PHOTO DIARY: AMSTERDAM

This little blog post is a collection of images from my recent trip to Amsterdam with a few friends. We went over for a weekend of exploring, good food and plenty of museum visits. 

KYLIE COSMETICS

It feels like a very long time since I've sat down and written a blog post and truth is I just haven't felt very motivated to do so recently. BUT times have changed and I'm getting my act together and getting back on track. I received my Kylie Cosmetic lipsticks in the mail a few weeks ago now and just haven't had a chance to finish writing this post. I've had these for nearly a month now so I feel that's an appropriate length of time to write about how I feel about these lip products.

VANCOUVER HAUL

So I recently got back from Canada where I spent far too much time in Sephora. I think I actually made 5 trips in there in one week... Ooopsie. I also took a trip into the MAC Store and picked up a few goodies there too. So this is just a little blog post trying to justify my purchases and make myself not feel so bad.

THE EFFORTLESS NARS FACE

Since I own a lot of NARS goodies I wanted to try using one brand to create a make up look. I wanted to create something that would be an easy, quick go to that I'd be able to rely on this summer. The only thing I used that wasn't NARS was a Mascara; as I really don't see the point in an expensive mascara. This is sort of a no makeup- makeup look, but made me look very awake even though I really wasn't.

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Soon as I saw this palette on the Urban Decay Instagram account I had been counting down the days until it was released. As always the Americans got their hands on it first which meant checking the UD site daily from the 1st. I couldn't quite contain my excitement when it was posted through my letter box. As far as I know this palette is now sold out pretty much everywhere in the UK.

Also  I'm headed for Vancouver, Canada for a few days so expect a haul post from that too! Anyway can we just get onto how gorgeous this packaging is...

APRIL FAVOURITES

Whats in my make up bag? So throughout the month of April I've been sticking to a few things in my make up collection and creating a similar look pretty much everyday. I don't normally keep my favourites in a bag but when I saw this gorgeous make up bag from H&M I couldn't not separate my most used from my collection. The bag was £7.99 which is a complete bargain as it feels high quality and can store a lot of make up inside. It also looks super cute.

BRUSH CLEANING

This blog post is a little one about brush cleaning. I've recently found a new way of washing my brushes which is less time consuming and far easier to do, making brush cleaning far more frequent. I used to hate washing my brushes but now I really don't mind the chore. I usually get a bowl and sit in front of the TV then I don't have to stand at a sink!

What you'll need is:

- some dirty brushes

- a bar of soap

- textured glove/ mat

- cotton pads

- rubbing alcohol

SAVE YOUR LASHES

So I'm sure a lot of us have those lashes which you've forgotten the name of, that you love dearly that have glitter and eyeshadow all over them. You could just go out and try to buy more, or if you're on a beauty budget I have found the answer to making them look brand new again! Here's how I saved my favourite lashes...

#BANTHEBORING JUICY SHAKER

These are the new Lancome Juicy Shakers. I walked past a stand for them on my way into work and had to try them out after! They're a very unique lip oil on the market at the moment and look super cute! The RRP of these lip oils are £18.00 each, which is fairly expensive in my opinion for the size of the bottle. There are 13 Shades within the range all of which are super beautiful. I picked out Meli Melon a gorgeous pink shade and the Limited Edition shade Mint To Be which is a gorgeous shade as its clear with a hint of blue.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS - GLOW KITS

Ever since these came out I had been dying to get my hands on them. But living in the UK we're always last for these gorgeous beauty launches. Cult Beauty brought the Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kits to the United Kingdom and I could not have been more excited. I decided on ordering both, because I just couldn't not... I mean how pretty are they?!

MARCH FAVOURITES

I've had a month of makeup relapse and my bank account has seen it. However I have fallen in love with many items this month and I just wanted to share them with you all (as they've made me a lot happier than they should)!! Especially the Juicy Shakers from Lancome which I have a blog post coming up soon about! But lets get into these March favourites.

MAKE UP COLLECTION MARCH 16'

I always love to see what people hold in their make up collections, mainly to gain inspiration on what to try next and also because I like to be nosey. This is where I store all of my make up in my room. I don't have a vanity as I like to sit on the floor and do my make up! So on the top of my acrylic storage I hold all my brushes along the back, products that can't fit inside of the storage and my MAC "MAC Lipstick Collection Post" and Gerard Cosmetics lipsticks "Gerard Cosmetics Lipsticks Post". I also have my make up books Art & Makeup - Lan Nguyen and Face Paint - Lisa Eldridge.

OFFICE SPACE

Now to tell you the truth my office has been a dumping ground since forever. BUT after this spring clean I've decided to get into it more. Its amazing what a new desk-top and light can do! I just thought that I'd do a little blog post on my home office space, where I'm starting to do most of my work!

