Beauty Review: MakeUp Revolution x Soph Eyeshadow Palette

Hello again guys; after having such a success with the highlighter palette, I decided to bite the bullet and splurge (against my usual budgeting habits) and invest in the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Eyeshadow Palette. In all honestly, I’m not a massive lover of Eyeshadow, I find it all a bit of a faff... Plus I always seem to end up looking like I’ve got a black eye whenever I try anything new, so purchasing this was a big step for me! For £10, it does look and fell like good value for money as the palette itself feels sturdy to touch and I love that it includes a large mirror in the lid; one of things that I wished the highlighter palette included was a mirror, so that was a welcome inclusion. The cardboard outer packaging is cute, although the watercolour effect is a little pixelated in person, but the metallic bronze elements are cute, plus I like that the ‘Soph x’ logo is in the same font and colour on both palettes; it works well against the matte peach of the eyeshadow palette, too. For the price you get 24 different eyeshadows; 14 of which are matte shades and the other 10 shades are shimmers. The majority of the shades are warm toned, but I like that no two shades are similar, there’s a lot to choose from. Although the palette isn’t particularly bulky, it’s a fairly large size to hold so that’s a bit of a downside if you want to use it for travelling or applying make up on the go. The pan size for the eyeshadows are reasonably sized too; identically rectangular with the lightest shades in the top row getting steadily darker to the darkest shades in the bottom row. The added cellophane that tells you the shade names is a nice but unnecessary touch, although I leave the cellophane on top of the shades to keep the mirror clean so it is useful. 

When I’m feeling brave I tend to favour bronze, smokey eyes and this palette does that kind of look really well; there’s so many shades of bronze shimmers that work well and don’t crease once applied on the lid. I have a love/hate relationship with the pigmentation of the shadows in the palette as on the one hand, it’s great that they’re so pigmented for the price, but on the other hand it makes it difficult to work with when you’re like me and destined to make a mistake. I’ve not found any shadow that works better or is more pigmented than another, but I’m finding myself favouring the shades such as Pug, Pancakes and Cuppa Tea (two matte browns) for my everyday eyeshadow as I like a neutral shade on the lid, but I’m becoming a bit more experimental with using shimmers on top, such as Fairy Lights or Copper Coin. I feel like this is a great palette for all occasions but also a good way to get more experienced with eyeshadow as it’s reasonably priced, so you can wipe away mistakes and not feel like you’re wasting money. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve used this palette every single day and in all honesty, none of the shadows feel like they’re bad quality. There’s no chalky feel on the skin, no excessive fallout and no creasing after a couple of hours. I’m also pleased with the fact that none of the shadows look like they’ve taken a bashing after everyday wear so I’m hoping I’ll be able to use this palette constantly over the next few months. I was expecting the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Highlighter Palette to be my favourite palette of the moment, but I’m pleasantly surprised to be prefer the Eyeshadow Palette; I struggle with applying eyeshadow in general so it feels good to have finally found a palette that I can use and not stress about the expensiveness whilst still getting good results. I know it’s early days but I feel like I’ll end up repurchasing this palette once I’ve ruined this one and that is something I never thought I would say!

Beauty Review: MakeUp Revolution x Soph Highlighter Palette

Hello again guys; I’ve been a bit slow on the blogging front recently, particularly with beauty related posts. Not intentionally, but I’ve had a bit of a creative slump over the past couple of months and at the minute I’m working on trying to rediscover my artistic roots. I have spent months lusting after the MakeUp Revolution x Soph highlighter palette; the amount of reviews, recommendations, blogs and YouTube videos that have raved about this palette made me so incredibly tempted. However, considering I live in London, it was an absolute nightmare to find in any Superdrug, so I feel I’m super late to the party with this palette. I have to be honest, I was kind of sceptical about how good it would be as although MakeUp Revolution are known for many affordable but good quality products, I was concerned about how big the palette would be, but it’s actually a great size. Being the colour of a ghost, there’s only 4 colours that I can use as a highlighter, which are the top and bottom two on the left hand size of the palette. The other four shades are too dark, so I’m planning to use them as eyeshadows instead as I don’t like to waste anything haha! For £8, it is excellent value for money as you get 8 different shades for that price, so if you consider that as £1 a shade it’s a pretty good deal. It also doesn’t look or feel cheap, which is always a bonus when affordable make up looks as good as more high end make up. I’m definitely a drugstore girl, so this palette is right up my street!

The packaging is also nicer in person; it’s fairly sturdy and feels like it would be able to handle regular use in a make up bag. In a nice matte peach colour, the half of the palette holding the shades is quite thick in comparison to the lid but that makes it feel fairly safe in the hands. It’s pretty lovely looking to the eye, with the matte peach alongside the clear window allowing you to see the shades - no hate but I personally would’ve preferred a mirror, but it’s more aesthetically pleasing this way I’m guessing. I couldn’t manage a nice picture of swatches, but each shade is pretty pigmented although I know already that I’ll be favouring the light gold. I’m hoping that each pan with last a fair amount of time as they are reasonably sized. There are definitely some shades that I’d buy individually as a highlighter shade, so I’m hoping that’ll be a possibility for any future products as they’re really good quality. The darker shades felt quite chalky on my skin, but I’d say that’s more because they were too dark than because they’re actually chalky - when I used them on the eyelid instead they felt smooth, so maybe I just layered them too thickly. On the surface of the skin the shades don’t look pigmented, but when your face hits the light they literally beam, which is the perfect kind of highlight. Overall, this palette has lived up to my expectations and I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up as a make up staple for me as the range of shades are adaptable for a variety of looks. Have you got this palette or planning to buy it? Let me know your thoughts :)

Beauty Review: Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish

Hello again guys; today’s post features one of my life’s loves; nail polish. I recently purchased the Rimmel London 60 Second nail polish (I’m not sure of the shade name) after using some other Rimmel polishes and having a good experience. Over the past couple of months I’ve been thinking about getting false nails, but in all honesty I really can’t be bothered to go and get them done or pay that much (when it's cheaper to do it yourself), even though they do look nice when done professionally. I like that I just paint my nails in my break at work and they look lovely with a bit of colour on; it makes my nails pop and my eczema less noticeable. Although, I would like them to be a bit longer my nails have been breaking a lot recently, which is super annoying and actually surprisingly painful. I somehow managed to find this gem of a nail polish in Poundland of all places; an absolute bargain! The lilac/purple shade is really attractive and not like any polish that I already had; for a mere £1 I was more than satisfied.

