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Friday 31 May 2013

Summer Corals

Hey dolls! :) hope you're all doing good.
I love wearing corals in the summer time, I think they really brighten up your face and look great on many different skintones. Here are my top 3 coral lipsticks from the drugstore.

The first one is by Max Factor and it's called Bewitching Coral. It's from the elixir range so it's nice and moisturising and is a hot pink/coral shade.

The second is by Maybelline in the colour Coral tonic and this is from their colour sensational range. It's a more orangey coral and is very opaque. 

The third is by Loreal from their Color Riche line and it's called luminous coral. It's a more toned down true coral colour, not as bright as the other two and is definitely a luminous finish, where as the other two are quite matte. 

I love all three of them! What are your fave lipsticks for the summer? 




Thursday 23 May 2013

Skincare Wishlist

Origins High-Potency Night-A-mins
I'm on the  hunt for a good night cream and this seems to be a great pick. Packed with Vitamins C, E & H, minerals & moisture-rich replenishers. While relaxing aromas lull you to sleep, skin sloughs away dry, dead layers. 

Ren Invisible Pores Detox mask
I've been eyeing up this mask for quite a while but not yet taken the plunge. It is a
 detoxifying clay mask designed to reduce the appearance of pore size and leave the skin purified, smooth and toned.

Simple kind to skin soothing eye balm
I have super sensitive eyes and I need a fragrance free, no fuss, gentle eye cream so where better to look than simple. It contains vitamin E which is essential for helping with my dark circles.

The body shop Vitamin C microdermabrasion scrub
I've almost ran out of my St. Ives scrubs and for a change I want to try this one full of vitamin C, f
ine exfoliating micro particles and crushed garnet stones remove dead skin cells to reveal a brighter, more radiant complexion.

Nivea lip butter - Raspberry rose
Nivea is my all time favourite brand of lip balm and I am yet to try these lip butters but have heard great things about them! The raspberry rose one looks lovely. 

Monday 20 May 2013

Henna tattoo

I thought I'd share my henna tattoo with you all. They're so pretty, I love having them done! I actually did this design by myself and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I left it to dry for a couple of hours but If you leave it to dry for longer and apply some lemon and sugar you can get a more vibrant and darker result. :) 
Freshly applied

Freshly applied

Final result

Final result

Sunday 19 May 2013

Clarins Skin perfecting BB cream

I had a sachet sample of the Clarins BB cream and thought I'd try it out and give a little review on it.

It contains SPF 25 which is great. They say: BB Skin Perfecting Cream evens skin tone, revitalises and protects. 
I had the sample in medium and I found that it was a tad too dark and orange toned even for my NC30 skin tone. The consistency was a little richer than other BB creams but once blended out, it felt light on the skin. The coverage is really good for a BB cream which I really liked. It also lasted quite well on the skin. 
Overall, it's an excellent BB cream but I really didn't like the colour selection. It retails for £28.00 which is on the pricey side in comparison to other brands so I don't think I will be buying the full product. 

Which BB creams have you tried? I would love a good recommendation! 


I swatched it over the veins on my wrist so you can get an idea of the coverage.

Blended out

Tuesday 14 May 2013

Revision tips for exam success!

Since exam season is here, I thought it might be useful to do a post with some tips on revising. Good luck to anyone who has exams and if you have already had them, I'm sure you've done well and this post might be helpful for future ones! You can also incorporate these tips into work too.

So the first thing you want to do is to figure out how you learn best. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory (learn by listening), and some are kinesthetic (learn by doing things), or readitory (learn by reading things). If you're not sure which one of these you are, there is a quiz you can take here: http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire.


Now that you know what kind of learner you are, m
ake a timetable so you stay organised, and here are some tips and revision techniques you can try. If you find you are a mixture of learning styles, then you can pick and choose ones from different categories that work for you. 


If you are a visual learner:
-Make posters, charts or diagrams. 
-Use colour in your notes.
-Make coloured flashcards.
-Look at pictures.
-Use mind maps.
-Watch tutorials

If you are an auditory learner: 
-Record yourself reading key notes and listen to it.
-Look for someone on youtube who talks about what you want to learn.
-Look for smartphone apps that might be useful.
-If you don't understand something, get a friend or tutor to explain it to you.