A/W16 BACKSTAGE BEAUTY

This post is a little bit different to my usual content but I thought it'd be fun to look at the A/W16 Beauty trends and pick out my favourites.

CHANEL

For me the make up that did it was this Chanel look created by Tom Pecheux. He created a "quilted" eye look with grey eyeshadow. The eyes obviously fit in well with Chanel's signature look but they're also very eye-catching but at the same time subtle. You could create this with fishnet tights placed over the eye before applying shadow. I do think that this look is actually very wearable, you might get a few looks but thats only because of your amazing make up skills right?

THE HUNT FOR THE PERFECT LIQUID LIPSTICK

As is everyone else, I'm dying to find the perfect liquid lipstick. I'm also dying to try the Colorpop and Anastasia Beverly Hills ones. BUT seeing as I live in the UK, and anything I want always stays the other side of the pond, I thought I'd give these Stila ones a go. I first of all bought the shade Baci as I had seen it on Samantha Ravndahl on her Instagram page. Seriously Instagram is deadly when you follow so many make up artists.... I then decided on buying Rosa.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: MAKEUP GEEK

So right now I should really be doing my final touches to my University work, which has a deadline for next week, BUT my Makeup Geek order came and I got very excited. Makeup Geek eyeshadow's have been talked about for ages, so naturally I was dying to get my hands on them and see what all the fuss was about. I had been umm-ing and ahh-ing for months at what shades to get. But when Beauty Bay added them to their site I just had to purchase them.

AMBIENT STROBE LIGHTING POWDERS

So these are my first make up purchases of 2016!!! I know, I went a whole month without buying make up... GO ME! But these were a must have. Ever since I saw on the Hourglass Instagram about these babies, I just knew I HAD to have them. I have a highlight addiction that must be fed.

VALENTINES DAY GLAM

This post is a make up look I've been wearing a lot recently inspired by Valentine's Day. Wether you're out with the girls or you're lucky enough to have a date, I think that this look is perfect for the 14th of February or any other day you fancy rocking some pink make up.

CONTOUR 101

These are a few of my favourite high(er) end matte bronzers that I use for creating a contour. I find that my matte products work better for contouring as theres no reflects of glitter or shimmer to catch the light within them. Meaning that they do work to create shadow and make those parts of your face really sink in.

CURRENTLY OBSESSED

These are a few items that I've currently been obsessed with. Want a glowing radiant, pink and rose gold look? Well I think that this blog post is right up your street. I've included recent loves and by chance they all happen to have that rose gold vibe. However, I haven't included a foundation or mascara within this post as I feel like these items work differently on all people. What works for me, might not work for you, right? But I have been loving MAC Face and Body foundation to go along with this look as it creates a lovely dewy glow. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little one.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

So this is just an informative blog post based on a recent experience. I recently decided to invest in a Burberry scarf. We already owned a real one bought from the Burberry site so I decided to gamble on eBay (being a student and all that) being that I could compare it to the real one for legitimacy. 

LIP EDIT

Hey ya'll! Just a little lip edit I put together combining my fav lip colours all into one post. This is mainly on pink and nude tones (as you can probably tell from the above image), as this is what I tend to own the most of and get the most wear out of. I think in 2016 I want to branch out and try more weird and wonderful shades of lippy, however I've put myself on a spending ban this month in hopes of actually saving some money! Remember that post I wrote "Need VS Want" yeah that never happened that month. So I'm starting again! New year, new me and all that. 

THAT GLOW

Hey guys! Another collection post this time about my favourite thing... HIGHLIGHTERS!! I'm really pleased with my collection so far, I think that they're all gorgeous. I have a variety of shades within this post that could be used for different looks. I really hope this helps anyone looking for a new one to try out, or for someone who doesn't own any! I never knew how long it would take to write about a few highlighters so I hope you enjoy!

MAC LIPLINER COLLECTION

Hey guys, another collection post! This time about my small collection of MAC liners! I've got to be honest most of the time for a day look I don't really bother with a liner unless I'm doing a dark/ coloured lip or have the time to. BUT I do want to expand my MAC liner collection as they're just so wonderful much like their lipsticks. PS if anyone noticed I managed to get rid of the borders around my images and I think it looks so much cleaner, what do you guys think?

2015 FAVOURITES

Hey guys! Welcome to 2016. This post is my 2015 favourites, it was hard to pick what I've been loving most this year as I have used/ bought so much in the way of make up. However I think my picks are relevant to what I've used since the beginning of 2015. Also I hope you're all loving the new photos and swatches, I think they look that bit more professional! Anyway here are my favourites...