2018 Favourites // Beauty

Hello again guys; I’m aware that I’m super behind with this post as it’s now mid January (already!) but in my defence, I do have a full time job and sometimes it’s good to just chill out and not constantly force yourself to write, write, write. I’ve already posted about my favourite books of 2017 and honestly, my other love in life is beauty products and I used a lot of those in 2017 so it made sense to start a post purely about what I loved so much I’ll definitely be repurchasing and reusing for 2018. Honestly, I cannot believe how quickly the month of January is flying by, without me even realising, oops. So far, 2018 has been treating me rather well and that’s always a good thing. I’m actually loving to simply live my life and not stress anymore about making this blog ‘successful’; I’ve remembered why I started blogging. I wanted a hobby and so for 2018 I’m going to blog because I enjoy it; not because I want to pressure myself. It feels great to be at a place in my life where I feel content enough to share my life and not worry about views and numbers; instead I’m focusing on the creative side of blogging and so I’m planning to improve my content over the next year. Please let me know in the comments if you like this kind of post as it’s always good to know! :)

BRUSHES

In all honesty, I’m not very experimental when it comes to choice of brushes. For the past couple of years I’ve only used the Real Techniques brand for brushes and I genuinely do love them. One of the reasons why I like them so much is that I love that you can buy multiple different brush types in sets for good prices. I currently own the Core Collection, Your Picks Berlin and Enhanced Eye sets and each set was under £25 for 4 or 5 brushes in the set. I decided to invest in the sets because it’s cheaper than buying the brushes individually, plus you get a variety of different brushes that can do different things. I’ve had some of these brushes over over a year and they still work perfectly with no shedding, so I don’t regret the investment and I’ll definitely get more brushes from the range over time.

LIP PRODUCTS

In 2017 I discovered the power of liquid lipsticks; I love that they dry matte and stay put for so long, plus it also means that my poor boyfriend doesn’t have lipstick smudged all over his cheeks like he has had in the past, haha. At the beginning of 2017 I would’ve sworn by any liquid lipstick from NYX, but towards the end of the year I became obsessed with the Rimmel versions. My favourite shades are London from the Soft Matte Lip Cream range by NYX and Moca, Fire Starter from the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip range. London is by far my favourite ever nude lip shade, but I prefer the formula of the Rimmel versions as they feel thicker and less drying on the lips. Both priced at £6, these lipsticks are amazingly purse friendly and I’m sure I’ll be purchasing many more shades to experiment with over the coming year.

FACE PRODUCTS

A fairly recent discovery for me is the L’Oréal Paris 24hr Infallible Foundation in the shade Porcelain. Honestly, I don’t know how many years I’ve been searching for a foundation that feels light on the skin, has good coverage and most importantly, matches my ghostly skin tone. Priced at £10.99, it’s not the cheapest foundation on the market but it does a fantastic job for a reasonable price. It’s likely to sit in my make up bag for a seriously long time. Likewise, I’ve recently discovered an excellent concealer, again by L’Oréal Paris, it’s the True Match Concealer in the shade Rose Ivory. The reason why I like it so much is that the range allows you to choose not only by your flat skin tone, it also allows you to choose whether you have cool or warm toned skin. For £7.99, it is rather pricey but it lasts a long time and it has a really easy to use applicator that works seamlessly to cover even the nastiest of nasty dark under eye circles.

In terms of eyebrow products, my holy grail products are the L’Oréal Paris Artist Xpert in the shade Cool Blond and the Benefit Ready, Set Brow! Which I use every single day. The eyebrow pencil is super easy to use and reasonably priced at £6.99. I love it because it thickens and defines my brows whilst keeping them looking natural; I don’t like to look super groomed. The cool tone of the product works well for me as my natural eyebrow colour is a dark blonde and once the brows are brushed through I’m always ready for the day ahead. I do like to set my brows in place because I like them to stay in position throughout the day. The Benefit product does cost £20 which does seem extortionate for a clear brow gel but honestly it’s the best one that I’ve tried, it stays put for at least 12 hours and so my brows look naturally perfect, rather than overdone. My other face love is the MakeUp Revolution Vivid Baked Highlight in the shade Ever Glow Lights which is absolute steal for £3; it gives a lovely glow with just a small sweep of product and I’ve genuinely hit pan... Time for a new one, I think!

