My Yearly Favourites

Hi guys

Happy New Year!!!! I hope your head doesn't hurt too much today ha-ha. 

I say it every year, but I cannot believe how quickly this year went and I also can't believe everything that happened in 2016. It felt like the year that every music legend was taken, there was numerous atrocities all over the world and there were some very important issues highlighted which will hopefully be the beginning of something very special. I also can't forget the UK voted to leave the EU, Donald Trump is the President of the USA with Nigel Farage being an unofficial spokesperson for Britain and Marmite almost caused a rammy in our local supermarkets! But lets leave all that behind, this post isn't meant to be heavy at all, I just couldn't believe the things that have happened and I wanted to reminisce. This post however, is all about beauty.

Korean Skincare | Tony Moly I'm Real Sheet Masks

Hi guys,

After a harrowing week last week, I lost all my uni work from my pen drive and laptop including my dissertation and an essay, i've decided to chill today. No need to worry though as I managed to get some of my dissertation notes from my supervisor who I thankfully emailed a couple of days before but I had to start my essay from the beginning again which annoyed me as it was almost finished! A break is very much needed ha-ha. 

My Christmas Wish List

Hi guys, 

I thought I would put together my Christmas Wish List today. I haven’t been lusting after many makeup items but I am all over home comforts this year such as bath products, skincare, pyjamas and candles. I have added a few beauty items too so don’t worry. This isn’t a huge expensive wish list, infact the majority of items are under £30 so there’s something for everyone, even if it’s little stocking fillers for that special someone in your life. 

Lush Christmas Haul 2016

Hi guys, 

I went a little nuts in Lush a few weeks ago, as you do, and bought almost everything they had, I was only in for a birthday and Christmas gift and instead, I ended up with a fully stocked bathroom ha-ha. I do love Lush and their Christmas range is always on point so I picked myself up a lot of bath products as well as a few face masks to combat my oily/sensitive skin at this time of year. I wanted to buy products I hadn’t tried previously so these are the ones I went for in the end.

Hermes Fragrance | Un Jardin En Méditerranée

Hi guys,

I should actually be studying but I sacked it off to do this little blog post instead ha-ha. We all need a break sometimes and this is my down time.

I have been wearing Hermes Un Jardin En Mediterranee (from £59) since I was 18 years old when a colleague of mine, Sam, introduced me to the brand. I think it launched in 2003 and was quite unknown here. Im pretty sure it was only House of Fraser who stocked it back then. Even now, it is quite hard to source online so I always purchase from HoF or John Lewis as I know they arent selling fakes and they are reasonably priced too. Obviously you could source it directly from Hermes, but I wasn’t about the online shopping back then, not a lot of people were to be honest so it was HoF or JL all the way.

As you can imagine, I earned nothing back then, I was only a hairdressing junior so I relied on samples and quick skooshes from Sam as she always had a bottle tucked away in her designer handbag. If truth be told, I think this is where my obsession with designer handbags and unusual scents came from as I looked up to Sam as she was such a good role model plus she was stunning and effortlessly chic. I am 31 now and I still wear this perfume. I always have a bottle and as soon as I know it’s about to run out, I order another one so I am never without.

I have yet to find a similar perfume, I don’t know if I’m not looking hard enough or if there really isn’t anything like this as it is quite unique. It is described as the spirit of a Mediterranean garden which is both sensual and enveloping. It contains aromas of Fig Woods and Leaves, Orange Blossom, Bergamot (my all-time fave scent) and White Oleander. As soon as I had a whiff of this beauty, I was hooked. It really does capture the senses. Liam's step sister commented on it by saying it was the most sexual fragrance she has ever smelled, so that gives you an idea of the scent. I wear this on special occasions or on date nights (it works wonders!) and I am never short of compliments. 

This is also a unisex fragrance so any guys out there who love this scent, can get away with it too. I personally think its a little too floral to be worn by men, but if you like it, wear the hell out of it!

A perfect fragrance for all seasons.

Have you checked out my latest featuring Perfect Autumn Nail Polishes?

