PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT - MILANI BAKED BLUSH IN 'BERRY AMORE'

Hey guys! Brands such as NYX and Milani are very hard to get hold of in the UK and if you are lucky enough to find them then they are about double the price. So, a while back decided to order a few bits from an American website called BeautyJoint and I highly recommend it! Postage was only around £10, prices were extremely reasonable and even better, my package arrived in just under a week.

As I may have mentioned in a recent post, I admit me and blusher have never been the best of friends. I have always loved how it looks on other people but haven't really got the hang of applying it myself without looking like I have had some sort of allergic reaction on my cheeks. That aside, I decided that it was finally time that I mastered it. I ordered 5 blushers from the website and my favourite out of them was definitely the Milani Baked Blush in the shade Berry Amore. I discovered this product whilst watching one of MissGlamorazzi's videos on YouTube over Christmas and when I spotted it online for just under £5, I thought, why not?

This shade is a funny one, as in the pan it looks like a mauve-y berry shade with flecks of gold and I feel like this is what it looks like on my skin as well when I just apply it lightly. However, when I applied it as a swatch on the back of my hand it was more of a light brick red; either way, it is a gorgeous colour! I must admit that it looks a little scary whilst in the pan, however is nowhere near as daunting when you put it on your skin... a little goes a long way! The hints of gold give your cheeks a lovely glow and I just think this blush is perfect for the current and upcoming Autumn and Winter months. Also, the formula is just perfect in my opinion. The Milani Baked Blush is very easy to apply and the colour is very pigmented. Since I have started wearing blusher on a more regular basis, this has been my go to product.

MINI BEAUTY HAUL

Hey guys! I just thought I would do a quick post telling you about the beauty products I have picked up over the past few days

Naked 3 Palette: Yes, this happened and I do realise I'm a little late to jump on the bandwagon. I have wanted to buy the Naked 3 ever since I first saw the pre-release photographs and on multiple occasions have I wandered over to the Urban Decay counter in my local Debenhams and restrained myself, but yesterday I finally gave in. The rosy, pink toned shades in the palette are absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to try out some new looks that are different from my religiously used Foxy all over the lid, Bootycall in the inner corner to highlight and Busted in the crease look from my Naked 2.

Soap and Glory No Clogs Allowed Face Mask: I haven't tried this yet but have heard very good reviews about it. My skin hasn't been in the best state recently so I'm hoping this stuff will work its magic and give it a little TLC. I'll let you know my full opinion when I've used it a few times, however I did use it the other night; the sensation of the warming was REALLY weird but it didn't take very long and left my skin feeling as smooth as a baby's bum!

The Body Shop Passion Fruit Shower Gel: I actually only went into The Body Shop on this occasion to buy a present for someone but when I spotted this in the sale section at £3 I couldn't exactly resist. It smells absolutely divine and I love shower gels from The Body Shop. Also, I just want to add how good the customer service is and how nice all the staff are... the lady serving me today was kind enough to provide very generous samples of 5 different products, which I really appreciated!


Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water: When I heard people comparing this to Bioderma, a highly coveted product that is incredibly hard to get hold of in the UK hence why I haven't tried it, I knew I needed to get my mitts on it. So far, so good- it successfully removes my make up and leaves my skin feeling very clean. Obviously, I can't comment on how it compares to Bioderma though.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush: Again, something I have been wanting to buy for a while but just haven't got round to for some reason. I really love Real Techniques brushes, for both their quality and their price. I've been desperately in need of a new brush like this for a while now so I'm hoping that this will work as well as my other brushes by Real Techniques do.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in the shade 'Elusive': Oh. My. God. This stuff. Guys, if you haven't swatched these yet then I urge you to go do it right now. The shade range is amazing considering they have only just been released and the formula is just... ugh, oh so pigmented. I bought the shade Elusive in Superdrug for an introductory price of £5.99 (instead of £7.99), which is a beautiful pink colour and as you probably know, I am a real sucker for pink lip products.

