Maya's Memos

All girls love to see what bargains are out there in the sales and of course what people have in their shopping bags... Or is that just me? Here's my mini haul of my favourite new year purchases!
I love the start of a new year, the way it makes everyone want to work on themselves and improve anything from the previous year. Since I got a new job I thought I would treat myself a bit and I definitely don't own many trainers so thought I'd expand a bit! (2 pairs of converse is all I have)
Although I will do a review of the Makeup , I recommend Taupe for darker or brown skinned girls that are looking for an everyday 'nude'.

Sleek is definitely my favourite high street brand so I have three things from them I have been loving.

Sleek True Colour Lipstick, Matte in Exxxaggerate.  Even though it is purple, I wear it on an everyday basis and it is something I would definitely repurchase. It particularly compliments darker skin tones. Surprisingly for a purple toned lipstick it looks good with most outfits also! (here's a swatch to the left) click here to purchase

Sleek Shimmer Blush in Sunrise 924. £4.49 
Sleek recommend this for darker skin tones and I love how pigmented the colour is, although it is hard to capture without natural sunlight! (swatch to the right) It works really well as a bronze as it comes out as a dark blush. Also works well with the Sleek Contour kit for a glamorous look and I use it to make sure I have a healthy glow! click here to purchase. 


Sleek Face Contour Kit in Dark 886 £6.49 
This Contour Kit probably comes up on a lot of beauty guru's favourites!
A lot of people have this palette and at first I was sceptical but I have been converted. The pigment is perfect and I mainly use the Dark Contour powder as opposed to using the highlighter. I am still looking for a plain highlighter that doesn't have glitter, so if you have any suggestions please comment below! I think this kit will last me a long time, and it around £6 its great value as you only need one swift swipe to add some element to your face. click here



MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Dark Deep. £22 
This is 100% my Holy Grail face product. I Swear by it. Apply a small amount of top of foundation to set it and add a healthy glow, or use instead of foundation altogether and it is just as good! I use this as an everyday face product and I have repurchased it since I bought it the first time. it is a nice chocolately brown that gives you a healthy look!

MAC Matte Powder Blush in Raizin £18
Although it is quite expensive for a blush, you can really see the quality of it when applied , as the pigment is great and it applies nearly as condensed as a cream, but it is a powder! Meaning it will last a long time. It is a really nice undertone deep reddish brown, and compliments dark skin amazingly. available here





Remington Sleek and Smooth Wide Hair Straightener. £36.99
Best buy of the year! and at least 3 people I know have bought them since. The wide plate is especially good for my thick hair and they heat up super fast, they also come with a heat mat and can go up to over 200 degrees. The ceramic plates really make a difference as they slide through my hair without me feeling like its being singed! also the plates are kind of 'floating' so they move with your movements. I also curl with these and love how silky it makes my hair feel, especially after using a tiny bit of caster oil.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer £5.99
I love to use this if I don't want to wear a full coverage foundation, it is quite heavy coverage so don't use it if you're prone to break out, but its great to use under the eyes and is a nice warm natural tone. What I like in particular is the doe foot applicator it comes with, so you can use it on the go.  find your shade here


MUA Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette £4 
This palette is perfect because it has the right mix of matte shadows and shimmery ones. It also has a great range of colours you can actually use together! it sounds obvious but its not always easy to find a palette where you can take just that with you if you're going away for a night out and you know you don't need anything else. Id describe it as a cheaper version of the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, it just costs 10 times less, (literally). click here 

Real Techniques Core Collection Brush Set £21.99
I had been wanting these brushes for so long but couldn't justify spending so much just on brushes! However it certainly works out better to buy the set, and you get the travel case that you can stand up as I've shown in the picture above. I'm so glad I went and got these as you can feel the quality every time! My favourite brush is the big buffing one, I use this for my foundation and the mineralise powder. and then the smaller round brush I use for my dark contour powder. The tiny thin brush I use to conceal my eyebrows, and the flat brush is just multipurpose for me, what I love about this set also, is that they are all different sizes so that you can use them for specific purposes. You can buy the set at boots as a lot of retailers sell the core collection brushes seperately . 

TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Restoring Shampoo and Conditioner £4.99 each
Keratin as you may know is for smoothing and straightening hair, I love to use this because it smells SO NICE! and you leaves my hair without tangles and so soft to the touch, I often think I haven't washed the conditioner out properly as it feels so soft. What I like most about these products is that they do what they say on the bottle and control frizz. Obviously when I wash my hair it is a huge afro bush but it is a controlled bush thanks to these shampoos!

Last but not least…..

Jergens Daily Moisturiser (around £2.99 depending on where you buy it)
I use so many different creams and body butters and could possibly moisturise a small country. However I prefer creams that I can use all over, and as I don't use scented creams on my face and I have dry spots in this area, I prefer to have one particularly for dry skin. This one feels really silky when you apply it so at first I didn't think it would work but it proved me wrong and leaves me nice and silky!

So thats all of my everyday favourites and the things I reach for most of the time. I may do a part two with things I have left out, or a 2013 worst products to review also. Hope this helped! Leave links to your favourites below! See you soon! xx