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Autumn Nails

Max Factor Raspberry Blush, Essie Maki Me Happy, Essie Playing Koi and Nails Inc Colville Mews

Max Factor Raspberry Blush, Essie Maki Me Happy, Essie Playing Koi and Nails Inc Colville Mews

 

Max Factor Raspberry Blush, Essie Maki Me Happy, Essie Playing Koi and Nails Inc Colville Mews

Hi guys,

I started Uni this week and I honestly thought I was going to hate it, but so far so good. The only thing, which is something I despise, is the fact we have to do presentations in most of the modules! Arggghhh. For anyone who knows me, knows I can talk and I have gave presentations before but there is something about doing it on a subject I am not too keen on, not well versed in and also the fact I have to stand at the front of a lecture hall in front of my classmates that makes me want to whitey all over the place! Anyway, as it’s my honours year, I am only there until March so I need to get my finger out and grab this thing by the balls if I want a good mark to round off my accountancy degree. Obviously I would love a First but I will take anything at this stage ha-ha.

I decided to talk nails today as I am really loving the autumn shades out there at the moment. Obviously you know I love Autumn but I’m not usually one for bright or dark coloured nails, I normally stick to nudes but after browsing the Boots shelves and picking out some new Essie shades, I thought I would give you a wee peak at what colours I will be wearing.

With all of these, I normally give myself an at home manicure where I trim my nails, buff any ridges and push back my cuticles. I then apply the Sally Hansen Miracle Cure (£9.95) as a base coat, two coats of polish and the Bourjois Top Coat (£5.99) before drying with my Fan Dryer (£8.99). All of these polishes last between 4 to 7 days depending on what i've been doing. Usually on a cleaning day, I will have my hands in water a lot so the polish flakes off but if I am just doing regular things like dishes and showering etc then it will last a little longer.

1. Max Factor Glossfinity Raspberry Blush (£5.99)

As the same would suggest, this is a gorgeous raspberry pink shade which is the perfect dark berry, in my opinion.

2. Essie Maki Me Happy (£7.99)

This is a crimson berry shade which is just beautiful. If you want to have a nice new red nail polish I would suggest this.

3. Essie Playing Koi (£7.99)

This is a rusty orange shade. It does dry a little darker on the nails than what is portrayed in the bottle. It is gorgeous though. Perfect for autumn.

4. Nails Inc Colville Mews (£15)

I am loving this latte nude shade at the moment. It is the perfect nude for me as I love the slight brown shade to it.

So there we have it, my favourite shades this autumn. As I say, im not one for colourful nails but something about these grabbed my attention and I have worn them every couple of days recently. What are your favourite shades this season?

P.S The autumn print (from £3.80) in the background can be sourced via Sweet Allures Etsy Store. 

Have you checked out my latest featuring 

Some Halloween Costume Inspiration?

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Why I Stopped Buying Beauty Boxes

Hi guys, 

This is in no way a bitch or a moan, its simply my thoughts and opinions on this trend. As you know, there are a million beauty boxes out there now with Look Fantastic, Birch Box and Glossy Box being the most well-known. Since their launch we have seen countless monthly offerings including ones that aren’t necessarily beauty based such as The Melt Crowd (candle subscription service), Graze (snack box), Ink Drops (stationary), Pink Parcel (period box), Lip Monthly (lip products) and The Vegan Kind (vegan products). All very good actually!. There are also some pretty cool collaborations between the queen of skincare Caroline Hirons (£175) and Cult Beauty or Anna and Lily's (sold out) colab but I am still left bemused by beauty boxes.

I used to be an avid Glossy Box subscriber but I felt I was paying for something that was just thrown together with no thought put in whatsoever. Maybe that's changed now, but I had enough after a year. At first all of the products were deluxe samples of some fantastic brands but after a few months, it all went downhill and I felt it was cheap products in tiny sample form. I then moved onto Look Fantastic, again, everything was great, their monthly offerings were more than welcome and then it went downhill. I have only ordered Birch Box once, it was ok, nothing to rave about but it made me mad that these companies were receiving thousands of subscribers per month and then downgrading the products which isn't fair. 

The thing with beauty boxes is you have to be somewhat of a gambler as you never know what will be coming each month. Sometime's they give a sneak peak which is always fun. I used to like the not knowing aspect but I was left bemused some months. I understand there are dips and troughs, this is to be expected, but the bad outweighed the good in the end which led me to cancel all of my subscriptions. I now see the odd great one from LF, GB or BB so I buy it for that month only if they offer it, but I wouldn't subscribe to them anymore. I know not all subscriptions are the same and some are better than others, especially some of the ones mentioned above, but as for beauty boxes, I think I’m done.