EYE PRODUCTS

My stand out eyeshadow palette of the year has got to be the Sleek MakeUp iDivine Palette in the shade All Night Long. For the £8.99 you get a decently sized palette with a large mirror and twelve different shades with a good mixture of matte and shimmer shades. The shades are so, so pigmented and last really well on the eyelids. Since discovering this palette I’ve had so many compliments on the eye looks I’ve been creating and I love how versatile this palette is. There are some stunning copper and bronze shimmers that make up the perfect smoky but subtle blend of shadows. In terms of mascaras, I have three that I constantly reach for. Firstly, the Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express in Very Black has been a favourite of mine for the majority of 2017. I find that plastic bristles work really well to enlongate, volumise and fan out the individual lashes to create a false lash effect whilst using my natural lashes. For £7.99, this mascara is both affordable and can be used for a day time or night time eye look as I used it everyday for quite a few months for a variety of situations and I was always satisfied with it. I actually purchased it at least three times during 2017, which is the sign of a winner.

There are two other mascaras that I’ve truly loved during 2017. The Maybelline Colossal Big Shot mascara is absolutely amazing and a case in point that sometimes what you wouldn’t usually like can be a great discovery. The brush does have wavy fibre bristles, which is something that I wouldn’t usually go for. That said, I love how this mascara does everything; it curls, it volumises and it lengthens all for the price of £7.99 although admittedly I do tend to apply three coats to reach the desired false lash effect. The final mascara that I loved last year was the L’Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll which has the most bizarrely shaped plastic bristled brush I’ve ever seen and yet it is honestly my favourite mascara of all time, for now. I’ve never found another mascara with a similar brush style, yet it creates the most incredible volume and curl with only one coat. If I want to make super dramatic, individually fanned lashes then a second coat takes the look from day to night and I’m obsessed, I cannot rave about this mascara enough, particularly as it’s so affordable.

PERFUME

I have a massive collection of perfumes, but over the last year my favourites were actually gifts. The Britney Spears Maui Fantasy was given to me by my Nana and I’ve been wearing it regularly since April; it comes in a beautiful blue bottle with floral decoration and smells so tropical, it’s very unusual. It feels light on the skin and reminds me a lot of long summer days and holidays with the lovely notes of orange blossom, coconut and hibiscus amongst many others. The second perfume that I’ve loved was a gift from my boyfriend, the Vera Wang Princess of Hearts is a beautiful scent with a gorgeous pink heart shaped bottle with little pink hearts all over it. It’s a lovely feminine scent, with notes of watermelon, lily of the valley and jasmine. I love this so much, I wore it more or less every day during spring and summer and because it was a gift it makes it even more enjoyable to wear. 

A Collective Haul

Hello again guys, I can't believe that we're halfway through July already! I've had a few cheeky bits and pieces ordered this month and so far I'm absolutely in love with all of the items that have arrived for me this month. I've mentioned several times before on my blog that I do stick to a pretty strict budget; money doesn't grow on trees as we all know, so when I do make a purchase it's usually a very considered one. As we've had a fairly hot summer so far (hot for the UK, at any rate) I desperately wanted a fashionable pair of espadrilles as I'm not a fan of my toes. The ones pictured below were from Very and priced at £22. They're super comfy and keep my feet fashionable and ready for summer whilst covered up. The embroidered elements make them look so much more expensive and are super on trend at the moment. I'm loving embroidered accessories right now as these shoes really jazz up any outfit without being too overdone. I'm definitely going to be buying more espadrilles as these are so easy and comfortable to wear.

For the past couple of months I've been obsessed with the NYX liquid lipsticks; London is my absolute love, but I decided to branch out a little after seeing so many good reviews and opinions surrounding their products. From the Lip Lingerie collection I bought the shades Baby Doll and Honeymoon; priced at £6.99 they're a complete bargain and during this year I have started to like nude shades on me so the variety of shades available from NYX means that I can choose a nude shade that suits my skin tone. I also bought a Liquid Suede in the shade Sandstorm for the price of £6.99 and I can confirm that this really does live up to the hype! Of all of the NYX liquid lipstick formulas, I do prefer the Soft Matte Lip Creams, but in terms of pigmentation, the Liquid Suede formula definitely has the strongest colour. That being said, I love all of these formulas and I have no regrets in purchasing such a range of formulas and colours as they're excellent value for money. I'm also really liking the Glam'eyes Professional Liquid Eye Liner by Rimmel; priced at £4.99, it's definitely affordable and not only is it super black, it's also a matte finish. The applicator is very think too, so with some practice you can avoid looking like you're imitating a panda which is a result for me, haha. One of the more premium items in this haul is the Ready, Set, Brow! By Benefit and as much as I adore it, the price does make me cringe a little at £20. I would argue that it's worth the money as it sets my brows in place all day, every day and I love the packaging too, as an added bonus. It's definitely a splurge, but as I use it every day it's an investment purchase.

