My make up Storage

Does anybody else find it hard to figure out how and where to store their make up? Or am I just indecisive? I think I've had my make up collection in every corner of my room, and never really liked it. I bought a desk to act as a dressing table, and now I actually use it as it was intended - a desk. Which leads me onto the purpose of this post - How I store my make up:

I store all of my palettes in a toast rack that I got from Poundland. Wilkinsons also sell metal letter/paper racks that would work just the same

For my liners and eye brushes, I use these coloured glass jars that I got again from Poundland last summer. And for face brushes I use this DIY brush holder

Next shelf down is perfumes/smellies.I keep my Lush products in this V.I.P glass my friend got me for Christmas

The bigger set of drawers I bought for £5.00 from Morrisons. In the top drawer I keep all lipsticks and the bottom two are eyeshadows.

The smaller drawers are from Poundland and in the top drawer I keep mascara's, second drawer is primers and bottom drawer is liquid and gel liners

These are my faves! All three jars were gifts so I'm not sure where to get them but any cookie jars would do. In the pink 'cupcake' I have my loose MUA shadows, and in the blue I have all of my lip glosses. I thought that the little cup 'cupcake' would be ideal for cotton buds because it has a lid

Do you have an storage tips?

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Make up Monday

It's Monday again (unfortunately) Anybody else despise Monday's? I don't know why I do (well I do, first day back at work) Monday is the only day that seems to go so quick! Anyway, time for another 'Make up Monday' post.

I've been delving into my make up collection and picked out things that I haven't used in ages.

Eyes:

* The Body Shop eye colour pigment in 'Radiant graphite'

* Primark shimmer dust (doesn't have a name. Well done Primark)

* Barry M dazzle dust in '88'

Face:

* MUA cream blushes in 'Blossom' and 'Yummy'

Lips:

* NYX lipstick in 'Tea Rose'

* MUA lipstick in 'shade 6'

Let's see how many of these products become this weeks faves.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Thanks for reading :)

Sxx

Weekly favourites

Sunday again, which means weekly faves again:

Eyes:

 * Too Faced eyeshadows in 'Label Whore' and 'Jealous?' - I was so unsure about 'Label Whore' which is very similar to MAC's 'Club, because it's warm toned. However, after using it a second time through the week I really liked it!

* Accessorize volumising mascara- This was a Christmas present and I've only just started using it (I had a billion mascara's already open) It's a great mascara, definitely gives volume

* e.l.f Lock and seal - I've already reviewed this. It's such a great product for anyone who likes using loose shadows and pigments 

Face:

* Rimmel lasting finish blushes in 'Winter glow' and 'Summer fever' - I've used and loved bot of these so many times before. They're pigmented but are quite subtle

Lips:

* MAC Viva glam Cyndi - Rather than going for a full on red lip, I've been dabbing this on slightly and blending in. It gives a perfect subtle rosy colour

That's it for this week beauts. What have you been loving?

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Liebster Award Nomination

I've been nominated again for the Liebster Award again thanks to Beka and Erin so thank you both, and go check out their blogs :)

This is an award for bloggers with under 200 followers or less, and once you have been awarded this you do the following:

* List 11 random facts about yourself

* Answer the 11 questions given to you by whoever nominated you

* Ask 11 of your own questions to the bloggers you nominate

* Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers

* Go to each bloggers page and let them know you've nominated them

* Thank the person who nominated you and add a link back to their blog

11 Random facts about me:

1 - I hate the smell of Playdoh - It actually makes me retch (nice eh?)

2 - I'm 27 and can fit into my 8 year old niece's shoes

3 - I always wanted to be a gymnast growing up 

4 - I'm a huge Meat Loaf fan (The dude not the food)

5 - Dr Pepper sends me loopy

6 - I'm a complete bookworm

7 - I have a major girl crush on Rita Ora and Rooney Mara

8 - I'm a list freak

9 - I'm the biggest wimp when it comes to horror films

10 - I'd love a Kawasaki ninja 

11 - I'm REALLY not a morning person

Beka's Questions:

* Favourite Beauty brand?
There's so many that I love, but if I have to pick one high street and one high end, I'd say MUA and Urban Decay

* Favourite TV show?
Dancing on ice and Call the midwife

* Big night out or cosy night in?
Probably cosy night in if I'm honest - I'm getting old! :P

