Beauty, Lifestyle & Rambles

Friday, January 8, 2016

Last year was the year of MAC for me. For the past couple of years, I have received MAC products from my parents as Christmas presents and I absolutely loved them but I have never really had the interest of buying my own products, partly because of the price, but also because there are so many other brands that I love. Because of the hype around MAC products though, I started doing some research into them and their best-selling products to see what I should try. I brought a few lipsticks and a blusher and quickly fell in love. I now own 12 lipsticks and a couple of blushes.

For my birthday, I decided to book myself in for a make-over with one of the MAC artists. I really wanted to try some more of their products i.e. foundation, as I'd only ever focused on the things that I knew. I couldn't believe how amazing my make-up was when I left and of course, I had to buy some products! Here's what I brought;

The first product the make-up artist used on me was a softening lotion. I suffer from dry skin around my T-section and always struggle to find a nice product to use before applying my make-up that will be easy and not mean having to wash my face with an exfoliator, but this is literally incredible. My skin felt so smooth and this product is now one of my holy grails. I will be repurchasing this constantly. I also got a foundation which has great coverage and a lovely finish. I will have to purchase a lighter shade of this though as it's a bit too dark for my skin for everyday use.

Lightful C Marine - Bright Formula Softening Lotion and Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15

The next things I brought are part of the Prep + Prime collection. I had a sample of the Prep + Prime skin and loved it. Especially the fact that it had small glitter specs in it. I also got the Prep + Prime highlighter in Radiant Rose. This left such an amazing finish to my skin. I normally always buy powder highlighters as in the past I haven't really gotten on well with liquid ones but this one is a dream to blend.

Prep + Prime Skin and Prep + Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose

I then brought a Paintpot in Painterly which is a lovely nude colour that can be used as a base or alone. The colour makes my skin look super flawless. I also got a fluidline in Blacktrack which is very creamy and very easy to apply.

Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly and Fluidline in Blacktrack

Then, I brought a lip liner in burgundy. The artist used a lipstick on me that I already own so I could top it up during the evening (Viva Glam 3). I brought the lip liner that matched the lipstick she used but also various other ones in my collection. Burgundy is my go to lip colour.

Viva Glam Lipstick in Viva Glam 3 and Lip Pencil in Burgundy

Lastly, I brought two brushes. One to apply the fluidline I brought and another to contour with. Both are extremely good quality although they both seem to be loosing a few bristles from the brush.

Pointed Liner Brush 211 and Small Contour Brush in 109

And that's it! I spent a lot of money but honestly, it was so worth it. Seeing all the products used and knowing they actually work for my skin is a good reason to buy this much. I honestly recommend for anyone to go and get it done. And if you're in Plymouth, ask for Natalie or Hannah. They really made me feel extremely comfortable and are very talented!

Hauls

Friday, January 1, 2016

Another year is already over. I'm honestly so excited to see what 2016 will bring and I can't wait to try new things and meet new people. I have so many things planned for next year including concerts, festivals and a holiday so I'm hoping it's going to be a great year.

Every year, I always make resolutions but rarely ever stick to them. They're normally things like lose weight, save money etc. which is the usual resolution to most people. Instead of doing that, this year I've decided to make some resolutions that are mostly beauty related and things that I will really benefit from, if I stick to them. Here are the ones that I have decided on;

Moisturise daily - I own so many body lotions/butters it's crazy. I normally only moisturise when I'm having a major pamper session which is very rare. I just love how hydrated my skin feels when I use body lotions and how the scent stays on my skin for hours. I definitely will be sticking to this resolution and will hopefully use up my stash!
Carry out a skincare routine daily - I am probably the laziest person when it comes to carrying out a skincare routine. To remove my make-up, I usually use wet wipes that aren't very good for my skin. Again, I own so many products to treat my skin but just never use them. I can tell the difference it's going to make to my face and hopefully make-up application will be easier.
Buy less make-up - So this probably sounds ridiculous but I really do own a lot of make-up. I love collecting it but at the moment, still living with my parents, there isn't much room to store things. This is probably the one that is going to be the hardest to stick to but hopefully I can do it. I will be purchasing make-up sometimes, solely for the purpose of this blog but that's it.
Blog frequently - I will now try and upload every single Friday.

