My Monthly Favourites - October 2013

Hi guys! Surprisingly, even though I have been blogging for roughly seven months now, I have never partaken in the ever-so-popular 'monthly favourites' posts. However, this is all about to change! There are so many products I love to use that I have never mentioned on my blog and I thought that doing a monthly favourites post would enable me to include a lot more of these. Though, with this being said, sometimes I go through a phase where I do not incorporate anything new into my beauty regime and so I may skip a month or two from time to time if I have no products to talk about. Now, let's get on with talking about my favourite products that I have been using throughout October!

No7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for Normal/Oily Skin - £9.00
As probably many of you beauty bloggers are aware, Boots more often than not have a deal on No7 skincare where by you get £5 off printed on a receipt when you buy any product in the entire store. So, I bit the bullet and decided to invest in a new cleanser. I have combination skin and get a fair few blemishes and so I wanted a product to control the oiliness of my skin. This product is great and I have been using it every day. It foams up nicely (hence the name of the product) and is gentle on my skin too. I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin as it is far less oily of late. I definitely recommend this product!

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Dark Knight Waterl-oops!- £6.49
Whilst preparing for a Halloween night out clubbing with my friend Sarah, we decided we wanted to buy a really dark lipstick to go with our outfits. We browsed every stand in Boots for the darkest lipstick we could find and eventually came across this amazing, rich purple colour from Rimmel. Although this product has been around for years now, Rimmel have recently altered the formula of this lipstick and have added many different shades into the collection. This lipstick has since been advertised so much and it definitely lives up to the hype! The end result gave us extremely dark, vampy-looking lips that were still really moisturised - which is just what we were after. The only bad thing I have to say about this product as that it tends to bleed out of the lip line after a while which can look a little messy.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - £9.00
I am pretty late in terms of jumping onto the Seche Vite bandwagon, which is surprising seeing as I have been a huge nail varnish junkie for as long as I can remember. However, now that I have just completed a intensive three day nail course (as mentioned in my 'The Next Chapter Of My Life' blog post,)  I decided that I has best invest in some higher quality products. Now that I will be working on clients, I wanted a top coat that makes a manicure last as long as possible for optimum results. So far, I am loving using this product as it extremely chip-resistant with a super glossy finish.

Eylure Katy Perry Eyelashes in Cool Kitty - £5.95
Seeing as my natural eyelashes are quite short and sparse, I love to wear fake ones on a night out to really make my eyes stand out. I really like the effect that these particular lashes give, as they fan out at the end into slight points at the end that look gorgeous when applied. The pair I used to use religiously before these were released are the Girls Aloud Nadine lashes, (also made by Eylure,) which are pretty much exactly the same but for some reason I prefer these ones by a mile. I would also recommend the 'Oh Honey' lashes from the Katy Perry Range if you are looking for a slightly more natural finish. (Disclaimer: I am aware that my photo does not show the lashes as mine were a little mangled and I had to throw them out. However, I have put a link above if you wanted to see what they actually look like!)

Nivea Vanilla & Macadamia Nut Lip Butter - £2.25
I am going to keep this review short and sweet as I have recently spoken about this product in my 'Boots 3 For 2 Lipcare' blog post. All I want to say about this product is that I am absolutely addicted to the scent, vanilla and macadamia but is such a great combination! I love slathering this product on before going to bed at night and waking up in the morning with lovely, soft lips as the formulation of this lip butter is really thick and creamy. This is a must-have, affordable product for any girls handbag for keeping your lips hydrated on the go! 

Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine Super Spray (500ml) - £18.25
Last but not least is this amazing hairspray from Paul Mitchell. For years now, both me and my Mum have been using this product to keep our styled hair in place all day long. This hairspray has an incredibly firm hold without making your hair feel crispy or hard, which the majority of lower-end hairsprays tend to do if you are not careful. As I have fine hair that is prone to dropping, this product is perfect for me as I curl my hair the majority of the time. Although this hairspray is pretty pricey, it lasts for absolutely ages and in my opinion, is definitely worth the money! 

