May's Best Buys!

I seriously cannot believe how fast this year is going! I finished my second year at uni just over a week ago and I've been really busy moving back home and visiting family for a wedding :) so now it's summer I'll hopefully have a lot more spare time to blog! Yay! Today's post features my favourite purchases from last month and they are all high street bargains!!

I absolutely love Primark, although most of the time it's a massive jumble sale mess and my boyfriend hates it, I ALWAYS seem to find exactly what I'm looking for at a great price. Firstly we have 2 dresses, one I bought for my auntie's wedding and the other is a dark grey midi dress (which I already have in light grey and a black and both from Primark too!) The white and blue dress is a dip hem chiffon dress which comes with a cute little gold belt. I really liked this dress as it was perfect as a wedding outfit but I thought I could wear it on holiday or with a denim jacket on an evening out! It was a great buy for only £15. The grey midi dress was a replacement for my black one as I made a massive hole in it :( these dresses are great dressed down with a denim or leather jacket with sandals or converse, or you can wear them on a night out dressed up with heels! This dress was only £7.

Next up we have the beauty buys. As you can probably see from previous posts I love MUA lipsticks, so this time I bought Shade 7 and its a lovely corally colour. It's such a pretty summer shade. I'm also a massive nail varnish fan and decided I needed a colour that matched my dress for the wedding and I found this lovely glittery blue shade from Maybelline's Colour Show range, 661 Ocean Blue £2.99. 2 more buys from Primark include this cute little make-up bag for £2 and two sets of natural look lashes £1 each, which I swear by! Although I do prefer to use Eyelure glue!

These shoes were also for the wedding from New Look, £27.99, they are so comfy and look great with dresses/jeans/leggings!

I love statement necklaces and I featured the fish tail one from H&M in my last post, it was only £3.99! My newer one is from New Look priced at £4.99 and put together with both the dip hem and midi dresses just completes the look.

New Look 

H&M

I've become a little obsessed with bows for your hair and loved this white lace one from Claire's Accessories for £4. It looks really cute when you want to chuck your hair on top of your head and place the bow underneath!

The last two bits in this post are Primark buys too! The sunglasses are tortoise shell round framed with a bit of detail on the arms for only £2.50. And as I was desperate for some fake tan the day before the wedding I snapped up this Sun Kissed bottle for £2.90. I was slightly worried about using it as it was so cheap but it's actually really good! It's pretty instant but gets darker over a few hour and the excess stuff can be washed off in the shower the next morning for a natural looking tan if your like me and put it on before you go to bed! My poor white sheets never stay white for long!! 

So there you go, I apologise for the awful quality of my photos this week but if you like any of these items they are all high street buys at an affordable price! Let me know what you think, I love your comments :) 

xo

Over to the Dark Side.

Even though I said I wouldn't be doing a blog post until I'd finished all my uni work, I decided to give myself a break, cover my face in my new make up purchases and give you a sneaky peak of a new look I'm so in LOVE with.

Earrings; Primark £2 Necklace; H&M £3.99

So this week I've had a bit of a beauty splurge. I decided I needed to save my MAC studio fix foundation so I went to Boots and Superdrug just looking for a cheap everyday foundation. Superdrug are currently offering 3 for 2 on all their cosmetics so I HAD to buy my favourite Maybelline Matte Mousse Foundation so I also Rimmel Match Perfection to get Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara free. I then went on to get 3 for 2 on the MUA products and got a Blusher, Bronzer and a Concealer. I really recommend the concealer its BRILLIANT and only a quid! I also bought an MUA eyebrow pencil as my current one had been sharpened down to the end of its life. Whilst I was also in Superdrug I thought I'd treat myself to a new foundation brush, I've used a Superdrug one before my last brush and honestly I don't know why I ever changed brands, its super soft, smoothes the foundation and gives your skin a really even tone. Its easy to clean and dry and it lasts for ages!
I then decided to go into Boots and as I had a £3 off No.7 I decided to take a look at their mascaras (you can never have too many!!) I have used quite a few of their mascaras and really like them, but I've only ever bought them with a voucher as I do think they are quite pricey and they're not any better than other high street brands! The last product I bought was a shade I have never tried before but I have seen many people try it and I really liked the look. I have been looking everywhere for a really good dark dark purpley/red lipstick. When I saw the name New Black written on 17's Lipstick I assumed it was actually black so never paid much attention to it. But actually it is just the colour I'd been looking for! It's really dark but you can decide how dark you want it by using a piece of tissue and dabbing your lips to take some of the colour out. It is really pigmented and is really moisturizing on your lips!