If you are a kinesthetic learner: 
-Organise a group revision session with your friends.
-Invest in a model. For example, if you're learning anatomy, invest in a skeleton to learn it practically.
-Get your family and friends to test you.
-If you are learning a speech, practice out loud.
-Make a song or dance to create a fun way to learn something.


If you learn by reading:
-Read a textbook or revision guide. 
-Re-write notes again and again until you remember.
-Condense the text into smaller chunks so you can remember key facts.

And no matter what type of learner you are, it is always good to do past papers! If you have no past papers, then make up questions that you think you might get asked and do them! 

Remember, everyone is different and what might work for you might not work for someone else. I am a visual learner and my favorite method is making coloured flash cards. It is a matter of trial and error. If like me, you tend to procastinate, put something that will motivate you on the wall, maybe a conditional acceptance letter to the uni/college you want to go to or a poster. Good luck! :) 


Monday 13 May 2013

Benefit They're Real Mascara Review

So I know I'm late on the bandwagon for trying out this mascara but I finally picked it up after seeing all the raves. Let me tell you that it most definitely does live up to the hype!
 
The consistency is quite wet, not at all gloopy and not flaky either. With just one coat, it effortlessly lengthens the lashes beyond belief without putting in any effort! It thickens without getting clumpy either. It doesn't create any flaky fall out and holds a curl fairly well throughout the day. So as you can imagine, it is holy grail material. It's actually free inside Elle magazine right now so you can bag yourself a good deal and try it out for yourself!

Before

After (sorry about the lighting here I was looking out of the window!)

Tuesday 7 May 2013

D.I.Y Ceiling light pendant



Another D.I.Y post! I've just been so inspired and creative lately! Here is a ceiling light pendant that I made from bits around the house. You can also change it a little to make it a dream catcher instead if you want to. 

You will need some cardboard, scissors, some pearls or beads (I used some old bracelets), thread, and also some glitter and glue which I forgot to include in the photo!
Cut the cardboard into a ring and cut out some hearts or a shape of your choice.
Wrap some strips of paper and some thread around the ring.
Cut out different lengths of thread and loop from the top.

Sprinkle some glitter over the cut out shapes and shake away the excess.

Put the shapes at the bottom of the threads and put the pearls and beads through however way you like.
Tie the beaded threads through the threads on the ring and you're ready to hang!

Sunday 5 May 2013

Body shop haul

Just a mini haul of some things that I picked up from the body shop recently. Repurchases of my aloe foam wash cleanser and night cream, the seaweed pore perfector that I thought I'd try, and a rose lip roll on that caught my eye! I haven't tried the seaweed pore perfector and I'm quite skeptical about whether it will be effective. I've already used the lip roll on though and I love it! The metal ball feels cooling on the lips and it's very moisturising without feeling waxy.











Friday 3 May 2013

D.I.Y Earring Holder

Here's an idea for a DIY earring holder that might be useful if you have a lot of hook earrings. It's super easy to make and you can use things lying around in the house!

What you need: A shoe box or any box, scissors, super glue, and a fabric of your choice. (netted tights type material works well)
Take off the lid or cut out the upper inch of your box.



Place the fabric over the lid and glue it tight from behind.
Once tightly glued from the back, the front should look something like this.
Hook on your earrings and you're done!

Tuesday 30 April 2013

April Faves!

Hello lovelies :) sorry I haven't posted in a while, been so busy with work and revision. Anyway I thought I'd post about some bits that I've been loving!

-Herbal Essences Bee Strong Shampoo
This is probably the best shampoo I've ever used! It smells so good and leaves my hair clean, soft, and strong. It's great if you get a dry or flaky scalp because of the honey.

-Boots tea tree witch hazel toner
I've been loving toning with this after cleansing. It's great to prevent shine and keeps spots at bay!

-Olay essentials SPF 15 day fluid normal/oily
I wanted a new light moisturiser to protect against the sun and this ticks all the boxes! It is super light, absorbs instantly and smells lovely.

