New In Christmas Beauty

It's been a while since I've written a beauty review post and I thought that it was about time I wrote one. There have been so many new beauty launches for the festive season, as you can read about in my previous blog post, but I did manage to buy a few of them before I was told by my sister to stop buying things that I could have been bought for Christmas! 

5 Minute Makeup for Uni

Now that I'm back at university for my final year, it's becoming apparent that a 20 minute makeup routine just isn't going to slot into my timetable so I'm making an attempt to cut down, or be more speedy at the very least. I prefer to spend the majority of that time on my base as I've found a few products that really make a difference in my routine. 

August Favourites

I've been a little quiet on the blogging front recently, mainly due to a few trips! I was really lucky to go to Paris in July, Majorca in August and then I went on a little shopping trip to London last week. All three resulted in a few beauty purchases and I'll be sharing these with you in the next month or so. My beauty favourites for August are all new things I've bought within the last two months, fallen in love with and have made their way into my everyday makeup routine.

The Highlighter Round-Up

Ever since the Becca collaboration with Jacyln Hill, the beauty world has gone crazy for highlighters. Whether it's the powder, liquid or cream formulas that float your boat, there really is something for everyone. This post is about my current highlighter collection which is a bit of an update from my post from February My Highlight Heroes. I've tried out so many new highlighters in the past five months from a range of brands and it's now a new step in my makeup routine.

The Nude Pink Lip Edit

When it comes to daily makeup, my favourite decision is which lip products I'm going to use. Lipstick can truly transform your look and in recent weeks, I've been turning to nude tones or pink shades to keep everything simple and fresh for the warmer months. These tones always look amazing with a tan, so I'm definitely applying a whole lot more of Benefit's Hoola and starting to think about fake tan options. For this post I've assembled my current six favourite summery lip products that look good on just about anyone. 

The Weekend Makeup Menu - Rose Gold & Copper Hues

Since purchasing the NARS Hammamet palette, I have been obsessed with rose gold and copper hues when it comes to makeup. I never thought shades like this would suit me but it turns out that in order to pull off certain colours, you just have to experiment with other aspects of your makeup. In this case, I worked out that a copper / rose gold eye look only really looks good (on me) with thick black eyeliner, lots of mascara, bold brows and a nude lip. I've been wearing this makeup combination quite frequently at work as well as weekends and even though it isn't the most summery colour scheme, I think the shades look good all year round. 

MAC Blogger Favourites: Worth the Hype?

March Favourites

It's favourites time again - happy April! Although I haven't purchased any new makeup this month due to my March Makeup Spending Ban, there are a few beauty items that I've either rediscovered or were bought in February. I did, however, allow myself to buy a few new haircare products as I had my hair cut and coloured at Vidal Sassoon a few weeks ago and I'm excited to write up a few reviews about them. 

A Quick and Easy Office Makeup Look

You know the drill: It's 8am and after hitting the snooze button more than you'd like to admit, it's time to get ready for work, uni or school. Of course no-one should feel they have to wear makeup but for me it's part of my morning ritual and I really enjoy it. One thing I always lack, however, is time. For me the best products to wear to work are the ones that are quick to apply and blend (if necessary) but also the ones that are long-lasting. The last thing I want to be doing in my lunch break is doing a complete makeup overhaul.

My Highlight Heroes

The words 'highlighting' and 'strobing' seem to be everywhere in the beauty world these days. You can't read the Glamour beauty pages without seeing tips to achieve a glowy dewy complexion. For oily / combination girls such as myself, powder highlighters aren't always as effective and long-lasting which is why I tend to prefer liquid and cream highlighting products when I want to add a little shine. There are three products that have impressed me in this category and I name them my 'Highlight Heroes'. 

Spring MAC Haul

2016 is already flying by so quickly and I feel like I haven't had a minute to catch my breath. Lots of exciting things will be happening this month and next so make you're following me on Bloglovin to keep updated. I won't give too much away today but there have been many reasons to celebrate so I've been treating myself here and there to a few MAC products, hence this nice little collective haul.

