Maybelline Baby Lips | Review ♥

These lip balms must be the most anticipated UK release in the beauty world this year, if you've not heard of the Maybelline Baby Lips then I do not know where you have been hiding, They were originally released in the states and have grown such a huge following that they have finally come across the pond into our local Boots and Superdrug stores! I couldn't wait to get my claws on these things and see if they live up to the hype and all the talk. I have 5/6 balms that are available and I really wanted them all for this review, however every where I have been have been sold out of pink punch - so expect that in a separate review! 

In total there are six, I have only five (L-R) Cherry Kiss, Intense Care, Peach Kiss, Hydrate and Minty Fresh. As far as packaging goes I think they are very cute, they are the ideal size for you to be able to carry around and fit into the smallest of bags and they are all different coloured which makes them stand out and for me cries for me to use them as they are brightly coloured. The blue,yellow and green bottle are all clear lip balms they apply and look clear on your lips - these for me are the best if you have dry, cracked and chapped lips because there aim is to nourish them. 

The orange and purple are both tinted lip balms, which means that you have a slight hint of colour on your lips when you apply them. I can't seem to get a colour out of them when they are on my lips which is a shame as I love some tinted lip balm, if I apply coats then the colour starts to slowly build up. 

Overall, I am deeply in love with them. I think that they are great moisturising lip balms because they contain petroleum jelly. And after using them for a good two weeks, my lips feel and look amazing which I think is a bonus. I know that there are better and different lip balms available, but for the price you are paying these are amazing. They are my lifesavers at school as I can just get them out of my bag and quickly apply them. 

August Favourites ♥

It is that time again, and to be honest it doesn't feel that long ago since I wrote my July favourites and now my august favourites - this is just crazy. This month has bought me to the end of my long school holiday and September brings me a new school, a new start and a new me! Here is what I have been loving this past month just gone...

This month I have loved these little compressed deodorant bottles that you can now buy, these smaller bottle make carrying spray around in small hang bags much easier. I even managed to squeeze it in to clutch bag. The hot weather is lovely, and I would love to have it more often - however I do prefer to stay cool and not sweaty/sticky all the time. So carrying these little bottles of wisdom around is the best. 

My skin this month has been really good, I seem to have everything (break outs wise) under control and I can mainly thank, this little wonder here. This is the Witch Blemish Stick, you pop the lid off  push it up like a ice lolly and you have this gel like stick that is for blemishes. You just put this on the affected area whenever you can for a constant week or so and you see results instantly - well I did! The smell is funny, however the smell doesn't affect the product and doesn't make your skin irritate either and I have very sensitive skin. 

Summer is the best time to let your skin really breathe, I hate people who slap on layers of heavy duty make up because it is just going to melt away and leave you with nothing/ very minimal stuff on your skin. My go to product that been the Dream Matte Mousse from Maybelline, I usually only get this out in winter time..but this year summer has called for it! As it is so light and foamy you can apply one even layer on your skin and it gives you the coverage you mainly need for a sunny day. 

I am no make up expert, but I do like to try and go a little crazy from time to time and this trio eye-shadow set from Collection (2000) in Silver Storm has my begging for more. With these three simple and very pigmented shades you can create that very easy smokey eye without it looking dreadful and as though you have no idea what you're doing. The shades are great on there own and with other more bold/bright colours as well - as long as you blend it all well.

This next little beauty is something I carry around now in my handbag because of the colour and the easy application. This is a  Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in the shade Peony. Which is by far the best nude/pinky toned with a shimmer lip gloss I have ever owned, not only because it lasts on your lips for ages! But, it also has the perfect sized brush for my awkward shaped lips that hate having a brush on them. 

And the last beauty product is a nail polish - as per. This is from the summer issue of BLISS Magazine that I bought whilst being away and it has got me to fall in love with it. The colour is indescribable and looks very pretty on your nails - that you just want to stare at it constantly! This peachy/orangey coral nail polish is that perfect colour for dark/tanned/olive toned skin in the summer because it just contrasts with your skin perfectly. It does take a few coats to get the colour, and doesn't however stay on your nails for very long before it starts to chip. 

The only random favourite I really do every month is my music choice, which I will still be doing..but I thought I would include some more because I like to change it up every once in a while. 

Above you can see a nearly finished packet of the new Extra white chewing gum in a bubblegum flavour. This is such an amazing chewing/bubble gum! It tastes amazing when you first bite into it and it tastes just like juicy fruit or hubba bubba (childhood cravings!) and it also leaves your breathe smelling minty fresh yet it doesn't taste minty. Weird? 