-Soap and Glory shea butter hand scrub
This is a great scrub for hands and feet! It smells amazing and contains skin softening sea salts and sugar with grapeseed, shea and almond oil. It leaves you super smooth and soft.

-Sleek palette in au naturel 601
I've been loving this neutrals eyeshadow palette. I usually don't wear eyeshadow, but these colours are very wearable and easy to use.

-Hair Bun Dohnut
This is a really easy way of creating a perfect big sleek bun and I've been using it a lot lately!

Sunday 14 April 2013

Foundations for Combo-Oily Skin

Foundations I've tried (combo-oily skin) 

I don’t wear liquid foundation every day, I usually wear powder and a bit of concealer if I need it (Rimmel stay matte powder or Mac studio fix powder and Collection concealer). If I’m going out for a special occasion, these are some of the foundations I have tried and mini reviews on each one. I wouldn't recommend these if you have dry skin. 

Mac Pro longwear: £24.00
This is a very long wearing foundation with an SPF of 10. I am in the shade NC30 in Mac. The finish of this is a beautiful satin finish. (somewhere in between dewy and matte). It really does stay on all day and is quite runny in consistency but throughout the day it can start to feel a little heavy. It does an okay job at controlling oil and the coverage is medium and buildable. 
Apologies for the pump covered in the foundation!

Mac Studio fix fluid: £20.50
This has an SPF of 15 and can cause a little flashback in photos.  It is quite thick in consistency and gives an absolutely flawless soft focused, matte finish but throughout the day I find that it oxidizes and cakes into pores which I don’t like. It is good at controlling oil, but doesn't stay fresh looking.

Estee Lauder Double wear: £27.50
This is also very long wearing and has an SPF of 10. The finish is semi-matte, full coverage, and it controls oil. The shade that I was matched with was slightly grey and I prefer the more yellow based foundations like the Mac ones but it wasn't too bad. What I don’t like about this foundation is that it accentuates my pores! 

Rimmel Stay Matte: £5.99
This is a great cheaper alternative if you have oily skin. It has a matte finish which is medium and buildable. It makes you look really flawless and the consistency is not too heavy. It feels fresh to wear, not heavy. The only downside about this is it doesn't last too long on the skin. Otherwise it’s a fantastic foundation for the price! 


Revlon Colorstay (oily-combo): £12.49
Saving the best till last, this is my favorite. It has an SPF of 6 so it looks great in photos. It is thinner in consistency to the mac ones so it doesn't feel as heavy on the skin. It stays on all day and controls oil well. It gives a matte finish which is medium to full coverage. It is also the best one I've found for minimizing the look of pores! 


Friday 12 April 2013

What's on my wishlist?


Printed trousers - New look £22.00
How to look the best at everything - Benefit £25.50
Guess Sunglasses - Tkmaxx £24.99
Mac lipstick in coral bliss £14.00

Sunday 7 April 2013

MUA lipsticks review + swatches

The MUA lipsticks are quite similar to the NYX round lipsticks which are fairly difficult to get in the UK. The MUA lipsticks are available in superdrug and when I saw that they were only £1, yes only a pound each!, you really can not go wrong! I picked up 3 shades that I liked in the numbers 7, 11, and 12.

Shade 7 is a coraly pink shade with a satin finish. Shade 11 is a my lips but better shade like a brownish pink with a fairly matte finish. Shade 12 is a fuscia pink shade which I actually will probably never wear because it's glittery which I didn't notice in the store but very pretty non-the-less.

They are very pigmented and the colour at the bottom of the lipsticks is the exact same shade as the lipsticks themselves because you can actually take the bottoms off and use them as a lipstick balm type thing which I found cool! They last a fairly long time on the lips too so they are very good quality considering they are only a pound each!

