March 31, 2013
March 30, 2013
March 28, 2013
The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger TAG
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| Not gonna lie, I was totally in my pyjamas in this photo (they have ice creams on them!) |
I've seen this beauty blogger's tag on quite a few blogs and I thought I'd give it a go. The tag was created by the lovely Lauren from The Beau Bow and I think the questions are nice. Tags are always a great way to get to know a little bit more about the people behind the blogs :)
1. Name a beauty regime that you rarely do?
I very rarely remember to do a weekly hair mask! Since I started using oils my hair has been in brilliant condition and I haven't been doing hair masks so regularly. When I do use them I really notice such a difference but I just forget so often!
2. Is washing your makeup brushes something you do regularly?
I try and make sure that it's done weekly but it's definitely something that I find easier to "forget about" than other beauty routines.
3. How long will you last with chipped nail polish?
It totally depends! The beauty blogger side of me would like to say that I'd re-do my nails pronto but the busy student side of me could put up with quite a shocking amount of disrepair before feeling the need to take my polish off.
4. How long do you put off buying/replacing a beauty or nail polish product even if you need it? (i.e purchasing a new topcoat, or a new foundation etc.)
It's really weird, sometimes I'll put off repurchasing essentials for what can seem likes ages. It's often the expensive things that I don't realise how much I need- like a good set of tweezers or a really good base and top coat- and I only end up buying them again when I have one of those moments where I go "gosh darn it, life just isn't the same without you". And that's when (if Superdrug are offering free delivery) I do some silly order for like one item or I'll skip going to the library to pop down to Boots.
5. What is your worst beauty habit?
The first thing that came into my head was 'buying too much lisptick'! And as true as that may be, it probably isn't my worst beauty habit. I think it's probably one of two things. The first thing that I think is pretty bad is that since I've started using henna on my hair I really have to do my roots ever 4 weeks and sometimes I get a bit lazy and leave it for more like 6 weeks. This means that I start to look a bit scruffy, which I really dislike. The other thing that's a bit naughty of me is that I shampoo my hair too often. I often use shampoo every day (especially when I'm in a period where I go to the gym every day, I never feel truly clean without clean hair).
6. Name something non-beauty related that you put off doing all the time?
I always put off calling my very good friend from home, India, back. India is one of those amazing friends who always calls me, she's really great at keeping in touch. I definitely don't put enough effort into letting her know how much I appreciate that, it's something I need to work on.
7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready until the last minute or not?
I hate leaving anything to the last minute! I am a planner, I make lists, I organise things way in advance, and this includes exactly what I'm going to be doing with my outfit, hair and make-up. As a result, even if I'm not left with tonnes of time I'm always ready quite a bit before I need to be. If I left things to the last minute I'd just get stressed out!
8. Can you commit to spending bans?
I think I could if I had a bigger goal in mind. If I needed to save for something specific then I could definitely commit to one, but I don't think I could do one for the sake of it as I quite enjoy shopping!
9. How organized is your makeup and nail polish collection?
My nail polish collection lives in cardboard box on my dressing table and is all together but not exactly organized- I'd ideally like it to be displayed better and arranged by colour. It'll happen eventually! My make-up is much more organised. I have a plastic drawer unit where it is divided into eye shadows, other eye products, lip products, face & base products, and then I have two lipstick holders displaying my lipsticks. It isn't the perfect system but I never can't find anything.
10. What is the longest amount of time you have gone without writing a blog post?
I haven't been writing my blog for terribly long (only 6 months) and I've been very away that posting regularly is essential to setting your blog up and retaining readers. I have every ambition to keep my blog going for as long as I'm interested in beauty so I'm sure there will be times in the future when I can't blog as often as I do now, but so far the longest break I've probably had is about a week.
I hope you enjoyed this TAG! I TAG any or all of you who'd like to take part :)
March 26, 2013
WORTH THE HYPE: Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me
Maybelline's Baby Lips are seriously hyped in the beauty world. I've seen them on countless wishlists and seen many a person recommend them on twitter. In case you haven't heard of Baby Lips before they're a tinted lip balm from Maybelline which are advertised as giving you the lips you wish you'd been born with. When I took part in an international beauty exchange with Canadian blogger Kathy from LifeOfKSong I realised that I might finally have an opportunity to try them as they're pretty readily available in Canada. I had my eye firmly on 'Cherry Me' as I love cherry scents and the colour looked wearable without being too sheer and Kathy was kind enough to find it and send it over to me.
