Blog Sale Purchases



 

I know some people can be abit funny when it comes to blog sales as they don't like using second hand or already bought items, but I think they're a great way to try a product before deciding to buy it full price. I picked up all 3 items above for £13.50 including P&P charges from the lovely Michelle at Satchels and Pearls. She sent them super quickly and they arrived in great condition.

 

I've always wanted to try these Korean lip products but have been put off buy the postage time and cost, so when I saw these I had to pick them up.

 

They're really nice and smell like watermelon. The red is a bit darker than I would usually go but I think when it's more summery I might try and wear it just lightly for a hint of colour on my lips.

I've also been after trying the L'Oreal CC Cream, I'm a big fan of BB creams and the fact that this is aimed at redness, which I get a lot of, intrigued me. It comes out in a really runny green liquid and then the minute you rub it into your skin it transforms into a colour that I think is supposed to match your skin tone. I have to say the colour is great but I tried it quickly earlier today and my face looked a little patchy, but this might be because I quickly zapped it on with my RT Stippling Brush.

Daily Stash

I thought I would share with you guys my daily stash of skincare and makeup that I use, well, on a daily basis. I don't really have a big collection of makeup and beauty products anyway, because I tend to stick with things if I like them, and once they've finished I will buy either the same product or something to try new.

As you probably know, my love of Nspa is huge now, and I recently picked up 3 more items, all of which are above. I'm pretty sure I'll be using this brand for the rest of my life, I love it that much. I particularly love the oil, despite being a new item in my skincare stash its become one of the most important. I love the fact that you need two tiny tiny drops to make your face smooth and supple. I have really noticed a difference in my skin after using these products, and I'm always looking out for any new products in their range.

My daily makeup products rarely change now I seem to have find myself a go to look just for work and daily use, I rarely go out after work other than just Luke's house and I take my makeup off after work if that's all I'm doing so the products are quite basic.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think to them?

My Spending Ban

As of the first of April, I will be on a spending ban. Duration: the longer the better, but at least until June.

Now I'm getting that little bit older and realising how much things are going to cost, i.e a house, I really think it would be good for me to start saving some pennies. Luke and I have both agreed that the first house we buy will be our only home, and that's why I need to start saving up, we don't want to rent somewhere and spend a lot of money on somewhere that we aren't going to stay in.

I set myself some rules, because otherwise I will buy something and try to justify it in every way possible.

Rules;
 - I can only buy things I have ran out of, and it must be the same product or a cheaper alternative, no upgrades or trying new things.
- If there is an occasion where I need to spend some money for presents or something then that's okay. (I also have no birthdays or anything planned that I haven't bought and prepared for).
- No more makeup!!


I think those cover everything, but please let me know if you can think of anymore for me! I will update you guys every now and again with how its going. Please leave tips if you're on or have been on a spending ban and are urging to buy new things as I'm sure I'll get to that stage too.

Wish me luck!!

5 Things I Wish I Could Do.. #UPDATE



courtesy of pinterest

1. Dress my body in accordance with its shape.
I literally suck at buying clothes that suit my shape, I never even think about whether it will suit my shape when I buy it. If I like it, I buy it. Its quite bad really, my mums always telling me how my low rise skinny jeans don't fit me right, but I for one, aren't really sure what shape I am, or how to dress it! This is something I really wish I could do, because then I'd look nice all the time.. right?
I suppose I do this better now, since posting this originally I've lost around a stone and a half, so my clothes fit better anyway. I think I've got the hourglass figure, but with also some pear as my thighs are quite big and don't slim down very much, but I do have a waist that does go in in the middle... so abit of a nightmare but I'm getting there!!

2. Reliably do the perfect winged eyeliner and have the confidence to wear it out the house.
I bought myself Soap and Glory's Supercat liner being told that it makes getting that perfect flick simple. Either people fib or I'm just awful, probably the latter. I bodge it up every time and end up with a thick slug sitting above my lashes. Unbelievably this isn't a good look.
This actually isn't something I wish I could do anymore.. I'm all for no makeup makeup, (aka laziness), and my eyes are quite small so eyeliner doesn't actually make me look any better.

3. Take more time out with my mum and dad.
Day trips and long weekends away seem to be a thing of the past now my brother and I are older. We don't get on and quite frankly I'm not bothered by that fact, but I really wish I could spend more time on the weekends with my mum and dad visiting somewhere new. We went to Nottingham a few weekends ago and it was brill. Now I'm older I've realised actually how much of a laugh they both are and now I'm not a sulky teenager (quite) anymore I really do love their company.
Happy to say I do this now! We spend a lot more time together and it's really great. My parents are ace!

4. I wish I had a creative hobby.
I know blogging is quite creative, but something that wasn't so personal that I could share with everybody. My mum is a wonderful crafter and makes cards, don't get me wrong the amount of time she spends doing them is ages, but I wish I had something similar that people knew about and enjoyed.
This one is half there... I now read more, which I've always loved doing, ok so it isn't THAT creative, but I do use my imagination lots. I bought an 'adult' colouring book too, and no it isn't what it sounds like, its basically patterns and 'grown up' images as opposed to dinosaurs and fairies (which actually wouldn't be a bad book...)

5. Cook.
Luke is a great cook and every time we spend an evening at his house he cooks us the nicest meals, but unless my mums cooking he often gets chicken nuggets and chips from me. I prefer to bake, but Luke doesn't like sweet things, including cake!, so I'd quite like to know how to cook proper food to surprise him. Do you guys know of any beginners cook books I could buy and try a few things? I know we have a couple of Jamie Oliver's books, but any others?
This is the only one I haven't done and still can't do! I bake, not cook. That's just how it's going to be I'm afraid!

Are there any things you wish you could do?

The Lowdown: Ezcema, ft. Senzimi Skincare

Having eczema has always been a pain in the jacksy for me, it's meant I can't go swimming very often, I can confidently use only one brand of body care and many other problems that without knowing actually effect my buying patterns and how I have to look after my skin.

I get eczema on my entire body, including my face; and during the winter/colder months my eczema attacks me more than usual, due to the ever changing temperature of warm indoors to freezing outdoors. Deciding whether to try a new skincare brand usually takes me a couple of months of laborious research and emailing companies to see whether they do particular ranges for eczema riddled skin. Most don't get back to you, or most only do a 'sensitive' range, which nearly always fails me.

