It's truly been a long time since I've done an Instagram Roundup, but since I finally managed to find an editing routine for my Instagram pictures that I'm pleased with, I decided to show you some of my favourite recent snaps and, of course, link you so you can shop all the goodies in them! Let me know if you'd like these to be a more regular thing, I can definitely make them a monthly kind of deal if you'd be up for it.

Garnier Micellar Water

Jordana Matte Lipstick in Taupe | Jordana Matte Lipstick in Classic Nude

Bourjois CC Cream in 32 | Rimmel Scandeleyes Xtreme Mascara | Vivo Cream Blush in Pink Glow

I Heart Makeup Pure Cult Palette | Essence Brow Pencil in Dark Brown | Essence Brow Gel in Browny Brows | Rimmel Scandeleyes Xtreme Mascara

Tanya Burr Cosmetics Nail Polish in Peaches and Cream

Makeup Revolution Iconic Pro Blush, Bronze & Brighten | Jordana Lipstick in Mauve | Wet N Wild Coverall Foundation in Fair

Garnier BB Cream in Light | Kiko Smart Lipstick in 918 | Makeup Revolution Pressed Powder in Translucent

W7 Smooch Blush in Cookie Crumble | W7 Banana Dreams | Tanya Burr Nail Polish in Peaches and Cream | Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Lipstick in 45 | Rimmel Scandeleyes Xtreme Mascara | Vivo Cream Blush in Pink Glow | I Heart Makeup Pure Cult Palette

My everyday makeup is constantly changing every week -- heck, every day most often than not, unless I'm being particularly lazy. On a high note, it means I get to try out many different combinations of products very quickly, but at the same time I can get very bored of a new product very quickly. Still, since this year I'm trying to cut back on how much I spend on makeup, to favour fashion instead (more to come on that in a future post, so I won't bore you with the details here), it seemed like the perfect time to rediscover old favourites in my collection instead of purchasing new items for novelty's sake.

Of course, like every other trip down memory lane, I found amazing bits, but also some terrible fiascos I'd rather not run into anytime soon, which is why today I decided to share with you some of my everyday makeup bits, the good, the bad and the ugly all in one so you won't make the same mistakes I did.

Starting with something I love with all my heart, the Revlon Colorstay Foundation for normal to dry skin in the shade Buff. This shade was perfect for my milky winter skin, but as I'm magically gaining a tan lately, I fear it won't do it for me for much longer, which is a shame considering the formula of this is simply amazing. I love the natural, velvety finish it gives to the skin, without drying my already dry skin out even further. It gives you this 'glow from within' kind of aura rather than a flat out dewy finish that can be hard to manage if you suffer from an oily t-zone like I do (it's primarily my nose, but still a pain in the ass to blot at work every thirty minutes - especially considering I don't have that many breaks as it is). I do prefer to apply this with a beauty sponge rather than a brush, only because I feel like it blends everything like a dream that way around, rather than with a brush. It also has a very particular smell of sunscreen, which I actually don't mind, but it is somewhat noticeable even after you apply the foundation, so beware.

Moving onto something I'm not so crazy about, it's this very old H&M Bronzer, from the old H&M makeup line. Besides being way too orangey for me, it was also very patchy in consistency, so an overall miss for me as a bronzer. But the most watchful of you might notice I definitely hit pan on it, so I must have found some use for it, right? It turns out it was a great warm crease colour during the fall, so that's where it all went - it worked surprisingly well as an eyeshadow rather than a bronzer. Of course, since H&M discontinued this line, you can't get your hands on it anymore, but I thought I'd share my gigantic eyeshadow pan that I still reach for even in these warmer months now - just in case you have it sitting in your collection and have no clue what to do with it!

Another massive favourite of mine is the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara. I won't press on about the details for this one, since I already reviewed it here, but all I have to say is that I've never found another mascara I loved as much as this one - the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara coming in a close second.

As for a meh kind of product, we have the Deliplus Intense Eyeliner, which was actually a hand me down from a uni friend of mine, so I have no idea how much it cost. This wasn't really a mind blowing product, but it wasn't terrible either. Just not the best performing liquid eyeliner under hot weather situations - and I speak from the heartbreaking experience of checking myself at work in one of the bathrooms only to realise my wing was smudged down to very protruding panda eyes. Not a cute look I will repeat anytime soon, obviously. Still, if the weather is cold and dry, this will last you quite a long time, so it might be useful depending on where you live and where you work at.

But the worst product of them all is, without a doubt, Sleek's Matte Me Lip Cream in the shade Birthday Suit. Now, don't get me wrong, I gave this a fair shot - more than that, I was desperate for this to work as well as I had hoped for. The colour was amazing and do was the payoff, but I just couldn't get past the consistency of this liquid lipstick. It dried down to a very powdery finish that dried out my lips to oblivion after only a few hours of wear - and don't get me started on how I couldn't eat nor drink without having it peel off in the most unflattering way, leaving me with no chance to reapply an even and appealing second coat afterwards even if I wanted to touch up. It was the kind of product you had to bring makeup wipes with you to get it off after you had a meal and hope you'd rush fast enough to the bathroom so people wouldn't see what a mess your lipstick looked like. No matter how stunning it looked on me when I first applied it, I just couldn't get past the fussy process afterwards. I'd rather pick up my trusted Sephora lip creams any day of the week, even if it's worth double the price of the Sleek ones.

