may favourites

This month has been an eventful one filled with birthday celebrations for my 19th, shopping and discovery of new tv shows due to having so much spare time recently so this months favourites are a bit of a mixture of beauty and lifestyle. 

MAC 'Crosswires' lipstick:

This was a bit of an impulse purchase after I saw someone post a photo of it on instagram, it looked beautiful so I ran down to my nearest MAC and picked it up. I haven't been let down! It's so creamy and is easily worn with my everyday makeup or with vampy, smoky eyes on a night out or evening. It's so versatile and I've worn it almost every day this month!

MAC 'All That Glitters' eyeshadow:

A peach shimmer which brightens up tired eyes and fits with the current SS14 trends. Blends out like a dream and is great worn alone or with some subtle contour.

Model's Own 'Hedonist':

A vibrant and fluorescent fuchsia which is the perfect summer bright!

L'Oreal 'Nouvelle Vague':

A off-white violet shade which is a wonderful pastel. Looks great when pale, but even better with a tan!

Mr. Probz - Waves (Robin Schulz radiot edit):

I haven't stopped listening to this song since I first heard it played on the radio! It's wonderfully chilledd but still great for a sing song, whenever I hear it, I'm automatically cheered up!

Orange Is The New Black:

If you haven't yet watched the first series of this on Netflix then where have you been?! It's ah-ma-zing! The storyline is about a woman who in her past smuggled drugs for a former girlfriend, and although now she has moved on an intends to marry her male partner, she is sent to a women's prison where she initially doesn't fit in due to her privileged background. I'll say no more, just go and watch, you won't regret it! 

Marc Jacobs 'Daisy' perfume:

As my Marc Jacobs 'Honey' perfume ran out, and it was nearing my birthday, this scent was top of my birthday wish list! Described as "sophisticated floral with vintage edge of violet" and with notes of 

dipping my toe in the world of cleansing oils.

Due to having oily skin, I've always been wary of products which contain oil, or heaven forbid, are completely oil, but I've had a change of heart since discovering this little beauty! I'd seen a few bloggers write about the Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil, so took the plunge and decided to try this out, and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.

It's extremely easy to use: simply massage on top of your makeup (feels weird but trust me!) and then rinse with warm water. When the water is added, it turns into a type of milk, as the oil emulsifies and then is easily washed away leaving nothing but soft, squeaky clean skin and no greasy residue. I use this at night as it removes all my heavy foundation and black mascara without stinging my eyes or feeling harsh on my skin. Plus, added bonus for those of you with oily skin, this hasn't made my skin any oilier than usual, it just does a great job, especially for only £10. Well Done to the Body Shop *claps hands enthusiastically*

prom/party summer makeup.

It's coming up to prom season once again and one thing I regret when I got ready for my prom 3 years ago was not making an effort with my makeup. Although I didn't wear much makeup on an everyday basis, I could have made an effort on this special occasion, you only get one prom right?

The look I have created is simple to achieve and can be toned down or brightened up by a few simple changes so is easy to suit every taste. With a airbrushed and long lasting base, shimmery eyes with fluttery lashes, softly contoured cheeks and either a nude or bright lip option, this makeup look is bang on trend for summer and is sure to last a whole day of photographs and night dancing! 

BASE:

I wanted a base which would be sure to last a long time but still looked flawless so I went for my trusty MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW13 which I know won't let me down, even if the weather is hot or humid. T set this, I just dusted a light covering of Rimmel's Stay Matte powder to help keep shine at bay if you have oily skin, but also to set the foundation and making sure it lasts even longer. You could use a primer if you wish, I love Rimmel Fix and Perfect but any mattifying primer will do. I slightly contoured using the fluffy Real Techniques Blush Brush to dust MAC 'Harmony' Blush in a '3' shape along my hair line, cheek bones and jawline so give my face a little shape, but nothing harsh. I gave my cheeks a slight flush with the Seventeen 'First Flush' blush which is gorgeous matte pink which gives a natural flush to the cheeks and photographs well. For a slight highlight I used the middle highlighting shimmer from the Sleek Face Form palette as it's fairly subtle but looks lovely in photographs. 

EYES:

To keep on top of SS14 trends, I went for a shimmery eye using MAC 'All That Glitters' all over the lid with a touch of 'Satin Taupe' in the outer corner and softly blended out. I then used a touch of MAC 'Vanilla' in my inner corner/tear duct and MAC 'Mysery' to line my lash line as it's less harsh that a black liquid or gell eyeliner but still gives the appearance of fuller looking lashes, especially when the line is thickened towards the outer corner. I then used a few coats of my MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara but the Maybelline 'The Falsies' is a great, and cheaper, alternative for fluttery, false lash looking, lashes. 