In terms of formula, the polish is quite thin; it needs at least two coats to make the colour fully opaque but that isn’t too much of an issue for me. What is an issue for me is how quickly this nail polish chips; I'm not the best at keeping up my polish but I do like it to last for at least 3 or 4 days before you can start noticing wear on the nails... Which this polish doesn't do, unfortunately, it literally started chipping at the edges towards the end of the same day. One of reasons why that really irritated me was not because of the price (as previously mentioned, it was excellent value for money) but because it's a good brand so I would expect the chipping issue to be less, but in fairness that can be resolved by topping up coats which although is a bit of a hassle, isn't a problem as such. Overall, I love the shade regardless of the fact that it chips like a bitch as it does look lovely on the nails. I feel like the nail polish and I are going to have a very love/hate relationship over the next few months as although I love how it looks, I can't help feeling a little disappointed with the quality, particularly as I've used other polishes from the same brand without the issues. A sad 2/5 for this one, purely because of the thin consistency and the need for reapplication. I love getting feedback, so please let me know in the comments if you like this kind of post! :)

December Beauty Haul

Hello again guys; I literally can’t believe how much of a struggle it is to somehow prepare for blogmas; I feel like an absolute mess in that I’ve never been the kind of blogger to organise my life enough to schedule or plan posts in advance so this is definitely a challenge for me. Although that said, I’m still not scheduling posts, definitely feeling like I need to though. This month I’ve been quite naughty and treated myself to some make up bits and pieces that I’ve been eyeing up for a while. I’ve been on the hunt for a decent concealer that’s pale enough for my ghostly skin and I’ve invested in the L’Oréal Paris True Match Concealer in the shade Ivory Rose which is the lightest shade with a blue toned match. Perfect for me and relatively purse friendly at £7.99. Another product that I’ve had my eyes on for a while is the Balmain x L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lipstick in the shade Domination which is a gorgeous ruby red shade and honestly, the packaging alone makes the slightly pricey £12.99 worth it. Plus, it smells divine! I also decided to bite the bullet and purchase the L’Oréal Paris Brow Artist Pomade in the shade Dark Blonde and the rose gold packaging is lovely, as is the included brow applicator, but for £9.99 it was definitely one of the more expensive purchases included in this little beauty haul.

I’m a bit of a mascara addict, not even exaggerating ahaha. It’s definitely the one beauty product that I would take on a desert island... For an everyday make up look I always need to have mascara on, it’s a must for me. I’ve repurchased the L’Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll as it’s an absolutely amazing mascara, particularly for curling and volumising with a reasonable price of £7.99. I’ve always been a fan of Maybelline mascaras, so I decided to experiment with the Colossal Big Shot and Lash Sensational Limited Edition Rose Gold. They’re £7.99 and £8.99, both of them are well priced for good drugstore mascaras and come in lovely packaging, particularly the limited version, I’m excited to try them out, the brushes are very different to one another, so it’s likely to be interesting even so. The final item in this haul is the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Extatic mascara, which is more of an investment piece due to the slightly more expensive price point of £11.99, but that said the packaging is stunning and the brush looks extremely easy to use on any lash type, so I have very high expectations for this mascara after reading some rave reviews. Let me know in the comments if you have or want any of these products, I’d love to know your opinions! :)

A Beauty Haul

Hello again guys; I feel like I haven’t posted a beauty related haul in a while and amazingly, all of this haul was gifted to me by best friend. Am I not incredibly lucky? She’s such a sweetheart, she definitely knows the kind of things that I’d like, for example pink nail polish and the mascara... Put it this way, mascara is probably my main make up related vice, if I could choose only one item of make up to wear for the rest of my life it would definitely be mascara as I just feel so much more confident whenever I’m wearing any as it literally makes the eyes pop a lot more. I love it whenever I get the opportunity to try out new make up or various products so this gift box of products was a dream for me, I can’t wait to test out some of the products as I do love experimenting sometimes. I’m forever on a budget so I don’t often get the opportunity to test out new products regularly, so whenever I do get the opportunity to try out new make up or products I really enjoy it. I’m so, so grateful to my bestie for this random gift box of goods and I can’t wait to let her know what ones I loved the most as well as you guys. There’s a huge amount of variety in the products provided in the gift box so it’s going to be super enjoyable to see what ones I’d consider buying again. Let me know in the comments if you like these kinds of posts :)

James Read Gradual Tan - Sleep Mask Tan Body 100ml - £30

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m so incredibly pale skinned that I literally glow in the sun haha. I’ve never really had a lot of success with fake tanning and I must admit that it’s not something that really appeals to me; I’ve learnt to embrace my natural ghostliness over the years so I’ve never really been tempted to tan. However, judging by the reviews of this brand I may try and tan my legs as it is a bit of a pain to constantly wear flesh coloured tights every summer. Obviously with the arrival of autumn, I’ll be leaving this product for next year but I can’t wait to try it, even if it’s just to even out my skin tone a little.