So for this new look, I used all of the products shown in the above picture.

Maybelline Matte Mousse - Nude - £7.99

Rimmel Match Perfection Pressed Powder - Classic Beige - £5.99

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara - Blackest Black - £4.99

MUA Bronzer - Shade 1 - £1

MUA Blusher - Shade 5 - £1

MUA Concealer - Natural - £1

MUA Liquid Eyeliner - Black - £1

MUA Eyebrow Pencil - Brunette - £1

17 - New Black - £4.49 

Superdrug Foundation Brush - £3.99 

No. 7 Intense Volume Mascara - Black - £9.50

With the lips being so dark and prominent in this look, you need to be careful to not cape the eyes in make up and keep them quite simple. You can do a slight smokey look but just be careful to to make it too top heavy. I just stuck to a gentle line of eyeliner across the top lid and kept the rest of the lid bare and nothing on the bottom lid. But I guess it's completely up to you, and what suits you best!

To finish the look I just added my Gold Cross earrings from Primark and my favourite necklace at the moment from H&M.

These are all products I will continue to buy time and time again. They are great for quick application but create a lovely night out look as well. I think I'll have to be quite daring to wear the lipstick for an everyday look but it is definitely my new night out look! 

What do you think of the look? Let me know with your comments below, I love all the feedback from you lovely readers!

xo

Smokey Eyes.

I pretty much wear smokey eyes everyday. Rather than just using black and grey's, I tend to use brown's and beige's which look great. In this post I am going to try (emphasis on the 'try') and show you how I do my smokey eye look.

These are products I have used in this post:

Clinique Duo Eyeshadow P48,  Bourjois Black Jack Mascara, MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation NW25,
Clinique High Impact Mascara, !7 High Drama Intense Liquid Eyeliner, Maybelline 630, Barry M Dazzle Dust Black, MUA Brunette Eyebrow Pencil

I start with applying foundation evenly on my face making sure my eyelids are covered as well. I find the foundation helps to keep the eye shadow stay on better when it has a liquid foundation base.

 Once you have an even skin tone, choose the two colours you wish to use as the base of your smokey eye. In today's post I have decided to use a beige and dark brown.

Apply the beige across the whole of the eyelid and make sure you cover the crease of your lid and sightly above. Then take the darker colour (in this case brown) and open your eye in order to use the eye shadow brush to put the brown in the crease of your eye. Only put the brown on the middle of your eye lid to the outer side of your eye. Leaving it to go from beige to brown. Once the brown has been applied use your finger to blend the two colours where they meet.

Once the two colours have been blended, you could apply eye liner and mascara to complete the look but today I want to make the eye look a little darker. In order to do this I am going to use some of the Barry M dazzle dust just above the crease and use my finger to blend it with the brown and beige down towards my lashes. Depending on how dark you want your eye to look you can use less or more of the dazzle dust.

Once you are happy with the colour of your eyes you can apply eyeliner on the top of the eye and mascara. I tend not to wear eyeliner on the bottoms of my eyes as I don't like it when it smudges. But if you prefer eyeliner on the bottom, it does look great too!