* What made you start blogging?
I started watching  so many YT video's and and always clicked on the links to the beauty blogs. I thought it looked fun, and that was that

* Where is your favourite place to eat?
Anywhere that sells pasta

* Favourite animal?
A horse

* Who is your favourite celebrity?
This is tuff, but I'm gonna say Rooney Mara and Rita Ora

* What is the best memory you've ever had?
I've got SO many that make me smile, they're all times I've spent with friends. The whole of 2010 was amazing

* Where is you're favourite place in the world?
California <3

* Hair up or down?
Up. I get too stressed when my hair's down, it blows all over and it's so flat!

* Do you reckon Kate Middleton will have a girl or boy?
A girl?



Erin's Questions:

* You're favourite lipstick at the moment?
Such a hard question! Probably Topshop 'Innocent' but that'll change in a day or two ;P

* An item on your wishlist?
Michael Kors Rose gold watch (I can dream)

* Tanfastic or English Rose?
English Rose

* You're favourite vintage look and why? (e.g 40's)
Pin up - It's simple classy and feminine

* Something which you couldn't live without?
Memories. Such a cop out I know but remembering the good times keeps me sane

* What kind of blogs do you like to read?
My fave are those with a mix of beauty and lifestyle - Books, cooking, fashion

* Best looking member of The Beatles?
Probably John Lennon

* Have you got any tattoo's or piercings?
No but I want a tattoo. I just can't decide what and where

* Favourite make up brand?
High street is MUA and High end is Urban Decay

* Best day of the week?
Saturday!

* Favourite brand of shoe?
I'm not really a shoe kinda gal, so I'm gonna say converse

My (very random) Questions for you all:

1 - What has been your favourite holiday?

2 - What is your favourite film?

3 - One thing you can't leave the house without?

4 - What is your favourite perfume?

5 -Who do you look up to?

6 - What is your favourite book? 

7 - Who is your favourite blogger?

8 - What is your favourite season?

9 - Your favourite brand of brushes?

10 - What is your favourite pizza topping?

11 - Your favourite shade of blush?


Bloggers I nominate:

1 - http://hobbitsandhairdye.blogspot.co.uk/
2 - http://prettydelicatelayers.blogspot.co.uk/
3 - http://beautymissblogger.blogspot.co.uk/
4 - http://www.beautybybobbi.com/
5 - http://treasureeverymoment01.blogspot.co.uk/
6 - http://the-belgian-girl.blogspot.co.uk/
7 - http://makeupobsessionandanxietyconfessions.blogspot.co.uk/
8 - http://kirsthu.blogspot.co.uk/
9 - http://thexbeautylove.blogspot.co.uk/
10 - http://www.isobel-rose.com/
11 - http://beadsof-jade.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks for reading, and thanks again for the nominations :) 

S xx

Latest in Beauty Box

This is my first latest in beauty box of 2013. I haven't ordered one in a while because the same samples kept popping up in my options and I wanted to try new things. However this time when I logged on these things jumped out at me:

Kim Kardashian - Kim Kardasian. This actually reminds me of Thierry Mugler's 'alien' so I think this may be a love or hate fragrance for most. I'm not too sure how I feel about it to be honest

Britney Spears - Midnight Fantasy. I love this, it's such a sweet girlie scent. Actually smells like sweets

Britney Spears - Fantasy. I think this one is more floral, definitely feminine 

Lady Gaga - Fame. I'm pretty sure most people have this or have least at had a sniff. I genuinely don't know where to begin in describing it, except to say once again it's a love or hate. And I love it

That's it for this months latest in Beauty.

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Review - e.l.f lock and seal

If you saw my previous elf haul post you'll have seen that I bought the 'lock and seal' I got this to use with my Barry M dazzle dusts instead of just using water, and I have to say I love it.

All you have to do is add a couple of drops into the little clear pot, then dip your brush (I used a small angle brush as I used this mixed with Barry M dazzle dust as liner) into the lock and seal, and then into whichever product you're using.

When using a pigment/dazzle dust, I'd suggest tipping some of the product into the lid. This way you're not adding moisture to the whole product and ruining it.

When I've used just water before, the dazzle dusts are very pigmented and do stay put all day. However with this I noticed they have a foil effect to them which I love and as well as staying put, the don't smudge or crease. 

