New Years Eve Get Ready With Me

Hello lovelies!

Welcome to my first BeautyShine post. It's the last day of December, oh my goodness where has the year gone?! So here's how I got ready to celebrate New Years Eve...

So this picture is a complete fail! I took it on my iPhone and the lighting wasn't bad - you could at least see what the products were. I'm sorry! We can pretend we can see that when I jumped out of the shower I straight away brushed it and smoothed in some of my Avon hair oil. I LOVE this stuff! It smells great and makes my hair lovely and soft (second to left). 

I then sprayed my face with some Boots Botanics Rose Water Toning Spritz (tall bottle), moisturised with a basic Simple moisturiser (second to right) and finally applied my favourite Baby Lips in 'Hydrate' (far right) to settle in while I got dressed. 

For my makeup I used my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation and concealer which I am loving right now. To keep it simple on the face I have used my Sleek Contour Kit to define my cheeks and applied my Calvin Klein red lipstick beneath my beautiful Revlon 'Cherries in the Glow' lip gloss. 

The real focus of my look tonight is the eyes. As a base, I've used my MAC paint pot in 'Morning Frost' and then done a beautiful rose gold smokey eye using my Naked 3 palette. I will do a full post on this soon. 

I hope you all have a fantastic evening seeing in the New Year whether your going out or staying in. I'll see you in 2014!

Until Next Time

xx

Christmas 2013 Beauty Wish List!

Hello

Where has 2013 gone? I cannot believe that it's the 10th of December already! Well with Christmas so close I thought what better to talk about than a couple of products I'll be asking Santa to leave under my tree this year.

Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. What makeup junkie doesn't have this beautiful piece on their wish list this year?! I am in love with the eye shadow shades in this, well done Urban Decay. You've done good yet again!

Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick. Now i'm already a big fan of Bourjois products - their nail polishes, foundations, blushers and bronzers are amazing - but their new lipsticks look fantastic, I particularly like the packaging.

Too Faced No Make-UP Make Up. Too Faced is renowned for its cute, elegant packaging and this new palette is so pretty. I think it would be perfect for somebody just starting out also. 

Ted Baker Diamante Bow Make Up Bag. I'm in the market for a new makeup bag and this one from Ted Baker is gorgeous. Retailing at £25.00 from ASOS it is a little too pricey, but ahh, I can dream... 

Clinique Whole Lotta Candy. Chubby sticks are huge in the makeup industry at the moment, we've got the Clinique chubby sticks, the Bourjois colour boosts and the No7 lip crayons. The new mini range from Clinique called 'Whole Lotta Candy' is a fun festive twist on the already amazing chubby sticks. Two Ton Tomato is my favourite.

Taylor Swift 'Enchanted' Perfume. I'm not much of a perfume person but this looks and smells so great. 

So that's all on my beauty wishlist for now. What about you? Comment or tweet me the one thing you'd like the most from your nearest beauty counter. 

Until next time

xx

Current 'Go-To' Make Up

Hello

I have been LOVING Yankee candles if you didn't know already...

Today I'd like to talk you through my current go to make up look. I call it a 'go to' look because it is what I've been wearing on the days I have actually worn makeup. A lot of the time I've just been embracing the facial nakedness on a mission to restore my skin to it's Summer goodness. Right now I'm failing that mission :(

So first lets talk about the base; I have returned to my Rimmel Wake Me Up duo because I do love it so much and at the moment the foundation coverage is perfect for me - not too full on but heavier than my Bourjois Health Mix. As for the concealer it helps conceal my horrible bags but brightens the under eye area too without creasing. Yayy for non-creasing concealers.

For cheeks I have been using the usual Sleek contour kit to contour my cheekbones and create a pretty little highlight on occasion but I have also been switching things up a bit by sometimes using my Bourjois chocolate bronzer (I love the smell of this) alone partially to contour and partially as a bronzer blush. I like both.

I've been rocking the simple but gorgeous Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless mascara in brown. Together with my eye lash curlers I could be wearing more natural, pretty looking falsies. Who would know?! I LOVE this mascara and recommend it to you all.

Finally, on the lips, I have been wearing my bold and bright Calvin Klein 'Mesmerize' lipstick with pride. I love this colour all year round but to me it is an Autumn shade. What do you think?

So that is all from me this week, I'll be back next week with my last post of November. Not long until Christmas now, eh? Eeek!!

Until next time

xx

All Bronzed Up (High Street)

Hello

We're leaving Autumn behind now (which is actually when I had hoped to get this post up.. oops!) and moving steadily into the Winter months where the days get cooler but as does our makeup. 

