Friday, January 30, 2015

Beauty ¦ January Empties


Another month, another lot of empty products. This month I didn't get through much as December was one of those months where everything seemed to run out so there was a whole lot of starting new bottles and tubes before January. 

Batiste Tropical Dry shampoo - Repurchase - Yes 
This is my favourite Batiste dry shampoo, it smells amazing and leaves my hair looking and smelling a lot better. It's perfect for slightly foody smelling but freshly washed hair. 

Blistex Intensive moisturizer - Repurchase - Yes 
I had to buy another tube of this in Germany as I thought i'd lost it and I couldn't bear to be without it. The actually name of the product is different but it's the same thing. This is one of my favourite lip balms as it really soothes my chapped lips and leave them feeling nice and hydrated. The only problem I have with it is that it leaves a white cast on the lips so it's definitely one for in the house. 


Catrice Re-touch Light reflecting concealer - Repurchase - No (it's not available in the UK) 
I really enjoyed this and the only reason I haven't repurchased it is the fact I can't get it in the UK. It's very similar to the L'oreal lumi magique so I am probably going to repurchase that when I next go shopping. 

Gosh Amazing Length n' build mascara - Repurchase - Possibly 
Not my favourite mascara but it wasn't bad by any means. I found it was really nice for a more natural look and I was really impressed with just how waterproof it is. It does nothing amazing to the look of my lashes but naturally I have quite thick and voluminous lashes so just the colour is perfect for me on a more natural face day. 


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Beauty ¦ New In #1 - Topshop lipsticks


I didn't pick up much in the sales this year but these are something I knew I wanted to go and see if my topshop had any left. I intended to go and pick up both lipsticks in the little christmas decoration packet but when I got to the counter I saw they had also reduced a set with Beguiled and a cream blush (My absolute favourite drugstore blushes) in it so I settled on Hazard in decoration form and Beguiled in the set. The decorations were on sale for £4 and the set was a bargainous £6 meaning I got £22 worth of products for £10 that's a rather massive score in my eyes! 


Beguiled is a gorgeous deep pinky berry shade and reminds me of a more purple version of my beloved Rimmel Kate moss 107. However in texture it reminds me a lot of Mac Rebel. A slightly satin finish that can be a little bit drying if the lips aren't prepared properly. I've been wearing this one a lot with very minimal makeup everywhere else.  One of my favourite Reds ever is from this range so the shade Hazard had a lot to live up to. It's a much more classic red than Rio Rio and is also quite a bit deeper verging on a vampy red rather than a bright red. The formula of this one is fairly similar to Beguiled however I do find it to be a slight bit creamier and less drying. In terms of Topshop saying these lipsticks are matte formula I would say they are much more satiny than a matte lipstick and I would say the formula is very similar to Mac's satin finish. These lipsticks last really well and I would highly suggest trying them. I think I want to try some nudes next I've heard so much about nevada. 

Topshop lipsticks can be bought //Here// for £8 

Top-Beguiled Bottom-Hazard 

Friday, January 23, 2015

Beauty ¦ The Budget friendly cleanser


In all honesty I'm really not that into skincare but one thing I want to do this year is attempt to improve my skincare routine and try out some more products. I was perfectly happy with my Body shop camomile cleansing butter but when it was almost time for a repurchase I decided to have a quick scour of the shelves of boots to see if I could find something more affordable. 

I've heard a lot about the good things range and when I spotted this I decided to just bite the bullet and go for it. I don't think I've read any posts about this cleaner (read that as remember reading) I've been having a lot of trouble with my skin being dry at the moment so I was even more drawn to it when I realised it said it was hydrating. 

So lets start with the basics Ingredients wise to me things look pretty good (Please note I am not a skincare guru/mastermind/other words of choice ovbs) bar the fact that there is some artificial fragrance in this cleanser I can't see anything to bad. This product does contain some royal jelly which is fabulous for dehydrated skin however it is quite far down the ingredients list. Scent wise the product is quite pleasant, it doesn't smell as good as some skincare products. I don't find the fragrance to be overpowering. I like the packaging of this as it find it very easy to use as it's in a squeezy tube rather than in a pot. 

