Happy New Year! (+ Beauty Resolutions)

Hi!

 

Ok, so technically its now the 2nd of January...I spent most of yesterday recovering from new year's eve so I couldn't quite manage to get this post up on new year's day! :) Never mind, better late than never!

 

I hope you all  had a really great new year's eve and also a great 2013 generally!

I personally have never celebrated new year's eve until this year as I've always found it depressing and I never really used to go out to celebrate it...but I decided to change that and I actually surprised myself by having a great time!

 

Anyway I thought I'd just quickly list some beauty related (and maybe one or two non-beauty related) resolutions for this year...I know we all have flaws and bad habits so it seems like a good time to kick start some changes.

 

1) Change up my every day makeup look.

 

This one mainly applies to weekdays when I'm going into sixth form. Like many people I tend to be so rushed in the mornings and recently have found myself sticking to just one look which is pretty boring. I'd really like to switch things up a bit and try out some different looks! This was harder when I was at school because we weren't allowed that much makeup but now I'm in sixth form I can experiment much more. I know I have tonnes of neutral looks that are begging to be tried out!
 

2) Get more use out of my eye shadows.

 

Does anyone else just LOVE the feeling when you hit pan on (or use up completely) an eyeshadow??? I find it so satisfying to know that I've used up a whole shadow and I know that whilst I do use them a lot I don't get as much use out of my shadows as I should. Being a massive eye shadow junkie I have plenty to choose from!

 This actually ties in with the first one; I don't tend to wear shadows when I'm going into sixth form as I'm too rushed in the mornings but I have some gorgeous neutral shadows (Sleek, UD Naked etc) that I'd love to wear more.  

 

3) Use up some products.

 

This is pretty self explanatory and links to the second resolution. I love it when I've used up some products so I need to branch out and away from my daily routine so that I can use up some other products. I have lots of things that I don't love but still work; I should use them more often so that I can use them all up....and then replace with things that I do like! This will hopefully keep my collection clutter free and also mean that I'm getting full use out of my stash.

 

4) Do the whole "cleanse, tone, moisturise" thing properly.

 

Ok this is a bad habit that definitely needs straightening out. I tend to get a bit lazy with washing my face and sometimes in the evenings I'll just use a face wipe to take off my makeup and then just fall into bed. I've noticed that this has been taking it's toll on my skin recently and so I really need to get back into the habit of cleansing, toning and moisturising properly as I'm sure my skin will thank me for it!

 

5) Stop obsessing about flaws.

 

Ok, so this is kind of beauty related...

I have under eye veins.

I have an unsymmetrical nose.

One of my eyebrows is weird.

I have one (yes just one...) dimple in my cheeks.  And whilst we're on the subject I think my cheeks are too round and look too chubby/plump. I know that apparently having a round face with full cheeks is supposedly youthful but I'm only 17...I'm not that worried about looking youthful yet!

 
 

I'm pretty sure the roundness of my cheeks is only matched by the moon. And have a game of "spot the dimple" whilst you're at it ;)

BUT....That's life. Short of having surgery there is nothing I can do about it.
 And to be honest I've come to the conclusion that actually I wouldn't even want to "correct" any of my flaws.
One of the reasons for this is that any type of cosmetic surgery both scares and annoys me.
The other reason is that we are ALL human. We all have flaws and as soon as you try to "fix" one another will crop up. Say you don't like your nose...you go to get a nose job... and then a week later you realise you don't like your chin. It'll never stop! We will ALWAYS find some things we don't like about ourselves so what's the point in spending money trying to correct them?  :)
Personally...this year I've come to the conclusion that life it just too short.
I'll try to cut down the amount of time that I spend worrying about how my face looks like a balloon and go and watch Tarzan or make something out of clay instead.
A much more productive way to spend your time.

6) Get a grip.

By this resolution I mean "learn how to do the things that adults do".... such as paying in cheques, getting on buses, going out and socialising, applying for driving lessons & learning to drive. That sort of thing :) All of these things are things that I need to do but for some reason I'm scared of being adult about it. Its time to get a grip and do those scary things that you do when you're grown up!


