Bath & Body Works Haul

Finally my Bath & Body Works arrived after weeks of waiting. I have had so much trouble with this order it has seriously put me off ordering again, but I will go through all the shipping details further on in the post.

I had been wanting to order from their for site for so long as I had heard so many amazing reviews of their products. On payday I took the plunge and ordered from their website and to my surprise the products were actually really well priced and affordable, definitely parallel to prices of the drugstores. There is always offers on and everything in this haul was under $4 each. I didn't have a list of what I wanted so I just took a little browse and added some products to my basket which I was excited to try. There is so much hype around the candles which they sell, I picked up Marshmallow Fireside and it smells sensational like you are burning s'mores and is the perfect autumnal scent for a cosy night in under blankets and watching a film. I have to say everything smells amazing and I cannot wait to try the Sweet Pea Shower Gel as it smells very fresh and refreshing. The Champagne Apple & Honey Body Lotion (unable to find) is very fruity as you would expect and the apple scent is what I can smell instantly and I really like it. I made this order just before Halloween so a lot of the collection was pumpkin flavoured. I honestly do not know why I ordered this I think it could've been by mistake, the Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte Hand Soap if you like coffee and the smell of praline then this is perfect for you. For me it is definitely not something which I would usually gravitate towards as I am a seriously fruit scent person and I really do not like this. Like I say I do not love this and will be passing it onto one of my friends. I am happy to say that the Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Body Cream is much more up my street as it is sweet like the name suggests and I cannot stop smelling this.

I have never had more problems with shipping from the USA as I have with this order. I used my usual shipping service Shipito which I have never had any problems with and I always use to ship my Colourpop orders. I did not expect the package to be as heavy as it was for some reason, and it originally was going to cost me $40 to ship this order and considering the order only costs $22.68 including tax in total I was so shocked. I then had the problem that I had also ordered 5 of the mini hand sanitisers ($5) which I was super excited about, and then Shipito informed they could not be shipped to the UK as they contain alcohol, so I could either send them back to Bath and Body Works which would cost more than their worth or discard them. I then researched about using the carrier service called Gosend but they were charging $18 before fees and insurance and I just cannot part with that for the worth of the products. If anyone has any suggestions of what I can do about this please give me a shout as they are currently just sitting in the Shipito warehouse. I then had to pay $5 to have the hand sanitisers removed and repacked so all together for this parcel it cost $32, which was just about bearable. I also thankfully was not hit by a shipping charge in the UK, as the order was now only worth $16. Unfortunately even though I really love the products, the price of shipping is just way too much for me. I have since seen their are lots of ebay buyers and facebook pages which sell Bath & Body Works products. However, I am always scared though that they are going to fakes of the real version.

What are you favourite Bath & Body Works products?

Lucy
xoxo

Debenhams Beauty Haul

I cannot tell how god dam excited I was when this package landed on my doorstep, I decided to properly treat myself and spend a bit of money on some makeup which I have been swooning after. I decided to buy a few travel size products as I was buying all brand new products and did not want to spend a lot on full sizes if they weren't going to be my favourites. I also bought more than usual as Debenhams had 10% off all beauty products and also some super saver purchases.

I needed a new primer desperately and I had heard sooo much about the Makeup Forever Hydrating Primer so I thought this was the perfect time to test it out. I need something which is going to hydrate my dry skin and create a blank canvas before I apply my makeup, and most importantly keep my makeup locked in throughout the day.

MAC's Extra Dimension Skinfinishes have had a huge amount of talk on the beauty market since their release and my god are they ALL beautiful. It took me a good two hours to decide on the colour which I wanted and I finally went with Beaming Blush. When it arrived I was so pleased to see that it was not too dark for my colouring as that was my main worry. It looks absolutely stunning in its packaging and as soon as the photos were taken it was applied to my face!

The Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara has had a huge amount of hype surrounding it since its launch, and a lot of people have told me that the hype is worth it as it is sensational. I am super excited to try this as I am very picky with mascaras and I don't have many favourites, I am always on the hunt for new ones to try and to actually like.

I feel as a beauty blogger I should have owned this many moons ago but I have never used eyeshadow primer as a step in my daily routine. This Urban Decay Primer Potion has been sat at the stop of my wishlist for ages now so it is definitely worthwhile me picking up a small version to put it to the test before I splash out on a full size version. I am hoping this keeps my eyeshadows locked into place as my eyelids can be quite greasy and absorb my eyeshadows easily.

Finally, this was the only product not on my list but I just could not pick this up. When I told my mum I bought it she said she had seen it and was going to buy it me for Christmas because it was such a bargain, and she was totally right. This was on offer for just £16.10 which was such great value for the amount of colours and product which you get in this Urban Decay Shadowbox. It had a 40% saving and I just couldn't not add it to my basket. It has obviously been very popular as it is now sold out on Debenhams but is still available in the link.

I am super excited to put all this new makeup to the test and I will report back soon!

Lucy
xoxo

Three New Makeup Geek Eyeshadows

Last week I posted a Makeup Geek eyeshadow collection post with every shadow which I own from the brand. However, I decided that I needed to add a few more autumnal berry shades as there was a gap within my collection. I decided not to go overboard and ordered just three new shades.

Anarchy sits right in between Roulette and Burlesque on the colour spectrum. Whilst the other two are more on the berry toned side of the scale, this is definitely a medium pink with shimmer. I can definitely see purple tones running through it which I love as I do not like pale or bright pink shades as they do not suit my colourings well. This is so gorgeous and it was exactly what was missing from my palette. 