This look is such an easy look to do when you know how. The key to this look is the ability to blend and the easiest way to do it is with the tip of your finger. So if you like this look, give it a go yourself and I'd love to know how you get on so leave your comments below!
xo

March Beauty Haul

So as today is the last day of the month I thought I'd share with you some of the beauty purchases I have made over the past 4 weeks.

Firstly, there is Tesco's own Cucumber Extract Cleansing Facial Wash, Softening Daily Moisturiser and Hydrating Night Cream for all skin types. For the past year or so I have sworn by The Body Shop's day and night moisturisers, but since I'm recently running low I decided to find some similar creams and wash with a cheaper price tag. These Tesco creams were a great bargain, the Night Cream was £1 and the Moisturiser and Facial Wash were 74p each. I love them, they are great for day to day use and leave my skin smelling gorgeous and so so soft.

The next product to feature this month is the Maybelline FIT ME Pressed Powder. This is the second time I have purchased this powder and I think I've finally found the perfect one. I've tried many different powders but this one is great as it works evenly over my foundation and doesn't need to be reapplied that often throughout the day. The colour I chose is Natural Beige 220 and works great with Maybelline Matte Mousse foundation in Nude and with MAC Studio Sculpt in NW25. I really recommend this powder and it lasts a reasonable amount of time considering I use it everyday. You can find it in Boots and Super Drug for £5.99.

After writing a post a couple of weeks back on my favourite Lipsticks and glosses, I decided to add to my collection. I have purchased a Barry M lipgloss in shade 233 and even though it looks like a peachy pink it actually looks different on the lips. On the lips it's more of a light shine and doesn't give much colour. However I do like it when I'm doing a subtle lip with my make up. You can purchase this in many Boots and Super Drug stores for £4.49. I also bought some new MUA shades in shade 2 (a bright baby pink) and shade 4 (a dark purpley pink). I have found that with shade 2 you have to apply quite a few coats to really establish colour due to lack of pigmentation, so if you're in a rush this is not a good lipstick. Shade 4 is great it is dark and goes great with slightly smokey eyes. They're a great buy for £1 each.

Next up is Clinque's High Impact Mascara in 11 Brightening Black. I have used this Mascara quite a few times over the past few years and absolutely LOVE it. It's really black and tends not to give you the black dust under your eyes when you've been wearing in over the day. Which I hate with mascaras. Another great mascara which I haven't featured in the picture is Boots' 17 Black Jack Mascara, I got it for Christmas but it is soooo good. And for those of you who want to wear fake eyelashes but can't be bothered this mascara gives you that wow look for your eyelashes just like fake ones.

I fell in love with MAC cosmetics years ago and when I get the chance or have the money I will splash out as their products are amazing and last forever . They are quite pricey but as they last so long it's probably to that bad (or at least that's what I tell myself). I recently read some raving reviews on MAC Studio Sculpt foundation so when my Mum an Dad offered to buy an Easter present I couldn't resist. I have previously used the Studio Fix NW25 powder many times but as I'm so in love with the Maybelline Powder I gave the foundation a go in NW25 as well and it is THE best foundation I have ever used! I find it works best when I've just moisturised my skin and it leaves me with a great even tone with no patches. If you want to give it a try I highly recommend it and to use it with a foundation brush for best results. From MAC Westfield Shepherd's Bush £20.50.

For those of you who know me well, know I am addicted to Barry M nail varnish. I love their new Gelly range, even though they aren't that different from the normal varnishes the colours are beautiful and I just keep wanted to buy more and more and more. The two Gelly Hi-shines featured in the picture are Blueberry and Pomegranate priced at £3.99 each. And the other two shades are Cappucino and Aqua Glitter prices at £2.99 each.

Next up is my Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden collection. I swear by these, featuring in this post are the Hand Cream which I always keep handy in my handbag (essential for the weather we're experiencing in the UK at the moment), the Body Butter 100ml and Body Wash 250ml. They all smell beautiful and work wonders! Give them a try, they are a must have! You'll find the Body Wash 250ml priced at £5.50, Body Butter 300ml £9 and Hand Cream 30ml £3 in Boots Stores.