I hope you liked seeing some of the products that I have bought recently! If you enjoyed this post, please comment and I'll do some more hauls in the future.

JANUARY FAVOURITES

Hey guys! I know, this is my second post of the day hahaha, but I'm currently stuck in bed with an absolutely horrendous cold (booooo, I hate you winter) and am a little bored, so I thought that I would write a quick blog post. For today's post, I'm going to do my January Favourites- I am SO excited for this, because favourites posts are always something I have loved reading on other peoples blogs! It will be a mixture of beauty and non-beauty related items, so I hope you enjoy! Ps. sorry for lack of photos, whilst there really isn't much that will stop me writing I don't really feel up to getting up and finding the things I need to photograph.

BEAUTY FAVOURITES

The first beauty item that I have been loving this month is my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation, which has been raved about by I don't know how many people. I have the shade Light Vanilla, which is just perfect for my skin. It feels very lightweight however it is still easy to build up coverage. The formula is very gel like and blendable, which I love. It brings a lot of radiance to my usually tired looking, pale skin. One other thing, which is completely irrelevant to how I find the product works for me, is that I LOVE the smell of it.. I can't even describe it, it just smells soooo good (prize for best scent description goes to me of course).

I could not make this favourites post without mentioning my go to lipstick for the past few weeks (or maybe even few months), which has been MAC's 'Captive'. I wrote a little about this in my recent MAC Lipstick Collection post- it is moisturising, which is always handy when it's winter and you live in England, the colour is a gorgeous plummy shade that no picture could ever do justice and I as a huge fan of dark lipsticks, I just think that I may have found the one.

Despite the fact that the festivities of Christmas are now well and truly over, I am still burning my spiced candles, have yet to delete the festive songs off my phone and am still loving my The Body Shop Gingerbread Shower Gel. This stuff is freaking Christmas in a bottle! The smell lasts ages and is beautiful. However, I'm sad to say that I have just looked on the Body Shop website and they no longer sell it, so I'm presuming it's only available at Christmas (*cries*).

I feel as if I have never been one to bother with applying a load of sprays and serums and masks and what not to my hair, so the fact that my last two favourites (could've been a lot more) are hair related is a little odd. Firstly, I picked up the Macadamia Natural Oil Moisturising Rinse in TK Maxx earlier this month for a bargain price of £5! After seeing Ingrid (missglamorazzi on YouTube) talk about this brand all the time, I thought it was time to get my hands on some and try it out for myself. So far, I am incredibly impressed and can see why she loves it so much! My hair feels so smooth, soft and knot-free after I use it, as well as looking very glossy.

My second haircare product that I have found myself reaching for more often is the Organix Coconut Milk Serum. I feel like in the past my hair has always felt slightly dry and dehydrated, and after using this my hair definitely feels a lot healthier and stronger at the ends. Plus, it smells absolutely divine!




NON-BEAUTY FAVOURITES

TV SHOW: Two words for you. Greys Anatomy. Oh my god, that show! I started watching it in around November '13 as seasons 1-8 are on the Sky On Demand service. I am now on Season 8 (I live a very sad existence, I am aware) and I think this may be taking the top spot on my list of favourite TV shows. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to start now!

FILM: I recently watched Little Miss Sunshine and oh my goodness, what a lovely, heartwarming film. Abigail Breslin was just the cutest in it and I found myself crying with laughter/sadness AT LEAST once every few minutes.

CLOTHES: I have never really been much of a hat wearer, I must admit. But I seem to be wearing a light grey, thick knit bobble hat that I bought in Topshop last October none stop... It's so cosy and goes perfectly with so many outfits!

MUSIC: This month I have rediscovered The Fray's music and completely fallen in love. I used to listen to them all the time but I haven't in a while. My favourite songs are Over My Head (Cable Car), Ungodly Hour, Be Still and Never Say Never.

BOOK: I only managed to read 3 books in January due to being so busy all the time, which is really odd for me as I usually read alllll the time. For my favourite of the month, I am torn between Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, which was extremely gripping (yet twisted) and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, a book that I've been meaning to read for a while and is on the complete other end of the spectrum to the Flynn novel- a fun, light YA novel that I thoroughly enjoyed!

