Wednesday 29 April 2015

April Favourites




April has been a month of trying out new products for me, and here is my pick of the bunch in the form of my April Favourites.

First up comes from Collection's Eyes Uncovered Palette in Nude Bronze which contains six golden shimmer shades. This is a great little palette for the price of just £3.99, I find there is a tiny bit of fall down from the shadows but nothing too significant. The pigmentation within this palette is really great and a little goes along way, similar to Urban Decay's Naked Palettes. I highly recommend this if you are on a budget, or just wanting to add some new eyeshadow shades to your collection. 

Next up, is two products from Maybelline which I have been absolutely loving. The Master Precise Eyeliner in Black/Noir, this has been the best find of the month with out a doubt, I am planning on doing a separate post with some up close shots showing you just how great it is. It does just as it states it is perfect for precision it does not flake at all and stays put literally all day which is exactly what I am wanting for £5.99 it, is a real gem. I have loved having the Colour Drama Lipstick in Minimalist in my handbag this month, as it is brilliant for when you are on to go. The chunky end allows you to apply it simply, a great plus is there is not as much precision needed compared with a standard lipstick. The colour is perfect as it is a pinky/nude and goes with any kind of makeup look. I am really wanting to try out some other colours from within the range. 

The Becca Compact Concealer in Parfait (not available online) has been a pleasant addition to my makeup collection this month, I bought it in a blog sale at the start of the month for just £5 and it has proven to a really great product. The consistency is similar to MAC concealer Studio Fix in terms of the thickness and it's consistency, I like that there is two different shades and they both match my skin really well. I use the lighter shade to highlight under my eyes and my cheekbones, and the darker shade to cover those pesky blemishes.  I do not own any other Becca products as they are usually really expensive and I don't know much about the brand, I will definitely be checking out the brand in more detail this upcoming month.

Last up is the Real Techniques Blush Brush, this is my go to brush for applying powder. The brush is technically made for applying blusher, but it is quite a big brush I find it functions perfectly at applying powder and bronzer. I got this in Sam's Picks last year which was an excellent value set, but this is able to buy individually for £9.99.

What has been your favourite products in April?

Lucy
xoxo
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Sunday 26 April 2015

Pretty Little Thing



I have been lusting after a Kate Spade phone case for a long while now, they're just so beautifully made with really lovely girly designs on them which is exactly what I wanted. I was holding off buying one as I was waiting to upgrade my phone. So when I recently did it was the perfect opportunity to pick up the case of my dreams!

After a lot of decision making and stressing the poor sales person out in Selfridges out I decided on the rose gold case with the words 'pretty little thing'. They are pricey at £35, but I think that it's something which is on display every single day of your life, and when you spend a lot of money on your phone I wanted a case which makes it look even more beautiful. I am also not a person who swaps my phone cases up regularly, probably only every year or so, so it will definitely be getting it's money's worth. The only downside is that the very bottom of the phone is not covered so I am going to have to be extra careful, as I hate it when I get little scratches on my phone ( I am very protective of it!). It's unfortunately not featured on the Selfridge's website, but there are many more fab designs available.

Lucy
xoxo
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Wednesday 22 April 2015

L'Oreal Colour Riche







A few weeks ago whilst browsing my Twitter feed, a Superdrug offer popped up advertising the L'Oreal Riche Lipsticks. I have to say I was drawn in by the offer which was any 3 lipsticks from the range for just £5. I instantly visited the website and realised that the offer was finishing that evening, so as predicted I placed a little order. I have never actually tried any lipsticks from L'Oreal, but I do really like some of the other products from the brand. I was not quite sure what colours to go for and its always hard to choose from the colour range pictures, but as I could not pop in to the store I just  had to chance with what I choose. Thankfully, I think I made a good choice and I think that all the colours which I choose suit me.

The colours are Greige Amoureux, Fuschia Declaration and Erotique. I wanted to choose a variety of shades which I would be able wear come the spring months. Greige Amoureux is a really lovely everyday nude with shimmer which is exactly what I wanted it to be, I know this is going to be one of those go-to lipsticks which you no you can rely on. Fuschia Declaration is a bright pink with shimmer, it is not too over the top bright so can be worn to add a little brightness to an everyday makeup look, it reminds me of MAC Milan Mode. Erotique is the darkest of the three, and has a matte finish. I am not sure if I would have picked up this shade if I had been swatching all the different shades within a shop, as it is not a shade which I would naturally gravitate to. But, it is actually a really lovely nude somewhere between orange and red, the matte shades look very intensely pigmented as with one swipe you can get a lot of colour on the lips.

