The Lip Product Addict TAG||With EmilyPlace

Good day fellow lip stick addicts! Over the last few months I have recently become very obsessed with lip products and can't help my self when it comes to buying them. I am still sticking to nudes and finding it hard to move along but its all down to preferences. This tag was originally created by Amelia and you can check out her video with Estée here, you've probably seen it already! Today I thought I would do the tag, and this post is a collaboration with Emily from EmilyPlace. Make sure you go and check out her blog, her version of this post and everything else as well as giving her a follow on bloglovin'..the both of us have become really good friends all because of blogging! Awww! 

1.Favourite balm/treatment?

I think everyone has cheated some point in this tag and I have definitely! The first thing I love as a balm is the Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream, this stuff smells amazing and I love that it gives your lips a slight shine and leaves them feeling super soft and silky. The other is a newer one in my collection, this is the Balance Me limited edition tinted lip salve - sheer raspberry this stuff is great for those natural days because as well as smelling nice they also hydrate your lips and give you a glossy finish.

2. Best eye-catching red?

Okay, so I have realised that I am not a big red girl! I seem to have more pinks of all different shades rather than reds, but I managed to find one from MUA that shows up more pink in the swatch below than it actually is. I have declared my love for MUA lipsticks in Shade 10 time and time again because you can not go wrong for the price.

3. Best luxury & best drugstore?

I also don't own many luxury lipsticks, but then I think that any lipstick no matter what the price can be classified as luxury. My one true love is this one from YSL that has no name and could be classed in the category above as it is this lovely deep red. For drug store I have so many it was hard to pick just one, but I have to give this one to the Kate Moss Rimmel Lipsticks because the formula and colours of these things are amazing and the nude one is now a everyday lipstick of mine and I have bought it twice!

4. Best MAC lipstick?

Okay, so...I don't actually own a MAC lipstick! I never have and hopefully will after posting this because I think its about time. So many people recommend shades on twitter, which makes my life easier. But I have never wanted one if you get me!

5. The most disappointing?

I never thought I would be answering this question, but I think it has come down to one disappointing product that I really wanted to love. I love the revlon lip butter's I think they great value for money and the range of shades are crazy. However, the lip butter in Crème Brulee  is just awful. I thought the nice sounding name and colour on first look would be amazing, but I thought wrong the colour is awful on my skin tone and I hate the little gold specks inside its just eurgh! 

6. Liner - yes or no?

I own two liners that I would be happy with re-purchasing but for me liners are only ever for special occasions and nothing else. The BYS lip liner in Natural is the perfect lip liner to use under any nude lipstick when you want it to be a little more show stopping. The other time I like to line my lips is when I wear a red lip (not that often like I said before) but when I do I go for the Models Own lip liner which is not available online, as I got it at the Clothes Show. Amazing formula and great colour.

7. Best gloss?

I own so many lip glosses I could open a little shop! But my favourite has to be the Tanya Burr lipgloss in Afternoon Tea perfect everyday lip gloss, as well as looking amazing on top of other lip colours. Her whole line smells amazing and applies like a dream on your lips.

8. Something extra!

I had to mention these beauties in this section, these are the Revlon Matte Balms in Sultry and Elusive.  I like the lacquers as well but the matte ones are the way to go, having two at the moment does not please me! I am really wanting to purchase more of them because they are the best things that have ever been invented. Ever. I adore the way they glide on your lips, the staying power is right up there with the ysl lipstick and they are super pigmented!

Hope you enjoyed reading, and let me know if you need to become a part of Lipstick Anonymous!

A Bit of Rough|| Review

I always seem to be reviewing beauty items, so I thought I would do something different and review this exfoliating cloth today. Something that has become part of my everyday shower routine. At first I was always using a loafer and it meant replacing it constantly because I was using it to its end, this cloth is a little different it lasts much longer and trust me works a lot better! 