Roulette is my favourite from my first impressions, I have worn this a few days for work and I have really been loved it. When looking at the shade it looks like a burnt pink toned copper which looks stunning when applied. The golden copper part of the shade makes it metallic and really shines through making it a simple everyday rosy shimmery shade.

Burlesque is the darkest of the three which I picked up, and is a dark blackberry shade which will look beautiful when blended with other berry toned shades. It will be perfect for a smokey eye shade as it contains some brown undertones and throughout the autumn and Christmas period I can see myself wearing this a lot. When applied to the lid the burgundy warm metallic tones really shine through, which is what I wanted as I already have a lot of darker matte shades.

I am really glad I picked up these shadows as they all swatch and apply really easy with amazing pigmentation as occasionally I have come across some slightly chalky shades from Makeup Geek. These are such great value for £6 and I can not wait to extend my collection even more!

Lucy

xoxo

Feeling Lonely and Facing Change

On the Tuesday afternoon that I write this whilst watching Loose Women, they have started a discussion about 'loneliness'. Love or hate the programme, they talk about real life matters and I love the positivity which is promotes regarding women. I have been thinking about this topic a lot recently, and the topic being brought up on the show really got me thinking for myself. On the show, they said that 90% of people have felt lonely in their lives at some point. Interestingly enough 89% of those people were in a relationship at that time, this surprised me massively as I always put my loneliness down to being single. When we think of 'lonely' people in a category many of us would think of the elderly, whereas in fact in their survey those over 60 were the least loneliness of any age category. It did surprise me that the most 'loneliest' age group was in fact the 18-25 years old, which is what I fall in.

I think there is definitely a stigma attached to loneliness, and it sometimes seen as having no friends. In fact for me it could be further from the truth, I think the big reason for my age group feeling this way is due to change. Huge changes and transitions happen within the years of being 18-25 and it can be hard to get to grips with. I am very lucky to have a few different friendship groups, I can count 10 friends easily who I could go to and trust and I think this is a very privileged position to be in. However, I don't see them that often anymore and this is due to life changing. We have all now left university, we have full time jobs, all work different shifts and all have their own lives to lead. Although, I have found that being the single friend of all of my friends can be hard. I have found that sometimes people have organised couple nights out and I have not been invited which I totally understand. There has been times when I have invited to an event with my friend and their boyfriends, but I hate the idea of third wheeling. Its change, and change can make loneliness feel 10x worse.

The difference between being alone and being lonely isn't really that big, and they can creep into the other category very easily without even realising. When I started my job 6 weeks I could not wait to have my days off to sit around, relax, have no part time job to go to, have no uni work to do, and generally just have more time to myself. As I have always led a busy life I am struggling with ways to fill my time on my days off. My shifts can be any day of the week, whereas all of my other friends are in 9-5 monday-friday jobs, so they can't do anything during the week which is when some of my days off fall. The shift of change has left me thinking that I think I am feeling more lonely than alone as I know I have people to talk to when I need to, but I don't really get time to see them so I have nothing to do to fill in my time. I hate my own company, I cannot occupy myself, I love nothing more than to be surrounded by people. I lived pretty much alone at uni in my last year and I hated it, it made me very sad. I 100% at that time in my life I felt alone, as I was away from close family and friends and I had no one to talk to. What I really want to get out of this post is the fact to accept that the feeling of loneliness will always come and go throughout our lives and that's okay as it really is part of life. Things happen that we don't expect to happen that end in us feeling ways which we have never felt before. I am trying to fill in my time by doing other things and setting myself projects for my days off when everyone else in work, and to really embrace my weekends when I am off and so is everyone else.

Lucy
xoxo

Marble ASOS Boots

I'd been after some new autumn black boots for weeks, and I had been really struggling to find some. I did have an idea of what I wanted and the style, but I didn't want anything too chunky. As always I decided to have a browse on the-ever-so-reliable ASOS, and low and behold I fell in love with these dreamy boots.

I was browsing as I do most days, and I instantly stopped when I set my eyes upon these Rand Heeled Ankle Boots. I originally wanted some with a leather coating rather than a faux suede, but I actually really like these and they are different to anything else which I own. I was also really intrigued by the marble heels as they are very unique and I wanted something which was a little bit different to the norm. I was unsure about the height of the heel on these as I usually go for a flat heel for everyday wear. However, when I have walked about in them, they are comfortable and I don't think I would struggle walking about in them all day. I thought these were a great buy for £35, as they seem like they are good quality, sturdy and should last a few seasons.

Lucy
xoxo

Updated Makeup Geek Collection | Swatches and Review

I have somehow managed to collate quite a large collection of makeup geek eyeshadows without really realising. I have been using all of these shadows for months, so I thought it was the perfect time to give you a rundown on the must haves and the misses. The normal eyeshadows and the duochrome shades all cost £6, and the foiled shadows cost £9.

