April Favourites

Another month over, another round-up of my latest beauty favourites. As you can see, there hasn’t been many favourites this month, only three! I don’t think I have had so little favourites although it isn’t surprising since I have been having more of a makeup-free month. I was going to include some other things such as style pieces however I may reserve that for another post. So rambling over, here is my top 3 products of the month.

Starting with a skincare product, shocker I know! I haven’t really mentioned skincare too much on my blog despite my love for trying out new products. I am still trying to find my way with what works with my skin hence why I have kept it on the down low just now but there is a product I have been liking and is worth a share! The Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is a cult favourite product and for good reason. I was a little sceptical of the hype with this one but it really does live up to it. Although I will say this cleanser is on the pricey side and I do believe that you could probably find a good cleanser at a much more affordable price that is just as good or better. However it is a nice treat to have and I just love using it. I usually reserve it for my night second cleanse however since I have more time in the morning, I have been using it both morning and night. The gel texture feels so luxurious and rich on the skin and then turns into a oil formula that is washed away to reveal smooth soft skin. Pricey but good!

On to the makeup products, first up is a new addition to my lipstick stash in particular my Charlotte Tilbury collection. I made a little order after months of lusting after the gorgeous K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in the shade Bitch Perfect. I have a few CT lipsticks now but all of which were in the matte formula (which I adore!) however I hadn’t tried the more moisturising creamy formulated line and this nude pink shade was top of my list. I am pretty fussy when it comes to nude lipsticks, there are many different shades available but it can be tricky finding the perfect match for my skin tone that is flattering and doesn’t wash me out. This shade is just so perfect and the formula too. The colour leans on the peachy-pink side of things so offers a soft pop of colour but still remains neutral in tone. The formula is super creamy and hydrating yet the longevity is impressive for such a moisturising lipstick! I need more!

Last of my picks comes from Nars. I am a huge fan of their blushes and it was never going to be long before I picked up another shade. This time I went for Sin, a gorgeous shimmery mauve plum-y toned blush that looks so flattering on my pale skin. The formula of these are great too being super buttery and soft to apply and blend. The pigmentation is also superb and only requires a light hand for pop of colour to the cheeks. Big love to the Nars monochrome packaging too, swoon!

Have you tried any of these products?

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2015 Playlist

In 2015, my monthly playlist became a staple feature on my blog so as 2015 has came to an end it only felt right to round up the year with a whole yearly playlist. Essentially a playlist containing some of my favourite songs from the year of 2015. Last year seen some exciting new music discoveries to be added to my daily listening including Hozier and James Bay. Some old favourites remained with new material that had me all excited during the year with new albums from the likes of 5SOS, One Direction and Kodaline. Overall, 2015 was a pretty decent year for music and I am looking forward to what 2016 has in store!

What made your 2015 playlist?

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2015 Beauty Favourites: Eye & Lip Products

Now that you’ve seen my base and cheek favourites from the year of 2015, it is time to move on to the second and final half of my yearly beauty favourites. This time around I am talking about my favourite eye and lip products from 2015 and again a lot of these will be no surprise to you! So I am going to quit rambling and get on with it!

Eyeshadow

2015 was the year of eyeshadow for me. It was always the one product I neglected because I never really understood the difference it made and I never had much of an idea on how to apply it either. Although last year saw me finally pick up a few blending brushes and get blending to something that actually looked half decent. Now we have reached the end of 2015, I can’t even go without eyeshadow, it is my favourite thing to apply and I am truly obsessed with buying more eyeshadows.  After hearing so many rave reviews I just had to try out the By Terry Ombre Blackstars and I am so glad I did. These are just incredible. It took me a while to truly appreciate how good these are but they are seriously one of the best eyeshadow products I’ve ever used and the best eyeshadow sticks. I have the shades Misty Rock (which I spoke about here) and Bronze Moon which are two truly gorgeous and unique shades. The formula though makes these even more amazing, they are seriously creamy and glide on super smoothly and are super easy to blend. If that’s not enough, they last for ages too. So yeah, I quite like them!

In terms of palettes, 2015 was definitely the year I became a real life eyeshadow palette hoarder. I just love a good palette! Whilst there was a few I could have mentioned, there was two that really stole my heart this year and two I know will become long term favourites. First up, the Zoeva Cocoa Blend palette which I raved about here. This was such a surprise love for me as it was so super affordable yet such great quality. The colour range is just perfect and right up my street. I am still so impressed with this and it is definitely one that everyone needs to pick up.

