Recent lipstick purchases.

I have been trying out lots of Drugstore lip products recently!

The first on my list to try were the L'oreal Collection star which I believe have been re packaged. I love both of these shades The colour 'Barely Greige' is a muted grey nude which leaves a slight colour. The second one is called 'Barely Moka' which is a dark brown. I prefer the lighter shade over the dark one as its a lot easier to apply as its a pale shade. Both lipsticks are very moisturising although the longevity is not great. 

On the other hand the colour range is amazing and they have brought out lots of different shade ranges in the collection which are worth checking out. 

Another brand I have been trying out is Revlon, the Ultra HD lipsticks caught my eye as the colours looked so pigmented when I swatched them. I had been on the hunt for a drug store alternative to 'Morange' that isn't so fluorescent. The one I went for is 'Marigold' and I do actually prefer it over the MAC lipstick. The other shade I picked up is called 'Dahlia' which is a deep red verging on burgundy. Its very similar to Rimmel 107 which is an favourite of mine. These lipsticks are super hydrating and pigmented, I find they last a lot longer than the L'oreal lipsticks. 

Maybelline is another popular drugstore brand which I wanted to try. I have used their foundations and eyeshadows but never lip products. I picked up 2 lip polishes. which are a lip-gloss consistency. I picked up the shades 'Glam 1' and 'Glam 9' Glam 1 is a peachy nude colour similar to 'Creme cup' I havent really tried these out but I found both to be very sticky. Although I really like Glam 9 which is a pretty pink colour. I love the colours but the texture is just not wearable. 

Some other lip-glosses I brought are from the Tanya Burr collection. I picked these up for a from a factory shop so they are the older collection with different packaging than ones you can pick up in superdrug. I prefer the consistency off these more than the Maybelline ones although the colour pay off is more shear. Therefore I have been using these with a lip-liner which I find works well. Out of the three colours I picked up: Vampire kiss, Afternoon Tea and Enchanted Forest I prefer afternoon tea which is a nude pink shade. The purple shade 'Enchanted Forest' isn't a colour I wear often which is perhaps why it is my least favourite out of the three. 

Lipsticks are probaly my favourite thing to collect, I pushed the boat out a little by purchasing lip-glosses. The Revlon Ultra HD lipsticks in my opinion are worth buying and I am looking forward to a trip to boots to check out some other shades. 

Thanks for Reading!

In order right to left: Barely Greige, Barely Moka, Dahlia, Marigold, Glam 1 Glam 9 Afternoon Tea, Vampire Kiss and Enchanted Forest. 

An everyday make-up look

This is a look that I regularly go for whether I am just going to Sixth-Form or work. It may seem like a lot of make-up but I love the way it looks!

I started off with the Nivea post shave balm to moisturise! This is such a great moisturiser as is dries really quickly! Then I applied the Bourjois healthy mix foundation using an Real Techniques foundation brush. This foundation is incredible its has great coverage as well as having a dewy finish so it looks very natural. I didn't actually use concealer on this day as I highlighted my under eyes with the Anastasia Beverly Hills  kit as well as contouring with it. Another product I have been loving is the Maybelline master sculpt, its perfect for people with pale skin. I use this to set the cream product in the hollows of my cheeks using the real techniques duo fibre contour brush. I then set my face with the Rimmel stay matte powder using a Real Techniques powder brush. I love this powder as its applies very little colour and helps my make-up to last a lot longer. 

Next I primed my eyelids using the Urban Decay primer potion which is a must have!! Using the Morphe travel set brushes I took a flat brush and placed 'Stark' from the Naked basics 2 all over my lid. Then using a fluffy brush from the same set I placed the colour 'Cover' in the crease and blended it up and out. Then using a Morphe pencil brush I deepened the crease with the colour 'Primal'

I have been loving these Eylure false lashes from the Girls Aloud range, they are very natural looking. I used duo lash glue which is my all time favourite, having tried the Eylure one and other cheaper brands I find that Duo glue is the most reliable and helps the false lashes stay on all day! Next I applied the L'oreal eyebrow pencil in blonde to my eyebrows which I had to darken with a brown from a Makeup Revolution palette as I have just recently dyed my hair darker!
To finish of the eyes I used a mini YSl Mascara Volume Effet Faul Cils mascara  to blend my real lashes into the false ones. I coated both my top lashes and lower ones, this mascara is brilliant for getting the lower lashes as it is a sample which means its slightly smaller.