I do love the idea of the collaboration boxes though, but if you ain't fast your last baby, as they sell out pretty quickly. Caroline's one is still in stock but if you dont have £175 then your pretty much screwed. I know these ones can be ridiculously expensive but when you look at the products you are receiving, it works out cheaper in the long run as most of them are deluxe samples or full sized products. Don't know if I would be rushing out to spend £175 bucks on this though, could think of many more things I would buy with that kind of money.

Where do you stand with the whole Beauty Box Monthly subscription service?

Is it a waste of money?

Do you like the products each month?

Do you prefer non beauty based boxes?

Have you checked out my latest featuring Disappointing Beauty Products?
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Disappointing Beauty Products

Colab Paris Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo

Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes

Zoella Sweet Inspirations Double Creme

Magic Cosmetix Magic Tips

Hi guys, 

After reading Allure of a Girl's guest post on Twenty Something Meltdown, I decided to carry out this blogpost. as it’s nice to take a break from talking up the great products and discuss the ones that have disappointed me. I did one of these a few years ago and I still stick by my views on those items but I have some more to throw into the mix. You can’t like everything and a lot of these products you are going to think, what the hell is she talking about, but it’s only my opinion. You may love some of these but we are going to have to agree to disagree I’m afraid as I thought they were pants.

1. Colab Paris Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo (£4.49)

I had high hopes for this little guy as everyone and their mother were raving about the Ruth Crilly launch so I was keen to get my hands on it and see what all the fuss was about. I hated this from the get go. I didn’t like the texture of my hair afterwards and I didn’t like the fragrance either. I used this as I would any other dry shampoo, I held it away from my hair and sprayed onto my roots by sectioning my hair but it left my hair feeling sticky and unclean. I had slight volume but nothing worth raving about. This felt more like a hairspray rather than a dry shampoo so for that reason it gets a thumbs down from me.

2. Maybelline New York Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Lightweight Primer (£7.99)

I just couldn’t get to grips with this at all. It didn’t do anything for me and it didn’t keep my makeup in place nor did it "erase my pores". Not that I was expecting it to. Instead it left a film over my skin which didn’t feel natural and its texture was quite off putting when I began applying to my skin. 

3. Magic Cosmetix Magic Tips (£9.99)

These have been made for those of us who like to use our fingers to apply makeup. They are silicon tips which are supposed to feel skin like and smooth makeup on easily. I can wholeheartedly disagree. These do not help anything smooth on my face, infact they pull at the product which leaves it looking streaky and not applied properly. I used this to apply concealer before buffing out with a concealer brush but I had to go back in with the doe foot applicator as the product which pretty much non-existent. 

4. Eve Lom Cleanser (£40)

I really wanted to like this as it smelt fantastic and everyone raved about it. Vogue hailed it the "probably the best cleanser in the world" but I have to disagree. I liked how soft it made my skin feel (before the breakouts) and how it took off makeup, don’t get me wrong. I also adored the scent but as far as good skincare went, this was a nightmare. I was left with horrible spots all over my face. At first I thought the skin was purging (although I don’t agree with that statement) so I persisted but after a few weeks I had to stop as my skin was sore to the touch. As soon as I stopped using this, my skin started to heal and thankfully, its back to normal but I would never buy this again as my oily/sensitive skin hated it. Maybe this would be better on dry/normal skin though.

5. Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes (£22.99)

I really disliked this mascara. It done absolutely nothing for my lashes and left me with black rings round my eyes. I can handle a little seeping at the inner corners of my eyes which can easily be removed but this little guy smudged all over my lower lash line, above my eyes and at each corner. I looked like I had been punched in the face which is not a look I go for when wearing mascara, I can assure you. My eyelashes felt limp, there was no length,no separating, no curl and no volume. The only good thing was the fact that my lashes looked black at the roots but that’s not enough for me, I need a mascara to create some fabulous eyelashes not little black stumps!

6. Zoella Sweet Inspirations Double Crème (£5)

I bought this off the back of many reviews online and I am gutted that it didn’t work on me. It took far too long to work into the skin, regardless of how much I used and left me with white streaks up and down my body. I also woke up with the worst smell coming from my skin when I wore this overnight after applying after a bath one night. The smell was disgusting. I can safely say this has never happened with any other body lotion, butter or cream I have used before going to sleep but this was horrible. I also didn’t like the smell it left throughout the day, I can’t quite explain it, but it was almost like a fusty smell, you know if you leave wet clothes for too long and they carry that lingering smell. I thought it actually was my clothes for a hot minute, but it wasn’t, it was this bloody cream. 