I would love to hear everybody else's resolutions so please comment below!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Rambles

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Although I wrote a 'What I Got For Christmas' post already, I thought I would do another one with just my make-up gifts. My friends and family know me awfully well and again, I am extremely grateful. Doing make-up is a real enjoyment of mine so getting these presents makes me so excited to try new things.

As well as getting make-up, my parents also brought me some new storage. I used to use the clear acrylic caddies but found that they didn't really hold much. I had been researching different storage ideas for a while but couldn't really find anything different. My parents got me this white, revoling caddy which stores a lot more. It's ideal as you can spin it around and has lots of different compartments to place things in. It was designed by Lori Greiner and is available through QVC. Although I have a drawer unit with the majority of my make-up in, I like to have a smaller storage unit to put my most used products in. I am in love with it!

I also got a new mirror which has built in lights around the edge. The mirror is from Lakeland and linked below. The lighting in my bathroom is awful so this is perfect. My sister also got me a new brush holder as my collection is getting bigger and bigger.

Illuminating Travel Mirror

Tabletop Spinning Cosmetic Organiser

Now onto the make-up. Firstly, I got three Make-Up Revolution eyeshadow palettes. I was recently introduced to this brand but quickly realised how amazing their products are. I'm pretty sure I own around 7 of their palettes already, cheek and eye. The make-up is such good quality with such a low price and all the palettes are so different. Below shows the three palettes I got;

(L-R); Girls On Film, Naked Chocolate and Mermaids Forever

The rest of the make-up I got is all MAC. I think it's safe to say that my obsession with this brand has rubbed off onto my friends and family. My best friend seriously treated me and brought me an eyeshadow palette and a lipstick. The lipstick is from the Viva Glam collection which I don't own anything from. It's a brown/berry colour which is a perfect shade for the winter. The other lipstick in the photo below is from the Ellie Goulding collection, which is what my parents got for me. It's a lovely pink nude.

Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow in Amberluxe

(L-R); Ellie Goulding Lipstick in Only You and Viva Glam Lipstick in Viva Glam III

The last two things I got are from MAC's holiday collection. They're both sets of four and the packaging is so smart. The first item is the Irresistibly Charming Pigments in Glitter/Gold. These are the first pigments I own from MAC and they are so beautiful.

MAC Irresistibly Charming Pigments in Glitter/Gold

The second thing from their holiday collection I got is the Irresistably Charming Patent Polish in Nude. Again, I don't own any Patent Polishes from MAC but I love these. They're so subtle and leave your lips feeling moisturised.

MAC Irresistibly Charming Patent Polish in Nude

I hope you enjoyed seeing all my presents that are make-up related, this year.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Another year is nearly over! As I'm getting older and busier, years just seem to fly by. I can not believe that my 20th birthday is next week, then it'll be New Year's Eve and then life will get back to normal until next year. Literally can't wait for 2016 though. So many new things are going to be happening and I have lots of things planned. Stay tuned!

Anyway, as I did one last year, I thought I would do another blog post on what I got for Christmas for 2015. I love love love reading these kinds of posts and was straight onto YouTube this morning to watch some of the videos. Just a quick disclaimer; I'm in no way trying to brag about what I got and am only writing this as people seemed to enjoy it last year. So, here goes!

The above picture shows a few of my favourite things I received this year. Again, I was seriously spoilt and am honestly so thankful to all my friends and family.

Firstly, I got the Jemma Kidd - Make-Up Secrets book. I already own another of her books and am absolutely in love with it. She is an incredible artist and has so much experience within the field. This book is all about her solutions to the most talked about dilemmas in the beauty industry such as; aging to how to apply false eyelashes. The book obviously also includes the usual make-up tutorials and ideas.

Secondly, I got a diary which has a bee detail and the words 'busy bee'. This fits me so perfectly, as you can tell by my blog name, and I can't wait to use it. A diary is such a essential in my life as I have an awful habit of forgetting things.

Lastly, I got a notepad that has a map of the world on it in beautiful metallic colours. I'm definitely going to use this as a journal and try my best to write in it everyday.

Around Christmas my parents, like the majority of others, always ask what I would like. I always would like some new shoes so went into town with my mum to pick some out. I knew I wanted some black shoes with white soles but couldn't decide which brands. It was a choice between Nike, Vans and Converse. As soon as I saw these, I loved them so luckily, I got them for Christmas. I just love Converse so much!