I hope you have all enjoyed reading about my monthly favourites for October. I would love to know what your most-loved products have been this month, so please do not hesitate to leave a comment below :) 

My First Autumn Inspired Makeover

(Before)

Hi guys! The other day, I had a serious brain storm about some new things that I wanted to try out on my blog and makeovers is one of them. So, I roped in my good friend Lucy to be my model for the afternoon. As Lucy usually wears minimal makeup (eyeliner and some mascara,) I thought she would be the perfect candidate for me to transform. Seeing as we are now well into autumn here in the UK, I wanted to reflect this with the look that I created. So, without any further ado, here is how I achieved the end result.

(After)

Seeing as Lucy has never worn foundation before, her skin is in amazing condition due to the fact that it is never clogged up with products. So, I used Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light rather sparingly to simply even out her skin tone a little. A light BB cream like this one is definitely all the coverage that she needs, as a foundation would be too heavy, which in this case is unnecessary.

Next, I primed Lucy's eyes with Benefit's Stay Don't Stray Eyeshadow Primer to ensure that any eye products I used on her would not budge or slide off throughout the day. I wanted to keep the eye area quite neutral in colour as I wanted the main focus of this autumn inspired look to be the lips. So, I chose Clinique's Eyeshadow Duo in Beach Plum and used the lightest colour of the two, which is a shimmery champagne colour, and swept it across the entire lid. Then, I continued to line the lash line with Rimmel's Exaggerate Eyeliner in Black bringing the product out into a subtle, cat-eye flick. To finish off the eyes, I applied lashings of Benefit's They're Real Mascara in Black to really make Lucy's eyes stand out.

Afterwards, I then went back and applied Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory to brighten up Lucy's under eye area. The reason I did this after applying all of her eye make-up was in case of any fall out the eyeshadow may have caused, as it contained a lot of glitter which could have fallen down onto her face. Then, to set all of the cream based products I had used so far, I lightly dusted Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent all over her face to set this and to also keep any shine or oiliness of the skin at bay. 

Next, I applied Rimmel's Blusher in Coral Rose  to the apples of Lucy's cheeks to give a little flush of colour. Please note that this blusher has since been discontinued by Rimmel still do a great variation of similar blushes such as 'Santa Rose' and 'Pink Rose.' The last of the facial products on used on Lucy is Soap & Glory's Glow All Out, which is a lovely luminising powder. I used this product on the tops of Lucy's cheekbones, the bridge of her nose and her brow bone to accentuate the high points of her face and to give the illusion of healthy, glowing skin. 

Finally, to finish off the look, I applied Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Crush to Lucy's lips. This lip stain is the perfect product to use for an autumn inspired make-up look as the gorgeous deep red/berry shade is very 'in' and is a trend that we see every year. At first, Lucy was extremely dubious of having such a bold lip because as mention, her usual look is very minimal. However, the colour looks amazing on her and she has since bought this product as she loved it so much!

I hope that you all enjoyed my first makeover/tutorial-style type post. I was really pleased with the end result and I am sure you will all agree that Lucy looked beautiful! If you would like me to do more posts like this, then please do not hesitate to leave me a comment below as I really loved making it! Thank you :)

My Favourite Autumn/Winter Outfit

Hi guys! Now that we are well into autumn/winter here in the UK, it is very hard to decide on what to wear as the weather can be so temperamental. One minute it can be freezing cold and the next, mild and sunny. With that in mind, I thought that today I would share with you one of my favourite outfits to wear at the moment. I haven't done a fashion related blog post in quite a while now and so I thought that it would be a nice change! 

Here is a list of what I am wearing. If the items are still available in store or online, I will link them below.

