December Goals

The last month of the year is officially here. December has begun which means advent (yum!), Christmas (obviously!) and of course the end of 2016 meaning one last month of goals before the new years resolutions, oh yes the dreaded resolutions! So for the last time in 2016, here is my monthly goals to end this year on a high (hopefully!)…

• Complete my instagram challenge (more on this here)
• Keep spending to a minimum (needed after Black Friday!) – until Boxing Day!
• Study hard and do my best during my exams
• Enjoy the Christmas period!

What do you want to achieve in the final month of 2016?

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November Goals

With only two months left of 2016, it’s important to truly make the most of it. With two busy months ahead, it’s all about being productive and of course making up for those lost new years resolutions…what resolutions!? Here is what I am aiming to achieve this month:

• Start studying for exams and work in advance on upcoming assignments
• Get back onto Instagram!
• Have at least one Starbucks red cup, yup it’s red cup season!
• Go crazy for Black Friday! (in other words, buy the entire range at All Saints cause heart-eyed emojis!)
• Get the bulk of my Christmas shopping done (one present already accomplished!)

What are your goals for the month ahead?

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October Favourites

This month, I definitely got my makeup mojo back! I picked up a few new goodies this month as well as finding great gems within my stash. So without further ado, here is my favourite products of the month..

Starting with base, I have three base product loves. I mentioned this in my Becca post but I am loving the Becca Backlight Priming Perfector for under makeup. It adds the most gorgeous luminosity to the skin and it’s just a great starting base for applying foundation on to. In terms of one of my go-to foundation products I’ve been using lately, it comes from an old favourite; Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue. Again, another glow giver product that makes my skin look beautifully fresh and dewy! Love it! It has light coverage but applies beautifully and the finish is so worth it!

To finish off my base, I also have a concealer love. I’ve had the Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter Pen in Light Boost for a while now but after getting into the habit of using it daily I am obsessed! It adds just the right amount of coverage and the yellow toned shade works perfectly to lighten my under-eyes. It has also lasted me so long despite the small amount of product!

Another love this month has came from Kat Von D and surprisingly is an eyeliner! I say surprisingly as I haven’t been wearing eyeliner for such a long time however when I got my hands on the Tattoo Liner I was desperate to start giving it a go again! Whilst it will take a bit of time to gain some courage to wing it out, I am loving using this as it is super easy to use. The pen style liner has a brush tip which makes it easy to glide on the eye without pulling and tugging which makes it a dream for an eyeliner noob like me. Definitely the best eyeliner I’ve ever used, this will definitely be getting a full size purchase!

Of course I couldn’t have a favourites post without a lip product, right!? Naturally I have more than one in this post! The first is from Urban Decay and was mentioned in my UD lipstick dedicated post here. I have been obsessed with the shade Backtalk, a gorgeous cool toned nude mauve pink in a comfortable creamy matte formula. I can tell it will be a long term favourite of mine!

The second and last product of this round-up is from Mac and one of their Retro Matte liquid lipsticks in the shade Lady Be Good. I am a huge lover of liquid lipsticks but it took me a while to finally get my hands on one of these from Mac however a little price decrease gave me the perfect reason to try one out! They recieved a bit of stick for these in reviews for the formula however I have to say I have been so impressed. The formula is comfortable enough and doesn’t feel overly drying. The applicator is also one of the best I’ve tried as it’s pretty wide so fits the shape of your lips much better than the standard doe foot applicator. The shade is a peachy nude which is super pretty and wearable!

What have you been loving recently?

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Life Lately #10

It’s end of the month time which only means one thing, another life lately roundup! Woo! ! This month I have decided to change things up a bit with the style of this post, I have also decided to stop doing my playlist posts and instead combine it in this post. So, please do let me know how you feel about the changes!

Life 

Life has been pretty damn intense lately. I have had so many looming uni deadlines that have taken up so much of my time It’s been stressful but I’m sure anyone who has been or is in a similar situation will understand how rewarding it is to tick another item off the to do list! It is also half way through the first semester of the year which again is pretty damn crazy but the thought of powering through all the work is exciting stuff!