If you've read my post about nspa and their products then you'll know I have finally found my skincare solution. All bar one, moisturising my face. This is still a problem for me as my Bioderma is thick and greasy, meaning I break out but my eczema is clear, and anything else leaves my skin relatively break out free but dry and flaky.

This is where Senzimi comes in. I had been in touch with them backwards and forward regarding their skincare range for sensitive skin, and I was feeling quite confident that their products would work for me. They super kindly sent me samples of their Sensitive Moisturizer (face formula) and their Sensitive Cleanser, also face formula. - I am now pretty sure I have cracked my skincare problems and have found my ultimate solution.

Senzimi incorporates a range of products that are all between 90 – 99% natural that can be used as part of a skin and scalp cleansing, nourishing and protection routine. Our focus is not on ‘curing’ any particular skin complaint, as legally we can’t say this and many skin diseases can't be cured, but more on offering individuals with difficult skin, the opportunity to have a daily skin and hair care routine, using products on their skin that won’t further irritate it. Because we formulate with ingredients that relieve itching, inflammation, soreness or redness, many of our customers do see some sort of improvement in their skin overall.

 

Left - Moisturizer. Right - Cleanser

What're they like then?
The moisturizer is my favourite out of the two, it's so light and quickly absorbs into the skin without leaving behind any residue or greasy-ness. Both products have a scent to them, but it isn't one that is too strong or artificial, it's very lemongrass like. I also love the fact that the moisturizer is 99.77% natural, and the cleanser is 95%.

I have now introduced both these products into my skincare routine and love them so much. They work really well with my nspa products and I can already tell a difference to my skin. My eczema is no longer red, dry or sore, it's plump and is actually starting to disappear in some areas, like my forehead and cheeks - hallelujah!

If you have eczema and are struggling, I really recommend trying this brand out, or even if you don't and you're just looking for something a little more organic and natural, I don't think you could find more natural products out there.

Visit Senzimi here.

Please note, I was sent these samples for review, however all of the above views are my own and I have not been influenced at all by Senzimi to say the above things.

A little apology

Hi guys.

As you may, or may not have noticed last week my posts were more or less non existent. I didn't mean to only post twice but I had a loss in my family in the form of my darling Nana. She was such a wonderful lady and her death really hit me hard.

I spent all week moping and I really didn't feel like writing or taking photos so I hope you understand why I didn't post. Luckily I had had the two posts pre-written and ready to go so I didn't leave you guys entirely without any new posts.

I'm feeling better now and I've enjoyed blogging today and hopefully I will be back to normal from now on :) thanks for staying with me, I just needed a little time to recoup.

Thanks girlies, and boysies. :)

Blemished Skin? No problem.

Spots and other blemishes appearing on your face can be a bummer, especially if your skin was clear the night before or you've got something planned that you wanted to look your best for. Despite having dry skin I also suffer from spots, mostly those annoying under the skin spots that never come out, just sit there all high and mighty. I thought I'd share the products I reach to when I'm having a bad skin day and those which I use daily to keep those buggers at bay.

I think everybody knows that Tea Tree is one of the best ingredients for fighting spots and preventing them from coming back, I know when I have little knowledge about skincare I always looked out for tea tree or witch hazel when searching for the miracle product to get rid of my spots. The Body Shop's Tea Tree facial wash is a product I have used and rebought again and again. A 250ml bottle lasts me just over a month with twice a day usage. This doesn't foam too much on your face and so I really feel like it moisturises as well as clearing out all those impurities and oily areas. The smell can be too much for some people, I know my boyfriend won't use anything with tea tree in because he hates the smell. I quite like the smell, it can be a little strong and it stings like hell if you get it in your eyes but it keeps those spots away!

Although everyone seems to hate Clearasil for being too stripping on the skin by using too many chemicals, I find their Rapid Action Pads brilliant for those days where all of a sudden these spots have decided to say hello to the world. I only use one pad and apply it to only the areas where I have the mass army of spots - if I apply it to my whole face my face becomes dry and tight. These are good if you use them in the morning, as they reduce the redness and soreness of spots during the day. I don't use these everyday, only when I need them. I found using them everyday was too much for my skin.

Freederm gel is something that I think used to be, or is now, only available on prescription. I bought this from my local chemist who recommended it when my spots were very large, red and sore and there was lots of them on my forehead. (I used to have a bigger fringe that was far too heavy and I regret it entirely). This gel is brilliant for targeting one spot or a few that are dotted over your face, it stings like hell if you've broken the skin, but like the Clearasil pads works well to reduce redness and inflammation.

Once a week I will use Boots own brand Tea Tree and Witch Hazel peel off face mask, I found that despite it being Boots' own brand it's a lovely mask and really draws out impurities and black heads from my skin. I used to suffer quite badly with black heads on and around my nose, but since using this mask weekly they've disappeared and my pores have reduced in size. You put it onto a dry face, wait 5-10 minutes and peel off. The only thing I don't like about this is that if you don't leave a line around your face on your jaw line peeling it off can take forever, especially if you don't get big chunks at once.

Have you tried any of these products? Or any others you'd recommend for blemish prone skin? Let me know!

x

Deborah Milano launches in UK.

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Deborah from Deborah Milano, an Italian cosmetic and beauty brand who are launching in the UK. I jumped on the chance to try some of their products and Deborah kindly sent over some foundation and BB cream samples for me to try.

Foundation:

BB Cream:

The switches above compare the shade Fair in both products to my No7 foundation (left on both swatches) that I was colour matched with. As you can see the difference in shade looks huge, however when I blended it in using my RT buffing brush the strong colour blended beautifully and you couldn't tell that the shade I was wearing was different to my natural skin tone. They added colour to my face without making me look like I'd been tangoed, but it was so easily blendable that I think I would have done something terribly wrong to get lines between my face and neck.

Although they both say they are for normal/combination skin and are mattifying neither product clung to my pesky dry bits. So you girlies with dry skin out there please don't be put off by these not stating suitable for dry skin.

Another thing I loved about these is that when I looked at the shades online, the actual swatch and product shade are really close and accurate, a plus when buying online. I've had a couple of bad experiences where the shade online is totally different to the shade in real life.

