I’m having a pretty rough week due to a sudden attack of illness. I’ve been saving this post for a week just like this, at a time where I’m feeling down and want to make myself and the world more beautiful. I’m really excited to talk to you guys about Gerard Cosmetics lipstick, specifically the two which I bought; Rodeo Drive and Tequila Sunrise. I’ve heard fantastic things over the last few months about this brand so I couldn’t resist having a sneaky peak. Having already tried Gerard Cosmetics Slay All Day setting spray, I knew that the quality is fantastic. Looking at their lipstick range I was so enticed by the gorgeous gold packaging that I couldn’t resist!!! But I’m getting ahead of myself…
What’s in my Girl Gang goody bag?
I’m so lucky to be able to write this post! On 25 August the amazing Jemma hosted a blogging event at a gorgeous bar called “Dive NQ” in Manchester. The day was so perfect. I would love to spend this whole post raving all about it but unfortunately I have no photos! As some of you might know I’m more than a little shy when I meet new people. I went to The Girl Gang event with every intention of forcing myself to take photos and be bold! I chatted away with so many people but I was just too nervous to ask for selfies or to crack my phone out. Next time!!! Now I’ve met these beautiful people in the flesh once, I’ll definitely be a total camera whore next time. Sorry not sorry. In this post I’ll be talking about the wonderful things which Jemma kindly used to fill my beautiful, pink Girl Gang goody bag.
Kylie Jenner Lip Kit of Kylie Cosmetics: Ginger
Forgive me bank account for I have sinned… Again. A few weeks ago Kylie Jenner announced the release of some new summer shades, so I thought to myself “ooh well I’ll just have a little look”. Roughly a month later and here I am. It’s becoming a bit of an old story now isn’t it? I’ll stop justifying my Kylie Cosmetics addiction soon I promise. The first step is admitting you have a problem, or so they say. In this new post I will be revealing the stunning new summer shade Ginger and comparing it to my other lip kits (trust me, you really don’t want to miss out on this one).
Tanya Burr Cosmetics Soft Luxe Lip Gloss Collection
Happy hump day everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying this heatwave, unless you’re stuck at work like me… Booooooo! I’m not going to lie to you all; I did mainly purchase these lip glosses purely for the Tanya Burr name, but I don’t regret a thing. My Tanya Burr lip gloss journey began a few weeks ago when I noticed a tweet about her upcoming Luxe range and the release date. I thought to myself “for once, I will actually be organised and grab something on the release date.” I set a reminder on my phone and went on my jolly way.
A couple of weeks later I’d COMPLETELY forgotten about the whole thing when my phone buzzed. I have never raced to the Feel Unique site so fast in all my life! Once there I was totally overwhelmed with the choices and the gorgeous shades. One thing led to another and… I bought all three. (Being indecisive with a time limit is a fatal combination). A few days of nail biting went by and ta-daaaaaaah.
Threads False Lashes: Red Cherri & Charleston
I have been absolutely DYING to talk to you guys about this amazing brand for weeks now, I just can’t wait to get started! When I was first contacted about receiving this product in exchange for posting a review on my blog, I was super excited as I have never received anything like this (I am only a baby blogger after all).
Having said that, I did feel the pressure a little bit. Although I do love me some false eyelashes, I am in no way shape or form an expert. I stick to the one drug store brand that I have tried, simply because it’s cheap and cheerful and it’s always fit the bill for me. I can honestly say that I am now a changed woman after trying Threads false lashes. Yes, I do realise how cheesy that sounds, but my eyes have honestly been opened (excuse the pun) to the world of false eyelashes! There’s no turning back now…
In this post I will be telling you all about the brand THREADS & I will provide a short how-to to help you all master your false lashes once and for all. I will also be talking about these lashes and how I will choose to wear them! Read more..
Giveaway to Celebrate 1,000 Twitter Followers
I’ve been looking forward to posting this for weeks! I’m so excited to announce that
I have reached 1,000 twitter followers (eeeeek)!! To celebrate and to thank you all I want to host a little giveaway to thank you all for supporting me this far. I know 1,000 probably doesn’t seem like much to some people but for a fairly new blogger like myself I am so thrilled to have reached this milestone in only three months of blogging. Firstly, I will introduce you to what you have a chance at winning, & there will be an easy-to-use rafflecopter form at the bottom to complete in order to bag yourself a shot at winning these fantastic goodies.
Clean your Makeup Brushes with the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette
Hi everyone! I hope the start of the week is treating you nicely. As for me, it’s been a lovely relaxed weekend of casual drinking, playing games and watching lots of films with friends and the boyfriend. I really am enjoying being home so much at the moment! I’m making extra effort to make time for my friends now I’m home and I’m so glad, I’ve missed everyone beyond belief.
