Top 5 Lipsticks

This past year my lipstick collection has grown and I have gathered a small collection and have a few favourites.

Kate Moss 107
I wouldn't have worn a dark red lipstick a year ago but recently I got into wearing them. It a matte shade but doesn't sink into the fine lines of your lips.

Revlon Black Cherry
This dark purple shade has been a recent obsession of mine and over this winter I haven't had it off. It is a shiny finish and keeps your lips hydrated.

Mac Twig
I have done a recent post on this shade and it has become my second favourite neutral shade I own. I
love the dark nude shade and it doesn't wash out my pale complexion.

Mac Crème Cup
This is my top nude shade and top lipstick. It's a very natural pink nude shade, that gives your lips a 'your lips but better' look.

Soap and Glory Nudist
This gloss stick was the first I had ever tried and I wore it almost none stop last Summer/Autumn. It gives a gorgeous glossy finish, that slightly tints your lips a nude shade.

Skin Care Routine

 

My skin recently has been acting up, as it often does. I picked up a few new products and changed up my skin care.

 

Morning Routine

 

Facial Wash

My new face wash is the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Foaming Wash. It targets breakouts and also cleans out your pores.

 

Toner

After washing my face I tone my skin, this rebalances the PH levels of your skin and helps to make sure your face is fresh and clear. I use the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Lotion.

 

Moisturizer

In the morning my skin feels really tight and dry. To create a smooth base for makeup I use an oil free moisturizer, Yes To Tomatoes Moisturizer.

 

Night Time Routine

 

Makeup Remover

To remove my face makeup I use the Micellar Cleansing Water, It's a gentle cleanser that doesn't dry out your skin. For my eye make up I use the Simple Kind To Eyes Makeup Remover. It doesn't irritate my eyes and you can remove it without too much rubbing.

 

Scrub

To remove all the dead skin I will use Lush ocean Salt, this scrub isn't too abrasive and still you can feel it cleaning your skin thoroughly.

 

Moisturize

I prefer to use an all over treatment for night time. I use the Clinique Anti-blemish Solutions All Over Treatment. It moisturizes at the same time as acting as a spot treatment.

 

Treatment

I suffer from spots a lot and to treat them I will use the Clinique Anti-blemish Clearing Gel, I only occasionally use this when I can feel a blemish.

 

You can probably sense a pattern in my new routine. I may have a little obsession with Clinique products, I have really noticed an improvements in my skin since using these products that I picked up for Christmas.

 







Top 5 Candles

 

Everyone's got to love candles and in todays post I am going to be sharing with you my top 5 candle scents. Candles really make a room appeal more homey and fill your space with a warming scent.

 

Leaves

This candle is Autumn in a scent. The best way to describe is that it is quite apple scented with an underlying musky scent. Unfortunately this candle is from Bath and Body Works which is only available online or in America, so I am sparing this candle for as long as possible.

 

Mahogany Teakwood

This is may be my all time favourite candle, it is incredible. If you have ever been to Abercrombie, that is what this candle smells like. It is very musky, quite like a boy's aftershave if I'm honest, but unfortunately yet again it is from Bath and Body Works.

 

Black Cherry

Any kind of cherry scented candle I love, I don't know what it is about them. This particular one is from Yankee Candle. It really does smell lovely and is a great all year round scent that fills your room with a incredible fruity scent.

 

Icicles

Again with the musky scents, Icicles is a slightly more fresh version however. It is an amazing Winter scent and fills your room with a gorgeous scent that will linger all day long. 

 

As you can probably tell I am a musky scented kind of girl. What kind of candles do you prefer?

Neutral Nails

Simple nails are a trend that has stuck around in the beauty world these past months. I went through a faze of not wearing nail polish, however now I'm back and keeping it simple.

Neutral tones are the in nail colour. They are shades that can be worn come rain or shine, Summer or Winter. I personally love the clean, chic look they give to your nails and you no longer have to worry about coordinating your outfit with your nails. You may notice a clear favourite polish of mine being the Barry M Gelly High-Shine's, they offer amazing colour ranges from bold to simple as well as being long lasting and highly affordable.

Barry  M 'Almond'

This nude shade has a slight lilac undertone with a stone grey finish. It's a step up from a basic nude colour but still keeps the clean finish.

Barry M 'Chai'

One of my favourites to wear on my nails is grey. A muted grey keeps an outfit looking fresh however still keeping your nails as a staple. Rather than wearing a black polish, wearing a grey will go with more outfits and step up your look.