On a brighter note, it’s reaching my favourite time of year when the Christmas drinks come into Starbucks and the shops are filled with Christmas lights and all things christmassy. Can you tell I like Christmas!? Anyway, talking of Starbucks, the Pumpkin Spiced Frappuccino has made my entire month! Apologies if you are anti pumpkin spice but damn it is so good! I love the classic latte but the frappuccino beats it by a mile! If you haven’t tried it then definitely try one, fall vibes and all that!

Blogging 

This month I cut down my blogging schedule to twice a week and it has been such a relief! I’ve definitely managed so much better now with less content and I do feel like some of the posts I have posted this month have been better quality and also posts that I have been meaning to post for ages have finally got their air time! My schedule is still pretty packed at the minute but I do hope that I can keep up with my schedule and also keep working to the best quality! In particular, I still want to work on my blog photography and try new things out!

TV/Music

Back to a more chilled happy topic, I haven’t been watching too much TV this month but I have been loving one series in particular. Easy has been top of my watch list this month. I mean it’s got Dave Franco in it so what’s not to love. It’s an original series by Netflix with each episode centred around a different situation and different characters. It focuses on love and that kinda thing, it is a laid back, easy watch, pun not intended. It is also a short series so a good choice for watching when you don’t have a lot of time!

In terms of music, there is quite a few songs that I’ve been loving this month. Not my usual taste but I do love a good catchy pop song from time to time!  Also, can we talk about Niall’s debut solo single, LOVE ❤

Catch up with October posts: Current Makeup Menu, Introduction to Kat Von D, Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks, Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette and Get That Glow With Becca.

How did you spend your month?

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My Current Makeup Menu

It’s been a while since I last shared my current makeup routine so it makes sense to post a little update. Having got back into wearing makeup again on a daily basis, I have been sticking pretty much to a solid consistent routine using the same products again and again and rarely changing it up. For someone who adores Autumn and particularly the makeup trends at this time of year, surprisingly I haven’t turned to dark lips and eyes, instead I’ve been loving a more Summer appropriate look with dewy skin, a peachy eye look and nude lips.

My base is the one area I’ve been sticking to a constant routine and hardly changing up. I start by priming with the Jouer Anti-Blemish Matte Primer which feels nice and calming on the skin but I can’t say it’s helped improve my skin long term. I then go in with my trusty Nars Sheer Glow foundation and top it off with the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer on any blemishes, again another favourite of mine! I then conceal under the eyes with the Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter in Light Boost with the yellow toned liquid working to highlight under my eyes and discard any darkness.

Before setting my base with the Chanel Les Beiges Powder, I use the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter in Opal across my cheekbones and blend it out with my Beauty Blender. Before finishing off my face with a bit of bronzer to warm up my skin a little. Of course I am still obsessed with my favourite Honey Bronzer from The Body Shop.

Moving onto eyes, I start with my eyebrows and keep it fairly simple by running the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil through them to add a little more definition. I then move onto eyeshadow using the beautiful Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette which is full of gorgeous peachy and brown warm tones. I like to create a simple shimmery golden-y peachy look using mainly Nectar, Luscious, Cobbler and Caramelized which creates a gorgeous ‘golden goddess’ look that gives off extreme VS Angel vibes! Damn yeah! To finish off my eyes I coat on my favourite Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara which leaves my lashes looking thick and full.

To finish off my look, I like to dabble in a few different lip shades since lipstick is my thing, if you haven’t noticed all ready! Currently though, I am loving one of the new Urban Decay Vice lipsticks in the shade Backtalk. A gorgeous cool toned pink with a comfortable matte finish. LOVE!

 What makeup have you been reaching for lately?

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Life Lately #9

It feels so nice to be typing up a blog post right now as September has been a hectic month and it has really affected my blogging this month! I’ve been super busy with work and of course university starting back so the time for my blog has been limited but on top of that I’ve also felt so uninspired right now! I am definitely feeling like I am in a bit of a creative funk at the minute with ideas and when I have such limited time to plan and prepare posts it makes it worse as the last thing I want to do is publish poor quality rushed content! So, to help ease my way back into blogging and get motivated again, I’ve decided to change up my blogging schedule. I usually post three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday but in order to fit around my other commitments I’ve decided to cut my schedule to twice a week! Starting next week, my blog will have fresh content on a Tuesday and Friday at 10am GMT. It’s annoying to have to reduce the number of posts but hopefully it will make my life a lot easier!

