MAC Lipsticks | Heavy Petting, Berry Black Friday & Velvet Teddy

Hi Guys, 

I just wanted to take a minute and say Happy New Year before the internet stops working at the bells. Its a fucking nightmare when that happens but who cares, its part and parcel for a banging night eh? I will not be getting "out my nut" this year but rather having a quiet night on with my mum and my sister as I am mad that way ha-ha. But I hope you all have a fantastic night, whatever you are doing, I will probably stick to a few bottles of champers and wine, and yes I mean bottles, im a greedy drunk plus I don't get hangovers. Thanks Dad! Anyway, I wish you all the absolute best for 2016, you all deserve it.

This is just a little round up of the Mac Lipsticks I have acquired over the past couple of weeks and I wanted to share my thoughts with you. First up is Velvet Teddy (£15.50) which is a deep toned matte beige shade. You have probably heard of this due to the Kylie Jenner Phenomenon that swept the internet a few months back and I was no exception. I wanted it! But obviously I was too bloody slow when it came to buying it as every time I would go online, I would add it to my basket and by the time I checked out it would say "sorry, this item is no longer in stock" HOW INFURIATING! But.... then my gorgeous little sister picked it up as part of my Christmas and I was so happy! This is such a gorgeous shade and I feel it would work well on people who love nudes but want to try something just a little edgier to get them out of that rut. As its matte, it also lasts very well.

The next one is Black Berry Friday (£17.50) which is a patent polish lip pencil in a delicious blackberry shade. This is a nice lipstick but as I like my lips to make more of a statement I would say it’s not my favourite. This is quite sheer so it’s not good if you want it to last all night and to really stand out but it is perfect for adding a little colour to your lips without going overboard. I personally love this over the top of any berry shade matte lipstick, such as Rebel or Sin which gives a subtle glossy look. If you want to dip your toe into the purple/berry pool and not dive right in then this might be for you. Go into Mac, have a look at it and give it a swatch before committing. But for all of us dark lip girls, this may be a little too sheer.

The last one is Heavy Petting (£15.50) which is a burgundy creamsheen lipstick. I was a little disappointed with this if I am perfectly honest as I was expecting it to pack more of a punch. The picture on the Mac website gave the impression that it was going to be deep and dangerous but it just didn’t match up in my opinion. This is nice if you aren’t used to dark lips and want to dabble in the deeper shades but for me it just didn’t live up to the hype. It came off as soon as I had a drink which was also a bit of a pest as I like my lipsticks to stay put.

As with all Mac lipsticks, these smelled amazing and the pricing isn’t bad at all compared to other brands but I was bitterly disappointed with the finish of the darker shades. Velvet Teddy is the definite winner here guys so hurry up and get your hands on it if you haven’t done so already.

Have you read my latest Winter Skincare Post? 

I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram |

* Some links may be affiliates but all thoughts are unbiased and 100% honest,

*Please click links on pictures for source.

Winter Skincare Routine 2015

Winter Skincare Routine 2015

Hi guys,

I thought it was time for an updated skincare routine as I haven’t done one for ages and we all know the colder months are the best time to truly pamper yourself. I find myself having more baths and using a lot of different bath products from my favourite Radox Herbal Bath Salts (£1.05) and Radox Feel Blissful Bath Soak (£1) to something more special like a Lush Bubble Bar, Bath Oils or Bath Bomb but for me it’s all about treating my skin like a queen and using the best (in my opinion) products.

For me winter is all about hydration and keeping my skin moisturised and protected from the harsh weather, I know everyone has it bad this time of year due to the snow, extreme winds and the everlasting rain so it’s nice to load up on the moisturiser. I use different products in the morning compared to the evening as I usually wear makeup throughout the day and I don’t want to wear anything that will make it slide off.

I have recently bought a few products that I have incorporated into my skincare routine including the PTR Firm X Peeling Gel which scrubs away dead skin, trust me when I say it is semi gross as the skin literally comes off on your hand but my skin has been loving it and its now being used 3 times per week to ensure it takes away the dead skin and leaves my skin looking fresh.

This isn’t a high end only post, I don’t use only high end as I feel drugstore brands are amazing too and do a perfect job in my opinion so let’s get down to business shall we?

Winter Skincare Routine 2015 - Morning

Winter Skincare Routine 2015 - Morning

Morning

When I wake up I like to use my Clean & Clear Morning Energy Brightening Daily Facial Scrub (£4.20) as it smells amazing and leaves my skin glowing. I then pat my face dry and apply the Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing Cleanser (£4.20) all over my face with a cotton pad before spraying the glorious Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe Herbs and Rosewater (from £5.95). I find this really calms the redness in my skin and just adds a layer of moisture before loading on the rest of my products. After this has settled on my face I apply a drop of Balance Active Hyaluronic 554 Youth Serum (£3.99) by using my fingers to gently pat it in until it’s completely absorbed. While the serum is drying, I tend to get myself dressed and then head to my makeup desk and apply the silky smooth Dr Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Soothing Face Cream (£50) I only have a little sample of this, it doesn’t smell great but it leaves my skin feeling hydrated and protected. As soon as it runs out I may buy the full size or I may try another moisturiser from Origins. Then it’s time for makeup! I always use a primer but my current go to be the Nivea Post Shave Balm which again adds more hydration and makes a perfect base before applying foundation.