The last thing I wanted to show you was this Guess handbag. Isn't it beautiful? My parents brought it for me when we were on holiday last year, in Malaga. I can now use it for my next holiday as it is such a summer bag!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few things that I got for Christmas this year. Look out tomorrow for a make-up edition!!

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Exciting news! Avon are coming out with some new lip tint pens and I was super lucky and got to try them out. The line consists of seven lip tint pens which are described as a 'kiss-proof pout that lasts'. Avon also claim that they are bleed proof and transfer proof. This is what every girl looks for in a lip product. Is it too good to be true?

As mentioned before, there are seven different shades. All shades are super vibrant and look great for the summer. They include Strawberry, Coral, Raspberry, Freesia, Hazelnut, Fuchsia and Flamingo. My favourite of the seven is definitely Raspberry and I have been wearing it constantly over the past couple of days. You all know how much I love my statement lip! The packaging of the product is the same statement Avon packaging with a swatch on the end of the tube. I love when lip products have this as it's super easy to see all the different colours and pick the one you want, if they are displayed nicely.

Onto the product itself.. When first applying the colour, the smell of the product was slightly overwhelming. It smelt like a permanent marker which worries me slightly about what I'm putting on my lips. Overcoming that inital issue though, the application was so so simple. This is one thing I love about using pen style products. The tip is a great shape so it makes precision easy. The formulation dried quickly which avoided smudging and the colour came out very pigmented.

Naturally, I put the colour I decided on in my handbag so I could re-apply during the day, if needed. Although, I never felt the need to apply it throughout the whole day. These lip tint are definitely what they say they are. Amazing quality and only priced at £5.50. Such a bargain! Below are all the colours swatched:

I definitely recommend purchasing one of these new lip tints, especially to wear during the summer. They are so so pretty.

Reviews

I think I have a new addiction... Everyone close to me knows that I have a huge obsession with make-up and that my collection is out of this world but nail varnish wasn't really included in that. I've always loved painting my nails but I'm so impatient with letting them dry. I'll spend forever painting them but as soon as I'm done, I'll move onto something else and smudge them all. Then they'll chip and completely ruin. For some reason though, I've brought a lot of nail varnish without realising over the past few days. Below are the ones I purchased:

Barry M was the first section that I came across. As always, there was a 3 for 2 deal on all nail varnishes so I decided to take advantage. I love love love Barry M nail varnishes and they take up the majority of my collection. When I saw their new collection, Sunset Daylight Curing, I was super excited. The idea is that you apply the colour you like, from the collection, and then add the Sunset Topcoat. This then cures in the daylight, causing a similar effect to gel polish. The colours I picked up are; For The Stars, Like A Nude, Fuchsia Generation and Make Me Teal. All colours look great for the summer.
The next two I brought are from another new collection, Speedy, from Barry M. The name is pretty self explanatory but the nail varnishes supposedly dry quicker than their other formulas. Personally, I haven't actually noticed the difference yet but who knows? The colours I brought were; Stop The Clock and Pit Stop.
Lastly I brought one of their Gelly varnishes (my fav) in Chai and a Matte varnish in Copa Cabana. I'm always pretty wary of buying Matte polishes but this one does exactly what it's meant to. I love it! I also brought the Plump Topcoat as I love having shiny nails.

Rimmel was the second and last place I brought some varnishes from. Rita Ora has brought out a new line of her colours and they are all super summery with the cutest names. I brought Bestival Blues, Rain Rain Go Away and Peachella. I love the twist on festival names and knew that I had to buy some. I love the brush shape on these polishes as it makes the application super easy. One of my favourite brands, by far!

After writing about them all, who knew I brought so many nudes? They are definitely my favourite group of colours to wear on my nails and that totally reflects. At least my nails are ready for summer now!

Hauls

Monday, May 18, 2015

Elf has always been a brand that I've wanted to try for a long time now. I always had the idea of buying a few bits but because it was only available online or at minimal stores, in the UK, I always seemed to forget about it! Sadly, the online UK distributors from Elf have now stopped shipping to the UK so Elf products have become even harder to find. Because of this, there was a huge sale on the website so I took that opportunity to purchase quite a few things and I thought I would share with you..

Face Products and Brushes