To end on a high note, I bring you one of my favourite highlighters, in the most travel friendly packaging of them all - the stick. Kiko's Radiant Touch Creamy Stick Highlighter is one of the best, subtle highlighters you can find that will actually last forever on your cheekbones, though I wouldn't recommend applying it everywhere since it's quite the glowy formula. Perfect for the bridge of the nose, the cupid's bow and the cheekbones, it's incredibly easy to apply and you can never have too harsh of a hand with these either - I've pretty much lathered myself in this in the past and managed to always save the day with minimal blending with my fingertips. I urge everyone to try this out, especially with Spring just around the corner.

And there you have it! A collection of hits and misses, all very affordable, some perfect for everyday wear, some you should probably stay away from as much as possible. I hoped you enjoyed this post and if you have any everyday makeup hits and misses of your own, share them in the comments!

It's finally getting warmer in Portugal, which is both a great and terrible thing. On one side, it means I can finally ditch the heavy coats. On the other side, my makeup has a lot more trouble lasting throughout the day without melting off. Since I have dry skin, the usual dewy finish foundations I use aren't cutting it when the weather is getting nicer, so I need to change things up in my routine to get a long lasting result. And since I'm primarily going to work on most days then coming back home, I don't need super fancy makeup on a daily basis, so less is definitely more.

Today I'm sharing some of my favourites for these warmer days, when vampy lips aren't really calling for me like they do in the colder months. Mind you, makeup is all about expressing yourself, so if you still wanna rock a dark purple lip and a dark smokey eye on a regular basis, I'm not here to stop you! I'm just sharing what works best for me and my everyday environment (working in an office setting, I can't exactly go all out with makeup like I did in my uni days).

Starting off with my base, I've fell back in love with the Kiko Universal Fit Hydrating Foundation. Although I've had my fair share of critique towards this product in previous posts, I think I finally found a way to make it work. It definitely applies way better with my BrushArt beauty sponge than with a brush (though something tells me it has more to do with how freaking amazing that sponge is than the fact it's just a beauty sponge -- seriously, this one will make any foundation blend like a dream). Not to mention that it doesn't emphasise dry patches like before since the weather is warmer and my skin isn't as dry as it usually is during winter.

Moving onto brows, everyone knows about my long lasting romance with the Essence Make Me Brow. It's absolutely perfect in consistency, colour and longevity -- plus it's ridiculously inexpensive. If you're worried about finding an affordable brown eyebrow gel that doesn't look too red on you, then hurry up and grab this one up. It gives a little bit of color and fullness to your brows without making them look over the to, aka perfect for those lazy days when you don't feel like filling in your brows but still want something there.

As for the cheeks, I'm increasingly ditching the bronzer and instead focusing on blusher and highlighter to bring some colour and dimension back to my face. And although I gave this Catrice blusher a hard time in the past, I do still really like it. In case you're not familiar with this one, it's the Catrice Illuminating Blush in the shade 010 "I am Nuts About You" which, in fact, isn't illuminating in the slightest -- hence my previous big beef with it. It did appear to be coated with fine milded gold specks at first, but that was only on the surface of the pan -- after three or four uses, the specks were gone and you're left with what you see in the picture. A very regular, muted pink blusher. It's still an amazing blusher altogether, I just wish they didn't advertise it as something it's not!

Finally, I've reached back into my enormous lipstick collection and dug out this little gem I wore pretty much all summer last year. The Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in the shade Rose Tweed is a great all around colour for every skin tone, I can't think of someone who won't be able to rock this shade. Plus it's incredibly creamy and pigmented, so you really can't miss with this one. A classic MLBB shade, perfect for spring.

Of course, I don't just reach for this in an everyday spring makeup routine, but these are the key pieces. Things such as concealer, mascara, eyebrow pencils and eyeshadow greatly depend on my mood rather than the season, so it didn't feel fit to include them in this post, but you know for a fact I can't spend a day without mascara!

What are your spring makeup favourites? Do you change up your routine depending on the season, or do you just stick to one solid look throughout the year?

As the season changes, I find myself finishing up products quicker, just in time to change up most of my routine as my skin's needs change with it. Personally, I'm not one to actually finish many products. Even with daily use, my makeup usually lasts longer than I should keep it, and the only products I finish up are skin care related, since I use them twice everyday. Somehow, over the month of October I stored enough empties to make a post about it, so here it is!

Happy Monday everyone! So today I'm going to tell you all about the newest addition to my Kiko lipsticks, the Velvet Mat in the shade 604. Now, if you follow me on Instagram, you might have heard me talking about how I purchased the wrong shade, even though I swatched the right one. Apparently, they had placed the sample on the wrong column, so even though I did try on the right shade, I picked up the wrong one. Technical difficulties aside, I do love this lipstick, even though the shade isn't suited for everyone, especially if you're not a bold lip kind of gal.