Anyway, sorry for the lengthy post! I'll stop rambling now.
What are your new year's resolutions?
Thanks for reading!
Libby x

Makeup Clearout!

Hi!

 

 

Yes I am writing this post as a form of procrastination... I have four essays to write over the next couple of days and I can't be bothered to do any of them. Serves me right for taking English Literature and History as a-levels...

Anyway this is much more fun to write about than the Russian revolution in 1917.

 

So I was looking through my makeup drawers and discovered that there are a whole load of products that I haven't used in ages...some of them too old/dried up/used up and I hadn't even noticed.

 

After doing some research I've found the lifespans for makeup products:

 

Mascara - 3 months

Pencil Eyeliners - 2 years

Eyeshadows - 2 years

Cream Shadows - 1 year

Lipsticks - 2 years

Cream Blush - 1 year

Powder Blush - 2 years

Foundations/Concealers - 2 years

 

 

Now...I'm not going to lie...I do NOT stick to these guidelines and personally I think some of them are myths.

I definitely don't throw away mascaras after 3 months...I throw them out when they've either dried up or I've used them up; I don't see the point in throwing out a perfectly good mascara. Similarly I definitely will not throw out an eyeshadow after 2 years if there is nothing wrong with it.

But its up to you! Personally I throw things out if I've used them up or if they can't be used anymore. Obviously if your lip gloss smells funny or your foundation isn't the same anymore then its probably time for a clear out. :)

 

 

I realised that there were some old, unusable products cluttering up my drawers and I thought that if I'm not using them anymore there is no point in keeping them.

 

 

Wow. That's a lot of makeup :P

I also threw out a couple of old, dried up nail polishes too so I've cleared up a lot of space in my makeup drawers.

 

1) Lips

 

 

This is the drawer that I think needed a clearout the most. There were several lipglosses that were old and some that were leaking (one of my biggest dislikes with lip products) and I just didn't want or need them anymore.

 

I threw out:

•  A L'Oreal gloss that I didn't ever even like... the smell was too strong and it was too frosty for me
•  A Natural Collection gloss that started to smell different and I hadn't used in months
• A Max Factor gloss I got for free a while ago. I LOVED this colour but now its old and I've used up most of it anyway.
• An Urban Decay mini lipgloss that came free with a set that I didn't like the colour of to start with.
• An old Lipmate lip balm that was really old
• My mini Benefit Lip Plump. I used this to mute out my lip colour before lipstick but I've used up most of it and even so I can use concealer for this purpose.

2) Palettes

 

 

These came from my "small palettes" drawer.

I got rid of:

 

• My Benefit The Realness Of Conealness palette. I've taken out all the mini products that came in this box and I've still got them. However there were 2 products in a pan in this box; one was the Lemon Aid which I've pretty much used up. The other was the Boi-ing which I dislike and anyway, its in the wrong shade. I felt it was time to get rid of this clunky packaging in my drawer!
• Urban Decay lip palette. This is really too old for me to justify keeping. I didn't even use the lip colours in there anymore anyway because they were old. I liked to keep a hold of it because its pretty packaging but its silly to let it take up space when I don't use it. 

3) Eyeshadows

 

 

I honestly don't know why I haven't thrown these out before now. Two of them were given to me by my sister ages ago and the other one was a shadow I never even liked.

Two of them are by Virgin Vie and the other by Barbara Daly and it had such awful pigmentation I swatched it and then it was shoved to the back of the drawer and forgotten about.

I also almost threw out a Body Shop eyeshadow that looks like a bruise. Before I remembered that I actually use it to look like bruises sometimes when I'm taking photos for my art projects (yes they tend to be quite dark...) so I decided to hang on to it :)

 

4) Eye...stuff?

 

 

I don't know what category these come under.  :P

One is the a Beauty Parlour eye roll on that never really did anything but was hanging around in my makeup drawers for a long time.

The other is the Bourjois Brush Concealer that I've actually used up now! It was very useful and I've finished every little bit of it now which makes me feel satisfied :) You can read a full review HERE.