My Weekend Make Up Routine (Drugstore)

Hey guys! Firstly, I have just reached 5 followers on Bloglovin which is so exciting considering I NEVER in a million years thought anyone would read this blog, let alone follow it *throws celebratory party*! I thought for today's post I would do an Every Day Make Up Routine using products that are available in places such as Boots and Superdrug. Again, I am using all my own photos so sorry for the dodgy quality.

After applying all of my skincare in the morning (I will make a separate post on this at some point soon when I have FINALLY found a cleanser that I 100% like) I apply concealer under my eyes and any red, angry blemishes that I have on my face- my drugstore concealer of choice is currently the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in the lightest shade which is 01. This is a product which is loved by pretty much every beauty blogger- it is creamy however still has good coverage and at just £4.19, it definitely hard to resist. I apply the concealer using my fingers, patting it down onto the skin as I find this the most effective way. Once I have blended it all in, I apply my foundation which is currently the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in the shade Vanille Clair 51- another beauty product which is the cheaper foundation of choice for many bloggers. It has a lovely, light feel to it however is very buildable; it is also very easy to apply and my favourite way to do this is by using a Real Techniques Stippling Brush. Next, I set the base products using the good old Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, £3.99, in the shade Transparent- I find this works on any skin tone and helps to keep your make-up in place for a long, long time- a powder brush and then I use the Real Techniques Setting Brush to set the concealer under my eyes and on blemishes.

I am not the type of person that uses blusher on a day to day basis as personally, I find that whenever I try to apply it it just goes totally wrong and I haveSephora Collection Colourful Blush in the colour Healthy Rose 09 with my newly purchased, brilliant Real Techniques Blush Brush (in case you haven't already realised, I freaking LOVE these brushes!!). It is described on the website as a 'matte warm rose' and I just think gives a nice, healthy colour to your cheeks. As it is winter time in the UK and my skin is very pal
e anyway, I generally avoid using a bronzer in these months. The next step for me is eyes- I am leaving out brows as the only product I am really happy with at the moment for mine is from MAC, which is most definitely not a cheap, drugstore product.

My favourite combination of products for my eyes is the Maybelline Colour Tattoo Eyeshadow in the shade On & On Bronze, another product that is constantly raveRimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Smokey Quartz on the top for some extra colour and staying power. After this, I curl my eyelashes and use my favourite mascara in the whole entire world which is the Maybelline The Volum' Express Colossal Smokey Mascara (bit of a mouthful, I know). I have been using this for about 3 years now and I love it, as it adds lots of volume as well as lengthening my usually short lashes. I feel like no other mascara has measured up to it yet, not even from the likes of Benefit etc!





My final step is to apply some lip colour- firstly, I moisturise my lips using the Carmex Mint Moisturing Lip Balm. Once this has sunk in, I always always always apply a lip colour- my favourite ones from the drugstore at the moment have been the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks in the shades Glam Fulham Plum (pretty much a dupe for MAC's Rebel) and Let's Get Naked. I just find that the formula of these lipsticks is reallllly lovely and there is also a great range of shades available!

My (small) MAC Lipstick Collection

Hey guys! I apologise for the long wait between posts however once again I have been extremely busy with school and it completely sucks. The second apology of this post will be for the dodgy photos- for the first time I have decided to include my own photos and swatches, which is slightly daunting; they have all been taken with an iPhone 4 (still not learnt how to use the Nikon 1 sitting downstairs yet, oops) hence the crappy quality. I thought for today's post I would do a MAC Lipstick Collection; even though, by almost every other beauty bloggers standards, I'm not sure I can even call it a collection. Despite the fact that I love the formula and the shade range and the packaging, I only own 6 MAC lipsticks due to the fact that I find paying £15 for them is ridiculous- the fact that 6 MAC lipsticks total to £90 makes me want to sit in a corner and cry, as I could've spent that money on other more important things. However, as a self confessed beauty addict, I can't help myself sometimes and I thought I would at least share with you the ones that I own. 