The Velvet Mat lipsticks are a bit more expensive than the Smart lipsticks, which I rave about so often. However, they do offer a much better colour range and also a very nice matte finish. The one thing they sadly do not offer, is a good colour payoff. As you can see from the swatch beneath, one swipe won't be enough to give you all the colour you need, but it's definitely buildable. This might be perfect for those of you who aren't looking for a heavier lip, especially when it comes to the nude and pink shades. On the other hand, if you're looking for a bolder colour, like orange or red, you might not want to apply the lipstick over and over to get the bold colour effect.

As for the staying power, it's definitely not one of the best. Without eating or drinking, it can last around three to four hours, so it's not long lasting. Then again, the product doesn't claim to be so. If you're one who doesn't mind reapplying your lipstick, then this isn't an issue. If you'd like to not check your mirror every hour to make sure the colour is still standing strong, this might not be the best matte lipstick for you.

One thing that did surprise me, however, was the formula. For a matte lipstick, it's surprisingly comfortable on the lips, barely even drying them. For someone with already dry lips like myself, this was perfect. This does impact the finish, making it not as "powdery matte" as some other lipsticks out there, but I always did like this finish a lot better for matte lips, since it actually makes your lips look healthy instead of a drying desert.

All in all, I do recommend this lipstick, but if you can, try buying the shade 605, which is the one I originally tried at the store. It's a darker orange, a lot more wearable than 604, that might look slightly too neon in certain lighting. However, if all the other lipsticks in this range are like this one, you can expect me to buy a lot more in the future!

As always, I hope you enjoyed this and don't forget to leave a comment with your feedback and questions :)

If you've read my review on the Kiko Smart lipsticks in the shades 918, 909 and 913 (you can find it here), then you know how much I'm a fan of this line and brand. There's just something about the formula that gives just the right amount of colour payoff without drying my already dry lips.

Obviously, when my birthday came up, I had to add a new lipstick of these to my collection - and along came shade 903. It's the perfect pink for the spring time, a lot less muted than shade 918, a favourite of mine for the colder months.

903 isn't as sheer as 918, but it's definitely not as pigmented as 909 or even 913. The formula is very similar to the rest of the lipsticks I've tried - it lasts for around 3 hours and leaves a nice stain after that. Personally, I love reapplying my lipstick during recess so this isn't a problem for me, but it might not be the best lipstick if you're looking for something more long lasting. It does not, however, cling to dry patches, so if you're worried about that, don't hesitate in buying this.

Overall, for 2,90€ (they're currently on sale for that, but they're usually 3,90€), it's another great lipstick to add to my collection and perfect for the sunnier days. Here's a swatch, where you can tell how creamy and somewhat sheer the lipstick is. I hope you enjoyed this post and don't forget to leave a comment!

I bought the Essence Eyebrow Designer Pencil in the shade Brown, which I've been dying to get but never found on sale at any physical stores here in Lisbon. I also got the Catrice Made To Stay Inside Eye Highlighter Pen in the shade In The Mood For Nude, which seems like a good dupe for the Rimmel Scandaleyes. Hopefully it will do the trick, since the Scandaleyes is sadly not for sale here in Portugal, at least in the nude shade.

It's been a while since I reviewed a product, and I feel like it was about time I talked about my small collection of Kiko Smart Lipsticks.

It's no secret just how much I'm in love with these bad boys, they're the most comfortable lipsticks ever (and I have the driest lips in history), super creamy, but still manage to have a pretty decent colour payoff. They also have a good staying power, usually three to five hours, depending on the shade you have.

Next, I contour, which I know is not on everybody's everyday makeup checklist. For me, it's a necessity, since I do have a rounder face shape and quite big cheeks, which means I need the definition contouring provides. I've been using the H&M Bronzing Powder in the shade 'Gorgeous Tan', which is the lightest shade they have in their collection. I'm going to be completely honest with you, I don't love it, but it does work, in a pinch. I'm definitely going to have to invest on better bronzers in the future, but since right now I don't have the money for it, I'll keep using this, that hasn't failed me so far (but hasn't given me that Kim K contour either, mind you).

I then set my face with the Essence All About Matt! Fixing Loose Powder. I bought this powder ages ago and I do have to admit, it's actually really good. No, it won't keep you matt all day long, but it will keep you matt for a few hours before you have to reapply it. It's translucent, so you don't have to worry about finding your shade either. However, I do have to say I wish I had bought the compact version, since it's a lot less messier and way easier to travel around with, so if you can get your hands on that, buy it instead of this.

Finally, I finish the look with my favourite lipstick at the moment, the Kiko Smart Lipstick in the shade 918, a gorgeous MLBB pink shade that you can apply without much of a fuss. I apologise since the shade in the picture isn't what you see live (it's much darker), but my camera has a funny way of showing lipstick colours, apparently.

Here's the swatches for most of the products I mentioned in this post (sadly, I couldn't get a good picture of the eyeshadow swatches).

From left to right: H&M Bronzer, Essence All About Matt Powder, Catrice Blush, Essence Blush, Kiko Lipstick, Essence Eyeshadow Base, Kiko Concealer, Bourjois Foundation, Kiko Foundation

I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any requests, questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment down below!