The lowdown:

* price - £3.75

* Product -  15ml

* Does what it says - Definitely

* Recommend - Absolutely 

* Repurchase - Yes

Have you tried this yet? What did you think?

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

January Lux Box

My January Lux Box came yesterday, Yey, so I thought I'd do a quick post of what's inside

I love the colour of this box, it's like a mink shade. Just thought I'd throw that in there :P

Here's what's inside:

* Dr Bragi Age management moisturiser - RRP £120 for 50ml (5ml sample)

* John Masters organics Citrus & Neroli detangler and Lavender Rosemary shampoo - RRP £16.00 each (both 30ml samples)

* Balm Balm fragrance free lip balm £3.99 for 7ml

When I opened this I did think that the samples were really small, with the exception of the Balm Balm. However last months box was amazing for product sizes so I'll let them off :P I'm going to give them a go nonetheless and put up some reviews after I've used each product. I'm still impressed wit Lux Box and would still recommend giving them a go if you aren't already subscribed. (I didn't get paid to say that, I just like the company)

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

My most reached for brushes

I was sitting the other morning putting on my make up for work, and realised that I really use all of the brushes I have. Face brushes I do, because I only have a few but eye brushes, I find myself using the same ones each day. So I thought I'd do a quick run through of the ones I use the most:

Face:

Foundation -

* Real Techniques Expert face brush £9.99

* Real Techniques Stippling brush £11.99

* E.L.F flat top powder brush £3.75

Powder -

* E.L.F flat top powder brush £3.75

Blush -

* E.L.F blush brush £3.75

Highlight -

* Avon angled brush £3.50

Contour -

* Real Techniques stippling brush £11.99

Eyes:

Shadow -

* MAC 239 £19.00

* E.L.F eyeshadow brush £1.50

* Crown C135 £2.76

Blending -

* MAC 217 £17.00

* E.L.F eyeshadow blending £1.50

* Crown C139 £2.95

Eyeliner -

* No7 precision eyeliner brush £7.25

* Avon angled eyeliner brush £4.00

Other -

* MAC 219 £19.00

* Random dome brush from Home bargains 99p - I love using this for highlighting my browbone and tear duct area

* QVS angled £2.79 - I use this for my eyebrows, the width is perfect 

What are your favourite brushes to use?

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Tuesday tip

Tuesday tip time again beauts:

 If you apply pencil liner to your upper or lower lashline, set with an eyeshadow the same shade. This way, the eyeliner will stay in place all day/night and won't smudge

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Mascara mix up

I'm one of those girls who hate throwing mascara away, I have no idea why I just do. However I'm in possession of WAY TOO MANY at the moment, a few of which deffo need to be binned. So I thought that I'd do a kind of 'empties' post and do a little review on each. Here's what's headed for mascara heaven this month:

* Avon Super enchant - I'm not sure on the price of this because......it's been discontinued!!! GUTTED! This is without a doubt one of my fave mascaras ever. It separated, lengthened and gave volume

* Miss sporty waterproof fabulous lash - £1.99 I needed a waterproof mascara a few months ago and just wanted a cheap one as I'd only be using it for one day so I picked this up. Yup it's deffo waterproof but that's it. It claims to build lashes from natural to dramatic.....it doesn't! Not one I would recommend

* Clinque high impact - £16.00 This is, along with Avon Super enchant, my other favourite mascara. One coat of this and my lashes look full and long. Definitely one I'd recommend and buy again

* Collection Skyscraper - £4.99  Another fave of mine! Again it lengthens, gives volume and separates. Definitely another I'd recommend and buy again

* MUA Every lash and Mega Volume - £3.00 I enjoyed both of these, I wasn't too sure about them at first but once they dried out slightly I liked them. I would recommend giving them a try. The 'Every lash' separates  and adds length, and the'Mega volume' gives volume and lengthens

* George Volume lash - £3.50 This isn't actually ready for the bin but I'm chucking it anyway because I never reach for it. I like it but don't love it, and what annoys me is that at the end of the day I have black rings under my eyes from the mascara dropping

Well that's it, time to buy more mascara :P I think I'll do one of these posts every 3 months, that way I know my mascara's are bacteria free

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Make up Monday

It's Monday again which means it's time for another Make Up Monday! This is what's made it into my make up bag this week:

* Too faced eyeshadow's in 'London Calling' 'Label Whore' and 'Jealous?'

