How much is my face worth?

Hello everyone, 

I love these posts because you a) get to share your most used products (so some unsung heroes) but also b) because I'm intrigued by how much my makeup actually costs me! These are the products I reach for when I want my make up to be simple and unfussy, but I absolutely love it. It's neutral so goes with anything I'm wearing and I can do it all in about ten minutes. Just a quick disclaimer, this is not a post for any form of bragging, just a bit of fun!

-On the face-

Rimmel fix and perfect primer - £6.99

Miss sporty liquid concealer - £2.99

L'oreal true match foundation - £9.99

Sleek contour kit- £6.49

Sleek blush in Pixie pink- £4.49

MAC soft and gentle mineralize skinfinish- £23.00

Maybelline fit me powder- £5.99

total = £59.94

-On the eyes-

Urban decay naked3 palette- £37

Eyeko skinny eyeliner- £12 (free with Glamour magazine!)

Maybelline rocket volum' mascara- £7.99

Total =£56.99

-On the brows-

MUA Pro-brow palette - £3.50

Maybelline BROWdrama - £4.99

Total = £8.49

-On the lips-

Rimmel appocalips in celestial- £6.49

Total = £6.49

So in total, the makeup I wear daily, if I was to purchase all of the products at once, would cost me £131.91, ah that is a lot! Since I've starting working, it has really put what I spend my money on into perspective, like when lunch a Pret costs more that what I earn an hour, you start questioning theses things! However, makeup is what I'm all about, and I've collected these products over time or as gifts, so I can live with that total, especially when I've found things that suit me and products that I would happily rave about all day!

How much is your face worth? 

 

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July 2014 favourites.

Hello lovelies,

I've not done a favourites post for a few months, I don't tend to have enough to have enough to talk about, but July has been an exception! My summer so far has been amazing, and I can actually day that July has not flashed before my eyes, but been slow and enjoyable. 

-MAC Fix+-

First up is my MAC Fix+. I'm sure I have featured this in a favorites post last summer but it has been a god send this month. I've been loving this spraying this on just after I finish my makeup to keep it looking light, but also on no makeup days just to stay cool! It smells so good and leaves it super soft.

-Bourjois Java rice powder-

I have to start with the packaging of this product, how pretty! I love that it is the same vintage design as the product has when it was released in 1879, 150 years ago if you can believe it! Inside it has a really handy bit of plastic that you twist so that the perfect amount of product is dispensed meaning it doesn't end up all over everything else. I like to use my real techniques contour brush and dip into the powder, tapping to remove the excess and then sweeping over the high points of my face. Although you know how much I love my MAC soft and gentle, this one is perfect for a more subtle highlight. As with most Bourjois products, this one is scented, it smells so good!

-L'oreal True match-

I'd been wanting to try this foundation ever since the blogger hype began, and I can honestly say that it deserves all of the praise it's had! I was matched to the shade CI `Rose Ivory` and it is perfect for my pale skin. It is a much higher coverage than I usually have but I adore it, it doesn't feel heavy or look cakey at all and  gives a lovely glowy look, which I'm sure is the main reason it is compare to the Giorgio Armani Luminous silk as a wonderful dupe.  So basically, go get yourself a bottle!

-Miss Sporty liquid concealer-

I was on the hunt for the collection lasting perfection concealer yet again, which of course they didn't have in the lightest shade (the annoyance was real) so picked up this old favorite of mine. I like to use this under the eyes and on blemishes and it works equally well covering both. It has quite a light finish so I don't find it looks cakey although I do like to really blend it it to avoid highlighting the areas I'm trying to conceal! This is such a bargain at only £2.99.

-YSL glossy stain Corail holdup`-

I've reviewed this in full here, so it's best just to read that to find out why I love it so! But in short, this is the perfect glossy, muted lip, coming from a girl who is loyal to a lippies and not a fan of lip-gloss. It is such a lovely luxury to have and a summer staple, plus it brings pack prom memories!

-Tk maxx makeup brush-

I bought this brush at the start of the month on a bit of whim after spotting t in Tk maxx (I know it was in branded packaging but I've no clue what is is!) I've been loving this with cream products; it contours like a dream with my Bourjois bronzing primer and is fab with my Sleek cream blush trio. I love Tk Maxx, I know some people aren't keen because it does have that jumble sale vibe, but if you look there are some real gems!

