Here at Latest in Beauty, we love reading blogs and often spend any spare moment looking through all of your lovely blog posts and feedback on your latest Build-Your-Own boxes. The LiB gang is constantly growing and that’s down to you lovely lot and our collective of great beauty bloggers sharing the love. It’s so exciting when our favourite bloggers share their must-have Latest in Beauty discoveries, therefore each month we like to chat to one of our favourites right here on the blog. This month we caught up with Nikki from Love Laughs Lipstick, who has shared some of her best beauty advice, as well as her favourite products she has discovered via her Latest in Beauty box.
Q
Tell us a bit about your blog and what makes it stand out…
A
I started my blog three years ago; when I was recovering from surgery, bed-bound and going a bit stir-crazy! I\’ve had various blogs over the years but never kept them up (they were totes cringeworthy and should never see the light of day again) but LoveLaughsLipstick gave me a focus when I was ill and has since become a huge part of my life.
I think LLL stands out when compared to other blogs due to my writing style – I write how I would speak to you; if we met in the local shop, at an event or in a club toilet & instantly became bezzies (drunk toilet friends are the one!)
I pride myself on my honesty, my sense of humour and how I hope my writing is able to help people – whether this is by making them laugh, helping them with their next beauty purchase or perhaps through providing them with lifestyle advice. My writing, content and products featured are relatable and accessible – I\’m a budget blogger, and there\’s no shame in that! I don\’t believe you need to spend a small fortune to look and feel good. You just need to know where to look!
Q
What\’s in your makeup bag for Autumn/Winter?
A
Although I\’m not the biggest fan of the colder months of the year, I do LOVE the fact that I feel it\’s more acceptable to start sporting lots more glitter and vampy, berry toned lips. So these kinda products definitely sneak into my makeup bag as soon as the temperatures drop!
I rely heavily on my trusty Carmex during Autumn / Winter; to fend off the dreaded chapped lip situation – and lots of nourishing skincare products, to protect my skin from the freeze. I love La Roche Pochay\’s Effaclar Duo cream and their tinted moisturisers; which I use as a priming base before my foundation. My bronzer & fake tan stash also takes a bit of a battering during the big freeze, as if I don\’t keep this up, I pretty much end up looking transparent.. which is only a good look for Halloween!
Berry lipsticks, vampy nail polishes, my Colourpop \’Yes Please\’ and Anastasia Beverly Hills \’Modern Renaissance\’ eyeshadow palettes are what I\’m all about; once the clocks go back and the temperatures go down!
Q
What’s your current skincare routine?
A
I\’ve recently discovered bubble face masks, and they\’re my new addiction! They always leave my face feeling fresher and plumped up.
Other than that, I rely heavily on my MONU Skin collection – namely, their collection for oily skin. I use their Cleanser, Toner and Facial Oil each evening and swap out the Facial Oil for their Mattifying Moisturiser in a morning before work. I find their products really help regulate what can otherwise be an oily disaster zone (my face!)
Q
Favourite discovery from your latest LiB box?
A
This is a tough one – I loved every single product I chose in my last box! Discovery wise, I\’d never tried anything from the Library Of Fragrance before, and I\’m now ADDICTED to their Baby Powder perfume. It smells so sweet and brings back so many nostalgic memories. I also LOVE the KIKO Cream Blush Stick I picked out last month; I\’d been desperate to try more KIKO products for ages – and it doesn\’t disappoint!
Q
What’s your holy grail beauty product?
A
Mascara – I love big lashes and the way that a decent mascara instantly uplifts, frames and defines your eyes. Benefit\’s \’They\’re Real!\’ is probably my all-time favourite; or YSL\’s False Lash Effect mascara, if I\’m having a (rare) splurge!
Q
Dramatic eye or statement lip?
A
Dramatic eye every time for me- I\’m possibly the world\’s biggest-ever fan of false lashes and I wear a pair, with a cheeky bitta winged eyeliner, pretty much every day. I like my eyes and prefer accentuating them over my lips; which are a bit feeble.
Q
Most overrated product?
A
There are LOTS of products I\’ve heard such good things about, but which I have just been so unimpressed by… Younique\’s 3D Mascara is an absolute lie of a product and looked like a thousand baby spiders had died on my face.
And I\’ve had lots of contour kits that have been shocking too … NYX\’s Wonderstick was terrible on me, even though I know a lot of beauty bloggers rave about how good it is. It went all cakey on my skin and left me with muddy, grey looking stripes on my face where I\’d attempted to define my cheek bones. Fail.
Q
The blogger/YouTuber made me buy it:
A
Tarte\’s Shape Tape concealer – but it was 100% worth the hype, though! Even on my raging under eye circles.
Q
Top tip for someone wanting to get into makeup?
A
Practice, practice, practice! And don\’t feel pressured by what you see others using – yes, high end makeup is beautiful, but you don\’t have to shell out an absolute fortune on makeup to look good. There are plenty of cheaper, widely available drugstore options that work every bit as well as their more expensive counterparts. So don\’t feel down on yourself if your collection of Charlotte Tilbury isn\’t as huge as that YouTuber\’s – it\’s not about what you have, but how you use it.
Beauty boxes are a fantastic way to sample different brands and try out mini samples of products you might not otherwise be able to afford, to see if it\’s worth you splashing out on the full-size version.
Q
Any beauty sins?
A
I totally over-plucked my eyebrows during my teens and early twenties… the damage from which has taken nearly two years to get over. Only now are my brows growing back into a shape I can actually work with. When I look back at my stick brows in old photos, I cringe so hard my toes curl up! I\’m also very, very guilty of falling asleep with my makeup on, but I\’m getting better. Sort of!
Check out Nikki’s lovely blog and get all the inspiration from her latest selections before creating your own box! Don’t forget to share the love using #LoveLiB!
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