There are so many uses for this cloth, it seems as though tanning is the main one however as someone who doesn't use fake tan I thought it would be a better idea to find out some more uses and boy there are lots. My main use has been using it after I have had my arms and legs waxed, there are always so many little stubborn hairs and this cloth helps to get rid of them slowly. I also thought initially that it wouldn't work without a special sort of soap but I have been using it with my Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Soap and it works amazingly well! It also really gentle to use on the face and isn't harsh at all, and it works well with your everyday scrub. It's also huge and you can get to your back and everything this is pure genius!

Real Techniques vs Ebay Brushes

Well, nearly a year ago I bought some Real Techniques ( RT) from Ebay, you can find the whole review of those brushes here - several types on this blog I have used these brushes and talked about because I just love them. Recently, I got the actually RT core collection which comes with the brushes in. So, I thought I would compare both the fake and the real versions of the buffing brushes, of course their are differences because no one is legally allowed to copy something exactly. But I always get asked whether it's worth it to splurge or save! 

Left Dupe| Right Real

Design - This was the first thing that shouted out to me, at first view you can see the size is the biggest difference. Not only the Dupe being much longer in length but it is also much wider, in some ways I actually prefer the thicker handle as I find it much easier to handle and control. The other thing with the design is the colour of the brush, the dupe is more copper and the real is much more golden which I like a lot better. Then we have the bottom of the brush, no idea how I didn't realise this at first because of my silly eye sight..but in fact the dupe has a metal bottom and the real has a rubber bottom which is much more comfy to use. 

Brush - Then there's a difference in the brush. Both are really soft and apply your makeup perfectly. You can see the dupe on the left below is much smaller than the real on the right, I don't see this as the biggest problem because any size is perfect because you make it work for you. The brushes are also different colour, the real one is black and then white and the dupe being brown and then a off white. 

Application - This really has been mentioned all the way through this post but there isn't much to say to about the application. I have found that both brushes work really well for me and both are just as good as each other. 

Overall| I honestly can't choose between the two, I think the Real Techniques will be your best purchase because they last for ages and are the original ones. But the dupes are just as long lasting and mine have lasted me nearly a year and still going strong. Price wise buy the Ebay ones because they are much cheaper, quality wise I would go for the RT ones because they are fit for purpose.

Hope you enjoyed!

Glossybox May 2014: 50 Years of Superdrug.

I was am currently very giddy whilst writing this post, with a pack of Oreo's by my side I have never been happier. The news broke out the other week that for May's Glossybox they would be pairing up with Superdrug - who are celebrating their 50th Birthday! I love Superdrug and have not tried out Glossybox before I thought this would be the perfect chance! I am still in debate whether or not to keep the subscription on or whether to just pay when I like the box that month?! I did only one of Birchbox to test it out..here we go!

This box was filled with lots of goodies including samples, and then full sized products! Super impressed! 

Simple Illuminating Skin Cream -£.8.99  // I was going to buy this cream the other day and I didn't and its a good job I didn't. I am so excited to try this and will have a full review soon, because I practically love anything from Simple!

Eylure Lashes - £5.35 // I am not the biggest fan of false lashes and don't wear them and probably never will because I am very scared but I will give these to someone who will most probably wear them. 

2True 3D Nail Candy - £ 3.00 // This was an unusual thing to get in the box but I am excited to use, these are like the Ciate beads they bought out a while back and was a big summer trend! I like 2True as a brand - cheap, affordable and most of the time good quality.

Collection Bronzer Glow Mosaic - £2.99 // The search for a new bronzer ends here! I have been on a search for weeks to find a new bronzer that I can wear in the summer that's not too muddy and awful on someone with dark skin. I never even thought of looking at Collection and Hey Presto! My wishes were granted!

B. Sheer Conditioning Lipstick in Petal - £6.99 (on offer for £3.49) // New brand to me but fairly old in Superdrug. This brand has a lot of things on offer and my local Superdrug doesn't stock B. which is a shame because this lipstick is really nice. I love the colour for everyday and something to throw on in a hurry. 

Ghost Eclipse & Garnier Oil Infused Lotion Samples // These are bonus samples and I think they add a cute touch to the box, the perfume smells summery and the oil sounds really interesting.