I might even swap my trusted No7 foundation for the BB cream or foundation sent to me, these products are really good and long lasting. I wore the foundation to work, with primer but no setting powder and it lasted all day and up to about 7pm that evening. I've been longing after a foundation that does that, my No7, although from the lasting perfection range doesn't seem to last a work day, I find it slips off on my dry areas like my cheeks and forehead. Maybe I'm converted to Deborah Milano.

I really recommend your check out the site, the products are really well priced and the quality of products are fab. http://www.deborahmilano.com/en/

Have you tried any of their products? Leave me links below :)

Leibster Award #1

I was nominated for the Liebster Award from the lovely Wendy at sugarkissesbeauty. I have been nominated for this aware before, but that was when I first starting blogging here, so I don't really think it reflects my 'new' blog as it is now.

RULES1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator has set for you, plus create 11 questions for the people you've nominated to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post. (I'm only linking 5)
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs!
11 Facts about Me

1. I have issues trusting people and letting people in

2. I own a 3DS XL and play on it at least 2 hours a day (it's not an addiction.. honest)

3. I also own an XBOX 360 which I play on at least an hour a day

4. I'm 5" 3 and quite like it

5. My favourite flower/plant is the orchid

6. I hate clothes shopping and will refuse to try anything on

7. I drink at least 6 cups of tea a day, each with 2 sugars

8. I want to honeymoon in Disney World Florida

9. I love planning ahead in everything

10. I used to be, and still kinda am at weekends, a 'tomboy'

11. I love reading books and still own a Kindle

My 11 Questions to Answer

1. What is your favorite part about blogging?
Besides the obvious not feeling guilty about buying things, the community and blogger chats make it so much more enjoyable and speaking with people who share the same interests is great.

2. What is the most interesting thing you have learned about blogging in general?


3. What or who inspired you to blog?
I had originally had a blog which wasn't about beauty or any one particular thing, it was mostly about goings on in my life. I then started getting into YouTube videos and Este and Gemma really got me into blogging about beauty.

4. How many hours do you put into your blog?
It depends, probably an hour or two writing up posts for the week, and probably an hour photographing. It depends on my mood, sometimes I will spend only 30 minutes photographing, that's on a good day. When I'm not really in a great mood photos take me forever because I lose interest and get distracted.

5. Which post of yours do you find the most interesting?
To write, it would probably be reviews on products that no one else seems to want to talk about. I love reading reviews on products that I'd never have thought about before, instead of the same products that nearly everyone's harping on about.

6. Who is your favorite blogger?
I don't really have a favourite to be honest. I really love Kate's blog, and find myself reading the majority of her posts, but then I really love the smaller blogs like mine where everything's a little messy and not perfect.

7. What is your favorite beauty product?
Tough question. It would probably be mascara on a whole, because without mascara I feel very under the weather and abit grim. Specifically I love the Natural Collection mascaras and Max Factor's flash lash effect is good too.

8. What is the most interesting thing about you that your readers may not know?
I don't really know to be honest. I'm quite open when it comes to writing and posting so I think most people know most of my interests. Plus, I don't really do anything all too interesting anyway!

9. Where do you see your blog in a few years?
Hopefully it will still be going and I'll have the same following that I do now, getting 'big' isn't all important to me, I love getting comments from other bloggers and just an even view count. I'd rather have a few people coming back than lots of people only looking once or twice.

10. What kind of products do you prefer to review?
I like reviewing everything, but I'd like to start getting into different categories, as opposed to just beauty or skincare, because there are so many beauty bloggers out there it can be difficult to get your review spotted over another. That's another reason I like to review products that no one's really heard of.

11. Do you take all of your blogs pictures?
Majority, yes. All product photos are taken by my very unskilled photography hands and then brightened a little using PhotoShop express.

Nominee Questions
1. If you could do anything different about your blog, what would it be?
2. Do you share your blog with friends/family?
3. How did you start to tell and show people about your blog?
4. What's the worst thing you hate doing in terms of your blog?
5. What sort of blog would yours be if it wasn't what it is now?
6. What is your favourite type of post to read about?
7. Are there any products you really wish you hadn't bought but did because of other bloggers?
8. Are there any secrets you don't like to tell people about yourself?
9. What's the best item you've bought yourself?
10. How do easy/difficult did you find getting your blog out there?
11. If your name had to be just one letter, which letter would you pick?

I nominate:
Nadine
Crissy
Alex
Julie
Jade

Review: Monu Skincare Tanworx Self Tanning Foam

I was recently contacted by Monu Skincare to test out their Self Tanning Foam before it goes on sale on their website. Being an absolute virgin to self tan/fake tan and any other forms of fake tan, I was abit apprehensive and wasn't sure whether this was an offer I should take up, however after speaking with a friend of mine who is always fake tanning she persuaded me to try.

Monu are a predominantly skincare brand and their products are mainly targeted at us girlies (and men) who are looking for wholly natural and organic products.

 At MONU skincare we strongly believe in the resourcefulness of nature and the powerful properties natural products have to offer. We respect the environment we live in.

They very kindly sent me their Self Tanning Foam in shade Fair - Medium, and the colour is so natural and beautiful I couldn't quite believe it, giving that when I swatched this it is incredibly dark!

 I have always been 'more tanned' than the rest of my family and my friends, I don't have that sun kissed glow going on unfortunately, but my skin is definitely not pale and white. I struggled to get before/after pictures that did this product justice. The colour is instant and develops further over the next 3 hours. I also like how this can be used on both your body and face, I'm not sure whether all fake tans do this but I think that's a good thing.

My left leg, as in the picture is immediately after using the fake tan. So if you're a sucker for instant gratification you should try this out! My right leg as in the picture is without. As you can see, the bottoms of  my legs are not too pale, it's my thunder thighs which changed the most.

So.. what's it like?
I'm converted to fake tanning, that's for sure. This leaves me with such lovely warm golden brown skin in minutes and there's no waiting time for it to dry. Once you apply it to your skin and rub it in it disappears, leaving your skin so soft and smooth. There's no rubbing off of colour onto your clothes or bed sheets either, which is a plus. I didn't use a tanning mit either to apply this and still achieved streak free results.

