august favourites

The month of August has come to an end, and as it pains me to say, summer is officially over in the UK, I'm really looking forward to September. I begin my A Level courses at my sixth form of choice, and autumn is my favourite season for makeup. Here's the small selection of things I've been loving this past month:

1. Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser // Remember the best day of the month year? National Lipstick Day brought online offers any beauty addict couldn't resist. Debenhams had £5 all lipsticks, so I ordered a Mac one, perfect for autumn (Party-Line...google it it's a beauty). With it I received a makeup bag-full of Elemis samples which I was sooo excited to try out! From all of the samples, this cream cleanser has been my favourite and I've used it everyday. It removes makeup really easily and deeply, and leaves my skin smooth and refreshed.

2. Barry M Gelly Polish in Blueberry // This polish has featured in my Nails Of The Day post a few weeks back and it's all I've had on my nails this month. It's a gorgeous blue/purple shade and the formula is really nice and long-lasting.

3. Mac Cremesheen Lipstick in Shy Gir l// I bought this quite a few months ago and after not using it for ages, I rediscovered it this month and why I love it so much. It's a peachy nude and I find it looks best with one thin layer and patted in for a subtle nude shade.

4. Scrunchies // I am obsessed with the whole 'half-up-half-down-messy hairstyle' at the moment and have basically had my hair like it everyday. Scrunchies make the style a whole lot more volumnious and fun and they're alot more comfortable in the hair than a normal hairband.

5. e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit // My brows are currently in desperate need of a reshape, as I've been trying to grow them abit thicker this month. Luckily the e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit has come to my rescue in the transition to make my brows look less messy.

What have you been loving this month?

stationary shoppin' // back to school

In just over a week, I start at a sixth form college to begin my 2 year A Level courses *shudders with fear*. But of course, with the nerves, there's excitement to meet new people AND an excuse to buy pretty new stationary. I thought I'd share what I picked up.

Tiger // ah, the amazing store that is Tiger, filled with the most random things that you definitely don't need, but somehow want (like a tea-towell with a print of french fries or an alarm clock with a propeller which flies across your room as it goes off...had way too much fun playing with it when I was in there) From Tiger I picked up the brown A5 notebook with blue stripe for £1, and I use this as my blogging notebook as I find it so much easier to manage when everything is written down. I also picked up the A4 5 Subject Notebook which was £4, as it's perfect for college, as I'm taking four subjects, and I'll use the spare section for rough notes or drafts. Finally I picked up some post-it notes for a pound which will always come in handy, for both blogging and school-work.

Homesense // I never knew how much stationary was sold in Homesense until I had a snoop around there last week. I saw this orange and grey chevron-print magazine file and loved it. It cost me £3.99 and I think it's perfect for organizing my school work at home. I also picked up this geometric patterned A5 notebook for £3 in the clearance section which I love. It has different coloured sections and will again be perfect for jotting down notes for college.

H&M // finally, I picked this aztec pencil case up from H&M which I spotted at the till when paying for something else. It's the perfect size for various pens and high-lighters and was only £1.99.

Are you going back to school or starting college/university?

And are you as over-excited about pretty stationary as me...?

seaside attire (take two)

dress + sunglasses : h&m / bag: forever 21 / sandals: primark

If you've read my last post, you'll know I was wrapped up in leggings and a jacket for the seaside. Yet, the very next day I wore this...british weather confuses me. As there were pretty flowers and a flowery dress to go with it, I thought I'd share my outfit.

I am in love with this loose fitting smock-style dress from h&m. I already have a blue paisely-patterned which I wear all the time, so I decided another would be a good investment. I think it was around £12.99. I chose my trusty Forever 21 faux leather zippered bag to pair with the dress, as well as my favourite H&M sunnies and white Primark sandals.

whats your favourite thing to wear in the summer?

seaside attire (...not quite)

it was windy...

Hello! I recently visited the ever-so-sunny british coast and loved this back-drop, so decided to take a few outfit photos. Obviously, being England, it wasn't your usual seaside outfit as it was abit windy and chilly...