Today I want to share with you a secret which I have been DYING to let loose… Well… It’s not that much of a secret, I’ve already blabbed about it to countless people because I just couldn’t believe the results. So be prepared for a lot of gushing in this upcoming post because this is my favourite purchase of the month!!
This product is by Real Techniques and is called the Brush Cleansing Palette. I bought this simply because I was absolutely SICK of scrubbing my brushes against my hand and it taking me at least 30 minutes to clean them – it’s hardly motivating and quite frankly puts me off cleaning them altogether.
So one day a few weeks ago, after labouring once again over my brushes, I thought enough is enough and I typed “Brush Cleaner” into Google and BEHOLD I landed on makeupbrushes.co.uk which offered me the product at a discount price and for free 1st class postage. For once in my life I didn’t even hesitate to check out the reviews, I just whizzed through the checkout and crossed my fingers.
Because I checked out in such a hurry, I hadn’t even noticed that you receive a free trial of the brush cleansing gel, so that was a big bonus for me as I usually just use hand soap or fairy liquid… I’m not exactly a makeup pro quite yet I guess.
Something really HANDY (I know, my humour is amazing terrible) about this product is the amazing handle and the flexible palette design.
It fit like a glove and allowed full movement whilst cleaning. It’s also incredibly light so at times I completely forgot I was wearing it at all! As you can see in the photo, the palette is perfectly sized to your hand, and this was something I wasn’t expecting as my hands are exceptionally small, and this means that you are in full control of the palette, which is really important once it’s holding mucky water and your beloved makeup brushes.
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES:
Step one: Fill your cleansing palette with some lukewarm water. Don’t fill it to the brim, just enough to spread across the whole palette. If you overfill the palette it becomes very heavy, and you can damage your brush by exposing the roots to water as it will loosen the bristles and destroy it completely!!
Step two: Apply a small amount of the cleansing gel to your brush. Alternatively, you can use hand soap or fairy liquid as I’ve said earlier – if you have sensitive skin though, it’s probably safest to stick to what you’re comfortable with.
Step three: Swirl your makeup brush back and forth over the textured surface of the palette. As you can see in the image below, I’ve only used the smallest amount of water and look at all that dirt!! It was so satisfying to watch all of this come out. When the water gets quite murky, pour down the drain and refill with some clean water.
Step four: Repeat until clean. Keep swirling and draining until the water comes out completely clean and without suds. For this particularly gross brush it only took roughly 2-3 minutes which is AMAZING. It used to take me at least 10 before!
Step five: Leave to dry. The handy shape of this palette means that you can leave all your brushes to dry on the edge of the sink, inside the palette. As it is a rubbery material I found that it didn’t slip into the sink but stayed put until morning!
***VERY IMPORTANT*** Do not put your brushes bristle-up when drying. The water will travel down the inside of the brush and loosen the bristles, which will ruin the brush completely. So many times have I done this and little hairs come off on my face when applying my makeup. Don’t make that mistake!
A BEAUTY BLENDER WORD OF CAUTION: As you can see, it cleaned my beauty blender to the point of removing long term stains, which was amazing. However, I got a bit cleanser happy during the process and forgot about the slightly sharper textured area in the middle of the palette, which lead to slight damage of the beauty blender, which you may or may not be able to notice in the images. I’m sure most of you clever lot will figure that one out for yourself, but don’t get too excited and lost in the moment like I did – stay away from the middle section with your beauty blender!
THE PRICE:
As I’ve said, I purchased this brush cleanser from makeupbrushes.co.uk and following this link, there is a current promotion on which saves you £1.49. At RRP: £12.99 you can now purchase this item from the site at £11.50 with free 1st class postage!!! To me that is an absolute bargain, and you really can’t put a price on happiness, or on beautifully clean makeup brushes!!
Overall I would rate this item as 10/10 for affordability, the look, and for its easy-to-use and highly effective function. I am one happy lady, with beautiful makeup brushes!
If you’re interested in reading another beauty-related post, how about you check out my Everyday Makeup Essentials post, where you can find out which products I rely on for my daily look!
I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and that I have at least shown you how easy it can be to clean your makeup brushes, and hopefully you’ll find this product as fun and easy to use as I do! Have you got any other brush cleaning tips? Have you tried this product and have something to say? Please let me know what you think in the comments below!
Thank you so much for reading! Don’t forget to follow me on my other social media accounts, and feel free to comment below or message me for a chat – I’d love to talk to you.