Beanie hat: H&M
Denim jacket: Topshop

Necklace: New Look

Crop top: Topshop
Disco pants: Missguided
Shoes: Converse 

I hope that you have enjoyed this post and that it has given you some inspiration as to what to wear in the up and coming months. Please let me know if you would like me to do more fashion-related posts as I really enjoy making them. Thank you :)

The Next Chapter Of My Life

This year I have really struggled with picking a potential career and I came to a dead end. However, after seeing my good friend Sydney complete the same course this time last year, I decided to partake in a three day intensive nail course. I agree that on the surface this may seem like a rather superficial and shallow career to pursue, what with it being part of the health & beauty career field, but there is a method to my madness. I have simply decided to do something that I enjoy, as I am very girly and love all things beauty-related. I have been that person who has been stuck in a dead end job that made me miserable and I do not want to go back there again. 

Some people have said to me that they think that I can do better career wise because I was always quite bright and studious at school, however, I am a firm believer that we can all express our intelligence in different ways. We do not necessarily have to have fantastic, high-paid jobs to be deemed as intelligent. For instance, I like to write and I get great satisfaction out of that, which is why I have my own blog where I can express myself and showcase my passion for writing etc. So, in my eyes, I do not need to be some fancy lawyer or a doctor to be successful in life. 

The skills I learnt on the course include manicures, pedicures and acrylic nails. I also learnt a lot about nail preparation, hand & foot massage, as well as how to use all the relevant tools in my kit. This may not sound like a lot to some but the techniques and stages in completing this course were extremely complex. As you can imagine, I am not a fully fledged nail technician after a mere three days of education. It is going to take me a long time to perfect all of these skills and the only way I will be able to do that is by practicing on my friends and family (which I am sure they will enjoy as they will be getting it all for free to start with!)

Although it may not sound like a big deal to some, I am extremely proud of my achievement over the past three days. It actually took me a lot of guts and courage to go after something that I really wanted because I was so scared of doing so, due to the fact  that I do not have a lot of confidence in myself and I am incredibly scared of failing. The course was far from what I expected but in a good way. Now, I am really looking forward to building up my knowledge and potentially making this into a career for myself. I really feel like this is the next chapter for me. After being out of work for quite a while now, I finally feel like I am slowly but surely getting back on track. In a nutshell, I am just hoping that this course will enable me to start a fresh and to give me something to be proud of doing in during 2013.

Boots 3 For 2 Lip Care Review

Hi guys! I thought that today I would carry on the theme from my previous post (My Top 5 Favourite Lipsticks) which is lip care. Whilst shopping in my local Boots yesterday, I came across an offer that I just couldn't resist- 3 for 2 on lip care! Now that the English weather has taken a serious turn for the worse, it is feeling more and more like autumn/winter every day. With that in mind, I thought I would prepare for the season of dry lips and stock up on some top quality lip balms. Boots have a lot of amazing deals on at the moment including 3 for 2 on skincare, body care, indulgent bathing, self tan, vitamins and No 7. So, I seriously suggest going down to Boots and picking up all of your essentials whilst saving those all important pennies in the process. Now, without any further ado, let's see what I bought! 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Ultra Moisturizing Lip Balm - £1.89
Being a big fan of Palmer's body lotion, I thought that I couldn't go wrong with buying their lip balm too. As expected, the balm has the same amazing cocoa smell as all of Palmer's other products, which is what drew me in to buying this item the most. The lip balm also contains an SPF of 15, so this would be perfect to use in the summer too. This product lasts a long time on my lips and keeps them hydrated, however, the balm seems to have a slight fine, gritty texture to it. On one hand, this could be a positive as it does exfoliate the lips a little but to me, I find the texture a little annoying and impractical to wear at times. 

Nivea Vanilla & Macadamia Lip Butter - £2.25
Next up, and my favourite of the bunch, is this amazing lip butter from Nivea. I have fallen in love with this product after only one application. The vanilla and macadamia smell is so lovely and the consistency of the balm is so creamy, so it feels really luxurious on the lips. I have always heard great things about this product but I have only just got around to buying it. Now, I am keen on trying out the other flavours in the collection: Raspberry Rose and Caramel Cream.