Unsurprisingly, after all of the hype surrounding the beauty blender (and sponge applicators in general), it was inevitable that I would eventually cave in and get some sponges to test. As I trust the Real Techniques brand and have a lot of their brushes, it made sense to me to try out the sponges by them too. The Miracle Complexion Sponge Duo are excellent value for money priced at £11.99 as that's for two sponges, whereas comparatively, some other brands are in excess of £15 for only one sponge. I've been fairly impressed with them so far, they blend foundation in really well and don't cause any streaks, although I've found they're a bit too bulky to blend in concealer so I'll likely invest in some smaller options for my under eyes, but for my overall face I would definitely recommend. I've also been loving the Eyes Starter Kit by Real Techniques as I've been trying a bit harder to create nice looks with my eyeshadow palettes, so it was time to invest in more brushes. For £19.99 you get five brushes that are for different eye related tasks, such as filling in brows or blending shadows over the lid. The different sizes and thicknesses are great and they feel good quality, with no shedding. For the price you receive a decent amount of brushes, as well as a little carry case, too so I have no regrets. Recently I've been needing to wear a watch more and more and so I decided it was time to buy a new one, the Radley Doodle Dog which is very cute, with little dog illustrations and rose gold detailing. At £69 it was the most expensive thing by far in this haul, but as I've used it every day since I bought it I do feel that it's worth it; for the price it had better last well!

Lastly, I've added two new perfumes to my extensive collection. Both of them were from my boyfriend for our anniversary, which is why I love them so much; they constantly remind of happy times, as well as of him. The largest of the two is Fantasy in Bloom by Britney Spears and it smells divine, with notes of mandarin, red berries, jasmine, vanilla and cherry blossom. It's a sweet and floral scent and very feminine, although even the bottle itself is incredibly feminine with its hot pink overall exterior alongside a gold neck and white and gold cherry blossoms. At £18 for the 100ml it's a bargain and it's the perfect summer scent. The smaller bottle is Princess Revolution by Vera Wang and it's a perfume that I'd been lusting after for months but could never manage to find it within my budget until recently. £19 for the 50ml bottle was great as it was affordable for me and I do love the Princess perfumes. As you can probably tell, I'm a fan of floral scents and this one is no exception with notes of lily of the valley, cherries, watermelon, jasmine, apple blossom and blood orange. The tangyness of the scent makes it feel quite oriental, but the bottle matches really well visually with the other Princess perfumes that I own, with its classic heart shape. The black doodles on the burgundy bottle are hard to picture, but in real life it's a stunning bottle and so hard to find that I thought I'd never manage to find it. This was actually quite a big haul, for the first time in a while; let me know if you like these kind of posts down in the comments. Until next time :)

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

 

MOTD - Natural and Glowy

 

This make up look is one that I wore to spend the weekend with boyfriend; as I get older I'm slowly starting to be ok with how I look sans make up, but if I'm going out I do prefer to wear make up as I will admit that it boosts my confidence a little. At the minute I'm loving glowy skin with nude lips and a strong brow. Considering I wear make up roughly once a week, I own so many different make up products it's a joke! Starting with my base, firstly I prime my skin using the Baby Skin Pore Eraser by Maybelline to create smooth, silky skin that will let make up stay on all day. I also use the Hide The Blemish by Rimmel concealer crayon in the shade ivory to cover under my eyes only. Next, I use the Lasting Finish Foundation by Rimmel in the shade ivory and literally cover all of my face with it; this foundation has fantastic coverage but it's slightly too dark for me before powder. That said, it feels smooth and light on the skin even with it being full coverage. I then use a second concealer, the Eraser Eye Age Rewind by Maybelline in the shade Light and spread in the triangular shapes under my eyes as well blend into the blemishes around my nose and my eyelids. The final step in creating my base is to use the Matte Maker Mattifying Powder in the shade ivory which is the perfect shade for my pale skin. I bake the concealer in before brushing all over my skin to create a flawless finish.