Overall - REALLY REALLY IMPRESSED! I am quite surprised that this box was as good as it sounds, I will see whether Glossybox deserves to be subscribed to for another month, will have to wait and see! 

Total of this Box - Over £27 which is nearly at £30 but I bought it for £10! Wow!

OOTD|| Ciao Milan ft KiwiKiwiFashion

I love talking about and featuring up and coming brands, my favourite types of posts to write about for sure! Today is all about a brand called 'KiwiKiwi' they aren't currently launched and a very new start up but where very kind enough to send me a t-shirt to show you guys! Since getting it, I haven't stopped wearing it..even though it looks really plain and simple you can wear it so many ways and style it up and down. 

The material is super comfy and it is oversized great to wear tucked into some jeans or even with leggings, I have paired a pair of leggings and simple gold accessories! It looks so effortless yet as though you have put lots of effort in! After wearing it I got asked by so many people what I was wearing and where it was from, because it is so unique and different!

Get The Look - Chloe Sims ft Chique Clothes

A really cool post today, all about how you can achieve the look of a well known star 'Chloe Sims' these days many celebs wear all this designer stuff and its a little too expensive to get our hands on. Well, that's wear Chique Clothes come. I've featured the brand before and I love the clothes that they produce and sell and recommend giving them a look!

Here is the photo of Chloe wearing this gorgeous top, there are so many ways you can wear it and I paired it with the classic black leggings to make the top stand out more than anything else. 

The material is mesh like so I put on a vest top underneath to give my skin something a little protection as it is very see through! All in all I love it because its very casual and comfy!

*post in collaboration with Chique Clothes*

Washing Makeup Brushes With Micellar Water?!

Yes, you did the read the title right. Forget all this shampoo and using a fancy makeup cleaner, I discovered a few weeks ago that using micellar water will clean your brushes to make them look as good as new. I actually am trying to finish up this L'oreal one so its the perfect way to use it up even quicker. Here's what you need, and then I will run you through the super easy process.

1. So once you have everything together, you want to pour some of the micellar water into a cup or a dish and you may need a little amount and sometimes a lot, it really depends on how many brushes you have and how much product is on them. I found I used loads for my buffing brush and hardly any for eye brushes.

2. Then you want to take your messy brushes and dip and swirl them around until your brush is covered in the micellar water, I gave them a good swirl around and made sure the entire bottom was covered.

3. Then the final step is to take your face cloth/towel or even tissue if you want and to just drain the water out so there isn't anything left. If there is any makeup still coming out then go back in to your cup and give it another swirl.And then you should be good to go, after washing you will see that your brushes are clean and it took hardly any time! 

How super simple was that?! Why didn't I know that before!! 

Let me know if you guys try this, I would love to know your thoughts!

Upcoming - Cutagen Skincare||Review

Skincare is becoming such an important thing of mine recently, when dealing with exam stress and general everyday life problems my skin tends to get worse rather than anything else. I also find I have to really look at the ingredients I use and how to use products. Today I introduce to Cutagen a brand that believes that that everyone can have beautiful skin, they cater for all skin types and use the wonderful world of science to create products suited to specific needs. All there products are safe to use and they are 100% British.

I recently got sent some samples to try out and thought that I would show you guys just how good they are. With the samples I recieved a booklet outlining the different types of skin types there are and what classes as each one, this picture isn't the clearest but you can find all the contents of the booklet online

Where it takes you through step my step to find the perfect products for you, after having a good read I found that my skin fitted under the 'Combination, Oily, Blemished and Acne Skin' and know that I started to use the samples that I have.

The main one that I was focused on using is the Gentlecare Clarifying Moisturiser and Hand & Body I used this for a week and have seen such a big difference in my skin, the samples are a decent size and I got a lot of use out of them. Saying this, I am considering about buying the full size which retails at the small price of £5.49. Each of their moisturisers do different things and are targeted towards different things, so make sure have a read before buying!

