Friday 26 September 2014

My eyebrow routine


Eyebrows can be the most important part of your make-up routine. If your eyebrows are defined, they can really help frame and even out your face.

My eyebrows is one feature of my face I actually like. I'm lucky that they have a decent natural arch, so I don't need to do much to shape them. I still love to groom them though, and give them some definition.

I took my eyebrow routine from a tutorial I saw online. It's one that works perfectly for me. It's a very simple and quick routine.

First I comb through Benefit's Gimme Brow to go over the shape and smooth it out. I follow this by outlining the bottom and outer half of my top brow with Maybelline Mastershape brow pencil. I then blend this into my brow using an angled brush. This makes it look really defined but still natural.

If I'm feeling it, I will finish it of by using Benefit High Beam as a highlight under the arches.

The picture below shows my eyes with and without make-up. Doesn't it make a difference!



Sunday 14 September 2014

September Birch Box


It's that time again, when a Birch Box is pushed through my letterbox, and I excitedly open it for my little surprises. This is already my seventh one. Time has gone so quickly!

This month the theme is Happy Days, in which Birch Box are concentrating on creating memories, after having to go back to school after the summer. I like this month's theme a lot, It's such a lovely idea to create memories to remember summer by. I also love the look of the box. It's a beautiful blue and pink, with some really cool designs on. They should make their boxes artsy every month. It's much better than the usual boring cardboard. 

Here's what I received in September's box:


Agave Healing Oil Treatment - This is oil helps to de-frizz the hair and generally make it silky and smooth. The idea is to simply work a small amount through damp hair. I'm looking forward to using this one as my hair can get pretty frizzy, and hopefully this will help to make it look smoother.

Korres Citrus Showergel - For a moment I thought this was the body milk I received a few months back, as the packaging is exactly the same. Luckily it's not. This time it's showergel, and oddly, this is the one I'm most excited about, simply because I adore the scent. This will be a great one to keep for the next time I go away.

Premae Mild Dermabrasion Face & Body Scrub - This is a gentle body scrub that is made from olive granules! Apparently it's also gentle enough for the face. The tub also says it's excellent for use after hair removal. I'm a little dubious, so I want to use after shaving my legs to be sure! 

Benefit It's Potent! Eye cream - I have had a sample of this before when I purchased the Benefit skincare pack. The issue I had with it then was that it was a little irritable on my eyes. It stung a little. It's still the same now, so I think I wil be giving this one away.

ModelCo Lip Lacquer - This is a product that we had sight of beforehand, as we were able to pick from a selection which product we wanted to receive. I chose this lip laquer in the shade Morocco. I'll be honest, it's not what I was expecting. I was expecting something more like Rimmel's Apocalips, but this is really just a sheer lip gloss. In fact, I can't see any colour pay-off at all, but I did choose one that was close to my lip tone so it would look more natural. It's also a little too gloopy and sticky for my taste, but it does give a great shine. So far, I'm not really that impressed, which is a little disappointing.

Birchbox Happy Days Photo Clip - We had a lot of these types of photo holders growing up. It's a simple thing but I like it. I think I mostly like the colour. It's such a lovely blue.

Urban Fruit Smashing Strawberry - I already know I love Urban Fruit so I was very happy to see this. These are delicious strawberry pieces. I'm looking forward to snacking on these.

What do you like the look of?

Friday 12 September 2014

Benefit V.I.P. Spree


I often like to walk through Boots on my way home from work, and spend some time browsing around the make-up. Weirdly, I find it relaxing. On one of these trips, I decided to pick up a mini size of Benefit's They're Real Mascara, and sitting next to it was this little Benefit VIP Spree pack. After a short moment of deliberation, obviously I bought it...

There are three sample size products in the pack; High Beam, Bad Gal Lashes and Sugarbomb lipgloss. It also comes with a voucher for £10 off when you spend over £25 on Boots.com, as well as a voucher for a free makeover at any Boots Benefit counter.All for £9.95.

First up is High Beam, and it's safe to say I have fallen in love with the product. It comes with a little brush which makes it really easy to apply. All I do it is dot some on my cheekbones, blend it in and it looks great. It gives the skin a really beautiful shimmer, and it's not ridiculously obvious. I also use it on my cupid's bow, down the bridge of my nose and under the arches of my eyebrow to highlight my face.

Next is the Bad Gal Lashes. The wand has thick bristles, and is geared more towards achieved voluminous lashes. It's not my favourite type of mascara, so I'm not blown over by it, To be honest, I can't see any difference in what I'd get for a cheaper product. I also found it smudged throughout the day more that the They're Real one does. It's not bad, but I won't be purchasing a full size.

Finally is the Sugabomb lipgloss. The first thing I noticed is that the gloss is scented, and I'm really not fond of it. Getting over that though, it applies really smoothly on the lips and made them feel moist and smooth for ages, without being overly sticky. I would describe it as a shimmery, mauve-pink shade. It would be nice, if I could get over the scent.

Have you tried any of these products?

Wednesday 10 September 2014

I bought some more things

As I mentioned in my little haul post last month, I bought quite a few clothes and jewellery in August. Some of them were so pretty that I really wanted to show you. So here are two of my favourite pieces that I bought last month.