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Kylie Jenner Lip Kit of Kylie Cosmetics: Candy K
Hey everyone! My Uni stuff is just about all unpacked now and I’m easing back into 9-5 life pretty well, but wow-oh-wow this week has been mad! Trying to establish a routine when your room is full of boxes is near impossible, but I’ve just about done it… Phew!
In today’s post I’ll be talking about another amazing Kylie Jenner lip kit, and this one is EVEN BETTER than the last! Candy K! This was my second Kylie Cosmetics purchase and yet again it was an amazing investment. You can read about my first lip kit, Koko K, right here!
I literally squealed with excitement when I saw this beautiful monochrome package in the postman’s hand… I think the poor guy is used to it by now, he didn’t even flinch!
The reason I bought another Kylie lip kit is that although Koko K is absolutely gorgeous, I found it to be a little bit too pale for a night out and for when I’ve caught the sun, which I have recently! (That isn’t me saying that only pale skinned people can wear Koko K, it’s just my personal preference.)
Candy K stole my heart! I love it’s pinky tones and the fact that it’s bold and subtle enough to wear for both day and night occasions.
I knew exactly what to expect on buying this product in terms of the amazing quality, smell and texture. As I’ve said before though I always get a bit nervous when I buy a lip product online because the shade sometimes looks completely different on your lips than it did on swatches or on other people! EEEK!
I haven’t included many photos of the lip liner because due to my move home from University I wasn’t able to take photos for quite a while, but I just couldn’t resist using it – so it’s looking a bit used and needs a sharpen!
Now the price of these lip kits is 29$ which works out at roughly £20 plus postage. I know this is a large amount to pay for a lip stick but I PROMISE you, it’s so worth it! The coverage is amazing, it makes your lips look fuller and sexier than ever and it lasts all day. I have gotten ready and applied Candy K at around 8pm, gone out drinking, eaten a shameful cheese burger and cheesy chips (no regrets), and woken up at about 12pm and it’s still there!!! Now that is priceless if you ask me. No drunken reapplying or worrying about eating or drinking with this lip product.
The drying time of this product is very short considering the beautiful creaminess of the texture. It probably takes at most around 30 seconds to dry, which of course is ideal because no one wants to be standing around waiting for their makeup to set – nightmare.
Personally, whenever I have been tempted to buy a Kylie lip kit, I am always umming and ahhing between two of my favourite shades. So if any of you are stuck between Koko K and Candy K, I have swatched both so you can see the difference! Personally, I like to wear Koko K in the daytime and Candy K at night, so my advice to you would be: BUY BOTH! If you are stuck with money, no worries – just convince a friend to buy one and go halves on postage! They will thank you for it I promise.
Ahhhhh I love it so much! The instant I apply this lipstick my confidence boosts X 100 and I feel super sassy and sexy in it. The lip liner is wonderful because it gives the appearance of filling out my lips, and there are no jaggedy lines – something which I always struggle with thanks to my inconveniently pointy cupid’s bow.
As I’m sure you’ve all probably gathered, there is nothing negative I can say about this product! The only downsides I suppose are the price and the hassle of trying to buy them with Kylie’s random release dates; but you get what you pay for and for me, this is definitely worth splashing out on! So what are you waiting for? Find out the next release date, save up your pennies and BUY BUY BUY!!! You can find this product and the rest of her amazing range on her website, which I have linked for you right here.
Writing about the Kylie lip kits is always a pleasure, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one and tell you all about that! I’m liking the looks of 22 and Reign … Ooooh the possibilities!
Do you have any questions about Candy K? Have you already tried it and have something to add? Have you had any issues with Kylie Cosmetics? Are you as excited as me about this fantastic brand? Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
Thank you so much for reading. Don’t forget to follow me on my other social media accounts.
Summer Ball 2016
Hey everyone! I am soooo sorry for the lack of posts in the last week; revision has had me completely snowed under. The beautiful weather has definitely compensated for that as I’ve been sunning it up in the garden with my sharpies and A3 notepad. I do love revising, the only downside to it is that it makes you feel like you shouldn’t be doing anything else. I will do a post soon about revision technique and the ways I find to be most effective, motivating and most importantly: FUN.
Today’s post is a bit of a lifestyle post as I will be showing you photos and talking about my Summer Ball at University – prom and ball season is fast approaching and hopefully my photos will show you what to expect and maybe provide a little outfit/make up/hair inspiration!