M&S Beauty Sun Smart Moisture Protect Sun Lotion SPF 30 - £8.50

Now, this is the perfect product to protect my ghostly skin; in fairness, everyone needs to wear sunscreen but I’m fairly careful generally with my skin in the sun because I’m terrified of ruining my skin with sun damage so I tend to use a lot of sun screen in the summer months. Ordinarily I would use SPF 50+ on very hot days, but for days spend wandering the city, this one will be great. Again, this is an item that I’ll be saving for next summer as autumn has definitely arrived in the UK for now, so this product will be a great addition to my summer skincare.

Studio 10 Youth Lift Glow-Plexion 15ml - £26

In all honesty, I’ve never been one to be interested in keeping my skin youthful, although that’s possibly because I’ve always been more interested in having healthy, happy skin instead. I tend to use moisturisers fairly often as a way of keeping my skin glowing as I have very dry skin. However, the reviews of this product are extremely positive which excites me; I’m looking forward to trying this as a f primer and illuminator before applying BB cream for understated, natural make up looks as it’s supposed to give you healthy, glowing skin that covers any visible imperfections which I really like the sound of as I’m loving ‘no makeup, makeup’ looks at the moment.

Filorga Time Filler 15ml - £16.20

In all honesty, this isn’t a product that I would’ve even thought of purchasing as I’ve never been concerned about wrinkles (watch in 10 years time when I regret that statement ahaha) but nethertheless it’s true; I’m fairly lucky in that I don’t have wrinkles yet and the laughter lines around my eyes have never bothered me as everyone has them and they make a face look perfectly natural. I’m really not a fan of the frozen face look of Botox ahaha. I will be likely to give this product to my mother as although she has amazing skin she would be far more likely to use this than I would and I hate wasting products.

Philip Kingsley Instant Beach 25ml - £8.99

This product is super exciting for me; whenever I try to style my hair, the idea of having long, tousled, beachy waves is exactly what I’d love to create as I think it looks amazing and low maintenance. I’ve always loved the hairstyles of Mary-Kate and Ashley and this product will definitely be able to help me to recreate that kind of look as it’s a texturising spray that doesn’t ruin the hair, which is a relief as my hair is quite thick due to having lots of strands but the individual strands are fine. It’s supposed to give volume and texture whilst holding the waves well, so I’m really excited to try this product as it’s definitely one that I’d repurchase if it does what it says on the tin.

Alpha H Daily Essential Moisturiser 50ml - £29

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I do have incredibly dry skin so I was very happy to see a moisturiser inside my besties box of gifts as one of the only skincare products I use regularly is a moisturiser due to how excellently it works for my skin. I’m one of those people who needs to add cream to their face immediately after washing or showering, or even in the morning before I apply any make up. As a result of moisturiser being a massive part of my skincare routine, I’m really excited to see how good this one is... For the price it should be amazing, but we’ll see soon enough.

Leighton Denny High Performance Nail Colour in Plush Pink - £12

Since I’ve been working in a job where I can wear nail varnish I’ve definitely started to enjoy it, I feel much more fancy whenever I wear it and I’m a massive fan of pink and purple shades as they really stand out and I like seeing my nails look half decent, haha. Considering the price of this polish, I’ve got really high expectations for it; I’m expecting it to be super long lasting with minimal chippage through everyday use, hopefully it’ll be as bright a pink as the bottle shows it to be as the shade looks absolutely beautiful if you go by the bottle colourisation.

Eyeko Sport Waterproof Mascara 8ml - £19

This is definitely the item that I was most excited about; I love wearing mascara as I feel like it really makes the colour of my eyes stand out. I’m a huge fan of wearing mascara everyday, even if I don’t want to have a full face of make up. Sometimes just a bit of mascara just makes you feel a little more confident and that’s definitely true for me; I have really fair eyelashes so the addition of mascara really makes a difference for me. This one is surprisingly expensive so I’m hoping it’ll be a fantastic addition to my mascara collection, plus it’s the sport edition so it should be able to last all day without flaking or drying out; I’ll be testing this mascara as soon as possible and I have high expectations for it.

My Foundation Collection

Hello again; over the past few months I've spoken about my mascara collection, perfume collection and now I felt like it was a good time to show you all my foundation collection. My skin tone is very pale, with a lot of pinky undertones and so I'm often struggling to find a foundation that suits my skin as I've found that the majority of pale foundations are yellow toned, which I'm aware does suit some people and this is why I have so many different foundations. As I spend more or less every month on a budget, all of my foundations are drugstore foundations and for me that's absolutely fine; the higher the price doesn't necessarily mean that the quality of the product is higher after all. Generally, year round I'm always the absolute palest shade of foundation that you can possibly buy but it can be hard to find a foundation for everyday; a lot of the foundations that I have are full coverage as I tend to go foundation free unless it's for an important event.

 

To make it a little easier to see what foundations I own, I've put them into catagories through their brands. The two foundations shown in the first photograph are the L'Oréal Paris Infallible 24hr Foundation and the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Foundation. The 24hr hour version is priced at £10.99 and is my favourite foundation by far out of my collection. It's in the shade Porcelain and it has a lovely pinky tone to it so it's an excellent match for my skin tone. It's easy to apply with its pumped lid squeezed onto a blending sponge and it does provide excellent coverage without looking cakey. It's fairly pricey for a drugstore foundation but I've found it to be worth every penny. In contrast, the Total Cover version is one of my least favourite foundations in my collection. Priced at £9.99, it's cheaper than the 24hr version but still fairly expensive when compared to some of the other foundations available in the drugstore. I've found this foundation to be incredibly oily, it's also in the shade Porcelain and is the same pinky tone so in theory I should love it. The main issue is that my skin is very dry so the oily texture of this foundation seems to simply slide off of my skin, even when used over a primer. However, the other issue is that the squeezy tube style packaging makes it difficult to apply lightly as it's very easy to use far too much. What I do like about this foundation is that it's probably the most full coverage foundation I've ever used and it eliminates literally every flaw but it doesn't last as well as I'd like, sliding off and becoming cakey extremely quickly.