When I came around to trying it, I was really really pleased when I took this out of the packet and found that it was 100% worth the hype. I noticed immediately that is smelt gorgeously like cherries and wasn't too sweet or fake smelling. The packaging is really cute and feels nice as it's sturdy enough (the product doesn't shake inside the tube) and it clicks shut like Nivea lip balm sticks do. One the lips, the product feels incredibly moisturising and looks really glossy, leaving your lips with a beautiful slick of colour. This is now my favourite tinted lip balm! I prefer the colour and glossiness of it to my fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment and I find it just as moisturising (if not more so) than my Nivea Soft Rose Lip Balm. I can get away with wearing it during the day without much make up but it also looks nice in the evening when I'm more made up, either alone or on top of a red lipstick.
This is one of those products that I can see myself getting through really quite quickly as it pretty much lives in my handbag now. It's also a great product to have around in the Summer as it has SPF 20! All in all I am just in love with it. I'm definitely keen to try some of the other colours/scents in the future, but for now I think Cherry Me was the perfect choice.
Have you tried Maybelline's Baby Lips? What's your favourite tinted lip balm?
March 25, 2013
DAYDREAMING... Interrailing
Daydreaming is a new post series that I'm starting with a post every month or so featuring something that I've been thinking about a lot. It might be beauty related sometimes but this month it's all about travelling. More specifically, about going interrailing this summer.
For those of you who don't know about interrailing, it's where you go travelling across a number of different European countries by train using an interrail pass. Last summer I organised a five week interrail trip which included travelling across ten countries with my best friend Tom. It was the most exciting experience and it really induced a wanderlust in me. All I want to do now is travel!
Whenever I'm procrastinating from work I'm looking up places I could visit, museums I'd like to go to, beaches I'd like to lie on etc. I'm graduating from University in May (it's so soon that it terrifies me!) and all I want to do this summer is travel. My only problem is that I currently don't have a travelling partner. After travelling with Tom last summer I realised that it isn't essential to go travelling with someone but I think having a companion would be something I'd like- and I know it would put my dad's mind at ease as well. So although I've been daydreaming about a potential future interrail, I've also been reliving my trip last year and I thought I'd share a couple of photos with you.
That's me at the very beginning of my trip last summer! Tom and I were such a mess for most of it (what with having to carry everything we needed with us at nearly all times) but it was the most fun ever. We got to swim in the sea, travel through the Alps, see Pompeii, visit countless cathedrals and museums, we saw dinosaur bones, explored foreign supermarkets, took boat trips, fell out of bunk beds, endured door-less bathrooms, bought overpriced beers, listened to audio guides, got sunburnt and most of all we had the most fun and crazy times. I've included photos of Tom as well as me but he said that was okay (we live together so him appearing on my blog was going to happen eventually).
I don't know how many of you are like me, always planning your next big getaway or day dreaming about weekend trips to Paris or Copenhagen but if you are I'd love for you to tweet me your ideas! I'm constantly off in other countries in my head. I'm desperate to visit Estonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Norway, Denmark... the list is endless. It'd be lovely to talk to other people who are equally as obsessed with travelling as I am.
So that concludes my first Daydreaming post, I hope you enjoyed it!
March 24, 2013
Beauty Wishlist March 2013
March 23, 2013
Another 'daytime' FOTD
Hello to everyone reading today, I hope you're all having a lovely weekend so far. Today's post is another 'day-time' FOTD and this is actually pretty much the way I wore my make-up all last week. [Please do excuse my hair though! I've recently reapplied henna to get rid of those roots, and actually gone for a browner shade.]
You can see the products that I used below.