This dress is by the brand Mela Loves London, which I bought from New Look (£22, here). It was the collar that drew me to it. I just love the scalloped edge. I really like that the florals aren't too garish, and I thought it would be perfect to wear to work paired with a blazer. This angle also shows my pretty new ear studs (£2, River Island). I like foxes, and they definitely seem an animal for autumn. this was too cute to pass up.


I wanted a simple tunic dress, so I was happy when I saw this one in Primark (£5).  It fits loosely but looks great. I wore it with a pendant from Accessorize (£7, here). There is a cluster of cute keys hanging from this. It was just too beautiful to pass up. These pictures also shows the sandals I bought at the beginning of august. (£35, River Island) After I bought them, it started to rain a lot, so I didn't get as much chance as I wanted, to wear them. I'm not usually a fan of sandals, but these are perfect.

Sunday 7 September 2014

25 facts about me


I have had this blog for quite a few weeks now, and I thought maybe it was about time you got to know me a little better.

I've rummaged through my photo albums to find some pictures, and racked my brain for some random facts about me. So here is a post that's just a little bit about me.


01. I'm an 80's baby.
02. I live in Nottingham, and I love the city very much.
03. My favourite book is probably American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
04. This week I am starting to learn how to fence (as in the sport, not stolen goods)
05. I have a degree in linguistics.


06. I love tea. I love tea a lot.
07. I am a huge fan of Lord Of The Rings, and was obsessed with it when I was at school.
08. I managed to read Lord Of The Rings in two and a half weeks; a fact I am immensely proud of.
09. I constantly drink cordials. I especially love Elderflower because it's so delicious.
10. I can speak some Japanese. I have taken two levels of it, and hope to go onto the third.


11. I love to play board games, and frequent a monthly games night in Nottingham.
12. I once superglue'd one of my eyes shut, and the hospital had to get it open by cutting through my eyelashes (don't worry, they've grown back)
13. I prefer sorbet to ice cream. Sorbet is ridiculously delicious, and I particularly love raspberry and mango flavours.
14. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 24.
15. After going to Holland, I have become addicted to Stroop waffels.


16. I have a passion for baking. My speciality is cupcakes. Though, I've not been able to find the time recently to bake as much as I'd like.
17. The books that I have read multiple times are the Harry Potter series. I may even start reading them again!
18. David Tennant is my favourite Doctor.
19. I am beginning to gather a bit of a mug collection. If I see a cute one, I can't help but buy it.
20. I've tried to watch Titanic once in my life, but got bored and wandered off until the ship started going down.


21. When in Holland, I cracked my head on a beam, and fell off my bike, scratching up my leg quite nastily. It was a very eventful trip.
22. I have a fear of immersing my head in water.
23. I enjoy walking. Whether it be a hike, or just a simple stroll along the canal.
24. I love archery so much. I really want to take it up, but every time I try all the courses are full.
25. My most embarrassing moment is when I was in year 3 at school. I got my finger stuck in a radiator during assembly, just as everyone else was sitting down.. I still have visions of my teacher running towards me to the rescue.

Friday 5 September 2014

Primer vs. Primer


A couple of months ago, I got accosted by a lady from the Benefit counter, who offered me an impromptu make-over. It was here that I discovered some of my favourite products.

One of these was the Benefit Porefessional. I fell in love with it straight away. It mattifies, smooths and blurs my face; everything I want it to do. I love the consistency of the product, as it just glides on so easily. It seems perfect. Unfortunately, it does have one, quite big, downside, and that is the price. At £24.50, it may not be feasible to purchase it every few months.

Because of this I have been out looking for a possible dupe. One which is much kinder on my bank balance. I like really into primers which blur. Because I've got oily skin and large pores, they suit me the most.

One that I have tried is the L'oreal Blur Cream. As soon as I used the product I was a bit dubious. It just sort of spluttered out of the tube. I'm not sure if I just a had a dud tube, or if it just does that anyway. Needless to say, that didn't impress me. The cream itself is light and smooths easily onto the skin, but it doesn't have that mattifying texture, which is something I'm looking for. It's certainly not a bad product, but it doesn't have the effect I desire. Though at £9.99. I shouldn't grumble.

The most recent addition to my collection in The Body Shop Instablur. And I do like this one, a lot. It was a little a bit of a surprise at first, as the product is clear and looks a little gel-like. Despite this, it actually has a nice texture on the skin. It blurs my pores and imperfections, and, importantly, it is mattifying. I think it is certainly a contender for my favourite primer, and at £14, it's a much more justifiable.

What is your favourite primer?

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Autumn Wishlist


1//2//3//4//5//6//7

I love autumn. Not only is it my birthday season, but there's Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night, plus Nottingham has the Goose Fair. You know when the air gets crisp that it's almost time for the fair.

With autumn on the way, it's time to start changing my wardrobe around. With the weather dipping so much lately, I've already hunted put my jumpers! To me, autumn is a time for deep colours like purple and navy. It's all about jackets, and jumpers and boots. With the chill in the air it's time to start covering up. It's not quite hat and scarf weather yet, but long sleeves are a must.

I'm actually looking forward to autumn. I'm hoping for lots of good things in the next few months.

What would be on your wishlist?

Contact

Name

Email *

Message *