Barry M 'Lychee'

A basic nude shade that will give you that barely there look. It will make your nails appear clean and also longer as there will be no clear end point of your nail.

Make Up Doesn't Define You



Make up. Although a wonderful thing, pressure surrounds women today telling them without it they are not good enough.

Today's society tell us that without makeup we aren't pretty and yet certain remarks such as 'Why you don't trust women'. We get knocked for wearing makeup and knocked for not wearing it. We get called ugly without and fake with. There is no in between. Which is why something need to change.

I don't have perfect skin or anywhere near it. I suffer from hyperpigmentation and scarring. The odd blemish will pop up in its unwanted time. Although I tend to hide these flaws with makeup you will see me out without makeup. Both are fine.

Makeup is a way of expression, and many feel more comfortable with it on. You can accentuate your features and like myself I enjoy wearing makeup to experimenting with different looks. But I do also feel comfortable in going out with my bare face. We should not let those people who call women 'fake' for wearing makeup make us change our appearance. Wear makeup for yourself not others who want to change you.

Not wearing makeup is a blessing. Walking out in the fresh air with a bare face. Pressure surrounds women today telling them that without makeup they are ugly or spotty. Our imperfections are what make us beautiful and unique. So why apply makeup to cover those? Anyone and Everyone has their own scaring and uneven skin tone, we should not feel ashamed of it. If you are happy with your skin show it off to the world.

"My face is built up of pieces of those that came before it"

Whether you wear makeup or not, you are beautiful. Don't let others talk change yourself, stay true to who you are.

Braces Experience

 

You may notice something different about me? I am finally brace free. I thought I would do an experience post for all for you who either have braces or are getting them soon. I got my braces off the NHS because I had a large overbite with overcrowding.

Before getting braces I firstly had a bar across the roof of my mouth to hold my teeth in place. Then I had to have 4 molars out to make room for my teeth as I had overcrowding. The actual process is quite painless as you are giving a needle to numb your mouth, but the actual need does hurt quite a bit. Afterwards you feel like you have a thick lip which is amusing for a while.

I got my brace February 2013, so I have had them for roughly 22 months. Usually the time frame for braces can be between 18-24 months, however that can be shorter or longer, it depends on your teeth. It's a weird sensation at first but over time you do get used to it and it can take a while to get used to them. The process of getting them on is painless. They just apply glue to your teeth and apply pressure to the bracket, then they attach the wire. Overall you will just feel quite a lot of pressure on your teeth not so much pain. Your orthodontist will tell you what you can and can't eat however I still ate some of things they tell you not to eat and it had no effect on my brace but that doesn't mean I am telling you to go and eat chewing gum or something with your braces! You have to look after your teeth when you have braces and brush them as you would normally but make sure to get in between the brackets using a tool your orthodontist should give you.

You have to go back every 5-8 weeks to have your wire changed, once you get it changed to a tighter/thicker wire you will feel a lot of pressure on your teeth for the first few days and you may have to stick to eating soft things like soup ect. After you get used to going back and to your orthodontist you will get used to the change and will feel it less and less. You also get the opportunity to change the colour of you brackets each time you go! I think I tried out most colours there!

In my experience the bottom braces were more painful compared to the top as you bite down onto them. So when I first got my bottom braces I did struggle to eat solids for a few days, however again you get used to it and it  may be different for different people.

I got the bar across the roof of my mouth off after about six months and I noticed the gaps slightly closing. It is a slow process but the end of the road really is worth it.

Throughout your time with braces you may break some of you brackets off. That is no problem, when you break them off it can feel weird. But if you just book an emergency appointment with your orthodontist they will just attach a new bracket with the dame process as putting on your whole brace.

I then got rubber bands. The hate of my life. I attached them to the top of my brace to the bottom on either side of my mouth. I had to take them out to eat, and a lot of the time when I was talking they snapped. It almost feels like you cannot open your mouth. The reason I had them was to bring my bottom jar forward to reduce my overbite.

When you start getting towards the end of your tome with braces you will hardly even notice them. You will start to notice a big difference in your teeth. I went from coloured brackets to clear as I got to about August 2014.

The taking off of your braces again is a weird sensation  as you have become so used to them it feels weird to be without them! The orthodontist used a small pair of pliers to clamp off the brackets which is quite painless there is just a lot of pressure. Then they scrap the glue off which was uncomfortable. You lastly have to have a mould done for your retainers which is unpleasant and cane make you gag. You get the retainer a few days after you have had your brace of to keep your teeth in place. you wear them when you orthodontist will tell you to.