I tend to not wear mascara on my bottom lashes unless I'm doing a heavier smokey eye but I have been loving a bit of a less subtle lip colour during the day. I've been wearing Revlon's 'Revlon Red' patted onto my lips with a light slick of the Body Shop's Clear Lip Gloss* which I received in the #bbloggersxmas goody bag over the top (I actually forgot to include it in my picture below.) I've also been working on contouring my face (which you can't really see in my photo) but I am slowly getting better at it! My Real Techniques brushes are just fantastic and are a daily staple of mine now. I've also been getting a lot of use out of my blog sale finds, my new Mac blush in the shade Mocha and my A La Carte Cosmetics Brow Ink.
All of the products I used are firm favourites of mine and if you're keen for any individual reviews or swatches just let me know and I can schedule posts for them!
March 22, 2013
REVIEW: The Body Shop Honey and Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask
After a very happy experience with Lush's Oatifix I was keen to try another oaty face mask, and like Oatifix this face mask isn't aimed at my skin type but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. The Body Shop's one appealed to me as I've enjoyed using their clay masks in the past so I didn't think twice before picking this one up. It's a really all-purpose mask as it claims to hydrate, cleanse and exfoliate the skin. I've used this three times (but less regularly than I would use my Lush face masks, mainly because this one has a longer shelf-life) and each time I've noticed very similar effects. When I actually use this on my skin it isn't exactly comfortable at first, it definitely stung the areas of my skin that were dry (most notably, my cheeks). I was very tempted to take it off immediately, as this is what I would normally do when a product feels like that on my skin. However, this feeling did subside relatively quickly so I waited for about 10 minutes before washing it off. When you get around to washing it off the oatmeal grains lightly, and gently, exfoliate your skin.
After removing the face mask I can feel that my skin is more hydrated and it is certainly softer. I don't think that this cleanses my skin really and it doesn't really have an impact on my pores or blackheads, but its smoothing and hydrating properties do impress me. I enjoy using this face mask but isn't something that I've fallen in love with. I think it may definitely be better for normal-dry skin types but I don't think that it is suitable for sensitive skin as the stinging sensation that I felt could certainly be hugely uncomfortable on more sensitive skin than mine. If I had to choose between Lush's Oatifix and the Body Shop's Hone and Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask then Oatifix would win. However, I do like that this can be kept for a year after opening meaning that it can be used very irregularly. One other important factor that might affect whether you purchase this is the smell- it doesn't smell at all sweet or oaty like Oatifix does. It doesn't really have much of a scent at all really! I was a little bit disappointed by this, but if you find Oatifix a bit sickly then this might be more up your street smell-wise.
The Body Shop's Honey and Oat 3-in-1 Scrub is available in Body Shop stores or online here for £10.
What hydrating face masks would you recommend?
March 20, 2013
International Beauty Exchange with LifeOfKSong
A while ago I noticed Naomi from Bewitchery talking on twitter about a Beauty Blogger Swap that she was organizing. I was keen to get involved so I messaged her and it wasn't long until she paired me up with Kathy from Life of K. Song, a really wonderful blogger from Canada. We emailed quite a few times back and forth discussing what colours we liked, what products we were interested in and what brands we'd like to try. I really enjoyed these emails but the super fun bit was shopping for someone else! It was incredibly fun and a really different experience than shopping for myself. It made me notice that I was stuck in a bit of a make-up rut as I noticed that I regularly completely overlooked certain brands and products. But when I shopped for Kathy I started to notice that there were tonnes of products and brands that I really should get around to trying out, it was a great eye opener.
After about two weeks of emailing and shopping, I packaged up all of the products I'd bought (you can read Kathy's post, which has a list of what I sent her, here) and sent them off to Canada! Kathy had sent her parcel a day or two before I sent mine and it took a week to arrive. When it got here I couldn't have been more excited, I literally ripped the box open and just surrounded myself with gorgeous Canadian beauty products that I had been lusting after for oh so long. You can see what Kathy sent me below.
Oh my goodness, just looking at it makes me tingle all over! The Baby Lips in Cherry Me is absolutely gorgeous, the Revlon Lipstains are both in shades we can't get in the UK and I love them both- they've been getting some serious wear! The Physicians Formula Nude Palette is just so me, I haven't tried it yet but I can see it becoming an everyday staple. I'm super excited to try the Bouncy Blush and the Essence products and that Covergirl Mascara is going to be broken out once I have to throw away my MaxFactor one. Ohhhh! The excitement of make-up! Kathy also sent me some really lovely samples (including a very generous sample of a Kerestase hair mask!) in a lovely little make-up bag. The whole package was really lovely and I appreciated the thought she put into all the products as they were all so very 'me', and I'll be wearing them all lots!