Even with my sensitive skin that is dry in most places this didn't stick or highlight the drier areas. I simply put this on after coming out of the shower, I did moisturise my most driest and eczema prone areas but it applied wonderfully everywhere, without moisturizer.

The only thing I dislike about this is the packaging, the bottle itself works well and has a pump mechanism. It's just when you shake the bottle to foam the contents I found some dripped out the pump and ended up going all over the lid.

Have you tried this product? It retails for £20 per bottle, but is definitely worth it! I'm definitely going to be using this up and repurchasing.

Please note, this product was sent to me to gain a review but all views above are my own and I would never get paid to fib about a product.

This week I've been..

As part of my attempt to incorporate more lifestyle-y, get to know me type posts I thought I would share with you guys a few of the things I've been doing and getting up to this week.

Work has been incredibly busy this week as our company is expanding and quite frankly the 5 of us are only just getting through by the skin of our teeth. The new clients are great but there is so much 'background' stuff that needs to happen before they can start officially. Because of this lists have been my ultimate best friend, I've had sheets after sheets of paper with lists of what needs to be done immediately, what needs to be done but can wait etc. I've only been there since November 2013 but I can already feel like I'm a big part of the team, I'm trusted with so much important stuff that if I sit down and think about it it makes me want to cry with how things could go wrong if I forget something. I love it though, being responsible for other people in the team and clients makes me feel important and actually valued at work.

My other half has been working away each week in Preston Wednesday to Friday, which is strange for me because usually we aren't apart for more than a day or two. With him being away and working pretty much 8am-9pm each day I find myself at a loose end once the working day is over. To fill this gap I've found myself reading more, playing on my 3DS XL (sad to some, I know) a lot more and it's made me realise how important doing those things are. Although I missed him whilst he was away I got time to spend just doing nothing, spending time with my family and just enjoying the little things. It's also made me go shopping more, which isn't such a good thing..

I've decided that I'm going to do that more often, just take an evening 'off' and play games or something. I know people may find this sad but I love my 3DS and my Xbox.. Who else is the same?! Let me know!

The reason for the quote in the picture that I pinched from Pinterest is because actually, I can relate to this. A while ago I was in a dead beat job (for me) and I didn't like it, but I was too worried to 'move' and I was worried about what would happen if I just left, poof. Left with no second plan, nothing. But somehow I plucked up the courage and left, I quit and went on holiday for a week with Luke for my birthday. Weirdly enough I felt brilliant. When I came home and realised I didn't have a job, I still felt great. Now I have a job that I love with people who are lovely, so I can happily said that I'm so glad I took that leap because otherwise I would probably still be working in that very same job, unhappily.

You guys will have to let me know if you enjoyed this kind of post, and if you'd like to see them more often! I, as a reader of blogs, always think it's nice that people know more about you than just the products you use/like.

x

Night Skincare Routine

Today's post is going to be an insight into my night time skincare routine, so I should probably start by explaining that my skin is in no way normal and is very combination. I have oily areas, very dry areas and quite spot prone/scarred areas, so finding products for me can be quite difficult. Throw all of that in with the fact I also have eczema and incredibly sensitive skin I thought I would never find a skincare routine that worked for me - until I found the nspa range.

To start of getting 'un' ready for bed, I use the nspa Ultimate Cleansing Tonic. This comes in the form of two separate liquids which you mix together and use on your face with a cotton pad. I always cleanse twice, just to make sure I get 99.9%.

I then move onto step 2, the skin renewal gel. This is an incredibly gentle and natural exfoliator which does so using fruit extracts. You put this onto your skin in circular motions, leave for 2 minutes, so the gel breaks down into an oil, then work the oil into your skin for a further 2 minutes. I then get my muslin cloth and soak it into hand hot water. The muslin cloth goes onto my face and I leave it to lift the gel for about 5 minutes before wiping and removing all the gel.

Step 3 is my favourite product, you put this all over your face and let it soak in for about 20 minutes, then simply wipe away any excess with a cotton pad. This leaves my skin so plump, hydrated and soft. It's definitely one of my must have products out of the range.

Finally, I finish my skin off with my Bioderma moisturizer. Bioderma is probably most commonly known for the cleansing solution, and my parents picked this moisturizer up for me by mistake when they went to France, but I'm so glad I got this and not the cleansing solution. This moisturizer is heavy duty, without being thick and gloopy. I use this all over my body but it's so light that it can be used for the face as well. I also have now started replacing the Bioderma on nights where my skin is not too dry with Senzimi's moisturizer, which is brilliant. I have a review about this coming up this week!

Have you tried any of these products? I would love it if you gave my little blog a follow on bloglovin' too!

Barry M Silk Paint

I love Barry M nail polishes, and I'm always on the look out for their new releases - along comes Silks. The collection currently features 5 beautiful pastel colours that when on the nail are aptly named silky.

White nails are quite a big trend at the moment, and I thought I'd introduce myself subtly using this Pearl Silk paint. It's a beautiful white/cream colour and I love it already. I painted my nails yesterday using this and I've not had a chip since.

I love this polish, it's not pure white, but it's not in your face white either. I also picked up the brown shade and will without a doubt be showing that at some point. I'm really taking a liking to white nails, they look so fresh and make my skin look even more tanned which is always a good thing!

Have you bought/tried any of the Silk paints yet? Barry M is currently on 3 for 2 in Boots along with nearly everything in store! They're definitely worth looking at :).

Xx

Start up kit on a budget

About a week ago I got in touch with Taylor who blogs over at Taylor's Collection, link here, who was looking to do a blog collab and I thought seeings as I've never done one before, why not?! We both decided to do a 'start up kit' type post to show what great beauty products are out there to make up a starter kit for someone new to makeup - all with a budget of £20. Make sure you go and check out Taylor's post too to compare my products to hers!

Base:
I'm still a lover of the BB cream and I think they're excellent starting blocks for someone coming into wearing more makeup or starting wearing it at all. The Garnier BB cream is my favourite and it's one I will always repurchase. BB creams offer light coverage which is easily buildable to medium whilst moisturising and keeping the skin looking natural. I personally love their dewy finish as it gives the skin a very natural and young look. Garnier's BB cream comes in at £9.99, so nearly half the budget but it's a great product and I think the most expensive item should always be your base. This also applies flawlessly with your fingers - saving me some budget!