The Urban Decay Naked palettes will always be mine and everyone else’s one true love. I am lucky enough to own all of them including the newbie Smoky palette although I truly fell for the second edition (review here) to the Naked lineup and I think I can call it my favourite of the four. The taupe shades are just so beautiful and are so versatile for everyday wear or an evening look. Of course the quality of Urban Decay eyeshadows are also just truly incredible!

Mascara and Brows

These next two products are probably quite obvious mentions if you are a regular reader of SBL. First up, my mascara pick has to be the Benefit They’re Real. I truly realised why this is such a cult product half way through the year after trying it out and then switching my choices up. I eventually came back to this and I just love it. It just adds oomph to my lashes and adds length and volume and paired with my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers it is dream come true lashes!

Another Benefit product came to the rescue in saving my brows. I picked up Benefit Gimme Brow (review here) during the year and it has just became my go-to for brows. It is so easy and convenient to simply swipe through your brows but it is still pretty buildable and really defines them. I’ve actually pretty much finished my tube of this which lasted so long (considering the size and cost is off putting!) so I will definitely be repurchasing this!

Lip Liner and Lipstick

Lip products will always be my one real love when it comes to beauty so I did have a little difficulty narrowing this down. 2015 was the year for lip liner and Mac’s liner options will always remain top for me. Their Soar lipliner became a staple in my collection and a cult product for many beauty enthusiasts. The gorgeous mauve plum-y nude shade is just the perfect undercoat to so many of my favourite lipsticks so is a no brainer really. The formula is great too and glides on smoothly to create a good base for lipstick.

Speaking of Mac, I will always have a love for a good Mac lipstick. I’ve enlarged my collection quite a bit over the year and grown a few favourites. I have a love for the mauve My lips but better kinda shades and Mac Mehr is the perfect fit. It is a little more intense than just a basic nude especially when combined with Soar but it is such a gorgeous and unique shade. The matte formula is also long wearing as you would expect but still comfortable without being drying. Another Mac fave was Mac Plumful which I picked up at the start of the Autumn season. This is my first in the Lustre finish but it is super comfortable and moisturising on the lips. The plum-y pink shade is also so gorgeous and different to anything I own.

Nars are one of my favourite makeup brands so it was no surprise I was going to love their matte lip pencils. I honestly think these are one of the best lip products around. They are so long lasting it is unreal but still feel comfortable to wear as well as coming in a collection of pretty shades. I have quite a few but I thought I would just mention two of my ultimate faves from the year. Whenever I need a red lip, I always go for Nars Cruella, probably my favourite ever red. It is quite a deep red but one you can rely on to stay put whilst you eat! The other shade was my Summer love, the unfortunately limited edition Iberico which is a gorgeous orange-y red. A shade that is totally unique to my collection and one I can’t wait to wear again come Summer time!

Last but not least, 2015 saw the discovery of Charlotte Tilbury. I finally took the plunge this year and picked up a couple of her gorgeously packaged products that soon developed into an addiction! I now have four of the Matte Revolution lipsticks and I can say they are truly worth the splurge! The matte formula is not what you would expect, they are seriously creamy and so comfortable to wear. As I said I have four shades from the line up but a couple of my faves are the truly gorgeous Lost Cherry; a beautiful bright coral red perfect for Summer (review here)and Miss Kensington; my perfect nude.

What was your favourite eye/lip products from 2015?

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2015 Beauty Favourites: Base & Cheek Products

It’s that time for a mammoth of a favourites post! With 2015 over and done with, it’s time to look back at some of my top beauty products from the year. If you are a regular reader around these parts then most of the products may not be a big surprise to you! This is actually the first time I have ever done a whole yearly favourites so as I have so many products and didn’t want to bore you all with an essay of a blog post I have split this in to two parts. Today’s post will look into my favourite base/cheek products so foundation, concealer, blush etc. Then on Wednesday I will be rounding up my favourite eye/lip products. So I will stop blabbing on now and get on with my 2015 favourites…

Primer

There is only one primer that has ever really done it for me. That is without a doubt the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. I mentioned this already just last week in my December Favourites but this is holy grail level for me. I tried out a sample of this at either the end of 2014/start of 2015 and in one try I was completely blown away! I was of course also super happy to pick it up during a flight this summer were I got it for a pretty bargain! This primer creates such a velvety soft finish to my skin which lets my foundation slip on top super easily. It makes my makeup last super long like crazy and it still manages to keep my base looking fresh and flawless. Couldn’t recommend it enough!

Foundation/ Base products 

There is three base products that I truly fell for this year. All of which will be no surprise to you! Weirdly enough each one has a completely different finish from one another but it means I’ve got something good to cover all bases. First up, the tinted moisturiser lightweight base. BareMinerals Complexion Rescue stole my heart during the year with its flawless skin in a bottle formula. This is one for a good skin day as it does have a much lighter coverage. Although it basically gives you better skin, it is super glowy and fresh and makes you feel like a VS Angel, pretty much! Check my review for that one here.

