Battle of the Brands #3

This week in Battle of the Brands I am comparing eye shadow primers from Smashbox and Urban Decay.

The Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer (full size) retails for £15.00 here. I have the mini version which I got in a set of the photo finish range for wear at my prom last year. I really love all of the products though I must admit of the three, this is my least favourite. 

Don't get me wrong this is a good primer it just dries out so easily and there isn't much product inside the bottle.

It has a doe foot applicator that applies a good amount to the lid which I then blend out. It is much more light weight that the UD primer potion which is a bonus and is also more matches to my skin tone so doesn't make my eye lid look orange before I put on my makeup. 

I swear by the Urban Decay primer potion. I've used it for a coupe of years now and love it but it does have its cons.

Pros include the beautiful packaging, how long one bottle lasts (and I only have the mini) and of course that it keeps eye shadow in place all day.

Cons are that it feels heavy on the lids, you can apply too much and it makes the skin slightly orange which I don't like. 

You can buy the full size Urban Decay primer potion here for £16.00 or travel size for just £8.00 - bargain!

Right: UD primer potion, Left: Smashbox Photo Finish lid primer

My winner is Urban Decay primer potion, despite its cons I love it too much for it to lose and the Smashbox primer just dries out too quick. Have you tried these? Did I make the right choice?

Until next time

xx

Tag Tuesday | Life In Letters

source

I've seen a lot of tags floating around the bloggersphere and following last week's Makeup Mishaps Tag, I have decided to make this a thing. Welcome to Tag Tuesday! Today I'm doing my life in letters...

A is for administration, the course I do at college. 

B is for brother, I have one of those unfortunately.

C is or cadet, I'm a member of St.John Ambulance.

D is for dogs, I have 9 and love 'em all!

E is for eggs, I used to love them and have them for breakfast literally every single day and now the smell of them alone makes me feel so sick.

F is for friends because I couldn't live without them.

G is for gallop, last year I had my first proper gallop on my horse and it was exhilarating and so great.

H is for home, where I love to be. 

I is for independence because I crave it; I want to live alone, be able to drive, do my own planning and budgeting and have that freedom.

J is for Jacqueline Wilson, my all time favourite childhood author! I would probably still read her books now if I wouldn't look silly. I'm also a Tracy Beaker fan!

K is for Kalel Cullen AKA Queenbeeuty, the first beauty guru I ever started watching. Ahh I think that was 4 years ago in 2010!

L is for living, because that's what I have to do, everyday, 'just keep swimming'.

M is for makeup artist, because that is what I'd like to be.

N is for Nars, a makeup brand I've never tried (shock horror!) but would very much like to.

O is for opportunities - I am trying to take up on more opportunities instead of turning them down due to anxiousness. 

P is for Pink, the colour on my blog (yeah I struggled with this one)

Q is for the Queen, because I've been inside her home (Buckingham Palace).

R is for Ruby, my beloved horse!

S is for shy, because I am super shy in person. It drives my friends crazy.

T is for Twitter, because I spend far too much time on there.

U is for understanding because that is what I try to be with everyone. 

V is for Virgo, my star sign. 

W is for weight because I have super self esteem issues regarding my weight and it has to change.

X is for 'x' - the kisses at the end of a text. I love those. 

Y is for YouTube, with which I am obsessed.

Z is for Zebras. No, I'm not getting out of this one easily I just really want to see a zebra up close.

This turned out to be a whole lot harder than I thought so most of the answers are pretty bogus. If you'd like to have a go at this tag then I TAG YOU! Leave your links below.

Until next time

xx

Bloggers I'm Loving

I have been reading so many blogs recently, a bunch I've only discovered since being more active on Twitter but there are five that have really stood out and who's posts I am guaranteed to enjoy every single time. I want to give those bloggers some love today and if you don't already read them, send you their way! I do hope they don't mind me splashing their faces at the top of this post though. 

Millie is a 17 year old fashion student who writes the most wonderful posts on beauty, fashion and little bits in between. I really do enjoy her blog so much and doesn't it have such a great name?

Becca is one of my absolute favourites! She posts beauty, fashion and lifestyle bits and I love her blog. Her photography is good enough let alone her gorgeous blog design and fantastic content. If you don't already follow Becca, do it now!

Jessica is a 16 year old Irish girl who writes such a cute lifestyle blog. Her Simple Sunday posts are so lovely and I look forward to them each week. We share a love of tea, books and lists. You'll love her. 

Becky runs a gorgeous beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog and also does YouTube. A couple of my favourite from her are her recent Bedroom Inspiration and Spring Lipstick posts. You simply must go and have a read (or watch).

Finally, Betty is a 20 year old vintage loving crafty gal who blogs about all sorts including beauty and life. I particularly enjoy her 'photo an hour' posts.

I hope you didn't mind me dedicating a post to my favourite writers and also hope this answered that question I left in my most recent Liebster Award post! Tomorrow is the first of April, this year is really flying by quite fast, isn't it? I'm loving every minute though. 