The ball I attended was thrown for all students at University of Lincoln who study PR, Journalism or English, and it was in honour of a deceased lecturer, Jonathan Taylor, who passed away in November 2015 following a short illness. His being a senior lecturer in the school of journalism, I unfortunately didn’t have the pleasure of meeting him, but from the tributes I heard at the ball in beautiful speeches, I have no doubt that we have lost a very valued member of staff.
During these speeches the wife and daughter of JT were called up to the stage and awarded just over £400, which was raised by the ball and the raffle which took place. This money went to a charity of the family’s choice and his wife gave a very touching speech in memory of her passed husband. This short section of the evening was incredibly beautiful and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house!
My flatmates kindly took photos before we hopped in the taxi, (the shoes I was wearing were literally KILLER) and I absolutely love what came out! Katie and I went for totally different looks to the ball, but as you can see they both work wonderfully!
My money has been a bit tight recently, so I chose to re-wear this gorgeous number which I bought on sale from New Look last summer! I am so obsessed with coral as a colour, especially in spring and summer as it’s really complimentary for a summer tan. Katie on the other hand found this gorgeous red wine colour dress from Boohoo which looked great with her dark hair – we were like light vs. dark, I love how we both contrast and compliment each other.
D’awwww, this is such a nice, natural photo! As you can probably see, our boys coordinated themselves with our dresses, which was a nice little touch! They don’t half scrub up well! I was in total awe of Dan all night, he’s absolutely wonderful.
What a lucky girl I am. Dan knew that at my secondary school prom, I hated the way I looked and moments before I went I had a teary breakdown and begged my mum to stay at home. I was very self conscious at that age and didn’t particularly want to parade myself around in front of everyone at school in a dress and heels. Dan went above and beyond to make it up to me and to make me feel special.
Dan bought me a beautiful corsage (which I will show you later – I was absolutely gushing over it all night), he bought endless amounts of prosecco for our table, danced with me right up until the lights came on, bought me a HUGE amount of food in McDonalds at the end of the night and kept me giggling all the way home. Swoooooon. I really am incredibly smitten.
I chose to go fairly light with my make up, yet still remain bold and eye catching. I used the Makeup Revolution Flawless eye shadow palette for a pinky toned smokey eye using colours: Soft Glow as a base, Barely Pink to cover the lid, and Red Night in the creases (I’ve written a review about this product here).
I also used my Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kit in Koko K (a review for this is also available here) which I thought really complimented my look, as it wasn’t too bold to take over my entire look, yet went well with all the pinky tones of the rest of my makeup.
I also made use of a set of Eyelure lengthening false lashes. I use this brand and style of false lashes every time, I feel as though they are really subtle, yet dramatic enough to make a difference.
©Gabrielle Laycock Photography
When we arrived at the ball, we noticed a professional photography service which we made great use of! The woman taking photos was very kind and patient. Throughout the night SO MANY drunk people were falling over and breaking the background, which must have been infuriating for her, but she kept her cool and remained composed.
©Gabrielle Laycock Photography
What was really great about the photographer was that she showed us previews of each photo and allowed us to take another. I’m a bit funny with photos taken of me by others, especially when I’ve had a drink because I don’t trust my vision, so I always like to have another photo taken JUST INCASE.
©Gabrielle Laycock Photography
I love all of these photos and how professional and smart we all look! Trust me, we were all a bit more than jolly at this point thanks to the lovely prosecco. But due to the amazing photographer, we look great!
Now onto a very exciting topic: MY CORSAGE. Omg I literally love it so so so much! I didn’t get a corsage for my prom so this was ever so special and I was showing it off all night!
This was a fresh corsage with real flowers, so it had to be kept in the fridge to preserve it before the night arrived!
This photo of me is a bit gross, but this is the extent to which I was showing it off haha!! I just couldn’t stop touching it, and even got a bit weirdly teary eyed about it after the prosecco had been a-flowing!
Hahhah I can’t get over Dan’s little chavvy hand motion here… WHAT IS THAT? I do love him very much, he never fails to make me smile.
Holly got a lovely group selfie in the toilets – unfortunately, thanks to my white hair and the unflattering toilet lights, I ended up looking like bloody casper – but everyone else looks absolutely gorgeous!
We had a gorgeous two course meal, I had chicken in a red wine sauce with roasted veggies which was absolutely DIVINE. I also had a chocolate praline dessert which I wolfed down in essentially two bites – I just LOVE chocolate.
And here come the very very drunk photos from the rest of the evening:
To sum it all up, I had an amazing time at the ball and I really hope that another one is thrown for next years students! For all ball and prom goers this year and in years to come, take my advice: don’t let any haters get to you or let anyone make you feel less than you are. You are amazing and prom is only a bit of fun after all! Let your hair down and have a giggle and a dance with your best friends and don’t take any of it too seriously, I wish I didn’t!