Bitten is a household favourite, it is a dark purple toned shade and always reminds me of blackcurrants, this always get used in the autumn. I use this to blend when I am wanting a smokier berry toned eye as this works great blended together with some lighter berry toned shades.
Cocoa Bear is a matte dark chocolate shade, and was one which everyone told me I must have. If you like matte brown toned shades this is for you, I have to say this type of shade is always great to have in your collection.
Country Girl is one which I would use with Bitten, it is a lighter red toned berry shade and looks beautiful on its own or blended with other shades.
Cosmopolitan is definitely is my top 3 of most used shades out of them all. It is a champagne pink shade with shimmer running through it which looks lovely for everyday wear as a one wash shade. I like to pair this with a few layers of mascara on an everyday basis.
Envy is a shade which I have not got too much use out of yet. It is a dark green which I think will look lovely when blended with lighter green shades to make an emerald inspired look.
Frappe is a matte milk chocolate brown shade which I often use to blend with Cocoa Bear. It blends really well and is one which I reach for often.
Glamorous is another one in my top 3. It is the perfect mid toned golden shimmer on par with MAC's Amber Lights. It contains a great amount of shimmer which always looks lovely as a summer shade, but I like to wear this with some eyeliner and I don't often blend it with anything else.
Homecoming is another favourite of mine, and if you like golden shimmers you need this in your collection. It has slight resemblance to MAC's Satin Taupe which is one of my all time favourites. It is a darker toned golden with brown undertones adding some depth to the shade.
Peach Smoothie is another everyday essential. I was not sure how I would wear this when I originally bought it. It is a matte light peach, yellow toned shade, which is perfect to blend with a variety of shades.
Pillow Talk is a light lilac shade containing a lot of shimmer. If you add some setting spray to this it turns almost into a foiled shade as the glitter pigmentation really shines through. This is a lovely for a bright and light shade which I love to wear on a night out.
Prom Night has great pigmentation, this one always surprises me as it looks more of a grey toned shade in the pan. When I swatch it is always reminds me of red grapes as it has dark purple tones, with a golden shimmer running through it.
Rebel is a mid toned purple with golden shimmer running through it. I find this quite disappointing in pigmentation when swatching as it looks as it will be very dark and sultry, but it is very light and lacks definition. However, once again when I add a setting spray it really brings out the pigments. This looks lovely with the other lilac and purple toned shades.
Shimma Shimma is a beautiful cream shimmer shade which is perfect for highlighting the inner corners and under your eyebrow and any other areas which you wish to add some brightness to.
Tiki Hut can only be described as being a matte beige shade. I sometimes struggle to incorporate this into my looks, but it is great for the first wash of colour before adding some darker shades.

Duochrome
Blacklight is such a beautiful lilac shade, which has a white silver shimmer running through it, it gives a real iridescent look to the shade which glimmers beautifully under the light.
Mai Tai is similar to Cosmopolitan in colour, but has more paler pink shades within it. I really like this as when blended it really keeps it colour and you do not lose the pigmentation within the shade.
Secret Garden is a gorgeous blue and green toned shade, which reminds me of under the sea. I love it as when blended it looks like a navy shimmery shade which is a great alternative to using black.

Foiled
Starry Eyed has a buttery consistency and is very soft and smooth when applying, they are also super pigmentation hence the increase in price. It feels more like a cream based product, it is a white champagne golden shade and it is great to add some brightness to any eye look. I definitely need to pick some more of these foiled shades up as there are so many beautiful ones within the collection.

If you have any more recommendations to add to my collection please leave in the comments.

Lucy
xoxo

The Monthly Roundup for October

October has flown by. I feel as though 2017 will be upon us before we know it. October has been a month of change for me, I mentioned last month that I started my new job and this month has been all about me finding my feet, settling in and finally having some responsibility. The team has been really welcoming, but some days it has been so busy there simply has not been time to show me the ropes so I have been having to find many things out for myself. Being back at work and doing full time hours after I nice summer off struck me quite hard at the start of the month. However, with all this work, comes pay. When I got my payslip from work the day before payday and saw the amount of pay I was getting, I literally danced around the staffroom. I am not saying that I am earning tonnes, and this is not to show off. But for me I have worked hard for three years of uni and I feel as though that is finally paying off through being paid. I felt quite teary actually as I had never had a pay cheque like it in my life, and I found it very overwhelming. You may have thought that I would have been on a massive spending spree but I haven't... as of yet. I feel very protected over it, and I am not ready to let go and splash out just yet. All of the girls at work have said that it is mandatory to buy something big and spoil yourself on your first pay. I did actually take a trip to Cheshire Oaks and fell in love with an out of this world pink Gucci bag, which was in fact half price!

 I feel as though this month I have felt proud of myself and my self confidence in my abilities has taken a good turn. The only thing which I have found this month is that I have missed out on a few socialising events due to my shifts. I did manage to make it to a last minute Halloween party of an old school friend which was great to catch up with everyone, and take some time to relax and see my friends. I also went to see Justin Bieber in Manchester, regardless of the drama (he walked off stage!), I had a great night and got to see my two close friends from university and we had a big night out which was great.

In terms of November, I haven't got too much planned. The Christmas markets in Manchester open this month, and the Christmas shopping will commence. However, call me scrooge but Christmas to me starts on the 1st December, then you can start organising and getting in the spirit. I am excited to do a spot of shopping this year and I am trying to be as inventive as possible with my present buying, but it can all wait until December.

Lucy
xoxo

October Favourites

I really thought September dragged, but how is it the end of October already this month has flown by. I do however, as I do every month have some favourites which I thought I would like to share.

This month my MAC Studio Fix Foundation made a big comeback into my daily makeup routine. I have been wearing this since my teens and was my first ever high end foundation, and I still love it. It is medium coverage which is buildable, but I also like the fluid consistency as it is very easy to apply and dries to a matte finish, which is not too dry. What I like the most is that it is comfortable on the skin, and does not feel thick or cakey throughout the day.

At the start of the month I rebought my ever-so trusty Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I had been trying to use up some of my other concealers, but I had to rebuy it as I find it is one of the best full coverage concealers on any drugstore or high end market. It is only £4.19 and it is differently a competitor for the likes of MAC and Bobbi Brown.

