LOTN #2

Hey lovelies! So freshers is now officially over (sad face :()! I had an amazing time catching up with my friends and going on nights out (did not enjoy the hangovers so much!) but now here is where the real work starts. I thought I would share another look of the night's with you. I went for a similar smokey eye as my previous look, but slightly darker, and paired it with a nude lip. As you may be able to tell by now, I rarely put any makeup on my lower eye, not even mascara or pencil in the water line. I do this as I have quite small eyes and I feel leaving it clear, opens my eyes up a bit more! I have been really getting into nude lips recently, as much as I love darker, vamp-ier colours for autumn, with a smokey eye I think its nice to keep the lip simple.

Face

Revlon Photoready Primer

Mac Studio Fix Fluid NC35

Clinique Superbalanced Makeup Ivory

Mac Studio Finish Concealer

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

HD Brow Palette Bombshell

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Nars Deep Throat Blush

Eyes

Urban Decay Naked Palette-

Virgin all over lid/brow bone and tear duct

Buck through crease

Smog/Darkhorse over outer two thirds

Naked to blend out

Mac Powerpoint Eye Pencil Engraved (Upper lash line)

MUA Black eyeshadow (to deepen)

Maybelline The Flared Mascara

Ebay Eyelashes (cut in half)

Lips

No.7 Perfect Lips Pencil Nude

Mac Hue Lipstick

I promise the next post will be my super simple eye brow routine/tutorial! What makeup do you go for on a night out? Do you prefer a nude or a bright lip?

LOTN!

Hey lovelies! I am now back and uni and enjoying freshers week as much as poss before getting stuck in to the work! I went out last night and thought I would share my look of the night with you. I recently got a new lip liner from Mac which I have been wearing non stop and absolutely love it! (Post to follow) In this look, I went for a light smokey eye and coral lip, a combo which has become my go-to look. I paired it with a coral top, nude skirt and black blazer, along with my fave pair of nude strappy wedges (still living in the summer!).

Face

Revlon Photoready Primer

Mac Studio Fix Fluid NC35

Mac Studio Finish Concealer NC30

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural Medium Plus

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Mac Cream Colour Base Pearl

Nars Deep nThroat

HD Brow Palette

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Mac Powerpoint Eye Pencil Engraved

Maybelline Flared Mascara

Eyelashes (Half Lash) Ebay

Lips

Mac Lip Pencil Lasting Sensation

Mac Cut A Caper Lipstick

Revlon Lipgloss Coral Reef

What has been your go-to look recently?

Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss Review

Hey beauts! I was recently browsing the Debenhams website and spotted that the Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss's were in the sale for a bargain £5.99. I have never been that much of a gloss girl, and always favour lipstick, but, I knew for that price I had to grab one. There were two colours which caught my eye, but as I hadn't tried them before and therefore didn't know if I would actually like them, I decided to only order one. The one I got is 'Frenzy', an amazingly bright hot pink. I can definitely see why they called these lipglosses 'intense' as even in the tube the colour is so striking. 

I am not the biggest fan of the packaging, only because squeezy tubes just don't work well for me, and with it being such a bold colour, if you arn't careful and squeeze too hard, you are going to end up with it all down your clothes. I much prefer a brush applicator, I find them much easier to apply with precision (again, this is needed with it being such a statement colour) and to take out in your clutch to reapply on a night out, but that's just down to personal preference. 

The gloss itself is seriously pigmented, and it applies with enough coverage that there is no need for a lipstick. It does actually feel like you are wearing a bold lipstick with a glossy finish to it and when applied to the lips it is one of those formulas that you just know is going to last well (although probably isn't the best if you are planning on kissing or hugging any body, as it will most definitely end up on their face/lips/clothes!).

I think this colour is a great alternative if you are a little scared or feel you can't pull off wearing a bold red lip. It really is a statement gloss, perfect for a night out teamed with a nude eye and your fave little black dress. I am super tempted to pick up some more of these whilst they are still in the sale, as they are definitely worth it. 

This gloss has definitely opened my eyes when it comes to choosing lippy over gloss. What do you think? Are you more of a lip gloss or lipstick kinda gal? Have you tried any of the Intense glosses from this line?