 

5) Eye Liners

 

 

There wasn't a lot to throw out my my eyeliner drawer...apart from:

 

• My old Body Shop eyeliner. Again, this was given to me by my sister a long time ago and to be honest its too dry to use properly. I thought it was time to give up on this one.
• I also got rid of my Barry M glitter eyeliner. This stuff never worked even when I got it and has been drying out more and more ever since.

6) Mascaras

 

 

These were definitely ready to be thrown away...

 

• I have two of the Maybelline Great Lash and seeing as I don't particularly like either I thought it seemed right to throw out one (the older one) and keep the newer one just as a backup mascara in case I'm ever caught without any.
• My E.L.F Volumizing Mascara has now pretty much completely dried up and does nothing for my lashes now. You can read a review of it HERE if you want. It pretty much came dried up.
• Ah my Stila Fibre Optics Mascara. I thought I'd done a review of this but it turns out I never got round to it. For a while this was my favourite mascara! It's really volumizing and made my lashes thick and full without clumping up or sticking them together. I was a big fan of this and sad to see it go, however now I've pretty much used it all up.  

 

Wow that was quite a long post... :P

It was actually surprisingly fun to go through my makeup drawers and get rid of products that were taking up unnecessary space. I also discovered some products that I'd forgotten about in my drawers - ones that I'll definitely be getting use out of in the next few days and weeks.

 

And... I personally think the best thing about it is that now I'm able to go and find more pretty makeup items to fill those drawers - products that I'll actually use!

 

Have you had a makeup clear out recently?

Thanks for reading!

Libby x

Post Christmas Haul!

Hi!

 

I hope you had a good Christmas if you celebrate it and if not, hope you all had a good holiday season! :)

Our 6 month old collie had a particularly lovely day...

 

Anyway, I went on a little shopping trip the other day and picked up some hair/nail/skincare things in the sales!

 

I picked up John Frieda Full Repair Hydrate & Restore Shampoo & Conditioner first of all....

I usually only get these when they're on offer as £6/7 is quite a bit to pay for shampoo when it doesn't last that long...particularly with me as I have long hair! There was a 3 for 2 offer on "premium haircare" in Boots so I also got the John Frieda Luxurious Volume Dry Shampoo too as I was intrigued by their "luxurious volume" range as my hair is quite flat sometimes. I decided to try just the dry shampoo though as I've only ever really tried a couple of different dry shampoos and wanted to see how a more expensive one was different.

 

I also picked up some double faced cotton pads from Boots too as I was running out... I love these as they have a soft side for toner for your skin and then the rougher side is great for removing nail polish. These are only about £2 if I remember correctly.

 

 

 

I also then went to Superdrug (I know it is a bit weird to go to both  but they have slightly different brands, honest!) and I was drawn to the Barry M Glitter Nail Polishes in 353 Ruby Glitter and 335 Copper. They didn't have such a big range of Barry M Polishes in Boots so I generally like to have a look in Superdrug to see if there are any others there. Definitely looking forward to putting these on my nails soon! They were £2.99 each.

 

I also looked at some Simple skincare products in Superdrug and got the Kind To Skin Moisture Boost Hydro Mist which was £2 off. I really love this stuff and its my third bottle. I used to use it a LOT a year or so ago but when it ran out I forgot to repurchase. However now I'm glad I did rebuy it as I love this stuff. I spritz it on my face after foundation and it gives a lovely glow and keeps my skin feeling hydrated all day. This was about £4 with the £2 off.

 

I also got the Simple Kind To Skin + Perefecting Beauty Balm as I was intrigued by it. I think this was around £7 and I was surprised to see they only had one "universal shade" which was curious.

I'll be doing a review on this soon although on first glance it does look a little orange... perhaps not as "universal" as they thought.

 

 A few days ago I also picked up some new face wash, toner and a new mascara which I'll also be reviewing soon so keep an eye out for that even though I don't have pictures included in this post.

 

Have a good day!

Thanks for reading :)

Libby x

 

*REVIEW* NYX Blush in Natural

Hi!