At the moment I've been practising how to contour; to do this I've been using the Kate Moss Sculpting Palette by a Rimmel in the shade #002 Peach Glow. I start by using the bronzer, brushing it into my cheek bones before using the blush from the palette, lightly dusting it into the apples of my cheeks. From there, I use the Makeup Brow Kit by Sleek in the shade light and shape my brows using the powder from the palette and setting my brows using the wax. I then like to colour my eyelids with eyeshadow using the Rose 2 Colour Riche Eyeshadow Palette by L'Oreal. For this look used three different shades; a matte pink all over the lid and in my crease, a shimmery rose shade in my inner corners and start of my eyes before finishing with a shimmery purple across the outer corners of my eyes. This shimmery eye look is one that I would save for special occasions, but I have to be honest and say I wish I hadn't used the purple as it didn't blend particularly well.

With practice, I'm slowly learning how to use highlighter in a more natural way, rather than simply layering and caking it on. I used the Vivd Baked Highlighter by MakeUp Revolution in the shade Ever Glow Lights and gently brushed it across the top of my blush, on my brow bone and across my Cupid's bow. (Putting highlighter on my nose doesn't look nice so I leave it to the cheekbones). After applying highlighter across my face I then use The Volum' Rocket Express by Maybelline mascara on my top and bottom lashes in the shade Very Black; I like to have very curled, separated lashes and the dark shades makes my eyes look wide without the need of eyeliner. Lastly, I used the Soft Matte Lip Cream by NYX in the shade London on my lips; I'm in absolute love with this lipstick, the shade is nude but classic which fits this overall look. When I wear make up I'm starting to really like the less is more approach but at the same time, I do love make up. What looks are you guys loving? Let me know in the comments! :)

 

January Favourites

Hello again - I decided that this month I would do a proper monthly favourites post as I've never really gone into depth about what I've loved or used that more before. January is a bit of a strange month, everyone seems to have no money from Christmas and sales hauls and the weather is always pretty horrible although this year the weather seems to have been particularly awful. However there are some bits and pieces that I've been obsessed with throughout this month, which I'll be detailing below. January has been a bit of a difficult month and I'm actually fairly glad that it's come to an end, I'm looking forward to making the best of the year much better, although that said the start of the month was great so it obviously wasn't all bad.

 

Knowing my love of perfumes it's not really a surprise that I've been loving three perfumes that I've been wearing most days during this month. They're incredibly feminine perfumes both visually and fragrantically. Amor Amor in a Flash by Cacharel is the perfume that I've been wearing the most; I'm absolutely in love with its caramel and vanilla undertones although I'm a bit worried as I've only got the 30ml bottle so it's not going to last forever. I recently purchased Pink Honey by Marc Jacobs and was a little disappointed when I found out that it was a limited edition bottle but not a limited edition scent. That aside, the scent is divine and I'll definitely be wearing it throughout the next few months. Lastly, Valentino by Valentina was a gift from my boyfriend for Christmas and quickly became the favourite perfume out of my entire perfume collection; the smell and the bottle are simply amazing and it's one that I'll be cherishing forever.

 

This month I've been loving wearing quite natural make up but rather glittery that makes the planes of my face look more symmetrical. The Bobbi Browm Shimmer Brick highlighter/blusher in Rose has been a favourite of mine for the last year, it lasts really well and creates a lovely glow on the skin. It looks great paired with the Solstice highlighting palette which works great as both a contour and a highlight; the four shades are so pigmented and look amazing on the skin. I'm a massive fan of glittery make up and these two palettes work so nicely on pale skin. I prefer CC cream to a foundation, at the moment I'm obsessed with the Bourjois 123 Perfect version; it blends really nicely into my skin and feels almost like velvet which is a great feature. It's fairly full coverage if blended thickly, but on the whole it's fairly light which I like. It pairs well with the Bourjois 1 Seconde mascara; my all time favourite mascara, it makes my eyelashes look false because it makes the lashes so thick, long and curly. I'm actually in love! Finally I've chosen the NYX Soft Matte Cream in the shade London, it's the perfect everyday nude shade and it feels so good on the lips. Creamy is the right word to describe it and I've been wearing it almost everyday through January.