I also made a Colourpop order which you can read all about here. I picked up the cream eyeshadow shade in Muse, and I have been loving it. It is one of those perfect shades which you can wear on its own and it looks lovely, there is no need to blend it with any other colours if you don't want to. It is perfect for autumn as it a copper red with a little golden shimmer running throughout it.

Calypso has been living in my handbag this month, and has been my go to shade. It is once again perfect for autumn. This is a mid toned pinky nude which definitely falls on the darker side of the scale. This has a ultra satin finish which I am a huge fan of as they do not dry too matte and has a slight sheen to them. I have been very happy with how this lasts on the lips and does not budge throughout the day. I am definitely going to pick up some up other shades from their autumn line.

What have you been loving this month?

Lucy
xoxo

Workday Makeup Essentials

Since starting my job and the early starts have started, I have quickly got into a routine of the makeup which I apply. I want to look fresh and natural, but most importantly to last for my entire 12 hour shift without budging.

I love my self built Makeup Geek Shadows palette, the shadows have great pigmentation and as I have put together the palette myself they are all shades which I want to wear. The shades which I gravitate to on a morning are Beaches and Cream, Country Girl and Homecoming. However, sometimes I like to add some of the little deeper shades such as Cocoa Bear and Frappe to add a smokey aspect but nothing too dark or over the top. I never apply eyeliner during the day as I simply don't have the time to make it perfect! Therefore, I finish by adding a few layers of my Maybelline Push Up Drama Mascara to my lashes.

For my base I like to mix the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation with the Kat Von D Lock It Foundation. The Charlotte Tilbury foundation is a medium coverage with a semi matte finish, I really enjoy using it but I find it does not wear for a full day. I find when I mix one pump of the Kat Von D foundation which is a full coverage matte finish with the other foundation that it overall lasts longer throughout the day on my skin. I like both of these foundations and I do wear them on their own if I am not needing the finish to wear for a full day. I have been using the MAC Skinfinish Powder since my teen years and I still love it. The powder sets everything in place beautifully and leaves my skin feeling silky soft. I never reach for any of the blushes exact the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes as they are on another level. I adore all three of these shades and I simply choose whichever one I fancy each morning.

I always make sure that I leave a little bit of time to make sure I can apply my MAC Eyebrow Pencil as I like them to be as good as they can be as they frame my face. I also just like to do them as I think they finish off a simple make look. I don't usually wear anything on my lips, but if I do it will be whatever lipstick or gloss is in the bottom of my handbag on that day.

Lucy
xoxo

Is being 22 and living at home such a big deal?

I moved back home in July from university and it was something which I had been looking forward to for a good while. Once I was back home I was super happy to be back with my parents and sister, and being in so close vicinity to all of my friends once again. I felt as though I was home.

Since starting my job recently I have been asked time and time again my living circumstances, and every time I tell people I am living back home people seem shocked. I don't really understand how people think I should or would be able to afford to live on my own at the moment. Like I say I finished uni at the end of July, and I only started my job three weeks ago. There is no way on this earth I would of been able to afford to save for any kind of a deposit or even for one month's rent whilst studying, it was simply just unachievable for me. I want to be able to move out and live on my own home after saving for a deposit, I am not keen on renting as I think it is then so hard to be saving for a house deposit as well. Every person who is trying to buy a house for the first time knows the current struggles. I am only 22, is there really such a stigma attached to living with your parents?. This may sound selfish but I want some time to spend money on myself after finally having a good sum of money in my pocket for the first time in my life, the last thing I want to do right now is move out.

I am not living rent free at home I am paying my parents a small sum of money a month to contribute to the living costs of me being there, which is more than fair. I have discussed with my parents that I will start saving for a deposit but they keep telling me there is no rush. Every first time buyer knows just how hard it is these days to gather the sum of money which is now required for a house. I know in myself this is going to take a few years. I think some older generations do not always understand the immense struggles in buying a house in the current market, it is definitely not easy. For me personally I always think who knows what will happen in the next few years, I am currently just living in the moment. It is no secret that I hate the idea of living on my own. I love the company of others and I think I would currently be very unhappy living on my own. I lived a lot of my last year of uni on my own, and it had a big affect on me as I felt lonely all the time and it was such an awful feeling. I am not ashamed of saying that as I have already lived that way I now know that I would hate living alone again. I don't like the idea of going home to an empty house, making my tea for one, and not having anyone to talk to. I know I would end up spending half of my time back at my parents anyway for company and someone to chat to. I never know in the future I may meet someone and fall madly in love then possibly my plans will then change, however I am still pretty fixed on buying not renting so that would be years down the line anyway.

I have gone on bit of a tangent but I just wanted to tell anyone else who has moved back home or is still living at home, not to be embarrassed. I think people's comments have made me more angry than anything, as I feel as though people look down on me for this. Everyone seems surprised and it makes me roll my eyes. So basically if you're still living at home this is not something to get caught up about, for me I couldn't be more delighted being back home, it has made me so much happier than I was at uni so I don't know why I would want to change it currently. Also, I think most importantly you have to always remember that everyone is different and you might not know someone else's reasonings for their living situations. I don't like to tell people who I have only just met my personal circumstances as it makes me feel uncomfortable, and sure other people feel exactly the same. So all in all I am more than happy to be back home, so please let's all just let everyone get on with their lives.

Lucy
xoxo

The never ending battle of acne

Boots Skincare Haul

Over the weekend I took a little trip to Boots with my mum, and I ended up picking up a lot more than what I went in for. We realised that on o2 priority they currently have a promotion on where you can choose for free one of three items from the Boots Essentials cucumber line, either their 3 Minute Clay Mask and Facial Toner which is what we picked up and there was also the option of the Cleansing Lotion. They are £1.50 each usually, but as they were free I thought I would put them to the test.