Carmex Strawberry Lip Balm - £2.69
Last but not least is this strawberry flavoured lip balm from Carmex. In the past I have used the cherry version of this product, which I adore the smell of, but it was sold out in the Boots I went to. Although this lip balm does an amazing job of hydrating and protecting my lips during this harsh weather, I am not too keen on this scent. It is really sickly sweet, which is really not my cup of tea. However, this being said, I am still going to continue to wear this product of a night time before I go to bed. Similarly to the Palmer's balm, Carmex contains SPF 15 and so it is excellent to use in the warmer weather too.

Overall, I am really please with the three products that I chose to purchase for the 3 for 2 deal. They are all really beneficial to my lip care routine and I am sure to get a lot of use out of them in the up and coming months. As usual, if you have ever used any of these products before, I would love to know your opinions on them. So, please leave a comment below as I honestly love reading them! Thank you :)

My Top 5 Favourite Lipsticks

Hi guys! I have always been a big lover of lipstick and over the past few years, I have built up quite the collection. So, I thought it was only fitting that I wrote a blog post about my top five favourite lipsticks. I really think that lipstick can take your make-up to the next level and give your face that extra pop of colour. I have come across many people who think that wearing lipstick during the day can make you look a little overdone, however in my eyes - the brighter the better! So, with that in mind, let's just dive right straight in and begin.

Max Factor Colour Collection Lipstick in Rosewood - £6.99
I love this lipstick because it is a 'your lips but better' colour, which means it is really natural-looking and would no doubt suit a wide range of skin tones. This is definitely my go to lipstick on days where I want to achieve a more understated makeup look but still want to feel polished at the same time. 

Barry M Lip Paint in 156 - £4.49
This lipstick is a gorgeous, berry colour and will most likely be the colour I wear most during autumn and winter. It looks really vampy on the lips and is long-lasting without being drying on the lips. Barry M tend to focus more on their nail products (and undoubtedly so because they are amazing,) so their lip colours seem to be overlooked, however, this shade is fantastic.

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in 12 - £5.49
This super bright orangey-red colour creates a very bold, statement lip and I adore it. The formulation is moderately long-lasting but I do find myself having to re-apply it a few times during the day to keep it's brightness up. The only bad thing I have to say about this lipstick is that it quite drying and so, it does not look too good on cracked, un-conditioned lips.

Avon Color Trend Kiss 'n' Go Lipstick in Lucky Kiss - £3.75
Whilst I was an Avon representative last year, I bought a few products myself and this lipstick is definitely my favourite purchase - and not just because it's friendly on the purse strings! On the lips, this product is a very deep red/burgandy shade with lots of flecks of glitter in it, which in my opinion makes it really unique. Although a little drying, I love wearing it and always get compliments on it!

Mac Cremesheen Lipstick in Crosswires - £15.00
Last but not least is this beautiful coral colour from MAC. I have had this lipstick for around two years now and it is one of my favourite products to wear during the summer months. I will probably not reach for this lipstick much during the colder months but it is still a firm favourite of mine. Surprisingly, I only own one MAC lipstick and the only qualm I have about it is that it really shows the cracks in my lips if they are a little dry.

Here are some swatches of the lipsticks which are in the same order as they have been mentioned above, going from left to right.

I hope that you have all enjoy reading about my top five favourite lipsticks. As always, I would love to know what your favourite lipstick are as I love reading fellow bloggers opinions of different products. So, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below because I love reading them. Thank you!

All Time Low 'Don't Panic: It's Longer Now' Album Review

American pop-punk band All Time Low first formed in their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland ten years ago. From the release of their first studio album 'The Party Scene' back in 2005 all the way through to their latest musical endeavor 'Don't Panic,' they have slowly but surely taken the entire world by storm. With their main demographic being teenagers and young adults, their winning formula of extremely catchy choruses and angst-ridden lyrics strikes the perfect balance between pop and rock, blending the two genres together perfectly. 'Don't Panic: It's Longer Now' is a re-release of the bands aforementioned album which includes eight brand new tracks, four of which being acoustic versions of their most popular songs off of the album.