 

A couple of months ago I bought a copper drinking cup from Sass&Belle and I've been loving it as a make up brush holder. I know it feels like everyone is obsessed with copper assessories at the moment but I genuinely find it really useful as I can choose which make up brush I want to use much faster than if they were in the original carry case. I've been building a collection of Real Techniques brushes for a while as I'd read many good reviews about them and they have lived up to my expectations and more. My iPod nano 3rd generation, however old has been my best friend for many months now, accompanying me on so many journeys; to and from work, in Poland and just in general. I love it because it saves my phone battery and it's just a simple thing, it does what it says it does; it plays music well. Lastly, I'm in love with the Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Blush perfume. It's super pretty to look at and lasts for hours on the skin; I like to wear it if I want to feel more confident in myself when I'm going out or seeing friends. What have you been loving throughout January?

 

A Mini Haul #4

I always find that January is a bit of a depressing month, as in the days are slowly getting longer but it's still super chilly and I seem to be constantly with a cold or cough throughout the whole of it. On a positive note, January sales are usually fairly amazing but when you're not made of money and in the middle of changing jobs there limited spare money available to spend. I hadn't really been spending much money on make up for a while as I've actually been wearing a lot less as I've somehow reached a point where I'm reasonably ok with how I look, but this month after watching a lot of YouTube videos and reading various blog posts, I decided to invest in some pieces I'd been lusting after for a few months.

 

I bought two highlighter palettes from Sleek after a lot of consideration as I've got really, really fair skin so I was concerned that highlighters and contouring would look ridiculous on me. After watching some videos from sophdoesnails I was feeling a little more confident that it could work for me if I purchased the right shades. The two palettes that I bought were Midas Touch and Solstice costing only £9.99 each, which I felt was a bargain considering you get four different shades in each palette. I was pleasantly surprised by how pigmented and light the shades are in both of the palettes which is a massive bonus if your skin is as light as mine. Another nice feature is that the palettes have a magnetic closure which limits the risk of the palettes braking. I love these and am definitely going to be using these regularly but I'm struggling with applying them to suit my face at the moment, I guess practice makes perfect.

 

I'd been looking at eyeshadow palettes for several months and there are so many that I would absolutely love to own from Too Faced or Urban Decay but ultimately they're way out of my current budget and so I've been looking at similar palettes that would suit my budget far more, which is how I then settled on the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Eyeshadow La Palette Nude Rose eyeshadow palette. Priced at £14.99, not only was it affordable but also very similar to shades available in the palettes I'd been lusting after previously. It's not as pigmented as I had hoped it would be, but the shades are very buildable and the range of warm pinks is lovely for any skin tone. The palette itself has a lovely big mirror too, which is great to use on the go or to top up make up throughout the day.

 

Ever since I bought London from the NYX soft matte lip cream collection I really loved the formula and how it felt on my lips, it wasn't drying at all and felt soft against the skin. I then bought three new shades that are each completely different but equally complementing to my skin tone. The three shades are Istanbul, Amsterdam and San Paulo. I'm literally in love with these liquid lipsticks and there are several more shades that I'd love to have in the coming months if my budget allows. For the moment I decided to invest in a nude shade, a pale pink shade, a vibrant red and a darker pink shade so that I have a shade to suit all looks and occasions. London is definitely still my favourite, but San Paulo is coming in a close second. 

 

I swatched each of the lipsticks on the back of my hand in the order (from the top) Amsterdam, San Paulo, Istanbul and London. With hindsight I wish that I'd made the swatches a little thicker as they're quite small so it's hard to see the shades. Unfortunately I have the kind of skin that is so pale that it goes pink when it's cold which is why my hand looks darker than what I've been describing my skin tone as. I really like the creaminess of these lipsticks and would recommend anyone to try these aas for £5 they're definitely priced very competitively and suit more or less all budgets. So this haul, however small has been great as a pick me up during a pretty rubbish month and I've definitely invested in a range of staple make up pieces for the next few months.