Mascara:
This wasn't a toughie for me, I knew straight away which mascara was going on this list. The Natural Collection Lash Definition mascara is definitely one of my favourite mascaras ever, and for £1.99 it's a bargain! I buy all my mascara in brown because I prefer the way it looks and how it looks a lot more natural opposed to black. This mascara curls and separates your lashes without making them look like spiders legs.

Eyeshadow:
MUA Undress Me Too palette is a very good dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette and is so much cheaper (although I own both).. I find this palette so multi tasking, I use the light brown shade for my eyebrows, the light shimmery shade for highlighting and the other colours as standard eyeshadows. For £4 you really can't go wrong with this palette.

Blush:
This Rimmel blush was the only blush I owned until recently when No7 had a 3 for 2 offer on and I picked up my current foundation. I don't wear a lot of blush, and don't really wear it for 'blush purposes', I tend to wear browner shades of blush with hints of pink in and I use them just to add colour to my whole face, as opposed to just on the apples of my cheeks. I picked this up for £2.50 from my local chemist, so I'm not entirely sure whether it's still around, but it's a brown/pink shade and it has hints of light freckles to highlight.

So those are my recommendations for anyone starting out wearing makeup on a budget, as someone who doesn't wear a great deal of makeup myself these products would complete my daily array of makeup, so I apologise if I've missed anything out that you think is important!

My total spend would be £18.48, so I'm a teeny bit under budget, maybe a tin of Vaseline for your lips and that would be budget over.

Make sure you pop on over to Taylor's blog post to compare the products we've suggested and see her picks for a start up kit! Here link is http://www.taylorscollectionn.com/, her blog is great and she's always coming up with new ideas and posts so make sure you give her a follow :)

The Unloved Collection

With most products you go out and buy, after using them you're happy and glad you bought them, but there are always some products that you think 'damn, what made me buy that' or 'this really doesn't work' and they leave you both disappointed and out of pocket. Being a predominant beauty blogger, this happens to me a lot, more than I'd like, which is why moving forward I'm not going to buy things just because everyone in the beautyworld is talking about them.

Anywho, I thought I would share with you some of the products I bought, either because they were hyped up in the blogging community, or just because I thought they looked and sounded good in the shop but then since using them I've been left feeling a little 'oh..'

Superdrug's Vitamin E Day Cream
I bought the Superdrug Vitamin E day cream after buying their night cream of the same line and loving it. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the day cream, it has a texture similar to sudocrem, which really isn't nice applying to your face before primer and makeup. In terms of moisturising my face this didn't do it for me, it was thick and would sit on my skin, so when I got round to putting makeup on everything just sort of sat on my skin, which of course didn't look good at all. I tried using it at night when my night cream had run out to see if it was better as a night cream, but I'm pretty convinced most of it rubbed off onto my bedding and didn't actually soak into my skin - not good!

Garnier Pure Active Face Wash
At first try, this product seemed to really work, it cleaned my skin and left it feeling fresh and spot free. The more I used it the drier my face became, and after each use my skin was left tighter and drier. Being someone with dry skin, it's really important for me to get products that clear my skin, but not by stripping it entirely of its natural moisture. I really like Garnier as a skincare brand, they were the only brand I used before nspa came along, so I thought this product would be okay, but unfortunately not. It may be great for someone with oily skin as works really well at removing excess oil and it clears spots quickly.

Salle Hansen Insta-Dry Topcoat
Weirdly enough I've recently seen people raving about this top coat in either favourites or just standard posts, I really want to like this because I do like Sally Hansen's other nail products, but this just doesn't do it for me at all. I found my nails chipped after a couple of hours, even quicker than wearing them without this topcoat. Whenever I wore this I always got little air bubbles underneath, even though my polish underneath this was 100% dry, when I put this on air bubbles would appear and it would bug the hell out of me. Nail polish, for me, has to look the best it can be, one little scratch and I will repaint the nail.

Maybelline Baby Skin
This is definitely a blogger inspired purchase, I saw this product in blog post after blog post and being someone who had never tried primers I thought this would be a good one to try to get me into wearing primers as a whole. On the most part it did that, I now appreciate primers and think they're a good step in applying my makeup, but I just don't like this on in particular. It left my dry skin slimy and feeling oily, and during the course of the day my makeup would disappear in areas where usually it's very dry and stays all day.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Again, another product which is 100% blogger inspired. Everybody seems to love this concealer! I bought it in shade 3 and the colour was great, but the formula of it is far too thick and cakey for me. It clung to my dry patches, and it was just too heavy. I like my makeup to feel light and barely there, but with this I found myself itching to take it off an hour after I'd put it on. I also felt it enhanced and made any spots or scars that I was trying to cover up more noticeable..

Avon Quick Dry Spray
When it comes to my nails it's always sod's law that I paint them, and then I'll have to do something and they'll get ruined. When the instant dry sprays came out I was immediately intrigued. I bought this from Avon for I think about £4-£5, so not too expensive - thankfully. This leaves a horrible slimy lotion on your fingers and anywhere it gets sprayed, I tried washing it off but its no good. Your hands are shiny and slimy and they don't dry for ages after. The spray dried the top coat of my nail polish fine, but if you smudged or touched the nail the entire nails polish would slide around and look awful.

Have you tried any of these products and felt the same? Or totally different? Let me know! xx

Guest Post: How to style mom jeans

Hey everyone :) I'm India, I blog over at Touchscreens and Beautyqueens. Me and Chloe found we were both interesting in doing guest blogs over a Twitter chat and after reading her blog, I thought her chatty style was a perfect match for me! Today's post is just on how to style mom jeans. I LIVE in mom jeans! I have three pairs and I just love them. I have really skinny legs which I hate, so wearing mom jeans helps me to balance them out, but they are also super flattering if you're a pear shape and have bigger legs!

Because mom jeans are quite casual and a bit frumpier than your skinny jeans, I prefer to dress them up with boots and cropped shirts and jumpers to give the outfit an glamorous edge. As they are high waisted, they go nicely with tight tops and crop tops to give you a smooth silhouette.