I went on the hunt for a new cleanser and got carried away and stumbled across the Botanics counter where their was lots of promotions on which dragged me in. I was drawn in by the All Bright Purifying Face Scrub, I like the idea of using a facial scrub 2-3 times a week to help clear the impurities deep down in my skin and get rid of any flaky, dry skin around my nose. I also liked that the fact that this product focuses on brightening and leaving the skin silky smooth as this can be hard to achieve during the colder months. I also picked up the All Bright Radiance Concentrate Serum, as I thought it was time to put a serum into my routine and this didn't break the bank.  I once again like the brightening aspect which this promotes, as well as adding glow and life to the skin. Both of these products from Botanics were on promotion for £2.50, which I thought was excellent value.

Now this was the product which I was heading in for. I wanted a new cleanser to use morning and night. I currently use a foaming wash and I have heard that it contribute to drying your skin out, so I thought I would swatch it up and see if a normal non-foaming facial wash would make any difference. After reading the packaging of almost every cleanser which Boots sell, I finally decided on the Clean & Clear Blackhead Clearing 2 in 1 Wash & Mask. I was intrigued by this as it is a multi-use product. You can use this as a morning and night daily cleansing wash as you normally would. But you can also use this as a mask if you leave it on for 5-10 minutes it hardens into a mask which I really like the idea of. I am not going to lie I was drawn in by the blackhead clearing aspect of this, as I definitely need products which work deep into the skin to clear my impurities especially in my T-zone.

All in all, this came to a total of £7.99 including my freebies. So I would class that as a very savvy shopping trip which definitely did not pull too much on my purse strings. I will being doing some reviews on the products once I have put them to the test, I am hoping they become drugstore must haves.

Lucy
xoxo

Tanya Burr Beauty Advent Calendar

For the first time ever I decided to treat myself to a beauty advent calendar and after a lot of deliberating I finally choose to go with Tanya Burr's. I am a big fan of Tanya's cosmetic collection and I didn't want to buy one which was going to break the bank and this seemed like great value for money for £15. Its RRP is £25 and I have been told in store it is £25 but online they are £15. I know it's only October and I am one of those people where Christmas does not start until the 1st December, but I know that these exclusive advent calendars sell out quick and seeing as it was on promotion I decided to snap it up.

I know most advent calendars have 25 windows but this has 12 and this seems to be the trend in many beauty advent calendars. Seeing as Tanya's products are sold in Superdrug and are therefore aimed at a drugstore/affordable market, if she had 25 products it would bump the price up a lot and her target audience may not of been able to afford it. I have had a little peek online at what is included in the calendar, and there are a wide variety of nail polishes, lip glosses, matte lipsticks, glitter pots and glitter eyeliners. I haven't investigated into the shade range included as I would like for it to be a surprise each morning. I think there is a good selection included in the calendar and I have decided I am going to open a door every other day.

Have you had your eye on any beauty advent calendars?

Lucy
xoxo

Kat Von D has finally launched in the UK

Kat Von D has finally washed ashore on to British soil, and I am majorly excited. I decided not go too overboard as I recently bought some Kat Von D goodies from Sephora which you can read about here.Lucy Alana

I picked up two things, the first being an Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Bauhau5. I already have Lolita II, Mother and Lovesick in my collection, so you can see I am a big fan. I say this every time I write about these, but they are my all time favourite matte liquid lipstick. These have a fabulous creamy formula and once it dries on the lips to a matte finish it settles really nicely. I have been adding some more autumnal toned shades to my collection, and this is a great addition as it is a deep raspberry and I think it looks beautiful on the lips. I have tried this out and I am not disappointed, I am definitely going to get a lot of wear out of the over the next forthcoming months.

Kat launched an exclusive piece to her line at the UK launch called the London Calling Set. This is still available now on the Debenhams website. The set includes a mini version of the Tattoo Liner in Trooper which is my favourite liner ever, I thought this would be perfect for nights out and travelling. It also contains a mini liquid lipstick in Double Dare which is a shade which I have been wanting to try forever and thought this was the perfect opportunity. The last makeup item in the box was the Studded Kiss lipstick in Lolita, I have been wanting to try this shade forever since picking up Lolita II but have always been a little too scared as it has more of a brown tone to it. Therefore, I am super excited to test this out as I have seen how beautiful it looks on some many other people. 

Have you picked anything up?

Lucy

xoxo

Autumn Colourpop Haul

(L-R: Baracuda, Calypso, Muse)

So a few weeks ago Colourpop were offering discounted delivery to Britain and many beauty bloggers threw themselves into a frenzy. I have made two previous orders, one a big order of a variety of products which you can read here, and the second was a lipstick haul which you can also read here. 

They have just launched their new autumn collection and there was a few stand out pieces which I wanted to get my hands on. Now I have ordered quite a few times from the USA this year and I have got to know the way that customs works pretty well. If you order anything over the equivalent of £15 you will be hit with a £12 custom charge at the minimum. Therefore, I bought just three new items totalling $17 meaning I missed the charge. Now I either do a big order where the customs charge is worthwhile, or a small order like this one so I miss the charge as it kind of takes away the 'affordable' makeup aspect of the brand. 