Personally, in Winter months I like to go with the pale/natural look with maybe a bit of contour. I avoid the bronzed up look. I do know however, that a lot of you like to keep your tan all year round so today I'd like to talk about three high street bronzers you may (or may not) want to invest in.

Note that I'm not discussing these products because they are my favourites nor because they're the best on the market but simply because they are the only ones in my collection. Despite being a massive contour-er, I'm really not that much of a bronze-y person...

So we'll start with Maybelline SunGlow pressed bronzing powder because it was the first bronzer I ever bought (we're not counting the compact I got from a Zoey 101 magazine aged 8, okay? pfft. It's not like I collected every single one just for the makeup or anything).

The packaging isn't great, much like the Rimmel Stay Matte powder it's cheap and easily broken. The lid doesn't screw on properly and the product falls out of the pan every single time I open it! It's simple, though, and I like simple. 

I really do like the slogan 'dust on a touch of sun'. It's simply fantastic. Every bronzer should have a slogan like this one. It goes well with the imprint of a sun shine on the powder also. 

The colouring is quite subtle but far too easily gives you a nasty orange tint. A little is a lot with this product. 

Well since we're going in order of purchase today, I picked up this cheap little compact from Superdrug at the beginning of the year. I like the perfectly sized, cubic packaging made from clear plastic. It's a handy thing to keep in your handbag. It's well priced to at just £1.00! I've always loved MUA for their prices. 

I believe this is in shade 3. It works well on fair skin as a contour or a light bronzer on the high points of the face. For a cheap, "drug store" product I give this full marks. 

And finally, my most recent (I'd say early Summer this year) bronzing buy, the love it or hate it, most raved about bronzer by the beauty bloggers. It's the Bourjois chocolate bronzer!

This is quite a controversial product since a lot of gurus, such as Zoe (Zoella280390 on YouTube) have made clear how much they love it while others, such as Gabrielle Rose (Velvetgh0st on YouTube) have said they're not so much a fan. 

Me? I love this bronzer! More recently I've been using it as a contour when I can't find my beloved Sleek contour kit. It works as both. 

The smell is more like cocoa butter than chocolate but either way I can't get enough of it. I'm sure you know I'm a scent obsessed kind of girl so anything fragranced has my attention. The colour pay off is good, a warm golden colour which I guess can be a little orange if you're super pale, but this is definitely my favourite. 

I'm not financially well off enough to afford high end products unless they're gifted to me so I'm not an owner of any top bronzers but if I was I think I'd like to give the Nars Lagoona a whirl. Hint hint to friends. Christmas is coming ;)

Until next time

xx

Borghese Fango Active Mud Review

Hello

I am reviewing the Borghese Fango active mud for face and body today and I have to say, first impressions are not good. 

I bought this on mission to defeat black heads after reading this brilliant review on Fluer De Force's blog. 

I figured if it worked for her it would work for me but alas, like so many other products which claim to reduce or clear black heads, this failed for me. 

The price is ridiculous for the tiny tube although you don't need much so I guess if you find it works for you then the paying up to £35 is totally worth it. I picked this up from eBay for £21.00.  

The packaging itself is super cute. I really like the simple yet attractive design and it just makes me want to display it in my bathroom. It has the feel of a luxury product - granted, it is sort of luxury priced) - which is always great.

As you can see it is a very muddy colour and is full on coverage. It has a strong smell to it which I'm not to sure how to describe but I like it. It makes me feel like I'm in a spa. 

It is also very strong to sensitive skin, if like me your skin is even slightly sensitive, I would only use this mask on the areas it is needed. 

I apply this to my nose and chin only, but I do use a generous amount and I can definitely feel it working, unfortunately after I wash it off there is no immediate or long term difference. Sigh.. 

I don't feel very qualified to be reviewing this in detail because I'm no expert on skin care, nor am I clued up on face mask ingredients  I usually just stick to whatever I can find in Holland & Barrett.

Overall, I look the look and feel but it doesn't quite work for me. I'd recommend if you like a luxury feel, have the time and money to spend on using this regularly but don't have too many black heads to fix. 

That's all I've got for now I'm afraid. I hope this helped as this review has been a long time coming. 

Until next time

xx

Fall Favourites

Hello

Nope I'm not American and yes I love the word Autumn but 'Fall Favourites' just has that ring to it, don't you think? So that's what we're going with today. I present to you my favourites from September/October.

