London Haul

Last month I went to down to London for the day. I went particularly for an Illamasqua make-up lesson. It was called 'Skin Realism', which involved learning what products we could use to keep our skin looking flawless. It was a really good evening, and I picked up some useful tips. However, it did mean that I spent a lot of money in the shop afterwards. I did some shopping earlier in the day too, but, thanks to some unexpected happenings, I ended up with only a hour or two to get some shopping done. I headed to Oxford Street to buy clothes and make-up. I ended up in Kiko, as I've been yearning for some of their Daring Game collection forever. I also bought a couple of pieces from Forever 21, but this post is all about the make-up.

Kiko Top Pairs Blush - It's fair to say that I was sold by the packaging on this. I absolutely love the look so much, it is so gorgeous. After spending probably more time than I should have trying to decide which one I wanted, I settled on '01' in the shades Desert Sand and Rose Coral. they're really beautiful shades. I haven't tried them out as yet, as I didn't want to ruin them for the pictures, but I'm really excited about using them.

Kiko Eyelash curler - I didn't go in particularly looking for the eyelash curler. Mine broke that morning, and so I needed a new one. I completely forgot about it until I saw them on the shelf, whilst I was in the queue. It was good value, and it's good quality so I'm glad I picked it up.

Illamasqua Matte Veil - I was sold on this as soon as I was told it would keep my skin looking matte. I do have oily skin, so I'm consistently trying to find things that can combat it. I think this is great as it keeps my skin matte a lot longer. It doesn't last all day but I can definitely see the difference,

Illamasqua Cream Pigment - This is the cream we used for contouring during the course, It is in the shade 'hollow', which is very matte and perfect for contouring. I never contoured my face before, but I think I am definitely going to start as it really looked great,

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation - I went to the course knowing that I would want to pick up their foundation, and I did. It has a decent coverage, but still looks natural. I love the way it looks. This came with a tube of white skin base mixer. It's mixd with the foundation to help brighten up the complexion.

Have you tried any of these products? Did you like them?

November Favourites

The dark nights and a busy schedule have been working against me and my blogging. The window for taking pictures is very limited, especially with having a full time job, so as you can see it's all meant I've been quite quiet here.

But November has been a busy month in itself. One of the best moments was spending a day down in London, where I went shopping along Oxford Street and had my first make-up course at Illamasqua, which was a really great experience. It was also the month of my birthday, but only small celebrations were had. I did go out for tapas, which I always find delicious (calamari anyone?).

There was also a lot of other great things in November:

Favourite Beauty

In the October Birch Box I received this Pixi lip balm and I have not stopped using it since. It's made using shea butter, so it feels so soft and smooth on my lips. It also gives a little bit of colour to my lips. It's great for the cold days. I'm sure I shall be using it all winter.

I have also renewed my love for the L'Oreal True Match Foundation. Now it is colder, I can wear it without it slipping off my face during the day. I really love the foundation. The shade works well with my skin, and I love the look it creates.

Favourite Skincare

Molton Brown hand creams were another product I discovered through Birch Box. I just had to buy a full size. They're a bit pricey at £10, but they are so worth it. They're not sticky at all, and sink in easily to the skin. This one in rhubarb and rose, smells absolutely delicious.

I have also been using the No.7 eye make-up remover. What really caught my eye about this was how it is two-toned. You shake it up to mix the clear and blue liquids, and then use it from there. My eyes are quite sensitive, but this doesn't irritate them at all and gets rid of all my eye-make-up, including tough mascara!

Favourite Book

November is my birthday month, and my sister got me the Bobbi Brown Everything Eyes book as a gift. I generally don't use much on my eyes, so it's a nifty little book to help me with making my eyes look great. There's quite a lot about glasses, which I don't wear (I wish I did), but there is enough of other great stuff that it's a very useful book.

Favourite Television

This month I have been loving The Apprentice. It is one of my reality TV guilty pleasures, but it is a lot of fun to watch. There's been so many spats this year, and a number of happenings I've been annoyed at. Now we've got quite far through, I'm rooting for Solomon (possibly because he's good, looking but he is a good candidate too) and Katie (because she's brilliant).

Favourite Music



I'll admit it, I have been listening to lots of Tinie Tempah again.

October Birch Box

I am aware we are almost in time for the November Birch Box. However, I have only just received the October one. There was some hiccup somewhere along the way, but the Birchbox team were really great, and helpful and sent me a replacement box. I hope my November box gets to me okay.

But back to October's surprise, I must say that I really love this box. It was so good, that I wanted to share it with you guys. 

Cattier Pink Clay Face Mask - I'm excited about using this. There were two samples in the box, which will help to see how it looks after a multiple uses. I've never actually used a face mask. I know, I know. I should, and I plan to. This will be perfect to give them a go. 

KMS California Hair Play Playable Texture - This is probably the product I am least excited about in the box. I usually use products that are specifically made for making my curls look great. I think I will give this a try and see how it looks, but I'm not sure it would become part of my routine.