If you have read my previous posts you will know I am a huge fan of their Ultra Satin line which is their classic liquid lipstick but with a more softer and comfortable finish with slight shine compared to their matte finish. For the price of just $6 they are great. They have amazing pigmentation, I literally apply one layer and you are ready to go. It dries to a comfortable finish which doesn't feel heavy or exceptionally drying on my lips, which I have found with some other liquid lipsticks. I put Calypso to the test at the weekend and I was instantly impressed by the colour and I could not stop looking at it. I will always ask my mum her opinion she said "a little dark, but it looks nice on you". Calypso is a beautiful mid toned pinky nude and suits my skintone really well. I wanted to make this order to add some darker toned berry colours into my lipstick collection as I didn't previously own any. This wore really well until the afternoon when I had my dinner and I would say 40% of the colour had come off after finishing eating and drinking. It didn't look patchy it was still evenly applied, the colour just wasn't as deep on the lips. The picture which is featured is me wearing Calypso, and I think it suits me and I will definitely be wearing it again soon. The picture has been taken in natural light and is unfiltered so that you can see the exact colour on me.

 I tried Baracuda on a day when I was in the house catching up on everything blog related. I had no other makeup on, but wanted to put it to the test. This is a deepened rose, but is definitely a dark berry and I see some purple and brown tones in this. As always it went on evenly and with just one application. At first when I applied it I was surprised at just how dark it was and I instantly wanted to take it off. I was just overwhelmed by the colour as I have never worn anything this dark. After a few hours I kept looking in the mirror as I was intrigued at how it looked on me. In the end I actually really loved how this looked on my lips and I can't wait for an occasion to wear this, as for me it is not an everyday shade. I did the transfer test twice whilst drinking some juice and I was surprised that it transferred barely anything across on to the cup. I have previously found with some of my other Colourpop liquid lipsticks that they have transferred massively and I was impressed with how this shade performed.

This is the stand out in my order I wore it on Sunday and I was massively impressed. I am talking about Muse which is the cream eyeshadow which I picked up. It is a vibrant coppery rose with a pearlised finish, when I saw it on the website it instantly stood out to me. I have had some of these before which you can see in my first haul post, and I did like them but I found the more subtle shades did not stay on my lids throughout the day. I applied this using my finger as I find it easier to blend them that way. I have tried many cream eyeshadows over the years, everyone loved the Maybelline tattoo cream shadows, and they looked horrendous on me as they creased and showed up every line which exists on my eyelid. Whereas I was surprised with this, it has great pigmentation and swatches exactly how it looks in the pan. I think red toned shades you sometimes have to be careful with as it can make your eyes look a little swollen, but as this has copper tones in it on me I think it looks beautiful. I was most impressed with how it wore throughout the day. I applied a thin line of eyeliner and a few layers of mascara and the whole look was still looking fresh when I got home that evening. I will say there was a little bit of wear, but I have never bought an eyeshadow which has not faded at all throughout the day. The even application was still the same, the colour was not quite as rich and vibrant, but on the whole I was very pleased. I didn't apply an eye primer either as I need to pick up a new one, I just sprayed my entire face with Urban Decay's setting spray.  I am definitely going to pick up some more of the darker shades from their cream eyeshadow line as I have been seriously impressed with this one.

Have you got any Colourpop recommendations for my next order?

Lucy
xoxo

My Graduation Ball

A few weeks ago I headed back up to Carlisle after a few months at home for my graduation ball. This is something which we all been looking forward to for months and was one big final celebration for us all after our three years of hard work. I wore this gorgeous dress from Ted Baker which I am still in love with. I bought it a few months ago from the Ted Baker store located at Cheshire Oaks in the sale and when I tried it on I felt like a true princess. After trying on what felt like every pair of shoes out there, I finally found these amazing royal blue shoes from Faith and I felt that they looked beautiful paired with the dress.

I thought I would let you in on the makeup which I wore. It started off with the NYX Angel Veil Primer to prime my skin. I then applied my favourite True Match Foundation using a brand new dampened Beautyblender which work perfectly together. To cover those pesky blemishes I added the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and a layer of my MAC Mineralise Powder using my Real Techniques Powder Brush. As I had a little bit of a tan from holiday I added some of my Wet n Wild Bronzer in Ticket to Brazil and a light dusting of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure to my cheekbones. As it was a special occasion of course I needed some glitter and highlight to finish off my face makeup. I used the MUA Highlighter in Iridescent Gold to add some luminosity to my face using the Real Techniques Setting Brush.

I have been loving my Makeup Geek Eyeshadows recently and featured them in my September Favourites post. For this night, I used the shades Rebel, Pillow Talk  and Starry Eyed. I used my MAC 217 Brush to apply and blend everything into my desired look, and added a thin line of my Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner. I then applied my favourite lashes from Cheryl's Eyelure collection in Sexy Senorita, and added a few coats of my Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara. My lipstick choice for the night was MAC's Syrup, which is a beautiful purple toned nude which I think compliments my colourings and this look really well.

Lucy
xoxo

The Bloggers Blog Awards

Last Saturday I headed on my first big blogger adventure to Leeds for The Bloggers Blog Awards. I had a little bit of a dramatic morning as I was undecided about whether to go or not. I picked up a ticket last minute and everything was a last minute plan. I hadn't met any of the bloggers that were going to the awards, but I had talked to some of them many times before online. After making the last minute decision to jump on the train, it turned out that everything did not quite go to plan. When I go to the train station the car park was closed so I had to drive around and around trying to find a car parking spot meaning that I missed my train. I had a little cry in my car as I was already a bag of nerves and feeling emotional and this little episode pushed me over the edge. After a little sob I was even more determined to make it to Leeds so I jumped on the next train and finally made it.