My jacket is my new favourite thing ever and it featured in my recent haul. It was from Topshop and in the sale for an amazeballs £15. My t-shirt was actually a hand-me-down from a friend who didn't want it, which I was super happy to receive as I love it, and it's from H&M. I chose leggings as they're so comfy compared to jeans, and wore my usual white converse. To add abit of colour I wore my new Topshop Lipstick (also featured in the haul) in The Damned, which is a gorgeous purply/plum shade.

...perhaps an autumnal outfit, but practical and one I absolutely love!

styling tips for surviving the rainy, windy british summer?

get your freak on

Two of the girls in my year are going abroad for sixth form, so naturally they threw a farewell party, with the theme 'get your freak on'. Of course, I took this as a perfect opportunity to do a crazy makeup look, and had way too much fun with it. The photos above are from a practise I did about a week before...I told you I got abit carried away, but prep was crutial ok! I followed a Pixiwoo tutorial (below) and was pretty happy with the result.

This is look from the actual night...yes the blue lips happened courtesy of an MUA Eyeliner I picked up that day, and I had abit too much fun with hair chalk too. 

Watch the tutorial by the insanely talented Sam Chapman here ^^

I had so much fun with this look, what do you think of it?

sale haul // topshop + miss selfridge

Hello! I've been shopping in the sales recently and have found some gorgeous pieces at pretty amazing discounts so I thought I'd show you what I bought!

TOPSHOP

DRESS // £15 FROM £35

Here's my story...I went into Topshop looking for a lipstick and came out with two items of clothing...and no lipstick. I found this dress, tried it on and fell in love. It's from a brand called WallG and it's a gorgeous bluey/green colour, with pleates and a cross-over,  neck line detail.

JACKET // £15 FROM £48

Bargain of the month goes to.... I saw this hanging on the rail and picked it up...I was intrigued. It's not something I'd normally go for, but I tried it on and thought I'd be perfect for unpredictable British weather as it's lightweight, and also great for the summer-autumn transition. I absolutely love the stitching as it's subtle but still unique, and such a steal at just £15 from £48.

TOPSHOP LIPS IN THE DAMNED // £8

As I didn't find the lipstick I wanted in the Topshop I bought the above items ^^ I went to another on the hunt for it and found it in the smaller store of the two. This wasn't a sale item but wanted to include it as it was in my last post of 'Lips and Highlighter Wishlist', which I'd written before I bought this. The formula is perfect and so creamy and moisturising, yet a beautiful velvet finish and good staying power. The colour is everything I love: purply-plum and bright. Really comparable to Mac Rebel...dupe alert.

MISS SELFRIDGE

BEADED TOP // £15 FROM £35

I've never bought anything from Miss Selfridge because, quite frankly, they really need to chill with their prices. So of course I had a rummage through their sale and came across this heavily beaded white top. I'd always seen the embroidered tops and dresses in Miss Selfridge but the prices stopped me investing. This was £15 so I grabbed it and I think it's gorgeous, and can be dressed up or down.

TK MAXX

PURSE // £7 ORIGINALLY £45

TK Maxx's items are all discounted anyway, but I've been after a new purse for ages and after seeing this one from the brand Lloyd Baker London (I haven't heard of it either) for £7 I knew I had to have it. It's real leather and a gorgeous light blue which I love. The inside is also so pretty with black and white pinstripe detail, which adds a twist. 

So those are my recent purchases! The sales are pretty amazing at the moment, so definitely have a rummage...it's definitely worth it!

What have you picked up recently? 

wishlist // lips and highlighters

 WISHLIST // LIPS AND HIGHLIGHTERS

Highlighters and Lipsticks...two of my favourite things. And so, I thought I'd share the ones I've been lusting for recently...because I'm always wanting to try more!

mac soft and gentle // the cult that is Mac's Soft and Gentle highlighter is one I've wanted to try for so long! I've only ever tried the Mac lipsticks and am insanely impressed, so I have high expectations from this too!

lips by topshop in the damned // during thursday's twitter #bbloggers chat, I asked for opinions on Topshop make-up as I've never tried any of it. Everyone who tweeted back recommended the lipsticks, and 'the damned' looks like my perfect shade!

nyx soft matte lip cream // I've heard so many rave reviews about NYX Cosmetics and neeed to try them! The Soft Matte Lip Creams sound and look amazing.

