Small haul and my Mac palette so far!

 

Today I had a little splurge! I had a bit of money left over from my birthday so bought myself a few goodies. The eye-shadows were for my new palette which you can see more clearly further down this post. I also got a cute cross necklace from Topshop which I love! It matches my ring and makes me so happy when I wear it.

 I got another Creme D'Nude lipstick from Mac as I'm already running low on my last one! The other lipstick is from Topshop, it's called Pillow Talk and I think it could be the ultimate baby pink. It's creamy, opaque and looks gorgeous on. I've been trying to find something similar from Mac but this is honestly the best pink lipstick I have ever found. 

The candle is from John Lewis and it's made by a company called Lily Flame. I've always been a Yankee Candle lover but I couldn't resist this packaging. It has a  lovely floral, fruity, sweet scent- as you can tell I'm not very good at describing scents! 

Finally this gorgeous fluffy pink jumper is from Topshop. It has the cutest bow detail on the back and I know I'll get a lot of wear out of it. To see it more clearly here is the link. I'm sure it will feature on an OOTD very soon!  

This is my Mac palette so far! Only 6 more shadows and it's full. I'm having so much fun picking out colours already :) 

From left to right:

Top Row- Vanilla, Jest, Espresso

Middle Row- Mulch, Sable, Woodwinked

Bottom Row- Coppering, Cranberry, Amber Lights

Seeing Stripes

Today I wore my H&M stripe top with my black Leigh jeans- I was so pleased to see Lucy blog about them here!- they are so comfy and slim fitting and they look classier than leggings in my opinion (although I'm not going to stop wearing them!). I love this look, its simple yet tucking in the top makes it appear different and cute. The top has gorgeous slouchy sleeves which is one of the reasons I love it. I am wearing the new I got for my 18th, it's from Miss Selfridge and I love it. It's the perfect size and since it incorporates brown and black detail, it will look great with everything. I also adore the hardware detail on the side, toughening it up, I absolutely love the androgynous look at the moment. I think I might even do a 'What's in my Bag' post if anyone is interested?

Also is anybody else in love with E4 Made In Chelsea?! I want their style so much, if only I had unlimited money.. The girls are in this month's Glamour if you're interested in reading a bit about their style.

Top- H&M

Leigh Jeans- Topshop

Shoes- Primark

Cross Ring- Topshop

Bracelet- Topshop

Skull Earrings- Topshop (can you tell I like Topshop at the moment!?)

Bag- Miss Selfridge

18th Birthday

Sorry I've not posted for a while, I've been caught up with going back to sixth form, university open days and (most importantly!) my 18th birthday which was on the 14th September! I had a lovely day which started with home made  banana pancakes with strawberries, lovely! I didn't really get a lot of presents as my main gift was a family ring which I now wear every day on my little finger, although I did get a Miss Selfridge bag from my brother and a Mac Palette from my best friend (blog posts to come!). I had a lovely lunch with my friends at a local pub and rounded the day off with champagne and lemon curd birthday cake. All in all a good day I'd say! 

Black Top - H&M

Skirt- River Island

Cardigan- River Island

Aztec Earrings- Primark

Guess Watch- (a birthday present a couple of years ago!)

This weekend I also went out to a Mexican restaurant called Chimichanga with my friends. The food was delicious, I recommend it and need to get back there as there were so many lovely looking things on the menu I just wanted to try everything. The dress I wore is from Misguided and was a  bargain at £21.99! I love the peter pan collar detail, there are so many about as they're very much in style at the moment. The lace strips are also a gorgeous detail. I paired it with long socks and my new brogues- probably the last time I will wear them as they give me terrible blisters *weep*. I can do a post on what make up I wore if anyone is interested? I used some new false eyelashes (Eylure 070) which I am in love with! They look so natural but amazing at the same time. Also, apologies for the quality of the photos below, my camera had very little charge left and decided it would focus, you get the idea though!

Dress- Misguided

Socks- (I'm unsure but I think you can get them in places like Topshop, River Island, ASOS etc.)

Loafers- River Island

Skull Earrings- Topshop

Garnier BB Cream- Worth the hype?

Once I know there is a hype on a particular beauty product, I feel I need it. So if I hear something is selling out across the country, I immediately rush and buy it! I wanted to know for myself if this BB Cream was worth all the hype I'd heard about it. I got it for £7.99 from my local Superdrug 

store.