LIPS:

For lips I wanted to give two options for those who prefer a nude or bright lip. My to lipstick choices were Revlon 'Pink in the Afternoon'  for a soft 'your lips but better' pink, or MAC 'Impassioned' for a full power pink pout. Both look nice with this look, so just pick which suits your taste. Obviously, this hasn't taken into account dress colour or skin tone, but you know what you like and what works best for you, so go with your gut! 

pastel power

I had been lacking pastel polishes from my collection, excluding the ones which came in the Ciaté advent calendar so after discovering I had a whopping £23 in Boots points, I delved into the aisles of Boots in search of new pastel shades to rock this season.

I knew Barry M was a safe option, so I chose Rose Hip from the new additions to the Gelly collection, it’s a beautiful soft pink and as it’s from the Gelly range, it doesn’t lack in pigmentation, shine or longevity. Now L’Oreal isn’t a counter I often find myself visiting, I don’t even know why, it’s just one of those brands that I simply forget about. The packaging of this polish in Nouvelle Vague from the Color Riche Les Blancs range is just beautiful, it looks lovely in my little nail polish dish full of spring/summer shades.

From Ciaté I already had the shades: Sugar Plum, Ferris Wheel and Pepperminty which all came in the advent calendar from last Christmas, they’re all easy to wear shades, even the green and blue. I find that when blues and greens are in pastel form they aren’t so garish and harsh so can easily be pulled off as they aren’t so ‘in your face’.

All of these polishes are of great quality, two coats and they are opaque and ready for a top coat. I’d say out of them all, I love Nouvelle Vague the most, I’m a bit of a sucker for purple shades and this is off white with a hint of the purple so makes it look like my hands are a little tanned, rather than their usual milk bottle comparison. I kind of wish I’d have bought the other shades in the range… *runs back to Boots*.  

battle of the drugstore concealors

*Quick apology for the state of my Collection concealor's packaging, but what can I say? It's well loved!

So both of these concealors can be found in the drug store and have had a fair amount (under-exaggeration much?) of hype online - I have been using the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealor for years so I thought I would try out it's alternative, Maybelline Fit Me Concealor. 

Firstly the Collection offering, where to begin! This concealor has incredible, and I mean incredible coverage, it covers anything from dark under eye circles, to the biggest spot or blemish, it covers anything you throw at it. Not only that but it blends into your foundation well meaning a flawless finish which doesn't draw the eye to the imperfections. In terms of lasting power, it is faultless, it lasts all day with a setting powder and just won't budge which means it is perfect for all skin types, but particularly oily skin like myself. 

Next, its rival, the Maybelline which has a good coverage, but seems more moisturising than the Collection alternative meaning it would be good for those with dryer skin types. It does blend into your foundation well and the 'Fit Me' system allows you to match it well to your skin tone. For durability, I have to say that this just doesn't work for oily skin types, it left me with a shiny residue after just a few hours, even though I powdered so if you have oilier skin, I'd stay well clear, but if you have normal to dryer skin, then I'm sure this would do wonderfully for you. 

For me, I still love the Collection Lasting Perfection and cannot see myself switching to an alternative anytime soon, the quality of this cheap product is just faultless and it covers anything I throw at it and most of all, I know it won't let me down. This isn't to say that the Maybelline alternative isn't a good product, because it is, just not for my skin type, hence why I am sticking to the Collection choice. 

050514 what i wore today

*in bright light*

*in natural light*

Now I have finished university for this year, I'm glad that I can do more 'impromptu' posts such as this because they interest me and i enjoy reading so I hope you feel the same! Today is going to be filled with Jeremy Kyle, picking up my essay and finding out my mark, having a wander for some fresh air and relaxing watching tv with my chums!

My outfit is super casual and low maintenance because of this, the crochet top was bought about two years ago and until today I had never worn it, I don't know why, it's actually really nice! Model's Own 'Beach Party' was a polish I bought last year and wore once I think, shame on me! It's lovely and really brightens up and outfit instantly without being too overpowering and it matches the lipstick I'm wearing which is 'Infrared' by Topshop but I most definitely have my eye on 'Morange' from MAC for the warmer months.

For my eyes I just used a swish of 'All That Glitters' from MAC which is a beautiful peach toned shimmer which really brightens up your eyes instantly, a little bit of 'Charcoal Brown' in my outer corner and crease and then 'Vanilla' in my tear duct area to brighten even further.

For hair I just quickly straightened my whole head, not really bothering about it being poker straight and pulled it into a 'bit up and a bit down' (anyone else call it this, it's always what my mum used to do when I was a little 'un - yay for 90's kids!) which is a style that I'm really enjoying at the minute whether in the day or on a night out cause it keeps your hair off your face without having a messy bun or scraped back pony tail, I just need a scrunchie and I'm totally set!