guest post // favourite lip balms

Hello! Today I will be guest-posting on Laura's blog and I will be writing a post on 2 lip balms. I love lip balm and I have previously tried a number of different lip balms. There are so many different lip balms available in stores it can be hard to choose the best ones.

Carmex is my absolute favourite lip balm to use. This is such a great product as it really does make a change. It can help with dry lips, cold sores, rough skin and protection against the sun. When you use this lip balm, it gives you a tingling feeling whilst it hydrates your lips. This lip balm is available in different ways. In a tube, which you apply directly onto your lips and also in a container, where you yse your finger to apply. 

I would recommend this is anyone!!

More recently, I have ordered a lip balm called EOS which is mainly known over in America. I wanted to try this lip balm because they use natural conditioning oils and antioxidant vitamins. I have the pomegranate raspberry flavour and it tastes SO nice. Ok, so it's not about the taste but that is a bonus. 

Both lip balms are really good and I would recommend them both. EOS is now available to buy in the UK so you do not have to wait for the shipping time, but it does mean it costs a bit more than other lip balms available. Carmex on the other hand is available in most shops like Superdrug and Boots for about £2. 

I love trying new lip balms so if anyone has any recommendations, leave a comment or email me: williams.bethan2@gmail.com I would love to hear from you! 

Thank you for reading and thank you to Laura for collaborating with me, it's been great!

You can visit my blog here.

Thankyou to Bethan for guest posting! Read my guest post over on her blog here, where I'm talking Mac Lipstick Dupes!

college bag contents

I've recently started my A Level courses at a sixth-form college and thought I'd share what I carry around with me. A slightly overdue What's In My School Bag?...

Bag // My bag (top left) is a black and white backpack from Topshop, which I bought last year from ASOS Marketplace and I love it. It can fit so much in and goes with everything.

Stationary // I have some stuff from my recent stationary haul in my bag, including the 5 Subject Notebook from Tiger, which I use everyday to write notes, as well as my smaller, geometric pattern notebook from Homesense. A pencil case is obviously a must, filled with pens, pencils and highlighters - mine is from H&M.

Beauty // I take a small makeup bag to school for touch-ups once or twice throughout the day, I tend to take a mattifying powder (Maybelline Matte Maker) and face brush (e.l.f. Complexion Brush) , a concealer (Collection Lasting Perfection), eyeliner (Rimmel Scanaleyes Master Precise), compact mirror, and the lip colour I'm wearing that day, I also take a small purse with essentials like hand sanitiser, paracetamol for the occasional headache, plasters, and hand-cream. I also bring some scrunchies and hair-clips incase I'm feeling a mid-day hairstyle change...rare but potential. Lastly for beauty, a deodorant (for obvious reasons), and a small Benefit perfume.

Other bits // I wear glasses for long-distance reading, and mine are THE SMA from Cheap Monday. I also carry my purse which contains money and my student ID, and lastly, my earphones. I also forgot to include my phone - which is a white iPhone 5c - and my house keys in the photo.

So there's a snoop into my college bag. 

Are you back at school/college/uni? What do you carry around?

bronzers // haves & wants

bronzers are probably my second favourite type of product (no prizes for guessing that lipstick is my first favourite) and so I thought I'd share my small collection and thoughts on them, as well as the ones on my wishlist to try!

HAVES

maybelline dream sun | i was given this by a friend who didn't use it much, and after wanting to try it for quite a while anyway, i was chuffed. unfortunately it has broken, but it originally has two or three shades in it. I find it a really nice pigmentation and colour, and it has a tiny bit of shimmer in which I don't mind,

sleek face form in light | this is one of the oldest of the bunch, and clearly, most used. Even though my skin tone probably wouldn't be described as 'light', I find this a really nice contour and bronze shade. Its really nice to blend and is a matte finish.

benefit hoola | i have a sample size of this which I received at christmas and still have quite a lot left. I really love this for contouring as it blends so effortlessly to give a really natural finish. Once I finish the sample size I'll definitely be investing in the full size!

mua bronzer | I had a bit of a phase with MUA once I discovered the high quality for an amazingly cheap price. I bought this bronzer for £1 and it's really nice pigmentation and quality, yet has quite a lot of shimmer so I never use a highlighter with it.

e.l.f. contouring blush and bronzer  in st. lucia | this is the newest edition to my collection and really love the tone and shade of the bronzer. It has a small bit of shimmer which I find really subtle and flattering. If you haven't read my full review of this product you can read it here!

WANTS

bobbi brown bronzing powder // I've never tried anything from Bobbi Brown and the bronzing powder looks like a good placve to start, as it's raved about alot..looks gorgeous.

l'oreal glam bronze // a drugstore favourite which I'd like to try, as it's rare to find a fully-matte bronzer on the high-street,

estee lauder bronze goddess // a classic which everyone seems to love...i neeeed it.

the body shop honey bronzer // one which is very popular in the blogging/vlogging world, but I've heard this is better for fairer skinned gals.

nars laguna // the classic, the famous nars laguna, which about everyone and their dog loves...the price tag hurts to think about mind you...

chanel soleil tan de chanel // the only cream bronzer on my wishlist, as quite frankly, they scare me. I've never used one but this one from chanel is hyped up alot and i'd love to give it a try!

What bronzers are in your collection, and what ones are on your wishlist?

essence cosmetics

I don't have a Wilkinson store near me, so a few weeks back when I was in Norfolk, I came across one and immediately went to the Essence counter. As far as I know, they've only just came over to the UK and are sold exclusively in Wilkinson's stores so I was excited to try some products. I hadn't previously read much about them, so just picked up what I liked the look of, and being on a 3for2 offer, these three products cost me less than £6 all together.

Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss in 06 Soft Nude // I don't own many glosses as I'm much of of a lipstick addict, but seeing the 'matte effect' sticker on a few shades, I really wanted to pick one up. I went for NAME, a dark pinky nude which I really like. The formula is quite nice, and the colour pay-off is good, with a matt finish as it promises. The only thing I'm not too keen on it the applicator's odd, long shape, and the staying power isn't great. But for less than £3, I like it as a subtle, moisturising lip colour.

Essence Kajal Pencil Liner in 15 Behind The Scenes // I've been on the hunt for a grey/taupe pencil for quite a while so decided to try an Essence one, which I believe was only about £1.I really like this on the outer-lower lash-line and the pigmentation is really nice.

Essence 3D Eyeshadow in 09 Irresistible Chocolate  // finally, I really liked the look of the dual eyeshadows they had on offer, so I picked one up in Irresistible Chocolat. The pigmentation is really nice and the two shades give a really nice smokey look to the eyes when used together. Yet, I think it'd be better if one of the shades was matte, as both are quite shimmery and they can look quite full-on.

Overall I'm impressed with what I've tried from Essence Cosmetics!

What have you tried from the brand? Any recommendations?

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?