For a more fuller coverage, night out option and just overall incredible foundation, Nars Sheer Glow wins hands down! I had been desperate to try this foundation for far too long and finally took the plunge earlier in 2015 and I am ever so glad I did! The shade Mont Blanc is the perfect fit for my skin and coverage is super buildable. It also doesn’t include SPF so is perfect for nights out! Just a perfect foundation in my books, check my full review here.

Lastly, a surprise new favourite came my way from the drugstore not too long ago. I don’t usually get on well with drugstore foundations although this seemed to work a dream with my skin. The L’Oreal Infallible 24h-Matte is the foundation in question. I never ever swayed towards matte foundations, with glowy and satin finishes more up my street but this formula is just great, it’s not too matte and has a nice natural look whilst still providing good coverage. At an affordable price, it’s such a great everyday option, check my review here.

Conceal & Correct

Concealer is always something I had been on the hunt for, something that provided good long lasting coverage without caking. The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer seemed to fit the bill. This is just the perfect concealer for me when covering blemishes, it offers great coverage and is super blendable with a thick consistency. The fact I am now running out makes me feel pretty darn sad! I don’t know how to deal without my Nars concealer! Check my full review here.

At the start of the year, corrector is something I would never have considered. Not just because I wouldn’t have needed it but also because I probably never knew what it was. That was until the Bobbi Brown corrector made its way into my life. I get discoloration under my eyes and I turned to trying the cult BB corrector in a bid to fix up my blue under eyes. This product works wonders on me, the creamy formula is super easy to work with and blends in nicely on the skin without caking or creasing. It offers really great coverage too and hides any noticeable discoloration.

Cheek Products

At the start of the year I never cared so much for bronzer. I never really seen the need for it although that was until I tried The Body Shop Honey Bronzer. This is hands down one of my best makeup discoveries ever. The shade is just so perfect for my fair skin and isn’t too warm at all. As well as giving my skin a bit of warmth, it also adds shape and definition which I just love. It is also a complete bargain!

This year also saw my love for blush grow. I don’t know why I love it so much but I have always been forever looking for more blush to add to my collection. In 2015, I finally tried out the well hyped Hourglass brand. After getting my hands on the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit, I got to try out a couple more blushes and other products in their powder range. The one that I truly fell for though was Mood Exposure, a gorgeous mauve plum shade which looks super natural on the skin. The formula for these are also unbeatable! Check my review of the palette here.

What was your favourite base products from 2015?

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2016 Goals and 2015 Reflection

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely New Years day and enjoyed bringing in 2016! It is hard to believe that we are that stage were we have to start from the beginning and do it all again. How long til Christmas now… I’m kidding but anyway I thought to start the new year I would reflect on my own year of 2015 and look at my goals or resolutions to begin 2016. You may not remember as it’s been a while since I did my 2015 Resolutions post, well pretty much a year ago now but I thought I would look at those goals and whether I achieved them or not and then discuss my new goals!

2015 Reflection

Firstly, I wanted to achieve a more healthier lifestyle, the totally clichéd new years resolution. The year before I did get into fitness a bit with running being my main activity of choice although this failed this year as the Summer weather this year wasn’t too summery! So basically I did fail to get outside as much as I would’ve liked to but I did continue taking up Yoga classes during the year and also tried my hand at cardio workout sessions during summer. I didn’t really achieve this one as much as I would have liked to!

The next two goals were blogging related in the form of improving my overall blog and my photography skills. I have to say I definitely got more into the whole blogging thing this year and comparing my earlier posts to now there is such a big difference. My photography has definitely had a great upgrade, something you can tell from just comparing this post with last years. I also received so many nice comments regarding my photos so thank you, it really means a lot! In terms of my overall blog, I went through a bit of a blog redesign back a few months ago and it was the best thing I ever did. I am now so much happier with the way my blog looks! I also started to change the type of blog posts I did slightly and I am much happier with that than doing single reviews after reviews. I am definitely happy with how much I’ve achieved this goal!

The last two were more personal goals. The first being improving my skincare routine. Despite being a beauty blog, I’ve not really spoke a lot about skincare pretty much because I always felt a bit lost and never had much of a routine. That has definitely changed this year and skincare has became such an importance to me. I am still figuring out my exact routine but I have pretty much nearly nailed it and my skin has never looked better! I also hoped to embrace my wild hair more, this is something I still need to work on though as my hair is still causing me bother. I am sure I will get there, one day!