Your teeth will almost feel naked without the metal between your teeth an mouth. to me they feel almost slimy! The whole process of braces if definitely worth it for the difference it makes to your teeth and I am so happy with the outcome.

Revlon Black Cherry | Review

A dark berry lip is a staple for the Winter months. Revlon's 'Black Cherry' is a gorgeous berry shade that would go well with a number of skin tones.

'Black Cherry' is the perfect berry tone for my skin tone. Dark lip's tend not to go with my skin tone because I am quite pale and they wash me out, however this one doesn't. It's my favourite colour in a lipstick! It's a very glossy finish rather than matte which I prefer as it doesn't set into the fine lines of your lips. Because of its glossy finish it is a really moisturizing lipstick that doesn't dry out your lips which can be handy in the Winter months. Due to the fact it isn't matte the lasting power isn't that great and you do have to keep reapplying it through out the day, although it doesn't stain your lips.

If you are looking for a new go to berry lip shade I definitely recommend you get this one. it is a great affordable lip colour.

Staying Organised Whilst Blogging

Staying organised whilst blogging is always hard. Keeping an uploading schedule whilst balancing your social and work life.

Planning ahead is essential to successful blogging. In the long run it'll make it a whole lot easier to keep on track. I generally do the week's posts on weekends, that way I have time for schoolwork on weekdays. Taking notes is one way you can stay organised. Keeping a notebook with you where ever you go, that way if a blog post idea pops into your head you can note it down for the future, I always have a small book and pen in my handbag for impromptu ideas.

Having bloggers block is a nightmare when it comes to blogging which  is why having a diary can come in handy, that way you can plan out your posts out and when to upload them throughout the month. Then you cannot loose track of your upload days and you won't be stuck for post ideas.

Organization is key to running a successful blog and coming from a quite disorganised person it isn't all that hard. If you put your mind to it you can archive anything. 



Beauty Favourites of 2014

2014 is over and many products have been through my collection, although only few have become my yearly favourites.

Eos Lipbalms

I have tried many a lipbalm but Eos has to be my all time favourite. I have been using them all year and they keep your lips hydrated for hours. I own to many of these balms for my own good and if I had to choose a favourite then it would have to be the 'Coconut and Milk'.

Mac 'Bare Study' Cream Shadow

Cream eye shadows on a whole would be a favourite of 2014. They are so easy to use and simple. They look like you've have put more time into your makeup than you actually have. However the one that comes out on top is the Mac 'Bare Study', it's a gorgeous champagne shade. It smooth's onto your eyelid creating a gorgeous shimmer.

Natural Collection Duo 'Mocha/Latte'

Although this is an eye shadow I personally love to use it on my eyebrows. For it's price it is an amazing product and is perfect for filling in your eyebrows. The brown shade is a perfect match for my brows and filled in with a light hand can create a really natural look.

Soap and Glory Gloss Stain 'Nudist'

This lip product I wore non stop this Summer. It's a great 'your lips but better' nude and gives your lips a natural looking gloss. It keeps your lips hydrated and is not drying at all on your lips. I also now have more colours in this gloss stain but this one is my definite favourite.

Volume Million Lashes Mascara

I love experimenting with different mascara's to try and this one stood out to me. It both lengthens and thickens the appearance of your lashes and gives then the illusion you're wearing falsies.

Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner

Doing liner is easier said than done, so any product that makes that task that little easier I'm all up for. This one has a foam applicator so it makes the application a lot easier especially if you struggle like me.

Barry M Nail Polish 'Raspberry'

I only ever get the chance to wear nail polish in the holidays and I found myself reaching toward this shade constantly. Shades like this are some of my favourites to wear all year round even though they may seem more wintery or autumnal. Barry M nail polishes over all are some of my favourites.

Neutrogena Spot Stress Control Scrub

Skin care is something that I find hard to change up as I'm always scared how my skin will react to new products. This scrub I have used all year and it unclogs your pores as well as calming your breakouts. 

GHD Straighteners

These straighteners are the best I have tried although being only the second pair I have owned. Many people go one about these being the best brand of straighteners and I agree with them. Although I haven't tried many, they smooth along your hair without pulling it. Once my hair is straightened it stays that way for hours without touch ups.

I want to wish you a happy new year, also let me know your favourites of 2014.