Finally I used Mac's Honey love on my lips, this as a natural everyday lipstick as it doesn't require too much maintenance. I love wearing this with both a natural eye and also with a more dramatic make-up look.

Thanks for reading! 

Topshop Wishlist!

1. Camel Belted trousers 
2. Ribbed Tunic dress 
3. Black of the shoulder playsuit
4. Paris jumper
5. Stripe mini skirt
6. Khaki dress 
7. White Rain mac
8. Jumper Shirt top
9. A-line skirt 
10. Red Bardot playsuit

My Favorite YouTubers.

For someone who loves fashion and beauty I am constantly on YouTube watching videos like 'get ready with me' or 'Collective Hauls' over the years my subscription box has grown as I have found more and more you tubers who keep me occupied. 

One of the first people I found on YouTube was 

Nicole Guerririo, I can sit and watch her make-up tutorials all day! Her make-up collection is incredible and she does amazing reviews on beauty. I remember when I first got a curling wand I watched all her hair tutorials for curly hair because I had no idea what I was doing! I loved her recent valentines day tutorials where she did a couple of different looks that were suitable for different lip colours, not just red! 

Another channel I am subscribed to is Sarah Ashcroft or 'That Pommie girl' she is not as regular on you-tube as some people but I follow her on Instagram and twitter.  Her blog is beautifully laid out and her outfit posts are wearable. Her fashion sense although being high-end she always wears outfits that are by high-street brands like Topshop and Missguided. Her effortless style with bomber jackets jeans and heels look incredibly, her height and gorgeous long hair are to die for. 

Gracie Francesca is a YouTuber who Is so inspirational, she post beauty, fashion, lifestyle as well as vlogs. She is very honest and her posts on mental health and body image are interesting and have made me think more positively about myself. I think with so many people in social media being what society classes as'skinny' its amazing to have someone who has such confidence speak up and be a positive role model! She really has me made me realize that no matter what size you are you are beautiful and for someone who has struggled to have come to the point in her life to be able to love herself its a real inspiration! She is so honest about her feelings and does not shy away from showing when she has anxiety and is down.

Hello October is a YouTuber who loves high end make-up and bags, She is someone who's fashion sense I find to be similar to mine. She dresses up simple pieces as well as making basics look elegant. I especially love watching her hauls as they also feature things that I would love to buy especially her picks from Asos. I love watching her 'get ready with me's' and seeing what make-up she is enjoying using! Her recent Chanel bag unboxing made me want a 'Boy' bag so bad, but being a student that isn't going to happen for a long time! 

Samantha Maria or Beauty Crush is another You-tuber who I find an inspiration, I fell across her channel a while ago when looking for MAC lipstick reviews and ever since I have been watching her religiously! Her and Jason's vlogging channel is something which I love to watch! Jason, her finance created an beautiful engagement video that captured the moment perfectly. Sammi's style is incredible and her outfit posts so well written with beautiful pictures! A recent video she posted was on her new office/beauty room  it was so sylish and represented her style perfectly! 

Todays Make-up look

Today I was going for a subtle smokey eye with some natural lashes. One thing I missed out in the picture above is the Nivea Post shave balm which i have been using religiously every time I wear makeup. It helps my makeup go on smoothly and also makes it last longer! 

In order of how I apply my make-up I then put Mac Studio sculpt foundation  in NC15, I find this gives me a medium coverage but its very build able. I always wear this foundation on a night out and whenever I think that  I will be out for a long day! although it has SPF15 in so does cause some flashback. On this particular day I wore Mac prolongwear concealer in NC15 which is perfect for my skin as it is slightly lighter on top of my foundation so it lightens my under eye area. I just drew on my eyebrows with a L'oreal brow product which I religiously use! 