The whole experience has been fantastic and it has really made me feel very positive about the beauty community. Naomi did a lovely thing organizing this swap and I owe her many a thank you, and Kathy was a fantastic blogger to swap with and I really love her blog too. It was a great way to find a new daily read! If you've been toying with the idea of taking part in a Beauty Exchange then I'd really recommend going for it, and if you're a non-UK blogger and are ever looking to do a swap with someone in the UK then do feel free to email me as I'd love to take part in other swaps in the future!
Have you ever taken part in a beauty exchange? What product(s) would you like me to review first?
March 19, 2013
REVIEW: Korres Pomegranate Tonic Lotion
It isn't everyday that I stumble across a product that really makes me go 'wow', especially when it comes to skincare. I'd experienced good things with Korres Pomegranate Mositurising Cream-Gel so when I saw this Korres Pomegranate Tonic Lotion I picked it up on a whim- and I am so glad that I did! My go-to toner has always been rose water, it's lovely and gentle and smells gorgeous. However, the Pomegranate toner is specifically for combination skin and I've noticed that, incorporated into my routine, it really helps keep my skin matte throughout the day. I've also noticed that in the evenings it really helps finish off my cleansing routine just perfectly, leaving my skin thoroughly clean without being at all drying or harsh. This is just the perfect toner for combination skin!
It's normally quite pricey at £14-15 (depending on where you buy it) and this particular one had a hefty discount at my local T.K. Maxx but I wouldn't be put off buying it at its full RRP as I think it is totally worth it. The improvement in my oily t-zone has been really quite noticeable and has really improved how my foundation wears throughout the day. Looking good, with or without make-up, is all about having a good beauty regime and I definitely think that this toner is what mine has been needing.
I'd highly recommend trying Korres skincare products, they're incredibly good quality and do a fantastic job. I'm very keen to try more now, and I've heard that there's going to be a 25% Student discount on ASOS again tomorrow so if you're a student like me then do be sure to check out the Korres products that ASOS stocks!
What toner do you use? Would you recommend it?
March 15, 2013
REVIEW: Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' available in Boots and Superdrug for £4.99.
A haul or so ago I picked up this much talked about Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze'. I'd like to say 'I don't know why I didn't get this' but I know why I didn't. Cream eye shadows tend to not work on me, I have hooded eyelids and creasing is a real problem for me, even with mineral and pressed powder eye shadows. I decided to finally give it a go when I fell in love with the shade in-store, I put it in my basket in the off-shot that it might have a formula to die for that I could make work somehow.
I've used it quite a few times since I bought it and I've tried it out in a number of different ways; I've used it alone, layered, over an eye shadow primer and, finally, as an eye shadow primer. First off, using this alone in a single sweep across the lid looks really gorgeous but it creases and transfers in no time what so ever (about 90 minutes-2 hours). I'd only ever wear it like that if I just wanted something quick to put on before darting out to the shops. Layering this up (so I'd apply one layer, wait for it to dry and then apply another layer) improves wear time before I see creasing and transfer but I still would have to reapply this throughout the day if I wanted to stay looking neatly made-up. Using this over an eye shadow primer (I use Darling Girl's Eye Primer) is my favourite way to wear this, there will eventually be creasing but it takes a lot longer for it to appear, if I apply it in the morning I'd see creasing by 5pm but it wouldn't be awful. I also don't mind using this as a primer itself, it works well at improving wear time of my powder shadows but I don't think that it is better than my usual primer. Also, using it this way means that you don't get to see the gorgeous colour of it which is just a terrible shame in my opinion.
Overall, I definitely happy that I picked one of the Colour Tattoos up. It takes a bit of effort to make it work for me but I think that it's worth it as the colour is just gorgeous. I don't think I'll be picking up any more shades, but that's mainly because this is the only one of the UK range that I like. If any new ones come out that are similar to this then.
Do you own any of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos? Do you like them?