So onto the actual product, i'm actually really impressed. The cleanser works really effectively and removes all my makeup with no fuss at all. The product feels very gentle on the skin and feels like it is removing all traces of makeup etc but not stripping the skin. I've also found it to be very soothing (I presume this is own to the royal jelly) I'm also really impressed as it hasn't broken me out which I almost expected with it being so cheap. 

Overall if you're looking for a nice budget cleanser that works well at removing makeup I highly suggest you give this one a go! 

Good things Manuka honey Creamy cleanser is available //Here// for £4.99 

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Beauty ¦ The Balm - Balm voyage palette


I won this in a giveaway from the lovely Georgina over at Makeup Pixi3 months ago but I just never got around to blogging about it. I've actually been using it quite a lot recently so I decided I would review it for you. 


So the lowdown, Balm voyage contains 16 eyeshadows and 3 cream blush/lip colours. I like the fact that the palette is set out like a plane and the fact that the colours are all numbered like plane seats. The eyeshadows are really lovely quality, the shimmers are on the whole really creamy and they aren't overly glittery. The matte shadows are a little chalky but overall they are really lovely and they blend really nicely. The creams are a little to drying for the lips but I really like them on the cheeks they blend nicely into the skin and don't feel tacky or sticky on the skin. Also another little note is the fact that I really like the fact this palette has two flaps so the cream products don't end up full of eyeshadow dust (Is that the right term?) I'm really impressed with the pigmentation of the shades and i've found that there are no dud shades in the palette. Wear wise I find the cheek stains last pretty much all day and the eye shades wear between 7-9 hours. 


As you can see on the bottom of the packaging there are some little look ideas which are also plane themed (Oh The balm I love your co-ordination) 

Left to right - Second officer, First officer, Captain 

Second Officer - is a cool toned blue based red. When on the cheeks it is a beautiful sheer raspberry shade which lasts a good 9 hours.
First Officer - is a medium peachy orange. When on the cheeks it leaves a beautiful satiny peach flush. Again it lasted on the cheeks for around 9 hours. 
Captain - is a beautiful medium plummy pink. On the cheeks it leaves behind a muted rosy shade and last for around 9 hours.

Left to right - A1, A2, A3, A4 

A1 - is a beautiful soft pink tinged mauve shade. The pigmentation of this shade is really strong and the shadow itself is soft and buttery in texture. This is definitely on of my favourite shades in the palette. 
A2 - is a bright purple shade with cool pink undertones and a frosty finish. Not a shade I would personally wear on my eyes but beautiful none the less. I found this one to be quite chalky in texture making it lack a little in the pigmentation department. 
A3 - is the most amazing bright silver shot white with a fairly metallic finish. This shade is so buttery and has a seriously amazing pigmentation. It makes a beautiful base for a smokey eye. 
A4 - is a gorgeous blue shimmered grey black with a satin finish, once applied it doesn't appear as shimmery in the pan. I've found the texture of this shade to be a little dryer than some of the others. One of the lesser pigmented shade in the palette but still beautiful.

Left to right - B1, B2, B3, B4

B1 - is a light beige with warm undertones. This shade is completely matte and is the dryest out of all the matte shades in the palette. It's very dry and I find it very messy to work with as its so chalky. Despite the fact that its hard to work with it makes a brilliant base shade and I've found myself reaching for it regularly.  
B2 - is a very soft minty/sea foam green with a frosty finish. This shade has a really lovely texture and packs a nice amount of pigmentation despite it being a fairly pale shade. Again not one I will ever wear on my eyes but if you're into bright shades this is stunning. 
B3 - is a greyish mauve with cool undertones. This really reminds me of one of the shades in the Naked basics 2 palette (I don't own it but I've seen so many swatch and review posts) I really like the matte finish shadows in the palette but it is a little chalky however the pigmentation is still good. 
B4 - is a dark brown with silver shimmer and a sheeny finish. I've found this one to be one of the creamier shades from the palette and I've been loving using it as my crease shade.