I also tried the bath and shower cleanser and found that I felt squeaky clean afterwards, and this time used the dry skin one as the rest of my body is very dry and problematic! 

Hope you enjoyed this review and upcoming post, be sure to check out Cutagen out below...

*this post contains pr samples

Tips for Balancing School Life+Blogging!

You're currently reading this post as I sit one of my AS Level Exams! As a full time student that has gone through her GCSE's and now doing her A-Levels I can tell you that it is easy to manage your school/work life with your blogging life. It sounds hard and complicated but trust me, you can do it and here are a few of my tips and tricks. 

ORGANISATION+PLANNING

It sounds so obvious, but yet so many people forget. You need to be on top of your game to manage a blog and your school work. Take time to think about blog posts that you want to make, I tend to get ideas in lessons and quickly write them down on my hand to go home and write down correctly - this way you won't get 'writers block'. If you know when things need to be handed in at school, make sure you get posts written before the deadline so that you can focus on the work at school rather than sit writing a blog post. 

BULK PHOTOGRAPHING+WRITING

I tend to spend a Saturday at the end/start of the month taking lots of photos of products ect that I know I want to get up soon. I like to do this because my mind is a at rest. Save them in a folder on your computer so you know you have them. This means you have photo's ready to use when you decide to write a post, and you can still take photos whenever you want - its just easier to have some stored. Weekends are the best time to blog in my opinion, with homework that might need to be in the next day you find it difficult to write and study at the same time. Take a Saturday morning to spend a few hours writing up posts and scheduling them to upload whenever you want them to. Makes life easier, that's what I do - for example I am writing this post in April and you're seeing it in May!

DON'T FEEL PRESSURED

If you can't get a post up then don't worry, you aren't hurting anyone by not posting on a certain week or day. Take a break and post when you feel ready and take your time writing; the last thing you want is to be writing a post when you are super stressed or worried. It doesn't matter if your blog is as perfect as someone else's or you don't have a review about a product that another blog has, as long as you are enjoying blogging and doing what you're doing then leave it be. Your blog shines in its own way. 

Only a few tips and tricks can help you a lot, and I still find it hard to manage both but find your own way. Let me know your ways!

Best of the Magazines||June

Magazines are my best friend for the next few months. I love to read them at night, before I go to sleep to relax and unwind before a stressful next day at school. And lately, here has been some amazing issues out so I thought I would share them with and tell you about all the super cool stuff you are getting in them. Magazines always come out a month before so these are all of June's issues which is why I bought them seen as though its my birthday month! It may seem like a lot, but I will read them all several times I promise you!

Cosmopolitan- This is the subscriber cover as I get it sent to me every month, but the gorgeous Caroline Flack graces the cover and lets you know all about her life. It also comes with a L'oreal Skin Perfection Sample which is great thing as you can try before you buy! There are also some stunning hair and makeup tutorials in there perfect for the summer time!

Glamour - A magazine for all you fashion lovers it has over 800 different looks perfect for the summer time along with lots of Beauty tips for the hot weather! Inside there is a interview with Lily Allen who talks about her comeback to the music industry. Glamour are also spoiling us by having a sample of Chanel All in One healthy glow fluid! Amazing I know!

Elle - I never buy Elle magazine because it can be quite pricey at £4 per issue, but this month it was worth it as you get a sample of Benefit's Porfressional Primer and believe you me it is a bargain buy and something I have wanted to try for ages! And Amanda Seyfried is on the front, what's not to love!

Instyle - Again a magazine I don't usually buy but I bought because of the amazing freebie you get inside of it, this months Instyle magazine comes with a ful sized bottle of Nails Inc polish and there are three different shades to collect all limited edition for the world cup that starts very soon! I got the coral shade because I love that colour in summer, but there is also a nude and a pink I believe. Ooh and Nicole Kidman is on the front which is another reason why I bought it - girls crush. And a big sample of the new John Frieda Frizz Ease Stuff.

