source: pinterest

 My sister was kind enough to lend me her nails to show the colour but please excuse my terrible painting skills!

Hello lovelies,

I can't believe it's now the 13th of May! Where has the time gone?!

I know this is a little late for an April favourites but hey, I bought these lovely things in April and just adore them but I don't want to throw things off by making this a "middle of May-ish" favourites! So here goes!

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1.

Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' foundation in 010 'Light Porcelain' - £8.99 in Boots

Ohh my life. I know I'm a bit behind the times here but I absolutely positively LOVE this foundation.  Now I had heard brilliant things about this lovely bottle of goodness for months from various bloggers and vloggers but even the 'Ivory' shade in Rimmel is too dark from me, I kid you not. I am seriously seriously pale. So since I knew I would have to mix it with another brand or white, I just avoided trying it and accepted my fatigued looking fate.

And then I saw this beauty.

I could not believe that it was pale enough. It has rather a neutral (if not slightly rosey) undertone rather than the orange-y hue of some brands and I feel like it just suits my skin perfectly. To be honest, I probably would have bought it based on the fact it was pale enough alone(!) but everything about this product is just dreamy.

The packaging is gorgeous; the glass bottle feels super premium for only £8.99 and although it's a rectangular bottle, it's slightly curved in the centre so it fits in your hand comfortably. It also has a pump so there is no wastage. Lovely!

It has a lovely moisturising, smooth and light texture, it isn't at all cakey or drying, which is perfect for my super sensitive dry skin. There is almost a shimmer to the formula to give you the glowing, wide awake and youthful look- but don't worry, it's not full of glitter so you won't look like a Twilight character in the sun! I'd say it totally lives up to it's claims of being "anti-fatigue" and "radiant glow"; absolutely feel like I look well rested after using it, even when I've probably been up mindlessly scrolling the internet until 2am.

It also has Vitamin C so that's got to be good, right?

I find that it instantly makes my skin look brighter, more even and more radiant when I apply it or even just when I pop a drop in with my moisturiser on 'no make up' days. If you love a heavy coverage then this probably isn't the foundation for you but I think it's a great alternative for good skin days or just light make up days.

So it gives a healthy glow, has SPF15 and apparantly also minimises premature aging?
Win win win.

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2.

Collection 'Lasting Perfection' concealer in 'Fair' - £4.19 in Boots



Collection's Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer is fantastic. It's just overall brilliant at what it does for the teeny tiny price of £4.19. Aaaaand that's all you have to know!

I'm kidding, but seriously, if you've considered this and not bought it I highly recommend you give it a go, the stuff is like magic.  Again, it's another product that lots of people praise but seriously, I didn't know it was this good.  The texture is creamy and soft and lovely; it's not at all dehydrating or crumbly. It covers everything you would want it to; the odd blemish, redness, dark circles, all hidden with ease with this little wonder. I genuinely can't believe I haven't tried it sooner!

It comes in four shades (obviously I had to get the palest which is 'Fair') and it adapts to my skin tone very well; a little blending and it looks so natural. Honestly, how did I ever use anything else?

Not only does it work exactly how you want it to, it is also seriously long lasting (as the name suggests! har har) and it doesn't slip off or transfer during the day, which is an added bonus!

I just love it. I think it's now going to be a constant feature in my life. Good job, Collection.

It was also a winner in the Shout 2014 Beauty Awards if that floats your boat!

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3.

Makeup Revolution 'Vivid Baked Highlighter' in 'Golden Lights' - £3.00 in Superdrug


This highlighter. I swear, it's fantastic. I think I'm just in love with this brand in general; I have a few bits and pieces from Revolution and I love them all but this is another level. It's such great quality for such a small price! It's hard to believe

Their gorgeous bronzers which are speckled and dappled like the surface of a distant planet originally caught my eye (srsly, they're beautiful) but I'm not really one to covet bronzers... Then lo and behold I spotted these equally pretty highlighters.

The Vivid Baked Highlighter comes in three colours: Golden Lights, Pink Lights and Peach Lights. I must have stood in the store for about 10 minutes trying to decide which one(s) to buy as they were all so gorgeous! The packaging is just lovely, it has a dome shaped lid to echo the dome shape of the powder which has this beautiful embosssed swirls. It's so so pretty, and the product is equally entrancing!


It is incredibly pigmented; it's the sort of intense pigmentation I would still be impressed by from a high price point brand, never mind for £3.00! This (above) is just from me wiping my finger lightly over it a few times, I'm still absolutely blown away by it! Due to the fact that it's so crazily pigmented, it does require a bit of blending to make it look natural but it's totally worth it.
 
Although quite a creamy white colour in the packaging, it really does have a gorgeous warm golden undertone, living up to it's name. It catches the light beautifully on the skin and doesn't fade quickly while wearing it like some other cheap highlighters. I just adore it and I'm serioulsy tempted to buy the other two in the range!

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4.

Starbucks Maple Macchiato

Now, I am a Caramel Macchiato girl. Absolutely. I know they joke on their website that "scores of people are passionate devotees" of the Caramel Macchiato but honestly, that's me. I love it. And I never thought I'd consider changing. But this Maple Macchiato malarky may just be a game changer.

I'm not sure if this is going to be a permanent feature to their UK menu but it really is delightful. It seems to be exactly the same as it's caramel counterpart except that instead of the buttery caramel drizzle, it's real Canadian maple syrup. Yum yum yum.

It's not as super sweet and sticky as the caramel, as you can imagine it's a lot deeper and darker with the maple, but it's equally as delicious. I'm not saying that I'm a convert just yet, but I have consumed a fair few over the month of April! ♡

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5.

Marc B quilted bag - £24.99 in TK Maxx



(I'm sorry I don't have a link for this beauty but I spotted it in my local store and I don't see it online!)

I am a sucker for a handbag. I'm terrible. If it's pretty and/or pastel I just can't say no, and this is both! I do love Marc B though, I've had a few items from the brand over the years when they were stocked as a concession in Topshop; they have always lasted really well, even when you're as hard on your handbags as I am on mine. Luckily for this little one, I won't be chucking my camera or lenses into it though so it should have a relatively easy life compared to my bigger bags!

The quilting is just lovely, the chalky cornflower blue is perfect for Spring and the gold compliments it beautifully- especially threaded through the strap, I think that's a great touch!

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So there you have it, those are my (slightly late) April favourites! What were you loving last month? I'd love to hear about your favourites!

Much love,

Rachael.♡