March 14, 2013
REVIEW: Dirty Works Foot Butter and Coconut Caress Body Butter
When I was bought Soap and Glory's 'Best of All' Gift Set for Christmas I got the opportunity to try products from a new brand which I ended up loving! Once I finished up Soap & Glory's Heel Genius I went looking for a new product to take it's place. I finally settled on Dirty Works' Foot Butter, and while I was at it I very naughtily also picked up the Coconut Caress Body Butter. I was really excited to try these products and after two months of use I've used them both up! The Foot Butter was really excellent, it smelt nice, left my skin really soft, the packaging was both pretty and easy to use and the price was really reasonable. This is definitely a product that I'll be repurchasing as I've really enjoyed using it and I think that whether you're on a tight budget or not you should definitely go for this over Heel Genius as I think it works better. So this Dirty Works product gets a massive thumbs up from me!
I initially felt the same way about the Coconut Caress Body Butter. It hydrates your skin really well, it doesn't take too long to absorb and it has a very pungent coconut scent. However, after using this for a while I started to really notice the scent, it began to feel heavier and heavier and in the end I really didn't like using it. I think that especially in the hotter months the scent would have made me feel quite sickly to be honest. The second negative aspect of this product is the packaging. The fact that it is in a pot makes it easier to use all of the product up but it does mean that spillages are really easy. I also don't think it is that hygienic especially if you don't plan on using it all at once. All in all, I'm glad I've tried it and I think it does a good job at keeping your skin soft and smooth but it definitely isn't something I'll be buying again.
You can find Dirty Works products at Sainsbury's, the Foot Butter costs £2.99 (which I think is a bargain) and the Coconut Caress Body Butter costs £4.99.
Have you tried any Dirty Works products?
March 12, 2013
A Massive Beauty Haul and an Important Life Lesson
Last week I finally received the money that I had been awarded in a court case that I won recently. It sounds more exciting or worrying that it was. It was basically to do with being ripped off by my old landlord who was trying to take advantage of me and my flatmates by overcharging us and failing to deliver a habitable home. Fast forward 18 months and we finally managed to get back the rent we paid (for a house we couldn't live in). This meant that for the first time in a long while I've had money that I can spend with an entirely guilt free conscience as I'd written off thinking that I'd never get it back. (We also won our legal fees, interest and our old deposits back, so it was an incredible success for us.)
This isn't necessarily the right place to talk about this, but I think that it is really important to fight for what you think is right. If someone tries to take advantage of you then you don't have to idly sit by and put up with it. As a student I have noticed that people really do try and take advantage of you because they assume that you're young, disorganised and lack the confidence to go after what you think you deserve. This is completely wrong and unfair. If you stand up for yourself, seek advice and get organised you can get the results you deserve. After finally being awarded our money we asked the lawyer we were working with to write a press statement (that was worded in such a way that we wouldn't get us in any trouble) so that we could distribute it to our local and student newspapers. No-one should have to suffer the stress (or physical danger from the house's condition) that we have gone through from the beginning of this saga until now. When something is clearly unacceptable you should say so, you should never have to put up with unacceptable behaviour.
Anyway! Now that little speech is over we can move on. It's been a very weird fortnight for me and I've been a little distant from my blog. Despite the relief of winning the court case I actually got some terrible news about a death in the family last week. The way I dealt with it, it would appear, was to shop, and I did in fact go on a bit of a shopping rampage It was all loosely within the budget I set for myself so it wasn't an insane move on my part, but it has added up to a lot of stuff. All the following (as well as a considerable wardrobe upgrade and a holiday I'm going to book for after I graduate) are my reward for standing up for myself and a celebration of the fact that we won, that all the organisation and work was worth it in the end.
I know, I went a little crazy. But despite how it looks it was all quite a good deal! I went to T.K. Maxx, Boots, cashed in my Birchbox points towards the Korres lip products and then did a massive Fragrance Direct shop. I'm really excited about trying the new foundations I bought and I've already cracked out the Dainty Doll Lipsticks and they are gorgeous- I should have bought all of the shades! Reviews will follow, but not all at once (as you can imagine).
If there is anything you want to see reviewed sooner rather than later then let me know in a comment and I'll put that at the top of my list :) Is there anything I bought that you really like the look of?
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