Winter Skincare Routine 2015 - Evening

Winter Skincare Routine 2015 - Evening

Night Time

The first thing I do when I get home from work or Uni is remove my makeup, 8 hours is more than enough to wear it so I double cleanse by using Raw Coconut Cream by RMS (£12.50). I apply this straight onto my dry face, massage all over which melts off my makeup and then I remove with a face cloth and lukewarm water. I then use Lush Herbalism (£6.95) as a second cleanser to make sure all traces of makeup have been completely removed before patting my skin dry.

This is a new step to me as it’s a new product but I squeeze a generous amount of my Peter Thomas Roth Firm X Peeling Gel (£32.25) and apply all over my face. I only use this 3 times per week but let me tell you, it works! As I said above, it is quite disgusting when your skin is coming off but please don’t be alarmed, it’s just removing dead skin and it really does make a huge difference to the texture and appearance of my skin.

I don’t apply a facemask everyday, I normally do this twice a week and apply after the PTR gel as I like it to get right into my pores and this is just the best way to do it in my opinion. I am currently alternating between the Don’t Look at Me (£6.75) and Cranberry (sold out), both by Lush as they are so good! Both do different things but they give my skin exactly what its looking for. These masks are left on for 15 minutes before removing with a damp face cloth and then I pat my skin dry. After my facemask has been removed I then give my lips some much needed tlc, I normally make my own sugar scrub but I have honestly not had time so I bought Mint Julips (£5.50) from Lush, this does the job but its not a favourite, i prefer my own (bias much Lauren?!) as its offers so much more. I then apply my Balance Active Hyaluronic 554 Youth Serum (£3.99) the same way as in the morning and finish off with a thick layer of Nivea Crème (£1.39), this is so thick and so luxurious, it’s been in my favourites forever and is something I could not live without. I then finish off with some lip balm (£6.75) and FLash Eyelash Serum and that’s me, cleansed and polished!

Winter Skincare Routine 2015 

I`m not gonna lie to you when it comes to this skincare routine, I dont stick to it religiously guys so dont feel bad if you forget to do it every now and then. If I feel my skin is a little dryer than normal then I wont use everything in my stash, I will normally skip all steps (apart from washing my face) and head straight to my Nivea Creme or Caudalie Divine Oil (£27) to infuse my skin with everything it is in desperate need of. Equally if I dont have time in the morning but I dont want to miss out on the hydration step then I will go straight to moisturiser and spritz some of the Mario Badescu Facial Spray. 

DISCLAIMER: I am not a skincare expert so I really dont know the best advice to give as everyone has different skin types but these products work for me (oily skin with a little dryness) and they have been doing so for a while. Its all about knowing your skin. Look at your skin and figure out what it needs, if you are breaking out with your current skincare routine then I would suggest scaling the products back and testing each one to find out if you are allergic. Equally make sure your makeup brushes are cleaned regularly to prevent bacteria building up.

Winter Skincare Routine 2015

Please dont believe everyone on the internet, they may be paid for an "honest" review but the product could be rubbish. Do your research and take what I say with a pinch of salt because what works for me may not work for you. Ask for samples where you can as skincare is expensive and it would be a shame to see you waste your money on something that me, any blogger or youtuber recommended and it doesnt work for you. I cant use any butter ingredients such as shea or cocoa butter as my skin hates it and boy does it let me know so if I do find a product that really does work for me then I will be 100% truthful about it and let you know everything about it including pros and cons!

I hope you liked this post guys.

What are your winter skincare staples?

Have you read my latest post featuring Cheerz? Its a great way of keeping your best 2015 memories.
I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram |

* Some links may be affiliates but all thoughts are unbiased and 100% honest,

*Please click links on pictures for source.

Cheerz Photo Magnets

Cheerz Photo Magnets

Cheerz Photo Magnets

Cheerz Photo Magnets

Cheerz Photo Magnets

Hello everyone, 

How are you? I have seen a few posts featuring Cheerz and I wanted in on the action so I bought myself a little box of magnets to liven up my refrigerator ha-ha. I love the premise of this company, you can choose photos from Facebook, Instagram or your phone and have them printed off into cute albums (from £16.95), magnets (from £7.45), posters (from £11.95), framed photos (from £11.95), retro photos (from 29p) or strips (from £6.45) which is amazing. They also offer Christmas Cheerz Box (from £12.95) too which is such a lovely idea for people who love photos but can’t print them out. People like me ha-ha, I love having photos around the house but I never have the opportunity to print them out especially into magnets. 