Anyway, blogging rambling over. As I mentioned I started back at university this month. How exciting! Summer definitely felt like it went past in a flash and I feel so overwhelmed by the fact that I need to get back into living the student life. Fun. On a plus note, it is now three months til Christmas, if that is not exciting then I really don’t know what is! Whilst I am not particularly thrilled about the amount of workload that is about to hit me soon, I am excited to get productive and soon before I know it will be time for hot chocolate, winter coats and snow. Ahh, heaven!

Before things get all winter-y though, Autumn has arrived first! In the spirit, I did a bit of clothes hauling to fill up some of the gaps in my wardrobe. I picked up the majority of things from my Autumn Style wishlist and I just need a couple more things before I am pretty happy! Hopefully next month I can also pick up my dream Acne Boots that I’ve been saving up for! Considering I’ve cleared out a lot from my wardrobe recently, I do think I deserve a little treat, right!?

In terms of beauty, I was also super hyped by the arrival of Kat Von D makeup in the UK. Finally! There will be a little reveal soon on the blog so keep your eyes pealed! I did also hear of a little rumour about Sephora coming to the UK but I don’t want to get my hopes up too much but that really would be the icing on the cake!

Catch up with September posts: Beauty Wishlist, Sephora Haul, Caring for Hands and Feet, Becca Ombre Rouge Palette Review and Building a Minimal Wardrobe.

How did you spend your month?

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Building A Minimal (Capsule) Wardrobe

I’ve spoke about clearing out and reducing my wardrobe for a while now. It’s been a long gradual process particularly when you’re a clothes hoarder like me but my wardrobe keeps becoming smaller and less cluttered of unworn clothes. Instead of having a wardrobe full of clothes with jeans in every shade possible, I now have and am aiming for a smaller collection of items that I need and wear regularly that fits my style. Not only is de-cluttering a satisfying thing to do, it also teaches you more about buying clothes and how to buy more sensibly.

STEP 1: CLEAR OUT

The first step to making your wardrobe more minimal is to obviously cut it down. Open your wardrobe, drawers etc and look at each item individually and decide on it’s final destination (that sounds much more intense than I am intending!). Anything that you truly love and know that will get its wear, place it back into your wardrobe. If you have anything that is damaged or simply not wearable then chuck it in the bin. You’ve also got your ‘maybe’ items which we all have, items that we may be struggling to get rid of and are holding on to! Keep things simple and keep them in your wardrobe for the time being. Then you have the other items that you know you can get rid of. If you have anything that holds value, e.g. trainers, on-trend pieces then it is a good idea to think about selling items. I use eBay regularly and you also have Depop. It is such a good way to de clutter as you can make money that can be reinvested in your wardrobe! Anything else, can then also be given to charity!

STEP 2: ANALYSE 

After the initial clear out, you can definitely cut your wardrobe quite dramatically. Although I do think particularly if you are like me it can be difficult to be strict and cut out everything that could be erased. After a set amount of time, this could be weeks, a month, longer analyse your wardrobe again being more strict about what stays and what goes. One trick I have heard is to ensure all your hangers are facing one direction then once you wear an item face it the other way and after a length of time you can truly see what has been worn and what’s not. There is simply no point holding on to items that are not getting worn so this proves as a good indicator for de-cluttering. The process of continuously eliminating can be long particularly if you own a lot and have hoarder problems (guilty!), I am still regularly making my wardrobe smaller and smaller but each time I do it, it feels incredibly rewarding!