So basically, it was a bit of a mix but I am pretty happy with how my year went. Also, not mentioned in the goals post but I also passed my driving test this year which obviously was a major achievement for me! As well as that I also got a job so achieving both was a major accomplishment! So onto 2016…

2016 Goals 

1. Continue to improve my blog – Following on from last year’s goal I want to continue to make progress blogging. I want to continue working on my photography, my blogging style and growing my blog. Like I said last year I also need to get more involved and connect with more people out there in the blogging world!
2. Get into a more healthier lifestyle – Again another one from last year although I really need to work on this one. I hope to get into a more regular fitness routine by incorporating more yoga into my day to day routine and also starting to get into cardio again and possibly even running come Summer time!
3. Clear out and Invest – My wardrobe is still something I am working on and I hope to basically have my dream wardrobe this year. I have really took to clearing out over the past year and I now want to really cut out all the unwanted clothes in my wardrobe. By having a clear wardrobe, I want to build my perfect wardrobe by picking up some classic investment pieces. Sounds like a dream but a dream I am working on!
4. Save regularly – I do like getting quite spendy especially when it comes to beauty products! Although over the last month I have started to properly save by putting money aside for a rainy day! I want to be a lot more stricter with my spending by giving myself a budget each month and regularly putting money away. This way I won’t feel too guilty when I do start spending!

What are your 2016 goals?

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December Favourites

It’s favourites time again and also the final favourites post of the year! How scary! Although keep your eyes peeled for a special favourites post coming next week! Back to the festive month of December though, I picked up quite a few new exciting bits and pieces over the month which I am truly loving and also fell for some products that I already had in my stash! So without further ado, here is my December favourites…

If you read Monday’s monthly roundup post, you would remember my mention of starting a Makeup Geek palette. Not too long ago Beauty Bay started stocking Makeup Geek eyeshadows much to my excitement. These single eyeshadows have been so raved about from the likes of Jaclyn Hill who even stated that they were her all time favourite eyeshadows (even better than Mac!). Obviously for that reason I had to pick up a few! The shadows are super affordable and there is such an incredible range to choose from. I have five shadows so far and I also picked up a large Z Palette to put them in. Jaclyn is so right, the quality of these are so amazing and they last so long on my oily eyelids! If anyone has any shade recommendations, fire away! A few of my favourites have to be Peach Smoothie, Prom Night and Homecoming! I now can’t wait to start filling up my palette!

Speaking of Jaclyn Hill and exciting UK launches, Becca Champagne Pop finally made its way over to the UK! Yay! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so excited about a makeup product before and I even pre-ordered it as soon as I seen it on the Space NK website, sad I know! It is so easy to see why this is such a raved about highlighter. The peachy champagne-y shade looks gorgeous on so many skin-tones and the formula is a complete dream to work with, super buttery smooth. It is pretty intense but I just love it so much that I’ve basically been wearing it everyday,but I mean its Christmas so why not!

A more surprising favourite this month is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I say surprising as I really didn’t get this product when I first tried it. Although I’ve found myself using this everyday over the month and it just seems so perfect for blending out concealer and ensuring my base is flawless. I do really want to try the Beauty Blender though now as I hear that one is far superior…

One thing I just have to have at Christmas time is a bottle of Lush Snow Fairy! I just can’t go without my precious amazingly scented Snow Fairy at this time of year. It just makes me feel so Christmassy and I couldn’t help but stock up during the Lush sales!

Another product that I’ve came back to is my holy grail primer! Nothing will ever beat the Smashbox Photo Finish primer. With nights out and parties during the month, this primer came to the rescue by helping my makeup last that bit longer and still look fresh by the end of the night! It creates such a smooth base to the skin which allows makeup to glide on beautifully and basically is the key to a flawless base!

I also finally discovered Anastasia Beverly Hills this month. After spotting a 20% off deal online I just had to get that contour palette! I picked up the original contour kit in the lighter shade and I have been using it constantly over the month. The powders are super blendable and last so well too. After I got my eyebrows done not too long ago and my beloved Benefit Gimme Brow is on its last legs I wanted to try out something new. I picked up the Dipbrow Pomade in Soft Brown and it’s became my new go-to. I don’t want to go into too much detail with these products as I will be having a separate review post coming soon but both are well loved new additions to my makeup routine.

What have you been loving this month?