An extra bonus was that when I got to the checkout page, and put my Superdrug points card number in it told me I could redeem a £1 worth of points. Overall it ended up costing me just £4, as delivery on click and collect to the store is free.

Lucy
xoxo

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Saturday 18 April 2015

The Lakes

                
                     
     
Over the Easter holidays I managed to squeeze in a little visit to The Lakes which was absolutely delightful. The sun was shining which is rather unusual for this time of the year as Easter is usually a holiday filled with showers.

These pictures were taken in Ambleside and Bowness, which were both towns which I haven't visited since being a small child. I am not a massive lover of walking, but spending a few days in the Lake District made me feel so relaxed which is exactly what I needed. There is something so special about walking along the coast side with an ice cream and the sun beaming on your shoulders, and everything being so tranquil.

Lucy
xoxo
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Wednesday 15 April 2015

MAC Fabby



MAC Fabby is a pink toned shade with a gold pearl shimmer running through it. I think if someone was to make a lipstick to describe me and my personality it would be just like this, as its pink and shimmery and the perfect medium between being not too pale and not too dark. It has fast become a go to lipstick as it is just so reliable, and it goes with everything. Usually when I go into Selfridges and visit the MAC counter I stand and stare and feel overwhelmed at all the shades, but this time I was instantly attracted to this colour. I have been really into lighter nude toned lipsticks for the daytime, as it adds an overall effortless look to a simple eye which is what I have been trying out in a variety of ways. Amongst all of my lipstick collection pink toned lipsticks are a firm favourite, but I own nothing like this which makes me very excited. It is a perfect spring time colour, as I always choose more pinker tones as we head into the sunnier months. It has a frost finish meaning that it has a high shine and a frosted shimmer running with it.

Lucy
xoxo

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Sunday 12 April 2015

ELF Cosmetics Haul




ELF Cosmetics is leaving the UK for the meanwhile anytime soon, as the current distributors no longer have the contract with the suppliers in America. Therefore this called for me to do one final last order as I am probably not going to be willing to pay the extortionate price which it will now cost to pay for shipping. As you can see from the pictures I picked up a variety of everything which was on offer. All of this cost £16.50 (plus £1.95 UK shipping), which even if I say so myself seems like an absolute bargain. The prices consisted from 45p for an eyeshadow to £2.55 for the blusher, with everything else somewhere in between.

I have ordered from ELF twice before and I have been surprised at how good some of the products are. I tend to find that some products are really great and some are not so, I get on great with the lipsticks and nail varnishes. I find that the face products which I have ordered previously such as the foundation, concealer and powder have not been half as good in comparison to some of my other drugstore products. It is of course down to personal choice but in my opinion I usually stick to certain products which I can rely on to be good.

The prices are even cheaper since I made my order although stock is now limited, so if you are wanting to get your hands on some goodies then I suggest you head to the website here.

Lucy
xoxo

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Wednesday 8 April 2015

Recent Drugstore Pickups



I recently went to Boots and Superdrug and picked up a few bits which I have been meaning to get for a while now. Every blogger has been raving about the new Collection Eyes Uncovered palettes which I picked up in Nude Bronze, and I have to say I have been using this all week and the range of colours are perfect. It contains six colours which you can tell have all been handpicked in order for you to be able to achieve a variety of eye looks including the inevitable smokey eye. It also comes in Nude and Nude Grey, which I am definitely going to pick up as I have been so impressed. For just £3.99 it is such a bargain and I highly recommend it, it is great for travelling as it fits into your makeup bag with ease. In Superdrug they have an offer on which was when you spend £3.99 on any Collection products you get any lip balm free which is a fab deal. I choose the Orange Burst scent as it was sweet and it was tinted to produce a natural looking gloss to the lips.