Marie Claire - Now, I didn't actually get this as it wasn't available anywhere near me, but the June issue of Marie Claire comes Elizabeth Olsen on the front who is my hair queen at the moment. And you also get a travel set from Aroma Therapy for the bargain price of the magazine!

Now if that doesn't make you want to go to your local shop then I don't know what will! Let me know if you found this helpful or even if you would like to see more! 

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Products I've Used Up #2

After my the amazing response to my first Products I've Used Up post. I decided to carry on collecting the products I have finished and talk about them again. 

- Tresemme Shampoo|| Love this shampoo so much, and since finishing I have bought another one that I hauled about. I hardly ever repurchase shampoos because I am really funny with them, some are great for my hair and some make my hair look awful! But this one is amazing.

- Superdrug Nail Polish Remover|| Just a simple and cheap remover that I used up! Nothing to really say..

- Oval Cosmetic Pads|| Life is so much easier if you use oval shaped cotton pads, they really help with removing all your makeup and are way easier to use than round ones.

- Primark Face Wipes|| I didn't have very high hopes for these wipes, but the two sided thing made me fall in love! These cucumber wipes come with an exfoilating side and a normal side, doing two jobs for you in one easy step.

-Batiste Dry Shampoo|| I decided to try out a small dry shampoo bottle first, before committing to a big one. And I have! Love this stuff for lazy hair days and for extra volume. 

- Natural Collection+Maybelline Colour Show Top Coat|| Both are my favourite drug store top coats, because of the price and the quality! They are amazing and I have used up every single drop.

-Natural Collection Concealer||Finally I finished this up! I love using NC products but for some reason my skin and this product don't seem to be getting along very well recently! 

- MUA BB Cream|| At first I loved this product and would really rave about it! But then suddenly I hated it, it broke me out everywhere on my cheeks (still suffering now!) and also didn't sit very well on the skin. It was however the perfect shade match for me, which is a shame. 

OOTD||A Curious Fairytale Necklace

When you're at sixth form/college I find it a challenge having to wear my own clothes, but to avoid having to spend lots of money on a great deal of clothes I just change the way I wear them..if that makes sense? So, a different pair of shoes and recently it's been jewellery and my favourite item at the moment is this gorgeous necklace* from A Curious Fairytale.

The name is the cutest and they sell some of the most adorable little pieces on their store, and all at really reasonable prices which gives you an excuse to buy more for all your outfits.

This necklace is a pretty little dainty pink daisy and it suits beautifully on anything you have in your wardrobe.  I paired it with this polka dot top from Matalan, and it looks great because the top is a scoop neck and being a long necklace and statement 'kinda gal' this was very different and stopped quite high up so it was a big change. But, for some reason I seemed to have fallen in love with it and might just be wearing this a lot more this summer! 

Find A Curious Fairytale on Esty || here

Chroma Notebook||Review

Since starting my A-Levels I have actually become a stationery addict. I gravitate towards anything that looks pretty and cute. It takes me a while to actually use anything as I want to keep it nice and neat. But finding the perfect notebook can be difficult as you want to have something with good quality but don't want to be paying a ridiculous price for it! That's where I discovered Chroma. Which is a new established brand that has created a range of different high quality notebooks without making you spend lots of money!

 

There notebooks come wrapped up in a little parcel and do exactly what they are meant to. Be a notebook. Chroma is a brand that is all about colour, different ones that trigger different emotions and memories that you have created. There is a whole range of different colours that you can pick from, I went with 'Amy' a beautiful pink colour along with silver initials on the front. 

I have fallen in love with the colour, the design and the quality of the notebook. It came to my house super quick and I couldn't wait to start using it! You are able to pick from so many different colours you might actually struggle but when you do choose in the end you can pick what initials you want on the front, I think your name is the best option!

They retail for under £10 and delivery is also super cheap! You also have the option of having either a plain or lined notebook, I went with lined!

Lined - £6.50

To find out more about Chroma and to order your self one - 

Website: 

www.chromanotebooks.co.uk

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chromanotebooks

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/chromanotebooks

#chromanotebook