-Real techniques pointed foundation brush-

Another brush I've been loving this the Real Techniques pointed foundation brush. Now this is the one out of the core collection that I never really had a use for, but since I bought True match, they have become the perfect pair! I like to start from the center of my face dipping the brush into my foundation and then working it over, building but the coverage with extra layers if I feel I need it. I urge you to give this brush another go if you just have it sat redundant in you collection, it's also fab fro apply a primer if you don't wan to use your hands. 

-Eyeko skinny liner-

This has to be the bets magazine freebie I have ever received, thanks Glamour! I'm a daily winged liner wearer, and this one ticks all the boxes; easy to use, ultra black, long lasting and precise, full review on the way!

-Kleenex shine absorbing sheets-

When I saw these in the 99p store the other day I had to pop them in my basket. They are a total lifesaver if you find your face gets shiny though out the day. I simply pop one of these sheets out, blot it over my face and then lightly dust some powder over and I'm good to go again!

So that's what I've been loving lately! I've been having the best summer with lots still to look forward too, including meeting up with my blogger bestie Lily, so so excited!

What have you been loving this July? What do you think of my favorites? 

 

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Empties #3.

Hello my loves, long time no empties post. 

These bottles and jars have been slowly piling up over the months, so I finally bit the bullet and photographed everything!

-Bath and body-

First up is the infamous Lush Snow fairy shower gel, I blummin' love this stuff! I'm sure a lot of you will have tried this, or at least have heard of it, but if not, this is a shower gel that Lush bring out every year for a limited time at Christmas, and I was chuffed when I received this in a gift set. It has the yummiest candyfloss scent and pink colour, with a little bit of shimmer. This has little bottle has lasted me from Christmas, so it's done well! I will certainly be picking this up again next year, I love it. 

The next product is technically my Mums, but I can't deny that I had the odd spray of this L'occiatine Cherry perfume every now and then! I urge you to pop into a store and give this a sniff, it is heavenly. It would make a lovely gift and I would be super happy to receive a bottle myself  Finally is a Soap and Glory Girlingo spray, this has lasted me forever and it is such a quick easy product; you just spray it on, rub it in and silky smooth skin is yours!

-Hair-

As you can see, I get through rather a lot of dry shampoo. Its just a quick, cheap and easy way to get an extra day out of my hair (I was it every other day fyi) and Batiste is always my go to brand. This giant can lasted me an age, and the littler one faired pretty well too. I like both of these scents, but I found the cherry one a tad too sweet, and just for the record, my all time favorite smell they do is the fresh one. It's pretty darn good. I will always repurchase a can of this dry shampoo, although I would like to try Doves offering, I've heard wonderful things about it.

The other empty is a Vo5 heat protect spray, I love the scent of this range (it's the same as Lee Stafford stuff I swear) and it always left my hair feeling really soft after using it. Although I do like this product, I found it would leave my arms all sticky if my spraying had got a bit too enthusiastic, also, I like trying out new hair products, so I won't be repurchasing this immediately.  

-Skincare-

Yeah um, I guess I've got through a lot of skincare stuff! First, lets talk about all that L'Oreal micellar water. I love it, (as you may or way not have guessed) and as someone who often wears heavy eye makeup, I find this makes removal at the end of the day a breeze. I would definitely recommend this, and will continue to repurchase for some time. I've not used face wipes in the longest time *pats self on back*, these simple ones were finished ages ago now, but I do like them as wipes go, not stingy or stripping, they actually feel pretty nourishing, but I much prefer using a makeup remover and cleanser now.

 The two little pots are of Nivea Express hydration primers which I have featured in favourites posts more than once. The are the perfect product to quicky pop on in the mornign before applying your makeup, they are super affordable too. I'm actually using a Rimmel primer at the moment, but I'm sure I will buy one of these again.

 I find this simple moisturiser used to work for me, however lately me skin has been craving some thing a lot thicker that really soothes and smooths over everything (all will be revealed in my April favorites!) I find this one good if time is against me, but I seem to have just grown out of it I suppose.

