NUDES - Show me yours and I'll show you mine.

Yes it is exactly what you think...

No I'm totally kidding. The nudes I desire are those of lipsticks. Nude lipsticks have become part of the furniture in my life. From daytime to nightime - you can always rely on a good nude to keep you looking bangin'. I thought it would only be fitting to dedicate my first post back to the true loves of my life, so here are my favourite nude lipsticks of the moment.

Nude is for sure my favourite colour (if that even counts as a colour as there are so many different variations of it), I have nude nails, nude heels, nude outfits, nude bags and accessories, and of course nude lippies. I found it quite difficult to pick my favourites as most if not all of the lipsticks I own are some form of nude.

I'll start off with my NYX Cosmetics soft matte lip cream in the shade 'London'. I know this isn't your traditional lipstick formula but it gives your lips such a gorgeous matte finish without being too drying. I picked this up in my local Boots for such a good price at just £6! This shade is more of a beige nude which do tend to be my go to's as opposed to a more pinky nude. The creamy formula is a must for my everyday essentials.

Next is my Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick in the shade 'Stripped'. I got this beauty during my first ever trip to Sephora on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. I absolutely love it, it's so long-lasting and pigmented. Similarly to the NYX lip cream in 'London', the Anastasia liquid lipstick is a beige nude (in love) but at a higher price point. 

Now this one probably has to be my favourite out of the bunch due to my low-key (or not so) obsession with Estee Lauder. Their sculpting lipstick in the shade 'Bare Instinct' gives such a high-intensity colour and full coverage, while also being super hydrating! And don't even get me started on the magnetic packaging (heart eyes). Paired with my fav lip liner, it gives my lips the perfect look and finish I desire.

This post wouldn't be this post without this bad boy. I once compared MAC's 'Velvet Teddy' to a pair of black skinny jeans, an essential you need to own. I won't go into too much detail on this one because I think most people that are reading this already love it. This deep-toned beige nude has a lush non-drying creamy texture and leaves you with a beaut matte finish.

I am slightly biased with this next one being a consultant for the brand, but Clinique's 'Blushing Pop' does things for me. Blushing Pop is part of the Pop Matte Lip Colour and Primer range which ensures up to eight hours of creamy matte comfort. This shade is definitely more of a pinky nude, not one I would usually reach for but the colour is just perfect for everyday wear. I put this lipstick and its built in primer to the test most days at work, having applied it early in the morning, it will still be mostly intact at the end of the day having survived me talking a lot during various consultations and makeup appointments. It is definitely a keeper.

Last but certainly not least is Tom Ford's 'Sable Smoke'. This super creamy and pigmented lipstick is so moisturising which is something I see as a must in a lippy. The shade itself is again a beige nude (wow shocker) but the formula of it is so luminous and smoothly applied, it is well worth the extra pennies it costs.

So that is it for my favourite nudes, if you made it this far then thank you for reading and I hope I may have helped persuade you to try one of this babies. My posts will mainly be fashion and beauty related with the occasional lifestyle so keep posted if you want to see more.

Zero Waste Beauty: Fad or Future?

In 2017, we have already seen the rise and fall of various beauty trends, from squiggle brows to bouncy blow dries, could zero waste beauty be the next one?

In the age in which consumers want more from their products we now see the era of the sustainable shopper, the shopper who values social awareness and responsibility over cost and convenience. The green beauty sector is thriving, with Grand View Research announcing that “the global organic beauty market was likely to reach $15.98bn by 2020, as demand for organic skincare, haircare and colour cosmetics drives consumers to look for natural and organic labels.”

Zero waste beauty aims to reduce the amount of products we use, and for us to reuse as much as we can, with the end goal being less waste needing to be recycled and blocking landfills. In order to achieve this, a brand should know how their ingredients for their formulas are farmed and produced, take a less is more formulation approach in products to avoid consumer waste, and think responsibly about their packaging.

Packaging is part of a consumers buying experience. We all love that moment when we get home from a shopping trip, pull a beautifully packaged product from its bag and unwrap the little box to find a luxuriously shaped bottle. But, could we really do without all of this?

The glass vs plastic beauty packaging debate is one that is ongoing. Sure, glass packaging connotes high quality and doesn’t compromise a formula’s integrity but it also has a higher shipping cost and let’s face it, we have all smashed our glass foundation bottles at least once and cried a little. But then you have plastic, more convenient, lower shipping costs, but is adding to the two-thirds of plastic packaging that is sent to landfill each year.

In my opinion, it is up to us as consumers as well as brands to think about what we can do to do our part in helping the environment. This could be a brand thinking about whether their packaging can be recycled or us actively taking a stand by purchasing products which need little to no packaging such as solid soap bars, as opposed to liquid facial soaps that come in a bottle.

So what do you think, is this a fad? Or could this be the future of beauty?