Shaveworks The Cool Fix - I do have trouble with ingrown hairs and this product is made to combat that, as well as razor bumps and redness. I'm really looking forward to trying this one.

Pixi by Petra Shea Butter Lip Balm - This is probably my favourite thing in the box. It feels so soft on my lips and has a little colour to it. I received it in the shade Honey Nectar, and it's such a lovely muted colour. It makes my lips look great, I really love it.

Lollipops Nail Lacquer - I'm sure I've said this before but I'm not a fan for red nail colours, so I'm not sure I'll use this one. It seems like a good product, but it's just not the colour for me. I think I may give this one away.

Birchbox Lipstick Pen - This seems a little of little random product. It's a pen, shaped  like a lipstick. There's not more I can say than that.

October Favourites

I can not believe it is now November. I seem to say this every month, but the year is going so quickly.

October has been quite quiet for me in terms of this blog, but my life has been quite busy. I have began fencing, there was a fair in Nottingham, and work has been very crazy. This last week I took a trip down to London to meet a friend, where we went for sushi. Saying that though, there's a lot to look forward to in November (my birthday for one), but here are my October highlights.

Favourite make-up

This month I have found a renewed love for my rockateur blush. It's just a beautiful rose gold shade and looks great on my cheeks. I think it looks great for autumn.

I also enjoy using the Maybelline Eye Eraser. It's good to use if I'm going minimal on my make-up and just want to brighten up my eyes, as well as using it as a concealer over my foundation.

Favourite beauty

I am quite late to the party, but in October I picked up the 'Mint Julips' Lip Scrub from Lush. It smells and tastes delicious, and keeps my lips feeling really soft. I love it.

I have also been using the Dove Dry Shampoo this month and it's great. I think it's definitely my new dry shampoo of choice. It barely leaves any residue on my hair and smells great.

Favourite candle

A Yankee Candle store has recently opened up in Nottingham, and I picked up this spooky holder and candle, in the scent Ghostly Treats, which were perfect for Halloween. I have had this lit for the last week of October in time for Halloween and it's given such a lovely scent to my room. But now Halloween is over, I can start on the Christmas candles.

Favourite gadget

I am pretty much completely in love with my Chrome Cast. It is such a great gadget. It's just a usb sized dongle, which you plug in into the back of your television. Then using your phone, tablet or laptop you can cast such things as Netflix or IPlayer onto your television. It is brilliant. As someone who would watch a lot of things on my laptop, it's great to be able to put it on my TV and be able to work and watch things at the same time.

Favourite tea

In my trip down to London this month I visited the Twinings shop, which I have been wanting to visit for a long time. I was pretty much like a child in a sweet shop. The best thing I bought was this beautiful tea caddy. There were samples to add into the box like a tea pick 'n' mix. Tea-wise I have been in love with the Twining Camomile and Spiced Apple tea. It is perfect for this time of the year and, and as well as being very delicious, it is also relaxing. I love drinking it in an evening to relax before going to bed.

Favourite television



I know I'm about 9 years behind, but this month I have really been enjoying the US version of The Office. I have pretty much been binge watching it and already I am halfway through series 4. It is incredibly hilarious.

Music



I have been listening to a lot of music this month. I use Google Music All Access, and now and then I like to listen to the songs it picks for me. This is where I discovered Florrie's Summer Nights. I really love this song. It's really upbeat and great to bop to.

What have you been loving this month?

October Loot Crate

I must say that I am beginning to become a fan of monthly subscription boxes. I already have two on the go, and even have my eye on a possible third. I've not been able to post about my Birch Box this month, as I've not actually received it yet. The Birch Box team have been really nice about it and are posting me out a replacement. Fingers crossed for this one!

But this post is for the Loot Crate; a subscription box for geeks. It includes things like figures and t-shirts from TV shows, films and games. It's actually an American subscription box, but they have a good deal for international shipping, and best of all, there's no delay on the time it takes to get here. The box costs about £17 per month, and for that you get quite a nice bundle of stuff, in an awesome looking box.

Each box has a theme, and for October it is 'Fear'. You know, because of Halloween and all that. As I mentioned in my previous post I don't like horror, I especially don't like zombies, so I wasn't sure if I would like this box as much as I maybe could.

Luckily I have a family who love The Walking Dead, so I'm sure they're more likely to appreciate the print and the comic. Even though I'm not a fan, the comic is quite cool. It's an actual issue with a Loot Crate exclusive cover. I don't understand the reference in the print, so that's not one for me.

From the rest of this month's goodies, I particularly like the saw. It's actually a secret pen which I thought was really cool. There was also some realistic temporary tattoos of slashes and bites, which were perfect for Halloween; a quick idea for a costume.

The book in the picture is called 'How To Survive a Sharknado' which is actually a full book of how to survive various 'sci-fi' incidents. And then there is the t-shirt. This month it was a skull made from cats, which is very fun.

Finally it comes with a booklet. This one was particularly cool as the outside cover has 3D zombies. They actually look really, really good.

Overall, I really loved this box. I'm looking forward to the next one!