That’s all I have today guys. Just because I didn’t like these particular items doesn’t mean I hate the people or the rest of the products. I actually adore everything else that I have tried from Maybelline, Charlotte Tilbury and Zoella but I didn’t get on well with these at all. I haven't sampled anything else from Eve Lom, Magic Cosmetics or Colab but I will try some of their other products to see how I get on with them. Let me know in the comments if you disagree with any of my choices as I like to know how you got on with them too.

Have you checked out my latest featuring Blogger Annoyances?

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Beauty Trend | Draping

Source

Hi guys, 

It’s all about the latest makeup trends today. We had contouring, non-touring, strobing and now draping. Yes, I agree, it is a silly name. Draping is all about adding depth to your face by sculpting with colour rather than our normal bronzer shades. I don’t know about you but I instantly thought of 80s makeup where they have lashings of blusher heading all the way up to their temples. I adored this makeup look. In the 80s! But I wouldn’t dare try it nowadays. Especially not with the vibrant pinks and purples they were rocking back in the day. Thankfully, this trend is a mellowed out version of that extreme look and involves some pretty subtle blushers. 

Marc Jacobs has commanded us all to drop the contour and start draping and normally if someone as great as Marc tells me I need to do something, I tend to listen. Yes, I am easily persuaded and I always fall for the latest makeup trend. Way Bandy, celebrity makeup artist to Cher and Elizabeth Taylor, and author of Designing Your Face first introduced the world to this trend back in the 80s and now it has made a comeback. He stated that he wanted to bring out the natural drape of the face by using this technique also known as Colour Glow.

The way to do this is by simply using a deeper shade of blush and applying just below the cheekbones, think contouring but not as harsh. You then start blending two blusher shades together and placing on the higher parts of your cheekbones and blending horizontally toward the temple. Blending is key for this look and no bright colours for day time, unless that’s the look you are going for. I prefer it to look understated. Add a pop of colour to the apples of your cheeks and you are good to go.

Draping can be amazing for a creative makeup looks, editorial pieces and for those of us who are brave enough to add brighter shades to our cheeks. If you are doing an editorial look, then apply the deeper shades of blusher to the jawline, hollows of the cheeks and side of the neck.

I used the Gwen Stefani Blush Palette by taking the shade OC to deepen my cheeks and then adding Hush over this to create a more highlighted version of draping. I liked it but didn’t love it. I am going to play around with this makeup look but at the moment, I prefer a contour, blusher and highlight combo or just a highlighted face so sadly, this is not my favourite makeup trend. 

Would you try Draping?

Is this just another trend that will quickly fade?

Have you checked out my latest featuring My One Choice of Makeup?
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Beauty Wishlist

Hi guys, 

Its my wee mammy's birthday today so I am taking her out, colouring her hair and spoiling her with presents as my sisters are away. Hopefully she has a nice day with little old me ha-ha. 

I thought I would put together a wish list as I haven't done one for ages so I thought I would focus on makeup today. I have refrained from buying makeup recently, well a few bits here and there aren’t going to hurt anyone but I haven't had a real splurge as I am saving for my holiday next month. That doesn't stop me pining after some amazing products out there. 

The first things I want to get my hands on are the new Becca Cosmetics & Jaclyn Hill releases which are the Shimmering Skin Perfector Slimlight ($28 see picture for swatches).These are part of the Champagne Glow Collection and come in three shades. They are travel friendly pen highlighters which allow you to be more precise when applying your highlighter. I think these would be great for the inner corner of your eyes, brow bone, cupids bow and bridge of your now before blending out. The Splits Shimmering Skin Perfector Mineral Blush Duo ($38) also look pretty special. They come in four varieties each including a highlighter and blusher. 

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I am running low on foundations and want to try a few that I haven't had the pleasure of before rather than buy ones I am familiar with so I have the Guerlain Tenue de Perfection Foundation (£37) and the Makeup Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($43) on my wish list as they both have great reviews and look perfect. I wouldn’t know where to begin shade wise, but I’m sure I can figure it out. 