Left to Right - C1, C2, C3, C4

C1 - is a very pale white gold with a frosty finish, it has nice pigmentation but is a little powdery however not of the scale of B1. 
C2 - is a blue based teal with a mostly matte finish (although it does contain some bluish shimmer which becomes barely visible once swatched) Pigmentation of this shade is amazing and it is probably the creamiest of the matte shades. I wish had the confidence to wear this shade as it's gorgeous. 
C3 - is a medium yellow toned brown with a matte finish it has really lovely colour payoff and it is most definitely the creamiest matte shade in this particular palette. 
C4 - is a very reddy brown (It's come out much more orange than it is in the swatch above) with really large bits of silver shimmer. This one was a little bit dryer than the other shadows in the pallette and it feels quite dusty. I think out of all the shades this is the one that I was most disappointed with.

Left to Right - D1, D2, D3, D4

D1 - is a bright yellow gold with a metallic finish. It feels very soft and buttery however the pigmentation is not so good. I really dislike this shade (It's the only one in the palette that I don't like) in my opinion it makes me look like I have some sort of eye disease.  
D2 - is a peachy pink shade with beige undertones and a slightly metallic finish. This one reminds me a lot of a slightly pinker version of the Maybelline Colour tattoo in pink gold. The texture of this shade is incredibly soft and buttery and it packs a real punch in the pigmentation department.  
D3 - is a light beige gold with tiny particles of silver shimmer. It has a gorgeous metallic finish and is one of the shades that I have been reaching for a lot. It has a really lovely creamy texture with really good pigmentation. 
D4 -is a medium dark green with warm brown undertones with a tiny bit of olive shimmer. I love this shade and it's one I've been reaching for fairly often (It looks absolutely amazing in the crease of a gold shade like Urban decay half baked) It's super pigmented and is one of the creamier shades in the palette. 

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Beauty ¦ Miss sporty Spring 2015


I'm very excited to be showing you the brand new launches from Miss Sporty. Until about 6 months ago they were completely under my radar and weren't a stand I ever really looked at in boots however everything I have tried has been lovely (bar one foundation but that is very personal) So onto the launches.

The Mission Correction Foundation £3.99* claims to be a 3 in 1 product with the properties of a Foundation, Concealer and Highlighter. This product will be available in 4 shades which means the range is very limited. I've found the lightest shade is just about light enough for me. I really like this foundation, I've used it a couple of times and so far so good. It sits nicely on the skin and looks really glowy and healthy, which I find is a hard thing to find in very low end foundations. In terms of lasting power it lasts well with a primer underneath. In all honesty I haven't tried it without primer but I never would wear it without anyway. 



Next up there are two new eye products launching the Miaoww look Studio lash Eyeliner pen £2.99* and Mascara £3.49*. I'm really impressed with both of these product the mascara has a rounded side of the wand and a flat side of the wand. The rounded side really helps to curl the lashes and add volume and the flat side is brilliant for separating. The eyeliner pen has a really thin nib and I found it to be incredibly easy to use, it is also really dark which is one of the main things I look for in an eyeliner. This one would be perfect for eyeliner newbies! 


 Finally we have a new range of lipsticks the Precious shine lipsticks £2.59* come in four shades. All the shades have a slight touch of shimmer which is pretty much invisible on the lips. I think my favourite shade out of the four has to be the red shade which is called Ruby Red. These are really lovely hydrating lipsticks and they just add a little hint of colours. Despite the range only consisting of four shades they are a well rounded bunch. Below are swatches of the four shades. 

Left to right - Petal nude, Orange topaz, Sapphire pink and Ruby red. 

The Miss Sporty Spring 2015 range will be available in Boots and Superdrug from January 22nd. 
Products were sent to me by the Miss Sporty however all opinions are my own. 

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Beauty ¦ The Brow trio


Before blogging I wasn't aware that filling in your eyebrows was a thing, but the minute I started reading blogs and watching youtube videos I realised how much of a big deal it actually was. I'm not short of anything in the eyebrow department if I leave my brows in about a week I have a full on monobrow and my brows have begun to grow into my hairline (I really wish I was over exaggerating) I always felt that my brows were a bit much but since the big bold brow has come into fashion I should be pretty happy with what I've got. 