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Christmas Playlist

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, DING DONG DING DONG! Sorry excuse the excitement but we are in the last remaining days before Christmas! How it’s nearly here I don’t know! Anyway to celebrate the arrival of the big day instead of my usual monthly playlist I thought I would share with you some of my favourite Christmas songs! There is some classics thrown in there from The Pogues, Elton John and the Pretenders. Of course Michael Buble makes an appearance too cause what is Christmas without a bit of Buble! I’ve also added in some newer tunes from the likes of Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson and JB. So all I’ve got left to say now is Merry Christmas to you all! I obviously won’t have a post on Friday cause a little thing called Christmas is happening! I will see you all again on Monday for a December roundup post, so I hope you all have a lovely Christmas!

What is your favourite Christmas song?

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Monthly Roundup: November

Just one more day until we will reach the final month of the year… how scary! November has been another busy month in terms of work and shopping, usual really! Things at uni are beginning to quiet down which is a big relief for me so I can finally feel a bit more organised again and get excited for the festive season! The pressure has really been on with blogging over the last couple of months as well as I’ve just had hardly any time so I am looking forward to a bit of free time again and I just need some early mornings for photo taking cause blog photography has been a nightmare recently with the gloomy days! Anyway enough of the oh so negative chat, I hope everyone survived Black Friday! It is safe to say November was another spendy month for me! I picked up a couple of things on offer and some holiday sets which I will be talking about on the blog a bit later on but my star buy of the month obviously had to be the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit which I spoke about here. I am well and truly obsessed! I mean just look at, it’s so beautiful! Speaking of shopping, I also went back to the mother-ship for the first time in ages, Space NK! Oh yeeesss! It was just so nice browsing the aisles of such dreamy skincare and makeup products and I made a couple of purchases that will be making there way round here soon!

Also over the month I grew a strong bond with Urban Outfitters. I cannot even remember how many times I have found my self popping in store for a look or a little online browse but I just became so obsessed this month and I totally just want everything in that store especially their amazing home stuff which is super gorgeous! I also got a little crazy this month with magazines. I have a whole stack of magazines waiting to be read that I picked up over the month (mostly due to hella good freebies!). Its been a while since I picked up a good magazine so obviously I made up for that this month but I do have a big reading list ahead!

As you can tell my month was very spendy! As Christmas time has rolled in, I am trying to cut back quite a bit to save money for presents so budgeting is definitely something I am trying to get used to! I was thinking of doing a spending ban (me I know, what a laugh!) but I will maybe delay that for just now! I have been putting money aside to save up which makes me feel so much more happier, I don’t know I just feel better knowing I have much restricted funds to spend! My Christmas shopping is getting there and not many presents left to buy but I really do love buying presents, anyone else? Although I can’t wait until I’ve done all my shopping and I can just sit back wrapping presents with the fire on and a candle burning. Ahh December feels!

Catch up on November posts: Urban Decay Smoky Palette, When you need a little TLC, Autumnal Eyes, End of Year Goals and My favourite drugstore foundation.

What did you get up to during the month of November?

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End Of Year Goals

No matter how much you tell yourself it can’t be true, 2015 really is coming to an end quicker than we all imagined. It sounds silly, we go through this every year but to think how fast this year has came and nearly gone is pretty scary stuff! I know we all say that we make New Years Resolutions and forget about even making them a month later, I honestly thought about everything I had hoped for in 2015 throughout the year. Whilst I may not tick it all off my list I still appreciated having a list of goals to work through for the year. If you want to remind yourself of my 2015 goals then check them here. Although enough with that as we do still have a matter of time left in 2015. A length of time that shouldn’t go wasted especially with a busy month ahead still to storm through. So I thought I would list a few goals for the time being to ensure I close 2015 as a pretty successful one…

1. Manage my time more efficiently – Since starting uni again in September I have really let my time management skills slide a little. My blog has been more on the last minute prep and I have had to neglect a lot of the social side of blogging which is rather unfortunate. I am hoping I can manage a better schedule and really set aside time to work on blogging whilst also keeping up with uni work.
2. Set aside a monthly budget and stick to it – I have to admit I have been a little guilty of getting a little spendy recently. Each time I try to control my spending habits a new beauty product is released that I need or a boosted student discount meaning I have to buy something. At the moment I do have a few things to tick off my shopping list and with Christmas round the corner, its gonna be tricky! Although I do want to keep a better account of how much I am spending and set aside a budget to remind myself how much I really should be spending each month. Hopefully I will be able to save some money and put it aside for a rainy day!
3. Have a wardrobe clear out – I love a good clear out! Over the last year or two my style has really changed and half the things in my wardrobe I either don’t wear or don’t like. I have accumulated so much clothing over the years and I want to be more strict and build a better wardrobe I am happy with. I will definitely be referring to this post I wrote a while back here and going for quality over quantity.

What are your goals for the end of the year?

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