(Left to right) 7, 11, 12


(Left to right) 7, 11, 12


(Left to right) 7, 11, 12 The shading in this picture are very true to the colour of the lipsticks.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

25 Random questions tag!


Question 1: Do you have any pets ? Nope, my mum doesn't like pets but I would love a German Shepard in the future! 
Question 2: Name three things that are physically close to you: My iphone, a mug of tea, and a book that I should be reading for uni.
Question 3: What's the weather like right now ? It's sunny but it's only around 5 degrees!
Questions 4: Do you drive ? If so, have you crashed? Yes I do drive and I'm a crazy driver but fortunately I have not crashed yet and hopefully I won't *TOUCHWOOD* 
Question 5: What time did you wake up this morning ? I'm off uni for easter so I've been waking up rather late! Today I woke up at 11am.
Question 6: When was the last time you showered ? This morning, although I do prefer evening showers.
Question 7: What was the last movie that you saw ? The last movie I watched was pitch perfect and it was so funny! Fat amy was my fave! 
Question 8: What does you last text message say? Have you started revision yet? xx
Question 9: What is your ringtone ? The standard iphone ring tone! I should change it to something else really :)
Question 10: Have you ever been to a different country? Yes I've been to India :) 
Question 11: Do you like sushi? I have actually never tried sushi I feel like I won't like it but this has reminded me to definitely try some! 
Question 12: Where do you buy your groceries? ASDA!
13: Have you ever taken any medication to help you fall asleep faster? Nope.
Question 14: How many siblings do you have ? I have a younger sister and a younger brother.
Question 15: Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? I have both, but I only use my laptop!
Question 16: How old will you be turning on your next birthday? I'll be 22 :) 
Question 17: Do you wear contacts or glasses ? Neither.
Question 18: Do you colour your hair ? Nope! But I want to get brown highlights in the future.
Question 19: Tell me something you are planning to do today: I really need to be doing some revision!
Question 20: When was the last time you cried? I can't actually remember :0 
Question 21: What is your perfect pizza topping? probably chicken supreme but I recently had a fajita topping pizza and it was so nice!
Question 22: Which do you prefer, hamburger or cheeseburger ? I don't eat beef hmm neither!
Question 23: Have you ever had an all-nighter ? Yes 
Question 24: What is your eye colour ? Brown :)
Question 25: Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke? Yes definitely! 

I Tag EVERYONE :) xx

Review: Palmers cocoa butter skin therapy oil

I've been using this oil to moisturise my body after the shower for almost 3 months now. It soaks into the skin quickly and is very moisturising. It smells like chocolate which is yummy but fortunately it doesn't linger which is good otherwise it would get a bit overpowering.

I've found that it has helped in evening out skin tone but I haven't yet noticed any improvement on stretch marks but I only use this once a day instead of the recommended times so I will continue to use it and see. It makes my skin soft and glowy and the pump is really handy so it's less messy to use. It lasts a really long time in 3 months I'm just under half way through it! I really recommend! :)

Excuse the sticker coming off the oil causes it to lose it's stick!




Wednesday 27 March 2013

Super Facialist by Una Brennan

I spotted this range in boots and decided to pick up the tea flower pore purifying clay mask.

It is a detoxifying mask to unclog pores and restore skin balance so it appealed to me a lot! It contains salicylic acid, dead sea mud, calcium, potassium and iron which all help decongest the skin and absorb oil. It also has avocado oil and acacia honey so it is also moisturising and full of vitamins at the same time!

It is not as thick as other clay masks but still thick enough. I apply it for 10 minutes and oh my gosh the smell is so lovely! If you are ever in boots take a sniff it's so nice! Like lavender/clay/fresh scent. It dries after around 7 minutes and then I wash it off. After use my skin feels clean, toned and fresh! I really recommend it if you struggle with oily skin and congested clogged pores. Have you tried any products from this range?



Thursday 21 March 2013

Crispy Cakes for Easter!

Hello lovelies! 
I have an easy peasy recipe for crispy cakes perfect for easter!

Ingredients:

60g/2 oz butter
3 table spoons golden syrup
1 x 100g bar of chocolate
90g/ 3 oz rice krispies
2 table spoons nutella (optional)
A pack of mini eggs

-Melt the chocolate in small bursts in the microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.

-Add butter, cut in to small pieces, stir until melted.
-Add the syrup, stir.
-Add the rice krispies and stir in to the chocolate mix, gently and add nutella if you would like.
-Spoon in to 12 bun cases.
-Add a few mini eggs on top.
-Leave to cool.