7 Beauty Hacks You Need To Know

1) To condense your make up bag for travel, try out some of these hacks:

• Use bronzer/blusher as eye shadow
• Try eye shadow as eye liner on the waterline - I love this hack!! Just be careful when applying the powder, the first couple of times I tried this it ended up in my eye which wasn't good. Just practice and you will soon get the hang of it. 
• Use your lipstick as a cream blusher - Any pink/red tone lipstick will work, even the really dark plum colours! Lightly rub your ring finger on the lipstick to pick up some colour, then dab on the apples of your cheeks.

2) Creating a lighter foundation

Ever bought a foundation when you had a tan, then once your bronzed skin faded, was left with a near enough full bottle? I have - and it's the worst. Mix a small amount of your moisturiser with some foundation on the back of your hand and apply as normal. This works great for me!

3) For dry skin use a damp sponge applicator to apply foundation

Only recently have I tried this and it works a dream. I use the Miracle Complexion Sponge by Real Techniques, which I received as a gift for my birthday. The damp sponge hydrates the face and creates a flawless look.

4) Outline lips with concealer

When wearing a dark or red lip, sharpen the look by using a small lip or angled brush to outline the lips. And behold, a nice neat lip full of colour!

5) Use talc/baby powder as dry shampoo

We all have them days when we wake up with 10 minutes to get ready and be out of the door, with no time to wash our hair! Talc is something which most households have hidden away in cupboard, and it is the perfect substitute for dry shampoo. I sprinkle some onto a hair brush and brush it through my hair. This is probably not as effective for darker hair.

6) Use hairspray to set make up

Hold the can a good distance away from face and do a quick spray, then walk into the spray mist. This is probably not the most ethical of hacks but it works a treat for a night out.

7) Don't have any nail varnish remover?

A way to freshen up any mani is to apply a glitter coat over the top of chipped polish. (TIP - Use a glitter polish that has fine or mixture of glitter bits as opposed to just large chunks, they will spread more evenly to cover any chips.)

Do you use any of these hacks? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading

- Shannon x

Review | MUA Lip Liner in Caramel Nougat

After carelessly picking up this cheap lip liner from a Superdrug store whilst shopping in Manchester, I've never looked back!

I'm not a massive lip liner fanatic, usually reaching out for a one when opting to wear a dark colour lipstick, to stop it from bleeding. However, after spending what seemed a lifetime in Superdrug looking for something new to try I saw the lip liners and thought I'd try out a nude shade for everyday (or when I choose a subtle lip look for a night out).

The colour 'Caramel Nougat' is the perfect nude shade that will compliment most colour lipsticks,glosses and skin tones. I use it most days to define the shape of my lips and to give them a slightly fuller look, often filling in my lips and wearing with a slick of gloss on top.

The creamy consistency of the pencil makes for an easy application, allowing you to apply it as quickly as you please. I find it gives a matte finish when applied over the whole lip, which looks great and doesn't feel too drying like other matte lip products. It also has a sharpener built in the lid which is a dream as I always seem to loose my sharpeners!!

A little niggle I have with this product is that because its quite creamy it becomes blunt quickly, which can be expected when paying only £1.00 for it. Despite this, I find the product overall a really good buy and will definitely purchase another!

I bought my MUA (Makeup Academy) lip liner in Caramel Nougat from Superdrug.
Click here for the link to the MUA website where it can also be purchased online - you will be charged postage fee so it might be worthwhile popping into your local Superdrug.

Is there any colours you would recommend me try from the MUA brand? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading

Shannon xo