The first thing I use is the Benefit instant brow pencil in Deep this was something I picked up on the ferry to germany and I love it to death. The colour was perfect when I had red hair as I didn't like my brows to look too red as it just didn't look right. However since dying my hair a really warm chocolate brown I think I might try medium as it a touch warmer and a lot less grey. I still love the formula and I will finish this one I just think Medium may be a better shade for me now. I use this pencil to draw in the shape of my brows (my left brow is a completely different shape to my right brow) I find this perfect to tidy up the edges and add the arch in on my left brow. 

I then move onto the filling in of the front and inside of my brow. I take the Urban Decay Naked basics palette and use the colour Faint if I want a really bold brow look I will also mix in a little bit of Crave. I also the go over the drawn in arch of my left brow with the powder as I find it helps make it look a little more natural and less drawn on. 

I then brush a tiny bit of the L'oreal brow artist plumper in Medium/Dark which is perfect for setting my brows and making sure they don't look to overdone. This has fibres in it which on my brows doesn't really make a difference as they are very full anyway but when I used it on my mum who has very sparse brows it really made a difference. I like this as it sets my brows and helps stop runaway brow (which is never a good look) without making them all crispy and crunchy. To finish off I take my Naked Basics palette again and use the shade Venus as a highlight along my brow bone to lift the arch. 



Friday, January 16, 2015

Lifestyle ¦ My Filofax


I'm not the most organised person and on a normal average day you have to give me a good 5 minutes to remember what the date is, so when this bad boy came into my life all my prayers were answered. I now know what the date is (sometimes) I have one of the A5 filofaxes which is brilliant as I can keep it in my bag so I've always got some paper and a pen. I've found it super handy for just generally keep my life in order and it's been a savior for helping me remember when all my mock exams are.

I've also found it's been really helpful to record all my blog achievements and document all my posts. (I do have a blog post calendar but that obviously stays at home) so that when I'm out I know what posts need tweeting about. (also on a little side note if you'd like to see a how I keep my blog organised post i'd happily do that for you!) This particular filofax has pockets in the front and back which I've been keeping my passport and receipts in so I always know where they are.

In the back I also have sections for wishlists, lots of room for notes and a little set of sticky notes which are so handy for marking pages!






Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Beauty ¦ The one sweep wonders


Now don't get me wrong I love a complicated smokey eye with 7 different shades of maroon but early in the morning my brain doesn't really co-operate so it's all a bit much for me so today I decided I would show you the eyeshadow shades I reach for when I just want a bit of colour to sweep across my lids. 


I couldn't write a post about eyeshadow without mentioning my Urban decay naked palette now could I? Half baked is the most amazing shade to use if you want to dress your makeup up a little bit. I wore it a lot at christmas time as it's the perfect easy but a little bit glitzy shade. 



The Balm D3 is a much cooler gold compared to Half baked. It's a little bit sheerer and it just leaves the most gorgeous sheer wash of gold over the lid. I've actually been wearing this a lot for school as it is nice and subtle. You can expect to see a review of this palette soon! 


Mac All that glitters is a new shadow in my collection but I've been reaching for it so often as it is just so easy to sweep across the lid. A very similar shade is the Body shop Honeycomb eye shadow which is from the shimmer cube in 06 it reminds me a lot of all that glitters just with a little bit more orangey bronzeyness. The final shade I have is the Maybelline on and on bronze colour tattoo which is the easiest eyeshadow in the world and I tend to reach for it when i'm in a big rush. 

 From left to right - Urban decay Half baked - The Body shop Honeycomb - Mac All that glitters - Maybelline on and on bronze - The Balm D3 

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Beauty ¦ Nars Virtual domination


 Santa did pretty good this year. I asked my nana and grandad for this and I can't quite believe they managed to get it. I practically screamed on christmas day. I mean just look at it, the outer packaging is stunning and feels really sturdy and expensive. In previous years the christmas palettes from nars have had 6 products in but I quite like the fact that the bronzer is twice the size it actually means that you get more laguna than you would if you buy a full size. That would set you back £27 before even thinking about the blushes so its a pretty good deal for £45. Packaging aside lets get on to what you really want to hear about! 