STEP 3: ORGANISE

Apologies to the naturally messy and untidy people who’s wardrobes mainly stay on the floor, sadly for you I am going to encourage you to do the opposite! The best way to get use out of your wardrobe is to ensure it is in a organised fashion in which you can see everything neatly in front of you. So in terms of hanging items up, I like to arrange them in a certain order like dresses then tops then trousers etc. You can make up your own order but having them in an organised way makes it much easier. In terms of storing in drawers etc, I like to have a drawer dedicated to certain things so one drawer for t-shirts, one for skirts etc. Another handy tip for organisation is to organise your clothes using the Marie Kondo method rather than stacking things as you see items much easier rather than simply wearing what is on the top of the pile!

STEP 4: INVEST 

After cutting down your wardrobe, you will have a clear idea of what is missing as well as understanding what you really wear. It is now time to fill in the gaps and make up a wearable wardrobe that reflects your style. One of the lessons I’ve learnt from looking back to my old shopping habits and my wardrobe is that I used to regularly buy poorer quality clothes and many trend-led pieces that go out of fashion far too quickly. Obviously adopting that method means my wardrobe grows quicker and also becomes unwearable. My attitude towards shopping and different clothing brands has changed a lot over the last year, I try to avoid on-trend pieces and cheap poorly made items and instead I like to invest carefully in pieces that are good quality and will we wearable for years to come. Whilst spending a lot of money on one item can be off-putting it is actually much better value than continuously spending on numerous items and having to replace them after a short period of time!

How do you de-clutter?

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Becca Ombre Rouge Eye Palette

The Becca Ombre Rouge Eye Palette is a palette I have been reaching for a lot recently yet despite owning it for a while it seems to have gone under the radar in terms of blog posts. I haven’t mentioned this one much at all yet this simple but pretty palette is definitely one that deserves a second glance at in the beauty aisles.

From the first look at this palette, it is fairly simple with only five neutral shades. However the shades and performance of them make this a great staple to have in any eyeshadow collection. The shade range itself is neutral in tone but such a pretty selection of warm toned shades great for the upcoming season. The shades are arranged from the lightest to the darkest shade making it super easy to create a simple but defined eye look that can go from day to night. The shades vary with a selection of matte and satin finishes but across the board, the pigmentation is impressive with each shade having great colour pay-off. The formulas are also impressive in terms of longevity and last well on my oily eye lids even without primer which is quite a bonus!

The palette retails for £36 which is pricey for only five shades particularly when you can get a larger palette like the Urban Decay Naked palettes for around the same price however it does make a great everyday palette in my collection. The quality of the palette also makes this well worth the extra pennies! Definitely a palette that shouldn’t be overlooked!

Are you a fan of this palette?

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Current Beauty Wishlist

As a beauty obsessive, I have a wishlist much longer than my arm on a regular basis. Although instead of boring you all with a list the length of the yellow pages, I have rounded up some of my top picks that I have been lusting over!

There is quite a few eyeshadow products as I do love a good eye palette, I just can’t get enough really! I have two quads on my list from Chanel and Charlotte Tilbury. The first is from the new fall Chanel Le Rouge collection. The quad is basically autumn in a palette, a gorgeous trio of warm brown shades and a beautiful and slightly daring red shade. It is pricey but you can’t go wrong with a beautiful monochrome Chanel compact eh! The Charlotte Tilbury option is slightly different being a collection of gold-y neutral shades that looks very seasonally appropriate! Again I think this one is limited edition so hopefully I can snap up this one soon!

The last eyeshadow option is from Anastasia and their well hyped Modern Renaissance palette. What drew me to this palette, other than the fact that I’ve seen it everywhere is that the colour selection is beautifully unique. The warm shade selection looks well up my street and could even persuade me to experiment a bit with colour! The packaging looks super cute too!

I am also so incredibly hyped to see that Kat Von D makeup is finally coming to the UK. Hallelujah! I’ve been desperate to try the ever so popular liquid lipsticks so I can’t wait to finally get my hands on a couple. I am not particularly sure what shades yet, any recommendations?

Lastly, is the Sweethearts bronzer from Too Faced. I’ve not tried much from Too Faced but everything I have, I have really liked! This bronzer looks so pretty and that’s not just the packaging! The light and dark shade combination looks perfect for my skin tone and I’ve heard that the pigmentation is pretty good too! So hopefully I can nab this one quick!

What is on your wishlist?

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