For anyone who doesn't know me... I love my coffee! Whether it is hot, cold or even mixed, I just love buying it from Costa and Starbucks. When we went to Scotland; I popped into good old Starbucks and saw that they had these 'Refreshers' now available. I love trying new drinks and was very interested into what this would taste like! So I went ahead and bought the 'Valencia Orange' refresher and you guys..I cannot explain how yummy it was to drink! It was quite sour but enough to bare with and it just makes you feel very wake and energetic! 

My favourite song, with out a single doubt this month has been 'Best Song Ever' by One Direction. Now, I am not here to argue - I really don't care if people hate them or love them I really like there music and have a slight crush on them all! This song is so catchy and since I heard for the first time I fell in love and haven't stopped listening to it at all!

So that is my favourites for this month, hope you enjoyed :)

Starting Off; Concealer ♥

Welcome to the second week of 'TheSoProject' also know as 'The Starting Off Project'. If you missed the first week or have no clue what I am babbling on about, then do check out this post so you are in the loop with the fruit? I tried to rhyme it but, it failed -TERRIBLY!

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These days there are so many concealers out there, that you are spoilt for choice to say the least! There are a few things you should take into consideration when buying and choosing your concealer shade - this is my concealer guide 101. And then I will tell you a few of my personal favourites all from the drug store! 

To cover or correct?

When choosing a concealer I would always start with a shade that is lighter than your foundation - not your skin tone. Just like when picking foundation you should always be aware of the colour words such as "beige" (pink undertones), "cool" (pink), "warm" (yellow/olive undertones), "neutral," etc.

If dark under eye circles are your main problem then you need to go with the warm shades of concealer.If you are using concealer for blemishes or dark spots, find one that is a shade lighter than your foundation and in the same undertone.

I have two hand down 'holy grail' concealers, and without them I wouldn't be able to last very long. Both are liquid concealers as I think that they are much better and easy to blend as well as find your true match. 

This was my first 'guess and go' concealer as I ordered it online, praying that the shade would be perfect for me and not highlight the wrong areas or even not cover the blemishes and circles I wanted it to. This is the Maybelline 'Pure Cover Mineral' concealer in the shade Rose Beige, which is a very light weigh , medium coverage - creamy liquid concealer. I find that this is the best for covering those nasty dark under eye circles and I am someone who has dark pigmentation under my eyes and with this they just appear lighter. 

I bought mine from Fragrance Direct , who now stock a different shade to what I have but there is a choice of two shades on Cheap Smells.

If you are familiar with the youtube/blogger worlds then there is a 99.9% chance you have heard of this concealer. I seem to always get sucked into the things that get raved about constantly and this angel of a concealer has been something I have had my eye on for a while. One day I hopped into Superdrug and swatched the shade 'Medium' and well...fell in love. Even though the shade range isn't great the concealer may match just about everyone and I can safely and truthfully say that after trying and testing it out - it lives up to the hype. This concealer can cover your blemishes up with the tiniest of little amounts, because of its creamy and smooth consistency you can really blend it in well so that every inch of a horrible spot is covered. I don't know how I have managed without this concealer in my life.

Application

As far as applying concealer goes, there are several different ways. You can straight up apply if from the tube,wand or even stick and put it where desired and then use your ring finger to blend it by patting very gently. Or even apply using a brush, taking the product off with a brush and then blending with a concealer brush. It is really up to you and what you feel most comfortable with. 

I hope this helped with any worries on concealer that you have had, and if there are any more questions or even suggestions then do leave a comment below or even contact me! 

Be sure to read the other features in this series..

Not Another Poundland Haul ♥

It has been a long time since I went and visited my good friend the pound shop. If you have been reading this blog for a long time, then you know that I love the things you can buy in that shop because it is always so cheap! Whenever I do visit, I head straight to the beauty section to see what amazing treats they have for me to buy and this time I have amazed!

I managed to buy 3 high end nail polishes and there were a few more different shades available but I need to go back and buy them again! The first thing that I picked up was an OPI shatter polish, this just took me by utter surprise...a brand that is usually so expensive is now priced here for £1!! So I picked the purple shatter up as I have a black from BarryM already! I then spotted Sinful Colours in the store as well, these are a brand that have recently just come to the UK and are available at boots and now poundland. There wasn't a huge choice of colours to choose from but the two I did end up buying, I was going to buy from Boots that day as well. They are not that priced and are available in loads of different colours!

If you have a pounland near you, then I suggest you have a browse because they have a lot of great brands in at the moment. I also saw some Rimmel Wake Me Up and Sally Hansen there as well!

A Printed Jumpsuit for a lovely summer's day!

