at a map. It’s all up here. But one thing I never really mastered on my daily journeys was gauging the right levels of beauty stuff to bring along; too much and I began to resemble a cosmetics camel, too little and I sat there (if I was lucky enough to get a seat) looking a little sad and dull like the chips that hawkers sell. But after some contemplation and a revision last weekend to test my theory I think I’ve got the balance just right, so here’s my en route edit for beauty movers and shakers:
My lip lovin’ roster reads a mixed bag at the moment and I’m being a bit of a floozy when it comes to formulas, refusing to be pinned down to a certain category. Bolds & nudes, here’s what I’m currently kissin’ and crushin’ on in the lip department…
I know they say that bigger is always better, but somethings are just more pleasing to the eye in miniature. Case in point: makeup. Often frequenting the ‘gift with purchase’ category, accompanying a set with their dainty features or just available in straight-up travel size, I have quite the adoration for the little things and try to stifle back an audible ‘awwww’ whenever one comes into my possession. Perfect for lobbing in the handbag, on holiday, hey – even popped in your pocket if you’re a tote-free kinda gal here’s the petite picks from my stash. Note: ‘awwww-ing’ mandatory…
For the meantime I’ve put the pinks on hold and am turning my talons to a more monsoon congruous colour – blue. Who doesn’t love a good blue? Well actually my best friend A doesn’t, stating that the only two colours that shouldn’t be sported on nails are greens and blues – say what? But she has been known to quote that ‘shimmer nail polish is against her religion’ and I can vouch for a glitter nail or two so I think we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on that one. She’s bloody hilarious my A and has some funny takes on beauty; I’m currently in the process of bullying her into featuring on the blog. But back to blue and there’s five in my stash that I turn to when a passion for blue arises…
Recently I’ve been harbouring quite the love affair with pink nail polish. Note: this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that one of my girl crushes, Deepika Padukone, is never spotted without a set of perfectly pinked up talons. Promise. But there’s just something about a smooth slick of the stuff on the nails that makes me feel sophisticated, polished and a little bit ladylike – and trust me that’s some feat. I don’t half pick my moments – it may not be the most seasonal choice right now but there’s been not a hint of nude that’s graced my tips for weeks now. Shocking, I know; so welcome the cream of my pink polish crop…
If someone challenged me to build a shelter out of all the beauty products I own I could probably makeshift something that rivals my snug one bed flat. There’s a lot of the stuff and it’s growing by the day with no signs of stalling anytime soon, a makeup mountain if you will – you get the gist. So when a repurchase is made over the act of using up my long line of awaiting testers, it’s a big deal. The product in question surpasses HG status and is deemed a ‘staple’ – definition: a dash to the nearest outlet stocking said ‘staple’ product occurs when the last blob, squeeze or brush is noted – which is exactly what happened yesterday when I went supermarket sweep style in the aisles of Phoenix. So welcome this trio into the stash staple line-up…
And so the lip product cycle turns again. High coverage lippies were swapped for glassy glosses back in the 2000s, only for a shift back to opaque lipsticks to kick in again in more recent years, but now we’re hungry for a more lighter kind of offering; a slick of a sheer pigment for the lips and they’re flooding the beauty halls right now. And with good reason too – what’s there not to love? A bullet that delivers equal amounts of gloss and colour, they’re easy to throw on, require minimum top-up attention and the demi-gloss finish ticks all the right boxes for daytime use. Here are the top 2 sheers that reign supreme in my stash.