I'm going to split it into categories this season, so if you'd like to skip some sections this is the order;

1. skin care
2. makeup 
3. nails
4. scent
5. Misc

I'm also not going to talk in detail because there are so many things! I hope this is okay and if there is anything you want me to review, leave a comment.

Skin care

Unfortunately for my skin, since my life got a little busier my skin isn't as high in my priorities as it should be. I only cleanse if I'm wearing makeup - even that has slipped to a makeup wipe the past couple of nights (yep, naughty me!), I never tone and I'm always forgetting to moisturise! Night cream just doesn't exist to me anymore. However there are still a couple of things I've been loving recently. 

First of, I am still enjoying my Manuka Doctor hydrating facial cleanser, it does exactly what it says on the tube and bee venom skin products is the number 1 trend 2013.

Second, I picked up the 'Catastrophe Cosmetic' fresh face mask from Lush about two weeks ago and I've used it five times since then. It's only the 75g tub but I've barely got through any and I like a generous coverage. I definitely recommend Lush face masks. 

Make-up

This section has a lot of products this month, but hey! I wouldn't be a decent beauty blogger if I wasn't a beauty addict now, would I?! It's only my bank account that suffers...

First up I've been going crazy for Maybelline 24HR Color Tatattoos! I have four shades in total but my favourites, which I've been getting a LOT of use from include Metallic Pomegranite which is like a bronzey-brown-purple colour (centre), On and On Bronze which is a deep gold colour (right) and my absolute favourite is Pink Gold (left)! The pigmentation is fantastic, I use these as both bases and on their own sometimes. I actually prefer these to my MAC paint pot - much cheaper too. Swatches below.

Something which I bought a very long time ago but I've recently been loving due it's ability to hide under eye bags and cover any blotches that my foundation cannot, is my Witch concealer in shade 01 (Natural). It was just a pharmacy pick up when from when I had really bad skin because witch hazel is great for blemishes but I never really got into it until now. I like the strong smell too. 

Another fabulous product Maybelline has brought to us this year are theBaby Lips lip balms! I have all six available in the UK (very jealous of the wider variety in the US) and I love every. single. one of them. In particular my favourites are Cherry Me for it's colour and taste, Hydrate for it's hydrating qualities and the smell and taste of a sweet I just can't put my finger on, and finally, Intense Care for being all round a great lip balm. I keep the latter by my bed for last thing at night, first thing in the morning and everything in between! Makeup award goes to Maybelline for there brilliant high street products.  

I have been using my Photo Finish face primer from Smashbox almost everyday since August and I love it. It does a great job and you don't need much of it - my tiny 12ml tube is still going strong.

A blush I bought due to it being recommended to me by a friend is Sleek Rose Gold. Now, I was already a fan of the Sleek powder blushes but this one is just so beautiful! It is more a summery blush but I like it for Autumn just as much. Ahh I could just stare at it forever.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned before that I'd picked up the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless mascara but I have. I got the brown shade because I feel like black is too much for my eyes and I'm loving it. It isn't clumpy and it looks so pretty. It's made my lashes grow too which although it claims to do so, I did not believe it would. I like the long, slim application wand too. My new favourite mascara. 

Finally for this category I have two lip products; My Model Co lip gloss in Strip Tease which I believe I have featured on here before now (well I'm still in love with it) and my Calvin Klein lip stick in Mesmerize which I talked about waaayyyy back in one of my very first posts here. It's a little bright for Autumn but I think it's great all year round, especially in the season of the crunchy leaves. :) 

Pheww, now that's over. 

Nails

Just the two polishes that I actually own are in my favourites this month;Barry M Red Wine because it's just the perfect October colour and MUA Fairy Dust which is beautiful with just one coat and doesn't chip either. I love this type of polish.

However there is one nail varnish which ALL the gurus have been chatting about and I''ve just been stood drooling over it in Boots. That isEssie's After School Boy Blazer from their new Autumn 2013 collection. Anyone want to buy it for me? I'll love ya forever. 

Scent

I'm a girl who loves her smells and this month I've got a couple of candles for you to try out. 

Mandarin Cranberry is one of my absolute favourite Yankee candles for its beautiful smell and I like the colour too. I've been burning this small votive size one a lot lately and I just find it delicious. 

Also - and we're getting in the holiday spirit now - I have one of the Halloween scents. Witches brew is a lovely spicey scent. I like the label too. 

Last but not least I shopped my stash and found an old NEXT body spritz in lemongrass. I adore this fresh, 'invigorating' spray and I've been using it on a daily basis, I'm a little sad that it isn't available anymore though. 