I often wear mine with oversized t-shirts, and then dress it up with heels to stop it looking to casual and bag lady like! Because mom jeans leave a bit of ankle exposed, they are perfect for wearing with cute ankle socks and ankle bracelets as well.

Mom jeans work best with oversized accessories as these help to balance out the jeans- think long necklaces and oversized tote bags. Anything too dainty leaves your jeans looking huge and out of proportion!

How do you like to wear mom jeans?

Instagram | Twitter | Bloglovin'

River Island Cut Out Beige Heeled Boots
Topshop Mom Jeans
New Look Mint Cropped Jumper
Miss Selfridge Frilly Sock
Topshop Cropped Sweater
River Island Aztec Cropped Shirt
River Island White Gladiator Sandals
Beige Tote Bag
Arrow Head Necklace
New Look Black Racer Vest
Asos silver rings

What's on my face?

My first 'what's on my face' post! I'm very excited, but quite nervous. I don't like the thought of posting my face bare and even with makeup on on the internet, it's a scary thought! I was talking to the lovely Chloe yesterday at A Girl Behind a Lens, link here http://t.co/Q1QDUU9s5D and we realised we both share the same worry. But, she's encouraged me to just get out there and post it so here it is!

This look is my everyday face, and even to me it seems like an incredible amount of products, but these are my 'go to' products which I'm loving. I thought I'd share with you a before and after photo (this is the scary part) so you can see how use these products.

Before:

 

So, that's my face without makeup, all I have on here is primer and moisturiser. The majority of my 'issues' with my face is my scars from previous spots that I blame on using face wipes to cleanse. I also don't like how my eyelids make my eyes look small and puffy - but hey ho!

 

After:

 

 

I tried to make sure that the photo was taken in the same place to show a true reflection, but I think this is as close as it's going to be. I like my makeup to look as natural as possible, and I'm hoping this reflects that.

 

So that's my first post with my face in! Hope you enjoyed this, would be lovely to hear your comments if you use any products the same as I do for your go to look :)

xx

 



 

New Instagram Account

Hi everyone!

Just thought I'd quickly update you with my new instagram account details 😊

Search cornbreadorvelvet 😊 I'm going to be posting a lot of pictures related purely to my blog from now on so please give it a follow! I follow back always.

Xx

Favourites #1

Hi everybody - how are you?

I'm going to start this favourites series because I think it's nice to just show what I've been loving at the moment. I was going to make it a weekly series but I don't think my favourites will vary that much from week to week, usually I change things up every couple of weeks so I thought it was easier to just write about my much loved things when they change.

As everyone in the UK is probably aware, our current weather is horrendous, and I feel awful for everybody who has been affected by the floods. The icy wind and ever changing weather conditions mean it's very hard to know what to wear and what you'll need. The above gloves I bought from New Look's sale for £3.50 and they have been a god send. Despite being fingerless my hands are protected from the cold due to the very thick wool. Those gloves paired with the almond hand cream leaves my hands so soft all day long despite being in and out of the cold.

I bought Breaking Bad for my boyfriend for Christmas, partly because he wanted it, and partly because I wanted to start watching it too (hehe). Whilst he was away last week, he kindly lent it to me and I've got upto Series 3, Disk 1. I'm hooked. It's such a great series and the plot is insanely clever.

Those are my current favourites, not sure whether these will change much any time soon judging by the weather!

What are you loving at the moment? Anything I need to try out?

REVIEW: Garnier BB Cream (light)

 

Although we may have moved on from BB creams, I think a BB cream is a great product for someone who is perhaps younger, and is just starting to get into makeup. I didn't wear 'proper' foundation until I was around 15, and even then I sparsely used it to cover up the odd blemish. I always preferred powders, they weren't heavy, didn't grease, they were perfect.

 

BB creams are supposed to have beauty benefits within them, although I think of them as a tinted moisturisers with a bit more coverage and staying power.

 

The Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB cream was my first BB cream and I have to say I haven't been interested in trying any others. I love this thing! I chose the shade light, which matches my skin tone and it just makes my face even, bright and radiant.

 

Sorry for the awkward hand swatch, but the colour is such a nice shade. It's not too pink, not too blue - it just matches my skin lovely.

I use this often, as you can tell from the tube, and tend to use it on days when I'm either running late, or I'm seeing the other half or just days when I fancy giving my skin a break from foundation all together. I recommended this to my friend who has oily skin (total opposite to my dreadful dry skin) and she said it works just as well for her too, she wore her usual primer underneath and then applied this and she was very happy with the results. I don't wear a primer underneath when I wear it, but she said she has to wear a primer to control her oil levels.

To apply I use my fingers, because it's quite a thick consistency I don't find my RT brushes apply it very well, I might be wrong and it might just be me who isn't doing it properly though! Or if I don't use my fingers I'll use a sponge or my Ecotools sponge applicator brush.

Have you tried this? What do you think of BB creams? Are they too 2013?

Ps. I'm hoping to post a new review every Thursday - let me know if you'd like a weekly review or not!

NOTD: Nails Inc and Barry M

 

Nails are my one beauty 'thing' that I've always loved. Even before I started wearing makeup, I loved painting my nails. I'm very picky when it comes to my nail polish brands, something which I probably shouldn't be because no doubt there are tonnes of brands out there that have great nail polish. 

 

My ultimate two brands are Nails Inc (newly introduced) and Barry M (my long time favourite). Barry M nail polishes were where my nail love began, I no longer have my original first nail polishes by Barry M but I know for sure that they were the first brand I tried and for a good 3 years all I ever wore. I'd always read/heard the hype around Nails Inc, but it was only until last Christmas that I tried their polishes.. I now have 10.



 



 

I love my neutrals and nudes when it comes to nail polish, but I also love glamming them up slightly with either textured or glitter polish.

 

I'm currently wearing Nails Inc's Basil Street, a lovely nude beige/pink colour as a base, and just on my ring finger (both hands) and little fingers I've added the two Barry M polishes.

 

 

 

I know my mum hates it when I wear nail polish like this, but I quite like it.

Also, excuse my awful straight line of glitter polish and the skin around my nails. - eww.



What's in my bag?

Hello everybody!