Sigma F25 Brush Review

Compared to Real Techniques Blush and Contour Brushes.

Hi lovelies! I was recently contacted by Sigma asking if I would like to try out one of their brushes, and being a huuge brush fan, I jumped at the chance. Sigma brushes have a lot of hype around them in the blogging world, with them being the cheaper dupes to Mac brushes. I have been eyeing a few of their brushes for a while, in particular the F25 Tapered Face Brush, which I ended up picking and was very excited that I would finally be able to try it out. 

Sigma F25 Tapered Face Brush- "Apply powder, blush or contour shades onto the cheeks and temples. Tapered shape gives exact placement of product."

I was so excited when this arrived on my door step, with a lovely note from Sigma and instructions on how to care for my brush, as well as a free travel size E05 Eyeliner Brush in pink which is so cute! As instructed, I gave the brush a first wash before I used it, and when leaving it to dry I was a little worried that it would lose its tapered shape, but  once dried I was very happy to see it stayed in perfect condition and retained its original shape as well as drying pretty quickly. 

I have been testing the brush out for the past week or so and I absolutely love it. I have been using it to contour using my Nars Laguna Bronzer and it has been working perfectly. The tapered bristles mean you can get right into the hollows of your cheeks and the brush is large and fluffy enough for it to blend nicely and for it not to look too harsh. I am not someone who is blessed with strong cheekbones and previously I had been using the Real Techniques Blush Brush to apply bronzer and contour, but found it wasn't quite tapered enough for this, which is where the F25 is amazing for me (I now have some sort of structure to my face!).

The brush itself is great quality, and just by holding it you can feel that it is a very well made brush. The bristles are super soft and luxurious feeling allowing the product to glide onto the skin beautifully. I love the design of the brush, simple black handles are what I favour anyway and this one looks very sleek and professional. It has a chunky handle which I actually really like. The name is printed clearly on the handle in a holographic like print, which adds something special to the design. I havn't had any shedding from this brush (one of my pet peeves with some other brands) which is another bonus!

Overall I am so happy with this brush and impressed with the brand overall. I have read that some people find this brush too large for bronzer/contour purposes, but I actually think it is the perfect size to achieve something that doesn't look too sharp that it becomes unnatural. This brush has definitely converted me to Sigma over a lot of other more expensive brands, as they are so much more affordable yet so comparable in quality to higher end brushes. I am definitely keen to invest in some of the other brushes in the range, I have my eye on the flat top kabuki and the F35 (a mini version of the F25) looks like it would be amazing for applying highlighter or contouring the nose!

The F25 can be purchased on the Sigma website here and they do ship to the UK for a very reasonable shipping rate!

Have you tried Sigma Brushes? Which is your favourite?

(Disclaimer- This brush was sent to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.) 

Nars Laguna Bronzer

(The flash on my camera has made the colour look a little pinky, and although it is warm colour, note that it is a little darker in real life!)

Hey lovelies, hope you are well! Nars Laguna has to be one of the most raved about bronzers of all time. I rarely hear negative things about this bronzer, and although there are millions of reviews out there, I thought I would give my thoughts on it! I have recently been in a 'repurchasing products I love' phase, as I have been running out of some of my faves (haul post to come!). I ordered a new Nars Laguna from Asos, which cost £24, but with the 10% student discount I got it for £21.60. I decided to order from Asos as they offer free delivery, which usually arrives pretty quickly so is great value for money. There is something about Nars packaging which just looks and feels so luxurious (Although attracts dirt like nothing else!). Being a bronzer the packaging is a lot larger than that of a Nars blush/eyeshadow duo and with 8g of product, it does last ages which helps justify the price. The bronzer itself is such a perfect natural colour, the finish is matte enough to allow you to contour with it, but has teeny tiny flecks of shimmer, which are so finely milled that it gives you a lovely bronzed glow. I love the names of Nars products, although some can be a little cringey, 'Laguna' reminds me of Laguna Beach, where everyone is super gorgeous and tanned!
I have heard that this bronzer is prone to smashing with it being such a thin, wide pan, but I (fingers crossed) havn't had this problem, although I am pretty careful how I handle it. 
I used to apply Laguna with my Real Techniques Blush Brush, but recently have started using the Sigma F25 (Review post to follow), a combo which I have been loving!

