Long Lost Me..

Happy Valentines Day!

               Metallic Glitter Nails                       Subtle Highlights

           Nars Laguna (Waiting for the smash!) Working with tigers for a film project

 Great Naked Palette Dupe, Sleek idivine!        Girly Night :)

  Essie Bikini So Teeny

        New editions to my Essie stash                               

                                                

 Debating having my hair chopped to this length!?

   

          New Pandora Charms        Fave Mascara, Benefit They're Real

Hey guys! Hope you are well! I feel like this is becoming a regular thing, but my blog has once again had to be nudged to the side due to the piles and piles of University work I have on at the moment, and with it being my final year, its really all I am focusing on. Of course I miss being able to talk about beauty all day, and I love logging onto my little blog every now and then and seeing such sweet comments from you guys, so thank you for that, and for bearing with me through these past hectic months! :) Anyway, I thought id just leave you with a look through some of my recent instagram pics! Hopefully this will make up a teeny bit for being so rubbish at checking in. Enjoy, and we will speak soon once the load has gone down a little!

As always, feel free to leave any comments down below, or any suggestions on future posts you would like to see!

Lots of love

Eyebrow Routine!

Hey beauts! I was recently contacted by a lovely girl who asked if I would do a tutorial on my eyebrows. I was really touched that anyone would actually want to know how I do them to be honest, as I have never thought of mine being anything special! Although I am happy with the way they are, I think we all want what we don't have and I am forever lusting over gorgeous, natural, full brows! I have definitely had some brow disasters through the years (I wish I had photo's to show you all!) and when I was in my early teens, the trend was to have super skinny mini eyebrows, so of course I took to the tweezers and went pluck crazy, leaving me with brows the thickness of a pen line which I regret so much, as looking back at childhood photo's I had very full (although some what bushy and a bit messy) brows. Thankfully, after a little while, and some embarrassing looks later, they did grow back, though I never got my full brows back. On a positive note though, I do feel like the brows I now have suit my face shape and they are super easy to do and maintain so I guess you win some, you lose some! 

Anyway, on to what I do. I am pretty lucky in that my brows do tend to pretty much maintain their shape on their own, although I do give them some help. Firstly, plucking. I don't tend to pluck too often, as I can be a little heavy handed, so about once a week is fine for me (to be honest as my brow hair is so used to being removed it grows back pretty sparsely anyway) and I just pluck the underneath following the shape of my brow bone. To keep the tops in shape, I take a pair of small scissors, nail scissors are good but I find cuticle trimmers to be the best as they have a curved edge which means you arn't left with a really blunt cut across the hairs. I just used these to neaten up the front and trim down any that are too long. 

When filling in my brows, I start off combing them through with an eyebrow comb, mine is from No.7 and came from a set I got at Christmas, but you can pick these up super cheap else where. 

I then use my HD Brows Palette in the colour 'Bombshell'. I got this in my Glossybox last year and have been using it everyday since (I have recently got a back up but even after 12+ months of using it everyday, I still have some left!). Now I believe the Bombshell palette is actually meant for blondes, but even though I am a brunette, I find a mix of the 'Ash Blonde' and 'Medium Blonde' to be absolutely perfect for my colouring. They do look pretty light in the pan, but actually work really nicely to give a natural filled in look, and I find going any darker too harsh for me. For me, I much prefer using a powder to a pencil. I think in my brows it looks a lot more natural, and with the inner shape being quite squared off, a pencil is just too much. 

(Quick Tip: The Gosh Eyebrow Set is a great, inexpensive dupe for the HD Brows palette!)

I use a Royal & Langnickel Silk Pro C490 brush to fill them in. This is basically a small angled brush which some people may find this brush too small but I find it great for creating little lines in the brows to mimic real hairs rather than filling them in very bluntly. I also find it is the perfect size for creating the arch in my brow and pulling it down without leaving it looking fake. When filling in the front of my brows, I tend to turn the brush on its side and apply in the opposite direction to the hair growth, I just find this leaves it look natural and not filled in. After applying the powder, I give it another brush through with the brow comb again, just to get rid of any harshness. 

I will some times then set my brows (usually only if I am going on a night out or have a very long day ahead) with a brow gel, I like the one by Mac but Elf has a great cheaper alternative which I think works just as well! And that's it really! My brows are definitely not perfect but I hope at least someone finds this helpful!

I know it is difficult to do tutorials like this in a blog post, but I hope it makes sense! If you have any more questions feel free to pop them below! Do you have a favourite brow product? Do you fill in your brows or just leave them natural?