 

I recently picked up the Primark version of the Zara City bag, after lusting over the Zara version for so long, but knowing my mum'd kill me if I bought it. When I saw this in Primark I knew I had to buy it, obviously the materials are a lot lower in quality but for the price of £12 I thought why not?! Plus, it's a great way for me to try out the style of bag and see how it works for me before taking the plunge and buying the Zara version (if I can ever get my hands on one).

 

I thought why not showcase this lovely item and show you what I carry around it in! Hope you enjoy.

 



 



This are the items I do not leave the house without, and other bits and pieces usually include lunch and a drink (but they're all boring items).

My Filofax goes everywhere with me and I use it for it's normal organising properties. I actually picked this up on Amazon because it was half price at the time! A great bargain at £17.

My new blogging book also comes with me everywhere, because it's often the most random of times when I think of a blog idea or remember to take photos of certain things! Hopefully this will organise me more as well in the future because I'm thinking of writing daily, well Monday-Friday and have Saturday and Sunday to recoup and prepare the next weeks posts - would you guys like to see more posts from me? I think my twice a week current schedule is a little sparse.

I really love the Almond hand cream from the Body Shop, it's so moisturising and my hands love the stuff, especially at this time of year! I put this on in the morning before I leave the house and then at the end of the day before I leave work to come home. I suffer with dry skin and eczema and this product works wonders for both!

Have you recently done a what's in my bag post? I'm quite nosy so would love to see it!

Holy Grail Skincare Brand

nspa products are produced and used at the UK's Nirvana Spa. They claim that 'Our luxurious ranges are designed especially to treat, care for and de-stress even the busiest people. Created and used by spa professionals, NSPA brings you affordable spa-inspired products to enjoy every single day.'.

I, like most people, are probably always on the look out for new skin care items to implement into our current routine to help get our skin beautiful and fresh, even without makeup. I used to think that makeup was the key to looking great, and I would spend countless hours in Boots looking at all different brands of foundation hoping to find out that suits my combination/dry skin. Now, after becoming a blogger and reading all these tips and tricks and some great skin care blogs, I realise that I need to be focusing my time and attention to skin care, not makeup.

Unfortunately I was one of those people who used to religiously use skin wipes and harsh chemically produced spot treatments.. Boy, do I regret it now. I have now been left with scars on my face from where the spot treatments have harmed my skin - boo. If only I had known about this sooner!

I was browsing the beauty isle in ASDA and came across nspa, that moment was the best moment ever. I bought their cleansing tonic, hot cloth polish and replenishing moisture mask in one swoop. Tried them out and I think a couple of days later returned and picked up the skin renewal gel and the day cream.

I cannot stress enough how amazing these products are, for someone who has problematic skin, due to the fact it's a bit of everything, these products cover everything and my skin has definitely improved since using these products. Their 1,2,3,4 system is brilliant and they do a variety of different products under each number, so you will always find something that works for you.

nspa is a brand that everyone must try! Their products are about £3/£4 each and ASDA normally has them on offer for 2 for £8 or something. nspa is exclusive to ASDA, so you won't find it in your usual Boots/Superdrug but don't let that put you off. They also do a bath and body range, as well as hair care ranges. I've since bought their shampoo and conditioner and that's just as great quality.

I'm currently writing up reviews to each of these products, so if any of them take your fancy, keep checking my blog for more details!

Valentines Day 2014

Hello!

This year Luke and I decided to spend Valentine's Day at home eating pizza and watching Peter Kay's The Tour that didn't Tour Tour, which, by the way, is stupidly hilarious and we both ended up pretty much crying with laughter.

We both aren't of the romantic, show off how much you love each other kinda people. We both know we're happy so :) although, the roses he got me were especially beautiful!

How did you spend your Valentines? Hope you had a great one, single or not!

 

BabySkin vs. Matte Perfect

The Maybelline Baby Skin primer is a product that has definitely been spoken about on quite a lot of beauty blogs and quite frankly I'm still unsure about it. I know that some people love it and find it the perfect dupe to Benefit's Porefessional (something I've never tried) and then there are people like me who aren't really sure whether they like it or not. I do really like the packaging and the tube funnel to dispense the product is really good because I find I can stop the product coming out at just the right place and I don't find myself wiping the funnel onto my hand.

It's a clear gel which has quite a distinct texture - it's almost slimy, almost smooth. It's a strange one definitely. I apply this with my fingers and use it on my entire face; in all honesty I picked this up more for the primer than the pore eraser. It claims to instantly erase pores for smooth looking skin. I'm not really sure about that, it does make my skin feel smooth but I find my skin, which is very dry at the moment feeling greasy at the end of the day, and it's not a look or feel I like.

If I forget to put this on, I don't find myself noticing all that much, so I don't know how to feel about it. I don't think it's going to be a product I'm repurchasing once it runs out. I'm still on the hunt for a good primer so if you have any suggestions please let me know! :)

I'm not too sure whether many people have reviewed or spoke about this, but like I said I'm still hunting for a good primer and when I saw this in Superdrug I thought I might as well give it a try. Despite MUA's low prices I think some/most of their products deliver just as good, sometimes better, than more expensive well-known brands.

Even though I have dry skin, I find when I wear liquid foundation my face can end up oily by the end of the day, especially my t-zone, so I thought I would try their Matte Perfect primer. It's very different in texture than the Maybelline as it is thicker and creamier, and does not feel at all like a gel. I prefer this already because it doesn't leave me feeling greasy or oily before I've even applied makeup.

The look of the packaging itself is nice and clean, however it doesn't have a funnel like the Baby Skin, instead it just has a hole at the bottom and is quite blunt. When I'm squeezing the product out I tend to have to wipe some on my hand to stop any more coming out, it's not a lot but the tube seems to be a lot smaller so I'm not sure whether the little bits will soon add up.

It's slightly scented, but I cannot for the life of me name that smell, it's by no means strong and it's only until you stick it so close to your nose before you notice it. Once I've applied it to my face I can't smell it at all.

I've been wearing both of these for around two weeks now, trying each one under different foundations and I have to say the MUA primer comes out top dog! It seems to make my foundation glide over dry bits, send considering all these awful whether I don't end up looking dry and flaky by the end of the day! I'd definitely buy this again and it's really made me consider getting rid of my baby skin as its made me realise how useless and how much it actually doesn't do a good job.