Have you tried Laguna? What are your thoughts? Do you have a different favourite bronzer?

Packing Up My Makeup!

Hey everyone! As I mentioned in my last post, I am soon to be moving back to Uni for my final year and into a new flat with my boyfriend. Today I decided to begin the mammoth task of sorting and packing, and in particular deciding what beauty related items I will be taking with me. Packing up everything definitely takes a lot of time, especially as I am a girl who likes options, so I definitely tend to want to take everyything, so in all honestly, not much is staying behind! All I can say is THANK GOD for Glossybox's. The dozens I have held onto since the whole beauty box concept started have meant I have collected a large amount of pretty pink boxes that are perfect size for packing makeup. They have made things ten times easier, as I can label what is going into what, and divide it all up into categories.  Luckily, my dressing table, acrylic storage, brush holders etc are all coming with me, so unpacking will be super easy as everything will be going into the same place as it was before. 

Anyhoo, the main reason for this post is to say that one of the reasons I am so excited to get into the new place, is because it has a spare bedroom so I will be back to having a dressing room. This means posting on my blog will become a lot easier and hopefully mean I can into more of a routine with my blog and having the space to have everything out and in its own place, also write some more fashion related post aswell. I will definitely get round to showing you my new makeup, jewellery and clothes set up once it is all in place aswell as some more diy decor ideas! I have some exciting posts coming in the near future, and a possible give away at 200 followers!

Are any of you heading back to Uni or school in the next couple of weeks? I wish you the best of luck whatever you may be doing!

Mini Haul!

Hey everyone! I have been doing a little bit of shopping so I thought I would share my purchases with you. I don't know if I have mentioned it recently, but in just under two weeks time I am heading back to Uni for my final year, and so, moving into a new flat with my boyfriend. I wanted to get some scented candles especially, so I picked some up from yankeedirect.com. I thought while I was making an order I may as well get one of my all time faves from Yankee Candle, a large Christmas Cookie to burn over the festive period (I like to be prepared!). Christmas Cookie is a rich, buttery, vanilla scent that I abso adoree. I also picked up French Vanilla in a large jar, similar to Christmas Cookie but not so much of a buttery vanilla to burn until I can grab my beloved Christmas Cookie (It just feels wrong burning it at any other time of year!). I also got a sample of Mango Peach Salsa, a scent I had been wanting to try for ages but didn't want to fork out for the full price before seeing if I would like it. (Turns out it smells soo yummy, so I have already ordered the large size, aswell as a couple of others which I will haul once they have arrived!) 

I love buying jewellery from Ebay, I think its a great way of getting current styles for a super cheap price. I got this double finger cross ring in gold for £1.29 with free p&p from China, and it arrived really quickly. I believe this style ring is in Topshop's current season for more than triple the price so this is a real steal.The rings are adjustable so suitable for anyone too :)

 Whilst in Superdrug, I picked up this MUA eyeshadow in the shade 'Pearl'. Its gorgeous shimmery, creamy gold toned colour caught my eye instantly, plus it was only a pound! This shade reminds me a lot of my Nars cream eyeshadow in 'Mousson' although is prehaps more gold toned whereas Mousson leans more towards the silver side. 

I also got a couple of Tresemme Volume and Lift products. The first is the Touchable Finish hairspray which is meant to add volume to the hair without being sticky whilst also fighting frizz. As always, these come in the huuge bottles and my first impression is that I really like it. The smell isn't over powering and it seems to hold well without giving that 'stiff' look to the hair. The other product I got is the Volume and Lift mousse, which is suppose to give texture and volume to the hair. I bought this to compare it against my Aussie Texturising Spray which I lovee. I definitely prefer the spray application, but I do find that mousse works well to give that extra lift. I will let you know what I think of this one!

So that is my little haul! I will be sure to share my Yankee purchases when they arrive aswell as a few other little bits I have been buying! Have you bought anything you have really liked recently?