Thankfully two lovely girls Rachel and Vanessa had agreed to meet me. I was so nervous but they were so lovely and chatty, and I instantly felt a little more relieved. After a slight detour around the city we arrived at the venue which was at Canal Mills. I instantly recognised a few beauty bloggers who blogs I have followed for years, and was really excited to meet everyone. An overwhelming amount of shyness overcame me and I felt like it was my first day at school all over again. The actual awards were a joyous occasion as everyone was encouraging and genuinely happy for those winning the awards. After the awards there was a little more time to mingle, and I actually managed to talk to some bloggers who I had talked to previously online, but also some new lovely bloggers which means more amazing blogs for me to now read. There was then a raffle which had some amazing prizes and it was all to raise money for a little charity called Allerton Cat Rescue which does such great work and I was glad to see the money raised going to such an amazing cause.

The black rose embellished skater dress which I wore I bought recently from River Island and I really love it. I had bought it the week before and this was the perfect occasion to wear it. I am totally loving the embellishment trend this season and it work really well with the mesh spotted overlay to the dress. I paired the dress with some black tights and my trusty shoe boots.

After once again missing my train due to city centre traffic and being crammed on to a jam packed train, I finally crawled into bed and that is when it hit me at what an amazing day I had really had. I was super nervous to attend but I am so happy that I did, and I will definitely be going again next year. I am going to convince so more bloggers to go next year so I can mingle a little more and feel more confident about approaching people. Once again, thank you to Hayley from Tea Party Beauty for organising the event as you did such an amazing job.

Lucy
xoxo

The Monthly Roundup for September

September has followed on as being a pretty amazing month after how great August was. After I got back off my holiday I had so much admin to sort out for my new job, I spent my life filling out form after form. The second weekend of September turned out to be one of the best weekends for a long time. Writing about it now is putting a huge smile on my face reminiscing all about it. It started off with a trip to uni back in Carlisle on the Thursday which was lovely to see all of my child nursing friends again. We had paid to stay in a hotel that night which seemed like a little adventure, we went for a lovely meal at Pizza Express and had some cocktails. On the Friday night we had our graduation ball which was amazing. The service and food at the venue wasn't the greatest, but the company, music and photo booth definitely made up for it. It was so lovely to dress up and celebrate our three years at uni and the fact we had all made it to the end. I didn't go too overboard that night as on the Saturday it was one of my closest friends at uni's wedding. I haven't been to a wedding in years and I totally forgot what a beautiful occasion they are. I was filled with such overwhelming emotion when she walked down the aisle as I have honestly never seen someone look  as amazing as she did. The service, meal, speeches and night do were all spectacular and it ended the entire weekend on such a high. When I came home I felt so sad as I had been looking forward to the weekend for so long and now it was just over in a flash.

I then had another week off but I started my new job. In nursing you have to do a lot of inductions and trainings before starting. Different trusts have different policies and we need to ensure we know the essentials before we start on the wards. If you didn't know my new job is in Children's A&E in my local hospital and I am very excited to start. As you read this I started my job full time in the unit on Monday and I am hopefully finding my feet and enjoying it. It is a massively scary prospect for me to be out there as a newly qualified nurse and all the responsibility to finally be placed on me. I am very excited and just want to put everything I have learnt into practice. I will definitely be reporting back on how I am getting on in next months roundup.

How was your September?

Lucy
xoxo

September Favourites

I bought this darker shade of L'Oreal's True Match Foundation when I got back off holiday. I had managed to get a good tan and all of my other foundations were way too light. I have been loving using this as as the texture is beautiful. It blends really well and even, feels weightless on the skin and gives a medium-full coverage depending on what you are wanting. I would definitely say this is up there with being as good as my high end foundations. I am huge fan and it is the best drugstore foundation which I have ever tried.

This month I have been getting to grip with my Makeup Geek Eyeshadows and there has been a few stands out shades. These are Pillow Talk and Rebel both shades are shimmers and have blue and purple undertones to them. Pillow Talk is a iced lilac with silver shimmer running through it, and Rebel is a darker purple with a lot of golden shimmer running through it this is more like a pigment when applied to the lid. They have good pigmentation but I found spraying my brush with a little setting spray brings all of the pigments out and they transfer beautifully onto the eyelids. If you like glitter and some shimmer, these are great for you, and are super affordable.

I think I am going to have to ban myself from mentioning the MUA Highlighter in Iridescent Gold over here on my blog. I feel like it has had a mention in all of my recent posts, so I am going to have to find something new to rave about. However, in the mean time for £3 this is a must have in everyone's makeup bag. It is a white based highlighter with golden shimmer, this is highly pigmented when you swipe your brush in the pan and this transfers perfectly on to the skin. I should be on commision for the amount of my friends who have been and bought this because it really is a steal which is sitting on the shelves of Superdrug.

Since buying this at the end of August the Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick in Mother has not left my lips. These are highly pigmented and need just on application for it to be even and in place. They are not patchy or flaky and does not dry to a matte finish which is uncomfortable on the lips. This is a vibrant dark raspberry shade which perfect going into Autumn. Now these are available in Debenhams I have a feeling I am going to be buying quite a few more!

This Marc Jacobs Honey Perfume is probably more of a Spring/Summer scent but I having being loving this recently. It is a light scent which is has a fruity scent which is what I always gravitate too. This has notes of mandarin and pear, mixed with a honey and vanilla gives an overall warmth to the scent. Marc Jacobs perfumes are my favourite and this is a go-to when I need something fresh and long lasting.

What have you been loving this month?