 

The next brand focus is Maybelline and I own countless base products by them; my absolute favourite product is the Matte Maker pressed powder and I use it complete my base every single time. Since I found this powder I've never needed to discover another and for the pocket friendly price of £3.99 it's one that I feel like I'll be using forever; it's the perfect pale (ghostly) ivory shade for me too! I feel like everyone remembers the Dream Matte Mousse foundation as that was literally my first ever step into the make up world in my teenage years. It's such a low coverage, cakey and slimy foundation that for £7.99 it's actually a bit of a joke, plus the ivory shade is literally orange on me, but as I found it I thought I'd include it in this post. Actually, I've found that all of the foundations that I own by Maybelline are very orange on my skin considering they're all in the palest shade which is ivory. The Dream Satin Liquid is a reasonably priced product at £7.99 and is a foundation that I really wish I could love; the pump style lid is super easily to apply and it's medium coverage, however the word liquid is the best way to describe it as it's very runny and comes through quite streaky on the skin, which is a massive shame as it's so affordable.

The last two products in the image above are creams, which is why I'm going to compare them together. The first is the Maybelline Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream which at £7.99 is both extremely affordable but also great for everyday makeup; in the shade Light it's a little dark for my skin tone, but again I feel like that's the slight orange/yellow tone of the product. The texture is ok, it's not oily but it's quite runny so it's easy to use too much product because of the squeezy tube design of the packaging. The second is the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream which is fairly expensively priced at £9.99 for a drugstore product, but it's my absolute go to for everyday make up looks; it has excellent coverage but doesn't look or feel heavy on the skin and the shade ivory is a great colour match for pale skin with pink tones in it. The squeezy tube packaging still isn't my favourite, but it's thinned out nip style end does limit the amount of product that squeezes out so I rarely use too much with this. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone with pale skin that's looking for an alternative to foundation.

 

The final part of my foundation collection is from the brand Rimmel. I own so many foundations by that brand because it was the first brand that I found had great shades for pale skin. I purchased the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation because I love the concealer from the same range, but unfortunately the shade True Ivory is definitely too dark for me, which is so annoying as it's great coverage and doesn't feel sticky or cakey on the skin at all. It's definitely more of a yellow or orange toned foundation but I do like the pump lid design of the packaging. If I'd bought the correct shade I'd like it much more I think as it's good value for money at £8.99. My favourite out of the foundations by Rimmel is the Lasting Finish 25hr Wear foundation; I actually own three of them, two of them are the full coverage version (with a red lid) in the shades Light Porcelain and Ivory and the other one is the medium coverage version (with a white lid) in the shade Nude. Priced at £7.99, it's such an affordable choice for anyone who shops on a budget. The only one that truly fits my skin tone is the Light Porcelain but all of them are nicely pink toned, but two of the shades are too dark, the Nude in particular is far too dark for me, there's the most obvious line against my neck, regardless of how much I blend. All of them have a pump lid, which as you'll have guessed by now is my favourite style of packaging and both of the coverages have a great consistency but overall I do prefer the full coverage but that also may be because of the matching shade to my actual skin tone. 

Lastly, I own two BB Creams and both of them are the 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Matte BB Cream in the shades Very Light and Light. They're essentially the same product in two different shades; both of them work well but ultimately the Very Light version suits my natural skin tone better, but the Light shade is still a reasonably pale shade. Priced at £6.99, it's a super affordable choice in terms of creams and foundations, but what I would say is once again, the squeezy tube design of the packaging does make it difficult to limit how much product that come out. It feels like I'm forever using far too much without meaning to, which is annoying at times. Overall, all of these brands and foundations are great, but it's dependant one what you want to use them for; for me personally I like to have a very pale foundation that will cover my skin all day without needing to reapply it, which is why I prefer the L'Oréal Paris Infallible 24hr and the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream as they both manage to do both of those things well and no one wants to look like an Oompa Loompa after all! Until next time :)

Favourite Blogs #11

Hello again; I'm sorry that I've gone a bit downhill with blog posts over the past week, I've been struck down with flu so literally couldn't leave my bed. I'm still not feeling 100% but I'm better, but I really want to get back on top of things, including this blog. As a new month is a upon us, I feel like it makes sense to start off July with a post that I should really have posted in June before I was ill, but as they say: better late than never! I like to write posts relevant to that time, which includes various forms of monthly favourites, which is where this post slots in. As a blogger, I find so much inspiration from other blogs; throughout this month I've been loving revisiting some blogs that I've loved for years now. I can only dream of being as polished as these ladies! I really enjoy reading other blogs and have been reading various blogs for years now. I feel like June disappeared from right under my nose, so I expect that July will likely whizz by. Let me know if you like these kinds of posts in the comments! :)

 

http://iwantyoutoknow.co.uk/

I've been reading Kristabel's blog for years now and I just love her creative vision; the photography and layout of her blog are just completely stunning, just like she is. Her posts stretch across a variety of topics, including travel, fashion, beauty, lifestyle and food. My favourite posts are a mix of fashion and travel; her outfits alongside beautiful buildings always look stunning, as she always dresses well for her long and lean shape. After blogging for many years and having a degree in fashion, it's no wonder that her posts are so close to perfection; every single one of her posts never fails to capture my attention, regardless of the content.