I only have the magnets so I can’t speak for every other product from Cheerz but with these you can crop your photos and add filters before they are printed out and sent to you. Delivery was £2.45 which seem a little pricey but when I received my photos I was surprised at how heavy the package was, hence the hefty delivery charge. This does vary depending on what you choose though so please check the charges before ordering. If you are a student and have a Student Beans ID then you are entitled to 15% off which is amazing, i sadly missed out on this offer as I didn't see it on their website when i placed my order.

This is such a great little keepsake. I chose pictures that meant something to me including family, scenery, holidays, friends and fun days out with my girls meaning I always have a little print of days I cherish.

Have you tried Cheerz?

Is this something you would like?

Have you read my latest Post? 

I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook. 

My Top 5 Christmas Movies

My Top 5 Christmas Movies

My Top 5 Christmas Movies

My Top 5 Christmas Movies

My Top 5 Christmas Movies

Hi guys,

I thought I would put together a post on my favourite movies to watch at this wonderful time of year. I do love a little animation at this time of year so Arthur Christmas was an obvious choice for me. This is just an easy film to watch and can be watched by adults as well as children. I love nothing better than snuggling up with my 4 year old niece and watching this, she doesn’t lie at peace right enough but it’s nice to have at least 5 minutes before something else catches her attention.

One of my absolute favourite movies of life is Jack Frost £2.99 (not the horror) so it was only natural that this would be added into my Christmas Top 5 post. I remember going to the cinema to watch this with my school when I was a kid and coming out a blubbering wreck, something that still happens to this day when I watch this movie as it’s just so darn sad! You can’t mention Christmas and not think about Richard Attenborough playing Santa Clause can you? He is the only Santa in my opinion (it should be your too or else we can’t be friends ha-ha) and watching him in Miracle on 34th Street (£2.99) is just magical. I didn’t actually watch this until I was a little older and I instantly felt like I missed out as it was such a beautiful movie and something I still love to this day.

Obviously Elf (£3) is in everyone’s top 10 as it is just hilarious and I am no exception in sharing it as one of my favourites, this makes me laugh like no other and is definitely one of Will Ferrell’s best movies. My last favourite has got to be Bad Santa (£3). I have a really dirty sense of humour so this movie is right up my street. When I first watched it I thought it was going to be about a cheeky Santa who was a little bad but I certainly wasn’t expecting him to be this bad ha-ha. Definitely one of the bests out there, obviously not for the kids though!!

I usually leave these movies for the week leading up to Christmas Day as that’s when I am getting into the festive mood, im relaxing as I am off work and uni but I will be adding the Bill Murrays Netflix Christmas Special to my list this year as everyone seems to be raving about it. This will be my Christmas Eve choice as Liam should be home by then so we can snuggle up with some mulled wine, Christmas pjs and maybe a wee mince pie to sort us out haha. Thats all guys, these are my top 5 Christmas movies and they have been for years. I really need to watch some more, dont get me wrong I do like Jingle All The Way, Home Alone, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Scrooged and The Snowman but they are not in my top 5 sadly.

What are your top 5 Christmas movies?

Have you read my latest post?

I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook.

Christmas Gift Guide | Number 1 | Number 2 |  Number 3

Zoeva: Rose Golden and Cocoa Blend Palettes

Zoeva: Rose Golden and Cocoa Blend Palette

Zoeva: Rose Golden Palette

Zoeva: Cocoa Blend Palette

Zoeva: Rose Golden Palette

Zoeva: Rose Golden Palette

Zoeva: Rose Golden Palette

Zoeva: Rose Golden Palette

Zoeva: Cocoa Blend Palette

Zoeva: Cocoa Blend Palette

Zoeva: Cocoa Blend Palette

Zoeva: Cocoa Blend Palette

Hi guys,

Only 10 days until C day! Woohoo. I am so excited to spend time with my family and chill out this year. I have 3 final exams due in January so a lot of my Christmas period is going to be study heavy as I know virtually nothing for one of my classes but I decided to take 2 days off and have fun with my family. What are your plans? Also, do you like the Christmas feel to the blog? I decided to add falling snowflakes as it’s just too cute.

I thought I would bring another review to you today featuring the beautiful Zoeva Rose Golden (£15.50) and Cocoa Blend Palettes (£15.50). There are 10 highly pigmented shades in each palette including matte, satin and shimmer finishes which are all paraben, mineral oil, fragrance and phthalates free. As well as all that they are enriched with Vitamin E. I have to say, these are some of the softest shadows I have ever used and they blend out like a dream. You are probably wondering how an eyeshadow can be soft but trust me they are, they have obviously been finely milled to create a shadow that glides on like butter.