After that I used the ABH cream contour palette using the lighter cool tone shade with a small foundation brush from the Morphe Brushes travel set. I put this in the hollows of my cheeks and then blended up slightly. Using the lightest highlight shade I used a larger foundation brush and put it under the contour.  I then set the highlighted areas with Rimmel pressed powder but not the contour areas as I did'nt want to darken it too much. 

I then used the Urban Decay primer potion on my eyelids before putting a dark brown in my crease using another Morphe brush. Then using Suspect all over the lid with verve in the inner corner and on the lower lash-line. I then used a fluffy bending brush to just smoke the shadows out. 

Afterwards I used my favourite holy grail liquid liner by The balm 'stay all day' on my upper lash line and of course created a wing, did it a bit thicker today. Not deliberately its just how it ended up happening. I've been loving using these Eylure lashes from the girls aloud range the ones by Kimberly in no 118. They are slightly darker and thicker at the end of the band but they still look very natural and wispy. 

Following that I pretty covered my lashes in a new mascara I picked up by W7, I was intrigued as its packaging is very similar to the 'They're real' from Benefit. I will admit I find that it makes my lashes quite clumpy but with false lashes on it seems to disguise it. 

Finally I finished the look off with MAC soft and gentle highlighter which is my favourite at the moment! I didn't feel like wearing lipstick on this day so my lips are looking very pale! 

Thanks for reading! 

No social media please...

With social media being such a major part of people lives now days, its easy to forget that there are other things that don't involve the internet or phones! As a student sometimes its difficult to balance school work, my job, seeing friends and family. so you can imagine how difficult it is to actually sit down and do things for myself. 

When I was younger I loved to do art and drawing, so when I chose my GSCE's I decided to do art which I do regret now because after having to fill folders and do a lot of art work I now cant get back into it. But there are many other things that I love to do and on those days were I have got a few hours too kill I love to just turn my phone off and do some of the following things! 

Everyone loves music whether its live or just putting some on in your room. And yes I am one of those people who actually still buys CD's. Recently me and my boyfriend went to see The Kooks live which was a rare occasion as normally I just have loud music turned up in my room! Going to gigs or festivals are great experiences as you really interact with the people around you! Although I will admit that I had my phone out a few times during the gig just to capture the moment! I find that just turning on some music and doing my make-up or reading a magazine is so relaxing and generally puts me in a better mood!

Talking of make-up I find it very relaxing sitting at my dressing table trying out new make-up products! Recently I've been enjoying playing around with different colour eye shadows especially from the 32 colour eye-shadow palettes from make-up revolution. 

Something which has become very popular is adult colouring books, I own a pattern one and also a Vogue Colouring book. As well as being therapeutic its so satisfying once you've finished a page! Also for someone who loves stationary its a good excuse to get my colouring pens out and let lose my inner child. The Vogue colouring book makes me feel a lot more adult especially with the beautiful illustrations of models.

A passion of mine is reading not only do I love reading books but I appreciate beautiful books that  are aesthetically pleasing as well as a good read. I'm the type of person who once I start reading a book I have to finish straight away and cant do anything until the book is completed. Reading a book is the perfect way to immerse yourself into something else other than your stressful or tiring life.

My favourite book of all time is The Great Gatsby but some other books like Alexa Chung's book and how to be Parisian are perfect for when you don't want to read anything to lengthy and you enjoy looking at pictures/photography. I love sitting on my bed and flicking through 'The little book of Chanel' which is full of illustrations and interesting information that yes you can find out online but having it in your hand in paper form is much more satisfying in my opinion. 

I think its important to spend time just to yourself doing things that you enjoy. We can get so caught up in life rushing around that we forget the simple things in life that are relaxing and do not really involve our phones. I hope you enjoyed reading about some of the things that I enjoy doing in my spare time.