Lucy
xoxo

Halloween Lush Haul

I took a little trip to the Lush store in Manchester and discovered that the Halloween collection has launched. I knew it was about to be released and I got very excited when I saw the collection staring at me. I have a lot of Lush bath products in a big bag waiting to be used as I have gone a little crazy in the past year. This means that I had to restrain myself and not buy the entire collection! The Christmas collection is due to launch soon so I thought I would just pick up my favourites from the Halloween collection so that I can have a variety of both.

First up, the Pumpkin is a beautifully spiced bath bomb which is what instantly drew me in. The vanilla and spicy cinnamon mixed together creates the perfect perfect pumpkin pie scent. To me pumpkins represent Halloween and I thought it was a great addition to the collection. I also picked up Monsters' Ball, which is one the cutest things that Lush has ever brought out. I instantly thought it was so fun and the scent also drew me in, it smells fresh and clean. This contains lime meaning it gives it a lovely all over citrus scent to the bath bomb. I cannot wait to try this out as I think all the colours mixed together are going to look beautiful. I did also smell the Autumn Leaf and Lord of Misrule, however I wasn't drawn in by their scents as I prefer something more fruity.

Did you pick anything up from the Halloween collection?

Lucy
xoxo

Current Favourite High End Makeup

My last post was my current favourite drugstore makeup which you can catch up on here. Today I bring you my high end version.

First up if you saw my recent Sephora haul, you will have seen that I picked up the new Kat Von D Lock It Foundation. I just could not resist and it was definitely a great buy. It is a full coverage foundation with a fluid consistency which does give that full coverage without looking cakey. It does the trick of covering blemishes and I always add a little bit more to those problem areas to ensure that it does stay in place. It dries to a matte finish but I would say it is more of a semi-matte on me as it still has some light dewiness to it and does not have a dull finish.

I recently repurchased my Beauty Blender as my previous one ripped in two. I never understood the fuss surrounding this little sponge, until I tried it and then I got the craze after just one application. When the sponge is dampened and has expanded it creates a smooth application of my foundation across my face. It gives equal coverage around my all areas and I think it gives an extra dewiness to my foundation.

I have repurchased and repurchased the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Powder as it is such a great powder. When applied it adds a light, buildable coverage which feels weightless on the skin, but helps to keep base makeup in place. It is great to have in your handbag in case you need a little touch up as it gives a natural finish.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Infusion is such a wonderful shade to add some life and glow to the cheekbones. I am fair skinned and this adds some luminosity, colour and shimmer to my cheeks which is exactly what I want. The marble effect on these are beautiful, and the blend of the colours in each blush have been match to perfection. They give a beautiful radiant yet natural finish, which brightens my entire complexion.

I love, love, love the Kat Von D Liquid Lipsticks, and the shade Mother has been my recent go-to colour. It is a vibrant dark pink which looks amazing going into the Autumn as it a raspberry colour which stands out. The formulas of these are fabulous as they are longwearing and do not budge at all which is exactly what you want as you don't want it transferring or budging throughout the day. This line of liquid lipsticks come in a vast range of colours and they have some stunning shades to suit everyone.

What is current favourite high end makeup item?

Lucy
xoxo

Current Favourite Drugstore Makeup

If I have been loving any particular products for a period of time, and I think they are worth buying I pop them all together in a post and this is what I bring you today.

First up the L'Oreal True Match Foundation, I repurchased this a few weeks ago after I got back off holiday in a darker shade as I managed to get a bit of a tan. I didn't want to spend a lot of money as I knew I wouldn't be the darker colour for too long. I have had this many times before and I have always been impressed. This time though I was particularly impressed. The formula is thin and feels light on the skin, it is medium coverage but is definitely buildable without it looking patchy. This has so many shade ranges now which is brilliant as their will definitely be a shade for everyone.

I have mentioned  the NYX Angel Veil Primer quite a lot of my blog and as you can tell the bottle is nearly empty. I have tried a few drugstore primers and this is the best one which I have tried. It is a cream consistency with sits well on the skin and is great for drier skin types. I think you do need to apply a little more compared with a gel based primer, just as it does not go quite as far.

I have fallen back in love with the Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara since rebuying it a few months ago. Whilst I was at uni I could not afford many high end products and I had heard amazing things about this. I am sure I have bought the original version of this previously, but I don't think I particularly loved it. However, this time around the waterproof version has been a massive hit. The best part of the product is the brush it has a large curve to it which works a dream at giving my lashes curl and volume. I will definitely be repurchasing this when it runs out as I think great drugstore mascaras are hard to come across.

Everytime someone has asked me for a highlighter recommendation, this MUA Highlighter in Iridescent Gold instantly rolls off my tongue. I should be on commission for the amount of people who have bought it and said how much they love it! It costs just £3 and there are a few different shades in the line depending on what you are looking for. This one is a white based highlighter with shimmer running through it. It is highly pigmented and you definitely only need a little bit as I have been known to look a little disco ball on some occasions where I have just 'added a little bit more'.

I love Colourpop Cosmetics Ultra Satin Liquid Lipsticks a lot. For the price they are insanely good. I would 100% say they are the best drugstore liquid lipsticks which I have tried, and I have tried many. The shade which I have been loving is Cozy, I love the vibrancy of the shade. It is a red shade but it has a vibrant orange undertone which I love as it suits my colourings better than a standard red. The consistency is soft and easy to apply and has more of a shine than a matte finish which I actually really like as they feel super comfortable on the lips all day. I do find some liquid liquid lipsticks can feel heavy, and can go patchy and flaky throughout the day. If you do need to reapply this it is easy and quick to do. Colourpop have started to do international shipping finally, but I think it is still cheaper to use Shipto which I have written all about in previous post which you can read here.

What drugstore products have you being loving recently?

Lucy
xoxo