Do you want to know anything else about the summer ball? Have any beauty questions which you need answers to? Would you like to share your ball or prom looks, both the good and the bad? Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think – I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you so much for reading. Don’t forget to follow me on my other social media accounts.
Everyday Makeup Essentials
Hello lovelies! In this post I will be showing you all my favourite everyday makeup essentials. As suggested by the name this is the make up I wear on a daily basis, meaning that it is good value for money, long lasting, and meant for a natural look.
I will be posting these items in the order in which I use them, and writing a short overview on how I use them and why I keep returning for more when I run out.
- Makeup Revolution Ultra Face Base Primer
I have only recently started using this primer and I am so happy with it, especially considering that it is only £5! It does exactly what it says on the label: it lasts all day and ensures that the rest of my makeup stays in place. I choose to use primer everyday because it ensures that my skin looks smooth and it therefore allows my foundation to do it’s job and to make my skin look flawless! I was previously using Benefit’s POREfessional primer balm, which admittedly I much prefer as I feel like this is slightly more effective – but at a whopping £24.50 I couldn’t justify buying this again when I ran out last month, I am just too poor 🙁
2. Benefit Boi-ing Concealer
As you can see, this concealer is running very low and I am definitely due to buy some more, which scares me a little as it’s £17.50 EEK but it DOES go a long way, if that’s any reassurance. I got the shade 01 Light because I’m looking a bit pale nowadays (definitely in need of a holiday). I use this product for my under eyes to hide my scary dark circles, and it works better than any other product I’ve ever bought for this purpose.
3. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation
I use this item when I am breaking out (a daily essential for me at the moment because my skin has been a total nightmare… Bloody University). This might seem a bit strange but I only use this product as a light concealer. It’s not too heavy duty and therefore doesn’t just add another layer to my already inflamed spots, which is very important.
4. Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hour Foundation with Comfort Serum
I have always used Rimmel London for foundation – something which I am tempted to come away from in an attempt to be more animal cruelty conscious. So if you have any recommendations for animal friendly foundations which don’t cost the world and still provide great coverage, I’m all ears! Having said that, this foundation is absolutely great! It lasts all day long, even when I’m sitting at the library and touching my face constantly, oops.
5. Benefit Porefessional: Agent Zero Shine Mattifier
This powder is awesome! I realise that this is a tester, don’t worry! This was one of the many goodies which Katie won for us in an Instagram competition, as well as a years supply of Krispy Kreme doughnuts … MmmmMMmmmMmm. This powder has a handy mini-brush inside, which is great for dabbing on problem shine areas. I have combination skin so I only ever use this on my T-Zone, and it stops me from getting ridiculously shiny by the end of the day. Unfortunately I’m running low on this one too so I’ll have to invest in some more very soon!
6. Eylure Brow Pencil
I have never thought to use this brand before, simply because I have never come across it. But one day before going to the gym with Dan my Anastasia Beverly Hills brow whiz pencil broke AHHHHH so we had to make an emergency trip to Tesco (yes I am that bratty). I’m really picky when it comes to brow pencil because I find that most blonde pencils come out looking quite ginger/brown. Knowing this, I asked one of the lovely assistants at the beauty counter which she would recommend, and this was what she came up with! Due to my emergency I was ready to pay any price, but this was amazing at only £5.45. SOLD! & amazingly, this is almost as good quality as ABH. I will definitely be buying this when money is tight.
7. Rimmel London Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner
This product is an absolute GODSEND. I have done a thorough review and how-to on this product here – this will provide you with the tools on how to wing your eyeliner like me!
8. Benefit BADgal Waterproof Mascara
Another cheeky little item from the Benefit win (thank youuu Katie!). I used to always use Rimmel once again for mascara but this has totally converted me. When this runs out, which will unfortunately be fairly soon, I’m going to give the Benefit Roller Lash mascara a go because I have heard MANY good things!
9. Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub
I love this product ever so much. It makes my lips feel so soft and sumptuous and totally primes me for any lipsticks which I want to wear. It also helps that this lip scrub tastes AMAZING. I used to have the cola flavoured one and tried this one on a whim, but in fact I much prefer this one. Yummyyyy.
These are a few of my faaaaavourite things. I hope you enjoyed reading this and that I’ve given you a few new beauty products to try out!
Do you have any questions about my morning routine? Have anything to say about the products I use? Can you recommend me some of the great products you reach for? Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think – I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you so much for reading. Don’t forget to follow me on my other social media accounts.