On the left I have the swatches of my lipsticks, which are Captive, Pink Nouveau, Lovelorn, Pink Plaid, Creme Cup and Imagine This. As you can probably see, I tend to lean towards the pinky colours when visiting the MAC counter.

There are many things I love about MAC lipsticks. The range of shades is jaw dropping, eye popping stuff when you walk into a beauty hall and see them all perfectly lined up. Personally, I struggle to contain my excitement whenever I get the opportunity to go and try out some new shades. Another factor that contributes to my love of MAC lipsticks is their formula- of the 6 I own, none of them are drying and I don't know whether this is just down to the type (I own Satin, Lustre, Matte, Cremesheen and Amplified) or whether their lipsticks in general are extremely creamy and moisturising. The staying power of them is just magic. The packaging is classic and none-garish as opposed to some of the alternatives available in the drugstore nowadays.

I've just realised that on the bottom right photo the right lipstick isn't labelled and I really can't be bothered editing it oooooops (lazy girl problems).

Creme Cup- A gorgeous nude pink colour with a little bit of shimmer. Very moisturising and one of my favourite lipsticks of all time!

Pink Nouveau- I love this pretty bright pink colour and the formulation is amazing, but I find because it is quite a bold pink (something that is out of my comfort zone), I don't really wear it as often as I should do.

Pink Plaid- Carrying on the pink theme, I love this muted pinky purple colour and the matte texture of it just makes it a beautiful lipstick to finish off any outfit.

Captive- My favourite lipstick of ALL TIME! The pictures included really don't do it any justice. I wear this purple-plum coloured beauty at least once a week.

Lovelorn- One of my favourites to wear in summer with a pretty sun dress and sandals. It is a lot more pink than Pink Plaid, however not quite as bright as Pink Nouveau- a perfect shade, in my opinion!

Imagine This- A limited edition brown nude colour that was released a couple of years ago as part of MAC's Christmas collection. I'm not so keen on it nowadays however at the time I absolutely loved it as it was one of the first MAC items I owned!

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15 - REVIEW

Hello, hope you're all enjoying your weekend so far! I just wanted to do a quick review of my current (although, saying this, it has nearly run out) foundation, which is the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation with SPF 15. I have really liked using this foundation and I think it is the best I have found for my skin so far. I have used a range of brands in the past, including Benefit, Bare Minerals, Revlon and Maybelline, however a lot of cheaper foundations tend to flake on my skin therefore whenever I can afford to I try and buy a higher end foundation. This was the first Bobbi Brown product that I have tried and I can definitely say that I will use products by the brand again. It gives a brilliant coverage and stays on my (oily) skin all day. I have the shade Sand and it matches my skin tone perfectly! I also just want to say how helpful the lady at the Bobbi Brown counter I visited was- she spent a good 15 minutes showing their range of skin care, applying the foundation and a little blusher, and wasn't pushy at all which I always appreciate! I'm not sure I'll be able to buy another bottle anytime soon because at £30 (a day's wages for me) it is a little pricey! But if you want to splurge a little, then it is definitely worth it.

SUMMER BEAUTY WISHLIST

   I have had several blogs/websites in my 15 years alive, ranging from highly embarrassing Piczo websites created when I was about 10 to only slightly less embarrassing Tumblrs and have even once or twice had a go at using Blogger 'for real' before. However, none of these have really got me anywhere, hence why I am writing this now. For a while I have been wanting to start a blog that I could actually take seriously and after only recently discovering blogs such as Lily Pebbles and Buy Now, Blog Later, I realised that it would be a very good idea to contribute the three main loves of mine- writing, clothes and beauty related products. I am yet to decide whether this is actually a very good idea or not, as I can see myself spending a lot of time on here. 
   