The Pre-Year Abroad Haul - Beauty (Part One)

If you've been reading my blog recently, I've mentioned a few times that I'm moving to Germany on Friday for my year abroad. If you're reading this as a friend, however, you'll know I mention it all the darn time. I definitely have mixed feelings about the big move - excitement, nerves, insecurity, it's all a little bit unknown right now but whether I like it or not, it is happening. To distract myself a little, I've been throwing myself into the packing and shopping side of things and boy has it been great. Thinking ahead, I won't be able to get hold of certain products and brands abroad in Germany so I've been using this as an excuse to stock up. Here are the beauty products I've purchased recently to pop straight into my suitcase..

1. No 7 Beautifully Matte Foundation - Cool Ivory

My all-time favourite foundation, I can't live without this so naturally I bought two.

2. Colour WOW Root Cover-up - Platinum

As I won't be able to go my hairdresser in the UK until Christmas, it's going to be a while before my hair is re-highlighted. This little beauty of a product is a great way to extend your highlights by using the powder to mimic the look of fresh highlights. 

3. Clarins One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser

Another cute travel size, this is a great addition to my Germany skincare stash. If you'd like more information about my skincare routine, check out my recent post here. 

4. Clarins Daily Energizer Cream

As you know from My Updated Skincare Routine post, I'm a big fan of Clarins and I used a recent 10% off Debenhams promotion to persuade me to buy this moisturiser. So far, so good. I'll write an in-depth review once I've tested it a few more times.

5. Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector - 01

This little lip wonder came in the Clarins '5 minute makeover set' and is moisturizing, plumping and glossy. 

6. Mac Lipstick - Star Magnolia

A new purchase! Granted, I'm not convinced I'll never peruse a Mac store in Germany but this new lipstick simply had to be mine. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, I'll be posting a pre-year abroad fashion haul shortly!

xxx

September Favourites

Hello lovely readers, October is finally here and I for one am so excited about this month and everything that it entails - starting uni again, Halloween, all that jazz. This is my first monthly favourites post which is also very exciting. I'm not sure I will be posting one every month, however, because at the moment I'm purchasing more fashion items than beauty products. All the same, I do love writing beauty posts and am going to try to get into a routine of trying out new beauty products as and when I can. 

So, without further ado, these are the products that I've been particularly loving this past month..

1. The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Body Lotion

This body lotion was actually a Christmas gift last year from a friend but I rediscovered my love for it in September. My friend knows that peach is my favourite scent and I'm sure I will be repurchasing this product time and time again. The Body Shop are a cult favourite beauty brand in the UK and never fail to impress me!

  

2. Avon Moroccan Argan Oil Lightweight Gloss Spray

I do think that Avon products can sometimes be overlooked in the beauty world and one great find I have here is the Moroccan Argan Oil Lightweight Gloss spray. It's a wonderful alternative to the somewhat heavy-feeling quality of Argan Oil and it's definitely a whole lot quicker! I often spray this on my hair after straightening or curling and an added plus is that it smells divine. 

3. Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Blonde

Before discovering this, I'd never really heard of a 'brow mascara' but was intrigued by the concept. I've been really impressed with the results and have got into a routine of applying my brow pencil and then setting my brows with this tinted mascara-like formula. Statement brows à la Cara Delevinge have been hitting the magazines a lot recently and this is the perfect drugstore tool to achieve this. 

4. MAC Lipstick in 'Speed Dial' 

This beautiful MAC lipstick was a birthday gift from another friend - a very generous present for my 19th. I'm known in my friends circle for loving MAC's lipsticks and this is no exception. Speed Dial is the perfect subtle colour for Autumn, without being too much of a statement. It's a Cremesheen finish which is my personal favourite due its moisturising formulation. All hail MAC!

5. OPI Pamplona Purple 

I recently wrote a separate blog post about my love for this nail colour here but I couldn't help adding it to my September Favourites too! It's the perfect plum shade for Autumn Winter.

I hope you enjoyed my first monthly favourites post, if you've written a September Favourites post also, please leave your link in the comments because I love reading them!

xxx