 

http://www.whatoliviadid.com/

Olivia's blog is the kind of blog that I can only dream that my little blog will ever be as good as! There's something effortlessly lovely in her personal style; to me, she's the perfect blend of parisienne and london chic. Basically, her photography ticks all of the boxes, wherever she in the world and whatever she's wearing. I've been reading her blog since I was a sixth former (so a very long time) and she's always been flawless. My favourite posts of hers are fashion (the 70s/boho vibe is a winner), travel and baking. That being said, I also really enjoy her book reviews as they're often books that I've been planning to read so inspire me to read them before I get distracted and read other things.

 

http://www.littlemisskaty.co.uk/

Ever since I found Katy's blog I haven't stopped returning to it; her posts offer a fantastically intimate set of photographs from various travels, such as Singapore or Scotland. I like her positive attitude to life, how she writes lists and has an opinion on many different subjects. Her blog actually influenced my own so much, but honestly I'm just so in awe of her beautiful photography. Many of her posts encapsulate travel, lifestyle, food and personal style; although I'm sure the most popular are her travel guides and reviews of various eateries in different cities. She's one to watch of you want to eat out somewhere in London, she's reviewed so many places.

 

http://www.icecreamandclara.co.uk/

Elizabeth's blog is a pastel, romantically inclined persons dream (in short, my dream); I really adore how she expresses her love for nature, lifestyle, her child and beauty in her posts. There's something slightly ethereal and magical about her blog in general and I cannot explain how much I love her blog header with its vintage camera and written typeface. My favourite posts are the make up reviews as she often reviews products that suit pale skin, so it's super useful for someone like me, who is also of a ghostly complexion. Her photography is lovely, particularly of the countryside that surrounds her; it looks so peaceful!

 

http://wishwishwish.net/

Another blog that I've been reading for a few years is Carrie's; her wedding posts were those of dreams, it looked like it was the most beautiful of beautiful days. I would say she's an avid travel blogger, documenting trips all over the world, including Finland, Japan, Morocco and Italy amongst many others. You definitely feel the travel bug when you read her travel posts with their stunningly captured landscapes and reviews of various local restaurants. Alongside travel posts, she's a beauty, fashion and foodie blogger as well as a talented photographer. I love browsing through the archives of her oldest posts, they're fascinating to see how much she's grown in a few years.

Happy Things #26

 

1. Monday is always my least favourite day of the week, but once again I've managed to survive with minimal hassle and stress. That's a sign of the start of a good week. 

2. Yesterday I spent the day with my boyfriend and we went out to dinner; little things like that put a big smile on my face. I'm looking forward to a week of work and play, spending time with the people closest to me. 

3. As much as I'm not a huge fan of this heat, I want to enjoy walks by the river, feeling the breeze. I love the sound of water crashing around, so sunset walks are the perfect way to see the river creating small splashes and waves and watch the world go by.

4. This week I finally booked a visit to Harry Potter World with a couple of my work mates and I'm so excited; it looks amazing and I can't wait to go, honestly. I actually think my inner child will cry upon arrival. It's not for a few months, but it's an exciting thing to book regardless. 

5. Last week I was pretty disorganised with my blog, so this week I want to concentrate on it and make sure that I'm posting as regularly as I want to, with good content. I want to start scheduling posts so that I don't fall behind.

 

Favourite YouTubers #6

Hello again; I guess you could call this post one of my standard monthly favourites posts, because I have to admit... I do like having my posts nicely ordered into catagories. I'm not a YouTuber, I would say I'm far too awkward to be as I prefer just sitting and writing instead (explains why I blog haha). However, I don't know what I would do without YouTube in the sense that my make up techniques have improved so much since I started watching YouTube more regularly. Below are a list of four (quite different!) channels that I've been loving throughout June for various reasons that I'll be explaining in more detail. Let me know if you enjoy these kinds of posts, as I enjoy writing them (and reading similar posts). Feel free to pop a comment below and see you again soon!

 

Jazzybum

I actually subscribed to Jasmin's channel this month, when she filmed some videos in collaboration with sophielouisebeauty and sophdoesnails whose channels I really enjoy. One of the reasons that I decided to subscribe is that I like that she doesn't take herself too seriously; many of her videos are testing or DIYs with hilarious results, for example making slime, unicorn frappuccinos and other foodie/baking tests. Jazz comes across as really down to earth, with Primark and BooHoo hauls, baking tutorials and wishlists for birthdays and Christmas. I'll admit, I've been binge watching her channel every since I discovered it; her voice is so unusual and she sounds so nice to listen to, regardless of what she's talking about. Her tag videos, such as the boyfriend tag and juicy Q&As are fairly eye opening and fun to watch - they're quite addictive!

 

RhiannonAshleeVlogs

I know I've mentioned Rhiannon fairly regularly in this catagory, but there's just something lovely about watching her family develop. It's so strange to see someone the same age as me with a child, but I feel like she's quite honest about how difficult motherhood can be, as well as how challenging it is to adapt to a new time in your life. Her last vlog was actually so useful; I actually downloaded the period tracking app that she recommended and it's been fantastic; that's what I really love about social media, it can genuinely benefit your life in lots of little ways. As a woman, this app is a lifesaver! Her blogs aren't necessarily the most eventful, but I like that; it's so interesting watching another persons day to day life. I've been watching Rhiannon for about 4 years and it's amazing seeing how much she's matured since starting her family. Delilah is also very cute to watch!