* Rimmel blushes in 'Summer Fever' and 'Winter Glow'

* OCC Lip tar in 'Memento'

* MAC lipstick in 'Viva Glam Cyndi'

I bought the Too faced eyeshadows ages ago and I think I've only worn 'Jealous?' Oooops! I shall let you know which products I'm loving,and which are gonna hit the bin on Sunday

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Small haul

Yesterday I went out shopping with my cousin and picked up a few bargains. One of my shopping trip missions was to buy more heels, I have a pair of heeled black ankle boots that I love but always wear. So I made myself (oh how difficult that was) buy more shoes:

* Burgundy suede heels £6.00 from Primark

* Black studded heels £6.00 from Primark

* Anchor ring £3.00 from River Island

* 3 bracelets £2.50 from Internacionale

* Black dress £14.99 from H&M

I'm very proud of myself for not buying any make up!! :P

Thanks for reading :) 

Sxx

I (don't) got the love

If you read my weekly Make Up Monday posts then you'll know that each Monday I search through my make up and pull out things that I haven't used in an age. I then use them for that whole week, if I've loved them they go in my faves, liked then they go back in my collection, and if I haven't liked them? I stick them in this blog post.

Basically at the end of each month, along with my monthly empties, I'm going to write a post on the things I haven't loved and do a mini review on each item.

Face:

*No7 colour calming primer £10.50 - I've written a review on this already and I just don't like it. It was hard to blend, showed through my foundation and basically didn't work

* Sheer cover base perfector Primer £21.95 - Again I have a review on this too. I  think the main reason for me not liking this is my skin type, it didn't hold my foundation in place and I didn't like the finish it gave me

* MUA Matte perfect foundation £2.00 - Very rarely will you see a negative review of an MUA product from me,but this I just couldn't get along with. It didn't keep my face matte and the colour match wasn't so great

* Soap and Glory kick ass concealer £10.00 - This is pretty much a Holy grail item with some bloggers, but for me it looked cakey on spots and it creased under my eyes. I think I'll stick to my Collection lasting perfection from now on

Lips and Eyes

* Soap and Glory Sexy mother pucker £9.00 Again I think this is a product a lot of girlie's love but I really don't like it. I get that it's supposed to tingle, but I swear it felt like my lips were on fire. And I found it really dried my lips out too

* No7 Stay perfect eyeshadow in 'True Gold' £7.00 - Even though this shade is named 'True Gold' it really wasn't. I didn't find this to be pigmented and the colour I did get from it was pretty chalky

Wellthat's it for this months negative post. What do you think of this type of post?

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Weekly favourites

I've been liking quite a few things from this weeks make up Monday , which is good because it means I don't need to bin any items haha

* Barry M lip glosses (neither have names or numbers) I love the smell and consistency of these glosses. They're not sticky and actually feel quite moisturising

* e.l.f blushes in 'fushia fusion' and 'tickled pink' - These blushes are so pigmented and pretty colours.  Tickled pink is definitely more of a peach though, not a pink. It gives such a pretty glow

* Barry M lip paint in '129' - This is a lilac shade and I think that's why I haven't worn it all that much in the past, it's quite a hard shade to pull off. However with the Barry M pink gloss, it tones it down and makes it so pretty

* Natural collection eye shadow's in 'Golden sand' and 'Moss shimmer' - Love these two shades together. They're not too pigmented but have a nice amount of pigmentation to them

* MAC blush in 'Desert rose' - I love this! I only just bought it on Friday but I've been wearing it non stop

Well that's it for another week

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Celeb Saturday #5

It's Saturdaaaaaaaay again, which means time for another celeb inspired look. This week, I found a picture of the gorgeous Adele that I really like:

I think what drew me to this photo was the fact the her eyeshadow isn't blended but it still looks so pretty!