topshop glow pot // in the same #bbloggers chat, you beautiful people also recommended the glow pots, topshop's version of cream highlighters...and I love a good cream highlighter.

the balm mary lou-manizer // I've wanted this for so long but never got round to making an order from feelunique.com. I actually think I featured this in a wishlist on the previous blog I wrote on...I need this in my life, it looks perfect for inner-corner highlighting.

bourjois rouge edition velvet in frambourjoise // these seem a similar concept to the nyx soft matte lip creams, but apparently, better according to the beauty world. They're supposed to be super long lasting and pigmented...need.

what's on your wishlist?

five product face

I've seen this sort of post going around lately and thought it looked like fun. So here's my version of the 'Five Product Face'.

I can never go without concealer so I used Benefit's Boi-ing concealer in shade 02 under my eyes, around my nose, forehead and browbone. I then set everything with a translucent powder, paying more attention to unde-neath my eyes, as they always crease, whatever concealer I use. For this I used the e.l.f. High Definition Powder. Next, I took Rimmel's Brow Pencil in 004 black brown to lightly fill in my brows, and used the brush on the lid to soften and shape them. I don't know if I'm cheating here but I also run the brow pencil along my upper lash-line, and smudged it out..I can rarely go without liner... Of course mascara was next and I used Benefit They're Real! to give maximum length and volume...although I love it, it's such a task removing it. Finally, I went for, probably my all-time favourite lipstick, which is Rimmel's Kate Moss lipstick in 107. Everytime I wear this I feel instantly done-up, even when not wearing many other products.

I really enjoyed the challenge of only using 5 products, but it kinda broke my heart that I had no space left for bronzer, yet I think I done pretty well and I'm happy with the look!

If you've done a five product face post I'd love to read it!

an ode to my favourite mascara

I know what you're thinking...don't worry I used an unloved mascara to do that ^^

Confession : I'm abit of a mascara whore junkie. BUT after trying loads, both drugstore and high-end, I've found it. I've found the one. Ladies (and gentlemen?) I present to you, Lancome Hypnose Drama Waterproof : my fave. Here's why I love it so much...

excuse how creepy this looks haha!

I took these photos without liner on to show the full-effect. On one stroke there is instant length and volume, and with two, there's the amount of volume and length I stick with day-to-day. Its so easy. I do curl my lashes everyday, but this mascara adds to the curl, and holds it, due to it's waterproof formula. 

The brush is also really nice - not too big, not too small. Its also curved to help grip all of the lashes and really coat them well with the first stroke. I also love the packaging. I think we can all agree I basically just love this mascara.

annnndd let's all ignore the open wardrobe and it's messy contents...it's on my to-do list i promise...

I hope from the photo's you can see the fluttery lashes you can achieve with this mascara. Of course, the drugstore has so many amazing mascaras on offer, and being a junkie I'm eager to try the famous Max Factor and L'Oreal ones. I can recommend the Maybelline ones HIGHLY including The Rocket Volume Express and The Falsies (the Falsies probably more comparable to HypnoseDrama because of it's brissle brush, whereas The Rocket has a plastic wand). Yet, after a long love affair with what Maybelline has on offer, I think I'm converted (they will, of course, still have a place in my heart...and I'll probably go back to them...being the mascara addict I am...). But for now, Lancome Hypnose Drama Waterproof is my favourite.

So if you love everyday big lashes, with bags of volume and length without hardly any effort, this one's for you. 

What's your favourite mascara? Tried this one?

e.l.f. contouring blush + bronzer

If you read my e.l.f. cosmetics haul, you'll know part of it was the e.l.f. contouring blush and bronzer in st. lucia. Today I bring a more in-depth review of it, because I'm really impressed with it!

the blush// like I said in my haul post, I've never really been a fan of blush and didn't really expect to get much use out of this one, but I'm pleasantly surprised with this one! It's quite sheer and is a soft, shimmery pink, which isn't overly pigmented but can be built up. I wear this lightly on the apples of my cheeks, and bring it up to my cheekbones to act as a really nice highlighter.

the bronzer// on first glance this appears really dark, but for me, it's great as my skin tone is naturally quite deep. The pigmentation of the bronzer is a lot stronger compared to the blush, but it's easily blendable if you apply too much. It does have a small bit of shimmer in it but works well as both a contour and over all bronzer, for a natural-looking glow.

packaging// I love this packaging, mostly because it looks like Nars haha! It's sturdy and looks great, plus you get a good size mirror with it.

price// this is available for an amazing price of just £3.95 - I definitely recommend it!