Have you tried these primers? Would love to hear from ya! X x

Meet Hercules!

Hello everybody!

I am super excited to introduce you all to my gorgeously cute hamster Hercules.

He's a Russian Dwarf hamster and I've only had him about 5 months now but I love him to pieces! He's 6 months old but is about as big as I think he's ever going to get.

This photo always makes me smile because it was such an opportunistic photo and I'm quite proud of it. My driving instructor knits hammocks for pets strangely enough and I asked her to knit me one for Hercules just to see how cute he'd look in it. This photo pretty much shows how adorable he is. She knits them for all small animals and sells them on eBay for a couple of £ a time. If you have a cute little pet and would like to treat them to a hammock Emma's eBay link is http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/emmahunt123.

At the moment I'm looking into making him a better cage, because the one he's in only has the main bottom floor and a half top floor, but I'm thinking about making one myself with wood and other bits and pieces and fitting it into a bookcase that I have in my room.

I will leave you with a photo of a very sleepy Hercules :)

Have you got any pets? I'd love to meet them too!

x

A few little pick me ups

I

Hi everyone! Hope you are all well.

My other half is away this week on a family skiing holiday and he hasn't set his phone up for abroad (I say it's because he's lazy but truth is he probably doesn't want me bugging him whilst he's away hehe) which means I have to endure a whole week without contact. Something that has never happened before, we see each other everyday usually and we're never not in contact, so it's pretty fair to say I've been pretty glum since he jet set.

Bring along a bit of shopping! Yesterday I met up with one of my greatest childhood friends and we went to do a bit of retail therapy and a catch up over KFC. There was a list of products I needed, and none of the above were on this list. Don't worry - the list was boring repurchases like cotton wool pads, hairspray and the like.

There are a couple of other things I bought, gloves & heat protection spray but they didn't photograph very well - probably due to my hideous lighting and horrendous photography skills.

The Bourjois Bronzing Powder is something that I've read about on countless blogs and watched numerous YouTube videos about and always wanted but never picked up. I finally caved and bought it in the shade 52. I've yet to put brush to bronzer so I'm not really sure what the shade will look like or even how to apply this for best results, but usually on a weekend I have more time to experiment and play around with my makeup so hopefully I'll get to try it soon.

 

I bought the Match Perfection Concealer/Highlighter on recommendation from before mentioned friend. I weirdly enough don't bother including concealing and highlighting into my makeup routine, I have scars and my skin doesn't match across my whole face but sometimes I find that I like leaving them to show (a little) just so I feel like I'm naturally even skin toned. I bought this in the shade 030 Classic Beige and the foundation I have is Soft Beige. I wasn't really sure whether to go for the Concealer shade named the same as my foundation or not, but in the end I went for the lighter classic beige.

Revlon's Nearly Naked foundation has also been on many a wish list, but again I've never picked one up. I bought this in a bit of a rush because my stomach was telling me that foundation isn't as tasty as KFC - unfortunately, I bought totally the wrong shade. It's far too light for me and makes me look ghostly. I bought the shade 110 Ivory, I might give this to my friend as she's a lot paler than me and go back and buy a better shade when I'm less hungry, because actually I really like the foundation itself, the formula is quite good for gliding over my drier bits.

Another rushed purchase was the Rimmel Colour Rush in 710 Drive Me Nude. Somehow I thought this was one of their lip tint stains which I already have two of. I tried this last night after buying it and the colour reminded me a lot of my Maybelline Babylips in Peach Kiss. It's a very brown/pink colour.

I've ran out of my clear top coat which was from Maybelline's Colour Show range, it ended up going quite gloopy and didn't apply well at all so I ended up throwing it away. I thought about what top coat to buy and I love Barry M nail polishes, so I thought why not try their top coat? With most of my polishes I don't tend to bother putting any top coat on, but with some of my older, cheaper polishes a good top coat is a must for keeping them chip free.

Have you bought anything recently? Or have you tried any of these products? Would love to hear from you.

x

Monthly Favourites #1

Hi lovelies!

I would never have thought January could go by so quickly! I'm partly glad to see the back of it, not because it was a bad month or anything but it means we're closer to my other half's birthday, and that means I get to spoil him rotten!

Apologies for the mixed bag of favourites this month. I haven't really been 'loving' anything in particular, but these are a few things I've found helped get me through January.

NSPA Moisture Mask
This thing is incredible. I won't speak much about it now because I've got a post coming up on this at some point in the future - keep your eyes peeled. If you have combo skin and like me, really struggle getting things that get rid of those spots, don't irritate sensitive areas and clears up all those dry patches then I really really recommend, no, instruct you to go buy this from ASDA, seriously. This has become my holy grail product of all time with just a week of using it.

Yankee Candle in Soft Blanket
I've always loved Yankee candles, their scents are wonderful, they last forever and there's something comfortable and soothing about a lit candle glowing in a dark room. I've had this about a year now and have still got half, admittedly I didn't use it a lot when I first got it, but over Christmas and into January I find myself coming home and immediately lighting this badboy. The scent makes me feel so warm and cosy, it's exactly how you imagine a freshly washed blanket to smell. mmm.

Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser
I'm pretty sure every blogger has got something to say about this, so I won't bore you with a huge amount of words. With my dry skin and getting dry patches during the colder months my chances of wearing any other foundation other than liquid is more or less 0. I have to wear powder, which doesn't last half as long or look half as smooth. Buying this beauty has changed all that for me, whether it's because I've also changed my skin care routine I'm not sure, but I can wear liquid foundation even during these colder, windy months! It smooths over my dry patches like a dream and the foundation no longer sticks or looks patchy - thanks very much Maybelline.

Tangle TamerMy tangle tamer is a much loved item in my beauty stash, but particularly in winter time. It seems to be getting windier and windier here in the UK and my hair sure is paying the price. After a day at work (I walk about a mile to and from the bus stop to work) I get home and my hair looks like a hay pile. It's coarse, dry and every inch of it is tangled amongst my scarf or a bobby pin. Running this brush through a couple of times, painlessly I might add(!) completely smooths my hair out and makes everything softer and so so much better.


Have you posted about your monthly favourites for January? Leave a link below, would love to hear from you and read your blog!