BB Creams (the BB stands for Blemish Balm) were developed initially to calm and restore skin but to provide coverage at the same time, they were a huge craze in Asia and now it seems that they're coming to the UK and US market too.

What does Garnier say about this BB Cream? 

The formula with mineral pigments gives an instantly ‘perfect’ skin. The result? Sheer coverage; imperfections look blurred, lines softened

Your skin looks luminous, smoother and more even

24hr hydration: Skin feels more supple, smoother and softer

UV protection: SPF15 to help protect the skin

My Opinions

The cream has a similar texture to a tinted moisturiser but has more coverage. It sits nicely in between a tinted moisturiser and a foundation so concealer would still be needed (although I always wear concealer with my foundation so this is not an issue). The colour is perfect for me and it feels very hydrating once applied but settles somewhat so there is no long lasting greasy feeling on your skin, instead you feel like you are wearing a moisturiser. 

I wanted to photograph how it looked on my face but unfortunately with flash photography I found it to appear oily looking on my T-Zone. However it did not make my skin look oily in real life so as long as you aren't taking any photos this should be fine. I found setting this with a powder dramatically reduced the shine in photos so that's also an option! Next time I do a FOTD I will try and wear my BB Cream to show you what it looks like but essentially is looks like healthy, moisturised skin.

I took a couple of pictures to show you the texture of the cream

A small amount goes a long way

Obviously you'd blend it more than I have here!

All in all I really like this BB Cream and would like to try more for comparisons. Its light and natural so would be perfect for me for sixth form. I haven't worn this for a full day yet so might have to update you on the longevity of it but fingers crossed it lasts (I have read other blogs which say it does last all day!). 

Have any of you tried BB Creams? Which ones? I feel I've only scratched the surface of the world of BB Creams and I'm already eager to try more out! 

Skin Care Part I

I thought I'd share my favourite skin care products with you all as I'm always fascinated by what products people use! I've divided it into two parts, the first includes my make up removers, exfoliator and face mask, whilst the second part will focus on moisturisers etc! Just to let you know, my skin is normal to dry with the occasional break out, these are the products that work best for me, but they might not for you.

From left to right:

Soap and Glory 'The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel'

I'm not sure why this is called a peel as it has the consistency of a clay mask and doesn't 'peel off' but nonetheless this is a lovely mask. It smells fresh and minty and is a dream to apply with its thick texture. It has some pretty nifty ingredients and I think it really works! I don't have oily skin which I believe is the skin type this mask is marketed towards but I love how effective it is on outbreaks of spots. I use this once a week and my skin always feels brighter and softer after using this product. 

Botanics 'Organic Rosewater Toner'

This is my all time favourite toner. I've been using this for a long time now and keep repurchasing it. When I noticed the Botanics range was 3 for 2 in Boots I bought 3 of these last week saving myself a lovely £4.07. I love this smell of the toner, its a very strong rosewater scent (as the name suggests!) but not overpowering. I've tried other rosewater toners and none of them smell as lovely as this one. It soothes my dry skin and doesn't make my face feel tight after using it, all in all a great product!

Soap and Glory 'The Greatest Scrub of All'

This scrub is excellent because the exfoliation particles are so tiny! When you squeeze a little out of the tube you can't even see the grains which makes this exfoliator especially good as its very non abrasive. One thing I can't stand is a scrub that scratches and hurts to use, they defiantly aren't good for your skin as you only want to remove the very top layer of dead skin cells. It makes my skin feel lovely and soft.

Liz Earle 'Cleanse & Polish'

This is my favourite cleanser of all time! Its thick texture glides on and removes my make up effortlessly. My skin feels unbelievable soft and bright after using this and its very soothing. I use this with the muslin cloth it comes with and I think this is key to achieving the best results when you use this. The cleanser is extremely gentle and moisturising and above all it clears my skin up every time I have a break out! It's an amazing product and I cannot recommend it enough.

L'Oreal 'Dermo-Expertise Gentle Eye Make Up Remover'

This is a firm favourite because it doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. I don't find it to be too oily and it removes my eye make up easily (however it didn't work so well on my water proof mascara, as I only wear this on holiday I'm not too bothered). It leaves my eyes feeling refreshed and its not very expensive at all! Very good all round.

I hope you like this post, 'Part II' to follow shortly!