These two Witch products work really well together and my skin gets along with the natural ingredients, defo on the re-buy list. Finally is Vichy's amazing Normaderm Hyaluspot read my review here, you'll get the gist of why I love it so!

-Makeup-

I've got through two concealers since my last empties; the blogger favorite Collection lasting perfection and a surprisingly good Miss Sporty offering. I won't bang on about number one, I'm sure your sick of hearing just how good it is (don't get me wrong, I'm firmly on that band wagon too!) but this Miss Sport liquid concealer is just amazing for the price (I'm pretty sure it's around the £3 mark) when I repurchase I will do a proper review, but it has a really lovely non cakey, medium coverage finish and is perfect under the eyes. 

Next up, the Rimmel Scandaleyes Show off mascara, this was nice enough but I didn't love it enough to repurchase. A product that will always hold a place in my heart though is this Collection cream puff, I talked about the formula here, and this shade is so flattering on all skin tones- so get yourself to boots pronto! Finally is a Natural Collection loose powder, this does the job nicely, not terribly exciting but I know it works for me and would totally recommend it if you're on a budget.

Phew, sorry this turned into such a wordy post, I hope it was still enjoyable! I hope you all have a lovely Easter Friday, I will be in Oxford so look out for a post of snippets (seen as you enjoyed my London one) and an outfit of the day!

What have you finished lately? Have you tried any of these products?

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Hair-care and styling: products and appliances.

Hello everyone, I hope you're all having a lovely half term! 

One thing I have never really focused on here is my hair; I'm not really sure why as it is a big part of my daily routine and the overall look I try to go for. So today I am going to share with you the products and appliances that I use at every stage to sort out my barnet! 

To give you a bit of context, I have quite long, relatively fine, light brown hair with a center parting. I regularly use heat to style it although I think it's in pretty good condition.  I wash my hair every other day in order to keep it looking healthy.

Shampoo// So first up, I wash my hair with the Pantene Pro-v `Ice shine` Shampoo. This is designed specifically to be nice and light for fine hair, and I find it is true to it's claim as it doesn't weigh my hair down at all. It smells goregous- quite appley and lathers up really well. 

Conditioner// As you can see, this is the matching conditioner to the shampoo. It is super creamy and moisturizing and leaves my ends feeling really nourished. There is nothing worse than a conditioner that doesn't condition! 

Oil// We all know argan oil keeps our ends perfectly soft, so I like to use this Edward Beale one after I have towel dried my hair before I blow dry it. I picked this bottle up in TK Maxx just to try, and I love it! I would seriously recommend using a hair oil (whether it's macadamia, coconut or argan) because nothing leaves my hair softer. 

Hairspray// I don't actually use hairspray all that often, but when I do, I always reach for this Vo5 one. I holds the style perfectly and unlike lots of other hairsprays I've tried, leaves it super soft and never crispy. 

Texture spray// This is the newest edition to my hair-care stash , I saw it in one of Zoella's favourites videos and thought it looked worth a try! Honestly I'm not sure now much volume or texture it adds to my hair, but I do like using it- it smells amazing!

Salt spray// This was all the rage last summer, I love using this Toni and Guy salt spray to add that lived in feel to waves and natural hair. This little bottle has actually lasted me ages and I'll be sure to repurchase when it runs out.

Heat protecting spray// This is an essential step in my hair routine, I wont let any heat anywhere near my hair with out it! I have been using the Vo5 one forever now, it leave my hair really soft but I find it does leave a bit of a residue on my hairs if I'm not careful where I spray it! I have recently started using a classic L'Oreal Elnett one which I adore, again super soft and smells amazing- just like Lee Stafford products.

Hairdryer// I have had this Remington hairdryer for ages now, but I must say it is still going strong! I always blow dry my hair after washing it, and it takes me a round ten or fifteen minutes. I find flipping it upside down and then back again gets the best results- and lots of volume! 

Curling wand// I wear my hair wavy most days, so this BaByliss curling wand is an essential for me If you would like to see how I curl my hair check out this post, just please excuse the photos! 

Straighteners// When I do deiced to Straighten my hair, I like to use these Remington ones, they heat up really fast and I can do my whole head pretty quickly with them. 