Here's what I used:

* First I applied a primer all over my lid, then I used MUA shade 1 as a inner tear duct highlight and just under my brow

* Next I used 'Freestyle' in the crease as a transition colour, and then blended that out with 'Kinky'

* Taking a small eyeshadow brush I used 'Backdoor' and outlined the shape I wanted, then packed on the shadow

* I took a mix of 'Backdoor' and 'Blackout' and applied this half way along my lower lashline

* Last but not least I applied a swoosh of liquid liner along my upper lashline, and a swipe or two of mascara

That's it, simple but pretty!

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Four reads of February

A few weeks ago I read a post from Beauty balm about her 2013 book challenge, where she's set herself the challenge of reading four books a month. I know this isn't a beauty post and my blog is mainly all beauty with the odd random thing thrown in there, well this is one of those random things. I'm a complete bookworm and have way too many books, so I've set myself this challenge too

My February reading list

* Joanne Harris 'Chocolat'
* Thomas Hardy 'Tess of the D'ubervilles'
* Jennifer Worth 'Call the midwife'
* Mhairi McFarlane 'You had me at hello'

I'm not sure whether or not I'll be putting up reviews when I've finished each book, but if I do it'll be alongside a beauty post too ;)

Are you a bookworm? What's your favourite book?

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

Birthday fun

Yesterday was my 27th Birthday (Checks for grey hairs) and I thought I'd do a wee little post of the funtimes that were had:

First up, on Tuesday 29th I went to see Rita Ora and I LOVED IT! The lady is amazing live, unlike quite a few bands/singers/acts I've seen 'live' she actually sang every song live and still managed to jump around the stage like a loon. And of course, she's a bit of a babe!

For my Birthday meal I went out for Tapas with the girls and posted an OOTN last night. It was my first time trying Tapas and I have to say it was quite nice, although the topic of many conversations weren't all that pleasant haha

Prezzie time. I just want to say thank you for the cards, gifts and birthday wishes from all of my friends and family, I had a great Birthday!

* Accessorize mini lipstick in 'Infatuated' 

* Rimmel Kate Moss '101' '01' and '08'

* An ipad mini case, screen protector and 'pen'

* Topshop GEEK Tshirt

* Simple mini travel set

NOMMMY!!!

* Malteaser Bunnies (the best thing about easter)

* Lucky Charms cereal <3

I also got gift cards, money and dollars for my NYC trip ROLL ON AUGUST!!! 

Thanks again for a great Birthday y'all <3

Thanks for reading :)

S xx

January Empties

Well, it's time for January empties. I can't believe it's the end of the month already!!

Lets start with skincare:

* Kleenex facial cloths - We all know by now that these are the only things I love to remove my make up/apply toner. And I think they've been discontinued! Well that's what the girl in Superdrug told me *sad face*

* Simple babywipes - Again I always use these as part of my skincare routine. I like to use these to remove the majority of my make up before I use a face wash

* Superdrug cucumber face wipes - Another must have for me. I think the main reason I like these is because of the smell!

* Lastly Skinology tea tree face cleanser from wilkinsons - This is my second bottle and I'm well into my third. I love this stuff

Bath and hair:

* Avon senses shower gel in 'Mystique' - This is a weird one for me. I love the scent, but the consistency was strange. It was like a jelly! And it didn't really lather up all that well Don't think I'd hurry to buy this again

* Avon dry ends serum - I've bought this for years and love it. I usually apply to damp hair, but I've started applying it to dry hair and much prefer it this way

* Soap and Glory 'Clean on me' - Heaven in a bottle is all I can describe this as. It smells great, lathers amazing and the smell lingers on your skin ages afterwards

* Avon 360 nourishment moroccan argan oil shampoo and conditioner - I didn't notice any difference after using this at all. I think I'll just stick to my Timotei

Make up:

* 17 miracle matte powder - Holy grail powder! I always use this, it's amazing for anyone with oily skin

* Playboy lipgloss in 'Hef's Favourite' - A tacky product I know, and I know that it isn't used up however it's ready for the bin as it's started to separate. I love the smell and colour, and yup I would repurchase

* Urban Decay primer potion - This has taken an age to use up. At first I wasn't all that keen on it because I find it quite thin to apply, however the more I used it the more I liked it. I still prefer MUA eye primer in comparison 

* Wilkinson lip balm - I love these things. They're 3 for 99p and if I could only ever have one lip balm, I'd have these. They leave my lips so soft and smooth, and smell great!

That's it for this month, until Feb!

Thanks for reading :)

S xx