Okay, there is no doubt that I am in love with New Look. Every time I go in there, I just want to buy everything and for me there aren't a lot of stores that make me react like that! I want to be a lot of things, but my purse will have a hole in it by the end of the shopping trip; so I decided to do a wishlist of some of the things I would really like to have in my wardrobe for these next few months. This time round it is play suits. An item of clothing I have always wanted to wear, but never gone and got one because I am scared of how it looks like on me. The play suits I am about to show you, don't scare me because they actually look flattering and hopefully make me look nice!!

Picking play suits for this wishlist was a difficult job, there were so many I liked..these 4 stood out to me the most!

#1 The first is by far my favourite one of the lot! This very simple, yet elegant black embellished play suit is perfect for a night out! Whether it is just for a meal or even on a date, this is the best way to pull of that 'no effort look' as it just requires you to put this suit on and accessories with a silver clutch, bracelets and either flats, wedges or heels! Wearing something very simple like this; gives you the choice and element of freedom to dress it up how you want and allows you to wear it however you like! The collar at the top is also a great feature as it makes the outfit as a whole stand out. This can also be worn on a summers day for a lunch time date, as it is black. Making it suitable to wear whenever.

#2 Next up is this orange, patterned jump suit. This bright and bold orange colour makes it perfect for that summer day out! The print on this jump suit is amazing as it is different to something you would usually wear making it more eye-catching and different. My favourite thing about this one is the love heart cut out on the back, which gives you that element of something unusual, and makes it look super cute. This paired with a tanned coloured bag and wedges would complete your casual look.

#3 Anything floral has my name written all over it. A floral patterned t shirt, jumper, jeans or even jumpsuit just screams out girly and cute! The thing about floral is that everyone can make it work, and on a summers day it is your chance to jump out and wear something that is not only a pretty print, but is also a mix of bold and bright summery colours. This can be worn everyday and every night until you get sick of it; as it will never go out of fashion due to people always wanting to wear it.

#4 Finally, a jumpsuit that looks like a pretty blouse tucked into a pair of shorts. This is best for those of you that aren't ready to jump in the deep end with jumpsuits, if you start off with wearing this to see how a jumpsuit would look on you then you will defo go and buy another one! This pretty floral play suit looks so sophisticated and simple at the same time, that people will actually think you are wearing shorts! Great for a summer day out to do some shopping or even out for a meal, you can rock this all the time.

There are so many more play suits on the new look website and in store, it is just that these are my ultimate favourite choices to pick and choose from that I would personally wear if I were to buy my first play suit.

Starting Off; Skincare ♥

FINALLY!  Hello earthlings, today is the start of the 'TheSoProject' also know as 'The Starting Off Project'. Over the next 10 weeks, every Tuesday my self and loads of other bloggers will be posting everything that teens/ make up newbies need to know when starting off with make up. Everything from skincare to make up brushes, I have loved beauty related stuff for a while now and I wish when I first started going into the whole make up thing; there was a guide for me to read. So... here I am now helping you lot out there! To find out more about this project check out Steph's post (the mastermind behind all of this) over on here blog here. 
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Writing this skincare post seems perfect for me at the moment, as I suffer from regular (mainly hormonal) breakouts on certain parts of my face a lot! August was a month that I set my self a goal to do whatever I can to clear most of it up. Just putting random face masks, and spot treatments on for one night won't instantly make a difference. It is always best to set your self a skincare routine; this doesn't have to be expensive nor does it have to be time consuming. Just remember that it is all worth it in the end.

There is such a wide range and variety of skin care brands and products out there that can really help your skin to begin to clear up. One of the brands I love is Clean & Clear, I found this moisturiser in my local poundshop once a upon a time, and little did I know that it would become my best friend. I now religiously use this every night before going to bed to help with my acne, it feels very light - so you can also use it in the morning and it helps to combat and fight against those nasty spot and tightens up your pores. A small sizes amount of this goes very far! 

Next up is my holy grail skincare brand - Simple. This brand makes everything to suit your skin so that nothing makes it go funny, these wipes are my new discovery as they are exfoliating wipes. One side has a rough texture and the other is a smooth side to polish your face. I find that taking your make up off at night is the best feeling ever and these wipes make the job easier for you and leaves your skin feeling clean and fresh! Make sure that you always take your make up off before you sleep, your skin needs time to breathe. 

My final skincare newbie, is from the brand 'Witch' there products contain witch hazel which is a flower that is extracted into a substance so that it can be used in products to combat acne. There are several products in this range,and I really want to get my hands on them all as this beauty has really made a difference to my skin. The blemish stick is a solid gel stick that pops up like an ice lolly and allows you to rub it on the affected area and leaves no marks just a cool feeling. 

I have found sticking to the same products for some time and doing it all regularly can really help you out. There is also help available where you can ask the professionals about your skin, whether this be a skin specialist / doctor or even these online advice questionnaires, where you answer questions and they find out about your skin type and what can help. Read the other posts through out the 10 weeks