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?

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?

Mac Heavenly Creature Collection

Hey ladies! I don't know why, but when it comes to Mac limited edition collections, I am always that girl who leaves purchasing till the last minute then notices things starting to sell out, suddenly panics and darts to the shop to see if they have any left. (Well, not surprisingly, they didn't!) I then spend hours trawling the internet trying to find what i'm after on various websites, and this time, I came up trumps! Since I had seen Mac's Heavenly Creature Collection, I had been dying to get my hands on the ever popular 'Cut a Caper' lipstick, and when I had seen that Mac, Debenhams and House of Fraser (as well as my local counter) had sold out I was soo gutted. Luckily, I managed to pick one up on the Selfridges website from the low stock that they had left. I actually checked back moments later and it was out of stock! It was definitely one of those 'meant to be' moments!

Cut a Caper is the most perfect peachy pink colour, (something that I think Mac need to add more of to their permanent line!) and I am absolutely in love with it. I believe this is a re promote first released in 2010, and I had read that it was one of those sell out colours that everyone is dying to get their hands on. I'm really not surprised it's so popular, it is such a gorgeous, wearable colour and has definitely become one of my favourite lipsticks. 

I also decided to get one of the Mineralize Skinfinish's as I am a sucker for how pretty these are. I got 'Center Of The Universe', a lovely coral with ripples of gold running through it. It is so beautiful and looks gorgeous used as a cheek or brow bone highlight, on the cheek as a blush, a tearduct colour, or all over the lids, it is definitely a very multi purpose product. 


I am in love with this collection and I have my eye on a few other things that I may persuade myself to purchase before they sell out! Did you pick up anything from this collection?

L'oreal Rouge Caresse Lipsticks - Take 2!

If you read my blog regularly, you may have seen a post a while a go about the L'oreal Paris Rouge Caresse Lipsticks and how much I was loving them and mentioned that I would like to try some of the other colours in the range. Well, I found a great deal on Buyapowa, where you could get two for £7.00, which is a great deal as they normally retail for  £7.99 each. So, I jumped at the chance and entered the co-buy, and got the colours 'Nude Ingenue' and 'Impulsive Fuchsia'.

Nude Ingenue isn't a colour I would normally immediately go for. It is a nude, pinkish brown that looks a little scary in the tube. But actually, when worn, it sheers out a lot and leaves a lovely finish on the lips. I am really glad I ended up getting this one in the deal, as looking at it on the shelf in a shop, I wouldn't have picked it up, but now I have worn it, I will definitely get a lot of day use out of this. 

Impulsive Fuchsia is a colour I had previously thought about buying anyway, so I knew I would love it. It is a very bright, pinky red fuchsia, a colour which I really like using to add a pop of colour to an evening outfit, especially when wearing all black, this colour can really compliment it and take an outfit for plain to dressy. 

  
These lipsticks are very glossy and a great alternative to wearing lipstick if, like me, you have dry lips and sometimes find a solid lipstick can begin to dry into the cracks! These have quickly become my go to lipsticks, I love that they keep my lips moisturised while adding a lovely wash of colour.

Have you tried these lipsticks? Or do you have another go-to lipstick?

Nars Cream Eyeshadow Duo 'Camargue' & LOTD!

Nars definitely has to be one of my favourite makeup brands. I love the packaging (although it attracts dirt like nothing else!) and the quality of the products is amazing. I have really been getting into cream eyeshadows recently as I love the finish it gives worn alone and the intensity it gives to a colour when worn as a base. 

I picked up a cream eyeshadow duo from Nars in the colour 'Camargue', which is described as "Golden Moss/ Sienna infused with multi-coloured reflections". 

The Golden Moss colour is a very shimmery gold with a subtle hint of green, which I have been loving using as a base all over the lid.

The Sienna is a warm brown with flecks of multi coloured shimmer throughout, which works lovely alongside the Golden Moss to darken up the eye.

Some people may find the amount of shimmer over powering, but I actually really like it for an evening/night out makeup, and love that the colours are buildable and can look fairly sheer or quite bold.

I have read that these crease fairly easily on some people, and for me, after a few hours I will start to notice some creasing, so I do like to set it with a powder eyeshadow, but still allow the shimmer to show through. I love how the colours work together and the finish of the cream eyeshadows. 'Madagascar', 'Summer Time' and 'Unconditional Love' from this range have been added to my 'to-buy' list!

Have you tried the Nars cream eyeshadows? Or do you have a different brand of cream eyeshadows that you favour?