And then last but not least my beloved fake tan. I tend not to splash out when it comes to fake tan and that's how I discovered St.Moriz for £2.99 in Savers. The one I'm using at the moment is the instant self tanning mist. It was awarded the winner of the Cosmopolitan Beaty Awards 2012. It's great and makes your skin look flawless. I hate it when fake tan leaves your skin looking streaky but both the tanning mist and the mousse have never left me streaky! I'm addicted.

Well, thanks for reading today's blog and if you've got any questions comment below, I'd love to hear your opinions on these products too!
Xo

Luscious Lips.

Everyone has their favourite shade of lipstick but for me I have FIVE favourites. The shade I decide to wear completely depends on what I'm wearing or what mood I'm in and where I am going. When I was younger I wouldn't dare wear anything but a clear lip gloss, well how times have changed, now I absolutely LOVE wearing bold and obvious colours, especially red. My five faves consist of:

Clinque's 12 RED-Y TO WEAR - The thing I love most about this lip stick is it's not your average matte Red, it has a very high shine to it and makes your lips look so perfect and the shade goes with both subtle eyes or if you like the smokey look like I do. It's a great colour for a night out or an every day wear, depending on your style. I also try and keep the slanted shape in my lipsticks as it is helpful when putting on your top lip and allows you to be able to follow your lip line accurately.

Rimmel's LASTING FINISH 1000 KISSES 600 CARRY ON CHERRY - This is Rimmel's Transferproof Lip Tint and Balm. I love the colour as its bright but subtle enough for people to believe you're only wearing a lip gloss. The Lip tint is a pen at one end and the balm is to put over the top of your lips once you have applied the tint in order to lock in the colour. It is not completely non-transferable but then again I don't think any of the lipsticks that state they are, ever really are.

Maybelline's COLOUR SENSATIONAL 630 VELVET BEIGE - This shade is my favourite everyday colour. It's a brown-y shade and looks perfect with my brown smokey eyes. I wear this shade to work, uni and just out and about. It's a great colour as it is not as in-your-face as a bright red but its bold enough to make a statement. It's got a great shine to it but I do find I have to keep topping it up. People always ask what brand and shade it is and tell me how much they like it! I'd definitely recommend this shade to anyone looking to add to their everyday look.

Jemma Kidd Make Up School's HIGH SHINE SILK TOUCH LIPGLOSS 17 PETAL - These days I find it hard to find a lip gloss that I like. I find a lot of them are too sticky and you end up opening your mouth and having strings between your upper and lower lip (which is NOT a good look). However, this lip gloss is fantastic. It's not sticky and it appears on your lips the same colour as the tube shows (I find most don't come out the same colour, and sometimes not even a similar colour!). It's such a pretty shade and is great for those who like the lighter shades on their lips (hopefully more people will purchase this and we'll abolish this 'fashion' of wearing foundation for lipstick! YUCK). 

MUA Shade 11 - I was a bit sceptical about buying a MUA lipstick at first as I thought the brand MUA was just Superdrug's version of Natural Collection at Boots and didn't think it would be very good. But after seeing raving reviews of their products by my fellow blogger and friend I decided I'd give the brand a go and now I am absolutely in love with it. This lipstick is a subtle red with a lot of shine. It's no where near as bold or bright as the Red by Clinique but its perfect for the minimal make up look. I like to wear this lipstick when I want my eyes to be the defining feature of my make up but I hate going without something on my lips so this helps to give them a bit of colour. 

If you like any of these shades, or want to try out these brands yourselves, go ahead and let me know what you think of them. Or if you've got a favourite shade that you think I should try, don't hesitate to tell me as I would love to try some new shades.You can purchase these at your local Superdrug or Boots Stores, and you can purchase Jemma Kidd's range on line. xo

Left to Right: Rimmel, MUA, Maybelline, Jemma Kidd, Clinique.