What are your favourite contouring products?

mac haulin'

Mac Cosmetic brands is one of those brands which I've always lusted over and since buying my first lipstick last Christmas, I've become a bit of a collector for them. This month I've beaten a record and bought two in one month...I did have my reasons...who can say no to discounted makeup?!

The first was on my way to my summer holiday in Turkey in mid-july, and who can say no to duty-free makeup? I knew I wanted a pink and had had a look online at ones I was looking out for which included Impassioned and Girl About Town. However, I was disapointed to see there was a lack of lipstick shades at the Mac store but I did manage to grab the last one of 'All Fired Up' which is a gorgeous bright pink shade. It's a matte shade and I absolutely love it, especially as the formula isn't very drying. I definitely would've bought a second at the same time but none of the other shades on offer really caught my eye. I wanted to pick up a pigment too, but there also weren't any there at the dutyfree store. Nevertheless I walked away very happy with a beautiful lippie to add to my collection!

The excuse story for my second and final purchase was National Lipstick Day (best day of the year...ever.) and Debenham's rude-to-refuse offer of £5 off lipsticks. It was online and for one day only and decided to have a snoop. After being lured at dutyfree by YSL lipsticks, I decided to look there first, but still at £20 each, I couldn't justify it...one day I will own one! Instead I (of course) opted for Mac. When looking on there, the shade I wanted (Pattiserie - a beautiful natural pink) was out of stock so I spent about half-an-hour (no exaggeration...there's so much choice!) googling swatches of available shades that caught my eye. I settled on the cremesheen lipstick in Party Line. One I've never heard of, but I'm a sucker for deep red

autumn shades so I knew I'd love it.

all fired up // party line

I think it's pretty safe to say I won't be buying another lipstick for a while - yet Patisserie is next on my list!

Have you bought any Mac products lately? What's your favourite Mac shade?

july favourites

I know this is late, but forgive me, life has been busy and my laptop has decided to give up on me (sad face). But today I bring you the products I've been loving throughout the month of July!

e.l.f. eyelid primer | I think it's pretty safe to say I really love everything from my e.l.f. haul, but the eyelid primer I've been using everyday. Either as a base for shadow or just pressed powder alone to tame my oily eyelids in the humid summer weather. This works a treat and is only £1.95 or something ridiculously inexpensive...definite recommend! read my e.l.f. haul here if you haven't already!

mac all fired up | I bought this mid-july at dutyfree on my way to Turkey and I think it's love. The colour is so beautiful and bright and perfect for summer! Haul post coming this week!

scandaleyes micro precision liner | You'll always see me wearing black liner on my upper-lashline and I've been loving this one this month as it's waterproof. Compared to others, this stays put in the hot weather and the small nib makes application easy!

tinted moisturiser/light bases | sensing a theme here? Makeup to bear the humid weather, and tinted moisturisers have been a must for me lately. Especially as I've got quite a tan on my face light bases let my natural glow shine through while giving me abit of coverage. I've recently been using the Lancome Renergie Eclat Tinted Makeup which I really like!

benefit high beam | High Beam is the perfect cream highlight and I find it perfect for the summer months when you want a glow that will stay put and look natural. This is a sample size, and I'll be buying the full size when this runs out!

So those are the products I've been loving in July! 

What are your favourites this month?

barry m gelly high shine in blueberry

I am incredibly late to the party on trying the Barry M Gelly High-Shine range, but I finally picked one up at Boots the other day. I'd always seen this colour when browsing around the drugstore and longed for it as it's such a unique shade. I love blue polish anyway but have never seen a powdery-purply shade like this one...I love it.

As for the formula, it's really nice and opaque on 2 coats, and easy to apply as well, and the staying power is probably one of the best I've tried!

what's your favourite shade in the range?