Misc.

So finally the miscellaneous category. Three things for you this month;

First I've been enjoying to use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply my foundation with. 

Next I am currently reading (once again, I'm late to jump on the band wagon) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and I'm really enjoying it. An older read, yes but I recommend it all the same. 

ANDDD finally the last thing in my favourites is the Halloweentown film series from Disney. I love every single of one these movies, they are some of the very few films I can watch more than once - in fact, I watch these EVERY YEAR. I seriously recommend you go and watch them. 

I hope you enjoyed this slightly too long, wordy post full of my favourite things.

Until next time
xx

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash Review

Hello

Yet another Soap & Glory review for you today. If you remember this post I did about the Sugar Crush body scrub, I promised you a review of the body wash which I'm doing right now. Sugar crush is by far my favourite scent of theirs. I just love it!

So lets start out, like always, with the packaging. I like the bright and simple design, the unique and easy to use pump which provides just the right amount of product and the size is ideal. As always the catchy quotes on the bottle are fun too;

"Simply the zest" is the perfect way to describe this product.

I haven't finished this bottle yet but I'm half way there, I shower every other day and use this every time. I estimate the bottle to last about 8 to 9 months depending on how much you use and how often.

The scent is just as strong as zesty as the scrub, if not more so and for sugar crush lovers this is the perfect way to freshen up in the morning. 

Consistency is good. The product is very light and thin, almost like a liquid which makes is easy to rub into the skin and rinse off. I like to use a shower sponge.

So it's a body wash. I use it in the shower and it makes me all clean and fresh. I think that's all you need to know, right? I hope this helps and if you haven't already, you should go ahead and try this out. I love it!

Until next time

xx

DIY Hair Accessory

Hello

She comes back online saying she'll be around everyday and then Monday comes and she's no where to be seen. I'm sorry guys! The internet was down and I was devastated that I couldn't publish my DIY post, but here it is for you today. Enjoy.

Sometimes at college me and my crafty friend Rachael get a bit bored so last week we were sat in one of the class rooms and the display bored was made of a weird stringy material which was falling off.

Being the creative gal that my friend is she took some of the strips and made cute little stringy bows, which I then turned into hair clips by tying them onto my bobby pins. The end results? This:

So if you'd like to make your own cute hair accessory this is all you need;

1. Some string or ribbon
2. A bobby pin 
3. Maybe some glitter or a gem

Make a bow from your string or ribbon, slide it onto the bobby pin and finish of with a sprinkle of glitter or a gem on the centre. 

I hope you like this quick and simple idea. I really did. 

Until next time

xx

MAC Haul

Hello

So if you follow me on Instagram you will know that a couple of weeks ago I broke my MAC virginity and picked up a couple of lipsticks and a paint pot. Today I want to show you which products I bought and my thoughts on them so far.

I am a fan of the packaging of MAC products anyway but I really like the silver boxing and sophisticated pot in which my limited edition paint pot arrived in. Give the designer a gold star for his/her work. The shade I went for was 'Morning Frost' which is a lovely neutral shimmery colour good for a base or wearing alone on a 'I'm not trying but I want to look good' kind of day. I'll admit I was expecting a pinky gold colour but while this product is much more bronze than I anticipated, I still like it a lot.

My problem is that I have quite oily eye lids and cream eye shadows just don't seem to gel well with me, particularly this one which just melts away, so I'm left with only the inner corner covered. I solved this by using my Urban Decay primer potion and now I can use my paint pot happily knowing my look is not going to be ruined by lunch time. Yay for primers!

This stuff is very pigmented and when applied using your finger you can get a very compact finish - I don't recommend a brush. 

I know I'm a little late on the band wagon with this one since any youtuber or beauty blogger worth their salt had it covered long ago but all in all I give an 8 out of 10.

I also picked up two lipsticks, Morange which is a beautiful bright red-orange colour and Shy Girl which is an extremely creamy peach nude colour. 

Shy girl is a lovely colour but I'm not a fan of the formula. I apply one coat to my lips and it is so creamy it just doesn't cover, it wipes of easily and if you reapply over the top it takes product off rather than applies it on. I hope you understand what I mean by this? Otherwise all good. 6 out of 10. 

- It also matches my (badly chipped) nails, BONUS!

Morange has a much better formula, not so creamy but not too dry either. I'm a fan of the bright colours, particularly shades of red or deep pinks. This is my new prized possession even though I'm still slightly scared to wear it in public. For now, the comfort of my own home is good for me. 9 out of 10. 

