Beauty | Barry M Lip Kit in Runway

Since lips became the 'in thing' lip kits have been popping up left, right and centre! Personally I've always found them to be over priced, so when high street brands started offering cheaper versions I knew I had to give one a ago. The much coveted Barry M lip Kits automatically took my fancy. Sadly these were only a limited edition offering sold in Boots and Superdrug, however Barry M have hinted at a restock so keep your eyes peeled! I only managed to get my hands on the darker of the three shades available, However I'm so glad I did! While I didn't expect to fall head over heels for 'Runway' It has become a 'go to' shade.

Each kit (priced at £6.99) contains a lip liner with a matching matte me up liquid lip paint. The limited edition range featured three shades; 'go to', 'pose' and 'runway'.  While I cant comment on the other two, I have found 'runway' to be of a wonderful quality. While initially I thought £6.99 was expensive for Barry M, These lip paints sell on their own for £4.99, so a lip liner thrown in for an extra £2 is pretty good going! 

I find the application to be really smooth, even when my lips are feeling a little dry! While it looks glossy on first application things really matt down and your left with a wonderful long lasting finish. I have received so many compliments on this colour! I can be a little wary of darker lip shades so love that this is a darker nude thats so easy to pull off!

If you're dying to give this a go and your local Boots or Superdrug has sold out, you could always try the Barry M single lip paints! They are the same formula as the ones featured in the kit and priced at £4.99 from selected retailers. 

Have you tried a lip kit yet? Which ones do I need to try next?

Beauty|How I battle my tired undereyes

For as long as I can remember I've been conscious of my puffy under eyes. Add 50 hour weeks, and a stressful job to the mix and my under eye confidence is at an all time low. Whenever I see a photo of myself they're the first thing I'm drawn to and something I now find myself investing in. 

So over the years I've developed a few habits which I like to think help make a difference, including frequently using eye masks.  It took me a while to try these as I never really saw any budget alternatives, although recently they seem to be popping up everywhere, most recently I saw them in Primark! Although some of my favourites are these Purederm ones I found in Bodycare, which were just over a pound a pack for 4 pairs. I love that you can just pop these on and they stay put on the face, meaning I can go about my business without the inconvenience of them popping off! After my under eye area feels so nourished and refreshed! Well worth a try if you're a under eye sufferer like myself.

It goes without saying that eye cream can make the world of difference to your under eyes in the long term, but applied in the right way it can also help freshen things up for a short term fix. I make sure to apply my eye cream before my concealer to ensure things go on more smoothly. There are also a bunch of application techniques floating around - more recently I've been enjoying the Real Techniques Under Eye Reviver to give my cream a more cooling feel. It makes me feel more awake in the morning.

Once I've covered my under eyes in skincare treats, I conceal any signs of tiredness with concealer, Personally I like to use a creamy concealer first (my favourite is the NYX dark circle concealer), I then complete the look with a liquid one such as S&G Trick and treatment. I apply both of these with a sponge rather than a brush as I feel the technique provides more coverage.

Have you got any more tips to avoid tried/puffy eyes?