The first palette I will discuss is Rose Golden which is obviously a rose gold coloured palette which is very heavy on golden and copper shades. I adore every single colour in this palette as it is perfect for everyday where but I especially love the grey/mauve shade Harmony, this is great when using as a transition shade for a silver smokey eye. This has everything you need to create a feminine smokey eye which will really let those eyes sparkle. I find that blue eyes will benefit from this palette as it will bring out those gorgeous tones to make your eyes shine.

Palette Contains:

Luster - Nude matte.

Reflective Elegance - Soft bronze shimmer.

Copper Is King - Rich metallic copper.

Shining Bright - Shimmering chocolate.

Rusty Petals - Metallic rusty brown with pink shift.

Foil - Foiled golden metallic.

Just A Rose - Classic rose gold.

Golden Rule - Timeless metallic gold.

Harmony - Matte charcoal.

Wonder Full - Dark chocolate matte.

The second palette which is probably my favourite of the two is the Cocoa Blend palette. This is just delicious! I mean look at all those beautiful shades glistening back at you when you open it. I love the packaging of this palette too as I find comfort in metallic packaging, I don’t know why, I just do. My absolute favourite shades in this palette has to be Freshly Toasted which is such a gorgeous mahogany shade which is perfect when using as a transition colour or to deepen up your crease and smoke out your lower lash line and also Warm Notes which I honestly can’t give enough praise to. This shade is unlike anything else in my collection and just makes me very very happy. At this time of year I am all about a cranberry eye but sometimes I feel slightly shy when it comes to using such a vibrant colour as I tend to stick to nudes but this is the perfect “dip your toe in” colour, if you know what I mean.

Palette Contains:

Bitter Start - Palest matte nude.

Sweeter End - Shimmering duo chrome nougat.

Warm Notes - Glittering cranberry purple.

Subtle Blend - Metallic deep bronze.

Beans Are White - Deep cocoa brown matte.

Pure Ganache - Pure and luxurious metallic gold.

Substitute For Love - Toffee brown with subtle shimmer.

Freshly Toasted - Rich mahogany brown.

Infusion - Matte dark brown infused with golden glitter.

Delicate Acidity - Berry toned brown shimmer.

I can’t give these palettes enough praise, I really can’t. They are simply divine and have obviously been created by angels! I love each and every colour in both palettes as they compliment each other perfectly. I feel as though you could create several looks with each palette by using 2 or 3 shades but equally you could use one shade and still pull off a beautiful eye look with a winged eye and lots of mascara.

I seriously recommend each one of these palettes from Zoeva, I mean they are only £15 and are some of the best eyeshadows I have ever used. I really want to grab some more of their palettes and start trying some of their other products too as these have really impressed me. I actually have a gel eyeliner by them but haven’t tried it yet so I may have to give that a whirl and see how it fairs.

I hope you enjoyed this post guys.

Have you tried these palettes yet?

Would you give them a try?

Have you read my latest post featuring the Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette?

I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook.

Christmas Gift Guide | Number 1 | Number 2 |  Number 3

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette

Hi guys,

As you know, I picked this Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette ($46) up a few months ago in a monster haul and I have to say, I am loving it. The packaging is unlike anything else in my collection, it is right up my street in terms of colours, fonts, design and overall packaging. I also love the fact that it includes a full sized mirror which makes it a perfect travel companion, meaning you don’t need to take loads of products with you but you can also apply the product easily using the mirror.

This palette is perfect for all skin tones and contains 6 matte shades in total with the top row being highlighter shades and the bottom being used to bronze up and contour with. As you can see the highlighter shades are smaller in terms of size but that shouldn't put you off as there is more than enough to go around. My favourite shades are Lyric (top middle) which is a gorgeous banana shade to highlight my under eye area and Sombre (bottom left) an ashy contour shade which is perfect for carving out those cheekbones. The colour pay off with each shade in this palette is just phenomenal, it really does blend out beautifully and leaves my face looking fierce and contoured to the absolute maximum. I wouldn't wear this every day to work or Uni as it’s just a little too much for me and I can’t justify it when I have cheaper variations in my collection. I usually just throw on some bronzer and blush with lashings of highlighter to give the impression that I have tried but in reality I haven’t bothered my backside ha-ha so for this it’s usually my Tanya Burr Peachy Glow Palette (£8) or the Sleek Contour Kit (£6.49) which are perfect for everyday use. However, this Shade and Light palette is pulled out whenever I have a lunch date, dinner date, event to go to, night out with the girls or something special so it does get a lot of love and attention.

Have you tried this yet?

Would you consider buying it?

Have you read my latest Post?

I can also be found on Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook.

Christmas Gift Guide | Number 1 | Number 2 |  Number 3