 

EmmasRectangle

I began watching Emma because of her many collaborations with sophdoesnails; I'm surprised that she doesn't have more subscribers as she's got some out of the box ideas, such as YouTube made me buy it (fashion edition), GRMW (various looks), Makeup under £5 and some amazing 'Doppelgänger' for  various celebrities, such as Alicia Silverstone. The main reason why I've been watching so many of her videos this month is that her make up tutorials are super easy to follow and most drugstore brands, which I like because I am on a budget 99% of the time. Her opinions come across as honest regardless of how much the make up products cost and she doesn't shout at the camera, it's like listening to a friend.

 

KaitlinEmma

First of all, I adore her accent! It reminds me of a relative who lives in a similar area, so I automatically liked her videos as her voice is so relaxing for me. For someone who studies at university alongside YouTube, she posts regularly; her videos often include clothing and make up hauls, skin and make up routines, GRWM (make up and fashion) and also lots of little tips for every day, such as different hairstyles and life advice. It's nice to see a YouTuber that encourages younger audiences to study and Kaitlin has a variety of study tip related videos. I actually subscribed because I really like her make up techniques and her travel diaries; she always looks flawless regardless of the weather!

 

June Moodboard

Hello again; over the past couple of months I've found Pinterest to be a fantastic source of inspiration for my blog, my wardrobe, my hair... Just life in general. It's bad to be a bit like 'oh all of these images are from Pinterest', but if I'm honest, they actually are! This month I was so inspired by pink hair, so I ended up dying my hair pink, all thanks to some of the beautiful images below. At the minute I'm loving the festival and boho chic fashions and hairstyles, as well as vintage tea dresses and long summer days. I would say that my blog is a bit of an 'everything, anything' blog, I post what I like and I'm definitely inspired by other blogs and images that I see around. The images below demonstrate the kind of images I would love to produce with some time and practice, as I'm constantly looking for ways to improve my blog and content. What is inspiring you this month? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

 

 

June Playlist!

 

1. Despacito - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee (feat. Justin Bieber)

2. The Zephyr Song - Red Hot Chili Peppers

3. Drumming Song - Florence + The Machine

4. Malibu - Miles Cyrus

5. Ex's & Oh's - Elle King

6. Hard Times - Paramore

7. Stronger - Kanye West

8. R.I.P. - Rita Ora (feat. Tinie Tempah)

9. Plug In Baby - Muse

10. Move Your Body - Sia

11. Something About You - Jamelia

12. Sex Yeah - Marina and The Diamonds

13. Pretty Girls - Britney Spears (feat. Iggy Azalea)

14. First Time - Kygo & Ellie Goulding

15. Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy

Hello again; during this month I've been listening to a variety of music in terms of artists, styles, genres, etc. I think it's good to listen to whatever you feel like, so that's what I do. I'm fairly old school, I like to listen to my music using an iPod rather than my iPhone as I feel like the sound quality is better and it definitely saves my phone battery! My iPod is super battered but it does the trick every time and it makes my journey to and from work much more enjoyable; especially as sometimes I can travel over an hour to get to work... The perks of living in traffic heavy London! My absolute favourite at the moment is Despacito; bit contraversial considering Justin Bieber apparently doesn't know the words, but it's just so catchy and really reminds me of my old job, where I worked with a lot of Spanish and Latino people. I'm used to the rhythm of that kind of music and I just love listening to music in different languages in general; culture really fascinates me. 

 

MOTD - 90s Gal

Hello again! This month I'm trying to be a little more organised with my blog posts; as in I'm attempting to keep more in line with a blog topic, such as beauty or fashion. If you've been reading my posts for a while then you'll know how much of a beauty love I am. At the minute I'm really loving the 90s make up trend of brown lipstick; actually brown lips are having a massive retro revival right now, which is kind of a joke as I remember reading teenage magazines aged around 14 that were literally slating all of the main 90s trend, including the brown lipstick. I bought the NYX Liquid Suede in the shade Sandstorm and I've been in love with it ever since. It's got the largest applicator I've seen on a liquid lipstick so I do find it a challenge to apply neatly. If I'm honest, I almost always over line my lips with this lipstick by mistake. The downside to having brown lips does mean that my contour does end up making my complexion look hugely muddy, although that's also because I'm super pale. This look is definitely more of a night out look than a day to day look. Using the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser Primer as a way of setting my make up flawlessly, followed by the L'Oréal Paris Infallible 24hr Foundation in the shade Porcelain before the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer placed under my eyes, across my nose and on any other blemishes and spots. The final part of the base is powder, which I always use the Maybelline Matte Maker in the shade classic ivory. The next step is to contour my face using the Rimmel Kate Moss Sculpting Palette in the shade #002. Due to my pale complexion I only add the bronze shade to my cheekbones and my hairline as I don't like to look like I've been hit by a brick, haha. I also use the blush shade from the same palette and lightly dab it across the apples of my cheeks.

 

 

I decided that as this look is more of a going out look, so natural brows were not an option. I used the Sleek MakeUp Brow Kit in the shade Light; firstly using the powder to fill in any gaps in the hairs and the gel to set my brows in place. I did thicken my brows slightly, so that they would stand out and frame my face. For my eyeshadow I used the w7 In The Night palette, using a lilac matte shade all over my lid and a shimmery purple across the centre of my lid. They're not the most pigmented shades in the world, but they add colour without making me look like I've been punched in the face! In terms of eyeliner, I swear by the L'Oréal Paris SuperLiner Slim in the shade Intense Black as it has a pen shaped nib that glides across the lid and it dries very quickly. It's the only liner that I'm able to create a neat looking cat eye shape with. My favourite mascara of the moment is the Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express in the shade Very Black; it lengthens, separates and literally curls my eyelashes so well I feel like I've got falsies on and the blackness matches the eyeliner well, making my eyes pop. My holy grail highlighter at the minute is the MakeUp Revolution Vivid Baked Highlights in the shade Ever Glow Lights; it's a really bright, glowy highlight that's super buildable to blinding if you want to be. For £3, it's an absolute steal. I apply it over my cheekbones, across my brow bone, along the centre and tip of my nose and lastly across my Cupid's bow. Lastly, I apply the NYX Liquid Suede all over my lips in the shade Sandstorm. I've found it can dry a little patchy with one coat, so I usually apply two coats to ensure that it's completely opaque. I hope you like this look, I liked it but it was definitely a lot bolder than I usually would put on my face! Forgive the badly lit photos, I really need to invest in a proper camera. Until next time! ❤️