Quite a while ago I made a purchase from the NYX website (www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk/) and I only just realised that I never actually reviewed this item! If you'd like to see that haul you can view it HERE and as far as I can tell I think I've done reviews for all the other items I purchased. :)

 

This costs £6 from the website and they have 25 shades!

 I chose the shade Natural because having blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin its harder for me to get away with strong blush colours and so I generally tend to stick to a rather muted blush look if at all.

 

 

 

 

The shade is a light baby pink with a slight bit of shimmer in it - it's looking a lot brighter in the photo than in real life!

The packaging is also nice and sturdy and the shape makes it easy when it comes to saving space in your makeup collection. :)

 

 

 

Here's a swatch:

 

 

Obviously I wouldn't apply the blush this heavily! :P

 

Generally I think this is a really pretty colour especially for those with fair skin.
As you can see its very well pigmented but not so pigmented that it makes it difficult to wear...I personally don't like hyper-pigmented blushes as I'd never wear colour on my cheeks that strongly!

 

I usually just tap my brush into this and then tap off the excess and apply it. The colour this way is very buildable and it's hard to over apply.

 

I'm really happy with this blush -especially for the price! I've been reaching for it quite often recently and it gives a lovely flushed appearance to the cheeks.

 

Thanks for reading!
Have you tried the NYX blushes yet?

Libby x

 

How To Get Studded Nails!

Hi!

 

I'm by no means the best at nail art...a combination of me being clumsy and also impatient usually renders my nails smudged and messy.

 

However you can still try, right? :)

 

 

I spotted these 17 Deconstructed Nail Studs on sale in Boots and from the moment I saw them I knew I couldn't leave without them!

I love the packaging too!

 

 

 

 

 

These studs are pretty tiny to be careful not to knock the little pot over!

 

 

 

1)

First I applied a clear base coat to my nails to stop them staining.

 

2)

I put on one coat of a dark charcoal colour with slight shimmer. You could either use grey or black which would both look great with these studs so its up to you! The colour I used as from the Nail Parade collection from The Colour Workshop that I got ages ago.

 

 

3)

 

When you put on the second coat of polish, apply the nail studs whilst the polish is still wet. I've found the best way to do this is to press them into your finger and then lightly dab the nail to apply them. If they need moving slightly or pressing in further then you can use tweezers or a cuticle stick.

 

 

 

 

4)

Finally, add a clear coloured coat of nail polish over the top to seal the studs and help them last longer on your nails!

 

I'm SUPER happy with the finished result...it looks so edgy and cool and I absolutely love it. I will definitely be using these all the time in the future!

 

The nails studs from 17 are about £4 and in my opinion worth every penny - they did a great job with these!

 

What do you think of studded nails? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Thanks for reading!

Libby x

*REVIEW* Sleek Vintage Romance Palette

Hi!

 

It's no secret that I adore the Sleek eyeshadow palettes...I actually have 7 of them and I have no intention of stopping there! :)

 

 

I love the packaging that these palettes come in - they're very sturdy and (as their brand name would suggest) sleek. They also stack very easily and take up minimal space.

 

These costs £7.99 and I was recently thrilled (possibly a little more thrilled than is rational) that there is now Sleek in Boots stores as well as Superdrug! :D:D:D

 

 

There are 12 shades in this palette: 6 metallic shades, 2 shimmer, 3 sparkle shades and 1 matte.

 

I have to say straight away that I love the mix of shadows in this palette in terms of shades. I love these deep, sultry shadows that can create a smokey look but because of the pinks/purples they still look glamorous and have some colour.

 

The texture of the metallic is (as usual with Sleek) great; they're buttery, smooth and pigmented. A few other shades are a little dry and need perhaps a touch more work to get them looking true to pan but there isn't a dud shade in here. I can honestly say there is no shade here that doesn't work well for me.

 

I'll break up the shades into groups of four as it makes them a little easier to photograph and swatch!

 

 

 

These are the first four shades.

 

From top:

 

Pretty In Paris:

 Metallic, frosty pale silver colour.

This has good pigmentation and whilst it is too much for me to use as a brow highlight it works really well on the inner corner.

 

Meet in Madrid:

Metallic yellow/orange gold.