   For starters, I would like to give a short introduction about myself. My name is Rebecca and I am 15 as previously said, living in the North West of England. I am a big city girl at heart trapped in a small town and dream of getting out. I am generally a very friendly, approachable person (at least that's how I see myself, you'll have to ask others whether it's true or not ha ha) who doesn't enjoy arguments and confrontations in the slightest. I get anxious, scared and frustrated very easily- my tendency to worry about every single thing ahead of me has stopped my from doing things I have really wanted to do in the past but I'm now getting better at controlling it which is good. I'm also the type of person that has learnt not to get their hopes up that often to avoid unnecessary disappointment, however I dooooo enjoy life (most of the time) so don't get me wrong, I am not completely miserable even though it may seem that way. I like exercise but have next to no motivation (believe me, not a good combination). I love the sun and the outdoors and my best days always consist of a combination of the two. Other likes of mine incluuuuude candles, which I am completely obsessed with, travelling (my list isn't as extensive as I would like it to be at the moment- Spain, Greece, Portugal and Ireland) and reading; whenever I am not busy I am quite happy to bury my head in a good book for hours upon end. 

So now, I will get on to the actual interesting part.. at least I'm hoping that it will be interesting. For my first ever blog post, I thought that I would do something quite simple since I created this blog on a whim and therefore don't have anything prepared- a wishlist of my beauty must haves for this summer, both high end and drugstore.

1. Laura Mercier Free Spirit Baked Eye Palette- £30, available at Space NK. I have had my eye on this palette for quite a length of time and is still near the top of my wishlist. I love the fact that the shadows can be used dry for a more natural look or wet for a more intense look. The compact itself is classy and convenient, as it is easily portable. The palette is Limited Edition therefore I will be buying it very soon!
2. Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick- £5.49, available in Boots etc. As much as I adore MAC lipsticks and their formulation and the vast range of shades available and the fact I could spend all day at the counter in the Selfridges Beauty Hall swatching them on my hand, I am put off completely by their price (which has recently increased to £15). My favourite alternative is the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick. The range of shades is very good, with a colour for everyone practically, and they do not dry your lips out like many drugstore lipsticks that I have tried. One of the ones I have my eye on at the moment is the 101 Shade (pictured), a perfect blush pink shade that I am very much looking forward to purchasing. Also, at £5.49, it would be hard not to!
3. Essie 'In the Cab-ana' Nail Polish- Price varies, available online. Part of the 2013 Essie Resort collection, I am completely and utterly in love with this colour, as it would be absolutely perfect for summer. However, a downside is that it is not actually in the diffusion line in stores such as Boots, therefore is very hard to find. Your best bet is to buy online- Selfridges are selling it for £10.95, which is a little pricey but I believe that Beauty Bay do have some money off it at the moment making it around the same price (if not less than) as the normal Essie polishes. I am a complete nail polish addict and Essie is my favourite brand, as I love the formulation and the range of colours.
4. Nars Tinted Moisturiser- £27, available from Space NK, Selfridges etc. Around a year ago I went for an appointment with Nars, one of my favourite brands quality wise however I do not own many products as I find it to be a teeny bit overpriced. They tried the Nars Tinted Moisturiser in the shade 'Finland' on my face and I instantly wanted to buy it. It feels as light as air but gives a very good coverage, therefore is great for someone who, like me, still wants to wear make up in the summer. As I said, the thing that lets it down is the rather hefty price tag that comes with it. However, if you do want to invest then I would definitely recommend this. If not, then my current foundation is the Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in the shade 'Ivory', which is £9 available in Boots and Superdrug.
5. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Protective Sun Lotion SPF 50- £7.49, available in Boots. I have never actually tried this sun lotion however have heard so many good things about it. As I learnt on a recent holiday in Portugal, I am very prone to burning therefore am going to buy this as soon as possible!

So, there we have it, my first ever blog post. I'm not even sure anyone will ever read this blog, but if you do then thank you. It would definitely be an amazing feeling to know that my blog posts help and advise people in any way.

PS- Sorry about the dodgy formatting of the image ha ha, wrote this blog post in a short amount of time.