Until next time

xx

How I Style

Outfit by beautyshine 

I saw some bloggers post about Polyvore recently and decided I wanted to give it a go. I wasn't entirely sure what it does but I think I kind of understand it now. From playing around and making some collages I discovered what I already new: I have very expensive taste!

I wanted to pick an item of clothing and style a whole look around it, so I chose the dress which turns out to be by Alexander McQueen none the less and added accessories and beauty items I'd wear with it to my collection. This was the result. 

Most of the items are priced in dollars but to see details of each item and their prices go to my Polyovre linked beneath the picture and have a look, I encourage you to create an account and have a play around yourself. It's really quite fun! It satisfies my shopping needs without spending a penny. 

Before I go, what do you guys think of my new blog header? I made it using Picmonkey and I'm pretty happy with it for now. Thank you to April for helping me upload is successfully! Check out her new blog design here.

Until next time

xx

6 Lipsticks: I should wear more

This week I thought I'd share with you six lipsticks from my collection I think I should wear more. You will probably notice that they are all light natural shades of pink - that's all I wear day to day really. 

The first one is MUA shade 1, this is a deep matte red that suits all skin shades. I especially like it on me because most reds are really hard to wear and make my teeth look so yellow, this one is more flattering and isn't it just a stunning lipstick? All the better at £1!

MUA shade 7 (although looking a little worse for wear) is a great pink nude that I enjoy wearing. 

I got this lipstick 'Very Pink' from Marks & Spencer some time last year when they first began stocking cosmetics in store, it is a beautiful bright pink. I actually wore it to prom so it is very special, though when I wear it my uncle likes to refer to me as Miss Piggy (muppets reference) - not a nickname I can say I enjoy greatly. 

Wet N Wild Silk Finish lipstick in shade 40 is my favourite lipstick! I wear it almost every day and it is the perfect 'your lips but better' colour for me - how cliche? It really is silky and very moisturising. As you can see the packaging is getting a little damaged and fading - I use it a lot.

Another of my favourite lipsticks, particularly in Summer and even Autumn is my Calvin Klein lisptick in Mesmerize. If you've been reading my blog since last year you will know just how much I love it! It's a deep pink that I'm told looks very bright on the lips - I get comments like 'oh that's very bright for you'.

Finally, one last lipstick, a beautiful pale pink in the form of Calvin Klein 'Etheral'. I really do like the lipstick and definitely need to wear it more often! It's great for Spring. 

There are the lipsticks I think I should give more love, how about you? Do you have a favourite lip product you think you should wear more?

Until next time

xx

Tanya Burr Lips & Nails

I love Tanya Burr. She is my role model I guess. I think she is beautiful, kind, funny but mostly inspirational. I love her videos and her blog so when I heard about her lips and nails range I knew I had to get hold of it! I held of for a while to let the hype die down but last week I picked up my first two products - I say first but they most definitely will not be my last. 

I got one lip gloss in the shade Chic and I'll be honest, I wanted to play it safe  with the colour on my first purchase, I chose something completely nude, natural and wearable on a daily basis in case I didn't like the product. However, I now regret this because I absolutely love the product. It's creamy and moisturising and genuinely lovely to wear and I just wish I'd gone for a colour that is more me. 

I would describe Chic as a pretty, pale peachy-pink (great at describing things aren't I?) and don't get me wrong, it is a nice enough shade it just doesn't suit me really. I cannot wait to buy more colours though! I'd especially like to try Heart Skipped a Beat, Champagne Toast and Lets Travel the World. 

The packaging is nice and I really like the added personal touch of Tanya's signature. The gloss has a doe foot applicator which feels nice on the lips. I know she put a lot of thought into designing her products and it has paid of. 

The lip gloss is £6.99 from Superdrug and I highly recommend you pick one up if you haven't already. 

I also bought one of the nail polishes. I got Mini Marshmallows because I've seen this one around a lot. 

The formula is really lovely and is opaque in one coat! It lasts a few days without chipping, especially with a top coat. The brush is nice, a bit thicker than the average brush, for example the Barry M one I reviewed here on Monday. This is just a good quality nail polish and is worth the £5.99 I paid. 

The colour is really flattering on my finger nails, even with my chubby fingers and short nails. I can't wait to pick up some of the brighter colours for Summer! There is a good colour range from bright pinks through to mint, I congratulate Tanya on her range and look forward to more (maybe?). 

What are your thoughts on the products?

Until next time

xx

Wishlist #4

Hello lovelies

Wishlist number 4 is accessories. This is just a small one because to be honest, there isn't much I've got my eye on but I am however in the market for a new bag (my trusty River Island bag has finally cracked - both the zip and strap have broken) and this one from New Look is nice. Seeing as we're in Spring now I thought these sun glasses (also from New Look) were beautiful and at only £4.99 how could I not love them?

Finally, the cute flower crown and ear rings (both from Forever 21) are just must have Spring accessories and the colours are right up my street. What accessories will you be buying to brighten up your wardrobe this Spring/Summer? Or maybe you're shopping your stash and bringing out some old favourites? Let me know.

Until next time

xx