(are you enjoying my outdoorsy snaps or is it too much? I'm just having Summer withdrawal symptoms)

So that's all I have for you for the time being. I do have a few things up my sleeve for the not so distant future but my college time table is pretty full time alongside my other responsibilities and sleep is a priority over blogging at the moment! Haha how dull. 

Until next time 

xx

Stop! You're Making Me Blush

Hello

A bit of a quirky title today, non? Well if you couldn't guess today I am talking about blush and how to find the best one for you. Are you a pink or a nude kinda girl? Matte or shimmer? Cream or powder? Gel or Mousse? 

I'm basically going to talk about the variety of blush products I own and their pros and cons for different skin types. So if that sounds good to you, read on!

Let's start with with the basic of basics; just a powder matte blush. I have a bunch of these. My favourites include Sleek Flamingo and Life's A Peach and No7 Honey. If you've read any of the numerous posts in which I've talked about my Honey blush you will know just how much I love it and that I have majorly hit pan and need to repurchase!

Powder blushes are good for women with normal to oily skin types because they do a good job of absorbing oil and so wont slip around your face therefore turning you into a lop-sided clown. Nobody wants that. The benefits of powder blushes are that they give a more natural look - a subtle tint shall we say - and they are easy to apply to the skin so you are a lot less likely to go over board and again end up looking like a clown (no offence to the clowns of this world).

Cons, however, are that the colour doesn't last as long as say, a cream or liquid formula and if it does last, it may change slightly depending on the oiliness of your skin. 

You can pretty much get hold of most colour blushes but the main shades are pinky/peachy/rosy colours and a good all round palette for those with a budget I find, is the Body Collection Dusy Pink blush set (see below). I really like this and I picked it up in Scotland for less than £5 - bargain. 

You can also pick up shimmery powder compacts such as my MUA blush in shade 5. 

(on my nails I am wearing Bourjois gel polish in beige distinction with a London cosmetics clear glitter top coat)

If you are going to wear a shimmer on your cheeks it is best if you do not have oily skin or else you will just highlight the oiliness and it, uh, wont look good to say the least. Each to their own however and if you think you can pull it off then go for it. 

Next up is one of the most popular blush types these days and that is acream formula, for this I only have the one product which is Romancefrom No7. I'll admit that I am fairly new to creamy products and I haven't used this too much but I really do like the application and how easily you can blend. So far so good. 

A cream blush is best for women with normal to dry skin due to its hydrating qualities and it will also stick better to a non-oily skin type. 

Benefits are of course the hydration, the easiness of blending, long lasting and the pretty glowing finish. 

The disadvantage is that it is slightly less easy to apply subtly. 

Now lets combine the two and discuss Bourjois's cream to powder blush.  

I really like the packaging of this and the shades are super cute. The product itself is just like a cream blush in the container but once it's on the skin it is a lot more powdery and therefore carries the qualities of a powder. My only advice for this product is be accurate with your application because once it's on it is hard to blend out. All in all, though, this is a very good product which would suit normal/combination skin.

With only two remaining categories (for me anyhow since I have no experience with liquid tints or cheek stains) I would like to talk about my favourite. The mousse blush. I am a big fan of the Maybelline DreamMousse range, particularly their blush and foundation. I do, however, currently only own the blush which is fantastic. 

A mousse blush is similar to a cream but a lot lighter and very easy to blend. You definitely do not need a lot of product on your brush or finger to get noticeable coverage. I would recommend this to women with normal/dry skin because on an oily surface this would melt away and look terrible. 

Pros are definitely blending, lightness and lasting power but cons are that it is too easy to go OTT and it doesn't work for oily skin. 

I forgot to take this one on my little trip to the outdoors for photographing. Oops!

Anndddd finally we have the gel formula. Everything seems to have a gel version these days; eye liner, foundation, eye shadow, blush, lip products. The whole darn lot. I guess it must be pretty good, eh? 

Well I think so anyway. 

I do love my gel blush from coty (which I cannot seem to find anywhere on the internet or in town so where did my auntie find this for me?!) in shade 01 Highlighter. Most gel blushers come in little tubes where you just squirt some onto your hand and blend onto the skin using your finger. It looks radiant and glowing. Beautiful! It is off course suitable for normal and dry skin but I think it could work on oily skin too so long as your skin is not overly oily. 

The pros are that is looks good and is easy to apply and the only con I can think of is that it may not work well on oily skin types. 

So which blush is for you? Which is your favourite? I hope this helped you decide. 

Until next time
xx