 

A Mini Haul

Hello again! Being the nosy person that I am, I genuinely love reading what other people have recently purchased, or what they're loving at the minute. After reading many, many blogs over the last few years I definitely have a preferred type of post to read; lifestyle and beauty tend to be my Favourites as if I see holiday or travel posts I get so much wanderlust it's ridiculous... After having a completely shitty year and barely spending any money on myself I decided it was finally the right time to have a little spend and make myself feel a bit more positive about life.

A couple of months ago I smashed my phone screen and a Cath Kidston iPhone case, which literally broke my heart as it wasn't exactly cheap. Since that time I've been somehow surviving using a bargainous 99p find from eBay, but I wanted something more substantial as I am a bit of a clumsy mess (already smashed the screen twice in a year) and I'd been literally looking through the internet for absolutely ages to find an iPhone case that would last. I did buy a Ted Baker one for a pretty high price but it actually wasn't that strong and cracked fairly quickly. For normal people it would probably be fine, but for someone like me... Not good! I've been debating between getting a Cath Kidston case or a Jack Wills one as the physical case quality is very similar. However, I settled for the Jack Wills one, mostly due to the much lower price of £14.50 (buy here) and I liked the subtle tartan pattern which looks so classic and seems to go well alongside the current winter weather and fashions.

 

Following on from my last post, I purchased a Vera Wang 50ml perfume, Hippie Princess. (Buy here) I absolutely love the heart shaped design of the bottle and the little princess tiara cap. I'm definitely a bit of a perfume addict and the Vera Wang princess line never fails to please me, visually as well as the scents themselves. I like how they have a specific theme. This scent is both fruity and floral, with a delightful mix of mango, freesia, apricot, lotus flower and vanilla. A new favourite in my collection. I also bought a range of make up items. I've actually started to wear much less make up than I used to around 9 months ago, partly due to having a confidence boost from my boyfriend, who insists that less is better. 

Now that my make up style has 'matured' (?) a little, I don't tend to wear much foundation so I instead opted for a CC cream as I do have quite an uneven tone across my skin as I have very dry patches. I want a light coverage that will hide blemishes but not look as though I have a mask on my face. I got it for the bargain price of £11.99 (buy here) which for a brand like Bourjois isn't much for the quality. I chose the shade ivory and I'm excited to try it out as it says it's a hydrating cream which should be great for my dry, eczema prone skin. To top off the skin products, I also bought the Maybelline Matte Maker powder. (Buy here) I actually swear by this product, you can either use it lightly or build it up for a full coverage. I tend to use it around my t-zone as it gets very patchy and red otherwise. For £4.49 it's definitely worth the money as it lasts for ages and lets your skin breathe. I bought it in ivory which is a perfect match for my incredibly pale skin.

 

I also purchased two eye based products, both of which are products which I've bought and used to death before. The L'Oreal superliner in perfect slim is the best felt tip pen style eyeliner that I've ever used. (Buy here) £7.99 is definitely a bargain as it lasts for a long time and doesn't dry out. It has a very thin tip which is great for everyday liner as well as cat eye flicks for special occasions, plus the intense black shade looks good, glides on well and dries quickly on the lid. I use this eyeliner everyday to awaken my eyes and brighten up my facial features. I always use the Sleek brow palette, but before I do so, I like to brush through and gently line my eyebrows using a lighter shade to get a perfect rounded arch shape. I always find that Maybelline match my pale skin and hair tones well. I love the Master Shape Brow Pencil (buy here) to achieve the perfect Brow shape. For £3.99 you can't go wrong. I actually have light brown eyebrows but I use the shade dark blond as it matches really well. This is one of those products that I buy again and again because I love how it works on my face. 

Lastly, I've been so tempted to try a NYX lip cream for absolutely ages; this is definitely a YouTube and blogger made me buy it purchase. I've watched so many videos and read so many posts that rave about these lip creams so I've finally bitten the bullet and bought one. (Buy here) Which at £7.99 seemed a little pricey but I can't wait to try it; if I like it then I'll definitely be buying more in different shades. I chose the shade London because I wanted a peachy brown nude shade to wear for everyday but I think it'll look good for more dressed up occasions too. I've wanted a nude lip shade for a while, and having seen bloggers with similar skin tones to me swatch this shade I'm sure it'll look really nice. I feel a little more positive now, let me know what new things you've bought recently or if I've persuaded you to buy anything! :)