 

Beauty Blogger Tag

 

Hello again guys! I love finding these little tags and/or Q&As on other bloggers pages; they're super fun and easy to complete and I feel like I get to know the blogger quite well when I read them. This particular tag I found through youcancallmecaz so make sure you have a look at her blog as she's lovely and her blog is so interesting; she's one of my favourites at the moment. Although I blog about a variety of topics, I do love beauty so it made sense for me to do this tag. To any new blogger, I would recommend getting involved in the community and completing some tags as it's an excellent way of not only meeting other bloggers, but also it's an extra post if you're feeling uninspired. I don't have anyone in mind to tag to complete this next, but if you're reading this and want to complete it, go ahead! Now, read on to see my answers to these questions and let me know if you like these kinds of blog posts in the comments and have a lovely day! :)

Do you have any fashion or beauty icons? Who?!

When I was younger I was ridiculously obsessed with fashion and beauty to the point that I used to collect a variety of magazines like Vogue, i-D, LOVE, etc. Which not only gave me inspiration but also influenced me massively. My bedroom wall when I was a teenager was covered with scraps from newspapers and magazines. Overall my icons are Audrey Hepburn, Lily Cole, Alexa Chung, Cara Delevingne, Brigette Bardot and Twiggy, to name literally only a few. Now, I'm a little more open to the everyday girl and often get inspiration from YouTube; beauty looks in particular are super easy to find and follow on there.

Beauty pet peeve?

I don't really have any; (I think that Caz had a similar opinion) beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder, although there are some weird trends like fluffy nails and using food and things to blend make up which I wouldn't do, but I don't ever look at someone's make up and think ugh that looks awful, I think an individual knows what suits them and what doesn't.

Would you rather wear no makeup for the rest of your life or makeup everyday (but you can't take it off when going to bed)

This is hard. I love make up, but in the last year I've definitely become much more confident in my own skin to the point that I wear make up much less now; I'll choose no make up as not taking it off would absolutely ruin my skin so... As much as I'd miss wearing make up, I would prefer clear skin.

Do you have any tips or tricks makeup/cosmetic wise?

One trick I always swear by is using a crayon concealer before primer, then liquid concealer after foundation; it never fails to cover up my huge dark circles!

Do you only buy cruelty-free makeup and if so why?

I tend to buy whatever I like in the drugstore; although as I'm getting older I'm more aware of animal cruelty and actually I was a strict vegetarian when I was younger, so I should really be more active in that sense. I'm thinking that I should buy more products from Lush and The Body Shop as they sell amazing make up that is cruelty free, but they're a little out of my budget too, unfortunately.

What do you consider to be your worst moment beauty-wise?

It has to be when I was in sixth form when I massively overplucked my eyebrows so that they were tiny, plus literally putting so much foundation on that they were practically invisible... It really was NOT a good look.

Skincare or Makeup?

Overall I prefer make up, you can't beat a bit of eyeliner and mascara paired with red lipstick, but at the same time... Skincare is getting more attention in my life now, as I do suffer from blotchy skin. If I don't moisturise or cleanse I definitely can feel my skin suffering. When you're a teenager you don't really take much care of your skin (I know I didn't, anyway) and it's something that haunts you when you reach your twenties. Right now, skincare and make up are definitely becoming more equal than I would've ever thought, but that's not a bad thing.

 

My Mascara Collection

Hello again! I thought I would follow on from my series about my Perfume Collection with other aspects of my make up and accessory collection. Over the past few years I've literally bought so many different mascaras, it's so difficult to find the perfect mascara. I like to have super long, volumised and thick eyelashes; as I don't like to wear fake eyelashes I do tend to like the thick, spidery look. To achieve this, I apply a ridiculous amount of mascara; on occasion I've known myself to apply over 3 different mascaras to get the desired look. I often purchase the 'very black' shade too as I like my lashes to really pop. I don't use eyelash curlers, but I do use curling mascaras whenever necessary. I think the main reason I don't like wearing fake lashes is I may have an allergy to the glue, so mascara is a huge must for me! Many of the mascaras that I've finished have gone in the bin so the ones pictured below as those that I'm using on rotation currently.

 

In the photograph above are one of my favourite ever mascaras and one of my least favourite. The Bourjois Volume One Seconde mascara in the shade black is literally like the holy grail of mascaras for me. Priced at £9.99, it is one of the more expensive mascaras that are available from the drugstore, but it's worth every penny. I've always had compliments on my lashes whenever I wear this mascara as it's super black, dramatic, lengthening and thickening. I've even been asked what lashes I'm wearing, so that's a sign of an amazing mascara. I love this mascara so much I've repurchased it around four times, it'll always be one in my make up bag. In fact, I've often raved about it in my favourites posts month after month on the blog! However, the Rimmel ScandalEyes Xxtreme mascara in the shade extreme black is one of my most hated mascaras ever! I just can't make it work for me and for £6.99, I did have high hopes as the word 'extreme' definitely persuaded me to buy it as it suggested that it would be a super dramatic and satisfyingly stand out lash effect. Sadly, I've found this mascara to be clumpy and too wet, sticking my lashes together in a mess. It's not the kind of mascara that's buildable in coats either as it just makes the lashes wetter and wetter, which is a shame. I was actually disappointed as I really like Rimmel products a lot.