Heated rollers// Last but my no means least are my heated rollers, I got these for Christmas and I think I might have finally got to grips with them. They are the BaByliss Thermo Ceramic rollers and they are a totally fool proof way to get big bouncy hair.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I've set my self a little challenge hair-wise, so you should see the results of that pretty soon! 

What do you think of my routine? What's in yours? 

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FOTD #6.

Hello everyone, I hope you had an amazing Christmas! I certainly had a very lovely one, lots of food, gifts  and game board playing; my favorite :) 

This was my makeup look for the big day, I choose the `glitzy red` from my festive reds post and I'm really glad I did because  it was the perfect match to my sparkly top. I went for a gold eye with lashings of mascara which I love as it really brings out my eyes, gold and green is always a winner :) 

Products used; 

Miss Sporty liquid concealer (used under eyes) 

Collection lasting perfection concealer in `fair` (used on blemishes)

Rimmel Stay Matte foundation in `010 Light porcelain` 

Translucent Rimmel Stay Matte powder

Sleek blush by three palette in `Lace` (`Guipure`- middle shade) 

Sleek Contour kit (bronzer used to contour)

Wet 'n Wild Perfect eyes eye-shadow stick (Gold used all over the lid as a base)

Sleek I-Divine palette in `Au Natural` (`Taupe used in inner corner and all over lid) 

MUA Undress me too palette( `Tranquil` and `Dreamy` used in the crease) 

Rimmel Scandaleyes flex mascara 

NYC foundation stick (used on waterline)  

Maybelline Brow Drama in `Medium Brown`

L'oreal Paris `Feeric Fuschia`

I hope you like this look! I had a really lovey Christmas this year and I hope you all did as well :)

What do you think of my makeup? What was your look on Christmas day? 

Top five: The Festive red lip.

Hello everyone, I hope your having a good sunday.
I for one have got a horrible cold so am writing  this without a scrap of makeup as well as a sniffle and a cough. Hot.

Anyway enough of me moaning, it's so close to Christmas now! Whenever I think of  makeup looks for this time of the year, a red lip is the first thing I think off, so with that in mind, I have compiled my top five red lipsticks, which are all different but perfect for the festive season :) I have swatched them all on the lips so you can see them in comparison to each other and also the category I think they fall into.

 `The matte red` -Topshop `Rio Rio`

 As a self confessed lover of a matte lippie or ten two, this is one I totally adore. Topshop`Rio Rio` and is a bright red, far more orange toned than any off the others but is fab for brightening up the teeth and has brilliant staying power, perfect for when you're munching on your mince pies.

`The glitzy red` - L'oreal Paris `Feeric Fuschia`

This is a lipstick I was never expecting to like. It was free after spending a certain amount in my local boots, and never one to turn down a freebie I choose it out of a borning mascara and nail polish. It has tiny little flecks of glitter in it which initially was what I wasn't keen on, but have actually grown to love! It is perfect for Christmas and I have worn it on several occasions. Also, how perfect is the packaging; gold and holographic sparkles? Yes please.

`The classic red`- Rimmel lasting finish by Kate Moss in `01`

Next up is the classic red lip, simple but effective for any fancy occasion. The formula of this is super moisturizing and the colour is flattering on all skin tones, it also smells like cherries, so is definitely and all round winner. 

`The berry red`- Rimmel lasting finish matte lipstick in `107`

`107`is a blogger favourite and I for one am firmly on the bandwagon, I have worn in in plenty of outfit posts (see here, here and here!) and adore it wholeheartedly. It's great if you want to stray from the classic, pillarbox red and into something more vampy, but be warned, it will be hard not to wear it at every opportunity once you have it! 

`The glossy red`- Rimmel Apocalips in `Big Bang` 

Finally we have `the glossy red`, a look that is seen on the red carpet every year and has been for decades. `Big Bang` is the perfect example of how they should be done; intensely pigmented, settles to a stain once it has worn down slightly, as well as being easy to apply precisely.

So that is  my roundup of the festive reds, now I just have to decide which one to wear come Christmas day! 

Which one is your favourite? Are you going to be sporting a red lip this Christmas?