 I'm SUCH a sucker for gold colours. Again, great pigmentation. This reminds me of UD's Half Baked apart from it has more orange undertones. I love using golds and this has been used quite a few times already.

 

A Vow In Venice:

Shimmery deep plum colour. I'd say this is a shimmer as opposed to metallic because it isn't as intense, yet it is still pretty and works well for a plum smoky eye. The pigmentation isn't perhaps as amazing as the first two but is still very good.

 

Marry In Monte Carlo:

Dark, frosted burgundy/dark fuscia. This (along with the other frosted shades) has pretty stunning pigmentation. This looks so pretty packed on the lid!

 

Here are the second group of 4!

 

 

 

From top:

 

Court in Cannes:

Medium metallic brown/taupe.

I love these types of shades as theyre great for a traditional simple neutral look. This again has great pigmentation and looks so pretty on the middle of the lid.

 

 

Lust In LA:

This is more cool toned that Court In Cannes but with the same metallic/frosty finish and same great pigmentation. I sometimes can see very subtle hints of olive in this shade but that could be my imagination playing tricks on me.

 

 

Honeymoon In Hollywood:

This is a rich berry shade with some silver sparkle. I was impressed because despite the slightly drier finish I found that the pigmentation was great.

 

Bliss In Barcelona:

Frosty, metallic medium purple. This seems to show up with almost a blueish reflex sometimes and reminds me of UD's Psychedelic Sister and also a little bit of Blue Bus but this has a far less obvious blue base. In the pan this looks a lot more purple than in the swatch above.

 

Here are the last 4 shades!

 

 

 

I took the photos for these swatches sideways as it seemed to work a little better this way.

 

From top/right

 

Romance In Rome:

This does remind me of the last shade but although this looks dark in the pan this is a lot more blue. It looks like a dark purple but this does have a similar blue reflex to the previous shade but it is more prominent.

 

Propose In Prague:

This is the only matte shade in this palette and it is an uncommon shade. It's a warm, orange toned mid brown shade and is quite interesting. I think this shade is useful for blending purposes even if I don't use it on it's own that much. The pigmentation is decent but it can be a little on the chalky side.

 

Forever In Florence:

This is a deep plum/burgundy which has some sparkle in it. The texture is again a little dry but the pigmentation is good. This looks quite a bit brighter and lighter than it is in the pan.

 

Love In London:

This is one of my favourites: it is a matte black but with a lovely sparkle to it. The pigmentation is really good and this is such a useful shade for adding into the crease to darken.

 

 

So there are all the shades! I have to say that I'm really happy with this palette and I'm sure I'll use this palette a lot. You can create quite a variety of looks ranging from golden/taupe looks to deep plums. Something that is interesting is that quite a few of the colours look quite different when swatched compared to how they look in the pan, but all the colours are beautiful.

 

As mentioned earlier, there isn't a bad shade in this palette!

 

Have you tried this palette yet?

Thanks so much for reading!

Libby x

Bourjois Paris 1001 Lashes Mascara

Hi!

 

My review to day is of the Bourjois Paris mascara that I showed recently in a haul.

As far as I can tell from looking online, this retails for about £3 although I don't think I've seen it really in many stores.

 

 

This has a rubber wand which I really like as I prefer them to bristle brushes...I find that they separate my lashes more.

 

 

I did try to take before and after photos for this but I struggled with the lighting...the photos don't look very clear so I thought I'd leave them out!

 

Basically although this does volumise my lashes quite well it does clump easily. The formula is pretty wet and quite sticky which I don't like too much as I prefer drier formulas.

The wand definitely helps with stopping it clumping  ( I don't want to think about how much clumping there would be if the want wasn't so good) but I still find my lashes are quite hard and stiff after applying this.

 

Another thing I've noticed is that the wand feels a little...scratchy? It's hard to describe but when putting it on my lashes the wand is quite spiky and its not too hard to accidently poke yourself in the eye...and it hurts.

Maybe I'm just clumsy! :P

 

I think overall it's a decent mascara and I'll probably use it till it either dries up, or I get bored and find something else I prefer!

 

Thanks for reading!

Libby x