The next products I bought were from Boots, Maybelline had an offer of buy one get one half price on any products. I needed a new liquid eyeliner after my ever-so-reliable Eyeko eyeliner ran out a few weekends back, at the time I was in a predicament as I literally had no other liquid eyeliner in my collection to my astonishment. I picked this up after looking at all the stands and eyeliners from other brands and not being inspired, what drew me to this particularly was the nib. I like thin nibs which allow you to control the thickness of the line. The name Master Precise sounded right up my street and the £5.99 price tag was a added bonus. The other item which I bought on the offer was the Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil for £4.99 in the colour Minimalist, I have also been testing this out over the weekend and it has been a instant favourite. The colour is pigmented and long lasting, and a great everyday pink/nude colour. It is so easy to use as I just lined my lips and then filled it in, the crayon is thick making the process very quick.
.
Lucy
xoxo
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Sunday 5 April 2015

Gilette Venus Snap


The Gilette Venus Snap Razor has been featured in a few of my favourite YouTubers videos recently who have picked it up whilst visiting America, they were realised over there a few months back. But now they have been launched in Boots and when I saw it on the promotional stand, I quickly snapped two up as they were on an introductory offer of £4.99. I bought one for myself and one for my sister as we are both off on our holidays this week. I think they are such a great invention as they are such a handy size, and will take up barely any room in your suitcase. Also I think that if you take a brand new razor usually there is always so much packaging which comes with it, so I take it all off. I then have the worry of it snagging my clothes so I usually pop it in my toiletries bag but then I still worry about about it ripping something along the way! The ultimate gold star to this product for me is that it comes in a very handy hard case, maybe I am just a bit over percautious but this means everything in my suitcase and the product is safe so puts all my worries at bay. It it not too bulky and can fit into your toiletries bag or just into your suitcase with ease.

Aside from using it on holiday you can pop it in your gym bag or anywhere else that you think you might need it on the go. Another great bonus is that the mini handle is interchangeable with the blade refills which is great meaning that each time you do not have to rebuy the entire product. There is a protective ribbon of moisture around the 5 blade meaning it is really simple to use and makes the skin soft at the same time which is just a little extra which makes this product just about perfect.

Lucy
xoxo
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Wednesday 1 April 2015

March Favourites


March is the season which welcomes spring which excites me hugely as I am totally done with winter now. I have had a good look through my collection and pulled out some old favourites which have proven to become staple pieces once again in my makeup routines.

This Works Pillow Spray has been an absolute dream this month trying to sleep after night shifts hasn't been as easy as I thought so this has been an absolute gem. I have been recommending this to all of my friends who have been struggling to sleep with their similar out of sync sleeping patterns. I got this for Christmas in 2014 so it has lasted a good while. I spray it all over my pillow as well as my wrists and neck, which is probably not recommend however it definitely works. The scent contains Lavender, Vetivert and Camomile, so all lovely soothing ingredients. To me all I can smell is the lavender which is quite overpowering and is not my favourite scent, but works a treat at knocking me out to sleep! It is £16 from Boots for 75ml which is excellent value for how long it lasts.

MAC Brave instantly popped to the top of my mind when I was thinking about what to put into this post. It has been this lipstick which I have instantly reached for when I can not quite decide what colour to go for, as it is so reliable and literally goes with every makeup look. As I am quite pale skinned is the perfect shade of in between purple and pink. It is not too dark meaning that it is everyday appropriate, and adds a pop of colour to a simple eye and base. It is the standard price of £15.50 for lipsticks from all MAC stockists.

MAC Lingering Eyebrow Pencil, has been part of my makeup routine most days this month. I have been very much into the strong brow, channeling my inner Cara Delevingne. I have been through numerous amounts of this eyebrow pencil as I can just always rely on it to get the job done. It is slightly too dark for my complexion, but it is very easy to blend out into a lighter shade which is perfect for me. The nib of the brush is fine and helps with precision, so you do not end up with too much product on your brows. For £13.50 I actually think this is one of the cheapest of the high end brands in terms of eyebrow products as some can be up to £20 at the moment.

This month brought me to the end of my ever so reliable Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner, I wrote about this a few months ago as it was featured as a freebie with Elle magazine. It was instantly a favourite and I have been using it ever since. The nib is very fine and is the perfect size for just a thin line, allowing you to build it up thicker where necessary. One morning last week it just stopped working and it had completely ran out, I have been eyeliner less ever since. I will definitely be picking another one of this up when I can, it is now stocked on SPACENK and is £12.

The Laura Mercier Foundation Primer has been sitting in my makeup collection since Christmas when my sister bought it me. I brought it out this month as I needed something to make my makeup last as long as possible as my foundation and concealer had seemed to only be lasting a few hours. From what I have seen so far it works really well, it is a cream based formula which applies very easily. You only need a tiny bit, as a little definitely goes a long way. It is £29 from Selfridges which is steep but it does get the job done.

Lucy
xoxo
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