 

Both of the mascaras in the photograph above are by L'Oréal Paris; actually they're not only the same brand but also a really similar design and concept. I was tempted to try these mascaras by the amount of good reviews they had. The Volume Million Lashes So Couture has a lovely brush; it's a delicate brush that not only is very ease to use, but it also allows me to get right to the roots of even my smallest lashes by my inner corners. It's a buildable mascara, I can use it for every day or a night out but the amount of layers I apply. I've found this mascara to be very lengthening and because of the delicate brush it adds Volume without clumping the lashes together. It gives the impression that I have really curly, fan-like lashes and I love the effect a lot; definitely a dramatic look once built up a little! The second mascara is the Volume Million Lashes Feline which has a lovely shaped brush; it's curved and extremely delicate so fits well against my eye shape when I'm applying it. It glides on the Lashes but I would say this is more of an everyday mascara, it's not as dramatic as the So Couture version, although it's equally great in terms of the formula. Both mascaras cost £10.99 so they're fairly pricey for drugstore mascaras but they're worth it as they do last all day without reapplication which saves on product overuse. 

 

If I'm honest, one brand that I can almost guarantee I could always find an amazing mascara from is Maybelline; every one that I've used over the years has worked really well for me. Two of these mascaras are actually the same one but in different shades. The Colossal Volum' Express in both black and 100% black. I prefer 100% black just because I really love the dramatic effect that the incredibly dark lashes have against my pale skin. One of the main reason that I love this mascara to the point that I don't even remember how many times I've repurchased it in the last 5+ years is the soft fiver brush; it feels very gentle to apply and it builds up to a really clump-free, volumises and separates lashes effortlessly. Reasonably priced at £6.99, it really is a classic and a must have addition to my make up bag. The Volum' Rocket Express mascara is one of my all time favourite mascaras and was a surprise purchase. I bought it on a whim as part of a 3-for-2 offer in Superdrug and have no regrets. It's honestly one of the best mascaras that I've ever used, especially for the bargainous price of £7.99. The brush is plastic and overly large, but it grabs every little lash, separates, lengthens and thickens to a ridiculously curly, fanned out lash look. I love it, I feel like I've got falsies on when in reality it's my own lashes. However I would recommend the waterproof as it does smudge a little otherwise. What mascaras do you guys love or hate? Let me know in the comments!

 

May Favourites

Hello again everyone, I honestly don't know where this month (in fact, this year) has gone too! Literally it feels like it could still be March but apparently it's almost June, half the year has almost disappeared right under my nose! Now, I'm loving this warmer weather with its brighter skies (the humidity not so much) as well as the items you'll see in the photographs below. I've read so many books in the past few months but my top two for this month have to be The Muse and A Year of Marvellous Ways as although they're very different, both of them exceeded my expectations to the point that I cannot recommend them enough! My boyfriend bought me the Valentina perfume for Christmas and I've been in love with it ever since; it's such a lovely feminine and floral scent in a classy bottle. Similarly, he bought me the Vera Wang perfume for my birthday and I absolutely adore the smell of pink grapefruit; I've been spritzing so often I know that I'll probably end up buying another one when it's all used up! I've been in love with Marc Jacobs perfumes for years now, the Blush and Sunshine editions are super feminine, pink and floral. I use them not only for my go to perfumes, but also for blog photographs so they're basically multi purpose.

Make up wise, I'm in love with the MakeUp Revolution Fortune Favours the Brave palette as it's not only super affordable, but looks stunning in my blog photographs as well as great on the skin. There's so many shades and colours to create many different looks that I think it suits all skin tones. I'm a massive lover of red lipstick as it really makes my lips pop against my pale skin tone; ever since I purchased Ruby Woo by MAC I've loved it, although I find it's more drying in the lips than my absolute favourite, the Blake Lively red for L'Oréal does. That said, I've been wearing them both so much this month and I felt super glamourous whenever I wore them. I've also found the lightest foundation ever, it literally matches my ghostly complexion so well, so kudos to L'Oréal for that. Plus, it lasts all day even in the sun so I know it's going to be one of those products that I'll be repurchasing after lots of use. Real Techniques are definitely my favourite brushes, I use them all the time and I've recently bought some more eye specific brushes that have really improved the application of my eye make up. In terms of highlighter, I'm loving the MUA highlighters at the minute as they're so affordable and so incredibly pigmented, they look so expensive on the skin. Lastly, I'm loving the NYX liquid lipsticks in the Suede Sandstorm and the Matte Lip Cream in London; both of them are nude shades but they feel so nice on the lips and work well for both night and day looks. I'm looking forward to what I'll love for June already, let me know what you loved in May through the comments! :)

 

Valentino Valentina Acqua Floreale - MAC in Ruby Woo - MUA Undress Your Skin in Pink Shimmer - MUA Undress Your Skin in Irredescent Gold -  L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Lipstick in Pure Red Blake Lively

 

The Muse by Jessie Burton - Princess of Hearts by Vera Wang - Daisy Dream Blush by Marc Jacobs - Hand Cream by Ted Baker

 

NYX Liquid Suede in Sandstorm - NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London - Real Techniques Expert Eye Brushes - Real Techniques Contour Brush from the Berlin kit -  L'Oréal Paris 24hr Infallible Foundation in Porcelain

 

A year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman - Daisy Blush by Marc Jacobs - Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine by Marc Jacobs - Hand Cream by Ted Baker - Fortune Favours The Brave eyeshadow palette by MakeUp Revolution