Miss liberty is a super glittery highlight. If you are in the market for a nice subtle everyday highlight this is not for you. It's a gorgeous peachy shade but in all honesty I do wish that it had a little less glitter. The other two permanent shades are Deep throat which is my favourite blush shade out of the palette it is a really pretty muted corally pink shade with gold glitter in it and I am just so in love with it. I think I was probably most excited to finally be able to try Laguna it's not overly orange and despite it having a little bit of shimmer in it i've been using it for contouring as on the skin the shimmer is not detectable on the skin. The two limited edition shades are Sex fantasy which is a really subtle matte pinky lavender shade which I wasn't sure about when it was in the pan but on the skin I really like it. The final shade in the palette is Final cut is the other matte shade and its an amazing peachy coral. These matte shades are both beautiful, not overly powdery, have amazing pigmentation and blend into the skin beautifully. 

From left to right - Miss liberty - Sex fantasy - Deep throat - Final cut - Laguna 

Friday, January 09, 2015

Beauty ¦ The at home Mani-Pedi


I love a good salon manicure as much as the next girl but when it comes to people touching my feet I'd much rather do a little DIY pedicure so today I thought I'd show you some of the products I used last weekend when I had a little pamper. 


Lets face it feet are just a bit gross in general but if your feet are anything like mine they have ended up a bit battered from to many pairs of heels over the party season. The Micro pedi is perfect for getting rid of any hard skin with ease. I also really like to scrub my feet with the Body shop peppermint foot scrub which if you read my empties post you will know I just finished. I then like to file all my nails and I use a 4 way file and buffer to make sure my nails are ready for the polish. 

Polish wise I start of with the P2 anti split base coat and then use my polish. For this particular Mani-Pedi I went for Nails inc Richmond which is the most beautiful pearly pink shade on my toes and Models own Pink fizz which is a stunning pink glitter on my fingers. I then top them off with the Nail magic Wet high gloss topcoat and sit and watch some youtube whilst I wait for them to dry. 


Once they are dry I like to use the Soap and glory Heel genius on my feet, at this point I like to give them a nice massage and then put on some socks to hold in all the moisture from the cream. On my hands I used the Soap and glory Hand dream super cream massaging it into my cuticles and really slathering it on to moisturize my hands. 


As you can see from the image above this is the finished manicure. 

What are your favourite Mani-Pedi products? 

Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Beauty ¦ My Mac palette


Since I started blogging I've wanted a Mac palette and for christmas this year I finally got a quad. I've had a lot of interest on my instagram and on my what I got for christmas post so I thought I would do a post! 

In terms of pigmentation I've been really impressed, something I have noticed though is that they aren't quite as creamy as urban decay shadows (Which are my all time favourites) In terms of longevity they last well but as with all eyeshadows there wear time is prolonged. I find they last about 6 hours without any fading/creasing without a primer and about 8 hours with a primer.

The first shade I picked out was Patina which is the most beautiful golden brown shade. I've been loving sweeping this one over the lid and then using one of the other shades I got on the outer v and through the crease.


All that glitters is probably my favourite shade in my palette. It's a gorgeous pinky champagne shade (In the photo below it's coming across much more peachy than it is in real life.) I love this one just sweeped all over the lid on it's own as just a little hint of colour.



Woodwinked is one of the most hyped shades in the blogosphere and I completely get the hype. It looks amazing on it's own as it tends to settle a little darker in the crease. I think i'm going to get a lot of year out of it in the summer as it's the most amazing summery bronze goddess type shade. 



The final shade in my palette is satin taupe, i've been wearing this with patina and I really love the way they look together. It's the perfect shade to add a bit of dimension in the crease, it also looks gorgeous smoked along the lower lash line. 



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