Metallic lipsticks are all the rage right now with brands such as Milani, Jeffree Star and Kylie Cosmetics all jumping on the bandwagon so it’s no surprise that I have included the Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick (£19.90) in the shade Solano (see picture below for close up). This is a beautiful copper shade and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.  As well as the Ofra Liquid Lip, I finally want to try some Colourpop Ultra Satin Lip Products as I have had my eye on their products for the longest time but I refuse to pay for shipping and I don't want to go through the hassle of shipping to another address in the US and then shipping here and probably being hit with custom charges so I will bide my time and wait for them to become available in the UK, which is going to be sooner rather than later if rumours are to be believed.

Source

The last items on my wish list are the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops (£34) which look incredible! I am so excited to buy this. I have watched a few tutorials using this product and it honestly couldn’t get any better when it comes to glowing like the sun. The new Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème ($26) also looks pretty fab. I bought the Lock-It Foundation last year and I have to say, it’s one of the highest coverage foundations I have ever used. I don’t normally like thick foundations but this was very comfortable so I am keen to try the concealer to see if it's just as good. Lastly but not least, I want to try the new Marc Jacobs Beauty Air Blush Soft Glow Duo ($42) and the Marc Jacobs Cover (t) Stick (£28). I have yet to try anything from the Marc Jacobs Beauty line but I am sick of hearing everyone's praises and still not owning anything. That will change soon enough!

That’s all I have for today. I’m sorry they are a lot of US links but I have been browsing Sephora and most of these caught my eye. Ofra and Colourpop only have American links as they are based there so if you wanna buy straight from the website please check the shipping costs as they might be ridiculous. If you really do want to buy Colourpop and don't mind the hassle that goes along with shipping it to the UK, I would advise you to check out Hannah's post which you can find here as she has a fantastic blogpost about her first order. 

Have you checked out my latest featuring Jeffree Star Liquid Lipsticks?

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Jeffree Star | Mannequin & Rose Matter

Unicorn Blood, Mannequin, Rose Matters and Celebrity Skin

Hi guys,

I picked up a few more vegan friendly Jeffree Star Liquid Lipsticks ($18) a while ago when there were new releases and also a restock of some extremely popular shades. I bought Rose Matter and Mannequin as they were the new shades but I didn’t bother with any other ones as I already had them in my collection.

I know there has been a lot of heat on Twitter when it comes to Jeffree Star, and I thought long and hard about putting this post up but I came to the conclusion that I love these products and felt the need to share my views. 

As I said on my previous post, these are the best liquid lipsticks I have ever used as they don’t dry out my lips too badly compared to other brands, they are the most pigmented products I have ever used and the staying power is just incredible. I would wholeheartedly recommend everyone try them out at some point, especially if you are a liquid lipstick lover who likes a full on matte finish. How I wear them is by scrubbing my lips with a sugar scrub such as this or a homemade one, apply lip butter like this, line my lips with a similar colour and then apply this. It stays put pretty much all day and I have no problems with bleeding or smudging. If I leave the lip butter on, the lipstick doesn't last as long though so be wary of that if you try this technique.

Rose Matter is a soft neutral coral which is perfect for spring/summer season. I can’t say I 100% love this shade as I am not a big coral fan but if you are then you will love this. Like Unicorn Blood and Celebrity Skin, it is very watery and goes on opaque. One swipe from the doe foot applicator is plenty as it is super pigmented. It dries completely and lasts really well until you have something oily and then it starts to come off. This is a known fact about all of the lipsticks in Jeffree’s line, it’s something we have to deal with I’m afraid.

Mannequin is a cool toned nude which is darker than the shade I’m Nude but lighter than Celebrity Skin so if you didn’t like the look of those, this should be right up your street. I love this shade, sometimes Celebrity Skin feels a little darker and grungy and even though I am all about grungy lips sometimes I want to go for a softer lip especially if I go for a full on smokey eye.

This was the first time I purchased straight from Jeffree’s website as I bought from Beautylish previously. I wont be buying direct again as I was hit with a £12.92 custom charge from Royal Mail which seemed extreme for lipsticks that cost a few pounds more. I will also be keeping a close eye on Cocktail Cosmetics as they are the official company in the UK for JS. The only issue I have is the fact that all of the lipsticks are constantly sold out so you have to keep and eye on his twitter and instagram for updates, he is on the ball with this and lets you know instantly.

If you love your liquid lipsticks to go on easily, pigmented and comfortably then these are definitely for you. If you want something that dries quickly and lasts all day/night, these are for you. If you want something that won’t break the bank and is an all-round fabulous product, these are 100% for you!

 Have you checked out my latest featuring My First Week On Slimming World?

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