Upon first listen, it is clear that with six albums now firmly under their belt, All Time Low's repertoire has grown substantially and one track that highlights this in particular is 'Canals.' The songs introduction has an incredibly funky feel to it, however after mere seconds, lead vocalist Alex Gaskarth's instantly recognisable vocals kick in and bring the song to life. Another new edition to the album, 'Oh, Calamity!' is a slightly mellower track, yet this comes as refreshing change to an otherwise hard-hitting, fast paced album.

The bands current single, 'A Love Like War,' features front-man Vic Fuentes from fellow pop-punk band Pierce The Veil. With the songs powerful drumming and guitar riffs to the pairs seamless blend of vocals, the track is bound to be a sure fire hit amongst the bands devoted fan base.

1. The Reckless And The Brave

2. A Love Like War (feat. Vic Fuentes)
3. Backseat Serenade
4. Me Without You (All I Ever Wanted)
5. If These Sheets Were The States

6. Somewhere In Neverland

7. So Long, Soldier

8. Canals
9. The Irony Of Choking On A Lifesaver
10. To Live And Let Go
11. Outlines
12. Thanks To You

13. For Baltimore

14. Paint You Wings

15. So Long, And Thanks For All The Booze
16. Oh Calamity!
17. For Baltimore (Acoustic)

18. Somewhere In Neverland (Acoustic)
19. The Reckless And The Brave (Acoustic)

20. Backseat Serenade (Acoustic)


Ultimately, it is plain to see now that the band have returned to being managed by Hopeless Records, All Time Low are going from strength-to-strength and there is no sign of them slowing down any time soon!  

My Month Via Instagram - September 2013

It's that time of the month again where I give all of you, my lovely readers, an update of what I have gotten up to over the past month. As always, I cannot believe that another month has been and gone since I wrote one of these types of posts last - time really does fly! Before we know it, it will be Halloween and then Christmas and that is a really daunting prospect! On that note, here's what I have been up to throughout September!

1. I have been a fan of The 1975 for a while now. So, the day that their debut album was released  I rushed straight to my local Sainsbury's to pick up a copy! This CD has been in my car ever since and I absolutely love it. My favourite tracks off the album are 'Chocolate,' 'Sex,' 'Settle Down' and 'Girls.' I really recommend that you give this band a listen if you haven't already!

2. This month, the 11th September to be precise, was my Mum and Dad's 20th anniversary and like the lovely daughter I am, I made them a cake to celebrate. Baking is one of my favourite things to do and so I made them a red velvet cake complete with really cute, little marzipan roses too. It was delicious! It's so crazy that they have been together for such a long time, almost as long as I have been alive (I was conceived around the same time as the wedding, aww!) 

3. As a lot of you may know, it's very hard to see your friends at times due to how busy everyone's schedules are nowadays. So, the other week I decided to host a girls night at my house. I was really excited and pulled out all the stops; I bought some snacks and made my own rocky road bites, as well as making some fun games to play and so on. I had a lovely time catching up with everybody and I am definitely going to try and make this a more regular thing from here on out!

4. I've been quite stressed out recently and so I have had multiple pamper nights this month. I love taking an evening to myself, running a bath and using all of my favourite products. Recently, I have been using the Soap & Glory range an awful lot. I think that their entire product range feels so luxurious on the skin, plus they all smell amazing! My favourites from the range are 'The Righteous Butter' and 'Heel Genius.'

5. The other day I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends, Charlotte, as she has moved to London for university after doing a foundation course in art last year. On the day of her move, I decided to go and say goodbye and buy her a little card too. It was rather sad as we have grown a lot closer lately but as London is not very far away, I'm sure we will still be able to see each other quite often! 

6. Lastly, me and friend Sarah had a night out clubbing this weekend just gone. We decided to go all out with our outfits and make-up, this meant wearing our highest heels and our fanciest clothes. Between us we have so many dresses but what makes me laugh is that we ended up wearing each others! We had pre-drinks at my house and I even found some cocktail umbrellas to put in our drink (hence the photograph.) This is now one of my favourite photos we have together!

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about what I have been up during the month of September. Stayed tuned to my blog as I have a lot of content planned for October! Thank you :)